Peninsula: I run a bed and breakfast on Jeju Island

Chapter 90 Do you think I'm a bastard?

The guesthouse was very quiet at night.

Li Ran lay in bed and glanced out the window.

It was pitch black.

He fiddled with his phone, turning it around in his hand.

There were still no messages on the screen.

For some reason, Li Ran always felt empty.

"Ding-dong~"

It seemed that even God couldn't bear to see him keep overthinking, because his phone finally vibrated.

His eyes lit up, and he looked down intently at the chat window on his phone screen.

It's Choi Jin-ri who sent the message!

However, she sent a message that Li Ran couldn't quite understand.

Do you think I'm a bastard?

This sudden news seems to have no connection whatsoever with Li Ranfa's previous post, "[Look, these tomato seedlings are almost ripe!]".

What is "guanzhong"?

He frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on that word for a long time.

He copied the character "关种" and then searched online for its meaning.

[关种（否） is an abbreviation of "否" (concerned seed), which literally translates to "concerned seed".]

It implies that such people are like seeds, born needing the care and attention of others to "nourish" them.

Its core meaning is: a person who desperately craves attention; it carries a clearly negative connotation.

Looking at the online definition of "guanzhong", Li Ran pursed her lips.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment, then he typed: Why did you suddenly ask that?

He received Choi Jin-ri's reply in less than five seconds.

[Because I want to know what you think.]

Looking at this message, Li Ran pursed her lips.

He stared at the chat box for a few seconds.

He originally intended to simply reply with "No."

But as soon as his fingers touched the keyboard, he stopped.

Sometimes, answering too quickly sounds like a perfunctory response.

Especially this kind of problem.

He sat up in bed and looked at her words again.

[Because I want to know what you think.]

My thoughts?

Li Ran lowered her head and slowly typed:

[I just found out what "关种" means by searching online. If you're asking about the kind of "deliberately trying to grab attention" that's popular online —]

I don't think so.

After the message was sent, the other party seemed stunned.

Three small yellow dots appeared on her message bar.

This is the "typing" indicator displayed on Kaoktalk.

However, Li Ran waited for a long time but still did not see a new reply from Cui Zhenli.

He tapped his thumb lightly on the phone screen, then continued typing:

[If we're just looking at the literal meaning, it means a seed yearning for attention. Who wouldn't want to be noticed and cared for?]

[From this perspective, almost everyone is a "closed-minded person."]

The three little yellow dots were still jumping around.

After some time, Li Ran finally received her reply: [But many people think I'm strange.]

Li Ran blinked, seemingly seeing the conflicted expression on Cui Zhenli's face through the phone.

He gently shook his head.

Some people stand out from a young age.

She's so conspicuous that people subconsciously label her.

If you do something that doesn't fit the label, a new label will be attached to you.

"Strange", "affected", "wanting attention" —

It seems that if something is different from what most people imagine, there must be some problem.

Li Ran typed with her head down:

[Being strange isn't necessarily a bad thing.]

Some people are just too used to categorizing those who are "not like themselves" as strange.

This time, Choi Jin-ri responded very quickly.

[You sound like a school counselor.]

Li Ran couldn't help but laugh when she saw it.

That's it.

I hated college counselors the most.

Why?

Choi Jin-ri was somewhat curious.

[Because she failed me.]

Such a simple and blunt reason surprised even Choi Jin-ri.

That's really awful.

She stood unconditionally on Li Ran's side, without even listening to the specific cause and effect of the matter.

Li Ran leaned against the headboard, looking down at her phone, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Occasionally, you can hear the sound of the sea breeze outside the window.

A little while later, Choi Jin-ri suddenly sent another message: "Sometimes I do intentionally do things to attract attention."

Do you think this is normal? Isn't this a bit inappropriate?

Li Ran paused for a moment as she looked at the sentence.

Actually, she wasn't asking whether she was "normal" or not; she was asking, "Will people dislike me because of this?"

Seeing her so cautious, Li Ran felt inexplicably uneasy.

He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then slowly typed:

[If it's done to hurt others or deliberately create trouble, that's definitely not good.]

[But what if all I want is to be seen, to be cared about?]

[I think it's quite normal.]

Many people say they hate "people who crave attention," but in reality, they care a lot about how others perceive them.

Just like when you were in school, someone would deliberately roll up their trouser legs a little when they got new shoes.

Someone posted on WeChat Moments in the middle of the night, found no one was replying, and then deleted it.

Some people do well on exams and say, "It was just good luck," but then they put their exam papers in the most conspicuous place on their desks.

Everyone craves attention.

Some people are better at hiding their true intentions, while others are not.

Thank you, I feel much better now.

Seeing Choi Jin-ri's message, Lee Ran felt a sense of relief.

He smiled and said, "It's alright. I'm quite happy to be a 'confessional.' Feel free to visit 'Li Ran's Confessional' anytime you have something on your mind."

She sent me a bunny emoji with its knees tucked in, looking rather listless.

Do you think I'm being a little too sensitive?

Li Ran looked down at the message, thought for a moment, and typed a single word: [Yes.]

Choi Jin-ri immediately sent a "?", seemingly not expecting his reply.

Li Ran smiled after seeing the question mark, then continued typing: "But 'sensitive' isn't necessarily a bad word, is it?"

[Some people don't care at all, so they don't feel anything.]

You just tend to take other people's words to heart.

Choi Jin-ri gently bit her lower lip, her eyes somewhat unfocused.

[By the way, how are Brin and Blackie doing? I wonder if they've forgotten me after all these days I've been gone.]

[Don't worry. How could Brin forget its master? As for Blackie, its memory is excellent! It still loves the smell of the slippers you wore when you first came.]

As soon as the message was sent, Li Ran was stunned for a moment.

The air suddenly became quiet for a few seconds.

He suddenly realized that something seemed off about what he had said.

It's all Lee Ji-eun's fault, making my thoughts keep drifting to my feet or shoes.

As expected, Choi Jin-ri sent a screen full of "————".

Then, she added slowly, "[Why does it like my slippers so much?]"

Li Ran coughed lightly. "[Maybe it's sentimental.]"

"And what about you?" she suddenly asked.