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

Chapter 86 Joint Trial

"Your name is Li Luran, right? You're my friend Taeyeon's friend?" the middle-aged man asked again to confirm.

Li Luran put away his phone, nodded slightly, and said, "Yes."

"very good."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, his face showing no extra emotional fluctuation.

"Come with me."

After saying that, he turned around and walked straight into the innermost room.

Li Luran stood there stunned for a few seconds, feeling as if he were being led to the execution ground, even though he was clearly innocent.

Pushing open the door, a sense of oppression immediately hit me.

Kim Tae-yeon sat obediently on the sofa with her hands on her knees, not daring to lift her head even slightly. Kim Ji-yong and Kim Ha-yeon, the two siblings, stood on either side of her.

Seeing Li Luran walk in, Kim Tae-yeon secretly raised her head and quickly winked at him.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Mr. Jin spoke first, breaking the silence.

He was in a very good mood today because his eldest daughter, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, was finally coming home. He had even planned to close the shop early and celebrate the New Year with his family.

Who would have thought that Kim Ji-yong would suddenly rush over to tell him that Tae-yeon had not only returned, but had also brought a strange man with her.

The moment he heard the news, he felt like the sky was falling.

However, his years of good manners allowed him to control his anger; he needed to at least find out the truth of the matter first.

"What exactly happened? Is what Zhiyong said true?"

Faced with her father's questioning, Kim Tae-yeon suddenly raised her head, her eyes slightly red, and her temper flared up: "Anyway, you won't believe me no matter what I say. Whatever you think, then so be it!"

Kim Tae-yeon looked up and met her father's gaze. Although she was filled with grievances, she still gritted her teeth and didn't let her tears fall.

Upon hearing his daughter's defiant remark, Mr. Jin's anger flared instantly, and his right hand instinctively rose high into the air.

Just as tensions were about to rise, Li Luran stepped forward and stood between the father and daughter.

Although this is their family matter and it's inappropriate for him, as an outsider, to interfere, he is, after all, one of the parties involved.

"Uncle, Taeyeon drove all the way from Seoul today, she must be very tired, so she was a little emotional."

"If there's anything you want to know, Uncle, just ask me directly."

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Mr. Jin slowly lowered his hand and looked coldly at the young man in front of him.

"Ask you? Humph."

"Then answer the question I asked Taeyeon earlier."

Under the oppressive gaze of Father Jin, Li Luran cleared his throat lightly.

"It's like this, this morning, I bumped into Taeyeon at Namsan Tower—"

"Heh! Namsan Tower? A chance encounter?" Jin Zhiyong immediately let out a sarcastic laugh.

"I think you two were holding hands and went to Nanshan Tower early in the morning to hang couple locks, right?"

""

It has to be admitted that Kim Ji-yong truly lives up to his reputation as Taeyeon's older brother, who grew up with her. Through a mix of guesswork and deduction, he managed to recount the events of the morning with remarkable accuracy.

Kim Tae-yeon gritted her teeth, peeked half her head out from Lee Lu-ran's shoulder, and glared fiercely at Kim Ji-yong.

If looks could kill, Jin Zhiyong would probably be dead a hundred times over by now.

Li Luran was not flustered by Jin Zhiyong's sarcastic remarks. He waited for Jin Zhiyong to finish speaking before continuing, his tone still calm: "Brother Zhiyong, please let me finish what I have to say."

"I'm an international student from China. I have a childhood friend who really loves the culture on the peninsula. So he specifically asked me to take some photos of famous tourist attractions on the peninsula during the holidays and send them to him."

"The eyeglasses shop owned by his uncle just happens to be one of the places on his list to visit."

"Taeyeon said she knew this place, so I shamelessly asked her to take me here."

"As for Taeyeon and me—we actually met a long time ago in New Zealand. Later, we parted ways for some reasons and had no contact with each other until yesterday. So, we really are just ordinary friends."

Upon hearing this, Jin Zhiyong immediately jumped up and down in panic. "Dad, you absolutely mustn't believe these lies he's made up!"

"Think about it carefully. Don't you know Taeyeon's personality? If she were just a regular friend, would she personally drive hundreds of kilometers to bring him here?"

"Also, I felt something was off when she went to New Zealand without saying a word last year."

"Now it seems she went all the way to New Zealand just to see this guy!"

Kim Tae-yeon hid behind Lee Lu-ran, clenching her fists tightly. She was absolutely furious with her own brother. What else could this guy do besides cause trouble and add fuel to the fire?

Just when the situation was about to spiral out of control again, Kim's father spoke up.

"Taeyeon, don't hide behind others, stand up and speak for yourself."

"Your father is asking you, are you two really boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Kim Tae-yeon slowly walked out from behind Lee Lu-ran and slowly raised her head. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she held them back tightly.

"Not yet."

"Dad, listen to this! Taeyeon is lying! She—"

"Enough!" Mr. Jin shouted angrily, interrupting Jin Zhiyong.

"Let's leave it at that for now. If you have anything to say, let's go home and talk about it."

Seeing that Mr. Jin seemed to have no intention of pressing the matter further, the two exchanged a glance and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Kim Tae-yeon wiped her eyes and was about to leave with Lee Lu-ran when her father spoke up again: "Young man, you should come back with us too."

Kim Tae-yeon was startled and rushed to her father, saying, "No! I have to take him back to Seoul today, and he has other things to do tomorrow. Besides, it's getting late, and it's almost dark outside. It's very unsafe to drive on the highway at night!"

Mr. Kim looked down at Kim Tae-yeon and remained silent for a moment.

"Seoul is so far away, and since driving at night isn't safe, we definitely can't go back. There are plenty of spare rooms at home. Let him stay tonight, and he can leave tomorrow during the day."

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent, and everyone's expressions were priceless.

Jin Zhiyong's mouth was agape, his jaw almost dropping to the ground. He couldn't believe his father would bring this strange boy home.

Kim Ha-yeon excitedly covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes sparkling with gossip, as if she could immediately witness a thrilling family drama.

Kim Tae-yeon stood there, wanting to argue, but seeing her father's expression, she obediently shut her mouth.

Li Luran was on the verge of tears. Spend the night at Kim Tae-yeon's house? Given the current situation, would he even make it out alive?

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