Even if you’re not a “Running Man” fan, chances are that you’ve still heard of the infamous “Monday Couple.” In the early days of the show, relative newcomer Gary seemed almost in awe of beautiful actress Song Ji Hyo. It was in episode 10
that the two stars were finally alone for the first time. Fans
immediately loved their sweet, shy interaction during that episode.
Soon, fellow cast member Haha made an observation that
they appeared close during filming each Monday. Just a few episodes
later, it seemed their friendship was solidified when Song Ji Hyo
remarked, “On Mondays, I have a man.”
The historic episode 10:
Ever since that time, fans have been crazy for the so-called “Monday
Couple” and look forward to seeing their interactions every week. The
question remains though- is the Monday couple a real thing or just an
act for the show? Even if they are not dating in real life, do they
really have feelings for each other? Let’s check out the facts in “Running Man’s Monday Couple: Fact of Fiction?”
When Gary (37) and Ji Hyo (33) embraced their Monday couple status, it
seemed as though things started progressing naturally as with any
relationship. It was this touch of authenticity that really made viewers
pay attention and buy into the seemingly real relationship. The more
Gary appeared to make advances towards Ji Hyo in a shy, awkward way, the
more fans the Monday couple gained. Soon, the Monday couple craze fully
exploded and grew into what it is today. It has now generated thousands
of fan sites, blogs, fan clubs, fan art, fan videos, and much, much
more!
At first, Ji Hyo seemed to receive Gary’s advances with laughter and her
usual good nature on the show. Even with his comments like, “Is what they call love? When you have it, it’s a burden! Without it, you’re lonely,”
Ji Hyo mainly just seemed to find him entertaining. When fans became
even more in love with this adorable pair though, their onscreen time as
a “couple” began to increase as well. No doubt for the sake of ratings,
the producers and staff of the show began to encourage their behavior
as well. Even the other cast members began to observe and make jokes
about their relationship.
All of this fantasy suddenly came to a screeching halt when it was
announced that Ji Hyo was in a relationship with the CEO of her
entertainment company. Die-hard fans of the Monday couple became so
indignant that they began to criticize Ji Hyo for supposedly betraying
Gary. The matter got so out of hand that Gary had to address the
situation on his Twitter by saying, “Did we put in too much into
our act? I will work harder now, knowing that there are people out there
who care about me enough to tell me to be strong, but no need for that
anymore!! There’s no reason to cheer me up. There are others who are
more in need of cheering. I’m simply having a hard time looking for my
ego haha.” When fans still kept trying to comfort him, he addressed them again- “Why do I have to listen to people telling me that they are sorry when they don’t need to be and I don’t need to hear it?” The
group of fans who had never believed the Monday couple act hotly
defended Song Ji Hyo and reprimanded viewers for taking things in the
show too seriously. “They have their own lives,” said one fan of Ji Hyo,
“Just deal with it!”
When the next few episodes aired though, it did appear that there was
a bit of awkwardness between the pair which prompted many fans to
comment on the episodes. “Well, this is awkward,” said one fan. “Poor
Gary! This seems so awkward and difficult. I hope he will be okay,”
added another.
With time, the two stars seemed to regain their easy friendship and
find new footing concerning the relationship between their characters on
the show. It wasn’t the Monday couple anymore, but it was still a true
friendship which was evident.
After time passed, it seemed as though Ji Hyo’s relationship had come to
an end. She stated on a Running Man episode that she was “single.”
Around
episode 100,
we began to see the rise of the Monday couple once more. This time
however, things appeared slightly different. Previously, Gary had almost
always been the one to initiate things on the show or was the first to
bring up the Monday couple. Ji Hyo, on the other hand, primarily laughed
it off and just found amusement at the jokes and comments. When the
Monday couple’s second generation came about though, it suddenly seemed
that Ji Hyo was much more receptive.
With time, the actress began initiating things as well, being the
first one to make a Monday couple comment and allowing her easy
friendship with Gary to develop even more. With this new (and seemingly
more authentic) relationship, the rumors once more began to rise
rapidly. It seemed as if fans were primarily divided into two
categories- ones who totally believed that the Monday couple was real
and others who felt it was an act (but secretly wished they were really
dating). Either way, the Monday couple had no shortage of “shippers”
when it came to their relationship.
As their relationship progressed, it was easy to notice that Gary and
Ji Hyo seemed different than before. The awkwardness was gone and in
its place there appeared to be something bordering on genuine affection.
Most people will admit that it’s generally difficult to maintain a
totally platonic friendship between a man or a woman. It’s not
impossible of course, but it is certainly difficult. Usually, at least
one of the people involved will start developing feelings for the other.
To many fans, it seemed like Gary genuinely had some feelings for Ji
Hyo or at least had a crush on her in a star-struck kind of way.
However, the difference in real life is that when a person who is
supposed to be in a platonic relationship begins to develop feelings for
the other person, it causes a lot of awkwardness. Generally, this
results in the friendship being toned down to avoid hurting each other’s
feelings and ruining the friendship overall. Even if Gary did have
sincere feelings for Ji Hyo at the beginning though, this was one
relationship that couldn’t truly be toned down. Whereas most friends
would take a step back and start seeing less of each other, Ji Hyo and
Gary still saw each other on a weekly basis as coworkers.
Because of this, many fans feel like Ji Hyo was given time to truly
fall for Gary and let her feelings progress more naturally as time
slipped by. Meanwhile, they believed Gary still harbored feelings for
her or, at least, a sentimental crush over what might have been.
Whatever the fans believed though, things truly did seem different as
their onscreen relationship started moving forward after the 100th
episode or so.
Although some fans argued that Ji Hyo was just not as shy as before and was only going along
with the act for the sake of the show, other fans who observed her
behavior became convinced that she had finally fallen for Gary and that
the two were destined to be together. The regular jokes among the other
cast members also vamped us as well, and the Monday couple became a
keyword for “Running Man.” It appeared that the Monday couple was back
and stronger than ever. At one point even, Gary took everyone by
surprise when he famously kissed Ji Hyo on her cheek during a special
episode.
So, did that mean that it was just an act before, while later it had
become real? Fans continued to debate the issue, and rumors spread that
the two were secretly dating. Apart from fans though, even other stars
were somewhat confused by their relationship. Popular singer
Uee asked with genuine curiosity during her stint as a guest,
“Are they real?” In a more recent episode, a guest commented about Ji Hyo and Gary’s relationship by saying,
“It’s just fascinating to watch them!”
The rest of the cast members seem almost like fans as well, always making jokes and comments such as,
“If there are more couple rings left over, you should give it to the Monday couple,” or
“After this season is over, you guys are going to get married, huh?” Haha even told them once in exasperation,
“… seriously, just get married.” Once
when Ji Hyo was holding onto Gary tightly during the finale of an
episode, the producer in charge even took notice and called her by name.
Always good-natured, Gary said with a smile,
“It already feels like we are a married couple.”
Their relationship on “Running Man” is so well-known that Gary was even
invited to do a cameo for a drama that Ji Hyo was filming.
What makes the Monday couple so believable is their natural
chemistry. During early episodes, it was undeniable that Gary had a
crush on Song Ji Hyo. When he came face to face with her every week, his
innocent and sweet, awkward actions brought a rush of sentimental
feelings to viewers since they had almost
all experienced
the same thing at one point or another in their lives. Somewhere along
the way, the producers realized that the Monday couple was pure gold and
began to purposefully make situations for them to shine.
Even with the contrived and scripted situations, however, there seemed
to be something real and genuine in the actions of our Monday couple.
People see it in their looks, their behavior, their natural skinship and
even in their conversation. People see it in Gary’s patience and
loyalty to Ji Hyo and in Ji Hyo’s smile when she is laughing at
his jokes. They even see it in the nervousness that Gary still gets when
Ji Hyo is near, especially when doing things like “the Pepero game.” It
is this feeling of authenticity that drives the audience to believe in
the loveline and leaves them hoping in their heart that the Monday
couple is (or at least, one day will be) real.
All of this aside though, the question still remains today. Is the
Monday couple real? Has it ever been real? Do Ji Hyo and Gary truly like
each other? It may be (to the despair of many fans) that Gary and Ji
Hyo just enjoy a natural, comfortable friendship with each other and
perhaps that’s all it will ever be.
Throughout the years, we have seen the Monday couple on and off again
(or as Gary describes it, “logging in” or “logging out”), but there
is no doubt the two have a very close and somewhat unusual relationship.
In an interview once, Ji Hyo said she missed Gary who was elsewhere
filming. She recently generated interest when she admitted that
sometimes Gary felt like an ex-boyfriend. On a “Running Man” episode in
the past, she even once said that Gary had asked her to date him for a
month for the sake of the show.
In the newest episode of “Running Man” though, pictures were taken of
Gary caring for Ji Hyo by gently wiping some whipped cream off her face.
While he did so, he asked her, “Are we starting over again?” Fans
immediately started commenting online by saying “It seems like they are
always starting again” or “In my eyes, they have always been together!”
The pair also gained attention when Gary sent a flower wreath to the
premiere of Song Ji Hyo’s newest drama. People were quick to notice that
staff had placed it next to the wreath sent by the husband of Ji Hyo’s
co-star. Gary even once famously said, “Song Ji Hyo herself is beautiful, Song Ji Hyo…she is a flower.”
Netizens are well-known for getting into some pretty heated arguments
when it comes to their beliefs though. So what do they say? Let’s take a
quick look (most are from YouTube):
-”I really really love Monday couple, but in my opinion Monday couple is not real.”
- “In my opinion, Monday couple is fake. Most Monday couple fans are just Gary’s fans (who want him to have Ji Hyo). “
- “I believe that there are feelings that JiHyo and Gary have for
each other. In the end, my thoughts are that Gary and Ji Hyo would
probably marry in the near future or would date but sadly… not when
‘Running Man’ is still alive and kicking.”
- “I love Monday couple indeed. I hope they can be an everyday couple, not only on Monday!”
- “I’ve never understand that relationship very well. It’s
obvious they sometimes flirt because they want to and not because they
are “Running Man’s Monday Couple.” However, it’s still not clear to me
if they take that relationship mostly as a joke or if they are taking it
more seriously than I think.”
- “All the TV relationships are carried away with by fans. I
think people want to fill a void and live through these relationships
and put too much hope into the idea of love between them – so when it
crashes down – it’s not just Gary and Ji Hyo, but the fantasy and the
dreams of love that are ending for these people.”
- “Viewers of ‘Running Man’ are simply being dragged into the
fantasies created by the Monday Couple (and staff). Gary and Ji Hyo are
not a couple for real!”
In one small article, we can’t possibly sum up a relationship that
has been going on for several years, nor cover all the reasons why
people think that the Monday couple is real or not. While some avid
“Running Man” fans are also hardcore fans of the Monday couple as well,
others believe that it’s just part of an act and no different than
playing a role in a drama or movie. There are even certain fans out
there who believe the Monday couple act has gone too far and is now just
a hindrance to both Gary and Song Ji Hyo concerning opportunities in
real life for relationships and work.
What does your heart tell you when you think about the Monday couple
though? Are they a real couple or is it just wishful thinking? Do you
think they have feelings for each other? Do you think we will ever hear
an announcement that the beloved pair are dating for real?
