57: Chapter 57 The Night We Shared

This night was destined to be extraordinary. Choi Sulli quietly slipped out of her dormitory and stood outside Liu Zijun's apartment door, her finger lifting and falling several times.

Her finger finally pressed onto the cold electronic touch screen, as if clinging to the last shred of hope in her life.

The sound-activated lights in the hallway flickered with her breathing, making the tear stains on her face appear clear one moment and blurred the next.

She thought of seeing Lee Ryuk-hee and realized this might be the last time she could approach Liu Zijun so purely; her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, tightening with pain.

Before giving herself to that demon, she wanted to give the most precious and beautiful Choi Jin-ri to Elder Brother Liu Zijun.

That was why she had come here.

She took a deep breath, entered the password, and went inside.

Hidden in the shadows, Jiang Hongshao revealed a smile, as if watching a good show unfold.

She didn't know why Choi Sulli had become so sorrowful, but seeing the girl willing to take this step, she still felt it was quite good.

As she entered Liu Zijun's apartment, faint footsteps came from upstairs; they were very light, unlike Liu Zijun's usual steady pace.

Choi Sulli's heart panicked for no reason, and the moment she saw the figure, her breathing instantly stopped.

The person standing there was not Liu Zijun.

Im Yoona was wearing a large black shirt with the hem reaching her knees, clearly Liu Zijun's clothing.

Choi Sulli had seen this shirt before; Liu Zijun had worn it during the Housewarming Feast, and it had a thin silver thread embroidered on the cuff.

Her long hair was loosely tied back, revealing her snowy-white neck, and her face carried the rosy glow of someone who had just finished a shower.

When she saw Choi Sulli, the joy on Im Yoona's face instantly turned into extreme panic.

It was as if a mistress had been caught by the wife.

"Sulli? Why are you here?"

Im Yoona composed herself and spoke; there was no way to escape now.

Her voice was low and husky, and she subconsciously pulled the shirt closer around her, looking somewhat restless and uneasy.

She clearly realized that this outfit could easily lead to misunderstandings.

But Choi Sulli could no longer hear her words.

Her gaze was fixed intently on Im Yoona.

Late at night, a man and a woman alone, her figure, his clothes.

Countless fragments pieced together the most desperate image in her mind, and the courage and expectation she had gathered along the way were instantly drenched by cold despair.

It felt as if her world had truly gone completely dark at that moment.

The faint city lights filtering through the large floor-to-ceiling windows shone on Im Yoona, but it felt more like a silent mockery.

Choi Sulli opened her mouth, her voice extremely dry, devoid of its usual sweetness, as tears already surged up uncontrollably.

"I'm looking for oppa... Is he in the bedroom?"

She asked cautiously, though she already had the answer in her heart.

They must already be together; just as she feared most, she was ultimately redundant.

Im Yoona quickly noticed something was wrong; Choi Sulli's face was as pale as paper, her body stumbled, and the light in her eyes had died out, leaving only numb despair. Even the hand clutching her bag strap was trembling.

She reacted immediately and tried to grab Choi Sulli, but the girl dodged her.

Standing right by the door, she explained anxiously, "Sulli, don't misunderstand, it's not what you think.

Joon oppa went out to handle some matters, and I'm waiting for him here. I found these clothes myself.

I was worried about him, so I went to the dormitory and then drove straight over.

I didn't bring a change of clothes tonight, so I just found his clothes to wear."

Choi Sulli's nose caught the scent of shower gel on Im Yoona, as well as the scent of laundry detergent on the clothes belonging to Liu Zijun.

Under Im Yoona's insistent pull, she sat down on the sofa.

She lowered her head, looking at her knees beneath her skirt; tears crashed onto the fabric, instantly soaking through her dress.

Her voice was very soft, light as a feather, and filled with a deep numbness.

"I see. Yoona Unnie, you don't need to explain, I... I understand."

Looking at her like this, Im Yoona felt both anxious and pained.

She knew how deep Choi Sulli's dependence on Liu Zijun was, and she knew how cruel this misunderstanding was for her.

She sat down beside Choi Sulli and tried to put her arm around her shoulder, but felt that resistance again, forcing her to pinch her own palm hard.

Taking a deep breath, Im Yoona spoke in a serious and sincere tone, "Sulli, I admit I like Joon oppa; it started back in Japan when he saved me.

But I know that the person he cares about most is you. I never thought about stealing anything, and I never intended to come between you two."

She paused, looking at the night sky outside the window, a hint of melancholy in her eyes.

"I know you might not believe me, but everything I'm saying is true.

I... I just... wanted to properly love someone while I can still control my own destiny.

Emotions in our industry are too fake; someone like Joon oppa is too rare to find.

I don't want to miss out, and I don't want to leave myself with any regrets, but I will never do anything to hurt you."

She watched as Choi Sulli's body began to tremble.

She continued, "I admit, I came to find him tonight because I wanted to give myself to him. But he went to find Jeong Hyun-bin, so I'm waiting for him here."

"If he can come back, then I will give myself to him. Though I know he might not necessarily accept!"

"Sulli, I really envy you, do you know? No matter what he does, the first person he considers is you!

And I am not that exception!"

Choi Sulli looked up, her eyes misty with tears as she looked at Im Yoona.

Im Yoona's eyes were bright, filled with an open sincerity without a trace of hypocrisy.

In fact, Choi Sulli had seen it long ago.

The way Im Yoona looked at Liu Zijun—that cautious concern, that hidden care—was exactly the same as the way she looked at Liu Zijun.

She just hadn't been willing to admit it, unwilling to face the fact that someone else loved him just as much as she did.

"I saw it long ago, Yoona Unnie, you like oppa too."

Choi Sulli's voice carried a sob, but it lacked the previous hostility, leaving only a weary sense of relief.

"Actually, this is fine... really, this is fine."

Im Yoona was stunned and looked at Choi Sulli, saying, "Sulli, you..."

Choi Sulli lowered her head and wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her voice soft as if talking to herself.

"In the future, with unnie accompanying oppa and taking care of him, I can be at peace."

"I... I might not even have the right to stay by oppa's side in the future."

This sentence made Im Yoona instantly alert.

"What do you mean by that? What do you mean you can't stay by his side? Did something happen?"

Choi Sulli bit her lip and shook her head, glancing at the study, knowing Im Yoona's gift was there.

She slowly stood up, went to Liu Zijun's bedroom, and gently picked up that photograph.

Im Yoona's dress was still on the bed, and there were no other unusual sights.

She gradually believed Im Yoona's words; they really hadn't reached that step yet.

And Im Yoona had been following cautiously behind her.

"Yoona Unnie! In the future, I'll have to trouble you to take care of oppa. I... I..."

Choi Sulli hugged the photo frame tightly and finally cried out loud.

Im Yoona knew something must have happened to Choi Sulli; otherwise, she wouldn't be like this.

The two of them sat down on the bedroom carpet.

Im Yoona held Choi Sulli tightly and asked extremely seriously, "Sulli, what exactly happened? You'll worry us to death like this.

Joon oppa, he's not as simple as you think.

He is very powerful, truly powerful!

Didn't you see it at the Mountain Villa today? Ordinary people can't hurt him."

She was unwilling to let Choi Sulli know Liu Zijun's other side and wanted to protect this girl's perfect impression of him.

After hesitating for a long time, Choi Sulli finally sobbed out the story of Lee Ryuk-hee's phone call.

Lee Ryuk-hee's threat, her compromise, and the matter of going to the TK Club tomorrow night.

As she spoke, her voice kept trembling, like a lifeless young animal exposing its most vulnerable side to Im Yoona.

The more Im Yoona listened, the angrier she became, her fists clenched tight.

"That Lee Ryuk-hee is truly a son of a bitch! How dare he treat you like this? Does Joon oppa know about this?"

"Yeah! When we face these elites, what else can we do?"

"Seol-ri, I didn't expect us to think of the same thing—we both wanted to give our most beautiful selves to Joon oppa!"

"Don't worry! I absolutely have to tell Joon oppa about this!"

Choi Sulli quickly grabbed her hand and shook her head violently.

"No! He can't help, it will only force him to face another villain."