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

After the show's recording ended, Li Mingye did not rush back to the peninsula.

He stayed in China for a few more days, attending several unavoidable but not too tiring business events, and then had the rest of his time to himself.

He visited several cities he had lived in before, wandering aimlessly along the streets he remembered, eating at several small restaurants he had been longing to visit, and occasionally signing autographs when recognized by passersby before pulling his hat down and continuing his stroll.

After traveling to several cities, I felt much more relaxed than when I first got off the plane—like smoothing out a crumpled piece of paper little by little on a table.

At this moment, he sat in the airport's VIP lounge, his back sinking into the soft sofa, but his fingers remained fixed on the phone screen.

He finally managed to arrange a meeting with Lim Na-yeon, and the time was set for tomorrow afternoon.

Tomorrow is Christmas.

……

December 25th, Christmas Day.

Christmas on the peninsula is practically a plus version of Valentine's Day, with the streets and alleys almost filled with couples.

Occasionally, a few solitary figures would hurry along, as if they wanted to escape this air thick with the stench of romance.

The snow today was particularly atmospheric. The snowflakes fell slowly and gently, not too big, just enough to stop on my eyelashes and leave a few damp marks on my scarf.

Li Mingye stretched out his hand, and a snowflake landed in his palm, briefly maintaining its shape on his warm skin for less than a second before quickly melting into a small, transparent droplet.

He withdrew his hand, shook off the thin layer of snow that had accumulated on the brim of his hat, and a few fine snowflakes fell down and landed on his shoulder.

He arrived very early today. He was bundled up in thick winter clothes, his hat pulled low, and a scarf covering most of his face, revealing only a pair of deep-set eyes.

This disguise was inconspicuous in a city full of celebrities, and even if someone was attracted by his temperament, they wouldn't stay for long.

The date wasn't at his home; he deliberately chose a less crowded commercial street that wasn't too close to either his company or his home.

Of course, saying there weren't many people is only relative. There are no truly deserted neighborhoods in Seoul during Christmas.

Li Mingye leaned against the streetlight, his gaze unconsciously following the passersby, but his mind was strangely empty.

He had been thinking about it for many days, but at this moment, he didn't want to think about anything anymore.

Finally, he spotted a hurried figure in the crowd.

She practically pushed her way through the crowd, her scarf billowing behind her as the wind blew it up, and her beige knitted hat tilted slightly, revealing a few strands of hair damp with snow underneath.

—It's Lim Na-yeon.

She jogged to Li Mingye's side, braced herself on her knees to catch her breath, and then raised her head, exhaling puffs of white breath.

"Sorry, am I late?"

She brushed aside her wind-blown hair, her brows furrowing slightly, her voice tinged with obvious panting and a hint of barely concealed apology.

Li Mingye's gaze lingered on her for several seconds before he slowly and deliberately examined her attire:

A small face peeked out from under a beige knitted hat, a red and black plaid scarf was wrapped twice around her neck, and the down jacket was quite large, covering her up completely, making her face look even smaller.

Her makeup was exquisite yet natural, clearly showing that she had put a lot of effort into it.

Li Mingye thought it was cute.

He chuckled softly and spoke:

"I'm not late, I'm just early."

"That's good."

Lim Na-yeon responded with a smile, revealing her adorable bunny teeth.

The two stood facing each other, surrounded by bustling crowds and Christmas carols, yet time seemed to have been paused.

Nayeon's smile slowly faded, her lips tightened slightly, then relaxed, as if she was struggling to manage her expression.

The final expression froze into a complex emotion, with barely perceptible redness welling up in his eyes.

"Is it okay to have a date here?" Her voice trembled slightly, but she deliberately raised her voice to sound relaxed. "Won't someone recognize us?"

Before she could finish speaking, her gaze had already shifted away.

Li Mingye's tone was natural: "Not many people will pay attention to others on Christmas, and besides, my disguise was quite effective."

He paused for a moment, just as a snowflake gently drifted down and landed in his outstretched palm.

He looked down at the snowflake, not looking into Lin Na-yeon's eyes.

"We haven't had a proper date since we started dating," he said softly, as if talking to himself, or perhaps just to her.

"...At least once, right?"

He raised his head and stared intently at her.

Nayeon's hand, hanging by her side, had her nails digging into her palm without her realizing it.

Those things she had been trying so hard to suppress for so many days—

All the emotions diluted with sweat in the practice room, the tears swallowed back under the covers in the dormitory at dawn, the surging emotions gritted and swallowed every time "Good morning" was typed and then "I miss you" was turned upside down by this one sentence.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she quickly turned her head away, not wanting him to see her in such a disheveled state.

Suddenly, my hand was gently taken.

Lim Nayeon lowered her head in a daze, looking at the two people's hands clasped together, then raised her head to meet Lee Myung-yeop's curved eyes.

He put his hands together, wrapped them around her icy fingers, and gently rubbed them.

His palms were hot, almost scorching, the heat spreading from between his fingers to his wrists, then to his arms, and finally seeping into a sore corner of his chest.

"Don't think about those things for now."

Li Mingye's voice regained its familiar warmth.

"Try to be happy today."

Lim Nayeon's eyes, which had been brimming with tears for who knows how long, finally burst forth at this moment.

Her expression froze, her mouth slightly open, staring blankly at him, tears silently sliding down her cheeks, hanging on her chin, only to be blown away by the cold wind.

Li Mingye took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and gently pressed them to the corner of her eye.

His movements were so slow, so slow, that the tissue seemed to never leave her skin, too gently.

Suddenly, Lim Nayeon threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his back, so tightly that it seemed she wanted to meld him into her own body.

Li Mingye gently patted Lin Nayeon's trembling back, silently comforting her.

After an unknown amount of time, she finally let go.

Taking a half step back, Lim Nayeon raised her face, her eyes still red-rimmed, with water droplets clinging to her eyelashes, yet her eyes shone like a clear sky after the rain.

"I want to eat fish cakes!"

She smiled, her mouth widening to reveal her two prominent rabbit teeth.

Without waiting for Li Mingye's response, she grabbed his warm hand and pulled him forward without looking back, her steps hesitant but her direction firm.

The two of them slipped into a small eatery on the side of the street and found a table in the corner to sit down.

When Lim Nayeon took her first bite of the fish cake, her eyes widened instantly, and she let out an exaggerated exclamation.

She instinctively held the skewer of fish cakes to his mouth.

"tasty!"

Li Mingye pulled down his mask, took a bite from her bamboo skewer, chewed it, and smiled as he replied, "It's delicious."

Lim Nayeon gave a simple, honest smile, took back the remaining fish cakes, and finished eating them one bite at a time.

The two of them sat in the corner, each with a skewer of fish cakes and a bowl of spicy stir-fried rice cakes, occasionally exchanging food, just like before.

The atmosphere was warm and quiet, and no one brought up any heavy topics.

Halfway through her meal, Lim Nayeon suddenly stopped eating.

She looked down at the few pieces of rice cake covered in red sauce in the bowl, her fingers clenching the hem of her clothes under the table.

"Aren't you angry with me?"

A flicker of unease crossed her eyes, which Li Mingye caught precisely.

Lim Na-yeon implicitly acknowledged that Lee Myung-yeop knew everything.

"How can this be your fault?" Li Mingye shook his head, his tone unwavering.

He paused, as if recalling something from the past, his gaze suddenly drifted away for a moment, then was drawn back.

"But I don't want to blame myself."

His gaze did not waver, meeting directly into Lim Nayeon's slightly trembling pupils.

"I had a very happy time."

He paused, as if considering his words or savoring something.

I have no regrets.

A light flashed in Lim Nayeon's eyes, but it wasn't the light of tears.

Those past scenes seemed to be completely awakened by this sentence.

Fireworks by the sea, the handle of the rabbit lantern, his warm breath as he leaned close to me on the sofa in the lounge, my own face in the sketch on my birthday.

Memories flooded back, filling my chest and squeezing my heart, causing intense pain, yet I couldn't bear to stop.

"I don't regret it."

It's not just about not regretting it.

It's so wonderful to have met you.