Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
A group of people sat in the studio, engrossed in designing the game and discussing it, only taking breaks for the restroom. Before they knew it, it had already grown dark outside.
Anna glanced at the time; it was past seven in the evening, and she felt a bit hungry. By this time, he should have returned.
Sure enough, Dong Wan came back from the restroom with his phone in hand, excitedly saying, "Hey, Park Chan-yeol was spotted at the airport returning to Korea! So many people were there to greet him; the fans went crazy. And they say there's going to be an official press conference for EXO's return tomorrow."
"Let me see," Park Soo Eun said as she took the phone.
Anna looked at the photos in the news. He seemed to have lost some weight, but he finally showed that warm smile again.
It's good that he's back.
"Wow, his popularity is still so high. The pressure is immense. If we don't do well with this special episode, the fans will definitely criticize us," Park Soo Eun remarked.
"Alright, alright, it's already past seven. Let's continue tomorrow. Miao PD will join us to see if what we've done today is feasible," Dong Wan said. "Let's go."
As they drove through the streets, the streetlights flickered. The roads in Seoul were much less crowded at this hour. Anna felt a sense of calm inside her, especially after seeing him return to Korea and witnessing how many people still loved him and were waiting for his return.
However, even now, Anna still hadn't received any messages from Park Chan-yeol. That's fine; it's probably better this way. If he did reach out, Anna wouldn't know what appropriate opening line to use.
Just as they parked in the neighborhood, Lee Kwang-soo's call suddenly came through. She got out of the car, locked it, answered the phone, and walked toward her home.
"Hello, Brother Kwangsoo," Anna said.
"Anna! Where are you?" Kwang-soo asked.
"Me? I just got home. What's up?"
"I'll be at your place soon. Get ready, I'm treating you to dinner."
"What's going on? This is sudden," Anna said, a bit confused.
Kwang-soo hesitated for a moment and said, "I have something to tell you."
Anna was even more puzzled. "What is it? You're being so mysterious..." As she looked up, a familiar figure completely stunned Anna in place...
"Anna... Anna... What's wrong..."
The phone slipped from her hand and hit the ground with a thud. As the sound echoed, Anna slowly crouched down to pick up her phone. "Brother Kwangsoo, I have something going on here, I'll hang up for now." After saying that, Anna ended the call.
She put her phone back in her bag. The words that had been difficult to say suddenly felt easy to pretend to be calm after the extreme shock.
"It's been a while, how have you been?" Anna smiled lightly, forcing back tears that almost spilled over.
"I'm fine. I came straight here after getting off the plane," Park Chan-yeol replied.
"Everything has passed; it's all good now," Anna said.
"Yeah, it's all good."
A long silence followed. An elderly woman came down from upstairs to take out the trash, slowly walking down the narrow corridor. They clearly became an obstacle, and the woman shot them an annoyed glance. The two shifted awkwardly to the side.
"Are you not going to invite me in for a bit?"
Anna forced a smile and said, "Sorry, I completely forgot." With that, she took out her keys, walked past him, and went to open the door.
Sitting on the sofa, he became a somewhat reserved guest, politely accepting the cup of water that Anna handed over and placing it on the coffee table.
Anna set down her bag and sat in a chair nearby. Park Chan-yeol looked around the room and asked, "What about Peter? Did you send him to someone else for fostering?"
Anna bitterly raised the corners of her mouth and said, "No. Peter is dead."
Park Chan-yeol frowned slightly, fell silent for a moment, and asked, "When did that happen?"
Anna took a deep breath and replied, "It's been a while."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You didn't ask, so I forgot to bring it up. Anyway, it's already in the past," Anna said.
What followed was a long, unsettling silence. If it weren't for the steam still rising from the cup, one might think this was a still picture, with both of them trapped in an old silent play, unable to express themselves.
"I received a call from Miki; she told me a lot," Park Chan-yeol broke the silence once again.
Anna's heart skipped a beat; this was something she had not anticipated at all.
"No matter what happened before, it's all in the past now," Anna said.
"I think so too. So, I want to say that we should bring this to a close," Park Chan-yeol said.
His heart still ached; finally, they had reached the conclusion that Anna was already prepared to accept. Though it hurt, it was time to accept it.
It had been so long and so far apart, and in this awkward reunion, all they arrived at was a single conclusion: 'the end.'
Finally, there was a conclusion.
"Alright, let's leave it at that," Anna said with a slight smile.
Park Chan-yeol stood up and extended his hand, intending to shake hands with Anna. He smiled, and Anna could no longer detect a trace of sadness in his eyes. This was the Park Chan-yeol that people liked. All the longing and obsession during this time had been her own; what she received in return was a reasonable yet heartbreaking ending.
Just as she had once hoped, he bore no grudge against her, which was already fortunate. He had sorted out his thoughts, so what reason did Anna have to be anything but composed at such a moment?
Anna engaged in a friendly handshake with him, unsure if the warmth of their palms had already begun to differ.
"Once we meet again, we'll be friends," Park Chan-yeol said with a smile.
"Okay, friends."
I truly liked that dream, where everything could start anew, where everything could be slowly explained, and all the wasted time could return to the joy and gratitude of those moments. My heart was filled with happiness simply because you were in front of me, smiling at me just like back then. I truly liked that dream; even though I knew you had traveled thousands of miles for me, I still felt the beauty of blooming grass and falling petals, as if we were just meeting for the first time. There were answers I could share with you now, but some answers about my love might take a long time to reveal—long enough for the questions to be forgotten.
That night, Anna wasn't sure if she had cried. At least while awake, she didn't let any tears fall. When Park Chan-yeol left, the water on the coffee table was still steaming. Anna sat in his spot, staring at that cup of water, knowing the steam had long since disappeared before she finally got up. She forgot about her hunger from the day, took a shower, and lay on her bed in a daze. It felt as if she had really had a long dream where everything could start over; surely the current ending would not be like this.
When she woke up in the morning, her eyelids felt slightly swollen. Anna washed her face with cold water for quite some time before feeling somewhat comfortable.
"Hey? Anna, did you cry yesterday?" However, while waiting for the elevator at SBS, she ran into Kwon Ryeol, who was heading to help with another program's filming. Kwon Ryeol asked in surprise.
"Not at all," Anna genuinely didn't remember crying.
"Alright then, maybe you just stayed up too late," Kwon Ryeol said.
Miao PD also arrived later than usual today; he was sitting at the conference table looking over part of the proposal that Anna and the others had written yesterday, frowning as if he wasn't very satisfied.
“Miao PD, good morning.” Anna bowed in greeting.
She glanced at Zhang Yuanxiao sitting across from her, who seemed a bit timid, probably because Miao PD was angry. Anna slowly took a seat.
Before long, everyone had arrived.
Once everyone was settled, Miao PD spoke up.
“I wasn’t involved in the creative production yesterday. I just looked at some of the materials written by the team members, and they were quite good. Many ideas can be incorporated.” Miao PD said.
Hearing this somewhat affirming response, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions becoming more relaxed.
“However, we still need more innovative proposals and overall fluidity. Today, I will work with you all on this. This episode of EXO is quite important, so let’s put in some hard work this week.” Miao PD continued.
“Yes.” Everyone responded in agreement.
“However, there’s one more thing we need to discuss first.” Miao PD said: “It’s about the opportunity to study in the United States in half a month. In previous years, there were two spots, but this year the bureau has decided there will only be one. I wonder if anyone has a suitable candidate in mind.”
“Only one?” Dong Wan exclaimed in surprise.
“That’s right.” Miao PD nodded.
Anna looked at Han Yufei, who was biting her lip and gripping her hands tightly. Anna knew she must really want to seize this opportunity for advancement.
Han Yufei caught Anna’s gaze but still seemed hesitant. Anna gave her a slight nod.
Just as Han Yufei was about to speak up, Miao PD continued: “If you feel uncomfortable saying it in front of everyone, you can edit your thoughts into a text message and send it to me. Similarly, all opinions from the Task Force, including those from Mr. Yoo Jae-suk, will be sent to me as well. You can choose the personnel yourselves; of course, if someone feels shy, they can also recommend themselves. This way, it’s fairer.”
Han Yufei finally blushed but still couldn't say what she wanted to. She let out a slight sigh.
"This is good, this is fair," Park Soo Eun said.
"Since everyone agrees, let's proceed with this. Next, let's discuss the recording of the EXO special next week. By the way, Anna, this afternoon, you and Zhang Yuanxiao should go find EXO's Li Agent and see if he has any good ideas or things he hopes we can cooperate on. Ask in advance to prevent any unpleasant situations from arising," Miao PD said.
"Miao PD... I..." Just as Anna was about to decline, Han Yufei made up her mind and said, "Miao PD, I want to give it a try."
Everyone was surprised by Yufei's action, as she had been rather quiet.
"Yufei, I know you're serious... So, do you think you can handle it? Communicating with these people isn't a simple task. It directly affects whether our future cooperation will go smoothly," Miao PD said.
"I understand. Miao PD, I want to give it a try," Han Yufei replied.
Anna was very happy that Han Yufei finally mustered the courage to take this step. Seeing that Miao PD still seemed hesitant, Anna said, "Miao PD, I also think Yufei can do it."
"Exactly, let her give it a shot. Just because she doesn't talk much usually doesn't mean she won't be impressive when it's time to speak," Dong Wan also encouraged.
Miao PD smiled and said, "Alright then, let Yufei go."
"Okay, thank you, Miao PD," Han Yufei said happily, giving Anna a grateful glance.
News in the entertainment industry spreads quickly; sometimes even close friends only learn about major events happening around them through the news. It seems that ever since entering this circle, astonishing events have been happening one after another, making it hard to keep up. Perhaps one should have gotten used to this pace long ago; however, when Anna saw Jung Eun-hee unilaterally announce the dissolution of her engagement with Brother Gary, she truly did not expect it.
Kang Hee-kyun announcing her engagement was essentially a declaration to the entire nation; it was a wedding destined to attract everyone's attention. What reasons and courage led such a delicate and reserved woman to make such a decision under immense pressure? Naturally, at times like these, various malicious speculations would arise again. The two seemed to have an unspoken agreement to maintain a unified stance: a natural and peaceful breakup that respected each other's choices. Then came the silence that remained no matter how much one tried to inquire.
Anna could perhaps guess some of it; if a woman marries a man out of love, then when there is no love left, if there is grace and respect, letting go gracefully becomes the choice.
The way adults handle things is ultimately just a way of handling things; it seems ineffective in matters of the heart.
"I spent money on clothes for nothing. Why so sudden?" Park Soo Eun looked at the newspaper, feeling somewhat frustrated.
"It’s like you’re getting married. Others aren’t disappointed, yet you are," Dongwan mocked.
Miao PD was also holding the newspaper, looking at it in silence for a while, as if deep in thought. The others had lost their focus on work, all their thoughts consumed by this matter.
Anna wasn’t sure if Gary canceling the engagement was a good thing, but she felt a bit selfishly pleased. After all, this meant there was hope for Gary and Ji-hyo to be together.
"What about Han Yufei and Zhang Yuanxiao?" Miao PD asked after glancing around.
"Miao PD, didn’t you say to have them look for EXO's Li Agent?" Dong Wan replied.
Miao PD nodded and said, "Oh right, I almost forgot."
At that moment, Miao PD's phone rang.
"Hello... What happened..." Miao PD said a couple of sentences before frowning. Seeing this, everyone immediately fell silent.
Miao PD sighed in apparent frustration. "Alright, I understand. Please pass the phone to Li Agent."
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances; it was clear that there had been an issue with Han Yufei negotiating with Li Agent.
"Hello, Li Agent. What? ... Oh, she might not be fully aware of the situation... She’s new... I’m really sorry. Please hold on; I will definitely give you a satisfactory response... Yufei, don’t say anything for now; just wait by the door for a moment... Okay." Miao PD hung up and let out a long breath.
Everyone dared not speak, but Anna was genuinely concerned about Yufei's situation. After all, she had encouraged Yufei to take on the task and had recommended her yesterday partly out of her own reluctance to go.
Anna cautiously opened her mouth and asked, “Miao PD... what happened?”
Dong Wan signaled to Anna not to speak.
Miao PD glanced at Anna, thought for a moment, and said, “You need to hurry to S.M and find Li Agent.”
“What’s going on?” Anna asked.
“Li Agent wants to take some time out like last time to do an opening dance performance for EXO, but Han Yufei didn’t understand the situation and directly rejected it, only telling Li Agent that they could include EXO's songs in the program.”
“According to the current program plan, it really isn’t suitable to do an opening dance performance at the beginning of the show,” Dong Wan said.
“I know that. I’ve dealt with Li Agent a few times; he’s actually a very easygoing person. I don’t know if Yufei said something wrong or offended him in some way. He mentioned that last time he cooperated with our program for the opening dance, but this time our attitude has made him very unhappy,” Miao PD said.
“So what should we do now?”
Miao PD looked at Anna and said, “Anna, you should go quickly. Li Agent has always recognized you; you should know how to handle this situation.”
Anna understood that she couldn’t refuse this time, and she also wanted to help Han Yufei.
“I got it, Miao PD. I’ll head over right now.”
Miao PD nodded.
Anna grabbed her bag and phone and quickly ran out of the studio.
This time, she indeed had been careless. She had already experienced Li Agent’s personality, but how could Han Yufei have anticipated such a situation? She should have reminded her from the start. In this way, Anna, with good intentions, ended up causing trouble instead.
Anna parked the car and quickly ran into the S.M. Company building. In her haste, she accidentally broke the heel of her shoe on the steps.
"Ashi..." Anna muttered a curse and took off both high heels, holding them in her hands. A handsome figure walked by, looking both strange and amusing, and Anna realized it was Choi Min-ho, whom she had seen recently while recording a show.
Seeing Anna look up at him, Yunhao smiled and nodded in greeting.
Anna awkwardly smiled back, bowed, and then hurried to the stunned receptionist to check in before rushing to the elevator.
Thinking about it, she really had some bad luck here; it seemed like every time she came, something went wrong—either the elevator broke down or her heel snapped. Moreover, these shoes were expensive designer ones that she had saved up for a long time to buy just two days ago. Sighing, she resolved to return them after work.
In the practice room, the members of EXO were diligently preparing for their return to the stage. Wu Shixun, who was distracted, turned around and caught a glimpse of a barefoot figure darting past the door. It looked like Anna, but he thought it was unlikely since the Running Man Production Team had already sent someone over.
"Sehun, what are you looking at? Focus on your practice," sohu said.
"Nothing much, just thought I saw someone familiar."
"Who?"
"No one. I must have been mistaken."
Han Yufei stood at the door of Li Agent's office, looking frustrated, while Zhang Yuanxiao paced back and forth in confusion. When he saw Anna running towards them, he felt like he had found a lifeline and rushed over.
"Anna sister, you finally made it." Zhang Yuanxiao was still new and two years younger than Anna, so he was completely flustered. "Did we get ourselves into big trouble?"
Anna smiled reassuringly. "No, no, don't worry. It's nothing serious." She walked over to Yufei, who had been keeping her head down.
"Yufei, are you okay?" Anna asked as she placed a hand on her shoulder.
Yufei fell silent for a moment, slowly lifting her head to look at Anna, something flickering in her eyes.
"Anna, you’ve worked with Li Agent before. Why didn’t you give me a heads-up?" Yufei said. "Li Agent mentioned that you handled the opening dance for EXO. In such a special situation, why didn’t you tell me?"
"I didn’t expect it to...," Anna replied, feeling at a loss for words.
"Forget it," Yufei interrupted Anna. "Thank you for coming." She looked at Zhang Yuanxiao and walked over, saying, "Let’s leave; there’s nothing for us here."
After saying that, she lowered her head and slowly walked toward the elevator. Zhang Yuanxiao hesitated for a moment, and Anna gestured for him to take care of Yufei. Zhang Yuanxiao nodded and followed Yufei's footsteps.
Anna watched their retreating figures, filled with guilt. Apologizing could wait; she needed to address the current issues first.
Anna knocked on the office door and walked in.
"Miss Anna? What brings you here?" Li Agent was clearly a bit angry, but his expression softened noticeably upon seeing Anna. "What about your shoes?"
"I ruined them while trying to apologize to you," Anna joked.
"Well, that’s my fault then. Please have a seat," Li Agent said.
Anna thanked him and sat down in the chair opposite him.
Li Agent poured a glass of water and handed it to Anna before sitting down himself. "You should bear the consequences of your own mistakes; why apologize on behalf of others?"
"We're all part of the Task Force; if one person makes a mistake, it's everyone's mistake. There's no difference," Anna replied with a smile. "But what exactly did Yufei do to offend you that made you so unhappy?"
Li Agent chuckled, thought for a moment, and said, "Confident but not arrogant, humble but not servile, thorough but not overly slick, strong but not excessively forceful—these are my standards for evaluating people. However, this newcomer, who I’m not sure is a friend of yours, seems unsuitable for working in the Running Man Production Team. If she is your friend, then she may not be suitable as a friend either."
“Li Agent, you might have misunderstood. Yufei is not very good at communicating with people, so she may have said something wrong that upset you.”
“Is that so... Everyone will protect their own interests, but should such arrogant words as ‘when in Running Man, follow the rules of Running Man’ really come from a newcomer?”
Anna was also a bit surprised because the Han Yufei described by Li Agent was completely different from the Han Yufei she knew.
“Miss Anna, although you are young, I have always recognized and admired your way of handling matters. If I have an advantage over you from living more than ten years longer, it would probably be that I have met more people and can read them better,” Li Agent said.
“What do you mean by that...”
“Nothing much, just a reminder. If we work together in the future, there will likely be many situations where you need to clean up after others. Also, we will do our utmost to cooperate with the filming of Running Man, so you don’t need to worry about that, Miss Anna.”
Anna smiled slightly, “If that’s the case, I will personally take charge of EXO's opening dance and the songs interspersed throughout the program. The editing and special effects will also be done by me personally.”
“I understand. If the lady from earlier had spoken to me properly, I wouldn’t have been so firm.”
“I understand. Rest assured. Although there are many fans of Running Man, the EXO special will definitely attract even more viewers. We cannot disappoint those who came for EXO; this is not just Li Agent’s demand but something we should do as well,” Anna said.
Li Agent smiled; he understood that Anna had framed his request as an idea from the production team. This way, it satisfied EXO's promotional needs without burdening their collaboration. Li Agent nodded in approval and stood up to shake hands with Anna.
“Thank you in advance, Miss Anna.”
“Well then, Li Agent, I will contact you about some minor matters over the phone. See you on Monday,” Anna said.
“Alright, goodbye.”
How should she talk to Yufei when she gets back? As Anna left the office, she began to feel troubled. Yufei’s words must have stemmed from some misunderstanding towards her. It was indeed her fault for handling this matter too hastily. However, given Yufei’s usual demeanor, she really shouldn’t be someone who would say such things.
“Anna~” KAI's voice startled Anna. “What are you doing here? Didn't the Running Man Production Team already send someone? And what happened to your shoes?”
KAI was wearing a tank top, drenched in sweat from dancing, with a towel draped around his neck to wipe away the beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.
“I ran too fast and broke them,” Anna replied with a helpless smile.
After thinking for a moment, KAI said, “Come on, let me find you a pair of shoes.”
“No need,” Anna quickly waved her hand.
“What are you afraid of? Let’s go.” With that, KAI pulled her quickly toward the changing room.
At that moment, Wu Shixun happened to turn his head and saw KAI pulling the barefoot woman past the door again. This made him even more curious, so he ran to the door to sneak a look. Now he finally confirmed who that woman was.
“What are you doing?”
Wu Shixun was startled and turned around, not realizing when Zhang Yixing and Park Chan-yeol had stood behind him.
Wu Shixun quickly grabbed them and made a ‘shh’ gesture for silence. He then looked at the other members, who seemed not to have noticed anything, and mysteriously said to the two of them, “I just saw KAI pulling Anna toward the changing room, and Anna isn’t even wearing shoes.”
“What?!”
Comment 0 Comment Count