"... A nebula?" Yoo Sangah asked hesitantly, looking over at Kim Dokja with a somewhat worried expression. "But neither of you are affiliated with one…?"
Kim Dokja winced. That was true, yes, and honestly he hadn't been entirely expecting that his future self would say that of all things. Still, with this declaration, the entire banquet would grind to a halt because there would inevitably be at least one constellation who would demand to know if he was qualified.
Han Sooyoung narrowed her eyes. "You're talking bullshit, I just know it."
Well, maybe just a bit. It's not like Kim Dokja was actually planning on forming a nebula here or anything.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is confused.]
"I promise I know what I'm doing," Kim Dokja said, only half lying. He knew the general idea of his own plans, but there's no way he'd be able to guess every single detail this early.
The protagonist gazed at him critically for a moment before sighing and looking back at the screen. It was probably the best show of faith he'd get for the moment, so he'd take it.
Despite trusting Joonghyuk more than anyone else here, Dokja still worries because he's not sure what the protagonist is thinking. If Joonghyuk pulls his hand away, then it would break the united front they're presenting and make all of Dokja's actions useless. Thankfully, Joonghyuk is good at controlling his anger, and seems calmer than before.
Through
Unfortunately, this statement makes the man flinch, but he sighs and sends a message saying that he doesn't know how Dokja knows such things.
"Don't worry, ahjussi," Lee Jihye declared firmly, looking all fired up, "Master is probably very happy right now."
… What world was that girl even living in?
To make matters worse, Kim Dokja was still internally dying over that humiliating discussion from earlier, and having to constantly try to drag his gaze away from where he was holding the protagonist's hand was not helping. They were both the same age—and Kim Dokja was a few months older, even—so why the fuck was Yoo Joonghyuk's hand so big compared to his? This was unfair, dammit!
"Well, he does look calmer now, so you probably just took him by surprise before," Jung Heewon admitted, frowning slightly in confusion as she watched the protagonist's expression relax. Kim Dokja was confused too. Why was he so calm all of a sudden? That was very uncharacteristic of him, really.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is very pleased by this turn of events.]
When Midday Tryst popped up, Kim Dokja had to stop and stare for a moment. He couldn't remember the exact duration of the item, but he could have sworn that it wasn't more than a few weeks. Had it counted the days based on the time in Seoul, then? They had spent a while in Peace Land, after all…
Yoo Joonghyuk made a small huffing noise, one that Kim Dokja wasn't quite sure how to explain but probably meant something like exasperation. "Kim Dokja, worry about more important things."
"You can't blame me for being surprised, Joonghyuk-ah," Kim Dokja replied with as casual of a laugh as he could manage. "You don't seem like the kind of person who texts first, that's all."
In fact, in TWSA, Yoo Joonghyuk rarely used this item. If he had to communicate with someone, he'd usually just save up for [Sound Transmission] and get that one instead. No one could blame Kim Dokja for being surprised by this!
Yoo Mia scoffed. "Ahjussi, you didn't have any friends before the apocalypse, did you?"
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is snickering.]
[a few constellations are pitying the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Though he sputtered a bit, and did his best to ignore Han Sooyoung laughing at his misery like usual, Kim Dokja rolled his eyes. It was a perfectly reasonable assumption to make! Yoo Joonghyuk didn't like people in general, so why the hell would he like talking to people either!?
At the very least, he could sigh as his future self explained the situation through the chat, even though it was extremely weird that Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't acting super pissed off, even in their private chat.
"Dokja-ssi, maybe try to warn us all a bit more before you do things like this…" Lee Hyunsung muttered, sounding very defeated. It made him feel a bit guilty, if Kim Dokja was being honest, but he wasn't about to change his plans just because of that. Sometimes the surprise was necessary for getting authentic reactions, after all.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is curious to know why the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' cannot succeed stories.]
Ah, right. This stupid scenario was about to reveal even that, wasn't it?
Even in the original novel, Yoo Joonghyuk doesn't succeed a single fable here. The Regression Constraints—in return for being able to turn back time through death, he's unable to succeed fables from any constellations.
The cogs reappear, clanking along slowly but surely, before they're covered by chains. An ornate lock appears over them as if symbolising the inability to succeed fables.
As Dokja finally drops the protagonist's hand, the dokkaebi asks Joonghyuk if Dokja is telling the truth about the two of them deciding to create a nebula together. After a pause, which has Dokja sweating, Joonghyuk agrees. This statement results in peals of laughter from Persephone on the second floor, and the goddess wipes away the tears that form in her eyes as she compliments Dokja's decision and states that this is why she likes him. Thankfully, some other constellations on the second floor join in, starting to laugh as well—though not all of them are in good faith.
Vedas and Guiok, on the other hand, are much less pleased with this decision. Lost in admiration of her ship, Uriel asks why people are acting like this when they look so good together. The constellations on the first floor look both longing and worried, but 'Goryeo's First Sword' looks rather interested as he stares at them. However, the contempt only rises as some constellations scoff and bring up how beings who have yet to ascend to constellations could be allowed to create a nebula, asking the dokkaebi to comment on this.
[many constellations are flabbergasted by the 'regression constraints'.]
[some constellations are deeply disappointed by this revelation.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing.]
"I'm not sure if that constraint is a good or bad thing for you, Joonghyuk-ssi," Lee Seolhwa admitted, and Kim Dokja completely understood where she was coming from. On one hand, it meant that Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't gain further power through other constellations' stories, but on the other, it meant that he had a very valid excuse for avoiding the constellations in the first place.
Shin Yoosung sighed. "They don't know that, right? The constellations, I mean."
Kim Dokja shook his head. "That's right."
"They should have invited me instead," Lee Gilyoung pouted. "The sooty bastard can't even do anything, so why does he get to spend more time with hyung than I do?"
Ah… well, normally incarnations would be invited to these functions by a constellation interested in offering them a story, or by their own constellation. Normally the honour went to some of the strongest incarnations in a particular dome, and in a few regressions, Kim Dokja recalled the entire banquet getting sidetracked if Nirvana had been invited because of their utter fixation on Yoo Joonghyuk.
Kim Dokja patted his head as he let out a sigh. "Gilyoung-ah, I'm sure you'll get to go to another one later."
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is reassuring the incarnations that the constellations enjoy throwing banquets every now and then.]
"See?" Kim Dokja said, smiling softly down at the kids. "You'll get your chance."
However, he couldn't pay too much attention because he had to suck in a breath as Yoo Joonghyuk got asked if he was telling the truth. He was like… 80% sure that the protagonist would agree, but there was always the chance that he'd say no just to spite Kim Dokja.
When the protagonist said that they were, in fact, creating a nebula, Han Sooyoung blinked blankly at the screen. "Shit, he actually agreed?"
Kim Dokja was so unbelievably relieved that it wasn't even funny. He wouldn't be shocked at all if the protagonist was only keeping his cool for now, and would strangle him to get answers or something later on. He could already feel the phantom hands around his neck…
At least Persephone found this funny, he supposed.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is greatly entertained by the current events.]
It was a bit worrying when some of the nebulae didn't look particularly pleased about the whole thing, but that was a risk that Kim Dokja had been willing to take. It was impossible to make everyone happy, especially the constellations who he had already rejected. They'd probably be extremely irritated no matter what he had decided to say, unless it had been an enthusiastic acceptance of their offer.
Yeah, Kim Dokja didn't give a shit about what they thought.
However, as Uriel decided to add her opinion to the mix, Kim Dokja buried his face in his hands. Fuck, he couldn't get that mental image from earlier out of his head at all, and Uriel commenting on how good they looked together was not helping things.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is subtly agreeing.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is muttering that this is ridiculous.]
Because Kim Dokja was busy lamenting everything he had ever imagined, he didn't notice the way that Yoo Joonghyuk's expression softened ever-so-slightly, or the way that his sister sighed while shaking her head. What he did notice, however, was Lee Jihye's excited voice. "You are so right, Uriel-unnie."
She paused for a moment. "Ah, wait, can I even call you that?"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is thrilled by this turn of events.]
Ah, fuck, were Lee Jihye and Uriel teaming up for the ultimate bullshit alliance? That was it, he was so dead. There was no way Kim Dokja would survive whatever they managed to come up with.
[many constellations are wondering about the logistics of this nebula.]
"Oh, so you do have to be a constellation to create a nebula?" Yoo Sangah remarked. "I know that was your goal, Dokja-ssi, but you haven't finished getting all your fables yet, right?"
"That's true," Kim Dokja admitted, "but I'm close enough that the dokkaebi should take it seriously."
Well, even if it got rejected, it wasn't a big deal. Hell, it might be better if it did because Kim Dokja wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of leadership in the first place. That was Yoo Joonghyuk's job, not his.
Scratching his cheek, the dokkaebi explains that Dokja did, in fact, receive the recognition of the Star Stream. With a gesture, the screen prominently displays the fable [King of a Kingless World] before it plays a short video of Dokja destroying the throne. Some constellations who clearly weren't there at the time talk in shock about how the fable was unlocked, and Dokja notices Iris staring at him with blank eyes as he looks around the room.
Not giving them much time to recover from that revelation, the next fable, [One Who Fought Against a Miracle], appears. Seeing him defeat a returnee, some of the fable-grade constellations start to gather around as Sun Wukong, having already seen all of this, casually picks his nose before flicking away the booger and starts balancing a shrunken form of his weapon on his finger. Thankfully, most constellations don't like returnees, so this is a favourable story to them.
As the dokkaebi mentioned him getting recognized, Lee Hyunsung's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, that notification you got before, right?"
Kim Dokja nodded as the screen began playing the scenes of when he gained his fables. "Exactly."
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
Wincing slightly as he remembered the probability storm that breaking the throne had caused, Kim Dokja let out a sigh. "It feels like this happened so long ago."
"I know," Jung Heewon muttered. "I have no idea how long we've even been in this place, but I'm genuinely shocked that my butt hasn't gone numb from sitting for too long."
Well, that was a bit more blunt than how Kim Dokja would have put it, but it was very true. Time felt like an illusion in this room—there was no way of telling what time it was, and they never needed to sleep or eat so everything blurred together. They had been watching for a while, but knowing just how many scenarios they still had ahead of them, Kim Dokja felt a bit nervous. How far would they get before something catastrophic would happen? Would they all make it, or would they lose people along the way? He didn't know.
Without waiting at all, the screen moved on to showing their fight against Myung Ilsang—still complete with the edited-on pants.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is cheering upon seeing the fight.]
"That guy sucked," Yoo Mia muttered in disdain, and Kim Dokja had to agree. At the very least, this was a fable that would get him bonus points with the constellations since they generally weren't too fond of returnees or disasters in the first place.
[many constellations are gleefully remembering that victory.]
When the screen showed Sun Wukong doing his thing, however, Shin Yoosung scrunched up her nose. "That's a bit gross…"
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is sticking a finger in his ear.]
Yeah, but that was just how Sun Wukong was, unfortunately.
When the fable, [One who Showed Contempt for a Streamer] begins to show the absolutely one sided beating of Paul, the screen is quickly shut down as the dokkaebi panics a bit. From the stairs, rambunctious laughter rings out as 'Goryeo's First Sword' calls Dokja crazy. Dokja is rather surprised himself, not having expected to gain a fable for something like that because his only intention had been to get revenge for 41st Yoosung.
Soon, the screen reappears with the fable [One who Hunted the King of Disasters], and after Dokja is shown defeating Yamata no Orochi's shadow, the screen stops on the message acknowledging Dokja's status. Seeing all these things, both constellations and incarnations break out into whispers, with some of the constellations feeling slightly threatened by this fact.
The dokkaebi cuts off the chatter by explaining that Dokja will soon rise to be a constellation, mentioning the possibility of a 'Fifth Fable'. It's extremely unusual for someone to gather this many legendary stories this early in the scenarios—especially before the 10th scenario.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is pleased by the reminder of the beating of the dokkaebi 'paul'.]
Ah… so that was one of his fables too?
Everyone snickered as the dokkaebi on the screen panicked and hurried to get it off the screen as quickly as possible. While Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't laughing, per se, he definitely had an amused quirk of his lips. Paul really deserved that one.
"Holy shit, I didn't think you'd get a story from that," Han Sooyoung wheezed. "I bet that no one has ever done something that crazy before."
Unfortunately not. Maybe in their future, Kim Dokja would try to skew things specifically so Yoo Joonghyuk could get the satisfaction and catharsis from punching a dokkaebi too. Hm, that sounded like a good idea, actually. The protagonist would definitely appreciate it, and maybe some goodwill would be required after that absolute disaster of a conversation from earlier.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is glad to see an evildoer get punished.]
Yoo Sangah giggled a bit. "Dokja-ssi, I'm glad that you had no ulterior motives while doing that, to be honest. However, it's nice to see that you were rewarded for it nonetheless."
That was true, and he couldn't say he was upset by it at all. It had gotten him one step closer to his goal, as well as getting him as much closure as possible. Shin Yoosung cuddled up a bit closer to his side, and whispered another small 'thank you'. All he could do was hug her just a bit closer in response, and hope that she'd eventually stop feeling guilty about it too.
Lee Jihye shuddered a bit as soon as the fight from Peace Land popped up on the screen, even though they all knew it would be coming. It was the source of his fourth fable, and it was absolutely an accomplishment that hadn't been expected by anyone in the Star Stream.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is once again congratulating the incarnation 'kim dokja' on his accomplishments.]
It was a bit intimidating to see that the constellations were paying so much attention to him, but it was balanced out by the vindication that Kim Dokja felt at the knowledge that they were feeling threatened. Good. They deserved to panic every once in a while.
Lee Seolhwa's eyes widened in realization. "Dokja-ssi, could your fifth fable come from your resurrection?"
He nodded, since that was almost a guarantee. When he came back to life, he'd very likely come back as a constellation.
"Good," Lee Gilyoung huffed. "It's gonna be awesome."
"Hey, did someone really become a constellation in the novel too?" Han Sooyoung asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously at Kim Dokja. "I sure as fuck didn't know about this."
Well, the cat was out of the bag anyway, what was the harm?
"Yeah," Kim Dokja admitted with a shrug, "but it was way later in the scenarios during his 1274th regression. I think it was an incarnation who started out in the Paris dome because Joonghyuk-ie only met him in passing. Most sponsor-less incarnations don't survive long enough to gather that many stories anyway, so it's not shocking that this wasn't common."
[many constellations are curious about the stories of the unknown incarnation.]
Manu declares that, while he'll acknowledge Dokja's status, he won't acknowledge the nebula. He first tries to take the approach of questioning whether Dokja can even pay the fee to establish one. When resident capitalist Dokja blandly states that he has enough, Manu states they must first confirm that he does have the coins instead of taking him at his word. However, Manu moves on to asking who will support the nebula, explaining that at least five constellations need to support the creation for a nebula to be established. Looking down on Dokja, he makes one final statement, [Which constellations have given their support to you?]
Before Dokja can answer, he then asks if they even have a name for their nebula either. When Dokja glances over at Joonghyuk and quietly says that the nebula's name is 'Kim Dokja's Company', Joonghyuk pushes the smaller man out of the way to declare that they don't have a name yet, and that they'll try to gain supporters now. As Dokja nurses his throbbing shoulder, Joonghyuk asks if there are any constellations willing to support them.
Kim Dokja rolled his eyes as Manu continued being difficult. It's not like he wanted the constellation's approval in the first place anyway, and even if he was genuinely trying to make a nebula and not stall for time, he had plenty of other constellations that he could count on instead.
[constellations who love capitalism are greatly amused by the doubt of the constellation 'founder of humanity'.]
Yoo Mia rolled her eyes. "I don't know how much this stuff costs, but ahjussi is stupid rich anyway so he's probably fine."
Aww, how sweet of her to have faith in him, even if it was only faith in his wallet. Everyone had to start somewhere, after all. Still, the problem of gaining supporters still remained if he wanted to keep up this ruse for long enough for the banquet to get interrupted.
Lee Hyunsung looked rather determined, and he turned to Kim Dokja with an eager grin. "Dokja-ssi, I'm confident that enough constellations will support the two of you!"
Why did Kim Dokja have the sinking feeling that he might be right? His reputation was supposed to be terrible, but there were clearly a decent number of constellations who seemed to like him. Kim Dokja didn't actually want to lead a nebula, but as he glanced around at the rest of the group, almost everyone looked confident and excited about the idea.
Shit.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is curious about what the nebula will be called.]
Fuck, Kim Dokja had never been good at naming things. It's not like he ever had any practice as a kid.
As his future self hesitantly suggested a name, Kim Dokja braced himself for the criticism that would inevitably come. However, the kids tugged on his sleeves instead.
"Ahjussi, I like it!" Shin Yoosung declared excitedly.
Lee Gilyoung nodded. "It's good because the sooty bastard's name isn't in it."
… That certainly wasn't the intention, though.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' thinks that the name is stupid.]
Of course he did, and it wasn't a surprise either when Han Sooyoung grimaced. "That's a shitty name. It should be something better."
"Like you could do better," he muttered under his breath, but apparently she heard him anyway.
"I'm a top-tier author, of course I can do better, you ass!" Crossing her arms over her chest, Han Sooyoung grinned widely. "Han Sooyoung's Corporation sounds much better, don't you think?"
Lee Jihye stared at her for a moment. "Ahjumma, that's basically the same thing, though."
Han Sooyoung gasped in offense. "No it isn't! It has my name in it, which means it's automatically catchier than his!"
"No," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly, narrowing his eyes at her. "The name will come later. It's impractical to waste time bickering when the nebula hasn't been created yet."
Joonghyuk-ah, why does it sound like you actually want to create this nebula, huh?
[several constellations are curious to see who will support the creation of the nebula.]
When the historical-grade constellations stay silent, some of the fable-grades start to laugh mockingly before Manu starts to call this a waste of time. His eyes go wide and his words trail off when a dainty hand lifts and Persephone declares that the Underworld will support their nebula. When Manu shouts her name accusingly, she asks if he has a problem with her making her own decisions. He can't say anything because even though Vedas is strong, he can't match up to Persephone on his own.
Manu is forced to turn in another direction when Sun Wukong also voices his support, now picking his ear with the Ruyi Bang while looking bored and irritated. Pushing for clarification, Manu's mouth drops open as the Monkey King simply ignores him to blow away the ear wax instead.
The sound of wings opening in a whoosh of feathers is then heard as Uriel rushes forward, waving her hand in the air as the angels behind her facepalm and look extremely exasperated. [I'm sorry, scribe! I'm supporting them as well! I will also give you the name for your nebula! The name of the nebula is 'Forbidden… mpmph!]
When the room was silent, Kim Dokja didn't know why everyone looked so shocked. Vedas was a powerful nebula, and it was extremely unlikely that even the friendly historical constellations would risk getting on their bad side over something as trivial as this.
"What…?" Jung Heewon muttered in confusion. "But Dokja-ssi was so popular!"
"It's not that simple, Heewon-ssi," Kim Dokja replied after a moment. "Even I don't know all the details of constellation politics, but they're definitely a factor here. Also, only the constellations who are at the banquet can vote, so while I do have some supporters there, it's possible that some constellations who would give their support simply aren't around."
Like the Secretive Plotter. He didn't seem afraid of the nebulae at all, and had been a consistent supporter from the very first scenario. Unfortunately, the chances were that he wasn't at the banquet since he hadn't approached Kim Dokja at all.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is feeling embarrassed.]
[the constellation 'master of steel' is expressing regret that he is not in attendance.]
However, before Kim Dokja could console everyone and remind them that they could always try again at another time (not that he necessarily would unless he'd need a nebula for a plan in the future), Persephone raised her hand to offer the backing of the Underworld. Kim Dokja's jaw dropped, having not expected that at all.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is hoping to see more amusing things from the incarnation 'kim dokja' in the future.]
With the goddess seemingly breaking the dam, and shutting up Vedas in the process, Kim Dokja found himself even more baffled as Sun Wukong voiced his support as well.
"Monkey ahjussi, I knew we could count on you!" Lee Gilyoung exclaimed with a wide grin.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is picking his nose.]
Kim Dokja really shouldn't have been surprised when Uriel decided to step forward, but he had to be impressed by her guts. Judging by her apologies to Metatron, she absolutely hadn't asked permission first, and she was doing this independently. At the very least, she wasn't pledging the support of Eden the way Persephone had with the Underworld, because she most definitely would have gotten in trouble if she had.
Jung Heewon let out a joyful laugh. "You're awesome, Uriel!"
Unfortunately, she wasn't done.
"A name for the nebula?" Lee Seolhwa wondered, looking rather curious. "Maybe it'll be something poetic…"
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is burying her face in her hands.]
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is staring intently at the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is hiding behind her wings.]
'Forbidden…'? Forbidden what? She wasn't trying to subtly name them after Eden's 'Forbidden Fruit', right?
Yoo Joonghyuk's brow twitched slightly, but he didn't seem to pay it much thought, which was probably the right course of action anyway. Kim Dokja could ignore the giggles and sideways glances that the women were sending his way, and he could absolutely ignore Lee Jihye congratulating her Uriel-unnie for such a great idea.
This was fine.
In order to stop Uriel from finishing her words, a few of the ninth-rank angels rush forward to cover the archangel's mouth, cutting off her questionable intentions. Dokja and Joonghyuk look surprised yet thankful for her support before they look over the crowd for any others. When no one speaks up, too nervous about challenging Manu, Joonghyuk uses
When the protagonist shoots him a confused look, Dokja just looks up towards the ceiling seriously as he remembers that this banquet has a determined ending in TWSA. Before what he's waiting for happens, however, another voice speaks up. [I, 'Goryeo's First Sword', will support their nebula.]
His eyes widening in surprise at the unexpected interruption, Dokja's gaze immediately finds the smirking soldier sitting on the steps.
At the very least, before Uriel could get herself in any more trouble, some of the other angels cut her off. Han Sooyoung looked disappointed, probably sad that there wouldn't be more chaos or something, but she relaxed a bit after Yoo Sangah whispered something to her.
[several constellations are very entertained by the commotion caused by the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
As dubious as it was, Kim Dokja still appreciated the vote of confidence from her. They definitely wouldn't be using that name, though—he didn't want any direct links to Eden if he could help it.
"Just two more…" Yoo Sangah whispered, clenching her hand into a fist. "Anyone…?"
But no one said anything, and Kim Dokja could feel the excitement slowly dying. Well, it's not like it bothered him anyway, even if it would suck if everyone else was feeling down because of failing.
When his messages with Yoo Joonghyuk popped up on the screen, though, Lee Hyunsung shot him a curious glance. "You were just buying time? Is there a time limit for story succession?"
That would make sense, especially if he was just trying to avoid having to respond to anyone, but that wasn't the case. Everyone only looked more confused as Kim Dokja mentioned that this banquet had a predetermined ending, and he was fairly certain that no one would be able to guess what would happen in advance. It was pretty chaotic, after all.
"No; you'll see what I mean soon," Kim Dokja said with a shrug.
[many constellations are disappointed by this turn of events.]
All of a sudden, though, another voice cut through the tense silence. In a surprising twist, a fourth constellation did speak up, and it wasn't one of the historical-grades who he would have suspected. Rather than it being Lee Sunsin, Samyeongdang, Queen Jinsong, or even Kim Yushin, the constellation who had spoken was Goryeo's First Sword.
[the constellation 'goryeo's first sword' is laughing loudly.]