genre: time travel au, fluff, angst
pairings: reader x hyunjin
description: A prince from the Goryeo Dynasty in the twenty-first century only calls for trouble. Spin-off of back in time.
➵ disclaimer: Don't @ me for the historical accuracy of the cities, I know that the ancient city of Songak is located near the North Korean border. For this fic's purpose, I'm changing it to modern day Seoul.
Hyunjin squints as he slowly adjusts to his foreign surroundings.
The last thing he remembered was being chased by a group of assassins into the outskirts of the city, baiting him to the murky forest. His horse had trotted off unfortunately, leaving him to fend for himself on foot.
Being Crown Prince meant that Hyunjin's life was constantly in danger. Ever since he was crowned, there had been five attempts to kill him, and none of them were successful. This time, however, was different. Chan, the Imperial bodyguard, wasn't here to protect him because he was assigned to escort the Empress Dowager to Byeokrando, the trading province.
Hyunjin was outside the palace gates in the first place because he wanted to give his blessings to Woojin, one of his close friends and a fellow court official who had recently gotten engaged to a princess of a smaller tribe. On his way back, he encountered several suspicious men who turned out to be assassins. Hyunjin tried to avoid them by taking a detour through the forest, but that backfired because that led him right into their ruse.
Several traps startled his horse, and Hyunjin tumbled off as his stallion ran away. He managed to regain his balance by using the trees as columns of support, but other than that, he was alone in the pitch black forest. The forest itself was known for being rather bizarre. If one were to get lost, then he'd most likely stay lost. Hyunjin was familiar with the detour route back to the palace, but without his horse, he went astray. Blinded by the sudden misty atmosphere, he batted his arms in front of him to guide him through the woods, his footwear sinking into the soft dirt.
After a good five minutes of stumbling around, Hyunjin reached a more foreign part of the forest, and his eyes gradually adjusted to the change in atmosphere. The mist had completely disintegrated.
In front of him stood a highway, illuminated by streetlights and cars zipping past. He was no longer in Goryeo.
—
You rubbed your aching back as you trudged your way to the nearest bus stop after being cooped up in an office for an entire day. Being a journalist wasn't easy, especially if there wasn't any news to report. No fresh, juicy story to dig up.
As you waited for the bus, you spotted a wandering figure standing by the edge of the highway; he looked lost. You glanced across the street and saw him walk back and forth by the edge of the clearing. He kept on glancing back at the clearing as if something was supposed to be there, but you knew that the place was under construction. There was no way he could have been in there because it had been fenced for several months now.
Another weird thing to mention, he was wearing clothes that were way out of style. Thousands of years out of style, to be exact. Your eyes suddenly widened as an epiphany hit your mind.
What if he's that actor from that one ancient drama that's broadcasting soon? This could potentially be juicy news if I got an interview with him.
Picking up your bag from the bench, you ignored the pain in your back as you quickly made your way towards the man in the traditional robe. As the proximity lessened, you were able to make out little gold etchings on his dark blue robe which matched with the band on his head. His hair was combed back, pinned into a top knot. He looked at you strangely as you approached him with a notepad in your hands.
