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

Chapter 82 Couple Locks

"What?"

Kim Tae-yeon's face instantly turned even redder.

Shyness, coupled with the embarrassment of having her secret thoughts suddenly exposed, made her so excited that she could barely speak.

"Who said you have to be a couple to hang locks here?"

She hurriedly pointed to several locks in the distance that weren't as colorful, trying to defend herself.

"There are also prayer locks that family members or close friends hang together!"

"Look here, and over there, those are clearly friendship locks hung between good friends and besties."

Li Luran looked at Kim Tae-yeon with suspicion: "Are there locks like this?"

"Hmph! Believe it or not!"

Kim Tae-yeon pretended to be angry, turned around, and started to leave.

Upon seeing this, Li Luran hurriedly followed and apologized repeatedly.

"Fine, I believe you. If you say it's a friendship lock, then it's a friendship lock."

He noticed that Taeyeon had slowed her pace slightly and took the opportunity to offer a suggestion.

"So, to commemorate our reunion in Seoul, and to witness our friendship, shall we hang a lock together?"

"Dream on!"

Although Kim Tae-yeon verbally refused with a haughty tone, her little mouth, hidden under her scarf, was already slightly upturned with happiness.

She turned around, her hands behind her back, and looked at Li Luran.

"However, seeing how sincere your attitude is, I'll reluctantly agree."

"No, I never admitted that you are Nuna, don't call me that." Li Luran immediately retorted.

"Hey! I'm several years older than you, so what's wrong with you calling me 'angry'?"

"It's nothing, just don't want to." Lee Luran felt strange calling this little one "Noona." "Or, do you remember what I told you before? You call me 'Oppa,' and I'll call you 'Noona,' how about that? Fair and square!"

"Ugh!" Kim Tae-yeon stomped her foot in embarrassment and annoyance, too lazy to pay attention to him, and walked towards the padlock shop by herself. Seeing this, Lee Lu-ran had no choice but to follow her.

The two walked together to a shop next to the observation deck that specializes in selling souvenirs and padlocks.

The counter was filled with all kinds of locks, including ordinary square locks and colorful locks shaped like hearts.

Lee Luran chose a single lock with a Seoul Tower pattern printed on it, and just as he was about to take out his wallet, Kim Tae-yeon stopped him.

"I'll pay. I was just about to buy two drinks, so this is a way of thanking you for blocking the pedestrians for me."

She nudged Li Luran's arm. "Go over there and pick out two markers."

Taking advantage of the moment when Li Luran turned around, Kim Tae-yeon quickly pointed to the pair of pink and blue love locks in the center of the counter.

"Boss, I want this!"

She paid quickly, hid the lock in her coat pocket, and her heart pounded nervously.

When Li Luran returned with two markers, Kim Tae-yeon immediately grabbed his sleeve and pulled him out of the store.

The two reached the railing, and Li Luran reminded them, "Taeyeon, where's the padlock?"

Kim Tae-yeon trembled slightly and slowly took the pair of heart-shaped padlocks out of her coat pocket. "This is the only style left. The shopkeeper said the others are all sold out."

Li Luran smiled but didn't expose her. He took the blue heart-shaped lock from her palm, which still retained the warmth of Kim Tae-yeon's hand.

Each of them took a pen and, with their backs to each other, wrote their blessings on the lock.

After finishing writing, Kim Taeyeon secretly glanced at Lee Luran. Seeing him still staring at the lock in his hand, Taeyeon gently nudged his shoulder. "Hey, what were you writing?"

Without much thought, Li Luran handed the lock to Kim Tae-yeon. On it was written: "May Miss X always be carefree, and may the friendship between X and 0 last forever."

Kim Tae-yeon stared at the line of text for a long time, gently biting her lower lip, her eyes sparkling.

"Let's go, let's go hang the lock together."

Soon, two padlocks, one pink and one blue, were locked together, blending into this wall of locks that had witnessed countless romances.

"By the way," Li Luran asked casually, "Taeyeon, what did you write on the lock?"

"N-nothing," Taeyeon quickly turned around, hiding her hands behind her back. "My wish won't come true if someone sees it!"

Li Luran smiled awkwardly and didn't press the matter further.

Kim Tae-yeon pursed her lips and unconsciously looked at her pink lock, which actually had a few words written on it: "May the fate of X and 0 last forever." She felt a little embarrassed just thinking about it, so how could she dare to tell him to his face?

"Oh, right." Kim Tae-yeon composed herself and waved to Lee Lu-ran, "Now that the lock is on, let's take a picture together as a souvenir."

Li Luran nodded, readily took out his phone, and pressed the shutter.

In the photo, Li Luran is smiling, while beside her is a girl fully armed, with only her smiling eyes showing.

After taking the first photo, Kim Tae-yeon cautiously looked around.

After confirming that no other tourists were approaching this corner of the observation deck, she quickly pulled down her scarf and even took off her knitted hat, revealing her striking blonde hair and delicate face.

"Hurry up, while no one's around."

She quickly moved closer to Li Luran, gently pressing her shoulder against his arm, and gave the camera a bright smile.

Li Luran was a beat slow to react, but he quickly pressed the shutter.

The image freezes at this moment, a cold wind blowing the stray hairs at her temples, and the smiles of the two appear especially radiant in the winter morning light of Seoul.

After taking the photos, Kim Tae-yeon immediately put her hat and scarf back on as quickly as possible.

As time went by, more and more tourists came up the mountain.

For safety reasons, the two decided not to linger and took the cable car down the mountain together.

There were only the two of them inside the cable car. As the cable car slowly descended, the panoramic view of the city gradually unfolded beneath their feet.

"Actually, I'm quite curious. You said you were out for a stroll alone, so why did you come to a place like Namsan Tower so early in the morning?"

Kim Tae-yeon looked out the window and casually started a conversation.

Li Luran sighed helplessly. He had to come up the mountain to brave the cold wind during his precious holiday, but there was an unexpected bonus.

"It's all because of my childhood friend."

"He was originally going to travel to the peninsula, but he couldn't come for various reasons. So he gave me a list of must-see places on the peninsula and asked me to visit all of them and take photos as proof."

"Nanshan Tower is the first task on his list." Li Luran shrugged speechlessly.

"Oh?" Kim Tae-yeon seemed intrigued. "Besides Namsan Tower, are there any other places?"

"There are several more!" Li Luran showed her the notes app on his phone. It indeed listed several places, including Gyeongbokgung Palace, Itaewon, and the Han River Bridge.

When she saw the last spot, her eyes widened slightly involuntarily, and she pointed to the phone screen.

Are you going to this place too?

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