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

Chapter 92 Taeyeon's Depression

Today is January 1, 2012, the first day of the new year.

The Jin family's living room was lit with warm yellow lights, and a large feast was laid out on the dining table.

As in previous years, today is a day for family reunion. However, some unexpected things happened this year. On such an important day, the eldest daughter, Kim Tae-yeon, brought a man home!

Tonight's family dinner was clearly divided into two groups: Li Luran and Kim Tae-yeon sat side by side on one side, while opposite them were Kim's stern-faced father and Kim Ji-yong.

Although Mr. Jin didn't say anything, his eyes never left Li Luran for a second, as if afraid that he would do something disrespectful to his little cabbage.

Although this boy was brought back by Kim Tae-yeon herself, Kim's father, as the head of the family, and Kim Ji-yong, as the eldest brother, naturally could not so easily hand Tae-yeon over to him.

On the other side of the dining table, however, the scene was completely the opposite.

It's clear that Kim's mother and daughter, Kim Ha-yeon, have sided with Li Lu-ran, this outsider.

Kim's mother kept putting food on Li Luran's plate, while Kim Ha-yeon called him "Luran Oppa" affectionately.

Although Li Luran remained outwardly calm, he was actually extremely embarrassed inside, and Kim Tae-yeon, who was sitting next to him, was not much better off.

Bringing Li Luran home today was obviously unexpected. The two had just reunited yesterday, and he brought her home today. Isn't that too fast?

Taeyeon's mind was in turmoil, filled with worry, yet also a hidden sense of secret joy.

After today's events, it seems that her relationship with Li Luran has progressed significantly. But is this situation a good thing or a bad thing?

Kim Tae-yeon lowered her head, her lips sometimes slightly upturned, sometimes furrowing her brows.

Li Luran thought her ankle was hurting again, so he turned slightly to the side and asked with concern, "Taeyeon, does your foot hurt again?"

"Huh? No, it's all over now!"

Startled by being spoken to, Kim Tae-yeon weakly added, "Thank you for helping me earlier."

Just thinking about how Li Luran had gently massaged her ankles in his arms in her room made her cheeks flush again.

"Okay, it's good that you're alright. But even though it doesn't hurt anymore, remember to move around as little as possible for the next couple of days. Also, it's best to avoid strenuous dance practice for a week."

"Arasso".

Kim Tae-yeon felt a warm glow in her heart; the gentleness of her younger brother was incredibly irresistible to her.

She lowered her head even further, refusing to look into Li Luran's eyes.

Watching the two whispering to each other as if no one else was around, Mrs. Jin's smile never stopped.

"Cough cough."

Mr. Jin coughed lightly, breaking the subtle, romantic atmosphere between the two.

"Taeyeon, you seem to have lost some weight recently. Is your schedule at work so packed that you don't even have time to eat properly?"

Kim Tae-yeon looked up, her blush fading considerably. "Dad, don't worry about me. I'm doing fine. The comeback schedule was indeed quite hectic for a while, but it's almost all done now. I'm eating on time every day."

Mr. Jin nodded. Although he was still a little worried, he didn't press the matter further about work during the Chinese New Year.

He took a sip of soju and looked at Lee Luran next to Kim Tae-yeon.

"Young man, since you're a guest Taeyeon brought back, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

"Where are you from? How old are you?"

Li Luran put down his chopsticks and answered truthfully: "I am from the Jiangnan region of China, born in 94."

"Hmm, if it's '94, then she's five years younger than Taeyeon. That's quite an age difference—"

"Dad!" Kim Tae-yeon hurriedly interrupted him, "I've already told you, we're just friends, and it's really rude of you to keep asking all these questions."

Seeing that things were not going well, Jin's mother hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, "Lu Ran, you must have just arrived at Peninsula University not long ago, right? Are you getting used to university life? I saw on TV that university students these days have a very heavy workload, but even so, you should still pay attention to getting more rest."

"Actually, it's alright." Li Luran smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Auntie."

"What do you mean 'okay'?" Kim Tae-yeon couldn't help but purse her lips again and muttered under her breath, "With such a heavy workload at Seoul National University, this guy still has time to do an internship outside."

Seoul National University?

The Jin father and son looked at Li Luran with some surprise.

In a Korean society that highly values ​​academic qualifications, the prestige of Seoul National University is beyond question.

Jin Zhiyong only got into a second-rate university, while Li Luran, an international student, was able to get into the top university, which can only mean that this kid has real talent and learning.

"Yes, that's truly excellent." Mr. Kim nodded. "However, now that you've been accepted into Seoul National University, why not focus your energy on your studies?"

Mr. Jin meant well by reminding Li Luran, but Mrs. Jin had a different opinion, feeling that the child was not only smart but also very ambitious.

"What kind of company are you interning at? Is it tiring running around every day?"

Li Luran didn't intend to hide anything and answered truthfully, "I'm doing an internship as a planner at L0EN Company, and my time is quite flexible, so it's okay."

"LOEN?"

Jin Zhiyong and Jin Xiayan, who were still silently eating, both looked at Li Luran when they heard this name.

"Lu Ran oppa, the LOEN company you just mentioned—is it the LOEN that IU unnie works for?"

"Yeah, it's the company that Ji-eun works for. Xia Yan wouldn't happen to be a fan of Ji-eun, would she?"

"Ah!" Kim Ha-yeon screamed, but was quickly silenced by Kim Tae-yeon.

"Ignore them. Both of them are die-hard IU fans." Kim Tae-yeon glared resentfully at the brother and sister.

Speaking of this, Kim Tae-yeon felt a pang of sadness and even began to wonder if the world was deliberately targeting her.

She, Kim Tae-yeon, the leader of Girls' Generation, turns out that her own oppa and younger sister are both die-hard fans of the rival group.

"Daiba!!!"

Kim Ha-yeon has completely fallen into idol-chasing mode.

"Lu Ran oppa, since you work at LOEN Company, you must see IU unnie often, right?"

"Could you please get me a signed photo of Ji-eun unnie? Please, please, it's really important to me!"

""

"This—" Li Luran hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously turned to look at Kim Tae-yeon beside him.

Captain Kim snorted coldly, picked up his chopsticks and forcefully poked at the rice in his bowl, his words dripping with the sourness of aged vinegar: "What's an autographed photo? She and IU are really close!"

"Don't even mention a mere autographed photo," Kim Tae-yeon pouted, adding sarcastically, "Given their relationship, getting you a face-to-face photo with IU would be a piece of cake for him."

"Really? Really?"

Kim Ha-yeon was so excited that she stopped eating, bracing herself on the edge of the table and leaning forward with all her might.

"Lu Ran oppa, are you and Ji Eun unnie really that close?"

"Well—he's alright, a pretty good friend."

Li Luran felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze and desperately tried to signal to Kim Tae-yeon with his eyes, but Tae-yeon's jealousy only intensified.

"Just good friends? They've even filmed a music video holding hands, how could their relationship not be good?"

Kim Tae-yeon's sarcastic remark ignited Kim Ha-yeon's anger.

As a seasoned U-Aina, she knows everything about Lee Ji-eun like the back of her hand.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Her face flushed with excitement, and her finger trembled as she pointed at Li Luran.

"So that's what happened—that mysterious rumored boyfriend from the news a while back—"

"And the male lead in the 'You and I' music video—"

"That man! It's actually you, Lu Ran Oppa!!!!"