Hyunmin held out his hand and Sunye grabbed it. He led her back to the dance floor as the peppy song picked up. True to his word, he did not touch her as they freely swayed to the music.

"Where did you get that tattoo done from?" Sunye asked, raising her voice slightly to talk over the music.

​​

"Got it from a parlor in Australia!" he exclaimed. "A friend of mine made it for me."

"What does it represent?" she asked curiously. "I've never seen something like this before!"

"The Blue Tiger represents great power on information and wisdom," Hyunmin replied as they circled the dance floor, their rhythms matching. "My mentor used to say that the person who can collect any information and knowledge is a Blue Tiger. Knows everything but tells nothing unless he absolutely has to."

"That's almost...godlike!" Sunye laughed.

"Not really," Hyunmin said with a strange smile. "Unlike gods, we humans have a lot to fear. And the more scared we are, the less we know. The Blue Tiger also wards away that fear. Once we get rid of the fear, the world is in our hands."

"You sound almost like a philosopher," Sunye noted.

"I'm nothing but a humble lover of information," Hyunmin shrugged. Sunye did not know how to respond to that. His eyes were twinkling under the disco light, which mesmerized her once again. Hyunmin was either oblivious to her ogling or ignored it but Sunye could not look away. There was something familiar about him and she simply could not figure out what it was. Why did it feel as if she knew him?

"Where are you from?" She asked curiously. "You look as if you're local but your accent is slightly different."

"I was brought up in New Zealand," he replied. "But came back here five years ago. I just couldn't let go of the accent. People still think I'm a foreigner but I'm just rooted elsewhere."

"And your parents?"

"Dead," he shrugged. Sunye pursed her lips, unsure of what else to say. The music changed and a jazz song echoed through the speakers.

"It's getting too loud in here!" he shouted over the music. "I'm heading out. Wanna join me for a beer at the docks?"

Sunye did not know what came over her that night. She was never impulsive nor the type of person who would say yes to others that easily. Either she was drunk or somehow hypnotized by the stranger.

Because the next words coming out of her mouth had sealed her fate.

"Yes!" she said. "Absolutely."

Hyunmin smirked and led her away from the dance floor. He ordered a beer pack from the bar and took it in his hands. Sunye looked around for Sua but she was nowhere to be seen. She took out to text her but found that Sua had sent her a message instead.

"Heading to his apartment," she wrote with a wink emoji. "You should enjoy yourself too!"

Sunye smiled, shaking her head. She glanced at Hyunmin who was paying the bartender. It was hard to look away from him and even though he had a bad boy vibe, his aura was compelling. For a moment she wondered how he would look like without that shirt…

Slap out of it! She scolded herself. Clearly, she had too much to drink and was thinking about silly stuff.

Focus on the case! She said in her mind. It's just a few drinks and then you'll go home!

"Let's go," he said, ushering her outside. She followed him out to his car which was parked right outside the bar.

"An Impala!" Sunye exclaimed upon seeing the green Chevrolet Impala he owned. She was fascinated by the sedan since it seemed to be an old model from the 60's .

"You're fond of cars?" Hyumin asked.

"Not really, but someone I know used to own one," she sighed. Back at the Emperor's palace, there were many such antique cars which were cool to look at.

Even though she was not allowed to touch them as per the protocols, she still liked to ogle at them. Her favorite one was the Impala Kim San had owned. It was a blue one and one of the very first models made in 1965. Ever since then, she had a soft corner for Impalas.

"Wanna go for a drive?" Hyunmin smiled.

"Yes!" Sunye exclaimed. "I do!"

He opened the passenger door for her and she got in. Taking the driver's seat, he revved up the engine.

"It's still pretty fast," he said. "The model is from 1970 but I had the engine modified and it can run quite fast."

He stepped on the pedal and drove off at a high speed. Sunye did not mind. In fact, she enjoyed every second of it. She opened the window, letting the wind brush her face while her hair was loose. For the first time in a long time, she felt relaxed, that too with a stranger.

She sighed, watching the dark view as Hyunmin drove through a fairly empty highway. It was late at night so there were not many cars on the road. He was a smooth driver, changing lanes quite easily as they sped towards the docks. Sunye stared at the cloudless sky where the stars shone brightly. Her mind was relaxed and soothed as she gazed into nothingness but simply enjoyed feeling nothing at all.

Hyunmin glanced at her struck by her beauty. Her long hair was swaying on her porcelain like face. Her eyes were glassy, as if she was in a deep thought but her mind was unreadable. It was as if she did not want the journey to end.

"We're here," he said after a while. Sunye broke from her reverie to find herself at the docks. Hyunmin had parked on a desolated valley where there were only the two of them. She should have been scared that she was all alone with a guy she had just met but for some reason, the fear would not come. Her brain tried to rationalize the situation but her heart was telling her to take a leap of faith.

Hyunmin had chosen a place where they could see the view in ease.The ocean below crashed against the rocky shore like a rumbling giant. The sounds of the waves were calming and in the distance, there were lights emitting from a few ships which were traveling on the boisterous water.

A cool air hit her and she huddled on her seat, marveling at the ocean. The sky had stretched far and it looked as if it had descended to the waterbed. Currents hitting the land were so strong that Sunye felt the land rumbling a little. She took out her medicines and popped them in her mouth.

"What's that?" Hyumin inquired.

"My medicines for hypothermia," she replied. "I...I suffer from it. I took my medicines earlier but still. You never know when I might end up getting another hypothermic shock. So I took some more."

"Unusual condition," Hyunmin remarked. "Very rare and hard to treat."

"My one is mild," she shrugged. "Besides, it gets triggered when I don't take my medicines."

Hyunmin reached over to the beer rack at the back and took out two bottles. Handing one to her, he said, "Bottoms up!"

Sunye grinned and drank her beer. Her mind was becoming muddled and she was definitely getting drunk but managed to hold on to her senses with great difficulty.

They sat in silence, sipping their beers while appreciating the vast ocean in front of them.

"Do they have beaches in New Zealand?" She suddenly asked.

"There are a few," Hyunmin replied. "Why?"

"I've always dreamt of living near one," Sunye admitted. The alcohol was taking its effect on her, making her more relaxed and free. Under normal circumstances, she would not be admitting that dream to anyone but at that moment, she was blabbing her inner desires.

"They're warm," she replied. "And sunny. I won't be cold there nor live in constant fear."

"What do you fear, Han Sunye?"

He spoke her name as if he was caressing her like his most precious treasure. Hyunmin laid against the seat, turning his head towards her. Hearing her name on his lips made her heart flutter. A red blush crept on her cheeks, giving her a rosy glow.

Hyunmin was looking at her with an intensity which was almost unbearable. The invisible tension between them was almost visible, coursing through their veins. It was as if he was looking right into her soul.

"I fear myself," she murmured, feeling ashamed of what she had just said. "I fear that one day, I would do something which would make me hate myself. I'm afraid of looking in the mirror and think that I survived. I lived. I'm alive. But he is not…"

That was right. Kim San was dead while she survived. She should have died that night. As the adoptive daughter of the palace chef, she was nothing more than a fancy servant. She should have died. Not the Crown Prince who was supposed to lead them.

Yet, she lived.

Hyunmin did not ask her whom she was referring to but he let out a sigh.

"What have we done in life other than to fear?" he asked out loud. "Fear our enemies. Fear our friends. Fear our own selves. Isn't that's the way it's supposed to be?"

"But you can either live in that fear," he went on. "Or look at the fear in the eye and keep staring at it until it backs down. Either way, you'll have to live with or without it."

"What are you scared of?" Sunye asked.

"Me? I fear that one day, I'll open my eyes and I'll find out that I'm lying next to a person for whom, I'll be ready to give my life."

Was it the earnestness in his voice or was it those deep blue eyes? For years, Sunye could not figure out what made her take the next step. But she had already crossed many lines that night so it was only a matter of time, the last straw would also break.

Before she could stop herself, she leaned over and kissed him squarely on the lips.