Decisions

Adapting

So sat in a chair as he watched the royal painter work on his portrait. He tilted his head to see if he could get a better view, but he was sitting too far away, and it was upside down. As he continued to wait, he noticed Ji Mong tapping the painter's shoulders and widening his eyes before indicating to his shoulders and then lifting them higher, indicating it should be drawn bigger.

So pointed to Ji Mong, his tone displeased.

"You have to draw me to look the same. I need it to feel like they're looking at me even by only looking at the drawing."

"I thought we were drawing what you would look like in your older years. You're not sitting on your throne," Ji Mong explained. "People wouldn't know if you were a prince or a king. They would be so confused.

"I am still very young. Why draw a picture to hang after I die?"

So shifted his gaze forward again as the painter looked up at him to observe once more before going back to his work.

"I have someone to give it to," he said resolutely.

It took as long as expected. It was very difficult to find Soo, or rather Ha Jin on social media and many days So was at his wits end. What if he had returned too early? Or too late? He didn't want to think about the latter. He had originally assumed it would be easy to come to Ha Jin's world, but he had quickly realized that wasn't the case. Despite his search, So was unable to find her online at all.

Eventually, after months and months of physical therapy, So was able to walk independently. When he wasn't searching for Ha Jin, he was working on gaining back his former physical shape. It had been awhile since he practiced his swordsmanship and martial arts but luckily the studio Joon So owned had everything he needed to practice.

He closed the studio down for now and Ji Hyun had talked to him about potentially opening it up again in the future, but at the present time, So was simply focused on improving his physical health and finding his other half. As his strength returned and he became more familiar with the city, So began to venture out around his apartment. Eventually he learned how to take the bus which allowed him to travel much further than walking had taken him.

Ji Hyun did inform So that he had a car but that was something he wasn't ready to challenge again just yet, not on his own anyway. Ji Hyun had offered to teach him once and that lesson nearly ended in a disaster, so it made sense the former advisor was disinclined to offer any additional lessons.

As So stepped off the bus, he took out his phone to see his location. Technology was fascinating in this world and he wondered how he had ever lived before then. Furthermore, how did Ha Jin adapt from having all of this and then going to nothing in Goryeo? Soo at the time had mentioned that she did miss several things, but once she had acclimated to Goryeo, she had no need for those luxuries.

After ensuring he was indeed going in the right direction, So pocketed his phone and walked towards the lake that he had found in the area. There weren't many, and most people likely went to the Han River but he obviously had a special connection to lakes, since it reminded him of Soo.

He was underwhelmed when he finally arrived at the lake. It was quite small and he couldn't walk the perimeter like he used to with Soo back in Goryeo. Still, it looked quaint if not quiet. By the looks of the boats on the docks and the wooden tables, it looked like a place where one could spend the day rowing and then enjoying a meal afterwards.

So didn't know how long he stood there looking out into the waters, but by the time he had shaken himself out of his reverie, he noticed someone had joined him, albeit they were standing further away. He had planned on leaving when he suddenly whipped around and looked again at the figure that was standing there.