"So now what?" Lee Gilyoung asked, looking up at Kim Dokja curiously. "Is the penalty going to cause more problems?"
Kim Dokja nodded, already knowing what would happen momentarily. "She'll be okay, though. Don't worry."
[several constellations are wondering about the scenario penalty.]
As a window announces that Yoosung's been stripped of her powers as a 'disaster', Dokja looks down at Amano's mangled body. Yoosung pants heavily before freezing as probability hits her for the third penalty, which triggers [Miniaturization]. The girl then shrinks rapidly, leaving a pile of clothes on the ground as Dokja looks over and approaches, removing the cloak that keeps him invisible as he does. Beneath the fabric, there's some signs of movement before a very small Yoosung crawls out of the neck hole just enough to reveal her face and an arm, with the rest still cloaked in shadow.
After a moment, Dokja tells her that quite a few people from the other groups remain while holding the small girl in his palm, who is wearing a handkerchief acting as a makeshift dress. Yoosung looks up at him and asks if he knew this all would happen from the beginning, and he nods solemnly.
"Does that mean that she can't participate in the scenario anymore?" Lee Seolhwa wondered with a concerned expression on her face as she glanced over at Shin Yoosung.
Kim Dokja grinned. "It's inconvenient, but this actually just means that she's going down the right path for the ending we want."
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is confused by the words of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Jung Heewon glanced over at him with a strange expression. "Are you absolutely sure? Because that—" she pointed at the screen where Shin Yoosung suddenly shrunk to the point where her clothes fell to the ground in a heap "—does not look good."
Okay, fair. It made sense to be worried.
Shin Yoosung inhaled sharply upon seeing that, and she looked extremely flustered when Kim Dokja approached her clothes.
"Ahjussi…" she said anxiously, glancing up at him with a red face, "if my clothes are on the ground…"
Right, yes. That was an extremely valid concern. Kim Dokja patted her head and tried his best to reassure her.
"I'm sure I'll figure out something for you, okay?"
Shin Yoosung nodded, though her cheeks were still reddened. "I trust you, ahjussi."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is gasping at the appearance of the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
"Oh my god you're so tiny!" Lee Jihye gasped upon seeing how small Shin Yoosung had become. "That's so cute!"
Yoo Sangah's eyes widened and she glanced over at Kim Dokja urgently. "So if we protect the small people, we'll turn small too?"
He nodded grimly, and she just looked even more concerned by that fact.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is surprised by the current events.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is squealing over the cuteness of the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
Kim Dokja sighed in relief as soon as he saw there was a short timeskip, and that the young girl was covered in a handkerchief. To be honest, he wasn't exactly sure where he had gotten it from. Maybe it was just in his coat pocket or something, or he had suddenly purchased it from the dokkaebi bag for her. Coats—not even SSS-grade ones—usually didn't come with complimentary handkerchiefs, did they?
"Hmm… you should have picked a cuter one, ahjussi," Yoo Mia said, glancing at him with an unimpressed expression. "Yoosung-ie deserves better than a plain handkerchief like that, especially since you knew this would happen."
What, was she expecting him to sit down and sew an entire outfit for Shin Yoosung out of nothing?
He then slowly walks towards the only living Japanese incarnation in the clearing, Michio. Looking down at him from Dokja's palm, she asks Dokja if he plans to kill him too. Dokja replies that he'll be of use, double checking that the other man has only passed out.
Michio Shoji. The only one who tried to protect the little people.
Dokja's gut feeling tells him that this person will be important to his plans. As he stands there, a pop-up reminds them not to be hostile towards their fellow disasters, since they'll lose all their powers as a disaster. Dokja looks up at Ganul, who's chuckling after seeing a good show. Dokja gets a reminder that he's not doing enough as a disaster and that if he doesn't kill a member of Peace Land's dominant species within the next hour, he will be stripped of his rights as a disaster.
I only have one hour left now. Within that time, I must hunt down the 'King of Disasters'.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking curiously at the incarnation 'michio shoji'.]
Lee Hyunsung sighed in relief as soon as he heard that Kim Dokja had no plans of killing Michio Shoji. "He seemed nice, so I'm happy that you want to make him into an ally!"
Yoo Joonghyuk narrowed his eyes, though. "I don't remember this man at all."
Well, considering the fact that the Japanese incarnation was less than impressive, Kim Dokja honestly wouldn't be surprised if the man hadn't made it to this scenario, or hadn't been selected to go in the other regressions. Of course, there was also the possibility that he had been in Peace Land, but that Yoo Joonghyuk had always been somewhere else at the time, and they had simply never run into each other.
Or, the other possible option was that they had met, but that Michio Shoji was just so unremarkable that the protagonist simply couldn't remember ever meeting him. That would unfortunately be completely in character for Yoo Joonghyuk, too.
"Wait, so you're getting threatened by the chance of shrinking too even though you've done fuck-all?" Han Sooyoung asked, sounding extremely judgemental as she grimaced at the dokkaebi on the screen. "That's bullshit."
"That's how they're trying to pressure me into becoming a disaster," Kim Dokja sighed. "Not that I will, of course."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is glad to see that the incarnation 'kim dokja' is making the right decision.]
"Will you really be able to complete something like that in only an hour?" Yoo Sangah asked, sounding extremely worried. "If you somehow miss your chance and end up shrunken before you can find the serpent…"
That wouldn't be ideal at all, of course, but it was still a possibility. If he absolutely had to, he supposed that he could beg for Yoo Joonghyuk's help, but the real question was if the future protagonist would be anywhere near as willing to go along with Kim Dokja's schemes without witnessing how they had played out so far.
Especially considering the fact that he was probably still at least a bit pissed off. Even though he had looked impassive earlier, there was no one better than Yoo Joonghyuk when it came to holding grudges. Or would it be worse? Honestly, Kim Dokja wasn't sure, and he didn't particularly care, either.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is wondering what the incarnation 'kim dokja' will do.]
「I really was lucky to make it out safe,」 Michio thinks, recalling the parts of the fight he was able to see from where he was lying on the ground. 「The Korean incarnations are scary. Maruyama and Amano got taken out in a flash. That was amazing combat prowess for a mere child. If just a child is at this level, then I can't even guess how overpowered this guy is.」
Dokja casually listens in on his thoughts before the other man thanks him for saving his life. Michio scratches the back of his head as he states that he never thought a Korean would ever help him out. Dokja responds that it's human to help others in order to survive. Michio mentally praises him as modest and is fond of the fact that Dokja speaks fluent Japanese, guessing that it's just because of a translation skill, but he reasons that Dokja must think positively of them since he has the skill to translate Japanese in the first place.
"Ha! He's scared already!" Han Sooyoung cackled. "The guy has good instincts."
Honestly, it was true. In only a few minutes, he had been able to realize that he really shouldn't be messing with the two of them, and that would serve him well.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the incarnation 'michio shoji'.]
Shin Yoosung preened, looking thrilled at the compliment, and then turned to look at Kim Dokja excitedly. "He's right, ahjussi! You're a lot stronger than me!"
Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to nod subtly, as though he was agreeing with her, and Kim Dokja could only barely bring himself to keep his attention on Shin Yoosung after seeing that in his peripheral vision. Damn it, what was the protagonist thinking? Kim Dokja really wanted to use level 2 on him, but he held himself back, knowing that he really shouldn't.
"Exactly!" Lee Hyunsung exclaimed as soon as Kim Dokja said that they should help each other out as humans. He looked far more emotional than Kim Dokja expected, complete with tears sparkling in the corners of his eyes.
[a constellation who likes languages scoffs at the translation skill.]
To be fair, it wasn't intentional, but if it would benefit him in any way… well, Kim Dokja was not above using the skill he got to speak with Lycaon to his advantage.
"He's oddly positive about this," Jung Heewon laughed, and Kim Dokja had to agree. This guy really shouldn't be trusting others so easily in the apocalypse.
The two of them then introduce themselves to each other, yet Michio struggles a bit with the pronunciation of Dokja's name as he says, "Kimu Dogeza?"
Dokja repeats his name once more, yet Michio still misinterprets it with shining eyes. 「Kim Dogeza. I never knew you could be named like this in Korea.」
While Dokja is unimpressed at his name being mistaken for a Japanese formal apology, Michio moves on and asks where Yoosung has gone. Dokja lies and tells him that he only found him once he arrived, and at Michio's downcast look, states that he must be devastated to find his allies dead. Michio snaps up angrily, calling them bastards out loud before going quiet and mentally beating himself up for being unable to stand against them himself even though he thinks they deserved to die.
Dokja looks back at his expression while the sponsors of the two dead incarnations complain. Dokja says that he guesses that the Japanese mostly have Yōkai as constellation sponsors. Michio explains that it's not an absolute trend, but that many have been contracting with them as of late. His thoughts and verbal answer explain that this is an occurrence that has come to pass since Izumi's disappearance.
Kim Dokja found himself staring at the screen in disbelief. His first name wasn't difficult to pronounce, right? It was two syllables, and simple ones at that! Dok-ja. Where the hell did Michio Shoji pull that third syllable from?
"Dogeza," Yoo Sangah whispered in disbelief. "How did he even arrive at that conclusion?"
[many constellations are greatly amused by the name 'kim dogeza'.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is trying to hold back a laugh.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is snickering at the current events.]
Kim Dokja groaned, "He's going to be calling me that for the rest of the scenario, isn't he?"
That was just his luck. Ugh, why did this always have to happen to him, damn it?
"Gotta admit, it's hilarious as fuck though," Han Sooyoung teased with a large grin on her face.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the misfortune of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Hyung, why are you lying about where she is?" Lee Gilyoung wondered when Kim Dokja began pretending that he hadn't seen Shin Yoosung anywhere. "And where is she?"
That was… a good question, actually. It made sense to hide her from the other man since he wouldn't want to put her at risk in any way, but Kim Dokja wasn't sure where she could be hidden. Maybe she had ended up in one of his pockets?
"So they really weren't friends in the first place," Lee Seolhwa observed as Michio Shoji started talking badly about the two now-deceased incarnations. It was a shame that he hadn't been able to stand up against them himself, but at least that had meant that Shin Yoosung had gotten the opportunity to test out her training with Yoo Sangah.
[several constellations are confused about the trend in the 'tokyo dome'.]
So, he was right to be suspicious. The fact that this had only started after Izumi had apparently disappeared… that wasn't good. Judging by the look of concern that Yoo Joonghyuk shot his way, the protagonist was well aware of it too.
Dokja uses this as an opportunity to ask about Izumi, which prompts Michio to introduce the man with a layer of praise before stating that he was the King of Tokyo and the leader of the first batch, as well as the fact that he's being sponsored by a powerful constellation. Dokja asks what happened, only for Michio to bring up [Miniaturization], and Dokja responds that he's seen it, but that it seems as though the Japanese incarnations have known about it for a while. Michio explains that some of the early participants must have taken the side of the locals, which prompts Dokja to ask if Izumi was one of them.
Michio shakes his head, stating he doesn't know as it's been more than a week since they lost contact, even with their interdimensional carrier pigeon. As he talks about it, a flashback of the pigeon coming to him plays. He explains that their last message was conflicting, telling them both to not kill the little people as well as to kill them.
Dokja hums and wonders why the two messages were sent. Michio sighs and holds his arms up as he shrugs, explaining he has no idea, so he came to find out. He explains that his plan was to follow the tracks of the pigeon to see if there is a clue. Suddenly he pauses, worrying about whether telling Dokja is a good idea, fearing that he could be some unknown villain, especially since they're technically from different factions.
Jung Heewon hummed thoughtfully as they listened to Michio Shoji excitedly describe Izumi. "He seems pretty strong, so how did he end up going missing?"
That was an excellent question, and Kim Dokja was honestly pretty concerned about what that could entail. Also, calling Izumi's sponsor just a 'powerful constellation' was doing him a disservice. There was little doubt that he'd be one of the most powerful sponsors in the Shinto pantheon, as well.
"Wait a moment," Yoo Sangah muttered, looking thoughtful, "is he implying that Izumi could have turned small as well?"
It was possible, but considering the Japanese man's response to the question when Kim Dokja asked exactly that, they had no way of proving it. Damn.
[several constellations are wondering what happened to the incarnation 'izumi hiroki'.]
"Ahjussi, do you think I could tame some of those pigeons later?" Shin Yoosung wondered thoughtfully. "It would be helpful to communicate with Sangah-unnie and Heewon-unnie if the group message doesn't work here!"
That was an excellent idea, actually. They were likely going to end up on bad terms with the Japanese incarnations in the end anyway, so it probably wouldn't cause too many extra problems if she tamed one that she stumbled across.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is confused by the conflicting messages.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' believes that the bad message is meant to lead the incarnations astray.]
"That's strange," Yoo Joonghyuk muttered with narrowed eyes, and Kim Dokja had to agree. Was it sabotage? Had the first group split into a faction of incarnations who wanted to complete the scenario as disasters, and another of incarnations who didn't want to do that?
Following the tracks was a good clue as well, and it was their best chance at potentially finding Izumi. Still, Kim Dokja had to laugh awkwardly at the way Michio Shoji began panicking over whether or not he should have said anything. It was too late now, wasn't it?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is snickering at the thoughts of the incarnation 'michio shoji'.]
Sweating heavily from nerves, Michio gulps before asking Dokja what he thinks about killing the little people for the sake of their own survival in the most level voice he can muster. Dokja states that while there is a point to attack for their own survival, doing so would make them no different from the disasters which attacked Earth. Michio's eyes widen as he looks into the galaxy-filled gaze across from his own. 「A man with a gaze as deep as Izumi's. If it's him, then surely…」
"Ooh, he's trying to test your morals," Han Sooyoung said with a teasing tone. "Honestly, it's smart of him since—as far as he knows—you have no connection to the girl who fucked up the other guys, and you randomly showed up out of nowhere."
Okay, that was a good point—not that he'd ever tell Han Sooyoung that he thought so.
[the constellation 'master of steel' believes in the importance of protecting the weak.]
Precisely, and Kim Dokja absolutely had to make sure that he succeeded here. There was so much riding on this single scenario, after all. There was no way he would take a chance like that.
"I just hope that puts him at ease," Kim Dokja sighed, and then found a small smile creeping across his lips when Michio Shoji seemed to decide to trust him. It was interesting to be compared to someone like Izumi, though, since Kim Dokja really didn't think they were alike at all.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is curious about the thoughts of the incarnation 'michio shoji'.]
A sudden message from Yoosung startles Dokja so badly that he jolts and it disrupts [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] level 2. As Yoosung apologizes for making him jump, Dokja mentally reminds himself of her existence in his coat pocket since he was too focused on his skill. The two continue to discuss Michio's survival as the man in question happily chatters away about whatever subject jumps to his mind.
In TWSA, Michio Shoji was only a minor side character mentioned in passing. Someone who lived an ordinary life, which could be summed up in just a few pages.
Dokja and Yoosung continue their discussion, turning philosophical about what can be considered ordinary anymore, explaining that the man beside them who seems ordinary could very well be the embodiment of a disaster to someone else. Completely unaware of the chat conversation, Michio grins widely while happily skipping along down the path towards their destination.
Kim Dokja flinched, just like his future self, when Shin Yoosung suddenly messaged him. "Oh god, that surprised me."
At the very least, there was the confirmation that she was safe in his pocket.
"Oh my god," Lee Jihye whispered in awe before the pitch of her voice seemed to go up an octave, "she's pocket-sized!"
Well, yes? She was, quite literally, in his pocket.
"Ha," Shin Yoosung said in a gloating tone, looking at Lee Gilyoung with superiority, "I got to ride in ahjussi's pocket and you didn't!"
Lee Gilyoung scowled at her. "Just wait, I'll have my turn too!"
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the face of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Sorry if he was exhausted. Those kids were great, but god their bickering could get a bit overwhelming at times.
It was just a pocket, why did they care so much?
Yoo Joonghyuk looked over at Kim Dokja curiously. "He's a named character too?"
Huh, right… Honestly, he was so irrelevant that Kim Dokja actually had to sit and think for a moment for the information to come back to him. "Well, sort of?"
"What do you mean by that, ahjussi?" Yoo Mia wondered, looking up at him expectantly.
"I think his name showed up once or twice because someone else mentioned him, but that's about it?"
Jung Heewon's face twisted into a complicated expression. "I don't know if I should feel bad for him for literally being a side character, or if I should feel bad that he was mentioned more than I was?"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is reassuring her incarnation that she is cooler than the incarnation 'michio shoji'.]
"Thanks Uriel," Jung Heewon laughed good-naturedly.
[constellations who like philosophy are pondering the conversation between the incarnations 'shin yoosung' and 'kim dokja'.]
No one was ordinary anymore, and they all knew it. After all, before the apocalypse, Kim Dokja might as well have been the very definition of 'ordinary', and now he was here fighting alongside the protagonist of this world.
Perhaps Michio Shoji was the same, in a sense. Maybe, beneath this happy-go-lucky exterior, there was potential just waiting to blossom.