***Author's Note***

Good Afternoon, all! I know, it's been a few days since my last post. I've had a crazy amount of stuff going on since Friday, so I haven't been able to write, but I hope this super-long chapter will make up for some of that time. I really hope you enjoy the direction I'm going with this story...trust me, there are SO many surprises left for you! enjoy!

***End Note***

Ji-Mong paused outside of the office, his hand hovering over the door handle for a long moment, wondering if he should tempt the fates by entering the room at all. Finally, Ji-Mong rolled his shoulders, shook his head, and pushed open the door. "Hello?" He called hesitantly, "Professor?"

An irritated sigh came from the opposite end of the long room, somewhere in the midst of a number of large, heavy-looking bookshelves that were crowded to bursting with texts, ancient-looking leather-bound books in numerous languages, the odd scroll or two here and there, and pile after pile of papers – some on the shelves, but mostly either on the barely-visible desk and overflowing onto the floor. "Look," came a voice thick with aggravation, "If I have told my students once, I have told them a thousand times...if you did not study, that is not my responsibility." Suddenly around the corner of one of the bookshelves, there appeared a form that seemed to be muscular and tall, though little else could be seen as the man had a stack of books and papers so high that it covered his face and looked in danger of toppling at any moment. Continuing, he ranted, "I always give you more than enough time for your studies, but if you would rather spend your time chasing women or lingering around bars, shooting back soju with your friends, that is not my decision. That would be your responsibility, and I will not be giving anyone any second chances." The man set the stack down on his desk with a heavy thump, whereupon they promptly slid in a dozen different directions, many landing on the floor prompting both Professor Shin and Ji-Mong to leap backwards. Sighing, he finished, "If you failed, you failed, and that is final." Glancing up, Shin Ga-Hyuk's jaw went slack and his eyes bugged slightly, "Choi...Ji-Mong?"

Ji-Mong sighed heavily, "Wang Wook. So, it is you. I came to see if it was true. Are you...well?"

Ga-Hyuk shuddered slightly, "I had just begun to convince myself that the past was all a dream, and now here you are, like some ghost out of the old stories. What...what about...Hae Soo?"

Ji-Mong glared reprovingly at the man, "She is not your concern." At Ga-Hyuk's shameful grimace, Ji-Mong sighed, "To answer the question I'm sure you meant to ask me, yes. Hae Soo is here. I'm staying with her, for the time being."

Ga-Hyuk nodded, "She doesn't know you're here, does she?"

Ji-Mong frowned guiltily, "No. No, she does not. Believe me, I will pay for this when she finds out. Or when I tell her. One way or the other, she'll know the truth."

Ga-Hyuk shrugged, "Yes; women are good at that. Especially Hae Soo." Ga-Hyuk rubbed his hands together, a glint of gold catching Ji-Mong's attention.
Reaching out, Ji-Mong snatched at Ga-Hyuk's left hand, inclining an eyebrow in surprise, "You're married? Oh, how history likes to repeat itself."

Ga-Hyuk chuckled, "Yes, I am. Quite happily, too. We have three children. The youngest is five. If...If you could do me a favor?" Ji-Mong inclined his head, "Could you tell Hae Soo that I'm sorry? I made so many mistakes back then; I'm afraid I caused her a very great deal of pain, and I'm sorry for that. I think maybe I didn't know what real love was back then...I'm pleased to say I do now. My wife is the greatest comfort to me. I think about what I did to Hae Soo and So...I can't bear the guilt. So, when you tell her...Just tell her I'm sorry for my part in what happened. Please?"

Ji-Mong smiled kindly, "I think I can manage that. I've actually put together quite the dossier on all of the princes...I think I've found all of them."

Ga-Hyuk grinned, "Oh, you shouldn't have gone to all that trouble. We...Well, we sort of found each other. And all of us have our memories. The only ones we haven't located are So, Soo, and Baek-Ah. To our dismay, Yo seems to be much the same as he always was, back in Goryeo. He has a bad attitude, and a worse temper. We're all scared of him, now that we know what he's capable of."

Ji-Mong blinked rapidly, "Wait...Slow down. All of them? All? What about Eun?"

Ga-Hyuk laughed, "Oh, he was one of the first I encountered! He was so happy to see me that I thought he'd have a heart attack on the spot! He looked like a Chihuahua, he was shaking so much. I couldn't believe it, myself, when he walked into my classroom early one morning; lucky for us, he was the first one to arrive. We were able to get ourselves under control and act like nothing was going on before the rest of the class arrived. It was a piece of luck, really. Then, we found Baek-Ah through his paintings. Him, we worry about...We don't think he remembers yet. But then, if he doesn't now, he probably never will." Here, Ji-Mong hissed in a breath through his teeth. With the well-honed skill of a seasoned professor, Ga-Hyuk caught the sound and glanced sharply back at Ji-Mong. "What is it? Do you know something?"

Ji-Mong chewed on his thumb for a long moment before sighing heavily, "We shouldn't talk about this here. Gather them all together, and we'll go for lunch. Now just would not be the best time to discuss such an...unorthodox subject."

Ga-Hyuk sat back, crossing his arms and watching the former astronomer shrewdly, "You haven't changed one bit, have you? Still just as wary as ever, aren't you?" He nodded to himself before responding, "It's a good idea. I'd hate to lose my position here over this. My wife knows nothing about this. She'd start asking awkward questions if she knew. I'll text them; hold on a moment."

Ji-Mong took the opportunity to peruse the numerous volumes of widely-varying topics that filled Ga-Hyuk's shelves to bursting, smiling at a number of rare copies of Wang So's own journals and personal notes. Ji-Mong sighed sadly as he took out one of the later volumes and sighed sadly, a heavy sorrow in his eyes, "He didn't deserve it, you know. The way his life turned out. So was just..."

"Forced from a bad situation into a worse one." Finished Ga-Hyuk from behind the astronomer. "I know. I feel such guilt over my part in what happened, even now. I think if we'd all been a bit kinder to each other, Soo would never have felt the stress that led to her untimely death."

Ji-Mong raised an eyebrow, "As it happens, I think you're right. I think you are all to blame for her death, including So. Of course, I think he's paying enough for it right now," he added in a voice so soft that Ga-Hyuk wasn't entirely certain that he'd heard Ji-Mong speak at all. Shaking off the dispiriting mood, Ji-Mong smiled, "So, what did they say?"

Ga-Hyuk stared hard at the astronomer for a long moment before shrugging and answering, "They're looking forward to meeting you. There's a good ramen place nearby; they figured we could all meet there."

"Is there anyone else you're missing?"

Ga-Hyuk sighed again, "Jung. Jung still doesn't remember. We've been hoping to trigger a memory, but it hasn't worked. He's another one of my students, if you were wondering."

Ji-Mong nodded sagely, "I see," he said softly, "But then that makes good sense, doesn't it?"

Ga-Hyuk took the astronomer by the shoulder, still shooting him odd looks from the corner of his eye, "Well, come on; they're going to beat us there at this rate."

The two men left the university and hurried across the busy street to a restaurant that was frequented by students, and therefore always noisy. Ji-Mong raised an eyebrow at that; Very wise, he thought, the louder it is, the less likely we'll be overheard. Entering the eatery, Ji-Mong followed as Ga-Hyuk led him around a corner to a section that was usually reserved for larger parties. The room was filled with large, comfortable-looking booths that were – for the most part – already crammed as full as they could manage. In a far corner of the room, Ji-Mong's eyes were drawn to a table filled with abnormally good-looking young men; he couldn't believe his eyes. Ji-Mong felt his jaw unhinge as he stared at the familiar faces of every one of his beloved princes. In that moment, Ji-Mong felt like a proud father who's seen his children's dreams come true right before his eyes. All at once, the table grew silent as each pair of eyes fell on Ji-Mong. Mu was the first to stand, his eyes full of wonder. He took a couple of halting steps forward before the two men rushed forward, meeting in a rough embrace, both men laughing.

"Ji-Mong," Mu cried happily, "I never thought I'd see you again! How have you been?"

Ji-Mong gaped first at Mu, then the rest of the Princes in turn, "Give...give me a moment to process all of this. I...I just can't believe you're all here."

"Not all of us," grumbled Eun.

Ga-Hyuk cleared his throat, "Ah, yes. I think Ji-Mong had a theory about that."

Finding himself ushered into a seat with a glass of beer suddenly appearing in front of him, Ji-Mong laughed nervously for a moment, "Well...Yes, I suppose I have...a theory."

"As usual, you know more than you're letting on, don't you, old friend?" Teased Mu.

Ji-Mong pursed his lips, "Well...Yes, I suppose you could say that. Look; a good deal of this story is not mine to tell. I don't feel right..."

Quietly, Ga-Hyuk interrupted, "It has to do with So and Soo, doesn't it?"

The entire table fell terribly still and silent, each glancing at the others nervously, with the exception of Yu, "Who cares about those two? Do you have any idea how relieved I am to not have to suffer through their insufferable romance in this life!?"

The rest of the table glared at the man, "Well, I see you're as unpleasant as ever, Yu," sneered Ji-Mong. "But yes. It has a very great deal to do with them. Jung and Baek-Ah, as well. I know why they don't remember anything." The whole table stared at him with expectation, "It's because they haven't died yet. At least, not under the right circumstances...You see, in order to be reborn with your memories..." Ji-Mong quickly went through what he and Ha-Jin had discovered, leaving her part in everything out of his description. "So, you see...Jung either hasn't died yet in Goryeo, or he did and it was just in the wrong circumstances."

Mu watched his old friend closely, "You have something planned, don't you?"

Ji-Mong smiled secretively, "Well, of course I do. Have you ever known me to just sit back and do nothing?" There was a slight movement around the table as the waitress approached and took their orders. The table sat quietly, listening to Ga-Hyuk go on about some historical fact or other until she was gone. Watching her back for a long moment, Ji-Mong continued, "Hae Soo is, indeed, in our time once again. After she died in Goryeo, she woke up here again...which is where she was from to begin with." This statement caused some significant glances to go around the table, "So was aware of her origins before she passed. And...I'm telling you this in the strictest of confidences...We're working to find a way to bring him forward in time, as well. We're hoping to bring Baek-Ah, as well."

Pure astonishment shot around the table like wildfire. "Do you really think you can manage it?" Asked Eun.

From Ga-Hyuk was, "Is that really wise? We don't even know if it's possible."

There were a few other questions, each talking over the other prompting Ji-Mong to raise his hands defensively, "Hush, now. You'll draw attention. Now, to answer the two questions I did hear...Yes, I think we can manage it. And yes, I think it is perfectly possible. All of us sitting at this table are proof, as is Hae Soo."

"But what about the others? Baek-Ah, So, and Jung aren't in our time. Well, at least not with their old memories, anyway," observed Ga-Hyuk.

Ji-Mong shifted uncomfortably, "Yes, well...That's because they haven't died yet." Every face at the table slid into identical masks of confusion, "Yes, I know what you're thinking. They died thousands of years ago...Not quite. There's a space-time slipstream that stretches from our time to theirs...Which is how all of us have moved back and forth. Our two timelines are connected, therefore, but operating separately from one another – like two branches of the same company, or two tributaries of the same river. You can look across and see what the other is doing, and where they are going, but you can't necessarily control what the other does. You can send across messages with suggestions, but you can't change what they do on their own. The time stream is much the same way, unless you actually travel across it, and the only way to do that is to jump from your body on this side to your body on that side, and vice versa. All of our bodies are dead on that side, save So, Jung, and Baek-Ah." He held his hands out, as though presenting some grand work of art.

Ga-Hyuk narrowed his eyes, "You left something out, didn't you?" Ji-Mong glanced away from Ga-Hyuk, and would not look back, "You found a way to communicate with So, didn't you?" The others reacted according to their personalities; Eun gasped, Yo rolled his eyes, and Wo's eyebrows shot up in clear disbelief.

Ji-Mong sighed, "You are just as difficult as ever to get things past. Yes. Soo found a way to communicate with him, and she does so at every possible opportunity; we have been discussing the matter with him – I should say she has been discussing – and we think we are near to bringing him forward. I absolutely will not give you any further details than that. I refuse."

The others sat back in the booth, each digesting the information at their own paces. It was Yo who broke the silence first, "And I was just getting used to not wanting to vomit every time I look at someone. Wonderful; we're bringing that insufferable twit here. I was perfectly content with the brothers I already have...I don't need the other three."

Ji-Mong glowered at the man, "You haven't changed in the slightest. You're still the most concerned about your own skin, rather than the well-being of others. That is why you made a terrible king, Yo. Not because people weren't loyal to you, but because you weren't loyal to people."

Everyone grew uncomfortably silent and hastily turned to their bowls of ramen. They returned to their conversation, each asking in-depth questions about the theories and plans that Ji-Mong and Hae Soo had put together. They were so intent on their conversation that before anyone realized, the sun was beginning to set. Ji-Mong started guiltily, "Oops. I've been gone longer than I'd intended. I have to get back to Hae Soo. I'm sure she's worried by now. I gave Ga-Hyuk my number; he'll make sure we all stay connected an have each others' information. I have to get going. If I know that girl, she probably haven't eaten or anything yet." Ji-Mong waved goodbye to the others and hurried off to catch a bus back to Ha-Jin's end of town. Stepping off the bus, Ji-Mong headed first to a convenience store where he picked up a couple of nice bottles of red wine, then hurried to a nearby pizzeria he knew Ha-Jin was fond of.

Finally, Ji-Mong made his way towards the apartment. Pausing at the foot of the stairs, he noticed something a bit odd. There was a jet-black Cadillac with tinted windows parked on the street. Ji-Mong made to step off of the stairs and ask the driver if they were lost, but the car suddenly purred to life and sped away from the curb. Ji-Mong stared after the car for a moment, then shrugged before heading up the stairs. At the door, Ji-Mong tried the handle and found it unlocked. Silly girl. It doesn't matter how many times I tell her to lock the door, she just keeps forgetting. He smiled when he saw her asleep at the computer. Ji-Mong set the pizza and wine down on the kitchen counter and opened one of the bottles of wine before crossing to the sleeping girl and waking her gently. The moment her eyes opened, he whispered gently, "I'm sorry I was gone so long. I didn't realize my business would take as long as it did. I brought food, though."

Ha-Jin smiled at him, "That's alright. I figure it must have been important. I am starving, though." She gratefully accepted the glass of wine taking a sip of the smooth, rich liquid before crossing to the kitchen and sliding two pieces of pizza onto a plate. The pair sat at the kitchen table, eating and chatting happily until there was the sudden scent of peach blossoms filled the room. Ha-Jin paused with her wine glass halfway to her mouth, setting it down in a rush, sending the contents splashing messily over the rim, "SO!" She cried as she lurched out of her seat and rushed to him, throwing her arms around him, "I...I can't believe you're here. It's so good to see you!" She paused then, as she watched tears rolling down his cheeks. "So...So, what's happened?"

So sighed heavily, "It's Jung," he said heavily, "He's ill. The doctors say he doesn't have much time left. They're afraid we'll lose him in the next few weeks."

***Author's Note***

Phew. Bit of a cliffhanger there, but I can't just give you ALL of the answers all at once, now can I!? Hope you enjoyed this chapter. As ever, my dear readers, thank you so much for supporitng me and reading my silly little stories. I dearly love reading all of your ideas and thoughts on what I've written. Lots of love, all!

- Lady Darkwind