Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 166 A Separation in Life, A Farewell in Death (Please Subscribe and Vote)

"By the way, this is 2013."

Lin Xiuyuan's words were like a nail, driving them deep into Kim Tae-yeon's already battered and precarious inner world.

"2013 years..."

She murmured the timeline, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, as if it were just an unconscious echo.

It was as if a crack had been suddenly torn open in my mind, and a flood of memories burst forth, pouring towards the past.

Kim Tae-yeon stood there, her eyes glazed over, her lips pressed tightly together, her body seemingly sealed inside some unseen amber, unable to move.

A scene from a certain day seemed to appear before my eyes.

That was the scene of Shirley's memorial service.

There, Kim Tae-yeon met Jung Soo-jung.

That usually strong girl seemed to have lost her soul that day. She collapsed in front of the funeral hall, crying out "Unnie" over and over again. Her voice was hoarse and heartbreaking, and everyone around her couldn't help but look away.

That scene is still deeply etched in her mind.

She saw Krystal kneeling on the ground, hugging Luna, holding Sulli's portrait in her arms, crying as she said, "She said she's getting better, she said she won't leave alone again..."

Then, the sobs that rang in her ears were like sharp, blunt instruments, pounding on Kim Tae-yeon's heart again and again, making even breathing feel like it was being torn apart, and even her vision began to blur.

Then, we waited for the image to become clear again.

Kim Tae-yeon, however, saw a different scene.

It was at Kim Jong-hyun's funeral one winter. I walked quickly into the funeral hall with Lim Yoona. I was wrapped in a thick black coat, but I still felt the biting cold seep into my bones.

She remembers the air that day very clearly; it was bone-chillingly cold, and the entire space felt oppressive, as if it might collapse at any moment.

In the distance, Jonghyun's sister was tightly embracing his portrait, sobbing uncontrollably. Silence reigned around them, broken only by the occasional sound of weeping, like something being ripped apart.

Kim Tae-yeon herself, embraced by Im Yoon-ah and comforted by the members, cried until her eyes were red and her voice was hoarse.

Next was Goo Hara's memorial service.

Looking at Goo Hara lying peacefully in the photo, her bright smile is forever frozen in time.

Kim Tae-yeon stood in front of the photo for a long time, unable to move. Just last month, she had said goodbye to Sulli. At that time, she felt as if she had fallen into an invisible black hole, which was dragging her down.

That kind of darkness is an abyss from which the sun never rises.

She couldn't remember if she cried that day, but she knew that someone said she looked like she had lost her soul and hadn't said a word all day.

The last image that appeared was his father's funeral.

Kim Tae-yeon stood at the front of the crowd, wearing a sharp black suit, her eyes vacant, without tears or a sound.

She couldn't remember what she was feeling at the time; all she could hear was the sound of people crying all around her.

But he just kept his head down, kneeling there like a puppet, his fingers icy cold, his heart numb.

For the next few years, Kim Tae-yeon never celebrated her birthday again and almost forgot what cake tasted like.

The word "birthday" had long since disappeared from her life, lost in the gaps between farewells and funerals.

……

Back in her apartment, Kim Tae-yeon's gaze refocused, landing on Yoona and Xiu-yuan in front of her.

Then he took a deep breath, slowly turned around, and looked at Lin Xiaolu, Zheng Xiuyan, and... Sulli on the sofa.

Her hands hung naturally at her sides, but her fingers were already clenched into fists.

Her long, slender nails dug deep into her palm, sending waves of excruciating pain through her, but she didn't loosen her grip even a fraction.

And that pain was the clearest reminder she could receive.

This is not a dream.

This is reality.

She really is back.

They returned to a world where time hadn't yet had time to destroy everything.

She returned to the crossroads where, before she lost everything, she could still choose again.

A surge of bittersweet emotion welled up in her throat, almost overwhelming Kim Tae-yeon.

However, she held back her tears.

Instead, she tried her best to suppress her emotions, and looked at the three people in front of her with her delicate brows furrowed. No, it should be said that there were only two.

One is separation in life, the other is separation by death.

Finally, he managed to squeeze out a sound from his throat, "Hey, you...you're all still here."

These words were almost carved out of Kim Tae-yeon's heart, like a long-suppressed desire that had finally found an outlet.

After saying that, she walked over and greeted Lin Xiaolu and Zheng Xiuyan with familiar movements and expressions, and said with a forced ease, "Looking at you, you haven't changed much. Tsk, am I getting old too fast?"

Hearing this joke, Jessica Jung forced a smile, but her heart tightened for some reason, and she felt a little sorry for Kim Tae-yeon, who was pretending to be strong.

At that moment, Kim Tae-yeon had already walked up to Sulli.

Before she could even raise her hand, her eyes had already changed, softening uncontrollably.

The next second, she raised her hand and hugged Shirley without saying a word, just holding her gently, as if afraid that if she let go, the other person would disappear again.

"Little Snowball...long time no see."

Kim Tae-yeon called out softly, her voice somewhat broken, relying entirely on deep breathing to maintain her composure.

Sulli was taken aback for a moment, but quickly hugged Kim Tae-yeon back gently, chuckling as she comforted her, "Unnie, it's okay, I'm still here. Although I had a little problem on your end, I'm perfectly fine here."

Just as she finished speaking, Shirley suddenly felt a slightly cool little hand grip her tightly, almost stubbornly.

Looking down, I saw Kim Tae-yeon's right hand hanging down.

The knuckles were white, and there were even faint traces of blood seeping from the palms.

But she didn't move, just held Shirley's hand tightly like a drowning person finally grabbing onto a piece of driftwood, her left hand holding Shirley without moving.

This scene was very familiar to Shirley.

Just like Krystal and Yoona before, after meeting her, they hugged, held, and held her in the same way that almost made her feel like they were being absorbed into their very bones.

It's an instinct of regaining what was lost, a light that you only dare to acknowledge after passing through the darkness.

"Ouni..."

Sulli's eyes softened slightly, and she took Kim Tae-yeon's arm and led her to sit down beside her. "Let's sit down first. After you come here, everything here will be better."

"Hmm~"

Kim Tae-yeon nodded, her smile finally softening a bit, but she still didn't let go of Sulli's right hand.

Lin Xiaolu and Zheng Xiuyan, who were standing to the side, felt a strange emotion rising in their hearts as they watched this scene.

Although they had also been shocked by those messages from the future, compared to the pain that Kim Tae-yeon had personally experienced, their feelings were ultimately separated by an unreachable distance.

So the two didn't disturb Kim Tae-yeon and Sulli's reunion, but instead turned their attention to Im Yoon-ah and Lin Xiu-yuan beside them. What they saw left Lin Xiao-lu somewhat dumbfounded.

It's just that Yoona's youthful and invincible face has changed too much compared to her appearance and complexion when we last met.

Compared to Lin Xiaolu's shock, Jessica Jung didn't seem too surprised. She hadn't seen Yoona (born in 25) for a while and thought Yoona had recently undergone some cosmetic procedures, since the effects are always best right after a procedure.

Then Jessica Jung looked at Lin Xiuyuan, gestured towards Kim Tae-yeon with her lips, and signaled him to step forward and fix the situation.

Lin Xiuyuan's response to Jessica Jung's signal was quite simple.

Just like how Yoona pushed Taeyeon in the door before, he gently pushed Yoona in, with a malicious smile on his lips, making Jessica Jung and Lin Xiaolu roll their eyes at the same time.

However, Yoona didn't seem to mind. Instead, she naturally stepped forward and gently put her arm around Taeyeon's shoulder.

His posture was exactly the same as on the day of Jonghyun's funeral, gently patting Taeyeon's shoulder, "Okay, unnie, let's talk about it later. It's dinner time now, we need to cook first, right, Snowball~"

"Oh, right, my soup."

After being reminded by Yoona, Sulli remembered the chicken soup that was still squatting in the kitchen, and quickly turned around and ran inside.

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan followed, saying, "Slow down, Shirley, let me help you."

"It's ready to drink now. Oppa, could you take it out for me so the unnies can have some soup first? I'll cook a few dishes right away, it'll be ready soon."

"Ok."

And so, when Lin Xiuyuan brought out the steaming pot of chicken soup, Kim Tae-yeon was still leaning on Im Yoon-ah's shoulder, looking dazed, as if she hadn't yet pulled herself out of the whirlpool of emotions.

He then smiled and looked at the people on the sofa, teasing them, "What are you all standing there for? Come and get some soup. You weren't expecting me to bring it to you, were you, Lin Xiaolu?"

"Okay, I'm coming."

When Lin Xiaolu heard Lin Xiuyuan call her name instead of Lin Yun'er, she felt inexplicably happy.

Just as Yoona was about to continue walking past with her arm around Taeyeon, Jessica Jung gently patted her arm.

She turned around and saw the other person give her a wink, signaling her to go first.

Seeing this, Yoona's eyes lit up. She smiled, let go of Taeyeon, and followed Lin Xiaolu's footsteps toward the dining table.

This situation caused Kim Tae-yeon to unconsciously raise her head. The next second, Jessica Jung placed her hand on her shoulder, and then a voice that had not been heard for a long time slowly rang out.

"How are you feeling? Have you recovered mentally?"

A simple, understated remark made Kim Tae-yeon feel as if her spine had been lifted instantly. She let out a long sigh and nodded in response, "I feel better."

Then, turning to look at his old friend whom he hadn't seen for many years, he gritted his teeth and asked, "When did you find out about this?"

About a month ago.

As Jessica answered, she gently nudged Taeyeon forward, leading her to the dining table.

After settling down, Kim Tae-yeon's gaze involuntarily drifted to the busy figure in the kitchen.

After a long while, he finally looked away and gazed at Lin Yoona and Lin Xiaolu opposite him, his eyes filled with a hint of daze and surprise.

"Yoona from two different time periods! I thought I had seen a ghost or a god just now, and I almost screamed out loud."

Kim Tae-yeon, who has always been afraid of these kinds of things, was really scared just now.

If Shirley hadn't been standing there, and if that deep longing hadn't overwhelmed her fear, she might have fainted on the spot.

Lin Xiaolu, who was ladling soup, handed the first bowl to Kim Tae-yeon, saying, "I'm so young, how could you be mistaken, unnie?"

"Oh, Lin Xiaolu."

Although her complexion has improved a lot and her skin condition has returned to excellent, "age" is still a sensitive word and a taboo for Lin Yoona, so she immediately rolled her eyes at Lin Xiaolu.

"What? I'm just stating the facts. I'm only 23 years old, and you..."

"Oh, you say that, huh? Looks like you don't want information sharing after all."

"I……"

Feeling a little annoyed because she had guessed something, Lin Xiaolu pursed her lips, looked at Lin Yoona's fair and flawless face, snorted softly, and simply shut her mouth.

Beside her, Kim Tae-yeon held the steaming bowl of chicken soup, her eyes still somewhat bewildered, and spoke to herself.

"So I've traveled through time and space, returned to 2013, and changed things here, but that won't affect things in 2025, right?"

"Yes, unnie, it can't change what's happening on our side. For example, Lin Xiaolu has already won the lead role in 'The Heirs,' and Soo-yeon unnie hasn't been with Kwon Ning-il. In the end, Sulli also found out everything, but nothing happened on our side."

Upon hearing Yoona's words, Kim Tae-yeon smiled, a rare occurrence for her. "Why do you call Yoona 'little deer'?"

"Of course it's for differentiation, right, Lin Xiaolu?"

Thinking of how she had reluctantly given up her name because she needed someone's help, Lin Xiaolu could only look away speechlessly, choosing to remain silent.

At that moment, Jessica Jung suddenly asked from the side, "By the way, Taeyeon, how have you been lately?"

These words fell like a feather, yet they struck precisely the softest and most untouchable spot in Kim Tae-yeon's heart.

It made her body tremble slightly.

Her expression froze for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curved up, as if something had struck a deep part of her, but she still managed to answer with a forced ease, "Yeah, I'm still managing, it's just been a while since I've seen you, Xiuyan."

Having said that, knowing the other party already knew what was going to happen, she paused for a moment before asking, "Sooyeon..."

Before Kim Tae-yeon could speak, Jessica Jung interrupted her, "I know what you want to ask. The situation over there was caused by that idiot Jessica herself. Don't ask me, I have no opinion on it. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. It's been so long, why are you still thinking about it?"

Jessica Jung's words made Taeyeon bite her lip and lower her head, "But I feel like I didn't protect the group well."

"That's bullshit. You can't even protect yourself, how can you talk about protecting others?"

As soon as she said that, Kim Tae-yeon looked up at Jessica Jung and saw the latter frowning slightly and pointing to her own face with disdain.

"I remember telling you a long time ago, never get plastic surgery. And what happened? Couldn't you have listened to me?"

Jessica Jung's answer drew the attention of Yoona and Lin Xiaolu, who seemed unaware that their two unnies had actually discussed such matters.

Especially Yoona, who met the two men in the ten years that followed 14 years ago, but never knew about this.

For Kim Tae-yeon, Jessica Jung's words acted like a hook, instantly stirring up old memories deep in her mind.

She recalled that afternoon when she was resting in the vocal music classroom, and the two girls sat side by side chatting.

That year, they were closest, and it was also the year that the "Tai-Xi CP" (Tai-Xi Couple) was born in the mouths of fans.

Then all the images flashed by like a slideshow, one scene after another, until finally, it stopped on the day Jessica Jung left the group.

Then, Kim Tae-yeon slowly lowered her head again and murmured, "Because later... no one told me anymore."

In the kitchen, the sounds of Shirley cooking and the aroma wafted into the living room, while Lin Xiuyuan's teasing and Shirley's cheerful responses filled the air.

But on this side of the dining table, a moment of silence fell because of Kim Tae-yeon's words.

That silence was heavier than any sound.

　I'm having a little birthday celebration today, so I'm taking a break for one chapter. I'll continue to write more for you all tomorrow.

　　P.S.: My little birthday wish today is that all you godfathers could cast a few monthly votes, subscribe to all of them, and maybe give me a few cents as a reward?

　　Thank you so much!!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)