Spoiler ALERT! Kindly skip if you are not a fan of spoiler. - - - - - - - - - - - Lee Hwanmae (Uke / Bottom) The Prophet and King. He possesses precognition, telepathy (mind-reading), and shared vision, and later in the story, he gains telekinesis. Also swordmaster. Gwanchang (Seme / Top) An illegitimate prince. Although he lacks supernatural powers, he is an exceptional martial artist and extraordinarily skilled at reading people and evaluating situations. He is highly intelligent, mastering war tactics, politics, foreign languages, and strategy.
Plot & Romance Summary Their romance is a very slow burn. Across the story's total chapters, the vast majority of their time is spent bickering, scheming, and navigating complex political and military conflicts. While romance accounts for roughly 40% of the plot, that 40% is the most fundamental driving force of the story. Hwanmae initially goes to Gwanchang's country intending to turn him into a puppet king to prevent a future invasion of Hwanmae's homeland. Unfortunately, Gwanchang's original fate is to become a bloodthirsty tyrant. The exact opposite of what Hwanmae hopes for. Hwanmae sets out to rewrite Gwanchang's destiny by carefully shaping his military career, political standing, and character. For a while, Hwanmae believes he has successfully altered the future however, he eventually realizes that regardless of his efforts, Gwanchang's fate inexorably reverts to its original path, a ruthless king destined to slaughter two million people and die by suicide. From the start, Gwanchang harbors physical desire for Hwanmae, which gradually deepens into genuine, overwhelming love. However, his love becomes so intense and rapid that it blinds him. As Gwanchang strays further from his humanity, he ceases to care about helping the common people, and his love shifts into a dark obsession. Securing his love becomes his ultimate ambition and to achieve it, he feels he must become king. Gwanchang's original fate dictates that he will unify the neighboring nations through bloody conquest, resulting in two million deaths including the destruction of Hwanmae's country and his sworn brothers who help Hwanmae ruling the country. By forcibly uniting all the lands, Gwanchang intends to eliminate Hwanmae's burden of having to be a king for his own people, thereby shackling Hwanmae to his side so Hwanmae will be solely devoted to him. When Gwanchang invades Hwanmae's homeland, Hwanmae takes his own life directly in front of him as a final, desperate act to break Gwanchang's madness instantly. Though blood has already been spilled, Hwanmae's sacrifice succeeds. Seeing Hwanmae kill himself causes Gwanchang to abandon his unification campaign. Unable to endure a world without Hwanmae, Gwanchang eventually takes his own life years later, dying as a bloodthirsty king. (In Hwanmae's original visions, Gwanchang had a wife and children, despite his preference for men.)
Seers & Precognition Mechanics In Hwanmae's initial vision, he himself did not appear in Gwanchang's future. The full picture of this vision is later completed through the foresight of another Seer. (It is worth noting that Seers can rarely foresee their own fates; thus, Hwanmae was not truly absent from Gwanchang's original timeline, but simply unable to view himself in his own visions.) In addition to predicting the deaths of two million people, the vision of Gwanchang committing suicide deeply haunts Hwanmae's body and soul. Hwanmae's original prophecy concerned not only Gwanchang but also several other major political figures. In these visions, Gwanchang is referred to as the Black & White Snake, while another royal candidate is known as the Blue Snake. Two other Seers reside in Gwanchang's country. Their visions largely align with Hwanmae's, though each can see details that the others miss. Rather than being political figures themselves, these Seers serve as personal advisors to Gwanchang's rivals. Because Hwanmae directly backs Gwanchang, a sharp conflict of interest arises among the Seers. Hwanmae uses his foresight fundamentally to prevent catastrophic bloodshed, save lives, and stop the war. In contrast, the other Seers prioritize their own safety and their families' interests; achieving universal peace is merely an afterthought for them. Their reckless, impulsive choices further muddy the political landscape, making this section of the story deeply frustrating to read. Nevertheless, because they are driven by self-preservation rather than pure malice, Hwanmae spares their lives.
Political Shifts & The Blue Snake Gwanchang's military superior is set to become the next king, with Gwanchang serving as his right hand. The Blue Snake initially possesses the potential to be a good ruler. However, midway through the story, he succumbs to greed, jealousy, and power, transforming into a dark figure. He is also responsible for Hwanmae temporarily losing his precognitive powers. While Hwanmae is on his deathbed after saving Gwanchang's life, the Blue Snake bribes Hwanmae's nurse to administer high doses of opium. Substances like opium and strong sedatives cloud the mind and disable foresights. Hwanmae remains without his powers for three to four years before eventually recovering them. Hwanmae gain telekinesis power when he lost his foresight so it's not that bad. Although the Blue Snake was originally destined to rule after Gwanchang, he fails to do so ultimately, he repents for his crimes and becomes a Tibetan monk.
Resolution & Defying Fate Despite Gwanchang's constant desire for Hwanmae, physical intimacy between them is rare. Occurring fewer than ten times across the entire story, though each scene spans several detailed chapters and they are freaky LOL Gwanchang ultimately defies his tragic destiny through his deep love for Hwanmae and his people. Realizing that Hwanmae's plan to alter the future has gone terribly wrong, Gwanchang comes to understand that he is the tyrant foretold in the prophecies. He recognizes that Hwanmae faces an agonizing dilemma: as a righteous king and Prophet, Hwanmae never hesitates to eliminate threats, yet he cannot bring himself to kill Gwanchang. Accepting that his death is the only way to spare the world, Gwanchang willingly accepts his fate. When Hwanmae fails to go through with killing him, Gwanchang schemes to end his own life by throwing himself into a deadly battle. At the last moment, Hwanmae saves him. Afterward, the two finally sit down and speak with absolute honesty. Prior to this point, Hwanmae had kept Gwanchang in the dark about many things. He had not revealed that Gwanchang was destined to become the bloodthirsty king, nor had he disclosed the existence of the other Seers, their prophecies, his plan to kill Gwanchang or Gwanchang's destined suicide.
Summary of the Ending If I recall correctly, Hwanmae saves Gwanchang's life directly and indirectly a couple of times, one of which leaves Hwanmae in critical condition. Without Hwanmae's foresight and acting as a living shield, Gwanchang wouldn't have survived even 50 chapters LOL. Later on, however, Gwanchang learns to perform his duties as the king's right-hand man without relying entirely on Hwanmae's power. As I mentioned earlier, Gwanchang is intelligent and capable of figuring things out quickly through his own judgment. Fully healed after being critically injured and ensuring Gwanchang is safe to be left alone (the future is no longer predictable and has become an anomaly, but Gwanchang will not lose his humanity), Hwanmae returns to his home country to bring its monarchy to an end. With democracy on the rise, he needs to clear the path for change. During this period, Gwanchang and Hwanmae are forced to live apart for 3 to 4 years. Eventually, the two reunite for good. Hwanmae's brothers also live in the West Serpent country, and they all reside as neighbors. I'm not sure if there are any side stories, but the main epilogue ends with them as lovers living side by side as neighbors. Again, as neighbors a.k.a they aren't living together in the same house. Gwanchang lives alone, while Hwanmae and his gang live together in a separate house. It's just that their houses are right next to each other LOL. Hwanmae's brothers are still acting as the biggest cockblocks, though. From the very start until the end, that is the fixed fate for them I guess LOL.
Spoiler ALERT! Kindly skip if you are not a fan of spoiler.
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Lee Hwanmae (Uke / Bottom)
The Prophet and King. He possesses precognition, telepathy (mind-reading), and shared vision, and later in the story, he gains telekinesis. Also swordmaster.
Gwanchang (Seme / Top)
An illegitimate prince. Although he lacks supernatural powers, he is an exceptional martial artist and extraordinarily skilled at reading people and evaluating situations. He is highly intelligent, mastering war tactics, politics, foreign languages, and strategy.
Plot & Romance Summary
Their romance is a very slow burn. Across the story's total chapters, the vast majority of their time is spent bickering, scheming, and navigating complex political and military conflicts. While romance accounts for roughly 40% of the plot, that 40% is the most fundamental driving force of the story.
Hwanmae initially goes to Gwanchang's country intending to turn him into a puppet king to prevent a future invasion of Hwanmae's homeland. Unfortunately, Gwanchang's original fate is to become a bloodthirsty tyrant. The exact opposite of what Hwanmae hopes for. Hwanmae sets out to rewrite Gwanchang's destiny by carefully shaping his military career, political standing, and character. For a while, Hwanmae believes he has successfully altered the future however, he eventually realizes that regardless of his efforts, Gwanchang's fate inexorably reverts to its original path, a ruthless king destined to slaughter two million people and die by suicide.
From the start, Gwanchang harbors physical desire for Hwanmae, which gradually deepens into genuine, overwhelming love. However, his love becomes so intense and rapid that it blinds him. As Gwanchang strays further from his humanity, he ceases to care about helping the common people, and his love shifts into a dark obsession. Securing his love becomes his ultimate ambition and to achieve it, he feels he must become king.
Gwanchang's original fate dictates that he will unify the neighboring nations through bloody conquest, resulting in two million deaths including the destruction of Hwanmae's country and his sworn brothers who help Hwanmae ruling the country. By forcibly uniting all the lands, Gwanchang intends to eliminate Hwanmae's burden of having to be a king for his own people, thereby shackling Hwanmae to his side so Hwanmae will be solely devoted to him.
When Gwanchang invades Hwanmae's homeland, Hwanmae takes his own life directly in front of him as a final, desperate act to break Gwanchang's madness instantly. Though blood has already been spilled, Hwanmae's sacrifice succeeds. Seeing Hwanmae kill himself causes Gwanchang to abandon his unification campaign. Unable to endure a world without Hwanmae, Gwanchang eventually takes his own life years later, dying as a bloodthirsty king. (In Hwanmae's original visions, Gwanchang had a wife and children, despite his preference for men.)
Seers & Precognition Mechanics
In Hwanmae's initial vision, he himself did not appear in Gwanchang's future. The full picture of this vision is later completed through the foresight of another Seer. (It is worth noting that Seers can rarely foresee their own fates; thus, Hwanmae was not truly absent from Gwanchang's original timeline, but simply unable to view himself in his own visions.)
In addition to predicting the deaths of two million people, the vision of Gwanchang committing suicide deeply haunts Hwanmae's body and soul.
Hwanmae's original prophecy concerned not only Gwanchang but also several other major political figures. In these visions, Gwanchang is referred to as the Black & White Snake, while another royal candidate is known as the Blue Snake.
Two other Seers reside in Gwanchang's country. Their visions largely align with Hwanmae's, though each can see details that the others miss. Rather than being political figures themselves, these Seers serve as personal advisors to Gwanchang's rivals. Because Hwanmae directly backs Gwanchang, a sharp conflict of interest arises among the Seers. Hwanmae uses his foresight fundamentally to prevent catastrophic bloodshed, save lives, and stop the war. In contrast, the other Seers prioritize their own safety and their families' interests; achieving universal peace is merely an afterthought for them. Their reckless, impulsive choices further muddy the political landscape, making this section of the story deeply frustrating to read. Nevertheless, because they are driven by self-preservation rather than pure malice, Hwanmae spares their lives.
Political Shifts & The Blue Snake
Gwanchang's military superior is set to become the next king, with Gwanchang serving as his right hand.
The Blue Snake initially possesses the potential to be a good ruler. However, midway through the story, he succumbs to greed, jealousy, and power, transforming into a dark figure. He is also responsible for Hwanmae temporarily losing his precognitive powers. While Hwanmae is on his deathbed after saving Gwanchang's life, the Blue Snake bribes Hwanmae's nurse to administer high doses of opium. Substances like opium and strong sedatives cloud the mind and disable foresights. Hwanmae remains without his powers for three to four years before eventually recovering them. Hwanmae gain telekinesis power when he lost his foresight so it's not that bad. Although the Blue Snake was originally destined to rule after Gwanchang, he fails to do so ultimately, he repents for his crimes and becomes a Tibetan monk.
Resolution & Defying Fate
Despite Gwanchang's constant desire for Hwanmae, physical intimacy between them is rare. Occurring fewer than ten times across the entire story, though each scene spans several detailed chapters and they are freaky LOL
Gwanchang ultimately defies his tragic destiny through his deep love for Hwanmae and his people. Realizing that Hwanmae's plan to alter the future has gone terribly wrong, Gwanchang comes to understand that he is the tyrant foretold in the prophecies. He recognizes that Hwanmae faces an agonizing dilemma: as a righteous king and Prophet, Hwanmae never hesitates to eliminate threats, yet he cannot bring himself to kill Gwanchang.
Accepting that his death is the only way to spare the world, Gwanchang willingly accepts his fate. When Hwanmae fails to go through with killing him, Gwanchang schemes to end his own life by throwing himself into a deadly battle. At the last moment, Hwanmae saves him.
Afterward, the two finally sit down and speak with absolute honesty. Prior to this point, Hwanmae had kept Gwanchang in the dark about many things. He had not revealed that Gwanchang was destined to become the bloodthirsty king, nor had he disclosed the existence of the other Seers, their prophecies, his plan to kill Gwanchang or Gwanchang's destined suicide.
Summary of the Ending
If I recall correctly, Hwanmae saves Gwanchang's life directly and indirectly a couple of times, one of which leaves Hwanmae in critical condition. Without Hwanmae's foresight and acting as a living shield, Gwanchang wouldn't have survived even 50 chapters LOL.
Later on, however, Gwanchang learns to perform his duties as the king's right-hand man without relying entirely on Hwanmae's power. As I mentioned earlier, Gwanchang is intelligent and capable of figuring things out quickly through his own judgment.
Fully healed after being critically injured and ensuring Gwanchang is safe to be left alone (the future is no longer predictable and has become an anomaly, but Gwanchang will not lose his humanity), Hwanmae returns to his home country to bring its monarchy to an end. With democracy on the rise, he needs to clear the path for change. During this period, Gwanchang and Hwanmae are forced to live apart for 3 to 4 years.
Eventually, the two reunite for good. Hwanmae's brothers also live in the West Serpent country, and they all reside as neighbors.
I'm not sure if there are any side stories, but the main epilogue ends with them as lovers living side by side as neighbors. Again, as neighbors a.k.a they aren't living together in the same house. Gwanchang lives alone, while Hwanmae and his gang live together in a separate house. It's just that their houses are right next to each other LOL.
Hwanmae's brothers are still acting as the biggest cockblocks, though. From the very start until the end, that is the fixed fate for them I guess LOL.