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

October arrived in the blink of an eye, and the month-long filming of "The Heirs" in the United States was finally coming to an end, with the entire crew about to return to the Peninsula.

The last scene the crew filmed in the United States was a romantic scene between the male and female leads on the street. Lee Myung-yeop sat in a nearby rest area, swirling a glass of iced Americano in his hand, leisurely watching Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye look at each other in front of the camera.

Are you free tonight after you get back?

Jung Soo-jung's voice came from beside me. She was looking down and playing with her fingers, her tone sounding casual, as if she was just asking a question offhand.

Li Mingye turned his head, looked at her feigned indifference, couldn't help but smile, shook his head and said, "No, I have plans."

Upon hearing this answer, Krystal Jung paused, her previously casual movements faltering slightly, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes. Then, as if remembering something, she looked up, her gaze filled with suspicion and wariness:

"You didn't make a deal with Mari, did you?"

These days, Choi Sulli has mentioned Lee Myung-yeop's name quite often in front of her. According to her, although Lee Myung-yeop doesn't message her very frequently, each time he does, it's either to inquire about her health or to comfort her when she feels wronged.

Krystal Jung glanced at the chat history and, to be honest, there wasn't much of an ambiguous atmosphere. On the contrary, Lee Mingye's words were full of a strong "fatherly" tone, such as "The weather is changing, wear more clothes" and "Don't pay attention to the nonsense of those haters, send me the link, and I'll help you curse them back," and so on.

This meticulous care is exactly like that of an old father who worries that his daughter will be bullied outside.

But Sulli was particularly susceptible to this, and every time she read the message, she would have a silly smile on her face, as if pink bubbles were bubbling up from her body.

Based on Jung Soo-jung's subjective judgment, Lee Myung-yeop probably didn't have any worldly desires for Choi Sulli; it might be some kind of mysterious emotion similar to "fatherly love."

But if they were to go on a date during this precious break, she would have to overturn her reasoning.

Li Mingye glanced at her and sighed helplessly, "No, don't overthink it. I have important business to attend to."

Krystal Jung snorted coldly, raised her chin arrogantly, and turned her head away with an expression that said, "Who cares?"

Less than a minute later, she couldn't help but turn back and casually asked, "What's wrong with Ji-won unnie? She seems a little afraid of you lately."

"Why are you asking so many questions? Are you a walking encyclopedia of questions?" Li Mingye didn't intend to bring up such a private matter. He casually took a piece of bread cut into small pieces from the plate next to him and stuffed it directly into Jung Soo-jung's mouth. "You've lost weight recently, eat more."

This feeding action was clearly a bit too much, but Krystal Jung didn't object. She subconsciously opened her mouth and grabbed the bread.

Li Mingye was surprised that she actually caught it with her mouth. Her obedient and natural appearance made him pause for a moment, and he looked at her strangely.

Krystal belatedly realized the ambiguous nature of his gesture, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looked somewhat embarrassed. To hide her shyness, she glared at him fiercely before beginning to chew her bread in small bites.

The bread was only about two fingers wide, and she finished it in just a few bites.

Immediately, another piece of bread was placed in front of her mouth.

"Want more?"

"...Get lost."

……

After more than ten hours of flight, the plane finally landed at Incheon International Airport.

As soon as they got off the plane and returned to the peninsula, they were greeted by a large number of reporters and fans.

Many of the reporters were called in by SBS, since "The Heirs" is set to air soon, and it's time to launch a full-scale promotional campaign.

Stepping out of the arrival gate, Li Mingye could see the airport terminal packed with people. Countless fans held up light boards and banners, their enthusiasm seemingly about to lift the roof off, while numerous reporters with their cameras and microphones snapped away.

He counted them briefly, and the one with the most light sticks was Lee Min-ho, after all, he is currently very popular and is a top Hallyu star in Asia, and the level of fanaticism of his fans is astonishing.

Surprisingly, Li Mingye had about the same number of light sticks as Park Shin-hye in the crowd, and even surpassed her in terms of volume and presence.

"Li Mingye! Li Mingye! We love you!"

Listening to the screams, Li Mingye sighed inwardly.

To achieve this level of success with just one OLENS guy, his face is truly authoritative.

Moreover, he has had virtually no public appearances in the past few months, only maintaining some presence through candid photos taken by fans. Logically, he should have lost many fans. It was only through Kim Hyun-suk and the marketing department spreading the "company oppression theory" behind the scenes to manipulate fans that they managed to retain some.

The current public opinion is roughly that Lee Myung-yeop offended the shareholders of the company and was targeted by the capital to be sidelined, but Lee Myung-yeop managed to get the script for the second male lead in "The Heirs" from screenwriter Kim Eun-sook by relying on his acting skills and strength.

Although it's ridiculous, the fans are quite accepting of it.

With this "beautiful, strong, and tragic" storyline, fans probably felt he was too pitiful and too valiant, which is why they were able to mobilize an unexpectedly large number of people to pick him up at the airport.

"Oppa is in such a bad situation, how desperate he must be if we don't support him!"

This is probably what the fans are thinking.

Reporters immediately swarmed around like sharks smelling blood, bombarding them with a barrage of questions:

"What was it like filming in the United States?"

Did Lee Min-ho and Park Shin-hye really develop feelings for each other while filming?

What are your expectations for the performance of "The Heirs"?

Li Mingye stood quietly to the side, slightly distracted, thinking about his date that evening.

"Mingye-xi, what methods did you use to land the second male lead as a newcomer?"

Li Mingye's eyes narrowed as he looked at the reporter who had asked the question.

Of course, it's all about ability.

Does family background count as strength?

Just as Lee Myung-yeop was about to give the reporter a perfunctory answer, screenwriter Kim Eun-sook stepped forward first. She gave Lee Myung-yeop a reassuring look, then took the microphone and said in a firm yet elegant tone:

"We chose Mingye to play Choi Young-do purely because of his perfect fit for the role. He *is* Choi Young-do; his innate charisma and acting skills are irreplaceable. We believe he will give everyone a huge surprise when the drama airs."

While these words were somewhat formulaic, coming from a top screenwriter, they carried entirely different weight. The reporters seemed satisfied with this assessment; after all, Kim Eun-sook had already said so, and further questioning would be tantamount to slapping the screenwriter in the face.

The interviews were almost over, and the publicity had been achieved; the crew was ready to leave.

Lee Myung-yeop finally walked towards the fence where the fans were gathered, enthusiastically signing autographs, waving, and even making several heart shapes with his hands. Even as Kim Hyun-seok forcibly pulled him away, he left the fans with a reluctant look, eliciting another round of screams from the crowd.

The airport pickup process has come to a perfect end.

Back in the car, Li Mingye breathed a sigh of relief.

He went home, quickly took a shower, changed into some simple and casual clothes, looked at himself in the mirror, nodded in satisfaction, and prepared to go to his appointment.

Today is the Peninsula's Inauguration Day, and it's also a rare free time for Lim Na-yeon.