Peninsula: I run a bed and breakfast on Jeju Island

"Achoo!"

"Achoo!"

Li Ran threw the tissue she had used to blow her nose into the trash can.

I was a bit too cocky yesterday; I dared to go straight out into the rain wearing just a raincoat.

Now I'm constantly blowing my nose.

He glanced outside; the rain was still falling, and thunder rumbled intermittently, sending chills down his spine.

The rain seemed to have stopped for a while last night, but it started raining again the next morning.

He glanced at the time; it was already 8:30 in the morning.

Is she still not awake?

He looked towards Choi Jin-ri's room.

After getting caught in the rain yesterday, they had a simple dinner and then went back to sleep.

As soon as he woke up, he started having a runny nose.

He took out his phone, opened the KakaoTalk interface, and clicked on the contact whose name was "Choi Jin-ri".

They added each other on KakaoTalk the night they exchanged phone numbers.

However, this was the first time he had taken the initiative to send a message. After all, they were staying at a guesthouse, so they could just say what they wanted to say in person.

His thumb hovered over the keyboard for a moment before he began typing:

[Are you there? Are you having breakfast?]

I waited for a few minutes but received no reply.

Perhaps he hasn't woken up yet?

Li Ran wasn't quite sure either.

She went back to her bedroom at nine o'clock last night after dinner. She should have had enough sleep, right?

"Hoo~" He blew his nose.

Looking at the tissues in his hand, he wondered if Choi Jin-ri had also caught a cold.

Or does he have a fever?

Li Ran glanced at her room, then hesitated.

After all, he didn't know what the situation was.

Although the two seemed to get along well, they had only known each other for six or seven days.

He felt it would be presumptuous to disturb him so abruptly.

"Ding-dong~"

He looked down at his phone and saw that it was Choi Jin-ri who had replied to his message!

I won't go eat. I'm not feeling well and want to sleep a little longer.

Sure enough, she caught a cold too.

He scratched his brow and looked out the window at the still-drizzling rain.

I still have some cold medicine here; I'll prepare it and bring it over to you later.

He still has a few boxes of cold medicine in his room, which he brought with him when he moved.

Before she could reply, Li Ran started preparing the medicine.

He poured two glasses, since he himself had caught a cold.

He stirred it with chopsticks, then picked up his cup and blew on it.

He took a small sip and felt it was still a bit hot.

Li Ran put the cup back.

He found a tray and placed the two cups of cold medicine on it.

His own cup was placed on the right.

He carried the tray to the door of Choi Jin-ri's room.

"Knock knock knock~"

He knocked on the door.

"I just made some cold medicine and brought it to you. Drink some, it'll help you get better faster."

"Thank you so much." Choi Jin-ri's voice came from inside, clearly still weak and with a slight nasal tone.

Li Ran waited at the door for a while and heard rustling sounds of things being packed inside.

"Just come in."

Upon hearing this, he pursed his lips, held the tray in one hand, and turned the doorknob with the other.

The door was gently turned open, and a faint fragrance wafted out.

It must be some kind of perfume that Choi Jin-ri was wearing.

Anyway, Li Ran won't spray perfume on the room. Keeping it clean, tidy, and odor-free is enough.

The curtains were drawn, making it somewhat dim.

"Did I turn on the light?" he said softly.

"Yes." She nodded.

Li Ran reached out and turned on the bedroom light.

The warm yellow light gradually spread out, not too dazzling, just enough to see the room clearly.

Choi Jin-ri was wrapped in a thick blanket and leaned against the headboard, still holding the brown dog pillow that was more than a meter long in her arms.

Her long hair was plastered messily to her cheeks and neck, and her face was somewhat pale.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of rain pouring outside the window and the occasional rumble of thunder, making her breath feel light and weak.

Li Ran walked very quietly, gently closing the door behind her to prevent the cold wind from blowing in.

He took two steps inside with the tray in his hand, his eyes not wandering, and placed the tray steadily on the bedside table.

"How are you feeling?"

Hearing that Li Ran also had a slightly nasal tone, Cui Zhenli blinked.

"You caught a cold too?"

"Uh, a little." He sniffed.

She pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, if I hadn't asked you to come out with me, you wouldn't have caught a cold..."

"Hey!" He waved his hand. "I'm not stupid. If I really feel uncomfortable, I'll just refuse. It's my own choice."

"It's nice to see the world in the rain once in a while."

"Here, let's share some cold medicine." He picked up the cup on the left side of the tray and handed it to Choi Jin-ri.

She gently took the cup, and then saw Li Ran lightly touch the same cup to hers.

She blinked, looked up at him, and her lips twitched. "I've always seen people raise their glasses to drink, but this is the first time I've seen someone raise their glass to drink cold medicine."

Li Ran shrugged. "It's not too late to see each other now. Drink up, but be careful not to burn your mouth."

He then blew on the cold medicine and took a sip.

Choi Jin-ri smiled slightly and blew on the cold medicine as he did.

This cold medicine tastes pretty sweet.

The two of them gulped down the cold medicine in their cups.

"How does it feel?" Li Ran put the empty cup back on the tray.

"I'm feeling a bit better." She nodded.

"Are you hungry now? I'll go cook some noodles. Noodles are usually quick to make," Li Ran asked.

"Hmm?" Choi Jin-ri raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

"What's wrong?" He touched his face and asked blankly.

"It's nothing." She shook her head gently.

"What flavor do you want?"

"Anything is fine."

"Okay." Li Ran nodded.

He held the tray in his left hand and rummaged in his pocket with his right.

Here, take it.

Choi Jin-ri reached out and took it.

It's a pack of White Rabbit milk candy.

"I saw you really liked it that day. I just grabbed a handful. I almost forgot to give it to you."

Choi Jin-ri looked down at the handful of milk candy in her hand.

White candy wrappers, blue lettering, several round candies piled up in my palm.

"Thank you," she said, looking up.

"You're welcome."

Li Ran picked up the tray, took two steps toward the door, then paused, turned back and said, "By the way, leave your phone charging somewhere else. Try not to look at the screen too much when you have a cold."

"Okay." She nodded and obediently placed her phone aside.

Li Ran quickly left the room.

Choi Jin-ri looked down at the White Rabbit candy in her hand.

She peeled one open and put it in her mouth.

Sweet.

She put the remaining candy on the bedside table, wrapped herself in the blanket again, and tightened the big-headed dog pillow a little.

The rain outside the window continued to fall relentlessly.

There was a slight noise coming from the kitchen.

The sound of water boiling, the sound of the spatula hitting the side of the pot, and the sound of Li Ran sniffling.

Choi Jin-ri lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while.

Then I closed my eyes and fell asleep.