"What's Bihyung doing there?" Yoo Sangah wondered curiously as she frowned slightly at the screen.
Well, in all likelihood, he was probably either laughing about the throne thing or a bit pissed. To be fair, none of the dokkaebis expected him to do that, so they were absolutely scrambling to figure out how to handle it.
Hopefully he wasn't here for anything bad, though.
[several constellations are curious about the motives of the dokkaebi bihyung.]
Dokja messages Bihyung, asking if it's ok for them to be talking and asks about the intermediate dokkaebi. Bihyung replies that the dokkaebi is facing disciplinary action and likely won't be back until the actual start of the Fifth Scenario.
{Ah, I also upgraded my channel again, I might even become an intermediate-level dokkaebi by next month if I perform well. It's all thanks to you,} Bihyung happily messages, and Dokja gives him perfunctory congratulations. When Bihyung asks why he's not thrilled, Dokja states that a higher status will only make the dokkaebi pointlessly busy. As Bihyung reassures him that he wouldn't stop looking out for him, Sooyoung interrupts by asking what they'll do next.
When Dokja says that he doesn't know, Sooyoung proceeds to ask if she could learn the skill instead of him. Dokja explains to her that it won't work since only the one who earned the talisman can learn it, and the talisman isn't tradeable.
"Good, he's gone," Yoo Mia scoffed, clearly still unimpressed by the dokkaebi that they'd seen on a few occasions already.
[a few constellations hope that the dokkaebi faces harsh disciplinary actions.]
Honestly, Kim Dokja agreed for once. That guy was a pain in the ass on a good day.
Shin Yoosung tugged on the sleeve of Kim Dokja's robe. "Ahjussi, what does becoming an intermediate-level mean?"
"It means that he can have more constellations watching his channel, and that he has more influence at the Bureau," Kim Dokja told her.
Lee Gilyoung cocked his head to the side. "Hyung, even if he gets busy, won't him having more influence be a good thing?"
Well, that depended on a few factors. At least Bihyung said that he wouldn't just abandon Kim Dokja with his higher status, and he supposed that it would be helpful to have an in with the Bureau for other reasons…
Kim Dokja just shrugged.
"Ah, shit, so I really can't just learn it instead?" Han Sooyoung groaned. "That's bullshit."
Them's the rules, unfortunately.
When Sooyoung confirms this with [Lie Detection], Dokja calls her more skeptical than Joonghyuk. Reminded of his existence, Sooyoung then asks why Dokja is bothering to learn a skill that was originally learned by Joonghyuk, when they could just make a deal with the protagonist instead.
When Dokja rolls his eyes and bluntly says that Joonghyuk wouldn't listen to others, Sooyoung points to herself and declares that she'll seduce him. Sooyoung grins widely and she practically twinkles with unfounded confidence, and Dokja looks to be on the verge of murdering her as his thoughts are so pronounced that they might as well be in a nearly-demonic voice.
'What?'
Snapping back to normal, he tells her that it's impossible for her and that it would only mean trouble if they ran into Joonghyuk.
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced over at him, a small frown on his face. He was probably a bit frustrated that Kim Dokja wouldn't even consider handing the talisman over to him, even if it was transferable, but nobody could blame him for that! As his future self said on the screen, Yoo Joonghyuk was not someone who would willingly follow others' commands or wishes.
As soon as Han Sooyoung made that confident declaration, though, Kim Dokja's jaw dropped. What the fuck!?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is flabbergasted.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' does not approve of this companionship.]
And now Han Sooyoung had to endure the full force of the protagonist's sharp glare. Good for her.
"You'll what!?" Jung Heewon wheezed, finally getting to laugh at the author. "I can't believe you just said that."
Kim Dokja couldn't believe it either. The sheer overconfidence of that statement aside, there was no fucking way that Yoo Joonghyuk would ever let himself get seduced by anyone. That just wasn't who he was!
[many constellations are astounded by the audacity of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is gagging.]
"No," Yoo Joonghyuk gritted out, his teeth clenched. It made sense—he vocally disapproved of people who let themselves get distracted by love or attraction in the apocalypse. Yoo Mia crossed her arms and looked extremely unimpressed, clearly not wanting to even consider it either.
Lee Jihye gasped dramatically. "Ahjumma, I can't believe you! There's no way that Master would cheat!"
While it seemed that Lee Jihye was still on her bullshit, Kim Dokja had to agree with her. Lee Seolhwa was right there!
Han Sooyoung shot Kim Dokja a look. "And what was with your reaction to that, huh?"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' approves of the incarnation 'kim dokja' defending his companionship with the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
All the women turned to look at him curiously—even Lee Seolhwa. Kim Dokja just shot Han Sooyoung an extremely unimpressed glare in return.
"You don't know Yoo Joonghyuk very well if you think that you could seduce him," Kim Dokja replied as casually as he could, trying to ignore the fact that the protagonist was now staring directly at him. It was kind of intimidating, if he was being honest, but he didn't have the time to waste on that.
Yoo Sangah smiled slightly, a touch of amusement dancing in her eyes. "I think that there's only one person who could."
Exactly, and that person was Lee Seolhwa.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is nodding vehemently.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is laughing at the current events.]
"Well, it's not a concern if they never run into Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi, right?" Lee Seolhwa asked, thankfully changing the subject like the amazing person she was. Truly, she was someone who deserved the spot at the protagonist's side.
Even if it's Yoo Joonghyuk, learning [Way of the Wind] is impossible without the talisman. He'll have to take the talisman from me, but it's a bound item which will only be available if I die.
The bags beneath Dokja's eyes look darker than normal as he mentally states that Joonghyuk will definitely try to kill him after what he did before they parted ways. As Dokja reminisces about the last time he and Joonghyuk saw each other, the scene of Dokja punching him in the face plays in slow motion. At the same time, the somber sound of a violin accompanies it alongside a banner with the words '~The time we parted ways~'.
Just as Dokja says that he doesn't even know where Joonghyuk is, someone yells out for help because of an injured person, exclaiming that whoever they're helping is severely injured. As soon as Dokja and Sooyoung hear these words, the two dash towards the direction of the voice while Dokja is confused due to an influx of messages—with the majority being from 'Demon-like Judge of Fire'.
Upon emerging from the alleyway and seeing the one calling for help, Dokja stops and dryly glances at Bihyung, who just shrugs with a laugh and messages that he doesn't know what's going on either.
"Ah, so Joonghyuk-ssi really couldn't learn it after all to help out," Lee Hyunsung muttered sadly. "We definitely don't want Dokja-ssi to die."
Yeah, he also didn't have enough karma points to be able to survive that yet, so it was absolutely a terrible idea.
Yoo Joonghyuk's frown deepened slightly, but he didn't say anything.
[several constellations are amused by the visuals of the scene.]
"Hyung can do better," Lee Gilyoung scoffed. "Punch him again."
Gilyoung-ah… please understand that he didn't want to die again, thanks. Especially considering the annoyance that was getting to be more obvious on Yoo Joonghyuk's face. It would be great if this recording stopped reminding everyone of that too.
As soon as someone began yelling for help, everyone went on alert. Lee Seolhwa in particular looked worried, which made sense considering Kim Dokja's apparent ignorance when it came to proper medical care.
"I hope whoever it is will be alright…" Yoo Sangah muttered, wringing her hands anxiously. "You don't exactly have many supplies to help."
"And I'm shit at anything past putting on a band-aid too," Han Sooyoung grumbled, and the expression on Lee Seolhwa's face only got more dire.
Kim Dokja grimaced. This probably wasn't going to be good.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is urging the incarnations to do the right thing.]
"Why do you look so annoyed, ahjussi?" Shin Yoosung wondered, and Kim Dokja honestly had the same question. Why would he react like that?
On the ground next to the person calling for help lies Joonghyuk. His face is bruised and bloody, and a slight furrow in his brow mars his otherwise serene face while his hair is only slightly messy in a somehow attractive way. Sooyoung speaks his name in shock as Dokja further questions the deflecting dokkaebi. Dokja kneels down beside Joonghyuk as Sooyoung bends over and asks what they should do next.
"We have to save him, right? This bastard is the protagonist. But as soon as he's saved, he'll…" Sooyoung's voice cuts off as both her and Dokja quietly remember their latest (and less than pleasant) experiences with him.
Behind Dokja, an image of an absolutely enraged Joonghyuk appears while the smashed head of the 'First Apostle' appears behind Sooyoung. This prompts them to immediately launch into a conversation about restraining him for their own safety, before realizing that they can't restrain him—he'll break out—or lock him up anywhere—he'd just kill himself and regress. With a grimace, Sooyoung wonders what will happen if he regresses, and Dokja immediately shoots that down, saying that he won't allow it.
"What the—?" Lee Jihye gasped as soon as she saw Yoo Joonghyuk's unconscious body on the ground. "How did Master end up there?"
Kim Dokja had the exact same question, honestly. What were the chances?
Lee Seolhwa looked shocked, seeing as she had spoken too soon earlier. "Oh… I hope that Joonghyuk-ssi will be alright…"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is concerned for the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Han Sooyoung paled and exchanged a worried glance with Kim Dokja. She didn't even need to say anything, and Kim Dokja immediately understood what she was conveying with her gaze alone: "We're fucked."
Both of them winced as they recalled their last meetings with him, and Kim Dokja had to flinch as soon as the idea of him regressing to get out of any restraints was brought up. God he was such a sunfish—why was regressing one of his only solutions to any problem that was too difficult?
"You were thinking of restraining me," Yoo Joonghyuk stated, and his voice sounded both accusatory and completely unimpressed.
"We don't want to end up dead, so yeah," Han Sooyoung retorted with a scowl. Everyone knew that Yoo Joonghyuk would absolutely be capable of that, after all.
[a constellation who is worried about the degradation of oriental medicine is cautiously looking over the injuries of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Dokja looks at Joonghyuk's wounds, wondering who could have injured him so badly, before sweating profusely when he realises that the visible ones were most likely caused by him. As Sooyoung asks why he's making such a flustered and pathetic face, Dokja realises that Joonghyuk has opened his eyes and is glaring hard enough that the veins next to his eyes have become pronounced.
Within a second, Dokja and Sooyoung retreat as fast as they can to a safe distance. As Joonghyuk continues to glare at him, Dokja's thoughts are panicked.
'Oh, man. I'm done for.'
From halfway across the street, Dokja sweats and his heart pounds as he tries to reason with Joonghyuk. Joonghyuk just stares before he opens his mouth but no words come out. Dokja realizes that Joonghyuk is trying to tell him something, but Dokja thinks that it's obviously something like. 'I'll kill you, Kim Dokja.'
Wanting to know what he's trying to say, Dokja activates [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] level 2.
「Kim Dokja.」
Dokja's eyes widen in shock at the voice in his head speaking directly to him.
Did he… just call my name?
Kim Dokja paled even further as soon as he realized that Yoo Joonghyuk was so injured because of his punch. Fuck, it was really that bad? He could already feel the protagonist's stare burning into the side of his head, and it was making him extremely nervous.
"You don't think that he's been unconscious this whole time, do you?" Jung Heewon muttered, and that only made Kim Dokja's level of panic rise even further.
No—he couldn't have been unconscious for days on end, considering the sub-scenario. He had to be awake at some point in order to eat the required meals, but that just raised another question. Who the hell had inflicted the other injuries?
"Oh shit, he's awake," Han Sooyoung cursed as she flinched. It was probably only the fact that he was severely injured that was saving them right now, so Kim Dokja had to agree.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is telling the incarnation 'han sooyoung' to stand her ground.]
"Fuck no, not against him!" she retorted.
Yoo Mia frowned when her brother couldn't even talk, and she looked extremely uncomfortable. It made sense—the last time he had been in that bad of a state, he had just been mind controlled. Without wasting a moment, she curled into his side a bit and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is gasping in shock.]
Yoo Joonghyuk had… called his name? Kim Dokja blinked in confusion.
"Why would you think my name?" he asked with an extremely confused glance in Yoo Joonghyuk's direction. He was frowning, but considering how his eyes widened a moment later, it seemed that the protagonist had reached some kind of conclusion.
「You can hear my thoughts, can't you? Considering all your actions so far, it's…」
Huh?
「Tell me that you can hear this. If you don't make a move now, this world will be…」
When Dokja doesn't respond to his desperate pleas, Joonghyuk's thoughts begin to sound defeated.
「So this assumption was a mistake. Damn it all.」
Dokja waits a moment before slowly approaching Joonghyuk, apprehensively asking if the other man can hear him.
Upon closer inspection, Joonghyuk has fallen unconscious once more. This sets off alarm bells as Dokja realises that something's not right since [Resuscitation] hasn't activated. This prompts him to use [Character Profile], which brings up Joonghyuk's [Character Summary].
[Name: Yoo Joonghyuk
Age: 28
Constellation sponsor: ???
Personal attributes: Regressor <3rd Round> (Mythical), Pro Gamer (Rare), Supreme King (Heroic)
Exclusive skills: Eye of the Sage lvl. 8, Close Combat lvl. 9, Advanced Weapons Training lvl. 9, Tiger God Aura lvl. 9, Weapons Proficiency lvl. 8, Mental Barrier lvl. 8, Crowd Control lvl. 8, Hundred-Step Divine Fist lvl. 6, Red Phoenix Shunpo lvl. 6, Reasoning lvl. 8, Lie Detection lvl. 8, Cooking lvl. 10, Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship lvl. 5 … List of skills have been abridged
Stigma: Regression lvl. 3, Transmission lv. 3
Overall stats: Stamina lvl. 60, Strength lvl. 60, Agility lvl. 60, Mana lvl. 60
*This character is currently suffering from a status ailment.
*This character is suffering from the 'Thousand-Spirit Poison'.]
"You figured out that Dokja-ssi can hear thoughts?" Yoo Sangah wondered in surprise. "How…?"
Yoo Joonghyuk clenched his jaw slightly, and Kim Dokja couldn't look away.
"I was already suspicious before this scenario," he admitted. "There were a few times that Kim Dokja seemed to respond to a thought instead of something I said."
Ah, fuck, had he? Damn it.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is laughing at the carelessness of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Yoo Joonghyuk looked directly at him with a disappointed stare. "You ignored me."
Kim Dokja held his hands up in surrender. "Joonghyuk-ah, I just didn't want to confirm that…"
Lee Hyunsung glanced anxiously between the two of them. "Dokja-ssi… his thoughts sound pretty worried… Maybe Joonghyuk-ssi has something really important to say?"
And just as the lieutenant proposed that idea, the Yoo Joonghyuk on screen fell unconscious again. Shit. Sure, he was a sunfish, but he shouldn't be getting knocked out that easily!
Kim Dokja froze when he saw the status listed on Yoo Joonghyuk's profile. There was no way, right? Yoo Joonghyuk also realized exactly the same thing and swore under his breath, and only a moment later, Lee Seolhwa's eyes went wide in horror.
[several constellations are surprised by the status ailment.]
Fuck, this wasn't how Kim Dokja had wanted his OTP's reunion to go!
Dokja contemplates the poisoning before his thoughts are interrupted by the girl who had been yelling for help earlier. She asks if he's Kim Dokja, since Joonghyuk had been constantly saying his name and asking to be brought to him. Dokja's eyes widen in shock before he goes silent as Sooyoung demands answers for what the hell is going on.
Bihyung taunts him as he says that he didn't have anything to do with this, but Dokja has no time for chatting as he demands for the Dokkaebi Bag to be opened. Without wasting a second, he purchases
As Bihyung and Sooyoung watch from the sidelines, Dokja tosses all the ingredients into a pot in order to brew an antidote, since just giving Joonghyuk the
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is squealing in excitement.]
Kim Dokja was just being thrown for loop after loop at this point. What the hell? Yoo Joonghyuk had told someone to find him!?
"Why me?" Kim Dokja whispered, still frozen in disbelief.
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at him and something in his gaze seemed to soften slightly, though Kim Dokja was too stunned to notice it. "I assume that I hoped you would know how to cure it."
Well, his assumption wasn't wrong.
Lee Jihye looked confused. "What's Midday Tryst? The name sounds sketchy."
Han Sooyoung snorted and Jung Heewon looked like she was about to burst out laughing too. Admittedly, Kim Dokja had to agree, but it was their best option right now. Seriously, who had named that thing?
"Think of it like a texting app," Kim Dokja sighed. "Ignore the name."
Yoo Joonghyuk's brow immediately twitched the moment that Kim Dokja claimed that he wouldn't have come for help, and Kim Dokja had to grimace at his own stupidity. Damn it, he had been wrong, and that felt like a bigger blow to his ego than it had any right to be.
The Yoo Joonghyuk he knew would never have come looking for someone like him for help, no matter how useful he could be. What had changed?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is disappointed in the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Huh? What had he done wrong?
As the antidote boils to the point of resembling a witch's cauldron more than a life saving medicine, Sooyoung hands him a spoon she found and proclaims that it will likely kill Joonghyuk faster. Taking a spoonful of the mixture, Dokja carefully blows on it to reduce the temperature. Once it isn't too hot, Dokja gently cradles Joonghyuk's head in his other hand while he feeds him the antidote.
"You're acting like his kindred wife," Sooyoung mutters with no small degree of sass before denying wanting to switch places when Dokja asks if she'd rather do it instead. Dokja then thinks that he'd never swap anyways even if she wanted to as pop-ups show that 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is donating 500 coins for every spoonful that Dokja feeds to Joonghyuk. This makes Dokja assume that she must really like good deeds, completely oblivious to her fujoshi nature.
Joonghyuk winces and opens his eyes as Dokja asks him if he's pulled himself together. Sooyoung hides behind the wall some ways away, peeking out just far enough to see them. Needing a less suspicious way to communicate, Dokja activates
"It's good that ahjumma found a spoon," Shin Yoosung remarked. "How would he drink it otherwise?"
That was a very good question that Kim Dokja was glad to not have to find an answer for.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' says that she knows a perfect solution.]
Oh? Did she really? That might be useful to know just in case they needed it in a future scenario.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' says that the antidote could be passed mouth-to-mouth.]
Jung Heewon wheezed and Kim Dokja's jaw dropped open. What? What the fuck?
Lee Hyunsung sputtered and reddened to a concerning degree, and Lee Jihye looked way more excited about that concept than she should.
"I would not be the one doing that, by the way," Han Sooyoung remarked with a shit-eating grin. "I don't feel like dying if he wakes up."
And she thought that Kim Dokja wouldn't get instantly murdered for some reason????? Hell no!
"You'd better keep your sooty mouth away from hyung," Lee Gilyoung muttered while glaring at Yoo Joonghyuk, who stared back at him impassively. Well, Kim Dokja wasn't sure that Yoo Joonghyuk was even paying attention to the kid at all, to be honest.
Still, Lee Gilyoung's declaration was completely unnecessary! There was no reason for Yoo Joonghyuk's mouth to be anywhere near him in the first place! The protagonist hadn't even said anything—and Kim Dokja didn't dare to try and get a response out of him now—but he was certain that Yoo Joonghyuk was pissed, considering the circumstances.
"We have a spoon, there's no need to even think about this!" Kim Dokja yelped, burying his face in his hands. What the actual hell was going on here?
The aura of intense displeasure that Kim Dokja could feel radiating from where She was sitting did not help matters either. He just had to… to focus on other stuff instead—like the indirect messages, and the screen, and maybe even Yoo Joonghyuk's potential furious rampage once he decided that he'd had enough with this mess.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' believes that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' should not push his luck.]
How was he pushing his luck—he was unconscious! What was the Secretive Plotter's issue with him anyway?
Yoo Joonghyuk glared intently at the message, and he looked as though he wanted to reach through it and throttle the constellation himself. Naturally, the protagonist was likely frustrated at being seen in a moment of weakness like that and needed some kind of outlet. Well, better a constellation than Kim Dokja, in his humble opinion.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is entertained by the statement of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
'Kindred wife, my ass,' Kim Dokja thought with an utterly bewildered expression. He just didn't want to burn Yoo Joonghyuk's tongue on the antidote and give him yet another thing to be mad about later. That's really all it was!
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' says that she can die happy now.]
Lee Jihye grinned. "So, ahjussi, why don't you want her taking over, huh? You jealous?"
Why would he be?
"I'm getting coins for being a good person and helping someone," Kim Dokja retorted, gesturing at the multiple donation messages that were popping up around the two of them on the screen. "Isn't it obvious?"
Yoo Sangah inhaled and glanced up at the ceiling like she was trying to draw on strength from the heavens, for some reason. Yoo Joonghyuk scowled at him, and Han Sooyoung just looked utterly unimpressed. Jung Heewon was still laughing, and Lee Seolhwa glanced between him and the protagonist with widened eyes.
"You fool," Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed and returned to glaring at the screen like he had been personally wronged somehow.
As Dokja waits for Joonghyuk to join, he muses that he could have gotten [Sound Transmission] if he had more coins.
[Midday Tryst
Dokja: Hey, can you hear me?
Joonghyuk: Go East, immediately.]
Dokja's eyes widen before he grits his teeth and glares at Joonghyuk, upset that he's giving out orders right after Dokja saved him.
"Wow, you're going that far to make sure I can't hear anything?" Han Sooyoung griped. "Lame."
Did she really expect him to trust her that easily? They were only cooperating due to that contract he made her sign, after all.
Yoo Mia looked anxious. "Oppa, is that poison really bad?"
Lee Seolhwa bit her lip as Yoo Joonghyuk clenched his jaw again before answering her. "It's very dangerous."
[several constellations are impressed with the ingenuity of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
East? What was in the East?
"I don't have a good feeling about this…" Yoo Sangah admitted as she looked more worried than before. "Between Joonghyuk-ssi being effectively out of commission, and Dokja-ssi being unable to learn the skill…"
Kim Dokja grimaced at the thought, realizing exactly how bad the situation was. Even with having a few more days before the start of the fifth scenario and the Disasters waking up, they were basically screwed. The only thing worse would be if something unexpected was happening with the meteorites.
[Midday Tryst
Joonghyuk: The 'Disaster of Questions' is about to awaken.]
Dokja's eyes go wide in panic, knowing exactly how bad that will be if it's true.
…What?
[Midday Tryst
Joonghyuk: Someone is awakening all the Disasters.]
After Joonghyuk messages, the scene changes to somewhere else in Seoul. People of all ages are shown to be praying fervently. A white-haired woman wearing a long traditional robe walks between them before placing a hand on a massive meteorite, which towers ominously over them in the shadow of a church as it's lit by the light of the setting sun.
"Fuck," Kim Dokja swore, his eyes widening in horror. "And it had to be that one, too."
They were absolutely screwed. It was too early, what the hell was going on?
[many constellations are shocked by the early awakening of the disaster.]
"Is that one worse than the others?" Jung Heewon asked with narrowed eyes, and he could tell that she was trying to mentally calculate how to get to where they were from wherever she had been sent. Was she thinking of going there as backup for when they eventually got out of this place?
"The Disaster of Questions is one of the most powerful Disasters," Yoo Joonghyuk answered curtly. "The only reliable way to defeat it is using [Way of the Wind]."
Which Kim Dokja couldn't learn. They really were fucked.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is concerned for the safety of the incarnations.]
As soon as the scene changed, Kim Dokja felt his heart drop. The person trying to wake up the Disaster of Questions was Lee Seolhwa!?