Peninsula: My cheat code is unscientific

Chapter 105 Questions
Kang Cheol gave Yoo Jae-suk an apologetic look, then began a deep discussion with PD Na, showcasing his timeless knowledge of variety shows.

Every now and then, keywords like role-playing, costume concepts, and classic game remakes would pop up, constantly stimulating Na Young-seok's senses. Even Yoo Jae-suk, who was secretly observing from the side, nodded repeatedly, seemingly lost in thought.

Finally, PD Na slapped his thigh hard, a triumphant smile spreading across his face:

"Wow! Yoona-ssi! You've really inspired me! Your ideas have given me so much inspiration. This show... I feel it really needs a member like you who has ideas and energy."

He made the decision on the spot:
"Okay, I'll adjust the plan based on what we discussed today, and then send a formal invitation to your company. I look forward to our cooperation."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Che knew he had everything under control, and then, revealing his true intentions, he asked:

“PD Na, if I join, wouldn’t it be inconvenient for Lee Seung-gi to join? After all, my persona seems to overlap with his.”

Upon hearing this, PD Na realized what was happening and asked in surprise:
"Aren't you two a couple?"

Jiang Che chuckled and said, "It's all for the sake of the show." PD Luo immediately understood and nodded in agreement after thinking for a moment.

"Thank you so much, PD Na! I will definitely do my best!"

As soon as he stepped out of the office, Yoo Jae-suk immediately approached him:
"Yoona, do you have any suggestions for 'Running Man'?"

Looking at the expectant look on this guy's face, Jiang Che thought for a moment and said:

"How about... you guys do a horror special?" Yoo Jae-suk's face immediately showed horror.

Jiang Che looked at him again and continued to suggest:

"Or go to Dubai? Skydiving, paragliding, high-altitude challenges... try all kinds of extreme sports." Yoo Jae-suk instantly recalled the fear of being dominated by the Macau Tower, looking at Kang Cheol as if he were a demon, and decisively waved his hands repeatedly:

"Goodbye, goodbye! I suddenly remembered I have something to do!"

Kang Cheol watched Yoo Jae-suk's hasty retreat, speechless.
"He's the one who gives advice, and he's the one who rejects it... This guy is really hard to please."

Upon returning to Yoona's house, as soon as she entered, Yoona eagerly greeted her and asked:

"How about it?"

Jiang Che proudly raised his chin: "Done."

"Wow! Jiang Che! You really did it?! That's amazing!" She was already looking forward to the publicly funded overseas trip... no, I mean the brand new variety show challenge!

Meanwhile, inside a luxury apartment building.

Li Shengji received a call from his agent.

“Shengji… there’s something…” the agent’s voice was hesitant.

"Yes, brother, go ahead."

"Um... TVN just sent some news... PD Na's new variety show... might... have some changes."

"Changes?" Li Shengji frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... before, they told me they'd consider it, but now they've clearly informed me that you've been rejected..."

Li Shengji's voice instantly rose in pitch:

"Do you know the reason?"

"The specific reason is still unclear, but it's simply that a more suitable candidate has emerged. I'll keep an eye on the final list of members to be announced..."

"Damn it!!!" Lee Seung-gi was so angry he almost smashed his phone. He had been following this variety show before and knew it was Na Young-seok's new project with huge potential. He had thought it was a sure thing.

He was hoping to leave behind some work to maintain his exposure before enlisting in the military, but things have turned out completely wrong. What frustrates him most is that he doesn't even know why things went wrong.

As for the reason he could never understand, he was currently sprawled on the sofa, playing games and listening to music, occasionally teasing Yoona, completely unaware of someone's anger.

Time ticked by, and another morning arrived in the blink of an eye. Jiang Che sat opposite Yoona, watching her eat breakfast, her cheeks puffing out like a little squirrel storing food.

It felt strangely comforting. But even though it was past Yoona's usual departure time, she still didn't seem to be in a hurry at all.

"Don't you need to go to the company this morning?"

"Mmm." Yoona didn't even look up, focusing on the breakfast on her plate, and gave a mumbled reply.

"Oh." Jiang Che nodded, indicating that he understood. He was thinking that he might also take this opportunity to rest, since the long-suffering project "I" was finally coming to an end.

He was thinking about today: should he play games, use his phone, or play with Yoona? — Pshaw, he meant play with Yoona.

Just then, Yoona's phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang. She picked it up and her expression instantly became somewhat subtle. She glanced at Jiang Che with a fleeting look in her eyes.

Jiang Che was confused, so he took out his phone to check and saw the group chat for "Girls' Generation and Temporary Workers".
[Sunny: @Yoona, let's have a party at your place tonight! *rubbing hands excitedly*]

[Sunny: @JiangChe, prepare a big meal, wait for us!]

Jiang Che's eye twitched, and his fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed.

[Jiang Che: ???]

[Jiang Che: I'm not a chef, isn't ordering takeout better?]

The message was sent, but it disappeared without a trace. Sunny completely ignored his protest, as if his messages didn't exist, and continued to flood the screen.

Sunny: @TaeyeonTaeyeon, where are you? Come out quickly, there's something delicious to eat!

Holding his phone, Jiang Che suddenly understood how Sunny felt when he didn't reply to her messages before—it was infuriating!
[Taeyeon: Hug.jpg]

[Taeyeon: @KangCheol...Looking forward to it.jpg...Poor thing.jpg...Eat]

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jiang Che looked up speechlessly at Yoona, who was trying not to laugh. "Yoona, aren't you going to say something?"

"Yes, yes, I'll reply," Yoona said, her fingers flying across the screen.

[Yoona: Sure~ I'll be waiting for you guys tonight]

Jiang Che looked at the scene and almost laughed in anger:

"Is this what you asked me to say... Can't you just order takeout?"

Yoona looked up, her doe eyes blinking rapidly:

"Huh? It's because takeout isn't healthy, and besides, takeout can't compare to your cooking."

"..." Jiang Che sighed resignedly.
"Then Yoona, you'll be in charge of preparing the ingredients."

He wasn't in the mood to play with Yoona anymore, so he decided to go to his study to finish the last bit of "I" so he could hand it over to Taeyeon that evening.

Seeing his helpless expression, Yoona raised her hand and gave him an OK sign, with a sly smile in her eyes.

As evening fell, a mouthwatering aroma wafted from Yoona's kitchen, just as the doorbell rang precisely on time.

"Coming, coming!" Yoona replied as she quickly ran to open the door, looking every bit like the lady of the house.

As soon as the door opened, Sunny squeezed in as if she were coming home, while Taeyeon, who followed behind, appeared much more reserved. The first thing the two of them did upon entering was to look for Kang Cheol.

Once in the kitchen, Sunny looked at the prepared dishes and took a deep sniff:

Wow! Amazing! This tastes amazing! Jiang Che! You should open a restaurant! I'll come every day to support you!

Jiang Che was too lazy to pay attention to this woman's daily erratic behavior:
"Alright, this last dish is done, then we can eat."

Taeyeon watched from the side, smiled, and naturally brought the prepared dishes to the table.

Soon, the table was filled with food, and everyone took their seats. After Sunny sat down opposite Kang Cheol, Yoona and Taeyeon naturally sat on either side of him.

After a few drinks of soju, the atmosphere became even more lively. Sunny opened up completely, talking about everything from company gossip to funny stories from the show, making Taeyeon and Yoona laugh non-stop.

Suddenly, she changed the subject, her gaze fixed intently on Jiang Che:
"Jiang Che~"

"what?"

“Look, you filled in for Yoona at the TV station before, and you filled in for 'Running Man,' and now you’ve got a new variety show lined up,” Sunny said, counting on her fingers.

"And then I filled in for Taeyeon at a fan meeting. It was dangerous, but it turned out well. Didn't you notice something was missing?"

Jiang Che's eyes showed confusion:

"What's missing?"

Sunny leaned forward, her tone carrying a hint of malice:

"Haven't you noticed? The only thing you're missing is covering for me now! Tell me, when are you going to cover for me?"

The confusion in Jiang Che's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a look as if he were staring at a fool:

"Sun-kyu-ssi, wake up! Besides group schedules, do you have any personal schedules you can substitute for?"

Sunny was taken aback for a moment, but immediately bristled:
"Hey! Don't call me that name! Also, I don't have a personal schedule because I'm low-key and I pursue a high quality of life, but that's no reason for you to laugh at me!"

But then, with a sudden change of heart, he immediately shifted his strategy and began to undermine the existing workforce:

"How about this, you move out of Yoona's house and into mine, and become my personal chef. That counts as filling in."

As soon as she finished speaking, Taeyeon, who was standing next to her, weakly raised her hand and echoed:
"Um...I...I want one too..."

Jiang Che: "???"

Yoona finally couldn't sit still any longer and instantly went into food-protecting mode, glaring at her two unnies with her doe eyes wide open:

"Hey!!! Unnies! Are you pretending I don't exist?!"

sunny spoke with righteous indignation:

"Yoona, Jiang Che is such a multi-talented person. It would be a waste of your talents to just have him cook or fill in for you. Come to me, and I can develop 108 different uses for him!"

Hearing these lewd words, Jiang Che felt completely uneasy. 'Are these 108 uses even legitimate uses?'

He quickly tried to smooth things over:

"Alright, alright, I'll take care of your situation later, Sunny, and see if there's anything I can do to help."

Sunny, upon hearing this, seemed unsure whether to be satisfied or not. She downed her drink in one gulp, then set the glass down and glanced around at the people opposite her—Jiang Che was sitting in the middle.
On the left is Taeyeon with a smile on her lips, and on the right is Yoona sitting calmly. This scene... looks so harmonious, yet somehow... I feel like I'm superfluous?

Sunny suddenly had a misconception:
'I don't feel like I'm here for a girls' gathering; it's more like I've stumbled into some strange family reunion. The three people opposite me are getting along well, while I feel like the only guest.'

She blinked, and a ridiculous yet seemingly reasonable thought suddenly popped into her head. Fueled by the alcohol, she asked the question:

"The three of you...are you planning to live happily together like this from now on?"

Jiang Che reacted quickly, a mischievous smile spreading across his face:
"Yeah, right! After all, I've seen some people's bodies, so I have to take responsibility! Sunny, would you like to join our harmonious family? There are limited spots available, first come, first served!"

"Get lost!" Sunny laughed and threw a napkin at him.

"I'm against marriage, I don't want to join your weird family!"

Then, looking at Taeyeon and Yoona, his expression became more serious. "But seriously, you two... are you serious?"

(End of this chapter)