"Mianhae Ji Hyo yah" Jong Kook gritted through his teeth as he pushed Sulli and Joon into the room.  "It's the only way."  With that, he stepped outside and barricaded the door, effectively trapping her with the idols.  

Hours later, his mini-betrayal still burned.  More than Gwang Soo's weekly betrayals and Jae Suk's secret water gun missions, to be fooled, used, betrayed by Jong Kook had Ji Hyo upset and emotional.  And she couldn't understand why. 

No.  It's not that I can't understand.  It's that I don't want to understand.

Deep inside, Ji Hyo understood why Jong Kook had done what he did.  With the timer counting down and the rules stipulating that the hiding/defense team could not attack until the change, trapping both of them in the room with her was the smart play.  By sacrificing Ji Hyo, he could then trap the idols in the small room and eliminate them when once he became the attacking team.  He won, which validated his strategy.  But all those rationalizations couldn't placate Ji Hyo. 

Because all those rationalizations did was illustrate a truth that Ji Hyo had been trying to avoid for three years.  I like Jong Kook.  

The reason his betrayal burned so bad was not because he didn't have a good reason.  He did.  It burned because Ji Hyo wanted more than just victory. She wanted Jong Kook.  She wanted him to want her.  To chose her.  And today, faced with a choice, he chose victory over her.  

"I would have done the same thing" she told herself, but that didn't help pain she felt in her heart.  It didn't help that she had absolutely no idea if it was true.  Would she have done the same thing?  The competitor in her said so.  But the romantic in her had completely unrealistic notions of her standing before Jong Kook, fighting off an army of idols for him.  In this fantasy, they were the only two left.  His back was giving him problems and he was relying on her to protect him from the idol team coming for his nametag.  Right when all was about to be lost and the hand would rip off his tag, she would come in to rescue him.  There would be epic music.  She would be backlit.  Her hair would blow perfectly in the wind that would blow indoors.  She would fly to him and rip off all the idol tags instantly, saving him and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. 

So it was a fantasy. But Ji Hyo knew that no matter what she did, she would feel conflicted about it.  I wouldn't be able to just sacrifice him, even if it was for the victory.  If there was a chance we could win together...I'd take it.  I'd want to take it.  

It seemed that Jong Kook didn't feel the same way.  And that's what bothered Ji Hyo.  For years, she'd been working on being just one of the guys.  And now, she wanted to be anything but just one of the guys.  I want to be a woman in front of him.  I want him to see me not as his friend, but as something more.  Something he should want to protect.  Something he couldn't just abandon for victory.  Something that would make him hesitate just one second, make him reconsider one more time.  Something that is special to him.  

For all the hints Ji Hyo kept dropping, Jong Kook either didn't notice or just didn't care.  I can't keep going on like this.  Every year, nothing changes.  He just doesn't see you that way.  Every time, he just doesn't seem to get it.  And everytime, you keep saying you'll get over him and that it's not worth it anymore but you still like him.  For three years you've been like this.  Watching.  Waiting.  Hoping that he'll finally see the truth.  That you've been here all this time.  I'm done with that.  For real this time.  Kim Jong Kook.  It's over.  I will not like you anymore starting from today.  I, Song Ji Hyo, will be over you.  I will no longer be in this one-sided love.

She'd tried to quit before.  It never worked out.  But still, Ji Hyo thought, "maybe this time will be different."  She walked off to her car, ready to go home.

In the car parked next to hers, Jong Kook sat back in his chair and wondered at the queezy feeling in his stomach.  He'd won.  But something didn't feel right.  He felt...guilty.  Of course, he'd won by sacrifcing Ji Hyo.  There was some guilt from that.  But he'd won!  Victory!  But something was ruining the sweet satisfaction.  Thinking about it, he didn't get it.  Everything he'd done had been carefully calculated to win.  And he'd won.  Ji Hyo understood.  But he couldn't shake the mysterious feeling in his gut.  She's alright...isn't she?