Peninsula: I'm being supported by a top idol.

It's been two days.

Liu Zhimin had almost given up hope of being able to contact Cui Shi'an.

Forty-eight hours straight!

That unread text message, showing that she was safe, was like a thorn stuck in her phone screen, and also in her heart.

It was as if it were silently mocking her impulsiveness that night and all the futile waiting that followed.

Does this sound like a word?

She even secretly searched local news and social sections, but found no reports of the male college student's death or being found dead in the street.

The online world was calm and peaceful, as if the life-or-death struggle in the rainy alley and the guy who was covered in wounds but still held on were just illusions she had imagined.

Since there was no bad news, the only remaining explanation is that the other party simply didn't want to contact her.

This conclusion felt like a cold stone, sinking heavily into her stomach.

Did they turn their backs on us once they got the arrowheads?

She couldn't help but maliciously speculate: Did she think that returning the item to its rightful owner meant they were even?

The feeling of being used and then discarded filled her with bitterness and anger.

She even began to regret running to save him that night!

He deserves to be taught a lesson by that "convenience store owner"!

However, this resentment usually doesn't last more than a few minutes before being overwhelmed by deeper worries.

What if... he doesn't not want to, but is unable to?

This thought, like a ghost, always quietly surfaced whenever she tried to arm herself with anger.

It's all about vengeful spirits and exorcisms...

The world he lived in could not be judged by ordinary standards.

Perhaps he is trapped in some kind of predicament where he is unable to contact the outside world?

Perhaps the injuries sustained that night have unknown long-term effects?

Perhaps... something even more terrifying has come after him?

This uncertainty tormented Liu Zhimin.

I found myself caught in an absurd cycle: one moment I was angry at his heartlessness, the next I was afraid something bad would happen to him.

The intense tug-of-war between two emotions left her restless and somewhat dazed, even while running her schedule.

Several times, he needed to be reminded by his teammates or manager to come to his senses.

She hated the feeling of being controlled by all her emotions, especially being led around by someone whose life or death she didn't even know.

What made her even more uneasy was that beneath all these worries and complaints, there seemed to be an emotion she didn't want to delve into—disappointment.

That feeling of loss, of being unilaterally excluded from that bizarre, dangerous yet incredibly real world.

She shook her head violently, trying to banish the tired and scarred face from her mind.

"Fine, whatever!" she muttered to the air, then angrily silenced her phone and stuffed it into the bottom of her backpack.

Out of sight, out of mind.

However, the moment she put her phone into her bag, the screen suddenly lit up.

On the caller ID, Cui Shi'an's name had inexplicably acquired a long prefix—【Super Incredibly Annoying Person】.

"Hmm? Why aren't you answering the phone?"

Choi Si-an muttered to himself as he held the phone he had just picked up from the repair shop, "Is it inconvenient to answer calls while I'm on a busy schedule?"

Ever since he learned about the origin of the arrowhead in his hand from Hera, he had a lot of questions he wanted to ask Liu Zhimin, such as what he had dreamed about.

Was the injury that prevented him from escaping also caused by this arrow?

And there's another problem: he's been holding the arrowhead in his hand while sleeping these past two days, so why hasn't he dreamed about anything?

Could it be that his status as one of the "other omissions" prevents him from entering the dream through arrows?

It wasn't until noon that Liu Zhimin saw the several missed calls on his phone.

While having lunch with her teammates at the TV station, she suddenly stood up from her chair and instinctively tried to dial back.

No, why should I call back? You've been unilaterally out of contact for so long!

whispering sound!

The girl scoffed and tossed her phone onto the table.

After thinking for a moment, he picked it up again, switched it from silent to vibrate, and then sat down to continue eating.

However, this time, her appetite was clearly much better than before.

She even made a smacking sound with her lips, as if to prove to everyone that she was happy and excited.

The other three members of Aespa looked at each other, wondering why this unnie's emotions had been so volatile lately.

One minute she's all stern, like everyone owes her money, and the next she's beaming like she's won the lottery.

"Why are you looking at me? Is there enough food? Order more if you need more. Everyone has had a tough time these past two days, so you're allowed to eat a little more today~"

"Ugh~" the three of them muttered to themselves, "Isn't it tough? We have to run around to events and also have to watch your mood."

"Unnie, your phone is vibrating." Kim Dong-won pointed to the table behind him.

"Kenchana." Liu Zhimin said smugly, without even turning around to look.

"Why didn't you answer?" Ningning craned her neck curiously to look: "Super-invincible..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Zhimin slammed the screen onto the table.

Ningning reluctantly looked away: "If you're not going to answer, just hang up... This buzzing is so annoying..."

"You talk too much, you brat~ Hurry up and eat," Liu Zhimin said reproachfully.

To her right now, that buzzing vibration is the most delightful music to accompany her meal; she couldn't wait for that guy to get as impatient as possible!

After a while...

Seeing that the food had been dried for a while and that they had finished eating, and with Cui Shi'an still on the phone, she finally picked up her phone and went outside to find a quiet place.

"Mmm..." She cleared her throat, pressed the answer button, and slowly brought the phone to her ear, her tone flat: "What?"

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?" Cui Shi'an asked, his voice slightly anxious. "I was so worried! Are you very busy?"

Hmph, that's exactly what I wanted to make you anxious!

Liu Zhimin said calmly, "Yes, I'm very busy."

Cui Shi'an on the other end of the phone was taken aback. He sensed that the other person's attitude wasn't very friendly, but he didn't understand why. He quickly said:

"Then I'll get to the point. When are you free? Let's find a place to meet as soon as possible."

"Meet? What for?" Liu Zhimin asked knowingly.

Now Cui Shi'an was even more confused: "Weren't you curious about what happened that night? I can tell you the inside story."

"Who said I was curious?" She switched hands to answer the phone, her tone still calm: "I'm not curious."

"...But I need to talk to you. Are you really too busy?"

Liu Zhimin gave a soft "hmm" and asked indifferently, "Aren't you busy too?"

"What am I busy with?" Cui Shi'an sighed. "I've been thinking about how to contact you these past two days. Can't you really spare even a little time?"

"You want to contact me?" Liu Zhimin was taken aback for a moment, a hint of secret joy rising in his heart, but he still pretended to be puzzled:

"Then why now...?"

"My phone got broken by that shake that night, and I just picked it up from the repair shop... Could you contact me as soon as you have time?"

Oh, the phone was broken...

Liu Zhimin felt his face burning.

In hindsight, he realized that he had risked his life several times to let her go first, so how could he have been so indifferent?

There must have been an unavoidable reason why we haven't been in touch...

"Well..." she immediately switched to a lighter tone, "Send me your address, I'll come find you at eight o'clock tonight."

"Hey? Didn't you say you were busy? If you're really busy..."

"It's so noisy! Send it already!"