Peninsula: I'm the Top Streamer

Chapter 664 Handling Minor Issues

The faint morning light pierced through the loosely drawn curtains, casting a narrow strip of light on the floor.

The room was filled with the smell of alcohol and a warm, sleep-like atmosphere.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk was awakened by a dull pain.

The effects of the hangover hit his temples before he even fully opened his eyes, like a blunt needle slowly stirring inside.

His throat was so dry that he couldn't help but cough softly.

Only when he moved did he realize that there was a soft, warm bundle in his arms.

Looking down, Kim Jisoo's cheek was pressed against his open chest, her long, loose hair covering half of her face, her breathing even and deep, clearly still fast asleep.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk carefully withdrew his arm, which had been pressed down and was now slightly numb, making a very light movement so as not to disturb her.

He carefully propped himself up, but the slight indentation of the mattress still caused the person in his arms to move slightly.

Kim Jisoo let out a barely audible whimper, her long eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

In the dim light of early morning, her eyes were filled with the confusion of just waking up, but she quickly focused and saw Quan Xuanhe sitting up, looking tired as he rubbed his temples.

"...Awake?" Her voice was heavy with sleepiness, hoarse yet alluring.

"Hmm," Quan Xuanhe responded, his voice terribly dry, and he couldn't help but cough.

Kim Jisoo noticed the dryness in his voice and became fully awake; the dazed look in her eyes was replaced by clear concern.

She sat up and said, "Lie down, I'll go get it." She walked barefoot to the slightly cool floor, poured a glass of warm water in the living room, and naturally brought it to his lips.

Very sweet.

Quan Xuanhe drank most of the glass from her hand; the cool water slid down his burning throat, bringing a sense of comfort.

"Thanks, Jisoo. I'm sorry to have troubled you yesterday."

Kim Jisoo put down her cup, sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at his slightly pale face and bloodshot eyes. She pursed her lips helplessly and reproachfully: "If you know it's troublesome, drink less. It's not like you were a newcomer when you were socializing."

She stood up and walked towards the washroom: "I'm going to wash up."

Her silhouette swayed gently, carrying a touch of the languid charm unique to early morning.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk leaned against the headboard for a moment to recover, then got up and walked towards the bathroom.

The frosted glass allows the light inside to shine through.

Pushing open the door, I saw Kim Jisoo combing her hair in front of the mirror, gathering her long hair over one shoulder. The warm light from the sink illuminated her clean profile, and water droplets slid down her freshly washed forehead, disappearing into her collar along her fair neck.

She was wearing her own spare loungewear from his walk-in closet; it was slightly loose, but it had a unique comfort and a sense of familiarity that belonged to this place.

Quan Xuanhe walked to another washbasin next to her, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water hard on his face.

The icy sensation invigorated him, dispelling much of the hangover's haze.

He wiped his face and turned his head to look at Kim Jisoo, who was intently combing her hair, in the mirror.

She seemed unaware of how gentle and beautiful she looked in the morning light and mist, her movements soft and focused.

Jisoo's figure was reflected in the mirror, outlined in the hazy morning light filtering through the frosted glass, carrying a sense of tranquil warmth.

"What are you thinking about?" Quan Xuanhe asked, his voice still a little hoarse.

Kim Jisoo glanced at him through the mirror, her hands still moving: "I was thinking about last night's awards ceremony. It's a pity it wasn't your Best Actor award."

Kwon Hyun-hyuk smirked, "It doesn't matter, getting the Baeksang Arts Awards is enough."

He paused, his gaze lingering on her face, and added a sentence with a softness he himself didn't realize.

"Besides, it seems quite worth it to be brought back and taken care of by you at a time like this."

Kim Jisoo paused almost imperceptibly for half a second while combing her hair, without saying a word.

Her expression in the mirror didn't change much, except that her eyelashes drooped slightly, as if she was focused on separating the tangled ends of her hair, before she continued to gently comb it.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk also looked away and picked up his toothbrush to start brushing his teeth.

The only sounds in the bathroom were the running water, the vibrating toothbrush, and the soft sound of her combing her hair.

The air was quiet, and after a night of sharing and caring for each other, a warm atmosphere that had invisibly shortened the distance between them flowed quietly in the freshness of mint and the scent of morning light.

Kim Jisoo put down the comb, tidied her hair in front of the mirror, and then turned to leave the bathroom.

"I'll go make some simple breakfast. Will you come over when you're done washing up?"

"Mmm," Quan Xuanhe mumbled, his mouth still full of toothpaste foam.

"Is there anything to eat at home?"

"Take a look, there should be some in the refrigerator."

Watching her figure disappear through the door, Quan Xuanhe looked in the mirror at himself, at the image of someone still hungover, with a hint of fatigue in his eyes but a much gentler look, and slowly exhaled.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk wiped the water droplets off his face with a towel, the dull ache of a hangover still throbbing in his temples.

He walked back to the bedroom and habitually reached for his phone on the bedside table. His fingertips touched the cool body, and the screen lit up in response.

The lock screen clearly displays the missed call notification:

Missed calls: Liu Zhimin (2)

Quan Xuanhe raised an eyebrow.

His last memory before losing consciousness was the coolness of her fingertips as she unbuttoned his shirt; he really hadn't expected Liu Zhimin to call him that night.

"Did you hit him twice?"

He muttered something under his breath and casually tapped on the call log details.

Both records show that the call was disconnected after ringing a few times, indicating that it was not unanswered.

Almost without much struggle, a thought popped into his head: it was probably Ji-soo who did it.

At that point, he probably couldn't even find his phone, let alone hang up.

Ji-soo was right next to her when she saw Jimin's name being called, and then... click, click.

Quan Xuanhe twitched the corner of his mouth, showing no dissatisfaction or more complicated emotions.

He swiped his finger across the screen a few times, but instead of immediately calling back, he simply cleared the lock screen notification.

Early in the morning, still hungover, he had no energy to deal with work messages, let alone think about why Liu Zhimin might have called or whether she would be angry.

"See you later."

He muttered to himself, feeling his throat was still a little dry and hoarse, and shuffled towards the living room in his slippers.

Sure enough, as soon as I stepped into the living room, a steaming aroma of food filled my nostrils.

At the other end of the table, Kim Jisoo was facing away from him, wearing his cartoon apron that he had bought sometime ago, her head down focused on the sizzling things in the frying pan, probably fried eggs or ham.

Hearing footsteps, Kim Jisoo turned her head slightly to look at him, the morning light casting a soft glow on her profile.

"Finished washing up? Perfect, bring this over."

She gave the instructions naturally, pointing with a spatula to the toast that was already plated next to her.

Quan Xuanhe walked over and readily picked up the plate. He leaned down, his face naturally close to her ear, carrying the fresh scent of someone who had just washed up and a hint of lingering laziness.

"Sigh." His voice was hoarse from a hangover and a little casual. "Did someone call me last night?"

He asked directly, but his tone didn't sound accusatory; it was more like he was stating an interesting little discovery.

Kim Jisoo paused almost imperceptibly, then smoothly flipped the fried egg with a spatula, her voice as calm as if reporting the weather: "Yeah, it rang twice, it was quite noisy, so I turned it off for you."

She didn't turn around, as if it were a trivial matter.

"No wonder," he replied, his tone relaxed.

He didn't press for more questions like "Why?" or "Didn't you take it for me?" He simply placed the toast plate on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

The table was filled with the aroma of butter, fried eggs, and coffee. Kwon Hyun-hyuk forked a perfectly fried piece of ham, put it in his mouth, and chewed. The heaviness from his hangover gradually subsided under the soothing comfort of the food and warm water.

Kim Jisoo sipped her milk, her gaze inadvertently sweeping across Kwon Heonhyuk, who was relaxed and focused on his breakfast. The name of the person she missed calling last night still bothered her.

She put down the cup, the bottom of the porcelain cup gently tapping against the table, making a crisp sound.

She cleared her throat, her tone casual and curious:

“Speaking of which… that Liu Zhimin?” She looked up at Quan Xuanhe, her eyes filled with just the right amount of inquiry.

"It was so late yesterday, what did she want from you? Are you... very close?"

Quan Xuanhe paused slightly in his eating and looked up at her.

He didn't answer her question directly. Instead, he slowly put the fried egg on his fork into his mouth, chewed it a few times, swallowed it, and then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"What relationship...?" He paused, his gaze lingering on Kim Jisoo's face for a few seconds before changing the subject.

“But it’s you and Tzuyu,” he raised an eyebrow.

"What are you trying to do? Even a ghost knows this can't be anything good. You need to tell me the exact reason."

He tapped the edge of the plate lightly with his fork, making a soft clinking sound.

Kim Jisoo, caught off guard, showed no embarrassment but instead flashed an even brighter smile.

"Want to know?" She looked up, meeting his probing gaze. "It seems like it's not a simple relationship."

If you dare to change the subject, it means your relationship is not simple.

The lingering aroma of butter and coffee on the table hadn't yet dissipated when the apartment door closed with a soft click.

Kim Jisoo left, leaving behind her signature fragrance and the warmth of the morning, instantly making the room feel exceptionally quiet and empty.

Kwon Hyun-hyuk stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the traffic below gradually awaken in Seoul.

It's time for him to set off too.

The van drove smoothly through the gradually congested traffic of Seoul in the morning. Kwon Heonhyuk leaned back in the spacious back seat, closing his eyes to rest and prepare for the upcoming filming.

The scenery flowing outside the window becomes a blurred background color.

at this time--

Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...

My phone vibrated on the seat next to me, and the screen lit up, flashing the caller's name: Liu Zhimin.

Quan Xuanhe opened his eyes, watched the name flashing on the screen, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He reached out, swiped his index finger across the screen to answer the call, and then held the phone to his ear.

"Yo-bo-se-yo, Ji-min." His voice was much clearer than it had been in the morning.

Immediately, Liu Zhimin's clear voice, tinged with obvious dissatisfaction and inquiry, came from the other end of the phone, her volume seemingly a bit higher than usual.

"Good morning, oppa! You finally answered the phone!"

"Well, good morning."

Quan Xuanhe responded with a barely perceptible hint of helpless laughter in his voice, bracing himself for her questioning.

Sure enough, Yoo Jimin immediately cut to the chase with undisguised grievance and curiosity: "Oppa, what happened last night? I called you twice!"

She paused, her tone shifting from accusatory to a slightly exaggerated expression of worry, "I originally wanted to find you..."

Um... let's chat a bit, and by the way, congratulations on the successful conclusion of the awards ceremony! Even though you didn't win Best Actor, oppa, you were still amazing! And then..."

Her voice trailed off, filled with helplessness, "The phone was hung up on!"

Kwon Hyun-hyuk's mind flashed back to the image of Kim Ji-soo expressionlessly swiping her phone screen in the dimly lit room last night, and to her composed expression at the breakfast table this morning.

He let out a soft breath and shifted into a more relaxed position in his seat.

No woman is easy to deal with.

cough cough.

The show begins.

"Oh, that." His voice remained steady, carrying a perfect amount of languor and helplessness, perfectly capturing the state of someone who had just woken up from a hangover and was being pressured by work.

"The celebration party ended too late last night. You know, everyone was so happy that we inevitably drank a bit too much..."

He paused briefly, as if recalling the chaos and discomfort.

"I have a bit of a blackout about what happened after that. I think my assistant handled the phone call, right? I guess she saw I was really drunk and didn't want to disturb my rest, so she hung up. I'm sorry, Zhimin, for making you worry."

His explanation was fluent and smooth, shifting the blame to his "assistant" and "drunken blackout".

The reason sounds reasonable, especially for an artist who has just experienced a major awards ceremony and the subsequent celebratory drinking session.

Liu Zhimin on the other end of the phone was clearly not entirely convinced by this explanation, but she couldn't find any obvious flaws for the time being.

She paused for two seconds, seemingly assessing the truthfulness of his words, before speaking in a tone that was half-believing, half-spoiling, and half-complaining.

"Oh my god~ oppa drank again? But oppa, you really should have been more moderate with your drinking. Don't drink so much next time!"

Her tone softened a bit, but it still carried a hint of a young girl's complaint.

"Yes, I understand."

Quan Xuanhe readily agreed, his tone indulgent, as if he were coaxing a sulking little girl.

"We'll make it up to Ji-min next time we meet."

The vague word "compensation" cleverly shifted the focus of the conversation.

On the other end of the phone, Liu Zhimin seemed to be slightly comforted by the promise, and her tone became lighter as she began to share her itinerary for the day.

"Qinjia? Oppa, you have to keep your word... I'm on my way to rehearsal right now, the new stage is super tiring..."

Quan Xuanhe listened quietly to her slightly complaining story, his gaze fixed on the street scenes rushing past the car window.

On the other end of the phone, Liu Zhimin kept muttering to himself, sharing his daily life. The morning sunlight streamed through the car window, casting varying shades of light and shadow on his deep eyes.

Minor issues can still be easily handled.

(End of this chapter)