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墨書 Inktalez
The dogs' barking gradually subsided, and many of them, disappointed, wagged their tails and huddled together, gazing longingly at Anna and the others, perhaps hoping they could provide them with a home. Some remained standing there, staring blankly, while a few older dogs, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep.
"No matter what it is, getting old becomes annoying," Lin Fengying said with a smile, but her tone clearly revealed a hint of desolation.
"Grandma, please don't say that," Anna said, holding Lin Fengying's rough, dry hand.
Lin Fengying smiled and took Park Chan-yeol's hand with her other hand, placing Anna's hand together with Park Chan-yeol's.
"During this time, thanks to Chan-yeol visiting me often, I've been much happier," Lin Fengying said.
"Grandma, coming here makes me even happier," Anna replied.
"We will come to visit you often in the future, along with these dogs," Anna promised.
"Thank you all so much," Lin Fengying said sincerely.
Anna probably guessed Park Chan-yeol's intention for bringing her here. It took her a long time to learn about Peter's death; Park Chan-yeol had always felt guilty about it. This guilt had become a knot in his heart that needed to be untied. No wonder he had never brought up Peter’s death since learning about it; it was a taboo and marked the gap that had formed between them over time.
Thus, he came here to silently help those abandoned stray dogs in need. Perhaps he hoped that some essence of Peter lingered in one of these dogs. As for Anna, she still loved dogs but had never mentioned wanting to adopt another one.
When they met in the United States at Mrs. Smith's house, Park Chan-yeol accidentally saw Anna in the garden, quietly watching Jack sleeping beside her leg with a contemplative expression. He understood then that Peter remained a source of pain for her; although Peter had not accompanied her for long, he had been there during her loneliest and most difficult times.
Every month, Park Chan-yeol would send Lin Fengying some money and visit regularly. He anonymously hired a helper who came daily to assist Lin Fengying with cleaning and also looked after her since she was getting older.
On the way back, Anna gazed out the car window for a long time. It wasn't until they returned to the brightly lit city center that the calm feeling slowly spreading within her was shattered.
It turned out that I am just like the owners of those abandoned dogs—making decisions on my own and letting you wander...
"Thank you for bringing me here, Chan-yeol," Anna said with a smile, finally feeling enlightened.
"At this time, there shouldn't be anyone around. How about we take a walk by the river where you and Peter used to play? We won't be seen."
"Yeah, ever since I left him there, I haven't gone back. I always thought he must be playing freely by himself," Anna said with a smile.
Park Chan-yeol gently patted Anna's head and said, "Don't worry, he's definitely waiting for you there."
And so, under a round and bright moon, with the soft glow of moonlight and a river shimmering in response to the moon and light, two people walked hand in hand slowly along the grassy riverbank.
A gust of wind rustled the already yellowing reeds, and the river water shattered the moonlight.
It felt as if a pleasant yet barely perceptible emotion surrounded them, following closely by their side.
It was unrelated to eeriness or fear because it was the purest of souls waiting.
Anna closed her eyes, listening carefully and searching with her heart for the essence that should be present in this night. After a long while, Anna smiled gently. "Chan-yeol, I felt it. Peter is so happy to see me and you; he has really been waiting here..."
"Then tell him that I miss him too."
Anna nodded, but gradually her smile faded away, replaced by a sense of urgency.
"Peter... why is he slowly fading away..." Anna opened her eyes; the surroundings were still the same—the moonlight remained gentle, and the river was calm and dimly lit. There was no sign of Peter coming. Nothing at all.
"He saw you and knew you hadn't abandoned him, so he felt at ease. Once his heart was at peace, he went to where he needed to be," Park Chan-yeol said.
"That must be it..." Anna murmured.
Waving goodbye as they parted ways, it felt as though they had always been faced with choices and sacrifices. In truth, what belonged to them would always be waiting there, even if just a glance or a faint thread of longing was enough to make one feel the warmth of spring amidst the chill of autumn winds.
Anna stood by the window, waving goodbye to Park Chan-yeol downstairs. She hoped for sweet dreams that night, filled with smiles.
"Because you have experienced too many incredible things, you recklessly believe that you should be together; it's not love at all."
Perhaps Park Anqing had a point with this statement. They had gone through things Anna had never imagined, even some absurdly coincidental events. However, she believed that what they shared was more than just love. They could overcome those misfortunes together, and although their love was clumsy, they were beginning to learn how to nurture this hard-won relationship in their own way.
Those experiences did not blind them; they did not make them reckless or impulsive. Instead, they granted them the ability to calm down, reflect carefully, and become serene, composed, appreciative, and mature.
This must be the gift of those trials.
Upon arriving at the filming location, preparations were already underway in full swing. Although everyone seemed to have no negative emotions, they couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. The previous "Father of Comedy," Mr. Li, had already showcased his unique style on Running Man, and this time he had designed the game himself, leading everyone to wonder if something ridiculous would happen again.
"Anna, you'll be responsible for recording the first and second games with me. Dong Wan, take Yufei and Zhang Yuanxiao to the next location to prepare for the horror box game setup," Miao PD said.
"Okay, understood," everyone replied as Dong Wan immediately took Yufei and Zhang Yuanxiao with him to the next task location.
"Miao PD, is the match arrangement really random? If Mr. Li loses, will he throw a tantrum?" Anna cautiously asked Miao PD.
"What can we do? The battle order can't be deliberately arranged; otherwise, it will be too obvious that it's scripted. How will the audience enjoy it?" Miao PD sighed.
"Alright, I understand," Anna said.
"Don't worry; Yoo Jae-suk and Kim Jong Kook know what they're doing. Plus, Haha has been in the variety industry for so many years; he'll know how to handle it," Miao PD assured her.
Anna nodded.
"First, contact each department to see if they're ready. Also, inform Mr. Li's team about the precautions and get them into the box quickly. If this gets exposed, there won't be anything interesting to watch today," Miao PD instructed.
"Got it, I'll take care of it," Anna said as she hurried off to help check the audio equipment and remind Mr. Wen, Miss Han, and the other four male guests to maintain secrecy during the show.
"Hey! You better perform well, do you hear me? Don't just think about being funny; we're here to win this time," Mr. Li said loudly, pointing at Mr. Wen.
Mr. Wen, once a national-level idol, had aged and gained some weight, so his popularity was not what it used to be. However, being called out like that made him feel a bit embarrassed. His expression stiffened for a moment, but after glancing at the filming equipment that had already started recording, he could only awkwardly smile and say, "Why do you say that about me? I will perform well."
"That's good," Mr. Li replied with satisfaction.
Although Miss Han was married, her husband was a national-level athlete and she was an actress, so Mr. Li didn't say much to her and turned to instruct the other four male guests instead.
Anna silently rolled her eyes at him from behind.
Sitting back down next to Miao PD, she checked the information on the prompt board. Brother Jae-seok and the others arrived one after another. After the opening remarks were filmed, Mr. Li pulled Kwang-soo aside to talk. Due to the seniority issue, Kwang-soo had to respectfully lower his head slightly.
"Kwang-soo, I heard your girlfriend is from the Running Man Production Team. Which one is she?" Mr. Li asked with a smile.
"Yes, senior," Lee Kwang-soo hesitated but knew he couldn't avoid it, so he called Anna over. "Anna, come here for a moment."
His voice was a bit loud, and since it was during a filming break, everyone initially wanted to tease him. However, upon seeing that it was Mr. Li speaking, they pretended not to hear and continued preparing for the next scene.
Anna sighed silently as she passed by Brother Jae-seok. He glanced at her and subtly gestured with his eyes; Anna understood his message: don't cause trouble.
So Anna smiled and bowed politely, saying, "Hello, Mr. Li."
"Oh, it's this young lady. Not bad," Mr. Li said without using any honorifics. Although she was a junior, his casual tone during their first conversation made Anna quite uncomfortable.
"Mr. Li, I have something else to attend to here. I'll come visit you after this is over," Anna said respectfully.
"Alright, go ahead," Mr. Li said happily upon seeing Anna's respectful demeanor.
Yoo Jae-suk and Kim Jong Kook breathed a sigh of relief as everything seemed to be fine.
Everyone seemed to be on edge, as if walking on thin ice. It wasn't that they were afraid of him; rather, they were worried about causing trouble. Running Man wasn't a show that sought fame through sensational news, so there was no need to attract unnecessary attention. What they needed was simply to complete each episode with excellence, nothing more.
However, despite this, what was meant to happen still occurred, just like how you can never reason with a woman who wants to argue with you.
In the arena of the Deadly Name Brand Battle, each team arranged their strategies, but after one round, they were completely wiped out by Kim Jong Kook alone. Anna felt a sense of satisfaction inside; it seemed that many in the Task Force were secretly enjoying it too, including Miao PD. However, this clearly went against Mr. Li's intention of achieving a sweeping victory here, so...
“Miao PD, this won't do,” Mr. Li said as he approached Miao PD.
“What’s wrong? Why won’t it do, Mr. Li?” Miao PD asked knowingly.
“I came here to promote my new show, and naturally, I need a good start. If my show hasn't even aired yet and I'm defeated in Running Man now, what should I do? This absolutely cannot happen,” Mr. Li said, hands on his hips and shaking his head. Due to his age, the skin on his chin sagged slightly and trembled a bit with his head movements. Anna almost laughed out loud.
“But if we record again, both the guests and the members will lose the initial feeling of the game; it will come off as forced and artificial, which will definitely diminish the show's effect,” Miao PD replied.
“This recording is primarily to highlight my new show, which is also a new SBS program. It was agreed beforehand that the games would be designed according to my ideas, so I demand we redo it,” Mr. Li's expression began to sour.
“Even if it's for promoting your new show, this is still Running Man. Your program is a new SBS show, but Running Man is also highly valued by SBS...” Miao PD's emotions began to escalate as well.
“What did you say? Do you know how many years I've been in this industry?! You all weren’t even weaned when I started making a living here! I'm here to promote my show because I value you! Hurry up and redo it; let’s wrap this up!” Mr. Li started shouting.
Everyone stopped their work; the scene fell silent as they exchanged glances. Brother Jae-seok quickly approached and grabbed Mr. Li's arm with a smile, saying, “Bro, why are you so angry?”
“Right! Jae-seok, you're just in time! You quickly tell this PD whether you juniors still know how to respect your seniors?! Huh?!” Mr. Li said assertively to Yoo Jae-suk.
Yoo Jae-suk could only try hard to maintain a smile and said, “Bro, don’t say that; Miao PD just wants to make a good show. How could he not respect you? Everyone here respects you.”
Hearing this made Mr. Li even more displeased as he turned his ire toward Brother Jae-seok.
“Oh? So when Miao PD does it for the sake of the show, I’m not doing it for that reason?” Mr. Li coldly asked Yoo Jae-suk.
"Brother, that's not what I meant. What I mean is that both of you actually want to record this show well; it's just a lack of communication. How about this? You wait here for a moment, and I'll go talk to Miao PD. Is that okay?" Yoo Jae-suk said.
Mr. Li looked suspiciously at Miao PD and Yoo Jae-suk, reluctantly nodded, and said, "Alright then, Jae-seok, I trust you can give me a satisfactory answer."
"Okay, brother."
After Brother Jae-seok finished speaking, he secretly pulled Miao PD to a secluded place. After a long while, only Brother Jae-seok returned.
Yoo Jae-suk signaled Anna to come over and went back to find Mr. Li, who was sitting on a chair drinking a beverage.
"Anna, Miao PD has gone to another filming location. You will be directing today's episode," Yoo Jae-suk whispered.
"What?" Anna felt as if a stone had suddenly hit her on the head.
"Just listen to me first. If Mr. Li has any further requests, just record according to what he says. I've talked to Miao PD; we can make adjustments during post-production."
"But this is Running Man; how can we allow him to do as he pleases?" Anna said helplessly and frustrated.
"We have no choice, Anna. None of us want to go through another negative public relations crisis, and sometimes, for better development, we just have to lower our heads temporarily. Do you understand?" Yoo Jae-suk sighed.
This sigh expressed all the helplessness; perhaps it was because they cherished it so much that Miao PD and Brother Jae-seok chose to endure temporary grievances.
"I understand, Brother Jae-seok..." Anna said.
Thus, a spectacular showdown that was originally going to be completely defeated by Kim Jong Kook was re-controlled, and Mr. Li's team achieved a complete victory. He finally smiled broadly in satisfaction.
Miao PD did not appear until the end of the day’s filming. Mr. Li was in a good mood and said he would treat everyone to dinner, but very few people went, including Anna, who also claimed she had things to attend to at home and hurriedly left.
It truly was an extraordinarily bizarre recording process.
"Where are you going?" Just after leaving the SBS Building, Lee Kwang-soo followed her.
"What are you doing here? Didn't you go to eat?" Anna asked.
"Brother Jae-seok and the others can go, but I didn't want to," Lee Kwang-soo said with a smile. Seeing Anna walking straight towards the entrance without getting in a car, he asked, "Why aren't you driving? How did you get here?"
"Oh, I've temporarily moved nearby, so it's a short distance, so I didn't drive."
"You moved again?"
"Yeah, it turned out this way for some reasons," Anna said with a helpless smile.
"Brother Jae-seok said they are going to the welfare home in Busan on Thursday. Are you going?" Lee Kwang-soo asked.
"Of course," Anna replied, looking around. "But what should we do if we get photographed by reporters like this?"
Lee Kwang-soo said, "It's only been a few days since we went public with our relationship. If there’s no news at all, that would be too fake, right?"
"Ah..." Anna suddenly realized and said, "So that's why you didn't go to eat with them; you wanted to get photographed a few more times."
Lee Kwang-soo chuckled and said, "Well, let's say it is for that reason."
Anna shot him a glance and laughed, saying, "What do you mean 'let's say'? Trying to act cool?"
The streetlights cast long shadows of the two of them until they disappeared at an uneven point. The lights were bright, and the beautiful couple joked and laughed together, creating a lovely scene.
When she returned home, exhausted, she collapsed onto the bed without even taking a shower. She picked up her phone and scrolled through it for a while before succumbing to deep sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, she was startled awake by a nightmare and the sound of her phone ringing; it was Park Chan-yeol calling.
Anna answered the phone, but there was no response on the other end.
"Hello? Chan-yeol... is that you?" Anna asked, a bit confused. What followed was a series of breathy sounds that made her cheeks flush... Anna was startled and instinctively hung up the phone.
All her sleepiness vanished in an instant, leaving her drenched in cold sweat.
What was happening? Could it be...
Anna quickly shook her head. No, it couldn't be. At this point, she couldn't doubt Park Chan-yeol again; they had been through so much...
But...
Anna picked up her phone, her hands trembling slightly. Instead of letting her mind wander, it would be better to ask directly. She gently pressed Park Chan-yeol's contact number and dialed him back.
This time, however, her phone indicated it was turned off. Anna helplessly set her phone down, unable to close her eyes peacefully anymore.
She tried to force herself to sleep, telling herself that when they met again, she would definitely ask him clearly. He wouldn't deceive her; as long as it was him speaking, she would believe it.
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