Chapter 53: “you’re Being A Bit Nosy, Krystal”
……
“Nini, are you in Seoul?”
“Seoul? Yeah, I am, unnie. What’s up?”
“Soo Jung has a friend’s tavern opening today. Want to come sit together?”
“Soo Jung unnie, sure.”
……
Inside the tavern.
Seeing the figure following behind Jessica who came in, Lin Xiuyuan’s reaction was even more shocked than when he had seen Ham Eun-jung earlier, his eyes widening, his gaze glancing at Krystal, full of disbelief, wanting to ask what was going on.
But at this moment, Krystal had no time to pay attention to him, because the other had already stepped up for him ahead of time, standing up to welcome Jessica and the others.
“Hi, long time no see, Jennie.”
“Jessica, you’re late.”
Jennie looked strangely at Lin Xiuyuan who hadn’t moved from behind the bar counter, her expression becoming subtly odd for a moment, but she quickly composed herself, smiling as she greeted Krystal, “Indeed, long time no see, unnie. The last time we met was last Christmas, right?”
As for Jessica, she glanced at Krystal, then swept her eyes over Lin Xiuyuan behind her, originally wanting to complain why he hadn’t come to greet them himself, but she couldn’t worry about that now.
Because Ham Eun-jung and Bae Soo Ji had already stood up to nod and greet her.
Jennie also politely bowed to the two in greeting.
Behind the bar counter, Lin Xiuyuan watched this scene, the initial surprise already replaced by a sense of helplessness and weariness.
Although he had worked in Seoul for over a year in 2013, he had always felt unadapted to this kind of socializing etiquette with strict seniority and hierarchy, and he had always disliked it.
So as soon as he got off work, he almost never participated in any socializing.
Even so, he silently complained in his heart about these tedious formalities while walking out from behind the bar counter.
Under Jessica’s gaze and Krystal’s introduction, he simply made eye contact with Jennie.
He looked at the slim girl in front of him, and Jennie was also gazing at this sunny and handsome boy; the two smiled at each other in unison.
Immediately after, Lin Xiuyuan led the group to sit in the sofa area, while also calling Krystal to bring Ham Eun-jung and Bae Soo Ji over,
The seated Jennie gazed at Krystal who was running around like the boss’s wife, bustling about.
She couldn’t help turning to look at Jessica, “Unnie, that handsome guy is Soo Jung unnie’s… what?”
“No.”
Jessica denied it without the slightest hesitation.
Meanwhile, Bae Soo Ji was also chatting with Ham Eun-jung over there.
“Unnie, don’t you think Soo Jung and this guy’s relationship is a bit too intimate? She usually can’t be bothered to move, but today she’s actually helping out as a waitress.”
Faced with Bae Soo Ji’s curiosity, the long-haired Ham Eun-jung also looked strangely toward the two at the bar counter, “I don’t quite get it. If it’s real, this Lin guy should be post-00s, right? Tsk, Soo Jung dating someone so much younger is a bit too much.”
Hearing Ham Eun-jung’s answer, Bae Soo Ji’s eyes lit up again, and she couldn’t help muttering softly, “I also really like young guys with eight-pack abs who are like little puppies.”
“If Suzy likes them, don’t you have plenty around you to choose from?”
At Bae Soo Ji’s words, Ham Eun-jung, who knew her friend’s personality very well, laughed, because the other always had handsome guys around her.
As for Ham Eun-jung’s complaint, Bae Soo Ji didn’t think much of it; her open love for handsome guys was known across the internet.
But at this moment, gazing from afar at Lin Xiuyuan’s clear eyes with a smiling expression, the joy in her gaze was no longer concealed, “But I’ve never seen one like this model. Eun-jung, have you seen a boy with such pure eyes?”
Ham Eun-jung glanced at Lin Xiuyuan, then shook her head lightly after a few seconds, “Indeed rare. I don’t know how he takes care of his eyes; after all this time, there’s not a speck of impurity. I kind of want to ask him for tips.”
The group was chatting lively when Krystal smoothly placed the drinks Lin Xiuyuan had personally mixed on the table in front of them, smiling, “Try them, they’re pretty good.”
“I never see you this busy at home, Krystal. What’s this, does this small tavern have your shares?”
As soon as Krystal sat next to Jessica, the other’s cold snort followed immediately, making Ham Eun-jung and the others burst out laughing.
Krystal immediately waved her hand, “No, just friends, I’m helping him out, totally normal.”
“Soo Jung ah, my place hasn’t been cleaned for days…”
“Out, call the cleaning lady yourself.”
Bae Soo Ji’s joke wasn’t even finished when Krystal reached out a hand to press her gossiping face back into her seat, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Bae Soo Ji, with her face pressed, grumbled resentfully, “Soo Jung ah, you’re so biased.”
At this time, Jennie also noticed Lin Xiuyuan’s youth and quietly asked, “Unnie, how old is he?”
After hearing the question, Krystal took a light sip of her drink before answering, “Lin Xiuyuan? He’s 21, hasn’t had his 22nd birthday yet this year.”
But as soon as she finished speaking, Jessica remembered a previous conversation, “Wait, isn’t he 18?”
18?
Krystal, being questioned, thought of something and immediately turned to glare at Lin Xiuyuan at the bar counter, but soon burst out laughing, turning back to Jessica, “No, he was just joking with you, unnie.”
Bae Soo Ji beside her understood the fastest and immediately couldn’t hold back her laughter, hugging Ham Eun-jung’s arm, her shoulders shaking.
And as the oldest in the sofa group who didn’t surf the internet much usually, Jessica still couldn’t understand this ‘joke’ even now.
But she was unhappy for real, “You can even joke about that?”
Hearing the anger in Jessica’s tone, what more could Krystal say? She could only continue cleaning up Lin Xiuyuan’s mess（ wiping his ass）, “I can only say our generation gap is a bit big, unnie. We’re over ten years apart, so just understand.”
“Tsk tsk tsk, ya, Jung Soo Jung~”
“Yes, unnie.”
After responding to Jessica, Krystal noticed Lin Xiuyuan answering a phone call over there, and thinking of something, she immediately stood up, “Um, you guys chat first, I’ll go over.”
After saying that, she left the sofa seat and walked toward the bar counter.
Jessica, watching this from behind, felt a sense of abandonment, so she called out accusingly toward that side, “Ya, Jung Soo Jung~”
The people beside her burst into laughter again.
Over at the bar counter, Lin Xiuyuan had just hung up the phone when he saw Krystal walking over.
“Your sister seems to be calling you.”
“Ignore her.” Krystal ignored what was behind her and asked him, “Who were you just talking to?”
Lin Xiuyuan smiled this time, “You’re getting a bit nosy, Krystal.”
Faced with this, Krystal just raised an eyebrow, “Unnie’s here. You sure you want S.M. people to come over?”
Lin Xiuyuan smiled again and shook his head, “No, she just knew I was opening today and called to congratulate me. She doesn’t have time to come.”
After getting the answer, Krystal grinned first, then huffed, “Tch, acting all big shot. It’s not like I haven’t been an idol; I could make time even with the death schedule from over ten years ago. Girls nowadays are just dramatic.”
As she was speaking, Ham Eun-jung on the sofa behind received a call, then shouted to Krystal, “Soo Jung ah, Ji-yeon is here.”
Ji-yeon?
Park Ji-yeon?
Married woman!
A bit late tonight, sorry
