Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 119 Finally Home (5k)

Xiuyan was taken aback upon hearing this. She turned her head to look at her sister's bright eyes, and a part of her heart suddenly softened.

She quickly turned her head away, deliberately avoiding looking at Soo-jung, and snorted:
"It's none of your business. You're not allowed to learn any more nonsense from now on."

Krystal knows her unnie too well. Hearing that insincere tone, she knew everything was alright. She grinned and got up from the sofa, straightening her disheveled clothes and hair.

"Hey, Arasso, Arasso, Na-onnie, I'm going to go play with Sherry?"

"Go ahead, go ahead." Xiuyan waved her hand.

After Soo-jung left, the room fell silent again. She stared blankly for a while, all the events of the day flashing through her mind—

Yoona's anger at ordering cucumbers, then her guilt after learning about Yoona's stress, Kwon Ning-il's pressure, Yoona's sudden idea, and that heart-touching line about bravely living your true self... and then just now, her sister's clumsy yet warm concern.

After hesitating for a long time, she took out her phone, opened her Kakao Talk chat with Yoona, and typed and deleted repeatedly.

In the end, I typed out a few lines:
【Yoona, thank you. Today... I shouldn't have been so impulsive, hitting and biting you. Also, thank you.】

Also... if you're under a lot of pressure, don't try to handle it alone; remember to tell me.

After reading it twice, she seemed to have no better way to express it. As if afraid she would regret it, she suddenly pressed the send button.

Then, as if the phone were burning hot, he quickly tossed it onto the sofa next to him, as if that would make him forget how cheesy he had just done.

Meanwhile, Jiang Che returned to his room and threw himself onto the bed.

"Phew...what a magical day," he muttered, staring at the ceiling.

Debunking haters, comforting Sulli, painting abstract art, fooling Soo-yeon... his experiences are truly diverse.

Just as he was clearing his mind, preparing to think again about whether he needed to make any further adjustments to the matter of deceiving Xiuyan, there was a knock on the door.

He sat up with a start and looked through the peephole—it was Krystal Jung?
'Huh? Krystal Jung? What's she doing here?'

He opened the door with a puzzled look: "Soojung, what brings you here?"

When Soo-jung came in, she looked at Kang Cheol with a puzzled expression, as if to say, "Why are you asking me this?"

"Unnie, didn't you send me?"

"Huh? When did I let you come?"

Krystal, with an "I understand you" expression, analyzed:

"Just now downstairs! Didn't you wink at me? Didn't that mean you were telling me to keep my unnie calm, and after I heard what they were talking about, I should come to you, and then you could secretly tell me the truth?"

Jiang Che: "..."

That wink clearly meant for Krystal to quickly take Sulli and leave. Where did this child learn her reading comprehension? Good heavens! Another one with a vivid imagination! No wonder they're sisters!
He suppressed the urge to complain and took a deep breath.

Seeing the worried look in Soo-jung's eyes, he quickly considered the matter in his mind. There was nothing wrong with what Kwon Ning-il and Soo-yeon had said, but it didn't seem necessary for Soo-jung to know the specific details.

He organized his thoughts: "Ah... well, it's really nothing, they just chatted about business!"

"That's it?" Soojung clearly didn't believe it, looking at him suspiciously.
"Unnie, you're not lying to me?"

"No, don't worry."

Soojung stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly trying to find a flaw, but ultimately found nothing. She could only give a half-believing "oh," her little face still wrinkled, clearly still worried.

Just then, Jiang Che's phone rang in his pocket.

It's an information notification sound.

He took it out and saw that it was a private message from Yoona.

Click to open.

The next second, he almost threw his phone away.

[Yoona: Screenshot.jpg]

[Yoona: Kang Cheol! What did you do again? Did you see Jessica unnie today?!]

Looking at the two messages Xiuyan sent in the screenshot, Jiang Che felt completely overwhelmed.

"What's going on with this girl? Her tone... the content... it doesn't seem like something a former teammate would say after a falling out, does it? It can't be that I made them get back together, right?"

He felt like he needed to use his brain, so... could it be that they were actually very close all along?

Thinking of this, I quickly typed and asked:
[Um... what's your relationship like with Jessica Jung in private? Are you very close? Just average? Or are you polite on the surface but actually never speak to each other?]

The message had just been sent, and before a reply could be heard, there was another knock on the door.

'Could it be Xiuyan? Speaking of Xiuyan, is she here?' Jiang Che's heart skipped a beat, and he peered through the peephole—Sulli?!

Thank goodness, thank goodness. But is there some kind of treasure hidden in his room? Why are people coming one after another to search for it?
He put his phone back in his pocket, opened the door,

When Shirley saw him outside the door, her eyes lit up, and a sweet smile immediately bloomed on her face. She called out softly:
"Yoona unnie!" she said, starting to walk inside.

Then, she stopped in her tracks because she saw Soojung, who was blinking at her from inside the room.

"Crystal? What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to Yoona unnie about something. What brings you here?"

Sulli blinked: "I'm going to sleep with Yoona unnie!"

"Morako? Sleeping together?!" Soojung looked at Kang Cheol in disbelief.
Jiang Che felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze, feeling like a strange old man trying to lure a little girl. He could only force a laugh and explain:

"Haha... well... Sherry said she's a little scared to sleep alone, so..."

Just then, his phone rang in his pocket—the caller ID showed: Lim Yoona.

After Jiang Che took it out and looked at it, he gasped and immediately pressed the hang-up button.

"Um... Krystal, Sulli, you guys... play by yourselves for a bit, unnie needs to go answer a message first!!"

After saying that, Jiang Che went to sit down on the sofa and opened his phone to see a long message from Yoona:

【Of course Jessica and I are good friends! Even though she left the group, we still keep in touch! We often text each other, and we sometimes have meals and chat when we bump into each other!】

What's going on with you guys?!

Where are they?! Talk to me!

[Reply quickly! I'm so anxious!]

Jiang Che: "..."

Wow, the case is solved.

No wonder Jessica Jung has been giving him the cold shoulder these past few days; that's where the problem lies! Yoona and Jessica Jung are actually very close, and this imposter had no idea at first.

She even treated Jessica Jung with that cold attitude—in Na Jie's opinion, it was like her best friend Yoona suddenly and inexplicably gave her the cold shoulder.
'I hope I won't be exposed again because of this? Calm down, calm down, it shouldn't be that bad, otherwise, knowing Na Ying's personality, she would have already asked.'

Just as his mind was racing, his phone rang again.

[Yoona: Why aren't you answering the phone? Is it inconvenient for you?]

Jiang Che snapped back to reality, deciding to calm the woman down first.

I can't answer the phone right now! Krystal and Sulli are in my room!

The message was sent out and received a reply almost instantly.

[Krystal? Sulli? All in your room this late?! Kang Cheol, are you having a tea party?!]

[Never mind them for now, what exactly did you do to Jessica unnie?! Why would she send me that kind of message?! What do you mean by hitting and biting? And apologizing and thanking me? And saying you were under pressure and went to her?]

Looking at the barrage of questions, Jiang Che could already imagine the frantic expression on Lin Yoona's face on the other end of the phone, but this was truly difficult to explain.

The specific conversation between Soo-yeon and Kwon Ning-il involved the other's career difficulties, which seemed inappropriate to discuss widely—even if the other person was Yoona. As for his alleged deception with his design sketches, that was even more confidential and could not be revealed. He carefully considered his words.

[Actually, it's nothing major... It's just that the show finished filming today, and I had dinner with Jessica unnie, Krystal, and Sulli tonight.]

And then… when ordering, I accidentally ordered cucumber.

[Xiuyan immediately exploded, thinking I did it on purpose. When I stopped her from hitting me, she started slapping me...]

[Later she asked me if I didn't know she was allergic to cucumbers. How would I know! In a panic, I told her I'd been under a lot of stress lately and had forgotten.]

[The result! Something amazing happened! She must have imagined it all, because her attitude suddenly did a complete 180-degree turn, instantly evolving from an iceberg tyrant into a warm-hearted angel.]

They kept putting food on my plate and insisted on paying the bill. I don't know why they thanked me; maybe it was because I put food on Krystal's plate?

Jiang Che typed out that long explanation in a flurry, his fingers almost cramping. After thinking for a moment, he added:
Why don't you ask Soo-yeon what she's imagining? I'm so curious I'm practically growing a cat!

On the other end of the phone, in her Seoul apartment, Lim Yoona was so angry when she saw these messages that she almost crushed her phone.

The good news is that it seems that Kang Cheol, this troublemaker, hasn't made Soo-yeon unnie fall for him either.

The bad news is, why is he so good at causing trouble? The thought of having to clean up and explain makes me furious. I'm supposed to be resting, but why do I feel more tired than when I'm on a busy schedule?
She reluctantly picked up her phone and replied to the culprit first.

【Curious my foot! I'll settle the score with you when you get back!!!】

Then, she switched to her chat with Soo-yeon and looked at the two messages. To be honest, she was incredibly curious herself—what exactly was Soo-yeon imagining?
What could possibly change that hot-tempered unnie's attitude so drastically? But how should I ask? It feels like nothing I say will be right...

In the end, after much deliberation, she chose the safest reply.

[Unnie, it's okay, don't worry, I'm fine! If you're really stressed, I'll definitely tell you right away! [smiley face]]

After sending the message, she threw her phone aside, sighed deeply, and felt that she had developed an immunity to Jiang Che's ability to cause trouble.

Jiang Che had just finished sending the message when he looked up and met Jung Soo-jung's inquisitive gaze.

"Unnie, is he your boyfriend?"

Jiang Che said speechlessly, "Not boyfriend, girlfriend."

Krystal looked incredulous and pressed for more information:

"Did Kwon Ning-il really only discuss business matters with me before?"

"Uh-huh."

Krystal looked at his expression carefully and realized she couldn't get any more information out of him, so she just pouted and said, "Unnie, I'm leaving now."

Jiang Che quickly waved goodbye, "Goodnight, Xiujing."

She walked to the door, then glanced back at Jiang Che and Shirley, who had been sitting quietly in the room. Her eyes darted between the two of them, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she said nothing, snorted, and turned to close the door.

After seeing Soojung off, Kang Che looked at Sulli, who was sitting quietly by the bed and seemed particularly well-behaved. His heart softened, and he went over and gently patted her head.
"Thank you, Shirley, for today."

"Huh?" Shirley blinked, somewhat bewildered. "Thank me for what?"

"It was during dinner that you grabbed Soo-yeon unnie, you really saved me."

Sulli said a little shyly in a low voice, "Ani... I just don't want to see Yoona unnie get hurt."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che paused slightly, a smile playing on his lips.
"Okay, Arasso, from now on, I'll be relying on Sherry to protect me? But before that, you need to take care of yourself too. Alright, go wash up."

After washing up, the two lay down. In the darkness, Shirley whispered, "Unnie..."

"Ok?"

"After I return to Seoul, will I still be able to hang out with you, unnie?"

Jiang Che paused for a moment, then softened his voice and said, "Of course, no problem."

But then he immediately remembered that he was just a temporary worker, so he quickly added a patch:

"But you know, I might have scheduling conflicts, and sometimes it might be inconvenient for me. If you want to come visit me in the future, you can send me a message first to ask if I have time, okay?"

"Mmm! Okay!" Shirley's voice immediately brightened, and she snuggled deeper into the blankets contentedly. "Goodnight, unnie."

Goodnight, Sherry.

In the early morning, Shirley woke up groggily once again to that familiar feeling of being "confined." She opened her eyes and, sure enough, saw Jiang Che still with one arm and one leg draped over her without any hesitation.

She couldn't help but smile, but this time she didn't rush to break free like last time. She lay quietly for a while, listening to the even breathing of the person beside her, and even secretly snuggled closer.
She found a more comfortable position to curl up in, and only when she felt it was really getting late did she gently push Jiang Che away:
"Unnie... Yoona unnie, it's time to get up."

Jiang Che slowly opened his eyes and saw Shirley standing close to him. He was stunned for a moment, then flashed a bright smile:

"Sherry, good morning."

"Good morning, Yoona unnie." Sulli returned a bright smile.
When Jiang Che got up, washed up, and started packing his luggage, Shirley's mood clearly dropped, and she seemed rather sullen.

Jiang Che saw this and couldn't help but comfort him again before leaving:
"Okay, we can meet again when we get back to the peninsula. It's not like we'll never see each other again."

Hearing this, Shirley nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

Upon arriving at the airport, Jiang Che looked at the group chat on his phone titled "Girls' Generation and Temporary Workers," and the last message was none other than capitalist Li Fa's shopping list.

"Sigh..." He sighed resignedly, pushed his suitcase, and looked firmly toward the airport duty-free shop.

Half an hour later, looking at the pile of things in his hands and then at his phone balance, he silently vowed:
We must find a way to turn this woman into a career woman; we can't let her keep messing with us like this.

He then walked toward the boarding gate and embarked on his journey back to Seoul.

After the plane landed and he collected his luggage, the thought of returning to his original form filled him with longing to go home. But when he finally arrived at his apartment and opened the door, the scene in the living room made him instinctively stop in his tracks.

Three beautiful women, each with a distinct style, were sitting or standing, all staring at him.

Taeyeon sat cross-legged on the rug next to the sofa, holding a glass of water in her hand, her eyes gentle; Sunny occupied the entire sofa, looking down at her phone, but when she heard the noise, she looked up and her eyes lit up; while Yoona stood by the dining table, her expression ambiguous.

Jiang Che felt a little uneasy under Yoona's gaze. As he closed the door, he transformed back into his original form and forced a greeting:
"I'm back……"

Before he finished speaking, Sunny, who had been sprawled on the sofa, instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning, leaping up with a bright smile on her face as she headed straight for him.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Che was slightly touched—was this woman so happy to see her original self? Was she going to give him a welcome hug?

Then he watched as Sunny swept right past him and precisely grabbed the shopping bags full of gifts from his hands.

"Hey! Jiang Che, you've worked hard! Come on, let me help you carry it. I can't let you carry such a heavy thing all the time!"

He grabbed all the bags and, without even glancing at the suitcase at Jiang Che's feet, happily hopped back onto the sofa and began excitedly examining his spoils.

As for Jiang Che himself standing to the side? Well, sorry, who are you?

Jiang Che: "..."

He watched Sunny's gleeful, bandit-like demeanor as her lips twitched, then looked down at the neglected suitcase at his feet, three black lines silently sliding down his forehead.

The vow I made at the airport just now resounded like a thunderclap—I must, immediately, find something for this woman to do!

Just as he was pondering what kind of work to give this woman, Taeyeon put down her water glass, stood up with a smile, and naturally took his suitcase from him.
"Welcome back."

Jiang Che snapped out of his daze, saw the smile on her face, and couldn't help but sigh, "Tai really is a good person!" He quickly returned a smile with Locke Yun's: "Yes."

Yoona, who was standing next to her, had originally wanted to find a reason to teach Jiang Che a lesson for being such a troublemaker, but seeing the interaction between the two of them, she immediately lost that mood and puffed out her cheeks slightly.
"Welcome home. Come and have dinner. I've ordered takeout."

After the four of them moved to the dining table and sat down, Jiang Che ate a few mouthfuls of rice. Seeing that they were all chatting amongst themselves and no one seemed to care about what he had done in China, he had no choice but to take the initiative to start a conversation:

"Speaking of which...aren't you curious about what happened to me in China?"

Before he could finish speaking, Lim Yoona immediately interrupted, speaking rapidly:

"I'm not curious. I've already told Taeyeon unnie and Sunny unnie! You don't need to repeat yourself!"

(End of this chapter)