It had taken a few days for realization to truly sink in. That she had indeed traveled back into someone else's body – Hae-soo's, which seemed to be her Goryeo name – and landed herself right in the twenty-fourth year of Taejo's reign.

No one seemed to understand why Ha-jin couldn't remember a thing ever since she woke up from the harsh fall in Damiwon, attributing her memory loss to both that and her prolonged immersion in the waters. She didn't bother correcting them, knowing it was for the best that she kept her true identity a secret.

After calming herself from the rude awakening, her Goryeo cousin – Lady Hae – brought her back to her residence, where she lived with the Eighth Prince, Wang Wook, near the palace. She was subdued for the days to follow, shutting herself off in the room she called her own but the couple had respected her space, giving her the time to adjust.

Apart from the servant who served her meals, Ha-jin only saw one other person in the meantime, a young girl named Chae-ryung, who claimed to be her friend. She had allowed her in, letting her fill the 'gaps' in her memories, thankful her so-called 'amnesia' provided the opportunity to ask to her heart's content.

Ha-jin managed to grasp her doppelganger's life enough that she left her room the day after, much to her cousin's relief.

It just so happened to be the exact day preparations for the festival were underway, the ladies in the household gathering in the room to work on some flower lanterns. Lady Hae insisted she helped out – exercising her mind and brain, she had proclaimed – and thus, there she was, staring hopelessly at the colorful papers sprawled out in front of her.

"You used to be very good at it." A sneer was heard and Ha-jin had to resist the urge to scoff, turning her head to the side slightly with a sheepish smile.

It belonged to Princess Yeonhwa, looking nothing like her title apart from the fanciful accessories dangling down her robes and the expensive fabric sewn to perfection on her costume, a smirk implanted on her facial features as she shook her head.

"If you don't like me, you can just say so." Ha-jin snapped back with a tight smile. "You don't have to beat around the bush."

"Hae-soo!" Her cousin squeezed her forearm, to which she responded with a soft 'ow' at the force being exerted into her skin.

"It seems that her manners were lost at the same time with her memories."

With that, Ha-jin slapped down the paper in her hands, unable to withhold the argument that threatened on her lips, but the fingers on her skin dug harshly, preventing her from doing so.

"I apologize on her behalf. She's still so young."

Princess Yeonhwa rolled her eyes with the elegance Ha-jin knew she did not possess and all she could do was gape at her cousin, who simply shook her head quietly.

"You're dismissed. Go outside and make yourself useful with another task." The princess waved her off, not even bothering to glance in her direction as she continued folding her lanterns.

Ha-jin huffed out a breath and stomped out of the room, refusing to spend another second with the other woman.

The servants were busy themselves, scurrying left and right to hurriedly finish the preparations for the festival that no one assigned another task for her. In addition was the fact she was Prince Wook's sister-in-law, who would be in their right mind to delegate a menial task to her?

She settled herself by the steps, twirling the ornament hanging off her dress around her fingers idly as she watched them work.

A man walked by just then and Ha-jin was a minute too late to recognize him, the same homeless man whom she had offered her bottle back in the twenty-first century.

Only he looked fresher, clean with a change of clothing, and walked with purpose out of the front door.

What is he doing here? Unless… He's traveled back in time with me? Does he know something that I don't?

Ha-jin bolted upright with a start, her long robes to lift them off the ground before running after the man.

She chased in the direction of his departure but the streets were crowded with people, cursing under their breaths when she pushed through them, trying to catch even the slightest glimpse of the homeless man.

"I lost him…" Ha-jin murmured dejectedly to herself, her shoulders slumped with helplessness.

There goes my chance of asking him anything…

"Get out of the way!" A villager screamed from afar, not that she noticed till the very last second, too preoccupied with the fact she had lost sight of the last thread to her old life.

A dark horse rode through the street with fierce determination, sending the people in its path diving for cover as it barreled through.

Ha-jin's eyes widened, freezing in her tracks, to find the horse headed straight towards her.

This is it. This time, I'm going to die, for sure.

To make things worse, a passing villager collided with her in his hurry to avoid the horse, knocking her backwards to the edge.

Her hands flailed mid-air, sliding her eyes to a close like she had done so in the waters as she waited for the imminent darkness to swallow her whole again.

A hand curled around her waist at the last second, pulling her to safety.

"Do I have to rescue you everytime I see you?"

The amused voice broke her trance and she pried her eyes open, bewildered at the fact that she had not fallen to her death and instead was sitting on the horse's saddle.

A sharp bump on the road caused Ha-jin to startle, tightening the clasp on his cloak, which earned her yet another breathy chuckle from the man.

The same man who prevented her escape at Damiwon. The man in black.

She had previously learnt from Chae-ryung that he was the Fourth Prince, Wang So, having had recently returned to the capital in time for the festival.

Getting no response, the prince continued his ride leisurely, as if there wasn't a wide-eyed girl sitting right there in front of him, staring transfixed on his features.

Not having her attention focused on getting away, it gave her the opportunity to observe him up close.

When she had initially presumed the dark shade covering the left of his face had solely been his fringe, she noted then that it had concealed a black mask, golden curves of embroidery woven around the edges.

Her eyebrows furrowed quizzically, wondering to herself the story behind the mask.

"Are you done staring, or should I just dump you on the ground?"

The horse had halted by the side of the path, neighing softly as it chewed on the nearby grass.

Ha-jin huffed indignantly, glaring up at the prince with disdain. "You're the one charging around the streets with your horse. I ought to report you to the authorities."

Wang So snorted, his eyes sparkling with childlike playfulness. "I'd love to see you try."

"I–" Her retort died short on her tongue when she realized – a minute too late, as usual – that he was right; he was imperial family, after all. What good would it do to actually report him?

He folded his arms, to the best of his abilities with her still planted in front of him, sticking his chin out as if having proven his point.

"Fine. Let me down."

"You're the feisty one. You should get off the horse yourself."

Ha-jin swallowed nervously, peering down the animal to gauge the distance to the ground.

She glanced at him again and he gestured to the ground with a nod of his head, still keeping his arms crossed.

"I– I can't…"

His head cocked sideways, as if to decipher the meaning behind her words, before conceding, dismounting the horse with a soft 'thud' as he landed on the ground.

Wang So held his hand out, giving a reassuring nod when she eyed the offer warily.

Taking a deep breath, she took his hand, allowing him to assist her in dismounting the animal.

Ha-jin tried pulling her hand away from his clasp once she had landed on her feet, but he tugged her close, bumping her head against his torso. Her chin lifted, questioning his motive.

"You're supposed to say something, aren't you?"

"I don't see why I should be thanking you when it's your fault I almost fell, anyway."

The fingers against her wrist tightened, not enough to hurt her but enough to apply pressure on her skin. Sighing in resignation, Ha-jin suppressed the temptation to push him back again with a smile, mirroring the same tightness she had given Princess Yeonhwa.

"Thank–" She started, but before she could get the words out, they were interrupted by a frantic Chae-ryung, waving her arms around in relief to have finally located her mistress.

"Where have you been, miss?" The girl cried out when she reached her, nodding mutely after noticing the prince beside them.

"What's the matter?"

"Princess Yeonhwa's looking for you!"

Ha-jin gulped back the mental images her brain concocted by simply imagining the woman's rage to find her missing.

Chae-ryung reached for her wrist, murmuring with rising panic about the punishment that were bound to follow.

Wang So held his hand up, effectively stopping her action and causing the two girls to look at him questioningly.

"I'll come with you."

"We wouldn't want to trouble you, Your Highness…" Chae-ryung started rambling almost immediately, but the prince silenced her with a hard glare.

"I'm not going out of my way. I was headed for Wook's when I had to rescue some flailing girl by the edge, anyway."

Ha-jin held back the urge to scoff, turning to walk alongside Chae-ryung back to the residence.

What she had not anticipated was a dark figure following right by her, leading his horse along by its strap.

"Why aren't you riding on your horse?" She asked, stepping in sync with him.

He merely shrugged. "You're terrified of horseback travelling. It wouldn't be nice to mount my horse when I can't offer you a ride."

Unable to dignify the gentle words with a proper answer, Ha-jin simply turned her head away to converse with Chae-ryung instead, ignoring the insistent heat flushing away on her cheekbones.