"Cursed man! This will definitely leave a scar." A feminine voice said angrily.
"Upon my word, sis, I never knew you could talk like that." Jun-Ho said, his eyes widening in surprise as well as admiration.
"Oh, shut up!" the young woman snapped. "Look, she's waking up." She added quickly, seeing Yoon-Yi's eyes fluttering open.
Yoon-Yi squinted her eyes, trying to see where she was. She could hear voices, but not being able to see the people talking made her feel uneasy.
It took a few moments before her vision became clear, and her eyes fell on the face of a young woman, not older than she was, with beautiful brown hair and light brown eyes. Her skin was so white, Yoon-Yi felt momentarily blinded by it. The woman was wearing the same type of traditional dress but decorated with brighter colors. Blue, pink, and yellow combined to create a beautiful mixture, highlighting the woman's delicate features.
Yoon-Yi blinked a few times, clearing her eyes from the remnants of sleep. Turning her head slightly she saw Jun-Ho sitting on the floor with his legs crossed underneath him. He had a soft smile on his lips and his features glowed with kindness. Yoon-Yi felt her chest tightening and she looked away quickly.
Right behind him sat Shin, his arms crossed, and his brows furrowed. His black eyes looked like a pair of coals ready to ignite. Yoon-Yi felt a shiver going through her tired body.
'Such a contrast between the two men.' Yoon-Yi thought hazily. 'One looks like an Angel on Earth, warm and kind to everybody, while the other resembles a Demon bound to bring destruction.'
She could not explain why those thoughts occurred to her. Her mind was still blurry, and she found it difficult to focus. When she tried to push herself up a sharp pain on the side of her neck brought back all the memories from earlier events. Her hand immediately shot up and she felt the skin around the wound. Someone had tried to treat it with oils and herbs, but it was still painful. The wound throbbed and stung whenever she tried to move.
"You shouldn't be moving yet. The wound needs more time to heal." The young woman said kindly.
Despite the softness in her voice, Yoon-Yi flinched, her eyes widening in fright.
"W-Where am I?" she asked in a hoarse voice. Her throat was dry, making it painful to speak.
"You're at our house." The woman said. "You're safe now, don't be afraid." She added softly, seeing the flash of fear in Yoon-Yi's eyes.
"O-our?" Yoon-Yi barely managed to ask, confusion enveloping her features. She looked from the woman to Jun-Ho and back again, ignoring Shin completely.
"Yes, my brother's and mine. This is our family house. I am Jung-Hee, Jun-Ho's younger sister." She finished with a bright smile.
Yoon-Yi stared at her for a moment. That smiled would have warmed the coldest of hearts and she soon found herself smiling as well. She felt sad and comforted all at the same time. Tears pricked her eyes and she turned her head slowly. As if understanding her feelings, Jung-Hee lowered her head.
Grateful for the chance to compose herself, Yoon-Yi took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes quickly. Her palms stung slightly, and she unfolded her fingers, staring blankly at her prickled skin. That is when she realized something. Her hands were empty.
"My pin." Yoon-Yi said with a gasp, desperately fumbling with her hands around her skirt, ignoring the shots of pain that coursed through her body.
"What?" Jung-Hee asked, confusion and worry laced in her soft voice. "Ah, you're talking about this?" she asked, finally realizing what the other girl was searching for.
From the folds of her skirt, Jung-Hee took out the silver hairpin. Its red flower was sparkling even more beautifully in the daylight.
Yoon-Yi grabbed it quickly and held it close to her chest. She closed her eyes for a second, breathing in deeply. She was safe now; she had this familiar object with her. Despite the irrationality of the idea, Yoon-Yi had started thinking that her arrival to this place might somehow be connected to this mysterious and beautiful object. There was no way to prove it, to be sure, but for now she felt at ease having something recognizable in her hands.
"That is a beautiful piece of jewelry." Jung-Hee said, gesturing towards the hairpin.
"T-Thank you." Yoon-Yi said in a small voice. She was clutching the object even tighter in her hands, as if afraid someone might take it away from her.
"When you're feeling better, I will help you put it on." Jung-Hee said with another bright smile, her eyes twinkling merrily. "Now, we shall leave you to rest. I'll be back later with some food."
And with that she slowly got up and ushered the two men to leave the room. They all left in silence, closing the door behind them.
Yoon-Yi was now alone. Pushing herself up, she glanced around the room. It looked like a traditional bedroom, the type she had only seen in movies. The walls were made out of wood and thick paper, the doors had iron rings as handles. On the far side wall there was a short cabinet made out of dark wood and decorated with golden patterns. A white vase was perched on top of it, containing a long-leafed flower.
Yoon-Yi's eyes took everything in. Her thoughts were a whirlwind, making her more confused with each passing moment. She looked down at her body. Her clothes were torn and dirty. A pang of guilt shot through her heart seeing what has become of her grandmother's dress.
Moving slightly, she felt something soft underneath her. Looking closely, she saw that a mattress and a cover had been laid out for her to sleep on. She brushed her fingers over the mattress, feeling the softness of the fabric. It was silk, the best one.
'Where on Earth have I landed?' She thought.
She was puzzled beyond measure. The room with its decorations, the people, their attire, everything suggested one answer, but she refused to accept it. Then again, she had read and seen enough to convince her that it was either the genuine stuff or…
'Wait a moment.' She pondered, grasping at the last string of hope left. 'Are these people filming a movie or a drama and I somehow landed in the middle of it? But then again, why not tell me? I didn't know you could become an actor just like that, by simply finding yourself on a set.'
Yoon-Yi let out a deep sigh. She could feel a headache forming in the back of her head that had nothing to do with injury. There was no other way to go about it but ask those people for the truth.
***
Two hours later Jung-Hee came back into the room carrying a tray filled with bowls of rice and side dishes. She was followed by Shin, who remained standing right beside the door, while Jung-Hee gently placed the tray in front of Yoon-Yi.
"I've brought you something to eat." Jung-Hee said in a low voice. "In the evening, the doctor will come to take a look at your wound. I've tried my best, but I am no professional." She finished with a sheepish smile.
"Where are we?" Yoon-Yi asked, ignoring the food completely.
"I told you, we are at my family's house." Jung-Hee replied patiently.
"No." Yoon-Yi said, shaking her head slowly. "I mean where are we in the country? What place?"
"Ah. This is Chungcheong province."
Yoon-Yi visibly relaxed, letting out a breath she did not even know she was holding.
All this time Shin was staring at her fixedly. Even though he had not said anything, she could feel his stares burning holes in her face. She wished he would look away or, better yet, leave the room.
For an instant she wondered where Jung-Ho was. At least he was warm and kind looking, but then she mentally shook her head. Now was not the time to attach herself to anyone.
Yoon-Yi remained quiet, looking down at her hands. She twirled the hairpin between her fingers, as if the activity would give her courage to ask the question she was most eager to ask.
"What year are we in?"
Again, she held her breath, this time fully conscious of doing it.
"We're in the third year of King Munjong's reign. The third month is about to begin." Jung-Hee said matter-of-factly.
At her words Yoon-Yi's brain froze, her eyes glazed over, and she could not see properly. In a fraction of a second her face turned paper-white and her fingers clenched tighter around the hairpin. Due to the pressure, her knuckles soon turned the same shade of white as her face. Yoon-Yi's breath caught momentarily, and she felt like she was drowning all over again, her only lifeboat being the silver object in her hand. She felt her own blood pounding in her ears and a strangled sob escaped her lips.
"You have to be kidding me. You mean to say, I am in Joseon now?" she said in barely more than a whisper.
"Y-Yes." Jung-Hee said, concerned by the sudden paleness on Yoon-Yi's face. She turned to Shin, looking puzzled and worried, but he remained quiet, his eyes not leaving Yoon-Yi's features.
"This cannot be. This is impossible. Surely this must be a joke or something. Maybe I am on hidden camera or someone decided to play a prank. This is not good; this is not funny." Yoon-Yi continued, her rambles interrupted from time to time by violent sobs. She felt the anxiety rising in her chest, like a monster rearing its head, making it impossible to breathe or think properly.
Yoon-Yi was not good at dealing with unexpected situations or changes, and the circumstances she was currently finding herself in, were as unforeseen as one can imagine and would bring about a great change in her life.
All of a sudden, she sprang to her feet, ignoring Jung-Hee's loud protests, as well as the pain she felt from her neck wound.
"I need to get out of here." she said as desperation gripped her tighter. She wanted to get out, to breathe fresh air and find herself back at her grandfather's house.
Pushing past Jung-Hee she ran towards the door, only to be blocked by Shin. He stretched his hands and stepped in front of the exit.
"You cannot go out now." He said in a low, cold voice.
"Get out of my way." Yoon-Yi said with difficulty. Talking made her feel sick to her stomach. She just wanted to get out.
"Go back to bed and stay there until you calm down." Shin continued to talk in the same monotone, unfeeling voice.
"Shin, perhaps we should let her…" Jung-Hee started but was reduced to silence by one of Shin's piercing looks.
It was a warning to stay out of it and Jung-Hee understood it fully well. Shin was not indifferent at that moment, he was angry. For some reason, Yoon-Yi's change of countenance made him more upset than she had seen him in a long time. She raised her eyebrows slightly, baffled by Shin's unexpected show of emotion.
Meanwhile, Shin was keeping Yoon-Yi at bay with one arm, trying to hold her from reaching the door. She was pressing against him, desperately trying to push him out of the way.
"You won't get past me, so unless you want to get hurt, I suggest you go back to bed and rest. Once you have calmed down, you may be allowed to go outside." He finished with a pointed glare, shoving Yoon-Yi once again.
A sudden surge of anger crossed through Yoon-Yi's body, so powerful that for a moment it surpassed the growing anxiety. His scowling face, those burning, uncaring black eyes, his condescending tone, everything about him made her seethe with anger.
'Good, angry is good. I can deal with anger. I cannot deal with being scared, but I can definitely deal with being angry.' She chanted to herself, taking in a shuddery breath.
"Would you get out of my way you… you… "
She almost said 'animal' but caught herself in time. After all, she still had enough decency as to refrain from such name calling. Instead, she went for the next best thing.
"You arrogant, self-important fool!" she threw at him spitefully.
Shin's eyes flashed dangerously with an anger of his own. He was known to have a temper as well and not many were left unscathed after dealing with him when he was upset. The strange part was that it usually took a lot for someone to get him into this state of fury. Name-calling and the likes didn't even manage to scratch the surface.
'This girl is definitely pushing it.' He thought to himself, trying to refrain from doing anything rash. Instead, he caught her arms tightly, wrenching her hands so hard that she wobbled on her feet.
"Woman, for once just do as you're told!" He spat.
"WOMAN?!" Yoon-Yi screeched at him, pushing all her remaining energy into yelling at him instead of physically fighting the man. "Don't you call me woman you… you… you MAN!" she bit out, but then realized what she had said and mentally slapped herself.
'Seriously? Yoon-Yi, was that the best you come up with?' She berated herself.
Shin raised an eyebrow, completely caught by surprise. Even he had expected something more… colorful than that. His grip slackened slightly, and Yoon-Yi immediately took advantage of it. Wriggling and jerking her wrist violently she finally managed to release her arm from his hold. A second later, her hand was raised and smacked Shin across the face, leaving a red imprint of her fingers.
Shin looked thoroughly shocked. He never saw it coming. His eyes went wide, and in a daze he raised his hand to touch his cheek. It burned and he was sure the mark was very visible on his pale face. He looked at Yoon-Yi and realized even she was slightly surprised by her actions.
They heard a soft gasp from where Jun-Hee was standing. She had both her palms pressed over her mouth and her eyes were wide in surprise, glancing between Shin and Yoon-Yi anxiously.
Despite being shocked, Yoon-Yi was evidently not regretful at all, because as soon as she removed her hand from Shin's cheek, she tried to push past him again. This time though, he simply shuffled sideways and hit the back of her head in one swift move. Yoon-Yi fell to the floor, remaining unconscious.
"Shin!" Jung-Hee cried out. "How could you do that?! What if you hurt her?" she rebuked him, while throwing herself at Yoon-Yi's side and checking her body carefully. "Oh, thank heavens, she's breathing." She sighed in relief.
"I merely touched one of her energy points to quiet her down. She'll live." Shin said viciously, glaring at Yoon-Yi's unconscious form.
'Unfortunately.' His mind supplied.
"Still, you could have…"
But what he could have done was not heard because at that moment Jun-Ho entered the room in a flutter of robes. It was clear that he had changed his attire from this morning and was now glowing with cheerfulness. Upon entering and sensing the tension in the room, his eyebrows furrowed in a small frown.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
Then as if to answer him, he caught sight of Yoon-Yi lying unconscious on the floor. He gazed up at his sister and then at Shin. The slap mark was getting bright red and Jung-Ho put the pieces together with the speed of light.
"How could you do this?" he rounded up on Shin, crossing his arms menacingly. His joyful attitude was long gone, being replaced with a mixture of annoyance and frustration.
"Who says it was me?" Shin said, crossing his arms as well, staring back into Jung-Ho's eyes.
"Oh, don't give me that!" Jung-Ho said impatiently. "I know you all too well. Honestly, man, I leave you with her for ten minutes and this happens?!" Jung-Ho finished, throwing both his hands up in exasperation.
"Very well then. Next time you need a babysitter, don't call me." Shin bit out.
Huffing and glaring at Jung-Ho, he turned on his heels and stormed out of the room.
'Bloody annoying woman!' He rambled silently as he crossed the rooms and hallway, glaring at anyone who passed him by.