“Who are you responding to?” he asked again.

Ha-Jin was still in a state of shock; after all, not everyone just runs into their boss in the middle of their bedroom. It was a weird sight: Jae-Yeong sitting casually on her favorite stool, looking nothing like a future CEO in his long-sleeved green shirt.

You’d think he didn’t just trespass in someone’s home, the way he sat there.

“What…are you doing here?” she asked.

“I just got home from the business trip,” he answered, “I went ahead of my father, that’s why I’m a day early.”

“Yeah, all right. But…why are you here in my room? In my apartment?” she asked, “How’d you get in? Where’s my roommate?” then her eyes widened in fear, “Oh my god, what did you do with her?”

Jae-Yeong stood up and sheepishly shoved his hands inside his pockets. “Chae-rin was actually home when I first got here, but her sister called,” he informed her, “She told me to go ahead and feel at home. You can check the note she left on the fridge.”

True enough, when Ha-Jin rushed in the kitchen, she saw a pink Post-It, saying that Chae-rin had to go off to see her sister and will be back tomorrow. She came back to her room and found Jae-Yeong playing with her flower mobile.

“All right but that doesn’t explain why you’re here,” she told him, “It’s almost twelve in the morning. Aren’t you supposed to go home?”

He wore his famous ‘devil-may-care’ expression as his fingers left the mobile and touched her table, brushing off dust.

“I don’t know, I guess I’m bored,” he replied, “And you’re the most entertaining person I know.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

It was one of those times that Ha-Jin’s feelings felt torn; she had long accepted that Jae-Yeong might not be Wang So, but that flicker of hope sets some of her past feelings on fire. Sometimes, she likes being with Jae-Yeong; most of the time, she doesn’t know if she’s annoyed.

“I’m sorry, I don’t sing or dance for people when I’m in my apartment,” she explained, “Especially when they’re just sitting there. You should go home.”

“Why are you sending me away?” he asked, approaching her, “Are you scared…of something?”

He was mocking her with that look in his eyes. Jae-Yeong had already developed the habit of playing her—which was cute and annoying at the same time.

“Well, why are you here?” she asked, “Do you need something?”

He heaved a sigh, “I don’t know; this just seems the place to be,” he answered, then his hands found their way through her books, “I’ve been spending an hour here, by the way so forgive me, but I went through your stuff.”

“What did you do?” she asked, imagining Jae-Yeong going through her closets, messing up her mood boards, or even laughing at her elementary school photos.

He raised one of the books. “You like two things in life: reincarnation and the Goryeo period,” he said. Ha-Jin watched as he browsed through the pages and pointed at highlighted passages, “Actually, you like three things: reincarnation, the Goryeo period, and Emperor Gwangjong.”

It felt odd to see Jae-Yeong talk about the Fourth Prince, given the fact that he was a dead ringer for Wang So. He was casually mentioning himself without his knowledge.

“Triggers, they say, usually help but I don’t know what sort,”

Ji-Hyun did say that clueless souls can remember with triggers. Could she finally—?

“You seem to like him a lot,” he continued, “Look, you highlighted his name countless times.” He read through the books, “Who’s Wang So—? Oh wait, it’s the Emperor. He was a Fourth Prince, huh?”

Ha-Jin decided to take the opportunity.

Please work

“Uh…yeah, he was one of the eldest sons of Goryeo’s Emperor Taejo,”

Jae-Yeong was looking at one of the sketches of the Fourth Prince. Ha-Jin remembered those paintings he offered to the exhibit. Shouldn’t he know much about that period too? His paintings, after all, reflected the images in his head.

“Why does he have a mask?” he asked, pointing at the book’s picture, “Out of all the princes, he’s the only one wearing it. Was he special or something?”

“His mother hurt him with a knife when he was child. She did so to stop the Emperor from re-marrying, but it didn’t work,” she explained, “His mother wasn’t a big fan of him, actually.”

Jae-Yeong snorted. “Well, looks like we have that in common,”

Ha-Jin continued to stare at him while he read. He seemed very interested in the book’s passages, nodding as he went from one page to another. It took her a minute before she realized the awkward silence.

“Says here that he was a pretty decent Emperor,” he said, “That’s nice to know; he’d make a pathetic King if he wasn’t.”

“Wang So has always been decent. He didn’t seem like it; everyone was scared of him. He probably thought he’d die as just an unloved Prince,” she said, “Fate had other plans for him. Despite the countless opposition, he ended up being the Emperor.”

Jae-Yeong stared at her meaningfully. “So, he’s your favorite?”

“He’s the most interesting,”

“Why is that?”

He seemed sincerely curious.

“Because he’s the tragedy of a Prince misunderstood by everyone. They all had misconceptions about him; they said he was evil or even the bearer of bad luck, but he wasn’t. He was so much more,” she said, “He tried to do what was right whenever he could, even if that meant he had to put others in front of him.”

“He sacrificed so much for the sake of others. To think he could’ve easily ditched them all and left his brothers in misery. But he stayed,” she continued, “He wanted to make a difference, which he did—but he made costly sacrifices for it.”

She noticed that wistful tone in her voice. Remembering Wang So was a joy yet pain at the same time. Memories of him almost brought tears to her eyes, but she remembered she had company (Ironically, they look alike).

“Wow,” said Jae-Yeong, “Did you know this Emperor?”

“I…no, I’m just really attached to his story, I guess,” she explained.

He was sitting by her study table, gazing at her. She felt the blush creep on her cheeks; she must’ve said too much.

“Aren’t you supposed to know this?” she asked him, hoping to change the subject, “You painted those Goryeo images for the exhibit remember?”

His ran a hand through his crop of hair. “That’s a funny story,” he said, “I didn’t know know what I was doing.”

“What?”

Jae-Yeong started to fiddle with the mobile again, pretending to be fascinated with it. “Sometimes when I paint, my brain goes on autopilot; it directs my hand,” he explained, “One time, I ended up painting a stray cat in full detail without knowing how I did it. The same applied to most of those paintings.”        

“I only found out they were Goryeo-inspired when Ji-Hyun saw them,” he continued, “That’s when he suggested that apart from performing the exorcism rites dance, I should display my work. People didn’t have to know I did it anyway—well, except you.”

Ha-Jin sat on her bed, surprised with what she heard.

Jae-Yeong painted images without knowing what they were? Was his brain trying to tell him something or was his soul attempting to make its past self known and he couldn’t make sense to it? Did he also have dreams like hers?

“So, incarnation huh?” he asked all of a sudden, “You believe in that stuff?”

“Uh…I actually don’t know yet,” she answered honestly, “I’m just really interested in how they work, I guess. Wouldn’t you like to know who you were in the past?”

“Not really,” he said, “I’m not a big believer in these things.”

The last flicker of hope was suddenly extinguished when he said those words. As Jae-Yeong looked at his watch, Ha-Jin started having her mini panic attacks. She tried to subdue them, clutching her chest.

She couldn’t let him see the struggle.

“Ahh, well, I really do have to go,” he said, “I’m sorry for intruding your house.” Jae-Yeong walked by her and grabbed his keys on the countertop (you’d think he lived in the apartment). She followed him as he made his way towards the door.

That’s it? Just drop by? Leave me with a lot of questions? Kill my hope? That’s it, Hwang Jae-Yeong?

“Oh and remember what you asked me a while ago?”

“Huh?”                               

“You asked me why I was here,”

He looked so tall as he stood by her door, that cocky smile on his face. She really had a hard time figuring him out. Just months ago, he seemed like he hated her and was determined to make life hard for her and everyone else. Now, here he was, intruding into her apartment out of nowhere and perusing through her stuff.

She didn’t know how to respond properly, so she just nodded at him.

“I guess I just wanted to start the week right,” he said shortly, “Lock yourself up, Go Ha-Jin.” And with a mini salute at her, he closed the door behind him, leaving the confused Ha-Jin with her thoughts.

The quietness of the room reminded her of the night ahead. She knew that as hard as she would try, she wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight.

There was a reason why Hwang Jae-Yeong (and everyone else) entered her life the moment she regained her past memories but Ha-Jin couldn’t understand. He was a complex character she tried to understand—just like Wang So.

--

(Two weeks ago)

Ha-Jin downed her tea as if it were booze, finishing it in one sitting. Luckily, Ji-Hyun didn’t notice her distress. She couldn’t let him know that she was shook what he just told her about confused souls. That would just stress her out even more.

She needed a distraction.

“So…how was your morning at the recreational center with Jae-Yeong?” the presenter asked all of a sudden. Ha-Jin was surprised; how did he know?

Ji-Hyun chuckled at her facial expression. “I asked him where he went,” he answered, “He said he was with you and he just had to paint.” He poured himself a cup of tea and finished the last stack of books. “How did you find it?”

“Everything was so nice; the scenery and the paintings were calming. The couple—Min-Suk and his wife—they were really nice,” she answered, “Min-Suk and Hwang Jae-Yeong were like tight BFFs, judging from the way they interacted.”

“Ah indeed,” replied Ji-Hyun, “I think Baek Min-Suk is one of the few trusted friends Jae-Yeong has. He’s good support for the young businessman, given with everything that has happened to him recently. He needs friends he can trust.”

“What do you mean?” asked Ha-Jin.

Ji-Hyun rummaged through his desks, going through the papers and pads. Finally, he got out an old photograph. He handed it to her. Ha-Jin held the aging photo and saw three boys—one of them was on top of the other’s back while the third slung his arm around his brother’s shoulder.

One familiar face stood out and she found that genuine smile on his face…unnerving.

“Those three brothers used to be tight knit; despite his step-mother’s refusal to accept him as her own son, the family managed to get by. Il-Sung, Tae-Won, and Jae-Yeong had each other and that was enough,” he explained, “But as they got older, the competition got in between them—particularly Jae-Yeong and Il-Sung.”

Ha-Jin could point out who was who in the photo. Il-Sung was the one carrying a chubby-cheeked and almost toothless Tae-Won while Jae-Yeong clutched his brother by the shoulder. She felt a pint of sadness as she stared at their faces.

“They all looked so…happy,” she said.

“True. I miss those days when the boys were carefree. Jae-Yeong in particular was the most mysterious but he was a happy child,” explained the presenter, “But the competition compromised his relationship with Il-Sung and his step-mother, especially when Hwang Kwang-Soo declared him as the successor.”

“Let’s not forget the Nari issue, as well,” he added. That got Ha-Jin’s attention. Her elbow slipped from the table.

“Are you okay?” Ji-Hyun asked.

“Yeah, just…a little clumsy,” she excused, “So did he…have a relationship with Nari?”

Ji-Hyun was clutching photo, which he handed to her. Ha-Jin saw a young Jae-Yeong, probably about thirteen, sitting next to a pre-teen Nari. It was a candid shot; Nari was laughing gleefully, looking at the photographer. Jae-Yeong, on the other hand, was just looking at her.

Ha-Jin felt that pain in her chest.

So, he did like her.

“Nari was a constant visitor since her family is tight with theirs. I always sensed that those two shared something in secret, judging from the way they look at each other,” explained the presenter, “So, you can only imagine my surprise when Il-Sung introduced her as his girlfriend to the family. That’s when everything went from bad to worse.”

Ha-Jin placed the photo face-down on the table; she couldn’t look at it anymore.

“Out of all the brothers, I always saw Jae-Yeong as the one who had to put up with a lot,” continued Ji-Hyun, “But he tried his best to cope whenever he can. I don’t play favorites, but with that boy…I felt the need to help him out. When the press started hounding him and the controversies started, I knew he couldn’t do it alone.”

“That explains that rocky attitude he has, then,” remarked Ha-Jin, “He’s just trying to survive.”

“Like anyone on top is,” added Ji-Hyun, “He’s had a hard year. I’m hoping his next would be kinder to him,” then he smiled at Ha-Jin, “Thank you for accompanying him. I know he’s a pain in the neck, but I appreciate you putting up with him when he bothers you.”

She shrugged. “It’s part of my job, I guess. Although, I always wonder why he thinks I’m worth bothering,” she confessed, “He didn’t like me before.”

“I found that odd, as well,” said the presenter, “But when I see the effect you have on him, I question no more.”

“Effect?”

He simply smiled at her, not bothering to answer.

--

Ha-Jin clutched her nini bear tighter.

What effect was he talking about?

The year had been full of surprises and the revelations of Hae Soo and her past life were the biggest. December was coming soon then another year. Ha-Jin didn’t know what to expect. A part of her wanted to just completely forget this past life thing and move on.

But if what Ji-Hyun said was true—about life having big plans and correcting itself—she had no escape. She was bound to face it.

As he eyelids drooped, she wished for one thing:

I hope I could face it with him.

--

A/N: I’m sorry it took so long but I’m here now. I hoped to do some justice to the characters. It feels like it’s not much, but I did my best. Really appreciate all your comments, by the way. Please keep them coming!

A little tease for the next chapter: get ready for some snow. You’re going on a trip.