CH 129

With a scarf tied around her head, Yiyoung read an explanation on the history of Hagia Sophia. It was originally a church, but after Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, it was converted into a mosque. Two different cultures coexisted in this place, and that drew Yiyoung’s attention and curiosity.

She went inside and was amazed by the view. On top of having no faith of her own, Yiyoung had never been to any religious place before. Since this was her first time stepping into a sacred place, so instead of just another place of worship, it seemed like a different world to her.

Yiyoung walked slowly, her eyes sparkling as she tried to preserve the view in her mind. “I can’t believe it took me so long to visit a place like this.”

When she was a child, she’d learnt that there were different kinds of worlds out there. Back then, she’d comforted herself by thinking that reading a book about them was enough, but the explanations in the books truly weren’t enough. They held no mention of how different it felt to actually look at these worlds rather than just read about them.

Not a single book had taught her that looking at such amazing things could make her eyes teary, or that her heart would set aflutter after being amazed by the wonders of mankind, or that blue was not a mere color and her heart could be touched by simply looking at it.

It seemed like her dream had become a reality. The place looked like a whole new world. With every step Yiyoung took, her heart pounded. It finally sunk into her that she really was in Istanbul, and that she was a part of this portentous beauty.

Yiyoung walked inside the building with her neck craned up as she took in the high ceiling and the magnificent interior. She twirled around, but ended up losing her balance and bumping into someone.

“I’m sorry,” Yiyoung immediately apologized, her head lowered to display her respectful apology.

“No, you’re fine,” the asian woman Yiyoung had bumped into said. Just like Yiyoung, she lowered her head and smiled brightly.

She calmly looked and looked in awe. Yiyoung walked further in, this time careful not to turn around as if she was the only person there. She calmly studied everything in detail.

The number of tourists increased at a rapid pace. Yiyoung tried her best not to bump into anyone else, she couldn’t help it. There was no end to the people walking in. She caught her breath, trying not to lose control over her mental state.

There were so many people, and they kept walking past her. ‘What if there’s someone harboring ill intention? And if they have a weapon  by any chance, and… No!’

Yiyoung instantly turned pale. Her imagination had run unnecessarily wild, and now she found herself unable to breathe. She quickly looked around her, and went to a corner behind a huge column. She hid herself in that cramped space.

She held a handkerchief to her mouth and tried to breathe properly. ‘You can do it. You need to calm down. You can do it.’

With a shaky hand, she grabbed the medicine bottle, but was unable to take the water bottle out of her bag. She tried to breathe in and out as she struggled.

“Are you okay?” someone asked her then.

A woman with a soft voice appeared like a lifesaver. Yiyoung lifted her head to look at her, and immediately recognized her face; it was the same woman Yiyoung had bumped into a while ago.

Yiyoung took a deep breath and spoke slowly, “I’m so sorry, but please help me… The water bottle’s cap is…”

The woman understood Yiyoung straight away; she took out a water bottle from her own bag before twisting the cap open and handing it to Yiyoung. With her hand still trembling, Yiyoung took the bottle from her and swallowed the pill.

Yiyoung rested her head on the column behind her and let out a slow breath. Just the act of ingesting the medicine was helping her mentally, allowing her to calm down.