Myungsoo lay on the floor with his arms and legs sprawled on the floor, fast asleep and snoring himself a song until a strange smell whiffed by. With one snort, the unfamiliar smell left a bad taste in Myungsoo’s mouth. Coughing his way up, he pushed himself off the mat and looked around; Sungyeol’s bed covers were shoved to the wall without Sungyeol in them.

Myungsoo got off up the floor and scratched his eye to wake up as he noticed Sungyeol’s door to his room wide open. The scent followed out into the hallway, and a curious Myungsoo sniffed one more time to follow the smell.

With his head leading the way, Myungsoo walked with his nose forward as the trail led him into the living room and kitchen. Sitting on the couch was Sungyeol with his feet on the coffee table, his history book on his side as he kept his laptop on his lap. He wore his glasses as he was concentrated on something early in the morning. In the kitchen was Sungjong, whose face looked like he came straight out of a zombie meeting as he cooked something in a metal pan that was unfamiliar to him that was doused in a whole layer of oil. A yellow substance curdled in front of him that Sungjong played with chopsticks. The whole thing looked unappetizing, something awfully grotesque for Myungsoo’s own tastes.

“What are you cooking?” Myungsoo asked reluctantly.

Sungjong yawned. “Eggs.”

Myungsoo’s lower lip quivered. “Why are you cooking it that way?”

Sungjong glared at Myungsoo. It was too early in the morning to deal with the idiot prince. “Scrambled eggs.”

Sungyeol closed his laptop shut and gently dropped it on the couch. He stuffed his history book inside of his backpack and strapped it on, springing up and making his way for the door. “I’m going to the library,” Sungyeol declared.

Sungjong dropped his chopsticks in the pan uneasy. “Wait wait, what?” Sungjong put his hands up in the air and ran in front to stop him. “Where are you going? Hyung, you can’t leave me.”

Sungyeol used his arm to shove his brother out of the way. “I’m going to the library. I think that I can get access to a book about Kim Sunggyu’s diary memoirs. The faster I can figure this out, the earlier Myungsoo can leave our apartment and be able to prove himself innocent.”

“Yeah, ok I get it.” Sungjong raised an eyebrow. “But you’re going to leave me alone with Myungsoo today? What time are you coming home?!”

Sungyeol and Sungjong simultaneously looked to Myungsoo, who stepped forward towards the frying pan and picked up one of the chopsticks used for cooking. He curiously poked at the eggs, dipping the stick in and lifting it up to watch the oils drip down. Myungsoo could feel his stomach tightening up in knots thinking about it.

Sungyeol placed a hand on Sungjong’s shoulder. “Hey, he followed me the whole day. You can maybe take him somewhere fun. It’s Saturday. I have stuff to do also.”

Sungjong pointed at Sungyeol’s chest. “But I wasn’t the one he was feeling up in the Jacuzzi!”

“Would you please stop bringing up-“

A loud crashing noise erupted in the kitchen. Sungyeol and Sungjong ce more to catch Myungsoo knocking over the whole pan of eggs off the stove and to the floor, having nothing to show for it but the chopstick he held in his hand from poking at the sides. Myungsoo stood there, eggs splashed in front of him, stinking up the whole kitchen and confused.

“Well, your problem for the day,” Sungyeol grinned as he patted on his little brother’s head. Sungyeol took the door and ran as fast as possible out before he had to help him. The door slammed closed.

Sungjong stood trying to stop him as the door slammed in his face, his eyebrows furrowing in anger for Sungyeol dropping the problem on him. He slowly spun around to take a look at Myungsoo, who waved the chopstick in the air. 

"I hate you Sungyeol," Sungjong grunted under his breath.

(((())))

Myungsoo and Sungjong shared a seat on the subway to Gyeongbokgung station. Their plan for the day was Gyeongbok Palace: the old headquarters for the House of Kim, and Myungsoo's home. Right smack in the middle of Seoul, the two went on a journey together to Sungjong’s suggestion. He thought it would be a fun idea for Myungsoo to look at the palace that remain standing today, taking much credit for the thought an applauding himself for being so creative. The two sat side-by-side in a fairly empty subway ride.

“Thank you for the eggs,” Myungsoo smiled with gratitude. “They were different than anything I have ever eaten. And I am sorry for spilling the first batch.”

“That’s ok,” Sungjong hummed, checking out his phone and played Bejeweled.

Myungsoo leaned his head over to check out the odd shapes forming on a tiny machine that projected a picture at the palm of Sungjong’s hands. “What is that?” he asked.

“This is called a cell phone. Today, instead of sending letters you use this thing to call people. You can also have games here as well as music,” Sungjong answered, pausing his game and passing the phone to Myungsoo.

Myungsoo took Sungjong’s phone and cradled it like a baby, holding onto the sides and smooth edges of metal and the glass that covered the phone. It was the size of his whole hand, interesting Myungsoo in every way. Myungsoo had the silliest grin on his face. “This is really exquisite. How can I talk to someone on this?”

Sungjong grabbed the phone out of Myungsoo’s hand and smiled. He swiped through his contacts to call Dongwoo. “Here, you have a list of all the friends and family that you know. You can choose any one of them to call, then you press it,” Sungjong demonstrated. He put the phone on speaker as the dial tone processed. “I just called my friend Dongwoo, one of my oldest friends. You can say hi to him.”

The tone broke off with the rustling noise of someone who sounded like they were handling the phone.

Myungsoo was more than intrigued by the answered call that popped up on the screen, leaning his head forward with much curiosity as Dongwoo finally spoke.

“Sungjong, what’s up,” Dongwoo answered.

“Sup, I’m heading over to Gyeongbok Palace right now with a new classmate I met,” Sungjong replied. Sungjong silently waved his hand to motion for Myungsoo to speak.

Myungsoo pointed to himself. “Me?”

“Yeah, say hi.” Sungjong shoved the phone in Myungsoo’s voice to allow him to speak. “Just do the same thing I did.”

Myungsoo’s heart started racing, feeling nervous by all of the new technology he had encountered in a matter of a couple days. It was all overwhelming, and Myungsoo was scared of it all. “Sup. I go to Gyeongbok Palace with a classmate a met,” he cracked.

“Wait, don’t repeat the same exact thing I said tell him your name!” Sungjong slapped Myungsoo in the arm for acting like an idiot.

“Oh, my apologies. My name is Myungsoo.”

“Hey Myungsoo,” Dongwoo laughed on the other line. “Sungjong, you owe me chicken. When are we hanging out soon?”

“Next week,” Sungjong answered, anticipating the time for Myungsoo to go back to his own era before he and Sungyeol hung out with Dongwoo again. “I’ll talk to you later, the subway is arriving.” Sungjong hung up the phone and shoved it in his jacket pocket.

Myungsoo clapped. “That was a lot of fun.”

“Well, there will be a lot more where that came from later,” Sungjong smirked as he pulled Myungsoo out of his seat.

The two of them ran out of the subway right as the doors closed on them, a close call for the both of them and always a frightening moment for Myungsoo to deal with. “I always think those doors are going to eat me,” Myungsoo explained. “When I went on one for the first time with Sungyeol, I thought it would crush my whole body.”

Myungsoo watched on as the subway departed the station to move on in its line. Sungjong pulled the eager Myungsoo towards his direction, trying to stop him from getting off track to their original plans. Sungjong took Myungsoo up a large stairwell that led to their final destination.

Gyeongbok Palace.

As Myungsoo finished climbing the stairs, he looked across in awe of what was in front of him. Holding in its own majestic form, his own palace that he grew up and lived in until his trek to the 21^st century was still standing. From the form of architecture of his chambers, the banquet hall, the gardens, everything was in its original position as he had remembered. It stood in perfect condition as a single tear was shed at its miraculous beauty for preserving itself over 600 years.

Sungjong walked Myungsoo on the grounds to explore his old home in the modern day. “I think that many of these buildings got restored, but yeah. This is your home Myungsoo!”

Sungjong walked forward as Myungsoo took the time to stand in the middle of the palace grounds. Spinning around to breathe in the splendid view of everything. Little details of the palace were different from what he remembered, like the certain colors of the buildings to the flowers now growing in the gardens. Several guards stood by specific parts of the palace grounds in colorful hanboks, holding their staffs as they stood guard. Myungsoo was taken aback, scared that the guards would capture him and accuse him for murder. But he had to keep reminding himself that he was no longer in his own time, and that with an advance of 600 years that these guards probably have no idea who he was. It was typical scene of Myungsoo’s life, and Myungsoo wanted to experience a piece of it once more and lavish in all of its wonder.

Sungjong took the journey around the Gyeongbok Palace, which his brother could not stop blabbering about since he became a history major. He would hear countless stories of him visiting the palace. With his parents, with Dongwoo, with Taeyeon, for field trips. It almost seemed like it was one of Sungyeol’s favorite places other than Starbucks. Sungjong appreciated the historical significance and beauty behind every building, but walking around the palace was not his cup of tea.

The most exciting area to Sungjong was the artificial pond made at the palace, in which one could cross by a bridge that overlooked several buildings of the palace as well as a small garden. He walked on the bridge with his arms perched on the railing. He caught his reflection in the mirror with his denim collared shirt and hair gelled to the side, the ripples of the water distorting his image. Sungjong had to admit that the bridge was a very calming area, helping him ease his mind and forget the troubles he had gone through. He took a deep breath with his eyes closed and let it all out.

The day was beautiful. Nothing could go wrong.

An alarm sounded.

“I am Kim Myungsoo! You cannot capture me!!”

Sungjong’s eyes widened as the yelling sounded familiar. The bridge he was on started to rattle, and Sungjong spun around to an unexpected scene.

Myungsoo ran off holding a trinket in his hand of an old drawing made by the efforts of Daehyun. He entered his own bedroom chambers to see the conditions of his old room as the Crown Prince, many of the artwork, books, and furniture in his room staying the same. After all the time passed, he noticed a drawing that Daehyun drew of him a year beforehand during downtime for a combat training class and took it.

Unfortunately for him, Myungsoo was not allowed to enter his chambers in the first place. Myungsoo climbed over a “Do Not Enter” fence to get to his room, triggering a security alarm which prompted the palace guards to follow and chase him throughout the whole palace.

“I am the Crown Prince! This is mine! Leave me alone!”

Myungsoo ran up the bridge, passing by Sungjong as he sprinted for his life to get away from one guard. Two guards. Four guards.

A whopping fifteen guards chasing to take down Myungsoo for trespassing.

Sungjong’s jaw dropped as he watched the scene unfold, unsure how to react to something like that.

“MYUNGSOO!!” Sungjong yelled angrily, following the fifteenth guard to get the Crown Prince back.

(((())))

Sungyeol spent majority of his day at the main library of the Korea University campus searching for clues to solve the mystery of King Myunghae's murder. Every second counted, as the library closed early on the weekends. Sungyeol prepared in advance for what to expect, taking every single document and book relating to the House of Kim for borrowing.

Sungyeol's whole table was laid out with an assortment of readings on every relevant person in Myungsoo's life as well as a drink carrier of all Starbucks caffe americanos; two of them crushed and drunken dry, one of them halfway done, and another full cup for later. It was an addiction that Sungyeol could never get rid of, the sweet taste of expresso to wake him up and give him the energy needed to study.

It was good motivation for Sungyeol to study for his class and help Myungsoo at the same time. Sungyeol still had his doubts but after two whole days of Kim Myungsoo there was only one explainable reason for everything.

ing Myungsoo, spitting coffee in my face and washing your hair in my toilet. How the hell did you end up here in 2014...

He flipped through the pages of Memoirs of a Future King, diary entries of Kim Sunggyu in chronological order from 10 years of age until he was crowned King of Joseon. From different pointless musings of what Sunggyu ate for dinner to Sunggyu reflecting on a rainy day, there was not much content he could go off of.

Today, 

There was a thunderstorm that lit up the Seoul skies. It was frightening, but gave me energy to practice my combat skills. Jinwoo says that I am improving very much, that my sword skills have improved immensely. It was a development I had been waiting to hear for so long, after training in my chambers to the late evening. To one day be better than my cousin.

What means more? Natural skill you do not take seriously, or building character to be the best?

Sungyeol wrote down several key lines of Sunggyu's speech in his notebook to remember, moving on to read more.

I just finished eating a royal meal with the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It was a lovely meal in which fish was prepared in such a different way than I have ever ate. Everything was delicious and something I will never forget when I leave Japan.

We leave Japan in two days. I had an exciting time here meeting with many military leaders of Japan and trading information with them. I also enjoyed learning about the culture and learning to write and speak with the commonpeople. It was an enlightening trip, but I am ready to return home and reunite with the face of a beautiful flower that I have been missing for so long. There is nothing I want more than to have a conversation with her for hours about the world. 

I have never written this on paper before, but sometimes I wonder what would happen if I was the first one who talked to her that one day. I saw her first, but I was unable to speak a word to her because her beauty blinded me. Now she is marrying someone else, my cousin for that matter. But there is a fire that I do not see in their relationship. I sense that the two love and genuinely care for each other, but the degree of love they feel for each other I question. When she talks to me, I feel a passion in my heart that I have never felt with any other woman I have met. I know that she likes me. I know she feels it too.

But what do I do?

"What do you do?" Sungyeol mumbled to himself. "I know exactly what you do..."

Sungyeol wrote down important notes from the last letter read, finally understand certain motivations and players of the Joseon. 

(((())))

"I can't believe I'm banned from Gyeongbok Palace..."

Sungjong whined his way back to their apartment as Myungsoo followed from behind compliantly. Taking Myungsoo out was a bigger nuisance than Sungjong had ever imagined. 

"They cannot disobey the Crown Prince," Myungsoo chimed.

"No. You don't understand. They almost handcuffed us, forced us to take pictures, and plastered them all over the palace grounds. We literally cannot step foot onto the premises for the rest of our lives unless we want to get arrested."

Myungsoo was confused by the terms, seeing that it was a palace he frequented in the past he felt no problem visiting it as well as having the privilege of accessing every part of the building. "I still do not comprehend what the problem is."

Sungjong slapped his forehead. "We're banned for life... you know what?" He had heard the term "Compassionate Prince" being thrown out in Sungyeol's history book when Myungsoo was being described. Sungjong patted Myungsoo on the shoulder. Typically a person like Myungsoo would annoy the living daylights out of him, but there was something charming to his personality that he could never get mad at. Considering Myungsoo was a person out of his own time traveling into the future, he thought that maybe for once in his life he had to be much more understanding than normal. "It's totally fine."

Myungsoo and Sungjong returned to their apartment and as they arrived, a petite woman with wavy brown hair stood by their doorway. She stood with her back leaned against their doorway, hugging a brown box of various items inside. 

"A woman is standing in front of your apartment," Myungsoo mentioned to Sungjong.

Sungjong squinted his eyes for a closer look. "Oh, god no."

"What?" Myungsoo wondered.

But before Sungjong could answer that question, Taeyeon noticed them and smiled. Sungjong purposefully tried to slow down his walk to carefully think how he would approach talking to his ex-girlfriend at their apartment on a Saturday evening, but the unknowing Myungsoo continued to walk at a regular pace until he reached their apartment which prompted Sungjong to walk right with him.

"Hey Sungjong," Taeyeon greeted.

"Hey... brother's ex... I mean," Sungjong replied back apprehensively. "How's it going Taeyeon?"

"I'm fine. I finished doing research for the day." Taeyeon turned her head to an unfamiliar face. "Who is your friend?"

"Oh, him?" Myungsoo had never met her in his life but paid attention to a few facial features upon meeting. That was when Sungjong wrapped his hand around Myungsoo as if nothing was going on. "This is one of my classmates in econ, Myungsoo."

"It is nice to meet you. My name is Taeyeon." With her hands full for a handshake, she gave a small bow right in front of Myungsoo.

"Thank you. I am Myungsoo," who reciprocated the welcome with a bow of his own at 90 degrees, probably taking things a little more formally than he should have. "You have many striking features that remind me of my cousin."

"Ok, that's enough." Sungjong grabbed onto Myungsoo's shoulders to pull him right back up to stand. "Anyways, what's in that box?"

Taeyeon was distracted in talking to Sungjong and Myungsoo that she had nearly forgotten the reason she came to their apartment in the first place. She glanced at the box in her arms and her expression suddenly turned to that of sorrow, passing the box to Sungjong. "Can you give this box to Sungyeol?"

Myungsoo tilted his head. "Sungyeol?"

Sungjong bit his lip as he expected what would be in the box. Leaning in he took one look inside of the box and frowned immediately, taking one look at Taeyeon as if he refused to give it to his brother. "Taeyeon, I don't know if-"

"Please, give that to Sungyeol?" Taeyeon's voice started to break up as she turned away from Sungjong, narrowing her eyes at a spot on the wall to keep her thoughts in check. She continued to hold the box and pushed it forward for him to take off her hands. 

There was nothing for Sungjong to argue with Taeyeon. With much regret, he took the box in his own hands.

"Thank you. Hopefully I'll see you soon?" Taeyeon nodded to the both of them for her departure. "Goodnight guys." And with that, she let out one faint smile before spinning around to leave their apartment hallway.

As she walked away, Sungjong watched as his older brother's love walked away without what seemed like a single pity. He knew that the contents of the box would break Sungyeol's weak heart even more, but what was done was done and he had to move on. He passed the box to Myungsoo. "Hold this, I need to open the door."

Myungsoo nodded and took the box, still unaware of Sungyeol and Sungjong's relation to the woman and what was inside of the box. As Sungjong unlocked the door, Myungsoo looked in and saw everything for himself.

(((())))

Sungyeol arrived back to his apartment late in the evening with an accomplished smile on his face and a pile of books in his arms for a whole week. With much progress in his studies, he can get Myungsoo back to his time soon enough and save him from execution.

Walking in, Sungyeol caught Myungsoo sitting on the couch and paying all of his attention to a picture frame. Right next to him was a box full of items that were familiar to Sungyeol. A pink teddy bear he had won Taeyeon at a game fair a year before. A photo strip of the two of them when they took a trip to Busan to visit his cousin Hoya. Sungyeol’s Korea University track jacket that Taeyeon loved to steal from him every time they hung out. In the box as well many frames of the two of them together at various times throughout their relationship, as well as Sungyeol’s portrait yearbook picture from high school.

It was everything in their relationship packed into one box.

“What the hell are you doing!” Sungyeol threw his backpack and books on the dining table and rushed over to Myungsoo to angrily snatch the picture frame out of his hands, which was a picture of him and Taeyeon together at her cousin’s wedding half a year ago. “Where did you get all of this stuff?!”

Myungsoo stood up from the couch with no idea of the context. “Oh, Taeyeon gave that box to your brother when we came back to the apartment.”

Sungyeol’s heart dropped. “Taeyeon gave you guys the box?”

“You know, the two of you look really good together,” Myungsoo commented as he rambled on with words Sungyeol did not want to hear.

Taeyeon, gave all of this back. I can’t believe she gave this back.

“Are you arranged to marry her?” Myungsoo asked. “It definitely looks like it.”

Sungyeol took a step forward to grab onto his jacket. It smells like her lotion. “Wait marry her, what?”

“Are you going to marry her? I think the two of you look very good together.”

All emotions of their relationship came back to Sungyeol. For a moment, he moved on with life and had completely forgotten about his relationship with Taeyeon. Now with all memories of their relationship back in his possession, Taeyeon was already on the path to pushing everything to the side.

Hurting Sungyeol more than he expected.

“I’m gonna sleep now,” Sungyeol mumbled, jerking to his side and throwing the jacket into Myungsoo’s face before storming into his room and slamming the door shut.

Sungjong hurried out of the bathroom after the roaring slam, looking left to notice that Sungyeol’s door was closed shut and to his right to see Myungsoo holding onto Sungyeol’s jacket. “Damnit Myungsoo, what happened now?!”

Myungsoo gripped onto Sungyeol’s jacket, unaware of the pain he had just caused.

(((())))

A knock came down on Sungyeol’s door.

“Open,” Sungyeol called out.

Myungsoo opened the door to Sungyeol’s room. The whole room was pitch black with the blinds for his window closed, leaving no light to roam except from the hallway. “Sungyeol.”

“Hey Myungsoo,” Sungyeol coughed, trying to hide the weakness in his voice as he cried over Taeyeon for the past half hour. He lay straight on his back staring at the ceiling without any sort of movement, the tears dried and staining his face.

Myungsoo took one quick look at his mat with the hallway lights before he closed the door, crawling slowly on the floor to feel the blankets and padding. Myungsoo took his place on the floor, speaking with some regret in his voice. “Sungyeol, I am sincerely sorry about earlier. I talked to Sungjong and I did not know that girl recently ended a relationship with you.”

Sungyeol coughed once more as he felt more tears coming out. “It was barely a couple days ago, too.”

Myungsoo could hear the pain in his voice as he spoke about her. “I am sorry.”

Sungyeol was filled with many feelings over the breakup, and for majority of his recovery Sungyeol had never tried speaking his thoughts to anyone. A lot of time he was by himself crying, and each time he was around someone else he escaped in time before he broke down. This was his first time crying with another person next to him, a stranger at that, who landed in his world out of nowhere. It was strange, but Sungyeol seeked comfort. “Taeyeon was the first person I have ever fell in love with,” Sungyeol confessed for the first time.

Myungsoo did not expect Sungyeol to talk. "I wonder myself if I have ever fell in love."

"With Naeun? I guess it's different because in your time you were arranged sometimes. Today, you fall in love before you marry."

Instead of being persistent, Myungsoo stayed quiet to listen.

Sungyeol hugged his blankets as he continued. “Everyone always had a crush on Taeyeon because she was one of the most popular people in our neighborhood and school. She grew up with me, and we could talk about anything at any time. Everyone fell in love with her looks, but I fell in love with her everything. And it was a stupid crush, but sometimes I wondered hey. What if she ends up liking me one day? My eyes were only on her. Then the summer before I went to college, it was a beautiful night when we went to Namsan Tower.”

“Namsan Tower?” Myungsoo asked.

“It’s a nice spot to overlook the city. It’s not a palace or anything. This sounds kind of stupid, but something you do is take a lock, write the names of you and your significant other, and lock it on a fence and throw the key away. The myth is when you do that, your heart will be locked with the other for the rest of your life. We went there for fun and I brought a lock with me as a joke, saying we should lock our friendship together. So I locked our names together on the fence, and as I did Taeyeon grabbed me and kissed me on the cheek out of nowhere. Then after, I leaned in and kissed her back as my childhood crush came to life.”

“That sounds like an interesting tradition,” Myungsoo added, interested in the idea of locking your love with the person you care about.

“Everything was perfect until recently, when wanted to end things with me because she realized I was more of a brother to her than a romantic relationship. And that Myungsoo. That ing hurts. I loved her so much, more than anyone will ever know.”

Myungsoo had read all the poetry in the world and looked at many different paintings about the confusing word. Love. Falling in love. If there was one thing he truly learned about love, it was that it happens at different times and has a different meaning for everyone. Myungsoo could barely form his own meaning, as he was wary if the feeling ever came up. “What is your definition of love?” 

Sungyeol tried to gather his words for Myungsoo to understand. “Love is… wow I can’t believe I’m telling you this. Love is… when you see nothing but pure happiness in a person. Behind all of their flaws, all of the discrepancies, all of the arguments, that person still makes you the happiest person alive. Because no one is ever perfect.” Sungyeol cleared his throat for his last line. “But love is when that person is perfect in your eyes.”

Myungsoo was touched by Sungyeol’s own definition of love, a different take that he had never read about or seen during his time in the Joseon. It was with his definition that it seemed almost simplified, cutting all of the lustful and over-exaggerated details to cut to the chase and really explain what love was. Myungsoo connected with that. “I have never heard love described in that way before.”

Sungyeol let out a smirk as he giggled at Myungsoo’s curiosity. “Distance makes the heart grow weary, and that’s what this breakup has done. My heart wants what the heart wants. And with Naeun, I’m sure this distance between you two in different eras has made you think also.”

“So the one who makes you the happiest, no matter what happens, is the one you love the most?”

Sungyeol sighed. “I think so.”

“Sungyeol.”

“Yeah Myungsoo?”

Myungsoo’s voice was firm. “I think I am in love too.”

The two of them sat quiet in their respective beds as they reflected on the loves of their lives.

“Taeyeon…” Sungyeol said. He loved saying her name, even though it made him weep.

Myungsoo sighed as he thought about the love of his life. “Daehyun…”

“I miss her so much, I wish I could… wait WHAT?!”

Sungyeol twisted in his bed, losing control and falling right off the edge and on top of Myungsoo.