POV: Hae Na Ri
He takes the single seat across from me, folds one leg over the other.
"It is Sangriya Forest, the forest behind the palace. Sunwoo'sshi, give her a phone or tablet," he orders the bob woman. "You can confirm that we indeed live in the Kingdom of Korea."
He's up to date with everything I have told Captain Kang.
Without a second's delay, Sunwoo takes out her phone, crosses the room and thrusts it in front of me. With a shaking heart, I take it and look for a browser.
"Where's the browser?" I flip the menu and can't find it.
"Prollex. You can't find it?"
I click on the icon. I have never heard of this browser nor seen the search engine Sood that appears next. I search "Republic of Korea".
The search engine corrects it to "The Kingdom of Korea", with 'His Majesty''s HD and photogenic pictures loading up. The king's name is Ryu Hajoon, the Prime Minister is Shin Jihoon and the President is Choi Hyunwoo.
I have never heard of these people before.
This is not the world I live in.
I stand, search for "Google" next and the search engine corrects it to "Goggles".
His Majesty is studying me closely, I am well aware of it. My hands shake slightly as I type in my Stargram username and it shows no results. In fact, I can't even find the Stargram app. How is this possible?
I let out a hollow chuckle. "Either it's a prank or I have finally lost it."
What exactly happened?
"Cut it," the bob woman says coldly. "Drop the act. Of course you are in the Kingdom of Korea. Where else would you be? Your Majesty, she has an ulterior motive–"
His Majesty–no, Ryu Hajoon turns slightly to look at her. Just a slight tilt of his body and she immediately falls silent.
Is it my imagination or does this woman almost sound desperate?
"Hae Nari-sshi, sit down." Ryu Hajoon says. It's a command. He is saying something else too, but I can't really focus. I stare at his dark and intense eyes blankly.
The hanbok woman takes my arm and leads me back to the couch. After a glass of water and several deep breaths, I come to a very reasonable conclusion.
"I think," I hold out my arms. "I am dreaming." I pause, unsure. "Otherwise it would mean that I have travelled to another universe."
"Nonsense!" The bob woman says, her hair swinging with the jerk of her head.
I narrow my eyes. "Yeah, exactly. But don't you speak a lot for someone who is just a figment of my imagination?"
Amusement twinkles in Ryu Hajoon's eyes. "I assure you I am very much real."
"So you are a king?" I ask, still in disbelief. He seems to be at a loss of words at this, as though no one had ever asked him that before. I can't help standing up again.
I take a deep breath. "My name is Hae Nari, I currently live in Dodengeum area, street Lim Juseon, building no. 11, apartment no. 6 after I returned from abroad 6 months ago. I work for the Yeunri Groups as a lab assistant."
The Captain guy steps forward. "None of that exists.I have confirmed. There is no area called Dodengeum in Seoul. There is a street called Lim Juseon, but it's in Pajusri and the apartment no. 6 in building no. 11 belongs to some Mr Yoon Sae Hyuk. There is no Yeunri Group and your identity doesn't exist in the national system."
My jaw hangs open. "That's not possible."
"The most suspicious someone can be," the bob woman murmurs.
"Wait, I can take you there–" I pause.
No, I can't.
I always told the cab driver the address. I don't really know how to get there. I just got back to Korea after so many years. I don't really know the addresses, even if I kept up with the news. "No, let's just go back to the garden door. Maybe if I go through it again I will go back to my world."
I stalk over to the Captain guy, my long skirt swishing with each stride. The clock above the doorway says it's 11:05 am. "I need to go to the garden, let's go."
He looks at me like I am crazy. This is how I must have looked at him last night.
"I think what you need right now is a good meal. How about that first?" Ryu Hajoon suggests, crossing the couch and standing in front of me, so nonchalantly.
His cold gaze has warmed up a little. Maybe he feels bad for me the way I had been doing for Captain Kang when I thought he was deluded.
Everything about this man screams money and power. You know, the kind of people you look at and you can immediately tell they are elite class, even if they are wearing pajamas. And this is annoying. Because it's unfair. He's the kind I detest most.
I hope all my thoughts aren't visible on my face.
He may or may not be a king but he definitely holds power in this room. The bob woman also seems to be on edge, as if I may unleash some secret superpower anytime and overpower all of them to hurt her king.
I realise I am glowering at him.
I clear my throat and try my best to be polite despite my fraying nerves. "Your Majesty, you think I have gone mad because I haven't had a meal in a while?"
"Happened to a friend of mine once." This man finds a madwoman in his house amusing. My trail of thought is interrupted when he turns to the Hanbok woman. "Mrs. Kang, arrange a warm meal and fresh clothes for our guest."
"Guest?" Mrs. Kang repeats, the wrinkles on her temple deepening. Sunwoo's mouth is set in a grim line.
"Yes, guest," he repeats. His tone implies, "Do you have a problem with that?"
Then his attentive dark eyes are back on me. "But if there is no Republic of Korea there, you will freshen up and sit down to have a meal."
"Of course." What other choice would I have?
★☆★☆★☆★
POV: Hae Na Ri
Ryu Hajoon walks at the front, a shiny blazer draped on his shoulders, and the Captain and I follow him closely behind.
I don't see any need for him to come with me personally.
We walk through the long and wide hallway. The bob woman has not followed us, fortunately. The floor is dark wood and the walls have portraits and photographs, men and women in traditional dresses. Some are black and white. As we walk on, the photographs turn to paintings. The same traditional dresses and now thrones too.
This feels like a feverish dream. An all too realistic dream.
We come out in a round pavilion with chairs and a table. I tighten my coat around me at the gust of cold air. The palace, if that's what it really is, has an excellent heating system. It didn't feel like the middle of November at all.
Now, for God's sake, please don't tell me there's no month of November here.
We go through a cobbled pathway and now I can see the entirety of the garden. It's a sight to behold, stretching endlessly around us, with trees likely planted years back and camelia, rose and magnolia flowers. A lot of colourful flowers and plants are unfamiliar to me. But the scent of wet soil and flowers reminds me of my childhood days at the orphanage's backyard, when we used to have gardening classes on Fridays. Minho hated them.
We finally reach the door that I had used last night.
Ryu Hajoon stands aside and gestures for me to go through it. He folds his arms, clasps his hands at his back elegantly and waits for me.
I take a deep breath. It feels stupid, yet I push open the door. I don't know what I was expecting.
I glance at Ryu Hajoon. He stands silently.
Going through the doorway, stepping inside the corridor, does nothing at all. I do it several times, well aware of how stupid and mad it makes me look. But damn it, that's not important right now!
"I have to go back!" I say as I return to the garden's side. "I have something important– I mean I have my whole life there!"
"We will think about this later," Ryu Hajoon says. "But for now we should get back inside."
His calm, unbothered attitude is incredibly strange. He sounds like he has already arranged a room in a psychiatric ward for me.
And that's what makes me do what I do next.