“Oppa, are you alright?” Ji Hyo placed her hand lightly over Gary’s when she noticed that he had been staring blankly at television screen when the recorded Running Man episodes had already finished playing.

He maintained his silence while she maintained her glance at his knitted brows.

She had noticed that he had not laughed much during the show. And when she saw his frown deepened, she tried to break the quietness with a praise. “You sang well with Ailee especially for your song.”

“It’s our song.” He thought bitterly and shook his head subconsciously.

“Did I say something wrong?” She quickly asked. It was unusual for Gary to react to the Running Man episodes. It was just a day of work to him.

He turned his hand over and interlaced his fingers with hers. He let out a bittersweet smile and replied, “No, you didn’t say anything wrong. Watching Dong Hoon and Skull together makes me wonder how it would be like if Gil hyung and I were a team too.” He let out a soft sigh.

He then added, “If I could have Gil as my teammate, for a moment I wouldn't mind losing and take the punishment in Taiwan.”

“But you are afraid of thrill rides.” She quickly reminded him.

“Yes, that’s why I said it’s for a moment.” He said as he turned to look at her and gave a short laugh.

He took a deep breath and continued, “I’m not saying what Gil hyung did was right but he belongs to the stage. I'd rather they mete out his punishment explicitly. I really don’t know how much longer he would be in hiatus.” A deeper and louder sigh escaped from him.

If Haha and Jae Suk had expressed on more than one occasions that they missed Gil on Infinity Challenge, how could Gary not missed his partner of more than a decade? While they had planned for Gary to experiment with new music experiences, such as having his solo albums and collaboration with other artists, them being Leessang was always the unspoken part of the plan and it always had a higher priority over any of their individual ventures. Even when his solo album and his songs with Jung In were well received, he always felt lonely to travel to the fan meets and events on his own.

“I wonder if we could perform together on Christmas and New Year this year.” He said without expecting any reply from Ji Hyo. For so many years, they had spent Christmas and New Year together. Much as they seemed to complain, they actually looked forward to these times because it was a comforting tradition for them. They were much closer than what some blood-related brothers had been. Gary could not forget the time when Gil managed to borrow the funds for their first album. It was Gil who managed to give their dream a chance to become reality. And those times when they were so poor that they had to share a packet of food. Thinking of their hard times caused Gary to swallow hard.

“He always take care of me.” Although Gary took the limelight these days due to his popularity in Running Man and he appeared to be the leader in Leessang when they were equals, Gil was never jealous of Gary and he always encouraged Gary to do even better. While Gary started an idea, it's often Gil who followed it through. Without Gary, Gil's music will be without words. Without Gil, Gary's lyrics will remain as words. 

While there were elements of Kang Gary in his songs with Jung In, both Gary and Leessang fans missed Gil’s touch in them. While he was grateful for the acceptance and success of these songs, he could not fully basked in delight when these ventures were brought forward because Leessang’s album was postponed. Leessang was home. Leessang was his base. Only when Leessang was well then he could be truly happy with his individual victories.  

“I’m always Leessang’s Kang Gary,” he declared. Yes, no matter how much Running Man had made him famous, at the end of day he would still go back to his roots. He will always be the other half of the Leessang duo.

He gave Ji Hyo’s hand a squeeze. He seldom spoke of Gil in front of her even though he spent tons of time with him.

“How is Gil oppa doing these days?” She queried.

He smiled at her term of endearment for Gil. She didn’t know Gil well but she called him an oppa because he was his longest and closest buddy. “He is doing well. He has been working out a lot and he is still writing songs. And with more time on his hands now, he is experimenting more with his music composition.”

“I believe your next Leessang album will be a blast!” She grinned at him. “Let’s invite Gil oppa over to my place for dinner one of these days. I will cook his favourite dishes.”

Taking in the lovely lady before him, Gary could not believe his good fortune - it's so difficult to find a soulmate and he had his second soulmate before him. He drew Ji Hyo into an embrace and nodded his head while uttering his thanks.

(11.09.2014)

An article on Leessang's friendship can be found at http://www.leessangclown.com/2014/03/10-things-we-need-to-learn-from.html