Han Ni, heroine
Bo Xinzhou, hero
* [Escape-room online game The Ancient Palace Maze, not a horror theme]
The Ancient Palace Maze became a nationwide sensation less than a year after its release. It’s a massive online escape-room game combining mazes, puzzles, and combat.
The graphics are exquisite, and the sound effects are dreamlike. Players explore ancient buildings and can pick up cultural relics to use as weapons or sources of information. A must-have for staying in, traveling, dating, and making friends.
* [Synopsis]
The heroine and hero are both a little “unconventional,” and they’re very different in the game and in real life.
The two meet on bad terms, but after clearing up their misunderstanding,
you might expect a delightful unmasking,
but an even bigger “surprise” is waiting for her...
Which one is the real you? What is real?
[An aloof, eccentric, short-tempered cool girl x a goofy, scheming, tight-lipped hottie
Is he dark beneath a white facade, or white beneath a dark facade?
A hopeless romantic, or a hopeless fool?
A healing, sweet romance about the push and pull before and after they reveal their true identities, with Oreo-style sweet treats.
It also helps the heroine get to know herself again and learn to love herself.
*
Mutual pining
*
The heroine Han Ni’s name uses the character Ni, which has multiple pronunciations. It can be read as Xi, third tone, the same as the character for imperial seal, but she prefers Ni, third tone, the heavy metal element Nh, element 113 on the periodic table.
The hero Bo Xinzhou’s name comes from “Bo Zhou,” from the Book of Odes:
A cypress boat floats,
there in the middle of the river.
[The romance between the leads is a slow burn, with more progress later on, and includes some puzzle-solving and deduction.]
Theme: Knowing yourself and loving yourself is where romance begins.
