JEON QUEEN

He ran.
Away from the place that had caged him, from the ones who had hurt him, from years of silent suffering.

Barefoot, shaking, silver hair falling over frightened blue eyes - he reached the king's court by sheer chance. His body gave out before the marble steps.

Gasps echoed through the grand hall. The boy lay unconscious, too fragile for this ruthless world.

The king saw him. And something unfamiliar stirred.

Days passed. Slowly, the boy opened his eyes. Spoke little. Smiled softly. And with each glance, the king found himself watching - too often. Too long.

There was no reason for this pull. No logic in it. Only the innocent eyes that still trusted, and the quiet kindness that began to fill the cold halls.

"Please... don't do this to me."
(A voice from the boy's past - words that haunted the king's thoughts.)

"I'll protect you."
(A promise, unspoken, but already set in motion.)

But even within the safety of the palace, not all was as it seemed. Secrets lingered in the shadows.

"Never knew that the son I was raising was never mine."

And as the truth slowly unraveled, so did the king's resolve - to shield the boy who had unknowingly begun to heal him.