Romance
Under the Same Roof, Behind Different Screens
Her first day was a mix of excitement and fear. As she walked down the long corridor past the offices, she felt like she was stepping into a whole new world. The faces she saw were serious, focused, and busy, each person lost in their own tasks. No one looked up or seemed to notice her, and for a moment, she felt small.
By Marian Rezkallah2 years ago in Chapters
From Another Time - Chapter 5
"Wow!" That's the reaction Chloe got from the five princes the moment she got out of one of the guest's chambers. She knows that she looks pretty with the authentic hanbok that she's wearing now. Chloe realizes that the ones from the hanbok shop were fake. She looks like a queen with a red hanbok since that's what the royalties are wearing around here. James comes out from the king's chamber. She noticed that he is now changed into an original hanbok. He looks more like a king now and that expensive hanbok fits him quite perfectly. He looks like the part he's playing right now. "Wow!" Chloe can't stop herself from saying it out loud. "Perfect! Now you're ready to meet up with the former king!" The advisor looks proud of how they both look now. Chloe walks toward James to make sure that she will not lose him. In case there's a way for them to go back to Seoul, she can just grab him. But for now, she decided to enjoy their stay in Hanyang. Everything looks grand around here anyway and she likes the feeling of being treated like royalty. "Wow, you look like a real princess now!" James told her that made her blush. Not because of his compliment but because she remembered their kiss earlier. That's an early treat for her but she tried her best to keep a straight face. Chloe doesn't want James to know that she's screaming inside. "Thank you, Your Highness!" She bowed to him as a princess should. She only did it because she doesn't have a choice. There are a lot of palace people around them. They will think you're disrespecting the king if she doesn't bow down to him. That happens to be James right now. But she wondered where the real king was. Hopefully, he's having fun as well wherever he is. *Present time in Seoul, South Korea* "Where am I? King Yung Ho asks himself in a confused tone. When he woke up this morning, he almost had a heart attack. He didn't know how he ended up in this strange place. He was just sleeping in his chamber. But then, he woke you up with many people with strange clothing around him. So he decided to get out of there. But the moment he got out, he was greeted by odd-looking people. They were all holding something in their hands and they smiled while looking at it. He also noticed that everyone seems to just ignore him. Nobody takes time to bow to him anymore. "You're ignoring the presence of your king! Just wait until I get to the palace. You will see who I truly am!" King Yung Ho shouted in frustration. A group of people is looking at him now but they seem to be mocking him. He can't take these disrespectful people anymore. Are they treating him like that because he's still in his sleeping attire? He ran as fast as he could to go to the palace. The moment he arrived at the palace, he felt thankful since finally, he will have some peace. He walked towards his throne and waited for his servant to arrive. They should be here any minute now to dress him up. After about five minutes, the servants arrived. "Excuse me, Your Highness! May I take a picture with you?" The servant asked him in a language he couldn't comprehend. But it seems like the servant, who happens to be a woman, is not asking for his permission. She immediately got closer to him and she was holding that thing as well. She smiled and looked at it, not at him. Confused, King Yung Ho just goes along with what's going on around him. He seems to have a lot of visitors inside the palace. But he's still in his sleeping attire until late afternoon. When the crowd had already left, he decided to go back to his chamber. On his way, he saw a woman that looked exactly like Chloe. But she's in her 40s and she looks confused as well. The woman seemed to know the king and bowed her head before he passed by. The king immediately noticed that the woman recognized him. "Stop right there! You recognized me?" The king asks the woman. "Of course, Your Highness! You're the King of Hanyang. How can I not recognize you?" The woman replied while avoiding eye contact. That's how it was supposed to be but the other people seem to forget about his status. But this woman recognized him without any issues. He needs to bring her to his chamber so he can understand what's happening around here. "You, whatever your name is, come with me!" King Yung Ho, ordered the woman. "My name is Amaya, Your Highness!" The woman introduced herself. "Princess Amaya?" The king asked since he recognizes that name. "Yes, Your Highness! I'm Princess Amaya." She confirmed. "Are you pulling my leg? The Amaya I know is a young and beautiful princess!" The king can't believe what he's hearing. This time, Amaya looks at him directly, and the king can believe it. He can recognize those brown eyes anywhere! But she can't be in the same place he is currently in right now. Although he can't ignore his feelings when he looks into her eyes. She is his Princess Amaya! What happened to her? She looks way older than her previous self. "Follow me to my chamber! We don't want those strange people to see us." King Yung Ho said and turned to get inside the chamber. Amaya followed the king even if a princess like her should never do that. But they are in a different situation now. She needs to stay close to the king if she wants them to go back together where they came from. Maybe the reason why the king didn't recognize her was because of her strange clothes. She enters the king's chamber and she catches a glimpse of the huge mirror. Who is that lady from the mirror? She tries to move to check if she's seeing correctly. When Amaya realized that it was her in the mirror, she fainted after seeing her older reflection.
By Jaymie Suh2 years ago in Chapters
From Another Time - Chapter 4
"Your Majesty, your brothers have arrived!" The advisor announced. James is still sleeping soundly and Chloe is the one who heard the king's advisor's announcement. She panics and doesn't know what to do but attempts to wake up James. They slept inside the same chamber but of course, in separate beds. But it's not going to look good for other people in the palace to see her spend the night in the king's chamber. "James! Wake up now!" She tried to shake him but he seems to have a good sleep. "Your Highness, your brothers are here!" The advisor announced again. "James, common! Help me around here. They are looking for you!" She told him while slapping his face lightly. Chloe is now too close to his face and she can see how perfect he looks. It's hard to keep a straight face with him the whole time. She has been wanting to scream because of the romantic excitement that she feels. But seeing him sleeping peacefully makes the feeling more intense. She can feel that she's blushing just looking at his face right now. Then she heard the muffled voices from outside the door. It sounds like there are many people out there waiting to be welcomed. "I think that the king is still asleep. Let's just wake him up!" One of the guys outside said. Chloe can hear them speaking from outside. The problem is, there's nowhere to hide from this chamber. It looks like the only purpose of it is for the king to rest and sleep. So she feels desperate already and moves closer to James' face hoping that he will wake up this time. "James, wake up! Please! They're coming in!" She whispered to him desperately. Chloe is so close to his face she can see his inviting red lips. But she tried to go back to her senses and proceed on waking him up. Whoever is outside the door, should not see that James is still sleeping. That will give them the impression that she sleeps with him. Then all of a sudden, the door opens and she gets so surprised. Chloe accidentally lost her balance and ended up landing on James' lips. When she realized what just happened, she reacted right away and thought of pulling herself away from him. But before she does, James' hand is at the back of her head and pulls her closer. As if he's making sure that she can't move away from him. Then she started to feel that he was now moving his lips. That's when you realized that he's already kissing you! Chloe can hear the surprised gasps of whoever is now inside the king's chamber. But James seems like he's enjoying the kiss. He started to kiss her deeper and she ended up losing herself at the moment. When it ends, he stares at you and gives her another smack. "Why are you interrupting my moment with my princess?" James asked the guys pretending to be mad at them. Even if she feels embarrassed now that she realized that they saw everything, she still tried to look at them. There are five guys inside the king's chamber! It's horrifying to have five guys looking as you and James shared a first accidental kiss. Does it even count? She asked herself but since it's James Seo, every moment of it counts! But it's still embarrassing but she doesn't care anymore. It's not every day she can kiss a rockstar. In this situation, a king. "We apologize, Your Highness! But our father is waiting for us for the royal breakfast today." One of the guys said. James looks at them one by one as if memorizing their faces. But as Chloe looks at them, she already knows who they are. They are the Idloz! But Yoko is missing from the group. Maybe he's just around here somewhere. "Alright, whatever! We can go as soon as you introduce yourselves to my princess." James instructed them. There's something with the phrase, "my princess" when James said it. Chloe feels like she turns into a real princess instantly. But she scolded herself and tried to stop hallucinating. It's just part of the act, stop holding your hopes too high. Although the kiss was great. She thought to herself. "Good morning, Princess! I'm Prince Chan. I'll be the sunshine of your life!" The cute prince introduced himself with a gentlemanly bow. He looks very cute and his smile is like the sun. "I'm Prince Jung, the most handsome prince that you will see around here. It's nice to meet you, Princess Chloe!" The next prince with a fair complexion and cute face said. "Hi, Princess, I'm Prince Don!" I can teach you how to paint yourself!" The handsome prince next to Prince Jung greeted you. "Hi, I'm Prince Jay!" The handsome prince who looked perfectly like a vampire said in a low voice, I almost didn't hear him. "Hello, Princess! I'm Prince Moon!" He takes her hand and kisses it, making her blush. All she can do is just smile at them and smile widely. Although she hasn't seen all the Idolz members before, she's sure that they all look like them. But if they are all here, how about Yoko's counterpart and James? "Alright, as promised. Let's go meet Father! We need some breakfast." James suggested. "Don't worry, Your Highness. There will be a lot of food for breakfast near the lake." The king's advisor suddenly appeared and informed him. "Great! Let's go then!" James grabs Chloe's hand so she can already get out of the chamber. "Your Highness, pardon me but may I suggest asking the court ladies to fix Lady Chloe first? She will be meeting your father so she has to look her best!" The king's advisor suggested. "Alright, I guess we have to wait for her then. My father will be happy to meet the future queen!" James agreed to the suggestion. Although he seems to be getting carried away from his acting. But Chloe feels excited to wear different clothes. Even if she's already wearing a hanbok, she still wants to see how the other designs will look on her.
By Jaymie Suh2 years ago in Chapters
From Another Time - Chapter 3
Chloe saw the palace from afar as she opened the small window from the palanquin. It's a mesmerizing sight now that she is seeing the palace. There's something different from its vibe now that you are back in Hanyang. Hanyang is the old name of Seoul from the Joseon Dynasty. Everything around this place looks like what she saw in Korean Dramas. Although there are a lot of differences as well now that she's back in time. "Chloe, what are you doing?" James asked with a worried tone. "I'm just checking how accurate the Korean Dramas were." She replied and went back to her seat. "This is cool! They thought I'm the king around here." James said and smiled widely. "That hanbok suits you well, Your Highness!" She said and giggled. Then they realized that the palanquin is no longer moving. The king's guards have stopped so Chloe opened the small window again. She tries to see what's happening. "Chloe, what do you see? Are we already in the palace?" James asked curiously. "Yes, we're already here!" She replied and excitedly opened the small door. "Chloe, be careful!" James said in a concerned tone but she seemed excited to see the palace. When Chloe went out of the palanquin, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. The palace looks grander now. Although she visited Changdeokgung place the moment that she arrived in Korea. It looks more mesmerizing now that they are in the Joseon Dynasty. James grabs her hand as they both look admiringly at the Changdeokgung palace. Although she was surprised by his gesture, she just allowed it. She understands that he might be a little scared right now. So she just let him hold onto her hand to make him feel better. "What if they found out that they were not from here and I'm not a real king?" James asked her in a very low voice. "Stop saying that! Just think that we're inside a Korean Drama and this is your palace!" She suggested. James looks like he's thinking about what she just said. His grip on her hand becomes tighter and then it becomes loose again. He did that a few times as if trying to squeeze out some courage from her hand. "Your Majesty, do you want me to walk you inside your chamber?" The king's advisor asked him. "Yes, walk me there but I'm bringing my lady with me." He replied in Korean. Chloe can't understand Korean so just smile when the old man looks at her. The king's advisor leads the way to the king's chamber. James is still holding her hand so she knows that he's still nervous about what's happening. "Wow…" That's all she can say the moment they see the grand interior of the king's chamber But James looks like he's not even impressed. If he's acting right now, she has to commend his talent. Although she already knows that he's also good at acting. Chloe always watches his YouTube content along with his guests. "I will ask the maid to bring you some refreshments. Pardon me, Your Highness!" The advisor excused himself. James just flicks his hand to inform him that he allows him to be excused. Chloe is still busy looking around the chamber. Although she's just pretending to be busy. She doesn't want the king's advisor to notice that she's not from Hanyang. "What did he just tell you?" She asked James after the advisor left. "He said he will tell the maid to bring us some snacks. Wait a minute, you can't understand Korean?" James suddenly realized. "I can only understand a few words." She admitted to him and felt embarrassed. "Unbelievable! Why are you even here?" James chuckles. "Because I'm a Korean Drama fan!" She replied. "I thought you're more of a KPop fan!" James said while still laughing. "I like Korean dramas better, especially the historical ones." She informed him. "Are you for real? I also like historical dramas! You have good taste!" James looks happy to see another historical fan. The maid called out to tell them that their snacks are ready. James ordered the maid to get inside in his king-like tone. Chloe giggled and tried to control it when the maid got inside. Three of them are holding trays of cakes and pastries. The other two are holding the tea set and coffee pot. James thanked all of the maids and it made them blush. He ordered them to give you some privacy. Chloe can't understand what he is saying, so she just takes the coffee pot and starts pouring it into a cup. "Finally, I can have some coffee!" Chloe felt relieved that the maids were gone. "Wait, you like coffee better than tea?" James asked as if it was a big deal. "Yes, I can't function properly without coffee!" She told him while she put on some sugar. "I can't believe we have a lot in common!" James commented as he started sipping his black coffee. "I think we have more in common than just being both coffee lovers." She replied and sipped her coffee. "I wonder why they served both? In the historical dramas, they only serve tea." James wondered. "Yeah, I noticed that too! Maybe the king likes coffee as well." She concluded. "It's really weird that we both end up here. I wonder if the storekeeper is okay. She's the last one I saw before the blackout happened. But when it gets bright again, I end up with you!" James said as if imagining what happened. Chloe almost choked on the cake she was eating. How can she tell James that she is the same woman he was with? Maybe she can just tell him when the time is right. What matters is that she's young again. "Yeah, it's so weird!" Chloe pretended that she also thinks the same way and eats more cake. She can't get why he didn't even consider the fact that she is the same person as the storekeeper. But it will complicate their situation more than it already is. It's better if she just plays along and deals with being in the past with James. Maybe when they wake up tomorrow, they will be back in Seoul.
By Jaymie Suh2 years ago in Chapters
From Another Time - Chapter 2
When the lights come out again, Chloe realizes that it's not the blackout that caused it. She can see that it's still daytime. But then realized that she was still holding James' hand tightly. She immediately let go of him and pretended that nothing happened. "What just happened and who are you?" James asked, looking at her as if he saw her before. "I'm the hanbok shopkeeper!" She replied to him wondering how he could forget it right away. James stares at her with a suspicious look. But she chose to just ignore him and get out of the dressing room. It feels awkward to be with a 26-year-old guy in a small room. Maybe it's the reason why she's still not yet married at 40. She just doesn't trust any guy around her. But the moment she got out of the dressing room, she noticed that something looked different. Tom is no longer around and the managers are also missing. She can see that there are other people outside now. But everyone is wearing a hanbok in different styles. James decided to come out after fixing the hanbok that he was wearing. He glanced at the mirror for the last time to admire how it looks on him. He remembered the shop attendant telling him that it was made for a king. He felt like one right now and decided to go out. He's excited to see how Tom would look wearing a hanbok. He never tried it before and it will be a great theme for his channel. But he just can't ignore the girl who just hugged her inside the dressing room. Maybe she's just another fan and just wants to hug him. James can't help but smile thinking that his fans will go that far just to be with him. He loves his fans so much although he's a bit scared to have a stalker following him. There's a lot of them and if there's one around here, they will follow Tom for sure, not him. But you will never know what they're thinking. Although he will be happy if that girl is a fan. He can look for her if she wants to take a picture with him. That's the best fan service he can give his fans for their support. But the moment he got out of the dressing room, there was nobody around the shop anymore. "Excuse me, James, I think we have a problem!" Chloe tries to catch his attention. "There you are! It's okay, don't be afraid. Do you want to take a picture with me?" James asked her in a concerned tone. She looks at him confused about whatever he's trying to say. Maybe he got shocked from seeing the crowd outside. It is also surprising for her but they all look like they're just going along with their normal day. But they are not tourists to this part of Seoul. "Stop kidding around, James! Look, there are a lot of people out there and I don't think they are here to try our hanbok!" She informed him. James decided to check out what the girl is talking about. Of course, she follows him just in case you're in trouble. Being a foreigner is not easy, especially if you're working. They might ask for her working permit and she doesn't have one. "The king is here! Greetings, You're Majesty!" A woman just bowed at James all of a sudden. James backs out from the middle-aged woman who suddenly just went down on her knees and bowed at him. The crowd followed suit and that's when Chloe realized that something went wrong from that blackout earlier. She takes a glimpse in the mirror and sees that she looks young again! "Hey, what's going on?" James asked in a panicked tone. Chloe is so happy to see her 26-year-old self again. It's hard to take her eyes off the mirror. Then she realized that's why James asks her earlier who she is. He didn't recognize her younger self. Even she can't believe that this is happening to her. "Your Majesty, what are you doing in this shabby place?" One of the crowd asked James. "Wait, who are you?" He asked in Korean. "Good heavens! What did you do to our king? He can't seem to remember his most trusted advisor!" The old guy asked you. Chloe has a sudden realization of what's happening. They might have been transported to the Joseon Dynasty! It's obvious because of how people look from the outside. Even the place looks old once again. But, she's thankful that she looks young. "Lady, please wear some proper clothing! We have to bring the king back to the palace now!" The old man ordered her. Since Chloe already knows what's going on, she didn't protest anymore. Instead, she looks for a hanbok that will be perfect for a lady from a rich family. She has seen everything she needs to know from all the K-dramas she binge-watch before. They will never know that she is a peasant in the modern world. "What do you think you're doing!" James asked her the moment she got out of the dressing room. "Just play along! I think we went back to the Joseon Dynasty And they thought you were the king. I told you, that hanbok makes you look like a king!" She whispered to him. "What are you talking about? I didn't even know who you were! How can you say that to me before?" James asked in a panicked tone. "Oh, I'm sorry, Your Majesty! My name is Chloe. I'm here to serve you for whatever you need." You introduced yourself while giggling. "Don't I look pretty with this pink hanbok?" She added. "Yeah, it looks pretty on you!" James looks at her intently and approves of her choice of clothing. "Your Majesty, we need to go back to the palace. The Japanese will be here soon!" The old man dragged James out of the shop. "Chloe, you have to come with me!" James says and grabs her hand. "Lady Chloe, make sure that you take care of the king while we transport him to Hanyang." The old man ordered before you get inside the royal palanquin.
By Jaymie Suh2 years ago in Chapters
From Another Time - Chapter 1
James already missed performing on stage. That's the main reason why he became a rock star. But because of the pandemic, every concert and world tour has been canceled. He was able to have several albums along with his band. But still, all they can do for now is to meet their fans online. So, they always make sure to have a lot of video content for their fans. He's widely known as James Seo, the rock star. That name sticks to his fans better. He's a Korean who grew up in the US. Then went to South Korea for his concert. He has no idea that he will end up stuck there. He was born on February 10, 1995, which makes him 26 years old at the present year. He started with the band when he was just 16. James spent a long time preparing for his dreams to finally become a reality. He exerted a lot of time and effort practicing only for the concerts to be stopped by the pandemic. But he's trying to be patient along with his members. They are making sure that their fans will always be updated. James stops that flow of thought since he's done taking his shower. It seems that he always spaced out whenever he's taking a bath. He goes back to reality as if he was able to be in another place at that moment. He decided to stop reminiscing for now since he needs to go out and meet Tom today. They are going to shoot an hour from now. It's for his vlog since he started one recently. He wrapped a towel around his waist and started preparing. It doesn't take long for him to be ready to go out. He called his manager to tell him that it was time to leave. They will go together to the location where he will be meeting Tom. He's one of his closest friends around here. James feels a little excited about this shoot. He hasn't seen Tom for a while and this will be the best time they can catch up. Tom is an artist and his place is located in a different area. So, they don't see each other often. They have to make sure that they will shoot this new content in a quiet place. That way, they can make sure that they will not be seen by fans. It's their collaboration for them and also to be safe from the virus that is still around. James' phone beeps and he sees that there's a new message. He checks it and that makes him smile since it's from Tom. He seems to also be excited about today and said that he is already on his way to the location. He gets out of his apartment building right away and sees his manager's car waiting outside. He's wearing a black shirt today with a matching black mask and also a black cap. It's easier that way since there will be clothes for him to wear on the set. "Let's do this!" James told his manager. His manager happens to be the manager of his band. James is the vocalist and bassist. The other guys will have their schedules for today. It's sponsored content and it's located in a secluded area of Seoul. After driving for a while, they stopped in a parking lot. He immediately noticed that there were people who were wearing hanbok. It's Korean traditional clothing that was popular during the Joseon Dynasty. James got excited since he remembered that he had also done this with Mark before. They wore hanboks for their photoshoot. It will be a great experience for Tom since he never tried hanbok before according to him. "James!" Tom shouted and waved at him from the hanbok shop. He runs towards him since he's also excited to get started. This hanbok shop looks oddly familiar to him. Although they had never gone to this place before. It's not that popular compared to the one he visited with Mark before. "Hey, what's up? Long time no see!" James asked in his American accent. "I'm great! I'm so excited to see you!" Tom replied in his British accent. Tom grew up in London and moved to California when he was 14. That's where they met and became classmates in high school. But he moved to Korea for an opportunity to become an artist. He's a painter and good at it. "Are we going to wear hanbok today?" James asked. "Yeah, I think so!" Tom responded. Their manager gave them the go signal and they both entered the hanbok shop. It's odd since it looks like a foreigner is managing the shop. They saw a beautiful woman preparing the hanboks that they could choose from. "Nuna, you're not from here are you?" Tom immediately asked her. That made her blush to see two handsome guys. She recognized them because she's a rock fan and also an art enthusiast. But instead of talking, she just nodded at Tom's question. She finds them more attractive than those on YouTube. James is already busy browsing the hanboks that she prepared for their visit. She just volunteered to watch this shop for her boss from the inn. Surprisingly, today is the day when these guys are coming. "Nuna, what do you think of this one?" Tom asked for her opinion. He's flirting with her now. "Try the green one!" She suggested and tried her best to remain professional. "Wow, you have good taste!" James commented and was impressed by her suggestion. "Well, I just think green suits him best. You should try the golden-yellow. It will make you look like a king!" She suggested. "Sure, thanks Nuna!" James smiled very sweetly at the shopkeeper. He also thinks that she is beautiful and it's such a pity she looks older than him. If not, he will make his move right away. Not that age matters to him. He's just afraid that she might be married already. He doesn't want to be in trouble. "Let's go wear them now so we can start shooting!" Tom suggested. James agreed and the shopkeeper assisted them to the changing rooms. But she suddenly remembered that James' hanbok has a missing part. Being 40 made her forgetful and she rushed to get it. "James, I'm sorry but there's a missing piece for that hanbok! I have it here!" She called out to him. "Nuna, can you just get inside? I need some assistance." James responded. She hesitated for a moment but decided to enter anyway. After all, it's her chance to be with James up close and personal. Then she saw him without his shirt on and tried to look away from those yummy biceps. "Can you put this on for me, please?" James asked nicely and she willingly obliged. But the moment she did, an earthquake suddenly happened. She panicked and hugged James. Then, all the lights went out!
By Jaymie Suh2 years ago in Chapters




