Song Yuna could not breathe.
Wait. The correct term would be 'Yuna was holding her breath.'
Why would she be holding her breath? It was not like they were going to kiss. She did not have to worry about her mouth not getting the right amount of fluoride since toothpaste tubes did not exist in this era.
Yuna just did not know why she was holding her breath. As she became conscious of how Min looked, she stared at his facial features. His side profile was definitely to die for.
His sharp eyes, tall nose, and his thick lips would entice any kind of woman. And even if Min was born in the present times, Yuna was so sure that he would be so popular.
Both of them tensed up when they could hear several footsteps outside the room.
They could hear the palace guard talking outside, "Take a look here in the chamber of the white tiger statue, too. They could be lurking around."
As Min stared at Yuna in the eye, she felt timid and embarrassed with how their faces and upper bodies were so close to each other. And when Min pursed his lips and put his index finger on it, Yuna could not help but stare at his luscious lips.
It was as if he was inviting him to kiss him—
'What kind of thoughts are you thinking, Song Yuna?!' She shook her head and closed her eyes, scolding herself for thinking about something else at this moment. They were about to get arrested by the palace guards and questioned if they happened to get caught.
Her chances of going home would be gone, forever.
Maybe not forever.
The door flew open. Min tightened his grasp with Yuna's hand as if she was his lifeline. Yuna felt so natural with him holding her hand that she did not even mind it.
Yuna could hear the footsteps going into the room. It was ringing in her ears. She did not know if her heart was beating fast because of the presence of the palace guards in the room or if it was because Min kept on holding his hand and clutched it like no other.
Her gaze lowered to his Adam's apple. For some reason, just looking at it bob up and down as he gulped out of nervosity looked sexy. Min turned to look at her, and she noticed him eyeing his lips before looking away.
"Keep low," Min told Yuna as she clutched her hands on his chest.
Yuna could feel Min's heart was beating fast as well. But she did not know if it was because he was nervous with the two of them being close together or because of the palace guards looking around the room.
Letting out a deep sigh to calm herself down, she could hear someone approaching them. The footsteps became nearer and nearer, and as Yuna held her breath, it stopped.
"Hey," One of the palace guards spoke. "We were told by our head to check another room."
And as Yuna could hear the sound of the footsteps getting fainter, she realized that both of them were out of danger as she could eventually hear the sound of the door being shut close.
"Do not move," Min instructed; his deep brown eyes looked pretty, and his poreless skin looked shiny and beautiful up close. "I will check everything first."
Min let go of Yuna's hand and shifted his body to look at the front. The only thing Yuna could do was observe Min's facial expression.
It looked as if Min saw a ghost. His lips parted, and his small and sharp eyes widened. Weird. She tugged Min's pinky finger and whispered, "I do not get scared of ghosts, Min. You should try to act better to fool me."
Min stood up and offered his hand to Yuna. He was such a gentleman, and that was what she definitely liked about Min. As she held his hand and used her little bit of strength to stand up, she became surprised at what she saw.
No, it was not a ghost.
When they thought that the palace guards already left, they did not. They were tricked, and the palace guards only pretended that they were already out of the room.
The most shocking thing was that Yuna saw a very important person in the palace. The man wore a jeogori (jacket) that reached below the waistline, and just like what men wear in traditional clothing, the collars were high, and the sleeves were narrow. Each collar, sleeve cuffs, and the end of the jeogori and long outer coat were lined in different colors. He wore waist belts and the narrow trousers tied with a cord that reached his ankles.
"Show your respect to the king of this area," One of the palace guards said.
Yuna just stared at the king wide-eyed. That man is the king of this nation, the king of Goguryeo?
And as Min bent his upper body slightly and did any eye contact with anyone, Yuna became puzzled. She observed the King's face, and she could tell that the fifth prince was a son of the king because they had the same trademark, thick eyebrows.
The colors of his eyes looked black-brown and definitely oozed the aura of the king. He looked noble, and his poise was something she would not dare to comment on.
"Insolent woman!" The palace guard began to yell as he took a step forward, "I asked you to show your respect to the king! What are you doing, woman? You dared to look into the eyes of the king—"
The king raised his hand, making the palace guard shut his mouth. His movement was slow, precise yet elegant at the same time. The corners of his mouth curled up as the king spoke in a charming baritone voice, "Palace guard. You should show your respect to the young lady as well."
The other palace guards bowed ninety degrees towards Yuna. She was taken aback about how the situation came into this.
"Pay respect to the high priestess who will summon the white tiger," The king announced; his voice was loud enough for everyone in the area to hear. "This young lady will be the answer to our problem! She will end the strife and unite the three kingdoms!"