Chapter 171: “eun-jung, You Should Thank Ham Eun-jung”
One evening in June 2013, inside T-ara’s dormitory.
The living room lighting was soft. At this moment, Park Hyomin, who was applying a face mask, was sitting on the sofa, holding a cushion in her arms, her gaze lazily fixed on the variety show playing on the TV screen.
However, Park Hyomin’s attention was clearly not fully on the show. From time to time, her eyes would unconsciously drift toward the figure not far away, who was sitting properly at the dining table, intently staring at the laptop computer and typing on the keyboard.
“I really didn’t expect this…”
A moment later, Park Hyomin suddenly spoke up, her voice muffled softly by the face mask. “Ji-yeon, I never thought you’d work so seriously. I thought you were just joking around at first.”
Her tone carried a hint of teasing, along with some rare admiration and surprise.
The little sister who always acted on impulse and did things in a rush was now so immersed and steady.
“Yeah, she’s practically turning our living room into a film crew meeting room.”
The bathroom door creaked open, and Ham Eun-jung came out while wiping her still-dripping hair with a towel.
She was wearing a loose light purple pajama set, exuding a lazy gentleness.
After walking to the sofa, Ham Eun-jung sat down and chimed in, “Hyo Min, it’s not right to say she’s joking around. She’s put all her assets on the line now. How could that be playing? This is desperate effort.”
After saying that, Ham Eun-jung glanced worriedly at Park Ji-yeon, then sat on the edge of the sofa and casually picked up a bottle of hand cream to apply.
At the same time, like an old mother, she reminded her anxiously, “Though I really don’t get what Soo Jung and Yoona are thinking—one leading the way to flip the table, the other patting her chest and jumping in. You couldn’t even tell us about it. That’s fine, but Ji-yeon, when it comes to investment, you really need to be extra careful.”
Being “interrogated” like this by the two older sisters, Park Ji-yeon, sitting in front of the laptop, was slightly taken aback, her fingertips pausing on the keyboard.
Then she looked up at the two on the sofa, a fleeting trace of loss passing through her eyes, as if something had touched her thoughts.
But soon, Park Ji-yeon raised a stubborn smile and responded lightly, “Got it, older sister. Don’t worry. They wouldn’t team up to trick just me—they’d be putting in their own money too, right?”
“What if they have channels to get their own money back and only scam yours?” Park Hyomin removed her face mask and answered seriously.
After that, she crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into the trash can. “Though it makes me sound petty, better safe than sorry.”
“Got it, older sister.” Park Ji-yeon’s heart warmed.
Then she closed the laptop, let out a soft breath, and said, “Um, I need to head out for a bit. You older sisters rest first. No need to wait up for me.”
“Where to again?” Ham Eun-jung looked up and asked.
Park Ji-yeon, already packing her things, replied, “To Sulli’s place. Soo Jung and she are both waiting for me. We plan to chat about the script investment and some issues. I’ll probably sleep over with them tonight.”
“Go ahead, drive carefully.” Ham Eun-jung nodded slightly after hearing the answer, adding a caring reminder.
Park Ji-yeon nodded, then grabbed a jacket and bag, slung her laptop over her shoulder, and left the dormitory.
Watching the front door slowly close, Park Hyomin tilted her head slightly toward Ham Eun-jung, her tone carrying a touch of emotion.
“Eun-jung, don’t you feel like Ji-yeon has grown up so much all of a sudden? She has secrets now, she’s more sensible, and she even understands investment.”
“Yeah, how could I not feel it.”
Ham Eun-jung spoke while evenly applying skincare lotion to the back of her hand, a pleased smile on her lips.
“You haven’t seen how she responds to those fans cursing her and the negative comments now—completely emotionless. Yesterday she even advised me in return, saying no matter how much they curse, the money earned still isn’t as much as one of our commercial performances… I burst out laughing on the spot.”
As she spoke, her smile spread involuntarily, that sense of satisfaction from watching her little sister grow up quietly flowing in her expression.
Park Hyomin listened and smiled lightly too.
Just then, a phone call interrupted their chat. The familiar ringtone made Park Hyomin reach for the mobile phone nearby and hand it to Ham Eun-jung. “Here, your call.”
On the way to hand it to Ham Eun-jung, Park Hyomin subconsciously glanced at it, then withdrew her right hand, leaving Ham Eun-jung grasping at air.
“Huh, how is it this person.”
“Who?” Ham Eun-jung looked too. “Huh, Xiuyuan?”
Though curious, Park Hyomin handed it to Ham Eun-jung again, and Ham Eun-jung quickly answered after taking it. “Hello, Xiuyuan.”
“Have you eaten, Eun-jung?”
Lin Xiuyuan’s voice on the other end sounded relaxed and bright, as if he hadn’t realized it was already late at night past eleven.
So Ham Eun-jung replied with amusement, “Hey, it’s 11 o’clock now. Who hasn’t eaten yet? Just say what you want. No need to beat around the bush.”
Lin Xiuyuan’s laughter rose again, and he said directly, “What I mean is, if you haven’t eaten, want to come out for a late-night snack together?”
This left Ham Eun-jung a bit stunned, and even Park Hyomin nearby widened her eyes, quickly gesturing with her hands.
Sign language translation: Late-night snack? Afraid it’s not eating you, Eun-jung. No, wait—how does this Lin Xiuyuan seem a bit off in the head?
But Ham Eun-jung clearly didn’t understand the sign language. Her mind first went to Park Ji-yeon, then to that night of heavy drinking.
Facing Park Hyomin’s meaningful gaze, Ham Eun-jung hesitated for a second, then finally nodded lightly. “Sure, where to eat?”
“I’m waiting for you at the small tavern. Come over and we’ll talk.” Lin Xiuyuan laughed.
“Okay.”
With that, the call ended.
But Park Hyomin suddenly jumped up. “No way, Eun-jung, how did you agree to go out with him? What time is it? Didn’t you say before you can’t go out too late?”
Ham Eun-jung, however, looked relaxed and casually put the phone back on the table. “It’s not like going far—just the small tavern. Don’t be so nervous. Besides, we’ve been pretty familiar with Xiuyuan before. Why are you suddenly so opinionated about him lately?”
Her tone wasn’t heavy, but carried a teasing look.
The questioned Park Hyomin furrowed her brows tightly, sighing deeply after a moment. “Sigh, it’s just that I feel like Ji-yeon was taken away by him. But seeing how he’s not just like this with Ji-yeon, it gives me the impression he’s a playboy. My view of him soured instantly.”
Facing Park Hyomin’s explanation, Ham Eun-jung thought of how well they had gotten along that evening, then shook her head with a smile. “Not that bad.”
“Didn’t you say so before too, Eun-jung?”
“That was just worrying about Ji-yeon’s investment, not targeting Xiuyuan himself.”
Seeing Ham Eun-jung’s expression, Park Hyomin clutched her head and wailed, “Done for. I was hoping to pull you in to isolate him together, but now I’m the one being isolated by you all…”
“What are you saying? Don’t talk nonsense. I’m heading out. You rest early.”
After patting Park Hyomin’s arm, Ham Eun-jung headed toward the bedroom to change clothes and go out.
Behind her, Park Hyomin lay back on the sofa, sighing to the sky. “Eun-jung, you’re really going?”
“I promised him. Can’t break it.”
……
After midnight past 11 p.m., Seoul’s streets suddenly quieted down, the whole city immersed in an atmosphere of dim lights and cool night air.
Traffic was sparse, neon reflecting on roadside shop windows, with occasional pedestrians hurrying by with heads down, making it especially desolate.
A low-key dark gray sedan slowly drove out from the residential area, turned at the end of the alley, and entered the main road.
In the driver’s seat was Ham Eun-jung, who had just left the dormitory, wearing a simple hoodie set, her hair loosely tied into a low ponytail, no makeup on her face, yet radiating the relaxation and ease unique to the night.
She gripped the steering wheel, glanced focused at the navigation, then at the somewhat empty street scene outside the window, muttering softly, “So late at night without sleeping—what late-night snack?”
But the corners of her mouth curved up slightly unconsciously, a mix of helplessness and expectation toward this late-night snack companion.
Soon, the car stopped in front of that familiar small tavern.
Ham Eun-jung pushed open the car door, walked toward the shop door while pulling out her mobile phone to text Lin Xiuyuan: “At the doorway.”
Seconds later, a “click” sounded, and the door inside opened in response.
The door cracked open from inside, and Lin Xiuyuan poked his head out, a smile on his face from the night breeze. “You got here quick, Eun-jung.”
Ham Eun-jung raised an eyebrow, walked in while casually closing the door behind her. The shop’s soft lighting enveloped her in an indescribable peaceful aura.
“Didn’t you say you’d take me for a late-night snack?” While hanging her bag casually on the chair back, Ham Eun-jung looked around puzzled. “Why’d you come back to the tavern?”
“Of course late-night snacks are eaten somewhere else.” Lin Xiuyuan walked toward the bar counter while smiling. “But before that, let me show you the new feature of this tavern.”
“New feature?” Ham Eun-jung blinked, her expression full of confusion.
Lin Xiuyuan came around from behind the bar counter and walked to a row of wine cabinets against the wall.
It was a full wall of decorative wine cabinets, stocked with various alcoholic beverages, looking completely normal at first glance.
Until Lin Xiuyuan stood in front of the cabinet and pressed a mechanism at the bottom of a certain bottle. The next second, the entire row of wine cabinets made a slight “click,” then silently cracked open a thin seam in the middle.
“Wait?” Ham Eun-jung stood up immediately, her face full of shock. “Your tavern has a secret passage?”
“Come.” Lin Xiuyuan beckoned with a mischievous smile. “This is just a small feature, not officially open yet. You’re the first to see it.”
The wine cabinet slowly opened, revealing a dark passage behind it, just wide enough for one person, with a perfect height—like those underground escape tunnels in movies, narrow and deep.
“You wouldn’t tell me… this leads to a confinement room, right?” Ham Eun-jung half-jokingly said, but her eyes were full of vigilance and curiosity.
“No confinement room, but you’ll know when you reach the end.” Lin Xiuyuan turned back with a smile, then stepped into the dark passage first.
Ham Eun-jung hesitated for a second, then gritted her teeth and followed.
She walked step by step behind Lin Xiuyuan, dim sensor lights lighting up one by one along the passage edges overhead, her footsteps echoing lightly on the cement floor, as if time had slowed down.
Soon, a metal door with an electronic panel appeared ahead.
Lin Xiuyuan stopped, skillfully entering a few numbers on the keypad.
“Beep—”
The electronic lock disengaged, and the door slid open slowly.
The light behind the door suddenly brightened, dazzling Ham Eun-jung so she couldn’t open her eyes for a moment.
Once she adjusted, looking ahead, she was completely stunned.
“This… isn’t this…”
She looked in surprise at the familiar scene before her.
Tall fences, neat flower beds, and that quietly towering apartment building not far away.
Wasn’t this the apartment building behind the tavern? Ham Eun-jung had parked here before and helped out a few times.
So she couldn’t help but be astonished. “So Xiuyuan, you dug a secret passage from the tavern to the apartment? Isn’t that a bit unnecessary? It’s not even that many meters around.”
“To be precise, it’s the apartment that connected a path to the tavern.” Lin Xiuyuan smiled calmly. “This way, whether for laziness, emergencies, or temporarily hosting guests, it’s safe and convenient.”
“This is too outrageous…” Ham Eun-jung stood dazed in place, completely shocked silly.
What emergency? What could possibly need this?
“Don’t worry, no one knows about this passage yet.” Lin Xiuyuan patted her shoulder. “In the future, if you don’t want to go through the main door someday, you can come over from here.”
Ham Eun-jung hadn’t recovered from the shock, mumbling after a while, “You set this up like a spy… crazy.”
Lin Xiuyuan, unfazed by the complaint, stretched lazily. “Alright, let’s go. I’ll take you for that late-night snack.”
“Where to eat.” Ham Eun-jung turned back to look at the door, asking puzzled.
“To a really magical place.” Lin Xiuyuan smiled mysteriously. “Speaking of which, Eun-jung, you should properly thank someone.”
“Who?”
“Ham Eun-jung.”
“???”
Ham Eun-jung was stunned on the spot, too shocked to even retort, just staring at him with a face full of “are you insane?”
Lin Xiuyuan just waved lightly. “Let’s go. You’ll see when we get there.”
Ten Thousand Daily ended. Thanks to the godfathers for your support and votes.
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