Peninsula: 72 Hours of Blind Dates

jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.

oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.

Cheongdam-dong, at the entrance of the nmixx dormitory.

Wu Haiyuan was instantly captivated by the musical atmosphere inside the car as soon as he got in.

As she hummed along, she pulled out her seatbelt, gently shook her head, and even her singing voice sounded a bit strained.

Han Hee-joon, who was in the driver's seat, was in very good condition.

After fastening his seatbelt, Wu Haiyuan asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Han Xijun shrugged and said, "Have I ever been drunk?"

Wu Haiyuan hesitated for two seconds before saying, "You seemed a little drunk when you brought the apples over last night."

Last night, the AI ​​R&D center of Kakao Group had a department dinner.

Around this time last year, Han Xijun and his colleagues left after dinner.

Colleagues didn't try to stop him. After all, Han Xijun was the department head, a leader, and a man of few words who rarely smiled. Continuing with the second, third, and fourth rounds of dinners put pressure on the staff. Even the determined efforts of team leaders like Quan Zhihao and Li Shiya to actively build rapport with Han Xijun seemed to have little effect.

This year is different.

Han Xijun is no longer a man of few words, and he smiles more often now.

It was already the end of the year, and a large bonus was about to be distributed. The day after the dinner was also a holiday. Last night, Han Xijun and his department staff drank from the first round to the third round.

If Han Xijun hadn't bought apples to send to Wu Haiyuan and the others, he probably would have drunk with the staff until dawn.

Han Xijun is in really good condition, having had about 6 hours of deep sleep, which is already very restful for him.

Wu Haiyuan asked, "Where to?"

Han Xijun didn't turn on the navigation. After turning the steering wheel and checking that it was safe, he drove off.

Mysterious.

Wu Haiyuan only knew that Han Xijun wanted to spend Christmas like a normal couple, and guessed that he might drive to a lively and bustling place, especially Myeongdong and Hongdae, where young people gather and streets are decorated with Christmas decorations.

The weather was also very fitting.

Snowflakes drifted in the wind, creating a wonderful atmosphere. Wu Haiyuan switched songs, changing from the familiar Christmas carol played by Han Xijun to a K-pop song.

Han Hee-jun's understanding of K-pop began when he met Oh Hae-won and started paying attention to nmixx.

In his view, K-pop is all about dance music with a strong rhythm.

Han Xijun was also curious when he suddenly heard a sentimental song.

Wu Haiyuan hummed the song fluently, then noticed Han Xijun's curious expression and asked, "Really? You haven't heard this song before?"

Han Xijun shook his head.

Wu Haiyuan chuckled and asked, confirming, "You really haven't heard of it?"

Han Xijun shook his head again.

Wu Haiyuan explained, "This song will become a must-listen for everyone throughout the winter, including Christmas, starting from the day of the first snow."

Han Xijun, as if struck by a sudden thought, asked, "Didn't you guys release a Christmas song? Why aren't you playing your song?"

Without even thinking, Wu Haiyuan said, "Our Christmas single can't compare to this song. You really haven't heard 'First Snow'? Do you even know EXO?"

When asked, Wu Haiyuan already had the answer. Just as she guessed, Han Xijun didn't know EXO.

Wu Haiyuan cautiously followed up with, "Do you know about BTS?"

Han Xijun retorted, "Should I know?"

Wu Haiyuan was stunned.

I'm glad Han Hee-joon isn't in the entertainment industry, but I still find it unbelievable, considering he's an EXO member and BTS member.

These two male idol groups perfectly exemplify what it means to be a global top star.

Especially EXO.

Wu Haiyuan was an EXO fan when he was still in elementary school.

To be precise, back then, everyone was a fan of EXO, because the topics of conversation among classmates had a premise: you were a fan of which EXO member.

While telling Han Xijun stories from the past, Wu Haiyuan switched to other classic EXO songs.

Play a song, and they'll ask Han Xijun if he's ever heard it before.

Han Xijun recognized some of the melodies, perhaps on a bus or while passing by a supermarket or shop on his way home. His memory was hazy.

Wu Haiyuan figured it out himself.

Han Hee-jun's vague memory is equivalent to not knowing. It might be abnormal for others. That year, everyone was talking about EXO, unless there were some "special circumstances".

Han Xijun has no "special circumstances," he is the special one. Who would only care about studying from elementary school onwards?

He didn't play with his classmates at school. In his wonderful childhood, playing ball, going to the arcade, even playing on the uneven bars or jumping in the sandpit were not part of Han Xijun's world.

Wu Haiyuan wasn't just doubting; he was almost certain that Han Xijun had been "isolated" by his classmates.

Han Hee-joon was simply unaware that he was being "isolated".

Because his world doesn't require him to play with other classmates.

uninteresting.

It's so boring.

Han Xijun said slowly, "Do you think I'm boring?"

Wu Haiyuan exclaimed, "You knew that too?" Please remember the only official website for this novel: www.deqixs.org. The website owner has only this one website; other websites may be discontinued at any time.

"I have superpowers"

"Forget it. I did believe you briefly when you said you had superpowers before. I was just stupid. How could a person have superpowers? This isn't a movie."

There were quite a few cars on the road.

Some were heading towards the outskirts of Seoul.

Han Xijun asked Wu Haiyuan to open the storage compartment in front of the passenger seat.

Wu Haiyuan didn't open it immediately. He glanced at Han Xijun, who was calmly driving, and asked, "Is there some kind of surprise gift in the storage compartment?"

Han Xijun's romance was unadorned; he nodded straightforwardly and said, "The Christmas present for you is inside, but I don't know if it counts as a surprise."

Wu Haiyuan blurted out, "Is it one of those small, pretty square boxes?"

Han Xijun remained silent.

Wu Haiyuan continued, "It can't be, really? A ring?"

Han Xijun simply asked Wu Haiyuan to open the box. This evasive attitude made Wu Haiyuan's heart race.

She had genuinely considered it.

A couple of days ago, when I was having dinner with Chairman Kim Bum-soo, we talked about Christmas gifts. Although Oh Hae-won said he didn't want expensive gifts that would be a burden, he was actually thinking about rings.

Han Xijun glanced at Wu Haiyuan, who hadn't moved for a while, and asked, "Why aren't you opening it?"

Wu Haiyuan muttered to himself, "What if it really is a ring?"

There was genuine concern in his tone.

Han Xijun heard this and said, "Open it and take a look first."

His hand slowly reached towards the storage compartment.

After grunting in response, Wu Haiyuan slowly opened his eyes, which had been squinting.

The sound of my heartbeat echoed in my ears.

My vision gradually became clearer.

The storage compartment was empty to begin with; there were no fancy little packaging bags, nor any small, square boxes. There was only one white paper bag, about the size of two palms.

This bag doesn't look like it's meant to hold a ring box.

Not a ring?

Wu Haiyuan returned to normal and, with curiosity, took the bag out of the storage compartment.

Place it on your lap.

I opened it and peeked inside.

After recognizing what it was, Wu Haiyuan muttered to himself, "It's not a scarf, is it?"