13 Chapter 13

Next morning, the family was gathered in a kind of sitting room, surrounded on three sides by large windows. During summer, all the windows were usually pulled up, making the room part of the terrace. It was a perfect place to spend hours on end reading, drawing or simply enjoying the beauty of nature. Now, as it was still springtime, the windows were tightly shut and the floor radiated heat.

When she entered the room, Kim Jong-Seo motioned for her to take a seat in front of him, on the other side of a small table. Yoon-Yi did as she was told and after that remained quiet and still.

Kim Jong-Seo looked intimidating. Despite being seated on the floor with his feet crossed beneath him, his body looked tall and his shoulders broad. His long grey hair was tied in a topknot decorated with a metallic hair clip. Yoon-Yi remembered how she used to see those hair clips in historical dramas.

Usually, high-level ministers would wear complicated looking hats, but it appeared that Kim Jong-Seo preferred a less formal appearance when he was surrounded by his family. Yoon-Yi silently wondered about his age. If he was old, he did not show it. A painted folding panel, representing a hunting scene was placed behind him, making Kim Jong-Seo look even more imposing. He radiated strength and his eyes bore intensely into Yoon-Yi's.

Moving her eyes to Kim Jong-Seo's right she saw his wife. The woman was beautiful and looked much younger than her husband. There was something very familiar about her face, though. It was as if Yoon-Yi had seen her somewhere before and after forcing her mind a bit, she realized with a silent gasp who she reminded her of. Kim Jong-Seo's wife looked very much like her mother. She could not be mistaken.

They both had the same oval-shaped face, with beautiful white skin and full lips. The eyes were almond-shaped and of a soft brown, framed by a set of perfect eyebrows. The woman's mouth was curved into a kind smile and she nodded her head slightly, encouraging Yoon-Yi to smile in return.

The other three members of the family were aligned on Kim Jong-Seo's left side. Jun-Ho came first, then Shin and Jung-Hee. Yoon-Yi observed how much the girl looked like her mother and wondered how come she had not realized the resemblance with her own mother before. Jun-Ho and Shin, though, looked as different as ever. Nevertheless, Jun-Ho had something of his father's presence and overall air. Their features were similar, but Yoon-Yi was happy to see he had inherited his mother's beauty.

Kim Jong-Seo cleared his throat, making Yoon-Yi flinch. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts while analyzing the family, that she completely forgot everyone was staring at her.

"I am very glad you are feeling better." Kim Jong-Seo said in a calm, though slightly firm voice.

"T-Thank you." she said in a low, timid voice.

"Now, let us make some introductions, shall we? I am Kim Jong-Seo and this beautiful lady is my wife, Kim Yoon-Ah." At this the woman smiled and bent her head in acknowledgement. "You already know my children." He gestured with his hand towards the three people aligned to his left and they all bent their heads, just like Kim Yoon-Ah did. "Can you tell us your name?" Kim Jong-Seo finished with a polite, but expectant look.

"My name is… Yoon-Yi. Kim Yoon-Yi." She answered feebly. The nerves were starting to get to her.

"Kim, you say. Kim Yoon-Yi. Hmm, I see." Kim Jong-Seo said pensively, gazing at her intensely.

Feeling herself under his scrutinizing look, her hand jumped to her hair, fiddling with the flower hairpin. She had put it on before she came to meet the general, and now, feeling nervous beyond reason, she felt the need to touch it.

"May I see that?" Kim Jong-Seo said in a slightly warmer tone.

His voice made her start, her eyes went wide, and her fingers grasped the pin tighter. Thinking she might come off as being rude, Yoon-Yi pulled the hairpin out of her braided hair and placed it in Kim Jong-Seo's outstretched hand. She felt a strange feeling as her fingers parted with the metal. A feeling of loss took hold of her for a moment, before Kim Jong-Seo's voice shook it out of her.

"It is beautiful. How did you come by it?"

"I…" Yoon-Yi started but stopped abruptly.

She was just about to say 'I found it' when the image of the river overlapped with an unfamiliar one. She saw the face of a man, not a day older than sixty, smiling at her while handing her a hairpin, the very same one Kim Jong-Seo was now holding. Feeling confused and uncertain of what to reply she gazed at the general with wide eyes. Then, she heard her own voice, speaking in an even tone.

"Someone gave it to me."

"Who gave it to you?" Kim Jong-Seo asked patiently, twirling the pin in his hand.

At this Yoon-Yi's image recollected the face of the man and she replied without hesitation.

"My father gave it to me."

The words came out of her mouth but somehow, she did not feel like they were hers. They sounded wrong in her ears. She never saw her father. He died when she was too young to remember, and she had never even seen a picture of him. Her mother did not like to talk about him. Therefore, Yoon-Yi never pressed the matter out of respect for her mother's feelings. So how could she say that her father, a man long dead and unknown to her, had given her that hairpin?

While she felt assaulted by doubts and questions, Kim Jong-Seo had been pondering. After a few moments, he looked at her intently and spoke in a loud voice.

"Starting from today, you will be living here with us. We are your only living family. The man who has given you this" he held the pin higher, "was my younger brother." He stopped for a second and seeing Yoon-Yi's incredulous look he continued. "This was initially our mother's and she had given it to my brother's wife when they got married, many years ago. After my brother and I had our fallout, I heard he moved to Jecheon, in the northern part of the province. I had not heard anything about him for years, until a few nights ago, when I received news about his home burning and his family being dead. Everyone, except his daughter, who is now standing in front of me. You are my niece, Kim Yoon-Yi and this is now your home. My brother and I may not have seen eye to eye when it came to political matters, but we were still family. As such, I will not allow a blood relative to live out on the streets."

At this statement, Yoon-Yi lost all pretense or attempt at composure. She gasped loudly and looked at Kim Jong-Seo in bewilderment. Her brain struggled to grasp what the man in front of her was saying, but it was proving to be very difficult.

'What is this man saying?! How in the world can I be his niece!?! I am a girl from the 21st century Korea, not some lady from the Joseon era. This is absurd, not to mention crazy.'

As her thoughts became a whirlwind, swiping her brain like mad winds, her chest started feeling strange. She felt the need to say something and that something was struggling inside her to get out. Finally, after a few seconds of battling her emotions, she looked at Kim Jong-Seo and spoke in a strangled voice that sounded like a stranger's to her.

"Thank you."

Next second, tears started falling down her cheeks, making Yoon-Yi equally scared and confused. Her body acted very strangely, displaying emotions that were not her own. Sure, she was grateful to Kim Jong-Seo for allowing her to stay there, as a member of his family, but to cry over it? That seemed a bit too much in her opinion, especially since she did not believe for one moment that she was his niece.

The rational half of her mind was saying that this was a very good development. She was assured to have a home and protection until she figured out how to get back home. However, the emotional half struggled under a surge of both sadness and gratitude.

***

Back in her room, the one she would now be using indefinitely as per Kim Jong-Seo's orders, Yoon-Yi allowed her mind to wander. She kept replaying the conversation with the general until a headache started forming and she decided to stop. Despite that decision, her mind stubbornly came back to the same thought. It was one thing to stay in that house as a guest, due to the kindness of their hearts, and another thing entirely to be accepted there as a member of the family.

'Why do I have a feeling that things have just become more complicated?' She asked herself gloomily, pressing both hands over her face and letting out a muffled groan.

On the bright side though, she would not have to worry about having a roof over her head or meals around the clock. Remembering what she had read and seen about Joseon, it was not easy for someone to get by on the streets. It was enough she was stranded there for who knew how long; she did not need to worry about survival as well.

With this reasoning settled, her mind became more at ease. So much so that she soon became quite content with her fortune. Out of every other people she could have met, she just happened to be found by Kim Jong-Seo's sons, thus ensuring her survival.

Now all she needed to do, in order to play her part well, was to remember everything she could about that specific time in Joseon history. The year, important events and personas, everything that could help her while she stayed there.

***

Meanwhile, Shin and Jun-Ho were in Kim Jong-Seo's room. They were sitting on the floor across from him, the same small table placed between them.

"Why haven't you told her, father? About the people who are searching for her?" Jun-Ho asked, concern plastered on his fine features.

"Because I did not want to put more pressure on her already burdened heart." Kim Jong-Seo replied in a grave tone, then let out a deep sigh. "She has suffered enough as it is. There is no need to scare her until we know for sure what is going on."

He had been worried ever since he received the letter from Jecheon that morning. Based on what his investigator found out, the girl had been helped by a servant to flee the house right before the fire had spread. She was then seen traveling with that servant in the direction of Geum river, probably trying to cross it in order to come to Gongju.

However, no one had seen her since, and she was not reported to have entered through the gates. The man also wrote that he heard rumors about suspicious people roaming around the house before and after the fire. Someone has also been asking about the daughter of the family. The investigator could not confirm who those people were, but it was enough for Kim Jong-Seo to suspect that the fire had not been an accident. And if someone was searching for his niece, then that meant she either knew or saw something important.

"But, sir, if they are searching for her, that means the attacks and the Black Swords may not be a simple coincidence." Shin said darkly, pulling Kim Jong-Seo out of his grim thoughts.

"Yes, I am afraid it all means she is in danger. From whom, I do not know, but we need to be careful. Only a very powerful person could enlist the help of the Black Swords. If she saw something or knows anything about the culprits, they will surely stop at nothing to get to her." Kim Jong-Seo paused for a moment then continued while looking at Shin. "For the next few weeks, stay close to her. Make sure she is safe, but without raising suspicions. She does not leave the house without you, do you understand?"

Shin's eyes widened in shock. He had not expected that. Then, as realization dawned upon him, something else flickered in his eyes, something he tried hard to hide from Kim Jong-Seo's observant gaze. He felt a surge of annoyance at the thought of having to stay stuck to that foolish girl.

'Am I to be her babysitter now? Me?! Why not Jun-Ho? He is the patient one. Or better yet, why not lock her up somewhere until the danger is gone'. He grumbled to himself.

With a last glimmer of hope he raised his eyes to Kim Jong-Seo and tried to change his mind.

"Would it not be better if Jun-Ho does this? I mean…" Shin tried but was soon cut off.

"Jun-Ho will not be around much once he takes up the tutelage position at Court." Kim Jong-Seo said slightly impatiently. "Please do as I say, Shin."

He said please, but it was clear to anyone who knew him that Kim Jong-Seo expected to be obeyed. From the very beginning he had not given Shin a choice, he had given him an order.

"I will obey your order, sir." Shin said, bowing his head in deference and also in defeat.

"Good." Kim Jong-Seo exclaimed in a satisfied tone, displaying a wide smile.

"Should we try and find out if she remembers anything?" Jun-Ho asked, rubbing his chin pensively. "It might be helpful if we know something about what happened.

"Do so, but gently." Kim Jong-Seo said with a slight nod. "Based on what I have seen this morning, I am sure she is still in shock and might not remember everything clearly.