Chapter 01
“You. You’re Jibang-ul, right?”
At a charity party for flood victims, the Crown Prince suddenly asked me that question out of nowhere.
And I mean really out of nowhere—because this was the very first time I had ever met him.
The Crown Prince, whom I’d never seen before in my life, was suddenly acting like he knew me.
And to make things weirder, he even knew my nickname from back in Korea.
“It’s not Jibang-ul. It’s Ji Bang-ul.”
Since there was no way to dodge the question without looking rude, I answered awkwardly and took a good look at the man in front of me.
The strange buzz of the party seemed to part around him, like a wall of ice blocking out all heat.
Even though the ballroom was packed, people only sneaked glances at him—they didn’t dare get too close.
“Are you really Jibang-ul?”
He asked again, frowning. I couldn’t make sense of where that question came from or what he meant by it.
How on earth does he know my name?
And not just my name—my Korean name?
The man with silver hair and golden eyes looked genuinely desperate, like someone dying of thirst who had finally stumbled across a drop of water in the desert.
Why was he looking at me like that?
“My name is Bang-ul… but how do you, Your Highness, happen to know that?”
“I heard some Eastern-looking woman suddenly got adopted into House Rubiche. I thought it might be you—but I didn’t want to believe it. Turns out I wasn’t crazy. I really wasn’t.”
Then this breathtakingly beautiful man clutched my hand and began crying—actual tears. His face twisted with raw pain, and silent sobs shook his shoulders.
The surrounding whispers grew louder. I could feel the burning stares on the back of my neck.
“Um, maybe we should move somewhere quieter to talk?”
Great. Just great. I already had enough rumors floating around about me, and now—thanks to this Crown Prince—I’d be the center of ten new ones by morning. All of them, no doubt, about him and me.
I led the Crown Prince out of the ballroom and into the dimly lit garden. He let me drag him along obediently, still crying like a lost puppy.
As far as I knew, the Crown Prince was supposed to be cold as ice and not much of a talker.
So who exactly was this big, tearful golden retriever clinging to my hand?
“How did you know my name was Ji Bang-ul? My name here is Ena Knox Rubiche.”
“That name doesn’t suit you.”
He said that while still sniffling.
Could he at least wipe his face before talking?
I pulled him toward a bench and made him sit down.
“When did you come here? No—when did you come to this world?”
He wiped his tears and asked the question straight out, as if we were old friends.
There was nothing flirtatious about his tone, but it carried a strange familiarity—like he somehow already knew I didn’t belong here.
Was it safe to tell him the truth?
“It’s okay,” he said. “You can tell me. Who else could you possibly tell?”
That only made my heart pound faster, but in the end, I decided to be honest.
“It’s been about five years since I fell into this world.”
“No, I mean—what year was it when you crossed over from Korea?”
That question made me go silent.
Did he just say… Korea?
Korea?
Then it hit me—the one who gave me that nickname Jibang-ul.
Producer Cha Dohyuk.
My devil of a boss.
But that couldn’t be right. The Crown Prince in front of me looked nothing like him.
It was impossible.
“Ha… To think I’d meet Jibang-ul here of all places.”
He sighed, finally wiping his tears. His tone was casual and natural—too modern for any nobleman. Just like… Cha Dohyuk’s.
“I’m not that small, you know.”
Not small at all, actually—I was 168 cm tall, lean and slender enough to look even taller.
My nickname Jibang-ul had come from my name, not my height. Cha Dohyuk only teased me like that because he was ridiculously tall.
This man, too, was quite tall—but still.
“I know.”
He said it with a tired smirk, rubbing his eyes.
“Your Highness, with all due respect…”
“Don’t call me that.”
The Crown Prince cut me off, deadly serious. I blinked in confusion.
Wait—he is the Crown Prince, isn’t he? What else am I supposed to call him?
“Call me Cha Dohyuk.”
“…Excuse me? What did you just say?”
I blurted that out before I could stop myself, hoping I’d misheard.
But he just gave a short, breathless laugh. A devastatingly attractive laugh that froze me for a second.
When would I ever see a face like that this close again?
He was too good-looking—it almost felt unfair.
“To think even your silly way of talking could make me happy to hear again.”
What?
My mind went blank.
I grabbed his shoulders, trembling. “You’re really… Cha Dohyuk?”
“You really are Ji Bang-ul, then.”
“Don’t joke around! I keep telling myself this has to be a dream—but why would a delusion of mine look this realistic, and why is the crazy bastard himself in it?”
He froze for a moment. “…What did you just call me?”
I bit my lip, suddenly regretting the slip.
That was what my fellow writers and I used to call him behind his back: the crazy bastard.
He was like a rabid workaholic—utterly relentless. Some even joked he was a “mad dog in a suit.”
No way. There was no way this foreign-looking man was that Cha Dohyuk.
He was the Crown Prince, Reynold.
“Ena?”
Someone called my name from a distance.
“Jibang-ul—that’s your real name, isn’t it?” the Crown Prince murmured.
“I know that, thank you very much,” I snapped, turning away.
A tall man in a navy evening coat was searching through the bushes nearby.
Why the bushes, though?
Since we weren’t exactly close, there was only one reason he’d be looking for me—because my adoptive father had sent him.
“Lord Rubiche, I presume?”
“Yes. My new family member,” I said. “I think my father’s looking for me.”
The Crown Prince stared at me for a moment, then said softly, “That must be hard.”
I shrugged.
In this world, divine power and magic both existed. Priests wielded the gods’ blessings, and magicians drew on mana. The two forces were always at odds.
Only a chosen few were gifted with such power—and somehow, I was one of them.
“It’s not so bad. Having strange powers means people treat me pretty well. And as for my new family? I couldn’t care less.”
Even if they didn’t like me, I was already legally a Rubiche. What could they do about it?
I laughed, and the Crown Prince just stared at me with a dazed expression.
Then my new brother, Rioel, spotted us. His face darkened immediately, and he strode over—only to stop short when he noticed the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness,” he greeted stiffly.
“It’s been a while, Lord Rubiche,” the Crown Prince replied smoothly, standing up.
Rioel bowed respectfully, then shot me a sharp glare.
What? What’s your problem?
I glared right back, but before I could say anything, the Crown Prince spoke again.
“Ena.”
What’s this? He’d been calling me Jibang-ul nonstop, and now—because Rioel was here—he suddenly used my local name?
Puzzled, I looked up.
He smiled faintly, leaned close to my ear, and whispered,
“It pains me to part from you. I’ll miss you dearly.”
I froze. His absurdly handsome face was right there, mere inches away.
He smiled, clearly amused by my reaction, then gently took my hand and pressed his lips to the back of it.
Every motion was effortless, elegant—so graceful I couldn’t even think, just stare.
No, no, it’s just because he’s good-looking. That’s all. God must have invested all His beauty stocks into this man.
“I’ll visit the Rubiche estate soon,” he said smoothly. “We’ll talk more then.”
And with that, he left—calm and dignified, nothing like the tearful mess he’d been earlier.
“…What exactly is your relationship with the Crown Prince?”
Rioel demanded, his arms crossed. A tall, broad-shouldered knight of the imperial order, he towered over me with an intimidating scowl.
I gave him a bright smile. He immediately frowned and took a wary step back.
“What,” he growled.
“Did you just realize you’re into me?”
I reached up, pretending to pat his backside.
He flinched like I’d swung a sword. “You’re insane! What the hell are you doing?!”
I wasn’t actually going to do it, of course.
I folded my arms. “So, why were you looking for me?”
Rioel ran a hand through his light-brown hair, visibly irritated.
Father had ordered him to fetch me, obviously. He’d never liked me—treated me like a pebble that rolled into his family by mistake—but fine, I could understand that.
Not that it changed the fact that I was his sister now.
“Father wants to see you,” he muttered.
“Ah, really? Then let’s go.”
“Why would I go with you?”
Was this guy serious?
“Because you’re taking me to Father?”
He hesitated, sighed, and finally gave up. “Fine. Let’s go.”
Then he just stood there staring at me.
“What? You expect me to lead? I don’t even know where he is.”
He swore under his breath. “Damn it. Do you have to argue with every single thing I say?”
“Maybe if you spoke clearly, I wouldn’t have to.”
“You never let me win an argument! Forget it!”
“Forget what? How are you a noble when you can’t even speak properly?”
“I’m sorry! Okay?! Happy now? Just—please stop talking! You’re not even cute! Why the hell are you my sister?!”
Rioel ended up yelling like a teenager.
He was simple-minded and terrible at verbal sparring—but honestly, kind of endearing.
I’d heard he’d been overjoyed when he found out he’d be getting a little sister. And he’d been twenty years old at the time.
So I smiled, satisfied, and followed him obediently.
Still…
Was that Crown Prince really Cha Dohyuk?
I had fallen into this world with my body exactly as it was.
Then why did he show up as someone else entirely?
It just didn’t seem fair.
