For the purposes of this story, please imagine if the fateful voyage of the RMS Titanic occurred not in 1912, but in the year 1876 instead. Thank You.

"Joohyun, Joohyun, wake up."

Joohyun peeks one eye open and sees Sooyoung looming above her. Joohyun brushes her tangled hair away from her face to get a better look at her.

"What?" Joohyun says groggily.

It takes a few tries to blink Sooyoung into focus. The girl looks panicked.

Joohyun propping herself on her elbow, as she glances around her room.

The maids are moving around, their lips tightly drawn. Their eyes share the same panic as Sooyoung's.

Outside her door are muffled voices and footsteps. Time travel or not, it doesn’t take a genius to know something is wrong.

“It’s positively devastating,” Sooyoung whispers. “How could this happen?”

Joohyun sits up in bed. “What are you talking about?”

Sooyoung brushes the tears from her cheeks and paces. “I can’t believe it,” she murmurs so quietly Joohyun can barely hear.

Joohyun tries to catch the eye of one of the maids, hoping they might be able to fill her in, but they won’t look her way. “What are you talking about?”

A somber-looking maid gives Sooyoung an urgent letter that has just arrived by dispatch rider.

Joohyun notices the script on the crimson wax seal bears the insignia of words in France that she doesn't understand.

And Joohyun didn't know that Seungwan once studied in France and since returning home, Seungwan maintains correspondence with his associates.

Joohyun's heart sputters then stops before it starts pounding rapidly.

The headline leaves her gripped with dread. She scans the article, hoping it's some kind of mistake but knowing in her gut it must be true.

Whatever news has these women so devastated, it can't be good. She prepares herself for the worst as she reads on to discover what new calamity has struck.

TITANIC RESCUED BY CARPATHIA. ALL PASSENGERS SAFE. 

At first, Joohyun thinks she’s reading the headline wrong. Her gaze never leaves the letter.

She keeps waiting for the letters to move around. Her mind tells her it can’t be. The Titanic sinking was over a hundred years ago. It’s history.

But reality slams into her and Joohyun realizes that she’s living history.  

Shoving her face close to the paper, she reads and rereads the first sentence of the paragraph. Toward the end, she reads that the Titanic is being towed by the SS ian.

Joohyun lowers the paper, knowing that the reports of the ship and passengers being safe are full of errors. It won’t be until later that people will discover the Titanic was lost at sea.  

She didn’t learn all about the Titanic for fun. Her dad is a lover of all history, but nothing fascinated him more than the Titanic.

As a kid, Joohyun's father made her brothers and her watch every documentary about the ship. He has an entire shelf dedicated to books written about the Titanic.

He dragged her everytime there is the Titanic special exhibition at National Museum of Korea. Over time, she began to find it fascinating and would readily listen to him spout off facts about the tragic sinking.

Sooyoung stares at her with a tortured expression. “Can you imagine what those poor people have gone through?”

How can she tell her the truth? How can she tell her that this newspaper is wrong and that more lives will be lost than saved? The answer is simple—she can’t.  

“I’m so relieved they’re all okay,” Sooyoung remarks.

Although she knows Sooyoung will inevitably find out the news, she doesn’t want to be the one to break it to her.

“Did you know anyone aboard?” Joohyun asks.

Sooyoung nods rapidly. “No. But Seungwan's close friend is onboard.”

 "While he was studying in France, Seungwan met Etienne Lamy through our mother. He was helping with Seungwan's French lessons."

"They stayed close even after Seungwan returned to Hanyang. In letters, he recently mentioned taking a trip on the new White Star liner," Sooyoung continues.

Then Joohyun sees her opening, a way to prove to Seungwan that she is who she says she is.

For the first time in her life, Joohyun is grateful for her dad’s strange obsession. She may not want to tell Sooyoung the outcome of this disaster, but with Seungwan, this might be the very thing to save her.

“Does Seungwan know?” Joohyun asks in a steady voice, trying to keep herself calm.

Sooyoung nods solemnly. “When the letter from his associates in France arrived earlier, Seungwan seems to be worried but he looks fine as the ship isn't sinking.” 

That’s all Joohyun needs to hear. Without another word, she jumps out of bed and runs out of her room, the newspaper in her hands.

“Where are you going?” Sooyoung shouts. 

Joohyun doesn’t reply because she knows she only has a few minutes to intercept Seungwan. Holding onto the railing, she flies down the staircase.

She makes a sharp left before hurrying down another long corridor. By the time she enters the dining room, she’s nearly out of breath.

With her hands braced on her knees, she takes a deep breath and looks down the extended length of the table. Her heart sinks when she sees that Seungwan is already sitting, his plate filled with food.

A letter that identical to the one she just read is spread out in front of him.

His coffee cup is halfway to his mouth when Seungwan lifts his head and sees Joohyun standing there...

The look Seungwan gives her is filled with reproach. "Why do you continue to walk around the house with nearly nothing on?"

Clothes are the least of her worries. Ignoring the question, Joohyun walks straight toward Seungwan. "The Titanic sank."

"No, it didn't. Have you read the letter?"

"Yes. But the letter is wrong." Joohyun snatches the paper from the table and tosses it to the floor. Shock registers in those whip-smart eyes, and before he can say a word, she speaks up.

"The Titanic struck a glacier at 11:40 p.m. last night. They were warned to slow down, but it’s theorized the captain wanted to set a record. By 2:20 a.m. the ship separated and sank. What was considered the safest boat in the world ended up not having enough lifeboats."

"What are—"

"This will become one of the greatest tragedies of the century. And one of the deadliest peacetime accidents in history. There were approximately 1,317 aboard, and that’s not including the crew. Seven hundred and ten people survived. Close to fifteen hundred people died."

By now, Seungwan's palms are laid flat on the table as he stares at her.

"The RMS Carpathia will respond to the distress calls and rescue the survivors. The ship will arrive in New York on April 18th. Thousands of people will be waiting for the ship’s arrival. Later today, the truth about what happened will be confirmed."

"You've gone mad." Seungwan's gaze darkens with every word that comes out of .

But beneath his harsh words, Joohyun  can feel the ripple of his doubt.

Seungwan doesn’t want to believe her. He doesn’t want to listen to her. But whether he likes it or not, Joohyun has his attention.

She can't stop now. She has to make him believe her. "Sooyoung told me your friend Etienne Lamy and his wife, Serene, were on the Titanic."

Seungwan's face loses a bit of color. His lips go into a flat line, and that’s all the confirmation she needs.

"She’s one of the survivors. They’ll find Etienne's body on April 22nd. In four months, Serene  will give birth to their son. She’ll name him after his father, and his nickname will be Etty.

"You can go ahead and read the letter inside out. The information I told you isn’t known yet. The details that are released over the next few days will be the numbers of survivors and the body count from the multiple searches.” Joohyun takes a deep breath. “Do you believe me now?"

There’s a crack in his armor. Every other time Joohyun has tried to talk to him, she was quickly dismissed.

But this time, she has him struck speechless, and they both know it.

Seungwan swallows loudly and watches her warily. “How did you know that?”

Joohyun leans in, their faces inches apart. “How do you think I know all that?”

Seungwan’s nostrils flare, and he stands. She steps back as Seungwan tosses his napkin onto the table. “I have to go to work.”

He walks out of the room, but she’s not giving up.

“You still don’t believe me?” she shouts to his back. “How can you not believe me after what I said?”

Seungwan ignores her.

“Tell me,” Joohyun says with determination. “Tell me what I can do to make you believe me.” Her voice takes on a pleading tone because this is her last-ditch attempt. If anything is going to pull him to her side, it will be this.

Abruptly, Seungwan turns and faces her. “There’s nothing you can do.”

There has to be something—anything—that will spark his attention. Joohyun steps forward, a sense of desperation rising in her.

And words pour from . “In 1985, they’ll discover the wreckage of the Titanic. But are these facts not enough? Do I need to give you more on what’s to come in near future?”

Seungwan stares at her.

"By 1884, the first newspaper will be established in Hanyang called the Daehan Maeil Sinbo. This will help spread news and information across the country."

“What are you doing?”

"In 1894, there will be war between Korea and China, called the Donghak Peasant Revolution. It will end on 25 December 18965. New ideas of nationalism will begin to take hold afterwards."

Seungwan backs up, and she advances. Joohyun has a power that comes from her words, and it makes her voice confident and strong.

"In the early 1910s, Joseon comes under Japanese rule, you will see the city begin to modernize rapidly. By that time, the name of our capital will also change. In 1913, Hanyang will be renamed to Keijō, its new Japanese rendering. Then in 1945, with Korea liberated from the Empire, the city will be called Seou-"

“Stop, Joohyun!”

“I can’t stop! Can’t you see that? I can’t stop until you believe me.”

Seungwan stares at her, and Joohyun doesn’t see the rage and disgust that was once there before.

Joohyun sees fear and unease. Those are two emotions she can relate to; they were all she felt when she first came here.

“What has gotten into you?” Seungwan demands. Her words have put her on a precipice.

If Joohyun persists, Seungwan will push her off and she’ll be done for good. If she persists, he will finally believe her, and she’ll have someone on her side.

She knows what she needs to do, but it doesn’t make it any less terrifying.

“It’s not what’s gotten into me and more like what’s happened to me. I’ve been trying to tell you the whole time, yet you won’t listen!”

Seungwan closes his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose. “It’s too early in the morning to do this.”

“What? To tell the truth?”

“What’s happening with the Titanic just occurred.”

“Exactly. Why would I make this all up?” Joohyun shouts.

Right then, a servant appears in the foyer. She glances between Seungwan and Joohyun and promptly hurries up the stairs.

“Keep your voice down,” Seungwan says through gritted teeth.

“I will if you stop and process my words. Deep down, you know I’m right.”

Seungwan stares at her with an unreadable expression. But he isn’t walking away, and that has to count for something.

They’re standing in front of the doorway to the receiving room. Out of the corner of her eye, Joohyun sees a gilt frame shining in the light.

She walks over to the display cabinet and picks up the frame. Who has a self-portrait of themselves? Old Joohyun does apparently.

Joohyun can picture the bold, narcissistic woman in the picture occasionally stopping in front of this photograph and admiring her beauty.

They have the same face, but Joohyun doesn’t recognize herself in those eyes. She doesn’t see her.

“I don’t know who this woman is,” Joohyun confesses, her voice hollow.

“We have the same body and name, but it all ends there. You don’t get along with her, and you may hate her. I can see in your eyes that you do, but I don’t know a single thing she’s done because I’m not her.”

His mouth opens, but she quickly speaks up because she knows he wants to believe her.

“You know I’m right, Seungwan,” Joohyun whispers. “You know it.”

She stares at the photo for a few more seconds, feeling such a massive sense of resentment that she was placed in this ed up situation. She throws the picture across the room.

The frame hits the wall, and the glass breaks into millions of pieces.

Seungwan stares at the picture and her. She crumples to the floor. Her back rests against the wall. “I don’t care what you do anymore. I don’t care what you say to me. All I want is for you to believe me.”

Seungwan walks toward her, glass crunching beneath his shoes, and kneels in front of her. “How can I believe you? How? Everything you’re saying it’s... it’s—”

“Crazy. Ridiculous. Impossible. I know it is. I get it. But I’m telling you, this happened. I time traveled.”

Seungwan looks away, jaw clenched. He stares at the picture across the room. Pieces of the glass nicked the picture in numerous spots, marring his wife’s face. Her face.

Time ticks by. Joohyun sits there, pleading with her eyes that he ignore logic and trust everything she’s told him.

Seungwan lifts his head and gives her a blunt nod.

She’s only been here for a few days, yet Joohyun already knows that Seungwan is a prideful man.

Never in a million years will he say he believes her. That nod is all she’s going to get.

The relief she feels is indescribable. Finally, everything has been validated and holds merit.

For the first time in weeks, Joohyun feels something blossom inside her. It’s too soon to try to say what it is.

Maybe it’s hope. Or happiness. Perhaps it’s both. Either way, she welcomes the feeling. He sits next to her, his arms resting on his knees.

“You believe me,” Joohyun whispers. More to herself.

Seungwan shakes his head in disbelief. “I probably shouldn’t, but I do. What you said is impossible to ignore, and your behavior the past few days has been... different. You’re either the world’s greatest liar, or you indeed did time travel.”

“I promise you I’m not lying.”

“I know you aren’t.”

Listlessly, Joohyun stares at the dust motes dancing in the air, inches away from her face.

“What’s your real name?” Seungwan asks.

“Joohyun.”

“I know that. But what’s your real name?”

“Bae Joohyun.”

Seungwan arches a brow.

“Is that her maiden name?” Joohyun asks.

“It’s Kim.”

Makes sense, considering that’s what Fake Mom and Dad’s last name is.

His head tips back against the wall. “When’s your birthday?”

“March 31st, 1991.”

They sit there in silence, with only the sound of the grandfather clock ticking. “,” he mutters.

“Do we share the same birthday?”

“No. Yours—” He stumbles over his words. “I mean, her birthday is September 9th, 1848.”

“It makes no sense.” Jooohyun feels Seungwan’s gaze on her. “Lately, I’ve been trying to piece together the events that have happened, and nothing will connect.”

She twists to face him. “Her parents aren’t mine. They don’t even share the same names. I have two brothers, but they’re not here. Are they?”

Seungwan shakes his head.

“I’ve been plucked from life as I knew it and dropped into this world. Your world. I don’t want to be here. I need to go home.” Joohyun drags all ten fingers through her hair and fights the urge to scream.

“I don’t understand why this is happening, but whatever the reason is, I know it involves you. I dreamed about you. You were bleeding and battered, lying on my lap. You needed my help. The next day at work, I found a picture of you standing outside Hyemulgat. With three other men. Johnny was one of them. And then I arrive here as your wife. There’s a reason I’m here, and I know it involves you.”

For the first time since Joohyun arrived, she looks at him sincerely. She lets her fear and anxiety show, and it feels damn good.

Out of nowhere, Seungwan stands. “I have to go.” He strides toward the door as though hell is nipping at his heels.

She runs after him and blocks his path. “Stay. We need to talk about this. I need—”

His hands land on her forearms, locking her in place. Seungwan doesn’t glare at her with built-up resentment. He’s staring with stark desperation, as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. “Give me a moment to process this, all right? Can you do that?”

She knew this would be a lot to take in. Hell, even she’s trying to come to grips with it. She nods. “When can we talk?”

“Tomorrow.”

After a few seconds, his hands drop away. She steps aside and lets him pass. Seungwan visibly relaxes, as though he wants nothing more than to get as far away from her as possible.

Before Seungwan leaves the room, he glances over his shoulder at her. Those piercing eyes rake her from head to toe, and for the barest second, his mask of indifference slips away and she sees the smallest flair of interest and something else. But it’s gone before she can name it.

“Tomorrow we’ll start searching for a way to get you home.”

Joohyun believes him; it’s only fair she return the favor.

"STOP staring at me," Joohyun says out of the corner of .

It’s bad enough that every head turns as she walks down the street with Seungwan.

Perhaps she’s paranoid, but she swears every person who passes by knows she’s a fraudulent version of the Joohyun they know.

They’re identical in every sense of the word. Hell, she’s even wearing her clothes. 

Is there a broad, blinking arrow over my head? Or maybe it’s my body language? Joohyun doesn’t know.

The first time she came to Hanyang, she was so determined to speak with Seungwan that she didn’t get a good chance to take in everything. The charm of this era is undeniable, but there’s a stark contrast between the way of life here and present day.

The biggest is the class divide between the rich and the poor. The people of privilege walk with leisure as though time is not an issue for them. Their heads are held high because they rule the world.

The same can’t be said for the impoverished. Their eyes are perceptive, and the energy around them is frenetic.

She watches as a boy up ahead attempts to sell newspapers for the measly sum of fifteen jeons apiece. There’s a stack behind him. By the way he loudly asks every person who passes if they want a paper, and doesn’t back down, she can tell he won’t leave until every single paper is sold. His strong-willed determination belies his age.

“Forgive me, I’m in still shock,” Seungwan retorts, pulling her attention away from the little boy.

“You have questions,” Joohyun says flatly.

“If the roles were reversed, what would you do?”

She glances at him from the corner of her eye. “I’d be demanding answers to the thousands of questions running through my head.”

“Exactly.”

“So ask,” she says slowly. “But don’t stare. The people around us are doing enough of that.”

“Let me tell you a well-known fact about yourself, Mrs. Son. You and I are hardly ever seen in public together, and the times we are, we barely look at each other.”

“Should I push away from you and tell you I hate you?” Joohyun asks innocently.

Seungwan snorts and, still staring straight ahead, the smallest of smirks graces his face. “It might make me feel better.”

A beat of silence passes by...

"I have a question."

Seungwan lifts a brow.

"When was the last time you were seen with... her?"

He goes silent for a few seconds. "Two months ago?"

"Good Lord. Why are you two even married?" Joohyun blurs before she can think twice. Almost immediately, she wants to take the words back, but it isn't as if Seungwan cares.

He remains stoic as ever and shrugs a shoulder. "I ask myself that every day."

His words spark a series of new questions. She has to remind herself she needs to pace herself and not ask everything all at once.

"Also, it may benefit you to know that people might be staring because you're walking down the street in the middle of the day."

Her head whips in his direction. "Did your wife break one of her legs or something?"

Seungwan gives a hearty laugh. It's loud enough to earn the stares of people walking past them and powerful enough to make her heart speed up.

God, when Seungwan smiles, it's something else.

"No, not at all," he eventually replies. "People of wealth don't walk unless it's necessary. They take horse and carriage. In fact, you see the carriage across the street?"

Joohyun cranes her neck and sees a carriage with a pale face staring out the back window. After the woman inside sees her staring at Joohyun, she moves away from the window. "Yeah?"

"That's Shinyoung, one of your dearest friends. She probably thinks you're gravely ill and have no idea what you're doing right now, walking down the street. I'm sure she'll make a call to the house to see if you're all right."

"I can't wait," Joohyun says, deadpan.

Seungwan stares at her with his brows furrowed as if she’s a puzzle he’s painstakingly putting together and he can’t seem to find all the pieces.

She clears and looks away. The way Seungwan is watching at her is unnerving. The two become silent again.

Fine with her; her eyes are drawn to the window display to her right.

Joohyun slows down and watches as two women walk into the general store. There are handwritten signs in the window, and she stops long enough to read them.

Coffee grains sell at a mere five jeon per jun, a most reasonable rate. And eggs are listed at four jeon for a full tuk of one dozen.

Another placard promotes a new dentifrice imported from China, said to polish and brighten teeth. Its price of one jeon per small tub.

Cupping her hands over her eyes, Joohyun presses her forehead against the window pane and peers inside. She can’t help herself. A huge part of her wants to go inside, but if she did, she wouldn’t be content until she’d looked at each item. This is the second-best thing.

“Joohyun? Are you coming?”

She turns and sees Seungwan impatiently waiting a few steps ahead. Reluctantly, she looks away from the display and walks toward him.

“What was so fascinating?”

“I was looking at the display. The coffee and eggs."

“You don’t have them in your time?” Seungwan asks.

“Oh, we do. Just not for five jeon.”

“How much?”

Her eyes slide to Seungwan; he stares at her with open curiosity.

“I don’t know how much for coffee abut for tea,” she confesses. “I usually buy the tea in cans with twelve-pack, and that’s about fourty thousand jeon in this currency?”

For once, it’s Seungwan's turn to look shocked.

Joohyun smiles because she recognizes the hunger in his eyes. He has thousands of questions that demand answers.

He opens his mouth and idly looks to his left before he does a double-take and abruptly stops and gestures to the door next to him. “Here we are.”

They stop in front of a big door. Embossed on the large walls are the words S.W.S. Corporation.

“Obviously you remember where I work from the last time you were here,” Seungwan remarks dryly.

Joohyun nods. “I thought your family owned a shipping company?”

“We do. Johnny works in the main office near the docks. I started my own company three years ago strictly for investments and real estate ventures.”

“Are you any good at what you do?” Joohyun challenges.

Would she typically be this blunt? No. But things between Seungwan and her didn't change overnight. She sees the mistrust in his eyes.

When Seungwan looks at her, he still sees his y wife. And that’s okay, because she has a fiancé back home, waiting for her.

Being polite is a pretense that neither one of them wants to use right now. Saying precisely what’s on her mind is a bit liberating.

“I like to think that I’m mildly successful at investing.”

Joohyun narrows her eyes at him. Seungwan is being modest, and she doesn’t know why.

Seungwan goes to open the door. She places her hand on his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He looks at her hand, then her face with curiously.

“Before we go in, I wanted to talk to you about something.” He says nothing, just stares at her with those whip-smart eyes.

Joohyun takes a deep breath and drops her hand to her side. “I can’t be like her all the time.”

“How so?”

“Oh, come on, you’re not blind. You saw how people were staring at us! It’s obvious that the two of you can’t stand the sight of each other.”

Seungwan reluctantly says, “Yes.”

“I know it’s probably in my best interest to keep up appearances, but I have no desire to go out of my way to be extra y to you. I hope that means you won’t be a huge to me.”

“Extra y... has anyone told you that you have an amazing way with words?”

“I’m serious.”

His eyes rake her from head to toe in that ruthless, cut-throat way of his. “You understand that a decision like that will make people talk. Some might think we’re... happy.”

“Let them talk.” Joohyun shrugs. “I want to go home. And I know you’re the key. Consider me your new shadow. Where you go, so do I.”

Seungwan looks at her for a moment longer before he nods. “Very well. We shall be kind to each other from here on out.”

She holds out her hand. “Let’s shake on it.”

He stares at her hand warily before his hand curves around hers.

It would be cliché to say that the minute their hands connected, Joohyun became frozen in place or a shock of awareness rushed through her.

But something did happen and it was none of those things. It started with a small twist in her gut that traveled up her body, grazed the delicate edges of her heart before it seized it all together.

The feeling came out of nowhere.

Joohyun looks at their connected hands. Seungwan's is large and calloused, swallowing hers whole. She jerks her hand back.

Seungwan's hard and unyielding face makes it impossible to tell if he felt the same way. He clears his throat and wordlessly holds the door open for her.

She steps through and takes her time giving the place a once-over. With the exception of modern updates from her time, his office is typical.

Rows of eighteen-drawer filing cabinets line one wall. There’s a desk directly in front of her, and another in the far-right corner. The wood floors are entirely bare, with small scuffs where furniture was once. The walls are off-white, almost the same color of the roller blinds attached to the windows.

A man, dressed as sharp as Seungwan, stands up from the desk in front of her, with a bright, sincere smile. “Good morning, Mrs. Son.”

“This is Eunhyuk. I think you met him,” Seungwan says into her ear.

“Hello.” Joohyun extends her hand, and Eunhyuk looks at it with confusion.

Seungwan subtly shakes his head, and she knows, for some unknown reason, she’s made a mistake.

Joohyun lowers her hand and stares closely at Eunhyuk. He’s skinny, with dark hair and clean-shaven.

Her body locks up as recognition floods her. He’s one of the men from the photo. The man standing next to Johnny.

Joohyun feels a surge of triumph because that means she’s met three out of the four men from her photo.

With a confident smile, Seungwan slings an arm around her shoulder and presses her against his side.

“I’m here to pick up some paperwork, and then I’ll have lunch with my... wife.” He gives her a meaningful look, and Joohyun knows she has to play along.

She wraps her hands around Seungwan’s narrow waist. Beneath her arms, she feels his stomach muscles tense. Pretending not to notice, she smiles at Eunhyuk.

“He’s always so busy working. I had to beg him to spend some time with me.”

Judging from the way Eunhyuk stares between Seungwan and her, Joohyun knows this whole facade of pretending they’re a happy couple will be a lot harder than it appears.

“That is... nice,” Eunhyuk finally manages.

Joohyun keeps her smile in place as they walk away. The minute Eunhyuk turns his back, her smile fades.

As they walk through an elaborate doorway, she glances to her right into another office. A man is hunched over a roll-top desk, writing in a ledger.

On his desk with a check protector, glass paperweight. Directly beside his desk is a spittoon.

When Seungwan closes his office door, Joohyun whirls on him. “Eunhyuk is one of the men in the photo!”

“What?”

“That man I shook hands with? He was in the photo!” she says happily.

Her excitement doesn’t extend to Seungwan. He raises both brows as if to say, “So?”

Seungwan says, “I have never taken a photo with Lee Eunhyuk.”

“Are you sure?”

“I think I would remember.”

Joohyun gestures to the framed photos that hang on the wall. Seungwan sighs. “No, he’s not in those pictures.”

She walks over to the photos. They’re of large ships dockside with at least forty to fifty men proudly standing on the docks. She peers at them carefully, trying to see if she can find Seungwan in the crowd.

After a few seconds, she gives up. “Is Johnny in any of these photos?”

“No.”

“What does he do for a living again?”

Seungwan snorts. “My good-for-nothing twin brother works at our family’s shipping company, and I use the term work loosely. He mostly stops in from time to time to show his face and then entertains one of the many ladies he sees.”

To be honest, Joohyun stopped listening right around the part where Seungwan said twin. “Hold up, Johnny is your twin? When were you going to mention that little tidbit?”

“I apologize. Sometimes I forget that you essentially know nothing about my family.”

“Fair enough.” Joohyun shakes her head in disbelief; it’s obvious Johnny and Seungwan are related, but twins? She would’ve never thought that. “Who is the oldest?”

“I am. By seven minutes.”

“That sounds about right,” she comments.

Seungwan doesn’t reply. His attention is back on the paperwork in front of him. She’s effectively been dismissed.

She goes back to scanning his office. Unsurprisingly, Seungwan’s desk is meticulously organized...

She catches a small copying press off to the side of the desk. On top of a stack of paperwork is a stapler.

There’s a revolving bookcase off to the left. Two chairs are angled toward Seungwan’s desk. Joohyun can imagine him having many meetings, staring down some poor chump until they agree to do things his way.

A nameplate in front of his lamp faces the chairs. In capitalized letters is SÉUNGWAN SON.

“Interesting,” Joohyun murmurs.

Seungwan gives her a startled glance, almost as if he forgot she was here. “What?”

She points at the nameplate. “How you spell your name. SÉUNGWAN, with the accent. It's different than other Koreans spelling it.”

“It’s French,” Seungwan says idly as he continues to scan the paper in front of him. “My mother's family is from France, and as a remembrance, I spelled my name incorporating French conventions for my enterprise. Though, for official documents, my name remains simply Seungwan as given at birth”

Seungwan lifts his gaze. “Say it with me slowly—Sèung-Wan.” 

Joohyun repeats it a few times in her head before she says it out loud.

Seungwan doesn't seem impressed. “Not quite there. But close enough, it was mispronounced by most.” He shrugs. “I’m used to it.”

She continues to pace his office. The whole time, she feels his eyes on her.

“You can take a seat,” Seungwan says.

Joohyun stops walking and faces him.

“Unless you prefer to tread a hole in the rug,” he says.

Joohyun gets overwhelmed easily. Instead of focusing on one thing at a time, she lets all her jumbled thoughts mingle together, then her mind starts to feel like an overcrowded amusement park.

Sitting still right now is the last thing she wants to do, but they need to talk. They need to dive head first into this conversation because if she doesn’t, there’s an excellent chance she’ll never go home.

That thought makes her freeze in her tracks. Her hands curl into fists before she takes a deep breath and gingerly sits down. She glances across the desk at Seungwan.

Seungwan signs his name at the bottom of a document before he pushes the contract aside. For the first time today, he looks at Joohyun for longer than a millisecond.

“Where do we begin?”

Scooting forward in the chair, Joohyun rests her elbows on his desk and drums her nails on the smooth surface. There’s not a speck of dust on the shiny mahogany.

In fact, she can practically see her reflection.

“Joohyun?”

She lifts her head and sees Seungwan staring at her expectantly.

“I don’t know.” Her hands drop onto her lap. “I’ve ransacked your entire house trying to find pictures or paperwork that would have some connection to my time.”

Seungwan's eyes narrow. “When?”

“Yesterday while you were at work. What else do you think I was doing?”

“A lot of things,” he mutters.

Joohyun bristles at his words and reminds herself that this is just as much of a life-altering change for him as it is for her.

And even though they may have come to a truce, it’ll take a bit of time for him to not view her as enemy number one.

She takes a deep breath. “The point is, I have no idea where to start.”

Seungwan stares at her long enough that she has to squirm. To her relief, he looks away and busies himself with some paperwork on his desk.

“It’s overwhelming,” he says.

Her eyes widen imperceptibly, and her heart races. She’s excited because for the first time since she arrived here, she finally feels as if someone understands what she’s experiencing. “Yes. Exactly.”

“We need to start from the beginning. You said that your last name is Bae?”

She nods.

“Yesterday I went through my file of clients, searching for the name Bae...”

She finds herself leaning toward him. “And?”

“And I found nothing.”

Joohyun slouches and exhales loudly.

“What are your parents’ names?”

“Doona and Siwon.”

“Mother’s maiden name?”

“She's a Bae, and my dad is a Choi.”

"Your last name is from your mother's?"

"Even before I was born, my mom visited a monk and tell her to use her maiden's name for her kids to brought our family fortune and luck."

“ Fascinating.. I'm sure his intent was well meaning. What about your grandparents?”

At that, Joohyun hesitates. Her mother’s parents passed away before she was born, as did her dad’s mother.

His father’s dad died when she was a kid, but she remembers him being distant and aloof. “I’m not sure about my mom’s parents. But I know my grandpa on my dad’s side is named Kiho. My grandma’s name was Jihye.”

If Seungwan is shocked by her lack of a relationship with her grandparents, it doesn’t show. He just continues to write everything down.

“What was Jiho's career?”

“He worked at a stable in Daegu, caring for horses there," Joohyun shares.

"The farm, Gyeongbuk Stables, has been in our family for generations in that region, and my parents still run the bussiness there." She says with a hint of pride.

“The business was started by my great-great-grandfather.” She looks at the ceiling as she tries to remember his name. Nothing comes to mind. “I don’t remember his name.”

“Is it safe to say your family originated from Daegu?”

“Absolutely.”

Seungwan’s hand glides across the paper from left to right as he writes everything down. When he’s done, he stares at her expectantly.

There’s so much Joohyun needs to say, so she blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. “Ihaveafiancé.”

Seungwan blinks once. Then twice. “Who?”

“His name is Oh Sehun. I met him in college. He proposed this past summer.”

Seungwan doesn’t say anything. His face is impassive. What’s running through that mind of his? 

Seungwan drops his pen and glances at her. It's not lost on her that he didn't write down Sehun's name.

“We’ll start from there and find answers somehow. It’s not gonna happen overnight.” Seungwan's voice is gruff.

He doesn’t smile encouragingly, but he doesn’t need to.

Seungwan says the word we as though they’re in this together, and that’s all she needs...

Joohyun opens to say thank you and that she appreciates him trying to help, but he shoots her an impatient glance. “You can go now. I’m sure Taeil is still in town and will pick you up.”

.  

Joohyun crosses her legs and makes herself comfortable in her chair. “I think I’ll stay here.” 

“Suit yourself,” Seungwan mutters then puts on his glasses and gets to work.

Minutes pass, even though they feel like hours as she grows restless.

Seungwan is in the zone, pouring over the document in front of him as though his life depends on it. In fact, she’s confident he’s forgotten she’s still in the room.

“What do you invest in?” Joohyun asks.

“Mainly real estate, but I’m willing to dabble in any industry.”

She stands; her back is starting to ache. To get a rise out of Seungwan, she perches on the edge of his desk, and it works. His head whips up as he blinks rapidly.

Joohyun sees the shock in his eyes.  

“What’s this?” She asks casually, gesturing to the papers in front of him.

“A few months ago, I invested in a new company.”

“What company?” Joohyun attempts to read the paper, but the cursive makes it impossible to make out the words.

“A new startup company, Hyundae Motor,” he says idly. “But I’m unsure. There have been no production models except for one -  a small engine for farm equipment.”

Her lips curve into a slow smile. “Something tells me that you shouldn’t worry about that investment.”

Seungwan his head to the side and stares at her skeptically. “What do you mean?”

She hops off his desk and does a lap around his office. “This company you’re unsure of will become a world renowned and go on to compete in international markets. I only know that because my dad is a history junkie.”  

“Amazing.” Seungwan discards the paperwork in front of him and peers at her with a new light in his eye. “What else can you tell me?”

Joohyun stops and looks at him over her shoulder. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

“If I knew everything, I wouldn’t be standing here in the same room as you. I would’ve figured out a way to go home.”

Seungwan smirks. “True. But I simply want you to tell me about the economy, technology, and way of life in your time.”

“Are you asking because you’re genuinely curious or because you want to take my answers and apply them to your investments?” 

“Both. I’d be a fool not to ask.”

What a fool Joohyun has been. All this time she's been so focused on getting him to believe her that she never stopped to think what the aftermath would be.

She never thought he would be so curious about her time.

"A huge fool," Joohyun finally replies.

She sits on the edge of his desk. "In the future, transportation is utterly transformed. Carriages pulled by horses are a relic - people now travel by motor vehicle."

Seungwan's brow furrows. "Motor vehicle? You mean machines provide the power of locomotion rather than living creatures?"

Joohyun nods enthusiastically. "Cars and trucks powered entirely by internal combustion engines. They move much faster than any carriage could dream."

She enthusiastically describes sleek designs, immense speeds and safety features like seatbelts. Oddly enough, Seungwan finds the seat belt to be the most fascinating thing.

When she finishes talking, she takes a deep breath. Seungwan leans back in his seat and whistles.

Joohyun smiles and feels a slight buzz from striking Seungwan speechless. Something tells her that very few people are able to do that.

As he soaks in all the information, she looks at his neatly stacked pile of newspapers and grabs the first one she sees. At the top of the front page, in old Hangul font, is the Hanseong Sunbo. 

Beneath it, in a much smaller font is the price of the paper. A whopping one jeon. Then there’s the established date of the newspaper (1883) and today’s date, April 16th, 1876.

Joohyun has been here for almost a week now. 

The front-page headline is about the Titanic. She’s not the least bit surprised. It probably will be for some time. As the days pass more and more details will emerge.

Her gut twists at the thought.

“Do you always grab everything in front of you?”

Joohyun lifts her head. “Are you always such a control freak?”

“I have to be. If I weren’t, my business would be in shambles.” Seungwan flicks her a quick glance. “Do you have an occupation in your time?”

“Yes, I do.”

His brows rise in surprise. “And it would be?”

“I’m a star by day and moonlight as a stripper on the weekends,” Joohyun says without missing a beat.

While Seungwan struggles to form a coherent sentence, she pretends to inspect her cuticles.

After a few seconds, Joohyun gazes at him innocently. “You do know what a stripper is, right?”

He closes his mouth and sits up straight. A red flush starting from his neck spreads up to his jawline. “Of course I do.” 

“I’m sure you’re wondering about the whole star job title. That’s where you have on camera. It’s a very lucrative business,” Joohyun explains.

Seungwan says nothing, and it takes everything in her power not to break her stoic facade...

"Do you..." Seungwan swallows. "Is that truly your occupation?"  

Joohyun throws her hands up and laughs. "Of course not. But I have to say, it was amazing seeing the look on your face."

He glares at her while subtly adjusting his collar. "Are you done jesting?"

"Yes, I'm done." She laces her fingers in her lap. "I run an antique shop with my friend. It's called Then & Again."

Seungwan seems more shocked by that than the whole stripper thing.  

"This time, I promise I'm telling you the truth."

"I know."

"So why do you look so shocked? Didn't think a woman can run her own business?"

"I did not say that. A woman can do whatever she pleases. My wife is proof of that," Seungwan adds bitterly.

He claims he's okay with it, but she can see in his eyes that he's not one hundred percent sold on the idea of her running her own business.

"Well, I'm not your wife. In my time, I don't sit around and spend money. I spend most of my time going to flea markets, estate sales, and anywhere else I can get my hands on antique items. Then I polish them up, fix broken pieces of furniture, and sell them."

That grabs his attention. "Is it profitable?"

"Am I bringing in the money you are? No. But we're breaking even, and I love what I do. That's enough for me."

There’s a small—practically microscopic—amount of respect in Seungwan's eyes. "It took me a well over a year before my investments started to pay off."

"What kept you going?"

"Probably the same thing that keeps you going. I love what I do," Seungwan admits. He leans in as though they’re co-conspirators.

Joohyun finds herself leaning in too. "Whether it be real estate or companies that are just starting,  I find the entire process exhilarating. Investments simply center around timing and sheer luck."

"Have you ever lost money?" 

"Of course. But I look at those moments as invigorating because I learn from them and never make the same mistake twice."

From the determination in his eyes and the stubborn set of his jaw, Joohyun believes every word Seungwan says.

She loves what she does, but she doesn’t think she’ll ever have the drive to succeed that Seungwan has. Very few people do.

"I have to confess that my favorite part of running Then & Again is go—"

The door opens, and a man barges in. "Seungwan, we need to send a telegraph to Jeonju and let him know whether you're still interested in the property outside of Mount Deokjin."

"Sure, I'm interested. But he's asking too much."  

The man's head is bent as he scans the paper in his hand. "I've spoken to him twice about the price. I don't think—" He lifts his head and shuts up when he sees Joohyun is sitting on the edge of Seungwan's desk.

The minute she gets a good look at him, a lightbulb goes off in her head. He’s the fourth man in her photo. The one standing next to Seungwan.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company,” the man says stiffly.  

“It’s all right, Junmyeon,” Seungwan says, putting extra emphasis on the name Junmyeon.

Junmyeon gives Joohyun a cursory glance. “It’s nice to see you, Joohyun.”  

“Uhh... you too,” she says, although it comes out more like a question.

Joohyun waits for something to happen now that she finally knows who each man in the picture is.

Maybe that’s all that she needs to go back to her own time, but as the seconds tick by, nothing occurs. No headache. No feeling of falling backward. The room doesn’t spin around her.

It was wishful thinking on her part.  

“Did you look over the Hyundae Motor Company proposal?” Junmyeon says.

“Yes.” Seungwan sneaks a quick glance in her direction. “I think this would be a good investment opportunity.”

Frowning, Junmyeon grabs the paper. He scans the words for a few seconds before he glances at Seungwan. “Are you positive?”  

“Yes. Why?”

Before Junmyeon opens his mouth, he gives Joohyun a pointed look and waits. 

Joohyun knows Junmyeon wants her to leave, but there’s no way in hell she’s missing what he has to say.

Once Junmyeon realizes she’s not going anywhere, his cheeks turn red.

He flicks his gaze back to Seungwan. “I mentioned two days ago that this investment could be risky and that it might be a better choice to pass.” 

“I know that, but I decided I want to take that risk.”

“What made you change your mind?”

“Me,” Joohyun cuts in.

In unison, their eyes swivel her direction.  

Junmyeon crosses his arms. “What gives you the authority to hand out investment advice?”

“No authority. Only a gut instinct.”  

“Really?”

She nods. 

“Did your gut instinct also tell you to spend Seungwan’s money on parties you have no business hosting?”

“No. But my gut instinct is telling me that I should knee you in the balls.”

“I’m afraid she’s telling the truth,” Seungwan pipes in. “I’ve seen firsthand that she’ll make good on her word.”

Junmyeon doesn’t lighten up. He obviously dislikes her because of the things Old Joohyun has done or said, but it goes deeper than that.

He continues to glare at her. “Why don’t you busy yourself with planning another party? Or maybe you’d be more interested in buying hundreds of dollars’ worth of clothes with money you didn’t earn.”

Joohyun opens , ready to tell him to go off.

“That’s enough,” Seungwan says. His voice is quiet, yet commanding.  

Junmyeon's eyes widen imperceptibly. He clearly can’t believe that Seungwan didn’t come to his defense. Seconds later, Junmyeon leaves the room.

Jooohyun doesn’t know what got into her. She’s the type of person to shy away from conflict, but the way Junmyeon looked at her as though she was the dirt beneath his fingernails made her furious and reminded her that she’s currently trapped in an era where women are objects and never a man’s equal.

They have no choice but to be subservient.

“You can’t speak to him like that.”

“Why? Because I’m a woman?” Joohyun challenges. “And what’s his full name?”

“No. Because that’s not how the other Joohyun would speak. And his name is Kim Junmyeon.”

“And how would she have spoken?” 

“That’s the point. She wouldn’t have. She and Junmyeon never interact,” Seungwan replies.

“After that encounter, I can’t say that I blame her.” With her arms crossed, she paces the room to stop herself from walking out of Seungwan’s office, finding Junmyeon, and whacking him over the head with one of her shoes.

“Besides, it shouldn’t matter how the Old Joohyun reacted because I don’t want to be her one hundred percent.”

“You will not talk to him like that again,” Seungwan commands.

Joohyun arches a brow. “You can’t control me and tell me what to do.” 

“I can try.”

“And you’ll fail. If I needed controlling, I would’ve come with a remote and an instruction manual.”

Closing his eyes, Seungwan pinched the bridge of his nose. “My God. You are insufferable.”

She shrugs a shoulder and becomes silent. After a few seconds, Joohyun says, “I don’t like that man.”

“I can tell. But you have to realize I’ve known Junmyeon my whole life. He’s a childhood friend.”

“Does he work for you?”

Seungwan nods. “He’s my accountant. Along with Eunhyuk.” 

Joohyun thinks she’s more upset over the fact that Seungwan and she were having a rare conversation where they weren’t lunging at each other’s throats, and Junmyeon just burst into the room and ruined that moment.

She was given a brief moment of what it was like to be friendly with Seungwan, and she wants more.

“I’ll talk to him today about how he spoke to you, okay?”

Joohyun gives a small smile. “You don’t have to do that.”

Seungwan shrugs. “He was rude. Keep in mind that he’s someone I have to work with on a daily basis.”

“I know.” Her shoulders slump in defeat. “I just want to go home. That’s all.”

“I understand. We’ll continue to find a way the best way we know how. Continue to search through Hyemulgat. I’ll look through my files and ask around town if any of the names you gave me sound familiar, okay?”

Mutely, she nods.

“Excellent.” Seungwan stands, grabs his jacket from the coat rack, and puts it on.

For a second, she admires the way Seungwan's biceps strain against his shirt before they’re covered up.

Before he turns around, she quickly looks away. She’s engaged. Not blind, yet she still feels a strange sense of guilt because she wanted to keep looking.  

Seungwan’s oblivious to her thoughts and walks toward the door. “I have a meeting in thirty minutes.” He arches a brow. “I presume you don’t want to come along?”

“No. I’ll go back to Hyemulgat.”

She’s no closer to finding a way home. Right now, all Joohyun feels is defeat piled on top of more defeat. She knows it shows in her eyes. She doesn’t try to hide it.

Seungwan’s mouth opens and closes a few times. Patiently, she waits to hear what he has to say, but nothing comes out. In the end, he opens the door and gestures for her to go before him.

Hope you had a good reading!!

I made a typo in the name, on last chapter. I was meant to introduced the name Etienne on this chapter, but my brain got mixed up.