It has been twenty years since.

 

The royal monarchy of Soeul is no more. Instead, the country has been renamed as the Republic of Korea and is run by a parliament government. A democratic society void of Kings and Queens in power, a new history has begun its move into the textbooks.

 

Humans and paranormal beings have been given their own rights to live in peace and harmony. Just like everyone else, they are seen as rightful citizens of Korea and have special privileges.

 

The war is over and everyone has moved on.

 

But in schools and books, whether it be in the Internet or the archives, everyone will still remember the days of Korea’s last monarchy. The sad fate of Jung Eunji and Park Chorong remains a compulsory event to cover in classrooms, a historic symbol etched into eternity.

 

Displayed onto the bookstores is a popular romance novel titled Your Majesty, inspired from the tragic tale of the royal couple. Released just ten years ago, it remains an iconic literature piece written by Irene Bae, the former secretary that served the Park Princess.

 

Flipping through the books, a tall girl wandered through the aisles. She’s in search of something. Eyes scanning from top to bottom, the brunette caught hold of a thick green textbook and checked it with a photo on her phone. Confirming it, she headed over to the counter and took out her wallet for payment. Tucked in between her money notes is a small photo of herself and another lady. They seem to be very good friends.

 

“Thank you for your purchase!”

 

She bowed awkwardly and headed out, putting on her hoodie as she turned corners, avoiding the crowded streets. It's a good thing that it's a cloudy day. No sign of that annoying, scorching sun. Into a quiet alleyway, her feet halted at the entrance of a rather old, Korean-style wooden house tucked between other traditional houses. Pushing the wooden gate and passing through the Zen gardens, she stopped and smiled. Eyes locking onto a lady seated on the bench, gazing up at the skies.

 

It never fails to make her heart swoon and beat excitedly.

 

“Are you still thinking about your sister?” The brunette asked, sitting down as she handed over the bag.

 

The lady shook her head. "Instead, I have something even better." She greeted her girlfriend with a peck on the cheek.

 

“I..what?" The hooded girl was taken aback by the sudden kiss, making her mind a little fuzzy. They've been together for such a long time and still, surprises like these are something that never stops her from blushing. 

 

"Really? How about you try using your brain of yours for once?" She chuckled, poking her temple.

 

"...Oh! OH! You can't possibly mean-" 

 

Her eyes widened in anticipation watching the lady nod in response. “Gosh, I’ll text Bomi the good news right now! I can't believe it's finally happening. Baby, you did it-“

 

“Excuse me…” An older woman softly greeted the two, reluctant to enter the house as she simply peeked through the gate. “I’m looking for Sonna’s Apothecary. Is this the right place?”

 

The two exchanged looks and returned back to their act, knowing that duty waits. Standing up and greeting their customer with a bow, “Yes. I am the witch in charge, Naeun. What can I help you with?” The older woman asked.

 

“Oh, thank god. My son has been ill for the past two weeks. I brought him to the doctors but they said that there’s nothing wrong. Could you prescribe something for him?”

 

“Of course I can. Please fill me in the details of any other symptoms that you can recall. Let’s talk inside.” Naeun ushered the customer inside the house as Hayoung followed along, ready to be of assistance.

 

Twenty years meant a lot of change.

 

With their home, Raven Woods destroyed and gone into flames, they had nowhere to go. However, as Soeul began to change and reform, they were beginning to see a new lifestyle. Bada was appointed as one of the ministers in charge and gave the witch several options to choose from. She could either remain invisible to the public, hiding under the shadows just like she has always done so or, she could reveal her identity and help humans with her magical abilities.

 

At first, Naeun wanted to remain anonymous as she feared for her own safety. But she remembered her younger sister, Namjoo and her obsession with the human world, the human society. It made her curious and as a way to remember her, she wanted to take up a new challenge. Thus, Naeun and Hayoung decided to step out of the shadows. To their surprise, it was a very positive response.

 

They were welcomed warmly and soon, the witch opened her own apothecary to cure illnesses and other paranormal issues which the human can never fix. Time was key and now, the two are much more comfortable being around humans. It is to the point where they have made actual friends whom they can trust, even though they know that their friends will constantly age, while they will retain theirs forever.

 

It is the fate that Naeun and Hayoung chose together.

 

“Thank you so much witch! You know, my parents used to hate the idea of witches living in the same world as us. But I believe the world is changing. You are actually very nice and kind!”

 

“Oh, you don’t have to say that, really. Please come back if the medicine doesn’t work. I will offer a full refund.” Naeun smiled and waved goodbye to the woman who happily left.

 

Minutes away from Sonna’s Apothecary is a kindergarten centre, booming with kids running around the spacious playground. They are giggling and laughing, taking turns to ride onto a furry animal that is gentle around them.

 

“My turn! My turn!”

 

“You have to be patient Yena. Wonyoung came first.”

 

The child pouted. “Okay…Teacher Bomi…”

 

The werewolf smiled and gently the child’s head. “Good girl.”

 

Ever since she lost both her Master and the Park Princess, Bomi lost her way of life. She’s never felt so empty inside. If she fell deeper into the pool of darkness, she could’ve ended up having the same fate as her Master. But luckily, Bada, Naeun and Hayoung were there for her.

 

They gave her a new purpose to live again.

 

But the road wasn’t easy.

 

Bomi spent the first couple of years as an assistant to Naeun. But it wasn’t her kind of forte. She ended up creating more messes and mishaps for the witch and was scared of making her angry. Eventually, the werewolf was recommended by Bada to join the Special Army Forces of Korea. Travelling from Russia to Pakistan, Turkey to Brazil, she’s seen a lot in a span of twenty years.

 

But war never changes.

 

It will always be the same. Bloodshed, violence. At a point, she’s had enough. No more guns. No more fighting. Returning back to Korea just two years ago, Bomi eventually became a kindergarten teacher at Foster Hearts, all thanks to the help of Bada.

 

And it’s probably the best decision Bomi has ever made.

 

“Teacher Bomi, it’s time for the kids to go back home! Their parents are all waiting for them!” One of her co-workers waved over as everyone’s attention was on the werewolf.

 

“Aww! Kids, did you hear that? It’s time to go.”

 

“Awwwwwwwwww~”

 

All of the kids booed in unison. It never fails to make Bomi laugh.

 

After making sure that the kids were safely sent off to their parents, occasionally having to give them one last ride on her back, there was still one more kid left.

 

A boy, Seo Youngjae.

 

An hour has passed and there is still no sight of his parents. But to Bomi’s surprise, the boy remained calm. Sitting on the swing quietly, Bomi decided to keep him company.

 

“Hi Youngjae. How was class today?”

 

“Fun…I guess…”

 

“You don’t seem very happy…”

 

“Teacher, can you tell me some stories about the last King and Queen?”

 

“Oh…sure Youngjae. Hmm…where shall I start?”

 

The storytelling definitely kept the boy more active and attentive. In a flash, the sun has set and there is still no sign of his parents. The other teachers have tried to call Youngjae’s parents but no one was picking up. It was beginning to have them worried as this has never happened before.

 

“Sorry! I’m late!” A young girl rushed into the kindergarten, out of breath. Disheveled hair, sturdy build that’s odd for her size and clothes all crumpled and disoriented. “Youngjae-ya!”

 

“Noona!” The boy ran into the girl’s arms.

 

“I’m so sorry Youngjae! Promise I’ll never leave you like that ever again!” She sighed, carrying the boy into her arms.

 

“It’s okay noona! Let’s go home!” He grinned, softly kissing his sister’s cheek.

 

Bomi couldn’t help but to keep staring at the girl. There’s this energy around her that makes her feel at home, like an old friend that she hasn’t met in ages.

 

“Oh! I’m Seo Yira, Youngjae’s older sister. I’m really sorry for having all of you worried. I promise it won’t happen again. It’s tough to take care of my younger brother when I’m all that he has left.”

 

Seo Yira.

 

“It’s fine, really. I was playing with Youngjae the whole time so that he doesn’t get lonely.” Bomi said with a smile. It still feels so strange.

 

Why does this girl Seo Yira remind her so much of her former Master, Jung Eunji?”

 

“Thank you so much for that. I just started my college orientation today so things are a bit hectic. But I promise I won’t be late next time. Youngjae, say goodbye to your teacher.”

 

“Bye…”

 

“See you tomorrow, Youngjae.” Bomi waved the two goodbye, watching the two leave into the distance.

 

Turning around as the werewolf clutched tightly onto her shirt, it’s a feeling that never seems to go away.

 

Returning back to her small apartment home, the thought remained in her head since. Sitting on her sofa and relaxing with a can of beer, the werewolf was deep in thought. Now that she was thinking about her Master, she reminisced about their times together. Although it was short, but every second was worth.

 

How Eunji saved her life in the Forest of Death. How she saved her at Stonehearth Mountains. How they both battled and had great teamwork.

 

She missed those times together.

 

Her phone vibrated with a buzz, breaking her away from the thoughts. Leaning upwards, it was a message from Hayoung.

 

“Hey, wanna come over and chill at our usual place?”

 

“Heck no. What if you two get drunk and start ing each other like last time?”

 

“What the - I told you to forget that!”

 

“Pfft, still a disgusting sight.”

 

“Anyways, you gotta come. We have something to tell you.”

 

“Don’t bait me with that . I’m not falling for it twice.”

 

“It’s about their reincarnations. We found them.”

 

Bomi dropped her phone, unable to process anything else. The image of Seo Yira lingered in her head, realizing that her instinct was speaking the truth.

 

Seo Yira is the reincarnation of her Master, Jung Eunji.

 

 

 

 

~X~

 

 

 

 

After humming soft lullabies to Youngjae, Yira made sure her brother fell asleep. Carefully tucking him into bed and closing the door behind, she collapsed back onto the sofa with a heavy sigh.

 

Orientation day was wild and luckily, she had a real good excuse to leave early. Otherwise, she would’ve been in deep trouble. The presence of alcohol at the party, the loud, booming music and the high energy was clearly not a good sign.

 

After all, Yira isn’t your average young adult.

 

It’s hard to live normally as an inter individual. One of the rarest types in the country, being inter is still a difficult concept to grasp and accept. After all, living with both a and is a tiresome job.

 

The countless of times she had to stop a from happening or when she had a period and struggled because of the other organ in the way, nineteen years in and she’s still not used to it.

 

“I ing swear you little , stop reacting to every single girl that walks by me! There is no way I’m planning to them like a male!” Yira mumbled to herself, occasionally staring at the bulge on her pants. It’s driving her nuts. At most, she’s considered surgery but with her financial state, that is an impossible dream.

 

Her phone buzzed. Yira picked it up, receiving a message from her bestie, Oh Jin Kyung along with an attached photograph of a young girl at the party.

 

“You sure missed out the best part of orientation night. But at least, I’m that good friend whose doing god’s work. Thought you might want this.”

 

Yira gulped, eyes still focused on the image as her fingers automatically pinched the screen, causing it to zoom into her face. She can’t believe it.

 

Her high school crush, Han SooA is attending the same college as her.

 

“…”

 

Already, she can feel her going hard and it’s distracting. Eunji groaned, knowing that she has to resist the urge to pop it off. Otherwise, it will seem like she’s a damn ert who’s just so whipped for Han SooA. It has only been six months since their high school graduation and already, Yira misses her so much. “Damn it!” In the end, she rushed off into the bathroom and drenched herself in cold water, hoping that it will all go away.

 

She doesn’t want to do it. Even though it’s killing her inside.

 

It’s midnight and in Hongdae, that is where nightlife thrives.

 

At one of the bars, decorated with fancy neon lights and champagne in the air, Naeun and Hayoung are tucked in a secluded corner just for VIPs. They’re away from all the noise booming at the basement, a little quiet space for the two of them. Bomi climbed up the staircase and greeted the two, easily ordering a cocktail from the bartender and throwing two chips into .

 

“Before we begin, let me just say that I’ve already met my Master’s reincarnation…by accident.”

 

“Wow, surprise, surprise.” Hayoung chimed in, arms naturally hanging around Bomi’s shoulders. “Hope you didn’t do anything stupid and dramatically ran after her saying that she’s your Master and you will serve her forever.”

 

“Excuse me, I’m not that dumb.”

 

“Well, you’re kinda dumb for a werewolf.”

 

“Really, do you want to start a fight now?” Bomi growled.

 

“I’m really bored y’know? No one matches my level except you.”

 

“You two, please.” Naeun sighed, causing the two to immediately return to their seats. “I’ve figured out the identities of both of them. I sensed their energy when they naturally walked past me at different occasions. Eunji’s one was this morning. She seemed to be in a rush.”

 

“Ah, probably late for her college orientation.” Bomi said, causing the two to send looks at her. “Well, turns out she’s a sister of one of the kids at my place. Coincidence much. Name’s Seo Yira by the way.” She shrugged, taking the cocktail from the bartender and sipping it.

 

“College student. Guess we’re pretty late in finding her huh? Then, what about Chorong?”

 

“She was a customer at my place.”

 

“WHAT?!” Both Bomi and Hayoung raised their voices all of sudden but quickly shushed.

 

“Was she born with magical powers? Is she being haunted by spirits? We have to protect her! She may not be the Park Princess, but she will always be in my heart!” Bomi pushed all of her words into one breath.

 

“No, Bomi's wrong! Let's see-She’s got a family member who’s very sick. Or! She’s getting special medicine for a friend who is sick! It can either be those two options! There's no way she's not human!”

 

Naeun shook her head with a sigh. Sometimes, she can’t with these two idiots. They really don’t help at all.

 

“She came in and said that she was having trouble sleeping. Said something about waking up from nightmares. So I used my powers to check her visions and…I saw her. The Park Princess.” Naeun said with a serious tone. “The destruction. The pain. The war. She was seeing the memories of Chorong left lingering in her soul and honestly, it hurt my heart. Chorong went through a lot.”

 

“Damn…” Hayoung leaned back to her chair, speechless.

 

“So you just gave her medication and let her off? That’s it?! Did you get her name at least?!”

 

“Of course I did. She’s Han SooA. And look, you can’t expect me to suddenly say that she’s the reincarnation of the Park Princess and now, she’s under the protection of the government and the paranormal forces because she’s suddenly connected to the last monarchy, right?”

 

Bomi sighed in defeat with a nod. “That’s true. But…that means the two of them will meet again right? My Master and the Park Princess. Then, we must be ready. We can’t let the same fate happen to them again!”

 

“Actually I did a bit of background check.” Naeun took out her phone, showing a conversation with Bada. “Eunji’s reincarnation is Seo Yira, who is also an inter individual.”

 

“The -“

 

“Holy she has both a and . That’s…AMAZING!”

 

“Oh god. You two…” Naeun exasperated and facepalmed herself.

 

Sometimes, she wished that her sister was still around to beat some sense into them. She never thought that these two were big idiots.

 

“That’s not the point here!” The witch slammed the table with a frown. “What I’m saying is that, her being inter is a result of her previous selves. Warrior Hak was a male. Jung Eunji was a female. So it seemed only right that the current reincarnation was combined with both.”

 

“And…?” Both Bomi and Hayoung looked at the witch in confusion.

 

“Forget it. I’m going home.” Naeun sighed, standing up from her seat.

 

“No, no, wait! Okay, we’re sorry. Just…relax and tell us slowly what you’re trying to say. Dumb people like us take time to process information.” Hayoung quickly grabbed her girlfriend’s wrists and pulled her back.

 

“Yeah, I’m sorry Naeun. It’s late and I just needed some time to de-stress y’know? Imagine being with kids every day, you’ll end up like one too.”

 

Naeun rolled her eyes.

 

“Anyways, what I’m trying to say is that, her fate has been reset. Everything has been brought into a balance after Warrior Hak and Jung Eunji. She is in her final form meaning, she will not have the same fate again.” Naeun breathed. “To put it simple, Seo Yira and Han SooA won’t be in danger anymore.”

 

“OHHHHHHHHHHH”

 

“Idiots.”

 

“It’s okay, I like to be called an idiot. All this witchcraft stuff is way too confusing for a werewolf like me.”

 

“So, we don’t need to protect them? Just leave them be and let them live their lives?”

 

“Well…I guess it wouldn’t hurt to observe Chorong and Eunji’s reincarnations…”

 

 

 

 

 

~X~

 

 

 

 

“So, did you like the photo I sent you?” Jin Kyung hummed, casually sitting next to her bestie in the lecture hall. But Yira simply glanced at her with a frown.

 

“Yeah and I had to suffer with another . you.”

 

“Oh damnnn Yira…” Her friend laughed out loud, slapping her back. “I can’t believe it. You’re really whipped for her huh? Well, make a move then! Stop being a damn coward!”

 

“Heck no. She doesn’t even know that I exist!”

 

“Right…cause you just crushed on her in the shadows. She wasn’t even in our class and your luck just . Didn’t even manage to bump her along the corridors for THREE years. Well-that’s fine. Because now, I can make it happen for you.”

 

“What? No! Don’t embarrass me!” Yira quickly tugged onto Jinkyung's sleeve.

 

“Please, you’re talking to Miss Oh Jin Kyung, Mapo High’s best matchmaker! I’ll see you later. Gotta head to my class now.” She stood up with a snicker, waving goodbye to her friend and left the hall.

 

Yira let out a sigh, placing her head onto the table knowing that is about to go down. Hopefully, she’s just joking. They are college students now, not high school kids who kill time by pulling pranks and being embarrassing.

 

She vowed to be serious and act like an adult. College is going to be a whole new journey, a new her.

 

“Hi, is this seat taken?”

 

Yira shook her head, not even glancing a look. “Go ahead.” She mumbled. Yira’s too tired from all the overthinking and the day has just started. Wanting to get a few winks before the lecture starts, she hears the person beside, fumbling and putting her stuff down. Feeling the sudden movement of the chair, it seems like she just placed something really heavy on the attached table. Curiosity killed her and Yira decided to get up, turning her head round and there she is, the person she surely did not want to see right now.

 

Han SooA.

 

She tried very hard to hide her surprise and instead, gulped nervously. Her eyes moved down to a thick textbook on the table and then back up to the girl who’s staring right at her.

 

Oh god. . No, , don’t fail me. You can’t go hard now.

 

“H-hi…”

 

It was all that came out of .

 

“Hi.”

 

SooA smiled and returned back to taking more stuff out of her backpack. It gave Yira a breather as she was able to turn around and collect herself.

 

What the . She! Smiled! At! Me! And! It’s! So! Pretty!

 

“Not to sound random, but have we met before?”

 

Eunji turned back with widened, confused eyes.

 

“Ah, I guess not. Sorry, forget that I asked.” SooA giggled shyly, noticing how funny her expression was. “I’m Han SooA by the way. What’s yours?”

 

“Y-Yira. Seo Yira.”

 

Throughout the whole two-hour lecture, Yira wasn’t even paying attention. She's just blankly staring at the board, making sure her heartbeat was in check and also trying to suppress her that’s close to going real hard. She had to conceal the fact that she was an inter, afraid that SooA may no longer like her because of what she truly is.

 

Yira knows what pain is like. Especially when she’s been called a monster several times.

 

But that was back in middle school. Children that age were still immature and naïve to understand how much words would hurt the feelings of others. Even so, that anxiety still lingers in a dark place of her heart.

 

The bulge in her pants has been throbbing for a long time and it’s killing her. Honestly, she has no other choice. It is only now.

 

“.” Yira mumbled under her breath, sneakily crouching from her seat and heading for the exit.

 

“Wait, where are you going?”

 

“T-toilet.”

 

“Oh. Okay.”

 

With that, Yira successfully escaped as she rushed to the bathroom. Hiding in one of the stalls as she sat onto the toilet seat, the girl shut her eyes tight and ped her pants. No matter how much she hated it, there was no other way out.

 

Fine. You ing win this time, stupid .

 

She had to jerk it off and it disgusted her. Even though the feeling of pleasure that was tantalizing her body was certainly something she couldn’t shake off, but Yira knew just how wrong it was.

 

How the hell could she become so hard just by sitting next to her crush?

 

In minutes, she’s finally back to normal. Nothing pulsating underneath, everything’s calm and cool. Washing her face under cold water, she let out a sigh and stared into the mirror.

 

“You can do this.”

 

Walking out of the bathroom, she almost had the shock of her life.

 

“Wha-What are you doing here?!”

 

“I was worried.” SooA said, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. “Are you sure you’re okay? Your face is really red.” She placed her palm onto Yira’s cheek and all it took was one touch.

 

Something inside them clicked.

 

They weren’t sure what it was but it was a strange feeling. For a second, the two stared at each other blankly, blinking two, and three times.

 

“I-I’m fine.” Yira cleared , immediately turning away. “Why are you so concerned about me? We just met.”

 

“Because I have a feeling that we didn’t just met.”

 

“I don’t think so.”

 

“Really? Your expression doesn’t match with your words.”

 

Damn. This woman knows how to corner me.

 

“Why do you think we would’ve met before?”

 

“I…I don’t know.”

 

Yira raised her eyebrow.

 

“I feel like…I’ve seen you in my dreams…”

 

“Huh…”

 

“Anyways, you’re ok now right? Then, let’s go back to class. It’s the first lecture so we might miss something important.” SooA said, suddenly grabbing hold of Yira’s hand as they walked back to the hall together.

 

Yira didn’t say anything. Her heart’s throbbing at SooA’s gentle grip. The fact that she’s so daring, so straight-forward and approachable. It makes her wonder why she didn’t make the first move back in high school.

 

Maybe, she should be daring too. It’s giving Yira this sense of confidence after watching SooA getting all comfortable around her.

 

After class, the two decided to head for lunch at a café.

 

Ditching bestie Jin Kyung for her crush? Best decision ever. And it seems like her bestie didn’t mind at all. Well, besides the fact that she’s literally seated two tables away and observing the two. Surprisingly, they clicked pretty well on the first try. Their interests matched and they could chat for hours about various topics. It went from light jokes to serious debates about issues around the world, it’s a bipolar conversation.

 

“Crap, we’re going to be late for our next lecture. Let’s save the discussion for later.”

 

“Oh. Are you free after 5pm?”

 

“Sorry. Need to fetch my younger brother from kindergarten.”

 

“You have a younger sibling. That’s cute. I’m an only child.”

 

Yira smiled, wanting to take all the chances now. “You can come over to my place during the weekend and meet him. He’s a charmer.”

 

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

 

 

 

~X~

 

 

 

She didn’t take into account of the possibility that her younger sister could be reincarnated as well.

 

It was originally a plan to follow and observe Seo Yira and Han SooA. But it seems that the tables have turned. Naeun could feel the sudden grip on her shoulder, the warmth and worrying looks from her girlfriend who understood her best.

 

“We can’t interfere babe. You know that.” The vampire whispered.

 

“Looking from the records that Bada sent me, she should be Oh Jin Kyung. So…that girl is Namjoo’s reincarnation.” Bomi pointed at the girl who was seated a couple tables away from Yira and SooA, eyes occasionally looking at her phone.

 

“She’s the same. Just a bit...different…” Naeun mumbled, watching quietly from the shadows. She casted an invisible cloak on all three of them so they would remain undetected from humans.

 

Her personality, the way she talks, the way she walks, it really feels like Namjoo.

 

Following Seo Yira and Han SooA from their college and out into the streets where they were having lunch at a nearby café, it was pure coincidence to find Namjoo tagging along. It appears that reincarnations in the end, all had a cycle of life. They were bound to meet in the end, no matter what.

 

“Well, I don’t think we have to worry about anything.” Bomi smiled, watching Yira and SooA laugh from a conversation. It filled the empty hole in her heart, knowing that they were re-connected again in different bodies. “Guess what comes around, goes around huh? I’m betting that they’ll start falling in love much faster. How about by this week?” The werewolf chuckled, eyes never letting go of the couple that are so into themselves. 

 

“Really? We are going to place bets now?” Hayoung scoffed, not very interested. “What about you babe?” She turned to her girlfriend, knowing that Naeun would be taking the bigger blow. Knowing her, there’s probably a lot going on in her mind. The memories of Namjoo and seeing her reincarnation in front of her eyes.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“What? Already?” Bomi stopped her, knowing that the witch wanted to stay. But she’s forcing herself to leave, knowing that the longer she did, the harder it was to resist the temptation to meet her. “Are you sure you’re going to do this?”

 

“She knows what’s best. Let her be.” Hayoung cut in.

 

“Hmm…fine.” The werewolf frowned, following Naeun.

 

The next few days, the witch has been feeling under the weather. The Apothecary had to be closed temporarily as Naeun needed time for herself. Hayoung understood it completely and stayed by her side.

 

Lounging in the living room together as they watched an episode of Stranger Things on Netflix, they snuggled and kept each other warm. In days like these, the house was all quiet. In a way, it was relaxing and therapeutic; the soft whispers of the television, the chimes of the dreamcatcher hanging at the entrance and whistles of the sparrows flying nearby.

 

“Do you think I should meet her?”

 

“You know it won’t change anything.”

 

“Unless…”

 

“No.” Hayoung said firmly. “Don’t use your powers. You know it isn’t right. She’s another person. She’s not Namjoo. She’s just a reincarnation of her.”

 

“But…”

 

“Babe.”

 

“The body doesn’t belong to her. But inside is Namjoo’s soul. She’s…still my sister.”

 

Hayoung sighed, slowly giving up. “Then do whatever you want. You know very well about the consequences better than me.” She got up from her seat, reaching for a hoodie and plopped it over her torso.

 

Naeun’s looking at her confused. “Are you going out?”

 

“Yeah. To find Oh Jin Kyung for you.”

 

Immediately, the witch’s expression turned into a warm smile. “Wait for me. I’m coming along too.”

 

It’s summer out and probably the worst timing for vampire Hayoung. But she’ll do anything for Naeun. Those bruises on her skin are nothing. Walking and arriving at the entrance of Jin Kyung’s college, it’s easy to spot her: the girl’s powerful, loud voice.

 

“OH MY GOD YOU AMAZING LIL , YOU REALLY ASKED HAN SOOA TO HANG OUT OVER AT YOUR HOUSE! WHAT AN ESCALATION OF EVENTS-“

 

“SHUT UP! People are going to hear!” Yira shouted, hands covering her bestie’s mouth as her face is flushed out of embarrassment. The two friends were eating lunch outside at one of the open seats.

 

“Well, this isn’t the Seo Yira that I know. You were all shy and everything. Where did your confidence come from all of sudden?”

 

“It’s- uh-“

 

Jin Kyung eyed her friend with a suspicious hum, slowly getting back down on her seat and munching a piece of her sandwich out.

 

“I’m not a kid anymore. I’m an adult now. So at least, I should have some guts…right?”

 

“Nice resolution you have there. Anyways, I wish you luck-, I have to go. Gonna be late for class, again! Call me later kay?” She rushed out, stuffed the remaining sandwich into , bag dangling halfway down her shoulders.

 

But just as she’s about to enter the building, Jin Kyung saw two strange women staring at her. It’s weird, especially the awful fashion look the older one has. Wearing all-black in this hot weather has Jin Kyung thinking that she’s mad.

 

“Uh…do you need something?”

 

“No…not really…” Naeun said awkwardly, not sure what to say now that she’s in front of her.

 

Jin Kyung stared at her with raised eyebrows. “Okay. Then, bye.”

 

“W-wait!” The witch reached her hands out and grabbed hold of Jin Kyung’s wrist.

 

She didn’t mean for it to happen.

 

But the moment they touched, something sparked. In a flash, all of those memories returned. Voices in her head. Blurry visions in her mind. And it was making Jin Kyung feel weird. She sees herself, but yet, it doesn't feel like her. But her body is telling her something and she can't quite grasp what that message is supposed to be.

 

 “O-Oh! Sorry!” Naeun quickly removed her hand, awkwardly panicking as she didn’t plan ahead.

 

“…" Jin Kyung stared at the lady, somewhat amused and intrigued. "What’s your name?”

 

“W-What?”

 

“I said, what’s your name?”

 

“N-Naeun.”

 

“Okay, Naeun. I don’t know who you are, or what you want with me. But…I feel like we’ll see each other often. Sorry, I’m late for class. See you around, Naeun.” The girl said with a smile, slowly disappearing into the building. 

 

It left the witch stunned. She wasn’t expecting that answer at all. But there was a sense of relief lingering behind. Maybe it was a good idea to meet her again.

 

“Guess we’ll be a bit more busy from now on huh?” Hayoung smiled, arms around her shoulder as she turned to look at her girlfriend.

 

“Yeah…” Naeun mumbled, the edges of her lips turning upwards.

 

Arriving at the lecture hall and taking the back seat, Jin Kyung took out a green diary and flipped through the pages. Each one had small scribbles, illustrations and explainations of her dreams, describing them the visions that she has seen. Taking out a pen, she circled one of the drawings, a lady crying and sobbing. 

 

"It's her. That strange lady is the one from my dreams...interesting..." The girl smiled.

 

 

 

~X~

 

 

 

It’s the weekend.

 

And for Yira, her heart has been pounding fast. She can’t think straight, not when her high school crush, SooA is currently on the way to visit her apartment. She’s already tidied the place, kept everything in one piece, even sprayed an air freshener.

 

Watching his sister panic is Youngjae who is casually on the couch, munching onto chips and giggling.

 

“It’s not funny Youngjae!”

 

“Noona’s face is turning red.” He snickered. “Don’t worry! Youngjae won’t say anything! Everything is secret! Ssh…” He placed his finger on his lips.

 

“You’d better.” She sighed, taking a breather. But a minute later, the doorbell rings and Yira is already scrambling to the front. Peeking through the hole and confirming that it’s SooA standing outside, it’s making her nervous. She cleared and carefully opened the door.

 

“H-hi SooA.”

 

“Hi! I’m not late am I?”

 

“No, you’re right on time! Come on in.”

 

“Noona’s friend is here!” Youngjae ran out, greeting SooA with a wide smile.

 

“Hello Youngjae! I’m SooA! You can call me SooA noona!”

 

“Any drinks? Water or tea?” Yira asked, casually leading SooA into the living room while she’s already carrying Youngjae up into her arms. She’ll keep a note that SooA’s really good with kids. The fact that she’s all smiley with her younger brother actually makes Yira a little jealous inside.

 

“Just water will do!” SooA answered, but her attention immediately back onto Youngjae who kept boasting about things he learned at kindergarten.

 

Why! That lucky brat’s already gotten all close and chummy with SooA! Must be good to be a kid huh? Tsk!

 

Yira mumbled her way into the kitchen, taking a pitcher and pouring water into a glass. She’s watching from the counter, how SooA walking into Youngjae’s room as the boy is actively introducing all of his robot toy collection and hearing her giggle resonate. The girl almost slammed the glass on the table, but kept her composure.

 

She’s supposed to have attention on me! Not you!

 

“Youngjae, let SooA noona take a break okay? Don’t get all too excited.” Yira walked in with a forced smile, even though she’s actually a little mad inside.

 

“Okay noona~!” The boy giggled, waddling out of his room and casually returned back to the couch, continuing to nibble the chips he was eating earlier. He was actually doing it to tease his sister.

 

“Sorry, Youngjae gets really excited and talkative when he meets someone new.”

 

“It’s fine. I think he will grow up to become a fine lad.” SooA smiled, taking a sip of the water. “I’m envious that you have a younger sibling.”

 

“Well, I’m envious that you’re an only child. Seems pretty peaceful without having that responsibility.”

 

“But I admire you Yira. You’re raising him so well without your parents around. Oh…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

 

“No, it’s fine. Been nearly ten years since they’ve gone up to the skies. Gotten used to it already. Plus, my grandparents send me money every month so we are living fine.”

 

An awkward silence followed as the two quietly watched the television. Cartoons were displayed on the screen, a channel all for Youngjae. But it was reaching noon, meaning nap time for the boy. Minutes in, and he’s slowly bopping his head up and down, fast asleep.

 

SooA noticed it immediately and quietly carried Youngjae into her arms, tucking him in bed as Yira looked on fondly. The fact that SooA is good with children, it just gave Yira more reasons why she’s crushing so hard on her.

 

"By the way, you said something about seeing me in your dreams? How about you tell me more about that?" Yira asked, closing the door behind as they returned back to the living room.

 

"Oh."

 

Yira noticed the sudden fiddling of her fingers. Maybe not a good time to ask that. But even so, she's curious.

 

"Don't worry. I won't judge you or anything." The girl reassured, leaning back to the couch.

 

"Do you believe in reincarnations?"

 

Yira arched her eyebrows in surprise. She wasn't expecting that question.

 

"Well...I'm not sure. Witches, magic, paranormal beings, it's cool and all. But it’s not my kind of thing. Maybe because I’ve never seen or experienced something like that before.”

 

"Since I was young, I became really interested in magic. Unlike others who grew up with computers, I read a lot of books you see.”

 

"Yeah. I know. You carry a ton of books in your bags that sometimes I wonder how someone small like you, could have strength for all that." Yira laughed.

 

"Hey, small doesn't mean weak, okay?" The girl frowned cutely, gently hitting Yira’s shoulder.

 

"I know, it's a joke."

 

"So as I was saying, I spent a lot of time reading up about the history of witches, the paranormal beings and their world. Demons, werewolfs, vampires, it's really interesting until...I reached the part about reincarnations.” SooA turned to face Yira in the eye, which is making the latter suddenly nervous. “I've been having these visions lately and it's kinda scary. War...destruction…pain…and in the midst of all that…I see you in it."

 

"Me?"

 

"I know you might not believe this but…I think we might be reincarnations of two people who had a connection back then...in whatever lives they had…”

 

"No. I believe you." Yira nodded.

 

"You...do?"

 

"Yeah...because for some reason..." The girl hesitated for a moment, but decided to muster her courage. "I have a crush on you."

 

. I did it. I DID IT. I ing said it!

 

To Yira’s surprise, SooA was smiling at her confession.

 

“Oh.”

 

That was all she said. And suddenly, the girl is tilting her head, orbs gazing into hers. Yira really wishes that she would stop doing that, because she might really die from her stares.

 

“I-I’m serious SooA. We were from the same high school. Although we were in different classes, but...I-I’ve always had a crush on you…”

 

“Do you want to try something?”

 

“W-What?”

 

Her heart is pumping and dancing around her chest. She’s frozen still, as SooA is slowly leaning her body forward. She doesn’t know where this woman got all her confidence from.

 

And next thing, her is quickly bulging and growing hard.

 

F-. Not now, stupid !

 

“W-Wait!” Yira quickly moved away, taking a breather.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“I-I…uh..” The girl didn’t know what to do now that her is clearly distracting this moment. But she also doesn’t want SooA to find out. It’s growing bigger and she needs to find something to hide it.

 

“Calm down Yira. You’re panicking. You’re-“

 

It was too late.

 

The moment Yira stood up, SooA saw it. A strange bump at the bottom of her pants. But it didn’t frighten her at all.

 

“Yira…are you…an inter?”

 

“…Yes. I am…”

 

“You don’t need to hide yourself from this. Is this why you were rushing to the toilet back then?”

 

Yira nodded, closing her eyes shut as she collapsed back to the couch in defeat. She sighed, not knowing what will happen from her. But the fact that SooA isn’t looking at her weird or making any strange comments, somewhat calms her down.

 

“I’m a monster, aren’t I?” The girl mumbled, grabbing a pillow to cover her front. “Maybe God was indecisive of whether to make me a boy or a girl, so he just lazily made me into both.”

 

SooA gently placed her hand onto Yira’s palms. “You’re not a monster, Yira.”

 

“Don’t lie. You’re just saying that.”

 

“No. I’m serious. Yira, please don’t call yourself a monster ok? There’s nothing wrong with being inter. In fact, I think being inter is actually amazing.”

 

“You…think so?”

 

SooA nodded with a smile that seemed to make everything clear now. Yira has an answer now. She knows just what to do. She knows that she’s already falling real hard for this woman here. And maybe…just maybe…

 

“What were you going to do earlier before I freaked out? Are you going to…” The girl looked at SooA with anticipation.

 

“I was going to kiss you. Will you let me?"

 

Yira gulped, clearly summiting to this woman’s orders. She's already blushing hard at this woman's direct words that pierced right through her heart. “G-Go ahead.”

 

SooA carefully leaned into Yira’s face, clearly feeling her breath against her. The fact that she's this close, the fact that all of this is happening...the fact that there's something soft on her lips.

 

Her crush literally just kissed her.

 

This is not a drill.

 

And that's not all. The moment their lips touched, something else sparked.

 

Both of them had no idea what it was. Like an electric circuit that finally found it's way, a magnet that met the same poles. They were pulled right in and oddly enough, they saw something in their eyes. A fuzzy memory flashing in their heads. And then, a sudden rush of emotions that left the two, overwhelmed yet confused.

 

Was this magic or a dream?

 

Eyes wide open, the two stared at each other, both knowing that it could only mean one thing. The truth. They are the reincarnations of two people who had a connection in the past, but the question was, what was their story? And the bigger question is, what happened?

 

In time, they will find out.

 

For these two, the wheels of their fate have began to roll out. And it would be wise that they should stick close and...intimate. Now that the cycle has reset, no one knows what is coming. Not even the witches can predict this phenomenon. 

 

“S-SooA…did you…”

 

“Y-yeah. I felt it. I don’t know what it was but it has to be some kind of magic.”

 

“C-Crazy…”

 

“But you know what?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I think I found the answer." SooA smiled. "Aren't you interested now? About those things we saw? The feelings we felt? Don't you want to investigate it?"

 

“Well, life would be kinda boring if I stuck onto the same goal like the rest, going to college, getting a degree and then a job. This sounds much more fun. Plus...I get to be with my crush." Yira mumbled shyly in which SooA laughed in response, finding her quite cute.

 

"I didn't give you my answer yet. But I think I might find it soon. So, Yira. Will you join me in understanding more about our past selves?"

 

Yira nodded with confidence and flashed a smile.

 

"Totally!"

 

 

 

 

~end.

 

 

 

 

---

 

Author's Notes:

 

Although Chorong and Eunji had a tragic ending, but their reincarnated-selves are bound to have a happy one ^^ Everything is coming back in a cycle, the feelings, the memories, everything. Naeun may finally start something new, with Jin Kyung, even though its not Namjoo, but her soul is still her sister's. Bomi seems to be happy with her current life and no longer serving her Master, even though she has been reincarnated.

If you noticed, there were a lot of references in the epilogue. Such as Yira calling herself a monster and how Yira ended up having a crush on SooA in college, just like how Eunrong did in the beginning. I thought it would be a nice change to switch their roles, making Chorong the more "dominant" one while Eunji as the "submissive" one haha. I wanted to make this epilogue a more light-hearted and funny one to end on a nice note.

Once again, thank you everyone for reading Your Majesty. It was a fun ride and maybe, I'll see you again in my other current/future Eunrong fics? See ya till then :P 

~pinkpanda419, 10/3/2019