Chapter 27 Ren Xiyao sat on the bench…
Ren Xiyao sat on a bench, gazing up at the night sky. The nights in Rencheng were much quieter than in Seoul; most of the athletes had already left the Asian Games Village, leaving only a few streetlights still lit. She had celebrated her 20th birthday the day before yesterday and was heading back to China for the qualifying competitions in the next couple of days. Her luggage was packed, and Coach Tojin had adjusted her skates to the perfect angle, stuffing them into the innermost layer of her backpack. Training wasn't so intense during the adjustment period, and they had managed to get tickets to the Asian Games. She was just strolling around.
She heard footsteps behind her, very softly, but she still heard them.
"How did you find this place?" She didn't turn around, her voice sounding faint in the night wind.
Kwon Ji-yong sat down next to her, still carrying the faint scent of post-performance cologne mixed with the warmth of sweat. He had changed out of his stage costume and was wearing a simple black hoodie; his hair was a little messy, as if he had hurriedly tousled it.
“I asked Li Enjing.” He smiled. “She said that after watching the game, you want to wander around. She told me to walk forward and look for the least crowded place. If nothing unexpected happens, you’ll be there.”
Ren Xiyao didn't deny it, her fingers unconsciously tracing the wood grain on the edge of the bench. Instead, she changed the subject and asked, "When did you get in touch with Li Enjing?"
“After the last time at the airport, I asked my assistant to get your contact information. If I can’t find you, I need someone to ask.”
Ren Xiyao chuckled softly. Her laughter was exceptionally clear in the night.
Kwon Ji-yong didn't say anything more, but simply watched the night sky with her. The lights of the Asian Games Village spread out in the night, like a blurry sea of stars.
After a long pause, Ren Xiyao finally spoke: "Did the performance go well?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "There was a problem with the in-ear monitor, and I almost missed the beat."
She curled the corners of her lips into a smile: "The audience probably didn't notice."
"I hope so."
Silence spread once more. The night wind rustled through the treetops.
Kwon Ji-yong suddenly turned to look at her: "Ren Xiyao".
"Um?"
"I have something to tell you."
Ren Xiyao finally turned her head and met his eyes. His gaze was serious, even carrying a rare hint of nervousness.
She roughly guessed what he was going to say, and her heart suddenly raced, but she remained calm on the surface: "Go ahead."
“I probably wasn’t sincere enough last time, but this time I want to tell you my true feelings with all my heart.” Kwon Ji-yong took a deep breath, his fingers tightening and loosening on his knee: “I like you.”
Four very simple words, without any embellishment, so straightforward that they catch people off guard.
Ren Xiyao didn't look away or interrupt him; she just listened quietly.
“It’s not an impulse, nor is it out of curiosity.” His voice was low, but every word was clear: “I know there are many problems between us, my job, your training, nationality, cultural differences, and all that messy gossip… but I don’t want to give up because of these.”
The night breeze ruffled her stray hairs, and Kwon Ji-yong instinctively reached out to brush them aside, but stopped mid-air, as if afraid of offending her. He suppressed his usual flamboyance and occasional casualness and flirtation. In this moment, he was careful and cherishing, as he himself said, with a devout heart.
Ren Xiyao tucked her hair behind her ear and asked softly, "Do you know what being with me means?"
"It means getting used to being apart more often than together, it means I might not be able to be there when you compete, it means we have to face a lot of external pressure." He smiled bitterly: "It means... you might lose some simple things because of me."
Ren Xiyao shook her head: "I'm not afraid of these things."
"Then what are you afraid of?"
“What I’m afraid of is…” she paused, as if organizing her thoughts: “What I’m afraid of is that we’ll get together on a whim, only to break up in the end because of reality.”
Kwon Ji-yong didn't speak, he just looked at her and waited for her to continue.
Ren Xiyao took a deep breath and finally said what had been on her mind: "I've been to your concert."
Kwon Ji-yong looked up abruptly, his pupils dilating slightly: "...When?"
“Last month,” she said, looking up at the moon, her voice soft, “I got a free ticket from the YG family concert. I usually just sell these tickets without even opening the envelope, but that day, for some inexplicable reason, I opened the envelope and saw your name. I think maybe it was fate. It was meant for me to go there. It was meant for me to see another side of you.”
Kwon Ji-yong's breath hitched, and his fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of his hoodie.
“When I saw you on stage, when I saw tens of thousands of people screaming for you, when the fans went crazy, when I saw the cameras chasing after you, I suddenly felt like you were a stranger.” She turned her head and looked directly into his eyes: “That’s when I truly realized that we live in two completely different worlds. Lee Eun-jung had told me this before, but I didn’t have a concrete understanding of it. I simply thought it was just a career choice. Left wouldn’t make much of a difference. I was interacting with you with an idealistic perspective.”
Kwon Ji-yong's throat tightened: "...So what?"
“So I need time to think things through.” Her voice was calm, without complaint or backing down: “I need to make sure that I like the real you, not the ‘Kwon Ji-yong buying hot lemonade at the beverage shop’ that I’ve imagined.”
“I must admit that when you told me about your confusion, helplessness, and desolate loneliness that time, I didn’t fully understand the real you. I was somewhat ignorant. I was too presumptuous. I was applying my own experiences to your life. That was frighteningly biased. I think I need to apologize.”
Kwon Ji-yong opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. The day they first met, Ren Xiyao was pure and untouched by worldly dust in his eyes. So when he was near her, he unconsciously shed all his pretenses. Because she was pure, and the more he got to know her, the more he discovered her purity. When he escaped G-Dragon's shadow, Kwon Ji-yong seemed still that teenager. The trainee leaning against the mirror in the practice room. So when he met her, he only felt at ease, as if someone was leading him away from that perpetually dark practice room. He subconsciously severed ties with Ren Xiyao and his past. He didn't want her to see this side of him. He had no shortage of people around G-Dragon, but he wanted someone who only looked at Kwon Ji-yong.
The night wind suddenly picked up, rustling the leaves. Kwon Ji-yong's voice was almost drowned out by the wind; he was somewhat hesitant to confront Ren Xiyao's honesty. He wanted a different outcome now: "...And now? Have you thought it through?"
Ren Xiyao remained silent, but Quan Zhilong could no longer contain himself. He suddenly grabbed her wrist, his strength slightly out of control: "Ren Xiyao, I..."
The wind tousled her hair once more. She didn't pull away, but simply looked at him quietly.
Ren Xiyao could feel his hands trembling.
“I know this is selfish.” His eyes reddened. “My life is like a never-ending circus performance, with obsessive fans, cameras, and public opinion. Please don’t apologize. Your bias is something I’m consciously trying to separate myself from. But talking to you has truly been a healing balm for me. Those earplugs really did help me sleep soundly for a lot of nights… I think if you’re willing…”
"I do."
Kwon Ji-yong froze.
“I’m not one to say mushy things, so I’ll only say these things once,” Ren Xiyao said, taking his hand in return, her palm warm with calluses. “Going to the concert, being chased by stalkers, seeing our conversation across time zones—it’s not about backing down.” She spoke clearly, word by word: “I want to see how difficult this path is. Call it weighing the pros and cons, call it rationality, but I don’t want to rush into a relationship only to end it in chaos. Meeting you was an accident, but every moment I’ve spent with you has been genuine.”
Kwon Ji-yong's fingers suddenly tightened around hers, like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood.
“I’m a national team member. I spend nearly 345 days a year either training or competing. I can’t post on social media casually, I can’t go abroad casually, and dating can’t affect my training.” Her voice was as calm as if she were analyzing tactics: “You’re a top idol. If you’re photographed on a date, it will make headlines. Fans will attack me and criticize you. All kinds of media will make a fuss about us.”
He was about to speak when she shook her head to stop him.
"But I've thought it through."
"I'd like to give it a try too."
Her voice was soft, but she enunciated each word clearly: "Although I don't know what the future holds, and we don't need to promise anything about the future, at least for now, I don't want to have any regrets."
Kwon Ji-yong stared at her for several seconds, then suddenly reached out and carefully touched her fingertips, as if to confirm that this wasn't an illusion. Ren Xiyao didn't flinch; instead, she grabbed his hand in return.
His palms were warm, with a slight dampness and sweat.
"Are you sure?" His voice was a little hoarse.
"Um."
"No regrets?"
No regrets.
Kwon Ji-yong suddenly smiled, a smile that shone brightly in the moonlight. He tightened his grip, completely enveloping her hand in his palm: "So...we're together now?"
Ren Xiyao nodded: "Mm."
The night breeze blew again, carrying the chill of early autumn, but the two people's clasped hands were warm to the touch.
Kwon Ji-yong suddenly remembered something, took a small box out of his pocket, and handed it to her: "I was originally planning to wait for a formal occasion... but now it seems more appropriate."
Ren Xiyao took the box, opened it, and inside was a thin silver chain with a small ice blade pendant hanging from it.
"It was custom-made," he said softly. "It's a scaled-down version of your ice skates."
Ren Xiyao took the necklace, her fingertips gently tracing the ice blade pendant. The silver metal gleamed coldly in the moonlight, and the blade was engraved with fine lines, like scratches left by a real ice blade.
"Help me put it on?" she asked.
Kwon Ji-yong took the necklace, his fingers gently brushing across the back of her neck as he fastened the chain. The ice blade pendant rested below her collarbone, feeling slightly cool.
Kwon Ji-yong looked at her, then suddenly leaned in and gently hugged her from behind. His breath fell on her ear, carrying a hint of stage makeup fragrance and a tired warmth.
"I will treat you well," he said.
Ren Xiyao grasped his hand, slowly tilted her head, and whispered in his arm, "...Me too."
Moonlight bathed them both, while the lights of the Asian Games Village flickered in the distance. Neither of them spoke, they simply sat quietly on the bench, their fingers intertwined, their time together just beginning.
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