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墨書 Inktalez
"Although the shoes are a bit big, they are much better than walking barefoot," KAI said.
Looking at the oversized sneakers on her feet, Anna smiled and said, "Thank you, KAI."
"No need to thank me," KAI replied as he sat down beside Anna, smiling. "This time the company was able to turn a crisis into safety, and the group could reunite. I know you must have contributed a lot."
Anna lowered her head and smiled shyly, "What power do I have? Just not causing trouble is good enough."
"You and Chan-yeol?" KAI asked.
"We?" Anna's expression froze for a moment, then she bitterly raised the corners of her mouth. "It's completely over. From now on, we'll just be friends."
KAI pondered for a moment before saying, "I think you both have your reasons."
Anna nodded, sighed, and said, "Yeah, but it's actually quite good this way."
Suddenly, there was a series of knocks on the door.
At this time, the changing room should be empty, so both of them were startled and stood up.
"Is anyone in there? Please open the door."
KAI mouthed to Anna, "It's Sehun..."
"Should I hide?" Anna whispered very softly.
KAI nodded. Anna tiptoed and squeezed into a cabinet, closing the door behind her.
Knock knock knock~~
Another round of knocking sounded, "Is anyone there? Please open the door."
KAI confirmed that Anna was hidden well, then took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I'm here."
As he spoke, he went to open the door, expecting only Wu Shixun to be there, but was surprised to find Zhang Yixing and Park Chan-yeol following behind him. KAI turned back and saw Anna's high heels left on the floor, quickly stepping over to hide them behind him.
Anna peered through the crack of the door and saw who had entered, especially noticing Park Chan-yeol among them. If she were discovered now, it would be truly embarrassing; she regretted hiding in there in the first place.
"What were you doing in there? It took you so long to open the door," Zhang Yixing said while casually looking around. Wu Shixun also seemed to randomly open some cabinet doors.
"I was playing on my phone, didn't hear you," KAI replied awkwardly with a smile.
"What’s up with you? You seem nervous," Park Chan-yeol scrutinized KAI suspiciously.
Taking advantage of their distraction, KAI kicked Anna's shoes under the bench behind him.
"Are you looking for something?" KAI asked knowingly.
"No, just taking a casual look. I've never visited our changing room before," Zhang Yixing said, his lie lacking any skill as his face turned red.
As they were about to check the cabinet where Anna was hiding, her heart raced, and KAI broke into a cold sweat. Pretending to check the time, he said, "Oh no, we should hurry up. The dance teacher will get angry if we’re late."
With that, he half-pushed and half-dragged the three of them out, signaling Anna with his hand to leave quickly before closing the door. Once the door was shut, Anna finally breathed a sigh of relief. She emerged from the cramped cabinet, stretched her limbs, then walked over to the bench to pick up her broken high heels. After all, it had taken her a long time to save up for them; she needed to take them back to the store for an explanation.
Anna was lying on the ground, struggling to get her shoes off, but just as she was about to get up, the changing room door opened again.
"What are you doing?"
The familiar voice made Anna's hair stand on end. She looked up from her feet to see Park Chan-yeol standing there with a smile, watching her like she was a monkey.
"Uh... hi," Anna said.
"Still can't get up?"
It was then that Anna realized she was still on the floor, looking quite ridiculous. Slowly getting up, she smiled and said, "What a coincidence! What are you doing here? Well, I'll just be on my way."
"Wait," Park Chan-yeol called out to Anna, who was trying to escape. "What kind of shoes are those? They look so ugly."
Anna glanced at the pair of KAI sneakers on her feet. Although they were a bit big, they were clearly new and had hardly been worn, plus they were the latest limited edition—definitely not ugly.
"My shoes broke, so KAI lent me these," Anna explained.
"Sit down," Park Chan-yeol said.
"What?" Anna replied, confused.
"Sit down," he insisted, pulling her over and pressing her onto the bench. Then he squatted down and took off the KAI sneakers from her feet.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Anna exclaimed in surprise.
Ignoring her protest, Park Chan-yeol took out a pair of his own shoes from his locker and put them on her feet. After checking them out, he smiled with satisfaction. "Yes, this looks much better."
"What are you doing?" Anna stood up.
"My shoes are gone, so of course I have to wear my friend's shoes. Aren't we friends now?" Park Chan-yeol said with a smile.
Anna glanced at him, confused by his behavior. Park Chan-yeol snatched the high heels from Anna's hands and looked at them. Frowning, he said, "What kind of shoes are these? They're so ugly, just throw them away." After saying that, he shoved the shoes back into her arms.
"What do you know? I worked hard to get these shoes, okay?" Anna replied.
"I know, this is a limited edition CK from this fall, but it doesn't suit you," Park Chan-yeol said.
"I can't be bothered with you," Anna said. "I'm leaving, goodbye, and thanks for the shoes."
"Anna!" Park Chan-yeol called out to Anna again, and she turned back.
After a moment of silence, Park Chan-yeol smiled and said, "So we're good friends now?"
A hint of disappointment flashed through Anna's heart, but she quickly forced a smile and nodded, saying, "Of course, friends."
"Great, friend. Then please take care of me next Monday."
"Definitely."
Stepping out of the S.M. Company building in ill-fitting but soft sneakers felt like shedding the beautiful high heels for something less attractive but comfortable. Anna's heart felt a little lighter.
Friends mean no burdens and no greed; being friends is like resetting everything to face the infinite possibilities ahead in the most natural state. It really felt like going back to when they first met...
"How did you go to S.M. and come back with shoes like that?" Dong Wan looked at Anna in surprise as she returned to the studio wearing obviously ill-fitting sneakers.
"Ah, it's hard to explain," Anna said mysteriously as she looked around the somewhat empty studio. She asked, "Where did everyone go? By the way, where is Han Yufei? And Miao PD? I need to discuss something with Miao PD."
"They went to eat. I'm not hungry, so let's wait. Shall we go eat together later?"
"Sure," Anna replied. "But when Yufei comes back, she hasn't shown any strange behavior, right?"
Dong Wan thought for a moment and said, "Not really, she seems normal. Miao PD had a private talk with her, but that's all I know. There’s nothing unusual."
Anna sighed in relief and said, "That's good, that's good."
Dong Wan looked puzzled and asked, "What exactly happened?"
"Oh, it's my fault. I was too careless. I should have warned her about Li Agent's temperament; I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
"You can't blame yourself for that. She chose to go on her own, and when you first negotiated with Li Agent, no one warned you either. This is a personal issue; it has nothing to do with you. Besides, I don't think Yufei is taking it to heart, so don't overthink it," Dong Wan said.
Anna nodded and sighed again.
"Alright, stop feeling guilty about others and focus on yourself. You're just sighing away. Let's go eat; I'm starving," Dong Wan said as she stood up and stretched.
"Okay," Anna replied.
After returning from dinner at the staff cafeteria, with half an hour left for the lunch break, Anna thought about finding Han Yufei to chat. She bought two cans of coffee from the vending machine and turned around just in time to run into Han Yufei coming out of the break room. Han seemed momentarily stunned but quickly smiled. Seeing her expression was normal eased Anna's worries.
"Here," Anna handed a cup of coffee to Han Yufei.
"Thank you, Anna," Han Yufei said as she accepted it.
Looking around to see no one, she hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm sorry, Yufei. That incident was my fault for being too rash. I truly apologize."
"Oh, it's fine. It's all in the past. Why are you still dwelling on it?" Han Yufei opened the tab and took a sip of her coffee.
Hearing Han Yufei say this, Anna felt that she had indeed overthought the situation. She sighed in relief and finally relaxed with a slight smile.
"That's good to hear. I was worried you were really angry with me," Anna said.
"Were you doing it on purpose? Trying to make me look bad?" Han Yufei asked.
Anna was taken aback, looking at Han Yufei and replied, "Of course not."
Han Yufei raised the corner of her mouth and said, "Exactly. Since it wasn't intentional, why would I be angry?"
At that moment, Anna's heart raced, but ultimately receiving such an answer calmed her down.
"That's good," Anna said with a smile.
"However, Anna, I really want to go on the Trip to America," Han Yufei said.
"Oh, it doesn't really matter who goes. In the end, it's all beneficial for the Running Man Production Team. As long as Running Man continues to thrive, we will all do better," Anna replied.
"That may be true for others, but it's not the same for me," Han Yufei said, lowering her head and revealing a gentle smile that hid her eyes.
"Why not?" Anna asked.
"Because your abilities have already been recognized by everyone, but mine have not yet. I need validation and improvement, so I really want to seize this opportunity," Han Yufei said.
"Well..." Anna didn't know how to respond.
"This time, there is only one spot, Anna. If this person is you, can you give it to me?" Han Yufei said.
Anna was shocked by Han Yufei's words. Her tone remained soft and timid, but she truly did not expect this to be something Han Yufei would say.
However, Anna's shock was interpreted by Han Yufei as hesitation and uncertainty.
"See, it's actually different. I haven't said this before," Han Yufei smiled.
"Yufei, don't say that. It doesn't have to be me," Anna said awkwardly. "How can I agree to something uncertain?"
Han Yufei met Anna's gaze. "Then, what if it were you?"
"This...," Anna was at a loss for words.
"Forget it," Han Yufei interrupted Anna, saying, "I was just joking. Why did you take it seriously, Anna?"
"Yufei..." For some reason, Anna felt an imperceptible gap gradually opening between them, slowly deepening and widening. She could only helplessly watch everything unfold.
"Let's go. The lunch break is about to end, and I'm not sleepy after drinking coffee. I need to go to the absorption room. Do you want to come with me, Anna?"
"No thanks." Anna shook her head and said, "I just went."
"Okay."
Watching Han Yufei walk further away until disappearing around the corner, Anna regretted it deeply. Why did she suggest this for Yufei yesterday? Why didn't she stop Yufei when she said she wanted to go? Why didn't she offer any suggestions or reminders? If everything from yesterday hadn't happened, it wouldn't be like this now.
Han Yufei has always been cautious and meticulous. Although she hasn't achieved anything remarkable, she also hasn't made any significant mistakes. Her work may not stand out, but it is always organized and without flaws. Deep down, she is a strong-willed girl, yet she also has her vulnerabilities. This time, as it was her first initiative to take on a task, the resulting situation must have hit her hard.
Anna sighed as she looked at the coffee in her hand. Perhaps all that coffee had gone to her head, leading her to act so indiscreetly...
During the afternoon work, Anna occasionally glanced at Han Yufei's expression. She still kept her head slightly lowered, speaking up only occasionally and still in that soft voice.
"Anna, what did you say to Li Agent during your meeting?" Miao PD asked.
Anna glanced at the notes she had just organized and replied, "Li Agent requested a dance performance as an opening."
"But our game theme this time is based on the movie 'Train to Busan,' designed as a challenge-type game. Adding a dance performance might feel out of place at the beginning," Dong Wan said.
Anna nodded and said, "That's what I was thinking. At the start of the game, there will be three teams: the Red Team will choose an invisible infected person from the Blue Team, the Blue Team will choose an invisible infected person from the Yellow Team, and the Yellow Team will choose an invisible infected person from the Red Team."
"That's already part of the game's rules," Miao PD pointed out.
"Exactly. I think to engage the audience in identifying the undercover agent, we can hint at the presence of an invisible infected person—essentially an undercover—at the beginning. While dancing, this undercover agent will have a unique dance move that differs from others and will subtly make certain gestures at specific times during the performance. This way, we can encourage the audience to think about who the undercover agent might be," Anna explained.
Dong Wan looked at Anna in surprise and said, "You didn't just come up with that idea now, did you?"
The others nodded in agreement.
Anna smiled shyly and said, "That's just what I thought; I'm not sure if it will work."
"Write it out in more detail for me so we can see if we can streamline the entire program flow," Miao PD instructed. "You other FDs should also brainstorm together to find ways to make it more reasonable. Understood?"
"Understood."
It seems like it's been a while since I last saw Brother Jae-seok and the others. Seeing them get off the car one by one still feels particularly warm. This is Brother Gary's first recording since announcing the end of his engagement, and it's Anna's first time meeting him. I don't know if it's some kind of unspoken agreement, but everyone seems to avoid asking about Gary's breakup.
Everyone's feelings are free and without reason; since there is no right or wrong, why delve deeper?
However, when Anna saw Lee Kwang-soo get out of the car, she remembered that he had mentioned he had something to tell her before, but then there was no follow-up. It must not have been anything important.
"Anna, I'm going to secretly brief the three undercover members of EXO on their tasks. You go ahead and make arrangements on the train. This train from Seoul to Busan takes about four and a half hours, and we cannot afford any issues during these three hours of recording. Dong Wan is already prepared over in Busan, so we need to communicate with them promptly if anything comes up," Miao PD said.
"Okay, I understand, Miao PD," Anna replied, heading straight for the train station.
On the train, Yoo Jae-suk and the others were already seated. They didn't know that today's guests would be EXO and were still hoping for beautiful female idols to come for the recording.
"Is the audio equipment checked?" Anna asked Han Yufei, who had arrived earlier.
"It's all checked," Han Yufei replied.
"Camera crew, and VJs, everyone get ready; we're about to start," Anna said as she personally checked everything, worried that there might be any oversights.
"Kwang-soo, why do you look so much older these past few days? You've even grown a beard," Yoo Jae-suk joked to lighten the mood.
Everyone laughed, and Anna turned to look at Lee Kwang-soo. He did indeed look a bit haggard, but it was probably just because he hadn't shaved properly.
Kwang-soo smiled and touched his chin, saying, "Hey, brother, this is the style for my new movie; you wouldn't understand; it's fashion."
"I really can never understand Kwang-soo's fashion," Chi Seok-jun said.
"Brother, there is still a difference," Lee Kwang-soo continued to try to defend himself.
"Yes, the difference is whether it's the old Kwang-soo or the young Kwang-soo," Jung Kook said.
"If we're talking about being old, Brother Gary has really aged quickly recently," Lee Kwang-soo tried to shift the topic to Gary.
Gary, who had been quietly smiling without speaking, innocently said, "Hey, Kwang-soo, I haven't said a word. What's wrong with me?"
"Ah, Kwang-soo, you're still so oblivious..." Jung Kook remarked.
Anna also smiled helplessly.
"Anna, Anna, the guest will make a surprise entrance from the back carriage soon," Miao PD's voice came through the intercom.
"When approximately?" Anna asked quietly.
"In about five minutes," Miao PD replied.
"Okay, got it," Anna answered.
The Running Man members, who had not yet received any recording content notification, were now a bit puzzled. Yoo Jae-suk asked, "Anna, what exactly are we recording today?"
Anna smiled, "You'll find out soon."
"Ah, Anna Zheng, when did you start acting like Miao PD? You’re not digging a pit for me to jump into again, are you?" Lee Kwang-soo said.
"Not necessarily; it could also be a female Idol CP special," Chi Seok-jun said with a bright smile.
"Really?" Lee Kwang-soo immediately perked up and said, "It wouldn't really be Girls' Generation, would it? Or miss A? Suji?"
Anna said with a deliberate smile, "It's all possible."
"Wow, really?" Lee Kwang-soo was so surprised that he couldn't even close his mouth.
"Oh, it seems like it might be true," Kim Jong Kook added happily.
"Can you give us a few hints?" Yoo Jae-suk asked.
However, before he could finish speaking and before Anna could respond, the door to the back compartment slowly opened. The first to enter was sohu, followed by everyone else lining up to come in. Since everyone's attention was focused on asking Anna, the running man members didn't notice what was happening behind them. It was Ji-hyo who sensed something unusual and turned around, letting out a loud and excited scream.
"EXO!" Ji-hyo exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise, her eyes wide in disbelief.
The EXO members politely bowed to greet Yoo Jae-suk and the others. The running man members quickly stood up to return the greeting, with those who were close exchanging hugs. Through a gap, Anna seemed to see Park Chan-yeol smile at her, prompting her to quickly look away.
Once everyone had finished their greetings, Miao PD came over and sat down. Anna simply explained the situation, stating that they could continue recording smoothly and that the train would be departing soon.
"Anna, you sit next to me and write down some key points on the hint board to show them," Miao PD whispered to Anna.
Anna nodded.
"Everyone please take your seats now; the train is about to depart."
"Okay."
The beginning of the show seemed simple, but it was actually the most complex process. All the preparations were most troublesome during the opening recording. Once the opening was done well, everything else could proceed according to the planned game flow. As long as nothing unexpected happened, it would end smoothly. The difference lay in how the guests and members were feeling at that moment, and sometimes it also required a bit of luck. For example, when Lee Kwang-soo cracked an egg or when Ji-hyo found gold—those moments were all unexpected good fortune.
It wasn't until just after nightfall that they began to re-record the dance performance. The stage was set up in a very atmospheric warehouse, with lighting arranged by Anna herself to match the style of their new title song as closely as possible.
"Miao PD, I want to be responsible for recording that dance, is that okay?" Han Yufei said.
Anna thought for a moment, feeling hesitant. After the last incident, she wasn't sure if it was wise to say supportive words again. If things went wrong, it would be troublesome.
It wasn't just Anna who hesitated; Miao PD did as well. However, unlike last time, after having a conflict with Li Agent, Miao PD was reluctant to take another risk.
"How about this, Yufei? Anna has experience in guiding this kind of recording. Why don't you go with Anna and see how she does it? Then next time, you can take charge on your own," Miao PD suggested.
Han Yufei lowered her head and smiled slightly, saying, "I see, then that's fine. Don't worry, Miao PD, I will learn well from Anna."
Miao PD nodded reassuringly and said, "Good, that's good." Then he told Anna, "Hurry up, the costumes for EXO should be almost ready. I've already explained the special gestures needed for the three undercover members."
"Understood, Miao PD," Anna replied.
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