"If you keep this up Kang Gary, I'll.."

"You'll what, huh?" 

"I'll leave you!"

"You don't ing mean that!"

"I know what I mean, oppa and don't you dare think I'll stay here one second if you talk to me that way!"

She was tired.

The photo shoot for today had lasted longer than necessary. It also didn't help that the director kept making disapproving remarks about her weight, an issue that she took greatly to heart. She knew she was more aged than the current 'idols' and she wished that people would not be so malicious with their comments, but that was all an unachievable hope.

So as she made her way home, with a burdensome problem that lingered on the back of her mind, the only thing she was excited for was dinner and sleep. 

Alright, maybe she was looking forward to spending time with Gary as well.

They'd been dating for months now, all due to a drunken confession and an 'almost' busy night. They had awoke in the same bed and blood rushed to their cheeks, before realizing that they'd done nothing ual in their drunken stupor and had just cuddled the night away. She brushed it off with a smile and he, being the honest man that he was, sat mumbling incoherent responses the entire day.

No one knew of their relationship. It was always in Gary's mind to tell everyone, what with having such an amazing woman. He wanted his friends to know, his family as well. Heck, he wanted the world to know that he came home and nestled up on THEIR couch, with Song Ji Hyo the Ace, nuzzling into his chest.

With that being said, she shuffled into the entrance of their home. Dragging her feet against the floor after having flung her shoes to one corner of the porch. "I'll pick them up tomorrow.." she said to no one in particular, stifling a yawn that followed suit.

"You're late.. again."

She looked around, before spotting him. His body was hunched, shoulders slouched as he rested his weight on his elbows at the dining table. He looked up, and she noticed that his eyes seemed glazed, but payed it no mind, figuring that it was a long day for him too. He'd been traveling a lot these days, back and forth as she'd put it before. LeeSsang had been on quite the calls lately, getting requests from every corner of Korea to play at shows, and Gary didn't have the heart to say no, especially after noticing how excited Gil had been.

"The director was being a gae sae ki again.. He demanded that I re-do the shoot at least 5 times, maybe even more!", came her exasperated remark as she plopped down next to him. Scooting her chair before stopping to flinch at the loud screech that it made as it scraped the floor, she placed her hand on his shoulder, attempting to start a warm hug.

"Stop."

She jolted away, surprised at the tone he had used. He sounded angry and she was suddenly nervous that this may not be just frustration on his upcoming tour dates.

"What's wrong?"

Silence.

"Oppa, please won't you tell me?"

He stood up, facing away. She reckoned that he had asked her a question, but his mumbling had made no sense to her. "Mwo?," she asked, hoping he would repeat his question.

"Are you cheating on me, Ji Hyo-yah?"

Her body recoiled once again as her world shattered, wondering how he could have even thought of such a thing. He'd been distant lately, that she'd noticed but all this while, was it just because he thought there was another man on the sidelines? Did he not trust her? That all these nights on which she came home late, tired and stressed, was because of work and not another man?

"How can you ask me such a question!," she yelled without even meaning to and he finally turned around, a fierce look in his eyes as he questioned back, "What else am I supposed to think? You're coming home late every night! It was never like this before! Who is he, huh?"

"What the hell is this even about?", she shot back.

"Is he better, Ji Hyo-yah? Is that why you're doing this? I knew I'd never stand a chance with you, so why'd you even accept a guy like me in the first place? If you wanted a better looking man, a man who was richer, you should have just left me instead of cheating on me!," he cried out.

"If you keep this up Kang Gary, I'll.."

"You'll what, huh?" 

"I'll leave you!"

"You don't ing mean that!"

"I know what I mean, oppa, and don't you dare think I'll stay here one second if you talk to me that way!"
 

He tried to move away,  wanting to escape the fight he started; not wanting her to end it in a way he didn't want. It was then when something snapped in her mind as she suddenly realized what was the main problem that had caused this unwanted scenario. She could suddenly re-call the same way he went out for work that day, muttering under his breath about how he could never change, no matter how much he tried.

 

His password for his laptop was Should I log in?.

It seemed stupid to her, as she snooped through his laptop but she felt that it was the only way to know what had been bothering him. Pulling up the past browsing history, she noticed many of the sites visited were articles. Mainly Monday Couple dating scandals, along other rumors about 'Song Ji Hyo'. She scrolled down, deciding to read the comments before sighing, it was verified that this was probably what put her boyfriend in a sour mood.

 

1. [+4126, -93] Song Ji Hyo-ssi, do you really have no better taste?

2. [+3377, -100] It was kind of expected with the Monday Couple on Running Man and all but he's still so ugly!

3. [+3452, -111] Gary, you don't deserve someone as beautiful as Song Ji Hyo.

4. [+710, -41] These haters should just stop! I'm happy the Monday Couple are dating!

5. [+441, -41] She'll leave him sooner or later.

 

'Oppa.. Can't you just pay attention to the love we're receiving?, she thought as she secretly placed everything back to the way it was. 

She had made it a point to talk to him about it when he came home, but when he walked in through the door with a packet of jjampong and a warm smile, her mong-ness had taken over and she had forgot the problem at hand and that he could put on a good fake smile despite his awful lying skills.

She ran towards him.

There were no inhibitions as she threw her arms around his neck. He staggered back, before falling onto the floor, both their bodies strained in an awkward position and she let out a short string of curses on how these kind of things never happened in movies ; that he would have probably swept her up, apologizing for being a pabo before giving her a soft kiss.

He finally let out a chortle, a little surprised himself that she could still make him laugh in a situation like this. He put an arm around her, content with her sprawled on top of him.

"Oppa?..", came her quiet voice.

"Yes, Mong Ji?"

"Oppa.. I know. I know what you've been thinking these days and I want you to know that it doesn't matter. What people say about us don't matter. I know there are many people who don't accept us, that hate the Monday Couple and would rather see us with different people, but.. I only want you. Can't we just focus on the love we have and the love that our fans, friends and family give us? If it was up to me, I would say that I don't deserve you, because you become more handsome day by day in my eyes!."

He looked down, happy with every single word she had said albeit her face nuzzling his chest and he could only barely make the words out. He pressed his lips to her forehead, pulling her up into his lap, into a more comfortable position as they hugged. 

"That was a lot of words, Miss Mong," he said with a chuckle and braced himself for a sounding smack.

It never came.

He looked a little startled when he opened his eyes and noticed her staring, lovingly. Her fingers the side of his face before lightly running through his hair, lightly scraping his scalp as she gazed at him ; the softest look he'd ever seen her give.

"I love you oppa."

If there was anyway that he could have made it up to her for that temper tantrum that he had thrown earlier, it was by showing her the exact same thing that he felt. So, he pulled her close, words of apology and love spilling from his lips. He felt like an for earlier, but she always reminded him of 'now'. She was unique, one of a kind in this manner. A wonder woman like her, going for a downtown 'paddy field boy' looking rapper like him? She'd argue back by saying that he had qualities no other man could have, being a sudden commander and all. He'd laugh along, but he'd always know that he was lucky to have her. 

So, with her lightly resting on his chest ; both of them still awkwardly sitting by the wall of their kitchen, he knew all but one thing. He would no doubt, never leave or hurt this woman intentionally.

After all, she will always be the answer to him.