"Don't get swallowed again, ahjussi," Yoo Mia said with a side glance in his direction. He certainly wasn't planning on it, but he appreciated the concern.
"Yeah," Han Sooyoung chimed in, "there's no way you'd get me to go inside one of those fucking things."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is hoping that the incarnations massacre the monsters.]
Yeah, Kim Dokja doubted that one would be happening. There was no point in committing a full massacre and wasting energy when they could possibly kill a couple and succeed. Still, their priority right now was getting across the river, not getting coins.
The screen pans down across a broken bridge surrounded by ichthyosaurs as Sooyoung snarks that she knew they wouldn't find any that were intact.
A childish drawing of a roughly coloured ichthyosaur appears on a crumpled paper background as Dokja explains that they could hunt them if they wanted to. The drawing multiplies as Dokja mentions that the problem is that there are too many of them. Another childish drawing appears, and this time it's of Dokja swimming in the river before getting picked up by an ichthyosaur's jaws. In the background of the image, one ichthyosaur has a thumbs up for some reason, as Dokja declares that swimming is impossible.
Dokja sulks that there wasn't even one intact bridge before Sooyoung brings his attention to a large group of people approaching them. When Sooyoung draws her sword, preparing for a fight, Sangah instead starts pulling food out of her bag. Sooyoung asks what she's doing, prompting Sangah to reply that the people must be starving. Sooyoung goes on to ask why she'd give them food, reminding her that humans are the most dangerous in the apocalypse.
[several constellations are greatly amused by the sudden change in style.]
[some constellations are confused.]
Kim Dokja stared at the screen in shock for a moment. "Wait, why are my thoughts illustrated like that!?"
It looked like something drawn by an elementary schooler, or a really talentless middle schooler! Kim Dokja wasn't exactly great at art or anything, but if he did choose to draw something, he hoped it would at least look better than whatever that was. Where the hell did the drawings even come from?
"It's okay Dokja-ssi," Lee Hyunsung said in a tone of voice that told Kim Dokja that the man was trying to cheer him up, "I also have no talent for art!"
Kim Dokja felt his cheeks redden. "I didn't draw it!"
Han Sooyoung sucked on her lemon candy for a moment before smirking. "Well, we can't prove otherwise, now can we?"
What, was she wanting him to actually draw something as proof? She did realize that they didn't exactly have paper or anything to draw with in this place, right?
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' thinks that the drawings are cute and useful.]
[constellations who like art believe that there is room for improvement.]
At the very least they were illustrating the plan well enough, but ugh. Kim Dokja glanced over at Yoo Joonghyuk, who looked slightly amused by the whole situation. Now that he thought of it, did the protagonist's perfection extend to art as well? Or was his face looking like a masterpiece lovingly crafted by history's greatest sculptors more than enough?
"There are people there," Jung Heewon exclaimed suddenly, just as shocked by their appearance as their future selves. Kim Dokja also internally braced himself for a fight, but he stopped and widened his eyes when Yoo Sangah stepped forward to share her supplies with them. Ah, so the Yoo Sangah he knew was still there, wasn't she?
"Oh thank goodness," Yoo Sangah sighed, looking far more relieved than anyone expected. "If I had just ignored their suffering… I don't know. It would have felt like I was looking at a stranger who had replaced me."
Lee Seolhwa placed a comforting hand on Yoo Sangah's shoulder, and the other woman sent her a grateful look. It made sense, considering that Lee Seolhwa had been forced to witness exactly that with Antinus. She could sympathize in a way that no one else could, and it was nice to see the two of them supporting each other.
"I," Sangah starts before she turns to face Sooyoung with a dark look, "could kill all the people here if I wanted to. On the contrary, I could also save them all if I wanted to."
Her words leave both Dokja and Sooyoung looking shocked as she then walks over and starts handing out the food. When Sooyoung tries to ask Dokja if they should stop her, the man casually says that there will be leftovers anyway and starts pulling out some of his own reserves to pass around. This shocks Sooyoung to the point of one of her kitty fangs showing as she moves to pull a dumbfoundedly questioning pose with her arms spread and her mouth still dropped open. All in all, she looks extremely memeable.
As people cry in relief and thanks for the rations, Sooyoung calls Dokja two-faced, but he just retorts that he sometimes does good deeds too—all while thinking that this was a planned expense. Sooyoung then says that she thought that people as kind as Sangah only appeared in manhwas—a statement Dokja agrees with, thinking that Sangah always seemed like a novel's heroine. As he thinks this, a serenely smiling Sangah appears on the screen in brighter colours compared to the people crying and reaching for the supplies from her.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' approves of the words of the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' thinks that being nice is pointless.]
While Kim Dokja wasn't shocked to see Yoo Sangah handing out food to the desperate people, he was a bit shocked to see himself join in. It wasn't that he didn't care about them, but he hadn't expected that he would have planned ahead and gotten extra supplies for the purpose of handing them out.
Han Sooyoung stared at him in disappointment. "Wow, making me think you're being a good person and then revealing that it's all calculated. You really can be heartless sometimes."
Kim Dokja shrugged. "It's practical, and that's what matters. They get supplies, I get coins, we both win."
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' sternly reminds the incarnation 'kim dokja' that one should not perform good deeds for the sake of compensation.]
Then why bother doing them at all? Gabriel's view of the world—and Eden's in general, really—was far too idealistic. People wouldn't be rewarded just because they were nice or because they did the 'right' thing. It might be satisfying on a personal level, and for some people that was enough, but Kim Dokja had learned long ago how awful the world truly was. Nobody had ever gone out of their way to help him, not even when he desperately needed it.
[many constellations praise the incarnation 'yoo sangah' for her actions.]
Her cheeks reddened and she looked down at the praise from both the constellations and from the future Han Sooyoung and Kim Dokja.
"I'm no heroine," she said quietly, a soft smile on her face, "but I appreciate that you think so highly of me."
How could he not? In a world that was so broken, where people were forced to take drastic measures just to survive, Yoo Sangah still chose to be kind.
Suddenly, a petite girl with short blonde hair and a pink sweater runs up to Dokja with the supplies she's been given. She bows and thanks him politely as Dokja smiles, thinking that she has good manners and notes that she's around Gilyoung's age.
As Dokja bends over and smiles while softening his voice to speak to the girl, Sooyoung clicks her tongue and walks away after observing for a bit. Dokja asks about the girl's parents, and she reveals that they're no longer around.
It's hard to believe an orphaned child managed to survive until the fifth scenario by themselves.
The screen focuses on the girl with her bright and clear eyes as she looks up at Dokja.
Unless she's been dropped off in the middle of nowhere, something like that is near-impossible in TWSA—
Suddenly Dokja's eyes snap open in realisation.
Hold on, dropped off?
"Ahjussi, you found me!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed excitedly, turning to look up at Kim Dokja with an expression filled with joy. "I knew you would come for me first."
Lee Gilyoung looked genuinely happy for her for a moment, but as soon as she said the second part, he scowled. "Yeah? Well hyung technically knew where I was first, so there."
Was this really worth arguing over?
"So what?" Shin Yoosung asked harshly. "He didn't go there right away."
Lee Gilyoung flinched far more violently in response to that statement than Kim Dokja expected, and Shin Yoosung paused to stare at him with a slightly confused look on her face. His posture drooped and his hands shook slightly, and Kim Dokja instinctively held both of them closer.
"Hey, Gilyoung-ah, I'm sure that we'll go and find you soon," he whispered as comfortingly as he could. "We just happened to run into Yoosung-ah on the way."
Yoo Sangah nodded. "Plus, our future selves have never met her before. She might not even come with us at this point."
Shin Yoosung pouted at that, but she couldn't deny it. Still, she looked away as she muttered, "Sorry."
[constellations who like children are hoping for more family bonding.]
Yoo Mia frowned, shooting an unimpressed look in Han Sooyoung's direction. "Wow, ahjumma, you really don't like kids all that much, do you?"
Han Sooyoung's brow twitched. "So what? Kids are all little brats anyway."
"She says that but she acts childish at times too," Lee Jihye stage-whispered to Yoo Mia, who giggled. Yoo Joonghyuk stared impassively at the screen, but for some reason, Kim Dokja had the feeling that he was amused as well.
Han Sooyoung scoffed, but after hearing Kim Dokja's thoughts, she looked at him seriously for a moment. They both knew what was coming, and to an extent, so did Yoo Joonghyuk. Kim Dokja was a bit nervous, honestly, but he tried to not let it show. It wouldn't be good to get the kids all anxious right now.
As the girl bows again and says goodbye, Dokja raises his hand to stop her, confused that she only came to greet him. Dokja then stalls, turning to look at Sooyoung before telling the confused girl to go back safely. Sooyoung, feeling his gaze even with her back turned, clicks her tongue again before grumbling about the waste of food and time.
Later, the three adults are sitting in a building where Sooyoung claims that the people from before will turn on them, mentioning how they were ogling their weapons as they sit around the burner and eat their dinner. Dokja states that not everyone is bad, but Sooyoung shoots back that most are.
A time banner declares that one hour has passed. Sooyoung is still claiming that they'll barge in, drooling everywhere. Dokja, clearly not believing her, tells her that surely what she says must be true.
Two hours later, and Sooyoung is now on guard, claiming that they're biding their time until their group drops their guard. In the background, Dokja talks with Sangah about a web novel he read where the protagonist could only use the move [Stab]. The way he's speaking makes it obvious this isn't the first novel they've discussed.
"Noooo," Shin Yoosung whined at her future self, "go back! Go back right now!"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is curious about the actions of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Just like Yoo Mia before her, Jung Heewon turned to look at Han Sooyoung in disbelief. "You really have no faith in anyone."
Han Sooyoung looked back at her with a scoff. "Have they given me any reason to?"
Well, they both had valid points, but Kim Dokja had to admit… Han Sooyoung's absolute certainty that they would be attacked was a bit ridiculous.
Lee Seolhwa giggled as soon as everyone saw Kim Dokja and Yoo Sangah very seriously discussing a novel while Han Sooyoung griped and puttered around.
"Is that a good novel, Dokja-ssi?"
Oh, that one? "Pretty decent," he admitted, "the main character was naked all the time, though."
[several constellations are disappointed that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' covers up so much.]
Kim Dokja almost choked on his saliva. First of all, TWSA wasn't that kind of novel, and Yoo Joonghyuk would never do something like that unless it was absolutely necessary! According to the novel, he did occasionally train without a shirt on, but that was a totally different situation—it was to avoid overheating and anything impeding his movement, not so people could ogle his chest! Plus, Kim Dokja had the distinct feeling that the female population would have never survived seeing him that way, considering the effect caused by his godly face alone.
Yoo Joonghyuk's expression darkened until he looked almost murderous. "No."
"My oppa would never do something that gross," Yoo Mia muttered in disgust as Lee Jihye loudly agreed with her.
Another banner appears, now declaring that it's three hours later. Sooyoung looks out the window in disbelief that no one has come yet, yelling out in shock as Dokja tells her that she's more likely to scare anyone away.
Four hours later, and it's deep into the night before they hear a rustling noise. Sooyoung looks like an over tired and manic cat who's gotten the cream as she excitedly yells, "Finally!!"
Dokja looks at her like she's gone crazy, muttering as he wonders why she feels so happy about this. Unfortunately for Sooyoung's expectations, it's just the girl from earlier. She's carrying some blankets with her as she asks if she's intruding, looking very cautious.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is amused by the pointless paranoia of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
"It's not pointless," she muttered, pouting slightly. Kim Dokja did have to admit that it was kind of funny, though.
Han Sooyoung perked up, just like her future self, upon hearing a noise and looking extremely vindicated. Still, that didn't prepare any of them for the source being Shin Yoosung, who came to bring them blankets.
[the constellations of absolute good are praising the incarnation 'shin yoosung' for her kind actions.]
The girl relaxed slightly and smiled. "I came back… good."
'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' looks upon the scene with an affectionate smile as both Sooyoung and Dokja look surprised by her appearance. The girl stands by the door, shuffling back and forth with jitters the longer they take to answer. Sangah, the only functioning adult, walks over and thanks her for the blankets before reminding her that it's not safe to walk around alone in the dark. When the girl says that nowhere is safe, Sangah offers for her to stay with them. The girl bows politely again, declining the offer as she says she doesn't want to be a burden.
"Hold it," Sooyoung calls out as she throws her dagger to land in the ground in front of the retreating girl, causing her to fall backwards onto the ground in surprise and fear. Sangah looks shocked, turning to look at Sooyoung as the woman declares that the girl can't leave yet.
As the pale-faced girl looks back in confusion and horror, Sangah grits her teeth and looks infuriated as she interrogates Sooyoung for her actions. Rather than answering, Sooyoung just side-eyes Dokja with a dark look. "Kim Dokja, you knew everything from the very start, didn't you?"
"Thank you, unnie," Shin Yoosung said, glancing out from Kim Dokja's arms to smile at Yoo Sangah.
Yoo Sangah returned it, though her smile faltered slightly when the future Shin Yoosung declined the offer to stay.
"You're not a burden," Lee Hyunsung told her seriously, and he was absolutely right. She was a child who had suffered through this apocalypse as much as the rest of them had, and it was remarkable that she had survived this long on her own.
[many constellations demand that the incarnation 'han sooyoung' explain herself.]
"Ahjumma…?" Lee Gilyoung asked, staring at Han Sooyoung in horror. Shin Yoosung was completely frozen, trembling in fear.
"What the fuck, Han Sooyoung!?" Jung Heewon yelled, barely suppressing the urge to reach for her sword. "She's just a kid!"
Yoo Joonghyuk's lips curved into a confused frown, and Kim Dokja did everything he could to avoid wincing. Yes, he knew that she would become a disaster eventually, but Yoo Joonghyuk had only ever encountered her in his 2nd regression, where she had been friendly to him. He had no idea just how badly this could go if he made the same choices as in the novel's 3rd round.
"Ahjussi, what's going on?" Lee Jihye asked, confused and rattled. "What is ahjumma talking about?"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is curious to see what the incarnation 'kim dokja' will do.]
He wasn't sure what he could do to fix this situation, but he had to say something. "I—"
Shin Yoosung shook and curled into herself. "It's because you know that I'm a bad person, right?"
Fuck.