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

Chapter 255 The Master of Balance's Kidney Defense War
Bae Suzy squinted and swirled the ice cubes in her glass.

The amber-colored liquor refracted tiny sparkles under the light.

The rich aroma of whiskey, mixed with the sweetness of Sprite, slid down her throat, making her cheeks burn.

Across from her, Lee Sung-kyung rested her chin on one hand, while the fingertips of her other hand unconsciously fiddled with the rim of her empty wine glass. Her eyes were moist and red-rimmed, yet her gaze stubbornly refused to waver.

But her slightly swaying body betrayed her.

"Wow... you dare to invite me to a bar with such a low alcohol tolerance?"

Bae Suzy drew out the last syllable of her voice, her fingertips lightly tapping the table.

Lee Sung-kyung wrinkled her nose upon hearing this and glared at him intently—

Unfortunately, her drunkenness rendered her angry glare harmless, making it all the more endearing.

"...Shut up..."

She was a beat slow to retort, her tongue not quite obeying her commands:

"The fight... I clearly won..."

"what!"

Bae Suzy suddenly leaned forward, her hair brushing against the rim of her wine glass:

"Who was that person who took two steps back after I kicked them?"

This statement caused a brief silence to fall over the private room.

The two men looked at each other across their wine glasses and suddenly burst out laughing at the same time.

The lingering feeling of being exhausted and then strangely exhilarated after a fierce fight in the boxing ring made the atmosphere quite subtle.

The laughter gradually subsided.

The two, separated by a table littered with cups and plates, surprisingly refrained from exchanging sarcastic remarks.

"……so."

Bae Suzy tilted her head, drunkenly drawing out the last syllable:
"What are we now? Friends who became friends through fighting?"

friend?

The word popped up abruptly, startling them both for a moment.

Friend? How could that be?

They are rivals in love.

She is an opponent who shares a man.

They are beings who wish the other party would disappear immediately.

But rather.

After tonight's boxing match and drunken rants, they seem to be more than just "love rivals" anymore.

Lee Sung-kyung lay slumped on the cold table, her cheek pressed against the condensation on the glass, mumbling groggily:

"...Who said I'm your friend...I just...don't want to lose to her..."

Bae Suzy stared at the last sip of amber liquid in her glass and nodded in deep agreement.

Alcohol is a wonderful thing.

It can make people lower their guard.

Saying things you would never say when you are sober.

"...Me too. Every time I see her standing next to him as if it were a given, I just..."

She didn't finish speaking, nor did she need to.

Lee Sung-kyung understood.

Because they all know what that feeling is like—

Excluded, I watched him stand shoulder to shoulder with others, their understanding seemingly effortless, like an outsider.

That bitterness and helplessness hurt more than any punch.

Lee Sung-kyung raised her head, her eyes blurry with drunkenness yet unusually stubborn:

"Then it's settled. We can compete fairly... but we absolutely cannot let Lim Yoona laugh at us."

Bae Suzy paused for a moment, then suddenly poked Lee Sung-kyung's forehead with her index finger:

"Fair competition? You drunkard, you should work on your drinking capacity first!"

Their laughter was interrupted by a cell phone ringing suddenly.

The words "Jaehoon Oppa" flashed on the screen, almost blindingly.

Bae Suzy gave a soft snort and placed her phone face down on the table.

Followed by.

Lee Sung-kyung's phone also vibrated in her bag. She just blinked and let the ringing echo in the small private room.

“Let him wait,” Bae Suzy said.

“Let him die,” Lee Sung-kyung replied.

The two smiled at each other and clinked their glasses.

……

When Kang Jae-hoon pushed open the door to the private room, panting, this was what he saw:
There were two bottles of whiskey and seven or eight cans of Sprite on the table.

Bae Suzy nestled lazily on the sofa.

Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were moist.

Lee Sung-kyung was hugging a cushion.

His eyes were unfocused and he couldn't concentrate.

Jiang Jae-hoon: “…”

He rubbed his temples and resignedly walked up to Bae Suzy:
"Can I leave?"

Bae Suzy blinked, deliberately shook her head softly, and opened her arms—wanting a hug.

Kang Jae-hoon sighed and bent down to help her, but Bae Soo-ji stubbornly wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him.
"Carry me on your back..."

He had no choice but to adjust his position so that she could lie on his back.

Bae Suzy squinted her eyes contentedly, her cheek pressed against the back of his neck, her warm breath spraying onto his skin.

"Bible?"

Kang Jae-hoon turned to look at Lee Sung-kyung on the other side:
"We're going home."

Lee Sung-kyung showed no reaction, already half-asleep.

"..."

resignedly.

Kang Jae-hoon could only put Bae Suzy down first, kneel on one knee, carefully pry open Lee Sung-kyung's arms that were hugging the pillow, and put his arms around her waist—

Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he hoisted her onto his left shoulder!
"Well--"

Lee Sung-kyung let out an uncomfortable groan, her body slumped down, and her long hair fell loosely behind her.

then.

He wrapped his right arm around the swaying Bae Suzy.

that's it.

On the streets of Seoul shrouded in night, Kang Jae-hoon, the newly appointed president of a film company—

With the dazed, long-legged model Lee Sung-kyung on his left shoulder and the nation's first love Bae Suzy, who was smiling slyly, tucked under his right shoulder, he walked heavily toward the parking lot like a clumsy thief who had accidentally robbed a luxury store and stolen two precious exhibits.

"I must have owed you something in my past life..."

Kang Jae-hoon gritted his teeth and adjusted his posture, but felt Bae Soo-ji's fingers gently tracing his earlobe.

"Oppa... I'm asking you..."

Her breath was sweet and fragrant, her voice full of slyness:
"Between me and the long-legged model... who do you prefer?"

Lee Sung-kyung's response was a sudden retching sound, which startled Kang Jae-hoon so much that he almost threw both of them out.

And so it went, stumbling and falling.

The three shadows stretched long under the streetlights, like an absurd yet heartwarming silent play.

We finally arrived at the car.

Exhausted, Kang Jae-hoon shoved Lee Sung-kyung into the back seat.

Just as I was about to turn around to help Bae Suzy, I found that she had already climbed into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.

"I'm not as drunk as she is."

Bae Suzy tilted her head and smiled: "So, as a reward, I'll sit in the front?"

Just as Kang Jae-hoon was about to speak, Lee Sung-kyung's voice suddenly came from the back seat: "No."

She struggled to sit up:

"I want... a front row seat."

"You can't even sit still, what are you trying to grab!"

Bae Suzy turned her head and glared at her.

Lee Sung-kyung staggered out her hand and suddenly grabbed Kang Jae-hoon's tie:
"I need to... supervise... and you're not allowed to... sneak around..."

Jiang Zai Xun was pulled so hard by her that he stumbled and almost hit his forehead on the roof of the car.

He loosened his tie, both amused and exasperated.

"Here you go!"

It haphazardly wrapped around Lee Sung-kyung's wrist.

"Is this okay?"

The train carriage on the return journey was filled with the smell of whiskey.

Kang Jae-hoon saw through the rearview mirror that Lee Sung-kyung in the back seat had started to doze off, while Bae Suzy in the passenger seat was tilting her head and playing with her car stereo.

"Oppa."

She suddenly spoke, her voice lower than usual: "You know what..."

"Ok?"

"I fought her..."

"and then?"

Bae Suzy turned to look at the fleeting lights outside the window: "Then I realized..." She paused, "...we're all pretty stupid..."

Kang Jae-hoon's grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, about to say something, when a noise suddenly came from the back seat. Lee Sung-kyung, who had somehow climbed between the two seats, pointed at Bae Soo-ji with bleary eyes:
"She...she cheated...she used Taekwondo..."

"You're the one who cheated! With legs that long..."

A new round of fighting was about to break out in the cramped carriage.

Kang Jae-hoon slammed on the brakes.

The inertia caused the two of them to collide with his outstretched arm at the same time.

"Please give me a break!"

He turned around and roared, "If you make any more trouble, I'll throw you into the Han River to sober up!"

The car fell silent instantly.

Bae Suzy and Lee Sung-kyung looked at each other, then suddenly burst out laughing at the same time.

Kang Jae-hoon leaned back in his seat with a sigh, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel:
"So... can you give me back my tie now?"

Lee Sung-kyung looked down at the striped tie wrapped around her wrist, then suddenly leaned in and smelled it:
"It smells like that woman's perfume..."

She tore it off with disdain and casually threw it out the window.

"Hey, that's—"

Just as Kang Jae-hoon was about to stop him, the tie had already disappeared into the night.

Bae Suzy patted his shoulder with a smug look on her face:
"Condolences."

When the car finally stopped downstairs at Bae Suzy's apartment building, Kang Jae-hoon found his arm being held tightly.

"Come up with me."

She tilted her head back, her fingers, which were already tugging at Kang Jae-hoon's collar, slipped into the seams of his shirt.

Kang Jae-hoon subconsciously glanced back at Lee Sung-kyung, who was half-lying in the back seat—her body curled up there, completely drunk.

"Leave her alone."

Bae Suzy's lips brushed against his earlobe.

"No."

Kang Jae-hoon reflexively refused, adding with a strong survival instinct:
"If you were this drunk, I would also—"

"I know, I know."

Bae Suzy interrupted impatiently, "Can't we just take them all with us?"

The process of going upstairs was excruciating.

Kang Jae-hoon supported Lee Sung-kyung's waist, letting her lean against him, while Bae Suzy kept causing trouble on the other side.

The combination lock beeped three times.

The moment the door opened, Bae Suzy "accidentally" let go, and Lee Sung-kyung slumped softly onto the living room carpet.

"She's too heavy!"

Bae Suzy drawled out her complaint, "Just let her sleep here."

He casually grabbed a cushion and stuffed it under Lee Sung-kyung's face, a gesture that seemed considerate but was actually perfunctory.

Just as Jiang Zai Xun was about to bend down to help, a pair of soft arms suddenly wrapped around his waist from behind.

"Oppa..."

Bae Suzy's voice was sweet and sticky like honey: "Can you take care of me first?"

Her fingers deftly slipped into his belt buckle.

Kang Jae-hoon's rationality was crumbling.

Bae Suzy knows so well how to flirt with him—

"Soo-Sooji...no..."

His words of refusal were swallowed up by Bae Suzy's sudden kiss.

She could clearly feel the tension and desire in the man's body, and at the same time, she could read the struggle in his eyes as he kept glancing at Lee Sung-kyung.

This contradiction excited her even more.

"look……"

Your body is more honest than your mouth.

Kang Jae-hoon closed his eyes.

The string of reason was stretched to its limit.

His arm instinctively slid towards the clasp on Bae Suzy's skirt.

Upon touching the metal, Lee Sung-kyung, lying on the carpet, suddenly uttered a muffled murmur—

The two of them froze instantly.

soon.

Bae Suzy realized what was happening and tightened her grip on Kang Jae-hoon's hand as he tried to pull away:
"What are you afraid of?"

"She's awake..."

"...Isn't that more interesting?"

"..."

The moonlight flows.

The darkest hour before dawn.

Kang Jae-hoon carried Bae Suzy toward the master bedroom.

The person in his arms was as content as a hummingbird that had drunk its fill of nectar, even her fingertips had a lazy rose hue. When he wiped away the smudged traces of her mascara with a warm towel, there were still red marks on her back from where she had scratched him with her fingernails.

When we moved to the second bedroom, Lee Sung-kyung was curled up in a defensive posture in her sleep.

The makeup remover pad wiped her tense brow.

The makeup was removed, revealing a clean and natural face.

It has lost some of its sharpness.

It evoked a sense of familiarity from his deepest memories of the years he spent living together.

Kang Jae-hoon suddenly remembered.

Years ago, she would also curl up on the sofa and wait for him like this.

Back then, he could still cover her shoulders with his coat without harboring any ill intentions.

……

The morning mist was just beginning to dissipate.

The pain of a hangover finally forced open Lee Sung-kyung's eyelids.

She struggled to sit up on the unfamiliar bed in the second bedroom.

He rubbed his forehead, which was throbbing with excruciating pain.

Last night's memories returned intermittently, the fragmented images flashing by making her temples throb—

The octagonal cage of the boxing club, the sloshing glass of liquor, Bae Suzy's provocative smile... and finally, Kang Jae-hoon's face, leaning close to her as she was drunk and confused, gently asking her, "Can we leave?"

But she remembered that she had clearly bitten his shoulder while leaning on it.
Lee Sung-kyung rubbed her temples, suddenly realizing something was wrong.

My throat is so dry it feels like it's on fire.

She swayed as she got up.

Stumbling and staggering, I pushed open the door to the second bedroom.

I spotted the figure curled up on the sofa at a glance.

Lee Sung-kyung's gaze did not linger on him for long.

I went to the kitchen to find water.

His steps suddenly stopped.

The morning light streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

It is generously gilding a corner of the living room with a soft gold trim.

Clearly reflected—

The edge of the rug at the corner of the sofa.

A pair of women's underwear was simply left forgotten on a woolen blanket.

The haze of hangover seemed to be cleaved apart by a thunderbolt.

No explanation is needed.

Lee Sung-kyung kicked the sofa.

boom--!
"The Holy... Bible?"

The man, who was kicked awake, vaguely saw Lee Sung-kyung's silhouette against the backlight, like a judge.

As Lee Sung-kyung dragged him towards the second bedroom by his belt buckle, Kang Jae-hoon desperately realized that his body was betraying his reason—

such as.

Certain parts that shouldn't be awakening at this moment.

"Let me explain the Bible..."

"explain?"

Lee Sung-kyung threw the person onto the edge of the bed.

"Why not prove with your actions whether your skill in balancing the water is fair or not?"

As he bent over, the shadows cast by the ends of his hair enveloped Kang Jae-hoon.

“She asked for exactly what she wanted last night—you can’t take less than once.”

"..."

Just as Kang Jae-hoon was half-undressed, there were three light knocks on the door.

"Should the referee call 'start'?"

Lee Sung-kyung's response was to throw a pillow at the door:

"roll."

"..."

this moment.

Kang Jae-hoon finally grasped the ultimate secret of the art of impartiality:
To become the King of the Sea, one must first forge oneself into an inexhaustible spring.

(End of this chapter)