Peninsula: Starting with Hijacking Yoona

15. Take advantage of the situation

In the back seat of the police car, Li Jingcheng leaned casually against the backrest, his posture languid, showing no signs of the awkwardness or panic one might expect from being taken to the police station. He believed it was self-defense, and if anyone caused trouble, he wouldn't hesitate to pull out his American passport. The car window was half-rolled down, a cool breeze drifting in and ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead. He lowered his eyes, his fingertips lightly tapping his knees, still habitually glued to his phone, just like in his previous life.

The police officer beside him quickly checked his identification information and asked curiously, "Mr. Li Jingcheng, were you studying in the United States before?"

"I studied in the US during college, so you should be able to find my immigration information there."

Lee Kyung-sung casually replied, a slight smile playing on his lips, and quickly answered Bae Joo-hyun's message. Looking at the barrage of questions, it was clear she was genuinely worried about him.

Are you alright?

Did the police say anything?

"Should I come over?"

"I'm fine, I'm just going through the motions and making a record. But you, why are you so worried about me? Are you afraid I'll get arrested by the police and then you'll be all alone?"

Without realizing it, a slightly smug Li Jingcheng sent the message without hesitation, but he quickly regretted it.

Isn't this too hasty? It's only our first meeting.

As expected, after staring at the screen for a long time without receiving a reply from Bae Joo-hyun, Lee Kyung-sung frowned, and his previously relaxed and carefree expression subtly darkened.

Li Huili was talking to the shop owner who had rushed over.

On a plastic chair outside the convenience store, Bae Joo-hyun held her phone, her cheeks still flushed, even her neck was tinged with a faint pink blush, her breathing was still a little erratic, she kept looking at Lee Kyung-sung's messages on the screen, her mind was a little confused, her fingertips hovered above the screen for a long time, but she didn't type a single word.

There was no anger on her face; instead, her mind was unsettled by that flippant remark. Uncontrollably, the image of Li Jingcheng's roguish grin as he deliberately lifted his shirt to show off his abs flashed through her mind. As she thought about it, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up slightly, and even her eyes softened.

But she refused to simply agree with him.

Although Bae Joo-hyun has never been in a relationship, she's seen too many examples around her. The way guys pursued girls was so incredibly attentive; it was practically ingrained in their very being. If practice ended late, they'd take a longer route to escort her back to her dorm; if she twisted her ankle while dancing, they'd be more worried than if she were injured themselves, buying medicine, applying heat, and taking care of her more attentively than if she were her own parents; even if she casually mentioned wanting some kind of rice cake, they'd bring her warm cakes the next morning, their words as sweet as honey, their eyes full of flattery.

She saw it all too clearly: the most taboo thing in relationships is getting things too easily. The easier it is to grasp affection, the less it's valued and cherished. The attentiveness of boys pursuing girls, the moment a girl agrees, that pampered care is immediately withdrawn. Things easily obtained are never cherished; they're like roadside weeds, far less precious than hard-won flowers. Those easily obtained genuine feelings ultimately become things carelessly discarded. She saw it all, and it stayed with her.

To be precise, Bae Joo-hyun was more concerned about her image in Lee Kyung-sung's eyes and didn't want him to think of her as a promiscuous woman.

"Are you angry? How about I treat you to dinner tonight, and you can hit me to vent your anger?"

Pfft...

Her phone vibrated slightly. Bae Joo-hyun looked at the text message that popped up, a smile involuntarily spreading across her face as she covered her mouth. His words, though seemingly meant as a joke, stirred a flutter in her heart once more.

For some reason, Bae Joo-hyun's inner turmoil—a barely concealed coquettishness mixed with a hint of probing—made her fingertips tap rapidly on the screen as if out of control. A line of text unconsciously appeared.

"Is this how you always pursue girls?" The moment she finished typing, she didn't even have time to think before she lightly tapped the send button.

The moment the notification popped up that the text message had been successfully sent, Bae Joo-hyun felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her whole body stiffened, and the smile on her face vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming panic and regret. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes remained fixed on the phone screen, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and she even held her breath, silently gazing and waiting for a reply.

In the police station's reception room, Lee Kyung-sung sat on a bench, his gaze fixed on his phone in his palm, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the edge of the screen as he waited for Bae Joo-hyun's reply. To him, Bae Joo-hyun was absolutely number one in his heart. Even without the system's rewards, the halo of her past life and what he had witnessed in this life surpassed everything else.

Upon seeing the message on his phone, he paused for a moment, then a knowing smile flashed across his eyes. He let out a long sigh and his fingers rapidly tapped the screen; these kinds of questions needed to be answered as quickly as possible.

You are the first girl I've ever liked.

You are the first girl I've ever liked.

When those words came into view, all the panic, regret, and unease seemed to be instantly soothed, transforming into a warm current that spread from her heart to every part of her body. Bae Joo-hyun bit her lower lip, trying to suppress the smile that was about to overflow from the corners of her lips, but the tenderness and joy in her eyes could not be hidden.

You're just lying to me.

"It's true, don't laugh at me, I used to be a total homebody, all I cared about was games. I didn't even have a girlfriend, let alone friends. I just downloaded KakaoTalk, and I've never even used Melon before."

"By the way, this is the first time I've had such close contact with a girl. Joo-hyun, you're not going to refuse to take responsibility, are you?"

Bae Joo-hyun stared at the words on the screen, a forced smile finally spilling from her lips, curving into a gentle arc. She looked down at her phone, a sweet feeling welling up inside her, like warm water soaked in honey, softening even her fingertips. Although she didn't want to believe that someone as eligible as him had never been in a relationship, the sweetness of being cherished and held dear...

"Who's going to take responsibility for you? Stop talking nonsense! Who's holding me hostage? If anyone's going to take responsibility, it's you who's going to take responsibility for me!"

"I'll take responsibility for you, okay? I'll take the loss."

"Pah, you rascal! You know that's not what I meant! Don't forget that!"

Bae Joo-hyun belatedly realized she had made a typo; her eyes flashed with a mixture of panic, deep regret, and barely concealed joy.

"I can forget, but I need to eat the food cooked by the beautiful Bae Joo-hyun first." Lee Kyung-sung launched a fierce attack without any hesitation, disregarding any need for a written record.

The most important thing now is to seize the opportunity to win over Bae Joo-hyun, who is currently somewhat vulnerable.