Peninsula: Starting with Hijacking Yoona

40. Invitation

In the end, I only managed to offer a small amount of help.

However, there was nothing he could do about it. In his previous life, after leaving home, Li Jingcheng either ate at the canteen or ordered takeout. After starting work, he was constantly eating takeout, so he really knew nothing about cooking. Fortunately, he could still do things like washing dishes, plating, and serving food quite well.

Bae Joo-hyun certainly didn't have a problem with Lee Kyung-sung not being able to cook. On the contrary, she became even more interested in her own culinary skills, looking at the sumptuous dinner on the table.

She was quite satisfied with her work and couldn't help but take out her phone to take pictures. Spicy stir-fried rice cakes, braised pork belly with cabbage, stir-fried beef tenderloin, pickled cabbage, simple Korean mixed soup... the dishes were laid out to the brim.

Li Jingcheng felt a little apprehensive when he saw the cabbage, because he hadn't fully gotten used to the taste of kimchi. Fortunately, there were also rice cakes and beef tenderloin, so he should be able to eat his fill. He also had to try to eat as much of the other dishes as possible; he had to maintain a good mood.

Lee Kyung-sung didn't expect that taking photos before eating was already a trend in South Korea, but he didn't mind. Instead, he raised his phone and took a picture of Bae Joo-hyun's smiling face.

Bae Joo-hyun gave him a playful glare and urged, "Hurry up and eat. You'll definitely have a lot of schedules starting tomorrow, right?"

"That's right," Li Jingcheng put down his phone and started talking. "Tomorrow morning I have an acting class. The teacher was specially found by CJ. He said he also taught Jun Ji-hyun. By the way, do you know Jun Ji-hyun? Then I have to shoot for a magazine. I forgot what it was called, but I think it was the cover and inside pages."

Bae Joo-hyun nodded slightly, seemingly with some anticipation, "Of course I know her. Jun Ji-hyun is a legendary senior in Korea, a household name, and a recognized senior in the entertainment industry. It seems that CJ found you a very good teacher."

"You're a good teacher, but Jun Ji-hyun can't compare to you." Lee Kyung-sung nodded slightly, his tone very serious.

"You're talking nonsense again... Someone like Jun Ji-hyun is someone everyone can only dream of, how can you compare her to me?" Bae Joo-hyun glared at him without any real threat.

"You need to take your acting lessons seriously," she said naturally as she served him food, her tone gentle as if she were giving him a word of advice. "The acting style in Korea might be a bit different from that in America; they pay more attention to details and atmosphere. You've just come back, so you need to observe more and adapt more."

Her impatient, long-married-couple-like manner of giving instructions...

This warmed Li Jingcheng's heart. "Okay," he replied.

He obediently agreed, then smiled and asked, "Is there anything else you need, Teacher Pei?"

"You're such a chatterbox." Bae Joo-hyun lightly patted him, but her eyes were full of laughter. "Anyway, since you've decided to develop your career here, study hard. CJ can give you opportunities, but ultimately, your skills are your own."

"Yes," Li Jingcheng said, his joking expression fading as he nodded seriously, "I will."

He picked up a piece of meat, and before even putting it in his mouth, he exclaimed, "Just by smelling it, I know it must be incredibly delicious!"

"You haven't even put it in your mouth yet!" Bae Joo-hyun laughed, a hint of annoyance in her voice, but her eyes sparkled. She picked up a piece of rice cake first.

Li Jingcheng was unhappy and put the meat into her bowl, saying, "Why are you only eating vegetables? You have to eat meat too."

Bae Joo-hyun smiled gently and explained, "I need to maintain my weight."

"You're already thin enough, it's okay to eat more," Li Jingcheng said seriously. "You had low blood sugar last time, it broke my heart."

Bae Joo-hyun glanced at him, her eyes filled with a hint of reproach, but she didn't refute him. She seemed to be gradually getting used to his unrestrained and ambiguous remarks.

As long as this guy doesn't get too close, it'll be fine. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but lower her head and laugh. For him, it was even more difficult.

Seeing this, Lee Kyung-sung wanted to tease her a bit more, but Bae Joo-hyun interrupted him, urging, "Eat quickly."

"Oh." He hadn't succeeded, and his tone carried a hint of disappointment.

Bae Joo-hyun's heart softened. She picked up a piece of her favorite dish and put it in his bowl, her voice gentler. "You're going to debut soon. In Korea, seniority and hierarchy are extremely important. You might be more relaxed in America, but here, you have to pay close attention to these details. Even if your company is CJ, there are some rules that are tacitly agreed upon by the entire industry, and the company can't control everyone."

Hearing her earnest advice, Li Jingcheng felt a warm glow in his heart. "Don't worry, I won't offend others unless they offend me," he replied half-jokingly. "At worst, I'll just be like other artists, if I get blacklisted, I'll just go to another country to make a living."

However… he couldn't bear to be separated from Bae Joo-hyun and Im Yoon-ah. If they were in a long-distance relationship, wouldn't that make things even more difficult?

Li Jingcheng looked at her, his tone becoming more serious, "I will be careful. Before I can break the rules, I will honestly abide by them."

Bae Joo-hyun didn't want to say anything that would spoil the atmosphere, so she spent most of the time explaining the unspoken rules of the Korean entertainment industry to Lee Kyung-sung. However, since she was just a trainee, what she shared was mostly from her SM Entertainment training.

Li Jingcheng was still very touched, but he couldn't bear to see her just talking, so he put several more pieces of meat on her plate, saying, "Don't just talk, eat more too."

Bae Joo-hyun couldn't resist him, and feeling sweet inside, she ate a few more bites.

But in the end, there was still quite a bit of food left over. Feeling a little sorry for it, she offered, "I'll pack up the rest and take it home."

Li Jingcheng then remembered his previous preparations and took the initiative to say, "Come over for a meal sometime. Look, I've bought so many seasonings. I don't know how to cook, so it's a waste to leave them unused."

Bae Joo-hyun knew, of course, that he couldn't cook, and she didn't mind coming to Lee Kyung-sung's house, but she felt that if she came over too often, it would seem a bit too casual.

She wanted to politely decline, but when her gaze fell on Li Jingcheng's face, she swallowed the words back.

Li Jingcheng was looking at her, his deep eyes filled with undisguised expectation. The feeling of being watched wholeheartedly and eagerly anticipated was like a warm current, instantly shattering the rational defenses she had just built.

Bae Joo-hyun's eyes flickered, avoiding his direct gaze. She calmly picked up her water glass, took a sip, and then spoke softly, almost as if talking to herself.

"If...if there is time."

At this moment, Lee Kyung-sung smiled. Since he was already there, he decided not to leave. He took out 150 million won that he had prepared and handed it to her.

Bae Joo-hyun frowned, her face immediately turning cold, and she was about to speak...

"Listen to me first," Li Jingcheng quickly interrupted, "I'm eating most of the food, and you came here specifically to cook for me, so isn't it only right that I pay a little more? If you don't think it's enough, you can add some more."

The frost on Bae Joo-hyun's face gradually melted, like spring snow after a storm, her eyes and brows softening. She counted the money and said softly, "Isn't this much really necessary..."

Li Jingcheng smiled, looking at her earnestly with deep affection in his eyes, "Is this too much? What I want to give is a lifetime."

Bae Joo-hyun's face flushed bright red. Without taking the money, she turned and headed for the kitchen, her short legs moving incredibly fast. She only managed to say, "I...I'll go see if you have any takeout containers!"

Watching her retreating figure, Lee Kyung-sung chuckled to himself. Fortunately, Bae Joo-hyun hadn't forced him to eat anything he didn't like today—he'd been a picky eater in both his lives, and that hadn't changed.

They had almost finished eating, so he got up to help clean up.

Having calmed down, Bae Joo-hyun returned empty-handed. Seeing this scene, a hint of satisfaction appeared in her eyes. Although this guy often liked to play tricks and was a bit chauvinistic, he could also be quite considerate, which warmed one's heart.

"Come to my house more often to practice your Chinese cooking," Li Jingcheng said while wiping the table. "I love Chinese food."

Bae Joo-hyun's face darkened. She had just inwardly praised him, then spat out a curse, "You wish! I cook for you and you're still complaining!"

Despite saying that, she secretly kept it in mind.

When I get back, I'll look for tutorials online.