kim taehyung was lost.

standing before him was korea national university of arts, one of the most prestigious schools throughout the nation. though the streets were practically deserted, he could still feel random people burning holes behind his back as they wondered, just why in the world would this lanky freak wear a korean imperial hanbok in the middle of seoul?

most must have assumed that he was part of the theatre major and forgot to change out of his costume or something, but taehyung begged to differ. only a couple minutes ago, he was having a heated argument inside the royal palace, begging his upset mother to stop the ancestors from using him as their politics strategy. only a couple minutes ago, he received the late king's legacy of a necklace and had it wrapped around his neck.

only a couple minutes ago, he was prince kim taehyung; the forthcoming ruler of silla kingdom, the new leader that everyone would love and praise just like they did to his father. but now, here he was, standing in the middle of nowhere with futuristic buildings and all these fast-paced sceneries he had never seen before . . .

god, what did just happen?

hours ago

"mother," taehyung fell on his knees, tears streaming down his swollen cheeks. "the late king just died, my father just died, i- i can't just turn my eyes blind and obtain the throne . . . please, w-what kind of a greedy person am i?"

hearing her son's heartbreaking confession, queen jisoo could only hold him and sigh.

"but this is your destiny," she motherly caressed the top of his head, tears threatening to combust into a downpour. "and whether you like it or not, your father and the gods above must have wanted you to embrace it."

"n-no, no, no . . ."

standing up from the cold tiles, taehyung wiped his face and clutched onto his necklace - one of the many possessions his father had given the royal family before he drunk that damn poisoned tea and passed - hoping that his walls wouldn't crumble so easy.

"my queen, i beg you to understand that being able to garner this locket is a blessing, indeed," he paused to kiss the tip of its pendant, a paranormal sensation suddenly erupted within the frailness of his body. "b-but knowing that this nation, this kingdom of silla, will be entirely mine to guard and protect until death comes around . . . i-it's such a big responsibility that i'm not sure i could carry-"

cutting between his denials, in a matter of seconds, a bright light dangerously shone from the wholesome of his necklace, forcing both the queen and the prince to shield their visions from its blinding effect. it didn't take him long until taehyung fell down the floor, arms still covering his eyes as he felt himself being violently sucked inside the pendant. it was such an overwhelming experience, that all he could do was scream and trash around like a mad man.

"mother, mother!"

in reflex, taehyung merely tried to reach out his hands and hold his mother's, though at the end of the day, his desperate attempts only came to no avail.

"oh my goodness, p-prince taehyung!"

the last thing taehyung heard was his mother's cries,

before everything turned black.

present time

"where the fuck do you think you're going?!"

immediately apologising to the man he just accidentally bumped on, kim taehyung continued to wander around the area as he spotted restaurants and scary-looking shops all over the region.

at this moment, he couldn't understand anything. not even the weird slangs that passerby just used when they walked onto each other. what does 'fuck' even mean? he asked himself in bewilderment, hoping that this was nothing but a strange dream.

back when he was still in seorabeol, the capital city of silla, people would wear robes and traditional hanboks, riding on horses and living in small little hanoks by the outskirts. the roads were clear, and the air wasn't filled with pollution. but all he could see now were tall buildings made of metal, incredibly fast vehicles and colourful lights surrounding the district. 

where were those candle lamps, why was he the only person wearing traditional clothes, and who had the audacity to not recognise him as their royal prince?

strolling down shops that had uncanny alphabets written on their banners - cafe? pc room? laundries? what kind of places are those? - a certain tenant immediately caught his attention as he saw a man around his age stumbling out of the restaurant, his left hand gripping a silver gadget and the other raking through his hair.

it was awkward, indeed, but nothing he couldn't handle.

well, that, until the previous man began swearing over the rectangular-shaped utensil, as if he was talking to someone from the other line.

"i shit you not, jimin, you're the one who got me into this mess! can't you just fucking help me out of this fucking situation because i'm so fucking fucked up with-"

the anxious man immediately stopped talking by the moment he spot taehyung staring onto his soul.

"i, uh-"

"-why are you looking at me?"

"no, n-no!" taehyung surrendered, hands waving in denial. "i was just passing by!"

realising that taehyung - aish, this odd-looking guy, the man furrowed his eyebrows, why would he wear a fucking hanbok in the middle of such a youthful neighbourhood? - might be his only ticket to salvation, it didn't take him long until he shoved the silver device into his pocket and grabbed the slightly older's hand.

"w-what are you doing?" taehyung retracted back, shocked that the man he just met had the imprudence to hold a prince's hand by force. "don't you know who i am? i am the prince of-"

"-oh my god, can you please, please help me? just for tonight?"

and then, something else clicked inside taehyung's brain. is this uncultured scumbag going to kidnap me, the forthcoming ruler of silla kingdom, and then ask the royal family to trade this sole legacy of theirs with gold and money?

kim taehyung was going to scream for help, until he realised he thought wrong.

"look, my name is jeon jungkook, and i know that this might sound weird . . . but i am currently stuck with a really bad blind date that i never even signed up for," jungkook paused to catch his breath, hands still holding taehyung's bigger ones. "i will do whatever you want after this - hell, free food and arcades won't be a problem - but please, i am now lowering my ridiculously high self-confidence to beg you, can you please pretend to be my boyfriend for the night?"

time traveling just turned into a whole another level.

hello, welcome to the first chapter of paralyzed!

some things may still be unclear at the moment, but i promise that everything will be revealed at the next chapter :)