This wasn't going to be pleasant, no matter what happened. At the very least, no matter how much they had disagreed, things hadn't come to blows last time. Kim Dokja definitely wasn't looking forward to any of this, and if his relationship with her wasn't already nigh irreparable, then he was certain that this would cement it.
[many constellations are eager for a thrilling confrontation.]
[several constellations of the nebula 'olympus' are looking curiously at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
After obliterating the room, Dokja tells Sooyoung to be prepared because he wants to end this quickly. Before he has the chance to swap his [Bookmark] to Kyrgios, however, the rest of Sookyung's group rushes in and surrounds the two of them. Their voices aren't hostile as many, including Youngran, call out to Dokja with concern and try to convince him to stay. Oddly, they're all looking at Dokja with sympathetic expressions. As Sooyoung attacks with a burst of black flame, it's dispersed by Youngran, who yells for Dokja to stop because his mother is doing this for him.
They go silent as Sookyung raises her finger to her lips and decides to let her sponsor reveal their modifier, who proceeds to look at Dokja with deep sadness.
The Founder's Mother?
Dokja's eyes widen as he watches his mother crackle with intense amounts of probability—caused by a level of synchronization that Dokja hasn't seen before—as her constellation speaks to him through indirect messages, telling him that she won't take his life if he doesn't resist. Before Dokja can use his skills to escape, the world around him and Sooyoung goes dark as they're sealed using the ancient energy of the land. In an instant, his strength is sapped from his body and he becomes nothing more than an ordinary person, leaving him feeling as helpless as a small animal.
"End it quickly, huh?" Han Sooyoung muttered, frowning as she did. It seemed that she was quickly figuring out what he was planning—namely, to get the fuck out of there as soon as possible. Kim Dokja knew that this wasn't a fight he really wanted, so he'd likely try to avoid it at all costs.
"You can do it, ahjussi!" Lee Jihye cheered, likely trying to seem far more optimistic than she felt. As much as Kim Dokja appreciated her enthusiasm, he felt as tense as a rubber band stretched to its limit. If he got stretched just a bit too much further, he'd inevitably end up snapping.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is urging the incarnations to start punching.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is looking at the 'wanderers' in confusion.]
Kim Dokja didn't know what to think about the sympathetic tones of the wanderers' voices calling out to him, but he already didn't like it. He didn't need their pity, and he didn't know why they were trying to plead with him in the first place. Under the circumstances, why would he listen?
Lee Hyunsung seemed a bit apprehensive as he watched everything happen, biting his lip and glancing around. Looking confused, the lieutenant had a strange expression on his face. After a moment, he looked down at the floor. "I'm not the only one who thinks this is weird, right?"
"Weird how, Hyunsung-ssi?" Jung Heewon asked curiously, and he sent her a brief yet tense smile.
"Well, they have Dokja-ssi and Sooyoung-ssi completely surrounded, but instead of attacking or even bracing for an attack themselves, they seem almost desperate to convince him to stand down…"
That was true, but what did it matter? Kim Dokja knew that he had no intention of listening to them.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes in thought.]
As he watched her cut off her followers' words—the ones who were trying to convince him that staying here in this accursed place was for his own sake—Kim Dokja felt nauseous. He shouldn't be surprised. She had always been persuasive, and there was no doubt in his mind that she had them dancing in the palm of her hand with a sob story or two. Hell, they probably also thought that he was still just a child who couldn't do a damn thing without his mother.
Kim Dokja was twenty-eight, hardly a child. He had been taking care of himself for longer than anyone had been taking care of him. He didn't need to be treated like he didn't know right from wrong.
However, none of that mattered the second her sponsor decided to reveal themself, and Kim Dokja sucked in a breath.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in shock.]
"Ahjussi, who's that?" Shin Yoosung whispered nervously, clearly seeing the apprehensive expression on his face. "Is that a powerful constellation?"
"Yes," Kim Dokja told her tensely, narrowing his eyes.
Fuck, this wasn't good. No wonder she was so confident, and to make matters worse, she was extremely in tune with her sponsor. Not even that half-baked actor from earlier had been this synchronized, and Kim Dokja knew that this could get very ugly very quickly.
"Surrender or die?" Yoo Sangah hissed, gritting her teeth. "Things should have never come to this!"
They shouldn't have, and yet there they were.
Clutching onto Yoo Sangah, Lee Gilyoung's eyes widened nervously. "C'mon hyung… get out of there… and take ahjumma too, I guess."
Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes. "I shouldn't even be there in the first place! I'm not involved with his shit!"
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is gasping in shock.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is watching the current events nervously.]
Unfortunately, Kim Dokja didn't have enough time to escape—with or without Han Sooyoung. Cursing under his breath, he clenched his hands into fists and glared at the screen, knowing exactly what stigma had just been used.
Yoo Mia gasped as Kim Dokja's power was stripped from him, turning to look at him with something that almost looked like panic in her eyes. "Ahjussi, you're just a normal person again? That's not permanent, right?"
Kim Dokja shook his head. "No, it's just temporary, but it's still not good for us."
Inside the seal, he wouldn't have access to any of his skills or bonus stats, and his status as a constellation was downright useless. He had to hope that his future self had some kind of item that would be useful here because those were the only things that couldn't be suppressed by the stigma.
This stigma is a seal that uses a 'fable' that is only usable in the Korean peninsula. The master of this stigma is one of the highest ranking constellations of 'Hongik'—a nebula of the Korean peninsula—and one of the protagonists of the fable that is most well-known in this land. The mother of Dangun Wanggeom, Ungnyeo.
Behind Sookyung, an image of a bear adorned in gold stands as she tells him that she loves him, and that he'll be released when the time is right. In her hand, she holds a bronze bell that Dokja immediately recognizes. With a sigh, Dokja admits that he surrenders, to Sooyoung's irritation. As Sooyoung bangs on the walls, annoyed and wanting to be out of there, Dokja wonders how his mother got the
The Eight beaded bell, one of the 'three heavenly seals' of Dangun mythology. It's one of the greatest relics in the entire Korean peninsula that borrows the powers of the fable to seal the opponent's abilities and stories.
An image of Sookyung and the intricately designed bell appear on the screen.
There's no way she would have obtained it normally at this point… she must have paid a price to get it.
"Since the stigma has such strong restrictions on the circumstances of its use, I'm assuming that it has more power as a result," Lee Seolhwa sighed, casting a glance in her direction.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is wiping the sweat from his head.]
[several constellations are confirming the hypothesis of the incarnation 'lee seolhwa'.]
Yoo Sangah let out a shaky breath, frowning deeply. Considering her certificate in Korean history, she probably knew this story better than any of them. In a sense, Ungnyeo was quite literally the mother of their nation in terms of their mythology, and she had the status to match. Though she wasn't a myth-grade constellation, she was still quite powerful as a fable-grade.
Still, even though she had managed to catch him off-guard, Kim Dokja knew that he couldn't afford to give up here. It didn't matter what she said to try and convince him, it would all be in vain.
Sighing, she glanced over in his direction. "Dokja-yah, couldn't you listen to your mother just this once?"
Fuck no. Kim Dokja didn't even want to reply to her.
Thankfully, he didn't have to because Yoo Joonghyuk's deep voice filled the silence instead. "You don't know Kim Dokja well if you think he will listen to anyone."
Well, that might have partially been an insult, but it was accurate, so Kim Dokja couldn't even be mad about it.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is sighing in exasperation.]
Unfortunately, to Kim Dokja's horror, his future self admitted that he surrendered. He couldn't bear to look over at Yoo Joonghyuk's expression in that instant, and he had the sinking feeling that she likely looked smug.
"What the fuck?" Han Sooyoung gasped. "Who the hell is that because that sure as hell isn't the annoying asshole we know! Since when have you just flopped over and done stupid shit like that!?"
Fuck. Fuck.
"I can't escape," Kim Dokja admitted quietly. "We're both stuck there until we get let out."
There were very few ways of escaping that kind of seal, and unless Kim Dokja's miraculous luck pulled through and he still had a very specific item on him, then they were fucked. There was no way Yoo Joonghyuk would wait as long as it took for the seal to expire—especially since she seemed hellbent on preventing Kim Dokja from challenging the next scenario—so there was no way that Kim Dokja's plans would still be viable if he didn't manage to break out in time.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is hoping that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' could break it from the outside.]
Wait, that was an idea. As far as Kim Dokja could recall, no one had ever tried attacking it from the outside in TWSA. Was it possible that the seal was weaker on the outside to account for how much had to be suppressed on the inside?
She only had one of the treasures from the myth, which meant that it wouldn't be as strong as a complete seal, either.
"That little artifact is really that powerful?" Jung Heewon wondered, her eyes wide in surprise. Unfortunately, it was, even if the mere fact that she had it was suspicious. His future self was right—there must have been a price.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is curious about the actions of the incarnation 'lee sookyung'.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is wondering about the probability costs.]
Now that the wanderers have left, Dokja tries to guess where his mother went. His first thought is that she went to find Joonghyuk, but he doesn't want to imagine the catastrophe that would happen if they met. Looking up, Dokja sees Sooyoung still trying to break out and sighs.
After getting her attention, Dokja tells Sooyoung there's one way to break out of the Eight Gates Formation. Pulling out the
[some constellations are hoping for an interesting story.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is frowning.]
Kim Dokja felt a nervous shiver go down his spine at his future self's thoughts. Shit. There was a non-zero chance that she was actually going to find the protagonist, and while Yoo Joonghyuk's future self had only ever briefly seen her at that meeting before Peace Land and didn't have the same (apparently mutual) hatred for her, there was no way that could end well.
As if on cue, he glared intently at the screen, and Kim Dokja wondered if his swallowing had been audible. If they really were about to run into each other, then he just hoped that it wouldn't end in carnage.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is praying for the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' to come to the rescue of his companion.]
[a few constellations think that such a confrontation would be fun.]
As soon as Kim Dokja got Han Sooyoung's attention and told her that there was a way to break out, he let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he did still have it on hand. Shin Yoosung perked up immediately, grinning widely.
"I wonder who you're going to summon, ahjussi!"
[the constellation 'king heungmu the great' is hoping that it will be him.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is humming thoughtfully.]
[the constellation 'goryeo's first sword' is scoffing at the other constellations.]
Sure enough, considering how bad that storm was, there was no way it could be anyone else. In terms of historical-grade constellations, there was only one at a level that would cause him this much trouble. Sure, he was stuck without his status in the future, but Kim Dokja was still a constellation in his own right. He could do this.
Lee Gilyoung scrunched up his nose as Kim Dokja explained what this situation entailed. "100 days? That's stupid!"
It was stupid, but if he failed, then he'd be stuck in a cave for over three months with only Han Sooyoung, obscene amounts of garlic and mugwort, and his own thoughts for company. Honestly, Kim Dokja didn't know what part of that combination would be the worst, but he definitely didn't want to find out.
[a few constellations are cheering for the success of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
The view then shifts to show a tall office building against the night sky, a name and logo revealing it to be the Star Stream headquarters. Inside a lecture hall, an intermediate dokkaebi instructs new dokkaebi on how to act with constellations and how to react in order to keep their interest. For a dokkaebi school, it's rather ordinary.
Outside the window, Bihyung looks in, before freezing when an elderly dokkaebi asks if it reminds him of the old days. Continuing to speak, the dokkaebi calls it contradictory for them to criticize the constellations for enjoying quick plot progression while simultaneously teaching this in a dokkaebi's formal education. When Bihyung reveals that the elder—Baram—is an advanced dokkaebi, while mentally scoffing that they're the ones who made the guidelines, Baram states that scenarios like that still sell well.
As they walk into a room showing Dokja and Sooyoung's situation on some screens, they talk about exceptions to those rules, which Baram declares is only possible because of the ordinary scenarios. In other words, having enough ordinary scenarios make these exceptions stand out more and seem even more exciting than they would be in isolation.
"Wait, why is it changing?" Lee Jihye asked, sounding somewhat upset. "You can't just do that!"
Unfortunately, they had no say in the matter. However, Kim Dokja's eyes widened as he realized just what they were looking at.
[many constellations are shocked by this turn of events.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is giggling in amusement.]
"Well, it looks rather… ordinary," Lee Seolhwa admitted after a moment. Kim Dokja had to agree, and it was pretty disappointing, if he had to be honest. They could have had the Star Stream HQ look like literally anything, but nope! It had to be a boring office building!
The younger Kim Dokja would be devastated to know that it wasn't some super cool-looking architecture from another universe. There were so many worlds to choose from, why pick something that he could see every time he walked outside? Such a missed opportunity…
"Ew, school," Yoo Mia muttered as they realized that they were looking into a dokkaebi classroom.
Huh, apparently she wasn't particularly a fan. Then again, it wasn't like Yoo Joonghyuk had focused on something like his sister's grades from before the apocalypse when he was busy trying to keep her alive in TWSA.
[constellations who value education are very curious about the current scene.]
And Bihyung was there? Is that where he had been when he wasn't managing his channel?
Well, presumably it was work-related somehow, so Kim Dokja couldn't get mad at him for chilling in his gamtu and eating snacks or something. Damn.
As Bihyung pointed out the flaw in the dokkaebis' education, Yoo Sangah frowned. "He has a point… why teach it if that's not what they want?"
As true as that was, Kim Dokja was far more interested in the older-looking dokkaebi who had approached Bihyung. Baram, huh…? That name was familiar, and it was a bit weird that an advanced dokkaebi like him was paying so much attention to this new intermediate dokkaebi.
[a constellation who likes capitalism is agreeing with the words of the dokkaebi 'baram'.]
Lee Hyunsung's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, that makes sense! If everything is unique, then nothing is, right?"
Why did it sound like Lee Hyunsung was quoting some american movie with a line like that? Whatever, that didn't matter, not when he had hit the nail on the head.
"Exactly," Kim Dokja replied. "You have to have a 'normal' in the first place to have something that's more than that."
While he expected it, Kim Dokja wasn't certain that being singled out as one of these extraordinary scenarios was entirely a good thing. Had he been too hasty, considering everything with the Fate he was given? Should he have tried to pace things slower?
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' greatly enjoys thrilling scenarios.]
The camera seems to zoom into the screen focusing on Dokja and Sooyoung, returning to the cave in which they're trapped. Looking less than impressed, Sooyoung watches as garlic and mugwort appear in the air and drop to the ground before her, muttering about the 'hundred days seal' and asking if he's done yet. Unfortunately, he needs more time to control the storm, but it starts to go down after about 30 minutes. As he looks back at Sooyoung and sees her grumbling, he gets annoyed. Dokja declares that their situation is Sooyoung's fault because she used him as a shield, which she argues wasn't on purpose.
With a look of severe doubt, Dokja has a flashback to Youngran revealing that they weren't trying to kill him, but that Sooyoung moved him in front of her when she was attacked. In the flashback, Dokja looks at her exasperatedly while the author just turns away and whistles to ease the awkwardness. He asks her if she expects him to believe that she's innocent after everything she has done already.
Turning to face him completely, Sooyoung angrily apologizes for using him as a shield before 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' suddenly pipes up to claim that she never used him as a shield and that he's responsible for Dokja's death instead. Clearly trying to stop the dumb dragon from saying something, Sooyoung yells for the constellation to stay quiet, but he ignores her and states that she couldn't protect Dokja's heart since she was trying to protect his black flame dragon.
"Oh that's disgusting." Han Sooyoung grimaced as she watched the plants drop from the air to the ground in front of her. "We aren't seriously going to have to eat just that, right? I'd rather starve."
[constellations who like cooking are dismayed that the ingredients cannot be used to make other dishes.]
God, if only that were possible. Unfortunately, the plants couldn't be removed from the cave, or else she would probably have a really convenient garlic supply for trading purposes. They were Korean, after all—garlic was essential.
In fact, the desire for garlic was so strong that Kim Dokja recalled there being an all-out battle over fresh garlic in Yoo Joonghyuk's 81st regression. So many casualties… and yet, the protagonist had managed to secure the garlic supply for himself and had cooked some staple dishes for the first time in months. Lee Hyunsung had been brought to tears, and even Kim Namwoon hadn't been able to find a single thing to complain about.
Anyway, Kim Dokja was relieved to see that the probability sparks were getting less severe, which meant that he should be prepared before too much longer.
[a few constellations are feeling pity for the incarnations 'kim dokja' and 'han sooyoung'.]
Of course, only a moment later, Kim Dokja watched as his future self got frustrated and finally started speaking his mind. Honestly, he couldn't blame himself for that—not when they wouldn't be in this situation if Kim Dokja hadn't been dead.
"You used Dokja-ssi as a what!?" Jung Heewon hissed, turning a betrayed look at Han Sooyoung. The author's jaw dropped open and she sputtered for a moment, looking somewhat baffled.
Honestly, Kim Dokja wasn't all that surprised. She had just reaffirmed her desire to live selfishly, after all, and what was more selfish than literally using his unconscious body as a meat shield?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is flabbergasted by this turn of events.]
Wait, so… she hadn't been trying to kill him intentionally…? Why hadn't she denied it, then? Kim Dokja didn't know what was even going on anymore, and it made his mind spin in uncomfortable ways. Of course, there were other uncomfortable things too—namely, the intense glares that she and Yoo Joonghyuk were sending Han Sooyoung's way. Naturally, they also both looked rather pissed off that they were on the same side of an issue, and overall, the atmosphere in the room was incredibly hostile.
"I…" Han Sooyoung trailed off before scrunching her face up in a scowl. "Shit, I can't rule out that could be intentional."
See? Called it.
"Ahjumma," Lee Jihye gasped in offense, "how could you do that!?"
Kim Dokja was suddenly also very glad that Yoo Sangah was currently holding Lee Gilyoung in place because the kid looked enraged and like he'd rather be clawing at Han Sooyoung than sitting still. Thankfully, Shin Yoosung was much better behaved and stayed put, even though she was still glaring.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is baffled by his future actions.]
The dragon was… saying that it was his fault instead…? Okay, Kim Dokja was completely lost.
Despite Han Sooyoung's valiant attempt to get her sponsor to shut up, the dragon persisted and came out to say something even more baffling than before.
"She… what?" Kim Dokja deadpanned, squinting at the screen. That couldn't actually mean what he thought it did, right?
Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung exchanged an awkward glance, and that definitely cemented it. They all clearly still remembered that humiliating message, and Kim Dokja wanted to go take a nap six feet under, thanks.
Lee Jihye blinked at the screen in bafflement. "That can't be right. Ahjumma isn't that nice."
"You're right, what the fuck?" Han Sooyoung muttered. "Was my sponsor really being that annoying?"
Considering who her sponsor was, that was actually very likely. Still, this was awkward as fuck.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is hesitantly reconsidering her opinion of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
[the incarnation 'demon-like judge of fire' is emphasizing that she still disapproves of that companionship, though.]
"I don't want him!"
Both Sooyoung and Dokja immediately freeze.
My black flame dragon?
Awkwardly, both of them start to speak at the same time and Dokja manages to hesitantly ask if the attack flew a little below the belt. Sooyoung nods violently, stating that he's already pitiful enough and that she didn't want him to be even more pitiful, so she tried to help him. Unfortunately, the attack ended up landing somewhere else because her sponsor had been yelling at her to protect Dokja's junk. Dokja just stares at her with extreme judgment and exasperation, completely dumbfounded by this information.
Solemnly, Dokja thanks her for preventing him from becoming a eunuch, but states that she should just protect his heart instead next time. She nods in understanding and, after an awkward silence, Sooyoung decides to ask a question. "By the way… why does he call your thing the 'black flame dragon'?"
On that comical note, the scene transitions back to the room where the dokkaebi are watching the screens before the focus shifts from their screen to another, which shows Sookyung walking away, deep in thought.
God this was humiliating. Why the fuck did they have to talk about this!?
Kim Dokja buried his face in his hands and hoped that some probability storm would just strike him dead. He would never be able to look anyone in the eye ever again.
"Well, uh, you're okay now so it's probably fine?" Lee Hyunsung said hesitantly, and although Kim Dokja knew that the man was trying to be positive, it really wasn't helping.
Jung Heewon, however, was looking at him with a blank expression. "Don't worry, Dokja-ssi. It wouldn't have been a significant loss anyway."
Ow.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is raising a brow in amusement.]
At his pained expression, Jung Heewon paled a bit. "I mean, since you always come back to life in one piece after dying, so…"
That doesn't make it better, Heewon-ssi.
It especially didn't help that the future Han Sooyoung was talking about how pitiful he was already. Kim Dokja already knew that he was pitiful, thank you. He didn't need that pointed out.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is looking away awkwardly.]
Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to let out an extremely exasperated sigh, but Kim Dokja was more glad than ever that the protagonist wasn't overly talkative. He would actually perish on the spot if Yoo Joonghyuk had any kind of commentary on this situation. To make matters worse, Han Sooyoung revealed that in her attempt to prevent him from becoming a eunuch in a rather unpleasant way, he ended up getting killed in the process.
In a sense, didn't that mean that she was at least partially responsible for his death? In that case, Kim Dokja could confidently strike Han Sooyoung off the list of potential candidates for his Fate that the rest of the group had seemed to compile earlier.
"Yeah, I agree with my future self," Kim Dokja groaned. "Just keep me alive next time, thanks. If I had paid you for that, I would definitely be asking for a refund."
[a few constellations are greatly entertained by the awkwardness.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is chugging his wine.]
And then Han Sooyoung had decided to ask literally the worst question ever, and Kim Dokja grimaced. "I don't fucking know, okay?"
Jung Heewon looked away awkwardly. "Honestly, I don't know either."
Yeah, it was fine. Kim Dokja didn't need confidence anyway. It's not like being average was horrible, or anything…
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is explaining that all men have black flame dragons.]
"Okay, whatever, but why are you calling them that, though?" Lee Jihye deadpanned, staring blankly at the ceiling in a direction that very likely wasn't anywhere near where the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon was represented by one of the many stars.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is declaring that it's because dragons are cool.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is emphasizing that black flame dragons are the coolest.]
Yeah, Kim Dokja really hadn't expected anything else from him, but he wondered if the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon realized that he was indirectly calling himself a dick. Then again, he was part of the Evil alignment so he might take it as a compliment. That dragon really was a lost cause.
[many constellations are staring judgmentally at the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon'.]
"Stop talking about stupid things," Yoo Joonghyuk said sternly, casting a disapproving look at everyone, and Kim Dokja once again noticed that he was covering Yoo Mia's ears. Ah, shit. He had totally forgotten to spare Shin Yoosung from that conversation, but at the very least, she looked more confused than anything else.
Thank goodness.
Still, as Kim Dokja watched her walking away, he felt extremely apprehensive. He still didn't have all the pieces to figure out what her plan was, and his gut feeling was getting worse and worse.
Fuck, she was totally going to run into the protagonist, wasn't she?