Chapter 222: “playing The Victim” Han So Hee And “off To Europe”
Inside the outdoor baseball batting cage, the night air was slightly cool, with soft lighting spilling onto the field.
Lin Xiuyuan looked at the figure sitting on the bench not far away, his expression slightly stunned, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
In his ears was Bae Suzy’s voice with a smile, “Let’s go.”
She smiled lightly and led Lin Xiuyuan toward the bench, her steps light and her tone cheerful, “I’ll introduce you.”
Lin Xiuyuan followed behind her, his mind still struggling to catch up.
The person in front of him was often the subject of heated discussions about her private life, but her status in the entertainment industry was beyond doubt.
But purely in terms of cultural output from TV series, she was an undeniable presence in the Korean Entertainment Circle, even from a chronological perspective, Song Hye Kyo was absolutely one of the legendary actresses alongside Kim Hee-sun, Jun Ji Hyun, and others.
Though her ranking might not be that high up, their star power was not much different.
Before he could pull himself out of his thoughts, Bae Suzy had already brought him to a stop in front of Song Hye Kyo, opening casually and naturally, “Older sister, let me introduce you.”
Song Hye Kyo looked up, and upon seeing it was Bae Suzy, she glanced at Lin Xiuyuan, then her lips curved slightly, “He’s indeed very young.”
Lin Xiuyuan was stunned.
“Exactly.”
Immediately after, Bae Suzy, laughing out loud, pulled Lin Xiuyuan half a step closer, introducing him with a beaming smile.
“Lin Xiuyuan, a young guy in his early twenties, pretty strong, planning to play baseball later, no problem pulling him in as a temporary pitcher.”
Lin Xiuyuan was made speechless by her wave of “teasing recommendation.”
But he knew what they meant by playing baseball—it seemed to be a baseball team formed by male stars in the entertainment industry back when baseball was all the rage on the peninsula.
It was said to have been led by Jang Dong Gun, the top male star on the peninsula at the time, with members including Ha Jung-woo, Zo In-sung, Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung, Gong Yoo, and others.
It started out just for fun, but gradually became more formal, and now they even had a team name ‘Play Boys’.
It was said that when Jang Dong Gun and the others first started playing baseball, the audience seats were filled with top popular actresses, and if you set aside popularity and went by seniority, Song Hye Kyo wasn’t even at the front back then.
Now…
Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan cleared his throat lightly and nodded politely toward Song Hye Kyo, “Hello, Ms. Song.”
“Ms.?”
Hearing Lin Xiuyuan’s wording, Song Hye Kyo raised her eyebrow slightly, curiosity in her eyes, her tone soft with a hint of amusement, “Xiuyuan, you’re not a Korean person, are you.”
“Yeah, Chinese person.”
“China, ah, I used to go there often, it’s vast with abundant resources, whether food or scenery, all quite attractive.”
Song Hye Kyo’s voice was gentle, looking at Lin Xiuyuan with a soft smile, as if this boy in front of her was more appealing to her than a Korean person, “When I have time, I still want to go stroll around there.”
Lin Xiuyuan was stunned, then nodded lightly, “Welcome.”
Song Hye Kyo’s gaze softened as she looked at him, then her eyes shifted slightly, seeming to size up this young man.
He was dressed in a simple short-sleeve shirt and jeans, his face still carrying a boyish casualness and unpolished edges, but his gaze was calm, neither restless nor ingratiating, which surprised her.
Then, she turned to Bae Suzy and said mildly, “Suzy, you guys play first, I need to handle some work.”
Bae Suzy responded softly, then pulled Lin Xiuyuan toward the equipment area. She casually picked up a baseball bat, glanced sideways at him, and started teasing with a smile.
“What’s up, Xiuyuan, why so reserved today, completely different from when you went looking for Ji-yeon yesterday.”
“Don’t bring that up, I really didn’t expect you to bring me over to meet her.” Lin Xiuyuan, holding the baseball bat, said in surprise.
“Because you’re an outsider.” Bae Suzy was as straightforward as ever, “If you were in the industry, honestly, I might not even bother talking to you much.”
Lin Xiuyuan was amused by her words, “So because outsiders have no conflicting interests and won’t backstab, right?”
“Not that complicated,” Bae Suzy shrugged, “Just feel like outsiders are cleaner, less twists and turns.”
After saying that, she warmed up her wrist, stepped into the batting cage, swung the bat twice, then looked at Lin Xiuyuan beside her and smiled, “Do you play baseball?”
“Played a bit.”
Lin Xiuyuan had indeed played, since baseball wasn’t as high-threshold as golf, anyone could swing a few bats without much trouble.
Hearing his answer, Bae Suzy stepped aside and made room, “Then why don’t you go first, let older sister see if you’ve got the skills.”
“Sure.”
Lin Xiuyuan gripped the bat, did a few small practice swings in place to adjust, and shifted his stance to a more stable position.
Then he smiled lightly at Bae Suzy and pressed the button next to him for the pitching machine.
With the sound of the automatic pitching machine starting, the first baseball shot out suddenly.
“Bang…”
Lin Xiuyuan’s movement was clean and crisp, the bat solidly hitting the ball’s center, sending it flying over ten meters to crash into the overhead protective net.
“Whoa…” Bae Suzy standing beside couldn’t help but exclaim softly, a flash of surprise in her eyes.
Then the second ball, third ball, fourth ball…
The swings had no extra flair, not flashy, not forceful.
But each strike was precise and steady, like a subconscious motion honed over years.
“Xiuyuan, your level…” Bae Suzy narrowed her eyes at him, “Not from a university baseball team, are you?”
Lin Xiuyuan smiled without answering, continued swinging, focused until he finished the last two balls before stepping out of the cage, handing the bat back to Bae Suzy casually, “Just amateur fun.”
“This doesn’t look like ‘fun’ level.” Bae Suzy eyed him suspiciously, her tone laced with doubt.
Lin Xiuyuan shrugged without much explanation—he couldn’t exactly say he’d been enhanced by a time-space door, with senses and body coordination at superhuman levels.
He rephrased instead, “Back when playing with friends, got pulled into temporary team training a few times, nothing too professional.”
“Even temporary training got you this good, imagine if you really trained seriously.”
Meanwhile, on the other side, Song Hye Kyo who had been looking down at her mobile phone lifted her head the moment Lin Xiuyuan took his first swing.
She watched the young figure swinging in the batting cage through the lights, her gaze gaining a touch of scrutiny and appreciation.
His calm and composed expression, the rhythm of each swing, and that slightly shy smile as he stepped out—all surprised her a bit.
She had thought he was just someone Bae Suzy dragged over for fun, but he actually had real skills.
But soon, noticing Bae Suzy’s expression looking at Lin Xiuyuan, Song Hye Kyo couldn’t help but smile, murmuring softly to herself, “These two little ones are kinda interesting.”
At this time, Bae Suzy who had just finished a round shouted to her, “Older sister, want to take a turn?”
Song Hye Kyo put away her phone, waved smilingly, “Nah, you guys play, I’ll just watch from the side.”
She walked to the bench nearby and sat down, hands clasped over her knees, her gaze gentle yet focused on the field.
Without saying more, she quietly watched Lin Xiuyuan and Bae Suzy take turns batting.
In the next few rounds, Lin Xiuyuan didn’t compete or show off, but every swing was decisive and clear, with great coordination.
Occasionally, he’d quietly teach Bae Suzy to adjust her stance and grip angle, concise and to the point.
“You explain clearer than the coach.” Bae Suzy joked.
“Maybe you’re just easy to teach.” Lin Xiuyuan replied, his tone unhurried.
Song Hye Kyo on the sidelines listened, her lips unconsciously curving up slightly.
This kind of non-aggressive sharpness in a young man was really rare on the peninsula.
So she suddenly asked softly, “Xiuyuan, where in China are you from?”
Though unsure why Song Hye Kyo was asking, Lin Xiuyuan turned and answered politely, “From Guangdong.”
“Guangdong, ah…”
Song Hye Kyo nodded thoughtfully, her gaze on him, her mind flashing to that director who always wore sunglasses, and the movie emperor surnamed Liang she’d worked with.
“So you must speak Cantonese then.”
“Yeah, a little.”
Lin Xiuyuan said modestly.
“So are you here to play?”
“No, came to open a shop.”
This answer surprised Song Hye Kyo a bit, then she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, “Running a shop? Xiuyuan, where are you living now?”
After thinking for two seconds, Lin Xiuyuan didn’t hide it and told her the general location.
Song Hye Kyo listened, her heart stirring slightly.
She knew that area, had considered buying property there before. Besides a few apartments, it was mostly standalone villas, and even the apartments weren’t cheap.
Thinking of this, Song Hye Kyo subconsciously sized up Lin Xiuyuan again, but saw no trace of showing off or pretense on him.
His flamboyance was genuine and unforced, without the impatience or ostentation she imagined from certain “second generation” types in China, quite a gap from her preconceptions.
Just as Song Hye Kyo wanted to chat more, her phone vibrated untimely.
After glancing at the caller, she smiled apologetically at them, got up, and walked away to take the call.
Lin Xiuyuan watched her back as she left, fragments from news he’d seen flashing in his mind, and he couldn’t help but sigh softly.
Bae Suzy’s sharp ears caught it, and she smiled, “What, think older sister is different from what you saw online?”
“Don’t bait me, I didn’t say anything.”
Lin Xiuyuan leaned against the cage, watching Bae Suzy swing while replying.
But he was pretty curious how two people with such an age gap got close.
“Us getting close, gotta thank writer Kim Eun Sook.” Bae Suzy swung the bat, explaining, “Then older sister probably felt our experiences were a bit similar, so we gradually got chatty.”
“You two? Similar experiences?”
This made Lin Xiuyuan a bit confused—family and circumstances didn’t match at all.
Bae Suzy chuckled, then explained, “What are you thinking, I mean development in the film and television industry. Started with first-love image, step by step, then after meeting writer Kim Eun Sook, finally got to the awards stage.”
Hearing the answer, Lin Xiuyuan couldn’t help but tease amusedly, “Setting aside everything for achievements, Suzy, you’re playing a bit dirty there.”
In response, Bae Suzy immediately swung the bat at him lightly, signaling him not to talk nonsense.
While the two were still chatting, Song Hye Kyo who had stepped away for the call returned to the batting field.
But this time, there was someone extra with her.
Under the lights, the woman had a slender figure, fair skin, and features so exquisite they seemed sculpted. Though wearing a baseball cap pulled low, that familiar outline, even with half her face hidden, was enough to recognize her.
Lin Xiuyuan’s gaze shifted slightly, and he suddenly heard Bae Suzy tsk softly beside him.
“Who’s that?” he asked in a low voice.
“Who else, Han So Hee.”
Bae Suzy’s tone was neutral, ending with a slight uptick.
Hearing the name, Lin Xiuyuan paused, the news headlines from hot searches a few days ago immediately surfacing in his mind.
【Han So Hee romance crashes, boyfriend exposed as two-timing, netizens urge goddess to run】
【Han So Hee strongly responds, proves innocence, perfect turnaround】
【After Lee Hye Ri romance exposed, reputation crashes, breakup timeline dug up, Han So Hee reputation reverses】
The gist was Han So Hee dated an ugly guy, then Lee Hye Ri mocked her as the other woman, sparking a full-net war.
Then Han So Hee hit back hard, posting chat records proving the guy was single at the time.
Unfortunately, the scumbag stayed hidden from the storm the whole time, leaving Han So Hee to face the public backlash alone.
But her reaction was quick; she released a handwritten statement overnight, firm and calm in wording, winning over a bunch of neutral fans.
As more negative info on the guy got exposed, the tide fully turned—Han So Hee cleared her name and even came off as “real” and “tough,” turning hot searches into a whitewashing opportunity.
But that cyberbullying period was still pretty rough, and it added a bunch of haters out of nowhere.
Until recently when Lee Hye Ri’s romance got exposed, revealing she and her current boyfriend were on a sweet Japan trip in Feb 2023, while officially breaking up with the ugly guy only in Nov 2023.
And Han So Hee’s first meeting with the ugly guy was in Nov 2023.
So by timeline comparison, Lee Hye Ri blew up instantly.
Her “play separately before breakup” move became a joke, and online opinion flipped again.
Thus Han So Hee’s reputation warmed back up, while Lee Hye Ri got backlash from netizens and her reputation tanked.
Though Lee Hye Ri had a hit drama backing her, her image took a hit but real damage wasn’t big, even profiting from the early “victim” filter.
So the one really hurt in that opinion war was still just Han So Hee.
Thinking this, Lin Xiuyuan looked again at the approaching woman—yep, it was her.
Though she looked slimmer in person than on camera, that unique cold glamour was undeniable on or off screen.
After Song Hye Kyo brought her over, she spoke mildly to Lin Xiuyuan and the others, “Suzy, Xiuyuan, come, let me introduce her— this is So Hee.”
“Hello, I’m Han So Hee.”
Han So Hee’s voice wasn’t loud but crisp, slightly husky, carrying her unique aura.
“Hello.” Lin Xiuyuan nodded back.
Bae Suzy was more indifferent; though smiling, her tone lacked the warmth she used with Lin Xiuyuan, “Good evening, older sister, long time no see, looks like your condition’s recovered pretty well lately.”
Han So Hee raised her brow with a smile, unperturbed, “Thanks to you, finally figured it out.”
The air grew subtly awkward; Song Hye Kyo seemed to notice, coughed lightly, and smiled to smooth it over.
“So Hee happened to have time to relax, thought we’d come out tonight for a walk, and chat about our upcoming cooperation.”
“Older sister, you two have cooperation later?” Bae Suzy asked.
“Possibly, just getting to know each other first, familiarize.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan roughly got Song Hye Kyo’s intent in bringing her— to help Han So Hee ease back into a relaxed state, and rather than separate meetings, better to discuss with everyone together.
Bluntly, it was the senior’s indifference, similar to what he’d seen in the parking lot with Taeyeon and Bae Joo Hyun.
But normal—with seniors, better to bundle than waste personal time on separate meets.
Next, since Lin Xiuyuan and Bae Suzy had played a bit, it was Song Hye Kyo and Han So Hee’s turn to enter the cage with baseball bats for some batting.
Han So Hee wasn’t too familiar, so Song Hye Kyo taught her slowly.
At this point, sitting outside, Lin Xiuyuan had time for a proper chat with Bae Suzy.
“What’s the deal, seems like you have some hostility toward her.” Lin Xiuyuan half-joked.
“Xiuyuan, you know what misophrenia is, right.” Bae Suzy didn’t answer directly, throwing back instead.
“Yeah, but she’s not stupid.” Lin Xiuyuan nodded.
Bae Suzy smiled, “Not calling her stupid, more like that ‘ugly-repelling’ feeling.”
“What do you mean?” Lin Xiuyuan raised his brow.
“I’ve known Han So Hee a while; when she first met that ‘ugly guy,’ we ran into each other backstage, chatted a bit. I kindly warned her once, but she totally ignored it. So I dropped it.”
At this point, Bae Suzy shrugged faintly, “I was afraid of catching her ‘taste,’ that’d be too much trouble.”
Lin Xiuyuan shook his head with a laugh, “A bit exaggerated.”
But thinking it over, Bae Suzy’s past rumored boyfriends were never ugly; even rumored ones were all pretty boys.
This matched perfectly with her infamous “super face control” image.
Meanwhile, Han So Hee who was batting happened to glance back and met Lin Xiuyuan’s gaze on her.
Seeing Bae Suzy’s expression looking at her too, she gripped the bat a bit tighter.
A bit later, Bae Suzy stepped up to take over, swapping out Han So Hee, practicing in the cage with Song Hye Kyo.
Han So Hee stepped out of the batting cage and sat directly across from Lin Xiuyuan, smiling frankly, “Suzy just trashed my taste to you, huh.”
This direct opener made Lin Xiuyuan once again feel the boldness and edge these actresses had, each with their own vibrant flair.
So he tsked, laughing, “Oof… So Hee, tough question to answer.”
“No worries.” Han So Hee glanced down at him, tone flat, “Just asking casually.”
After that, she lowered her eyes and started scrolling her phone.
Lin Xiuyuan looking at Han So Hee’s profile, the word “resources” involuntarily popped into his head.
True love, liking ugly guys—bottom line, wasn’t it all for resources.
Just bad luck; didn’t snag the resources, instead got dragged into mess by that ugly guy.
A bit later, Bae Suzy and Song Hye Kyo, slightly warmed up from swinging, stepped out and returned to the rest area.
The four drank water while chatting idly.
Though Han So Hee and Bae Suzy didn’t quite mesh, the atmosphere wasn’t as awkward as imagined, especially with Lin Xiuyuan smoothing things over, making it relaxed and natural.
After some casual chat, the topic suddenly turned to school graduation season.
Then Han So Hee sighed, “August, ah, I graduated around this time too, then came to Seoul to make it.”
Murmuring, her gaze on the empty batting cage ground, as if peering through the lights at some blurry, stinging past.
“Back then, right around now, straight out of high school, with less than two million Korean Won living expenses in my bank card, took a bus by myself from Ulsan to Seoul.”
“By yourself.” Song Hye Kyo softly repeated, a hint of resonance in her expression.
“Yeah, didn’t tell family, just came.”
Han So Hee smiled, the curve of her lips carrying sarcasm, mostly self-mocking, “Not exactly impulse, just… wanted to escape so bad then, anyway parents couldn’t afford college for me.”
“Did you want to be an actress back then?” Lin Xiuyuan asked.
“No, didn’t even know what I wanted to do at first.”
Han So Hee shook her head, her tone calm as if telling someone else’s story, “First worked at a coffee shop in Cheongdam-dong, brewing coffee days, washing dishes nights. Later did overnight convenience store shifts, dark circles and all, rushing subway early morning to cram school.”
“Cram school?” Bae Suzy asked.
“Yeah, for performance.”
Nodding, she continued, “Didn’t think of acting at first; one day at the coffee shop, an ad director spotted me, said I had good screen presence. Didn’t even know what ‘screen presence’ meant then, but thought I’d try… slowly took some ads, then someone intro’d me to an audition, truly entered the circle.”
“You were literally picked from the crowd.” Song Hye Kyo sighed, unsure at what, “Now so many want to squeeze in; ones ‘chosen’ like you are rare.”
Han So Hee smiled lightly, tone flat but with emotion, “Being picked doesn’t mean you stay; eliminated fast too.”
At this point, Lin Xiuyuan who’d been listening thoughtfully asked, “If you could go back to 2013, would you still come to Seoul to try?”
The question hung, air pausing a second.
The other three didn’t reply immediately, as if it sank everyone into brief thought.
Likewise, Han So Hee didn’t answer right away.
Instead, she looked down at her water bottle, fingers slowly twisting the cap, seriously pondering.
After a while, she looked up at Lin Xiuyuan, gaze complex, “If I knew it’d be this tiring, this painful, with so much backstabbing mockery… honestly, not sure.”
Lin Xiuyuan nodded, silent.
“But.” Han So Hee shifted, tone gaining stubbornness, “If really given a do-over, I’d probably still come. Not because it’s great here, but only here could I do better.”
After her words, the group quieted a bit, then Lin Xiuyuan spoke, “So where was your first job?”
“Coffee shop, I remember a small one in Cheongdam-dong called ‘Cheong,’ been so many years, probably closed long ago.” Han So Hee said casually, but clearly remembered that time vividly.
Lin Xiuyuan who got the info said no more, just noted the name, thinking to check it out sometime, maybe bump into her past.
After, they took turns batting again until night deepened.
Lights over the venue began dimming gradually, surroundings quieter, only streetlights lighting the way back.
So everyone got up, exchanged light farewells, got into their cars, and headed to their destinations.
But as Lin Xiuyuan’s car started, his phone rang—it was Bae Suzy.
The moment he picked up, her light laughter came through, “Xiuyuan, why do you think Han So Hee was so sentimental tonight?”
Lin Xiuyuan driving sighed, “You think everyone has your luck? Rare chance for a senior to play victim for cooperation opportunity, totally normal.”
“Oh my, thought you didn’t notice, yet you asked about her work history.”
“She laid it out there, you two not picking up, couldn’t let it drop awkwardly, bad for the vibe.”
Bae Suzy on the line smiled to herself—good thing the guy she picked wasn’t that naive, pretty sharp.
After laughing, Bae Suzy continued, “Not bad, Xiuyuan, no wonder Soo Jung and them love hanging with you.”
Then asked, “Right, wasn’t fully satisfied tonight, tomorrow…”
Just then, another call came in; Lin Xiuyuan glanced at the screen and cut her off, “Hold on, gotta take this one, I’ll call back later, drive safe.”
“Okay~” Bae Suzy didn’t press, hung up.
Lin Xiuyuan then answered Krystal’s video call.
“Hey, you’re not home?”
On screen, Krystal stood in the villa’s living room, looking at him driving, tone casual, “Where’d you go play?”
Seeing Krystal’s familiar face, Lin Xiuyuan smiled, “On the way back, grab me fried rice at the road exit, stomach’s hungry.”
Krystal glanced at him, nodded, “Got it, anything else?”
“Nah, fried rice is fine.” Lin Xiuyuan said, but suddenly noticed the suitcases beside her, curiously, “Wait, Krystal, what’s with the luggage behind you?”
“Packing, off to Europe.”
Meanwhile, in Magic City.
Jessica sat in a waiting room, holding her phone, expression dazed, unsure what she was looking at or thinking.
One more chapter later, try to post early.
Also, everyone relax, I’m not the type to feed shit, other characters appearing occasionally are just for plot guidance, not every one needs to kneel under Lin Xiuyuan’s jeans.
