Chapter 38: “park Ji-yeon, Wanna Join The Cult?”
【Do you want to understand the meaning of life? Do you want… to truly live?】
【…】
In the lobby, Park Ji-yeon looked at the note suddenly delivered by the server in front of her, raised her eyes and exchanged a glance with Ham Eun-jung across from her.
The latter gently shook her head, indicating she couldn’t understand it either.
But besides not understanding, Ham Eun-jung asked curiously, “The server just said it was from Jessica senior?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said. But look at this handwriting, it’s all crooked and sloppy, nothing like Jessica older sister’s handwriting at all. I think…”
Park Ji-yeon paused, a bit of suspicion appearing between her brows.
Compared to Ham Eun-jung’s lack of familiarity with Jung Soo Yeon, Park Ji-yeon had gathered with Girls’ Generation a few times alongside Park Hyomin under Sunny’s coordination, and had seen Jessica’s handwriting in person.
So…
“That guy.”
Thinking of something, Ham Eun-jung let out a low exclamation, and Park Ji-yeon nodded along, “Besides this, I can’t think of anything else.”
After roughly figuring out the situation, when the two looked at the note again, the unease in their hearts faded a bit, replaced by a touch of curiosity and amusement.
Especially Ham Eun-jung, who tapped the paper with her fingertip with great interest and said, “So what does he want with you? This message is so interesting too, it feels like reading a storybook.”
“No idea, what do you think, older sister?”
Park Ji-yeon, who had just turned adult, had basically had smooth sailing all these years except for last year’s major incident.
Suddenly encountering something like this, she was at a loss for a moment.
Child star debut Ham Eun-jung glanced at the meaning of those words a couple more times, then tsked again, “What it says seems like he wants to be friends with you, but not quite; it doesn’t seem like he doesn’t want to get to know you either, since he gave the address and phone. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve encountered a situation like this.”
…
On the other side, in the private room.
“Who deceives people like you do? Who can even read what you wrote?”
Thinking of the paper she had just had delivered, Jung Soo Yeon looked at Lin Xiuyuan across from her with a face full of speechlessness.
“Same as you.” Lin Xiuyuan replied flatly while eating barbecue, “I couldn’t just tell her directly that I’m cheating, right?”
After saying that, he smiled again, “This is a question of trust and a bold gamble. You trusted it and came, so you won the bet. Krystal was the same. If she doesn’t trust or come, then she has no fate with me. That’s destiny, it depends on her choice.”
“Whoa, tsk tsk tsk~”
Facing Lin Xiuyuan’s response, Jung Soo Yeon’s gaze toward him became intrigued, “Do you know what you sounded like when you said that just now?”
“Life coach?” Lin Xiuyuan laughed.
“No, like a cult shaman.”
Being on the peninsula, how could Jung Soo Yeon not understand the local specialty industries? Lin Xiuyuan’s tone and logic just now really had a bit of that flavor.
But her response amused Lin Xiuyuan, “If I’m a cult shaman, then you who followed me in, and Krystal, wouldn’t that make you followers of my cult?”
“…”
Not expecting Lin Xiuyuan to respond like that, Jung Soo Yeon was choked up by his words.
After a while, once she figured it out, she laughed herself, “It does seem like that’s the case.”
This made Lin Xiuyuan’s eyes light up even more; he even put down his chopsticks and looked at Jung Soo Yeon happily, “Oh, I remember some doctrines clearly state that followers need to have a spirit of service. I wonder…”
But before he could finish, Jung Soo Yeon kicked him from under the table, “Get lost.”
Luckily Lin Xiuyuan dodged in time, so she only hit the table leg, not his leg.
Lin Xiuyuan quickly appeased her, “Hahaha, Jung Soo Yeon, don’t get mad. Just chatting, why get so mad?”
The appeased Jung Soo Yeon glared at him fiercely a few times, then lowered her head to continue grilling meat for him, but this time with revenge in mind, she grilled it tough before putting it in front of him, making him work his teeth and jaw.
But soon, she thought of something else.
Holding the barbecue tongs, she got up and sat next to Lin Xiuyuan, nearly scaring him into dodging away during the process, but she called out in time, “Don’t run, I want to talk to you.”
“What?”
Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan continued eating his fried chicken nuggets.
“I remember Soo Jung asked for your help over there, so shouldn’t you be looking for Ji-yeon over there?”
But at Jung Soo Yeon’s question, Lin Xiuyuan looked at her like she was a fool, making her hair stand on end, “What? I didn’t say anything wrong.”
“What’s there to think about? Same as you. The one over there is done for already; if I have to find someone, it can only be this side’s. The past can’t be changed; only the future that hasn’t happened yet can be saved.”
Lin Xiuyuan clamped a piece of beef into his mouth and soon frowned; clearly that beef was way too tough.
Seeing this, Jung Soo Yeon beside him quickly averted her gaze, a bit guilty and not daring to meet his eyes.
But fortunately, tough as it was, it had its own unique flavor, so Lin Xiuyuan, who chewed harder and harder, continued, “Besides, isn’t the young Park Ji-yeon still Park Ji-yeon?”
“What you say makes sense.”
Hearing Lin Xiuyuan compare her to himself, Jung Soo Yeon unusually didn’t retort, but sighed dejectedly, “Compared to me, Ji-yeon over there really had it rough; no wonder Soo Jung, who never meddles, spoke up.”
“Actually not really. If Krystal hadn’t come to me first, I was planning to find Tara anyway.”
Hearing Lin Xiuyuan say this for the first time, Jung Soo Yeon looked at him in surprise, “Why Tara? I think Yoona and them could work too, and others.”
Lin Xiuyuan’s answer was straightforward, “Im Yoon Ah? Is she down and out? Joining my cult has standards: needs to be down and out yet rich, with some pent-up drive in her heart. That kind of beautiful rich woman isn’t common in Seoul; I think those Tara girls fit perfectly.”
“Get lost, I was joking and you took it seriously.”
Seeing Lin Xiuyuan still using the term “join the cult,” Jung Soo Yeon gave his shoulder a helpless smack, half-laughing half-crying.
“Ow, big sister.”
“Hey, don’t call me sister.”
…
The next day at noon.
A studio in Seoul.
Park Ji-yeon, who hadn’t worked with the full group in a while, was shooting new promotional posters today with a few members of the subunit.
But during the shoot, that note she received last night at dinner lingered inescapably in her mind.
A woman’s unique sixth sense was telling her that if she didn’t go, she’d regret it forever.
But a woman’s sense of security and sense of crisis were frantically warning her that a girl going out alone to meet a guy—who knew what could happen afterward? The risks were unpredictable.
This hesitation persisted from the start of the shoot to the end.
Finally making up her mind, Park Ji-yeon decided to call first to check the situation, but it wouldn’t connect.
She tried several times in a row, same response.
Until all work ended that day, and she returned to the dormitory under the starry midnight sky, she dialed again with a “one last try” mentality.
This time, the call connected.
“Hello.”
A male voice, young, magnetic, clear and real.
With confirmation, Park Ji-yeon glanced back at the busy members, walked to the window and asked, “Hello, this is Park Ji-yeon.”
“Oh, Park Ji-yeon, hahaha.”
The other side laughed, tone relaxed yet mysterious, “So, do you want to join the cult?”
Brothers, last half day of double votes, don’t hold back if you have any, support the newbie little white.
