Peninsula: I run a bed and breakfast on Jeju Island

Chapter 91 Your Breath

[And what about you?]

Upon seeing this question, Li Ran was slightly taken aback.

The light from the phone screen shone on his face.

He stared at the screen for two seconds, then suddenly couldn't tell if Choi Jin-ri wanted to ask "whether he's sentimental" or something else.

Surely you can't ask him if he smelled Choi Jin-ri's slippers, right?

Anyway, he never smelled it on his own initiative.

It's all because Lee Ji-eun has been talking about "feet" all the time lately, which has made his thinking increasingly dangerous.

Li Ran coughed lightly, shaking those messy thoughts out of her head.

He typed: What?

Are you nostalgic?

[It's alright. Sometimes I feel like I develop a unique bond with things that have been with me for a long time.]

[so.]

Choi Jin-ri nodded. "[Are you available to take this call now?]"

Li Ran was slightly taken aback. "What's wrong? It's convenient, though."

Instead of receiving a reply, he received a call invitation.

He clicked to answer. Then he heard Choi Jin-ri's voice on the other end of the line.

"Because I wanted to hear your voice, I just called you."

Li Ran held her phone, slightly taken aback.

He could faintly hear breathing on the other end of the phone.

Choi Jin-ri appears to be holding her phone very close to her face.

"Isn't that reason a little strange?"

"Really? I think it's okay."

She held the phone to her ear, "The main problem is that sometimes when I just read the text, I can't understand the specific tone of some of the words."

"And—" she paused, "your voice sounds more reassuring."

Upon hearing this, Li Ran gently rubbed the edge of her phone with her thumb.

He's not good at responding to those kinds of remarks.

Especially those who seem very serious.

So he coughed lightly, "Well, maybe it's because my Korean is getting more and more standard."

"Pfft~"

Upon hearing this, Choi Jin-ri burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" he said, somewhat annoyed.

"It's nothing, I just think you have a great talent for Korean." She suppressed a laugh.

Lee Ran's Korean level is actually quite good, but he always speaks with a strange accent.

With ups and downs.

She leaned against the bed, hugging a brown dog-shaped pillow.

I don't know why, even though the two of them haven't talked about anything particularly important.

But the gloomy feeling in her heart had faded a lot compared to the beginning.

Sometimes people are like that; they don't necessarily need others to give them any answers.

I just wanted to make sure that someone would answer the phone after I dialed it.

Choi Jin-ri let out a soft breath.

"By the way, how are the flowers in the vase? Remember to change the water every day, lest they wither without you even noticing."

"Understood." He nodded.

"It's only been two days, those flowers shouldn't have withered so quickly."

"Yes, that's true."

Choi Jin-ri responded softly.

There was a few seconds of silence on the phone.

But it wasn't an awkward silence; it was more like both of them were too lazy to find a topic to talk about, so they just let their breathing fill the silence.

"Did you spend a long time choosing the flowers when you sent them?" he suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" Choi Jin-ri was slightly taken aback.

She held a cushion in her arms and gently tugged at the doll's ears. "I did spend a while choosing."

"At first, I saw that the online recommendations were all for really big, extravagant flowers, but I felt that they might not match the style of the guesthouse. So I didn't buy those."

"Even if you buy it, there's nowhere to put it in the guesthouse!" he chuckled.

Choi Jin-ri pursed her lips. "By the way, how are my fellow villagers' plants doing?"

Li Ran pouted. "You finally remembered to ask?"

"I sent you the photos last time, but you didn't even reply."

"It took several days for them to reply; they still expect me to be their confidant."

She seemed a little embarrassed and gently scratched her eyebrows.

"I was quite busy with work at the time. I was also feeling a bit down afterwards, I'm sorry."

"Why are you actually apologizing? I was just joking." He shook his head.

"I'd still be happy to be your confidante."

"Really?" Choi Jin-ri blinked.

"Just treat it as a lullaby. I slept really well, you know." He smiled.

"Oh! Li Ran!" She gestured with her lips.

"Hehe, I already said it was a joke. Don't worry, I'm always here to be your confidant whenever you want."

"Li Ran said seriously.

Choi Jin-ri nodded slightly. "So, how long will it take for my fellow villagers to become completely famous?"

She still remembered the promise she made to Li Ran back then.

As soon as the cherry tomatoes are ripe, Li Ran calls her, and she flies over immediately.

"It should be soon, right?"

Li Ran was also somewhat uncertain.

"I see that the fruit on top is already half red."

"I feel like it will be fully ripe in about two weeks at most."

"I see." Choi Jin-ri pursed her lips, mentally estimating the time.

"I'll be there as soon as possible."

Li Ran was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to remember the agreement so clearly.

"You can come later if you're busy. Anyway, my guesthouse is always open, unlike gyms which have the risk of running away with your money."

She shook her head. "It's nothing. I haven't had much work these past few weeks. I've been missing Brin and Blackie anyway."

"Last time I came to Jeju Island, I felt like I didn't really have any fun; I stayed in the guesthouse the whole time."

"Whose fault is this? For the first three days, you didn't even leave your bedroom." Li Ran was both amused and exasperated.

"Now that I'm here, I'll show you around."

Li Ran said, "I know a few places with few tourists and beautiful scenery, perfect for relaxing and daydreaming."

"Suitable for spacing out? What a strange reason for recommending it!"

"I'm serious. There are places where you can just sit there, not think about anything, and just look at the sea. I think you'll like it."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a very soft "Mmm".

The conversation stopped again.

The silence lasted a little longer than before, but it was still not awkward.

Li Ran could hear occasional soft noises coming from her side, as if she were adjusting the position of the cushion or gently scratching the doll's ears with her fingers.

She could hear his voice too.

The old wooden furniture in the guesthouse occasionally creaks slightly at night.

The two people's breathing overlapped through the microphone.

One is lighter, the other heavier, like two lines that are not perfectly parallel but will not intersect.

It seems contradictory, yet it also seems quite reasonable.

"Pfft~"

Choi Jin-ri suddenly smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Li Ran asked.

"It's nothing, it's just that your breathing sounds so clear."

"Of course you can hear me breathing, I'm on the phone."

That's not what I meant.

She rolled over and switched the phone to her other ear. "It's like—how should I put it—it's like you're right next to me."