Peninsula: Please, I only want to talk about ordinary people.

Chapter 45 Is she an entertainer? /Childish

Jiang Yongtai parked his car near Hongdae, glanced at the time—9:30—and thought it wasn't too late to go in now.

Before getting off the bus, he glanced at his phone seemingly unintentionally. The Kakao chat window was quiet; the read message from that afternoon was still there, and Mina hadn't replied to a single word.

He sighed, put his phone in his pocket, and opened the car door.

The barbecue restaurant was hidden in a narrow alley behind the main street of Hongdae; this was the location that Na Young-seok had sent him.

As Jiang Yongtai opened the door and walked in, the warmth of the charcoal fire mixed with the smell of soju hit him. The entire store had been taken over by the production team of "Mapo Handsome Boys," with more than forty people filling the hall to capacity.

Several familiar faces recognized him first.

"Oh! Yong-tae PD! Why are you so late? I heard you became the head PD."

"Yongtai, why do you look so pale? Have you been working overtime for several days now?"

Jiang Yongtai nodded and smiled all the way, bowing in return, and walked through them toward the longest, most lively table.

Sitting at the table were the PD team led by Na Young-seok, with Lee Woo-jung and several main writers next to them, and P.O and Song Min-ho, the two regular members of the show, to the right.

Zico and Kyuhyun were sitting next to her; they seemed to be guests filming today's program.

Jiang Yongtai walked behind Luo Yingxi and bowed slightly.

"Youngseok oppa, I'm sorry I'm late."

Na Young-seok was smiling and talking to P.0 when he heard the voice and turned around. When he saw it was him, his smile hadn't faded yet.

"Yongtai, you're here. Why are you so late? We've almost finished eating."

He stood up, patted Jiang Yongtai on the shoulder, and turned to introduce himself to the people at the table who were looking over.

"Minho, PO, this is our new PD at tvN, Kang Young-tae."

I used to work at KBS, as an assistant PD for "Music Bank," you should have met me.

Song Minho was the first to react. Although he didn't quite understand why Na Young-seok had called this new PD over to their special dinner, he still stood up, extended his hand, and smiled.

"Ah, SoundBank! We must have met before, right? PDnim was in charge of our comeback period, right?"

P.0 also stood up, looked at Jiang Yongtai seriously for two seconds, and bowed to greet him.

He is a rather shy person and doesn't chat casually with strangers like his friend Song Minho.

"I have a vague impression of you, Kang PDnim."

"7

Jiang Yongtai smiled and nodded to them.

"Yes, we used to see each other often back then. Please take care of me in the future."

Zico raised his shochu glass and nodded to him as a greeting.

Kyuhyun, the most senior artist present, nodded slightly to Kang Young-tae from the other side of the table.

After everyone greeted each other, Li Youting moved to the side, making room for Jiang Yongtai, and pulled him to sit down next to her.

"Aigoo, Yongtai, it's been more than half a month since we last saw each other. Nuna misses you so much."

Kang Young-tae smiled at her. "I've heard Young-seok-hyung mention it, noona."

Li Youting was delighted to see him like this and gestured to the shop assistant to bring over a new set of tableware.

"You haven't eaten anything since you started working overtime, have you? Eat something first, to tide you over."

"Yes, thank you, Nuna."

The others at the table had resumed the conversation that had been interrupted.

Song Minho and P.0 were arguing about the outcome of a game during a recording session, and their voices were getting louder and louder. Zico suddenly interrupted from the side, which made Na Youngseok laugh and slap the table.

Kyuhyun sipped his wine, occasionally making a sharp, incisive remark that struck at the hearts of the others.

No one paid much attention to the young PD who had just taken his seat.

Li Youting didn't join in the commotion. Instead, she turned to the side, putting meat on Jiang Yongtai's plate while casually asking a few questions.

"How's the editing of the new show going?"

"I just submitted the film today, and it's waiting for the production company to review it."

"I heard your team only has a few people? Minister Nam Seung-ho seems to have a lot of faith in you."

As she spoke, she picked up another piece of beef rib and put it on his plate, as if feeding her own younger brother, and complained, "Eat more, you've got no fat on your face."

Suddenly, someone patted Jiang Yongtai on the shoulder from behind.

He turned around and saw Liang Zhengyu standing behind him, holding a glass of liquor and smiling.

He is one of the PDs in Na Young-seok's team. He has been with Na Young-seok since "Youth Over Flowers" and has a lot of experience. Later, he collaborated with Park Shin-hye to independently direct "The Cabin in the Forest". He is a person who can stand on his own.

"Senior Jung-woo."

Liang Zhengyu nodded to him, then glanced at Li Youting, his smile deepening.

"Yuting Nuna, aren't you being a little too nice to Yongtai?"

Li Youting rolled her eyes at him, then picked up a few slices of beef and placed them on the grill.

"Does that mean I have to be nice to you guys?"

After saying that, she turned back to continue eating her roasted mushrooms, completely ignoring him.

Liang Zhengyu smiled and shook his head, patted Jiang Yongtai on the shoulder, and gestured for him to move aside.

Jiang Yongtai moved half a step to Li Youting's side, and Liang Zhengyu took the opportunity to squeeze in, picked up the liquor on the table, and poured half a cup for Jiang Yongtai.

"Come on, you don't need to call me senior, just call me hyung like you would call Youngseok hyung."

"—Yes, Jung-woo."

Jiang Yongtai hesitated somewhat before agreeing. He and Liang Zhengyu weren't particularly close; they had only met a few times and didn't even have a proper private conversation.

He took the bottle of liquor and, as was customary, filled Liang Zhengyu's glass as well.

Liang Zhengyu nodded, raised his glass to clink with his, and took a sip.

"Are you getting used to being at tvN?"

"A little busier than I expected, but it's still okay."

Jiang Yongtai took a sip of wine and smiled.

"Brother, as you know, I just arrived and I only have one online variety show to work on. There are few people in the team, so I have to do everything myself."

"That's perfect, being busy will keep me from thinking about random things."

Liang Zhengyu put down his wine glass and said casually, "I heard you were sick a few days ago? You look alright now."

"I'm fine now, I just worked overtime for a few days in a row, so I might look a little tired."

"Who doesn't get tired doing this job?" Liang Zhengyu said with a smile, pouring him another glass of wine.

"But young people, it's always better to be a little tired than idle."

Jiang Yongtai nodded in agreement, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip.

"By the way," Liang Zhengyu said casually, looking at him.

"Young-seok hyung told me about your 'Transfer Romance' project, it's very interesting. Did they mention when it would be filmed?"

Jiang Yongtai felt a chill run down his spine.

He's here. After sitting at this table for so long tonight, finally someone has come up to him and mentioned "Love Transfer."

The.

He sighed, revealing a helpless yet honest expression.

"Not yet, and I don't know when it will be. Youngseok told me not to rush, saying that the higher-ups are still considering it."

Liang Zhengyu smiled and nodded.

"That's how it is, but your plan is excellent, so there shouldn't be any problem getting it approved."

"Then I'll take your kind words."

Jiang Yongtai smiled, raised his glass, and drank it all in one gulp. Liang Zhengyu also picked up his glass, gestured, and took a sip.

"But I'm curious, how did you come up with this idea? Could you tell me about your thoughts?"

Jiang Yongtai's gaze lingered on his face for a moment.

Liang Zhengyu's expression was casual as he ran his fingers back and forth along the shochu glass.

Unlike his expression, he really wanted to know.

Jiang Yongtai sensed the overwhelming curiosity in the air, but instead of answering immediately, he picked up the tongs and flipped the already curled beef tongue on the baking tray.

Then he had the answer.

This person is the PD that Li Minghan appointed, and the one who is going to compete with him for the main PD position of "Love by Transfer" is the one in front of you.

Jiang Yongtai spoke calmly, as if he hadn't noticed anything unusual at all.

"Are you interested in this too, brother?"

He casually tossed the question back, then picked up a slice of grilled beef tongue and placed it on Liang Zhengyu's plate.

Liang Zhengyu smiled, picked up a piece of beef tongue, and dipped it in the sauce.

"I'm just curious. I heard the project proposal is very detailed, covering everything from the process to the selection of guests. I've always been quite interested in dating reality shows, so I wanted to ask you about it."

This person has come to learn from their own experience.

Jiang Yongtai chuckled inwardly.

"If you're interested, you can come and help me."

His eyes lit up, and he leaned forward slightly, as if imagining what the filming would look like in the future.

"As a newcomer, this is the first time I've had the opportunity to work on such a big project. It would be great if you could come and help me."

He kept staring into Liang Zhengyu's eyes.

Liang Zhengyu was clearly taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and pointed at him with his chopsticks.

"Hey, are you poaching me in front of Youngseok and Yoojung? If I were to come and help you, I'd be the main PD, right?"

"It's not impossible."

Jiang Yongtai smiled and said sincerely, "I don't have enough experience yet. 'Love Transfer' is my child. As long as it can be successfully launched, I'm willing to be the PD."

Liang Zhengyu paused as he picked up the barbecue with his chopsticks, glancing at Jiang Yongtai as if trying to determine how much of what he said was true.

Then he laughed out loud and raised his glass towards Jiang Yongtai.

"Yongtai, you're not kidding, are you?"

He finished his drink, took off his glasses, and slowly wiped the fog off the lenses.

"I hope things will be decided soon, and then you'll remember to come and recruit me." In the past, I really looked forward to working with you.

""

"Okay, then please give me your guidance when the time comes."

Jiang Yongtai picked up the liquor and refilled his empty glass.

Beside her, Li Youting turned back from another conversation, glanced at Jiang Yongtai, then at Liang Zhengyu, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Without saying a word to Yao, she picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of the beef tongue that Jiang Yongtai had just turned over, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Diagonally opposite, Luo Yingxi held a wine glass, his gaze shifting back and forth between Liang Zhengyu and Jiang Yongtai.

Jiang Yongtai glanced back out of the corner of his eye, then picked up a piece of beef tongue and chewed it slowly, thinking about something else.

There was no hostility in Liang Zhengyu's expression, only curiosity and a hint of helplessness.

It seems he himself was pushed into that position, but being able to direct such a large project is certainly not a bad thing for him.

Nan Shenghao, you absolutely mustn't let me down!

Jiang Yongtai sighed inwardly, picked up the bottle of liquor, and smiled as he refilled Li Youting's glass.

"Yuting Nuna, do you want to come and help me too? I'll pick a few more handsome male guests then."

Li Youting rolled her eyes at him and couldn't help but laugh.

"Am I such a shallow person? Ask Youngseok oppa if he agrees, and I'll go if he does."

"Yu-ting, I disagree!"

Luo Yingxi called over from across half a table, as if he had overheard Jiang Yongtai's poaching attempt.

"You'd better keep looking at my face! Hey! Jiang Yongtai, I didn't call you here to seduce Youting!"

The other PDs around him didn't know what they were talking about, but they laughed when they heard Na Young-seok's words, teasing this ace PD who always managed to gain a foothold in the fashion world.

Kang Young-tae looked over innocently and shouted at Na Young-seok, "Young-seok hyung, I didn't mean that. It's just that Yoo-jung noona prefers handsome guys like me."

Lee Woo-ting laughed and patted Kang Young-tae's arm, then waved to Na Young-seok.

Everyone laughed again.

The sliding door of the barbecue restaurant closed behind me, shutting out the noisy commotion.

Jiang Yongtai stood at the store entrance, his fingers already touching the cigarette pack in his pocket.

After finishing my conversation with Liang Zhengyu, he didn't mention "Love by Transfer" again. Instead, he changed the subject and we started talking about how the show was designed and produced.

Li Youting, who was standing nearby, also came over, and several writers joined in, each saying a sentence as they drank one cup of liquor after another.

Jiang Yongtai drank quite a bit, but finally couldn't take it anymore. He made up an excuse to Luo Yingxi that he had to work tomorrow and said goodbye.

Standing at the door now, the night breeze blows, and instead of dissipating the effects of the alcohol, it rises from my stomach to my throat.

The mess at work, coupled with Mina's message that she had read and stopped me from going online, made my chest feel tight and suffocated.

He took out his cigarette case, put one in his mouth, and just as he reached for his lighter, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a no-smoking sign on the wall behind him, and he stopped abruptly.

Just then, two middle-aged women passed by and glanced at him with disdain, as if he were an "ugly Korean."

"----sorry."

Jiang Yongtai took the cigarette out of his mouth and bowed slightly to them.

The woman left, and he stood there, looking down at the unlit cigarette in his hand. He pursed his lips, glanced around the barbecue restaurant, and tried to find a smoking area, but couldn't.

He put the lighter in his pocket and prepared to walk towards the alley entrance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hand moving, reaching out from the corner of the alley and waving at him twice.

Her nails were painted with light-colored nail polish, and she curled her index finger.

He followed the hand and saw a person leaning against the wall in the shadows around the corner, their face obscured, their hand still raised in mid-air.

"Hey bro, you can get a ticket here."

Jiang Yongtai was stunned for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps out of sympathy for him, seeing him being chased around in front of the anti-smoking notices, the smokers kindly gave him directions.

"Thanks."

He walked around the corner and put the cigarette back in his mouth.

The woman stood against the wall, wearing a dark, short leather jacket that just covered her ribs, revealing a small section of her waist and navel. She wore black skinny jeans and had a thin chain bag slung over her shoulder.

The black mask covered most of her face, leaving only her eyes visible. She was beautiful, and in the dimly lit alley, her eyes seemed to shine.

Her hair was tied in a ponytail, with a few strands of black hair escaping from the hair tie and hanging down beside her ears.

She leaned against the wall, one hand in her coat pocket, the other wrist across her chest, a thin, unlit cigarette between her fingers.

Seeing him approach, she tilted her head slightly.

Jiang Yongtai stood on the other side of the wall, maintaining the proper distance between strangers, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

The moment the smoke dissipated from his lips, the person beside him moved.

She raised her hand and pulled her mask up, revealing the lines from her lips to her jawline. Then she lowered her head, put the thin cigarette between her lips, and turned to face him.

There wasn't much light in the alley to begin with, and as she moved, the shadow on the wall grew larger.

When Jiang Yongtai turned his head, her face was already in front of him.

She leaned against the wall next to his bag with one hand, as if finding his height inconvenient, and tiptoed to bring the cigarette she was holding between her lips toward the lit cigarette butt in his mouth.

Her eyes were only a dozen centimeters away from his, and he could see her eyelashes, which were covered in thick mascara, tremble slightly.

The scent of tobacco mixed with the sweet aroma of grapefruit wafted over her and into her nostrils.

Jiang Yongtai suddenly took half a step back, almost hitting the back of his head on the water pipe on the wall. His hand holding the cigarette reflexively moved to the side of his bag, and the banana got stuck on his face.

"you----"

The woman chuckled as she watched his actions.

The person didn't back away, but simply took the cigarette out of their mouth and held it between their fingers, glancing at him out of the corner of their eye, their voice still carrying an uncontrollable laugh.

"Don't get me wrong, I just wanted to borrow a light from you."

She put the cigarette back in her mouth, tilted her head at him, and lowered her eyes, as if she didn't understand why this was such a big deal.

Jiang Yongtai was stunned for a moment before he reacted. He handed her the lit cigarette, and she leaned closer, the tip of the thin cigarette touching the red glow of his cigarette butt, and took a light puff.

The cigarette butt glowed briefly. She stepped back, leaned against the wall again, exhaled a thin puff of smoke, and turned her head to smile at him.

"Thanks."

Jiang Yongtai withdrew his hand; the cigarette in his hand had already burned down to a bit of ash. He flicked the ash away, looked away, and took a drag himself.

The smoke dissipated between the two men, and the alley was quiet for a few seconds.

Jiang Yongtai hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.

Perhaps it was because the way she borrowed the light was so unexpected, or perhaps it was because the way she only pulled up a corner of her mask to smoke was so strange, he couldn't help but ask.

"Miss, isn't there a convenience store up ahead?"

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear: she could have simply gone to a convenience store to buy a lighter.

She tilted her head, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"I have one at home, but I didn't bring it with me. Why do you need to buy a new one?"

'

"7

Jiang Yongtai was momentarily speechless. The alcohol had slowed his thinking, and for a moment he actually thought what she said made sense. It took him a while to come to his senses again.

"What if you don't run into me? Wouldn't you have to wait forever?"

She chuckled softly, her tone light and airy.

"Then let's wait. There will always be other people like you who are drunk and can't find a place to smoke, Kang Young-tae~"

Jiang Yongtai was stunned and turned to look at her.

"—Do you know me?"

"Yes, I've met you a few times."

She smiled and bowed slightly.

Jiang Yongtai instinctively returned the greeting.

Those who recognize him are mostly broadcasting station staff, perhaps some junior colleague.

But why won't she show her face? Is she an entertainer?

He hesitated for a moment, but still asked the question.

"Perhaps—a celebrity?"

She straightened up, pressed herself back against the wall, took a drag of the cigarette between her fingers, and exhaled the smoke.

"Why do you ask, Yongtai? It's obvious, I only came here because I was seen by someone."

Jiang Yongtai paused for a moment, realizing that he had been impolite.

"I'm sorry, I was rude."

She shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"No offense intended, thank goodness—I might have been waiting for you here on purpose~"

"wait for me?"

"Yes." She lowered her voice, her eyes suddenly turning cold.

"I've followed you for so long, do you have any last words?"

Jiang Yongtai's throat bobbed, and he looked at her expression, remaining silent for two seconds without showing any emotion.

She stared at his reaction, then clicked her tongue, put on a banana-like expression, and looked away in disgust.

"No way, Yongtai is still so clueless."

"You sound like you know me well?"

She didn't answer directly just now, but these words are tantamount to an admission that she is most likely a celebrity.

"We're not very familiar with each other, I've only met a few times."

She took another drag, gently exhaled the smoke, and smiled faintly.

The two fell silent again.

Suddenly, a plastic box was kicked over and came to a stop at his feet.

Jiang Yongtai glanced down at the box, then looked up at her with a puzzled expression.

"Have a seat. Didn't Yongtai have some drinks?"

"—Aren't you one too?"

When she leaned closer, he smelled not only the grapefruit perfume, but also wine.

The woman shook her head.

"I don't need it. I didn't drink as much as you. If I had known you had so much alcohol on you, I would have just asked you to lend me your lighter."

"6

"—Oh, I'm sorry, the smell bothered you."

Jiang Yongtai got into the riding position.

This woman is too strange. He wanted to read her words, but the alcohol had turned his brain into mush. Things he could do with his eyes closed, he couldn't read now.

The person on the other side has already pulled their mask back up.

"I'm done smoking, I'm going back now."

""

She nodded in acknowledgment and stomped on the remaining bit of her cigarette.

"Thank you for your fire, goodbye."

She brushed past him, the ends of her hair brushing against his lapel, and the scent of pomelo once again wafted into his nose.

She didn't say anything more and walked straight to the alley entrance.

Jiang Yongtai watched her retreating figure, searching his memory for female celebrities with similar figures, but couldn't find a match.

He paused suddenly, then shook his head and chuckled.

People don't want him to recognize them, so what if they know who it is?

He sat on the box she had kicked, putting the strange woman out of his mind.

What's giving him the biggest headache right now is Mina.

Jiang Yongtai stubbed out his cigarette and took out his phone.

It's midnight, another day has passed, and Mina still hasn't responded to him.

He stared at the quiet profile picture, hovering his thumb above the screen for a moment, but didn't tap it. He simply stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

Nan-chan is one of the few friends he can get along with without any pressure. Even if he's angry, there should be a limit. He should apologize sincerely.

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind: there seemed to be a stationery store on the side of the road when I came here.

He didn't lose much; he got up and walked out, his steps getting faster and faster until he almost ran out of the alley.

When I found the stationery store from memory, the roller shutter door was already pulled all the way down, the metal sheet was covered with old posters, and there wasn't a ray of light coming through the crack at the bottom.

Jiang Yongtai stood at the shop entrance, panting heavily. For a moment, he really felt bad about banging on the door, but his remaining rationality held his hand back.

If you actually do that, not only will you not get the things you want at a loss, but the ferryman will probably call the police and have him arrested.

As he turned to leave in frustration, his eyes caught sight of a tattered Christmas poster on the wall, and he suddenly stopped.

Hongdae, this is Hongdae.

During holidays and festivals, the whole street is decorated with festive decorations, and the convenience store should also have the things he wants.

Jiang Yongtai immediately took off running towards the convenience store at the alley entrance.

I was still panting when I pushed open the store door. I walked straight to the clerk, leaned on the counter, and started speaking before I could even catch my breath.

"Hello, is there anything else—"

Mina sat in front of the vanity mirror, placed the hairdryer on the table, and stared at her pouting reflection in the mirror.

It's been four days, and I haven't spoken a single word to Yongtai-san. It's so painful.

She shook her head violently, biting her lower lip.

No, I can't contact him! Ordinary friends don't chat every day! That's it, I'll just wait until Yongtai Sangxi changes.

Tomorrow, just give a few more perfunctory words, intentionally or unintentionally, and that will be enough.

Park Jihyo, who shared a dorm room with her, shifted her gaze from her chat window with her boyfriend to her, her expression gradually becoming strange.

Mina is acting strangely. She keeps nodding and shaking her head, and she's muttering to herself. Has this child gone mad?

"Kakao~"

The phone rang, and Minami subconsciously looked over. Sure enough, it was Jiang Yongtai again.

Just looking and not replying shouldn't be a problem, right?

She hesitated for a moment, but still clicked on it.

It's still just a photograph.

Jiang Yongtai looked at the camera, his cheeks still flushed from drinking and running around, and his mouth was wide open in a grin.

He held a burning sparkler in his hand, golden sparks crackling and shooting out, tiny specks of light like a handful of stars held between his fingers, illuminating his pupils.

The status had just changed to "read" when another message came from the other end.

"Nam-chan, this time it's not a filter, Seoul Goblin has real fireworks too~"

Below it was a banana bag, with a penguin holding Link's Master Key aloft and stepping on a roughly drawn cartoon character.

The cartoon character, dressed in a suit and sporting a head of messy hair, looked exactly like Jiang Yongtai himself.

Mina burst out laughing; she remembered that banana-shaped bag.

Last year, Jiang Yongtai tricked her badly in a game, which made her so angry that she ignored him for a whole day.

Just one day later, he sent me this banana he made himself.

She was laughing so hard she was lying on the bed, holding her phone, and typed a smug reply to him: "Yongtai-san, you have so many dishes! But I forgive you this time~"

"Cough cough————"

A cough came from behind her, and Mina turned around.

Park Jihyo was looking at her with a complicated expression, and spoke cautiously.

"Mina—are you alright?"

Mina paused for a moment, realizing that her change in expression had probably been seen by everyone.

She forced an awkward smile.

"It's nothing, I—I was just messing around with a banana in the game, it was so annoying. Oh, by the way, I'm going out to get a glass of water!"

Before Park Jihyo could react, she picked up her phone and left the room.

There was no one in the living room; it seemed everyone had chosen to stay cozy in bed today.

Mina breathed a sigh of relief while holding her phone, but she was still worried. She pushed open the French windows, walked onto the balcony, and closed the door behind her.

A night breeze blew in, and she hunched her shoulders, then reopened the chat window.

Biting her lower lip, she hesitated for a long time with her finger hovering over the top of the screen.

Should I reply?

Hmm—it doesn't seem like tomorrow is that far off, right? I should be able to reply now!

She convinced herself, nodded, and typed a line.

"Yongtai-san, you're such a child."

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