Damsel In Distress || Annyeongz

01. Princess Reset

"No way. Absolutely not."

Wonyoung's heels sank into the uneven dirt as she stepped out of the black sedan, the sound of the door slamming far too loud against the quiet countryside.

The air was sharp and clean—aggressively clean and laced with the unmistakable scent of hay... and cow manure.

She froze.

"Where the fuck are we?"

A stretch of endless green fields rolled before her, broken only by low stone fences and distant grazing cows. The sky looked unreal—wide, blue, intrusive. There were no high-rises. No traffic. No distant hum of the city.

Just wind.

And silence.

Wonyoung walked stiffly around the car, shielding her nose with two manicured fingers as if the countryside might personally offend her. Eunbi stepped out from the driver's side, calm, composed—already used to this place.

"I told you about living with my aunt for a while," Eunbi said carefully.

"Unnie? I thought you meant Gangnam. Or at least Bundang. Not..." Wonyoung spun in a slow circle, gesturing dramatically at the endless farmland. "...Little House on the Prairie."

She pulled out her phone.

No bars.

Her jaw dropped.

"There's no internet here."

Eunbi crossed her arms.

"Only for a few months. Until everything blows over. Paparazzi are everywhere right now. This is the last place anyone would think to look."

Wonyoung stared at the cows in the distance.

"Clearly not. I'm in the wild. The jungle. Is there even a mall here?"

"Wonyoung, please shut up."

"I refuse. We did not agree to this."

"Fine." Eunbi reached for the car door. "Get in. Let's drive back. And when the paparazzi swarm you or a saesang leaks your location again, don't come crying to me. You know most of Korea hates you right now."

The words hit harder than the smell of manure.

Wonyoung's shoulders dropped.

She stared at the ground.

"...Two months, you said?"

"At least."

Silence stretched between them, heavy and uncomfortable.

Wonyoung inhaled slowly, then nodded once like she was accepting a tragic fate.

"I'm ready."

* * *

Eunbi's aunt greeted them warmly, her smile kind and curious. The house was small but sturdy, with creaky wooden floors and floral wallpaper that looked untouched since the early 2000s.

Wonyoung's temporary room had lace curtains and a narrow bed with a handmade quilt. A small vanity sat by the window, but instead of city lights, it reflected rolling hills.

"This was Eunbi's room when she was younger," her aunt said proudly.

Wonyoung forced a polite smile.

Only a few months.

She repeated it in her head like a mantra.

Only a few months until the scandal died down.

She had met a famous actor. Dated him quietly. Carefully. Her contract hadn't allowed it, so they hid it. Whispered conversations. Late-night car rides. Promises in the dark.