Seoul Korea 2016
Goreyo Expo

"I heard the Goryeo expo has exceeded expectations." Baekah stated as he gazed over at his cousin, Kang Jun So. "Did they finally convince you to come back?"

"Not for long." So casually commented as they entered the air conditioned gallery. It was going to be another miserable humid summer in Seoul this year as well.

"Feeling restless again, hyung?" Concern filled Baekah's voice. "It's been a year since the accident. It takes time to heal. Slowing down is fine. By the way, how are you doing? Are you still having the dreams?"

So refused to comment. He had spent the year before last in and out of hospitals after the car wreck that left him with a scar on the left side of his face. It was a year he didn't want to think about, let alone discuss in public. He knew Baekah would push the issue if he let him. Before his cousin could try to open that can of worms, So's eyes narrowed as a young woman appeared ahead of them at the entrance of the Goryeo gallery. Long, silky dark brown hair spilt down her back and swayed with her casual movements. She turned as something in the room caught her attention. Her porcelain profile so familiar he felt his chest tighten. Why do I feel like I know her? Forgetting Baekah, he followed behind her as she strode ahead.

"Hyung?" Baekah called out after his swiftly retreating cousin. So stopped as he faced the ceremony ritual at the entrance. He closed his eyes as male voices and the clank of steel on steel flooded his memory.

"You. You're the fourth prince." Aguish filled him as his father shouted for his brother. A forest, he's holding her tight against him as her tear stained face peered up at him in fear. He hears a man say "she's an innocent girl. let her go." "I don't want to." He hears himself growl low, challenging the other man to take her away from him.

So searched for her, overwhelmed as vague shadows of a dream became sharp edged. "She belongs to me" "My person."Each phrase a vow. He remembered the startled look on her face when he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her slender body close to his after she had helped him take off his mask and face his fate.

"Do you remember? I said before, right? You're mine. Whether it was then or now, or the moment you touched my face, I made up my mind, I will make you mine. Brace yourself from now on I will never let you go."

The woman slowly moved from one painting to another until she halted before a stark drawing of Gwangjong facing the entrance of the palace. As though in a trance, they both stood facing the drawing. Surprised, he watched as she covered her mouth, emitting a choked sob, then crying out in a low, trembling voice, "I'm sorry. I left you there all alone, I'm sorry." Her sobs filled the room as she fell to her knees, So reached out to catch her shocked as his own memories flooded in, the moment of his death hit him as he got sucked into the grey stillness of the palace courtyard, staring into his own eyes. These were the nightmares he had been fighting for a year.

"If we are not from the same world I will find you, my Soo-ya."

Pain washed over So as the memories of Goryeo, loving her and losing her due to his blind jealousy, poured into him. Without her, there was no life. Tears slid down his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around the woman's shaking body, pulling her close to him. "Hae Soo. Soo-ya. I'll never let you go again." He whispered as she fainted against his chest.

The walls of the gallery started to fill her vision as she regained consciousness. "Soo-ya!" Someone was holding her, shaking her. Am I back in the courtyard? Why do I hear his voice? Where am I? "Hae Soo!" Ha Jin moaned softly as she opened her eyes to see the Goryeo paintings on the wall. Wook's drawings of her with him while he carried Myung Hee on his back and of him catching her hand in the snow. Baek Ah's drawings were of So and the other princes. Blinking back the tears, she felt his arms tighten around her.

"Should we call an ambulance?" A male voice inquired with concern. She shook her head as she instinctually burrowed her face in his neck. "No." So replied. Soo raised her head to convince herself that she was not dreaming. She clutched his jacket, meeting his eyes. Those eyes which held such sorrow within them now. She gulped back a sob as she searched his face. Slowly, she touched the scar, tracing the edges around his left eye. A hand span. "How?"

The memory of their last few days in the palace together came rushing back. She remembered her wish that afternoon as they stood looking over the lake near their prayer tower.

"If we had met in another world and at another time, I was thinking how great that would have been. If only that could be I wouldn't fear anything. I could freely...truly, I could freely love you all I wanted."

"I warned you. I will never let you go, Hae Soo." So stated as he stood up, pulling her with him and into his embrace. "You are mine. You will always be my person, Soo-ya."

Ha Jin smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around him, feeling the familiar heat of him pressed against her. "Yes." A sigh of contentment spilled out of her as she hugged him to her.

"Please forgive me, Hae Soo." He whispered as he held her in his arms. "I love you."

"I love you too. There is nothing to forgive, So-ya." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck, as his mouth found hers. Ha Jin attempted to pull out of his embrace, blushing as she heard a cough from the doorway. Peering over his shoulder, she squinted at the two familiar men her eyes going wide. Ji Mong? Baek Ah? Am I dreaming again?

"It's not like you to kiss a stranger, hyung." Baek Ah grinned at So as he turned around to face the two men standing in the entrance, her hand tightly gripped in his. "Oww. Oww." Ha Jin laughed as So awkwardly relaxed his grip but didn't release her hand.

"I'm sorry, Baek Ah, can you find a ride back to the office?" So said impatiently as he tugged Ha Jin after him.

"Yes." His cousin said in confusion, "but you owe me an explanation."

"It's a long, complicated story. She's someone I thought I lost a long time ago." So hastily explained. Looking down at her in wonder, delighted to have her back by his side. "I don't plan on losing her again."

Jin flushed, releasing So's hand as she walked over to Baek Ah. "I apologize. I didn't mean to cause a problem." She smiled wanly at the modern day incarnation of her best friend, then hissed under breath at So. "Pyeha!"

"Pyeha? That's a curious nickname. How do you know my cousin?" Curiosity getting the better of the man as he grinned down at Jin. "I...We met abroad." She turned back to So, giving him a look for help.

"Like I said, it's a long story, Baek Ah." So coughed as he caught Jin's hand in his again. He noticed as the curator pushed him glasses up the bridge of his nose, his eyes hooded. So turned to the modern-day Ji Mong as the man gave him an enigmatical smile. If you long for someone too much, you will become like me. Thoughts of the other life as Wang So passed through Jun So's mind as he scrutinized the curator suspiciously. The rabbit always has more than just one escape route. What are you up to, Ji Mong?

Jun-so stopped in front of Ji Mong's new incarnation. "I won't be able to keep our meeting today. Please call my secretary and reschedule."

Six Months later

Ha Jin bit her lip as family and friends popped in and out of the bride's chamber. Her little sister fluffed the hem of Jin's gown as she sat on the loveseat. "You look incredible today, Unnie." Eun Ji gushed. "I can't believe you are getting married. So-ya is the best."

"Jin-a, you are so beautiful." Her mother dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief handed to her by her husband. "Our girl is getting married!" She sniffled to her husband. "She's finally getting married."

"Please don't cry, eomma." Jin begged as her mother hugged her. Eun Ji rolled her eyes at Jin over their mother's shoulder.

"I better get your mother to her seat while I still can." Her father grumped affectionately. "I'm happy for you, Ha Jin. He's a good man, our son-in-law." He turned on his youngest daughter, "Now, to get you married off."

"Appa!" Eun Ji yelled as she followed after them.

Baek Ah opened the door, followed by So's younger brother, Jung. "We came to kiss the bride before the groom gets here." Jung teased her as he brushed a kiss across her blushing cheek.

"Jung!" Jin laughed as him as Baek Ah playfully batted his cousin out of the way. "You are in the way, Jung-a. I have to get pictures of the bride."

"Your mother's as prune faced as ever." Kim Eun commented to Jung as he strode into the room, engrossed in a game on his phone, then put the phone down as he caught sight of Jin dressed in her white silk and lace. "Wow, you could marry me, Jin-a."

She giggled, "No, your girlfriend wouldn't like that."

"Well, it's for the best. Hyung would kill me." Eun shivered at the thought, gave her a peck on her cheek then returned to his game. "Soon Deok is waiting for me, I better get to my seat."

Eun Ji peeked around the corner of the door. "The groom is on his way." Her eyes danced with delight. "Are you ready, Unnie?"

Jin got to her feet as her sister handed her the bouquet. "I've been ready for this day for a thousand years." She sighed, giddy as So walked into the room. She gave herself a small pinch as he approached her dressed all in black. He grinned down at her as his hand caressing her cheek. If this is a dream, please don't wake me up, she prayed. "We're getting married." Jin whispered in awe as his lips met hers.

"Hyung, that must wait until after the wedding." Baek Ah complained. "The guests are waiting."

One year later

Jin laid her head on her husband's chest as they lay on their bed. "Why is this happening again?" She wiped the tears away. So made soothing noises as he held her close. Anger seethed through him at the possible diagnosis. "I don't want to leave you, So. I'm sorry!" Jin sobbed weakly.

"It will be all right." He kissed the top of her head. "I promise you. I won't lose you."

Sitting up, Jin hiccupped as So handed her a tissue from the box on the table next to the bed. She blew her nose, then laughed. "I'm a mess."

"A beautiful mess." So smiled sweetly up at her. He tenderly caressed her tear stained cheeks, pulling her down into his arms to kiss her. Jin sank into his warmth, loving the feel of his heated flesh against her. "How do you feel tonight?" So's low voice making her quiver as he nipped her ear, his hot mouth finding her pulse point at the base of her neck. She answered back with a moan as he unbuttoned her shirt and pulled her under him.

Later that night, Ha Jin lay curled up next to him, sleeping peacefully as he contemplated his earlier visit with Ji Mong.

"I remember in Goryeo you told me that if I missed her enough I would become like you." So refused to budge as Ji Mong cryptically dodged his inquires, pretending not to understand. "I know you, so do not lie to me." He grabbed the older man by his shirt, pinning him to the wall. "You were always the clever rabbit. So, what is the escape route this time? How do I save her?"

"It would do you no good to threaten me." Ji Mong coolly said as So loosened his grip. So leaned his hand against the wall in near defeat as the time jumper stepped out of his hold and straightened his tie. "I see our little kingmaker has gotten herself in an interesting dilemma. Her spirit is trapped in the between. What will you do, Pyeha? Re-order time? Change history? Just for her?" He mocked.

So turned, growling low with frustrated rage. "Ever the wolf dog." Ji Mong taunted. "Nothing can be fixed with rage. If you truly want to save your wife, then you must find and read her book in Goryeo."

"How do I do that?" So's gaze burning a hole through Ji Mong.

"By meeting yourself in the middle." Ji Mong merrily suggested with a laugh, sitting on the edge of his desk, he picked up a book from a stack and tossed it at So. The younger man easily caught the book on quantum physics in midair. Silently he flipped through the pages.

"How will this help?" he queried, then a distant memory of Gwangjong standing next to Wang Jung as slipped into focus.

"What were her last words?" He asked Jung as he watched his daughter playing from a distance. Jung's eyes filled with sadness as he replied, "She said she wished to forget everything. She didn't want to remember us, even in her dreams." Gwangjong closed his eyes in pain as So opened his eyes at the revelation.

So held Jin's sleeping form next to his as they snuggled in bed. Meet myself in the middle? He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of her silky hair, and reached out into the void.