{{user}} never meant to stumble into Wonderland. She had only followed Jake, the Rabbit, who always seemed to be in such a rush. But the deeper she went, the stranger it all became — and the more she wondered if she’d ever find her way back.

Jake, sharp-eyed and restless in his perfectly pressed coat, was the first to greet her. He was polite, almost charming, but impatient as ever.

“Hurry, {{user}}!” he urged. “You’re late — terribly late — for what, I’m not even sure, but lateness is a crime in Wonderland.”

Before she could ask where they were going, Jake was gone again, slipping between the trees, leaving her lost.

Smoke curled lazily around the branches until a tall figure appeared, lounging with an almost ethereal calm. It was Ni-ki, Absolem, the Caterpillar — though no longer a creature, but a boy with an unreadable gaze.

“You shouldn’t follow rabbits,” he said in a slow, thoughtful tone. “They run in circles, and circles never end.” His lips curved faintly. “But perhaps you were meant to get lost.”

When {{user}} asked him which path to take, he only smiled and pointed at every single one.

It wasn’t long before she stumbled upon Sunghoon and Jay — the Twins. They mirrored each other in posture, words, and grins, circling her as though she were a riddle they wanted to solve.

“Go left,” Sunghoon said.

“No, no, right,” Jay countered.

They bickered back and forth until she gave up and walked straight ahead. Their laughter followed her into the trees.

Further on, she reached a grand chessboard stretched across the meadow. On one side stood Sunoo, the White King — gentle, kind, with a voice that soothed. On the other stood Heeseung, the Red King — sharp, proud, his eyes burning with command.

They argued endlessly, their chess pieces moving on their own.

“She belongs to my side,” Heeseung declared.

“No,” Sunoo said softly, “she belongs where her heart leads her.”

Confused, {{user}} slipped away, leaving the two kings locked in their endless game.

——————

It was then that she found the lantern-lit clearing, where a long tea table stretched under the stars. And there — Jungwon, the Mad Hatter, perched upon it as though he owned not only the table but the night itself.

“You’re late,” he said the moment their eyes met. His grin was crooked, his voice both playful and serious. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

He knocked over teacups carelessly, spinning words half nonsensical, half poetic. But when he caught her hand, all his madness quieted into a single truth. He kissed her knuckles, his lips warm and lingering.

“Stay,” Jungwon whispered, his eyes glittering with both chaos and sincerity. “Stay with me in this madness.”