Why would Peninsula want to date a lazy dog ​​like me?

Tokyo, Japan.

In the center of the stage, twelve girls are sweating profusely as they perform.

As the nation's center, Zhang Yuanying still stands in the most dazzling position. She is wearing an exquisite stage outfit, with her signature sweet smile that makes hearts skip a beat.

She made a heart shape with her hands for the camera, and she winked at the fans in the audience. Every movement was precise down to the millimeter, like an idol machine that had been finely tuned.

but.

If anyone could see through that sweet exterior to her inner world at this moment, they would be horrified to discover that there was a pool of pitch-black, poisonous swamp churning inside.

Throughout the entire Japan handover trip, Zhang Yuanying's heart was never on the stage.

The screaming fans below the stage looked to her like a group of faceless gray lumps of flesh. The music around her became indistinct, and she could only mechanically follow her teammates' movements using muscle memory.

Throughout the entire process, only one image remained in her mind.

The man wearing a baseball cap and staring at her coldly with dead fish eyes—Wei Wu.

During a break in movement, Zhang Yuanying lowered her head slightly, and in the shadow of the light, a chilling twist flashed across her sweet face.

"There are only a few hours left."

She had barely slept a wink these past few days. Every time she lay in bed late at night, her mind would frantically replay the script that sent shivers down her spine.

She imagined Wei Wu in that dimly lit recording studio, working like a pitiful dog, his eyes bloodshot, desperately trying to mold the voices of those twelve women for the sake of those twenty million and to avoid breaching the contract.

She imagined that Wei Wu poured all his heart and soul, all his talent, and even his ridiculous "normal human emotions" into that piece of music.

then.

What will she do?

Zhang Yuanying completed a beautiful turn on stage, her skirt fluttering, but a cruel red light flashed in her eyes.

The moment Wei Wu handed over the master tape, she would, right in front of him, use the heel of her high heel to crush the USB drive to pieces, bit by bit!

No, that's not exciting enough.

Zhang Yuanying's breathing became somewhat rapid.

She knew that Wei Wu was going to give Zhang Zhenying a lesson that evening.

She was about to push open the door when Wei Wu was sitting in Zhang Zhenying's study, thinking he was safe and had escaped her control!

She wanted to crush that USB drive, which contained Wei Wu's three days of hard work, right in front of Zhang Zhenying and Wei Wu! Or throw it into her sister's glass of red wine!

She wanted to see Wei Wu's perpetually expressionless face crumble instantly, to see the light in his eyes be swallowed by despair, to see him go mad with rage because his life's work was destroyed, yet be helpless against her because of the 500 million yuan penalty for breach of contract!

"Sister, oh sister..."

Zhang Yuanying sneered inwardly, her mind racing.

"You think you can buy him out with 50,000 won an hour? I'll show you with your own eyes how powerless and pathetic the man you cherish is at my feet!"

"Only I can elevate him to a pedestal; only I can drag him down into the mire!"

This morbid speculation kept Zhang Yuanying in a state of extreme excitement throughout her trip to Japan. She didn't even feel tired; only the intense pleasure of about to tear through her prey's defenses surged through her veins.

……

Starship Entertainment's underground recording studio.

There are only four hours left until the "three-day deadline" stipulated in the contract.

The control room was filled with a strong, nauseating smell of black coffee and cheap cigarettes.

Wei Wu slumped in the ergonomic chair like a dried-up corpse whose soul had been drained.

His black shirt was wrinkled beyond recognition, his baseball cap was tossed aside, and his messy hair looked like a bird's nest. His eyes were bloodshot, and deep dark circles ran beneath them.

In those three days, he slept for less than six hours in total.

The vocal data of twelve girls, twelve distinct frequencies and characteristics.

To perfectly blend these elements into a purely instrumental arrangement within three days, while maintaining a high level of commercial success, is an almost impossible challenge for any producer.

But Cao Cao did it.

He not only did it, but he did it perfectly.

When he pressed the save button for the last note, he felt as if his brain had been run over dozens of times by a steamroller, and he was almost losing his ability to think.

"Damn it... I never want to work in a girl group again in my life."

Wei Wu straightened up with difficulty and picked up the black USB drive on the table.

He tore off a sticky note from the side, picked up a pen, and wrote a word on it in his handwriting, which carried a hint of murderous intent:

【Violeta】

This was the code name he casually gave to the piece of music.

He stuck the sticky note firmly onto the USB drive and then placed it in the most conspicuous position on the mixing console.

Wei Wu glanced at the clock on the wall.

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Zhang Yuanying's flight landed in Seoul at around 4 PM.

"run!"

In an instant, the highest level of air raid siren sounded in Wei Wu's mind.

Wei Wu had been dreaming about Zhang Yuanying's murderous look before she left for the past three days. He knew perfectly well that the madwoman was up to no good and was probably plotting something to torture him when he was about to deliver the goods.

Wei Wu was an extremely pragmatic person.

He takes the money and delivers the goods—that's only fair. As for how crazy the client might be, that's their business; Wei Wu will absolutely not play along!

With an agility that seemed completely out of character for his exhausted body, Wei Wu grabbed the canvas bag from the ground and pulled out his phone.

"Click."

He took a clear picture of the USB drive on the mixing console, making sure he could see the word "Violeta" on it.

Then, he opened Kakao and briefly removed Zhang Yuanying from his blacklist.

【image】

Wei Wu: [The master tape is on the USB drive, on the mixing console in the control room. The three-day deadline hasn't passed, so the contract is fulfilled. Remember to transfer the final payment of 20 million to my account. Goodbye.]

Sending complete.

Without a second's hesitation, Wei Wu added Zhang Yuanying to his blacklist again!

The movements were executed in one smooth, fluid motion.

"call--"

After doing all this, Wei Wu let out a long sigh of relief.

He flung open the door to the control room and dashed out like a gust of wind.

As long as I run fast enough, the lunatic can't catch me!

All he wanted to do now was go back to his shabby, cheap rental apartment, sleep soundly until the end of the day, and then get up at night to comfortably earn that 50,000 won per hour at Jang Jin-young's place.

As for Zhang Yuanying?

Fuck it!

……

5:30 PM.

A black van screeched to a halt in the underground parking garage of Starship Entertainment.

The car door was pulled open with a "whoosh," and Zhang Yuanying rushed out without even wearing a mask or hat, still in her casual clothes.

"Yuan Ying! Slow down! The schedule is over, why are you here instead of going back to your dorm?" her manager called out anxiously from behind.

Zhang Yuanying completely ignored it.

Her eyes gleamed with an almost manic light, and her high heels clicked rapidly on the concrete floor of the underground parking garage.

She's back.

She returned with that perfect destruction plan!

Zhang Yuanying rushed into the elevator and pressed the button for the basement. The dozen or so seconds that the elevator descended felt like an eternity to her.

Wei Wu's face kept appearing in her mind.

"You must be very nervous right now, right? You must be eagerly waiting for me to inspect your hard work, right?"

"Ding!"

The elevator doors opened.

Zhang Yuanying practically lunged forward. She rushed to the door of recording studio number three and, without the slightest hesitation, pushed open the heavy soundproof door.

"Cao Cao!"

She screamed, her voice filled with an uncontrollable, perverse pleasure.

however.

She was greeted only by an empty control room and the lingering smell of coffee in the air.

There was no Cao Cao.

There was no one there.

Zhang Yuanying's smile instantly froze on her face.

She stood blankly at the doorway, her gaze quickly scanning the control room.

There was no one there. Even the old canvas bag was gone.

Where are they?

Zhang Yuanying's brows furrowed deeply, and an ominous premonition welled up in her heart.

She walked quickly to the mixing console.

Then, she saw the lonely black USB drive lying on the table. And on the USB drive, there was a sticky note that read "Violeta".

Zhang Yuanying suddenly took out her phone and opened Kakao.

One unread message.

It was that photo and that cold, businesslike message that Wei Wu sent.

When Zhang Yuanying tried to reply with "You dare to run?", the glaring notification popped up on the screen:

The other party has rejected your message.

"..."

A deathly silence fell over the control room.

Zhang Yuanying stared intently at her phone screen, her body beginning to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

Ran.

That bastard... that money-grubbing scoundrel, he actually delivered the goods right on time just to avoid her, and then ran away without even showing his face!

"ah--!!!"

Zhang Yuanying slammed her phone against the wall, letting out a sharp scream filled with endless frustration and anger.

The phone screen shattered instantly and fell to the ground.

She meticulously planned the script for three days! She had rehearsed in her mind countless times the ultimate pleasure of trampling Wei Wu's dignity underfoot!

All of this was shattered by Wei Wu's shameless and pragmatic "delivery and run away" behavior!

He was like a slippery eel, giving her absolutely no chance to unleash psychological violence!

"Cao Cao... Cao Cao!!!"

Zhang Yuanying gripped her hair tightly with both hands, and the bloodshot veins in her eyes spread wildly.

She turned her head and stared intently at the USB drive on the table.

"You think you can get away?"

Zhang Yuanying's breathing became heavy, and her chest heaved violently.

She glanced at her watch.

5:45 PM.

Wei Wu is going to give Zhang Zhenying a lesson at 8 PM.

"Good...very good."

Zhang Yuanying's lips curled into a twisted, devilish smirk.

"You're avoiding me, aren't you? You don't want to see me, do you?"

"Then I'll take this USB drive straight to Zhang Zhenying's study! I'm going to break your hard work in half right in front of that woman and shove it into your mouth!"

Zhang Yuanying suddenly reached out and grabbed the USB drive on the table.

She turned around, ready to rush out of the recording studio and head straight for her sister's villa.

but.

The moment her fingers touched the sticky note.

Zhang Yuanying suddenly stopped moving.

Her gaze involuntarily fell on the word on the sticky note: 【Violeta】.

The handwriting was very deep, almost penetrating the back of the paper, revealing a strong sense of Wei Wu's personal wildness and unruliness.

Zhang Yuanying's eyes flickered slightly.

For some reason, looking at these words, a strange thought suddenly popped into her mind, which was originally filled with anger and destructive desire.

What exactly did Wei Wu write in those three days?

What did he transform the voices of those twelve women into?

Once the thought arose, it instantly and uncontrollably took over her mind.

Zhang Yuanying stood there, clutching the USB drive tightly in her hand.

Reason told her that she should rush to Zhang Zhenying's house immediately and carry out her plan to destroy it.

But her subconscious was like an invisible hand, holding her back tightly.

"Just listen for a moment..."

Zhang Yuanying said to herself in her heart, her voice a little hoarse.

"I'll just listen to how awful this pile of garbage is, and then I'll throw it in his face."

She slowly turned around and walked back to the mixing console.

She pulled out the chair that Wei Wu had just sat in and sat down. The chair seemed to still retain the warmth of Wei Wu's body and the smell of cheap laundry detergent.

Zhang Yuanying took a deep breath and plugged the USB drive into the computer's USB port.

An audio file popped up on the screen: 【Violeta_Final】.

Zhang Yuanying put on the heavy monitoring headphones.

Her finger hovered over the left mouse button, trembling slightly.

then.

"Click".

She pressed the play button.

……

At the first 0.1 seconds after the audio begins playing.

It felt as if a nuclear bomb had exploded in Zhang Yuanying's mind.

There was no lengthy prelude, no unnecessary build-up.

A synthesizer sound, ethereal yet fatally alluring, instantly overwhelmed her entire auditory nerve like a tidal wave.

This is followed by strong, Future Bass-style bass drum beats.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The drumbeats didn't feel like they were striking eardrums, but rather like a heavy hammer slamming directly into Zhang Yuanying's heart, creating a terrifying resonance with her heartbeat.

Zhang Yuanying's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints.

Her body instantly stiffened in the chair, and even her breathing stopped completely at that moment.

What...what is this?!

The music continued.

Wei Wu's god-like talent for arranging music was on full display at this moment.

gorgeous.

Surprising.

It's filled with an intensely tempting, suffocating allure that makes you want to dance wildly!

When the music progresses to the chorus, there's a climax where all the tracks are pushed to their limits in an instant.

"what……"

A suppressed, even slightly sweet moan escaped Zhang Yuanying's throat uncontrollably.

She felt a tingling sensation on her scalp, and a strong electric current shot from her tailbone straight to the top of her head.

so perfect.

It's so perfect it's terrifying!

Zhang Yuanying was well aware of the high quality of this piece of music.

This is by no means a perfunctory, assembly-line product.

Moreover, this was something Wei Wu wrote in just three days while in a state of extreme exhaustion!

"Genius...monster..."

Zhang Yuanying closed her eyes, gripping the edges of the headphones tightly with both hands, her fingernails almost digging into the plastic casing.

Her body trembled violently in the large chair.

It wasn't because of anger.

Rather, it was because of an unprecedented, intense...pleasure.

Wei Wu's music was like a pair of invisible hands, roughly tearing away all of Zhang Yuanying's pretenses and directly touching the most secret and twisted desires deep in her soul.

"Destroy it?"

Zhang Yuanying inwardly mocked her previous plan.

"How could I possibly destroy it..."

"This is the crystallization of his soul... the embodiment of his talent... the most perfect gift he left me!"

The song ended.

The music, which lasted for three minutes and thirty seconds, stopped.

All that could be heard in the headphones was a faint electrical hum.

But Zhang Yuanying remained in that position, unable to recover for a long time.

Her chest heaved violently, and her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. Her sweet face was now flushed with a sickly redness, and her eyes were glazed and crazed.

She slowly took off her headphones.

The control room remained deathly silent.

But Zhang Yuanying's world has been completely turned upside down.

She stared at the file named 【Violeta_Final】 on the screen, her eyes flashing with an unprecedented, deep, black-hole-like possessiveness.

She suddenly didn't want to go to Zhang Zhenying's house anymore.

She didn't want to throw this song in Wei Wu's face.

She didn't even want anyone to hear this song!

This is hers.

This was written to her by Wei Wu! Even if Wei Wu was only after money, even if Wei Wu only saw her as a disgusting client.

But this song is now in her hands!

Zhang Yuanying suddenly lunged at the mixing console, clutching the computer with the USB drive plugged in tightly to her chest.

She pressed her face against the cold screen, greedily inhaling the lingering scent of Wei Wu in the air.

"Cao Cao..."

Zhang Yuanying's voice became hoarse and sweet, carrying a chilling kind of obsession.

"You can't escape..."

"You think you can get away with it just by running away?"

"You wrote this...you've exposed your soul to me...where do you think you can run now?"

That night, Zhang Yuanying did not go home.

They didn't go back to IZ*ONE's dorm either.

She locked the recording studio door from the inside.

In this dimly lit, enclosed space filled with the atmosphere of Wei Wu (Cao Cao).

She played "Violeta" on repeat over and over again.

Each burst of music plunged her into a deeper level of fear and fascination.

She took off her high heels and, barefoot, spun and twisted wildly in the control room to the rhythm.

She imagined Wei Wu sitting in that chair, looking at her with those cold, dead-fish eyes.

She imagined herself being completely pierced, torn apart, and then tightly enveloped by Wei Wu's talent.

Until dawn.

Zhang Yuanying collapsed onto the carpet like a lump of mud.

Her clothes were disheveled, and her hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to her cheeks.

But a strange, satisfied, twisted smile, as if it had already devoured the entire world, curled up at the corners of her mouth.

"elder sister……"

Zhang Yuanying stared at the ceiling, murmuring softly.

You lost.

You'll never have him.