"If I had my life to do over again...I'd find you sooner so I could love you longer."

•••

"Your highnesses, is it not a beautiful night? I have never seen the stars as bright as they are today, though it is quite unfortunate that the moon seems to be hiding herself."

"Hiding?" Wang So crinkles his nose in confusion. "Why would she need to? Ji Mong, I command you to tell her that she should come out and join us. I promise I am not as mean as I look."

Wang Mu chuckles and ruffles his little brother's hair.

"Why are you laughing? Is it not sad that she is all lonely by herself somewhere?"

Ji Mong laughs wholeheartedly. Oh, the innocence of a young child. "I will obey your command, hwangjanim. But first, do you wish to hear a story? Maybe the moon will come out after hearing this tale."

"Do I!" So kicks his legs back and forth on the ledge the three were seated on.

"You spoil him too much, Ji Mong." Mu smiles fondly at his two companions.

"Do not act like you do not enjoy these stories as well, Crown Prince." Ji Mong looks over at Mu pointedly.

"Aw, come on hyungnim! I really want to hear this story...and see the moon."

"You are still on that topic?" Mu chuckles once more.

"So...is that a yes on the story?"

The royal brothers nod their heads simultaneously.

"Would you like me to reiterate a sad or a happy story?"

"Sad! I am feeling quite nostalkick," So says confidently.

"You mean nostalgic?" Mu stares down at his brother, eyebrows raised in amusement.

"Same difference, hyungnim. Anyways, Ji Mong, let us start the story. Take it away!" So claps his hands together, every little bit the kid that he was.

"As you wish, your highness."

Ji Mong looks up at Polaris, seeing it glimmer with unceasing bright light before starting to speak—the duo of brothers hanging on to his every word.

"Once upon a time, there was a king who fell in love with a court lady..."

•••

"Are you okay?! Maybe you should lie down in the lounge..." Shin Yoon Hee—her friend and colleague—advised.

"Yes. Perhaps it's still a little too early for you to work," the bespectacled man she was talking to moments before mumbled.

Not quite registering what he just said, Ha Jin nodded weakly. "I guess I'll go."

"Do you need me to help you?" Yoon Hee was already offering her arm.

"No, no." Ha Jin shook her head slightly, but even that tiniest of motion sent her head whirling. She settled on shaking her hands instead. "I'll be fine." Her friend looked skeptical. "I promise," Ha Jin adds for reassurance.

"If you say so...I'll let our manager know and I'll be back to check up on you during break."

"You should listen to your friend, Miss."

"I'm sorry about the Bulgarian rose oil, sir. I'll definitely help you out next time. Just ask for me, that is, if you aren't afraid of this happening again." Ha Jin bows slightly, her head still spinning.

"No worries, Miss Go Ha Jin-ssi. My wife can wait for her gift for a few more days." He chuckles. "I'll let you rest now. Get better soon."

Ha Jin bows once more before starting to move forward. Before she could take more than a few steps however, realization hits her. How does he know my name? Turning around once more, she sees Yoon Hee and the man talking.

"Sir?" She calls out. "How do you know my name?"

He simply points to her nametag. Sheepishly, she nods. He adds as a follow-up thought, "Did you know that the surname Go was Hae in Goryeo? Ah…but I can save these facts for another time when you would actually want to listen. They're not going anywhere." He waves to her, and she sets off again.

One persistent thought conjures up in her head of the moment where she dropped the rose oil. What did those visions mean?

{~~~}

Cracking her neck from side to side, Ha Jin was more than grateful that her manager let her off the hook for the day, and before she knew it, her shift had ended. After Yoon Hee paid her a visit, she had fallen into deep slumber; the first peaceful one she had had in months. 

Her small heels clack consistently on the shiny linoleum floor, her mind drifting and drifting. As Ha Jin passed by the exhibit dedicated to Goryeo's history, it was as if an invisible force was making her gravitate towards it. When she woke up from her coma and had gone back to work, all she focused on was just that—work. She threw herself into her craft, trying out new products, advertising them, and organizing them to fit the company's new theme: a dynasty forgotten in the depths of time. Never had she paid attention to the actual exhibit than she did with the customers, so why was it calling out to her now?

Paintings in the style of the tenth century spanned all three walls in front of her as she looks on from the entrance. Although the exhibit stretched much deeper than that to the right, the paintings were what grabbed her attention.

They were pictures that she never would've thought someone would put to paper, much less witness. The art itself was beautiful, but all Ha Jin felt looking at it was lonely.

The depths of the colors blended on the canvas swirled together into an unending question she couldn't answer. Why does this resonate with me?The more paintings she walked by, the more her heart hurt. Why, she doesn't quite know herself. To the right was a grand portrait of a king; someone named Gwangjong, according to the informative plaque beside it. The artist was unknown, no signature to be found in the corners.

It was a painting from a thousand years ago, yet it was all so familiar. In her mind, Ha Jin didn't know, but for some reason in the hollows of her heart, she did; those eyes, that face.

The last painting came to view, a lonely king—Gwangjong—standing in front of the palace's entrance, all by himself. No guards were in sight, no wives, no kids, no brothers; not a single human was by his side. All at once, memories rack Ha Jin's mind: her promise to him, and his promise to her; neither of them were able to keep it.

Tears stream down her face and she has to clamp a hand over for fear the sound of her sobs would draw a crowd. But at this hour, who would still be there?

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving you all by yourself." It was an apology a thousand years too late, but she had to say it. Ha Jin crumples down into a heap of tears on the floor, not caring in the least that she was in a dress. She left everyone she knew and loved from Goryeo behind: her friends, her daughter, but most importantly, she left her heart behind. Gwangjong. Wang So. The Fourth Prince. The person she loved.

How she would give up everything to go back in time once more, and do it all over again. With different choices, different decisions, and a different mindset. She would've loved Wang So instead of Wook—would've loved only him.

If I had my life to do over again...I'd find you sooner so I could love you longer. 

As her constant tears obscure her view, a hazy image of a hand reaching out to her is visible in her peripheral vision.

Prying her hands slowly away after trying to wipe her face, Ha Jin sees a handkerchief pushed towards her.

"I have seen you in various states of distress today, Miss."

It was the man from earlier. No, it was Choi Ji Mong, Royal Astronomer.

Is he still time traveling? Did he know I would be here? 

But, she couldn't bring herself to ask. Why was it so hard to let bygones be bygones?

"Ah, it has not been a good day today, sir."

"It sure hasn’t, Ms. Go! You're disappointing me as the curator. Is my work really that awful that you would cry over remnants of a dead dynasty?" He places the handkerchief in her hands.

What explanation could she give him without sounding like a lunatic? "No...its not that. I...really love Goryeo and this exhibit just stirred my emotions?"

"Are you asking me?" The man laughs, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

She smiles slightly at that. "It's a coincidence seeing you here."

"I work here. But, there are no such things as coincidences, Miss Go." He raises an eyebrow.

He sure looked like Ji Mong...just more modern. 

"Well...I'll tell you what. You should go home and rest, or just take a walk to clear your head. I'll still be here for as long as this exhibit stays up." He pulls his wallet out and hands her a business card. "Feel free to contact me with anything you want to know about Goryeo."

"Anything?" Ha Jin looks down at the small white piece of paper. Choi Ji Mong. Her eyes widen.

"Well...to an extent. I do have a limit to how much I know. It's always good to meet a fellow history lover."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Choi."

"No problem at all. Any other questions before I leave?"

"N—yes."

He looks down at her, waiting expectantly, before giving her a hand so she was no longer on the floor.

"Mr. Choi...do you perhaps...like stars?"

"What's there not to love about the unknown mysteries of the night sky?"

"I see...That is all. Have a good night." Ha Jin bows and Ji Mong gives her a slight nod and well wishes before leaving, advising that she should too.

That twinkle in his eye, there was no doubt in her mind that it wasn't the same one from before.

{~~~}

No copyright infringement intended. This is purely the work of a devoted fan to anything and all things Scarlet Heart/Moon Lovers related. All similarities that may coincide with the original work belongs to the author/writer.