Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Coming out of the bathroom, Ji-hyo saw Anna lying on the bed, her gaze vacant, one hand clutching her phone.
"Where's Peter?" Ji-hyo asked with a smile.
Anna snapped back to reality, placing her phone on the bedside table, smiled back, and said, "Haha Brother and Sister Gao took him for a walk by the beach."
"After drinking so much, you're not tired?" Ji-hyo dried her hair. "Still waiting for a call?"
Caught off guard by the mention of her concerns, Anna was momentarily surprised, then lost all sense of drowsiness and sat up against the headboard.
Ji-hyo smirked, put down the hairdryer, then got two glasses of water and walked to the bed, handing one to Anna.
"Did I hit the nail on the head?" Ji-hyo asked with a laugh after taking a sip.
Anna lowered her head, staring at the glass in her hand, noncommittal in response.
After a long pause, Anna seemed to gather her resolve and asked, "Sister Jihyo, what would you think if it were you?"
"Me?" Ji-hyo chuckled and said, "Wouldn't every woman in the world be angry? So it's completely normal for you to feel angry and sad right now."
"What should I do? I haven't even received a single call explaining anything to me," Anna said disappointedly. She touched the ruby around her neck, wondering why its warmth couldn't comfort her; it turned cold as soon as it was slightly away from her body.
"Do you remember my relationship with Mr. Bai?" Ji-hyo asked.
Of course, Anna remembered; she hadn't yet joined the Running Man Production Team at that time, but the news had been everywhere. Anyone who paid even a little attention to Running Man would know. Anna nodded.
"Mr. Bai's job meant he would encounter more women..." Ji-hyo paused for a moment and sighed. "At first, I believed he could resist those temptations, but we broke up because I no longer believed that. Relationships can be complicated, but if you want to keep it simple, it really is that simple."
"Well, now..." Anna said, feeling a bit frustrated.
"Now? You just need to ask yourself whether you choose to trust him or not," Ji-hyo replied with a smile.
Anna forced a bitter smile and said, "I want to believe him, but there are always doubts."
"If you have doubts, just ask," Ji-hyo suggested.
Anna sighed and glanced at her phone, which still showed no messages. She felt a bit disappointed, but just then, Park Chan-yeol's name appeared on the screen along with the ringing sound.
"That's good..." she said as she walked toward the door. "I'll step out for a moment; you two have a good chat."
Anna smiled gratefully at Ji-hyo. Once the bedroom door closed, Anna tightly held her phone, adjusted her breathing, and pressed the answer button.
"Hello," Anna tried to keep her voice emotionless.
"Are you angry?" Park Chan-yeol asked.
"No," Anna replied, feeling guilty.
"I was originally set to leave for the United States last night, but the flight was canceled at the last minute. So today I happened to come to Jeju Island to shoot another set of scenes. Jang Bo-Yeon is about to debut, and she's also in the MV. We used to play together when we were kids. We lost a game with the members and got punished to go buy snacks together," Park Chan-yeol explained.
After hearing his explanation, Anna's anger dissipated by half, but she stubbornly said, "Why are you telling me all this... But why didn't you tell me you were coming to Jeju Island?"
"Coming to Jeju Island was a last-minute decision; I didn't know beforehand. Everyone thought we would be resting. I was worried that you would take a day off just to accompany me and then be bored at home for the next two days, so I didn't tell you. Who knew it would turn out this way?" Park Chan-yeol continued. "And about Jiang Baoyan, you don't need to worry at all. I've known her for many years; I understand her personality well—she's innocent and clueless. If there were any issues between us, they would have happened long ago; it wouldn't wait until now."
"I didn't ask for so much; why are you telling me this?" Anna pretended to say, but inside she was overjoyed. She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud.
"Really? You don't care at all if there are women around me?" Park Chan-yeol asked with a mischievous smile. "I saw someone turning green today."
"Who? Whose face turned green? It definitely wasn't me," Anna said, trying to save face.
"What about the orange? The person whose face turned green is about to crush the orange in their hand," Park Chan-yeol continued to laugh.
"Stop being so smug; I don't care at all."
However, Park Chan-yeol fell silent for a moment before suddenly becoming serious and softly said, "Anna, actually, seeing you angry today made me very happy."
"What?"
"Because every time I see you care about me so much, it makes me really happy," Park Chan-yeol said.
Anna's heart melted instantly. It was always like this; no matter how angry she was, just one of his words or a hug could resolve everything. The tension she had been holding onto crumbled away in an instant.
"I miss you a little," Anna said.
"What did you say? I didn't catch that," Park Chan-yeol replied with a playful grin.
"Ugh, I don't want to say it anymore," Anna suddenly felt shy again.
"I'm about to get on the plane," Park Chan-yeol sighed.
"I'll wait for you to come back."
"Okay, goodbye, Anna."
"Goodbye."
With such a simple explanation, everything is easy to forget. What you said, I believe; I want to believe, and that's all there is to it.
No matter how strong a relationship seems at first, as solid as iron and unwavering, it will inevitably go through the trials of sun and rain. It also requires heartfelt maintenance to prevent it from being eroded and weakened.
Opening her eyes, Sister Jihyo was still asleep. To avoid disturbing her, Anna carefully tried not to make any noise. However, it seemed unnecessary because when Anna accidentally knocked over a cup, she didn't see Ji-hyo react at all.
In the living room on the first floor, someone had already woken up. When she went down to check, it turned out to be Kwang-soo and Jung Kook, who had already started eating breakfast.
"Oh, Anna! Good morning," Jung Kook greeted her with a smile as soon as he saw her come down.
"Good morning, Jung Kook, Brother Kwangsoo," Anna replied. Peter, who had been lying under the dining table, came over wagging his tail.
"Come on and eat something," Kwang-soo said.
"Okay."
Anna patted Peter's head, signaling him to sit obediently beside her again.
Anna picked up a piece of toasted bread while Kwang-soo poured her a glass of milk.
"Is everyone still asleep?" Anna asked.
"Brother Jae-seok and Sister Jing'en have been up for a while; they went for a run by the beach. This breakfast was prepared by Sister Jing'en," Kwang-soo explained.
"Wow, that's impressive."
As they were talking, Haha and Go Eun also walked towards the first floor, sitting down at the table to have breakfast, along with the groggy Gary behind them.
“Gary, Ji-hyo is still asleep. Can you go wake him up?” Jung Kook said with a smile.
“Me? Why me? Ah, fine, fine, I’ll go,” Gary replied awkwardly but with a smile, heading back upstairs.
“Where are we going later?” Haha asked.
“We're going out to sea. It will take about an hour to reach a small island. The western part of the island has a racetrack. I've been there once; we can go horseback riding or diving, and there aren't many people there, so we can have fun freely,” Jung Kook explained.
“Horseback riding?” Anna said, having never tried it before.
“Yes, it's really fun,” Haha replied with a smile.
Anna nodded and said, “Okay, but I don’t know how to ride. I still want to give it a try.”
Breakfast ended quickly, and after taking some necessary items, they boarded the yacht again and set off for the island Jung Kook mentioned. Perhaps it was because they had just eaten breakfast before getting on the boat, but Brother Gary and Brother Jae-seok both looked a bit seasick, their faces pale as they lay on one side.
Fortunately, the journey wasn’t long, and they soon arrived. The moment they stepped onto solid ground, it felt like the two of them slowly came back to life.
“Are you okay? Brother?” Ji-hyo asked Gary.
“Of course I’m fine,” Gary said nonchalantly with a smile.
This side of the island appeared particularly desolate; as far as the eye could see, there were only beaches and sea water, surrounded by dense jungle with no one in sight.
“What is this place? This is clearly a deserted island!” Kwang-soo exclaimed in despair upon seeing the scene before him.
"Is there a hidden filming crew? This must be a recording for a show," Haha said, feeling a bit frustrated.
"No, just walk straight through this forest and we'll get there," Jung Kook replied.
"Through the forest?" Yoo Jae-suk exclaimed. "It feels like some wild beast could jump out at any moment. Jung Kook, are you really sure we’re not in the wrong place?"
"Come on, trust me, let's go. Everyone follow me," Jung Kook said as he took the lead and walked into the forest.
The others exchanged glances but decided to follow Jung Kook.
"Are we recording 'Jungle Law'? Are we going to see Kim Byung-man suddenly jump down from a tree?" Haha looked around at the towering trees, occasionally hearing strange bird calls from who knows where.
"I bet there are dinosaurs here," Kwang-soo said.
Ji-hyo was silent, tightly holding onto Anna as they cautiously watched their surroundings. Suddenly, a large bird flew past them, causing both of them to scream in terror.
"Ah!!!" Their scream startled all the birds in the forest. Peter also got scared and crouched down, unsure of what was happening.
"What happened? What happened?" everyone asked in unison.
"A bird suddenly flew by..." Ji-hyo said, trembling.
"Wow... a bird can scare you this much," Kwang-soo commented sarcastically.
Jung Kook chuckled and said, "We're almost there. Let's hurry up."
What was supposed to be a vacation almost turned into a jungle adventure. Fortunately, just as Jung Kook had said, after a short while, the surroundings began to clear up, and an open field appeared, instantly dispelling all the earlier panic.
The horses tossed their beautiful manes, grouped in threes and fives. Some galloped freely while others stood calmly, resembling a beautiful painting.
From a distance, a young boy, appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, noticed someone approaching. He leaped onto the back of a tall horse and rode towards them. A few Border Sheepdogs that had been playing among the tall horses also ran over with him. With wheat-colored skin and dressed in thin clothing, he welcomed the rare guests with a sunny smile.
The boy lightly jumped down from the horse's back and greeted them.
"Hello. I am the son of the owner of this racetrack; you can call me Xiao Fei." He also remembered Kim Jong Kook, whom he had met before, and added, "Hello, Mr. Kim Jong Kook."
"Hello, Xiao Fei," everyone replied.
Peter could no longer contain his excitement and became friends with the Sheepdogs, frolicking and playing together. Clearly, Peter was having more fun on this trip than Anna.
Xiao Fei whistled loudly, instantly capturing the horses' attention as they quickly ran over. Seeing this commotion frightened Anna, who was unfamiliar with horses; however, when they reached Xiao Fei, they stopped automatically by his side. Anna finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Please get on the horses," Xiao Fei said.
Jung Kook noticed everyone's hesitation and smiled, saying, "Don't worry; the horses here are well-trained and won't cause any trouble."
At that moment, Yoo Jae-suk and Haha, feeling braver, nodded first. They helped their wives onto the horses before climbing up themselves. The horses remained still in place, gradually easing everyone's minds.
Putting aside their doubts, Anna also climbed onto the horse with some effort. One by one, they mounted their horses. Xiao Fei gave another command, and the horses turned to walk towards a large wooden house in the distance. All the horses followed behind Xiao Fei's horse quietly.
The wind blew through the green grass, white clouds floated by, the blue sky stretched wide, and the sunlight was gentle.
Although they were not galloping at full speed, this expansive and carefree feeling was truly wonderful.
Peter had never run in such a large space before; he followed the Sheepdogs as they raced around. At first, he felt some fear being next to the tall horses but gradually began to enjoy this thrill.
"How nice," Yoo Jae-suk exclaimed. "Jung Kook, this place is really great." Perhaps he had never enjoyed such a leisurely time of freedom while in his home country.
Jung Kook smiled proudly and said, "Of course, I came here by chance six months ago and knew you would like it."
"How did you know about such a place?" Kwang-soo asked.
Jung Kook smiled slightly and replied, "Well, that's a secret; I can't tell you."
"This place is so nice, why isn't anyone here?"
"Because this Racetrack is specifically for breeding horses that are exported abroad. These horses are well-trained and often used for various competitions," Jung Kook explained. "It's quite far from the inland areas, and since the location is relatively remote, very few people know about it."
"We've arrived," Xiao Fei said as he jumped down from his horse.
He then helped others dismount.
The wooden house in front of them appeared much larger up close. Xiao Fei led everyone into a room where the walls were lined with riding gear.
"Everyone can take a short break here, put on your protective gear, and choose the horse you feel a connection with," Xiao Fei said with a smile. "I will be around the Racetrack, so feel free to call me anytime if you need anything."
"Okay, thank you."
Xiao Fei politely bid farewell and left the room.
After changing into riding attire, Anna, with her short hair, though not as delicate as Sister Jihyo, exuded a different kind of elegance. Seeing that others had already chosen their desired horses and mounted them, Anna hesitated, unsure of how to select one. From her perspective, the tall horses still seemed somewhat intimidating.
A sound of hooves approached from behind; Anna turned to see Xiao Fei riding his horse over.
"What's wrong, sister?" Xiao Fei asked.
"I don't know how to choose," Anna said with an embarrassed smile.
Xiao Fei immediately saw through her thoughts and said with a smile, "Sister, are you a bit scared?"
Feeling exposed, Anna awkwardly smiled and replied, "Yes, Xiao Fei, you are really perceptive."
"Sister, if you're scared, the horses will know. They can sense whether you trust them enough. Try to communicate with them. Nothing will go wrong."
Anna nodded and said, "Okay, thank you, Xiao Fei."
After hearing Xiao Fei's words, Anna gathered her courage and adjusted her mindset. She walked up to a horse with deep red mane and black body, slowly extending her hand to touch its cheek. Gradually, she realized that they were both letting down their guard little by little until it completely vanished.
Anna smiled as she realized she was ready to mount the horse.
"Anna, your horse is really beautiful," Kwang-soo called out as he rode over from a distance.
Anna happily stroked its neck and said, "Yes, it really is beautiful."
Laughter and the sound of hooves floated in the air as Brother Jae-seok and Brother Gary quickly galloped alongside Jung Kook. It was the first time Anna had seen them so happy in such an environment.
It wasn't until the sun began to set that they realized how quietly the day had passed.
After saying goodbye to her horse, A-Fei rode to the shore to see them off, waving goodbye as their brief encounter slipped away.
Taking out her phone, Anna planned to sit down and rest. Haha and Go Eun brought over champagne to share with everyone; the bubbles dissipated in her mouth, creating a feeling of exquisite beauty.
Kwang-soo took out his phone and, after leaving the small island for quite a distance, finally got a new number. On the news page, the headline about Running Man stood out prominently. Looking further down, the title read: "Running Man FD Anna Zheng disregards the artist's health, forcing actor Mr. Li into a mud pit with a contract."
It had been many days since the recording, so why was this news breaking now? He remembered that Mr. Li and Anna Zheng had already reconciled.
Not daring to show it to Anna, Kwang-soo first presented the news to Yoo Jae-suk.
Brother Jae-seok glanced at it. Although some comments below the news suggested that since they were on such a variety show, they should cooperate with the game, many others criticized the Running Man Production Team and Anna for their lack of empathy.
Yoo Jae-suk was about to quietly tell Kwang-soo not to make a fuss and to discuss it after returning to Seoul when he unexpectedly heard Anna's phone ring.
"Hello, Miao PD, what's up?"
Kwang-soo and Seok instantly thought this was bad.
"Anna, where are you right now?"
Anna smiled as she looked around and said, "I'm at sea."
"Oh... have you seen the news?" Miao PD asked.
"What news?" Anna replied, puzzled.
Miao PD hesitated for a moment before saying, "Uh, basically it says that Mr. Li, who appeared on the show some time ago, couldn't participate in the mud pit game due to health reasons, but you threatened him with contracts and penalties to force him to play."
"What?! How is that possible? Didn't this happen many days ago? Why is it coming out now? And at that time, Mr. Li didn't want to play; there was indeed some unpleasantness at first. I did mention penalties and contracts, but we clearly reconciled afterward," Anna said in disbelief.
"If that's the case, there are only a few possibilities. One is that Mr. Li has been harboring resentment all along and chose to expose it now. Two is that he wants to use this news to increase awareness for his new movie. Three is that someone else disclosed this matter with ulterior motives," Miao PD explained.
Anna's mind was in a jumble.
"Is there anyone else who knows about this matter besides the people in the Task Force and Mr. Li's team?" Miao PD asked.
"I..." Anna carefully recalled the incident. Besides those involved in the work, she had only told Chan-yeol. However, Park Chan-yeol couldn't possibly be the source. What if someone from the Task Force accidentally let it slip? Or perhaps someone close to Mr. Li could have said something? Or maybe this was all just a publicity stunt by Mr. Li for his movie?
"How about this, I'll try to contact Mr. Li first to understand the situation. We can discuss what to do next when we come back to work the day after tomorrow," Miao PD said.
Anna nodded dejectedly and replied, "Okay, I understand."
After the call ended, others wanted to ask something but held back because they already had a rough idea of what was happening after seeing the news. All they could do now was comfort Anna, who seemed a bit downcast. Anna had never imagined that one day she would drag the entire production team into trouble because of herself. She was terrified that her work would be affected and even more worried that everyone else would be implicated because of her. Because of Anna Zheng's mistake, not only would she be blamed, but the entire production team would also face criticism.
Brother Jae-seok had disappeared from everyone's sight at some point and returned just then. He patted Anna on the shoulder and said, "I just called Mr. Li."
"What did he say?" Kwang-soo asked.
"Mr. Li said that he did not release this information. He was surprised as well. He has already clarified with the media that he did not feel coerced into participating in the recording. It should be reported soon," Yoo Jae-suk said. "I don't think he's lying; it shouldn't have been him who leaked it."
Anna forced a bitter smile and said, "But even if it's not him, even if it gets reported, people will think Mr. Li is just saying that to protect his relationship with the production team; no one will believe it."
"Anna, don't be so pessimistic," Ji-hyo comforted.
Haha was extremely frustrated and said, "Who could it be? It's common sense that everything during the recording needs to be kept confidential by Task Force personnel. And such a situation has never occurred before."
Comment 0 Comment Count