Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 222 Han So-hee's "Playing the Victim" and "Departure for Europe" (Please subscribe and vote)

Inside the outdoor baseball batting field, the night air was slightly cool, and the soft lights cast a gentle glow on the field.

Lin Xiuyuan stared at the figure sitting on the bench not far away, his expression slightly stunned, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He heard Bae Suzy's cheerful voice in his ear, "Let's go."

With a gentle smile, she led Lin Xiuyuan toward the bench, her steps light and her tone cheerful, "Let me introduce you."

Lin Xiuyuan followed behind her, but his mind was still a little confused.

Although the person in front of us often has his private life discussed, his status in the entertainment industry is beyond doubt.

However, in terms of cultural export through film and television dramas alone, Song Hye-kyo is an undeniable presence in the Korean entertainment industry. Even from a chronological perspective, she is definitely one of the legendary actresses in Korean entertainment, alongside Kim Hee-sun and Jun Ji-hyun.

Although their rankings may not be as high, their status is not much different.

Before he could recover from his thoughts, Bae Suzy had already brought him to a stop in front of Song Hye-kyo and said in a relaxed and natural tone, "Unnie, let me introduce you."

Song Hye-kyo looked up and saw that it was Bae Suzy who had arrived. She glanced at Lin Xiuyuan and then smiled slightly, saying, "He is indeed very young."

Lin Xiuyuan was taken aback.

"Yes."

Immediately afterwards, Bae Soo-ji chuckled and pulled Lin Xiu-yuan half a step closer, introducing him with a smile.

"Lin Xiuyuan, a young man in his early twenties, is quite strong. If he wants to play baseball in the future, it's no problem to temporarily pull him in as a pitcher."

Lin Xiuyuan was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by her teasing recommendation.

However, he knew what the two meant by playing baseball. It seemed to be a baseball team formed by male celebrities in the entertainment industry when baseball was popular in the peninsula.

It is said that the group was spearheaded by Jang Dong-gun, the top male star on the Korean Peninsula at the time, and the team members included Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung, Gong Yoo, and many others.

It started as just a hobby, but it has become more and more professional, and now it even has a team name: 'Play Boys'.

I heard that when Jang Dong-gun and others first started playing baseball, the audience was filled with top-tier actresses. If we disregard popularity and consider seniority, Song Hye-kyo wasn't even ranked at the very top.

just now……

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan coughed lightly and nodded politely to Song Hye-kyo, "Hello, Ms. Song."

"Miss?"

Hearing Lin Xiuyuan's explanation, Song Hye-kyo raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with curiosity, and said softly with a hint of a smile, "Xiuyuan-xi, you're not from the peninsula, are you?"

"Yes, Chinese."

"China, I used to go there often. It's a vast country with abundant resources, and both the food and scenery are quite attractive."

Song Hye-kyo's voice was gentle, and she looked at Lin Xiuyuan with a soft smile, as if she valued this boy more than the people from the Peninsula. "When I have time, I still want to go and have a look around."

Lin Xiuyuan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Welcome."

Song Hye-kyo glanced at him gently, then shifted her gaze slightly, seemingly scrutinizing the young man.

The other person was dressed in a simple short-sleeved shirt and jeans, with a youthful casualness and unpolished features on his face, but his eyes were calm, neither impetuous nor ingratiating, which surprised her.

Then, she turned to Bae Suzy and said calmly, "Suzy, you guys have fun first, I have to get back to work."

Bae Soo-ji responded softly, then pulled Lin Xiu-yuan towards the equipment area. She casually picked up a baseball bat, glanced at him, and teased him with a smile.

"What's wrong, Xiuyuan? Why are you so reserved today? You're completely different from when you were looking for Zhiyan yesterday."

"Putting that aside, I really didn't expect you to bring me here to meet this person," Lin Xiuyuan said, somewhat surprised, while holding a baseball bat.

“Because you’re not in the entertainment industry.” Bae Suzy was as straightforward as ever. “If you were in the industry, honestly, I probably wouldn’t even bother to say a few words to you.”

Lin Xiuyuan was amused by her words, "So it's because outsiders don't have a conflict of interest and wouldn't betray you, right?"

“It’s not that complicated,” Bae Suzy shrugged. “I just feel that things are cleaner outside the entertainment industry, without so many twists and turns.”

After saying that, she stretched her wrists, walked into the batting cage, swung the bat a couple of times, and then looked at Lin Xiuyuan next to her and smiled, "Can you play baseball?"

"I've played it."

Lin Xiuyuan had actually played baseball before. After all, baseball isn't as difficult to get into as golf, and it's not hard for the average person to swing a few times.

Upon hearing Lin Xiuyuan's reply, Pei Xiuzhi stepped aside and gave up her seat, saying, "Why don't you go first, and let Noona see if you have what it takes?"

"Okay."

Lin Xiuyuan gripped the bat, swung it a couple of times in place to get used to it, and then adjusted his stance to a more stable position.

Then he smiled gently at Bae Suzy and pressed the serve button next to him.

As the sound of the automatic pitching machine rang out, the first baseball flew out.

"boom……"

Lin Xiuyuan's movements were clean and swift, the bat hitting the center of the ball steadily, sending it flying more than ten meters away before crashing into the protective net above his head.

"Ouch..." Bae Suzy, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but exclaim softly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

Then came the second ball, the third ball, the fourth ball...

The swing motion is unadorned, neither flashy nor violent.

But every strike was precise and steady, like an unconscious action honed over many years.

"Xiuyuan, with your skill level..." Bae Soo-ji squinted at him, "you didn't come from a university baseball team, did you?"

Lin Xiuyuan smiled without answering and continued swinging the bat. He focused on hitting the last two balls before stepping out of the cage and handing the bat back to Pei Xiuzhi. "Just playing around in my spare time."

“This doesn’t seem like something you’d do for ‘just playing around’,” Bae Suzy said, squinting at him with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Lin Xiuyuan shrugged and didn't explain further. He couldn't very well say that he had been modified by a time portal, and that his five senses and physical coordination were beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Then he changed his tune, saying, "When I used to hang out with friends, I was dragged into a temporary team for training a few times, but it wasn't very professional."

"If even a temporary team can train like this, imagine how amazing it would be if you actually trained them."

Meanwhile, Song Hye-kyo, who had been looking down at her phone, raised her head when Lin Xiuyuan hit the first batter.

She looked at the young figure swinging the bat in the batting cage through the light, her eyes filled with scrutiny and appreciation.

Her opponent's calm and collected demeanor, the rhythm of his swings, and the slightly shy smile he gave as he left the field all surprised her.

I initially thought it was just someone Bae Suzy invited over for fun, but it turns out they're actually quite capable.

But soon, when Song Hye-kyo noticed Bae Suzy's expression as she looked at Lin Xiuyuan, she couldn't help but smile and mutter to herself, "These two little guys are really something."

Just then, Bae Suzy, who had just finished a round, called out to her, "Unnie, do you want to play a round?"

Song Hye-kyo put away her phone, smiled and waved her hand, "No, you guys play, I'll just watch from the side."

She walked to a bench and sat down, placing her hands on her knees and looking at the area with gentle and focused gaze.

She didn't say anything more, just quietly watched Lin Xiuyuan and Pei Xiuzhi take turns playing ball.

In the following rounds, Lin Xiuyuan did not compete for the lead or try to steal the spotlight, but every move he made was decisive and clear, and his teamwork was excellent.

Occasionally, he would quietly instruct Bae Suzy on how to adjust her posture and grip the stick, his instructions concise and to the point.

“You explain it even more clearly than the coach,” Bae Suzy joked.

"Perhaps you're easier to teach," Lin Xiuyuan replied, his tone calm and unhurried.

As Song Hye-kyo listened from the sidelines, a slight smile unconsciously crept onto her lips.

This kind of youthful, non-aggressive sharpness is really rare on the peninsula.

Then she suddenly asked softly, "Xiuyuan, where in China are you from?"

Although he didn't know why Song Hye-kyo asked this, Lin Xiuyuan still politely replied, "I'm from Guangdong."

"Guangdong Province..."

Song Hye-kyo nodded thoughtfully, her gaze falling on him, but in her mind came the image of the director who always wore sunglasses, and the actor surnamed Liang with whom she had worked.

"So you must speak Cantonese."

"Hmm, just a little bit."

Lin Xiuyuan said modestly.

"So you came here to have fun?"

"No, I'm here to open a shop."

This answer surprised Song Hye-kyo, who then looked at Lin Xiuyuan and asked, "Looking for a shop? Xiuyuan-xi, where are you staying now?"

After thinking for two seconds, Lin Xiuyuan did not choose to hide it, but told Song Hye-kyo the approximate location.

Song Hye-kyo felt a slight stirring in her heart after hearing this.

She knew that area; she had considered buying a house there before. Aside from a few apartments, the area was mostly detached villas, and even the apartments weren't cheap.

Thinking of this, Song Hye-kyo subconsciously looked at Lin Xiuyuan again, but she didn't see any arrogance or affectation in him.

The flamboyance she exuded was genuine and unpretentious, lacking the impatience and ostentation she had imagined. This was quite different from her preconceived notions about certain "second-generation" individuals in China.

Just as Song Hye-kyo wanted to chat a little longer, her phone vibrated at an inopportune moment.

After glancing at the callers, I gave them an apologetic smile, got up, and went to answer the phone.

Lin Xiuyuan watched her figure disappear into the distance, recalling fragments he had seen in the news, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

Bae Suzy, who had sharp ears, heard the noise and said with a smile, "What's wrong? Do you think unnie looks different from how you see her online?"

"Don't provoke me, I didn't say anything."

Lin Xiuyuan leaned against the iron cage, watching Pei Xiuzhi swing the bat as he replied.

I'm quite curious how the two of them, with such a big age difference, got along so well.

“We got to know each other thanks to writer Kim Eun-sook,” Bae Suzy explained, swinging her baseball bat. “Then maybe she felt that our experiences were somewhat similar, so we gradually became friends.”

"You two? Have similar experiences?"

Lin Xiuyuan was a little confused by this. In terms of family and circumstances, the two of them seemed completely unrelated.

Bae Suzy chuckled and then explained, "What are you thinking? I was referring to my career in the film and television industry. I started with the 'first love' persona, and then worked my way up step by step. After meeting writer Kim Eun-sook, I finally made it to the awards stage."

After hearing the answer, Lin Xiuyuan chuckled and remarked, "Putting everything else aside and talking about achievements, Xiuzhi, you're being a bit shameless."

As a result, Bae Suzy on the other side immediately swung her baseball bat at him, signaling him to shut up.

While the two were still chatting, Song Hye-kyo, who had just left to answer a phone call, returned to the batting cage.

This time, however, she had someone with her.

Under the light, the woman was slender with fair skin and exquisitely sculpted features. Although she wore a baseball cap pulled low, her familiar silhouette, even with only half her face visible, was enough to make her recognizable.

Lin Xiuyuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he suddenly heard Pei Xiuzhi click her tongue softly.

"Who is this?" he asked in a low voice.

"Who else could it be but Han Su-hee?"

Bae Suzy replied in a neutral tone, with a slight upward tilt at the end of her sentence.

Lin Xiuyuan was taken aback when he heard the name, and the news headline that had been trending on social media a few days ago immediately came to mind.

[Han So-hee's relationship falls apart as her boyfriend is exposed for cheating; netizens urge the goddess to run away]

[Han So-hee responds strongly, proving her innocence and making a perfect comeback] [After Lee Hyeri's relationship was exposed, her reputation plummeted, and her breakup timeline was revealed, but Han So-hee's reputation unexpectedly reversed]

The gist of the story is that Han So-hee dated an unattractive man, and then Lee Hyeri stepped in to mock the woman for being a homewrecker, causing a huge online uproar.

Han So-hee responded strongly, posting chat logs to prove that the man was already single at the time.

Unfortunately, throughout this process, the scumbag stayed out of the spotlight, happily disappearing from public view, leaving Han Su-hee to bear the brunt of public opinion alone.

However, she reacted very quickly, releasing a handwritten statement overnight. Her firm attitude and calm wording won her the support of a large number of neutral fans.

As negative information about the man continued to surface, the situation completely reversed. Han So-hee not only distanced herself from the situation but also came across as "genuine" and "tough," turning the trending topics into an opportunity to clear her name.

But the period of being cyberbullied was quite terrible, and I also gained a lot of haters out of nowhere.

It wasn't until recently, when Lee Hyeri's relationship was exposed, that people realized she had already been on a romantic trip to Japan with her current boyfriend in February 2023, while her official breakup with the unattractive man was only in November 2023.

However, Han So-hee's first meeting with the ugly man took place in November of 2023.

So, looking at the timeline, everyone can easily see that Lee Hyeri is furious when they compare the two.

The bizarre move of "each doing their own thing before breaking up" has become a laughing stock, and online public opinion has once again backfired.

As a result, Han So-hee's reputation recovered, while Lee Hye-ri was attacked by netizens and her reputation plummeted.

However, Lee Hyeri had a hit drama to back her up, so although her image had collapsed a bit, the actual loss was not significant. In fact, she even made a fortune because of the "victim" filter she had in the early stages.

Therefore, the only one who truly suffered in that war of public opinion was Han So-hee.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiuyuan looked again at the woman who had just approached, and sure enough, it was her.

Although she appears thinner in person than she does on camera, her unique, aloof charm is undeniable both on and off camera.

After Song Hye-kyo led her closer, she spoke gently to Lin Xiuyuan and the other man, "Suzy, Xiuyuan-ssi, come, let me introduce you. This is Suhee."

"Hello, I am Han Suxi."

Han Suxi's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and crisp, slightly hoarse, and had a unique aura.

"Hello," Lin Xiuyuan nodded in response.

Bae Suzy, on the other hand, was rather indifferent. Although she had a smile on her lips, her tone was not as enthusiastic as when she spoke to Lin Xiuyuan. "Good evening, unnie. It's been a long time. You seem to be recovering quite well recently."

Han Suxi raised an eyebrow and smiled, not annoyed at all, "Thanks to you, I've finally figured it out."

An awkward silence fell over the air. Song Hye-kyo seemed to sense something, coughed lightly, and smiled as she tried to smooth things over.

"Su-hee has recently taken some time to relax, so I thought we could go out for a walk together tonight and talk about our future collaboration."

"Unnie, will you two collaborate in the future?" Bae Suzy asked.

"It's just a possibility. Let's get to know each other and become familiar with each other first."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan roughly understood Song Hye-kyo's intention in bringing people along. She wanted to help Han So-hee relax a bit, and she was also too lazy to meet with her alone again, so she preferred to sit down and talk with everyone.

To put it bluntly, it's the indifference of a senior colleague, which is similar to the situation he encountered when he saw Kim Tae-yeon and Bae Joo-hyun in the parking lot.

That's normal, though. Rather than wasting personal time making another appointment, it's better to just cook everything together.

Then, since Lin Xiuyuan and Bae Suzy had played for a while, it was Song Hye-kyo and Han So-hee's turn to go into the cage and play baseball bats.

Han So-hee, on the other hand, was not very familiar with the subject and needed Song Hye-kyo to teach her gradually.

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan, who was sitting outside, had time to have a good chat with Pei Xiuzhi.

"What's going on? You seem a bit hostile towards them," Lin Xiuyuan said half-jokingly.

"Xiuyuan, do you know what apathy is?" Bae Suzy didn't answer directly, but instead threw out a question.

“Yeah, they’re not stupid.” Lin Xiuyuan nodded.

Bae Suzy smiled and said, "I'm not saying she's stupid, I should say it's more like a 'rejection due to her looks'."

"What do you mean?" Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve known Han Su-hee for quite a while. When she first met that ‘ugly man,’ we bumped into each other backstage and chatted for a bit. I kindly reminded her of something, but she completely ignored me. So I didn’t say anything more.”

At this point, Bae Suzy shrugged and said lightly, "I'm afraid of being infected by her 'view,' that would be too troublesome."

After hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan chuckled and shook his head, "That's a bit of an exaggeration."

Upon closer reflection, none of Bae Suzy's past rumored boyfriends were actually ugly. Even those who were only rumored to be dating were all handsome men.

This is consistent with her well-known image as a "super looks-obsessed" person.

When Han Suxi, who was hitting the ball, turned around by chance, she met Lin Xiuyuan's gaze.

He glanced at Bae Suzy's expression as she looked at him, and unconsciously gripped the baseball bat tighter in his hand.

After a while, Bae Suzy stepped forward to take over, replacing Han So-hee, and she and Song Hye-kyo went into the cage to practice together.

Han Su-hee stepped out of the batting cage and sat down directly opposite Lin Xiu-yuan, smiling frankly, "Suzy just complained to you about my taste, right?"

These straightforward words made Lin Xiuyuan realize once again the free-spiritedness and sharpness of these actresses, as if each of them had their own unique flamboyant style.

He clicked his tongue and chuckled, "Hiss... Su Xi, I really don't know how to answer your question."

"It's okay." Han Suxi glanced down at him, her tone indifferent. "Just asking."

After saying that, she lowered her eyes and picked up her phone to start scrolling.

Looking at Han Suxi's profile, the word "resources" involuntarily popped into Lin Xiuyuan's mind.

What true love? What liking ugly men? In the end, isn't it all just about getting resources?

However, this person was unlucky; instead of gaining any resources, he got into trouble because of that ugly man.

After a while, Bae Suzy and Song Hye-kyo, who were slightly warm from waving, also left the stage and returned to the rest area.

The four of them drank water and chatted casually.

Although Han So-hee and Bae Suzy didn't get along very well, the atmosphere wasn't as awkward as expected. With Lin Xiuyuan smoothing things over, it actually felt relaxed and comfortable.

After a few casual words, the topic suddenly turned to the school graduation season.

At this moment, Han So-hee suddenly sighed, "August, I graduated around this time back then and then came to Seoul to make my way in the world."

He murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the open space above the batting cage, as if he were looking through the light at a blurry yet glaring memory from the past.

"At that time, right after graduating from high school, I took a bus from Ulsan to Seoul with less than two million won in my bank account for living expenses."

"Alone." Song Hye-kyo repeated softly, her expression seemingly echoing the sentiment.

"Yes, I came over without notifying my family."

Han Suxi smiled, the corners of her mouth curving with a hint of sarcasm, and even self-deprecation, "It wasn't a momentary impulse, it's just... I really wanted to escape back then, since my parents couldn't afford to send me to university anyway."

"Did you want to be an actor back then?" Lin Xiuyuan asked.

"No, I didn't even have a clear idea of ​​what I was going to do at first."

Han So-hee shook her head, her tone as calm as if she were telling someone else's story, "First, I worked at a coffee shop in Cheongdam-dong, making coffee during the day and washing dishes at night. Later, I worked the night shift at a convenience store, and with dark circles under my eyes, I still had to rush to the subway to my cram school the next morning."

"Tutoring classes?" Bae Suzy asked.

"Yes, study acting."

Nodding, she continued, "I didn't initially intend to become an actress. One day, while I was working at a coffee shop, an advertising director noticed me and said I had a good sense of camera presence. At that time, I didn't understand what 'camera presence' meant at all, but I just thought I'd give it a try... So I gradually took on some commercials, and later someone introduced me to auditions, which is how I truly entered this industry."

“You’re the kind of person who was practically pulled out of the crowd,” Song Hye-kyo remarked, seemingly lost in thought. “There are so many people trying to squeeze into this industry these days, it’s really rare to be ‘picked’ like you.”

Han Suxi smiled gently, her tone light but not without emotion, "Picking it up doesn't mean it can stand firm; it gets eliminated very quickly."

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan, who had been listening attentively, suddenly asked thoughtfully, "If you could go back to 2013, would you still choose to come to Seoul to try your luck?"

The air seemed to pause for a second after those words were spoken.

The other three didn't speak immediately, as if the question had plunged each of them into a brief moment of contemplation.

Similarly, Han So-hee did not answer immediately.

Instead, he looked down at the water bottle in his hand, slowly turning the cap with his fingers, as if he were seriously considering the question.

After a long while, she finally looked up at Lin Xiuyuan, her eyes filled with a complicated expression. "If I had known it would be this tiring, this painful, and there would be so much ridicule behind my back... to be honest, I'm not sure."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded without saying anything.

“But,” Han Suxi’s tone shifted, a hint of stubbornness in her voice, “if I really had the chance to do it all over again, I would still come back. Not because it’s so great here, but because it’s the only place where I can live a better life.”

After listening to the conversation, the group remained silent for a while before Lin Xiuyuan finally spoke up, "So, where was your first job?"

"The coffee shop, I remember it was a small shop called 'Cheong' in Cheongdam-dong. So many years have passed, it must have closed down long ago." Although Han So-hee said it casually, she clearly had a vivid memory of that time.

Having received the information, Lin Xiuyuan didn't say anything more. He simply kept the name in mind, thinking that if he had time to go back, he could go and visit, hoping to bump into the person.

After that, the group went in one after another to play a round of ball until it got even darker.

The lights above the venue gradually went out, and the surroundings became much quieter, with only a few streetlights illuminating the way back.

So everyone got up, exchanged pleasantries, got into their own cars, and drove off to their respective destinations.

However, just as Lin Xiuyuan started his car, his phone rang. It was Pei Xiuzhi.

The moment the call connected, I heard her cheerful laughter on the other end. "Xiuyuan, why do you think Han Suxi is being so sentimental tonight?"

Lin Xiuyuan, who was driving, sighed, "Do you think people are as lucky as you are? It's normal to run into a senior figure and ask for a cooperation opportunity by playing the victim."

"Oh my, I thought you didn't notice, and you even went to ask about their work experience."

"They've already said all that, and none of you are responding. I can't just let my words fall flat on the floor; that would be so awkward, and the atmosphere would be terrible."

Bae Suzy smiled on the other end of the phone. Luckily, the guy she had her eye on wasn't so silly; he was quite smart.

After laughing, Bae Suzy continued, "Not bad, not bad, Xiuyuan. It seems there's a reason why Xiujing and the others like hanging out with you so much."

Then he asked, "By the way, I didn't have much fun tonight, what about tomorrow..."

Just then, a phone call came in. Lin Xiuyuan glanced at the caller ID and immediately interrupted Pei Xiuzhi, "Um, I have a call to take. I'll call you back in a bit. You drive carefully."

"Okay~" Bae Suzy didn't ask any more questions and hung up the phone.

Lin Xiuyuan then answered Krystal's video call.

"Hey, you're not home."

On the other end of the screen, Krystal stood in the living room of the villa, watching him drive, and asked casually, "Where did you go?"

Looking at Krystal's familiar face, Lin Xiuyuan smiled and said, "On the way back, could you go to the intersection and buy me some fried rice? I'm a little hungry."

Krystal glanced at him and nodded. "Okay, is there anything else you want?"

"No need, fried rice is enough." Lin Xiuyuan said, but suddenly noticed the several suitcases next to her and asked curiously, "Wait a minute, Krystal, what's with all those suitcases behind you?"

"Pack your bags, let's head to Europe!"

At the same time, Magic City.

Jessica was sitting in a waiting room, holding her phone, looking blankly, seemingly lost in thought.

　There will be another chapter later, I'll try to release it as soon as possible.

　　Also, everyone, don't be too nervous. I'm not the kind of person who's just feeding shit. The occasional appearance of other characters in the book is just to guide the plot. Not every character has to kneel down at Lin Xiuyuan's feet.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)