Peninsula: 72 Hours of Blind Dates

Chapter 1 Blind Date, Meeting

It was just past eight in the morning.

Sunlight slanted across the glass curtain wall buildings on both sides, reflecting a cold luster.

The main road in Tehran, known as "H Country's Silicon Valley," is bustling with traffic and pedestrians.

Office workers in sharp suits, shirts, and pencil skirts hurried along, holding coffee cups in one hand and looking intently at their phones with the other.

A news report about the high-tech field is playing on the large screen overhead.

KAKAO Group Chairman Kim Beom-soo officially confirmed that the group will establish a new AI research and development team, and announced that the team will be led by Han Joon-hee, a genius top student from KAIST who joined the KAKAO Group last year.

Elevator waiting area in the lobby on the first floor of an office building.

Office workers who saw the news report on their phones whispered among themselves: "Is that Han Hee-joon, the one who was being frantically pursued by S Group, LG Group, SK Group, and Kakao Group?"

"It must be that person. Last year, there was a rumor that Han Xijun ultimately chose the Kakao Group."

"Isn't the field of AI related to high-tech industries like semiconductors?"

"Of course there are. From chips to large models to industry applications, Kakao seems to be planning to enter the high-tech industry this time, and not just be an internet technology company anymore."

"That's how big companies are. Kakao Group has even invested in the entertainment industry."

"Speaking of which, Han Xijun is too mysterious. Even when he was trending on social media last year, there wasn't much news about him. I heard from his classmates at KAIST that he seems to be unable to speak."

"OMG, if you can't speak, then that means..."

Nearby, the KAKAO Group building.

President's Office.

Sitting on the sofa watching the news, Kim Bum-soo asked his chief secretary, "Has Hee-joon left yet?"

The chief secretary raised his wrist to check the time on his watch and replied, "Yes, Chairman, Team Leader Han should be on his way to Incheon International Airport."

Kim Bum-soo nodded in satisfaction, muttering, "He will understand my good intentions. This is also a good opportunity to let more people know him and clear up the misunderstandings that have been circulating online."

The chief secretary didn't respond.

Han Xijun has been with the company for almost a year, and it seems that some of the comments on the internet were posted by employees within the group.

Even Chairman Kim Bum-soo seems to have had fewer than 100 conversations with Han Hee-joon in the past year, and whenever Chairman Kim Bum-soo talks a lot, Han Hee-joon always replies with "okay" or "I understand".

Chairman Kim Bum-soo's appreciation for talent may stem from seeing a reflection of his younger self in him.

They showed boundless tolerance and care for this young man who had no social skills and only focused on his work.

Even her application to the recently popular online variety show "72 Hours of Blind Date" was submitted without Han Xijun's knowledge.

That document was prepared by the chief secretary.

The information provided by Han Xijun included his height, weight, occupation, income, hobbies, and other relevant details.

After the application was approved, the production team contacted the head of the secretariat and finalized the recording date for the program, which is today, April 13, 2022.

The show began filming by chance. The female guest had Han Hee-joon's information filled out by the secretary, while Han Hee-joon had a black notebook in his bag containing the female guest's information.

The chief secretary glanced at the cityscape of skyscrapers outside the office's floor-to-ceiling windows.

He wasn't sure if Han Xijun had seen the document he had put in Han Xijun's bag.

If you directly tell Han Xijun that you want to record such a program, he will definitely be rejected. You can only wait for Han Xijun to face it himself.

At the same time.

Wu Haiyuan, who had just finished her makeup and hair at a beauty salon in the early morning, was on her way to Incheon International Airport.

The flight departs from Seoul to Tokyo at 9:55 AM.

The front passenger seat.

Wu Haiyuan put down his phone and asked his manager, who was driving, "Oppa, why are we going to Tokyo?"

The agent, focused on driving, replied, "It's probably the location chosen by the male guest on the show."

"Is it an option?"

"I don't know either."

"Oppa doesn't know?"

"The production team didn't tell me I could choose. I thought it was being filmed in Seoul. They only told me last Friday that it would be in Tokyo. I guess it was decided by the male guest's side."

Wu Haiyuan muttered, "When I met with the PD to discuss the show, he didn't mention the filming location. He just said it was different from other dating shows, there was no fixed script, it was all about random encounters, and it was all based on submitted notes..."

rummaging through my bag.

Take out a dark blue leather notebook.

I turned to the first page.

The male guest who wants to have a one-on-one date with me is 185 cm tall and weighs only 80 kg, so he's a bit thin.

My profession is developer. I was born in 02 and am 21 years old this year (one year older than the traditional Chinese age reckoning).

Frowning, Wu Haiyuan muttered to his manager, "But Oppa, if your profession is developer..."

The agent knew what Wu Haiyuan wanted to ask and explained, "It usually refers to web development, like app development."

Wu Haiyuan continued, "Can someone be a developer at 21? They probably haven't even graduated from university by then."

The agent chimed in, "Logically, someone who hasn't graduated by 21 is normal, but there are exceptions, though they are rare. They might not be the kind of developer I'm thinking of. You'll know once you meet them."

"Meeting up, ah, meeting up, what should we talk about? If we knew what kind of developer the other person was, we could at least prepare to break the ice."

The agent smiled and said, "It might be difficult for others, but you are Wu Haiyuan. Breaking the awkward silence is too easy for you. You will definitely be able to handle it easily."

I jogged across the zebra crossing.

Even though he was in a hurry, Wu Haiyuan didn't forget to wave and greet the reporters who were waiting near the airport entrance.

Whether they came for me or not, as long as they took a picture of themselves, that's fine.

Airport fashion?

Wu Haiyuan breathed a sigh of relief after completing the registration procedures.

Wu Haiyuan chose her outfit for today: a beige crew neck thin knit sweater over a striped shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers, creating a casual style.

They were walking along when they suddenly stopped.

Holding his boarding pass, Wu Haiyuan stared wide-eyed at his manager and asked, "Oppa, is this first class?"

The agent sighed, looking at the economy class boarding pass in his hand, "Well, yours was prepared by the production team, mine was bought by the company."

"Prepared by the production team, what does that mean?"

"That's right, the male guest who was recording the show with you flew to Tokyo in first class today."

Wu Haiyuan was a little confused.

21 years old, a developer, is he famous? And does he make a lot of money? Otherwise, why would he always travel in first class?

Or is the person appearing on the show with you a second-generation chaebol?

Hey, second-generation chaebols wouldn't appear on variety shows.

Bang

He shrugged his shoulder.

Wu Haiyuan dropped his boarding pass.

The instinctive reaction was to wave hands wildly in the air.

The boarding pass still fell to the ground.

He said, "I'm sorry."

I was just about to bend down to check my boarding pass.

A large hand appeared in Wu Haiyuan's field of vision.

The boarding pass was picked up by someone.

His gaze slowly moved upwards, and a deep voice reached Wu Haiyuan's ears: "I'm sorry."

Wu Haiyuan was still looking up.

The person in front of me is so tall.

It was a cold and stern face.

His features are clean and refined, without any trace of makeup, but he has thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips. At first glance, he looks a lot like Won Bin.

Before Wu Haiyuan could even say what he was about to say, the person had already turned and left.

The agent asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Wu Haiyuan shook his head and muttered, "Oppa, was that Won Bin Xi just now?"

My gaze followed Na Dao's figure.

The agent, not having gotten a clear look at the person, reminded him, "It's time to board, let's go."