Chapter image by the lovely Imbyul <3 Go PM her for a request!

He is famous for being scary and cruel. They say it was his hobby to hunt animals since he was young. There is a rumor that he has caught every last wolf in all of Shinju. They say he kills people very easily too—especially those who have seen the scar on his face.

He wouldn’t be able to set foot in Songak if he were not a prince.

 “It’s the dog! The wolf dog!”

“People keep calling me a wolf dog. Now, you really think I’m a dog.”

“The Fourth Prince is acting like the king’s dog!”

“There is one thing I cannot solve: am I back to being a dog on a leash protecting my brother? Is this my destiny? Tell me, how can I cut the leash and be free?”

Amidst the rush of thoughts, he opened his eyes.

The city skyline looked amazing from where he stood; he must’ve been standing on that same spot for almost thirty minutes. He wasn’t sure—he had lost track of time. All he knew was that he was too busy sorting our fact from fiction, real from not real.

And memories…plenty of them.

He heard the urgent chatter of nurses and the sound of wheels. He glanced behind him and saw a man on the stretcher, blood on his knees, and three nurses wheeling him towards the nearest room. Doctors were telling people to get out of the way or else the man would die.

That was unfortunate news.

Once they had passed by, the waiting room was quiet again. He had the area all to himself again.

It was fortunate that the room had wide windows overlooking the city and that no one was in sight. It gave him more time to think and to get a grasp of what was happening. He had only been conscious for a day, but a lot has happened.

It was only then he appreciated the capacity of the human mind. How was it possible?

As he returned his attention to the city, he folded his arms and took a deep breath. The silence was helpful in processing everything that went on in his mind. But amidst the confusion, one thing was sure—

He wasn’t just the adopted son of Hwang Kwang-Soo—he was also the Fourth Prince of Goryeo, Wang So, popularly known as Emperor Gwangjong.

It was who he was and is.

Everything finally made sense.

All those dreams he had since he was a child, he thought they were just short-lived images he would forget. They never really made sense before, now that he thought about it. His dreams were filled with horses, swordfights, and a man with a mask. But he always brushed off these short-lived images, thinking they were figments of his imagination.

As he grew older, however, they never stopped. Sometimes, he would not sleep because of it.

He felt a throbbing pain in his temple, which automatically caused his hand to rub the sore spot. The band wrapped around his head did no good with the pain that he felt; he thought about asking for more painkillers, but not now.

He allowed the memories to run free again.

Pictures flooded his brain—most of them were his younger days as Hwang Jae-Yeong. But the memories of the Fourth Prince joined in the mix. Some of them were blurred and unclear, but others he could remember with high definition clarity.

The faces of his eight brothers flashed, one by one. He just realized how majority of them are in this life as well, but only two returned as his brothers. He also remembers riding back to the Palace after being sent to Khitan as hostage and how he swore he would never return, that he would be a Prince again.

He recalled how, as a child, he wondered why his father sent him far away. Then, there’s the image his dongsaeng sitting on his mother’s lap, laughing as she told her stories while he felt intense jealousy.

He remembered the first sting of the wound on his face.

Automatically, his hand flew to his face, touching the spot where the scar should be. He looked at himself at the fuzzy surface of the windows. There was no scar—not in this life, not anymore.

“Jae-Yeongah?”

The sound of her voice brought him back to his senses. He could feel her presence even if she was just meters away. He listened intently to the sound her footsteps as she approached him, her image reflecting through the window.

He felt her small hand on his shoulder.

Turning around, he saw her face. If he wasn’t too tired from everything, he would’ve smiled widely at the sight of her. But his face, given the accident, was too weary to even move much. Still, he couldn’t help but admire her.

In this life or in the last one, she was always beautiful.

She extended her hand, which was holding a sandwich.

“I figured you might be hungry,” she said, “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m fine,” he told her, accepting the sandwich, “Thank you…Ha-Jinah.”

“So, I’m Ha-Jin now.”

There was a teasing smile on her face. She always wore the smile like a crown—both as Ha-Jin and Hae Soo. When she was Hae Soo and he had first met her, he remembered feeling so annoyed with her lack of respect and spunkiness. Eventually, he’d end up loving her for it.

In both lifetimes.

“You are Ha-Jin,” he said, “Ha-Jin now, Soo before.”

He saw her lips tremble a bit. Her eyes were still red from all the crying she did (apparently, she had been crying for days. He felt guilty with that). But that smile on her face indicated that she was happy beyond imagination.

After all, he finally remembered. The memories weren’t all there, but he now knew that her claims were true. Everything finally stuck.

“It’s still strange for me to hear you say that,” she admitted, “I mean…I…I haven’t been Hae Soo in a while.”

“I haven’t been So for a while either,” he said, “It’s a bit odd for me too.”

“How are you holding up?”

He returned his gaze to the beautiful city lights outside the hospital and heaved a deep sigh.

“I think…I’m doing better,” he said, “The memories come one by one and I finally make sense of them. Some are still unclear; I try hard to remember, but I can’t.”

“Don’t force yourself. It will eventually make itself known.”

“I hope so,” he remarked, “But so far, I remember a lot, especially during my first days in Songak again. And of course, those memories involving you.”

He was sorely tempted to trace that smile on her face. Evidently, Ha-Jin was joyous beyond extent at his comeback: he wasn’t just alive, he had finally regained his memories as the Fourth Prince—her original cause ever since they first met. But unbeknownst to her, he was happier than she was.

When he was Wang So, he thought he lost his Hae Soo.

Now, here she was.

He didn’t stop himself when his arms reached out for her and enveloped her in a tight hug. Her face rested on his chest and her arms wrapped around his waist. Ha-Jin’s tight hold on him was an indication of their joy.

“I missed you,” she whispered, “I thought I would never see you again.”

He rested his chin on top of her head and sighed, remembering how he was desperate to leave her days ago. He wanted to leave because he knew he was making it hard on her. The pain from the accident was nothing compared to the pain he felt when he left her in his apartment, sound asleep.

Jae-Yeong never thought he’d actually be holding her days after.

“I’m sorry,” he told her, “I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just…I wanted to learn about everything on my own. I figured I wasn’t helping the both of us anymore. So, I thought I should just leave.”

She looked up at him and lightly punched his chest. “Idiot,” she remarked, “Always trying to do things on your own.”

He smiled down at her, but immediately shifted to a serious gaze.

Ha-Jin obviously spent the last days in turbulence. The bags under her eyes told much of how tired she was. According to the nurses, she often forgot her own health for his sake, especially when he was still in a coma.

She was always like that.

“So…what do I do now?” he asked her.

“What do you mean?”

He bit his lips. “I know that I am Wang So, there’s no doubt about that,” he said, “What’s the next part now? Do I wait till I uncover all of my memories or will something big happen?”

“I honestly don’t know,” she confessed, “But maybe, we can ask Ji-Hyun about it. For now, however, I think we both need to rest.”

He pulled her closer. “Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed, “We’ll figure this out.”

“We will.”

As they stood there in silence, enveloped in each other’s arms, Jae-Yeong couldn’t help but remember a distinct memory. The image in his head almost moved him to tears, but he was too tired to cry.

What mattered was the mere fact that he finally found her…as he had promised.

--

“…so far your readings are better than before. If the positive signs keep up, we might discharge you soon, Mr. Hwang.”

Jae-Yeong sighed in relief as the nurse finished taking his blood pressure while his doctor jotted down notes on his clipboard. Ji-Hyun, on the other hand, watched nervously from the couch.

“Will he be needing any more meds?” asked the presenter.

“We’ve already listed down the prescriptions,” said the doctor, handing out a piece of paper to Ji-Hyun, “Recommended intake is also listed below. As long as Mr. Hwang also regularly shows up for check-ups in the future, he’ll be just fine.”

“That’s good news.”

Tae-Won’s voice echoed the relief everyone felt. Jae-Yeong glanced at his dongsaeng, who was listening fervently to the doctor. While the doctor was talking, he also noticed Tae-Won looking at the prescription bottles, probably remembering how much his hyung should take.

“For now, Mr. Hwang needs rest. We do not want to provoke concussions,” advised the doctor, “No strenuous work—just bed rest.”

Both Tae-Won and Ji-Hyun nodded.

“I’m sure your Father will understand if you don’t work for a week,” remarked Ji-Hyun, “We don’t want any more seizures.”

The doctor smiled and looked at his nurses. “We will leave you all for now,” he said, “Should you need us, don’t hesitate to press the Nurses’ button. I’ll be back to check on Mr. Hwang again tonight.”

“Thank you, doctor,” said Jae-Yeong, bowing in his bed, “I owe you my life.”

The humble doctor smiled as he and his nurses and exited the room, leaving Ji-Hyun and Tae-Won with him. Once everyone was out, the presenter heaved a sigh of relief and looked at Jae-Yeong.

“Ah, this should be the last time you run out on us,” he reprimanded, “Look at where you end up.”

“Wow, I wake up and this is what I get—a sermon.”

“You could have almost died!”

Ji-Hyun glared at him in the same manner his father would’ve.

“The next time you fly somewhere, why don’t you bother calling us?” continued Ji-Hyun, “It’s not like we’re new to your sudden escapades.”

Jae-Yeong rolled his eyes. “Ji-Hyun, I did not wake up so I’d have to endure this,” he told his mentor, “But thanks cause it shows how much you care.” He tried to reach for the cup of tea placed on his bed side, but his dextrose made it impossible for him to reach.

Instead, Tae-Won handed out the cup, causing Jae-Yeong to have a good look at his dongsaeng.

For the first three hours since he regained consciousness, Jae-Yeong wondered why Tae-Won looked so familiar to him. It was only after the first three hours that he realized his dongsaeng was the present incarnate of his eighth brother, Wook.

No wonder it felt odd when Tae-Won rushed to his side once he woke up; Wook would have never done that.

It was strange that his eighth brother would come back as his dongsaeng. Jae-Yeong knew he still had much to learn about the purpose, but for now, he realized, as he stared at Tae-Won and the cup of tea, there were other things he had to mind.

“Thank you,” he said.

Tae-Won nodded at his brother and retreated back to his spot. Jae-Yeong yearned to say more to his dongsaeng, but they were interrupted by Tae-Won’s phone.

“Ah, Father must be calling again,” he told his brother, “I’ll have to answer this. Excuse me.”

Tae-Won went out of the room, leaving Ji-Hyun and Jae-Yeong behind. The latter felt a slight disappointment at the missed opportunity, but he told himself there would be plenty of days to do so. For now—

“Is it true then?”

Ji-Hyun looked at him curiously.

“What?”

“Ha-Jinah told me about it,” said the presenter, “She said that you finally…remember.”

Jae-Yeong saw the hopeful look in Ji-Hyun’s eyes. Ever since he was a little boy, the presenter had been his mentor and one of his constant companions. Life was funny then, because he never thought Ji-Hyun would play similar roles in both lifetimes.

“Yes,” he said.

“So…you do know that you are the Fourth Prince?”

“Yes.”

Silence.

“Then…I am glad,” said the presenter.

Ji-Hyun was the one Jae-Yeong ran to whenever he had those severely odd recollections. Before, the presenter would brush it off, suggesting stress as the reason. But after meeting Ha-Jin, he apparently believed her claims, insisting it made sense with Jae-Yeong’s situation.

“But I’m still confused,” admitted Jae-Yeong.

“Why is that?”

He adjusted himself in his bed. “I know that I’m alive again for a reason. And I also know that I recalled everything for another reason,” he said, “I just don’t know what those reasons are.”

“Don’t they say that when reincarnation occurs, it’s because of second chances?” continued Jae-Yeong, “Right now, I want to know what’s next. Why am I here? Why is Hae Soo here? What’s supposed to happen?”

The rush of questions resulted in his head throbbing again. Jae-Yeong cringed as he held on to the sore spot, rubbing it for some comfort. Ji-Hyun immediately rushed to his side, asking if he needed medicine.

“I’m alright,” he told his mentor, “Just a little dizzy.”

“Take it slow, Jae-Yeongah,” said the presenter, handing him a glass of water, “We don’t want you too overwhelmed. It might trigger a seizure.”

Jae-Yeong gladly accepted and drank. He knew a seizure was the last thing he wanted, especially in this case. But there was no stopping the thoughts and worries for tomorrow.

“I just…I know there’s something I should do,” he admitted, “But I don’t know. You’re right. I should just take it slow.”

“Eventually, you’ll realize why you’re here again,” comforted Ji-Hyun, “Do not worry. I’ll help you sort things out, but for the meantime, consider it a blessing that you are here again, Your Highness.”

There was something familiar in the way the presenter addressed him. Jae-Yeong knew it was probably for a joke, but it was how Choi Ji-Mong always called him. He couldn’t help but smile as he set the glass down.

“It’s weird—having all these memories,” he told Ji-Hyun, “But then again, it’s nice to know I get a second chance.”

“Indeed. Maybe this is the time to right all the wrongs or use Gwangjong’s life to improve yours, Jae-Yeongah,” suggested the presenter, “After all, life rarely offers a second try. You must be very blessed.”

The door opened, interrupting their conversation. Jae-Yeong expected Tae-Won back from his Father’s call. The person who entered, however, wasn’t his dongsaeng.

Ha-Jin, despite still being shaky and wobbly, entered his room. She still looked pale and was also sporting a band-aid on her forehead. He did not miss that cut lip either. Still, she looked more beautiful than the day itself.

She smiled at him.

He remembered the first time they met—at the museum and in the middle of a road, on his horse.

“You’re right, Ji-Hyun,” he said, “I guess you are right.”

--

A/N: before I say anything about the story, can I just say that I was so HAPPY when Lee Joon Gi showed up at IU’s Taiwan concert and they re-enacted the rain scene. THE RAIN SCENE! Out of all the scenes, those two had to break my heart. I squealed while I was in the car, but I’m okay now.

Anyway, I know it seemed like Jae-Yeong recovering his memories marks the end of this fan fic, but I’m actually planning to dive more into his side of the story. So, expect life from Jae-Yeong’s point-of-view as he uncovers the deity’s plan and finally break free…if you know what I mean.

If you’re not a big fan of super long fan fics, it’s okay. But if you are, please wait for the new chapters. I can’t wait to write them down—another wave of angst, romance, angst and…will they won’t they. 

The story’s not over. Give me more chapters, okay? And check out the next chapter!