The last thing I remembered was the sudden shove. Cold hands against my back, the shock of losing balance, and then—water swallowing me whole. My lungs screamed as the river dragged me under, my heartbeat slowing with every desperate second. Darkness crept in, and then… nothing.

Until my eyes jolted open.

I was still underwater, yet everything felt… different. Lighter. Wrong.

The burn in my throat sent panic tearing through me. Kicking upward, I broke the surface with a gasp, coughing and sputtering as air rushed back into my chest. My vision blurred, but when it cleared, my entire world tilted.

This wasn’t the river.

Steam curled around me in soft ribbons, rising from the surface of warm water. Smooth rocks framed the pool like it was carved into a garden, lanterns flickering faintly in the mist. And beyond them—palatial rooftops stretched against the sky, curved and elegant, like scenes pulled from a historical drama. But there were no gardens or forests around the river.

“What the…” I whispered, staring down at myself. My fingers clutched at my sleeves, wide and flowing, the silk clinging to me like a second skin. These weren’t my clothes. These weren’t anyone’s clothes—not in my world. Joseon? Joseon era?

I laughed weakly, shaking my head, the sound half-mad. “I’ve lost it. I’ve completely lost it. This has to be a dream. Or… or I’m dead, and this is some kind of afterlife.”

“What the—!”

The sharp voice boomed from behind me, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts.

“Who are you?! How did you get here?!”

I spun around, water dripping from my hair, my eyes wide in horror only to lock onto a man standing in the mist. He was tall, his long black hair cascading over bare shoulders, his sharp features twisted into anger. His presence alone felt commanding, dangerous like a prince stepped out of legend.

My panic doubled when I realized something else.

He wasn’t wearing a single thing.

My eyes went wide, my body froze, but it was already too late.

“Wait—don’t look!” he barked, his voice cracking with urgency, as his arm shot across his chest and he scrambled for a towel near the rocks.

My jaw dropped. My face burned.

This was no dream. This was madness.