Chapter Text
There is an ancient legend of a flower that bloomed from a drop of moonlight descending from the heavens. This flower had the power to cure any disease, fix any injury, and even give immortal life to any who sang to it.
Stories and traditions carried tales of the magical flower far throughout the land. It became one of the most commonly known folktales within a powerful kingdom on the outskirts of the flower’s birthplace, a lovely fairy tale told to children before bed.
Deep in the castle of that very same kingdom, a queen with tired eyes and a pale complexion was severely ill. No physician in their kingdom knew how to cure such a sickness. And so, the knights of the castle set off to find the flower of legends.
After months of searching, they had finally found it, hidden on the underside of a cliff, where it had stood for eons. The knights quickly pulled the flower from the earth by its roots. And the crown’s best healer and chef worked together to boil down its roots, paste together its stem and petals, to produce a mixture that cured the queen of all her illness. After one bowl of this elixir, the queen was back to her old self, though a clear toll was taken on her spirit. Her husband, the king, grunted in disbelief at her recovery.
Unbeknownst to anyone in the royal court, however, as the queen lay sick in bed, a sleeping prince waited patiently in her womb. The day she went into labor, they say the moon was fuller and brighter than any had ever witnessed before. A child with hair as dark as night and eyes that sparkled with stars was born. The young prince never cried at birth, much to the concern of his mother and the castle’s doctors. But with a gaze so full of curiosity and life, the kingdom was overjoyed at their future ruler’s birth. The day Queen Lee Sookyoung first made her dear son laugh was the first time she had smiled in over 20 years. She named him Dokja, out of her love of reading and a hope that her son would share that same love with her.
But their days of joy were numbered. The little prince was no more than 5 years old when his father, angry and unforgiving as he often was, struck his mother down. As the young boy rushed to his mother’s side, Dokja’s tears landed on her wound. The droplets glowed silvery white and bloomed like flowers across her body. The once purple bruise had all but disappeared on her skin.
The king stood in awe, before rushing to Dokja and gripping him roughly, pulling the child toward him. In a gruff, dissonant melody he sang an ancient song. As he sang, Dokja’s midnight hair glowed the same white as his tears. The man gripped a harsh hand in his hair, and the old, rotten king felt himself grow young again. His wrinkled face became smooth as porcelain. The grays in his hair transformed back to their former black. The Queen looked back in horror.
For three years, the king would keep Prince Dokja locked in his room, only allowing the young boy contact with himself to sing the horrible melody and free himself of the creaks in his bones.
But in that time, Queen Lee Sookyoung was devising a plan. A plan for her escape from the shackles of her marriage with her son in tow. After three long, laborious years, the queen and Prince Kim Dokja disappeared from the castle without a trace.
Word spread throughout the kingdom. The Queen had kidnapped her own son, fleeing far away. The king planted seeds of hatred in the minds of his people and her once loyal subjects raked her name mercilessly through the mud. And oh, that poor child, they would cry. That sad, lonely child trapped with his wretched mother somewhere far, far away. Forever stripped of the love of his father and his people. This remained the story told to all in the land. An evil, selfish mother. A strong, honorable king. And a pitiful, sad prince.
And somewhere far away, deep in the very same forest where a flower born from moonlight bloomed, a boy was raised in a tower that was his prison. His overprotective mother kept him there, away from the dangers of the outside world. The boy, much older now, could no longer remember a time before stone walls and a seventy foot drop below. And this is where our real story begins.
Kim Dokja wakes up like he does every day. The sun peers through the windows of his bedroom and pours light directly into his eyes. He groans and rolls onto his stomach, attempting to shield himself from the offensive rays. He knows how the rest will play out.
The knock on his door comes exactly when he expects it to. His mother is calling him up, both for breakfast and for their weekly ritual. The boy sits up and rubs his eyes with the heel of his palms. He takes a deep inhale and sets off to start his day.
Dokja stalks out of his room at 7:30 am wearing a flowing white shirt and simple black trousers. He gives his mother a kiss on her forehead and takes a seat at the table. They don’t say much to each other. There isn’t much to say. This is their routine.
When Kim Dokja finishes his breakfast, he sits at the table and waits for his mother to finish hers. She seems more relaxed today. Her shoulders are looser, and her usual scowl was more of a light frown.
When his mother finishes her meal, she rises from her seat and Kim Dokja follows. This, too, is a part of routine. She takes her seat on the large, cushioned chair by the fireplace as Dokja takes his seat on the footstool in front of it. She picks up a brush and begins raking it through his hair, humming a soft and quiet melody.
Kim Dokja sits there bored as his hair glows white and his mother’s wrinkles disappear. He starts daydreaming about the latest book he’s read. The plot was alright, but nothing could ever compare to his favorite story. Three Ways to Survive a Ruined World, or Ways of Survival for short.
He loved everything about the series. From world building to character development, the series was something he held to the highest of standards. When his mother had first brought it back from the markets, he was 14 years old. And after that, every birthday he would ask for the newest one.
His only gripe with the series was the ending. It was soul crushingly unsatisfying. He remembers reading the final page over and over again, hoping that somehow there would be a word he missed, a sentence hidden in the blanks of the page. But only silence stared back at him.
He chucked the book across his room after that.
This ordeal took place one year ago, and when he timidly asked for the next book in the series the following week, his mother bluntly replied that there was no other book. And Kim Dokja, at 20 years old, felt true heartbreak for the first time.
Now, on the cusp of turning 21, he has read thirty different books in the passing time, and none have lived up to the rush he felt while reading Ways of Survival. The feeling of adventure he’d get from every turn of the page. The excitement and the emotions of these characters. He consumed books voraciously to fill the void. And, yes, they would satiate him to an extent. But none were as long lasting as his love for WoS.
He was startled from his thoughts by his mother rising from her chair. This was also part of their routine.
But just as Kim Dokja began making a B-line toward his room, his mother called out to him.
“Dokja-yah.”
The boy froze in place as his heart beat quickened. His mother wanted to talk to him? Had he done something wrong? What would she say? This was notably not routine.
He turned around silently.
“I’ll be going into town today.”
At her words he immediately brightened. Not only was he not in trouble, but this meant it was finally time. Dokja would ask her the big question. He’d decided this for the past couple months and was slowly working up the courage, planning just what to say. He’d stood in front of the mirror and pictured himself as the protagonist of WoS Yu Joonhyun, practicing his speech.
He cleared his throat. I am Yu Joonhyun, he thought to himself.
“That’s great, mother!”
His mother gave him a funny look. He didn’t tend to speak so melodramatically to her. Oh no, maybe that was too enthusiastic, he thought belatedly.
Sensing his anxious energy, she prodded, “Dokja… What’s the matter? Out with it.”
So far, this was not following Dokja’s script.
“Right, well, mother, I was thinking-”
“Oh no.”
“I was thinking as I’m about to come of age and turn 21 next month…”
His words started to falter, letting them spill in a quiet, rushed jumble, “IwaswonderingifIcouldjoinyouthistime?”
“Dokja. What did we say about mumbling?”
“Sorry, mother. I said. Or well, I was wondering-”
“Please, spit it out already, child.”
“I was wondering if I could come with you to town this time,” he blurted.
His mother stared blankly at him, and Dokja tried his best to meet her head on and maintain eye contact.
Dokja knew he was pushing his mother’s limits, but he’d been confined to this tower his entire life! He had no power to do anything, no freedom to live the way he wanted. But he was about to turn 21. He was a man now, someone who could defend himself. He couldn’t spend his whole life here. Eventually, his mother would allow him to see the world.
Instead, his mother’s blank stare shifted into a sneer.
“Of course not. Are you insane, Dokja? I thought you stopped talking about such nonsense once you’d grown past 18.”
“But, mother, I’m turning 21. I’m old enough now. I can handle myself.”
“No, no, you cannot handle anything. Speaking of 21 like you’re so grown. You have no idea what is out there. You could never survive the real world.”
“So you expect me to do what? Hide my whole life?”
“Yes. You will never leave this tower. What about that don’t you understand? Do you want to be murdered? Kidnapped? Do you want to be rid of me so badly?
“No, that’s not it-”
“Do you think of yourself like the heroes in your books? Dokja-yah, those are fiction. You are not a hero of some fairytale. The world will swallow you whole and shape you into something entirely different. You’re safe here. Safe with me.”
Dokja looked down dejectedly. Of course. How could he expect anything else? If he was like the protagonists in his books, Dokja would be strong enough to leave this tower. He would be brave enough to write his own story. But he was not a protagonist. Kim Dokja was a reader.
His mother took a deep breath, “We are hiding from dangerous people. Don’t you remember the stories I’ve told you? These people want to use you. They will take you, lock you away, and keep you from me forever.” A glimmer of vulnerability showed on her face as she took Dokja’s head in her hands, “You are my entire world. I will not let anyone take you from me. Do you understand?”
Dokja swallowed down the taste of bile in his throat and gave her a small nod of his head. She stroked his hair lightly, and Dokja was reminded of a time that was foggy in his memory. There was a time when his mother’s hands didn't feel like shackles. There was a time when his world was bigger than the walls of his tower. But he didn’t remember the details anymore, only the feeling of warmth and the absence of weight on his shoulders.
Her hands returned to her sides, “I will be back in three days time. I don’t want to hear this kind of talk anymore, understand?”
“Yes mother,” Dokja replied weakly.
The woman sighed, “Now you’re making me feel like the bad guy. Dokja-yah, this is for your own good. You’ll understand some day.”
“Yes mother,” he repeated, hoping the conversation would be over soon.
“I’ll buy you a couple new books I can find at the market, okay?” She leveraged, “Since your birthday is coming soon, I’ll even get you 5 instead of 2 this time.”
Dokja forced a smile on his face, “That’s amazing. Thank you, Mother.”
Lee Sookyoung hummed softly as she pressed a kiss to her son’s temple, “I’ll see you in three days.”
Dokja nodded his head stiffly as he watched his mother walk toward a closet door. Opening it, she pulls out a long rope and hands it to Dokja. They walk toward the opening window together as they set up the pulley system that will lower his mother down.
He expects his mother to signal her descent, but she looks up at him instead with an intense gaze that demands his focus. “Remember Dokja, do not try anything. The outside world is twisted and cruel. They will find you. They will torture you. Poison you. Hurt you. Don’t go anywhere. You’re safe here until I come back.”
His mother had these words engraved in his mind since he was young. The outside world was nothing but danger and hurt. With his mother, he was safe. With his mother, he’d be protected behind the walls of a gilded cage.
He had to admit the whole thing was quite ironic. Dokja wasn’t stupid. He knew his mother had an overprotective streak. But having something berated into you all throughout your childhood, the fear nestles its way in anyway. And as a reader, it was only typical of him to stay outside of the spotlight. He was an observer. The adventures were for protagonists like Yu Joonhyun.
“Of course, mother.” He replied obediently, “I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
She gave him a small smile, and it hurt to see the love remaining in her eyes. She touched his cheek softly and pulled away to begin lowering herself. Dokja watched her go down. Down toward the soft green grass that danced in the breeze. Down toward the creek cutting its way through the earth, with water rushing faster than he’d ever moved in his life. Down toward a world he’d never known. One that he’d been taught would eat him alive, yet also one he couldn't help but yearn for.
As she reached the ground, she looked back to give him one last final wave. Dokja watched her go the whole way, past the cave entrance hiding the tower. He watched her walk into a world he’d never get to see.
Past the outskirts of the forest, in the heart of the kingdom's capital, two young girls eye a bulletin board carefully.
The girl with jet black hair tied into two pigtails spoke first, “Why are all these jobs so…”
“Specific,” the girl with short, honey blonde hair supplied.
“Boring!”
The blonde opened her mouth in a silent “ah” of understanding.
“Pulling 5000 weeds from a star fruit farm? Collecting the escaped sun cows and returning them to Helios’ ranch? What are we, twelve!?”
“We are twelve, Mia.”
“Okay, but Oppa isn’t twelve! He’s the one actually doing the job. He needs to have a grown up one,” she declared.
“I thought the cow one sounded cool.”
“That’s because you’re a fan of anything that walks on four legs, Yoosung.”
Shin Yoosung shrugged her shoulders. This, she could not deny.
Suddenly, wheels rolling on an uneven road and hooves clopping on cobblestone sounded behind them. They turned their heads around curiously to be met with a pristine white carriage being pulled by a royal guard and what looked to be some of the castle’s finest horses.
They eyed each other before nodding, quickly following the carriage toward the center of the large plaza they were in. They watched as a woman stepped out. She was sporting a clean white uniform accented with silver. Her hair was pulled up into a bun and a sword gleamed at her side.
It was the commander of the royal guard, Jung Heewon. What was she doing here of all places, the two girls wondered.
The woman cleared her throat as she unraveled the scroll in her hands. When she opened her mouth, a practiced, projected voice echoed across the square.
“Ladies and gentlefolk, the king has an announcement he wishes to share with you all.”
Whispers spread throughout the crowd that had formed. The two girls pushed themselves toward the very front for the best view.
“Settle down,” she commanded, and a silence fell over the people once more. She gave a satisfied smile, “Thank you. Now as I was saying, the king would like to announce that he is reigniting his search for the lost prince, Kim Dokja.”
A few in the crowd scoffed. This had happened many times before. Every couple of years, their king would declare a search party of knights to be sent out to hunt down the traitorous queen and the lost prince. And every time they would come back empty handed. Some tended to agree it was a waste of resources, but many made it fuel for the pity they felt for their poor king desperately searching for his beloved lost son.
“This time, however, the search will be open to all members of the kingdom, with a reward of 500,000 gold pieces for the location of each person.”
Hearing this, the crowd erupted in discussion.
“500,000 each?”
“How hard could it be?”
“Form a search party with me. We’ll split the prize money equally.”
Cheers erupted. This was certainly the most interesting thing to happen in the past couple years in their otherwise peaceful kingdom. Yoo Mia and Shin Yoosung looked at each other excitedly.
“Now this is a job!” Yoo Mia shrieked.
Jung Heewon looked onto the crowd with amusement and annoyance all at the same time. It was funny to her that the people in this crowd thought they could tackle the enchanted forest that took crowds of their best knights to navigate. But also, this whole wild goose chase was getting tiresome, and this new ordinance didn’t sit right with her in the slightest.
She turned to her second in command, Jang Hayoung, and gave the signal to prepare the flyers with the search information.
Yoo Mia quickly surged forward, taking the top paper of the stack in excitement. Jung Heewon wondered what a young girl would do with such information, but was quickly overwhelmed by the swarm of people coming for a flyer of their own.
The two girls disappeared into the crowd, running as fast as they could back to Yoo Mia’s brother’s apartment and their subsequent headquarters.
Yoo Joonghyuk lived in a modest yet comfortable apartment just outside the heart of the kingdom’s city. Here he took care of his younger sister, Yoo Mia, and his sister’s recently orphaned best friend, Shin Yoosung. Aside from his duties as an older brother, Yoo Joonghyuk was also a rather famous mercenary, known for being able to complete any task or mission thrown at him.
While he often worked alone, he had a trusted couple confidants he would bring with him on jobs that required multiple people. Other than that, Yoo Joonghyuk tended to be one of the most emotionally stunted people someone could meet. He showed affection mostly to his sister, with a small act of affection here and there for Shin Yoosung.
Speak of the devil and they shall appear, the two young girls suddenly burst into the living room shouting eagerly.
“Oppa!” Yoo Mia calls out, “We have a job for you!”
“500,000 gold!” Shin Yoosung chirps, her eyes sparkling.
Yoo Joonghyuk quickly turns around. The arch in his brows is enough to tell Yoo Mia he wants to know more.
“The king restarted the search for the lost prince again. But this year, he’s opening it up to the whole kingdom,” she explained. “And it’s 500,000 gold per person.”
Shin Yoosung held the flyer out to him and he quickly took it from her hands. On it was an image of what the queen and prince would supposedly look like at their current ages. The queen looked reverent and similar to what Yoo Joonghyuk remembered from when he was younger. The prince on the other hand…
“That drawing of the prince Ahjussi is pretty ugly huh, Oppa?”
Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t help but agree. The drawing itself looked like it’d been done by a three year old. The mouth was a wobbly line, the eyes were a couple squiggles in the shape of circles, and the nose was a dot in the middle of the face.
“I think it looks alright,” Shin Yoosung said.
“Oppa says you shouldn’t lie, Yoosung-ah.”
Yoo Joonghyuk remained silent as he read the information on the page. Of course he would take the job. He’d be a fool not to. It was curious though. What was the king’s reasoning for reigniting this search a month before the prince’s 21st birthday?
He shook the thought from his head as quickly as it came. Yoo Joonghyuk was a mercenary. He didn’t need to ask questions. He simply needed to do the job, get his reward, and return home to the two girls in front of him.
He patted their heads with a blank face.
“Oppa, you must be very pleased,” Yoo Mia commented.
Shin Yoosung turned to her, “Huh, how can you tell?”
“You can’t?”
The girls bickered back and forth as Yoo Joonghyuk moved to make them a quick lunch.
Word spread quickly throughout the kingdom that Yoo Joonghyuk had taken up the task of finding the lost prince. This both dissuaded some and encouraged others. Some believed there was no point in even trying if Yoo Joonghyuk had taken up the same job. Others only used his presence to fuel their own work ethic, other mercenaries tired of the man constantly taking up high paying jobs and leaving nothing for the rest.
The next day, he would set off with his apprentice, Lee Jihye, into the enchanted forest to begin mapping out possible routes to the queen’s supposed hideout. He had a reputation to uphold and 500,000 gold on the line. He would find the lost prince and bring him home by any means necessary.