I woke up when the black cloth was removed from my head.
I closed my eyes again because the lights hurt them. When I had recovered, I opened my eyes once more.
I was staring at the two people standing before me. Not just two people, but two identical people.
Two Ji Hans? I asked myself. How did this happen?
"Surprise. Do you like our surprise?" Ji Han said. He stood up from sitting and tapped the shoulder of the other Ji Han. "Good job! At last, the queen is in our hands now." Then he laughed evilly.
I looked at the other Ji Han. Compared to the man standing in front of me, the other Ji Han seemed weak. Was he the Ji Han I had befriended?
"Are you shocked seeing two people with the same face? You're going to get used to it."
"You kidnapped the queen," I said angrily.
"Oh no, I'm scared," he said, then laughed at me.
"What have you done? Who is the Ji Han I befriended? It's not you!" I shouted.
He smiled. "Of course, it's not me. I'm not weak like him."
Now I was confused. When had I met the real Ji Han? Or did they swap places? Because surely, no one would notice the difference.
"Ji Han…" I looked at Ji Han, who stood there like a fool. He looked like a pitiful servant.
"Are you calling me?" the man in front of me smiled.
"You are not the Ji Han I befriended. You're an impostor."
He laughed so hard at what I said.
"What? As handsome as I—an impostor? Nah!"
"Are you the mastermind?" I asked bluntly.
He showed his creepy smile again. "Why do you ask? Do I look like one?"
"No," I answered directly.
My answer made his expression change. He didn't smile, but instead showed a serious and frightening face.
"I am," he said. "And you're not going to live much longer. You didn't even get to say goodbye to the king and Min Yun." Then he laughed again. If there were a mental hospital here, I'd recommend he go.
"I'm not afraid to die," I said.
"Yeah, right. Because you don't belong here. But what if I have a way to kill you so you won't return to your world?"
I gasped at what he said.
"Scary, right?"
"No," I said.
"Come on. No need to act strong—no one here is on your side."
I looked at the other Ji Han, who was just observing the situation. I couldn't let myself look scared. Not now.
Then everything made sense. The time we went to Shibuya Town. The time when I saw Ji Han before I disappeared. I looked at him without fear. He had fooled us. He had played us. All this time, he was just near us.
I looked at the other Ji Han. The cheerful Ji Han I had known was now gone. He looked scared, confused, and doubtful. It seemed like he didn't even know what was happening.
"You're tough. I like it." The evil Ji Han smiled at me like a killer dog. He then looked at his twin.
"Guard her. Gonna fetch something outside," he said, then looked at me once more and winked.
I wanted to vomit just because of what he did. When he disappeared, I looked at the pitiful Ji Han.
"What have you done? Why did you fool us? If Min Yun finds out he was betrayed by his trusted friend, he'll surely be disappointed," I said.
He just bowed his head and started picking at the nails on his fingers. Then I remembered—Ji Han does that whenever he gets stressed.
"Ji Han, look at me."
He followed my command. He lifted his head and looked me in the eye.
"Answer me. Why did you do this?" I asked in a calm and soothing voice, trying to help him calm down as well.
"He's my twin. I have no choice," he said, his voice trembling. I could tell he feared his twin brother.
"Was everything we shared just an act? Did you fool us?"
"No. I showed the real me. The one you met is the real me."
"Then why?"
"I'm doing this for my family."
"Your twin brother is evil. He ruined us. He ruined the king. He'll kill me as well."
He bowed his head again. "I have nothing I can do to help you. I'm sorry."The Ji Han I knew wasn't the one I was talking to now. He didn't even have the confidence to look me in the eye.
After a while, the evil Ji Han came back. This time, he was holding a knife. So that's what he went to get outside.
The evil Ji Han noticed where I was looking. He smiled evilly, then walked closer to me, playing with the knife in his hand.
"I like your face, but too bad it won't last long if I kill you."
I was about to respond when someone opened the door—and it was Kim Man Shik. Were they friends?
"Master, this is what you wanted me to get," Kim Man Shik said, bowing to the evil Ji Han. The minister looked at me as if I weren't important.
So they were sabotaging everything just to ruin the king. They wanted power. They wanted wealth. They wanted fame. That's all I could see as to why they joined forces.
"Shocked?" the evil Ji Han asked.
"Why would I be?" I replied through gritted teeth.
He chuckled again, even though I wasn't telling jokes.
"You are really something. Is your world like that?"
"More than that," I said sarcastically.
Okay. I knew I was pretty nervous at that moment—who wouldn't be? But I hoped I would survive this and make the evil Ji Han pay for all the bad deeds he had done.
He raised the knife again and intentionally placed it on my neck. The weak Ji Han looked at me with frightened eyes. I knew deep in his heart he didn't want me to be in danger. We had been together, and we had shared happy moments.
"Didn't you know that killing me is treason?" I asked.
"I know. That's why I'm doing this—to make everyone fear for their queen."
Then he laughed again. Seriously, was he laughing at his statement? Not even funny.
"I badly want to kill you now, you jerk queen!"
His mood suddenly changed. He became fiercer, even scarier. He looked like he was about to summon a demon.
I felt a liquid on my neck. Maybe he had successfully cut me. But it didn't bother me. I needed to be strong. Min Yun and the king would surely look for me.
Ji Han the Evil watched the droplets of blood. He then touched the blood on my neck with his finger and licked it like a crazy dog.
It was disgusting, but I didn't show how disgusted I was.
"Fresh," he said.
The blood continued to flow. I was starting to feel dizzy now. Just when I was about to close my eyes, Ji Han the Weak shouted to his twin.
"Someone is coming!" He looked frightened. I never imagined him being like this. Ji Han the Weak believed his evil brother.
"What should we do? We can't get caught."
Ji Han the Evil laughed and tapped his twin on the shoulder. "Let's go."
Just like that?
"What about the queen?" Ji Han the Weak asked.
He smirked. "Let them find her. 'Til we meet next time, Your Highness." He rudely bowed to me, then smiled.
My hands were still tied to the chair, and both my feet were tied too.
They left me as if they were doing it on purpose. Weren't they afraid that I now knew they were the culprits?
I laughed at my situation. How many times did I provoke Min Yun? How many times did he remind me to listen to him, just once? Look at me now—covered in blood and helpless. If Von found out about this, she would surely force me to go home. I smiled—at least this confirmed everything I suspected. Ji Han has an evil twin—the mastermind of everything. Too bad Ji Han was trapped in the belief that he should help his family.
"I-Jun!" someone shouted my name. I didn't know who called me. I didn't even recognize the voice. I tried to look at the figure running toward me, but all I saw was a blurry silhouette. I felt an intense wave of dizziness. I tried to fight it, but I couldn't help myself—I lost consciousness.