Earlier that day...

"And the first place winners of the challenge are: Kim Jongkook and Song Jihyo," the PD announced.

The seven Running Men were assembled before the cameras. Jihyo and Jongkook nodded, looking pleased with themselves, while the others clapped - some only grudgingly, Gwangsoo taking the chance to complain about cheating.

There weren't any guests joining them for the filming today, as the episode was an individual challenge. The theme was 'wilderness survival race', and they had just completed the first of the day's challenges, which involved kayaking their way around an obstacle course set up on a lake. Jongkook with his usual physical prowess, and Jihyo making good use of her quickness and agility, had placed first and second.

"As we have said," the PD continued, "there are rewards for the members who completed the challenge the fastest, and a penalty for those who finished last. Song Jihyo and Kim Jongkook will be taking the fastest mode of transport to the next challenge location. There is a benefit to those who reach the location first. Yoo Jae Suk and Kang Gary, who came third and fourth in the challenge, will drive themselves in the car provided. Those who placed last will take public transport."

"Ah, public transport? Really?" Ji Sukjin automatically protested.

"Is there even public transport around here?" Haha wondered.

"Do I have time to get changed first?" Kwangsoo demanded, his teeth chattering, as he peered out from under the towel over his head. He had fallen in the mountain lake's icy waters not just once but repeatedly - whether out of sheer clumsiness, or because he was tipped over by one of the others. His long, gangly body was not exactly suited to the small kayaks they had used for the challenge.

"The local bus will arrive at the closest bus stop in thirty minutes," was the PD's unsympathetic reply.

"Wait, what's our transportation?" Jongkook said, gesturing to himself and Jihyo, who stood beside him.

"The two challenge winners will be driven to meet a helicopter waiting nearby. There will be a scenic flight over the mountains as a reward for first place."

"Wow," Jihyo said, clapping her hands, she and the others giving an impressed reaction for the cameras.

But Yoo Jaesuk held up his hands. "You know, it's good sometimes not to win."

Ji Sukjin clapped his hands and nodded in agreement. "I'll happily take the bus. Enjoy your helicopter ride."

Everyone laughed at the two oldest, and most cowardly, of the running men.

The filming broke, then, the cast and crew dispersing as they prepared to move on to the next location, which was at a camping ground about half an hour away by car.

Jihyo and Jongkook were the first to be on their way. Jihyo drank some bottled water as they settled in the back seat of the car together.

"Yeah!" she gave a little cheer as they set off, still feeling the thrill of the win, as well as being excited for their reward. "Let's go!"

"You know, I'm not really that good with flying, either," Jongkook admitted, with a small laugh at his own admission.

Jihyo shook her head. "Tsk. All of you, I don't know what's wrong with you. And Sung Gyu, too," she added, referring to her VJ, who was not accompanying them.

There would only be room for one cameraman to go with them in the helicopter, and her VJ and Kim Jongkook's had decided between them who would go. Sung Gyu had been glad to give up his place to the other VJ due to his dislike of heights.

Jihyo patted Jongkook's arm and said cheekily, "Don't worry, oppa, I'll let you hold my hand."

Jongkook held a hand. "Hey, it's not that I'm scared. It's just that they didn't have to go so far as to fly us there, you know, I heard it's not that far away, we could have driven and if they'd given us a headstart we would have arrived first, anyway. I wonder what the advantage is for arriving first? Do you think there'll be nametag ripping today? I feel like there'll be nametag-ripping,we haven't done that for some time."

Jihyo couldn't help smiling as Jongkook chattered away, being Mr Talkative. She took the chance to rest her head against the window and look out at the passing scenery. As they drove, a light rain started to fall, raindrops slowly dotting the glass. It was beautiful here in the mountains, she thought, even with the cold, cloudy weather.

In the present...

Jihyo looked at her phone again as soon as her feet touched the ground outside.

"Still no signal," she said, frowning as she shoved the useless thing back in her pocket. She turned and quickly put her hands out to help Jongkook as he climbed out after her.

He had managed to force the door partly open, enough for them to get out. Perhaps they should have stayed were they were until someone came to find them - Jihyo knew it was a risk to move after an accident, because of possible spinal damage. But neither of them had wanted to stay in the helicopter.

As she had climbed painfully out through the door with Jongkook's help, Jihyo decided her body hurt too much for her spinal cord to be damaged. Every single one of her nerves was working just fine - because it felt like they were all screaming at her right now. Her head hurt, her neck hurt, she could feel deep bruises forming where the safety restraints had cut into her as she was thrown against them on impact with the ground. Her whole body ached in general from being jolted and jarred so much. And she still felt a bit dizzy and sick to her stomach. At least she hadn't thrown up yet.

Jongkook stumbled as he stepped down next to her, leaning heavily on her for a moment before steadying himself.

"Sorry," he muttered, wincing.

"Come on, you should sit down," she said. "Can you walk? Oppa, your leg..."

There was a lot of blood down the side of his pants. And he stood with his arm wrapped around his middle, although she couldn't see any blood on his jacket. Could he have broken ribs?

He looked even worse than she felt, Jihyo thought.

"Come on," she said again, and pulled gently on his hand to lead him over to a boulder nearby.

"My leg? What about your head," he said, as he followed her and carefully lowered himself down to sit beside her. He put his hand out and lightly brushed her hair. When he drew back his hand his fingers were stained red.

She knew she must have hit her head, she still had a splitting headache, but she hadn't realised it was bleeding. She touched the area that hurt most, finding a big lump and a cut that stung when she probed it gingerly.

"Ah," she hissed, and he caught her hand, pulling it away.

"Don't worry," he said, "someone will come soon. They already know something went wrong, the pilot was on the radio, I heard him putting out a mayday signal just before we... So they must have other helicopters coming to find us right now."

"Okay."

"They know where we were flying, and we didn't even travel very far, so it won't be difficult for them to find us."

"That's good." Jihyo ped her parka and started to take it off.

"So I don't think we have to worry because help will be here soon."

"Do I look like I'm worried?"

His forehead creased as he looked at her. "You look like you always look."

She smiled a little at that, and started to pull the light-weight thermal shirt off over her head.

"Uh, Jihyo, it's really cold, why are you undressing?"

"Because I can't make a bandage out of these things," she replied. The different coloured parkas they had been dressed in for the show today wouldn't do, of course, and the thermal shirt was made of microfibre, and she didn't think it would make a good bandage either. But she had a simple t-shirt underneath the two outer layers.

She grabbed the hem and paused. "Don't look."

"What -?" He turned away hastily, stammering, as she stripped off her t-shirt and then quickly re-dressed in the long-sleeved shirt and parka, shivering against the cold, damp air.

"Okay, now show me your leg, is it still bleeding?"

"Do - do you want my clothes, too?"

"Pff," she scoffed. "It's too late now, isn't it?"

She knelt beside him to look at where the blood was coming from. His pants were ripped just above his knee, and she could see blood gleaming wetly, oozing from a long cut. She winced just looking at it. She wasn't good with blood and things like that, but she bit down on the sick feeling in her stomach, because there wasn't time to be squeamish when he needed her help.

"I don't think it's too bad," he said.

Her teeth worried at her lip as she started to wrap the t-shirt around his leg. She didn't know much about first-aid, and she didn't know if it was a bad cut or not, just that you needed to apply pressure to a wound. Everyone knew that much, at least.

His mouth was a hard line as she tied the makeshift bandage tightly. She knew it must be hurting him, but he didn't make a sound.

"Thanks," he said as she finished. "Now what about you? What do you have in your pockets? You have tissues, right?"

Her hand went to her pocket and pulled out a packet of tissues. "How did you know?"

"You're always catching colds because of your busy schedule. And you always have tissues with you."

"You're saying I sniffle too much, aren't you?"

"I didn't say that, I -"

"You think I sniffle a lot?"

"Ah, Jihyo, just give them to me."

She passed him the tissues, pretending to glare at him. She wasn't mad, though, it just felt good to bicker as normal. She could almost pretend for a moment that nothing was wrong.

Jongkook just took out a few tissues and pressed them against her head.

"Yah!" she protested, flinching at the pain.

He took her hand and moved it up to replace his, making her hold the wad of tissues against the wound. "Keep it there," he ordered, holding his hand over hers for a moment before letting it drop back to his lap.

"You're so bossy," she muttered, but did as she was told, keeping pressure on the wound. He had let her bandage his leg, after all, and hadn't complained.

"Here, sit back down while we wait," he said. She was still kneeling in front of him but he pulled her up to sit next to him again.

He was right, all they had to do now was wait to be rescued.

She sighed, leaning lightly against his shoulder. It was easier to be distracted with practical things like bandaging each other up. Just sitting here, there was nothing to do but stare at the crashed helicopter.

It had landed - if you could call it landing - beside a small stream that flowed down the hillside from out of a ravine further up the slope behind them. The trees were thick on either side, but the rocky stream-bed was wide enough to create a clearing the pilot must have aimed for as he tried to bring them down safely.

Jihyo wondered how easily the dark blue helicopter could be seen from the sky. How long had it been now? She checked the time on her phone and found it hadn't even been two hours since they had taken off from the filming location earlier. It felt a lot longer than that.

She returned the phone to her pocket and found her eyes on the downed helicopter again, tipped precariously half on its side, nose crumpled into the ground, its tail in the air. She tried not to stare but she couldn't help it, her eyes drawn over and over back to the gruesome sight that could be seen through the windows - the blood on the cracked glass, and inside, the two bodies of the men who had died.

She thought maybe she should be crying, because it was so horrible, but her eyes were dry. She didn't feel anything much at all. Well, except for her head still pounding and the way she ached all over - she didn't want to think how many bruises she had. But that wasn't the same thing.

"I think I'm in shock," she said quietly. "That's what happens, right?"

"We'll be okay," he answered, and patted her knee.

She thought he meant to be reassuring, but it only sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

She glanced at him; he was staring up at the sky, his eyes searching between the trees. He had his arms wrapped around his waist again, pressed over his stomach, which made her frown in concern.

There was nothing else they could do, she told herself, they just had to wait for someone to come.

"Of course we'll be okay," she said.

As they sat in silence, side by side, it began to rain.