Peninsula: I'm being supported by a top idol.

A little later, two figures lay side by side on the gym floor.

The arrowhead was placed between the two of them; rather than being a prop for entering a dream, it was more like a dividing line.

Cui Shi'an closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind.

But the subtle noises around him, the unique fragrance emanating from Liu Zhimin, and the overwhelming presence of the mountain range made it difficult for him to relax.

Liu Zhimin was in the same boat, his eyes closed but his mind in turmoil.

She could clearly hear his uneven breathing and feel his body temperature from the other side.

After a while, she finally couldn't resist anymore. She quietly opened her eyes a crack, her gaze sliding over his high nose bridge and tightly pursed lips, finally settling on his slightly bobbing Adam's apple.

Then, my heart started beating even faster.

The whole process lasted for about ten minutes. The room was quiet the whole time, with only two breaths of varying intensity and heartbeats that could be heard.

After a while, Liu Zhimin finally couldn't help but tilt his head slightly towards him: "Are you asleep?"

"..." Cui Shi'an let out a soft nasal sound: "Mmm."

"Tch." Liu Zhimin simply propped his head up and looked over: "Can you talk even when you're asleep?"

"Ugh!" Choi Si-an sat up abruptly. He didn't know if it was because Yoo Ji-min was next to him, but he really wasn't sleepy at all.

Needless to say, girls are even more likely to fall asleep right after exercising, still covered in sweat.

"What should we do then? We can't just wait until night, can we? What time does the gym close?"

Liu Zhimin blinked lightly, his eyes holding a half-smile: "It's twelve o'clock."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shi'an turned around and looked at her hesitantly: "Then how about..."

"How about... a hotel?" Liu Zhimin blinked, and when she saw Cui Shi'an's instantly stiff expression, her smile widened. "No way, I have to go back to my dorm tonight~"

As she spoke, she symbolically pulled her coat collar up, as if to guard against thieves, but her tone was full of teasing:

"Besides, who knows if someone might use 'entering the dream' as an excuse to make some even more outrageous 'assistance requests'?"

Cui Shi'an retorted angrily, "Here we go again, don't you?"

"Hahaha~" Liu Zhimin laughed so hard he was bent over, lying on his side, finding it increasingly fun to tease him.

"That's exactly right. What if we go to a hotel, and you say that just sleeping might not be enough—and then you make me take my clothes off..."

"Hey," Cui Shi'an ignored her teasing and said bluntly, "I mean, how about we try having some drinks? Maybe that'll help me fall asleep, what do you say?"

"Hmm?" Liu Zhimin's eyes lit up, and he sat up as well. "How about we buy some more snacks to go with the drinks?"

Cui Shi'an was speechless: "Are you playing around? How long are we going to keep drinking?"

Liu Zhimin pouted, but didn't give up. She moved closer to him and said softly in a slightly coquettish tone:

"Just a little drink~ I can't sleep anyway, and... there's nothing else to do, okay?"

Her eyes shone brightly under the light, filled with undisguised expectation and a touch of childlike cunning, as if she knew he would soften his heart.

Sure enough, Cui Shi'an's sense of helplessness and principles melted away silently, like thin ice under the sun.

He really couldn't persuade her otherwise.

"...Alright." Cui Shi'an sighed, but his tone didn't betray much reluctance. "Just one thing. It's settled."

"Yes~" Yoo Ji-min instantly broke into a bright smile.

Seeing her so happy, like a child, over such a simple thing, Cui Shi'an's previously tense nerves relaxed without him even realizing it.

He turned his head slightly, a hint of tenderness flashing across his face that he himself didn't even realize, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved upwards into a subtle arc.

It turns out that making her happy is so simple, and... it's a good thing to do.

"What's that?" Liu Zhimin had already excitedly pulled out his phone, his fingertips rapidly swiping across the screen:

"Fried chicken? Oh no, it has salt... Rice cakes? They have sauce too... Seafood pancakes? They seem to have salt too..."

The girl muttered to herself as she selected items, consulting his opinion on almost every single one, just like that night.

Cui Shi'an suddenly realized that he might have really misjudged her before. Thinking of this, he said softly:

"Order whatever you like; I won't eat anything I can't eat."

In the end, at Choi Si-an's suggestion, she stubbornly ordered only some fruit platters and light side dishes, plus some fruit-flavored soju.

The food arrived quickly. The two pushed the equipment aside and spread out a disposable tablecloth on the open space where they had been lying, then sat down cross-legged facing each other.

The can was pulled open with a crisp "hiss" sound.

A subtle aroma of fruit and alcohol permeates the air, creating a peculiar yet relaxing atmosphere in this small, private gym.

"Cheers~" Liu Zhimin raised her pink peach-flavored soju bottle, looking at him with sparkling eyes.

Cui Shi'an smiled, picked up his own jar, and gently tapped it against hers. The soft "ding" sound was particularly clear in the quiet room.

"By the way, you said you're religious, right?" Cui Shi'an suddenly asked.

"Yes, Karina is my baptismal name, what's wrong?"

Cui Shi'an shook his head and said nothing, but he felt a little absurd.

He was clearly a human pillar on the peninsula in his past life, but he converted to Catholicism in this life?

What's wrong?

Want to be a guardian angel?

However, in retrospect, there seems to be no difference between human pillars and angels; they are just different names.

The bearded man also said that in this world, besides the messengers of hell, there are also the Grim Reaper and the Black and White Impermanence, but in reality, they all do the same work.

"But...did you ask yesterday?" She put down the can and wiped her mouth. "When exactly are we going to be able to leave the North District?"

"I'm not quite sure either. I probably need to remember something to be sure." Cui Shi'an's expression was somewhat gloomy.

A hint of regret flashed across the girl's face, but it disappeared in an instant, and she even comforted her:

"Kenchana, the North District has everything, it doesn't matter whether you go out or not."

After saying that, she suddenly glanced at him with a hint of probing in her eyes, and said half-jokingly:

"I'll probably move out of the dorm next year, and I've been looking at apartments lately... How about I just buy one in the northern part of the city?"

As soon as she said it, she seemed to realize that it was too blunt, so she quickly lowered her head, took a sip of wine, and her ears turned slightly red.

Cui Shi'an was slightly taken aback.

Almost at the same instant, another figure appeared in my mind—senior Song Zhiya.

For better career prospects, she moved to Songpa District on the other side of the Han River without hesitation; that river was an insurmountable barrier for her.

But her choice was rational and realistic, and aligned with all her plans for the "future".

The girl in front of him, the girl who was radiant with the light of "Karina" and should have had a wider world, casually said that she wanted to move into the "cage" that trapped him.

It's not for the sake of the future, not for convenience, and it might even bring countless troubles.

Simply because... he's here.

A feeling mixed with bitterness, shock, and an indescribable warmth enveloped his heart.

It was clearer than any fragment of a past life memory, and more powerful than any admonition from gods or demons.

He looked at Liu Zhimin's lowered, flushed profile, and at her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the can. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

"……good."

Cui Shi'an heard his own voice.

Not high, but exceptionally clear and certain.

Liu Zhimin suddenly raised his eyes and met that serious gaze.

There were no jokes, no perfunctory remarks.

The blush on her face spread rapidly, even more intense than before, and even her neck turned pink.

So she hurriedly looked away, her fingers digging even harder at the can, as if there were some markings on it that needed urgent attention, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I... I was just saying... It's not decided yet..."

She explained softly, trying to hide her barely contained shyness and...joy.

To prevent the atmosphere from spiraling further into embarrassment, she abruptly and almost impatiently changed the subject:

"By the way! Our group is going to participate in your Korea IPSE Lenti Music Festival!"

"Okay." Cui Shi'an nodded calmly. "Then I'll be your bodyguard."

"Who...who needs you as a bodyguard..."

Liu Zhimin quickly lowered her eyelashes, trying to hide the sudden, irrepressible joy that welled up in her eyes, but her cheeks honestly grew even hotter:

"I was just saying..."

She paused, then suddenly looked up, her gaze shifting:

"Then... I'll ask the staff unnie... if we can invite student volunteers to the backstage area..."