Peninsula: I run a bed and breakfast on Jeju Island

Before long, a fragrant aroma carrying warmth wafted from the kitchen.

Lee Ji-eun twitched her nose, and her stomach immediately made a slight rumbling sound.

She looked down at her stomach.

"The noodles are here!"

Li Ran came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of noodles.

Lee Ji-eun quickly took one of the bowls of noodles, afraid of spilling it.

They placed the noodles on the table.

The noodles in the bowl were still steaming.

The egg lay perfectly round on top.

Li Ran took two pairs of chopsticks from the cabinet and placed them next to the bowl.

"I didn't prepare many side dishes, just some chopped green onions and a few eggs."

He sat down opposite me, saying, "Let me grab a bite to eat first, and then I'll show off my cooking skills tonight or tomorrow."

"I think this is pretty good right now. It smells delicious." Lee Ji-eun picked up her chopsticks and sniffed them.

"Oh, by the way, are you coming back for dinner tomorrow? GG was filmed tomorrow, right?" Li Ran asked casually.

"Yes, filming starts tomorrow morning." She paused, "but it also depends on the weather. We might film the indoor scenes first."

Both of them glanced out the window.

The rain was still falling, at a leisurely pace.

Xiao Hei walked around Li Ran's feet and stopped in front of Li Zhi'en to sniff her.

Lee Ji-eun patted Xiao Hei's head with her left hand.

"The rain should stop or lessen tomorrow. It seemed to be raining quite heavily today. Usually, this kind of rain doesn't last too long."

Little Black rubbed against her hand, then walked away on its own and lay down in the corner.

Lee Ji-eun withdrew her hand.

"What's its name?" She glanced at Little Black.

"Xiao Hei. It means black."

Lee Ji-eun looked at it again and nodded. "It is indeed quite dark."

Li Ran lowered her head and took a sip of soup.

"Where's Brin?" She looked around. "Wasn't Brin supposed to stay here?"

"Sleeping in, huh?" Li Ran glanced towards her room.

The door to the room was open.

"Ever since Jinri went back to Seoul, Brin has been curling up in her cat bed and sleeping in late."

"But it's still very eager to eat. As soon as it calls 'Time to eat,' it immediately comes running over, all lively and energetic." He picked up a large clump of noodles and stuffed it into his mouth.

"It's only a little past three in the afternoon, almost four o'clock. Normally it's not mealtime, so it's probably still asleep."

Lee Ji-eun nodded knowingly.

She glanced at the energetic little black dog beside her, its tongue lolling out. "Dogs definitely have more energy!"

"Their personalities are quite different. Blackie is more lively, while Brin is relatively quiet."

"That's great. It wouldn't be fun if everyone had the same personality."

Li Ran glanced at Xiao Hei.

After finishing her meal, Li Ran tidied up a bit and put the dishes in the dishwasher.

Lee Ji-eun went back to her room to catch up on sleep.

"Ding-dong~"

Just then, Li Ran's phone vibrated in her pocket.

He took it out and glanced at it.

It was a message from Choi Jin-ri.

[Have you expressed your gratitude? How's the food? Are you settling in comfortably?]

He glanced in the direction of Lee Ji-eun's room and typed a reply:

[She just arrived this afternoon. She had some instant noodles around 3 PM to tide her over. Dinner hasn't been made yet. Seriously, are you treating me like a kindergarten teacher?]

[kkkkk, Ms. Lee, please take care of Ji-eun. Please remind her to drink water after class!]

Choi Jin-ri responded in a tone that mimicked that of a parent.

[Tsk.]

[Parent, please rest assured. Haven Kindergarten will absolutely protect your child.]

[kkkkk. Okay, I'm going to take a nap. I didn't sleep much last night.]

Okay, go to sleep. You can call me anytime if you need anything.

[Inner ~]

Li Ran put the phone back in her pocket.

After a while, he suddenly remembered something and took out his phone again to tap a few times.

The rain stopped the next morning.

Lee Ji-eun went out early in the morning to film GG.

She left when it was just dawn, and Li Ran was still asleep.

When he got up, the ground in the yard was still wet, with several shallow puddles.

The sunlight shone down, and the puddles reflected the light.

He fed Brin and Blackie first, then went to the kitchen to cook porridge.

The porridge was still simmering in the pot. He casually opened the writer's assistant on his phone and took a look at the novel he had started writing yesterday.

He quickly went through it once, and then continued typing from the end of the paragraph.

He typed while waiting for the porridge.

Lord of Mysteries didn't generate much buzz on its first day of release.

After all, the poster was "Squid Who Loves Swimming," a complete newcomer who hadn't signed a contract.

I added a total of forty favorites in one day.

He stared blankly at one of the dialogues.

Just then, his cell phone rang.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...

A cheerful melody filled the kitchen, and Li Ran glanced down at the screen.

It was Choi Jin-ri calling.

"Feed".

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Your ringtone..." Choi Jin-ri's voice trailed off with a slight pause, as if she hadn't quite caught up in the moment. "When did you change it?"

"Yesterday?" He placed the spoon on the edge of the pot, stood up, and walked outside. "What happened?"

"It's nothing," she shook her head, "just a little unexpected."

"I'm not surprised at all. I knew you'd call." He paused for a moment. "So, happy birthday."

There was a moment or two of silence on the other end, followed by a soft laugh.

"Kansamida".

"Have you bought the gift in advance?"

"...As for the gift," he touched his nose, "we have a concept for it, but the actual gift is still in the planning stage."

"It means no."

"It means yes, but it will take some time."

He continued, "Besides, gifts can only be given in person. You're in Seoul now, and I'm on Jeju Island. Who am I supposed to give it to?"

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

"So I'll wait for you to come back."

There was another moment of silence on the other end.

"Is this a new way to attract customers?" she asked abruptly.

"Keeping things under control is indeed quite useful. I'll be back as soon as possible."

He raised an eyebrow.

Li Ran glanced out the window; the puddles in the yard had become shallower due to the sun's heat.

Little Black was circling around those puddles, looking like he really wanted to step into them but was also a little hesitant.

"Do you have any plans today?" he asked.

"I have an event this afternoon, followed by an interview," she replied.

"That's quite busy."

"fine."

"Are you eating alone now?" Choi Jin-ri asked.

"Lee Ji-eun went to film GG, she might not be back by noon, so I'm all alone right now." He sat on the sofa leaning back, "But I'm used to it."

She pursed her lips and changed the subject, "How was Brin today? Did you behave well?"

"It went to sleep after eating." He glanced towards the corridor. "It's been sleeping quite well lately, better than you."

"What do you mean by being better than me?" Choi Jin-ri pouted.

"Didn't you say you didn't sleep well yesterday?"

"I've been quite busy with work lately... You still remember me."

"It was only one day apart. My memory isn't that bad."

"By the way, what time do you finish work today?" Li Ran asked.

"I'm not sure, it might be very late."

"Then try to go to bed early tonight," he said, turning up the phone volume a little. "Go back and lie down to sleep. Don't stay up late again."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Okay," she replied, her voice even softer than before.

In the yard, Xiao Hei seemed to have finally made up his mind, stepping into the puddle and splashing water everywhere.

Li Ran glanced at it and said, "Alright, you can go ahead and get busy. Good luck with your work this afternoon."

"Inside."

"One last time, happy birthday," he said softly.

There was a pause on the other end. "Yes. Consume~"

After hanging up the phone, he went to the kitchen for a quick look.

The porridge is ready.

Li Ran placed her phone on the table, picked up a spoon, stirred the porridge, and then ladled it into a bowl.

He sat down, took a sip, and found it a little hot.