"What are you, sister?" Rin continued to ask. "I don't think you are from this world."
That was the moment Rin finally realized that that was it.
Will she finally come back to the real world? Rin finally said the magic word to her.
Yuna closed her eyes in anticipation that the same blinding light would appear to her. But when she waited for a few minutes, nothing happened. And when she opened her eyes, she saw little Rin staring at her like she was a madwoman.
'I am still here.' Song Yuna muttered under her breath.
Someone saying that she was not from here was not the trigger for her to 'wake up' and come back to where she came from?
"Sister, are you okay?" Rin asked, looking at Yuna like a worried mom. This young little girl was too mature for her age that Yuna thought how the world was too cruel for a girl like her to be that way.
Or maybe Rin being mature for her age is a great thing.
"Yes, I am still okay," Yuna answered with a smile.
"Sister, you have to tell me if you really are okay," Rin insisted as she tried to stand on her toes only to reach her shoulder. "You have not told me your name, sister. Do you not trust me?"
"Of course, I trust you, Rin," Yuna bent her upper body and cupped Rin's cheeks. "You are too adorable. I just forgot to introduce myself to you. My name is Song Yuna; call me Sister Yuna."
"Okay, sister Yuna," Rin grinned, and that made Yuna's heart squeal. She always wanted to have a younger sister or brother.
Yuna was so set in trying to find restaurants that offer free foods that her stomach growled a lot. She was already hungry from all the walking she did and wanted to eat. When she looked around, she realized that she lost Rin along the way.
Her eyes went rounder as she tried to trace where they walked, trying to find Rin. Instead of finding Rin, her feet led her to a small stall made up of wood when she met gaze with the stall owner, who seemed to have just opened and arranged her piles of dumplings in a neat order inside the bamboo dumpling steamer.
The smell of the dumpling almost made Yuna go crazy. The scent was definitely mild, but one could imagine the filling of every dumpling. She could just imagine the combination of meat and vegetable filling inside the dumpling. She was craving for it since yesterday's final evaluation for the group members.
Even though Yuna knew she did not have any money, she stood in front of the stall and stared at how neatly the dumplings were arranged. It was certainly looking very appetizing that she just wanted to eat all of it.
"Beautiful young lady," The dumpling owner looked delighted to have Yuna standing and gawking in front of her dumplings. "These are freshly cooked steamed dumplings you have got to enjoy! Do you want one?"
"I have one coin, but," Yuna said as she became worried about the silver coins slash five-hundred won she had in the present times. Even though it was most likely impossible, she tried her luck. She showed the coins that were on her palms and continued, "I come from the Song Dynasty, and these coins are used for trading there."
"Wait, really?" The female dumpling owner's eyes went round went she received the five hundred won coming from Yuna. "Are you from the Song Dynasty, young lady?"
"Yes, I am," Yuna lied. At the back of her mind, she was now becoming even better at lying. "Don't you see my hip and trendy outfit?"
"Hip and trendy?" The owner mimicked how Yuna pronounced those words as she scanned her from head to toe. "I noticed you wearing an unfamiliar set of clothes, young lady. I think you are telling the truth."
Yuna became even more shameless and flaunted her outfit, placing both of her hands behind her head with a smirk on her face. It was as if she was doing a modeling pose for a certain fashion magazine. She had always practiced how she should present herself to others as an idol trainee, which was why she was so good at it.
Of course, she was not good at it on the first try. She always practiced, practiced, and practiced. The never-ending practice and being in front of the mirror paid off. Yuna believed that it was their job to charm people since they were always required to do it.
"Since this coin is from Song Dynasty," The dumpling owner held the coin with her index and thumb finger, "I will give you twenty dumplings in exchange."
"Really, ma'am?" Yuna became so enthusiastic as she would finally be able to taste dumplings for the first time in three months. "I would receive twenty dumplings?"
"Of course!" The dumpling owner was now smiling so brightly. "I got these coins from Song Dynasty after all! I can give you more but will settle only for twenty dumplings. Are you okay with that, young lady?"
"Yes! I am more than happy to receive these dumplings!" It was now Yuna's turn to grin as she watched the lady put twenty dumplings in a paper bag. "Thank you, auntie."
After Yuna received the dumplings, her immediate goal was to find Rin, give her some food to eat, and leave this place. She had no idea how but she knew that she was not dreaming anymore, and staying here any longer in an unknown world would be dangerous for her.
As she walked several meters away from the dumpling stall she exchanged her 500-won at, she could hear the voice of the female auntie calling her names, "You swindler! Please give me back those dumplings! You're nothing and did not come from the Song Dynasty! HOW DARE YOU LIE TO MEEEEE?!"
And just with that, Yuna immediately ran for her life.