"Um, did the sooty bastard just destroy the tent?" Lee Gilyoung wondered, shooting suspicious glances in the man's direction.
Honestly, it was incredibly hard to tell, but Kim Dokja wouldn't put it past the protagonist to do something like that. All he could do was shrug. It wasn't his tent anyway, so what did he care?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is hoping that the tent is broken.]
The kings other than Dokja and Sookyung stand up from the table, looking shocked. On the ground, Hyeonho pushes himself onto his elbows as he coughs due to the dust, yelling as he tries to figure out what's happening. Suddenly a boot steps on his back and harshly pushes him to the ground once more.
As he screams in pain, it's revealed that Joonghyuk is the one who's burst in through the tent flaps, his hands resting casually in his pockets like the dramatic protagonist he is. As if to further highlight this fact, the scene gives him a close up that showcases the angles of his muscular figure as the lighting and shadows accentuate his pecs and crotch. His hair flows and lands perfectly over his left eye, adding a layer of intrigue as he stares coldly at the other surprised Kings.
"You're looking remarkably calm, Dokja-ssi," Lee Hyunsung said with a quiet laugh, followed by a nervous glance at her. It was fine. At least his future self had [The Fourth Wall] to help him deal with the shock, so that probably explained it.
The kids snickered at Yoo Hyeonho struggling to get back up, and Yoo Mia laughed in delight when her brother quite literally stepped on him. While normally that would be rude, Kim Dokja couldn't give a shit about the man who had been insulting all of them only a moment ago. As far as he was concerned, this was entirely deserved.
"Do you have a thing for stepping on people during your dramatic entrances or something?" Han Sooyoung muttered, shooting a judgemental glance at the protagonist.
He looked back at her with a raised brow. "No."
[some constellations are contemplating the idea of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
Kim Dokja laughed a bit, drawing the protagonist's attention. "Come on, Joonghyuk-ah. It is kind of funny that this has happened, what—three times now?"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' believes that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' is trying to show off.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the idea of the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
Still, what an entrance it was. How the fuck did he look like he had just stepped out of an advertisement? It had literally been less than 24 hours since he had gotten kicked around by 41st Shin Yoosung, but Yoo Joonghyuk looked better than ever. Kim Dokja found himself swallowing unintentionally, and he couldn't take his eyes off the man staring down the rest of the kings with an icy gaze.
He didn't even look away when Han Sooyoung let out a long-suffering groan because honestly, he couldn't care less what Han Sooyoung thought. His favourite character was doing something amazing, and it was so much better than he could have ever imagined. God, his teenage self would be struck dead if he saw something like this.
At the sound of someone happily chowing down on cookies, Joonghyuk turns to glance at Dokja. After pausing while giving his companion an extremely judgemental look, he says, "... I will now announce the names of the people who will take part in the next scenario. If any of you have an issue with this, speak up now."
The other Kings watch him in various states of fear, based on their previous encounters, while the dumb and unknowing Hyeonho tries to intimidate the man literally standing on his back by telling Joonghyuk to get off of him and asking how he could step on him after bursting in out of nowhere. Joonghyuk looks at him with thinly veiled disgust before pressing his heel into the other man's back even harder.
Hyeonho then pathetically calls out for his 'security', who are immediately shown to have been completely annihilated with non-lethal means by the protagonist. Outside the tent, every single person who had been standing in Joonghyuk's way had been left unconscious on the ground. After a few minutes of his squealing, the corrupt politician passes out in a puddle of his own drool, and Joonghyuk immediately moves on, seeing that no one has any issues.
Lee Jihye snickered, "Ahjussi, you totally ruined the moment."
Ah, shit. He had, hadn't he? Internally, Kim Dokja berated his future self for cutting off Yoo Joonghyuk's moment of extreme coolness. It could have lasted another 30 seconds, easily.
Still, why was Yoo Joonghyuk looking at him like that?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is amused by the expression of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"That seems like a pretty extreme reaction just because he's eating while you're about to talk," Jung Heewon remarked, raising her brow. "Are you that offended by cookies?"
"No," Yoo Joonghyuk muttered with a frown, narrowing his eyes at the screen. Ah, well, whatever. Exactly as Kim Dokja expected, the protagonist had totally come up with a list of his own.
Yoo Sangah sighed. "I really don't think that man understands his situation. Threatening Joonghyuk-ssi is probably the stupidest thing that he could do right now."
Yeah, the protagonist could (and would) end him in a second if he felt like it.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is cheering for the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[constellations who dislike annoying people approve of the actions of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"Hmph, they shouldn't have tried to stand against my oppa," Yoo Mia remarked proudly upon seeing the group of people who had been absolutely devastated in an attempt to stop Yoo Joonghyuk from bursting into the meeting.
Kim Dokja tried his best to keep his jaw from dropping. God damn. On one hand, it was impressive that Yoo Joonghyuk had simply bulldozed his way through entire groups of guards, but on the other… the sheer audacity he had was ridiculous.
Lee Seolhwa studied the screen for a moment, watching as the annoying politician finally fell unconscious. "Well, under normal circumstances, I'd recommend putting him in the recovery position so he doesn't choke, but I wouldn't expect Joonghyuk-ssi to do that anyway."
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the protagonist just kept going, not paying the unconscious man any mind and treating him more as part of the decor than anything else.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the incarnation 'yoo hyeonho'.]
"In that case, I'm announcing the list now." Before Joonghyuk starts listing off names, Jiwon glances towards Dokja, who has made an incredible dent in the amount of cookies on the plate.
「How can you be so calm in this sort of situation?」 She thinks, biting her lip as she grimaces. Dokja bites another cookie, mentally boasting about how he's not in the same boat as the others since he's a man that Joonghyuk has acknowledged as a 'Companion'.
Even if he made a threat by reminding me that the duration of his oath is over, this guy has acknowledged that I can be of use to him.
"The first member will be…" Joonghyuk begins with a serious expression as Dokja sits smugly next to him, "me, obviously."
[many constellations are curious to see who will be on the list.]
"What does she want?" Shin Yoosung wondered as she looked at Min Jiwon. "She's not going to try and flirt with ahjussi, right?"
Huh? Now was not the time or place for flirting, and Kim Dokja believed that Min Jiwon knew that. Or at least, he hoped so.
Han Sooyoung laughed a bit after hearing Kim Dokja's thought. "Wait, do you think you're now immune to the protagonist bastard just because he called you a companion?"
Well, not exactly…
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is warning the incarnation 'kim dokja' not to get overconfident.]
Okay, well, unlike last time, there wasn't really any reason for this to go wrong. The Secretive Plotter was just overreacting.
Kim Dokja crossed his arms over his chest. "He might beat me up later, but at least he won't kill me." Probably.
It would be fine. Anyway, Kim Dokja had to pay attention to the list, having full faith that Yoo Joonghyuk would call his name in a tone that was hopefully not filled with murderous intent.
"Well, duh," Lee Jihye remarked as soon as Yoo Joonghyuk announced himself as the first member, to Kim Dokja's surprise. "Master is the best, so of course he's at the top of the list."
Dokja makes a funny face in his shock before shaking it off as he thinks that fact should have been obvious—why wouldn't Joonghyuk put himself at the top of the list that he made himself? As Dokja thinks this, the rest of their group enters the tent and Joonghyuk continues without hesitation. "The second will be… Lee Jihye."
The girl who has just been named with no context of the rest of the conversation points at herself in confusion before looking over with a goating grin at Dokja, who is once again shocked and appears to be sulking a bit. Meanwhile, Dokja is annoyed that he wasn't named second despite his expectations, but understands that—since he wasn't one of Joonghyuk's original companions—naming him before them might make them feel bad. After all, even though Joonghyuk seems cold, he does actually care for people who he considers his own.
"The third is Lee Seolhwa."
Seolhwa, who has entered the tent along with Jihye, moves to stand beside Joonghyuk as she nods in recognition. The other Kings all gulp and look nervous, each thinking that they might have a chance and rationalizing that since Joonghyuk only has those two allies—and there are seven spots left—he must choose people outside of his group for the remaining spots. Logically speaking, since the Kings are the strongest of the people who remain, they expect to be chosen.
Right. Yeah. That made complete sense.
Yoo Joonghyuk nodded along with his future self, and Kim Dokja allowed a small smile to cross his lips. He'd be the second one, naturally. After all, he was Yoo Joonghyuk's companion, and that had to count for something.
Lee Jihye's name spilled from the protagonist's lips, and Kim Dokja stared at the screen in shock.
"What the?" Jung Heewon wondered, looking baffled. "I totally thought Dokja-ssi would be next."
Right?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is flabbergasted.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is a bit confused by the actions of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"Oh, that makes sense," Yoo Sangah admitted when the future Kim Dokja put forth his hypothesis that Yoo Joonghyuk was putting his original companions first. If that was true, then the next person would likely be—
"Me?" Lee Seolhwa said with a slight amount of surprise. "I hope that I don't let you down, Joonghyuk-ssi."
"I included you, so you won't," Yoo Joonghyuk replied firmly.
That man… how did he sound so effortlessly confident all the time?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is crossing his fingers that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will be named next.]
Dokja looks amused, having realized what they're thinking, and internally gloats since he'll naturally be next, but his confident expression cracks when Hyunsung is named instead. The man in question makes a beautifully shocked expression before nervously trying to confirm if Joonghyuk was really talking about him.
Huh?
Joonghyuk ignores the poor soldier and names Heewon as the fifth person without hesitation. Heewon looks surprised while Jihye's eyes glow beside her, clearly happy that the older woman is coming along with them. Then, Joonghyuk turns and chooses Gilyoung, who also seems taken off guard, as the sixth person.
"It's gotta be ahjussi, right?" Lee Jihye whispered conspiratorially, glancing at the other women. "There's no way it could be anyone else."
"Right," Jung Heewon confirmed with a serious nod. "He's not going to bring along any of the other Kings either."
[many constellations are eager to hear the next choice of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Kim Dokja's jaw dropped again when, instead of himself, Yoo Joonghyuk named Lee Hyunsung.
What?
Lee Hyunsung was looking at him with a hopeless expression, like he felt awful for being named first, and Kim Dokja felt like he had to say something.
"No, no—it makes sense. You were always one of his companions in his other regressions, so I should have expected this."
"But—"
Yoo Joonghyuk fixed Lee Hyunsung with a stare, cutting him off. "I trust you, and I know you better than this fool."
Still, even though he said it himself, Yoo Joonghyuk's lips were curved into a frown, like he was confused by his own decisions.
It was fine. Next would absolutely be—
"Heewon-ssi?" Yoo Sangah gasped. "But Joonghyuk-ssi barely knows you…"
Kim Dokja stared at the screen, mouth agape. What was even going on?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is sobbing and begging the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' to remember his companion.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is wondering if this is because of the display of power by the incarnation 'jung heewon' against the 'disaster of floods'.]
That… would make sense, actually. In that one moment, had Jung Heewon proven herself to him? Internally, Kim Dokja pouted; she hadn't even had to spend four days clinging to life in a monster's stomach to accomplish that either.
At the very least, Lee Jihye grabbed onto Jung Heewon's hand excitedly. "Let's kick some ass together, unnie!"
"Yeah!"
Okay, how could he be mad at that? Lee Jihye did deserve to spend some time with her role model, so Kim Dokja would give Yoo Joonghyuk a pass. But the next one absolutely had to be—
"No," Lee Gilyoung said firmly. "I won't listen to the sooty bastard."
Kim Dokja could only blink at the screen. Had Yoo Joonghyuk seriously just chosen a kid over him? What the fuck?
"I would make fun of you, but this is honestly just sad," Han Sooyoung remarked while looking directly at Kim Dokja, and that hurt more than if she had just made fun of him in the first place.
[many constellations are watching eagerly for the next participant.]
When Joonghyuk glances over at Yoosung out of the corner of his eye with what could be a dark look, the girl flinches and looks afraid, which catches Gilyoung's eye. He immediately puts an arm out in front of her and moves to block her body with his own with a determined expression on his face, ready to defend against the protagonist.
Joonghyuk keeps looking for a moment before turning towards Dokja. Seeing that he's finally being looked at, Dokja perks up, grabbing and and biting into another cookie, looking slightly smug and eager as he wonders if Joonghyuk has purposely delayed stating his name to the end to save the best for last. After all, as a main character, he should know how to run a good show.
Joonghyuk's expression twists in abject disgust as he looks at Dokja, clearly thinking about something. He then quickly turns away and announces that they can take care of the rest. Dokja spits out the cookie, sputtering as he chokes on it.
"I don't wanna go if ahjussi isn't coming," Shin Yoosung said with a glare in Yoo Joonghyuk's direction. Kim Dokja just had to sit and watch with widened eyes. Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't be thinking of naming two kids before him, right?
What next, was Yoo Mia coming before Kim Dokja too?
Lee Gilyoung reached out and grabbed onto Shin Yoosung's hand. "We're gonna beat the sooty bastard if he tries anything."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is endeared by the bond between the incarnations 'shin yoosung' and 'lee gilyoung'.]
Kim Dokja patted their heads, feeling warm inside knowing that they were looking out for each other despite their tension both here and in the future. "Hey, it's okay. I'm sure I'll be called next. Joonghyuk-ie is probably saving the best for last."
The two kids immediately perked up, grinning widely. It helped distract from the extremely intense gaze she had fixed on his back, as well. Kim Dokja wasn't even sure why she was looking at him like that when he hadn't done anything.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is biting his nails in anticipation.]
And then Yoo Joonghyuk announced his—
Wait, what?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is gasping in horror.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is extremely confused.]
"What the fuck?" Jung Heewon asked a bit louder than usual. "Why are you so mad?"
For once, Yoo Joonghyuk looked just as baffled as everyone else. "I don't know."
Kim Dokja's heart seized in his chest. Had he done something to offend the protagonist, somehow? Had his muttering about the protagonist going off to try and find a way to kill him somehow made its way back to Yoo Joonghyuk? Was he offended that he hadn't been invited to the drinking party even though he doesn't drink?
… Had Yoo Joonghyuk just realized that Kim Dokja wasn't worth the effort?
He didn't know what to think, and he wasn't sure he could as he stared at the screen in horror. It felt like his carefully constructed sense of reality was crumbling away around him, and he didn't know what to do to stop it.
Joonghyuk just silently walks away, a grimace on his face, as he seems to be holding back some unexplained anger. All the while, Jihye just laughs at Dokja's misery. Looking absolutely shocked, Dokja watches the protagonist walk out of the tent as Heewon is confused since she thought they were close. Dokja, equally confused, is wondering the exact same thing as 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' smiles in delight.
"Ahjussi, you had a meeting with Master at dawn, right? I thought for sure that you would be on the list…" Jihye states in a strange tone, seeming confused by the turn of events. Dokja turns to her, wondering what meeting she's talking about, only for Jihye to declare that Joonghyuk told her that he was going to see Dokja the night before. When Dokja still seems confused, she clarifies that it was around 1 or 2 in the morning, but that she doesn't know the exact time. As a possible answer, Jihye wonders if he was sleeping at the time.
Thinking about it, Dokja works out that it must have been just before he went to the Underworld. As he starts to explain to the teenager that he was awake and that Joonghyuk never showed up, she looks even more confused.
"Holy shit, he looks really mad," Han Sooyoung whispered. "What the fuck did you do?"
"I didn't do anything," Kim Dokja replied, barely processing that he had done that. They were close, right? He hadn't just been imagining it if Jung Heewon was commenting on it too, so why…?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is flabbergasted by the actions of her future self.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
Lee Jihye frowned deeply. "Wait, what meeting? You definitely didn't have one, right?"
Kim Dokja shook his head, looking extremely confused, then his eyes widened in horror.
"Fuck, what if he came looking and I was already passed out?"
Surrounded by empty bottles of alcohol, no less. Fuck, that would be a disaster.
Lee Hyunsung paled as he came to the same conclusion. "Joonghyuk-ssi would probably be pretty offended if he thought you were drinking carelessly in the middle of the scenarios…"
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is scoffing and declaring that it's always a good time for alcohol.]
As he and Lee Jihye kept talking, Kim Dokja just got increasingly more confused. Why were none of these details lining up? If the protagonist had found them while they were still awake drinking, then he would have said something or just walked over and glared. He wasn't the kind of person to stay back to avoid intruding on something like that, after all.
[the eyes of the constellation 'secretive plotter' are widening in realization.]
"That's strange? He definitely went to find you. He was also a bit angry when he came back," Jihye says, and when Dokja asks for clarification on the 'angry' part, she continues explaining to the best of her ability. "You know that look Master makes when he is angry. Like he's contemptuous of someone…"
As Dokja begins to think about what was happening at that time, he stops dead in his tracks and his eyes widen as he has a horrifying realization.
Wait, before I went to the Underworld? Right before that, I was drinking with Yoo Sangah, and…
Dokja's eyes twitch and he looks simultaneously manic and exhausted after a quick recap of Dionysus nearly making him and Sangah kiss with his meddling plays only for the constellation in question to watch on mischievously. At the same time, Uriel once again smiles in delight and donates coins.
"Maybe Hyunsung-ssi was right," Lee Seolhwa muttered, glancing between Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk.
Yoo Joonghyuk's brow furrowed and his frown deepened further, like he was trying to figure out some kind of puzzle. Kim Dokja was equally baffled, but it was true that the future Yoo Joonghyuk had no idea that the drinking party was necessary.
[many constellations are confused by the behaviour of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"Angry…?" Kim Dokja wondered. "But why…?"
Suddenly, Han Sooyoung's jaw dropped and her candy fell out of her mouth at the same time. "No fucking way."
"What?" Jung Heewon demanded urgently. "What did you figure out?"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is deeply exasperated.]
"He fucking saw them almost kiss, that's what," Han Sooyoung hissed right as the future Kim Dokja came to that very conclusion, and he felt his entire body go cold.
What? No. No.
Yoo Sangah went pale and she looked down at her lap anxiously, and Kim Dokja wanted to throw up. It absolutely didn't help that she was staring intensely at him, either. He didn't know what she was thinking, and he didn't want to know, but it was making everything so much worse.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is smiling excitedly.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is tearing her hair out from stress.]
No way….
The screen is overtaken by a scene of Joonghyuk walking away, looking pissed off. His eyes are narrowed, his brow is furrowed, and his frown is deeper than usual. It's the kind of expression that one would imagine him making if someone had taken his godly cooking, thrown it to the floor, and called it disgusting. In other words, he looks downright furious.
Did he…. see that?
"Oh my god," Jung Heewon whispered with wide eyes, "he's actually angry over it."
Fuck.
Kim Dokja felt his palms go cold and sweaty as he watched the screen in horror. That Yoo Joonghyuk didn't realize that both of them had been forced into it either. He had no idea what was happening, and he had walked in on it with no context.
"No," Lee Jihye gasped, sounding aghast and heartbroken. "Master, please, it's not like that!"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is viciously threatening the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is deeply unhappy with the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
Yoo Mia frowned slightly. "Oppa, you're really not happy about this."
That was a fucking understatement!
Yoo Joonghyuk clenched his jaw, and Kim Dokja wanted to die right then and there. He was probably feeling so betrayed right now, having seen his companion frolicking and messing around when they should be preparing for the next scenario.
Kim Dokja felt like the biggest piece of shit in the world, and it wasn't even his fault to begin with.
After Dokja explains what happened the night before, Heewon tries to clarify whether or not he kissed Sangah. Dokja brushes off her question with a wave of his hand while pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, questioning just what gave her that impression and if she had even listened to anything he said. Obviously irritated, Heewon then asks if it was really Dionysus who caused everything or if Dokja was just pretending to be drunk. Dokja, offended by the accusation, reiterates that all of it is Dionysus' fault and that nothing actually happened.
Heewon leans in, clearly suspicious and trying to judge his guilt, much to the man's annoyance. Thankfully—or maybe not—Hyunsung speaks up: "Doesn't it seem likely that Yoo Joonghyuk saw this scene? And then because of the mood, he felt wronged…"
Dokja tries to brush it off as being OOC, but Heewon holds her hand to her chin and asks why Joonghyuk would be upset over Dokja smooching someone else. Dokja immediately and firmly shuts down the smooching accusation once more.
Jung Heewon grimaced and looked away awkwardly. "I know you didn't kiss, Dokja-ssi, but you can't blame me for getting suspicious."
He couldn't. Fuck, it really did look awful, didn't it? Yoo Sangah was someone who had admitted that men would often try to get her drunk just to take advantage of her, and in Jung Heewon's eyes, how could she be certain that hadn't been what had happened?
Plus, she had been a bartender, so she had likely seen far, far too many scenarios exactly like this one before. Kim Dokja wouldn't be surprised if she had seen more than a few men pretending to be drunk just to try and see how far they could get without getting caught.
"I know," he said quietly in response. "The accusation hurts, but I understand why you're so on-edge about it."
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is irritated by the actions of the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' tearfully agrees with the words of the incarnation 'lee hyunsung'.]
"That's right!" Lee Jihye exclaimed, looking equally upset. "Poor Master, feeling so betrayed and hurt…"
Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't normally like that, though, but Kim Dokja couldn't deny the proof right in front of his eyes. No matter how little sense it made, Yoo Joonghyuk was actually pissed off because of something Kim Dokja did that wasn't intended to directly tease or bother him.
Jung Heewon sighed when her future self sounded confused, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ignorance really is bliss, huh?"
What was she talking about?
Han Sooyoung groaned. "Ugh, tell me about it."
Even Yoo Sangah and Lee Seolhwa were nodding along, looking exhausted.
[many constellations believe that involving others in relationship drama is rude.]
[The constellation 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' is calling it 'comradeship'.]
At the constellation's suggestive implication, Heewon looks pensive while Jihye breaks down with laughter. Dokja bluescreens at Uriel's message while Jihye teasingly asks if they are what the archangel is implying.
"I think I know what comradeship may mean," says Hyunsung, possibly understanding the implication—or, possibly, it goes right over his head. His face takes on a deadly and serious look as he continues, his tone verging on anger. "Now that I consider it, if I had seen Dokja doing something like that, I also wouldn't like it."
Everyone turns to look at him with an array of expressions. Dokja just looks like his brain has shut off, the children look judgemental and offended, Heewon looks slightly amused in a confused sort of way, and Jihye looks like someone who has seen and knows way too much.
'Comradeship'. Why did Kim Dokja get the feeling that Uriel was using it in a totally different way than everyone else?
Lee Jihye looked teary as she nodded. "Exactly! We all know the truth!"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is pleading for the companions to make up.]
"We'll never allow it," Lee Gilyoung hissed, shooting a glare in Yoo Joonghyuk's direction.
Shin Yoosung nodded vehemently. "Yeah, you can't steal ahjussi away from us."
What did that have to do with anything? Did they want him and Yoo Joonghyuk to stay on non-speaking terms or something?
Then, Lee Hyunsung declared that he would also be upset if he had been in Yoo Joonghyuk's shoes, and Kim Dokja spun around to look at him in bafflement. "What?"
"What?" Lee Hyunsung asked right back, looking like a deer in the headlights. It honestly would have been funny to see him looking so completely lost if they weren't both in the same situation.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is confused by this development.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is screeching in horror.]
Fuck, what was even going on right now!?
Yoo Joonghyuk shot a stormy glare at Lee Hyunsung, who looked even more confused than before, and Han Sooyoung looked like she would rather be anywhere else right now.
Hell, Kim Dokja could even tell that she was baffled, which was a rare sight for a woman who was always so cold and composed.
Kim Dokja felt entirely helpless as he glanced back and forth between the members of the group, who were tossing around wild theories, glaring at each other, looking absolutely lost, or entirely devastated.
And, even in the middle of all that, Kim Dokja only had one horrifying thought in his head as he stared at Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon: was he about to accidentally fuck up a second relationship before it could even start?