My Peninsula 2007

Chapter 427 One Person Attains Enlightenment

Whether it was just his imagination or not, in An Rusong's eyes, his three younger brothers seemed to have grown taller in the few months since he last saw them. Not only that, but the three guys also seemed to have become quite handsome. Looking closer, well, it wasn't his imagination. Of course, it wasn't that the three boys had actually changed their appearance drastically, but rather that they had become much more fashionable and sophisticated in their clothing.

It's often said that "clothes make the man, and gold makes the Buddha," and that's absolutely true. A few months ago, when An Rusong returned to Yuantongli for the first time after his rebirth, his three younger brothers weren't exactly dressed in rags or shabby clothes, but they were just average-looking, or perhaps it would be more accurate to describe them as wearing cheap clothes.

Now, the clothes the three boys are wearing, although not luxury brands, are definitely top-tier brands in South Korea. For example, Ru Hui was recognized from afar by An Rusong. The white short-sleeved shirt with the cartoon bear head logo he was wearing was obviously "GAP", and the shoes he was wearing were also from the same brand.

If nothing unexpected happens, the clothes the three boys are wearing should have been bought for them by Sun Manzhu, because An Rusong has several "GAP" outfits that he wears casually every day, and those were also bought for him by Sun Manzhu.

"Brother!" Upon seeing An Rusong from afar, the youngest, Ruhui, shouted excitedly and, ignoring his two older brothers and Luo Zaixun, ran over on his own.

Among the An brothers, the eldest, An Rusong, and the youngest, An Ruhui, have always had the best relationship. For An Ruhui now, his eldest brother is not only the brother who loved him the most back then, but also his most admired idol.

Over the past period of time, An Ruhui had heard his brother's name quite often, especially regarding the exposure of the drug trafficking scandal involving US troops stationed in South Korea. His elder brother, undaunted by powerful figures, withstood pressure from all sides, even threats of death, and fought relentlessly against the soldiers in the US military stationed in South Korea who were involved in drug trafficking. He has become the "conscience" of the Republic of Korea.

As mentioned before, regional conflicts and geographical divisions based on political stances are deeply rooted in South Korea. Gangwon Province has always been a staunch supporter of conservatives. Therefore, people in Gangwon Province are more proactive and tolerant in their views on ROK-US relations and the issue of US troops stationed in South Korea. However, even so, local public opinion in Gangwon Province is quite resentful of the existence of drug trafficking networks within the US military presence in South Korea. Consequently, Ahn Yeo-song's fight against the US military has also received public support in Gangwon Province.

Most importantly, supporting strengthened ROK-US relations and nationalist sentiment in South Korea are two entirely different things. The reason Gangwon Province supports strengthening ROK-US relations is because the region is too close to North Korea, and the people generally lack a sense of security; therefore, from a practical perspective, they cannot do without American protection. Conversely, if any South Korean dares to confront the Americans head-on and ultimately gains their approval, that South Korean is also a hero to the people of Gangwon Province.

An Rusong is clearly such a person; at least in exposing the drug trafficking scandal involving US troops stationed in South Korea, his performance is beyond reproach.

Therefore, for An Ruhui, who is not yet seventeen years old, his older brother has too many halos. If he is not an idol, who else is qualified to be an idol?

Seeing Ru Hui rushing to his side with a silly grin, An Rusong smiled, reached out and ruffled the other's head vigorously, saying, "Good lad, it seems you've grown taller since I last saw you."

Ru Hui, on the other hand, had a silly grin on her face.

"Brother Rusong, aren't you going to introduce him to us?" Lin Ya'en, who was standing to the side, came over and reminded him with a bright smile.

“Ah, this is my youngest brother, Ruhui,” An Rusong grasped Ruhui’s shoulder and shook him hard, saying, “Ruhui, this is Lieutenant Lin Ya’en. She helped us a lot with our military service.”

As An Rusong made this introduction, Ru Hui was blushing and stealing glances at Lin Ya'en. Having grown up in that remote corner of Yuantongli, he had seen very little of the world, and naturally, very few truly beautiful women.

For the past few months, he had thought that his future sister-in-law, Sun Manzhu, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But who knew that Lin Ya'en in front of him seemed to be even more beautiful than his future sister-in-law.

Actually, it wouldn't be accurate to say that Lin Ya'en is more beautiful than Sun Manzhu. Ru Hui's feeling is simply because Lin Ya'en was wearing a military uniform, which gave her a dashing and heroic air.

Furthermore, although Lin Ya'en and Sun Manzhu are both women, their personalities are completely different. The latter is a rather bland person who doesn't give people a sense of closeness when interacting with others. The former, on the other hand, is different. Despite her military rank, Lin Ya'en is the kind of woman who is very good at using her advantages; to put it bluntly, she is good at flirting.

Young men like Ru Hui, who are still inexperienced, are most susceptible to the charm of women like Lin Ya'en.

"What Lieutenant Lin Ya'en?" Lin Ya'en said coquettishly after hearing An Rusong's introduction, "She seems so distant."

"Ruhui, right? I've heard Rusong mention you before. I'm older than you, so you can just call me Sister Ya'en," she said, smiling and extending her hand as she turned her gaze to Ruhui.

"Sister Ya'en," Ru Hui's face turned even redder, and he stammered as he called out, but he didn't reach out to shake Lin Ya'en's fair and delicate hand.

"elder brother"

"Big Brother." "Brother Rusong."

At this moment, Ruze, Ruyu, and Luo Zaixun also arrived. An Rusong first chatted briefly with his two younger brothers, then introduced Lin Ya'en to them, and finally turned his gaze to Luo Zaixun, smiling and saying, "Zaixun, thank you for your help this time."

"Not at all, Brother Rusong," Luo Zaihun restrained his gaze, trying his best not to look at Lin Ya'en, but he smiled politely, "It's what I should do. Besides, I've wanted to come to Seoul for a while now. Oh, by the way, my dad asked me to give you his regards, and he mentioned what happened last time..."

“What’s past is past,” An Rusong interrupted him, smiling as he said, “We’re all from the same hometown, there’s no need to be so petty.”

While An Rusong and Luo Zaixun were talking, Lin Ya'en had already exchanged a few words with Ruze and Ruyu. To be honest, Lin Ya'en had no interest in anyone present, whether it was Luo Shengkui from before or Luo Zaixun who was currently talking to An Rusong. Even the three Ruze brothers were someone she genuinely didn't want to bother with. Her sole purpose in being there today was An Rusong, and her enthusiasm for the three Ruze brothers was entirely based on An Rusong.

"Alright, let's not talk about this here," Lin Ya'en said, patting An Rusong's arm affectionately as she listened to their polite conversation. "Let's get in the car first, and we can talk on the way."

“Yes, yes, let’s get in the car first,” An Rusong said with a smile. “Brother Zhongtai is still waiting for us at the Military Affairs Department. Let’s hurry up.”

After he finished speaking, he gestured to Luo Minzhi beside him and said, "Minzhi, go and drive the car over here."

Luo Minzhi nodded and turned to go back the way he came.

“Brother Rusong, Uncle Shengkui and I won’t go with you,” Luo Zaihun said with a smile as he watched Luo Minzhi walk away. “It just so happens that Uncle Shengkui hasn’t been to Seoul in a long time, so I’ll drive him around for a bit.”

“Yes, yes, Jae-hoon and I will go for a walk and won’t disturb you while you’re working,” Luo Sheng-kui added.

The An brothers' gathering in Seoul was a secret, and both Luo Shengkui and Luo Zaihun knew their purpose. Regardless of what methods An Rusong had devised or who he had contacted to help his brothers evade military service, he certainly didn't want too many people to know. Therefore, even if Luo Zaihun and Luo Zaihun were simply trying to avoid suspicion, they wouldn't accompany the An brothers to the Military Manpower Administration.

After listening to what the two said, An Rusong did not force them. He nodded and said, "That's fine. You two go and take a look around first. I'll contact you again after I've finished taking care of things. Hehe, I must host lunch tonight. Let's have a good drink together."

After exchanging a few more polite words, Luo Minzhi had already driven the Chevrolet over.

“Brother Rusong, take my car,” Lin Ya’en said, stepping forward and standing next to An Rusong as the Chevrolet pulled up to the side of the road. “I have something to tell you, privately.”

An Rusong was about to invite his three younger brothers into the car when he heard this, so he stopped, glanced at Lin Ya'en, and nodded, saying, "Okay, you go ahead and drive, I'll be right there."

“Okay, Brother Rusong,” Lin Ya’en replied with a smile, then waved to the three Ruze brothers before turning and walking toward the military vehicle.

An Rusong didn't dislike Lin Ya'en at all, after all, she was a very beautiful woman and also had the identity of a lieutenant in the South Korean army.

Of course, from the first day they met, An Rusong could sense that this woman was very interested in him and was moving closer to him.

This wasn't An Rusong being presumptuous; rather, the other party's intentions were far too obvious, and she didn't even try to hide them.

Of course, An Rusong knew very well that Lin Ya'en's interest in him wasn't because he was handsome or young, but because he was rich and powerful. In other words, this woman was a very insightful and realistic person. She knew what she wanted and what she could give up.

As for An Rusong, he wasn't the kind of person to be pretentious. The idea that he only wanted women to value him as a person, not his money, was too fake.

(End of this chapter)