Peninsula: The Great Producer

The underground parking garage of an apartment complex with white exterior walls.

Lee Ji-eun got out of the car, closed the door, and waited by the trunk.

Qi Yaojiu opened the trunk and took out a few bags for himself, while Li Zhi'en helped him take out a few more bags.

As they walked toward the gate, Lee Ji-eun said to Ki Yo-gu, "I don't know if anyone is home at this time."

Qi Yaojiu confidently replied, "There's definitely someone there."

How did Oppa know?

"Grandma is so old, she must be at home."

This was exactly what Lee Ji-eun was worried about. She muttered, "What if Grandma went to pick up my brother? My cousin is in class, and my aunt and uncle are there too..."

"Isn't your aunt a full-time housewife?"

After pressing the elevator button, Lee Ji-eun muttered, "What if Auntie went outside?"

Qi Yaojiu felt it couldn't be such a coincidence.

Then, Qi Yaojiu and Li Zhien arrived at their aunt's house but couldn't get in.

Lee Ji-eun was right; there was no one at home before four o'clock.

Qi Yaojiu shrugged, thinking that waiting in the corridor wouldn't be awkward. In his mind, full-time housewives in H country were usually at home watching TV and preparing dinner at this time.

There were no mahjong parlors or anything like that around here. Even if people wanted to play mahjong, they would gather in front of the small shops nearby. They didn't see any residents gathered in front of the small shops as they walked over.

Holding her new phone, Lee Ji-eun searched for her grandmother's number.

Qi Yaojiu wanted to say something but ultimately didn't.

Lee Ji-eun must have her reasons for choosing to call her grandmother first instead of her aunt.

Doodle.

There was a busy signal, but Grandma didn't answer the phone.

Lee Ji-eun asked worriedly, "Why didn't Grandma answer the phone?"

Qi Yaojiu asked, "Do you usually contact your grandmother by phone?"

At this point, Lee Ji-eun suddenly lowered her head.

She talked to her grandmother quite often, and most of the time it was in the morning. Her grandmother always urged Lee Ji-eun to focus on her work and not to worry about her. She never really cared about how her grandmother spent her day.

I asked my cousin Zhang Enxi twice on Kakao, and she told me that my grandmother doesn't go to the market to sell wild vegetables anymore; she just picks up Lee Jong-hoon from school in the afternoon.

Finding her aunt's contact information, Lee Ji-eun pressed the call button.

Aunt answered the phone, and even through the phone, Qi Yaojiu, who was standing next to her, could hear her cheerful voice coming from the other end: "Ji-eun, why did you think of calling me? Is something wrong?"

Lee Ji-eun slowly said, "Aunt, I'm at the door, but no one is home."

"At your doorstep? You've come to Gwangju?"

"Yes"

"Wait a minute, I'll be right back, Ji-eun, I'll be right back."

After a few farewells and hurried footsteps, the call ended, and Lee Ji-eun turned to look at Ki Yo-gu.

Qi Yaojiu shrugged and said, "Your aunt should be around here."

Qi Yaojiu guessed correctly.

Less than five minutes later, my aunt appeared in the hallway.

Looking at Lee Ji-eun and Ki Yo-gu, the aunt said somewhat incoherently, "I'm at a friend's house next door. Ji-eun, why didn't you tell me you were coming to Gwangju? Aigoo, Ki PDnim, it's been so long."

After entering the password to open the door, Auntie quickly invited Qi Yaojiu and Li Zhien into the room.

The house was a typical three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment. The entrance faced the living room, with a rest area on the left and the kitchen and bathroom area on the right. There was a lot of stuff, and while tidying up the sofa, Aunt gestured for Qi Yao Jiu to sit down.

Ki Yo-gu and Lee Ji-eun placed the gifts they bought on the coffee table. Their aunt went to the kitchen to prepare drinks and fruit, which consisted of sliced ​​apples. When she returned to the living room, she kept saying, "You should have told me in advance. There's nothing at home to offer you. Ki PDnim, have some fruit."

Qi Yaojiu nodded in thanks.

Auntie explained, "The house is a bit messy, please don't mind, Ki PDnim. When Ji-eun was still here, she and her cousin lived in the first room."

Qi Yaojiu had no intention of going on the tour, but his aunt continued to introduce the place enthusiastically. After she finished speaking, she pointed to the living room window and said, "Zhi'en, do you remember? You, Eunhee, and Jong-hoon used to do your homework there every day before dinner. Jong-hoon was still young at the time, and he would always make a fuss next to you."

Of course Lee Ji-eun remembered.

All the memories from the past were brought back to mind after I entered the house.

The house hasn't changed at all from a few years ago; not even the furniture and appliances have been replaced.

The aunt asked Lee Ji-eun to show Ki Yo-gu around, while she went to the kitchen to grab her phone and call her husband.

My aunt is really happy that Lee Ji-eun came to Gwangju.

The past is the past, and now Lee Ji-eun is definitely a star that her family can proudly show off.

Half of the reason she called her husband was because Lee Ji-eun was back, and the other half was because Ki Yo-gu had come along too.

The last time I saw Ki Yo-gu was at Lee Ji-eun's parents' rented apartment in Seoul. At that time, Ki Yo-gu was already quite famous. In the past two years, Ki Yo-gu has become a well-known producer.

They have their own company and excellent relationships with major broadcasting stations. As long as it's a project planned by Qi Yao Jiu, celebrities and artists are eager to star in it.

Auntie dared not neglect Qi Yaojiu. Just a few days ago, she was discussing with Uncle that if their daughter couldn't get into her ideal university after graduating from high school, they should ask Li Zhi'en to put in a good word for her with Qi Yaojiu and arrange for Zhang Enxi to work at Qi Yaojiu's company.

Zhang Enxi was also very willing, as it was MAX Production Company, a dream company that even graduates from prestigious universities wanted to join.

Not only can you see all kinds of top stars at any time, but the benefits and treatment at MAX Productions are even better than those of many conglomerate companies.

Sometimes, it's just a coincidence.

When you feel sleepy, your pillow comes along with you.

When the uncle received the call from his aunt and heard that Lee Ji-eun and Ki Yo-gu were at home, he hurriedly said that he would ask for leave from the company immediately and go to the market to buy Korean beef.

Living room hallway.

Lee Ji-eun pointed to the door of the first room and said, "I think we shouldn't go in."

Qi Yaojiu nodded and said, "I'm fine with anything."

"To Grandma and Zhong Xun's room?"

"Okay."

Lee Ji-eun explained, "Oppa, it's not that I don't want to show you my old room, it's just that it's definitely changed since I moved to Seoul. The bunk bed has been replaced with a single bed, and there aren't any of my things there. On the contrary, my cousin has a lot of things, so it's a matter of privacy..."

Qi Yaojiu said indulgently, "I understand, respecting other people's privacy is the right thing to do, but is it okay to go into Grandma's room without her permission?"

Lee Ji-eun changed the subject: "Of course Grandma can, she's my grandma. Besides, Jong-hoon has no privacy."

Qi Yaojiu asked, "Are you sure your brother has no privacy?"

It was just a casual question, but Lee Ji-eun frowned and thought about it seriously before saying, "Hey, Jong-hoon is only 15 years old. What kind of privacy could he have at that age? He probably doesn't have any at 15."

"What do you think?"

"When I was 15, I also..."

Lee Ji-eun hesitated.

She must have had personal privacy and secrets when she was 15 years old. One of them was her secret of sneaking out of the dormitory to eat, which was discovered by Qi Yaojiu.

Suddenly I lost my confidence.

It feels like 15 years old is already an adult, at least that's how Lee Ji-eun feels. (End of Chapter)