Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 113 Mystique? (5K views, double monthly votes, let's all cheer together!)

[Yoona: How come you run into so many people on your solo variety show? Seriously, I'm speechless. Don't pretend to be other people, you hear me!]

Just as Jiang Che was about to reply, Yoona sent him a private message.

[Yoona: Hey! Kang Cheol! What's going on with you!? Screenshot.jpg]

Jiang Che opened the screenshot, which showed a KakaoTalk chat interface. The latest message was displayed under Shirley's profile picture:
Sulli: Yoona unnie, are you free now? Can I come to your room to play with you? ()

Jiang Che: "..."

Just then, Yoona messaged again: 【Oh! What should I reply? Should I say you're already asleep? Or that you're not available?】

Jiang Che thought about Sulli's situation and quickly typed a reply to Yoona:
No, just let her come over.

On the other end of the phone, Yoona saw this reply and angrily crumpled the pillow in her arms, replying:
[Jiang Che! You! She's my sister!! You let her into your room so late at night?! What are you trying to do?! Angry pillow.jpg]

Jiang Che was speechless: "Hey! Lin Yoona-ssi! Do you think I'm that kind of person? I just wanted to see what she was up to so late at night."

[Yoona: Who knows? You've forgotten about Taeyeon unnie, haven't you?!]

Jiang Che: ...

[Yoona: Alright, I'll have her come over. You see what she's up to. You behave yourself, you hear me?]

[Jiang Che: Yes, don't worry.]

A few minutes later, there was a soft knocking sound at the door.

Jiang Che got up, walked over, and opened the door.

Outside the door, Shirley had changed into comfortable loungewear, her hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders, and her face adorned with her signature radiant smile.

"Unnie! Did I disturb your rest?"

Jiang Che looked at her smile, which was even brighter than during the day, and stepped aside to let her pass.

"Of course not, come in."

Shirley walked into the room, and Jiang Che handed her a bottle of water. Looking at her, he couldn't help but ask:
"Is our Sulli happy today? It feels like she hasn't stopped smiling all day."

Shirley paused for a moment upon hearing this, then her smile widened, and she nodded vigorously:
"Yes, I'm super happy today. I got to record a show with such a fun Yoona unnie and have dinner with my favorite friends."

As she spoke, her tone softened slightly:
"That's why... we need to be even happier, right, unnie? Otherwise, this good mood might just slip away again sometime later."

Hearing this, Jiang Che felt as if something had gently bumped into her heart. Something seemed off about her tone. Had the butterfly's wings already begun to flap?
He paused for two seconds, then his tone became exceptionally gentle: "Shirley."

"Nee? Unnie?"

"Can...can I hold you?"

"Mo?" Shirley's smile froze instantly, her eyes filled with astonishment. This sudden request left her at a loss for words.

But when she came to her senses, she saw that there was no hint of joking in Jiang Che's eyes, only a very pure concern.

Shirley's defenses seemed to have softened a bit, after all, this unnie had truly brought her peace of mind and happiness all day.

She lowered her head slightly and spoke softly, but still nodded: "...Yes."

With permission granted, Jiang Che breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid of being directly rejected or being seen as a pervert. He stepped forward, reached out, and gently pulled Shirley into his arms.

The girl's body was slender and soft, carrying a fresh scent of someone who had just bathed, much like the feeling of his current body. But this thought only flashed through his mind.

He was quickly replaced by a desire to comfort her, so he gently patted her back and then pulled away.

After separating, almost instinctively, my hand immediately and naturally rose again, landing precisely on that fluffy head, and expertly ruffled it twice.
The movements were fluid and graceful, as if the previous hug was merely a prelude to this head pat.

Shirley: "..."

The momentary touch of emotion and subtle atmosphere was instantly shattered by this familiar tactic.

She abruptly raised her head, slapped away the hand that was still messing with her head, and glared at Jiang Che with a mixture of annoyance and amusement, her cheeks involuntarily puffing out:

"Unnie! How many times have you touched my head today?!"

Jiang Che: "!!!"

'Damn it! I'm used to it! It's completely a conditioned reflex!'

He chuckled awkwardly twice: "Haha...it felt so good, I couldn't resist, I couldn't resist..."

Shirley couldn't help but burst out laughing when she saw his expression.

She realized that Yoona's behavior today was completely random and unpredictable.

Looking at Shirley's smiling eyes, Jiang Che, as if possessed, reached out and gently stroked Shirley's delicate nose with his fingertips.

"Ah!" Shirley didn't expect any follow-up attacks. She instinctively shrank back, covered her nose, and stared wide-eyed like saucers.

Jiang Che proudly wagged his finger:

"You dared to laugh at your unnie, but this time I'm not going to pat your head!"

Shirley was completely bewildered by this unnie's unpredictable and unconventional behavior. She lowered her hand and muttered under her breath:

"Unnie, you're so... weird today..."

That's what they said, but there was no hint of dislike in their tone.

Jiang Che smiled, glanced around the fairly spacious hotel room, then looked at Shirley, who was dressed in casual clothes and seemed to have no intention of leaving anytime soon. Thinking back to Shirley sitting alone in a corner on the first floor of the hotel during the day, a thought popped into his head:
"By the way, Shirley, do you... want to sleep here tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Shirley was completely stunned, her eyes widening again, even more shocked than when her nose was flicked earlier.

Sleep...sleep here? With Yoona unnie?

Even though we're both girls, it's not a big deal for us to sleep together.

But... Yoona unnie is acting so strangely today! From the moment we met, she's been having all sorts of intimate contact, and now she's even inviting me to sleep with her... What is she trying to do? Is she really that confused?
Her brain raced, trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind it, but she couldn't understand why at all.

"Oh...unnie..." she stammered, her voice slightly unsteady.

"You...what did you just say?"

Jiang Che realized his words were somewhat ambiguous as soon as they left his mouth. Seeing Shirley's reaction, he immediately understood that she had misunderstood and might even think he was a pervert. He quickly waved his hands and explained:

"Ani ani! Don't get me wrong! What I mean is, the room is big enough and the bed is big enough. You'll be alone when you go back, so why don't you just chat here and go to sleep when you're tired? It'll save you from running around!"

Seeing his eagerness to explain, Shirley calmed down. Of course, Yoona unnie couldn't possibly mean that… she'd really been overthinking it.

But... should we stay?

She glanced at Kang Cheol, remembering that Krystal and Soo-yeon were together today, and Ji-yeon was with her teammates.

If I go back, I'll have to face that overly quiet room all by myself. It should be okay if I stay with Yoona unnie, at least it's better than being alone.

"...Okay. Then...then I'll go back and get my pajamas and toiletries?"

"Go back quickly!"

After taking turns washing up, the two changed into comfortable pajamas and lay side by side on the spacious bed.

The lights were off, and the room was quiet; only the faint sound of each other's breathing could be heard.

Darkness seems to give people more courage to touch on topics that are inconvenient to talk about in the light.

After a moment of silence, Shirley's voice softly rose in the darkness, slightly ethereal:
"Ouni..."

"Hmm?" Jiang Che turned his head, though he couldn't see her expression.

"Why...why were you willing to argue with PD Na today for my sake, insisting on bringing me along?" Shirley's voice was soft, tinged with hesitation:

"Clearly...clearly my current situation might cause trouble for the show."

She had actually kept this in mind all along. From the conversation between Yoona unnie and the PD on the phone, it was clear that the other party definitely disagreed. However, Yoona unnie was unusually persistent and eventually succeeded in bringing her along.

This is completely unlike the kind and tactful unnie she usually is.

Jiang Che was taken aback; he hadn't expected her to ask that.

Why? It was simply because I heard her say that she didn't want to be alone in her room, and she didn't know where to go. She felt sorry for herself sitting alone in a corner, and I felt sorry for her because of my perspective from the future, but I couldn't say this reason out loud.

He thought for a moment and said in a relaxed tone:

"Why so many whys? Just do it if you want to! Besides, our lovely Sulli is practically bursting with joy to be on this variety show!" Hearing this, Sulli seemed to chuckle slightly, then Kang Cheol said earnestly:
"And also, because that's your idea."

"Ok?"

"Because you want to participate in this program, and since that's what you want, of course I'll help you. Does it need any special reason?"

These words sounded so natural, as if protecting and supporting her was something that was taken for granted.

Shirley remained silent for a long while before speaking softly, her voice filled with confusion:

"But... now a lot of people think I'm weird, unnie... don't you think so?"

Jiang Che's heart sank as well. He knew what she meant by "strange"—those actions that might seem out of line to others.

He didn't answer immediately, but thought carefully for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice piercing the darkness and reaching Shirley's ears:

"Shirley."

"Unnie, Ernie."

Just be yourself.

Shirley's breath hitched slightly.

Jiang Che continued speaking:

"It's okay to be a little strange, it's okay to be different from others. This world is great, but you're no less so. No matter what others think, I will always stand by your side."

These words were like a warm current, quietly flowing into Shirley's heart. However, before she could fully process this feeling of being moved, Jiang Che changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of strangeness:
"And...maybe one day you'll suddenly find that I'm even stranger than you."

"What?" Shirley's emotions from just now were somewhat dampened by these words:

"Unnie, what's wrong with you?"

In her opinion, Yoona is beautiful, excellent, and has high emotional intelligence; she is the perfect role model for an outstanding idol. Although her behavior today was a bit unusual, it didn't seem strange at all.

“Uh…” Jiang Che was speechless. He couldn’t very well say that he could switch between male and female at will, like a Ditto, so he quickly gave a vague answer:

"Well... in short, it's weird that the mother of all people opens a door for weird things—it's weird to the extreme. You'll find out later, or better yet, you'll never find out."

Shirley laughed when she heard this, thinking that this unnie was probably just trying to make her happy:
"Arasso, I'll wait and see how weird you are, unnie~"

Jiang Che thought to himself, "You'd better not know," but then he thought about her future and felt that he couldn't just do nothing, so he said seriously, "Shirley."

"Inside?"

"I'll give you a phone number; you must save it safe."

"Phone number? Whose is it? Is it yours, unnie? Don't I have one?" Shirley was a little confused.
“It’s not mine, it’s…someone else’s.” Jiang Che carefully chose his words.

"Whenever you feel extremely tired, or if you encounter any danger, please, please remember to contact this number, anytime. Do you understand?"

His tone was so serious that Shirley unconsciously became serious as well. She reached for her phone on the bedside table, the light from the screen faintly illuminating her face.
"Unnie, just tell me, I'll keep it."

Jiang Che slowly recited a string of numbers—the very number he was currently using. He pronounced each number slowly to ensure that Shirley could enter them accurately.

As Shirley carefully saved the items, she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity:

"Whose call is this? What does it mean? Is it your amazing friend, Unnie?"

Jiang Che was stumped; this was indeed difficult to explain. He racked his brains, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him—he remembered his transformation skill:
Have you seen X-Men?

"Huh? I've seen it before..." Sherry was a little confused by this unnie's train of thought.

"Remember Mystique from inside? The one with blue skin who can transform into anyone."

“Yes… I remember.” Sherry nodded, even more confused.

So...who is this person...?

"Yeah, probably... someone like that."

Shirley held her phone, processing the astonishing information, and said incredulously:

"Mystique? That...that's Superman? Unnie, you...you know Superman??"

Jiang Che: "..."

His lips twitched involuntarily. Fine, Superman it is, better than being relentlessly questioned. He mumbled a reply:
"Hmm... let's just say that's how it is, you can understand it that way."

After saving the number, Sherry looked at the contact labeled Mystique and still felt a little incredulous, as if she had touched upon some mystery hidden beneath the surface of the world.

Jiang Che was still worried and gave him another reminder:
"Remember this, it doesn't matter whether we contact each other normally! But you absolutely must contact each other when it matters! You absolutely must!"

Sensing the concern in his words, Shirley, though still finding it a bit surreal, obediently nodded.
“Yes, Arasso, Oni, I got it.”

"Alright, go to sleep. You have a recording session tomorrow, so don't oversleep."

Having accomplished this major task, Jiang Che felt a weight lifted from his heart. He had originally planned to deal with her after he had become wealthy, but seeing her current state...

Just to be on the safe side, it's better to leave a phone number. In case something really happens, it'll be too late to cry.

"Yes, goodnight, unnie."

Shirley put down her phone and lay back down. Silence returned to the room.

After a while, just when Jiang Che thought Shirley had fallen asleep, he felt the girl next to him carefully move a little closer to him.

Then, a small hand quietly reached out and tentatively pinched the corner of his pajamas.

Jiang Che's body stiffened slightly, then immediately relaxed. He didn't move or speak, just letting her hold him.

After a while, Shirley's grip on the hem of her clothes gradually loosened.

Listening to the steady breathing beside him, Jiang Che stared at the ceiling, sighed silently, and after a long while, various thoughts swirled in his mind before he finally drifted off to sleep.

Shirley woke up first in the early morning.

She blinked her still sleepy eyes and subconsciously tried to raise her hand to rub them, but found that her movements were restricted—an arm and a leg were draped over her body without any politeness.

Sherry: "???"

She was stunned for a few seconds before she fully came to her senses and remembered that she had slept in Yoona's room last night. The scene in front of her made her both laugh and cry.

The "Yoona unnie" next to me is sleeping soundly, but her sleeping posture... is truly indescribable. Let's not even talk about her arms and legs...
Most importantly, no one knows what this unnie was dreaming about, but her lips were slightly pouting, and she even unconsciously smacked her lips.

Shirley looked at the sleeping face so close to hers, feeling the intimacy that made her feel no distance between them. Her face flushed slightly. She wanted to stay still, but shyness ultimately prevailed.

Shirley took a deep breath and decided to slowly move out of this confinement. She first tried to move her shoulder, which was being pressed down, but the person next to her seemed to notice.

The smacking of his lips stopped, but the arms and legs draped over her tightened even more, and he mumbled something indistinctly: "...Don't run away..."

Shirley: "..."

What on earth did this unnie dream about?!

She held her breath and tried again, pulling herself out at an extremely slow pace. Just when she was almost halfway there, thinking victory was in sight—

"Hmm...?" Jiang Che frowned and opened his eyes a crack.

Eyes facing each other.

The air was quiet for a moment.

Shirley, like a thief caught red-handed, quickly apologized:
"M-Mianhee, Oni! I woke you up!"

Jiang Che wasn't fully awake yet; his brain was starting up slowly. He squinted at the sky outside the window, then reached for his phone to check the time.

"Only 6:30?! Hmm, young people are indeed healthy, they get up really early."

Upon hearing this, Shirley couldn't help but laugh:
"Unnie, what nonsense are you spouting?"

He sat up and ruffled his hair haphazardly.

"It's alright, it's alright! It's good that you woke up early, I'll take you to have a delicious breakfast! Authentic breakfast in Beijing, I guarantee it will open your eyes to something amazing!"

"Inside!"

(End of this chapter)