Chapter 166

"By the way, this is the year 2013."

The sentence Lin Xiuyuan spoke was like a nail, driven ruthlessly into the already scarred and precarious inner world of Kim Taeyeon.

"2013..."

She murmured the timeline, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, as if it were merely an unconscious echo.

Yet in her mind, it was as if someone had suddenly torn open a gap; the floodwaters of memory instantly broke their banks, pouring back toward the past.

Kim Taeyeon stood where she was, her gaze dazed, her lips pressed tight, her body seemingly sealed in some invisible amber, unable to move.

Before her eyes, the scene of a certain day seemed to emerge.

It was the memorial service for Sulli.

There, Kim Taeyeon had seen Zheng Xiujing.

That girl, who had always been so strong, seemed to have lost her soul that day; she threw herself before the altar, crying out "Unnie" over and over again, her voice hoarse and heart-wrenching, weeping until those around her couldn't help but look away.

That scene was still deeply branded in the depths of her mind.

She saw Zheng Xiujing kneeling on the ground, hugging Luna, her hands clutching Sulli's portrait, crying as she said, "She said she was getting better, she said she wouldn't leave alone again..."

Then, the sounds of sobbing that reached her ears were like sharp, blunt instruments, striking Kim Taeyeon's heart again and again, until even breathing felt like it would tear her apart, and the images began to blur.

Immediately after, she waited for the images to become clear again.

But Kim Taeyeon saw another scene.

It was the funeral of Kim Jonghyun one winter; she and Lin Yun'er were walking quickly into the memorial hall, wrapped in heavy black coats, yet still feeling the bone-chilling cold seep into their marrow.

She remembered the air that day very clearly; it was bone-chillingly cold, and the entire space felt as oppressive as if it were about to collapse at any moment.

In her line of sight, Kim Jonghyun's sister was clutching the portrait tightly, unable to speak through her tears; there was silence all around, with only the occasional sound of wailing, like something being torn apart alive.

And Kim Taeyeon herself, held in Lin Yun'er's arms and comforted by the members, had cried until her eyes were red and her throat was hoarse.

After that, it was the memorial service for Goo Hara.

Watching Goo Hara lying quietly in the photograph, her smile bright yet forever frozen there.

Kim Taeyeon stood before the photo for a long time, unable to move; having just sent Sulli off the previous month, she only felt as if she had fallen into some invisible black hole beneath her feet, dragging her entire being downward.

That kind of darkness was an abyss that never saw the light of day.

She couldn't remember if she had cried that day; she only knew that someone said she looked like she had lost her soul, and she hadn't said a word all day.

And the final image that emerged was her father's funeral.

Kim Taeyeon stood at the very front of the crowd, wearing a crisp black suit, her eyes hollow, no tears, no cries.

She couldn't remember what her emotions were at the time, only hearing the sound of the people around her crying, wave after wave, crashing over her.

Yet she only lowered her head, kneeling there like a puppet, her fingers icy, her heart left with nothing but numbness.

In the years since then, Kim Taeyeon had never celebrated a birthday again, and had almost forgotten what a cake tasted like.

The word "birthday" had long since disappeared for her, lost in the gaps between those farewells and funerals.

Returning to the reality of the apartment, Kim Taeyeon's gaze began to focus again, landing on Lin Yun'er and Lin Xiuyuan before her.

Then she took a deep breath, slowly turned around, and looked toward Lin Xiaolu, Zheng Xiuyan, and... Sulli on the sofa.

Her hands hung naturally at her sides, but her fingers were already tightly clenched into fists.

Her long, beautiful nails dug fiercely into her palms, and the piercing pain came in waves, yet she didn't loosen them in the slightest.

And that pain was the clearest reminder to her.

This was not a dream.

This was reality.

She had really returned.

Returned to a world that time had not yet had the chance to destroy.

Returned to that crossroads before she had lost everything, where everything could still be chosen anew.

A wave of sour emotion surged into her throat, almost drowning Kim Taeyeon completely.

But she held it back; she didn't cry.

Instead, she tried hard to suppress her emotions, looking at the three people before her—no, it should be said, only two—with her beautiful brows tightly furrowed.

One was a separation of the living, one was a parting by death.

Finally, she struggled to squeeze a sound from her throat: "Hi, you... you are all still here."

This sentence was almost carved out inch by inch from the bottom of Kim Taeyeon's heart, like a longing that had been suppressed for too long, finally finding an exit.

After saying it, she stepped forward, greeting Lin Xiaolu and Zheng Xiuyan with familiar movements and expressions, carrying a forced lightness: "Seeing you like this, you haven't changed much, tsk, have I aged too quickly?"

Hearing this joke, Zheng Xiuyan managed to squeeze out a smile, but her heart inexplicably tightened, feeling a bit of heartache for this Kim Taeyeon who was pretending to be strong.

And at this moment, Kim Taeyeon had already walked in front of Sulli.

Before she could even raise her hand, her eyes had already changed, softening uncontrollably.

The next second, she raised her hand and hugged Sulli, saying nothing, just holding her gently, as if deeply afraid that if she let go, the other person would disappear again.

"Little Snowball... long time no see."

Kim Taeyeon called out softly, her tone somewhat intermittent, relying entirely on deep breaths to maintain her composure.

Sulli was startled, but soon gently hugged Kim Taeyeon back, laughing softly to comfort her: "Unnie, it's okay, I'm still here, aren't I? Although the 'me' on your side had some problems, the 'me' here is just fine."

Just as she finished speaking, Sulli suddenly felt a small, slightly cool hand gripping her own with a stubbornness that was almost desperate.

Looking down, it was Kim Taeyeon's right hand hanging down.

The knuckles were white, and blood was even faintly seeping from her palm.

But she didn't move, just clutching Sulli's hand tightly like a drowning person finally grabbing a piece of driftwood, her left hand holding the other person motionless.

This scene was very familiar to Sulli.

Just like Krystal and Lin Yun'er before, who, after seeing her, had used the same way—almost kneading her into their bones and blood—to hold, pull, and grip her.

It was an instinct of regaining what was lost, a light one only dared to confirm after passing through the dark night.

"Unnie..."

Sulli's eyes softened gently, and then she took the initiative to link arms with Kim Taeyeon, leading her to sit down beside her: "Let's sit down first. After you came over, everything here will become better in the future."

"Mm~"

Kim Taeyeon nodded, her smile finally softening a bit, but her right hand, which was tightly gripping Sulli, still did not let go.

Lin Xiaolu and Zheng Xiuyan, who were on the side, watched this scene, and an inexplicable emotion also welled up in their hearts.

Although they had previously been shocked by the information from the future, compared to the pain Kim Taeyeon had personally experienced, their feelings were ultimately separated by a layer of distance that could not be truly touched.

So the two of them did not disturb the reunion of Kim Taeyeon and Sulli, but instead turned their gaze toward Lin Yun'er and Lin Xiuyuan nearby.

As a result, upon looking, Lin Xiaolu was a bit dumbfounded.

Just because Lin Yun'er's youthful and invincible face had changed too much compared to her appearance and complexion the last time they met.

And compared to Lin Xiaolu's shock, Zheng Xiuyan didn't have much of a feeling, because she hadn't seen the 2025 Lin Yun'er for a while, and thought the other party had gone to do some medical beauty treatment recently; after all, the effect is definitely best right after it's done.

Then Zheng Xiuyan looked at Lin Xiuyuan, pursing her lips toward Kim Taeyeon, signaling him to step forward and adjust the situation back.

Facing Zheng Xiuyan's signal, Lin Xiuyuan's approach was also very simple.

That was, just like Lin Yun'er pushing Kim Taeyeon through the door earlier, he gently pushed Lin Yun'er over, with a malicious smile on the corner of his mouth, making Zheng Xiuyan and Lin Xiaolu unable to help but roll their eyes at the same time.

However, Lin Yun'er didn't mind, instead walking up naturally and gently hugging Kim Taeyeon's shoulders.

Her posture was exactly the same as the day of Kim Jonghyun's funeral, gently patting Kim Taeyeon's shoulder: "Alright, Unnie, let's talk about anything later. It's dinner time now, we have to cook first, right, Snowball~"

"Oh, right, my soup."

Reminded by Lin Yun'er, Sulli finally remembered the chicken soup that was still simmering in the kitchen, and hurriedly turned and ran in.

And at this time, Lin Xiuyuan also followed: "Slow down, Sulli, I'll help you."

"It's already drinkable, so Oppa, you help me carry it out, let Unnie and the others drink the soup first, I'll stir-fry a few dishes here immediately, it will be ready very soon."

"Okay."

Just like that, when Lin Xiuyuan brought out the steaming pot of chicken soup, Kim Taeyeon was still leaning on Lin Yun'er's shoulder, her expression dazed, as if she hadn't yet pulled herself out of the vortex of emotions.

So he smiled and looked at the few people on the sofa, teasing: "What are you all still standing there for, come over and ladle the soup, don't tell me you're waiting for me to deliver it to you, Lin Xiaolu."

"Got it, coming."

Hearing that Lin Xiuyuan was calling her, and not Lin Yun'er, Lin Xiaolu was inexplicably a bit happy.

Lin Yun'er was just about to continue hugging Kim Taeyeon and walk over, but was gently patted on the arm by Zheng Xiuyan beside her.

She looked back and saw the other party give her a look, signaling her to go over first.

Seeing this situation, Lin Yun'er's eyes lit up, and she smiled, let go of Kim Taeyeon, and followed Lin Xiaolu's footsteps toward the dining table.

And this situation caused Kim Taeyeon to lift her head unconsciously; the next second, Zheng Xiuyan's hand touched her shoulder, and then a voice she hadn't heard for a long time slowly sounded.

"How is it, can you recover mentally?"

A casual remark, yet it made Kim Taeyeon feel as if her spine had been instantly straightened; she let out a long sigh of relief and nodded in response: "A bit better."

Then she turned her head to look at this old friend she hadn't seen for many years, and after gritting her teeth, asked: "When did you all know about this situation?"

"A month ago, I guess."

While Zheng Xiuyan answered, she didn't forget to gently push Kim Taeyeon forward, leading her toward the dining table together.

After sitting down, Kim Taeyeon's gaze couldn't help but drift toward the busy back in the kitchen again.

It was a long time before she withdrew her gaze and looked at Lin Yun'er and Lin Xiaolu opposite, her eyes carrying a bit of trance, and also a few points of surprise.

"Two Yun'ers from different space-times, I just thought I saw a ghost, I almost screamed out loud."

Kim Taeyeon, who had always been afraid of such things, had really almost been scared to death just now.

If it weren't for Sulli standing there, and if it weren't for that deep longing overriding the fear, she might have fainted on the spot.

Lin Xiaolu, who was ladling the soup, handed the first bowl to Kim Taeyeon: "I'm so young, how could you have misidentified me, Unnie."

"Yah, Lin Xiaolu."

Although her complexion had improved a lot and her skin condition had returned to excellent, "age" was still Lin Yun'er's sensitive word and forbidden zone, so she immediately rolled her eyes at Lin Xiaolu.

"What, I'm telling the truth, I'm only 23 years old, and you..."

"Yah, still talking, it seems you don't want information sharing anymore."

"I..."

Lin Xiaolu, who was a bit depressed because she guessed something, pursed her lips, looked at Lin Yun'er's fair and flawless face, snorted, and simply closed her little mouth.

On the side, Kim Taeyeon held the bowl of steaming chicken soup, her eyes still carrying a bit of confusion, and spoke as if to herself.

"So I have traveled through time and space, returned to the 2013 space-time, and then changing things in this space-time won't affect my 2025 situation on the other side, right?"

"Mm, yes Unnie, it can't change our side. For example, now Lin Xiaolu has already secured the female lead of 'The Heirs', and then Xiuyan Unnie hasn't been with Quan Ningyi, and finally Sulli also knows everything, but nothing has happened on our side."

As Kim Taeyeon heard Lin Yun'er say these words, she rarely showed a smile: "Why call Yun'er 'Little Deer'?"

"Of course it's to distinguish, right, Lin Xiaolu."

Thinking of Lin Xiaolu, who had previously had to give up her name because she needed help, she could only roll her eyes speechlessly and choose selective aphasia.

And at this time, Zheng Xiuyan suddenly said from the side: "By the way, Taeyeon, how have you been lately?"

This sentence fell like a feather, but it accurately hit the softest and most difficult-to-touch place in Kim Taeyeon's heart.

Making her body tremble slightly.

Her expression was dazed at first, then the corners of her mouth curled up, as if something had hit her deep inside, but she still forced a relaxed response: "Mm, I'm managing, it's just that I haven't seen you for a while, Xiuyan."

After saying this, knowing that the other party already knew about the future development, she wanted to ask a question after a moment of silence: "Xiuyan..."

But before Kim Taeyeon could speak, Zheng Xiuyan interrupted her: "I know what you want to ask, the situation on that side was caused by that idiot Jessica herself, don't ask me, I don't have any thoughts. And don't put too much pressure on yourself, things have passed for so long, why keep thinking about it."

Zheng Xiuyan's words made Kim Taeyeon bite her lip and lower her head: "But I didn't protect you well."

"Nonsense, you can't even protect yourself, how can you talk about protecting others."

As soon as this sentence came out, Kim Taeyeon raised her head to look at Zheng Xiuyan, and saw the other party slightly frowning, pointing at her own face with disdain.

"I remember I told you long ago, never go for plastic surgery. And what happened? Can't you just be obedient?"

Zheng Xiuyan's answer drew the gazes of Lin Yun'er and Lin Xiaolu; both of them seemed not to know that their two Unnies had actually talked about these aspects.

Especially Lin Yun'er; in the ten years after 2014, she had seen both of them, but had never known about this.

And on Kim Taeyeon's side, Zheng Xiuyan's words were like a hook, instantly hooking up old memories from the depths of her mind.

She remembered that afternoon when they were resting in the vocal classroom, the two girls sitting side by side chatting.

That year, they had the best relationship, and it was also the year that the "Tae-Sica CP" sprouted among fans.

After that, all the images flashed like a slide show, one scene after another, until the end, stopping on the day Zheng Xiuyan left the group.

Then, Kim Taeyeon slowly lowered her head again, murmuring: "Because later... no one said that to me anymore."

In the kitchen, the sound of Sulli stir-frying and the wisps of fragrance drifted into the living room, Lin Xiuyuan's teasing and Sulli's response were full of laughter.

And on this side of the dining table, because of Kim Taeyeon's words, it fell into a moment of silence.

That silence was heavier than any sound.

(End of chapter)