Though he was nervous because of the unknown aspect of what was happening, Kim Dokja knew that he had to take advantage of the opportunity to learn as much as he could about the dokkaebi. Despite being the orchestrators of the apocalypse, there was frustratingly little information about how they worked in TWSA, probably because of the story's focus on Yoo Joonghyuk's regressions and his hatred of them.
Yoo Joonghyuk, did no one ever teach you that you needed to 'know thine enemy?'
Who was he kidding—when it came to things he hated, like the dokkaebi, the regressor would much rather stab first and not even bother to ask questions later.
Dokja looks around as he materializes inside the Gamtu, finding himself in a Japanese style room with tatami mat floors. It's quite nicely laid out, even if it looks oddly mundane for something belonging to a sadistic non-human being. Turning around, he looks out the window with wide eyes and sees countless stars and galaxies forming exquisite patterns full of beautiful colours.
"That's the Star Stream. The landscape is great, isn't it? There are times where even I zone out staring at this scenery," Dogak says as he walks up behind Dokja, surprising him. He easily explains that this is his real voice.
It's the dokkaebi's actual voice, which I've only ever heard through broadcasts.
Dokja recognizes that this means that this is the dokkaebi's real form. Dokgak asks if Dokja is going to try anything foolish, saying that it would be impossible. Dokja blandly states that he's not enough of a blockhead to ever fight a dokkaebi.
"Whoa, that's beautiful!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed, her eyes shining like the stars they were looking at through the window of the Gamtu. "Why do the dokkaebis get to have such nice scenery all the time?"
[many constellations smile at the sight of the 'star stream'.]
The room itself wasn't overly impressive in terms of size, even though the decor was surprisingly nice, but Kim Dokja did have to agree that the Star Stream itself was breathtaking. Looking at it like this, it was hard to believe that something so beautiful could be the cause of all their suffering.
"It's so weird hearing his voice like that," Jung Heewon remarked, unsettled. "Normally, the dokkaebis sound like they're talking over a speaker system or something."
The tone now wasn't grating or tinny—instead, it sounded like a pretty normal voice. It kind of pissed Kim Dokja off that it was so normal, honestly—be at least a little annoying, dammit. Still, it was oddly intimidating to know that the dokkaebi's physical body was in the same space as him.
"Don't let your guard down," Yoo Joonghyuk said with a glance in his direction. Kim Dokja had no intentions of letting the dokkaebi get the advantage anyway, so he nodded. Even though he wasn't planning on fighting here, that didn't mean that he was out of the woods already with just that.
[several constellations are wondering what the incarnation 'kim dokja' is planning.]
Dokgak snaps his fingers as he says they'll start writing up the contract, bringing in Bihyung who is restrained by some spell and unable to speak. Dokgak slyly states that Bihyung is here as the witness since they'll need to break his current contract in order to form a new one, going so far as to say that Bihyung will bear the costs for its dissolution.
Dokja realizes that Dokgak found out about their contract, looking unamused. Dokja says that it doesn't matter to him, and Dokgak brings up the new contract for him to look over since he's never made one before.
When the contract appears in front of him, Dokja looks incredibly ticked off as he reads it. 'He'll take half of all donations, and to top it off, he put several conditions that bind my freedom. What's worse is that I'm in the subordinate position.'
As Dokja glares at the dokkaebi over the top of the window, Dokgak says that it's the standard contract, but that Dokja can make adjustments to it. Dokja mentally calls it a fucking lie, thinking that even Bihyung didn't shove this type of contract on him at first.
Lee Jihye frowned, slouching over. "Wow, he's really bullying Bihyung, isn't he?"
Yeah… honestly, Kim Dokja hadn't expected that at all. This was just cruel, and even though he didn't particularly feel bad for Bihyung, he still had to figure out a way for the two of them to make it out of this situation unscathed.
"He's even trying to make Bihyung bear the costs…" Yoo Sangah sighed. "What a scumbag."
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is unimpressed by the unfair actions of the dokkaebi 'dokgak'.]
When the actual contract popped up on the screen, Kim Dokja had to stare at it in horror. That was a really shitty contract! Of course, the one he had with Bihyung was incredibly skewed in his favour so he was probably a bit biased, but this one was just awful. There was no fucking way he was giving up his freedoms like that, let alone half the donations when the dokkaebi was already getting paid for it because he didn't have a sponsor.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is astounded by the audacity of the dokkaebi 'dokgak'.]
"That one's worse than the other one, right?" Lee Gilyoung asked curiously, glancing up at Kim Dokja innocently.
"So much worse," Kim Dokja grumbled in return. It was honestly insulting with just how bad it actually was.
Still, what was he going to do…? Dokgak wasn't as gullible as Bihyung—nor as willing to bend the rules—so there was no possible chance of even getting the contract back up to something workable. In that case, his only option was to make sure that he didn't break the terms of Bihyung's contract and somehow get Dokgak to give up. Kim Dokja had a couple of vague ideas of how he might be able to accomplish it, but nothing concrete.
Dokja says that he has a suggestion before he signs anything, stating that there are some strong constellations in Bihyung's channel that he'd like to move with him. At Dokgak's request, Dokja reveals the names of 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband', 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon', and 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire'.
Dokgak looks shocked at the names, stating that he's impressed that Bihyung was hosting a constellation like 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband'. Bihyung, feeling betrayed, cries and struggles against his bindings.
{Hey, how could you… How could you do this to me…!} Bihyung messages as he glares almost cutely at Dokja through his tears.
{Bihyung, do you trust me?}
Dokja's response confuses the dokkaebi as Dokja continues, saying that it looks like everything would fall apart at this rate. The dokkaebi's eyes widen in an adorable way as he stops messaging.
[several constellations are surprised by the request of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
… huh?
"You're asking for them to move with you?" Lee Hyunsung asked in complete and utter confusion. "You can do that?"
"Constellations can move channels whenever they want," Kim Dokja replied absently, still utterly blindsided by his own request. Was his future self really planning on using the influence that came with the modifiers of powerful constellations to try and rig the contract more in his favour?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking intently at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
… and was this guy pissed off that Kim Dokja hadn't named him? To be fair, his future self had no idea that the Secretive Plotter was apparently much richer than Kim Dokja had expected him to be. But still… how much influence could a relatively unknown constellation actually have?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is puffing out his chest pridefully.]
Well, out of the constellations he had just named, Sun Wukong was probably the most powerful, so it was completely justified. It would certainly be a shock to Dokgak that he was hanging out on a smaller channel, too.
Lee Seolhwa sighed and frowned slightly. "I never thought that the dokkaebi would ever look pitiful, and yet…"
She really was too nice. Still, Bihyung deserved to panic a little bit every once in a while too, so he didn't feel all that bad about it.
Dokja asks for a bridge to be built between the channels so the constellations can move with him, deflecting all of Dokgak's questions by stating that it would be for ease of access. Dokja then states that he would like to see in advance what kind of constellations are in a large channel, since he's only been in a small one until now, and asks for a sneak peek.
Dokgak taunts Bihyung about the fact that he's going to lose a great incarnation, causing the white dokkaebi's eyes to wobble as tears drip down his furry cheeks. He looks incredibly distraught and pathetic, but there's no time to focus on him. Turning back to Dokja, Dokgak says that he might as well get acquainted with the ambience.
With a snap of his fingers, Dokja enters the channel and, through the mass of windows, notices that Dokgak got his hands on fixed subscribers from other continents and worlds, and he ponders how many coins he could get. Dokgak calls it his new playing field and goes back to asking about the contract, but Dokja asks if he could say his greetings to everyone before signing. Though he seems suspicious of Dokja's intentions, Dokgak agrees.
"Constellations of Tokyo Dome, can you all hear me?" Dokja calls out with his eyes closed as the constellations begin to look at him. "I'm sure some of you have heard of my story. I'm Kim Dokja, the one who smashed the 'Absolute Throne' and became the 'King of a Kingless World'. Just so you know, I have no sponsor. I look forward to working with you all."
When he says that, it very much comes across as though Dokja is claiming that he's 'single, and ready to mingle.'
As Dokgak looks unimpressed, muttering about Dokja being 'high-maintenance', Dokja moves on and starts to talk about a small event to commemorate the occasion of him connecting to this channel.
Kim Dokja's eyes widened, finally having some kind of idea of what his future self was planning. If it worked out the way he was hoping, then Bihyung would absolutely owe him later. A grin crept onto his mouth, and Han Sooyoung looked over at him warily.
"What's got you so excited, huh?" she griped, leaning just a bit further away.
"I think I'm about to scam the hell out of a dokkaebi," Kim Dokja retorted with maybe a bit too much glee in his voice.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' hopes that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will enact justice on the dokkaebi 'dokgak'.]
As soon as Dokgak connected him to the other channel, Kim Dokja knew that the dokkaebi's fate was sealed. If there was one thing constellations couldn't resist, it was something new and interesting—which is exactly what he would be for them.
Yoo Mia glanced at him. "Ahjussi, why are you stalling so much?"
"Just wait," he told her, "I'm sure I'll explain soon."
Any time now… he was certain of it.
As he introduced himself with all of his accolades, Kim Dokja watched in nervous anticipation. Just a little bit more…
"High-maintenance is right," Han Sooyoung muttered with a roll of her eyes, but before he could retort, his future self suggested a commemorative event.
Bingo.
[many constellations are curious about the commemorative event.]
"For those who are curious, it'd be great if you could connect to channel #BI-7623 right now. I'll be handing out coins through a lottery for constellations who come early, so make sure to tune in—" Dokja smiles. Dokgak quickly disconnects him and demands to know what he's doing.
Dokja simply replies that he's hosting an event. Dokgak grows enraged, twisting his face in fury as he asks if Dokja has a death wish and if he believes that the constellations in his channel will fall for such an obvious trick.
Suddenly, a window pops up in front of the red dokkaebi.
I'm sure they'll gladly play along… because you cut them off at the exact moment they became curious.
A bunch of stars twinkle in the air as Dokgak frantically asks where the constellations are going. Above Bihyung's head, a bunch of stars appear and the amount grows larger by the second. Dokja smiles and welcomes them for the event while the original constellations on the channel are not too thrilled by the sudden influx of newcomers. When the new constellations pry about the coin draw, Dokja is quick to deflect their attention.
"You're stealing all his viewers," Yoo Joonghyuk remarked with a slight curious quirk of his brow. "That's a good plan."
Fuck, Kim Dokja was trying so hard not to float away at the compliment. This was like proof that he had good ideas sometimes, and it felt amazing to scam the dokkaebi like that. Soon enough, all his subscribers would jump ship, and Kim Dokja would get away scot-free.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' applauds the incarnation 'kim dokja' for his sheer audacity.]
Why thank you.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is griping about the idea of the channel getting busier.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' warns the incarnation 'kim dokja' to be careful of provoking the dokkaebi.]
It would be fine. Sure, he was pissing Dokgak off, but the constellations were curious now, and that would be the dokkaebi's downfall.
Jung Heewon snickered as all the constellations began deserting Dokgak's channel. "Serves him right."
The kids all cheered, and Lee Jihye let out a couple of extremely loud whistles amidst her giggling. It was turning out way better than he had expected, and Bihyung would definitely need to give him something in return for this later. At this rate, the dokkaebi's channel would have to expand way sooner than expected.
Dokja repeats his earlier introduction and states that it's hard to find an incarnation like him, especially one without a sponsor. He then moves on to saying that things have gotten a little hard lately, and brings up that the second round of the
He then states that if the channel exceeds 10,000 constellation subscribers by the time the
Dokgak raises his hand in Dokja's direction, asking him to wait. Without pausing at all, Dokja just side-eyes the dokkaebi as he reminds the viewers that there must be 10,000 subscriptions for him to be forced to choose a constellation sponsor.
[the eyes of many constellations are shining at the reminder of the upcoming sponsor selection.]
"There's another one so soon?" Yoo Sangah wondered, glancing over at Kim Dokja in surprise. He nodded in confirmation, and she pursed her lips slightly. Of course, since she already had a sponsor, the event wouldn't really affect her at all. Unfortunately, incarnations who already had sponsorships couldn't use the event as an opportunity to switch to a new one.
Han Sooyoung stared at him in disbelief. "You really can't be that stupid. Do you have any idea what you're sounding like there?"
No…? What was she talking about? When he just looked back at her in confusion, she let out a long-suffering sigh.
"Oh for fuck's sake, why did I expect anything else."
Yeah, Kim Dokja was honestly getting kind of worried about her sanity. What kind of bullshit was she even assuming?
"Whoa, that looks so cool, ahjussi," Shin Yoosung gasped as the images of the constellations appeared behind Kim Dokja.
He had to admit… She was right. Still, something about their stares was unsettling, even though he couldn't quite place why. As soon as he announced his intention to choose a sponsor, though, Kim Dokja's jaw dropped. What the fuck was his future self even thinking!? He couldn't choose a sponsor because of his plans and—wait, did he say 10,000?
Oh. Ohhhhh. Kim Dokja tried his best to fight off a grin so he wouldn't give away the bit. If he managed to pull this off… well, it might just be the greatest scam yet.
All hell broke loose as dozens of constellations frantically sent messages. Kim Dokja dismissed most of them—they were just nonsense—but he couldn't dismiss them all quickly enough.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' roars in excitement.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is offering his best wine for the show.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is eagerly anticipating being chosen.]
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is intrigued by the event.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' reminds the incarnation 'kim dokja' once again that coins are not an issue.]
Why were they trying to pander to him now? It wasn't like they were about to get the selection in here, or anything.
[the constellation 'king heungmu the great' is staring intently at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Yeah… not you. Go away.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' grins sheepishly.]
And what was with Uriel's reaction? Had she been keeping an eye on another incarnation in the meantime?
At the very least, with all the other constellations fixated on him, she'd likely have no competition. Kim Dokja was happy for her, really.
Dokgak grabs his head in anger as lightning sparks around him. "Incarnation Kim Dokja, I'm afraid I must have you die here."
Staggering back, Dokja asks if the dokkaebi doesn't care about the aftermath since so many constellations are watching. Dokgak says not to underestimate him, asking if he really thinks that the dokkaebi couldn't handle the probability storm for killing a puny incarnation.
He lifts his hand and directs lighting at Dokja, which the incarnation braces for. Upon seeing that Dokja is fine, the dokkaebi asks why this isn't working as a terrifying presence looms behind him.
"Hey. Did you have fun?" Dokja looks over in surprise as the speaker is shown to be a shadowed Bihyung, who is now much larger than the other dokkaebi and whose eyes are glowing a deep red.
The now smaller dokkaebi asks how Bihyung broke out of the
"Hyung, I'm gonna figure out how to send my bugs after a dokkaebi too," Lee Gilyoung hissed, glowering at Dokgak. To be fair, the dokkaebi seemed incredibly convinced that he could get away with killing Kim Dokja, and considering he was in the Gamtu… yeah that wasn't looking good.
[many constellations are enraged by the intentions of the dokkaebi 'dokgak']
Jung Heewon was practically snarling as the dokkaebi attacked him, and Kim Dokja had no doubts that the woman would try to cut him through the screen if she could.
As soon as Bihyung loomed over the other dokkaebi, though, she seemed baffled and all her vitriol evaporated as shock overtook her.
"What? That can't be what actually happened, right?" she asked, confused as hell.
Even if it wasn't, that image of Bihyung flexing like he was trying to (badly) impersonate Yoo Joonghyuk was hilarious. Of course, despite being a sunfish, the protagonist would never have gotten caught in a trap that dumb, and even if he had, he would have broken out long ago. Really, there was just no comparison.
Dokgak states that Bihyung is just a lesser dokkaebi and asks what he thinks he's doing with this kind of disrespect. Bihyung refutes that Dokgak is also a lesser dokkaebi, even though he has many subscribers, and Dokgak tries to protest that he's refusing to be promoted on purpose.
Bihyung pulls a thinking pose as he states that it seemed like Dokgak had a good number of great constellations as well before menacingly looming over the other dokkaebi and sneering, "Too bad all of them switched to my channel now."
Bihyung then states that claiming that he illegally manipulated the scenario was rich coming from a dokkaebi who proudly steals incarnations from others. He then asks if Dokgak learned morality from the Wenny Men.
Looking frightened, Dokgak states that he won't get away with this—a true cliché. Naturally, this prompts a menacing smile to form on Bihyung's face as he then punches the red dokkaebi so hard that his body smashes through the wall and into the Star Stream behind, blowing right past a stunned Dokja. Silently, the man turns and looks at the new renovation made to the room, courtesy of Bihyung. Though it's not clear whether it's from anxiety or vindication, a grin creeps onto Dokja's face.
"Never thought I'd be cheering for a dokkaebi," Kim Dokja muttered, but he couldn't help but grin as the kids excitedly egged Bihyung on through the screen.
"Get him!" Yoo Mia yelled, eager to see the other dokkaebi punished. Her wishes were answered barely a moment later as Bihyung punched Dokgak in the face, launching him right out of his own Gamtu.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' declares that drinks are on him.]
[many constellations are excited by the sight of the dokkaebi 'dokgak' getting punched.]
"Holy shit," Han Sooyoung wheezed, "I can't believe that just happened!"
Kim Dokja couldn't believe it either, but he turned to look at Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung with a grin.
"I guess that answers your question! You can punch a dokkaebi in there!"
Both kids erupted into peals of laughter, and Kim Dokja felt his heart soften at the sight. They deserved to laugh like this all the time, and he already knew that he would do whatever he could to ensure that they were able to when the scenarios were over.