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Gao Yingmei, without even mentioning what it would be like to actually meet this woman, just knowing her name makes finding her a challenge. Moreover, given the current situation, her information is surely being protected by the police.
"I don't know how we can find Gao Yingmei," Kwang-soo said with some concern.
However, a person flashed through Anna's mind—Hogga?
That's right, if it's him, he should be able to find her.
"We should be able to track her down as long as she's still in Korea. Let's give it a try," Anna said.
Kwang-soo nodded.
When they reached her doorstep, Anna got out of the car and watched Kwang-soo's vehicle disappear around the corner. Instead of going inside, she took out her phone from her bag.
She hesitated, unsure if it was appropriate to make such a request. After all, there was always a strange connection between her and Hogga, but this connection had made Anna feel quite resistant. Now, suddenly asking for help felt too abrupt even to her.
However, she had no other choice; with Andy not around, she could only turn to this person who felt both unfamiliar and familiar.
Taking a deep breath, Anna pressed Hogga's number. It connected almost immediately, catching Anna off guard.
There was silence on the other end for a moment before he gently laughed and said, "Why aren't you speaking? Don't tell me you dialed the wrong number."
Anna felt a bit awkward and replied, "Oh, no."
"What do you need?"
"I... I want to... I want to ask you to help me find someone..." Anna stammered, prepared for Hogga to refuse at any moment.
However, Hogga seemed to have not even thought about it and simply said, "Okay."
"Huh?" Anna was a bit surprised to receive such an easy affirmation.
"Go ahead, who is it?"
"Gao Yingmei. She's the lady mentioned in Mr. Yoo Jae-suk's news," Anna replied.
"Alright." Another extremely simple response.
Anna had anticipated that Hogga would agree, but she did not expect such an unreasoned and unquestioning acceptance of her request.
"Why don't you ask me why I want to find this person?" Anna said.
On the other end of the phone, Hogga's gentle laughter echoed, a sound that seemed to promise understanding of everything.
"Anna, if you say it, I will naturally do it," Hogga said.
Anna was somewhat taken aback; at that moment, she gradually realized that she seemed to be bearing an inexplicable weight, and this weight was the unexplainable understanding that Hogga offered her.
"Thank you, Hogga," Anna said.
"You don't need to thank me, Anna. Once I have the results, I will come find you," Hogga said.
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
After hanging up the phone and putting her mobile back in her bag, Anna took out her keys. Seeing the white snow still piled up by the wall, she seemed to remember something, closed her eyes, sighed, put the keys back, and started walking toward the bus stop by the road.
Although the weather was cold, the girls' enthusiasm for shopping had not diminished at all. Groups of two or three linked arms affectionately, laughing and discussing which clothes looked better and which desserts were more delicious.
Standing alone in the square, Anna felt somewhat out of place, unsure of what to buy. She could only wander slowly from one shop to another.
A watch? A belt? A wallet? Clothing accessories?
He? Her fans must have sent her all kinds of high-end brands.
As she walked, the lights grew dimmer and the noise of the crowd gradually faded away. At a corner, there was an inconspicuous little shop that quietly contrasted with the previous atmosphere. Anna walked in; the shopkeeper was a gray-haired Chubby Old Man. The store was filled with a faint fragrance, a scent created by some burning plant that made one feel particularly comfortable. In the glass display case were various pendants of surprising shapes; they were not shiny and some had quite bizarre designs. Among them, a plain black bead caught Anna's eye. Although it was described as black, when she picked it up, it faintly emanated purple light—perhaps from its internal patterns? But upon closer inspection, the bead was smooth and round, without any patterns or other colors mixed in.
"This is a Forget-Me-Not Bead, made from Xiliang Black Jade Stone, originating from China," the Chubby Old Man said with a smile.
"Forget-Me-Not Bead?"
"Yes, Forget-Me-Not Bead." The Chubby Old Man placed the bead in Anna's palm and said, "It means to forget each other and no longer be concerned."
Anna looked at the bead and smiled slightly, murmuring to herself, "If we really no longer care, why would we need a bead?"
The Chubby Old Man probably did not hear what Anna said clearly and continued to smile kindly.
"Just this one, please help me tie the string and wrap it up," Anna said.
"Chan-yeol, your phone is ringing!" KAI shouted to Chan-yeol, who was still dancing hard.
"Okay, got it." Chan-yeol replied as he stopped dancing, wiped the sweat off his face, and ran over. When he saw it was a call from Anna, he was initially surprised, then unconsciously smiled as he picked up the phone and walked to a corner.
"Who is it? Acting all mysterious..." KAI glanced at Chan-yeol and muttered.
"Hello? Anna?" Chan-yeol said.
"Ah, yes, it's me. Hello, Mr. Chan-yeol." Anna's somewhat awkward opening line instantly extinguished the little spark of joy that had ignited in Chan-yeol's heart.
Chan-yeol forced a bitter smile and asked, "Is there something going on?"
"I don't know if you're at the company; I'm just passing by the S.M entrance and waiting here now," Anna said.
"What... wait a moment, I'll come out right away."
"Okay."
Seeing Chan-yeol looking anxious and hurriedly putting on his down jacket, KAI thought something serious had happened and asked, "Chan-yeol, what's going on?"
"It's nothing, a friend has arrived. I'll be back soon."
"Ah, wipe off the sweat before going out, or else you'll..." Before the words "catch a cold" could be finished, Park Chan-yeol had already dashed out, disappearing from sight.
At this moment, Anna was also feeling her lips go numb from the cold. She had hesitated for a full two hours before finally dialing Park Chan-yeol's number.
During those two hours, Anna's mind was a mess, filled with repetitive thoughts. She considered many things, but in the end, her conclusion was as clear as a bead: after delivering this gift, she would no longer have any lingering attachments.
"What are you doing here?" A familiar girl's voice came from behind her.
Anna turned around and felt a sharp "slap." If it weren't for her short hair falling in front of her face and the shaking of her vision, she wouldn't even have realized that she had just been slapped due to her frozen and numb expression.
At that moment, Anna felt quite helpless. She looked at Kim Mi-kyung in front of her, who always caught her off guard like this. If she had been more prepared and faced her directly, she surely wouldn't have been hit so often. Yet the reality was that she had been slapped twice by this girl named Kim Mi-kyung, which felt like a failure...
Instinctively wanting to retaliate, Anna found her limbs somewhat unresponsive from the cold. Before she could raise her hand, Kim Mi-kyung, who was a hundred times more agile than Anna at that moment, slapped her again.
One slap on each side balanced things out a bit, and with this hit, Anna's face actually felt a little warmer...
"Why are you still clinging to Brother Canlie?!" Kim Mi-kyung shouted angrily, her originally delicate and beautiful face twisting in rage.
Seeing her like this made Anna feel somewhat vindicated. She deliberately smiled and said, "This is between the two of us; it's none of your business."
Kim Mi-kyung stepped in front of Anna and glared at her fiercely. "You two? Hmph! Why are you so shameless? Even knowing that someone has deceived you, you still have the audacity to come back?!"
"Kim Mi-kyung!!" Park Chan-yeol's voice suddenly boomed like thunder.
Hearing his voice made Kim Mi-kyung's gaze waver slightly as her fierce expression slowly faded away.
Park Chan-yeol walked in wearing a down jacket without a zipper, only a thin t-shirt and sweatpants. The cold wind pierced through, instantly making his sweat disappear.
“Brother Canlie…” Kim Mi-kyung looked at Park Chan-yeol as he entered.
Park Chan-yeol frowned and stepped closer, not looking at Kim Mi-kyung, but walking straight to Anna, saying, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Anna replied with a smile and shook her head.
“What do you need from me?” Chan-yeol asked.
Seeing that Park Chan-yeol didn’t even glance at her, Kim Mi-kyung became furious. She grabbed Park Chan-yeol’s hand and quickly stepped in front of him, saying, “Brother, I’m here too. Can’t you see me?”
Before Park Chan-yeol could respond, Kim Mi-kyung noticed his bare neck and exclaimed, “Brother, where is your ruby? Didn’t you say it was given to you by our mother when you were born and that you would never take it off?”
Anna gasped in disbelief, staring wide-eyed at Chan-yeol.
Noticing Anna's strange reaction, Kim Mi-kyung slowly began to piece things together. Almost breaking down, she coldly asked Anna, “Did he give it to you? Is that it?!”
“Kim Mi-kyung, this is none of your business. You weren’t like this before; I hope you can return to who you used to be,” Chan-yeol said.
“Brother! You weren’t like this before either! Why are you treating me this way now?! Is it because of her? Because of this woman who resembles Sister Yura! No, it was because of Sister Yura! Now, it’s just your guilt towards her—just guilt!” Kim Mi-kyung’s emotions began to spiral out of control.
“I can’t explain this to you,” Chan-yeol said as he walked over and grabbed Anna’s wrist, heading toward the parking lot.
“Chan-yeol! Park Chan-yeol!” Kim Mi-kyung cried out, watching the backs of the two as they left without looking back. “Anna Zheng, I curse you! I curse you to lose everything! Lose everything!”
The space inside the car was eerily quiet as they drove through Seoul, and snowflakes began to drift down from the sky. Behind them, a car had been following since they left the SBS parking lot, and soon it was driving alongside Chan-yeol's vehicle. With the window rolled down, several girls leaned out, laughing and screaming, hoping that Chan-yeol would glance their way.
Feeling flustered and overwhelmed by the noise, Chan-yeol pressed down hard on the accelerator. The car surged forward, its speed making the outside world appear surreal. Several times, Anna felt they were about to collide with other vehicles.
"Please drive slower!" Anna finally couldn't hold back any longer.
With a sharp turn of the steering wheel and a screeching halt, the car came to a steady stop by the roadside.
In that instant, Anna shrank back in her seat and closed her eyes. After a while, she slowly opened them again, realizing the car had stopped.
"What do you need from me?" Park Chan-yeol asked.
"I..." Anna tightened her grip on the box in her hands, recalling Miki's earlier words. She realized that what she needed to do was not deliver a gift but return the red gemstone. "I want to go home. Please take me home," Anna said.
Chan-yeol glanced at Anna, who had her head down. Through the streetlights, he noticed her cheeks were slightly swollen. He sighed and started driving again, this time at a much steadier pace.
Anna really wanted to thank Park Chan-yeol for giving her such a precious gift, but knowing the truth made the gemstone feel unbearably heavy; she couldn't bear it.
She didn't have the courage to risk falling deeper into that dangerous feeling again.
"Wait a moment; I have something to give you," Anna said quietly to Park Chan-yeol, who was standing at the door.
"Okay."
Going upstairs and entering her room, she turned on the light and picked up a translucent red moon from her vanity. She also took out a Forget-Me-Not Bead. Sighing, Anna set down the Forget-Me-Not Bead and walked out of the room holding the red gemstone moon.
"Here." Anna handed the box containing the ruby to Chan-yeol.
Due to the cold wind stimulating his damp body and the fluctuations of his emotions, Park Chan-yeol's lips turned slightly pale. However, the moment he saw the familiar box, Chan-yeol understood Anna's intention; he did not take the box.
"This gift is too precious; I really can't accept it," Anna said.
"I won't take it back," Chan-yeol replied.
Anna lowered her head and smiled lightly, saying, "For a gift like this, no matter the reason, I have no reason to accept it. What happened before is in the past, and you don't need to feel guilty towards me anymore. As I said, I'm very fortunate that because of my similarities with Sister Yura, I received so much help from you. That's a good thing..."
Before Anna could finish speaking, Chan-yeol pushed her against the door, his arm bracing behind her, forming an inescapable enclosure. Anna looked at Park Chan-yeol's eyes filled with anger in fear but quickly averted her gaze.
"Why can't you look at me?! Look at me! Stop deceiving yourself; it's all in the past? If you truly didn't care, you wouldn't keep avoiding me! You like me, that's why you care so much!" Park Chan-yeol's heated breath sprayed onto Anna's face, leaving her at a loss.
"I don't!" Anna met his gaze, trying hard to make her eyes firm. This was a thought she had always tried to avoid. For so long, she had denied it and never dared to think in that direction. But now, hearing it from Park Chan-yeol made her realize how pale and powerless her rebuttal was.
"Anna Zheng, let me tell you now: yes, at first I noticed you because of your similarities with Sister Yura. But later on, I realized you are you, and this more than half a year of separation has only solidified that thought!"
"No, you're lying to me! You're lying to me!"
Chan-yeol sneered: "Am I lying?! Who is deceiving whom here? It's you who is cowardly; it's you who lacks the courage to face your own heart!"
"No, no!" Anna shook her head. The dangerous signals swirling in her mind made her want to escape quickly. She tried to push Park Chan-yeol away forcefully, but when she accidentally touched him, she found his sweat-soaked t-shirt was icy cold while his skin felt exceptionally hot. Looking closer, she noticed he was trembling slightly and his lips had turned white yet he was still holding himself up. No wonder his breath felt so hot.
It must be because of her phone call; that thin shirt soaked with sweat combined with the biting cold wind was causing him to be like this.
Anna frowned and cautiously raised a hand to touch his forehead, which was indeed burning hot.
"Are you stupid? How can you be so foolish? Don't you feel that you have a fever?" Anna herself was unaware of the extreme worry etched on her face; she could only see Park Chan-yeol gradually calming down due to her reaction.
"Come with me." Anna tugged at Park Chan-yeol's shirt.
Chan-yeol hesitated for a moment, lowered his supporting arm, and followed Anna into the house.
Perhaps due to the emotional turmoil, he hadn't felt so uncomfortable earlier, but now that he was relaxing a bit, the discomfort hit him like a tidal wave. Watching Anna lead him back into the room where he had spent the night, Chan-yeol smiled faintly and joked weakly, "I didn't expect to be back here so soon."
"Quick, take off your clothes." As Anna placed the freshly prepared hot water on the table, she said this but realized how inappropriate her words sounded when she saw Park Chan-yeol's expression.
"Take... off my clothes?"
Anna's face flushed bright red; it was already somewhat swollen, and now it became even more pronounced.
"I... I meant... just take off your jacket first. I'll go get some hot water for you to soak in and drive away the chill, then you can come out and take your medicine," Anna explained hurriedly, lowering her head as she walked into the bathroom.
Warm steam quickly filled the entire bathroom as Anna lit an essential oil candle to help soothe the nerves.
From the sound of footsteps, she could tell that Park Chan-yeol had entered.
"Alright, you can take a bath now," Anna said as she stood up and turned around, only to see Park Chan-yeol with his upper body exposed. She quickly looked down and said, "I'll step outside." After saying that, she hurriedly fled out and closed the bathroom door behind her.
Once it was quiet again, Anna felt a bit dazed and slowly sat down on a nearby chair. Before long, Park Chan-yeol's earlier words echoed in her mind once more.
"Am I deceiving you, or are you deceiving yourself? Are you too cowardly to confront your own heart?"
Her own heart?
What exactly is hidden in Anna's heart?
Even if one day she truly uncovers what lies deep within, how will she protect it afterward?
Suddenly coming back to her senses, the bathroom was exceptionally quiet. Looking at the time, she realized that Park Chan-yeol had been inside for over twenty minutes.
Anna walked over and knocked on the door. "How's it going? Are you done?"
However, there was no response. She knocked a few more times, but it remained silent.
A wave of unease washed over her. "Park Chan-yeol! Are you okay?" Anna shouted, still receiving no reply.
Not thinking twice, Anna opened the door and rushed in. Park Chan-yeol was lying in the bathtub filled with bubbles, his head tilted to the side, eyes closed, showing no reaction as he leaned against the edge of the tub.
Anna was momentarily stunned, her steps stiffened as she slowly approached him. When she finally heard Park Chan-yeol's gentle breathing, she let out a sigh of relief, her back instantly covered in cold sweat.
Anna reached out to check the water temperature; it was no longer hot. She shook his arm and said, "Park Chan-yeol, wake up, wake up."
He groggily opened his eyes, his body still burning with heat.
"Dry yourself off. I'll wait for you outside. Take some medicine and sleep in bed," Anna said.
Park Chan-yeol's pale lips formed a comforting smile as he nodded.
Lying on the bed, Anna brought over the medicine and water. After he took them, Park Chan-yeol lay down, and Anna tucked him in with the blanket, placing a cool towel on his forehead.
Busy with her tasks, Park Chan-yeol suddenly grabbed her arm, causing Anna to look at him in confusion.
"Sit down. I'll take some medicine and sleep it off; besides, I don't have any schedules lately," Chan-yeol said with a smile.
Anna nodded and placed a cotton cartoon cushion on the floor beside the bed before sitting down.
"Do you feel any better?" Anna asked.
"With you worrying so much and taking care of me, of course, I feel much better," Chan-yeol joked.
"Seeing you still able to smile means you must be feeling a bit better. Earlier in the bathroom, I thought you were going to die," Anna said.
"How could I bear to die? I still have so much to do," Chan-yeol replied, looking at Anna.
Anna averted her gaze, no longer looking at him.
"Why are you always afraid to look at me?" Chan-yeol asked with a smile.
"I’m not," Anna weakly retorted.
Chan-yeol looked at the ceiling and said, "If you're not, then fine. Anyway, things are pretty good like this."
"Stop talking and go to sleep," Anna said.
"You should go back to your room and sleep too. You can't just sit here like this."
"It's fine, you don't have to worry about me," Anna said.
Chan-yeol smiled, turned over, and shifted towards the bed, saying, "If you're really worried about me being here alone, then come up and sleep with me."
"No way," Anna quickly shook her head.
"Then I'll just stay awake and keep you company," Chan-yeol said.
"You..." Anna looked at Park Chan-yeol helplessly.
"I'm this sick, what can I do to you? Don't worry," Park Chan-yeol said.
Anna thought for a moment, afraid that the fainting situation from earlier in the bathroom would happen again. She nodded, pressed tightly against the edge of the bed, and tried to distance herself from Park Chan-yeol as much as possible, turning her back to him and lying down.
"If you're feeling uncomfortable, just tell me," Anna said, looking at the reflection on the wall.
"Okay."
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