Tick!"

"Jessica, how do you ......?"

"Please let me in!"

The security guard on the night patrol in the company building looked at the girl in front of him who looked a little messy and embarrassed, and his eyes were surprised.

But when his eyes met the red eyes under Zheng Xiuyan's bangs, he hesitated for a moment, finally turned sideways and got out of the way, and by the way, he took out the key and asked kindly: "Are you going upstairs? Do you want me to help you open the elevator?"

"No need......" Zheng Xiuyan seemed to realize her gaffe, she raised her hand and brushed the hair on her cheeks, then raised her head high, looked at the security guard and said, "I'll just walk up by myself, I'm just ...... Come to the company to confirm one thing. ”

Hearing Zheng Xiuyan's calm answer, the security guard nodded and said, "Then you are busy." If you need anything, you can always come to us in the security room downstairs. ”

"Okay, thank you. ”

"You're welcome. ”

In the face of the girl's polite thanks, a smile naturally appeared on the security guard's face.

After working in SM for a long time, he gradually realized the difference between rumors and reality, for example, the young girl standing in front of him now, the outside world said that she was an iceberg princess who didn't understand human feelings, but only those who really came into contact with her knew the warmth of her heart.

"The cold shell is wrapped in hot feelings", this comment is still what he saw from the Internet, and he deeply thought about it.

But......

The security guard took a flashlight and turned his head to shine in the direction of the slightly thin back, frowning in wonder.

What is it that makes this strong-looking girl look like this?

……

Coming to the corridor, Zheng Xiuyan looked up at the top that was so high that she couldn't see her head at a glance.

She bit her lower lip tightly, then held on to the stairs with her hand and walked up without saying a word.

If someone stood aside and looked at her carefully at this time, they would be surprised to find that she had always paid attention to her appearance, but tonight's dress was extremely casual, and could even be described as sloppy.

In the middle of the night in Seoul, when the weather was getting cooler at the end of September, she only wore a knitted jacket on her upper body, except for the pajamas she was still wearing, and the lower half of her body was thin jeans, her hair was not tied up properly, it was loose, and even the shoes on her feet were flip-flops that she casually stepped on before going out.

Not long ago, she hurried out of her home with such an image that would never have been presented to her before, and then drove her car through the deserted streets in the early hours of the morning, and did not stop until she reached the building.

To be honest, Zheng Xiuyan thought that she would never be so embarrassed in her life as she is today.

Since '09, she had vowed never to be weak again.

But it turns out that life often proves to you at a certain moment that you don't know when you can never be truly strong.

Everyone has weaknesses, and as Jessica, who is extremely proud in front of others, she doesn't seem to have weaknesses, but as Zheng Xiuyan in private, she actually cares about a lot of things, such as family, career, and ...... Friend.

Aren't there only a few things that people should value in this life? And tonight, she was deprived of two things at once.

"fucking friendship, fucking life..."

Gritted her teeth in her mouth and whispered a dirty word that she had never scolded in the first half of her life.

After walking a few floors up, Zheng Xiuyan held on to the handrail of the stairs, hanging her head and panting slightly.

She didn't know if she was really tired, or if the excitement in her chest made her unable to climb up.

She already knew what the answer was, but she just didn't give up.

Is it because they can't believe that their lives will become like this, or because they can't believe the choices they made?

Maybe both.

On the other end of the phone before, Yun'er and the others tried to explain to her, and Yun'er's stupid girl even said that as long as she was willing to give in to the company, things would definitely take a turn for the better.

However, in fact, there is no turning point, and her life has become bad.

If she is asked to bow her head and admit a mistake that she doesn't know where she is wrong, then what will her life become?

The one who will never admit defeat is Jessica, and similarly, she Zheng Xiuyan will never admit defeat.

"Whew...... Whew!"

Taking a deep breath, Zheng Xiuyan looked up at the lonely lights in the corridor, and continued to walk up with a determined expression.

It shouldn't end like that, and if it ends, it should be up to her to confirm it herself!

So, in the wee hours of the morning, in the almost empty building, only the delicate, yet very strong figure walked up the stairs, quiet around her, but her head was buzzing.

There were a lot of voices, like someone calling her name, and like the cold verdict that came out of the mouth of her teammates earlier, and she couldn't hear it clearly for a while.

Until......

"Bang!"

When she tried to open the door of the dressing room where they had been preparing and standby, in the darkness facing the lock that could not be twisted, Jung so-yeon turned her head and looked at each room in a row that passed.

Whether it's a practice room, a conference room, or even an employee's office, everywhere, she tries to open that door.

However, she could not open every door.

All the doors were closed to her.

The girls weren't really here, they weren't joking with her, they weren't trying to trick her, it wasn't some hidden camera, she really ...... She really ...... Kicked out of this place!

In the dark and long corridor, Zheng Xiuyan stood alone in silence for a long time.

She had always been bold, but tonight in this cold darkness, she did not feel any discomfort, as if this was the only way to hide everything she had at this time.

Her hands clenched until she trembled, trying to control the tears overflowing from her eyes, but the salty taste kept spreading from the corners of her mouth, as if she had swallowed it into her stomach, and even her heart and her whole body became extremely bitter.

After another while, perhaps the dizziness of the mind and the coldness of the night woke her up.

She took a long breath, not making even a trace of crying from beginning to end, she raised her hand to wipe her cool cheeks, walked into the corridor where she had come up before, took out her mobile phone, and began to calmly edit a message that no one in the outside world would have thought of at this moment.

She didn't do this to cry about anything, because it was a foregone conclusion, but she didn't want her fans to let sone ...... Let those who are looking forward to it, like her, experience the feeling of falling from heaven to hell only after the sun rises.

She was obligated to tell them about it as soon as possible.

Because she was going to tell them before they got the news that she was fine.