Peninsula: I'm the Top Streamer

Chapter 611 Train to Busan (The General Tortures the Little Green Tea) 6.2k
"Did you really just go to the wrong place?"

These words were far too weak, so weak that even Quan Xuanhe found it difficult to pretend he hadn't heard them.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over her nervously clenched fingers and evasive eyes.

"Sit down first."

Kwon Hyun-hyuk tapped the edge of the bed with his chin.

"It's the middle of the night, and you're running around in your pajamas. Aren't you afraid of getting cold?"

He spoke in a calm and natural tone, as if he were talking about something trivial, cleverly diverting the awkward topic.

Jin Dongtian froze for a few seconds, then, like a robot receiving instructions, slowly and stiffly turned around and groped his way to sit on the edge of the bed.

My senses returned slightly, but the heat on my face didn't subside at all.

This is absolutely shameful.

The whole process was that Kim Dong-won secretly went to Kwon Hyun-hyuk's room, which led to this misunderstanding.

The key question is, why did she secretly run over to Quan Xuanhe's place?
Trying to sneak a bite?

I need to find a suitable reason to explain my behavior.

Quan Xuanhe leaned back against the headboard, not urging her, but quietly watching her blurry figure, giving her some time to process.

Silence spread again, but this time it was no longer an awkward stalemate, but a quiet that carried a hint of waiting and scrutiny.

The sound of the wind outside the window seemed to become clearer again.

After a while, Jin Dongtian's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little.

In the darkness, she could feel Quan Xuanhe's gaze on her, and her initial impulse resurfaced, causing her to swallow hard.

"Oppa," she finally spoke, her voice still hoarse and tight, trembling as it hadn't fully subsided.

“I want to know… about you and Jimin unnie…” She paused, as if searching for the right words.

Are you two really going to be together?

Upon hearing this, Quan Xuanhe's eyes flickered in the darkness.

He didn't answer immediately, his fingers tapping lightly on the sheets as was his habit, making a soft, rhythmic sound.

Jin Dongtian stared intently at him, holding her breath, waiting for the unresolved answer.

In the darkness, Quan Xuanhe's fingers stopped tapping lightly on the sheets. He let out a very low, ambiguous hum, as if he were pondering something, or perhaps sighing.

“Minjung…” he finally spoke, his voice low and calm.

"You and I, including you and Zhimin, should know best what she's thinking."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the darkness to land on Jin Dongtian's tense face, and continued:

"Feelings have never been a pure thing for us."

"It involves too many things—fans' expectations, company plans, scheduling conflicts, and eyes everywhere."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "You've been in the industry for a while now, so you should understand this."

He threw the question back to Jin Dongtian.

"Your company must know about Zhimin and my relationship."

"If I fall in love with Jimin, will your company let Jimin off the hook?"

"There will be punishment, right?"

Jin Dongtian fell silent, listened carefully to Quan Xuanhe's words, and nodded slightly.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk's words were not wrong.

"So, rather than saying we should be together, it's more like..."

"We are seriously enjoying our time together."

Jin Dongtian unconsciously curled her toes, her fingers gripping the silk fabric of her pajamas tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

She lowered her head, not daring to look into Quan Xuanhe's eyes in the darkness, eyes that seemed to see through everything.

Just as the suffocating silence was about to freeze, Kwon Hyun-hyuk spoke again.

"And what about you, Minjung?"

Jin Dongtian shuddered suddenly, subconsciously raising his head slightly, his surprised and suspicious gaze meeting his deep gaze in the darkness.

Me? What?
Quan Xuanhe leaned forward slightly, and his unique aura instantly enveloped him even more clearly.

“You kept stirring up Zhimin’s emotions, making her uneasy and irritable… even 'coincidentally' bumping into her on the phone, using every means to squeeze into our original schedule…”

He spoke at a measured pace, each word like an ice bead striking the heart in the dead of winter.

"And now, at this very moment, you've appeared in my room..."

Going to the wrong room is a ridiculous excuse.

Jin Dongtian's cheeks burned again, even hotter than when he had mistakenly pulled her into his arms earlier.

It was a feeling of shame and panic that came from being completely seen through.

Quan Xuanhe's gaze was as sharp as a knife.

“I’m curious, tell me, what’s hidden behind your ‘curiosity’? Is it simply that you can’t stand seeing Jimin happy, or that you can’t stand us being together? Or is it…”

His voice was lowered, carrying a hint of dangerous inquiry.

"All those flirtatious words you said to me, all the things you did that made Zhimin uncomfortable... were they just out of your concern for her?"

"Or...do you have other ideas?"

With a loud bang, Jin Dongtian felt as if something had exploded in his head!
Like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, it stirred up a raging storm in her already chaotic heart.

This is the most pointed and crucial question.

Jin Dongtian was completely panicked.

My body tensed up instantly, my throat went dry, and I tried to make a sound, but I could only produce some meaningless breaths.

She really didn't know what to say.

Although Kim Dong-won did these things intentionally, he may have harbored some ulterior motives towards Kwon Hyun-hyuk.

But it didn't even have time to take root and sprout.

Just like people sometimes fantasize about impossible things, it doesn't mean they actually have strong feelings or impulses!

Kim Dong-won's gaze began to wander frantically, glancing from Quan Xuanhe's scrutinizing face to the dark wall, then hurriedly landing on the dim light on the floor, but he dared not meet his eyes again.

Regardless of his thoughts, Quan Xuanhe had figured him out completely, leaving her utterly ashamed and unsure how to respond.

The air in the room seemed to be sucked out instantly, leaving only Quan Xuanhe's oppressive gaze and Jin Dongtian's panicked state with nowhere to hide.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a shimmering band of light across her pale profile, clearly revealing the panic and helplessness that followed the complete shattering of her facade.

Quan Xuanhe didn't say anything more, he just looked at her quietly.

She felt like a butterfly pinned to a specimen board, all her struggles futile.

Just then, Quan Xuanhe's voice rang out again.

"Minjung." Kim Dong-won seemed to be stung by the call, and his body subconsciously shrank back.

"look at me."

Jin Dongtian's heart nearly leaped out of her throat. A force of resistance tugged at her, but her body seemed to have its own will, drawn by that irresistible voice, and she slowly and laboriously raised her heavy head.

Her gaze was timid, carrying lingering fear and residual moisture.

Quan Xuanhe's gaze was fixed on her pupils, which had become unfocused but then managed to refocus. Those seemingly innocent and pure eyes were now filled with an undeniable vulnerability.

"Is there anything you want to say?"

"I want to know what you're really thinking."

Jin Dongtian took a deep breath and struggled to squeeze out a few fragmented words.

"I……"

"I didn't think it through that clearly..."

Although the answer was vague, it truly reflected Kim Dong-won's innermost thoughts.

She admitted that her behavior stemmed from unclear emotional drive, an impulsive act without careful consideration.

How could she still remember her initial motive so clearly after so much time has passed?

However, every time she saw Liu Zhimin get the short end of the stick, and Quan Xuanhe showed favoritism towards her, she always felt a sense of triumphant satisfaction.

She did have some thoughts, but she didn't really have a clear understanding of her own actions.

If Kim Dong-won were truly aware of and able to perfectly conceal her clever tricks, she wouldn't be so frequently exposed for seemingly clever details on camera.

"Haven't you thought it through?" Quan Xuanhe repeated her words, his voice rising slightly at the end, carrying an almost deliberate scrutiny.

His body leaned slightly forward, and that intense presence instantly magnified several times over. An invisible pressure enveloped Jin Dongtian layer by layer like a tidal wave.

"So, you don't even know your own motivation for doing what you're doing?"

"I..." Her voice trembled violently, thick with nasal tone and an overwhelming sense of confusion, as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Unwilling to accept it?" Quan Xuanhe's brow twitched almost imperceptibly; this word was more genuine than he had expected.

A variant of jealousy?
Jin Dongtian lowered her head deeply, her neck curving into a fragile and helpless arc.

A few stray strands of hair fell down, covered with fine beads of cold sweat that had appeared out of nowhere, clinging to her flushed cheeks and slender neck.

"Seeing how happy Unnie is when she's with you..." she almost squeezed out the words through clenched teeth, her voice muffled.

Why do you like her so much?

Although the two sentences were not closely related and were spoken intermittently, Quan Xuanhe instantly understood Jin Dongtian's thoughts.

Quan Xuanhe's eyes narrowed slightly; the information revealed in those words exceeded his expectations.

It is intertwined with a more complex sisterly emotional entanglement between Kim Dong-il and Yoo Ji-min.
Disappointment and dissatisfaction arising from emotional imbalances among teammates?
"And..." Jin Dongtian's voice was even lower, mixed with indescribable shame and a trace of desperate chaos.

"I don't know if I am also..." Her voice trailed off.

But the implications behind the pause made Quan Xuanhe understand what was going on.

She didn't know whether her actions contained any element of liking Kwon Hyun-hyuk.

Quan Xuanhe was also unaware of this, and even looking at Jin Dongtian's current posture, he felt that she herself was not entirely clear about it.

After the words "I don't know," the obvious blank space, like a huge, forbidden vortex, silently spun between the two of them.

Quan Xuanhe's gaze grew increasingly deep, silently locking onto the girl in front of him who had her head bowed to the lowest point and whose body was trembling slightly.

The bright moonlight had shifted its position at some point. The band of light that had been illuminating Jin Dongtian's profile had slid down to the headboard where Quan Xuanhe was leaning, just as the lead actor in the spotlight on stage had quietly changed positions.

The bright beam of light outlined his sharply defined jawline and unusually deep eyes, while Jin Dongtian was completely hidden in the denser shadows, like a shadow with nowhere to escape, awaiting judgment.

She huddled there, even her breathing was cautious, like a small animal exposed to its predator.

Quan Xuanhe's gaze lingered on Jin Dongtian's figure for a long time. An eerie silence filled the room, broken only by the interplay of their deep and shallow breaths.

Kim Dong-won was waiting for Kwon Hyun-hyuk's trial, although she didn't know why the atmosphere had gotten to this point.

“Minjung…” he spoke again, his voice very low and gentle.

"Forget it."

Jin Dongtian almost stiffly raised her head from between her knees, her damp eyelashes lifting as she timidly looked at Quan Xuanhe.

Those eyes, which always held a hint of bewilderment or calculation, were now filled with a blank, watery look.

"Everything that happened tonight..." Quan Xuanhe paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.

"It's all too chaotic. It was my fault. I shouldn't have asked you that question."

He took some responsibility, blurring the lines between "mistakenly hugging" and "interrogation," thus giving Jin Dongtian a way out.

How could they have driven this young girl to such a desperate situation?

“No…no…” Jin Dongtian’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, with a heavy nasal tone. It was no longer the feeling of being cornered and collapsing, but a hasty denial and helplessness after being pardoned.

Quan Xuanhe did not refute her weak explanation, but simply shook his head slightly.

"Alright," his voice regained some of its usual gentleness.

"Don't think about anything now."

He turned his head and looked at Jin Dongtian's lowered profile.

“Jimin should be fast asleep,” he stated, as if reminding him.

"You should go back too."

Jin Dongtian tightened her grip on the corner of the blanket, and nodded slightly, the movement so subtle it was almost imperceptible.

She desperately wanted to escape from here; being tortured by Quan Xuanhe was not a pleasant experience.

“…Hmm.” Finally, a weak monosyllable squeezed out of her throat.

Quan Xuanhe watched her movements and added a sentence, his voice clear and gentle in the silence.

"We'll talk about it later. Go back to sleep first."

Jin Dongtian nodded silently once again.

She slowly stood up, and the chill of the night seemed to instantly creep in, causing her to subconsciously hunch her shoulders.

She didn't look at Quan Xuanhe again, and didn't even dare to confirm the expression on his face at that moment.

She simply lowered her head and moved towards the door as slowly and almost touching the ground, just as she had come.

Every step was taken with extreme caution, as if afraid of waking a sleeping demon, or perhaps simply to prolong that subtle, unspoken sense of companionship before the final farewell.

Finally, her hand rested on the cold doorknob, and she paused for a moment, as if she were doing her final mental preparation.

Even in her pajamas, Kim Dong-won, who looked thin and frail, turned around timidly and stood there looking shyly at Kwon Hyun-hyuk.

"Oppa, I'm leaving."

"Okay, get some rest. What about today?"

"Let's just forget about it for now."

Upon hearing this, Jin Dongtian bit her soft lips and nodded gently.

Then, with a very slight click, the door was opened a crack, and she slipped out quickly and silently like a slippery fish.

The door was gently closed behind her, cutting off the view between the inside and outside, making a slightly louder sound than when it opened, but still remarkably clear in the silence.

Quan Xuanhe relaxed after the door was closed. He stared at the closed door for a few seconds before slowly lying back down on the bed and pulling up his blanket.

However, he did not close his eyes immediately.

His deep gaze was directed toward the window, where the night was deep and dark.

Tonight is going to be very complicated.

Jin Dongtian used almost the last bit of strength he had left to open the door and silently slip into his room.

The cold wooden door closed behind me with a barely audible creak.

She leaned against the door, the cold touch seeping into her skin through her thin pajamas, but it was nothing compared to the icy coldness and burning heat coursing through her heart.

In the darkness, her rapid breathing was unusually clear in the silent room.

Her cheeks and ears were still burning hot, as if Kwon Hyun-hyuk's mistaken embrace, his oppressive body temperature, and the tactile and scorching sensation from his soul-searching questions had never left.

She subconsciously raised her hand, her fingertips tracing her waist and chest.

There, where his arms had just tightly gripped and encircled her, the firm and chilling force still seemed to linger.

Quan Xuanhe's deep and penetrating questioning voice echoed in her chaotic mind again and again, like a demonic sound.

Every word was like a whip, lashing precisely at the thoughts she was trying to conceal, thoughts she herself hadn't even fully clarified.

Shame overwhelmed her like a surging tide, almost suffocating her.

She covered her face, her body trembling slightly uncontrollably. She was the one caught red-handed, her thoughts stripped bare and exposed to the world.

That little bit of pride and sense of control vanished under his sharp gaze, leaving only utter disarray.

From the bed came Liu Zhimin's soft, rhythmic breathing.

Jin Dongtian's gaze, piercing through the darkness, was gloomy and complex as it fell upon the silhouette wrapped in the blanket.

Yoo Jimin.
It's all your fault!

A wave of intense fatigue washed over him. Jin Dongtian leaned against the door, moving his feet, his body feeling utterly exhausted.

At that moment, she had no energy to think about what to do tomorrow; she just wanted to bury herself under the covers and escape the suffocating darkness and the even more suffocating thoughts.

She gritted her teeth, trying not to make a sound, carefully lifted the corner of the blanket, and slid into the position next to Liu Zhimin.

The blankets were cold, and the mattress creaked slightly with her movements. She closed her eyes and curled up.

Her heartbeat was still erratic, and the burning sensation on her cheeks was exceptionally clear in the darkness. Quan Xuanhe's breath, words, and the touch of his embrace... were like countless fragments, swirling and cutting before her tightly closed eyes, unable to stop.

Time slipped by little in the agonizing silence.

It's finally dawn.

It wasn't a blinding light, but a gentle, moist glow, carrying the unique scent of the seaside, that crept into the room through the gaps in the curtains.

Liu Zhimin's eyelids twitched a few times before she reluctantly opened them.

After a brief moment of confusion, fragments of last night's terrifying memories flooded back into my mind—the fear of being probed by Jin Dongtian knocking on the door, the terrified escape, and the anxious, agonizing pretense of sleep lying next to Jin Dongtian...

She tensed up almost immediately, held her breath, and carefully and extremely slowly turned her head to the side.

Beside her, Jin Dongtian had his back to her, his body curled up in a small ball, looking like he was sleeping soundly.

Her breathing was steady and long, her shoulders rising and falling slightly with each breath, exuding a strange... tranquility in the cool morning light.

At least, things appear calm.

Contrary to Liu Zhimin's expectations, he didn't turn around to question her, nor did he give her a meaningful look that made her want to dig her toes into the ground.

Liu Zhimin breathed a silent sigh of relief; her heart, which had been pounding all night, finally calmed down a little.

Perhaps it went undetected?
Or... did she really just happen to get up in the middle of the night last night and casually knock on the door to test the waters?
This thought caused Liu Zhimin's tense limbs to relax slightly, and a feeling of exhaustion, as if she had survived a disaster, welled up inside her.

She adjusted her posture very slowly, stretched her neck, and her gaze returned to the figure beside her who had his back to her.

Hopefully, no matter what, thank God, the worst-case scenario won't happen.

Faint footsteps could be heard outside the room, indicating that Jin Dongtian's parents had gotten up.

Liu Zhimin no longer wanted to lie next to Jin Dongtian, so she slowly sat up, her movements very careful.

The moment her feet touched the cold floor, she shivered, instantly sobering up considerably. She slipped on her slippers and shuffled softly.

Just before closing the door, Liu Zhimin turned her head to look at Jin Dongtian, who was still fast asleep, and gently closed the door.

She had just stepped out the door when she saw Jin Dongtian's mother.

"Zhimin, how did you sleep last night? Did you get used to it?"

Jin Dongtian's mother smiled gently and asked softly.

Liu Zhimin quickly put on a smile and said, "Yes, I slept very comfortably."

As she answered, her gaze involuntarily drifted to the closed door next door.

Almost at the same time, in the next room.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk had actually been awake for a while.

He was the biggest victim that night. First there was Liu Zhimin, then Jin Dongtian. All of this made it impossible for him to sleep well. Even after being woken up by the sunlight, he was still tired and had a headache.

He threw off the covers and sat up, his movements not gentle; not sleeping well at night really does make you irritable.

Quan Xuanhe walked to the window, pulled back the curtains, and the morning light rushed in, making him squint.

The moment Kwon Hyun-hyuk opened the door, he was met by Yoo Jimin, who had just come out from the direction of Kim Dong-won's room. Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

When Liu Zhimin saw him, a complex expression flashed in her eyes.

First came an instinctive worry, like a frightened little animal eagerly trying to confirm from his face whether he had been exposed last night. Then it turned into a silent inquiry, her beautiful big eyes filled with unspoken words in that brief glance.

At this moment, their eyes speak volumes more than ever.

Quan Xuanhe shook his head, his eyes comforting her.

Liu Zhimin felt a little better now and was much more at ease.

Kim Dong-won's mother, seeing that Kwon Seon-hyuk had also woken up, smiled and spoke up.

"Xuanhe is awake too. Breakfast will be ready soon. I'll go call Minzheng."

Upon hearing this, Quan Xuanhe smiled and nodded to Jin Dongtian's mother.

thump.

A clear and energetic knock penetrated the guest room door, carrying an undeniable weight.

"Minjung? Come out for breakfast!" Kim Dong-won's mother's cheerful voice rang out from outside the door.

Jin Dongtian's figure, curled up on the bed, suddenly trembled. Like a startled shrimp, he instinctively curled up even tighter, trying to bury himself deeper into the blankets.

She slowly woke up from her sleep.

She certainly didn't sleep well last night either, but hearing her mother calling from outside the door made her heart skip a beat.

Jin Dongtian subconsciously turned his head to look at his side, and found that Liu Zhimin's seat was now empty.

She's awake too.
At this moment, Jin Dongtian probably didn't want to step out of his room and face all of this.

Especially when facing Quan Xuanhe.

(End of this chapter)