Peninsula: A Max-Level Forward's Leisurely Life

As you walk through the street, an oak door in a dark alley comes into view.

The journey was unusually quiet.

Lee Chi-hoon had one hand in his pocket, and the eyes under his hat brim unusually lacked their usual composure.

He began frantically reviewing everything that had happened that day in his mind.

Let her run wild? Let her arrange flowers while you look down? You didn't even pull away when she held your hand?!

If this happened in Bayern Munich's locker room, Lahm and the others would probably call the police immediately, thinking that their cold-blooded, max-level striker had been switched.

He has always been known for his rationality.

Even when facing those old foxes on Wall Street, she never lost her composure, let alone being completely outmatched by such a young girl's tricks.

What is this? Could it be that I've fallen for this troublesome person I've only known for less than two days?

He paused for a moment, then quickly suppressed the absurd thought.

Absolutely not. I was just moved by her miserable state after being drenched in the rain, plus the hormones of my twenty-year-old body acting up.

Sulli, walking beside her, was also busy.

She kept her head down, her toes tapping the pavement intermittently, but the corners of her mouth under her mask kept turning up uncontrollably.

This middle-aged man is completely different from the cold-faced guy who sent the paparazzi flying with one hand yesterday.

Not only will she obediently bow her head and let herself arrange the flowers, but she will also clumsily use a tissue to wipe her sweat.

This fatal contrast is so endearing, it's practically hitting her aesthetic sweet spot.

He must have feelings for me, right?

But why doesn't he say anything? Is it because they've only just met, and given the huge difference in their social status, he doesn't want to speak up easily?

Forget it, if he doesn't say anything, I, as a girl, can't just take the initiative to approach him.

That would be too unreserved.

Both harboring their own ulterior motives, they pushed open the oak door and simultaneously let out a long sigh of relief.

Lee Chi-hoon walked straight behind the bar, poured himself a glass of ice water, tilted his head back, and gulped it down in one go.

This pushing, pulling, and tugging was even more agonizing than playing a full 90 minutes at the Allianz Arena.

Fortunately, this inexplicable break from my routine has finally come to an end.

However, it turned out that he had underestimated the clinginess of women.

In the following days, this black bar, which was not open to the public, became Choi Sulli's private playground.

The little girl's depressed mood was largely released during her wild run through the sea of ​​flowers on the first day, and her quirky and lively nature began to emerge.

"Uncle, I want to go eat the stir-fried rice cakes at that place in Myeongdong, will you come with me?"

She tugged at Li Chixun's sleeve, her voice soft and sweet.

"The weather's so nice today, how about we go cycling along the Han River?"

Faced with her relentless attacks, Lee Chi-hoon's once-solid defenses crumbled at the first touch.

As a result, two strange pairs of people, bundled up tightly, began to appear frequently on the streets of Seoul.

They would go to deserted arcades late at night to play fighting games, and they would buy two of the cheapest fish cakes on the street in the early morning.

While eating stir-fried rice cakes, Sulli, afraid of being recognized by passersby, pulled her mask down halfway and quickly stuffed a piece into her mouth.

As a result, he was scalded by the freshly cooked sauce and kept breathing out hot air, his eyes almost watering.

Li Chixun didn't laugh out loud; he simply twisted open a bottle of mineral water and handed it over with practiced ease.

In this time of solitude without any conflict of interest, the relationship between the two began to heat up rapidly.

If on the first day they were just ordinary friends testing each other out, after this week's experiences, Choi Sulli has completely shed her idol image.

She dared to show all her flaws without any reservations in front of Lee Ji-hoon.

He is a picky eater, likes to curl up in his blanket when sleeping, and screams and spills popcorn all over the floor when watching horror movies.

If it were someone else, seeing the glamorous "nation's first love" acting so unreliable in private, their idealized image would probably shatter long ago.

But Li Jixun disagreed.

He watched her rummage as she picked out carrot shreds from her bento box, finding her genuine and unpretentious demeanor quite endearing.

He didn't realize that this tolerant mindset of viewing flaws as characteristics was no different from that of the God of Pure Love.

The laughter in the bar grew louder.

On those hard liquor shelves that were originally used only to store top-quality whiskey, a few childish plush toys have been placed there at some point.

This brought a vibrant energy to the previously lifeless shelter.

Finally, this peaceful, secluded life was shattered by a phone call on a gloomy afternoon.

Lee Ji-hoon was leaning against the bar, wiping the newly delivered golf cup.

Choi Sulli sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding half a watermelon and eating it with a spoon.

The phone on the coffee table suddenly started vibrating wildly.

The screen displayed the two large characters "知恩" (Zhi En, meaning gratitude).

Sulli dropped the spoon in her hand into the watermelon with a thud, and she bounced up.

"We're doomed, Ji-eun is definitely coming for our address!"

She held her phone, looking pleadingly at the man behind the bar.

Lee Chi-hoon stopped wiping the cup and gave him a reassuring look: "Take it, hiding it all the time isn't a solution."

Choi Sulli gritted her teeth and pressed the answer button.

Lee Ji-eun's lively voice came through the speaker, crisp and clear.

"Peach! I've already canceled my schedule for tomorrow afternoon. I'll come to Gangwon Province to see you first thing tomorrow morning!"

Upon hearing this, Choi Sulli panicked.

"Um, Ji-eun, actually I'm not in Gangwon Province."

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

"What?! You lied to me?! Then where are you right now?!" Lee Ji-eun's voice rose.

Choi Sulli bit her pink lower lip.

"My distant aunt's house was leaking and I couldn't live there, so I went back to Seoul."

She steeled herself and began to write along the previously agreed-upon script, her voice growing softer and softer.

"I've rented a cheap basement storage room in Itaewon for a few days as a temporary place. The environment here is terrible, and the roads are hard to find, so you'd better not come."

As she spoke, she frantically winked at Li Chixun, trying to curry favor.

"Seoul? Are you crazy! Those paparazzi are still digging for your whereabouts!"

Lee Ji-eun was absolutely furious.

"Send me the address of that storage room. I want to see the mess you've made of yourself! I'll buy some food and bring it over right now!"

They gave Choi Sulli absolutely no chance to find an excuse to refuse.

The busy tone rang out immediately; the call had been unilaterally disconnected.

Holding her black-screened phone, Choi Sulli collapsed onto the leather sofa, utterly dejected.

Her delicate face fell, and her brows furrowed tightly.

"She's doomed now. She's incredibly stubborn. Once she gets the address, she'll come looking for me even if it's hailing."

She grabbed a nearby cushion and covered her face, her voice filled with despair.

"If she sees you here, I won't be able to explain myself no matter what I do."

Lee Chi-hoon stepped out of the bar and, seeing her looking so alarmed, couldn't help but chuckle.

He walked to the sofa, casually picked up the watermelon that was about to fall to the ground, and said in a lazy tone.

"Don't worry, you'll be right there."

Choi Sulli peeked out from under the cushion and looked at him with her big, watery eyes.

"Ji-eun understands your predicament. If necessary, I'll just help you fend her off."

A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes.

"Don't forget our script. I'm a cold-blooded, heartless sub-landlord who takes your rent and doesn't care about anyone, even his own family. Kicking her out is one of my specialties."

Upon receiving this confident promise, Choi Sulli's tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

She sat up, nodded vigorously, and her peach blossom eyes curved back into two beautiful crescent moons.

The despair she felt earlier vanished, and her lively personality took over.

"It's a deal then. You have to act tough tomorrow and try to scare her away!"

"No problem, deliver a Golden Globe-caliber performance."

The two chatted and laughed and joked around in the empty bar.

Lee Chi-hoon deliberately reached out and messed up her freshly combed hair, eliciting a coquettish protest from the girl.

The air was filled with an unspoken understanding and a growing sense of ambiguity.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Seoul, Lee Ji-eun, completely unaware of the absurd drama she was about to face, was carrying bags of nutritional supplements and preparing to storm Itaewon with eyes full of anger.