Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 79 The Gift of Fireflies
He was so startled by his own absurd idea that he sobered up a bit, quickly shook his head, and chuckled:

"Haha, great! It's a good thing that you teammates have a good relationship! Come on, let's eat!"

After saying that, she picked up her glass and drank it all in one gulp, assuming that the strange feeling was just the effect of alcohol. Yoona's ears turned red, which was a sign of embarrassment after being praised by the leader.

But Lin Yoona, sitting next to Jiang Che, felt completely different at this moment.

Her gaze was fixed on Jiang Che's incredibly serious profile—were those words... meant for her?

Is he talking about the person who imprisoned him at home, beat him at the drop of a hat, and always complained about the trouble he caused? Am I really that good?
She thought Jiang Che would just brush it off with a few perfunctory words, but she never expected him to say something like that.

So Jiang Che was sincerely expressing his gratitude to her family?

"I'm so glad I met Yoona..."

"Yoona is a very good person..."

These words echoed repeatedly in her mind, and a complex and indescribable emotion welled up in her heart. It was as if something had gently bumped into her heart, making her feel a little sour, a little soft, and a little at a loss.

She quickly looked away, lowered her head, and unconsciously poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks. She felt that her ears and cheeks were burning.

Why is this guy suddenly getting so serious...?

That's really... I hate it.

Dinner drew to a close in this subtle atmosphere. Jiang Che belatedly sensed this subtlety as well. He secretly glanced at Yoon-ah beside him, only to find that she seemed to be deliberately avoiding eye contact with him.

After dinner, Mr. Lin asked Yoon-ah if she wanted to stay at his house that night. Yoon-ah looked at Jiang Cheol, shook her head, and said:
"I'm not staying here today. I'm going to take Taeyeon unnie back."

On the way back, both were silent. Yoona focused on driving, while Kang Cheol was brainstorming beside her:
Did I... mess up my performance just now? I don't think so, right? Yoona's dad seems pretty happy? But why isn't Yoona saying anything?
He glanced at Yoona; the streetlight shone through the car window onto her delicate profile, making her look pretty, but her face remained expressionless.

Once they reached the apartment building and got out of the car, Yoona suddenly spoke:
"Today... your performance was alright."

"Ah? Oh! That's good! Hehe!" Jiang Che breathed a sigh of relief, scratched Taeyeon's head, and transformed into Locke.Yeon.

Yoona glanced at him, then quickly looked away and headed for the elevator.
"Let's go, upstairs."

"I'm coming!"

As the elevator ascended, Yoona looked at Kang Cheol's reflection in the mirrored door, her expression becoming complicated once again.

The words, "It's so great to have met Yoona," and that incredibly earnest look in her eyes, left her in a state of turmoil the whole way. It wasn't until the elevator "dinged" and arrived at her floor that she seemed to suddenly snap out of her daze and quickly stepped out of the elevator car.

Jiang Che followed behind her, seemingly wanting to say something, but she just lowered her head to open the door, as if that would avoid further communication.

After finally arriving home, Yoona breathed a sigh of relief. She rubbed her stiff cheeks and prepared to remove her makeup, wash up, and go to sleep, but was suddenly grabbed by Jiang Che's wrist.

"Wait a minute!" Jiang Che's voice sounded a little urgent.

Yoona turned around in confusion, only to see that Jiang Che's face had an expression that was a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

Then, without saying a word, he pulled her towards the living room:
"Come here and sit down."

Yoona was half-heartedly pushed onto the sofa, watching as Jiang Che pulled out a large urea bag from somewhere and took out one glass bottle after another filled with fireflies.
Yoona watched him place the glass bottles one by one on the floor and asked in confusion:
"What...what are you trying to do?"

Jiang Che didn't turn around, his voice muffled: "A birthday present for you! Isn't today your birthday?" Hearing this, Yoona felt that strange feeling resurfaced, but she habitually feigned disgust:
"Hey, what's the point of you eating my food, living in my house, and buying gifts with my money... And when did you prepare the fireflies? I didn't know about them." This guy hasn't even left the house.

"Oh, I have a brilliant plan! I'll buy it online, use a fake name, and then dress up carefully when I go to pick it up. I guarantee no one will find out!"

Jiang Che didn't even look up, busy as he was.
The fireflies' faint light appeared, their tiny green glows gently shimmering in the dimness. The flickering light reflected on Jiang Che's face, not clearly illuminating his features, yet in the hazy light, a gentleness that seemed otherworldly arose spontaneously.

Yoona stared blankly at the scene before her, and suddenly felt that the person in front of her was both familiar and strange—like a prince who had stepped out of a fairy tale and accidentally landed in her living room, clumsily arranging a starry night for her.

Just then, as if remembering something, Jiang Che suddenly stood up straight, closed his eyes, and transformed into Lin Yoona's appearance.

Yoona snapped back to reality, her eyes widening slightly, the dazed tenderness she had just felt shattered in an instant.

"...Hey! Why did you suddenly turn into me? You scared me!"

“I’ll be right soon!”

Jiang Che winked mysteriously, then turned around and pulled out a guitar from behind the sofa.

Yoona's eyes widened slightly. A guitar? He can play the guitar? Is he going to sing? This gift... is a bit unexpected.

Jiang Che, holding his guitar, walked to the center surrounded by the faint light of fireflies, then sat cross-legged on the floor, gently plucked the strings a couple of times, and tested the sound.

Then he looked up at Yoona, his eyes devoid of their usual playfulness and mischief, appearing unusually sincere: "Well... happy birthday, Yoona. I... well, I think I wrote a song called 'To You'? Anyway, it's for you in this world."

Yoona didn't say anything, but unconsciously sat up slightly.

His fingers gently glided across the strings, and a soft, slightly melancholic prelude flowed out. The melody was simple, yet surprisingly catchy.

Then, he began to sing softly:

"(This is really something new and interesting)"

"(Whether it's the name or the appearance)"

"(They are all different faces)"

He was using Yoona's voice, but the emotions flowing through his singing were clearly his own. The lyrics are like a simple narrative poem, depicting a wonderful encounter.

(My feelings for you)

"(What kind of air has it become?)"

"(Will you remember me?)"

In the chorus, the melody rises slightly, yet carries an indescribable sorrow of parting.

But the lyrics that follow... seem to describe a destined but short-lived encounter—two completely different souls meet unexpectedly in a vast world, spend a warm time together, leave behind precious memories, but may eventually have to part ways.

Jiang Che lowered his head slightly, focusing intently on playing and singing. His profile appeared somewhat unreal and soft in the dim light of the fireflies.

In that instant, scenes from the past involuntarily flashed through Yoona's mind—

(End of this chapter)