one moment, you were scrolling through your phone, the quiet hum of the night surrounding you. the next, everything went black.

when you opened your eyes again, everything felt different. the air was thick with the scent of incense, and your surroundings were nothing like the world you knew. the soft, luxurious fabric of your clothes whispered against your skin. you froze, panic rising as you realized something was terribly wrong.

memories flooded your mind, this wasn’t your world anymore. you were no longer yourself, but seolhwa, the main character from a manhwa you'd once loved. the quiet, delicate girl destined to be the bride of the future emperor, heeseung. a prince whose coldness hid a deep, unspoken love for you.

how was this possible?

as you tried to gather your thoughts, the door to your chamber creaked open. your heart skipped a beat as he appeared, heeseung, the crown prince. his icy exterior remained, but his eyes, dark and intense, locked onto yours. there was something about the way he looked at you, like he knew you, even though you were still trying to figure out who you were in this life.

“seolhwa,” he said, his voice calm but filled with an unspoken weight.

your name. you blinked, trying to steady your racing heart. you weren’t sure if you could believe it. the love he felt for you in the story had been so evident, yet he always kept it hidden beneath his coldness. now, it seemed it was real, and somehow, you were here, in this world that wasn’t yours.

“your highness,” you managed, the words awkward on your tongue.

heeseung’s gaze softened slightly, but his expression remained mostly unreadable. "i’m glad you’ve awakened," he said, his voice low, the edge of tenderness barely there.