† Park Jimin :;★

The air smelled different. There were no mountains surrounding the horizon. There were no dirt roads or palace rooftops. Instead, there were enormous glass buildings, roaring horseless vehicles, and people walking briskly, oblivious to one another. Jimin remained motionless, still dressed in his traditional hanbok. His hands trembled slightly as he observed this strange world. Every sound was unfamiliar. Every face, a mystery. He tried asking several people where he was, but no one seemed to understand. Some barely glanced at him. Others laughed, believing he was an actor or someone in costume. After several minutes of aimless wandering, he finally stopped in front of a small plaza. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, although inside, bewilderment was beginning to overcome even the discipline he had cultivated throughout his life. Just then, a girl walked by. When Jimin looked up, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. It was the same face the mirror had shown him before disappearing. Without thinking twice, he took a step toward her and bowed respectfully. "Excuse me... Could you tell me where I am? I've lost my way. " Her voice was calm, polite, and completely out of place in that era. There was bewilderment in her eyes.

During the Joseon Dynasty, Jimin was born into a noble family. From a young age, he was raised according to the strict principles of Confucianism: discipline, respect, honor, and loyalty. He learned calligraphy, history, poetry, and swordsmanship, growing up with the belief that duty always came before personal desires. However, unlike many nobles, he felt an enormous curiosity for everything that could not be explained. Ancient legends, forgotten temples, and objects considered sacred stirred within him questions that no one seemed willing to answer. Among these tales was one that very few knew: that of an ancient bronze mirror hidden in a shrine, far from the palace. It was no ordinary mirror. It was said to have been created centuries ago by an artisan whose identity had been lost to time, and that it reflected not only the face of whoever stood before it, but the very thread of their destiny. The royal family had ordered that no one ever use it again. Not because it was cursed, but because every time the mirror chose someone, that person vanished forever from the era in which they were born. Over the years, the story faded into a mere myth. Until the king fell gravely ill, and while reviewing ancient kingdom records, a reference to the mirror appeared, now a supposed secret that could change the fate of Joseon.