With You Again (-너와 다시-)

Precious Items ❀

The Crown Prince could no longer hold back. He jumped into the cold water with a splash. The water was freezing but it wasn't that deep. He went through the rushing water, trying to reach Mae-In, who was splashing and trying her best to swim through the river current.

His eyes caught something that was shining between the rocks. He neared the object and realised it was the norigae, appearing bright in the sunlight, stuck between two rocks. The norigae was safe while the Crown Princess, who jumped into the water for it was drowning.

The Crown Prince dove into the water.

Mae-In kept on splashing. The cold water hit her face and she was unable to see clearly. She was being carried away by the water and it made her dizzy. She was constantly reminded of the traumatic experience from her childhood. She needed to find the norigae...

Suddenly, she felt two arms closing around her body and within seconds, she was being lifted off from the rushing water.

She clung to the person who saved her, afraid of falling back into the water. She opened her eyes to look at the person. It was the Crown Prince, drenched in water. Mae-In's heart raced but she couldn't get her mind away from that traumatic experience...

The Crown Prince let her down on the rocky riverbank. Mae-In panicked. "My norigae! Myㅡ" she screamed, putting her hands over her ears, feeling hot tears coming out of her eyes and rolling down her cold face. "It gotㅡ"

"Don't worry, I got it!" the Crown Prince said, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her to reassure her. He showed her the cherry blossom norigae. And before a gust of wind blew it away, Mae-In snatched it from his hand, sighing in relief.

"Don't do that ever again," the Crown Prince said after they started a fire a little later.

Mae-In did not answer. Her muscles were aching from the desperate splashing and her energy was drained out. Her mind kept going back to those memories.

The Crown Prince was worried, upon seeing her silent like that. There was nothing wrong with being silent, as people run out of words sometimes. But seeing her out of all people looking glum and being silent didn't sit right with him. Still, he didn't have the guts to ask her anything.

"Your Highness. I'm sorry for jumping into the water like that..." Mae-In said slowly, after a while.

"All of a sudden?" the Crown Prince asked, shoving a stick into the fire.

"I just wanted to apologise... Because I realised what a mistake I was about to make..." Mae-In said slowly.

"And what mistake were you about to make, instead of jumping into your death?" inquired the Crown Prince.

"Forget about me, what if you didn't know how to swim... and still jumped into the water?"

"Like you?"

"You didn't have any precious item of yours drowning in the water though!"

"And what if I did?"

Mae-In's head shot up to the Crown Prince. He was looking at the flowing water.

"I meant to say that if I were in your position, I would've done the same," he said, without shifting his gaze away from the river.

"Oh..." Mae-In pushed away the unwanted thoughts that started to form inside her head.

"I don't know who will come to save me if I drown though," the Crown Prince said.

"Why? You are the nation's crown prince. Who won't come to save you?"