The moment Ruby’s new Running Man episode aired, the internet went feral — and Taemin didn’t even know yet that his entire emotional stability was about to collapse.
The episode started harmlessly: Ruby running for missions, screaming dramatically whenever Haha chased her, roasting Yoo Jae Suk, and accidentally hitting Ji Sukjin with a foam bat so hard that even the editors replayed it three times with dramatic sound effects.
Ruby was adorable, hilarious, and competitive — basically, the entire nation fell in love with her again.
But then… the incident happened.
During a chaotic chase scene, Ruby twisted her ankle while turning a corner. She yelped and fell onto the ground, clutching her ankle. The cast panicked, but ATEEZ’s Hongjoong sprinted to her without hesitation. He crouched next to her, gently checked her ankle, and without even asking, scooped her up — bridal-style — as if he’d been waiting for this moment his whole life.
Ruby squeaked, slapped his shoulder lightly, and hid her face in embarrassment, which only made Hongjoong smile even softer.
“It’s okay, Ruby-ssi,” he said in a low, oddly tender voice that shook the entire fandom. “I’ve got you.”
The cast screamed like it was a K-drama finale.
Hongjoong looked like he was carrying a princess.
And the editors added sparkles.
Twitter melted within minutes.
The next morning, Taemin finally woke up, completely unaware that the universe was about to personally attack him. He leaned back on his couch as he opened his phone, clicked a random trending clip, and froze when he heard Ruby’s laugh.
“Oh?” he murmured happily, clicking the video.
Three seconds in, his smile disappeared.
Ten seconds in, Taemin sat up like someone dumped cold water on him.
At the moment Hongjoong lifted Ruby bridal-style, Taemin’s jaw actually dropped.
It was offensively romantic.
Hongjoong looked like some sort of noble prince rescuing his beloved. And Ruby… R U B Y… was hiding her face in his shoulder.
Her hair brushing his collar. Her hands gripping his shirt.
Taemin replayed the clip.
“What the— what the— NO. No, no, no, no.” He paused the video. “WHY IS HE CARRYING HER LIKE THAT?!”
He restarted it, eyes narrowing even more.
“He’s SMILING— why is he smiling like that?! WHY IS SHE HIDING HER FACE? OH MY GOD SHE’S BLUSHING. No… no, absolutely not. Delete this. Ban YouTube. Shut down television. Burn Running Man.”
He threw his phone onto the couch dramatically.
He immediately snatched it back up because he needed more evidence to be mad about.
Scrolling the comments was a mistake.
Hongjoong really said romantic male lead…
They looked so good together omg!!
Protect Ruby at all costs Hongjoong!!
This pairing is actually fire???
Taemin stared at the screen like the comments personally stabbed him.
“CHEMISTRY?? WHAT CHEMISTRY?? I’M GOING TO SUE THE NATION.”
He paced back and forth in his apartment for a solid ninety seconds before calling Ruby with the speed of a man fed up with life.
She answered on the second ring, cheerful and unaware of the emotional damage she caused.
“Oppa?” she said sweetly.
Taemin immediately inhaled sharply.
“Ruby,” he began with the seriousness of someone announcing a presidential scandal. “We need to talk.”
“…Oppa? Why do you sound like that?”
“Did you twist your ankle?”
“Huh? Oh— yeah, in Running Man—”
“And HONGJOONG carried you.”
Ruby pulled the phone away to laugh but Taemin heard it.
“Oh my God,” she wheezed. “Oppa… are you jealous?”
“I’m not jealous, Ruby. I’m just… analyzing. Monitoring. Observing suspicious activity.”
Ruby had to cover her mouth. “Oppa—”
“He picked you up like you two were in a wedding photoshoot! WHY DIDN’T YOU LIMP? WHY DIDN’T YOU CRAWL? Why did you go straight into a man’s arms?!”
“I SAW YOU HID YOUR FACE IN HIS SHOULDER—”
“YOU WERE EMBARRASSED INTO HIS SHOULDER?!”
Ruby started laughing so hard she nearly dropped her phone.
Taemin finally sighed, deflated.
“…you didn’t like it, right?”
Ruby stopped laughing softly.
His voice sounded small. Worried. Cute.
“Oppa,” she said gently, “the only idol I blush around is you.”
Taemin perked up so fast, Ruby heard the hope return to his soul.
Then Taemin suddenly said:
“What are you doing right now?”
“…at the SM dance studio?”
“OPPA YOU LIVE 50 MINUTES AWAY—”
Ruby stared at her phone.
Twenty minutes later — faster than physics allowed — Taemin kicked open the dance studio door like an action hero.
Ruby almost dropped her ice pack.
He marched toward her, kneeled like a K-drama male lead, inspected her ankle dramatically, whispered “…Good. Still attached.” then stood up with the energy of a man about to fight someone.
Hongjoong lifting her gently.
Taemin clicked his tongue. “Tch.”
Taemin gasped. “RUBY— YOU—”
He turned the iPad face-down on the bench — gently — and finally focused on her.
“Next time you get hurt… I’m the one who carries you.”
He crouched again, carefully taking the ice pack to check her ankle, his thumb brushing her skin for half a second before placing it back.
“And if Hongjoong tries again?” she teased softly.
Taemin straightened slowly.
“Ruby,” he said calmly, “if Hongjoong touches you again, I will fight ATEEZ. All eight of them. I know Wooyoung kicks hard. I don’t care.”
Taemin rolled his eyes, lips twitching.
“Come on,” he said, holding his hand out. “You’re not walking alone.”
She slipped her hand into his.
He helped her stand, keeping her close when she wobbled, his arm instantly wrapping around her waist.
“See?” he muttered. “Professional carrier.”
Ruby laughed. “You didn’t lift me.”
Taemin grabbed her bag, slung it over his shoulder, and guided her toward the door, still mumbling.
“Captain and Princess… ridiculous… I’m clearly the male lead.”
Ruby leaned into him as they walked out of the studio together, smiling the whole way.
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Taglist: @imbaebi @ashunicornlover @blackoutbitch
