Peninsula: The young master is poor and doesn't want to date.

Chapter 1 Confession

I like you, let's date.

Just as Bae Joo-hyun said this, Lee Jung-il yawned.

It's not that he doesn't respect people.

The main problem is that working the night shift is exhausting; I'm practically worn out.

At 2:30 a.m., the cold white fluorescent lights in the convenience store hummed, and if you listened to that sound for a while, you could hear Buddhist scriptures in them.

The alleys of Kowloon Village outside were as dark as hell.

The streetlights have been broken for more than half a month and no one has fixed them.

As you walk inside, you feel like NPCs might spawn at any moment and give you quests.

He had just finished tidying up the freezer, his fingers were numb from the cold, and he was contemplating whether to have a bowl of noodles with soybean paste after get off work or just go home and lie there like a corpse.

Then the woman came in.

Face mask.

sunglasses.

The hat was pulled down very low.

Wearing an expensive-looking coat, the style of which clearly belonged to someone from a wealthy area, completely out of place in the slum atmosphere of Kowloon Village.

Li Zhengyi was squatting in front of the cashier, clutching two small umbrellas in his hand.

Look up and squint.

These days, in a run-down place like Kowloon Village, anyone dressed like this to buy instant noodles at two in the morning is either mentally ill or has ulterior motives.

He stood up and dusted off his work pants.

What would you like to order?

Then the woman took off her sunglasses and mask.

Li Zhengyi blinked.

Oh wow.

Bae Joo-hyun.

This face is recognized by almost everyone on the peninsula who is alive.

The visual of Red Velvet, SM's new girl group, was hailed as a visual icon upon debut and has been trending on social media non-stop.

This face is everywhere – on TV, on subway signs, on convenience store magazine shelves. You can't escape it, it's even more persistent than debt collectors.

Now that face is right in front of him.

In this dilapidated convenience store in Kowloon Village, where the paint on the walls is almost falling off.

In the convenience store at 2:30 a.m., I said to him:

I like you, let's date.

Li Zhengyi remained silent for about three seconds.

The first second.

Am I hallucinating from staying up all night?

After three consecutive night shifts last time, I saw the potato chips on the shelf talking to me, which wasn't much more outrageous than that.

The second second.

No, this illusion is actually quite high quality, with maxed-out details, even the individual strands of hair are rendered. The graphics card is pretty good.

The third second.

Wait a minute, what's this girl up to?

Do you think I'm poor?

Do I know how to arrange instant noodles?

The picture shows the two boxes of small umbrellas I'm holding.

He put the two bags of small umbrellas back on the shelf.

Mainly, it's a bit oppressive to talk to girls while holding this thing in my hand.

I walked behind the cashier, picked up my thermos, and took a sip of my now-cold coffee.

Just like the taste of life.

"Um, cough cough."

He cleared his throat, which had been silent for a while, and looked at Bae Joo-hyun's face, which was still exquisitely beautiful even off-camera, as if it had a built-in beauty filter.

"Bae Joo-hyun-ssi, right?"

Bae Joo-hyun was clearly taken aback for a moment.

She probably didn't expect the other person to react this way.

No shock, no excitement, no stuttering.

"Yes, you know me?"

"I've seen it on TV. So, what's going on? You lost a dare? Where's the hidden camera? Or are they filming some kind of prank show, and your teammate is going to jump out from behind you in a minute?"

Li Zheng put his hands in his pockets and even tilted his head to look behind the shelf.

Bae Joo-hyun's expression started to betray her nervousness.

She had imagined many possible reactions.

Shock, ecstasy, doubt, and even outright rejection.

But this kind of calm, detached attitude towards watching a monkey show is absolutely not included.

"This isn't a dare, I'm serious. I...I like you."

"What do you like about me?"

Li Zheng chuckled and gestured with his hand to show off his outfit.

The convenience store uniform was faded from washing, and there were still some oil stains on the cuffs.

On my feet were a pair of old Converse shoes that I'd worn for almost two years; the toes were coming unglued.

My hair was a mess because I had just taken off my baseball cap.

"You like me being poor? You like me working the night shift? Or you like the smell of instant noodles on me? You have some unique taste. SM should release a solo album for you, and the title track should be called 'Garbage Dump Boyfriend's Love'."

Bae Joo-hyun choked for a moment.

This part wasn't in her prepared lines.

"I...I just like you as a person."

"That day, I saw you working at the convenience store, diligently organizing the shelves, and I... I fell in love at first sight."

Li Zheng burst out laughing upon hearing this.

Love at first sight.

At the convenience store.

Watching him organize the shelves.

Who wrote this script?

Even online novel authors wouldn't dare to write something like this, otherwise readers would criticize them: "Author, are you single? Have you never been in a relationship?"

"Oh, so you like me because I arrange instant noodles so neatly?"

"No! It's a feeling, that kind of, serious feeling."

"A serious feeling, that's good."

Li Zhengyi walked out from behind the cashier and slowly approached her.

Bae Joo-hyun subconsciously took a half step back.

Li Zhengyi stopped two steps away from her, grinned, and revealed a set of white teeth.

With such a disheveled appearance, those teeth looked particularly out of place.

"Okay, since you like me and want to date me, let's start with a kiss."

He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Bae Joo-hyun froze completely.

His eyes widened instantly, and his face turned pale.

Although she was already very fair-skinned, now she's as pale as a corpse.

Li Zhengyi could tell from her suddenly tense shoulders that she was in a complete panic.

"No, no... a kiss... this is too fast..."

He's already stuttering.

Bae Joo-hyun, who used to sing and dance so smoothly during the typhoon, can't even speak a complete sentence now.

Li Zhengyi took another half step forward, bringing the distance between them to less than half a meter.

It wasn't just the scent of perfume; there was also a faint smell of sweat.

I guess they're nervous.

"Well, if you like someone, you want to get close to them, right? That's how it's always portrayed on TV, love at first sight, a spark ignites, and they practically want to... umm, you know what I mean?"

He made an exaggerated hugging gesture.

Bae Joo-hyun stepped back again, her heel touching the wind chimes by the door, which jingled, as if providing a voiceover for her: "Danger~".

"That's...that's too casual..."

The voice grew softer and softer, and his gaze began to wander.

"So you said you liked me just for show?" Li Zhengyi raised an eyebrow.

"no!"

"So what's wrong with a kiss?" He shrugged. "Or are you saying you don't actually like me that much?"

Bae Joo-hyun was cornered.

Both literally and metaphorically.

Her back was pressed against the cold glass door, and in front of her was Li Zhengyi's face with a playful smile.

She could feel herself sweating.

Palms, back, forehead.

This is not what we agreed on.

totally different.

That person only said that Li Zhengyi was a down-on-his-luck tycoon's son who had been kicked out of his home and was now destitute, working at a convenience store. He must be very starved for love and easy to manipulate.

If she takes the initiative to confess her feelings, the other person will definitely cling to her like a lifeline.

Then she can naturally "fall in love".

Then he was "accidentally" photographed.

Then it was "forced" to be made public.

then……

Then the second young master of the CJ family, who had been pestering her, pressuring her, and threatening her with her future, could no longer openly harm her.

What a perfect plan.

In theory, she was perfect, but in practice, she encountered a man who didn't follow the script at all.

But the person in front of me didn't look down on me or lack love at all.

The way he looked at her wasn't like he was looking at his dream girl; it was more like he was looking at a bag of expired potato chips that hadn't been taken off the shelf yet.

Curiosity, exploration, even disdain.

There was a sense of disdain, as if to say, "Why hasn't anyone taken this thing yet?"

She, the most beautiful woman on the peninsula, when has she ever been looked at like that by a man?

hateful.

Bae Joo-hyun bit her lower lip, stimulating her brain to work at a rapid pace.

"I...I didn't mean that...but, but this is in public, in front of everyone..."

Li Zhengyi pointed to the empty street.

"At 2:30 a.m., in Kowloon Village, not even ghosts would want to stay in this wretched place, let alone humans."

"That's too casual. At least... at least find a secluded place..."

Bae Joo-hyun regretted saying those words as soon as she did.

Because she saw Li Zhengyi's eyes light up.

"Okay."

He was very straightforward, turning around and pulling out a bunch of keys from under the counter.

"I live upstairs, elbow, come upstairs with me."