Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 146 Sherry's Discovery (4K - Take a Break)
Yoona/Taeyeon: "!!!"

The two of them simultaneously facepalmed, thinking, "How could this guy say something so ridiculous?!"
"Pfft—hahahahaha!" Sunny finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing:

"What the hell, Jiang Che! Living in the same global village? Why don't you say we should create a harmonious universe together!"

Jiang Che remained unfazed by Sunny's mockery, instead responding casually and raising an eyebrow at her:
“Sunny, why don’t you even call him Oppa anymore?” Then she changed the subject:
"Fine, if you don't want to call me that, then don't. Even if you don't acknowledge me as your cousin, I'll still consider you my cousin. But if you'd like to join us..."
Then we'll definitely be one step closer to a 'harmonious universe,' so think about it, cousin Sunny."

"Hey!" Sunny's laughter stopped abruptly. Enraged, she grabbed a chopstick and threatened to throw it.
"Jiang Che! Don't force me to commit fratricide here!"

Jiang Che quickly raised his hands in surrender.

Sulli glanced at Taeyeon, whose lips were slightly upturned, then at Yoona, whose ears were turning red, then at Kang Cheol, who looked completely self-righteous, and at Sunny, who was rubbing her hands together, seemingly ready to fight...

She felt like she understood something, but at the same time, she felt even more confused.

Seeing Sulli's bewildered expression, as if she'd been completely fooled, Yoona finally couldn't resist and gave Jiang Che a light kick under the table, then said softly to Sulli:

"Alright, Shirley, stop listening to his nonsense and eat quickly, the food is getting cold."

As she spoke, to comfort the maknae who seemed to have been shocked, she took the last chicken leg left on the plate and put it into Sulli's bowl:

"Eat more. Just listen to what he says and don't overthink it."

Shirley looked at the extra chicken leg in her bowl, then at the various expressions on everyone's faces, and decided to suppress her questions for the time being. She nodded obediently, giving a sweet smile:

"Yes, thank you, unnie."

Dinner quickly ended in a subtle and harmonious atmosphere.

Shirley obediently helped clear the dishes, but her eyes kept glancing at the strange trio. Behind this seemingly harmonious family scene, there must be some unknown secret!

"I, Holmes Shirley, will continue to observe and find out the truth!" she vowed silently in her heart.

After everything was packed up, Shirley stood up first and politely said goodbye.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Oppa and Unnie. It's getting late, so I'll head back now."

Before she could finish speaking, Taeyeon secretly glanced at the night outside the window, then quickly looked at Kang Cheol, before grabbing Sulli's hand and speaking with exceptional sincerity:

"It's so late now, isn't it unsafe for you to go home alone?"

She paused, then suggested:

"How about... you stay here with me tonight? Sunny's family has enough rooms anyway."

Upon hearing this, Sunny, who was drinking water, almost choked. She put down her cup, glared at Taeyeon, and complained:
"Hey! Kim Tae-yeon! Is my house your hotel? You can come and go as you please?"

The excuses this squad leader is using to spend more time with someone are getting more and more flimsy!

Taeyeon wasn't annoyed when Sunny directly exposed her; instead, she leaned forward, took Sunny's arm, and gently shook it, trying to get away with it by being cute.

"Ani-yo, we're family, Sunny! How can family members talk about hotels like that, so formally?"

After saying that, he turned to Yoona for support:
"Yoona, don't you think so?"

Watching Taeyeon's "pathetic" demeanor, Yoona couldn't help but purse her lips slightly, feeling a mixture of amusement and inexplicable complexity. Instead of directly stating her opinion, she turned to Sulli and asked gently:

"Shirley, what do you think? I'm really worried about you going back alone. If you want to stay, that's fine too."

Shirley blinked, somewhat taken aback by the sudden invitation to stay overnight.
"Me? Am I... too much trouble?"

Deep down, she was somewhat tempted, not just out of curiosity, but also because she longed for the lively and warm atmosphere of being surrounded by friends, since going back to her own cold and deserted apartment would mean facing nothing more.

Jiang Che took in everyone's reactions, glanced at the dark night outside the window, and, too lazy to watch them continue their tug-of-war, made his final decision:
"Alright, stop arguing. It's getting late. Since Taeyeon and Sulli both want to stay, let them both stay."

"Yay!" Taeyeon's face lit up instantly. She had achieved her goal and was as happy as a little mouse that had stolen some sesame oil.

Sunny sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

"Oh...you really aren't being polite!"

That's what they said, but there wasn't much real resistance in their tone. Anyway, it wasn't their first time staying there, and they'd gotten used to it after a while.

Yoona cursed inwardly, thinking that Jiang Che really didn't treat her like an outsider, making such a matter-of-fact decision.

But seeing Taeyeon's undisguised joy and Sulli's expectant gaze, the complex emotions in her heart softened a bit, and she smiled gently, tacitly agreeing to the arrangement.

Seeing that Kang Cheol oppa said that, Shirley nodded in agreement, giving him a sweet smile:

"Okay, then I'll have to bother you all, and Kang Cheol oppa."

With accommodations booked, the next step is room assignment.

Sunny, as the homeowner, stroked her chin, her gaze sweeping over the three tenants before finally settling on Shirley.
"Shirley, who do you want to live with?"

Sulli was taken aback by the question. She actually secretly wanted to live with Yoona, but how could she say it directly? She hesitated for a moment, then whispered:
"I...I'm fine with anything, I'll leave it to you, Unnie."

Sunny glanced at Taeyeon, then at Yoona, her eyes darting around, and directly announced the plan:

"How about this, Taeyeon and I will live together. Yoona and Sulli will live together."

"Huh?" Taeyeon paused for a moment, then subconsciously asked:
Why can't I live with Shirley?

Sunny rolled her eyes at her, and immediately came up with a reason:

"Because you're short! Sleeping with Shirley wouldn't be a good match for you, you're not suited to share a room!"

Hey! Lee Soon-kyu! Who are you calling shorter?!

Taeyeon instantly bristled and lunged at Sunny, baring her teeth and claws.

"I'll fight you!"

"No way! I'm just stating the facts!" Sunny continued to provoke her with words while nimbly dodging.

The two short-statured children started another round of roughhousing in the living room, just like elementary school students.

Yoona couldn't bear to watch this childish scene anymore. She sighed helplessly, took the hand of Sulli who was staring in disbelief, and said softly, "Don't worry about them. Let them fight. They'll stop when they get tired. Let's go wash up first."

Sulli, being pulled along by Yoona, kept turning back to watch the two short unnies chasing each other, thinking that today was truly...exciting. She obediently replied:

"Yes, Yoona unnie."

When Yoona and Sulli finished washing up and came out looking refreshed, the two short men were nowhere to be seen. Jiang Che glanced at the two who had come out and then went to wash up quickly himself.

In Sunny's master bedroom, after washing up, she tidied her pillows while grumbling irritably towards the master bathroom:
"Hey, Kim Tae-yeon, I really should charge you for the accommodation. This place is practically your second home."

Upon hearing this, Taeyeon immediately peeked out and gave a flattering grin:
"Aigoo, our Sunny is so generous! You can stay at my place next time! Stay as long as you want!"

"Pah!" Sunny bluntly exposed her, starting to bring up old grievances:
"You're making it sound so nice now! After I finished participating in 'Running Man' and came back from Macau, I wanted to stay at your house. Who was it that absolutely refused to let me?"

"Ah... well..." Taeyeon's expression froze, her eyes began to dart around:
"The situation was special back then! Okay, I'm going to wash up now!"

After saying that, she quickly pulled her head back.

Seeing Taeyeon's embarrassed look, Sunny snorted and let her off the hook for the time being.

When Taeyeon finished washing up and came out, Sunny was still busy by the bed. Taeyeon watched her back as her playful smile faded, and her tone became serious:

"Sunny, thank you."

Sunny, still pulling at the blanket without looking up, casually replied:

"If you're just asking for my help to stay at your place, that's really unnecessary. Just remember to bring something substantial next time, like some Korean beef or something..."

“Anita,” Taeyeon shook her head and said softly:
"It's not about thanking that, it's about thanking...everything. From when I came back from Macau, to later...and today."

Sunny paused, turned her head, and met Taeyeon's serious gaze. Her tone also became more formal:

"Oh... no need to thank me. Compared to Jiang Che, I'm the one who really doesn't want to see you two fall out. I don't want to... experience something like '930' again."

The word "930" was like an invisible stone, suddenly pressing down on their hearts. Taeyeon's expression instantly darkened, and the air in the room seemed to freeze.

Sunny quickly realized the topic was a bit heavy and quickly changed the subject in a lighter tone:

"Sigh, let's not talk about this anymore. Speaking of which, I wonder if Jiang Che will be able to write songs like 'I' for you again next time?"

Taeyeon followed suit, a smile returning to her face, filled with satisfaction and relief.
“I don’t know either. But even if he never writes again, having this song, ‘I,’ is enough for me.”

"Tsk, look at you, so pathetic." Sunny clicked her tongue, giving him a "you're hopeless" look.

"Alright, go to sleep, you have to go to the company tomorrow!"

Taeyeon obediently climbed onto the bed.
In another guest room, Yoona and Sulli lay side by side on the soft bed, the atmosphere subtly quiet.

Sulli was wide awake. She turned to face Yoona, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke softly:
"Ouni..."

"Hmm?" Yoona seemed to be falling asleep, her voice carrying a slightly lazy nasal tone.

“Sometimes I feel…” Shirley carefully chose her words:

“Kang Cheol oppa… looks just like you.”

"...!!!"

These words instantly dispelled Yoona's sleepiness, her heart nearly skipped a beat. Fortunately, her momentarily frozen expression couldn't be seen in the darkness. She forced herself to remain calm and asked in as natural a tone as possible:

"...Huh? How are we similar? He and I are a man and a woman, and our personalities are very different, aren't they?"

“I can’t quite put my finger on what makes it resemble…” Shirley struggled to find the right words, her brows furrowing slightly.
"It's just a feeling... Sometimes the way he looks at me, the tone of his voice, even some of his actions, suddenly remind me of you, unnie. It's like... you two have something very similar."

Yoona's heart was still racing, her mind racing, quickly weaving a plausible explanation. She chuckled softly, reached out and patted Sulli's arm, her voice full of affection:

"Maybe it's because...we're all very good to you and care about you a lot? That's why you feel it's somewhat similar."

She paused, not giving Shirley time to think deeply, and yawned:

"Alright, stop thinking about these weird things. It's getting late, go to sleep."

“Yes…” Shirley responded obediently, without asking any further questions.

But the question mark in her mind did not disappear. 'But... I don't think Kang Cheol oppa looks like Taeyeon unnie or Sunny unnie...' This thought lingered in her mind for a while.

However, seeing that Yoona seemed unwilling to talk about it further, she had no choice but to swallow her more questions for the time being.

After a while, I heard Yoona's even and long breathing from next to me; she seemed to have fallen asleep.

Sulli shifted her body quietly in the darkness, then gently reached out and grabbed the corner of Yoona's clothes before closing her eyes contentedly and falling into a deep sleep.

Jiang Che lay alone on the guest room bed, not falling asleep immediately. Judging from the harmonious dinner tonight, Yoona and Taeyeon's relationship seemed fine. Now, the only remaining issue was his own.

He thought for a moment, picked up his phone, skillfully opened the search engine, and entered "Jessica Jung Fan Club," preparing to sneak in and learn about "President Jung's" recent situation and schedule.

'When the time comes, I'll find a time when Yoona's schedule overlaps with hers, then convince Yoona to let me fill in. That way, I can legitimately use Yoona's identity to contact Jessica... I can't just let that 1 million won consultation fee go.'

After making his own plans, Jiang Che quickly registered an account, joined the fan club, and browsed the information compiled by the fans before putting down his phone and lying back on his pillow.

The events of tonight flashed through my mind:

Yoona's kick under the table, Taeyeon's furtive glances hinting at wanting to stay overnight, Sunny's roaring threat of "fratricide," and Sulli's inquisitive question, "What exactly is your relationship?"...

"I examine myself three times a day..." Jiang Che murmured this motto, which seemed to have lost its original meaning, before finally drifting off to sleep amidst his chaotic thoughts.

The next morning, Shirley was the first to wake up. She blinked groggily and subconsciously looked to her side.

Yoona unnie was sleeping right next to her, her face serene, her breathing even, lying properly on her own side, with a little distance between them.

Shirley, witnessing this scene, was fully awake. Her mind instantly flashed back to those two nights at the BJ Hotel—

I remember Yoona used to use her as a body pillow, but the Yoona I see now has such a dignified sleeping posture that she could be in a magazine.

(End of this chapter)