Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 242 Shirley: My secretary is gone? And I'm losing my store manager position too?! (Please subscribe and vote!)

In the summer of 2013, the afternoon sun in Seoul was bright and lazy, and the streets were filled with a sense of life and a slight hustle and bustle.

As soon as Lin Xiuyuan returned, he casually found a small restaurant and had lunch.

The food wasn't fancy, but he ate it with relish.

The "overdraft" he experienced from last night to this morning left him needing something hot to help him recover.

After paying the bill and leaving the small restaurant, Lin Xiuyuan looked up at the sky, the sunlight stinging his eyes slightly.

As I rubbed my eyes, a familiar figure suddenly flashed through my mind—it was Han So-hee, whom I had bumped into while playing basketball with Bae Suzy a while ago.

During a casual chat, the other person 'played the victim' and mentioned her first job, which was a coffee shop where she worked to earn money and supplement her family's income right after graduating from high school.

Based on the timeframe they mentioned, it should be around this month.

"Would you like to go take a look?"

Feeling bored, Lin Xiuyuan became interested and drove to the quiet coffee shop, following the address he remembered.

Pushing open the glass door, the wind chimes tinkled crisply.

The air was filled with the aroma of roasted coffee beans. Behind the bar, a figure was bent over, clumsily wiping the coffee machine.

Wearing a neat black and white uniform, her hair was casually tied up, with a few stray hairs hanging down in front of her forehead, obscuring her eyebrows and eyes.

When the other person turned around, their face was illuminated by the light.

Her skin was fair, and her eyebrows and eyes still had a touch of youthful innocence, but her facial features were already showing promise.

Her nose was straight, her eyes had a natural coolness at the corners, and her lips were red and vibrant.

She was a typical "natural beauty".

Although he was not mature enough, and the occasional nervousness in his eyes revealed his naivety as a newcomer to society, Lin Xiuyuan could tell at a glance that his looks didn't need the polishing of time; he would shine brightly sooner or later.

Because in that time period of 25 years, this person became a model by chance not long after starting work, and their life was no longer so difficult.

Although things got really bad later because of my family's situation, that's another story.

"welcome……"

Han Suxi looked up at the person who had come in, her voice not loud, and with a hint of stiffness from someone who had just started working.

No, at this time, she should still be called Li Shaoxi.

Under her gaze, Lin Xiuyuan walked to a seat by the window and sat down.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bringing the warmth of summer, and fell on the table, casting a golden halo around it.

At this moment, Li Shaoxi, the waitress, handed over the menu, her voice still a little nervous, "Hello, what would you like to drink?"

Her fingertips were slightly white from gripping the menu too tightly.

"I'd like a latte, not too sweet."

Lin Xiuyuan spoke casually.

"Okay, please wait."

Li Shaoxi responded softly and turned to walk towards the bar.

She was a little clumsy; when she picked up the coffee cup, she almost knocked over the glass pot next to her, which startled her colleague, who quickly moved away.

After being given a little scolding, she continued operating the coffee machine, her expression focused and cautious.

After quite a while, the coffee that Lin Xiuyuan had ordered was finally served.

She carefully placed it on the table, her smile a little stiff but trying to appear natural, and then took the initiative to say, "Hello, sir, this is the first time I've made this coffee, so it might taste a little different. Would you like to try it? If you don't like it, I'll get you another cup."

Lin Xiuyuan lowered his head, took a sip, and smiled. "It's fine, very suitable."

That short sentence made Li Shaoxi's tense shoulders relax slightly.

"That's good..." she murmured softly, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.

"First time working?" Lin Xiuyuan asked with a smile.

"Okay, thank you~" Li Shaoxi didn't dare to stay any longer, nodded in response, and then left.

Lin Xiuyuan simply smiled and didn't say anything more.

He knew very well that the girl in front of him would walk a path full of thorns in the future, but one that would ultimately lead to blossoming.

At this point in time, however, she was just a newly adult, anxious but hardworking high school graduate.

Soon, several more customers came into the store, and Li Shaoxi got busy again.

Lin Xiuyuan leaned back in his chair, basking in the sunlight, twirling his coffee cup with his fingertips, his mood unusually calm.

Just then, the phone screen suddenly lit up.

It was Shirley on the phone.

"Hello?" Lin Xiuyuan answered.

A girl's voice came from the other end of the phone, light and with a hint of complaint, "Hey~ oppa~, are you back?"

"Well, I'm back."

Lin Xiuyuan smiled, tapping his finger on the table. "How did you know?"

“I saw your car wasn’t there,” Shirley replied matter-of-factly, then changed her tone, “Why didn’t you come to the bar? We just finished chatting.”

"A tavern? You guys were just here."

This surprised Lin Xiuyuan, because he seemed not to have noticed that area when he drove away and drove straight away from the apartment.

"We talked about the mala tang endorsement, the unnies' clothes, and what happened to Jiyeon the other night... hahaha..."

Shirley laughed so hard she almost fell over on the phone.

Immediately afterwards, Park Jiyeon's shout came from the other end of the phone, "Jinri, you're not allowed to mention it again, or I'll get angry!"

As Shirley's loud laughter rose and fell, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but chuckle as well.

Then Shirley asked Lin Xiuyuan what he was doing.

"I'm having coffee and sunbathing. Do you want to come over and soak up the sun together and get some vitamins?"

"Okay, oppa~ We'll be right there, hee hee~" Sulli's voice on the other end of the phone was drawn out and had a playful tone.

Lin Xiuyuan then readily gave over the name and address of the coffee shop.

A dozen minutes later, the glass door of the coffee shop was pushed open.

Two figures walked in one after the other, instantly adding a touch of commotion to the otherwise quiet environment.

Shirley wore a light-colored baseball cap, her smile was bright, and her steps were light.
Park Jiyeon wore a mask and sunglasses, but their tall figures and auras were hard to ignore even when they tried to keep a low profile.

So as soon as the two appeared, several young waiters in the store exclaimed in hushed tones, "It's them? It's Sherry and the others, right? Are we sure we haven't mistaken them?"

His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief.

Li Shaoxi, who was busy at the bar and holding a plate, suddenly looked up and was stunned.

Although Park Jiyeon's face was mostly covered by a mask and sunglasses, Sulli, who wasn't hiding her face, gave her away in the video. Her familiar figure made everyone recognize them instantly.

Shirley spotted Lin Xiuyuan by the window and immediately waved with a smile, "Oppa~!"

He then walked straight over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Park Jiyeon followed behind, took off her sunglasses, and muttered under her breath, "Jinri, you should try to cover it up next time. This makes my mask completely useless."

Lin Xiuyuan was both amused and exasperated. "Nobody's paying attention to you, Jiyeon, don't overthink it." "Ah, oppa~"

Park Jiyeon was immediately annoyed by Lin Xiuyuan's finishing blow. She glared at him and then heard Sulli laugh out loud.

After the two were seated, Shirley suddenly narrowed her eyes, leaned closer, and glanced at the bar with a grin. Then she turned to Lin Xiuyuan and asked in a low voice, "Oppa, you didn't come here specifically to see this person, did you?"

Park Jiyeon followed the gaze and briefly met Lee So-hee's eyes.

The girl was clearly taken aback, instinctively looked down, and hurriedly put the cup back on the tray.

"So it's this one, oppa. Are you trying to help her?" Park Jiyeon raised an eyebrow, her tone playful.

"Help her?"

Lin Xiuyuan raised an eyebrow, chuckled, and shook his head. "I just suddenly remembered after dinner, so I came to check on things. Don't get the wrong idea."

"Oh~"

Sulli drew out the last syllable meaningfully and exchanged a glance with Park Jiyeon.

Then the two of them whispered to each other.

"She's so young."

"Yeah, he's just turned 18, he looks like a student."

"As far as I remember, she came to Seoul right after graduating from high school. She's really beautiful, no wonder she became famous later on."

"It really is quite good-looking, but it's okay. Oppa's ideal type is married women, so he definitely wouldn't be interested in this little kid."

The two spoke in hushed tones, deliberately letting Lin Xiuyuan hear them.

Lin Xiuyuan pinched his brow helplessly. "That's going too far. I can hear you talking. If you're going to talk badly about someone, at least do it behind their back."

However, while the three were chatting, the video would occasionally glance at Li Shaoxi's side.

This made Li Shaoxi, who was behind the bar, increasingly panicked.

She had no idea how she had suddenly become the focus of these three people's attention.

I...I don't know them...

With her heart pounding, she thought she muster up the courage to go and serve, but just as she lifted her foot, a senior employee beat her to it, smiling broadly as she carried the menu to the table of distinguished guests.

"Leave these three guests to me."

Li Shaoxi could only stand frozen in place, still tightly clutching the glass she had just wiped.

She suddenly felt that even her posture was a little unnatural.

Meanwhile, under the enthusiastic service of the waiter, Sulli ordered a mocha, and Park Jiyeon ordered a cappuccino.

The three of them drank and chatted, and the topic gradually circled back to Li Shaoxi, who was at the bar.

Shirley rested her chin on her hand, smiled at Lin Xiuyuan, and asked in a low voice, "Oppa, do you think she's very different from the future?"

"Nonsense, she's already seduce me to the bone. Although she's a mini-Song Hye-kyo, her aura is completely different. But there's not a hint of that yet. It just goes to show how well your industry cultivates talent," Lin Xiuyuan replied.

Park Jiyeon gave a soft hum, took a sip of coffee, and suddenly whispered, "Oppa, if you like... it wouldn't hurt to take care of someone, right? Anyway, there are plenty of these kinds of things in the industry, nothing to be surprised about, and it can even help them out."

As soon as she finished speaking, Shirley burst out laughing and almost choked.

Lin Xiuyuan was both amused and exasperated. He reached out and gently tapped Zhiyan's forehead. "Hey, what nonsense are you talking about? Have you been watching too many Korean dramas lately? Who told you I was going to do that kind of thing right now?"

Park Jiyeon, covering her forehead, laughed so hard her eyes crinkled, and complained, "I was just saying it casually, why are you reacting so strongly... Oh, right, oppa, your fantasy is married women, those old women over there."

Seeing that Park Jiyeon had brought up the dragon cub again, Lin Xiuyuan shook his head, thinking about their situation.

Then, half helplessly and half jokingly, he said, "I'd rather not be kept by a sugar daddy. I just think... it's a waste that our little tavern is usually empty like this."

He paused, swirled his coffee cup, and continued, "Besides, if you guys really want to have a party or find a place to go, you can't always leave me to mix drinks alone. That's too tiring. Wouldn't it be easier to find someone who knows a bit about bartending and can manage the place?"

Sulli blinked, looking a little confused. "Ah, oppa, I usually help out."

No, it's one thing that the secretary job over there was taken by the big dragon cub, but I haven't been able to get ahead for 25 years.

But after 13 years of work, oppa, you need to find someone to replace me.
"I just didn't want you to get too tired, and you do have a job anyway, so I thought of this." Lin Xiuyuan quickly tried to smooth things over after noticing the inappropriate tone in Shirley's voice.

This allowed Shirley to catch her breath, and then she muttered, "If that's the case, then I'll have to join the church. Otherwise, it'll definitely be very uncomfortable to have an outsider as the shop manager."

"So I only thought about it, I didn't do it."

At this moment, Shirley, who was overwhelmed by empathy, realized that Li Shaoxi's future experiences seemed somewhat similar to her own future self, and her previously somewhat depressed mood suddenly turned into empathy.

"But if it's this one, I think it's alright. Her future seems similar to mine, except she made it through."

"Don't overthink it. We don't know the situation over there. Maybe it's not like that."

Lin Xiuyuan waved his hand, "Besides, I really just came here for a cup of coffee today. Those thoughts were just brought up by you guys, and I was just joking around."

……

……

While Lin Xiuyuan, Shirley, and Park Jiyeon were chatting in the coffee shop, 25 years later, Da Longzai was also confronted by Lee Ju-ri, or rather, she came to settle scores.

In Seoul 25 years ago, the afternoon sun streamed through the window into Daeyongzai's apartment.

The sound of a password being entered came from the doorway, but Da Longzai ignored it, simply sitting on the sofa scrolling through his phone, quietly hearing the door being gently pushed open.

next second.

"Hi... Jiyeon..."

As soon as Li Juli stepped through the door, she pounced on the little dragon cub on the sofa like a cheetah, smiling broadly with a hint of provocation and mischief in her eyes. "What did you mean yesterday when you said, 'Don't call Xiuyuan, I'll misunderstand'? Explain yourself!"

The little dragon was caught off guard by the sudden attack and staggered. It instinctively reached out to protect itself, but Li Juli dodged it.

"Ah, unnie~ what are you doing...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Li Juli had already pressed down on her, pinning her against the back of the sofa.

"Hmph, to be honest..." Li Juli smiled, her eyes crinkling into slits. She pointed at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Don't try to dodge this. What do you mean you misunderstood? Xiuyuan isn't just yours."

Da Longzai shook his head and laughed, then retaliated by gently pressing her hand down. The two of them then pushed and shoved each other on the sofa, having a great time.

Just as the two started fighting, Park Hyomin, who had followed them in, looked on with a headache, put her hands on her hips, and sighed, "What are you doing? You're adults, can't you be a little more normal?!"

Da Longzai and Li Juli exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Married women, get out of here."

"Unnie, don't worry about it, you're not single."

Park Hyo-min: ? ? ?

……

……

2013 years.

Inside Tara's dormitory.

Looking at the dormitory apartment where she was now all alone, Park Hyomin narrowed her eyes.

Then she opened an app on her phone, where a small location marker was flashing. It was a backup phone she had tossed into Park Jiyeon's bag, sending her location information.

"Hmph, you've all been keeping this from me, haven't you? Well then, don't blame me for coming to you myself, Jiyeon~ Eunjung~"

　I have to go back to my hometown for a few days, so I'll rest for a few days and stop writing articles. I'll resume writing articles when I get back.

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(End of this chapter)