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墨書 Inktalez
"Don't be nervous," Lee Kwang-soo whispered to Anna.
"I know," Anna nodded slightly.
Sitting in that uncomfortable chair, this was the second time Anna faced so many flashing lights and microphones. It was somewhat amusing to see so many familiar faces from the last press conference. They really were persistent.
"Hello, everyone, I'm Lee Kwang-soo," he said, bowing.
"Hello, I'm Anna Zheng," Anna also greeted with a bow.
Lee Kwang-soo paused for a moment and said, "The reason for this press conference is to clarify something. About six months ago, someone took a photo of a lady with me, and that lady is Miss Anna Zheng."
"Why make this public at this time? Is it because of the scandal regarding the Running Man Production Team's study slots in the U.S.?" a reporter asked.
"It's not entirely unrelated. Although we know the news isn't true, as Miss Anna Zheng's boyfriend, it would be unacceptable for me to do nothing when I know this could harm her reputation. So, taking this opportunity to go public serves two purposes: one, our relationship has been stable; and two, we don't want innocent people to be misunderstood," Lee Kwang-soo said calmly, completely shedding his previous playful demeanor.
"Miss Anna Zheng, is what Mr. Lee Kwang-soo said true?" a reporter inquired.
"Yes, it's true," Anna confirmed with a nod.
"When did you two start dating?" another reporter asked.
Lee Kwang-soo held Anna's hand and subtly applied pressure, signaling her not to speak.
He smiled and said, "It just happened naturally; perhaps it’s because of our chemistry."
"There are photos online of Mr. Lee Kwang-soo and Miss Anna Zheng in the U.S. Are those you two?" a reporter asked.
"We were surprised when we saw the photos; we didn't expect to be recognized in the U.S. and have our pictures taken. We felt there was no need to hide anymore, so we decided to go public," Lee Kwang-soo replied with a smile.
"Previously, the news reported that Miss Anna Zheng obtained a study opportunity in the United States through improper means. Do you have any rebuttal?" the reporter asked.
Lee Kwang-soo hesitated and glanced at Anna.
Anna thought for a moment and said, "I saw that, and I also noticed that Brother Jae-seok and the others have already issued a statement clarifying this matter. My opportunity to study abroad was the result of a vote from all members of the Task Force."
"Why would everyone vote for Miss Anna?" the reporter sneered provocatively.
Anna looked at the reporter and asked, "What is your purpose in asking me these questions?"
"For the truth, and it is also my duty," the reporter replied.
"Then what I said is also the truth, and I believe our colleagues are simply fulfilling their responsibilities fairly and impartially," Anna stated.
"Do you two have plans to get married?" the reporter inquired.
"Not at the moment; we feel we are still young and need to wait a bit longer," Lee Kwang-soo answered.
"Will it be awkward for you two to work together on Running Man? Did Miss Anna Zheng receive Mr. Lee Kwang-soo's covert support for this trip to America?" the reporter asked.
What a cunning question. If either of them carelessly answered with a simple yes or no, it would either imply that their feelings for each other were fake or admit that Anna was chosen to go to America due to Lee Kwang-soo's consideration of her girlfriend status, leading to some behind-the-scenes manipulation.
With just a slight misstep, tomorrow's newspaper could be filled with sensational headlines.
"There was a bit of awkwardness at first because we wanted to interact without any burdens, so we deliberately kept things hidden, which felt somewhat unnatural. However, regarding this trip to America, I actually didn't want her to go at first; after all, being apart for a month is quite hard. But once the voting results came out, I had no choice. Who made her abilities recognized by everyone?" Lee Kwang-soo said with a smile, easily defusing this verbal trap.
After that, Anna remained silent, just listening as Lee Kwang-soo skillfully navigated through questions from reporters like he was practicing Tai Chi. She felt her mind getting muddled, only able to nod and smile in agreement.
After all, she was an artist who had been in the entertainment industry for a long time. Although Anna still couldn't quite figure out what kind of artist Lee Kwang-soo really was—was he a comedian? A host? An actor? A model?
It seems that everyone is in the same boat; the audience probably doesn't have a clear understanding either.
When Lee Kwang-soo is mentioned, people usually think of that treacherous giraffe. Who would have thought that Anna has never seen Lee Kwang-soo so serious about something up close? It's really different. Now she can somewhat understand why so many girls like to be around him. It appears that Anna, who thought she knew Kwang-soo well, is actually the one who knows him the least.
After the press conference, they were cautious, fearing that some opportunistic reporters might still be lurking around. So, together with Brother Kwangsoo, they drove off, aware that those reporters were secretly following them, but this was part of their job to let them believe it.
On the way, they bought a few cans of beer.
The weather in Korea seems much colder than in America. The warm-loving Koreans had already disappeared from the parks before eight o'clock in the evening.
Sitting on the stone steps, Kwang-soo opened a can of beer, took a few sips, and handed it to Anna. However, Anna's stomach couldn't handle alcohol anymore, so she waved her hand to refuse.
"I'm finally able to catch my breath after a long day. Drinking beer in this weather is quite unbearable," Lee Kwang-soo said with a shiver.
Anna looked around and noticed a car parked at a distance, its lights flickering slightly.
"Don't look; they're definitely still in the car," Lee Kwang-soo said.
Anna turned her head. "At this point, the news should be out soon," she said as she secretly reached into her pocket and pressed the power button on her phone to turn it off.
"Have you all agreed on it?" Kwang-soo asked.
"Who?" Anna didn't quite understand at first.
Kwang-soo smiled. "Who else could it be?"
Realizing what he meant, Anna smiled shyly and said, "We've agreed."
"Well, no matter what, it's only about six months or maybe even just two or three months before people forget. It'll pass quickly," Lee Kwang-soo said.
"Yeah," Anna said, letting out a long sigh as she looked at the sky. The autumn stars were particularly bright; although different from the stars in America, they were still quite beautiful.
"Hey, do you remember when we were kids? One day I took you out to play, and I lost my money. By the time we were heading home at night, we didn't have any money for a ride, so we walked back. It was such a long way that you fell asleep on my back while I was carrying you," Lee Kwang-soo said.
"Of course I remember! It was because you insisted on treating that pretty sister to ice cream that we ended up like that," Anna replied.
Anna completely deviated from Kwang-soo's expected nostalgic tone, shattering what should have been a somewhat romantic memory. Lee Kwang-soo smiled awkwardly, "You really remember that well."
"Of course! Later, that sister took your ice cream and walked off with a handsome guy," Anna said with a laugh.
"You remember that too... but that guy wasn't even that handsome. I was pretty handsome too, you know?" Lee Kwang-soo said.
Anna pretended to size up Kwang-soo for a moment and said, "Brother, you are handsome, but compared to that guy, you're still a little lacking." Anna teased.
"Forget it, talking to you is just impossible," Lee Kwang-soo said in defeat as he took a big gulp of beer.
"Brother Kwangsoo, are you drinking so much? Who's going to drive later?" Anna asked.
"Of course it's going to be you."
Anna hated driving the most, but after thinking about it, she felt a bit guilty about what happened today, so she nodded, "Alright, fine."
"By the way, what you said to Han Yufei today seemed a bit strange," Lee Kwang-soo suddenly asked.
"Where's the strangeness?" Anna replied. "You're just overthinking it."
"Is that so?" Lee Kwang-soo questioned in confusion.
Anna stood up; after all this time, the reporters who had followed them must have finished taking their photos.
"Let's go, I'll drive you home first," Anna said.
"Are we leaving right now?"
"I want to go home and get a good sleep. I'm exhausted, okay?" Anna replied.
"Alright," Lee Kwang-soo said as he stood up and got into the car.
"It seems that tomorrow's newspaper will confirm our relationship," Anna remarked.
"Yeah, only after this is confirmed can we consider it a success. What about you? Are you going back to America or...?" Lee Kwang-soo asked.
"I don't think so. If we go back now, it feels like we're deliberately making it public, and it will spark some comments. Let's leave it at that," Anna said with a helpless smile. "I'll see Miao PD tomorrow and talk to him."
"That's fine too," Lee Kwang-soo thought for a moment and said, "But a couple of days ago, Brother Jae-seok mentioned that when he has time, he wants to visit the sanatorium in Busan. There have been so many things happening lately that I seem to have forgotten about it."
Anna was also taken aback. Yes, after such a long time, due to various matters, she had forgotten about the Busan Sanatorium. The terrifying and pitiful woman who looked horrified upon seeing Anna... This had always been a lingering question in her mind, but there had been too many events to focus on her.
"Yeah, it's been a while since I last went. If we go next time, make sure to take me along," Anna said.
"Are you still willing to go? I thought the disfigured woman scared you last time," Lee Kwang-soo laughed.
"I'm not that easily frightened. This time, I want to see if I can have a good chat with her; it would be nice if we could talk," Anna pondered.
By the time they returned home, it was already past midnight. The luggage she brought back yesterday was still unpacked, and after a tiring day today, she had no intention of unpacking it either. After taking a shower, she collapsed onto the bed. Glancing at her phone on the bedside table, which was still dark, Anna picked it up and turned it on. The screen lit up. Just under a minute after powering on, her phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number, and Anna answered the call with curiosity.
"Hello? May I ask who this is?"
"I am Park Anqing, the father of Park Chan-yeol."
Anna was taken aback, sitting up abruptly in bed, nervously and smoothly saying, "Oh, hello, Mr. Park Anqing."
"Miss Anna, if you have time tomorrow, let's meet."
"I have to work during the day tomorrow and finish at five-thirty in the afternoon," Anna replied.
"Alright, then at five-forty tomorrow, I will have someone pick you up at your workplace."
"No need, just tell me the address and I'll go myself..."
Park Anqing interrupted Anna, "It's settled that way."
Anna had no choice but to silently agree and did not argue further.
"Also, I hope that our meeting remains a secret from anyone else, especially Park Chan-yeol. Can Miss Anna understand?"
"Okay, I understand," Anna said.
"Goodbye then."
"Goodbye."
Anna truly regretted opening her phone at that moment. She had intended to call Park Chan-yeol but ended up receiving a call from his father instead.
Why did they need to meet in secret? If it were something good, there would be no need to hide it from Park Chan-yeol.
Just as she was thinking about this, her phone rang again. This time, it was a call from Park Chan-yeol. Anna recalled what Park Chan-yeol's father had said and couldn't help but sigh. Then, fearing that Park Chan-yeol might sense her unease, she forced a smile.
"Chan-yeol."
"It's so late. Who are you on the phone with? And why is your phone still off?" Park Chan-yeol asked.
"I was just with Brother Kwangsoo. I was afraid that the reporters would take fake photos of us, so I turned my phone off," Anna said.
"Ah... I'm really envious of Brother Kwangsoo," Park Chan-yeol said with a smile.
From his tone, Anna could sense his understanding and trust.
"Chan-yeol, you mentioned last time that your parents are coming back to Korea. Is that true?" Anna asked cautiously.
"That's right. Why do you ask?" Park Chan-yeol replied.
"I was just curious about what kind of people they are," Anna said with a smile.
"What's the rush? You'll meet them eventually. I originally planned to introduce you as soon as you returned from the U.S., but now it seems we'll have to wait until this fake news about you and Brother Kwangsoo blows over. Otherwise, it might leave a bad impression," Park Chan-yeol said.
Anna felt warm inside, realizing that Park Chan-yeol had already made such plans in his heart.
"Why aren't you speaking?" Park Chan-yeol noticed that Anna had been silent for a while.
"I'm just... really happy," Anna said softly. The tension and anxiety from the previous call dissipated with just a few words exchanged with Park Chan-yeol, and she relaxed, lying on her bed.
Suddenly, a wave of sleepiness washed over her.
Listening to the gentle words coming through the receiver, the fatigue of the day transformed into sweet dreams. She promised to stay awake but unknowingly closed her eyes.
"Hello... are you asleep..." Park Chan-yeol tried calling her softly a couple of times. When he received no response, he realized she must have fallen asleep. He then said goodnight and hung up the phone.
Feeling energetic as I head to work, everyone assumes it's the result of love, but the reason is quite simple: I just had a good night's sleep. It's been over twenty days since I've seen my colleagues, who have returned from studying in the United States, and with my relationship with Kwang-soo, there are naturally many questions being thrown at me.
Anna tries to avoid them as much as possible, doing her best to deflect.
I call Miao PD aside for a private conversation. After all, some matters cannot be treated so carelessly anymore; this recent turmoil was precisely due to our previous lack of caution.
"Miao PD, I think I won't be going back to the United States for the remaining days," Anna says.
Miao PD asks, "Why? Is it because of some bad rumors...?"
"That's part of it. I'm thinking that since things have finally calmed down, we shouldn't stir up any more trouble."
"But the production team of 'Gonnago' in the U.S. has already agreed to let us send you back to complete your study period," Miao PD replies.
"I can't go back, Miao PD. You should know that right now, it's really not a good time for me to leave again," Anna explains.
Miao PD thinks for a moment and understands what Anna means, letting out a sigh. "This time, no one expected such absurd rumors to spread. It's truly ridiculous. But thankfully, you and Kwang-soo... I really wish you both the best."
Anna smiles lightly but doesn't respond.
"However, since the U.S. side has given half a month for study time, do you have anyone in mind to send over?" Miao PD asks.
"From what I've observed during this time, I think their filming techniques are worth learning from. Filming isn't my strong suit; perhaps we could select someone from the Camera Crew to go instead," Anna suggests.
"Alright, I have a rough idea now," Miao PD says. "Let's head to the studio."
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