peninsula asteroid.

After Chapter 1352

After Chapter 1352

"is it?"

Chi Jingyuan and Minatozaki Sana, who had turned around, met each other's eyes... her long, disheveled hair, her cheeks streaked with tears, her tattered clothes, and that seemingly calm face.

Clear yet dull pupils obscure the emotions they contain, but Chi Jingyuan can sense the self-mockery in the other person's tone.

The door closed slowly with a soft click, completely separating the two worlds.

…………

After Sana Minato left, Ji Jingyuan stayed in the locker room for a while, but lost the will to continue working out. After changing his clothes, he went home.

"Wow~"

Standing under the shower in the bathroom, Chi Jingyuan closed his eyes, letting the warm water droplets patter on his head, turning into fine silk that flowed down his body. The surrounding steam rose and swirled, making it difficult to see clearly.

I hadn't noticed it before in the locker room, but now I realized that Minatozaki Sana's nails were really sharp. There were many red marks on his body from Minatozaki Sana's scratches, and they were bleeding slightly. When they came into contact with hot water, they felt a burning pain.

However, the pain was not intense; instead, it was a stimulating, tingling sensation that made Chi Jingyuan appear exceptionally calm.

Amidst the rushing water, he couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. At first, he felt it was a long-awaited and sudden event, and the development of events was completely unexpected, leaving him unable to react. But now, as he calmed down and recalled the events, every scene, every action, and even every glance seemed so clear, as if a slideshow was playing repeatedly in his mind.

Minazaki Saka...

He murmured the name, feeling a tightness in his chest, a complex mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe.

Looking back on tonight, he had actually been quite annoyed with Minatozaki Sana for some time, feeling that she was acting like a lunatic, especially with that question about 'looking down on me,' which made Chi Jingyuan feel that she was just making trouble for no reason.

...He hasn't spoken a single word to Sana Minatozaki lately. Where did you get the feeling that I look down on you, and then you rushed over and caused this whole mess today?

It's fair to say that most of the time they spent together today only made Chi Jingyuan's impression of Minatozaki Sana worse... Although, at times he sensed the girl's sadness and saw her eyes, he did feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Especially that last crazy move almost made him actually take action.

But who could have predicted that things would turn out that way? Who could have imagined that the woman who had been fighting him with such hatred just seconds before would suddenly rush up to him and be all lovey-dovey?

While showering, Chi Jingyuan found himself replaying increasingly vivid images in his mind.

...! ...! ...!

Chi Jingyuan was no stranger to women; on the contrary, he had seen many. Relatively speaking, Minatozaki Sana didn't actually have any particular advantages.

But there was a special feeling that made him unable to stop reminiscing.

Maybe it's that yoga outfit, that sense of realism...

Or perhaps it's the contrast between her anger, her resentment, and her eventual initiative.

Or... although it's not really nice to say it like that, the feeling that Minatozaki Sana is Mina's best friend as her ex-girlfriend is indeed a bit exciting.

He certainly didn't have any regrets, but the final twist and turn made his feelings for Minatozaki Sana suddenly become complicated.

Especially what he said about the reason for the change in Sana Minatozaki's senses...

Previously, he was able to stick to his conjectures, legitimately point out the other party's hidden ulterior motives, and openly despise that kind of immoral and despicable behavior.

But now, it seems that's not possible; I can't be so carefree anymore.

Because, faced with this kind of 'immoral' initiative and contact...

He didn't refuse; in fact, he became somewhat engrossed in it in the end.

"call……"

Chi Jingyuan suddenly opened his eyes and vigorously rubbed his face with both hands. Hot water continued to spray from the showerhead, flowing slowly down his head like a stream. The slightly hot temperature, the gentle flow of water, and the constant stinging pain from his wounds made him calmer than ever before.

And what happened today seems to have made him... a little more objective.

'I'm not that kind of person.'

That's just who I am.

Looking at the faint reflection on the glass door beside him, Chi Jingyuan thought of the two completely different sentences before and after, and his thoughts couldn't help but fly back to the memory of when he broke up with Mina and the story took a turn. He recalled his guilt and irritability at that time.

Often, unless driven by some unexpected event or stimulus, people will never seriously reflect on anything.

Setting aside his subjective emotions, he suddenly realized that the reason he had those thoughts wasn't entirely Sana Minato's fault.

On the contrary, it seems that, to a considerable extent... it may all be his misplaced anger.

Because of the breakup, because of guilt, because of an instinctive unwillingness to blame myself...

Chi Jingyuan looked at his reflection and let out a soft breath.

Is it displaced anger?

…………

This shower really took a long time. Although the hot shower was very comfortable, Chi Jingyuan almost felt dizzy after he came out.

"Buzz~"

Back in bed, I picked up my phone and scrolled through it. Zhou Ziyu had just sent me a few text messages asking if I was there, but I was taking a shower at the time and didn't reply.

I casually replied to the message, and a moment later, my phone vibrated.

When I picked it up, I saw it was a video call invitation from Chou Tzu-yu.

After clicking to connect, and a brief delay later, that familiar little face appeared on the screen, blinking its big eyes and looking at him with a blinging sound.

With long black hair and a small, rosy mouth, her features were still striking even without makeup. Her skin looked incredibly soft and supple, as if she had just taken a shower... It's just that her skin tone was a little dark, and with the dim lighting on the balcony, it looked even darker.

"Hello, hello, can you hear me? Hello, hello!" Before he could speak, his soft, curved voice scratched his ear.

"Stop feeding me, I heard you, I just went to take a shower."

Although the voice was very pleasant to listen to, Chi Jingyuan, who was already used to it, did not cherish it and interrupted her directly, focusing his gaze on Zhou Ziyu's face in the video: "You guys got off work so early today?"

"Yes, today's schedule went smoothly. I got off work early. After dinner, I practiced at the company for a while before leaving."

When Zhou Ziyu saw Ji Jingyuan's face and heard his voice, she felt a surge of energy. Even in the somewhat stiff video, her liveliness and vitality were undeniable: "You're taking a shower too? I just finished showering too!"

Hearing that the two people were exactly alike, she chuckled twice.

"Aren't you going to put on a face mask?"

Tzuyu has always been very particular about skincare. She always applies a face mask after showering, and she also uses a bunch of other products. She also has a white, scary-looking mask that startled Ji Jingyuan when he saw it in a video last time. She said that her mother bought it for her and that wearing it while applying a face mask helps with absorption.

I don't know if others believe it, but this black girl did.

"I was just about to apply the mask when I saw your text message. I'll go after we finish our video call."

Chou Tzu-yu casually remarked, glancing at Chi Kyung-won in the video for a few moments, "What's wrong? You seem to be in a bad mood?"

"Huh? No~"

Chi Jingyuan was startled... Could this dark-skinned girl read minds?

I have a feeling that way.

Tzuyu tilted her head and carefully observed Ji Kyung-won's expression: "Anyway, I just have this feeling."

"Do you think you're a fortune teller?"

"Hmph, my intuition is very sharp!"

Of course, Chi Jingyuan wouldn't tell Chou Tzuyu about Minatozaki Sana's situation. He brushed it off with a few words, and Chou Tzuyu didn't seem to care much. She happily chatted with Chi Jingyuan.

When making video calls, you just want to talk about whatever comes to mind... She wanted to tell Chi Jingyuan everything.

"...We ran into WannaOne when we went to the TV station to record a program today. Jihyo unnie even asked me to be her wingman."

The little spy has started working.

Did you go?

"Hehe, I'm not going! It would be fine if it were normal, but there are a few people on WannaOne who are so annoying. I went once for them last time and haven't gone since... Guess where they're meeting today?"

"Which TV station?"

"SBS!"

"If it's SBS, is it near that vending machine?"

"Haha, no! They ran into the stairwell, but I heard they almost got bumped into, so they quickly came back after a short while."

Why are you so happy? Are you envious of others?

"I'm not envious at all, I'm just... Hmph~... Oh, by the way, Chaeyoung seems to have taken a liking to tattoos, she even recommended one to me today."

What do you want to get tattooed?

"I'm not going to get one of those things, it just looks weird... and you don't like tattoos either, do you?"

"how do you know?"

Chi Jingyuan was a little surprised; he didn't seem to remember telling Chou Tzu-yu about it.

In the video, the black woman raises her eyebrows, appearing somewhat smug.

"I just know it!"

Talking to Chou Tzu-yu is really relaxing; her voice is so soft and sweet. After chatting for a while, Chi Kyung-yuan felt much more relaxed.

This girl usually seems a bit wooden in front of the camera and isn't very lively or reserved in front of strangers, but she really doesn't hide anything from Chi Jingyuan... However, it's really hard for others to see this side of her.

After chatting with Zhou Ziyu for a while, and with one topic finished, Chi Jingyuan, not forgetting what happened tonight, paused slightly and asked meaningfully, "By the way, you guys have been so busy with work lately, are you very tired?"

"Mmmmmmm!"

Upon hearing this, Chou Tzu-yu immediately nodded vigorously, and her energy seemed to subside a bit: "I'm very tired. I just came back and have a lot of schedules, performing songs and filming shows every day. And with the end of the year approaching, there are even more performances coming up."

"I already had so much to do, and a few days ago I even started preparing for my new album. For the past week, I've only been able to sleep two or three hours a day, and I'm exhausted."

"The pressure is also very high?"

"Yeah, it's really, really big! I don't know if it's because of that lately, but the manager is always getting angry and scolding people."

As she spoke, the girl changed her posture and orientation, and the light source in the video also changed its angle. Under the background light, Chi Jingyuan could see her clear and swollen dark circles under her eyes. She looked somewhat tired, and the sparkle in her body and big eyes seemed to have only appeared because she saw him.

"..."

Chi Jingyuan paused slightly, feeling a pang of heartache, and suggested directly, "I'll... oh, tomorrow won't work, how about the day after? I'll talk to your manager and let you rest for a day, skip your activities and I'll take you out to have some fun~"

Really?

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziyu's eyes immediately lit up, and she looked at her with great joy. However, she quickly blinked, suppressing her anticipation and excitement: "But... I'd rather not rest. Everyone is tired, and it's not good for me to be alone."

"Then go when you have time."

Chi Jingyuan didn't press the issue and readily agreed, then casually asked, "So, which of your members is under the most pressure?"

Who is under the most pressure?

Tzuyu seemed a little surprised by the question, but she still looked up and thought for a moment: "They're all pretty big, right? Nayeon and Jihyo had a fight yesterday, Jeongyeon had insomnia all night, and Dahyun got a really big pimple..."

The little spy then recounted the entire situation of the team as if she knew it by heart. As she spoke, she suddenly thought of something: "If I really have to say, it's probably Sana... She's been scolded by her manager several times recently."

"You were yelled at by your manager? Why?" As expected, Chi Jingyuan heard the name he wanted to hear and asked curiously.

"Because of the new album."

Chou Tzu-yu moved closer to the camera, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously, "Sana's part in the title track of the new album is really, really small, the least, much less than everyone else's."

"Of course she was unhappy, so she went to her agent to see if she could get a little more. She went two or three times, but each time she got scolded by her agent... We didn't actually know about this, but today her agent scolded her in front of everyone."

"Then, I heard she had some other things to do. Anyway... Sana seems to have been very tired lately."

"Although she smiles every day, I feel that she is quite tired."

"That's it..."

Ji Jingyuan nodded slightly as he listened to Zhou Ziyu's story, and then fell silent for a few seconds.

He didn't press the matter further, changed the subject to reassure the dark-skinned woman, and then, looking at her rather thin nightgown in the video, asked her:

"You're on the balcony, aren't you cold?"

It's already November, and the temperature in Seoul has dropped significantly. He also knows that Twice's balcony doesn't have heating.

"It's cold!" Chou Tzu-yu nodded repeatedly, even shrinking her body in response.

"Then you should go back now, I'm not talking to you anymore."

"No, let's talk a little longer~"

"Bye, I'm hanging up!"

"Hmph, mwah!"

After hanging up the video call, Chi Jingyuan held his slightly warm phone and calmed down, thinking about some things he had just heard from Zhou Ziyu.

Just as he thought... Sana Minatozaki's unprecedented state today was definitely not a sudden occurrence; it must be the result of long-term stress and exhaustion.

Chi Jingyuan never expected that the usually lively and cheerful girl would one day be overwhelmed by pressure.

Shaking his slightly sore neck, Ji Jingyuan unlocked his phone and casually scrolled through it. He tapped something and found that Lim Nayeon, Yoo Jeongyeon, and Kang Seulgi were chatting in their KakaoTalk group.

Nayeon exclaimed: "...Unnie, did you just get back to the dorm? It's almost 2 AM, isn't it?"

Seulgi: We drank a little late... These days, we don't really talk about it unless we get home too late or don't come home at all. Besides, we're not in our promotional period.

Nayeon exclaimed: "That's great! If we had come back any later and our manager had caught us, we would have been scolded terribly."

Jeongyeon: Indeed (crying)

"Nayeon: The manager was just scolding Sana because she came back to the dorm late."

Jeongyeon: Sanaxi? Why did she go out and come back so late?

Nayeon said: "She said she went to the gym, but she came back a little late. Anyway, her manager was really loud and seemed very angry."

Jeongyeon: Not only did I come back late, but I also overheard outside that Sana injured her foot for some reason. Her manager asked her what happened, and she said she accidentally kicked the door.

Jeongyeon: I looked at the injury and it's really quite serious. It's all swollen. I guess my manager was so angry because he thought it would interfere with practice and schedule.

Seulgi: Are you hurt? How are you now?

Jeongyeon: I've been taken to the hospital by my manager.

(End of this chapter)