Though Kim Dokja still wasn't entirely comfortable with the drinking party, he knew that it was for the greater good. Still, he trusted Yoo Sangah and knew that no matter what happened, she'd understand—both here and in the future.
Still, he could only hope that he wouldn't blurt out something stupid while drunk; that would be embarrassing.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' thinks that drinking is stupid.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' would rather set the alcohol on fire.]
For once, Kim Dokja had to agree. That would be pretty spectacular, to be honest.
The scene pans over the passed out members of the group, now including a drooling Heewon, before coming back to the two still awake. The alcoholic music notes float up into the air, dancing to an unheard tune that the constellation is humming. Thanks to being able to read music a bit, Sangah recognizes it as Chopin's 'Puppy Waltz'. Dokja is confused why Chopin was chosen specifically, but he knows that the constellation has a lot of interest in more recent music.
'God of Wine and Ecstasy'. There's only one person in Olympus who would have that modifier—one of the 12 main gods of the Olympus Nebula, Dionysus.
The alcohol in front of them turns into red wine and the background changes to a vineyard as the wine weaves through the plump grapes before landing in the goblet and pitchers of a man seared on an ornate couch. The man in question is draped with clothes dyed in rich shades of green and purple to match the grapes, though his top is bare save for some golden jewelry. Some vines weave through his long violet hair, mimicking a crown at the top of his head. A smile graces his lips as he raises a goblet in a toast.
"Aww, I wish I was still awake to drink with the two of you," Jung Heewon sighed. "What a shame."
"We'll definitely have a drinking party another time, Heewon-ssi," Yoo Sangah reassured her with a kind smile, and the other woman laughed jovially in response.
[constellations who like music are impressed by the knowledge of the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
The 'Puppy Waltz'? Kim Dokja had never heard of it before, and he was absolutely curious as to how Yoo Sangah managed to recognize it from the notes alone. That was an impressive talent, honestly. Had she learned to play the piano as a child and had to memorize this song?
Shin Yoosung perked up at the name. "That's such a cute name, unnie!"
"It is, isn't it?" Yoo Sangah laughed. "It was said that Chopin composed it after seeing his dog chasing its tail."
That was a pretty cute story, honestly. Still, that didn't explain why Dionysus chose it, but that probably didn't matter too much.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is preening.]
"Whoa," Yoo Mia gasped at the sight of Dionysus' form on the screen. Kim Dokja had to admit, that did look pretty cool. Of course, he couldn't slap Yoo Joonghyuk's cheeks, but the god wasn't bad-looking either.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is smiling at the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
"Damn, that's one way to make an entrance, I guess," Han Sooyoung remarked with a low whistle, actually looking somewhat impressed for once.
Snapping back to Sangah and Dokja, the alcohol has turned into an arrow, pointing directly at the unopened bottles. Sangah guesses that they want them to drink more and Dokja agrees, but tells her to not drink too much since she's had so many already and that one of them should stay sober. They toast together as Dokja admits that he's a lightweight.
"... Looks like we've got to drink more," Sangah sighs, now the only one with a clear mind. Beside her, Dokja blinks his bleary eyes slowly. His mouth is slightly parted and his cheeks flush in an attractive and innocent looking manner, making him seem younger and more vulnerable.
Kim Dokja tried to restrain a wince as the constellation pressured them into drinking more. He knew that he would, since it was required, but that didn't mean he had to like it. At the very least, by asking Yoo Sangah to not drink too much more, one of them would be alert in case something went wrong.
"A lightweight? Seriously?" Han Sooyoung laughed, shooting a teasing look in Kim Dokja's direction. "At least you're better than that guy, right?"
Lee Hyunsung, the guy in question, flushed a bit and looked away awkwardly. Well, Kim Dokja was, but that didn't really mean much when he didn't even like to drink in the first place.
Kim Dokja sighed. "Does that really matter?"
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is insisting that it does.]
Well, that didn't make him want to answer it any more either. Instead, Kim Dokja turned to Yoo Joonghyuk, who had stayed fairly silent so far.
"What about you, Joonghyuk-ah? Are you a lightweight too, or are you like Sangah-ssi?"
The protagonist glanced over at him with a blank expression. "I don't drink."
Huh? Was that so?
That wasn't something ever mentioned in TWSA, but now that he thought about it, Kim Dokja couldn't recall a single instance where Yoo Joonghyuk had alcohol in the novel. Ah, he truly was a perfect protagonist, wasn't he? Maybe Kim Dokja should have expected it, of course Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't drink—alcohol dulled the senses and impeded judgment, which wasn't something he could afford in this kind of world.
Deep down inside, Kim Dokja relaxed at that revelation as—unbeknownst to him—one of the many, many chains encircling his heart crumbled away.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is astounded by the declaration of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Kim Dokja laughed. "Well, that makes sense. You don't seem like the drinking kind of person."
"In other words, you're no fun," Han Sooyoung griped. "Ugh, he'll murder hundreds of people but won't even drink a drop of booze."
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking at the incarnation 'han sooyoung' with disapproval.]
As amusing as that was, Kim Dokja looked away awkwardly when the screen focused on him. Ahh… he always flushed so easily when drinking, no matter how little it was. Even those little side dishes that came with alcohol at restaurants would cause him to go red.
It was especially awkward because Yoo Joonghyuk was staring at him with an expression that he couldn't identify. His dark eyes were trained on Kim Dokja, and the tension in his brow seemed to have vanished somewhat. Before he could try to figure out what it could mean, his attention was stolen by a tug on his sleeve.
"Hyung, you look relaxed there," Lee Gilyoung said. "Or less stressed."
On the contrary, he was probably extremely stressed on the inside, but Kim Dokja had learned how to avoid showing it. Still, he patted Lee Gilyoung's hair affectionately.
"Just be careful not to drink too much, Dokja-ssi. We can't exactly treat alcohol poisoning well in the apocalypse," Lee Seolhwa said with a small smile.
"I definitely don't have any plans of doing that," Kim Dokja said with a small laugh. "Don't worry, Seolhwa-ssi. I know my limits, and I trust Sangah-ssi to interfere if she thinks anything is wrong."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is happy to see that the incarnation 'kim dokja' is relaxing.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking appreciatively at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Why? There was nothing there to see, let alone appreciate. Whatever, it wasn't his problem. Kim Dokja shook his head with a sigh as Uriel began fighting back against the Secretive Plotter again. A few of the women looked amused, but he'd rather not think about that when he had to focus on his plan.
Sangah pours them both some more to drink and the two toast once again. She states that it's nice to drink with someone. Dokja slowly turns his head to look over at her with unfocused eyes as she begins to lean against him, causing him to wonder why it feels like the gap between them is closing in a sluggish manner.
Sangah calls his name as alcoholic music notes frame the scene, dancing around them. The two turn towards each other, and both of their eyes seem incredibly unfocused and inebriated. Considering that Sangah was still mostly sober only a moment before, Dokja realizes that something is wrong as she starts to lean in and his heart beats faster.
'... This is strange. Something like this shouldn't be happening to me…'
"It really is nice to drink with someone you feel safe with," Yoo Sangah murmured, shooting Kim Dokja a grateful smile. "It's not something I thought I would finally experience during the apocalypse."
That was understandable, and he smiled back at her. Yoo Sangah was always so nice, and it felt good to know that he was a safe person for her. Kim Dokja knew that he wouldn't betray her trust, and he hoped that this experience would only continue strengthening their bond in the future.
"Hey wait a minute, what's going on?" Lee Jihye suddenly interjected, sounding almost horrified. "Ahjussi!?"
What? Kim Dokja looked back up at the screen and was immediately baffled. Why was Yoo Sangah leaning against him? Had she drank a bit too much, or was it hitting her later than expected? Maybe she usually drank while eating, so there was a chance that the alcohol was affecting her more than usual because Kim Dokja couldn't recall seeing their group eating anything before drinking.
"Oh goodness," Yoo Sangah gasped, holding her cheeks in her hands. "I said all that about being a good drinker, and now it looks like I'm more affected than I thought…"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes.]
[a constellation who likes harems is at the edge of his seat in anticipation.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is thrilled by the current events.]
Huh? Huh!?
"What?" Kim Dokja gasped, looking completely flabbergasted.
"Ahjussi no!" Lee Jihye wailed. "What are you doing!?"
Kim Dokja didn't have a fucking clue either. Apparently, neither did anyone else.
For once, Han Sooyoung wasn't laughing. Instead, her jaw had dropped and she was staring at the screen in disbelief. Jung Heewon was blinking and rubbing her eyes as though she couldn't process what she was seeing. Lee Hyunsung just looked confused, and Lee Seolhwa looked somewhat troubled.
Yoo Sangah was reddening more and more, looking distressed, and Kim Dokja really wasn't sure if there was anything he could do to fix this.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is appalled by the current events.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is admitting that he agrees with the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly, sounding almost angry with how curtly he had said Kim Dokja's name. "Just what is going on?"
He had thought that he had drunk responsibly, that he would manage to stay in the zone of a light buzz instead of… instead of whatever this was.
Fuck. Fuck. Kim Dokja wanted to throw up. Yoo Sangah had trusted him not to do anything like that, and here he was, letting the alcohol get the better of him. That lack of control was something he feared more than anything else. He knew what a lack of inhibitions could do, he had seen it for years, and for an instant Kim Dokja saw a resemblance that made his stomach turn.
No. No. He wasn't like that man, he wasn't! He couldn't be. Kim Dokja would rather kill himself than turn into him.
He could feel her stare burning into him, and it made the bile rise in his throat that much faster.
"I'm sorry," Kim Dokja whispered, trying his hardest to tamp down his instinctive trembling. "I don't— I—"
Kim Dokja didn't know who he was even talking to anymore. In his mind's eye, two women with long, brown hair overlapped, and his head swam with sickening words and catastrophic consequences. In that instant, he felt like he was the biggest piece of shit in the world.
Suddenly, [The Fourth Wall] kicks in to save Dokja from his stupor, causing the man's eyes to clear in an instant. Immediately, Dokja stiffens up and looks frightened by the fact that Sangah's face is so close to his. He promptly grabs her by the shoulders and shakes her back and forth, her head wobbling like a bobble-head, as he asks her to get ahold of herself. Dokja confirms that Sangah would never do something like that, and realizes that this is only happening because of the constellation's interference.
Sangah snaps back awake and—after a moment of staring at Dokja in complete shock—she turns around, blushing in embarrassment as she tries to figure out what just happened. Just as he expected, she hadn't done that of her own free will. Dokja turns to the alcohol and tells it that they've messed around enough, so they should get down to business.
The music notes freeze in the air before reshaping with a buzz of probability. The characters on the ground change to that of the ancient Greek alphabet. With the help of [Otherworldly Comprehension], Dokja is able to make out what it says: -You're such a buzzkill.-
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is surprised by the appearance of 'the fourth wall'.]
"Your skill can do that?" Yoo Mia wondered, looking surprised at Kim Dokja's suddenly clear head.
"Maybe because inebriation is a status effect?" Lee Seolhwa muttered pensively, staring at the screen with eyes filled with intellectual curiosity.
Kim Dokja, on the other hand, felt like all the tension in his body suddenly evaporated. He hadn't done anything. He hadn't hurt her touched her. Trying his best to regulate his breathing to hide all the turmoil in his mind, Kim Dokja focused on the kids' breaths and matched them to the best of his ability.
Quickly glancing around, the others seemed to be envious of his ability to immediately sober up thanks to his skill, or were making comments about the weird atmosphere. Jung Heewon looked a little tense herself, but she was squeezing Yoo Sangah's hand reassuringly.
Lee Seolhwa was also making sure that Yoo Sangah was alright, and that made Kim Dokja feel a bit more relieved. That was good. Yoo Sangah deserved to have that support right now, especially considering how she must be feeling. Kim Dokja couldn't even begin to understand what kind of thoughts and emotions were running through her mind, but at least Jung Heewon and Lee Seolhwa understood and were helping her, since they were seated the closest.
Even she seemed to have relaxed somewhat after he sobered up, and that made Kim Dokja feel even sicker than before. Had she actually thought… no. Kim Dokja didn't want to go down that train of thought right now.
The only person staring at Kim Dokja was Yoo Joonghyuk, whose brow was furrowed in a strange way. For some reason, Kim Dokja would almost describe his expression as one of concern. He didn't look angry at Kim Dokja whatsoever, contrary to expectations, but after doing a quick visual once-over, Yoo Joonghyuk turned back to the screen with a clenched jaw.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is glaring at the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' does not approve of the actions of the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
"It was the constellation's fault?" Lee Hyunsung said in surprise, staring up at the screen. "It was a bit strange that Sangah-ssi got drunk so fast, but I never would have expected that…"
Lee Jihye sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness. You're cool, ahjussi, but I wouldn't forgive you if you were a cheater."
While that was probably at least somewhat related to her usual brand of bullshit, Kim Dokja had to agree for once. He wouldn't forgive himself for something like that either, even as a hypothetical situation.
Yoo Sangah's face was red as she turned to look at Kim Dokja. "I am so sorry, Dokja-ssi. I don't know what came over me."
He shook his head. "It's not your fault. Blame Dionysus—neither of us were acting of our own volition there."
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is disappointed that his wingmanning failed.]
Wingmanning? Kim Dokja didn't think of Yoo Sangah in that way! Yes, she was pretty and nice, but she deserved far better than Kim Dokja. Plus, wouldn't it just be considered harassment when they both didn't want it? They weren't dolls for the constellations to smash together to fulfill whatever fantasies filled their heads.
At the very least, Yoo Joonghyuk looked like he wanted to stab a constellation again, and this time around, Kim Dokja was entirely on his side. That manipulation had felt so violating, and it was almost a relief to know that Yoo Joonghyuk was translating his concern into violence. That was more him, after all.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is looking at the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking curiously at the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is offering a temporary truce to the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is insisting that the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is the more pressing threat.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is agreeing to the temporary truce.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is glaring at the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
And now those two were getting along…? At the very least, if they were too busy fighting Dionysus, it meant that they weren't fighting each other, which was probably a good thing.
[many constellations are baffled by the current events.]
The sky rumbles and Dokja looks up with trepidation as Sangah looks up in surprise. 'The 'Great Hall' is reacting. The Outer Gods must have noticed Dionysus' presence. Even if it's just letters, it's still a message sent 'directly'.'
Dokja looks down at the words, musing that the 12 Olympian Gods must be in a league of their own if they have the confidence to deal with the aftermath.
Passing word down from their realm without going indirectly through the incarnations or the dokkaebi channels is something only the highest-grade constellations can do, since the probability spent is immense. It's no wonder that most constellations stick to making comments through 'indirect messages'.
Dokja goads Dionysus to come down and talk to them directly himself if he's so confident. In response, the words change again.-I'm not fond of those tentacled creatures.-
"Fighting… is a… Pain. Not to mention descending personally means… everyone… Di…es…?" As the message changes again, Sangah uses her seemingly endless knowledge of languages—thanks to her [Interpreter] skill—to try and read the letters. Dokja mentally agrees, thinking that his descent would reduce Seoul to dust.
With another crackle, a new sentence appears. -That's how my father killed my mother.-
"Oh fuck," Han Sooyoung cursed. "Just saying something like that is enough to summon those fuckers?"
Yeah, and the fact that he was speaking so callously meant that he wasn't overly concerned. Olympus really was on a whole other level, weren't they?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is hoping that the 'outer god' attacks the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
"Tentacles are gross," Shin Yoosung muttered, curling in a bit closer to Kim Dokja. "Not cute at all."
Well, that was very true. Especially when those tentacles belonged to an Outer God.
Lee Seolhwa's eyes widened. "It's that easy for constellations to kill?"
"Extremely easy," Kim Dokja confirmed. "Outer Gods and constellations are two sides of the same coin, in that way. Seeing either of their true forms is enough to kill a mortal."
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is nodding in agreement with the statement of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Sangah asks what the constellation means by that, and Dokja tells her that he guesses that it references his birth myth.
From what I know, Dionysus' parents are the god Zeus, and the princess of Thebes, Semele. The goddess Hera was jealous of Zeus and Semele, and disguised herself as Semele's nurse to incite conflict with her words.
An ornately framed image of two people embracing while a beautifully dressed woman watches from around a corner appears on the screen, before the next image changes to show the woman in the embrace talking to an old woman. The woman tells her that Zeus might be an imposter and urges her to ask him to reveal his true form.
The gullible Semele ultimately did request Zeus to do it, and was burnt alive the moment the glowing rays from his true form touched her.
The final image appears, where the woman is now burnt by the radiant god she once embraced, cowering in pain.
"Ugh, was that guy a cheater too?" Lee Jihye scoffed with a disgusted tone. As anxious as Kim Dokja was about Zeus potentially hearing that and getting pissed off at her, well…
Had Lee Jihye never heard of a Greek myth before? Zeus probably slept with half of Olympus, in addition to hundreds of mortal women. And apparently a few men, if Kim Dokja recalled correctly.
[the constellation 'goddess of marriage and the home' is glaring at the constellation 'lightning throne'.]
Oh, there was Hera. And she wasn't happy.
"She was burnt alive!?" Yoo Mia yelped, eyes widening in fear. With one hand, she grabbed tightly onto her brother's sleeve and the other was placed on her chest as though to calm her heart.
Kim Dokja had to sympathize with the sickened looks on everyone's faces. They had all seen how awful that kind of experience was, thanks to Han Sooyoung's fucking dragon.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing.]
[many constellations are pitying the human 'semele'.]
Sangah tells Dokja that this version is different from the one she heard, since in the other version his mother wasn't the princess of Thebes. Dokja mentally compliments her on her smarts and knowledge since he didn't expect her to know this much.
Just as Yoo Sangah said, there are actually two birth myths for Dionysus. One version says his mother was Semele, the Princess of Thebes.
-Hmm. You humans seem quite knowledgeable about me.-
But the other one is…the version where Dionysus' mother is Persephone, the wife of Hades.
An image appears of a shadowed woman dressed in ancient finery dining on a pomegranate. The border is decorated with ornate golden filigree.
Dokja turns to the alcohol again and asks which version is the truth, citing that it matters, and that he requires the second one to be true when the god asks. In his mind, Dokja admits that he went along with Heewon's idea of a drinking party for the express purpose of luring Dionysus out. Dokja hopes the second myth is true since it gives him a greater chance of contacting Persephone, Hades' wife.
"Why are there so many versions of the same story?" Lee Gilyoung wondered with a grumble. "Don't they get them mixed up?"
All the time, Gilyoung-ah. All the time.
Yoo Sangah giggled a bit. "After so long, lots of stories have changed or gotten combined. It's hard to say if any of them are even accurate anymore."
[several constellations agree with the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
Jung Heewon's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Since when?"
That had been a myth for a long time, but it made sense that Dionysus wouldn't want to confirm or deny either of them.
"It's hard to say if any myths are fully true, but the constellations get probability and power from any version that's spread—regardless of how accurate it is," Kim Dokja told her. "So, in a way, all myths can be true and false at the same time and we'd never know which parts are real—if any."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is curious about the plan of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
-What an impertinent human. However, I do like impertinent humans. There once was a human as bold as you… He used to play the lyre beautifully. However even he met with an unfortunate end.-
Dokja reads the lines sent by the god and declares that he won't end up the same. Dionysus seems pleased by this declaration as he replies.
-I can open the Underworld's gates for you. The 'Father of the Rich Night' isn't fond of me, but the Underworld's goddess will grant my request. But that place is fraught with danger, and there is no guarantee of you returning with your life.-
Dokja states that he doesn't mind, and the alcohol stretches wide to compliment him as the god says that he likes desperate humans. Dionysus warns him that he only has 12 hours and, if he fails to return, he will never be able to return to the scenarios again.
Dokja's vision suddenly goes blurry and he wobbles before falling over as his eyes flutter shut, mentally cursing that this is why he made them drink. With his fading consciousness, he tells Sagah—who is rushing to grab him—to wake the kids. Windows flash by, stating that he is beginning a Hidden Scenario and that his soul is being guided by the 'God of Wine and Ecstasy'. As he falls into a deep sleep, the words form beside him for a final time, unread by the one for whom they are written.
-I hope the 'Father of the Rich Night' takes a liking to you.-
"Oh, that's the myth of Orpheus and Euridyce, right?" Yoo Sangah asked with a smile on her face. "That does seem to be quite similar to what Dokja-ssi will be attempting."
Kim Dokja supposed that it was, even if the motivation was different. Still, he wouldn't make the same mistakes as that man had.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is applauding the audacity of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[many constellations are curious about the 'underworld'.]
"Ahjussi, be careful please," Shin Yoosung told him anxiously. "You can't die again!"
Kim Dokja ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, Yoosung-ah. I can take care of myself."
After all, he had no sunfish bastards to chase after this time around.
When Dionysus told him that he'd never be able to return to the scenarios if he took too long, Kim Dokja noticed a frown on Yoo Joonghyuk's face. He knew that he was taking a much bigger risk than Yoo Joonghyuk would have at this point, but he was confident that he could pull it off.
"Don't make any foolish moves, Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk reminded him. "Your usual plans will not work here."
Kim Dokja sighed and shook his head. "I'll be fine, Joonghyuk-ah. Trust me, okay?"
Yoo Joonghyuk just rolled his eyes but, under his breath, he muttered something that could have been "I do."
What? Kim Dokja must have been hearing things. That couldn't be true, right?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is alarmed.]
Ah, so that's why Dionysus got Kim Dokja that drunk. Still, passing out like that was humiliating.
"Hyung, you told noona to get us at the last moment?" Lee Gilyoung asked, looking up at Kim Dokja with what almost seemed like reverence. Before Kim Dokja could even respond, the boy hugged him tightly, followed shortly by Shin Yoosung.
Kim Dokja let out a long exhale. He couldn't get overconfident, but everything was going according to plan so far. With any luck, he'd be able to retrieve 41st Shin Yoosung's soul without a hitch.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is looking forward to meeting the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]