.thirty five.
The very next morning at dawn, Minji was woken by the sound of pebbles hitting her window. She got out of bed sleepily and walked towards the sound, sliding the window open to see Jung standing outside in the dimly lit morning. He was dressed in his peasant clothing which he usually wore when he'd go out into the village to run errands for the king. A leather bag was slung over his shoulder and he glanced from side to side every couple of seconds, as though he were hiding from something, or trying not to be spotted. His voice, when it finally came, reached her in a low whisper.
"Hak Soon..." He called her name slowly and breathlessly, sending butterflies to flutter in her stomach. To think that in just a few days she would be marrying none other than his brother, a boy who had never shown an interest in her and was only marrying her because he thought he could not find someone to marry him. It tore through her heart because Jung was the one she wanted to marry, not Eun. Soon Deok wanted to marry Eun, but of course, things did not work perfectly that way. Instead it was a mess that was putting two brothers against each other. Minji was thankful it had not done the same to her and Soon Deok, as she had grown to love her as a sister.
"Oppa, what are you doing here?" She wondered, her voice in a whisper as well.
She rubbed the traces of sleep from her tired eyes and started combing her fingers through her hair. There he was, looking handsome and flawless as ever, while she probably looked horrendous with her bed hair. Little did she know that even after having just woken up, he thought she was absolutely stunning. He had looked forward to waking up with her each morning and seeing her just like that. But now that she was marrying his brother, it would likely never happen.
"I can't just stand by and watch while his majesty marries you off to my hyung." He informed her, matter-of-factly.
Minji was a bit surprised that he had gotten into her house so easily without being spotted, since it was a military family home and there were guards everywhere. But she had also seen him easily climb the tall walls of the palace, let alone would he be able to climb the walls of her house.
When she didn't say anything, he continued, "Run away with me. I can take you far away from here so that we can be happy. I've already arranged for a contraband boat to take us to Japan."
From the start, Minji could think of a million different things wrong with his plan. They were teenagers and neither of them had any work experience. They couldn't just move to a whole new country and expect to survive. They didn't even speak the language. Then there was Hajin, who was Minji's one connection to her true self from the present. She didn't want to leave her behind. She also knew they couldn't hide from the king forever and there would surely be consequences if they were found. These thoughts raced through her mind and she was quick to voice her concerns to the boy who had once been engaged to her.
"It would never work." She pointed out to him with a frown lining her features. The sparkle of excitement in his eyes died in an instant. He really thought Minji would be on board with his idea. But he was impulsive, would try anything if it meant that she would stay by his side, while she was level headed. She saw the logical side of things and realized there was a realistic chance they would perish if they went through with his plan. "You're a prince and they would search until finding us. Besides, neither of us knows how to do anything. We have no useful job skills. You lived in a palace coddled all your life and I was the same, since I am a noble. We would probably die in the first three days."
"No, we wouldn't. I promise." Jung tried to reassure her with a shake of his head. "I can learn to provide for us, just give me the chance to prove it to you. I've already secured a job as a fisherman in Japan, and a cottage in a forest--"
