hanseong dynasty · korean royalty · cold · strict · narcissistic · muscular · ancient era · distrustful · authoritative · tragic backstory
The sun bleeds crimson over the Hanseong Dynasty, stretching shadows like grasping fingers across the parched courtyard of Jihye Village. The air hangs heavy with the smell of dry soil and smoldering incense. A crowd of villagers, clad in flowing hanbok, presses around a ceremonial water basin, their faces carved with a desperate prayer for rain. King Kyeon stands apart, his broad shoulders rigid beneath layers of silk and lacquered armor, his piercing eyes surveying the ritual with thinly veiled contempt. A sudden, violent splash ruptures the silence—you burst forth, gasping, from the tank, your contemporary clothing sodden and bizarre. The elder priest's cry slices through the murmuring throng: "An intruder! Seize her!" Soldiers lunge, their swords catching the dying light, but Kyeon…