Chapter 56 Chapter 56
It was 7:30 PM when the subway resumed service. Lia led the old man out of the train and through the brightly lit exit passage. They walked all the way to the residential area at the address.
While waiting for the elevator, the old woman suddenly opened her cloth bag and fumbled around inside. Lia initially thought she was looking for her keys, so she ignored her. It wasn't until she stepped out of the elevator and stood in front of the door that she realized she was still searching.
"Did I... forget to bring it?" she muttered to herself, a look of embarrassment on her face. Lia then realized the seriousness of the problem: "Did you forget to bring your keys?" The old man stopped and
She nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "I thought... Xiaohao would be back. He usually opens the door for me." She sighed softly, her tone full of self-blame. "I was in a hurry to leave today, so I didn't think about this."
Lia picked up her phone, glanced at the time, looked up at the house number under the hallway light, then looked down at the old man in front of her. "Child, you go first. I'll wait here." Noticing her anxious expression, the old man suddenly said,
"You must be busy. I'm so sorry to have wasted so much of your time today. Now that we're at the doorstep, don't worry about me. I'll just sit here and wait for him to come back." She said,
Pointing to the open space at the door, Lia instinctively rejected the idea. After a moment's thought, she took the old man's hand again and said, "Let's go downstairs and get something to eat. You haven't eaten much all day, and you've been on the road for so long."
Seeing that the old man was still hesitant, she added, "I'm hungry too, so let's eat together." Only then did the old man finally nod.
Yu Chenghao's apartment wasn't far from where she lived. It was a lively neighborhood with a lively atmosphere, and there was a home-style restaurant around the corner. She chose one with light cuisine and walked in with the old man.
It was past dinner time, and the restaurant wasn't crowded, with only a few diners quietly enjoying their soup and rice. Lia ordered a few simple dishes. They sat by the window, looking out at the darkening sky and the scattered pedestrians along the street.
The old man, unused to the unfamiliar surroundings, folded his hands in his lap, staring awkwardly at the table. "I've been to this place a few times, and it's pretty good," Lia said softly, trying to lighten the mood. "The pumpkin porridge is very finely made and not too sweet."
The old man looked up and smiled gratefully: "You are thoughtful to consider these things." The dishes were served quickly.
At first she just took a few bites out of politeness, but perhaps because the food suited her taste or she was really hungry, before long she had almost finished all the rice in the bowl.
After the meal, she insisted on paying. Lia tried to dissuade her, but she ultimately paid. As they left the restaurant, the breeze on the street had already cooled slightly. Lia then took her back home.
The room was small, but spotlessly clean. Lia settled the old man on the sofa, covered his legs with a blanket, put away the cloth bag she had brought with her, and then went back to boil water for tea.
When she came back with the tea, the old man had already opened the cloth bag and taken out the things inside one by one.
Homemade pickles, dried fish, cooked pumpkin soup, and a small bottle of homemade red date sauce - all carefully sealed, wrapped in a cloth towel, and squeezed into a cloth bag to carry all day.
"Bringing so much stuff...it's so heavy," Lia muttered. "I want him to eat more," the old man smiled. "I'm worried he won't be used to the food outside, and filming is too tiring. He likes the food I cook."
Lia nodded. "If you don't mind, please take all of these." Grandma pointed to the bottles and jars on the coffee table. "I'm so sorry to bother you today. I really don't know how to thank you enough."
"No, no, no—" Lia waved her hands repeatedly, "How can this be? You carried it all the way here. Xiao Yu and I are friends, so it's only natural for me to help."
The old man shook his head: "There is no question of should or should not. I am very grateful that you brought me to his doorstep, not to mention taking me back home." Lia was a little touched.
"Please accept it. It's not something valuable. It's just a little gift from grandma." The old woman smiled kindly. "Next time I have a chance, I'll make more and send them to you." "Okay, thank you, grandma." Lia nodded.
At nine o'clock in the evening, Yu Chenghao's message finally came. "I'll try to get back as early as possible. I'm on my way back now and will be there around ten o'clock." "Sorry."
Lia glanced at the old woman, who was leaning against the sofa, a rosary in her hand, dozing off. She had been running all the way, and was clearly exhausted, relying solely on willpower to hold on.
Lia walked forward, gently pulled the blanket up a little, thought for a moment, grabbed her bag and went out. She jogged to a nearby 24-hour dessert shop and bought a small fruit cake and a few small candles.
Ten thirty-five. The doorbell rang. Lia opened the door and was met with a slightly exhausted, yet clearly surprised, look on Yu Seung-ho's face. He had just reached the door, but before he could even reach for the second push, the door opened. The room was completely dark.
The next second, a figure emerged from the darkness, holding a small cake. The flickering candlelight made her eyes sparkle. "Happy birthday." He was stunned. "Luckily, time hasn't passed yet." She approached, "Come on, blow out the candles."
His heartbeat seemed to hit something in his chest, echoing in the darkness. He gently lowered his head and blew out the candle. Only then did Lia turn on the small lamp, and the room was bright again.
Grandma had already fallen asleep on the sofa, her eyelashes trembling slightly, a peaceful look on her face, and a thin blanket covering her body. He walked into the room, stood beside Grandma for a while, and then looked back at her. "Thank you."
Lia smiled. "It's okay. I don't have any other plans." He didn't expose her. When she answered the phone, it was clear that she had plans. It wasn't hard to guess whose arrangements they were.
If it weren't for him, she would have been in the company now. That world he never really knew, she always carefully made time to maintain, but he - He lowered his head and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Lia shook her head, put the cake down, and went to the kitchen to get a plate. * Meanwhile, elsewhere in Seoul, just after midnight, the restaurant erupted in cheers, mixed with "Happy Birthday" wishes and heckling.
Fixed lenses were set up in several corners, and a photographer held a handheld camera and moved among the crowd to take moving shots.
The camera swept across the restaurant, and most of the people who came were familiar staff and friends - musicians, stylists, dancers, and artists from YG company.
The place wasn't large, but it was packed with people. Laughter and the sound of clinking glasses echoed endlessly, the alcohol and the atmosphere reaching a fever pitch. Quan Zhilong stood at the main table, wearing a simple black T-shirt, a hint of light blond hair peeking out from under a matching knitted cap.
Someone shouted: "Our birthday boy, please say something!" He responded and raised his glass with a smile. "Although this is the first time I do this," he looked at everyone, "thank you all for coming here!" "Happy birthday!"
to me!" He clinked his glasses at the camera. Everyone cheered. "Enjoy yourself today." He said with a smile. "I want to eat a meal worth 5 million yuan!" Dasheng cheered. Everyone laughed again.
After the commotion, the camera zooms in on the protagonist. "It's August 18, 2009, 12:00 AM...11 AM," Kwon Ji-yong shows the time on his phone. "All of you here are very important friends."
He seemed in high spirits and began introducing the people present one by one. "This... everyone knows him, right? Big Bang's hero—Young Bae!" Young Bae cooperated and struck a kung fu pose for the camera.
"And this one, my studio friend, AKA Kush!" Kush was wearing a red baseball cap and acting funny.
"I think everyone here is very familiar with it," he said, and walked to another table, "I think there's no need for me to introduce them - 2NE1!" "Oh -" The four members of 2NE1 cheered in unison and greeted the camera one after another.
"And this one—" He suddenly raised his voice, his tone lively, "The dream tree of the film industry: Lee Soo Hyuk!" The camera turned, and Lee Soo Hyuk raised his hand to the camera and greeted it with a slightly helpless look.
"There's one more person, let me introduce you to the last one!" He turned and looked at the other table, "The eternal soul singer in my heart - Sister Gummy!"
The camera followed him and captured Gummy waving shyly, while the staff on the side laughed and applauded.
"Sister Gummy had work today," he said, looking towards the camera, "but she still came to support me. Thank you so much."
After introducing the friends and staff who were participating in the album launch and birthday party tonight, he sat down and began to open his presents. The camera was already set, and the staff took advantage of the lively atmosphere and asked him to record a few more clips for later editing.
Quan Zhilong sat in a corner near the light, seven or eight gift boxes of various shapes piled in front of him. Some were wrapped in ribbons, while others were simply covered in handwritten notes. "Then I'll pick one at random?" He glanced at the camera lens, his tone casual.
"Pick the ugliest one to open first!" Kush shouted from the side. He smiled and picked the most fancy one to start - "Ah, so nervous~~" He shook the gift in his hand at the camera. "POPS ENGLISH
"WISE" he read aloud. It was a book. "It means you should study English hard!" the gift giver teased. He opened it with a smile and flipped through a few pages. "Thank you. I'll read it carefully."
The second gift was a simple black bracelet, which he put on immediately, showing it off to the camera. On his ring finger, he also wore a Chrome Hearts ring he had designed, a surprising match. He glanced at the ring briefly before lowering his head to open the third gift.
The remaining gifts were mostly limited-edition sneakers and T-shirts. Knowing he liked these things, most of his acquaintances chose similar gifts. He thanked each one and carefully put the gifts away. The camera zoomed out and the scene changed.
This part of the shoot ended. Everyone around them toasted and chatted, each enjoying themselves. Kwon Ji-yong left the camera, sat back on the sofa, his face sullen, and toyed with his phone.
On the screen, in the dialog box, the last message from the sender NeonL lay alone: "Sorry, Oppa, I'll be a little later and will go directly to the restaurant." He did not reply.
"What's wrong with this guy? He looks so grumpy?" Kush noticed his expression and looked at Treta nearby. "Hmm..." Treta answered the question, "Why didn't Lia come?"
"Eh—" Kush seemed to have just realized someone was missing and stood up to look around. "Strange," he scratched his head. "Didn't she start preparing gifts a long time ago? Why is she gone today?"
He was speaking when the door suddenly opened. "Ding-ling—" The wind chimes hanging on the door chimed softly. Everyone turned to look. Lia stood at the door, panting, a large bag slung over her shoulder.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she said softly, her face flushed from her hurried run. She bowed and walked in. The air was silent for a moment, then bustling again. Quan Zhilong gave her a cold look without saying a word.
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