Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 318 Before the Tombstone (Please Subscribe and Vote)

"Crack!"

A crisp click of the shutter broke the brief silence that followed the scream.

Inside the door of the RV next to me, a large group of people had gathered, some squatting and some standing.

They come in all shapes and sizes, but without exception, they all possess stunningly beautiful faces and outstanding temperaments.

What's even more chilling is that many of these people's faces are almost identical to those of other people present, like pairs of twins.

The person who just pressed the shutter and captured Goo Hara's breakdown and scream, and Lee Qri's legs going weak, was the one who looked almost exactly like Kim Tae-yeon.

At this moment, Jin Ruanruan looked at the dramatic photo on her camera screen, then glanced at another figure next to her who looked exactly like Lin Yoona, or rather, at the camera in the other person's hand that was constantly recording.

A satisfied smile crept across his face as he said, "Great! At least I have a complete video to save as a souvenir. The reaction and opportunity to first encounter this world are so rare, and I finally managed to film it this time."

"Taeyeon, Yoona, you two have such a twisted sense of humor." Jessica Jung, standing behind her, leaned on the table, her gaze returning from the scene outside the car door, and commented with a smile.

But although she said that, there was no real dislike in her eyes.

Otherwise, why would he be laughing?

However, Jessica, who has a similar appearance, seized the opportunity to immediately express a different opinion.

She tossed her hair aside, her tone slightly provocative, "I think this is great, isn't it? It's very memorable, isn't it? What a historic moment."

Jessica Jung, feeling contradicted by "herself," turned to look at Jessica, especially after noticing the other's face, which looked incredibly good, as if it had been filtered with soft light.

Once she understood what was going on, she became even angrier, snorted coldly, and immediately looked away.

Noticing the slight tension, Krystal smiled and stepped forward, affectionately hugging Jessica's arm, trying to smooth things over, while also genuinely curious.

"Unnie, when did you guys get back? Xiuyuan was worried that your schedule was too tight and you wouldn't make it in time."

When asked, Jessica Jung took a deep breath, suppressing her inexplicable irritation, and replied, "I just got back this morning. Luckily it was around noon. If Lin Xiuyuan had arranged it earlier, we really wouldn't have made it."

Behind them, the portal connecting to the apartment from 13 remained open, like a strange entrance to another world.

Before picking up Goo Hara, Lin Xiuyuan had already used a time portal to bring all of them together in that apartment from 13.

Therefore, when Lin Xiuyuan led Goo Hara, Sulli, and the others through the cemetery as if by magic and finally appeared in the sunlit cemetery, Jessica Jung and the others had already watched the whole process from the living room.

After Lin Xiuyuan and the others left the room, everyone else got up and followed.

But they all tacitly agreed not to get out of the vehicle, but instead chose to squat or stand in the small space at the entrance of the RV, witnessing the extremely shocking scene with mixed feelings.

Goo Hara, who had just screamed in extreme terror, instinctively turned her gaze toward the RV door where the noise was coming from when she heard some sounds.

At the same time, it also allowed them to take in this even more horrifying and unbelievable scene.

A large group of acquaintances, who looked almost identical yet were clearly different individuals, were huddled together, staring at her with eyes filled with incredibly complex emotions.

The images, far exceeding the limits of her brain's processing power, were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing Goo Hara to experience a blackout and a lack of oxygen to her brain.

Then her body went limp, and she almost rolled her eyes back and fainted.

"Unnie!!"

Fortunately, Shirley reacted very quickly at that critical moment.

He not only grabbed her sliding arm tightly with his backhand, but also used all his strength to support Goo Hara.

At the same time, he transformed his voice into a clear, comforting warmth, urgently penetrating Goo Hara's ears, which were almost filled with fear.

"Unnie! Calm down! Calm down! Look at me! Look at me!! I won't lie to you! I really won't lie to you! Look at me, unnie!!!"

Sulli's earnest and gentle voice, carrying the friendship and trust between the two over the years, pierced through Goo Hara's panic like the only piece of driftwood she could grab when drowning, giving her a faint but crucial support.

That's why Goo Hara struggled to focus her eyes and instinctively looked at Sulli, who was so close to her, as if seeking help.

The gazes of the two best friends, 25 years ago—a timeline in which they had long since vanished—crossed the fog of life and death and met once again.

The determination, composure, and deep understanding in Sulli's eyes acted like a shot of adrenaline, slowly infusing Goo Hara's soul, which was on the verge of collapse.

……

Ten minutes later.

While the others were still comforting Goo Hara by the RV and explaining everything to Lee Qri.

Lin Xiuyuan, the culprit, had already taken the lead and found the tombstone that belonged to Goo Hara.

Standing quietly in front of the tombstone, his gaze fell on the engraved words, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

However, having already experienced it once with Sherry, I wasn't that shocked.

After a while, he turned around and looked towards the RVs down the hillside.

The crowd around the RV had split into two relatively independent small circles, each surrounding a key figure.

One of them was Li Juli, who was still pale and needed to be supported.

The other was Goo Hara, whose emotions had stabilized slightly, but whose eyes were still filled with confusion and shock.

Sulli, Ham Eun-jung, and others were surrounding them, whispering something.

Just then, a cheerful voice came from the side, "What's going on? Isn't this lively scene even more exciting than you initially imagined, Xiu Yuan?"

Lin Xiuyuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the dragon cub had appeared beside him at some point.

This time, she tied her hair into a neat high ponytail, which made her neck look long and slender. She was tilting her head and looking at him.

Then she continued, "I thought you wouldn't specifically bring Qri unnie in as well. After all, she doesn't seem to meet any of your membership requirements, and she's always been so fond of freedom and hates being restricted."

But then she showed an "I understand" expression on her face, "It wasn't until last night, when Taeyeon unnie briefly explained the situation to me, that I began to understand."

These words piqued Lin Xiuyuan's curiosity. "Oh? What do you understand?"

The little dragon cub pointed mischievously at himself, then at Lee Juri who was surrounded below, "I get it! So it's because you, Xiuyuan, think I lack a wifely charm and aren't mature and alluring enough, so you specially found Juri unnie, who's more to your liking, to fill that void." This earth-shattering understanding made Lin Xiuyuan completely lose his composure, bursting out laughing and quickly waving his hands.

"Don't listen to Taeyeon's nonsense. I just feel that you guys are intentionally or unintentionally isolating Qri, making her feel like an outsider, which is a bit unfriendly. Since you've made up your minds, let's face it together."

But the little dragon clearly didn't believe this explanation and continued to press for answers with a smile, his eyes becoming even more playful.

"What about Hyomin unnie from 13? Eunjung unnie said she was really upset. Why don't you try to be friendly with her?"

These words struck a nerve with Lin Xiuyuan, causing him to cough awkwardly twice. He really didn't know how to explain the situation, since some thoughts were indeed not easy to put on the surface.

"Hmph~" Seeing this, the little dragon cub laughed smugly, as if he had caught him red-handed. "I knew it, Xiu Yuan, your aesthetic preferences are a little...unusual...a bit perverted~"

Lin Xiuyuan blushed upon hearing this and quickly changed the subject.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Call Taeyeon and tell them we've found the exact location of the tombstone. Let the people who need to come up come up, but don't let too many come, so as not to attract unnecessary attention."

Upon hearing this, the little dragon knew when to stop, realizing that important matters needed to be addressed.

So he nodded, took out his phone, and called Kim Tae-yeon down the hillside.

A short while later, a small commotion arose from the side of the RV below.

Then the crowd parted, and three or four people left the two small circles and slowly walked up the stone steps that Lin Xiuyuan had just walked on.

Watching Goo Hara, Sulli, Ham Eunjung, and Yoona who was with them leave, Kim Taeyeon, who remained standing there, looked at Jessica Jung beside her, who hadn't followed either, and asked softly, "Jessica, don't you want to go up and take a look?"

Jessica Jung gazed at the figures ascending the steps, slowly shook her head, and the sunlight cast a faint shadow on her delicate profile. Her tone was calm and clear.

"I'm not going to look at it anymore. Good or bad, glorious or down on my luck. It doesn't matter now. What matters most is cherishing what I have in the present."

On the stone steps in front.

Goo Hara's mindset had been calmed down by Sulli, Ham Eun-jung, and others through a combination of coaxing, persuasion, and various explanations that defied common sense.

Although he was skeptical, he still took steps, unsteady on his feet, upwards.

His eyes, uncontrollably filled with fear and curiosity, trembled as they scanned the neatly arranged, cold tombstones on both sides of the steps.

The sun overhead was blazing intensely, almost scorching, and the shadows beneath our feet were clearly stretched and moved by the sunlight.

All of this gave her an extremely unreal feeling, as if she were in an absurd dream.

So he couldn't help but turn his head again to look at Shirley, who was supporting him tightly. His voice was dry and hoarse, with a last glimmer of hope as if seeking confirmation.

"Truth... This place... this place really is 25 years later? Twelve years from now... today?"

Upon hearing this, Shirley nodded firmly, her eyes clear and honest.

He then pointed to the sky and gestured to Goo Hara's clothes, which were almost completely dry, before asking her directly, "Unnie, what was the weather like in Tokyo just now? What are you feeling now? Over there, there was a violent storm that almost swept us away. What about here? How is it here?"

How's it going over here?

This question made Goo Hara subconsciously look down at her outfit.

The clothes that had been soaked by the typhoon and rain and felt cold and uncomfortable against the skin were almost dry after being exposed to the bright, even scorching sun for more than ten minutes, leaving only a little dampness and salt stains.

This starkly different physical environment is so real, so... undeniably real.

Just as she was struggling internally, clinging to the last glimmer of hope, Ham Eun-jung, who was walking ahead, softly reminded her, "We're here, it's right over there."

It turned out that the group had already arrived at the platform on the stairs where Lin Xiuyuan was.

Yoona, who was walking in front, turned around and gestured for them to walk to the right front.

As they turned around, and as they approached Lin Xiuyuan, who was standing in front of a tombstone not far away, Goo Hara's steps became increasingly unsteady.

It felt like walking on cotton, or like I might fall into thin air at any moment.

If it weren't for Sulli and Ham Eun-jung supporting her firmly on either side, giving her real support, she probably would have collapsed to the ground.

Their gazes involuntarily began to fall on the stone tablet in front of Lin Xiuyuan.

The distance is gradually decreasing.

The outline of the stone tablet began to become clearer and clearer.

The words engraved on it were like a lens gradually focusing, cruelly reflecting into her violently contracting pupils.

When Goo Hara finally stood before the tombstone.

My gaze first swept over the few photos frozen in the past years on the stone tablet, and then slowly moved to the withered bouquets left by fans and passersby that no one had replaced, as well as some yellowed cards and small gifts.

All of this was like a cold chisel, shattering her last shred of hope.

The soul seemed to be detached from the body at this moment, floating lightly in the air, looking down at this absurd and cruel scene.

At that moment, she could no longer scream, and she almost forgot how to breathe; the only sound in the world was the heavy pounding of her heart in her empty chest.

"Woo..."

next to.

Shirley, who was also seeing her best friend's tombstone for the first time, could no longer contain her emotions. She covered her face with her hands, and suppressed sobs escaped through her fingers, her tears quickly soaking the back of her hands.

Only Lin Xiuyuan stood silently to the side, like an understanding sculpture.

Instead of rushing to disturb them, they allowed the heavy yet necessary emotions to flow freely between them.

Just then, another slightly cool hand grabbed his arm.

Lin Xiuyuan turned his head and met Li Juli's burning gaze, which was filled with shock, realization, and a trace of resentment that had been hidden for a long time.

"Xiuyuan~" she said in a low voice, but each word was clear, "You've kept this from me pretty well."

　I typed this all day on my phone in Shenzhen, so please bear with me for now!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)