Peninsula diplomat: My second life with a top celebrity

Chapter 27 The Truth Revealed: A Glimpse into True Feelings

It started drizzling again in Seoul. The two, who had originally planned to grab a quick meal at a nearby fast food restaurant, had to find a small food stall to take shelter from the rain.

Raindrops pattered against the roof, and the plastic sheeting of the roadside stalls billowed and rustled in the wind.

Jung Do-hoon and Hwang Ye-ji sat at a low table in the far corner and ordered two bowls of spicy stir-fried rice cakes and some barbecue. The proprietress also gave them two bottles of Jinro (a type of Japanese soju).

The two, who hadn't planned to drink, opened the bottle caps when they saw that the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

"I saw what happened to you in Indonesia on the trending topics." Huang Lizhi rested her chin on her hand, the light from the shed casting a shadow on the contours of her profile. "A hero saving a damsel in distress, Secretary Zheng."

"It's a pity I don't have that kind of luck." When she smiles, her eyes crinkle into slits, a stark contrast to the sharp, captivating allure she exudes on stage. "I wish I were in Indonesia."

"Then I've saved way too many beauties," Jung Do-hoon said, shaking the soju in his plastic cup and clinking glasses with Hwang Ye-ji.

What hero saving the beauty? Jung Do-hoon didn't fly to Indonesia specifically for Minatozaki Sana.

There are at least a hundred artists stranded in Indonesia, it's not just her.

"Her?" Who was Jung Do-hoon talking about? Hwang Ye-ji raised his eyebrows.

Jung Do-hoon was stunned for a moment, but he still unconsciously regarded Hwang Ye-ji as his confidant from his past life.

In his previous life, when his relationship with Sana Minatozaki was not going well, he would occasionally chat with Reiji Hwang.

But the girl in front of him was not the same as her from her previous life, so Zheng Daoxun shook his head and changed the subject.

When the alcohol kicks in, the conversation starts to flow freely.

Hwang Yee-ji asked him what he was busy with at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and he told him about the Busan World Expo—how outrageous the proposal from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was, and that the promotional video for the Busan World Expo was going to use "Gangnam Style" as background music.

"What do you think the success rate is?" Huang Lizhi asked.

"About one or two percent," Zheng Daoxun said with a worried expression.

"Then why are you working so hard?"

"If we don't give it our all, we won't even get one or two percent."

Huang Lizhi put down the cup, stretched, and when she raised her arm above her head, her slender waist was revealed.

When she lowered her hand, she casually patted Zheng Daoxun on the shoulder.

"Even if you fail, it's not a big deal. Setbacks at work don't negate the meaning of your life. Look at me, I'm not as good as I used to be, but I'm still happy..."

She suddenly stopped talking.

Hwang Ye-ji realized that his hand was still on Jung Do-hoon's shoulder.

Although she and Zheng Daoxun had known each other for many years, they hadn't actually met in person very often. Most of the time, they would just chat with their old friend on their phones when they thought of him.

When did they become so close?

Huang Lizhi subtly withdrew his hand, gently pinching his earlobe with his fingertips.

"You certainly know how to comfort people." Zheng Daoxun seemed completely oblivious to her awkwardness, and didn't even think there was anything wrong with her actions just now.

Instead, he reached out and, mimicking Huang Lizhi's earlier gesture, gently patted her shoulder as if in response to her encouragement.

Through the thin fabric of the shirt, Huang Lizhi could feel the shape and temperature of his hand, and his back tensed slightly for a moment.

"Then what else is there to pursue in life?"

Jeong Do-hoon withdrew his hand, looked down at the remaining dew in the cup, and said in a tone that was calm but tinged with regret:

"Effort in a relationship may not yield good results, but at least work offers some rewards. You'll get paid, and you might even get a promotion."

Huang Lizhi brushed her long hair, which was damp from the rain and mist, and turned her head to look at him.

The rain suddenly intensified, and a corner of the plastic sheeting on the shed was lifted by the wind. The proprietress grumbled as she pulled on the rope. In this brief commotion, Huang Lizhi had a few seconds to process his actions and words.

Whose relationship is he talking about? It's like he's been through something terrible.

But Zheng Daoxun's tone was too indifferent, so indifferent that it sounded like he was retelling someone else's story.

But if you haven't experienced it yourself, how can you give people the feeling of genuine emotion?

What does it mean that "effort in a relationship does not necessarily guarantee a good outcome"?

The words that came out of his mouth didn't sound like a sigh, but rather like he was drawing a conclusion.

Huang Lizhi recalled the "she" he had mentioned unintentionally earlier.

Was it a slip of the tongue, or is there really such a person in your subconscious?

Is she a female celebrity who is stranded in Indonesia?

Huang Lizhi pinched his earlobe and decided not to ask any further questions.

Her relationship with Jung Do-hoon hadn't reached the point where she could freely inquire about his love life. At least, that's what she thought.

After all these years, Zheng Daoxun had never told her.

"How can relationships be the same as work?"

She steered the conversation back on track, her voice a little softer than before, "All good things must come to an end, that's true, but the time spent together is itself something to cherish. Just like us—"

She paused, carefully choosing her words.

"What's wrong with us?" Jung Do-hoon looked up at her. The ceiling light cast a half-bright, half-dark shadow on his face, and the alcohol made his eyes softer than usual, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

"Helping each other like this is how we build our relationship," Huang Lizhi said, deliberately making his tone light and casual. "I helped you and Ya Xian today, so you treated me to dinner. That's how we become familiar with each other, isn't it? Relationships between people are just like that, not as complicated as you think."

"You're right." Jung Do-hoon raised his plastic cup and clinked it against Hwang Ye-ji's. A few drops of wine splashed from the rim and landed on the plastic tablecloth. "Cheers to our relationship."

Huang Lizhi brought the cup to his lips and took a small sip.

When he talks about "feelings," is he just talking about friendship, or is he using friendship as a pretext to say something else?

Why did his tone seem to imply that Huang Lizhi knew who the "she" he was referring to was?

It couldn't be herself, could it? But that doesn't make logical sense. She's definitely overthinking it. Why dwell on what someone who's been drinking said?

She placed the empty cup on the table and watched Zheng Daoxun get up to pay the bill.

The darkness blurred his silhouette into a dark figure, making it impossible to see clearly. It seemed that he had too many secrets that Huang Lizhi did not know.

What has he experienced overseas over the years?

Huang Lizhi rested his chin on his hand, watching him stand there.

Many years ago, they did the same thing: grabbing a quick bite at a food stall near the Jeonju bus station before heading off to catch their next bus.

At that time, Jung Do-hoon was a high school student, wearing a school uniform, and his youthful appearance was full of vitality.

Looking back now, six or seven years have made Jung Do-hoon far more complex than his previous high school student image.

When she last visited Wenju, she only felt that Zheng Daoxun had matured a lot, but she didn't have such an obvious feeling.

But looking at him now, he has changed a lot.

Has her feeling for him changed?

Or rather, she began to doubt his feelings for her, whether they were as she had always thought.

Thoughts that seem as convoluted as tongue twisters become a tangled ball of yarn under the influence of alcohol, impossible to unravel.

"Let's go, the rain's letting up a bit." Zheng Daoxun's voice pulled her back from her thoughts.

Huang Lizhi stood up, pulled up the hood of his coat, and followed him into the rain.