Chapter 15 The departure hall of the international airport forever...
The departure hall of the international airport is always noisy. Announcements play a mix of Korean and English, while the sounds of suitcase wheels rolling, hurried footsteps, and children crying blend together like a symphony without melody. It's simply jarring to the ears.
Ren Xiyao stood in front of the check-in counter, head down checking her passport and boarding pass. She was wearing a simple black sports jacket, her hair loosely tied back, her face expressionless, her thoughts somewhat wandering.
"Is all the luggage checked in?" the coach asked, standing nearby, while also checking the headcount. After training ended the day before yesterday, the team leader arranged for them to return to the club as soon as possible for a brief debriefing. Then they could begin a longer vacation.
"Mm." Ren Xiyao nodded, stuffed her boarding pass into her coat pocket, which was bulging with something, and unconsciously ran her fingers along the edge.
Lee Eun-jung, who had come to see her off, glanced at her watch: "We have forty minutes until boarding. Do you want to grab something to eat?"
Ren Xiyao shook her head: "I'm not hungry." She was actually a little hungry, but her stomach felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and she couldn't swallow anything. She looked up and glanced around, her gaze sweeping over the crowd queuing in front of the security checkpoint before quickly looking away.
Li Enjing leaned against her and chatted with her from time to time: "How long is your ice skating break? What are your plans for next season?"
Ren Xiyao unconsciously scrolled through her phone and replied, "We'll talk about the specifics at the meeting when we get back, so I don't know yet."
Lee Eun-jung then asked, "Since you signed a long-term contract, will you still be coming next year?"
She still doesn't know whether the summer training will be within the team or for the national trial team. If it's within the team, she'll likely be training here; if she's in the national trial team, she'll follow the national team's schedule. Whether or not she participates in the national trial team selection is decided in a team meeting. She doesn't know for sure yet.
"Alright, I can't give you an answer now that you're asking me. I know you're reluctant to leave. You can always come and visit. Lin Shan and I can both host you!" Ren Xiyao shook Li Enjing's arm to comfort her.
Lee Eun-jung was somewhat disheartened. In reality, the South Korean team's training had been incredibly high-pressure over the years, coupled with a very strict senior-junior system. There were practically no friends on the South Korean team; only ever-present interests mattered. It was common to see two South Korean team members fighting tooth and nail on the ice to win a competition. They didn't even bother to pretend; they were too lazy to act. The South Korean team's relays often resulted in disjointed, unreliable coordination. It seemed like they weren't really comfortable entrusting their backs to each other. Fans joked that it looked like newly met teammates on a flight. This gave a glimpse into the South Korean team: competition far outweighed cooperation. Lee Eun-jung didn't make friends on the South Korean team; she only maintained superficial relationships. Therefore, she was genuinely happy to have met Lin Shan and Ren Xiyao; her time with them was relaxed and enjoyable.
The two remained silent, Ren Xiyao somewhat dazed. Two days ago, she had told Quan Zhilong that she was going back to China. His reply was brief, without saying anything more. Everything seemed normal, yet Ren Xiyao still had some inexplicable thoughts, which even she herself couldn't quite understand. She kept checking her phone every now and then. But she couldn't quite put her finger on what she wanted.
"Let's go, it's time to go through security." The coach patted her on the shoulder, while calling to the other team members.
Ren Xiyao hummed in agreement, picked up her backpack, and followed the coach toward the security checkpoint. She hugged Li Enjing beside her and said, "I'm leaving. Cheer up, it's a rare break, we only get one vacation a year."
Kwon Ji-yong stood by the railing on the second floor of the airport, looking down at the lobby on the first floor.
He had just flown back from Japan, hadn't had time to pack much, and was about to return. He arrived at the airport terminal. A black mask covered most of his face, and his baseball cap was pulled low, but several girls passing by still kept turning to look at him.
Kwon Ji-yong hesitated for a few seconds, but finally took a step.
Ren Xiyao was at the end of the security check line, chatting casually with Li Enjing. She unconsciously rubbed a box in her pocket.
"Xi Yao".
Suddenly someone called her name from behind.
She paused for a moment, then turned around.
Kwon Ji-yong stood two steps away from her, his breathing still a little rapid, as if he had run over. He pulled his mask down slightly, raised the brim of his hat a little, and had a slight smile on his lips, but his eyes were more serious than usual. He then quickly put his mask back on.
"You...why are you here?" Ren Xiyao heard her own voice sound a little dry.
"I've come to see you off," Kwon Ji-yong said casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"Didn't you say you were going to stay in Japan until next week?"
"The trip ended early." Kwon Ji-yong's gaze lingered on her face.
Ren Xiyao opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Li Enjing froze, almost crying out. Realizing what she'd said, she quickly shut up, coughed, and stammered, "That's about enough for now. I...I'll go first. Bye!" With that, she turned and left without looking back. Ren Xiyao, regaining her senses, tried to stop her but couldn't. She could only manage a simple, "Goodbye!"
Kwon Ji-yong glanced at Lee Eun-jung, looked around, and then looked at her again: "Did you bring everything?"
"I brought everything."
"Where are your training notes?"
"It's in my bag."
"band-aid?"
She paused for a moment, then asked, "...What?"
“Didn’t you say you always forgot to bring it? The team doctor needs it!” He raised an eyebrow.
Ren Xiyao then realized that Quan Zhilong remembered her mentioning the blisters on her ankles during training during their previous conversation. She couldn't help but laugh: "I brought some, a whole box. You... came here especially to give it to me?" Ren Xiyao hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question.
Kwon Ji-yong's lips curled up slightly: "What if I said yes?"
Ren Xiyao felt her ears getting hot. She lowered her head to hide her expression: "Then... thank you."
"You're welcome." Kwon Ji-yong's voice was very soft: "I just... didn't want you to leave like this." After saying that, he reached into his coat pocket and took out a small bottle, handing it to her: "Take this too." He took a step forward, but didn't dare to get too close.
Ren Xiyao took the bottle; it was a spray to relieve muscle soreness. She had heard what he said earlier, but she really didn't know how to respond. So she pretended not to hear.
"I bought it in Japan. A friend said it works well. I specifically asked, and it's also suitable for athletes," he said.
Ren Xiyao gripped the bottle tightly, her fingertips touching the lingering warmth of his body on the bottle. She looked up at him: "Did you go out of your way to buy this?"
"On the way." He shrugged, but his eyes didn't leave him. "When will you come here again?"
Ren Xiyao shook her head: "I don't know. It depends on the team's arrangements."
"Then...can I come to China to see you?"
This question made Ren Xiyao gasp involuntarily. She stared at Quan Zhilong, hoping to see a hint of a joke on his face, but found his expression unusually serious.
"You're so busy, how could you have time?" Ren Xiyao tried to answer in a relaxed tone.
“I can arrange it.” Kwon Ji-yong stepped forward, closing the distance between them: “As long as you’re willing.”
Ren Xiyao felt her breathing become difficult. Even with her hat covering her completely, she could see that Quan Zhilong's gaze was fixed solely on her. So focused, so clear.
The airport announcements came on again, urging passengers to board the plane as soon as possible.
Ren Xiyao glanced at the security checkpoint. The instructor was already counting heads up ahead. Seeing her still outside, he frowned and gestured for her to hurry up and go in. She squeezed the spray in her hand and whispered, "Thank you."
Kwon Ji-yong didn't speak, he just looked at her.
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then... I'm leaving."
"Message me when you arrive," Kwon Ji-yong finally said.
"Okay." Ren Xiyao nodded.
"be safe."
"The same to you."
She turned and walked towards the security checkpoint, her steps a little slower than usual.
"Ren Xiyao," Quan Zhilong called out to her again. He could now pronounce those three words in standard Chinese.
She turned around.
Kwon Ji-yong stood there, hands in his coat pockets, a slight smile playing on his lips: "See you next time."
Instead of saying "goodbye," they say "see you next time."
Ren Xiyao felt her heart skip a beat. She nodded and replied softly, "See you next time." Just as it was her turn, she seemed to remember something. She pulled something out of her pocket, ran quickly to Quan Zhilong, stuffed it into his arms, and said, "Get a good night's sleep." Then she turned and walked into the security checkpoint without looking back.
Kwon Ji-yong instinctively caught the item, wanting to see what it was, but quickly looked up again. He watched her figure slowly disappear into the crowd at the security checkpoint until she was completely out of sight. He carefully put the box away and glanced around warily. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to him, he quickly lowered his head and hurried away from the crowd.
His agent breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him back in the car. What he did today was truly outrageous. If they were discovered, it could easily cause an accident. He had been in the car making phone calls to airport security so they could control the situation if they were discovered.
Inside the train carriage, Kwon Ji-yong ignored the conversation between his manager and the people at the airport, and took out the box that Ren Xiyao had given him. Inside was a pair of silent earplugs. He took out his phone, opened his chat with her, and her message appeared at just the right moment.
"If you feel that applause and criticism are just high-frequency noise, what you really need to listen to is what you want to do in your heart. Get a good night's sleep."
Kwon Ji-yong didn't know how to describe his feelings. He always felt naked in front of this girl because of her purity. So he felt calm when he was near her. This purity was a judgment without sharpness, making his usually hidden soul shed its mask, put away its sharpness, and appear pure in this relationship, even the push and pull became a kind of fun.
The agent hung up the phone. He sighed and said, "Satisfied. What if we got caught? If we're any later, the rehearsal over there will be delayed too."
Kwon Ji-yong carefully put the box away. He unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and said nothing.
The agent couldn't help but say, "You could have just told her you were coming."
Kwon Ji-yong screwed the bottle cap back on, his tone light and cheerful: "Why did you tell her?"
The agent shook his head: "Are you... really crazy?"
Outside the airport's glass window, an airplane is slowly taxiing toward the runway.
A note from the author:
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