Chapter Text
“And so, Heeseung and Sunoo fell into an eternal sleep. Their companions all disappeared with time, all damaged and killed by the one they trusted the most”
… Jungwon didn’t know what he just read, but his disappointment reached a new height. What in the fuck was that? His life as an idol meant that people fantasised about him and his members, some liked to put it into songs and paintings, some preferred to put it down in words. Fiction, to be specific, fanfiction, which is what he was reading now. He accidentally stumbled upon this fic when scrolling through twitter, the op had linked the story with a lengthy explanation as to why the fiction was so good.
It had piqued his curiosity. At first he had tried to steer away his interest by busying himself with his work as an idol. Practising his dance routine with his members, his vocals and even re-taking pr classes, work never seemed to end as the leader and as a member of a well known boyband.
Well, work did end as he had managed to gamble and drag out a long needed break for all seven of his members. The oldest mathyung, Heeseung, looked as if he would pass out if they didn’t get a break soon. Jungwon could tell that all of them really needed this break, being on tour is fun, but the exhaustion afterwards wasn’t. The break gave him the perfect opportunity to just laze around and scroll through the media – which landed him with his phone screen facing him, the words he just read out loud mocking him.
He had finished showering and was fully snuggled in his blankets before having his entire evening shattered.
He felt himself brush his hair back in frustration, why did the author do that? The fanfiction was well written with good grammar, stellar plot but entertaining, but it was the characterisation. Author-nim really outdid themselves with how realistic they felt and how familiar, like an extension of the already existing members. Jungwon could say that this would be Jake if he was stuck in a mediaeval alternative universe, he could say that this would be exactly how Sunoo would react if he fell down a hole filled with glitter and fairy blood.
It was a bit creepy with how well characterised they felt, sadly Jungwon wasn’t included as a major character, rather he was an NPC with the name Garden, but it just made it easier to immerse himself in the plot as an omniscient perspective.
“Hyung! I’m leaving!” He could hear Ni-ki shout from the hallway, probably to catch his flight to Japan.
“Bye! Be careful! Call me when you arrive!” He snuggled further in the blanket as he pouted, to explain as to why he was so disappointed:
The story followed Sunoo-hyung, being a vampire in a world where blood suckers were seen as the lowest of the lowest. No one wanted to interact with someone who couldn’t sustain themselves by drinking and stealing from others – which led to intense bullying during his childhood.
One of the big turning points in the story was when Sunoo met Heeseung, both bonded from their familiar backgrounds. Life changed for the blonde as more friends started gathering, life was at its peak for the vampire. Jungwon nearly shed tears over how emotional the scenes were described as, he truly loved how the interactions were written – How Sunghoon would tease, but care in quiet, how Jay nagged, just in general.
Apparently, there was something called a vampire lord? Yeah, Jungwon never truly grappled with the idea, either way– some magical being had foreseen a bloodsucker to overtake and doom the world.
Suspicions were thrown and Heeseung was betrayed by Sunoo. Sunoo and the other members banded together to defeat the demon lord and show the world that not all vampires were bad, it didn’t end well.
It didn’t end well at all, as all of them bonded, they couldn’t throw the final blow – the evil overtook Heeseung, but as a final act of loyalty he sealed himself into eternal sleep. Sunoo was sealed as well for he didn’t want to let go, hoping and wishing that in another life they wouldn’t have to go against each other. Ni-ki couldn’t handle seeing them so lifeless had tried to reverse the seal, results that led to all of their deaths.
The story had him gripping his hair, sighing, and shedding tears of frustration. He groaned as he finally realised that he just finished the story – there was nothing more after this.
Rolling around the bed, he distracted himself with what the members were probably doing. Ni-ki just left, Sunoo went out to go on a date with his sister, Heeseung and the rest of the Hyung line aside from Jay went Ice skating… Jay… Jay went somewhere. The leader wasn’t so sure, but if he had to guess, the second oldest probably went back to his home town to spend time with his mother.
Speaking off, Jungwon had wanted to message his mom and grandma that he would be visiting next week, but he could feel his eyelids closing… He was tired. He’ll message them tomorrow.
When he woke up he felt the surrounding being unfamiliar, his bed wasn’t this hard nor was it this small? The scent of incense and sandalwood invaded his senses – the dizzying smell made it harder for him to focus. His pyjamas felt slightly airy, as if it were almost too loose for his body.
He squinted his eyes, trying his hardest to regain his focus. He shifted his weight to his left, trying to find the bedside table where he had put his phone– Where was his phone? And why was he laying on the ground?
With more clarity from his sleepy state Jungwon could make out the sound of horses and birds – which is quite rare since no trees reached that high to their floor. He looked around the room carefully and spotted an open window. If he could climb out or make out his surroundings, perhaps he could make an escape plan. The room wasn’t bad per se, it looked like the building when they were filming En O’clock for lunar new years.
Slowly and carefully he sneaked towards the window – scared that someone might hear him. This wasn’t his home and he didn’t know whether he got kidnapped or if he sleepwalked in here, the latter sounded more plausible, but he didn’t want to chance it.
Once he made it to the window, the sight had him floored. Where was he? This wasn’t Korea, he wasn’t even sure if this was even real.
The world outside the window was a modernized ancient civilization set in a C-drama, murim? Or could you call it XianXia-esque? Flying buildings on clouds, half animal-humans, talking objects and lots of, lots of trees. The people here were wearing a fusion of modern attire and hanfu/hanboks – everything looked like a mismatch of every east asian culture.
Jungwon was so shocked he didn’t hear the footsteps approaching him, he got startled when he heard an unfamiliar voice call out to someone - assumingly him.
“Young master Garden has awoken! Thank goodness you’re awake, we’ve been waiting.” A rather slim man ran towards him, he looked rather relieved that Jungwon was awake and what did he call him again? Master Gard–
No way.
No fucking way.
“What did you just call me?” Jungwon asked, his voice laced with a sense of urgency. His body was tense as he was anticipating the answer, this couldn’t happen to him.
“Young master Garden?” The answer made the man deflate, Jungwon was utterly defeated. Of course it was his luck that he had transported to the fanfiction he read last night. Of course he had to be the side character tailor from him…
“Right, uh… Prepare a bath. I need to think.” Jungwon had no idea whether this was how Garden acted, considering that character barely had any roles to play – he chose to play along with the setting. Garden was a young master of the Yang Household, a rather prestigious household who were good friends with the Nishimura clan. The Yang household were famous for their lineage of being dragon descents, unfortunately, Garden was born as a human. Still, he wasn’t badly treated, overlooked and neglected? Yes, but the servants and townspeople liked him.
Jungwon just has to play into a character who is him, but sadder? He guesses.
“Right away, Young master.” The servant backed away and scurried off somewhere. As soon as the servants footsteps couldn’t be heard anymore, Jungwon felt himself crumble into a pile of human flesh. That was nerve wracking.
Rather quickly, he recovered, he needed to make out a plan on how to get back to his own universe. The most logical conclusion is to finish the story, he has read enough of those transmigration plot novels to know that most of these end when the main character finishes or changes the story.
His eyes landed on a table near a circular window made out of paper, right by the end of the room. Jungwon, with hurried steps crossed the room to sit by the floor table, a conveniently placed paper and ink placed before him as he hurriedly started to write down plot points and information of each character including Yang Garden.
What he got out of it made him pale and drop the pen.
Aside from the initial summary, Yang Garden actually dies somewhere in the middle. The Yang family found out about the Nishimura secret, their youngest being a vampire/bloodsucker, which led to the betrayal arc. Where Heeseung was going rouge, exposé of most vampiric clans and Yang family executed by Heeseung himself.
Jungwon rubbed his face as he wrote down the details, this truly sucked. He already missed his phone, members and Maeumi… He was going to see Maeumi after his visit with his parents…
“Young master? Your bath is ready.” The same servant from before knocked on the door quietly before calling out for him. Jungwon needed a relaxing shower, a bath didn’t sound so bad. He took the paper and rolled up, hid it somewhere before following the thin man towards what he assumed to be the bathroom.
The author was a bit inconsistent with which time period they wanted the fiction to be set in, that is why he wasn’t surprised when he saw a somewhat modernised toilet, but a wooden basin as a bathtub. There was even a toothbrush and sink…
“Allow us to help.” Two servants miraculously appeared and started to help him out of his sleeping clothes–
“Wait! Wait… I want to be alone, uh… thank you.” The thought of someone helping him undress and dress was rather embarrassing, he’d rather struggle doing it himself. The two servants nodded and left, he closed the sliding door behind them and even locked it with a talisman that said ‘locked’. Rather convenient.
Although he did feel a bit unsafe with just a paper keeping him safe from exposing his nudity, the man checked the door over and over to see if it would open. He grabbed the edge and tried to slide the door open, nothing - it wouldn’t even budge.
It felt safe enough.
Once he got out of the clothes he let the warm water embrace his stiff body, sighing he sunk further down letting go of his stress.
‘Completed tutorial.’
‘New task: Clear the story, find the way home.’
The blue screen in front of him left him dumbfounded. He chose to ignore it, what even was that, he didn’t have time to panic. Right now it was bath time!
‘New side task: Befriend the intruder in your residence.’
What?
As soon as that new side task popped out he heard someone yell, lots of screaming and things breaking before rapid footsteps nearing where he was. He watched with wide eyes the sliding door to the bathroom started to shake - as if someone tried to open the door. It shook and shook before the paper talisman fell off, he cursed inwardly for the door as a rather familiar sight greeted him.
The man quickly bent down and picked up the fallen talisman to put it back, making it harder for the servants outside to barge inside like he did. Once the young man heard footsteps pass the door and thought he was safe, he had turned around to see a naked man in the wooden basin. Bathing.
Brown doe eyes stared at him, water droplets fell from the man's collarbone– the black hair that framed his face. It was sinful to keep staring.
Both stared at each other with owlish eyes, one out of surprise for being interrupted in his bathing time and being naked, the other unable to rip his gaze away from the beauty in front of him.
The quiet was rather unbearable for Jungwon. The tall figure standing in front of him was indeed the maknae – Ni-ki or Riki in this world. Even here he was dressed in all black, his right eye covered by his blonde hair which was tied up into a cute bun. Still, he was butt naked being stared down by someone he somewhat knows….
“S-sorry…” The younger quickly averted his gaze once he snapped out of his stupefied state, ears turning a cute pink shade. Jungwon smiled at the familiar sight of a shy Ni-ki, he loved when the younger would get flustered - it reminded him of when they were younger.
Sadly, this wasn’t his Ni-ki, instead this was Nishimura Riki, the young lord of the Nishimura clan.
“What made you barge into my bathing time, young lord?” He tried his hardest to somewhat sound sophisticated, but it proved harder than it seems. Jungwon noted how uncertain and meek he sounded, the young lord Riki must think he’s weak or something.
That wasn’t true however, the almost shy tone had drawn the young lord further down into lust town. It’s unfair that a mere stranger had so much power over him, in the younger’s mind were all thoughts on how to ravish the angel in front of him.
“I– uh… I need to meet with the young master.” Jungwon raised an eyebrow, he knows that Riki searched for Garden once in the story – something about escaping and making a plan to overthrow or something… He should’ve paid attention. Either way, Garden had rejected Riki thanks to uncertainty – Jungwon agreed with Graden’s action, it was logical, both were young masters with no power of their respected clans. However, Jungwon wasn’t Garden and knew more than the aforementioned character.
He slyly moved in the water basin so that his arms were lazily crossed comfortably by the basin’s edge, a mischievous smile formed as he planned to tease the younger further.
“Oh? Well, you’re speaking with him.” The sputtering noises as the younger locked eyes on Jungwon almost had him bursting out laughing.
The younger couldn’t keep his eyes away from the exposed skin, the devil-like angel was teasing him. Riki could barely hold himself back from pouncing and marking that skin, he felt impure and monstrous – for once he didn’t care much for his insecurities if he could blame it on nature.
Such smooth skin, delicious scent at that, still he held back. He had a mission to fulfil, he needed to get himself out of the clan and save Jake. This was risky, he knew that Garden could help them, he was influential in the household and town.
He cleared his throat and tried to look anywhere but the exposed skin. “R-right, uhm, pardon my intrusion…” Riki was questioning why they didn’t have this conversation after the young master had finished bathing.
“I need help.”
“How? I’ll help you.” Jungwon didn’t need to hear more, already knowing despite only vaguely remembering the plot from this early on. Plus, even if he didn't, he would never deny Ni-ki. His Ni-ki or not, this was still a version of Ni-ki and Jungwon unfortunately has a soft spot for the youngest.
“How about we finish the plan after I’m done with my bath?” Jungwon teased, knowing that he was the one who nudged the younger to state his news in the bath. Ni-ki’s face twisted into something of shock, dumbfounded and flustered – oh how Jungwon wished that he had a camera right now.
After finishing his bath, Jungwon got dressed – this time with the help of the servants. He couldn’t for the love of strawberries figure out how to tie an outfit he never wore. They sat outside in the gazebo in the garden of his estate. It’s filled with flowers, some he recognised, some that seemed otherworldly. The stone stool he sat on was cold and rather uncomfortable, but Jungwon guesses that this was something he had to get used to.
The scent of freshly brewed tea accompanied the silence rather fittingly as both held their cups but never drank from it.
“So… Young lord Riki, the plan?” Setting down his cup, Jungwon hoped that the younger had a plan – for he didn’t. Instead of keeping eye contact, he opted to focus on the intricate design of the Chinese teacup. If Jungwon’s memory serves him right, this was a ‘Gaiwan’, the blue swirls of the ceramic and hot touch truly served its purpose of distracting him.
“Right,” The young lord cleared his throat, “The plan… I can’t tell you all the details yet Young master Garden–” Jungwon cut off Riki as he spoke, annoyed at being called ‘Garden’.
“How about you call me Jungwon or Hyung, as a cover up name?” After all, he will be working with Riki in secret. The younger one seemed to be easily shocked as he stared with his mouth right open - Jungwon was a bit scared that flies would fly in.
“Are you sure?” Why did he sound so surprised? As far as he knew, Garden was the characters name.
‘Side quest: Unlocked’
‘Title: A Gardens secret’
As soon as the blue screen disappeared the younger one seemed to regain his composure and cleared his throat.
“I apologise for my, uh, unflattering reaction.” He straightened his posture before shyly glancing at Jungwon, who by the second felt a bigger sense of dread. “I just didn’t expect the bastard– uh the drunkard of the streets to be the esteemed Garden.”
What?! The younger one didn't see Jungwon’s appalled expression as he progressed the story or rather ‘rumour’. The leader could feel himself feel thirsty through embarrassment, what was this? He didn’t read this in the fan fiction? Was this a cut side story that the author-nim wanted to add in? Was his character supposed to play a bigger role?
“I always thought Garden was someone of higher stature than you. No offence.”
Jungwon was fighting from making a face, he controlled and sighed, calming down. He’d have to revise his whole entire plan…
“None taken. Anyways, shall we proceed.” As he pondered over how to get more information the blue screen popped up again, this time he could feel himself zone out as memories that didn’t belong to him filled his mind.
Yang Garden or rather Yang Jungwon was born out of an affair. His mother coming from a prestigious family had slept with a man from the Yang household, therefore committing infidelity and Yang Jungwon was born.
The earliest memory of Garden’s mother was a lullaby and sweet gestures before she was sent away for her ‘training’ - in all honesty everyone could guess that she was being sold. Garden wouldn’t meet her until he had died in the original story where she had just returned, seeing her son's beheaded body in front of the esteemed household.
The woman crawled as her beaten and bruised body couldn’t handle the shock on top of the injuries. Shakey and uncertain she had reached the head, no body in sight as she cried and cried, cradling the rotting head by her chest, apologising til’ her throat hurt - the scene devastating. Jungwon remembered this scene playing out in the fanfiction, he had truly loved the mother in that scene.
Whilst his mother got sent away, Garden’s father was cold and uncaring in his earliest memories - he had lived with his grandma for most of his life with his father visiting once in a while. Garden hadn’t hated his father until his grandma had fallen sick and begged the older for help as the head of the household had rejected Garden’s plea.
Turning to his father turned out to be fruitless as the older could only turn away and curse at both Garden and the aforementioned grandma.
Further into the story as Sunoo and the others required a general it was Garden’s father that stepped up, being able to finally avenge his family knowing that he had nothing left to lose. His son died and his lover had killed herself after the death of their son.
Regret and bitterness had led to him helping the very vampires to track down the last of his own bloodline – soon after the story had finished the father of Garden lived up until he was ninety three with only loneliness as companion.
Yang Jungwon didn’t know any of this and neither did Yang Garden. He had only known that his mother loved him but had abandoned him for a better life, his father hated him and the only one to show him kindness consistently in his life was dying.
That is how Yang Garden was made, in hopes of saving his grandmother he had conjured up a plan or rather a force with Garden as the head.
When he was outside of the Yang household and in his own estate he was known as Garden, a faceless Young master that had appeared out of nowhere – the saving grace of the Yang household.
With no mask he was the drunkard, good-for-nothing Yang Jungwon. The absolute opposite of the esteemed Garden.
Jungwon watched the flashback with interest, he didn’t think that the character loosely based on him would have such a deep characterisation. The emotion that he felt the most as of right now was disappointment that author-nim hadn’t added Garden as a major role.
He wondered how the story would’ve played out if he was included as an actual major character instead of the one who rejected Ni-ki and died for it. Heck, Garden’s dad and mom had bigger roles than Garden. Jungwon wanted to pout and sulk at the thought he wasn’t as important but could feel a drag in his subconscious mind.
He could feel his mind coming back to his body as the blurry image started to clear up and a nervous Ni-ki stood beside him.
“What do you think?”
Not hearing anything of what the other had said Jungwon only smiled as he tapped his glass in nervousness. How was he supposed to explain that he was lost in his own mind and he wasn’t actually Jungwon or Garden from this world? Well he doesn’t have to, as a modernised man Jungwon thought back to when he first signed his contract to H*BE.
Everything was written down and all he had to do was sign and everything played out right, of course now he wished that he was a bit older so that he could go in with a much more mature mindset.
“Write it down in a contract and I’ll overlook it once more, we’ll meet again in two days at noon over tea. Use the code word ‘bath’ when you enter my estate.” He nailed the impression of an underground boss, Jungwon was squealing on the inside. This was so much fun - he had to suggest something similar for their next concept cinema!
“Of course! I’ll have the contract sent to you by bird.” The younger bowed and looked very hopeful, Jungwon was feeling hopeful too that he wouldn’t die - now that he changed the whole entire story from this point onward.
Luck had always been on his side and he had hoped that luck would continue to be on his side.
“I’ll see you in two days, Hyung!” The younger one seemed to look like a child as he ran out of the estate - a grin permanently on his face. Jungwon huffed as he started to reminisce about the past when both he and Ni-ki were like starstruck children - not fully knowing the world and relied heavily on the Hyungs.
Ni-ki had been sheltered and they had tried their hardest to protect the innocence the younger had, Jungwon had tried his hardest.
Snapped out of his daydream of the world and his Ni-ki by a servant who held a large stack of papers in front of him.
“Your paperwork, master Garden.” Right. He was like a mafia boss now, he had to get serious if he didn't want to be found out. Jungwon stretched before motioning for the servant to place the paperwork on the table - working outside didn’t seem that bad. The sun was bright and the weather was nice. He had tea and folks to help him get stuff.
It wasn’t that different from having a lot of staff, the thin man beside him basically looked like Yuki-nim.
“Thank you, Yuki-nim,” Jungwon joked as the man nodded and smiled, “You’re still the same after all this time, master Garden.”
What were the odds?