I woke up in the morning feeling energetic. I thought I had so many things to do today. I looked around but didn't see the king. Maybe he woke up early to do his duties, or he just went back to his chamber.
A court lady entered the room with a tray of food.
"Your Majesty, please eat your breakfast before taking your medicine."
"Do I still need to take medicine when I'm already fine now?"
"It's the king's order, Your Majesty."
I sighed. "Okay, I won't argue."
I started eating my breakfast, feeling hungry. I don't know why; I ate a lot last night, but I was still hungry today.
"Did the king leave before morning?" I asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I nodded, then continued eating. After finishing, I took my medicine and told my court lady to assist me with putting on my clothes. Since the clothes here were different, I didn't know how to wear them properly.
As usual, the hanbok I wore was the queen's hanbok. The court ladies did my makeup and arranged the accessories in my hair. After that, I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror.
I couldn't believe how different I looked now compared to my world.
"I'm famous here, while in my world, I was just a simple, ordinary woman."
"You are so beautiful, Your Majesty," the court lady complimented.
I smiled, then left the room.
The court ladies followed me while I walked outside. People who saw me bowed their heads to show respect as their queen.
I looked at my court ladies. "Can't I walk alone?"
"Your Majesty, you know we can't allow that," one of the court ladies said, bowing her head.
I sighed. I knew they wouldn't let me. They were afraid something might happen to me, unlike when I wasn't a queen.
While walking, I saw the king's eunuch.
"Hey!" I called out.
The eunuch came near me and bowed his head. "Your Majesty."
"Where is the king?"
"He is currently in the pavilion, having a meeting with his adviser."
"So the king is very busy."
"He will be busy the whole day today, Your Majesty."
I sighed. "Okay, thank you."
Then I continued walking. As I walked, I saw Min Yun walking seriously. I called his name, but he didn't even glance at me.
"Is my voice not loud enough?" I asked the court ladies.
"No, Your Majesty. Your voice is loud," they answered.
"Then why didn't he hear me?" I muttered to myself.
I walked and followed Min Yun, though he was quite far away.
I lifted my hanbok and ran to catch up with him.
"Your Majesty, please don't run!" the court ladies called out, running after me as well.
I stopped, panting. I saw the court ladies were panting too.
"I'm sorry. I needed to catch Min Yun," I explained.
I saw Min Yun go into his office. I entered as well. As I opened the door, the officials and soldiers stood up and greeted me.
"Your Majesty..." They bowed their heads.
"Did I interrupt your work?" I asked.
"Not at all, Your Majesty."
"I am here to visit my cousin," I said.
"He's in his office, Your Majesty."
"Thank you."
The court ladies stayed outside, waiting. I slowly opened the door, not wanting to startle Min Yun. When I opened it, I saw him busy with paperwork.
"Hi," I greeted.
No response.
"Did I disturb you?" I asked.
No response.
Can't he hear me?
I walked closer and stayed near him so I could be heard.
"Hi, Min Yun."
He stopped and looked at me with an emotionless expression.
"What are you doing here? Can't you see I'm working?" he sounded angry.
He stood up and turned his back on me, walking to the other corner of the room.
"You look mad at me," I said.
He didn't respond.
"Min Yun... can you tell me what I've done? Why are you so quiet now? You don't even want to talk to me."
"Just please leave. I have so many cases right now. I'm so busy. Didn't I give you my time yesterday?" He looked at me with a sarcastic expression.
I felt offended by his actions and words today.
"We seemed okay yesterday," I said.
"I don't want to pick a fight with you today. Just please leave me alone because I need to settle this paperwork," he reasoned.
"Okay. I'm sorry," I said, then left immediately.
My face felt confused and, at the same time, sad. He had never acted like this before. Even when he was busy, he would always make time to talk to me.
I walked out of the office, feeling empty. I didn't even pay attention to the people around me.
"I-jun!" someone called out.
I looked at the person in front of me. "Ji Han?"
All the memories rushed back to me. This was the Ji Han I saw when I passed out. The Ji Han I saw in Shibuya town. The Ji Han I had befriended.
"Hi," he said with a smile.
I hesitated to smile at first because the image of him I remembered from Shibuya was completely different.
"Hey, are you okay?"
I looked into his eyes—those eyes that once admired me. The Ji Han I knew helped me so much. I had so many questions about why he was in Shibuya town. Was it just a coincidence? But why Shibuya, of all places?
"Your looks are making me nervous," he laughed.
My mind snapped back to the present, and I saw Ji Han smiling, but this time with hesitation.
"Oh, Ji Han," I said.
"I thought you weren't going to greet me," he chuckled.
"I'm sorry."
"You seem deep in thought. Is something wrong?"
I didn't want to jump to conclusions because I still had no evidence. Min Yun didn't even see Ji Han when we were in Shibuya. Could I have been hallucinating when I saw him? Or maybe I missed him so much that my mind made me imagine seeing him?
I remembered I hadn't told Min Yun about seeing Ji Han in Shibuya. The moment I was about to ask, someone interrupted our conversation.
"I heard you were still not okay, Your Majesty." He spoke to my court ladies, suggesting they assist me to my chamber, thinking I was still unwell.
"I'm perfectly fine, don't worry about me," I said.
"Your Majesty, today is my day off. Would you like to roam around the market?" he whispered to me, maybe to avoid the court ladies who were with me.
"Ah, I'm sorry, but I need to go to the pavilion to meet the king. I'm so busy today," I reasoned.
He smiled, just like before. "No worries. I know you're too busy now, Your Majesty."
I smiled back. I missed the cheerful Ji Han we used to be.
"I haven't seen you in a while," I said.
"I've been so busy, too. Sorry."
"I know you and Min Yun are both so busy. I won't stay here any longer; maybe the king is waiting for me."
"Yeah, sure, Your Highness."
I gave him my sweetest smile and then bid him goodbye.
When I turned around, my face became serious.
Actually, I had planned something for Min Yun and me. I was thinking of inviting him to eat in the garden and maybe have a small drink to celebrate my recovery. But it seemed like he was too busy.
I sighed as we arrived in the garden. It was so quiet and peaceful. I climbed up to the pavilion and sat on the pillow, placing my hands on the table.
"Do you want tea, Your Majesty?" one of the court ladies asked.
"Yes, please."
One of the court ladies went out to the kitchen to bring the tea.
"I thought I would be busy too," I said to myself.
I didn't even know how to help the king with his plans. I should be involved, since I'm the queen now. But it seemed like Min Yun and the king were just doing their jobs without me. I wanted to prove that I wasn't just a title, but also someone who could contribute to the work. But I had no idea about politics. Maybe I should start learning? I could find books about the law in the library, right?
I stood up. "Right! I should go to the library," I said.
Without waiting for the tea, I went straight to the library. The king's library was so quiet, filled with countless books. From fiction to non-fiction to academic works—did he read everything here?
"Yes."
I looked toward the door and saw the king standing there.
"Your Highness?"