Chapter 173: Ham Eun-jung And Sweet Eun-jung
Inside the small tavern late at night.
As the wind chime rang again not long ago, Ham Eun-jung’s originally relaxed expression in 2025 froze.
Her gaze was locked onto the girl standing behind the door, the same height, similar build, the only difference being that more vibrant and youthful face, her expression both familiar and strange.
“This is impossible…”
Ham Eun-jung in 2025 stood stunned in place, her lips slightly parted, her voice barely audible.
Blood surged through her body, her heart pounding like a drum. She tried hard to say something, but didn’t know what to say at all.
Only one thought occupied her mind: the person before her was herself, but… it couldn’t be.
This absurd tearing of reality and cognition was almost unbearable for Ham Eun-jung in 2025.
At the same moment, another “her” seemed to feel this intense impact.
When Ham Eun-jung in 2013 met the eyes of the Ham Eun-jung opposite her, her eyes widened instantly, and her breathing hitched.
Although Ham Eun-jung in 2013 had learned about the situation earlier than in 2025 and had some psychological preparation, facing the other person directly and seeing her now, she still couldn’t easily accept it.
However, aside from the shock, there was a hint of confusion: was this her future self? Still short-haired, still the same appearance, even… a bit heavier.
Then, Ham Eun-jung in 2013 couldn’t help but gently touch her face with her finger, trying to confirm again that this was not a hallucination from Lin Xiuyuan.
The moment she touched her cheek, she subconsciously lowered her head, staring at the goosebumps on her arm for a few seconds, then focused again on the future self sitting at the bar counter, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
Finally, she bit her lip and murmured with a trembling voice, “What is this.”
After speaking, Ham Eun-jung in 2013 looked towards the bar counter again, their gazes meeting in the air, both seeming to seek the other’s answer.
Shock, confusion, and a hint of unconcealable fear appeared on both their faces.
As their gazes collided, time seemed to stand still for a moment.
A moment later, they both turned their heads almost simultaneously, their gazes falling on Lin Xiuyuan standing to the side.
A similar emotion flashed in both their eyes: inquiry and doubt.
“Xiuyuan, is this what you told me about for a late-night snack?”
“Xiuyuan, is this the big gift package you told me about?”
Facing the synchronized questions from both of them, Lin Xiuyuan clicked his tongue and smiled with a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
Then he walked between them, took a deep breath, and first looked at Ham Eun-jung from 2025, “How is it, are you satisfied with this gift package?”
Then he looked at Ham Eun-jung from 2013, “We’re eating here, but we haven’t ordered yet.”
After speaking, he took out his mobile phone, found the takeout app, and handed it to her, “Here, see what you want to eat, order whatever you like, I’ll pay, and then Eun-jung, you can reimburse me, okay?”
“Ah, I have to order and reimburse?” Ham Eun-jung in 2013 was stunned, her eyes showing confusion.
“Xiuyuan means I’ll reimburse him, right?” Ham Eun-jung in 2025 quickly chimed in, smiling, trying to break the deadlock.
Then, Ham Eun-jung in 2025 saw the scene before her, and her emotions gradually recovered from the shock. She knew that although this situation was absurd, it was happening in reality.
So she gently slowed her breathing, allowed her body to adjust her mentality, and then smiled at Ham Eun-jung in 2013, “Come, sit down first, let’s sit and talk.”
After saying that, she patted the seat by the bar counter, signaling her to come and sit.
Ham Eun-jung in 2013 hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded and walked to the bar counter, sitting in the empty seat.
However, her gaze was still somewhat lost, as if she were contemplating many things, her mind filled with jumbled questions, trying to piece together the past and future.
At the same time, Lin Xiuyuan walked behind the bar counter and asked them both, “What would you like to drink? I believe you both must want something to drink right now.”
“A strong one, my head is a bit swollen,” Ham Eun-jung in 2013 said with a wry smile.
“Whatever’s fine, Xiuyuan, your big gift package has really stunned me,” Ham Eun-jung in 2025 also said, looking at her past self beside her, trying her best to adjust her emotions.
Then she was the first to ask her question, “How did you get here? No, I should be asking you, Xiuyuan.”
Suddenly remembering something, Ham Eun-jung in 2025 turned to Lin Xiuyuan, “How did you bring this person through time? A ghost? Or something else?”
Lin Xiuyuan, who was making cocktails, heard this and snapped his fingers with a smile, “Bingo, it’s a ghost situation. I found a door, similar to the plot inside. Opening the door from 2013 can lead to 2025.”
This answer made Ham Eun-jung in 2025’s eyes widen, and she then looked at Ham Eun-jung in 2013 beside her, “Is that really true?”
“I did come through a door, but I don’t know what you mean by ghost.”
Ham Eun-jung in 2013 nodded, looked down at her still slightly trembling hands, then glanced at the mobile phone in front of her displaying a dazzling menu, her tone tinged with bewilderment.
“Wow, this… this is amazing.” Ham Eun-jung in 2025 exclaimed, her gaze suddenly swept around, her eyes widening as if she had thought of something, “Wait a minute, Xiuyuan, your tavern’s members aren’t…?”
“Very smart.”
Lin Xiuyuan responded with a smile, accompanied by the crisp sound of ice cubes falling into the cocktail shaker, “They are the ones who know the secret.”
He said, turning to Ham Eun-jung in 2013, “As you’ve seen, there’s a tavern in each of the two time-spaces, and the tavern’s members are those who know the truth.”
This shocked Ham Eun-jung in 2013, “So Sulli, Yoona, Ji-yeon, and Shirley all know?”
“Yes.”
Lin Xiuyuan nodded, skillfully shaking the cocktail shaker.
At this moment, Ham Eun-jung in 2025 narrowed her eyes and suddenly thought of something, “Wait, you said Yoona over there is also a member, so Yoona here is also a member… so they’ve met?”
“Yes, just like you, only you and Yoona know about your own counterparts in the other time-space right now.”
After shaking the cocktail shaker for a while, Lin Xiuyuan quickly mixed a Summer Kiss Me Tea for Ham Eun-jung in 2013 and poured it into the wine glass in front of her.
He filled the remaining half into the glass in front of Ham Eun-jung in 2025, as both glasses were identical.
Then he opened a can of Coke for himself, raised it, and said with a smile, “Come, let’s toast. It’s rare to meet like this after 12 years, it’s fate, wouldn’t you say?”
“Are you teasing me, Xiuyuan? I just said ‘the willing will come’ this afternoon.”
Ham Eun-jung in 2025 raised her wine glass, gave a wry smile, and then looked at her past self beside her.
Although Ham Eun-jung in 2013 didn’t know what had happened between the two people next to her, this “fate” had truly frightened her. She desperately needed a drink now to numb the impact she had just felt.
And so, after the toast, both Ham Eun-jungs took a large gulp of alcoholic beverages, while Lin Xiuyuan sipped his Coke with a slight smile.
With the drinks and a few casual chats, the atmosphere gradually became much more relaxed, and the distance between the two “Ham Eun-jungs” seemed to shrink.
After drinking, the two looked at each other. Although the shock in their eyes had not completely dissipated, there was also a hint of understanding and tacit understanding.
Their respective emotions gradually transitioned from confusion to a new way of thinking.
“You know?”
At this moment, Ham Eun-jung in 2025 suddenly broke the silence between them, “For a moment just now, I really thought I saw a ghost.”
She smiled gently, her tone carrying a hint of self-deprecation, yet revealing an unspeakable emotion.
Ham Eun-jung in 2013 looked at her and suddenly gave a light laugh, “I’m a bit better than you. My shock was mostly used up when I passed through that door. It was really strange then.”
She paused, her gaze slightly lowered, her voice softer, “So seeing you just now wasn’t as shocking as before.”
The two Ham Eun-jungs exchanged a look, smiled at each other, raised their glasses, and clinked them again in tacit understanding, “Cheers.”*2
The rims of the glasses touched, the wine surged down, and another clean, swift gulp.
Lin Xiuyuan gasped, “My goodness, take it easy. I can’t ferry two people back and forth, drink slowly.”
Ham Eun-jung in 2013 heard this and couldn’t help but chuckle, glancing at him sideways, “You’re scared now? When you brought us both together, did you not consider whether we were scared?”
“Exactly.” Ham Eun-jung in 2025 nodded in agreement.
Then Lin Xiuyuan quickly explained to Ham Eun-jung in 2025, “You can’t be so unreasonable. I told you before, but you didn’t take it seriously.”
“Who could have predicted this situation?”
As she replied, Ham Eun-jung in 2025’s gaze secretly fell on her 2013 self. A thought had been stirring in her heart, but she hesitated to speak it.
After more than ten minutes passed, Ham Eun-jung in 2013 finally spoke proactively, her tone showing undisguised curiosity and unease.
“By the way, so you all know the future course of events, what about my… or our group’s future?”
As soon as this sentence was uttered, Ham Eun-jung in 2025’s gaze shifted slightly, and she then turned to Lin Xiuyuan.
Lin Xiuyuan gently shook his head, appearing completely at ease, “I won’t explain. There are so many members, and I’m the only one explaining. This time, Eun-jung, you tell her. As someone who experienced it firsthand, you definitely understand it better than I do.”
Ham Eun-jung in 2013 blinked, looking at him with a smile in her eyes, “Are you calling me? Or her?”
Ham Eun-jung in 2025 suddenly chimed in, “Then call me Sweet Eun-jung, Xiuyuan. You should know this nickname. I’m a celebrity on your social platform.”
Lin Xiuyuan chuckled, “Yes, but… it’s been a while since the last update.”
The two exchanged witty remarks, and their familiar interaction made Ham Eun-jung in 2013 feel a bit sour.
So she tapped the bar counter and asked anxiously, “So, what happened? Stop speaking in riddles.”
After a moment of silence, Ham Eun-jung in 2025 finally sighed softly and began to recount everything that had happened over the past decade.
The lighting was warm, the tavern quiet.
In the blink of an eye, they had moved from the bar stools to the sofa against the wall, one narrating, the other listening intently.
Lin Xiuyuan sat in a corner opposite them, scrolling through his phone, not disturbing them but accompanying them through this night where time-spaces converged.
The entire scene was quiet and gentle, as if enveloped in a soft filter of time.
However, it would have been better if the next scene hadn’t happened.
As Ham Eun-jung in 2025 was still slowly recounting, Lin Xiuyuan felt the atmosphere was a bit stuffy, so he got up and walked towards the old record player in the corner.
He intended to pick a record to play, wanting to add some background music to their conversation, to make it more relaxed.
But just as he adjusted the volume and was about to turn back.
A figure appeared behind him without warning. As he turned, she grabbed his collar, “So why didn’t you open the door a couple of years earlier, Xiuyuan?”
Her voice was familiar, filled with an unconcealable grievance and breakdown.
Lin Xiuyuan was startled, completely stunned, his mouth half-open, unable to speak.
A couple of years earlier? He wasn’t even in Seoul back then!
Fortunately, Ham Eun-jung in 2013 was just momentarily overwhelmed by emotion. After saying that, as if her strength was instantly drained, she collapsed into his arms, burying her face in his chest, breathing heavily.
Lin Xiuyuan froze for a few seconds, then slowly looked up at Ham Eun-jung in 2025 on the sofa, only to meet a pair of moist and deep eyes.
Those eyes held not only heartache but also a hint of… resentment.
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