As De Lan stood frozen like a wax statue, struggling to comprehend how the elegant Queen had transformed into a raging woman wielding a slipper as a weapon, Jo Ri had become a panicked prey. She scrambled across the room after taking the first hit, pursued by a mother whose screams held no trace of royal dignity.
Suddenly, the chaos was punctured by a strange, melodic chiming coming from the door an electronic rhythm unlike any instrument they had ever heard in the palace.
The "Queen" rushed to open the door, allowing a new hurricane to sweep in. It was Jo Ri's other mother the younger sister who ran the beauty salon downstairs. To De Lan, she looked like a creature from another dimension. She wore a short-sleeved blouse that exposed her arms and a skirt that ended just above her knees a sight that would have been scandalous in Joseon. Her short, permed hair wafted a pungent scent of chemical perfumes, and her bold, vibrant lipstick completed a look of daring beauty that the Crown Prince had never witnessed in any woman of his era.
Silk Armor and the Frying Pan Punishment
She stormed in like a hurricane, wielding a metallic frying pan as if it were a war club, and headed straight for De Lan. She stood before him, her eyes flashing with a searing rage he had never seen from his usually calm aunt the woman he thought was a dove of peace. She shrieked into his face:
- You idiot! Who do you think you are, tricking my daughter into marriage at this age?!
She swung the pan down hard against his leg, but the dozens of heavy silk layers of his ceremonial wedding robes acted as an unexpected suit of armor, shielding him from the impact. Seeing his frozen, stunned expression, she tossed the pan aside and grabbed his ear, twisting it so hard his head bowed in submission.
- What's with this cold act of yours? Do you honestly think I'll forgive you, you lunatic?!
she barked.
Then, she delivered a resounding blow to his head that made the entire world spin. She turned her icy glare toward Jo Ri, who was trembling in the corner, and hissed a terrifying promise:
- As for you، your reckoning awaits you upstairs!
Before De Lan could even blink, Jo Ri's mother swung the frying pan once more, landing another heavy blow on his head as if the first hadn't been enough to quench her fury. The impact was so jarring that his vision went dark for a split second, the searing pain finally crushing what was left of his royal pride.
A Separation Tainted by Defeat
With a swift, non-negotiable movement, the mother snatched Jo Ri's hand violently. In that instant, De Lan's instinct as a Crown Prince and protector flared up; he reached out to take her back, but the mother shot him a gaze so chilling it turned his blood to ice. It was a look of steel, nothing like the gentle aunt he had known in Joseon. The sheer authority in her eyes was enough to freeze his hand mid air.
The mother gripped Jo Ri's wrist until it throbbed with pain, dragging her toward the door and out of the apartment. And so, in a twist of cruel irony, the very wish they had screamed for at the palace finally came true: They were finally separated. Yet, it wasn't the liberation they had envisioned. It didn't taste of freedom or sovereignty it tasted of humiliating defeat.
Jo Ri followed this woman this mother who was both a stranger and a familiar face submitting like someone who had lost the right to protest. They reached the apartment directly above her aunt's. While the layout was the same, the furniture here whispered of luxury and elegance, a sharp contrast to the simplicity of the floor below.
Worn-out Crowns and a Forbidden Supper
The moment the door slammed shut behind them, the mother's voice exploded, echoing through the luxury apartment:
- Why are you so stubborn?! How many times must I tell you that marrying De Lan is impossible at your age? Has your father's pampering completely rotted your brain? You are still just a schoolgirl! Do you want to repeat the tragedy that I and your aunt went through?
The mother let out a weary sigh, her exhaustion palpable. She pointed a trembling finger toward a wooden door adorned with delicate floral patterns, where the name 'Jo Ri' was written in elegant modern script:
- Get into your room before I lose my mind completely! You are grounded, and you won't taste a single bite of dinner tonight!
Then, she cast a look of pure disgust at the royal wedding robes Jo Ri was dragging behind her on the floor, shrieking:
- And get out of those ragged clothes and those ancient, dusty trinkets on your head this instant! The sight of you is driving me insane!
Colors Foreign to the Brush
Ju Ri stepped into the room, greeted by pink walls that embraced her with an unfamiliar softness. A plush bed sat atop a pristine white wooden frame, surrounded by paintings that stirred a sense of belonging. But what truly drew her soul was the easel standing in the corner. She approached it to see a work in progress, and to her shock, it was Di Lan.
He was painted leaning against a wall, gazing into the distance with eyes full of sorrow. Ju Ri touched the canvas; the colors were different vibrant and glossy and the scent was sharp, unlike the natural pigments she used to mix by hand. Even the brushes felt strange to her creative fingers.
Despite the confusion, a strange comfort washed over her. She loved this room and this house that granted her privacy for the first time. Most importantly, "Fate" here had done what everyone in Joseon failed to do: it finally separated her from Di Lan.
"Where am I? And why has everything changed?"
she whispered, opening the wardrobe to find light, soft clothes. She changed quickly, then began searching the room for "candles" to extinguish before bed, but she found no trace of wax or matches. Exhausted, she surrendered to the bed, falling into a deep sleep within moments, leaving the mysteries of this new world behind her tired eyelids.
Echoes of Strange Worlds
As for De Lan, the voice of the "Queen's Doppelgänger" still echoed in his ears like a thunderclap:
- You, De Lan! Go to your room and change out of those (costumes) immediately, and don't you dare come out!
He found himself alone in a narrow hallway, one that felt so constricting it seemed to suck the very air from his lungs. He reached out to touch the wall, seeking the familiar safety of the palace, but recoiled in terror. There was no warm touch of wood or the ancient engravings of the kingdom instead, the wall was smooth and eerily cold, as if crafted from a substance that didn't belong to this earth.
With trembling steps, he walked toward the room his father or the man he thought was his father had pointed to. He pushed the door open and his heart skipped a beat.
It wasn't his room. There was no scent of royal incense, no silk curtains dancing in the breeze, not even the soft glow of candlelight. Instead, a world of colorful chaos erupted before his eyes: a small bed draped in loud fabrics, and an entire wall plastered with images of people in bizarre attire, screaming silently while clutching musical instruments he had never seen before.
And there, on the desk, sat the "glass black slab" dark, cold, and reflecting his terrified face with haunting clarity. Was this dark magic, or had he fallen through a rift between worlds?
The Refrigerator Light.. and the Embrace of Safety
Jo Ri was drifting in a deep slumber on that comfortable bed when a strange sound startled her awake. She leaped from the covers, confusion clouding her senses. For a fleeting second, she expected to open her eyes to the ancient walls of the Joseon palace, but the pink bedroom confirmed she was still a captive of this bizarre dream. She stepped into the darkened living room, only to see a massive gray box emitting a blinding white light from its open door.
She approached cautiously, her heart hammering against her ribs, as she watched someone bury their head inside that cold, glowing box. When the man finally turned around, her breath hitched in her throat it was her father! He stood there with a chicken drumstick in his mouth, looking like a mischievous child caught stealing a midnight snack.
Overwhelmed by a tidal wave of shock and joy, she threw herself into his arms, clinging to him with all her might as if terrified that this beautiful apparition would vanish. Initially, her only desire was to return to her own world, but now that her father had seemingly returned from an eternal sleep, it was utterly impossible for her to leave. She would never return to her tragic life without him. She had found her sanctuary.
The Artist's Promise and a Father's Embrace
Ju Ri sat on a chair so soft she had never felt anything like it, with her father looking at her with the same unwavering love. Patting her head, he said softly:
- Ju Ri, your mother told me what happened. Do you truly think what you did today was right?
"Father... do you think I was wrong?" she whispered.
"Of course," he replied gently. "You are far too young for the burdens of marriage. Wait until you grow and find your own path. If your heart still beats for him then, I won't stop you."
- How much time do I need?
She asked innocently. Counting on his fingers, he smiled:
- Three years of school, four of university, and a year of work. Then decide. Live your life to the fullest first, and I will always support you.
Ju Ri embraced him, tears welling in her eyes:
- Father, I missed you and your wisdom so much. I'm sorry I didn't listen before. I promise... I won't marry until I've become the person you expect me to be.
"That's my great artist," he said with pride.
"Father, can I sleep with you tonight?" she teased.
He chuckled:
- Do you want your mother to kill us both?
She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. A profound peace washed over her, and she drifted into a deep sleep, never knowing how she eventually found her way back to her warm bed.
The Strangers' Paradise
De Lan stumbled toward the window and yanked the curtain open, only to stand frozen in shock. He recoiled, his eyes widening in utter disbelief. Below him, the city stretched out like a sea of fallen stars. Cars crawled through the streets like glowing ants, and towering skyscrapers pierced the very clouds a sight his royal eyes had never dared to imagine.
Pressing his forehead against the cold glass, he whispered in a choked voice,
- Is this heaven? Or a hell adorned with lights?
He threw himself onto the bed; it was unnervingly soft, far too comfortable, yet peace remained out of reach. As he lay there staring at the strange ceiling, agonizing thoughts began to consume him. Everything had changed: his kingdom, his identity, and even his parents. His father no longer commanded the awe and dread of a sovereign instead, he seemed faded and weak, more like a palace eunuch than a formidable king. And his mother once a dignified Queen—now resembled a "jester," scurrying everywhere and shouting with a forced energy, as if she were performing a farce to entertain the masses.
Clutching the pillow, he wondered,
- Am I trapped in a nightmare from which I'll wake tomorrow? Or has my world collapsed forever?
But the sharpest ache, the one that truly stifled his soul, was the thought of Mei Fa. His beloved, whom he had left behind, and the sacred promise he made to spend their next night together. Mei Fa was gone, and with her, everything he knew of love and safety had vanished.
If you were in De Lan's shoes, would you embrace this comfortable new life, or fight to return to your crumbling kingdom?