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墨書 Inktalez
After sending Ji-hyo home and then Lee Kwang-soo, Anna returned to her own house in the early morning. Quietly, she entered her bedroom, took a shower, and lay down on the bed.
The amount of information from tonight was overwhelming, and she mentally sorted through everything that had happened.
Surely everyone would need to reflect on the strange events of the evening when they returned home.
Faint sounds echoed from the ceiling, and Anna turned over, leaving only a nightlight by the window on.
In the stillness of the night, lost in thought, her phone rang abruptly. Anna picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number displayed.
"Hello..." Her voice was slightly hoarse from exhaustion.
However, there was a long silence on the other end of the line.
"Hello..." Anna tried again.
Still no response. For some reason, Anna felt deep down that the person on the other end was Park Chan-yeol.
She tentatively called out his name, "Chan-yeol...? Is that you?"
Upon hearing Anna's words, the person on the other end seemed to sigh but then smiled faintly.
"Anna, it's me."
Recognizing that familiar voice, Anna clearly knew who it was. She felt a bit awkward about her earlier guess.
“Hogga?”
A person who had long disappeared, a voice that had not been heard for a long time.
“Are you back?” Anna asked, feeling that it was indeed him she had seen before at Cat's Paw Bar.
“No,” Hogga replied calmly.
“Oh…” Anna didn’t know what else to ask or how to continue this sudden and awkward conversation.
“It’s late, go to sleep. I’ll hang up now.” Unexpectedly, Hogga took the initiative to end the call.
“Okay, goodbye,” Anna said.
Hogga’s appearances and disappearances had always been like this, catching people off guard, leaving them unsure of how to respond. Perhaps she should ask him why he left? Ask where he is now and how he’s doing? But those words just wouldn’t come out. She knew that if she spoke to Hogga, he would fulfill any request, yet it was precisely because of this that she felt a heavy burden in her heart.
For Hogga, Anna always felt conflicted. On one hand, she was grateful for his repeated assistance; on the other hand, her fear of him, though not as intense as at first, still lingered.
Putting down her phone and closing her eyes, Anna found she no longer had the energy to think about those things; she had more important matters to attend to.
The next morning, she continued to strive to maintain her best state to complete her work.
“Hey, the idea you came up with has kept us busy all day,” Dong Wan said with a smile, pretending to complain to Anna.
Looking at the pile of tapes in front of her, Anna felt overwhelmed. But there was no other way; it was something she had proposed during the Return to the Original Intent Special, and she was determined to see it through. Thus, from the first episode until now, they needed to rewatch all the meaningful specials and those episodes that received good audience feedback. Then they would select some classic clips to use for the task video when filming the Return to the Original Intent Special next Monday.
"Ah, this kind of thing can just be left to the new FDs, why do you two have to come?" Park Soo Eun placed two cups of coffee in front of them.
"Sister Park, this is very important, and the theme for this issue is 'Original Intention.' During the members' tasks, they will find these video clips in a certain room that will remind them of what they did back then, and they need to take corresponding actions. If we don't watch these, we will forget what the situation was like at that time, and of course, we won't be able to provide proper on-site guidance..." Anna earnestly began to explain.
Park Soo Eun quickly raised her hands in surrender and said, "Alright, alright, Lady Anna, I see you're about to be possessed by your workaholic spirit again. I'm not going to argue with you; I’ll go check if next week's costumes are ready." With that, she waved her hand and left the video editing room.
Dong Wan smiled and said, "Anna, it looks like you're finally getting some energy back. It seems like the old Anna is coming back."
Anna smiled slightly; she had already figured out what to do. The rest was just a matter of time, and things would naturally improve.
"Yes, returning to my original intention; I need to find mine as well," Anna said.
Just then, a clip from an early episode played where everyone was tricking Song Joong-ki, particularly Lee Kwang-soo's shameless "Pygmalion Effect" segment, which still seemed very funny now.
"Let's cut this segment out for use; Brother Kwangsoo's 'Pygmalion,'" Anna said with a laugh.
"Sure! This segment sparked a lot of fun discussions online back then," Dong Wan replied. He suddenly chuckled and added, "But do you think Lee Kwang-soo looked up what 'Pygmalion Effect' means after that episode?"
Anna instantly understood Dong Wan's implication and smiled knowingly. "I guess he didn't, so..."
"Then let's make that part of the unlocking task," Dong Wan said in agreement.
"But if he really doesn't know, he might never complete it... How about this: give him ten options to choose from each time. If he chooses wrong, he gets locked in Temporary Prison and has to wait for someone to rescue him. Of course, if other members fail their tasks as well, they get locked in too."
"What if they get torn apart inside? The show's content would be lost," Dong Wan said.
"I think we should play Bell Hide and Seek. Each member will only know if they are Bells Hunter or a runner after completing their own task, and only after finishing the task can they be eliminated or torn apart," Anna said.
Dong Wan thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "That works. This way, all the classic Running Man elements can be incorporated, and the show's weight can be guaranteed."
"However, Sister Jihyo and Brother Gary should work together on a task. After all, many people miss the old Monday Couple," Anna said thoughtfully.
"Alright, but we need to think carefully about the task design," Dong Wan replied.
Anna nodded, "Let's keep watching; there's still a lot more. Don't think about leaving this room today."
Dong Wan smiled, stretched lazily, yawned widely to energize himself, and said, "Yeah, let's work hard. Today is just about picking out these videos; tomorrow we still need to make specific task videos."
"Has the writer finished writing the other games? Who is working on those segments?" Anna asked.
"It's Han Yufei and the writer preparing those games. Since our last segment will take longer, before that segment, there will only be one game where someone wears the Running Man team uniform from the first episode and mimics the classic photo-taking segment, so it's not difficult," Dong Wan explained.
Anna chuckled, "That game? But that's Brother Gary's specialty."
"Yes, your suggestion this time has made everyone nostalgic for how it all started. Maybe it's really time to do a special like this," Dong Wan said.
"Back so late?" Andy sat on the sofa in the middle of the living room and smiled slightly when he saw Anna return.
Anna raised her hand holding a full shopping bag and smiled, "I went shopping with Sister Park to buy clothes and got you a shirt too." She changed into slippers and sat on the sofa, handing Andy the bag containing his shirt.
Andy smiled genuinely this time; he seemed happier and even had more to say.
"Such a stingy Miss Anna, she usually doesn't go shopping, but today is truly a miracle. What color is the shirt? It won't be red again, will it?" Andy said with a smile, pulling out the shirt.
How long had it been since Anna bought him clothes? In those difficult days, Anna couldn't afford to buy even one new piece of clothing a year; instead, she saved money, and every quarter, Andy would buy a few items. Although it wasn't much, it was all of Anna's heartfelt intention. Now that he had everything, he found himself starting to miss that feeling from before.
Anna was also a bit moved, but she understood that some things she would ultimately still do. Although she could see that perhaps deep down in Andy's heart, there remained some softness, it was too little to soften the incredible things time had brought.
"Indigo?" Andy took a look at it.
"Yes, don't you like it?" Anna asked. "If you don't like it, I can exchange it tomorrow."
"No, it's good. I like it," Andy replied.
Anna smiled and said, "That's good," then she picked up the bags, stood up, and said, "I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a shower and sleep."
"Have you eaten?" Andy asked.
"I have," Anna replied as she headed back to her room on the second floor.
In the brief moment of closing the door behind her, she caught sight of Andy's satisfied figure. She didn't know whether Andy was happy because of the long-lost care from a relative or because the 'family bond' had finally returned to his hands.
She placed the bag on the chair and took out the clothes inside. At the corner of the paper bag beneath the clothes was a packet of black powder and a small bottle of clear sealed liquid. Anna ignored the clothes for now and first placed these two items into a locked drawer, secured it, then pulled out the key and put it into her everyday bag.
The sudden news of Gary's marriage was something no one expected. Not to mention that the well-thought-out Monday Couple mission would need to be scrapped and redone; after that day's events, it inevitably led people to think about some melodramatic scenarios.
However, Jung Eun-hee's demeanor did not resemble that of a typical second female lead in a soap opera filled with malice.
Although there were some doubts and a sense of regret about the relationship between him and Ji-hyo, she still sincerely offered her blessings. After all, feelings are their own business, and even the closest people can only be considered outsiders.
When it comes to personal matters, outsiders should not comment too much.
"Congratulations, Brother Gary. Sister Eun-hee is very beautiful," Anna said.
Gary smiled and nodded, simply replying, "Yeah, thank you, Anna."
If it weren't for Anna's illusion or subjective influence, she did not see happiness radiating from his eyes; he clearly avoided her gaze...
"Anna," Miao PD called out.
Anna came back to her senses, bowed to Gary to say goodbye, and then ran over.
"You go directly to the final mission location and see how they have set up the task point. I will hand over the recording here to Dong Wan and then join you," Miao PD said.
Anna nodded and replied, "Okay. I'll head over now."
After saying that, Anna went straight to the Seoul Science Museum.
Since there were no guests today, the chemistry among the members had been honed over many years, making the recording exceptionally smooth. There was no need to design games and themes around guests; in fact, Anna herself enjoyed this burden-free version of Running Man.
Today, Anna was still Jae-seok's FD. During these two shoots with Brother Jae-seok, they always chatted a bit before starting the camera. Anna felt it was like listening to a favorite teacher give a lecture back in college.
Of course, they would also joke around sometimes.
“Return to the Original Intent Special, Haha, I heard it was you, Anna, who suggested this, great job, Anna.” Jae-seok encouraged and acknowledged. “What will the next task be?”
“The Science Museum is where the seven members of Running Man first gathered, so we chose this place. There will be tasks corresponding to each of the Members hidden here. Find and unlock your own task, and once completed, you will receive further instructions,” Anna explained.
“It must be about the theme of ‘original intent’ again, right?” Jae-seok guessed with a smile.
Anna nodded and asked with a smile, “Brother Jae-seok, do you know about the Pygmalion Effect?”
Jae-seok thought for a moment and said, “I remember it refers to psychological suggestion. Essentially, people are influenced subconsciously by others, like through praise or encouragement. It’s said that people are more receptive to the influence and suggestions of those they like or admire… is that it? I only remember it vaguely.”
Anna looked at Yoo Jae-suk with admiration again and said, “Wow, Brother Jae-seok, that’s so accurate! I’ve watched it many times but still didn’t remember this concept.”
Yoo Jae-suk smiled, somewhat understanding Anna’s intention, and said, “Anna, I remember it was… Kwang-soo?”
Anna laughed and said, “Brother Jae-seok, do you think Brother Kwangsoo can remember this Pygmalion Effect?”
Jae-seok burst out laughing and said, “I think Kwang-soo will be the last one to get the next instruction today. But what about mine?”
“This… you’ll find out once you look for it later, Brother Jae-seok.”
Jae-seok said, “Oh dear, Anna.”
Anna smiled and didn’t say anything more, waiting for Miao PD to announce the start of the event.
Through these two filming sessions with Yoo Jae-suk, Anna truly realized how unfortunate his luck could be. It took a long time for Brother Jae-seok to finally find his corresponding task point. Meanwhile, they encountered Jung Kook and Sister Jihyo, who had already gone back and forth from the Temporary Prison two or three times…
"Ah, I finally found it." Jae-seok was also sweating profusely.
He unintentionally noticed that Anna and Kwon Ryeol both had helpless expressions on their faces. Jae-seok smiled and said, "Anna, Kwon Ryeol, I've been trying really hard, okay? Why do you both look so disappointed?"
Kwon Ryeol and Anna smiled lightly; after all, they were recording, and neither of them spoke. In fact, Anna had already complained about Yoo Jae-suk's terrible luck hundreds of times in her mind.
The screen displayed the opening of the second Liu M's Bond special.
The task question was: What crimes were the members arrested for?
Brother Jae-seok instantly felt drained and helpless, looking completely bewildered.
"Hey, is this even reasonable? That special was from how many years ago? And how could everyone possibly remember?" Jae-seok complained with a smile.
"About five years ago..." Anna calmly replied in a low voice.
"Anna, please don't answer so matter-of-factly. Ah, this is just too unreasonable," Jae-seok muttered.
Just then, Haha ran over, jingling bells on his feet. It seemed he had already completed his task and was in the role of Bells Hunter. Seeing Jae-seok in distress, Haha walked over with a mischievous grin to enjoy the spectacle.
"Ah, brother, what task are you on?" Haha asked with a laugh.
Jae-seok hid the tablet showing the video behind him and said, "What about you? What task are you on? Why are you wearing bells? Are you a spy?"
"Brother, I completed my task, really. After finishing the task, I should know whether I'm Bells Hunter or a runner. Also, I have some news," Haha said with an even brighter smile. "Jung Kook is Bells Hunter."
Brother Jae-seok felt even more frustrated. "Ah... I don't even want to answer the questions anymore... really."
"Why, why?" Haha asked with a smile.
"Why... because I don't want to be caught by Kim Jong Kook. Don't you know how terrifying it is when Kim Jong Kook has a bell? It's too scary."
After successfully teasing Yoo Jae-suk, Haha left feeling satisfied.
Jae-seok sighed and said, "Kwon Ryeol, can we not do the mission?"
Kwon Ryeol, the VJ, kept smiling widely, while Anna made Kwon Ryeol shake the camera side to side, indicating that it wasn't possible.
Jae-seok laughed weakly and said, "Ah, fine."
Then he began to answer the questions seriously.
Seeing that he was writing fluently, Anna quickly received his answers.
"Haha's charge: seduction. Gary's charge: being too ugly. Ji-hyo's charge: no makeup. Chi Seok-jun's charge: awkward acting. Yoo Jae-suk's charge: disrupting the atmosphere. Lee Kwang-soo's charge: being convicted." Anna checked against the correct answers and said, "Incorrect."
"What? Where did I go wrong?" Yoo Jae-suk asked in confusion.
"All the other members are correct, but Mr. Yoo Jae-suk and Mr. Lee Kwang-soo's charges are incomplete," Anna explained.
"What? Incomplete?" Jae-seok replied with a laugh, "Did Kwang-soo and I commit that many crimes? Besides betrayal, does Kwang-soo have any others?"
"Yes," Anna replied succinctly. "Let's go to the Temporary Prison."
Before she finished speaking, another person in black arrived, escorting Yoo Jae-suk toward the Temporary Prison.
As expected, they found Lee Kwang-soo inside the Temporary Prison, also with his hands bound. Initially, he thought he could be rescued when he saw Jae-seok coming, but his disappointment grew when he realized Yoo Jae-suk was also being escorted there.
"Bro, you failed too. What was your problem?"
"They asked us what crimes we committed," Jae-seok pondered for a moment and said, "Ah, Kwang-soo, why did we end up committing so many crimes back then? By the way, what was your issue?" Jae-seok smiled knowingly.
"You'll never guess, the Pygmalion Effect... You have no idea that this is my fourth time being locked up here."
Jae-seok burst into laughter, and the staff filming in the prison laughed as well.
"There are ten options in total. I feel like I'm going to be stuck here ten times. Will today's game ever end?" Lee Kwang-soo said.
"Kwang-soo..." Jae-seok laughed uncontrollably, unsure how to comfort the now extremely frustrated Lee Kwang-soo.
"Because of that Mr. Pygmalion, I've received countless little notes from Song Joong-ki fans before, and now I'm tied up here because of him," Lee Kwang-soo kept rambling on.
Jae-seok said, "Kwang-soo, you've committed too many crimes; you should reflect on them."
"Bro, how can you say that..." Kwang-soo complained with a smile.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the corridor, and both of them instantly stopped their banter, stretching their necks and brightening their eyes.
“ Ji-hyo! Ah!” Brother Jae-seok saw Ji-hyo running down the hallway.
“Ah, brother, Kwang-soo, why are you still here?” Ji-hyo laughed upon seeing their disheveled state and quickly found some scissors to cut the ropes binding their hands.
“Sister Jihyo, thank you. You look really beautiful today,” Lee Kwang-soo flattered.
Ji-hyo didn’t respond to him but said, “Hey, brother, now Bells Hunter is Jung Kook, Haha Brother, and Brother Gary. You guys should hurry and complete your mission.”
“Did you escape?” Jae-seok asked.
“Yes,” Ji-hyo replied, shaking her empty feet and saying, “No bells.”
This was the first time Lee Kwang-soo guessed the game rules, so he exclaimed in surprise, “Is it Bell Hide and Seek? Jung Kook is?!”
Ji-hyo nodded and said, “Yes, come on, you guys hurry up.” She pushed them away and quickly found a place to hide.
“Wow… today feels like we’re back to the tense atmosphere from the beginning,” Lee Kwang-soo sighed as he ran. “But a topic like Pygmalion is just too ridiculous.”
“Hey, is it reasonable to make me write down all your crimes? I’ve forgotten so many of my own,” Yoo Jae-suk also ran.
“Now I want to finish the mission quickly, but just thinking about the hunter being Jung Kook, I’m so scared of being the one who runs away,” Lee Kwang-soo said.
When they reached a fork in the road, the two split up and hurried to their respective mission locations.
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