Peninsula: Aiming for a Grand Slam

Ye Haoran stared at the frozen frame: Lee Dong-hoon's lips were half-open, and the silent "she" was still hanging at the corner of his mouth.

He should go to sleep.

But he knew he might not be able to sleep tonight.

"What if I misread it?"

He dragged the progress bar a little further.

Lee Dong-hoon's lips moved again.

她、

Throw money

腿、

casual,

Teach me.

Each word is like a nail hammered into the wall, impossible to remove.

Lee Dong-hoon didn't even swear; he used the tone of "brothers sharing experiences," as if the woman were a dish that could be priced.

Ye Haoran released the mouse.

"I see?"

He finally understood why Chen Jixian had taken a step forward at the net and then pulled back, and why he had squatted down at the baseline and tied his shoelaces for so long.

Lee Dong-hoon wanted to burn him with this fire.

However, he locked that fire behind the door, then stood up and tore the match to pieces with two 6-0 sets.

One person uses the most despicable means to try and destroy their opponent. The other person, in order to protect others, suppresses all their anger deep inside.

The contrast is too stark.

It was so intense that it made him want to vomit.

He picked up his phone and scrolled to his father's number. His finger hovered over the screen for a long time.

"If I misread it, I'll ruin one person. If I read it correctly, I'll ruin another."

He didn't want to ruin anyone.

But he has to choose one.

the phone is ringing.

The father didn't ask any further questions, such as "what friend," "what trouble," or "whether it's related to your tennis game."

Just ask him to wait a moment.

A few minutes later, a message arrived on my phone—a linguistics professor at a university in Seoul had previously performed lip-reading analysis for the prosecution.

The message ended with: "You can contact me anytime, and don't worry about the cost. Also, get some rest."

As Ye Haoran looked at these words, something that had been weighing heavily on his mind suddenly relaxed.

It wasn't because the problem was solved, but because the father didn't ask any questions; he simply took care of the matter and let the son handle it himself.

He dragged the video file into the encrypted folder and then dialed the phone number.

He didn't want to be a hero.

He didn't want to pretend he didn't see it.

……

……

on Tuesday.

There are no matches.

When Chen Jixian woke up, sunlight was already streaming in through the gaps in the curtains, cutting a narrow strip of light across the carpet.

He rolled over and grabbed his phone.

There is no news about Bae Joo-hyun.

The chat window was still showing the message he sent last night: "No match today, I'm fine."

Unread.

Probably busy.

She has her own things to do too.

Or, the company confiscated the phone.

He turned his phone over and got up to wash.

He spent the entire morning sitting on his bed watching recordings of "The Hunter" Kim Sung-jun's matches.

Both qualifying rounds: 6-0, 6-0.

First round of the main tournament: 6-0, 6-0.

Each match lasts no more than one hour.

Someone on the forum posted the two people's scores side by side—one was called a genius, and the other a thug.

That's understandable.

It's all because Chen Jixian has a 6-2 record.

Liu Zhimin is right: "They paid 50 yuan to beat a child, and yet there was still a 6-2 result."

genius?

Chen Jixian shook his head and chuckled.

He's a guy with a cheat code on the system, so he won't participate in these competitions, but Kim Sung-joon is definitely not a genius.

Can a professional player who can't survive the pandemic and has to come back to play with kids be called a genius?

In the afternoon, we continued our research.

Chen Jixian drew a map of the landing points in his notebook.

"Most of the cutting is concentrated to the left of the midpoint of the baseline."

"Does Kim Sung-joon habitually use a reverse-hand cutting technique to control diagonal lines?"

The sky outside the window darkened.

The evening in Daegu was hazy and gray, with cars moving slowly on the overpass.

In the evening, a notification popped up in my email.

The title is "ITF Official Communication — J.Chen".

He clicked on it.

Official notification.

The wording was as cold as a scalpel.

"The ITF has received allegations against you, including: threatening your opponent before the match and refusing to shake hands after the match."

The attachment lists the basis for each accusation—edited versions of match videos, online public opinion, and complaints submitted by the Korea Tennis Association.

Every statement has a source, every accusation is verifiable, and he needs to submit a written statement by Friday.

"absurd."

Chen Jixian sneered.

The flaws in this evidence are obvious to the naked eye—

Video frame extraction.

Public opinion is just online bullying comments.

Complaints are based on information pollution.

Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe it!

But now, this flawed document has been bound into an official document, stamped with the ITF seal, and sent to him, demanding that he take it seriously.

"If all else fails, we can always take it to court!"

Can he tolerate such injustice?

If the charges are upheld, it's simple: play professionally while also becoming a rights activist online.

Maybe it will be more profitable?

Phone lock screen.

The phone was turned on again.

"wrong."

"The ITF will not open a case without a reason."

"Something must have happened to ignite public opinion for the second time."

He began searching for his own name.

First item: [Screenshot of Lee Dong-hoon's SNS.]

The accompanying photo shows a handshake after the match – Lee Dong-hoon smiles sincerely at the camera, with one hand patting the back of his hand.

The caption was just one sentence: "Good match. Respect the game, respect each other."

The release time was this morning.

The post has been shared over 10,000 times.

The comment section was filled with a neat and orderly formation:

"This is the quality of South Korean athletes!"

"He lost the game but won in character; compared to someone else, the difference is obvious."

"I ran into Lee Dong-hoon. He looked so pitiful. He got beaten up and then ignored."

"Mainland Chinese are the most impolite. Does winning give them the right to disrespect their seniors?"

Article 2: [The number of signatures on the petition to the Blue House has exceeded 200,000.]

Article 3: [Lee Dong-hoon gives an interview.]

He didn't look at me the entire time.

"He doesn't celebrate even when he wins."

"He didn't smile at all when he shook hands."

There wasn't a single direct accusation, but every word was a poisoned dagger.

By the way.

The trending list has changed again.

Korean Trend First: #J.Chen_out

Han Qu Second: #LeeDongHoon_Character

Hanqu Third: #Irene_Brother-in-law_Violence

Hanqu No. 5: #J.Chen_ViolentMan

"Why is Bae Joo-hyun being dragged into this again?"

Chen Jixian, keep scrolling down.

Article 4: [What are Irene's fans trying to defend? Your brother-in-law is a violent maniac.]

Click in.

The comments section didn't criticize him, but rather Bae Joo-hyun.

The top-rated comment reads: "#Irene's brother-in-law is a violent maniac, would Irene dare to sleep with him at night?"

It has received over three thousand likes.

The second most popular comment: "The older sister's image collapse 2.0 - in 2020 she scolded the stylist, in 2021 she dated a violent man. Our unnie's taste has always been very stable."

The next one is an emoji of someone covering their mouth and laughing.

The following are also:

"I suggest Irene install security cameras at home, so that if she gets beaten up someday, there will be evidence."

"I said when she was bullying her that this woman has bad taste, and now she has the same bad taste in men."

"I heard the guy's only a senior in high school. Is he my brother-in-law or my sister's husband?"

"Does she specifically target minors?"

"Birds of a feather flock together; both of them are violent."

Each one carries the same topic tag:

#Irene_brother-in-law_violence.

Chen Jixian stared at the screen. At first, he thought he would be scolded even more severely.

but.

His name appeared only once in the title; all the subsequent filth was poured on her.

He wasn't a target, just a stone to throw at her.

"So, her phone was taken away?"

Right.

Given the current situation, SM Entertainment is probably on edge. Moreover, this post might be the work of their rivals.

Bae Joo-hyun still hasn't replied.

Regardless of whether anyone replies, there's still a match tomorrow, and right now, all he can think about is winning.

……

Wednesday.

morning.

Seoul time, 6:50 AM.

Ye Haoran received the professor's reply and also put together an answer that could ignite the entire Korean internet—

"There's something I want to ask you."

"I always thought women like her were hard to get; so many men can't win her over. How did you manage to sleep with her?"

"If I'd known she was this easy, would I have tried to buy her off too?"

Lee Dong-hoon smiled, with a hint of the unspoken understanding between men:

"Why don't you teach me?"

Now, Ye Haoran has two things in his hands: a silent video and an authoritative interpretation.

Taken together, they form a powerful blow that could shatter the Korean online community.

Now comes the problem.

Ye Haoran is neither an internet celebrity nor a top influencer. He and Chen Jixian are not much different; they are both people who cannot make their voices heard.

"Who should I look for?"

"SM Entertainment?"

"Or, Bae Joo-hyun's fan site?"

They are the ones who most crave the truth, and they are also the most organized. Ye Haoran is not one of them, but they are natural allies.

Ye Haoran believed that they would definitely accept this evidence!

right now,

Race against the clock.

The sooner the better!

Ye Haoran opened the official website of Irene's fan club and clicked to register.

Username: [FILA Bro Doesn't Wear FILA].

then,

A membership verification question popped up.

"What color outfit did Irene wear during the third show of her 'Happiness' promotional tour?"

FILA stared at the words, his fingers hovering over the keyboard.

blinked.

My mind went completely blank.

"What the hell do we do now?"

Ye Haoran was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered that there was a Korean girl in his class who seemed to be a Red Velvet fan.

The problem is, it's rumored that this girl was inquiring about his relationship status...