Chapter 68: “soo Jung, How Have You Been Lately?”
Seoul’s early mornings always arrive slowly, seeming particularly gloomy on overcast and rainy days.
The lights on the ceiling haven’t been turned off yet. Krystal woke up very early today, or rather, she hadn’t slept properly since last night, only managing a brief rest in the early morning.
But she quickly struggled awake from a dreamless sleep, sitting at the head of the bed, pressing her forehead, her gaze unable to focus on any specific point.
Her heart was beating fast at this moment, not from nervousness or fear, but from a kind of indescribable excitement.
Because today, she would see again the girl who, in her memory, was always lively and bright, but ultimately fell into a deep sleep in the cemetery.
Thinking of this, Krystal’s fingers clenched the bedsheets slightly. In fact, ever since she learned about the 2013 time-space from Lin Xiuyuan, she had been preparing for this meeting.
She practiced her expressions many times, how to face the past calmly, how to stand in front of Sulli, how to suppress the urge to cry that was about to escape her lips.
But even so, she still understood very clearly that no matter how many times she rehearsed.
The moment she met those familiar eyes, everything would collapse.
She was sure, and certain.
Thinking of this, Krystal got up and walked to the window, opening the curtains.
Under the hazy sky outside the window, a curtain of rain that had not stopped since early morning fell, becoming more and more urgent, like a giant, invisible net tightly enveloping the entire city.
“Is this kind of weather a coincidence?”
Her voice was soft, tinged with a hidden sadness.
Washing up, changing clothes, all her movements were exceptionally restrained.
Today, Krystal did not choose overly bright colors, but instead put on a dark gray windbreaker, simple yet clean.
A black umbrella from the depths of the wardrobe was pulled out by her. It was an item left over from the group days many years ago, which Krystal had preserved until now, and it could be used again today.
After a second of caressing the umbrella, Krystal immediately put it in her bag, grabbed her car keys, and hurried out the door.
Not long after, the car started and drove out of the apartment’s underground parking lot, rushing into the city submerged in rain.
There was no radio, nor music, along the way.
While driving, Krystal replayed moments spent with Sulli in her mind.
The memory of them laughing foolishly while covered in sweat on the practice room floor, the funny experience of Sulli ordering food with her broken English when they went abroad for filming, and the last time they met, Sulli said with a smile, “I’m fine.”
And then, there was no more news.
“This time, you will be alright, Sulli.”
Krystal murmured in a low voice, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly until her knuckles turned white.
In the blink of an eye, the car arrived at the cemetery. Lin Xiuyuan and the others hadn’t arrived yet.
So Krystal didn’t get out of the car immediately. Instead, she rested her forehead on the steering wheel and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
After a while, having adjusted her emotions, she opened the umbrella and got out of the car, walking into that familiar yet heavy land.
The cemetery was deathly silent, only the dense sound of rain, as if drumming down from the heavens, striking every inch of soil, every crevice of memory.
Soon, she found the tombstone and stopped not far away.
The stone tablet, polished by the rain, was like a cold mirror, reflecting all the suppressed and surging emotions she felt at that moment.
Krystal did not approach, but stood quietly in the rain, her hand holding the umbrella handle trembling slightly.
Time slowly passed until she saw a familiar car slowly come to a stop.
Lin Xiuyuan got out, and then a figure, long absent even in memory, came into view.
The moment she saw Sulli from afar, Krystal didn’t approach immediately but silently watched everything unfold.
She saw Sulli standing in the rain, slowly taking off her eye mask, squatting in front of the tombstone, like a newcomer, entering this world for the first time.
And she never made a sound, just stood quietly behind the others, joining this strange ‘funeral.’
The moment her gaze met Sulli’s, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
All the rehearsals and mental preparations she had done turned to ashes in this moment.
Finally, it all converged into one sentence, “Long time no see, Sulli.”
The rain was heavy, but her voice was soft, yet Sulli heard it.
So, she smiled brightly at the maknae before her, who seemed to have gone through a lot and matured considerably.
“Soo Jung, how have you been lately?”
……
……
The rain today was long and heavy. Even after Lin Xiuyuan and the others’ car drove back to Seoul, the rain had not stopped.
All of them were drenched, their jackets even covered in water droplets. Upon entering, they felt a sense of weightlessness, as if falling from a dream into reality.
The villa was warm, and the floor was heated. So, fearing a cold and subsequent cold, Lin Xiuyuan called out to the figures behind him, “There are two rooms on the first floor and three on the second, each with a bathroom. Hurry and take a hot shower, don’t catch a cold.”
“What about clothes?”
Krystal, who had been holding Sulli’s hand since the cemetery and didn’t want to let go, asked.
Without waiting for Lin Xiuyuan to answer, Jung Soo Yeon spoke, “When I stayed here before, I bought a few sets. They’re all unworn. You find the bathrooms first, and I’ll bring them to you later.”
Soon, after taking hot showers and changing into clean clothes, everyone gathered back in the living room.
At this time, soft mats had been spread on the living room carpet, arranged in a circle around the sofa, with hot tea and simple snacks placed in the center.
This was prepared by Lin Xiuyuan, who had showered earlier.
However, after everyone had taken their seats, no one spoke first, and a strange silence permeated the air.
“Still nothing to say?”
Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan’s gaze turned to Krystal and Sulli.
These two had been quietly silent on the way back from the cemetery, and it seemed they were still the same now.
Jung Soo Yeon and Park Ji-yeon beside them weren’t without things to say, but they didn’t want to disturb the other two. Only Lin Xiuyuan dared to speak.
Hearing this, Krystal finally made a move. She handed a cup of hot tea to Sulli, “Drink some hot tea first, don’t catch a cold. You have a comeback to prepare for, and it will be tough.”
Sulli took the teacup and looked at Krystal, her eyes a little hazy.
Krystal continued, “Actually, I never expected to meet you this way, Sulli.”
“What way?” Sulli retorted.
However, this retort hit Krystal right in the heart.
She gave a wry smile, “I don’t know. Because I never figured it out, even after visiting many times, I still didn’t dare to find you.”
Dare not.
Those two words made everyone present tremble, let alone the main character, Sulli.
Although she didn’t understand the whole situation, Krystal’s reaction revealed too much that was unusual.
But there was one thing Sulli firmly believed, “I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s definitely not your fault, Soo Jung. You’re probably putting too much burden on yourself again. Your personality hasn’t changed one bit after all these years.”
Looking at Krystal before her, Sulli thought of the stubborn maknae from 2013, who pushed herself to her physical limit to deliver the best stage performance for her fans.
Fainting from dieting, collapsing from high fever during performances, and dehydration during rehearsals were common occurrences.
As Sulli spoke these words, even though Krystal was already in her thirties, she lowered her head.
She hadn’t felt this sweet kind of scolding in many years.
Just then, another hand wrapped around her. “Ah, Sulli is right. Soo Jung, you’re just too strong-willed. You’ve been like this since you were little. Although you seem much better on the surface now, deep down you’re still the same.”
Turning to look at Jung Soo Yeon, who was speaking, Krystal bit her lip, offering no rebuttal.
On the other side, Sulli took a sip of hot tea, as if finally beginning to accept the reality of it all.
Accepting that she had died in 2025, and that she was here now from 2013, having personally attended her own “funeral.”
Thinking this, she suddenly turned her gaze to Lin Xiuyuan, “By the way, oppa, you promised to tell me the cause of my death just now.”
Then she realized that after she said this, everyone around her looked at her, their eyes filled with complex emotions.
Facing their gazes, Sulli instinctively guessed, “What’s wrong, did I die horribly? My body was dismembered?”
“…”
Lin Xiuyuan gave a wry smile, “Are you cursing yourself like this?”
“Otherwise, it’s hard for me to imagine myself dying in the future.”
Since she was still alive, Sulli’s emotions had gradually stabilized, and her tone became much more relaxed.
Now Lin Xiuyuan had something to say. He beckoned Sulli over to sit with him.
Sulli complied.
Then, with her shoulder to his, he pointed to Jung Soo Yeon across from them, “Come, I’ll test you. In your opinion, what will be her future development?”
Upon hearing this, Jung Soo Yeon was speechless and rolled her eyes at him, but she didn’t stop him.
“Soo Yeon unnie?”
Looking at Lin Xiuyuan pointing at Jung Soo Yeon, Sulli hesitated for a moment before saying, “Now unnie and the others have just become the top girl group on the peninsula. Although they can’t always be at their peak, will they become solo singers a decade later and then open their own trendy brand?”
This answer wasn’t entirely baseless. Many friends knew that Jung Soo Yeon liked fashion design, so Sulli was just making a bold guess based on her impression.
After listening, Lin Xiuyuan didn’t immediately give an evaluation. He moved his finger to Park Ji-yeon, “Then guess for Ji-yeon.”
This time, Sulli muttered, “Ji-yeon is a bit difficult to guess.”
“Why?” Park Ji-yeon asked with some curiosity.
“Because your group’s current situation is quite awkward, it’s hard for me to say if the future will be good or bad.”
Sulli frowned, but finally gave a guess, “If I have to say, I think there will be a chance to turn things around, but after a period of group activities, they will still disband, and everyone will do personal activities.”
Lin Xiuyuan listened with a half-smile, then suddenly changed direction, “Then who here do you think will get married first?”
“Marriage?”
Upon hearing this, Sulli’s first reaction was naturally to look at the oldest among them… Jung Soo Yeon.
Jung Soo Yeon’s face darkened, she picked up a pillow and threw it at Lin Xiuyuan, “Hey, can you ask questions properly? What are you talking about?”
Lin Xiuyuan dodged one with a laugh, but couldn’t dodge another thrown by Park Ji-yeon.
“Ah, oppa~ I’m not married, that old woman is crazy. This has nothing to do with me.” Park Ji-yeon protested with all seriousness.
Sulli, however, looked as if she had heard some earth-shattering gossip, her eyes wide, with a “Did I miss something?” expression.
But Lin Xiuyuan wasn’t done with his “quiz.” He finally pointed to Krystal, “Sulli, guess what kind of life she is living now.”
As soon as this question was asked, the atmosphere in the living room quieted down a bit.
Sulli didn’t answer immediately as before, but frowned and slowly raised her eyes to look at Krystal.
“Soo Jung…”
Sulli’s voice softened, as if talking to herself, “I think our group will probably disband, and then Soo Jung will pursue an acting career and shine in that path, because she has always done very well.”
Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow slightly, asking with some surprise, “That’s strange, why would you guess they would disband? Aren’t you guys popular right now?”
The asked Sulli fell silent for a moment, then thinking about what had happened today and this parallel time-space of 2025, she let out a soft sigh.
“Because if history hasn’t changed, with my current mindset, I already have the thought of leaving the group.”
While saying this, she kept watching Krystal’s reaction. Seeing that her face wasn’t too surprised, but rather seemed to know something already.
Seeing this situation, Sulli felt a pang of loss and relief, “It seems I guessed correctly.”
Krystal didn’t answer, but seemed to remember something, clenching her small fist.
Seeing that the emotions of the group were starting to become heavy, Lin Xiuyuan stopped the “guessing game.” He patted his knees and stood up, “Whether your guess is accurate or not, you’ll know when you see for yourself. Let’s go, I’ll take you to check online.”
Upon hearing this, Sulli immediately stood up, her expression a mix of anticipation and nervousness.
Lin Xiuyuan glanced at her, then turned to the other three, “Do you want to come along?”
“No, you guys go ahead,” Jung Soo Yeon shook her head.
“Oppa, I’ll go with you,” Park Ji-yeon stood up.
Krystal, who remained, said, “You can check on your phone too.”
“It’s more convenient to use a computer.”
With that said, Lin Xiuyuan turned and led Sulli and Park Ji-yeon upstairs, heading straight for the computer room.
In the living room, only Jung Soo Yeon and Krystal remained sitting on the sofa.
Jung Soo Yeon spoke first, “How are you feeling?”
Krystal gave a slight smile, but her tone was indescribably heavy, “Much better, but also more worried.”
“Worried about what?”
Jung Soo Yeon, not understanding Krystal’s statement, looked puzzled.
“Worried that I still won’t be able to protect her this time. If Sulli falls back into the same situation, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move on in this life.”
Krystal replied softly, even with a hint of a smile in her voice.
Yet, what she said was so heavy.
After listening, Jung Soo Yeon was silent for a long time, and didn’t say anything further, only letting out a deep sigh.
She knew very well that this kind of pressure couldn’t be eased with just a few words of “comfort.”
After all, if you were given a second chance, and you still couldn’t grasp it, then the regret from that time, combined with the previous one, would be more than just 1+1=2.
