Peninsula: My pet is my idol

(Chapter 25, A0: B17)

East Asian societies have disciplined boys from childhood to adulthood.

From a young age, the boy has been telling himself, "It's not enough."

I'm not old enough, not handsome enough, not strong enough, not mature enough, not rich enough...

It's never enough, never enough!

So what exactly constitutes enough?

Every boy will meet his ideal woman in his youth, someone he longs to connect with, but he may never dare to say "hello" until they are separated by a sea of ​​people.

How could someone with clean hands dare to wrong a beautiful woman?

There aren't many confident people in this world; there are many who use inferiority to fuel arrogance.

Being able to endure hardship with the boy you love is the best dowry a woman can give.

It is a great humiliation for a man to make his beloved girl suffer because of him.

……

The moment Jin Zhiyuan's figure disappeared at the shop entrance, Tang Xin felt an emptiness in her heart.

Will we ever meet again?

Seoul is too small to contain all the connections we make.

Seoul is so big that it's hard to find someone in the vast sea of ​​people.

"Now, go after her! Don't be a coward who doesn't even dare to get close... The longer you wait, the later it will be!"

Despite telling himself this, he didn't move an inch.

He pressed his fists against the control panel, clenching them tightly.

"Damn, even saving someone isn't this complicated!"

Tang Xin took off her apron and quickly chased after him.

Like most people in this world, he would choose kindness and saving lives when given the choice.

Just like now, if he had a choice, he would still choose to chase after them, just like most people.

Tang Xin, who was running out of the store, soon noticed a figure that hadn't gone far.

"Jin Zhiyuan!"

Jin Zhiyuan stopped and turned around to look at Tang Xin running towards him: "What's wrong?"

After catching her breath slightly, Tang Xin asked, "You...you're going back, right?"

"Yeah, that's right..."

"I want to tell you... I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly and said some hurtful things..." Tang Xin scratched his head through his hat. "Although I don't know what was wrong with what I said, I know you're angry. I'm sorry, it's my fault."

"Oh my..." the girl whispered, covering her mouth.

Tang Xin had no idea that at this moment, he was shining in Jin Zhiyuan's eyes.

It's not for any other reason than simply because of the fact that "he apologizes".

South Korean society is rife with extreme male chauvinism, especially in matters of romantic relationships.

Expecting a South Korean man to apologize to a woman for a slip of the tongue is wishful thinking.

The color drained from Jin Zhiyuan's cheeks by the cold winter wind visibly returned to their usual rosy hue.

"Ah... um... it's okay, I shouldn't get angry so easily..."

"...", "..."

The two stood there, stunned, and smiled at each other.

After a while, Tang Xin took the initiative to speak, "I know you're an idol, so it might be inconvenient for you to give me your contact information... but could you perhaps give me yours?"

"I……"

"Nothing much, just that if you come to the shop again next time, you can contact me in advance to see if I'm available. Or, if you'd like to order coffee, I can deliver it to you if I have time... um, by the way!"

"Well... okay then."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, singer Kim."

"I'm very happy too, President Tang."

We are watching the snow in Seoul.

They also looked at each other's noses and eyes, which were red from the cold, and their faces were flushed.

……

As he got into the car and drove away, Jin Zhiyuan, wearing a mask, held a hot coffee in one hand and waved to Tang Xin outside the window with the other.

After driving for quite some time, she suddenly remembered one of the purposes of her trip today.

Eh?

I don't think I've seen any kittens.

We didn't even see Yuan Ying, who had turned into a pig...

At this moment, Tang Xin sent a message on her phone: Let me know when you get home.

This is a unique greeting from the University of Tokyo, quite ordinary. But to people in other countries, it sounds like an extra gesture of care.

Upon receiving Tang Xin's message, Jin Zhiyuan immediately forgot all about pigs and cats.

He grinned foolishly while wearing a mask.

Half a day later, night fell.

Jin Zhiyuan fell asleep, and when he opened his eyes, it was daytime at Tang Xin's house.

Xiao Zhu Ying, who had been looking at the computer, turned it off and came over to ask, "Zhiyuan, why have you been sleeping for so long? I tried to nudge you... ugh... push you, but you wouldn't wake up!"

"Hmm..." Xiao Maoyuan didn't dare to explicitly say that she had come to see Tang Xin alone, and vaguely asked, "Yuan Ying, have I been asleep for a long time?"

"I don't know, Tang Xin just brought me back not long ago."

"Oh, wait... Yuan Ying, why is your pig nose a little crooked?"

Little Pig Ying complained, "Half an hour ago, Tang Xin suddenly went crazy. She went out and then rushed back in, changed her clothes, and even put on a hat. When she opened the door, I was slammed into it and rolled right under the bed."

"Half an hour ago..."

Speak of Tang Xin, and Tang Xin will appear.

With a silly grin on her face, Tang Xin pushed open the door and entered the house. Seeing that Xiao Mao Yuan was awake, she picked her up:

"Oh dear~ You just woke up, huh? Old Hakimi's been sleeping pretty long, hasn't he!"

"We meet again~" (Meow~)

After taking the well-behaved kitten Yuan and the constantly struggling pig Ying downstairs, Tang Xin began another day of working at the shop.

Tang Xin seemed to be in a good mood as she replied to Jin Zhiyuan's message.

The little cat, Yuan, perched on his shoulder, watching him reply to the message "himself".

So that's the expression he had when he replied to me?

This feeling is indeed quite peculiar.

However, after the chat came to a temporary end, Tang Xin started searching for information about IVE's lead singer, Jin Zhiyuan, and her smile froze on her face.

I go?

Born in November 2004? It's only January 2022 now.

Then wouldn't I be...

Xiao Maoyuan looked at Tang Xin as she put down her phone, her expression suddenly blank, and felt completely bewildered.

Four years younger... Is there a problem? It's not that much of a difference, is it?

As the "younger man," she didn't feel there was anything wrong with it.

But Tang Xin felt something was wrong!

Tang Xin's dilemma wasn't about the age difference, but about Jin Zhiyuan...

Because of his age, he suddenly felt like a piece of trash for chatting so happily with a little girl.

Turning 18 is a threshold.

This is especially true for Tang Xin, a boy who grew up at Dongda University and has a strong sense of morality and law.

Before eighteen, it's impossible; after eighteen, everything is fine!

……

night.

Tang Xin lay listlessly on the table, teasing Xiao Mao Yuan's cat head.

"Sigh... This is the end of the world. I was just about to go downstairs to open my shop today when I saw a girl coming up the stairs..."

Huh? Why is she going up the stairs?

Oh no, I forgot to ask!

Oh well, idols probably just want to stand at a higher angle for photos...

Oh my god... You didn't even see that girl, she's absolutely gorgeous!

Both cute and pretty.

Her golden hair made her look like a mannequin in a shop window.

Moreover, she blushes easily, and I blushed too. I felt my face burning like I had a fever during the half hour she was in the store.

I was thinking of seeing if we could start as friends...

But... she was too young.

Isn't it despicable for an adult to like a 17-year-old girl?

But... I feel like time slows down when I'm with her, because my heart is beating so fast...

You tell me... how should I deal with these conflicted feelings?

As the kitten listened to Tang Xin's mutterings, its head drooped lower and lower.

Kittens don't laugh, but girls sleeping in the dorm do.