Chapter 6

"Want to die together, then hit harder." As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Moon Jung-woo didn’t turn around. Just as the flashlight was about to strike, he said these words. Lee Soon-gye instantly understood his meaning. Although her father had taken away the bandages from her head, it didn’t mean her injuries were already healed. If he were to hurt her again, they would indeed be stuck together, but ultimately, they would still be trapped here.

In the quiet place, the flashlight illuminated the path ahead, but the footprints didn’t appear disordered. Two rows of footprints, one large and one small, lying side by side on the ground, made Lee Soon-gye speak up: "How did you find me? You didn’t discover these footprints, did you?" Moon Jung-woo remained silent for a moment, then gently shook his head. Lee Soon-gye waited for him to continue, but he only shook his head and gave no further response.

"Hey." Lee Soon-gye’s face turned cold, and she instinctively raised the flashlight again. Perhaps it was a common human flaw to revert to their original state once a crisis was resolved. Moon Jung-woo spoke softly: "I’m afraid to further stimulate you if I tell you how I found you." Lee Soon-gye put down the flashlight, feeling both curious and repelled.

He said it would stimulate her, so it probably wasn’t good news. After a long silence, curiosity finally drove her to ask: "Tell me, how did you find me?" Moon Jung-woo paused, his steps steady, the creaking sound of his footsteps on the snow accompanied by the light gradually leading to a street where the traffic was clearly less at night.

"When I was nearby, I suddenly heard a cry, one that even drowned out the barking of stray dogs. Following that sound... I found you." Lee Soon-gye gently closed her eyes and took a deep breath. But after that, she felt like a deflated balloon, lying weakly on his back.

"Really, I’m curious about your upbringing. What kind of environment could shape your personality like this? Can’t you speak without being sarcastic or hurtful?" Moon Jung-woo turned his head in confusion: "Is telling the truth wrong?" Lee Soon-gye waved her hand helplessly: "Forget it, maybe I’ve never met someone like you. Or maybe I’m still young, but I really don’t understand you. However..."

Lee Soon-gye laughed lightly: "However, I can confirm one thing: your emotional intelligence... is really low." Moon Jung-woo frowned: "Why do you think so?" Lee Soon-gye shook her head: "Hey. Look at you, do you look like a kid at all?" Moon Jung-woo nodded: "Because I’m not a kid." Lee Soon-gye raised her head: "Can you even be considered an adult? I was born nine months before you."

Moon Jung-woo fell silent and continued walking with his head down. Just as Lee Soon-gye bit her lip, thinking about what to say, Moon Jung-woo suddenly spoke: "Why do you think my emotional intelligence is low? You haven’t answered yet." Lee Soon-gye was taken aback, "Oh"ed: "This? Isn’t it obvious? In dealing with people and situations, no one acts as you do. You never consider others’ feelings, saying whatever you want. That’s the most important point."

Moon Jung-woo pursed his lips and shook his head: "I only act this way with you, not with others." Lee Soon-gye snorted: "Then tell me, why do you act this way with me? I didn’t even know you before. Why are you so rude? You’re a boy, and not only do you speak sarcastically, but you even hit people." Moon Jung-woo frowned: "That was an accident. The key is that your voice really irritates me. Although I’m a bit introverted, I don’t actively attack anyone, either verbally or physically."

"Hey!" Lee Soon-gye straightened up: "I don’t know how many people have told me my voice is cute, but you can’t tell good from bad." After a moment of silence, Lee Soon-gye said smugly: "And I’m really good at being cute, basically no one can resist it." Moon Jung-woo laughed lightly, and Lee Soon-gye instinctively felt something was wrong, but it was too late to stop him.

"Maybe you are quite impressive, after all, not everyone can redefine the word 'cute'." Lee Soon-gye bit her lip hard, staring at the back of Moon Jung-woo’s head. What did he just say? Die together? Why do I really have this thought now? Let’s just be stuck here together, you bastard!

Suddenly remembering something, Lee Soon-gye exclaimed: "What’s going on? Why are you still walking? Didn’t you tell my father and my sister? You... you didn’t tell me you came out alone without your phone?" Moon Jung-woo paused and spoke calmly: "By the time I got back to the company, it was already dark. The CEO hadn’t returned, and Yoon-gyu was taking Sugar to a schedule. Besides, I heard you weren’t at the company. After I explained what happened, they seemed very angry that I had hurt your head, but they just told me you might have gone home to rest and didn’t pay attention to me anymore."

Lee Soon-gye looked surprised: "Then... how did you know I didn’t go home but got lost?" Moon Jung-woo jolted Lee Soon-gye’s body, tightening his grip: "Because you were still wearing my jacket." Lee Soon-gye looked at the jacket she was wearing, puzzled: "This... what does this have to do with anything?"

Moon Jung-woo thought for a moment and said: "Being able to take a taxi and leave me behind alone shows that you were extremely angry at what I said and did. In such a situation, people usually have two reactions. Either they want to do everything to get back at me, or they want to do everything to get away from me. If it’s the former, you would be proud that I was freezing in my clothes and wouldn’t change them. If it’s the latter, you would try to return my clothes and avoid anything related to me."

Lee Soon-gye laughed lightly: "You’re wrong about this, and you call yourself smart. I came back to find you because..." She stopped, not finishing her sentence. But Moon Jung-woo continued: "I guessed you were in the latter situation. So if you didn’t realize you needed to return my clothes, it means you subconsciously wanted to go back to the company. You might think about leaving me behind or not going back, but you wouldn’t stick to that idea for long."

Lee Soon-gye looked at him in amazement, then pouted: "How did you know I would definitely go back to find you?" Moon Jung-woo replied: "The CEO is your father. Before he returns, as his daughter, you wouldn’t really let me leave the company." Lee Soon-gye’s lips twitched: "You... are you a robot? Why do you think so logically? Even the details are considered?"

Moon Jung-woo looked puzzled: "Is my thinking wrong?" Lee Soon-gye sighed: "This time you’re right, but you won’t always be. Humans are the most complex beings, and you can’t always guess what others are thinking." Moon Jung-woo shook his head: "Obviously, I was right this time, as you admitted." Lee Soon-gye leaned forward to look at him: "How about this, guess what I’m thinking now?"

Moon Jung-woo frowned, as if he was really going to guess. Lee Soon-gye waved her hands quickly: "Hey! Are you serious? Are you too confident or too stupid? Even if you guess right, I won’t admit it. How can you be sure you’re right?" Moon Jung-woo looked at her strangely: "You asked me to guess, and if you deny it afterward, isn’t that boring?"

Lee Soon-gye rubbed her head, took a deep breath: "Forget it, let’s change the topic. You seem to have run away from home, but you’re not afraid of being caught by your family. Instead, you had my father take the bloody bandages to your family to convince them, and you don’t seem worried at all. Since you’re so confident, why didn’t you talk things out with your family and run away?"

Moon Jung-woo laughed lightly: "Because I understand my father. He doesn’t allow anyone under his control to have any resistance, not just in actions but also in thoughts. If I show my determination now, he won’t force me to do anything, but will give me a chance. To let me see the reality and the difficulty of the path I’ve chosen, and eventually give up and come back to him. So even if I do give up one day, at least before that, I can try to achieve my goal once."

As he said this, he couldn’t help but think of his brother, Moon Seung-woo. He didn’t make a sound, didn’t resist his father’s arrangements at all. Was it because he really thought it was useless? He said he wasn’t interested in being a star or an artist anymore, maybe... that’s why he didn’t persist.

Lee Soon-gye thought for a moment, then laughed: "Okay. Since that’s the case, now guess what I’m thinking." Moon Jung-woo came back to his senses and turned to look at her. Lee Soon-gye quickly said: "Don’t worry, if you guess right, I swear I won’t deny it." Moon Jung-woo thought for a moment and nodded, starting to think.

"You want to chat with me now and have me take you back. Then, when you see your father and your sister, you’ll tell on me and have them punish me?" Lee Soon-gye playfully hit him: "Am I that kind of person?"

"You are." "Hey!!" Moon Jung-woo didn’t speak again, and Lee Soon-gye sulked for a while, hitting him in frustration: "No, guess again." Moon Jung-woo was silent for a moment, then spoke softly: "In Korea, no matter which industry or circle, there is a senior-junior system. You want to use your senior status to get back at me for all the rude things I did and said to you if I really become a trainee."

Lee Soon-gye tried to hold back her laughter: "That’s a given. But I don’t need to think about it deliberately. If you really become a trainee, both professionally and personally, I will definitely discipline you... guess again." Moon Jung-woo’s brows furrowed, and he thought for a long time, uncertainly: "You want..."

Lee Soon-gye waved her hand: "You’re too obsessed with details. This is more about luck and chance, and you’re taking it so seriously. I’m a bit speechless." Moon Jung-woo didn’t respond but continued: "You want..."

Lee Soon-gye quickly interrupted: "Okay, okay, I’m afraid of you. It doesn’t count as a loss for you; I’ll tell you." Moon Jung-woo didn’t turn around, but as the light grew brighter, she saw his ears move slightly. Staring at Moon Jung-woo for a while, Lee Soon-gye’s lips curled into a smile.

"I want to change you. To make you a normal person." Moon Jung-woo was taken aback, suddenly stopped, and turned his head, uncertainly asking: "You want... to change me?" Lee Soon-gye nodded: "Actually, I know that my father values you a lot. Not for your looks, not for your talents or languages, but for your aura. You’re different from those trainees. They, or they, are too much like children. Their eyes are murky, only thinking about becoming stars, only practicing and dreaming of debuting. They think too little, and the ones in SW don’t have enough to support them to go further."

Moon Jung-woo looked puzzled: "I don’t feel I’m different." Lee Soon-gye stared at him, her eyes different: "That’s how you feel. If I change you... maybe you’ll understand what makes you different. Or, how your path should go." This sounded very passionate, but Lee Soon-gye forgot who she was talking to. When Moon Jung-woo’s next words came out, Lee Soon-gye tightly gripped the flashlight, but she couldn’t help but realize that if she really wanted to change him, the task would be heavy and the road long.

"You’re just a trainee, right? But your tone sounds like the CEO’s."

(Ps: Happy Valentine’s Day.)

{Piaotian Literature}