Kpop Scenarios and Imagines

Apparently, Hyunjin asked for you several times. You didn’t know that. Why would you? You were off exploring demon markets with Sunwoo or having quiet, warm conversations with Yeeun under glowing lantern trees.

He looked for you in the mornings; In the training hall, in the gardens, near the portals.

Every time, someone told him the same thing:

“They left with Prince Sunwoo.”

“They’re with Lady Yeeun today.”

“No, we don’t know when they’ll return.”

And Hyunjin, being Hyunjin, didn’t chase after you even when he wanted to,. Especially when he wanted to.

It was late afternoon when you returned to the castle after a long day at the Lucitor palace. Yeeun had insisted on teaching Sunwoo how to waltz (which ended in a disaster you’d never forget), and your stomach hurt from laughing.

You walked into the Butterfly castle still smiling—

—and froze.

Hyunjin stood at the top of the grand staircase. His eyes snapped to you instantly. Relief flashed across his face so fast you almost doubted you saw it. But it was there, flickering like a candle about to go out.

“(Y/n),” he said, breath leaving him as if he’d been holding it for days.

You swallowed. “Hyunjin.”

The air between you felt thick — not angry, not uncomfortable, just heavy with everything unspoken. He stepped down the stairs slowly. “I’ve been looking for you.” Your heart thumped painfully. “Oh.”

He stops a few steps above you — still taller than you even with the height difference.

“I know you’ve been busy,” he says gently, “but… There's somewhere I need to go soon.”

"somewhere I shouldn't go alone" you swallowed "where?”

His eyes soften — sad, warm, familiar, shaking in the way he tried to hide. “The Village of Indefinite Gloom.” You inhale sharply. “The... sad place?” A tiny smile tugged at his lips "Official name, yes."

“But I need to go. And I’d prefer… not to go alone.” He hesitates then adds quietly: “And I’d prefer to go with you.”

For the first time in days, he looked at you directly. Really looked. He searches your face, nervous, hopeful, fragile in a way Hyunjin rarely let anyone see. He takes a small step closer "I haven't seen you" he murmured "And I've missed you". Your heartbeat stopped or maybe it just stuttered so hard it felt like it did.

For a moment, neither of you spoke. No one mentioning the silence between you. "Will you come with me?" his voice was gentle, hopeful, and careful. You nodded before you could even think “Okay,” you whisper. “I’ll come with you.”

Hyunjin's shoulders ease and he lets out a breath — one that you didn't even realize he was holding, a breathe that sounds like weeks of tension easing in a single moment. “Thank you,” he says softly.

And for the first time since the engagement news... You felt something fragile and warm begin to stitch itself back again.

~

You didn’t plan for it to happen. You and Yeeun aren’t supposed to be alone. You aren’t supposed to be laughing breathlessly on the balcony outside the training hall, pressed shoulder to shoulder as the last of the sunset bled into warm lavender.

But here you are

Yeeun tosses her head back at something ridiculous Sunwoo said earlier, her laughter bright and sharp in the quiet evening. It’s contagious so you laugh too, letting the tension of the last few days melt off your shoulders for just a moment.

“You know,” she murmurs, leaning her elbows on the railing, “I think your laugh might be my new favorite sound.” Your pulse stutters. You look at her, and she’s already looking at you. Not in the teasing way that she usually does, there’s not even the faintest trace of a smirk on her face. She looks at you softly, too softly and you swallow “Yeeun…”

“Relax,” she says lightly but her voice drops, warm with something unspoken. “I’m not gonna bite.”

Which is a lie and you realize it a second too late. She steps closer, her hand slides up your arm, pausing just long enough to give you time to pull away but you don’t.

So she decides to test the waters a little more and her fingertips cup your jaw. You inhale sharply.

Then she kisses you. It’s slow at first, a gentle press of warm lips, tasting like stolen sunset and stubborn courage. She kisses you like she’s been waiting for an opportunity to steal something precious.

Her other hand finds your waist, pulling you flush against her. You cling to her shirt, letting her kiss you breathless, pushing you back until your spine hits the balcony’s railing.

Heat pools in your stomach and your mind blurs as she nudges her knee between your thighs. Just for a moment you let yourself lean into it. Into the rush that came with her. You’re so wrapped up in the moment, the heat, the dizzy relief, that you don’t hear the footsteps.

You don’t notice the shift in the air and you definitely don’t realize someone is standing in the doorway until you here a quiet inhale and see a shadow move at the balcony entrance.

Your entire world stops

Hyunjin stands in the doorway frozen. He's silently watching

And Hwang Hyunjin had a staring problem. It wouldn’t necessarily be considered an actual problem, but his intent gaze had the ability to make you nervous and accelerate the rate in which your heart beat. Which, frankly, was a very real problem for you.

Especially in cases when you needed to be at your utmost awareness. And right now? You were in the most awkwardest position ever, Yeeun hovering over you with her hand in your hair and her lips still parted while Hyunjin stands in the doorway, unmoving, unreadable.

His eyes were fixed on you so intensely it felt like the air around you vibrated. Your pulse is thundering and it feels like you stomach dropped so hard that it's on the ground now. Your fingers which are presently still tangled in Yeeun’s shirt, go cold.

His eyes flick from Yeeun’s hands on your waist, to your flushed face, to your swollen lips. He swallows hard, the sound barely audible. His voice comes out soft, almost a whisper: “…Oh.”

You scrambled out from under Yeeun as quickly as you could, the room spinning slightly. Your lips still tingled, your heart was still racing. But at this point it was not for Yeeun anymore.

Your mind was already spiraling towards a sickening blend of guilt, panic, and something sharp that lodged itself squarely in your ribs.

Hyunjin’s expression stayed unreadable. there was no anger, no shock, nor was there any confusion.

Only… stillness. But that stillness was worse because he wasn’t dramatic. He wasn’t loud. He didn’t throw his hands around or demand an explanation. He just stared.

That awful, piercing Hyunjin stare that felt like he could see exactly what was happening inside your chest and suddenly you weren’t sure whether you wanted to run to him, run from him, or disappear into thin air.

Your voice failed you, your breath stuttered. You hated how easy it had been to lose yourself in the moment. You hated how complicated your feelings had become. You hated how the look in his eyes made your own chest clench painfully. Not because he caught you kissing someone…

…but because some part of you wished it had been him.

And that, more than anything, was what terrified you.

“I’m…” He clears his throat, searching for words but finding none. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He turns away immediately.

You move “Hyunjin—wait!” But he disappears into the hall before you can reach him. Yeeun’s hand catches your wrist. “(Y/n), don’t—” You pull free. “I have to.” She looks away, jaw tight, but nods once.

Just as things were starting to look hopeful again in your friendship with Hyunjin, after days of quiet ache and unanswered questions, you had to be the one to go and mess it up immediately. Of course you did.

Of course this would happen the night before you were set to accompany said boy on an odd adventure to the saddest place in the realm.

You run after him but he’s already gone.

It hurt worse than fury ever could. He vanished like smoke, like he couldn’t risk being seen, like you were the one thing he couldn’t face.

You leaned back against the cold wall, fingers coming up to trace the sting of Yeeun’s kiss still on your lips and you couldn’t help but feel a little dejected. Not for kissing Yeeun, not even confusion about it.

But from the way Hyunjin had looked at you with that unreadable stillness in his eyes, The quiet apology he uttered and the way he stepped back like he had been slapped.

You didn’t get the chance to say anything, not even a single word.

The hallway pressed around you, too quiet, too heavy as your heart throbbed with something you couldn’t name.

Because you didn’t find him.

~

Accompanying Hyunjin to the village of indefinite gloom as a means to try and locate his parents probably wasn’t one of your brightest of ideas. The village was hidden in a forest full of trees and at some point you started to feel unusually sad for reasons that you couldn’t pinpoint exactly. Nearing the spot to where you were now able to see small buildings didn’t help your case at all, in fact the emotions that were clouding your judgment came in another wave stronger than before.

The village greets you with a suffocating quiet. Fog clings to your boots. The lanterns flicker low, as if even the light is tired. the heaviness is settling in your chest — not panic, not grief… but something bone-deep, like your emotions suddenly weigh twice as much.

To say that the people who loomed around the place looked miserable would be an understatement, their conditions weren’t bad at all but the wrinkled lines that strew across all of their features show cased how stressed they truly were despite the fact that the residents tried to mask their pain behind hopeful smiles and gentle voices

Hyunjin walks ahead of you, silent, his movements stiff. You don’t know why this place affects you so strongly until— “I never wanted to marry Mimi.” Hyunjin says it quietly, almost offhandedly, like he’s commenting on the weather. But the words hit you like a spell. Your throat tightens, your eyes sting, your breath shudders. Without warning, tears spill down your cheeks.

“W–wait,” you whisper, wiping at your face frantically. “I’m sorry— I don’t know why I’m— I’m not trying to—”

Hyunjin turns, eyes widening when he sees your tears.

“(Y/n)…? Are you okay?”

“No!” you choke out, laughing and crying at the same time. “I don’t think I’m okay at all actually!” The sadness claws up your chest like a tidal wave.

“It’s stupid,” you sob. “The whole Mimi situation— I didn’t want to care, I didn’t want to feel like— like—”

Your voice breaks.

“I didn’t want to feel like I was losing you.”

Hyunjin freezes. Not just physically— spiritually. He looks like your words hit harder than any spell ever could.

“(Y/n)… hey, hey—” He steps close, hands hovering near your arms but not touching. “You’re not losing me. You were never losing me.”

“But I felt like I was!” you cry, voice cracking. “I felt like everyone wanted you with her, and you didn’t tell me, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with all of that. I felt like— like I didn’t matter—”

He inhales sharply and suddenly—his eyes shine too. He blinks rapidly, jaw tightening like he’s fighting something. "I'm not marrying Mimi and the counsel knows this” he says, voice trembling. “I didn’t even consider it. I didn’t want anyone but—”

He stops himself. Swallows. Starts again.

“I didn’t want anyone.”

Your knees go weak.

“And when I saw you kissing Yeeun,” he admits, barely above a whisper, “something in me cracked. I thought… maybe you didn’t need me anymore.”

You let out a horrible, hiccuping sob. Hyunjin looks genuinely alarmed. “H-hey— okay, okay, something’s wrong— you don’t cry like this— I don’t cry like this—” You stare at him. “Are… are you crying?” He wipes at his cheek, shocked. “Oh my stars— I am.”

You both stare at each other — crying, sniffling, overwhelmed.

Then he gasps.

“The village. The gloom.” He pats his coat pockets frantically. “I forgot— the air here amplifies every suppressed emotion. No wonder we’re— we’re— whatever this is—”

“Melting?” you choke out.

He nods desperately. “Yes. Rapid emotional combustion.”

Finally he pulls something from an inner pocket: A small pack of blue-fruit flavored gum. He thrusts it toward you like it’s a legendary artifact. “Chew this. Fast.”

You grab a piece. He pops one into his own mouth. You chew. The effect is immediate, the crushing sadness lifts, your heart stabilizes, the fog in your mind clears. Your tears slow… then stop.

Hyunjin exhales shakily, finally in control of himself, wiping his face with his sleeve. “Okay,” he says, voice hoarse. “I never want to experience that level of emotional… eruption ever again.”

You sniff. “You and me both.”

A quiet settles, not heavy, not tense. Just… quiet. You both turn, face still a little flushed, still wiping the last traces of tears.

Hyunjin breaks the silence.

“I meant what I said,” he murmurs.

You look up.

“About Mimi,” he clarifies. His eyes soften. “About… not wanting anyone.”

Your breath catches.

“And I meant what I said,” you answer softly. “About feeling like I was losing you.”

He nods slowly. Then, very carefully, he reaches out and takes your hand. Not romantically. Not dramatically. Just… sincerely.

“I don’t want there to be distance between us,” he says. “Not because of politics. Not because of rumors. Not because of… impulsive balcony kissing situations.”

You wince. “Hyunjin—”

“I’m not judging,” he says softly. “I’m just… being honest.”

You hold his gaze. “I don’t regret kissing Yeeun. But I regret hurting you.”

He nods again. “And I don’t blame you,” he says. “For anything.” You squeeze his hand. “Are we okay?” you whisper. He squeezes back. “We’re okay,” he says. “We’re always going to be okay.”

Your chest loosens. He lets go of your hand slowly, almost reluctantly, and straightens his cloak.

“Well,” he sighs, “shall we leave before either of us spontaneously starts sobbing again?”

You give a small, tired laugh. “Please.”

As you walk side by side toward the exit of the gloom-covered village, the air feels lighter than it has in weeks. The friendship between you feels restored — stitched back together with gentleness, honesty, and shared vulnerability. The romantic tension, however? Still there.

Quiet.

Unspoken.

Simmering beneath the surface.

But for now?

You’re both exactly where you need to be: Together. Healing and no longer running from each other.

~

Sunwoo invites Hyunjin to the Lucitor Kingdom as a means to be a mediator between him a Yeeun but you soon come to find out that it is a different kind of confrontation all together. The three of you are in the Lucitor palace courtyard.

You’re sitting on the stone ledge near the fountain. Hyunjin stands beside you, hands folded neatly like he’s presenting a formal report to the king. Yeeun lounges across from you on a low branch of a tree, pretending to be unbothered. Sunwoo watches the three of you with the deadest, driest expression you’ve ever seen on a living creature. Finally, he says “Okay. I’m calling a meeting.”

Yeeun groans. “Sunwoo—”

“No.” He holds up a finger. “No interruptions. Sit down. Everyone shut up and sit down.”

Hyunjin blinks politely. “I’m already—”

“Shut up.”

Hyunjin shuts up.

You blink. “Um— what’s going on—?”

“Emergency intervention,” Sunwoo declares, pacing. “Because the romantic tension in this courtyard is so thick I could slice it into cubes and serve it as dessert.” You choke on your own spit.

Yeeun sits up. “WHAT tension—?”

“Sweetheart.” Sunwoo gestures dramatically at her. “You look at (Y/n) like you want to fight them and kiss them at the same time.”

Yeeun turns bright red.

“That’s— I don’t— shut up.”

“Oh I WILL not.” Sunwoo swirls back toward you and Hyunjin. “And YOU two.”

He points between you like he’s caught you committing magical treason. “You’re standing like separated parents at a school play.” Hyunjin flushes. “I— I don’t know what that means—”

“It means you’re both trying so hard to pretend nothing happened that it’s making me uncomfortable.”

You bury your face in your hands. “Sunwoo, please—”

“NO.” He leans down, eyes wide, like a crazed raccoon. “I need peace. I need quiet. I need to walk through my castle without inhaling the scent of unresolved feelings.” Yeeun scoffs. “That’s ridiculous—”

“Is it? IS IT?” Sunwoo points at you dramatically again. “You kissed her.” Yeeun sputters. “Well SHE kissed me back!”

Sunwoo gasps theatrically, then points at Hyunjin.

“And YOU walked in on it.”

Hyunjin’s entire soul leaves his body. “I… would like to not discuss that moment ever again.”

“Oh we ARE discussing it,” Sunwoo says, poking Hyunjin’s chest. “Because your face did THAT thing.”

Hyunjin frowns. “What thing?”

“That ‘my heart just cracked like a dropped teacup but I will suffer quietly’ thing!”

Hyunjin freezes, then looks at you and looks away really fast. You want to evaporate into nonexistence. Sunwoo whirls on you next. “And YOU,” he says dramatically, “are the emotional equivalent of a magical banana peel.”

You blink. “That’s not even— what does that metaphor even MEAN—?”

“It means,” Sunwoo says, hands on hips, “everyone slips on you.”

Hyunjin chokes. Yeeun falls out of the tree. You stare at him, horrified. “What? You trip people’s hearts and make them fall! It’s chaos! All three of you are chaos!” Yeeun scrambles up, pointing accusingly. “This is all your fault!” Sunwoo gasps. “MY fault? MY FAULT? Because YOU decided to make out with them on a balcony—?”

“You told me to flirt more boldly!”

“You took it too far!”

“YOU CAN’T GIVE ME PARTIAL DIRECTIONS!”

“YOU HAVE NO CHILL!”

Meanwhile Hyunjin quietly turns to you. “I don’t know what’s happening anymore.” he murmurs, mortified. Sunwoo suddenly wheels toward both of you again. “And YOU TWO,” he says with his whole chest, “went on a trip to the Worlds-Darkest-Sad-Town and came back talking to each other like you’ve shared a spiritual awakening.” Hyunjin blushes violently. “We did no such—”

“You’re finishing each other’s sentences!”

You both speak at once:

“That’s not—”

"That's not—"

Sunwoo screams into his hands.

“SEE?!”

You, Hyunjin, and Yeeun all freeze. Sunwoo throws his arms up dramatically. “I hereby decree that the three of you are not allowed to be alone together until you get your emotional nonsense sorted out—”

“Sunwoo,” Yeeun begs, “Chill out”

“NO! I’m DONE pretending I can’t feel the tension vibrating off all of you!” Yeeun rubs her temples. “By the stars, you’re dramatic.”

“And by the stars,” Sunwoo fires back, “you’re IN DENIAL.” She goes silent. He turns to Hyunjin. “And YOU,” he says, squinting hard. “Don’t think I missed the way you looked at (Y/n) when you walked in just now.” Hyunjin’s ears turn bright red. “I— I didn’t— I wasn’t—”

“Yes you WERE,” Sunwoo says triumphantly. “You looked like someone handed you your entire future and you didn’t know how to hold it.” Hyunjin swallows. Hard.

Sunwoo steps back, claps his hands, and declares: “I ship it.” You, Hyunjin, and Yeeun all shout: “SUNWOO—!”

He raises a finger. “Nope. Silence. Nobody speak.” He takes a dramatic breath. “All I’m saying is

Pick someone. Talk about your feelings. Stop emotionally torturing me.”

Silence falls. The three of you stand there, bright red, humiliated, exposed, and not entirely sure who Sunwoo was yelling at more. Finally, Sunwoo sighs deeply, rubbing his face. “…I need chocolate,” he mutters. “And all three of you need therapy.”

And with that the Prince of the Lucitor Kingdom storms off, muttering curses about “love triangles giving me wrinkles.”

You, Hyunjin, and Yeeun stare at each other. Then you all look away at the exact same time. The tension? Still there. The embarrassment? Crippling. The comedic value? Sunwoo-level legendary.

~

The castle feels strangely quiet after Sunwoo’s explosive rant. He stormed off dramatically. Yeeun followed him to make sure he didn’t trip down the stairs and die. Hyunjin left to cool off before you could say much. And you? You ended up wandering. Not away from the castle, just… through it. Hallways, balconies, gardens where ever the halls led you to, you just let your feet move until your thoughts stopped buzzing.

You eventually find yourself in the dimly lit west corridor, facing a large window overlooking the rose maze. You’re not alone because Yeeun stands there, leaning against the window frame, arms crossed. Her expression is unreadable. She doesn’t turn when she says: “Sunwoo’s timing is absolutely terrible.” You huff a soft, surprised laugh. “Yeah. He has a talent for that.” A beat of silence. Yeeun finally turns to look at you and she looks… softer. Warmer. More human than usual.

“Walk with me?” she asks quietly. You nod. The two of you step into the moonlit garden, moving slowly down the stone path. At first, neither of you speak.

Then— Yeeun exhales. “I owe you an apology,” she begins. Your steps falter. “…for what?”

“For being unfair,” Yeeun says simply.

“For putting you in the middle of this throne mess.

"For… letting myself get attached even though I knew you were never really mine.”

Your breath catches “Yeeun—” She holds up a hand. “No, let me finish.” You fall silent. She looks forward, not at you. “When things got tense with Hyunjin and me… I leaned on you. Too much.

You were easy to be around. Safe. Someone who didn’t expect anything from me.” Her voice softens. “And I like you. I really do.” Your heart aches in a gentle, bittersweet way.

“I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel myself being drawn to you.” Yeeun smiles faintly. “I know.” She stops at a lantern-lit fountain, the water glowing soft gold beneath the magic lights. She sits on the edge and gestures for you to sit beside her. You do. “You know what’s funny?” she says, a little laugh escaping. “I didn’t even realize how much I cared about you until I realized how much you care about him.” Your stomach flips and you look down at your hands. “Yeeun… I don’t— I don’t even know what I feel.”

“Yes, you do.”

Her voice is gentle, not accusing.

“Your eyes tell on you every time you look at him.”

"I see the way you look at him and he sees the way you look at him too"

You swallow, steadying yourself. Yeeun watches you with an unreadable expression, then looks away—toward the glowing fountain, the lantern light catching in her eyes.

“I think,” she begins slowly, “we both got swept up in something we didn’t expect.” The admission is soft without a hint of regret.

You nod. “Yeah,” you say quietly. “We did.” Yeeun nudges your shoulder gently, the gesture light but grounding. “We’re okay,” she murmurs. Not a question. A certainty.

“I’m not carrying any of that tension anymore. I don’t want you carrying it either.” Your chest loosens, warmth spreading through it. “Me neither,” you say, breath softer now. “I… don’t want things weird between us.”

“They’re not,” she says simply.

“I get it and you get me. That’s enough.”

You hold her gaze for a beat and something eases between you, smooth and quiet and mutual. You exhale, this time steadier. “Thank you,” you murmur—not for forgiveness, but for clarity.

Yeeun smiles. “Don’t get sappy on me,” she teases. “That’s Hyunjin’s job.” Yeeun grins. “And for the record? If he keeps being an idiot about his feelings, I will absolutely swoop in again.” You snort, of course she’d say that. She stands, dusting off her clothes. “Come on. He’s probably pacing a hole in the training yard waiting for you.”

“Hyunjin? Why would he—”

“Because he’s Hyunjin,” she says flatly.

“I'm willing to bet that that boy has been in love with you since the day you hit him in the face with a floating textbook.”

You feel your entire soul exit your body.

“I did not.”

Yeeun laughs loudly. “And you want to talk about denial?”

You glare. She doesn’t stop laughing.

~

You find Hyunjin pacing the training yard with the intensity of someone considering faking their own death to escape social situations. He freezes the moment he sees you.

“Oh,” he blurts. “You’re—here. I mean, obviously you’re here, you’re standing in front of me—Okay, I’m shutting up now.” You blink. “…you good?”

Hyunjin inhales dramatically.

“No.”

Then he throws his hands up, spinning in a circle like a distressed ballerina.

“Sunwoo is over there accusing us of having some sort of epic forbidden love triangle—Yeeun is being emotionally honest—in BROAD DAYLIGHT, by the way—and now you show up looking like resolution and character development and I just—”

He drops to his knees.

“I’M VERY OVERWHELMED.”

You snort before you can stop yourself.

“Hyunjin, get up.”

“No,” he groans, sprawled dramatically across the grass. “Let me perish. Let the ground absorb me. Let the earth swallow me whole—”

“Oh my god,” you laugh, walking over and nudging his shoulder with your foot. “You’re ridiculous.”

He gasps loudly and rolls onto his back like you’ve stabbed him.

“Ridiculous!? I’ll have you know I am SENSITIVELY PROCESSING MY EMOTIONS—”

“Hyunjin.”

“—with grace and elegance.”

“Hyunjin.” He cracks one eye open. “…yes?”

You smile. “I talked to Yeeun.” His eyes widen—panic, curiosity, hope, fear—all at once.

“Oh.” He clears his throat, sits up, dusts grass dramatically off his clothes. “So… how was that? Did she threaten to murder me? Because honestly she has every right—”

“No,” you laugh. “She was actually… sweet. Really sweet. We’re okay.” He blinks. “…you are?”

“We’re good.” Relief rolls over his whole body. He deflates like someone popped the world’s most dramatic balloon.

“Oh THANK THE UNIVERSE—because if you two started dating, I would’ve had a full emotional implosion. Like—instant spontaneous combustion.”

You burst into laughter. “Why would you combust?”

He throws his hands up dramatically.

“Because! I would’ve had to pretend I was supportive and mature and not ACTUALLY passing away inside! Do you know how exhausting that is? I barely have the emotional stability to choose breakfast.”

You snort “How do you function?”

“I DON’T,” he declares proudly, arms spread wide. “I am held together by hair gel and denial.

Then he leans forward, eyes softening just a little.

“But seriously… I’m glad you’re okay.”

Your smile softens too. “Yeah. Me too.” There’s a beat of silence, it's comfortable this time. Hyunjin clears his throat suddenly and stands, brushing himself off with exaggerated flair.

“Anyway! Now that we’ve been emotionally compromised for, like, five days straight, I propose we return to our regularly scheduled program.”

You raise a brow “And what program is that?” He grins mischievously. “Me being dramatic, you judging me, and both of us causing Yeji physical stress.” You snort. “So… normal.”

“Normal,” he agrees.

He flicks your forehead lightly. “And you need to stop disappearing into other dimensions without me. I get separation anxiety.” You shove his shoulder playfully. “No you don’t.” He gasps—hand to chest. “EXCUSE you. I literally cried when you took too long getting snacks last week.” You stare at him. “Those were fake tears.”

“Tears are tears,” he says, flipping his hair. “Let me be sensitive.” You burst into laughter and he smiles—warm, relieved, chaotic, familiar. Just like before. Just like home.

~

It’s funny how the world feels lighter after Sunwoo’s meltdown. Emotional whiplash, sure. But lighter. Hyunjin slides back into his chaotic, glitter-eyeliner-adjacent personality. Yeeun stops avoiding eye contact. You stop feeling like your chest is full of broken crystals. Even Sunwoo stops pacing holes into the carpets. Life settles just enough that you all start… breathing again. And that’s when you notice it.

it's not loud nor is it obvious but rather something small. A shift in the way Sunwoo looks at Yeeun.

Sunwoo’s eyes lingered on Yeeun a little too long. Not in the “I’m admiring your combat technique” way. Not in the “you’re my friend, don’t die” way. But in the “I care about you more than I’m allowed to” way.

You catch it during a council meeting: Yeeun leans over a map, hair falling over her shoulder — and Sunwoo tugs her hair gently back so she can see better. He doesn’t even realize what he’s done. Later, when she jokes about taking over training drills, Sunwoo practically glows like someone turned on his internal spotlight. And when she laughs? He looks at her like she hung the moon. That’s the moment it clicks.

Oh.

Oh, he’s in love with her.

It’s so obvious you almost feel stupid for not seeing it earlier. The realization sits warm in your chest — soft, bittersweet, protective. And you know you can’t ignore it.

You find him outside the Lucitor palace, perched on a low wall overlooking the molten river. His legs dangle, kicking the air as he hums to himself. The moment he sees you approach, he grins. “Hey, favorite human. Wanna watch demon fish fight each other?” You sit beside him.

“Sunwoo,” you say quietly. His smile freezes. “Uh-oh. That’s a tone. That’s a conversation tone. I don’t like conversation tones.” You take a breath. “I know.” Immediately, he stiffens. “…know what?” You tilt your head toward the palace. Toward the hallway where Yeeun had just disappeared hours earlier. His eyes widen by a fraction, then he looks away, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “I don’t know what you’re implying,” he mutters. Which is basically Sunwoo for: oh no, I’ve been perceived.

“Your in love with Yeeun, aren't you?,” you repeat gently.

“I didn’t know before. Not really. I was… distracted. And you didn’t want me to know.” Sunwoo’s jaw tightens. “I didn’t want anyone to know.” He huffs a breath. “Especially not Yeeun or gods even myself.” He tries to smile, but it wobbles. “You confronted us about the tension,” you say. “But you never mentioned your feelings.”

He snorts softly. “Yeah. Weird how that works. I can call everyone else out, but not myself.” He looks away toward the koi pond that glows faint blue. “She always looked at me like… like we were on the same wavelength,” he admits. “Like I wasn’t a monster or a joke or a mistake. And you—you showed up and treated me like I was a person before anything else.”

Your chest softens. “Sunwoo…” He shakes his head quickly, lifting a hand. “Don’t look at me like that. Please. I don’t need sympathy, I’m too handsome for pity.” You laugh a small, warm sound. He smiles faintly, but his eyes stay sad. “I’m not in love with you,” he says carefully. “But I cared. A lot. Enough that it scared me.”

He swallows. “And enough that seeing you… caught between them… it messed me up more than I wanted to admit.”

“That’s why you got so mad,” you realize. “Yep.” He pops the ‘p’. “Deep emotional repression, yay me.” Another pebble hits the pond. He sighs. He swallows harder. “You’re not mad at me?” You blink. “Why would I be mad?”

“Because I yelled at you,” he says bluntly.

“And I was jealous. And I acted like a brat.”

“You always act like a brat.”

He gasps. “Excuse me—” You grin. He huffs, then laughs — a real one this time. And when he leans his head against your shoulder, just for a moment, it’s not romantic. It’s not complicated. It’s soft. It’s safe. It’s friendship.

“You’re a good person,” you whisper.

~

It seemed like everything had returned back to normal in Mewni; the tensions surrounding the throne had finally calmed down, Hyunjins familial relationship with Yeeun still needed work but was starting to smooth out a little, and there was no longer a whirlwind of emotions looming about. The key word to that sentence is seemed.

It begins as a whisper , the ground below trembles. Not violently but just enough to rattle the teacups. In the Lucitor Kingdom, Sunwoo freezes mid-bite of a glowing slice of cake. Theres a tremble, a low hum, and a flicker of the lantern flames before it happens.

The sky flashes.

Once.

Twice.

Then erupts.

Raw magic blasts upward in a column of blinding light. The entire Lucitor kingdom shakes, castle windows shattering, chandeliers swinging wildly. The balcony floor quivers hard enough that Yeeun falls to her knees.

“What— what is that!?” she screams over the rumbling.

Sunwoo grabs the balcony railing with both hands, eyes huge, hair blowing back from the sheer magical force. AAAAAAAAAAAA!!! The chandeliers all begin screaming in high pitched, operatic, demon possessed harmony.

“Oh GREAT. It’s the magical apocalypse,” he yells. Then, still yelling: “I KNEW I SHOULD’VE PAID OFF THAT FORTUNE TELLER!”

Yeeun doesn’t laugh. She stares toward the valley where the leyline is buried. Fear very evident on her face "That’s not a spell,” she whispers. “That’s the land breaking.”

Sunwoo sobs dramatically.

“WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE AND I HAVEN’T EVEN FINISHED MY PASTRY.”

Yeeun swears under her breath “This is bigger than Mewni.” Sunwoo nods, eyes wide. “Yeah. Like… multiverse big.”

They both look toward the horizon, toward where the leyline used to be stable and quiet. Now it’s a burning faultline.

~

You were with Lia in the Dimension of Perpetual Nonsense, a chaotic pocket-realm Sunwoo jokingly dared you to visit but absolutely did not expect you to actually go to. It was a dizzying carnival-world where the sky turned plaid every hour and rogue spells floated around like bubbles. You and Lia were eating floating Kettle corn while sitting on a bench that kept trying to walk away from you. It was supposed to be harmless. Stupid. A girls-day-out-you-needed.

Then the ground trembled. Hard. A deep, ancient quake that felt like the whole world sucked in a breath at once.

“Uh… (Y/n)?” Lia’s voice tightened. “Is this realm supposed to shake?” “No,” you whispered, standing slowly.

The air went eerily still.

Then CRAAAACK

the sky split open.

A massive vein of pure magic lit up overhead. Bright, jagged, violent — tearing through the plaid sky like a glowing crack through a broken mirror.

A leyline fracture, but visible from another dimension.

Your breath hitched.

“Oh my god…”

The shockwave hit the carnival dimension like a bomb. Stalls toppled. Floating food crashed to the ground. The singing mushrooms started screaming opera. Chaos began to unfold before your very eyes and you couldn't formulate any thoughts in that moment until a random bear dressed in clown makeup ran pass you screaming “THE SKY IS BROKEN! I REPEAT — THE SKY!! IS!! BROKEN!!”

Lia grabbed your arm. “We need to go! NOW!”

Your heart was hammering. Magic was exploding across dimensions, the sky is splitting and it would appear that that very same Magic is collapsing. Lia is trying her best to cut the two of you through the chaos and get to safety but then the SECOND shockwave hits.

A blast of raw magic surges through the air sending you flying backwards and hitting the ground hard. Your ears ring. Your vision blurred. “(Y/n)!?” Lia crawled toward you, panicked. “Are you hurt!?”

And that’s when Hyunjin’s voice comes through a communication charm, faint, crackled, barely there. “(Y/n)… where are you…?” Your pulse spikes.

“Hyunjin! I’m in the Dimension of Perpetual Nonsense! Are you okay!?”

Static. Then “War—… they’re mobilizing—”

“—get somewhere safe—”

“Don’t come back—”

The charm goes dead. Your stomach drops. “No. No, no, no…” You scramble to your feet and as you do a portal tears open right in front of you. Hyunjin stumbles out; his hair is windswept, cloak singed, magic sparked at his fingertips uncontrolled. You had never seen him like that.

His eyes found you instantly, and he inhaled like he’d been drowning.

“(Y/n)!” You scrambled up. “Hyunjin—thank god—what’s happening!?” He grabs you, holding your face, checking your arms, your pulse, brushing dirt from your cheek with shaking hands.

“Are you hurt? Did the shockwave hit you? Did you—”

“Hyunjin, I’m fine—what’s happening!?” His jaw clenches.

“The leylines just collapsed in three kingdoms. Yeeun’s troops are mobilizing to defend civilians. My council thinks they’re attacking. Her scouts think we’re attacking. If I don’t get back—”

He squeezes his eyes shut.

“(Y/n)… it’s war.”

Your stomach drops.

“(Y/N)… I need you to understand something.”

His voice trembles — not out of fear, but out of restraint. The kind he always held around you, like he was afraid one wrong move would shatter whatever delicate magic held the two of you together. His thumbs brush the backs of your palms, gentle, hesitant.

“You mean more to me than you know,” he murmurs. “That’s why this next part isn’t because I don’t want you here.” Your head lifts too quickly. “Hyunjin—” But he shakes his head, jaw tight.

He swallows hard, breaking eye contact for the first time. Your chest tightens. as Hyunjin reaches behind him, carefully retrieving the dimensional scissors tucked in his sash. They glimmer once in the sunlight, catching on the golden hue of his hair.

“I’m sending you home,” he whispers.

“No. No, no, I’m coming with you—”

He pulls you closer, forehead pressing against yours. “I know,” he whispers. “That’s why I can’t let you.” You freeze.

“Hyunjin… don’t.”

“Because,” his voice cracks, “if anything happened to you, I’d lose my mind.”

He does something he’s never done. He cups your face with both hands and presses his forehead against yours, his breath is warm and uneven. “Please don’t make me choose between protecting Mewni and protecting you.”

Your heart fractures. A portal splits open behind you, shimmering like silver water. Hyunjin kisses your forehead — soft, fleeting, desperate — and whispers: “Come back when it’s safe.”

Before you can grab his wrist, he steps back and the portal swallows you whole.

~

Mewni is chaos.

Purple smoke curls through the sky. Dozens of Yeeun’s supporters chant her name as the royal knights clash magically against ghoulish spells. The earth trembles beneath the weight of magic colliding, but — just as Hyunjin later told you — no blood stains the field. Even in war, Mewni’s people respect life.

And there — in the middle of it all — Hyunjin stands, floating in the air as high as the clouds with wings unfurled.

Golden. Massive. Radiant.

His magic explodes through the battlefield like sunlight bursting through storm clouds. You’ve never seen him like this — not truly. His hair glows, his markings shine, and the sheer power of him steals your breath

You vaguely recall Hyunjin telling you that he had never sprouted his wings, something of great importance being the trademark of the royal family. The wings blatantly pointed out the blood that coursed through their veins and could ultimately consider him a legitimate successor. But now watching him as he transforms you think that it’s so much more, the mere beauty of it all. Hyunjin’s very essence being highlighted by his new form combined with the bright rays of sunshine, lighting him in a way that makes the boy seem like he quite literally was sent from heaven, an actual descendant of the same sun that brought light to the planet. The way that his tanned skin contrasted with the soft golden locks which were nestled upon his head alongside his delicate features was an otherworldly sight.

Maybe before it was difficult to distinguish if Hyunjin was a otherworldly being but in this moment there was no denying that he wasn’t entirely human

Just as Hyunjin raises his hands to cast the final spell that will end the fight— A deafening tear rips through the sky. A column of pure white-blue cosmic light crashes down between the cousins. It’s blinding, raw, ancient — older than Mewni itself.

Wind whips across the battlefield. Dust spirals. Soldiers shield their faces.

And then—Two figures step out of the collapsing beam. The Queen and King of Mewni. Alive. But shaken. Older. Marked by something… otherworldly.

Hyunjin freezes, breath punched from his chest.

“M–Mom? Dad?”

His mother steps forward, voice trembling in a way no one on the field has ever heard.

“Stop. All of you. There is something you must see.”

Everyone — even Yeeun — goes silent.

Queen Minah raises a trembling hand. A Corrupted Memory Star floats above her palm, its surface cracked, flickering with unstable energy.

“Hyunjin… everyone here… the truth was stolen from us. Hidden. Twisted.”

Her fingers tighten.

“And we were meant to die with it.”

She crushes the Memory Star in her hand.

Instead of breaking, it explodes into a massive projection — violent, unstable — ripping the sky open and throwing the entire battlefield into the past.

The scene shows the throne room from years ago. Hyunjin’s parents are present, younger, confused, and worried.

And before them stand Yeeun’s parents — the Duke and Duchess of the Ghoul-Blooded Line, powerful, feared, beloved by their people.

They’re holding a glowing map of the dimensional barriers, studying it with urgency.

King Jaewon’s voice echoes in the memory:

“Are you certain the corruption is spreading this fast?”

Yeeun’s mother nods gravely. “If it breaches the main barrier, it won’t just swallow  Mewni, it’ll swallow other dimensions not of this world”

Yeeun, in the present, stiffens.

Minah’s voice continues, layered over the memory:

“We thought they were planning a revolt. A coup. Every sign pointed to it.”

The memory shifts — flashes of secret meetings, hushed discussions, stolen artifacts. But now, through the Memory Star’s clarity, it’s obvious:

They weren’t plotting against Mewni. They were trying to save it.

The projection shows: A throne room. Two thrones. One belongs to King Jaewon, Hyunjin’s father, the other to King Haneul, Jaewon’s fraternal twin. Haneul — Yeeun’s father, sits with calm intensity, his wife beside him, holding an infant with tiny curled horns.

Yeeun.

She was never just a cousin. She was the other half of Mewni’s rightful royal line. The court murmurs in awe.

The memory shifts.

Alarms ring. The palace shakes. A black, star-flecked corruption rips open a rift in the center of the throne room.

Haneul shouts, “MINAH — TAKE JAEWON AND THE BABY. WE’LL HOLD IT.”

Yeeun’s mother, voice steady but strained, turns to Minah.

“Take care of her. If we fail… take care of her.”

But Minah shakes her head violently. “You’ll make it. We’ll all make it.”

The rift lunges, swallowing stone pillars whole. Hyunjin’s father tries to pull Haneul back but Haneul pushes Jaewon away with a glowing burst of magic.

“This corruption eats royal magic. It won’t stop with us. It will take the line — both lines. GO.”

More guards rush in. The corruption surges. The scene speeds up — panicked, dizzying. The rift shatters. A blast of anti-magic erupts, consuming Haneul and his wife in the blink of an eye. But the blast doesn’t just kill. It erases. The memory glitches, static ripping through it.

Minah screams as Yeeun’s little body is pulled toward the void. Haneul’s final act of magic flares — a last-ditch spell — pushing Yeeun back toward Minah. But the memory suddenly distorts, showing two different versions overlapping:

Version 1: Minah reaches for the baby—

Version 2: The baby vanishes into the corruption—

Both flicker violently.

The Memory Star crackles.

Queen Minah, in the present, falls to her knees as the projection stabilizes. “We thought… we thought she died,” Minah whispers. “The corruption fractured reality. We saw her get pulled in. We didn’t know Haneul saved her at the last second.”

She looks at Yeeun, face broken. “And when we returned to the ruins… there was no sign of a child.”

King Jaewon steps forward, guilt an ocean in his eyes. “We searched for years. We searched every dimension. Every rift. We did not stop. We did not abandon you.”

The projection shifts one last time: Minah holding a fragment of cloth — Yeeun’s baby blanket it was burnt at the edges with a tiny horn marking still visible. Jaewon collapsing to the ground, grief-stricken. Minah whispering: “They’re gone. All three of them. My sister. My brother. Their child.” They truly believed Yeeun died with her parents.

But the Memory Star is not finished, a final hidden piece plays:

A cloaked figure steps into the aftermath of the throne room’s destruction.Their face hidden. Their hands glowing with twisted magic. They pick up the burnt baby blanket. Their voice is a serpentine whisper:

“They will never know the truth.”

They wave their hand —

and erase all remaining traces of Yeeun’s existence. Her crib, her toys, her records, her magical signature. Gone. The cloaked figure turns toward the projection — toward the future. “You will rule, child. But you will grow believing you were abandoned.”

The battlefield erupts with horrified gasps even Yeeun staggers backward, shaking violently. “W–who… who did that?” she whispers. “Who wanted me gone?” The projection fades before revealing the figure’s identity. A mystery. A new threat. A deeper corruption.

King Jaewon answers softly: “We don’t know. But they wanted to fracture the royal line — and they succeeded.”

Yeeun drops her weapon. Her voice cracks. “All these years… I hated you. I thought you left me. I thought your family destroyed mine.”

Hyunjin steps forward slowly, wings folding.

Yeeun shakes her head, tears streaming. “I spent my whole life fighting ghosts that weren’t even real.” Hyunjin kneels beside her, offering his hand. “You don’t have to fight anymore.” She collapses against him, crying openly for the first time in her life — the battlefield falling silent in reverence. And from the edge of the field, Sunwoo steps forward, expression raw and unguarded.

“Yeeun…” he breathes. “You were never alone.” She turns toward him, broken but beginning — just barely — to heal.

~

The instant you land in your room on Earth, your lungs seize. The air feels wrong—too quiet to still. Your knees buckle, hitting the carpet before you even realize you’re falling. Hyunjin’s voice is still ringing in your head. His hands shoving you backward through the portal. His eyes—wide, frantic, shimmering with fear he didn’t have time to hide. The way he didn’t let you choose. The portal snapped shut behind you like a slammed door and now earth feels… dead. Cold. Flat. Colorless. Too still.

You press your palms to the floor, breath shaking, chest tight, trembling all the way down to your fingertips. The silence of your room is sharp enough to hurt. “No… no, no, no—” You choke on the panic bubbling up, each breath feeling carved out of your lungs. This isn’t right. You should be there. You should be with him, with all of them. Not here, not on this dull, magicless plane where nothing hums under your skin.Your eyes burn.

A tear slips down your cheek—hot, angry, helpless. “Hyunjin… why did you—” Your voice breaks. You sit back against your bed, pulling your knees to your chest as the last tremors of the leyline rupture echo in your bones. Even here—even worlds away—you can feel the magic screaming. Something is wrong, deeply wrong and you’re stranded. An ache digs itself into your ribs. You can’t stay here. You won’t.

You scrub your face, trying to steady your breathing as you push yourself to your feet. Your body feels like it’s buzzing—like leftover magic is clinging to you, begging you to find a way back. You stumble to your dresser, ripping drawers open, searching for something—anything—because you refuse to be stuck here while Mewni splits apart and every person you care about is in danger.

You throw aside clothes, trinkets, notebooks—none of it matters. You slam another drawer shut too hard; it rattles and your hands shake violently. “Come on… there has to be—something—” You yank open the last drawer and freeze.

Nestled between an old sweatshirt and a tangled necklace, glows a soft, pulsing shard of shimmering blue crystal. A dimensional stone.

For a moment, your breath disappears entirely. You blink once. Twice. The stone pulses again like a heartbeat as if it was in sync with your heartbeat. “Oh my god…” you whisper. Your fingers hover over it, shaking, then finally close around the warm, humming surface. You gasp as magic rushes up your arm, familiar and wild and alive. Hyunjin must’ve hidden this here. Or maybe it fell through with you. Or maybe the universe is giving you one last choice. You swallow hard, your chest still aches, your eyes still burn, your fear still trembles in your hands. But beneath all of it there’s something stronger. You’re not leaving him alone. Not again. Not ever.

You clutch the stone to your chest, gather every last scrap of courage and adrenaline left in your body and draw the portal open with a sharp, burning tear in space. The room fills with light. Your hair whips around your face and as the doorway to Mewni widens, all you can think is “I’m coming back.” You should’ve known I’d come back. Then you jump.

~

You slammed into Mewni with all the grace of a falling bookshelf.

You hit the ground, skidding through dirt and glowing dust as screaming magic streaked across the sky above like shattered neon. The ground vibrated under your palms.

The air tasted wrong like it was charged, trembling and on the brink of breaking. But none of that stole your breath.

Not like him.

Because floating at the epicenter of the chaos bathed in violent purple light was Hyunjin.

Or rather—

Hyunjin in full butterfly form.

You swore that your soul froze; not only that, but you forgot how to breathe.

Huge wings bloomed from his back, unfurled in massive star-streaked arcs, shimmering with blues and obsidians you’d never even seen in your life. Each feather‑thin membrane glowed like moving galaxies. His hair lifted around him in weightless waves, and his eyes burned bright, molten gold.

He looked like a celestial being—

terrifying, breathtaking, ethereal.

He looked like a myth.

A god.

Your mind scrambled uselessly.

“…holy. Shit.”

Hyunjin whipped around mid-air at the sound of your voice, wings sweeping in a sharp arc.

“(Y/n)?!”

He dropped so fast he nearly cratered the ground. When he landed, his wings flared wide before folding tightly behind him.

He rushed toward you, face torn between disbelief and fury. “What—” he grabbed your shoulders, eyes wide and furious and scared all at once. “Why—HOW—why are you back?!”

You blinked up at him.

“Uh—surprise?”

“Surprise?” he echoed, voice sharp. “THIS ISN’T A SURPRISE, THIS IS A HEART ATTACK WITH EXTRA STEPS!”

You shoved his chest lightly.

“Don’t yell at me! You’re the one who sent me flying into another dimension!”

“That was to keep you safe!”

“Well, it didn’t WORK!”

He threw his arms up—wings fluttering aggressively.

You froze again.

“…your wings are distracting me.”

He stopped mid‑rant.

“My—what?”

“They’re—” you gestured vaguely at all of him. “They’re very. There.”

Sunwoo yelled from across the field, “GIRL, WE ARE MID-APOCALYPSE, MAYBE SAVE THE THIRST FOR LATER!”

You snapped, “SHUT UP, SUNWOO!”

Hyunjin’s wings twitched.

Hyunjin dragged a hand down his face.

“Of all the times—of ALL the times—for you to return—” he muttered.

Then he gripped your wrists and pulled you closer.

His voice dropped to a rough whisper.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.

“It’s still dangerous.”

“And yet—” you shrugged, breath unsteady, “I’m here.”

His jaw clenched.

He hated how relieved he was.

~

Queen Hwang stood rigid beneath the fracturing leyline, King Hwang at her side, both wielding crackling staves to hold back the splitting sky. Yeeun and Sunwoo followed close, bracing the magical shield as the leyline fracture above snarled violently. Your nerves buzzed the moment their eyes landed on you—the dimensional stone you held was glowing fiercely, pulsing in your grip like a second heartbeat. You felt out of place and far too small for whatever was happening, but also strangely tethered to the chaos around you, as if magic itself had been waiting for you to walk back into it.

King Hwang’s focus snapped to the stone. “It responded to her return?” he murmured. Yeeun’s breath caught beside him. “No way—” Queen Hwang’s eyes widened with dawning horror. “The prophecy.” Sunwoo blinked at her. “A prophe—WHAT?? Since WHEN DO WE HAVE THOSE? Do I need to start keeping a prophecy journal?!”

Before you could process the absurdity of Sunwoo’s panic, King Hwang recited quietly:

“When four royal flames burn too bright,

and magic fractures under their fight,

a fifth shall rise from a distant land—

not of magic, but able to withstand.”

A stillness washed over the group. You felt it sink into your bones. Heat swelled in your chest—fear, disbelief, an odd sense of recognition. Queen Hwang turned toward you with awe. “We thought the ‘fifth’ meant another royal. But it meant someone untouched by Mewni’s magic—someone immune to the collapse.”

You blinked, throat tight. “…me?”

Hyunjin’s fingers tightened around your wrist instinctively, grounding you even as your head spun.

King Hwang nodded gravely. “You steadied Hyunjin’s magic the moment you appeared. You carry no magical burden—no legacy—no blood tie to the fracture.”

Yeeun pointed at you. “You’re the anchor. The prophecy was never about a mage.”

Sunwoo scoffed, crossing his arms with a smug little nod.

“That’s true. Emotionally, you are like… an emotional seatbelt.”

Yeeun added with a thoughtful tilt of her head, “…or a grounding charm.”

Their casual commentary should’ve made you laugh—would’ve, on any normal day—but your heart was beating impossibly fast. The world seemed too big, too bright, too loud all at once. You felt strangely exposed, like every eye was on you, and yet a flicker of importance glowed underneath the panic.

You weren’t magical. You weren’t royal.

But suddenly you were the difference between collapse and survival.

Between fracture and balance.

The weight of destiny pressed into your shoulders without warning, overwhelming and electrifying in equal measure.

And all you could do was stand there, pulse racing, trying to understand how you—just you—fit into something so ancient and enormous.

The ground rumbled beneath your feet as cracks spiderwebbed across the field. Queen Hwang raised her staff with a strained breath. “The leylines didn’t collapse because of us alone.” A deep vibration rolled through the earth—like something ancient turning in its sleep. The sound crawled down your spine.

King Hwang’s expression darkened. “The Old Channels were sealed off centuries ago… but something of great peculiarity has been creeping around this realm”

Yeeun shivered. “I thought those were just rumors or myths.”

“They were,” the Queen whispered. “Until now.”

Hyunjin looked at the glowing fissures above, jaw tightening. “The leylines fractured because something ancient tugged at them and tried to drain them—something older than royal blood and stronger than current magic.”

You stepped closer, pulse thudding. “…Is it still a threat?”

King Hwang didn’t answer, and the silence told you everything. The thought of something old and monstrous stirring beneath the kingdom made your stomach twist, but you pushed the fear down—you didn’t have room for it. Not with everything already falling apart.

“We have to repair it,” Hyunjin said suddenly, turning to you. “All of us.” His voice was steady, but when he looked at you, you felt the tremor beneath his calm. Queen Hwang nodded fiercely. “To the core. Now.”

The group moved with practiced coordination, each taking their place in a star formation. You and Hyunjin stepped into the center, hands brushing before he took yours properly—warm, firm, almost protective. He leaned in slightly, voice low. “Stay with me. I can’t do this without you.”

You nodded once, steadying yourself even as your heart threatened to leap out of your chest. Magic surged up around you. A spear of raw, ancient energy erupted from the ground, shooting upward—splintering, chaotic, lethal. For a second, you braced yourself for pain. But when the magic struck you, it softened instantly, bending as if it recognized you. Your breath caught; a strange warmth spread through your body as the air steadied, the fracture slowed, and Hyunjin’s power flowed through your joined hands like molten light.

Then he said it—so quietly the words trembled.

“Let’s go together. Because you’re my light in the dark.”

Your chest constricted. You didn’t know where the warmth inside you ended and where the magic began. You just knew Hyunjin’s gaze made you feel anchored in a way nothing else ever had. Together, you guided the four royal flames into alignment.

The leyline core ignited in an explosion of blinding, cleansing light, shooting upward like a newborn star. Your feet lifted off the ground, the force pulling you upward until Hyunjin wrapped his arms around you, wings unfurling like a shield. The world dissolved into light.

When the brilliance faded, the sky was whole again—blue, clear, alive. Magic hummed around you, warm and steady, stronger than it had been in ages. Relief washed over you so intensely you nearly sank to your knees.

Sunwoo flopped dramatically onto his back. “I SURVIVED ANCIENT COSMIC MAGIC. SOMEONE GIVE ME A SNACK.” Yeeun snorted and sat beside him, close enough that their arms brushed, not close enough for her to pretend it was an accident. “You want a medal too?” she teased, brushing dust off his sleeve. Sunwoo lifted his head just enough to look at her, eyes narrowing like he was analyzing a new species. “Actually, yes. Preferably gold. And engraved. Maybe with ‘World’s Bravest, Handsomest Hero.’” Yeeun rolled her eyes, but she smiled—soft in a way she rarely let slip. “You’re unbelievable.” Sunwoo placed a hand over his heart. “Yet somehow irresistible.” The comment slipped out smoother than he intended, and Yeeun’s cheeks pinked, her gaze flicking away for a moment before returning to him. “Irresistible is… a strong word,” she said, voice lighter than before. Sunwoo grinned, leaning slightly closer. “I’m known for my strong words.” She nudged him with her shoulder, pretending to shove him away, but he only laughed and nudged back—gentle, careful—like he knew exactly how far he could push without breaking the moment growing quietly between them.

King and Queen Hwang collapsed into each other’s arms, shaking with relief. You felt your own knees weaken, adrenaline ebbing from your body until you were left trembling in the soft aftershock of survival. Soldiers from both sides blinked up at the healed sky—stunned for a beat—before a tidal wave of cheers rolled across the battlefield, loud enough to rattle the stones beneath your feet. Some cried openly, others fell to their knees, and a few just grabbed the nearest person in a crushing embrace. They had done it. All of you had. The collapse of every connected dimension had been stopped. The multiverse was safe.

Amid the celebration, Hyunjin turned toward you slowly, as if afraid any sudden movement would break the moment—or send you vanishing back through another portal. His wings dissolved behind him in a shimmer of falling starlight as he stepped closer, lifting a trembling hand to your cheek. “You came back,” he whispered, voice frayed at the edges.

Your chest tightened, heat rising behind your eyes. “So did you.”

He let out a soft, breathless laugh, pressing his forehead gently against yours, your hands intertwined like he needed the anchor just as much as you did. Around you, magic steadied. The sky held. Yeeun and Sunwoo were still bickering and laughing somewhere behind you, their shoulders pressed together; soldiers embraced; the kingdom roared; the world breathed again.

And beneath that bright chorus of victory, something ancient still stirred faintly below the earth—a reminder that not every mystery had been solved—but for now, the realms were intact, whole, alive.

You drew in a shaky breath, Hyunjin’s warm and steady against yours, his thumb brushing your cheek like he couldn’t quite believe you were real. In that moment—with the kingdom cheering, with the leyline healed, with the world saved—you felt the truth settle into your bones:

Mewni lived.

You lived.

Hyunjin lived.

And he looked at you like you were the reason he kept fighting.

~

“I still have a few weeks left here,” you smiled at the magical boy as you shifted back and forth from the balls of your feet to your heels.

The courtyard was quiet in the late morning light—still glowing faintly from the leyline repairs that had taken place only days before. Soft magic hummed through the stones beneath you, alive but gentle now, like it was breathing easier.

You lowered your head, eyes drifting to the ground.

Before you could blink, Hyunjin stepped close and took both of your hands in his. Warm and certain, like he’d been waiting for the exact moment your gaze dipped so he could catch it. His thumbs brushed the backs of your knuckles, slow and grounding.

“Good,” he said softly. “Then I’m stealing you for the day.” Your head snapped up. “Stealing me?” He grinned, dazzling and unhinged in the most Hyunjin way.

“Yes. Borrowing. Kidnapping. Gently escorting against your will. Whatever word makes you feel most special.” You laughed despite yourself. “What exactly are we doing?”

“Definitely not a date,” he declared instantly.

“…Hyunjin.”

“A very not-date,” he insisted, tugging your hands and walking backward toward the gates. “Zero romance whatsoever. Completely normal platonic outing. Now hurry up.”

You allowed him to pull you along, your heart was thudding in the warm fizzy way that only Hyunjin could spark within you. The sun glinted off his hair as he led you out of the castle and you couldn't help but notice that he didn’t let go of your hand once.

Hyunjin took you places that looked like they'd been pulled from the edges of dreams. Each one stranger, softer, and unreasonably beautiful than the last.

First, he spirited you away to a hillside where the wind carried tiny glowing spores that stuck in your hair like glitter, making you look celestial. Hyunjin kept brushing them off your shoulders just so he had an excuse to touch you again.

Then he brought you to a small enchanted bakery located on a street where music played from floating instruments, each note shimmering in the air. You spun with him under drifting lights, both of you laughing until you couldn’t breathe.

Next was a secret marketplace tucked between folds of space, where lanterns floated at heart-height and vendors whispered enchantments into tiny glass jars. He bought you a jar holding a single star, saying that it reminded him of you, then looked away so you wouldn’t see how red his ears got. The day was just going perfect and in that moment you felt like the most special person in the world.

Every squeeze of his fingers sent warmth sliding up your arm. Every shared smile pushed something deeper into place. Every brush of his shoulder against yours made your chest tighten with something dangerously close to certainty.

You felt weightless, wanted, seen in a way that felt terrifying and right all at once, like the world had shifted, gently but unmistakably, toward him.

Finally, he guided you into a garden of floating petals—each one glowing faintly pink—where he slowed for the first time all day.

Here, the world felt quieter, softer and more intimate. Your hands brushed, then settled together again, naturally and thoughtlessly. Your heart fluttered. Hyunjin wasn’t oblivious. He felt it and he stepped closer.

He watched you for a long moment, the wind lifting a strand of your hair past your cheek.

“Hey,” he said softly. “Look at me.” You did and something in him broke open. Something he’d been fighting, denying, tripping over since he first met you.

His fingers tightened around yours.

“No matter what world you came from,” he murmured,

“what realm you are in… I will always find you.”

Your breath stopped completely. “For I am the moth,” he continued, his voice dropping to something almost reverent, “and you are the flame that I am meant to see.” His forehead touched yours, barely there, painfully gentle. “You are my light in the darkness.” You swallowed hard, trying to force your heartbeat back into your chest.

“Don’t get all sentimental on me now, Hwang,” you whispered. He laughed softly and damn him, the sound shook with affection. “Too late,” he breathed.

And then he kissed you.

He tasted like a dream, an indescribable sensation that left you clutching his jacket for balance. You were furious, actually furious, that you hadn’t gotten this earlier, when it had been within your grasp the entire time. Marshmallows, you thought, dazed and aching, as his cloud-like lips molded against your own; warm and soft and sure, pulling you closer with a hunger that felt like destiny.

Your heart swelled painfully, beautifully, with the realization that you had finally found what was truly home. After searching mindlessly, calling other places the thing you longed for, only to discover that home wasn’t a place. It was a person. A butterfly boy by the name of Hwang Hyunjin, who came from a completely different world from you yet somehow became the very thing you had been searching for all along.

When he finally pulled back, breathless, his smile was crooked and soft and devastating. “So,” he whispered, brushing his thumb along your cheek, “still not a date?” You leaned into him, your forehead touching his again. “No,” you whispered.

“It was something better.” Hyunjin’s grin widened into something wild and radiant.

“Good,” he said, pulling you back into another kiss. “Because I’m not letting you go.”

And under the floating petals, with the sky glowing gently above. You kissed him again. And this time, there was no hesitation.

Only home.

~

Thank you guys so much for reading. This is the final installment to this series and at first I just wanted to post the story all together instead of split into parts but I really wanted to get it out of my drafts so here it is

The first few day passed by as if they were a soft breeze, gliding through your body to continue it’s path to the next day. Conversation between you and Hyunjin bordered on the edge of awkwardness with small traces of normalcy being hidden in the depths of words uttered in the air between the two of you. Not seeing the other for so long left you to contemplate on how to interact with the latter. 

It was one morning that really solidified the air caused from being around one another. Hyunjin had invited you to have breakfast with him which would’ve been normal on any other day but for some reason did not feel as such this time around. The two of you ended up sitting across from each other, consuming the contents which were scattered across your plates in a thick and awkward silence, eyes meeting every so often just to be sent bouncing around the room at the perception of the other. The icing on the cake was the fact that when your friend moved to give you a cup of your desired drink and your hands subtly met when you were trying to grab the cup from him. You got surprised by the contact of skin so much so that you had the actual nerve, the actual audacity to squeak alarmingly loud before recognizing that the outrageous noise came from the back of your throat and slipped past your lips. Yeah things weren’t exactly the same as before

Interactions between you started to border more along the lines of stiff and unorthodox after that occurrence. That is until you came across the aforementioned male in a strange predicament which was quiet normal and very often to say the least especially when your friends with Hwang Hyunjin. The magical being was located in the castle’s kitchen at an odd hour which was maybe around midnight or was it 3 am when you stumbled across him?

Your original intent was to make a glass of chocolate milk as a way to distract you from your present restlessness because the thoughts swirling in your mind were heavy and prevented you from falling asleep, it was the fact that interacting with your friend proved to be more challenging than it used to be, things would flow easily between you before and the thought had resulted in you tossing and turning in the more than comfortable bed which was big enough to fit at least four people. At some point you came to the conclusion that rest wasn’t going to come anytime soon, thus you huffed in annoyance at your absurd awareness before scooting to the edge of the mattress to throw on the slippers that were strategically placed to the side in a not so excited matter and decided that a late night kitchen visit sounded better than flopping around tirelessly.

 Which is how you found yourself standing across from the exact same person that weighed on your mind heavy enough to prevent you from peacefully drifting off into a deep and comfortable dream state. There was an unknown blue substance which held a goopy consistency displayed all over the room and the boy was in the middle of it with the yeast like substance sticking to his pajamas and even in his hair.

The look on your face must’ve been comical for the blonde burst out in contagious laughter after locking gazes with you, staring as if he were a deer caught by the headlights for a moment which had later morphed into amusement as you stood there for a couple of beats with your mouth agape and eyes flitting over the whole mess. The ridiculousness of the situation finally settled in alongside the tickle that was steadily climbing up your throat which had gotten the best of you eventually sending a bought of uncontrollable laughter, rippling through your lungs. The two of you probably looked like maniacs right now, no words being uttered but ugly sounds of unexplained comedy leaving your mouths. In the long run it took a few minutes for you both to calm down but once you did, you affixed yourself to searching for cleaning supplies to aide in getting rid of the ludicrousness that was scattered about. 

Despite knowing the blonde for over two years he still never failed to catch you off guard “Do you want a brownie?” his deep voice resonated through the quiet kitchen, your back was facing him as you rummaged through one of the closets “I don’t know.....Are they safe?” you asked genuinely concerned after seeing ingredients scattered through out the whole entirety of the room, the kitchen could’ve possibly became a causality due to the fight between Hyunjin and said brownies, your answer caused a snicker to to leave his mouth and you turn to get a good look at him before your gaze flicked down to the plate stacked with the chocolaty treat that the boy just offered you and they looked perfectly fine.

What now confused you was what resulted in the chaos that spread out across the expanse of the kitchen. You narrowed your eyes at the male as you tried to come to a reasonable conclusion only to come up empty, nothing could reasonably explain a mess as big as this. But when Hyunjin was involved there was never a reasonable explanation for the boy was basically the embodiment of impossibility and magic itself. “So what happened......here?” Hyunjin placed the plate of perfectly stacked brownies on a clean part of the counter that somehow managed to not have any blue goop sitting upon it. The male then proceeds to open his mouth a few times only to close it right after, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he tries to figure out the right words to explain his present position.

“I might’ve gotten a little carried away trying to experiment with new ingredients and try different recipes” he followed the trail that your eyes were set on, glancing around the room to fully take in the whole extent of the disarray that he had made prior to you busting him in his mindless endeavor. He looked so innocent, standing there wide-eyed albeit just as confused as you were.

Through your rummaging in the closet you had managed to find a plastic shovel- why it was there was beyond you but you also grabbed a couple of garbage bags on your way out. Hyunjin’s gaze was still locked on your figure as he slightly swayed his body from side to side. “Let’s get all of this up” you handed him a garbage bag, to which he accepted gladly.

You honestly didn’t know where exactly to start in your cleaning spree and so you decided to shovel as much of the goop into the garbage bags as you could, but with the substance being heavier than you would've expected, your first scoop ultimately missed the bag, instead opting to land on your unsuspecting friend, in which you had no idea that he was positioned behind you until your eyes trailed from the goop that had landed successfully on the bottom half of his pajama pants, oozing itself down to his slipper clad feet.

Hyunjin perked up in alarm, momentarily freezing from his prompt task of fixing the kitchen, before his head snapped down in the direction of the heavy consistency of bright blue coating his feet. He stared at it for a while and then he slowly lifted his head, eyes flitting in an even motion to meet yours. You stood stunned with an apology on the tip of your tongue when Hyunjin’s facial expression quickly morphed into that of a mischievous smile and your left arm suddenly felt a little heavier, upon closer inspection you found that there was now goop dripping down the limb,“It’s game time!!” the deep boisterous voice brought you back to reality as the boy started running around the kitchen in an attempt to avoid more goop being splattered on him, the sound of his cackling ringing in your ears.

Chaos quickly unfolded from that point on, the disarray of goop turning out worse than it was originally as you and Hyunjin both ran around attacking each other with the splattered ingredients. Chunks of blue were flying through the air, your mingling shouts and laughter was all that could be heard in the once quiet night. The noise didn’t cease, but only faltered once your bare feet skidded across the slippery surface that was the floor, ultimately ending with you disappearing behind the long island and landing with your back splayed out over the marbled tile, dead smack in a massive pile of the odd substance.

Hyunjin immediately ran over to your spot, worry plastered across his face “(Y/N) Are you alright?” his lips puckered out into that of a pout, whilst he slightly leaned over you and you couldn’t help but burst into more laughter at the mere absurdity of events leading up to this moment. The male let out a loud yelp as he felt himself being pulled down to the soiled floor and landing right beside you in such close proximity that he nearly fell on top of your disheveled form.

The former let out a big huff of air after adjusting his position beside you, the both of you staring up at the ceiling in a more than comfortable silence, heaving in deep breathes in an effort to control the fast rising of your chests and slow your heartbeats from the earlier activities. The moment felt as if it was the most normal thing, a breathe of fresh air after being suffocated by an inopportune ocean leaving only to return with a new emotion that would best be described as content likeliness brimming over the edge of the glass and spilling over in the form of you reaching for you friends soft and slender hand, the latter refocusing his gentle gaze from the ceiling unto you upon feeling the traces of your fingertips gracing the back of his palm and taking it upon himself to envelope your smaller hand in his warmth.

You were now regarding him as well, the breathing that you had finally calmed down to a steady pace now hitching as your eyes meet, yours diverting in a flash just to come back to focus on the small details on his face, from his rosy cheeks, down to his prominent nose, and finally your eyes were on his smooth well moisturized lips. You study them for a while wondering how they would feel against yours but the subject of your feelings was not a conversation that you nor Hyunjin had addressed, the attraction for the other being known but unspoken between the two of you and so when he began leaning in the direction that you desperately wanted him to, the logical part of your mind got the best of you, not wanting to blur the line between friends or lovers, which resulted in you subtly moving your head away from the male and bellowing out loudly “We should really clean up”

~

The fuzzy carpeted floor felt soft against your bare feet as you sat perched in the middle of Hyunjin’s massive closet with the latter sitting directly across from you. The chocolate milk that you had originally intended on having long forgotten and the plate of intricately made brownies in sight, strategically being placed in the middle of you both. It was now three in the morning, the conversation was finally flowing between the two of you in a way that felt natural after the first few stuffy days of not uttering much.

“Hey, I remember when you used to hate me.” Hyunjin said casually, a brownie in one of his hand while the other was playing with the hem of his pajama pants. You gasp loudly at the outrageous statement, how the conversation had took a turn in its present direction was beyond you and so your eyes shot up to meet his figure in a haste with the intentions of rebuking the few words that he had uttered into the air “I did not hate you” 

the brown eyed boy looked up from the carpet “Just at the time you were really frustrating” you stated simply rolling your eyes with a smirk to keep the mood light, you knew it worked when the boy scoffed, placing his hands on your shoulders firmly and swayed you back and forth gently “But (y/n) you were soooo mean” he shot back. The truth of it placing you in a reminiscent state, But in your defense the male did come out of nowhere, literally, dragging you along on wild adventures that you weren’t prepared for and so you became grouchy towards the starry eyed boy for you couldn’t deny any request of his, the light inside of him was too bright and no matter how much you wanted to dislike him you couldn’t for you were a great example of a moth being drawn towards the flame.

You focused your attention back on Hyunjin whom still had his hands perched on your shoulders, his smile seeming to beam brighter than the sun, but why was his hair suddenly starting to growing? and why so fast? You blinked trying to register your surroundings but the male’s blonde hair seemed to be getting longer at a rapid pace with it now reaching his abdomen. You suddenly had the urge to touch the extended locks of hair and so you reached your arm out to grab at the strands near the male’s stomach earning a giggle from him “(Y/n) Are you okay? That tickles, Stop!” he swats your hand away.

You marvel at him for a minute, the room seemingly starting to spin around the two of you “Hyunjin I don’t know why but i feel like i’m moving.” your eyes were wide as you stared deep into space, trying to brace yourself in an attempt to prevent yourself from falling. Hyunjin giggles again “(y/n) your ears are really pointy” he reaches out to feel the fleshy body part as you try to grab hold of his outstretched limb “HUGSSS!!” the boy shouts suddenly before face planting the floor in a giggly mess.

He gasps loudly a look of disbelief taking over his features “(y/n) stop moving” he pouts, his hands reaching out in search of something before finally landing on a long pillow which he pulls closer to and clings on as if he were a koala. Meanwhile your attempting to stand up no clear destination in your mind as you slump your body against the wall closest to the entry way, the room still spinning around you. When you turn your head you catch sight of a figure which oddly resembled you. No not just one figure but four maybe five or was it six? You lost count.

You vaguely hear Hyunjin in the background “Why are you so squishy and soft?” followed by another series of giggles, your mind not fully registering due to the many eyes in the room that were intently watching you. Something was definitely wrong with those brownies and now you had to suffer the consequences of shoving copious amounts of chocolaty goodness down your throat.

~

It was a rolling ball or at least something that was moving with enough momentum to knock the air out of your lungs that had unpleasantly brought you to consciousness, your eyes desperately trying to adjust to your unfamiliar surroundings as you groaned at the stiff pain that reverberated from your side. The space that you were in was mostly dim and hollow, there was small traces of light seeping in through the sides and big brown orbs locking with yours. “Oh there you are.” you hear a relieved sigh before you can fully process your friend crouching down on one side of the unknown area that you had found yourself in.

“Hyunjin” you croak out to the best of your abilities due to your throat feeling unusually dry “Come on, I got you” the boy moved to help you out of the cramped space which you soon came to realize was the under side of his bed.

Your eyes were so sensitive to the light that was spilling in to the room that it sent a throbbing sensation to your head. The contrast from dim to brightness being too sudden and too much for you to handle at the time. In the meanwhile your mind was taking its time to catch up with the events of last night, slowly they started to creep into your recollection of memories and a sense of anxiety filled you.

You grabbed the bottle of water from Hyunjin’s outstretched hand with a less than steady hand, chugging the much needed liquid as if you had been deprived of it for weeks. You were glad that it was bringing your throat some sort of relief as Hyunjin regarded you cautiously 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Like I've been hit by a truck.” your response was curt and the boy before you chuckled nervously although something about him was definitely different but for some reason you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. You squinted your eyes to try to hone in and figure out what was throwing you off. “I may have accidentally used the wrong ingredient” The boys voice brought your mind away from your current task, causing you to scoff “I’ll keep that in mind for future reference.”

It was when your friend began to whine about his excellent cooking skills that it hit you. Your blonde haired friend was no longer blonde instead the fluff that was his hair was now a bright blue. “what happened?” the words fell from your mouth before you even knew it and the boy in front of you sported a look of confusion before he followed your gaze that was presently directed at the top of his head, realizing then what you were talking about. “ahh, that” The newly changed boy reached for the strands of hair that covered his forehead, patting at it gently as he continued “It’s an side effect of the ingredient.” 

That sentence alone sent your mind in a frenzy, how did you look right at this moment? Did your hair color change as a result of indulging those irresistible treats last night? You must’ve looked how you presently felt; like you got struck by lightning, buried alive, and then resurrected from the dead. An exceptionally loud gasp was what brought you out of your thoughts, focus now on the culprit that caused the ache to resonate to your already throbbing skull from the sheer loudness of his voice

“(Y/N), WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT EFFECT IT HAS ON YOU.” your male friend exclaimed louder than what was necessary, for you were not feeling that great and the noise only added to the horribleness that you were going through. At the sight of you grabbing your head in both hands with exasperated sighs falling from your tongue for him to lower his tone, Hyunjin begin to spill out apologies in hushed whispers, tilting you back to lay in his bed comfortably in the process. 

That day you rested in your best friend’s bed as he kept checking up on you despite his royal duties to make sure that you were alright. With pain medication in your system, tucked under a warm duvet that smelt heavily of vanilla with hints of cinnamon, and the one male that you craved attention from the most taking care of you.

You were content.

~

Waking up proved to be the challenge of the year for you, even opening your eyes took a lot due to the lids feeling as heavy as ever and your brain feeling foggy still. However the first thing that you notice is the change in location, you were no longer in your best friends room but in the castles infirmary, A female whom had a horn lodged in the middle of her head stood few feet away from your bed.

In a desperate attempt to sit up, your body jerks in a direction that was not up but rather to the side, nearly sending you rolling to the floor beneath you. A loud squeak leaves your mouth as you grasp desperately for the railings of the bed and it is then that the horned female with pink tinted skin notices you. She runs over to you hastily a startled “oh my” being breathed out into the air as she helps you to lay back in bed this time propping you up into a sitting position which was aided by the excessive pillows behind your back.

Hyunjin walks in shortly after, his features jumping as high as the ceiling upon realizing that he is actually seeing your conscious figure “Finally!” he screeches a little too joyful and you scrunch your brows in confusion “Finally?”  “You’ve been asleep for three days” a soft voice that your ears almost did not hear pipes up from beside you

“I’m Lia, I've been looking after you for the past few days” you look the girl with a kind smile over for the sake of getting a good idea of whom she was in this equation. She held an aura that beamed strongly positive, which had you feeling the creepings of a smile quirk at the side of your cheek from her mere introduction and demeanor.

Once Hyunjin reaches the side of the bed in which you lay, you immediately register the feeling of bony knuckles gracing your forehead but it is what coincides the action that leaves you rather dumbfounded. An odd brightness encompasses the room, reaching into even the smallest of dark corners and beyond; the source of the newfound luminescence was unknown to you but left you wandering confused at the sudden light which seemingly came out of nowhere.

Lia‘s eyebrows shoot up exaggeratedly as though she were discovering something of spectacular strangeness in the meanwhile Hyunjin regarded you in awe.

~

You and Lia quickly became close, she had such a sweet character that meshed well with your personality and conversation just flowed easily between you. You learned that she was from the Pony head kingdom but she was kind of the odd one out of all of her siblings since she appeared more humanoid. Lia was currently volunteering to help out in the Mewni Kingdom’s infirmary as a means to get away from the tense air of her home and thats how she ended up watching over you for the three days that you were out.

There were a couple of side effects that settled in after your initial ingestion of the brownies which you came to find out contained an ingredient called “Le fleur”. What exactly that was, you had no clue but usually the after effects would wear off in a week or two and since you were a human, your body processed the ingredients differently, so there was no telling when everything would die down in your system. You quickly found out that your skin would only glow when Hyunjin touched you and not for anybody else. Maybe this was the universes way of trying to get you to confess your feelings to the boy. But you were nothing if you weren’t stubborn and so that would not be happening anytime soon. You also became extremely compulsive, almost every random thought you had about something had you acting out on it. For example, You walked passed a cactus with Hyunjin and wondered how prickly it was, what would happen if you decided to give it a hug?  All common sense had left the room at this point and you were left hurdling yourself towards said plant, in which you soon found out the answer to that question. Which is why it was of upmost importance to hurry up and figure out how exactly the ingredient reacted to your body as well as how to flush it out of your system.

~

The affects of le fleur were at an all time high for you, not only did you have the odd quirk or becoming a luminescent lamp upon contact with your magical love interest, but the newer effects decided to surprise you later on in your journey with uncontrollable curiosity, weird snorting whenever something surprised you, and the cherry on top would be that the inside of your mouth would now glow in the dark. No matter how minuscule the thing was, it had the ability to make you question its very existence. You knew it was a problem when you couldn’t stop surveying the contents which made up a sprite in the clear glass the other day instead of drinking it, you were consumed by how the drink came to be and so forth.

Accompanying Hyunjin to the library probably wasn’t one of the wisest decisions since you could not for the love of god or any other unearthly force focus. Your friend was heavily invested in researching on how to cure a human of deranged emotions and reckless actions, the ability to concentrate appeared to be far from a possible task and to further prove this point you made the biggest boldest move that you definitely wouldn’t have ever done sober. You skipped a couple of steps that usually came before and planted your lips onto Hyunjin’s abruptly. There was no logical reasoning behind it, you just felt like it.

In your defense he looked so cute while engrossing himself in books and at first you we’re just playing in his hair because the blue locks reminded you of play-doh or Kinetic sand. But when he turned his attention to you because of it, his brown orbs staring directly into your eyes, you just couldn’t help yourself. Overcome with compulsiveness you leaned forward and locked lips with him.

In the moment it felt amazing, there are so many words that could describe it yet not enough words at the same time. But once it was over, the fog that consumed your mind seemed to clear up at an incredible rate. That definitely sent a shock through your system. Oh the side effects from the brownies were a curse and a gift, why did they have to effect you this way?

You we’re a literal walking and breathing beacon of confession to Hyunjin, not only did you glow when he touched you, but you also couldn’t contain the impulsiveness of your actions and landed your lips on his soft ones.

The boy was in a daze when you pulled away, no words left his mouth and he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. But before he had enough time to come to, you did the only logical thing that your mind could think of. You ran away 

~

The next few days consumed all of Hyunjin’s time in the way that he was rarely in the castle, instead opting to complete some tasks that were unknown to you. The kissing incident didn’t come up between you guys but an antidote was found and you were finally back to your normal self.

 Today was the exception of your friend’s busy schedule the difference being that he was actually in the castle running errands this time and you were tagging along with him, and so after trudging around for a couple of hours, squeezing in a little conversation from time to time, you eventually wound up hanging out with his sisters in the theater room while he continued to run errands. There was a variety of snacks littered around the area that you occupied. Each of you had a milkshake nestled beside you as a courtesy of the eldest, her reasoning being that “milkshakes are a symbolism of bonding”. You were completely intrigued by the scenes that were playing out due to the refraction of light, and as you continued to settle your focus on the screen, the realization that Mewni movies were a lot different from the ones that you were used to back home smacked you right in the face- not harshly but more subtle moreover gradual. It was a little odd to see different creatures star as main characters, with the genre’s being distinct as well as the plot in each scene unfolding in ways that kept you beyond captivated. 

“IS THAT AN ACTUAL SNORLAX?” you blurt out almost too excitedly since the creature on the screen surprised you. The air around you is silent for a while save for the remnants of your voice ringing loudly in your head, both Yeji and Mina turn to meet the other eyes, puzzled expressions gracing their features as the question that was loudly blurted out earlier processes and the pair bursts into an uncontrollable fit of laughter, successfully breaking the curious silence.

Mild embarrassment starts to settle into your stomach at the foolish question, resulting in you grabbing your milkshake in a failed attempt to try to ward it off and chugging it down in big gulps “You didn’t know that yokai were real?” Your attention shoots over to the younger of the two, shaking your head with the straw still being nestled between your lips. “Okay but that’s besides the point! Do you still have a crush on Hyujin.” Yeji interjects, and you splutter, inhaling the drink a little too fast which sends you to a choking fit. 

The blonde haired boy was the reason why you saw the world in a new light, when he quite literally ran into you on earth, you found yourself portaling through different dimensions and at some point you ended up on the back of a pegasus, clinging to the poor boy with all your might, since everything was happening too fast for you to comprehend. That was the start of your friendship, Hyunjin’s eager curiosity of your world had him coming back as often as he could and you were the one that he pestered into showing him your way of life.

You didn’t actually realize how you truly felt about the male until his absence started to fill you with a sense of longing as if you had lost an important part of yourself that desperately needed to be found. The day’s not being quite as bright as they should without the loud inter dimensional being around and stretching into what felt like longer hours and darker nights. So being confronted on the matter sends your mind spiraling in a frenzy that you were not ready for. 

That night you slept on the thoughts of your magical friend, you had a whole three months to be in this realm and your mind was conflicted to say the least.

~

It took a couple days and a little bit of coaxing for Hyunjin to finally cave in and tell you what he had been up to for the last week. You had got to him early one morning. he was too caught up in the task of sorting through the stack of papers in his hands that he failed to notice your sleepy figure on it’s way down the same hall as him and proceeded to quite literally send you rolling over the hard tiled floor, his balance proceeding to fail him as well as he trips over your figure, landing on the flat surface as well. the important documents which were in his hand prior to the unprepared occurrence were now scattered across the corridor in a way that gave your eyes access to the words scribbled out on certain parchments.

I fear your life as you know it may be in danger. The people are beginning to rally behind Yeeun taking rule of Mewni, therefore you must hurry to state your claim over the throne and find the whereabouts of your parents.

That sentence alone sent you into a state of confusion, you were so immersed in the workings of your mind that you hadn’t noticed Hyunjin standing over you, hand outstretched in a silent means to help you back up to your feet. The male knew from the way you gazed at him that you had read something that was not intended for you to see. he just hoped that you wouldn’t question it, the matter already being a lot on him in its own.

The moment that you take his hand, the male drags you with him through the castle and straight into the drawing room. Where he presses the door shut firmly behind you, making sure that it is completely closed and cages you in between said entrance and his body. His arms are on either side of your head and his gaze is so sharp that you think that you could get cut just from looking at him and so you avoid.

“(Y/n), what did you see?”

the position you were in struck a sudden bought of nervousness in your body. Hyunjin’s closeness made you squirm, unbeknownst to him. His eyes are so firmly planted and he has no intention of straying his away from your figure

A few seconds pass where you do everything in your power to avoid eye contact as well as attempt to think of a way out of your current predicament but that just makes the magical boy even more impatient. Hyunjin leans in closer to your face, bringing his self eye level with you. At this point you can feel his breathe on your skin but your looking down at the ground. it is when he brings his hand up gently to your chin and nudges you to look at him that you squeal.

“I saw the note!”

Hyunjin sighs and backs away from you. The man runs his hand through his hair and looks up at the ceiling for a second. “ Hyunjin, what’s going on?” you quip , a bit uneasy from your newfound knowledge and from your friends reaction. He hones his gaze back on to you and inches closer and closer to your frame which is still pressed up against the wall. 

“Don’t worry about it (y/n). I have things under control”

~

It was on a particularly uneventful day that she came, the unexpected visitor arriving to the castle in a fashion that was quiet the opposite of what you would’ve initially expected. The surprise was evident in not only Hyunjin’s expression but in the way that his voice wavered with a bout of skepticism. His shoulders stiffening up at the sight of a female not much older than him being escorted in by the boulder guards which of whom each carried a long sharp spear in their right hands and shook the ground with every step for they we’re heavy beings “Hello Cousin” her voice sounded a little too chipper as she greeted the male. The female than proceeds to wrap Hyunjin in a hug, her arms leaving from around him almost as fast as they had reached out to hold him, the affectionate gesture left the boy stunned, you could tell from the way he scrunched his eyebrows together “Oh I love what you’ve done with your hair” she exclaims excitably at the site.

You honestly didn’t know how their relationship dynamic was and the scene unfolding before your eyes did nothing to help you piece the puzzle together. Looking at them now would make anyone believe that they were close but the tensions that were steadily rising in the kingdom fueled on by both beings that shared the same blood told you otherwise

Her hair was blonde, smile bright, and figure slender. She was the complete epitome of beautiful, there was no denying it and her focus shifted from your royal friend onto you. Watching diligently the interaction between the two from the side. Her eyes skimmed over your form from head to toe before her gaze made its way back up to stare directly into your eyes  “And who might this be?” a look of mild curiosity began to glaze over her features. She didn’t stray her attention from you when she asked the question.

“My best friend, (y/n)” Hyunjin’s eyebrows seemed to scrunch together even tighter than before at Yeeun’s sudden interest in you although he tried not to let any part of his body language give it away, but the way he tightened his hold on his fingers that were clasped together to the point that his knuckles were turning white and the way that he chewed on the inside of is cheek careful enough to not draw any blood was a dead give away. You almost missed the way that Hyunjin tensed up from beside you by the way Yeeun’s strikingly purple orbs had your attention fixated onto the obviously inhumanely captivating female. If you would’ve looked a little closer, you would've also noticed the small horns protruding from the sides of her head, hidden enough under her shoulder length tresses that it was easy to overlook.

“Best friend, huh?” His cousin sighs, moving a little closer to the point that you could feel a hint of heat radiating off of her body and into your personal space, she makes sure that you are holding her gaze before continuing “Well (Y/N) I have a feeling that we’re going to get along very well”

~

You soon came to realize exactly what the sentence that Yeeun spoke out meant, The latter not being subtle in the slightest. It started with subtle glances and a quirk of the lip, as if she was on a mission to fluster you, her gaze wouldn’t stray away from yours until you broke the intense eye contact ultimately loosing the unspoken battle of dominance, and to intensify the tension she would snicker every time. On rare occasions the pretty female would voice out little flirtations or find things to tease you about.

You would be lying if you said that her subtle actions didn’t affect you and you were still trying to scope Yeeun out in terms of personality and intentions in general. She didn’t seem like a bad person but what do you know, you just met the girl.

It had only been a week since Yeeun’s arrival and it really stirred things up, the female really knew how to rile you up with the ability to sometimes let the boy who usually plagued your mind slip from it.

~

Sometimes you wondered how you ended up being persuaded to do anything with your blonde haired friend because he always dragged you into the oddest of situations rather those affairs were dangerous or just outright embarrassing. Whenever Hyunjin was involved, you found yourself unable to resist his charm. Which resulted in your predicament now, Stuck in the land of time because the boy had forgotten the safest route out of the fortress.

You groaned out loud as you followed your friends lead, almost stumbling over a nice sized rock and the boy stopped his hasty movements if only for a moment, turning back to grace you with his orbs “Don’t worry (y/n)” was what left his lips in the most reassuring voice he could muster, but even you could tell that he wasn’t so sure, the boy continued in long strides that you could barely keep up with “Hyunjin” you sighed, your legs starting to get tired from walking through the uneven fortress, dodging any portals that you came across, for if you were to get caught up in one then you would be doomed to either be stuck in a loop or get lost in a different era. which you didn’t want any of those things to happen, so you tried to stay aware of you surroundings, consisting of a bunch of clocks in different shapes in sizes, a couple of them being broke but despite that all of them were scattered through the warm sand and boulders that made up the land.

The sky was a swirl of bright colors which had at first left you in awe but  you had soon grown tired of seeing the same sky that was located in a place that you didn’t belong

The blonde perches his self up on a stone that was bigger than the both of you and you follow his movements by placing yourself in front of him. Hyunjin then proceeds to place his head in his hands and sigh exasperatedly “I’m sorry (Y/N), I always seem to drag you into the worse situations.” The boy looks up from the ground to meet your eyes, intense gaze and dejection swirling in his irises.

That look alone is enough to have you reaching for one of his hands to silently reassure him because it was your choice to tag along anyway “Listen i’m fine with accompanying you anywhere rather the place is ideal or not”

“No but i’ve been dragging you into unlikely situations since we met and honestly I can see why you didn’t like me at first I probably would've felt the same way”

Those words were like a harsh smack in the face, the realization that the blonde haired boy was insecure about your friendship dawning on you and causing some of his fleeting words and actions from the past up until now to turn the gears in you memory, it made so much more sense. At first you did come off as mean to him but the relationship between the two of you had bloomed into something more, something that couldn’t be touched and you couldn’t fathom why he was thinking of a dark part of the past, so you do the only thing that you can think of in that moment to blatantly let him know that you will always be there for him and wrap you arms around his neck to hold him in your embrace, your head resting on his shoulder

It takes only a couple of seconds for the aforementioned male to get out of his daze nonetheless moving his limp arms to return your affections but when he does he nuzzles his face into your shoulder and your heart just about burst from his ministrations.

If someone had asked you two years ago to willingly accompany Hyunjin on one of his wild escapades you probably would’ve shut down the suggestion so fast that whomever was asking wouldn’t understand but now being in the blondes presence is like a whole ass blessing that you would always say yes too, enthusiastically at that! So you find yourself blindly following said male because you wholeheartedly trust him. How could you not when he was there for you through the hardest of times.

The predicament that you two were in stemmed from Hyunjin’s goal to acquire a memory of time that would prove his parent’s innocence to the council and more importantly to the people of Mewni, you being the best friend that you are decided to accompany the distressed boy.

You had passed by the same odd shaped boulder that resembled a giant hand maybe three times at this point, a strong sense of dejavu clouded your being, it was when the male perched himself up on the same boulder as before and began his apology that you realized that something was completely off “Hyunjin” you interrupted him from his impending speech to notify him of the revelation that had struck you and he stared at you with doe eyes, being completely caught off guard

“I think we are stuck in a time loop”

~

Finally, the two of you made it to the designated spot that Hyunjin had muddled through his magic to find, after assessing the prior situation he had figured out a way to break both you out of the constant replay of the same events and you ultimately found yourselves standing in front of a giant man which of whom was about the size of a sky scraper from the big bustling city. He was referred to as Father time.

Although the mans voice was boisterous and reverberated through out the whole expanse of the land of time itself, it wasn’t harsh but held more of a soft undertone that left you at ease in the face of the well composed and calm being.

With this in mind you stood idly to the side as the intimidating giant gave Hyunjin the task of something that was too intricate for you to remember in exchange for the hidden memory that the male so desperately needed to uncover for the sake of not only his parents but for the kingdom of Mewni as well. The male had a huge weight on his shoulders one that was dropped on him without any notice in advance to which he had to step up to and take responsibility for even though the turn of events had nothing to do with him but rather all to do with other familial connections that he didn’t even know of.

Life is just unfair, you realize as you chance a glance at the male at your side, his gaze more than determined to do what ever has to be done to ensure the safety of his position.

~

When you had asked Hyunjin the reason behind him being the one to take the throne instead of his older sister, Yeji. He opted to explain to you in intricate detail why the burden of the kingdom fell on his shoulders “Yeji is already on the council, You know, the people that are over the surrounding kingdoms, this one included. She can’t take the throne and be on the council so that’s where I come in.” you just bob your head up and down vigorously to show your comprehension despite not fully understanding the whole concept of how things ran in the nether realm.

His demeanor is relaxed, regardless of the fact that his cousins mere existence was enough to make her a great threat to his title and that there were already forces rallying behind his opponent in regards of taking over the only life that Hyunjin had ever known. Or maybe the boy wasn’t so nonchalant to the fact, maybe he was having an internal battle with his thoughts and current predicament, just being exceptionally good at masking it from those around him, for royal etiquette teaches you to stay composed ..

~

You hadn’t accompanied Hyunjin on his final task, the boy instead wanting to go through with recovering the memory himself and you could understand. it was something personal, something that one would want to do alone and so you waited for him. But when he came back a little too quiet to your liking, you knew that something was off. His spirits seemed to be dampened instead of bright and cheery as they usually would be.

The air surrounding the magical boy was so strong that it was almost suffocating. He made sure to greet you with a tight lipped smile that did not reach his eyes at all before trudging off to somewhere unknown and you contemplated over giving him a little space and time or going after him right away for his aura was a complete one eighty from what it should’ve been.

Hyunjin had been locked up in his room the whole day after that, leaving you on edge at the fact that the male had a lot of things that he was battling alone. The inexplicable feeling to comfort your friend consumed your mind, you honestly didn’t know how to handle the situation.

Coming up with the solution to make some treats as your approach, you knocked softly on the male’s door. Once you heard a muffled “yes” from the other side, you proceed to enter his safe space “I brought a peace offering” you smile, holding up a tray of chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk and the boy pops his head up from under the heap of blankets that swallowed him whole “(Y/N), That’s a lot of chocolate” He put an emphasis on those words.

You cant remember when exactly you ended up in bed next to the warm being, leaving enough space between your bodies in which it was a for sure thing that you wouldn’t touch the other. Hyunjin had munched slowly on one of the cookies that you brought and even allowed a soft chuckle to leave the confines of his mouth when you commented on your treats being safe and hallucinogen free prior to the moment that you were having now. In the present, the two of you lay in a deep silence that wasn’t harsh but in a way it spoke. The stillness threw out whispers in the air, the words being of understanding that Hyunjin was having a hard time and that you were there to help him through it.

“I couldn’t find anything, it’s like the whole incident back then vanished completely” his voice finally breaks through the quietness that succumbed the room albeit unevenly, you turn to lay on your side, ensuring that you are facing him directly “My parents are missing and I can’t find any leads. I dont know what else to do”. The male looked as if he could break down in tears at any given moment; eyes glossed over, lips shut tightly, and breathing on the edge of being ragged. The sight alone brought your heart huge discomfort, to witness the one that you were most probably in love with in pain had the ability to stir a tight twist in your gut

~

If someone were to ask you to describe your blonde haired friend in a few words, your response would be that he is a big ball of energy that the world didn’t know that they needed. Literally, the boy could brighten up a room with just his presence- how he did was a mystery that you found yourself being drawn to. 

This moment being a good example, You sat on a large log, taking a sip from some drink that you didn’t know the name of as Katrina rambled on about some people from the cloud kingdom. You weren’t really paying attention at this point for your attention had drifted to a certain blonde male which of whom had a pretty female sitting at his side, normally that wouldn’t bother you but it was the fact that she was a little too close to the boy and being much too touchy for your liking.

Katrina nudged your side with her elbow with enough force to pull you out of your trance and focus your attention back to her.

The fire that was placed strategically in the middle of you and the rest of your group glowed a bright green, the flames sending warmth radiating through the chill of night. Once news spread that you were back in Mewni, your other dimensional friends had immediately jumped at the idea of having a bonfire at the Goopy slime beach- the name coming from the sand turning into varying colors of a slime like substance when wet.

The brunette followed the direction of your focus, a flash of understanding striking her instantaneously “I honestly don’t understand why you two are not together yet.” those words send a warm sensation down your spine. You deadpan at your friend and feign innocence “ whatever do you mean? We’re best friends Katrina thats all.”

Katrina just rolls her eyes with a smirk on her face “Yeah, whatever you say (y/n).”

Your eyes are locked on the interaction between Hyunjin and this mystery girl and it honestly has you clenching your Jaw. “How about we go get another drink” Your friend pipes up from beside you to which you go more than willingly. Maybe it would take the edge off and help distract you from the nasty feelings that were boiling up in your chest.

Your sipping on your sugary alcoholic beverage and taking deep breathes as a means to calm yourself down. You shouldn’t feel any type of way, Hyunjin would definitely tell you if he was seeing someone. But no matter what you did, you just couldn’t shake the tightness in your chest.

You’re so immersed in your thoughts that you don’t even realize when The blonde haired boy walks up next to you. You just feel a hand on your shoulder and you jump so hard in shock that you almost spill your drink all over yourself. Hyunjin hears the loud gasp that you let out and observes your startled state before he starts roaring in laughter.

“(Y/n), are you okay?”

you lightly push his shoulder, mildly offended that he startled you like that and had the nerve to find it funny. “I’m doing just fine. No thanks to you” To this he mocks being shot in the heart and you begin to feel safe enough to loosen up a little bit. You were just overthinking things, you had to be.

the calm was short lived because not even three minute into your interaction, the mystery girl shows up and wraps her arm around Hyunjin’s side “Jin we’re about to start playing Halo or Hex.” she’s pouting her lips and looking up to him in the most flirtatious way. Theres that uncomfortable knot in your chest again. Hyunjin’s eyes are still on you which directs the mystery girls attention to you as well.

“Oh Hi, i’m Mimi” The girl holds out her hand for you to shake and in that moment your too frazzled to speak “Hi, I’m going to borrow her real quick.” the extra voice seemingly comes out of nowhere but the feeling of hands on your shoulders lets you know that someone is beside you and so you look over to see none other then, Yeeun. 

Her timing was perfect!

Yeeun doesn’t let go of your wrist until the bonfire is nothing but a smear of orange light behind the trees

“Come on. I need air. You need air. If I have to watch Mimi bat her lashes one more time, I’m going to set something on fire.” she mutters unapologetically

You almost laugh — almost — but your heart is too tangled in the way Hyunjin’s expression fell when you were dragged off.

You don’t fight her.

Not after watching Mimi slide her arm through Hyunjin’s like she belonged there.

Not after watching Hyunjin smile — polite, tight, uncomfortable — like he didn’t know where to look.

Your chest still feels tight.

~

When Yeeun said borrow, you didn’t think that she would bring you to the Lucitor Kingdom.

The Lucitor Kingdom isn’t like Mewni — the sky is a deeper shade of amethyst, the structures dark stone illuminated by glowing magma streams that run like veins through the earth. The air feels alive, humming, warm.

Yeeun guides you into a tall obsidian castle lined with torches.

“Try not to stare at everything too hard,” she murmurs. “Sunwoo says he’ll die of secondhand embarrassment.”

“And Sunwoo is…?” you prompt.

“You’ll see.”

The castle doors open before she touches them.

A tall demon boy stands just inside the doorway, arms folded loosely, gaze drifting lazily over a book he’s holding. His horns curve back elegantly, dark against the warm glow behind him. His hair falls in soft waves, and his eyes — deep gold flecked with red — lift the moment you enter.

First, he sees Yeeun.

And something in his entire posture changes.

Sunwoo.

His eyes widen — not the irritated kind of surprise she’s used to, but something softer. Warmer. Quietly thrilled. His entire expression changes, like someone flipped a switch.

“Yeeun,” he says, and his voice is warm enough to melt through your shoes. “You’re here.”

He steps forward — tall, lean, far more handsome than is fair

Then he notices you.

“And you brought…” His lips twitch. “Company.”

“Is that an actual human?”

Yeeun pushes a strand of hair behind her ear, suddenly awkward. “This is (Y/n). A friend and yes she’s human.”

Friend.

You feel that word land in your chest.

Sunwoo’s gaze drifts over you, not judgmental, just curious — perceptive in a way that feels like he can read everything you feel without you speaking.

“You’re Hyunjin’s friend,” he says, voice dipped in amusement. “The one Yeeun doesn’t shut up about.”

Yeeun groans. “Sunwoo, don’t start.” “What?” he asks innocently. “You never bring people here. You’ve mentioned them before. ”Your heart jumps. “She mentioned me?” Yeeun elbows him — hard. Sunwoo doesn’t even flinch, just grins wider. “She talks about a lot of things,” he says, eyes still on you. “Mostly when she thinks no one listens.” Yeeun hisses. “I am going to throw you into the lava.” “You say that every time,” he says, utterly unfazed. “You never do.”

She glares daggers at him. “Ignore him. He’s dramatic.”

“I’m truthful,” Sunwoo counters. Then, softer, “And I’m glad you’re finally here.”

He gestures for the two of you to enter deeper into the castle. You follow him into a lounge glowing with ember-lit lamps and crimson silk draping the stone walls. The air smells faintly of warm spice and smoke.

Sunwoo turns toward Yeeun with the familiarity of someone who has known her for decades.

“I was wondering when you’d come by,” he says.

“I didn’t plan to,” she replies.

He tilts his head. “You only come here when something is bothering you.”

Yeeun stiffens.

His gaze shifts to you.

“And judging by the look on your face…” he murmurs, piecing it together instantly, “I’m guessing it has something to do with Hyunjin’s charming new political prop.”

Your stomach twists.

~

You haven’t seen Hyunjin in two days. Not since the bonfire. Not since Yeeun dragged you away. Not since Mimi wrapped herself so casually around his arm — as if she had every right.

You told yourself you needed the distance. You told yourself you didn’t care. But your heart calls you a liar every minute.

The Mewni palace feels heavier today. Servants whisper in corners, carrying scrolls, leaning close. Something is humming through the halls — tension? Gossip? A secret too big to hold?

You don’t know. Not yet.

You’re walking past the corridor that leads toward the council chambers when you hear it.

A group of nobles stand gathered near an open archway, fanning themselves with scrolls and speaking in hushed, excited tones.

“She would make a wonderful queen.”

“And beautiful, too! The perfect match.”

“And strong lineage — that’s what we need. Hyunjin needs a partner that validates the monarchy.”

“Yes, the people adore her already. Even more than I imagined.”

You freeze.

Their voices carry too easily. Too carelessly.

Curiosity pricks you before you can stop it. You slip closer, staying out of sight but close enough to hear.

One of them sighs with satisfaction.

“Mimi of the Ruby Wing clan might be the most popular candidate we’ve had in decades. The realm already sees her as the prince’s future bride.”

Bride.

The word knocks the wind out of you.

But they aren’t done.

“It’s the best option,” another agrees. “With the king and queen gone for so long, there are still those who question Hyunjin’s legitimacy. If he marries Mimi, the council won’t dare contest his right to ascend.”

Your heart stutters. So that’s what this is. Not romance. Not interest. Not fate or love or even choice.

Politics.

They want Mimi to secure his throne.

Your hands shake around the book you’re holding. You force them still — but your chest feels too tight, too hot, too hollow.

A younger noble adds brightly:

“Besides, have you seen them together? They look perfect!”

You squeeze your eyes shut. You did see them together, you saw Mimi’s hand on his arm. You saw Hyunjin’s quiet discomfort that you didn’t understand at the time. And now… hearing this…

It all crashes together.

A shaky breath escapes you — too loud.

The nobles pause. You slip back around the corner, pressing yourself against the wall, heart hammering like it’s trying to outrun your ribcage.

Your thoughts spiral.

They want him to marry her.

They want her to be queen.

They want her beside him — not just at ceremonies, not just for politics — but for life.

Your stomach drops.

Is this why Hyunjin didn’t tell you?

Because he knew?

Because it was already decided?

Because saying it out loud would make it real?

You turn, intending to flee, but—

“(Y/n)?”

You jump.

It’s Mimi.

Standing behind you in the hallway, pretty and composed, a soft smile on her lips like she wasn’t just the subject of all your worst thoughts. “Oh! I didn’t scare you, did I?” she asks sweetly. You force your breathing to steady. “No, I— I was just leaving.” She steps closer, hands clasped politely.

“Hyunjin’s looking for you, you know.” Your heart lurches.

“He’s in the gardens,” she continues. “He’s been pacing for an hour. Very dramatic.” She laughs lightly, like it’s charming. Your voice is hollow when you manage, “Why is he looking for me?”

“Oh,” she shrugs, “probably to talk about the engagement rumors.”

The blood drains from your face. 

Rumors. So they weren’t secret. Everyone knew — everyone except you.

Mimi tilts her head, eyes bright and annoyingly kind. “I hope it doesn’t bother you,” she says softly. “People just want what’s best for Mewni. And Hyunjin is so important to the future of the kingdom.” She smiles a little too warmly. “And so is the person he marries.”

Your lungs stop working.

Words blur.

Sound blurs.

The world blurs.

Not because of Mimi.

Not because of the nobles.

Not because of politics.

Because—

Hyunjin is looking for you.

Right now.

Because he knows you know.

Because he knows this hurts you.

Because maybe, deep down, it hurts him too.

Mimi gives a polite bow.

“I’ll let you find him.”

Then she glides away, humming, as if she hadn’t just rearranged the organs inside your chest.

You stand alone in the corridor, air trembling around you, trying not to fall apart.

~

You nearly make it to the quietest part of the gardens — a tucked-away arch lined with pale lavender blossoms — before your chest finally betrays you.

A breath catches painfully. Another shakes loose. You grip the edge of the stone fountain just to steady yourself. You need air. You need space. You need—

Not Hyunjin.

Not Mimi.

Not the whispers about the council’s “perfect future queen.”

Just silence.

A twig snaps behind you.

You startle, turning. It’s not Hyunjin, It’s Yeeun.

She looks at you for one long moment — really looks — taking in your uneven breathing, the redness in your eyes, the way your fingers still tremble on the stone rail.

“Of all the places you could hide,” Yeeun’s voice calls, “you chose the most dramatic corner of the garden. Cute.”

You shut your eyes. “I’m not hiding.”

“Right,” she says unimpressed. “And water is dry”

She steps into view, folding her arms and arching a brow like she’s caught you red-handed committing treason. Her hair is slightly wind-tousled, eyes sharp but not unkind.

She takes one look at you and her expression softens — but barely.

“So,” she says lightly, “are we having a crisis or a moment?”

You press a hand to your forehead. “Yeeun, I’m not—”

“Because if you’re having a crisis, I should’ve brought snacks.”

A tiny, unwilling laugh slips out of you.

She smirks. “There it is. Humor. Step one of distraction successful.”

You shake your head. “You don’t have to babysit me.”

“Babysit?” She scoffs. “Please. You think I’d waste my time babysitting when I could be doing something useful like…”

She gestures vaguely. “…stealing your attention?”

You blink. “Stealing my—?”

She strolls past you, plucks a flower from the lavender arch, and tucks it behind your ear with practiced, infuriating confidence.

You freeze.

“There,” she says smugly. “A distraction.”

“Yeeun—”

“What? Does it not suit you?” She tilts her head. “I think it does. I think you could put half the royal court to shame without even trying, and that’s probably why they’re terrified of you.”

You open your mouth, but she isn’t done.

“Actually,” she continues, circling you like she’s evaluating art, “it’s tragically unfair how pretty you are. I’m offended. Deeply.”

You stare at her. “What are you doing?”

“Flirting.”

“W-what? Why?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she says with a dramatic sigh, leaning a little too close, “maybe because it’s the only thing you look more confused about than your own feelings.”

You sputter. “I don’t— I’m not—”

She grins. “See? Perfect distraction.”

She plops down beside the fountain, skirts spreading elegantly, then pats the stone next to her.

“Well? Sit. I can’t flirt effectively if you’re standing five feet away like a shy deer.”

You hesitate.

She pats the stone again. “Sit.”

You sit.

She gives a satisfied hum and then nudges your shoulder with hers — lightly, deliberately friendly.

“You’re thinking too hard,” she says.

You stare at the water. “I’m trying not to.”

“And failing spectacularly.”

Another nudge. A little harder.

“Hey. Look at me.”

You do.

And her expression is softer now, still teasing, still sharp — but aware. Gentle in the way only someone who has been hurt can be gentle.

“I see you spiraling,” she says simply. “So I’m interrupting it. Aggressively, if necessary.”

You roll your eyes, but she isn’t fooled.

“You keep running from him,” she continues, “so I’m here to keep you company until you stop wanting to hurl yourself into the pond.”

You snort. “I’m not going to—”

“You looked like you were about five seconds from a swan-diving meltdown.”

You laugh. Embarrassed, but real.

She nudges you again, softer this time.

“Good,” she murmurs. “See? Laughing. Distraction stage two completed.”

You sigh, shoulders relaxing. “Thank you, Yeeun.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she says, leaning in with a mischievous grin. “I haven’t even pulled out the best distractions. I can juggle, you know.”

You blink. “You can’t juggle.”

“No,” she admits. “But you thought about it. So that’s distraction level three.”

You groan into your hands, laughing again.

Yeeun nudges your knee with hers.

“Hey,” she says more gently, “you don’t have to talk about Hyunjin. Or Mimi. Or any of it.”

You lift your head.

“you came out here so you could breathe,” she says. “So breathe.”

You inhale — slowly, shakily — and exhale.

Her gaze softens further.

“And if breathing doesn’t work,” she adds lightly, “you can just look at me instead. I’m very soothing.”

You choke on a laugh. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re adorable when you’re overwhelmed,” she shoots back.

You open your mouth again — but she reaches out and taps your nose before you can respond.

“Stop thinking about him,” she instructs. “Think about me for a minute.”

You blink rapidly. “You’re— you’re really doing this.”

“What? Flirting you out of your panic attack?” She smiles proudly. “Yeah. I’m amazing at it.”

Your heart does a strange, surprised little flip.And for the first time today— You actually do forget Hyunjin. Even if just for a moment.

~

Thank you guys so much for reading, i really hope you like it. This is going to be a two part series.