~Chapter One~

The first thing Chaeyoung perceived as she regained consciousness, was that her head was very heavy. It felt as if her poor skull had suffered a great amount of blows. Her face scrunched up and her bottom lip curled down from the acute pain.

"Hey." A softly spoken voice filled her ears as she felt someone nudge at her shoulders.

Chaeyoung's eyelids fluttered open, her vision blurry as hell. She saw a faint figure of a girl, hovering over her. Chaeyoung licked her dry lips as her eyes began to focus.

"Are you okay?" That same voice asked with concern.

As soon as her vision became clear, Chaeyoung warily looked around. It was still night-time, yet it wasn't too dark to catch sight of her surrounding. Her brows rose in confusion. She was in the forest.

What was she doing in the forest?

She quickly fished her mind for answers. As if a tidal wave had struck, memories before she went unconscious began to flash through her head all at once.

She finished her shift late, caught the train home. Noticed people following her. Got into a fight, ran away. Reached the store, couldn't find her brother. Heard a scream, followed it. Found Chan-Woo near the creek. Tae-Gu shoved her brother into the water. She went in after him, then was tugged below the surface by some peculiar force. A red moon appeared and then she blacked out.

Chaeyoung huffed aggravatedly. This was all happening because that evil son of a bitch of a boss didn't like her. So, what did he do? Made people follow her and who knew what his intentions were! He even threw her little brother in the water. That rich snake, Tae Gu!

She had tried to save her brother...

Chan Woo.

As her brother's name popped into her head again, she jumped to her feet and frantically glanced around.

"My brother. Where is my brother?" She demanded. "I need to find m—" Chaeyoung choked back the rest of her words as her gaze landed on a young pretty girl wearing a light pink hanbok with beautiful patterns that encrusted the smooth material. The girl looked around her age, or maybe a few years younger. "W-what are you wearing?" Chaeyoung added with arch brows, eyeing the hanbok deliberately.

"Does it not look nice on me?" The girl responded with a frown.

Chaeyoung's eyes widened. "What? No— I mean yes, it looks... very nice on you. It's just that—" her mouth then formed into an O as she realized something. "Is there a festival nearby?" She asked.

Of course. Chaeyoung thought. Hanboks were only worn on special occasions like at festivals, celebrations or ceremonies. It was totally normal.

"Yes, there is." The girl smiled. "But what are you doing sleeping in the forest?"

Chaeyoung took another heedful look around and grimaced. "I honestly don't know." She muttered, lifting her fingers to comb them through her dark straight hair. She stopped when she noticed that it was in a neatly plaited bun with a hairpin in the middle. Her frown deepened as she eyed what she was wearing. A light purple Hanbok with flower patterns on the shoulders and sleeves, along with a white under-dress beneath it.

"What. Am. I. Wearing?" She drawled out with her mouth hanging open.

"What do you mean? You look very pretty." The girl asserted with a wide smile.

"No. The last time I wore a Hanbok, was to my parents' funeral." She glanced down at the clothes on her body again. "This does not belong to me, and I don't remember putting this on," she said as her body staggered.

The girl grabbed a hold of Chaeyoung's arm to steady her as she spoke in an uncertain tone. "What are you implying?"

"These are not my clothes." Chaeyoung said in a rough tone that made it seem as if she was losing it.

"Then whose clothes are they?" She asked, confused.

"I don't know." Chaeyoung quickly replied with frustration. "Where are we? Are we still in Incheon?"

The girl knitted her brows together. "Incheon?" She murmured to herself. Then her eyes widened into large saucers. "Incheon?! Are you... are you talking about the Incheon that is near Seoul?" She stuttered astonished.

"Uh... are you alright because you sound nutty," Chaeyoung bluntly stated.

"What year are you from?"

"W-what?" Chaeyoung stuttered.

This girl has completely lost her mind.

"I know it sounds crazy, but you need to tell me so I can confirm my suspicion," the girl quickly added.

Chaeyoung grimaced. "2016," she finally replied.

"2...2...2016" The girl asked baffled. "That's the year I'm from." There was a moment of silence, then a wide grin formed on her lips. "Yes, finally! Someone that's not from this hectic timeline," she said in so much glee.

"I really think you need to see a doctor." Chaeyoung indicated, analyzing the girl as if she had dementia.

"I'm not crazy."

Chaeyoung sighed deeply. "If you're not crazy, then what year do you think it is?"

"It's not think. We are actually in the Goryeo Dynasty." She replied as a matter of fact.

Chaeyoung eyed the girl timidly and groaned. "If you're trying to prank me, it's not going to work."

"This is not a prank. This is actually Goryeo." She assured. Her facial expression hinted nothing. "My name is Go Ha Jin, but in this era it's Hae Soo. What's your name?" She asked.

Chaeyoung gave the girl a long hesitant look and then spoke after a few seconds. "Chaeyoung."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Chaeyoung. But, in this era you may go by a different name."

Chaeyoung knitted her brows together. "You're not kidding. Are you?"

Hae Soo nodded her head. "Believe me, I was just like you a week ago. As dumb as a doorbell."

"I'm not dumb." Chaeyoung grunted, and gave the girl a questioning look. "What's your reason for being in the forest?"

The girl rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I was following someone, until I saw you." She replied with a shrug before taking hold of Chaeyoung's wrist. "Come, I think we still can catch up to him."

"Who is him?" Chaeyoung asked, eyeing the girl's hand on her wrist.

"The fourth prince." Hae Soo answered, dragging her through the forest.

Chaeyoung had tried to decline the girl, but found her stubborn and very persistent. Finding a way back home would have to wait for now.

They both walked in silence, looking around sceptically. Something then caught their attention, causing them to come to an abrupt halt. There were men dressed in dark robes and weird green masks. The other few wore blue robes and no masks. All of them stood before a very masculine and tall man, wearing a brown robe and dark headwear. Chaeyoung could only see his backside, yet something told her that he was a powerful man. One that shouldn't be messed with.

Chaeyoung and Hae Soo hid behind a few bamboo trees, observing the men who were on the bottom and not so far away from them.

The men in the green masks began to kneel as the others in the blue robes stood behind them with their swords out.

Chaeyoung watched attentively, swallowing the lump in her throat. She wasn't even sure if Hae Soo was telling the truth. This could all be in her head; she could still be sleeping. Or was she dead? But there was a voice at the back of her mind that told her she was very much alive and that this wasn't a dream.

Hae Soo covered her mouth and Chaeyoung's eyes shot open, as the men in blue robes swung their swords forward. Blood splattered everywhere as the men in green masks fell to the ground. Dead.

"We have to get out of here." Hae Soo whispered anxiously. "This is bad. Really bad." She added in a flat tone.

Chaeyoung had never seen anyone die in front of her eyes before. What she had just witnessed, was surely going to haunt her for the rest of her life. "Who is that man in the brown?" She asked, glaring at his muscular back, even with the robe covering his upper body she knew he had a good physique.

Her gaze travelled back towards Hae Soo.

"That's the third prince," Hae Soo replied bluntly. She then gasped. "No." She chanted beneath her breath.

Chaeyoung knitted her brows together and squinted at the young girl who looked as if she'd seen a ghost. Hae Soo started to back away slowly and without warning she sprinted off.

Chaeyoung's lips parted slightly not believing Hae Soo just left her behind like a stray dog. She furrowed her brows and slowly moved her gaze back towards the man in the brown robe — just in time to see him quickly turn his head.

As they locked eyes; the look he gave her was enough to chill her bones.