Chapter 17 Restraint
Let's rewind to Han Yunxing's birthday.
I had already told Han Yunxing that I would be attending the after-party of the concert, so I couldn't wish her a happy birthday in person.
Afterwards, Kwon Ji-yong checked his schedule, declined the banquet, and returned to Korea ahead of schedule.
When he got to the apartment building in Cheongdam-dong, Kwon Ji-yong realized he was going crazy. It was 2 a.m., he had already missed his birthday, and Han Yoon-sung might not even be awake yet.
Frustrated, Kwon Ji-yong lit a cigarette to calm himself down. After seeing that Han Yoon-sung had replied to his message, he stubbed out the cigarette and went upstairs.
"Oppa, did you just smoke?"
As soon as Han Yunxing opened the door, she smelled a faint scent of tobacco. She tiptoed and sniffed at Kwon Ji-yong's shoulder and neck like a small animal.
Kwon Ji-yong felt a little itchy. The weather in Seoul was getting colder in early autumn. The little girl was wearing cotton pajamas and her hair was loose. She looked very well-behaved.
Han Yoon-sung happily opened the gift box after handing Kwon Ji-yong a glass of warm water.
It's a Cartier nail bracelet, full of diamonds, and it's still dazzling even with only a few lights on in the room.
Han Yunxing liked it very much and put it on her wrist to show Kwon Ji-yong.
"I love it so much! Thank you, Oppa~"
Seeing the sparkle in the little girl's eyes, Kwon Ji-yong felt that taking a red-eye flight back home was worthwhile.
Back at his home, Kwon Ji-yong lit a cigarette on the balcony; in the darkness, only a tiny crimson glow could be seen in his hand.
He was actually in contact with people during this period, but he didn't feel any urgency.
Taking a deep breath, Kwon Ji-yong sat back in his chair, tilted his head back, and exhaled white smoke, revealing a somewhat annoyed expression beneath the swirling smoke.
The moment he boarded the plane, Kwon Ji-yong realized something was off lately. The urgency he felt for his sister, which he didn't feel for anyone else, was something that, when applied to Han Yoon-sung, could no longer be described as a simple sibling relationship.
A sigh echoed in the quiet of the night.
Kwon Ji-yong leaned back on the sofa and sighed deeply when he saw the message from Han Yoon-sung.
Anyway, after that day, Kwon Ji-yong decided to take a step back. If it was just a vague feeling of affection, then he shouldn't make it official. He didn't have much confidence in love, and he didn't want to lose Han Yoon-sung, who was so important to him. Once nothing happened, everything would eventually go back to normal.
Kwon Ji-yong's approach was to reduce contact. Since he felt an urgency towards Han Yoon-sung, he decided to reply to her messages later.
However, it's clear that the results weren't very good.
Han Yoon-sung is the kind of person who solves problems as soon as they are discovered; a single, direct message left Kwon Ji-yong completely bewildered.
Kwon Ji-yong wanted to tell Han Yoon-sung that he was very tired lately, but then he deleted the words in the chat box with a bit of annoyance.
He always likes to act vulnerable and coquettish with people he cares about.
[Numerous schedules recently]
[Your self-composed music is very inspired!]
"Wait for me to come back, shall we go pick Dawn up and take her home?"
In just a few words, Kwon Ji-yong steered the conversation back to Han Do-eun's discharge from the military.
Han Yunxing reluctantly accepted the other party's explanation, but her attention was also drawn to Han Daoen's matter; her brother would be back at the end of the month.
Dong Yong-bae saw Kwon Ji-yong sitting alone in the corner, and walked over with a glass of wine: "Ji-yong, aren't you going down to play?"
Upon seeing his good friend, Kwon Ji-yong's desire to confide in him intensified.
"Yong Pei, if you're with someone very important, but you might lose her in the end, should you still stay together?"
Dong Yong-bae looked at Kwon Ji-yong's expression with some surprise. This guy thinks about all this?!
"Is it that guy from Country R?"
Dong Yong-bae recalled that G-Dragon recently did a magazine shoot with a model, and it seemed like they were thinking about taking things further.
Noticing Kwon Ji-yong's speechless look, Dong Yong-bae said seriously, "Is it necessary to be so pessimistic? It might still have a good ending. Enjoy the moment..."
Patting Kwon Ji-yong on the shoulder, Dong Yong-bae put down his wine glass and went to play.
*
Han Yunxing is very busy. Cube Entertainment is seizing every opportunity to let her appear in public, and she's also playing a minor role in the comeback of her senior group.
In addition, the star-making system also released several tasks in succession. Han Yunxing would say that she would fill in the gaps wherever needed. In short, she attended classes during the day and in her dreams at night, and her dancing became more beautiful and her movements became clearer.
Everything is moving in a positive direction.
Late October is late autumn in Seoul. The wind, already showing signs of temper, knocks ginkgo leaves from the trees to the ground. Students on the street play a game of stepping on the leaves, making a crisp, crunching sound.
Han Yunxing ran towards the man in military uniform in front of her, and with a light leap, jumped directly into his arms.
Han Daoen carefully supported his younger sister, feeling the dampness on her shoulders and neck, and tenderly touched the back of Han Yunxing's head.
Upon seeing the two people approaching, Kwon Ji-yong, sitting in the driver's seat, pressed the unlock button.
Han Daoen picked up the carefully prepared bouquet from the passenger seat, sat down with the flowers in her arms, and bumped her fist against Kwon Ji-yong's right fist.
"Welcome back, Dawn!"
Kwon Ji-yong beamed and pulled out two pieces of paper from the side, handing one to Han Yoon-sung and the other to Han Do-eun.
"You two crybabies, hurry up and wipe your tears."
"You'll cry even more than I will when you get discharged from the military!"
Han Daoen rolled her eyes at the person next to her, then reached out and took the tissue.
Knowing that the brother and sister had a lot to talk about, Kwon Ji-yong went home first, patting Han Yoon-sung's head before going upstairs.
"Yunxing has grown up~"
Han Daoen looked intently at the girl in front of him; she was taller and thinner than the last time he saw her.
Han Yunxing's emotions were turbulent. Seeing Han Daoen, who was more composed than she remembered, she realized that her brother had also suffered a lot in the army.
In fact, Han Daoen had already made arrangements before enlisting, ensuring that no one would provoke her. However, seeing the heartache in her sister's eyes softened her heart.
"Yunxing has become amazing!"
For a year after her parents' accident, Han Daoen could only take short breaks from time to time. It was quite remarkable that Han Yunxing, as a high school student, could manage to handle it.
Thinking about the time, Han Daoen asked Han Yunxing if she would be taking the college entrance examination next year.
Then I found out that my younger sister had become a trainee.
Kwon Ji-yong was called downstairs by Han Do-eun with a phone call.
“Friend, don’t worry about me, just give your opinion on Yunxing’s potential.”
Han Daoen was also a trainee; it was Kwon Ji-yong who persuaded her to give up.
Hearing Han Daoen's words, Kwon Ji-yong chuckled and sighed, "Don't worry, Yoon-sung didn't inherit your tone-deaf talent."
Han Yunxing covered her face and laughed. Looking at the little girl's bright eyes, Kwon Jiyong's lips curled up, revealing his white teeth.
The three of them ordered takeout and sat at the table chatting about their recent lives. Han Daoen was the one asking questions, while Han Yunxing and Quan Zhilong answered.
The next day, Han Yunxing took a day off and went to the cemetery with Han Daoen early in the morning, wearing a black dress.
Han Yunxing bent down and carefully placed a bouquet of flowers in front of the monument, then stepped back to Han Daoen's side and bowed together.
"Mom and Dad, I'm back. Don't worry about me and Yunxing, we're doing fine, and I'll take good care of us. You should live happily over there too."
Han Yunxing looked gently ahead and said, "Mom and Dad, I will take good care of myself and my brother. I hope you are both well."
After talking with their parents for a while, Han Daoen and Han Yunxing bowed again before turning to leave.
Walking along the paths in the park, many leaves were blown down from the trees by the wind, and an old man was sweeping them away in the distance.
"Oppa, are you going back to the company tomorrow?"
Han Daoen has a double major in architecture and economics and management, and has been working hard to take over the family business.
"I plan to go take a look this afternoon."
Han Daoen patted his younger sister's head; he needed to get a grasp of the situation as soon as possible.
When I returned to the company in the afternoon, I saw Han Yunxing in great spirits, and the choreographer recorded a few videos of her on her phone.
Immersed in practice, Han Yunxing repeatedly danced the same routine, constantly checking her movements and expressions in front of the mirror.
Han Yunxing now has abs!
The person in the mirror is wearing a short halter top, the fabric of which clings to the upper body, making the waist and abdomen appear supple and toned.
Han Yunxing practiced until only a few windows in the company were still letting in light before putting on her coat and preparing to go home.
"Yunxing!"
When Han Yunxing went downstairs, she saw Qiao Qiao, whom she had been seeing frequently lately.
"Didn't I tell you last time, unnie, not to wait for me to get off work this late!"
Han Yunxing pretended to be angry and pouted at Qiao Qiao, then took her hands with both of them.
Qiaoqiao felt the little girl warming her hands, and her eyes sparkled.
"Ahhh! It's Yunxing!"
Han Yunxing then noticed several unfamiliar faces today. She asked them to wait a moment while she ran upstairs to get a few hand warmers. She was the type of person who felt cold in winter and hot in summer, so she needed hand warmers when the weather turned cooler. She had stocked up on quite a few at the company.
Seeing Han Yunxing hopping towards them like a little rabbit, the fans waved excitedly.
"Absolutely! Absolutely do not wait so late!"
Han Yunxing pretended to be serious, lecturing like a little teacher with a stern face.
Seeing the fans shaking their heads and shouting "Yes!", Han Yunxing smiled helplessly and told them to be sure to keep warm when the weather gets cold.
"Yunxing! You're Mommy's little warmth!"
Suddenly a fan shouted something from behind, and everyone else laughed as they saw Han Yunxing's clearly stunned expression.
After signing autographs, Han Yunxing called taxis for all the fans and only felt at ease going home after watching them get into the cars.
@Fanxing: It's Mom's hand warmer!
Friends, today I picked Yunxing up from work. My baby was so worried we'd get cold, so she went out of her way to get hand warmers! She even called a taxi to take us home! Another happy day…
"Attached: Little Teacher Star" "Attached: Bouncy Bunny Star" "Attached: Good Boy Sends Mom Home Star"
—So happy again, our Sister Fanxing…
—Please, Cube Entertainment, let Yunxing debut!
—I'm not envious! (Crying uncontrollably)
—I've been getting off work really late lately, and I've gotten so skinny I'm practically a cat! TT
Back home, Han Yunxing replied to Han Daoen's message.
Han Daoen has been staying at the company recently, and worried that Han Yunxing would be waiting for her to come home, so she sent her a text message.
After replying to the message, Han Yunxing continued working on her assignment.
She's going to the seventh performance of Produce 101 with Yunqi and Minnie this weekend.
Minnie is Yunqi's new roommate. She's a really nice person, and the three of them often eat at the company cafeteria together.
When Minnie heard that Han Yunxing and Yun Qi were going to watch their roommate's show, which they hadn't met yet, she enthusiastically suggested going along.
A note from the author:
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I'm defining the next period as a agonizing period of calm and ambiguity, lol.
I pushed the timeline of Produce 101/IOI forward by more than half a year.
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