Episode 4: An independent women Era. (Historical Dream with Knight Min Jiwon)
1972 Words
The neighborhood slept peacefully beneath the moonlight.
Inside her new house, wrapped tightly beneath her blanket and surrounded by unfamiliar walls that were slowly becoming home, Lee YN slept soundly.The lamp on her bedside table still glowed softly.Outside, the wind gently rustled the trees.And somewhere between dreams and reality—Everything changed. Suddenly...
YN wasn't in her bedroom anymore.
Her eyes slowly opened.
"...Huh?"
She blinked once. Twice. Then immediately sat up. Except—
She wasn't sitting on her bed.
She was sitting inside a beautifully decorated wooden room illuminated by lanterns.
Silk curtains fluttered softly beside the open windows. Cherry blossom petals drifted through the air. A gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers. YN blinked.Then looked down.
Gone were her pajamas.
Instead, she was wearing a gorgeous pale pink hanbok with delicate embroidery.
Silence. YN stared at herself. Then at the room.
Then at herself again.
"...No."
She stood up.
"NO."
Running toward a polished bronze mirror, she stared at her reflection. Historical clothes.
Historical hairstyle. Historical accessories.
"NO!"
She pointed dramatically at the ceiling.
"I knew binge-watching historical dramas would ruin my brain one day!"
No answer. Rude. Still panicking, YN rushed outside the room. And froze.
The entire palace surrounding her was breathtaking. Servants moved through the halls.
Lanterns illuminated the pathways.
Beautiful gardens stretched endlessly beneath the moonlight. And everyone—
Everyone was dressed historically.
YN slowly turned in a circle.
"...I'm in a drama."
A maid suddenly approached her.
"My Lady, where are you going?"
YN almost screamed.
"My lady?!"
The maid looked confused.
"Your Highness?"
"YOUR HIGHNESS?!"
YN looked around wildly.
"Who are you talking to?!"
The maid blinked.
"...You."
Silence.
YN pointed at herself.
"Me?"
Another nod.
"His Majesty has been looking for you."
YN froze.
"His Majesty?"
Before she could ask another question, the maid bowed and left. Leaving YN alone with approximately seventeen thousand questions.
"Okay."
She inhaled deeply.
"Either I've gone insane..."
"...or I'm royalty."
After several seconds of consideration—
"Honestly, both are possible."
Curiosity eventually defeated fear.
Following the lantern-lit paths, YN wandered through the palace grounds. Everything looked magical. Moonlight reflected across a peaceful lake. Cherry blossoms swayed gently. Traditional music echoed somewhere in the distance. For a moment, she forgot to panic. Until—
She noticed something. A white rabbit.
YN gasped.
"A bunny!"
Without thinking, she followed it.
The rabbit hopped through the garden.
YN chased after it happily.
"Come here!"
The rabbit disappeared behind a group of trees.
YN followed. Then stopped.
"...Uh oh."
She looked around. Nothing looked familiar anymore. No palace. No servants. No lights.
Only a dark forest. Silence. YN swallowed.
"Fantastic."
She slowly turned around.
"Hello?"
No answer.
"Anyone?"
Nothing. The wind rustled through the trees.
YN hugged herself.
"Okay, Lee YN. You're an independent woman."
She nodded firmly.
"You moved out."
"You're responsible."
"You pay your own bills."
"You can survive a tiny haunted forest."
Snap.
A branch cracked somewhere behind her.
YN nearly ascended into heaven.
"WHO'S THERE?!"
Another sound. Closer this time.
Her heart began racing.
"Nope."
Absolutely not.
She spun around and started running.
Branches brushed against her clothes.
The darkness around her seemed endless.
And suddenly— Her foot slipped.
YN gasped. The ground beneath her disappeared.
She was falling.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
But before she could hit the ground— Someone caught her. Strong arms wrapped around her waist. Everything slowed. The wind.
The falling cherry blossoms.
Even her heartbeat. Slowly— Very slowly—
YN looked up. And forgot how breathing worked.
Standing before her was a man dressed in black royal robes. Long dark hair tied neatly behind him. Sharp eyes. Calm expression.
And annoyingly handsome.
Neighbour..hhh
Min Jiwon.
No. Historical Min Jiwon. King Min Jiwon.
For a second, neither of them moved.
YN stared. He stared. The moonlight illuminated his face. Behind him, cherry blossoms drifted through the air dramatically like the universe itself had hired special effects.
He looked exactly like a king.
A terrifyingly handsome king.
Meanwhile—
YN was hanging halfway in his arms after almost falling off a cliff.
He looked down at her calmly.
"Careful."
Silence.
YN blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...Min Jiwon?"
A slight pause.
His expression remained unchanged.
"...You know my name."
YN almost cried.
"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY?!"
His eyebrows moved very slightly.
The royal guards behind him exchanged nervous looks. Apparently nobody shouted at the king.
Unfortunately for them— Dream YN had no survival instincts.
"You just dramatically saved me from falling to my death!"
Jiwon simply looked at her.
"...Mm."
"MM?!"
"The entire kingdom's budget went into this scene and all you have to say is 'Mm'?!"
One guard quietly lowered his head.
Another looked like he was trying not to laugh.
Meanwhile, King Min Jiwon remained completely calm. As if women falling from cliffs was simply part of his daily schedule. Still holding her securely, he asked quietly—
"Can you stand?"
YN looked down. Realized she was still clutching his robe. And immediately released him.
"Yes!"
She stood up. Then almost slipped again.
Before she could fall— His hand caught her wrist.
Again. Slow motion. Again. YN stared at him.
The moonlight. The petals. The handsome face.
The dramatic music her brain had apparently added. This man had now saved her twice in less than five minutes.
King Min Jiwon looked at her.
Then quietly sighed.
"...Troublesome."
YN gasped.
"EXCUSE ME?!"
But somewhere deep inside... She couldn't deny it. For the first time since entering this strange dream— She no longer felt scared.
Because somehow... Whenever Min Jiwon appeared— Everything felt safe.
"Excuse me?!" YN repeated dramatically.
King Min Jiwon simply looked at her with the expression of a man questioning every decision that had brought him to this moment.
Behind him, several royal guards stood frozen.
Apparently, nobody in the entire kingdom had ever spoken to their king like this.
Meanwhile, YN had completely forgotten he was royalty.
"You called me troublesome!"
"...You almost fell."
"Because your rabbit kidn*pped me!"
Silence. One guard blinked.
Another looked confused.
King Min Jiwon himself looked mildly confused.
"...My rabbit?"
"The white bunny!"
He slowly glanced toward the nearby bushes.
As if summoned by fate itself, the white rabbit hopped out happily and sat beside his feet.
YN pointed dramatically.
"HIM!"
To her horror— King Min Jiwon bent down and gently picked up the rabbit.
The terrifying, handsome king who had probably conquered kingdoms and inspired fear throughout the land…
Was holding a bunny.
YN felt her soul leave her body.
"...No."
The image was too cute.
It didn't match. Nothing about this matched.
The rabbit happily rubbed its head against his hand. Jiwon quietly scratched behind its ears.
YN stared in betrayal.
"Even the rabbit likes you?"
"...Mm."
"Stop saying mm!"
The guards collectively lowered their heads.
One man's shoulders visibly shook.
He was definitely laughing. King Min Jiwon looked toward him. The guard immediately straightened. Silence returned.
Then Jiwon's gaze shifted back to YN.
"You're lost."
It wasn't a question. It was a fact.
YN crossed her arms.
"I was exploring."
"You were running after a rabbit."
"...Details."
Another tiny sigh escaped him. Not annoyed.
Not angry. Almost resigned.
As if he had already accepted that she would continue creating problems.
He handed the rabbit to one of the guards.
"Return him."
The guard bowed immediately.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Then Jiwon began walking away.
YN blinked.
"Wait!"
He stopped.
Slowly turned his head.
"What?"
"You're leaving?"
"...Yes."
"After saving me twice?"
"...Mm."
"The communication skills in this kingdom are terrible."
For the first time— For just a second—
YN thought she saw the smallest flicker of amusement in his eyes. Gone instantly.
But she saw it.
"Did you almost smile?" she gasped.
"No."
"THAT WAS A SMILE!"
"No."
"IT WAS!"
"No."
Even dream Min Jiwon denied smiling.
Some things truly transcended universes.
After a moment, he quietly said—
"Follow."
And once again… YN followed him.
They walked through beautiful lantern-lit pathways. Cherry blossoms drifted around them.
Moonlight reflected across the lake.
Everything looked like a scene straight out of a historical drama. The only difference?
Historical drama heroes usually gave romantic speeches. King Min Jiwon apparently believed in saving words for emergencies. YN glanced at him. He walked calmly beside her, hands behind his back. Royal robes. Long hair. Straight posture.
And annoyingly handsome.
Very annoyingly handsome.
"Are you always this quiet?" she asked.
"...Yes."
"In every universe?"
A pause.
"...Probably."
YN burst out laughing.
"At least you're consistent."
Another silence followed. But strangely…
It wasn't awkward. It was peaceful.
As they continued walking, YN noticed servants immediately bowing when they saw him.
Everyone respected him. Everyone feared him.
Yet somehow… He looked lonely.
Just like the real Min Jiwon next door.
The thought made her expression soften.
"Being king must be difficult."
He looked ahead.
"...Mm."
"That's not an answer."
"It is."
"No, it's not."
Another small pause.
Then—
"Sometimes."
YN blinked.
That was the longest answer he'd given her all night. She smiled.
"There you are."
Jiwon looked slightly confused.
"Where?"
"The person behind all the 'mm's."
Silence.
Then he looked away.
Almost as if he wasn't used to people noticing things like that. Eventually, they reached a beautiful pavilion overlooking the lake.
The entire palace could be seen from there.
Thousands of lanterns illuminated the night.
The view was breathtaking.
YN immediately ran toward the edge.
"Wow!"
Then—
Her foot caught on the edge of her dress.
She stumbled.
Again. Before she could even panic—
A hand wrapped around her waist.
Again. Slow motion. Again. YN looked up.
King Min Jiwon stood impossibly close.
Cherry blossoms floated around them dramatically. The moonlight illuminated his face.
And for some reason…
Dream YN's brain decided this was the perfect time to add romantic background music.
YN internally screamed.
Meanwhile, King Min Jiwon remained completely calm.
"...Careful."
YN stared at him.
Then burst out laughing.
He blinked.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because you've said the same thing three times tonight!"
"You keep falling."
"Fair point."
Realizing he was still holding her waist, she quickly stepped back. Jiwon immediately let go.
Respectful. Gentle. Calm.
YN smiled softly.
"Thank you."
He simply nodded.
"...Mm."
She laughed again.
And somehow… For the first time that night—
The corners of his lips moved. Very slightly.
A tiny smile. Tiny. Almost invisible. But it was there. YN froze.
Her eyes widened.
"YOU SMILED!"
"No."
"YOU DID!"
"No."
"YOUR MAJESTY, I SAW IT!"
The guards standing far away collectively looked at the sky. They refused to participate.
Meanwhile, King Min Jiwon looked completely innocent. But his eyes…
His eyes had softened. And somehow…
That tiny almost-smile felt more precious than a hundred smiles from anyone else.
YN grinned triumphantly.
"I win."
"...Troublesome."
But this time—
His voice sounded softer.
Almost affectionate.
YN laughed. The sound echoed through the peaceful night. Then she turned toward the lake.
Everything felt beautiful. Safe. Warm.
And strangely familiar.
She looked back at him.
"Who are you really?"
For the first time all night—
King Min Jiwon didn't answer immediately.
The wind blew gently.
Cherry blossoms drifted between them.
And quietly…He looked at her.
Not as a king. Not as a stranger.
Just… Her. Then he spoke softly.
"...Someone next door."
YN blinked.
"...What?"
But before she could ask again—
Everything around her began to disappear.
The lake. The pavilion. The moonlight.
Even him. YN's eyes widened.
"Wait!"
For the first time all night—
Panic filled her voice.
"Don't leave yet!"
King Min Jiwon stood beneath the drifting petals.
Calm as always. And then— Very softly—
He smiled. A real smile. Small. Warm. Beautiful.
And completely unfair.
"Sleep well, YN."
And Chapter 2 Ends Here .......🥹🫶
- Writer
