Peninsula: A Max-Level Forward's Leisurely Life

Early the next morning.

The early autumn sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the hotel room curtains.

Choi Sulli sat on the soft Simmons bed with her messy, unkempt hair and listless eyes.

Her eyes were dazed, and her brain was clearly still in the process of rebooting.

However, only a few seconds passed.

The moment the proactive plan she and Lee Ji-eun devised last night flashed through her mind, she felt energized.

The last vestiges of sleepiness were swept away.

She threw off the silk quilt covering her body, ran barefoot into the bathroom, and quickly tidied herself up.

Looking at her flawless, bare face in the mirror, Choi Sulli mouthed a cheer to herself.

The beginning is always the hardest, and the first step is to find outside help.

She ran back to bed, pulled out her phone, and skillfully dialed the number of Song Qian, the eldest member of the group.

The phone rang several times before it was answered.

"V's Mom, are you busy right now?"

Victoria Song's voice came through the receiver, hoarse from just waking up and intense exercise: "Just finished dance practice and am resting. What's up? Little Peach, you've finally decided to contact me?"

"Oh no, not at all."

Sulli guiltily touched her nose and began to use her not-so-good acting skills to try and get information out of him: "I just wanted to ask you, if I wanted to thank someone who has helped me a lot, what would be a natural gift?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Victoria Song's keen intuition radar kicked in.

Victoria Song lowered her voice, her tone carrying a shrewd scrutiny: "Something's wrong with you, Peach."

Choi Sulli's heart skipped a beat, and she almost dropped her phone.

"Who is it for? Male or female? How old? What do they do?"

She had barely caught her breath when Song Qian's barrage of questions came like a machine gun. "Hurry up and tell me honestly, am I handsome or not?"

This terrifying, household registration-like process made Choi Sulli, who was already feeling guilty, break out in a cold sweat.

This woman's insight is terrifying! She was pretending so well, how could she be exposed with just one sentence?!

"Oh, he's just a friend, what are you thinking!"

"Would a regular friend call me first thing in the morning to ask what gift I'm getting?" Victoria Song scoffed, not believing a single word of that excuse.

Faced with this barrage of questions, Choi Sulli was completely overwhelmed.

She opened her mouth, but the more she tried to hide it, the more incoherent her words became.

As a result, he stammered and revealed all the key information, such as "the bar owner," "who saved me," and "who has been keeping me company recently."

Fortunately, Victoria Song is a smart person. After hearing those words, she roughly guessed the whole story and didn't delve any deeper into the girl's secret.

"Listen up, Peach, the worst thing you can do when giving a gift is to give something too expensive right away." Song Qian's voice came through the receiver, carrying the seasoned experience of someone who's been through it all.

Choi Sulli quickly listened attentively like an obedient schoolchild: "V-Mom, please speak, I'm listening." She even held up a notebook as a pretense.

Victoria Song continued to share her valuable dating experience, her tone tinged with disappointment.

"You're giving them something too expensive. If they're from a well-off family, they won't even look at it. But if they're from an average family, it will put pressure on them."

"The most natural way is to ask him for a favor under some pretext, or simply invite him to a meal."

She paused for a moment before delivering her final, crucial conclusion: "If this guy isn't averse to you, he'll definitely take the plunge. If he's willing to meet you alone, then there's a chance."

Sulli was so moved she almost cried, and she gave her phone a big kiss. "V-Mom, you're simply my goddess!"

After hanging up the phone, Choi Sulli couldn't wait a moment longer.

She rushed into the spacious walk-in closet and began rummaging through drawers and cabinets looking for clothes.

After disguising herself, she slipped out of the hotel fully armed and headed straight for Seoul's bustling commercial district.

While sitting in the taxi, she was debating whether to go to Cheongdam-dong to buy a luxury watch, or to a high-end store to pick out a tie clip or something.

After all, this was the first time she had given a gift to a boy, and subconsciously she always thought that something expensive couldn't be wrong.

But when she thought of Ji-eun's shrewd analysis of Lee Chi-hoon's family background last night, she dismissed the idea.

The watch on that guy's wrist is worth more than a luxury apartment in Seoul. A single bottle of wine in his bar costs several months' salary for an average person.

If you spend money to give someone an expensive gift, it will seem perfunctory and tacky.

It would be better to put more thought into making some practical items that are relevant to his daily life.

But what does he usually do? This uncle's life consists of nothing but mixing drinks in a dark bar and playing football.

"Go buy a wristband!" The moment this brilliant idea popped into Sulli's head, her eyes lit up.

Simply giving her a brand-name wristband is too plain; she can easily add some personalized touches herself.

Find a private embroidery shop and have the initials of their names embroidered on the inside of the wristband.

That way, every time he sweats on the court and wipes his brow, he'll remember himself.

This plan is absolutely perfect and flawless!

Just do it.

She wandered the streets of Seoul, visiting several professional sports brand stores, and carefully selected a dark-colored wristband with the best breathability and softest fabric.

After a series of twists and turns, they entered a secluded and inconspicuous hand embroidery workshop.

Normally, this kind of delicate work that strains the eyes could be easily done by a skilled shop owner for a fee.

But this girl is being stubborn today and insists on doing it herself.

The result can be imagined.

The nation's first love, who never lifts a finger, suffered greatly when faced with embroidery needles.

Her fair and delicate fingertips were pricked several times by the sharp needle, causing her to gasp in pain.

The sewn letters were crooked and ugly, looking like two caterpillars struggling to crawl on the fabric.

Sulli was sweating profusely from repeatedly taking the wristband apart and sewing it back together. She was so angry that she almost threw the wristband into the nearby trash can.

Finally, looking at the defective product where the letter shapes were barely recognizable, he sighed resignedly.

This item may not look perfect, but it contains her heartfelt care, stitch by stitch.

If he dares to complain, I'll bite him to death!

After finishing the embroidery, the packaging stage, which tests patience even more, is now approaching.

Shirley went to the stationery store and bought a large sheet of pink premium wrapping paper, along with a thin, bright silver ribbon.

I sat on the wooden table in the workshop and clumsily fiddled around for almost half an hour.

The final bow was tied in a way that made one side bigger than the other, which was ridiculously funny.

But looking at the gift box that she had gone through so much trouble to make, Choi Sulli still felt a sense of accomplishment.

She carefully placed the box into an inconspicuous handbag, even lifting the bag with gentle movements, as if afraid of loosening the ribbon inside.

Everything is ready.

Now only the most crucial step remains.

How do I get this guy, who never leaves his house, to come out?

Instead of contacting Lee Chi-hoon immediately, she found a quiet coffee shop and chose the most secluded corner to sit down.

I didn't drink a drop of the iced Americano that was ordered on the table.

She took out her phone, skillfully opened a social media app, and found the familiar black profile picture.

The cursor in the chat box jumped up and down.

Choi Sulli held her breath and tapped her fingers rapidly on the screen.

Hey sir, come out for dinner!

No, that tone is too harsh; it sounds like I'm ordering him around.

Delete it immediately.

What are you doing? I want to see you.

Wow, that's way too blunt!

If I say something like that, don't I have any dignity left?

Delete it again.

Choi Sulli bit her pink lower lip, her pretty brows furrowed tightly, her little face scrunched up like a steamed bun.

It's like facing a crucial math problem in an exam where no matter how you try to solve it, you can't get it right.

Finally, after deliberating more than a dozen times,

She steeled herself and typed out a passage, word by word.

Hey, are you busy today?

Right after I sent it, I felt that this sentence wasn't safe enough, and I was afraid that he would just brush it off, so I quickly added a long string of words with my fingers flying across the keyboard.

I need your help with a small thing. Don't overthink it, it's really something important.

She pressed the send button, and in her nervousness, she flipped her phone over and slammed it face down onto the wooden table.

She covered her face with both hands. Her breath almost stopped, and her heart was pounding like a drum.

This is even more agonizing than waiting for the final ranking on various music shows!

the other side.

In that quiet bar in Itaewon.

The midday sun streamed through the skylight onto the wooden floor of the second-floor lounge.

Lee Chi-hoon was resting with his hands behind his head, leaning back on the comfortable sofa with his eyes closed.

My tense nerves finally got a moment of relief these past few days.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

He took it out and glanced at it casually, his gaze settling on these few messages.

The message from that little girl lay quietly on the screen.

This tone is very much like Choi Sulli's, but although this girl usually acts silly in front of him, she has never taken the initiative to invite him out in this way.

The taste has changed noticeably.

Especially that last sentence, which was deliberately emphasized as "Don't overthink it." It's practically a classic case of protesting too much.

He hadn't even thought about it that way while leaning back on the sofa, but her unnecessary reminder made him think about it even more.

What's this? Has this girl finally lost her patience and started to take the initiative to test the waters?

A smile appeared in Li Chixun's eyes.

This is interesting.

He wasn't in a hurry to agree; instead, he wanted to see what other tricks she had up her sleeve, so he casually tapped the screen a few times.

The phrase "serious business" coming out of your mouth makes it less credible.

The message had only been sent for two seconds when the reply popped up on the other end, incredibly fast.

Hey! Are you coming out or not?!

Looking at this line of text, Li Chixun could clearly picture her furious, irritated, and frantic state behind those words.

In the coffee shop.

Choi Sulli almost choked on her own breath when she saw that cold-blooded, sarcastic reply.

How could this person be like this!

There's absolutely no fun in it!

The courage she had painstakingly mustered up was almost completely shattered by his casual, sarcastic remark.

That's outrageous.

I really want to crawl over to him right now and bite him hard.

But thinking of the solemn pledge he made to Lee Ji-eun last night, he knew he couldn't back down now.

They could only grit their teeth and continue weaving.

I'd like to buy something as a gift. You have good taste, could you help me choose one?

After pressing send, she gripped the edges of the phone tightly with both hands.

What if he doesn't come? What if he finds it troublesome and makes an excuse to refuse?

Countless pessimistic and desperate thoughts swirled wildly in my mind.

My phone vibrated.

【address.】

The two words: indifferent.

The anxiety that had been threatening to overwhelm Choi Sulli vanished from her eyes, and she was so excited that she almost jumped off the high chair.

Become!

The tricks and techniques taught by V-Mom are effective!

This iceberg actually accepted the challenge!

Trying hard not to let her lips twitch, she put on a calm demeanor and quickly replied with a location.

[See you in half an hour on the tree-lined path in Sinsa-dong.]

After sending the message, she picked up the small bag on the table filled with her heartfelt wishes.

I rushed out of the coffee shop with incredibly light steps.

No matter what happens on the date, at least it's her first brave step towards that iceberg.

Moreover, it was a near-perfect start.