In the magnificent dining hall of his palace, a man sat peacefully at the head of the long, polished mahogany table that stretched across the room, capable of serving a vast number of guests, on the plush velvet high-backed chair, intricately carved with golden threads.

The hall captivated an ethereal architecture illuminated by sparkling crystal chandeliers hanging from the ornately decorated ceiling, casting a warm and inviting glow over the room.

Tall windows, draped with rich velvet curtains, allowed morning sunlight to filter in, offering a breathtaking view of the palace's royal gardens.

A servant proceeded to pour him the orange juice prepared with fresh oranges from the royal garden. Munching the last bite of his pancake, he took a sip of the liquid filled in the crystal glassware.

"Hyung we're here!" A voice echoed through the dining hall, and two silhouettes approached in the direction, their bodies filled with enthusiasm.

"Good morning hyung! How are you?" One of them asked as they stood beside his chair.

The monarch sitting on the chair hummed while the two newly arrived males continued.

"Hyung, we did--" One of them added making the eldest among them glare.

"W-we went to the pub last night, it was so cool!"

"Let's head towards my quarters. Butler Ahn, shift my meeting with the Han clan's minister by an hour."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

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At the King's quarters

Butler Ahn swiftly opened the door of the king's chambers. Inside the dimly lit room, the sunlight escaping from the translucent white drapes made the wooden floor shine in glory. The King seated himself on one of the plush armed chairs, sitting in the centre of the room.

"Butler Ahn," the monarch gestured with his hand while putting one leg on the other.

The butler nodded and walked away while closing the double doors of the room, leaving the three of them behind.

"Did you succeed?"

"Yes, Hyungnim we did!" The doe-eyed boy chimed in as soon as he seated himself.

"We've bought her here, as per your orders, and she is on our land right now," the other guy with a sharp jawline and puffy eyes, spoke.

"Where is she right now?"

"Huh? In our world where else," the doe-eyed guy chimed, smiling from his victory.

"I'm asking her exact location, YOU BUFFOONS!"

The two younger males glanced at each other with blank expressions, then glanced at their older brother, and finally stared at their resting thighs.

The King sighed before he snapped.

"I told you to keep track of her, didn't I? Jimin? Forget about this brat Jeongguk, but you?"

"Sorry hyung, after completing the task, we saw someone approaching her, so we headed straight towards the pub."

"For real?! I instructed you to bring her to our castle. How can you just let her be!?"

"W-when?" The renowned brat named Jeongguk hesitantly murmured while Jimin gave him a side glare, gesturing him to keep his mouth shut.

The king closed his eyes as he frustratingly ran his one hand through his hair, "Fine. Who was that person?"

"We couldn't recognize him from afar but we did see a royal brooch below his left shoulder," Jimin said while pointing to the left of his chest.

"That means he's someone from inside the royal court of the Kim clan because portal lies only in their reign," the king paused for a moment and quickly glanced at both of them before he further ordered, "I guess you both know what to do next, right?"

Both Jimin and Jeongguk nodded.

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Inside Kim's mansion

"Those jerks!" Y/n exclaimed while vigorously scrubbing the windows of the guest hall. The hall was situated at the corner of their parent's quarters, attaching itself to the right side of the garden. The delicate scent of aged timber wafted through the air, embracing her in a comforting embrace.

The polished wooden floor beneath her feet, shined under the sunlight that filtered through the paper-thin sliding doors as if inviting her to explore further.

The room was adorned with simplicity, its design echoing the harmony of nature. The hanjis (the paper-thin sliding doors) lined the three adjacent walls, one leading to Mr and Mrs Kim's quarters, one leading to the kitchen, and one leading to the exit of the hall.

Turning around Y/n proceeded to whip the low wooden table that stood gracefully at the centre, adorned with a delicately arranged tea set. The porcelain cups were painted with intricate designs as they rested on the table.

While sitting on her knees, she gently whipped the table and felt the soothing heat that radiated from the floor near the table, making her realize the presence of the ondol, a traditional underfloor heating system that now seemed to disappear in the human world, since the invention of heaters.

A middle-aged woman mopping the floor next to her bought her out of her trance, signalling her to move aside. Smiling awkwardly, Y/n shifted to her feet.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Maybe in the pantry."

"Okay," she said and started stepping out of the guest hall by sliding the paper-thin door that led to the kitchen.

"Those bastards gonna regret their existence," Y/n smirked wickedly while entering the kitchen. A wave of warmth and nostalgia washed over her as if generations of family recipes had been lovingly prepared and shared here.

The polished wooden countertops gleamed in the soft glow of the morning sunlight, reflecting the vibrant colours of fresh vegetables and traditional cooking pots that adorned them. The scent of freshly ground spices lingered in the air as I coughed slightly from its pungent smell.

Along with the traditional utensils, there were copper pots, pans, and spoons of various kinds hung from hooks on the walls, giving a hint of the human world as if this realm wanted to keep up with the human realm, but without letting go of their culture and ethnicity.

Clay jars lined the shelves, preserving homemade pickles and fermented kimchi, their earthy tones depicting the love for nature.

She stood and admired the kitchen as she felt a deep connection to the past making her feel guilt-ridden for ignoring her own culture while at the same time exploring various cultures around the world.

Shortly after, the middle-aged lady walked in and started rinsing the amount of rice in the glass bowl and soon the washed rice was slid down to the cauldron.

"Ajumma shall I help you with the tofu soup?"

"No it's simmering already," she said while pointing at the second cauldron that hung beside the first one. "Help me with preparing mandu filling."

"Sure," Y/n said while walking towards the countertop.

Taking a wooden bowl she started adding shredded boiled meat along with some finely chopped veggies, sauces, and salt and added two tablespoons of chilli paste.

"Ajumma I'll fill the mandus."

"Thanks, child, you're helping me a lot, I wonder who assigned you the job because girls of your age aren't allowed to work here."

Y/n's eyes pierced at the lady working beside her as she asked, "Why?"

Ajumma paused from whatever she was doing, and glanced at Y/n, "It's obvious, there're two young and handsome males in this house."

On hearing the sentence a chuckle escaped from Y/n's lips as she proceeded to roll her eyes, "Handsome?! My ass. They're both jerks. One is a bit less and one is so much more."

She chuckled, "You vaguely know them."

Y/n shrugged as she grasped the silky tofu soup's cauldron with the help of a kitchen towel and kept the steamer filled with mandus on the flames.

"Y/n, it's your first day, you might not be so used to the workload. Go rest or else you'll get a muscle strain. My other co-worker will show up soon."

Y/n hesitantly nodded and walked out of the kitchen by sliding the paper-thin door. She took her steps towards the room, where she was currently residing.

The doors of the room were also paper thin and supported with a wooden framework, just not the sliding types.

She opened the double door and entered Jin's room, climbed the stairs and landed her exhausted body on the bedding provided to her last night.

A tiring moan escaped from her mouth when she stretched her arms and legs. Her lids started dropping from slumber, but it was soon interrupted when Namjoon kicked the door wide open.

He was in his usual attire, a royal brooch was clutched below his left shoulder, indicating a service under the palace.

With his tired-looking features, Namjoon headed straight towards his room while Y/n lay back again, but she was again interrupted when her name was called out, well not exactly.

"You! Get up fast! Make me a cup of coffee," he instructed from the down floor and Y/n gawked at him with her head popping from the wooden handrail. Giving no importance to his instructions, Y/n once again proceeded to go back to her previous position making Namjoon glare at her.

"You filthy human! How dare you not follow my orders."

Y/n scrunched her face in annoyance as she furiously jolted up and walked down the stairs towards him. After giving him a nice glare she went straight towards the pantry.

She brewed the coffee and presented it in front of him on the central table where Namjoon sat like he owned the world.

"Asshole," Y/n murmured.

"What?"

"Your coffee," she said while giving him a disgusted fake smile.

Taking a sip, Namjoon instantly coughed up, "Why did you put sugar in this, go make it again. I like it without sugar and strongly brewed."

"You could've told this earlier!" Y/n exclaimed with a raised voice.

"Where're your honorifics? Call me sir!"

She gritted her teeth as her mind was reaching the limit of annoyance and prick behaviour.

"Sir, please tell me anything you need beforehand so that I can prepare it accordingly," she said in a mocking tone.

"Now go," Namjoon added, a faint smirk playing across the corners of his lips indicating his amusement in the situation.

Y/n carefully took another porcelain cup filled with brew in a small wooden tray with intricate carvings.

She intrusively wanted to throw that hot liquid on Namjoon's smug face, to wash off those cocky expressions of which she grew a hatred. Yet she carefully served it in front of him before heading towards her free space.

"Clean the bathroom."

"What?"

"Clean the bathroom."

Adrenaline rushed in her veins as she clenched her fists, "Who are you to order me around, bastard!? Shut your mouth or else I'll break your teeth. You're just a little piece of shit and everybody walks on it!"

Namjoon grimaced at her, puzzled by her outburst, but soon he got up from his seat. His eyes became dead serious as he glared at Y/n.

The human instantly regretted opening her mouth, when he took his steps closer in her direction.

"I am a piece of... what?" Namjoon whispered while twisting his tongue, his low husky voice demanded an answer while Y/n shuddered internally.

"I-I--"

A pair of footsteps were heard, and soon SeokJin accompanied the both of them.

"Jin," Y/n said instantly hiding behind him, "Save me, or else he'll eat me up."

"WHAT!?" Both the brothers confusingly added.

"I-I m-meant, he'll beat me up."

Jin sighed, turned around and observed her expression, "Nobody's gonna hurt you until you're a harm for us," he turned over again "And Namjoon-ah, drop your acts."

✧