In Time With YOu

Slightly AU all Canon pairing. In which Go Ha Jin's knowledge of history is the one we've seen in Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Will she make the same decisions as the original Go Ha Jin or will she defy history and make her own path?

Chapter 1: Shall We Begin?

Go Ha Jin had been walking aimlessly lost amidst the sea of tourist leisurely sightseeing towards the top of the valley where a quarry pit (Pocheon Art Valley) contains a crystal clear lake. The sun is about to set and the whole place is enveloped with warm golden sunlight, yet all Go Ha Jin feels is the cold gentle wind seeping in her skin. She crosses her arms just below her chest seemingly holding herself together.

She had been meaning to come here with her best friend, Lee Sanya, and her boyfriend, Park Joon Yeong, for a long time now but somehow they never got the time to do so. Those two, at the mere thought of them hurls Go Ha Jin into turmoil of emotions. Love. Anger. Betrayal. Longing. Madness. She couldn't understand how Sanya and Joon Yeong can cheat on her, run away and take away everything she has.

She takes a deep breath and sighs, trying to shake off the tears forming in her eyes. Staring at the steps she's climbing, she proceeds to ascend towards the quarry. A few steps up, she bumps into another person going down. The guy in a casual black polo and jeans, with his hands resting at his back a few seconds ago, reaches out to steady Go Ha Jin. He was about to reprimand her for not looking at where she's going when his eyes fell on Go Ha Jin's hunched posture trying to make her self as small as possible.

Forgetting his annoyance, the guy suddenly feels worried towards her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Bowing twice, she sides step and continued climbing without looking back. The guy watch as Go Ha Jin leaves. He shakes the wisp of his hair that has fallen and covered his left eye. He squints, trying to identify a fleeting memory.

"Hyung (Older brother)!"

Another guy at the bottom of the steps calls unto him. Holding a DSLR on his right hand, he raises his left hand in a wave.

"Ppal-li Hyung! (Hurry up hyung!) You need to see the photos I have taken. Mam-e deul keo-ya. (You'll like it.)"

The guy that Go Ha Jin bumped into turns to the direction of his younger brother and with one last look at Go Ha Jin, he proceeds to go down.

From the top of the valley a man was watching the whole exchange happen. He smiles, a small sad nostalgic smile.

Has it begun again? the dance of lovers under the fated moon?

By the time Go Ha Jin reaches the top, the sun had set and night had settled over the quarry. She proceeds to flopped herself on the wooden floor at the roped area beside the water. The picnic grove was well lighted with hundreds of little small bulbs strung together. Many families are setting their dinner on the picnic benches scattered everywhere.

She fumbles inside her bag, taking out a bottle of soju and opening it. She looks up in the sky and notices the blue moon that looks too near.

"I guess the moon is the same everywhere, don't you think so?"

The man who was watching her from a far a while ago, takes a sit besides Go Ha Jin. With the bottle still attached to her lips, Go Ha Jin turns to look at the person who sat beside her. She detaches the bottle from her lips, feeling the cold scorching soju coursing in her throat. She wanted to offer a smile but her body is too cold and her soul is just too tired to give an ounce of warmth.

The man eyes the bottle that Go Ha Jin had just put down. Noticing this, Go Ha Jin offers the bottle to the man instead. The man reaches for it and takes a swig.

"Ajeossi (older man), have you ever wanted to sleep for a thousand years?"

Go Ha Jin continued to stare at the moon, trying to figure out where did it all go wrong.

"You tell yourself, 'I'm sure things will get better' then another thing goes wrong." Go Ha Jin sighs some more and wishes,

"It would be better if I fall asleep and never wake-up again." She pauses a little bit, struggling to contain the tears forming in her eyes. She swallows.

"Na neun mo-deun geos-eul it-go sip-eo-yo. (I want to forget everything.)"

At this, the Ajeossi looks at her.

"Don't you think you've done a lot of sleeping for the last thousand years?"

Go Ha Jin looks at the Ajeossi like he just lost his mind.

"It's time to wake-up now my little queen." The lips of the ajeossi curves into a smile, trying to reach her with his warmth.

If Go Ha Jin thought that the Ajeossi is a little weird a few minutes ago, now she's sure that he's crazy. She couldn't help but exhale a sarcastic laugh.

"If there is a parallel world, now is the right time for me to discover it." Go Ha Jin laughs and laughs and laughs until she felt a tear crosses her right cheek and she suddenly stops. She dabs her cheek with her left hand and relaxes in her seat. She leans on her knees and looks at the water.

The Ajeossi looks at her with a comforting face, he was about to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder when he catches himself and settled for watching the waters with her instead.

"You can't change your life just because you want it to … or maybe… you can?"

Go Ha Jin turns to look at the Ajeossi. He passes back the bottle of Soju to her. Go Ha Jin looks at it for a second before reaching to take it back.

Will you take your place my dear little queen? No, it's not a matter of your choice, it has been decided by fate. Everything in it's proper place.

The Ajeossi gives her one last look and leaves. Go Ha Jin resumes staring at the water.

A little girl approaches the rope and sits at the edge of the wooden floor, dangling her feet in the air. The mother of the kid calls-out,

"Seol-ah, don't play near the water it's not safe."

Seol glances at her mother and smiles. She continues to sit there. The mother resumes with setting their dinner at the table while Go Ha Jin just watches from her corner. Seol looks at her and offers a smile. A little warmth, like a morning sunrise, spreads from the tip of Go Ha Jin's finger to the core of her chest. For a moment, she felt light and smiles back. She lies down at her corner and watched the moon some more.

Splashed!

She was woken from her daze when she heard a splashed of water from where Seol was sitting. She looked around, Seol was nowhere in sight. She stands-up and runs to where Seol was sitting a while ago. A few meters into the water, she sees kid struggling to stay a float.

Yaisshhh… No, no. I'm sure someone will come. Eoh?

She looks at the table where Seol's mother should be at a few moments ago but she was nowhere in sight now.

By the time I get in there, someone else will have reached her. I'm sure someone will come.

She makes a resolve to not care but she can feel the panic rising inside her as kid continues to drown.

No Ha Jin, someone will come. I'm sure someone will.

I don't know how to swim. I can't.

Na-ya? Ddo! Wae na-ya?! (Why me? Why is it me again?)

With resignation, she steps back then runs forward and jumps into the water. She struggles to swim towards Seol, reaching her hand forward but it feels like something in the water is pulling her down. Her head momentarily breaks from the water and grasp for some air. Little by little she can feel herself drowning at the sight of a big moon and dark water.

Unnie, I want to look pretty for someone, won't you do my make-up for me?

Whose the lucky guy?

Excitement.

Oh it's Joon Yeong-ah. Joon Yeong-ah!

Disappointment.

Unnie, don't delude yourself he was in love with me from the beginning.

Betrayal.

Ya! Go Ha Jin ssi! if you can't pay for Park Joon Yeong ssi's loan you might as well move-out of the apartment.

An end.

One by one, snippets of Go Ha Jin's life flash before her. She thinks to herself

Tough luck! I guess I'm dying and the last thing I remember are the bad things that happened to me. Oh gods, can you be more cruel?

She wanted to at least laugh bitterly but before long she loses consciousness.

Editor's note:

Sorry, I'm trying to get myself oriented with the publishing style of this site. I had to re-edit the format again and again.

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