Park Seonghwa was never made for the throne. Kim Hongjoong was never meant to paint him. But when tragic deaths ravage both sides' lives, their paths collide with a shockwave that will have repercussions. Hired as the new king's royal portrait artist, Kim Hongjoong takes the job that was supposed to be his late mentor's. Unable to hide his disdain for royalty, the young artist's relationship with Seonghwa is frigid at best. His Majesty is much the same, keeping mostly to himself for he hides a secret, one that could ruin his fragile rule. As time goes on, something between the pair blossoms during the long hours spent in Kim Hongjoong's painting studio. Something that could cause terrible trouble within Gaul's high court. 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙨, 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙛𝙞𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚. Cover art done by me, no stealing or tracing!

The world had gone quiet when Seonghwa woke from his slumber. Prying himself off the uncomfortable hospital bed, many questions were raging through his mind as he tried to put things into place; what happened? Why was he all alone? And most importantly: what was he going to do about the strange bite mark? [heavily inspired by 'The Walking Dead'] SLOW BURN seongjoong (main ship) woosan yungi jongsang started: 20/07/2024 ended: ??/??/????

He knows he shouldn't be doing this. It was his best friends brother.

And even if his heart stopped beating, his body going numb and his hands turning cold, he'd still seek Hongjoong's sad but longing eyes because they kept him alive. "Hongjoong-ah, what we did was wrong. Forbidden. But don't resist us our right to be. ... even if it's selfish."