"Would you fall in love with me if I were the king?"
That question kept repeating in my mind.
What was Min Yun's intention in asking me that?
I glanced at him as we walked. We were in the market, roaming around and buying the things we liked. I even told him that the king and I went to the market earlier.
He seemed different. I could see desire in his eyes—eyes that were trying to tell me something I couldn't quite figure out.
"Do you like that?" he asked, referring to the item I was holding.
I quickly dropped it, caught off guard by his question.
"No, I don't need it," I said.
He picked it up and spoke to the vendor. "How much?"
"Are you going to buy it?" I asked.
"You kept staring at it earlier, so I assumed you liked it."
But the truth was, I was staring blankly at the item because his words from earlier kept echoing in my mind, not because I wanted it.
To my surprise, the clip he bought... he gently placed it in my hair.
"It suits you," he said with a smile, then walked away.
Dug. Dug. Dug.
Why is my heart thumping? Why do my cheeks feel so warm? Why is Min Yun acting so strangely?
I followed him through the market as he busily scanned the stalls.
I stopped walking and just stared at him.
If he were the king, would I fall in love with him?
Even if he isn't… surely, any woman might fall in love with him.
But would I?
"I-jun!" he called out, snapping me back to reality.
I ran a little to catch up.
"Why were you staring at me like that?"
"Huh? Nothing."
"Is it okay if we go back to the palace late tonight? I have something to show you," Min Yun said.
I looked at him and nodded. After all, the king wouldn't be angry—he knew I was with my cousin.
Min Yun and I entered a fabric shop because he said he wanted to buy something. He also told me to choose a fabric for myself. But I hesitated—it was quite expensive.
"You know I have money. It's just coins for me," he laughed, trying to convince me.
I'm still not used to it. I know I have money too—after all, I am the queen—but I'm still not used to spending it, especially since their currency is different from mine.
"Does this suit me?" Min Yun asked as he tried on the fabric he had picked earlier.
I looked at him with admiration in my eyes. He looked handsome in that suit.
"It's perfect," I commented softly.
Min Yun smiled after hearing my words.
"Try this too. I know it'll suit you," he said, handing me a hanbok adorned with delicate floral designs in white and pink. It looked like something only royalty would wear.
After changing into it, I stepped out to show him.
I could see the sparkles in his eyes as he looked at me. "It's so beautiful… just like you," he said sincerely.
My cheeks turned red again.
"Let me buy that for you."
"But there's no celebration. You don't have to give me a gift."
"Whether there's a celebration or not, I'm always willing to give you gifts—even on random days."
I smiled. "Thank you for this."
"I'm excited to see you wear that in the palace," he said with a grin.
After that, we went to a restaurant for dinner. Even though I wasn't very hungry—I had already eaten—I still ordered an egg omelet, steamed rice, chicken soup, and tea.
"Thank you again for this," I said.
"I should be the one thanking you for coming with me today."
I smiled and continued eating. We finished our food in less than 30 minutes. The sky was already dark when we left, with stars twinkling above and the moon glowing gently. I gazed up as we walked.
"I hope my best friend is okay," I whispered.
"Do you regret coming back here?" Min Yun asked.
I shrugged. "I selfishly chose you over my best friend because I thought I could still help you."
"I'd be sad… but at the same time, happy, if you decided not to come back."
"Why?"
"Sad because I can never see you again. Happy because I know you are happy reuniting with your best friend."
I smiled. "I hope I made the right choice."
"Thank you for choosing us."
"By the way, you told me a while ago that you would show me something."
"Yes. Let's go."
He held my hand, and we ran like kids. I looked at my hand and smiled.
There was something in my heart that I couldn't explain.
"We're here."
"Wow..."
I looked at the surroundings, the flowers that I had never seen in our world, the perfect view of the sky, the soothing air that touched my skin. It was so perfect that I wanted to stay here forever.
"Did you like it?"
"How did you know this place? I like it so much."
"This was my favorite place before."
"Was?"
"Since my lover died, I haven't come back here."
"Did she like this place too?"
"Yes."
"So we're the same," I said.
Min Yun looked at me, then smiled. "I'm happy that you like it."
We saw a wooden bench under the tree and sat down.
"I like the fresh air," I said while closing my eyes.
"I guess I have another reason now to come back here."
I opened my eyes and looked at Min Yun, who was staring at me.
"Is there dirt on my face?" I tried to pretend to wipe my face.
He laughed. "There is none."
"Why are you staring at me?" I looked uncomfortable.
"Because you are beautiful."
I blushed again. Since when did Min Yun plan to compliment me the whole day? Luckily, it was dark, and Min Yun didn't see me blushing.
"I-jun..."
I looked into his eyes.
"You are the reason why I became happy again."
I waited for him to continue.
"I was grieving when you came here. I was devastated by what had happened to my lover. I couldn't find a reason to live. Even my parents didn't know what to do about me. But everything changed because of you."
I was actually at a loss for words. I wanted to joke around and tell some jokes, but I couldn't ruin this moment.
"Thank you for being here. I know you are here not because of me, but for the king. Still, I want to thank you."
"I-jun... I know this is not the right time to tell you this. I've thought of this many times. It might ruin our friendship, but I want you to know that...."
We felt the drops of water from the sky. The rain ruined the moment. We both forgot what we were talking about as the rain poured heavily.
Min Yun held my hand, and we ran fast.
When we got back to the market, we went into a shop where umbrellas were being sold. Min Yun bought a big umbrella. I thought he would buy two, but instead, he bought just one.
"Come here," Min Yun said, putting his hand on my shoulder. We both stood under the umbrella, now in the rain.
We were the only ones walking in the rain. I looked at Min Yun, who was seriously looking ahead. I smiled because I liked this moment.
"Have you ever danced in the rain?" I asked.
"Danced?" he asked again, maybe to make sure he heard me right.
"Yes."
"I haven't."
"Me neither. But you know what? I would like to try it."
"But you know you might get sick."
"I know," I laughed, then stepped out from under the umbrella and started getting wet.
"I-jun! You might get sick."
"I want to try it."
"But there's no music," he started laughing. He was still holding the umbrella.
"We can imagine there's music," I said. "Come on."
"We bought an umbrella just to get wet," he laughed, but he started putting down the umbrella and got wet too.
At first, he was hesitant, but seeing him getting wet made me laugh.
"Hahahaha. You are so cute."
"My parents never let me try this because I might get sick."
"Of course, because you are a nobleman."
"But I'm starting to like it," he said, looking at the sky.
I smiled while staring at him. It's been years since I last did this. I was with Von at that time.
I started moving my hands to do a rain dance.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Dancing," I answered.
"What dance is that?"
"It's called a rain dance. We believe that if we dance, the rain will stop."
"Really?"
"Yes. Try it. Let's also sing 'Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.'"
"Is that a song?"
"Yes, let's dance and sing..."
He started following my dance and singing. Soon, he got used to it.
I laughed while turning around. I opened my arms to feel the rain, then spun around while still singing and dancing. Min Yun did the same.
Maybe after 10 minutes of soaking in the rain, dancing, and singing, the rain suddenly stopped.
"The rain stopped," Min Yun said.
"Our dance and song were effective," I smiled.
"I believe you now," he smiled back.
"Let's go back to the palace now," I said.
He nodded and grabbed the umbrella we had bought.
"Thank you. I really enjoyed this night," Min Yun said as we walked. We were both soaking wet, and my hanbok felt heavy to carry. Even the clothes we bought earlier were soaked.
"I enjoyed it too. Thank you."
"I-jun..." Min Yun called me, so I stopped walking.
"What?"
"I have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
****
Min Yun's POV
I took a deep breath while I-jun was staring at me. I was too hesitant to say this, but I'd give it a try. Just when I was about to speak, someone called I-jun.
"I-jun!"
As I looked closer, we didn't realize we were outside the palace, and the king was the one who called I-jun.
"What have you done?" The king stepped closer to I-jun. He then looked at me.
"Min Yun, why is the queen soaking wet?"
I could see the worry in his eyes, just like the time when he thought I-jun was dead. He had been grieving, not wanting to eat or perform his duties. He was just like when his father died—he lost hope and faith.
That's why I knew how much the king treasured I-jun. She was his last hope. She was his faith.
"I asked Min Yun to play in the rain with me. He just followed," I-jun reasoned.
"But you shouldn't get sick," the king said, looking worried as he inspected her clothes.
"Let's go to your chamber," the king said.
I-jun looked at me. "Min Yun, let's go."
"I'll go to my quarters too to take a bath. See you tomorrow," I said.
She nodded and went with the king.
I smiled sadly. The night ended so fast. I couldn't even say what I was about to say to her.
"I like you, I-jun. I like you so much," I murmured to myself.