When the tiger finally met with Yuna's eyes, she froze. The pose and aura that it emitted was just something she could not comprehend. Her feet were locked on the ground, her arms could not move, and she held her breath. As if doing that would make the white tiger ignore her and go on its way. She instinctively grabbed her handphone from her baggy pants and unlocked it using her fingerprint.
She was about to research what she is supposed to do to escape white tigers; if this were a dream, indeed, it would work.
Song Yuna partially bent her legs, and she could feel them trembling in fear.
When the white tiger moved, she felt that she was about to pass out. Her eyes lost focus, and everything was blurry. She could only unlock her phone using her fingerprint, but there were no signal or wireless connections in the area. The tiny bit of hope that she was holding onto finally disappeared.
"Sister," A voice suddenly called her that made her come back to reality. "Are you okay?"
Yuna was able to snap herself back to reality, and when she widely opened her round eyes, the white tiger she saw was out of her sight anymore. The feelings of fear and anxiety disappeared in a split second when she sighed in relief. She turned her head, looking around the area, and thought she heard things. Yuna was so sure that the area did not have any humans in it.
"I'm here," The same adorable and girly voice spoke; Yuna felt someone tugging her baggy pants.
When Yuna looked down, she finally saw a cute little girl, who seemed to be around ten years of age. Her eyes were as pure as the water, and her eyebrows were naturally shaped. Her face shape was similar to that of an egg, and her overall facial features looked well balanced. A pretty young lady was what Yuna would say; if she were not dreaming, she would urge this kid to audition to an entertainment agency to become an actress or an idol.
The little girl's clothing caught her attention. It was a plain red traditional overcoat and a long plain skirt and was made up of cotton. Her outfit screamed commoner in her whole face and outfit if they were in a historical era.
It does not seem like the Joseon era, but probably the Goryeo era or just after the three kingdoms were united. Since this was a dream and Yuna would definitely wake up soon, she decided to get to know the kid and asked her name.
"Sister, my name is Rin," The little girl responded with her sharp-looking eyes. They looked pretty as she did not have any double eyelids and looked like a traditional Korean girl.
"What are you doing here, little Rin?" Yuna asked the young girl and squatted to make eye contact with her. She wiped her nose that was filled with dirt and smiled, "Where did you go that you looked so messy?"
Rin showed a pile of tiny ginsengs on her hands. She looked very proud of what she has done, and that made Yuna think how hard it must have been for a ten-year-old girl, "Sister, I found these white ginsengs in the mountains, and I am going to sell them to market to buy some food and medicine for my family." Her cheerful smile suddenly turned into something different. She looked worried, "Sister. I thought you were going to pass out earlier. You looked pale, and your eyes lost focus."
Even in her dream, people are still struggling with life. A ten-year-old girl went to the mountain to look for ginsengs to sell to the markets. Yuna's heart ached as she imagined how a young kid like her has born to take responsibility for her family and made her sad.
Awkwardly laughing, Yuna patted Rin's head and said, "Oh, sorry for worrying you! It was just that I saw a white tiger earlier, and it got me scared. But it disappeared all of a sudden. Maybe I was just hallucinating, though."
"Sister, you saw the mythical white tiger?" Rin's eyes sparkled when she heard Yuna talk about the white tiger. "Really?"
Yuna bobbed her head up and down as a response, "Y-yes, but maybe I just saw things—"
"No, sister! You were not seeing things!" Rina exclaimed as she jumped up and down, containing her excitement, "This mountain is infamous for having the mythical white tiger roam around because it protects this mountain. But not all are blessed to be able to see the white tigers!"
"I-is that s-so?" Sweat trickled down from Yuna's forehead. The scorching heat has started to dwell in her. "I am not quite sure about seeing it,"
"I think you did, sister," Rin looked like a cheerful girl behind the worries she experienced as a child. "Seeing the mythical white tiger means something really great!"
"I see," Yuna responded as she looked over the neighboring town beneath the mountains they were at. "Perhaps, you are going to that town, Rin?"
"Yes," Rin bobbed her head up and down and enthusiastically smiled. "I am going to the market to sell my ginsengs, yippie! I am so happy! By the way, sister, why do your clothes look out of place?"
"What do you mean?"
"You are wearing something I have never seen before," Rin continued as she scratched her temples. "Are you from the land ruled by the Song Dynasty?"
"Song Dynasty?" Yuna mimicked Rin, and her brain went to process the whole situation.
It made sense. It seemed like Yuna was in a dream that was so realistic that she noticed how Rin wore traditional clothes, just as how the town looked like it was from a historical drama. Everything and including the whole place and area, was traditional.
It doesn't matter what dynasty she was in; Yuna just wanted to wake up from this dream and return to where she came from.