Chapter 161

Late night in Seoul in June.

The streetlights cast a soft orange glow, spilling onto the damp road surface, reflecting a faint luster as the wheels rolled by.

The cafe at the street corner was still lit, a few guests staying up late chatting in low voices, occasionally emitting light laughter.

And deep in the nearby alleys, the calls of night owls could be heard from time to time, intertwined with the sound of distant tram bells, forming a quiet but not lonely urban night scene.

Kim Taeyeon sat in the car; having just finished her radio program, she fell into a brief contemplation after making the call.

Her gaze fell inadvertently on the bistro in front of the car window, and through the hazy light and shadow of the window, her expression was a bit dazed.

Thinking of how the members of the group frequently mentioned the mystery of this bistro today because of Lin Xiaolu's problem, their heated discussions made her think of this place.

Perhaps it was that curiosity at work, or some kind of unconscious pull, that made Kim Taeyeon come here after work, bringing some barbecue and fried skewers, and making that call.

She actually couldn't say why she came alone in the middle of the night.

Maybe she wanted to hear some different stories from Lin Xiuyuan's mouth.

The last exchange was too much to her taste.

The air in the car was a bit stuffy, and Kim Taeyeon's fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel, the rhythm a bit hurried.

Just as she was immersed in her thoughts, a familiar figure appeared at the bistro door outside the car.

It was Lin Xiuyuan, who had slowly walked out from the apartment, looking up slightly, as if feeling the coolness of the night wind, then tilting his head to look at Kim Taeyeon in the car, waving at her with a smile, and beckoning.

Then he opened the bistro door and walked in first, skillfully turning on the power switch and lights, all in one go.

Seeing Lin Xiuyuan go down, Kim Taeyeon also smiled slightly, pushed open the car door, and stepped out.

Then she walked into the bistro, brushing past Lin Xiuyuan, who was holding the door for her.

As Kim Taeyeon pushed the door and entered, Lin Xiuyuan let go of the door and turned to follow her in.

"What's going on? Not resting well in the middle of the night, running to me for a late-night snack?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door closed automatically with a "pop," and the room suddenly became quiet, with only the two of them left in the entire bistro.

"If I said I was just bored, would I look very stupid?"

Kim Taeyeon answered casually while placing the bag of late-night snacks on the coffee table beside the sofa, turning back to smile at him.

And Lin Xiuyuan walked into the bar; facing her somewhat self-deprecating statement, he didn't ask much, just responded easily to what the other party said.

"If you say so, then I definitely won't let you be embarrassed; I will choose to believe it."

"Hahaha, do we look very funny now?" Kim Taeyeon teased with a smile.

This time Lin Xiuyuan didn't pick up the thread, but changed the subject, "What would you like to drink?"

Kim Taeyeon walked a few steps closer, poked her head to scan the bar, and her gaze finally fell on the Coke bottle in the corner, "Forget it, I have to drive later, so no alcohol. Let's have some Coke."

"Cocktails don't have a high alcohol content; who comes to a bistro to drink Coke? If you do that, I'll have to consider kicking you out."

Lin Xiuyuan saw a hint of hesitation in Kim Taeyeon's eyes, as well as the faint longing, uncertainty, and hesitation in her tone.

Then he understood a little in his heart; the other party probably had something on her mind tonight, so he took the opportunity to offer a step down, "Don't worry, someone will take you back."

"Really?"

Honestly, although Kim Taeyeon's alcohol tolerance wasn't good, she still dared to drink cocktails and such, or rather, she wanted to drink the drinks Lin Xiuyuan mixed here; they tasted better than those outside and were smoother on the throat.

Lin Xiuyuan didn't answer this, just glanced at her, as if tacitly agreeing.

So Kim Taeyeon began to order.

Still the same as usual, two fruit wines she was familiar with, one cherry, one passion fruit, in her words: "Drink slowly, no rush."

And after ordering the drinks, Kim Taeyeon also smiled and pulled out a vinyl record from behind and placed it on the bar counter, "Deng deng deng deng~"

Lin Xiuyuan was lowering his head to clean the bartending equipment; hearing the sound, he looked up at the slightly old-fashioned cover, and when he recognized the figure on the cover, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Wow, Leslie Cheung's 'For You', this is a classic among classics."

"There's more, Xiuyuan, look inside."

Kim Taeyeon smiled and slowly opened the packaging, only revealing a small slit for him.

That flash of snow-white made Lin Xiuyuan's hands pause, "A white disc?"

"Yeah, rare to see, right? Although black ones are even rarer, many are not in good condition, so I chose the white disc. Last time I saw your record wall, there was a lot of Hong Kong music, especially Leslie Cheung's, so I specifically picked this one. Do you like it?"

Seeing the shock on Lin Xiuyuan's face, Kim Taeyeon smiled very satisfactorily.

And hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan naturally nodded and said he liked it.

This was the first white disc from Hong Kong, pioneering the local colored vinyl, and it was a limited edition release. It seems this little leader in front of him also put in some effort.

It's just that Lin Xiuyuan looked at her, then lowered his head to look at the record, feeling a bit emotional, "It's just that Taeyeon, this gift of yours caught me off guard."

"Aren't you going to treat me to a drink?" Kim Taeyeon smiled easily, her tone cheerful, "Reciprocity, that's all."

"These few drinks aren't worth a damn."

Kim Taeyeon, who seemed to be waiting right here, pursed her lips and smiled after hearing this, "Then how about, give me a membership seat?"

This sentence made Lin Xiuyuan, who had just finished washing the bartending tools, freeze. He looked up, his gaze meeting Kim Taeyeon's.

When their eyes met, the air suddenly froze for a moment.

After a while, Kim Taeyeon hummed, as if joking with herself, "As expected, it's still not possible. Speaking of which, Xiuyuan, your bistro says it's membership-based, but we friends can come in to drink, yet we don't count as members. Don't you think this setting is a bit strange?"

"Not at all, mine belongs to idealism. Members are T0 level, friends... T1, T2, and so on."

Seeing Kim Taeyeon take the initiative to skip over it, Lin Xiuyuan breathed a sigh of relief and then explained the situation.

Otherwise, if he really had to refuse, it would be a bit awkward.

But after hearing the answer, Kim Taeyeon gave an evaluation, "Outrageous classification."

After speaking, Kim Taeyeon turned and walked toward the record wall, found a prominent position for the record in her hand, hesitated for a moment, turned her head and asked, "Xiuyuan, do you want to listen to it?"

Lin Xiuyuan, who was looking over there, nodded gently, "Sure."

So Kim Taeyeon took down the record again and put it into the slightly aged phonograph. As the mechanical needle fell gently, accompanied by a slight "puff" friction sound, the melody slowly sounded.

The first melody of the record flowed out slowly, and then as the first prelude of "For You" flowed leisurely, the mellow tone and nostalgic emotions overflowed slowly, as if instantly bringing the entire bistro back to that once charming and slightly distant era.

Kim Taeyeon stood by the record player, a rare focus on her face, listening seriously to the melody of the music.

A warm atmosphere permeated the air, and the soft lights in the bistro reflected on her face, outlining a trace of deep and soft light and shadow.

Lin Xiuyuan at the bar saw this scene, glanced at his phone, wiped his hands clean with a towel, picked it up, and took a photo of the scene.

Click.

The lens froze in this gentle scene.

That crisp shutter sound recalled Kim Taeyeon's consciousness.

She turned around, looked at the boy holding the phone not far away, smiled gently, and slowly walked back to the bar and sat down, "Taking photos without permission is illegal, Xiuyuan-xi~"

"I'm taking it openly, otherwise I wouldn't be too lazy to turn on silent mode."

Lin Xiuyuan smiled as he put down his phone and pushed the mixed cherry cocktail in front of her.

Seeing this, Kim Taeyeon also stood up and went back behind her, brought the late-night snack over, and the two sat face to face across the bar, drinking and eating skewers, and the bistro suddenly had a bit more steaming fireworks.

The rhythm of the chat also unfolded naturally, from records to music, from music to their respective work, and finally the topic circled around to the thing confirmed today, which was Lin Xiaolu getting the female lead role.

"So," Kim Taeyeon smiled, her eyes full of curiosity, "What kind of teacher did you and Xiuyan find for YoonA? In less than a month, her acting skills have improved by leaps and bounds to the point of successfully auditioning. It's too exaggerated."

"Why can't it be said to be Xiaolu's talent." Lin Xiuyuan replied, but after getting used to the name, he forgot to change it back for a while.

Then he was caught by Kim Taeyeon for being wrong, "Xiaolu?"

Fortunately, this small problem was quickly explained away by Lin Xiuyuan, "It's just YoonA, our fans like to call her Lin Xiaolu, those eyes are very much like deer eyes."

Regarding this, after Kim Taeyeon heard it, although the suspicion in her eyes disappeared, it was replaced by a bit of teasing, "Yo, you call YoonA by her fan nickname so smoothly, then how do you and Xiuyan address each other?"

"What nickname, does this count as a nickname? This is what fans call her. As for Zheng Xiuyan, I call her by her name directly, just Zheng Xiuyan."

"Oh~ impressive, others call her Jessica, but you call her by her real name." Kim Taeyeon's smile became more and more obvious.

"Ya, if I call you Jin Xiaochou, Jin Ruanruan, does that count as a nickname?"

Lin Xiuyuan, who was teased to numbness, directly used her own way to treat her, and teased Kim Taeyeon.

"That's different!" The little leader immediately went double-standard, "That's a nickname fans gave me, it doesn't count."

Lin Xiuyuan laughed helplessly, simply didn't argue with her, and changed the subject to the stage.

As for why they talked about this topic, of course, it was because when they were eating at noon, he was talking about this with Kim Taeyeon from 2025.

The version of Kim Taeyeon from 2013 in front of him, although she hadn't held a solo concert yet, the longing for the stage in her heart had clearly accumulated for many years.

So when Kim Taeyeon listened to one sentence after another from Lin Xiuyuan in front of her, her heart also tightened.

Because the ideas expressed by the boy in front of her were completely in line with her inner thoughts; the stage she hoped for was not the kind of flashy skill-based one, but resonance.

And opposite, Lin Xiuyuan was still smiling and saying, "Lights, stage art, choreography are all important, but I personally think the most important thing is still the atmosphere at the scene, the moment everyone really sinks into it."

Another heartfelt remark, listening to Kim Taeyeon tilt her head slightly, her gaze falling on the other party, she didn't speak, just listened.

Until the other party finished speaking, she sighed long, as if depicting a picture in her mind, "Xiuyuan, are you a roundworm in my stomach? How come you understand everything I haven't said."

She hoped that the audience wouldn't just watch her perform, but sing with her, cry with her, laugh with her, and even be silent with her.

Even if it was just for a few seconds, that feeling of resonance, as long as it happened once, was enough for Kim Taeyeon to remember forever.

However, after speaking, Kim Taeyeon smiled and added a sentence with a bit of embarrassment, "But it sounds a bit too idealistic, doesn't it?"

Lin Xiuyuan shook his head, "Do you remember the 'light-down area' design I just mentioned? That's to let the audience watch you with peace of mind, not be dazzled by the scanning lights, and not just focus on taking pictures. This is to let them truly sink into it."

He continued, "And the sound system, it must be as close as possible to the frequency range of your vocal range. Your breathing, and some turns, are easily covered by the live sound pressure... but that is exactly where the most emotion in your voice is."

This time Kim Taeyeon was completely stunned.

She suddenly realized that she had never mentioned the trouble of "turning breathing" to anyone.

She even thought that only she cared about these things.

But Lin Xiuyuan in front of her actually pointed it out in one word, and even considered the details of the sound settings.

So she subconsciously asked, "Xiuyuan, how did you know I'm most afraid of the microphone being too loud and covering up the details of my voice?"

This question made Lin Xiuyuan a bit stunned, but witty as he was, he quickly found an excuse.

"Because when I watched some material videos before, I found that you would subconsciously frown every time you listened to your own live playback, especially those small breathing positions that were pressed down. You might not have noticed, but as a bystander, I naturally know, so I probably guessed it."

Kim Taeyeon didn't speak, just looked at him gently, and in that look, there was a moment of palpitation that poked her heart.

She whispered, "You kind of person... really makes people afraid."

Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but laugh, "Why?"

Because it makes people... want to get close unconsciously.

But this sentence, Kim Taeyeon didn't say it, but smiled and changed the subject, "Then Xiuyuan, do you think the opening of my first solo concert should be standing on a lifting platform and slowly rising, or standing in the center of the light from the beginning?"

When asking this question, her eyes were exceptionally focused, staring tightly at the boy opposite, as if waiting for an echo that could confirm the answer in her heart.

"You should hide in the dark..." Lin Xiuyuan answered slowly, "Let everyone think you haven't appeared yet, until your first clean a cappella comes out, that kind of shock is what belongs to Kim Taeyeon."

At this moment, Kim Taeyeon really couldn't keep calm.

She stared blankly at Lin Xiuyuan.

Clearly he hadn't done anything, just said a few words casually, but it was as if it had hit the softest part of her heart without bias.

Kim Taeyeon began to feel that her heartbeat was not right.

Then she lowered her head, moved her gaze away, took a light breath, and picked up the wine glass to drink the last mouthful of cocktail, as if borrowing wine to suppress some restless emotion in her heart.

A few seconds later, Kim Taeyeon, who had adjusted her breathing, restored the composure she originally had, and looked at Lin Xiuyuan with a smile, "Xiuyuan, tell me the truth, did you secretly run to the future and watch my performance?"

The joking words, but inadvertently poked through everything, but the person who said this didn't believe what she said at all.

So Lin Xiuyuan laughed, and responded to her words crisply, "Smart person, guessed it right away. But I haven't seen your performance yet, I'm considering whether to go to your personal tour in a few days."

"I knew you were just following me."

Kim Taeyeon hummed, "Tour my head, I haven't even released a single, am I going to stand there?"

She said, while helplessly reaching out to hit Lin Xiuyuan.

But she couldn't reach across the bar, and finally could only glare at him, rolling her eyes with a bit of angry laughter.

Lin Xiuyuan inside raised his eyebrows, "Who knows? Maybe in the future you will be in the TOP tier of solo female singers in the music industry."

This plain encouragement was more moving than any love words.

It also made Kim Taeyeon suddenly feel her nose sore, and her eyes felt a bit hot.

She lowered her head and smiled, as if she had hidden those emotions again, but her heartbeat had already lost its rhythm.

The boy didn't say any love words, but every sentence seemed to pass through the noise, pass through time, and land accurately where she most longed to be understood and known.

Kim Taeyeon, who felt something was wrong, took a deep breath and straightened up, avoiding Lin Xiuyuan's gaze and said, "Well, it's getting late, I have to go back."

Lin Xiuyuan looked at the time beside him, it was almost 12 o'clock at midnight, he didn't expect the two of them to have chatted for more than an hour, so he nodded, "Hmm, indeed have to go back, you wait a moment, I'll call someone to send you."

Because he had also drunk alcohol, Lin Xiuyuan couldn't drive, so he could only take out his phone and send a text message to Sulli in the apartment.

After about a few minutes, the bistro door was gently pushed open, and the wind chimes rang a few crisp sounds.

A fresh mint scent drifted in with the night wind, Sulli walked in from the door wearing a loose white short-sleeved shirt and light blue jeans.

Her hair was slightly curled, as if it had been tied behind her head casually after a shower, she was clean and refreshing, carrying a bit of cold moonlight, and then smiled at Kim Taeyeon and Lin Xiuyuan, "Hi, Unnie, Oppa~"

Kim Taeyeon, who heard the visitor, turned her head sharply, and was about to stand up to say hello, but the moment she saw Sulli like this, her movements paused.

"Sulli? How did you come?"

"Come to send you back, Unnie."

Sulli shook the car keys in her hand while answering with a smile, her eyebrows curved.

Kim Taeyeon was stunned, turned to look at Lin Xiuyuan, "You called her? Then what about Sulli later?"

"Don't worry, I have arrangements." Lin Xiuyuan said softly, "You go back first, Sulli will send you."

Facing this statement from Lin Xiuyuan, Kim Taeyeon originally wanted to say something, but after looking at Lin Xiuyuan, the words she wanted to say were taken back, and finally she only said, "Then I'm leaving, let's talk later."

"Hmm, send me a message when you get home." Lin Xiuyuan nodded.

Then he looked at Sulli, "Thank you, Zhenli, please send her back, drive slowly on the road."

"Okay, Oppa, leave it to me."

Sulli made an OK gesture at him, pulled the door open, and walked out of the bistro with Kim Taeyeon.

As the door closed again, after the last crisp sound of the wind chimes, the bistro in the night returned to silence.

The bar counter still had residual warmth, the dim pendant lamp hung quietly, the light spilled on the table, and the wine fragrance and emotions seemed to be still circling in the air.

Lin Xiuyuan didn't rush to leave, just poured himself some more whiskey, leaned on the back of the chair, looked at the position Kim Taeyeon had just sat in, and fell into a brief trance.

About forty minutes later, the bistro door was pushed open again.

Sulli walked in while pulling her coat, her cheeks slightly flushed, as if the air conditioning in the car was too warm.

"Oppa, I sent Taeyeon Unnie to the dormitory door before coming back."

"Hmm." Lin Xiuyuan nodded, "Thank you."

Sulli waved her hand at this, then sat curiously in front of Lin Xiuyuan, "It's not hard, but Oppa, what did you two talk about just now? Unnie was either silent on the way, or kept asking me about you, her eyes were drifting."

Then Lin Xiuyuan didn't hide it, and took what he learned from Kim Taeyeon from 25 years ago and used it.

Sulli was stunned after hearing it, then said "Wow", "Daebak! No wonder her expression was weird, Oppa, you are chatting by poking her heart, this behavior is really foul."

"Then what can I do, I'm already cheating." Lin Xiuyuan shrugged, and clinked his glass with her gently.

Then the two sat down and chatted for a while, and when they got up to return to the apartment, it was already 1:30 in the morning.

Finally, they said 'goodnight' to each other and returned to their respective bedrooms.

On the other side.

After returning to the dormitory, Kim Taeyeon took a hot shower, blew her hair until it was almost dry, let it fall on her shoulders, and then plunged into the bed.

The soft quilt wrapped around her body, but couldn't cover the strange restlessness in her heart.

Then, for some reason, she began to turn to her side, staring at the dim night light on the bedside, but her mind couldn't stop replaying the scenes in the bistro just now.

"You should hide in the dark, until the first a cappella sounds..."

That sentence seemed to carry temperature, circling around her ears gently.

That boy understood her so well, understood her expectation for the stage, understood the details she cared about most when singing, and even said it out a step earlier than herself.

At that moment, the words she almost blurted out.

At this moment, Kim Taeyeon changed her wording and said it, "Xiuyuan, you are so dangerous."

(End of chapter)