Until You

Chapter 4

Jennie slowly opened her eyes when she felt a presence next to her. An old woman was standing next to the sleeping berth and watching her.

"Krystal Soo Jung?" the woman asked.

Slowly, she sat up from the sleeping berth.

"Yes. I'm... Krystal."

The woman who appeared to be in her sixties gave her a short, sweeping look. Jennie held her breath wondering if her secret would be out before it even began.

Krystal had assured that no one would recognize her.

The only people who could recognize Krystal were a couple who knew Krystal's father very well and had seen Krystal on a few occasions. And according to Krystal, that couple didn't visit often.

So, then why was the woman staring? Do I not look the part? Or did the woman know how Krystal looked somehow? Before Jennie's doubts and imagination ran wild, the older woman smiled.

"I'm Jang-mi. I'm the head housekeeper at Gyeongbokgung, and I will be your chaperone during your stay."

Chaperone was such an old-fashioned word, but from what Krystal had told her, the royal families were sticklers for old-fashioned conventions. 

Jennie smiled politely before greeting the woman. Meantime, two uniformed men who were hovering at the entrance of the cabin came inside and pulled out eight large and heavy suitcases. The stay was supposed to be for three weeks, so Jennie found the amount of luggage rather excessive.

"Please come. We need to leave before the train starts."

With her heart thudding, Jennie got out of the train and followed the older woman. The weather was cool since the place was at a high altitude.

They stopped near a car. Jennie sat in the back seat along with Jang-mi before the car took off. 

"Is this the first time you've been to Gyeongbokgung?" Jang-mi asked.

Jennie was about to nod, but stopped at the last minute. "No. I visited once during my childhood, along with my parents. I recall it being beautiful and majestic." Those were the words Krystal had asked her to use.

Jang-mi smiled. "Yes, Gyeongbokgung is beautiful and majestic. Not much has changed since the last century. The Gyeongbokgung mansion has been maintained to retain its past glory."

Jennie had never visited a mansion before, so she was somewhat curious to see the place. Krystal had told her that the Kim's were a rich, influential royal family with properties and businesses in many parts of the country and even some parts of the world. 

Jennie's nervousness reduced a little as Jang-mi continued to talk while the car sped by on the hilly roads.

A few minutes later, the car slowed down to pass through huge wrought-iron gates flanked by tall stone walls. Inside, they passed through a winding lane with tall trees on either side. The car continued going for a while.

Soon the thick foliage began to give in to lush, manicured gardens. Flowering trees and bushes of all sizes and colors made the gardens breathtaking. Jennie's mother was a professional landscape architect. During her childhood, her mother used to take her to work sometimes, during which she used to visit large homes. But she didn't ever recall visiting a place as big or beautiful as this.

Her eyes were glued to the beauty around her that it took a couple of seconds to realize that the car was slowing down. When she turned her head to the front, a soft gasp escaped her.

It was a palace! An honest to goodness beautiful palace. It was a three-story structure with dozens of windows and several towers on the top.

She had never seen anything like it before outside of movies or books.

The car went around a large circular fountain shooting water on the top right and stopped in front of the wide marble steps that led to the entrance of the mansion. Jennie stared at huge, carved marble columns that supported the mansion.

"Welcome back to Gyeongbokgung," Jang-mi said with a warm smile.

Feeling a bit dazed, Jennie followed the older woman up the steps. When they stepped inside, she tried not to gape, but she failed.

For some reason, she had expected a royal mansion to have similar interiors like that of a luxury hotel. But it was completely different. Everything gleamed in rich shades of gold, creams and reds making it luxurious as well as elegant.

"Your suite has been prepared on the middle floor."

Jennie nodded and followed the older woman feeling surreal.

"This will be your suite during your stay."

Jennie barely stopped herself from gasping once again. The suite was stunning.

The suite was huge, easily four times the size of the apartment in which she lived with her father."

Jennie tried to appear as though she was used to visiting or staying in such places since Krystal was brought up in such a lifestyle. But she couldn't get herself to act as though the beautiful room didn't impress her. "It's beautiful, and I love it. Thank you very much for picking this suite for me."

Jang-mi smiled. "You are welcome. Your luggage is placed in the corner. Would you like me to send someone to arrange your clothes in the closet right now or later after you take some rest?"

"That's okay. I'll arrange them myself later." As soon as she said that, Jennie wondered again if someone like Krystal was not supposed to offer to arrange her clothes by herself.

The older woman left the room, shutting the door softly behind her.

Jennie ran towards the tall windows and pushed the tall, sheer curtains away to join the heavy drapes tied to the sides.

"Oh my God!"

There was a small pond at a distance, surrounded by trees and vivid-colored flowering bushes. The rays of the sun fell on the surface of the water, making the reflection appear like diamonds. It was truly breathtaking. She opened the windows, and a cool breeze that smelled fresh and fragrant flowed in.

Having been accustomed to seeing the dirty railway tracks from her apartment's tiny bedroom window, the current sight made everything seem so surreal. Her troubles and worries still existed, but the beautiful place and view pushed them into a corner of her mind.

She didn't know how long she continued to stare and absorb the view, until the sound of the phone ringing jarred her from her gazing.