Chapter 291: Diverging, Intervening, Correcting Various【timeline Worldlines】
Inside the apartment.
After Ham Eun-jung’s gaze swept back and forth several times over Sweet Eun-jung’s radiant face like a searchlight, the guess in her heart was already confirmed to about eighty or ninety percent.
So she first glared fiercely at Lin Xiuyuan behind her, who was trying to minimize his presence, the meaning in her gaze self-evident: I’ll settle accounts with you later!
Then she took a deep breath, suppressing the inexplicable irritation in her heart, and Ham Eun-jung walked toward the sofa, standing across the coffee table from Sweet Eun-jung, trying to make her tone sound like pure care, “How are you? Xiuyuan said your leg flared up again, nothing serious, right?”
Sweet Eun-jung, leaning on the sofa armrest, smiled slightly, her tone as relaxed as if discussing today’s weather.
“Yeah, really nothing serious, it’s an old problem, just this time it flared up more severely. You should know too, before when I was exhausted it was just swelling or soreness, but this rehearsal was too intense and it tore a bit.”
After hearing this explanation, Ham Eun-jung’s brows not only didn’t relax, but furrowed even tighter.
Almost subconsciously, with a bit of venting resentment, she blurted out a “sharp-tongued” concern, “So you should know your own age, right? Osteoporosis and still pushing so hard? Take it easy, okay? Don’t end up relying on a crutch for the rest of your life, that would be real big trouble.”
As soon as these words came out, Sweet Eun-jung clearly froze for a moment.
After all, as Eun-jung herself, she knew “herself” all too well.
In normal situations, without anything special, her own way of speaking should be reserved and subtle, not this kind of blunt “aggressive” tone.
Thinking of this, she subconsciously straightened her body, casting a puzzled gaze toward Lin Xiuyuan, and raised her voice to ask, “Xiuyuan, did you upset her? I wouldn’t say something so biting, what’s going on?”
The named Lin Xiuyuan stood there looking at Sweet Eun-jung, a helpless smile on his face, while pointing a finger in the air at his own face and making a goofy wiping motion, signaling her: think about the reason yourself, it’s right there on your face.
Sweet Eun-jung watched his gestures, first confused, then suddenly remembering something key, exclaiming in realization, “Ah!”
So when she looked again at the displeased Ham Eun-jung, her gaze was immediately filled with a mix of exasperation and amusement, mingled with an indescribable oddity.
“What’s that about?” Sweet Eun-jung leaned back on the sofa, her tone playful, even a bit deliberately provocative, “This is between me and Xiuyuan, why are you sulking here? It doesn’t involve you, right?”
After saying this, she seemed to want to prove something, or perhaps deliberately stimulate this “young” Ham Eun-jung.
So she gazed intently at Lin Xiuyuan, smiling brightly as she said, “Xiuyuan, looks like Ji-yeon really guessed right, you do seem to have a ‘miraculous effect’ on my injury. Look, now I can walk slowly without a crutch, just relying on the support frame. It still hurts a bit, but it’s so much better than yesterday.”
After this sentence was spoken.
Lin Xiuyuan immediately looked at Sweet Eun-jung in shock, his voice somewhat incredulous, “Are you crazy? You’re sure this has something to do with me? I’m not some miracle cure, don’t talk nonsense.”
He didn’t dare take this blame, even if it was true, he didn’t want to admit it—it was too big, it could crush someone.
Meanwhile, the equally surprised Ham Eun-jung caught another key piece of information, lowered her head to carefully look again at Sweet Eun-jung’s wrapped left leg, and pressed, “When exactly did this injury happen?”
“A few days ago, less than a week.” Sweet Eun-jung answered truthfully, while her gaze toward Lin Xiuyuan grew even hotter and… expectant?
As if saying: see, the effect is remarkable, continue next time??
Even though that scorching gaze wasn’t directed at her, Ham Eun-jung still felt extremely uncomfortable all over, so she turned back too, her gaze piercing toward the protagonist Lin Xiuyuan.
When Lin Xiuyuan was stared at by these two gazes until his scalp tingled, he quickly tactically retreated, turning to slip toward the kitchen side, shouting, “I’ll get some drinks, wash some fruit, you two chat, chat.”
His behavior clearly showed he didn’t want to get involved in this dangerous topic.
But this attempt to cover up only made Ham Eun-jung both exasperated and amused.
Turning back, she locked her gaze straight on Sweet Eun-jung, no more beating around the bush, cutting straight to the point with the question she most wanted to know, “So, exactly how far have you two gone?”
Sweet Eun-jung met her gaze without flinching, instead smiling candidly with a hint of regret and ambiguity.
“Just a little short, if not for these uncooperative legs, we probably would’ve hit a home run completely, really such a pity.”
Though she didn’t say it directly, this vague answer was more evocative than outright admission.
It also made the listening Ham Eun-jung furrow her brows tightly, her heart a mix of emotions.
Ultimately turning into a helpless sigh, “You’re making me really awkward here.”
It was that weird feeling of “cuckolding myself” or “being NTR’d by my future self,” driving Ham Eun-jung really crazy.
Sweet Eun-jung, however, adjusted her sitting position nonchalantly, saying freely, “What’s there to be awkward about? You’re you, I’m me. We’re not some dual-soul monster story, I do mine, you do yours, no interference.”
“But aren’t we essentially the same person?” Ham Eun-jung tried to sort out this messy logic.
“Hard to say, after all two time-spaces, we’d need DNA tests. And even if DNA matches, I think on the mental level we’re completely different, so personally I think you can treat us as two people who just look very alike.”
After giving this reasonably sounding solution, Sweet Eun-jung continued solemnly, “If you think that way, wouldn’t it make you feel a bit better mentally?”
Ham Eun-jung was directly amused by this powerful logic, “Self-deception?”
“That’s too harsh.” Sweet Eun-jung elegantly waved her hand, looking worldly-wise, “I think the phrase ‘blessed are the forgetful’ fits perfectly here.”
The warm afternoon sunlight slanted through the clean glass window into the living room, casting long shadows on the glossy floor, with tiny dust motes slowly floating in the beam.
Two women with nearly identical appearances—one lazily nestled in the sofa, the other standing somewhat tensely nearby—engaged in this bizarre conversation about identity, feelings, and ethics.
At that moment, Lin Xiuyuan in the kitchen probably felt safe or just wanted to break the weird atmosphere, so he poked his head out and asked, “Hey, I found the fruit pretty fresh, want some?”
Sweet Eun-jung immediately responded positively, “Yes, was just craving some.”
Lin Xiuyuan “oh”-ed, and soon came out with a fruit plate holding clean washed grapes, strawberries, and sliced apples still dripping with water droplets.
His other hand holding three cans of chilled beverages.
Entering the living room, he immediately saw Ham Eun-jung still standing there like a wooden post.
So very naturally, he plopped down on the only single sofa seat next to the sofa, then looked up at Ham Eun-jung, nodding with his chin toward the empty spot next to Sweet Eun-jung, his tone casual like greeting an old friend.
“Sit, why stand there like an idiot? We’re not outsiders.”
Hearing this, Ham Eun-jung glared depressedly at Lin Xiuyuan, but eventually resignedly sat on the long sofa where Sweet Eun-jung was, then picked up a few grapes and popped them into her mouth.
The sweet juice burst in her mouth, but did nothing to ease the irritation in her heart.
After swallowing the fruit, she looked at Sweet Eun-jung again and asked, “So what exactly do you mean by that theory just now? How exactly does one ‘blessed are the forgetful’?”
“What meaning?” Sweet Eun-jung slowly munched on an apple, playing dumb.
“That ‘self-deception,’ treating us as two people idea.” Ham Eun-jung pressed relentlessly, she needed a clearer explanation.
Or rather, she needed a rationale she could live with in her heart.
Even self-deception needs a reason to convince oneself.
Pushed this far, Sweet Eun-jung tsked, finally set down her half-eaten apple, thought seriously for a moment, organized her words, then answered.
“Actually, from the first time I followed Xiuyuan through that door and realized your existence, I’ve thought about this.”
Her injured foot made her adjust her sitting position every now and then, continuing, “Think about it, when Xiuyuan this variable appeared in your 2013 time-space, from the moment he contacted the time-space door, the world you were in likely was no longer the single future in my memory that I experienced.”
“It was more likely another parallel dimension derived from it.”
As she said this, Sweet Eun-jung extended a finger, pointing into the void, as if tracing the invisible timeline.
“By the same logic, when Xiuyuan pushed open the time-space door and formally stepped into 2025, from that precise moment onward, the world line also branched, even influenced from the moment of Xiuyuan’s birth.”
Hearing this, Ham Eun-jung, with her quick understanding, preempted, “One is the world line with Xiuyuan intervening and continuously influencing, like the one we’re on now. The other is without Xiuyuan, or him just being an NPC without a time-space door, eventually returning to the ‘normal’ track. That’s what you mean, right?”
Sweet Eun-jung nodded approvingly, “Bingo!! So my point is simple, you really don’t need to dwell on what this parallel dimension ‘Eun-jung’ did with Xiuyuan. In countless possible parallel time-spaces, you’re you, I’m me. Whatever story happens between him and me won’t directly project onto you, nor force change your choices and fate.”
“Whether body or mind, we’re independent existences.”
After hearing this seemingly rigorous but really more like an excuse for certain behaviors “parallel time-space theory,” Ham Eun-jung felt not relieved but even more upset.
So she directly held her forehead and sighed, “I thought you were going to say something, but you probably guessed wrong, what I’m hung up on isn’t this ‘influence’ issue at all.”
Sweet Eun-jung froze, blinking puzzledly, “Then what? What are you worried about?”
She’d thought Ham Eun-jung was afraid of some butterfly effect or weird telepathy making her feel the enjoyment of playing cards.
Ham Eun-jung opened her mouth, the real reason making her uncomfortable swirled on her tongue a few times, but she couldn’t say it out loud, mainly too embarrassing.
Helplessly, she turned her gaze again to Lin Xiuyuan next to her trying hard to be invisible, her eyes full of accusation and “you explain.”
This time Lin Xiuyuan knew he couldn’t dodge, awkwardly rubbing his nape, tentatively answering, “Eun-jung, do you feel like from earlier, my gaze on you has been a bit weird?”
Ham Eun-jung didn’t answer directly, but her instantly tightened corners of the mouth silently affirmed it.
Now Sweet Eun-jung was even more confused, looking curiously at Lin Xiuyuan, “Gaze? What’s weird about the gaze?”
Lin Xiuyuan dry-coughed, explaining as tactfully as possible, “It’s just a bit too direct, or naked? Something like how Soo Jung complained to Jinjin before, saying my gaze on her became strange, like I could see right through her.”
“Hm?” Sweet Eun-jung looked at him.
“Krystal~” Lin Xiuyuan threw out the answer.
“Krystal?” Sweet Eun-jung repeated softly, then suddenly reacted, “Ah, you mean 2013’s Jung Soo Jung?”
Then her gaze immediately swept back and forth between Ham Eun-jung and herself several times, connecting to a certain possibility, and burst into unrestrained laughter tinged with schadenfreude.
“Hahaha!! I get it! I understand! Hahaha!!”
On the sofa, Ham Eun-jung watched her laugh until she shook, really annoyed to the point her teeth itched.
Really wanting to slap that injured leg of hers to make her “wake up properly.”
After laughing for a good while, Sweet Eun-jung finally barely stopped, looking at the depressed Ham Eun-jung and shrugging.
“What to do then? This gaze and reaction aren’t my problem, can’t have me here living like a widow, right?” she said, deliberately using Ham Eun-jung’s earlier jab at her, tone exaggeratedly aggrieved, “You’re young, full of vigor, got plenty to do. Then you say I’m ‘osteoporosis,’ so isn’t it just needing a bit of ‘milk’ to supplement calcium~”
These blatantly wolfish words made Ham Eun-jung’s cheeks “boom” red all over, both shy and angry, turning her gaze again to Lin Xiuyuan.
Unfortunately, Lin Xiuyuan was now intently focused on scrolling his mobile phone, fingers sliding rapidly, as if the screen had world-ending major news.
Perfectly performing an ostrich gentleman of “don’t look if not polite, don’t listen if not polite, you say yours, unrelated to me.”
In this suffocating awkwardness and chaos, a lightning bolt flashed in Ham Eun-jung’s mind, thinking of Lin Xiaolu’s face at dinner earlier.
Then her eyes widened sharply, incredulously looking at Lin Xiuyuan, voice pitching up eight degrees, “Wait, Xiuyuan~ On Yoona’s side, the two Yoonas already saw through this point, huh?! So they get along so naturally.”
Faced with this soul-striking question, Lin Xiuyuan stiffened, then started his practiced triple denial.
Head shaking like a rattle, gaze drifting evasively.
“Don’t know! Don’t understand! Don’t ask me! Ask Yoona herself about this!”
Was supposed to be Ten Thousand Daily, but Eun-jung’s this act blew my mind.
Tonight just a simple patch first, the world line without Xiuyuan and with Xiuyuan are two, three, multiple parallel time-spaces.
Then let me think how to write the follow-up plot, kinda dumbfounded, kinda lost~
（PS: Also a bit speechless, I just wanted to unfold the Eun-jung story line!!!）
