"So, I guess the identity theft goes both ways," Jung Heewon snickered as she glanced at Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk.
Well, when she put it that way… it did kind of make sense. At the same time, though, Kim Dokja was more baffled than ever. He had pretended to be Yoo Joonghyuk before to get a tactical advantage over people who would rightfully be afraid or wary of him—the time with Tentacio was an outlier and should not be counted.
Plus, glancing over at Yoo Joonghyuk, Kim Dokja couldn't help but wonder one thing—who wouldn't want to be like him? He was confident and strong, good-looking and dedicated…
It made no sense that a man like that would ever want to make people think that he was Kim Dokja who was none of those things.
[several constellations are wondering about identity theft.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is wondering if this is a new courtship method.]
It absolutely wasn't!
When the man checks to confirm that his name is 'Kim Dokja', Dokja just wonders why his name is being mentioned at all. As a chant of his name starts, Dokja watches in utter disbelief as his name spreads as the 'Liberator of Paradise' and the fable 'Lone Messiah' becomes stronger.
In contrast to 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire', who is absolutely ecstatic to the point of tears, Dokja gets suspicious that this is somehow an attempt by Joonghyuk to frame him since there's no way the protagonist would share his achievements, and he can't believe that Joonghyuk would be trying to be his friend either.
As the dragon lands, much to Jihye's awe, the two children hop off and Yoosung asks why Sangah was looking for Dokja. Behind her, Dokja—who has only just heard about this—is even more confused and curious as Sangah hesitates to start explaining, but she tells them anyway.
After a mini time-skip displayed by a dragon yawn, the kids and Jihye all react in shock over the contents of the prophecy. Above them, Dokja is more impressed by Sangah's eavesdropping and wonders if she's trying to save him like Dionysus is. When Jihye brings up the resurrection thing again, Sangah mentions that they don't know how many more times he can resurrect. To make matters worse, they all know that avoiding a prophecy from Olympus will be difficult. Moving onto the point, Heewon asks who is the 'one Dokja loves most' because figuring that out should be their starting point.
"As funny as this is, it does seem strange that you're doing something like this, Joonghyuk-ssi," Yoo Sangah said as she glanced at him, and Kim Dokja had to agree. He wasn't the kind of person who would just give someone else the credit for his accomplishments for no reason.
Yoo Joonghyuk raised a brow. "It's obvious. As a constellation, Kim Dokja's fable grows in strength when it's spread."
Well, that was true, but…
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is touched by the good intentions of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[many constellations are impressed by the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"So you're trying to make Dokja-ssi stronger so he'll be a better ally?" Lee Hyunsung wondered. "That's very touching!"
Kim Dokja still felt absolutely baffled, but when put that way, it did make far more sense than anything he was assuming before. Still, did that mean that he thought Kim Dokja was weak...?
Of course, when he wondered whether Yoo Joonghyuk was just trying to frame him, the protagonist's brow twitched in irritation. Before Yoo Joonghyuk could even say anything, Kim Dokja held up his hands passively. "Hey, my future self is uh… probably a bit paranoid, so you can't blame him for being worried, right?"
"It's not that, you fool," Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed, frowning deeper. "I do not need to try to be your friend. We are already companions."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is declaring that companionship is better than friendship.]
"Right," Kim Dokja said quickly, "so you definitely aren't trying to be my friend there."
Yoo Mia groaned and looked up at her brother. "Oppa, do you think it's contagious?"
Han Sooyoung snickered as Yoo Joonghyuk let out a deep sigh. "Maybe."
Whatever, Kim Dokja had to pay attention to the dragon landing and Yoo Sangah stepping forward to explain the situation. He cringed as she began speaking about the prophecy because he already knew that this was just going to get awkward again. The last thing he wanted was for everyone to start speculating over something like that…
"Well, it's definitely less shocking for us since we've heard it before," Lee Seolhwa said as they watched everyone get caught off-guard by the prophecy. At least they brought up the good point that he could just come back to life, but he was slightly concerned by that 'permanent death' thing that Yoo Sangah had mentioned.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' thinks that this discussion is stupid.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is snickering at the incarnation 'kim dokja']
Ugh, they really were going to talk about it, weren't they? Kim Dokja wanted to sink into the floor and stay there for the next ten or so years. How the hell would he face everyone after something like that?
Raising her hand, Jihye states that she thinks it would be her. The disgusted look on Dokja's face as he floats behind her, however, says otherwise.
… What kind of bullshit is it this time?
Stopping Heewon from going down a dark path as she demands to know if Dokja has done anything to her, Jihye explains that common sense would dictate that Dokja would find someone like her—young, cute, good with a sword, and charming—the most attractive. Cutting her rant off, Heewon guesses it would be Sangah, making the other woman blush when Heewon goes on to compliment her beauty and brings up that Dokja is a bit different with her, which Sangah states is because they were colleagues. Meanwhile, poor Hyunsung watches with concern as Jihye's melodramatic rant continues in the background.
His face does a 180 when Sangah declares that she thinks it might be Heewon—Dokja seems to be particularly nice to her, citing that he gave her equipment, and that Heewon smiles more when talking to him. While Heewon denies this, Dokja just looks exhausted while feeling like a hot potato. He admits mentally that it's hard to not like Sangah because she's nice and has a good personality, and that it's easy to talk with Heewon because she's a 'character' that he found and raised. In the background, Jihye stands alone and mutters that Dokja is trash while everyone else keeps discussing the problem at hand.
"Y'know what, I think we might not be able to poke fun at Dokja-ssi that much anymore," Jung Heewon muttered with a sigh as the group began to contemplate his nonexistent love life. "All of our future selves are blind, apparently."
What was she talking about? And why was Yoo Sangah nodding along?
"I agree. The answer really is obvious," Lee Hyunsung mused, and Kim Dokja felt more baffled than before.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing.]
As Lee Jihye watched as her future self raised her hand, she smiled widely. "Oh, I think I've got it! Hah, of course I'd realize first—"
And then Kim Dokja felt his face do something that it had never done before when Lee Jihye suggested that he could love her. Without wasting a second, Kim Dokja looked at her with disgust. "Absolutely not. I am eleven years older than you."
For a moment, he wasn't sure how he felt about Jung Heewon's instant suspicion again, but in this particular case, he couldn't blame her for being extra cautious. She had said it so confidently that Kim Dokja would probably have been more worried if someone hadn't spoken up about it. Still, he would rather kiss Anna Croft and not immediately kill himself after that vomit-worthy experience than ever feel that way about a child.
At the very least, Lee Jihye looked just as baffled by her own answer as he felt. "No, why would I say something like that!? Unless… I don't want to embarrass Master…?"
What the hell was she even saying? How was that relevant? Even Yoo Joonghyuk was sending her a judgmental glance, and Kim Dokja had to agree completely.
As Lee Jihye continued explaining why it made sense that he would love her, Han Sooyoung let out a loud guffaw. "The only shit you got right was good with a sword!"
[the constellation 'goryeo's first sword' is declaring that it is a good criteria to have.]
Unfortunately, the situation kept worsening as Jung Heewon suggested that he could love Yoo Sangah. At least they had already sorted all of that out with Dionysus' stupid prank, but that didn't mean that it wasn't awkward.
"I'm flattered you'd think so, Heewon-ssi, but we really are just friends and former colleagues," Yoo Sangah replied with a slight laugh. However, her cheeks coloured as her future self suggested that he could love Jung Heewon instead.
As Lee Hyunsung stiffened up and looked incredibly pathetic, Jung Heewon's face looked oddly blank. "Yeah, no. I'm definitely not his type."
At least she shot it down quickly because he really hadn't had any ulterior motives in giving her that sword!
"Exactly," Kim Dokja said bluntly, "plus, I'm rooting for you and Hyunsung-ssi."
[the constellation 'master of steel' is smiling at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
At the very least, both of the women seemed flattered by his descriptions. Kim Dokja sighed, "Both of you are friends who I value a lot, but that's all."
Yoo Sangah smiled benevolently. "We appreciate that, Dokja-ssi."
"I don't think that 'love' here necessarily means love between a man and a woman," Gilyoung pipes up, speaking the truth. When everyone turns to look at him, he mentions familial love and states that Dokja likes him. When he gets asked why he thinks that, he thinks in agonizing silence for a moment before large tears roll down his cheeks. No matter how much he thinks about it, Gilyoung can't think of even a single reason why Dokja would love him.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Hyunsung blushes and turns away, coughing into his fist while mentioning 'camaraderie'. Immediately, Jihye looks at him in surprise as he talks of his own friendship with Dokja and how the friendship between men can be very meaningful. His words are ignored, however, as everyone's gaze is drawn to the frowning man standing further away from the group.
When Joonghyuk crosses his arms and asks what they're looking at, Jihye and Heewon begin gossipping and whispering to each other. While they seem to be debating about this new possibility, 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire' nods violently in her indirect message.
Lee Gilyoung perked up as soon as his future self began speaking, but his smile instantly dropped into a grimace as soon as he realized what he was saying. To Kim Dokja's confusion, the kid started glaring at the screen and cursing out the 'sooty bastard' under his breath. What did Yoo Joonghyuk have to do with Lee Gilyoung saying that it might not have to do with romantic love…?
"It's true that we've only been considering romantic love so far," Lee Seolhwa hummed thoughtfully. Kim Dokja ignored the way her gaze darted in her direction, but he almost scoffed. There was no way that was possible. He didn't love her.
However, when Lee Gilyoung suggested himself as an option, Kim Dokja wasn't expecting him to suddenly shrink into himself awkwardly. Only a moment later, Kim Dokja felt his heart seize in his chest as the future Lee Gilyoung began to sob, unable to think of even a single reason why Kim Dokja would love him. Shin Yoosung looked over in a panic as the boy sitting across from her began to crumble, and she tugged on Kim Dokja's sleeve to get his attention.
"Ahjussi?"
What could he even do…?
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is feeling great sorrow for the incarnation 'lee gilyoung'.]
"Hyung…?" Lee Gilyoung said in a quiet and fragile tone, his voice shaking as he tried to restrain his own sobs. "You love me, right?"
Kim Dokja stared down at him with wide eyes. His head had gone blank and he looked into the eyes of a terrified child who didn't know what love was and all he could see was the reflection of someone he hated. "I…"
Fuck, what should he even say? All his feelings of fondness and revulsion were tossed into a blender together and it was impossible to separate them from one another. Swallowing down the nausea, Kim Dokja forced a smile onto his face and hoped that it didn't look too fake.
"Of course I do, Gilyoung-ah."
Kim Dokja didn't know if it was the truth or a lie. He hated that he didn't know.
[constellations who like children are wishing to comfort the incarnation 'lee gilyoung'.]
As Lee Gilyoung wrapped his trembling arms around him again, Kim Dokja hoped that his hands weren't shaking as he gently ruffled his hair.
Forcing himself to look away, he looked at the screen just in time for Lee Hyunsung to try and redirect the conversation with a suggestion of his own. It was awkward, of course, but Kim Dokja wasn't expecting him to say something like that in the first place. He was close with Lee Hyunsung, but they weren't that close.
"You are so right, Hyunsung-oppa," Lee Jihye gasped, her eyes gleaming in excitement.
Wait a second, she couldn't have thought that he was saying—
Then, Kim Dokja felt his stomach flip as everyone in the future suddenly looked over at Yoo Joonghyuk. They were companions, and he did care for Yoo Joonghyuk, but it didn't mean… well, that!
"Finally!" Han Sooyoung groaned, throwing her hands into the air. "Here I was thinking that all of you—not me, because I'm not even there—were stupid."
"As much as I would love to argue that point, I unfortunately have to agree," Yoo Sangah sighed.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is expressing her joy.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is adamant that the incarnation 'kim dokja' could do better.]
"Joonghyuk-ah, you know it's not like that, right?" Kim Dokja said shakily, unsure of why his palms felt sweaty. Why was he so panicked over this? It was nothing more than nonsense—a silly theory that was being brought up for the sake of covering all their bases.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at him without saying anything for a moment, seemingly just observing his reactions. Did he need more reassurance? Something to tell him that Kim Dokja wouldn't do something like that? That Lee Jihye and Jung Heewon's speculations were completely and utterly wrong?
"Don't bother, Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said in a tone that sounded almost like he was trying not to let his feelings show. "You already told me that I will not be the one to kill you."
Right. Yes, that was true. He had gotten reassurance earlier, after all—Kim Dokja had confirmed that there wasn't anyone he loved to begin with. Even as his panic began to recede, the pit in his stomach didn't, and he couldn't understand why.
[a few constellations are shaking their heads in disappointment.]
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is sighing.]
When Yoosung decides to speak up, a label appears over her with 'Kim Dokja's incarnation' on it as everyone asks enthusiastically if she knows anything. Wisely, she states they should ask Dokja himself since he's been listening in on their conversation the whole time. Having been called out, Ghostja jolts from where he's floating behind Yoosung.
"Again." Heewon's terrifying gaze fills the screen as she demands an apology from the unseen Dokja as Sangah looks disappointed in the background. Even though he's invisible, the man still executes a perfect kneeling apology pose and sends a message to say that he's sorry. Even after multiple apologies, Heewon and Sangah in particular have barely forgiven him. Unlike the others standing around the murderous-looking Heewon and looking in the direction where they guess Dokja might be, Jihye looks off into the distance cluelessly.
As Heewon huffs in annoyance—and as Gilyoung directs Jihye to look in another incorrect direction—she asks Dokja the fateful question of who the one he loves is. Speaking up, Hyunsung states it might not be one of the people here right now, making Heewon wonder aloud if it was Sooyoung, since she left with him. Upon hearing the other woman's name, Sangah's eyes widen in shock before her expression hardens, asking hesitantly if Dokja's still with her. She looks extremely disappointed, and Dokja supposes that it's because Sangah doesn't like Sooyoung.
[a few constellations are surprised.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is encouraging the incarnations to consult the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
"Me?" Shin Yoosung asked in surprise, blinking up at Kim Dokja after one last concerned glance at Lee Gilyoung, who was still holding on like a koala.
Well, it had been mentioned before—as his incarnation, she'd know him better than anyone else. However, he was not expecting her to completely sell him out, but at least it confirmed that she absolutely could identify him even when he was essentially a disembodied soul.
Only a second later, as Jung Heewon forced him to repeatedly apologize through indirect messages, Han Sooyoung burst into laughter.
"Oh my god, you look so fucking pathetic like that!"
Thanks for summing that up, Han Sooyoung.
"It's not like I was trying to spy on this particular conversation…" Kim Dokja muttered awkwardly, glancing away.
Lee Seolhwa laughed, but she smiled nonetheless. "I'm sure everyone would understand and appreciate that you were making sure they were alright, even if you ended up eavesdropping on this as a result."
Fuck, what wouldn't he give to have missed this whole mess?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering at the misfortune of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is greatly entertained by the actions of the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
Yoo Mia giggled as Lee Jihye looked in every direction except for the one where Kim Dokja was kneeling. "Unnie, you're really bad at this."
Sputtering, Lee Jihye looked away with a red face. "I'm sure I'm just… doing that on purpose to cheer the kid up! I am his noona, after all!"
Lee Gilyoung unburied his face from the robe and sniffed—god, Kim Dokja really didn't want to know how much snot was on Samyeongdang's artifact by now—as he frowned at her. "I think you're just looking the wrong way, noona."
As funny as that was, Kim Dokja wasn't sure how to feel when Lee Hyunsung suggested that the person might not be part of the group. While technically that was true since there wasn't anyone in the first place, he really didn't like the way that she seemed to straighten up at those words.
Ignore it. That was impossible. She was delusional if she seriously thought it would be her.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is gagging.]
"What the fuck!?" Han Sooyoung shrieked, looking greatly offended. Honestly, Kim Dokja was pretty offended too. She paled dramatically, grimacing in his direction. "Fuck no! I don't have a fucking death wish!"
Wow, was she really equating him to death? He didn't even like her but that was pretty offensive.
"I'd rather meet the business end of the protagonist's sword than do that," Kim Dokja deadpanned. It would probably be less painful.
"Yeah, I bet you would," Han Sooyoung snorted, and he couldn't understand why Jung Heewon looked like she was ready to collapse into laughter or why Yoo Joonghyuk looked like he was barely restraining himself from committing murder.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is covering her mouth to try to hold in her shrieks.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is telling the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' to try harder.]
Rather than answering that, Dokja decides that he needs to say something before the situation gets worse and states that he doesn't have anyone he loves. As they move onto the fact that he might not have one yet but will surely love someone in the future, Dokja laments the fact that they're so invested in his love life. At the same time, Gilyoung silently points towards Dokja as Jihye continues looking in the completely wrong direction.
Breaking it down, Heewon starts to interrogate Dokja about his romantic preferences as they want to help prevent this fate, and he wonders why he should tell anyone something like that. Though Heewon does look terrifying when asking him to tell her if he thinks he's about to fall for her, Dokja does feel their care. He also pointedly ignores Jihye, still sparkling in the background that it could still possibly be her.
Fate is a very powerful thing, but it's not something that's 'absolutely inevitable'. But…
When Dokja responds that he's not sure, Heewon just smacks her forehead in frustration at his non-compliance. Looking away, Jihye yells to nobody that Dokja should just rate them in that case—something Dokja really doesn't want to do—while he mentally complaining about the coins spent on indirects.
"Can we just stop speculating? Please?" Kim Dokja begged. Hell, he felt like he had aged a decade just by listening to all of that.
"Ahjussi, we just want to keep you safe," Shin Yoosung muttered sadly, holding onto his sleeve as she did. He understood, he really did, but that didn't mean that it wasn't awkward as hell anyway.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is agreeing that this is nonsense.]
Unfortunately, Jung Heewon was persistent and Kim Dokja sat there awkwardly as he watched her future self try to keep grilling him for answers.
With a sigh, Kim Dokja turned his gaze in her direction. "Look, I really don't have answers to these questions. I've never fallen in love before."
"That doesn't mean that you can't have a type," Lee Hyunsung reminded him gently, and Kim Dokja honestly couldn't even get mad at him for it.
All he could do was shake his head. "I don't."
Kim Dokja wasn't someone capable of loving people or being loved in return. The only thing he had ever loved was a story. If that was really what would end up killing him, then his Fate would have been fulfilled long ago, during his very first death.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is sighing at the words of his incarnation.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is incredibly curious about the idea of the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
Why the hell would she suggest rating everyone? Wouldn't that just end up hurting them all in the end? Kim Dokja had never done something like that when he was younger, but he remembered not being able to do anything but sit in uncomfortable silence as he overheard his classmates jeering and rating the girls in their grade. He remembered all those disgusting comments and couldn't understand even for a moment why anyone would want to know something like that.
The very idea of quantifying these people who had become his friends was sickening and invasive. Even if he was forced into it, he genuinely didn't know how he'd rank them. In terms of how close he was to them? How much he enjoyed their presence? How fond he was of them?
"Well, that might actually be a good idea…" Jung Heewon muttered, even if she sounded a bit unsure.
When Dokja once again replies that he doesn't know, a whole bunch of constellations pile in with their thoughts and complaints on the situation. Sun Wukong is interested in what's going on, Secretive Plotter is wondering about his choice, Uriel passionately tells Dokja to be true to his heart, and even the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon is glancing over curiously. Dokja's face looks like he's given up when a ship war begins and devolves into nonsensical indirects.
… What a complete mess.
Suddenly, 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' states that she has a good idea. In the air above them, a glowing winged heart appears and slowly drifts into Heewon's hands. Looking down, she makes eye contact with the bright pink heart with the digital words 'push' on a large button in the center. A window appears, declaring that it's the
While Dokja sinks into a pit of despair over its appearance, recalling that it costs 100,000 coins and is only available to platinum shop members, he wonders if Uriel is crazy for dropping that amount on this nonsense. On the other side of the emotional spectrum, Heewon cheers for Uriel's deep pockets.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is entertained by the indirect messages.]
Kim Dokja groaned and buried his face in his hands. Seriously? He knew that they all treated incarnations like they were just watching the latest episode of some kind of drama, but he didn't want to end up in the middle of something like this!
"Holy shit," Han Sooyoung giggled, "this is just like watching a forum ship war."
Exactly, and that's why it was so mortifying.
Yoo Joonghyuk just looked more and more irritated, and Kim Dokja absolutely related. Could they move past this bullshit already!? Why were they all suddenly so invested!?
Unfortunately for Kim Dokja, it wasn't over. To his horror and dismay, Uriel went above and beyond to donate an item that made his heart drop. Why the hell would she spend that many coins on something like this!?
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is looking critically at the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is laughing joyfully as he offers more drinks.]
[a constellation who likes capitalism is declaring that there is a new betting pool.]
"Oh wow, I didn't know something like that existed! Thanks, Uriel," Jung Heewon cheered as Kim Dokja mirrored his future self. This was mortifying.
Lee Jihye's eyes gleamed. "Ooh, I want to know what score Master gets so bad!"
Fuck, would he really do that!? Wait, no, he wouldn't. This was Yoo Joonghyuk. He'd probably say something like—
"This is foolish," Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed. Yep, exactly like that. Kim Dokja couldn't agree more.
Yoo Mia hummed. "I don't know, it might be fun."
… they'd totally end up doing it, wouldn't they? Shit.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is curious to see the rankings.]