Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 60 is full of truth.
Looking at her like this, Jiang Che quickly calculated in his mind:
She couldn't possibly be here to discuss dissociative identity psychology with me, could she? But it's a good opportunity to get some information out of Sunny, to see what's really going on, and, incidentally, to see if I can use reason and emotion to persuade her to invest a little more? No, I mean, a win-win situation!

He stepped aside:

"Of course it's convenient, unnie, come in."

Taeyeon walked in carrying a pillow, curiously looking around the room. Kang Cheol got her a bottle of water, then sat on the edge of the bed, pondering how to start the conversation.

"Unnie, you must be exhausted today?" He started an awkward conversation.

"Hmm..." Taeyeon responded absentmindedly, her fingers unconsciously picking at the label on her water bottle. A subtle silence fell over the room.

Jiang Che decided to take the initiative and casually asked:
"Unnie, do you think Sunny unnie is acting a little strange today? She keeps looking at me with a... um... indescribable look."

Upon hearing this, Taeyeon's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. Strange? Sunny's reaction wasn't strange at all; it was clearly... the look of someone completely obsessed with a romantic pairing!
Should I tell Yoona's alternate personality that Sunny thinks there's something going on between us? How could I possibly say that!

Her cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes began to dart around, and she stammered:

"Huh? Really? Maybe...maybe she just thought you looked really cool today? Yes! You were amazing!"

Then, they forcibly changed the subject:

"Let's not talk about that! What about you? How did you... how did you awaken as a secondary personality? What happened to Yoona that I don't know about?"

Jiang Che: "..." Well, before we've even gotten to the funding, this squad leader has already asked a question that's way beyond our scope!

Looking at Taeyeon's serious yet inquisitive gaze, he felt utterly overwhelmed. What dimension did this girl's imagination run into? She just asked him another question he had to make up on the spot?

Jiang Che's eyes quickly swept across the room, his gaze catching the sight of the drinks in the hotel cabinet—oh dear! The same old trick again, just like last time! Get them pretty drunk first, then they'll be easier to fool, and then he can smoothly bring up the topic of funds...

“Uh…it’s a long story, a bit complicated…” Jiang Che said as he walked to the liquor cabinet, taking out two bottles of what looked like high-proof spirits and some glasses:
"Unnie, shall we chat while we drink? A little drink might make it easier to relax and fall asleep."

Taeyeon glanced at the wine, then at Kang Cheol, remembering how she had slept soundly and deeply after drinking with this alternate personality last time, and how her worries seemed to have temporarily disappeared. So she nodded: "Okay... sure."

Jiang Che was secretly pleased and quickly poured the wine. The two clinked glasses, and Taeyeon took a small sip before asking again:

"Can you tell me now? How did you awaken?"

Jiang Che wore a blank expression as if he was trying hard to remember:
"Actually... I'm not really sure either. One day, I opened my eyes and found that I was in this world, and the first person I saw was Unnie."

Perfect! I told the truth! I silently gave myself a thumbs up—if things come to light later, don't blame me for lying.

Taeyeon was slightly taken aback. So... Kang Cheol, who was drinking with her back then, was it at that moment that he awakened?

And she was actually the first person she met after she came into this world? This thought involuntarily reminded her of those fateful first encounters in Korean dramas, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

She quickly cleared her throat, trying to change the subject:
"Then... if you don't come out, where do you usually stay? Are you... asleep inside Yoona's body?"

Jiang Che rolled his eyes inwardly: I'm inside my own body! But he said aloud, going along with her words:
"Well, not really... it's just... a very ordinary room, nothing special." A room? Taeyeon's mind instantly conjured up images of empty rooms with white walls, typical of movies, with a lonely figure huddled in a corner... Her heart skipped a beat, a slight pang of tenderness rising within her.

"Then...won't it be boring? Lonely?" she asked softly, her tone carrying a tenderness she herself didn't realize.

Bored? Jiang Che asked cautiously:
"Hmm...it can be a bit boring sometimes." After all, being stuck in the apartment and unable to go out is quite boring.

These words, when heard by Taeyeon, completely confirmed her imagination. She fell silent, looking down at the swirling liquid in her glass, her long eyelashes casting a shadow.

Quiet...boring...alone...

Suddenly, she seemed to think of herself. Many times, she would lock herself in her room, feeling as if she were in an invisible white space, where outsiders couldn't get in and she couldn't get out.

So... she was like that too?
Her eyes suddenly reddened, and tears fell without warning, landing on the back of her hand.

"Unnie?! What's wrong?" Jiang Che was startled and immediately panicked. Why is she crying? He didn't say anything! He just chimed in, saying it was a bit boring! Is this rich woman's tear trigger so bizarre?

He quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it over.

Taeyeon took the tissue, her tears falling even harder. The alcohol and her emotional turmoil of the day seemed to have opened a floodgate. She began to speak haltingly, her voice choked with sobs:

"It's nothing... I just feel like I kind of understand that feeling... being locked up, unable to get out... Many times, I also feel so tired... so much pressure... I have to do so well..."

"I can't let everyone down... but I really..." She couldn't continue, and just lowered her head and shed tears.

Jiang Che had initially been concerned about his startup capital, but seeing the squad leader in front of him sobbing uncontrollably, he suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.
His current appearance seemed to trigger a heavy and familiar memory in him, and his throat suddenly felt dry.

He stood quietly by her side, unable to utter a single word of what he had prepared. In the end, he simply pulled out a few tissues, gently handed them over, and swallowed back all his plans.

Forget it, let's talk about investments another time. In the current situation, bringing up money again would be really inhuman.

Taeyeon became increasingly upset as she spoke, and she drank more and more alcohol.

Seemingly trying to use the alcohol to clear away all her pent-up negative emotions at once, she pointed at Jiang Che, her voice trembling with tears and reproach:
"And you too! You're a bad person too! You promised to hang out with me, but you didn't... leaving me all alone... hiccup... alone to overthink things..."

Jiang Che: "..." No, what was it that we were talking about who would invite whom to play?

He felt as if he had lost a brain after being accused so unjustly.

She didn't know how long she had been drinking, but Taeyeon seemed to have finally exhausted her negative emotions. Her tears slowly stopped, but the intoxication was overwhelming. She staggered to her feet, her steps unsteady.

"Um... I... I have to go back... Thank you for the drink... Yoona..."

　Newbie seeking everything

　　
　
(End of this chapter)