Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 102 Kiss
Sunny got even angrier when she saw that Jiang Che wasn't replying to her messages.

[Sunny: Hey! Jiang Che! If you're so capable, send a message! If you're so capable, reply! Don't hide behind your phone and stay silent, I know you're watching!]

Sunny: Ugh! This guy definitely did it on purpose!

[sunny: Knife.jpg! Knife.jpg!]

Taeyeon sat cross-legged on the sofa, watching Sunny's barrage of complaints and meme bombs in the "Girls' Generation and Temporary Workers" group chat. She couldn't help but burst into laughter, letting out her signature "giggle giggle giggle" chuckle.
"Aigoo, Sun-kyu's going to be furious, hahaha! But serves her right, who told her I have short legs—good job!"

As he spoke, he patted Jiang Che's arm.

At that moment, Yoona's message came in.

[Yoona: @KangCheol When are you coming back?]

Jiang Che thought for a moment, then picked up his phone and typed a reply.

[Jiang Che: @Yoona, let's wait two more days and see how things go here.]

The moment he sent the message, Sunny's barrage of messages escalated immediately.

[sunny: ? ? ? ? ]

Sunny: Hey! You didn't even reply to Yoona?!

Taeyeon, seeing Sunny's helpless rage, laughed so hard she collapsed onto Kang Cheol. Kang Cheol only felt a sweet, fruity scent waft by, and quickly steadied her, saying:
"Okay, okay, if you keep laughing, your stomach will hurt." He paused, then naturally changed the subject:
"By the way, where am I staying tonight?"

Taeyeon finally stopped laughing and got up from the sofa:
"Oh right, you're staying here. Wait a moment, I'll go prepare a guest room for you."

She rushed towards an empty guest room, humming an unknown tune.

Meanwhile, Yoona, looking at Jiang Che's reply in the group chat, "Let's wait two more days," unconsciously tapped her phone case with her fingers.

'This guy… rationally I know it's necessary for him to stay at Taeyeon unnie's house… but I still feel inexplicably uneasy, like a stray cat I picked up running off to the neighbor's house for food and refusing to leave.'

She quickly shook her head, putting aside this inexplicable little emotion, and opened the private chat window with Jiang Che.

[Yoona: Hey, behave yourself at Taeyeon unnie's house, okay? Don't cause any trouble, alright?]

The phone beeped again. Jiang Che opened it and saw Yoona's message. His lips twitched slightly—what exactly did she mean by "messing around"? But he replied immediately.
[Neighbor, Arasso]

After quickly replying, he turned around and went into the guest room to help Taeyeon tidy up.

Soon, the sounds of windows being opened for ventilation and bedding being patted could be heard from the room, mixed with Taeyeon's occasional laughter and playful chatter.
"Hey, Jiang Che, so what if you're tall?!"

After dinner, the two snuggled up on the living room sofa watching a comedy variety show. Taeyeon suddenly said to Kang Cheol:

"Hey, change back! It looks so weird of you to always have my face on your head."

Jiang Che readily complied, focused his mind, and reverted to his original handsome and refined appearance. He stretched his body, feeling more comfortable using his own.

Taeyeon seemed to think so too, and naturally snuggled closer to him, almost sitting down next to him, her faint fruity scent wafting over.

The variety show happened to show a hilarious scene, and she immediately burst into that infectious middle-aged woman's laugh again:
"Hehehe... Oh my god, that's hilarious!"

Jiang Che was amused, but his attention was drawn more to Taeyeon beside him.

The soft touch wafted through the thin loungewear, and the sweet, pleasant fruity scent kept wafting into his nose, as if silently teasing him.

He watched as Taeyeon laughed until her eyes narrowed into two crescent-shaped slits, her fair cheeks flushed red from the laughter, and she collapsed into a ball of laughter, occasionally slapping her leg exaggeratedly.
They looked completely unprepared, even a little silly, a stark contrast to the radiant Draw Team member on stage.

His gaze unconsciously became focused. Taeyeon, who was laughing, suddenly noticed his gaze, stopped laughing, and turned her head with some confusion:
"Huh? Why are you looking at me? Is there something on my face?" She subconsciously touched her face.

Jiang Che smiled gently:

"It's nothing, I just hope... you can always be this happy in the future, just like now, carefree, laughing whenever you want."

Taeyeon paused slightly, immediately recalling how he had acted similarly in Macau, clumsily yet sincerely hoping to make her happy. The scene from that time inexplicably overlapped with the one at this moment.

The smile on her face slowly faded a little. She looked at Jiang Che without speaking immediately, but her eyes lit up, as if they were filled with tiny starlight, flowing with indescribable tenderness.

The only sound in the living room was the background laughter from the variety show on TV.

Jiang Che looked into her eyes, but his gaze involuntarily drifted downwards, landing on her full, red lips. His Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably, and he felt a sudden, inexplicable dryness in his mouth.

The air seemed to thicken.

Taeyeon noticed his gaze, her cheeks visibly flushed, and her eyes flickered, but she didn't look away.

The distance between the two gradually shortened without them even realizing it.

Jiang Che could even count her long, thick eyelashes. The pleasant fruity scent grew even stronger.

Their breaths mingled gently, their warm breaths brushing against each other's cheeks.

It's impossible to tell who made the first move.

Their lips touched gently and tentatively.

Soft, slightly cool, with a hint of uncertainty and a slight tremor. After a brief period of probing, the kiss suddenly deepened.

Jiang Che subconsciously reached out and supported the back of her neck, his fingertips digging into her soft hair. Taeyeon's body stiffened slightly, then softened, her arms unconsciously wrapping around his neck, responding awkwardly yet passionately.

As their lips met, their rapid heartbeats and rising body temperatures filled the air. Everything around them blurred, leaving only the other's scent and touch crystal clear.

Taeyeon felt like she couldn't breathe, and then, dizzy and weak, she pushed against Kang Cheol's chest with her hand.

Jiang Che stepped back slightly, and when their lips parted, a thin strand of saliva appeared.

Taeyeon's face turned bright red, her eyes moist and misty. She suddenly sprang up from the sofa like a startled rabbit, stammering out:
"I'm going to sleep!"

After saying that, she staggered back to her bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Back in her room, Taeyeon buried herself in the blankets, her mind filled with the sensation of the kiss and the look in Kang Cheol's eyes as he drew near. Her heart was pounding as if she had just finished a marathon.

Outside in the living room, Jiang Che sat on the sofa in a daze. After a long while, he let out a long breath, went into the bathroom, and washed his face.

That night, the two people separated by a wall both tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The next morning, Jiang Che's biological clock was very punctual. He got up early, skillfully prepared breakfast, and found that Taeyeon hadn't gotten up yet. He walked to the master bedroom door, listened carefully, but there was no sound inside.

After hesitating for a moment, he gently pushed open the door.

Taeyeon was still curled up in bed, fast asleep. She had kicked the blanket off halfway, was still tightly hugging a pillow, her mouth was slightly open, and a few strands of golden hair playfully clung to her cheeks.

Jiang Che unconsciously tiptoed over, squatted down beside the bed, and whispered her name:
"Taeyeon? Taeyeon, it's time to get up."

"Hmm..." Taeyeon hummed unconsciously, groggily opening her eyes. Her gaze focused, and she saw Kang Cheol squatting by the bed. She paused for a few seconds, stunned.

Then, as if remembering something, he gave a silly, soft smile and chuckled, "Good morning..."

"Good morning." Jiang Che was also touched by her smile.
"Get up and have breakfast."

"Ugh... I don't want to move..." she whined, her voice thick with nasal congestion, her eyes half-closed, seemingly not fully awake yet.

As she spoke, she suddenly opened her arms to Jiang Che: "...Hug..."

Jiang Che was stunned for a moment, looking at the large, adorable humanoid creature in front of him. The words of refusal circled on his lips but he swallowed them back.

He smiled helplessly, bent down, slipped his arms under her knees and back, and with a little effort, easily lifted her up in his arms.

Taeyeon seemed surprised that he would actually hug her. She gasped softly, instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her head on his shoulder, and chuckled.

Jiang Che carried her into the bathroom, and Taeyeon let go of her hand with a smile and started brushing her teeth and washing her face.

After washing up, she went to the dining room and saw the simple yet steaming breakfast on the table. Taeyeon's eyes lit up noticeably, and an indescribable sense of satisfaction and happiness instantly enveloped her.

Isn't this the daily life she fantasized about when she was at Yoona's house, watching Kang Cheol make breakfast? Someone preparing breakfast for her, waking up to see the person she likes the first thing she sees...

Sitting opposite her, Jiang Che looked at her standing there motionless and smiled:

"What are you daydreaming about? Come and eat."

"Inside"

Taeyeon quickly sat down, ate a couple of bites of breakfast, and then couldn't help but lower her head and secretly chuckle to herself.

Jiang Che looked at her silly grin, shook his head with a helpless smile, and lowered his head to eat his fried egg.

After finishing breakfast, Taeyeon dawdled as she changed her clothes and prepared to go to the company.

She walked to the door, put on her shoes, but hesitated to open the door immediately.

She turned around, her cheeks slightly flushed, and looked at Jiang Che, her eyes sparkling:
"Um...I'm leaving now?"

"Well, be careful on the road."

Taeyeon pursed her lips, seemingly having made up her mind, and beckoned Kang Cheol over.

After Jiang Che passed by, she suddenly stretched out her arms, hugged his neck, and pressed him down. At the same time, she stood on tiptoe to meet him, quickly kissed him on the lips, and then prepared to run away.

Jiang Che instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist and lowered his head to deepen the kiss.

After they separated, Taeyeon was a little out of breath, and glared at him with watery eyes before preparing to open the door.

"Oh, right," Jiang Che said, as if suddenly remembering something.

"If it's convenient, could you ask me about something when I go to the company today?"

"What are you asking about?"

"Byun Baekhyun," Jiang Che lowered his voice, "find out if he has any injuries on his face or chin."

(End of this chapter)