[CONTENTID1]Chapter 4: Red Walls[/CONTENTID1][CONTENTID2]

The hut is lively. Taehyung’s aunt and uncle are frantically running around, digging around boxes to find an appropriate attire for tonight’s event. Hayi watches them from the side, the corner of raises slightly as the couple bumps into each other. Taehyung sits next to the young lady, his eyes focusing on her hair, and Hayi knows that he has questions to ask her.
 

“Taehyung, do you have anything you want to ask me?” The little boy shakes his head quickly, his eyes widen when he realizes that he’s been caught. “Why are you staring at me then?” Taehyung nibbles on lips and shyly looks away, his eyes staring something in the corner.
 

“Your hair…” He mumbles quietly. “It’s pretty.” Hayi blinks several times, and she tilts her head slightly as if she’s questioning him. Taehyung notices the look of bewilderment on her face and quickly raises both of his hands.
 

“N-No, I don’t think you are a witch! I promise you!” He blurts loudly, trying to prove Hayi that he’s not like the villagers.
 

“How do you know I’m not a witch?” Taehyung’s jaw drops when Hayi inches closer to his face, her voice dropping dangerously low. “You barely know me…” The boy slightly pouts and shoves her away from him.
 

“I know you are not! A witch is not nice!” Taehyung states stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.
 

“You trust people too much.” Hayi flicks Taehyung on the forehead, causing him to yelp loudly. “Go find some clothes to wear. You can’t wear this to the restaurant.” The little boy nods his head, grinning widely before he runs towards his aunt and uncle.
 

As Hayi watches the family from the side, her thoughts start to evade her mind. It’s been hours since Lu Han rudely revealed her hair to the villagers, yet she can still hear their crude comments.
 

Her hair is brown! How is that possible?
 

She looks Korean though.
 

Could she be a witch?
 

You idiot! There’s no such thing as witches. She must be from a different kingdom!
 

No… She’s definitely a witch. I knew there was something off about her!  She was hiding her face this entire time.
 

That explains why she has no fear! She went against Baekhyun. 
 

Hayi heaves a sigh, closing her eyes for a bit. She had hope that no one would discover her hair. It’s bad enough that her school harasses her; she doesn’t need anyone else to add onto it. All she wants to do is get home, but she doesn’t even know where to start.
 

Why would you want to go home if no one cares about you? At least Taehyung and his family care for you.
 

Hayi shakes the thoughts away and grumbles a bit. As much as she loves Taehyung and his family, she doesn’t belong here – this era.
 

“Miss Hayi!” Taehyung suddenly appears before her, his hands behind his back as he flashes a wide grin. Hayi glances over his attire, and relief washes over her when she notices that his shirt covers his stomach. “Would you like to change into something too?”
 

“No thank you… I’m fine with what I’m wearing.” Taehyung stares at the cloak disapprovingly but doesn’t pressure her to change.
 

“Escape and never cross my path again. If we meet again... your blood will stain my sword.”
 

Hayi jolts in her spot and takes a step back. She clenches her fist besides her, her vision contracting upon the memory. Her sudden movements cause the young boy to rush over to her side, his small hands on her wrist, as he tries to calm her down. Hayi mumbles an apology under her breath but doesn’t look at Taehyung.  Her soft brown orbs staring off into the distance, which causes the little boy to worry for her more.
 

“Miss Hayi, are you okay?” He asks, his small hands still on her wrist.
 

“Yes, I’m fine…” Hayi’s eyes flicker to Taehyung, and she gently pats his head. “Thank you. By the way, where is Lu Han? Shouldn’t he be here right now?”
 

“He should be in a bit… Do you hate Lu Han? I saw that look on your face when he took your hood off. You looked angry!” Taehyung continue to ramble on, but Hayi doesn’t listen to him. She stares off into the distance, her thoughts somewhere else, remembering her first day in this era.
 

Why is it that she’s thinking about him right now? Goosebumps emerge on her arms right now, and Hayi tries to rub them away. Why does she have this horrible hunch that something is going to happen? The young lady quickly shakes her head, dismissing those thoughts. That’s outrageous… Nothing is going to happen, right?

Seokparang is a restaurant located near the palace. Only the rich and noble people can afford the luxurious dishes. The restaurant is two stories tall with a large balcony porch. There are tables everywhere on the porch, for anyone who wants to enjoy the view.

 

As soon as they arrived, Taehyung could not stop himself from getting excited. He’s jumping all over the place, dragging Hayi with him. He would point at the red velvet carpet that surrounds the restaurant, compliment the pretty women that pass him, and gush over the stairs that ascend to the second floor. He truly is excited about this place.
 

“Miss Hayi…” The young lady is pulled from thoughts and is forced to pay attention to Lu Han, who is sitting across from her. As soon as his face comes to her vision, she bites the inside of to refrain herself from frowning.
 

This guy is annoying. His prominent, feminine features aggravate her so much. With his long eyelashes, that one earring dangling off his lope, his soft hazel eyes, everything just annoys her. The most annoying feature about him is his lips – it always curls up.
 

“What is it?” Hayi asks, tearing her eyes away from his face. She briefly glances at the other table where Taehyung and his family are before staring down at her shoes. Under the table, she clenches her hands into a fist, imagining it flying towards Lu Han’s face. He’s still smiling at her – there’s something about that smile that drives her mad. Maybe he’s a gentleman, but that doesn’t take away the fact he rudely revealed her to the village. 
 

“Are you enjoying yourself?” His eyes sparkles for a bit, and Hayi could almost feel her stomach churn in disgust.
 

“As long as Taehyung and his family are happy, then it doesn’t matter.” Hayi replies as she grabs a cloth off the table and lay it across her lap. Strangely, she can feel Lu Han’s eyes on her, and that part alone disgusts her. It reminds her of the time when the man dared to put his wet lips on her hands. At the thought of it, Hayi wipes the back of hand on the cloth roughly.
 

“Why are you covering your head again?” Lu Han makes a gesture to the dirty cloak. “You are a beautiful lady. There’s no need to hide your face.” Then, a big smile plays on his lips, while his eyes twinkle brightly.
 

“Mister Lu Han, what I do is none of your concerns.” Hayi says, shooting a glare at the man. Instead of being offended, the grin on his lips grows wider and he tries to lean closer. The young lady could almost smell his body scent, which reeks of flowers. How fitting for a flower boy…
 

“I’m interested in you.” Hayi’s eyes narrow at him, and she can feel her mood turning sour as time passes. Lu Han props his elbows on the table, laying his head on the top of his fists. He tilts his head slightly, his hazel eyes never leaving the young lady’s face. “I truly thankful that you saved my sister. I did not expect a courageous, beautiful lady like you to defend her.”
 

“Mister Lu Han…” Hayi and the noble man turn their attention to a young lady. She appears to be in her early twenties. In one hand, she is carrying a platter with various of dishes. The lady approaches the table carefully, making sure to not drop the dishes. As soon as she places the food on the table, she bows down and walks away.
 

Immediately, Hayi picks up the chopstick nearby and utilizes it to grab food. She unconsciously squirms, feeling Lu Han’s eyes on her still.
 

“Thank you for the food.” Then, she continues to grab food, shoving it into . It’s been a while since she had a decent meal; in a situation like this, it’s hard to worry about etiquettes and lavish the food in front of her. The restaurant really does meet its reputation.
 

“This is good!” Taehyung exclaims on the top of his lungs, digging through the food.
 

“I’m glad the kid loves it…” Lu Han comments excitedly as he continues to stare at the lady in front of him.
 

Having enough of it, Hayi slams her chopsticks against the table. She lifts her face up, her soft brown orbs meeting bright hazel eyes.
 

“Stop staring at me. It’s rude.” Hayi spits out harshly. Instead of apologizing, like any men would, Lu Han chuckles loudly, slapping his hand onto the table.
 

“How can I stop staring at you? It’s your fault that your beauty is one of kind.” Lu Han flirtatiously says, sending a wink. Hayi freezes in her seat, her eyes widening in disgust at the man’s behavior. Not caring anymore, she allows herself to scowl freely.
 

“You’ve sparked my interest as soon as I saw you. I never knew that a woman could be that brave to stand up against Baekhyun…” Lu Han is ignored by Hayi again, who continues to shove food in .
 

“Do you know how Baekhyun is like?” Hayi doesn’t answer him, but she gestures him to continue his gibberish. “He’s a man who takes advantage of his family status. He’s known to be flirtatious too because he thinks that all girls will fall down to his feet.”
 

“I don’t know why Baekhyun thought he could get Meilin… Even though, we, Chinese descendants, are considered lower class, our family is extremely close with the King.” One of Hayi’s eyes twitch, but she doesn’t say anything.
 

“Baekhyun knows better than to mess with us, but I guess he thought he had the opportunity to woo Meilin.” Lu Han chuckles at the thought before continuing with his rambles. “He has anger issues… Since you stood up against him, he’s going to get revenge on you.”
 

Hayi rolls her eyes at the thought of it. If he wants to get revenge, then he can go ahead. She can take him down.
 

“I don’t want Baekhyun to go after you. You’ll get hurt.” Lu Han says as he props his elbows on the table, slowly leaning forward.  
 

“I’m not going to get hurt.” Hayi states coldly.
 

“I can protect you.” Lu Han says, finally picking up his chopstick to grab food. “If you’re to become mine, you won’t have to suffer.”
 

Hayi raises an eyebrow, one of her eyes twitch upon the stupid nonsense Lu Han is spitting out. Is he being serious? There’s no way he’s being serious. He just met her, not to mention, he’s coming off way too strong.
 

“No, thank you.” Lu Han smirks slightly and chews on a piece of meat.
 

“I knew you would say that, but what if I become king?” Hayi freezes in her seat as soon as his eyes land on her. For some reason, there’s a different glint to it. It’s not bright anymore; instead it’s shimmering mischievously…
 

“Don’t say that-” She stops her sentences. Hayi’s heart starts to pound against her chest when she hears ear-piercing screams outside. She turns around in her seat, her eyes wavering to Taehyung and his family. They are staring back at her too with widen eyes. They heard the screams t