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When Anna saw Ji-hyo's assistant sister arrive, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She could feel the temperature on her forehead rising, but fortunately, she had a close relationship with Ji-hyo, and the assistant sister quickly brought her a set of clothes.
As the members of Running Man and EXO were running towards her, they were surprised to encounter Anna, who was drenched and wrapped in a towel. However, since they were filming, only Park Soo Eun exchanged a glance with Miao PD before running after Anna.
"What happened?" Jung Kook asked in confusion.
Of course, everyone was likely wondering the same thing. Park Chan-yeol paused for a moment and exchanged glances with his teammate Lee Kwang-soo, who smiled and said, "Chan-yeol, let's go. It's nothing."
"Okay."
Anna rushed into the bathroom to quickly take off her wet clothes, dry herself off, and change into Ji-hyo's outfit, which made her feel even hotter.
"Hey, are you dead in there?" Park Soo Eun called out while knocking on the door.
"I'm still hanging in there, don't worry," Anna replied as she stepped out of the stall with a smile and squatted down to use the hand dryer to dry her hair a bit.
"How did you end up in the water? Are you afraid you won't die? You really know how to make a scene," Park Soo Eun said as she pulled out some fever-reducing medicine from her bag. "Here, I brought you some medicine. If you die, at least I can say I tried. Just don't come back as a ghost looking for me."
"God knows, maybe I fell into the pool because I saw a ghost," Anna joked as she took the medicine and swallowed it. "Thanks for the lifesaving drug, Sister Park. I'm feeling energized now," she added with a laugh.
"If others hear this, they'll think I'm giving you ecstasy or something. But since you're still able to joke around, you probably won't die that quickly," Park Soo Eun replied.
"Alright, let's go," Anna said as she grabbed Park Soo Eun's hand and headed back to the work area.
Park Soo Eun could feel the abnormal warmth of Anna's palm through her clothes. She looked at her with some concern but knew that she couldn't persuade her, so she remained silent.
She just hoped that today's recording would end quickly.
"Are you okay?" Miao PD asked quietly as Anna sat next to her.
Anna smiled and said, "I'm fine."
"Alright, then you'll be responsible for confirming whether their answers are correct or not, and then press the button," Miao PD instructed.
"Okay, understood," Anna replied.
During a break in filming, Anna found a chair to sit down. The effect of the fever-reducing medicine didn't seem very good; she felt slightly better for a moment but soon began to feel unwell again, her eyelids growing heavy. She really needed a good sleep.
"Are you alright?"
Hearing someone's voice, Anna opened her eyes to find Park Chan-yeol standing in front of her. She instantly perked up, glancing around cautiously, and said, "I'm fine, I'm fine. You can go over there." After saying this, Anna stood up as if to move to another place.
Park Chan-yeol quickly stepped in front of her path. Park Seok approached with a camera, and seeing this, Anna hurriedly pretended everything was fine and smiled, saying, "Mr. Park Chan-yeol, you need to do well in the next game. Just follow the general rules I mentioned..."
Noticing Anna's sudden change in demeanor, Park Chan-yeol looked back and saw someone approaching, realizing that was why she acted that way. He looked at Anna helplessly.
"Alright, Zheng Anna FD. Thank you for your guidance. However, we've met so many times and I'm only a year older than you, so let's skip the formalities," Park Chan-yeol replied in agreement.
Sure enough, Park Seok came over, smiling as he said, "Anna, what are you two talking about? You seem quite familiar with each other."
"We..." Anna was about to speak when Park Chan-yeol interrupted her.
"It's nothing, just discussing the filming. However, Miss Anna seems to be looking unwell," Park Chan-yeol said seriously.
Park Seok glanced at Anna and then reached out to touch her forehead, causing Park Chan-yeol's expression to stiffen.
"Your forehead is so hot! Are you running a fever? You should hurry to the hospital!" Park Seok exclaimed loudly, completely unconcerned about being overheard, which finally caught the attention of Miao PD and Brother Jae-seok.
Seeing Miao PD and Brother Jae-seok approaching, Anna realized she could no longer hide her condition.
Ji-hyo also ran over, having just noticed that Anna was wearing his clothes while recording earlier.
"Anna, why didn't you say you were sick? I've asked you many times," Miao PD said somewhat angrily.
Anna felt a bit scared and bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, Miao PD. I was worried it would affect the filming."
"It will affect the filming, but without you, how can we continue? When did you think you were so important?" Miao PD's sharp words carried a hint of concern that he didn't realize sounded harsh.
Yoo Jae-suk quickly stepped in, saying, "Anna, Miao PD is worried about you. Your work will be assigned to someone else if you're not here. You should go to the hospital first."
"Brother Jae-seok, I..." Anna felt a bit wronged; at that moment, she didn't have time to understand that Miao PD's reprimand was out of concern.
"Alright, I'll have my assistant take you to the hospital first. If possible, you can come back and continue working later. Is that okay, Miao PD?" Ji-hyo said, pulling Anna's arm.
Miao PD sighed and said, "Fine, let's do it this way." He looked at Anna and added, "You can't come back until you're healthy. This isn't a place for you to play the hero while being sick."
Anna nodded and replied, "Got it, thank you, Miao PD."
Ji-hyo gave a few instructions to his assistant An Yoon-soo, who agreed and then took the extremely dejected Anna away from the filming location.
This was something Park Chan-yeol hadn't anticipated. Watching Anna's back as she left, he realized they had already been notified that filming was about to start. He felt a mix of emotions inside.
Li Agent had been standing at a distance, observing silently. When he noticed that Park Chan-yeol had been quiet for a long time, he slowly walked over and said, "Chan-yeol, go ahead and film. Whatever it is can wait until after everything is done."
Park Chan-yeol didn't respond and returned to the group.
After getting an injection at the hospital and returning home, he had no thoughts left in his mind and fell straight into bed. It wasn't until the sky outside gradually darkened and the sound of light rain reached his ears that Anna was awakened, feeling much more relaxed.
She closed the window and checked the time; it was already past eight in the evening. Filming should be wrapping up soon, so there was no need to go over now. She decided to talk to Miao PD about the situation tomorrow.
Feeling very hungry, she was pondering what to eat when a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Slipping on her slippers, she hurried to open the door, only to find Lee Kwang-soo standing there with a container of porridge.
"Brother Kwang-soo? What brings you here?"
Kwang-soo smiled and walked in uninvited, placing the porridge container on the table.
"Is the shoot really over so soon?" Anna asked.
"It just finished, and I came right over. Miao PD and Brother Jae-seok asked me to come," Lee Kwang-soo said as he took out a container of porridge from his bag. Anna brought over two sets of bowls and chopsticks and placed them on the table. Kwang-soo also brought some exquisite side dishes, but it was clear they were bought from a store.
"The place you're living in is known only to me in the Task Force, so Miao PD specifically told me to check on you. I can't cook porridge, so I just bought some," Lee Kwang-soo poured the sesame porridge into a bowl.
Anna sniffed it and smiled happily, saying, "It seems like it’s made from wild sesame. I'm starving, thank you so much, Brother Kwangsoo."
Kwang-soo sat down as well, took a sip, and smiled, saying, "It tastes pretty good."
Anna glanced at Kwang-soo and smiled, saying, "Thank you, Brother Kwangsoo, for being so loyal."
"Of course," Kwang-soo replied with a smile. "Brother Jae-seok originally wanted Sister Jingeun to cook porridge for you personally, but he has work tonight. I thought it would be too much trouble, so I just bought some. It shows that kindness is mutual. Now that so many people care about you, you must feel quite pleased, right?"
Anna smiled and said, "A little."
"They're about to select someone to study in the United States. If you keep being like this, how can you go?" Lee Kwang-soo said.
Anna picked up a piece of side dish; the vinegar flavor was strong but appetizing, so she ate a couple more bites.
"It might not even be me," Anna said.
"I’m choosing you! That way I can visit you in the U.S., and there’s no worry about being photographed by reporters or causing any scandals."
"You just want to come to America to see American girls, right?" Anna joked.
"You figured it out! Come on, don't say it so directly," Lee Kwang-soo laughed. "But if you go, we can hit up some bars together in America. With me around, you won't get scammed by any bad guys."
Anna gave him a disdainful glance and said, "If I accidentally end up in some 'special' bar, it might not be me getting scammed." Anna smirked.
"Hey... what are you thinking?" Lee Kwang-soo said, casually noticing the half bag of dog food left in the corner of the room. He asked, "Aren't you planning to get another dog?"
Anna hesitated for a moment, smiled, and said, "No, it's too emotional. I don't think I can handle that feeling. Plus, being alone makes me feel like having a dog would be like being a single mom. I'll think about it when I'm really ready to get married."
Kwang-soo chuckled and said, "The way you say it makes it sound like you're planning to get married." He leaned in closer and added, "If you do get married, consider me."
Anna pushed his head back and said, "If I marry you, then I definitely have to get a bulldog."
"Why's that?"
"That way I can take him everywhere to catch you with other women!" Anna laughed.
"Come on, why do you always think that about me?" Lee Kwang-soo said, feeling a bit down.
After dinner, it wasn't long before Kwang-soo left. Anna cleaned up the dishes and felt warm and comfortable in her stomach; her spirits were completely restored. She turned on the TV, the screen flickering with images while her mind wandered back to the events of the day. Reflecting on Kwang-soo's words helped her understand why Miao PD had been upset.
Her phone rang; Anna picked it up to find it was a call from Park Chan-yeol.
"Hey, Chan-yeol."
"Are you okay now?"
"I'm fine," Anna said with a smile.
"We still have to rush for our schedules tonight, so I can only check in over the phone."
"It's alright."
"I'm sorry, I meant well, but it seems like I got you in trouble."
"It's okay, I understand. And thanks to you, I was able to come back and rest; otherwise, I would have really been in a tough spot."
Park Chan-yeol also smiled and said, "Hearing you say that, I know you're definitely okay now."
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"I don't have any schedules tomorrow night. Once I'm done with work, I'll come to SBS to see you."
"What? Why?"
"Why does it matter? Isn't it normal for friends to hang out together?"
"But..."
"There’s no 'but.' I'll wait for you at the SBS parking lot tomorrow. Work is about to start here, so I'm hanging up."
"Eh..."
Before Anna could say another word, Park Chan-yeol ended the call. Anna looked at her phone, feeling a bit dazed. From the somewhat noisy background, she could tell that this call from Park Chan-yeol was not like before when he would sneakily call from a corner; it was a straightforward conversation.
Perhaps it was because their relationship had now taken on a 'friend' form, free of any burdens.
However, every time she heard his voice or saw him, Anna still couldn't be completely at ease. Calling it 'friendship' made her feel guilty deep down.
While waiting for the elevator, she ran into Miao PD and politely greeted him. Seeing her looking revitalized again, Miao PD knew everything must be fine but still asked, "Are you okay now, Anna?"
"Thank you, Miao PD. I'm fine now," Anna replied with a smile.
"If you come to work sick like that again, don’t blame me for firing you," Miao PD joked.
"I promise there won't be a next time," Anna said.
When Miao PD and Anna walked over chatting and laughing, Han Yufei, standing at the door, hesitated for a moment before bowing to greet them. The three of them then entered the studio together.
Park Soo Eun and Dong Wan were bickering while Zhang Yuanxiao and Liu Quan Town watched with silly expressions. When they saw Miao PD walk in, they all fell silent.
"What are you all chatting about so enthusiastically?" Miao PD placed the office bag on the table and took out the documents inside.
"Nothing much, just saying that now that Brother Gary isn't getting married, can we reunite Gary and Ji-hyo as the Monday Couple again? After all, many viewers are waiting for it," Dong Wan said.
"Well, we can find a time to talk to both of them and get their opinions first. If this image negatively impacts their private lives and they refuse, then it will definitely stop there," Miao PD said. "By the way, has all the recorded footage from yesterday been handed over to the editing team?"
"It's already been submitted. They mentioned that it will be edited according to the relaxed format of two episodes, and the program's theme and general flow have been clearly explained," Park Soo Eun replied.
"Good. Now, before we discuss the creative ideas for the next episode, there's something I need to announce," Miao PD said.
Everyone instantly perked up, eagerly listening.
"What is it?" Zhang Yuanxiao asked.
"It's about going to the United States for training in a few days; the personnel have been decided."
"Who is it? Who is it?"
"All team members plus votes from Yoo Jae-suk and everyone else were counted, and that person is... Anna Zheng..." Miao PD said with a smile.
"Wow, Anna, it's you! It really is you!" Park Soo Eun exclaimed, shaking Anna's arm excitedly.
"Congratulations, Anna! Don't forget to bring me back some gifts," Dong Wan said with a mischievous grin.
"Congratulations, Sister Anna," Zhang Yuanxiao and Liu Quanzhen happily congratulated.
Anna smiled shyly, saying that it was false to claim she wasn't happy. However, the next moment, Han Yufei's words made the atmosphere a bit awkward.
"Anna, do you want to go?" Han Yufei smiled at Anna, leaving her at a loss. It suddenly reminded her of what Han Yufei had said before—that if Anna was selected, she couldn't let the opportunity go to herself. At that time, Anna thought it was just a joke and didn't take it seriously, but now it seemed to be true.
Anna looked blankly at Han Yufei. Her smile remained bashful, but there was indeed something different about her. This was not just Anna's illusion, nor was it merely the impact of Li Agent's words.
"I..."
"Who wouldn't want such an opportunity, right, Anna?" Park Soo Eun said, unaware of the underlying tension and thinking that Han Yufei was just speaking casually.
Anna awkwardly smiled and replied, "Yes."
"Then congratulations again, Anna. Indeed, such opportunities won't be given to others," Han Yufei said with a smile. However, Anna suddenly felt a chill.
"Of course, opportunities can't be given to others," Miao PD said. "Anna, take some time these days to prepare and seize this opportunity. It will be very helpful for you."
"Yes, I understand, Miao PD."
During the lunch break, Anna pondered why Han Yufei had suddenly seemed like a different person. When did the gap between them start to appear? Anna couldn't figure it out, but she knew that the confirmation of the list of personnel for studying in the United States had deepened this inexplicable gap.
However, there were no irreconcilable conflicts between them; after all, they were in the same team. Anna didn't want any issues with anyone in the Running Man team.
Secretly calling Han Yufei to the deserted rooftop, the wind was strong. Anna remembered that only Running Man had come here once during a recording.
Overlooking the entire Seoul, Anna felt her body and mind relax significantly.
"Why did you call me here?"
"I..." Anna didn't know how to start, because after all, it was the result of everyone's vote, and it wasn't something she had taken from Han Yufei. There was no right or wrong in this. "Yufei, about this opportunity to study in America."
"Isn't it already booked? Are you really planning to give it to me?" Han Yufei said with a smile, her eyes revealing a hint of disdain and indifference.
"Yufei, I think there might be some misunderstanding between us," Anna said.
Han Yufei walked to the railing, turning her back to Anna. She seemed to smile as the wind tousled her long hair.
"Do you know? When I was in school, I had a friend who was very beautiful, came from a wealthy family, and had a cheerful personality. Everyone liked her—both boys and girls. I thought to myself that since I wasn't as pretty as her, didn't have as much money, and wasn't as cheerful, I would study hard and surpass her in grades. But sometimes life is unfair; she was always first in class while I was always second. She treated me well, but in my eyes, her kindness felt like condescension and charity from someone high above me. So on graduation day, I deleted all contact information and messages related to her and started anew—a life without her, a life free from her shadow."
"And then?"
"Later, I joined Running Man. I was really happy because I heard from other classmates that her family went bankrupt and that girl was working in a small factory. I finally surpassed her; I no longer looked up to her like before. When I learned she was working in a factory, I reached out to her again, often visiting and bringing her gifts. She was very grateful, thinking that this friend still remembered her. What she didn't know was how insecure I felt when I was around her before. Now, seeing her wear oversized work clothes every day, I finally started to gain confidence."
"She never wanted to compete with you; that girl simply considered you a friend!" Anna could hardly believe it.
Han Yufei turned around with a cold smile and said, "Friends? Only equals can be friends; between those who are unequal, there is only admiration or charity."
"Han Yufei, when did you become so terrifying? You weren't like this before."
"Yes, I wasn't like this before. It's all because of you!"
"Me?"
"After joining Running Man, I thought I finally succeeded and escaped her shadow. But you, Anna Zheng, slowly brought me back into that dark shadow. Your outstanding abilities, beautiful face, and your fake kindness to everyone—everyone likes you, Miao PD values you highly, and even Yoo Jae-suk and the others are particularly close to you. Why is the life I want always appearing in others? I can't accept it."
"The one trapping you in the shadow is not others; it's yourself!"
"Don't act so innocent!" Han Yufei interrupted Anna, saying, "That's because you've never been in my position; you haven't experienced my feelings. Every time I stand behind you, watching everyone care for you, seeing you happily chatting with them, watching your suggestions being approved time and again... And what about me? I can only silently do the work you leave behind. Yoo Jae-suk and the others probably can't even remember my name!"
"Brother Jae-seok is not that kind of person; he remembers every staff member's name. It's just that everyone thinks you're reserved, so they joke with you less," Anna defended.
"Haha, look at Brother Jae-seok... Jung Kook... I'll never be able to call them that comfortably... You're impressive, Anna Zheng." After saying this, Han Yufei lifted her foot to leave.
"Yufei," Anna called out to stop her, saying, "Running Man is a team, a family. Among family members, there's no comparison. We're all progressing together; some may be faster or slower, but we're all heading in the same direction, right?"
Han Yufei smiled and said, "Maybe. But all I know is that we can no longer be friends. Don't worry; when it comes to work, I'll keep it natural and won't let it affect our work or let others notice. After all, if people find out there's conflict between us, they might dislike me even more. So let's leave it at that, Miss Anna Zheng."
Anna stood there in confusion as the wind on the rooftop howled recklessly, tousling her short hair. Although she didn't blame herself for the situation like a typical drama heroine would, she still felt uncomfortable because this was a scenario she never wanted to encounter.
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