Seven hours had gone by ever since the opening had been filmed. The Running Man couples were all on their way to the final mission's location. Sitting in the passenger seat, or rather, lying lifelessly besides Ji Hyo was an out of battery Jae Suk. Today's games had been particularly energy-consuming: tug-of-war, mud wrestling, dodgeball...Running Man hadn't been that active in a while, none of the members were prepared for the amount of physical activity they were expected to do. And if Jae Suk and the almighty Spartakooks had trouble keeping up with the intensity of the missions, the others who didn't frequent the gym as often as the two powerhouses of the show certainly met some hurdles along the way. 

Seeing how worn out the thirty-eight year old Grasshoper was, Ji Hyo volunteered to drive them to their last mission. After being in a near-death experience because of Jae Suk's inattentive driving last week, she feared they would collide with the other cars if he decided to hit the road in his semiconscious state. There was no way she was going to let that happen again. With both her hands on the wheel and her attention shifting between the darkness straight ahead and the unusually quiet comedian staring hazily at the road, she the radio, uplifting reggae music blasting out of the speakers, startling the half-asleep Grasshopper, who flinched at the volume of Haha's favorite music genre.

Jae Suk couldn't believe he had lost his battle against sleep. Never once in his two decade-long career had he shown on camera how tired he was. However, during the last few weeks, he hadn't lived up to his trademark bright personality because of the countless nights he had spent craddling his wailing newborn in his arms.

Yoo Ji Ho was, without a doubt, quite a handful.

Now a four month old toddler, his midnight antics have diminished considerably, allowing Jae Suk and his wife to catch up on all the sweet deserving rest they had missed and desperately needed. Their son's irregular sleep schedule was not a problem anymore; Jae Suk's spouse's snores were. After giving birth to Ji Ho, Kyung Eun had acquired new sleeping habits that were a bit...invading. She used to sleep in a foetus position, barely hogging the blanket, breathing softly and quietly, but now, she would sleep in a starfish position, her limbs sprawled out all over her unfortunate husband. And if having a whole hand suffocating him wasn't enough, she had to snore as loud as a roaring car engine. Of course, the Nation's MC being as thoughtful as always, didn't complain about her current sleep patterns, instead, he told her subtly that he would be spending his nights on the living room's couch as to let her benefit the most out of her indispensable but neglected beauty sleep.

The couch did nothing good for his back though. Five days after voluntarily giving up his side of the bouncy king sized bed he shared with his wife for a comfy-looking couch, or so he thought, Jae Suk's shoulders and lower back were aching all over. It was a price he was willing to pay for making his beloved go through unbearable labour pains to welcome to the world their precious Ji Ho. The discomfort he was feeling was nothing compared to what she had experienced during the baby's delivery and he was very well aware of that. That was why he wasn't going to make a fuss over a meaningless matter.

And so, when Jae Suk's head hit the passenger seat's headrest, he sighed, extremely satisfied. The curvature of the seat combined with all the bumps on the road did wonders to his sore back. He knew he had an important duty as an MC: make the celebrities guest relatable by exposing their flaws, members included. But at this present moment, all he could think of was how cozy the car seats were, how cool it was in the car, how inviting giving in to sleep was...Regrettably, hearing Bob Marley songs that he had been forced to listen to over and over again in Haha's house woke him out of his heavenly state. As he streched his sleepy limbs, his brain slowly regaining its full capacity, he noticed that his seat had been reclined.

"Ji Hyo," he thought as he sat straight up, grateful for the kind gesture she did.

The thirty minutes of shut eye he managed to get replenished his energy...not too the fullest but enough for him to tackle the last mission of the day.

"We'll be there in about half an hour," Ji Hyo said, eyeing the estimated time of arrival calculated by the gps on the small touch screen. "Today was quite something, right, oppa?" She asked, stifling a yawn.

Jae Suk could see Ji Hyo was struggling to stay awake. While they were waiting for a red light to turn green, he put his hand on her forearm and with a look full of worry, he told her to park the car in the slow lane.

"Ji Hyo-ah, let me drive," they made the switch as fast as possible to avoid arriving later than everyone else at the final location. 

Before putting the key in the ignition, Jae Suk turned off the two cameras in the car to allow Ji Hyo to sleep more comfortably. After having seen thrice now how, without a care for the watching eyes she was in the world of dreams, her lips slightly parted and drool pooling in the corner of , he told her about it. She hid her face in her hand shamefully and asked him if she always had that foolish look on her face when she was resting. He grinned and assured her that it was new seeing her not kick or bite anyone for once. She elbowed him playfully and gazed at the city lights flashing by rapidly as they hit the busy highway. No words were exchanged between the oppa and dongsaeng pair for a few moments. Jae Suk decided to speak up, although he knew that what he was about to ask might put him in dangerous grounds but mostly importantly, put salt in Ji Hyo's old wounds.

"You know, earlier you said something about cheesecake and painful memories, if it's not too indiscrete to ask, what happened?" He immediately discerned a change in Ji Hyo's expression and body language. If someone had asked him what was the most heart-breaking thing he had witnessed in his life, it would be that exact moment, seeing the look in Ji Hyo's eyes go from tired but fulfilled to utter misery.

"That's okay, we don't have to talk about it..." he turned to her, apologetic, "sometimes I'm just too curious for my own good," he said, slapping his protruding mouth.

She smiled weakly, her smile not quite reaching her eyes, and fumbled with her slender fingers for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. The memories she wished she could erase all came flooding back. 

Eight years ago, when Ji Hyo was but a young actress struggling to find employment in the fairly competitive entertainment industry we call korean show business, keeping faith and staying positive was no easy feat. With tons of raw talent and pretty faces appearing here and there in open calls, arriving prepared and well-dressed just wasn't enough to send the casting agents in thundering applause. The fearless Ji Hyo wasn't one to give up easily though, she did move to seoul to pursue her dream without even sparing a glance for the neighborhood in which she grew up, but after not getting called back for the twentieth audition in a row, she seriously contemplated moving back to her hometown and becoming a master in the art of fishing. With her family living right on the coast of Pohang, she had learned how to catch crabs and cook them in eight different ways since she was a little girl. Dedicating her remaining days to catching fish didn't sound so bad; she would inherit her family's store and her future would be set! There was almost no competition at all between the surrounding fishing enthusiasts, she obviously wouldn't earn as much as the A-list actress she yearned to be but with her earnings as a fisherwoman, she would live a comfortable life, following in her parents' footsteps.

It didn't sound too bad. 

Her parents had high hopes for their eldest; they had seen Ji Hyo perform in plays when she was a high school student, with her talent, they knew she'd amount to something! How was she supposed to explain to her family that she had failed every single one of the audition she attended? She had seen how upset they were when, at 16, she told them that she didn't want to take over the family business. She left with a couple hundred bucks forced upon her by her loving parents, how could she possibly go back empty-handed? Without even an acting gig?

It was thanks to her kind-hearted best friend moving to Seoul with her, willingly covering more than half of their living expenses thanks to his job as a lucrative online shopping mall owner and constantly telling her not to lose hope over the dozens of fruitless auditions that she had become what she was. Everything she amounted to was all thanks to her number one supporter: Kang Ji Hoon.

He was the one who convinced her parents to let her pursue her lifelong dream in Seoul, putting their minds to rest by moving to the big city with her. He was the one who helped her rehearse her lines until the wee hours of morning every time she'd be doubtful about the quality of her performance. He was the one who offered his shoulder for her to cry on, or rather, bawl her eyes out, after she had learned that she had been dropped out of her twentieth audition and held her in his embrace until she had no more tears left to cry. She promised him after every failure that she'd be successful the next time.

Kang Ji Hoon was the man who, despite Ji Hyo's disregard of everything around her except her blindingly ambitious dream, continued on taking care of her, worrying about her and spoiling her, which, eventually, cost him his life. If it hadn't been for his weak heart incapable of looking at his best friend laying in bed all day depressingly and pityfully, he wouldn't have attempted to cheer her up by buying her favorite pastries. If it hadn't been for the disheartening look on Ji Hyo's soulless face, he wouldn't have gone to the cute bakery a few blocks from their apartment to get the cheesecake she loved so much and gotten hit by a car as he tried to avoid the pouring rain by jogging hurriedly back home, at the thought of Ji Hyo's bright smile lighting up the gloomy day.

Getting a call from the hospital in the middle of the night scared her but nothing scared her more than hearing about her best friend passing away all because he wanted to lift her spirits up. She was the reason he got in an accident. If she had been more talented and passed her previous auditions, she wouldn't have needed him consoling her through sweets. What was she going to do without him by her side? He was her rock during her tough times, and her, his.

If Kang Ji Hoon's parents had cursed her out, blamed her or even called her names, she would have been able to continue on living guiltily with his death on her conscience. But they did none of that. She cried and they cried along with her, grieving and mourning together, never once pointing an accusing finger at her. 

"You're family," they told her at the funeral. Despite the forgiveness they showed, ever since the burial ceremony, the relationship between the Songs and the Kangs had been strained. The people she used to refer affectionally to, and who used to treat her as one of their own, hadn't exchanged words with the guilt-ridden actress for years. Every new year, she'd send them a huge basket of fruits and a personalized message wishing them health and prosperity and every year, it would get returned to her, the letter still sealed shut.

"Ji Hyo-ah..." Jae Suk adjusted his glasses on his nose, not quite sure how to handle the situation. He stopped at the red light, the few seconds allowing him to take a long look at the young woman wiping her tears away, her eyes tightly shut. "What a big burden you've been carrying all those years...Aigo..." 

She sniffled and the waterworks continued even harder. He reached for her hand over the driving gear and squeezed it repeatedly. "It's not your fault Ji Hyo," He said firmly. "It's not your fault." He whispered again, his heart shattering at the sight of the usually upbeat and happy actress. She slowly turned her head towards him, her lips quivering.

"Nothing I do will ever be able to compensate for the loss his whole family suffered." She said through her sobs. 

"But look at you now! You've made it Ji Hyo-ah, you're a real actress! You kept your promise to your best friend, it's time you forgive yourself for something that wasn't your fault."

Ji Hyo wiped the mucus on her upper lip with the back of her hand, before taking the embroidered handlerchief Jae Suk pulled out of his pocket and offered her. She took a deep but shaky breath, trying to recompose herself. She swallowed the lump in and cleared . "...Really?" Ji Hyo asked innocently, her eyes red, evidence of her crying all over her face, "You think I can?"

Jae Suk nodded, the corner of his lips lifting up softly. She nodded back in response and closed her eyes, silence filling the car for a few minutes. 

Kang Ji Hoon would've been proud of her, had he been alive today. She kept on persevering with one clear goal in her head, not giving up when it was hard, thinking about his heartfelt encouragements every time she wanted to stop everything and move back to Pohang. Jae Suk was right. She made it and it was time to move on.

"Thank you, oppa." She mumbled, embarrassed that the Nation's MC witnessed her crying, her self-loathing and everything else in between.

"If you want to thank me, come to me every time you have something heavy on your heart," He patted her hand. "Oh, and fix that mess!" He gestured to her face, waving his hand playfully in front of her eyes.

"Yes, sir!" She replied solemly, bringing her hand to her forehead like a soldier. The Grasshopper ruffled her hair, a relieved smile on his face, and praised himself, glad that he averted a crisis, "You handled the situation perfectly, Jae Suk-ah!" 

Following Yoo-mes Bond straightforward remark about the makeup disaster on her face, Ji Hyo pulled a mirror out of her purse and fixed the mascara smeared all around her eyes. As she dabbed some cherry-flavored lip tint on her plump bottom lip, the gps lady estimated the arrival time at less than three minutes. 

"You know, oppa, I feel like I can tell you everything. I don't know why but that feels nice," Ji Hyo laughed lightly as she scratched her cheek, "it might sound weird but being around you really puts my mind at ease."

"Reaching destination in approximately two minutes," the voice from the device called out.

She tilted her head slightly, wondering why the famous chatterbox wasn't saying anything. "Oppa, did you hear what I said? "

Jae Suk cleared his throat, embarrassed, and chuckled nervously. "Uh...Ji Hyo-ah. A-are you confessing...? I'm truly flattered but you know I'm married, right? You're not the first who confessed to me, rest assured. So many cute hoobaes like you have done the same but..."

Ji Hyo waved her hands frantically in front of her, cutting him off and denying everything, "No, oppa! I just wanted to tell you what a good listener you were!"

Jae Suk blinked numerous times, a bit taken aback, seriously thinking that Ji Hyo had feelings for him, before nodding with an overly exaggerated amused expression, "Of course, of course. I knew that! I just wanted to see how'd you react!"

"Reaching destination in approximately 41 seconds."

"Well, I'm happy that you'd be flattered if I liked you," the Ace smiled, ignoring her accelerating heartbeat and pink cheeks. "And that you think I'm cute."

Jae Suk grinned, looking straight at the short road leading to the parking lot of the last location of the day. And with that last sweet and genuine exchange in the car, the oppa and dongsaeng pair went in the building, hands clasped together, sharing a special bond, making them closer than they thought they would ever be.