.ninety six.

-

She saw that a king named Seongjong came into power and her tears flowed from her eyes once more as she read the name in parenthesis next to his monarch name. Wang Soo Hyun.

-

Minji was kept in observation at the hospital for another week before she was finally discharged, and no one was ever found that was a relative of hers. The doctors and nurses tried, but she had explained that there was no way that they could ever find her husband. After a while, the doctor and the nurses at the hospital stopped trying to get more information out of her in regards to her family.

But when she was released, she knew she had her apartment waiting for her and she knew exactly where it was located. When she returned after more than a year of absence, her landlord informed her that the apartment was still intact. She thought he would have thrown her stuff out and rented out the apartment, which would have been understandable, considering that she disappeared suddenly and without a trace. But he then reminded her that she had automatic payments on the apartment. The money was being taken out directly from her bank account for a whole year, and when the money was insufficient from her checking account, they started taking it from her savings. 

The nurses had explained to her with further detail what had happened the day she was brought in. 

They said she and Hajin had been brought into the hospital, barely alive. Both of them had almost drowned in the lake when the eclipse hit, and the paramedics had been able to get them out once the sun had come back out. Hajin had some heart complications and had been pronounced dead on arrival, but the doctors had managed to restart her heart and stabilize her. Her condition was fragile ever since. Minji had been more stable, as she had ingested less lake water than her friend. But the two girls had strangely fallen into a coma, something unusual for most patients.

When Minji asked if she could see her friend, the nurses allowed it, and Minji visited her every day, even after she was released from the hospital. Hajin still had not woken up and Minji thought that it was strange how things were panning out. She was back in the present, woken up from her coma, when she was killed in Goryeo. While Hajin was still alive back in Goryeo, but was in a coma in their present time. She thought that it had to be connected somehow. That had to mean that their past lives and their present lives were linked. But Minji knew no one would believe her if she tried to explain it. Her doctor would likely think they were hallucinations of her coma.

Going back to her old life was difficult at first, especially considering what her job involved. She was an entertainment journalist and had been out of the loop for a whole year. When it all happened, when she jumped into that lake to save her friend, it had been April 7th, 2012. Now it was late October of the next year, which meant she had been away for a bit over a year. Things in the entertainment industry had likely changed, she knew that much. Even the day she had her accident at the lake, she had been preparing for an interview with a debuting SM Entertainment group. They were going to have their debut showcase the next morning, and it was her job to get an interview with the members.

She wondered if the group had even made it. Were they still even relevant? She didn't even remember the group name, it had been so long ago, an eternity to her, since she felt like six years of her life had passed her by. 

Once she got settled back into her apartment, she called up her boss, relieved that he still had the same phone number. He was surprised to hear from her, as he said that one day she just stopped showing up to work and no one knew where she went. But he was understanding and offered to give her the job back. He did explain to her that he had given her assignment for the new SM Entertainment group to another co-worker, and Minji said that she understood. While she got back into the swing of things, he offered to let her shadow her co-worker Mina as she covered the group. Then, depending on how things went, she would be giving her solo assignments. 

Minji accepted the deal in a heart beat.

Another thing that she almost couldn't get used to was the fact that she had her sight back. It was both strange, and beautiful, and she found that she could appreciate the little things more. Like the colors of flowers, or the blue in the sky. Everything seemed more vibrant and appealing to her. 

As the beginning of November came around, she heard that there would be a special exhibit at a nearby museum. 

Normally, she would have found it only slightly interesting. Probably nothing that would catch her attention too much. But it seemed that the exhibit had been tailored for her to trigger her memories. It was an exhibit showcasing the early years of Korea. Specifically the Goryeo era. Her heart fluttered in her chest wildly as memories that she had been trying to bury came rushing back into her mind like a hurricane. She didn't want to forget them--her husband and her kids--she really didn't. And they were always in the back of her mind. But it hurt so much to think about them constantly, knowing she could never see them again, so she tried not to think about it as much anymore. 

Minji wanted to go, but put it off for days, knowing that she would be a crying mess if she saw anything familiar to what she lived. But she also wanted to confirm if what had happened was all true. And if it was, she wanted to know what had happened to her children, her sister, what happened to Goryeo after she and Eun were gone. Did Yo continue being king, and for how long? She also worried for Jung. He had the protection of his mother, but for how long? Perhaps jealousy would get the best of Yo and he would retaliate against his youngest brother. She knew she could expect anything from someone as hate filled as Yo.

She finally got her ticket for the exhibit and was not surprised when she found the gallery to be empty of visitors. Everyone knew about the history of Korea from the early days, it was the very first thing that children learned in primary school. For other people it was old news, and even for Minji it might have been, a year ago. Now she walked into the gallery with hesitance, a bit scared of what she might find in there.

Her heart stopped in her chest as she saw a painting of King Taejo by the entrance of the gallery. The plaque underneath described him as the first ruler of Korea, as well as a good and wise king. Minji could not fully agree, since she had known him first hand and experienced how bad he had been to her. But a part of her understood him as Eun's father. He wanted was was best for his son, and any parent would have been mad if their son's betrothed were rumored to want to run off with his son's brother. He had been wrong about it, but she knew his intentions for Eun were good ones and she had learned to forgive him for disliking her, and even for taking her sight from her.

As she went along, the paintings and plaques described Taejo's early life. How he had fought against the nations of Silla and Baekje to put Goryeo on top. How he had essentially built their entire nation all on his own. Then it went on to talk about his marriages, and Minji almost wanted to turn around and leave the gallery when she reached the section about his children. 

The Princes and Princesses of Early Goryeo, the sign above the designated section read.

The very first visible painting was of Wang Mu. But as she walked further into the section of the gallery, her eyes began to fill with tears at the familiar faces that she saw. They were all there--Mu, Baek-ah, Jung, Han, Yeon Hwa, Yo, Won, Wook, So, and Eun. She felt her whole heart shatter into a thousand pieces when she saw him. It was really him, exactly the way that she remembered him when they were teenagers in Goryeo. The childish round face, the little mischievous smile, the kindness in his eyes. He was her Eun, and there was no way she could have made him up in her mind now. The boy in the painting was exactly the same as she remembered him.

Last painting of the royal siblings together.

It was a painting of all of them sat together, none of them fighting, none of them hating one another. They were just siblings there and from what she could tell, the painting dated back to a bit just before she and Eun got married. Probably even a bit before they had announced their marriage to each other, making both Eun and Jung rivals for her love. Other than that one painting and one where he appeared with Han, which Minji had seen at his mother's house, he had only been in a total of two paintings of that gallery.

She would find one more later, but this one was in a section which talked about the lives of the princes who were not eligible for the throne. The plaque explained that these royals lived calm lives, and there was a glass case with every day items that could be found in their houses. 

In the case, she saw the items she had in her special box spread out over a white table. Her silver hair pins Jung had given her for her birthday, the mirror Yeon Hwa gave her, the silk ball Eun gave her for her fifteenth birthday, and every present after that. But what most caught her attention from there was the small notebook sized painting Eun had gotten made for her on the last birthday they celebrated together. She could not see it back then, but she knew it was the thought that counted. Now her heart was pounding against her chest as she saw the two figured in the painting. A young couple--a handsome prince who would never be king, and his wife, the daughter of the grand general. They stood side by side together, with his eyes side glancing at her lovingly. 

At that point, Minji could not hold back neither her tears nor her sobs. That girl in the painting was definitely her. There was no way to deny it. And the boy in the painting was her husband, her Eun. By some force she did not know about, she had been transported to the past and lived as Park Hak Soon. But she had also really been in a coma in the present.

In shock of it all, Minji brought her hands up to her face and sobbed uncontrollably.

As she continued walking, she paid less attention to the exhibit. It continued showing how after Yo, So had become king. He was king for ten years before a plague hit the country and his son took over. However, the plague also got to him, and to various other nobles and royals. The plague had been ruthless and wiped out all of the royal population, with the exception of Baek-ah, Jung, and Han. 

She grew more interest once again as the name Han was mentioned because she had left her children to his and Soon Deok's care. 

From there, she saw that a king named Seongjong came into power and her tears flowed from her eyes once more as she read the name in parenthesis next to his monarch name. Wang Soo Hyun. It was exactly as Ji Mong had mentioned to her and Eun one day. Soo Hyun had the star of a king. He was destined to have the throne one day, and though the odds were infinitely in his favor, as a son of the tenth prince, he had gotten there. She continued looking with interest at the information, learning a lot about the lives her her Soo Hyun, and even Jinki. Though, what she read about him didn't please her all that much. She had also been disappointed that there was little to no information about her two daughters Eun Bi and Eun Ji. 

But at least she knew it wasn't all just part of her imagination. She had those memories of Goryeo in her mind for a reason. She was Park Minji, but she was also Park Hak Soon. She knew in her heart that it was the truth.

-

an update for you all tonight because tomorrow im going to disneyland.

i didn't want to go too much into detail about jinki and the other children's lives because then it will spoil the events of "across the stars" for you guys. so you'll just have to read the story to find out what happens to the kids ;)

just about five more chapters before we really reach the end of the story. so close, guys. but i hope you have enjoyed reading every moment of it.

i certainly enjoyed writing it.

-clary