BEEP.
Beep.
...beep?
Nothing.
Silence.
Then, WHACK!
"YOUNG MISS YURA!!"
Someone shouted. Someone was crying. A cold towel was on her forehead.
Seoryu's eyes opened.
His vision was blurred. His neck kind of hurt.
But the first thing he noticed?
The air wasn't from an aircon. And… why did it smell like incense and herbs?!
He sniffed.
'Damn, this smells like Chinatown?'
"YOUNG MISS! PRAISE THE HEAVENS! YOU'RE ALIVE!"
He suddenly sat up.
"What is this?! Why does everything look like a historical drama?!"
He was surrounded by women with bun hairstyles, perfectly pressed hanboks, and extremely intense expressions of worry. One girl was almost crying on his lap.
"Miss Yura… I was so scared… You had such a high fever—I thought we were going to lose you!"
"Yura?! WHO'S YURA?!"
He looked into the mirror beside the bed.
'FUCK.'
"OH SHIT—THIS IS MY OLDER SISTER?!"
Long silky hair, glass skin, rosy lips, doe eyes, flawless jawline—like a real-life AI filter.
He pulled the bedsheet.
"Wait. Wait. WAIT."
He immediately took off the robe. Jumped off the bed. Scanned his body.
"Tit… junior is still there… I'm still okay…"
He looked at the maids.
"SO WHY DO I LOOK LIKE 'GIRL PRINCESS MOOD'?! WHY AM I WEARING A HANBOK?!"
The maids were smiling, but it was obvious they didn't know how to respond.
"Miss Yura... maybe you still need to lie down—"
"NO! I AM DR. HAN SEORYU! BOARD-CERTIFIED SURGEON, GOLDEN HANDS OF SEOUL, STAR OF CHEF'S GLORY KOREA! I'M NOT YURA! WHAT IS THIS—A K-DRAMA?! I-ME-WHO-BOO-ME-WHO?!"
Everyone looked at each other. Literally speechless.
Maid 1: crying.
Maid 2: dropped the water tray.
Maid 3: fainting at the corner.
A eunuch arrived. "Young Miss Yura! Your father is on his way, he—"
"FUCK, THERE'S A EUNUCH NOW?!"
THE FATHER ENTERS
Tall, dignified, long beard, wearing full dark blue robes. He looked like someone from Sage Wisdom Class.
"Yura," said the father, with a deep and worried voice, "My child... thank the heavens you're awake. When the fever struck you, I thought I'd lost you…"
"Uh... wait a minute, Sir—Este, Father... can we please DTR?"
"DTR?"
"Define The Relationship."
Father was speechless.
"First of all," Seoryu said very seriously, even pointing a finger, "I'm not a girl. I'm a man. I have a junior. Here, want to take a peek? Kidding."
Eunuch: "...n-n-nani?"
Maid: already praying the rosary even though it's still the Joseon Era.
His father just stared. "My child… I know this is a shock. But—"
"No, seriously! I'm Han Seoryu. Surgeon. Idol. Cancelled online. Then—SLIP. THEN—BAM. NOW—POOF. WHY AM I IN A K-DRAMA?!"
"Han... Seoryu...?"
It echoed in the room.
Suddenly a younger man entered—looked like Yura's brother. Handsome. Straight brows. Total second male lead aura.
"SIS YURA!" hugs
"Wait, bro! My boobs—oh right, I don't have any."
"Huh?"
Then the mom walked in. Fancy. Holding incense and a bracelet that looked like it was for exorcism.
"THIS IS BAD OMEN!" she shouted. "MY CHILD HAS BEEN POSSESSED BY A SPIRIT!"
Seoryu's mind: 'NO! This isn't spirit possession! There's logic to this! Maybe I hit my head, or this is just a coma dream! Or a multiverse! OR MAYBE I'M IN AN AI SIMULATION! I HOPE THERE'S WIFI!'
He took the maid's handkerchief. Covered his face.
"I give up. I just want to do a craniotomy and cook beef stew. Why like this… why like this…"
———
That afternoon, gossip spread.
"Miss Yura has gone mad."
"She claims to be a surgeon!"
"She speaks of spirits called... WiFi and Instagram?"
"She wants to cook beef stew instead of getting married?!"
"She showed her junior... whatever that is."
Seoryu, now stuck as Lady Han Yura, was assigned 24-hour maid monitoring.
One day, he tried to escape.
Locked himself in the bathroom, sat on the toilet and yelled:
"HELLOOO? SYSTEM? MAYBE THIS IS THE PART OF THE GAME WHERE THERE'S A QUEST?! PRESS F TO RETURN?!"
Nothing.
The only response was a knock from the maid.
"Young Miss... you need to get dressed. You will be brought to the palace…"
Palace?
"What do you mean?" Seoryu quickly asked and opened the bathroom door.
"You have been... officially chosen as a candidate concubine for the Crown Prince."
Seoryu:
"FUCK. THIS IS WORSE THAN THE CEO'S OPERATION!"