Chapter 295: Barbie of the Human World: Goo Hara [Part 2] (7K, please subscribe and vote for monthly tickets)

In the curtain of rain.

Three black umbrellas were clearly unable to fully contend with the raging typhoon.

The curved canopy of the umbrella was violently deformed by the howling gale, emitting a "whoosh-whoosh" sound of struggle, as if it could be flipped over at any moment.

Dense raindrops shot down diagonally like bullets; most were blocked by the umbrella canopy, exploding into finer water mist, but some stubborn threads of rain still pierced the defense, wetting their trouser legs and shoulders.

Lin Xiuyuan stood slightly in front, his posture upright, one hand holding the umbrella handle firmly, wrestling with the gale that was trying to snatch the umbrella away.

A dark windbreaker, with the zipper pulled all the way to the collar, had rainwater sliding down his hair tips and jawline.

His calm expression and gaze pierced through layers of rain, landing precisely on Goo Hara, who had just stepped out of The Gate; that deep gaze was like the only peaceful eye of the storm in the center of this tempest.

Half a step behind him to the left was Xian Enjing.

To his right was Park Jiyeon.

Both were trying hard to steady their own umbrellas, but the wind was simply too strong, and the bangs on their foreheads had long been soaked by the rain, sticking to their smooth foreheads.

The background was a blurred and distorted urban outline and wildly dancing tree branches; the entire world seemed to be in turmoil.

Seeing this extraordinary scene before her, the slight ease and casualness in Goo Hara's heart vanished without a trace, replaced by an indescribable palpitation and faint unease.

Subconsciously, she gripped Sulli's hand tightly.

And Sulli seemed to sense her nervousness, so she squeezed back firmly, then led her, holding an umbrella, and walked slowly toward the three people in the curtain of rain.

Upon reaching them, Goo Hara looked at their appearance and subconsciously glanced around first, as if searching for hidden cameras.

Then she spoke, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry; her voice needed to be raised to be heard clearly amidst the wind and rain.

"No, Xiuyuan, Jiyeon, with your image and this formation, you made me think we were filming scenes for some gangster movie. What are you doing? Why aren't you finding a place to hide from the rain instead of standing here like fools?"

To this, Lin Xiuyuan just smiled and did not answer directly, instead raising a finger to point at the large recreational vehicle parked nearby.

That was a prop he had just rented temporarily, and it looked exceptionally steady in the curtain of rain at this moment.

"Waiting for you all to get on the vehicle," he said concisely.

Hearing this, Goo Hara immediately said, "Then why are you still dazed? Hurry up and get on, isn't it uncomfortable to be soaked by this rain?"

Saying this, she even subconsciously reached out to push Lin Xiuyuan's back, walking quickly toward the recreational vehicle, seemingly impatient to escape this terrible weather.

During the short walk to the recreational vehicle, because the wind and rain were truly too strong, Goo Hara unconsciously moved past Sulli, with whom she had been sharing an umbrella, and almost instinctively shrank into the shelter of Lin Xiuyuan's relatively sturdier black umbrella.

Consequently, seeing this scene, Sulli did not follow immediately, but slowed her pace and strolled over to the side of Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon, who had also fallen behind.

Watching the backs of Lin Xiuyuan and Goo Hara walking side by side toward the recreational vehicle, a light smile appeared on her face, and she called out to the two people beside her, "Unnie~"

"Hmm."

Xian Enjing, who responded, looked ahead, her tone carrying a hint of emotion, "Finally caught up with this situation for once; I wasn't able to witness yours in person on the scene, Sulli."

Hearing this, the smile on Sulli's face remained faint; she tilted her head slightly and said in a very calm tone, "It's nothing important, Unnie, it's nothing more than going to take a look at oneself."

As she spoke, her gaze also became somewhat distant, "Speaking of which, when I have time, I still want to go pay respects to myself on the anniversary of my death, and have a good chat with her."

"Next month?" Park Jiyeon exclaimed in a low voice, somewhat surprised.

"Depends on the situation."

Sulli's gaze refocused on Goo Hara's back not far away, her voice as soft as a sigh, "It's just that these days I have some reflections in my heart, and I want to have a good, quiet chat with myself."

After speaking, she quickly composed her emotions and called out to Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon, "Let's go, Unnie, let's hurry and get on the vehicle too."

And Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon, who were two steps behind, looked at each other, both seeing complex emotions in the other's eyes.

In the end, Xian Enjing watched Sulli's back as she walked toward the recreational vehicle first, and couldn't help but sigh softly to Park Jiyeon, "How exactly does this kind of growth come about? This change in personality and mindset is truly too great, so great that sometimes it makes me feel a bit heartbroken."

Park Jiyeon was silent and did not answer immediately.

She knew that Xian Enjing actually understood in her heart that behind this near-rebirth-like change, it was nothing more than that tombstone.

So she just sighed lightly and pulled Xian Enjing's arm, "Let's go, Unnie."

"Hmm."

Two minutes later, everyone gathered inside the recreational vehicle.

Goo Hara, who had arrived a few steps earlier, was enthusiastically bringing over several dry towels, handing them to Park Jiyeon, Xian Enjing, and Sulli, letting them wipe their hair and cheeks soaked by the rain.

"Wipe quickly, don't catch a cold."

And Lin Xiuyuan was already sitting in the driver's seat, starting the engine.

Without lingering, he operated this mobile recreational vehicle, driving steadily away from downstairs of the Dormitory, toward a clear destination.

The seaside.

However, Goo Hara was still completely unaware of this destination at this moment.

After simply wiping off the rainwater, she finally had time to look at the road outside the window.

Looking at the scene of the rain frantically washing the car windows, it made the outside world appear blurred and distorted.

So she leaned forward somewhat uneasily and asked Lin Xiuyuan in the driver's seat, "Xiuyuan, where are we going? This weather doesn't seem very suitable for going out to play."

Lin Xiuyuan glanced at her through the rearview mirror, "Don't be anxious, you'll know in a moment."

Hearing this, Goo Hara had no choice but to suppress the increasingly obvious unease in her heart and sit back in her seat, trying to use conversation to distract herself.

Perhaps because it was a typhoon day, the vehicles on the road were unusually sparse.

Although Lin Xiuyuan did not control the vehicle speed to be fast, the road was smooth and unobstructed, and they did not encounter any traffic jams.

Therefore, not long after, the recreational vehicle passed through the curtain of rain and arrived at an empty seaside.

When the vehicle slowly came to a steady stop, Goo Hara looked through the rain-blurred window and saw the scene outside clearly.

She couldn't help but gasp, her eyes widening instantly, and she exclaimed in disbelief, "Xiuyuan!!! Are you crazy?? Why did you run to the seaside on a typhoon day!!!"

I saw that in the distance outside the window, it was an incomparably violent scene.

The originally blue and calm sea was now like a boiling ink pool; the turbid giant waves, pushed by the gale, were one layer higher than the next, emitting a deafening roar, fiercely slapping against the distant embankment and reefs, splashing sky-high pale water spray.

The sky was completely covered by thick, lead-gray dark clouds that seemed to be pressing down, and the visibility was frighteningly low.

The entire world seemed to be left with only the roar of the wind and rain and the fury of the sea.

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan finally turned his head, beckoned to the terrified Goo Hara, signaled for her to come over, and pointed to the passenger seat.

Confused, Goo Hara's heart was still racing from the scene before her and the unknown fear, but she still rose as instructed, stumbled across the seats, and sat in the passenger seat.

Behind the two, Park Jiyeon, Sulli, and Xian Enjing, who had been chatting, also stopped their conversation at the right time.

The entire carriage instantly fell into a near-stagnant silence, with only the roaring of the wind, rain, and waves outside becoming increasingly clear, the atmosphere inexplicably becoming incomparably heavy and oppressive, like the dead silence before a storm.

Immediately after, Lin Xiuyuan turned his head, looked calmly at the pale-faced Goo Hara beside him, and asked a question that caught her off guard.

"Hela, do you think you would be afraid of the sea in front of us right now?"

Goo Hara had never expected Lin Xiuyuan to ask this suddenly.

So, subconsciously, she cast her gaze again toward the apocalyptic, churning sea surface outside the car, looking at the sky covered in dark clouds and ravaged by wild winds.

Almost instinctively, without any hesitation, she nodded, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling, "Of course I'm afraid, how could I not be? Anyone would be afraid seeing a scene like this!"

The next second, Lin Xiuyuan's question followed like a cold arrow, precisely piercing into the deeper parts of her heart.

"Then, would you be afraid of death?"

"!!!"

In the back seat, Sulli's body trembled violently upon hearing this question, and she unconsciously gripped the arm of Xian Enjing beside her tightly.

The force was so great that even Xian Enjing frowned slightly.

However, feeling Sulli's tense emotions, she said nothing, only silently patting the back of her hand, one tap after another, in silent comfort.

As for the protagonist of the question, Goo Hara, the moment she heard the two words "death," her delicate brows immediately furrowed deeply, and the sense of unease in her heart surged like a tide, almost drowning her.

Her throat began to feel a bit dry, but she still braced herself and replied in a tone filled with confusion and a hint of resistance.

"No, Xiuyuan, why are you suddenly talking about this kind of topic? I don't really know what to say, but generally speaking, of course I'm afraid; who wouldn't be afraid of death?"

This answer carried the most authentic and common reaction of an ordinary person facing such an ultimate question.

"Mm."

So Lin Xiuyuan received the answer, only responding faintly, with no discernible expression on his face.

Then he made a move that caused Goo Hara's pupils to shrink suddenly.

He smiled, and that smile, set against the backdrop of the violent scene outside the car, appeared exceptionally eerie and unfathomable.

Then he reached out to take the black umbrella that had been somewhat deformed by the wind and rain, and actually opened the car door directly—

He stepped out of the car and came to the passenger side!!

"Let's go."

As the passenger door opened again, the gale instantly poured into the carriage, blowing Goo Hara's hair into a mess, but Lin Xiuyuan's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the wind and rain, "We are going down to take a close look at this sea."

Goo Hara was completely stunned; she widened her eyes, looking in disbelief at the figure standing straight in the storm outside the car.

"Are you crazy? It's so dangerous outside!!" She almost screamed.

But Lin Xiuyuan only stood outside the car looking at her calmly, his gaze seemingly possessing an unquestionable magic.

Under the silent, complex gazes of Sulli, Xian Enjing, and Park Jiyeon inside the car, Goo Hara's heart raced, and her mind was in chaos.

But some inexplicable force, or rather, the confusion over Lin Xiuyuan's incomprehensible actions and a spark of triggered courage drove her—

Making her, even while gritting her teeth, ultimately follow him out of the car with a sense of desperate resolve.

Instantly, the violent wind and rain and the deafening sound of the waves completely engulfed her.

Almost subconsciously, Goo Hara followed closely in Lin Xiuyuan's footsteps, walking unsteadily toward the edge of the coast not far away.

Braving the gale that could make a person sway, the two walked to a place closer to the churning sea.

Here, the power of nature became even more direct and terrifying.

Huge waves exploded not far away, emitting a thunderous roar.

Rainwater, seawater whipped up by the gale, and the cold mist and droplets formed after the waves shattered, pelted their bodies and faces like dense bullets.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Goo Hara felt soaked to the bone, the cold sensation instantly piercing through her clothes, making her unable to help but shiver.

Her hair stuck to her cheeks, the rain blurred her vision, and her ears were filled with all kinds of chaotic and loud noises.

She stood beside Lin Xiuyuan, looking at the violent scene before her that felt like the end of the world, feeling the helplessness and fear of a tiny human facing the great power of nature, and the unease and confusion in her heart reached its peak.

"Xiuyuan, what on earth are you trying to do?"

After watching for a few seconds, Goo Hara shouted with all her might at Lin Xiuyuan beside her amidst the storm, her voice distorted by the wind and rain.

Lin Xiuyuan turned his head, rainwater dripping continuously along his sharp jawline, his gaze piercing through the rain curtain to lock onto Goo Hara's face, which was filled with terror and confusion, and he asked a rhetorical question.

His voice was not loud, yet strangely clear, "Hela, do you think you would actively choose to die?"

"I wouldn't! Why would I commit suicide!!"

Questioned, Goo Hara retorted loudly almost immediately, her tone carrying the agitation of being offended and an instinctive desire for life, "Stop it, Xiuyuan. This is too dangerous, let's hurry back to the car!!!"

Watching her agitated and firm reaction, the lines on Lin Xiuyuan's face seemed to soften slightly, and he nodded, "Mm, okay, just remember this answer, let's go, back we go."

Thus, from getting out of the car to returning, the whole process took only a few short minutes.

But in those few short minutes, being in that violent natural force that seemed capable of swallowing everything, Goo Hara's mind and body suffered a huge impact.

So when she stepped back into the relatively quiet, sheltered carriage, her long-tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

Following that was an irrepressible lingering fear and physiological reaction, making her unable to control her body, starting to tremble, even her teeth chattering lightly.

Just as Xian Enjing was about to thoughtfully hand over a dry, thick bath towel and Goo Hara wanted to reach out to take it, Lin Xiuyuan's voice, still calm and even carrying a strange gentleness, drifted into her ears.

"No need to wrap up, let's go, Hela, I'm taking you to bask in the sun."

Bask in the sun??

Goo Hara thought she had misheard; outside was clearly a typhoon and rainstorm capable of blowing off roofs!

So she looked up in astonishment, only to see Lin Xiuyuan give Sulli a look.

Sulli immediately understood and walked to Goo Hara's side, took her cold arm, wore a comforting smile on her face, and said softly, "Unnie, listen to oppa, close your eyes first, we have prepared a big surprise for you."

"Sur—surprise?"

Right now, Goo Hara's mind is simply a tangled mess, her whole body wet, cold, and uncomfortable; her only thought is to take a hot shower and change into dry clothes.

Therefore, she truly cannot understand what kind of surprise could exist under these circumstances.

But under the gaze of Xueli's clear eyes, which were full of anticipation and brooked no refusal, she finally, helplessly, and with a heart full of doubt, gently closed her eyelids.

"It's a deal, Unnie, no peeking," Xueli urged again.

"I know—" Hela replied softly, not even knowing why she was participating in this somewhat absurd game.

Perhaps, it was because of Xueli.

At the same time, Xian Enjing cast her gaze toward Lin Xiuyuan.

She saw that he was already standing in the middle of the carriage, facing that ordinary bedroom door and pushing it open gently; the scene behind the door was no longer the cramped carriage, but had turned into that spacious and bright Villa Living Room.

It's ready.

Lin Xiuyuan said with lip-reading.

Then Xueli and Park Jiyeon immediately went to her left and right, carefully supporting Hela, whose eyes were tightly shut, and guided her as she stepped across that seemingly ordinary carriage door.

Taking one step out, Hela immediately felt the difference.

Although she could still hear the sound of wind and rain coming from beside her ears, which had become muffled after being blocked by the door, the environment around her body seemed to have instantly become much drier and warmer.

The tactile sensation under her feet had also become different.

Where is this?

Hela's heart jumped violently, and the intense sense of incongruity made her almost want to open her eyes.

However, Xueli sensed her wavering in time and hurriedly reminded her in her ear, "Unnie, hold on, it's not ready yet, you aren't allowed to open your eyes, just one minute."

The words in her ear forced Hela to suppress the urge to open her eyes, but her heart began to beat uncontrollably fast.

Immediately after, she felt that Lin Xiuyuan seemed to have followed her in as well, and then she heard a slight sound of a door closing.

Click.

Just at the moment that Time Gate was closed from the inside by Lin Xiuyuan.

The world went quiet!!

The sound of the raging storm that had been lingering in her ears and causing her distress seemed to have been instantly pinched off by an invisible hand, disappearing without a trace.

Replacing it was a near-absolute silence, with only her own somewhat rapid breathing and heartbeat being exceptionally clear.

At the same time, the warmth enveloping her became even more obvious, dispelling the chill that had been seeping from her very bones.

This sudden, eerie stillness and warmth brought the unease in Hela's heart to its peak.

However, before she could think it through, Lin Xiuyuan acted again.

The Time Gate opened once more, and on the other side was naturally the Year Apartment.

Xueli and Park Jiyeon continued to support Hela, who had become somewhat stiff, and stepped through a door once again.

Finally, when Lin Xiuyuan pulled open the door to the real camper van near the Dosan Park cemetery area in the year 25, the scenery behind them reached its destination.

"We're here."

Following Lin Xiuyuan's words, the few of them also climbed out of the Time Gate one after another, truly stepping onto this sun-drenched land of the year 25.

After closing the door and passing the few people standing in front, Lin Xiuyuan was the first to get off the vehicle.

At the same time, he caught sight of Li Juli, Dalongzai, and Kim Taeyeon, who were whispering to each other under the shade of a tree not far away.

Upon seeing that Lin Xiuyuan had finally appeared, smiles also appeared on their faces, and they walked back quickly.

Meanwhile, following behind Lin Xiuyuan, Hela, who was still being supported on the left and right by Xueli and Park Jiyeon with her eyes tightly closed.

Was also cautiously and tentatively taking the final step down from the camper van.

It was this final step that caused her heart, which was already pounding wildly due to the eerie changes in the surrounding environment, to completely collapse.

Because she clearly felt—sunlight!

The scorching, bright, and unobstructed sunlight was passing through the air, shining directly onto her wet hair,

her cheeks, and her still-cold body.

That warmth was so real, even carrying a burning sensation, forming a heaven-and-hell contrast with the freezing rain she had been enduring just minutes ago.

What terrified her even more was that even though her eyelids were tightly shut, that brilliant light was still stubbornly penetrating her thin eyelids.

Casting a panic-inducing, pulsating blood-red and bright white color into her field of vision.

This is impossible!!!

Hela's brain was screaming frantically.

It was clear that just before, she had been in Tokyo, soaked to the bone by the typhoon's rain.

The whole world was gray, violent, and cold.

How could it be that in the blink of an eye, it—

Thinking of this, Hela could finally no longer suppress the fear and curiosity that were about to burst through her chest, and she opened her eyes suddenly and forcefully.

And so, the first thing she saw was the infinitely magnified, overly brilliant sunlight.

The intense light caused Hela to instantly fall into a brief blindness, as if the whole world were left with only boundless, blinding white light.

Making her subconsciously squint her eyes again, shedding physiological tears.

A few seconds later, as her vision began to slowly adapt, this brand-new world gradually imprinted itself clearly into Hela's eyes like a faded photograph.

Warm, bright, brilliant, and clean.

The blue, washed-clean sky had not a single cloud, and the scorching sun hung high overhead, plating all things with a layer of dazzling gold.

The air was fresh, carrying the scent of grass and soil warmed by the sun.

All of this was in stark contrast to the dark, oppressive Tokyo coastline from a few minutes ago, where the wind was raging and the rain was pouring.

Forming a scene that was absolutely impossible to exist simultaneously, completely thorough, and diametrically opposed.

Yet, Hela at this moment did not feel even a shred of the joy or relaxation that this beautiful weather should have brought.

On the contrary, a chill, colder and more bone-piercing than the one she had just felt in the rainstorm, shot from the soles of her feet up along her spine to the top of her head like a venomous snake, making every hair on her body stand on end.

What on earth is going on?! Where am I right now?!

Extreme panic gripped her, leaving her brain blank and nearly ceasing to function because it could not process this reality that defied all reason.

After a long moment, Goo Hara suddenly lifted her gaze to look at Lin Xiuyuan, who was standing right in front of her with a terrifyingly calm expression.

Then, as if clutching at a straw, she quickly turned her head to look at Xueli and Park Jiyeon beside her, her voice trembling violently from extreme terror.

"Wh—what is this situation??? Where am I right now?? Zhenli, Zhiyan, tell me!!!"

As she spoke, Goo Hara gripped Xueli's arm tightly, her fingernails nearly digging into the other woman's flesh.

But before Lin Xiuyuan or Xueli could open their mouths to explain this inconceivable turn of events—

Another, greater shock, like a second wave of a tsunami that had been long in the planning, crashed down.

Li Juli, Kim Taeyeon, and Dalongzai came around from the other side of the recreational vehicle.

Li Juli, who had walked out from the rear of the vehicle, saw Lin Xiuyuan first, so she had a relaxed smile on her face and had just begun to speak.

"Xiuyuan, where did you go just now? Why—"

But before she could finish her sentence, her gaze inadvertently drifted past Lin Xiuyuan's shoulder and landed on the two incredibly familiar figures not far behind him.

One was Goo Hara, who had just opened her eyes after keeping them tightly shut, her face filled with extreme terror and bewilderment.

The other was Xueli, who was supporting Goo Hara with a complex expression on her face.

Boom!!!!

Li Juli's brain felt as if it had been struck directly by a bolt of lightning!!

Goo Hara???

And Xueli????

No, why is Zhiyan here too.

She is clearly right beside me!!!!

Li Juli's gaze, as if scalded, snapped toward Dalongzai, who was standing right at her side.

Two "Park Jiyeon"s.

One wearing dark clothes, standing in the sunlight with a clear face.

One wearing casual clothes, standing beside her with a slight smile.

This scene, which was absolutely impossible and violated all laws of physics and common sense, was like the most terrifying nightmare, instantly shattering Li Juli's psychological defenses.

Feeling an indescribable chill and dizziness rush to her head, her legs went weak, and her body uncontrollably began to collapse toward the ground.

"Unnie!"

"Juli!"

Fortunately, Kim Taeyeon and Dalongzai, who had been prepared, reacted extremely quickly, rushing to support Li Juli on both sides before she could fall to the ground.

Over on the opposite side.

Goo Hara, who was already on the verge of a cognitive breakdown, also clearly saw the trio of Li Juli and the others who had come around from behind the vehicle, and her gaze instantly locked onto the two nearly identical Dalongzais.

One standing beside her, wearing slightly thin clothing, her hair still somewhat damp.

One standing beside Li Juli, wearing solemn dark clothing, currently supporting the other woman.

Two—Zhiyan??

This reality, which far exceeded her understanding and resembled a scene from a horror movie, became the final straw that crushed Goo Hara's sanity.

And the tight string in her mind also snapped completely at this moment with a "twang."

Extreme fear and chaos caused her to lose all ability to think, leaving only the most primitive instinctual reaction—

So she suddenly let go of Xueli's arm, clutched her head with both hands, her pupils contracting to the limit, and let out a heart-wrenching scream filled with incomprehension and extreme terror.

"Ah!!!!!!!!!!!"

This scream pierced the quiet and eerie clear sky near the Dosan Park cemetery area after 25 years.

(Please take a look at the author's note~)

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