Kim Dokja only really had one question about how the scenario would wrap up, and it was rather mundane. With both Paul and Bihyung unavailable, which dokkaebi would take charge?
A shaking and profusely sweating dokkaebi announces that his name is Youngki, and that he has been temporarily assigned to oversee the reward settlement. As part of the reward, everyone receives
Dokja looks up at the dokkaebi, confused by how he's sounding so polite. The dokkaebi finishes off by stating that the extra rewards for the main contributors will be handed out in the evening, and congratulates everyone for their work before leaving.
Ah, so there was his answer. Kim Dokja felt a bit unnerved, honestly—just why was Youngki so polite? Hell, he even looked anxious. Did the Bureau really have to send a dokkaebi with social anxiety in to take over the fifth main scenario?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the dokkaebi 'youngki'.]
Lee Seolhwa sighed in relief as soon as she saw that everyone had been given a healing item. At the very least, even if she didn't have the time and energy to treat everyone, they'd be able to recover somewhat.
"Hyung, why is that guy trying to eat it?" Lee Gilyoung asked judgmentally. "I don't think it would taste good…"
Well, yeah. It was basically a rock, of course it wouldn't taste good. Although…
"Weirdly enough, you are supposed to eat it," Kim Dokja told him, and the kids all looked at him with doubt.
Yoo Mia's expression was one that told Kim Dokja that she was questioning his intelligence. "Ahjussi, if you try to eat a rock, you're gonna end up breaking your teeth."
Well, he had no control over the fact that it looked so weird. Or the fact that it was apparently as hard as stone.
Kim Dokja shrugged. "According to TWSA, it's actually a fruit, but I have no idea why it looks like that. Joonghyuk-ah, have you ever had to use it before?"
Yoo Joonghyuk nodded once. "Normally you cook it."
"That's so fucking weird," Han Sooyoung muttered. "Here, have a rock that you have to cook. Fucking Star Stream bullshit…"
Star Stream bullshit indeed.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is curious about the taste of the
Dokja looks at the reward screen, which happens to be the choice of a B-Grade skill for the top contributors: himself, Heewon, and Joonghyuk. Dokja sighs as he makes his choice, thinking in relief that he's finally gotten his hands on [Lie Detection], since it's been frustrating without it. Dokja looks around from where he's seated and sees Heewon pondering her own choice, Jihye tending to the fire, and Sangah talking to the kids on the other side of the street. He asks Jihye where Joonghyuk went, and she tells him that he went somewhere with Seolhwa.
Dokja's expression looks somewhere between exasperated and pensive, and Jihye looks at him with a pitying gaze as though she knows what he's thinking. She sighs, shaking her head as she informs him that they don't have the relationship that he's assuming, even going so far as to tell him that she's certain that the relationship between Joonghyuk and Seolhwa is 'completely different' from the relationship that Dokja has with Joonghyuk.
Dokja muses that he has a headache thanks to her words, but distracts himself by thinking about Joonghyuk and Seolhwa's relationship. As he wonders if they were also together during this regression, Dokja points out that Joonghyuk chose the abstinence route more often than not since he was never really a romantic protagonist. Upon seeing that there are three days until the sixth scenario, Dokja has a lightbulb moment and figures that he went off to hoard items and skills, or to pick up Mia.
"Oh, we got a skill?" Jung Heewon asked in surprise, looking pretty excited. "That's awesome!"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is delighted.]
Oh fuck yeah, Kim Dokja could finally get [Lie Detection]! He wouldn't have to mooch off of Yoo Joonghyuk or another 'character' using it anymore! Honestly, he nearly cheered, but tried to hold back his excitement. Still, it apparently wasn't quite enough because Yoo Sangah looked extremely amused.
"Even though we didn't get a skill too, I'm just glad we're all okay," Lee Hyunsung said cheerfully with a large smile. Though Lee Jihye had initially looked a bit salty that she didn't also get a skill, she had to relax a bit after he spoke. It was extremely hard to contradict Lee Hyunsung, after all. The guy was just too nice for that, and no one would want to make him sad.
Then, Kim Dokja asked Lee Jihye if she knew where Yoo Joonghyuk was, and he winced as the teenager immediately sat straighter at the sight.
"I knew it!" she declared, looking extremely excited. "You do go looking for Master when you can't find him!"
Well, he probably wanted to discuss plans for the sixth scenario, so it would make sense to collaborate with Yoo Joonghyuk. Why wouldn't he be looking for the guy in the rare downtime that they got?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is thrilled by the current events.]
Then, Lee Jihye revealed that he had left with Lee Seolhwa. In the room, the woman's smile faltered, but she tried to rationalize it. "Ah, well, Joonghyuk-ssi was quite injured. It's possible that the item may not be enough…"
That made sense, so Kim Dokja nodded along and sent her a smile. "I'm certain you'll make sure that Joonghyuk-ie is as good as new."
Lee Seolhwa returned it with a grateful look. "Dokja-ssi has a lot of faith in me."
Well, of course he did. She was the Saint of Healing, after all.
Glancing back up at the screen, though, Kim Dokja wasn't sure what kind of expression was on his face as he watched Lee Jihye insist that Yoo Joonghyuk and Lee Seolhwa weren't in that kind of relationship. Normally he'd be protesting it, but in all honesty, his future self probably needed to hear that so he wouldn't keep making her uncomfortable by assuming they would end up as lovers again.
Still, did Lee Jihye have to word it as though she was reassuring him for some reason?
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is covering her ears.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is shrieking in excitement.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is rolling his eyes.]
Kim Dokja sent her an exhausted look. "Jihye-yah… I really don't think—"
"Shhhh." Lee Jihye shushed him with a too-serious expression on her face. "Just stop talking, ahjussi. You don't know anything."
What kind of bullshit was she even spouting now?
Jung Heewon snickered as Han Sooyoung full on laughed, and even Yoo Sangah shot him a pitying glance. What was wrong with everyone today?
At the very least, his future self insisted that Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't a romantic, which was true. He was too busy being a sunfish in most of his lives to worry about love.
"I dunno," Han Sooyoung said in a teasing tone, "that cliché last time was pretty damn romantic, don't you think?"
With a sigh, Kim Dokja shot her a withering glare. "You don't know what you're talking about."
Han Sooyoung raised a brow and glanced over Kim Dokja's shoulder to look at Yoo Joonghyuk before her lips stretched into a grin. Kim Dokja could almost feel the sheer force of Yoo Joonghyuk's rage directed at her, and she thought this was funny?
"On the contrary," she said with a laugh, popping another candy into her mouth, "I'm not a fucking idiot."
Yeah, there was no point in arguing with her further. Kim Dokja just rolled his eyes and looked back at the screen. Nevermind, of course that damn protagonist would go and try to pick up what items he could, as well as finding Yoo Mia. He'd probably try and snatch up all the good items too, dammit.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is looking at the incarnation 'kim dokja' in amusement.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is clutching her hands to her chest.]
"Oh right, Master told me to pass on a message to you," Jihye says after a moment of realization, ignoring Dokja's range of emotions. Dokja looks over, slightly confused and confirms that there was a message for him. Jihye holds her sword out in front of her and tries her best to mimic Joonghyuk's expressions as she deepens her voice and declares, "The oath's duration has ended."
Dokja sits in shocked silence for a moment, before he opens his mouth and emits a noise of confusion. A quick replay of Joonghyuk declaring that he'll return the hit that Dokja gave him after the oath is over appears before a paper-white Dokja shows up on screen. He's evidently in the pits of despair and fear as he begins to sweat profusely, jumping to several conclusions as he overthinks—namely, that he was only kept alive by the oath, that the reason Joonghyuk isn't here is because he went off to prepare to kill Dokja, and that he's currently learning a skill that would kill Dokja in a single blow.
As the other adults approach them, Jihye just looks at him with a deadpan expression and asks what they made an oath on, once again ignoring Dokja's extreme reaction. Dokja's wallowing as he ponders his inevitable beatdown is interrupted by Jihye declaring that she won't help him if he fights Joonghyuk.
"A message?" Kim Dokja wondered, genuinely confused, why the protagonist would bother telling him anything. Companions or not, it's not like Yoo Joonghyuk ever made a habit of informing people of his plans.
"Ooh, what was it?" Lee Jihye asked, looking excited. "Oh, I bet it was a love letter!"
What the fuck was she even spouting now!?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is vibrating excitedly.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is doubtful of that statement.]
Still, not even Secretive Plotter's doubt deterred Lee Jihye as her grin only grew. "Am I just the official love letter messenger now? I am, right?"
Lee Hyunsung looked genuinely pensive at that, and for a moment, Kim Dokja wondered if he was debating about giving her one to pass along to Jung Heewon. As funny as that would be, Kim Dokja wasn't sure that he would trust Lee Jihye with something like that.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is disappointed.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing and pointing at the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
Ah. So it was a death threat. That was more Yoo Joonghyuk's style, wasn't it?
"You sooty bastard," Lee Gilyoung hissed. "If you hurt hyung, then I'm going to put biting ants in your boots."
Shin Yoosung tugged on his sleeve. "No, you can't tell him that! He'll check for them!"
"Kids…" Kim Dokja muttered in exasperation. "No putting ants in anyone's boots."
Lee Gilyoung frowned but sighed. "Okay, fine."
Huh, maybe he was getting better at this parenting thing.
Then, Lee Gilyoung leaned in to whisper into Shin Yoosung's ear. "I can still put them in his pants, though."
[a constellation who likes grasshoppers is thrilled.]
Never mind. Kids were exhausting.
"Nah, you're overthinking it," Jung Heewon laughed when Kim Dokja worried that the protagonist was looking for something to kill him with. "He literally lost his shit when you died."
… okay, that was a decent point.
He dared to glance over at Yoo Joonghyuk, who looked completely and utterly unimpressed with him. Ah, shit. He was pissed, wasn't he?
Hyunsung looks a bit fearful as he looks at Dokja with a perplexed expression, and he admits that he's a bit scared of Joonghyuk. Heewon has finished picking her skill, and she just tells Dokja that, while she doesn't know what this is about, she won't get involved in a fight between him and Joonghyuk. When Dokja just seems more confused, she clarifies that she won't disturb the two of them.
'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is clearly excited by this idea until 'Scribe of Heaven' scolds her, but at least Sangah says that she thinks that Joonghyuk isn't a bad person, so he doesn't have to worry. Dokja seems doubtful, and muses that Sooyoung would be the only other person who would understand, but also admits that she wouldn't protect him even if he was there.
Yoo Joonghyuk kept staring intently at Kim Dokja, even though he twitched slightly when Lee Hyunsung admitted that he was a bit afraid of him. Honestly, after the intense training he must have been put through, Kim Dokja couldn't blame him at all.
"Sorry, Joonghyuk-ssi," Lee Hyunsung said weakly, trying his best to smile. "You're just… a bit much?"
That was an understatement.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is snickering.]
Jung Heewon flushed a bit when she chimed in as well. "Ah, well, yeah. I don't particularly want to get in between—" she gestured vaguely to the two of them "—whatever that is."
Whatever what was?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is emphatically declaring that it is foreplay.]
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is looking critically at the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
Okay, he was just going to ignore whatever just happened. At the very least Yoo Sangah seemed to have a somewhat positive impression of Yoo Joonghyuk… somehow. Honestly, he wasn't sure why she thought that in the future, since they hadn't interacted much in the first place.
Yoo Sangah smiled at Yoo Joonghyuk gently. "Please take good care of Dokja-ssi."
Hey, he didn't need a babysitter!
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't respond, but out of the corner of his eye, Kim Dokja saw him nod once.
Han Sooyoung, on the other hand, snickered when Kim Dokja thought about her. "Yup, you're absolutely right. You're on your own, asshole."
Yeah, that's why he wasn't counting on her in the first place.
Late at night, after coming back from some scouting, Heewon grins as she shows off the stash of alcohol and pop that she found nearby. Heewon grabs a bottle while smiling gently. "In times like these, we should have a drink to commemorate the occasion."
Everyone has gathered around the fire, with the adults holding paper cups filled with alcohol while the kids—including Jihye—all have cans of pop. Only a few moments earlier, Jihye had reached towards the bottles of soju, but Dokja stopped her and scolded her for trying to drink while underage—completely ignoring her protests that there were no laws anymore.
The two kids look a little somber as Dokja toasts to everyone's hard work while Jihye looks offended at being given pop after her little stunt. The other adults all have sad smiles on their faces, feeling less successful than they should. After all, they all remember 41st Yoosung, who they couldn't save.
Breaking the tension, Jihye immediately guzzles the pop as she tells Dokja that he looked a bit cooler than Joonghyuk when he was beating up the dokkaebi, and that he has her approval. Hyunsung and Heewon chime in as well, telling Dokja that he was incredible and that it was satisfying to watch. Sangah smiles and tells him that he's worked hard as well. Dokja smiles fondly in return, but it's clear that he's unused to the praise.
"Oh! That's a good brand!" Jung Heewon exclaimed. "We used to carry that all the time in the bar."
"You were a bartender, Heewon-ssi?" Lee Hyunsung asked curiously, and she confirmed it with a wide grin that made the man redden a bit.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is extremely interested in the current events.]
Yoo Mia frowned. "Oppa, why didn't you come get me and then bring me back? You know I like pop!"
Well, in Yoo Joonghyuk's defense, it's not like he knew that they had found drinks in the first place.
Yoo Joonghyuk, however, frowned. "No. It's unhealthy."
[constellations who like cooking are nodding in agreement.]
"But oppa, please? The world is literally over!" she pleaded, shooting her brother the most effective puppy eyes that Kim Dokja had ever seen. Yoo Joonghyuk, however, was immune to it after raising her.
"No."
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking at the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
Had that girl really just tried to grab some alcohol? She was only 17, which was two years too young for that.
"Ugh, ahjussi, you're no fun," Lee Jihye muttered. "Mia is right, there aren't any laws so why does it matter?"
"Because you're still a kid, and you've never had it before. What would happen if you drank too much and got alcohol poisoning, huh?" Kim Dokja asked, raising a brow. Thankfully, Lee Seolhwa was also nodding behind him, adding credibility to his words.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is insisting that his incarnation listen to the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Though she mumbled in displeasure, Lee Jihye finally relented when Jung Heewon shot her a pitying look and nodded along with what Kim Dokja had said.
Though the party itself was less of a celebration and more of a moment to stop and decompress, they could at least all be glad that they were alive. As they traded compliments, a small smile came to Kim Dokja's face. It was… nice.
"I can't believe I actually said that ahjussi was cooler than Master for a minute," Lee Jihye sighed. "But it was only for a minute!"
Yoo Joonghyuk seemed as unfazed as ever—honestly, what did they even expect—but Kim Dokja internally held onto that compliment. He could be cooler than the protagonist if he tried! Of course, he really didn't know what she meant by her 'approval', but it was probably a good thing, even if there was a good chance of it being bullshit-related.
Whatever, he wasn't going to focus on that. Lee Jihye had actually admitted he was cool, and that's all that mattered!
Not everything went according to my plans, but at least for now Seoul won't face the risk of destruction—not until a few more scenarios have been completed, at least.
Yoosung comes over and plops herself down beside him, leaning into his touch when he rubs her head as silent tears fall. A wide shot of the group chatting appears where, off to the side, Jihye has nabbed a bottle of alcohol and is pouring it into a cup for herself with a cheeky grin.
After some time has passed—displayed by an ever-growing number of bottles and cans—Hyunsung has passed out drunk, having revealed himself as a lightweight, while Heewon is hiccuping and rambling about some story. To the side, the kids have curled up to sleep under some blankets while Jihye is sleepily giggling, clearly drunk, while still clutching a bottle for herself.
Dokja remarks that they all hold their liquor much worse than he expected, and wonders when Jihye snuck the alcohol as she rolls over, still giggling. At the sound of sipping, he turns to see Sangah sighing as she finishes another cup. In front of her are four empty bottles, but she seems unaffected. Dokja looks shocked as he wonders when she became such a heavy drinker.
"So it'll get bad again, won't it?" Yoo Sangah asked sadly, watching the screen with a frown.
Kim Dokja nodded. "It's pretty much the only guarantee we have, to be honest. That's why we have to take advantage of the time we have when it's calmer.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' believes that taking time to party is always necessary.]
Shin Yoosung smiled up at Kim Dokja, and he patted her head just like his future self did. Naturally, that meant that he had to pat Lee Gilyoung's head too just to make it fair. At least the kids were satisfied.
However, he narrowed his eyes at the screen, only a moment later. Wait a minute, wasn't that…?
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is disappointed in his incarnation.]
"Lee Jihye," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly, and the girl paled in response. "You will not do this next time."
"Right, I won't drink," she squeaked. "Sorry about that, ahjussi."
Kim Dokja shot Yoo Joonghyuk a grateful smile because he was probably the only one she would actually listen to. The protagonist just nodded once in acknowledgement. It was just a simple action, but it was odd that it was completely devoid of hostility. Huh.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is greatly amused.]
Lee Hyunsung blushed furiously. "Ah… I really can't handle my alcohol well."
Clearly. Jung Heewon wasn't doing much better, which was kind of funny considering that she worked in a bar before the scenarios. She, however, was just laughing it off and seemingly wasn't even flustered by her own drunken rambling. What fearsome mental strength…
The less said about Lee Jihye the better, but it was definitely a surprise to see Yoo Sangah drinking that much.
"I can drink quite a lot," Sangah says as she fills her cup again. Dokja looks over at her blankly, recalling that he's never seen her drunk during work parties. She says that she could never afford to drink recklessly, which Dokja agrees with mentally since he remembers that many people at the company would try to take advantage of her by getting her drunk. Still, Sangah turns to him with a genuine smile. "But I should be fine today, right?"
Dokja looks away and coughs lightly, feeling awkward. Breaking the silence, a bolt of probability hits Dokja's cup that was sitting on the ground, knocking it over. The liquid inside splashes out, and begins to form into symbols. Dokja smiles as he realizes that not getting drunk was the correct decision.
[The constellation 'God of Wine and Ecstasy' wishes to speak to you.]
The symbols on the ground are revealed to be a bunch of cheery music notes and key signatures.
Olympus has taken the bait.
Yoo Sangah blushed and looked down. "I have a good tolerance, so…"
"Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of," Han Sooyoung said with a nudge to the other woman's side. "I have a pretty good tolerance too, but I think you're better than I am. We should drink together next time."
Yoo Sangah looked somewhat surprised, but smiled gratefully. "I would be glad to, Sooyoung-ssi. Maybe we can have a girls' drinking night if Seolhwa-ssi and Heewon-ssi are interested too."
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is toasting to a wonderful idea.]
Kim Dokja looked away awkwardly when he remembered why Yoo Sangah had to be careful, even though her tolerance was honestly impressive.
Jung Heewon placed a gentle hand on Yoo Sangah's shoulder, offering unspoken support. Yoo Sangah smiled in return. "It's alright, Heewon-ssi."
With everything that had happened at work, Kim Dokja felt himself getting more and more disgusted with his former coworkers. Had she been harassed that much and he never noticed? And why had he never stepped in when he did notice things?
Well, even though he knew it wasn't an excuse, Kim Dokja had skipped most of the drinking parties because he hated the scent of alcohol, and he hated how people would lose control when they had too much to drink. They would get too loud, too reckless, and argumentative, and that wasn't a situation Kim Dokja would willingly place himself in. He would go drinking if he had to—like this situation in the future—but the smell would make bile rise in his throat and he would feel uncomfortable regardless.
Still, when Yoo Sangah declared that she should be fine to drink as much as she wanted, Kim Dokja's eyes widened. "Sangah-ssi…?"
Was she… was she telling him that she thought he was a safe person to be around, even if she was drunk?
Yoo Sangah nodded at him, as though she could read his thoughts from his baffled expression alone. "You're a good person, Dokja-ssi. I know you wouldn't take advantage of me like that."
While he wouldn't consider himself a good person specifically, her rationale was valid—he would never even think of it—but still, having that acknowledged made him feel flustered.
"Thank you."
[several constellations agree with the assessment of the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
Thankfully, Dionysus decided to interrupt the awkwardness, and Kim Dokja felt his shoulders relax. He had realized that there had to be a reason why he was participating in a drinking party instead of grabbing some of the pop for himself and staying sober, and luring out Dionysus made complete sense. The pieces of his future self's plan were beginning to come together in his mind, and he had to admit that it was a good one.
[the eyes of the constellation 'secretive plotter' are glimmering with curiosity.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is excited for the party to really start.]