Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 268 A Pair of Ks (Please Subscribe and Vote)
At the rooftop poolside, the wind carried a cool, moist air, and the sky was slowly transitioning from golden yellow to orange-red.

Sitting on the recliner, Krystal Jung stared stiffly at her phone screen, as if she were nailed to the spot.

The glow of the setting sun reflected off her face through the screen, making her eyes appear even more vacant.

My fingertips were clenched until they turned white, and my chest felt like it was blocked by something, making me feel suffocated.

News headlines popped up one after another, and those familiar names were like blows to her ears, making her head buzz.

Her fingertips began to tremble uncontrollably, almost slipping to the ground.

The text on the screen was slowly shrouded in a layer of mist, becoming unclear and indistinct.

She didn't understand, and couldn't comprehend.

"How...how could this happen..."

She moved her lips several times before managing to squeeze out the sentence, her voice so dry it was almost inaudible, like sandpaper rubbing against the skin.

Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, making her eardrums ache. Blood rushed to her head, making her feel so disoriented that she almost lost her balance.

"How could Snowball..."

"Hara unnie... and Jonghyun oppa... is this for real?"

She murmured those names repeatedly, each one causing a sharp prick in her chest.

Her eyes began to redden, her nose stung, and she didn't even realize that tears were about to spill over; it was as if her body no longer belonged to her.

The next second, she suddenly raised her head and looked at Park Jiyeon beside her with a panicked expression, as if she wanted to find an explanation from the other's expression, or even just a reason for her to continue to believe that the world was still normal.

His eyes held an almost childlike plea for help, filled with panic and helplessness, like someone who had suddenly fallen into the deep sea, desperately clinging to the only piece of driftwood that drifted by.

"Unnie..." Her voice was so soft it seemed it would dissipate at any moment, "Do you know what happened? How could they..."

Park Jiyeon stared at her for a few seconds, then simply shook her head.

"Don't ask me, Soojung, I'm also a 13-born person."

Her voice was filled with helplessness and frustration. "I actually have a lot of questions about these things too, but I haven't dared to ask about the details. I can't just reopen Krystal's and Unnie's old wounds."

"But you can ask, because you are Krystal."

At this point, Park Jiyeon reached out and patted Jung Soojung on the shoulder, "So if you really want to know, you can only ask yourself. As someone who has been through everything, she can definitely give you all the answers."

Krystal blinked blankly, and tears finally welled up in her eyes and slid down her chin.

She didn't wipe it; she just stared blankly into the distance.

Suddenly, a question that had just popped into my head at the apartment came to mind.

That's why the future self I learned about from Lin Xiuyuan, my sister, and Xueqiu is so different from me in terms of personality and style.

Looking down at the scrolling news on her phone screen again, she suddenly seemed to understand something.

A breeze blew, rippling the surface of the pool. The setting sun reflected a golden mist in her moist eyes, and the stinging sensation in her nose made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

She took a deep breath and continued swiping the screen with her fingertips.

As keywords were entered, news articles popped up one after another, seemingly overwhelming her.

She only stopped moving when the bold black headline appeared: 【f(x) announces official disbandment】

She paused, blinked, and although she already knew the result from Shirley, she still couldn't help but click on the details page.

The accompanying photo in the news article features four familiar figures.

There was no Shirley.

In that instant, something tightened in my chest, and tears blurred my vision again.

The brief statement coldly reads: "Due to the different personal development directions of the members, the group's activities have come to an end."

But the screen didn't stop; the push notifications kept popping up—

Jessica announces her departure from the group.

Girls' Generation disbands.

SM Entertainment's top management has been reshuffled.

Each comment hit Krystal Jung like a hammer blow, leaving her stunned and her eyes widening in disbelief.

Then several more eye-catching headlines appeared—

Jessica has been blacklisted and restricted from high-end spending due to her failure to pay the penalty for breach of contract.

Krystal has left SM Entertainment and is preparing for a new beginning in a new place.

[With the departure of f(x)'s last member, Krystal Jung, SM Entertainment no longer has f(x)]

Krystal Jung stared blankly at the screen, her breathing becoming increasingly erratic, her fingers wanting to swipe several times but stopping each time.

It felt like being trapped in a silent glass dome; you could hear your own heartbeat, but not the world around you.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room, Lim Yoona had already driven over.

As soon as she entered, she noticed the scene in the living room.

The little dragon cub, wearing a bathrobe, was sitting with Jessica Jung, his expression unreadable, and the atmosphere seemed a bit quiet.

She was taken aback for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and turned her gaze to Lin Xiuyuan, who was sitting on the other side of the sofa.

His gaze was somewhat strange and amused, as if he was wondering if this person had been caught red-handed.

Having exchanged bacteria and bodily fluids with her so many times, Lin Xiuyuan could easily see through Lin Yoona's wild thoughts. He quickly said, "Can you stop making wild guesses, Yoona? Jiyeon just happened to be swimming upstairs. It was just a coincidence."

"How would I know if you don't tell me?" Lim Yoona said with a teasing smile.

Then she quickly walked over to Jessica Jung, took Jessica's phone, and patiently introduced the contacts she remembered to Jessica while swiping the screen.

She explained everything to Jessica's team, including her agent, assistant, makeup artist, and stylist, and even added a few memorable details.

As time passed, quiet conversations returned to the living room, and the atmosphere became less oppressive.

About ten minutes later, footsteps were heard at the bottom of the stairs, and everyone looked up.

Krystal Jung slowly walked down, her face already clean of the tear stains, and she tried her best to appear nonchalant.

But her somewhat frivolous gait revealed that she was not in a stable emotional state.

Especially when they saw Lin Yoona next to the sofa, they were stunned again.

After a moment, she called out softly in a slightly uncertain tone, "Yoona unnie?" "Yes, it's been a long time since I've seen you like this." Lim Yoona smiled slightly, her eyes softening. "Krystal is still so cute."

Da Longzai leaned against the sofa, glanced behind her, and casually asked, "Xiujing, where's that little brat?"

Krystal Jung paused for a moment, clearly not realizing who the address referred to. It wasn't until Yoona smiled and explained "Jiyeon" that she understood. A look of surprise flashed across her face, and she replied, "Unnie went to take a shower and change her clothes."

After speaking, her gaze fell on the phones in everyone's hands. She remained silent for a few seconds, as if she had made up her mind, before finally speaking, "Unnie, are you... really going to make this unnie retire from the entertainment industry?"

After he finished speaking, the living room fell silent for a few seconds.

This sentence is a bit awkward, but everyone understood it.

The group looked at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter.

The laughter seemed to break the oppressive atmosphere and sweep away the tension.

"Soojung, are you stupid? How could you think we would be so heartless?"

Suppressing a laugh, Jessica Jung got up and went to Krystal Jung's side, gently smoothing her slightly messy hair before explaining softly, "We just wanted to let her people know she's safe first, and also buy her some time to figure things out herself."

Krystal Jung paused, as if still processing those words, and her gaze unconsciously shifted slowly to Lin Xiuyuan on the other side of the sofa.

She stared at him for a few seconds before hesitantly speaking, "But I clearly heard you two talking about taking her..."

"Just kidding her." Jessica Jung couldn't hold back this time, her laughter overflowing. She even waved her hand, as if to dispel the tension from before. "Just thinking about it is wicked enough, but if I actually did it..."

Before she could finish speaking, she shook her head, her expression showing reluctance and rejection.

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan, who was standing next to him, also shrugged and said, "What do you mean by 'take a step'? I asked her if she was free before I let her in. Do you think I would do anything reckless? She herself told me that she would be locked in a dark room."

Im Yoona chimed in, "Don't worry, Soojung, we're not like that."

Then he explained seriously, "Retiring from the entertainment industry would ruin someone's future and Jessica's entire life. Who would dare to do that? If we did, unless we keep Jessica locked up here forever, she'll chop us all up one by one once she's freed."

“That’s true.” The little dragon nodded seriously. “It’s just like Unnie’s style.”

"Of course, I really will do that." Jessica Jung nodded in agreement, her tone tinged with a smile.

Lin Xiuyuan deliberately gestured towards the group, then raised an eyebrow at Jung Soo-jung, a playful smile playing on his lips. "So, the fact that she could ask that question means that in her eyes, I'm probably no different from a heinous pervert, right, Jung Soo-jung?"

When Jung Soo-jung was called out, she seemed to have her thoughts exposed. She subconsciously took a half step back, pursed her lips, and stared at him with a conflicted and slightly flustered expression.

After a long pause, she turned her face away and muttered softly, "No, it's just that I feel this is a bit excessive."

"You think we haven't thought of things that even you could think of?" Lin Xiuyuan continued to tease deliberately, his tone laced with a mischievous smile.

Then Krystal Jung felt even more embarrassed, lowered her head, and stopped talking.

"Okay, okay, stop teasing her." Jessica pulled Krystal to her side and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Krystal, no one here really wants to hurt me. Whether it's from 13 or 25, they're all just looking out for me."

As the little incident subsided, everyone regained their composure, sat back down in the living room, and began to seriously discuss how to communicate with Jessica's team in a way that was both safe and discreet.

"Don't be speechless when people ask you a few questions," Yoona said, half-jokingly and half-remindingly.

Da Longzai suggested first, "Why don't we use a vague explanation first, just tell them that Unnie has something urgent to attend to and needs to be delayed for a while, without explaining anything else, just stall for time."

Yoona shook her head, her tone serious, "This might buy us some time, but if it messes up our work schedule, it'll be a real hassle for you to deal with it when you get back. We need to come up with a way to salvage the situation."

Just as everyone was sharing their opinions and the atmosphere was becoming more focused, a cell phone suddenly rang.

The crisp notification sound seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet living room, and everyone subconsciously stopped.

Lin Xiuyuan glanced down at the caller ID, raised an eyebrow as if a little surprised, then pressed the answer button and put the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Xiuyuan~"

As soon as Lin Xiuyuan answered the phone, Krystal's urgent but low voice came through, with a hint of restraint, "What's the situation now?"

That familiar yet slightly anxious voice made Jung Soo-jung, who was sitting on the sofa 13 years ago, suddenly look up, freeze in place, and subconsciously stare at the phone in Lin Xiuyuan's hand.

Lin Xiuyuan didn't lay the groundwork or keep anyone in suspense. He simply and clearly explained the situation. Although he didn't name names, Krystal understood what he meant.

So there was a brief silence on the other end of the phone before Krystal spoke, her voice calmer than before, "Okay, I'm on my way back now. Why don't you wait for me a bit? I'll be there soon."

"Okay, drive slowly, don't rush," Lin Xiuyuan replied.

Just as he was about to hang up, he suddenly looked at Jung Soo-jung sitting opposite him, a meaningful smile curving his lips as he said, "By the way, your student is here too, Soo-jung. You'd better be prepared."

As soon as she finished speaking, the other end of the phone erupted in chaos, Krystal's voice rising an octave higher than before.

"What?! Say that again? No, Xiu Yuan, what are you doing?"

Lin Xiuyuan just smiled and didn't bother to explain further. "Let's talk about it when you get back. Hurry up and come over."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, so long that Krystal frowned uncomfortably, even thinking that Krystal was about to say something.

But the next second, the phone call ended silently in the silence.

Krystal clenched her hands, her heart inexplicably skipping a beat.

As the phone call came in, the previously lively discussion in the room gradually quieted down.

The little dragon stretched, got up, took a shower, and changed back into his casual clothes.

Yoona sat down next to Jessica Jung and Krystal Jung, chatting with them. She even turned on the TV and found the original version of the drama so that Krystal could watch this version.

"That way, you'll have something to compare and refer to when you act in the future." Yoona's tone was very gentle, as if she was deliberately trying to ease Krystal's tension.

On the sofa, Krystal Jung pursed her lips, looking on absentmindedly, occasionally glancing at the living room doorway, as if waiting for someone to appear.

About twenty minutes later, a familiar engine sound came from outside the villa.

Soon the villa gate was opened.

At the entrance, Krystal was still wearing the promotional outfit, the microphone cord at the collar had been removed, and her long hair was loose and slightly messy from the wind.

However, her expression was not as panicked as I had imagined. Instead, she calmly pursed her lips and stepped into the living room.

Everyone in the living room instinctively looked at her.

However, Krystal's gaze skipped over Yoona and Daeyongzai, and finally landed on Krystal Jung at the other end of the sofa.

Eyes facing each other.

At that moment, it was as if someone stretched the air out for a second, and all sounds were muted, leaving only the light in their eyes as they looked at each other.

　Because of the typhoon tomorrow, we're working overtime tonight at the company warehouse to rush the harvest; there's simply no time to collect 10,000 tons of goods daily.

　　Unfortunately, there are no typhoons in Guangzhou, just slippery roads from the rain. Please be careful on your way to work!
　　(P.S.: To all the godfathers in the typhoon circle, please stay safe!!!!)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)