Hancheng: There is a door between me and the future

Chapter 322 Jeon Boram: [For My Own Use~] (Please Subscribe and Vote)

A few minutes later.

Lin Xiuyuan, who entered the hotel lobby a little late, immediately saw Sulli, Goo Hara, and the others waiting for him in front of the elevator.

So he put on a relaxed smile again and went to meet her.

Sherry and the others tacitly remained silent and quietly took the elevator back to their suite upstairs.

Upon entering the room, the warm yellow lighting and the tranquil environment that shielded everyone from the wind and rain allowed everyone to relax a little.

Lin Xiuyuan took off his slightly damp coat, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Xian Enjing, who was preparing hot water. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he casually asked a question in a conversational tone.

"By the way, Eun-jung, I have a question for you."

"what?"

"Does that 'legal loli' in your team have a boyfriend?"

"Legal loli?"

The moment this nickname, carrying a specific connotation and a hint of teasing, was uttered, Sulli, who was fixing her hair, and Park Jiyeon, who was sitting next to Goo Hara, immediately became interested and turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan.

Ham Eun-jung immediately understood who the words were referring to, her expression froze, and she subconsciously shook her head, saying, "Boram unnie? I haven't heard that she has a boyfriend. Soo-won, why are you suddenly asking this?"

Lin Xiuyuan scratched his forehead and frowned slightly.

The image of those two boxes of "little umbrellas" mixed in with snacks and fruit that I had just seen at the door flashed through my mind.

If you don't have a boyfriend, why would you keep this on hand?
Of course, there is another possibility: that the other person is in a relationship but is keeping it a secret from the other members of the group.

This is not unusual in the idol industry.

Lin Xiuyuan's expression relaxed upon realizing this, and he did not reveal the "evidence" he had just seen, after all, it was someone else's private matter.

Instead, she countered with a reasonable speculation, "It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of this. Is it possible that you spent a lot of time in Seoul, and if the other person met someone and started a relationship while they were in Tokyo, it would be normal for you not to know?"

These words caused Ham Eun-jung and Park Ji-yeon to exchange a glance.

The latter also shook his head slightly, his face blank, clearly indicating that he was also completely unaware of this.

Ham Eun-jung then frowned slightly and muttered uncertainly, "If that's what you're saying, then I really don't know, because unnie didn't mention it to us, and we didn't ask."

Park Jiyeon, as if she had just thought of something, looked at Lin Xiuyuan with a subtle expression and asked tentatively, "Oppa, you wouldn't happen to have feelings for Boram unnie..."

Knowing what Park Jiyeon wanted to ask, Lin Xiuyuan quickly made a "stop" gesture, interrupting her about to utter those lewd words.

"Stop, hold on. I was just asking out of pure curiosity, it's really not like what you're thinking, Jiyeon."

Lin Xiuyuan's eagerness to distance himself immediately made everyone in the room laugh, especially Shirley, who added insult to injury with a smile that made her eyes crinkle.

"Oppa, you can't blame Jiyeon for thinking that way. It's mainly because your... um~ preferences are quite broad, and sometimes they're rather unique, so it's inevitable that people will think a little more about it~"

Rumors are harmful!!!

Faced with Shirley's teasing, Lin Xiuyuan simply looked up to the sky and sighed.

Her exaggerated expressions caused everyone to burst into laughter again, and even Goo Hara, who had been in low spirits, couldn't help but smile slightly.

Afterwards, Ham Eun-jung and Park Ji-yeon rested in the guest room for a while and chatted with the others.

When the sky outside the window was completely shrouded in night, and it was almost evening, they got up to say goodbye and returned to their own dormitory.

With the departure of the two, only Lin Xiuyuan, Goo Hara, and Sulli remained in the suite.

The atmosphere suddenly became much quieter, and the three of them looked at each other.

If you bring up dinner at this time, you're definitely not hungry.

After all, they had just enjoyed a sumptuous afternoon tea at the villa not long ago.

So Sulli spoke first, suggesting, "Oppa, unnie, why don't we both take a break? Unnie must be tired today, and oppa, you got up so early and did so much."

Lin Xiuyuan had no objection to this, but looked at Goo Hara and asked her opinion with his eyes.

Goo Hara nodded slightly; after experiencing so much today, she truly felt physically and mentally exhausted.

She needs time to process the tumultuous events of the day.

After a quick wash, the three of them returned to their respective bedrooms.

There are two guest rooms. Lin Xiuyuan has a room to himself, while Sulli sleeps in the other bedroom with Goo Hara.

As evening fell, although the wind and rain outside the hotel were still raging, Lin Xiuyuan's keen hearing could still faintly detect the occasional suppressed sobs and someone's comforting voice coming from the next bedroom.

It was obvious that Goo Hara's emotions had surged again, and Sulli was comforting her.

This left him lying in bed with nothing but a helpless sigh.

"Oh well~" He rolled over and comforted himself, "It's good to cry. If I cry a few more times, I'll probably get used to it."

……

And the other side.

After returning to the dormitory rented by the team next door, Ham Eun-jung and Park Ji-yeon had just changed their shoes when they looked up and saw Jeon Bo-ram carrying a plate of washed fruit out of the kitchen.

Seeing her two younger sisters enter, Jeon Boram smiled gently. "You're back? I just washed some strawberries and cherries. Come and have some."

Ham Eun-jung and Park Ji-yeon exchanged a glance, then nodded casually and walked to the sofa, sitting down next to Jeon Bo-ram on either side.

The atmosphere was normal at first; the three of them watched a variety show on TV while eating sweet and juicy fruit.

But after eating just a few strawberries, Park Jiyeon, whose personality is more straightforward and not as composed as Ham Eun-jung, couldn't help herself.

After stealing a few glances at the composed Jeon Boram beside him, he finally couldn't resist nudging her with his elbow and whispering, with a hint of gossip, "Unnie~"

"Huh? What's wrong, Jiyeon?" Jeon Boram, who was laughing at the TV program, turned her head and looked at her.

Park Jiyeon blinked her big eyes, "Unnie, are you secretly dating someone?"

This question caused Jeon Boram, who was about to reach for another strawberry, to freeze in mid-air. Her smile instantly turned to disbelief.

She even looked at Park Jiyeon with a hint of disbelief, "What? Jiyeon, why are you suddenly asking this question?"

Then she quickly shook her head in denial, her tone deliberately relaxed, "Of course not. If I were in a relationship, wouldn't this kind of weather be the perfect time for a date? The atmosphere would be so nice, and I wouldn't have to worry about being photographed by paparazzi. Why would I stay in my dorm watching TV and eating fruit?"

However, Jeon Boram, who had just given a quick negative answer, soon noticed the eye contact that Park Jiyeon and Ham Eunjung were exchanging glances again.

The look in their eyes clearly conveyed the message that "something definitely went wrong" and "she was lying."

Their unusual question, coupled with their previous reaction, immediately brought to Jeon Boram's mind the image of someone who had helped pick up her belongings when her bag broke and scattered on the ground not long ago, and who had seen something she shouldn't have seen.

Could it be him...

Upon realizing this, Quan Baolan's eyes widened suddenly. Forgetting about the fruit, she turned to face her two younger sisters and asked, "Wait a minute, did Lin Xiuyuan send you to ask me this?"

Seemingly surprised that Jeon Boram could guess the source so accurately, even the usually composed Ham Eunjung glanced at her with some surprise.

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, then shook her head, and asked with even more curiosity, "Unnie, why did you guess it was Xiuyuan? You two are acting a bit strange. What happened?"

"Huh? I... I'm not... that..."

Jeon Boram opened her mouth, a barely perceptible blush instantly creeping onto her cheeks. She wanted to explain, but was too embarrassed to speak.

I can't exactly tell them the truth—that I just bought a "little umbrella" and then Lin Xiuyuan accidentally broke it!
Fortunately, judging from Ham Eun-jung and Park Ji-yeon's reactions, Lin Xiuyuan probably didn't tell them the specifics of what he saw. Otherwise, they wouldn't have just tentatively asked if they were in a relationship, but would have directly pressed him for details about who the other person was.

Upon realizing this, Jeon Boram immediately became restless, feeling embarrassed and flustered.

She stood up abruptly, said "I'm going back to my room to get something," and hurriedly left the living room.

He left only a slightly hurried silhouette on the sofa, leaving Ham Eun-jung and Park Ji-yeon looking completely bewildered.

As soon as Jeon Boram returned to her room, she immediately closed the door behind her. Then, she picked up her phone, which was charging, and unlocked the screen with slightly trembling fingers. She found a number that she had saved for a long time but had never opened, quickly composed a text message, and sent it.

[Jeon Boram]: Did you tell Eunjung and the others what you just saw?

……

In the hotel room next door, Lin Xiuyuan, who had just lain down to rest, heard his phone beep. He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Quan Baolan.

The text on the screen, tinged with obvious tension and questioning, made him chuckle.

My fingertips tapped on the screen, and I quickly replied.

[Lin Xiuyuan]: No, am I that kind of gossipy person?

As soon as the message was sent, Lin Xiuyuan could almost imagine the look of relief, yet also confusion and embarrassment, on Quan Baolan's face when she saw the reply on the other end of the phone.

So I couldn't help but laugh again, even laughing out loud.

……

After seeing Lin Xiuyuan's reply, Quan Baolan, who was in the dormitory, felt a little relieved.

But the embarrassment of having her privacy exposed and the urge to explain still lingered in her mind, leaving her conflicted.

His finger hovered hesitantly over the screen for a few seconds before he finally couldn't help but ask again, trying to figure out the source of the misunderstanding.

Jeon Boram: [Why did Eunjung and the others suddenly ask me if I have a boyfriend?]

After sending the message, she stared nervously at the screen.

Soon, Lin Xiuyuan's reply appeared, direct and frank.

Lin Xiuyuan: [I did ask that, after all, isn't that thing just for use? So I was just curious, that's all. I really didn't say anything else.]

This reply caused Jeon Boram to feel a surge of frustration and a silent outcry.

She knew it!

It really was because of that!
A surge of emotion, a mixture of shame, indignation, and a desperate need to defend herself, welled up inside her. Her fingers, as if possessed, swiftly typed a line in the chat box: "Does one really need a boyfriend to use an umbrella?!"

But as soon as the line of text, full of rhetorical questions and a hint of defiance, was completed, Jeon Boram suddenly snapped back to reality, and her cheeks burned even more intensely.

As if burned, I pressed the delete key quickly and forcefully.

I waited until the dialog box returned to blank, afraid that I might have accidentally sent the message that could have caused a deeper misunderstanding.

Even so, seeing Lin Xiuyuan's reply, which was full of self-evident logic, Jeon Boram really didn't know how to respond.

My mind was in chaos, and all sorts of thoughts started fighting each other.

According to normal human thinking, one should simply ignore it and not explain further.

After all, the more you say, the more mistakes you make, and the more you try to explain, the worse it gets.

A person with a short temper would probably just reply, "It's none of your business how I use it," and then end the conversation.

Jeon Boram, who is more introverted and has some homebody traits, has a strong urge to explain herself at this moment.

She didn't want Lin Xiuyuan to have any strange or unrealistic misunderstandings or impressions of her.

However, after racking her brains for a long time, her face turning red, she still couldn't come up with a perfect explanation that could both clarify the situation and save face and protect her privacy.

And just as she was struggling with her phone screen, another message from Lin Xiuyuan arrived.

It possesses a unique, almost perceptive, insight into people's hearts.

Lin Xiuyuan: [You haven't replied to me for so long, are you thinking of how to make up an excuse to fool me? Cat smile.jpg]

These insightful words made Jeon Boram, who is already prone to overthinking and has a thin skin, feel all the blood rush to her face and her ears burn.

A feeling of complete exposure made her feel utterly ashamed.

Finally, as if giving up on herself, she gritted her teeth, used all her strength to quickly type a few words, and sent them out.

Jeon Bo-lam: [For my own use.]

As the notification sound rang out that the message had been successfully sent, the words sent made Jeon Boram feel as if all the strength had been drained from her body, and the phone slipped from her slightly trembling hand.

She slumped backward onto the soft bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, her face burning hot.

It's over... my image is completely ruined...

Jeon Boram, inwardly wailing, felt like she was about to suffer social death.

Lying there, her heart pounded, awaiting the judgment on the other end of the phone.

Or rather, she was waiting for any possible reply from Lin Xiuyuan that would make her even more embarrassed.

Time passed slowly, but the phone remained unusually silent.

This time, Lin Xiuyuan did not reply immediately.

Just like her earlier struggle, the other side of the chat window fell into a long silence.

This silence was more agonizing for Jeon Boram than any direct response.

It even led to me starting to have uncontrollable wild thoughts.

Was he surprised by my answer?

Will he think I'm weird? Like...that?
Is he talking about this with someone else?

Ugh!! Why did I have to admit it?! Couldn't I have just said I bought it for a friend?!
Shame washed over Jeon Boram's reason like a tsunami, making her wish she could find a hole to crawl into or simply buy a standing ticket and escape this planet overnight.

Just as someone's thoughts were about to be overwhelmed by all sorts of outrageous conjectures.

A crisp "ding-dong" notification sound, like the tolling of a redemption bell or a judgment bell, suddenly rang out!
Jeon Boram sat up almost reflexively, grabbed her phone in a fluster, unlocked the screen, and opened the new message.

Then she froze instantly, her eyes widening as she stared at the brief reply on the screen.

His expression froze in a complex state between astonishment, absurdity, and utter speechlessness.

Lin Xiuyuan: [Oh~ that's very hygienic. (Thumbs up emoji)]

Jeon Boram: "..."

She looked at the reply that was completely unexpected, praising her for being "hygienic" in an almost academic tone.

In an instant, all of Jeon Boram's tension, embarrassment, and shame seemed to have crashed into a soft wall, and then mysteriously dissipated.

All that remains is an indescribable sense of absurdity.

What on earth is going on in this person's head?!

(End of this chapter)