Peninsula: Starting with Hijacking Yoona

17. Interview

Stepping out of the Seoul Police Station, Lee Kyung-sung finally breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing his temples, a barely perceptible sneer flashing in his eyes.

He originally thought that Lee Seung-gi was playing some tricks, but he didn't expect the other party to be so stupid as to tell those thugs everything in a half-hearted way. He could have just made up any excuse. What surprised him even more was that the usually serious policeman was also so gossipy. He only took a statement, and the news involving the celebrity spread like wildfire.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, immediately shifting all the blame onto Lee Seung-gi. After all, this guy always claims that Im Yoon-ah is his ideal type, so not being able to get her isn't entirely unfair to him.

The downside is that once this gets out, Yoona will definitely distance herself from Lee Seung-gi to avoid suspicion. It will be incredibly difficult for Lee Seung-gi to arrange a meeting with her, and it will also affect him. With the paparazzi watching Yoona and Lee Seung-gi's every move during this sensitive time, he won't be able to get close to Yoona for the time being.

It's still my Bae Joo-hyun.

He slowly took out his phone, turned on the screen, and the message notifications were particularly eye-catching. He opened them and saw they were all from Bae Joo-hyun. Some were cautious inquiries, others were slightly worried instructions.

"Just a sandwich and a bottle of glucose water and you want me to order a meal!"

I'll make you two sandwiches at most.

"How's it going now? What did the police say?"

"By the way, Lee Hyeri resigned. Her manager took her away. With your permission, her company uploaded the photos, and I saw that a lot of people have commented and shared them!"

I've posted your video!

"Is it ready yet?"

"How is it?"

Lee Kyung-sung stared at the screen, the image of Bae Joo-hyun flashing through his mind. She was clearly worried, yet she pretended to be strong, her cheeks flushed, a shy and delicate face, stubborn yet soft-hearted. He imagined her holding her phone, anxiously awaiting his reply.

He didn't care about any other videos or photos. Li Jingcheng's fingers tapped rapidly on the screen, deliberately teasing him as he typed out his reply, word by word.

"It's all taken care of. I just left the police station. Don't worry too much about me. I don't want the beautiful Bae Joo-hyun to secretly shed tears because of me."

"Pah, you scoundrel!"

He paused, surprised that the other party had replied so quickly, which emboldened Li Jingcheng even more.

"By the way, we agreed that you'd treat me to a meal to thank me. When are you going to do it? Just so you know, I prefer Chinese food, so don't disappoint me!"

Lee Kyung-sung put away his phone, leaned against the railing at the police station entrance, a smile still playing on his lips. He could imagine that when Bae Joo-hyun saw this message, her cheeks would turn bright red; she would either stubbornly object or coyly agree—either way, she would be incredibly adorable.

His phone vibrated; it was a reply from Bae Joo-hyun. Lee Kyung-sung smiled and opened it, his smile deepening. This ambiguous tug-of-war had only just begun.

"Who wants to treat you to Chinese food? Besides, thanking you is one thing, treating you to a meal is another. I'm not going to agree to that so easily."

Is it just a promise to have dinner? Hahahaha.

Li Jingcheng continued to tap rapidly on the phone screen.

"Is it that hard to agree? It seems I was too hasty. I thought our beautiful Bae Joo-hyun would feel sorry for me since I just got out of the police station and would treat me to a nice meal to reward me."

"Who cares about you! I just feel uncomfortable because I owe you a favor and haven't repaid it, but I get to choose the place, no fuss!"

Lee Kyung-sung opened the message. He could imagine Bae Joo-hyun typing away on her phone, looking incredibly cute with her stubbornness. He stopped teasing her and instead went along with her words.

"Okay, whatever you say. I'll eat anything Bae Joo-hyun makes, I won't be picky at all. But do you want to know what kind of food I like?"

After the message was sent, the phone remained silent for a moment before Bae Joo-hyun's brief reply came through.

"Who wants to know! (๑`^´๑)）"

'

Li Jingcheng chuckled to himself; was this some kind of coquettish act?

"But since you just got out of the police station, go ahead and tell me, don't be too picky! I won't make any special concessions for you!" After sending the message, Bae Joo-hyun didn't know why she acted this way. She collapsed onto her dorm bed, tossed her phone aside, and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"That's good. I love Bae Joo-hyun's cooking." Lee Kyung-sung was in a particularly good mood. Relationships are all about mutual satisfaction, so he certainly wouldn't be stingy with compliments.

But the next second, his smile faltered slightly, a sharp sense of awareness flashing between his brows. He subconsciously glanced around and instantly recognized the source of those gazes: several figures dressed in neat reporter vests, carrying cameras and holding microphones, were walking briskly from a street corner not far away. The microphones were clearly labeled with the letters KBS, SBS, and MBC—they were undoubtedly reporters.

But how did they know about my time at the police station?

Lee Kyung-sung instantly thought of those unreliable police officers, but this also meant that these reporters were quite influential. Since he was going to make a living in the Korean entertainment industry anyway, the exposure and fame he had now were all bargaining chips for his future. He put his phone away and simply waited for them to come over.

Several television reporters rushed up to him, cameras pointed at him, microphones clearly displaying their respective stations and programs. Their voices were filled with exaggerated eagerness and admiration, even their questions were tinged with excitement. "Lee Kyung-sung! Hello, we're reporters from KBS's 'Entertainment Weekly.' Are you the one who went viral online, the one who single-handedly took down five thugs? That's amazing! It completely blew us away!"

One of the female reporters leaned forward, her eyes shining, and her tone becoming even more exaggerated, "Lee Kyung-sung, hello, I'm a reporter from SBS's 'Midnight TV Entertainment.' Your movements in the video were so fast and precise, so powerful, you're even cooler than kung fu stars in movies! May I ask if you've had formal kung fu training at home? Or have you hired a professional combat coach for long-term training?"

Immediately afterward, a male reporter squeezed forward, his tone equally urgent and exaggerated, "Hello Lee Kyung-sung, we are reporters from MBC's Section TV Entertainment News. Your incredible scene of taking on five opponents single-handedly is going viral on the Entertainment News website! You didn't suffer any losses or even get seriously injured, it's unbelievable! Can you tell us how you did it? Did you have prior training in martial arts or taekwondo, or do you have some unique technique?"

Looking at the reporters surrounding him, the constantly flashing cameras, and the incessant clicking of shutters, Li Jingcheng thought to himself, "This is what it's like to be the center of attention, to be a big star. Even breathing is filled with the feeling of being noticed. It's quite a novel experience."

Controlling his expression, Li Jingcheng smiled calmly and responded in a relaxed tone, what he considered humorous, "First of all, I need to clarify for everyone that I am indeed Li Jingcheng, but I'm not some expert who can take down five people by myself. It was purely self-defense. Those thugs started it and were aggressive, so I had no choice but to fight back."

"I studied in the United States, where the people are relatively honest and kind. But occasionally, I would encounter unexpected situations, so I had no choice but to learn some martial arts for self-defense."

"I'm just a recent graduate from the University of Southern California with a degree in film and television performance, and I'm still looking for a suitable acting agency. I'm not some kung fu master that's being touted online."

The reporters surrounding him were stunned for a moment, their expressions freezing instantly. After a few seconds, they realized that this guy wasn't clarifying the rumors at all; he was clearly using the interview to subtly promote his education and situation, and paving the way for finding an acting agency.

The reporters quickly relaxed, after all, Li Jingcheng was currently the most talked-about figure online, so even if he used the interview to promote himself, it wasn't a problem at all; on the contrary, it would increase the news's appeal and buzz. Besides, wasn't this USC the one in the US?

The reporters exchanged glances, then immediately regained their enthusiasm and continued to press for the core questions.

One of the KBS reporters leaned forward, his tone still urgent, "Lee Kyung-sung-ssi, could you tell us why those thugs were specifically targeting you? Was someone behind it, or did you have a previous conflict with them?"