Peninsula: My e-sports dream shattered, I chose to become an actor.

The script reading, which lasted for more than ten days, has finally come to an end.

In the conference room, Li Mingye was in a good mood, making final annotations on his script. The pen tip glided across the paper, leaving simple yet clear marks—the result of his in-depth analysis of the character over the past period.

"You need to control your emotions here. Choi Young-do isn't the type to easily show weakness..."

"The anger directed at Kim Tan here is more outward, because it stems from years of suppressed jealousy and resentment..."

With the last few strokes, Li Mingye closed his pen and looked around. People in the meeting room were leaving one by one, and his gaze fell on Jin Zhiyuan, who was tidying up the script beside him.

"Sister Zhiyuan," Li Mingye said naturally, his voice clear and bright, "Are you free later?"

Kim Ji-won was engrossed in reviewing her role as Yoo Rachel when she heard the voice. She looked up somewhat slowly, her eyes still vacant, staring blankly at him.

"Hmm? What's up?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to invite you to dinner." Li Mingye smiled slightly, his eyes sincere. "Thank you for taking care of me during this time, it's a good opportunity to get together privately."

He didn't have any other intentions; he simply wanted to use the meal as an opportunity to smooth out the interpersonal relationships within the film crew.

Kim Ji-won hesitated for a moment, then glanced around instinctively and asked softly, "Is there anyone else?"

"I originally wanted to invite writer Eun-sook and Soo-jung, but they have other things to take care of." Lee Myung-yeop shook his head, then added, "But Hyun-seok is here too. If Ji-won unnie doesn't mind, she can also invite her manager and assistant. The more people, the more fun it will be."

Upon hearing that there were other people present, Kim Ji-won visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

If they were to have a private, one-on-one meal together and get photographed, it would definitely be a major scandal. Although such a scandal could generate buzz, especially since their drama has a romantic storyline, Kim Ji-won is someone who cherishes her reputation and doesn't like this kind of manipulation to gain fame before the drama even airs.

"Okay then." Kim Ji-won gave a friendly and appropriate smile.

Li Mingye smiled contentedly and said, "Alright, I know a good restaurant nearby."

Things went more smoothly than he had expected; he had been prepared for a polite rejection.

It seems that all the socializing I did during the breaks between reading sessions these past few days has paid off.

Seeing Lee Myung-yeop's undisguised joy, Kim Ji-won smiled back, but another thought popped into her mind.

"He's being so proactive, taking me out to dinner and constantly trying to talk to me, is he trying to pursue me?"

The thought immediately put Kim Ji-won on guard; she had no intention of dating right now.

It's not that she's overly sensitive; it's just that she's been pursued by so many people that it's easy for her to think about this.

"Should we keep more distance from each other in the future?" Just as she thought of this, Kim Ji-won silently rejected the idea in her mind.

Whether the actors have a good chemistry is something the audience can easily discern. If the lack of on-screen chemistry is due to an attempt to avoid suspicion, then that's a matter of professional ethics.

Kim Ji-won considers herself a very professional actress.

"Oh well, let nature take its course," Kim Ji-won thought to herself, picking up her bag and standing up. "Anyway, it's not like I've never rejected someone's advances before."

Having booked a restaurant on his phone, Li Mingye didn't notice the changing look in Jin Zhiyuan's eyes. He looked up and said cheerfully:

"I've made the reservations, shall we go together?"

Kim Ji-won nodded, a flawless smile on her face, and followed in his footsteps.

……

The next day, in Lee Myung-yeop's private lounge at the JYP building.

The air conditioner was turned up high, keeping out the heat from outside.

What is Lee Min-ho like in private?

Lim Nayeon sat on Lee Myung-yeop's lap like a koala, her arms wrapped around his neck, and asked curiously. Her bright rabbit eyes blinked, revealing a curious spirit.

"It's alright, not too enthusiastic but not too cold either, just maintaining social distance." Li Mingye naturally put one arm around her slender waist and gently caressed it. "We're not that close yet, and besides, he's a big star after all, it's normal for him to be a little aloof."

"Huh?" Lim Nayeon pouted slightly, looking somewhat surprised. "I thought he would use his seniority to trip you up."

"Do you think this is a TV drama?" Li Mingye pinched her butt in an annoyed tone. It felt very elastic. "It's not a big deal. She's a senior who debuted in 06. She has the composure to handle this."

Of course, if he were really tripped up, he certainly wouldn't tolerate it.

He's not a very settled person.

"Hmm~" Lim Nayeon groaned in pain as he pinched her, like a small animal being squeezed by the back of its neck, muttering, "I saw it online too..."

Li Mingye freed one hand and gently stroked Lin Nalian's nose, asking, "Where did you learn all this?"

"Your fan base, huh?" Lim Nayeon raised her eyebrows and said with a hint of pride.

At this point, she suddenly leaned close to Li Mingye's face, grinning to reveal her signature small white teeth, smiling like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish:

"The thought that they call me 'husband' or 'oppa' in the group chat every day, and now the husband they call me is obediently in my arms letting me tease him, makes me very happy."

The deep affection revealed in those eyes warmed Li Mingye's heart.

"How is Park Shin-hye?"

"It's pretty good. It helped me a lot, since I had quite a few scenes with her."

"What about Krystal Jung? She's an idol too. I quite like them. I think she's really cool."

"..."

Lim Nayeon and Lee Myung-yeop gave a question-and-answer session, commenting on many of the main creators.

Finally, Lim Nayeon paused, her eyes flickering, and seemingly casually posed the last question:

"What about Kim Ji-won?"

Li Mingye's expression shifted.

—The vinegar has arrived.

Goodness, no wonder they left it until the end. Was it really necessary to build up for so long?

Seeing the feigned curiosity on Lim Nayeon's face and the hint of nervousness she was trying so hard to hide in her eyes, Lee Myungyeol suppressed a laugh, thought carefully for a moment, and then carefully chose his words:

"Ji-won unnie... she doesn't seem to like socializing much, and she's a bit slow to warm up to people."

It's a bit difficult to communicate with her privately; she seems quite distant.

"Huh?"

Nayeon's voice suddenly rose a pitch, and her eyebrows lifted dramatically, clearly indicating that she was very satisfied with the answer.

"That's a real shame. Will it affect your filming?" she pressed, her tone tinged with schadenfreude.

Seeing Lim Nayeon's obvious joy, Lee Myung-yeop couldn't help but smile: "No, Ji-won unnie has a very high level of professionalism and is very serious about acting."

"Uh-huh."

Lim Nayeon responded cheerfully, completely relaxing and snuggling against Lee Myung-yeop.

But after a while, she hesitated, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, and finally couldn't help but ask in a hesitant, soft voice:

"So, did you and her... have any kissing scenes in the drama?"

Seeing how adorable she was, Li Mingye was in a great mood and leaned in to give her a big kiss on the cheek.

"It's not in the script yet," Lee Myung-yeop said, looking directly into Lim Na-yeon's eyes after the kiss. "Even if it is, I'll make it up to you."

"Okay." Lim Nayeon nodded at the less-than-satisfactory answer without any strong reaction.

She is also a fairly rational person. Actors, especially young idol actors, cannot avoid filming kissing scenes; it's just a matter of time.

However, despite saying that, she still cared. After all, she was still a young girl with a strong possessive streak, and the thought of Li Mingye kissing another woman always made her feel a little sour.

Seeing her somewhat downcast look, Li Mingye gently stroked her brow. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Lim Nayeon suddenly say:

Kiss me.

Nayeon looked away slightly, not daring to look him in the eye, but she leaned closer to him, opening her arms to hug him. Her cheeks were a little chubby, like a little hamster begging for food.

Seeing the contrast between her expression and words, Li Mingye's emotions were instantly ignited.

He said no more and bent down.

"...Be gentle."

A moment later, Lim Nayeon, her face flushed, breathlessly spoke during a break in their intimacy.

Immediately afterwards, the sound was blocked again.