Peninsula: It’s just a dream, are you serious?

Chapter 457 Tonight, she doesn't want to be rational anymore.
He quickly looked away and took a few big strides to catch up with Jung Soo-jung, continuing to walk alongside her.

Seeing that the little iceberg still looked rather sullen, he smiled and said:

"Was that snack enough to satisfy your craving? If not, let's walk around some more. I can still eat quite a bit more."

Krystal glared at him, annoyed: "You just want to see me puff up and gain weight, don't you?"

That feeling of being a couple is gone, you bastard!
"How could that be? I just wanted to make up for the steak dinner I missed because of you."

The girl glared at him again, annoyed. "No need, I'm full, I can't eat anymore."

Chen Yan nodded, glanced at the girl, and suddenly smiled, "Soojung."

"what?"

"Actually, it's no use glaring at me; I don't feel scared at all."

"What? Are you trying to say that you're a shameless scumbag and completely immune to this level of attack?"

Krystal Jung glanced at the jerk, her tone undisguisedly sarcastic.

Chen Yan shook his head: "No, it's just that the way you stare isn't scary at all. In my opinion, it even has a bit of a girlish cuteness."

Her steps faltered instantly, and the girl's eyes widened in shock for a moment.

She turned her head and stared blankly at the man beside her, only to meet his deep eyes, which were also looking at her with a smile.

My heart immediately started racing uncontrollably. The mask on my face not only failed to block out the summer night's heat, but also made my cheeks burn faster, quickly reaching a scorching temperature.

It took her a while to realize what was happening, and Krystal Jung blurted out, "Hey, you're not allowed to call me cute."

The unexpected answer left Chen Yan stunned.

"Why not? It's a perfectly normal thing to compliment a girl on being cute."

"Anyway, it just won't work. I'm not cute."

After uttering those words somewhat incoherently, Krystal Jung turned and continued walking forward.

Her steps were noticeably more disordered and hurried than before, and her hands were clenched tightly at her sides, making her walk appear stiff.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! What did this guy just say?
He actually said I was cute!
Having known each other for so long, this was the first time she had ever heard Chen Yan praise her in person, especially face-to-face.

What's wrong with this jerk today? Why is he suddenly being so gentle with me?

Taking the wrong medicine?

In the past, if he heard me being sarcastic or sarcastic, he would definitely have immediately snapped back.

But instead of snapping back, he turned around and praised himself for being kind of cute.

He's praising himself as cute!
Ugh, this broken heart.

I told you not to jump so fast, why don't you listen? Am I even your master anymore?

Ugh, this awful weather.

It's only early June, and it's still late at night, so why is it already so hot? And I'm wearing a mask on, so I can't take it off.

Hurry up, hurry up, it won't be so hot when we take off our masks back at the company.

Looking at the girl's back, Chen Yan blinked and then chuckled softly.

The tsundere is acting up again, but he's genuinely shy too.

However, this little ice queen's personality is indeed very similar to that of Jessica Jung's older sister. As long as you stroke her hair gently, she will immediately stop being so irritable.

Following Krystal Jung's pace, the two continued walking back side by side.

But for a moment, neither of them spoke, and they walked on in silence.

As I passed by a coffee shop, a piano melody suddenly drifted out from inside.

Krystal Jung stopped in her tracks instantly.

Chen Yan was initially puzzled, but after hearing the singing in his ear, he immediately understood.

It's "Baby Don't Cry," a song he wrote inspired by Krystal Jung.

He turned to the girl and smiled, "Would you like to come in and sit for a while, listen to some music, and then go back?"

"No need, it's not like I haven't heard of it before."

With her lips slightly pouting beneath the mask, Krystal replied in a somewhat ambiguous tone.

She has listened to this song countless times, and she remembers the lyrics perfectly, even better than she does with f(x)'s own songs.

Moreover, she only wanted to hear the demo version of this song sung by Chen Yan himself.

She continued walking forward, and Krystal Jung started a conversation based on the song.

"This song is doing very well. It even ranks higher on the music charts than the title track 'Wolf,' and the listeners' feedback is also very positive."

Let's talk about something else to distract ourselves. We can't keep focusing on Chen Yan praising her for being cute.

She didn't want to have any heart problems.

Chen Yan, who was standing next to him, smiled and said, "Indeed, it was a situation that I myself did not quite expect."

EXO's first full-length album was officially released a few days ago on June 3rd, and the title track "Wolf" immediately debuted at number 47 on the Melon real-time chart on the day of its release.

However, unexpectedly, instead of steadily rising in the rankings, the song's rankings gradually declined due to more negative than positive reviews from listeners.

[What the hell? "You're a beauty, I'm a wolf, I'm going to seduce you"—what a terrible concept! The melody and tune are awful too. How can this be a lead single?]

Aside from the music video being somewhat watchable, this song really has no highlights, and the melody even felt a bit unpleasant to listen to. As a title track, it's quite disappointing.

[SM Entertainment, if the AR department can't pick songs, don't just pick randomly! What awful songs did they choose for my oppas? Waaah, what are we going to do about their comeback results?]

In contrast to the barrage of criticism in the comments section of the song "Wolf," the comments section of Chen Yan's song "Baby Don't Cry" was almost entirely filled with positive reviews.

[Oh my! This piano intro is so catchy! It instantly evokes a sense of sadness. It's about a story of unrequited love, isn't it? This song is so beautiful.]

[Ahhh! My brothers' singing is amazing! This song is so moving!!! I've been listening to it on repeat!]

[Isn't this better than "Wolf"? It's so much better! The lyrics, composition, arrangement, and production are all by Chen Yanxi. I have to say, this up-and-coming producer at JYP really has something special.]

[I strongly suggest that Chen Yanxi write the title track for EXO's next album. SM Entertainment can't be this irresponsible towards EXO!]

Clearly, compared to the somewhat avant-garde style of "Wolf," the Korean love song "Baby Don't Cry" is more in line with the audience's preferences.

As a result, thanks to positive reviews from listeners and the boost from Chen Yan's own popularity, the song, which was originally ranked around 80th on the real-time music chart, has seen its ranking rise steadily over the past few days.

It has now firmly held the third position on Melon's real-time music chart, and at times it even climbed to the top.

"This song is better than the title track of 'Wolf,' I've always thought so." The girl's voice rang in Chen Yan's ears, pulling him back to reality.

He turned to look at the girl and smiled: "I have to thank Krystal for the inspiration you gave me, otherwise this song wouldn't exist."

Upon hearing this, Krystal Jung was momentarily dazed, her thoughts drifting back to the night she had confided her unrequited love to Chen Yan.

Then came the night she learned that Chen Yan was already with Taeyeon, and she sat alone in the back seat of a taxi, covering her face and crying.

Baby, don't cry.

Her steps suddenly stopped a second later, and Krystal Jung suddenly spoke:

"Chen Yan."

"Um?"

"You won't make me cry anymore, right?"

She was referring to the future, because she had already cried for Chen Yan without his knowledge.

Moreover, she knew that she shouldn't have asked this question, and Chen Yan would definitely think that her question was a bit strange.

But at that moment, the girl's emotions overwhelmed her reason, and she asked the question.

Chen Yan was genuinely confused: "Why would I make you cry for no reason?"

Krystal pouted, of course not revealing the real reason: "You're just trying to annoy me. It's not impossible that you'll actually make me cry one day."

Hearing this, Chen Yan understood and smiled, "Don't worry, I won't go so far as to make you cry, and I won't make you angry anymore, okay?"

After looking at him quietly for a few seconds, Krystal asked again, "Why are you suddenly being so gentle with me? Is there a reason?"

That's indeed the question she wanted to ask.

Chen Yan was slightly taken aback, and with a mix of amusement and exasperation, he reached out and ruffled the girl's hair.

"Isn't it good that I'm being gentle with you? You mean you still want me to tease and annoy you like before?"

"No, that's not what I meant."

Caught off guard by the man's gesture of rubbing her head, Krystal Jung instinctively retorted with a slight pursing of her lips.

Although Chen Yan's previous bickering with her was quite good, and she knew how to keep her distance, she never really got angry.

However, compared to the previous way of bickering, she still prefers this gentler approach.

Because this method made her even more interested.

"That's fine."

Withdrawing his hand from rubbing her head, Chen Yan looked at the girl for two seconds, thought for a moment, and then spoke:

"If I had to give a reason, it would be that I want to improve my image in your eyes a little. After all, someone called me an asshole when they called me last time."

He said this half-truthfully. He did want to improve his image in Krystal's eyes, but that was so that Krystal would be more accepting of his relationship with Jessica's older sister later on.

However, this is something that cannot be discussed now.

"Cut~"

Upon hearing this, Krystal Jung scoffed and rolled her eyes slightly: "Too late. In my mind now, you're just a jerk and a scumbag, and that image can't be changed."

Chen Yan smiled and didn't continue the topic. Instead, he gestured to the snacks he had just packed in his hand.

"Let's go, or the snacks will get cold. We need to make sure Taozi and the others get something hot before they get to eat them."

After saying that, he started walking forward again.

"Tch, all he ever thinks about is Sherry."

Standing there, pouting and muttering something, Krystal Jung was about to take a step forward as well.

But then, Chen Yan, who had taken two steps, suddenly stopped and turned around to look at her.

"By the way, about that thing you mentioned earlier, whether it would make you cry in the future..."

He paused for a moment, then a smile appeared on his lips.

"I promise you, I will be more careful in the future and won't make you cry."

The dim light from the streetlamp shone on the man, adding warmth to his smile and brightening his deep eyes. The girl's eyes trembled slightly, and she felt a little dazed.

Soon, Krystal Jung came to her senses, her eyes crinkled into a smile, and she walked over to Chen Yan's side.

Her beautiful eyes, clearly filled with pleasure, glanced at him sideways: "You said it yourself, I've got it."

Chen Yan smiled and nodded: "Yes, I said so."

"Let's go~"

With a light and cheerful voice, Krystal Jung skipped forward, and Chen Yan followed.

Under the streetlights, their long shadows met again.

After about ten minutes, the two returned to the main entrance of SM Entertainment.

Handing the snacks he was carrying to Jung Soo-jung, Chen Yan said with a smile, "You can take them back. I won't go in. It's getting late, so I'll head back now."

The photos have been taken, and there's nothing more for him to do, so he might as well go home and rest.

Krystal Jung took the bag and nodded: "Okay, then drive carefully on the road."

"Okay, after you finish practicing, go back to your dorms and rest early, don't overwork yourselves."

"understood."

After saying goodbye, Chen Yan turned and walked towards his car, which was parked not far away.

Behind him, Krystal Jung stood there, watching him get into the car, start the engine, and drive away. Only after the taillights disappeared from sight did she turn around and walk into the company.

After taking a couple of steps, a smile spread across the girl's lips, as if she had just thought of something.

Tonight's date was great.

Her remaining rationality reminded her that this was a publicity stunt, not a date.

but.
I don't care! This is dating!
The last vestiges of reason were instantly and ruthlessly suppressed by emotion.

Tonight, she didn't want to be rational anymore.

(End of this chapter)