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墨書 Inktalez
Stitch by stitch, thread by thread, what was once tied together were the warmest wishes, but now, countless threads are intertwined with an uncountable number of complex emotions.
Anna's speed in knitting the scarf was as slow as it had always been. Her fingers moved, but her thoughts had long drifted away, constantly making mistakes and having to unravel and start over again.
Summer was about to end, and she wondered if she would be able to finish it by the time winter arrived.
Checking the time, Andy was about to get off work and come home. Anna thought for a moment, then went downstairs and sat on the sofa in the living room, quickening her pace.
Sure enough, within ten minutes, Andy returned home.
"Didn’t have any filming today? You're back so early?" Andy changed into his slippers and saw Anna fiddling with the yarn, a reassuring smile spreading across his face.
"It’s Tuesday; there’s no filming. I finished my work early, so I came back sooner," Anna glanced at him without stopping her hands.
Andy turned on the TV, and it happened to be EXO's latest recorded show. He didn’t linger and switched channels directly.
"You know, maybe I should start an entertainment company, and you can help me manage it," Andy said with a smile.
"What nonsense are you talking about? I don’t understand any of that. I can’t even handle my current work properly," Anna replied flatly.
Andy looked at her and noticed the small section of scarf she had already knitted. "You're still this slow."
"I've always been like this; you know that."
"Alright then, it's not urgent anyway," Andy said.
"Are you not going to feed those two big guys? They must be getting hungry," Anna said.
Andy nodded and replied, "Yeah, I'll go do that. Do you want to come and take a look?"
"No, they're so ugly and scary; I really can't bring myself to like them."
"That's because you don't understand their benefits yet," Andy said with a smile as he walked toward the second floor.
Anna pondered for a moment, slowing her movements, and glanced at Andy's figure without making any further actions.
Before long, Andy came down from the second floor, washed his hands, poured himself a cup of coffee, and sat down on his usual spot on the sofa.
"It's been a long time since I've come home this early; it's quite rare," Anna said with a smile as she switched the channel to a replay of Running Man.
"The work on Running Man seems really tiring, running back and forth," Andy remarked, glancing at the show where Yoo Jae-suk and Lee Kwang-soo were sweating profusely from running.
"Yeah, this time they're following Brother Jae-seok, which definitely requires stamina. If they were with Brother Stone, it would probably be much easier," Anna said.
"If it's too tiring, then don't do it. I can arrange a position for you at my company; the salary would be higher than here and it would be easier," Andy suggested.
Anna shook her head with a smile and said, "No thanks, Andy. You know that being a variety show producer has been my dream since forever. Planning a successful show that people love and brings joy is something that makes me very happy. You have dreams too; you should be able to understand mine."
Andy raised an eyebrow and said, "Dreams? In this world, there are no dreams, only success."
Anna fell silent for a moment, putting down her yarn and said, "Andy, you've changed a lot over the years. I've actually always wanted to ask you what happened during these years."
I thought Andy would be angry or dismissive like before, but this time, perhaps due to his newfound confidence in controlling the situation, he smiled and slowly lifted his shirt. On the left side of his taut abdomen, a scar stood out starkly.
"What is...?!" Anna could hardly believe her eyes.
Andy smiled nonchalantly and said, "Wow, it’s really touching to see my dear sister so concerned." He lowered his shirt and added, "This area is empty. I gave away my left kidney."
"What?! When did this happen?! Who did you give it to, and why?!" Anna had always thought such scenarios only happened in movies or on TV, yet here it was, happening right beside her.
Andy took a sip of coffee and sneered, saying, "That doesn't matter. I've never felt regret because that kidney is what allowed me to have everything I have now—power, money, status... everything I never even dared to dream about. However, when the kidney was removed, I finally realized that our parents had given us a little blessing."
"You sold it? Why? Was it out of necessity? Or did you need money urgently? Why didn't you tell me?"
"No one forced me; I did it willingly. At that time, I had no choice but to take this path to reach the peak and have the chance to step on him." Andy replied.
Anna's heart sank; a long-buried secret was about to surface. Look, just as she initially thought, everything has its cause and effect, all stemming from one source. Once that source is found, no matter how absurd the subsequent events may be, they must be accepted as truth.
"Who... is he?" Anna asked tremulously.
"He's the person you once loved deeply—Park Chan-yeol." Andy said.
Although she had anticipated such an answer, hearing it come directly from Andy's mouth left Anna unsure of how to mask her shock with an appropriate expression.
He succeeded, but his dreams seemed further away than ever. The pain from that time had never truly faded; he was merely waiting for the right moment. Gradually, through the passage of time and the elements' wear and tear, the pain turned into scars that he despised every time he saw them.
"I warned you long ago to stay away from him. First, because I understand his ways; second, because I didn't want him to take away the only close relative I have left in this world." Andy's gaze grew cold. "He has taken too much from me—my dreams, my opportunities, my efforts—he even wants to ruin my lover and take away my loved ones..."
"Why? Why do you think that way? What happened at S.M. back then? Is it because of him that you couldn't debut?"
"Heh, no one knows what tricks he played to take my place. After six years of hard work, practicing through all seasons, I finally saw a glimmer of hope, only for it to be shattered because of him."
"So, everything that happened to EXO during this time, everything that happened at S.M. Company, is all because of you? Is it your revenge?" Anna frowned tightly.
Andy looked at Anna and smiled. "This is his retribution, as well as S.M. Company's retribution. Back then, it was Lee Soo-man himself who designated Park Chan-yeol to replace me and debut as part of EXO. Everything they are suffering now is karma. However, these matters have nothing to do with me; I'm just a spectator in this grand play."
"Then who is it really?"
"Well... since it has nothing to do with me, and now you have already cut ties with Park Chan-yeol, it no longer concerns you either. You shouldn't be worried about it," Andy said.
Anna realized she had been too eager, so she quickly relaxed her tone.
"Yeah, it doesn't really concern me..."
After an unexpected conversation, Anna glanced at the ball of yarn in her hand and the closed door of Andy's room before silently walking into her own bedroom and shutting the door.
Perhaps there was still some room for a different turn in this whole matter. What was the truth behind S.M. Company and EXO's member selection? Could it just be a misunderstanding?
If this misunderstanding could be resolved, would it ease Andy's heartache from all these years?
If the heartache could truly be resolved, everything would be fine.
Anna pondered repeatedly as she picked up her phone and dialed Kai's number.
The trouble of meeting popular artists was something Anna was already well aware of. Seeing someone sitting in a dark corner of the café, wearing a hat and a mask, one might think they were some kind of malicious terrorist.
Without waiting for him to wave, Anna knew that this strange outfit must be him, so she walked straight over, startling KAI, who was engrossed in playing a mobile game.
"When did you get here? Wow, you scared me! I thought someone recognized me. But how did you know it was me?" KAI turned off the game and put his phone on the table. Seeing Anna, he let out a sigh of relief.
"I definitely knew it was you with such an odd getup," Anna said with a smile.
"I wasn't sure what you liked to drink, so I ordered you some juice," KAI said. "So, tell me, why did you mysteriously call me out?"
Anna took a sip of her juice, placed the cup on the table, took a deep breath, and looked at KAI seriously. "KAI, I want to meet Mr. Lee Soo Man."
"What?!" KAI almost spat out his coffee in surprise. He hurriedly set his coffee down and wiped his mouth. "Anna, why do you want to see Teacher Liu Xiuman? Are you thinking about pursuing a career as an artist? Although you have good talent, S.M. artists are trained from a young age; it might be too late... I thought you called me out because of Park Chan-yeol."
"Oh come on, you've misunderstood." Anna felt somewhat frustrated; she didn't understand why KAI always misinterpreted her intentions. Clearly, he was such a Krisman on stage, but offstage he seemed like a different person.
"Misunderstood? What do you mean by that?"
"I'm looking for Mr. Lee Soo Man to understand something."
"What is it?"
"It's about why Andy was suddenly removed from the EXO lineup four years ago. At that time, he clearly told me he was going to debut as part of EXO; why did that change afterward?"
"Ah, that matter... I know about that too. It's not really a secret."
KAI's response completely surprised Anna, and his expression was particularly relaxed, entirely different from the way Andy had acted.
"What?" Anna exclaimed in astonishment.
"It was originally planned for Andy to debut as a member of EXO, but later Teacher Lee Soo-man felt that Andy was more suited for a solo debut, so Park Chan-yeol took his place. Teacher Lee Soo-man has already mapped out his future path. S.M rarely produces solo artists, which shows how much Teacher Lee Soo-man values him. He later expressed regret, saying he originally wanted to cultivate him into a solo artist as popular as Rain was at that time. However, Andy left out of frustration due to not understanding the situation, and we couldn't find him afterward. We all felt it was a pity, but later we heard he was doing well and at such a young age is now the chairman of Century Group. We can only envy him."
Anna was taken aback and pondered, "So that's how it is..."
"But why are you asking about this?" KAI inquired.
Anna forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered and got curious."
"Andy is really impressive now. If he had stayed with the company back then, he probably wouldn't be as successful as he is today. Life's circumstances are truly unpredictable."
Anna nodded.
Life's circumstances are indeed strange and hard to grasp. If Andy had been a bit more patient to understand the situation back then, things would definitely be different now.
But in life, there are no 'ifs.' It has already come to this point; what should be done next? Even if Anna knows the truth about this matter, how could she explain it to Andy? He has held a grudge about that incident for so many years. What would happen if he knew it was all just a misunderstanding?
Seeing Anna in silence, KAI quietly asked, "Chan-yeol has been gone for a while now. Have you contacted him?"
Anna came back to her senses, forced a bitter smile, shook her head, and said, "No."
"Ah... you two are really something. I spoke with him the day before yesterday and asked about you; he had the same reaction," KAI remarked.
"He must really hate me now," Anna said. "After saying so many hurtful things, even I feel like I hate myself."
"Anna," KAI suddenly became serious and said, "Is it because you hate Park Chan-yeol that you don't want to mention him?"
Anna shook her head and replied, "How could I... How could I possibly hate him..."
God knows how much she misses him, how much she longs for the day when everything will be forgotten, waiting openly for his return... But she can't. Even if that day comes, she could never bring herself to do it.
"You don't want to mention him not because you hate him. So how can you know that his unwillingness to mention you means he hates you?" KAI smiled slightly.
Anna was taken aback, momentarily speechless.
"You say he is a star, too distant to reach. Why not try to gradually rise to that height yourself, to a level where you can stand shoulder to shoulder with him? Not pulling him down, but standing high up together."
Anna looked at KAI in surprise, truly at a loss for words regarding his statement.
It wasn't because it was inappropriate; it was because I had denied myself first, cowardly afraid to imagine that one day I could grow wings...
Could Andy really investigate so many things? Didn't he know that it was just a misunderstanding back then? Or had he already subjectively concluded that it was the fault of Park Chan-yeol and Mr. Lee Soo Man? All the hardships he endured over the years, all the unknown struggles he faced, were all traced back to that incident. That incident was the fuse for everything in his heart.
"Hey! Why are you zoning out again?"
Anna was startled. During the lunch break, the usually empty C Studio was suddenly filled with the large figure of Lee Kwang-soo.
Rubbing her slightly sore eyes, Anna leaned back in her chair while the other colleagues were resting in the lounge.
"Why are you here? There's no filming today," Anna asked, puzzled.
"Miao PD asked me to come. He said he needed to discuss something with me this afternoon," Lee Kwang-soo replied.
Anna got up and poured herself a glass of water. Just as she took a sip, Lee Kwang-soo snatched it away from her. Anna shot him a disdainful glance. Feeling lethargic, she didn't want to argue with him and quietly poured another glass.
"What are you doing? You look so lifeless," Lee Kwang-soo remarked.
Anna lazily rested her head on the table. She glanced at Lee Kwang-soo, making him feel uneasy.
"Why are you looking at me like that? It's kind of scary," Lee Kwang-soo said, then chuckled, "You’re not suddenly captivated by my charm, are you?"
Anna didn’t laugh; she remained expressionless and stared at him seriously, asking, "Brother Kwangsoo, if you hated someone for many years but suddenly found out it was a misunderstanding, what would you do?"
"Why are you asking such a strange question?"
"Just curious."
"I probably wouldn’t do anything. If the misunderstanding is cleared up, that’s good enough. Besides, look at you. You misunderstood me for being fickle all these years, but now I clearly am not like that, and you're still doing fine," Lee Kwang-soo said.
Anna rolled her eyes at him and replied, "That was definitely not a misunderstanding."
"However, why are you asking such a strange question?"
"I already said it was just a casual question."
"You always seem distracted, and yesterday when I asked you to come out and play, why didn't you? Brother Gary and Sister Jihyo were both there."
"What?" Anna exclaimed. "Brother Gary and Sister Jihyo went out to play too?"
Kwang-soo nodded blankly and said, "Yeah."
"Oh, Kwang-soo is here." Before Anna could continue asking, Miao PD walked in. Soon after, the staff members arrived at the studio, just waking up from their lunch break, still looking a bit sleepy; even Miao PD yawned.
"Kwang-soo, I asked you to come today because I want to discuss something with you," Miao PD said.
"What is it, Miao PD?" Kwang-soo asked.
"The audience is really looking forward to your new home special, so can we film at your house..." Miao PD said.
"Hey, Miao PD, didn't we already agree on this? Why are you bringing it up again today?" Kwang-soo replied, feeling uneasy.
"The writers have come up with many great ideas for this special; we can definitely create an outstanding program together," Dong Wan added.
Anna finally understood. She hadn't thought about it earlier; in the morning, she had seen many creative ideas from writers regarding 'Lee Kwang-soo's new home' special and assumed they would be incorporated into other specials. She didn't expect that Miao PD still planned to do such a special. This topic had been mentioned many times on the show and had garnered a lot of attention; the audience's expectations were high. If they could really make it happen, it would certainly yield great results. However, Kwang-soo had previously expressed his reluctance, so everyone had stopped bringing it up.
"Kwang-soo, I really want to ask you this. And what I'm thinking is that during the filming process, we won't reveal your neighborhood name or house number; we'll just start filming indoors so that your home's location won't be exposed," Miao PD explained.
Kwang-soo thought for a moment. He understood that Running Man really needed such a high-profile special to maintain its recently regained momentum...
If it weren't urgent, Miao PD wouldn't have gone through the trouble of calling him over specifically to make this request.
"And if you don't want us to enter the room, you can lock it in advance, and we won't shoot there. For the editing later, if there are things you don't want to be shown, we will edit them with your consent," Miao PD said.
"Hey, Miao PD, I don't have that many secrets, okay?" Lee Kwang-soo said with a frustrated smile.
Miao PD had addressed Kwang-soo's previous concerns to a large extent. After thinking for a moment, Kwang-soo nodded and said, "Alright. Let's go with that."
The staff couldn't be happier and all exclaimed how great it was.
Anna knew that Kwang-soo was making this sacrifice purely for the show and secretly gave him a thumbs up with a smile.
"Thank you, Kwang-soo," Miao PD said sincerely.
Lee Kwang-soo sighed helplessly.
Miao PD looked over the preliminary plan, paused in silence for a moment, then said, "Well, tomorrow I'll send two people to Kwangsoo's Family to see where we need to set up the filming equipment. Also, if we start indoors, we need to figure out how to arrange it and how the indoor games can proceed smoothly. Kwang-soo, when do you have time?"
Kwang-soo took out his phone to check his schedule and said, "I’ll be free after three o'clock tomorrow afternoon."
"Tomorrow is a day off for the Task Force..." Miao PD said. No one wanted to work on their day off, but time was tight; they needed to see the room before finalizing the program plan.
Miao PD glanced at the staff who were looking down, afraid of being called out, and said, "Whoever volunteers can go. FD Team send one person, Camera Crew send one person."
A moment of silence...
Kwang-soo smiled helplessly and said, "Hey everyone, I've made such a big sacrifice; is everyone really so unwilling to go to my house?"
Indeed, the impatient Park Seok said, "No, Brother Kwangsoo..." Although he didn't intend to go, as soon as he spoke, he was caught off guard by Miao PD.
"Alright, Camera Crew, let Park Seok go," Miao PD said.
"Miao PD, I didn't say I..." Park Seok began, realizing there was no turning back at this point. He changed his tune and said, "Fine... I'll go."
Anna couldn't help but laugh at his innocent expression.
"Anna, what are you laughing at?" Miao PD's sharp gaze caught Anna off guard. A cloud of worry passed over her face as she understood what being called out meant.
"Since you're laughing so happily, you and Park Seok should go together," Miao PD responded.
Lee Kwang-soo playfully nudged Anna's shoulder. Originally planning to take a break tomorrow with many things to do, Anna felt extremely frustrated and ignored him.
The others who weren't called out breathed a sigh of relief; their postures relaxed, and their expressions lightened. They were likely all thinking about where to have fun tomorrow.
"Really..." Anna mumbled softly.
"Come play at my house; it would be great. Last time I invited you over, you were too busy to come. This time is perfect," Lee Kwang-soo said.
"You deserve it for making me laugh," Park Seok teased.
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