The Uncrowned King of the Peninsula

Chapter 280 Liu Zhimin's Unpaid Labor as a Partner (Two Chapters Combined)

At the dining table, Bae Yong-joon and Yoo Ji-min looked at each other, her dark eyes flashing with complex and indescribable thoughts.

I'd be happy to...

The independent-minded woman was captivated by these three simple words echoing in her mind.

"You're willing? What does your willingness have to do with me?" After a long silence, she finally snapped, "I don't like you anyway."

"I like you, is that not allowed?" Bae Young-joon chuckled. "Is that any of your business?"

"I, I, I don't care about you..." Liu Zhimin looked at his smile, her voice getting softer and softer, "Do whatever you want, spend your money however you want, I don't even care if you die."

"Really?" Bae Yong-joon asked, leaning closer and looking at her slightly blushing cheeks with a playful smile on his lips.

Liu Zhimin punched his arm, her eyes wide with a mixture of shame and anger. "What? Are you going to try and kill yourself in front of me?!"

"Just say you're reluctant. Being tsundere has no place here anymore," Bae Young-joon said with a smile, rubbing his arm.

"Who's being arrogant is none of your business," Liu Zhimin retorted stubbornly, but seeing Pei Yongjun rubbing his arm, she couldn't help but reach out and touch it, her voice tinged with concern, "Are you alright? Does it hurt that much?"

"Mmm..." Bae Yong-joon drawled, enjoying the massage from Yoo Ji-min's small hands. Finally, under her worried gaze, he said, "It's nothing, I just like being touched by you."

"Quite comfortable."

"Go to hell!" Liu Zhimin puffed out her cheeks and punched him in the chest again without any mercy.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, that really hurts." Bae Young-joon gasped, but this time Yoo Ji-min didn't come over to massage him anymore.

"You've learned your lesson, it's a bit of a shame." He blinked.

“…Thank you.” Liu Zhimin looked at him smiling, bit her lower lip lightly, and nodded.

"What's wrong?" Pei Yongjun ruffled her hair.

"Thank you for caring about me, I understand, thank you..." Liu Zhimin did not resist, showing a rare gentleness as she rubbed her head against his palm.

You have to keep liking me.

After losing her mother, she faced a hateful stepmother. Although Liu Zhimin had a family, she felt like an orphan. The warmth that Bae Yongjun brought her was something she both craved and depended on.

I didn't like him; I was using him.

I can leave whenever I want, but he has to kneel down and beg me not to leave.

cut~
Do not care.

She said to herself, unsure whether she was deceiving Bae Young-joon or herself.

"Aside from being a perverted, womanizing, scumbag, and lecherous man, you're actually a pretty good person."

"Is this a compliment or an insult?" Bae Young-joon blinked.

"Anyway, it has nothing to do with me. I'm not your girlfriend, so it's not my place to be jealous." Liu Zhimin kicked her little feet and talked nonsense. "Now you like me, but later I can ignore you whenever I want."

"Go ahead and be a pervert to others, but don't do anything too outrageous to me, or I'll kill you!"

Liu Zhimin is tough in fists, and even tougher in words.

Bae Young-joon burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at! What are you laughing at!" Liu Zhimin jumped up, her bright eyes wide open, her first iron fist of Gyeonggi Province poised to strike.

"Alright, alright, let's get down to business. What do you need the money for?"

Liu Zhimin wrinkled her little nose, put down her little pink fist, and said, "See?"

She picked up her phone, pressed a few buttons, and handed it to Bae Young-joon, saying, "This is where I spend my money."

Bae Young-joon glanced at his phone screen and raised his eyebrows slightly.

The above are various news items about Morning Star, some good and some bad, but mostly negative.

"You hired someone to investigate the Morning Star Society?" Bae Young-joon scrolled through his phone screen, looking at the news articles. "No wonder..."

Morning Star Society is a large and well-established organization, and most journalists wouldn't dare to mess with it, as it would cost a lot of money.

“That’s right, it’s because of my mother. She… she died in a very strange way.” Liu Zhimin sat on the sofa, hugging her knees, and recalled.

“She was in poor health, but nothing serious. Once, my father asked Jung Kyung-soo to pray for her and she felt much better.”

“My dad and mom were very happy, but less than two months later, my mom... she suddenly committed suicide…”

"My mother wasn't supposed to die! Do you believe me? She loved me so much, how could she commit suicide?"

Liu Zhimin looked at Bae Yongjun with disbelief in her eyes. "I don't have any evidence, and nobody believes me, not even my dad. But my mom told me that she's afraid of Jung Kyung-soo and doesn't want to see him again."

“I don’t know why, but my mother’s death must be related to Jung Kyung-soo! They even said that my mother turned into a star.”

"What stars! Liar! Bad guy!"

"Do you believe me?"

Liu Zhimin looked at Pei Yongjun with teary eyes.

Bae Young-joon felt that even if she said Jung Kyung-soo had raped eighteen sows, he would believe her.

Surely no one would actually sympathize with an old man who's just pretending to be a shaman?

and……

Bae Young-joon's eyes flickered. "I believe you."

"Really?" Liu Zhimin, who had been fighting alone and no one had believed her, was somewhat incredulous.

"Do you know what the theme of the last episode of 'Oriental Times,' which I used to host, was that was never broadcast?" Bae Young-joon asked rhetorically.

"The episode where the interviewee committed suicide?" Liu Zhimin asked, her eyes flickering as if she understood something. "Could it be that he was also..."

“That’s right.” Bae Young-joon nodded. “The theme of that episode was Morning Star Gathering.”

"The interviewee was a member of the Morning Star Society. After realizing the truth, he decided to expose the inside story, and the result was..."

"And then he suddenly committed suicide?" Liu Zhimin murmured to herself.

"That's right, that's the Morning Star Society's trick. They try to control anyone of value they encounter, and then replace them with their own people."

Bae Young-joon stroked Yoo Ji-min's hair. "Your stepmother is very likely a follower of the Morning Star Society."

Liu Zhimin was startled. "Really?"

"It's just a guess. You can go back and observe it further; you'll gain some insights."

“Incheon Port is the largest port on the peninsula. If someone wants to smuggle something shady, Director Yoo is the best protector.”

“So,” Liu Zhimin murmured to herself, “my mother…”

The confusion that had plagued her for years was finally resolved, and she fully understood the motives of the Morning Star Society.

Bae Young-joon nodded.

"Speaking of which, I can't stay at KBS anymore because of Jung Kyung-soo."

"The sins of the father are visited upon the son. Woo Kyung-ho, it seems we are destined to meet." Bae Young-joon pictured Woo Kyung-ho's ambitious face in his mind, and a smile appeared on his lips.

“Ji-min,” Bae Young-joon leaned down and looked into Yoo Ji-min’s big eyes, “we are partners now.”

Liu Zhimin was deeply shaken.

"Why didn't you say so sooner?" She stared at him blankly, a smile that she couldn't suppress gradually appearing on her lips.

From a young age, she went to great lengths to find out the truth because of a single sentence from her mother, but no one believed a child like her.

Although she tried every means to make money and even made a scene to enter the idol industry where she could make a lot of money at a young age, she actually knew in her heart that everything she did was like an ant trying to shake a tree for a behemoth like Morning Star.

Having fought alone for who knows how long, Liu Zhimin looked at Pei Yongjun with sincere eyes, and a sense of hope slowly rose in her suppressed heart.

"Hey! You should have said so earlier!" Liu Zhimin was both laughing and crying, so she could only vent her anger on Bae Yongjun.

“Sometimes guys get shy around girls they like, try to understand,” Bae Young-joon said with a smile.

"Who is it!" Liu Zhimin was amused by him and blushed slightly. In her anger, her eyebrows were raised and her exquisite features were stunningly beautiful.

“So beautiful.” Bae Young-joon couldn’t help but raise his hand and lift her chin.

"What are you doing? You're so annoying." Liu Zhimin looked at his burning gaze and couldn't help but turn her head away, but she didn't break free from his hand, letting him admire her.

"You don't like me at all." Her face flushed even more, and she mumbled stubbornly.

"Really? Then you're at a disadvantage. I don't like you, but you like me." Bae Young-joon feigned surprise.

"Hey!" Liu Zhimin's eyes widened instantly, and she punched him. "You dare not like me?"

Bae Yong-joon looked at her with a grin. "I...I..." Yoo Ji-min bit her lower lip lightly, "You're so good with words."

“Of course, practice makes perfect.” Bae Young-joon nodded.

"Who else did you tell?" Liu Zhimin became alert again.

“You’re the last one.” Bae Young-joon quickly raised his hand and caught her small fist. “Hey, you’re going to kill me.”

"You're impossible to kill, you're tough as nails." Liu Zhimin pouted, glanced at him, and inexplicably wanted to laugh again.

"Laugh out loud, don't hold it in," Bae Young-joon said.

"Who's laughing?" Liu Zhimin puffed out her cheeks and then burst out laughing.

"Ugh~" She glanced at Bae Young-joon, her eyes revealing a rare feminine charm. Her aggressive features took on a seductive quality, her eyes slightly upturned, and the tiny mole next to her red lips seemed to be winking at him, alluring and provocative.

"What are you looking at?" She looked into Pei Yongjun's eyes, her body suddenly went weak, and she shouted in a fierce but weak voice.

“Look at you.” Bae Young-joon sat down next to her.

Her white, tight-fitting sweater revealed her rounded, fair shoulders, and the stripes on the chest were stretched out of shape. Between the sweater and jeans, her fair waist was faintly visible, making her hips appear plump and full.

Although she was still a trainee, the scent of a woman emanating from her was overwhelming.

Bae Young-joon couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.

"What's so interesting?" Liu Zhimin bit her lower lip lightly, but secretly felt a little pleased.

Watching Bae Young-joon and Lim Na-yeon's fight scene from the sidelines, Yoo Jimin was angry and not very engaged; instead, she was venting her anger more.

But now, the inexplicable ambiguous atmosphere made her recall the image of Bae Yong-joon hitting the little rabbit until it screamed, the golden bells jingling and clanging, as if they were still echoing in her ears.

"What are you thinking about?" Bae Young-joon looked at Yoo Ji-min's slightly moist eyes and slowly touched her slender waist with his right hand.

Her skin is smooth and her figure is slender, making it impossible to stop looking at her.

"Hey, stop! Hurry up, stop touching me!" Liu Zhimin blushed and slapped away Pei Yongjun's big hand.

"Jimin..." Bae Young-joon was about to reach out again when Yoo Jimin jumped up, pounced on him, and pushed him against the sofa armrest.

"Hey! Don't think I won't be angry just because you said a few nice things. You touched her today, so you're not allowed to touch me again! You're so mean!"

"Did you hear that? Huh?"

Liu Zhimin glared at him fiercely, looking down at him with a swaying gaze, making Pei Yongjun feel a little dizzy.

Her buttocks, encased in tight jeans, landed perfectly on his lap.

Bae Young-joon felt that Yoo Ji-min wasn't stopping him, but rather adding fuel to the fire.

He couldn't help but jump, landing right on her soft buttocks.

"Ah!" Liu Zhimin's face turned even redder, her big eyes looking at Pei Yongjun, her long eyelashes fluttering, sparkling with ambiguous feelings.

"you……"

"Didn't you just do that? When will you stop?"

"I... cough cough, it's just that you're too good-looking." Bae Young-joon coughed lightly. "You really won't let me touch you?"

"No!" Liu Zhimin firmly refused.

"That……"

“But, but…” Liu Zhimin looked at Pei Yongjun, who seemed to be holding back his feelings, and a wave of jealousy surged into her heart as she recalled how the little rabbit would suck on him.

He's not going to go find that silly rabbit again, is he?

"But I can touch you."

Liu Zhimin's face was flushed.

"Just this once, and don't let it happen again. If you dare to sleep with her again tonight, I'll really kill you."

She said some completely intimidating things, waved her little fists a few times, and squatted down.

Bae Young-joon let out a satisfied breath, his hand grasping her soft hair, feeling as if the world was slowly melting away.

How do you know how to do that?

"You used your sister to practice!"

"real or fake?"

Believe it or not, it depends on your intelligence!

Trying to gauge my intelligence?

So, should we believe it or not?

Bae Young-joon narrowed his eyes slightly, his palm slowly tightening around Yoo Ji-min's hair, his mind a little blank.

Forget it.

forget about it.

He stared at Liu Zhimin's glistening lips and relaxed his body contentedly.

Zhimin, we're partners now.

Call ~
We should help each other, right?
Very reasonable.

He wanted Liu Zhimin to use her profound wisdom to help him next time; it would definitely be very persuasive.

Really.

Bae Young-joon slowly closed his eyes.

------

When Bae Young-joon woke up the next morning, he found himself all alone again.

Liu Zhimin, who had helped him a great deal, worked hard as a partner for half a day, beating him until he was foaming at the mouth before leaving with a red face and an arrogant air, without even going into the bedroom.

Bae Young-joon went to bed, cuddled the little rabbit, and gradually fell asleep.

But when I woke up in the morning, the little rabbit was gone.

Does Lim Na-yeon have some magical quality that allows her to refresh her life in other places every morning?

"Hey, where are you?" He dialed the little rabbit's number.

"Something came up at the company, I have to go now, talk to you later." The little rabbit's voice was hurried.

"Lim Na-yeon," Bae Young-joon called her name.

"It hasn't been 24 hours yet."

“Save the rest, Oppa~” Lim Nayeon said pitifully, “I was almost driven crazy last night.”

"You're so perverted."

"I need to take a break."

"You still go and buy that kind of thing."

Lim Nayeon launched into a tirade against Bae Young-joon, and since he wasn't in front of her, the little rabbit's confidence began to swell again.

Bae Young-joon once again took the blame for Yoo Ji-min.

[Hey, what does this have to do with me? Aren't we partners? Taking the blame is our duty!]

Liu Zhimin sent a gloating message.

Alright, since we're partners, let's get to work.

Zhimin, help me track down someone's whereabouts.

【Who? 】

[The Grand Commander.]

【? ? ? 】

His empire is about to fall into someone else's hands; I'm contacting him for his own good.

Bae Young-joon turned off his phone and smiled.

(End of this chapter)