Lee Min Ho is an oddball. He may be living in the 21st century but he has a fascination with the past. His imagination and fantasies are vivid and are very real to him. A fascination that he has been having since he was young, making him the unpopular kid in school from day one all the way till he was in college. Was he ever bullied? Nope. Purely because of his oddity and his background, kids in school and even the bullies just left him alone. 

His occupation? He introduced himself as a magician, only to derive laughters and sarcasm from the people around him. His parents are supportive of him though at times his antics would drive his parents up the wall too. His choice of clothes would be a cause of embarrassment as well. His love for top hats are indescribable. The collection of top hats that he possessed fills up a whole closet. He would wear it daily and never leave home without it no matter what the weather is. There was a time on a windy day where he had his top hat on and because the wind was too strong for his top hat to stay in place on his head, it actually flew away. He chased the hat without looking for oncoming traffic or any apparent dangers and this worries his mother a lot, but his luck has never let him down.

His parents run their own business and is considered to fall under the upper class of society thus allowing Min Ho to indulge in his hobby. He does earn his own keep by performing illusion acts for festivals and fairs; and he is an extremely popular choice for rich parents who require a magician for their children's birthday parties. Though his parents worries about his behaviour, they were thankful that Min Ho does not associate himself with bad companies or other vices such as alcohol, drugs and , thus they let him be hoping that someday, he would change for the better. Min Ho though as odd as he may seem to be, possess a high IQ and EQ making him a genius, and he is also aware of what others thought of him as a person. But he is too busy with his own thoughts that it did not bother him one bit and is even capable to assure his parents of his normalcy in the fuctioning of his brain and also his bodily functions, and even emphasised that he would get married if he finds a girl that is perfect for him and that would not mind his personality because he stated clearly to his parents that he does not want to marry someone who is only interested in the dollar and cents of his family.

When his parents offered to buy for him a car for his 18th birthday, he politely declined and opted to ride on a bicycle instead, just to recreate how a scene from the past would look and feel like; causing his parents to give up on trying to change him altogether. What mattered more to them was the fact that Min Ho is happy and is away from trouble and definitely away from the police stations.

In the basement garage which is located underground of the house that he and his parents live in, Min Ho is actually building a time machine on his own. He has been working on it since he was in high school and it is already in its final stages. He has been revising the design every now and then; and his design is based on his thoughts, physics books that he would use for reference with theories that describe the relativity of space and time and of course his belief in magic. That day, while his parents were away for a business trip in China, he decided to try out the prototype. 

"Alright Min Ho.. The perfect timing. Omma and Ahboeji is not home! Time to test this stuff."

He switched the machine on and the fact that he wanted the machine to produce minimal noise just like how washing machines are now, he incorporated it in his design and so far, the machine is working pretty well just like the way he had expected it to be based on his hypothesis. He prepared himself, not forgetting his top hat as he stood in front of the entrance of the time machine. Just as he was about to enter, a strong force denied him, causing him to fall down on the floor. 

"Aish~~~ What a luck! Dang it! What could be the possible problem?? All the calculations that I've done are flawless."

He checked for the year that he had set and the location that he would like to be in that was displayed on the LED screen;

"Hmmm.. 18th century? Set. Victorian Era, England? Set. So what IS the problem?" Min Ho uttered to himself as he heave out a heavy sigh. 

He walked towards the back of the machine, without switching the machine off just in case he missed the timing, to check the wiring connections and to ensure that it is connected properly. When suddenly, there was a loud thud in the room, followed by a cry in pain!

Min Ho got a shocked as the voice was definitely not his and not his parents either and plus he does not have a friend who is a girl or a boy! In fact, he is friendless! He stopped what he was doing and hurried towards the front of the machine where the entrance was. 

Min Ho could not believe his eyes and he even rubbed his eyes multiple times to look at the person, a lady on the floor of his underground basement garage. He squat down in front of her to take a look at her closely. The lady who finally realise his presence as she was busy from nursing her pain from the fall earlier, was shocked too by the sudden intrusion of personal space.

"Who are you?!"

"I should be the one asking you...." Min Ho replied in a monotonous tone with eyes full of curiosity.

"I am Park Shin Hye and who are you?"

"I am Lee Min Ho." 

"Annyeonghasaeyo Lee Min Ho-sshi."

Min Ho who was more curious about where she came from, did not reply to her greetings and instead posed another question.

"You can't be from the victorian era isn't it? I don't think they would be wearing the Korean traditional costume, the Hanbok. And I clearly keyed in the correct year and even specified the location..." said Min Ho as he alternately looked at Shin Hye and the LED display of the machine. 

"I am not from England. I am actually from Joseon."

"Joseon?! Joseon is like... Hmm.. About 400 years ago!"

"Huh? 400 hundred years? What year is it now?"

"It's the year 2014."

"Mwo?! 2014? And I am 418 years old then?! Oh no! Am I a grandma already without even getting married??"

Min Ho walked towards the table and took a metal piece that was able to reflect well and passed it to her as he said;

"You don't look like a grandma even for a little bit."

As Shin Hye saw her reflection, she heaved a sigh of relief, "Phew~ Thank goodness."

"I am curious Park Shin Hye-sshi... How did you get through here?"

"I have no idea. I was running away from an event."

"Huh? What event?"

"My engagement. For me to be 18 and not married is considered old and real late in the era."

"Oh. Then? Why did you wait till you're 18?"

"Because I wanted to go to school... Which I did... And plus I did not want to be married at such a young age."

"But isn't it not allowed for females to be going to school in Joseon Dynasty?"

"Yes.. I am not allowed. So I do it in secret."

"Won't your parents get into trouble if you get caught doing it?"

"Hmmm.. I don't think so?"

"Why the special treatment?"

"Because.. My father is the King."

"Woah~~!! So you are a princess?!"

Shin Hye nodded her head once reluctantly.

"So why did you run away? How about your fiancee-to-be? Won't he be mad?"

"Because I don't wish to be married early. I always dream and fantasize about the future where females are liberated and will have fair share of opportunities to do what they.. I mean I want to do without restrictions. And plus I actually fell in love with someone else while I was studying in secret. He is a scholar... But I am not sure if I would get him into trouble if I were to tell my father about it."

"That's scary~ From the history books that I've read in regards to the dynasty, having people's head rolling on the ground is more common then coins. For me I still wish I lived in the past. What an irony."

"So why would you want to live in the past?"

"Well, I didn't select to live in Joseon Dynasty for your info. I wanted to go to England if you have forgotten. And the reason why I want to live in the past is because people were more connected then; even though they were distance apart because technology was minimal and not widely spread as like now..." Min Ho sighed before he continued, "Even now with technology, people are still getting further and further away from each other."

"Technology? What do you mean technology?" 

"Hmmm.. I think explaining to you won't be able to do justice, it's better if you see it for yourself."

"See for myself?"

"Yeah. Do you want to head out?"

"Where to?"

"Just follow me. If you are brave enough to be having a conversation with a weirdo like me.. I think I should extend my hospitality to you.."

"Is it okay for me to be wearing this?" asked Shin Hye as she looked at the hanbok that she was wearing. 

"I think for you to wear hanbok is less weird than me putting on a top hat for all occassion. So as long as you're fine with it.. I'm cool."

"Cool? What is cool?"

"Means that I am not bothered about what you put on as long as you are clothed."

Unlike the times when Min Ho was out and about on his own with his bicycle, he decided to drive his parents' car instead.

"Wow~! What is this?" Shin Hye asked in a surprise after she got on the car and it began to move with Min Ho manipulating the steering wheel.

Min Ho could not help himself but to smile. He found it amusing that what it seems to be common to him is rare for someone who came from the Joseon Dynasty. Shin Hye turned to face him when she noticed his smile.

"Lee Min Ho-sshi... Come to think about it, the scholar that I actually like... Looks like you.. Though his hair is slightly longer than what you have at the moment."

"Jinjja? Like me?"

"Yes. Indeed. He is good looking to me..."

"So are you saying I am good looking too?"

"Yes you are." Shin Hye replied nonchalantly while she was amazed by the night view of the streets of Seoul. 

It was the first for Min Ho, for a stranger to praise him for his looks. He is indeed good looking but his personality and the aura that was surrounding him was off putting for girls in general. That's the reason why he was surprised at how well the conversation is going at the moment, making him think that he really does belong to the past and not the present. Shin Hye on the other hand could not believe her eyes. She could not stopped with her amazement for what she was looking at.

"Lee Min Ho-sshi... Thank you! This has got to be the best thing that can ever happened to me! The best class, the best learning journey I ever had!"

"You are welcome, Park Shin Hye-sshi."

For awhile it was silent