Peninsula: Starting with the nation's first love, the white moonlight

10:00 AM, Seoul National University, lecture hall.

"Lu Ran! Lu Ran!"

Park Ji-hoon slipped in through the back door and plopped down next to Lee Lu-ran.

"What were you doing last night, kid? You didn't reply to my messages, and I couldn't find you anywhere while I was playing games. I lost a lot of points last night!" Park Ji-hoon complained with a resentful look on his face.

"I had some personal business to attend to, and my phone was on silent, so I didn't see it," Li Luran replied casually.

"Personal matters? What personal matters could you possibly have? You're always either in the library or interning at a company; you're wasting your entire university life!"

Park Ji-hoon pursed his lips, but his attention was quickly drawn to something else.

"Lu Ran! Look, look! Big news!"

Park Ji-hoon handed his phone to Lee Lu-ran, whose screen displayed the top trending search results on Naver's entertainment section.

[Bae Suzy spotted late at night in Hannam-dong, a wealthy neighborhood, suspected of visiting a mysterious friend]

The caption also included several blurry candid photos. In the photos, you could barely make out the back of a tall woman carrying something in her hand, hurrying into the door of an apartment building.

Park Ji-hoon leaned closer mysteriously, his gossip-loving soul burning brightly: "What do you think she was doing out there in the middle of the night? Could she be secretly dating someone? Hannam-dong is full of male celebrities and chaebol heirs!"

Looking at the familiar figure on the screen, and combining that with what happened last night, Li Luran instantly understood what had happened.

It's estimated that Bae Suzy was photographed by paparazzi last night when she visited Lee Ji-eun at her hospital. Fortunately, it was nighttime and there was a heavy rain, so the photos were too blurry to be seen. Therefore, the paparazzi could only use random headlines to gain traffic.

Lee Luran handed the phone back to Park Jihoon, "Stop making wild guesses."

"Maybe they're just visiting a sick female friend."

"A sick female friend? A female celebrity living in Hannam-dong..."

Park Ji-hoon stroked his chin, deep in thought, "Could it be Ji Eun-na? I heard they're very close! And Ji Eun-na has been sick these past few days!"

"Lu Ran! You're an employee of LOEN, you must know the inside story, right? Tell me now!" Park Ji-hoon grabbed Lee Lu Ran's arm and shook it wildly as if he had discovered a new continent.

"I don't know anything!" Li Luran pushed him away without changing his expression.

What a joke! If that kid finds out he stayed overnight at Lee Ji-eun's house last night, he'll be furious.

"Listen to the lesson! If you keep making noise, I'll tell your mom that you failed your midterm."

"Damn it, you're so boring!"

Park Ji-hoon sat up straight, still looking at the gossip news on his phone screen, feeling indignant.

On the other side, in Hannam-dong, there are luxury apartments.

Lee Ji-eun, still wearing her pajamas and looking sleepy, walked out of the bedroom.

When she woke up, she felt that her throat no longer hurt, perhaps because she had drunk the rock sugar pear soup yesterday, or perhaps because she had taken anti-inflammatory medicine.

"Did that guy leave?"

Lee Ji-eun was still a little dazed. She subconsciously turned her head and looked towards the guest room.

She walked over quietly and pushed open the door.

The room was empty, and the blankets on the bed were neatly folded, as if no one had ever been there.

A strange sense of loss flashed through Lee Ji-eun's heart.

She turned and walked towards the living room, just about to go to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of warm water.

She stopped as she passed the dining table.

On the dining table was a clay pot with two small dishes next to it, and a sticky note next to the clay pot.

Lee Ji-eun picked up the note and read it.

"The porridge is keeping warm in the pot; you can eat it directly."

"I've categorized and put away all the ingredients in the refrigerator. Your voice needs to rest, so it's best to eat only liquids for the next couple of days. Also, even if your voice gets better, please don't sing high notes anytime soon."

"Thank you for taking me in last night, Li Luran."

Lee Ji-eun put down the note, opened the lid of the casserole, and a rich aroma wafted out.

Ten minutes later, Lee Ji-eun quickly washed up and began to enjoy her special breakfast.

The mushroom porridge was warm and sweet, and the chicken was tender. Lee Ji-eun ate it bite by bite, her eyes almost squinting with comfort.

In the early morning, a bowl of steaming hot porridge is simple and brings happiness.

"What a stubborn but soft-hearted guy."

Lee Ji-eun sipped her porridge slowly while glancing at the note, a slight smile unconsciously playing on her lips.

She did not take the initiative to contact Li Luran.

Their relationship wasn't close enough for them to exchange text messages and chat casually.

She could tell that Li Luran was a person with a strong sense of boundaries, and so was she herself.

But it's okay, there's still a long road ahead.

At the same time, in Cheongdam-dong, at Girls' Generation's dormitory.

Today is a rare day off, and apart from a few members who have schedules to attend, most people are still sleeping in.

In front of the living room's floor-to-ceiling windows, Kim Tae-yeon was wearing an oversized white T-shirt and headphones.

She was holding a watering can and watering a succulent on the windowsill.

"La la la...du du du..."

Kim Tae-yeon hummed a cheerful tune, her head swaying gently to the rhythm of the music.

At that moment, the bedroom door behind them opened, and Sunny walked out yawning.

She had originally intended to go to the kitchen to get a bottle of water, but when she turned around, she saw the captain humming a song while watering the flowers in the sunlight.

Sunny rubbed her eyes, thinking she hadn't woken up yet.

"Kim Tae-yeon?"

Sunny walked over and plopped down next to Taeyeon. "You're in such a good mood so early in the morning? Didn't you buy this succulent and never take care of it? Did the sun rise in the west today?"

Taeyeon took off her headphones and turned to look at her roommate.

"Succulents are living things too, they'll wither and die if you don't water them," Taeyeon replied matter-of-factly, a faint smile still on her lips.

Sunny narrowed her eyes and looked Kim Tae-yeon up and down.

This woman is acting very strangely!

Since this guy came back from his vacation, he's been completely transformed.

Kim Tae-yeon is a well-known night owl, often going to bed late at night and sleeping until almost the afternoon. How could she possibly get up so early in the morning like she is now?

"Kim Tae-yeon, tell me the truth."

Sunny suddenly leaned closer and asked with a hint of gossip, "Are you... in a relationship?"

"puff!!!"

Kim Tae-yeon was so startled she almost spat out her water. "Cough cough cough... What nonsense are you talking about, Lee Soon-kyu!" Tae-yeon blushed and glared at her.

"You're still pretending!"

Sunny pointed at her face, "Your beaming face is just too obvious!"

"Quick, tell me! Older or younger? Idol or actor? You're not some chaebol heir, are you? Or... is that handsome guy you met in New Zealand last time?"

Upon hearing "New Zealand," Kim Tae-yeon turned her head away guiltily.

When she first returned to Seoul, she would think about the two of them in New Zealand every day. Although it was only three days, it seemed that they had experienced a lot of wonderful things.

Fishing together in the sea, riding horses together on the ranch, running wildly on the beach under the moonlight, and that bold hug before parting.

He should have already started his studies abroad by now, right?

"What handsome guy? There are only sheep there, okay?"

Taeyeon forcefully suppressed the flutter in her heart, grabbed the cushion next to her, and shoved it into Sunny's arms. "Stop watching those brainless Korean dramas. I felt better because I went out for some fresh air and released some stress."

"Tch, nobody's going to believe you." Sunny hugged her pillow and pouted.

Just then, the door to the other bedroom opened.

Im Yoona came out wearing a pink cartoon pajama set, rubbing her stomach.

"Unnies, what's all this noise so early in the morning... I'm hungry, is there any ramen left in the dorm?"

Yoona floated over silently and snuggled against Taeyeon's back, acting all cute.

"All you do is eat, are you a pig, Yoona?"

Kim Tae-yeon chuckled and patted Yoona's head. "Go wash your face, I'll make you ramen. Sunny, do you want some?"

"Give me another egg!" Sunny immediately raised her hand.

Kim Tae-yeon put on an apron and walked into the kitchen humming a song.

Lin Yoona hugged a cushion and exchanged a glance with Sunny.

"Taeyeon unnie seems to have become especially gentle lately, and she smiles a lot more." Im Yoona muttered softly.

"Right! You feel something's off too, right!" Sunny nodded emphatically. "I bet my game console that something's up with her!"

The two girls were whispering in the living room, while in the kitchen, Taeyeon listened to her roommates' playful banter and looked out the window.

She is not in a relationship.

Perhaps it was in the right place that she met the right person; she just happened to meet Li Luran, and her soul was healed.