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“Wait, fancy dinner where?”

Jae-Yeong chuckled as he made a right to the nearest exit. Ha-Jin, on the other hand, was still staring at him in disbelief.

“Are you not listening?” he asked, “God, why don’t you listen?”

“I did! I just…are you serious?”

“Of course I am. Do you think I’m joking when I tell you I’m bringing you to The Estate?”

“Is that where you’re taking me?”

He smiled. “Yes.”

Ha-Jin jumped in her seat. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked him, “I could’ve dressed up nicer!” She looked down at her plain white shirt, denim skirt, coat, and scarf getup. It was the typical attire she wore on Saturdays, but she knew that her that what she wore wasn’t appropriate for one of Seoul’s fanciest places.

 “This is so wrong.”

“Why? Don’t you think you’re pretty enough?”

“I think I’m underdressed.”

He glanced at her. “No you’re not,” he assured her, “You’re beautiful.”

She felt her cheeks blushing at his remark. Ha-Jin buried herself in her woolen scarf, trying to hide her face. He always knew the right words to say to keep her flustered.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked again, “I could’ve dressed up better.”

“I don’t like you dressing up too much,” he explained, “Not that I think it makes you look bad. I just like you as this—simple.”

Jae-Yeong drove towards THE exclusive country club, which looked too pristine for Ha-Jin’s liking; even the bushes were too well-kept for her taste. Some people were playing golf from afar; she even spotted an archery area.

Yup, it was too posh for her life.

“Oh my god,” she murmured, “Drive me back now, Hwang Jae-Yeong.”

“What?”

“Drive me back home,” she demanded, “I do not fit in this place. I’ll stick out like a sore thumb!”

“Relax. That doesn’t matter to me. And I can’t drive you home,” he told her, “I’d waste an hour of driving.”

tightened at the sight of the grand mansion (or something) of the exclusive clubhouse. She didn’t want to get out of the car.

 “I…I just didn’t expect this!” she argued.

“Oh my god, Go Ha-Jin. Stop making a big deal out of it,” he complained, “I brought you here because I wanted to, regardless of what you wear. Now calm down and just enjoy.”

--

The Estate, as Jae-Yeong called it, was a beautiful masterpiece made for the rich. As he took her hand and led her inside, Ha-Jin found herself too amazed with everything her eyes laid on—from that gorgeous chandelier to those beautiful 19^th century paintings. She felt like a pauper dragged into the world of the rich and famous.

Outside, the garden looked spectacular. 

There wasn’t much people inside the estate; only a few servers here and there scuttled to their jobs, greeting Jae-Yeong as they passed. As expected, he was a big shot here too, but she was no longer surprised.

It was pretty much a thing when you’re Hwang Jae-Yeong.

She was still wondering why Jae-Yeong brought her to such a posh place. Since they got together, she made it clear that she wasn’t a big fan of living the rich and famous life. She cringed whenever he suggested to bring her at this place and that, but she would always win.

Jae-Yeong finally figured a way to succeed.  

He led her to another room where only a few people were quietly dining. Judging from the dishes on their tables, it was obvious they were pricey, which explains why only a few came. She felt butterflies in her stomach as some of the ladies eyed her.

“Come on,” he said, taking her to the table situated beside the window. He pulled out a chair for her, helped her sit, and went to the opposite side. As he sat down, Ha-Jin tried to calm herself down by staring outside the window.

She knew she was overreacting, but it was hard not to say something when your boyfriend brings you to a super fancy place.

As the waiter took their orders (Ha-Jin was too stunned with the menu, she insisted Jae-Yeong do the ordering himself), she gazed at the man who sat opposite her. It seemed like he knew everything on the menu by heart and pointed to this and that and whatever that was.

When he first said “I love you,” it leveled up the game for both him and Ha-Jin. She felt more at ease with his intentions, his words—everything about him. Though they still had challenges with the press and basically everyone surrounding him, she had good faith they could power through (plus the fact that the mini attacks were close calls and she didn’t even know if his family knew about them—minus Tae-Won, that is).

But so far, they were okay.

He thanked the waiter and returned his gaze at her.

“What are you staring at?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“Really? Is that my new name now?”

“Pft.”

They weren’t the conventional lovey-dovey type of couple at all. Apart from the being careful with how they act around each other in public, it seemed as if Ha-Jin and Jae-Yeong were more comfortable with the antagonistic type of relationship. She bullied him subtly, he’d bully her gently—it was a thing.

It was familiar and she loved it.

“Why did you bring me here?” she asked him.

“I just thought it was a nice day and I needed a break,” he answered, “And I know, you hate fancy places, but I’m getting tired with those local shops. Don’t get me wrong, I love them. I just need a break.”

He didn’t have a good week for the nth time. Sometimes, Ha-Jin would know just by reading the paper. There was another investment being offered to the Hwangs but they were torn up about it. Il-Sung was all for the Japanese machinery investors, but Jae-Yeong was not. The paper did not go into more details (or more like Ha-Jin couldn’t understand the technicalities), but what she did get was the brothers were fighting again. Their father was the deciding factor—and they were still waiting for his answer.

A waiter approached their table and placed two glasses. He filled one with sparkling water and the other with wine. Jae-Yeong took his glass of wine and sipped graciously, smacking his lips. Ha-Jin, on the other hand, stared at the dark circles under his eyes.

“You didn’t sleep well again, did you?”

He chuckled. “Since when have I been able to sleep well?”

“Did you have bad dreams?”

He took another sip. “I had a weird one last night,” he told her.

“What happened?”

Another waiter served bread and butter. Jae-Yeong took a piece and started buttering his bread generously, his eyebrows scrunching in the middle as he thought about it.

“I was taking a walk beside this sparkling lake. Like I was just looking at it,” he narrated, “It seemed fine and calm at first. Before I know it, there’s people—no more like an army—running towards me. Then it switches to this sort of bath tub place filled flowers. The whole thing was too crazy—it ended up with me just drowning in the lake.”

He bit on the bread and nodded in satisfaction. “This is good,” he remarked, clueless to the fact that Ha-Jin was doing her routine of mental notes.

He had become more open with these dreams that he has, which happen every other night. Some of them were harmless nightmares (Since when have nightmares been harmless, Go Ha-Jin? Selfish!); she easily brushed those off and patted his shoulders for comfort. But there were some that caught her attention.

This was one of them.

The last time it was running through a forest and chasing unknown men; another time, it was about sitting on “some elevated place” and seeing a dead hawk. There was also that one dream about getting tied and arrows being shot at him. One of the oddest things about that dream, he said, was that he knew it was him who was crying.

But the voice was of a child’s.

All of those dreams were reminiscent of Wang So’s memories. When she was about to explode again, Presenter Ji-Hyun advised her to keep take down everything that he says, keep it in a mental journal.

At first, she thought his advice would probably help Jae-Yeong sort out his unknown identity crises. But it turns out, Ji-Hyun’s mental note advice wasn’t for him—it was for her and her sanity.

Admittedly, she was still torn. But more about that later.

As the waiters brought food to their table, she shared a delightful conversation with Jae-Yeong about her day. He asked her about the makeup store, how she was doing, and did Si Eun finally broke up with her douchebag of a boyfriend.

“…she should’ve dumped him in the first place.”

“We didn’t know he’d end up being terrible!”

“Those quiet guys…they’re usually the dangerous ones. You think they’re all right, but really, they’re spawns of Satan.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Are you saying I’m a Devil’s spawn?”

Then they moved on to the boys at the café. Both Ji-Woo and Ki-Joo had been acquainted with Jae-Yeong’s presence, albeit it was seldom. His busy schedule didn’t make it possible for him to talk more with the dongsaengs as much as Tae-Won did, but the boys had a high respect for him (Ji-Woo still struggled; he couldn’t get over the fact that his noona was dating her bully). Jae-Yeong, however, knew their stories.

“…so Park Hanna still doesn’t know much about Ki-Joo?”

“Nope. He’s too shy.”

“But Ji-Woo…is he still making the moves?”

“He’s just really friendly.”

“That Ki-Joo’s not going anywhere by being too shy. Doesn’t he know that’s not how you get the girl?”

“Oh and you know how?”

He leaned forward. “I got you, didn’t I?”

She was stumped.

As their time progressed, she found herself talking more about her day and listening about his. It was a good feeling, being with someone you can share almost everything about your life—almost, that is.

She hasn’t told him about the past life thing.

“These dreams,” he was saying as he forked a sausage, “I’ve been having them a lot. You think I should talk to a shrink?”

He looked serious as he said it.

“Uh…don’t you visit that sleep doctor of yours?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s odd. The meds used to work before,” he said, “But now, it’s like…they don’t. I feel like I have to do something—like write on a journal or drink more meds. The latter could kill me though, so that’s not an option.”

Ha-Jin sat there, fidgeting. She knew there was another choice but would he be willing?

“Have you…uhm considered not resorting to medical help?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know…maybe…spiritual means?”

“Like a psychic?”

Jae-Yeong was looking at her, stopping mid-way bite. There was a hint of “Wait, what?” on his expression.

“Do you think my dreams…mean something?” he asked.

She broke the gaze by taking a bite off her bread. “You never know,” she said, “I mean…it’s not like a big loss if you don’t try, right?”

He was still considering the offer.

“Ha-Jinah, I’m not really a big believer in those things,” he confessed, “Sure, sometimes spiritual things happen, but I just think of them as coincidences. Those inner self and all tapping into spirits stuff sort of freak me out to be honest,” but then he saw that changing expression on her face, “I don’t know though. Let’s see.”

He smiled at her reassuringly as he focused all his attentions back to the soup. Jae-Yeong didn’t notice her crestfallen face, especially when he said he wasn’t a big believer in “spiritual things.”

That meant something.

She tried not to let the thought get the best of her, forcing herself to focus on the present. She was supposed to be enjoying a good dinner with this man; not lament over the fact that he could be rejecting another life altogether.

Isn’t that what Ji-Hyun said, anyway?

But this wasn’t the time to sentiment over lost loves. Ha-Jin watched Jae-Yeong as multi-tasked between texting and eating his pasta. His divided attention caused him to miss a swirl of pasta, leaving behind a messy trail of sauce.

“Didn’t I tell you texting while eating is bad?” she reprimanded him, taking away his phone.

“Hey!”

“No, you eat first. You haven’t eaten well.”

“I have!”

“Tea and power bars are not a good combination for lunch, Hwang Jae-Yeong. Eat up first before you text.”

“God, you sound like a mom.”

“Ah, are you complaining?”

Jae-Yeong’s indignant stare vanished as his lips twitched into that infamous one-sided smile.

“No, I kinda like it,” he said, before taking the last bite.

Their conversations were always like this: a mix of teasing, serious talks, and more teasing. He was the playful kind—that Jae-Yeong, a far cry from the serious persona the public sees. He was serious every now and then, but as necessary; he was fickle, he was sarcastic, and he was angsty.

He was Jae-Yeong.

Ha-Jin felt that pang of sadness when he said he didn’t want to consider “spiritual things” but she had to remind herself of who she was with. She smiled as he finished all of his food in one swift movement and looked at her.

--

“This was where our father would bring us for some sports,” he was explaining, “He’d drag us to watch us his golf skills but whenever we got bored, the three of us would end up wandering near the volleyball court, looking at girls.”

“I thought you said you weren’t always fascinated with girls.”

“Il-Sung and Tae-Won were. As their oldest brother, I don’t think I could let them wander off on their own,” said Jae-Yeong, “Otherwise, everything would be my fault.”

They were strolling down the green hills of the Estate. From where they stood, Ha-Jin could see all the amenities they offered: pools, courts, stages—almost everything. There weren’t much people either, probably because it was too expensive or it was only for the rich.

“So, you always snuck out of your father’s golf sessions to volleyball courts?”

“Other times to the gazebo to hang out with my brothers and Nari.”

It was one of the few moments he mentioned Nari’s name; she knew he didn’t have feelings for her anymore, but whenever he would say her name, that unpleasant feeling would come lurching back to her stomach.

“…sometimes, Il-Sung and Tae-Won would disappear, leaving Nari and me alone. Then she’d pull me towards the trees to pick some oranges. I think the caretaker knew we were the ones stealing his fruits; he’d always give Nari and me that eye.”

Oh, we’re still talking about her?

“So…you guys dated here too, huh?”

“Not really—well, it’s where we sort of dated, I guess.”

“That must’ve been special.”

He caught that tone in her voice and she immediately regretted it.

“Why? Are you jealous?”

Jae-Yeong’s raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for her response. Rather than bite into his advances (she knew he was daring her to explode again), she stuck her tongue at him and walked ahead. As usual, he ended up chasing her.

“Come on, you know I don’t like her anymore!”

“Shut up.”

“Aw aren’t you adorable when you’re jealous?”

“What a joke!”

“It’s not a joke.”

“Whatever.”

They walked through the green maze, which led to the archery grounds. Only three people were practicing sets, shooting arrows at targets. Ha-Jin approached the chain fences, watching the archers hit their marks.

“Wow, this is amazing,” she said.

“Yes, some of the country’s best archers drop by to test their skills,” he told her, “We used to watch them from here.”

Ha-Jin was astounded as the arrows flew here and there. Her fingers interlaced with the chain, watching with such subtle excitement. They were all incredible—the archers. She scanned their faces, hoping to see any of South Korea’s bets (not that she knew all of them).

“Well, look who it is.”

Both Ha-Jin and Jae-Yeong were surprised as Il-Sung walked right in front of them, holding a professional bow, followed by three attendants. Like his older brother, he wore a one-sided smile he was famous for, but Ha-Jin knew his was a suspicious one.

“Hello there, hyung,” he said, “Didn’t expect to run into you here. Why don’t you come in?” he indicated to the nearest entrance.

Jae-Yeong pursed his lips then glanced at Ha-Jin, as if checking to see if she was okay with his brother. She just nodded at him. Without another word, he led her towards the entrance of the archery range and met up with Il-Sung, who was busy polishing his bow.

“What are you doing here?” asked Jae-Yeong.

Il-Sung smirked. “I think it’s pretty obvious why,” he said, raising his bow.

“Since when have you been into archery?”

“Just last week. I’m pretty good with it.”

It was the first time Ha-Jin saw Jae-Yeong and Il-Sung talk outside of the office, just the two of them. There was tension in the air—so thick, she could feel it. But Il-Sung has always maintained a sarcastic and an air of subtle superiority, even around Jae-Yeong. This image was nothing new…except it was just the three of them.

Il-Sung noticed her presence.

“I see you’re still dragging Go Ha-Jin along,” he told his older brother, “I sense something.”

“You sense a lot of things.”

“Apparently, you don’t.”

That was rough.

Jae-Yeong’s lips twitched. For a second, Ha-Jin was scared he’d say something. Fortunately, he kept his cool.

“It’s good to see you have time out of the office,” he told his younger brother, “You get some rest.”

“Yeah, after all that bargaining and finding good partners for our business, I do need a break,” said Il-Sung, “It’s just a shame when all your hard work goes down the drain, if you know what I mean.”

He shot his brother that look, which Ha-Jin understood. Il-Sung was referring to that deal.

Jae-Yeong took a deep breath. Il-Sung, on the other hand, wore his gloves and tucked them nice.

“But you’re right, it’s good to vent out frustrations here in the range,” he continued, “I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t go here.”

“Il-Sung—“

“Miss Ha-Jin,” said Il-Sung, completely ignoring his hyung, “Come to watch me shoot arrows?”

He took one of the arrows, sizing them up. Il-Sung took one and inserted in his bow, not even bothering to acknowledge his brother any further. Jae-Yeong, on the other hand, was staring at his brother, trying to probably at least get a decent conversation.

“So, Miss Ha-Jin, are you dating my brother?” he asked, “I’ve been hearing a lot of rumors.”

She was caught completely off guard with the question.

“I…well, I—“

“Are you sure though?” he asked, “He’s a complex one.”

Il-Sung started stretching the string, ensuring the arrow fit perfectly and would shoot right. He wasn’t looking at Jae-Yeong as he talked to her.

“Maybe you can talk to him about considering good investments more,” he suggested.

“Il-Sung, leave Ha-Jin out of that.”

“What? Don’t you think she deserves to know about our family’s comings and goings? She is dating you, right?”

Il-Sung laughed as he placed the arrow again inside the bow.

“Don’t worry, Miss Ha-Jin, this is how we brothers are,” he told her, “We fight a lot. Don’t we, hyung?” he then tapped his brother’s shoulder, “There was that one time he almost killed me though. Remember when you had too much to drink that one party?”

“Il-Sung,”

Jae-Yeong’s voice was dangerously low and quiet. It wasn’t a good sign. But the younger Hwang just smiled, fully aware that he was irking his brother.

“It wasn’t with a gun, anyway, Miss Ha-Jin. And he was drunk,” he informed her, “Old brotherly love.”

He then took the arrow and proceeded to the stations nearby, leaving Jae-Yeong all quietly flustered and frustrated. She could see him watching Il-Sung; she fervently hoped he wouldn’t explode. He just stood there, biting his lips and hands buried inside his pockets.

“Hey hyung!” he called out from the stands, “Do you think I could hit the mark?”

Il-Sung was stretching the strings of his bow, pointing it at the ground. When he was ready to hit, he raised his weapon up, not at the mark, but towards where Jae-Yeong stood.

“Do you think I could hit the mark, hyung?” he asked again.

Ha-Jin’s heart beat frantically at the sight of Il-Sung pointing his arrow at his brother. She wanted to run and to yell, but her feet were frozen on the ground. All she could do was stare helplessly from one brother to another. She saw that Jae-Yeong had not moved an inch and was not surprised either.

Was he not going to run for his life?

Jae-Yeong said nothing. Il-Sung, on the other hand, was still smiling.

Immediately, he changed directions, released, and hit the mark. The arrow flashed by like the wind, hitting the spot.

He threw his brother another look.

“I hit it,” he said, “I always do.”

His phone rang. Immediately, Il-Sung grabbed it and flipped it open; but before he could leave to take the call, he glanced at his brother one last time.

“It was nice bumping into you here, hyung,” he said, before exiting the range to answer the call, leaving a shocked Ha-Jin and a silent Jae-Yeong.

He didn’t say anything; his eyes were nailed on the arrow Il-Sung shot in the middle. There was no visible expression on his face at all; it was as if he was staring at nothingness. She worried he might have been taking his brother’s words to heart.

“Jae-Yeongsshi?” she asked, holding his shoulder.

Her touch broke his reverie; Jae-Yeong’s eyes slowly flitted from the arrow to Ha-Jin. She wanted to re-assure him, that he should pay Il-Sung’s words no mind. But before she could, he suddenly cringed in pain.

“It hurts,” he said.

Immediately, she took her hand off his shoulder. Was her grip that strong?

But she realized it wasn’t her when he continued to cringe in pain. His hand automatically gripped his right arm, rubbing a sore spot. From his face, it was as if someone had shot him there. He was starting to stumble.

Ha-Jin’s eyes then stared at the arrow on the board at the exit where Il-Sung had just left.

“Oh my god,” she said, then she turned to Jae-Yeong, “Where does it hurt?”

He rubbed a left arm. “I don’t know; my entire arm just hurt all of a sudden,” he said. When she poked it lightly, he jumped. “Ah, it stings.”

There was no blood nor wound, but he said he was in pain.

“What the hell is this?” he complained.

“I felt like my arm was getting weak, so I was testing myself. Are you hurt?”

“It only grazed me.”

“Oh, you two are still in very good terms.”

“It would not look good if rumors started that you killed a court lady for fun.”

Ha-Jin was at a loss for words as Jae-Yeong gripped tightly on his arm.

“I think it’s time for us to go,” he told her, “I might have to get some cool patches from the nurse’s station though. This might be some form of muscle strain.”

“Why would you have a strain? Do you play or something?”

“I don’t. Might just be a random one,” he explained, wincing in pain again, “God, I feel like my arm was stabbed or something.”

As Jae-Yeong made his way out of the range, he sensed that she was trailing behind.

“Ha-Jinah, are you okay?”

 She looked at him as her mind began playing games for the nth time. The freshly dug memories attempted to patch the patterns of today and before. His voice, however, brought her back to him.

“Y…yes,” she said, then she walked towards him, her eyes nailed on his arm.

--

“Ji-Hyun-nim, I…I don’t know what to make of it.”

“So, he said it was as if he was shot?”

“Yes.”

“And the Fourth Prince was shot with an arrow by the Third before?”

“Yes.”

There was silence on the other end.

“Where is he?”

“He’s inside the clinic, getting some cool patches. He thinks it’s some form of muscle strain, but who gets a strain from doing nothing all day?”

“Are you sure he didn’t play any sports today?”

“Is raising your fork a sport?”

Another silence.

Ha-Jin sat outside of the Estate’s clinic, silently panicking and gripping her hand phone tightly. Right after that incident at the archery grounds, she seized the moment to call Ji-Hyun when Jae-Yeong went inside for some patches. Fortunately, a nurse volunteered to look after him and try to come up with a diagnosis of some sort.

“Ha-Jinah, remember what I told you about these things?”

“I know, Ji-Hyun-nim…I do them with his dreams or whenever he does something that reminds me of So,” she told him, “But this isn’t a habit or a dream—it’s some manifestation and a physical one.”

“I think you could be right.”

“Then you understand why I’m like this?”

She could hear the presenter stop stirring his cup of tea. He was probably mulling over her options—if she had any.

“Ji-Hyun-nim, I don’t think the Universe, or whatever deity there is, is allowing him to let go of the Fourth Prince that easy,” she continued, “He might be trying to suppress it, but he fails a lot. It’s so obvious.”

“What do you think then?”

She bit her lip. “I don’t know much about cosmic or spiritual things, Ji-Hyun-nim,” she began, “But all I can think of is that there’s no need for confirmation anymore. It’s him.”

“I’m sorry?”

“It’s him, Ji-Hyun-nim.”

She took another deep breath.

“The Fourth Prince and Jae-Yeong are one. Jae-Yeong is him and he’s trying to suppress it. But I think sooner or later, he’ll realize that he is the Fourth Prince.”

“Who is the Fourth Prince?”

Ha-Jin almost dropped her phone at the sight of Jae-Yeong exiting the clinic, looking at her with such curiosity and gripping his still sore arm.

--

A/N: Hi guys, am back again. It’s been such a rough week—got sick, too many deadlines, and all that drama. I’m sorry if I make you wait, but I take my time now so I can deliver the best results. I hope I did my role well and I hope you’re all having a good time.

The story’s going towards the direction I’ve been wanting to write for so long. Pray I get past these middle parts and we could all move on.

Segue: EXO’s coming to my country on February; they just announced a while ago and I’m so happy. Wish me luck, dear readers. I’m really hoping to see Kai upclose so help me pray for a VIP ticket. It's for two days, but I know the ticketing system here can sometimes. I know this is irrelevant but, I dunno, it lets you see the other side of this author-nim.

Wait for me again, please?

P.S. If you want to know if I'm updating soon or not, friend me? :D