Lee Gon was counting down the seconds till the ending of his so-called weekly meeting with the Prime Minister. He had a grueling week of meetings, ceremonies, events, and document signings. He didn't even get to talk to his best friend Yeong, although he was always around him. Lee Gon was getting a headache as Prime Minister Keep spoke in her high-pitched voice.

Gon pinches the skin between his brows, attempting to crease the dull aching in his head without alerting others. But he detects someone watching him, and sure enough, his beloved captain is looking at him worriedly, one eyebrow raised in concern.

Gon looks at him and tries to offer him a reassuring smile that says everything is fine with him. But who is he attempting to deceive? With only a glance, Yeong can know what's going on with him. He observed Yeong getting ready to jump in and end the meeting, something Gon appreciates.

 

 

Yeong runs to him, concerned, as soon as the prime minister leaves.

"Pyeha, are you okay?" the captain said, immediately raising his wrist to order a doctor to get to him. Gon took the younger's hand in his.

"No, Yeongah, I just want to go for a walk." The King sighed deeply and rubbed his tired face, removing the mask of his cheerful demeanor.

Yeong examines the king's face; he notices that the older man is exhausted, and he is as well. They didn't have time to rest this week. King's schedule was jam-packed, and Yeong had to follow him everywhere since he had assigned critical tasks to his sub-captains. So the king's suggestion of going for a walk appeals to him as well.

"All right, Pyeha, I'll take care of that," Yeong responds, attempting to free his wrist from the king's grip.

The king gave him a surprised look as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Yeong raises his left brow, his expressions questioning the monarch.

"No refusals or lectures?" Do you mind if I go for a walk? Yeong-ah, do you understand what I mean by 'walk'?" The monarch asks, and his captain responds with a deadpan expression.

"Yes, Pyeha. I understand what you mean by 'walk.' And I'm not going to stand in your way. So let me arrange your trip." Yeong responds by gesturing with his wrist. The monarch let go of the younger's hand with a relieved sigh, rising from his seat and walking to the sofa before lying down.

Yeong had already ordered Jung-mi to take over as he watched the king rest on his comfortable couch.

"Pyeha, please don't leave before I return." I'm going to gather a few items and will be there in 30 minutes." Yeong stated this while bowing slightly and walked to the door.

"What are you going to tell Lady Noh, Yeong-ah?" The monarch asks as Captain holds the door handle to exit. Yeong gives him a little smirk before adding, "You don't have to know Pyeha." Before exiting the room, Jung-mi entered and took his place near the entrance.

Yeong heard him exclaim, "Yah, Captain Jo!”Do you want to be beheaded for real?" as the large doors shut behind him.

 

 

~

 

 

After taking care of things, Yeong joined the King on his so-called 'walk.' While riding Maximax, King examines the small backpack the captain was carrying on his back. On his horse, the captain approaches him.

"Pyeha, our horses will be picked up after we leave. and, we only have three days to return to the palace." Yeong stated as they began to make their way to the bamboo forest.

"Oh, it's more than enough. Thank you very much, Yeong-ah." Before they began to ride their horses, the monarch responded.

~

 

 

"Are we heading to the republic, Hyung?" the captain wonders as they enter the portal. The portals to other universes have already been marked with familiar symbols that only they understood. However, there are more doors to explore.

"No, let's try a different one." As he passed the familiar marking on the entrance leading to the Republic of Korea, Gon remarked.

Yeong understood why his King avoided traveling there. A few months ago, the king returned from his weekly outing with Jeong Tae Eul with a gloomy expression on his face. And Yeong was aware that something had happened between the two. Not long later, Gon told him what had happened. That Jeong Tae Eul wanted to end their relationship. She does not want to be queen and leave her world. It grieved to see his king in that condition. Gon had tried to divert his attention away from himself, but after weeks of nonstop working, despite Yeong's and Lady Noh's protests, King nearly ended up in the hospital from exhaustion. The captain was well aware that his king held romantic feelings for the detective. And he can do nothing about king broken heart.

But entering a new universe always makes him nervous, since Yeong doesn't know how he can protect his king without understanding what they're up against. He hopes they don't end up in another universe where they'll be in danger.

 

 

~

When they emerged through the portal, they were met by a familiar bamboo forest. There were also security cameras... similar to theirs. After looking around, King reasoned that they had traveled to a different period in their universe.

"Let's go, Pyeha; I think we should go before they find us." Yeong pointed to the camera at checkpoint 6. Good thing he saw it as soon as they arrived, and Yeong knows where to hide from those cameras.

"But, Yeong-ah, we haven't checked the time and date here yet." What if that is the future? We can know what will happen." The captain groans as the king respond excitedly. Yeong doesn't understand how his king can be so easygoing when they don't know what kind of danger they're in.

"All right, so we just verify the date and time and leave?" Yeong asks after taking a deep breath to relax.

“Great! “Lead the way!" Gon turns to face him, happy that his captain has accepted his idea.

 

Yeong is aware that this may be a bad idea. His mischievous king is being taught which way is hidden from security cameras. When he began to lead the route, the said man gave him a strange look; a different road than they usually use to avoid checkpoints. But Yeong is not willing to take that risk, knowing very well that it contains secret cameras with access only to the captain, which he will have if this world has him as their captain.

"I'm not going to comment on why I wasn't aware of this road," Yeong heard his king mumble quietly, barely loud enough for him to hear. "I'm also not going to explain why I'm telling you this, Pyeha," Yeong responds, eliciting a chuckle from the monarch.

Yeong swore to himself that as soon as they returned to their palace, he would build a new camera system on this path. He cannot risk his king's disappearance again.

 

 

 

They arrived at a small phone booth near the entrance to the bamboo forest. Yeong examines the date on the newly pasted poster on its wall, and his eyes widen as he reads the words on it. They are both in the Kingdom of Corea and share the same time zone and date.

“Pyeha.” Yeong motioned to King with the poster.

"Oh, did we go back to our world?" It cannot be. There is no way for two separate doorways to go to the same universe." King expressed his thoughts.

"Pyeha, I think it's better to leave here before anything happens," the captain replied, motioning for the king to follow him.

 

 

But before they could go, they heard horse hooves approaching.

“!” Yeong curses to himself as he pulls his king behind the booth to cover him.

 

 

From his hiding place, Lee Gon looked at his doppelganger. It's not the first time he's seen his doppelganger. But this man is just like him, down to his demeanor and behaviors. Seeing that, Gon became even more perplexed as to where they were; if they were in their world in real-time, there shouldn't be another him in here.

Gon and Yeong watched the events unfold in front of them.

Other than Maximax, Gon's Doppelganger was his own. He effortlessly dismounts his white horse and turns to face the beast before retrieving a bag he was carrying that they hadn't seen until now.

After placing the bag on the floor, the other Gon takes the reins of the horse and ties it to a nearby tree. The royal then walks to where he left his bag. He opens the bag, humming a familiar melody, and pulls out a picnic basket and a mat. Gon smiles to himself as he realizes what is going on. His doppelganger is getting ready for a picnic, which suggests he has a partner. Gon was interested if his parallel version was fortunate enough to have Tae Eul.

"I'm not sure why he wants to have a picnic in here. In this open space." Gon overheard Yeong muttering to himself in hushed tones. Gon chuckles gently, but the remark was directed at him as well. Why would his doppelganger spend time with his partner in here if he wanted to hide in the woods?

 

 

They didn't have to wait long since they heard the sound of people arriving, and Gon's doppelganger had already finished preparing. The mat was nicely put out in the clearing on grass, and food containers, plates, and glasses were already on the mat.

As they approached the location, they heard people talking. The prince took a seat near the mat and pulled a little rose from his pocket. Yeong snickers with a short 'how romantic'

Yeong's tone told Gon it was intended for him. His friend enjoys making fun of his acts toward his partner. And the captain was well aware that he had done this with Tae Eul.

 

Voices and footsteps became clearer, and they could hear someone calling out to Captain. Someone responded. There came another voice, this time from Sub Captain Seok. However, they did not hear any other female voice.

"Don't you think we're interfering with their alone time, Pyeha?" Yeong speaks quietly to him. "Let me attempt to think of a way out of here." The captain continued.

Gon nodes, perhaps his captain is correct. They are the ones who are interrupting another person's private moment. And Gon lacks the courage to see Tae Eul's doppelganger having a lovely dovely with his other self. And he knew Yeong was trying to help him, considering how much it wounded him.

Yeong turns to face him and motions for him to follow him quietly. He followed his captain while grabbing his captain's shoulder.

They didn't get far because they heard his voice echo across the quiet woods, calling them.

 

 

"Is anyone there?" When Gon's doppelganger asked, both the King and the captain froze behind the trees.

Yeong extends his hand toward his handgun, ready to shoot at any moment.

"Show yourself. "I know you're hidden behind the tree." They heard Gon's doppelganger remark as his feet approached the location.

Yeong works fast, knowing that if he doesn't act quickly, both of them would be in danger. Yeong emerges from hiding and steps in front of His king's doppelganger, causing the latter to pause in shock.

 

 

"Yeong? H-how?" The royal shutters and turns to look behind himself, causing the captain to experience the scene but in a different way. Standing behind Gon's doppelganger was his face, complete with the same hairstyle and everything. The only difference is that his doppelganger is dressed in black oversized clothing.

Yeong knew he shouldn't be surprised because he'd previously seen a few of his doppelgangers. But what about this? He seemed like he was standing in front of a mirror wearing oversized clothing.

 

 

 

~

Lee Gon had stopped behind his captain as soon as he heard the voice, and when Yeong emerges from their cover to meet Gon's doppelganger, he does so discreetly until his captain's signal. He knows his friend despises it when things don't go as planned, and if something does go wrong, he shouldn't make him upset by not listening to him.

But when his lookalike addresses his captain by name, Gon panics. Something isn't quite right. Without him, none of their asses can be protected. So Lee Gon steps away behind the tree, attempting to face others with confidence.

“What the actual ?”

That's what Lee Gon heard as he faced two surprised faces. It was the voice of his captain's doppelganger. Gon examines the replica of his captain, minus the huge attire, and then the man with his face.

“Hi.” Lee Gon greets everyone, attempting to ease the tension.

He knows from experience that explaining the parallel universe and doppelganger concept to others is difficult. And based on their reaction, they don't know anything about the issue, even though he heard his Doppelganger mention his captain by name.

“Who are you? How did you get in here?" asks Gon's doppelganger. And the captain glances at his lookalike with interest as others remained silent but shocked.

"I know you guys are surprised. But first, allow me to introduce myself."

"I came from another universe. Lee Gon, king of the kingdom of Corea. And this is Jo Yeong, my captain of the royal guard."

Despite the glances they're getting, Gon began.

"A different universe?" How is that possible? And how come you have the same appearance as us and the same name as us?" Gon's doppelganger asks once again.

"The same name?" This time, Gon asks.

"Yes, you and he share the same names as us," the other royal said to his captain.

So Gon's prediction was correct. Both doppelgangers share the same names. And, as they realized, they are in the same period and country. But how come the other Lee Gon was unaware of the concept of parallel universes? Something isn't right, according to Gon. They are not in their universe. They are in a parallel universe with identical names and everything. But it isn't possible. This is his first encounter with something like this. When he returns to his world, he believes to has a problem to deal with. But first, he must confront his doppelganger, who is staring at him with suspicion.

"I don't know how it's possible; this is my first time as well, despite having visited so many identical planets to ours." Gon responds by motioning about and looking at the men in front of him. "Are you also King and Captain of the Royal Guard?" He asks, his gaze fixed on Yeong's lookalike.

Both other guys exchange looks, and other Gon responds with a firm "Yes and No."

"What do you mean?" Gon asks, surprised.

"I am the King of Corea, but he is not my Captain," the other royal stated, staring at the younger beside him.

"He is my husband. My 'prince consort." The other royal responded proudly, and this time it was Yeong and Gon's turn to surprise. Gon chokes on his saliva as he coughs, and Yeong's eyes widened in astonishment, Other than his poker face.

"In any case, you're ruining our picnic." Before they can say anything further, the other Royals turn to face their husband.

'Yeongie, please have a seat. You shouldn't have stood up this long. The king took his husband's hand in his and led him to the picnic mat. Before sitting on it, the other man smiles at his spouse, but his gaze returns to their unwanted guest.

Lee Gon has finally returned to reality, and he looks at his captain. Yeong is looking at his doppelganger with an unreadable expression, as it's not surprising to see his face being pampered by Gon's lookalike. Gon attempts to comprehend what his best friend is thinking. Even while he is used to shipping themselves as partners in his universe, this is the first time he has envisioned himself in a real love relationship with his best friend, let alone married to each other.

Gon believed it was his destiny to meet Jeong Tae Eul as his soulmate in every universe, even if he didn't get to marry her. But after seeing this, he realizes something he hadn't seen before. Even though he had Jeong Tae Eul as his partner in the majority of the worlds he had visited, Yeong was present in all of them as his most trusted person, whether as captain, closest friend, brother, or colleague. Yeong accompanied him everywhere.

 

“I think we should get going then.” Lee Gon stated, drawing everyone's attention to himself.

"I'm not sure how to address you. But have a seat; you're already disturbed us. And I'd like to learn more about how you travel across the universe." Prince Yeong responded with a courteous smile, gesturing to the mat, ignoring his own husband's objection that they needed their own time.

Lee Gon nods at the younger royal and walks toward them, his captain following him behind. He is still unable to wrap his head around the fact that his best friend is married to him here. He may treat Yeong with respect and affection; after all, Yeong is his greatest friend and most trusted person. But not in this manner.

 

 

 

+++++++