NARRATOR'S POV

Sooyeon tried to calm her racing heart. She was alone. How did this happen?

Never in her life had she been helpless. Jeon Sooyeon had always been an independent lady, she needed no one to back her up. She was always the lone wolf.

She had no idea what to do.

Calm down. Breathe. She recited, trying to think clearly. You're Jeon Sooyeon. You can overcome anything, without help-

And then it hit her. She'd been selfish her whole life. Was this her punishment? Right then, she needed help. She couldn't do this alone.

So this was her lesson to be learnt.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, though, she brought herself to stand. She needed help, but she wasn't about to sit around and do nothing in the meantime. She let out a loud breath, running a hand through her hair.

She blinked when she realised her hair seemed longer than expected - and then she gasped. How could I have missed this?

Behind her, her reddish hair flowed, long and majestic, all the way to her feet and curled into  a pile on her bed. She stood up, somewhat intrigued, trying to gather it in her hands. I'm going to get split ends at this rate.

As she got her thoughts straight, she surveyed the room. Empty, except for the sad excuse for a bed in the corner and a small window that showed the lovely scenic view of the forest. She approached it, and looked down.

The tower was made of stone, with little breaks in the stone that couldn't have been able to support her weight.

She wracked her brains for a solution but could come up with none. Sighing, she sat on the edge of the bed, which creaked when she sat on it. Sooyeon thought back to before she passed out, and vaguely remembered a fire in and a small, godforsaken green pea that haunted her thoughts.

Her brows knit together in anger as she thought of the only candidate who could be behind it. 

That damn Queen.

And then a voice called her name.

It sent chills up her spine, and goosebumps on her skin - and this voice was oddly familiar.

"Sooyeon honey, let down your hair!"

And then it hit her.

It was the Queen.

---

She didn't know if she was supposed to follow through the fairytale or not - if she played along, would it do any good? 

She played safe and followed the Queen's orders, hooking her hair over a nail hacked into the stone above the window. She felt a light tug on her scalp but nothing else. 

Weird.

She kept her face straight, facing the Queen in all he