An Unexpected Encounter

Chapter 92 An Unexpected Encounter

The car happened to arrive at Sangam-dong, the place where he had last attended a book signing.

The nearest good place to see the first snow is the Sky Park, which is shown on the map. It's a large park, perfect for a stroll, and you can easily keep your distance if you bump into someone.

Pei Xiyan stopped the car when they arrived at the main entrance of the park.

After unbuckling her seatbelt, Bae Joo-hyun casually opened the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat to retrieve her mask.

"It seems like one is missing. Did you use it?" She sorted through the items and realized that the number of masks was incorrect.

"Hmm." The face of Minatozaki Sana flashed through her mind, and Pei Xiyan responded faintly.

"Oh." Bae Joo-hyun didn't seem to mind. She brushed her hair behind her ear and put on her mask.

"Let's go~" Although she was wearing a mask, her excitement was still hard to hide.

Sky Park used to be a garbage dump, but it was transformed into the park it is today in the 1980s and 90s.

Walking on the bridge leading into the park, Pei Xiyan put her hands in her pockets and looked around. Last month, she could still see the park's famous purple reeds, but now they were gone. The surrounding reeds, thatch, bitter herbs, violets, clover... were all indistinguishable now. Sky Park was filled with the desolation of early winter in November, and only withered yellow grass remained on both sides of the bridge.

The ground was covered with fallen leaves, and bare branches stretched their claws toward the night sky. In the dim light, snowflakes drifted down slowly, and a sense of neon-lit wabi-sabi arose all around.

There weren't many people around, and probably not many realized that the first snow had arrived so suddenly. Perhaps they would stop what they were doing and rush out to see the first snow after seeing pictures on social media or hearing family and friends calling from outside their bedrooms.

Bae Joo-hyun walked ahead, her steps light and cheerful, reaching out to catch the snowflakes falling from the sky.

Pei Xiyan followed behind, thinking of Minatozaki Sana, wondering if she knew about this news.

While Bae Joo-hyun was looking up at the snowflakes, he took out his phone and sent her a message.

The first snow has arrived.

[Qinjia?! !] Sana Minatozaki was looking at her phone when, after a while, [It really is! It's snowing! (Picture)]

The photo shows many hands reaching out from the balcony railing, indicating that after receiving the news, they immediately ran to the balcony with their members to check if it was true.

Then another message came quickly: "[Me and the members are going downstairs~]"

How could I not go down and check on the first snow?

[Inside.] Pei Xiyan smiled softly.

Ahead, Bae Joo-hyun lowered her head because the snowflakes falling on her face were too cold.

"Hiss." She glanced at Pei Xiyan behind her, who was smiling at her phone, then frowned slightly, sensing something was wrong. "Xiaoyan, who are you messaging?"

"Galaxy." Pei Xiyan quickly switched to Minatozaki Sana's chat window, found Ding Enfei's profile picture, and read: [The first snow has arrived.]

The woman, who prefers to stay at home, didn't disappoint him and replied to his message very quickly.

[Oh my! Let me pause the game!]

"She's been really looking forward to the first snowfall," Pei Xiyan said, holding her phone up to her face as proof. "She even mentioned at the dinner party a few days ago that she'd build a snowman for me to see."

"But with the current amount of snow, we can't build a snowman, can we?" Looking at the message on the screen, Bae Joo-hyun looked up at the snowflakes falling from the sky.

The snowfall is light and scattered, like someone accidentally blew a handful of dandelions from the sky, which quickly disappeared after landing on the ground.

Forget about building a snowman, it would be good enough if we could even make a small snowball in this situation.

"It seems she's going to be disappointed." Pei Xiyan put away her phone and sighed for Ding Enfei with feigned regret.

Without the leaves to conceal them, the bird nests built on the branches are now visible. These were specially set up by the park for returning birds, who will return with spring when the park comes back to life.

After crossing the bridge, follow the path until you reach a signboard with a map of the park on it.

Behind the notice board, there was a set of stairs leading upwards. Pei Xiyan turned to look at Pei Zhuxuan, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Noona, want to go up and take a look?"

"I don't want to climb." Bae Joo-hyun shook her head, looked at him, and her eyes crinkled into a smile. "Carry me on your back."

"Okay." Pei Xiyan didn't hesitate at all, turned around with her back to her, and half-squatted down.

"Here you come," Bae Joo-hyun whispered, then jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Hooking her legs, Pei Xiyan easily stood up. Pei Zhuxuan was very light, and he felt no pressure carrying her.

"Wow, it's so high!" Bae Joo-hyun looked around, experiencing the unique perspective of being two meters tall, and felt incredibly excited.

"It'll get higher later, will Nuna be scared?" Pei Xiyan asked as she walked up the steps.

Bae Joo-hyun has a severe fear of heights due to a bad experience in her childhood. She is also afraid of water, and the only place suitable for her is flat land.

"Hmph." Bae Joo-hyun snorted lightly, her hand sliding up his neck to pinch his chin. "With you here, what do I have to be afraid of?"

This staircase has 219 steps, and climbing it feels like heading towards the sky. At the end, there is an observation deck where you can overlook the entire panorama of Seoul.

Pei Xiyan walked steadily, step by step, and the ground behind them was getting farther and farther away. Pei Zhuxuan looked back once and then dared not look again. She obediently rested her head on Pei Xiyan's left shoulder and quietly listened to her own breathing and his breathing.

She remembered how she used to carry Pei Xiyan on her back when they were little, but now it was Pei Xiyan's turn to carry her.

Time really flies. Bae Joo-hyun thought, the first snow has come, winter is coming soon, and another year will be over in no time.

"Another spring, summer, autumn and winter are about to pass," she sighed softly.

"Hmm?" Hearing her words, Pei Xiyan's heart stirred, and she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" Bae Joo-hyun noticed his pause.

"I just heard what Nuna said and it made me think of something," Pei Xiyan said frankly.

"What?"

"The four seasons come and go, and I have to say goodbye to you, who gave me winter and summer, who was once my whole world..." Pei Xiyan hummed the inspiration she had just come up with, and continued, "That's all for now, I haven't thought about the rest yet."

"It's beautiful," Bae Joo-hyun exclaimed. "No wonder it's a romance novel!"

"But it's just a small matter."

"Hmm?" Pei Xiyan tilted her head slightly.

"How long do you think you can carry me?" Bae Joo-hyun's voice was as light as snowflakes.

She felt incredibly safe on Pei Xiyan's back, entrusting her entire body to it, her heart as calm and secure as if it were floating on a tranquil sea.

The thought that other girls would firmly occupy this position in the future made her feel as sour as if a lemon had been cut open.

"It shouldn't be long now." Looking at the steps ahead, Pei Xiyan estimated the time in her mind. "We'll be there in a few more minutes."

"Hey, that's not what I meant!" Bae Joo-hyun playfully punched his shoulder.

"How long..." Pei Xiyan thought for a moment, a slight smile appearing on her lips, "I'll carry you on my back until we're old."

"Really?!" Upon hearing the answer, Bae Joo-hyun blinked, a smile curving up beneath her mask that he couldn't see.

"Really." Pei Xiyan agreed with her.

"You said it yourself." Bae Joo-hyun's eyes crinkled into a smile, and she tightened her grip on his neck.

"Yes, I said so." Pei Xiyan nodded.

Halfway up the mountain, Pei Xiyan was still walking steadily, but Pei Zhuxuan, feeling sorry for him, took the initiative to come down.

When she reached the top, she was panting heavily, but seeing the view in front of her, she felt that all her panting was worth it.

To the north of the observation deck, a gigantic, monstrous shadow can be seen—that is Bukhansan Mountain, hidden in the night. To the east, the 63 Building is brightly lit, and to the south, the Han River, spanned by a bridge, reflects the skyscrapers on both sides in its shimmering surface. To the west, Haengju Mountain City appears distant and indistinct.

Bae Joo-hyun stared blankly at the scenery. Beside her, Bae Xi-yan had already taken out her phone. "Noona."

"Yes." Bae Joo-hyun responded, turning her head to look at him, her hair swaying slightly beside her ear.

The phone wasn't on, but Pei Xiyan mentally snapped a "click" as she captured the moment the head turned into the camera.

Seeing his actions, Bae Joo-hyun knew perfectly well what he was doing.

"I haven't even taken my mask off yet," she reminded him.

"It looks good even without taking it." Pei Xiyan smiled as she flipped through her phone.

In the photo, although the mask covered the lower half of Bae Joo-hyun's face, her beautiful eyebrows and eyes became a fifth kind of scenery that could be seen from the observation deck under the dim light.

"Then let's have one more." Bae Joo-hyun took off her mask and smiled sweetly.

After spending some time at the observation deck, Bae Joo-hyun got a little thirsty, so the two returned the way they came.

On either side of the sign were sidewalks leading directly into the depths of the park. Pei Xiyan had been here before and knew that there were vending machines along the way.

He chose a direction, and the two walked along the streetlights for a while before spotting a vending machine between two streetlights.

Unfortunately, a man and a woman were standing in front of us buying things; they looked like a couple. They were both wearing woolen hats and scarves, dressed very warmly from head to toe.

Although the weather was very cold, this kind of concealing attire made him think of a certain possibility.

"It's not a celebrity, is it?" Bae Joo-hyun guessed.

"It can't be that simple." Looking at their backs, Pei Xiyan felt it was impossible for it to be such a coincidence.

Although Seoul is not large and there are many celebrities from the Peninsula, it's not like you can just randomly bump into them in a park.

As they drew closer, Pei Xiyan and Pei Zhuxuan remained silent, but the park was quiet, and their footsteps were still heard.

The boy turned his head alertly and spotted them. His pupils contracted, and he instinctively wanted to pull the girl next to him away. However, after seeing Pei Xiyan's face clearly under the streetlight, the boy froze and stood still.

"Oppa, we'll buy the water later, let's go quickly." Seeing that the boy had stopped moving, the girl next to him tugged at his hand, urging him to leave as soon as possible.

"Don't worry, it's someone I know." The boy reassured her, then waved to Pei Xiyan under the girl's surprised gaze, "Xiyan."

Upon suddenly hearing her own name, Pei Xiyan was stunned.

"Do you know him?" Bae Joo-hyun was also a little confused.

"I don't know." The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but Pei Xiyan shook his head. The boy was wrapped up too tightly, so he couldn't tell anything.

He pulled Bae Joo-hyun closer, and the boy in front of the vending machine realized something. He pulled down the scarf covering his face and waved again, "Xi-yan, it's me."

Under the streetlights, Pei Xiyan saw a familiar, honest smile. His eyes widened. "Brother Zhongren?"

"Which Jongin? EX0's Jongin?" Bae Joo-hyun was also stunned.

"Hey, I didn't expect to see you guys here." Upon hearing the reply, Kim Jongin smiled and walked up, opening his arms to Pei Xiyan.

I gave him a hug.

"Oppa." The girl carefully followed beside him.

Pei Xiyan felt the situation was quite obvious: a man and a woman had come to the park late at night, both of them completely covered up.

"Is this place for a date, hyung?" He looked at the girl next to Kim Jongin, only able to see a pair of exposed eyes.

"Yes." Kim Jongin scratched his head a little embarrassedly.

"Is that Joo-hyun unnie?" The girl stared at Bae Joo-hyun, who was wearing a mask, and suddenly asked.

"You know me?" Bae Joo-hyun tilted her head and stared at the girl.

"It really is unnie!" Hearing the affirmative answer from her, the girl pulled down her scarf, revealing a short, round face that resembled a Ragdoll cat.

Neither of them was unfamiliar with this face.

"Jennie?" Bae Joo-hyun blinked, then excitedly took off her mask, and the two girls hugged each other.

The two of them have a very good relationship in private; they met at the same beauty salon.

"Brother?" Pei Xiyan looked at Kim Jong-in with disbelief in her eyes.

"Yes." Kim Jongin was pleased with his gaze, and he raised an eyebrow smugly. "My daughter."

Pei Xiyan suddenly remembered that Pei Zhuxuan had said in the car that the hiatus period is a high-risk period for idols to fall in love.

But the two people in front of me aren't exactly in a slump either!

EX0 just made their comeback less than a month ago, right? Didn't Jennie release her solo single just two weeks ago?

When did they get together without anyone telling them?

Pei Xiyan was filled with questions.

"How long have you two been together?" he asked directly.

"October." Kim Jongin scratched his head and said a time with a silly grin.

"So, unnie, how long have you been together?" Kim Jennie glanced at Pei Xiyan and then asked Pei Zhuxuan.

She never expected that Bae Joo-hyun, the famously aloof and cold woman in the industry, would have a boyfriend so quietly.

If other people knew this news, they would probably be terrified.

Just looking at their faces, the two were indeed a perfect match. Jennie had seen many handsome men, but the face of the guy in front of her still made her feel refreshed.

"No, we're not a couple." Bae Joo-hyun couldn't help but laugh as she took Pei Xi-yan's hand and explained, "He's my..."

younger brother."

"Younger brother?" Jennie's eyes widened.

She only knew that Bae Joo-hyun had a younger sister, so when did a younger brother suddenly appear?

"Annyeonghaseyo, I am Bae Joo-hyun's younger brother, Bae Seok-yeon." Bae Seok-yeon nodded in greeting.

"Annyeonghaseyo, Jennie." Jennie nodded in return, but she was certain she had never heard of the name before.

"You might not recognize the name Jenny, but you should remember Xiyan's other name," Kim Jong-in said.

"Oppa, what is it?" Jennie looked at him, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Kim Jongin glanced at Pei Xiyan, and seeing that she didn't mean no, he slowly uttered a single word, "Cicada."

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