Peninsula: I run a bed and breakfast on Jeju Island

Li Ran walked into the kitchen.

Choi Jin-ri stood in the courtyard, looking down at the photo in her hand.

Brin appeared out of nowhere and rubbed against her feet.

She put the photo back into the envelope and held it in her hand.

"Thank you," she said, gesturing towards the kitchen.

"No need to thank me. It only cost less than 5,000 won to produce," his voice came from inside. "If you wanted to print it yourself, you would have printed a thousand or eight hundred copies already."

"Just don't think I'm narcissistic."

"I gave someone a gift, and it turned out to be a photo of myself. I feel so embarrassed."

Choi Jin-ri pressed the envelope in her palm, her lips twitched, and she lowered her head.

Little Blackie wagged its tail and jumped down from the steps, circling around her twice.

Seeing that she didn't react, Xiao Hei went straight to the kitchen and rubbed against Li Ran's trouser leg.

When Li Ran came out of the kitchen, Cui Zhenli was sitting on the sofa.

She held the scratch-off lottery ticket in her hand, and when she saw him come out, she went over and handed it to him.

"for you."

Li Ran glanced down and asked, "What?"

"You need to go to the bank to claim the third prize," she said, pushing the card into his hand. "It's not convenient for me to do this. Besides, you're the one who bought it, so you can keep it."

Li Ran took a small step back, raised an eyebrow, and said, "You're really looking down on me."

"No way!" Choi Jin-ri pouted and shoved the scratch-off lottery ticket into his hand.

He flipped the scratch-off lottery ticket over and over, looking at it from all angles. "I already told you this was a gift for you. You're returning it so quickly. What kind of gift is this then?"

Choi Jin-ri said somewhat helplessly, "You've already sent me the photos! Besides, I can't go and exchange them..."

"Then I'll exchange it for you and then give it to you." He shrugged. "It's nothing."

"If you exchange it for me and then give it to me, wouldn't your trip have been for nothing?"

Li Ran gently stroked her chin. "If you really feel bad about it, then let's do as we agreed back then."

Choi Jin-ri was stunned. "What?"

"If you win the lottery, give me half of the prize money."

She remembered.

At the time, she didn't think she would win the lottery. When Li Ran asked her what she would do if she did win, she casually said that she would give him half of the prize money.

Choi Jin-ri tilted her head slightly to look at him.

Okay, let him accept it first.

"Then remember to keep the scratch-off tickets safe. Try to go early, so they don't expire," she reminded you.

He nodded, turned and walked towards the kitchen. "Don't worry, my memory isn't that bad. Besides, there's no rush to go to the bank. Let's cook dinner first."

Choi Jin-ri sat down at the dining table.

Brin jumped off the sofa, walked to her feet, and rubbed against her calves twice.

She glanced down at it, then picked it up and placed it on her lap.

Choi Jin-ri tugged at its striped little clothes.

Brin looked up at her.

The sound of scallions being chopped came from the kitchen, thud~ thud~ thud.

"By the way, when are you planning to go to the bank?" Choi Jin-ri asked, gesturing towards the kitchen.

"No rush," he said, piling the chopped scallions together. "The prize redemption period is several months; you can go anytime."

"Go before I leave," she said, leaning back in her chair, "so you don't forget it after a while."

"You forgot this? That's a whopping ten million won!"

"Who knows?"

The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board paused for a moment, then resumed.

"Okay, I'll go check it out in a few days."

The oil in the pan in the kitchen started sizzling, and through half a wall, you could smell the scallions being added to the pan.

Little Black was lying by the kitchen door, its nose twitching.

Choi Jin-ri stroked Brin's ear, and Brin squinted, making a soft sound in her throat.

The sounds from the kitchen continued, occasionally the sound of a pot lid being lifted, and the sound of steam escaping.

Choi Jin-ri rested her chin on Brin's head and looked out the window at the courtyard.

After a while, the aroma of the food wafted over.

Choi Jin-ri put Brin on the sofa, stood up, and walked towards the kitchen.

She paused at the doorway. "Do you need any help?"

"No need, it'll be ready soon," Li Ran said, holding the shovel.

She leaned against the door frame, neither going in nor leaving.

Li Ran was stirring the vegetables in the pot at the stove when she turned around and glanced at her. "What are you doing standing there?"

"Watching you cook."

"What's so interesting about this?"

"Is that not allowed?" She tilted her head and looked at him.

"Tsk, whatever." Li Ran curled her lip.

Choi Jin-ri's gaze swept around the kitchen before finally settling on Lee Ran.

"What would you like to eat?" Li Ran asked casually as she ladled the food onto a plate.

"Anything is fine."

"Then let's make some tomato and egg noodles to tide us over."

"Okay." She nodded and stepped back into the doorway.

Xiao Hei appeared out of nowhere and sat down at Li Ran's feet.

It tilted its head back, its eyes bright black, staring intently at the spatula in his hand.

"It's not your turn yet." He gently nudged its rear with his foot.

Xiao Hei moved half a step to the side and continued sitting, his eyes unchanged.

Seeing this, Choi Jin-ri couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Li Ran glanced back at her, raised an eyebrow, and turned back to cooking noodles.

The noodles were put into the pot, and the water boiled again.

"Aren't you tired of standing there? Go sit down and wait," he said, glancing at her.

"I'm not tired," she shook her head.

Li Ran didn't say anything more.

Choi Jin-ri leaned against the door frame and watched him scoop the noodles into a bowl, pour on the tomato and egg soup, sprinkle some chopped green onions, and then hand it to her.

"Be careful, it's hot."

She took it with both hands and looked down at it.

The soup is red, the eggs are yellow, and the scallions are nestled inside, filling the air with a wonderful aroma.

Choi Jin-ri swallowed hard and carried her bowl to the dining table.

She sat down, stirred the noodles with her chopsticks, picked up a strand, blew on it twice, and put it in her mouth.

The noodles were thin, coated in soup, and a little hot.

She hissed and opened her mouth to let out some cool air.

Li Ran sat down opposite her and picked up a bowl for herself.

The two of them ate noodles in silence, the only sound the occasional clinking of chopsticks against the rim of their bowls.

There was also the sound of Xiao Hei's claws scurrying around under the table.

The sunlight outside the window shifted a little, pushing a patch of light onto the corner of the dining table, swaying gently.

After finishing her noodles, Choi Jin-ri pushed the bowl aside and dabbed her mouth with a tissue.

She glanced out the window; the light spots had already climbed to the middle of the table, swaying somewhat.

"I'm going to pack my luggage this afternoon," she said casually.

"Mmm." Li Ran took a sip of soup.

"I'll take my change of clothes to wash later. Where did you put your laundry detergent?"

"It's on the second shelf of the cabinet, the one with the blue bottle."

"it is good."

She stood up, stacked the bowls together, placed them on the sink, and rinsed her hands.

Brin followed her into the kitchen at some point, sat down at her feet, and looked up at her.

"Why are you following me?" She glanced down at it.

Brin tilted his head to the side.

Choi Jin-ri dried her hands, bent down, picked it up, and walked towards the bedroom.

Li Ran tidied up the remaining things on the table, washed the pot, wiped the stove with a rag, and then opened the window a crack to let in some fresh air.

The sea breeze blew in, lifted the curtains slightly, and then let them fall back down.

He draped the rag over himself and left the kitchen.