Chapter 305: Is This A Tri-fold??
Inside the small tavern at night, soothing jazz music flowed like a gentle stream, softly enveloping every corner.
The sizzling sound of grease on the grill pan, the crisp clink of wine glasses, and the occasional bursts of laughter from the girls wove together into a warm and joyful atmosphere.
The few people on the sofa sat in a circle, taking turns enjoying the delicious barbecue while chatting about interesting stories from inside and outside the inner circle.
And as the only “green leaf” among these few red flowers, Lin Xiuyuan was in the midst of the lively scene, but half his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
The chopsticks in his hand unconsciously propped up his chin, his gaze fixed on the smoky grill pan in front of him, his mind replaying the look Sulli had just given him, hidden with expectation and plea.
Actually, Lin Xiuyuan could understand why Sulli was so anxious.
Although there were still a few years until the upsetting events Goo Hara was supposed to face in the original timeline, who could predict the track of fate with 100% certainty?
What if a butterfly effect happened one day, leading to some unexpected change?
So, having Goo Hara learn the truth as soon as possible and join this circle that could foresee and to some extent avoid risks was undoubtedly the safest approach, avoiding many unnecessary regrets and mistakes.
And Lin Xiuyuan knew this well in his heart.
So from the beginning, he hadn’t refused Goo Hara’s joining like he had with Jessica back then.
He just said that he needed to wait until she completely cut ties with the complicated relationships around her, especially that gradually deteriorating inner circle, before considering the formal “initiation ceremony,” to avoid any extraneous complications later.
Now, with Goo Hara personally saying she had distanced herself from Yong Jun-hyung and his friend circle, it could basically be considered as having cut ties, which satisfied Lin Xiuyuan’s previous implied condition.
And that was exactly why Sulli had signaled him with her gaze just now.
Because the timing seemed ripe.
However, even if Lin Xiuyuan could agree now, there was no suitable opportunity at the moment to perform that key “initiation ceremony.”
After all, his self from the 2025 timeline was still in Magic City over there.
Although the time-space door allowed him to travel instantly anywhere, he couldn’t perform a big disappearing act in public, entering and exiting the street under everyone’s watchful eyes.
Moreover, to make Goo Hara truly understand and believe in the miraculous events of 2025, he at least needed to find a reasonable excuse to “normally” fly back to Seoul from Magic City.
Besides that, Lin Xiuyuan was also pondering another idea in his mind.
For someone like Goo Hara, whose personality carried a bit of impulse and stubbornness, simply relying on an information dump probably wouldn’t be enough to make her truly reflect, let alone fully awaken.
It would be best to give her a sufficiently strong shock during the first connection, just like he had done with Sulli back then.
Using reality beyond cognition to “wake her up” directly from the soul level, letting her see the essence of certain people and things, as well as the abyss she might face in the future, and make up for or hide some of her personality flaws.
While Lin Xiuyuan was silently mulling over these plans, a crisp voice pulled him back from his thoughts.
“Oppa, what are you spacing out for? Eat the barbecue quick, it’s about to burn!”
It was Park Ji-yeon who spoke.
As she spoke, she deftly wrapped several perfectly grilled pieces of Korean beef in lettuce and placed them unquestioningly onto the plate in front of Lin Xiuyuan.
Then, as if remembering something fun, Park Ji-yeon smiled with her eyes curved into crescents and said, “By the way, oppa, have you seen Soo Jung’s recent news?”
“What?” Lin Xiuyuan replied, having just shoved a bite into his mouth.
“Hahaha, it’s that ‘crystal ball’ nickname you joked about with her before. Lately, it seems some netizens and fans are starting to use it for her. Chubby and puffy, hahaha~”
As soon as Park Ji-yeon finished, Sulli beside her giggled along and added.
“Yeah, yeah, oppa, Soo Jung was so mad when she saw those comments. She even swore it must be you, the culprit, spreading rumors about her online, otherwise how could this nickname appear so coincidentally? She even told me that when she gets the chance, she’ll give you a lesson.”
Hearing this undeserved misfortune in their words, Lin Xiuyuan amusingly rubbed his brow with his fingertip.
“Seriously, does this count as getting shot while lying down? I really haven’t been idle enough to play around online. The crystal ball thing was probably just a casual remark, and she happened to run into it.”
After defending himself, he smoothly asked, “By the way, Jinjin, you’re out filming variety shows, so where’s Jung Soo Jung? Why isn’t she with you?”
Sulli wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue and explained, “You think Soo Jung is as free as me? My main identity for this activity is screenwriter, and idol activities are just a side gig, so I can pick variety shows I like and do them occasionally.”
“But Soo Jung has TV series lead roles and idol work; during the promotion period, running around nonstop isn’t enough. Plus, the TV series hasn’t wrapped up completely yet, so she has to squeeze in time to go back to the film crew to shoot the remaining episodes. She’s as busy as a spinning top.”
After hearing the answer, Lin Xiuyuan nodded lightly, then looked at Sulli with a gaze carrying a hint of approving smile.
“So, Jinjin, choosing to put more effort into the screenwriter path back then was such a wise decision; at least you have a lot more autonomy now.”
His gaze then turned to Park Ji-yeon beside him.
Seeing this, Park Ji-yeon immediately understood, proudly lifting her small chin, her eyes sparkling with anticipation and confidence for the future, and lightly hummed in response.
“Hmph, I’m almost there too. Once the company dividends come in next year and the funds are ample, I can expand my business territory. Then it’ll be President Park’s turn to support you all; Snowball, you can focus on writing scripts, and I’ll invest.”
As soon as her “bold declaration” came out, Sulli and Lin Xiuyuan exchanged a glance, both seeing thick amusement in each other’s eyes, and couldn’t help bursting into laughter together.
Meanwhile, Goo Hara, who had proactively expressed interest in joining the inner circle earlier and then fallen somewhat silent, quietly observing the interactions.
Seeing this scene full of tacit understanding and harmonious atmosphere right before her eyes, a certain rumor in her heart became even clearer.
And soon unable to contain her curiosity, while the laughter subsided a bit, she sought confirmation from Park Ji-yeon, “Ji-yeon, I think I heard some people mention before that you left the group and started your own company? Is that true?”
Park Ji-yeon across from her picked up her wine glass, nodded frankly and proudly, “Yeah, it’s true. Oppa and I started it together.”
Upon hearing Park Ji-yeon’s affirmative answer, Goo Hara’s gaze instinctively turned to Lin Xiuyuan with a shocked expression.
Feeling her gaze, Lin Xiuyuan just shrugged indifferently, then casually distanced himself in a light tone, “Don’t look at me; I’m just a puppet shareholder who gives ideas and occasionally helps out a bit. The real president is Ji-yeon; she calls the shots on all company matters big and small.”
“Nonsense, oppa, you’re the chairman, aren’t you?”
“The chairman without an office, right?”
“You’re the one who doesn’t come.”
“Hmm hmm hmm?”
Watching the natural exchange between the two, full of some kind of tacit understanding, Goo Hara actually had many questions in her heart, like the company’s business, scale, seed capital, and so on.
But after the words reached her lips, she ultimately swallowed them back down hard.
After all, her relationship with Lin Xiuyuan and Park Ji-yeon was at best a bit more familiar than ordinary friends; far from the level where she could delve into such obviously private business matters.
Being able to ask this much already felt a bit overstepping, thanks to the alcohol and atmosphere.
So if she kept pressing without knowing her place, that would be her being inconsiderate.
Thinking of this, Goo Hara couldn’t help but sigh softly in her heart, then reached out with her chopsticks to pick up a piece of crispy grilled beef and put it in her mouth.
The meat was fresh and juicy, tasting great, but as she chewed, it inexplicably made her feel a bit mentally dazed, and the desire in her heart to truly integrate into this inner circle seemed to become even clearer.
So her gaze involuntarily, gently drifted toward Sulli sitting across from her.
Perhaps due to tacit understanding, Sulli always seemed able to precisely catch Goo Hara’s emotions, so at this moment she also raised her brow, meeting her gaze in mid-air.
Seeing the complexity in Goo Hara’s eyes, Sulli immediately returned a warm smile with a comforting meaning, conveying with her gaze the message “Unnie, don’t rush, take it slow.”
This signal slowly relaxed Goo Hara’s taut heartstrings, and she gently exhaled a breath of stale air.
Then she temporarily suppressed those surging thoughts in her heart and proactively steered the topic toward safer, more public areas.
Like KARA’s upcoming comeback plan, T-ara’s recent preheating activities, Park Ji-yeon’s solo album in preparation, and the direction of Sulli’s next script concept, and so on…
The few girls plus Lin Xiuyuan thus chatted about all sorts of topics from all over, clearing one plate of ingredients after another from the grill pan, refilling the wine in their glasses time and again.
The atmosphere was harmonious and lively, and time unknowingly slipped toward the late night.
After the last few mushrooms and beef were finished off by Lin Xiuyuan and Lee So-hee, who were mainly responsible for clearing the plates, everyone leaned back on the sofa very satisfied, enjoying the lazy moment after the full meal.
Until Goo Hara’s mobile phone buzzed in her bag.
It was a call from her assistant, reminding her that she had a schedule early tomorrow morning and not to stay out too late.
Only then did Goo Hara suddenly realize it was late; after hanging up, she began pondering in her heart how to gracefully end this pleasant late-night snack.
Fortunately, Lin Xiuyuan was always attentive and noticed the subtle change in her expression while taking the call, as well as her instinctive glance at the time.
Without waiting for her to speak, he proactively stood up, smiled, and gave the closing remarks for the night.
“Alright, the barbecue is all gone, and we’ve tasted plenty of the alcoholic beverages. I think that’s it for tonight? Everyone probably has things tomorrow; head back early to rest.”
After saying this, he immediately looked at Goo Hara and asked, “Hara, how are you getting back? Need me to call a car for you?”
In response, Goo Hara quickly waved her hand, “No need to trouble yourself; I’ll have my assistant come pick me up.”
As soon as she finished, Park Ji-yeon beside her chimed in, “Unnie, no need to trouble your assistant to make another trip. Let Soo Hee take you back; she hasn’t drunk tonight anyway, so driving is no problem.”
This made Goo Hara look toward Lee So-hee.
And Lee So-hee timely nodded with a smile in confirmation.
As someone whose identity in the gathering was more like staff, she was very sensible, so throughout the party she hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, just drinking juice beverages, always ready to handle any sudden situations.
Goo Hara glanced at Lee So-hee and felt this was indeed more convenient, saving the wait for her assistant.
So she nodded in agreement, “Alright then, sorry to trouble you, Soo Hee.”
“No trouble at all, unnie.”
However, what happened next left Goo Hara a bit stunned.
Because only Lee So-hee picked up the car keys and walked toward the tavern doorway with her.
While Sulli and Park Ji-yeon remained steadily seated on the sofa, showing no intention of getting up to leave.
This situation made Goo Hara unable to help stopping her steps, slowly turning back with puzzlement toward the two behind her, “Jinjin, Ji-yeon, you two… not going back together?”
Then Sulli showed a natural smile on her face, stretched out her finger to point toward the apartment building behind the tavern, “Unnie, I live in that building back there; it’s just a two-minute walk.”
Next, Park Ji-yeon looked at Lin Xiuyuan, her tone carrying a matter-of-fact note, “I have some company matters to discuss briefly with oppa, so I’ll head back later.”
Hearing this, Goo Hara was truly dumbfounded.
So… I’m the only one being “sent off”?
So… this is deliberately sending me and the little assistant away to leave space for you three to be alone?
You all… have some “secret” to discuss that I can’t know about?
You all… are going for a 3P or something??
Of course, these somewhat outrageous thoughts and ideas, she only dared to mutter quietly in her heart, absolutely not daring to say them out loud.
So she lifted her gaze to deeply look at Lin Xiuyuan standing by the sofa, ultimately turning it into a soft reminder on her lips, “Then be careful and safe; don’t chat too late.”
With that, she turned and walked out of the tavern door with Lee So-hee, getting into the car parked on the roadside.
Under Lee So-hee’s steady driving, the vehicle merged into Seoul’s nighttime traffic, heading toward her dormitory.
And inside the tavern.
With Goo Hara’s departure.
Park Ji-yeon then turned to Lin Xiuyuan with concern on her face, “Oppa, let’s go. There’s still a bit of time now; I want to check on Eun-jung unnie’s situation. We didn’t know before, but now that we do about her foot injury, we should visit her out of courtesy.”
Sulli beside her also nodded, expressing agreement, “Yeah, I’ll go too.”
But the two didn’t notice that upon hearing this sudden proposal, Lin Xiuyuan’s face instantly flashed with a barely perceptible expression mixed with embarrassment and guilt.
He opened his mouth, letting out a meaningless, “Ah… this…”
Cold sweat nearly beaded on his forehead.
It wasn’t that he was unwilling; it was just that if they went to the 2025 side now…
Then what happened a few days ago—or rather, earlier that day—with Sweet Eun-jung… wouldn’t it all be exposed on the spot???
Monthly ticket please!!!!!
