Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 288 "Xiu Yuan, did you do something bad to me?" (Please subscribe and vote for monthly tickets)

……

A few nights ago, in T-ara's dorm.

Park Hyomin sat cross-legged on the living room sofa, watching Ham Eunjung walk in through the door. She then glanced subconsciously at the empty seat behind her and casually asked, "Didn't Jiyeon come back with you?"

When asked, Ham Eun-jung bent down to change her shoes and replied, "No, she and So-hee are busy with that chain store business. It seems like the branches are opening very quickly recently. The two of them have been almost constantly on the go these past few days, even busier than us who are running our own schedules."

Upon hearing this, Park Hyomin nodded in agreement.

Actually, she had been paying attention to the chain brand invested in by Park Ji-yeon's so-called company. It had indeed been very busy lately, with a lot of news reports about it, even drifting from China to Seoul.

Thinking about this, she couldn't help but sigh, "I really didn't expect that the youngest member of the group would be the first to start a business, and it's about to succeed."

After her initial reaction, her gaze returned to Ham Eun-jung, filled with scrutiny and curiosity.

"By the way, Eun-jung, what's been going on with you these past few days? As soon as rehearsals or work are over, you disappear without a trace. Have you been going to see that Lin Xiuyuan again?"

After changing the cable, Ham Eun-jung straightened up and met Park Hyo-min's probing gaze. Instead of looking away, she laughed as if she found it amusing and asked, "Why do you ask that? Our Hyo-min, are you jealous? No way, you're jealous of a guy?"

For some reason, Park Hyomin, upon hearing this, pouted awkwardly, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible resentment, "Who's jealous? I just feel that since I met Lin Xiuyuan, it seems like it's been a while since we've gone out shopping or eating together. Didn't we used to hang out together all the time?"

Hearing Park Hyomin's complaint, Ham Eunjung immediately smiled and agreed, "Then how about we go now?"

As a result, Park Hyomin immediately glared at her, annoyed, "It's already night, what are you going out for? To run into the Night Butcher?"

"Haha~ It's not that exaggerated."

Ham Eun-jung smiled and said, "Let's wait a few more days. Then we can find a time when we're both resting and go out for a nice meal."

After saying that, she seemed to have thought of something, and nudged Park Hyomin's arm with her shoulder as she walked up to her, and asked in a low voice, "But Hyomin, do you think we should invite Xiuyuan along? Having a cute little boy with us would probably make eating and shopping more fun, right?"

Park Hyomin rolled her eyes at the teasing, her tone a little annoyed, "If you miss him, just say so. Why drag me into this? I'm not really into Lin Xiuyuan."

In her opinion, although Lin Xiuyuan was young and handsome, with a sunny and youthful vigor, he was not her preferred type.

She prefers promising young men who are slightly mature, well-built, and have some muscle definition.

In 25 years ago terms, that would be "high-ranking official style".

When Park Hyomin clearly stated that she "didn't like it," Ham Eunjung simply gave her a meaningful look, then turned and walked towards the bedroom without saying anything more.

"I went to take a shower."

However, just as she grabbed a set of pajamas and was about to go into the bathroom, she suddenly stopped at the door, turned around and looked at Park Hyomin, who was still sitting on the sofa in a daze, and said something as if she were mentioning it casually, or as if she was deliberately emphasizing it.

"By the way, Hyomin, Xiuyuan's physique is also amazing. He's one of the best I've ever seen, and his proportions are perfect."

Finally, as Park Hyo-min looked up in astonishment, she clearly added four words, "The kind that's top-notch."

Before Park Hyomin could react, she slipped into the bathroom and closed the door.

Park Hyomin was left alone in the living room, the phrase "the best kind" echoing repeatedly in her mind.

My mind is inexplicably a little confused, and a hint of... is growing uncontrollably within me.

Damn curiosity.

……

Back to the present, inside the restaurant.

Today was actually the day Park Hyo-min and Ham Eun-jung had arranged to have dinner together.

However, she arrived at the restaurant early and had just been led by the waiter to her reserved table when her attention was drawn to a table of guests not far away.

At that dining table, Park Hyomin first saw Goo Hara and Sulli, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, and this unexpected encounter surprised her.

Then she discovered that sitting opposite the two of them were Lin Xiuyuan and Lin Xiaolu.

How did these people end up together? Park Hyo-min had a big question mark in her mind.

So, before Ham Eun-jung arrived, she couldn't suppress her curiosity, adjusted her expression, and walked over with a smile.

"Oh, what a coincidence?"

After exchanging greetings, Park Hyomin, at Lin Xiaolu's enthusiastic invitation, sat down in the empty seat next to her.

His gaze swept over the group, finally settling on Lin Xiuyuan, who seemed to be the key figure. "How did you all end up together? Was it a chance encounter?"

“What coincidence, unnie?” Sherry smiled and explained, “This was arranged.”

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan greeted her with a smile, then looked at a lone figure and said, "Is it just you, Hyomin?"

"No." Park Hyomin shook her head. "Eunjung is here too, but she hasn't arrived yet."

"Eun-jung is here too?" Lin Xiuyuan said with some surprise, then naturally asked the other figure, "Where's Ji-yeon?"

"Ji-yeon is busy; she's busy with your own things."

Park Hyo-min looked at Lin Xiu-yuan. Although they didn't say it explicitly, they both knew it was about the chain store business.

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan smiled knowingly and turned his gaze to Goo Hara, who had been quieter since Park Hyomin arrived.

The moment their eyes met, he naturally offered his suggestion, "Hara, since Eun-jung and Hyo-min have also happened to run into each other, why don't we go together? It'll be more lively with more people."

Goo Hara was taken aback by this sudden statement, then glanced at Park Hyomin and instinctively nodded slightly, "I can."

Sulli glanced at the already small dining table and said, "But oppa, it seems like we don't have enough seats at this table."

Then Yoona chimed in, "I think I just heard that the restaurant has private rooms, why don't we ask?"

Park Hyomin, who had been quiet all along, waved her hands repeatedly when she saw that the group was really going to merge her group together with them in just a few words, "No, no, you guys eat your food, we won't bother you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Xiuyuan had already raised his hand to beckon a waiter.

After confirming that there were vacant private rooms, he said directly to the waiter, "Then please help us move to the private room over there."

After saying that, he looked at everyone, stood up first, and waved his hand with an undeniable cheerfulness, "Let's go, gogogo~ let's change venues."

Seeing this, Sulli, Yoona, and Goo Hara all stood up with smiles.

Goo Hara even reached out and pulled Park Hyomin, who was still a bit out of it and looked confused.

The group followed the waiter to a more private and spacious private room, where they sat down again.

Before they could even get comfortable in their chairs, the door to the private room was pushed open again, and Ham Eun-jung walked in wearing a pair of little boots.

When she saw the large group of familiar faces in the room, her beautiful eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed slightly, scanning the room with a hint of amusement and scrutiny before finally landing on a boy standing among the beauties. She laughed exaggeratedly.

"Wow, what's going on today? So many people are here? Xiu Yuan, did you organize this gathering?"

As she spoke, Ham Eun-jung casually walked around half the table and went straight behind Lin Xiuyuan.

Then, under the slightly strange gaze of Park Hyomin and the curious gaze of Goo Hara, she very familiarly placed her hands on Lin Xiuyuan's shoulders and gave them a light squeeze.

Then he leaned down slightly, looked closer to the other person, and asked with a smile, "Is it true? What's going on today, Xiuyuan? It's very rare to see you take the initiative to go out to eat. I've known you for so long and haven't seen you like this many times."

As soon as she finished speaking, Shirley and Lin Xiaolu next to her laughed. Both of them knew what Ham Eun-jung meant by what she said.

It's nothing more than complaining that Lin Xiuyuan doesn't often live in the 2013 timeline.

As for Lin Xiuyuan, when he felt the force on his shoulder and the warm breath by his ear, he naturally turned around to look at Xian Enjing.

In that instant, his memory uncontrollably flashed back to the scene from yesterday afternoon.

In that apartment 25 years ago, there were erotic scenes of him entangled and fooling around with the more mature and daring "Sweet Eun-jung".

His eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly covered it up and replied with a natural smile, "What are you saying? I do come out to bask in the sun sometimes. Staying cooped up at home all the time will make me moldy."

However, Ham Eun-jung seemed not to hear his reply at this moment.

Because all her attention was drawn to the glance Lin Xiuyuan had just given her when he turned around.

That look in his eyes... was very strange.

It doesn't contain much blatant lust, but it carries a kind of... a kind of insight that seems to penetrate the skin and reach the depths of the soul.

It was as if, in that instant, all of his disguises, all his secrets, and even the most subtle curves of his body were seen by him.

A feeling of shame and trepidation, as if she had been inexplicably stripped of all her clothes and exposed naked to the other person's gaze, shot up Ham Eun-jung's spine when that gaze met hers, making her heart tremble.

Almost instinctively, her brain immediately connected that gaze with another figure.

That version of myself in 2025—more mature, more languid, and more dangerous…

Is it...

A thought that Ham Eun-jung had been deliberately avoiding and unwilling to think about suddenly exploded in her mind like a thunderclap.

25 years ago, did something... terrible happen between Xiu Yuan and me?

Otherwise, Ham Eun-jung simply couldn't understand why Lin Xiuyuan, who had looked at her fairly normally before, would suddenly reveal such an intimate knowledge of everything, even the deepest secrets of her being, just now...

A strange look in his eyes.

Thinking of this, Ham Eun-jung's gaze toward Lin Xiu-yuan instantly became complex and subtle.

She even subconsciously glanced down at her outfit for the day, which was the most ordinary layered T-shirt and sweatshirt, so conservative that her collarbone was barely showing.

But even with this outfit, Lin Xiuyuan gave him that kind of look?!
Real hammer!
Ham Eun-jung almost screamed in her heart.

25 years ago, there must have been something improper between them, otherwise it wouldn't have happened!
As this series of brainstorming and reasoning sessions came to an end, only a few seconds had actually passed in reality.

So after making a rough guess, Ham Eun-jung quickly suppressed the turmoil in her eyes, but the thought of "verifying" had already taken shape.

Before that, she had to get a little "revenge" on someone.

Then the hand on Lin Xiuyuan's shoulder suddenly squeezed hard!
"Ah~"

This move caught Lin Xiuyuan completely off guard, causing him to cry out in pain unexpectedly. He turned to look at Xian Enjing and asked, "What are you doing?"

When asked, Ham Eun-jung simply hummed softly, as if nothing had happened. She let go of his hand, gracefully walked around to the opposite side, and sat down in the empty seat next to Park Hyo-min.

Lin Xiuyuan was left alone, rubbing his shoulders and staring at her retreating figure, his face full of bewilderment.

Soon, the dishes we ordered were brought in one by one by the waiters.

The table was laden with exquisite Spanish dishes, their aromas filling the air.

The atmosphere only became lively again after all the waiters had left the private room and closed the door.

For example, Park Hyomin and Goo Hara started chatting enthusiastically. As members of G7 from "Invincible Youth," they had endless topics to talk about, from reminiscing about their recent lives to embarrassing moments from the past, with laughter filling the air.

Ham Eun-jung, who arrived last, also composed herself and chatted casually with Lim Siu-lu, asking her about her recent drama filming and group activities.

Soon, the atmosphere in the private room became harmonious and lively.

However, just when Lin Xiuyuan thought it was just a pleasant dinner, Xian Enjing, who had been chatting with Lin Xiaolu for a while, suddenly smiled, patted her arm, and whispered something.

Then the two exchanged a knowing glance, and Lin Xiaolu smiled and got up to switch places with Xian Enjing.

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan was tilting his head and talking quietly with Shirley about Jung Soo-jung's recent schedule, completely unaware of what was happening next to him.

After sitting down, Ham Eun-jung did not immediately disturb Lin Xiuyuan, but quietly looked at his profile with a rather complicated look in her eyes.

A few seconds later, she suddenly reached out and gently patted Lin Xiuyuan's arm.

"Xiuyuan~"

Lin Xiuyuan subconsciously stopped his conversation with Shirley and turned his head. "Hmm?"

The moment he turned his head, Ham Eun-jung suddenly moved closer.

Their faces instantly drew closer to an extremely ambiguous distance, and those bright, questioning eyes locked tightly and unavoidably into Lin Xiuyuan's pupils.

Her red lips parted slightly, her breath sweet as orchids, and she asked in a low, confident tone that only the two of them could hear.

"Xiuyuan, I have a question."

"What? We're a little too close."

"Recently?? Then tell me, did you do something bad to me back in 25 years ago?"

　I just had acupuncture and physiotherapy yesterday. A friend told me that fascia gun massage is also effective, but I don't know if it's true. Have any of you tried it?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)