Concubine Walkthrough
In the original game Concubine Walkthrough, innocent young Lili is one of the many concubines of the tyrannical king. She must thwart the schemes of the Royal Noble Consort to survive and ascend through the ranks of the Royal Harem, eventually becoming Queen.Yona Lee had her doubts about the game, until her friends dragged her in and coached her through victory. But that was years ago, and she has more important concerns now, like studying for her college entrance exams.
So why has she woken up in the VR remake of the game, in the body of the Royal Noble Consort—and why can't she remember logging on?
Now she's stuck in the game, and can only escape by becoming Empress. But the original protagonist is also still aiming for that goal...
Concubine Walkthrough can be found here
on Tapas Media.
Concubine Walkthrough contains examples of the following tropes:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: Before finding herself in the game, Yona Lee sees a billboard for the remake of Concubine Walkthrough that says it's due out in November 2035.
- Cain and Abel: The previous emperor killed all but two of his siblings when he ascended to the throne—a sister who had married a powerful official, and a brother who ruled over a client state. This was a long-established tradition, but the current emperor and his siblings swore that they would spare each other's lives. Unfortunately, their mothers had other plans.
- Heir Club for Men: The emperor's only child is a daughter who's not treated as a potential heir. The concubines—and their families—are desperate to give him a son.
- I Choose to Stay: Yona ultimately stays behind in the VR simulation.
- King Incognito: The Emperor pretends to be a carefree eunuch named Sunshine. Yona falls in love with him under this identity.
- Law of Inverse Fertility: As a high-ranked member of the Royal Harem, the original Royal Noble Consort naturally wished to give birth to a child. She was poisoned during her pregnancy, which rendered her barren.
- Multiple Endings: The original Concubine Walkthrough had at least ten endings depending on Lili's choices and skills. She could become queen, leave the palace, become a courtesan or even a warrior. It's not clear if the other endings still exist in the remake, as only becoming Empress will end the game for Yona. A Secret Ending is eventually revealed: a player character becoming Emperor by overthrowing the current one.
- "Reborn as Villainess" Story: Yona finds herself in the body of the Royal Noble Consort, who's the final boss of the game.
- Reset Button: To ensure Yona is happy in the VR, Sangjae decides to delete all game elements and removes the time loop, changing the game into a normal simulation of life, ensuring Yona and Sunshine will live a happy and normal life together.
- Royal Harem: The setting of the game.
- Top Wife: The position of Empress is currently empty; the deposed empress is imprisoned, and no one has been promoted to fill her place. Doing so is the ultimate goal of the game.
- Trapped in TV Land: Yona has been trapped in the new, unpublished remake of the video game Concubine Walkthrough.
- Video-Game Lives: Players in Concubine Walkthrough (at least the remake) have multiple lives, and if they lose one the game will reset to a slightly earlier point in time. In multiplayer, the game restarts if all players run out of lives.
- Win to Exit: The Game Master tells Yona that she can exit the game only by winning and becoming Empress.
