"I wonder what the meeting could be about," Lee Hyunsung wondered, looking up at the screen in confusion.
Well, if Kim Dokja had to guess, it was probably about who would go into the scenario first. After all, even though it was voluntary, only so many people could go in at once.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is curious about the secret meeting.]
A bunch of people wearing different outfits stand guard outside of a tent, with the closest guards wearing period armour. When Dokja's group walks closer, led by Ildo, a murmur runs through the crowd as they take notice of the newcomers. As they approach the tent, the guards closest to the tent stop them from going any further.
They inform Dokja that only 'Kings' are allowed into the tent, so Dokja turns to Heewon, who nods in response. After handing off Sangah to Hyunsung, Dokja heads into the tent while Heewon cheerfully yells for him to scream if anything happens.
As he walks in, he realises that [Soundwave Blockage] is in effect, and that the Kings inside are listening to a suited man arguing that his group should be the one to go for the scenario. Jiwon notices his entrance, announcing that the final King has arrived. The man in the suit turns around and the full table is shown, surrounded by a set of differing chairs for each person—likely whatever could be found nearby.
"That's… quite heavily guarded," Lee Seolhwa observed with a frown. "Are they expecting to get attacked, or do they need to keep it that secret?"
"It could be either, honestly," Kim Dokja replied with a shrug. However, the likelihood of anyone actually trying to attack all of the Kings at once was pretty slim. It was more likely that they were trying to keep their discussion a secret, but that didn't mean that there was no possibility of an attack when there were that many incarnations gathered in one spot.
"Seriously?" Jung Heewon asked, unimpressed. "Exclusive, much?"
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the incarnations.]
Yoo Sangah reddened upon realizing that she was still passed out, even after being handed over to Lee Hyunsung. "Ah… I'm so sorry for the inconvenience…"
Lee Hyunsung, however, was as sunny as usual. "It's no trouble at all, Sangah-ssi!"
Kim Dokja looked unimpressed when Jung Heewon told him to scream if he was in trouble, especially after it was revealed that any sound from inside the tent was blocked anyway. It's not like he would end up in any serious trouble here, in the first place.
"Oh, they are arguing about who will go," Shin Yoosung muttered. "But who's that guy?"
Kim Dokja frowned, looking at the room. This collection of people didn't seem quite right…
The King of Beauty, Min Jiwon. The Maitreya King, Cha Sangkyung. The Neutral King, Jeon Ildo. The King of Wanderers. And the remaining one here is…
As Dokja names each King, the view pans around the table before moving to Ildo beside him. Finally, it moves to the suited man, who Dokja doesn't recognize at all. Dokja introduces himself when the other man asks for his name, realizing how strange it is that he doesn't know this guy on sight.
"I am Yoo Hyeonho, the president of Yeouido Island," Hyeonho says as he introduces himself, shaking Dokja's hand. Dokja thinks that the president is long dead, confused about what he's saying. Jiwon explains that he's not a King, but is leading his own faction, and that's why he's here for the moment. From her tone and expression, it's clear she's not super amused by him.
"What the fuck?" Han Sooyoung grumbled, "I'm a King too, dammit."
Kim Dokja glanced over at her with a raised brow. "I think they're just counting the ones who made it into the final selection."
Still… that didn't explain why she or that random guy were there.
Han Sooyoung glared at him. "So?"
And also…
"Ahjumma, weren't you in that weird forest thing earlier though?" Lee Jihye cut in with a teasing grin. "You couldn't be here even if you wanted to."
[several constellations are snickering alongside the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
Han Sooyoung's face turned an impressive shade of red. "Well— I… I don't care about this shit anyway."
Sure she didn't.
Then, Yoo Mia frowned deeply. "So what if ahjumma isn't there? Where's my oppa?"
Oh. She was right—Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't there either.
"That's weird, I thought that you would have been there already, Joonghyuk-ah," Kim Dokja muttered as he scrutinized the group (carefully glossing over her presence, of course). "It's not like you to be late."
Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to agree, considering how his frown deepened as well. Suddenly, a thought crossed Kim Dokja's mind—had they just… not invited him because they were scared of him? That would kind of make sense, actually.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is devastated by this revelation.]
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is disappointed by the current events.]
Why was Samyeongdang disappointed anyway? Whatever, that wasn't Kim Dokja's problem.
Lee Gilyoung scowled at Yoo Hyeonho before turning to Kim Dokja with an unimpressed expression. "Hyung, he's a bit stupid, isn't he?"
Well… it was probably a miracle that the guy had survived this long…
Still, why the fuck would they invite that guy and not Yoo Joonghyuk? Clearly, nobody was impressed with him anyway.
Hyeonho, seemingly having been living under a rock for the past five scenarios, questions why they're talking about 'that King nonsense' when it's not the Joseon era, calling for people to open their eyes to liberal democracy. As the man rants on about democracy, Dokja stands awkwardly behind Hyeonho as he checks his [Character Summary].
[Name: Yoo Hyeonho
Constellation Sponsor: Master Manipulator of National Intelligence
Personal Attribute: Corrupt Politician (Rare)
Exclusive Skills: Collect Bribes lvl. 5, Command Over Forces lvl.4, Corrupt Authority lvl. 6, Control Over the Masses lvl. 7…]
Seeing this, Dokja remembers that he is the politician who survived the first scenario in the National Assembly Building, despite the fact that normally the entire Yeouido area gets overrun by the monster flood. Dokja just supposes that this man got lucky this time around before musing that his sponsor isn't popular as he's blatantly disliked by the constellations of South Korea.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the incarnation 'yoo hyeonho'.]
"He's going on about democracy in the middle of the apocalypse," Kim Dokja stated, barely believing his ears. Wow that guy was way stupider than he had expected, and that bar was already low enough you could trip over it.
Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed with a glare at the screen. "Fools, the lot of them."
"And to the surprise of absolutely no one, he's corrupt and trying to act like he's in charge," Jung Heewon grumbled. "I bet that Joonghyuk-ssi could knock him out with a single punch to his face."
"No, unnie, a flick of his finger!" Lee Jihye giggled conspiratorially. "A guy like that can't even wish to stand up to Master!"
Jung Heewon barked out a laugh, and Kim Dokja had to admit that was a pretty funny idea. With Yoo Joonghyuk's clearly superior strength stat, he could probably send the guy flying with a simple flick. Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung snickered, grinning at each other, and even Yoo Mia seemed thrilled by the idea of her brother getting to show off.
"Eh, I'd say to just kick him in the nuts and be done with it," Han Sooyoung said with a shrug.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is hoping to see the idea of the incarnation 'han sooyoung' come true.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is contemplating the strength of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Lee Seolhwa coughed into her hand, as though to hide a laugh of her own. "And his sponsor isn't even liked by other Korean constellations, either."
[many constellations of the korean peninsula are glaring at the constellation 'master manipulator of national intelligence'.]
In a much more favourable tone, Jiwon also introduces Lee Sookyung and states that she joined for similar reasons, explaining that she's the King of Wanderers. Her masked face is shadowed and she stares at Dokja with a cold gaze. In return, Dokja stares at her with eyes that seem to have all emotions sucked out from them. A moment later, Dokja sits down in the unclaimed plastic garden chair and asks to know why he was called over. Ildo responds to his question, explaining that they want to hold a meeting to choose the representatives for the next scenario.
Hyeonho continues, explaining that everyone here has a large group of followers, and that Dokja should feel honoured to be invited despite his small amount of authority because of his great contributions to completing past scenarios. Dokja responds neutrally, mentally laying into the politician since he was nowhere to be found in previous scenarios. Hyeonho then returns to his previous talking point, imploring people to turn away from 'savagery' and the 'old days' to be law-abiding citizens and vote democratically instead.
With an unimpressed side-eye, Dokja immediately clocks Hyeonho's words as bullshit covered in buzzwords to make it "fancy sounding" bullshit. When Jiwon questions what he means by 'democratic', he explains that the number of people sent per group should be proportional to the overall size of their group. Ildo immediately calls out the unfairness of this idea since Hyeonho's Yeouido group has the largest number of people.
Kim Dokja flinched upon her introduction, and he felt somewhat detached from everything as he watched himself stare her down. It was incredibly tense, and Kim Dokja already knew that it was only thanks to [The Fourth Wall] that his future self hadn't totally broken down yet. At the very least, she hadn't said anything.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes at the incarnation 'lee sookyung'.]
"Don't stare at me so coldly," she said with a scoff. "I was invited to the meeting as well."
Sure enough, Yoo Joonghyuk was practically warning her to not do anything with his gaze alone, and even though Kim Dokja appreciated his suspicion, she was telling the truth.
Unfortunately, this was a meeting that was unavoidable in this case. Also, since they were surrounded by so many people, Kim Dokja knew that she wasn't likely to say anything until all of them had left. So, if he wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation, he would just have to be one of the first people to leave.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is suspicious of the incarnation 'lee sookyung'.]
"Wait, he's trying to tell ahjussi that he's lucky to be here?" Shin Yoosung exclaimed in offense. "He should be the one kicked out!"
Whoa, where did getting kicked out even come from?
"It's like he completely forgot that Dokja-ssi chose not to have authority over every incarnation in Seoul," Yoo Sangah muttered, completely unimpressed by the politician.
[several constellations are amused by the commentary of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"It really is fancy sounding bullshit."
Kim Dokja whirled around, eyes wide, and he wasn't the only one. Lee Hyunsung blinked back at him, looking confused by the fact that everyone was so surprised.
"What? Dokja-ssi was right about that. It's unfortunately common in the military and in politics."
"No, no, it's not that," Jung Heewon said with a small laugh, "it's just that no one expected you to say something like that."
Honestly, Kim Dokja was almost more surprised than when Gilyoung-ie had said 'fuck'.
"Oh that bitch," Han Sooyoung hissed, instantly drawing their attention. "He's trying to get more of his shitty followers into the next scenario!"
Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed at that. "As I said—a fool. Prioritizing quantity over quality will only lead to death in the scenarios."
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is nodding in agreement with the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Hyeonho then tries to play it off by reminding everyone that they're all South Koreans here, and that they shouldn't care how many people come from the same group. He then tries to turn it into an 'us against them' situation when bringing up the foreigners they'll be participating in the scenario with, and how they shouldn't waste time arguing.
"If it truly doesn't matter who gets picked, then there's also no reason why the largest group should have more participants picked from it," Ildo shoots back, speaking what everyone is thinking. Hyeonho immediately returns to the tried and true 'democracy' spiel when Dokja thankfully cuts him off.
Dokja declares that they should just send whoever's willing to go, and Ildo says that was their original plan. When Dokja is confused about what he means, Jiwon mentions that the participant slots have been restricted.
Restricted?
"Wow, is he serious?" Yoo Mia griped, completely agreeing with her brother's earlier statement. "He's gonna get people killed."
He absolutely would. Not only that, but he was clearly trying to get as many rewards as possible. Honestly, Kim Dokja would almost be impressed by his audacity if the guy hadn't insulted him earlier. Plus, he was being way too obvious with his ulterior motives.
[the constellations of the korean peninsula would rather not trust a traitor within their own ranks.]
"I never thought that I'd be agreeing with Jeon Ildo-ssi, but he's right," Lee Seolhwa said with a sigh. "The most capable people should be sent so we have the best chances of success."
Exactly, and since this scenario was for those who volunteered anyway, why was this so hard? Anyone who wanted to go would be able to, while the others would participate in the seventh scenario back in Seoul—that was how the sixth scenario always worked in TWSA. Of course, not everyone could participate since there had to be incarnations left behind for the other scenario, but that hadn't exactly been much of a concern since most people would ultimately choose to stay in the familiar environment of Seoul.
However, both Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk exchanged a worried glance when Min Jiwon revealed that there was a restriction on the participant slots.
"What…?" Kim Dokja muttered, looking worried. "That never happened in TWSA, so why…?"
Yoo Joonghyuk crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the screen. "Things are changing again. Kim Dokja, if this continues, will your knowledge become obsolete as well?"
That was…
Kim Dokja sucked in a breath. He knew it would happen eventually, especially after making some key changes later on that Yoo Joonghyuk never had. However, that shouldn't be starting to happen already.
All he could do was shrug, now that all words had abandoned him. Hopefully, with the ties of companionship binding them together, Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't abandon him as well.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is frowning thoughtfully.]
As Jiwon states that the other Kings were told by their dokkaebi, Dokja's message arrives, showing that the initial participant allotment for the Seoul Dome is 10. Though more participants will be allowed depending on the incarnations' progress in the scenario, this restriction makes Dokja understand why they're arguing.
Unlike other incarnations who fear the scenarios, the Kings realize how important it is to get a head start in the scenarios.
'They think that if they send in more of their forces early on, they'll have a better chance of controlling the flow of the scenario,' Dokja thinks, and as he looks around, everyone appears more like predators with their eyes gleaming than people having a peaceful discussion.
After all, this setup was designed for the purpose of Kings outshining their competition.
"Only ten people!?" Lee Jihye exclaimed anxiously before counting on her fingers as her gaze darted over everyone. "Wait, actually, we're fine. Without ahjumma, we have exactly ten people."
Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes, but she wasn't exactly there in the future to get counted anyway. Kim Dokja was glad that Lee Jihye hadn't even considered counting her among their number—not that she was likely to volunteer in the first place anyway. Still, Kim Dokja shot a quick glance at Yoo Mia, who seemed hesitant.
Honestly, they might need to find one more person. After all, Kim Dokja couldn't see the future Yoo Joonghyuk allowing her to go anywhere near this scenario in the first place.
"That would be the most practical solution, wouldn't it?" Yoo Sangah said wistfully. "I feel bad saying this, but… well… most of us could easily beat Sangkyung-ssi and Jiwon-ssi in a fight, especially since Jiwon-ssi won't be able to bring her army with her if she gets selected."
Exactly—Min Jiwon and her forces would be better used in the seventh main scenario back in Seoul. Sending her as part of the volunteers would be a mistake in the long run.
[several constellations tell the incarnation 'yoo sangah' to not feel bad for speaking the truth.]
"They're not going to want to let us do that, though," Kim Dokja said with a sigh. "As my future self figured out, this is meant to create infighting amongst the Kings."
"It's a waste of time," Yoo Joonghyuk declared. "What matters is clearing the scenario as efficiently as possible."
[constellations who value efficiency are agreeing with the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Ah yes, that was very him. Yoo Joonghyuk had never cared much for politics or group dynamics, and that—combined with his naturally brusque demeanor—had caused him trouble more than a few times throughout the novel.
Jiwon declares that her group should go since they would have a historical advantage over the Japanese. Sangkyung states that he should, since Baekje has had more cultural exchanges with Japan, but Jiwon retorts that his sponsor is from Later Baekje. Hyeonho calls this all nonsense before insulting their sponsors by calling them fossils and obsolete. Ildo tries to calm people down, but Hyeonho's comment really angers Sangkyung.
"And now they're arguing again," Yoo Sangah sighed. "Would a historical advantage really be that useful if their sponsors aren't from the same eras?"
"Nope," Kim Dokja replied simply with a tired smile. "They're grasping at straws, really."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is hoping for a battle royale to decide who gets to go.]
Kim Dokja would rather not, but if it came down to it… well, he wouldn't hold back.
"Ugh, that guy needs to shut up," Lee Gilyoung groaned as soon as Yoo Hyeonho started talking again. "Hyung, can we just kill him to save some time?"
Kim Dokja sighed. "Gilyoung-ah, we can't go killing people just because they're annoying."
"Why not, ahjussi?" Shin Yoosung chimed in, looking equally upset. "He's being mean to you too!"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is saying that she would not be opposed to seeing the death of the incarnation 'yoo hyeonho'.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is looking disapprovingly at the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
Seriously? Kim Dokja sighed again.
"Yoosung-ah, Gilyoung-ah, you wouldn't kill Han Sooyoung, would you?"
"Hah? What the fuck do I have to do with this, asshole?" She exclaimed, looking baffled.
Kim Dokja shot her a withering stare. "You're annoying and mean to me too, so you're a perfect example."
"Oh, fuck you!"
"I'd rather not."
Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes. "Right, how could I have forgotten, you'd rather be the one getting—"
[a constellation who likes children coughs pointedly to interrupt the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is disappointed with the interruption.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is contemplating the words of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
Well, whatever that was aside, at least the kids seemed to have understood his point—even if they looked rather dejected.
As the argument continues, Dokja notices a gaze fixed on him from across the table, and it gives him pause. Sookyung looks at him with a cold calmness, causing Dokja to wonder if she expects him to sort it out, and if this is some kind of test. After looking at the plates ratting on the table that has been repeatedly slammed, Dokja tells them there's no point in arguing. Casually, he takes a cookie from one of the plates and reclines as he states that the last King has yet to arrive.
Outside, a black boot ominously slams into the ground, and just as Dokja snaps the cookie into his mouth, the entrance to the tent bursts open in a small explosion. As a loud bang overtakes all the arguing, the table flips from the force of the blast—scattering the snacks and water bottles across the floor—and Hyeonho goes flying.
Jung Heewon shot her a glare, her hand inching towards her sword again. "Are you fucking kidding me? Why won't you just step in yourself instead of intimidating your son into doing it for you?"
"There's no need," she said calmly, "why would I bother when my son will do it anyway?"
Fuck. Since he took it as a test, of course he'd end up doing it, even if it wasn't one in the first place. Kim Dokja hated it—hated her—but he hated that deep down, he was still scared of disappointing her. He clenched his hands into fists, and he couldn't look at the screen as he heard his future self doing exactly that.
"See?" She said, as though it was far simpler of a feat than it seemed.
Just out of his peripheral vision, Kim Dokja could tell that it was only his previous request that was holding Yoo Joonghyuk back. Clearly, he wasn't taking kindly to anyone trying to manipulate his companion.
"Ugh, finally," Yoo Mia exclaimed a bit too loudly, likely in an attempt to forcibly change the subject. "At least ahjussi remembered that oppa isn't there."
Kim Dokja nodded in agreement. As they had already seen, the protagonist clearly had opinions on who should go, and if anyone was going to be able to shut down any pointless arguments, it was him.
'Ah,' Kim Dokja thought as soon as Yoo Joonghyuk's distinctive boot slammed onto the ground outside the tent. Yoo Joonghyuk was right on time for yet another dramatic entrance, it seemed.
"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Han Sooyoung grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "I can't believe you two didn't coordinate that."
"Master is just that good," Lee Jihye said proudly, and Kim Dokja honestly wondered if this sense of dramatic timing was coded into his protagonist DNA or something. It had happened like three times already, and there was no way that many coincidences were possible.
[many constellations are thrilled by the current events.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]