Chapter 270: Jessica: “not Enough—give Me A Willing Reason”
Evening.
Seoul in 2013, the sky had just been tinged with a soft orange-red, like a watercolor painting gently blended by someone’s hand, carrying a quiet warmth.
After a busy day, the Girls’ Generation members finally finished today’s rehearsal and began packing up their things one after another.
Today’s rehearsal ended earlier than usual, mainly because Sunny still had to attend a radio event later, and Kwon Yuri had a filming arrangement.
Plus, Jung Soo Yeon left early, leaving quite a few people short, so continuing the rehearsal wouldn’t be efficient, and everyone decided to call it a day early.
In the practice room at this moment, the audio equipment had just stopped not long ago, and the air still held the lingering echoes, as if the rhythm of the dance was still bouncing off the walls and wooden floor.
The faint scent of sweat mixed with the aroma of the wooden floor, carrying a hint of youthful restlessness.
Kim Soft Soft was bending over, stuffing the scattered water bottles, towels, and spare practice clothes on the ground into her bag one by one.
Just as she was lowering her head to organize, her arm was suddenly elbowed hard by someone.
“Taeyeon~”
Sunny’s familiar voice rang in her ear. She was squatting beside her, tilting her head with a face full of gossip, her gaze sparkling.
“What do you think was up with Sulli today?” She blinked, leaning in closer. “After taking a phone call, she rushed off in a hurry. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“Ah~”
Kim Soft Soft, who was picking up things with her head down, looked up at her, blinked, and showed a slightly helpless smile on her face. “I don’t know either. Probably something urgent.”
Sunny immediately rolled her eyes, swinging the towel in her hand, her tone carrying a bit of dissatisfaction. “Nonsense, of course I know it’s urgent. I’m asking what the urgent thing is?”
Kim Soft Soft, amused by her expression, shook her head gently, wearing a look that said “I really don’t know.”
But in reality, she already had some guesses in her heart.
Because when Jung Soo Yeon received the phone call, both she and Lin Xiaolu heard the other person blurt out the name “Xiuyuan.”
Thinking of this, Kim Soft Soft’s gaze involuntarily turned to Lin Xiaolu, who was packing things on the other side.
Lin Xiaolu over there seemed to have thought of the same thing. She happened to lift her head and meet her eyes. The two exchanged a tacit glance for a moment and almost simultaneously nodded lightly, confirming each other’s thoughts.
Sunny, who had been watching their reactions closely, saw this small tacit interaction and immediately felt even itchier. She couldn’t help but put her hands on her hips and huffed depressedly. “Hey, hey, hey!!! What do these little moves from you two mean? Can’t you include me in the gossip? My heart is itching like crazy right now.”
Lin Xiaolu just gave a shallow smile and said nothing, as if deliberately teasing her appetite.
Kim Soft Soft pretended to be serious and shrugged. “What gossip? I’m just meeting Yoona at the tavern later.”
“Tch, the tavern again.”
Sunny sighed while reaching out to pinch her shoulder, her expression exaggerated. “Fine, fine, I knew you two rascals would use that excuse to brush me off.”
With that, she grabbed her jacket and bag and walked out briskly.
Before leaving, she didn’t forget to turn back and wave at them, her voice carrying a hint of helpless laughter. “But whatever, I still have to go work at the radio station. Even if there’s gossip, I don’t have time for it. Bye~”
After Sunny left, the other members also left one after another, and the practice room soon quieted down a bit.
Lin Xiaolu packed up last, tied her hair into a neat ponytail, and walked out of the building one behind the other with Kim Soft Soft.
By now, the sunset had dyed the entire parking lot a warm orange, and the dim yellow light fell on their shadows, stretching them long.
After arriving at the parking lot, Lin Xiaolu plopped right into Kim Soft Soft’s car. With the roar of the engine, the car slowly drove away from the company.
In the car, Lin Xiaolu, who had just fastened her seatbelt, spoke up. “I already asked Sulli just now.”
Her brows furrowed slightly as she spoke, her tone laced with unmistakable worry. “But she said it’s hard to explain over the phone, and we’ll talk when we meet.”
Hearing this, Kim Soft Soft’s brows also furrowed slightly, and the premonition in her heart deepened.
So without saying much, she took a deep breath, unconsciously pressing the accelerator harder, speeding toward Lin Xiuyuan’s apartment.
The sun sank little by little, the sky turning dim yellow, and the city’s lights began to light up one by one at the street corners.
By the time the car slowly stopped downstairs at Lin Xiuyuan’s apartment building, the sky had completely lost the brightness of daytime, exuding a sense of calm.
Kim Soft Soft took a deep breath first to compose herself, then got out of the car with Lin Xiaolu and quickly entered the apartment building.
When the two took the elevator to the 7th floor and pushed open the apartment door to enter.
They found that the lighting in the living room was on, but the atmosphere was unusually quiet.
Just as they exchanged a glance, a familiar figure suddenly appeared at the bedroom doorway not far away.
“Unnie, you came.”
Sulli was holding a glass cup with water and a straw, a bright smile on her face, her tone carrying a bit of relief and some caution.
“Yeah, just got off work.” Kim Soft Soft nodded and got straight to the point. “By the way, Snowball~ Did something happen to Xiuyuan when Sulli suddenly rushed over this afternoon?”
“You said it was hard to explain over the phone. What’s going on?” Lin Xiaolu also asked.
Sulli placed the water cup back on the coffee table, glanced sideways at the bedroom door behind her, scratched her hair, and showed a helpless yet subtle expression. “Actually, the answer is right inside… Why don’t you go in and see for yourselves?”
The two exchanged a glance and, without much hesitation, pushed open the door one after the other and walked in.
The bedroom lighting was soft, the air mixed with a faint woody scent and a hint of tension.
The two who had just stepped through the door froze in place in an instant.
On that large bed, Jessica was lying there, tightly bound hand and foot.
Her hands were tied at her sides, her posture somewhat disheveled, but surprisingly, she wasn’t struggling. Instead, her face showed a calm that was almost eerily serene, as if she had already accepted the situation.
At the same time, she was no longer wearing the gag, replaced by a simple medical mask. Sulli had obviously just given her water.
Mainly because Sulli had communicated with Jessica earlier; the soundproofing in this room was specially designed, so even shouting wouldn’t help and would only require more props.
At the time, Jessica had nodded, agreeing to Sulli.
Her gaze back then was complex, looking at Sulli with surprise, relief, and a softness like reminiscing about the past.
Back to now, when Kim Soft Soft and Lin Xiaolu saw this scene in the room, they were completely scared silly by it.
Mainly because they had no idea about Krystal’s plan and only thought Lin Xiuyuan had gone mad, actually tying up 25-year-old Jessica right here.
As for why they recognized the person on the bed as Jessica instead of Jung Soo Yeon at a glance, it was simple.
The clothes and hair color were different.
“This… what’s going on?”
Lin Xiaolu stood frozen in place, turning back to Sulli with utter disbelief, her voice half an octave higher than usual.
Kim Soft Soft couldn’t help raising her voice too. “Are you serious?!”
Sulli spread her hands, her expression a bit helpless, and had no choice but to spill everything that happened in the afternoon.
She recounted how Lin Xiuyuan said Jessica suddenly blocked the door, then refused to leave, leaving him no choice but to “invite” her here.
Jessica on the bed listened quietly, the depression and annoyance in her eyes deepening bit by bit, yet she never interrupted.
She could feel how absurd her current situation was, but for the moment, she didn’t know how to speak up and could only stare silently at the ceiling, as if silence was the only way to maintain her last shred of calm.
As Sulli’s explanation grew more complete, the shock on Kim Soft Soft and Lin Xiaolu’s faces slowly turned into complex silence.
Soon, after hearing the answer, Kim Soft Soft walked to the bedside and couldn’t help lowering her head to examine Jessica lying on the bed.
This was her first time seeing Jessica from twelve years later.
The corners of her eyes and brows were sharper than in her memories, yet they carried the elegance and restraint precipitated by the years. Even bound as she was, she still exuded that cold aura, like a piece of jade polished smooth by time but still icy.
Their gazes met in the air.
Jessica also looked quietly at Kim Soft Soft in front of her.
This young version of Kim Soft Soft still had some baby fat on her face that hadn’t fully faded, her brows and eyes clear and straightforward, unburdened by heavy responsibilities.
This sudden encounter made Jessica’s heart ache, like seeing the stage she had desperately tried to protect.
So, they were this bright back then.
Her thoughts inevitably drifted back to the past ten years, recalling those heavy and grueling moments.
Meanwhile, Kim Soft Soft stared at Jessica on the bed, a complex mix of emotions surging in her heart.
Before this, she had already learned about the other’s path from 2025 news and seen this name amid various rumors, but truly facing this future Jessica face-to-face made the heartache and regret settle real in her heart.
“Long time no see, Taeyeon~”
At this moment, Jessica’s voice slipped softly from under the mask, cold with a barely detectable nostalgia.
The little captain from twelve years ago… she really hadn’t seen her in a long time.
……
……
Meanwhile.
Over at the villa in 2025, Lin Xiuyuan and the others, called down by Krystal after their chat, were once again gathered on the sofa.
Looking at the two pairs of near-identical twins—herself and Jung Soo Jung—Park Ji-yeon couldn’t help but get interested. She turned her head curiously and asked, “Soo Jung, how are we supposed to address you two later? We can’t both call you Soo Jung.”
Jung Soo Jung was stunned for a moment and instinctively looked at Krystal.
The latter just shrugged lightly, her expression very calm as she said, “Didn’t we already sort it out? I’m Krystal, she’s Jung Soo Jung. One name each—how could we mix them up?”
The somewhat tense atmosphere was effortlessly diffused by her one sentence.
Park Ji-yeon immediately pouted, her gaze instantly turning to her own… um, Big Dragon Cub.
That look carried a bit of disdain, some helplessness, and a hint of provocation. “Hear that? Names are for young people. ‘Park Ji-yeon’ is the one I’m using.”
Big Dragon Cub couldn’t help laughing out loud, lazily retorting, “The way you say it, then what about Yoona unnie? And Taeyeon unnie?”
Seeing the two about to bicker again, Jung Soo Yeon stood up from the side, clapped her hands to interrupt them. “Alright, alright, you can argue later. We’ve handled things here—shouldn’t we head back to the apartment to check on Jessica?”
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan.
Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, scanned the group, saw everyone nodding, then stood up and led the way to the time-space door.
In just the time it took to open the door, the group returned to the 2013 apartment.
Experiencing this shocking situation again, Jung Soo Jung was still a bit dazed and dazed.
Traversing time-space was such a huge thing, and it was this simple?
Lin Xiuyuan, who had just entered first, immediately saw Kim Soft Soft and Lin Xiaolu already sitting on the living room sofa, clearly having just finished chatting with Sulli nearby.
The others also found seats one after another, and this not-too-big, not-too-small space was instantly filled.
Then Lin Xiuyuan looked curiously at Lin Xiaolu and the other. “How did you two get here?”
“Well, about this afternoon—you called unnie away so urgently, how could we not worry?” Lin Xiaolu replied.
Her gaze swept over the bedroom door, carrying a bit of inquiry.
Krystal looked at the increasingly crowded living room, thought for a moment, and still invited everyone to the adjacent small hall, leaving the living room and bedroom space here for herself and Jessica.
As the bedroom door was gently closed and the people outside left, the air instantly quieted, leaving only the sound of their breathing as they faced each other.
Jessica was still lying on the bed as before, hands and feet bound, but her expression had regained some composure and coolness.
She looked at Krystal, silent for a long while before speaking. “Soo Jung, what exactly are you thinking?”
Krystal pursed her lips, cautiously sitting on the edge of the bed, a bit awkwardly avoiding her own sister’s gaze, not quite willing to admit her plan for the moment.
“You really plan to let that guy fill me up?” Jessica spoke again, her tone carrying a touch of cold humor.
Krystal’s expression was also complex, her brows furrowing, unsure how to bring it up.
Clearly, all the prepared arguments became useless in the face of Jessica.
Jessica narrowed her eyes, half-smiling. “Looks like you have other ideas? Can you tell this ‘victim’ about it, so I know how I got schemed into this?”
Facing this barbed teasing, Krystal was silent for a moment, no longer avoiding, but took a deep breath and pointed to her own face.
“Unnie, didn’t you want to know how I ended up like this? Actually, this is Xiuyuan’s handiwork. Not just me, but also Yoona unnie, Taeyeon unnie, Ji-yeon, Goo Ri unnie, and the others.”
Jessica was stunned for a moment, her gaze lingering on Krystal’s face for a long time, her brows slightly furrowed.
Immediately after, Krystal patiently explained Lin Xiuyuan’s “time-space door” concept, the connections between past and future, and the any door situation bit by bit to Jessica.
Compared to Lin Xiuyuan’s previous cursory explanation to Jessica.
Krystal explained in more detail and with more patience, omitting hardly any details.
As the explanation progressed, Jessica’s expression went from doubt and seriousness to layers of emotions surging in her eyes, like experiencing a silent storm.
Finally, after Krystal finished, Jessica had mostly digested it. She looked up at her own little sister and said, “So that’s the reason you’re planning to send me to Lin Xiuyuan’s bed?”
Seeing Krystal not answering her.
Jessica slowly shook her head again, adding faintly, “Not enough. Give me a reason to willingly go along with it.”
