imperial crossroads : prologue 1
p a i r i n g: none for prologues; will be x1 x gender neutral reader
g e n r e: fluff; a little dark; choose your own adventure; otome themed au
w a r n i n g s: mentions of slight violence; weapons
w o r d c o u n t: 2.9k
s u m m a r y: You are a dancer who gets the chance to perform in front of the royal family, and accidentally stumble into the lives of five very powerful men. Who will you choose to lead you though your time in the palace?
Author’s note: historical setting close to the Joseon dynasty but there’s no (current) set name for the kingdom; this is only the prologue!! each boy has their own storyline!! this one is written by the whole admin team!
There will be two prologues with two different protagonists. If you haven’t read maknae-line prologue (Junho, Dongpyo, Minhee, Eunsang, Hyeongjun, Dohyon), click below.
hyung prologue || maknae prologue
It was the peak of summer when you stepped foot in the palace for the first time to hopefully start your provisional contract as a court dancer. You’d been dancing for years, from small scale dinner hubs to the main town square where you had been scouted by a palace attendant, and have seen many discerning eyes among your spectators, yet the gazes of the royal family and attendants have never felt so cold to you. It was no wonder you were more nervous than usual, sweating up a storm in your most upkeep dancing laces.
You felt the heat and excitement swirling around in your bloodstream, creating a concoction that caused the blood in your veins to buzz as sweat rolled down your lace-draped back. As you waited for your turn, you were reassured by one of the palace’s main attendants, Minhee, that everything was going to be alright, that the royal family wasn’t nearly as scary as the rumors.
And Minhee was right because as soon as the dancer before you finished his routine, everyone roared with applause. One of the princes even stood up, beaming at the guy as he exited the stage area.
You had to admit he was marvelous. Kim Wooseok was a renowned performer, even in your tight-knit circle of dancers. His techniques were unmatched across the lands, backed up by unrivaled talent and years of training.
There was something about him that seemed to draw your eye along his body, from the tips of his fingers down through the balls of his feet. He had a sort of presence on the stage no one could deny, not that they wanted to in the least. It didn’t help that he was extremely handsome and possessed a beautiful dance figure; a slim face and a lithe body with lean muscle peeking through his laces, betraying a hidden power within his small frame.
Wooseok fixed his dance laces over his shoulders and let his hair fall below his cat-like eyes. As he bowed to the royal family, you thought of all the years you spent looking up to him, hoping to one day be at his level.
You didn’t see a hint of sweat as he glided past, but for a second you thought you saw a flash of annoyance etched in his beautiful features. Before you could read into it, Minhee wished you a quick “good luck!” before guiding (read: pushing) you towards the stage.
It was your turn now.
The light was a little too bright and you couldn’t help but cover your eyes as you stepped on the podium, and despite performing for years prior, you could feel your heartbeat thump in your ears and hear your breathing reverberate against the still buzzing air.
From where you were standing, the royal family was in full view atop the viewing deck of the outdoor theater.
The King and Queen sat high on their thrones, looking down at their subjects without malice in their gazes, a sort of warmth that wasn’t quite loving, but not apathetic either, tinting their features. It was a form of caring one can only possess in the presence of those they are sworn to protect. Next to the King sat Crown Prince Seungwoo, heir to the throne and rumored to be as gentle as his mother, the Queen, but also as cold as his father, the King. It really depended on who you heard it from.
His features were soft and kind, with the only sharpness being hidden in his eyes and the point of his nose as he stared you down on the stage. His aloof expression alone made him appear almost disinterested in the entire ordeal, which set you at ease in a way. It was like he couldn’t care less if you did well or didn’t perform at all.
Beside the Queen sat Prince Seungyoun, more commonly known as Prince Youn, the second oldest prince and grand diplomat of the kingdom. There was a sweet grin spread across his face, the affection and excitement clear in his features as you readied yourself for the performance. His eyes crinkled up at the corners and you briefly wondered how it was possible to see the twinkles from his eyes all the way from where you were standing, but decided it was better not to question such things. His features were almost the opposite of his brothers, with sharp edges all around and gentle, saccharine eyes.
Behind the princes were two gentlemen whose names you couldn’t quite recall. They were very well-dressed, not unlike the royal family, and they seemed to carry a certain aura that you couldn’t place. Not quite royal, but above others in some way regarding status. Their faces were obscured by the shadows they hid in so you paid them little mind. You concluded that they were probably relatives to the family, but royalty or not they have their gaze fixed on you like the rest.
As you started dancing, you didn’t know why but you felt your nerves begin to slip away as you moved through the familiar routine. But the longer you danced, the higher your movements transcended, the more you felt as if someone was watching you.
Of course, everyone was watching you. You usually thrived off the awe and attention because it’s what made you want to become a dancer in the first place.
But you could feel one specific energy focusing on you, seemingly anticipating your every movement. You glanced at the princes, the Queen, the King, the dancers waiting in line to perform, yet you couldn’t quite locate where it came from.
It wasn’t a terrible feeling, but it was also not a friendly one. It settled heavily, like an anchor weighing in your gut. Even as you finish your routine and bowed to the royal family, the strange feeling never left you, sitting dormant just under your skin.
At the end of your routine, you chanced one last glance at the royals and felt a chill run up your spine at the sight.
Prince Seungwoo had shifted forward in his seat, forearms resting on his knees as his expression changed to match one of intrigue. He let out a silent chuckle and smirked before leaning back in his throne, seemingly disinterested in you once again. It seemed you had caught the attention of the younger prince as well, as his grin widened to encompass his entire face. He seemed more than pleased with the performance you had put on, scrunching up his nose as you looked at him.
The dancers after you were all excellent, each one with a unique routine and skillset, so it was almost a pity when the show ended and it was announced that only two dancers would be picked.
It won’t be me was all you could think until the announcement came nearly an hour later, with your mind flashing back to the two princes and their reactions. Even if the princes had seemed interested in your performance, the other dancers were far more skilled than yourself and would make better pairs at the palace anyway.
Wooseok was the first name to be called. Of course, no one was surprised. He stood up with a blank expression and accepted the contract scroll from attendant Minhee with a small bow towards the royal family.
It wasn’t until your name was called that a few of the contestants stood up to be able to see your face. You froze, not quite believing you had been picked until you felt another dancer nudge you towards the stage once more. You stumbled forward, stunned, but regained enough composure to gracefully walk towards Minhee. He beamed as he handed you the remaining scroll, wishing you good luck once again and telling you how much he enjoyed your performance.
Mindlessly, you bowed and stood next to Wooseok as an attendant ushered out the rest of the dancers. Wooseok’s blank expression melted and for the second time, he scowled, but like the first, it went away in a second.
“Congratulations,” Wooseok spoke for the first time with his original blank expression, but not without sincerity.
“Thank you,” you smiled.
“Seems like you’re here by your own free will,” he added quietly.
Your smile faded, confusion colored your face.
“What do you mean ‘my own free will?'” you asked.
He scoffed and didn’t say anything else, so you knew better not to pry especially while waiting for your audience with the Queen.
The amiable woman looked barely a year over fifty as she eyed you and Wooseok warmly. She had a small round face, with delicate features and bright, lovely eyes. You could see where the younger prince got his looks from as she smiled. She spoke lightly as if her words glided on water, her laughter a hearty, elegant melody that resonated within the chamber.
“I do apologize for the sudden notice, but there were two goals to fulfill in this competition. One was to find a new court dancer, and the other to find my boys a suitable dance instructor.”
Wooseok stiffened, and soon both his gaze and the Queen’s were fixed on you as she chose you to become the princes’ dance instructor
“M-me?!”
“Yes, my dear. Your grace and passion on that stage along with your headstrong and witty mind, so I was told, made you the most suitable candidate. The only task left is for you to choose who to instruct first.”
You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Instructor? Most of your skills were self-taught from watching many exceptional dancers like Wooseok, so how could you instruct anyone when you had no experience teaching?
And choose who? I don’t know anyone here!
As if on cue, the two princes and the two gentlemen from earlier entered the queen’s chambers, talking and laughing amongst themselves
“Hey, Mom!” Prince Seungyoun boomed in his usual cheerful voice.
Prince Seungwoo sighed and smiled sweetly, “Youn, please behave in front of our guests.”
“That’s just how he is, hyung,” one of the two men you didn’t know spoke up in defense of prince Seungyoun, his voice a lot deeper than the other two even though he had a youthful air to him.
The last man looked on in silence, observing you and Wooseok with curious, friendly eyes. He seemed about the same age as the other man you didn’t recognize and, seeing them side by side, you noticed their frames were both similarly built, their shoulders slightly wider than the princes.
“Quiet down, my boys,” the Queen spoke. As gentle as she sounded, the entire room stilled in an instant. “As you have heard, Wooseok will be your new court dancer in the prince quarter, and the talented dancer beside him will be your dance instructor, assuming they choose you.” The Queen paused and extended her warm gaze to you, “one of these boys will become your student, I trust that you choose well.”
“Your Majesty,” the man who had stayed silence finally spoke. “Why would we need a dance instructor? What good would that do for us at our age?”
My thoughts exactly!
The Queen gently approached and touched the man’s cheek as she spoke, “Yohan, my dear boy, even though you are skilled in martial arts, dancing is about discipline and self-control. Soon you’ll learn that there are a certain set of skills that both a good dancer and a good ruler possess.”
At that, Yohan seemed convinced and asked no further questions, nodding and following along with the Queen’s rather ambiguous explanation.
“I’m not sure I understand,” the unnamed man who’d spoken earlier asked. “Why would I need lessons? I’m not a prince.”
At this, a strange and sad look crossed the Queen’s features but vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the youngest prince.
“Hangyul, I’m sure mother has her reasons,” Prince Seungyoun spoke, seemingly stroking at his non-existent beard.
Prince Seungwoo shot his younger sibling an icy glare at his interruption, making prince Seungyoun throw his hands up in surrender. The Queen smiled at her sons, then looked at you as if the only thing left is for you to choose.
“Of course,” she spoke again, spotting the hesitant look in your eyes,” if you are still unsure of your skills, you can choose to study under Wooseok for some times before starting your official position.”
You looked around, scanning to see who would be the safest option. The last thing you wanted was to offend any royalty with your zero to none teaching experience.
Wooseok would be the safest option, he was another dancer like you and studying under him would be an honor. However, this would be admitting that your skills were lacking, and he didn’t look too excited to have anyone as a pupil.
Then there was Yohan, who looked pretty open to the idea of having a dance instructor. To be quite honest, he would be easiest to teach since he seemed to have experience in martial arts. You had a feeling he would catch on pretty quickly to anything you’d showed him.
The gentleman named Hangyul looked at you with narrowed eyes. He seemed like the most scary, but also the most calm among all the boys. Maybe you were mistaken, but you thought you had seen his smile distinctly among others earlier during your performance.
Prince Seungwoo was also an option. He was known for being gentle and looked like someone who would never mistreat his servants. But the idea of teaching the future king was… a little scary, even for you. Plus his ice cold demeanor hadn’t vanished for a second in your presence, so who’s to say you’d ever see the warmer side of him?
The final option would be Prince Seungyoun–known to be the most outgoing prince among the lands, a social butterfly, the friendliest royal you will ever meet. Though there was a personal reason why you were the least bit wary of the second prince.
The Queen seemed to notice your dilemma and offered to give you more time in the princes’ quarters, which you gladly accepted. After all, this was a lengthy contract and you couldn’t be expected to make such a decision without much thought.
Thank god Minhee was still there with you because once the Queen was gone, the room suddenly became quiet and all eyes were on you
Prince Seungyoun was the first to break the silence as he smiled and extended his hand to you. His chocolate brown eyes radiated with warmth the moment he looked at you.
“Don’t be afraid, we don’t bite.” His voice was softer and quieter than when he had spoken earlier with the princes. “Mother has been trying to get us to relax and pick up a hobby for a while now. I just never thought she’d pick dancing.”
“Wait, Yohan, don’t you already have a hobby?” Hangyul spoke, his voice a deep sound that resonated in his throat. He had on an easy, casual half-smile at Yohan, showcasing a pair of cute bunny-like teeth. He might sound scary, but he seemed to be a big teddy bear in the end.
“Yeah, we both do, don’t we?”
“Swinging a sword around every day is not a hobby.”
You were surprised to hear Wooseok speaking up–was that even allowed? Weren’t there courtesy customs and honorifics for these people who seemed like royalty?
“Yes it is!” Yohan interjected, a goofy grin pasted on his youthful face as he put both hands on his hips. His eyes crinkled up at the edges, and you noticed him sporting the same bunny teeth as Hangyul before. You found it adorable that both the intimidating young men had such cute smiles.
“Don’t be jealous, hyung,” Hangyul reached over and clapped Wooseok on the shoulder. “We’ll teach you one day.”
Confused by this sudden exchange, you looked towards Minhee for help and was grateful he was already leaning over.
“They all know each other,” he whispered. “They’re good friends. It’s fine.”
That didn’t make you feel any better. Now you realized you were more of an outcast than before when you still thought Wooseok was simply a performer and nothing more.
Prince Seungwoo noticed your discomfort and walked towards you, extending his hand in the same manner as Prince Seungyoun and offering you a sweet smile, his icy stare softening slightly.
“Pardon the boys, we haven’t had any newcomers to the palace for a while.” The prince’s smile was almost too sweet and barely reached his eyes as he spoke. “No matter who you choose today, you’ll be okay. I promise we won’t trouble you.”
“Speak for yourself, hyung!” Hangyul said, a small laugh escaping him. Prince Seungyoun joined with his genuine, hearty laughter that was so refreshing to hear, dissipating the stress you’d faced the moment you entered the palace and placing a small smile on your face. It was impossible not to smile when those two laughed.
You looked over at Wooseok, who didn’t even bother to hide his annoyance, sighing as he started folding his laces and putting them into his sling bag.
“Are you going to choose today or do we have to keep standing here?”
Wooseok’s words to you were blunt and to-the-point. You can kind of see why your peers thought of him as cold and unapproachable, but his voice was soft and his words didn’t seem cold to you.
All eyes were on you once again. You felt like you were ready to make the decision. Taking a deep breath, you decided this person was the only option for you.
“I choose–”
——————————————————————————————–
c h o i c e s: Seungwoo, Seungyoun, Wooseok, Yohan, Hangyul
Read maknae prologue.
Click here to vote on whose story you would like to see first!