IBPC | Chapter 1.3

Pacheon’s long-winded lecture had finally come to an end. But Seoyul? He had completely checked out the moment the discussion turned to the Third Prince.

He had wanted to dismiss all of this as a dream and wake up already—but no matter how much time passed, that never happened.

At some point, the night had ended, and the sun had risen.

And yet, the excavation site Seoyul had known was nowhere to be found.

He had even tried escaping. Twice. But all that lay beyond was an endless expanse of the palace—a place straight out of a game, where not a single modern building existed.

Seoyul had wandered through the maze-like corridors, only to be caught again, dragged back like a helpless rat. And as a consequence for his little stunt, he now sat on a bed, both hands and feet bound.

“I asked if you understood.”

Pacheon’s voice came again, his gaze locked onto Seoyul’s pale, stunned face. After a long pause, Seoyul finally blinked and mumbled weakly.

“…So, you’re saying this is the 6th century?”

“I don’t know what a ‘6th century’ is, but this is Year 212 of Taeju’s Reign.”

“That’s… around the mid-6th century… No, hold on. You’re telling me this is King Eulsa’s reign…”

Pacheon frowned slightly at Seoyul’s muttering. He had spoken with absolute seriousness from the beginning—there wasn’t even the slightest hint of a joke in his expression.

Seoyul, dazed, slowly lifted his tied hands.

Then, with all the force he could muster—

Smack!

A sharp crack echoed as he slapped himself across the face.

Pain. Only pain.

His cheek burned, but reality did not change. His body trembled. He raised his hand again—only for Pacheon to suddenly stand and grab his wrist, stopping him.

“How unfortunate. It seems you are… quite overwhelmed.”

Clicking his tongue softly, Pacheon looked down at Seoyul, still holding onto his wrist.

“What era did you come from?” he asked, his tone now more curious than commanding. “Judging by your attire and belongings, it doesn’t seem to be the near future.”

If this man’s words were true, then… Seoyul had been pulled over 1,500 years into the past.

Does that even make sense?

His mind scrambled for a rational explanation, but none existed. He couldn’t answer. He could only sit there, trying in vain to find logic in the illogical.

Pacheon, watching him quietly, eventually turned to the guards standing behind him.

“Restrain him.”

At that single order, the guards immediately moved, seizing Seoyul by the arms. The sudden touch jolted Seoyul out of his spiraling thoughts. His body stiffened as he flinched violently.

“W-What? Why?”

With his eyes filled with suspicion, Min Seoyul watched as Pacheon slowly lowered his body. Pacheon tilted his head curiously at the sight of Seoyul’s jeans.

“How does one take these off?”

“Why would you need to…?”

“Well, there’s something that needs to be clarified.”

Clarified? Before Seoyul could fully grasp Pacheon’s intention, he reached out and tugged at Seoyul’s pants.

“Hey, stop that!”

Seoyul tried to move, but his hands and feet were tied, and he was held down by guards, leaving him unable to resist. Meanwhile, Pacheon struggled to pull off the jeans and when he couldn’t, he reached around to the back.

A servant approached and handed Pacheon a knife. Holding it, Pacheon smiled ominously at the immobile Seoyul.

“Move and you’ll get hurt.”

“No…!”

Before Seoyul could stop him, Pacheon slid the knife blade under the hem of the pants. As he raised the blade, Seoyul yelled sharply.

“I’ll…!”

“…?”

“I’ll take them off myself, just stop!”

Unable to watch any longer, Seoyul paled and thrashed around. Pacheon simply stared at him for a moment, then chuckled and withdrew the knife. He gestured to the guards, and they released Seoyul. Looking bewildered, Seoyul fumbled with his pants buckle with his tied hands.

“But why… the clothes?”

Hoping perhaps he was to be given something else to wear, Seoyul slowly began to lower his pants. Pacheon’s eyes briefly flickered. Then, with a swift motion, he yanked down Seoyul’s pants.

Seoyul’s jeans, momentarily the object of curiosity, were now cast aside. With quick hands, Pacheon forced Seoyul’s legs apart and even pushed aside his underwear.

“What are you doing!”

As Seoyul twisted his body, the guards quickly restrained him. Pacheon, paying no heed to Seoyul’s horrified expression, carefully examined below and abruptly thrust his finger into Seoyul.

“Gah…!”

Caught entirely off guard by the unexpected intrusion, Seoyul stiffened, his body rigid. Pacheon hummed slowly, mercilessly probing inside.

“Aha, even other Eumins have the same body structure. A man, yet the place that takes in a baby is… here?”

As Pacheon prodded around, he bent one finger and pushed it deeper, causing Seoyul to throw his head back.

“Ugh… What are you even doing…!”

“It’s clear he’s an Eumin. To think such a robust Eumin has grown to this size. It’s almost tear-jerkingly fortunate by the grace of God Seombaek.”

“Get it out now!”

“Hmm… it’s my first time encountering a grown Eumin, so it’s hard to tell just by touching. How much have you endured erotomania? Have you ever conceived?”

Pacheon asked indifferently, but Seoyul shivered, tears filling his eyes as he glared back, teeth gritted.

“Get it out, you maniac―”

At that non-answer, Pacheon seemed satisfied and withdrew his hand. A servant handed him a cloth, which he used to wipe his hands.

“How often does erotomania occur? Have you managed to endure it?”

Erotomania? What’s that? Is he talking about heat and rut?

Seoyul clenched his legs together tightly, once again becoming fully aware of his dire situation.

Let’s say, hypothetically, this is real. I don’t know what caused me to travel back in time, but let’s assume this is the era of Jinha Kingdom under King Eulsa.

So, if the Third Prince is a dominant alpha, and there are no omegas here to withstand his rut… That’s why they summoned me here, to endure the Third Prince’s rut and to conceive his child, right?

Then this… Isn’t the fact that this is the past the real problem? If this is reality, then I’m the only omega in an era of just alphas and betas―

“If I was rude, I apologize. I don’t doubt the God Seombaek, but still, I had to verify whether the being I summoned is truly an Eumin.”

“Why… why did you bring me here? To bear a child for someone I don’t even know?”

“At last, you’re asking the right questions.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Why should I bear a stranger’s child? Isn’t this just human trafficking?!”

As Seoyul raised his voice sharply, Pacheon spoke even more softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Isn’t once enough? But let me tell you again, you were destined to die in the place you came from. I brought you here and saved your life. Isn’t your life worth that much in return?”

That again. Seoyul felt as if he were being asked to repay a debt he never borrowed.

I was going to die? When? Where? Why? What kind of nonsense—thinking about it, there’s nothing particularly healthy about me—

Suddenly, Seoyul recalled his last memory.

Wait, wasn’t I about to be buried in a landslide? Could it be… that was how I was supposed to die?

A new chill ran through Seoyul’s body.

Was I really going to die like that? Just like that?

The sensation of the earth pressing down on his body was still vivid, as was the choking dust he breathed in.

Seoyul stood dumbfounded for a moment before quickly snapping back to reality.

No, that’s absurd. How can someone die so easily just because they were buried a bit? And who knows how badly I was buried, or even if I was? I don’t even know.

Dying in an unpredictable accident, and then being told to bear a child as payment? What kind of logic is that? And wasn’t the whole ‘destined to die’ thing a lie anyway?

Seoyul glared at Pacheon, filled with suspicion and wariness.

Despite Seoyul’s piercing gaze, Pacheon seemed unfazed.

“You will be treated nearly as royalty here. While you are here, you will want for nothing.”

“I don’t need any of that, just send me back now.”

“—However, keep this in mind.”

Pacheon’s eyes suddenly turned icy cold.

“The divine power of the God Seombaek brought you here, and only I, who am blessed by Seombaek, can send you back.”

“…….”

“If you wish to safely return to where you came from, you’d do well to listen to me. Just bear the Prince’s child, and I will send you back safely. Once the Prince has his heir, and his erotomania is somewhat manageable, you will no longer be needed.”

This is insane. How could this happen—

The idea that I was suddenly thrown into the past is crazy enough, but to be in an era where omegas don’t even exist? And I’m supposed to be some kind of breeding partner for a dominant alpha prince? Is this even real?

Now fully feeling his heart pounding in utter chaos, Seoyul asked Pacheon as if enchanted,

“So, the Third Prince of King Eulsa… could it be Tae Heegon?”

As Seoyul mentioned the name of the Third Prince, Pacheon’s cold expression softened into an intrigued smile.

“You know of the Prince’s name?”

“Well—”

Seoyul paused mid-sentence. His head was a jumble of sparse knowledge about the Third Prince, tangled like cobwebs.

King Eulsa’s third son, Tae Heegon. There were records confirming he was a dominant alpha. But beyond that, nothing much remained. Records about Tae Heegon around this time were burned in a war later on. Moreover, that person…

“Anyway, Tae Heegon can’t become the Crown Prince.”

“……?”

“Because soon Tae Heegon will—”

Die.

Before Seoyul could finish his thought, he abruptly stopped speaking. Shocked, his eyes widened, and his lips trembled before a burning sensation surged up his throat and spilled out.

“……?! Guh… Huh, ugh…!”

A dark, bloody mass was expelled from Seoyul’s mouth. Overcome with intense pain, he barely registered what had happened.

Seoyul stared in shock at the blood he had spat out, and Pacheon, looking uncomfortable, moved away from him slightly. He gestured to the servants standing behind, who quickly began to clean up. Pacheon, still not knowing what to do, looked at Seoyul and said,

“Ah, you’d better be careful.”

“……?”

“I don’t know what future you came from, but here, speaking of events that have not yet happened is considered divulging heavenly secrets, which will provoke the wrath of the gods. Each time you divulge such secrets, you will suffer pain like this and your body will deteriorate, so you must always be on guard.”

“What… did you say?”

“But what you just said… it’s really tempting. You know the prince’s name, and you even know that he won’t be able to become the Crown Prince, right?”

Pacheon smiled as he watched Seoyul’s face go pale with fear.

“But there’s no need to worry. If you soothe His Highness’s madness and even give him an heir, then without a doubt, he will ascend to the position of Crown Prince.”

“That’s not—”

Seoyul opened his mouth as if frustrated but quickly shut it again when he tasted the blood still lingering in his mouth. He carefully reconsidered what he could actually say in this situation. Then, another grim realization followed.

“Forget about Tae Heegon for a second. This is impossible no matter what.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because… no matter how much Tae Heegon is a dominant alpha, I’m a recessive omega.”

“A dominant al…? A recessive?”

“In the time I come from, most omegas have lost their ability to conceive, and since I’m recessive, the chances are even lower… But then why, of all people, did I have to be brought here…?”

Seoyul covered his face with his hands, his expression dark with despair. Once again, he desperately wished that, if this was a dream, he would wake up already. He pleaded over and over again to whoever might be listening.

Meanwhile, Pacheon, watching him, spouted something completely incomprehensible.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Well, I guess we’ll get to know more about each other as we go. For now, let’s start preparing.”

With that, Pacheon brushed off his robes and stood up. Seoyul had a terrible feeling and quickly looked up at him.

“Preparing? Preparing for what…?”

As if what Seoyul was going through wasn’t overwhelming enough, Pacheon casually added yet another unbearable weight onto his shoulders.

“His Highness’s erotomania started yesterday, you see. I’d love to hear more about this Eumin from you, but first, you should take care of what needs to be done.”

“Erotomania…? No way… Are you saying that dominant alpha is in rut right now?”

It felt like a jolt of electricity had surged through Seoyul’s brain.

Wait. Hold on. Before I ended up here, my heat cycle had started, so I… didn’t I take a suppressant…?

A memory surfaced in his mind, belated yet crystal clear. He had already felt countless chills since arriving in this place, but none had been as sharp or as vivid as this moment.

More than ever, Seoyul wished to wake up from this nightmare.