Hanyang
Chloe saw the palace from afar as she opened the small window from the palanquin. It's a mesmerizing sight now that she is seeing the palace. There's something different from its vibe now that you are back in Hanyang.
Hanyang is the old name of Seoul from the Joseon Dynasty. Everything around this place looks like what she saw from the Korean Dramas. Although there are a lot of differences as well now that she's back in time.
"Chloe, what are you doing?" James asked with a worried tone.
"I'm just checking how accurate the Korean Dramas were." She replied and went back to her seat.
"This is cool! They thought I'm the king around here." James said and smiled widely.
"That hanbok suits you well, Your Highness!" She said and giggled.
Then they realized that the palanquin is no longer moving. The king's guards have stopped so Chloe opened the small window again. She tries to see what's happening.
"Chloe, what do you see? Are we already in the palace?" James asked curiously.
"Yes, we're already here!" She replied and excitedly opened the small door.
"Chloe, be careful!" James said in a concerned tone but she seemed excited to see the palace.
When Chloe went out of the palanquin, she couldn't believe what she's seeing. The palace looks grander now. Although she visited Changdeokgung place the moment that she arrived in Korea. It looks more mesmerizing now that they are in the Joseon Dynasty.
James grabs her hand as they both look admiringly at the Changdeokgung palace. Although she was surprised by his gesture, she just allowed it. She understands that he might be a little scared right now. So she just let him hold onto her hand to make him feel better.
"What if they found out that they were not from here and I'm not a real king?" James asked her in a very low voice.
"Stop saying that! Just think that we're inside a Korean Drama and this is your palace!" She suggested.
James looks like he's thinking about what she just said. His grip on her hand becomes tighter and then it becomes loose again. He did that a few times as if trying to squeeze out some courage from her hand.
"Your Majesty, do you want me to walk you inside your chamber?" The king's advisor asked him.
"Yes, walk me there but I'm bringing my lady with me." He replied in Korean.
Chloe can't understand Korean so just smile when the old man looks at her. The king's advisor leads the way to the king's chamber. James is still holding her hand so she knows that he's still nervous about what's happening.
"Wow…" That's all she can say the moment they see the grand interior of the king's chamber
But James looks like he's not even impressed. If he's acting right now, she has to commend his talent. Although she already knows that he's also good at acting. Chloe always watches his YouTube content along with his guests.
"I will ask the maid to bring you some refreshments. Pardon me, Your Highness!" The advisor excused himself.
James just flicks his hand to inform him that he allows him to be excused. Chloe is still busy looking around the chamber. Although she's just pretending to be busy. She doesn't want the king's advisor to notice that she's not from Hanyang.
"What did he just tell you?" She asked James after the advisor left.
"He said he will tell the maid to bring us some snacks. Wait a minute, you can't understand Korean?" James suddenly realized.
"I can only understand a few words." She admitted to him and felt embarrassed.
"Unbelievable! Why are you even here?" James chuckles.
"Because I'm a Korean Drama fan!" She replied.
"I thought you're more of a KPop fan!" James said while still laughing.
"I like Korean dramas better, especially the historical ones." She informed him.
"Are you for real? I also like historical dramas! You have good taste!" James looks happy to see another historical fan.
The maid called out to tell them that their snacks are ready. James ordered the maid to get inside in his king-like tone. Chloe giggled and tried to control it when the maid got inside. Three of them are holding trays of cakes and pastries.
The other two are holding the tea set and coffee pot. James thanked all of the maids and it made them blush. He ordered them to give you some privacy. Chloe can't understand what he is saying, so she just takes the coffee pot and starts pouring it into a cup.
"Finally, I can have some coffee!" Chloe felt relieved that the maids were gone.
"Wait, you like coffee better than tea?" James asked as if it's a big deal.
"Yes, I can't function properly without coffee!" She told him while she put on some sugar.
"I can't believe we have a lot in common!" James commented as he started sipping his black coffee.
"I think we have more in common than just being both coffee lovers." She replied and sipped her coffee.
"I wonder why they served both? In the historical dramas, they only serve tea." James wondered.
"Yeah, I noticed that too! Maybe the king likes coffee as well." She concluded.
"It's really weird that we both end up here. I wonder if the storekeeper is okay. She's the last one I saw before the blackout happened. But when it gets bright again, I end up with you!" James said as if imagining what happened.
Chloe almost choked on the cake she's eating. How can she tell James that she is the same woman he was with? Maybe she can just tell him when the time is right. What matters is that she's young again.
"Yeah, it's so weird!" Chloe pretended that she also thinks the same way and eats more cake.
She can't get why he didn't even consider the fact that she is the same person as the storekeeper. But it will complicate their situation more than it already is. It's better if she just plays along and deals with being in the past with James. Maybe when they wake up tomorrow, they will be back in Seoul.