Chapter Text
Jungkook shivered slightly as he tossed and turned on his unusually stiff bed. He mumbled something under his breath as his hand roamed around, trying to pull the comforter closer to himself. There were hushed voices surrounding him. Jungkook frowned. That’s when he realized something was off. If he remembered clearly, he should be lying on his desk, where he had last fallen asleep. It didn’t make sense that he was lying down flat. As his mind became more clear he started to make out the voices surrounding him. Jungkook’s eyes flew open. He was sleeping in some random stable surrounded by a crowd of villagers.
“That young man sure dresses funny,” an older woman whispered to an older man who’s standing next to her.
A young woman leaning towards another woman similar to her age,”What a handsome fellow. Such a shame that he cut his hair.”
Jungkook stared at them blankly. His eyes wide in confusion. What was going on?
“Why is he looking at us like that? Is he a lunatic?” Another person whispered.
The crowd of people were dressed in some kind of traditional East Asian clothing. Different shades of earthly colors and occasionally some blues. However, there was one person that stood out to him. It was a tall man with handsome features. The blue, silky robe with white embroidery wrapped around him, accentuating his broad shoulders and waist. He had an air of confidence in him. Jungkook could tell that he was in a different class than everyone.
“He’s so young, what a shame that his mind seems to have a few screws loose.”
Jungkook scanned his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was. Traditional East Asian housing surrounded him but he couldn’t pinpoint which country it really belonged to. Judging from the building materials of the buildings, it seemed to be a town in some ancient East Asian country. There were elements of different countries in the infrastructure and the villagers' clothing however, so it was hard for Jungkook to tell which country he’s in.
“He isn’t saying anything, what if he’s mute?”
“What a strange fellow indeed. I’ve never seen him before. Could he be from a different place?”
But none of this made sense to Jungkook. He was a well-known wedding planner from the 2000s. It didn’t make sense why he’d be here in some random ancient village surrounded by people wearing traditional clothing looking like paid actors. Time traveling was something that only happens in novels, there’s no way it could happen in real life. So the most reasonable answer was that this was all just a dream. Nodding to himself for reassurance, he raised a hand and pinched himself hard on his arm without any hesitation. Surprised by the pain that came from his arm, Jungkook screamed. It was then he realized that it was unfortunately not a dream.
A few surprised gasps came from the crowd as he felt concerned and curious gazes on him all at once. He didn’t like the attention one bit. He was a well-known wedding planner after all, to be treated like a circus animal by people from ancient times really hurt his pride. The attention became more unbearable as time passed. He couldn’t just sit there and stare back at them while they judge him. He had to do something so that they would finally leave him alone and mind their own business.
Clearing his throat for a moment he spoke out, “Oh I’m terribly sorry for sleeping here but I have nowhere else to go. I ran away from my village.” Jungkook’s eyes became red as if he was about to cry. “You see, my parents passed away when I was young. They abused me and forced me to wear rags and cut off my hair because I’m an orphan.”
Oh god what was he even saying? How was that supposed to help this situation? Jungkook wanted to slap himself but that would only make it worse. It was a dumb speech but Jungkook couldn’t help it as he was been put on the spot. If it were people from the modern era they would’ve called his story bullshit by now. But this was a group of gullible villagers from ancient times. It shouldn’t be too hard to fool them. Hopefully. To Jungkook’s relief, a few soft-hearted maidens’ eyes were turning red, as if they were touched by Jungkook’s bullshit sob story. Jungkook breathed out a breath that he didn’t even realize he was holding. A voice suddenly spoke out.
“How sad young fellow, if you have nowhere to go why don’t you come with me?” The person speaking was the person wearing the blue robe. “I can provide you a place to live for now while you figure things out. We can get you some better clothes too.”
Things were going better than expected. At least Jungkook no longer had to worry about where he was going to stay or where he was going to find suitable clothes for this time period. He felt himself relaxing a bit more. From the materials of the man’s robe Jungkook could tell that he was rich without a doubt. His hair however, was still a big problem. Having short hair amongst people who have long hair would make him stand out way too much for his own good. The last thing Jungkook wanted was to get involved in something that could put his life in danger. After all, he still didn’t know where he was nor does he know anything about this place.
Eagerly, Jungkook nodded and the man told everyone to scatter and continue with their lives. Reluctantly, the crowd left with a noisy chatter.
The man smiled at Jungkook as he extended his hand out to him. “Well hello, my name’s Kim Seokjin but you can call me Jin.”
Jungkook took his hand as Jin pulled him to his feet. “Thanks for scattering the crowd and offering me a place to stay. Well, I’m Jeon Jungkook. It’s nice to meet you I guess.”
Jin laughed. “Likewise. So, how old are you?”
“22.”
“Oh! That means I’m older than you. You'll have to call me hyung then.”
“Okay Seokjin hyung.” Jungkook nodded absentmindedly as he glanced around the town.
The streets were bustling and lively. Children ran around the streets, some holding toys like kites and puppets in their hands. Girls stood around chattering away. The adults walked around looking around the stalls. Some people glanced around buying things from vendors. Some vendors walked down the streets selling sugar-coated haws while other vendors stood by their stands calling for customers. Butchers were at their stalls chopping meat. Everyone’s attention drew to them as they walked past. To be more specific, the attention was on Jungkook. Mainly due to his short hair and modern clothing.
“Um, so uh, where are we going Seokjin hyung?” Jungkook asked, feeling uncomfortable with the way people looked at him.
“Place where I’m staying right now, of course,” Jin replied. “We’re almost there.”
Jungkook went silent. He still didn’t quite understand what was going on. He was a wedding planner from the 2000s but somehow he woke up in ancient, ancient China? The villagers’ clothing looked most similar to the traditional Chinese clothing, hanfu so Jungkook took a guess that he might possibly be in ancient China. However, that wasn’t the most important thing on his mind right now. He had to figure out how he got here and find a way back. Thoughts floated around in his mind as his hand rested comfortably on his chin. The rest of the trip was silent as they walked to Jin’s house.
Jungkook gaped at Jin’s house when they arrived. In front of them was a big gate, the plaque above the doors read Kim Residence. As they walked in they were greeted by two servants who were waiting by the door. They stood in the courtyard. There were a few buildings connected together by corridors and two courtyards on either side of it. The courtyard on the other side of the corridor was decorated with rockery and some plants. Jungkook would’ve never thought that he’d ever be able to see something like this or to actually experience how it feels living here.
“Welcome to the Kim Residence,” Jin smiled. He turned to one of the servants. “Why don’t you go get this young master some new pair of clothes and show him where he’ll be staying?”
The servant bowed. “Yes of course young master Kim. This way, young master.” The servant gestured for Jungkook to follow him and so Jungkook trailed behind him to his new room.
Once they got there the servant handed him the clothes and left him in his room. After staring at the pieces of clothing for some time, Jungkook finally found the right way to wear it. Jungkook looked into the mirror in front of him. He was wearing a white and green hanfu(?). A white undergarment, lighter green outer robe with dark green collar and a dark green belt. Now he actually looked a lot more like he was actually from this place. There was however, one little problem. His hair was short. His fingers tread through his locks of hair as he tried to figure out how to tie it so that it looked longer. But unfortunately his hair wasn’t long enough to be tied. Staring at his hair in the mirror, an idea flashed into his mind on how to change that. Just then a knock came by the door. A servant peeked into the room.
“Young master, young master Kim has asked me to check up on you and see if you needed any assistance.”
Jungkook’s eyes were glued to the servant’s long, black hair that was tied into a bun. Slowly, his lips curved into a smile.
“Ah, I’d love some assistance, thank you very much.”
Jin sat by the table in the courtyard, sipping casually on his tea. After hearing footsteps approaching he put the cup down and turned his head in that direction. His eyes grew wide.
“What— how—“ Jin’s mouth opened and closed like a fish in the water.
Jungkook tilted his head slightly and looked at him.
Jin raised a finger at him. “How— how did you grow your hair out within ten minutes?”
As if on cue, the servant stumbled down the stairs. “Young master Kim! This young master cut off my hair when I asked him if he needed any assistance! Please young master Kim, you have to do something about it!”
He turned around to look at Jungkook, who looked back at him innocently.
“Well, he asked me if I need help. That implies that he’d help me if I needed any, right?” Jungkook said, his eyes wide with innocence. But Jin knows that he wasn’t as innocent as he seemed. “His hair was really long anyway so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to cut off a bit. Besides, I make sure that the length he has now can still be tied up without a problem!”
“A bit? A bit?!” The servant questioned him before looking at jin again. “Oh young master Kim, please do me justice!”
Jin sighed to himself as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t expect Jungkook to cause trouble when he just brought him home but he couldn’t make him pay for what he’s done. It was his choice to bring him back, after all. Besides, the poor fellow probably didn’t have any money on him anyway, as he had ran away from home and couldn’t even afford wearing proper clothes. Jungkook was more of a troublemaker than he thought although it was strange. He was abused by the people in his village, so where could he have gotten the courage to cut someone else’s hair off without warning? Something didn’t seem to add up. This person, Jungkook, was definitely not just some orphan living on the streets. Sighing to himself yet again, Jin took out his pouch to retrieve a few pieces of silver and handed it to the servant.
“I didn’t expect him to do something like that, sorry. Here, treat yourself to something nice.”
The servant’s eyes seemed to grow wider as he accepted the silver. He bowed, “Yes yes, thank you young master Kim, you’re a very kind man.” He bowed once again before leaving to tend to some chores.
Jungkook folded his arms, looking in the direction the servant went. “That was quite a few pieces of gold, young master Kim.” He turned to Jin and smiled.
“Oh don’t worry, young master Jeon. That was basically nothing.” Jin looked at Jungkook and the two laughed together.
Enjoying the moment, the two sat down by the table and continued talking about the most random things. Time flew past quickly without them noticing.
The sun was setting on the horizon. Jungkook had almost survived his first day being in this world. He sat on the steps by the gate, admiring the view. Different shades of pinks and oranges mixed together, creating a beautiful imagery. Jungkook always loved sunsets. The scenery was always pretty and looked different everyday. They were like paintings made by some powerful extraordinary being. It was like a free art museum. Looking at it always made Jungkook feel calm. During the hardest times of his life, he was able to overcome it because the sunset always gave him reasons to keep pushing forward. A small smile spread across his face. He won’t give up easily. He’ll find a way to go back to where he truly belongs. But of course, he had other problems that he needed to focus on at this moment. Such as his rumbling stomach. He got up and stretched for a bit before returning to the house.
“Young master Jeon, dinner is ready,” the maid bowed. “Young master Kim is waiting for you.”
The maid led Jungkook to the dining room where Jin was waiting. Different sorts of dishes lined up on the table. Vegetables and meat cooked to perfection. The aroma of the food filled the room. Jin sat by the table, waiting patiently.
Jungkook’s eyes sparkled as he swallowed. “This is a lot of food, Seokjin hyung. Are you sure we will be able to eat it all?”
“Of course. Now come, you’re taking too long. I’m starving.”
Nodding his head, Jungkook grabbed a chair and sat down. He picked up his chopstick and began to dig into his food. His eyes grew adorably wider as he stuffed food in his mouth. Jin almost wanted to coo at him. He picked up his own chopsticks and started eating. A comfortable silence wrapped around them as they ate contentedly.
It turned out Jin was a fairly big eater and they had no trouble finishing their food. Feeling stuffed, Jungkook walked out to the courtyard. Night had come by quickly as he was hit by the wind. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The wind was cool on his cheeks and he could hear the crickets singing softly, like a midnight serenade. At that moment, he forgot where he was. He felt calm and content. Only for a moment. As he opened his eyes he snapped back to reality. He looked up. The night sky was clear and he could see stars twinkling and the bright half moon. After lingering in the courtyard for some time Jungkook returned to his room. He sat on his bed, contemplating what he was going to do next. He had to figure out a way to get back but how? How did he get here in the first place? He had absolutely no idea how to get back or where to start. He felt truly hopeless. He could try talking to Seokjin and try to find more clues on where he is. Thinking about him he suddenly realized something. That name, it sounded familiar. But where has he heard or seen it from? He thought to himself but gave up quickly. He wasn’t going to leave this place any time soon, he might as well take his time. It was getting late so he decided to retire to bed.