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

Chapter 5 The Nightlife Has Just Begun

The car was eerily quiet.

There was only road noise and a faint whirring sound from the air conditioning vents.

After a long silence, Han Chengxu sighed.

"But have you considered how risky it is to do this?"

"That Li Zhengyi was kicked out of his home."

"He has no value to CJ anymore, and may even be a stain on their reputation."

"Getting involved with him won't stop Lee Woo-bin; it might even anger him."

Bae Joo-hyun wiped away her tears and took a deep breath.

"I know."

"But this is the only way."

"The kind of person Lee Woo-bin is concerned about his image. If I'm already publicly dating someone, he can't at least do anything to me openly. Otherwise, it'll get out that he stole his younger brother's girlfriend."

"Even if he's a younger brother who was kicked out, he's still his own brother. Even wealthy families have their pride."

Han Chengxu asked, "What if Li Zhengyi isn't willing to cooperate? What if he realizes you're using him, turns against you, and exposes you?"

"He won't."

Bae Joo-hyun said she wouldn't, but she was still a little unsure inside.

How did you know?

Bae Joo-hyun looked out the window and did not answer immediately.

She was reminiscing.

By recalling Li Zhengyi's every move, we can analyze what kind of person he really was.

Is he really as useless as the rumors suggest?

It doesn't seem like it.

"I can tell he doesn't dislike me."

She paused, then added:

"Besides, I met him today. He... isn't quite what I imagined."

"What do you mean?"

Bae Joo-hyun thought of Lee Jung-il's eyes.

Those eyes, bathed in the cold white light of the convenience store, held a playful smile.

"He didn't seem like a completely destitute person. Although he dressed poorly, he had a strange confidence in his speech and actions. I can't quite put my finger on it."

Han Chengxu frowned.

Bae Joo-hyun shook her head, trying to shake off those thoughts.

"Anyway, the plan has already begun. I took a photo with him, and we were very close. Next, I will slowly and accidentally let the photos leak out so that Lee Woo-bin will find out that I am dating his younger brother."

"What about Li Zhengyi? Are you really going to date him?"

Bae Joo-hyun gave a wry smile.

"Let's take it one step at a time and just act it out. Pretend I like him, meet up occasionally, and exchange messages. Once things have calmed down, I'll find a reason to break up."

She said it casually.

But I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

Han Chengxu glanced back at her, then turned back to continue driving, letting out a long sigh.

"You know you're playing with fire by doing this."

"Know."

"You knew and you still did it?"

"Because if I don't do it, I'll be burned to death immediately. By playing with fire, at least I still have a chance to live, even if it's just a tiny bit."

Bae Joo-hyun's voice was very calm, eerily calm.

Han Chengxu also fell silent.

He took out a cigarette, intended to light it, glanced at Bae Joo-hyun, and then put it down.

The nanny van sped across the Hanjiang Bridge.

At this time of day, there were few vehicles on the road, and most of the Seoul night view outside the window was dark, with only the warning lights on the high-rise buildings still flashing.

I will help you.

After a long silence, Han Chengxu suddenly spoke.

Bae Joo-hyun looked up at him.

Han Chengxu did not turn around.

"I'll handle the leak of the photos. We have an inside man who can control the pace. It won't suddenly explode in the media and trigger a public relations crisis."

Bae Joo-hyun's nose tingled with emotion.

"……Thanks."

Han Chengxu gave a wry smile.

"Don't thank me. My career is also in jeopardy. If you're finished, my life is finished. If you can get through this, we can all get through this."

He paused, then continued.

"But Joo-hyun, there's something I have to say."

"you say."

"You'd better watch out for that Li Zhengyi. No one from a chaebol family is simple. Especially a family like CJ's. The fact that he's still alive and can stay in a place like Kowloon Village means he's definitely not someone to be trifled with."

Bae Joo-hyun recalled Lee Jung-il's last smile.

The smile on his face as he leaned against the window, a cigarette dangling from his lips, watching her leave.

"I know," she said softly.

"You know that..."

Bae Joo-hyun interrupted him.

"But I had no choice, Chief Kim, I really had no choice."

Bae Joo-hyun took out her phone and opened Kakao Talk.

The pinned chat is by Li Zhengyi, whose profile picture is an orange cat's butt.

She clicked on it and looked at the message he had sent:

Let me know when you get home.

It's just a few very simple words.

But she stared at it for a long time.

Then she typed:

【Um】

send.

Then she turned off her phone, leaned against the car window, and watched the night view rush by outside.

Seoul's nights are so beautiful.

It's much more beautiful than my hometown, a small city.

It's beautiful in a false way, beautiful in a cruel way.

And in this false prosperity, she sold herself to another false lie with one lie.

The nanny van drove into the eastern part of the city.

The streets have become wide and clean, lined with luxury stores and upscale restaurants, which are closed but still have their lights on.

It's a completely different world from Kowloon Village.

Bae Joo-hyun looked out the window and suddenly remembered Lee Jung-il's ten-square-meter rented room.

The walls were peeling and mottled, the single bed was hard and cold, and there was a bowl of leftover instant noodles on the table.

And his last words:

"Then let's give it a try."

She closed her eyes.

Let's give it a try.

It was 3 a.m. after Bae Joo-hyun left, and the night was still dark.

As a night shift employee, Li Zhengyi cannot sleep.

The convenience store's roller shutter door opened, and I continued working.

There are very few customers during this time period; often, not a single customer will come for an hour.

Li Zhengyi squatted down in front of the convenience store, lit a cheap cigarette, and questioned his existence.

What's going on tonight?

A honey trap?

A new type of scam?

Or am I hallucinating from staying up all night?

He had a vague idea of ​​why Bae Joo-hyun had come to confess her feelings to him.

It's one thing to be rational.

But emotionally, it still feels magical.

No matter what, she is one of the most beautiful women in the peninsula.

She's already his girlfriend?

"Put-put-put~~~ Boom boom boom~~~"

In the distance, a modified exhaust note, resembling the sound of someone suffering from tuberculosis, approached.

The explosion turned on all the motion-activated lights on the entire street.

A BMW M3 with a matte racing gray wrap, a low-slung and wide body, and a rear wing so big it could be used as a dining table, came to a screeching stop in front of him with an extremely flamboyant drift.

The rearview mirror almost hit his face.

The car window rolled down, and a face wearing huge sunglasses and chewing gum peeked out in the middle of the night, immediately launching into a sarcastic remark.

"Damn it, Zheng Yi, why are you standing here like a doorman at a convenience store in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Are you waiting for some female ghost to come and seduce you?"

This person is Kim Soo-ho.

Li Zhengyi's childhood friend and best friend.

The one who lent him 1000 million won in start-up capital two years ago.

I have a cousin named Kim Ji-soo.

Li Zheng exhaled a puff of smoke, looking annoyed.

"Get lost. Instead of sleeping with a model in your arms at night, you're here causing a ruckus in the street. Didn't the traffic police arrest you?"

Kim Soo-ho slammed his hand on the steering wheel, startling the horn into blaring.

"Sleep my ass! My nightlife has just begun. Get in the car, I'll take you to a great place, a million times better than this crappy convenience store! Hurry up, what are you dawdling for? The convoy is waiting behind us."