Ashes of the same flame

Introduction

Ryu Hyun-soo — The Smiling Curse

> Age: 30

Occupation: Museum Director / Historical Advisor

Vibe: Charismatic, elegant, dangerous — like a snake in silk

Aesthetic: Black suit, wine-red tie, silver cufflinks shaped like crescent moons, always smells like expensive danger

Past Life: Government Officer from 1894 — the one who exposed Jeon's secret, caused their deaths, and vanished… with the Moonstone

[POV: Jeon Jungkook – Present Day]

It had been two weeks since the night he blacked out in front of the mirror.

Jungkook hadn't been the same since. Not entirely. He woke in cold sweats, trembling, haunted by dreams that weren't his own—at least, that's what he told himself. Memories of fire and shadows. Of men in uniforms. Of a voice—deep, cold, commanding—calling his name like a death sentence.

Jeon Jungkook.

He had begun wandering. The museum corridors, empty streets at dusk, even forgotten sections of the city that called to him like they remembered him. He didn't know why, but the pull was undeniable.

And that's how he found the old archive.

Buried in the East Wing's underbelly, the room was filled with relics behind sealed glass, the air thick with age. It was dim, abandoned, yet something inside it called to him like a whisper.

His hand hovered over a cracked photograph. A soldier in an old imperial uniform, tall and graceful, eyes sharp as blades, face achingly familiar—

The same face that haunted his dreams.

"Captain Kim Taehyung," a voice behind him said.

Jungkook turned abruptly.

A man stood there, tall and lean, with silvery ash-toned hair and a calm intensity in his eyes.

"Min Seo-jun," he introduced with a slight bow. "Head of artifact restoration."

Jungkook's brows furrowed. "How do you know me?"

Seo-jun smiled faintly. "Names leave impressions. Yours… left a crater."

---

[POV: Kim Taehyung – Present Day]

Taehyung hadn't slept in days.

Ever since he saw Jungkook again—older, different, yet unmistakably him—his world had started unraveling.

His gloves trembled slightly as he pulled them tighter, stepping into a private office within the museum. The large windows cast long shadows across the room where Ryu Hyun-soo stood, watching the city with a drink in hand.

"You've been quiet," Hyun-soo said without turning.

"You're the one who insisted on this meeting," Taehyung said, voice curt. "Say what you need to."

Hyun-soo smirked. "He's dreaming again. Isn't he?"

Taehyung's eyes darkened. "It's not just dreams. He's remembering."

"And what about you?" Hyun-soo asked. "Have you forgotten what happened last time you tried to change the ending?"

Taehyung didn't answer. The memory of blood—Jungkook's blood—flashed in his mind like lightning across a battlefield.

---

[Flashback – 1894]

Jungkook stood in the snow, breath visible in the freezing night air. In front of him, Taehyung, dressed in his imperial captain's coat, sword dripping with blood.

"You betrayed your own," Taehyung said, voice void of emotion.

"I followed my heart," Jungkook replied, chest heaving. "And you did too. You just can't admit it."

The gun between them trembled in Taehyung's hand.

"Don't make me choose," he whispered.

"You already did."

And the gun fired.

---

[POV: Min Seo-jun – Present Day]

In the depths of the archives, Seo-jun opened a locked cabinet. Inside sat a stone etched with moon-like ridges, glowing faintly. He pressed his fingers against it, feeling the heat beneath the surface.

He wasn't just a restorer. He was a guardian.

And the Moonstone was the curse's anchor.

"They're awakening," he whispered. "But if the Moonstone cracks… the cycle breaks. And not in their favor."

His reflection shimmered.

For a heartbeat, he wasn't alone.

---

[Parallel Timeline – Both POVs Overlapping]

Jungkook (Present): He sat by the window, tracing the edge of the mysterious letter. It had no name, only one line:

'You promised to find me in every lifetime.'

His hands shook. He didn't know why—but that line split him open.

Taehyung (Present): He held the broken watch from the past. It had been dead for over a century.

Now, it ticked.

---

[Ryu Hyun-soo – Hidden Agenda]

Ryu stared at the map again.

Pins. Lines. Threads of time all leading to one point: the date of the eclipse.

"They'll come together again," he said. "But this time, I'll be waiting."

He opened a drawer.

Inside: a photo. 1894. The original four—Taehyung, Jungkook, Seo-jun… and one more.

The fourth had been erased from the records.

But not from the curse.

---

To be continued...