Chapter 64: “sorry, It’s Not Convenient To Disclose.”
Night.
Im Yoon Ah followed Ham Eun-jung’s car and slowly pulled over to the roadside, gazing through the car window at that small tavern which hadn’t opened for business during the day yet. Having come to this side again, she rarely curved up the corners of her mouth into a faint smile.
“Going round and round, I didn’t expect to still end up here. Doesn’t this count as fate?”
Speaking of fate, the figure from that night unconsciously emerged in her mind.
Whether it was because she had been too idle lately, or because she was reaching the age to feel a bit nostalgic, her memories of those youthful times had become increasingly frequent and profound.
Putting away her smile, she turned off the engine, got out of the car, and quickly walked to Ham Eun-jung’s side ahead.
Coming to Ham Eun-jung’s side ahead, she asked, “Older sister, this place isn’t remote, but there aren’t many shops around. How did you all find this tavern? Just looking at the exterior, it feels pretty nice.”
“Mm, actually Soo Jung introduced it to me, and it just opened not long ago.”
Hearing the word “Soo Jung” from Ham Eun-jung’s mouth, Im Yoon Ah’s eyes darkened slightly, and some thoughts couldn’t help but bubble up in her heart.
Because that afternoon while resting at home, she had accidentally come across a piece of news.
The content of that news was a report about Jessica appearing at another event on the evening she got off work.
To confirm if it was true, she had specifically gone to check some comments and on-site photos, and finally confirmed it was real.
So now, she was increasingly curious about that figure she had once “brushed past.”
And yet, at this moment, she was standing in front of that familiar door, everything fitting perfectly with her intuition.
But while this was good news for Im Yoon Ah, it wasn’t good news at all for Lin Xiuyuan inside the house or for Park Ji-yeon who was squatting there.
So when Lin Xiuyuan heard the doorbell and then saw the figure of that little deer Bambi on the monitor.
His whole body seemed to freeze, his expression complex as he stared blankly at the doorway.
And Park Hyomin and the others sitting by the high stool also crowded over to the monitor the moment the doorbell rang.
After seeing it was Ham Eun-jung and Im Yoon Ah, they all exclaimed in surprise.
“Oh, why did Yoona older sister come with older sister?”
“It’s been a long time since I saw her. I didn’t expect to meet here.”
After saying two sentences, Big Dragon Cub stood up and walked toward the door. “I’ll go open the door.”
Meanwhile, Park Hyomin looked teasingly at Lin Xiuyuan behind the bar counter. “Lin Xiuyuan, your membership system tavern is really living up to its name now.”
In response, Lin Xiuyuan could only find a way out and reply, “If there are no people, it’s naturally no problem to greet friends. But if there are members present, I hope everyone can understand.”
At the same time, the door opened, and Ham Eun-jung brought Im Yoon Ah into the tavern.
Then Park Hyomin and Lee Ji-eun also stood up and went over to greet them. Those who didn’t know might think this was their tavern.
But Lin Xiuyuan didn’t mind. After everyone rushed over to exchange pleasantries with Im Yoon Ah, he quickly gestured for Park Ji-yeon to sit down and rest.
Because judging by this momentum, tonight was destined to be a prolonged battle.
If he really let Park Ji-yeon keep squatting, it definitely wouldn’t work. He was truly afraid this little dragon cub might twitch a nerve and suddenly jump out for a real PK with a certain “old woman,” which would really cause big trouble.
And Park Ji-yeon squatting below naturally heard the conversation outside too, and after exchanging a glance with Lin Xiuyuan, she let out a deep sigh.
Then with a “plop,” she sat down on her butt on the carpet.
Fortunately, Lin Xiuyuan had laid carpet throughout this small tavern, so even sitting on the ground wasn’t too uncomfortable.
After settling Park Ji-yeon, Lin Xiuyuan finally stepped out from behind the bar counter and walked toward Im Yoon Ah over there, who was already looking at him.
Then under Ham Eun-jung’s introduction, he greeted this Im Yoon Ah of 2025.
“Hello, I’m Lin Xiuyuan, the boss of this tavern.”
“Hello.”
Gazing at Lin Xiuyuan in front of her, Im Yoon Ah just gave a slight smile, not eagerly asking too much.
Then under his arrangement, she sat with Ham Eun-jung and the others in the sofa area over there, chatting idly with them while using the corner of her eyes to size up this guy.
Because her first feeling about him was that he seemed to know her.
This was Im Yoon Ah’s first reaction after interacting with Lin Xiuyuan, beyond just intuition; more importantly, it was the gaze Lin Xiuyuan directed at her.
It wasn’t just the look of recognizing an artist; it was more like he had interacted with her before.
That gaze carrying some familiarity and restraint made her intuition unusually sensitive.
But Im Yoon Ah could be very certain that this was her first time meeting Lin Xiuyuan.
Of course, she didn’t voice these thoughts, instead chatting while silently observing.
But if she had voiced these thoughts, she would have gotten a very interesting piece of information from the others nearby—that her current feeling had already troubled them for several days.
Unfortunately, she didn’t mention it.
So Park Ji-yeon and the others didn’t know.
And thus, Lin Xiuyuan dodged another crisis.
At this moment, he was bartending and, using the music to cover, exchanging words with Park Ji-yeon squatting behind the bar counter in a barely audible voice.
“Oppa, how long are they going to stay? Next time, if they’re not members, we really can’t let them in. This is too bad.”
“I’ll hang up the sign tomorrow and also find time to add a hidden room to the tavern.”
“Hurry up, oppa. This is my first time like this.”
“This is also my first time playing it this stimulating. We’re even.”
“Pah~”
As Park Ji-yeon lightly spat at him, Lin Xiuyuan smiled and carried the two prepared drinks over to the sofa side, then was stopped by Park Hyomin just as he was about to return to the bar counter side. “Wait a minute, Lin Xiuyuan~”
Lin Xiuyuan turned back. “What’s up?”
“Your tavern here is membership-based, right? Can you add me as one? This place is really suitable for us people to come sit and rest.”
Park Hyomin, who asked this question, thought it was just a formality and would naturally go through.
After all, everyone present had some face and substance.
But unexpectedly, the next second she heard Lin Xiuyuan’s polite refusal. “I’m afraid that won’t quite work. As Ji-yeon’s friend, it’s no problem to host everyone when the tavern is empty. But for formal membership, I need to discuss it in the member group with the others and have everyone review it together.”
“Ah, so strict?”
Now Park Hyomin was surprised. Not just her—Im Yoon Ah and Lee Ji-eun also looked somewhat unexpectedly at Lin Xiuyuan who was speaking.
Only Big Dragon Cub, who had experienced it once before, and Ham Eun-jung remained relatively calm. The former even explained the situation for her “fans.”
But the more she didn’t say, the worse it got—once she did, Park Hyomin became even more anxious.
“No, wait—down-and-out, rich, beautiful, sexy—we sitting here cover all those traits, right?”
Everyone exchanged glances, then all burst out laughing.
Lin Xiuyuan stood to the side without speaking, just showing a helpless expression. “No way around it. This is the membership system set before opening the shop—it’s also the reason this tavern exists.”
Then Im Yoon Ah asked, “Then, can we conveniently know how many members the tavern has now?”
“Sorry, not convenient to disclose.”
“……”
