"So… is ahjussi cosplaying as a constellation now?" Lee Jihye wondered, casting a cursory glance over in his direction.
Well, that certainly wasn't how Kim Dokja would put things. He'd rather say that he was laying the groundwork for later, but he couldn't afford to speak up to correct her. Not with all those constellations watching.
[many constellations scoff at the assumption of the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
Kim Dokja raised a brow at her. "Why would I do that? I'm just trying to help Yoosungie get stronger."
And, of course, to improve his appeal to the constellations—he had to get even more of them interested in subscribing to Bihyung's channel, and the opportunity to get two incarnations for one would be extremely tempting.
Yoo Mia scoffed, "Yeah right. You're probably trying to scam someone again, ahjussi."
Well damn. She was absolutely correct.
In the light of the rising sun, Dokja is asleep while leaning against a wall. He startles awake, drool still at the corner of his mouth, as a notification comes in from 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' about looking after his incarnation.
Dokja stretches his arms as other constellations pop in with their own opinions, causing him to realize how much the constellations have been losing it since he declared he would become Yoosung's sponsor.
A sponsor only in name, without even having accumulated enough fables, could never actually become a real sponsor.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is raising a brow at the ambitions of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Ah, shit, did that guy figure it out already? Well, he seemed to be a pretty avid supporter, so it would probably be okay for now. Unlike other constellations, the Secretive Plotter didn't seem like the type to gossip, at the very least. It would be rather ironic if he couldn't keep a secret with that modifier.
Jung Heewon narrowed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head, as though she was trying to wave away a thought. Maybe she had also caught on that something was up, but dismissed it. After all, she had no idea that an incarnation could even become a constellation in the first place.
Han Sooyoung, on the other hand, stared at him with a frown on her lips. She probably had the best idea of what he was planning at the moment, but Kim Dokja refused to let her intense look get to him.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is excited to see the interactions between the incarnations 'kim dokja' and 'shin yoosung'.]
Dokja wonders if he can even call himself a sponsor without a Stigma he can give her, before optimistically stating that he's richer than the average Historical-Grade constellation. He snaps back to attention when a message from 'Secretive Plotter' states that he's watching with great intrigue, and gifts him 1,000 coins.
I'd assumed that he was a Historical-Grade when I first saw that modifier, but the amount of money he spends and his laid-back manner…
Behind Dokja, an image appears of a shadowy figure wearing a flowy cloak that covers their head. The face underneath is blank, without any expression or physically identifying characteristics, as they loom behind Dokja. With a contemplative look, he seems certain that 'Secretive Plotter' must be at least Fable-Grade—or even an Outer God—but he also can't find anything in TWSA to give any leads.
"Wait, is that true, Dokja-ssi?" Lee Hyunsung asked in shock at the revelation of just how many coins he has. "Maybe having that many coins means that a Stigma is unnecessary…"
Well, just because Kim Dokja was functioning without one didn't mean that it was easy. While he would be able to buy Shin Yoosung most things that she would need, he still ran the risk of dying and leaving her high and dry, especially if he didn't have the chance to get enough karma points.
"It depends on the constellation, but their available funds usually depend on how well-known their story is," Kim Dokja replied. After all, more influential constellations would have more coins.
[the constellation 'bald general of the people's army' is awkwardly looking away.]
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is hiding her face sheepishly.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' praises the incarnation 'kim dokja' for having so many coins.]
"Fuck, a thousand coins when you didn't even do shit?" Han Sooyoung muttered in an offended tone before whistling lowly. "He really is your sugar daddy, isn't he?"
Huh??? What? That's not—
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
Kim Dokja was completely baffled, but at the same time, he wouldn't say no to more coins. If the constellation really wanted to spend that much on him, though…
Still, did he really have to get slapped with that label? Kim Dokja really didn't want to think about his favourite novel being boiled down to a bunch of people running around with divine sugar daddies to give them money and power!
Yoo Joonghyuk frowned at that entire conversation—and rightly so because what the fuck, Han Sooyoung?—but he also looked intrigued by Kim Dokja's speculation on the constellation's identity. As he listened, Kim Dokja had to admit that he agreed with his future self's conclusions that the constellation had to be Fable-grade at the very least. Myth-grade was significantly less likely, since there weren't too many of them, but— oh?
"An Outer God? What made you think that, Dokja-ssi?" Yoo Sangah asked curiously, shooting him an inquisitive look. "The only one we've seen so far hasn't exactly… ah… seemed capable of using the Star Stream…"
Kim Dokja was too busy gaping at the baffling theory, but he had to admit… it was a possibility. A slim one, granted, but it was too early to rule it out completely.
Shaking his head, he answered Yoo Sangah. "The higher the rank of the Outer God, the more sentient they are, so it's not impossible for an Outer God to log into the Star Stream—not every constellation is human, or even humanoid, after all. I don't know if they would be able to give themselves a proper constellation modifier, though, since they usually use deals called
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
[several constellations are casting suspicious glances at the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' declares that he is better than the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
Kim Dokja ignored all the constellation messages; they weren't that important. Still, the fact that this constellation didn't exist in TWSA was the most suspicious thing. Of course, it was impossible for every single entity to have existed in the novel—just look at Jung Heewon, after all—but it was downright strange for a constellation of his wealth and power to be completely unknown to Kim Dokja.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is rolling his eyes.]
Kim Dokja looked at the message contemplatively. There was a chance that he was wrong and Secretive Plotter was just a Fable-grade from another planet's mythology, but on the off chance that he was right… Well, he'd just have to keep an eye on that constellation in the future.
At the sound of a low growl, Dokja looks up to see Yoosung using [Interspecies Communication] on a small beast. Countless empty mana potions surround her, yet she doesn't seem to be ready to stop. Dokja walks over and reminds her that she has to sleep so she won't get penalized, but she asks to go a little longer.
As Yoosung uses [Taming], a visual of a large, ghostly hand reaches out towards the small beast. Right before it reaches it, the beast growls and barks loudly, causing the hand to disperse and for the skill to fail. Just as it leaps to attack, a knife flies in from the side of the frame to accurately puncture its neck.
Sooyoung grumbles, lounging on her mat with her arm still outstretched from throwing the knife, and complains that it was noisy. Yoosung is quiet as she gloomily moves her gaze from Sooyoung back to the now dead beast. Dokja looks at her slightly nervously before activating [Character List].
Ever since last night, Shin Yoosung has been practicing hard to improve her skill level.
"Oh, it's me!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed before shoving Lee Gilyoung out of Kim Dokja's lap while he was distracted. The boy squawked and dragged her off as well, but Kim Dokja was only able to appreciate the breathing room for a brief instant before the kids clung to him again, glaring all the while.
"Huh, you really can't use it." Lee Gilyoung blinked at her in shock before his smirk grew into a grin. "I guess I do have to teach you! Are you gonna be able to keep up?"
Her cheeks flushed and she leaned in closer to Kim Dokja before blinking up at him innocently. "Ahjussi, he's bullying me…"
"Hyung, don't listen to her!" Lee Gilyoung pleaded, looking equally innocent. "She pushed me first!"
… Screw his previous parental thoughts, they must have been from a moment of insanity; he really wasn't cut out for this.
[constellations who like children remind the incarnations 'shin yoosung' and 'lee gilyoung' to behave.]
Lee Seolhwa seemingly took pity on him and smiled gently at the children. "There's no need to fight. Remember, if you practice together and both of you get better at taming, then you can help keep Dokja-ssi safe."
Their eyes widened and they exchanged a look for a moment, and Kim Dokja almost thought that they were arguing entirely in the metaphorical daggers flying between them.
"Fine, but I'm gonna protect hyung better," Lee Gilyoung declared confidently.
Shin Yoosung snarled, "You wish, bug boy! I'll get so good at taming animals, just you wait!"
As Kim Dokja tried to placate the two bickering children while Lee Seolhwa shot him a somewhat pitying glance, Yoo Mia stared at them almost longingly. For an instant, it looked almost as though she wanted to reach out and join in, but her hand dropped back to her side and she sighed in defeat.
[Name: Shin Yoosung
Personal Attributes: Beast Tamer (Rare), Remorseful Murderer (Ordinary)
Exclusive Skills: Taming lvl. 7, Interspecies Communication lvl. 8, Agile Feet lvl. 8, Interspecies Friendship lvl. 6
Stigma: None
Overall Stats: Stamina lvl. 14, Strength lvl. 19, Agility lvl. 44, Mana lvl. 45
*Growth Package I is currently in use.
*Growth Package II is currently in use.
*New Scenario Commemoration Package is currently in use.]
Dokja assesses the speed of her growth due to the packages and muses that she still can't tame a Grade 8 monster despite likely having more support than any other incarnation in Korea. When Yoosung self-deprecatingly states that she doesn't have talent, Dokja smiles as he pats her on the head and states that she is talented.
The reason why Shin Yoosung can't use her powers well is probably because of… her trauma.
As Dokja states the last two words, an outline of a puppy happily panting and wagging its tail appears on a black background.
[several constellations are jealous of the packages gifted to the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
"I'm sorry, ahjussi," she said quietly, "I'll do better this time."
Of that, he had no doubts. Kim Dokja just smiled and patted her head affectionately, knowing that she would probably need it, especially if they were going to talk about her past at some point. Thankfully, he did it at just the right time so that the girl was looking away when the puppy appeared on the screen. She didn't deserve to deal with that on top of everything else happening right now.
Though some of the adults seemed to have figured out what that entailed—especially after her tearful apologies to the puppy earlier—none of them wanted to draw her attention back to it.
Lee Jihye looked the most torn up, but she took a deep breath to steady herself. Ah… she was remembering Na Bori, wasn't she? Thankfully, Jung Heewon patted her shoulder and offered the teenager a small reassuring smile.
[constellations who like animals are saddened by the current events.]
Dokja asks if something is on her mind, and she states that she's scared. Dokja reminds her that a monster isn't a pet and that she shouldn't hold any regrets. He attempts to spout the same lie about a wish at the end of the scenarios that he told Gilyoung, but Yoosung just points out that his nostrils flare when he lies. Still, despite that, Dokja decides to be honest.
"I chose you over Seoul," he says, looking down at her, "and I don't regret doing that at all."
This causes her to stare at Dokja for a moment before starting to ask about something to do with her possibly getting strong in the future before trailing off. He prompts her to continue, but Yoosung just says that it's nothing before dashing away to try working on her skills again. This, naturally, does nothing for the man's confidence as he immediately worries that she ran off after staring at his face.
He then seems to have a realization as he thinks of TWSA, causing a scene to appear on the screen of Yoosung enthusiastically complimenting Joonghyuk on how he's the best and how handsome he is as the protagonist nonchalantly sparkles away.
Dokja watches her with dread as his thoughts spiral about how she was a fan of Joonghyuk, before seeming to adamantly defend Joonghyuk's character by pointing out that she was never a heroine candidate due to her age, and that she was more like a younger sister character instead—even offhandedly mentioning that she and Mia fought constantly as a result.
Lee Jihye stifled a laugh and exchanged a glance with Han Sooyoung upon seeing the ridiculous expression on Kim Dokja's face.
"Your nostrils!" Han Sooyoung snorted as she laughed. "Oh my god, you look so stupid!"
Wow, so nice of her, really. He didn't look that bad, did he? At least Lee Jihye was feeling better, but did it really have to be because of his apparently dumb expression?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is cackling at the stupid face of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' scoffs and retorts that the incarnation 'kim dokja' should not listen to stupidity.]
At least he had someone defending him. Thanks, Secretive Plotter.
When Kim Dokja declared that he had chosen Shin Yoosung over Seoul, the girl hugged him even tighter and she looked like she was doing her utmost to avoid crying.
"You're the best, ahjussi," she whispered, her voice tinged with embarrassment and genuine affection. Kim Dokja relaxed and patted her head again, knowing just how true of a statement it had been.
"I meant that, you know?" he said quietly, and she nodded excitedly before grinning. Still, Kim Dokja had to cringe only a moment later when his mind supplied the image of what she was like in TWSA
"Wait, you're telling me that she was obsessed with that guy?" Jung Heewon exclaimed in disbelief, pointing at the protagonist.
"Ew," Shin Yoosung muttered, "why would I ever do that?"
Because he was the protagonist?
Yoo Joonghyuk's expression twisted into something akin to disgust when Kim Dokja began defending him, absolutely baffled that something so ridiculous had to be said in the first place. "Kim Dokja, you—"
"I never thought that, Joonghyuk-ah!" Kim Dokja defended himself as quickly as possible. "People on the internet are just very stupid; you were always a perfect gentleman!"
'Except for that one time when you sent her off to wander through the labyrinth for centuries, but that's another issue,' Kim Dokja thought, but didn't say.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' thinks that the incarnation 'shin yoosung' would be a wonderful little sister.]
Yoo Mia huffed and stared at the other girl with a determined look on her face. "You can have ahjussi; oppa is mine."
"Didn't want him in the first place," Shin Yoosung retorted, looking equally determined. Just like that, any possibility of them arguing like they had in the novel completely evaporated.
Dokja's face comically looks dark and worried as he imagines that she might just ditch him for Joonghyuk when she meets him later. He then zips over to a yawning Sooyoung with an urgent look on his face, asking if he's relatively good looking, which immediately confuses the standoffish girl. When Dokja clarifies that he wants to know how he compares to Joonghyuk, she looks somewhat disgusted as she asks why the hell he would ask such a thing.
After graduating from high school, I've never cared about my looks.
Chibis appear of Gilyoung, Jihye, Heewon, and Minseob, as well as Sungkook, who—due to the drawing style only showing the top half of the body—might very well still be lacking in pants. All of them are giving backhanded insults to his appearance as Dokja notes that none of them seem to find him good-looking. As Dokja thinks of how he didn't think he looked bad when taking selfies, an image of 18 year-old Dokja taking selfies in the mirror using a flip phone appears on the screen. He looks a bit awkward in that classic gangly teenage way.
Sooyoung destroys his confidence with a single sentence. "Consolation is all I can do for you now."
Dokja, now completely destroyed, stares daggers into Yoosung's back as he mentally declares that she should never meet Joonghyuk.
"Seriously? You asked me something like that?" Han Sooyoung griped, grimacing all the while. "How pointless."
It wasn't pointless, thank you very much! Clearly, his future self was very distressed by this, and it would settle his mind.
"You're not bad looking now that the blurriness is gone," Jung Heewon said with a laugh, "but asking how you compare to him is… well…"
She scratched her cheek awkwardly, trailing off as she did. Lee Hyunsung looked equally conflicted, and that hurt more than it should.
It was fine. Kim Dokja was fine. He didn't need that confidence anyways.
"Ahjussi is very pretty!" Shin Yoosung exclaimed with a grin, and Kim Dokja patted her on the head.
"Yeah!" Lee Gilyoung jumped in, eager to get some head pats of his own. "Hyung is the prettiest!"
That was all well and good, but 'pretty' wasn't exactly the description he was hoping for here, either…
[a constellation who likes handsome men offers the incarnation 'kim dokja' their condolences.]
Fuck, he knew it. That had been a stupid question—Yoo Joonghyuk was like a masterpiece made by the greatest of artists that they would never be able to get close to replicating again.
Every inch of his body was perfectly sculpted, and there wasn't a single flaw in his complexion. His dark eyes, his slightly wavy hair, his high cheekbones and sharp jaw… everything was so perfect that he couldn't stand out less if he tried. His muscular arms spoke to all the training he did, and Kim Dokja had no doubt that the muscles in his legs would be as hard as stone. God, the protagonist probably had a six—no, an eight pack. Not only that, but his proportions were godly, too. On top of everything else, Yoo Joonghyuk was also taller than everyone in the group except for Lee Hyunsung, but he still managed to command the room without any effort whatsoever.
Meanwhile Kim Dokja was… himself. He cringed as soon as his teenage self showed up on the screen, remembering all those awkward photos. Thank god they were all gone now because he would never live it down if Han Sooyoung somehow managed to get her hands on any of them.
"Ahjussi, that's not a very good angle," Lee Jihye informed him seriously. "When we get out of here, I'm going to teach you the secret to taking kickass bathroom selfies."
Kim Dokja stared at her with a bewildered look on his face. He hadn't taken any since he was younger—he didn't have a reason to, really—but were angles really that important? And why was she so enthusiastic about this?
She looked at him intently before grinning and gesturing to herself with a thumb. "Trust me—I'm a teenager, so I know these things."
… Okay?
He nodded once, still confused, and did his best to ignore the women all exchanging amused glances around him.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' says that he prefers the looks of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Oh… Kim Dokja felt his cheeks go red, and he had to look down in embarrassment. That was… well, it wasn't a compliment he expected. He could handle people making comments about his intelligence or his scammy ways, but being told that someone liked his face better than Yoo Joonghyuk's… well, that was unfathomable.
Considering how Yoo Joonghyuk was clenching his fists too, he was probably also bothered by such a senseless comparison. Still, that guy really didn't need more reassurance that he was good-looking, did he?
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is curious about the tastes of the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
Honestly, Kim Dokja had to agree. Did the guy have a few screws loose, or something? How could anyone like him better when the protagonist was right there!?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is scowling intently at the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is staring defiantly at the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
Later at night, Sangah prays in thanks for the meal after they finish, prompting Dokja to ask if she's religious. At her admission that she's not, it only confuses him briefly before she states it's for the gods of Olympus. Dokja then awkwardly laughs before noticing that Yoosung is yawning. He then tells Sooyoung to take the night watch with him while the other two sleep.
In our spare time today, we hunted nearby monsters to collect coins. Shin Yoosung's Agility and Mana were also leveled with those coins at every opportunity. Due to this, she managed to learn [Advanced Interspecies Communication] quickly.
Dokja looks back at the now sleeping girl, noting that she hasn't succeeded in taming anything yet and stating that she must improve. Sooyoung calls out to him suddenly, reminding him that he should sleep as well, and Dokja wonders why she's being so distant.
Well, I actually know exactly why. We used to be enemies, and Sooyoung and Sangah's stance on many things are the exact opposite of each other.
Dokja looks up as a notification appears suddenly, which informs him that the 'Disaster of Ice' has been neutralized. Dokja guesses that Joonghyuk had no problems fighting it off.
That means his meeting with Lee Hyunsung went smoothly.
As Dokja says this, Hyunsung appears on the screen, crying and clinging to his shield while wondering where Dokja is.
Just as I expected, he's doing great.
Sooyoung then calls from where she's sitting, stating that she wants to ask Dokja something. Dokja immediately shoots back that she's ugly without even waiting to hear what the question was. After squawking for a bit, she asks what Dokja actually wants to achieve, saying that he's always doing strange things. Dokja stays silent for a moment before replying, "There's an ending that I want to see."
"Ew, night watch," Han Sooyoung groaned sarcastically. "Time to be bored out of my mind, joy."
Wow, she didn't have to be so thrilled about it or anything.
Shin Yoosung sulked slightly when she heard that she hadn't succeeded yet, but Kim Dokja hugged her a little tighter. "Hey, you'll get it eventually, even if Gilyoungie has to help you with it."
"I'll get it without his help, just watch," she muttered with a scowl. Well, at least she was determined?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is amused by the words of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Kim Dokja shot a glance over at the author, and he saw that she looked relatively unbothered by the enemies comment. At the very least (and thankfully), so did Yoo Sangah. It seemed that they really had made up.
"Oh, another disaster is gone," Lee Jihye said excitedly, "but man… I wish I could have seen Master fight it."
Right? Kim Dokja would have much preferred watching Yoo Joonghyuk kick ass than that whole… discussion… about his looks.
As soon as Kim Dokja immediately responded to Han Sooyoung's question by saying that she's ugly, he couldn't hold back a laugh. It was so unexpected—and Han Sooyoung looked so baffled and offended—that he couldn't help it.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
Finally, he wasn't the butt of the joke!
"I hate you," Han Sooyoung grumbled, "like I actually fucking hate you. I can't believe you just did that when I was about to ask a serious question, damn."
Kim Dokja didn't miss that Yoo Joonghyuk looked genuinely amused as well—complete with a subtle smile curving at the corners of his lips. At least Han Sooyoung's humiliation was worthwhile.
"An ending you want to see…" Yoo Sangah muttered with a small smile. "I believe in you, Dokja-ssi!"
She was nice, as always, and Kim Dokja knew that he would do whatever it took to achieve that ending he hoped for.
Sooyoung replies that she also had an ending that she wanted to write, which prompts Dokja to ask why she plagiarized. Sooyoung shoots back that the tropes come from some other places as well, and that they're not exclusive to TWSA. Dokja shoots back that hers is an issue since it's more similar than any others. She begins to tell her sob story, but Dokja cuts her off and states she doesn't need to since he's not interested.
When Sooyoung asks if he can read minds with a pointed gaze, Dokja looks away and states that he wouldn't have had such a hard time if he had such a skill. As Sooyoung activates [Lie Detection], which takes the form of glowing cat's eyes above her, it proves that his statement is false.
Sooyoung tells him to try reading her mind right then and there, and when Dokja says that he can't read her mind, she states that she never plagiarized and uses [Lie Detection] on herself to prove that statement is true.
Huh?
Dokja is stunned as she explains that she wrote down her own dreams while saying that it's true that she read TWSA, which her skill confirms yet again. Dokja then snarks that she must have dreamed of it after reading TWSA, believing that she's just using her subconscious to avoid taking blame. Sooyoung then goes on to muse the philosophical meaning of life, plagiarizing, and fiction vs. reality that makes Dokja immediately ask if she's just trying to change the subject.
Dokja mentally admits that he's had similar thoughts. To illustrate this, an image appears of the current version of him and the Dokja from before the start of the scenarios standing back to back while surrounded by the novel's text.
This was something I thought about ever since TWSA became the reality of this world. Has the novel overlapped with our reality, or is reality turning into the novel?
Jung Heewon rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway. "It's true that there are similar tropes, but at least we already know you didn't plagiarize. Thankfully, Dokja-ssi's future self knows that now, too."
[constellations who are knowledgeable about copyright are contemplating the implications once more.]
Still, considering that they had already made guesses, it was a bit awkward to see himself so resistant to the idea that she hadn't plagiarized. The fact that he was doubling down like that… Well, Kim Dokja actually couldn't blame her for glaring at him this time.
"That is a good question," Lee Hyunsung muttered, already looking a bit overwhelmed by all the thinking.
It was mind-bending at best, and either of them were completely possible at this point. After all, in a world where anything could happen, who's to say that the reality that they knew ever truly existed separately from the novel's in the first place. For all he knew, in every regression turn, there had been a Kim Dokja in car 3807 who had gotten killed by Kim Namwoon, left as nothing more than one of the numerous corpses of unknown and unnamed side characters.
Or maybe that Kim Dokja hadn't been as lucky with a chance Naver search all those years ago, and there wasn't a Kim Dokja in the world at all when the apocalypse began.
Dokja stops, massaging his eyes as he tells Sooyoung to sleep in order to stop her from spouting headache-inducing stories and chasing away constellations. She responds that she's lost sponsorships since she started hanging around him, prompting him to tell her that it's an attitude problem on her end. In response, she sticks out her tongue at him.
Still, having this jerk around might be a little fortunate.
Dokja smiles slightly as his gaze softens and notes that it's comforting not to be the only one to know that this world is 'fiction'. As he thinks this, his eyes flutter closed and he slumps against the wall.
The screen is dark for a while before Dokja jerks awake, realizing that Sooyoung didn't wake him for his guard shift. He looks over, trying to see why she hadn't, only to see Sooyoung's body lying dead on the ground.
When I woke from that short yet sweet slumber, Han Sooyoung's body had become a cold corpse.
"Ah, damn," Han Sooyoung cursed, "you're fucking over my sponsorships too?"
That wasn't intentional, but maybe the constellations following her were more along the lines of the thrill-seekers. It was comforting to know that he wasn't alone in his knowledge—even if hers was significantly less comprehensive—but in a coin penalty scenario, it made sense that the decreased sponsorships were stressing her out.
[several constellations are greatly alarmed by the current events.]
"Ahjumma?" Yoo Mia asked quietly, lost in shock, and the other kids couldn't stop staring either.
Han Sooyoung didn't look much better, pale and tense. "No, that can't be right…"
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' vows to eat whoever killed the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
Kim Dokja had thought that she was safe, considering that some version of her had something to do with this scenario. Could it be that this was one of the things that she was trying to prevent by showing this information?
"Sooyoung-ssi, we won't let this happen," Yoo Sangah promised, looking genuinely distressed. "I don't know what could have…"
She trailed off, and Han Sooyoung looked away, not saying anything else. Honestly, her silence was more unnerving than anything that she could have said, and Kim Dokja didn't know what he could do to fix it.