Chapter 310: The Isolated One: Park Hyomin
In the corridor.
When Kim Tae Yeon heard Lin Xiuyuan’s question about whether Lee Ji-eun and Goo Hara were familiar with each other, the shock on her face was almost overflowing, and her subconscious murmur was heard by Lin Xiuyuan.
However, he didn’t directly answer her speculation. Instead, he asked again, “Tae Yeon, don’t guess wildly about what to think. Just answer my question first. Do Ji-eun and Hara know each other, are they familiar? You know, it’s not easy for me to ask this here.”
Kim Tae Yeon was a little confused by his calm demeanor. After calming down, she frowned slightly and searched her memory for a moment.
Then she shook her head and replied with certainty, “As far as I know, they only know each other and are not familiar. Mainly because Tara and Girls’ Generation’s activities didn’t overlap much, and we had little private interaction, so I’m not very sure. But…”
Her tone paused slightly, and she pointed out another connection, “Hyo Min is very familiar with Hara, you know that, right? And Sunny, Yuri, and the others, they filmed a variety show together for a while. Although it ended, they have maintained a good relationship.”
“Mmm~ G7, Invincible Youth. I know that show.”
Lin Xiuyuan nodded. For him in 2013, even if he hadn’t watched the once-popular variety show in its entirety, he would never be unfamiliar with it.
“As for Ji-eun…” Kim Tae Yeon continued to analyze.
“I’m not very clear about her situation. Mainly, our social circles overlap very little. Only Ji-yeon and Hyo Min are more open-minded and play well with Sunny and the others, so they are more familiar. The rest of them… I’m more familiar with Soyeon unnie than her.”
Lin Xiuyuan only gave a thoughtful “hmm” upon receiving this answer, and didn’t say anything more.
He then quickened his pace towards Lee Ji-eun and Park Hyo Min, who had already reached the practice area, and patted Kim Tae Yeon’s shoulder, changing the subject, “Alright, we’ll talk about this later. The weather is really nice today, let’s focus on exercising first. Don’t be lazy either, stretch your muscles more.”
Kim Tae Yeon, feeling a little frustrated by the man’s casual attitude, pouted dejectedly.
However, she didn’t press further and retorted with a smile, “No, how was I lazy? I also do Pilates diligently at home, I just don’t want to go out.”
Soon, the four of them arrived at the practice area, chose their spots, and began to swing their clubs leisurely.
It was less of a practice and more of a warm-up and an enjoyment of the rare relaxing time.
During this time, Park Hyo Min’s gaze kept darting back and forth between Lin Xiuyuan and Lee Ji-eun.
In her mind, she repeatedly replayed the scene of Lee Ji-eun naturally linking arms with Lin Xiuyuan as they walked over, that intimacy… definitely not that of ordinary friends.
Finally, when Lee Ji-eun stepped off the tee and went to the nearby rest area for some water, Park Hyo Min quickly followed and gently tugged at her arm.
With barely suppressed curiosity and a hint of subtle urgency, she lowered her voice and asked directly, “Unnie, tell me honestly, what is your relationship with Lin Xiuyuan?”
Lee Ji-eun, who was asked, stopped drinking.
She then turned her head to look at the inquisitive Park Hyo Min, her eyes, which seemed to see through people, flickered slightly in the depths. She immediately guessed what this younger sister was probably thinking and her anxious longing.
So, her face also showed that usual, slightly mysterious and lazy smile, and she said with great ease, “Hyo Min, don’t worry about this, and don’t think too much. Ji-yeon’s relationship with Xiuyuan, and my relationship with Xiuyuan, strictly speaking, can be considered two different ‘projects’.”
Lee Ji-eun deliberately used the word “projects” to describe their relationships, making the situation between the three of them appear both distant and ambiguous.
“So then…”
After speaking, Lee Ji-eun took a step closer to Park Hyo Min, with a hint of secrecy, “Since you’re already married, Hyo Min, it’s best not to know these things. It’s good to live your current life well, isn’t it? Don’t worry, we won’t fight.”
That answer again!
That vague reply, which seemed to be for her benefit but actually excluded her!!
Hearing Lee Ji-eun’s familiar tone and her nonchalant demeanor, Park Hyo Min’s chest instantly filled with immense frustration and a sense of grievance.
She really had the urge to grab a golf club nearby and smash it hard on her beautiful head.
This unnie~ and that Dragon Cub, who used to stick to her, they must have formed an inner circle with Lin Xiuyuan, and perhaps others, that she couldn’t reach.
And these people were like cunning fishermen, repeatedly dangling the bait of “secrets” and “special relationships” in front of her, making her, a curious fish, incredibly tempted.
But when she leaned in, actively took the bait, and wanted to find out, these people ruthlessly excluded her.
Throwing her back into the seawater of reality and being an outsider.
This was simply killing her heart!!!
…
…
At the same time.
In some place in Tokyo in 2013, Park Hyo Min here felt the same agony of having her heart killed.
She was sitting in her room, looking at Goo Hara on her phone screen, with whom she was video calling, her face filled with shock and unbelievable curiosity.
“What is it? Hara, what did you just say? I didn’t quite understand,” Park Hyo Min said to the camera, her tone filled with obvious confusion.
Goo Hara on the other side of the screen sat cross-legged on the floor and repeated, “It’s nothing special, unnie~ I’m just a bit curious and wanted to ask about your situation.”
“What situation.”
“Have you joined Xiuyuan’s tavern member circle yet?”
This time Park Hyo Min heard clearly, a hint of loneliness and helplessness flashed across her face, and she shook her head, “No, I haven’t joined.”
“Why?” Goo Hara pressed, very curious about this.
Park Hyo Min shook her head again, her expression showing a bit of grievance and confusion, “I don’t know why either. I even actively requested it back then, but Xiuyuan didn’t react, nor did he agree to let me join.”
She added with a hint of unwillingness, “But Eun-jung unnie and Ji-yeon seem to have joined.”
After saying this, Park Hyo Min stared intently at the screen, wanting to see Goo Hara’s reaction.
Would she be shocked like her? Or something else?
However, she found no surprise or curiosity on Goo Hara’s face. Instead, she nodded calmly and said, “Ah, I know that. I met Ji-yeon at the tavern last time and we chatted for a while.”
This answer made Park Hyo Min’s eyes widen instantly, and her voice involuntarily became louder.
“Wait! Hara~ you mean… you’ve become a member there??”
After seeing Goo Hara immediately shake her head and deny it, Park Hyo Min breathed a sigh of relief, her tense shoulders slumping.
She thought to herself: Fortunately, fortunately…
Because honestly, if the status she had been longing for and working so hard to achieve was easily obtained by this younger sister she had only recently met Lin Xiuyuan,
Park Hyo Min felt like she would completely break down, become insanely jealous, and even want to go back and hit Lin Xiuyuan.
As for Sulli back then…
Forget it, Park Hyo Min simply chose to pretend not to see it and not compare herself for now.
However, before she could fully relax, Goo Hara’s next words struck her like a thunderbolt, completely shattering her.
“But…”
Goo Hara tilted her head and recalled the situation, saying, “Last time at the tavern, Xiuyuan mentioned it to me. He said that after he finishes his current tasks, he might consider whether to bring me into that circle.”
“Just… that’s it? That simple?” Park Hyo Min’s voice had even changed due to shock, “Did he not ask for any conditions? Didn’t he set any obstacles? Did he agree so easily?”
Goo Hara on the screen looked innocent and shook her head, “No, he just said that. So I felt a little strange and curious, and went to ask Jinjin. As a result, Jinjin just smiled and said there was nothing to worry about, and I would know when the time comes, and didn’t elaborate further.”
Then, Goo Hara slightly raised her chin, indicating the reason for this call.
“And then I thought of Ji-yeon also being a member, so I wanted to ask Hyo Min unnie if you knew anything about the inside story. I really don’t understand what this member circle is about? It’s so mysterious, it’s a bit creepy.”
On screen, Park Hyo Min, with her mouth agape, felt a surge of heat rush to her head, and she had the urge to curse and smash her phone to the ground.
This was something she had begged and pleaded for here, hinted at in various ways, and perhaps even put in unknown efforts, yet she couldn’t even touch the threshold.
And Goo Hara, the “latecomer,” was actively mentioned by Lin Xiuyuan, even arguably “invited.”
No, this treatment difference is too huge!
After much thought, Park Hyo Min took several deep breaths and quickly adjusted her emotions, exerting great willpower to suppress the complex and sour thoughts churning in her chest.
Finally, she squeezed out a sentence full of resentment between her teeth, “Me? I’ve already been ‘isolated’ by them for a long time. Hara, do you think I would know what’s going on in that circle?”
“What about Sunny unnie? Isn’t she also acquainted with Xiuyuan?” Goo Hara tentatively asked about another person.
“Her too!” Park Hyo Min blurted out, with a sense of shared misfortune, “We’re in the same boat!”
Hearing this answer, Goo Hara on the other end of the video, her curiosity about Lin Xiuyuan’s mysterious “small tavern member circle” instantly soared to its peak, and the curiosity in her eyes flickered with a stronger glow.
This circle seemed even more interesting and elusive than she had imagined.
After a while.
After ending the call with Goo Hara, Park Hyo Min sat alone on the edge of her bed, gazing out the window in a daze for a long time.
Goo Hara’s words echoed repeatedly in her mind, along with her own frustration and exasperation at being blocked by an invisible barrier from the secret again.
Until the room door was gently pushed open, and Ham Eun-jung peeked in and saw her dazed appearance, asking with concern, “What’s wrong, Hyo Min? Why are you sitting here alone spacing out? Your complexion is so bad.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Park Hyo Min suddenly looked up, and the first thing she said to Ham Eun-jung, who walked in, was filled with irrepressible urgency.
“Unnie~ Hara just told me that Xiuyuan proactively suggested he’d consider pulling her into that small tavern member circle after he’s done with his current tasks. Did you know about this?”
Upon hearing this, Ham Eun-jung’s face immediately showed a perfectly feigned look of surprise.
She widened her eyes slightly, “Ah? I really don’t know about this. When did it happen?”
Although she had actually anticipated Goo Hara’s eventual situation in her heart, she hadn’t expected the progress to be so fast.
And it was Lin Xiuyuan who brought it up, which also surprised her a little.
She had thought it would be Sulli who would speak up.
Beside her, Park Hyo Min stared intently at Ham Eun-jung’s face, not missing any subtle change in her expression.
Only after confirming that the other person seemed to genuinely have just found out and showed no other signs did she let out a long sigh of relief from her chest, and added with a complex tone, “He just invited her, and it was a proactive invitation, it really infuriates me!!!”
Seeing this, Ham Eun-jung walked over and sat beside her, gently patting her shoulder, her tone warm but with a hint of helplessness.
“Regarding the selection of people, it’s basically Xiuyuan who decides on his own. He rarely consults us in advance, and we usually find out passively afterwards.”
The reason she said this was only to tell Park Hyo Min about Lin Xiuyuan’s absolute say in their inner circle.
So, faced with Ham Eun-jung’s seemingly reasonable explanation, Park Hyo Min suddenly stood up.
She looked down at Ham Eun-jung, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, a flame of strong competitiveness and unwillingness burning in her eyes.
Very seriously, almost word by word, she asked.
“Unnie~ those words you told me before, were they true or false?”
“What words?” Ham Eun-jung was a little confused by her sudden seriousness.
“You said: as long as I can ‘win over’ Lin Xiuyuan, it will be ‘all benefits and no harm’ for me!”
Park Hyo Min clearly recounted Ham Eun-jung’s past instigation.
Her motive at this moment was no longer simply emotional attraction or curiosity about Lin Xiuyuan himself, but more so the burning competitive spirit ignited by him repeatedly excluding her from the circle while bringing her friends in.
And the desire to prove her “existence.”
Was she, Park Hyo Min, inferior to others?
By proactively inviting others, yet constantly ignoring her??
So when Ham Eun-jung heard this question, her delicate body trembled slightly, as if she hadn’t expected Park Hyo Min to bring this up.
But then, as if she had figured something out, not only did she not evade, but she couldn’t help but let out a “pfft” sound, followed by two laughter of unknown meaning.
“Hahaha…”
After laughing, Ham Eun-jung looked up to meet Park Hyo Min’s persistent and sharp gaze.
Her eyes not only showed no dissuasion but were filled with a certain encouragement and approval of watching the fun without fearing more trouble, and she nodded very affirmatively, “I did say that, Hyo Min~ I can guarantee with my character that this statement is absolutely true!!”
She even slightly restrained her laughter, making her tone sound a bit like a seductive temptation.
“And it will definitely not disappoint you.”
Mainly because Ham Eun-jung knew the situation clearly.
She definitely couldn’t reveal the shocking secret that concerned the future and spanned across time and space directly from her mouth, because that was Lin Xiuyuan’s bottom line.
However, she could slightly “fan the flames.”
Even if Park Hyo Min couldn’t obtain the “door” that traversed time and space like they did, as long as she could truly “win over” Lin Xiuyuan, she could get Lin Xiuyuan himself.
This was indeed all benefits and no harm.
So, looking at the emboldened Park Hyo Min before her, a hidden smile of wisdom and amusement played on her lips.
Now, there would be something interesting to watch.
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