Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 45 "I Don't Want to Become That Old Woman~"

Ding bell~
Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the door of the tavern was pushed open. The sky was still bright, but the light was already fading in the west. The street appeared quiet and gentle in the interplay of sunlight and shadow.

Standing at the door, Lim Yoona glanced back at the small bar and complained to Jessica Jung with a somewhat annoyed expression, "Unnie, I'm a little annoyed. What do you mean by 'pleasing to the eye'? I don't even want this membership, hmph."

"Okay, okay, don't be angry."

Jessica Jung smiled and comforted him, "Didn't he say that as a member, I can bring you in to play?"

"I'm not coming. Although the drinks here are indeed better than elsewhere, it's not enough to make me feel obligated to come. Humph."

Seeing Yoona's furious and indignant expression, Jessica Jung smiled and said nothing more.

According to what she knew, the youngest member was only angry for a moment, and he would probably be fine by tonight.

So after Yoona let out her pent-up anger, Jessica Jung pulled her back to the car and they headed to the company for some last-minute overtime work.

It seems there's a dance that needs to be choreographed again; looks like I'll be busy again.

In contrast to their busy schedules, the T-ara members inside the bar seemed much more relaxed.

Having finally found a comfortable and quiet place, Park Hyo-min simply pestered Lin Xiuyuan to mix several cocktails, intending to take the opportunity to drink to her heart's content.

Ham Eun-jung, sitting next to her, was on the sofa, holding a guitar she had just taken from the stage, strumming the strings and having a great time.

After Jessica and the other left, Park Jiyeon went straight to the bar and chatted with Lin Xiuyuan.

"Oppa, you just said we can bring people over here. What if there's me here, no, there's an old woman here? What should we do?"

old woman?
Lin Xiuyuan, who was washing the bartenders, was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Park Jiyeon to describe her future self in such a way.

After a moment of stunned silence, she couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, Jiyeon, you're so brave! If the other person had heard what you just said, given your personality, you probably would have gotten beaten up."

Despite Lin Xiuyuan's response, Park Jiyeon still looked disgusted.

During this time, whenever she thought about the information she saw that night, she felt a tightness in her chest, and there was always a knot in her heart.

"I'm an old woman, over 30, a divorced woman nearing 40, isn't that right? I've only just come of age, hmph hmph hmph."

Lin Xiuyuan smiled and responded.

"Haha, it's okay. I have a control panel here. I had someone set up two programs for the door lock. One is that you can enter and exit freely after verification, and the other is that you can recognize faces through a camera and only allow one person to enter. If multiple people are together, the door will be locked and they will be denied entry."

After hearing what Lin Xiuyuan said, Park Jiyeon, who was hearing about such high technology in real life for the first time, couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"Daebak, oppa, your door lock skills are like something out of a movie."

"More than that, it's even more sci-fi than a movie, don't you think?"

Lin Xiuyuan winked at her and asked her a question with a smile.

As clever as Park Jiyeon is, she guessed the meaning of what the other person meant the moment she received the hint in her eyes.

He opened his mouth and said softly, "Indeed, it's more sci-fi than a movie. I wouldn't even dare to do that in my wildest dreams."

Suddenly remembering something, she turned around and glanced at Park Hyomin, who was enjoying delicious drinks. She then quietly leaned close to Lin Xiuyuan and said, "Oppa, do you think that unnie's marriage will end up the same way as my old woman's?"

"Who knows? Although athletes have much stronger hormones than ordinary people, and their infidelity rate is basically 99.9%, the financial world is more chaotic than the sports world. Anyway, I don't have a high opinion of her, but if she can tolerate it, then never mind."

Lin Xiuyuan wiped the wine glass in his hand and said thoughtfully.

“Well, actually I’ve been wanting to come see you these past few days, but I’ve been too busy with work. Now it’s all good, I can finally go over there and have some fun.” Park Jiyeon’s words made Lin Xiuyuan’s heart tremble. He looked at her and gave a wry smile. “Jiyeon, what you’re saying makes me uneasy. I don’t know if coming to see you was the right thing to do.”

"Don't worry, oppa, I'm definitely better than that old woman. I'm very sensible."

After saying that, she blinked her big, bright eyes at Lin Xiuyuan and asked, "So, oppa, can I go over there later?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm available anytime. You know, I came to you just to see if you could help myself, or help your group change their fate."

Lin Xiuyuan paused for a moment, made a finger gun gesture, and pointed at the two people behind her. "Just like I told you that night, just think of it as me enjoying watching the show and wanting to see what your future will be like."

Knowing that he couldn't change the overall situation, he was even more eager to know if the minor trends could be altered.

"Oppa, you say I'm brave, but you're even braver than me. I certainly wouldn't put myself in someone else's hands. If something were to happen, I'd be lucky to even die."

"I call this spreading the risk and opportunity. The premise for anything going wrong is that you are willing to give up everything, but..."

Changing the subject, Lin Xiuyuan looked up at Park Jiyeon in front of him.

She sat quietly on the edge of the bar, bathed in the soft light, her white pinstripe shirt outlining her graceful yet upright figure.

Her hair was casually tied back, with the ends falling to the sides of her neck. A few stray strands fell naturally, brushing against the long silver chain earrings by her ears, swaying slightly in the light and shadow.

Her features are soft yet possess a cool and aloof quality, devoid of affected charm or pretentious sweetness.

Her demeanor and makeup have changed significantly since our first meeting.

Lin Xiuyuan saw in her the charm of Park Ji-yeon in 2025.

Then she chuckled and said, "But seeing that you've already started imitating the other person, it seems you're reluctant to give up."

Instead of feeling disgusted by his gaze, Park Jiyeon was actually quite pleased.

Who could dislike such clear and bright eyes?

So she replied softly, "Who would be willing to give that up? I certainly don't want to become that old woman in the future."

"Alright, alright, stop cursing. You should tone it down. If Krystal hears you saying that, she'll teach you a lesson."

Upon hearing Lin Xiuyuan mention Krystal, Park Jiyeon smiled and said, "I'm kind of looking forward to it. I never thought I'd get to know Krystal so well. When is she coming, oppa~"

When asked, Lin Xiuyuan shook his head slightly, "I don't know. Maybe if you're feeling bored lately, you could help me make some connections with other people."

"Who?"

Park Jiyeon was curious.

"Since we've already brought up Krystal, what do you think?"

After a while, Park Jiyeon, who had just come to her senses, instantly transformed from a cheerful girl into a melancholy young woman. She pursed her thin lips and, after a while, pointed Lin Xiuyuan toward Park Hyomin, saying, "If you want to get to know Sulli, it's easier for Hyomin unnie than for me."

"Oh, aren't you from '94line'?"

"Oppa, I was born in 93."

“That Park Hyomin…”

"She's very close to Hara Unnie. Haven't you seen 'Invincible Youth'?"

　Asking for monthly ticket
　　
　
(End of this chapter)