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墨書 Inktalez
One day, two days, until the third day, Anna woke up, thinking there would be news about the incident, but there had been no reports regarding the fire. While this spared everyone from further trouble, it was astonishing that someone could completely conceal such a significant event where several people had died and an entire villa had burned down.
They did not want this matter to come to light, and some were even more determined to keep it hidden because once it became public, the cause of the fire would gradually be uncovered. If they didn't extinguish it now, the fire would eventually reach the true instigator.
As she opened her eyes in a daze, having not seen light for a long time, Anna found it somewhat blinding. After adjusting for a while, the white mist before her slowly dissipated. It was wonderful to see Sister Jihyo's somewhat haggard smile as soon as she opened her eyes.
It was great to see Jung Kook's stable smile and Yonghwa and Kwang-soo's faces blooming like sunflowers.
"You’re awake?" Ji-hyo said.
"Thank goodness you finally woke up, Anna. Are you alright?" Kwang-soo asked nervously.
Things gradually became clearer, and memories slowly returned to her mind—how they had escaped from that inferno, like a dream that was now all in the past.
"Sister Jihyo... how long have I been asleep?" Anna tried to move but felt an unusual heaviness on her left side.
"Don't move," Ji-hyo gently pressed her back down onto the bed and said, "You're in a cast."
"Are my hands and feet still there?" Anna asked, a bit scared.
"They're all there. Don't worry; the doctor said that once the cast is removed, you'll be as good as new," Kwang-soo said with a smile.
Anna wanted to know about Park Chan-yeol's condition but didn't know how to ask. However, Jung Kook was perceptive and could read people's thoughts; before Anna could speak up, he said, "Park Chan-yeol underwent an examination and is fine. He left early because the group has activities."
Only then did Anna feel relieved. She let out a gentle sigh and looked down at her hospital gown, asking, "Where are my clothes?"
"They're in the closet; I put them away for you," Ji-hyo replied.
"Sister, could you please check my jacket pocket? There should be a USB drive inside," Anna said.
Ji-hyo nodded and walked to the cabinet, rummaging through the clothes before taking out a USB drive.
"Is this it?" Ji-hyo returned to sit by the bed.
"That's right, it's this one," Anna said as she took it from Ji-hyo's hand. "Inside is the video recording from Christmas Eve, when Brother Jae-seok was at Chill Hotel."
"What?" Both Ji-hyo and Kwang-soo, who were unaware of the situation, looked at Anna in surprise. Seeing Kim Jong Kook unusually calm, Kwang-soo asked in confusion, "Hyung, you knew about this too?"
"Yes, that day Anna informed me in advance to meet her at a specific time. I listened to everything else, but I decided on the timing myself," Jung Kook said.
"Wow, such a big deal, and you two kept it a secret from everyone. That's too much," Kwang-soo said.
"Thanks to Jung Kook, or else I would have been in big trouble," Anna smiled slightly, her dry lips slightly cracked.
"Are you sure it's that video?" Jung Kook asked.
"Yes, I've already seen it. Although we may not be able to uncover the true mastermind behind this, at least Brother Jae-seok will clear his name this time," Anna said as she handed the USB drive to Kim Jong Kook, who took it.
Anna looked at the ceiling with a slight smile on her lips; all her pain was healed by the joy that was about to come.
"Jung Kook, make sure this video is shown to the entire nation as soon as possible. You understand," Anna said.
Kim Jong Kook nodded; he knew that if this video was handed over to the police, it would likely disappear without a trace. Only by making it public could they rally the citizens who had turned against them and restore justice for Yoo Jae-suk.
"Why not give it to the police?" Ji-hyo and Kwang-soo didn't understand the reasoning.
"I'll explain later," Jung Kook said as he tightly gripped the USB drive in his hand. He already had a plan in mind; MBC Radio had Kim Tae-ho PD, while SBS had Miao PD and Zhao PD. With these two major broadcasting stations involved, there would be no problem airing it. Plus, if every artist friend uploaded it on their main pages, it wouldn't take long for the video to spread throughout Korea.
"I'm leaving now. Kwang-soo, you come with me. Let Ji-hyo stay here alone to take care of things," Kim Jong Kook said.
"Alright. Then you should rest well, Anna," Kwang-soo said.
Anna nodded. She knew that Jung Kook would definitely handle this well. As she watched them leave, she quietly waited for the long-awaited good news to arrive.
"You're awake?" Kim Jong Kook and Lee Kwang-soo had just left when Park Chan-yeol walked in wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a hat. Ji-hyo was slightly taken aback, but upon seeing Anna's nervous and awkward expression, he quickly smiled in understanding, greeted Park Chan-yeol, and then made an excuse to go buy something before leaving the hospital room.
"What are you doing here?" Anna asked, trying hard to tilt her head to see if anyone was outside.
"Don't try to be strong," Park Chan-yeol said as he pushed her back down. "Don't worry, no one will recognize you."
Anna glanced at him and then looked away.
"Why aren't you looking at me again?" Park Chan-yeol asked with dissatisfaction.
"I haven't washed my hair or face or brushed my teeth in a long time; I might even have sleep in my eyes," Anna replied, raising her uninjured right hand to wipe the corner of her eye.
"Really? Let me see," Park Chan-yeol said with a mischievous smile as he leaned closer. Anna shyly pushed him away, and seeing her blush again made Park Chan-yeol sit back down, saying, "Look at you blushing again."
"I'm not..." Anna weakly retorted.
"I just finished recording a show in Busan and came straight here to see you. Aren't you a little touched?" Park Chan-yeol said.
"I'm so touched I'm about to die, alright?" Anna replied. Then she remembered something when she saw Park Chan-yeol. "Oh no, oh no, oh no."
"What happened?"
"Peter is still at home..."
"You just remembered your little Peter?" Park Chan-yeol teased.
Anna looked at him in confusion, and Park Chan-yeol smiled and said, "The morning after that incident, I found the key in your clothes and went to pick him up. Now Sehun is taking care of him; he couldn't be happier with Peter. Baekhyun wants to support him, but he isn't willing to."
Anna smiled slightly and gratefully said, "Thank you, Park Chan-yeol. Please also thank Sehun and Baekhyun for me."
"Once your arms and legs are better, you can thank them yourself."
"Okay, I will."
The weather had begun to warm up. The snow that had accumulated all winter was finally starting to melt little by little. The sound of melting snow could be heard every noon, dripping continuously.
This winter felt particularly long and exhausting, but no matter how hard it was, it would eventually come to an end. If one persevered through it, they would see the snow melt and wait for the sunshine and spring to arrive.
"Miss Miki... do you have any news about her?" Although Anna wasn't sure if she should ask, she still wanted to know about Miki's situation.
"She should have..."
Park Chan-yeol ultimately couldn't bring himself to say the word 'dead.' He sighed and changed his position, sitting beside her and looking out the window. The sun was shining brightly; if it weren't for the still slightly chilly air, one might think that spring had truly arrived.
"When I was twelve, my father sent me to Australia for my studies. In a foreign land where I didn't speak English well, I gradually became very reclusive. At that time, my favorite thing was to go to the tomato market there. From far away, I could smell the fragrance of tomatoes and then buy a bag of them to give to my kind landlord's family. Not long after, they moved away because it was too far from my school, so I couldn't go with them. My father bought the house they used to live in, so I continued living there alone... I still went to the tomato market but only watched from a distance without buying any more... When I was fifteen, I met Kim Mi-kyung. Since we were both Korean and around the same age, we quickly became friends. She was two years younger than me, and I enjoyed taking care of her. She loved to laugh and play; it felt like having a little sister in a distant country—a precious warmth. It wasn't until much later that I learned Miki had been ill... with uremia. Coming to Australia wasn't just for studying; it was also for treatment. Despite using many advanced medications, nothing seemed to work. Gradually, her dialysis sessions became more frequent; often her face and limbs would swell. I could feel her fear as her young life was slowly consumed by illness—helpless against it... So during that time, I did everything I could to accompany her and make her happy. Miki really wanted to live and fought hard for it; no matter how painful the treatment was, she cooperated actively even when she looked pale and drenched in sweat. Yet she always smiled at me. You might not imagine how heartbreaking that was. Back then, I was so oblivious; I only saw her as a friend or family but completely failed to realize her feelings for me... Two more years passed before Miki finally found a suitable kidney donor. The surgery was very successful. It wasn't until then that I noticed Miki's concern for me exceeded the bounds of friendship—especially when she showed annoyance at seeing me talk with other girls—that I realized her feelings for me might have gone beyond what I understood. Coincidentally, at that time, I returned to Korea." At this point, Chan-yeol suddenly smiled bitterly: "I became the kind of person my father looked down upon—the singing and dancing entertainer... Not long after that, Miki returned as well. Unable to accept her feelings for me, I began deliberately distancing myself from her, hoping she wouldn't fall deeper... But unexpectedly, it ended up reaching this point."
Anna finally understood roughly that little-known period between them—two lonely people whose originally warm relationship had turned into dependency that became addictive and impossible to remove; any slight touch would cause excruciating pain. She now understood what Kim Mi-kyung meant by 'there's no way' before she died—not that there was no way out of the predicament or no way to live on or escape; rather, she simply couldn't help but love Park Chan-yeol... this almost pathological attachment... What kind of turmoil had Kim Mi-kyung experienced in her world that led her to cling so completely to love?
"What are you thinking? I thought you had fallen asleep," Park Chan-yeol teased when he noticed Anna still dazed without responding after he finished speaking.
"No, it's just..." Anna suddenly felt that the once lofty Kim Mi-kyung was merely an illusion; she had always been a child hiding in splendid swaddling clothes who craved all-encompassing warmth and love—believing she could obtain it but ultimately feeling the gap of loss made her wrap herself into a demoness instead. Yet in reality, as long as someone loved her enough to hold her close, she would immediately revert back into that soft child...
She once heard of a flower called Blue Kite that blooms year-round—beautifully vibrant in sunny weather but when autumn frost arrives or winter snow falls, its originally bright flowers may lose their color but grow sharp thorns filled with venom instead. When spring rain comes again, the poison will gradually fade away—this cycle continues endlessly...
"Miki... she truly is pitiful," Anna murmured softly as if lost in thought.
"Yes, everyone thinks she is the daughter of the Chairman of Century Group and should be living a glamorous life, but in reality, her father cares very little about her..." Park Chan-yeol said.
"What? You mean Miss Miki is the daughter of the Chairman of Century Group? That's Jin Yu Cheng?" Anna was hearing about Kim Mi-kyung's father for the first time.
"That's right," Park Chan-yeol confirmed.
This time, Anna was even more convinced that her previous suspicion about Brother Jae-seok being behind this matter might indeed be related to Century Group.
"I’m back! I bought some apples for you all." Sister Jihyo, who had been out for a long time, finally returned with a bag of apples, interrupting their conversation and thoughts.
"Thank you, Sister Jihyo," Park Chan-yeol said with a smile as he took the apples and placed the bag on the table.
After handing the USB drive to Jung Kook, in just a few hours, a grand event that would soon attract nationwide attention was about to unfold.
That evening, just after the news program ended, a silent video appeared on televisions in many households. At the same time, online forums and various celebrity pages began to share it widely. In front of the large screen at Citizen Square, people stopped in their tracks, initially whispering in confusion before falling into a stunned silence.
However, after a brief moment of silence, it suddenly erupted.
From the public to the police station, from Congress to the President, phone calls flooded in. The person in charge of Yoo Jae-suk's case was left dumbfounded...
This grand and revolutionary explosion shocked all of South Korea.
"This has really blown up," Kwang-soo said as he sat beside Anna's hospital bed, peeling the last remaining apple. After finishing peeling it, he put down the knife and started eating. Originally thinking the apple was for him, Anna shot him an annoyed glance but smiled happily after seeing the video on TV.
"It's good that it's blown up; this way, those who can truly handle this matter will have to step forward," Anna said with a smile.
Sure enough, just as the Chief of the Gangnam District Police Station in Seoul stood before numerous media outlets shamelessly claiming that the video was fake, hundreds and thousands of citizens had already formed protest groups surrounding him.
The President ordered the Supreme Prosecutor's Office to re-investigate.
Less than a week later, Lee Ji-hyun was arrested as the mastermind behind the incident and a major suspect in the murder of Gao Yingmei. The chief of the Gangnam District Police Station, along with the deputy chief and the head of the criminal investigation team, were dismissed and investigated for accepting bribes and colluding with Lee Ji-hyun to frame Yoo Jae-suk.
At the same time, a nationwide announcement was made to clear Yoo Jae-suk's name, leading to his release from wrongful charges.
"That's great, so great!!" Ji-hyo said while laughing and crying at the same time.
"What's with the tears? It's good news!" Gary joked, but he still leaned his shoulder closer for Ji-hyo to lean on.
Ji-hyo pushed him away.
"Ah, that hurts," Gary said playfully.
"Are we going to pick up Brother Jae-seok?" Kwang-soo asked.
"I think it’s better for Sister Jingeun to go pick him up, and we can wait for him at Brother Jae-seok's house," Anna suggested.
"That's a good idea," Jung Kook agreed.
"But how is Anna going to get there?" Kwang-soo asked, looking at Anna's cast.
"No problem, Anna can be discharged now, so let Jung Kook carry her over," Haha said with a laugh.
"Hey, you little rascal, why do I have to do the carrying?" Jung Kook said as he playfully put his arm around Haha's neck, prompting Haha to beg for mercy.
"Exactly, Haha Brother, what do you mean by carry? I'm not furniture," Anna responded with a smile.
No matter how much they teased each other, everyone felt only one emotion at that moment: happiness.
This feeling had been suppressed for too long and was finally released. Although Anna knew that Lee Ji-hyun was not the true mastermind behind it all—just someone who had to take the fall—this situation had reached a point where someone had to be held accountable, and Lee Ji-hyun was the most reasonable choice. However, things had come to a relatively perfect conclusion. Yoo Jae-suk would eventually return to his stage, pick up the microphone, and continue pursuing his purest dream.
“Miracle, something to look forward to but hard to find, we can only wait.”
She still remembered what Brother Jae-seok had told her; they had finally awaited the arrival of Miracle.
“Anna, thank you so much.” Everyone said this to Anna, but honestly, she didn’t feel that way. Although she did find the evidence herself, others like Jung Kook, Haha Brother, and Sister Jihyo would have done the same. It was just that she happened to be in a favorable position, one that encompassed many aspects of this matter. Anna truly wanted to help Brother Jae-seok, but without so many coincidences and luck, perhaps there wouldn’t have been such an outcome.
On the day Brother Jae-seok was released from prison, a large crowd of reporters and citizens gathered at the prison gate. They changed their expressions and tones, eagerly trying to point their microphones at Yoo Jae-suk. The Filming crew even grabbed each other's hair to make themselves taller in order to capture the scene.
“Mr. Yoo Jae-suk, you have finally proven your innocence. What are your thoughts on this matter?”
“Mr. Yoo Jae-suk, what do you want to say to all the supporters who believed in you?”
“Mr. Yoo Jae-suk, the president has personally ordered a thorough investigation into this matter. What is your opinion?”
“Mr. Yoo Jae-suk, did you anticipate being proven innocent all along, which is why you faced everything calmly?”
...
Yoo Jae-suk merely smiled and politely bowed, not answering any of their ridiculous questions. With the help of the police, he walked straight to the car waiting for him with Sister Jingeun, closed the door, and shut out all the noise he used to patiently deal with.
Jing'en held his hand tightly and finally shed tears; this was the first time she cried since Yoo Jae-suk’s incident...
Yoo Jae-suk also gripped her hand tightly, smiled slightly, and said, “Let’s go home.”
The Mercedes drove away, leaving those people far behind until they disappeared. Was it indifference? No, it was just that after such ups and downs in life, Yoo Jae-suk, now in middle age, had gained a clearer perspective on some matters. He had stood at that height for too long, too far from many people, blurring their faces until he could barely see them. He could only vaguely hear them laughing at him. This time, he accidentally fell down and finally saw everyone’s true expressions clearly along the way...
He thought it would only be some members of Running Man, but unexpectedly, Haha also called over some staff from Infinite Challenge, who were originally planning to pick up Brother Jae-seok. Every room in the house was filled with people. Kim Tae-ho PD and Miao PD expressed their joy while discussing whether they could create a special episode featuring both shows. Since Anna had limited mobility, she could only sit on the sofa; however, it turned out to be a good thing as she listened to their program ideas and truly benefited from it.
“Miss Anna.” Someone called her name; lost in thought, Anna looked up to see Lu Hongzhe.
"Brother Hongzhe?" Anna said happily.
"I heard from Dong Hoon, it's really thanks to you this time," Lu Hongzhe said.
"Not at all... Everyone is doing their best; I just got lucky and encountered Miracle," Anna replied with a smile.
Lu Hongzhe also smiled.
"Brother Hongzhe, this time Brother Jae-seok had a close call. Have you considered rejoining Infinite Challenge with Brother Jae-seok?" Anna asked.
Lu Hongzhe shook his head and said, "It's not possible to go back."
"Why not? You did so well before!"
Lu Hongzhe continued to smile, but there was a hint of melancholy in his eyes as he said, "It's precisely because I did so well that I can't go back."
"Ashi... Where is Jae-seok? We've been waiting for so long." Park Myung-soo suddenly complained with a frown. His bald head was shiny, and his eye bags were particularly noticeable. Anna truly experienced how funny he looked even when he was angry.
"Come on, brother, be patient. He'll be here soon," Haha advised with a laugh. "Don't frown like that; it seems like you'll age ten years and then never be able to surpass Brother Jae-seok."
"What do you mean aging ten years means you can't surpass him?" Park Myung-soo shot him a glance and said, "It means I'll never be able to surpass him in this lifetime..."
Everyone present burst into laughter upon hearing this.
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