12 Chapter 12

Two days later Yoon-Yi woke up as if from a deep slumber. She felt lightheaded and her eyes could barely focus on the things around her. Her muscles protested every time she tried to get up or move even a little. Her entire body was weak and sore after fighting off the high fever and she was still convalescing.

After being fussed over the entire morning, Yoon-Yi was now finally alone with just her thoughts. Her mind was a jumble of incoherent images and she wanted to clear them up a bit. For that she needed peace and quiet, something difficult to obtain when Jung-Hee kept scolding her for not taking her medicine or fretting about her condition and loss of weight.

Indeed, throughout the sickness, Yoon-Yi lost some weight, but she did not consider it to be something to agonize about. On the contrary, every girl wanted to lose a bit of weight every now and then.

With difficulty, she tried remembering what happened to her, but some memories kept eluding her. She remembered running away and going into the river. With a twinge of shame, she remembered being saved by Shin, and their conversation afterwards. After that, everything was unclear and her mind could not see past that point, like a damaged movie which keeps stopping in the same place.

She closed her eyes and suddenly other images entered her mind; images that seemed vaguely familiar. But at the same time, it did not feel as if they were her own. Yoon-Yi forced her brain to focus on those specific images, trying hard to concentrate. She could see bright red lights that emanated heat; smiling faces gathered around her, eating, and talking; then screams pierced her ears, sounds that were most surely real; then silence fell, a dark, heavy silence took hold of her surroundings.

Yoon-Yi's eyes snapped open and she was breathing heavily. One of her hands was clenched against her chest, while the other found the silver hairpin. Yoon-Yi stared down at the piece of jewelry and for the first time she really looked at it in earnest. The red flower looked beautiful in the hazy daylight that was coming through the paper covering the windows. The pin was long, and the silver it was made of looked sturdy. Her fingers slid down slowly until they reached the other end. The tip was sharp, and she felt her skin being pricked when she pushed her finger against it.

Two drops of blood fell onto the white mattress, soaking the fabric. It looked like two red eyes staring up at her menacingly. That is when she saw it, a pair of dark eyes glinting in a bright red light, looking exactly like those two droplets of blood. With a gasp of horror, Yoon-Yi saw a face covered by a black straw hat and a hand raising a sword. The metal sped towards her, revealing the image of a black sword crossed by a white line. The image rushed before her eyes and disappeared as quickly as it came.

Yoon-Yi felt the blood pounding in her ears as anxiety took hold of her. The strange thing was that the emotion did not feel like it was hers. She felt it, but it seemed like it was someone else's and she was simply channeling it. She covered her face quickly, pressing her eyes with the pads of her palms, trying hard to keep out the scary images. The sound of the door opening jerked her mind out of the frenzy it had entered into.

Jung-Hee came into the room, followed by her servant. The girl eyed Yoon-Yi resentfully and put the small table she was carrying a little too harshly on the floor.

Yoon-Yi let out a soft wince. She heard the girl had been punished and she felt sorry. Like it was customary at the time, the servant girl had received twenty rod slashes on the back of her calves. Seeing the way she was glaring at Yoon-Yi, it was evident that she had not forgotten about the incident. Yoon-Yi felt even more ashamed of herself. It had completely escaped her mind that if she were to do something wrong, the servants would have to pay in her stead. After all, those were the rules of that age.

"I am sorry." Yoon-Yi said in a low voice, gazing apologetically at the young servant.

"It is alright, miss." The girl said bowing her head slightly. "It was my mistake. There is no need for miss to apologize."

"Still, I am sorry you got punished because of my actions. It was selfish of me." Yoon-Yi insisted with a remorseful expression. Her forehead was creased, and her eyes looked pleading.

The girl smiled and bowed her head. When she spoke next, her tone was considerably warmer.

"Thank you, miss. If you will excuse me now, I will go and bring what you have asked for, Miss Jung-Hee."

The servant bowed deeply and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"I brought you something to eat." Said Jung-Hee briskly gesturing towards the table.

Throughout the entire exchange, she had remained quiet. Her eyes watched curiously as Yoon-Yi apologized, but did not say a word about it, not even after the servant girl had left.

"It is almost lunchtime and I am sure you are starving." Jung-Hee continued in the same cheerful tone, pushing the small table closer to Yoon-Yi.

"Thank you. Aren't you going to eat as well?" she asked, noticing there was only one set of tableware.

"Oh, no. I will eat a bit later with my brother and mother." Jung-Hee said with a small smile, then added quickly, a worried expression appearing on her beautiful face. "But if it will make you more comfortable I can ask for the tableware and eat with you now."

"No. No, it is quite alright." Yoon-Yi said quickly, shaking her head and hands.

"Alright. Then eat. I will just sit here quietly and wait for you to finish." Jung-Hee said, positioning herself near the window, her back leaned against the wall.

Yoon-Yi glanced at the table, picking up her chopsticks and hesitating for a second. There was a variety of rice and side dishes and she did not know what to start with. The food was delicious, but she missed her mother's cooking. Struggling to fight back the tears that threatened to appear, she ended up choking on a particular long and greenish food.

"How about we open the window and enjoy the fresh air?" Jung-Hee said after a while.

"That would be wonderful."

As soon as the windows were opened, the spring air wafted inside the room, bringing with it the delicate fragrances of the flowers. Yoon-Yi's hair waved slightly in the cool breeze and she inhaled it hungrily. Looking outside, she saw the most delightful scenery spring can produce.

The blossoms looked beautiful, making the trees appear like they were covered in white and pink foam. The birds were chirping merrily, flying from branch to branch, and muffled sounds came from the bustle outside the house. It was indeed wonderful, and Yoon-Yi took everything in, mesmerized by the picture of perfect beauty she had in front of her.

"It is beautiful." She whispered softly, pulling her hair on one side to stop it from being blown by the wind.

"Yes, it is." Jung-Hee agreed quietly. "Let me." she added with a pleasant smile. She shuffled closer to Yoon-Yi and started braiding her hair with slow, delicate movements.

At first, Yoon-Yi wanted to protest, but then thought better of it. After all, she needed to survive in this place and therefore had to be good to the people who have shown her such kindness.

'What good are all those dramas and history books if you cannot remember the simple facts and rules.' She berated herself.

Then, taking a deep breath, she made a silent vow to be more careful from now on and to remember everything she could about the Joseon she was currently living in. She had to survive in order to find a way to get back home, and in order to do that, she had to follow the rules and customs, and also to be nice and kind.

"Thank you." she finally said, turning to smile at the other girl. "Not just for this but for everything."

The door opened at that moment and the servant girl entered the room carrying a wooden chest. She placed it down in front of Yoon-Yi, then bowed and left the room again.

"What is this?" Yoon-Yi asked, gazing curiously at the chest. The lid and front side were covered with at least a dozen butterflies of all sizes and colors. They mixed together, forming a beautiful palette like a rainbow.

"This" Jung-Hee said with a wide smile, pushing back the lid and pulling something out, "is your new set of clothes. I have asked the seamstress to get it done for you."

Sure enough, out of the chest came a beautiful hanbok, made out of the finest silk. The blouse shirt was bright pink, complimented by a green skirt and red ribbon. Based on the colors and fabric, this hanbok was definitely flashier and of better quality than the one her grandfather gave her. That made her stare at the dress in disbelief.

"Why are you giving me this?" she asked in a low voice, not daring to touch the clothes.

"You will be meeting my father tomorrow morning and I am sure you wouldn't want to go dressed like this, now would you?" Jung-Hee asked, gesturing towards her clothes with an amused glint in her eyes.

Yoon-Yi looked down at her outfit. She was now wearing a white night dress, made of a simple blouse shirt and skirt. It was pretty, but it was something she could not wear outside. Her previous clothes were torn and dirty, so they were out of the question. Thus, she was left with nothing to wear.

"Do you like it?" Jung-Hee asked, starting to become nervous by the other girl's silence.

"Oh yes! Yes, I like it. It is beautiful." Yoon-Yi said quickly, realizing how she must have looked, staring down in concentration. "It's just that… I was not expecting this. Thank you! You are so very kind." She finished in a low whisper.

"It's nothing." Jung-Hee waved a hand dismissively, then added with a sheepish smile. "Before you start being too thankful, just know this used to be mine. I have not worn it in ages. The colors do not agree with me, but with your complexion it will look gorgeous."

Yoon-Yi's eyes widened in surprise at the rather unexpected reason for not wearing such clothing. Even she, who did not care for dresses, had to admit that this piece was very beautiful.

'I guess I will have to get used to dresses if I am to stay here.' She pondered, picking up the blouse shirt and studying it.

Then her eyes suddenly fell upon the chest. Half the lid was covered by the skirt, but some of the butterflies were still visible. The paint gleamed in the light, making the creatures seem alive.

"Beautiful butterflies." She said before she could stop herself.

"Oh these? Yes, I painted them three years ago." Jung-Hee said simply, brushing her fingers over the drawings. "The butterfly, you know, is our family's symbol."