The number one playboy on the Peninsula!

Chapter 393 The Broken Mina, the Comforted Puppy
On the flight from Kobe to Seoul, Miyako pondered the impact of the Minatozaki Sana incident. Besides the maliciously distorted reports by the media, there were also fans of rival groups trying to sabotage the situation. Beneath the glamorous facade of the top group, there were many hands that wanted to bring them down.

……

When the door to TWICE's practice room was gently pushed open, the members who were sitting around on the floor discussing the boycott of "Sana" almost simultaneously stood up and looked at Sana Minatozaki as she walked in, their eyes filled with unconcealed worry.

Sana Minatosaki was wearing a white hoodie, the drawstring of which was pulled tightly, revealing only half of her face and swollen, red eyes. Her messy hair clung to her tear-stained cheeks... She had cried so much that she didn't have the strength to tidy herself up, and she looked quite disheveled.

Nayeon had forgotten to unscrew the cap on the water bottle she was holding. She grinned, showing her rabbit teeth, and frowned, "Is it okay?"

Faced with a crisis, the big star put aside his "grudges and grievances" with Sana Minatozaki. Even Chaeyoung, Mina, Momo Hirai, and others understood that TWICE, as a nine-member group, was bound together by the principle that everyone's success or failure was intertwined, as it involved their respective interests and future development.

Sana Minatozaki lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes drooping. Her eyes, which were usually sparkling, were now covered with a layer of mist. She didn't even have the courage to look up at the members. She kept explaining, "Mina, I really didn't expect it to be like this. If I had known, I wouldn't have posted that Instagram post."

Yu Dingyan took half a step forward and patted her on the back: "Why are you saying all this now? It's clearly the media that's distorting the facts. I wonder how the company will handle this?"

"...Won't the company tolerate this?" Park Ji-hyo knew the company's style well. When her relationship was exposed at the beginning of the year, the company's approach was to handle it quietly. They also arranged for the team to participate in frequent activities, hoping to use a positive work attitude to downplay public opinion.

Hackie: You son of a bitch—the company wasted money last year suppressing it for you?

Therefore, Park Ji-hyo believes that since the company has not yet issued any clarification or statement, its public relations strategy is probably still the same old approach.

The company's public relations department is not very effective when things go wrong, and they don't promote their artists when they become popular. They have their own complaints about this, but they are powerless to change it.

Hirai Momo also temporarily put aside her past grievances and came to Minatozaki Sana's side, comforting her: "It's okay, don't blame yourself."

"Sana unnie..." Tzuyu called out to her tentatively, her voice very soft.

She wanted to show concern, but didn't know where to start. This year has really been a turbulent one for the group, she thought to herself.

Mina, usually the quietest, raised her eyelids and glanced at Sana Minatozaki. She wanted to comfort her, but felt she shouldn't know how to start. Her former friend's cheeks, which were usually the most prominent feature and would puff up into soft little balls when she smiled, were now slightly drooping and red from crying. The skin on both sides of her nose was an unnaturally pale red from wiping away tears repeatedly, and even her lips were tightly pressed together, pale and bloodless.

"..."

She was speechless.

Because Mina knew that while Sana Minato was currently immersed in the care and concern of her fellow members, there was another man far away in Hyogo who was also caring for her, and that man was her own Makoto.

Sana-chan, are you going to give it to him again?
……

After the afternoon flight landed, Gong Cheng retrieved the Aston Martin he used to travel to and from the airport residence from the underground parking garage and drove towards JYP.

Upon arriving at the president's office, he saw a distraught Park Jin-young. The company had already released a clarification statement at noon, mainly targeting media outlets that distorted the facts and spread rumors. They had also used their connections to get those media outlets to issue apology statements.

However, public opinion has already reached a fever pitch, with netizens venting their emotions without restraint.

“Didn’t Sana post about a local holiday last year? Wasn’t that a great example of respecting South Korean culture? Use it to counter public opinion.” Gong Chengzhou, weary from his journey, offered some solutions. “And find some of the artists under your management…”

Park Jin-young's original solution was to observe how things developed, but he didn't expect his junior to anticipate his prediction and make a phone call. So all the public relations strategies were being carried out according to Gong Cheng's method. Although he knew in his heart that the company's public relations department was indeed somewhat incompetent, he still felt a little aggrieved by his junior's bossy tone: "Why don't you come out and support Sana?"

"?" Gong Cheng chuckled. "If the company issues an announcement that Sana and I are dating, then all this public opinion won't matter. But senior, can you agree to it?"

Park Jin-young interrupted, "Watch your words. You're not just dating that girl, Minatozaki Sana."

"If I were to get any closer to one of the TWICE members in public, bro... would all those anti-explosive measures you've taken against them still work?" Gong Cheng wasn't exaggerating at all. Doesn't he know the value of "one shot, one red"?

"..."

After subsequent public relations strategy discussions, Park Jin-young realized that his junior colleague wasn't there as "Tarot" today, but rather as a shareholder to discuss these matters. Looking at Gong Cheng, who sat motionless on the sofa, he said with a mixture of disdain and helplessness:

"Should I call Sana Minatozaki up here for you?"

"Forget it, this scene looks like a shareholder sexually harassing one of their artists..." Gong Cheng waved his hand and pouted, "Let's give her a day off."

……

The underground parking lot was bathed in a cold, white light, and felt chilly.

Sana Minatozaki stood at the elevator entrance with her backpack on, her hands gripping the straps tightly. Today felt exceptionally long for her... Just sitting in the corner with her phone, repeatedly scrolling through the comments that were cursing her, made each day feel like an eternity. She was in agony, feeling incredibly tormented, until PDnim said, "Someone is here to pick you up," and she slowly made her way down to the underground parking garage.

But my wandering gaze couldn't help but wonder what expressions the fans and citizens "boycotting" below the building would have, and whether their insults would be even harsher than those online.

“…” Park Jin-young saw her downstairs, glanced at Minatozaki Sana’s condition, and sighed inwardly.

The silver Aston Martin's headlights suddenly lit up, casting two warm yellow beams of light on the ground, breaking the silence of the underground parking garage.

Sana Minatozaki subconsciously looked up and saw the driver's side window rolled down, revealing Makoto Miyamoto's profile. He was wearing a black hoodie, his hair was pulled back, and not a single stray hair covered his forehead, making his facial features even more defined. When his aggressive eyes fell on her, they lost their usual sharpness and instead carried a familiar gentleness.

The puppy's heart clenched suddenly, as if gripped by something. Its previously tense shoulders slumped instantly, and its eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

"Sana-chan~~~" Gong Cheng leaned his left hand against the car window, glanced at her with a grin, and called out affectionately, "Get in the car~"

As soon as he finished speaking, he glanced at Sana Minatozaki, who was standing still, her shoulders trembling slightly, her hands still gripping the backpack straps tightly, her head slowly lowering, her bangs obscuring her face, only her lips trembling slightly visible.

Park Jin-young stood beside her, sighing deeply, seemingly wanting to comfort her but unsure of what to do.

With a "snap," Gong Cheng pushed open the car door and got out.

She went straight up to Sana Minatozaki, her voice very soft, as if afraid of startling her: "What's wrong?"

We seem a bit estranged now, why are you being so formal?

Sana, the duck, made Master Gong feel a little sad. He had imagined that the little dog would jump into his arms and he would comfort her, caress her, and tell her, "Everything will be alright, I will handle it."

However, the plot deviates slightly.
His question was like a switch, completely triggering Sana Minatozaki's tear ducts.

Tears streamed down her face. Sana tried to wipe them away from under her hat, but the tears flowed even more freely, her breathing becoming rapid. With a heavy sob, she lifted her weary face and threw herself into Makoto's arms: "They...they all scolded me, saying I didn't respect this place, but I really didn't..."

"Cough cough cough!!!" After seeing what Sana Minatozaki did, Park Jin-young quickly stomped his feet and coughed twice!

presumptuous!

How could you do such an intimate thing in front of the company president?

In his sight, Minatozaki Sana's petite body was softly pressed against Miyako's tall chest, her raised arms tightly wrapped around his waist and abdomen, her cries muffled and intermittent.

Sana Minatozaki seemed oblivious to the PDnim's warning beside her. Upon seeing Makoto Miyamoto, the pent-up frustration and resentment within her erupted like a tsunami: "I just... I just vented a little, why doesn't anyone believe me? I saw some ONCEs telling me to get out of TWICE, I really..."

"I'm so sad, Gong Cheng..."

Gong Cheng looked at her red and swollen eyes: "Alaso, I believe in you, I'm here for you."

He raised his hand and patted the puppy's back, glancing at Park Jin-young, who was acting as a third wheel.

The way this guy stomped his feet and glanced around was quite amusing.

"laugh?"

"How can you still laugh..." Park Jin-young was speechless when he saw his devilish junior brother's annoying smile. He pointed to the surroundings and said, "Are you trying to kill Sana Mo? How can you two be pulling each other like this in this situation and with the public opinion?"

This was said in a louder voice.

Sana Minatozaki then remembered that there was a PDnim glowing beside her and tried to break free from Makoto Miyamoto's embrace.

But Gong Cheng's tall figure wrapped his arm around her waist, and he looked earnestly at Park Jin-young: "Senior brother, as a shareholder of the company, I have the right and the obligation to care about the mental state of the artists under my management. Sana-chan's current situation requires counseling..."

As for where to divert the flow?

A holistic approach to guidance...

"And..." Gong Cheng said, glancing at the surroundings of the company's underground parking garage, and pursed his lips, "Dude, if paparazzi can sneak into our company's underground parking garage, then the security level is really terrible, isn't it?"

Park Jin-young stared in disbelief at his shameless words: "Aren't you dating Mina?"

As far as he knew, under his strict supervision, two of the five children had already separated from this junior brother, and one had lost contact with him for a long time. But one of the separated children was now right in front of him, in this junior brother's arms. Heh.

grass! ! !
"Aren't you afraid? Does Mina know?"

Park Jin-young hesitated for a moment, hoping to use Mina to curb the arrogance of his junior brother in front of him!
Don't bother comforting Sana, they've already gotten back together...

Upon hearing this, Sana Minatozaki raised her cheeks, her eyes red, and looked at Makoto Miyamoto, seemingly waiting for his reply.

"If you don't tell and I don't tell, who will know?" Gong Cheng retorted. The first thing he did upon landing in Seoul was to send a message to Mina. The process was somewhat embarrassing to talk about, but after some "pep-pushing," his beloved wife Mina tacitly agreed to let him inquire about Sana.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

Upon hearing this, Park Jin-young sneered: "Do you think I'm in cahoots with someone like you who doesn't respect feelings?"

"Will you help me keep it a secret?"

"Moragu?" Gong Cheng's face twitched. I've never been divorced, so I'm not remarried. But as my senior, Park Jin-young still deserves my respect. He shrugged, made a joke, and said tactfully, "Senior, you don't want TWICE to riot again after Mina-chan finds out about this, do you?"

"you……"

Park Jin-young glared at Gong Cheng, exasperated, and muttered under his breath, "Damn it, you really didn't waste your time going to Japan, did you?"

"It's all for JYP, for Twice." Gong Cheng ignored his sarcastic tone, took Minatozaki Sana's hand, and walked towards the parking space. Before leaving, he turned back and said seriously, "Let's calm this down quickly, senior."

……

The car slowly drove out of the underground parking garage. The lights from outside shone through the car window onto Sana Minatozaki's face. Her crying gradually subsided, but she still sobbed occasionally, like a kitten that had just found warmth and slowly let down her guard.

Suppressed sobs intertwined with Gong Cheng's gentle voice.

"Don't cry, it's been a long time."

"...I'm scared of Mo..."

Were you this afraid when you left me?

"Different."

"Why is it different?"

"I don't want to say... Where are we going?"

"I don't want to talk about it..."

The lyrical melody of Taroy's "2U" flowed gently from the car stereo, the soft piano notes mixed with the low, husky vocals, like a warm veil gently enveloping the entire car.

The conversation, which had been tinged with sobs, was gradually drowned out by the melody and finally faded away completely. Sana Minatozaki leaned back in the passenger seat, her hand that had been clutching a tissue slowly loosening, her fingertips gently resting on her knees, and even her breathing became calm.

Gong Cheng kept his eyes on the road ahead, but secretly glanced to his side out of the corner of his eye.

Sana Minatozaki tilted her head slightly to one side, her wisps of hair falling down her forehead, obscuring the reddened corners of her eyes, revealing only half of her quiet profile. The corners of her mouth still held a hint of lingering grievance, slightly pursed, conveying a fragile softness, yet the heaviness that had just collapsed was gone, replaced by a gentle relaxation...

"Hoo...hoo..." A soft snore escaped from her lips, so light it was almost drowned out by the music, yet it clearly reached Gong Cheng's ears.

He slowed down and gently turned the steering wheel, trying to make the car drive more smoothly.

The destination of this trip is Eulwangri Beach in Incheon.

……

After an hour and a half of driving at night, Gong Cheng drove his car to the roadside near Yiwangli Beach.

It was already past 10 p.m. in Seoul... The deserted beach in the night was the venue for the Eulwangri rock concert.

There are usually quite a few tourists, but at night, there aren't many people.

Gong Cheng opened the car door, sat in the driver's seat, enjoying the sea breeze coming from not far away, and didn't rush to wake up Minatozaki Sana in the passenger seat.

The night is long...

As the night wind blew into the carriage, Sana Minato's hair swayed slightly, brushing against the back of the seat. Some stray hairs slipped down, revealing her smooth forehead and a few tear stains that hadn't been wiped away. After drying, they landed at the corner of her eye, looking like... eye boogers?
"..."

When Sana Minatozaki woke up, it was already 11 p.m. She raised her hand to rub her eyes and asked, "Where am I?"

Have we arrived yet?

"What are you doing here?"

Three questions.

"I don't want to talk about it..."

Gong Cheng shrugged and got out of the car.

When Sana Minatozaki heard this answer, she was stunned for a moment in the passenger seat, but she quickly remembered the conversation in the car before she fell asleep. She tilted her head and looked out the window at Makoto Miyamoto's tall figure walking towards the beach.

"Petty..."

"So vindictive?"

She muttered something to herself, unbuckled her seatbelt, and jumped out of the car to follow him.

But after taking only a few steps, he hurriedly opened the car door, took out a mask and baseball cap, and remembered the cyberbullying incident, which made him feel depressed again.

"..."

After catching up with Gong Cheng, the two walked side by side on the beach.

He stood there, looking helplessly at Sana Minatozaki, who was supporting him with one hand and taking off her canvas shoes with the other, looking quite comical as she emptied out the grime inside: "You shouldn't wear them."

“…” Minatozaki Sana ignored him and waited until she put her shoes back on.

She raised her face in the moonlight and looked at Gong Cheng: "Actually, when I left you, I..."

"I don't want to hear it anymore."

Gong Cheng waved his hand, interrupting the spellcasting, and winked with a smile. Then, glancing at the waves in front of him, he gestured with his lip and said, "Go ahead and shout!"

"What are you shouting about?" Sana Minatozaki asked in surprise at first, then abruptly steered the conversation back on track: "Why are you like this, Makoto Miyamoto? You were just acting like you really wanted to know, weren't you?"

“That was just now,” Gong Cheng said matter-of-factly, though he didn’t really care about the answer.

I mainly brought the puppy here to help her relax, that's all...

But the more he said that, the more Sana Minatozaki stuttered. She tugged at Makoto Miyamoto's wrist: "Are you angry?"

Feeling a little panicked, she inexplicably thought of the time a few days ago when she went to Zhao Meiyan to complain about her affair with eight men at the same time. He must know all about it.

"Would I be such a petty person?"

Gong Cheng had no idea what she was thinking and assumed she was talking about what happened in the car.

"Hard to say..." Minatozaki Sana lowered her eyelids, feeling the hard object under her sandal. She bent down, brushed away the sand, and picked up a white seashell. She blew on the sand hidden in the patterns on it and then clutched it tightly in her hand with delight.

Very pretty seashells.

"Actually, I was very scared when I left you. With you here, I didn't feel tired even with so many schedules in the group every day..." Sana Minatozaki squatted on the beach, raised her hand and placed it on the sand, letting the low waves lap against her palm. The seawater was a little cool.
"But you lied to me so badly. You were already a second-hand item, but that didn't matter; I still cherished you. In the end, you told me that you were actually a third-hand, fourth-hand, or even fifth-hand item?"

"What is this? It's a scam!" Her hair was ruffled by the sea breeze, and her voice sounded aggrieved. She didn't dare to look at her expression in the moonlight. "I can't be so pathetic as to be someone who pays to have their money taken, can I?"

Gong Cheng listened and felt somewhat ashamed:
"But priceless treasures will always end up in the hands of a few."

His metaphor was utterly shameless.

Before he could finish speaking, Sana Minatozaki was amused by his cheeky remark: "Scared, terrified~ In the end, I actually went to Miyeon Cho and opened my heart to her? Tell me, how far have you pushed me, Makoto Miyamoto..."

At this moment, she glanced at Gong Cheng, who had squatted down with her. Her eyes, which had been crying all day, suddenly had a glimmer of light and a hint of cunning: "Actually, I'm not afraid of leaving you at all, Gong Cheng."

As she spoke, Sana Minatozaki observed Makoto Miyamoto's reaction.

Gong Cheng was clearly taken aback. He couldn't resist lifting the seawater from his palm and flicking his fingers, sending a drop of seawater onto Minatozaki Sana's tired, smiling eyes: "What do you mean?"

"Don't you always say I'm heartless in front of the other members?"

"Tsk tsk..." He snorted somewhat defiantly, "Looks like the most ruthless person is Sana-chan."

Seeing his flippant attitude, Sana Minatozaki's annoyance dissipated somewhat. She plopped down on the beach, looked up at the night sky, and then glanced at Makoto Miyamoto: "Because I know that you, you secondhand goods, will come back to me sooner or later."

"So what do I have to be afraid of?"

She only recently came to terms with this...

"Go ahead and shout~" Gong Cheng didn't want to continue this topic. He pointed to the sea in front of him and gestured with his lips.

Sana Minatozaki: "What do you keep telling me to shout?"

"Shout whatever you want. Didn't you tell me in 16 that if you were unhappy, you should shout it out to the sea? Have you forgotten?" Gong Cheng said, his tone turning unfriendly as he smirked and looked at her with disbelief. Damn it!

How could you forget these precious memories? He gripped the puppy's neck with one hand, lifting it like a chick.

Sana Minato chuckled and shrank her shoulders, her eyes sparkling as her thoughts drifted back to that summer.

The young woman next to her had a cold start and experienced a low point in her career. The level of cyberbullying during that period seemed even more severe than what she was experiencing today. So she dragged Gong Cheng to the beach and made him shout some cringeworthy lines. Although he was very resistant, he still did it.

Then good luck came...

"How embarrassing! I won't shout!"

Sana Minatozaki shook her head in protest, noticing the passersby taking a stroll nearby.

Gong Cheng narrowed his eyes, glanced at her, and threatened, "If you don't shout, do you want to... pant here?"

"?" Sana Minatozaki's face twitched, but she knew in her heart that this was a threat. He wasn't that perverted; at most, he liked to play around with things like car sex and role-playing.

"You and Mina did it at the beach?"

Sana Minatozaki was extracting information from her.

"Your suggestion is excellent. I'll try it out with Mina-chan when I have some free time." Miyako's serious expression fueled Sana's anger!
Sana Minatozaki snorted, "She really is a contrast, huh~"

"Don't you feel any resentment?" Gong Cheng wouldn't allow the puppy to slander the little penguin.

Sana Minatozaki stood up, shoved the seashell in her hand into his, and said angrily, "Those embarrassing poses, weren't they because you wanted them?"

"Are you unhappy?" Gong Cheng shrugged.

Sana Minato clenched her fists. That bastard really knows how to infuriate people! She glanced at the sea so close at hand, raised her head, and roared, "I absolutely won't give it to you today!!!"

"?"

Gong Cheng stood up, lifted the gravel from his feet, and made a face at her angry expression: "I don't want it~"

After saying that, he quickly turned around and ran towards the parking spot.

"idiot!"

“@##%￥%&…”

Sana Minato stood there stunned for a moment, then immediately snapped out of it and cursed. She bent over without any regard for her image, took off her canvas shoes, and deliberately slowed her pace to hurl them at Makoto Miyamoto's figure: "Nice!"

"..."

After Sana Minatozaki sat back in the passenger seat of the car, panting, Makoto Miyamoto handed her a bottle of mineral water: "Have some water, don't cry... Sigh, Sana, if you want to cry, then cry."

"Hoo..." Sana Minatozaki took a deep breath and drank some water.

She turned sideways and glared at Gong Cheng, her mind completely blank about being "cyberbullied." All she could think about now was what this bastard "didn't want."

Are you trying to distance yourself from me?

"When did you become so devoted?" Sana Minatozaki felt extremely uncomfortable. "When you were dating me, why weren't you this serious?"

Gong Cheng stepped on the gas, glanced at her angry expression, and said, "Repent and turn back from your ways~"

"Wouldn't you be happy for me?"

He spoke deliberately, testing whether Sana Minatozaki's bottom line was continuing to slip.

"I'm so happy!"

Sana Minatozaki cursed angrily, her lips trembling. She was truly desperate; something even more devastating than being cyberbullied had happened.

I've given it to you so many times, and now you're telling me?

You've turned over a new leaf?

Gong Cheng chuckled and said softly, "Take a nap, I'll take you back to your dorm... I'll attend your book signing tomorrow."

"You're not trying to avoid the camera, are you?"

He asked with concern.

"If you come, I'll keep a close eye on you!"

Sana Minato sneered, her teeth itching with anger, but when the topic returned to the "cyberbullying" incident, her expression became complicated again.

I don't know how to face tomorrow's book signing event...

"Don't worry, if I'm there at tomorrow's fan signing event, no one will pay attention to TWICE~ By the way, it seems like I've disappeared from the public eye for almost two months, right?" Gong Cheng chuckled, trying to calm her nerves, then gestured to the water bottle in the control panel: "Could you open it for me? I want some water~"

Sana Minatozaki unscrewed the water bottle she had just finished drinking from and handed it to him, frowning as she looked at him: "I know you care about me, but what you said was too blunt, wasn't it? It makes TWICE sound like a nobody."

"..." Gong Cheng took a sip of water, tasted her lipstick, and glanced at the puppy: "Anyone less popular than me is a nobody. I'm not lying."

"roll!"

Sana Minatozaki didn't want to listen to his nonsense. She turned around, took the coat hanging on the back of the driver's seat, draped it over herself, and adjusted the seat: "I'm going to sleep!"

"Inside!"

Gong Cheng nodded, observing the road conditions at night.

Seeing his indifferent reaction, Sana Minatozaki punched the chair: "Let me tell you, whatever you do, don't take me to your villa in Itaewon while I'm asleep..."

“I’ve been living in Seongbuk-dong recently.”

Gong Cheng told her a very painful truth.

"Even Chengbei Cave won't do!!!"

Sana Minatozaki clutched her chest, feeling a sharp pain, which also made her breasts swell with anger.

……

12 p.m.

After seeing her roommates Yoo Jeongyeon and Park Jihyo return to their respective bedrooms, Mina tiptoed out of the dormitory, took the elevator, and went to the top floor of the apartment building.

As the elevator numbers ticked up, Mina's inner turmoil bubbled up like a mist: "Will Makoto be back tonight?"

Thinking of Sana Minatozaki again, she couldn't help but frown, her lips pursed slightly, with a hint of childish dissatisfaction: "That 'rude woman,' she wouldn't give it to me again, would she?"

Actually, she regrets it now... When Gong Cheng said he was going to comfort Sana in the afternoon, she felt a little awkward, but she still nodded.

Who told her to be so soft-hearted? When she saw Sana Minatozaki with red eyes saying, "The media is smearing me," she remembered how the two of them used to share snacks during their trainee days, and that "friendship" made it impossible for her to refuse.

But now, this soft heart makes her restless in the dead of night.

The elevator doors opened...

Mina walked into the living room, skillfully turned on the TV, plugged in the controller, and started playing games with a worried expression.

"..."

The phone screen, resting beside her knees, was occasionally lit up by Mina as she glanced at the time displayed.

12:30...

One o'clock……

"..." Another half hour passed.

Mina's fair face, her slightly parted pink lips, yawned and then twitched her nose.

She got up barefoot, turned off the TV, and walked towards the stairs to the second floor of the duplex... In the bedroom, Mina hugged a pillow and curled up in bed, unable to sleep due to insomnia.

Why aren't they back yet?

Should we make a phone call...?

Really are.

After a while, a heavy drowsiness overwhelmed Mina's eyelids, and she curled up in the blankets and fell asleep.

……

At 2 a.m., Gong Cheng unbuckled his seatbelt and parked the Aston Martin in the underground parking garage.

He rubbed his tired cheeks. He had flown from Hyogo to Seoul all day and then driven non-stop until now. He was really exhausted.

Looking at Sana Minatozaki, who had just woken up, Makoto Miyamoto was very suspicious.

Who the hell is the patient here...?

She opened the car door: "Get out, Sana-chan."

Sana Minatozaki walked with him into the apartment building's elevator, and asked curiously, "Aren't you going to the villa in Seonghoku-dong?"

"It'll take another half an hour to drive there, I'm exhausted," Gong Cheng said helplessly, rubbing his temples.

All he wants now is to take a shower and go to sleep in his top-floor apartment...

The words fell.

Silence fell in the elevator... Seeing that Minatozaki Sana was hesitant to press the button for their dormitory, Miyako thoughtfully reached out and pressed it for her.

Sana Minatozaki gritted her teeth, turned her head and glared at his tall face: "You really don't want it?"

Gong Cheng rolled his eyes and looked at her stubborn little face with a smile: "Go get some rest, Sana-chan, you've been crying all day..."

The elevator door opens.

Instead of going down, Sana Minatozaki, under Makoto Miyamoto's gaze, closed the elevator door and pressed the button for the top floor.

The silent figure remained unmoved.

She didn't really want to go back to the dorm... She slept peacefully next to Xiaobaicai.

Moreover, she was now genuinely afraid, not so sure that Gong Cheng would come back to find her.

After all, he doesn't want any of them...

"..."

We've reached the top floor!
In the elevator, Gong Cheng pushed Minatozaki Sana's small body from behind and led her down the corridor: "Since we're here, let's rest together~"

After facial recognition, the room lock opened.

Sana Minatozaki was still thinking about how to try to fool her for offering herself up so directly, but she was just pushed to the entrance.

Then, from behind, warm lips touched the veins in my neck.

Hagi Cheng's solution to his troubles was simple: "sleep," or as he put it, "one shot solves all his worries."

Sana Minatozaki turned around from his arms, and he gently lifted her shapely buttocks, encased in jeans, and placed her on the shoe cabinet.

Her lips, pale from crying, reached out to meet his, and after a long while, she asked, "Didn't you say you didn't want Mo?"

“It doesn’t count until you go inside…” Gong Cheng didn’t turn on the living room light, so he didn’t notice the pair of girls’ shoes on the shelf of the shoe cabinet. He slowly looked into Minatozaki Sana’s watery eyes and asked, “Will you give them to me or not?”

Before the puppy could even speak...

He took a deep breath, buried his face in Sana Minatozaki's collarbone, and whispered through his lowered head, "Don't say 'give'—I want to hear you refuse, I want you to resist more fiercely... Huff~!"

Sana Minatozaki instantly understood what he meant, but she couldn't quite control herself.

It's been so long since I've seen Xiaobaicai. Today, in the president's office, when I was feeling most helpless, he flew back to Seoul from Japan and appeared right in front of me.

By the way, why has Xiaobaicai been staying in Japan lately? Is she in Hyogo Prefecture?

Could it be that he really is living happily with Mina and her family?

Beneath their intersecting noses, Sana Minatozaki gripped his neck, her mind swirling with thoughts, a sharp pang of bitterness welling up inside her.

It was obviously me who came first...

……

The curtains in the second-floor bedroom were drawn tightly shut, letting in only a sliver of moonlight that cast long, thin patches of light on the floor.

Minami lay on her side in bed, the soft blankets enveloping her body. Her breathing was steady and long, but it was gently interrupted by a soft sound coming from downstairs, like the light clinking of a glass being struck. It was mixed with indistinct voices, drifting into the bedroom almost imperceptibly.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes, which had been closed, slowly opened, still veiled with the sleepiness of just waking up...

Still half-asleep, she raised her hand to rub her eyes, her fingertips brushing against her bare cheek, still carrying a hint of weariness.

"Hmm?" Mina snorted softly, a sense of vigilance suddenly rising in her heart.

She turned over, from lying on her side to sitting up, her ears instinctively turned towards the direction downstairs to listen. The blanket slipped off her shoulders, revealing a small patch of fair skin.

"Has a thief broken into the house?" The thought had barely crossed her mind when her heart started racing and her eyes widened in fear.

She subconsciously thought of Gong Cheng. If it were Cheng-chan coming back, he would definitely go straight upstairs, since it was so late. This thought made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

My thoughts have reached this point...

Mina didn't dare to delay and hurriedly lifted the blanket. The neckline of her pajamas was a little loose, revealing her slender collarbone.

Without bothering to straighten her clothes, she lay down on the bed, fumbling under her pillow, preparing to call Gong Cheng and whisper to him, "Cheng-chan, a thief broke into the house!"

But just as she found her phone, the noise from downstairs dispelled much of her grogginess from just waking up.

"..."

Mina immediately sensed something was wrong—it was a woman's voice.

Her grip on her phone suddenly stopped, and her body, which was lying on the bed, stiffened in place.

Holding her breath, she listened to the sound of someone passing through the bedroom door downstairs. A thought and image, even more terrifying than a burglar breaking into her house, suddenly surfaced in her mind…

"Dah ah~"

The familiar Kansai accent and a slightly affected intonation.

"Is it Sana?" Mina's face trembled uncontrollably, and her bare face instantly lost all color.

Sana Minatozaki's voice was soft and alluring, unlike anything she had ever heard before.

"..."

Cold sweat poured down her back, and Mina trembled in bed, her teeth chattering slightly.

She dared not listen anymore, yet she couldn't help but prick up her ears, like a self-torturing prisoner.

She unlocked her phone, opened Gong Cheng's number, bit her pale lips, and dialed.

"...Ring ring~"

Sure enough, within two seconds, a cell phone rang from the living room downstairs.

When Mina heard Makoto Miyamoto's phone ring, tears streamed down her face, and the call was actually answered.

She stared in disbelief at the screen showing the call being answered!

Baka! If you do such shameless things with other girls again, will you still dare to answer my calls?
"Hey, Mina-chan, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Gong Cheng's rough, hoarse voice came through the microphone.

Mina suppressed her sobs, listening carefully to Sana Minato's voice downstairs. She showed no trace of the sadness she felt in the practice room earlier that day, but she couldn't hear Makoto Miyamoto's voice. The soundproofing in this apartment was quite good.

Normal conversation sounds cannot be heard upstairs or downstairs.

She stopped crying, her voice dry, and managed to utter a few words: "What are you doing, Gong Cheng?"

"Comforting Sana-chan..."

Mina felt a sudden tightness in her chest. "Where are you?"

"The dormitory." His voice was honest and undisguised, and Gong Cheng asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"I understand..." The word "comfort" hit Mina's heart like a heavy hammer. She gripped her phone tightly, hung up the phone, and her breathing became rapid.

Comfort? Does one need to make such sticky, mushy sounds in an apartment to find comfort?

You've even taken my comforting to bed?!
“Comfort…” Mina unconsciously repeated the two words, her voice filled with broken self-mockery.

Cheng-chan is telling the truth, but it seems he doesn't know that I'm upstairs, haha.

Mina, her head buried under the covers in despair, let her tears fall and be absorbed by the blankets in an instant, letting out a desperate sob... When she raised her pale face again, she sniffed and reached out to turn on the bedside lamp with a "click".

She shivered as she climbed out of bed, her small frame beneath her white nightgown, and walked barefoot onto the floor towards the bedroom door.

Actually... Sana-chan is the kind of person who can't control herself, so she gave it to him without hesitation. She had expected that Makoto-chan would also be unable to control himself. She knew that from the moment she met him.

But how could you do this right under my nose?
Mina stood behind the bedroom door, her fair face pressed together, her lips trembling slightly, her cool eyes filled with tears she was trying to hold back.

The warm glow of the desk lamp illuminated her profile, a picture of brokenness and despair...

Her fair hand, accompanied by a sob in her throat, gently rested on the doorknob. Tears welled up in Mina's eyes as she yanked the door open forcefully.

There was a "pop" sound!
The door slammed against the wall...

(End of this chapter)