Kapitel 46: The Request (7): Seyoung

He was standing in the middle of a very strange room. It did not look like a place he had ever visited. The walls were decorated with inked pictures of dragons and fire. Red, blue, yellow. Colorful dragons breathing fiery fires. He looked up.

The ceilings were very high. There was a tapestry, colored with abstract paint. Silk curtains covered the windows while there was a sound of running water. There was a fountain nearby but it was out of sight. Somewhere in his consciousness, he could tell that it was some sort of palace. The floor was made of tree wood. The smell of incense filled the air almost dizzying him. It was a beautiful palace.

Yet, he felt a sense of dread. Something was not right. There was no one in sight. The whole palace was empty, devoid of any human beings. It was desolate and hollow, giving Jinhyun a sense of suffocation.

"Hello!" he called out. "Is anybody here?"

Silence. Dead silence. He was all alone in the giant palace. Jinhyun went from room to room but he found no one. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. It was coming from somewhere ahead of him. He followed the sound.

He walked for a long time. The footsteps were coming from ahead but he could not find anyone. Finally, a room appeared in front of him. It was hidden by long purple curtains. The footsteps were coming from the room.

Jinhyun hesitated. For some reason, he did not want to enter it. Something was pulling him back, screaming at him to run away. But his feet moved on their own. Even though his mind was telling him to retreat, somewhere within him was a voice, pushing him to walk through the threshold. It felt as if he might get the answers he was looking for. Only that, he did not know which questions were on his mind.

It was a simple, off white chamber. A blanket lay on the floor with long pillows set above it as a sitting area. A low table was set there with parchment and ink on it. But Jinhyun's eyes were on the figure in front of him.

The man had his back turned to him. He wore a red robe with golden dragons painted on it. He seemed to have long hair as it was tied into a neat knot. There was a coronet on his head. It was made of twelve vertical ridges and was almost half a foot high, making the man look taller than he actually was.

There was something regal about the man. His shoulders were straight and the way he stood, it was clear that this man was of royal blood. The special coronet he was wearing belonged to an emperor.

Did I travel back in time? Jinhyun wondered.

"You did not."

The man's sudden words startled him.

"Excuse me?" Jinhyun frowned.

"You did not travel through time," the man repeated, his back still towards Jinhyun.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Jinhyun demanded.

"Because…"

The man slowly turned around. Jinhyun's eyes widened in shock as he saw the man's face.

It was his own face! The man looked exactly like him!

"Who are you?" he whispered. "You look like me! Yet, I know you are not me! Am I dreaming?"

"No," the man replied. "You are here, because I have summoned you. All this time, I believe, you have seen glimpses of my life."

Suddenly Jinhyun understood. The man in front of him was…

"Seyoung," he realized.

"I prefer the term Emperor Seyoung," the man said with a hint of haughtiness. He stepped towards Jinhyun. It felt bizarre to him. It was as if he was staring at a twin.

"Why do I keep dreaming about you?" Jinhyun demanded. "Who are you? And how are you connected to Cherry?"

"I will answer all your questions," Seyoung stated. "But now is not the time. I have limited energy and I must preserve it for the right moment. There is a more pressing matter you must deal with before it is too late."

"But-"

"Do not interrupt!" he exclaimed. "Listen to what I have to say."

There was a strange urgency in Seyoung's words. "You must do three things," he instructed. "First of all, follow your instincts. Do not let her win."

"Let who-"

"I am not finished yet," Seyoung said sharply. "Do not let her win. When time comes, you will know who it is. And secondly, find your birth mother. You must find her before calamity strikes!"

"And thirdly," he sighed. "Do not follow fate's decision. Whatever you do, do not let go of the one in your heart."

Jinhyun frowned. How did this man know so much about him? Why was he giving him these orders?

"Do not let the past repeat itself," Seyoung finally said.

"What are you-"

Suddenly, the ground shook from beneath him, making him nearly lose his balance.

"What the-"

He looked at Seyoung, who was being engulfed by a white light. His last words echoed in Jinhyun's ears. "Do not let fate win this time, Shin Jinhyun. However, for now, we have to part ways. But we will meet again. Soon."

The light almost blinded him. It grew brighter and brighter until he felt his body becoming lighter. The ground beneath him gave away and he fell into an endless pit, screaming…

Jinhyun opened his eyes with a jerk. A white light shone above him. For a minute he thought that he was still dreaming. Gradually, he regained his focus. It took him a while to realize that he was at a hospital.

Sekjong saw him stir and rushed to his side.

"Jinhyun!" he called. "You're awake!"

"What happened?" Jinhyin asked. "How long was I out?"

"You inhaled too much of the toxic fumes during the fire," Sekjong replied. "You've been unconscious for one night. Don't you remember? You and Ms. Wang saved Jenna."

The memories of the fire came rushing back to his head. Jenna!

"Where is she?" Jinhyun asked weakly. "Where is Jenna?"

"She is fine," Sekjong assured him. "She did not receive any major injury. She was only knocked out by shock. The doctors treated her and she was discharged last night. You were in a more serious condition. Thankfully, Ms. Wang was there to aid you."

"Is Ms. Wang alright?" Jinhyun asked.

"She's fine. She went home last night soon after the doctors announced you were out of danger."

"Were there any casualties? What about the trainees and our staff ? Did they get out of the building?"

"Everyone is safe," Sekjong said. "No one was hurt."

Jinhyun let out a sigh of relief. At least there were no casualties. People were safe and that was what mattered.

"How did the fire start anyway?" Jinhyun asked.

"We don't know," Sekjong said, shaking his head. "The police are still investigating."

Jinhyun was feeling troubled. There was something unusually wrong. How did a fire break out so suddenly on the set? Even though they were using an external studio for their episodes, surely the management of the building had taken strong precautions?

"Sekjong, please find out what really happened," Jinhyun requested. "The fire started from Jenna's green room. "Was it really an accident?"

"You're thinking too much into it!" Sekjong said impatiently. "You should focus on recovering. So stop worrying and rest. I'll get the doctor to check up on you."

Before Jinhyun could say anything else, Sekjong hurried out of the room to search for a doctor. Jinhyun shook his head and turned to face the other side.

There was a large mirror, leaning against the wall. Jinhyun watched his reflection for a while, lost in a deep thought.

He met Seyoung. The man who looked exactly like him. So far in his previous dreams, Jinhyun was an observer. It was as if the dreams he had were parts of a long movie and Seyoung was simply a character in it.

But last night, he met Seyoung in his dreams. Seyoung was no longer a character of a movie but was living inside his own mind. Was it all simply a dream? But the whole thing felt so real.

And the three warnings. What was Seyoung trying to say? What was his purpose? Did he really exist?

There were so many questions in his mind. He wanted to ask Cherry but the idea sounded laughable in his head. What would he say? That he dreams about her wearing a Joseon era costume? She would probably scoff at him.

"Looks like our fates are entangled in a cruel game," he said out loud.

AUTORENGEDANKEN
Tea_Tae

What will be the consequences of Seyoung's requests? Will Jinhyun be able to figure out his motives? Or will Cherry keep on pushing him towards his fate?

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