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dream in a dream

rating: nc-17

word count: 7942

characters: you x ten ft. johnny, seulgi

genre: magical!au, angst, goblin inspired (sunnyxgrim reaper)

warnings: brief mentions of blood

summary: the princess stumbled upon a stranger, laying against a tree with an arrow locking him into place. she seeks higher powers to free him but there is a condition to toying with fate. as you watch her fall for him, you can’t seem to stop falling for him as well. when he confesses his feelings for you, you realize that this isn’t the first time you’ve all met and what unfolds is the punishment for falling in love with the right person but at the wrong time.

“Princess! Princess! Please slow down!” You huffed as you hiked up your long ribbed skirt as you tried to grab footing on the slippery rocks that were laced with disgustingly moist green moss while chasing your responsibility, Princess Heiran, who practically pounced from the round crevices with ease. “You’re going to fall,” you yelled, breathing pathetically heavy.

She turned around and merely smiled before turning her head forward again and continuing to prance uphill which exhausted you physically and mentally. Why couldn’t her hobby be tea parties or clothes, you thought hopelessly.

Today’s adventure was different from the usual expeditions that she had dragged you on as her royal attendant as you’ve been friends since childhood. She was always fond of horseback riding near waterfalls which would result in you falling off of your horse or taming wild animals such as boars to your dismay as you were terrified of anything that could impale you but for some odd reason she was fascinated by the South Forest which smelt awful after it had rained last night and was dark and damp.

Once the two of you reached the top of the hill that you were climbing, your knees collapsed on themselves. You felt the instant relief that came from sitting down but were disgusted by the feel of wet dirt and leaves sticking to your beige clothes. “Get up!” Heiran commanded as she grabbed you by your elbows, forcing you to your feet to walk deeper into the forest.

“This is dangerous!” You hissed into her ear, feeling cool air essentially exude from her body as she was nearly as tired as you were which was slightly terrifying. At this point, the both of you were not going to be back from the palace until dawn, gaining you an earful from your supervisors for sure. “Why don’t we have a nice spa day back at the palace?” You suggested full well knowing that she would shake you off and continue on her path.

And to your dismay, your predictions were correct. With her leading in the front, you trailed behind, watching her feet closely to make sure that her long dress did not fall under her feet or that she stepped into a patch of wet mud although she was ten times as athletic and agile than you were. “The only dangers I have are marrying that jerk Bonhwa,” she sighed in front of you while keeping her head high.

As she took light elegant steps on a path of dry soil, it seemed as though the dark and soggy flowers regained their vibrance and the grass fell adjacent to her feet. “This forest is really creepy,” you muttered out loud as you noticed the phenomenon hoping that it was your mind playing tricks on you. But witches, warlock, and magic were no stranger to the royal family.

“That’s what makes it fun,” she exclaimed, still not stopping or taking the time to look back at you. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, causing you to bump your nose into the back of her head but fortunately for the both of you, her thick locks blocked the blow. “Look at that,” she whispered in awe at the sight in front of her.

You walked over to her side to see what she was so amazed by. Your eyes scanned what was in front of you; a large idesia tree with beautiful vibrant red berries, a plethora of small flowers and green plants surrounded the area and a relatively small waterfall in the background. Your view was undeniably beautiful in such a murky area but when you turned back to see Heiran’s eyes fixed on the bottom of the tree’s trunk you were confused as to what was so interesting about it. “A… tree?”

She shook her head softly, walking closer to the tree still transfixed on the trunk before squatting down and touching one of it’s exposed roots. To your surprise, a bright yellow beam of light filled your vision, blinding you. You quickly placed your hands on Heiran’s shoulder to pull her away as the light was scorching your corneas but she wouldn’t budge. After a tough fight you jumped on her in frustration, knocking the both of you two the ground. The light soon dimmed until it disappeared, “thank God,” you muttered.

But when your vision cleared, the tree trunk was now blocked by a figure of a man. Heiran nearly bolted up to inspect him but you held your arm out, knocking into her chest to block her in case he was dangerous and this was a stunt to lure her out. You crept up slowly to him as your vision began to clear with the princess watching intently behind you. You fell flat on your behind and scrambled back to the princess when you found a large wooden arrow protruding out of his chest. Although the wound looked old as the blood had been tried, the whole situation was uncomfortable and odd.

“We need to get going,” you stammered, struggling to stand up as you held both of her hands in yours.

She carefully placed your hands in your lap and before you could reach out for her she grabbed the middle of the arrow and tried to thrust it out with all of her might but all it did was awaken the seemingly dead stranger. His long black eyelashes fluttered, his chin which was leaning against his collar bones was now lolling from side to side as he was awakening from his slumber.

Your breath caught in your throat when his eyes shot open, his gaze looking directly into your eyes. The man was handsome and young, probably around your age or slightly older, maybe a thousand years for all you knew. He had dark hair and sharp chocolate brown eyes, a high nose bridge and a relatively small frame. He smiled softly until the princess’ voice pierced through the silent forest, echoing from tree to tree. “Who are you?”

“Ten,” he coughed, not using his voice for a long time. “Who are you?” He looked at the princess, a look of confusion and slight disgust in his eyes as he looked at her while she held his hand. When he tried to wrench his hand out of hers the arrow seemed to pierce him in the wrong way as he cried out in pain, only causing her to grab on even tighter.

“Heiran,” she said quickly.

You said your name and held up your hand briefly as a greeting, not needing to interfere as the magical arrow was already an efficient bodyguard for the princess if he ever did intend to hurt her or even move a centimeter.

“How did you get this way?” Heiran asked, brows furrowed in concern as she inspected him from top to bottom. He was physically fine except for the obvious foreign object in his chest but other than that he seemed healthy.

Ten placed the back of his head against the tree and chuckled in self pity, “beats me. Seems like I was asleep for a long time until you two showed up.”

You stepped out from behind Heiran so that you were facing Ten, “you remember your name though, can you remember anything else before this?” Heiran nodded enthusiastically at your question, also curious if not more curious than you to find out about him.

“My father and I had lived in the town nearby for most of my childhood until we decided to move to this forest, and as I was getting wood one day I met this girl and the rest of it was a blur but she did this to me.” For a grim memory he was answering you very sweetly, but with a slight venom and bittersweet gaze in his eyes.

“Quite the lady,” you murmured with your arms folded across your chest. But it seemed like the princess had heard you as she turned around and gave you a glare at the insensitive remark.

You were about to apologize about the stranger’s ordeal until he smiled at you and spoke, “she sure was.”

You cocked your head to the side, amused by how calm and nonchalant about his current situation. “So, Ten, how are you going to get out of this mess?”

He shrugged before glancing at Heiran then back to you with a smug grin on his face. “I was hoping you two would help?” Your face scrunched nearly instantly as the words left his mouth, Heiran reaching up and awaking him from his slumber, or spell, or curse was already impulsive of her and irresponsible of you on your part for not stopping her. Ten noticed the disdain that was evident in your facial expression and added another comment to try and convince you, “you know, since you disturbed my resting spot.”

You could not believe the audacity of this man, it seemed like he was trapped there for good reason. You reached for Heiran once more to pull her from her knees but she shook you off much more aggressively this time, shocking and slightly hurting you. “I’ll do anything.”

Her eyes were bulged wide open and from the second she had spotted the tree it was as if she was placed under a spell and when Ten had appeared it was locked on her to help him. You did not know why she was so transfixed on him but you didn’t trust him. “He could be dangerous,” you hissed into her ear not quietly enough apparently as Ten cleared his throat loudly.

“Even if he was, he’s trapped by this thing,” she said, gently poking the feathers at the end of the arrow which you could tell annoyed the eye roll that Ten had given her but couldn’t say anything to get on her good side since she was helping his case although she was already infatuated by him. “Whatever you do, I refuse to leave him here like this.”

Although she said that statement for you to leave, even if you wanted to which you really did; you couldn’t. She was your responsibility as it was your occupation and by the fact that you were incredibly concerned by her uncharacteristically rash judgement on a mere boy when she had much better suitors back at the castle. “Fine,” you grumbled, slightly taking the two in front of you aback as they stared blankly at you from below. “But what are you going to do to help?”

Her eyes started to shake in uncertainty and she whipped her head away from your gaze in the heat of her embarrassment. “I don’t know, but we’ll have to try,” she whispered with little confidence.

“I’ll only help you if you go back,” you said sternly this time knowing that you had hit her weak spot. “I promise we’ll be back.”

Heiran bit her lip in frustration and you could see the thoughts racing through her mind displayed by her eyes shifting back and forth rapidly by her subconscious. “Very well,” she forced out with an annoyed huff. Although she was visibly upset that she could not spend any time longer with Ten, she knew that talking with a stranger with amnesia until dawn was not going to remove the arrow out of his chest. She held Ten’s hand with her right and sandwiched it with her left, “I’ll see you soon.”

The princess stood up and brushed small crumbs of dry soil off of her chiffon dress and smoothed out any crevices from sitting on the unbalanced Earth. She turned on her heel, nodded at you and started to walk back towards the palace as the sun was starting to touch the top of the hill. As she passed you, you looked into the eyes of the stranger one last time before you had to catch up. Your eyebrows scrunched softly as you felt an odd sense of familiarity in his eyes. “I’ll look forward to what you come up with,” he said with a slight smirk. You didn’t know why his playful statement irked you, but it did. You nodded and turned to catch up with Heiran who was now a meter away from you.

You turned around and said coldly, “don’t expect too much.” To your surprise his smirk was unwavering and simply turned his head to the side in response, amused at your response. He annoyed you, but still you felt oddly acquainted with him, as if you knew him.

Back at the castle, after washing up after Heiran and putting on your nightgowns, you both sat on her feathery bed and listened to the symphony of whistling winds and orchestra from other members of the household listening to music over wine. You enjoyed the sound of the bristles stroking through her golden brown locks with every swipe of the comb. “Why do you want to help Ten so much?”

The small caramel hairs on the back of her neck stood up as soon as you uttered his name, taking you a bit aback. “I...I’m not sure... I just feel like I’ve known him before and that we might’ve had a connection.” She paused as she was getting lost in thought. Suddenly she jumped, making the bed ripple through and bounce with her. “Maybe in a past life!”

A laugh escaped from your throat at her idea, “what a romantic you are.” You shook your head with a smile on your face, in all years of searching for a husband to claim her status as a queen she decided to become infatuated with a man who is trapped by a magical arrow. “But you’re right, he seems familiar. Usually I don’t believe in magic or past lives either but the feeling is unsettling.”

She turned her head back to you to look into your eyes earnestly making you remove the comb from her hair and stare at her in surprise. “We can get him out...Right?”

You pat her head which made you feel like an older sister although she was older by 3 years, “whatever happens is for the best.” She smiled at you as you reassured her and turned around for you to continue combing her hair. Although you always consoled her during difficult times, you felt an ominous feeling growing in the pit of your stomach. Trying to ignore the heavy feeling in your heart, you continued to brush.

You were aware that Princess Heiran was eccentric, imaginative, and too energetic and wild for her own good but you did not expect her to bring you to a shaman as a solution to Ten’s ordeal. The two of you were sitting on futons that faced the shaman sitting on the cold floor; one leg crossed while the other was propped up with his forearm resting on his knee. “Tell me, why is the beloved Princess and her servant here today?” His sharp upturned eyes were charming yet felt cold. The room was decorated with red and yellow lamps and decor; warm colours that did not make you feel any less cold from his gaze.

“There’s this man, and he’s stuck to this tree by an arrow!” Heiran explained with her animated personality, gesticulating with every word she said. “I was wondering if we could set him free, shaman?”

He laughed a deep bellied laugh as if the simple question was the grandest joke ever told to him. You furrowed your eyebrows at him while Heiran was shrinking back insecurely. “Feel free to call me Youngho and please excuse my laughter. It’s just funny when customers want refunds.”

Your head tilted to the side in confusion, “refunds? We haven’t been here before how-”

Youngho raised his hand at you and shook his head, “I can do it.” Heiran’s back straightened up and was reading to clap her hands out of joy until he continued to speak, “but everything comes with a price.”

“Of course!” Heiran gestured to you hurriedly to bring out the clutch that you carried her belongings in and your hands stumbled to remove the flap and pull out her wallet.

He shook his head, “not money dear, but a...” His long fingers tapped his chin as he looked up into a corner of the ceiling, “how do I put this...” After coming up with a fitting description he pointed his index finger into the air with an “aha!” He slapped his knee and leaned in closer to the two of you in a hushed voice, “a condition. No refunds, returns, that sort... Once I perform your wish you cannot take it back.”

Both you and Heiran looked at each other in confusion, that did not seem like a condition at all, if anything it seemed like he was granting Heiran’s wish for free. “Are you playing games with us? What are you to gain out of this if not money?”

Youngho shrugged, “I like seeing results of granting wishes.”

“Are you really going to just remove the arrow? What if you remove it and he attacks us?” You were skeptical and scared, you knew a powerful man was in front of you that could find loopholes to bring Heiran either her dreams or nightmares.

He sighed, exasperated, “seems like you learned to be cautious around me. At least you learned something,” he laughed again. “I promise on my own head that I will do only what she wishes for.” He laid a small dagger with red silk wrapped around the handle piece on top of the table separating you three, “you can use this to kill me if I go back on my word.” You eyed the dagger before grabbing it and placing it carefully on your belt. “Now, tell me your wish.”

Heiran took a deep breath and sat straight, composing herself with her eyes closed until her lungs were filled with air. Her eyes opened with only certainty and stared straight into Youngho’s eyes, “please free Ten!”

He smiled and nodded, “I will command your wish.” Heiran looked overjoyed but Youngho’s eyes turned towards you and said in a low voice so that only you could hear, “do not make the same mistake.” You were sick of Youngho’s ominous remarks and stood up with Heiran’s hand in yours as she said a couple of thanks on the way out.

Without verbalization of where the two of you were headed as both of you walked bristly through the bright blades of grass while trying to avoid a criss-cross of leafy vines overhead, you knew that you were headed to greet Ten who was hopefully free and recovering from his wound. As if you both were drawn to the location despite only visiting it once, you were able to spot Ten within a couple of minutes. He was on his knees with an agonizing look on his face, both hands grasping the arrow as beads of sweat were rolling down the sides of his temple.

Before you could rush over and help him Heiran was too fast for you as always and ripped the arrow out with ease. It seemed as though Youngho waited for your arrival until Ten was freed. Looking at Heiran’s arms wrapped around Ten as he gasped for breath made you look away; it felt as though you were intruding on their moment. You walked a couple steps away from them to avoid the overwhelming feeling of uncomfortableness and leaned your back against a tree. You felt the rough and uneven bark press gently into the back of your head and shoulders as you looked up at the beautiful green hue that the blue sky and sun created.

The tranquility of you admiring the forest was interrupted when you heard Heiran yelling after Ten, “wait! Your wound!” Ten was suddenly in front of you, taller and broader than you thought as he was now the only thing filling your vision. His eyes were smiling but still sad and melancholic. His right hand was placed on the back of your neck to pull you into his chest and the other pressing your back into him. “I missed you.” He pulled you back to inspect your face. The melancholy faded and a smile spread across his face from his eyes down to his lips. “I really missed you.”

As a reaction to his words, an uncontrollable flow of tears began to roll down your cheeks and continue to drip down to your chin and onto your collar bones. You quickly began to wipe your jaw and cheeks with the back of your hands as he stepped away from you and gave you space. You never cried in front of close friends and family, nevermind someone you’ve only met twice briefly, but sadness overwhelmed you before you knew it and tears started to pour. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” you laughed awkwardly.

Heiran was now in front of you as well, having witnessed the scene and in shock. Ten turned to hug her awkwardly, not as intimate as he did with you. “I missed you too,” he said to her, with no warmth in his voice. “Truly, I cannot thank you enough for freeing me.” He patted Heiran’s hand out of gratitude but quickly dropped it and turned to you to check if you were okay.

“I wouldn’t expect you to be so emotional!” Heiran giggled as she wiped the residue of your tears from the corners of your eyes with the soft tips of her fingers. You shook your head and were about to muster an excuse of why your emotions betrayed your usually stoic exterior but the lump in your throat would only allow you to choke out sounds. “C’mon,” her arm snaked around your shoulders and the other around Ten, which caused him to twitch and shy away from her grasp slightly. Heiran, although slightly hurt by his noticeable distaste by her touch despite saving him, chose to ignore it. “Let’s let Ten catch up.”

You knew that she wanted to spend some time alone with Ten, now that she had a reason to talk to him alone considering she set him free and he was in a way indebted to her, whether he liked it or not. She proposed for you three to have a picnic; which was more like her way of arranging a date with him and you being there as a chaperone and waiter but you didn’t mind. You wanted to hear Ten’s story of his demise and the question of how you and Heiran stumbled upon him and revealed him from the tree was still fresh in your mind and unanswered.

Heiran had sent you back to the castle to grab supplies for the picnic once she found the perfect spot. The hill was perfectly round, almost like the base of an egg with a solid soil ground that wouldn’t dirty your garments and full patches of bright green grass. When you came back with a picnic basket with fruits and bread and a gingham blanket, you couldn’t help but notice the tension between Ten and Heiran. Without even hearing their conversation, you could infer that the former was being aloof and cold while the latter was asking all the questions to try and advance their relationship.

Ten’s head turned when he heard the sound of your feet crunch against the soft balls of soil that last week’s rain formed. His legs were crossed in the shape of an ‘x’ with his arms crossed over them in a direction that wasn’t directly facing Heiran while she was crossing her legs and leaning in whenever she asked Ten a question and anticipated his response. He looked up at you and slightly squinted at the sun’s bright light that wasn’t fully blocked by your body as you came near them. “You’re back,” he smiled.

“Indeed, couldn’t keep you love birds waiting,” you teased, which made Heiran blush coyly while Ten’s smile dropped. You couldn’t decipher why Ten didn’t like her. Maybe it was because she was enamoured by him at first sight and he didn’t like that or maybe because she was a bit too bubbly and energetic for him. But still, there seemed to be a reason deeper than that.

You unfolded the gingham picnic sheet and ruffled it out along the direction of the window so that the fabric could lay as flat and nicely as possible against the curved and uneven ground. Ten helped you lay the foods across the mat and you all took your seat once the layout was finished. “This looks great,” Ten said, lightly patting your arm. “Thanks for the trouble of bringing it.” His eyes seemed like they were dripping honey as he gazed sweetly into your eyes, or maybe it was the sun and hazy air that created that effect. Even still, the warmth from the midday atmosphere and him made you feel at home.

If you weren’t so focused on Ten, then you would have noticed Heiran clenching the fabric of her skirt. The scratchy detailing material was balled up in her hand, creating angry red patches on her palms as she saw the boy she was infatuated with gazing lovingly at her childhood friend when she couldn’t even keep a conversation with him. I gave you freedom, she thought angrily, and this is how you repay me.

She couldn’t give that impression however, so she suppressed the frustration that was about to surface in the form of tears and straightened her back before asking another question. “So, do you remember now?”

Ten shifted his gaze off of you and onto her lazily, “hmm?”

“Do you remember? Now that you’re free?” Heiran repeated, a little too much forced sweetness in her voice. She was internally grimacing at how shamelessly she was acting for a boy who was obviously more interested in you than her. Her feelings however were far too strong for her to compose herself and accept the fact that he didn’t want her.

The corners of Ten’s lips curled into a sinister smile and hair fell over his eyes, casting a shadow over his already dark expression. “Should I tell you?” You noticed the tone in his voice shift from sweet to ominous but Heiran nodded excitedly, mistaking his smirk for a smile that she wasn’t able to get from him. “There was this girl, god she was such a bother to me, but she found me when I was chopping wood in a new town that I moved to. I had a home in the forest with my father, so I don’t know how she found me, but that’s besides the point-she found me.”

Both yours and Heiran’s eyes were fixated on him, getting more and more drawn into his story as he continued. “She couldn’t find a suitor until she found me, she said. But I fell in love with her friend, how pretty her friend was. Anyways, she wasn’t happy. So…” He paused and imitated the action of drawing back a bow, with one eye closed to focus on a target. Ten thumb and index finger released and his arms dropped, “and I was stuck to the tree.”

You chuckled, surprising both Ten and Heiran at how you managed to find a tragic story laughable. “You’ve oversimplified things haven’t you?” You asked, staring directly at Ten. He cocked his head to the side and shrugged his shoulder lightly, as if asking ‘how so?’ “How were we the ones to find you then? How did you not die?”

Ten unfolded his legs and let them sit freely as his hands were laid on the bare grass so that he could support his torso and move his head back so that his face was under the sun’s warmth. His eyes were closed and the muscles on his face relaxed. He was now speaking nonchalantly and an air of non-importance despite nearly getting killed, “who knows? Just don’t make the wrong choice again, Heiran-ah.”

She jumped in her seat, confused at what he was talking about yet feeling insecure at his ambiguous advice. “What wrong choice?”

He didn’t open his eyes or even move an inch, “I wish you never find out.”

Heiran went home after the sun set and you gathered the leftover food and picnic cloth. After sending the basket to the kitchen and getting ready for bed, Heiran decided to spend the night alone although you usually had conversations while you brushed her hair to aid her to sleep. “Today was a lot,” she smiled weakly. You were expecting her to complain or rant about Ten to you but she looked drained much to your surprise.

“Okay, goodnight,” you said as she closed her bedroom door and replied with a soft and almost inaudible ‘goodnight’ back to you. As you were walking back to your room, you saw Ten on the balcony. His left leg and back was against the large white ribbed pillar with his arms folded across his chest and his gaze fixed on the bright moon against the ocean blue sky. When you stopped in your tracks, he turned his head around. An “oh” escaped your lips as his intense eyes were now on you. “Hi.”

He chuckled and walked over to you, “hi.” His fingers, cold from the night breeze, caused waves of shivers to dance across your back when he tucked a strand of stray hair behind you back. The soft blue moon light illuminated his face and you couldn’t help but bring a hand up to cup the side of his face.

“Why do you look at me like you know me?”

His hand overlapped yours and he smiled, but this time it was sadly. “Would you believe me if I said I did know you?”

You tilted your head to the side, “maybe. I feel like I do know you, from before, but that’s absurd.” You were a skeptic. Ghosts, angels, demons, every creature or deity was merely a matter of fictional stories for you but anything was possible in your mind now seeing that Ten survived years stuck to a tree by an arrow and magically appeared by Heiran touching an exposed root.

“Then you’d be right,” he smiled. You two stood in each other's arms, comfortable with each other’s presence although being strangers. “Can I kiss you?” He asked abruptly. You were taken aback but you wanted it too. Without a word, you nodded and closed your eyes in anticipation for his lips. You heard a soft chuckle from him before his soft plump lips connected with yours. Both his hands cupped your face while yours grasped the sides of his unbuttoned silk shirt to get closer to him.

He pulled away and kissed your temple before looking at you again. “I’m sad our time together has always been short.” You weren’t sure what he was talking about. “Tomorrow, go back to Youngho and make things right.”

You were about to ask him what he was talking about but his hands fell from you and he turned swiftly on his heels to walk to the guest bedroom that Heiran arranged for him. Quick on your feet, you jogged softly over to him and grabbed the hem of his shirt to stop him but he continued to walk without looking back at you. “Please make things right,” he whispered. “For both of us.”

The murky and humid air made your lungs burn as you gasped for air while running through the forest to Youngho’s temple. You were ducking overhanging branches and vines while simultaneously trying not the slip on the uneven rocks which were slippery from dew and moss. You remembered Ten’s warning or piece of advice from last night and used it as soon as you were woken up harshly in the morning. “Princess Heiran is missing! The princess is missing!”

Knights were roaming around the perimeter of the castle, the seamstresses and cooks were searching every household in the town, and the royals were preparing war plans for the worst case scenarios like kidnapping. But you knew the reason. She must’ve seen you and Ten last night. At that moment, you were too blinded by Ten’s affections that you didn’t know that Heiran’s window was placed directly in front of the balcony where she could oversee what happened on the lower floors. It wasn’t a kidnapping, she must’ve ran away.

Without time for politeness, you ran through the temple, creating a sharp ring of dozens of bells that welcomed every visitor on arrival. You watched Youngho’s shoulders jump at the harsh and unpleasant noise before he turned around to see who the rude intruder was. Instead of a face of disdain, his face lit up when he saw that it was you. “Ah, the last one to figure out.” Again with his ambiguous and ominous sayings. “Come have a seat.”

You marched over to where he was and sat down in front of him, the same wooden table separating the two of you as your knee dug into the futon that was laid out for guests. “Where is Heiran?”

“Drink the tea,” Youngho ordered. His index finger pointed to a cup of green tea, with leaves floating on the surface. You could still see steam rising from the cup. It was as if he was expecting you to barge in at any moment.

“Why would I? Tell me where she is!” You were urgent. Sure Heiran was demanding and a handful most of the time, but she was still your childhood friend that you never spent a day apart from, nevermind an hour or two. You were not about to let a shaman or a boy get in the way of your friendship and having her go missing. A thought ran across your mind. “Did you make her disappear after you did her a favor? Was that her payment?” You were shouting with tears nearly overflowing from your eyes.

Youngho was calm despite your emotional outburst. He pointed at the cup again, “your answer is in the cup. Drink it.”

With no other option that you could think of, you grabbed the cup and downed it until there wasn’t a drop left. Your head ached as you slammed the cup down on the table, losing control of your bodily functions.

Memories were rushing back to you.

Heiran first met Ten as he was chopping wood for his father. They first moved to the forest after getting sick of travelling to and from the markets for garments and furnishments. The mountains were calm and tranquil, but it was much easier for trade and purchase when the forest was located at the edge of the marketplace.

She was behind a tree, gazing at the sweat trickling down his biceps, forehead, and neck. He was handsome. Although she was a beauty herself and had many suitors asking for her hand in marriage, she turned them all down because she didn’t feel a connection. Until she found him.

You saw yourself in the flashback. “Hey!” You slapped her on the back of her shoulder, not aware that she was peeping at the handsome boy. “What are you looking at?”

She instantly shushed you with her index finger in front of her pursed lips and you retracted to the back of the tree and took a position next to her. She pointed to the boy who was too distracted by the heat and his burning muscles to notice the girls. “Isn’t he good looking?” She asked with excitement in her whisper.

You scoffed, “I’ve seen better.” But in actuality you haven’t. You were in awe at his sharp cat-like eyes, sharp and high nose bridge, and slender figure that was exposed slightly by his loose-fitting tank top.

Before you knew it, Heiran fell from under you and walked over to the woodchopping boy with confidence. As you were leaning on her, you nearly fell face first into the hard ground until you landed on your knees and collected yourself. “I’m Heiran, and you are?” She asked confidently with her hand outstretched in front of her for him to shake. He didn’t like how direct she was, especially when he was busy with a task.

Although a little late, as you were brushing off the dust from your shorts, you walked over and introduced yourself as well. Once he laid eyes on you, he didn’t care about his task anymore. Your hand wasn’t out for him to shake but he walked past Heiran and shook your hand. “Ten, pleased to meet you.”

The next images shifted. You three were inseparable. The day you met was by chance as you two never went out into the forest as the village elders always warned against going without protection in case of foreign knights or wild animals but that day you went to get clean water. All of you were in the same economic and social standing, but Heiran was regarded higher than you two as her father held a low position in the castle while you and Ten came from simple trade families.

You watched as there were memories of you three going to the river and splashing water at each other to cool off, eating fruits that you stole from a nearby fair and running off and hiding in a river bank when the owners ran to see why their guard dogs were barking, and sleeping under the stars after night gazing for hours.

Although Heiran’s feelings for Ten were unrequited, it was never noticeable as you all spent time together as friends. In the night you would sneak off with Ten and steal kisses while promising that one day, he would ask your father for your hand in marriage once Heiran found someone because you couldn’t let her be the only one not wedded.

But that never happened because Heiran’s father was promoted and it was time for her to get married. They were considered wealthy now and her family moved into the castle, meaning that your trio was now a duo. You were overwhelmed with melancholy that your best friend for life was gone but Ten had to hide his feelings of excitement of having you all to himself now.

Before Ten could give you a ring that he forged for months, Heiran came back to the forest after months of not contacting either of you with her father on a horse in tow. “He’s the one I want to marry,” she said while pointing at him. She knew you and Ten had a special relationship that she could never have with him, but she never liked someone as much as she did with Ten. So she went to his house when she knew you weren’t going to be there to see your disappointment and devastation.

Ten knew he couldn’t refuse. If he did, that could mean he would end up poorer than he already was with how brutal royals and officials were when they didn’t get their way. So once he pretended to arrange a time of meeting with Heiran and her family, he ran to you and told you that he would run away with your families and live in another town together. You agreed and prepared for your departure but you both didn’t realize that Heiran was smarter than you thought. She had been following Ten ever since he left and knew of your plan.

So she went to Youngho and asked for an arrow. Although her love for Ten made her fall into a rage, she did not believe in death as a solution. “Make them fall into a deep sleep and find another lover,” she said to him as he was preparing the weapon. She loved you like a sister and wanted to see you happy, just not with the man she was also in love with.

She asked to meet you alone. You came alone because you thought she would never harm you. When you were in front of her and she was sure that you were alone, she pulled the arrow back on the band of the bow and aimed it right at your chest. You stood frozen and felt the blood in your body run cold. “Why?”

Ten was also smarter than what Heiran thought. When you avoided his line of questioning when you said you needed to go to the town alone, he knew you were lying and followed you stealthily, even fooling Heiran who was extra careful. “I want all of us to live happily,” she said with tears in her eyes as she let her fingers relax, sending the arrow straight towards you. Heiran was wrong, if her plan worked the only one that would be happy was her.

Before you could jump out of the way or get hit, you saw Ten’s body fly in front of you and then fly back at the strong impact of the magical arrow. “Ten!” His body was lifeless, but still breathing with a regular heartbeat. Out of shame, all Heiran could do was run away from her fatal mistake of forever losing her best friend and lover.

You watched as both you and Heiran grow old. You lived a quiet life in the town as a doctor while Heiran took over her father’s duties with regret every single day. And when both of you were reborn, you had the unlucky fate of being born as her servant and her as a princess. It was even more tragic that you both had to meet Ten again.

When you recoiled back from the memories you looked at Youngho, “is that what you meant when you said that we came back for refunds?” Anger was coursing through your veins; at Heiran, at Youngho, at cruel fate.

Youngho simply nodded and stared at you intensely, curious at what you were about to do. “Seems like Heiran is already on the course of making the same mistake,” he sighed. “Considering she came to me again.”

You didn’t know what to do. Everyone had gotten their memories from their past life back and she came back to Youngho again to presumably get Ten back. You weren’t sure if you were angry at her or disappointed but all you knew was that you had to make it right. When you stood up to leave, you knew exactly where you were headed and that Heiran and Ten would be there.

When you were almost out the door, you heard Youngho’s voice call out. “I want a happy ending for you all. I really do.” You nodded and continued to walk towards the forest where everything ended and thought, I hope so too.

On arrival at the tree Ten was, Heiran appeared from behind a tree with a bow and arrow in her hands. Her hair was wild, her eyes ever more crazed and sleep deprived, and the skin on her face covered in shallow red scratches which were most-likely self-inflicted. “You never learn do you?” You asked, referring the Youngho’s favor that she was grasping in her hands. “Do I not deserve to be happy in both of my lives?”

She was shaking, either from lack of sleep or from a flurry of unchecked emotions from regaining her memories. “Why is it always you!” She screamed. “I won’t make the same mistake this time!” She raised the arrow at you but this time you wouldn’t dodge, you’d make sure that you would get hit so maybe in your next life you wouldn’t meet Heiran and only Ten.

But your eyes widened as she released the arrow, “this one is to kill you.”

However many times she tried her luck, fate can never be changed.

The arrow sent Ten flying back towards a tree, but this time the arrow was soaked with red. He was dying. Blood was flowing from the wound at an alarming rate and no matter how hard you pressed on his chest, the pressure wasn’t helping. “Ten!” You screamed at the top of your lungs and you didn’t have to turn around to know that Heiran escaped.

He was going to die now, and you were to live another life without him. You pressed your lips on his as you knew it was going to be your last in years. He smiled and stroked your hair again, “one day we’ll get our happy ending.”

You suddenly remembered what he said to you on the balcony, “I’m sad our time together has always been short.” He knew from the beginning that he was going to leave you again, yet he struggled through it all alone. As his last breath left his lungs, rain started to pour.

“Hey, did you hear?” Seulgi whispered as she sat down on the white office chair next to you as you were waiting for the announcement for the new CEO of the company that you were working at. “President Heiran was arrested.”

Your eyes widened, “what did she do?”

Seulgi shrugged and played with a pen in between her fingers, “I don’t know but she always seemed shady to me.” Other employees began to trickle in and take their seats as the minutes were approaching the next hour when the person to take Heiran’s place was to make their appearance.

“That’s why she left so suddenly,” you murmured. Before you could discuss and speculate the situation more, the lights in the conference room dimmed and a single light turned on for the front of the room from where the new president entered.

His dyed grey-blue hair was slicked back with gel and you could smell the luxurious cologne that he was wearing when he made his way over to the center of the room. His hands adjusted his well-fitted navy blue suit before he bowed in front of the employees and introduced himself. “My name is Ten Chittaphon, I will be looking after the company on this day forward. I am looking forward to working with you all.”

When the brief introductory conference was over, Seulgi was giggling like a schoolgirl next to you as you were walking back to your respective cubicle. “He’s so hot,” she laughed. You elbowed her side jokingly for talking about your new boss that way despite having the same thoughts the entire meeting.

“Excuse me,” you heard a light voice interrupt your appreciation over Ten’s looks until you found the voice that called you belonged to him. “Can I speak to you for a second?” He looked towards you and you nodded while Seulgi gave you a thumbs up and retreated to her desk.

You had the worst thought in your mind despite Seulgi teasing you, were you in trouble already? “How about a drink tonight?” He said after shutting the door of the break room. You couldn’t believe your ears.

“Isn’t that a little inappropriate?” You asked, amused yet intrigued by him.

He stepped towards you and you stood your ground confidently. Ten chuckled at how you didn’t step back. “Not if I’m just getting to know one of my employees.”

“Do you get to know all of your employees then?” A grin spread across your face as you teased him.

“No,” he looked down at you and returned the flirty smile. “So what do you say?” Once he saw you nod slightly, he turned on his heels and walked out of the room before popping in to say one last thing. “Stay at the office until 7, I’ll be waiting downstairs.”

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