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

Inside a high-end barbecue restaurant in Gangnam District.

"Cheers!"

Inside the private room, dozens of people from the film crew raised their glasses together, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.

The music video for "You and I" has successfully wrapped up filming, and LOEN's company reimbursed all expenses, so everyone naturally indulged in eating and drinking to their heart's content.

At the main table, Lee Ji-eun, as the female lead, naturally sat in the center, while Lee Lu-ran sat to her left.

This was obviously a deliberate arrangement by the director. He had already decided that Li Luran was the son of a wealthy family, and as for coming to shoot the music video? That was definitely just a means to pursue her.

What he had to do was go with the flow and lend a helping hand to this young master at the right time.

If this music video can become the love story between the two of them, then I will definitely have plenty of resources in the industry in the future.

So, from the moment they entered the private room, the director enthusiastically arranged for Li Luran to stand next to Li Zhi'en.

"Come on, Lu Ran, you've worked hard today! Let me toast you!"

The director, holding a wine glass, bowed slightly, his smile widening. "The chemistry between you and Ji-eun on camera is perfect! You're a match made in heaven!"

"Cough, cough!"

Lee Ji-eun was stuffing a piece of grilled meat wrapped in lettuce into her mouth when she heard the director's praise and almost choked.

She glanced at the director discreetly, feeling somewhat puzzled.

This director is known in the industry for his bad temper, so why is he being so polite to Li Luran today, like he's his own father?

Li Luran remained calm, raised his glass to clink with the director's, and drank it all in one gulp.

"You flatter me. Today's smooth sailing is all thanks to the director!"

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the private room became increasingly lively, and everyone grew bolder.

The crew members took turns toasting Lee Ji-eun with wine glasses. In the workplace culture of the Korean Peninsula, it is difficult to refuse such a toast.

"Ji-eun, I wish you great success with your new album!"

An attendant handed over a full glass of liquor.

Just as Lee Ji-eun was about to reach out to take it, Lee Lu-ran suddenly stood up and took the glass of wine from her.

"Jie-eun's voice has only recently recovered, and she has to go into the studio to record tomorrow. The doctor has told her not to drink alcohol."

"I'll drink this cup for her. I appreciate everyone's kindness."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the glass of liquor in one gulp, his movements clean and efficient, though the expression on his face was somewhat unnatural.

In fact, Li Luran did not like the soju from the peninsula; he preferred the baijiu from China.

For the next half hour, Li Luran deflected several waves of toasts.

Lee Ji-eun sat obediently in her seat, holding a glass of warm water. She turned her head to watch Lee Lu-ran drink one glass after another for her, and even the barbecue didn't smell as good anymore.

She gently tugged at Li Luran's clothes under the table and whispered, "Drink less, don't push yourself too hard. I'll just take a sip to make it look like I'm drinking."

"It's alright, this little bit of alcohol isn't enough to cause this," Li Luran said softly as he sat back down in his chair.

In the latter half of a drinking party, people tend to be particularly bold when they are slightly tipsy.

I don't know who started it, but the conversation at the dinner table gradually shifted from work to gossip.

"Lu Ran-xi!"

The assistant director suddenly started teasing, "You're so handsome, you must have had a lot of girls chasing after you at school, right? Since we're in a good mood today, tell us, in the entertainment industry on the peninsula, who is your ideal type?"

The moment the question was asked, the entire private room fell silent.

Everyone perked up their ears, even the director looked over with shining eyes, thinking to himself, "This kid's got potential."

At the dinner table of people from the Peninsula, the topic of ideal type can never be separated.

Li Luran was slightly taken aback. In the entertainment industry of the peninsula, the only people he knew besides Lee Ji-eun were Suzy.

He subconsciously turned his head and glanced at Lee Ji-eun sitting next to him.

Ji-eun was pretending to look down and drink water, but her ears were standing straight up.

Li Luran smiled helplessly, "I don't usually pay much attention to the entertainment industry, so I don't know many celebrities."

He paused, glanced at Lee Ji-eun's profile, and said, "If I had to choose an ideal type... Ji-eun."

Wow!!!

"Li Luran's ideal type is Ji-eun!!!"

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Lee Ji-eun's face instantly turned bright red.

A slight buzz from the alcohol, coupled with this sudden confession, made her face turn as red as a ripe apple.

She covered her face with both hands, so embarrassed that she almost buried her face under the table, and kicked Li Luran several times with her little feet.

……

At 11 p.m., the wrap party finally ended amidst laughter and joy.

After everyone said their goodbyes, Lee Ji-eun's nanny van was parked in front of the barbecue restaurant.

"Oppa, why don't you take Unnie home first?"

Lee Ji-eun put on a scarf and mask, waved to her manager through the car window, and said, "It's very close to my home. I want to take a walk to digest my food. I can have Lu Ran take me home."

The manager glanced at Li Luran standing next to him. He had seen the whole time that the guy had protected Zhi En at the dinner table.

"Okay, then Lu Ran, I'll trouble you to make sure Zhi En gets home safely." The manager didn't think much of it, gave a few instructions, and then drove away.

Late at night in early winter, there were few pedestrians on the streets of Seoul.

Under the moonlight, the two walked side by side, and the occasional cold wind seemed to carry a hint of sweetness.

"Feed".

Lee Ji-eun broke the silence, her hands behind her back, stepping on her shadow on the ground.

"What you said in the private room just now, was it just to help me save face, or were you sincere?"

"Guess." Li Luran put his hands in his coat pockets, not answering directly, but with a faint smile on his lips.

"Tch, boring. Never mind if you don't want to talk about it."

Lee Ji-eun pouted, but didn't press the matter further.

"Actually, I'm quite envious of you. You get to sit in a classroom and attend classes, and then go to the cafeteria with your friends to grab food after class."

Because she debuted at a young age, she gave up the opportunity to go to university. Now that she's famous, campus life remains a regret for her.

"What's your college life like?" She leaned closer to Li Luran and asked him, looking up at him.

"It's so boring."

"Every day is just listening to the professor read the PPT and then dealing with the final exam. The only interesting thing is probably watching how my friends try to skip class to chase after celebrities," Li Luran said with an embarrassed smile.

"So... what else is there besides these?"

Lee Ji-eun asked casually, but her eyes secretly glanced at him.

"Haven't you ever thought about having a sweet campus romance?"

"For example, have any very pretty upperclassmen or cute lowerclassmen confessed their feelings to you?"

"No. I'm too busy to pay attention to these things," Li Luran replied crisply.

Hearing Li Luran's answer, Li Zhi'en raised her chin in satisfaction, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up: "You're good to be honest. If you dare to flirt around at school, I'll... dock your internship salary."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Li."

The two smiled at each other and walked side by side toward the apartment.

At this moment, about fifty meters behind them, a black sedan quietly followed them.

"Did you get a picture? Is it really IU?" the paparazzi in the passenger seat asked excitedly.

"It's definitely her! Even though she's wearing a mask, her figure is very recognizable." The paparazzi in the driver's seat zoomed in on the photo and examined it carefully, looking completely certain.

"Who's that guy next to you? Is he in the entertainment industry? Can you see his face clearly?"

"I couldn't see his face clearly; he was wearing a hat the whole time and was talking to IU sideways, so I only got a shot of his back and half of his profile. But that's enough."

He glanced at the photo of the couple strolling side-by-side and sneered.

"Nation's Little Sister IU was spotted strolling the streets late at night with a mysterious man, sparking rumors of a new relationship."

What do you think of this title?

"Just wait and see, the peninsula will definitely be shocked by this report tomorrow, and then... hahaha!!!"