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

Chapter 79 Encounter with Nanshan Tower (Seeking 10,000 daily subscriptions)

January 1st is the New Year on the peninsula, and according to tradition, most peninsula residents choose to spend it with their families.

As an international student, Li Luran naturally became a loner.

Back in his apartment, he slept exceptionally soundly.

There was no heavy workload, and no one bothered me.

Half-asleep, the scene of taking Lee Ji-eun home last night involuntarily surfaced in my mind.

The way Ji-eun looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't when we parted is still vivid in my memory.

I suppose she was trying to ask him what his plans were for the day. It has to be admitted, Ji-eun is indeed a gentle and kind girl.

"Spend the New Year with your family," Li Luran remembered saying at the time.

He knew that Ji-eun would visit her grandmother in Jeju Island every year on this day, and he didn't want to affect her life because of himself.

Lee Ji-eun simply nodded obediently at the time. Perhaps feeling that they had a long future ahead of them, she did not dwell too much on this moment of parting.

Just as Li Luran turned over, ready to continue her sweet dream, her phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated violently.

He didn't even open his eyes, but groped his way through the phone by memory.

The moment the call connected, a heart-wrenching scream came from the other end, instantly waking him: "Ah! Li Luran, I failed again!"

Zhang Kai's extremely penetrating voice made his eardrums ache, so he quickly moved the phone further away and pressed the speakerphone button.

"Hey Zhang Kai, why aren't you sleeping in during your vacation? What are you yelling at me for so early in the morning?"

"Huh?" Zhang Kai replied in surprise, "Lu Ran, it's almost nine in the morning, why aren't you up yet?"

"This is nothing like you! You were so self-disciplined back home, how did you become so decadent on the peninsula?"

'

Li Luran rubbed his temples, his head still buzzing.

"I didn't get home until 3 a.m. last night, and I only slept for a total of four hours. Spit it out, or I'm hanging up."

"No, no, no!"

Upon hearing that Li Luran was about to hang up, Zhang Kai immediately became anxious.

Li Luran yawned, then shifted into a more comfortable position against the pillows. "So, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"Sigh, it's all because of my old man; he absolutely refused to let me come to Seoul to see you!"

"I was planning to surprise you, but that's all ruined now!"

After hearing this, Li Luran showed an expression as if he had expected this to happen.

"Is that all? Your uncle didn't agree to let you come to the peninsula last time, there's no way he'd let you out this time."

Zhang Kai complained on the other end of the phone, feeling wronged: "I thought he would make an exception for your sake."

Guess how he insulted me?

Zhang Kai cleared his throat. "Look at Li Luran, he got into Seoul National University! Look at Luran, he got into Seoul National University. And look at you, don't go and cause trouble for him."

Hearing Zhang Kai's incredibly lifelike tone, Li Luran finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Alright, just behave yourself for a few months and maybe if you do well, Uncle will let you come to see me in the spring." Li Luran couldn't help but laugh again as he said this.

Zhang Kai's face darkened, and he snorted coldly, "Tch, who do you think would bother coming all this way to see you?"

"I went to Peninsula because of Girls' Generation, and T-ara was the second choice. You're at most at the very end of the list."

Li Luran twitched his lips speechlessly. However, after Zhang Kai casually mentioned it, the image of Kim Tae-yeon shining on stage last night unconsciously surfaced in his mind.

"Hey, Li Luran? Why did you suddenly disconnect?"

"—I'm listening."

Did you even read the peninsula travel guide I sent you a couple of days ago?

Li Luran looked bewildered: "What travel guide? Did I receive such a thing?"

Zhang Kai said with exasperation, "It's that document!"

"These are all the must-see spots I wanted to visit during my trip to the peninsula," Zhang Kai said, getting angrier and angrier. "I thought I could finally fulfill my dream this time, but the more I think about it, the angrier I get."

Li Luran poured cold water on him without any mercy: "You might as well give up on that idea now, or you can just find some pictures of other people online and round it down to mean you've been here."

Zhang Kai was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke up: "How about this?"

"Lu Ran, my good brother, since I can't come, could you go and check out those places for me, take a few pictures and send them to me to feast my eyes on them? That should be alright, right?"

"Anyway, you're just killing time during this holiday."

Without a second thought, Li Luran decisively refused.

"I'm not going!" Li Luran refused decisively.

What a joke! He finally has a holiday, and instead of staying home to recharge, he goes out to enjoy the cold wind and take photos. He's not crazy yet.

Zhang Kai's tone immediately became subtle, "Really not going?"

Li Luran replied resolutely, "I'd rather die than go!"

"Hmph!" Zhang Kai sneered twice, "Then don't blame me for being uncivilized."

"I'm going to tell your aunt and uncle right now that you've secretly gotten a girlfriend on the Peninsula!"

Li Luran was stunned and suddenly sat up in bed.

"Huh? I have a girlfriend? How come I didn't even know that?"

Zhang Kai let out a lewd laugh.

"Hehehe. Someone's online rumors with the nation's little sister IU are making headlines—"

'

"Do I need to read out the specific details?"

"Pfft!" Li Luran almost choked on his own saliva.

"Where did you get all this gossip from, kid?"

Zhang Kai said smugly, "You've already given yourself away, haven't you?"

"Hehe, don't forget, I'm a die-hard K-pop fan, and IU is in the top three of my goddess list."

"You're pretty quick, aren't you? You managed to win over Ji-eun without making a sound."

"However, your little tricks can't fool my sharp eyes, Detective Zhang."

Li Luran felt a pang of guilt, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels: "Stop talking nonsense!"

"The rumors online have long been clarified. We only had some contact because of work."

S

"Work?" Zhang Kai clearly didn't believe a word of it.

"Hmph, Li Luran, don't I know you too well?"

"If you don't have any feelings for someone, no matter how beautiful she is, you will definitely keep a safe distance."

"Tell your bros, isn't IU's body incredibly soft? Does she smell amazing?"

The intimate moments between the two of them last night flashed through Li Luran's mind instantly.

"It is quite—"

The words were on the tip of his tongue when he suddenly realized what he was saying and swallowed the rest of his sentence back down.

"Hahaha, you've been exposed!" Zhang Kai laughed wildly. "Alright, I'm not going to joke with you anymore. My old man is outside urging me to go out."

"Listen up, you can't miss a single one of the checkpoints listed in the guide!"

"Otherwise, hmph! You'll be in for a barrage of deadly abuse from your aunt and uncle!"

"Beep beep beep————"

Before Li Luran could explain further, Zhang Kai hung up the phone cleanly and decisively.

Li Luran sighed dejectedly, looking up at the sky, "What kind of mess is this?!"

After lying on the bed for several minutes, feeling utterly hopeless, Li Luran finally got up reluctantly.

He knew very well that if he didn't do as Zhang Kai said, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Even if Zhang Kai doesn't tell his parents about the scandal, he'll definitely keep nagging about it on the phone.

Just thinking about that scene sent chills down Li Luran's spine, but he had no choice but to accept it all.

He turned on his computer and quickly browsed the travel guide that Zhang Kai had sent him.

The document contained a long list of random notes, but he didn't have time to study them carefully, word by word.

He only took pictures of the few places recommended in the travel guide: Namsan Tower, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Itaewon, Han River Bridge, and EyeBis.

Goodness, they're all Seoul's most popular tourist attractions.

But what exactly is this place called EyeBis?

Li Luran shook his head, thinking that this was probably another cheap tourist spot that Zhang Kai had copied from somewhere.

"Fine, even if we skip one place, Zhang Kai probably won't mind, right?"

Actually, Li Luran had been in the peninsula for a while now. He hadn't visited any of the popular tourist attractions Zhang Kai had listed.

Park Ji-hoon has mentioned Itaewon and Namsan Tower to him several times, especially those two places.

I heard that Namsan Tower has an excellent location, and you can get a panoramic view of Seoul from the top.

Especially at night, the city lights reflect each other, making the scenery particularly beautiful.

"Alright, our first stop today is decided, Namsan Tower!"

In January, Seoul was unusually cold, with the average outdoor temperature dropping below zero.

Li Luran wore a thick black long coat and a brown knitted hat, wrapping himself up tightly.

Although the travel guide said that the view of Namsan Tower is more charming at night, the weather was just too cold.

Moreover, it's currently a holiday, so the number of people will definitely increase exponentially in the evening, with countless tourists coming from other places.

Li Luran has never liked crowded atmospheres, so he decided to go during the day. After all, it's just taking a photo and checking in, so it doesn't matter whether it's day or night.

After a subway ride of about half an hour, Li Luran finally arrived at the foot of Namsan Tower.

The Nanshan Mountain in winter looks rather desolate, with bare branches swaying slightly in the cold wind, and the entire mountain trail appears quite deserted.

Looking up along the winding mountain road, Namsan Tower stands quietly atop the mountain.

Li Luran took a breath of fresh air and immediately felt refreshed.

There are three ways to get to Namsan Tower: on foot, by bus, or by cable car.

Li Luran remembered that Zhang Kai's travel guide suggested hiking up the mountain to enjoy the scenery along the way.

But he's not a masochist, and he's not stupid enough to go through that kind of suffering in the cold.

He decisively bought a cable car ticket. As the cable car slowly ascended, the view became increasingly expansive, and the outline of the entire city of Seoul gradually came into clear view.

Li Luran quietly admired the beautiful scenery outside the window, and his originally agitated mood gradually calmed down.

It seems this trip was indeed worthwhile; the beauty of Namsan Tower truly lives up to its reputation.

As I stepped off the cable car, a gust of cold wind hit me in the face.

Li Luran tightened his collar and strode towards the most famous viewing platform of Nanshan Tower.

Namsan Tower did appear somewhat deserted during the day, with only a few scattered tourists strolling and taking photos in the square. However, the most eye-catching feature was undoubtedly the dense wall of love locks along the edge of the platform.

Tens of thousands of colorful padlocks, intertwined and entwined, hang on the barbed wire fence, carrying the beautiful wishes of countless couples.

With a hint of curiosity, Li Luran slowly walked towards the locked wall.

Just then, a petite figure caught his attention.

She was wearing a large white down jacket and a gray knitted scarf around her neck, which covered most of her face.

This fully armed outfit reminded him of when Lee Ji-eun secretly ambushed him in Seoul; she was dressed the same way, wrapped up like a dumpling.

She was standing in front of a convenience store not far away, pacing back and forth, looking somewhat conflicted.

Just then, a gust of cold wind blew by, and the girl's hat fell off, revealing her striking blonde hair.

She hurriedly picked up her hat and put it back on, her movements appearing somewhat flustered yet endearing.

Li Luran narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at that petite figure, especially that long golden hair, and felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Although she was dressed very conservatively, making it almost impossible to see her face, her height, build, and blonde hair made her look more and more like the person who shone on stage last night.

He slowed his pace and slowly moved towards the girl.

The girl's attention remained fixed on the padlock shop not far away. She took two steps forward, but then stopped. She glanced at the wall of locks a few times, then couldn't resist slowly moving a few more steps toward the shop.

Just then, a couple walked out of the store hand in hand.

The girl was startled and quickly pressed her hat down and then pulled her scarf up.

The couple, holding love locks, approached her chatting and laughing. The girl, afraid of being recognized, quickly turned and ran away.

"Bang!"

Just as she turned around in a panic, Li Luran happened to be less than half a meter behind her. The girl, with her head down, bumped directly into his arms, and her hat flew off again.

"what!"

She gasped in surprise, and just as she was about to lose her balance, a pair of large hands wrapped around her waist, and a familiar scent lingered in her nostrils.

Her face was still filled with fear, but she still subconsciously looked up.

When she saw his face clearly, her beautiful eyes slowly widened, and her expression changed from panic to surprise, and finally to a mixture of joy and delight.

The two stood facing each other in the cold wind, and Kim Tae-yeon's heart pounded under his gaze. Finally, she couldn't help but let out a soft gasp.

"0？"

"Ms. X, we meet again!"

The two exchanged the secret signal and smiled at each other.

Just then, the couple walked up to them. Li Luran quickly stepped aside, blocking their view with his body, and whispered a reminder, "Don't speak yet."

Li Luran maintained his half-embracing posture, protecting Kim Tae-yeon as they walked towards the side of the convenience store.

The couple stared at them for a while, and the girl couldn't help but complain to her boyfriend, "Look at him, he's so careful not to let his girlfriend catch a cold, he just holds her in his arms! And look at you, you're so stiff you're practically a blockhead!"

After the couple walked away, Li Luran let go of their hand.

However, at this moment, Taeyeon's cheeks were as red as the sunset.

Especially the words the couple said as they walked by made her so ashamed that she didn't even have the courage to look up at Li Luran.