Beauty and the Monster-A Namjin AU story

Prolouge

Once upon a time, there was a man who had the world in his hands. 

The handsome young prince received everything his heart desired. Wealth, fame, fortune...he had it all. 

Though the world was his, the prince was selfish and unkind.

"Master, it is time."

This cruel prince taxed his people relentlessly, for he desired nothing more than to fill his castle with the most prized possessions, and his parties with the most beautiful people. 

But oh, how divine it was! Glamour, music, and magic combined drew many a fair maiden to the palace doors. For how fantastic would it be if they managed to capture the aloof prince's heart?

What display! What a breathtaking, thrilling array! Enthralling the senses in music, drowning the darkness in passion. Let the prince and his people dance the night away with gusto, fit to burst, not a care in the world. 

This is how it has always been, and how it will forever remain. The prince would not have it any other way

Then one night, a lonely intruder knocked on the castle's doors, seeking shelter from the storm. And oh, what a hag she was! In this world of fruitless pleasure, she had no place. 

She offered the prince a single red rose in return for kindness. Disgusted by her appearance, the prince turned her away.

What a fool. She warned him not to be deceived by appearances. That beauty if found within.

"You are but a lone hag. I have nothing to do with you."

The old woman's outward appearance faded away to reveal a beautiful enchantress! The prince threw himself onto his knees and begged for forgiveness, but it was too late. She had seen that there was no love in his heart. 

"Prince Namjoon," She declared, "This is your punishment,"

He writhed on the ballroom floor in agony, until his smooth hands turned to gnarled claws, his flawless skin to ragged fur, and his handsome face to that of a hideous beasts.

She placed a horrible curse on the castle and all who lived there. They would be just the same as him-disfigured, alone...unable to leave the palace.

The days bled into years. The prince and his servants were forgotten by the world, for the enchantress had erased all memory of them. To the people they loved, their existence was below a fairy tale-it had never existed to begin with. 

The rose...the gorgeous rose...the cursed, awful rose...stayed. It was enchanted. If Prince Namjoon could learn to love another, and earn their love in return before the last petal fell, the spell would be broken.

If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all eternity.

As the years passed, the prince fell into despair. Hope was lost.

For who could ever learn to love a beast?