Chapter 269: “you Two Should Just Live Happily Together”
Krystal, entering the living room, paused slightly.
Her gaze immediately fell on the other end of the sofa, on the version of herself from 2013.
Those clear eyes seemed a little flustered at the moment, unsure where to put her hands, yet she sat up straight, like a well-behaved student called on by the teacher.
Her whole body had gained a little weight due to the TV series filming, adding a few soft curves to the lines of her shoulders and collarbones. When the light fell on her, even her profile looked a bit rounder, exuding a childish charm.
This familiar feeling made Krystal stare at her for two seconds, her chest feeling as if something had gently touched it, and she suddenly found it a little amusing.
It seemed like herself a few months ago.
However, her expression management was impeccable, not letting the other person notice. Only the corners of her lips curved slightly, but she quickly pressed them back together, as if tucking that little bit of emotion away.
Leaving behind only a faint, almost imperceptible expression, no one could see the hint of a smile that flickered in her heart.
Soon, Krystal withdrew her gaze and brought her attention back to the main task.
She walked over, bent down, and casually picked up the mobile phone that Jung Soo Yeon had just placed on the coffee table, her movements crisp, as if she had rehearsed it before.
“Unnie~”
Krystal, looking up again, had regained her composure, her tone steady.
“After you make the phone call, just tell them directly that I’ve been in a bad mood recently and want you to stay with me for a few days to relax. When you bring up this excuse, I’ll add a couple of sentences myself, and that should basically stabilize the situation. Anyway, this has happened before, so they won’t ask too many questions.”
As she spoke, her words came out slowly and deliberately, without any emotional fluctuation, as if stating a proven solution.
Every word landed precisely, instilling a sense of reassurance.
After hearing the explanation, Jung Soo Yeon pondered for a moment and nodded, “Okay, that reason is useful and quite natural.”
Lin Yoon Ah, standing nearby, couldn’t help but clap her hands, her expression showing agreement as she replied, “I support this too. Anything goes between sisters, and outsiders can understand it easily. This excuse is truly seamless.”
Big Dragon Cub and Park Ji-yeon also nodded in agreement.
Thus, the statement that had been discussed for nearly an hour without a decision was finalized within a few minutes of Krystal’s arrival.
A sense of relief then spread through the living room, and the atmosphere felt much lighter than before.
The discussion topic quickly shifted from “how to say it” to “what to do after saying it.” Who would make the call, when to hang up, how to deflect questions about work arrangements if they pressed…
Krystal systematically deconstructed every potential detail in a clear and organized manner, like untangling a knot with swift and decisive movements.
Meanwhile, Jung Soo Jung, who had been sitting quietly at the other end of the sofa, remained silent.
She simply watched Krystal before her, watching her future self.
She watched the composed expression when she opened the door, the calm tone when she spoke, and the more determined, more resolute aura in her eyes.
Her gaze, initially filled with curiosity, then turned into an exploration, and slowly deepened, as if she were meticulously sketching what her future self would look like.
She almost wanted to piece together from Krystal’s every subtle movement and every slight expression what kind of person her future self would become.
Would she be stronger?
Or lonelier?
Though she made no sound, the focus and contemplation in her eyes said it all.
Many doubts and curiosities welled up in her heart, like waves, crashing against her reason one after another.
She desperately wanted to ask right away, but she suppressed the impulse.
Because Jung Soo Jung knew very well that now was not the time, no matter how urgent, she had to wait until after that phone call.
Only after everyone finished their tasks would they have the opportunity to sit down and talk properly.
Soon, Jung Soo Yeon and Krystal cooperated and made the phone call.
Due to the several rehearsals beforehand, the entire process was orderly and almost flawless.
The agent on the other end of the line was initially silent for a few seconds after hearing Jung Soo Yeon’s calm explanation, clearly finding it a bit troublesome. However, the perfect reason combined with the fact that the timing could still be coordinated ultimately led her to agree.
The truly troublesome part, however, fell on her shoulders.
She had to immediately adjust the schedule and communicate with the organizers to ensure no timing errors.
The moment she hung up the phone, Jung Soo Yeon sighed with relief, leaning back slightly against the sofa, and exhaled a long breath, “Phew, finally got it done.”
At the same time, she raised her hand to rub her temples, displaying a tired but relaxed smile.
“So that’s a week left, then.”
Lin Xiuyuan, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke again, his tone playful, “A week in the ‘small black room’ will be enough for her to suffer.”
Lin Yoon Ah’s eyes widened instinctively, and she waved her fingers in the air, expressing both concern and helplessness, “Are you really going to lock Unnie up for a week, Xiuyuan~ I’m worried the first thing she’ll do when she gets out is stab you.”
“Who knows, it depends on the situation,” Lin Xiuyuan shook his head, smiling indifferently.
As they were chatting casually, a clear, cool voice suddenly broke the relaxed atmosphere in the living room, “Um, Krystal, I have something I want to ask you.”
As the words fell, everyone froze slightly and looked in unison towards the source of the voice.
It was Jung Soo Jung from the other end of the sofa.
She was currently recalling the feeling of calling her own name just now.
It was strange.
Lin Xiuyuan reacted the fastest. He smiled lightly, stood up decisively from the sofa, and looked at Jung Soo Yeon and the others, “Then let’s go up to the rooftop for a bit. We’ve opened the swimming pool, so we might as well dip our feet in it and not waste it.”
His tone was relaxed, clearly intending to leave space for the two “twins.”
So the other four exchanged glances, smiled, and nodded, tacitly not asking any further questions. They then got up and followed Lin Xiuyuan towards the stairwell, disappearing one by one around the corner.
The living room instantly became quiet, leaving only Jung Soo Jung and Krystal sitting face to face.
Their eyes met, and neither rushed to speak, as if a taut string hung in the air.
Finally, Krystal broke the silence.
The corners of her lips curved slightly, and she broke into a faint smile, “What is it? What do you want to talk about?”
Jung Soo Jung’s eyes flashed, and without hesitation, she looked directly at her and asked the question that had been weighing on her heart for a long time, “I want to know, why has my future self, you, undergone such a huge change in personality? Is it because of Snowball, or the disbandment of the group? Or is it Unnie’s problem?”
This question stunned Krystal for a moment, her gaze slowly deepened as she looked earnestly at her past self.
The light cast a soft halo in the room, and the 2013 Jung Soo Jung sat there, radiating a youthful, fresh aura.
Her fair, delicate skin had a natural glow, and her eyes still retained the stubbornness and brightness that had not yet been dulled by reality, like an uncarved jade, its sharpness still immature but possessing a piercing edge.
Krystal stared at her for a moment, her heart involuntarily tightening, as if she were seeing a past version of herself, or as if she were seeing a time through the years that could not be returned to.
She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, lowered her eyelids for a moment, and then spoke slowly.
“How should I put it… I actually went through too much during those years.”
Her voice was low and soft, but carried a very relaxed tone, “At that time, I felt like I couldn’t bear it all, especially around the end of 2019. My mood was so bad that I was almost depressed. I locked myself in my room every day, thinking over and over, and only after a long time did I slowly find my breath again.”
As she said this, the corner of her mouth twitched, as if recalling those lonely nights.
“Later, Jessica realized I wasn’t doing well and started taking me on trips. Coupled with that special period, I saw news of life and death every day online… These things, little by little, wore me down into who I am now.”
Jung Soo Jung, listening quietly, frowned. After a moment, she continued to press, “So, what was the starting point? Where was the real turning point?”
Krystal was silent for a few seconds, then looked at her, her voice low and deep, “You’re right, it is indeed related to Snowball’s suicide.”
“So why did she commit suicide?” Jung Soo Jung asked.
“I don’t think you need to know all of that. Some things are better known to myself. You and Sulli should just live your own lives. Why burden yourselves when you don’t have to? Right?”
Krystal did not answer directly but smiled and gave her response.
This answer was also what she had told Sulli when Sulli had asked her before.
In Krystal’s view, since the present was a past time-space, it could be changed.
Since the past could be changed, she would bear that weight herself; there was no need to let more people carry the same burden.
After all, the future had already passed and could not be retrieved.
Jung Soo Jung had intended to ask more, but Krystal’s words, “You two should just live your lives,” were like a nail, firmly embedded in her heart, making her breath falter.
She stared blankly at her for a moment, suddenly feeling that the self before her was both familiar and strange.
She let out a light laugh, her mood bitter. She raised her hand to rub her temples, burying some thoughts in her heart for later, when the time was right.
Thinking this, Jung Soo Jung did not press for further details and instead let out a long sigh, as if a stone had been lifted from her chest.
“Alright.”
Then, she decisively changed the subject, her eyes narrowing slightly, “Then can I know what you’re planning to do to ‘trick’ Jessica like this? It feels a bit too heartless, you know, she’s your Unnie.”
Krystal was first stunned by the remark, then, as if suddenly remembering something, she looked up towards the upstairs direction, confirmed no one was there, and beckoned her.
“Come here.”
Jung Soo Jung approached suspiciously, and Krystal leaned in and whispered a few words in her ear.
The next second, Jung Soo Jung froze completely, her eyes widening.
“What?!” Her voice involuntarily rose, and she quickly covered her mouth, her gaze at Krystal filled with shock.
Then, her brow furrowed little by little, and the surprise in her eyes slowly settled into confusion, “Are you sure you want to do this? This doesn’t seem like something I would suggest.”
“You wouldn’t, but I would.”
Krystal merely leaned back on the sofa lazily, a smile playing on her lips, as if watching an interesting scene.
Jung Soo Jung remained silent for a while, her gaze fixed on the coffee table, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on the wooden surface as if weighing the pros and cons.
After a moment, she looked up, her voice lowered, “Is this really okay?”
Krystal spread her hands and shrugged indifferently, “Let’s just do it and see. It won’t be worse than it is now anyway.”
She smiled casually, as if talking about a trivial matter, but the certainty in her eyes made Jung Soo Jung’s heart tighten.
“No wonder Snowball and Ji-yeon Unnie both said your personality changed the most out of everyone,” Jung Soo Jung couldn’t help but murmur.
Krystal merely raised an eyebrow, “Really? I think it’s fine.”
…
Rooftop.
The sun was slowly setting in the west, the entire horizon painted in layers of orange and red, as if set ablaze. The light cast dappled shadows through the rooftop railings, falling onto the surface of the swimming pool, reflecting shimmering waves.
The swaying branches seemed to have cast a soft filter over the entire rooftop, the space so quiet that only the sound of the wind and occasional splashes could be heard.
Jung Soo Yeon and Lin Yoon Ah, having come upstairs, were now walking side-by-side to the edge of the swimming pool, their bare feet on the pool’s edge.
Splashes of water were gilded by the sunset, scattering around.
Park Ji-yeon, leaning on the railing not far away, squinted at the floor beneath her feet and suddenly curved her lips with a hint of curiosity, “Hey, Xiuyuan~ Aren’t you curious about what the two Soo Jungs downstairs are talking about?”
Big Dragon Cub, sitting in a nearby lounge chair and enjoying the breeze, immediately chuckled, “Do I even need to ask? It’s definitely about Sulli.”
Jung Soo Yeon raised an eyebrow and chimed in, “More than that, right? It’s also about Jessica. If it were me, I’d definitely ask a few more questions.”
At these words, their gazes unanimously fell upon Lin Xiuyuan.
Big Dragon Cub, with a shift in her gaze, directly threw the question at him, “So Xiuyuan, how are you planning to persuade Soo Yeon Unnie this week? You know, the 2025 version of her isn’t as easily fooled as the 2013 version.”
Jung Soo Yeon immediately looked up, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly, “Hey, Ji-yeon, the way you say that, it’s like I deserve to be fooled by Xiuyuan.”
Big Dragon Cub immediately raised her hands, waving them innocently with a smile, “Hahaha, I didn’t mean that, I didn’t mean that. I just meant that Unnie you still had expectations and hopes back then, but the 2025 version here seems to be more of a ‘lying flat’ situation.”
As she said this, her smile gradually faded, and her expression became more serious.
She looked up at the sky as the residual light of the sunset dimmed, her tone slow, “A sudden, huge wave of life like this, if she can’t accept it and her emotions explode, it will truly be a time bomb.”
The evening breeze by the swimming pool gently lifted their hair, and the atmosphere wavered between relaxation and solemnity.
Lin Xiuyuan, who had been asked, leaned back in his lounge chair, his gaze following the last rays of light in the sky as they gradually receded, seemingly pondering Big Dragon Cub’s question.
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