Chapter Text
The Mun jingles in my pockets as I walk, trying to find the potato stall. It was here when I browsed the market yesterday, but when I went to its previous spot there's just a stall selling cabbage and green onion.
I curse quietly, trying to find an equivalent while avoiding the groups of men near the pottery and cloth stalls. They crowd over the women vendors, flirting and catcalling anyone who walks past. I learned my lesson the last time I tried to get past them.
I head back the way I came, hoping the potatoes weren't in the other direction.
Instead I bargain for a couple of yams, giving the vendor two mun in return. I slip them in my pocket, finding my way out of the market and starting back home.
The road I'm taking is mainly empty, so I quickly notice steps behind me. Whoever it is isn't in a rush, so I sneak a glance over my shoulder, making a move like I'm just adjusting my braid.
I spot the royal insignia and quickly snap my head back forward, letting my braid fall back into place as I quicken my steps. I mentally check my appearance, and I can't think of anything out of place, unless I got smudges on my pants from the yams.
My jipsin clack loudly as I skitter down the path, trying to lose the guards without drawing attention to myself.
"Halt." They finally call, and I pretend I can't hear them as I run. I paid for the yams, didn't I?
It's hard to run in jipsin, the wood shape unforgiving and my heels constantly flipping out of them, so I stumble quickly around the corner, taking a brief moment to slip the shoes off so I can run properly.
I see my shack ahead and use my last bit of breath to reach it, throwing myself inside and past my mother, who stands with her mouth open.
"I'm not here." I gasp, hiding just around the corner. I cover my mouth as I pant, her wide eyes boring into mine as the guards' footsteps finally reach the front door.
"All rise." one of the guards call, slightly out of breath.
Mother huffs at me as she steps outside, my siblings following her.
"Yes, sir?" She asks politely.
"Are these all of your children?" He asks.
To her credit my mother hesitates, before uttering a soft, "No, sir."
The guard tells her to present the remaining children, so she calls my name.
"Seokjin."
I set the yams and mun on the table before stepping out, sure I won't be returning.
One guard has a black beard, and he lets out a satisfied hum that makes my skin crawl.
"We would like to take your son before the emperor." He announces.
This was the outcome I feared, but mother lets out a small happy sound, covering her broad smile with her hand as she turns to me. She takes my hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. "Yes, of course. Would the emperor be delighted with any of my other children?"
The guard glances at each of my young siblings before shaking his head.
"Oh." She sighs, as though disappointed the emperor isn't a pedophile.
The bearded guy interrupts with an order to follow him. I wave to my family as I do, before finally turning my back on them.
-----
It's a very long walk to the palace and blisters are growing on my feet, aided by the pebbles constantly flying under my soles. The guards are more comfortable, with their padded shoes, but they sweat harder. I take this little victory happily and refocus on the scenery.
I've never had any reason to walk this far, there are no stalls or vendors down this trail, the only thing at the end is Gyeongbok palace and the surrounding grounds. On either side of this road are pretty wildflowers, technically the property of the emperor and therefore untouched, left to grow and flourish under the constant sunlight. This March has brought a small drought, and the sun beats down hard, no clouds in the sky. My hair burns under the attention.
I desperately want to wash my feet. The dirt kicking up from the trail sticks to my sweat and cakes on them, and I shudder everytime my toes slide together. The ends of my too-long pants, previously my fathers, are similarly covered in the dust, and I hike the legs up half an inch, just enough so they don't touch the ground, but my ankles are still hidden.
I see the bearded guard glance at me and stare at the hem of my pants, making a nasty face as he tries to glimpse my ankle. I grimace and lower them back down, turning away from him. I heard from the chatter in the village that Emperor Hyunki doesn't allow his guards to marry or father children, so they won't have split loyalty. This is evident in old blackbeard, his nasty eyes desperate for just a glance of something he can never have for himself. Soojin, the carrot vendors' daughter, also told me that any guards caught leering at the emperor's possessions have their eyes gouged out. I wonder if this is true as well.
After many more minutes the palace finally comes into view. I sigh with relief, picking up my pace now that my goal is in sight.
There are more guards waiting at the gates, and they open the doors when they see my escorts. We walk through, but instead of going to the main doors to the palace, the guards lead around the left side. The ground slopes to reveal a door, not nearly as grand or as large as the main entrance.
We enter through this one, which opens into a type of coat room, with baskets of vegetables and pails of water piled along the walls. A couple of servants start to walk through the door but bow and back up so the guards can walk through first. Their eyes are wide as they watch me pass.
The next room we enter is obviously the kitchens, chefs bustle around preparing for dinner. One of them carries a headless chicken, and he tosses it onto a cutting board where another servant immediately begins gutting it.
I gag and speed up, almost pressing against the guard's back. This room is three times the size of the previous room, though, so it takes longer to walk through. We finally exit into a dining room, so spacious I gasp. The chairs are inlaid with gold and a few of them have precious stones embedded into the surface. I ache to touch one as we pass but a stern look from one of the guards stops me.
They lead me into and through a hallway before knocking on a door, unassuming compared to the other rooms.
A lady opens the door, a bit disgruntled with a swatch of fabric in her hand. Her hair is in a loose braid, looped around itself on top of her head. She wears no jewelry, and her robes are bland but sophisticated. With a look at the guards she grabs my arm and pulls me into the room.
There are no windows here, but there is a large glass thing. I can see myself in it like I can in the river, but this one doesn't move, and it's clearer than the water. I step closer to see better, but she drags me onto a platform in the middle of the room.
"Undress." She orders. I look at her, my eyes wide, and she snaps her fingers. "Now!" she repeats.
I look away from her as I slide off my blouse and pants. I let them both fall to the ground around the platform, and the woman kicks them to the side impatiently.
The last clothing I have on are my undergarments, and the lady gives me a scalding look. My face scrunches up in shame as I unwrap my chest cover, letting that drop before grasping onto my underwear and sliding them down slowly.
It finally falls down around my feet and I carefully step away.
She hands me a wet rag and orders me to clean myself while she settles among rods of cloth. She constantly looks between me and the cloth before dragging a couple of the heavy rods to the middle of the room. She taps her foot impatiently, waiting for me to finish with the rag before draping the different colors across my body. She works quickly, cutting across the lengths multiple times, always comparing it to my body. Once she's done she waves her hand at me.
"Huh?" I ask.
"Get dressed and get out!" she shouts. I jump and rush to dress again. Once I'm done I step back into the hallway. The guards are still there, and they walk me down a series of hallways, stairs, and turns before stopping at a door. It's watched by its own set of guards, and they nod at each other before opening the door. It's heavy, and they both grunt as they open it together.
I walk into the room, and the people inside all turn to look at me. There are two boys, sitting on white beds next to each other. The two beds are pushed together, whereas the other beds are about three feet apart. There are twelve beds, and another four, all on the right side, are taken by a group of women. On the furthest side of the room is a big window, and I step further into the room so the doors can be closed.
They fall together with a loud thump, and I look at each of the six people in turn.
"A new concubine." The smaller boy drawls, holding onto the taller boy's hand as they face each other.
I start to nod, but realize I wasn't actually told. "I don't know."
"If they put you here then you are." The tall boy says.
"I'm the crown prince's future imperial consort." The smaller one boasts, sitting up straighter so he can look down his nose at me.
"She'll give crown prince Yong-gi children when he becomes emperor." One of the women comments.
"He's a boy, though."
"Jimin is a girl. He was raised as a boy." The same girl speaks up.
Jimin glares. "My name is Hwa-young."
The tall boy chuckles.
"I'm Taehyung. Prince Yong-gi likes to rename his favorite things so they belong to him. Jimin is very protective of his position, including his name. I don't even have a second name."
Taehyung pulls his hand away from Jimin to readjust his robes, drawing my attention to the luxurious fabric. They are all well dressed, and I stand in my basic peasant clothes. Taehyung notices my focus.
"You can't go before the emperor without wearing new robes, so you'll be here for a couple days before they're done. Then you'll go before the emperor to see if you'll be accepted. Take whichever bed you’d like, although the emperor’s concubines stick to that side.” He points to the group of girls, who smirk at the callout.
I nod and walk past them all to the furthest bed on the left, closest to the window. I sit down on it and look through the window as they all resume their conversations. No one talks to me again.
---
After breakfast the next day I'm escorted back to the dress maker. This time the robes are assembled, and she just puts them on me to alter them to my shape. Afterwards I'm sent back to the concubine room.
After a couple hours, a guard steps into the room and calls one of the girls out. She stands up excitedly, quickly straightening her dress. She's ushered out of the room and the doors thunk closed.
——
The girl is gone for almost an hour, and when she comes back she makes a big show of limping delicately, wiping imaginary sweat off of her brow. I grimace and watch her take her seat on the bed.
Taehyung and Jimin scoff at her and continue their conversation, cuddling into each other.
When she throws herself onto her bed, her friends pounce, talking loudly at her, and she explains in detail what happened, forcing me to cover my ears.
I leave gladly when the guards call me out, and they take me to the dressmaker once more, where I'm finally put into my new clothes. They’re a simple lavender color, very flowy and loose, and when the dressmaker orders me to spin, the layers curl around me like a cloud.
I walk proudly back to the living quarters, stepping lightly in the cloth shoes I was given to match.
Jimin scowls, saying, "So pretty. You must feel so beautiful now."
I know better than to argue with Jimin, because of his status, so I shrug and sit on my bed, putting on a soft and demure act before saying, "I just feel clean. I wish I could be pretty like you, Hwa-young."
This appeases him, and he sits up straighter with a wide smile. He lays his head back on Taehyung's chest.
---
No one is called out for the rest of the day, until it begins to get dark. The guards push open the door and point at me, leading me out of the room.
They bring me back to the room with the fancy chairs, but this time people are seated there.
I freeze for a second, pure fear flooding my body, but look down and force myself to keep walking.
I'm directed to stand next to the emperor, and my whole body is shaking, my face surely as red as one of the precious rubies inlaid in the emperor's chair.
"Oh, she is as beautiful as I heard. Great job, Marcus, Viktor." The emperor says. I risk a glance up, accidentally locking eyes with the Empress. I immediately look away, to my left, making eye contact with crown prince Yong-gi. I clench my eyes shut this time, knowing it's improper to make eye contact. I try to process the prince's expression, whether it was disinterest or hatred.
The emperor makes an exaggerated hum, drawing it out. "In fact, she's so beautiful I think she'd be wasted on me. What do you think, Yong-gi?"
I discretely look at the prince, and he's got his eyebrows raised in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"Your birthday is soon, and she's the kind of concubine you like. I know you have Hwayoung, but there's always room for another. And with your performance recently I don't think it would distract you from your duties."
Yong-gi smiles. "Thank you, father."
"You can be excused then. I'm proud of you, Yong-gi." The emperor says, and Yong-gi gets up slowly. Something moves on the other side of his chair, and I make a startled sound of fear as a tiger stands with him. I step back automatically, looking at the beast as it watches the prince.
"Holang-i, stay." Yong-gi orders the tiger, and starts to walk towards me.
It follows him lazily, so I step away from the prince, earning me a slight glare from the man.
An attendant comes forth with a chord to attach to the tiger's collar, leading it away carefully.
Yong-gi walks past me, and I turn to follow him cautiously. His expensive black and gold robes drag a foot behind him, and I stay clear of them so I don't touch them. It reminds me of my own beautiful robes, much cheaper but still so regal and luxurious.
I'm led down many hallways before Yong-gi opens a door and walks in. I'm hesitant to follow but step in after a minute.
"Disrobe, please." Yong-gi directs, walking to his sitting couch and settling in to view me.
I try to hide my grimace by looking at the floor, slowly removing all of my layers before reaching my undergarments.
Yong-gi raises an eyebrow as I slowly unwrap my chest. He seems interested, and I'm not sure if I want him to reject me or not.
When I bare my privates to him finally Yong-gi leans forward. He rises from the chaise lazily, comes up to me and strokes a hand down my arm, glancing at my chest and smirking gently. "Beautiful." He cups them in his hands, small enough that his palms completely cover them. I try not to move away, despite the foreign touch.
He brushes his thumbs over my nipples, the rough skin making my stomach tense in pleasure. Yong-gi walks behind me and undoes my braid, separating the strands in his hands. He spreads it out over my shoulders, then directs me far across the room onto his bed. He walks behind me, observing me from the back.
I lay down as directed, and Yong-gi slides over me, once again arranging my hair on the sheets.
His robes fall over my naked body, shielding me from the open air. He starts stripping them away, showing them less care than I did mine, something that must be normal when you've never been without.
His black hair wobbles in his half knot, the rest hanging down on his shoulders. I wonder briefly who he's engaged to, but I would never be able to guess so I don't linger on the thought.
After a moment Yong-gi has removed everything, and I avoid looking at him. He grasps my chin and turns my face back towards him. "You'll have to let me see your beautiful face, huh?"
I nod, not wanting to go against the prince, and look at his face, keeping my eyes on his cheekbones no matter how he keeps trying to meet my eyes.
"You can look at me. I'll be offended if you don't." He says, running his fingers down my right shoulder softly. I shiver, and make an effort to keep my gaze on his chocolate colored eyes, but the act makes my stomach turn a bit. It feels improper, as someone raised my whole life to avoid other's eyes.
"What's your name?" Yong-gi asks, and I clear my throat a bit before responding.
"Kim Seok-jin, my lord."
He smiles at that, his teeth glinting as he leans down to kiss the shoulder he'd been stroking. His tongue laves over it slowly, and I clench my toes. My knees knock against his sides, and he chuckles quietly.
"Seok-jin. So delicate. Do you match your name?" His right hand comes up to my ribcage, feeling over my skin, while his mouth drags across my collarbone and to my neck.
I fight to think over how nice his touch feels on my skin.
"I-i don't think so, my lord." I answer after a second.
He hums, kissing my throat. "And why is that?"
"Well, my lord, I- I just think I'm too large and bulky to be delicate." I flick my tongue out to lick my lips.
He looks at me for a moment before looking away, between my legs. He sits back to see better, nudging my thighs further apart.
Yong-gi stretches out a finger and strokes me with it, his finger coming away damp. He glances at my face again, surely a deep red in the lamp light, and presses against me until I open up around his finger. It slides in easily, sparking multiple different nerves as it does.
I twist my neck to the side, then back to Yong-gi when I remember his warning. He slides his finger in and out, covering it in slick before sliding another finger in with it.
"Do you like this?" He asks.
I falter. "It's enjoyable, my lord."
He must hear the mechanical edge to my voice. Yong-gi looks up again, staring at me.
"I asked if you were enjoying this. Don't lie to me."
"It feels nice, my lord." I attempt a small smile to appease him.
"Are you a virgin?" He asks simply.
"Yes, my lord. I'm very happy I get to gift you my virginity. It pleases me to serve you in this way." I try my hardest to make it sound real, try to keep the bite out of my words.
He heard it anyways, raises his eyebrows with a smirk. "Someone taught you those words. You don't agree. You've got a bite. A little dragon, are you? Or a tiger, like my pet? I can't have two named Holang-i, so what should we name you?" He muses, coming closer between my legs.
There's no space left between us down there, he's got me pressed against himself, standing proud in the air as he rubs against my opening.
"What about.. Ryu-jin? Hmm, little dragon? What do you think about that? Such a powerful name, I like it." He says, reaching down and pressing the head of his cock just inside of me.
"Um, if it pleases you, my-" I break off in a whine as he presses inside of me fully. "Ow!" I yelp, my hands shooting up to press against his shoulders.
I try to keep in mind that Yong-gi can't be harmed as the pain shifts into a throb. I hiss as Yong-gi pulls out slowly, blood on the tip of his cock.
"I'm sorry about that, Ryu-jin. It's unavoidable. Let's wait a moment first, give you a minute to recover." Yong-gi stands up and walks out of the room, returning after a moment, wiped clean and with a towel.
I try not to grimace as he comes closer, my insides still hurting as he wipes the blood away. He dips his fingers in a few times to get the blood out of there too, and I apologize.
"Don't apologize. This is much preferable over dinner with the empress and her insufferable daughters. You were a very welcome surprise.”
He gets back in his prior position, dipping his fingers into a pot on the table beside the bed. He rubs the substance onto his cock and slips back inside of me with ease.
I grit my teeth and clench my eyes shut, the sore feeling inside throbbing as he stretches me. He doesn't move, sitting back on his knees and slowly dragging my hands up beside my head. I open my eyes to look at him curiously as he leans in to kiss my collarbone. Yong-gi briefly laves his tongue over my nipple, turning the pink skin red with the attention before moving to the other one.
I huff out a pleasured breath, my arms still stretched above my head as he loosely holds them there.
I can feel my privates tingle where we're connected, his attention to my chest making my toes curl up.
Yong-gi pulls back, lips red and slick with spit. He glances at me before dipping his head into the curve of my neck and shoulder, his hands tightening around my wrists.
Before I can say a word, his hips pull back and push forward again, slowly dragging along my insides so nicely I can't help but keen. I feel his lips on my neck, but it's hard to focus on that when down there feels so good.
The sounds keep coming with every movement, and even closing my mouth doesn't make me quiet.
Yong-gi pulls back from my neck, rising above me and using my arms to hold himself up. His face is flushed, his eyes riveted to mine and so so dark.
"Pretty pussy, feels so good." He mumbles, letting go of one of my arms to slide a finger along where we're connected, still slowly dragging his hips in and out.
I finally cry out, overwhelmed with the burning sensation and the slow pace, and he traces the same finger along my lips, slipping it inside to rest on my tongue. I whine against it, squeezing my knees against his sides.
Yong-gi drags the spit slick finger along my cheek and jaw, and I open my mouth to speak. "Faster, please, my lord."
A grin splits across his face, and he uses his free hand to tease my chest once again. "Do you tire of the slow pace, Ryujin? Do you need more? Even without you speaking, I can feel your pussy clenching around me, telling me all by itself what you want."
"I could not tire of it, my lord, I just beg you take pity on me, for I feel I'm dying." I pant, pushing my chest against his hand.
Yong-gi laughs heartily, as if I've said a joke, as if my body wasn't burning alive from the inside out.
"Well then, little dragon, I wouldn't want you dying, would I?" His hand returns to my wrist, his face inches from mine. "After all, I've only just began to enjoy you."
His pace fastens now, pressing into me harder each time. I feel my face warming, my eyes shutting involuntarily before reopening, then beginning the cycle again.
My voice rumbles in my throat, my legs spreading further to allow him closer.
Now that he's going faster, my voice becomes harder to quiet, and it echoes in the large room, joining the slick sounds we make together. I feel something burning inside of me where we meet, and my hands jerk against his hold. I want to bring them up to cover my face, not sure what's happening, but he won't budge.
I feel his eyes burning into the side of my face, and I bring my left leg up onto his hip, holding him close. "Lord, my lord, something.." my hands pull again, and my body writhes against the silk sheets. "My lord..." it's too hard to talk, noises constantly escaping me, so I give up. It feels even better with my leg around him, and my hips lift against him in earnest to keep him close.
I gasp and cry out as the feeling tightens, his movements bringing on a rush of liquid from my body. It pours down my backside, and as he continues moving, it keeps coming, spraying against him.
I look at him for guidance, but his gaze is focused on his own midsection, a hand coming down to touch his wet skin.
He looks at me in confusion, and I can't help but press myself against him again. I don't like that he's stopped, can still feel the pleasure thrumming under my skin.
"Please, my lord, don't stop." I whimper, taking my free hand to pull at his shoulder.
"Ryujin."
"Yes, my lord?" I ask, but after a second of silence, he presses back into me instead of speaking.
My back arches in pleasure, and he keeps his eyes on our connection as he resumes his pace.
My free hand grasps at his side, accidentally digging my nails in again and again.
The rush comes again, and I hear it splatter against him, over and over as he doesn't stop this time. I cry out, my legs kicking by his sides as the pleasure doesn't end. I can feel the bed becoming soaked under me, and somehow the liquid keeps coming. I begin to ache, so sore inside now that I bang my fist against his chest in a plea for him to stop.
"My.. lord.." I grit out, and Yong-gi slides out of me gently, the last of the liquid rushing out as he moves over me. He wraps his hand around himself, pressing his cock against my navel as he comes, splattering white liquid over my stomach.
I whine again, renewed at the sight, and lift my hips for him.
"I cannot help you, little dragon." He pants, bringing his fingers down instead. I accept them inside of me eagerly, groaning in distaste as they don't reach as far.
"If you'd prefer to wait, I will call for you again tonight." He offers.
"Yes, my lord." I pant. "I would be delighted." I say honestly, and he pulls his fingers away. I struggle to sit up on the bed, my hair wrapped around my arms uncomfortably.
Yong-gi begins to redress as I separate myself from the tangle of hair, and he comes back to me, holding my own robes.
"Stand, please." He instructs, and I look at him bashfully.
"I fear I cannot, my lord." I can feel the weakness in my legs, they tremble even sitting as I am.
"Try."
I pull my legs over the side of the bed, slowly resting my weight on them and using the bed post to pull myself upright.
"That's good enough." He allows, bending to clean the liquid from my legs with a cloth. He wipes it intentionally between my legs, and I jerk away from him harshly, too sensitive for the touch. He doesn't chide me, just slides my undergarments up my legs.
Yong-gi helps me tie my robes around myself, and I don't notice that we've forgone the chest wrap until his thumbs brush over my chest, seeking out the nipples with intense accuracy.
"My lord, you'll get my new garments dirty!" I cry, tensing against him.
He quirks an eyebrow at me. "How would I do that?"
"If you keep making me wet down there..."
His eyes flash back to mine, and he grins. "I'll just have them make new ones then, since it's my fault. What color do you wish?"
"My-my lord, I couldn't." I hold onto his arms for support as he continues fondling me.
"You'll find that I'll go to many lengths for people that please me, Ryujin. This is the least you deserve. But if you don't want to choose... shall I have you dressed in the same pink shade as your blushing pussy? Or would you prefer the same red as your nipples when I put my mouth on them?" He parts my robes obscenely to reveal my chest, scratching my nipples with his sharp nails.
I flinch away finally, pulling my robes back to rights.
"If it's a wish you would grant, my lord," I shiver, shy in the big room, his eyes securely focused on me. "I would wish you bed me again." I blush.
Yong-gi's gaze falls to my lips. "You couldn't have given me a better answer, Ryujin. I suppose I can't leave you wanting."
"No, my lord, it would be most cruel." I agree, and he grins.