Peninsula: I run a bed and breakfast on Jeju Island

Seeing the slight upturn at the corners of her lips, the old woman raised an eyebrow and guessed, "You and that landlord get along well?"

"Yes," Choi Jin-ri nodded, "the landlord is a very nice person."

The old woman seemed to smell gossip, her eyes lighting up as she looked at her. "He treats you well?"

"Uh, well..." Choi Jin-ri paused, "It felt like after he found out who I was, he neither deliberately tried to get closer to me nor deliberately distanced himself..."

"That's it?" The old woman blinked.

"That's settled." Choi Jin-ri nodded.

She pursed her lips. "It's just that at first it was a little...not quite used to."

Upon hearing this, the old woman paused slightly in her kneading of the dough.

She looked at Choi Jin-ri with a hint of pity in her eyes.

"He's a pretty good cook too."

Seemingly sensing that the air was a bit quiet, Choi Jin-ri changed the subject.

"Really?"

She nodded. "He said it was because his parents passed away early, so he started cooking for himself in junior high school."

The old woman sighed, "What a poor child!"

She glanced at Choi Jin-ri.

Choi Jin-ri rested her chin on her hand, quietly watching the old woman's hand movements.

The old woman rolled the dough into a long strip, and then cut it into sections.

She stared at the dough and suddenly said, "Sometimes I feel like he's a pretty 'strange' person."

"Why?" the old woman asked casually, kneading the dough.

She thought for a moment and said, "It feels like he doesn't care about anything."

"There is a reassuring power about him."

"So I think he's a pretty good person."

The old woman rolled the cut dough pieces back into balls and placed them on the cutting board.

Then, she turned to look at Choi Jin-ri and asked, "And what about you?"

"Me?" She was slightly taken aback.

"So, what kind of person do you see yourself as?"

Choi Jin-ri pursed her lips, not answering immediately.

Her mouth was slightly open, as if she wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Finally, she gently shook her head. "I don't know."

The old woman wiped her hands on her apron.

The light outside the window dimmed a little, and the sounds of people on the street gradually increased.

The old woman brought out two steaming cups.

"Freshly cooked mung bean soup," the old woman placed the cup on the table. "How does it taste?"

Choi Jin-ri picked it up and took a sip; it was a little hot.

She gently blew on the rim of the cup, preparing to let it cool further.

She put the cup down and leaned back in her chair.

The old woman sat opposite, slowly sipping her mung bean soup, seemingly not minding the heat at all.

The two of them just sat there.

Staying by the old woman's side, Choi Jin-ri could clearly feel at ease, even without saying a word.

Choi Jin-ri sometimes wonders if there are places and people like that in reality, where one can sit and say nothing.

Perhaps, it's not impossible.

She suddenly thought of Li Ran.

She and Li Ran sometimes seemed to be like that too.

She looked down at the cup in her hand, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.

……

After finishing the dumplings, Choi Jin-ri left the old woman's house and headed out of town.

Choi Jin-ri walked east, crossed a low slope, and saw another village.

Her friends lived in the village.

The slope wasn't steep, and she made it up without much effort.

She walked down the path.

There is a big tree at the entrance of the village, and there are blurry human figures under the tree.

As Choi Jin-ri approached, she realized that there were two people sitting on a rock talking.

One of them looked up, saw her, and waved to her.

She walked over and found a rock to sit on.

This is the friend from her dream.

"Truth, you've finally arrived." One of them sat down next to her. "Why are you so late today?"

"I sat with my mother-in-law for a while," Choi Jin-ri explained.

"What did you talk about? You talked for so long." Another friend came over and asked.

"Let's talk about the landlord of the place I live in." Choi Jin-ri rested her chin on her hand slightly.

"Landlord?" the man asked curiously. "Male or female?"

"Male."

The two friends exchanged a glance.

"and then?"

Choi Jin-ri placed her hands on her knees. "And then what?"

"How do you feel about getting along with him?"

"It feels really relaxing!" Choi Jin-ri clasped her hands together and rubbed her knees.

"Do you like it there?"

Choi Jin-ri looked at them.

Why does it seem like the old woman and the others are all quite concerned about Li Ran?

"I like it!" She nodded.

"I feel much calmer when I'm there."

"So, will you stay there forever?" the friend then asked.

"How could that be!" She pursed her lips. "I won't be staying for more than a few days either."

"The company notified me to go back."

"Chirp chirp~"

The birds in the tree chirped twice.

Choi Jin-ri looked up.

A breeze blew through the field, and the green leaves twitched.

"It's good to take a look around before you leave. Take lots of photos to remember the trip," my friend said.

Choi Jin-ri nodded, her thumbs intertwined.

Taking photos to remember the occasion is indeed a good idea.

I wish I could take pictures in my dreams.

She turned her head and glanced further into the village.

Sometimes they would walk further and further into the village.

After crossing a slope, you'll find another village.

She only went there two or three times.

The road is long, and the journey takes a long time.

However, they showed no intention of taking any action today.

They simply sat under the tree chatting or resting.

It was getting a little dark, and lights were coming on from somewhere in the distance.

The warm-colored light spots were small, but they remained lit.

Choi Jin-ri looked at the spot of light and suddenly remembered the lights in the guesthouse courtyard.

The colors do look quite similar.

She rested her head on her friend's lap, intending to take a nap.

Her friend smoothed her messy hair that was hanging by her ear and gently patted her back.

Slowly, it was as if Choi Jin-ri was being lifted up by something, and her body became lighter and lighter.

Choi Jin-ri slowly opened her eyes.

The pure white ceiling was right in front of me.

She sat up and looked around, realizing she was back at her guesthouse.

The sky was still dark.

Only a few rays of moonlight filtered through the curtains.

Brin curled up in the cat bed next to her, her belly rising and falling slowly with her breathing.

Choi Jin-ri was somewhat stunned.

The streets in my dream, the old woman, my friends under the tree, and that warm yellow light in the distance...

These things went through her mind.

She glanced at Brin, then looked outside the door.

Choi Jin-ri sighed softly.

She lay back down, pulled the blanket up a little, and closed her eyes.

Choi Jin-ri lay in bed, trying to stop thinking about so many things.

I need to go to bed early; I'm going to see the cherry blossoms tomorrow.

Her breathing gradually calmed down.

This time, however, she did not return to that small town, nor did she have any other dreams.

She fell into a deep sleep.