Chapter 171: Enjing, you have to thank Ham Eun-jung

One evening in June 2013, inside the T-ara dormitory.

The living room lights were soft. Park Hyomin was sitting on the sofa with a face mask on, holding a throw pillow, her eyes lazily fixed on a variety show playing on the TV screen.

However, Hyomin's attention clearly wasn't entirely on the program; from time to time, her gaze would drift involuntarily toward the back of the person sitting at the dining table, focused on typing away at a laptop.

"I really didn't expect it..."

A moment later, Hyomin suddenly spoke, her voice muffled and soft behind the mask. "Jiyeon, you're actually working so seriously. I thought you were just playing around at first."

Her tone carried a hint of teasing, yet also a rare touch of appreciation and surprise.

That little sister who was always impulsive and acted on a whim could now be this focused and steady.

"Yeah, she's practically turned our living room into a production meeting room."

The bathroom door creaked open, and Ham Eun-jung walked out, wiping her dripping wet hair with a towel.

She was wearing a loose, light purple pajama set, looking lazy yet gentle.

After sitting down on the edge of the sofa, Eun-jung continued, "Hyomin, it's not right to say she's playing around. She's bet her entire fortune on this now. You can't call that playing; that's risking her life."

Having said that, Eun-jung looked at Park Ji-yeon with some concern, then sat on the edge of the sofa and picked up a tube of hand cream to apply.

At the same time, like an old mother, she reminded her, "Although I really don't understand what Jessica and YoonA are thinking—one leading the charge to flip the table, the other jumping in headfirst—and you won't tell us anything, that doesn't matter. But Jiyeon, you really need to be careful, extra careful, with this investment."

Being "scrutinized" by the two older sisters, Park Ji-yeon, sitting in front of the laptop, froze for a second. Her fingers paused on the keyboard.

She looked up at the two on the sofa, a fleeting trace of loss crossing her eyes, as if something had pricked her heart.

But soon, Ji-yeon raised a stubborn smile and responded in a light tone, "I know, Unnie. Don't worry. They wouldn't conspire to scam me alone and risk their own money too, right?"

"What if they have channels to get their own money back and only scam yours?" Hyomin replied seriously, having taken off her mask.

After saying that, she crumpled the mask into a ball and threw it into the trash. "Even if this makes me sound small-minded, being cautious is never a mistake."

"I know, Unnie." Ji-yeon felt a warmth in her heart.

She closed the laptop and let out a soft breath. "Anyway, I need to head out. You two get some rest; don't wait up for me."

"Where are you going again?" Eun-jung asked, looking up.

Ji-yeon, who was already packing her things, replied, "To Sulli's place. Krystal and she are waiting for me. We're going to talk about the investment for that script and some other issues. I'll probably sleep there tonight."

"Go ahead, drive carefully," Eun-jung said with concern after hearing the answer.

Ji-yeon nodded, picked up a jacket and her bag, and left the dorm with her computer.

Watching the front door slowly close, Hyomin turned her head slightly to look at Eun-jung, her tone filled with emotion.

"Eun-jung, don't you feel like Jiyeon has suddenly grown up a lot? She has secrets, she's sensible, and she even understands investments."

"Yeah, how could I not feel it?"

Eun-jung said, evenly applying the lotion to the back of her hands, a satisfied smile on her lips.

"You haven't seen how she handles those fans and malicious comments now; she's completely emotionless. Yesterday, she was even lecturing me, saying that no matter how much they curse, the money they make still isn't as much as one of our commercial performances... I laughed out loud on the spot."

As she spoke, her smile spread, and the satisfaction of witnessing her younger sister grow up flowed quietly between her brows.

Hyomin laughed softly as well.

Just then, a phone call interrupted their chat. Hyomin picked up the phone next to her and handed it to Eun-jung. "Here, your call."

On the way to handing it over, Hyomin glanced at it and then pulled her right hand back, leaving Eun-jung grasping at air.

"Huh, why is it him?"

"Who is it?" Eun-jung followed her gaze. "Huh, Lin Xiuyuan?"

Although curious, Hyomin handed it to Eun-jung again, and Eun-jung answered quickly, "Hello, Xiuyuan."

"Have you eaten yet, Eun-jung?"

Lin Xiuyuan's voice on the other end sounded relaxed and bright, as if he didn't realize it was already 11:00 PM.

Eun-jung found it funny and replied, "Hey, it's 11:00 PM already, who hasn't eaten? If you have something to say, just say it; no need to beat around the bush."

Lin Xiuyuan laughed again, starting with, "I mean, if you haven't eaten, do you want to come out and grab a late-night snack together?"

Eun-jung was a bit stunned, and even Hyomin beside her widened her eyes, gesturing wildly with her hands.

Sign language translation: *Late-night snack? Isn't he going to eat you, Eun-jung? No, how is this Lin Xiuyuan's brain broken? *

But Eun-jung couldn't understand the sign language. Her mind first went to Park Ji-yeon, then to that night she was hungover.

Facing Hyomin's meaningful look, Eun-jung hesitated for a second, then nodded lightly. "Sure, where are we eating?"

"I'll wait for you at the Bistro. We'll talk when you get here," Xiuyuan laughed.

"Okay."

With that, the call ended.

Hyomin jumped up, "No way, Eun-jung, how could you agree to go out with him? What time is it? Didn't you say you shouldn't go out too late?"

Eun-jung looked relaxed, casually putting the phone back on the table. "It's not like we're going anywhere, just the Bistro. Don't be so nervous. Besides, we've been pretty familiar with Xiuyuan lately, right? Why have you suddenly had such a strong opinion of him?"

She looked over with a playful, light tone.

Hyomin, being asked, frowned tightly. After a long while, she let out a long sigh. "Well, it's just that it feels like Jiyeon was snatched away by him. And seeing that he doesn't just act like that with Jiyeon, I just got the impression he's a playboy, so my first impression went bad."

Facing Hyomin's explanation, Eun-jung thought about how well the two had chatted that night, then shook her head and laughed. "Not necessarily."

"Didn't you say that before, Eun-jung?"

"That was worrying about Jiyeon's investment, not targeting Xiuyuan as a person."

Looking at Eun-jung's expression, Hyomin collapsed onto the sofa, wailing at the sky, "It's over. I originally wanted to pull you in to isolate him, but now I'm the one being isolated by you two..."

"What are you talking about? Don't talk nonsense. I'm heading out; get some rest early."

After patting Hyomin's arm, Eun-jung headed toward the bedroom to change clothes.

Behind her, Hyomin lay on the sofa, sighing at the ceiling, "Eun-jung, are you really going?"

"I promised him, I can't break my word."

After 11:00 PM, the streets of Seoul seemed to suddenly quiet down, the entire city immersed in the atmosphere of dim lights and the cool night air.

Traffic was sparse, neon lights reflected on the roadside shop windows, and the occasional passerby hurried past, looking exceptionally lonely.

A low-key dark gray sedan slowly drove out of the residential area, turned at the end of the alley, and merged onto the main road.

In the driver's seat was Eun-jung, who had just left the dorm. She was wearing a simple hoodie set, her hair tied loosely in a low ponytail, and her face was bare, yet she exuded the relaxation and ease unique to the night.

She gripped the steering wheel, glanced at the navigation with focus, and then glanced sideways at the empty street scene outside the window, muttering under her breath, "Not sleeping in the middle of the night, what kind of late-night snack is this?"

But the corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily, as if she had some helplessness and some anticipation for this late-night snack partner.

Soon, the car stopped in front of the familiar Bistro.

Eun-jung pushed the car door open, and while walking toward the entrance, she took out her phone and sent a message to Lin Xiuyuan: "At the door."

A few seconds later, with a "click," the door opened from the inside.

The door was pulled open from within, and Lin Xiuyuan poked his head out, his face still carrying a smile brought on by the night breeze. "You came fast, Eun-jung."

Eun-jung raised an eyebrow, and as she walked in, she casually hung her bag on the back of a chair. The lighting inside the shop was soft, wrapping her in an indescribable sense of peace.

"Didn't you say you were taking me for a late-night snack?" Eun-jung asked, looking around suspiciously as she hung her bag. "Why did you run back to the Bistro?"

"Late-night snacks are obviously eaten elsewhere," Lin Xiuyuan laughed as he walked toward the bar. "But before that, I'll show you a new feature of this Bistro."

"New feature?" Eun-jung blinked, her expression full of confusion.

Lin Xiuyuan walked out from behind the bar and went to a set of decorative wine cabinets against the wall.

It was a whole wall of decorative cabinets filled with various wines, looking completely normal at first glance.

It wasn't until Lin Xiuyuan stood in front of the cabinet and pressed a mechanism at the bottom of a wine bottle that the entire row of cabinets made a slight "click" sound, and then silently split open a narrow gap in the middle.

"Wait?" Eun-jung stood up immediately, her face full of shock. "You have a secret passage in your Bistro?"

"Come." Lin Xiuyuan beckoned, a hint of mischief on his face. "This is just a small feature; it hasn't officially opened yet. You're the first to see it."

The wine cabinet slowly opened, revealing a dark passage behind it, only one person wide and just the right height, like those underground escape tunnels in movies, narrow and deep.

"You... don't tell me... this leads to a confinement room?" Eun-jung joked, but her eyes were full of vigilance and curiosity.

"No confinement room, but you'll know when you walk to the end." Lin Xiuyuan smiled back at her and then stepped into the dark passage first.

Eun-jung hesitated for a second, but finally gritted her teeth and followed.

She followed Lin Xiuyuan step by step, the dim sensor lights lighting up one by one along the edge of the passage, her footsteps making soft sounds on the concrete floor, as if time had slowed down.

Soon, a metal door with an electronic panel appeared ahead.

Lin Xiuyuan stopped and skillfully pressed a few numbers on the keypad.

"Beep—"

The electronic lock unlocked, and the door slid open slowly.

The light behind the door suddenly brightened, stinging Eun-jung's eyes for a moment.

Once she adjusted and looked forward, she was completely stunned.

"This... this isn't..."

She looked at the familiar scene that appeared before her in surprise.

High fences, tidy flower beds, and the quiet apartment building standing not far away.

Isn't this the apartment building behind the Bistro? Eun-jung had parked here and come over to help a few times before.

She couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. "So, Xiuyuan, you opened a secret passage from the Bistro to the apartment? Isn't that a bit redundant? It's not like it's that far to walk around."

"To be precise, the apartment opened a path to the Bistro," Lin Xiuyuan smiled calmly. "This way, whether it's for slacking off, emergencies, or temporarily hosting guests, it's safe and convenient."

"This is too outrageous..." Eun-jung stood there blankly, completely dumbfounded.

*What kind of emergency is this? What could possibly be so urgent? *

"Don't worry, no one knows about this passage yet." Lin Xiuyuan patted her shoulder. "In the future, if you don't want to use the front door, you can come through here."

Eun-jung hadn't recovered from the shock yet, and it took her a long time to squeeze out a sentence: "You're acting like a spy... are you crazy?"

Lin Xiuyuan didn't say anything to the mockery, but stretched. "Alright, let's go, I'll take you to eat a late-night snack."

"Where are we eating?" Eun-jung asked, looking back at the door.

"To a very magical place." Lin Xiuyuan smiled mysteriously. "Speaking of which, Eun-jung, you have to thank someone properly."

"Who?"

"Ham Eun-jung."

"???"

Eun-jung froze on the spot, unable to even spit out a retort for a moment, and could only look at him with a face that screamed, "Are you sick?"

Lin Xiuyuan just waved his hand lightly. "Let's go, you'll know when we get there."

(End of chapter)