Peninsula: The Great Producer

This is what surprised Qi Yaojiu.

Tomorrow is the Lunar New Year, and like in China, families gather together to celebrate this traditional festival.

It was only natural for him to return to Manjae Island. He didn't go back last year on New Year's Day, nor did he go back on January 1st this year. That's why he set off to return to Manjae Island the day before New Year's Day, planning to spend two days with his grandmother before returning to Seoul.

Lee Ji-eun shouldn't be here. She should be in her parents' rented house in Seoul, or perhaps reuniting with her grandmother and aunt.

Do her family members know that she is going to Wanjae Island? If they do know but do not stop her, does that mean that it is time for her to get married and reunite with her family? Lee Ji-eun is going back to Wanjae Island with Ki Yo-gu as Ki Yo-gu's "family" to celebrate the festival with Ki Yo-gu's grandmother?
Is this a disguised way of encouraging Lee Ji-eun and Ki Yo-gu to become "family"?
No way.

How could Lee Ji-eun's family possibly encourage her to actively pursue a romantic relationship? She is currently in the prime of her career.

Could it be that Lee Ji-eun's family has taken a liking to her? They're convinced she's destined to be part of their family? They don't want her to fall into the hands of others, so they're encouraging Lee Ji-eun...

"What are you laughing at, Oppa?"

Qi Yaojiu snapped out of his daze and asked, "Did I laugh?"

Lee Ji-eun nodded and said, "Yes, I laughed, and I laughed a little silly."

Qi Yaojiu changed the subject, asking, "Does your family know you've come here?"

Lee Ji-eun, however, changed the subject, saying, "Don't worry about this oppa. I've made money, and the company has settled my accounts, so I prepared a gift for my grandma, and also a gift for oppa. I'll show it to oppa when I get home."

“Oh, Lee Ji-eun, now that you’ve made some money, you should buy gifts for your family first.”

"Yes, I bought thermal underwear for Grandma. My aunt, uncle, cousin Eun-hee, and Lee Jong-hoon also received gifts. I gave Dad thermal gloves, Mom a scarf, and then Grandma and Oppa."

"I don't earn much money, so I can't buy nice gifts, but it's still my sentiment, isn't it?"

Qi Yaojiu smiled again.

This time it wasn't a silly grin, but a smile of satisfaction.

Seeing this, Lee Ji-eun frowned and said, "What is that? Oppa, don't look at me like that, and don't smile like my dad."

Qi Yao nodded and said, "I'm happy, happy that you've finally grown up."

"You've grown up already?"

"Yes, he's grown up and started earning money."

"Then I..."

"Okay, you can stop now. If you want to talk about something else, I also have a few words to say to you."

"What is it? Oppa, talk to me, I want to hear it."

"you sure?"

"Yes, I really want to hear it."

"We'll see how you perform when we get to Wancai Island. If you do well, maybe I'll talk to you about something—a secret, a real secret."

"secret?"

"Yes, it's a secret, believe me."

Qi Yaojiu's smile turned mysterious again.

Lee Ji-eun racked her brains trying to figure out what the secret might be. Was it about the drama? Or about the new variety show?

After considering all the possibilities, Lee Ji-eun never imagined it would be related to her, especially since it was a secret about her that Ki Yo-gu had heard from Yoo In-na.

After transferring to a ferry in Mokpo, Lee Ji-eun took out a seasickness patch from her bag and turned to the side. Ki Yo-gu had already put one behind his right earlobe while he was texting.

After editing the reply, Qi Yaojiu remembered something important and asked Li Zhien, "You're afraid of getting seasick, so why did you decide to come back with me?"

Lee Ji-eun shook her head and muttered, "To be precise, I wanted to visit my grandma myself, but I just happened to run into my oppa."

What could she say? Even Lee Ji-eun herself wouldn't believe such an excuse. Ki Yo-gu told her to tell him if she felt uncomfortable, since it would take more than two hours by boat to reach Wan-jae Island before dark.

Fortunately, I told Song Xihai in advance that I was going back. If I wanted to give my grandmother a surprise, I would have arrived at Wancai Island before dark and there would have been no dinner. It didn't matter that Qi Yaojiu was alone, but Li Zhi'en was a child who couldn't bear to go hungry.

Shaky.

The setting sun dyed the sea a golden hue.

Lee Ji-eun seemed to be in good spirits, taking pictures of the sunset, the waves of the sea, and Qi Yao-jiu, and finally even taking a group photo with him.

Qi Yaojiu jokingly said, "You absolutely cannot lose this phone."

Lee Ji-eun innocently asked Ki Yo-gu, "Why?"

Qi Yaojiu thought of an old friend surnamed Chen, but this one was different. He smiled and said, "You spent all the money you had saved on gifts for other people without even thinking about getting a new phone for yourself. If you lose it, you won't have a phone to use."

Lee Ji-eun was counting on her fingers, probably calculating whether she had enough money in her account to buy a new phone.

After calculating for a while, Lee Ji-eun sighed and said, "Sigh, it's far from enough."

Qi Yaojiu didn't ask how much Lee Ji-eun had settled at the end of the year, but he guessed that it probably wouldn't be much. Even though "Nagging" and "Good Day" became hits one after another, the money that Leon Company had invested in Lee Ji-eun must have been deducted.

There's no need to worry about Lee Ji-eun; this girl will earn far more money than other idol artists in the future.

I'll buy it for you.

"Huh? What did Oppa say?"

"I told you that I would buy you a new cell phone as a New Year's gift after we get back to Seoul."

"Really?"

"Really, I thought you should focus on your work before, so I never mentioned buying you a phone. Now that your career is taking off, young people should act like young people. You should have the latest digital technology like phones, tablets, and computers. Yes, you should have what others have."

Lee Ji-eun smiled happily, staring straight at Ki Yo-gu without saying a word.

Anyone who saw that look would mutter, "It's full of love."

The distance is getting closer.

Qi Yaojiu still had a little worry in his heart.

Grandma will definitely misunderstand this time since Lee Ji-eun is coming back to Wanjae Island with me.

Grandma's situation is a minor matter; the real issue is Song Xihai. The news won't even last until tonight, and the islanders will probably be crowding around Grandma's courtyard to watch the drama and gossip by tomorrow morning.

By the window, Lee Ji-eun excitedly pointed and confirmed with Ki Yo-gu, "Oppa, that's Wanjae Island, right?"

Qi Yaojiu wanted to say that he wasn't sure either, just then the announcement came on that the ship would arrive at Wancai Island in ten minutes.

Following up on that, Qi Yaojiu hummed in agreement, "Yes, that's Wancai Island."

Lee Ji-eun didn't notice Ki Yo-gu's awkward reaction and was thinking, "Grandma must have made a lot of delicious food and is waiting for Oppa. I'll enjoy the food tonight and tomorrow, and then I'll go back to Seoul to lose weight the day after tomorrow. Yes, that's my plan."

Qi Yaojiu nudged Li Zhi'en's arm and said, "You can keep your voice down when you're muttering."

Lee Ji-eun replied casually, "It's okay, Oppa isn't a manager, team leader, or president."

It means that Qi Yao Jiu can't control things like Lee Ji Eun's figure and weight.

Qi Yaojiu retorted, "I can report you. I can take photos and videos as evidence. Aren't you going to make a comeback?"

"Oppa knows I'm making a comeback?"

"You, February 17th, right? Senior Kim Chang-wan told me that, saying it was when you recorded 'Your Meaning'." (End of Chapter)