Peninsula: From a supporting actor to the best actor in Chungmuro

Chapter 171 Kang Jae-hoon and Lee Sung-kyung's Coming-of-Age Ceremony

The taxi stopped downstairs at the Seongsudong apartment building.

Kang Jae-hoon paid the money.

He picked Lee Sung-kyung up in his arms and carried her step by step up the old cement steps.

The motion-activated lights lit up one by one with the heavy footsteps, casting a dim yellow glow.

It went out quickly after he left.

One level.

Another level.

Footsteps mingled with Lee Sung-kyung's occasional restless, alcohol-smelling groans.

at last.

The key is inserted into the lock.

Click.

The door opens.

Kang Jae-hoon carried her straight to the sofa.

He carefully bent down and gently laid her down on the sofa.

He then turned and went into the kitchen, where he poured about half a cup of water from the kettle in the refrigerator.

When Kang Jae-hoon walked back to the living room with a water glass in his hand.

The sight before him made him pause in his tracks—

Lee Sung-kyung, who had been curled up on the sofa just moments before, had somehow unbuttoned a few buttons on her shirt, revealing a small patch of delicate skin tinged pink with the effects of alcohol.

She still thought it was not enough.

One hand was groggily grabbing at her bra strap and pulling it down, while she muttered irritably:

"...It's so hot..."

"..."

Jiang Zai Xun rushed forward and slapped away her "criminal" hand!

Lee Sung-kyung seemed quite unhappy about being interrupted.

She opened her beautiful, misty eyes, which were filled with moisture.

It was as if it was trying to identify who the person in front of it was, or as if it hadn't absorbed anything at all.

"..."

Jiang Zaixun tried to ignore the glaringly white skin, suppressed the dryness in his throat, and gently pushed her up to sit up with his arm.

With his other hand, he took the water glass and brought it close to her slightly parted lips:
"Drink of water."

Lee Sung-kyung seemed to recognize it as water.

She obediently drank most of the glass from his hand.

The cool liquid seemed to help her recover a little, but the confusion caused by the alcohol did not dissipate.

Kang Jae-hoon was about to move the cup away.

But then he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder—Lee Sung-kyung's head had slammed into his shoulder without warning.

Her warm cheek pressed against his neck, her breath, tinged with the smell of alcohol, brushed against his collarbone.

What froze Kang Jae-hoon even more were her hands.

It felt like I had found the most comfortable pillow.

Lee Sung-kyung naturally wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her entire weight on him.

The living room fell silent instantly, with only her slightly heavy breathing and Kang Jae-hoon's rapidly beating heartbeat remaining.

Warm and fragrant nephrite in my arms.

The scent of shampoo lingered in her hair, mixed with the aroma of alcohol and lavender emanating from her body.

To be honest.

This feeling of being actively relied upon and tightly embraced by Lee Sung-kyung was something Kang Jae-hoon had never experienced before.

An indescribable, secret thrill, a mixture of smugness and itch, instantly welled up inside me.

We stayed there quietly for quite a while.

He only lifted her up gently and carried her to her bedroom when he felt his shoulders go numb from the pressure and her breathing became even and deep.

As I gently placed her on the soft bed, the moment her back touched the sheets, her arms, which had been hanging limply, suddenly rose as if on their own—

They gripped his neck tightly, pulling him down with the burning heat of alcohol and their weight that left him completely unprepared.

Be caught off guard.

Kang Jae-hoon lost his balance.

His upper body was suddenly pulled down.

Warm.

It has a sweet, alcoholic smell.

A delicate lavender scent, unique to her, wafted towards me.

My gaze was drawn as if by invisible threads, locked firmly on that captivating face so close to my eyes.

The delicate blush, like intoxicating rouge, hadn't faded yet, and her smooth skin, framed by her dark hair scattered on the pillow, shimmered with a porcelain-like sheen. Her nostrils twitched slightly with each deep breath. Her lips, like newly blossoming petals, were soft and slightly parted, exuding a silent, deadly allure in the dim light.

For an instant.

Jiang Zai Xun felt his mouth was dry, his throat was tight, and his blood was rushing and shouting in his veins.

—Taking advantage of someone's misfortune!
The thought made his back straighten instantly.

But the warm, soft jade in my arms felt so real.

Their breaths mingled.

Her body shifted slightly.

That shirt that she herself had torn loose...

Under the button seam...

A small patch of delicate, warm skin was faintly visible in the hazy moonlight, like the sweetest honey...

In that instant, she felt Lee Sung-kyung's arms tighten around her neck, and felt those lips trembling slightly as they parted, as if offering a silent invitation.

next second.

The moonlight poured down silently.

It illuminated the resolute shadow that finally bent down.

It also gently covered that beautiful landscape, slightly trembling from the sudden intimate contact and flushed with the color of alcohol.

What broke Kang Jae-hoon's last shred of reason and restraint was not alcohol.

It's not about lust.

It was not an atmosphere where a man and a woman were alone together.

But...

That unspoken warmth, piled up like a mountain.

It's the same steaming hot three dishes and one soup on the dining table day after day.

It was the ginseng tea he secretly placed beside him while staying up late reading the script.

It is the warm light emanating from the master bedroom every late night when I return home.

"Woo..."

Lee Sung-kyung let out a short, indistinct whimper through her nose.

It's like talking in a dream.

It was more like being awakened by a sudden aura.

next second.

She tilted her body slightly back and returned the kiss with a mix of awkwardness and intense passion.

This response acted like a powerful catalyst.

The last remaining thought of Kang Jae-hoon, which he called "taking a small step," was instantly burned away.

Those habits and tacit understandings that have accumulated over time under the same roof, as intricate as a net;
The silent transmission of warm soup and warmth across the dining table;
Beneath that stubbornness and awkwardness lies hidden care and concern;
Those restless emotions, locked away by clear-headed reason beneath the surface of one's lips, keeping one awake at night...

at this moment.

The boundaries were blurred by alcohol and the darkness of night.

And then I was suddenly ignited by this surging emotion.

Like countless white butterflies suddenly fluttering under the moon.

They broke free from their constraints.

twine.

staggered.

Wings flapped through the silent air.

finally.

It has a slightly cool and humid temperature.

Together they fell into the soft, moonlit depths.

outside the window.

The narrow alleyways of the old buildings in Seongsudong were completely silent.

The occasional car horn, carried away by the wind, sounded like a faint sigh.

Inside the half-open bedroom door.

All the restrained rustling and chaos were shielded by the thick door panels and the gentle darkness of the night.

in the living room.

Only the tireless neon lights of the city outside the window silently watch over this ordinary apartment in Seongsu-dong.

A long-awaited coronation ceremony where emotions and destinies converge.

Finally, at this moment, in the dream world built by moonlight and intoxication.

The key was lowered silently, yet with utmost solemnity.

Two souls that had been wandering for years finally came together...

close.

locking.

------

Morning light filtered through the sheer curtains, casting soft dappled patterns on the disheveled sheets.

Tiny dust particles float in the air.

It was so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of cars in the distance outside the window.

Kang Jae-hoon woke up first.

The soft, real touch in my arms and the lingering, enchanting scent of last night silently proclaimed one fact—

Something has been completely different since last night.

A tremendous, unprecedented sense of security settled deep within him.

But along with it came a sense of bewilderment.

The unspoken boundaries that have been maintained for six years have been forcibly broken. What's next?
Is it a further responsibility and constraint?
Or will it be a continuation of the same kind of companionship, yet one that is completely different from the past?
He couldn't even imagine what emotions Lee Sung-kyung would express when she woke up and her clear eyes met his—

anger?
Regret?

still is……

Just like the way she curled up in his arms right now, there was a natural intimacy between them.
Just then, the eyelashes of the person in her arms fluttered.

Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, carrying the confusion of a hangover and the strange feeling of a body just waking up.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Those misty eyes, after a brief moment of being out of focus, slowly and somewhat bewilderedly... settled on Kang Jae-hoon's face, which was so close to his.

The morning air suddenly became tense.

Their gazes locked.

The silent confrontation was both heavy and novel.

The air seemed to solidify into a tangible pressure between the two of them.

Countless words accumulated over six years are now stuck in my chest, none of them able to break through this suddenly changed distance.

I don’t know how long it took.

Perhaps a few seconds.

Or perhaps it's just a minute.

Lee Sung-kyung abruptly closed her eyes, stiffly turning around to reveal her smooth, shapely back to Kang Jae-hoon. She even pulled the thin blanket up slightly, shrinking her shoulders inward.

Her mind was also blank.

The dull ache of a hangover swept over me.

The unusual sensations in my body were clearer than ever before.

All this left her at a loss.

In chaos.

An untimely, even somewhat absurd, thought suddenly popped into my head—

This time...

Has he been considered to have beaten Im Yoona?
This damn thought pierced my consciousness like a needle!

Lee Sung-kyung was almost overwhelmed by the shame and anger that surged within her.

win?
This kind of thing...

What's the point of winning?!
She bit down hard on the soft flesh inside her lower lip, feeling both annoyed and bewildered by her own thoughts, unsure how to face the man behind her, or even how to face herself.

Just as she was curling up and struggling with herself, she suddenly felt a warm touch on her shoulder.

Lee Sung-kyung's body instinctively jolted her, her shoulder blades tensed instantly, and she trembled slightly.

Almost at the same time.

The moment Kang Jae-hoon's hand touched her skin, his entire body tensed almost reflexively. He silently assumed a defensive posture, even holding his breath for half a second.

however.

The expected elbow or punch did not come.

Lee Sung-kyung simply lay stiffly with her back to him.

See this.

Kang Jae-hoon's tense body relaxed slightly.

His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back down. A subtle sense of smugness, even a bold idea, quickly took root in his heart.

He no longer hesitated.

Their bodies pressed close together silently.

Through the thin blanket, his arms slowly encircled her slender waist and abdomen, pulling her tightly into his embrace. His chest pressed against her slightly cool back, and through skin and bone, he felt her heartbeat quicken.

Kang Jae-hoon's chin rested gently on the top of Lee Sung-kyung's head.

then.

He lowered his head.

Extremely gentle kisses, like feathers, landed one after another on her soft hair, her sensitive earlobe, and then slid down to her bare shoulder.

The silent kisses were like a gentle, warm rain falling on the skin.

Lee Sung-kyung was flustered by his kiss.

I felt that if I let him keep rubbing against me like that, that unfamiliar heat and chaos from last night would come back.

She jerked her elbow back slightly in a flustered manner.
"I...you...you go wash up first!"

Jiang Zai Xun paused, his breath brushing against her ear as he buried his face in her hair, and he responded with a muffled sound:
"Ah."

But he didn't immediately loosen his arms around her waist.

Lee Sung-kyung frowned, about to urge him on, when she heard him say again from behind:
"Close your eyes first."

Lee Sung-kyung: "?"

She turned her head sharply, her cheeks flushed and wary, and glared at the person still lingering behind her.

next second.

Lee Sung-kyung suddenly realized—

Under the covers, both of them are now completely naked!

A rush of heat instantly washed over her face. She abruptly turned her head, her voice harsh as she forced out:

"...Who cares about looking at you!"

"..."

The arm that was on her waist was suddenly pulled away.

Followed by.

A rustling sound, clearly hurried, came from behind. The mattress sank slightly due to the weight, and the sound of clothes rubbing together was rapid.

Lee Sung-kyung kept her eyes tightly shut, but couldn't help prying her eyelids open a barely perceptible slit, silently glancing under the bed—

Jiang Zai Xun was seen with his back to the bed, his back hunched over in an exaggerated manner, clutching a bundle of what appeared to be his pants in his hand, desperately covering his private parts. He moved towards the door in an extremely awkward, almost crab-like, sideways motion.

"puff……"

Lee Sung-kyung couldn't help but laugh out loud.

But the moment that faint laugh escaped, it triggered a throbbing pain in her abdomen and even deeper inside. A strange sensation, not intense but distinct, made her lips droop instantly, and her brows furrow involuntarily.

Once that comical departing figure disappeared from sight.

She slowly lifted the blanket.

My gaze inevitably fell upon the glaring, dark brown stain in the center of the sheet.

A moment of silence.

My clean feet stepped onto the carpet.

The soreness and that slightly unfamiliar discomfort became clearer.

Lee Sung-kyung bit her lower lip, suppressing her body's reaction, and put on her loungewear and... a new three-piece bedding set from the closet.

The bedroom door opens.

Ignoring the noise from the kitchen, she went straight into the bathroom carrying the wad of sheets.

Until the water washed away the last bit of dark red.

Lee Sung-kyung then crumpled up the already wet cloth and stuffed it into the washing machine drum.

Add laundry detergent.

Press the start button.

The drum started to rotate.

A soft hum temporarily drowned out the noises in the kitchen.

After everything was tidied up in the morning.

Kang Jae-hoon grabbed the car keys:

"I'll take you to the film set."

"Need not."

Lee Sung-kyung instinctively refused.

She needs some alone time to sort out her chaotic thoughts.

"It's not far, it's on the way."

Kang Jae-hoon seemed not to hear her refusal.

He reluctantly led her out the door.

He walked downstairs to the silver-gray Hyundai Santa Fe, opened the passenger door, and "shoved" her inside.

The car door closes.

The engine starts.

The car smoothly merged into the morning rush hour traffic.

Lee Sung-kyung turned her head to look at the street scene rushing past the window—

A familiar convenience store, elderly people jogging in the morning, and students carrying schoolbags.

Thinking back on everything that has happened since I woke up...

The inexplicable irritation she felt seemed to be somewhat alleviated by this genuine attentiveness.

seem……

Not bad?

Not long after.

The car drove smoothly into the vicinity of the film set of "Queen's Flower".

Lee Sung-kyung unbuckled her seatbelt and was about to open the door to get out of the car when her wrist was gently grasped by a warm, large hand.

"what?"

She tilted her head.

"Give me a kiss before you leave?"

"If you want to die, just say so."

"..."

however.

Just as Lee Sung-kyung opened the car door and her left foot touched the ground...

His body paused slightly.

immediately.

It was as if she had suddenly made up her mind.

He turned around abruptly.

On Kang Jae-hoon's unguarded cheek—

It pecked at me extremely quickly, like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Before Kang Jae-hoon could even come to his senses...

next second.

She straightened up, slammed the car door shut, grabbed her bag, and strode quickly toward the film set entrance.

As Kang Jae-hoon's gaze followed Lee Sung-kyung's retreating figure, her posture slightly awkward, all the anxiety and confusion of the morning were instantly washed away by a huge, indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Sunlight streamed through the car window, bathing him in its warmth. His lips involuntarily curved upwards, widening until it became a silly yet undeniably genuine smile.

Life……

It seems to be true, it seems, not bad?
Kang Jae-hoon took one last deep look at the entrance to the film set.

Then I started the car, turned it around, and drove towards KBS TV station in Yeouido, my mood as light as the early May wind.

(End of this chapter)