HPDBC Chapter 1376 Why
Chapter 1376 Why
Chapter 1376 Why
Just like how, even after breaking up, Ji Kyung-won would still habitually call Mina "Mina" when chatting with friends, and after not seeing each other for many days, Mina would naturally call out their exclusive nickname.
But this naturally uttered name was like a rusty key, unexpectedly unlocking the lock of memories, making me feel as if I had returned to half a year or a year ago.
They used to be very close, so why is it so difficult for them to even say a single word now?
Chi Jingyuan paused, falling silent as if deep in thought. After a few seconds, he turned his head, looking into Ming Jingnan's eyes. After a moment of quiet eye contact, he smiled softly. In the dim light, his gaze was complex and unreadable.
"'Isn't it strange?' If it were the other way around, I might be a little more at ease."
As he spoke, he shrugged: "I'm just afraid that if we sit here, the event staff will rush over and kick us out."
Mina's eyelashes trembled slightly: "Does it really matter whether I'm strange or not? Anyway, Gen-chan doesn't really care about my opinions and thoughts."
"I still care."
"Liar."
Looking directly at Chi Jingyuan, Mina's beautiful features showed no sign of wavering, and her voice was soft but firm.
Their eyes met, and they remained silent for a moment. Chi Jingyuan had never heard Ming Jingnan say such doubtful and accusatory words to him before.
They stared at each other for only two seconds, looking at each other's familiar faces so close together, and silence spread between them.
But at that moment, Mina suddenly burst out laughing: "Haha~"
As if she had remembered something, or as if something inexplicably tickled her funny bone, she laughed heartily, then turned her head away and covered her mouth with her hand, laughing nonstop.
"Ah~"
After the crisp laughter, Mina glanced at Chi Jingyuan, her eyes crinkling with reminiscence, and suddenly sighed, "It's really hard to imagine, Yuan-chan, I've almost forgotten when was the last time I talked to you like this."
"..." Upon hearing this, Chi Jingyuan was momentarily lost in memories and fell silent.
Because, he had also somewhat forgotten.
"Oh right, Yuan-chan hasn't thanked you yet~"
But before this thought could last two seconds, Mina quickly looked up at her, her eyes crinkling, and she smiled beautifully.
"Ok?"
Chi Jingyuan was a little confused by her disjointed words and thoughts: "Thank me for what?"
"There was a time when you happened to see my parents, and instead of leaving immediately, you acted normally and didn't embarrass them."
Mina pouted. "Have you forgotten?"
As she spoke, she pursed her lips and said with a hint of inexplicable reminiscence, "Back then, I was really worried that you would say something like 'I'm sorry, we've already broken up' with a cold face. I was so nervous that my palms were sweating."
"..."
When Mina mentioned this, Chi Kyung-won also remembered this incident. At the time, he could tell from the reactions of Mina's parents that Mina didn't seem to have told them that the two of them had broken up.
Although he had some doubts, Ji Kyung-won naturally chose to save Mina's face, behaving normally, politely, and enthusiastically.
Upon hearing what Mina said next, Chi Jingyuan couldn't help but give a wry smile: "How could that be?"
He looked at Mina with an innocent expression: "Even if we've broken up... you don't have to worry about me doing that, right? They're still your parents, don't you think of me as a little too despicable?"
"I never worried about Gen-chan before, I trusted her completely!"
Upon hearing his words, Mina winked at him and playfully clenched her little fist, displaying a slightly anime-like charm.
But then, she pursed her lips awkwardly and lowered her voice slightly: "But after hearing what you said, what you said, things are a little different... I really want to be 'completely unconcerned' like before, but I find that I can't do it now."
Chi Jingyuan's expression became somewhat unnatural. He clenched his fist in a dark gesture, trying to calm the indescribable emotions in his heart.
He knew exactly what Mina was saying—because he had heard the exact same thing before.
Yes, after being hurt so badly, how could one still be as naive as before?
"And that song, 'Uchiage Hanabi'."
Mina's gaze was fixed on the stage, which now appeared somewhat empty after the rehearsal. However, her gaze seemed to wander, as if she were seeing again the scene of Ji Jingyuan and Minatozaki Sana rehearsing.
She spoke softly and leisurely, "This song is really different for me, Yuan-chan, you should be able to understand, right?"
"I was sitting downstairs just now, and when I saw you and Sana rehearsing up there, working together on this song, hmm..."
Her previous emotions seemed to surge up again. Mina pursed her lips tightly, as if trying to suppress those turbulent thoughts: "I thought I would be able to let it go, after all, so much time has passed, and I have been encouraging Sana-chan all along."
"But when I saw you all just now, I still felt very sad, like something was blocking my heart. I couldn't help but think of the time we practiced and recorded this song together..."
Chi Jingyuan looked at her quietly, while Ming Jingnan turned her head at this moment, her deep eyes filled with a faint smile and a hint of longing, and met his eyes: "I can't help but think, if that thing hadn't happened back then, would I be standing on this stage now?"
"..."
Mina's confession, delivered softly and gently, carried immense weight, and for some who harbored guilt or even resentment, it was like torture.
Chi Jingyuan remained silent for a moment, then let out a soft breath, as if he wanted to say something.
Before he could even open his mouth, Mina spoke again, silencing him.
"Yuan-chan, do you want to apologize? Or explain?"
She tilted her head, wrinkled her nose, and looked at Chi Jingyuan. Although she was questioning him, her tone was very confident.
“I remember you told me before that you don’t like to apologize to people, and I don’t want to hear your apology or explanation.”
Mina stared at him intently, their eyes meeting, and a faint, relieved smile appeared on her lips: "Since things are already like this, let's just keep being handsome... just like before."
The two locked eyes, the atmosphere thick and heavy in the dim light. From the distant stage, the faint sounds of staff members could be heard, along with occasional indistinct conversations.
"but……"
But then Mina suddenly changed her tone: "If Gen-chan still feels guilty, then to make it up to me..."
Under Chi Jingyuan's earnest gaze, Mina paused for a moment, her smile lingering for two seconds before she suddenly broke into a bright smile, looking at him playfully:
"Can you play the game with me one more time?"
…………
"My assistant said she'll be buying salad and fruit for lunch today. Do you want avocado or chicken breast?... Tzuyu, what are you looking at?"
Beside the dark curtain on the side of the stage, the Twice members, who had just finished rehearsing, stood waiting. Kim Dahyun was tidying her wind-blown bangs while chatting with Chou Tzuyu next to her.
But halfway through his sentence, he found himself receiving no response.
Kim Da-hyun turned her head and saw that the smile that had been on Chou Tzu-yu's face had disappeared. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes were fixed on a corner of the audience, exuding a strange "fierceness".
I just saw Ji Kyung-won, and we even made plans to have dinner together tonight. Although I was a little tired, Chou Tzu-yu was in a great mood.
They were just chatting about what to eat for lunch, but in a moment of carelessness, she casually glanced at the audience and was instantly stunned.
Mina and Ji Kyung-won sat together at some point!
When she saw this scene, a strong sense of unease welled up inside her, and she immediately wanted to rush over, make a scene, and do something.
But before she could take a single step, she suddenly stopped.
Kim Da-hyun called out but received no response, so she followed Chou Tzu-yu's gaze and looked in that direction. When she saw the two people sitting together in the dim light, she was also stunned.
"What's wrong, Ernie?"
Just then, Tzuyu's voice came from the side. Kim Dahyun turned her head and saw the maknae's calm face in front of her.
Their eyes met, and they remained silent for a moment.
Soon, the others seemed to notice what was happening over there as well, and they immediately started whispering and discussing it as if they had discovered a new continent.
"The producer said everything's fine, let's go..."
Park Jihyo and Lim Nayeon, who had just finished communicating with the on-site PD, also came back, casually mentioned what the PD had told them, and then prepared to call the members to leave.
She glanced around but couldn't find Mina. Nayeon looked around curiously and asked, "Hey, where's Mina? Did she go back first?"
"..."
No one replied to her; they just gestured towards the audience below the stage in a tacit agreement.
Lim Nayeon looked in that direction with a puzzled expression, and the moment her vision cleared, she was stunned, even rubbing her eyes as if she doubted that she had seen correctly:
"hiss!!"
"What's happening here?"
…………
"Can you play the game with me one more time?"
Her eyes were curved, and her eyelashes were long, casting soft shadows on her flawless oval face under the dim light.
That simple sentence stirred a strange and subtle feeling in Chi Jingyuan's heart.
Back when he and Mina weren't so close, the image of Ji Jingyuan taking her to brave the Rift and playing League of Legends together involuntarily flashed before his eyes, and Mina's sweet voice shouting "Ganba de!" seemed to echo in his ears.
At that time, the two, who both loved playing games, were pleasantly surprised to find that they shared the same hobby.
...It's been a long time since then.
Mina was also looking at Ji Kyung-won, seemingly waiting for his reply.
"Jingyuan-san~!"
Just then, a slightly noisy sound came from not far away, and then someone seemed to have seen Chi Jingyuan and ran over to call out to him with some joy.
This abrupt sound instantly shattered the original atmosphere.
Mina couldn't help but frown, her small fists clenched, and she turned to look at the source of the sound. There, she saw a group of female idols in light-colored uniform skirts standing at the entrance, and two or three of them had already walked up to her and Ji Jingyuan, greeting her ex-boyfriend warmly.
I know this group, Mina; they're a very famous Japanese girl group, AKB48.
Ji Jingyuan looked at the smiling girl who greeted him. He remembered these faces. He had met AKB several times when EXO first came to Japan for activities, and he had gotten to know some of them through conversations. He especially remembered the one who was walking in the first position and had just taken the initiative to greet him.
I think her name was Miyawaki Sakura?
When AKB arrived, the once quiet stage suddenly became lively, and the surrounding staff couldn't help but look over. The little corner that originally belonged to him and Mina also became somewhat eye-catching.
Clearly, the long-awaited private time between the ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend has come to an end.
Chi Jingyuan glanced at the AKB members but did not reply. After a slight pause, he looked at Mina again.
"As for games..."
Their eyes met, and Chi Jingyuan pretended to think for a moment before saying, "I haven't played League of Legends for a long time."
When Mina heard what sounded like a rejection, her eyes darkened slightly. She pursed her lips and tried to force a smile, bringing this long-awaited chat to a satisfactory end.
But before he could finish speaking, Chi Jingyuan immediately continued,
"However, I... I recently discovered a new game that I think is pretty good. It was released last year and became very popular, Overwatch."
Mina looked up and saw that Ji Kyung-won was looking at him very seriously. He gestured with his lips:
"Would you like to try it?"
…………
After watching Mina leave and gather with the rest of Twice backstage, Ji Kyung-won dealt with the AKB group who came to greet him, and then also returned backstage.
He sat alone on the sofa in the lounge, looking up at the bright white light above him. The light made his eyes blurry, and he even saw double.
He had just talked a lot with Mina, but what impressed him the most and kept echoing in his ears was the very first sentence she had said.
It's that line, "I don't blame you anymore."
Mina's voice was very soft at the time, but it sounded like a thunderclap to Chi Jingyuan, making his already turbulent emotions even more unsettled. He could even clearly remember the tone of Mina's voice when she said those words—there was no resentment, no grievance, only a calm and composed demeanor.
Especially the two words 'It's not my fault,' spoken in a soft voice, were simple words that struck Chi Jingyuan's heart like a heavy hammer, making him feel a suffocating sense of annoyance.
How can I not blame them?
How can you not blame them?
Chi Jingyuan will never forget the feelings he had when he was most naive. After giving his all and giving his sincere emotions, he only received the words "I'm just tired of you." At that time, the grievances, sadness and anger in his heart were so great that they seemed to reach the sky.
...At that time, all he could do was cry in response, shrinking back to lick his wounds, becoming a source of ridicule for his second brother for the rest of his life.
According to what Chi Jingyuan found out... Mina Mina seems to be similar to him.
After that, he began to change himself as if in revenge, never wanting to experience that feeling of powerlessness again.
Even for Chi Jingyuan, it took many years and many experiences to gradually alleviate his negative emotions from back then. But even so, if he were to think back to that relationship, he would find it difficult to say "I don't blame you" openly.
They had almost identical experiences, even hearing the same words when they broke up, and they had both been caught in the same downpour.
Why is it that when your name is Mina, you can say "it's not strange"?
But I actually think you're being serious...
Why are you?
Even someone as smart and rational as myself gave up on myself for a while, and even my views on love changed as a result.
Why are you still the same as before, still looking at me like that?