Chapter 224: Jessica And Jung Soo Jung’s ‘situation’
At a little past 8 PM the next evening, the flight from Almaty to Tbilisi landed smoothly.
The cabin lights were soft, and the city outside the window, quiet yet exuding an exotic aura, slowly unfolded as they landed, like a serene oil painting.
After disembarking and clearing customs, Lin Xiuyuan and Krystal successfully collected their luggage.
Lin Xiuyuan, pulling his suitcase and walking ahead, opened the map on his phone to check the hotel route while considering whether to rent a car directly at the airport to save the hassle of taking a taxi.
At the same time, he didn’t forget to share this situation with Krystal, completely unaware of Krystal’s smiling expression.
It wasn’t until he was about to head towards the car rental counter that Krystal gently pulled his wrist. “No need to rent a car, let’s go, let’s head out directly.”
Lin Xiuyuan was taken aback, then thought of the hotel. “Ah? Did you book a shuttle?”
However, Krystal still didn’t speak, only smiled sweeter.
Like a child who had arranged everything, she pulled him along with light steps through the airport lobby, heading straight for the exit.
Stepping out of the airport doors, a gentle night breeze blew in, carrying a mixed scent of grass, wine, and the unfamiliar city.
The night in Tbilisi was soft and tranquil, with scattered lights in the distance.
And not far away, beside a dark SUV, a figure was already standing quietly.
She wore a white turtleneck sweater, a gray shawl draped over it, sharp and neat black trousers, and her long, slightly curly hair fell naturally over her shoulders, making her look both casual and elegant.
The light from above cast down, outlining her silhouette in a way that felt exceptionally familiar.
Leaning against the car door, with her arms crossed, she calmly watched the two approaching them.
Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan stopped, a few steps away from her, his gaze lingering on her for two seconds before he spoke, “Jessica?”
Then he turned to glance at Krystal, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Walking forward, Lin Xiuyuan, who hadn’t expected to see her there, asked with a bit of curiosity, “What are you doing here?”
“Don’t ask me, I don’t know you’re coming either,” Jessica’s tone was steady, but couldn’t hide the meaningful smile in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Krystal had already let go of Lin Xiuyuan’s arm, smiling as she walked over and opened the rear car door. “Hee hee~ Xiuyuan, I’ll trouble you with the luggage.”
At the same time, Jessica handed the car keys to Lin Xiuyuan, her tone flat but with a hint of a teasing smile. “You drive, I’ve already booked the restaurant and set the navigation, just follow along.”
Lin Xiuyuan took the keys and, looking at the sisters, one getting into the back seat and the other casually leaning by the window, couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
“You two are so in sync, did you conspire beforehand to prank me?”
“Oh, no way!” Krystal said from the back seat, sticking her head out and smiling. “It’s just that Jessica has been working too hard lately, so I dragged her out to relax.”
What else could Lin Xiuyuan say to this? He couldn’t just turn around and get back on the plane.
So, after smiling and shaking his head, he put the luggage in the trunk and got into the driver’s seat to get started.
There wasn’t much conversation in the car, only the navigation system’s prompts and the breeze outside the city nightscape.
The three of them thus tacitly divided their positions, as if in this silence, they had reached a new, unspoken balance.
Under the cover of night, the SUV slowly drove out of the airport and headed towards the city.
The destination was a local restaurant with a good reputation, known for its creative cuisine that blended Georgian traditions with French flavors.
The restaurant was housed in a hundred-year-old stone building in the Old Town, hidden deep within an alleyway densely entwined with grapevines.
As the night breeze blew, oil lamps flickered over the outdoor seating, wine in the glasses swirled gently, and the air was filled with the warm aroma of charcoal-grilled meat and herbs.
After the three were seated, the waiter served the appetizers: traditional Georgian Khachapuri cheese bread, and small skewers of lamb with a seasoned yogurt dip.
“Do you have any plans for the rest of the arrangements?” Lin Xiuyuan, after taking a sip of water, looked at the two sisters opposite him with some curiosity.
In her appearance, Jessica clearly showed signs of travel fatigue, with slight dark circles under her eyes.
Krystal, on the other hand, was vibrant, her face ruddy, and her expression clearly read “still wanting to play.”
So, after hearing Lin Xiuyuan’s question, Krystal, while tearing into a piece of hot cheese bread, began to talk about the upcoming itinerary.
“Arrangements? We’ll be here for about four days. I plan to go to Kazbek Mountain tomorrow, and I’ve also scheduled a visit to a winery for the day after. We can take it easy for the last two days and see how the weather is.”
After all, July was right in the rainy season, so Krystal didn’t dare to make definite plans.
Lin Xiuyuan nodded and was about to speak when Jessica, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
“Coincidentally, I’ve already booked a guesthouse in the Kazbek Mountain valley, where we can soak in hot springs at night. Soo Jung, didn’t you say you wanted to photograph the starry sky? There’s less light pollution there, and if the sky is clear enough, you should be able to capture the Milky Way. We’ll rest in the city tonight and head there directly tomorrow.”
“Yay~ It was definitely the right decision to ask Jessica to come. I haven’t even booked a hotel yet, hahaha.”
Krystal, who usually had no plans, spoke without a care in the world.
This remark successfully prompted Lin Xiuyuan to ask her, “So, you haven’t booked your flight to London yet either, have you?”
“No, not yet. Don’t worry, Xiuyuan~ There will definitely be flights here.”
Lin Xiuyuan nodded, then put down his cutlery and looked at Jessica. “But didn’t you just have a performance in China not long ago? You’re coming to Georgia so suddenly, can you manage your work schedule?”
“Mind your own business.”
Jessica, having just made that proud statement, felt a bit regretful the next second.
She clearly realized that her remark was a bit too strong, but her eyes flashed, and she stubbornly didn’t retract it.
As expected, Lin Xiuyuan’s lips curved, and his gaze fell meaningfully on Krystal.
Krystal, her lips pursed with cheese bread, licked her finger, sighed, and looked up at him with wet eyes.
With that look, Lin Xiuyuan smiled, and the small emotional disturbance in his heart dissipated.
Since even Krystal had “intervened,” he decided to make a note of it and deal with it later.
The atmosphere relaxed, and the three continued their dinner.
However, as they were eating, Krystal suddenly remembered something, stopped her conversation with Jessica, and turned to Lin Xiuyuan. “By the way, Xiuyuan~ when we get to London, you’ll have to temporarily resume my ‘assistant’ status.”
“Huh?” Lin Xiuyuan asked, confused.
“Just like when we first met. Except this time, I won’t need you to bring me meals; instead, I need you by my side to help me with some things and film some vlog footage.”
Krystal wrinkled her nose as she said this, her voice sounding a little dejected.
“Do you think I’m here for an easy vacation? Actually, the company arranged for a team to accompany me, but I refused and chose to travel alone. Even so, I still need to deliver vlog content, otherwise, my agent will surely scold me when I get back.”
“Oh, sure. Will you film with your phone or something?” Lin Xiuyuan asked, understanding the situation.
“Anything is fine. If worse comes to worst, we can buy a sports camera.”
“We’ll see when the time comes. First of all, I’m not appearing on camera.”
“Don’t worry, the company doesn’t want your footage either,” Krystal grinned, her dimples appearing faintly.
Jessica watched the two of them bicker back and forth with a tacit understanding, her gaze softening unconsciously.
The night outside deepened, the candlelight flickered, and the dining table seemed isolated from the world, immersed only in the gentle embrace of the night.
After dinner, the night had deepened further.
The three of them walked out of the stone restaurant. The streetlights were sparse in the alleys, and the stone path glowed faintly in the night.
The air was cool, and a sense of tranquility unique to ancient cities permeated the stillness.
Since Jessica had already booked a highly reputable boutique hotel in the city, Lin Xiuyuan just had to follow the navigation. It wasn’t far from the restaurant, and soon the three of them were dragging their luggage into the lobby.
As soon as they reached the front desk, the employee inside greeted them in slightly accented English. Jessica briskly provided the reservation information and confirmed the number of rooms.
“Three rooms, all adjoining deluxe king rooms.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the front desk employee began processing the check-in.
However, before the registration was even completed, Krystal, standing nearby, suddenly spoke. “Hmm, cancel one room. We don’t need three.”
Jessica raised an eyebrow at this, keenly sensing something was amiss, and her tone carried a sisterly alertness. “Krystal, you’re not planning on sharing a room with me again, are you? Last time you almost kicked me out of bed and then slept like a log.”
“No~” Krystal shook her head with an innocent expression, her smile as sweet as honey.
The next second, she grabbed Lin Xiuyuan’s arm and leaned on him coquettishly. “I want to room with Xiuyuan~”
“…”
This sudden display of affection hit Jessica, who was caught completely off guard, like a dog being wiped back and forth multiple times.
Her expression instantly froze, the tiredness on her face completely replaced by flushed anger, and she almost couldn’t catch her breath. “Hey, Jung Soo Jung…”
“What is it? It’s not the first time we’ve shared a room, older sister. Don’t make such a fuss.” Krystal giggled and turned to Lin Xiuyuan. “Isn’t that right?”
Lin Xiuyuan shrugged, not responding directly, but he didn’t pull away either, only saying softly, “I’ll do as you say.”
Looking at the two of them, Jessica was speechless for a moment.
After a few seconds, she let out a long breath, as if compromising or resigning herself, and waved her hand to the front desk employee. “Cancel one room.”
The procedures were quickly completed, and the three of them took their room cards and took the elevator upstairs. The atmosphere seemed much quieter.
The elevator chimed and stopped on the top floor, with the three rooms located at the end of the same corridor.
However, just as Krystal, full of joy, was about to swipe her card to enter the room with Lin Xiuyuan, Jessica grabbed her.
“Wait a minute.”
Then, with a cold expression, she dragged Krystal directly into her own room, and the door clicked shut.
Lin Xiuyuan just smiled at this, opened his own room door, and went in.
The room was decorated in a European retro style, with warm yellow light cast on the wooden furniture, creating a quiet and cozy atmosphere.
After putting down his luggage, he immediately took out the portable anti-surveillance device he carried and carefully scanned the room’s corners.
After confirming there were no anomalies, he opened his laptop and ran a network detection program specifically designed and paid for, to check for any suspicious signal sources nearby.
Finally, everything was secure.
Satisfied, Lin Xiuyuan closed his laptop, let out a long sigh, and collapsed onto the bed, allowing his body to completely relax.
Meanwhile, in Jessica’s room.
Krystal, who had been pulled in by Jessica, hadn’t even steadied herself before she was blocked by Jessica.
Her brow furrowed, and her tone was clearly laced with worry and a hint of anger. “Are you crazy, Soo Jung? You’re not a teenage girl anymore, how can you do something so indiscreet? You’re a public figure, if you get photographed, there will definitely be trouble.”
Krystal, however, wasn’t flustered at all. She sat on the sofa, hugging a pillow, and said lightly, “Indiscreet about what? Who’s photographing us?”
“It’s not about whether you’re photographed or not, it’s about being mindful!” Jessica glared at her, her expression serious. “We’re in this line of work, and whether people are watching or not, we can’t leave any leverage.”
This time, Krystal looked up seriously, her gaze unusually frank. “Jessica, you should be mindful with people you don’t like, but with people you do like… you just want to get closer. Do you think I’m like you?”
Jessica was taken aback. Her tense expression wavered for a moment, and a complex emotion flickered in her eyes.
Then, looking at her younger sister, who was bolder and more fearless than her, she suddenly fell silent.
“You…”
“I know what you’re worried about, but I’ll handle it myself.”
Krystal said softly, a playful smile still on her lips. “Besides, I never said I was going to date him. The young boy looks very pleasing to the eye. And I haven’t bothered your ‘type’ either, so don’t worry about me.”
Jessica took a deep breath and finally said no more, only raising her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Fine, I won’t say anything more. You handle it yourself.”
“Understood~” Krystal stood up, tiptoed to hug Jessica, “I’m going to find Xiuyuan now.”
At the doorway, she suddenly stopped and turned back, as if remembering something, and smiled gently.
“Oh, by the way, older sister, I only kick and toss when I sleep with you. When I sleep with Xiuyuan, I just curl up in his arms, it’s very warm and very comfortable.”
“Get lost~”
Jessica roared, unable to take it anymore.
Krystal giggled, slipping out of the room like a triumphant little fox, and then knocked on the adjacent door.
Two seconds later, Lin Xiuyuan opened the door, glanced at her, and then looked at the room behind her. “What did you say to make her react so strongly?”
“She told me to mind my image.”
After saying this with a smile, Krystal immediately pushed Lin Xiuyuan into the room, kicked the door shut with her toe, and pressed herself against him, kissing him with a fiery smile.
Lin Xiuyuan naturally didn’t back down, and after a period of intimacy, they finally separated slightly.
Then, looking at Krystal opposite him, he smiled somewhat helplessly. “Is this what you call minding your image?”
“I never agreed to that.”
Krystal hummed proudly, her gaze sweeping across the room and landing on the laptop and detector on the coffee table. “How is it, are there any cameras?”
“No, I was waiting for you. Should we go back now, or what?”
“Are you really planning on sleeping at the villa tonight?”
“Of course, the villa is more comfortable to sleep in. It’s the same time-space anyway, I can come back after waking up. If it’s too late, Jessica will call, and it’s not like we can’t be reached, right?”
As Lin Xiuyuan spoke, Krystal nodded slightly, but something felt off.
A moment later, having figured it out, she said, “No, Xiuyuan~ We’re out traveling, so we should stay here to get the travel vibe. It’s fine to go back to wash up and get some things, but if we stay at the villa, we won’t have the anticipation and unknowns of travel.”
Listening to Krystal’s response, Lin Xiuyuan smiled. “Alright, as you wish. I’m very open to advice.”
“Then I advise you not to go against Jessica anymore, can you?” Krystal said with a sly smile.
The next second, Lin Xiuyuan grabbed her wrist.
“Speaking of which, I was actually going to retort just now, but you stopped me. So, the consequences of Jessica’s retort will be borne by you, her sister, as punishment.”
“What punishment?” Krystal looked up at Lin Xiuyuan, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “A punishment that doesn’t satisfy me, I won’t accept it.”
Her words instantly defused Lin Xiuyuan. “You’re being unreasonable. If you have the guts, don’t use any techniques or methods.”
“That won’t do,” Krystal giggled, her eyes curving. “Don’t you think my hands are very delicate? And didn’t you say last night that my stockings felt particularly comfortable?”
Lin Xiuyuan fell silent again, turned, and picked up his phone. “Let’s go, back to the villa to wash up.”
Krystal smiled slightly, no longer teasing him. She turned, locked the room door, and then pulled a stool to brace it before returning with Lin Xiuyuan to the 2013 apartment, intending to transfer back to the 2025 villa from there.
However, as soon as they returned to the apartment, they bumped into Sulli, who had just finished showering.
Sulli was wearing a home bathrobe, her hair still dripping water. Seeing the two of them enter, she was momentarily stunned. “Huh, Soo Jung, didn’t you say you were going to Eastern Europe? Why are you back?”
Krystal nudged Lin Xiuyuan. “He said he wanted to go back to the villa to rest for a bit, but I convinced him to change it to washing up and changing clothes first, then going back to the hotel to sleep.”
“Fine, it’s all my fault then.”
Lin Xiuyuan shrugged helplessly, then turned to Sulli. “By the way, Jinjin, do you want to come over and take a look with us later? Although it’s not convenient to go out, it’s nice to look at the scenery outside from the room.”
“I’m a little tempted.”
Sulli, wearing loose pajamas, walked up to the two of them and glanced through the still-open Time-Space Door towards the villa. Her eyes blinked, and her expression clearly wavered.
Seeing Sulli’s interest, Krystal directly grabbed her. “Let’s go. After we shower, we’ll go over together.”
Then Lin Xiuyuan switched the room door on and off again, and led the two of them through that door, returning to the 2025 villa.
Meanwhile, while these two were showering after returning to Seoul from Georgia, Jessica was still sitting on the sofa in her guest room, staring out the window in a daze.
What was going through her mind was still echoing Krystal’s words:
【Jessica, you should be mindful with people you don’t like, but with people you do like… you just want to get closer. Do you think I’m like you?】
The words felt like a dull but unignorable needle, silently pricking a soft spot in her heart.
In the past, she too liked to get close and liked to show off in front of cameras.
But after seeing reality clearly, “getting close” became a burden, and she even avoided attending public events together if she could.
The reason they appeared together at the last wedding was only because it was for a mutual friend of many years, and it was truly unavoidable.
As her thoughts drifted, a figure she gritted her teeth at and couldn’t shake off, inexplicably appeared in her mind.
Jessica, with her brows furrowed, suddenly felt a surge of emotion in her chest that wasn’t “liking.”
It wasn’t tenderness, nor sweetness, but a curiosity that wanted to probe to the very end, a desire to investigate tinged with a sliver of unwillingness. That guy had too many mysterious aspects.
Jessica understood that her mature self shouldn’t be swayed by such emotions, but when emotions took over, she couldn’t stop them.
So, she could only bite her lip speechlessly and curse in a low voice, “Damn guy.”
And the person she cursed was, at that moment, having just finished showering in the villa in Seoul, walking out while drying his hair.
In the room, Krystal and Sulli were snuggled together on the sofa, playing a game.
“Your turn.”
Lin Xiuyuan looked at Krystal, his tone gentle.
Krystal, hearing the voice, looked up at Lin Xiuyuan and nodded, “Mm, I’ll go right now. Jessica just messaged me, asking if I wanted to go down for a walk. I said I’d decide after I finished showering.”
“Mm, go wash up then.”
As Krystal left, Sulli, who was on the sofa, also stood up and walked over to Lin Xiuyuan’s side, saying with a slightly mischievous smile.
“Oppa, did you know that the Girls’ Generation unnies had another little spat internally these past two days?”
Lin Xiuyuan glanced at her sideways, not interrupting, just listening quietly.
Sulli didn’t hold back, her tone as relaxed as if she were sharing gossip, “It was Jung Soo Yeon unnie, she spoke a bit sarcastically, and the atmosphere immediately became awkward.”
Lin Xiuyuan couldn’t help but smile after hearing this, “At their current stage, it’s not a big deal. At most, Jung Soo Yeon is unhappy and finds an opportunity to vent.”
“Yes, so even if Jung Soo Yeon unnie pointed at my nose like that, there were no further repercussions.”
Sulli nodded silently, clearly agreeing, “Everyone probably understands one thing: if they get together, even doing nothing brings in tens of millions in revenue. They basically won’t want to flip the table for the sake of a little face.”
“Then how did they handle it later?” Lin Xiuyuan asked.
“Cough, it was just left unresolved. On the surface, everything was calm, but privately, they were giving each other the cold shoulder.”
After Sulli relayed Jung Soo Yeon’s words exactly, Lin Xiuyuan just smiled upon hearing them, not offering any opinion.
Conversely, Sulli, after speaking, paused and suddenly changed the subject, her tone becoming a little lighter, “But speaking of which, I’m actually more worried about Soo Jung lately.”
“Soo Jung?”
“The one from ’13.”
“What’s wrong.”
“I gave her my female lead role, remember.”
Sulli’s tone softened, like an older sister’s unmistakable worry for her younger sibling, “And I heard from V-mom that she’s been either staring at the script or practicing her lines every night lately. I could even hear her practicing her blocking and reciting dialogue on the balcony after showering…”
She paused here, her gaze falling on Lin Xiuyuan’s face, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness and concern, “I’ve gone to chat with her these past few days. She said she’s getting more and more anxious, and the more she rehearses, the more she feels something is wrong. She’s afraid of ruining my debut work.”
She paused again for a second, as if organizing her thoughts, before asking tentatively, “Oppa, do you have any better ideas, to help her suddenly have a breakthrough like Yoona unnie?”
Lin Xiuyuan didn’t rush to answer but smiled, his eyebrows slightly raised, “Jinjin, are you indirectly trying to get me to call Krystal over to give her some ‘acting private lessons’?”
Sulli shook her head, her tone fading slightly, “I’m just… a little worried.”
She had indeed considered that idea, but she also knew that such thoughts couldn’t be mixed with emotions, as it was too easy for things to go wrong. Therefore, she only planned to hint at the situation.
Beside her, Lin Xiuyuan, after Sulli stood up, had already sat down on the sofa. After a few seconds of thought, he nodded and said.
“Yoona organized a set of performance notes and her personal rhythm practice system. I’ll ask her for them. You can have Jung Soo Jung look at them first. Take it slow, don’t put too much pressure on her.”
Hearing him say this, Sulli’s eyes brightened noticeably, “Really? That’s great!”
Then, they chatted a lot about Jung Soo Jung, from her obsession with the stage to her stubbornness in performing even when feeling unwell, so as not to disappoint her fans.
Lin Xiuyuan listened and couldn’t help but smile, “She’s truly stubborn.”
“Stubborn to the point of being heartbreaking,” Sulli nodded, her voice carrying a resonance that only they understood.
As they were talking, the bathroom door suddenly creaked open.
Krystal came out wearing clean home clothes, her hair still wet. She shook a towel while looking at them, a smile on her lips.
“What are you guys talking about? I felt like I faintly heard my name from inside?”
Lin Xiuyuan looked at her and smiled faintly, “We were talking about your acting.”
“Me?” Krystal’s eyebrows immediately shot up upon hearing this, and she reacted instantly, “You’re talking about Jung Soo Jung, right? Not me, right, Sulli?”
Sulli squinted and smiled, nodding gently.
Then Krystal understood immediately, her brows furrowing, “To be honest, acting can’t be rushed. Unless you use some… special method.”
After saying the previous sentence, she immediately turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan, “Yoona unnie’s method, the side effects are already showing, aren’t they, Xiuyuan?”
Lin Xiuyuan tossed the towel to the side of the sofa and shrugged innocently, “How would I know.”
“I’m not blaming you, why are you acting so scared.”
Krystal rolled her eyes at him, then looked at Sulli, “I’ll sort out some materials and send them to you later. That’s a rhythm logic I figured out myself, and it should be more suitable for Jung Soo Jung than Yoona unnie’s. The rest is up to her, or else…”
She originally wanted to say “you could consider trying special one-on-one lessons,” but upon thinking of the strange phenomena with Lin Yoona and Lin Xiaolu, she swallowed her words and let out a soft sigh.
In the end, she closed her mouth and changed her wording, “Forget it, let’s see how things go first.”
Thus, the three, having finished their preparations, reopened the Time-Space Door, passed through the apartment, and returned to the hotel guest room in Georgia.
And the moment the three stepped onto the hotel room floor, Lin Xiuyuan’s phone ringtone immediately followed.
The gazes of the three all focused on it, and upon seeing the familiar caller ID, they all smiled.
“Oh, it’s unnie~”
“She’s probably looking for Xiuyuan.”
“Nonsense, she’s calling my phone.”
There will be another chapter later. Please vote with your monthly tickets. We’ve recently dropped out of the top fifty. I won’t mention the bestseller list, but the daily ten thousand word count continues. I hope my godfathers will support me!!!
