Chapter 3 – Scar

After having a relaxed bath, Myeong Jo

stood in front of the mirror, looking at herself. She was the same girl. The

same face yet she became a bit more beautiful and elegent. Exactly like a

Queen. She wondered if she was wearing makeup because she couldn't recognize

herself.

After putting on a long dress that the maids arranged for her, she walked out

of the room for the first time. Daebak, she really was inside a royal castle.

Was this time lapse? Did she transport to the past? No. It wasn't possible. The

surroundings were modern. The clothes they wore were totally modern. She had a

large LED TV in her room. Jimin even had an iPhone. That explained this wasn't

the past.

She slowly walked downstairs and all the maids and guards present there, bowed

to her. Myeong Jo stood quietly like a robot, caught off-guard. Was she

supposed to bow back too?

Suddenly someone whispered into her ear from behind, "Just smile a bit and

walk where you wanted to go."

She turned behind, surprised to see Jimin. He had his hands inside his pockets

and smiling at her.

She did as he said and walked towards the right corridor though she didn't know

where she was going. Jimin kept following her from behind.

"Are you sure you know where you are going?" Jimin teased her from

behind.

"Aish, of course not." Myeong Jo whined.

Jimin laughed and walked beside her, "We'll just take a walk around the

Kingdom and the garden.

Both of them had a long tour inside the castle. Jimin showed her all around the

palace. The castle was so huge, it was easy to get lost. It was almost

afternoon. Jimin took her to their garden. The garden was twice as large as any

other garden. Also it was at the same time spacious and filled with giant trees

and plants.

Myeong Jo loved nature. She always admired its beauty. She felt happy to be in

the garden.

"See that swing over there?" Jimin pointed to her right. There was a

swing covered with flowers. It was swinging on its own slightly.

"You used to sit there whenever you found free time." he stated.

Myeong Jo nodded as she walked to the swing. She sat on it and began swinging

it lightly with her feet. Jimin stood in front of her, slightly smiling.

"How old was I?" Myeong Jo asked him.

He answered, "23."

So the age and name were same.

"Was I too...rude?" finding no other word to express, she just used

that.

Jimin laughed and replied, "No! No, you were the sweetest person I had

ever seen in the world."

Again that blushy feeling. Jimin realized he shouldn't had said that. He

lowered his eyes and bit his lips.

Myeong Jo felt guilty too. She knew that though she was his wife, he couldn't

treat her like he used to. He may had loved her very much. Myeong Jo just

wanted to fix everything right. Deep inside, she knew she's at a place she

shouldn't be. She had to find out everything.

"Jimin-ssi, I'm very sorry. I know you must be feeling so bad and mad for

everything. I'm sorry for not remembering you." Myeong Jo uttered, facing

the ground.

Jimin immediately knelt down on the ground to face her. He cupped her face in

his palms and said, "No, Myeong Jo. Don't say that. It's not your fault.

It was my fault that I let you go all alone on the mountains. If I was there

with you, I could've saved you from falling down. Don't say sorry. It hurts

me."

Other than her brother, no one ever said something to her like this. Myeong Jo

stared deep into Jimin's eyes. If just saying sorry could hurt him, imagine how

hurt he would be to lose her. Myeong Jo, in her heart, felt an unknown emotion.

That too for the first time. She liked his touch, his words right now. She

wanted them.

Jimin slowly removed his hands from her face and gulped down his throat. To

avoid the situation that just occurred between them, Myeong Jo asked,

"I fell down from a cliff right?"

He looked at her and nodded slowly.

"How did you find me?" she asked, still looking into his eyes.

"It was getting late. I called you and you didn't pick up. Then I called

the other two guards that were sent with you. They said they were trying to

find you everywhere but you couldn't be found." He paused.

Then he continued, "With other royal guards, I drove to the cliff and

joined their search. After about an hour, I found you first. It was a miracle

you weren't bleeding that much."

Then he slowly told everything. Myeong Jo didn't get to know anything as she

wanted. But little information also helped.

At night, she ate dinner and was resting in her bedroom. She still hadn't

recovered yet. As she sat on the bed, she began thinking about everything.

That night, something must've had happened. Something different. She thought

hard for anything to click inside her mind.

Instead of clicking inside her mind, the door clicked open and Jimin came

inside. Myeong Jo sat upright, smiling slightly at him.

"Thought you might need this." he handed a diary to her.

She took it in her hands, "What is it?"

He sat on the edge of the bed, "Your diary."

She used to write a diary?

"I think you wrote some memories and stuff there. If you read them, you might

be able to adjust with everything. And also--" he stopped.

"Also what?" she raised one eyebrow.

He shook his head, "Nothing."

"Also remember you, right?" Myeong Jo read his face.

He became surprised and made his eyes bigger like a puppy.

"You must've really loved your wife. You can't even bear not to be

recalled by her." she chuckled at him.

"I-It's not like that." Jimin also smiled a bit.

"Well, I'll go sleep in another room then. Good night." He wished

her.

Of course Jimin wanted to sleep with his wife. But he had no other choice. So

he left her alone in their shared bedroom and sneaked out to another chamber.

If someone saw the King and the Queen not sleeping together, rumors won't take

too long to spread.

Myeong Jo laid her back down on the headboard. She began reading the diary. She

noticed that her handwriting was the same as her. So here it goes:

"Entry

1:

Dear Diary, I've seen in dramas that girls share everything in their diaries

then they feel good so I thought to start too. Though I'm no ordinary girl. I'm

a princess.

When I was 4, I lost my parents in a war. Since then I've been alone. Well not

alone actually. I mean I had Ms. Oh Hong Joo, the head of the royal household.

She was the one to raise me. Either way, I was so lonely and depressed. My

kingdom needed a ruler. So I had sat over the throne when I was 18. They said I

was a resemblance of my mother.

I ruled over the kingdom for 2 years. I was indeed a great Queen. At least

that's what I heard.

So tomorrow is my wedding. I know why all on a sudden. I'm getting married as

my father decided before his death. I never knew he even fixed the groom. The

man is The King of Busan. His name is Park Jimin. We haven't talked with each

other more than 2 times. So I'm so nervous to start this new life with him. I

just hope he treats me fairly, kindly. I just want love. There was a lapse of

love in my heart. Love and care is all I need."

Myeong Jo closed the diary. She had many similarities with this girl. She also

lost her parents when she was 4. And her whole life was also with loneliness,

sorrow and pain. No one was there to love her or care for her.

Myeong Jo became more confused. Who was this girl?

---------------

Myeong Jo spent her days in the Kingdom

always reading the diary. To be honest, she enjoyed reading it. The girl wrote

every beautiful moment of hers with Jimin and it felt so good to read them. Of

course, Myeong Jo never experienced love. Reading romantic moments made her

heart flutter.

"Entry

5:

Jimin's the kindest, sweetest person in the world. I feel so happy around him.

I was a bit scared that he would be grumpy but he welcomed me warmly into his

life. Today, he proposed to go to the waterfalls with me. I'm so excited! This

is gonna be our first date!"

"Entry 11:

I can't believe we kissed. We kissed! Oh my merciful god! He kissed me. I feel

so overwhelmed by his love. How can a person love another person this way? I

thought love had to be created by both. I never knew love doesn't even take a year

to build within. Jimin is really a great husband. He always listens to me,

supports me, makes me laugh. He said I was the Light that entered his life to

brighten up his heart. Isn't that so romantic? Ah, I'm so shy..."

Myeong Jo was smiling ear to ear reading them. She felt happy for this girl.

Though the girl was just like her, she felt happy to see her happy. Myeong Jo

was sitting on the swing, swinging lightly. She was so deeply focused into

reading that she didn't notice Jimin standing at a close distance, watching

her.

Jimin was at the same time happy and sad. Happy that his wife was safe and

sound, living her days without him happily. And sad that he couldn't hug her or

kiss her like he used to every day. He missed all those old days. Those days

where every day felt like a special day. His wife made him happier more than

anyone. Every day they used **** **** to each other. Those were special. But he

still believed today or tomorrow, one day his wife will remember him.

Myeong Jo closed the diary. She stretched her body a bit when she suddenly

glanced upon Jimin.

She realized it's been days she last talked to him. And it wasn't right. He

deserved her. He deserved his wife. Though she didn't feel like his wife, she

had to make him loved too.

"Jimin-ssi, come here!" she signaled him to come.

Jimin walked over to her. She patted the space beside her for him to sit on the

swing. Jimin first hesitated a bit but eventually sat beside his wife. For the

first time, they sat so close to each other.

Silence took over between them.

"So...you've been reading the diary? Does it help?" Jimin nervously

asked.

"Yeah...the memories feel familiar." she lied. The diary felt like a

story book to her. She didn't remember anything that was written.

She looked at Jimin, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Well, I wrote that I lost my parents in a war. How did I? I didn't write

them down." It felt so awkward to say "I" when she cleary felt

she's not.

Jimin thought for a while, "You once said your family was attacked during

a trip. The enemies killed your father and mother. When they were about to kill

you, the other royal guards came for your rescue. You survived but you had a

scar on your back, caused by an arrow."

Myeong Jo's eyes widened, "S-Scar?"

Jimin nodded, "One of those merciless men aimed at you from behind. You

were so little yet you ran in a zigzag line. So though the arrow hit you, it

missed your heart. So you lived."

That's when the thought hit her head. That was the clue! The scar!

Myeong Jo stood up suddenly and ran towards her bedroom. Jimin, being surprised

by her behaviour kept calling her from behind and running behind her.

She went to her room and threw the diary aside. She entered the spacious

bathroom, locking the door. She stood in front of the mirror and began

undressing herself.

She had to check whether the scar was there or not. If the scar was there, that

meant she was the Queen of The Kingdom of Busan and the wife of Jimin. But if

the scar wasn't there, that means she was not whom everyone was thinking. She

was that girl whose life was so miserable, struggling, poor.

She lowered her upper dress and began turning back. That's when she stopped.

She was scared.

Scared to look.

Myeong Jo didn't look at the mirror yet. She thought what if the scar was

there. She could live happily with Jimin. He was that kind of person she always

wanted. If she allowed him, he'll love her till the end as his wife. She will

be a Queen. A happy life waited for her.

But if the scar wasn't there, that meant whatever this place was, Myeong Jo

shouldn't stay here. She didn't deserve all these. She was taking someone's

place! She was still the same girl. That same old girl who took her own life.

More panic and confusion will start if the scar wasn't there.

Myeong Jo's heart began beating fast. She didn't know what to do. She was too

afraid to check the scar on her back. She didn't want to go back to her

struggling, poor life where she's nothing but a burden. She wanted to stay here

as a Queen, as a wife. She had someone that could keep her loved forever. She

didn't want to leave this place.

But after taking a deep breath, she slowly turned her neck to the mirror and

looked at the reflection of her bare back in the mirror.

There was no scar.

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