unfortunate. | 연준 √

twenty-one

"What kind of person am I?"
- Agust D, "People"

Yeonjun is supposed to die? How? Why? Who? Where? When? What?

On top of that, he's not a real Choi- which explains why he's the youngest and why he's the heir to the throne- but which parent had pitied the child so much that they gave him the throne and Crown Prince?! You want your child to grow as someone uncomfortable with being such? In fact, Yeonjun doesn't even know, right? When will they tell him? Why haven't they!?

The fact that instead, I'm rewriting my fate instead of fixing it, is more baffling than all of this. The fortune cookie brought me here so I can fix the misfortune I've had all my life? But what if I don't work at the same place again? With co-worker Eunwoo... stuck-up Sana, Manager Seung? Will... they not have the same jobs or exist the same way in my life?

"Isn't it interesting-"

"H-Hey Yeonjun, can I borrow this book?" I intervene in a stutter, my eyes widening as my knees are about to buckle, shaking ever-so-slightly that I'm ready to fall. The boy curiously nods, hands on his hips. "Yeah, go ahead... but why-"

"Okay, thanks!" I say in a rush, trying not to trip over my Dangui, rushing out of the library, and trying to cry along the way. Me? A female warrior? The moment it mentioned my horrible luck, I knew this story was going to guide me to my legacy in Joseon. Even so, there is so much to uncover... and in every story, only at the end of the fairytale... is the truth revealed.

I need to find Ho Seok.

"Youra, are you okay- Woah!" Pushing past a curious Seungcheol, I push past his shoulder in a blur, the boy falling to the floor before all I could respond to him with was a swift "Sorry!"  My legs won't quit, my feet stomping against the ground- hungry for an answer. My brain is spiraling and I won't stop moving until I find Ho Seok.

And suddenly, I do- the Seonbi sitting on the steps of our favorite cottage-themed library. However, the moment we met eyes, and his eyes landed on the book in my hand, he knew everything. Ho Seok beckons to the inside of the library, which we both rush in and he closes the door behind us. I breathe so heavily that I believed I was about to hurl- and my legs already gave up on me. I sit against the door, holding my head as if I felt like a freak.

"Ho Seok..." I cry out, tears falling from my eyes as my head tilts up. I can only see his blurry figure, pointing at him. "Why is Yeonjun supposed to kill himself?"

"It's time I suppose I tell you, your quest has already started..." Ho Seok sighs, clasping his hands together as he joins me against the library door. "You are currently doing a quest to fix things and make them better than before. The fortunate cookie was yes, given to you by your co-worker, however, it gave you the chance to figure out to key to your misfortunate. To unlock it, you are rewriting your fate along the way. Yeonjun killed himself because he is sacrificing himself for his dynasty."

"A-And me?"

"You're the person... who ruins their dynasty." His words pierce through me like that arrow that was once in my shoulder, heat flushing my face red as I can't help but stare at the ceiling. "That's why you're here to change that, Youra-" He stops short, placing his arm around me. "If you follow the book correctly, you will see the events that happened in the past. Either you must go through the moment in history... or correct it. The choice is up to you. Only then... are you able to help the Choi's."

"But isn't that interfering with the present?"

"It will only affect your life. Nobody else's." Ho Seok explains to me, which can't even wrap around my head properly. "Youra, you have time-"

"How much time? How much time before I'm forced to ruin the Choi Dynasty?!" I look over at him, and he doesn't seem too sure himself.

"Three months." That isn't even enough time. I don't know how to cope with this properly. Is this still a dream? Am I just dead? What's happening to me that my luck has become this bad- that I am suddenly supposed to save the Choi Dynasty after I once destroyed it?! "Youra, I'm now allowed to help you with your quest. Seungwan knows your quest too, so don't be afraid to ask if you need our assistance. You don't have to go through this alone-"

"Ho Seok, you don't understand..." I scoff, holding my head once more. "Yeonjun is not a real Choi, people are trying to kill Yeonjun because they want Eunwoo to be the heir to the throne instead, and besides that, I need to stop Yeonjun from killing himself from a family that's not even his true surname? Don't you understand this could take more than three months- and perhaps a year?!"

"Youra, it's actually... much more complicated than you think-" Ho Seok stresses at me, and I try not to scream at him for telling me that terrible phrase. "-And I wish I could tell you more, but like every book, it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. You are currently in the middle, don't you see?"

"Hm?"

"You met the princes, the secondary characters... and you've found the conflict. It's time for you to embark on your journey on the rising action. Soon, the climax will come, and the truth will finally be revealed; how you take it, however, will be the realization to not only you but to the people surrounding you."

"So, I beg, please keep you as a person from twenty-twenty, from being a character who destroys the dynasty, and a person who used to be a female warrior... a secret. You can't even tell the princes- Not even Yeonjun. You will mess up the storyline... and the pages of this book will become more messed up than you could ever imagine."

"Ho Seok... is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"Many things, actually... but if I tell you now, it will ruin your quest," He responds, pushing his hand against my head as he lays it against his shoulder. "Just know... you can do this, Youra. Don't be like me... who gave up halfway just because I was cowardly. There's so much to do, and I know you are capable of bringing the Choi Dynasty to a better place. Just trust that nobody will let you fail this quest."

"What if I fail my quest? Will, I just not exist?"

"Can't we just be meaningful for once?" He groans, shaking his head. I giggle, happy that I've lightened the mood. "You still have the guts to joke when you have a quest to be doing?" 

"Ah, you're right- but I joke all the time, Seonbi," I chuckle, opening the book. "Now, let's see what we've left off at..."

"The female warrior clutches her sword in might, swinging it across the swordsman's face. The prince tries to fight with her in fear... as his brothers are held hostage- and the people watch as if they cannot help..." He reads, catching both of us by surprise.

"Wangseja!"

As we hear the horrible cry, Ho Seok and I push each other off the ground, opening the door to the outside of the library: and there it is revealed, indeed.

The three Grand Princes held hostage- and the star of the show just arriving with his sword in hand. Which means... yes, it means... I have to save him, again.