Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 164 "Then let's invite Taeyeon along~" (Please subscribe and vote for monthly tickets)

While Lin Xiuyuan was sparring with Lee Qri in 2025, in 2013, Jung Soo-yeon, who had just finished her work, finally found some free time.

I immediately went to the studio/workspace I mentioned earlier, where the renovation was already more than halfway done.

She had already arranged for a friend who had just returned from overseas to temporarily serve as the room manager, responsible for supervising the renovation progress and purchasing the necessary materials.

As for formal professional personnel, the headhunting company has already started looking, and they promised to deliver the list within the next two days.

After arriving at the scene, Jessica Jung stood in the work area under renovation and looked around. When she saw that the separate offices being partitioned off and the gradually taking shape of the space layout matched her imagination very well, she nodded in satisfaction.

She then approached the construction supervisor and added a few more detailed suggestions that she had just thought of. Only after learning that the entire project would be completed in three days did she leave the site, satisfied.

Before leaving, she made a special detour to the small workshop that had previously handled the OEM production and took away the last batch of samples.

In a few days, my designs and products will be able to completely break away from the OEM model and fully transition to independent production.

By the time Jessica Jung finished doing all this, it was already past 4 p.m.

So, sitting in the car, she hesitated for a moment before flipping through her contacts. She was about to dial Lin Xiaolu's number, but then stopped herself. After thinking for a moment, she opened Shirley's contact information instead and dialed the number.

A few seconds later, the phone was answered, and Sulli's sweet laughter came from the other end, "Hello~ Unnie."

"Have you finished on your end?"

Upon hearing Sulli's voice, Jessica Jung unconsciously smiled and spoke in a lighthearted tone.

Sherry on the other end of the phone glanced at Lin Xiaolu, who had already stood up and bowed to say goodbye, and then replied, "Yeah, it just ended."

"Then I'll come find you tonight..."

"Unnie, I'll cook tonight. You didn't come to eat last time, so tonight is perfect."

Before Jessica could speak, Sulli seemed to have already guessed what she wanted to say, and said cheerfully, "Didn't you miss it last time? You can make up for it today. Let's go to the supermarket first and buy some snacks and things we're missing at home, and then cook dinner together, okay?"

Jessica Jung, who had already planned to have dinner with the group, readily agreed to the suggestion, saying, "Sure, it's settled then."

The three of them quickly met up at a shopping mall in the middle of the mall. They strolled around for a while, buying some decorations, clothes, hats, and the like, before heading back to tidy up their apartment.

By the time I returned to the apartment carrying my bags, it was almost dusk.

So after returning to the apartment, I immediately started preparing dinner for tonight.

During the meal, Jessica Jung and Lin Xiaolu wanted to come and help with the cooking, but Sulli pushed them away without any politeness, saying, "Unnie, the best help you can give is by not coming to cause trouble. I really don't want to make tuna kimchi fried rice."

Then he was given a severe 'lesson' by Jessica Jung.

However, she eventually went outside to the living room and, together with Lin Xiaolu, unpacked the small decorations, aromatherapy items, and wall hangings they had bought that afternoon, and rearranged the apartment, which they did not live in often but frequently visited.

Although they don't live here, they still want to make themselves as comfortable as possible since they come and go.

However, at that moment, the portal was opened.

……

……

Let's go back to the time when Lin Xiuyuan was sparring with Lee Qri in 2025, and the scene where Kim Tae-yeon suddenly called.

Looking at his phone, Lin Xiuyuan glanced up at Lee Qri and Ham Eunjung, who were chatting and laughing on the other end of the line, then answered the phone, his tone relaxed: "Hey~ Taeyeon, what's up?"

"Xiuyuan, where are you now? I need to talk to you about something."

Kim Tae-yeon spoke quickly on the other end of the phone, her tone slightly hurried, which made Lin Xiuyuan's expression tense up.

Lee Qri and Ham Eunjung, who were opposite them, also noticed the subtle atmosphere and looked over.

So Lin Xiuyuan didn't hesitate and directly told the other party the address of the place where he was eating.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, as if someone was looking at a map or thinking about something. After a while, Kim Tae-yeon's voice came through again, "You're not far from here. I'll give you my location. Can you come and help me?"

After hearing the answer, Lin Xiuyuan looked up at the other side again. Lee Juri and Ham Eunjung were still looking at him, but Lee Juri nodded slightly.

Lin Xiuyuan then replied, "Okay, I'll go there now."

After hanging up the phone, he looked across at the other end, and Ham Eun-jung's voice was even faster than his, "Go quickly, although I don't know why Taeyeon is in such a hurry to see you, it must be something urgent."

"Then I'll go first."

As he spoke, Lin Xiuyuan deliberately lowered his head and ate a few mouthfuls of rice before getting up from his seat and leaving.

Polite yet efficient.

Lee Qri watched his departing figure, sighed softly, and muttered, "What's all this about, Eunjung? Do you think Taeyeon knows I made plans with Xiuyuan and is deliberately causing trouble?"

"Unnie, don't be so sensitive," Ham Eun-jung chuckled. "It sounds like he really has something urgent to discuss with him, it's not like he's targeting you like that."

Seeing Lee Juri's anxiety, Ham Eun-jung, though puzzled, still comforted her according to her own wishes.

But Li Juli was still uncomfortable. She pursed her lips and frowned. "I don't understand. Why go to Xiuyuan when you have something to do? They're not that close."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ham Eun-jung couldn't help but laugh out loud, "So you also specifically invited Soo-won to dinner, isn't that the same thing?"

Speaking of this, she asked Lee Qri again, "Unnie, so what exactly happened? I've noticed that lately, the conversations between you and Jiyeon are basically all about Xiuyuan."

In Ham Eun-jung's opinion, Lin Xiuyuan was indeed outstanding—young, thoughtful, and sensible—but not enough to make these older women so easily fall for him.

She couldn't think of any possibility of "love at first sight".

That kind of heart-fluttering feeling might belong to a young girl who has just entered the industry, or a mature woman who is married but has fallen into a forbidden relationship.

But for people of their age, who are neither here nor there, half-dead and half-alive, that's completely impossible.

Lee Qri didn't respond immediately. Instead, she hesitated for a moment, then beckoned to Ham Eun-jung and whispered something in her ear.

However, Lin Xiuyuan was unaware of their situation. After leaving the restaurant, he quickly got into his car and headed straight for the location Kim Tae-yeon had given him.

That's a residential address; if nothing unexpected happens, it should be Kim Tae-yeon's apartment.

Lin Xiuyuan was puzzled the whole way. He didn't understand why Kim Tae-yeon's mood was suddenly so strange, nor did he understand why she had come to him.

Logically speaking, the other party should have many close friends around them, so there's no reason for them to ask me to come over alone.

But recalling the almost panicked tone in her voice on the phone, Lin Xiuyuan didn't ask any more questions or thank her, choosing instead to go and check it out first.

The two places are indeed not far apart, with a straight-line distance of just over 4 kilometers, so Lin Xiuyuan arrived there in about 10 minutes by car.

After driving into the underground parking lot, Lin Xiuyuan quickly parked the car and, following the instructions sent by Taeyeon, entered the access code to enter the elevator lobby and took the elevator directly to her floor.

After stepping out of the elevator, you can immediately see a house on each side of the corridor, with Kim Tae-yeon's house on the right.

He checked the floor and apartment number, put his phone in his pocket, and walked over to ring the doorbell.

About ten seconds later, the door clicked open, revealing a flustered Kim Tae-yeon.

"Xiuyuan, you're finally here!" Kim Tae-yeon flung open the door, her expression tense. "Come in quickly and help me check on Zero. It's been shaking since this morning."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan finally understood why Kim Tae-yeon was flustered; it turned out to be the puppy's problem.

And it's Zero, who has quite a bit of popularity in the Korean entertainment industry.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan quickly went into the house and soon saw a small dog in the corner.

He looked tense and trembling, his eyes darting around, his gums showing, and he muttered something under his breath every now and then, as if warning someone not to come near.

"Could it be sick?" Lin Xiuyuan frowned and squatted down.

"I don't know either!" Kim Tae-yeon nervously rubbed her hands, standing about two meters away from Zero, not daring to get closer, her voice almost trembling with anxiety, "It bared its teeth and barked fiercely whenever I got close... It's never been like this before."

Lin Xiuyuan turned to look at her, his tone tinged with confusion, "Didn't you always take it for baths, checkups, and vaccinations? Why suddenly..."

"I do not know either……"

Kim Tae-yeon answered with a hint of grievance, "It was fine in the morning, but I didn't see it for a while around noon. When I found it again, it was hiding under the sofa and wouldn't come out. I tried to pick it up, and it barked at me. I almost got bitten on the hand."

Hearing her say that, Lin Xiuyuan began to observe Zero's condition again.

Although the puppy kept growling, it seemed to be just emotionally agitated. There was no unfocused look in its eyes, and its breathing was normal. There was no obvious fever or weakness.

It didn't look like it was sick; it seemed more like it had been stimulated by something, and the whole dog was as tense as a string.

However, Lin Xiuyuan knew he wasn't a professional veterinarian and didn't dare to make a hasty judgment, so he said, "How about you find me a bath towel, and I'll help you hold it and take it to the vet?"

"Yeah, okay."

Kim Tae-yeon nodded quickly. Actually, she had asked Lin Xiu-yuan to come because she didn't know what to do.

It's not that I can't find anyone else, but we just had dinner and chatted yesterday, so I subconsciously thought of him.

Not long after, she handed him a bath towel. Lin Xiuyuan folded it a few times, quickly covered Zero with it, and while it was barking, he nimbly grabbed the fur by the back of its neck and lifted it up.

"There must be a cage."

"Yes, I'll go get it!"

Kim Tae-yeon immediately turned around, rummaged through the corner and pulled out a portable cage, skillfully opened it and placed it on the ground.

But just then, Zero became even more agitated when he saw the cage, kicking his limbs wildly in the air.

If Lin Xiuyuan hadn't squeezed its fur in time, it probably would have broken free.

In the midst of the chaos, he suddenly noticed something unusual: Zero's head and eyes were fixed intently on the direction of the balcony, and the barking became even more intense.

Following its gaze, Lin Xiuyuan saw an old doll hanging in the corner of the balcony.

Seeing this, Lin Xiuyuan looked at Kim Tae-yeon and asked, "Tae-yeon, is that doll yours?" Upon hearing this, Kim Tae-yeon turned her head and looked at it, then shook her head and said, "No, that's Zero's doll."

"baby?"

"Yeah, that rag doll, the one Zero had when he was little. I saw that it was so black, so I took it to wash it when he wasn't looking."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan chuckled, then carried Zero to the balcony, took down the still damp doll, and placed it on the ground along with it.

Sure enough, Zero stopped barking as soon as he saw the familiar doll.

It whimpered and nuzzled closer, first rubbing its nose against the toy, then snatched it up in its mouth and ran quickly back to its den. The dog seemed to relax instantly and stopped trembling.

The dog lay on the ground, burying its head in the rag doll's arms, breathing softly, and even making a faint purring sound.

Seeing this, Kim Tae-yeon looked at Lin Xiuyuan with some confusion, "Why is this happening?"

"do not you know?"

As Lin Xiuyuan walked back to the living room, he explained, "Many babies will identify a certain thing as a 'safe object,' which is called an 'Abebe.' It could be a tattered towel, a rag doll, an old piece of clothing, or anything that has been with them since they were little. Once it is taken away or disappears, they will become extremely anxious."

As Lin Xiuyuan explained, he walked back into the house. "Zero's doll has probably been with it since it was a kitten. You suddenly washed it and hung it on the balcony to dry in the sun... This is equivalent to you taking away its emotional support, so its emotions naturally collapsed, and that's how it ended up like this."

“But it’s really too dirty…” Kim Tae-yeon frowned and argued softly.

"Humans have a different worldview than dogs..."

Lin Xiuyuan originally wanted to say that even dogs eat poop, but then he thought about it and didn't say it out loud; it was too disgusting.

The two squatted down in front of the nest again, and Kim Tae-yeon carefully reached out and touched Zero's head.

This time, it just hummed softly twice, its eyes half-closed, no longer wary and letting her touch it.

This made Kim Tae-yeon's eyes widen. "It...it really was just because I washed that doll?"

“Right, it’s not human, what’s the point of reasoning with it?” Lin Xiuyuan stood up, looked around, and replied casually, “In its eyes, you’ve stolen, hidden, and thrown away its most precious treasure.”

Kim Tae-yeon paused for a moment, then looked down at Zero in her nest.

The puppy was now happily chewing on the plush toy, its calm demeanor a stark contrast to its previous state, as if it were a completely different dog.

"I just... I just wanted to clean it up a bit..." she said softly, pouting.

"What you're doing is like someone taking advantage of you when you're not looking, washing your favorite childhood toy, and then hanging it out to dry. You might even cry," Lin Xiuyuan said, suppressing a laugh. "Besides, even though it's dirty, it's a source of security for that thing."

Kim Tae-yeon looked up at the little dog sleeping peacefully on the carpet and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as Kim Tae-yeon was carefully touching Zero, Lin Xiuyuan's gaze crossed the distance and involuntarily fell on a photo frame in the cabinet next to him.

The figures inside were very clear, and the glass lenses were very clean, as if someone frequently wiped them.

Then he remembered what he had talked about with Park Jiyeon at the karaoke bar not long ago, and then looked down at Kim Taeyeon, who was nestled next to him, carefully stroking Zero.

Suddenly I realized that the theory of "safe objects" that I had just talked about might not only apply to zero.

After a while, Kim Tae-yeon finally stood up and looked at him with a hint of apology and exhaustion. "Thank you, Xiuyuan. I'm so glad you came and took a look at it. Otherwise, I would have really taken it to the vet, and it would have suffered again."

The voice wasn't loud, but it struck Lin Xiuyuan's heart instantly. He had originally just intended to wave his hand in response, but upon hearing those words, his hand paused, and his brows furrowed slightly.

This dog's emotional support comes from an old doll.

But what is it that Kim Tae-yeon is relying on?

At this moment, Kim Tae-yeon seemed to realize that her words had been too harsh.

After a moment of silence, he gently sat down on the sofa, turned his gaze to the little dog that had fallen asleep peacefully, and began to talk to himself.

"I don't remember when it was, but one day I came home after a trip and found the house too quiet and empty. At that moment, I suddenly really wanted something to be waiting for me at home, something that would be there when I turned around and wouldn't leave."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan looked down at Zero in its nest. Zero was fast asleep, and the rag doll was still firmly pressed under its body.

“So I adopted Zero. It was so small back then, you could hold it in one hand. But when it looked at me, its eyes seemed to say, ‘I’ll wait for you to come back.’ And it’s been with me ever since.”

At this point, Kim Tae-yeon thanked Lin Xiu-yuan again, "Thank you, Xiu-yuan, Zero is very important to me."

Lin Xiuyuan suddenly understood why this person had been so flustered just now.

Besides worrying that Zero might suddenly get sick or something might happen to her, perhaps more than anything, she's afraid that her last remaining sense of security will also disappear.

Thinking of this, he shook his head slightly and smiled, "No, it's a small problem. You could have solved it even if I hadn't come."

"But it will make it suffer."

"Things will get better eventually."

After Lin Xiuyuan finished speaking, he got up to leave.

He planned to rush back to Lee Juri's place. Although he had just left the meeting temporarily, now that the matter was resolved, he should go back to continue the appointment.

Seeing this, Kim Tae-yeon didn't try to stop him, but thanked him repeatedly and said she would treat him to a meal next time to make up for it.

Lin Xiuyuan didn't take it to heart, nodded and left, quickly returning to his car and dialing Li Juli's number.

As soon as the call connected, the background noise from a golf course could be heard on Lee Juri's end. Within half an hour, she had rescheduled with Park Hyomin to continue the golf game they had missed the day before.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan didn't say that he had finished dealing with the situation. He simply explained the unexpected situation that had just occurred and apologized to her.

She casually mimicked Kim Tae-yeon's tone and said, "I'll treat you to dinner next time, Qri."

Upon hearing this, Lee Juri immediately chuckled. With Ham Eun-jung as her wingman today, there was practically nothing to do.

But if it could earn me a chance to eat alone, that would be wonderful.

So he quickly said, "It's a deal, Xiuyuan, don't go back on your word."

"will not."

Lin Xiuyuan smiled and replied.

After hanging up the phone, he started his car and drove back to the villa.

However, all the way there, his mind was still filled with everything that had just happened at Kim Tae-yeon's house.

In particular, her words, "If something happens to Zero, I really don't know what to do," made him, who is usually emotionally insensitive, raise an eyebrow and feel a strange stirring in his heart.

It wasn't until I got back to the villa that I was able to slowly shake off these distracting thoughts by playing games, and I ended up playing until evening.

Lin Xiuyuan's back was a little sore, so he stood up, stretched his muscles, and prepared to go through the time portal back to 2013 to find something to eat.

As soon as they entered, they bumped into Jessica Jung and Lin Xiaolu, who were arranging things in the living room.

"Why are you here?" Lin Xiuyuan asked, somewhat surprised.

Faced with Lin Xiuyuan's curiosity, Zheng Xiuyan explained their situation that day, and then asked while setting up the aromatherapy diffuser, "Why are you back so early? I thought you wouldn't be back until evening."

"I had nothing to do over there and was just looking for something to eat... but now it seems like I don't need to go out."

As he spoke, Lin Xiuyuan's nose twitched slightly, and the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen brought a smile to his face.

Jessica Jung smiled, then glanced at the still-open portal and suggested, "Should we invite Krystal and Yoona? It's rare for us all to get together."

She only learned about the last gathering from Shirley, so this time, since everyone was there, she wanted to see Krystal, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

However, Lin Xiuyuan was a little stunned, thinking of the bomb Krystal had thrown out during their last meal.

However, in the end, she didn't refuse, saying, "I'll go ask."

Then he turned around and went back to the living room of the villa in 2025, took out his phone and called Krystal, but she was busy with work today.

So the next call Lin Xiuyuan made was to Lin Yun'er.

The call was answered quickly, and a familiar laugh came from the other end, "Xiuyuan, what's up?"

"Yoona, where are you? Come and have dinner with us."

Lin Xiuyuan's voice startled Lin Yoona again, and she turned to look at Kim Tae-yeon beside her.

The other party was amused and exasperated, and couldn't help but shout into the phone, "Hey, Xiuyuan, do you always call Yoon-ah away whenever she wants to have dinner with me? Even though you helped me this afternoon, this is still a bit too much."

Hearing Kim Tae-yeon's voice, Lin Xiuyuan was taken aback. "Huh? Tae-yeon's here too."

"Yeah, my unnie invited me to dinner, and she also took Zero out for a walk."

Yoona explained with a smile.

But the next second, as if she had heard something, her expression suddenly changed, and she turned to look at Kim Tae-yeon beside her.

Because Lin Xiuyuan, who was on the other end of the phone, had finished speaking after her reply, and said something in a calm tone.

"Then let's invite Taeyeon to come along."

　In the next chapter, Kim Tae-yeon joins the cult, so I'm asking for monthly tickets, subscriptions, donations, and everything else!!!

　　"Peninsula: Why Play Pure Love After Being Reborn?" by Time of Gathering and Scattering Memories.

　　Synopsis: When simps meet a terrible end, the warrior's spirit finally awakens. Reborn, he transcends the status quo when he decides to stop being a simp.

　　The clown who gave up an entire forest for a single tree was actually me in the past?! Unbelievable!
　　Female leads: (main characters from the second, third, and fourth generations) Tae Seo-yoon, Baek-chai, Bae Suzy... The author mentioned that there are 21 specific character cards available, and they are still considering adding more.

　　This author has previously written "Korean Entertainment: A Colorful World Across Time", "The Most Beautiful Encounter on the Peninsula", and "Sweet Whispers on the Peninsula". She is a veteran author.

　　The strength and updates are still guaranteed.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)