Chapter 186

2013.

Seoul in the dead of night is like a silent yet never-sleeping beast, with few people or cars on the streets.

The sky is blanketed with dark clouds, hiding the stars; only a hazy moonlight spills a few wisps of silver radiance through the clouds.

All that remains is the occasional sound of the wind, the humming of electric currents from the neon signs on the outer walls of distant buildings, and the monotonous phrases of the night bus broadcasts playing in a loop, echoing through the empty streets.

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan, having just returned from the Maldives, is sitting in his car, hands on the steering wheel, slowly driving out of the apartment parking garage gate.

Sulli sits upright in the passenger seat, adjusting her seatbelt while glancing at him, "Oppa, coming straight back from there like this, are you really not worried that Juli Unnie will wake up suddenly and not find you?"

As she says this, her voice carries a hint of curiosity amidst its lightness.

"Don't worry, I reckon she won't even be awake by the time I finish my errands, go over to rest, and wake up myself," Lin Xiuyuan replies with a smile, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

"Why is that?" Sulli is even more curious.

Lin Xiuyuan simply replies, "Kids shouldn't be so curious."

"What's that supposed to mean? Oppa, you're not that many years older than me~" Sulli mutters, feeling a bit sullen, but she is very well-behaved and doesn't press further.

Lin Xiuyuan, driving the car, finds it hard to explain; he can't exactly say that from last night until just now, after the two of them "juiced" each other, he came out slightly on top.

The image is too vivid; he finds it hard to put into words.

Lin Xiuyuan then chuckles, shaking these images from his mind, and clears his throat to change the subject, "By the way, I didn't ask clearly just now—we're heading straight to Xiuyan's apartment, right? Do you have the key or know the passcode, Sulli? Let's not end up making a wasted trip."

"Unnie told me the door code," Sulli nods and replies.

"How bold. Aren't you afraid I'll go and sell off everything in her house?" Lin Xiuyuan grins, his voice carrying the laziness peculiar to the night.

Sulli bursts into a laugh, tilting her head to look at him, "Oppa, given Unnie's situation, wouldn't it be faster to just ask her for money? Selling off the furniture would mean moving things back and forth, and you'd have to fence the stolen goods, wouldn't you?"

"You have a point," Lin Xiuyuan laughs, nodding with feigned seriousness, "Remember to remind me next time, don't forget."

"Hahaha, nae, oppa~"

Just as the two are chatting, the car drives past a main road, heading toward Zheng Xiuyan's apartment complex.

The streetlights stretch their shadows, and the bustle of the city seems to fade away in the rearview mirror.

Meanwhile, at a highway exit not far from Cheongdam-dong, Kim Taeyeon's car is speeding along quietly.

Having driven for over three hours straight, she is utterly exhausted. The soft piano music that was playing has long been replaced by dance music with a strong beat, as if trying to forcibly wake her brain, which is about to sink into fatigue, with notes.

"Ah, work again. When will I be able to rest for a few more days?"

Kim Taeyeon mutters to herself, one hand casually resting on the steering wheel, her gaze focused on the road conditions ahead.

Just as she exits the ramp, turns, leaves the highway, and prepares to merge into the main road and city lanes...

Suddenly, a loud "Bang—" comes from one side of the car.

The car jolts violently, the steering wheel suddenly shakes out of control, and the vehicle drifts to the right.

Kim Taeyeon's eyes tighten, her whole body reflexively gripping the steering wheel for dear life, her heart instantly jumping into her throat.

But she doesn't slam on the brakes immediately; instead, she grits her teeth, steadies her grip, and forcibly brings the car back onto the right path.

Once she realizes the vehicle isn't sliding or out of control any further, she quickly turns on the right turn signal, carefully maneuvers the car to the emergency lane, pulls over, and turns on the hazard lights.

The moment she shifts into Park, her whole body seems to deflate, her chest heaving violently as she gasps for air.

A hint of color gradually returns to her pale face in the night wind, but her fingertips are still trembling slightly.

Everything around is silent, save for the flashing hazard lights blinking lonely in the night, like a frightened little beast silently calling for help in the dark.

The black Mercedes is parked quietly on the side of the road, the right rear tire completely flat, the whole car slightly tilted, looking quite disheveled.

Kim Taeyeon gasps for air, sitting in the driver's seat and patting her chest to suppress the shock, then uses trembling hands to unbuckle her seatbelt and opens the door to check.

The wind is a bit chilly, and the night air feels almost suffocating, blowing a few wisps of damp hair across her forehead.

After getting out, Kim Taeyeon squats down, looks down at the completely ruined right rear tire, and mutters a sullen complaint, "Really... I must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes."

After muttering, she stands up beside the car, the cold night wind making her subconsciously hug her arms, but her mood is even colder than the current temperature.

Finally, she glances at the lifeless flat tire again, then looks up at the desolate night road; traffic is sparse.

Helpless, Kim Taeyeon can only frown, takes her phone out of the car, and just as she is about to dial the insurance company, she hesitates.

It's so late, and she's near a highway exit; not only might she have to wait half the night, but the biggest fear is having her identity exposed.

If a picture of "Girls' Generation's Kim Taeyeon waiting for a tow truck on the side of the road late at night" gets posted online, it would be enough to keep the search trends buzzing for three days.

"Ugh, so annoying."

After cursing softly, just as Kim Taeyeon is wondering whether to call a member or another acquaintance for help, car lights suddenly shine in the distance, and a beam of light sweeps over from the lane behind her.

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan is driving slowly toward Zheng Xiuyan's apartment in that car, the music inside soft, the atmosphere peaceful.

As he passes a ramp exit, his peripheral vision suddenly catches a vehicle with hazard lights on in the emergency lane to the right. Out of innate curiosity, Lin Xiuyuan subconsciously eases off the gas and calls Sulli over to watch the show.

"Sulli, look, there's a car ahead. Heh, looks like it's broken down." Lin Xiuyuan, gloating, laughs happily.

Sulli looks in the direction he is pointing; the car's hazard lights are blinking in the darkness, very conspicuous.

However, the moment the car passes by, she suddenly widens her eyes, looks back in surprise, and says a moment later, "Oppa~ that figure by the car just now... it looks like Taeyeon Unnie."

Lin Xiuyuan is stunned, then turns his head toward her, "Are you sure?"

"Not 100%, but 60-70% likely. And that car looks familiar, too; it seems to be Unnie's Mercedes."

"Should we turn back and check?"

The two exchange a look and nod in unison.

Before the words are even out, he hits the brakes, makes a U-turn at the upcoming turnaround, heads back in the original direction, and before long, slowly approaches the Mercedes parked on the side of the road.

Before the car has even come to a complete stop, Sulli is already leaning out of the passenger seat in excitement to confirm, "It really is Taeyeon Unnie!"

Having said that, she unbuckles her seatbelt and pushes the door open to get out.

Kim Taeyeon hears the commotion and notices the approaching SUV, so she narrows her eyes vigilantly. Just as she is about to be on guard, she freezes completely upon seeing the figure jumping out of the passenger seat.

"Little Snowball? Why are you here?"

The next second, Lin Xiuyuan also gets out of the driver's seat, walks around the front of the car, and heads toward her.

Kim Taeyeon reacts after a moment of surprise, quickly puts her phone back in her bag, and walks up to meet them, "Why are you two here?"

As she says this, Kim Taeyeon's tone carries a hint of surprise and a bit of embarrassment.

"We should be asking you that, Taeyeon Unnie." Sulli smiles and comes to her side, then asks curiously, "Are you alone? It's so late, why are you still driving out here?"

Kim Taeyeon sighs, shrugs, as if finally shedding some of the burden of her emotions, "Coming back from Jeonju, almost reached Seoul, and then, as you can see, a blowout."

By now, Lin Xiuyuan has walked to the back of the car, squatted down to check the tire, and then looks at the location, "It is indeed a blowout, and the position is quite tricky. Right at the ramp entrance; someone else might not have been able to control it."

"I almost flew off just now..." Kim Taeyeon smiles bitterly, her expression still showing lingering fear, "Luckily I was a bit slow, or something would have happened."

"Taeyeon-ah, do you have a spare tire?" Lin Xiuyuan stands up, pats his pant legs, and asks.

"I should have..." Kim Taeyeon hesitates slightly, walks to the trunk, opens it, and mutters while rummaging, "Didn't expect there really to be one... original, and a tool kit."

"But I don't know how to change it."

She looks at the heavy iron object and turns to look at Lin Xiuyuan with some helplessness.

Lin Xiuyuan suddenly laughs out loud, his tone filled with teasing, "Yo, didn't expect our Girls' Generation's Ms. Taeyeon to be a 'sea king' who keeps a spare tire."

As soon as these words are out, Sulli can't hold it in and bursts into a laugh, almost bending over.

However, this "spare tire meme" + "sea king meme" only became popular in Huaxia many years later; even Sulli only learned about it after watching videos in '25.

So compared to the two of them, Kim Taeyeon doesn't understand it at all, but she does hear the mocking tone in his voice.

So she looks at Lin Xiuyuan with eyes full of "I don't understand, but I know you're insulting me."

"What is it? What spare tire? What sea king?"

Lin Xiuyuan just smiles and doesn't explain much, instead rolling up his sleeves and bending down to check the tire, "It's fine, I'll help you change the spare, and then we'll drive the car back to the parking lot and have someone deal with it tomorrow."

Changing a spare tire isn't hard; what's hard is the strength and the ability to do it.

Although, after Sulli hands Lin Xiuyuan a few tools, he tells her to take Kim Taeyeon to his car to rest for a while, so they don't get discovered by passersby—that would definitely make the news.

Seeing this, Sulli doesn't dawdle and pulls Kim Taeyeon into the Land Rover behind them.

And the first thing Kim Taeyeon does after sitting in the back is ask Sulli about the meaning of those two memes.

Facing this question, Sulli smiles first, then doesn't hide it and explains it to her.

After hearing the explanation, Kim Taeyeon feels a bit amused and a bit sullen, then turns to look at the figure squatting in front of the car, working hard to tighten the screws.

She wants to get angry but can't; instead, a complex warmth rises in her heart.

Changing the tire doesn't take long; soon Lin Xiuyuan finishes everything, throws the stuff into the Mercedes trunk, and walks to his car, clapping his hands.

He looks at the two girls, or rather, looks at Kim Taeyeon, "How about it? Do you dare to ride in a car with a spare tire?"

Facing this boy who is still teasing her, Kim Taeyeon curls her lips and rolls her eyes at him, "I dare to ride in a car with a spare tire, but if the spare tire is driving... then I won't."

Hearing this answer, Lin Xiuyuan immediately looks at Sulli; it must have been this little peach who snitched.

Sure enough, Sulli immediately giggles.

"It should be fine." Kim Taeyeon walks to the Mercedes, kicks the newly changed tire, "As long as you tighten the screws, I can drive it back slowly without any problems."

"It's tightened solid."

Lin Xiuyuan nods, then pauses, and says seriously, "But why don't I drive this car for you, and you follow in my car, and we'll switch back when we get to the Girls' Generation dormitory."

"No need for such trouble, I really can do it."

Kim Taeyeon, having just watched Lin Xiuyuan change the tire for her, doesn't want to keep troubling him, her tone carrying a bit of stubbornness.

However, Sulli pulls her arm at this moment, "Unnie, just listen to Oppa; safety first is better."

"Then what's the difference between Xiuyuan driving and me driving? Someone is going to be in danger anyway."

"My driving skills are much better than yours."

"I don't accept that." Kim Taeyeon smiles and retorts.

The two bicker back and forth for a few sentences, and in the end, Lin Xiuyuan gets into the Mercedes, while Kim Taeyeon follows closely behind in the Land Rover.

Standing by the driver's seat, Kim Taeyeon tells Lin Xiuyuan about the gear situation, then looks at him deeply and smiles, "Thank you, Xiuyuan."

Lin Xiuyuan, having restarted the car, looks up at her, seems to think of something, grins, and teases, "Don't just say it; I just hope you don't complain to YoonA next time that I'm a pervert."

"Ah?"

Kim Taeyeon doesn't react for a moment, her eyes widening.

Before she can reply, the Mercedes has already slid off the shoulder and slowly onto the main road.

Leaving her standing there alone, stunned for two seconds, then her cheeks quickly flush red, and she spits out, "This guy..."

But she quickly snaps out of it, jogs to the driver's seat of the Land Rover, shifts gears, and catches up to the Mercedes driving slowly ahead.

At this time, Sulli in the passenger seat looks out the window and turns her head to ask her, "Unnie, what were you two chatting about just now?"

"Nothing, I was just thanking Xiuyuan."

Kim Taeyeon, gripping the steering wheel, smiles slightly, too embarrassed to tell Sulli about the conversation just now.

At the same time, she finally has time to be curious about why these two are out in the middle of the night, "By the way, Snowball, why are you out driving with Xiuyuan in the middle of the night? Just finished a date?"

Using the word "date" shows that Kim Taeyeon is truly curious.

But Sulli pulls at her pajamas, "Unnie, have you ever seen anyone go on a date in pajamas?"

However, this sentence is even more explosive, so the next second Kim Taeyeon's voice jumps up a few levels, "Pajamas? I thought this was just loungewear; so Snowball, you and Xiuyuan..."

Indeed, Sulli's pajamas lean toward loungewear style; they aren't revealing, and if you don't look closely, you really can't tell they are pajamas.

"No, Unnie, you're overthinking it; we're just out for a drive and grabbing a late-night snack."

"If this isn't a date, what is?"

"Unnie, this is called a 'snack date'."

"Good thing it's not a 'hookup'."

"..."

(End of chapter)