Peninsula's Life Begins in 2016

Chapter 41 A Nascent and Unconscious Possessiveness

Kim Minjung froze, staring at the woman who had suddenly appeared in the kitchen, not even noticing that the towel on his head had slipped onto his shoulder.

When Jiang Yan and Cui Xueli turned to look at her at the same time, she subconsciously took half a step back and her back hit the corridor wall with a "thud".

"Minjung, come here." Jiang Yan put down the grilling tongs, moved a little further away from the stove, and also distanced himself from Choi Sulli. He waved to her, "Let me introduce you to someone."

Choi Sulli also turned around, her gaze falling on that small figure.

From her wet hair to her round eyes, then to the corner of the towel she was clutching, and finally to her rosy cheeks.

This is the little sister that Jiang Yan always talks about; she really is chubby and cute.

She tilted her head and gave a gentle smile.

Kim Minjung felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze, his mind buzzing.

Of course she knew Choi Sulli; there were very few people on the entire peninsula who didn't know Choi Sulli.

But she never dreamed that the dazzling superstar on TV would be standing in her own kitchen, so close to her oppa.

They were so close that they were less than a hand's width apart.

"What are you daydreaming about? Come here." Jiang Yan beckoned again.

Kim Minjung snapped out of his daze, slowly moved over, stood next to Kang Yeon, and bowed deeply to Choi Sulli: "Annyeonghaseyo, sunbaenim. I am Kim Minjung, a trainee at SM Entertainment."

Choi Sulli leaned forward slightly, put her hands behind her back, and tilted her head to look at her. "So Minjung is this cute. No wonder your Kang Yeon oppa talks about you all the time."

Kim Minjung's face flushed red to his ears in an instant, and he hurriedly lowered his head and bowed, saying, "Senior, you flatter me."

"No need to call me senior." Choi Sulli walked around to stand in front of Kang Yeon, bent down slightly to look her in the eye, and said, "My name is Choi Jinri. I grew up with your oppa. You can just call me Jinri unnie."

The words "we grew up together" floated into his ears, and Kim Minjung unconsciously tightened his grip on the towel.

"Yes, Mari Unnie."

Choi Sulli noticed the little movement in her hands, her eyes flickered, and she turned around and walked to the coffee table in the living room. She picked up the two bags and handed over the small box tied with a light purple ribbon first: "Minjung, since it's our first meeting, I prepared a small gift for you. I hope you like it."

Kim Minjung paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked up at Jiang Yan.

Seeing Jiang Yan nod, she took the box with both hands and carefully untied the ribbon.

Inside the box lay a tiny silver dolphin tail pendant, no bigger than a fingernail, with smooth, flowing lines and a slightly upturned tail tip, as if frozen in time at the moment it emerged from the waves.

Kim Minjung stared at the pendant. She had grown up in Busan and had seen dolphins chasing the waves countless times at the beach in Taejongdae. Her mother had said that dolphins were animals that brought good luck.

Just as she was about to thank her, Choi Sulli quickly waved her hand and said, "Okay, don't thank me. This was made by a handmade silver jewelry shop that I frequent. The chain is also made of pure silver, so you don't have to worry about allergies."

Kim Minjung's lips moved several times, but his throat felt like it was blocked with cotton, and he couldn't utter a single word.

This was the first gift she received after arriving in Seoul, besides from Kang Yeon.

She blinked hard, suppressing the rising heat, took a step back, and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Mari unnie, I really like it."

Choi Sulli reached out, hesitated for a moment, and then gently ruffled her hair: "Yes, I'm glad you like it."

After saying that, she picked up the white paper bag and handed it over: "These are handmade citrus gummies from Jeju Island. You guys burn a lot of calories practicing dance and are prone to low blood sugar. Carry a few with you. They're not expensive. Don't be shy with me, unnie."

Kim Minjung glanced at Jiang Yan again, and seeing that he had already turned back to grill meat, he thanked him quietly, bowed slightly, and stepped aside with his things.

"Aigoo, what a good boy." Choi Sulli smiled and shook her head, then turned and rushed into the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, revealing a slender, fair wrist. "Kang Yeon! You're getting too old if you keep flipping this Korean beef, give me some tongs!"

"What do you know? This is called caramelized aroma."

"A caramelized aroma and a burnt appearance are two different things. Look at this piece, it's almost charcoal!"

Jiang Yan glanced at her sideways, but still reluctantly handed over the barbecue tongs.

Choi Sulli took the tongs, skillfully flipped the rolled-up Korean beef over, then picked up the sauce bowl next to her, smelled it, and wrinkled her nose: "You didn't put enough pear juice in this sauce, it's not sweet at all."

If you don't like it, adjust the seasoning yourself.

"I'll adjust it if I want, who's afraid of who?"

Kim Minjung stood there, holding the gummy bears and jewelry box in her arms, watching the two people bickering in the kitchen.

Jiang Yan wore an apron stained with oil, and Cui Xueli stood next to him, flipping the meat while complaining about his cooking skills. The two were very close to each other.

When Choi Sulli was flipping the meat, her elbow brushed against Kang Yeon's arm, and neither of them moved away.

Kim Minjung's gaze lingered for a moment on the arm that had been brushed against, then he lowered his eyes, picked up his things, and quietly walked into his room, closing the door behind him.

Using the light from the streetlamp streaming in through the window, she took the dolphin tail pendant out of the box and held it up to the light to examine it closely.

The silver tail gleamed softly in the dim light, and the chain slipped between my fingers, feeling cool and refreshing.

She clutched the pendant tightly in her palm, the sharp edges of the silver ornament digging into her hand and causing a slight pain.

Jinri unnie is such a nice person. She's beautiful, speaks gently, and gives such thoughtful gifts. She's even better at cooking than her.

She can't even crack an egg properly, yet she can still complain that her oppa's sauce isn't sweet enough.

Moreover, she has known Oppa for so long and they have so many shared memories that she doesn't know about.

Kim Minjung carefully put the pendant back into the box, sat on the edge of the bed, hugged his knees, and rested his chin on his knees.

From childhood to adulthood, she always thought that Jiang Yan was her one and only oppa.

He's the oppa who only treats her well, only buys her snacks, and only protects her when she's wronged.

But today she realized that there were other people who could get this close to him.

She buried her face in her knees and let out a muffled sigh.

Kim Minjung, how could you think like that? Jinri unnie is so good to you, and oppa should be happy to have another friend.

But... but they were standing really close together.

The faint sounds of pots and pans clattering could be heard from the living room, along with Choi Sulli's clear laughter. It was unclear what Jiang Yan had said that made her laugh so much.

Kim Minjung took a deep breath and turned on the little star-shaped nightlight by the bedside with a "snap." The warm yellow light spilled onto the ceiling, casting a patch of shimmering light.

She raised her hand and gently patted her cheeks, making two crisp "slap slap" sounds.

"Kim Minjung, don't be so ungrateful. No matter what, she's a senior, an unnie, so you have to be polite."

She whispered something to the air, then picked up the hairdryer and started blowing her hair.