"That's four!" Lee Hyunsung said excitedly as soon as everyone processed that Goryeo's First Sword had really just voiced his support. It was baffling, especially considering the conflict that had almost started earlier, but maybe he had backtracked on the whole bowing to the fable-grades thing after Kim Dokja had declared his intention to create a nebula rather than succeeding any stories.
Kim Dokja, for his part though, was feeling more and more anxious. Since they had four out of five, if even a single constellation changed their mind and decided to support them as well, then he'd actually have a nebula to lead. Shit.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is leaning forward in anticipation.]
With the precedent of 'Goryeo's First Sword' declaring that he'll support the nebula, the other historical-grade constellations—including 'Maritime War God' and 'Bald General of Justice'—rush to declare their own support, causing the dokkaebi to speak up in an attempt to organize things. Before anything can be done, however, a crisp ding rings out as a certain indirect message appears in front of Dokja.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' has given his support to your nebula.]
… Huh? Secretive Plotter? Just where is he?
As Dokja looks around frantically in an attempt to find the elusive constellation, the scene shifts to show one of the chandeliers. The flame, having previously stood strong, starts to waver as the clinks of the crystals begin to create a melody from subtle movements. Abruptly, the chandelier shakes violently as a loud rumble erupts above the building.
… Could it be?
Now that a single historical-grade constellation had decided to step up, it seemed as though the others were far less hesitant. Kim Dokja died a bit inside as multiple other constellations hurriedly declared that they would also support the creation of the nebula. That was definitely more than five.
"This is so cool, hyung!" Lee Gilyoung exclaimed with wide and eager eyes. "I can be the leader with you, right?"
Fuck, he looked so excited. Kim Dokja tried to sound as gentle as he could as he said, "Gilyoung-ah, leading something like that is very boring, you know. It's an adult job."
Unfortunately, the kid was more stubborn than he expected. "I don't care! It won't be boring if you're there!"
[several constellations are praising the sense of responsibility of the incarnation 'lee gilyoung'.]
[constellations who like children are reminding the incarnation 'lee gilyoung' that he doesn't need to grow up too fast.]
"I will be the co-leader," Yoo Joonghyuk stated all of a sudden, looking over at Lee Gilyoung with a challenging gaze. "Kim Dokja said it himself—it will be our nebula."
Well, that was true, but why did it seem like the protagonist was picking a fight with an eleven-year-old? Kim Dokja watched in horror as the two of them glared at each other for a moment, and Shin Yoosung even joined in to support Lee Gilyoung's side. It was nice that they weren't arguing with each other, but was this really the way that had to happen? Honestly, Kim Dokja was a bit worried that the kids would start crying if Yoo Joonghyuk glared any harder.
Before that could happen, however, a surprising indirect message popped up in front of his future self, and Kim Dokja felt his breath catch in his throat. The Secretive Plotter was supporting the nebula too…?
[the eyes of the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' are widening in surprise.]
Wait, if he was able to do that, then he had to be at the banquet somewhere. Kim Dokja tried his best to push away the stinging feeling of disappointment at the realization that one of his longest supporters hadn't even approached him. Was that message about wanting to meet just a lie?
He looked carefully at the constellations in the banquet hall who were pictured on the screen, wondering which one could potentially be the Secretive Plotter in disguise. He didn't even know what floor the constellation would be on, so with a few exceptions, he could be literally anyone there.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is smiling in satisfaction.]
However, as the ceiling began to shake, another possibility crossed Kim Dokja's mind. What if the constellation hadn't approached him before because he had only just arrived. In that case, that would mean…
"Ahjussi, what's going on?" Shin Yoosung wondered fearfully, now that the kids had seemingly given up on trying to intimidate the protagonist out of his role in the nebula. Unsurprisingly, it hadn't worked.
"The banquet is getting crashed," he replied simply, trying to avoid paying too much attention to the way his heartbeat sped up in anxiety and anticipation. Had his musings from way back in the fifth scenario actually been right?
Lee Seolhwa frowned subtly. "That's rather rude."
Kim Dokja almost wanted to laugh. The crashers in question didn't care about being rude at all, and their biggest problem now would be making it out of the banquet unscathed. It was as good of a distraction as they were going to get, really.
Dokja's gaze shoots upwards, ignoring the message that he's gained the permit for creating a temporary nebula, as a vortex forms in place of the ceiling. Probability crackles viciously as tentacles adorned with grotesque teeth at the ends start to emerge from the center of the Great Hole. What Dokja was waiting for had finally happened—the banquet is over, now that the Outer Gods have arrived and begun sowing panic among the constellations. Angrily, Manu rushes forwards to ask why the Outer Gods dared to come.
[W H Y… D I D N ' T Y O U I N V I T E U S ?]
The creature with many teeth speaks and, when its terrible voice echoes throughout the banquet hall, hands quickly smack over Joonghyuk's and Dokja's ears as Uriel and Persephone rush to their sides to protect them from the Outer God's true voice. In a motherly tone, Persephone explains that the party's over and that it's time for the two incarnations to return. In a much bubblier tone, Uriel exclaims that she'll see them again with a wide smile on her face.
[many constellations are greatly alarmed by the appearance of the 'outer gods'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is fretting worriedly about the safety of the incarnations.]
"Oh fuck," Han Sooyoung breathed as she stared at the horrors beginning to emerge from the hole.
Oh fuck was right. Even though Kim Dokja expected this to happen, that didn't make it any less terrifying to experience. It was unbelievably dangerous to be this close to an Outer God, especially this early in the scenarios, and all the incarnations would have to get out of there as soon as possible if they didn't want to die.
Jung Heewon shuddered. "They look disgusting, ugh."
"Their voices are uh… not very pleasant either," Lee Hyunsung muttered as a shiver ran down his spine. Even under these circumstances, he was being oddly polite.
When the Outer God demanded to know why they weren't invited, however, Lee Jihye scoffed. "Gee, I wonder why. Maybe it's because the humans will literally die."
Also the fact that Outer Gods and constellations were fundamentally opposing forces. They would never knowingly invite their enemies, after all.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is pleased to see the quick response from the constellations 'demon-like judge of fire' and 'queen of the darkest spring'.]
Thank goodness for the two of them. With their interference, Kim Dokja could be reassured that both he and Yoo Joonghyuk would get out of this situation relatively unscathed.
Yoo Sangah let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for helping so quickly. We definitely didn't want to find out what would happen if Dokja-ssi died as a soul."
Hey, he didn't exactly want to find that one out either.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is looking forward to fighting off the 'outer gods'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is complaining that he is missing out on a fun battle.]
Golden spheres of light formed from the constellations' power appear around the two men, intended to transport them back to their scenario area and far away from the battle that would soon take place in the banquet hall. However, the Outer God with its many eyes drawn in a glitchy black and white art style looks at them faster than they can escape. Just as its disconnected jaws rush forward, the two orbs disappear, and Uriel screams Dokja's name as the screen goes dark.
Without any visuals at all, the Outer God's eerie voice resounds throughout the room. [WHO ARE YOU? ONE WHO ISN'T RECORDED IN THE WHEEL OF TIME. DON'T TELL ME… ████… AT LAST, THE FINAL STORY IS ABOUT TO BEGIN…]
"You'll be back safely soon, at least," Lee Hyunsung said in a positive tone. He was always good at looking on the bright side, and Kim Dokja had faith in those two constellations to get them out of the banquet hall unscathed.
However, as the Outer God turned its attention onto them, Kim Dokja felt the kids' grips on his sleeves tighten. He sucked in a breath too as the Outer God lunged towards him, and the kids froze in terror.
"Kim Dokja!" Yoo Joonghyuk hissed, gritting his teeth as he glared viciously at the screen. The fact that Uriel screamed his name too didn't bode well, and Kim Dokja didn't even know what he could say.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking suspiciously at the 'outer god'.]
"Ahjussi, you'll be okay, right?" Yoo Mia asked fearfully, clutching onto her brother even as she looked at Kim Dokja. "What's going on?"
He had to be honest with her because it would be obvious if he wasn't. "I don't know."
As the Outer God began speaking in the darkness, Kim Dokja shivered. What was it talking about? Why did it sound so ominous?
[the constellations of the nebula 'olympus' are discussing these words amongst themselves.]
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is feeling incredibly suspicious of the words spoken by the 'outer god'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Not recorded in the wheel of time? The final story? The fuck does that mean?" Han Sooyoung muttered as she narrowed her eyes at the screen. "Is it because you're the one person at that banquet who wasn't a character or some shit?"
Kim Dokja bit his lip and looked down. "I don't know that either. It's possible that me not being from TWSA explains the wheel of time bit, but the final story thing is confusing me."
For some reason, did these Outer Gods seem to think that Kim Dokja would reach the end of the scenarios? If so, why would they think that to begin with? It was all too confusing, but Kim Dokja hoped that he could set that conundrum aside for now and focus on whatever would happen after he and Yoo Joonghyuk returned to Seoul.
The dark skies of Seoul come back into focus shortly after the voice dissipates. Soon, new voices start discussing whether they've arrived at the right place—one that the 'Naval Commander' and 'Pure Steel' frequent. Panning down, the scene reveals them to be grave robbers discussing the 'grave of a hero' where they are, though one of the group members scoffs and remarks that he wouldn't have died so easily if he was a real hero. Their conversation reveals that Dokja's group has gone to the Dark Castle as they dig up the coffin, explaining why they aren't overly concerned about being caught.
They plunge their shovels into the earth, already speculating that this hero should have several good items buried with him, and they even go so far as to suggest searching his body in case things are hidden there too. After a while spent digging, they finally come across Dokja's coffin.
Opening the lid with pounding hearts, they see Dokja lying inside, looking no different from the day he was buried. One of the men whistles. "A hero? More like Sleeping Beauty."
"Wait, it's not giving us anything else about those Outer Gods?" Jung Heewon gasped as the scene changed back to a much more familiar location. "I don't care about whoever these random people are; let us get more important information, dammit!"
[many constellations are agreeing vehemently with the incarnation 'jung heewon'.]
Unfortunately for them, the scene didn't change back, and Kim Dokja grimaced as he realized that this random group of people were near his grave. Fuck, they weren't planning on stealing his corpse or something, right?
As the robbers talked more and more shit about Kim Dokja, everyone looked increasingly furious. Kim Dokja felt a bit hurt by some of their comments, but he also didn't care that much about being seen as a hero anyway. He hadn't sacrificed himself with saving Seoul as his primary goal, after all—it had been nothing more than an afterthought, or a convenient side effect of saving Yoo Joonghyuk.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is appalled by the conduct of these incarnations.]
[several constellations are disapproving of the actions of the incarnations.]
Lee Seolhwa pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes dangerously. "They waited to do this until everyone had left for the next scenario? Cowards."
"They mentioned Hyunsung-ssi and Jihye-ga specifically, right? They're clearly afraid of them," Yoo Sangah remarked. "Of course, they should be afraid of any of us regardless."
Jung Heewon crossed her arms over her chest and, narrowing her eyes as she clicked her tongue in irritation, declared, "Then it's settled—Dokja-ssi's graves are getting guards too. We're not going to put up with this bullshit."
Huh…? Seriously? Did she not hear how utterly insane that sounded?
"His grave? Don't think you'll be able to keep him alive?" Han Sooyoung asked dryly, and Kim Dokja was feeling very unamused about the whole thing.
"You said it yourself," Jung Heewon replied, "he'll probably find a way to weasel out of our grasp and end up blowing through his extra lives no matter how hard we try. It's better to be prepared for when it happens instead of being overconfident and thinking that we'll be able to stop him."
Wow.
"Heewon-ssi, I—"
"Dead people don't talk, Dokja-ssi," Yoo Sangah said with that terrifying HR smile again. "You'll get a say in the matter only when you aren't dead anymore."
Betrayal on all fronts.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is entertained by this discussion.]
"I'll tell some beasts to guard ahjussi's grave," Shin Yoosung said in a determined tone. "I'm not gonna let stupid people try and take his stuff."
Kim Dokja was dying a bit inside as he realized that those guys were seriously trying to rob him of whatever he had. Thankfully, he was pretty certain that he wouldn't have anything other than his coat with him, and he wasn't stupid enough to die with full pockets just in case.
As the grave robbers opened the coffin, Kim Dokja winced. It was never any easier seeing his own corpse, unfortunately, no matter how much practice he had by now. At least this time he wasn't still covered in blood, so that was better than the other times. And he actually had an intact corpse, which was a significant improvement from the dragon and disaster of floods.
The air felt tense as the robbers looked inside, only to be broken by a snort from Lee Jihye.
"Ahjussi, you're really not beating the princess accusations—first it was Cinderella, and now it's Sleeping Beauty."
[several constellations are amused by the current events.]
[a constellation who likes to change genders is looking thoughtfully at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is hoping that a kiss of true companionship will awaken the incarnation 'kim dokja' from his slumber.]
A what now?
Han Sooyoung snickered. "Yeah, the shock will bring him right back."
Who wouldn't be shocked by something like that!? He could feel his cheeks going red from the thought alone, but only because it was so ridiculous. Yoo Joonghyuk would never do something like that. Even though they were companions, that would definitely be a step too far out of the protagonist's comfort zone.
"Ahjussi, be grateful that they're not calling you ugly," Yoo Mia said suddenly, making Kim Dokja want to die even more. At this rate, he honestly might prefer that over this senseless teasing!
Without wasting a second, one of the others climbs inside the coffin to attempt to take off Dokja's coat and steal it. However, their plan is stopped in its tracks by something unexpected. The camera angle suddenly changes as Dokja's hand shoots up to grab the would-be robber's shoulder. The three men freeze as they stare at the arm that just moved before all letting out shrill shrieks and running away like penguins with their arses on fire as Dokja sits up in his coffin.
Messages ring out across the city as the Star Stream announces the birth of a new constellation in Seoul's night sky. As people discuss these strange messages around their fires, the scene changes to show a bleeding girl's face as she pants in a red-tinged hallway. Not having time to look at the messages that appear in front of her, Jihye sprints down the hall with an injured Gilyoung on her back as Yoosung keeps an eye out for what's chasing them. Swearing, the teen yells that the constellations aren't important right now, and screams for Yoosung to run.
It has been five days since they entered the first floor of the 'Dark Castle', and Jihye knows that they're in trouble. Even as they avoid the demons' weapons and fight back to the best of their ability, Jihye can only take the kids and run as fast as she can. Unfortunately, Yoosung can't tame the demons in this scenario, and Jihye can't use her stigma in this place either because there's no water.
As the robber literally climbed into his coffin, Kim Dokja's jaw dropped. How rude could these people be, huh!?
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is frustrated.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is greatly disappointed in the thieving incarnations.]
Thankfully, Kim Dokja could let out a breath of relief as he revealed that he wasn't actually dead anymore. Like a wave washing over the entire group, everyone seemed to relax, knowing that he could defend himself. The kids snickered and giggled, and even Yoo Sangah looked entertained by the robbers' reactions.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is cackling at the pathetic robbers.]
"The next scenario has begun," Yoo Joonghyuk said, glancing over at Kim Dokja as he did. "Meet us there."
"Of course I will, you sunfish bastard," Kim Dokja sighed. "I literally just came back to life. Give me a few minutes to figure out what the hell is going on."
At the very least, he was officially a constellation in name, and his star had been born in the sky above Seoul. Before heading off to the next scenario, Kim Dokja was definitely allowed to bask in that feeling, right?
That feeling didn't last long, though—not when the screen suddenly cut to Lee Jihye and the kids, injured and fleeing an unknown enemy. Kim Dokja instantly tensed up, holding the two children closer, and paid the utmost attention to what was going on.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is demanding to know what is happening.]
"Ahjussi," Lee Jihye said shakily, clearly trying to be as confident as she could, "I'll protect them with my life. I promise."
Jihye…
"Jihye-yah," Kim Dokja said quietly yet firmly, "I know that you will, because that's the kind of person that you are. However, you shouldn't have to be in this kind of situation either."
Fuck, where were the others? Why wasn't there an adult with them?
Lee Seolhwa catalogued their injuries quickly, looking over at Lee Gilyoung with a particularly concerned expression, before whispering, "Five days…"
[many constellations are worried for the safety of the children.]
The scene then cuts to show a blood-red light pouring out through a glass window in the shape of an upside down pentagram. It then zooms out to reveal an entire gothic castle floating in midair above the city. This is the Dark Castle, where the ninth scenario is taking place.
Jihye suddenly thinks that she shouldn't have decided to challenge this scenario. After Dokja died, everything fell apart and the group split up. To make matters worse, Joonghyuk had mysteriously vanished as well. She had thought that they could succeed in this scenario, despite the dokkaebi's doubt, and so she had gone in with confidence. Despite the group not working together, everyone had still entered the scenario, and Jihye had thought that—as the strongest ranked incarnations of Seoul—this would be easy.
However, her stigma doesn't work inside Dark Castle, and her skills aren't good enough to do much damage despite being level 7. Her sword had broken a while ago, and Jihye resorts to picking up the weapons from fallen incarnations to keep fighting with the other two kids' skills as backup. Thankfully, Yoosung spots a safe zone that spawns three times per day, and they rush over to it as Gilyoung uses some insects to block an attack and buy them some time.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' thinks that the castle looks super cool.]
Sure, it looked cool aesthetically—a giant, floating, gothic castle—but it was a nightmare of a scenario. Thinking back on it, Kim Dokja cursed under his breath. This was a scenario that excelled at splitting up groups in the twisting labyrinth of halls of the castle's first floor, including groups who entered together. It was beyond lucky that Lee Jihye had been able to find the other two kids inside.
"The group… split up…?" Yoo Sangah gasped, looking confused and concerned all at once. "I'm guessing that Joonghyuk-ssi was gone because of the banquet, but I thought that the rest of us would be able to hold ourselves together better…"
Han Sooyoung looked away awkwardly. Right, she wasn't part of the group at all in the future, and if any of them figured out her role in his death, she wouldn't be getting away unscathed.
[several constellations are scoffing at the overconfidence of the incarnations.]
"You're doing the best you can," Jung Heewon reassured Lee Jihye through clenched teeth as they watched the teenager struggle to fight off the demons, going so far as to grab whatever weapons she could.
Shin Yoosung nodded. "Yeah, and we're doing what we can too, unnie!"
Lee Gilyoung looked a bit upset that he wasn't doing more, but considering that he was injured enough that he had to be carried, he shouldn't be doing anything at all. The fact that he was still commanding any insects by this point was a miracle, and Kim Dokja gently ruffled his hair and offered him a small smile. It seemed to cheer the kid up slightly, but he didn't look great either.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is scowling at the demons.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is glad that the incarnation 'shin yoosung' found a safe zone.]
Finally making it inside the safe zone, Jihye pants heavily as she sits leaning against a wall while grimacing. Beyond the blue barrier that has formed for thirty minutes on the first floor of 'Dark Castle', a range of bizarre creatures watch the cornered trio who will only remain safe until the barrier vanishes. Nervously, Jihye thinks that if it wasn't for these safe zones spawning, the three of them might have already been killed. Jihye asks why the bastard isn't leaving in a frustrated tone, but notes that the real problem is the demon viscount 'Noslocke' just behind the lower level creatures, who resembles a person with the head of a rhino.
Turning to the older girl, Yoosung sounds nervous as she reveals that she has no monsters left to summon. Keeping calm, Jihye states that they have thirty minutes to think. Looking out the window, she laments not having been more careful.
Though they can't leave through the windows due to an enchantment, they can still gaze upon the outside world. Monsters pour from the entrance of the castle, with some falling off the unstable platforms leading up to it. Below, the city lies in shambles as demonic creatures run rampant and infect the incarnations who hadn't been prepared to face them. To make matters worse, many incarnations—including some hwarang and former members of the Salvation Church—resemble zombie-vampire hybrids.
"The barrier has a time limit?" Lee Hyunsung asked worriedly as the three kids made it inside. Clearly, he was desperately wishing that he could be there to help defend them, but there wasn't anything they could do to change what was being shown. When they eventually reached this scenario themselves, they'd have to figure out a way of locating each other because strength in numbers was absolutely something that went far in the Dark Castle.
"It does," Yoo Joonghyuk confirmed with a frown. "They only spawn a specific number of times per day, too."
Right, the barriers on this floor only appeared three times every day, for a total of an hour and a half of safety. It wasn't much at all, so it made locating trustworthy allies even more crucial than ever.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is declaring that seeing children get slaughtered will spoil the wine.]
In other words, Dionysus didn't want to have to watch the kids get killed. Maybe this hidden scenario had endeared them to him, somehow, but it was probably better for the constellations to be fond of them. The kids' survival chances would go up exponentially if they had constellations looking out for them in addition to the adults.
[a few constellations think that the demon viscount 'noslocke' looks ridiculous.]
"He looks stupid," Yoo Mia agreed, and Kim Dokja did too. Some demons had super cool descriptions in TWSA, and Noslocke was not one of them. He got the short end of the stick, really.
However, the air in the room only got more tense as Lee Jihye's thoughts and talk with Shin Yoosung revealed how dire the situation was. They had no backup, no tamed creatures, and no way of escaping other than continuing the scenario.
Han Sooyoung bit back a curse as they looked down upon the chaos in Seoul. "Fuck, it's like a stereotypical zombie apocalypse down there."
Well, the dokkaebi had to force people to enter the big, creepy castle in the sky somehow.
Jihye's fists tighten as she thinks that her survival wasn't due to her own strength, but rather that she was lucky. Banging a hand on the window, she curses before wondering about their other companions and if they've survived, especially since she had been lucky to find Gilyoung and Yoosung by chance inside this maze of darkness. She grits her teeth.
'If only Master was here. No… not Master….' A figure in a white coat appears in her mind before Gilyoung says the exact words that she's thinking: "If only Dokja hyung was here…"
Frowning, Jihye tells the boy to not talk nonsense and sleep since he's hurt. While Gilyoung looks glum, Yoosung speaks up and says that there's no way Dokja is really dead, explaining that she has that feeling. Bluntly, Jihye rebukes that statement and tells them to forget his ugly face since he's dead.
"I really don't understand," the girl says, looking at her feet in confusion. "Everyone looks at ahjussi and says that he's ugly, but exactly what part of him is ugly?"
Lee Jihye gritted her teeth. "I'm gonna work so much harder after this. Master, please give me more training!"
"I will increase your training, but you will not overwork yourself," Yoo Joonghyuk reminded her in a softer tone than usual. It was probably hard on him too, seeing her look like this. Lee Jihye was usually rather carefree, and it was always difficult for Yoo Joonghyuk to watch her slowly lose that in the earlier regressions.
Lee Gilyoung inhaled and then let out a breath. "But you did find us, noona. That's what matters, right?"
"He's right," Lee Seolhwa agreed gently. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is encouraging his incarnation.]
Kim Dokja expected that she would be hoping for Yoo Joonghyuk to be there—who wouldn't—but he was completely blindsided by Lee Jihye's mental image of him appearing all of a sudden. It was less of a surprise when Lee Gilyoung spoke the words out loud, but he was honestly more overcome by relief at the realization that the boy was conscious and aware enough to talk.
Ruffling his hair again, Kim Dokja let out a sigh. "Gilyoung-ah, you really should get some rest in the future if you're ever in this kind of situation. Save your energy."
Though he didn't seem thrilled, Lee Gilyoung relented and muttered a quiet "okay".
[a few constellations are nodding at the words of the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
"Is the feeling because she's your incarnation?" Jung Heewon wondered, and Kim Dokja shrugged. That was definitely a possibility, but it could also just be her refusing to give up hope. Whatever the case, it was nice to know that she was still staying confident in her stance.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is amused by the words of the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
Kim Dokja sighed. Did she really need to call him ugly even then? Wasn't it in bad taste to speak ill of the dead—not that he was dead anymore, but still.
"Sorry, ahjussi," Lee Jihye muttered, "but you're still blurry in the future, and that's not something I like."
Honestly, he couldn't blame her for that part, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt.
Shin Yoosung tugged on his sleeve. "At least I know you're not ugly, right ahjussi?"
"Right," he muttered in return, but he did have to be somewhat concerned. If he was still blurry to her, then was her idolization of him already skewing her perception of beauty? He really hoped that this wasn't setting her tastes up for failure in the future…
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is approving of the words of the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
"Don't waste time thinking about foolish things, Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said suddenly, "or are you not confident in your own face."
Oh that sunfish bastard… was he seriously using the same tactic that Kim Dokja had used on him when it came to his confidence about the fight against Nirvana?
Without thinking, Kim Dokja muttered under his breath. "Not when compared to yours, bastard."
"Huh?" Han Sooyoung said, over exaggerating as she leaned towards him with a hand cupped around her ear. "Didn't quite catch that one."
"I said that it doesn't bother me, fuck off."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is laughing.]