[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is desperately hoping that her incarnation will be okay.]
As much as Kim Dokja wanted to reassure her, he knew that he couldn't. Min Jiwon wasn't a fighter, and though her hwarang could defend her well enough, they wouldn't stand a chance against someone of that caliber. This was going to be a massacre.
Looking over the corpses of the hwarang, Tentacio remarks that they'd be equal in strength to Grade 5 Demon Species at best. When he notices Jiwon struggling to push herself onto her knees, he walks over and seems impressed that she's closer to being a Grade 4. His smile turns positively demented as he realizes that she has a sponsor, wondering if Jiwon's 'story' will be delicious since she has a strong gaze.
Lifting her chin, he asks where they've come from, cutting off her attempt at refusing by lifting up one of the surviving Hwarang to crush his head before her eyes. As the sickening crunch rings out and gore splatters everywhere, Jiwon screams out the answer that they're from Earth.
When he proceeds to ask about who has the most fables, Jiwon shows clear confusion, so Tentacio scoffs before rewording his question. "Who is the strongest incarnation amongst you?"
"Oh god," Lee Seolhwa gasped in horror as the screen filled with corpses. Just as Kim Dokja had expected, none of them had been able to do anything.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is enjoying the carnage.]
Not the time.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is furious with the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon'.]
"Wait, Jiwon-ssi is still alive!" Lee Hyunsung called out, pointing to her as she struggled to get up. She was clearly injured, but she had been protected until there was no one left to do so. Their sacrifice had meant her survival, and Kim Dokja found himself frowning. Though Tentacio was calling her the equivalent to a grade 4, that didn't mean much when she was focused more on support and crowd control. Without her army at her disposal, the King of Beauty was completely vulnerable.
Shin Yoosung shuddered nervously. "He wants to eat her story…?"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is protesting the injustice.]
As Tentacio tried getting information out of Min Jiwon, Han Sooyoung tsked. "Don't give him shit."
Well, it's not like knowing where she was from would give the demon much to work with, but it was the principle of the thing. However, as though anticipating that she'd refuse, the demon crushed one of her subordinate's heads right in front of her.
Yoo Mia whimpered, hiding her face in her brother's coat, as Shin Yoosung gagged at the horrific sight. It was disgusting in every way possible, and even Kim Dokja felt a bit sick without [The Fourth Wall] to make him basically immune to it. As he glanced down, though, he noticed that Lee Gilyoung was completely unfazed. The kid was still glaring intently at the screen, and Kim Dokja had to wonder if his sheer hatred of Tentacio was overriding any kind of normal response to this situation. That was kind of worrying, if it was true.
Han Sooyoung shuddered. "Nevermind, that's fucking revolting."
Yeah, but hopefully Min Jiwon wouldn't give the demon anything actually useful. The fact that they were from Earth wasn't a big deal—it's not like Tentacio actually knew anything about Earth to begin with.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
Kim Dokja paled slightly as Tentacio demanded to know who had the most stories among them. Fuck, he didn't want to deal with a demon like that!
"Ahjussi, are you gonna be okay? I mean, you're a constellation now so it's probably fine, but…" Lee Jihye trailed off, looking anxious as she glanced back and forth between Kim Dokja and the demon on the screen.
"No," Yoo Sangah whispered, her eyes going wide. "It's not Dokja-ssi."
Jung Heewon cocked her head to the side, confused. "But he was the strongest in Seoul…?"
Turning to look at the other woman, Yoo Sangah grimaced. "But as far as Jiwon-ssi knows, Dokja-ssi is dead."
… Right. While there was the chance that her sponsor had told her that he wasn't dead anymore, she also had no way of knowing for sure that he was alive or even in the castle to begin with. Nirvana had been second, but they had been… eaten.
Kim Dokja's eyes widened. That just left—
Not even a second later, he turned to stare at Yoo Joonghyuk in disbelief. She'd send Tentacio to Yoo Joonghyuk. That was the only reasonable conclusion.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is wondering what the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' will do.]
Yoo Joonghyuk, however, looked completely unfazed and unimpressed, only raising a single questioning brow in return as he noticed Kim Dokja's bafflement. The bastard was that confident already, huh? Goddamn protagonist powers…
Well, he deserved to struggle every once in a while too.
The scene then cuts back to poor Yongpal awkwardly watching Sooyoung and Dokja bicker over the symbolic answer to what the 'scenario' is. Their argument is cut off when a demon rushes to attack Yongpal, which Dokja handles easily through the use of his 'status' as a constellation to scare it away.
Sooyoung remarks that it's nice that it makes things easy, but that the constellations don't seem to be too happy. Learning the true meaning of being a popular content creator, Dokja struggles to understand what the viewers want if they get upset if things are too difficult or too easy for him.
As Yongpal watches the feral children rip into the demon with a concerned expression, Sooyoung asks what Dokja's planning to do with him. Dokja doesn't answer due to Bihyung messaging him, remarking that Dokja opened the dokkaebi bag all on his own and offering his congratulations. In turn, Dokja notes that Bihyung has become all high and mighty after getting promoted. Clearly pleased, the dokkaebi mentions that it's oddly touching to have a constellation emerge from his channel.
[several constellations are entertained by the bickering.]
Yoo Joonghyuk scowled at the two of them, his lips curving into a frown of displeasure. "Stop wasting time on this nonsense when you have to work on getting to the second floor."
It wasn't every day that Kim Dokja got to debate literary stuff with someone, especially when it came to interpretation, but the protagonist did have a point. He was already a week or so behind everyone else, and if he wanted to take advantage of the monster farming to help the kids level up, he'd have to make sure he arrived soon. It was important to raise their ranks as quickly as possible before the good spots got monopolized by others.
"You're no fun," Han Sooyoung muttered, but she kept it quiet enough to not draw his ire. Apparently seeing herself get her ass kicked by the protagonist was enough to make her feel a bit more wary of him. But only just a bit.
Thankfully, for their sake, their argument in the future got cut off too.
[a few constellations are thinking that the incarnation 'kim dokja' is cheating the scenario.]
How was he cheating? He wasn't even a full constellation yet, and constellations weren't the only beings who had statuses. In fact, as a transcendent, Yoo Joonghyuk would eventually have a status that would overshadow historical-grade constellations with ease.
"I don't think having it easy is bad, hyung," Lee Gilyoung said, glancing up at him with a smile. "It just shows how cool you are."
At least someone was on his side. Oh well, it was impossible to make everyone happy all the time anyway, so Kim Dokja decided to just stop caring.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is amused.]
Yoo Mia looked over at Kim Dokja, thankfully less freaked out than before. "What are you going to do with that guy, ahjussi?"
"He's going to be helpful shortly. Don't worry about it too much," Kim Dokja reassured her. Yoo Joonghyuk had probably already figured it all out anyway.
Only a moment later, though, he got a message from Bihyung. That dokkaebi… he had totally been ignoring Kim Dokja for a while now, hadn't he?
Even after getting promoted, he couldn't be that busy, right? What was Bihyung even doing all day?
Less amused by it all, Dokja asks about the channel's situation as the children obtain their next 'proof', leading into Bihyung giving a breakdown of how the incarnation seekers aren't leaving because they want to see a constellation participating in the scenarios, and also that he might need to expand the channel again. Bihyung also offers Dokja a warning since he's got a lot of haters and hasn't yet been fully recognized as a constellation.
Next, Bihyung brings up Dokja's earlier comparison of his strength compared to Joonghyuk and sounds doubtful, but Dokja doesn't back down from his stance. After getting a good look at Dokja's determination, Bihyung notes that Dokja seems to be showing a sense of rivalry, since this isn't his usual response to things like this. Stubbornly, Dokja insists that he's naturally stronger due to being a constellation versus Joonghyuk being an incarnation. When Bihyung shows severe doubt about that fact, Dokja gets a little huffy and asks if Bihyung just came to pick a fight.
Finally getting to the point, Bihyung states he needs a 'fable' to feed the egg since she'll be born soon. Since Dokja is technically the father, he asks for child support. Dokja agrees to do it, turning back to the group to check if they have enough proofs as Bihyung disappears.
"Oh right, now that you're a constellation, doesn't that mean that some of the constellations might leave?" Yoo Sangah wondered, clearly recalling the two groups that he had talked about before. However, apparently that wasn't the case.
It was a bit surprising, to be honest. Kim Dokja had expected a decent chunk to leave—and he had been prepared for it—but it worked out better for him if he'd managed to keep their curiosity hooked despite being unable to get a sponsor now. Maybe they'd be interested in collaborating with his nebula, or in lending each other stories.
Shin Yoosung glared at the screen as Bihyung mentioned his haters. "Anyone who hates ahjussi has bad taste."
[a few constellations are thinking that the incarnation 'kim dokja' shouldn't get overconfident.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is wishing the incarnation 'kim dokja' luck.]
He probably wouldn't need it.
[many constellations are doubtful that the incarnation 'kim dokja' could beat the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' in a fair fight.]
Seriously? They should be about even at this point! This was unfair.
Lee Jihye snickered. "Careful, ahjussi. Master won't let you off easy."
Fuck, not the leg-breaking—
"In all seriousness, though," Jung Heewon cut in, snickering as well, "you said before that Joonghyuk-ssi manages to kill constellations eventually. Doesn't that mean that constellations aren't naturally stronger at all?"
Lee Hyunsung smiled shakily. "I'm sure you'll make a good attempt, Dokja-ssi!"
Traitors. Not even Lee Hyunsung thought he could beat Yoo Joonghyuk!?
Sounding exasperated, Kim Dokja stared petulantly at the two of them. "Eventually, yes, but not now."
This Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't even unlocked the first stage of transcendence yet, so Kim Dokja wasn't going to get utterly destroyed. At least he hoped not.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is unsure of the outcome of that fight.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' doesn't care who wins.]
Ugh, whatever. At least the kids were glaring at the protagonist to defend his honour, or something.
Unfortunately, the moment that Bihyung brought up the egg, Lee Jihye let out an ungodly noise.
"Noooo, this is all wrong!" she wailed. "Ahjussi, please! He's not the one for you!"
What the fuck was she even talking about!? She couldn't seriously think that he'd willingly spend more time with Bihyung than necessary, right?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is looking away tearfully.]
"Yeah," Han Sooyoung snickered, "she's going to end up with three dads at this rate."
Kim Dokja stared at her in bafflement. He knew that Han Sooyoung was a writer so she was more arts focused than anything else, and that she could be a bit dumb sometimes, but was the situation really that dire? Had her use of [Avatar] somehow made her lose the ability to do basic math!?
Yoo Joonghyuk's brow twitched in irritation, likely because of all the nonsense going on, and Kim Dokja sighed as he shook his head. This was utterly ridiculous.
Looking a little down, Yoosung explains that she still needs a few more before trailing off as she mentions that she still needs to gather Gilyoung's too, her gaze drifting to the still unconscious boy. When Sooyoung offers to help them, Dokja looks at her like she's been replaced since she's never been generous and this is very out of character for her.
As the kids plus Sooyoung go back to bullying more demons, Hyunsung walks up to Dokja and asks if he can punch his arm just once. Sighing, Dokja asks him to do it lightly. As Dokja massages the area of impact after the fact, Hyunsung marvels that he really did revive. Dokja muses that Hyunsung has been oddly touchy after escaping Sooyoung's nightmare, and has been grabbing Dokja's arm or touching his head a lot.
"In the past, I lost a bullet casing in the army," the soldier begins, his eyes darkening as the memories wash over him. Dokja asks if he found it, and Hyunsung shakes his head before stating that the casing was found in an unexpected place a month later. "Since then, I've kept the bullet casing in my pocket."
With a look of complete bewilderment, Dokja asks if that's not a violation of military law. When Hyunsung replies that it is, Dokja makes an odd expression as he tries to keep it together and asks why this was brought up in the first place. When the soldier looks at him with an intense gaze, stating that he just remembered it, Dokja starts to calmly walk away. Internally, however, Dokja is kind of freaked out and hoping that Hyunsung isn't going to slice off his head and carry it around in his pocket, since he's staring intently at Dokja's head as he says this. Trying to be optimistic, Dokja just wishes that Hyunsung meant that he's happy to see Dokja alive.
As both kids looked a bit guilty for not having enough proofs, Kim Dokja allowed a small smile to cross his face as he ruffled their hair. "Hey, it's okay, really. You were both more focused on surviving earlier, so it's not a big deal that we need to gather more."
Shin Yoosung looked up at him with wide eyes and a trembling lip. "But—"
"Dokja-ssi is right," Lee Seolhwa said with a gentle expression. "You have help now, too, so the process will be much faster."
Lee Gilyoung grumbled under his breath, clearly displeased that he was still unconscious, and Kim Dokja was pretty sure that he heard something about not wanting to owe Shin Yoosung anything. Eh, the kids would figure it out eventually.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is encouraging the children.]
As soon as Han Sooyoung volunteered to help, the baffled looks turned on her. Even Han Sooyoung looked stunned, as though she couldn't believe a single thing she was hearing.
"That's so kind of you, Sooyoung-ssi," Yoo Sangah said with genuine happiness, smiling brightly at the other woman. "Maybe you're finally warming up to everyone?"
Pursing her lips in thought, Han Sooyoung glanced away. "Maybe? That protagonist bastard isn't there, so I'm not gonna ditch immediately or anything. It's going to be fastest if I tag along until we get to the second floor, and then I'll probably split from there."
That made a lot of sense, actually. Lee Hyunsung smiled weakly, clearly still somewhat traumatized by the earlier events. It might be good for him if she left sooner rather than later, though. Those group dynamics were probably extremely awkward already, and the naked avatar thing wasn't helping matters.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is declaring that his incarnation can kick ass on her own.]
Jung Heewon looked at Lee Hyunsung in surprise as the man punched Kim Dokja in the arm, and it made sense. It was really weird for him to do something like that in the first place, after all.
"Ah…" Lee Hyunsung muttered, going red in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, Dokja-ssi. I just… after losing the one bullet casing, I have to make sure they're all there now."
While Kim Dokja was mostly sure that the first bullet casing was actually a real one, it definitely felt a bit weird to be referred to using that name. Still, Kim Dokja was a 28-year-old man; he didn't need constant supervision or clinginess. Maybe it helped Lee Hyunsung to know that he was physically there, but without that context, it did seem pretty strange for the man to be so touchy all of a sudden.
"It's okay," Kim Dokja said, lying through his teeth. Yes, he was committing the grave sin of lying to Lee Hyunsung, but it was for his own good! How was Kim Dokja supposed to explain that he wasn't entirely comfortable with people (who weren't literal children trying to get reassurance) touching him randomly like that?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is scratching his head in confusion.]
[a few constellations are wondering why a bullet casing is such a big deal.]
"It's a regulation thing," Lee Hyunsung said weakly. "I could have gotten in a lot of trouble for it, but I needed to carry it with me and know where it was…"
It was hard to believe that the open and earnest Lee Hyunsung was capable of something like that, to be honest. At the same time, though, it made sense that he'd want to correct his mistake and somehow accidentally ended up going too far.
Jung Heewon elbowed him playfully. "Hey, once we get that guard detail up and running, we won't have too much to worry about."
Lee Hyunsung looked reassured for about two seconds until the future Kim Dokja worried about getting decapitated so he could carry his head around. At that point, Lee Hyunsung—and basically everyone else—looked at him like he was insane.
[the constellation 'master of steel' is baffled by the thought of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is thinking that would be funny.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is flabbergasted.]
Yoo Mia stared at Kim Dokja for a second. "Ahjussi, you're an idiot."
Okay, so maybe he had been overreacting a bit, but those intense stares had been creeping him out! No one could blame him for thinking of worst case situations!
As Lee Hyunsung attempted to sputter out reassurances that he would never do such a thing, Yoo Joonghyuk exhaled in what might have been an exasperated sigh. "Kim Dokja, stop saying foolish things."
As they walk through the halls with Hyunsung carrying Gilyoung on his back, Sooyoung states that they've arrived at the altar that leads to the second floor. Looking at the altar, which definitely looks like something a cult would perform a sacrifice at, Dokja calls Yongpal to lead the way. Sooyoung narrows her eyes and asks if Yongpal is supposed to be their meat shield, but Dokja sighs and reminds her of how the altar works.
Those who have collected enough proofs on the first floor of the Dark Castle must sacrifice the proofs they collected to summon a demon, which they must defeat in order to advance to the next floor. The demon is summoned from the second floor, and its strength will match the weakest member of the party.
Smoke drifts across the screen, showing the proofs ominously hovering around the altar as Dokja's narration plays. Finally understanding Dokja's plan, Sooyoung calls him the best at scheming in the Star Stream, but Dokja retorts that he isn't scheming, but rather that he's being strategic
As Yongpal approaches the altar and a glow begins to flash from its center, Dokja commits the faux pas of pointing out a rare exception, stating that sometimes demons which can ignore the previous rule can be summoned.
"Finally, the second floor!" Jung Heewon cheered. "I wonder if I'm already there."
Considering who her sponsor was, Kim Dokja would be very surprised if she hadn't beat them all there—including the protagonist himself. Nobody was more effective at killing demons than Uriel, after all.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is confident that the incarnation 'jung heewon' made it without any problems.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is frowning at the demonic altar.]
It looked pretty creepy—right up the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon's alley, really—but it fit the overall ambiance well. Thankfully, this part should be easy, thanks to Kim Yongpal's assistance.
"You're sending him up alone?" Lee Seolhwa asked in concern, clearly worried about the wellbeing of this random guy they hadn't even met yet.
Kim Dokja sighed. "He's not in any danger, don't worry. I'm just doing what I can to let us breeze past this part."
As his future self explained how the altar and summoning worked, realization seemed to dawn over everyone. Yoo Sangah looked relieved and her shoulders relaxed.
"It will probably be good for the kids to have an easy fight, after everything," she said, smiling softly.
Kim Dokja nodded. That was exactly it, and it wouldn't be a bad thing for the rest of them to save their energy for what awaited them on the second floor.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is nodding in approval at the plan of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
As Kim Yongpal approached the altar and Kim Dokja's narration continued, Lee Jihye winced. "Ahjussi, you never talk about how something can go wrong in situations like this!"
Ah, that was a huge trope, wasn't it? Dammit, had he managed to trip over one of the most classic bad luck signs in literature?
Yoo Joonghyuk looked even more exasperated than before, and if he had even a bit less composure, then Kim Dokja wouldn't doubt that the man would be pinching the bridge of his nose right now.
[many constellations are laughing at the misfortune of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
If my expectations are correct, then the demon that will appear will be at an appropriate level for the weakling Kim Yongpal. Out of the demonic nobles on the second floor, it will probably be Demon Baron Viller, the weakest one, which means I won't have to use my power as a constellation.
Suddenly, a notification pops up before Dokja, stating that a demon on the second floor wants him.
…Huh?
Following that message, everyone gets a notification saying that a demon unrelated to their level is being summoned as Demon Earl Tentacio materializes atop the altar. Calling out to them in a menacing voice, he demands to know if Dokja is the one known as 'Yoo Joonghyuk'.
[constellations who like literature are shaking their heads in disappointment.]
"Yep, that's it," Han Sooyoung sighed, "you've fucked us over. I hope you're happy."
"Well, we don't have confirmation of anything like that yet, so…" Kim Dokja trailed off, but he was feeling less and less confident by the second.
Then, as if on cue, Kim Dokja received the fateful notification, and he buried his face in his hands. Fuck.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is laughing in amusement.]
[the constellation 'defense master' is rolling his eyes at the carelessness of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
As Tentacio appeared, Lee Gilyoung's eyes sharpened dangerously. "I can't fight because I'm still knocked out, so you have to kill him for me, hyung."
Kim Dokja looked down at the kid in concern. "Uh… sure."
Was he okay? Lee Gilyoung did realize that the 'bugs' in the demon's story weren't actual bugs, right?
Yoo Sangah's face went red. "Ah, so maybe Jiwon-ssi did know that Dokja-ssi was alive again… I'm sorry."
There was no need for her to be sorry, she had just been trying to help.
"It was a reasonable assumption, Sangah-ssi," Lee Seolhwa reminded her gently. "It's also possible that she named Dokja-ssi in order to send him on what she thought was a wild goose chase."
That would also make sense…
But then Tentacio demanded to know if Kim Dokja was Yoo Joonghyuk, and he had to stare at the screen in bafflement. What the fuck?
[many constellations are flabbergasted.]
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is burying her face in her hands.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is rolling on the floor in laughter.]
Both Sooyoung and Dokja look dumbfounded, completely caught off guard by what he has just said. The visual then decides to clown on Dokja and the very serious Demon Earl by showing multiple angles of their respective baffled and determined expressions. Dokja wonders how this is possible, since an Earl had never appeared in a group with Yongpal in TWSA. He's also extremely confused, wondering why the demon is looking for Joonghyuk right after being summoned.
Breaking eye contact with Dokja, Tentacio moves on to asking Hyunsung if he's Yoo Joonghyuk, and the too-kind man introduces himself in return. The demon then asks where Joonghyuk is, becoming annoyed when Dokja tells him to just go away since Joonghyuk isn't there.
Tentacio then calls it strange since he was told that the 'strongest incarnation in Seoul' would be here, causing Dokja to raise his hand and confirm that it's him. This action earns him various degrees of judgemental and confused looks from his companions as Dokja wonders why they're doing that since it's the truth.
"Seriously? He shows up here and assumes I'm the sunfish bastard!?" Kim Dokja whisper-yelled, still completely baffled. No wonder his future self was confused too, because what the actual hell was going on?
[some constellations are wondering if this is karma for identity theft.]
He wasn't even using Yoo Joonghyuk's name in the castle, though! It would have made some sense if he had, but this was just nonsensical!
"No!" Shin Yoosung hissed. "Go after the real sooty bastard instead!"
Now that Kim Dokja thought about it, why hadn't Tentacio just tracked down the real protagonist? They had been on the same floor, even!
Yoo Joonghyuk's brow twitched more noticeably as Tentacio decided to give up on Kim Dokja and ask a baffled Lee Hyunsung if he was Yoo Joonghyuk instead. Oh god, this was a total mess.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is wondering if the demon earl 'tentacio' is an imbecile.]
"Hey, think he'll ask me if I'm Yoo Joonghyuk too?" Han Sooyoung snickered before schooling her features into a comically overexaggerated frown. "Look at me, I'm the protagonist. I have a cool coat and sword, and the only things keeping me from being a Gary Stu are that I don't have a harem and I die over the slightest inconvenience like a mola mola."
[a constellation who likes harems is disappointed.]
It took everything Kim Dokja had to keep himself from laughing because Yoo Joonghyuk would 100% stab him for it. In fact, he was fairly certain that the only reasons Han Sooyoung wasn't dead was because Yoo Mia was still on her brother's lap and he didn't want to disturb her, and because Yoo Joonghyuk would have to essentially go around or through Kim Dokja to get to her.
Instead, Yoo Joonghyuk glared at her so intensely that even the flames of hell would have frozen. "Shut up or die, Han Sooyoung."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is stomping his feet at the unfairness of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is thinking that the demon earl 'tentacio' is very confused.]
"So he came to me because I'm the strongest, but he thinks I'm Joonghyuk-ie," Kim Dokja groaned. "This is a mess."
The kids patted his arms in consolation, and while it helped a bit, it didn't do anywhere near enough to make him feel like this wasn't an utter disaster.
This only confuses Tentacio since he just said that he's not Joonghyuk, who he's been told is the strongest. Dokja replies that he's not Joonghyuk, but that he is the strongest, wondering why the demon is looking for the most powerful incarnation in Seoul in the first place. When the 'Lady of the Sleeping Brocade' sends some indirects feeling bad and asking him to defeat the demon for her, Dokja wonders what's going on and uses his status as a constellation to glare at the constellations of Silla.
In return, the 'Lady of the Sleeping Brocade' shares the memory of the demon holding Jiwon by the neck, ready to kill her as he grins maliciously. Unable to break free, Jiwon manages to say that Joonghyuk is the strongest incarnation in Seoul, making Dokja frustrated as he wonders why they sent the demon to him instead of Joonghyuk, and if she thought he was some kind of pushover. When the 'Lady of the Sleeping Brocade' explains that Joonghyuk was too far away, Dokja is even more upset that they sold him out for Jiwon's sake.
"You're communicating on different wavelengths," Jung Heewon laughed, looking entirely too amused by this whole situation.
Well, looking at it from an outsider perspective, it was pretty ridiculous.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is apologizing profusely.]
Kim Dokja sighed. Knowing all the context, and because he felt kind of bad for Min Jiwon, he'd probably do it. Of course, if there was any way he could skew the odds in his favour, he'd absolutely do that too. Plus, he had to defeat this guy so they could move on anyway.
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said all of a sudden, and Kim Dokja looked over at him with a questioning look. "Do not disgrace my name."
… Huh?
What? Kim Dokja definitely couldn't have heard that properly. Was Yoo Joonghyuk basically giving him permission to borrow his identity just to defeat the demon because he had faith in Kim Dokja? Or was it a threat to not fuck up because everyone would think that it was his fuck up instead?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is remarking that the demon should have been sent to the real incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' instead.]
Kim Dokja wholeheartedly agreed, because what the fuck even was this situation!?