Kim Dokja couldn't help but glance over at Yoo Joonghyuk, now that he was almost certain that something was wrong. He was acting weirder than usual, and that was never a good thing. At the very least, the protagonist on the screen hadn't started showing any definite panic-inducing signs, but there was never a way to guarantee that they wouldn't start appearing sooner or later.
"Joonghyuk-ssi, I hope you don't feel like you're excluded by the rest of us," Lee Hyunsung said sympathetically, clearly seeing something that wasn't there to begin with. Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't the kind of person who would concern himself with that sort of thing, anyway.
Yoo Joonghyuk just scoffed. "I'm just thinking."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is impressed that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' has a brain.]
Okay, that was uncalled for.
As Joonghyuk watches the group, his narration slowly comes in as the wind blows across the field, sending leaves drifting by.
Kim Dokja's appearance changed a lot of my plans. The easy scenarios became difficult, and the simple stories became more complex.
The view pans past Heewon and Sangah smiling as they have an unheard conversation.
And the people who were supposed to die survived.
Joonghyuk just frowns, his eyes narrowing in thought as he muses that he also may very well have been one of those who were supposed to die. Still watching the group, there seems to be a noticeable gap between where they're gathered near Dokja's coffin and himself. Joonghyuk thinks it's strange that this kind of scene could be made by someone who isn't a regressor, but he can't deny one other thought.
This round might be better than any other round that I've lived through until now.
The second that Yoo Joonghyuk's voice began narrating the scene, Kim Dokja found himself sitting up a bit straighter in surprise. He sounded calmer than usual like this—his voice a soothing baritone rather than anything harsh or angry. Ugh, this was so unfair. How did he sound so nice all the time?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is nodding along with the thoughts about the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Joonghyuk-ah, you know I didn't mean to accidentally make some of those scenarios harder, right?" Kim Dokja piped up weakly, hoping that could save him somewhat. Yoo Joonghyuk was an expert at holding a grudge, and he really didn't want to be on the other end of that resentment if he could help it.
Yoo Joonghyuk just sighed in return. "I know, you fool."
At least there was that. However, Kim Dokja had to look down as Yoo Joonghyuk wondered about the people who might be dead otherwise. It was obvious that many others—Lee Seolhwa, Jung Heewon, Shin Yoosung, Lee Jihye, Lee Gilyoung, and Yoo Sangah—were all equally affected. All of them had faced the possibility of death so far, and Kim Dokja had directly or indirectly saved them.
However, Yoo Mia flinched as her brother wondered whether he was one of them. Thinking back, the original third round's protagonist had been somewhat reckless in the novel. He had been brash and more aggressive than he had in other rounds, and he had even nearly died in the fifth scenario. Because of that, the Yoo Joonghyuk of the third round had regressed before he had reached the dreaded 46th scenario.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is watching with an impassive expression.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is wondering how much has changed.]
"Master, why are you standing so far away?" Lee Jihye wondered, glancing over at the protagonist with a frown. "You should join us!"
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't answer, and that made Kim Dokja feel a bit more suspicious than before. On one hand, it made sense that he didn't want to spend too long in a large group because he wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed that sort of thing, but on the other, many of these people were ones who he was much more comfortable with. It felt wrong seeing him so distant from people who were his closest companions in other rounds, but then again, Kim Dokja had kind of snatched most of them up first…
Maybe this was his fault—after all, the only one of his original companions that Yoo Joonghyuk had was Lee Jihye, since it seemed that Lee Seolhwa didn't stay with him most of the time either.
"Well, I suppose you're right, Joonghyuk-ssi," Yoo Sangah mused, making Kim Dokja pay attention to the conversation again. "However, considering that we know Dokja-ssi is a reader, it makes a lot of sense."
Did it?
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is hoping that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' won't take this for granted.]
He wouldn't—Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't that kind of person, and Kim Dokja knew that. If anything, he was probably already mourning it under the impression that he would inevitably have to give it up sooner or later. He had probably been getting more and more cognizant of how unlikely it should have been for everything to be going so well, and now he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Shin Yoosung looked over at the protagonist with wide eyes. "It's okay, ahjussi is gonna make sure that this stays the best round."
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at her then, an inscrutable expression on his face. Maybe he did believe her—and Kim Dokja, by extension—but he simultaneously understood what his future self was feeling.
"Yeah, cheer up, Joonghyuk-ssi!" Jung Heewon exclaimed with a large smile. "Everything is going to be just fine and we'll all get to live in peace when this apocalypse is over."
[several constellations are wishing to see more slice-of-life content.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is hoping that the incarnation 'jung heewon' is correct.]
Jihye then pipes up that Dokja's fate should be over since he's dead, assuming that it was fulfilled by him sacrificing himself for his mother. The others boisterously wonder why they never thought about her, discussing that possibility. Sangah, however, is still frowning as her sad gaze meets Joonghyuk's impassive yet complicated one. Looking away, he understands as well as she does that the Fate isn't over.
The nebulae aren't pushovers. They would have known about Kim Dokja's ability to resurrect, so the 'Fate' would never end like this.
Joonghyuk's frown only deepens, his brow furrowing heavily as he thinks about the next scenario and the inevitable difficulty hurdle that it will be. As a result, he knows that he needs to make a decision. Joonghyuk gazes up at the sky for a while, as though looking for something, until finally his gaze is returned. To his surprise, he sees an indirect message about '???' looking at their incarnation.
Constellation '???'. I've already gone through three turns, but I still don't know who my sponsor is. They are the cause of this never-ending cycle.
Addressing his sponsor, Joonghyuk states he has something to ask them.
[the constellations of the nebula 'olympus' are raising their brows in amusement.]
Yeah, that was what Kim Dokja had suspected as well, and judging by the rest of the group's awkward expressions, they knew it wouldn't be over so easily too. His mother just scoffed under her breath, but didn't comment. They all knew how that entire situation had gone now, and were fully aware of the fact that she would never be the one to fulfil the prophecy.
Considering the glances that Han Sooyoung was making between him and Yoo Joonghyuk, she definitely hadn't forgotten the other part of it either. To Kim Dokja's surprise, though, Yoo Sangah was doing something similar in the future.
"Oh, it seems that Sangah-ssi has already realized," Lee Seolhwa admitted quietly, making the other woman smile weakly. Did her future self suspect the same thing?
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is eager for more relationship drama.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is hoping that she will be able to witness a lovely display of companionship later.]
That was unlikely, but it wasn't the point right now.
"You're right," Kim Dokja admitted, "the Fate won't be over so easily."
If it was that simple to escape his Fate, then he would have just sacrificed a life as soon as he got it. However, since he was supposed to die permanently, this couldn't be the death specified in the prophecy.
Lee Gilyoung looked up with a frown. "Hyung, will the next scenario really be that hard?"
Kim Dokja sighed and patted the boy's head. "If you go in unprepared, then yes. However, you have me and Joonghyuk-ie to help everyone prepare, so I think we'll be fine."
"Are you sure that the protagonist thinks the same thing, though?" Han Sooyoung drawled, gesturing at the screen where Yoo Joonghyuk was frowning and thinking intently. He also knew how difficult it could be, and he didn't know that Kim Dokja had the full set of strategies ready to go, but Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't be that pessimistic about this, right?
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is concerned about the thoughts of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Lee Seolhwa glanced over with a suspicious look on her face. "Joonghyuk-ssi, do you have any idea what you could be making a decision about?"
After a moment, Yoo Joonghyuk pursed his lips slightly and shook his head. Of course, there was always the possibility that he was lying, but it would make sense if he couldn't completely predict his future self.
"Maybe he's considering locking Dokja-ssi up too," Jung Heewon muttered, which made Kim Dokja yelp in offense. He sure as hell hoped not!
To his surprise, however, the protagonist began searching the sky for something. Wait, was he…?
[many constellations are surprised by the current events.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is flabbergasted.]
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is wondering about the constellation '???'.]
"How…?" Kim Dokja gasped, his eyes wide from shock. The protagonist was equally baffled, and unsurprisingly so—Yoo Joonghyuk's sponsor had never responded to him before. Why now?
Lee Jihye looked around awkwardly. "Um… is that a good thing?"
"I don't know," Yoo Joonghyuk told her flatly. "My sponsor has never communicated before."
What was it about this round that had caused the elusive constellation to actually pay attention and reply? For Yoo Joonghyuk's sake, Kim Dokja really hoped that his sponsor would give him whatever answer he had been hoping for.
Still, if he was looking for his sponsor to ask a question, what could it be? Any question Kim Dokja could think of was one whose answer he really didn't think probability or filtering would allow to be known at this point. Maybe he was hoping to get his constellation's modifier? Or maybe he wanted to know if there was some information relevant to the next scenario?
[several constellations are very curious about the intentions of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Before he says his question though, the scene cuts back to Dokja's soul noting that it's been three days since his death. Through his thoughts, Dokja reveals that he's already got his plans in order and that the flow of the story will return after this scenario.
Throughout the first nine scenarios, I've steered the narrative too far away from the original story—from saving a few people to changing entire scenarios. In order to use the information that I have, there needs to be at least some parts where the story flows according to the original scenario.
Of course, Dokja knows that his information won't be completely useless if things change—the Joonghyuk of the novel had experienced far more than a hundred lives, so there will inevitably be plenty of things he can use going forward regardless. Fortunately, the Seoul Dome is a closed scenario, so things are still going well despite a few butterfly effects. Watching Heewon and Hyunsung spar below him, Dokja compliments their growth and believes that they have enough power that they'll be able to drive the flow of the story going forward. Sponsoring 100 coins to each of them, Dokja leaves just as Heewon starts to berate him for being stingy.
"Seriously?" Yoo Mia griped, leaning back in her brother's embrace with an annoyed huff. "They're really not going to show us what oppa's question was?"
Lee Jihye sighed. "Guess not. Ugh, this is so unfair; now we have to watch ahjussi being dead again."
Wow, it wasn't his fault that this recording had terrible timing.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is disappointed that they aren't watching the incarnation 'han sooyoung' instead.]
Yeah, whatever. She wasn't at his funeral thing, now that he thought about it, so she had probably gone off on her own again out of fear of the protagonist or something.
As Kim Dokja wondered just what his future self was planning in order to accomplish getting the scenarios back under control, Lee Gilyoung tugged on the sleeve of his robe.
"Hyung, how is that gonna work?" he asked, sounding extremely curious. "Hasn't stuff changed too much already?"
Kim Dokja smiled a bit. "Things work a bit differently after the 10th scenario, so my guess is that I'll let things run their course and not interfere unless absolutely necessary."
Han Sooyoung, however, snorted. "Are you going to survive not scamming someone for long enough to accomplish that?"
"I'm not going to bother answering that," Kim Dokja sighed with a blank expression, looking extremely unimpressed as he turned his gaze back to the screen.
He could stop whenever he wanted, damn it! Kim Dokja was just scamming constellations, incarnations, and dokkaebi when it was convenient for his plans; it wasn't like he had a gambling addiction. He didn't need to pull off two scams per week to stay sane, or anything.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is snickering.]
Still, if he wanted to be able to use the information he had, making sure some parts of the plot were left unchanged was crucial. Of course, even if he couldn't use specific knowledge of when things were supposed to happen, Kim Dokja had enough knowledge about TWSA in general to still have useful information regardless of what happened.
Despite the sheer number of chapters that TWSA had, spanning 1861 regressions, there were still some things that even Yoo Joonghyuk had never done and places he had never gone in the novel. There were some parts of the Star Stream that even Kim Dokja had no knowledge of.
Yoo Sangah shot him an encouraging smile. "I believe you'll find a way to use the information you have no matter what happens, Dokja-ssi."
She was always so nice, and Kim Dokja appreciated the vote of confidence.
[the constellation 'master of steel' is pleased to see his incarnation doing well.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is perking up excitedly.]
"Oh!" Lee Hyunsung exclaimed before smiling brightly at Jung Heewon. "We're training together, Heewon-ssi!"
"Seems like it!" Jung Heewon replied with a laugh. They were doing quite well, honestly, and Kim Dokja wouldn't be surprised at all to see them helping each other out in that way far more in the future.
Only a moment later, though, Jung Heewon turned to Kim Dokja with an unimpressed look in her eyes. "Seriously? Only 100 coins? Weren't you stupidly rich or something?"
Well, yes, but he was saving his coins for important things…
"Dokja-ssi, I'm sure that would have been a lot at the beginning of the scenarios, but considering how many coins the constellations have been donating recently, that does seem quite stingy," Lee Seolhwa admitted with a tinge of amusement.
Kim Dokja laughed awkwardly. "Ah, well, technically I didn't have to send a donation at all…"
With a snort, Han Sooyoung leveled him with a look that he really didn't like. "Yeah, right. You could make it all back with profit if you just stand next to the protagonist for ten seconds or suck up to your Secretive Sugar Daddy."
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is laughing so hard that he spits out his drink.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is flustered.]
As Kim Dokja sputtered to the tune of Lee Jihye's snickering, he felt the mortification begin to seep in again. It didn't matter what Han Sooyoung said, he would not do something like that!
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is smirking victoriously in the direction of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Over with the kids, Dokja watches as an unimpressed Yoosung listens to Gilyoung attempting to give commands to the Chimera Dragon. 'Attempt' is the keyword because absolutely nothing happens except for the dragon yawning.
As Dokja smiles gently at them, Yoosung notices his gaze and looks up with a bright grin, making Dokja wonder if this is what it's like to have a daughter. In the novel, Dokja recalls that the constellation-incarnation bond was often like that of a parent and child—something solid yet fragile, and so precious that he doesn't know what to do—but he also knows that not every parent is a good one and that some constellations will backstab their incarnations.
Watching the two kids working with the dragon, Jihye sighs enviously and mutters that she should have chosen a better sponsor. Dokja just looks at her in disappointment, musing that the ones who complain the most are the ones who don't work hard, and decides that he should teach her just how good her sponsor is once he gets back.
"We're working with the dragon!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed excitedly the moment that Kim Dokja moved over to where she and Lee Gilyoung were training. However, Lee Gilyoung's mood immediately plummeted the second he realized that the dragon wasn't listening to him whatsoever.
Ah, shit. To try and avoid the boy getting upset again, Kim Dokja patted his head. "Don't stress over it, Gilyoung-ah. It's more of a beast than an insect, and even Yoosung-ie wouldn't have been able to tame it without the item. You'll both have to practice hard."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is encouraging the children.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is confident that the incarnations 'shin yoosung' and 'lee gilyoung' will succeed.]
"You really think so, hyung?" Lee Gilyoung wondered nervously, and Kim Dokja nodded with a small smile.
Of course, the moment that he seemed somewhat reassured, Kim Dokja wanted to curse out his future self for wondering if this is how it felt to have a daughter with no mention of the boy at all. On one hand, Kim Dokja understood that it was because of their bond as sponsor and incarnation, but on the other…
Lee Gilyoung looked away awkwardly again and Kim Dokja didn't know what to do. It was scary enough to think of Shin Yoosung like his daughter, but Lee Gilyoung was a whole other story. This was a child who had latched onto him for survival, and this was a child who had clearly experienced some form of horror at home, just as he had.
Kim Dokja was absolutely terrified. The last thing he wanted was to project too much onto the kid, or to end up unintentionally perpetuating the cycle because that was the only way he had ever seen boys be raised. At least with Shin Yoosung, he could take notes from how Yoo Joonghyuk had raised his sister. Kim Dokja didn't know how he was supposed to deal with Lee Gilyoung's feelings, and the idea of fucking it up was so nauseating that he didn't know if it would be better to just leave him to sort out his own thoughts, or to get help from someone like Yoo Sangah who actually knew what they were doing.
As soon as Kim Dokja's thoughts mused about bad sponsors, however, Yoo Sangah frowned and glanced in the boy's direction. "Gilyoung-ah, you don't have to tell us who they are, but… your sponsor is good to you, right?"
At that, a small smile grew on his face. "They are. Thank you, noona."
She seemed satisfied with that answer, and Kim Dokja shot her a grateful look. He hadn't even thought to ask Lee Gilyoung about that before, but it seemed to have cheered him up somewhat.
[a few constellations are relieved by this turn of events]
When Lee Jihye muttered her complaints, Shin Yoosung sighed. "Unnie, your sponsor is very good too, don't be mean to him."
Kim Dokja wanted to shake his head. That girl really had no idea just how good her sponsor actually was.
"What!? I— no—" Lee Jihye flailed in a panic, wide-eyed and red-faced. "Sponsor-ahjussi, future me is stupid, don't listen to her! You're awesome!"
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is looking fondly at his incarnation.]
She turned to look at Kim Dokja seriously too. "I'm gonna train so hard, ahjussi, just you wait."
Kim Dokja just smiled and nodded. What else could he say to determination like that? At least she was motivated, even if Yoo Joonghyuk looked a bit annoyed.
Looking over at the others, Dokja considers their growth. Even though he wishes that Pildu and Jihye had improved more, it still isn't a bad situation overall. In fact, Dokja thinks that the scenarios after leaving Seoul will be quite easy. As Jihye pesters Joonghyuk about strong skills that don't require a sponsor, Dokja muses that Joonghyuk has managed to somewhat overcome his regression depression, and he seems confident that following Joonghyuk's chosen route will mean that the group shouldn't have a problem surviving.
Rather, the real problem is on my side instead.
Dokja side-eyes the Fate message before glaring judgmentally at the sky after receiving three identical messages about the nebulae waiting for his resurrection. Just as he resurrects, he thinks about how maybe 'that' method is the only way to get the nebulae off his tail and protect his friends at the same time. After all, since he can't avoid the Fate by resurrecting, it would just get postponed every time he dies and more and more dangerous situations like the Devourer of Dreams would appear. While he isn't worried for himself, he doesn't want anyone else to die—Joonghyuk least of all, since everything would be in vain if he dies.
The second that Kim Dokja remarked that he wished Lee Jihye had improved more, the girl looked even more determined than before. Yoo Joonghyuk narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing over at his disciple.
"Lee Jihye."
His voice was deep and firm, and Kim Dokja shuddered even though it wasn't directed at him. Lee Jihye, on the other hand, smiled weakly. "Yes, Master?"
She sounded a bit nervous, and Kim Dokja couldn't blame her. That training session was going to be hell, he just knew it.
Yoo Joonghyuk's frown deepened. "Simply picking up strong skills now will not allow you to improve. Increase the strength of the skills you already have."
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is agreeing with the assessment of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[the constellation 'goryeo's first sword' is encouraging the incarnation 'lee jihye' to train harder.]
The teenager gave a weak thumbs-up. "Yep. Will do."
She was not getting off easy, and they all knew it. Jung Heewon was sending her a slightly pitying smile as well, which Lee Jihye seemed to appreciate.
However, as Kim Dokja mentioned that Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to have gotten over his regression depression, Yoo Mia's face instantly lit up and she turned to him with surprise. "My oppa is all better now?"
Kim Dokja smiled slightly. "Well, I can't say that he's completely over it, but I don't think it'll happen as easily anymore. It'll probably take some kind of major incident to make him get depressed."
That was honestly a really good thing, and it warmed Kim Dokja's heart to see Yoo Mia give her brother a bright smile—the most relieved and happy one that he had ever seen from her—and a tight hug. Yoo Joonghyuk looked relieved too, or at least, as much as he could right now. Instead, he glanced at Kim Dokja, and the look in his eyes was probably the closest thing to a 'thank you' that he would convey for the time being.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is feeling endeared by the current events.]
As Kim Dokja's thoughts continued, Lee Seolhwa smiled. "Dokja-ssi, you really have a lot of faith in Joonghyuk-ssi's plans, even if you don't always agree with them."
"Of course I do, most of the time," Kim Dokja admitted. This was the man who had managed to get through all those regressions on his own, after all. Of course, Yoo Joonghyuk had learned most things through trial and error so some of his plans were absolutely shit, but this was a scenario that he had cleared before. He knew how to handle the scenarios as written up until the 46th, and so Kim Dokja could be confident that Yoo Joonghyuk would be able to reliably succeed until that point.
However, the second he mused that the problem was on his side instead, he could feel Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon looking at him intently. God he hoped they weren't thinking about locking him up again, because they would probably have a problem if that were true.
"Dokja-ssi," Yoo Sangah said, and Kim Dokja could hear the smile in her voice, "do you happen to know what 'that' method is, by any chance?"
Kim Dokja looked away awkwardly, avoiding the curious stares from the kids. "Not… exactly?"
[several constellations are doubtful of the words of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
He wasn't lying! Kim Dokja couldn't be completely certain of what his future self was thinking, but it wasn't that he didn't have guesses either. Right now, the most likely option was making sure he was somewhere where the rest of the group couldn't easily follow him, but Kim Dokja just knew that they would all hate the idea. The dumb guard detail would probably get enacted in full force, and that was the last thing that he wanted.
"Hey, what do you mean that you're not worried about yourself, you idiot?" Han Sooyoung scoffed. "My bullshit detector is going off right now."
It wasn't that he didn't care about himself at all… but so long as he still had extra lives, then it wouldn't matter if he died once or twice. The others didn't have that extra chance.
Kim Dokja just rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry that I'm more concerned about the world literally collapsing if Yoo Joonghyuk regresses than me reviving another time."
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is nodding his head sagely.]
[many constellations are agreeing that the world collapsing would be bad.]
Lee Hyunsung looked around awkwardly. "But… Dokja-ssi, that's not really what your future self is saying, either. You really just want Joonghyuk-ssi to succeed this time, and I think that's important too."
Well… he wasn't wrong. Kim Dokja really did want Yoo Joonghyuk to have the happy epilogue that he deserved after so much suffering. If he could erase those 1800 future regressions from ever needing to exist, then he'd be saving the protagonist from having to endure all that loss. Maybe then, he could fully atone for having used his story in the way he did.
Kim Dokja didn't respond, though, but Lee Hyunsung still smiled slightly despite it. Maybe he had realized that his point had been heard and understood.
With a crackle of probability, Dokja's eyes snap open in the darkness of the coffin as he inhales sharply. Immediately ruining the cool vibe of Dokja's resurrection, however, the scene cuts to the outside as the coffin shakes from him pounding on the closed lid before finally managing to push it open.
As the surrounding incarnations lose their shit over the fact that the rumours of him being capable of resurrection are real, Dokja is annoyed by his companions putting him in a coffin despite knowing that he'll revive. Dokja looks even less impressed when Heewon uses [Hell Flame's Blaze] to set off a few fireworks, and he figures that she's using it in a way that would make Eden rage. As she congratulates him on coming back, Dokja just asks her not to put him in a coffin next time.
Letting Heewon run off to get the others, he stands up to a flurry of happy messages from the constellations and notes that his legs are back. Upon receiving 90,000 coins, Dokja immediately clocks that they're from guilt as he also gains a 'Semi-Myth Grade' fable—'The One Who Killed an Outer God'. absently, he wonders if he could have gotten a full Myth-grade fable if he had faced a Great Old One, but he knows that he would have died before even being able to speak if that was the case.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering at the misfortune of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Ahjussi, you're alive again!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed with a wide grin. Kim Dokja ruffled her hair, but he was a bit exasperated. It was one thing to wake up in a coffin, but they knew that he was coming back, so why the hell was the lid closed? Who the heck had decided to nail it shut, dammit?
Honestly, if Han Sooyoung hadn't been absent from his mock-funeral, then he'd probably assume it was her idea.
Ignoring the whispering as he emerged from the coffin, Kim Dokja only found himself more exasperated as Jung Heewon used her stigma to set off fireworks. "Heewon-ssi, is that really necessary?"
Jung Heewon just laughed. "Of course it is! Uriel would agree with me, I'm sure."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is extremely pleased by this turn of events.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is sighing in exasperation.]
Okay, so maybe Uriel was okay with it, but that didn't mean that Kim Dokja was!
Lee Seolhwa smiled slightly. "I have to agree with Dokja-ssi here. It would probably be for the best if we don't put him in a coffin in the future. What if he hadn't had the strength or room to properly break out?"
Kim Dokja wasn't even claustrophobic, but the mere idea of being trapped inside the coffin with no way of getting out other than calling for help and hoping someone else could hear him was horrifying. No thank you.
As they watched Jung Heewon run off and Kim Dokja receive a bunch of coins, Han Sooyoung clicked her tongue. "Ugh, you're seriously getting that much money? Sure, they feel guilty, but where are the coins for the rest of us?"
Yoo Sangah reached out and lightly placed a hand on Han Sooyoung's hand. "Sooyoung-ssi, I'm sure we've already received ours while Dokja-ssi was dead."
To Kim Dokja's surprise, Han Sooyoung just rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath rather than retorting. Seriously, how powerful was Yoo Sangah that she could get the prickly author under control so quickly? Actually, no, she was basically an angel in human form. If anyone could tame the demon named Han Sooyoung, it was her.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is pleased to see that the incarnation 'kim dokja' has fully recovered.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is looking hungrily at the new fables.]
Oh damn, a semi-myth grade fable? That was a major upgrade, and Kim Dokja knew that it would serve him well. Now that he had killed an Outer God, he'd have a major advantage if he had to fight another one merely by invoking this fable. Of course, he did have to agree with his future self—the chance at a myth-grade story was not worth facing a Great Old One at this point. He wouldn't have survived a second.
Thanks to the new fable, his status will be re-evaluated, making Dokja wonder if he'll end up at a considerable level among the Historical Grade constellations. Seeing that his status and modifier will be announced in the next scenario, Dokja finds that the timing isn't bad as he looks at the scenario window.
The next main scenario, '73rd Demon King'. As the last scenario to be held in the Seoul Dome, the number of participants is severely limited—it can only be challenged by the 1st and 2nd highest ranked incarnations of Dark Castle. Of course, it doesn't have to be done alone, and each of them can put together a team of four other rankers to take with them.
Knowing that he's ranked second, Dokja begins wondering who he should bring with him and knows that he has to get the help of the person ranked first. For an instant, he wonders just who that can be. However, the moment he hears his name called by a familiar voice, Dokja starts smiling as he realizes that there's only one person who that could be. Looking over, Dokja calls Joonghyuk's name, asking if he's ranked first. Scoffing, Joonghyuk states that this situation is different from the Seoul Rankings and that he's naturally first.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is curious about what level of constellation the incarnation 'kim dokja' will become.]
Being a powerful historical-grade constellation would be beneficial for sure, but honestly, he'd take anything at this point. With any luck, he'd be able to do something impressive enough to change that damn tentative modifier. Had killing the Outer God not been enough to make him something other than 'The Ugliest King'?
"Oh right," Jung Heewon recalled, "you said before that the dome thing breaks after this, doesn't it?"
"It will," Kim Dokja confirmed. "Life will go back to normal for a few days after that."
Lee Gilyoung's eyes went wide and he looked up at Kim Dokja eagerly. "Seriously, hyung? I can go out and collect more regular-sized bugs?"
Kim Dokja nodded, and the boy let out a cheer. Of course, massive bugs would probably be okay for him too, but the normal ones were probably more impressive at this point. Honestly, Kim Dokja really didn't care—he was just relieved that the boy seemed to be feeling better.
"I say we go for some all-you-can-eat barbecue!" Lee Jihye called eagerly. "If ahjussi does the blinking thing at Master again, maybe he'll grill all the meat for us."
… Okay that was genuinely tempting. Still, was Kim Dokja ready to do that again? He had all this power in his hands, but at what cost…
Yoo Sangah smiled and sighed, looking wistful. "A comfy bed would be nice…"
Shin Yoosung tugged on Kim Dokja's sleeve to get his attention. "Ahjussi, are you looking forward to anything after we get out of here?"
Oh, he absolutely was. A grin crept onto his face as he declared, "A real shower."
[several constellations are snickering that the incarnations must be pretty stinky.]
Yeah, well, they wouldn't smell like roses and rainbows after months of surviving the apocalypse either.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is curious about what the teams will be.]
"I'm sure that most of us will end up going," Lee Seolhwa said with a slight laugh. "Well, so long as we're all ranked high enough to qualify, that is."
Kim Dokja was sure that they'd manage, but there was one thing of which both he and his future self were certain—Yoo Joonghyuk would obviously still be the first-place ranker. Kim Dokja was still only ranked second, even after killing the Devourer of Dreams, and the first place spot had belonged to Yoo Joonghyuk even before that.
Looking unamused, Dokja labels the protagonist as extremely–and unsurprisingly–petty since he's upset that he wasn't ranked first last time. Ignoring the slight provocation, Dokja states that he needs Joonghyuk's help and starts to discuss the plan for the next scenario, including the idea of creating the teams together. Dokja talks for a while, glancing over at the rest of the group. Joonghyuk, however, doesn't answer.
Getting a strange feeling, Dokja looks over at the other man and notices that Joonghyuk is staring at him with a serious expression. Suddenly, the regressor asks him what his goal is. When Dokja seems a bit confused, Joonghyuk clarifies. "Kim Dokja, is your final goal to reach the 'End of All Scenarios'?"
Freezing momentarily, Dokja states that he supposes you could say that. Weirdly, Joonghyuk then asks Dokja to promise that he won't give up on that goal no matter what happens, confusing Dokja even more as the protagonist avoids eye contact. Dokja agrees that he won't give up on it, but wonders why Joonghyuk is asking that. As Joonghyuk retorts that it's nothing, Dokja notices that his left eyebrow is twitching. Immediately, Dokja's eyes widen in shock as realization dawns upon him and he senses something stirring in his heart.
Han Sooyoung snickered as Kim Dokja labeled the protagonist as being petty, and Kim Dokja fully agreed. Yoo Joonghyuk was surprisingly petty over the smallest things sometimes, but it just made him seem more human.
[a few constellations are agreeing that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' just wanted to be ranked first.]
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly, immediately capturing his attention, "we will clear this scenario together."
"We will," Kim Dokja confirmed a bit awkwardly. Uh… why was he stating the obvious…?
For some reason, the protagonist seemed to be satisfied with that answer. Maybe he was just really happy to know that he had actually ranked first this time, but didn't want to show it?
As the kids began crossing their fingers and hoping to end up on Kim Dokja's team, Kim Dokja narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the screen. Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't all that talkative on a good day, so it wasn't a surprise that he wasn't talking much; however, he usually wanted to have a say in discussions about things like team-building. The fact that he wasn't saying anything was suspicious, to say the least.
To make matters worse, the protagonist was staring at him seriously, and that immediately started setting off alarm bells in his head.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is wondering if the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' is going to be honest about his feelings.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is gasping dramatically.]
The moment that Yoo Joonghyuk asked Kim Dokja about his goals, Lee Jihye let out a loud and dramatic groan. Han Sooyoung just rolled her eyes, and Jung Heewon sighed in disappointment. Kim Dokja wasn't sure what they were expecting, honestly.
"Well, I guess that is my goal, in a way," Kim Dokja admitted as the protagonist asked whether he wanted to reach the end of the scenarios. "Why would you be asking me something like that, though? Isn't your goal the same thing, Joonghyuk-ah?"
The protagonist glanced over at him for a moment. "My goal is to destroy the Star Stream."
Well, yes, but Kim Dokja still couldn't figure out why the future Yoo Joonghyuk was acting so weird about it. Everything about this interaction was wrong, but Kim Dokja couldn't quite put his finger on why that was the case.
As Yoo Joonghyuk tried to get Kim Dokja to promise that he wouldn't give up on his goals, though, Kim Dokja had to narrow his eyes. That was just suspicious, especially with how deflective he was being. The future Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't the kind of person who would just say something like that out of nowhere for no reason.
"It wouldn't be as suspicious if it was this protagonist saying stuff like that," Han Sooyoung muttered, "but it's not, and that's suspicious as hell."
[a few constellations are discussing the weird atmosphere.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is thinking that he needs another drink.]
Yoo Sangah hummed thoughtfully. "It's as though he's doing whatever he can to ensure that Dokja-ssi stays alive this time."
Hey, the protagonist didn't have that little faith in him, right…? He didn't actually think that Kim Dokja was going to speedrun another death, did he?
The second that he saw the protagonist's brow twitching, though, Kim Dokja froze. Even though it drew some confused muttering from the kids and weird looks from everyone else, he couldn't help it. Yoo Joonghyuk had several different tells, and that was one of the most prominent ones. It was the left eyebrow too, which just made it worse.
If it had just been the right one, that usually indicated irritation, so it was fine. But the left one… this was bad. This was very bad. What the fuck was the protagonist even thinking!?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is confused by the reaction of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is wondering if the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' is annoyed by the questions.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is trying very hard to make his own eyebrows twitch.]