.ten.

Prince Eun left the house soon after the two girls entered. Hajin led Minji expertly through the courtyard of the large house and took her to the bedroom, where she had been living with her new family for the first few days since their accident. It was something neither of them would get used to. 

Once in the safety of her bedroom, Hajin heaved a confused sigh, plopping down on her bed. "Did...did that boy just confess to me?" She asked Minji, shooting her a look of utter confusion. "I thought he hated us." She then pointed out, making reference to not even a day before, when the two girls had gotten into a very public fight with the tenth prince. Then, he seemed to really dislike them. So much that he was willing to--and he swore that he would--hit them. In a span of about a night, he had now decided that he liked Hajin, and it had both girls confused.

Minji gave a shrug of her shoulders. "He still hates me, as you can see. He pretended to be nice and gave me a ride to your house, but he kept messing with the horse to scare me."

At that, her friend couldn't help but let out a small giggle, which she tried to stifle by covering her mouth. "I saw that. You looked so funny clinging onto that horse for dear life."

Minji shot her a glare in response. But then she cut the distance between them and sat on the bed beside her. She thought about her supposed sister Soon Deok, and how they had made a deal. She had to tell Hajin about it, and maybe her friend would help her. "Well, my Goryeo sister seems to be really into the shrimp prince. And I told her I would help her win him over. But if you're into him, then that might be a problem...I mean, you're my best friend. But...she's my sister."

Hajin gave a quick shake of her head and crinkled up her nose as she spoke. "I'm not into him, don't worry. I'm just trying to get out of here."

"Then its settled." Minji grinned at her response. "I figured a good deed like getting two people together is the least we can do while we're here."

The two girls saw a shadow pass their door and they didn't give it any importance. That was, until the door swung open and they were met with a girl, about their age, wearing a permanent scowl on her face. That scowl softened ever so slightly until a look of surprise to see Minji there with Hajin. "I thought I heard your voice. What are you doing in her room, Hak Soon?" The girl asked, pursing her lips in displeasure as she regarded Hajin. Behind her was a group of about six handmaids to tend to her every beck and call. Just from seeing that, Minji gathered that the girl was important.

"I'm visiting my friend." Minji replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. She then placed her hand on Hajin's lap comfortably. They had been friends since primary school in the present times. But in Goryeo times, it was strange for people who knew them to see them together. The two girls were apparently supposed to be like polar opposites.

By now, she was used to responding whenever someone called her Hak Soon. If she was honest, the name was even beginning to grow on her. It was the name she would have to go by as long as she was still in Goryeo.

The girl widened her eyes at Minji with surprise, and then scoffed. "We're not friends with her."

She went forward and grabbed Minji's hand, pulling her off the bed. Without a word to either of them, she led Minji out of the room. She shot her friend looks and mouthed to her 'save me!' but Hajin whispered back that she'd better go with her, and that she'd find her later.

The girl led Minji to a terrace that overlooked the entire courtyard of the house, where she was having tea with Jung. The fourteenth prince smiled wide and rose from his chair when he saw them enter. He first pulled Minji in for a tight hug, while Minji just went limp in his arms. She really had no familiarity with any of them. At least not enough to show them that type of affection yet. "Your sister said you were coming here to see Yeon Hwa noona, so I decided to have some tea with the two of you today. Then I thought we could go into town again." He said with excitement shining in his eyes as he thought about going into town. The princes didn't get to go out and have fun often, since they had their duties to take care of.

As they pulled away, Minji tried to mask the clear confusion on her face. She didn't know anyone named Yeon Hwa. But if she had to make a guess, she would say that it was the girl that had taken her away from Hajin a few moments ago.

"When Chae Ryung told me Hak Soon was here, I figured she was here to see me." Yeon Hwa said as though it were obvious. The three of them sat at the table and a maid quickly arrived to serve their tea. She then placed three small cookies in each of their plates. Minji eyed them hungrily as Yeon Hwa continued with her little story. "When I found her, she was with Hae Soo. Why's that girl suddenly interested in talking to Hak Soon?"

"Wasn't she that girl from the private baths?" Jung asked calmly, taking a sip of his tea.

"Yes." Yeon Hwa nodded her head, with clear annoyance towards Hajin.

"If I may ask," Minji began, trying very hard to keep herself from showing her displeasure towards Yeon Hwa. She seemed to be on good terms with Jung, and Minji appreciated Jung. "What did Hae Soo do to you that has you disliking her so much?"

Yeon Hwa heaved a sigh, as thought not knowing where to begin. "She arrived here a few months ago to help care for my sister in law Myung Hee. But all she's done is cause trouble from the start. Most recently she was spying on my brothers in the private baths. Remember, Hak Soon? One of our servants came to tell us so you rushed over there to arrest her."

Of course, Minji remembered none of it. But her words were indication of what her relation to Jung and the other princes was. She was their sister, and that meant that she was a princess.

Jung informed his sister. "Hak Soon lost her memory. She doesn't remember anything. Not even who she is."

Yeon Hwa gasped at the news. "Are you okay?" She asked Minji.

"I'm fine." Minji mumbled a response.

"How'd you get here anyway?" Jung wondered. "You don't remember how to ride a horse."

"I tried to walk over here." Minji explained, recalling the events of that morning. "Then I ran into your brother Eun, and he surprisingly gave me a ride here on his horse."

Now Jung was the one who was surprised. "My hyung?"

Minji nodded her head. 

"Pardon me saying this," He started, before he made his statement. "But he hates you. Why would he do that?"

Now there was a shrug coming from Minji. Yeon Hwa was also surprised. That she knew of, Eun and Hak Soon never really interacted with each other. Eun liked to spend a lot of time either at his mother's house, playing games at the palace by himself or, spending out with Baek-ah and Jung. He never had any real interaction with Hak Soon to decide if he hated her or not.

"I was surprised too." Minji said, not taking any offense to Jung's words. Hate was a strong way to put it. But she and Eun really didn't like each other. "But then he kept messing with the horse to make me motion sick, and when we got there he confessed his undying love for Hae Soo. So that's probably why. He probably wanted to get on her good side since we're friends."

Yeon Hwa corrected her last statement. "You probably don't remember, Hak Soon-ah. But we're not friends with her."

"She's right." Jung sided with Yeon Hwa.

He didn't exactly hate Hajin, since he didn't really know her that well. But he already wasn't too keen on her, since she had supposedly been spying on him and his brothers when they were bathing.

Minji once again gave a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know. She seemed nice, in my opinion." They would surely not believe her if she said she knew Hajin from before, or from another life. For now, she would pretend that it was just a new and growing friendship. 

-

After having tea with Yeon Hwa, Minji didn't have the chance to see Hajin again because Jung led her out of the eighth prince's house. He helped her onto the horse he had arrived on, and climbed on behind her, just like Eun had. Except Jung didn't try to make her motion sick like his older brother. The ride into town was instead a pleasant one.

But instead of going into town, Jung took a turn and headed into the forest, to a place Minji had never seen before.

They went by horse for about ten minutes until they reached a secluded place, hidden behind a row of trees. Minji heard running water and Jung stopped, jumping off the horse and helping her climb off. He was so attentive and helpful with her, treating her with utmost care, unlike the little tenth prince. He tied the horse's reign to a tree and then led her, weaving through the leafy branches, until they saw it.

A magnificent lake clear water lake with a little waterfall. At the edges of the water were boulders as big as people, the lake side was wet and muddy. The smell of earth and musk filled her senses. It was unlike anything she had seen before in the present time. A small piece of paradise, hidden behind the trees and the buzzing of the market and its people just a fifteen minute horse ride away.

"Wow, Jung oppa." Minji said in amazement, her eyes trying to take in everything that was part of her surroundings. "This is beautiful."

"I knew you'd like it." He grinned with satisfaction at her. Then he added with a hint of pride and nostalgia in his words at the old memories he was recalling. "We used to come here a lot when we were younger--you and me. We found this place together and promised we wouldn't tell anyone about it. When you left town for your martial arts training, I came here everyday to relive old times."

He took her by the hand and led her further down, closer to the water. They stopped by the water's edge, where Minji leaned against a large boulder, admiring the clear water, and the canopy of trees above that allowed just enough sun to give them light. 

Jung let go of her hand and proceeded to strip himself of his clothes, taking her by surprise. First one layer of clothes, then another, until he was down to merely a pair of pants like the ones he used in the bath when he brothers were there. Minji almost fainted at the thought that he would take it all off.

"What are you doing?" She said, almost yelling all too startled by his sudden movements. Her hands moved up to cover her eyes. Her face burned madly with a blush.

He chuckled at her shyness. "We used to do this all the time when we were kids. I don't understand."

"That was when we were kids." Minji pointed out, her hands still securely covering her face. "We're older now, Jung oppa."

He nodded in agreement with her. "Yes, but its not like we'll swim naked. I'm still keeping my last layer of pants on. And your hanbok surely has like five layers. Just wear the last one underneath."

"Six layers." Minji corrected him. 

It had taken her maids about a half hour to dress her. Socks, then an under skirt, an over skirt, an under blouse, a blouse, an under vest, and last her over vest. And then of course they had done her hair into an intricate updo. So much work for her to ruin it in just a few minutes, so early in the morning.

"You go ahead, Jung-ah." She smiled at him politely. "I'll sit here for once and admire the scenery."

He tried to convince her, but was unable to. He eventually gave up and dived into the lake while Minji sat on a boulder by the side, watching him. If she could see so many beautiful places like that in Goreyo, she knew her time there would be well spent.

-

a new chapter for you all, since i will now have a bit more free time. i graduated from the university yesterday. im sad, but very happy at the same time. those were the best years of my life. i loved my school and im thinking of going back there for graduate school. but of course i would like to take a semester or a year off.

if i don't get the teaching in korea job, i'll just stay here and work and then continue with my education. but that was a boring snippet of my life.

i hope you're all having a wonderful day!

-clary