(This side story was released on April 1st as an April Fool’s special. It has no relation to the main story.)
“Young master! The sun is already high in the sky, please get up!”
Kim Sunghyun, who was about to make his debut into society, was running out of time. When things get complicated, it’s best not to think—just move.
“Today is your very first debut in the social world!!”
“...Excuse me??”
‘Wait—why the hell am I doing this?’
—Nonsense like that must be thrown aside immediately. Kim Sunghyun decided that this was not the time for unnecessary questions, and somehow ended up being dragged into a carriage.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
“Now, listen carefully. The Imperial Capital is full of terrifying people. And today, both His Grace the Young Duke and the Grand Duke of the North are expected to arrive!”
“......”
“Oh, and of course, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince!”
It was Kim Sunghyun’s first time going to the Imperial Capital.
He’d never been interested in romance-fantasy novels, so whether this was a dream or reality, his mind was going blank.
Crown Prince? Young Duke? Grand Duke of the North?
“So...”
Eyes wide, he asked in confusion,
“...Is this like Cinderella or something?”
“—How dare you mention the name of some strange woman!”
And then he got scolded mercilessly.
When the carriage finally arrived at the palace, Kim Sunghyun just stared blankly out the window. The moment he arrived, one confusing situation after another hit him like waves.
“Did you hear that the Tower Master Min Jiheon recently developed a magic that can endlessly extend one’s height? Eccentric man, but undeniably talented.”
“Have you heard that Hero Kim Heeyoung subdued the dragon in the south? That little hero... simply astonishing!”
He didn’t understand a single word anyone was saying!
While he sat dazed, a soft chuckle came from beside him.
“It’s been a while, Sunghyun.”
Hearing a familiar voice, he turned—and there stood a man smiling like an angel.
“Are you nervous for today?”
“...Sung Jiwon?”
“Shh.”
He blinked in disbelief, but Sung Jiwon pressed a finger to his lips.
Just as Sunghyun was about to ask what kind of ridiculous prank this was, his cheek prickled with the sensation of hostile stares.
People around them were glaring daggers.
“He’s being escorted by the Young Duke?!”
“Who is that man?!”
What was a “Young Duke,” and what on earth was an “heir”? The only Confucius Sunghyun knew was the philosopher from the Spring and Autumn period!
Whatever the terminology, one thing was clear—he was being hated.
Startled, Sunghyun flinched, and Sung Jiwon stepped closer beside him.
“Don’t be nervous. I’ll be right here.”
“......”
“Today is going to be a very fun day.”
He already wanted to go home.
But before his silent prayer could be answered, a blaring fanfare echoed through the entrance.
“Now arriving—!”
“......”
“The Heart of Frost! The Lord of Ice and Snow! The Flame of Winter!”
“The Black Monarch! The Shield of the Wild! The Grand Duke of the Northern Lands!”
His titles went on for five straight minutes, each more absurd than the last, until the ballroom began to freeze over in awkward silence.
Eyes wide, Kim Sunghyun looked toward the entrance.
“He enters now.”
The herald’s voice boomed solemnly—
“—Jung Dajun—The—Chaos—Chef!”
Pararampampam~!
Bam-bam-bam~!
A noisy fanfare rang out, and everyone snapped open their fans dramatically!
—Thud.
Swathed in layers of faux fur, the Grand Duke of the North had arrived.
Jung Dajun—The—Chaos—Chef!
“Oh my, that’s him, isn’t it?”
“They say he’s been cursed since childhood...”
Ignoring the whispers, he swept his cold, intimidating gaze across the hall.
“Hah.”
He brushed the snow from his fur, and with a sinister smile, growled,
“How dare they invite me so late...”
“......”
“They shall pay with their lives-yot.”
“Good heavens!”
The ballroom erupted into chaos.
“...The rumors were true?!”
At that moment, Kim Sunghyun’s head started to ache. He couldn’t tell anymore if this was within the realm of logic or not.
Seeing his stunned face, Sung Jiwon’s eyebrows drooped with sympathy.
“You’re surprised.”
Indeed.
“The Grand Duke Jung Dajun has been cursed since childhood—to end every sentence with ‘yot.’”
“......”
“Haa... such a tragic fate. He’s still so young.”
What even... what does that mean?!
“...Wretches unworthy even of my gaze-yot.”
As the Grand Duke sighed dramatically, a man with red hair stepped forward.
“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”
Who was this now?
Judging by the elegance that radiated from his every gesture, he was no ordinary man.
Before Sunghyun could ignore him, Sung Jiwon whispered quietly at his side,
“The Count’s son, Kang Ichae.”
“......”
“He hides poison beneath his deadly beauty.”
“What does that even mean?!”
Regardless of his confusion, Kang Ichae smiled warmly and greeted the Grand Duke politely.
“Oh come now, Your Grace, don’t be angry. Would you like to hear a fun story instead?”
“...Hm. ...Proceed-yop.”
Did he just add another curse sound?
The Grand Duke of the North looked intrigued. Most would tremble before him, but this nobleman stood tall and fearless.
Kang Ichae’s fox-like eyes curved.
“Your Grace, you are well accustomed to battle, yes? Then I have prepared a joke suited for you.”
“......”
“Do you know what kind of war is fought in summer?”
“...Hmph?”
The Grand Duke frowned, unused to this kind of cheek, but Kang Ichae straightened his posture proudly and declared,
“A hot war.”
“......”
“......”
A chill as cold as the northern winds swept the hall.
Yet Kang Ichae continued boldly,
“And when a king is on both sides of the board... it’s called wang-jwa-wang—being all over the place.”
“——Guards! Throw this man out-yot!!”
“Kyahhh!!”
And thus—!
Kang Ichae was hurled out of the ballroom with a thud!
“You fools! Remove this insolent wretch at once-yat!!”
A fitting end for a villain.
Everyone whispered among themselves, but the Grand Duke, as reckless as ever, reigned supreme.
As Kim Sunghyun stood there blinking in disbelief, Sung Jiwon leaned in and whispered.
“—Sunghyun.”
“Yes?”
“This is our chance. The center floor is empty.”
What chance?!
When he looked up, Sung Jiwon was smiling at him warmly.
“You’ve always wanted to debut, haven’t you?”
...Debut what??
Before he could even protest, Sung Jiwon pushed him forward, and Kim Sunghyun was thrown beneath the grand chandelier.
Everyone turned to stare as he landed flat in the middle of the ballroom!
Embarrassed, awkward, utterly mortified—
‘...Well.’
He’d come this far.
He couldn’t just back out now!
‘I’ve already decided.’
So—Kim Sunghyun started breakdancing in the center of the ballroom!!
Doom-chit, doom-chit.
“Oh my goodness!!”
“What is that supposed to be?!”
The crowd murmured like background extras, but none of it reached Kim Sunghyun.
Once he was in the zone, he heard nothing else.
Doom-chit, doom-chit.
...Ta-da!
“Hah, hah...”
As he panted heavily, a brief silence followed—then came an eruption of applause!
“Good heavens!”
He had become the star of the night!
Everyone rushed toward him, cheeks flushed.
“I’ve never seen such dancing in my life!”
“It was... beautiful! Truly beautiful!”
“R-really??”
It seemed that our dear Kim Sunghyun had successfully debuted into society!
He was such a shy boy—what a relief, what a miracle.
As he stood there catching his breath, face flushed, Sung Jiwon approached.
And with a gentle smile, he said—
“Excellent work today!”
“......”
“But your right hand was about ten degrees off. It cannot be helped—it was your first time. We shall practice together when we return.”
...Why did it feel like he’d just been tricked somehow?
Yet before he could complain, Sung Jiwon sighed softly, as if to say now’s not the time, and grabbed Kim Sunghyun’s arm, leading him through the crowded hall.
Surrounded by a mix of jealous and curious gazes, Sunghyun stared at Jiwon’s back and asked,
“Where are we going?”
“Where else?”
Sung Jiwon glanced back and smiled playfully.
“There’s someone waiting for you.”
A terrible feeling of foreboding swept over him.
As they stepped out of the noisy ballroom and onto the northern terrace, silence enveloped them. The curtains swayed gently in the moonlight, and through the gap, a silhouette appeared.
Honestly, really, truly—he was about to lose his mind. Did it have to go like this?
When he glanced nervously at Sung Jiwon, the latter only smiled reassuringly and stepped back.
“...............Haa......”
Somehow, he knew this ridiculous dream would not end until he faced whatever was waiting. Kim Sunghyun took a step forward and pulled the curtain aside.
And there he was.
‘I knew it.’
Dark hair like pre-dawn clouds, eyes calm—no, cold.
A man who did not fit at all within the ballroom’s golden warmth smiled faintly upon seeing him.
“You’ve arrived.”
It was Seo Hoyun.
Whether he was a prince or a lunatic, Sunghyun wanted nothing more than to tell him to get lost right now. But, as always, Seo Hoyun smiled brightly, as if unaware of what anyone else was thinking.
“Now then.”
“I really don’t want to.”
“You don’t even know what I’m about to say.”
“I still don’t want to.”
If this continued, Hoyun would probably suggest running away to some small lakeside village in the southwest.
Not wanting to say a single word, Sunghyun kept silent, but Hoyun only chuckled and stepped closer.
“Did you enjoy the evening?”
He wondered what sort of answer would make the nonsense stop, but Hoyun didn’t care about his reply. He simply tilted his head slightly.
“Of course you did. The air here always carries a sweet scent of wine.”
“I didn’t drink any.”
“And the court musicians’ performance must have been smooth and refined.”
“I was doing breakdance without accompaniment.”
“But the end of indulgence is always destruction.”
“...Excuse me?”
As if stating a perfectly normal fact, Seo Hoyun said calmly,
“Let’s start a revolution.”
“......”
“That wine—paid for with the people’s taxes. Nobles in the 21st-century Republic of Korea? What a joke. The class system’s been abolished for decades.”
As Hoyun’s madness began to overflow, Kim Sunghyun took an involuntary step back.
And then—
—BOOM!
The entire building trembled violently, as if someone had struck it with a giant fist!
Screams echoed from the distance, but Seo Hoyun stood unfazed, arms crossed, staring out from the terrace.
And then—an unbelievable sight.
Beyond the terrace, a man rode a dragon.
“Sunghyun hyung-hyung!! Let’s gooo!!!”
It was the Grand Duke of the North—Jung Dajun!
The dragon flapped its enormous wings, the wind so fierce that Sunghyun could barely keep his eyes open—
“Shall we?”
“......”
Oh, forget narrative cohesion.
“Hey.”
Kim Sunghyun finally snapped. He ripped off his ridiculous gloves and fan, glaring at Seo Hoyun.
“Are you kidding me?”
This maniac.
“What the hell are you trying to do with me?!”
Always teasing, always stirring up trouble, laughing whenever chaos followed, dragging attention everywhere—then pretending innocence while inviting him for soup the next day.
“Stop acting on your own and tell me what I’m supposed to do.”
He never asked for help, but Hoyun would step in, fix everything, and then act like nothing had happened.
And—
“At least explain what kind of help you even need.”
He knew this guy was hiding something.
But he didn’t care anymore.
‘You don’t even have to explain.’
“Just tell me what you want me to do.”
Now that he thought about it, there were far too many things to be angry about.
As his frustration rose and he lifted his head, he froze.
Seo Hoyun was smiling faintly at him.
“Sunghyun.”
Calm, but somehow sincere. That smile made him frown.
“What the hell...”
“......”
“Why do you take so long to say ‘let’s go together’?”
...What?
A vein popped on Sunghyun’s forehead. Before he could speak, Seo Hoyun continued smoothly,
“I need someone to shout the slogan with me.”
“......”
“I’d like it to be you.”
He grinned.
“So, really, you never had a choice.”
“Huh?”
By the time Sunghyun blinked, it was too late. Seo Hoyun had kicked him off the terrace—straight toward the dragon.
“AAAAAAHHHH—Ack?!”
—And perfectly catching the screaming Sunghyun midair, the dragon swung him up onto its back!
“Nice catch!”
“Wow! That was awesome!”
As if riding a plunging roller coaster, Sunghyun screamed, surrounded by Kang Ichae and Sung Jiwon high-fiving beside him.
“Now then, Mr. Sunghyun! Let’s go-yot! We’ll watch Min Jiheon’s drama first-yot! And then eat the Korean food I made-yot!”
—Together with the Grand Duke still cursed with “yot”!
When Sunghyun looked up, dawn was breaking beautifully across the sky.
.
.
.
“Ughhhh...”
“What kind of dream is hyung even having?”
Jung Dajun poked Kim Sunghyun’s cheek as he lay asleep.
“He’s been dreaming a lot lately.”
“Huh? Nightmares?”
From beside the couch, Kang Ichae tilted his head and flipped open the book resting on Sunghyun’s chest.
“What’s this?”
“Didn’t Lee Jihyun gift him that novel? He came back crying his eyes out after reading it.”
“Oooh... Should I read it too?”
As the younger members hovered curiously, the older ones peeled tangerines and chatted.
“By the way, what happened to that project? Wasn’t it a romance fantasy or something?”
“Ah—Lee Jihyun texted that she wrote it drunk and wants to cancel it. Said she’s sorry.”
“Shame. It was funny.”
Seo Hoyun said flatly,
“It’s fine. They’re doing a new segment instead—‘Househusband Level 9: Kim Sunghyun.’”
“Uwooooh!”
“Yaaay! Then I can cook Korean food with him-yot!!”
As the youngest ones burst into fiery enthusiasm and Kim Sunghyun continued to dream fitfully, Seo Hoyun watched them both and thought, half seriously—
‘Without him, we really would’ve been doomed.’
Of course, Kim Sunghyun would probably never know.
