"Nice to meet you, Crown Princess Ji-hoon of Arandal," Jin-seok greeted, standing up and extending his hand with a knowing smile.
Ji-hoon's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Na-ri, her face contorting with surprise and a hint of anger. "You! How did he find out?" she yelled, her voice echoing with frustration.
Na-ri, avoiding eye contact, stared intently above Jin-seok's head. "Is there anything on me, Your Highness?" Jin-seok asked, his voice calm yet inquisitive.
"Of course not, young sir," Na-ri replied quickly, trying to mask her panic.
In reality, there was indeed something. Ji-hoon's spirit was throwing an outright tantrum, furious that Na-ri had been careless with her body and identity. "But I didn't do anything," Na-ri whispered, defensively.
"How can we be so sure, huh? I gave you my body to survive, not to reveal my identity everywhere!" Ji-hoon's spirit continued to shout, her ethereal form flickering with frustration.
Na-ri stood up, her body tense, preparing to argue properly with Ji-hoon's spirit. Jin-seok observed the odd spectacle, his confusion growing as it appeared that Ji-hoon was arguing with thin air. If only he knew the truth—that Ji-hoon's body housed Na-ri's soul, and the air she was ranting at was actually Ji-hoon's displaced spirit.
"I have had it with you, Na-ri. Fix this, or else I will fix you. I'm not wicked, but I'll ensure you suffer," Ji-hoon threatened, her voice a mixture of anger and desperation.
"You can't hit me except you want to injure your body, so you better be careful," Na-ri shot back, her tone firm despite the bizarre circumstances.
"It looks like both of you are rather wrong," Jin-seok interrupted, his voice cutting through their heated exchange.
"Eh?" they chorused in shock, turning their attention to him.
"Na-ri, we are in trouble. He knows you're arguing with someone," Ji-hoon said, her voice trembling as she touched Na-ri's shoulder, shaking her slightly.
"Stop shaking me, you girl," Na-ri retorted, her patience wearing thin.
"Argh!" Ji-hoon yelled, pulling her spectral hair in frustration.
"It looks like I understand the situation," Jin-seok interjected again, his eyes narrowing with realization.
"Understand what?" they both chorused, their voices tinged with panic.Jin-seok continued, his expression thoughtful.
"It seems from all your arguing, Ji-hoon, it sounds like you are not Ji-hoon," he said. "It sounds like a different spirit possesses Ji-hoon, and Ji-hoon is now a spirit.
"The moment he deduced the situation, Ji-hoon's spirit began to materialize, becoming visible to Jin-seok's eyes. He saw her pulling her hair, her face a mask of frustration and disbelief.
"Na-ri, I'm going to kill you. This prick knows our secret, and how long have we been like this? Five days? And now someone already found out! I'm frustrated!" Ji-hoon yelled, her voice a blend of anger and despair.Jin-seok couldn't help but giggle at her behavior. "That is certainly the behavior of a princess. Nice to make your acquaintance," he said, bowing to the direction of Ji-hoon's spirit, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
"He can see me. Na-ri, we are doomed," Ji-hoon continued to yell, her form shaking Na-ri's shoulder in a futile attempt to express her frustration.
"Yes, I can see you," Jin-seok confirmed, still bowing. Ji-hoon threw a tantrum in the air, her spirit flickering and writhing with pent-up emotion, before finally calming down and taking a sitting position mid-air.
"Nice to meet you too," she finally replied, her voice carrying a begrudging acceptance.
Na-ri, trying to gather her thoughts, took a deep breath and sat down again, her posture reflecting the tension that had built up during their argument. Jin-seok, now understanding the gravity and the oddity of the situation, settled back into his chair, his mind racing with the implications of this discovery.
"Ji-hoon, Na-ri, you both have found yourselves in quite the predicament," Jin-seok said, his tone serious yet laced with curiosity. "I can see now that there is more to your story than I initially understood."
"That's an understatement," Na-ri muttered, her frustration evident.
Ji-hoon's spirit nodded, her eyes narrowing as she regarded Jin-seok. "You seem to understand a lot about unusual situations, Jin-seok. How is that?"
Jin-seok smiled, a hint of mystery in his expression. "Let's just say that my life has not been without its own strange occurrences and challenges. I have learned to keep an open mind."
"Well, this is beyond strange," Ji-hoon said, crossing her arms, her spirit still shimmering slightly in the dim light of the pub.
"Indeed it is," Jin-seok agreed. "But it also means that we might be able to help each other. You need protection and a way to resolve this... situation. I have resources and knowledge that might be of use."
Na-ri looked at Ji-hoon, then back at Jin-seok, weighing their options. "What do you propose?" she asked cautiously.
"For starters, we need to ensure that you're both safe," Jin-seok replied.
" I need your help Ji-hoon, I would like for you to help me gain information from the Blood wing Assasins as they won't be able to see you", Jin-seok requested.
" Those bastards! Even Na-ri is bent on having their necks. I will help you. But I can't be too far from my body so how do you want us to proceed? ", Ji-hoon asked
"We can use my resources to gather more information about the Blood Wing Assassins and find a way to finally get rid of them".
Ji-hoon's spirit seemed to relax slightly, her initial anger giving way to cautious hope. "If you can help us, we would be grateful," she said, her voice softer.
Jin-seok nodded. "Consider it done. But remember, we must be discreet. The less attention we draw, the better."
Na-ri and Ji-hoon's spirit exchanged a glance, a silent agreement passing between them. "Understood," Na-ri said, her voice resolute.
" Okay, now that we have decided to help each other, I look forward to our alliance, Na-ri and Ji-hoon ", Jin-seok said ordering a guy to bring drinks.
" Na-ri, you have to get out, I haven't taken a drink in a while since I let your body in Korea", Ji-hoon ordered.
" I would die you ungrateful beast", Na-ri yelled.
" Who did you just call ungrateful huh? ", Ji-hoon asked looking ready to fight.
They were at it again.