Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 156 Conversation
Upon hearing this, Taeyeon's eyes instantly became somewhat evasive:
"I...of course I want to do something...after all, we used to be such good teammates...but...it's been so long..."

Wouldn't it seem too strange and deliberate to suddenly go and say you want to mend the relationship? Besides... I said so many hurtful things back then. I don't know what to do anymore..."

Her tone was full of hesitation and uncertainty.

Jiang Che looked at the team leader in front of him, who was brave and fearless in matters of the heart, but now seemed at a loss because of a broken relationship with his teammates.
My heart softened a little, and I found it somewhat amusing—did this mean I was more important than her teammates?

He pondered for a moment, recalling Jessica Jung's various reactions tonight, and analyzed:

"I think she's not entirely against making up. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to have dinner together today, and she wouldn't have insisted on taking me home, even though I refused and wanted to walk by myself."
She insisted on giving me a ride. If she really didn't want anything to do with you, she wouldn't have bothered with me at all and would have just driven away.

Besides, when you two were arguing, she must have said a lot of hurtful things, right? Otherwise, things wouldn't have escalated to this point.

“Yes, she did say a lot at the time,” Taeyeon nodded.
Hearing this, Jiang Che understood the situation—as long as it wasn't a one-sided attack, it was fine. So he offered his advice:
"Since you don't know what to do right now, the best thing to do is to do nothing for the time being."

"Mo?" Taeyeon blinked in confusion, not following his train of thought.

Jiang Che began to explain:
"Think about it, after a long period of no contact, someone suddenly becomes very enthusiastic and takes the initiative to contact you."

Logically speaking, this person is most likely either asking to borrow money or want you to give them a wedding gift. In short, being too eager might make others suspect ulterior motives.

Taeyeon listened, her lips twitching slightly. She wanted to refute it, but then felt that it did make some sense.

Jiang Che felt more and more justified as he spoke:
"So, it's best to think things through carefully. The best approach is to slowly approach them, lower their guard, and then ask to borrow money once the relationship has warmed up. That will greatly increase the success rate... Ah, no, I'm getting off-topic," he quickly stopped himself:

"Anyway, that's roughly the idea. You get the gist of it."

Taeyeon looked at him speechlessly:
"...Where did you learn all this twisted and heretical logic?"

“That’s called social experience!” Jiang Che raised an eyebrow smugly, then explained his plan:
"So, for now, just maintain the status quo, neither take the initiative nor refuse, and let things take their course. I'll find an opportunity later to use Yoona's identity to sound her out and find out her true thoughts and attitude towards you before taking the next step. That would be safer."

Taeyeon didn't have a better idea at the moment. Seeing that Kang Cheol's analysis was very logical and that he had even taken on the task of reconnaissance, she nodded.

"Hmm... okay, I'll listen to you. Take your time."

Having settled things with Taeyeon, Jiang Che immediately remembered that he also needed to talk to Yoona and Sunny about the situation, especially the relationship between Sunny and Jessica. He quickly took out his phone and opened the group chat called "Girls' Generation and Temporary Workers".

Fingers flew across the screen:
[@Yoona @Sunny, guess who I ran into at the party today?]

A reply came shortly after the message was sent.

Yoona: [Who?]

Then came Sunny: [Who? Your party's over?!]

Jiang Che stared at the screen and dropped the second bombshell of the night: [Jessica.]

The bomb's power caused a brief pause in the group chat.

Then--

Im Yoona: [Panic.jpg What's going on? How did you run into her again??]

Sunny: [? ? Jessica Jung ? ? ? ]

Then, Sunny astutely grasped the key words in Yoona's words and immediately asked:
【Again? Yoona, why did you say "again"? Have you already seen this before? @KangCheol_confused.jpg】

Yoona, on the other side of the screen, clearly realized she had let something slip, and adhering to the principle of "better to sacrifice a friend than myself," she decisively shifted the blame:
[Unnie, you should ask him... he knows better... well-behaved.jpg]

Jiang Che was speechless at Yoona's swift attempt to shift the blame.
'She was the one who kept it from Sunny before, and now she's the one who leaked the news. Im Yoona, you're really something else! Your skills at shifting blame are getting more and more adept!'

But since things had come to this, he had no choice but to resign himself to taking over the conversation and explaining:

[Well... it's a long story. Anyway, I bumped into her once when I was filling in for a role on "New Journey to the West" in Beijing, and we even had a meal together. But that's not important!]

He quickly steered the conversation back on track: "The important thing is this time!"

Then, he briefly recounted what had happened that evening.

After the message was sent, the group was quiet for a few seconds, as if everyone was digesting this story with a huge amount of information.

After describing it, Jiang Che quickly changed the subject again, which was what he really wanted to find out:

[@sunny, so, Sunny, what's your relationship with Jessica?]

When Yoona saw the message from Kang Cheol, she was truly impressed by his ability to quickly resolve the trouble he had caused.

Sunny: Hey! Is this the time to ask me? Jiang Cheol, you better explain why Jessica drove you home!
Also, how many things are you and Yoona still hiding from us? How come we didn't know you met Jessica in Beijing?

Seeing Sunny's barrage of questions, and considering that Yoona in the group chat seemed to be genuinely faking it, Jiang Che sighed helplessly and had no choice but to continue explaining:
Back when we were in Beijing, I didn't think it was important. It was just a chance encounter and we had a meal together, nothing more. Besides, I don't know why she insisted on seeing me off this time. I originally wanted to walk by myself, but she wouldn't let me.

After the message was sent, Sunny didn't reply immediately. Just as Jiang Che was hesitating whether to ask again, she suddenly sent a message:
So... you're at Taeyeon's house now? Are you coming back today?

Taeyeon, who was sitting next to Kang Cheol, also saw the message and immediately looked up at him with clear expectation in her eyes.

Jiang Che immediately felt the gaze directed at him from the side, chuckled dryly, and for a moment didn't know how to respond.

On the other side of the screen, Yoona unconsciously gripped her phone tighter after seeing Sunny's message. She pursed her lips, a strange sense of irritation welling up inside her.

'This guy... he's not really going to spend the night at Taeyeon unnie's place, is he?' Although she knew that his relationship with Taeyeon was no longer what it used to be, and was certain that nothing would happen,
But the thought of him possibly staying there overnight still brought an inexplicable unease and a subtle pang of sadness. She stared at the screen, waiting for Jiang Che's response.

Looking at Sunny's "brilliant stroke," Jiang Che seriously suspected that she did it on purpose—just to get revenge on him for not mentioning that he had met Jessica in Beijing.

As he felt Taeyeon's gaze beside him and imagined Yoona's possible expression on the other side of the screen, he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Um... I might still have to go back to Sunny's house," he said to Taeyeon somewhat awkwardly.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Taeyeon's eyes, but it quickly turned into understanding. She tried to make her tone sound light:
"Of course, living in a neutral country has its advantages, right?"

Jiang Che gave an awkward smile and quickly commented in the group chat: "Of course I'm going back, Sunny! Don't you want your cousin to come home?"

Sunny quickly replied: [Get lost.jpg I was just asking, after all, it seems like my cousin can go home to quite a few places now.] This clearly teasing remark made Jiang Che's lips twitch, confirming once again that Sunny was deliberately stirring things up. He quickly steered the conversation back to the original question:

[Don't change the subject! Tell me honestly, what is your relationship with Jessica Jung? I'm just preparing for my future substitute work.]

If you happen to run into her with your face on it someday, you'll be mentally prepared and won't be in such a passive position like you are today.

This time, Sunny didn't beat around the bush and answered truthfully:

[Sooyeon and I? We're just regular former teammates, a little better than Taeyeon and her, but not particularly close. It's like—we'll greet each other when we meet and chat for a bit; but we don't ask each other out for meals, and we don't send each other holiday greetings.]
No matter how well her business is doing, I won't ask for coupons. Simply put, it's a relationship where she's just sitting quietly in my contacts, but I'll never initiate contact.

We're like the most familiar strangers, since everyone has their own path, and forcing us to reminisce would only be awkward. Maintaining this just-right distance is comfortable for everyone.

Taeyeon and Yoona on the other side of the screen stared at the phrase "the most familiar stranger" and both fell into a daze.

Kang Che noticed Taeyeon beside him lost in thought and quickly lowered his head to type:
That's the gist of the situation. If Jessica asks you about Taeyeon later, just know what to expect and handle it accordingly.

Yoona: OK.

Sunny: OK.

Upon receiving the reply, Jiang Che put down his phone, ruffled Taeyeon's hair, and chuckled softly:
"Don't overthink it, leave the rest to me. I'll be going now?"

Taeyeon snapped out of her daze and leaned forward to gently hug him.
"Okay, be careful on the road. Thank you for today."

"Why are you being so polite with me?" Jiang Che said in a low voice, noticing her reluctance.
"If the plan goes smoothly, I'll buy a big villa next year, and then..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was self-evident.

Taeyeon's cheeks flushed slightly, and she gently punched his shoulder:

"Oh! Dream on! Who wants to live with you..."

Jiang Che laughed heartily and hugged her tightly again:

"Then I'm leaving."

"Okay," Taeyeon let go of her hand and handed over her car keys.
"Take my car back."

Seeing that he had taken it, she remembered something and added:
"Oh, right, here you go too." With that, she gently placed a spare key in his palm.

He accepted it with a smile, glanced at her one last time, and then turned and left.

The door closed softly, and silence returned to the apartment. Taeyeon leaned back on the sofa, half her mind blank, bewildered by the unexpected breaking of their impasse.
The other half was the reassurance brought by Jiang Che's words, "Leave it to me." She sighed softly and whispered:

"take it easy……"

Meanwhile, Sulli, who had been taken home by Jessica Jung, was absentmindedly brushing her teeth in front of the sink.
Her mouth full of foam couldn't hide her wandering thoughts, which kept replaying in her mind the scene from tonight when "Taeyeon unnie" stood in front of her and confronted the director and manager.

That feeling of being protected is both warm and reassuring.

"But...that feeling...it's so familiar..." she mumbled indistinctly, toothbrush in her mouth, her brows furrowing slightly.

"How come... the more I think about it, the more he looks like Kang Cheol oppa?"

The moment the thought popped into her head, she was startled.

'Could soul swapping... be contagious?' Her mind raced with these wild ideas, but she immediately dismissed them:

"But that doesn't make sense. If it's contagious, how come I wasn't infected? And why would they need to hide something from me?"

The more I think about it, the more confused I get; my mind feels like a jumbled mess.

"Ugh, I don't want to think about it anymore!" She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off those strange associations.
'It must be because Taeyeon unnie and Kang Cheol oppa have spent so much time together that they seem similar. Yes, that must be it!'

Sulli ultimately attributed it to the illusion caused by experiencing too much tonight—after all, Taeyeon unnie is usually very caring and reliable.

She rinsed her mouth, successfully convincing herself to stop dwelling on the issue, and turned back to her room.

Jessica Jung smoothly drove the car into the apartment building's parking lot. After parking, she took the elevator upstairs, entered the password, and with a "beep," the door unlocked.

The room was dimly lit, with only the television screen in the living room emitting a faint glow, accompanied by eerie background music, making it especially chilling in the quiet night.

She frowned, gently closed the door, bent down to change into her slippers, and walked towards the living room.

By the light of the television, she saw Krystal Jung curled up in the corner of the sofa, a thin blanket haphazardly covering her, her eyes wide open, staring intently at the screen, not even noticing her approaching.

"Soojung, why aren't the lights on? What are you watching?" she said, turning her gaze to the television.

Just then, a pale, ghostly face suddenly appeared on the television screen, accompanied by a piercing shriek!
"Ahhhhhh—!" Jung Soo-jung, who was curled up in the corner of the sofa, suddenly burst out with a dolphin-like scream that could lift the roof off, and was so frightened that she almost jumped off the sofa.

Almost simultaneously, Jessica Jung, who was completely unprepared, was also terrified and screamed in shock:

"Ahhh! Ahhh!" Two high-pitched screams of terror erupted in the living room.

After the scream, the air froze for a second.

Both were startled by the other's reaction and turned to each other simultaneously:

"What's your name?!"

"Unnie, what's your name?!"

Jessica Jung clutched her still-pounding heart, feeling like her soul was about to leap out of her mouth. She snapped on the living room light with a huff.

The bright light instantly dispelled the darkness, allowing her to see clearly what was in front of her—the female ghost on the television screen had disappeared;

The little girl on the sofa had a pale face and wide-open eyes, looking like she was still in shock.

(End of this chapter)