Among Blood & Cherry Blossoms

3: 好像你最瞭解我 (As If You Know Me Best)

Zhao Min paced the along the palace halls, Liu quietly trailing behind him.
"What are we going to do, Liu?" He groaned out in worry. "She's out there by herself. What if someone kidnaps her or knows who she is?"
"We're going to find her, Minnie." Liu put a hand on his shoulder, comfort immediately surrounding his body. "I promise."
"I hope so." The prince worriedly smiled at her. "Who knows where she's at or who she's with."

🌸♡🌸

"Hey, wake up." A soft voice said whispered beside Lee Jin's ear. "We've got to go."
   "Just a moment longer, Liu." She mumbled, turning her head the other way. "Training can wait just a little longer, right?"
What? Seong Hun thought to himself. What is this crazy person on about?
  "Hey!" He yelled out in annoyance, shaking her awake. "I don't have enough patience for this. You either get up or I'm leaving you behind. What are you talking about, training?"
      "Sorry, Seong Hun." Lee Jin bowed as soon as she came to. "I must have been dreaming."
   "If you say so." The boy just stood there for a second, cautiously eyeing the girl. "Come on, we've got places to go."
   "Where are we going?" Lee Jin furrowed her brows, quickly trying to keep pace with Seong Hun.
   "Like I said last night, girl." He huffed and turned to her as he came to a stop. "I don't know. We're just traveling around I guess."
   "Like, I said last night, boy." Lee Jin furrowed her brows. "My name is Lee Jin, not girl."
   "So that's your real name." The boy smirked at her before continuing to walk forward. "I knew LJ seemed all to strange. Rehearsed almost."
   "Please, don't tell!" She spilled out, grabbing Seong Hun's wrist, unsure of if he'd turn her in after discovering her identity. "Please! Don't let them take me away."
   "J-jeez. Why are you starting to cry?" The boy stuttered in shock, stopping in his trail. "Relax, I won't let whoever they are take you away."
  "Thank you."
    "Yea,"

🌸♡🌸

  "When will we get to rest?" Lee Jin groaned as she looked up at the sky, swaying side to side as she walked in front of Seong Hun. "We've been walking all day!"
   "Fine, fine." He sighed, equally exhausted as he put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from getting dizzy. "Let's set up camp near the woods, again?"
  Though they were a few miles from a nearby town, they had to admit, they're feet were killing them.
  After seeing up camp, the two sat across from each other, the only thing between them being a fire, metaphorically and literally.
   "So, girl." Seong Hun smirked as he cocked his head to the side. "What are you running from? Why? You're a criminal aren't you?"
   "For someone who wasn't so eager to talk to me at first, you sure seem talkative." Lee Jin furrowed her brows again.
   "Hey, you're the one who bumped into me!" He chuckled, playfully throwing the stick beside her.
  "It was an accident!" She laughed along with him. "But, no I'm no thief."
   Finally getting their laughter to subside, the two thought about what more to say to each other. Maybe the truth?
  He's... Nicer than expected, Lee Jin thought to herself. Maybe I can tell him about what really happened. He's a bit cute, too. Lee Jin just pushed the last one to the back of her mind.
  "No, I was supposed to be wed to a prince." Lee Jin looked down playing with the ends of her now shoulder length hair.
  "Ah, I see." Seong Hun spoke in a calming manner, unsure if he should comfort her or not. "What happened?"
  "I don't want that! The royal life." Lee Jin shook her head, fiddling with her fingers. "That's my mother's dream. I just want to live my life freely. I don't want a prince! My happily ever after can't be found in a prince although the prince is very kind. I kind of want a life like this."
  "A life like this?" Seong Hun furrowed his brows in deep thought. "On your own?"
  "Of course not." Lee Jin giggled a bit, leaning forward to playfully shove his shoulder. "With a husband. Maybe kids but that would be farther down the road, you know. Maybe a husband like Seong Hun."
  "Like me?" He blinked at her in surprise. Cute.
     "Yes." She nodded thoughtfully. "Smart, resourceful, and surprisingly caring. Except he'd actually call me by my name."
  "Hey!" He laughed, returning the playful push as the both lied on the ground. "I can do that too, you know?"
  "Whatever you say, Seong Hun." Lee Jin softly smiled, resting her head on her arm as the tiredness took over. "Goodnight."
  "Goodnight." He whispered, letting sleep overtake him as well as he took in the image of Lee Jin's beauty into his dreams.

🌸♡🌸

  "Lee Jin." A voice whispered, ruffling her hair. "I found a place for us to stay. We should be good for a while."
  Suddenly awake, Lee Jin tried to rush to her feet but hit her forehead on Seong Hun's by accident.
  "Ow." They both said in unison. 
  "Oh, I'm sorry." Lee Jin exclaimed, moving the hand on her forehead to his. "Are you okay?"
    "I should be asking you that." He chuckled as he grabbed her hand and helped her up. "Come on. You can sleep once we get to our new house."
     "Our?" Lee Jin stopped to look at him in confusion. "Both of us?"
  "Of course." Seong Hun smiled as he playfully pushed her shoulder. "I thought that we were in this adventure together."
  As he continued walking, Lee Jin couldn't help but think, 'We're in this together?'.
   "Hey!" She smiled, running to catch up with him. "Wait up!"