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墨書 Inktalez
When she opened her eyes again, her eyelids were slightly swollen. She didn't know how long she had been crying; it turned out that one could actually fall asleep while crying. The sky was just beginning to lighten.
Anna rushed to the bathroom for a shower. With Monday just two days away, all Anna wanted was some peace and quiet, to hear nothing and think of nothing.
After coming out of the bathroom and changing into clean clothes, she found her suitcase and quickly packed her things, including her documents. No matter where she went, she just wanted to escape quickly. Her phone had many missed calls and messages. Looking at them, most were from Park Soo Eun and Dong Wan, along with a call from Lee Kwang-soo. After some thought, she silently put her phone into her bag without replying.
Fortunately, her U.S. visa had not expired yet. Anna took the subway, initially planning to go directly to Incheon Airport, but suddenly realized there was another place she needed to visit.
Finding something to do would help her avoid sinking into sadness.
Anna remembered that Park Seok had told her that Jiang Yan's hometown was in Gwangju, Jeollado, specifically in a village called 'Peach Village' in the southern part of Gwangju. Regardless, Anna needed to confirm whether that person was indeed Jiang Zhenyuan and what her current situation was if it was true.
On the train to Gwangju, Anna put on her headphones, and the familiar song floated through them. However, this time, she quickly switched to another song. Closing her eyes, she either kept busy or fell asleep; in any case, she wanted to avoid thinking about those matters and just escape for a while.
Thus, alone with her suitcase in hand, she arrived in Gwangju and found the village. It wasn't large, with only about fifty households. The villagers mostly knew each other well; their accents were thick but still understandable.
Jiang Zhenyuan and Jiang Yan were siblings; the brother worked on a famous television program but died in an accidental car crash. The sister excelled academically but went missing shortly after graduation. Their father had passed away early, and their mother succumbed to illness over a year ago due to the unbearable grief of losing both children...
Anna felt overwhelmed; then who exactly was the 'mother' that Director mentioned had taken Jiang Zhenyuan away?
Lost in confusion, Anna stared at the tightly shut door of a yard with a rusted lock, unsure of what to do next.
So where exactly was Jiang Zhenyuan now?
What hidden truths lay behind all this that she did not know? Anna could only hope that Jiang Zhenyuan was still alive in this world; that would mean there was still hope for them to meet again.
Standing in the square outside the train station, looking at the trains departing in various directions, where should she go now? She originally intended to find Mrs. Smith and quietly spend this time, but unexpectedly thought of this place midway. How could she leave with peace of mind now?
Anna helplessly looked at her suitcase and sighed.
"Excuse me, are you Miss Anna Zheng?" A strange voice suddenly came from above her head. Anna looked up to see two unfamiliar tall men standing in front of her.
Anna instinctively felt wary and did not respond immediately, but the two men seemed to recognize her appearance anyway.
"Please come with us." As soon as the words were spoken, the two men directly grabbed Anna's arms.
"What are you doing? Help..." Just as Anna was about to shout, she felt a tight grip on her wrist, as if it would snap at any moment.
"Don't make a sound; we won't hurt you," one of the men said expressionlessly.
Anna was restrained and unable to exert any strength, so she had no choice but to fall silent and silently follow the two men toward a nearby vehicle with an open door. The open door looked like a ferocious beast with a gaping mouth, and Anna couldn't bear to imagine what would happen if she really entered there.
At that moment, a man wearing a baseball cap approached, with a streak of silver hair at his temples. He was inconspicuous, yet Anna caught sight of him as if he were a lifeline. Confused yet happy, Anna called out his name.
"Hogga..."
The two men were taken aback. Looking at Hogga, he raised his head with a charming smile and made a quiet gesture. Anna felt her body sway, and in the next second, the person beside her had turned into Hogga. The two men fell to the ground, exchanged glances, and turned to get into the vehicle.
"Let's go," Hogga said as he put his arm around Anna's shoulders and picked up her suitcase with one hand, leading her in the opposite direction toward his own car.
Everything happened almost in an instant. Anna sat in the passenger seat for a long time, still in shock. Ever since she moved out of Hogga's apartment, she hadn't heard from him for quite some time. His appearances were always so unexpected and always at moments of crisis for Anna.
Anna looked at Hogga with confusion; she still had those questions in her heart. Since she had never received accurate answers before, she didn't know whether to ask them again.
Feeling Anna's gaze, Hogga smiled, "What's wrong? Do you want to ask me why I'm here?"
Anna looked away and lowered her head, "I asked, but you wouldn't tell me."
"You don't try every time, how would you know I don't tell you each time?"
"Fine, then let me ask you. Why are you here again? Also, do you know who those two people were? Why did they capture me?"
"You're asking so many questions at once; where should I start... I came here because I knew you were here. As for who those two people were, Park Anqing knows more about that."
"Are they his people again?" Anna smiled helplessly. Perhaps she should have stayed in Seoul for another day to tell Park Anqing that she had broken up with Park Chan-yeol, so he wouldn't be so concerned about her. "Thank you, Hogga."
"No need to thank me," Hogga replied.
Anna was deep in thought. She looked at Hogga and tentatively asked, "Hogga, do you know why I came to Gwangju?"
Hogga smiled lightly. Anna never expected that her thoughts could be hidden from him, and this time was no exception.
"You want to know if I’m curious about why you're here, right?" Hogga stated directly.
"Yes," Anna answered straightforwardly.
"If you want to know what's going on, I can help you find out," Hogga offered.
"No need," Anna declined. She knew very well that if she let Hogga investigate, he would uncover all the reasons behind it. Anna already owed him a lot, and it seemed there were no secrets between them. Since she didn't know, it was better not to know at all.
Hogga raised the corners of his mouth and did not continue the topic.
"I just need to take a loop and drop me back at the train station," Anna said.
"Where are you going?" Hogga paused for a moment and said, "Leaving here doesn't mean everything is gone. Avoiding it isn't like you."
Anna smiled helplessly and said, "Everything is still here; it's just that staying here won't solve anything. It’s better to have some peace and think about what to do next."
"That's fair, but I estimate you won't be able to hide for long. You'll be back soon," Hogga said with a smile.
"What?" Anna asked, confused.
"Nothing. Where do you plan to hide?"
Anna understood that even if she didn't say it now, if Hogga really wanted to know, he would eventually find out. "My U.S. visa hasn't expired yet. I want to see Mrs. Smith and Jack. Also, I want to know how Andy is doing."
"If you go to Mrs. Smith's place now, aren't you afraid Park Anqing's people will come looking for you there?"
This remark awakened Anna; she hadn't considered this point. If Park Anqing really wanted to capture her, then being at Mrs. Smith's would only put her in danger.
Seeing Anna lower her head in silence, Hogga continued, "Now is not the time to leave Korea. There are still many things to resolve here. Even if it's hard, just hold on a little longer."
The two fell silent. Hogga didn't take Anna to the train station but drove toward Seoul instead. Along the way, Anna seemed to fall asleep, and Hogga turned on the music—yes, music without any lyrics, just the melody of a flute.
Anna couldn't understand why, if Park Anqing had been monitoring her relationship with Park Chan-yeol, he would still send someone to capture her after knowing she had already broken up with Park Chan-yeol. What was his true intention?
Of course, she couldn't comprehend it because from a long time ago, from the very beginning, she was destined to be caught in this huge web of conspiracy. No matter how hard she tried to break free, it would be futile. This carefully constructed scheme that had accumulated over many years was slowly unfolding before her eyes, and all Anna could see was just the tip of the iceberg.
When you think you've won or lost this gamble but find yourself having to continue betting more, you fail to realize that you are merely the stake—the dice in the cup.
After going in circles, Anna returned home without even opening the trunk. The cup used by Park Chan-yeol was still quietly sitting on the coffee table, and everything felt strangely quiet, as if even the drop of a needle would be clearly heard.
Through the window, Anna saw Hogga's car start and disappear around the corner. Complex emotions once again lingered in her heart.
It was too quiet, calm, and blank, making it easy for one to sink into sadness and confusion.
Anna feared this infinitely magnified emptiness because within such a void, all she could see was Park Chan-yeol, and all she could hear was also Park Chan-yeol. Scenes of laughter, encounters, pain, and separation played out slowly and quickly, making her dizzy and almost drowning in it.
She quickly grabbed the remote control and turned on the television. To her surprise, there was a picture of Park Chan-yeol on the news screen, with bold letters stating, "Both Jang Bo-Yeon and Park Chan-yeol have filed for contract termination with S.M." Anna froze for a moment but quickly understood and changed the channel.
He finally had to do what he should be doing now. Giving up dreams and love was what he should do.
She had forgotten how long it had been since she last ate; Anna realized she didn't feel hungry at all. In a daze, she wanted to know about Jiang Zhenyuan but felt powerless and didn't know where to start. She wanted to return to Running Man to work, to continue bickering with everyone, staying up late, struggling through challenges, but that place no longer belonged to her. She also wanted... wanted to hear Park Chan-yeol's voice, to hear his call... but he no longer belonged to her either.
What else did she have? What could she still do?
Until Monday night when there was a knock at the door. Upon opening it and seeing Lee Kwang-soo, Yoo Jae-suk, Song Ji-hyo, and Kim Jong Kook standing at the entrance, Anna finally revealed a long-lost smile.
"Brother Kwangsoo... Brother Jae-seok... Jung Kook... Sister Jihyo... you all came." It was like a child who had felt wronged in kindergarten finally seeing their parents; Anna's nose tinged with emotion.
Unlike Anna's relief, the four who came were not happy at all because Anna looked much more dispirited than before; the small room lacked any liveliness, which was completely different from the Anna they had seen previously.
Sitting on the sofa, which was small enough for five people to feel cramped, Anna moved a chair over and sat on it herself.
Kwang-soo and the others were watching Yoo Jae-suk's expression, waiting for Brother Jae-seok to speak first.
Finally, Yoo Jae-suk let out a slight sigh and said, "Anna, if we are friends, just tell us honestly—why did you resign?" Without his usual humor from the show, he went straight to the point.
Anna lowered her head, unsure of how to express herself.
"Anna, we realized you had resigned when we recorded the show today without you. Why so suddenly? And why didn't you tell us? I've been trying to call you these days, but you haven't answered. Is something wrong?" Lee Kwang-soo asked.
"I'm... sorry everyone. It's just that this matter, I really don't know how to say it," Anna felt conflicted inside.
"What do you mean you don't know how to say it?! Anna, if you consider me a friend, just say it!" Ji-hyo urged anxiously. "Look at how you're acting right now! Are you trying to make us worry?"
Anna bit her lip; although the words were somewhat scolding, she felt warmth in her heart.
"Thank you all..." Anna said softly.
"Stop saying useless things, Anna. What exactly is going on? If you trust us, just tell us. Only then can we figure out how to help you," Kim Jong Kook said.
Anna shook her head helplessly. "You can't help me; it's useless."
"Anna, how would you know if you don't say anything? I got through my serious situation back then; how did you help me without hesitation? Do you think everyone will just stand by now?" Yoo Jae-suk said earnestly.
"Brother Jae-seok..." Anna said. "This time is different. If I don't resign, there will be more serious consequences."
"What do you mean?" Kwang-soo asked.
Anna sighed, thinking as she looked at the four worried faces in front of her. "The creative plan for Christmas, my plan, coincidentally overlaps with Han Yufei's. I swear, that was my own idea."
"What?" The four were surprised because in everyone's impression, Han Yufei was a shy and reserved girl, clearly out of place in such matters.
"Are you saying Han Yufei plagiarized your plan?" Kim Jong Kook asked.
Anna shook her head and said, "I don't know, there is no evidence."
"Then why are you the one being accused? Is there evidence proving that you plagiarized her?" Lee Kwang-soo asked.
"There isn't."
"Since there isn't, why did you resign?" Kim Jong Kook asked.
"Because..." Anna took a deep breath, clearly finding it difficult to say what she wanted to express. "Because Han Yufei caught me talking on the phone with Park Chan-yeol."
Kwang-soo's expression stiffened, and he fell silent.
"Park... Park Chan-yeol... you two..." Ji-hyo was momentarily at a loss for words.
Yoo Jae-suk and Kim Jong Kook were clearly surprised. Although Jung Kook had sensed some closeness between Anna and Park Chan-yeol before, that was quite some time ago. After that, it seemed like Park Chan-yeol had started seeing someone named Jang Bo-Yeon, and Jung Kook thought their relationship had ended.
"Anna, you and Park Chan-yeol are..." Yoo Jae-suk asked for confirmation again.
"At that time, we were indeed in a romantic relationship, but now, we have completely broken up," Anna said with a hint of bitterness.
"You broke up?" Kwang-soo asked.
Anna nodded and smiled helplessly. "Yes."
"Then I don't understand how this relates to your resignation," Ji-hyo questioned.
"Han Yufei caught me talking to Park Chan-yeol and assumed we were in a romantic relationship, so she uncovered the fake relationship between me and Brother Kwangsoo. Therefore, as a condition for my admission of plagiarism to leave Running Man, I asked her to keep it a secret. I had no choice; once it becomes public, both Brother Kwangsoo and Park Chan-yeol would suffer serious consequences. I can't take that risk."
"Is that so..." The four of them were somewhat surprised. "I didn't expect Han Yufei to do something like this. Why would she do it? Do you have any grievances between you?" Jung Kook asked.
Anna shook her head; she herself had once been completely in the dark.
"Is it because the promotion to Assistant Director is coming up? Does she want to eliminate a competitor?" Lee Kwang-soo suggested.
"That's secondary. It's just that if there really is someone like that in the Running Man team, it's not a good thing at all," Yoo Jae-suk said earnestly.
"But, Anna, if you and Park Chan-yeol have already broken up and you are determined to pursue a relationship with Kwang-soo, then Han Yufei wouldn't be able to threaten you anymore, right?" Ji-hyo asked.
"Yeah, that's true," Kwang-soo nodded in agreement.
Anna sighed helplessly and said, "But I have already admitted to Miao PD that I left because I felt guilty about the plagiarism. If I suddenly go back on my word now, I really don't know how to explain it. Plus, I have no evidence to prove that Han Yufei plagiarized my proposal."
"There will definitely be traces to follow; we just need to find the completion date of your proposal," Kim Jong Kook said.
"How do we find that?" Anna asked, puzzled.
"This matter requires finding another person to help," Kim Jong Kook replied.
"Who?"
"In the Task Force, is there anyone you can absolutely trust?"
Anna thought for a moment and said, "Dong Wan or Sister Park; I think both of them are reliable."
"That's good. However, we need to wait a bit longer until Han Yufei completely relaxes. So, I think it's best to wait until after the Christmas Special airs. By then, she will surely think everything is settled. It will be much easier to find evidence then," Kim Jong Kook said.
Several people stared at Kim Jong Kook in astonishment, making him feel a bit embarrassed as he smiled lightly.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Jung Kook asked.
"Ah... Jung Kook, you really... ah, you must be thinking about these strange things every day... you're doing great," Yoo Jae-suk exclaimed.
"Jung Kook is truly an alien, absolutely an alien," Lee Kwang-soo said.
"He's simply not human," Song Ji-hyo added.
"Hey, Ji-hyo, how can you say that about me?" Jung Kook replied, both amused and annoyed at Ji-hyo.
Watching them banter back and forth made it seem like the huge worry had instantly vanished, filling the empty room with lively chatter. Could she really return to Running Man smoothly as Kim Jong Kook said? The answer was certainly no; the four of them sat in silence on the way back, tacitly acknowledging their unspoken thoughts. The lie Kim Jong Kook told was beautiful; perhaps it could be achieved, but putting it into practice was indeed very difficult. At least, Anna found a glimmer of hope in her heart.
No matter what, she couldn't just watch someone she cared about continue to sink. Whatever method it took, as long as it could bring meaning and brightness back to her eyes, it would be worth it.
Staying cooped up at home without going anywhere, Anna wanted to know about Jiang Zhenyuan's situation but knew she couldn't do anything. Occasionally glancing out the window, she noticed several suspicious figures below. During this time, Anna could roughly guess where these people came from.
What Anna never expected was to see Han Yoon-soo again so soon.
When she saw Han Yoon-soo appear at her door, Anna was shocked but lacked the energy to delve deeper into anything.
"How did you get here? Please come in and sit down," Anna invited Han Yoon-soo inside.
Seeing Anna's haggard appearance, Han Yoon-soo frowned slightly and slowly walked into the room, looking around before lowering his head in thought.
"Please have a seat," Anna said as she poured a glass of water and placed it on the coffee table. Han Yoon-soo nodded, smiled lightly, and sat down.
"How did you find your way here?" Anna asked.
"I went to your previous apartment, but you weren't there, so I came here," Han Yoon-soo replied.
"You know my address?"
"Oh... I went to SBS and asked Mr. Yoo Jae-suk," Han Yoon-soo said.
Anna looked down and smiled lightly, saying, "Yeah, Brother Jae-seok and Kwang-soo came to see me a few days ago. By the way, did he tell you that I resigned from SBS?"
"Ah? Oh..." Han Yoon-soo stammered, awkwardly smiling. "He did mention it, so I wanted to come and see how you were doing. But why did you resign all of a sudden?"
"Just for some work-related reasons," Anna said.
"If you need help, I can arrange a better job for you," Han Yoon-soo said with concern.
Anna shook her head with a smile. "No, I'm not planning to change jobs for now. Besides, I'm not in the mood for it at the moment. Also, if I accept a job you arrange for me, Mr. Park Anqing would probably be very unhappy."
"What?"
"By the way, I want to ask you to convey something to Mr. Park Anqing: I've broken up with Park Chan-yeol, and it won't affect him anymore, so there's no need to keep sending people to monitor me," Anna said somewhat helplessly.
"No, that's not it, Anna. I think you've misunderstood," Han Yoon-soo said anxiously.
"Misunderstood?"
"Yes, we already know about your breakup with Park Chan-yeol. He did send someone to follow you, but it was to protect you. Also, Park Chan-yeol has left S.M. Company and is about to return to his family's business... Because my husband, Park Anqing, is seriously ill and has at most six months to live."
"What?!" Anna could hardly believe what Han Yoon-soo was saying, as every word contradicted her previous understanding.
"Chan-yeol, he is also suffering now. He has left his dreams and his loved one, bearing responsibilities and burdens that he had no choice but to carry. He seems like he is about to be crushed under it all. I've seen him several times staring at his phone, as if he wanted to call someone, but in the end, he just puts the phone back in his pocket. Anqing's health is getting worse; the reason he opposed you and Chan-yeol so strongly before is because he has his own struggles."
"What... can I do? I can't selfishly be with Park Chan-yeol and leave that innocent child without a father, living in resentment for a lifetime. That would be too selfish. I have experienced the feeling of being abandoned and know that pain; I don't want that, and Chan-yeol wouldn't want to see such an outcome either," Anna said.
Han Yoon-soo bitterly raised the corners of his mouth and said, "Yes, it really is too selfish."
"If time goes on a little longer, when Chan-yeol thinks of me again, he won't feel anything... As long as time passes a bit more, I can laugh it off when I hear about him. Love can gradually fade with time and distance, but blood ties can never be severed. Neither of us can afford to be willful anymore because we can't imagine the cold, resentful gaze of that child in the future. That is the true curse, one that cannot be lifted," Anna said.
"It's truly retribution..." Han Yoon-soo murmured. "I once thought that no matter what, we could still be a family; now it has turned into this..."
"What did you say?" Anna didn't hear clearly.
"Nothing," Han Yoon-soo quickly smiled and shook his head.
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