The next morning, Jina woke up by the sound of continuous knocks on her door. She groaned and pulled the blanket over her head, hoping that whoever was banging on the door was going to get tired and stop. She sighed when the noise became louder and walked groggily towards door. The door only opened slightly but it was enough to stop her brother from knocking.

“Don’t you have something better to do? Like sleeping? Don’t you have a hangover?” He whined from the other side of the door. Her eyes checked him up, disappointed to find out that even if he drank more, he looked perfectly fine.

“I took an aspirin. Do you want one? You don’t look good,” She glared at him while he kept an innocent face. He was in a playful mood. Practically, he was ready to make fun or tease everyone until he was going to get slapped or punched in the face.

“What do you want, Joonyoung?” 

He pushed the door wider and walked right past her, his eyes scanning the room since he hadn't seen it yet. She remained by the door, a blank expression and a heavy headache ruining her mood. 

“Well? Is there something you need?” She asked again but it didn't seem to have any effect. Joonyoung continued to look around, probably searching for something embarrassing; he found nothing of that genre. He was ready to leave when he caught glimpse of something interesting.

“What’s this?” He instantly ran to her desk and grabbed the necklace. She walked closer to him and hoped he was going to leave soon. “It’s beautiful and looks really old,” Joonyoung trailed, his eyes scanning the shiny object. 

She was staring at his back, praying that he would leave already, when she noticed something strange. She only raised her eyes to the mirror to check how bad she looked but she noticed his eyes changing colors. 

“Joon, are you alright? Your eyes,” She started while walking closer.  He placed his hand on the dresser and closed his eyes. She frowned when she noticed how hard he was holding onto the desk. Jina placed her hand on his back, worried. “Joonyoung?”

When her hand touched his back she felt like something just slipped into her hand from his back.

“I hate him!” A girl who looked exactly like Jina yelled. Next to her was a boy who looked exactly like Joonyoung. “I thought he’s my friend but he’s just another puppet,” The girl continued, holding onto her brother tightly.

Joonyoung's clothes were of another century and unlike the present Joonyoung, his eyes were softer and he was neat. 

“Jina? Jina! Please, let me in!” Both siblings looked at the door. They could hear the pleading and worry in the second boy’s voice but it didn't matter. “I can explain. Come on, Jina. Open this damn door!” Jina’s cries intensified with that man's voice.

“She doesn’t want to see you. Leave her alone, Hongbin! You’ve done enough,” 

The knocking stopped but Joonyoung still glowered fiercely at the door.

“I’m sorry,” They heard Hongbin mutter before he left.

Jina’s eyes widened in shock and much like in that flashback, she grasped onto Joonyoung's arm.

“Did you see the same thing I did? Those two looked like us. They had our names,” He mumbled. 

“It felt familiar. Hongbin, I heard his name. He was the one behind the door, pleading me to listen to him. I hated him at that moment but why?” She continued, Joonyoung nodding along. The older brother took a last look at the pendant and took a deep breath before letting it out in one long and dramatic sigh.

“Don’t tell dad about it. He will freak out.” They both agreed that was the best. “Jin, did something happen last night?” He asked staring at her with a lot of intensity.

“You got swine drunk and I won a car. Is that weird enough for you?” He shook his head and chuckled since her response only brought back last night's memories.

“I meant if something weird happened after I fainted,” He immediately noticed the change in her behavior.”I know you, Jina. Tell me.”

“You fell when I opened the door and that’s when I turned to say good night to Hongbin. He saw the necklace and the pendant simply amazed him. When he touched it I felt like I got electrocuted. I think he felt that too. He was a bit shocked and left in a heartbeat. Last night I also heard the words ‘I hate you’ while staring at the pendant.” She finished, leaving Joonyoung stare blankly at her.

“I’ll have some research done on this. You just relax.” He finally responded after a few minutes of silence. 

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Jina arrived at school when the bell rung, happy the teacher wasn’t in class yet. Luckily, Hongbin wasn't there either. Soyou waved at her and pointed to the seat next to her. While searching for a pen Jina found something else: small ouroboros was right there when she was sure she left it at home.

“What’s wrong?” Soyou asked when she noticed the frown on her friend's face.

Jina was saved by the teacher. She really didn’t want to tell Soyou all the details; she wasn’t in the mood for it.

While Jina was in class, Joonyoung decided to skip school and do his research. He went straight to the biggest library in town. Entering, he knew he couldn’t just start looking for a book about him or Jina, so he came up with a sort of plan.

“Hello, miss,” He gave a half-lidded enticing stare to the woman behind the desk. Of course, the woman who was in her mid-twenties, blushed at the young and very handsome boy. “I need a book about the history of this city. Can you show me where I can find it?” He asked and raised an eyebrow.

The woman was slowly melting inside and beckoned Joonyoung to follow her. They walked in silence, Joonyoung feeling a bit out of place since libraries weren't exactly the places he would hang out in. That was most likely the first and last time he would step a foot in that place. The woman stopped and searched with her eyes through a shelf full of antique-looking books.

“This is it. The entire history of South Korea, Bucheon included. Um-” She blushed when she realized how close she was to him. He gave her another smirk and took the book from her hands. He turned and walked towards the space designed for readers.

“Thanks!” 

.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

After taking a seat, the 19-year-old man who was on the brick of finishing senior year again started to search for some clue about what happened earlier that morning. He had his nose deeply buried in the book when he found something catchy,

“A fire at the Kongsu Inn. Lee Hongbin was the only survivor. Because of the unfortunate event, Lee Dongha wanted his only son to marry the daughter of Jung Kwangho, a very important citizen of Hanseong. Because Japanese troops invaded South Korea, Hongbin couldn’t marry her because she died. Her name was Jung Hana. The two families decided to make a contract where the youngest son of Lee will have an arranged marriage with the youngest daughter of Jung. The marriage didn’t take place because the two Jung heads died mysteriously. Jung Jina and Jung Joonyoung, the only members of the noble family, disappeared during the isolation against Western-imperialism. They were considered dead.” 

Joonyoung raised an eyebrow after he read everything. He raised his head and searched for the librarian. When he found her, he waved her to come over. He pointed at the two names: Jung Jina and Jung Joonyoung.

“Oh, yes. It’s such a sad story. Lee Hongbin was such a nice gentleman from what my great--grandmother told me. Also, Jina was a very beautiful woman. No one knows why that conflict between families begun.”

“Are there any pictures of the two families?” He asked, his curiosity being equal to the creepy feeling in the back of his head. She nodded and walked away. When she came back, she gave Joonyoung an album.

Lee Hongbin.
died on 30th March 1609.

There was a picture below. Joonyoung could swear he had seen that face before. Next thing, he looked at the other names.

Lee Dongmin
died on 4th October 1612.

Lee Dongha

born around 1400

It seemed that no one knew when the older Lee died. However, it was bizarre. He was born in 1400, for God’s sake! He turned the page to see the Jung name written in bold letters. There were pictures, thankfully, very old pictures. His eyes traveled over every name. There were a few that really caught his attention.

Jung Kwangho and Jung Shinyi
both died on 9th August 1600.

Jung Hana
died on 19th February 1583.

Jung Joonyoung
date of death unknown.

Jung Jina
date of death unknown.

Joonyoung was more than shocked when he saw the pictures; right there were his and Jina’s faces. He dropped the album when his head started to hurt.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

A young girl was smiling happily while running through the woods. A boy, a little older, was not far behind.

“Wait up Jina! If you run so fast you will,” The boy stopped talking when the girl fell. She started to laugh while he rolled his eyes. “Stubborn girl,” The boy mumbled while helping her up.

“I’m fine. Why don’t you go back to whatever you were doing and let me be?” She asked after she wiped the dirt off her dress.

“It’s more entertaining with you. You’re funny. Besides, I’m your older brother and I have to protect you.” The boy smirked at Jina while she rolled her eyes and scoffed.

“I don’t need protection, Joonyoung. I can take care of myself,” .

“I doubt that.” Jina turned around and took off again, leaving an annoyed Joonyoung behind.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

The scene changed to a living room. Jina and Joonyoung were there, with their parents, to meet the Lee family.

“I don’t get them. They’re filthy rich yet they want a pact with our family,” She whispered to her brother who only shrugged. 

“Not our business,“ He whispered back. Her attention shifted on a boy who entered and smiled at her.

“Hello. You must be the Jung family. Father and mother will be here shortly.” The elders nodded. The new boy’s attention moved quickly on the two siblings. “I’m Lee Dongmin, the oldest son. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jina nodded while Joonyoung couldn’t really be bothered to care. They both knew Hana had to marry one of the Lee siblings yet none met them before. A few minutes later the two nobles came down in all their glory.

“Shinyi, Kwangho! Such a pleasure to see you,” The two families hugged and shook hands. 

While they started to talk business, Jina sneaked out. Joonyoung was happy to keep Dongmin busy while she was living a little.

The house was really large and she swore it was built after a labyrinth. Everywhere she wandered, she found it closed. Every room except one, in the very back. She walked towards it and opened it silently.

“Wow,” The room was gorgeous. It was simple but very tastefully designed.

“What are you doing in my room?” 

Jina closed the door quickly and turned with an innocent smile. She was a good liar. However, the boy didn’t seem to buy her act. 

“I didn’t do anything,” She trailed, keeping her eyes wide and innocent. The boy shook his head and opened the door widely.

“It’s alright. I’m Lee Hongbin.” She didn’t know how to respond when he stuck his hand out for her to shake it.

“Jina,” She mumbled while glancing at his hand. Hongbin chuckled encouraged her to enter his room.

“It’s alright. You can come in. I don’t bite,” Hongbin joked before he glanced at her over his shoulder. Thw hite substance in his eyes became red and his orbs disappeared. “Except when I’m thirsty, of course.” He hissed playfully.