Early in the morning, Areum was already running around her room, scribbling a new plan on the floor — using black charcoal again!
> "Okay, PLAN B! Find a magic mirror! In dramas, mirrors always have magical powers!"
Her maids — Hyeon, Sora, and Jimin — could only watch their strange agassi in silence.
Sora whispered to Jimin, "Is Agassi Areum... a descendant of the gods?"
Jimin replied, "If she's a goddess... why do we have to clean up her chaos every single day?"
"The Mission Begins"
Areum walked across the palace gardens, her maids panting as they struggled to keep up.
She asked excitedly,
"Where's the biggest mirror in this palace?"
Hyeon answered softly,
"There's one... in Prince Wang Joon's ceremonial hall. But it's meant for official rituals..."
Areum nodded rapidly.
"Great! Let's go!"
Without thinking twice, she dashed towards the hall.
"The Royal Hall Incident"
The grand doors of the hall swung open. Areum stood there, wide-eyed in amazement.
The mirror was massive, surrounded by carvings of dragons and phoenixes. Her reflection was crystal clear in the luxurious glass.
Standing in front of the mirror, Areum put on a serious face.
"I want to go home! Send me back!" she declared dramatically, raising her hand towards the sky like a character from an anime.
The maids watching from behind struggled to hold back their laughter.
Areum waited.
5 seconds.
10 seconds.
30 seconds.
Nothing happened.
A palace official passing by nearly burst into laughter.
"Wang Joon Suddenly Appears"
"What's going on here?"
A deep, calm voice echoed.
Areum jumped.
She spun around — and saw Wang Joon standing at the doorway, arms crossed, eyes sharp yet filled with curiosity.
Areum panicked.
"Err... I was just... testing... this mirror... its quality... err... high definition!" she blurted out.
Wang Joon gave a small smile — softer than usual.
He slowly walked toward her.
"Where exactly do you want to return to?" Wang Joon asked quietly.
Areum froze.
Her heart pounded.
If she said she was from the future, would this prince even believe her?
Seeing Areum fumble for an answer, Wang Joon simply chuckled.
"No need to answer," he said gently.
He turned to look at the large mirror, gazing at their reflections.
"I think... you're meant to be here right now."
Areum was stunned.
Her heart fluttered, as if butterflies were dancing in her stomach.
"More Chaos"
Suddenly — craaaack!
The carved wooden frame of the mirror slightly cracked.
Everyone panicked.
Areum immediately bowed low.
"I didn't mean to! I swear I wasn't using magic!"
She shouted in a fluster.
Wang Joon chuckled lightly, and calmly said,
"It's alright. I'll fix it."
The other palace officials were stunned.
Prince Wang Joon... laughed?
And... forgave her?
For this strange girl?
"Areum Assigned a 'Restoration Duty'"
As a "soft punishment," Wang Joon ordered Areum to assist the palace carpenters in repairing the hall.
(Of course, Areum created even more chaos!)
She mistakenly painted the golden designs pink.
She almost hung the decorative fabrics upside down.
Yet everyone in the palace noticed something strange — every time Areum made a mistake, Prince Wang Joon only smiled.
As if he... enjoyed her chaos.
Areum herself didn't realize it,
> little by little, she was brightening the life of someone who had long been too serious and lonely.
That night, Areum wrote in her diary:
> "Plan B failed. No magic mirror exists. But... why don't I feel that sad?"
She didn't know — standing quietly outside her window,
Wang Joon was watching her room from the corridor — without a word.
To Be Continued...