Chapter Ten

As the sun rose, rays of light shone through the window panels, finding their way to their faces. The warmth gradually became heat and the sleepy guys could no longer bear the heat reluctantly woke up and sat away from the window. 
"Hyung, I have drama filming in the afternoon, I have to leave in one hour's time. Noona took the spare house keys I used last night, how do I leave the house?" Kwangsoo talked with his eyes barely open.
"But Jihyo likes to sleep and definitely won't be awake at this timing, would she?"Jaesuk raised a valid point.
"Otteoke (how)? Can we wake her up or take the keys from her room?"Jongkook asked.
"How can we just barge into a lady's room without any notice?" HaHa rebuked.
"Noona isn't a lady, Jihyo is like a man." Kwangsoo commented, this time with his eyes half open.
The guys turned to Kwangsoo.
"Kwangsoo ya, why are you so tired? How will you film your drama later?" Sukjin said, laughing at the comical kwangsoo trying to keep his eyes open.
"We went to eat at a cafe at 3am; we only came back 2 hours later." Kwangsoo explained. 
"We?" Jongkook, Jaesuk and Sukjin asked at the same time.
“Noona and Gary hyung, and I. They went alone but I tagged behind them." Kwangsoo explained in his groggy state, as if angry about the two who left the house to eat without inviting him.
"Oooo!" Giggles followed while pairs of eyes start to travel to Gary who was getting shy. Gary didn't want the members to know anything. But Jaesuk's smile had a different meaning behind. He could guess Gary's intention behind the meal they had in ‘secret’.
Aish! Why did Kwangsoo have to reveal everything? He shouldn't have followed us in the first place. 
"Stress! Hyung, it was just a meal to fill our growling stomachs." Gary tried to explain, and changed the topic, "Hhow do we wake Mongji up?" 
Meanwhile, Jihyo was already awake. She had slept many hours and rested a lot while recuperating. She stood in front of the window, back facing her room door. She then plugged in her earpiece and placed her music playlist on shuffle mode and proceeds to enjoy the morning breeze blowing through the window.
"How nice would it be if love was something that could be earned? (It’s all a dream, holding your hand.) How nice would it beif love was something to get by wanting it? (It’s all a dream but I can’t escape.)" The music played. "Isn't this Leessang's song?" She was reminded of yesterday's conversation. 
"Because you're the most incredible girl I've ever known. You're gorgeous and smart and strong and you make me laugh like no one else can. And I know after all this, I don’t deserve you, but what I'm trying to say is I like you. Very much.” It played in her mind. She heard and remembered every single word. "I like you, very much" her mind replayed. I didn't hear it wrongly, did I? She doubted her hearing, since she heard it in the wee hours, when she was supposed to be sound asleep. But then again, ... She continued to muse while enjoying the breeze and morning sun.
"Let's play a game. The loser enters her room and wakes her up." Jaesuk took the lead. 
"Muk-jji-ppa (Rock Paper Scissors)!" Sukjin suggested since it is the game he is best at and he definitely wouldn't have to wake Jihyo up.

The battle for a loser intensifies and soon they were down to the last battle between HaHa and Gary.
"Yes! Gary hyung, in Jihyo's room you go ㅋㅋㅋ!" HaHa won the match between losers. 
"Gary ya, did you purposely lose this game?" Jongkook joked, and the rest of the members smile among themselves, suspecting something.
Maybe I did, but how can one deliberately win or lose Muk-Jji-Ppa? It is a fair game. Perhaps fate is on my side? Gary feel nervous now, and his heart pounded loudly against his ribcage/chest as he inched towards the door leading to Jihyo's room.
With the music flooding her ears, it was no wonder she couldn't hear the commotion outside. 
Gary stood in front of the door with his hand placed on the doorknob. He could feel his heart pulsating. He turned the doorknob and slid into the room, closing the door behind him. Directly in front of him was Jihyo, with her back facing her. Oh, she's awake! Looks like my punishment is completed. Her short, black silky hair was blowing in the wind, revealing the white wire attached to her ears and her phone. He then softly threaded towards her, closing the gap between both of them.
That song was not bad. In fact, it was quite addicting yet meaningful at the same time! Jihyo lifted her phone to playback the song, "The girl who can't break up, the boy who can't leave", placing it on replay. 
All of a sudden, the earplug in her right ear was removed and two hands appeared in front of her eyes and soon, there was darkness even though her eyes were wide open. 
"Guess who this is!" A familiar voice spoke near her right ear. 
Who else could it be! "Kang gally!" She said and a smile broke on her face. Gary removed his hands from her eyes. She turned around to face him and attempted to hit him playfully with her right hand (which was habitually holding her phone as well). Gary, predicted Jihyo's actions, and gently held her right wrist, avoiding the hit. 
"Were you going to smash your phone onto me?" He joked. Her hand was held in a position that made the phone screen face Gary. 
"What song were you listening to? Hmm.." He read the song title. "The girl who can't break up, the boy who can't leave. Why didn't you say so, I can just sing it live for you." By then, Gary was grinning from ear to ear. I didn't know she was a fan of Leessang. 
"Now? But oppa(s) are behind you." Jihyo appreciated his sweet gesture, but was unsure if the five men at the door wanted to hear him sing to her. 
"Ya, Gary ah, why are you holding her wrist?" Jaesuk stepped between them to make fun of the couple.
Gary shyly loosened his grip around her thin wrist.  
Didn't I close the door behind me just now? When did Kwangsoo and hyung come in? "Hyung, why did you come in?" 
"It was interesting to watch the both of you!ㅋㅋㅋ"Sukjin explained. 
Wait. Why did they barge into a lady's room all of a sudden? 
"Are you guys supposed to enter my room just like that?"Jihyo asked them.
Gary tried to proof his innocence, "It was a punishme..."
"Gary hyung wanted to wake you up!" HaHa exclaimed with his loud voice. 
"No, I lost the ga..." he wanted to complete the sentence with the word 'game' but this time, Kwangsoo interrupted "He insisted on waking you up."
Gary didn't have a chance to clear his name. 
"Gomawo!" Jihyo replied with a sweet smile. 
My name doesn’t have to be cleared; it can be etched forever in her heart. Jihyo, don't erase my name; leave it there, for life. If the hyungs and kwangsoo aren't here, these words will be out of my mouth. These words are only for one person's ears. she'll hear them in future. Gary assured himself. 

Chapter Nine

Donning a dark coloured hoodie with jeans and a plain snapback, she headed out to the place filled with snoring of various tones with no trace of any rhythmic pattern. She caught the only pair of glistening eyes in the dark and he proceeded to crawl out from under the warm duvets. She extended her hand to support him and he held the warm, small hand that unexpectedly had a great deal of strength as she pulled him up. 

She then reached for a bunch of house keys from her pocket and fumbled with it, searching for the right key to the front door. Inadvertently, the bunch of keys slipped out from her delicate fingers and a clang pierced the dead silence. Gary and Jihyo swiftly turned their heads towards the guys only to see 5 figures lying motionlessly, and subsequently turned their heads back to each other. 

"Jo shim hae(be careful)!" Gary whispered softly as he gently picked up the bunch of keys and placed it in her hands. Holding the key to her front door between her index finger and thumb, she then used her other three fingers to wrap around the remaining keys, preventing the loose keys from creating any unwanted sound. She then unlocks the door with a click and the pair silently and cautiously slipped out of the house, with their eyes fixated on the 5 exhausted souls. They slid their feet into slippers and locked the ajar door. They walked slowly, trying not to drag their flip flops on the floor and sneaked out towards the lift. 

But little did they know that a pair of eyes was peeking at the duo from under the heavy eyelids. 

"Cafe?" Jihyo asked quietly while waiting for the lift. Gary nodded his head and replied, “why are we so sneaky? Nothing wrong with filling stomachs right?" 
"Wait till Dispatch (a Korean internet media outlet that often releases news about celebrity couples) spot us and we'll regret not taking precautions."

"Sigh, the life of celebrities."

"What's 58?"Jihyo questioned after they sat on the sofas facing each other, waiting for their juices and brownies to be served.
"Take 15 08(august) and take the last digit of each number."
"Ahh" she finally realised how 58 came about. "But why my birthday?" 
There was a pause.

Jaesuk hyung told me to be brave. I wouldn't want to regret. Besides, there's nothing to lose. Gary mustered his courage and took a deep breath.
"Because you're the most incredible girl I've ever known. You're gorgeous, smart and strong, and you make me laugh like no one else can. And I know after all this, I don’t deserve you, but what I'm trying to say is I like you. Very much. "
He heaved a sigh of relief. It was over. 
"Oppa..." That was all she could say. Honestly, confessing in a neighborhood cafe at 3am isn't one of the most romantic things, especially when it was coming from a usually romantic guy. However, the unexpected confession that caught her. It came out of the blue and she had always taken the Monday girlfriend as a role, as just a character. 

"I'm not expecting any reply. You're an actress and have to always be on your toes. I'm just relaying my thoughts and feelings." He ended with an awkward smile that showed his often shy and faint dimples. 

"Here you go. Your food is here!" The waitress disrupted their supposedly romantic moment.
"Song Ji Hyo! You're Song Ji Hyo, aren't you? I'm a big fan of you and Monday Couple! Sign?" She took out a piece of paper and pen for Jihyo to sign on it. "Gary oppa and you look really compatible. Are the two of you together? Have you considered being an everyday couple instead of just Monday couple?" She asked ignorantly, oblivious to the fact that Gary was right there. The too-common face of Gary created an awkward atmosphere. Jihyo merely smiled politely at her fan. Daebak. What great timing! Am I supposed to break the ice between us? But what the fan asked sparked a train of thoughts. Are we really that compatible? After all, we are just a variety couple, an onscreen couple, aren't we...? Or rather, weren't we?

They silently poked their forks at the edges of the brownies they ordered, nibbling the crumbs that fell off, and occasionally peek at what each other was doing.

"Hyung, noona, is this for me?" A lanky figure clad in black approached them.
"Oh! Kwangsoo ya, why are you here?" Gary was flabbergasted and craned forward to face the unusually tall figure with his mouth ajar. Oh great, now the plan to spend time together is wrecked.
"How did you come here?" She added. Could he have followed them, and eavesdrop, hearing every single word exchanged between them? 
"Someone dropped something in the house and woke a light sleeper like me. I saw someone exiting the house and followed suit with noona's spare house key." He explained as he grab a fork and sat on the same safa as Gary.
"So did you hear everything we said?" She asked apprehensively.
"Aniyo (no), a fan asked me for an autograph while I was trailing behind you. Then, I lost track of both of you and slowly found my way here." 
"Wait, what we're the two of you talking about? I want to know. Were you talking about me behind my back?"Kwangsoo added.
"Fancy a fan asking you for an autograph at 3am!" Gary brought out a fact and the trio sniggered. He had to think of something witty to say in order not to answer the last two questions that Kwangsoo asked.
"Fancy the two of you eating at 3am! Aren't you afraid of paparazzi?" Kwangsoo tried to liven up the atmosphere.
"Kwangsoo ah, eat faster. Both of us haven't slept much." Jihyo requested, trying to change the topic.
"Ne(yes)!" Kwangsoo ended the conversation brightly.
The trio polished their plates and cups and made a beeline back. 

Back in Jihyo's house, Gary seemed to have read Jihyo's mind and wondered if Jihyo only thought of Monday Couple as on-screen characters that will never become a reality off-screen.  In an attempt to cast his worries away, he sent a text to Jihyo, just in case she had such a thought in mind.

[Text message]
Gary: The person confessing just now wasn't Kang Gary, but was Kang Hee Gun.

Jihyo saw the message. But was the person he confessed to Song Ji Hyo or Cheon Seong Im? And she didn't know how and what to reply.




I'm not sure how this chapter turned out because i thought of the plot and wrote(typed in my phone) while working at my workplace. This chapter was created and posted from my workplace, so i'm not sure if a change in environment affects the quality of the fanfic. My workload isn't heavy, actually it's very light that i barely have anything to work on these few days. So do feel free to comment so i can work on it!(: And do follow my fanbase on twitter at @mongxgae . Have fun reading!!

Chapter Eight

Awkwardness was prevalent but Gary took hold of this golden opportunity to get closer to Jihyo. How often can they stay alone together without rumors spreading like wildfire or Monday Couple fans shrieking at the mere sight of them together? 

He then sat beside her and started the ball rolling, and they chatted for awhile.  After they became much more comfortable, Gary decided it was time. Time for him to become a happier man. Time for him to be freer in his words, thoughts and speech. Time for the empty space in his heart to be filled.
Her heart skipped a beat. Something smells fishy; oppa is seldom serious, unless it was when he composes music. 
"Figure out my tweet name."Gary hinted.
"Tweet name?" She replied, looking at him quizzically.
"My twitter's username. “He explained.
"Wae(why)?" A curious her asked.
"Find out and I shall tell you." Gary ended the conversation with a grin, keeping her in suspense.

When the guys returned with packed dinner, Jihyo who didn't have a Twitter account asked her dongsaeng about Gary's tweet name over the dinner.
 "Why? Noona, do you want to create an account?" Kwangsoo replied.
"Kanggary58. Jihyo ah, create an account! Then 5 of us can chat on Twitter without Jaesuk and Jongkook!ㅋㅋ" HaHa interrupted and avoided Jongkook's deadly stare.
"Very few actresses have a Twitter account. Besides, I wouldn't know what to type. " Jihyo expressed.
"Tweet!"They corrected her. 
"Hyung, why 58?" Haha curiously questioned.
Gary explained, "because I love Kwangsoo too much, so I inverted 85 from his birth year to 58 (Kwangsoo was born in year 1985.)"
"Ayyy hyung!" Kwangsoo commented, and proceeded to give Gary a smooch on the cheek nearest to him. 
But deep down, 58 had another meaning, and Kwangsoo's birth year had no relation to it at all.
The guys decided to stay over as it was too late to head back. Moreover, they didn't have any schedule the next morning. However, they had to sleep in the living room, separated from Jihyo, just like when there was overnight filming for Running Man.

She figured out his twitname. Now what? Curiosity killed the cat. She didn’t want to be harmed or hurt. Maybe she shouldn't bother and just drift off to sleep.

However the missing piece to what Gary wanted to tell her cluttered her mind. After much flipping about and rolling around on the bed, she reached for her phone.  

[Text Message]
 Jihyo: Awake? I found out your twitname, what's next? (:
Gry: Guess where 58 came from? Hint: it has nothing to do with Kwangsoo.
Jihyo: Was what you said during dinner a lie? Is this a mission? ㅋㅋ Who thinks so much in the wee hours of the morning?
Gary: It's a cover-up, not a lie. Another hint: see your birth date.
She mused. 15 August 1981. Hmm…
Jihyo: I don't see any link? *Mong*
Gary: Aigoo, I forgot our Sung Im is mong. 
Gary chuckled when the image of Mongji appeared in his mind. He should have remembered she may not be able to figure this out. 
She thought, should I reply with a ‘yes’? While musing, her phone screen lit up.
G: I'm hungry. Let’s head for supper and I'll tell you what 58 really means after my stomach is filled.ㅋㅋㅋ *Merong (Sticking out tongue)!*
Food never failed to tempt her and once again, she succumbed to her temptation. 



Sorry for posting this chapter really late. I hardly have time to sit down for long to write a chapter. Currently, i try to type as and when i'm travelling. I will continue writing whenever i can(:
Meanwhile, i'll keep you in suspense of how 58 in kanggary58 came about. It was just something i came up with and may not be true. It's easy to figure out with the hints given above! Go ahead and give it a try!