FLASHBACK'S......

She explained how the shower and taps worked. As he processed her words, his face grew pale.

"Jihoon, what happened?" she asked, concerned. Suddenly Jihoon collapsed.

...........

After Jihoon collapsed, a boy carried him to his bed. "What in the world was he doing outside when it's raining heavily?" he muttered, struggling with Jihoon's weight. The boy was Seojun Lee, Jiyeon's 14-year-old younger brother.

Jiyeon knocked on the door and asked, "Can I come in?"

"Yes," Seojun replied.

"Thank you for helping out," Jiyeon said, relieved. **_Thank God Seojun was here, _** she thought. Seojun had helped wash and dress Jihoon while he was unconscious. With a big smile, Seojun reminded Jiyeon, "Now don't forget what you promised me—three orders of fried chicken."

"Okay, you can order," Jiyeon agreed.

"Yay!" Seojun exclaimed with a grin. "Well, I'm leaving now. Are you going to stay here?" he asked.

"Yeah, just for some time," Jiyeon replied.

"Okay then, I'll eat all the fried chicken," Seojun teased.

"Yeah, whatever," Jiyeon said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, so don't yell at me later," Seojun said as he left, the door slamming behind him.

Jiyeon sighed, feeling exhausted. **_I don't know what's happening. So many things are happening all at once, my head is a mess. _** She looked at the unconscious Jihoon. **_Did a king really possess his body? Unfortunately, it seems like the only possible answer. The real Jihoon would never do something like this. _**

Her gaze fell on a photo on the bedside table of Jihoon's parents and a younger Jihoon. Memories flooded back to when they were kids. In a memorial room, Jihoon, dressed in a black suit, cried while looking at his parents' photo. Jiyeon stood nearby, filled with fear and guilt, thinking, **_I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. _**

She shook off the memories. **_There's no use thinking about the past. What's happening now is important. First, I have to think about how I can get the real Jihoon back. _** She clenched her fists in determination. **_After all, I owe him so much. _**

It was night. Jihoon turned, muttering, "Mm..." as he blinked and struggled to see through the blur. **_What is this place? _** he thought, confused.

Jiyeon leaned in and said, "Hey, remember me?"

Jihoon jumped and shouted, "Arghhh! Why are you in my presence?"

Jiyeon thought, **_I knew it. _** "Yeah, you still sound like a king," she said.

"Why are you following me around? What are you plotting?" Jihoon shouted.

"Plotting?!" Jiyeon retorted. "I'm the one who took care of you after you passed out. You have no idea how scared I was."

Jihoon recalled, **_Oh, did I lose consciousness at that moment? _**

Jiyeon continued, "I think you're much better now, as you're shouting in my face. Now let's talk."

"Talk?" Jihoon asked, confused.

"So, you're Theodore from the Empire of Valoria?" Jiyeon asked.

Jihoon, who was actually Theodore, shouted, "Theodore!! It is baffling to me that you do not know who I am. Even a stray dog would bow in respect after hearing my name!"

"Baffling? You're one to talk!" Jiyeon retorted. She showed him a hand mirror. "You're the one possessing my friend's body!"

Seeing his reflection, Theodore was confused and terrified. **_So, it wasn't a dream. Fine. Let us say that I am in another world, but it doesn't explain why you're following me. Are you involved in magic or sorcery in some way? _**

"No, it's not that," Jiyeon explained. "I'm friends with the owner of that body. He is very important to me."

Jihoon stood up, looking strange. "Now, what do you want with me?"

Jiyeon thought, **_What I just heard... This man is Theodore Nightshade from the Valoria Empire. He's a king from a historical fantasy romance book and has possessed Jihoon's body right when Jihoon got hit by a truck. However, he has no idea why that happened. He has also caused several huge accidents after arriving in this world, making things worse. He did all of those things while possessing Jihoon, my crush and childhood friend! The real Jihoon would never have done any of those things, so I can't let this man cause a scene in public again. _**

"Why don't we make a deal?" Jiyeon proposed.

"A deal?" Jihoon, confused, asked.

They both sat at a table with a contract paper laid out. "We agreed to draft an agreement to manage this situation," Jiyeon began. "I'll help you as long as you keep living Jihoon's normal day-to-day life. Believe it or not, I'm an expert on both our worlds. I will be the judge of that."

Jiyeon thought to herself, **_We have two goals: The king wants to return to his world, and I just want my crush (or his body) to have a normal life. _** The agreement was simple:

1. Theodore will learn the ways of South Korea from Jiyeon.

2. Theodore will not cause any incidents.

3. Jiyeon will do her best to help Theodore find a way back to the Valoria Empire.

4. Theodore's true identity must not be disclosed.

5. Theodore must act like Jihoon to the best of his ability.

Both parties signed the agreement. Suddenly, a grumbling sound came from Jihoon's stomach.

"Are you hungry?" Jiyeon asked.

In the next scene, we see Jiyeon's younger brother, Seojun, happily humming and carrying three boxes of fried chicken. He put them on the table, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh wow, three whole fried chickens for my midnight snack? I'm living it up!" he exclaimed joyfully as he prepared to eat.

The door burst open. "Seojun!!! Did you get your chicken yet?" Jiyeon called out.

"Ewe, terrible timing! These chickens are mine, okay?" Seojun said, clutching the boxes protectively.

"I'm taking these," Jiyeon declared, grabbing the boxes. "You can order another one."

"They're mine!!" Seojun protested, but Jiyeon was already leaving. "Ughh," Seojun groaned.

Jiyeon returned to Jihoon's apartment and handed the boxes to Theodore. "Here, let's eat."

"You didn't poison this, did you?" Theodore asked skeptically.

"Seriously? I'll eat it if you don't want it," Jiyeon replied.

Hesitating, Jihoon took a piece and bit into it. He was in heaven. "What is this?"

"What do you think? Isn't it good?" Jiyeon asked.

"Yes, but not that good," Theodore said, trying to hide his delight.

The next day, Theodore shouted, "No more of this!!" and declared, "Forget about the agreement."

**_Unfortunately, our agreement didn't last more than a day. _**

**Next Episode Teaser: **

With the agreement now in jeopardy, Jiyeon and Theodore must navigate the challenges of blending two worlds without causing further chaos. **Can they find common ground and discover a way to restore their lives?** And **what new obstacles await them as they strive to balance magic and reality? **

**Don't miss the next thrilling chapter of "The Ruler's Awakening," where secrets unfold, and the stakes get even higher. Stay tuned for Episode 4! **