Peninsula: The Great Producer

They've all been used as tools, and this is what they call delicious food?
Pei Zhonghan sat on either side of the square table, next to a red cloth tent. In front of him was a bowl of udon noodles, and inside the tent sat many ordinary citizens who had come to have a late-night snack.

The only advantage is that it's very close to Lee Ji-eun's dorm; it only takes about five minutes to walk there.

Lee Ji-eun happily swayed her shoulders and exclaimed, "It's been so long since I've eaten here, at least a year."

Qi Yaojiu smiled and said, "I guessed it, that's why I brought you here to eat."

Lee Ji-eun asked curiously, "Oppa, didn't you eat cold noodles with the barbecue?"

Qi Yaojiu unpacked the disposable chopsticks and said while stirring the udon noodles, "They didn't eat. They have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so they just ate a little something and that was it."

Lee Ji-eun believed what Ki Yo-gu said.

I have some doubts. Was that barbecue just for the reporters and other people to see?
But Ki Yo-gu isn't that kind of person. He does everything as he pleases. Even when he wanted to help T-ara clear up a misunderstanding, Ki Yo-gu simply accepted an exclusive interview, something Lee Ji-eun never thought of.

We each ate a few bites of udon noodles, and the taste was still the same as before.

Qi Yaojiu smiled and said, "It's because you're hungry that you think the taste is the same as before. If you weren't hungry, you might have a different experience."

Lee Ji-eun turned to look at Bae Jong-han.

Bae Jong-han didn't eat anything either, but he ate the udon noodles one strand at a time. Could they really be that ordinary?
Bae Jong-han felt Lee Ji-eun's gaze, picked up a large piece of udon noodles, put it in his mouth and slurped it up, nodding and exclaiming, "Delicious! It's one of the top three udon noodles I've ever eaten."

Qi Yaojiu didn't say anything. If we're talking about doting on Li Zhi'en, he probably only ranks after Pei Zhonghan.

Although Ki Yoo-gu has provided a lot of help to Lee Ji-eun in her career since her debut, Bae Jong-han usually spends more time with Lee Ji-eun and takes care of her.

On the surface, they are artist and manager, but their relationship is not much different from that of siblings.

My aunt came over with a plate, put the spicy chicken feet on the table, and said, "It's been a long time since you've been here, hasn't it?"

Qi Yaojiu and Li Zhien both looked at their aunt, both feeling a bit incredulous that their aunt had such a good memory.
Aunt stared straight at Qi Yaojiu and said, "I remember you, young man. It's been almost two years since I last saw you. No, I saw you on TV. This young lady hasn't been here for over a year either."

Lee Ji-eun couldn't help but ask, "Does your aunt remember us?"

Auntie smiled and said, "I remember when I first saw you, I thought you were a little sister who had run away from home and had been caught by her brother. You were here eating udon noodles because you were starving."

hiss

Memories aren't like that.

My aunt was very busy, and after saying that, she turned around and went back to her post.

Pei Zhonghan sized up Qi Yaojiu and Li Zhien.

My sister ran away from home?
The brother who kidnapped his sister?

Two people who had been hungry for a long time?
Lee Ji-eun muttered, "It can't be as exaggerated as my aunt said, can it?"

Qi Yaojiu chimed in, "I don't remember it being that exaggerated. Anyway, it wasn't me, but it is you."

Lee Ji-eun pointed to herself: "Me?"

Qi Yaojiu said, "Yes, you, when we first met at the convenience store, you were like a starving ghost, finishing a bucket of ramen in just three bites."

"Me? Three people? Oppa, don't joke around."

Qi Yaojiu confirmed very seriously: "I'm not joking, it was just three bites. You were much fatter back then than you are now. The company must have required you to lose weight before your debut. You secretly ran out to eat, and he didn't know."

Lee Ji-eun laughed awkwardly twice and changed the subject: "The spicy chicken feet look so red."

Bae Jong-han continued eating his udon noodles.

Asking about the past is pointless.

Before her debut, the company did require Lee Ji-eun to lose weight. In fact, Bae Jong-han always turned a blind eye, feeling sorry for 15-year-old Ji-eun starving herself to lose weight, but he didn't want her to be affected by her poor figure management during her debut.

Even so, in the first year after her debut, Lee Ji-eun was attacked maliciously online because of her appearance and figure.

Now, Lee Ji-eun has proven herself to be a singer, and her acting skills have also been recognized by many people. She is much thinner than when she debuted, and her appearance is even cuter.

Qi Yaojiu didn't dwell on the past. Thinking of something else, he took the initiative to ask, "Has the company considered changing your dormitory?"

Suddenly the topic of dormitories came up, Lee Ji-eun sighed and said, "No, I thought the company would change the dormitories."

With the company achieving good results, they should theoretically improve the artists' living conditions. Lee Ji-eun told Qi Yaojiu that the company renewed her contract for another year last year for the dormitory she currently lives in, saying it was convenient because it was close to the company. However, Lee Ji-eun has too many work commitments, and living far away would actually be a problem.

Hearing these excuses, Pei Zhonghan felt ashamed.

Although she is not a top-tier celebrity, Lee Ji-eun has already paid off her debts to the company and has her own financial situation. The company should treat her better.

Lee Ji-eun asked, "Oppa, why did you suddenly bring this up?"

Ki Yoo-gu didn't mince words and said, "I talked about the dorms with Ji-yeon and the others while we were eating earlier. T-ara has made a lot of money for the company and is still living in the dorms in Sangam-dong."

"That's how all companies are, you'll get used to it."

Before he was even 20, he uttered words that showed he had seen through the meaning of life.

Bae Jong-han put down his chopsticks and said, "Ji-eun, I will definitely try to get a new dormitory from the company this year."

Qi Yaojiu added, "T-ara will probably change dorms too. You all debuted around the same time, your company's CEO can't be stingier than Kim Kwang-soo, can he?"

"..."

“Let’s move to Cheongdam-dong. I have two more apartments to rent out. You can live in one, and Jiyeon and the others can live in the other.”

"Oppa, is it to rent out the house?"

Pei Zhonghan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Ki Yo-gu shrugged and said, "Yeah, the rent in Cheongdam-dong isn't cheap. Many of them are rented to entertainment companies as dormitories. I bought it with the idea of ​​investing. Think about it, you live in the new dormitory and I collect the rent. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Lee Ji-eun asked a very insightful question: "What if the entire company is rented out?"

Qi Yaojiu laughed and said, "That's even better. I'll use 80% of the loan to buy a new apartment and then rent it out to other people. It's like having an extra house and an extra source of rent."

"what?"

Seeing Lee Ji-eun's completely bewildered expression, Ki Yo-gu waved his hand and said, "You don't need to understand what I mean. Anyway, it's good for both of us. Besides, we can be neighbors, so it will be convenient for us to eat together in the future."

Lee Ji-eun nodded repeatedly.

Being neighbors, nothing is more important than that.

He turned to look at Pei Zhonghan.

Bae Jong-han still doesn't know what Lee Ji-eun is thinking.
Even if the company is unwilling to pay for the full-rental apartment, as long as the company agrees to let Lee Ji-eun move to a new dormitory, Lee Ji-eun will find a way to raise the full-rental deposit herself, and at worst she can ask the company for an advance.

This is a chance to live in the same apartment building as Qi Yaojiu, or even next door. Would she miss it?

Pei Zhonghan was a little puzzled as to why Qi Yaojiu would bring this up on his own initiative.

No way.

Ki Yoo-gu has always said he likes 20-year-old girls but hasn't dated anyone. Actually, he's always liked Ji-eun, so he'll wait until Ji-eun turns 20 next year...

This, is it pure love?

Hiss, this shouldn't be something someone of Qi Yaojiu's status would have.

Lee Ji-eun waved her hand in front of Bae Jong-han's eyes a few times.

Pei Zhonghan asked, "What's wrong?"

Lee Ji-eun said with hope in her eyes, "Oppa, I'm counting on you for this. You must try to get it from the company, you absolutely must."

Pei Zhonghan nodded repeatedly.

We must strive for it.

But it felt strange, like the feeling of having a beloved younger sister you've raised for so many years being taken away by someone else.

I glanced at Qi Yaojiu.

Even if that person was Qi Yaojiu, Pei Zhonghan still felt it was a pity for Zhi'en, but Zhi'en only had Qi Yaojiu in her heart, and there was no way to get her back on her side. (End of this chapter)