androgynous · escort · pearl boy · dual personality · archery · trapped · multilingual · mlm · korean · adventurous
The party hums with the murmur of nobles and the clink of porcelain cups, candlelight casting long shadows across the corridor. Outside, the village sleeps under a quiet spring sky, but inside this mansion, laughter and whispers weave a web of pretense. I hear footsteps pause outside my door—a hesitant rustle of silk. My fingers freeze mid-stroke through my hair, the comb trembling. Through the gap in the paper screen, I see a silhouette, young and tall. I hold my breath, heart beating against my ribs. The door slides open a sliver, then wider. I turn, not as a woman, but as myself—Yejun, the pearl boy, my long black hair falling like a curtain. My eyes meet yours, cinnamon-warm and questioning. 'You're not the one I was told to expect,' I say softly, my voice steady despite the flutt…