The file remained open in front of her. But Yoon Ha-rin wasn't reading anymore. Her eyes were fixed on the page yet nothing was registering. The characters had blurred and the words lost its meaning.
The moment Kang Jae-min stepped away, she felt her soul slowly drift away into a trance. She wished to have control over herself but nothing she tried worked. The dream quietly consumed her.
"Why does it feel like this…" she murmured under her breath. Her fingers rested lightly on the edge of the document and the paper felt colder than it should.
She frowned slightly and leaned closer. The title: "Records of the Night of Treason," stared back at her. Her heartbeat slowed, picking up harder and louder, again. Her pupil was distanced, as if lost in the wilderness.
Her fingers moved on their own, just turning the page. All along, Jae-min stood across the room with his back partially turned. Not realizing what was going. Even though he wasn't working, yet his attention kept drifting.
He found his current obsession and drift to her wrong. Not dangerous but unpredictable and uncalled for. And that alone was enough to unsettle him.
Just as he turned back to her, he saw her frozen. "Ha-rin?" He called; his gaze laced with confusion. But had no response. His eyes instinctively sharpened as he stepped closer.
"Ha-rin." The words came again, yet still nothing. Their world had shifted for her. She saw the moonlight spilled across the palace courtyard. Brighter this time, alive and clearer.
The air was thick with tension while voices echoed in the distance, shouting and running. Steel clashed against steel and Ha-rin found herself in the middle of it. No, not Ha-rin but Arin.
Her hands trembled slightly but her gaze was steady, focused and determined.
"Your Highness, you must leave now!" Her voice called but it wasn't hers, even though it came from her lips. The Crown Prince stood right in front of her.
He was close enough that she could finally see his face. Her breath remained stuck in her throat. His features were sharp and familiar. "No, that wasn't possible. It couldn't be" She couldn't ascertain what was happening.
"HA-RIN!" a loud voice invaded and the vision shattered. Her body suddenly collapsed forward. The chair scraped loudly against the floor. Jae-min caught her before she could hit the ground. His grip was firm and urgent.
"Ha-rin !" Her eyes fluttered open but they weren't focused.
"You came back…" The words slipped out softly, yet unconscious which froze him.
"What?" He mumbled in confusion. Her fingers curled weakly around his sleeve.
"This time… you came back…" She stuttered again. His chest tightened. Something about the way she said it felt familiar.
"Ha-rin, look at me." He tilted her chin up as he tried to get her to consciousness. Her gaze slowly found his but for a moment, she didn't react. As if she wasn't seeing him as he was.
"Your Highness…" she whispered and everything stopped. His grip tightened involuntarily.
"What did you just call me?" He asked but, in a blink, the fog slowly cleared from her eyes. Replaced with confusion replaced, her gaze just searched through his.
"What?" She asked, her voice weak and unsteady.
"You just…" He stopped himself. His jaw tightened. "…Nothing." He said but it wasn't nothing. Not even close.
Just then, a knock suddenly broke the moment. The door swan open before either of them could respond. "Director…" Hyun-woo stepped in, then froze.
His eyes slightly widened at the scene before his eyes. Jae-min was holding Ha-rin so close to his chest. He coughed, clearing his throat sheepishly. "…Should I come back later?"
"No." Their voices returned instantly to normal as they pushed each other away. Hyun faintly chuckled, sealing it away instantly.
"Speak." Jae-min spoke, cold and controlled. Hyun-woo hesitated for a second and then continued.
"There's been a request from the archive department. They want access to the palace records you retrieved." His gaze flickered briefly toward the opened file on the desk, and back to Ha-rin.
"Denied." Hyun-woo blinked.
"Denied?"
"Yes." His tone left no room for negotiation. "No one touches those records without my approval." The room was quiet for a moment and then Hyun-woo nodded.
"Understood." He replied and stepped out.
The door closed again and silence returned. But it wasn't the same, not anymore. Jae-min turned to Ha-rin. His movements slower and more deliberate.
"Are you alright?" She nodded faintly with a yes. But her hands were still trembling, he noticed. He immediately reached for the glass of water on the desk and handed it to her.
"Drink." She obeyed without arguing.
After a few seconds, her breathing began to steady but the tension remained. It lingered between them, unspoken and unavoidable.
"I saw him," she whispered.
Jae-min's gaze locked onto hers instantly. "Who?"
Her fingers tightened slightly around the glass. "The Crown Prince, the man from my dreams." A beat of silence replaced. "I saw his face."
He didn't move or speak but something in his expression changed. "And?" he asked quietly but she hesitated. Her eyes searched his, confused and uncertain.
"I don't remember clearly," she admitted. "But…" Her voice softened. "…he felt familiar."
The words landed heavier than they should have. Jae-min exhaled slowly. "You need to stop going through those files." Ha-rin weakly shook her head.
"I didn't try to, it just happened."
"That's exactly the problem." His tone sharpened. For the first time, his emotion slipped through. "You're losing control."
Her eyes widened slightly. "I'm not—"
"You collapsed," he cut in. "You called me something you don't even remember saying." Silence instantly swallowed them.
Ha-rin's lips parted slightly. "What did I say?" He didn't answer immediately. His gaze lingered on her, deep and searching.
"Nothing important." A lie eluded and a clear one as that. But he didn't take it back. She looked down, her grip tightened around the glass.
"…I'm scared." The words came out quietly, barely above a whisper. And for the first time, completely honest. Jae-min was slightly filled with empathy.
"You won't be alone in this." The words left his lips before he could stop them. She looked up at him, surprised.
"Why?" There it was again, that question. Simple but dangerous. Jae-min held her gaze and much longer this time. Because even though he knew where it was headed, he didn't want it to feel rushed. He wanted it to return to her slowly.
Her heartbeat quickened. "What do you mean by that?" Jae-min didn't answer.
"Nothing, just get back to work…we'll be heading out for a meeting soon." He ignored, going over a few documents on his table. Ha-rin stared at him and snarled before returning to her work.
Seo Do-hyun was still outside the office, his gaze remained fixed on the closed door, silent and unseen. He had heard enough and more than enough. A slow smile formed on his lips.
"…So it's starting."