[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is groaning.]
Yoo Sangah shifted uncomfortably, glancing away from the screen as soon as the god appeared. Clearly, she wasn't completely over what had happened before and—if Kim Dokja was being honest—neither was he.
This was beyond awkward, and there wasn't really anything he could do other than hope this conversation wouldn't go sideways.
[What? You don't recognize me?] the wine glass says as a notification arrives from 'God of Wine and Ecstasy' displaying his disappointment. With this hint, Dokja hesitantly calls Dionysus' name, resulting in a spark of probability striking the glass.
Clearly dazed from the strike, the god warns Dokja not to call true names carelessly. Dokja then asks why he looks like this, which Dionysus explains that this is due to symbolic forms reducing the probability costs they incur.
Looking at the glass, Dokja muses that it's probably better that he's in a symbolic form anyways since, even with [The Fourth Wall], there's no guarantee that he'll retain his sanity upon seeing the constellation's true form. Realizing that they're actually meeting for the first time in person, Dionysus greets Dokja and remarks that his Roman name is used as an energy drink brand. As he states this, images of said drink appear on the screen—blurred for copyright purposes—as Dokja responds and greets him awkwardly.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
"Why is he a cup?" Lee Gilyoung asked with a strange expression on his face. "That's so weird."
Ah, right. Most people wouldn't know anything about the constellations having symbolic forms. Thankfully, the god explained it himself, but Lee Gilyoung didn't look particularly convinced. Yoo Mia, on the other hand, rolled her eyes.
"Can't they choose their forms? Why would he choose to be a lame glass?"
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is offended by the declaration of the incarnation 'yoo mia'.]
Kim Dokja, trying to hide his snickering, smiled at her. "They can't choose these ones, unfortunately."
For some reason, the girl seemed almost disappointed by that—maybe because she just wanted a reason to make fun of a constellation. Kim Dokja really didn't know, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to.
Han Sooyoung let out a sigh. "Shit, right. You can handle true voices and whatever, but that's different from seeing a constellation's true form."
Yeah, no matter how powerful his skill was, he wasn't sure it'd be able to withstand that much.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is amused by the current events.]
Jung Heewon's eyes widened in surprise when the drinks were mentioned. "Ohhh, right! I know that brand—my coworker used to down like three before a late shift."
That was… more than mildly concerning. Even Lee Seolhwa looked unnerved and a bit paler than usual at that.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is impressed by the former coworker of the incarnation 'jung heewon'.]
Unfortunately, the chances were that this coworker was probably dead.
Seeing how calm Dokja is, Dionysus remarks on it, which leads to Dokja reminding Dionysus that he's not the first constellation Dokja has met in person. Remembering that he went to the Underworld, and after receiving Dokja's thanks for his aid, Dionysus asks the incarnation what he went for. [I have never seen that haughty queen act so kind to anyone. To think she'd go against the nebulae to protect a single incarnation….]
Dionyusus' voice then turns incredibly suggestive as he starts to hint about a possible romantic interaction between the two. Looking exhausted by the implication, Dokja dryly states that he's wrong. Dionysus pushes a little more, pointing out how sexy she is and suggesting that the only thing preventing him from making an advance of his own is her husband.
"You really are good at keeping calm in strange situations like this," Lee Seolhwa remarked with a nod in Kim Dokja's direction. He supposed that was true, but really it was only because of [The Fourth Wall] helping him perceive it as fictional. There was no way to fully believe that he was talking with a god, after all.
However, everything got awkward again as soon as the Underworld was brought up. Kim Dokja grimaced, recalling exactly how that meeting had gone. The whole situation with Yoo Sangah's form aside, it was still pretty unnerving to realize just how literal the constellations consuming stories aspect of TWSA was.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is looking forward to meeting the incarnation 'kim dokja' again.]
Right, she'd be at the banquet too. Glancing over at Yoo Sangah, Kim Dokja desperately hoped that this wouldn't get awkward as hell again.
"Well, I guess he knows what you went to the Underworld for now," Lee Hyunsung said awkwardly, glancing at the ceiling as he did.
When Dionysus remarked that Persephone was unusually nice, Kim Dokja narrowed his eyes. That was a bit strange, admittedly, but maybe she was just impressed that he had pulled off her assigned task?
Shin Yoosung frowned, looking almost confused. "But she's so nice? She even said we could play with the dog."
Kim Dokja paused for a moment, trying to remember what the hell the girl was talking about.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is curious to see how the guard dog of the 'underworld' will play.]
Fuck, right. Cerberus.
"Yoosung-ah, I don't really think that'll happen…" he said awkwardly, earning a pout from the young girl.
However, before he could continue that thought any further, Dionysus tried pushing to see if he had an affair with Persephone while he was in the Underworld, and Kim Dokja's jaw dropped as all his thoughts vacated his mind.
What!?
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is disappointed in the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is aghast by the suggestion of the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is glaring at the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' with disdain.]
"Disgusting," Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed, looking at the wine glass on the screen like it was nothing more than an ant that would be crushed beneath his boots.
He looked so utterly repulsed, an expression that Kim Dokja hadn't really seen on his face before, that it was hard to look away. It made sense that he was so disgruntled—Yoo Joonghyuk hated lustful people, after all—and with everything that Dionysus was saying, he absolutely fit that bill.
Yoo Sangah glanced down awkwardly, but even she seemed pissed off by the implication that the god would try pursuing the goddess if he was a bit less scared of Hades. Sure, Olympus was full of stories like that, but that didn't mean that it was even remotely comfortable for regular people to hear it out of nowhere—and especially not when it wasn't just a story anymore.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is laughing and declaring that it's not that serious.]
[the constellation 'father of the rich night' is glaring intently at the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
Oh shit.
Kim Dokja felt an unpleasant shiver run down his spine—the chill of death. He had known that Hades would be watching since Persephone was, but he had never expected the myth-grade to speak up. It was hard to bring himself to breathe, knowing that someone with that much power was paying attention to their scenario.
The kids squirmed in his grip, and maybe he was holding them a bit too tightly, but he didn't want to even chance drawing any negative attention from Hades right now, especially considering what Dionysus had been joking about only a moment ago. With any luck, Hades would have seen his discomfort, and he knew the truth about what he had said back then anyway.
"Shit," Han Sooyoung whispered, looking pretty afraid as well. "You're fucked."
Yeah, he knew that. If Hades took anything the wrong way—
"Your dumb ass said you wanted to court him, remember?" she hissed, and Kim Dokja felt his soul leave his body again. Right. He had said that.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering at the misfortune of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Kim Dokja couldn't even count on Yoo Joonghyuk to save him right now because no matter how strong he was, there was no way in hell a pre-50th scenario protagonist could even hope to stand up to one of the big three of Olympus. All he could do was hope that Hades wouldn't take it too seriously, or that he'd realize that Kim Dokja absolutely hadn't meant it in that way.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is gently whispering into her husband's ear.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is apologizing for the commotion.]
Dokja cuts off his scandalous words, pointing out the myth about Persephone being his mother. As Dionysus is seemingly reminded of its existence, Dokja asks if that story is made up. When Dionysus denies either way, Dokja gives the most judgemental look as Dionysus defends himself by saying that stuff like this isn't taboo in Olympus. Internally, Dokja calls Olympus 'a paradise of gods who think with their lower half.'
Immediately redirecting the conversation, Dionysus brings up the fact that he's willing to bestow the fable [Cult Leader of Bacchus] upon Dokja, which leaves the man looking incredibly disinterested and mildly disgusted.
Kim Dokja let out a breath, finally feeling like he could breathe again thanks to Persephone calming Hades down. That had been so intensely nerve-wracking, but he wasn't about to die today, it seemed.
Right as Kim Dokja reminded the god about the one myth, Lee Jihye grimaced. "Oh that's so gross!"
It really was.
"Greek mythology was always a bit… um… looser with stuff like that," Yoo Sangah admitted quietly, and Kim Dokja felt so bad for her. Unlike the rest of them, who could insult the nebula and hope that they'd forget before the end of this scenario, Yoo Sangah had a direct line to them. She had to watch what she said about them, because there was no way that a nebula of egotists like that would stay passive if their own incarnation talked shit.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is thinking that this conversation is pointless.]
Honestly, it probably was. It would be better for Yoo Sangah if they got off this topic as soon as possible.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is looking judgmentally at the constellations of the nebula 'olympus'.]
At least they could trust Eden's archangels to side-eye the Olympians for them. They'd have to live with that for now.
Unfortunately, it was just going downhill from there as Dionysus offered Kim Dokja a fable. All he could do was groan and bury his face in his hands, remembering exactly what that fable entailed. In what world would he want something like that!?
Lee Hyunsung blinked in confusion. "But isn't Sooyoung-ssi a better candidate for a cult leader story than Dokja-ssi?"
Kim Dokja immediately coughed to disguise a guffaw, and watched as Han Sooyoung's face nearly turned purple as she stared at Lee Hyunsung in bafflement. He wasn't sure if she knew what that story was about or if she was just offended by the cult comment, but it was funny as hell.
"Huh!?" she exclaimed loudly. "What makes you think I want that shit!?"
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is somewhat offended by the words of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
She scrunched up her nose as she grimaced at the indirect message. "Yeah, I don't give a fuck."
Seeing his expression, Dionysus guesses that he compared his fable with those of Eden and Vedas. Immediately, the god starts bringing up the downsides of their fables, such as eternal virginity. Seeing Dokja's still-disgusted face, he starts trying to pimp out his female believers while stating that he can also drink wine endlessly in an effort to make his story seem more desirable. Flatly, Dokja states that the offer isn't appealing to him. Scrambling for a foothold, Dionysus then offers up orgies with his goddesses—an offer which Dokja cuts off by saying, "You mean the goddesses who rip apart homosexuals?"
Stuttering, Dionysus then tries to add Aphrodite to the mix, but quickly shuts up and backtracks when an indirect message from the goddess herself appears. Seeing that Dokja still isn't convinced at all, he mumbles about a certain angel mentioning Dokja's interest in sodomy.
"I think I know who spread that, but ignore that girl. I want to know the real reason why you came to see me," Dokja says, quickly brushing off the past conversation. Dionysus states that it's to bring him under the Olympus nebula, but Dokja immediately guesses that there's more to it. The goblet pauses for a moment before swirling around in amusement at Dokja's perceptiveness.
As Dionysus began mentioning the other fables, Jung Heewon looked as confused as Lee Hyunsung did. "Wait, is that story all about drinking a lot? Did he forget that you're a lightweight, Dokja-ssi?"
Yeah, it wasn't the lightweight part he was concerned about.
"It's hard to compare any of these if we don't know what the original fable is about," Lee Seolhwa admitted awkwardly. That was very true, but Kim Dokja also wasn't sure that he wanted everyone else to hear what it was all about.
[a few constellations are wondering about the reasoning of the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is glaring at the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
And then, Dionysus revealed that Eden's story would require eternal virginity, speaking about it as though it was the end of the world. It really wasn't that big of a deal, even if it wasn't the best case scenario, but it would be better than whatever the fuck Dionysus wanted from him.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is gasping in horror.]
Kim Dokja looked up in confusion. Why was she so surprised? It was her own nebula's story, after all.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is praying that the nebula 'eden' is not planning on offering that story to the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Well, it's not like he would accept it anyway, but why did she care in the first place?
Yoo Joonghyuk also seemed somewhat disgruntled, but it only got worse as Dionysus kept talking and digging himself a deeper hole. Man, that god really had no filter, did he?
"I'm not interested in that at all," Kim Dokja replied flatly, already hating how gross he felt just from hearing about this. Of course, his discomfort was nothing compared to the women of the group, who were clearly extremely uncomfortable with the way Dionysus was talking about his followers.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the pathetic attempt of the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy'.]
"This is bullshit," Jung Heewon growled, looking genuinely pissed off. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if she was mentally planning how to decapitate a constellation, with that look of utter rage on her face.
Lee Jihye looked pissed off too, but it was for a very different reason. "You're stupid if you think ahjussi would betray Master like that!"
While it was true that he would never accept that kind of offer, that wasn't the reason why…
And then, making it worse, Dionysus offered up his goddesses. Now, Kim Dokja hadn't been any big connoisseur of Greek literature or anything—far from it, actually—but he had remembered when those very same goddesses had been mentioned in TWSA. It hadn't been a pretty scene at all, and Kim Dokja remembered feeling a sort of visceral terror while reading it back when he was 22. It had unsettled him greatly, even though he couldn't quite name the reason why.
However, as soon as his future self retorted, everyone looked at him in silence for a moment instead of being rightfully horrified by all that the god—and he—was saying. Kim Dokja looked back at them awkwardly.
What? Why were they staring at him like that? That was a perfectly reasonable thing to reject, even if he hadn't already been planning on rejecting the story in the first place!
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is amused by the current events.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is covering her wide grin with her hands.]
For an instant, Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze felt like it was burning into his soul, but he couldn't bring himself to look back at him. Thankfully, Han Sooyoung groaned loud enough to distract him.
"Oh my god, you are so fucking dumb. Do you even hear yourself!?"
Kim Dokja had no idea what she was talking about. Unfortunately, Dionysus immediately jumped to assuming that he was interested in sodomy. Not even that he was interested in men, but sodomy.
What the fuck had Uriel even been spreading!? Scratch that—how the fuck had that rumour even started when she was an archangel? Why was she even thinking about that kind of stuff in the first place!?
[a constellation who likes harems is looking at the incarnation 'kim dokja' appraisingly.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is looking disapprovingly at a constellation who likes harems.]
"Hyung, what does sodomy mean?" Lee Gilyoung whispered, and Kim Dokja wanted to die.
Sounding like he was at his wits' end, Kim Dokja just patted him on the head and said, "It's not something for kids to worry about, okay?"
Fuck this entire situation. Kim Dokja was not about to explain the concept of anal sex to an eleven-year-old. Besides, how the fuck did so many constellations even hear this rumour in the first place!? He couldn't even answer it definitively because it's not like he'd ever tried anything in that field at all, let alone that! Kim Dokja had never dated anyone, never kissed anyone, and hell, he hadn't even held someone's hand romantically before. Why the fuck would he have experience when it came to what his sexual preferences were?
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is looking critically at the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is promising the constellation 'scribe of heaven' that it isn't her fault.]
Kim Dokja just wanted this conversation to end—he couldn't deal with any of this for much longer. Not only was she staring at him too, but Yoo Joonghyuk still hadn't looked away, and it was getting to the point where he felt shivers going down his back.
To make matters worse, Jung Heewon snickered. "And you didn't even deny it."
Now he really wanted to die. This was the absolute worst.
Dionysus reveals that his purpose isn't to bring Dokja to Olympus, but rather that he doesn't want Dokja to join them. Dokja's eyes widen and he tries to ask for the god to elaborate, but a loud boom rattles the back of the carriage. A bit of wine spills from the glass and Dionysus shrieks about being so surprised that he wet himself, and Dokja carefully edges away from the spilled wine just in case. Noticing that Dokja's being targeted by other nebulae, Dionysus grumbles about how he can't damage the borrowed carriage, deciding to drop Dokja off and let the incarnation run the rest of the way.
Here? When it's just an empty space?
Dionysus says that he'll stop the pursuers here, urging Dokja to hurry as they won't be able to harm him once he reaches the banquet hall. As a final warning, he tells Dokja not to trust anyone.
Does that mean 'including him' as well?
Dokja makes a run for it as the carriage cracks in half behind him, the horses letting out loud neighs of fear, as adrenaline fuels his quick steps. Coming up to the entrance of the building, Dokja leans over, panting, before looking up at the dokkaebi standing guard at the door. When he walks up and states that he's here to participate in the banquet, the dokkaebi looks at him suspiciously because he's alone and he hasn't been informed of any incarnations attending on their own.
Damn it, looks like the sun chariot might have been my free pass.
Kim Dokja let out a breath, hoping that things would improve from here on out as they moved on to more serious subjects. It was a bit suspicious to hear that Dionysus was actually advocating for him to avoid Olympus, though.
"Don't let your guard down, Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk told him in a gravelly voice—one that somehow seemed deeper and more visceral than usual for some reason. All he could do was nod in return, and hope that would be sufficient. He didn't think that he'd be able to find the words right now anyway.
[several constellations from the nebula 'olympus' are eyeing the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' suspiciously.]
Unfortunately, before he could get more information, they were attacked. Fuck, why did everyone have the worst timing!?
"Be careful, ahjussi," Shin Yoosung whispered fearfully. "What if you die while you're already dead?"
Uh… Kim Dokja would rather not find out if that was possible.
"Gross," Yoo Mia muttered in disgust as some of the wine spilled, and everyone joined her in looking more than a little uncomfortable as the future Kim Dokja wondered what he meant by that.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is agreeing with the words of the incarnation 'yoo mia'.]
Yeah, this was a dumpster fire of a carriage ride, and although Kim Dokja just wanted it to be over, he'd rather it not be because they were getting attacked. It was even worse when the god decided to just drop him off right then and there because he was getting targeted.
Kim Dokja groaned and buried his face in his hands again. Seriously, fuck Dionysus. Was he trying to get him killed by leaving him defenseless like that? Just to protect a carriage?
At the very least, everyone looked pissed off by that decision—Jung Heewon and Yoo Joonghyuk most of all. Han Sooyoung looked like she was somewhere in between feeling upset or laughing at Kim Dokja, and he honestly didn't know which would be worse.
"At least he's trying to delay them…" Yoo Sangah said half-heartedly, but everyone could tell that she didn't really believe it. Sorry, Dionysus, but you've lost all sympathy with all your bullshit.
However, upon hearing his warning, Kim Dokja's eyes narrowed. That was awfully suspicious, and he could feel Yoo Joonghyuk's expression darkening once more. Clearly, this banquet wasn't going to be as simple as previously thought, either.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is greatly entertained by the chase.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is laughing uproariously at the destroyed carriage.]
At the very least, Kim Dokja allowed himself to relax as he managed to make it to the banquet hall unscathed, but apparently the world hated him and the dokkaebi didn't want to let him in alone. Great. Just great.
"That's not fair," Shin Yoosung muttered in an upset tone, "you got attacked!"
Yeah, but nothing was fair in the goddamn Star Stream.
[Let him in. He's with me,] a playful and slightly gravelly voice calls out, and the doors open as Dokja's expression morphs into one of shock and surprise. As he looks up the stairs at the constellation, there's a small blush visible on his face.
A mischievous face, covered with white-gold hair with golden glitter. The prisoner who was locked up in the smallest prison in the world as the price for making a fool of the most supreme authority. Anyone would be left breathless once they encountered his noble fiery-eyed golden gaze.
Suddenly, Kim Dokja's eyes widened as an unfamiliar voice began speaking on his behalf. Who was that…?
[several constellations are surprised by the current events.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is blinking in shock.]
With that kind of reaction, Kim Dokja reasoned that there were only a few constellations who it could be, but he couldn't think for long. Not when Lee Jihye let out a loud shriek of dismay.
"No, ahjussi! What are you doing!?"
Clearly he was in awe, what was she thinking? Whatever, that wasn't important. What was important was that Yoo Joonghyuk's eyebrow was twitching in irritation, and Kim Dokja agreed with him. This was ridiculous.
Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes. "Not interested in men, my ass."
Yeah, he was ignoring that.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is pulling her hair from stress.]
As soon as the narration from TWSA began playing, Kim Dokja realized exactly why he had reacted that way. Who the fuck wouldn't be astounded when they came face-to-face with the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal!?
As the quotation plays, the back of Sun Wukong's head appears on the screen and the light of the banquet gleams off the golden headband, which stands out from his hair. The scene then circles to show his striking eyes before giving a full body view of the hottest monkey you ever did see. He stands in armor, as if ready to battle at any moment, and large pauldrons sit upon his shoulders, yet they don't dwarf him or take away from his muscular torso bearing sculpted abs. His legs are clad in comfortable pants which fit into his golden metal boots. In his right hand, he twists a piece of fur from his pauldrons while holding the iconic Ruyi Bang in the other.
When Dokja calls out his modifier and rushes forward while reaching out, the monkey king grins before vanishing into smoke—the constellation he had seen was nothing more than a clone. However, Dokja has no time to dwell on this as his hand falls dejectedly and he notices many eyes boring into him. When he looks up, the entire colour scheme changes as many floating neon eyes all stare at him until it's overwhelming. As the murmurs begin, Dokja realizes that they're all constellations and that he froze up immediately upon seeing them despite having [The Fourth Wall].
It finally sank in—right now in this banquet hall, I am the only being who isn't a constellation.
"Oh wow," Kim Dokja breathed in awe as the screen finally displayed Sun Wukong in all his splendour, and he couldn't look away. The constellation truly lived up to both his reputation and description in TWSA, and then some. Of course, he still couldn't slap Yoo Joonghyuk's cheek or anything, but he was still better looking than Kim Dokja had expected.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is preening at the praise from the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Though, for some reason, some people didn't seem so impressed. Yoo Joonghyuk's extremely thunderous expression could probably be chalked up to his distaste for constellations, but that seemed wrong for some reason. Kim Dokja couldn't be certain or anything, but it felt like it was more personal this time.
Also, Yoo Mia looked upset too despite not having a particular reason for it. Lee Jihye was distraught, but she was also too deep in her bullshit for him to care all that much right now.
"I didn't see this coming," Jung Heewon admitted, sounding completely baffled. "It's like you're meeting a celebrity."
Well… that was kind of what was happening.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing and rolling his eyes.]
What was that guy's problem anyway?
Whatever, he couldn't worry about it for now. Especially not when he had just walked into the constellation section of the banquet hall, and got completely paralyzed beneath the weight of their gazes.
Lee Seolhwa gasped, and she covered her mouth in surprise. "Oh goodness. We knew that it was difficult to be around constellations, but if even Dokja-ssi is struggling that much… no wonder incarnations can die just from being in their presence."
That was absolutely true, and it was horrifying to realize just how out of reach they were right now. Their power level was so much higher than his, and if he ever wanted to help Yoo Joonghyuk take them down, he'd need to be able to match up to them. This was just putting how much more work he had to do into perspective.
[the constellation 'master of steel' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will be okay.]
Before Dokja can hyperventilate too much, a voice speaks and asks the constellations to calm down as small hands grab Dokja's arm, explaining that they'll take him along since there's been a mix up. The figure then comically hoists the bewildered Dokja above their head as they casually walk out of the room. As soon as the doors close, Dokja can finally breathe again.
Putting him down in a hallway, the figure asks why Dokja came alone. Looking at the huffy intermediate dokkaebi dressed in Korean attire, Dokja makes a guess. "Bihyung?"
Confirming his identity, Bihyung once again asks why Dokja is alone since the 'Queen of the Darkest Spring' said that she'd send an envoy.
Thankfully, someone came to his rescue, and Kim Dokja blinked as he processed the voice. It sounded rather familiar—albeit less tinny than usual—and his saviour's identity suddenly clicked in his head. Of course that dokkaebi would be here, especially since an incarnation on his channel had been invited to such an occasion.
The banquet was streamed to the constellations who were unable to attend, after all.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is cackling in amusement.]
"Okay, that's kind of funny," Yoo Sangah admitted as Kim Dokja got picked up and rushed out of the room. "At least you're out of there now, Dokja-ssi."
While he could have done with a less humiliating exit, it's not like he had much choice in the matter. It also wasn't even close to being as bad as that horrific carriage ride.
"You're okay now, right?" Lee Gilyoung asked eagerly, looking up at Kim Dokja with wide eyes. Kim Dokja nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't think I was supposed to go into that room."
That was an understatement, but it's not like he knew where the hell everything was anyway. It's not his fault that the dokkaebi at the door didn't give him any directions, or that Sun Wukong had used a clone there and vanished.
[several constellations are surprised by the appearance of the dokkaebi 'bihyung'.]
Huh. So he had gotten promoted.
"Wait, that's Bihyung?" Lee Jihye gasped in shock. "There's no way! How is that the same dokkaebi!?"
"Their forms change as they move up in the ranks," Yoo Joonghyuk replied, finally looking a bit less tense than before. "The highest ranks of dokkaebi even have a humanoid form."
Kim Dokja nodded along, and it was kind of amusing to see all the kids look very conflicted about that. Clearly, none of them wanted to imagine Bihyung (or, god forbid, Paul) in human form.
Upon hearing Bihyung's question, though, Kim Dokja sighed. "Well, I had an envoy…"
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is looking away awkwardly.]
In his defense, it's not like he had planned on getting attacked by other nebulae. Still, that had been one of the most awkward conversations Kim Dokja had ever been forced to endure, and he had had no choice but to listen to Han Myungoh attempt to discuss literature before.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is promising that this will not happen again.]
At least he could count on Persephone to hopefully send someone else next time. Hell, Kim Dokja would even take riding in a carriage with one of the Judges over having to endure all of that in the future. Anyway, with any luck, Bihyung would get him where he needed to go to wait for the banquet to begin. There was always a spot for incarnations to gather beforehand, after all. All he could hope was that this banquet would be less of a disaster than getting there.
[many constellations are eager for the banquet to start.]