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

Chapter 55 Nan-chan, Be My Girlfriend

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long time, so long that Jiang Yongtai thought she had hung up on him again.

He took the phone off his ear and glanced at the screen—it was still on a call.

"—Nan-chan?"

"Baka~"

Mina's muffled voice finally came back.

She sniffed, and when she spoke again, her voice suddenly became warm and soft.

"Does Yongtai-san know what he's saying?"

"I know, Nan-chan doesn't want me—"

"Baka!"

Jiang Yongtai was cut off before he could finish speaking.

There was a rustling sound coming from the other end of the phone. Mina held the phone between her shoulder and ear, pouting as she changed out of her pajamas.

Can you confess your feelings over the phone? It shows absolutely no sincerity!

"Where is Yongtai-san located in Kobe Port?"

Hearing her ask that, Jiang Yongtai's tense mood finally relaxed.

He turned his head, trying to find some landmarks around him that could indicate his location.

"Let me see—there's a Ferris wheel."

"Stand there and don't move."

"Nan-chan, why don't you just tell me your address? I'll come find you—"

"I said, stand there and don't move! I'm coming over now."

The call was disconnected.

Jiang Yongtai listened to the dial tone on his phone and put it back in his pocket.

The taxi driver next to him was still leaning out of the car window waiting for him. When he put away his phone, the driver leaned out again.

"Sir, are you sure you don't need to take a car?"

Jiang Yongtai waved his hand, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

"No need, someone is coming to pick me up."

He leaned against the railing by the sea, watching the Ferris wheel in Kobe Port slowly turn in the distance, its colorful lights scattering on the sea surface, swaying back and forth as it was pushed by the waves.

The sea breeze was a bit chilly, and he looked down at his outfit.

He was wearing a suit, leather shoes, and his name tag, which he hadn't had time to take off when he came out of KBS that morning, was still pinned to his collar. His hair was also messy, and his jacket pocket was bulging with the light stick.

The original plan was to return it to the girl after the music show ended, but the girl saw how enthusiastically he was supporting her afterwards, so she generously gave it to him.

This doesn't seem like a good way to meet. Should I go to the bathroom to tidy myself up?

Jiang Yongtai brushed his hair aside, chuckled, and then put his hand down.

Since Nan-chan told him not to move, he might as well wait obediently.

Minami squatted in the shadows at the top of the stairs, pouting as she peeked at her parents watching TV in the living room.

I think I acted impulsively just now—it wouldn't be hard to sneak out at this hour, but if I ask my father to borrow his car, he'll definitely question me!

I should have told Yongtai-san the address of the nearby park, and then made up an excuse to go to the convenience store to meet him again.

But Jiang Yongtai's halting Kansai accent turned all the "if only I had known" into hindsight.

All the previous speculations about him and Sana vanished instantly, leaving only one thought: to see him immediately.

I can't dawdle any longer. Yongtai-san is still waiting at the port, and I've already wasted a lot of time just by hastily putting on some light makeup.

Mina took a deep breath, trying to keep her expression normal, and walked out from the stairwell.

"Otosan, Ogasan, I'm going out to buy something and I'd like to use the car."

Mei-you looked away from the television and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"What do you need to buy? The nearby convenience store will do."

Mina's heart skipped a beat, but she still explained without changing her expression.

"The convenience store doesn't have it. I forgot to bring it on my way back. I have to go to a shopping mall that's a bit further away."

Sachiko turned her head and glanced at her, her gaze sweeping over the light makeup on her face. She raised an eyebrow slightly and got a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"Then I'll go with you."

As Mei Yang was about to stand up, Mei Xingzi pulled him back onto the sofa and glared at him.

"Would it be convenient for you to come along when our daughter wants to buy some things?"

Mingyang opened his mouth as if to retort, but his wife glared at him again.

He choked for a moment, then turned back to stare at the TV, muttering to himself, "What's inconvenient about it? I'm her father—the keys are in the front door, drive carefully."

Sachiko Mina didn't bother with this doting father, turned her head and gave Mina a meaningful look, not intending to expose him.

"Nan, go and come back soon."

Is she putting on makeup and going out to buy things so late? Does she think she, as a mother, was never young?

He was clearly going to meet someone, and it was most likely that it was Yongtai-san!

Mina knew she had been seen through when she saw her mother's "I know everything" expression.

She gave an awkward laugh. "Okay, Uncle, I... I'll head out now."

After saying that, he quickly walked to the entrance, put on his shoes, grabbed his car keys, pushed open the door, and slipped out.

The moment the door closed, her ears were still burning. She clutched her chest, took a deep breath, and jogged toward the garage.

Yongtai Sang, wait for me!

As Mina drove into the transfer area of ​​the artificial island at Kobe Airport, she spotted Kang Young-tae from afar.

There were hardly any people around him, and only two taxis were left to pick up passengers.

He leaned against the railing, head down, staring at his phone screen. He swiped his thumb across the screen, then quickly looked up and glanced at the intersection, afraid he might miss a car that might be hers.

Mina parked her car a few meters away, biting her lower lip. Once she actually saw him, she stopped rushing and stared at him through the windshield for a while.

Yongtae-san flew from Seoul to Osaka, then took a ferry from Kansai to Kobe, all because I posted a photo and hung up on him twice—I was so impulsive!

She got out of the car, and the sea breeze suddenly rushed over, making her hair a mess.

Jiang Yongtai happened to look up again, his gaze sweeping in her direction.

In the empty space in front, a woman wearing a mask stood next to the car, wearing a dark gray chunky knit cardigan with white patterns.

Perhaps it was because the sea breeze was a bit strong, she wrapped her arms around her chest, and the streetlights enveloped her in a circle of light.

-

His eyes lit up, and he recognized her instantly. A smile spread across his face as he strode towards her.

Mina looked at him, suppressing the emotions that had been surging all the way, and only spoke calmly as if nothing was wrong when he stood in front of her.

"Yongtai-san, what are you doing here—"

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yongtai had already taken off his suit jacket.

He reached out and draped his coat over her shoulders, then pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her head. When he spoke, his voice sounded incredibly aggrieved, yet also tinged with an irrepressible smile.

"Nan-chan, I thought you didn't want me anymore. I've been waiting for so long—"

Mina leaned against his chest, smelling the salty, fishy smell that clung to her shirt from standing on the beach for over an hour.

His body, which had stiffened at his sudden movement, gradually softened, and he asked again softly.

"Why did you come here?"

Jiang Yongtai smiled and hugged her even tighter, so tight that it hurt her a little.

"Because I've gone mad, I suddenly have an insane urge to see you, and—the time has come."

He wouldn't let go of her, only creating a tiny distance between them, and raised his left hand for her to see.

"The teeth marks will be gone today; it's time to confess to Nan-chan."

Mina looked at the hand in front of her; the mark she had bitten had completely disappeared.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked up to meet his eyes.

Those eyes held a smile, a firm resolve, and only for her.

Mina opened her mouth, her voice trembling slightly, coming through her mask.

"Yongtai-san—why did you confess in Japanese?"

"Saranghaeyo, Nam-chan."

Jiang Yongtai picked up where she left off without hesitation.

He raised his hand and tucked her wind-blown blonde hair behind her ear, his fingers gently brushing against her earlobe, as if afraid that if he used even a little more force, she would shatter before his eyes.

"If that's not enough—Chinese is fine too."

His Chinese was worse than his Japanese, and every word had a distinct accent, but he pronounced each word very seriously.

"I like you, Mina."

As Mina listened to the two confessions in different languages, the emotions she had been desperately suppressing finally welled up from her chest, up her throat, and over her eyes.

Suddenly, she reached out and held the back of his head, pressing down hard while she stood on tiptoe.

Through the mask, her lips landed on his.

The mask brushed against his chin, carrying the warmth of her breath and a faint scent of lipstick.

The sea breeze tried to squeeze through the narrow gap between the two, but it was too tight and had to give up.

"Hmm~"

Mina only stepped out of his arms when she felt the guy in her arms trying to pull her mask down with his teeth.

Her back pressed against the car door, her chest heaving, and she knew without looking in a mirror that her face and neck were flushed.

She looked up at the culprit and tried to glare at him, but the tears in his eyes hadn't completely disappeared, so they had no intimidating power whatsoever.

Jiang Yongtai glanced down at the faint shoe print on his leather shoe, and his smile deepened.

"Nan-chan, it's a tie."

"————What do you mean, a tie?"

Mina had barely asked the question when she remembered the time he forcibly kissed her. She paused, and her breathing became even heavier.

She raised her hand and walked over, ready to slap him again.

Why do you have to bring up unhappy things at this time?

Jiang Yongtai caught her wrist in mid-air, pressed her palm against his cheek, turned his head, and touched his lips to her palm.

Mina's hand trembled slightly, and the itch in her palm traveled up her arm to her heart, making her jump.

She tried to pull her hand back, but he held it firmly.

"Daughter, there's no need to be so shy~"

Jiang Yongtai took a step forward, bringing the distance between the two back to intimacy.

Mina had no choice but to back up again, her back pressed against the car door, raising an eyebrow and speaking in an exceptionally sweet voice.

"Daughter-in-law? Who is Yongtai-san talking about? When did I agree to that?"

Jiang Yongtai's brows furrowed instantly. "Nan-chan, are you serious?"

He released her wrist and took another step forward.

Mina really had no room now; her lower back was pressed against the car door handle, and she could only look up at his face, which was starting to flare up because of her denial.

"Seriously."

Why?

Jiang Yongtai couldn't understand why he had traveled so far and confessed his feelings to her so earnestly.

She just kissed him through his mask, wasn't that the best response? Why doesn't that count as dating?

Mina turned her face away, raised her hand to adjust her mask, covering the corners of her mouth that were already turned up, and said calmly, "Nagatae-san, when did I agree to you? Was that just a confession?"

"—Didn't I already say that?"

Jiang Yongtai paused, recalling the scene from beginning to end, and a crack appeared in his expression.

Minami shook her head, looked up at the moon, and spoke in a light tone.

"It was Yongtai-san who acted like a pervert, even trying to bite off his mask—"

"Then I'll ask now."

2

Jiang Yongtai reached out and turned her head toward him, looking straight at her.

"Nan-chan, be my girlfriend!"

Mina was slightly taken aback by his serious tone. She pursed her lips, swallowed back the sweetness that had welled up inside her, tilted her head, and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

"Well... I'll think about it."

Jiang Yongtai took a deep breath, clenched and then relaxed his back teeth, released his hand from her shoulder, and took a step back.

"Okay, you can think about it."

He calmly nodded, turned around, opened his arms to the empty parking lot, looked up at the Kobe port night sky, and shouted, "Minami! Be my girlfriend!"

The drivers of the two taxis in the distance both leaned out at the same time, and the security guard at the entrance of the waiting hall also turned around.

Mina was stunned for a moment. The heat that had just been dissipated by the sea breeze surged up again. She pounced on him and covered his mouth, her voice squeezing out from between her teeth.

"Baka! Are you trying to die?!"

Jiang Yongtai's voice was muffled as she covered his mouth, but his eyes curved into a smile as he mumbled something indistinctly in her palm, his breath hot against her skin.

"So, will you agree or not?"

Mina bit her lower lip and glared at him, the heat in her palms almost burning her through.

She took her hand off his mouth, grabbed his collar, and pulled him down to eye level with her.

"Shut up! Get in the car with me!"

She loosened his collar, opened the car door, and pushed him inside. As she shoved him into the passenger seat, Jiang Yongtai was still asking questions.

So, did you agree? Or did you not agree?

Mina ignored him, bowed to apologize to the people who were looking over, and quickly opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.

She ripped off her mask, turned around, and glared at him, her face flushed.

"Jiang Yongtai! Are you crazy? You were outside just now—"

"Uh, I must have gone mad to agree to that?"

Jiang Yongtai looked into her eyes, a smile playing on his lips. He reached out and gently brushed aside the few strands of hair that had gotten tangled when she pulled off her mask, his fingertips resting on her burning cheeks.

Mina pouted and slapped his hand away.

"Stop messing around! You haven't explained it to me yet."

Jiang Yongtai was stunned for a moment.

"Explain what? Shouldn't you be explaining this to me? This blind date—"

"I didn't go on a blind date! That's...that's—"

Mina turned her face away, her voice trailing off, "—I was just kidding."

Jiang Yongtai's lips twitched.

Was it just a lie? I rushed all the way here, only to be fooled?

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, he reached out and took her hand, his voice very soft.

"Well, thank you for lying to me, Nan-chan, otherwise I wouldn't be here now~ So, what do you want me to explain?"

Mina was relieved to see that he wasn't angry about it, but then she thought about what she truly cared about—

She bit her lip, but still managed to say the name that had always stood between them.

"————Sana.

""

She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him.

Jiang Yongtai frowned instantly, thinking she wanted him to explain his recent reconnection with Minatozaki Sana.

"Nan-chan, Sana and I broke up a long time ago. Recently, it's just because of work—we're just friends now."

"I know."

Mina's voice was muffled, but her heart was clenching in waves.

She knew they had broken up a long time ago, knew they were just working together now, and knew what he meant by "friends".

But she knew the word "friend" all too well—she herself had gradually slipped through the cracks of the word "friend."

Sana is currently unreachable, and her whereabouts are unknown, but she knows what Sana has been spacing out about lately.

She knew who Sana was thinking about from their conversation in the practice room, and now that person was sitting right next to her.

Who is she? She's fallen for her best friend's ex-boyfriend.

She had said those few words to herself countless times, and each time the guilt grew heavier.

Sana trusted her, treated her as her closest person, and told her everything.

And yet, without Sana's knowledge, he slowly nurtured him into his heart, little by little, where Sana couldn't see him.

She knew Sana had no grounds to be angry, but matters of the heart never come down to perspective.

Mina was frustrated with her own indecisiveness. They had already come this far; he had flown across the entire ocean to stand before her—

"—Can I think about it some more?"

"How long do you want to think about it?"

"Hmm...wait until I return to Seoul?"

She looked up at Jiang Yongtai, who had a helpless expression, raised their clasped hands, and shook them.

"No, I need to think about it now."

Jiang Yongtai frowned and shook his head.

This is something I can't let her go back and think about slowly. Last time, the result was that he blocked me for two days. If this continues, he might have to start pursuing me all over again!

Mina puffed out her cheeks, cupped his hand in her own, blinked at him, and spoke in a voice so soft it could melt silk.

"Not now~"

Jiang Yongtai turned his face forward, unmoved.

"Right now."

"Yongtai-san~"

Mina called out again, but he still didn't respond.

She snorted and shook off his hand, but she didn't want to give up on this long-awaited confession, so she could only purse her lips tightly and keep adding weight to Jiang Yongtai's side on the scales of her heart.

Jiang Yongtai turned his head and glanced at her.

Looking at her puffed-out profile and the redness around her eyes from worry, I sighed.

He turned to the side, reached out and cupped her face, bringing her gaze into his eyes.

"Nan-chan, I'm here to give you courage."

He whispered something, then leaned down and placed a light kiss on the corner of her eye, pulling away just as quickly.

Is this enough?

Mina stared at him, his eyes so close that she could see her reflection in his pupils.

She shook her head instinctively.

"----not enough."

Jiang Yongtai chuckled slightly, then leaned down and gently touched the mole on the tip of her nose.

"How about this?"

His breath brushed against her face, mingling with the kiss from before, making her nose tingle slightly.

She wrinkled her nose and spoke with a nasal tone.

"Not enough~"

"---Then we'll have to do it this way."

Jiang Yongtai nodded, his hand moving from her cheek to the back of her head, his knuckles threading through her soft hair, gently clasping it.

He lowered his head and kissed her lips.

Perhaps because the previous two encounters were so sudden, this time her lips were softer than he had imagined.

He tilted his head slightly, his nose brushing against hers, their breaths mingling before slowly deepening.

Mina tightened her grip on the front of his shirt, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She closed her eyes, and strands of her hair brushed against his brow, tickling him so much that his fingers, which were supporting the back of her head, tightened involuntarily.

The two were only inches apart, their foreheads still touching.

Her breath broke into tiny fragments, all landing on his lips. She leaned forward again, swallowing the last bit of distance.

They didn't separate completely until they could no longer steal a breath from each other.

Mina had somehow climbed over the control panel and straddled him, burying her face in his shoulder and speaking in a voice as soft as a gentle breeze.

"I...I've made up my mind."

Jiang Yongtai held her waist, his chest still rising and falling, but the corners of his mouth had already curved into a smile.

"I already know the answer."

"No, you don't know~"

Mina opened her mouth and gently nibbled on his shoulder bone through his shirt, her nose brushing against his shirt as she inhaled his scent.

"Yongtai-san, I still don't want Sana to know about our relationship, and I want to go back to—dating now—"

not good."

Jiang Yongtai's fingers tightened suddenly, and Ming Jingnan frowned, using her teeth to apply more force.

"Mmm~ You pinched me too hard, please let me finish explaining~"

Jiang Yongtai took a deep breath, loosened his grip, and placed his palm on the spot where he had just pinched, slowly rubbing it.

He decided to listen to what other tricks this person had up his sleeve.

"----you say."

"I like you, Yongtai-san~"

She tilted her head slightly and touched the skin on the side of his neck with her lips.

This was the first time she had confessed her feelings to him. Her voice was soft, but it was as firm as the look in Jiang Yongtai's eyes when he looked at her.

Jiang Yongtai's heart softened instantly. He stroked her back, feeling her body tremble with every inch he touched.

"Hmm, and then?"

"And then—for now, let's be 'friends who can kiss,' and you can't refuse me!"

Mina nodded in satisfaction at the definition she had come up with in a flash of inspiration.

Jiang Yongtai stopped what he was doing, remained silent for a while, and when he spoke again, his tone was full of absurdity.

"Nan-chan—are you serious? What kind of friend is this?"

"Calculate."

She pressed her finger to his lips, stopping him from continuing.

"Wait until I get back to Seoul, for now, is that alright?"

She said "okay?" very softly at the end. Jiang Yongtai stared at her profile as she leaned on his shoulder for a long time before sighing.

Mina sensed his helplessness, smiled, looked up at him, her eyes still glistening with tears from their kiss, staring at him intently.

"A friend you can kiss — like this~"

She lowered her head again and moved closer to his slightly parted lips, which were parted because of his silence.

Before he kissed her, the corners of her mouth turned up, and Jiang Yongtai resignedly closed his eyes.

Does this count as dating or not?

Nobody taught him how to deal with this kind of "scumbag woman"!

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