Chapter 13: Commander and Ace plus the Trolls

SBS, home of the Running Man, the building that never sleeps. There would always be one office, a department working overtime or sets working live shoot. On the rooftop garden, a drama crew is busy recreating an illusion. Why shoot in a park if you can transform a part of the building into one? Convenient, costs less and no fans fawning over. But you see, there’s only one person arranging this and three PDs.

What are they doing there? At three in the morning… it’s not actually surprising. The building never sleeps, but this time, strange things are happening. You do not see variety PDs together at ungodly hours for nothing.

In any stations, you could call them the brains, the boss and sometimes, the Lokis. Literally.

>/////<

A red envelope was waiting for Jong kook when he woke up. He was curled under the sheets and hugging himself warm. He hesitantly got up, looked at the alarm he didn’t set up last night, and then he saw the envelope with the R.

Jong kook knew they had a schedule but he didn’t expect it to be this early and it’s Christmas. He was still groggy after staying out so late and having a little drink with his family, besides, there was that little date they were talking about last night. He was just unsure if it’s true or if he was dreaming.

He walks to the bathroom only to see Gap Jin preparing his filming things. “Merry Christmas…” he greets as he fiddles with the mission but it says he can’t open it until he’s in the car. He shrugs and tosses it in a bag, obviously not his, which he found at the foot of his bed.

“Hyung,” the manager looked at his back, pointing with his lips to something behind him. A VJ to be exact. “The PDs prepared a surprise filming today...”

“Not surprising anymore, when was the last time they didn’t?” he mutters, smirking and pushing his audience out of his room. Once alone, he goes to the bathroom to prepare. He mournfully eyes the tub thinking it would be nice to have a long, warm soak but he couldn’t tarry. He sighs and jumps into the shower, setting the temperature at maximum.

The VJ, his manager and the stylist were waiting for him at the dining room, helping themselves with breakfast his mother whipped up. He knew these people only live on coffee and bread early in the mornings but was just being polite. Therefore, they tried to appear happy at eating such heavy meal to his delight.

“Merry Christmas…” He says explaining the sudden schedule and giving his mother a hug then he grins at the others. He joins the family in the table, his spirits lifted after seeing his favorites. Jong kook ate like a man with all the time in the world until his VJ had to remind him that the others might have been already on their way.

He lets out a disappointed grunt. His father and mother nods at him in understanding. He shoves warm rice and kimchi abruptly in his mouth, his eyes watering at the burning sensation. He hears laughter around him but he doesn’t care.

After breakfast, Jong kook bade his farewells to his family and went down. While they were in the elevator, he pulls Gap Jin and whispers, “Gap Jin-ah, something is weird.”

“What hyung?”

“Where’s the PDs? Maybe I should call the others.”

“Or maybe you should see what the mission is first.”

“Right… where did I--” If Jong kook wasn’t busy looking for the red envelope, he would have seen the look his manager and the VJ exchanged. Although the strange ambiance didn’t escape his notice, he just can’t put a name to weird that day. The commander didn’t say a word and continued to play along.

At Anyang market, buy five types of food that represents the town. Put them in your bag pack.

“Is this an individual race today? I’m even in my own car… with only one camera… really weird.” Usually the Running Man members do not contact each other when they are in individual missions but Haha or Gwang soo often does to sabotage something or get information. He still couldn’t shake off the puzzling feeling but he thought if he follows instructions and watches out his back for ambushes then he’d be fine.

“Why am I not seeing any PDs or the usual staff today? Won’t they check whatever we bought or maybe… give out challenges? This is too easy.” He exclaims looking around. He doesn’t even have a nametag. He asks his poor VJ who can only smile and shrug.

“Is this a survival game? Another kind of format maybe?” he searches his pockets for his phone, then the bag but there was nothing. “Am I not allowed to call anyone?” he gets no answer again and when he reaches the place where he parked his car, it was empty.

“Aissh, hey, where’s the car? Now do we have to walk or hitch? I don’t have much cash in me!” He shivers as a gust of wind blows then he sees another red envelope on the now empty parking slot.

Run to the nearest flower shop and buy a flower fit for the occasion.

“This is seriously strange. Food and now flowers. Are we having a couple race today? Maybe our partner is hiding somewhere waiting to be rescued or something?” he asks even if he knew he’s not getting any answers. Behind him, the VJ and the manager sweat nervously despite the cold. Jong kook is indeed the commander, or maybe the Korean Sherlock.

“I think I am right. It’s a couple race and the occasion they are referring to, is Christmas and it means love or something like that. Maybe the sneaky PDS are thinking we’d buy poinsettia or mistletoes right?” he turns to his VJ who quickly hides behind his camera and ignores the solo litany of his charge. “Based on your reaction, I’m getting something right. Right?”  

The owner of the shop hands him a cell phone and another red envelope after he buys tulips. He would have gone for roses but that’s so overrated.

The phone book only has one number and it’s unknown but it is familiar. He checks the setting and discovers that it was programmed to change his natural voice if he talks to anyone. The envelope contains the other things he was allowed to say. It seems they have to meet their partners by guessing.

There was an address inside that he knows well and tips to persuade the other half of the pairing. It was silly and it doesn’t make sense. All he could say were the words they listed and he has to convince and identify who his partner is by rearranging the words in the envelope into something sensible.

I. Today. Go. Partner. Other. Person. Give. Bribe. No. Coffee.

It was hard to use the words but because he finally realized why the number given to him was familiar, it made sense. Besides, he could only think of one person if you say coffee and partner in one sentence.

“Hyung, where are you going?” Jong kook smiles to his VJ, gives his bag to the manager, then he turns to the camera and waves goodbye.

“Merry Christmas!” Jong kook runs and quickly loses the others who were too stunned to react or run after him.

>/////<

Ji hyo stares at the coffee shop where she often hangs out. The instruction says to buy something healthy at her favorite place. They knew her hang out spots wouldn’t have anything healthy. She groans, wondering if she should suddenly declare that she likes the deli behind them.

“Isn’t this a strange day? I don’t even have my phone… and no car! Will someone get me? How will they find me?” her VJ shrugs but points at her mission.

Ji hyo reluctantly crosses the street and enters the coffee shop. It was already ten in the morning and she’s sure the others had a head start of at least an hour because she snoozed the alarm when it rang and no one bothered to tell her it was not hers but was sent by the production. She wasn’t even sure yet what is really happening.

She stares at the menu looking for something ‘healthy’. “If it’s something good… then it must be something that Jong kook oppa will eat. Am I teamed with him today?” she says absentmindedly, not noticing the awkwardness around her. If this were the edited version, there would surely be a caption saying she’s such an ace, plus sound effects and the works. But she’s also our resident Mong so she didn’t realize how close she had been to the truth -- to the relief of the others around her.

“I’ll have plain tea… ah that one, plain and warm without sugar… it’s natural?” the crew nods, beaming at her. Another crew runs to the one she’s talking to and whispers something to her coworker. They both looked unsure but Mong Ji hyo only wanted her coffee and some cakes. “Ah and give me a slice of that, then a cup of mix your own… you guys have the recipe right? And two cups of cappuccino...” After ordering for everyone, Ji hyo sits quietly on the corner, reading a magazine that happened to have an article about her new drama.

She was looking at the promo pictures when her mind suddenly played a trick on her and Jin hyuk’s face transformed into Jong kook’s. She grins, trying not to look weird. The VJ tries to film what she’s looking at and she blushes and hides, turning bad Ji hyo at the poor man. “Yah!”

“Ji hyo!”

The door opened, a man who looked like he ran all the way from Anyang to that place heaves as he walked into the shop. “Hey,” he says, waving at her. “Finally found you… come.”

“Oppa, are you here on a mission? Or are you in my team today?” he walked briskly to her, without an explanation he grabs her hand. The next thing Ji hyo knows they were running out of the café, breezing by the streets of Ilsan.

“Oppa! What are we doing? Where--” she asks but she didn’t stop running along, giggling and grinning. It felt like a movie. The strange feeling was gone and when Ji hyo realized no one really bothered to chase after them, the puzzles fell into place.

Their hands were intertwined together, with only the hoods of their coat disguising them. It should be weird but at that time, Ji hyo can only feel good things, happy things that didn’t have to make any sense.

The pair ended up in Ilsan’s Lake Park. It was crawling with people and couples walking around despite the cold but no one noticed them and they mingled in the crowd miraculously.

“It was a trick eh?” Ji hyo says to which Jong kook nods. “Everyone is conspiring to set us up oppa… I can’t believe it.”

They found a bench and sat there without saying anything. The silence was good. It wasn’t awkward at all, and even if they were looking at everything but at their faces, they both know the other is smiling. Jong kook squeezed her hand, never letting go.

“It seems like today…” he said, finally breaking the silence. “Today we’re a pair… partners?”

“There’s no camera oppa, this isn’t a race… not Running Man anymore.” He chuckles and finally he lets her hand go, only to drape an arm around her and pull her close. They end up talking about how the others are trying their hand at the role of fate.

They figured out that the PDs were the biggest trolls of all after Ji hyo told the others she can’t go to the opening of the Pasta place. The PDs themselves prepared plan B when the member’s scheme didn’t work out.

“It doesn’t matter… today it’s us..."

"Us?" she lets out a chuckle, not expecting those words from him. It seems, the words that needed to be said are finally catching up to their little game of silence. "Us... that is... nice."

He smiles at her but Ji hyo saw his eyes and the uneasiness in them. "but Ji hyo-yah… if you knew it was a set-up with me, why did you say no?” there was a hint of hurt in his voice which Ji hyo found oddly cute. She turns to him and she reaches out to stun him with a light kiss on his cheek.

Thanks for reading and happy New Year ^^

pardon the mistakes and boring chapter -- I haven't been writing much so I think I'm getting rusty >u<