"That was amazing!" Lee Jihye exclaimed, grinning widely and looking like her birthday had come early. "I can't believe that Bihyung actually managed it."
Kim Dokja could barely believe it either, to be honest. Still, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. At the very least, glancing over to the side, he could see that the protagonist actually looked visibly amused. A small smile curled at the edges of Yoo Joonghyuk's lips, and he looked more relaxed than before—an unfamiliar sight in this hell on earth.
Peace looked good on Yoo Joonghyuk, Kim Dokja realized.
[constellations who like revenge are cheering for the dokkaebi 'bihyung'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is cackling wickedly at the misfortune of the dokkaebi 'dokgak'.]
A red light twinkles in the distance as Dokja turns back towards the remaining dokkaebi.
"I got too worked up. I must have punched him all the way to the Andromeda Scenarios," Bihyung says, still looking quite annoyed.
Dokja just stares for a moment, realizing that Bihyung is also in his true form. Dokja asks about the Andromeda Scenarios, hoping that Bihyung won't resent him for doing all this without telling him.
"Can you tell what I'm seeing right now?" Bihyung asks after answering a few of the questions, and Dokja looks up at the messages popping into view around him as he says that he has a guess that it looks a lot like what he's seeing.
The scene spins around them, showing the ever-growing amount of messages. Passing one window, it zooms in on a starry eyed and teary Bihyung with a small, relieved smile on his face. It then turns again to show Dokja smiling as well.
A book labeled with 'Singularity Trend Report' appears on the screen as Dokja walks closer in an attempt to snoop. When Bihyung asks what he's up to, Dokja raises his hands in an attempt to look innocent with that scammer smile on his face, claiming that he wasn't doing anything. Dokja then moves on to complementing the interior design while calling Dokgak a jerk. Bihyung just watches him disgruntledly.
"The Andromeda Scenarios?" Lee Seolhwa wondered with a slight tilt of her head. "As in, the galaxy?"
Kim Dokja nodded in confirmation. "Yes, the Star Stream is active on other worlds and in other galaxies, even though reaching them seems unfathomable to us."
After all, the fifth scenario was the first one to introduce the concept of dimensional travel in the apocalypse thanks to the disasters, but it wouldn't be the last. Soon enough, they'd find themselves on other worlds too, completing scenarios.
[several constellations are surprised by the amount of messages.]
Okay, wow, that was… a lot. Kim Dokja felt almost overwhelmed by just how many there were, but he knew that it was proof that his plan had worked.
"Pretty impressive, ahjussi," Yoo Mia remarked, sending him a small smile. Success!
Still, he had to wonder when his future self tried peeking at a book he found. 'Singularity', huh? That wasn't a term he recognized from TWSA, which was suspicious on its own.
"Joonghyuk-ah," he said casually, "do you know what that's supposed to mean?"
The answer was most likely a no, but since the first two regressions hadn't been recorded in the novel, there was the faintest chance that he had stumbled across it then.
The protagonist frowned, shaking his head. "No. I've never seen anything about that before."
Damn. Well, it was worth a shot.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is also curious to learn about the meaning of 'singularity'.]
Jung Heewon snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, his interior design skills are so much better than his personality, that's for sure."
What a shame that such a nice place belonged to such a shitty dokkaebi.
Bihyung then asks if everything will be alright, switching halfway through to messages as he asks about the subscriber challenge, since they already have over 5,000 subscribers. Dokja tells him not to worry since he's already got everything planned out, then switches to asking for his ever delayed reward.
{In Dokgak's absence, the authority to issue it must have been passed on to you.} Both of them look at each other blankly as Dokja holds out his hand.
{Ah.}
Lighting sparks in the air, drawing Sooyoung's attention as she casually stands beside a still scowling Joonghyuk.
Multiple angles and cinematic slow-motion shots flash on the screen—including one notable shot of Dokja's thighs and slim waist—as Dokja materializes back into existence wearing a familiar coat, despite its stark white colour. As he lands lightly on the ground, the back flares out with style.
Sooyoung immediately chews him out for taking so long before backhandedly complimenting his new jacket. She then does a double take, looking at the protagonist, then Dokja, and back again. Pointing her finger at the protagonist, she says, "... What is this, are you two going for a couple look?"
Shin Yoosung glanced up at Kim Dokja worriedly. "Ahjussi, you don't want a sponsor, right? The number is already over halfway…"
He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Don't worry, Yoosung-ah. Bihyung was already close to growing his channel earlier anyway, so most of the constellations were there before. It's not going to be that easy to hit 10,000."
That was an understatement, but unless the constellations had an in-depth understanding of how the channels worked, they would never figure it out on their own.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is pleased that they have returned to watching the superior incarnation.]
Han Sooyoung preened the moment her desired sponsor spoke up when she appeared. While he didn't agree with the constellation's description—the true superior incarnation was obviously Yoo Joonghyuk, of course—it was a decent compliment that she could be proud of for a little while.
Lee Hyunsung looked around sheepishly. "Ah… is Joonghyuk-ssi still unconscious?"
Seemed like it, considering the almost comical way he was still glaring at the air. Seriously, why did he have to look like that while using his skill? It was ridiculous and didn't suit his handsome face at all.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is screeching loudly]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' smiles at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Kim Dokja's jaw dropped. Was that his new coat? God that looked so cool, and it made him even more jealous of his future self. Sitting here, still in just the robe and Sungkook's pants, he felt severely underdressed in comparison. Though… he could have done without that focus on his waist, considering Lee Jihye's sly grin and Jung Heewon's teasing glance. Why was everyone so obsessed with it anyway?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking at the scene with an appraising gaze.]
[constellations who like fashion approve of the new look of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Hyung, I want to get a coat like that too!" Lee Gilyoung exclaimed, his eyes shining in anticipation. Well, it was a pretty damn cool—and useful—coat. Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to approve of his choice too, which was always good.
Yoo Sangah giggled as she looked at the screen, and only a moment later, the future Han Sooyoung made her dubious remark. A couple look!? With the protagonist!? Did Han Sooyoung want him to die!?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is shrieking in excitement.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is appalled by the assumption of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
"What!?" Kim Dokja exclaimed in a strangled gasp. "What gave you that idea!?"
Han Sooyoung stared at him blankly before speaking in the most sarcastic tone yet. "I don't know, Kim Dokja—what did give me that idea? It's a goddamn mystery."
Jung Heewon wheezed in the background, joined by Yoo Sangah's polite laughter and Lee Jihye's excited gasping. Even Lee Seolhwa looked amused by his misfortune, which was just wrong. Still, Kim Dokja refused to look over at the protagonist. He could not face the man right now—this was mortifying.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is nodding vehemently.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is foaming at the mouth.]
Uh… did someone up in Eden need to go check on her? Gabriel?
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced over at Kim Dokja. "Why did you choose the white?"
Was the protagonist completely ignoring the laughing women that surrounded them? His ability to focus despite everything was terrifying.
Kim Dokja frowned, but forced himself to shrug while looking at Yoo Joonghyuk. "Honestly, I have no idea."
Why would he choose the white, anyway? He didn't even like the colour, and it stained way too easily to be practical when running around during the apocalypse!
"Hey," Lee Jihye whispered just a bit too loudly, "those are the right colours for a wedding…"
White and black were used for other things too, dammit! What was that girl even thinking!?
Lee Hyunsung glanced over at him and smiled. "Don't worry, Dokja-ssi! We support you!"
And what was that supposed to mean? Oh no, was Lee Jihye's bullshit contagious!?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is frowning in disapproval.]
Yeah, Kim Dokja disapproved of all this nonsense too—it was utterly ridiculous.
"It's just a coincidence. This is a common design," Dokja grits out as he glares at her, stomping his way over. This answer, however, does nothing to dampen 'Demon-Like Judge of Fire's' enthusiasm, nor that of a constellation who likes to change gender.
Dokja looks towards Joonghyuk, who still hasn't moved due to being unconscious, mentally musing that he wanted a black coat instead. In a flashback, Bihyung tells Dokja that the other colours are sold out, revealing the jacket to be mass-produced and made by a powerful constellation.
'A 'subspace' coat. I chose this just to make storing items easier, but I never expected it to be SSS-Grade,' Dokja thinks as a panel appears, introducing the
Looking at the constellation who made it, Dokja notes that it makes sense that the item is SSS-Grade since the creator is famous among returnees. Dokja then turns his attention to the furious looking protagonist, wondering if he's recovering alright. With a paranoid look, Dokja turns to Sooyoung and tells her that they need to leave before Joonghyuk awakens.
"If it's a common design, then I can get a white one too, right?" Lee Gilyoung asked excitedly.
Shin Yoosung scowled. "I want a white one first!"
[the constellation 'mass production maker' is pleased that the coat is so popular.]
Han Sooyoung groaned. "Of course you wanted the black one, you're such a fucking fanboy."
Black was just a cooler colour, okay!?
Jung Heewon grinned teasingly as she looked over at Yoo Joonghyuk. "Poor Dokja is still in a breezy robe, maybe someone could be a gentleman and lend him a coat—preferably in black?"
Wow, that was not subtle at all.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is close to fainting again.]
… Had the angel really fainted earlier? Seriously, someone in Eden really needed to go check on her.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked back at Jung Heewon impassively as he crossed his arms over his chest. "No."
Kim Dokja almost snorted. What had she expected from him, honestly?
"Master, but what if poor ahjussi gets exposed!? Won't you care then?" Ah, and there was Lee Jihye, joining in with more bullshit.
On one hand, Kim Dokja wouldn't exactly say no if the protagonist offered it—the robe was extremely loose and he was still a bit anxious about not having a shirt on underneath, after all—but on the other, there was no way that Yoo Joonghyuk would ever do such a thing.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is once again wishing he could offer his cloak instead.]
Well, that would be nice, but Kim Dokja did have to wonder… why did the protagonist look so offended at that idea when he had already rejected Jung Heewon's suggestion?
Shin Yoosung looked down at the ground with a sigh. "Sorry, ahjussi… my sweater is too small for you."
Kim Dokja felt his heart soften at the sight and patted her on the head. "It's alright, keep your sweater on. I don't need it."
Plus, it would be extremely humiliating if he was somehow able to fit into clothes belonging to an eleven-year-old girl.
The scene then cuts to Sooyoung looking down at Dokja, who is crouching as he examines something on the ground. In front of him is a wriggling vine with an eye on it, and Sooyoung asks for confirmation that it's really edible in a disgusted voice. It's clear that she has no idea how it should be cooked.
Dokja tells her that there's nothing else to eat, peeling the vine to reveal a beautiful layer of pink flesh beneath. He then half-clumsily skewers them onto sticks and places them around the mana burner, shaking some spices over them as Sooyoung watches skeptically from the sidelines.
As the Yanaspleta skewers start to sizzle, the smell seems to win Sooyoung over. Dokja stops her from grabbing a skewer, handing her a cup of a mysterious purple liquid that he says is boiled sap from the root, and tells her that she has to drink it before eating the Yanaspleta's stem. After drinking, Sooyoung takes a bite of the vine, her eyes lighting up as he grabs another skewer and compliments him through a full mouth of food. She has one skewer in each hand, and appears practically ravenous as she tears through them.
"Ew, you're going to eat that?" Yoo Mia asked judgmentally, grimacing at the thought. "That looks disgusting."
To be fair, the Yanaspleta did not look appetizing in the least, so he couldn't blame her. Still, it's not like they had much choice right then.
[constellations who like cooking are curious about the taste of the yanaspleta.]
Yoo Joonghyuk watched blankly as Kim Dokja prepared the plant monster and began to cook it. His expression was so hard to read that Kim Dokja was actually kind of anxious. He was totally judging, wasn't he?
"You should have used more salt," Yoo Joonghyuk said suddenly, "and replace the paprika with gochugaru for a stronger flavour."
Kim Dokja stared at him for a moment. "What?"
"It doesn't look terrible," the protagonist admitted, which affected Kim Dokja way more than it had any right to. "Better than expected from you, even, but it can be improved."
What was this, a cooking show? Had Yoo Joonghyuk forgotten that most sane people didn't keep an entire spice rack in the pocket of their coat at all times? Kim Dokja was also electing to ignore the insult to his nearly non-existent cooking skills because that guy's standards for food were just unrealistic. Still, that compliment was quite nice…
No, he had to focus. Kim Dokja almost slapped himself; he couldn't let himself put too much weight into Yoo Joonghyuk's offhand comments—nevermind the fact that he didn't dish out praises easily. It was backhanded! And also mostly true, but still—it was the principle of the thing.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is intrigued by the cooking skills of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"Damn, either it's actually decent, or I'm fucking starving," Han Sooyoung muttered. Wow, nobody had faith in him today, did they?
"By the way, was it really alright to leave Yoo Joonghyuk to that lady?" Sooyoung asks. A flashback appears which shows that they dumped the protagonist onto Seolhwa, while instructing her to take him to Gaebong District and find the pitiful soldier in Unit 5603 of the military base.
In many regressions where the guide did not infect her, Lee Seolhwa was called the 'Saint of Healing' and not by the name 'The Poison Beauty'.
Dokja explains to Sooyoung that Seolhwa isn't a bad person, and that she just acted that way because of a parasite. Behind them, Sangah lays with her head on a rolled-up blanket.
Maybe in this regression too, Lee Seolhwa will be hailed as the 'Saint of Healing'.
Dokja turns to Sangah, telling her to come and eat with them since she's regained consciousness, as Sooyoung noms away in the background. When she doesn't reply, Dokja states that she must be asleep and says that they'll eat her share, really laying it on thick about how delicious it looked. Sangah, unable to resist the temptation of food, jolts up and asks him to stop. Realizing she fell for a trick, she blushes hard.
Lee Hyunsung perked up instantly. "You're sending Joonghyuk-ssi and Seolhwa-ssi to come find me?"
Apparently so. It was a good tactical choice, honestly. Yoo Joonghyuk could navigate directly there with ease, and Lee Seolhwa would be able to help if he was still weakened, or if Lee Hyunsung was injured when they arrived.
"Good thing I knew where you ended up, right?" Kim Dokja said with a smile, and Lee Hyunsung returned it with his usual golden retriever enthusiasm.
"Of course!"
[the constellation 'divine doctor guam' is grateful that his incarnation is safe.]
"Thank you again for sparing me," she said quietly. "I will certainly do my best to assist all of you."
Having her on their side would be a major bonus, so Kim Dokja couldn't regret any of it at all.
"Ah, I can't believe I was pretending to still be asleep…" Yoo Sangah muttered sheepishly. "How embarrassing…"
Dokja tells Sooyoung to get up if she's eaten her fill, noting that the tension between the two women is what made Sangah pretend to be asleep. Sooyoung just clicks her tongue and grumbles, but gets up before saying she'll be back and to save her some more for later.
With Sooyoung gone, Sangah slowly makes her way over, acting like a cautious street cat. As soon as she takes a bite of the Yanaspleta stem, however, she chows down and her eyes light up cutely. All the while, Dokja reminds her to eat slowly. With sad eyes, Sangah comments on the taste, saying that it's delicious. Dokja muses that she looks no different than the Sangah he always knew when she puts on that face.
It's been one month since the world fell to ruin.
Scenes of Sangah fighting when they reunited appear on the screen as Dokja ponders her new abilities.
In order for someone like Yoo Sangah, who hated causing anyone harm, to be able to swing a dagger without hesitation… So much has happened, and so much has changed.
"Now… there's no going back, right?" Sangah asks, sounding slightly broken as tears form in her eyes. For a moment, all is quiet except for the crackling of the burner. Dokja then reminds Sangah that none of this is her fault, which causes the woman to look up as tears begin streaming down their cheeks.
Suddenly, the room is full of echoing shouts as the scene changes to one of chaos where people are fighting over resources, before showing a flash of a child crying for his mom as the dead lie around him. Fires blaze from all sorts of buildings as explosions ring out in the night, then it returns to the burner and the skewers around it.
"It truly isn't your fault," Dokja states with finality in an attempt to comfort her as Sangah doubles over, tears now flowing more freely as sobs wrack her body. Dokja just looks away, letting her cry it out in silence.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is grumbling.]
Oh give it a rest, Han Sooyoung would be back soon enough.
Still, Kim Dokja frowned when Yoo Sangah started eating. Why hadn't he given her the drink first? Was this part of his plan? Or was he distracted enough that he just forgot?
"The world has changed so much…" Yoo Sangah muttered, looking downcast. "I know that I'll have to change with it, but… I don't like seeing myself like that."
Kim Dokja couldn't blame her at all. She was a gentle soul, someone who had always been meant more for helping than hurting. Maybe rather than himself, he should be worried about the person she would be forced to become to even last through the scenarios.
"You're right, you can't go back now," Han Sooyoung said bluntly, "so you just have to keep finding your way forward."
Yoo Sangah nodded slightly. "Yeah. I know that. Thank you."
Shin Yoosung unlatched herself from Kim Dokja's sleeve and shuffled over to the older woman, hugging her around the torso. "It's okay, unnie."
She hugged the younger girl back tightly, and everyone pretended that they couldn't see her shoulders shaking as she cried silently.
[several constellations are pleased by the touching scene.]
One week is left until the start of the Fifth Scenario. The 'Disaster of Hellfire' fire dragon, and the 'Disaster of Questions' Myung Ilsang have already been averted.
As he names them, ferocious images of the disasters appear. The scene then changes to Seolhwa carefully wiping sweat from an unconscious Joonghyuk's face, doing what she knows best as a doctor.
Yoo Joonghyuk will soon wake up and take Lee Hyunsung along to confront the one in the west, and the 'King of Wanderers' will take care of the one in the north.
The masked woman from before appears on the screen before the image changes to the map of Seoul with the 5 lights. The ones in the East and South have little figures of the dead disasters with X's for eyes and sticking out their tongues. For the west and north, chibi's of the aforementioned people are shown standing over them. The scene then zooms in on the final glowing point.
Leaving only the 'Central Disaster' to focus on… but first.
"Only three more to go, and the scenario hasn't even officially started yet," Jung Heewon remarked. "I wonder if any of us will end up helping with the other disasters. The bar I was in was closer to the northern side of Seoul, so there's a chance I'll go there."
That made sense, even if Kim Dokja wasn't entirely comfortable with thinking about it too much. As soon as he mentioned who was taking care of the northern disaster, Jung Heewon's expression changed into one of intense displeasure.
Yeah… Kim Dokja had a bad feeling about that. At least the future Jung Heewon had no idea of the messy ties between him and that woman. Still, he hoped that the disasters would go down without too much trouble.
[a few constellations are amused by the comical graphic.]
Back in the present, Sangah has now fallen asleep after crying so much, tear marks visible under her eyes as a few still run down. Looking down at her with a blank face, Dokja asks if 'she' could kindly reveal herself. When there is no reaction, he guesses that she's feigning ignorance and asks why 'she' is watching him, wanting to know what she's learned after so long.
The stem of the Grade 7 Plant Species 'Yanaspleta', when eaten without drinking the sap, has a very strong soporific effect.
Dokja points his blade towards Sangah's neck, stating that 'she' should start talking soon since there is nothing he won't do to achieve his goal. With cold eyes, he threatens to kill Sangah—their precious incarnation.
"Sleep well, unnie," Yoo Mia said quietly, but she froze when Kim Dokja looked down at Yoo Sangah blankly. "Wait, ahjussi, why are you acting so weird?"
Yoo Sangah stiffened up, holding onto Shin Yoosung tightly. "Dokja-ssi…?"
He wasn't completely sure either, but he had a suspicion. If the circumstances were what he was thinking… then if he made the wrong moves, this situation could go south fast.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
When he pulled out the sword and pointed it at Yoo Sangah's neck, everyone turned to look at him in bewilderment—everyone except for Yoo Joonghyuk.
"You heeded my warning," he said, his voice sounding somewhat pleased, and Kim Dokja shrugged.
"Seems I did."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is happy that the incarnation 'kim dokja' is trusting his companion.]
"What…? Dokja-ssi, I—" Yoo Sangah blurted out anxiously, but she was cut off by an indirect message appearing.
[the constellation 'abandoned lover of the labyrinth' is furious with the actions of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Sangah's eyes snap open, golden and bright, as a flash of light suddenly impacts her body—the sign of a constellation possessing their incarnation. Dokja steps back as blood drips from his mouth due to the pressure, and thankfully [The Fourth Wall] does its job to nullify the shock.
[Puny Human.]
'Sangah' stands up in a jerky manner, her eyes glowing as her hair flows around in the light.
'You've finally shown yourselves,' Dokja thinks with a victorious grin. 'The damn constellations of Olympus.'
Behind Sangah's body, an image of golden figures lounging in the clouds while looking down at Dokja appears. Among them, Athena and Hermes are easily identifiable from their accessories, though others are unknown. The last of the constellations to appear is Ariadne, whose threads flow from her fingers down to her incarnation, resembling a puppet master pulling the strings from behind the curtain.
Fuck, a constellation was really descending into her like that? This could get bad very, very quickly.
[many constellations are shocked.]
So it was exactly as he suspected—she was sponsored by all of them. That was very risky, and he wasn't sure that the reward was worth all that. The imagery of Yoo Sangah being a mere puppet on Olympus' strings was extremely unsettling, too. Something about all of this rubbed Kim Dokja the wrong way, and he hoped that his future self wasn't getting in over his head. He seemed to be pretty confident, which was a good sign, but nothing could be guaranteed in situations like this.
[the constellations of the nebula 'olympus' are looking intently at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Well, shit," Han Sooyoung breathed, aptly describing everyone's current thoughts.
Shit, indeed.