Peninsula: I run a bed and breakfast on Jeju Island

Spicy strips, Sachima, QQ candy, White Rabbit milk candy, AD calcium milk, crispy noodles... and several kinds of local Korean potato chips that Li Ran bought at the supermarket after arriving in Jeju Island.

He piled all the snacks on the coffee table.

Choi Jin-ri raised an eyebrow, turned to look at him, and asked, "This is the 'little' snack you were talking about?"

"Is this enough? If not, I have more in my room," Li Ran asked, casually tearing open a QQ candy wrapper.

"That's definitely enough for me." She sat down on the sofa.

"I'm afraid I'll gain weight if I eat too much."

"You're still considered fat?"

Li Ran shook her head. "With a figure like yours, who can call you fat? Leave the others a chance!"

Choi Jin-ri pursed her lips.

Why not? There was a male audience member on the show who publicly commented that she had thick legs and arms.

"Are you just fantasizing about weight loss methods like me?" Li Ran gently stroked her chin.

"What is the fantasy diet?" she asked, puzzled.

"I just don't exercise. I imagine I'm eating an egg tart as a snack, and that's how I feel like I've climbed a hill for an hour without eating."

Choi Jin-ri blinked and looked him over.

"Here, eat up. Just this once, you think you'll gain a ton of weight?" He tossed over a bag of spicy strips.

After receiving the package, Choi Jin-ri stared at the bright red packaging and hesitated for a while.

"This is really delicious, it's one of my favorite snacks," Li Ran said from the side.

Choi Jin-ri pursed her lips, tore open the packaging, and took a small bite.

"Hiss~~ Ha~" She opened her mouth, letting the cool air dissipate the spiciness on her tongue.

"Haha." Li Ran smiled and handed over a bottle of AD calcium milk.

Choi Jin-ri rolled her eyes at him, wrinkled her nose, and took the milk.

"Pop~"

The straw was inserted straight down.

As she drank her milk, her gaze swept across the coffee table, and her eyes lit up when they landed on the honey butter potato chips.

This is a local snack from the peninsula, and it's her favorite sweet and savory puffed snack.

However, in the early years, the company's strict control over the artists' figures meant that she rarely had the chance to eat to her heart's content.

Among a bunch of unfamiliar snacks, at least there were some familiar potato chips, which gave her some relief.

She tore open the potato chip bag and slowly took out a chip.

She tried the other options as well and found that White Rabbit milk candy, QQ candy, and AD calcium milk were her favorites.

Li Ran munched on potato chips, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the relaxed way the other woman was eating, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

He admitted that he had selfish motives.

Otherwise, he wouldn't share snacks with guests who come to stay. If everyone did that, his little stock would be gone long ago.

Eating snacks with pretty girls is obviously a pleasant experience.

Letting her relax and go snacking together is a truly heartwarming thing.

After eating most of the snacks, Choi Jin-ri glanced at the time and realized it was already 10:30.

She yawned.

Li Ran wiped the oil stains off her hands and, noticing her sleepy appearance, said, "It's getting late, I'll go to sleep now. Get some rest."

"Yes, you too." Choi Jin-ri nodded.

"Bye-Bye."

……

Inside the bedroom, Choi Jin-ri was wearing a cream-colored pajama set with a loosely collared shirt that was covered in round cartoon bread figures.

She bought this in New Zealand in 2013. It was with her for a long time.

There were many dolls on the bed, with a brown dog pillow in the center, which was more than a meter long.

That was a gift from her mother. It had been with her since her trainee days, accompanying her to sleep on countless nights.

Only when she held it could she fall asleep peacefully in an unfamiliar environment. So she brought this doll to the guesthouse.

As a child, she loved Barbie dolls, but her fantasy wasn't the typical princess dream of a girl; she wanted to make a doll exactly like her mother.

That way, she won't feel too lonely when she misses her mother.

Once, her father's colleague brought her a Barbie doll set, which was very expensive.

She was happy when she received the gift, but while playing with the doll, she tore off its limbs and head and smeared its entire body red.

Since then, her mother has never bought her a doll again.

This big-headed dog pillow is the doll that has been with her the longest.

She curled up on the bed, hugging her knees, lost in thought.

During her stay at the guesthouse, she discovered that clearing her mind was a pretty good way to de-stress.

After a while, she came to her senses and picked up her diary from the bedside table.

She plans to write in her diary today.

[March 18, 2019, Cloudy]

I accidentally messed up my scrambled eggs today. Luckily, the landlord didn't pursue the matter.

That's how I learned his name, Li Ran, and that he was Chinese, just like V's mom.

I don't know why, but he's a reassuring person. I really enjoy chatting with him; it feels like we've known each other for years. Even though we've only met less than five times in total (laughs).

I peeled peanuts with him for a while, and watched him use an electric mosquito swatter. He said it was very stress-relieving. I tried it, and it really was stress-relieving.

Oh, and he even shared some snacks with me. But those spicy strips were really spicy. I still prefer sweet things, like White Rabbit milk candy and milk.

Reflecting on the day's events, Choi Jin-ri's lips curled into a slight smile, and she gently rested a pen against her chin.

But today wasn't all easy. She glanced at her phone charging beside her and bit her index finger.

The company called me today. I didn't answer. I finally got a chance to escape for a while, and I really don't want to go back so soon.

I suddenly remembered a dream I had a few days ago. Thinking about it carefully, I realized I hadn't done anything wrong, yet all I feel is guilt and countless apologies.

I seem to always be unable to properly accept other people's love. Even though I'm loved deeply, I always act like a fool, constantly worrying that if I don't do well, everyone will leave me. I only dare to hide in my shell, hesitant and indecisive.

Looking at the handwriting in the diary, Choi Jin-ri pursed her lips and put the pen cap back on.

She tucked the diary into the bedside table drawer and turned off the light.

Choi Jin-ri lay on the bed, hugging the big-headed dog pillow next to her with both arms, and gently rubbing her right cheek against it.

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly clutched her stomach and frowned slightly.

She curled up, pressing her right hand hard against her abdomen, trying to relieve the pain.

Choi Jin-ri has always had a sensitive stomach, and tonight she ate spicy snacks and drank cold drinks.

Clearly, her stomach couldn't take it.

She hunched over and slowly walked toward the bathroom.

She bit her lower lip tightly.

Sure enough, it's because my health is too poor.

She subconsciously looked for problems within herself.

When she came out of the bathroom, pale-faced, she glanced at the time and saw it was already one in the morning.

Looking at the empty room, she felt a sense of grievance for no apparent reason.

She glanced out the window, then looked back at her phone screen.

The phone she was clutching tightly displayed the contact list on its screen.

Her gaze briefly lingered on a handful of contacts, including "Mom" and "Oppa".

She swiped her thumb across the screen, but ultimately chose to turn it off.

Choi Jin-ri rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe away the wetness.

She walked to the window and looked at the twinkling stars outside, remaining silent for a long time.