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

Seoul has entered its long rainy season, with continuous drizzle enveloping the entire city in a sticky, damp atmosphere.

Wei Wu was still wearing that faded blue-green uniform, holding a rag in his hand, slowly wiping the countertop.

"Phew...this is what life should be like."

Looking at the drizzling rain outside the window, Wei Wu's dead fish eyes revealed a long-lost sense of ease and tranquility.

These past two days, his life has finally returned to that delightful, monotonous tranquility.

Zhang Zhenying, the rich family's dim-witted daughter with a screw loose, seemed to have vanished into thin air. She never appeared at the convenience store again during its opening hours, nor did she stare at him with that chilling gaze.

The evening tutoring sessions continued, but Zhang Zhenying's attitude underwent a complete transformation. She stopped trying to pry into his private life, stopped speaking to him in that clingy tone, and instead became an extremely well-behaved, even somewhat dull, student. Apart from reading aloud and doing exercises with him, she didn't say a word more than necessary.

Even that pretty but grumpy "distant relative" never appeared again.

As for the Korean music scene that went crazy searching for "LazyDog" because of "Believer", Wei Wu completely disappeared after he decisively removed his old SIM card and canceled the email associated with his SoundCloud account.

The world is quiet now.

Wei Wu silently calculated his income for the month.

"A convenience store job pays 8,000 won per hour, eight hours a day, which is about 1.9 million won a month. A tutor works two hours a day, paying 50,000 won per hour, which is 3 million won a month. Together, it's nearly 5 million won..."

Wei Wu couldn't help but let a tiny, almost imperceptible smile curve his lips upward.

Five million Korean won. For an international student who just wants to coast along, this is an absolute fortune.

"Once I get paid next month, I'll go to the Longshan Electronics Market and buy that set of secondhand Yamaha monitor speakers. The remaining money will be enough for me to eat two deluxe bento boxes with meat every day."

Wei Wu was envisioning his bright future as a salted fish, completely unaware that beneath the seemingly calm surface, a far more terrifying and secretive conspiracy targeting him had already opened its bloody maw.

……

The intense music finally stopped, and the twelve girls collapsed breathlessly on the wooden floor, their training clothes soaked with sweat.

"Ten-minute break!" The dance teacher clapped her hands and walked out of the practice room.

The girls immediately huddled together, some drinking water, others wiping away sweat.

Zhang Yuanying sat in the corner, holding a bottle of mineral water but not drinking it.

She lowered her head slightly, her beautiful eyes peering through her bangs at an electronic document on her phone screen, a chilling, cold yet fervent light gleaming in her gaze.

The document is titled: "Draft Proposal for Outsourcing Collaboration with 'LazyDog' Producers".

Ever since that night in her sister's study when she decided to steal this prey, Zhang Yuanying completely changed her strategy.

She figured out Wei Wu's character.

Extremely rational, extremely realistic, extremely averse to trouble, and has built a high defensive wall against the whole world.

Zhang Yuanying considered her sister Zhang Zhenying's attempt to forcibly bind Wei Wu with a "contract of servitude" with a penalty of 5 billion won to be utterly foolish. Such a coercive and threatening contract would only provoke Wei Wu's rebellious nature, making him bristle like a frightened hedgehog and run far away.

"You can't beat a turtle that's hiding in its shell with a hammer," Zhang Yuanying thought to herself with a cold laugh, her slender fingers lightly swiping across the screen. "You have to put the most irresistible bait outside its shell. Make it willingly stick its head out."

What were Wei Wu's weaknesses?

money.

Also, I'm afraid of trouble.

Zhang Yuanying grasped these two core elements.

She knew Wei Wu would never sign any long-term, binding artist contracts or exclusive producer contracts. Therefore, she tailored a "perfect plan" for Wei Wu.

A purely one-off, high-paying "outsourcing deal".

Starship has already prepared a contract for Wei Wu to outsource the arrangement and mixing.

This contract will perfectly meet all of Wei Wu's requirements:

The pay is extremely high; the arrangement and mixing fee for a single song is as high as 20 million Korean won (approximately 120,000 RMB), which is enough to instantly shatter Wei Wu's psychological defenses built up with an hourly wage of 8,000 Korean won.

He can remain completely anonymous; he doesn't need to show his face, participate in any commercial activities, or even sign his name. He can continue to be invisible.

There were no subsequent liabilities for breach of contract or additional clauses; it was a clean and straightforward transaction, with payment made on the spot.

It's like a perfect part-time job falling from the sky.

However, Zhang Yuanying planted a highly secretive, yet deadly, poison needle in this plan.

The final supplementary clause of the contract stipulates that, in order to ensure the quality of the final audio track and the security of the master tape, Party B (Wei Wu) must use the high-end recording studio designated by Party A for the work.

The designated recording studio was Starship Entertainment's highest-level exclusive recording studio.

As long as Wei Wu steps into that recording studio for those 20 million Korean won.

As long as he sits in that enclosed, soundproof space.

Zhang Yuanying will be like a venomous spider that has been lurking for a long time, slowly tightening her web.

She will be there, stripping away all his pretense and making him completely fall under her control.

"Won-young, what are you looking at? Why are you laughing so...strangely?"

A voice filled with doubt suddenly rang in my ears.

Zhang Yuanying's finger suddenly stopped, and the screen went black instantly.

She raised her head, and the coldness and fervor on her face vanished in a fraction of a second, replaced by her signature sweet, innocent, and energetic smile.

"No, unnie~" Jang Won-young said sweetly to Ahn Yu-jin who was leaning closer, "I was looking at a new lip gloss that just came out, the color is super pretty."

Ahn Yu-jin, another core member of IZ*ONE, is also a member of Starship Entertainment, the same company as Jang Won-young. She has a pair of very piercing big eyes and a straightforward personality.

An Youzhen looked at Zhang Yuanying suspiciously.

For some reason, she felt that Zhang Yuanying had been acting strangely these past two days.

Although on the surface, Jang Won-young still appears to be the same radiant maknae who shines in front of the camera and loves to act cute in private, Ahn Yu-jin could sense that beneath Jang Won-young's perfect smile lay a chilling, extremely repressed excitement.

It's like a wild beast patiently watching its prey, ready to bite off its neck at any moment.

The smile Zhang Yuanying gave while staring at her phone screen, though fleeting, sent a chill down An Youzhen's spine. It definitely wasn't the expression of someone looking at lip gloss.

"Really? Which lip gloss? Let me see." Ahn Yoo-jin tried to reach for Jang Won-young's phone.

Zhang Yuanying naturally put her phone in her pocket, then casually took An Youzhen's arm and nuzzled her head against her shoulder.

"Oh dear, unnie, that's already sold out. I'll lend it to you when I get it." Zhang Yuanying's voice was so soft and sweet it made your bones melt.

An Youzhen sighed helplessly and gave up asking further questions. She ruffled Zhang Yuanying's hair: "You little rascal, why have you been so secretive lately? By the way, after practice, should we go to the coffee shop downstairs to grab something to eat?"

"Let's not go downstairs." Jang Won-young looked up, her eyes sparkling with innocent light. "Unnie, let's go to a convenience store in Mapo-gu, shall we? I heard they have a new limited edition bento box that's super delicious."

"Mapo District?!" Ahn Yoo-jin's eyes widened, as if she had heard something unbelievable. "Jang Won-young, are you crazy? Just for a convenience store bento? Do you know how long the ride will take? And there are three convenience stores right downstairs from our dorm!"

Ahn Yoo-jin knows Jang Won-young quite well.

This young lady is usually very delicate and has very high standards for her quality of life. How could she possibly travel all the way to a relatively old neighborhood like Mapo-gu just for a bento box from a shabby convenience store?

"Oh, unnie, please, please~~" Jang Won-young began to unleash her ultimate aegyo sal technique, clinging to Ahn Yu-jin's arm and shaking it incessantly. "I really, really want to eat that bento. And there aren't many people there, we can wear masks, so we won't be recognized. Just think of it as a drive to clear our heads, okay, Yu-jin unnie~~"

Faced with Zhang Yuanying's persistent pleading, Ahn Yu-jin eventually gave in.

"Fine, fine, I give up. I really don't understand what's going on in your head." Ahn Yoo-jin rolled her eyes helplessly.

Zhang Yuanying lowered her head, a barely perceptible, cold smile curving her lips.

"That's right, unnie."

"I just need a plausible excuse, a smokescreen that allows me to appear naturally in front of him and gradually get used to my presence."

……

7 PM.

Mapo-gu, GS25 convenience store.

The rain outside was getting heavier, with large raindrops pounding against the glass windowpane, making a pattering sound.

Wei Wu sat idly behind the cashier, holding a worn-out Korean dictionary in his hand, flipping through it half-heartedly.

"Ding-dong—Welcome!"

The convenience store's sensor door opened, and two girls bundled up tightly walked in, accompanied by a gust of damp, cold air.

Both were wearing oversized waterproof windbreakers, baseball caps, and black face masks, revealing only their eyes.

Wei Wu merely raised his eyelids to glance at them before turning his gaze back to the dictionary.

"Annyeonghaseyo," Wei Wu mechanically uttered a greeting devoid of any emotion.

As long as they're not here to rob, they can hook up with whoever they want.

As soon as Ahn Yu-jin entered, she couldn't help but frown. This convenience store looked quite old, with dim lighting and a mixed smell of oden and cheap instant noodles in the air.

She really didn't understand why Zhang Yuanying would travel all this way to a place like this.

"Yuanying, where is that limited edition bento you mentioned...?" Ahn Yoojin turned her head, about to ask Jang Yuanying, but found that the person next to her had disappeared.

She followed the gaze and saw Zhang Yuanying standing in front of the refrigerated display case, holding a bottle of ordinary banana milk. However, her eyes were fixed and greedily fixed on the male clerk behind the cashier through the gaps in the shelf.

Ahn Yoo-jin followed Jang Won-young's gaze.

He was an extremely ordinary-looking man. His hair was somewhat disheveled, his eyes were lifeless, and he looked utterly颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of listlessness, apathy, and a lack of motivation) as if he might fall asleep at any moment.

Ahn Yoo-jin was stunned.

She turned her head and looked at Zhang Yuanying again.

In that instant, Ahn Yoo-jin felt every hair on her body stand on end, and an uncontrollable chill shot from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

What did she see?

She saw Zhang Yuanying, the top idol who was always proud on stage and always picky in private, looking at the dejected male shop assistant with a chilling gaze she had never seen before.

There was no idol's reserve or a young girl's shyness in her eyes.

There was only an extremely deep, almost overflowing possessiveness, and a hunter's...morbid fanaticism as he admired his prey about to fall into his net.

Zhang Yuanying's fingers gripped the bottle of banana milk tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. Her chest heaved slightly, as if she were desperately suppressing a frantic urge to break free from its confinement.

"Yuan...Yuan Ying?" Ahn Yoo-jin swallowed and called out tentatively.

Zhang Yuanying was startled and suddenly came to her senses.

She turned to look at Ahn Yoo-jin, the fervor in her eyes instantly fading, replaced by a pure and innocent smile.

"Unnie, I couldn't find that bento box, it's probably sold out. I'll just buy a bottle of milk." Zhang Yuanying's voice was as sweet as ever, as if the monster that had exuded a terrifying aura just moments before had never existed.

Ahn Yoo-jin felt a chill run down her spine when she looked at Jang Won-young.

too frightening.

This ability to switch facial expressions in an instant, this disguise of hiding extreme madness beneath ultimate sweetness, is more chilling than any horror movie.

Holding the banana milk, Zhang Yuanying walked briskly to the cashier.

"Check out." Zhang Yuanying deliberately lowered her voice, still using that slightly hoarse, feigned tone.

Wei Wu put down the dictionary, picked up the banana milk, and scanned the barcode.

"Five thousand five hundred Korean won." Wei Wu didn't even look up, his voice as cold as a piece of raw iron.

Zhang Yuanying took out two 1,000 won bills from her pocket and handed them over.

When Wei Wu reached out to take the money, Zhang Yuanying did not deliberately touch his hand, but instead placed the money on the table with utmost decorum.

She knew that Wei Wu was an extremely vigilant person. If she showed even the slightest bit of "specialness" or "crossing the line," Wei Wu would immediately raise his guard.

What she had to do was completely integrate into the convenience store environment and become, in his eyes, the most ordinary and least threatening "ATM customer".

"Here's your change. Take care." Wei Wu slapped the coin on the table, then immediately turned his gaze back to the dictionary, as if looking at Zhang Yuanying even once more would dirty his eyes.

Ahn Yoo-jin stood to the side, watching this scene with disbelief.

How could this male shop assistant treat Zhang Yuanying with such a perfunctory, even disdainful, attitude?!

What horrified her even more was that Zhang Yuanying wasn't angry at all! Moreover, when she looked at the 500 won coin on the table, a hint of... enjoyment flashed in her eyes behind her sunglasses?

"Thank you." Zhang Yuanying picked up the coin, her voice even trembling with a hint of pleasure.

She turned around, took the arm of the completely petrified Ahn Yoo-jin, and walked out of the convenience store.

It wasn't until she had walked several dozen meters away from the convenience store that Ahn Yu-jin recovered from the suffocating and eerie atmosphere.

"Zhang Yuanying, explain yourself! What exactly happened?!" An Youzhen flung Zhang Yuanying's hand away and roared in a low voice, "You came all this way here, not for any bento box, but to see that male clerk, right?! Do you know what you're doing? Are you crazy?!"

Zhang Yuanying stopped and turned around to look at the angry Ahn Yoo-jin.

Raindrops pattered on her transparent umbrella, sliding down the ribs.

Zhang Yuanying slowly removed her mask, revealing her exquisite and flawless face.

A strange, chilling smile curled at the corners of her lips.

"Unnie, you're overreacting." Zhang Yuanying's voice was as gentle as if she were telling a fairy tale. "I just found a very interesting toy."

"A toy?!" Ahn Yoo-jin felt her worldview crumbling. "You call that guy who ignores you and looks at you with utter disdain a 'toy'? Jang Won-young, are you under a spell? What's so great about him?!"

"You don't understand, Yoojin unnie."

Zhang Yuanying turned her head, her gaze passing over the rain curtain, and looked into the distance at the GS25 convenience store with its dim lights.

"He doesn't despise me; he despises everyone in the world. He's like a closed iceberg, and no one can get close to him."

Zhang Yuanying stuck out her tongue and gently licked her lips, her eyes flashing with an extremely twisted desire for conquest.

"But I will be the exception."

"I will melt his heart little by little, I will make him used to my presence. I will make him feel that only I am safe and will not cause him any trouble."

"I will build a cage of my own around this iceberg. By the time he realizes what's happening, he'll have nowhere to escape."

Zhang Yuanying put her mask back on and took An Youzhen's arm.

"Let's go, unnie. Tomorrow, I'm bringing Yena unnie along too. I want him to get used to us being just regular customers at his shop."

Looking at her familiar yet unfamiliar younger sister beside her, Ahn Yoo-jin felt a chill run down her spine.

……

Over the next few days, Wei Wu's life underwent some minor changes.

The two girls, bundled up tightly, became regulars at the convenience store.

Sometimes it's two people, sometimes three. They appear promptly around seven or eight o'clock every evening, buying drinks, snacks, or just an umbrella.

At first, Wei Wu was somewhat wary.

"Are these women out of their minds? Why do they come to this dump every day to buy things?" Wei Wu thought to himself.

But as time went on, Wei Wu gradually lowered his guard.

Because these girls were just too "well-behaved".

They never waste words; they take what they want and pay immediately, paying with utmost speed and efficiency. They never ask for the food to be heated up or ask for directions. They perfectly adhere to the boundaries of the "customer and cashier" transaction, never causing Wei Wu the slightest "trouble."

On one occasion, one of the girls (Zhang Yuanying) accidentally dropped a coin on the ground, and Wei Wu simply watched coldly without making a move. The girl didn't complain at all; she just squatted down, picked up the coin, and politely said "thank you."

"As long as they pay and don't bother me, I'd welcome even if a few pigs came to buy things every day."

Cao Cao's pragmatic philosophy once again prevailed.

He categorized these girls as "high-quality ATM customers who are not quite right in the head."

He was completely unaware that in these seemingly uneventful "ordinary transactions" day after day, Zhang Yuanying's presence had silently seeped into his extremely closed-off social circle, like a drop of colorless and odorless poison.

Without realizing it, he had become accustomed to the same time every night, to the girl in the baseball cap handing him a banknote damp with slightly cool rain.

This is the first step in Zhang Yuanying's plan: desensitization.

She wanted to desensitize Wei Wu to her presence and make him lower all his guard.

It was another rainy night.

Zhang Yuanying walked out of the GS25 convenience store alone.

She opened her umbrella and glanced back at the man yawning behind the cashier.

A dangerous and extremely morbid smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

"The first step is complete."

Zhang Yuanying took out her phone and dialed the number of the director of the production department at Starship Entertainment.

"Director, I have a lead regarding the search for 'LazyDog'."

……

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yuanying took a deep breath of the humid air.

"Cao Cao of Wei".

"The game has begun."