Try as he might, Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't sleep. He closed his eyes in defeat, then untangled himself from Yoo Mia's possessive grip. He rose silently.
"Master?" Lee Jihye muttered.
She was sat against a wall, her sword hugged to her chest.
"I need to step away from the camp for a little while. If I'm not back in two hours, wake Lee Seolhwa and ask her to take the second watch turn."
"Where are you going?"
"I need to talk to Kim Dokja about the next scenario."
Her eyes sparkled.
"I understand," she said, and he got the distinct impression that she didn't.
What kind of drivel had Kim Dokja put in this girl's mind? She seemed to have a fundamental misunderstanding of something. Yoo Joonghyuk gave up on figuring out the inner workings of a teenage girl's brain and stepped out into the night.
After the fight against the 41st turn Shin Yoosung, he had left with Lee Seolhwa and Lee Jihye to check up on his sister. Fortunately, Yoo Mia was a resilient girl. In all his regressions, she tended to fare well on her own. But he didn't want to leave her alone for too long if he could help it.
Maybe he had left too quickly, however. Unease crawled under his skin, whispering that Kim Dokja had to be cooking up another harebrained scheme by now.
It didn't help that he kept seeing the fool's gutted body every time he closed his eyes.
Kim Dokja had known that his death wouldn't be permanent. He hadn't so much sacrificed himself for Yoo Joonghyuk as he had made a tactically sound decision. But no matter how much Yoo Joonghyuk repeated this to himself, the picture remained branded on his mind: Kim Dokja pushing him aside, taking the hit for him. Blood everywhere, on Yoo Joonghyuk's hands, on his legs, on the ground.
He had done that. Kim Dokja had tried to warn him and he had ignored him. He had thought he knew better. That Kim Dokja had come back to life didn't erase the fact that he had paid the price for Yoo Joonghyuk's arrogance.
It didn't erase what he had done afterward, either. His bold attempt to save the 41st turn Shin Yoosung, his refusal to let Yoo Joonghyuk kill the young version of her, even the revenge he had taken against that dokkaebi. For all that Kim Dokja liked to present himself as a distant, calculating man, he was far more emotional than that. The fifth scenario had exposed a protective streak in him that Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't expected.
When Yoo Joonghyuk had seen Kim Dokja's naked form scampering to his clothes, all he had felt at first was shock and relief. Then when those had been extinguished by Kim Dokja's mocking smile, the anger and the humiliation had come. He had thought that he would regret having played into Kim Dokja's hands, that he would regret the moment of weakness that had led to him calling that shameless rat his companion.
He didn't.
Like it or not, Kim Dokja was his companion now. If he were to die, Yoo Joonghyuk would mourn him just as hard as any of the people he had worked with for years. Harder, maybe, because there was no guarantee that he would ever meet Kim Dokja again if he regressed.
The obvious solution to this was to make sure that the fool didn't get himself permanently killed.
What if he was already working on his next insane stratagem? What if he had gone for a sub-scenario, or pissed off one more dokkaebi? Yoo Joonghyuk's steps quickened. He was heading for the spot where he had last seen Kim Dokja, but the man could be anywhere in the city by now.
He was starting to regret having left Kim Dokja alone. Too bad that he didn't want that guy anywhere near his sister. If only there was some way he could keep track of Kim Dokja from a distance...
It occurred to him then that he did have a way to do that.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] Where are you?
It took nearly a full minute for a response to come. Yoo Joonghyuk stewed in his agitation. Finally:
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] oh this thing still works
[Kim Dokja] ?
[Yoo Joonghyuk] Where are you, Kim Dokja.
[Kim Dokja] isnt it my line? youre the one who left, you know
[Yoo Joonghyuk] I'll kill you if you don't answer.
[Kim Dokja] you realzie thats even less of an incnetive to tell you, right?
[Kim Dokja] you already sent lee jihye with your wrnng, no need to deliver it in person
[Kim Dokja] warning*
His warning, that was to say the reminder that the oath Yoo Joonghyuk had sworn not to kill Kim Dokja was no longer in effect now that the end of the fifth scenario had passed. He squinted at the window. Why were that fool's messages so messy?
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] We need to talk.
[Kim Dokja] then talk
[Kim Dokja] but hurry up
[Kim Dokja] im in the midle of something.
Yoo Joonghyuk ground his teeth. He knew it. He knew it! Was Kim Dokja poisoned? Injured? Obviously, he wasn't dropping typos because Yoo Joonghyuk woke him. That would have been too simple an explanation with that man.
In front of him, the buildings grew sparser with the vicinity of the Han River. The light of multiple camp fires filtered through. Most of the incarnations involved in the fight against the Disaster of Floods hadn't bothered changing locations before collapsing for a few hours of rest. Yoo Joonghyuk started running.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] I'm coming. Don't you dare move.
[Kim Dokja] what did I do to piss you off this time
[Kim Dokja] cant th revenage wait
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't bother answering. He flitted around camps like a shadow in the night. People on watch startled at his presence, but he was gone before they could so much as open their mouths. Kim Dokja wouldn't have stayed here. Too many strangers, their loyalties sold either to themselves or to the other kings of Seoul. Yoo Joonghyuk followed the river. A bit farther from the most populated areas, he was rewarded with the flicker of a fire around the corner of a building.
Kim Dokja's eyes were on him before he melted out of the darkness. Yoo Sangah instinctively went for her knives, but relaxed when she recognized him. Out to the side, Lee Hyunsung, Jung Heewong, Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung were fast asleep.
Kim Dokja looked disgruntled. His face was flushed, but there was no obvious wound on him. Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes fell on the empty bottles glinting in the dancing light. They narrowed.
"Kim Dokja," he growled.
"Yoo Joonghyuk."
"Are you drunk?"
"Not yet. Though I'm definitely well into tipsy."
Yoo Sangah gave a sheepish laugh in agreement. She looked alert, at least, despite the beer dangling from her elegant fingers.
"Kim Dokja."
"What? Are you my mother, Yoo Joonghyuk? Just because you're a teetotaler doesn't mean the rest of us have to abstain."
Of course Yoo Joonghyuk was a teetotaler, who in their right mind would drink in the middle of the scenarios.
The reappearance of the message window was the only thing that stopped him from hauling Kim Dokja to the river and dunking him in the frigid water to sober him up.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Do you mind? I'm trying to bait a big fish.
[Kim Dokja] You're going to scrae him away.
[Kim Dokja] scare*
Kim Dokja's mouth creased in aggravation at having let one typo slip by. The return of proper punctuation to his messages was a transparent ploy to get Yoo Joonghyuk to take him seriously, but at least he was capable of it. Grudgingly, Yoo Joonghyuk admitted he didn't seem too far gone. Still scheming, at least. What was that about a big fish?
"You should have had someone sober stand guard," he still growled.
"You're here now. You can be our designated driver, if you care so much."
Yoo Joonghyuk glared, but dropped down to the ground. Kim Dokja blinked at him like he hadn't expected that.
"... What are you doing here, anyway?" he said.
"We need to talk," Yoo Joonghyuk insisted.
"About?... Oh, is it about the death thing? I guess I did say I'd explain. I've got the King of No Killing attribute."
A vein started beating at Yoo Joonghyuk's temple. King of No Killing. Of course Kim Dokja would have Selena Kim's attribute in this regression. Why not?
Not for the first time, he was seized with the urge to try and smash through that shielding skill of Kim Dokja's with the Eye of the Sage. How much would he need to level up the Eye before he could read that man properly? To think that such a powerful shielding skill could belong to a man so secretive. It was logical, but infuriating.
"Do you mind not glaring at me like that?" Kim Dokja grumbled. "What, did you want Anna Croft to have it?"
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] How many do you have left?
[Kim Dokja] what?
[Yoo Joonghyuk] Karma points. How many?
[Kim Dokja] I just used the skill.
[Yoo Joonghyuk] So zero?
Kim Dokja's eyes wandered to the side, checking a window only he could see.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] ... one.
In a flash of memory, Yoo Joonghyuk saw himself draw his sword at a young girl, saw Kim Dokja jump between them. He glanced at Shin Yoosung. She looked so peaceful, sleeping among Kim Dokja's other companions. Yoo Sangah tensed imperceptibly at his attention being on the child. She was cherished, here. She was protected.
When Yoo Joonghyuk turned back to him, Kim Dokja was watching him. His eyes were devoid of judgment.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] Fine.
"Then there is no need to ask what you intend to do in the next scenario," he said aloud.
With the King of No Killing attribute, not only was Kim Dokja forbidden from killing, he had a strong incentive to save as many people as he could. The main objective of the sixth scenario, killing the small people, would go directly against his priorities. If he went to Peaceland, he would oppose the scenario and suffer the penalties. Like Yoo Joonghyuk.
Kim Dokja took a sip of his beer without answering.
"Unless you plan to sit it out?" Yoo Joonghyuk added.
The alternative, the seventh scenario that would occur in Seoul at the same time, was not entirely without merit.
"No no. I'll come. There are a couple of things I want to get in the sixth scenario."
Their eyes met.
Yoo Joonghyuk had complicated feelings. King of No Killing was a strong skill, but there was a reason only Selena Kim ever picked it. Its existence would be a disadvantage to Kim Dokja going forward. Sooner or later, he would need to kill. When they had fought the Disaster of Questions, Kim Dokja had delayed killing Myung Ilsang on purpose until Yoo Joonghyuk had lost patience and done it himself. But even if Kim Dokja's companions kept dirtying their hands in his stead, it would be nearly impossible for him to go through the sixth scenario while avoiding it any longer.
On the other hand, he had to be aware of it. And Yoo Joonghyuk knew better now than to underestimate him.
He could bar Kim Dokja from entering Peaceland. He just had to fill all the available slots with other incarnations. But the last time he had gone against Kim Dokja's wishes, it had nearly cost him this regression.
He looked away.
"Do what you want."
If anything, between Kim Dokja's party and his, they might have enough to fill all ten slots. Since Yoo Joonghyuk didn't have the benefit of the Absolute Throne in this regression, it was better this way. Leaving spots to the other kings would mean that he might have to fight them on top of the Japanese incarnations.
[The constellation 'God of Wine and Ecstasy' says this conversation is boring.]
[The constellation 'God of Wine and Ecstasy' wants the incarnations to go back to drinking.]
Yoo Sangah looked up in surprise. Something flashed in Kim Dokja's eyes. It looked a lot like satisfaction.
Could it be, the big fish... Yoo Joonghyuk saw Yoo Sangah's presence with new eyes. What did that fool Kim Dokja want with Olympus? He opened his mouth, frowning.
"If you aren't going to drink, you should shut up," Kim Dokja cut him off. "You're killing off my buzz."
"Dokja-ssi," Yoo Sangah scolded.
[The constellation 'God of Wine and Ecstasy' thinks Incarnation Kim Dokja has the right priorities.]
Yoo Joonghyuk glared, but got to his feet. He stormed away. He didn't go far, however, and stopped to lean against a wall at the limit of the firelight, a hand on his sword. The children shouldn't be left without a proper guard for the night. And he could admit to himself that he was curious.
Kim Dokja drank some more. Probability sparks gathered around him, mingling with the camp fire's flames. A one-way conversation started, too low for Yoo Joonghyuk to hear.
Five minutes later, Kim Dokja was unconscious. Yoo Joonghyuk loomed over his limp body, incredulous. Nobody was this much of a lightweight.
"What did this fool do?"
Yoo Sangah's eyes were wider than usual. She tried to hide it, but he could tell she was alarmed.
"Dokja-ssi... meant to meet with the Father of the Rich Night."
The Father of... Hades? Kim Dokja's soul had left for the Underworld?
Yoo Joonghyuk wanted to slap himself for not understanding earlier. Kim Dokja never knew when to leave well enough alone. He took any failure of his plans personally, and the death of the 41st turn Shin Yoosung had hit him especially hard.
Incensed, he kicked Kim Dokja in the ribs. The body flopped over like a rag doll.
"Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi!" Yoo Sangah said in reprimand.
[A few constellations approve of your actions.]
[2000 coins have been sponsored.]
He returned the coins without a glance.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is giggling.]
"What does that idiot think he can even do?" he seethed.
Even if he got her soul back, what then?
The sixth scenario would start in a few hours, and Kim Dokja was off gallivanting in Hell. Why was he even surprised?
"Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi... will Dokja-ssi be alright?" Yoo Sangah asked.
He stared at her. He didn't know what Kim Dokja's companions thought of him, but they showed him more respect than he did. On the whole, they seemed to have picked up that Yoo Joonghyuk was the best source of information on the scenarios outside of Kim Dokja himself, and that he was trustworthy to an extent. It was interesting that it was what they had inferred from Kim Dokja's behavior toward him.
"If it's Kim Dokja... probably." Which didn't mean that this was a risk he should be taking now, of all times. "You should sleep," he added. "I'll stand guard."
Lee Jihye and Lee Seolhwa would have to fare without him. Trust Kim Dokja to make a mess of his plans.
Yoo Sangah gave him a worried smile and thanked him. She finished her beer and went to lie down next to Jung Heewon. Yoo Joonghyuk settled down next to the fire. If it came down to this, he was better equipped than most of Kim Dokja's party to endure an all-nighter. But he would rather avoid it before a scenario. He would wake Lee Hyunsung before dawn, he decided.
He looked down at Kim Dokja. The body was still in the position he had kicked it in. Despite its lack of a soul, its breathing was regular. That was its only proof of life. It was otherwise eerily still.
There was something strange about seeing Kim Dokja so undefended. Without the cunning glint of his eyes, his features seemed... vulnerable somehow.
Yoo Joonghyuk was seized with the sudden urge to take off Kim Dokja's coat and lay it down on him to ward off the chill of the night.
Scowling, he turned away.
There was a shuffle next to him. Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes snapped open.
While he slept, the rest of the camp had woken up. They had scattered around, eating breakfast or, in Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon's cases, sparring in the gray morning light. Only Kim Dokja and him remained near the unlit fire.
Kim Dokja slowly sat up. The troubled expression on his face faded to surprise. He prodded at his aching ribs, then looked around. His eyes fell on Yoo Joonghyuk watching him. His brow twitched at finding him there, which for Kim Dokja might as well have been a startled shout.
"Yoo Joonghyuk," he said, retreating behind one of his bland smiles. "You wouldn't happen to have taken your revenge hit while I was unconscious, would you?"
Yoo Joonghyuk said nothing. Kim Dokja's smile tightened in annoyance.
"What are you still doing here?" he said. "Don't tell me, you actually kept watch?"
Yoo Joonghyuk raised a contemptuous eyebrow at him. What did that guy think?
Kim Dokja's expression fell in honest surprise.
"Yoo Joonghyuk..."
"So?" he cut him off. "Did you at least manage it?"
Kim Dokja stayed silent a few moments.
"I struck a deal."
"A deal."
Yoo Joonghyuk closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. A deal with constellations. A deal with the Underworld. What would that guy have to do? Die again?
"I saw Kim Namwoon," Kim Dokja said, flippant, as he got to his feet. "He was doing well."
"Doing well?" Yoo Joonghyuk echoed, perturbed. "You're telling me he is in Hell."
"Yep. He fits right in."
"You..."
"Master!"
Lee Jihye and Lee Seolhwa's appearance cut him off. Yoo Joonghyuk rose to greet them.
"There you were," Lee Jihye said. "Since you didn't return last night, we weren't sure what to do, but we decided to come back since the new scenario has been announced."
"Yoo Mia was disappointed that you didn't say goodbye," Lee Seolhwa added.
A polite way to describe the tantrum she had to have thrown. Lee Jihye mischievously glanced behind his back.
"Did you have a good 'talk' with Ahjussi?"
Yoo Joonghyuk ignored her.
"Kim Dokja."
Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung had gathered around Kim Dokja with bright eyes as soon as they noticed him awake. Yoo Sangah, Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon were also headed this way. Kim Dokja looked up from the children.
"Hmm?"
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him. He wasn't going to be the one to suggest they all head out together. Last time he had opened a door, Kim Dokja had slammed it in his face. If the fool didn't get a move on, he would just leave with Lee Jihye and Lee Seolhwa.
Maybe Kim Dokja recognized his impatience.
"Ah," he said, his eyes widening a little. "We're supposed to gather at Yongsan station, right? I know, I know. Let's go."
Satisfied, Yoo Joonghyuk whirled around. The group closed ranks behind him.
"Ahjussi is coming with us this time?" Lee Jihye asked.
"It's better for the next scenario if we all join forces," Kim Dokja said.
"Oh," she said, her tone needlessly suggestive.
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said. "Do you have an idea for the tenth?"
Between their two parties, they had nine people.
"I do," he answered, and said nothing else.
Yoo Joonghyuk threw him a sharp glance, but left him to his secrecy. Whoever Kim Dokja chose, Yoo Joonghyuk could deal with them easily if they became a problem.
Their arrival attracted attention. The survivors clustered around the station glanced away from the dokkaebi's screen displaying the sixth scenario. They exchanged whispers.
They weren't the only ones to react to the sight of two of Seoul's kings coming as a united front. As Yoo Joonghyuk beelined through the crowd, one man came forward to them. Yoo Joonghyuk recognized him immediately. Jeon Ildo, the Neutral King.
"Ah, the last two kings have come," he said with a smile that could have given Kim Dokja's a run for its money. "Good. We were waiting for you."
"Waiting?" Kim Dokja said.
"The rest of us are having a meeting to decide who will participate in the next scenario. You see, the number of participants is limited, so..."
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't bother listening to the rest, only striding for the large tent Jeon Ildo had pointed out. He ground his teeth in annoyance. This was the kind of nonsense they had to deal with now that the Absolute Throne had been destroyed.
"Ah, Supreme King!" Jung Ildo tried to call him back.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't bother listening to that two-faced guy. Who did he think he was fooling with that veneer of affability? In a situation like this, two kings having an alliance meant the rest of them would feel threatened.
The joke was on them. Yoo Joonghyuk was a threat no matter what.
It took him all of ten seconds to make the guards who tried to stop him fly aside, then to blow up a new entrance into the side of the tent. One of the people inside fell from his seat with a shout. The other kings rose. Min Jiwon and Cha Sangkyung paled at his sight.
"K-king!" they said.
The fourth person, a woman with a mask, was as unknown to Yoo Joonghyuk as the middle-aged guy on the ground. Neither of them had been part of the King Qualification. Yoo Joonghyuk's anger grew. Even random people thought they had their say in this, now?
"Who is that?" Kim Dokja said, catching up to him and blinking placidly at the guy in a suit.
"Who are you people?" the man retorted, red-faced, as he tried to get to his feet. "I'm the President of Yeouido and you have no right...!"
A politician. The man instantly disappeared from Yoo Joonghyuk's sight. He pushed him to the ground with one kick, then stepped on his back.
"I will announce the people who will participate in the next scenario," he said.
"Aaah!" screamed the politician. "Get off! Get off! Guards!!"
Yoo Joonghyuk leaned harder. Finally, the man lacked breath and fell unconscious. In the renewed silence, Yoo Joonghyuk swept his glare over the room.
"Speak now if you have a complaint."
Min Jiwon, Cha Sangkyung, Jeon Ildo and the unnamed woman wisely stayed quiet. For good measure, Yoo Joonghyuk also glared at Kim Dokja, who raised his hands in concession with a sardonic smile.
"Kim Dokja and my party will fill all ten spots in this round. As for the next rounds, you can do whatever you want. But if you get in my way, I will kill you."
He turned and began stalking away. The rest of their group waited some distance from the tent, eyeing the injured guards with something like pity.
Kim Dokja made no move to follow him. Yoo Joonghyuk stopped.
"Kim Dokja."
"Go ahead, Yoo Joonghyuk. I'll catch up."
His eyes were on the masked woman. Yoo Joonghyuk frowned. He hadn't paid her much attention; it wasn't unusual for people he didn't know to survive the first scenarios. They rarely lasted long, so he didn't bother with them. But if Kim Dokja was interested in her, there might be more to her than met the eye.
He walked back to Kim Dokja. Under Yoo Joonghyuk's burning glare, the other kings dejectedly walked out. Some guards hurried to retrieve the unconscious guy. Soon they were the only three people in the tent.
Kim Dokja sighed.
"This is a private conversation, you know."
His words said one thing, but his behavior another. Though his jaw was tight, he didn't look at Yoo Joonghyuk or try to con him away. To Yoo Joonghyuk, his ambiguousness was a red flag. He didn't know what was going on, but Kim Dokja felt different than usual.
He turned the Eye of the Sage on the woman. Her sponsor was interesting, but nothing he saw in her ability list seemed especially dangerous. She looked back at him just as frankly.
"So the rumors are true," she said to Kim Dokja. "You have been acknowledged as a companion of the Supreme King."
The hint of sarcasm in her voice had Yoo Joonghyuk narrow his eyes.
"Who are you?" he said.
"Aren't you going to introduce me?" she asked.
"You can't introduce yourself?" Kim Dokja rebuked. Then, as if the word had been pulled from his throat: "Mother."
Yoo Joonghyuk threw him a sharp glance. The woman took off her mask. She looked old enough to be Shin Yoosung's mother, not Kim Dokja's. There wasn't much of a resemblance either. But that small smile trying to pretend that the awkwardness in the room didn't exist could certainly be hereditary.
"I was hoping I could have a few minutes alone to talk with my son," she said. "It has been a long time."
Yoo Joonghyuk, having no memories of his own parents, wasn't very experienced in familial drama. Part of him wanted to excuse himself, but these words hinting at an estranged relationship set off sirens in his head.
"She's Lee Sookyung, the King of Wanderers," Kim Dokja told him, and this blatant brushoff of her request was all Yoo Joonghyuk needed anymore to root his feet to the spot.
He crossed his arms and leaned a hip against the meeting table.
Lee Sookyung's smile faded.
"I see," she said.
The hint of sorrow in her expression surprised Yoo Joonghyuk. She looked older, suddenly. Her eyes were on Yoo Joonghyuk, not on her son. She nodded to herself.
"Certainly, he is great."
Kim Dokja's bristling was subtle, but the fact that Yoo Joonghyuk noticed it was telling.
"Do you know what I wanted to talk about?" Kim Dokja said.
"You aren't going to ask how I'm doing?" Lee Sookyung said.
"Obviously, you are doing well. You are a great survivor."
"It is thanks to the story you told me."
"Mother." Kim Dokja's voice was sharp, a warning.
A silence settled on the tent. Though neither of them looked at Yoo Joonghyuk, he felt their attention like a physical weight on his shoulders. He frowned. What was it that Kim Dokja didn't want her to say? He had never met Lee Sookyung before this regression. He had never met Kim Dokja either. The obvious conclusion was that Kim Dokja was responsible for her survival somehow, like he had been for Yoo Sangah's, Lee Gilyoung's and Jung Heewon's. But why would he have shared his knowledge of the future with her if their relationship was so terrible?
"You don't want to talk about it?" Lee Sookyung said, deceptively mild. "That's strange. Back then, this was the only thing you would talk about when you visited me."
Kim Dokja clenched his fists. The way he didn't answer immediately reeked of frantic thinking.
Yoo Joonghyuk could read the writing on the wall. Though Kim Dokja hadn't been opposed to Yoo Joonghyuk's backup, there was something that Lee Sookyung knew and Kim Dokja didn't want Yoo Joonghyuk to hear. It could be something private that wasn't any concern of Yoo Joonghyuk's, or it could be something more directly connected to the scenarios. Whatever the case, Lee Sookyung had identified the weak spot and chosen to lean on it. If Yoo Joonghyuk stayed now, Kim Dokja would be at a disadvantage for whatever negotiations he was trying to lead.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Yoo Joonghyuk...
As expected.
Yoo Joonghyuk pushed off the table.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] She has the tenth you want?
Kim Dokja looked at him in surprise.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Yes.
[Yoo Joonghyuk] Fine.
Kim Dokja's shock redoubled as he made for the exit. By leaving now, Yoo Joonghyuk was yielding to Kim Dokja's maddening need to keep secrets. It was a show of trust.
[A story without a name is continuing with its storytelling.]
Something unexpected happened then. Kim Dokja's lips curved into a sincere, bright smile. Yoo Joonghyuk's steps stuttered. He had never seen that kind of expression on this guy's face.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Thank you.
Yoo Joonghyuk stared. With a jerky nod, he strode out of the tent. The last thing he saw of Lee Sookyung was her white knuckles.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Where are you? The small people's castle has almost fallen.
[Yoo Joonghyuk] I'm coming.
[Kim Dokja] If you don't hurry up, the Snake will eat Lee Jihye.
[Yoo Joonghyuk] If you let that happen, I'll feed you to him myself.
[Kim Dokja] Fine, I'll help.
[Kim Dokja] You got the sword, right? In exchange, lend it to me.
[Yoo Joonghyuk] No. You can't kill, anyway.
[Kim Dokja] No, I'll definitely kill. In this scenario, I have to kill the Snake.
[Yoo Joonghyuk] You aren't strong enough.
[Kim Dokja] We'll see.
[Yoo Joonghyuk] Kim Dokja.
[Yoo Joonghyuk] Kim Dokja?
[Yoo Joonghyuk] I'm coming.
The Peaceland scenario ended with Yoo Joonghyuk one sword richer. As for Kim Dokja, who knew where that guy had gone while Yoo Joonghyuk was busy. He must have reached at least part of his objectives, because that electrical skill of his was new; and, Yoo Joonghyuk grudgingly admitted to himself, pretty impressive.
Just as they were about to leave the Peaceland world, a warning came. A messenger from Seoul, dead on arrival. Something had gone wrong back home.
Yoo Joonghyuk was on guard as he entered the portal. His hand curled around the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds at his side.
The portal between Seoul and Peaceland tended to deposit people at random spots. The crossroads where Yoo Joonghyuk appeared wasn't familiar to him. Kim Dokja was the only one to materialize with him.
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said immediately. "Move."
He jumped, evading a hail of magical projectiles. Asphalt cracked under the assault. The air filled with dust.
"The Supreme King!" someone screamed in the confusion.
"Don't panic! Shoot!"
"The Supreme King and the King of No Killing are allied! Separate them!"
A wall of flames roared to life between him and Kim Dokja. Yoo Joonghyuk zeroed in on the incarnation who had used that skill. In the blink of an eye, he reached her. Her head flew, eyes still wide open in surprise.
What little confidence the attackers were trying to project collapsed on the spot. The group meant to keep Yoo Joonghyuk busy turned to flee. He pursued them, reaping their lives without mercy.
These people were surprisingly well equipped. He didn't know where they had got their information, either. They even knew about Kim Dokja's skill.
"He can't kill anyone! There is a penalty if he kills! The Supreme King is busy, so don't hesitate!"
"There is a possibility that he collected points and will revive again. Don't miss the time of revival and kill him!"
Yoo Joonghyuk stopped, frowning. They really knew a lot about that skill. Those shouts were meant to intimidate, to convince Kim Dokja to stand down. What that trash didn't know was that Kim Dokja had already given up the King of No Killing attribute in the previous scenario. He could kill now. But there was no reason to reveal it. It would be better if Kim Dokja could keep that ace in his sleeve for later.
Yoo Joonghyuk tensed his legs, ready to dive back in and slaughter the incarnations surrounding Kim Dokja. But Kim Dokja gave a friendly smile, then beheaded the lot of them.
The surviving attackers fell back, bewildered. Kim Dokja whittled them down without any sign of remorse.
Yoo Joonghyuk scowled. On one hand, it was good that Kim Dokja was capable of this without freezing, despite his lack of habit. Kim Dokja hadn't even killed in the first scenario, and he could be soft-hearted in the most unexpected ways. Still, why hadn't he waited for Yoo Joonghyuk to take care of it? He conned Yoo Joonghyuk into killing the Disaster of Questions, he let him tire the Snake of Peaceland before stealing his kill, but he ignored his help when it was freely offered? Infuriating.
Kim Dokja's last opponents fell.
"You are slow," Yoo Joonghyuk said, sullen.
He threw a glance over his shoulder. The incarnations he had neglected to turn back to Kim Dokja had long fled, of course. It made him feel like a fool. Yoo Joonghyuk hated feeling stupid.
Kim Dokja gave him a quizzical look, then chose to ignore his temper to interrogate the last man alive.
"Who made you do this?" he said.
The man crawled backward, stuttering something incoherent. Suddenly, his face contracted. He gave a war cry and rushed straight at Kim Dokja.
"For the liberation of humanity!"
Yoo Joonghyuk's blade flashed. The corpse fell to the ground.
"Why are you just standing here like an idiot?" he growled.
Kim Dokja didn't give much of a reaction. He looked pensive.
"Don't you think something is wrong? This guy behaved in a strange way."
"Who cares?" he snapped. "Let's just follow the ones who fled. We'll know who their leader is soon enough."
He turned to do just that, ignoring Kim Dokja's offended glare. The guy had the nerve to act like he didn't know why Yoo Joonghyuk was angry. Maybe he was even stupid enough not to know. But whether that look was genuine or not mattered little, since Kim Dokja would never ask. He preferred pretending that he knew everything that went on in Yoo Joonghyuk's head.
Infuriating. Maddening.
He should just have broken his neck with his bare hands when they met.
They were lucky enough to cross paths with Min Jiwon's forces. The King of Beauty looked weary, but she didn't hesitate to give them information on the current situation. It seemed that a new enemy had come to Seoul. It was so strong it had overwhelmed the kings' factions. The Maitreya King was injured and the Neutral King had turned coat and joined the other side.
The King of Wanderers had disappeared.
Yoo Joonghyuk watched Kim Dokja. It was nearly invisible, but in his dark eyes, his pupils became pinpricks.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] We'll find her.
Kim Dokja gulped.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] It's okay. She's strong. She won't be extinguished so easily.
[Kim Dokja] I'm more worried about the people I left with her.
That's right. Due to a last-minute change in Peaceland's scenario, they had had to leave Jung Heewon and Yoo Sangah behind in Seoul.
"Is it the Yeouido forces we saw before?" Kim Dokja asked.
"No," Min Jiwon said, "it is an emerging force. Those bastards call themselves the Salvation Church…"
Yoo Joonghyuk's hand clenched his sword. The Salvation Church? They were too early. Those people were only supposed to appear after the tenth scenario, once the Seoul Dome opened and the rest of South Korea entered the scenarios.
"How did they enter Seoul?" he asked.
As if to answer him, light flashed from the nearest intersection. People began to appear among the light. There were hundreds of them, and none wore combat equipment.
[New people have entered the scenario zone!]
"It's already time for new people to be added," Yoo Joonghyuk said, frowning.
Kim Dokja hummed in agreement. They watched the new incarnations. Some immediately scattered, while others started talking among themselves about which king they wanted to seek protection from. Information about Seoul's situation seemed to have reached them in advance.
In the previous regressions, there had been no scene like this. Any newcomer in the scenarios had either bowed down to Yoo Joonghyuk's authority or died without his support. Lee Hyunsung had been the one to organize some semblance of a hierarchy among Seoul's survivors. Yoo Joonghyuk had had no patience for them. Most of them were useless.
The absence of the Absolute Throne in this round made things more chaotic, but at least he wouldn't be saddled with all those dead weights.
"The Supreme King! I have to stick to the side of the Supreme King!"
"That's right! The strongest incarnation is the Supreme King!"
"..."
Yoo Joonghyuk's darkening mood was reflected in the cynical look that Kim Dokja turned on him. Yoo Joonghyuk wanted to kick him. He was the one who won the King Qualification. He could deal with those small fries this time.
So Yoo Joonghyuk thought, but it didn't prevent him from bristling when he heard someone whisper:
"Stupid fools. The real power isn't the Supreme King."
A group of newcomers had quietly gathered at a corner.
"The King of No Killing, or the Immortal King is the best."
"The King of No Killing?"
"It is said that he doesn't die even when killed. In fact, there is a rumor that he beat the Supreme King."
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at empty air. It didn't matter what those people thought, as long as they hurried up and left. Kim Dokja watched them with a glint in his eyes.
"How can we find him?" they kept yammering.
"I heard that we should find the ugliest king."
Yoo Joonghyuk frowned down at Kim Dokja. The man's expression had turned sour.
"What?" he grunted at Yoo Joonghyuk.
No, how was Kim Dokja the ugliest? His face was clearly fine. How was it that rumors always contained so much garbage?
The sound of a horn interrupted all conversations. Min Jiwon jumped like a startled rabbit.
"We have to run away!" she said.
The stomp of huge footsteps filled the air. A group of elephants monsters appeared between buildings. The Salvation Church was perched on their backs, mumbling exalted incantations. The new incarnations turned to them in awe.
As his eyes fell on the Church's leader, Yoo Joonghyuk sneered. Now he knew why that damn sect had grown so strong so quickly.
"That guy," he said in disgust.
"Hm? You know one of them?" Kim Dokja asked.
"Nirvana," Yoo Joonghyuk spat out.
Let the prophet make of that what he wanted. And he did, judging by the way Kim Dokja's face changed color.
"Heh? Wait, no way. Not that Nirvana?"
Maybe the troublesome guy heard his name said. He left off brainwashing the new incarnations and glanced in their direction. He lit up.
"Yoo Joonghyuk?"
He started flying their way like some overblown Buddha. His aura made Yoo Joonghyuk want to vomit.
"Yoo Joonghyuk! Do you know how long I have been looking for you?"
Min Jiwon shrank behind them. Damn, why had that guy entered Seoul so early? No matter. He wasn't immune to probability, so his strength was just as muzzled as Yoo Joonghyuk's in the early scenarios.
"Yoo Joonghyuk! Become one with me!"
"Stop with the bullshit and get lost," he said coldly. "Before I kill you."
Nirvana laughed like he was being cute.
"You pretend to hate me but I know that, in fact, you want me more than anyone else. You need my strength!"
Goosebumps rose on Yoo Joonghyuk's arms. Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting. If he took even one more step forward, Yoo Joonghyuk would cut him down where he stood.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Yoo Joonghyuk...
"I don't need you," Yoo Joonghyuk spat.
Nirvana's face crumpled.
"What?"
"I have a companion already."
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Wait, what? You idiot!
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' appears late and looks around.]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' explains the situation while snickering.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is astonished.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is desperately praying for the line to be spoken again.]
Nirvana's expression was turning ugly. Kim Dokja, who up until now had been suspiciously silent, dove in like the slippery eel he was.
"Hey, now, that's not true. We definitely aren't companions..."
Yoo Joonghyuk's patience snapped. He whirled on Kim Dokja, eyes blazing.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] We aren't companions? We are companions when it suits you and strangers when it doesn't!
[Yoo Joonghyuk] You are the one who wanted to be companions. If we aren't, why don't I throw you off another bridge, Kim Dokja?
Kim Dokja backed up under his advance, wide-eyed.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Hey, what are you... Okay, we are companions!
[You have activated the exclusive skill Lie Detection Lv.7.]
[You have confirmed that the statement is false.]
[You have activated the exclusive skill Tiger God Aura Lv.7.]
Kim Dokja skipped backward even faster, sweating.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Wait!! I agree to be companions if you do! I just didn't think you really wanted that!
[You have activated the exclusive skill Lie Detection Lv.7.]
[You have confirmed that the statement is true.]
[A story without a name is pleased.]
[A story without a name will soon find its name.]
Yoo Joonghyuk turned off Tiger God Aura and stopped moving. Kim Dokja slumped in relief.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' desperately wants to know what is being said.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' has sponsored you 2,000 coins.]
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] What's with the sudden fuss? You were the one who was so reluctant at the beginning. Why are you blaming me for being confused?
Yoo Joonghyuk's hand clenched. Was this clueless fool trying to annoy him?
The light of a huge mandala filled the air. Nobody had spoken while Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja were having their silent argument, but Min Jiwon had retreated ever farther, pale, and a thick killing intent emanated from Nirvana.
"You dare to have secret conversations in front of me," he said, shaking with rage.
"See, this is why you shouldn't have said anything!" Kim Dokja hissed at Yoo Joonghyuk. "Hey, quick, tell him you like him too!"
"Don't whisper either!" Nirvana bellowed.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] I don't want to.
[Kim Dokja] Don't be so difficult! Just lie for now. We can use him later.
A typical Kim Dokja plan. Fool someone, scam them later. Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't above using some trickery to complete scenarios, but this guy really made it into an art.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] He's too dangerous.
[Kim Dokja] Fighting him now is even more dangerous! He has too many followers.
"Why is it him?" Nirvana whined. "How could you become one with someone who isn't me?"
They glanced at him. Magic power billowed from Nirvana in waves. A shiver of disgust ran down Yoo Joonghyuk's spine.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] I'm not selling off to a guy who sounds like an incel molester.
A startled snort escaped Kim Dokja. He turned his face away, but nothing could hide the way his shoulders shook. Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him dumbly.
Nirvana's fierce aura erupted.
"Indeed," he said, eyes burning. "So it is like this. Then you can go to hell together."
"Hey, wait!" Kim Dokja said, but it was too late for his fast-talking.
Nirvana rushed to Kim Dokja using Way of the Wind. Yoo Joonghyuk intercepted him in the nick of time.
"Kim Dokja, stay back!"
"What a touching relationship. So you think of your companion first, is that it?" Nirvana's expression was cold. "Unfortunately, your companion will die."
[Incarnation 'Nirvana Moebius' has used the stigma Eternal Nightmare Lv.8.]
No.
Too late, Yoo Joonghyuk tried to disengage. The stigma had already broken through his Mental Barrier. Shadows closed on him. The screams of familiar voices filled his ears. He could only turn his head, painfully slow. Though he could no longer see Kim Dokja, his lips formed one last message.
'Run away.'
Then his grip on the present slipped, and the memories swallowed him.
Eternal Nightmare released without warning. Yoo Joonghyuk stumbled. His legs felt like jelly. How long had he stayed under?
The sun shone on Seoul, but he couldn't feel it on his skin. Corpses still flashed in front of his eyes. He could smell nothing but blood. He stared at his hands. Hands that had reached for his loved ones again and again, only for it to play out the same way every time. Nothing could change the Nightmare, but he couldn't stop himself from trying. Maybe that was the real torture.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Someone trotted up to him. Kim Dokja.
Yoo Joonghyuk tried to blink himself awake. He could see no immediate threat. There were new bodies on the ground, mostly Min Jiwon's forces, but the Salvation Church had retreated. The new incarnations had scattered.
Kim Dokja made to reach for him, then aborted the move. He pinched his lips. With a sudden burst of determination, his hands closed around Yoo Joonghyuk's. The skin contact anchored him in a way he hadn't managed on his own. He took a deep breath.
He had failed to protect Kim Dokja.
That thought dug into still gaping wounds.
Kim Dokja didn't need Yoo Joonghyuk to protect him. Even against Nirvana, whom Yoo Joonghyuk had yielded to embarrassingly fast, the man had obviously stood his own. Yoo Joonghyuk didn't even know why he had tried to shield him, why he had felt the need to. But he had tried, and he had failed. Like he always failed to protect what he wanted to protect.
He shook off Kim Dokja's grip. His hands closed into fists.
Shameful. How could he dare call himself anyone's companion?
"The reincarnator?" he asked.
"He fled."
"Pathetic. Did you miss him?"
"Do you have the right to say something like that?"
Kim Dokja's tone was light, but Yoo Joonghyuk's jaw tightened.
"We have to quickly chase him," he said.
But before he could elaborate, a message window opened.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' belatedly regained her spirit.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' wants to explain why she came here.]
Yoo Joonghyuk frowned. He had seen Uriel enter the channel some time ago, but he made it a habit of ignoring constellations' indirect messages. Uriel in particular had taken to sending weird messages in this regression turn, which maybe shouldn't have been a surprise considering she seemed to be glued to Kim Dokja's channel these days. Just another infuriating effect Kim Dokja had on his surroundings. At least she rarely followed Yoo Joonghyuk around when they separated.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' needs your help.]
Kim Dokja thought for a little while. It was difficult for a constellation to transmit useful information through indirect messages, but Kim Dokja seemed to have an inkling of what Uriel meant.
"I need to find Jung Heewon... Yoo Joonghyuk, defend me."
"What?"
Kim Dokja closed his eyes. His body collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Yoo Joonghyuk dived to catch him before he could consciously think about it.
"Kim Dokja!"
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' gasps in delight.]
Yoo Joonghyuk searched for Kim Dokja's pulse, heart hammering in his chest. He found it, regular and strong. Relief curled around his lungs.
What had this fool done, now? He didn't look to be in pain. His breathing was deep, calm... Was it the Underworld again? Or...
It couldn't be.
Yoo Joonghyuk let Kim Dokja's body fall the rest of the way to the ground, fuming. The bastard was asleep.
He stewed for a while, then kicked the rat in the stomach. Kim Dokja woke with a cough.
"Why are you going to sleep now?" Yoo Joonghyuk hissed.
Damn him. That guy only ever did as he pleased. Yoo Joonghyuk had thought...!
Kim Dokja gave him a strange look.
"Hey, hit me one more time. A really strong hit."
"... What?"
"No, kill me now."
Yoo Joonghyuk stood arrested for a few long seconds. Then rage started oozing from his pores.
"Kim Dokja..."
"Hurry up. You wanted to do it anyway, right?"
"Do you want to die?" Yoo Joonghyuk barked, and immediately wanted to pull the words back.
Trust Kim Dokja to make his default threat useless from a sheer lack of self-preservation.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] Did you moron forget? You no longer have King of No Killing.
One drawback of Midday Tryst was that it couldn't convey his anger through tone of voice. But it was a bad idea to talk about this openly. Even if the street appeared empty, Kim Dokja had made plenty of enemies among constellations.
Kim Dokja looked at him askance.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] What, you think I did that without a contingency plan?
Yoo Joonghyuk calmed down immediately.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] You have another way to resurrect?
"Hurry up," was Kim Dokja's only answer. "There isn't much time."
Never mind, he was still furious.
Why had he thought that things might change? Being companions clearly meant nothing to Kim Dokja. He would still keep his own counsel, still remain silent when he should have spoken.
Yoo Joonghyuk's fist creaked. The sound of flesh meeting flesh at Lv. 60 Strength filled the street like an explosion.
Blood fell drop by drop on the cracked asphalt. It traced a clear path from Kim Dokja's lips. The bastard's eyes were closed again.
Yoo Joonghyuk stared bitterly at the weak rises and falls of Kim Dokja's ribs. Even now, he couldn't bring himself to kill him. Any resurrection skill or item had limitations and conditions. They shouldn't be used so carelessly.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked away.
Even after everything, Kim Dokja didn't trust him. He would use him, but he wouldn't tell him anything important. And wasn't he right to do so? All it took was a moderately strong mental attack and Yoo Joonghyuk folded like a house of cards. Anyone could read information from his mind with the right skill set.
Dark thoughts whirled through his head as he waited for Kim Dokja to wake up.
Min Jiwon stirred nearby. It seemed Nirvana had only left her unconscious. She sat up, disoriented.
"They... are gone? Did Kim Dokja-ssi drive them away?"
Yoo Joonghyuk grunted. She waited a bit. When all Yoo Joonghyuk did was pace around Kim Dokja's limp form, she moved to the bodies of her Hwarang, sorting the dead and the injured.
Eventually, Kim Dokja's brow creased. Yoo Joonghyuk squatted next to him.
"Kim Dokja."
Kim Dokja's eyes squinted open. They fixed on him, blurry.
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk insisted. "Are you dying?"
Kim Dokja didn't answer.
'Should I have killed him after all?' Yoo Joonghyuk thought.
How could he be sure he had made the right decision? It was impossible to avoid mistakes when he didn't know what was going on.
'Everything is twisted because of this guy. He won't share his visions with me. I can't see a clear path forward with how many things have changed. The absence of the Absolute Throne makes things messy, and I should have focused on developing Mental Barrier more. Should I regress?'
Kim Dokja's eyes cleared. He sat up, looking more alert. Yoo Joonghyuk watched him do so with some detachment.
'If I do exactly the same thing I did in the first scenario, Kim Dokja should live. We can work together from the start. I'll handle his disruptions better.' He looked down. 'That'd be ideal. If I can't get him alive next time, I'll regress until I figure out how to manage it.'
Kim Dokja froze. Yoo Joonghyuk's instincts immediately wailed in warning. Their eyes met, Yoo Joonghyuk's narrow and steely, Kim Dokja's wide and startled.
There was a silence.
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said. "Were you reading my thoughts again?"
Kim Dokja didn't move a muscle.
"You keep accusing me of that. Aren't you a bit paranoid, Yoo Joonghyuk?"
Yoo Joonghyuk's jaw locked. He wanted so badly to strangle this man.
"I never accused you of that out loud," he growled.
Even Kim Dokja couldn't hide the way he flinched at that, as he registered that Yoo Joonghyuk had only ever given words to that theory in his thoughts.
"Really? My bad, I must have mistaken you for someone else," he laughed, every bit of him as fake as a cardboard cosplay sword.
"Do you often get accused of reading people's thoughts?"
"Well, you know, I'm an insightful guy."
'Here comes the bullshit again.'
Yoo Joonghyuk rose and turned away, sick of this.
'This guy doesn't see me as a companion.'
Too late, he clamped down on the thought. His shoulders tensed.
For a while, neither of them said anything. There was a rustle as Kim Dokja got up.
"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" he said, his voice blank. "You're thinking about leaving me behind."
Yoo Joonghyuk whirled around, incensed. How dare he say something so false...!
His mouth closed with a snap. Kim Dokja's face was carefully impassive. Yoo Joonghyuk ground his teeth.
He had never thought of regression as leaving his companions behind. He was going right back to them, after all, no matter that they didn't have the same memories he did. But maybe only a regressor could afford to think like this. This Kim Dokja, this infuriating enigma who had punched him in the face in the King Qualification and who had shouted his way through the Theatre Master's Simulacrum until Yoo Joonghyuk heard him... this version of Kim Dokja wouldn't be the same he would meet if he went back to the start.
He looked away.
"You're a prophet. Won't you remember this regression either way?"
Kim Dokja gave an impatient sigh.
"Wake up, Yoo Joonghyuk!" he said, stepping right up to Yoo Joonghyuk's chest. "Don't think things will improve if you just repeat them a few times."
Surprised by his sudden boldness, Yoo Joonghyuk stayed silent.
"There is a chance that you can do better in the fourth regression. However, there is also a chance that won't happen."
"The next regression will obviously be better," he said. "There were many unexpected things in this round so the next round will certainly be better."
"Why? Because you can 'handle my disruptions better'?"
Yoo Joonghyuk clenched his jaw. Doubt wormed in his heart. Maybe he was being overconfident. He had many talents, but containing Kim Dokja's sheer unpredictability wasn't among them. And if Kim Dokja remembered previous regressions the way Anna Croft did, Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't have any edge over him.
And then, unexpectedly, Kim Dokja said:
"What if you can't find me again?"
"What?"
"What if this turn was the exception? What if you never again find the right combination of factors to have me step off that subway car alive?" He bowed his head, cynical. "I guess that won't matter much to you. You have enough companions. You'll forget this turn soon enough."
Yoo Joonghyuk clutched his arm.
"I won't forget," he growled, offended. "I'll try as many times as I need to."
Kim Dokja stared at him for a long moment. The disbelief was clear in his eyes. Yoo Joonghyuk gripped him tighter. Kim Dokja shook off his hand. He took a few steps away.
"I don't have any memory of me in your previous turns, Yoo Joonghyuk."
The confession was like a bucket of frigid water to the face. Yoo Joonghyuk stood rooted to the spot.
Even if it was just the few minutes between the start of the scenarios and his death in that subway car, Kim Dokja should have remembered.
Out on the plaza, Min Jiwon's Hwarang had lined up their dead. The survivors bowed over them, grieving. There were far fewer of them than a few weeks ago. Kim Dokja looked over the scene, hands in his pockets.
"How many more times are you going to do this, Yoo Joonghyuk?"
Yoo Joonghyuk watched him.
"It might be as you say," Kim Dokja added. "If you repeat it ten or twenty times, it will surely get better. You'll be exposed to more scenarios and see more of the future. But how do you think this path will end?"
"What do you mean?"
"Dead bodies are an everyday sight to you. Already, death is losing its meaning. Life is losing its meaning. Who do you think you will be after repeating this a few hundred times?"
"I won't regress that many times."
Kim Dokja simply stared at him. Ice closed around Yoo Joonghyuk's heart.
'... Don't tell me?'
He had to look away, shaken.
"You're just saying that because you're scared of what will happen to you if I regress," he said.
Kim Dokja didn't answer.
Maybe he was lying. Maybe he knew nothing of Yoo Joonghyuk's future regressions and was just trying to scare him into staying. Yoo Joonghyuk didn't know what happened to the worlds he left behind. Maybe Kim Dokja could tell that he would disappear.
What if Kim Dokja did disappear? Definitely? What if there was no way to find him in other turns?
And what if Kim Dokja was right? Even if he was lying, was what he was saying really impossible? Two hundred regressions, five hundred... a thousand? Could Yoo Joonghyuk survive that?
For the first time, he realized that he didn't have a choice. Even if one day, endless regressions eroded his sanity, he would have no way out. Death didn't exist for him anymore.
He clenched his fists.
"You should live this round properly," Kim Dokja said. "Don't just throw it away at the first difficulty. The more you learn here, the better for later, right?"
The compassion in his voice made Yoo Joonghyuk want to break something.
He remembered thinking, weeks ago, that the thing he missed most in this world was being understood. But Kim Dokja understood him.
If Yoo Joonghyuk regressed, he would lose that. Even if he could find Kim Dokja again, Kim Dokja wouldn't remember this life. He wasn't lying about that. Otherwise, he wouldn't be trying so hard to get Yoo Joonghyuk to stay.
"I won't regress," Yoo Joonghyuk said, his voice hoarse.
He lifted his head to meet Kim Dokja's eyes.
"I'll fight to stay in this regression turn as long as I can. On one condition."
Kim Dokja blinked.
"A condition?"
"Swear you'll stop reading my thoughts."
Kim Dokja looked startled. A strange smile bloomed on his lips.
"Me? But who says I'm doing that in the first place?"
"Kim Dokja," he growled.
Kim Dokja laughed, the insufferable bastard. Then he hummed in consideration. Yoo Joonghyuk bristled. It couldn't be that hard to grant your companion a shred of privacy.
A message window popped up next to him.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] How about that? I won't willingly use my mind-reading skill on you unless you're in danger and I need to find you.
[Yoo Joonghyuk] You can use Midday Tryst for that.
[Kim Dokja] What if you aren't in a position to answer Midday Tryst?
Yoo Joonghyuk narrowed his eyes. This rat was splitting hair.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Don't be so stubborn. That skill has multiple uses. There might come a time when you'll need it.
[Yoo Joonghyuk] What uses?
Kim Dokja's smile faded. It wasn't hard to see the conflict behind his eyes.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] Kim Dokja. You can't keep all your cards close to your chest and expect me to keep trusting you.
Kim Dokja's lips twitched faintly.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] Oh, because you trust me?
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him.
"We're companions," he said, the defiant words ringing in the silence.
Maybe that wasn't the answer he was expecting. Kim Dokja's face went blank. Only his eyes shook.
It took a long while for a new line to pop up.
Midday Tryst
[Kim Dokja] I told everyone to think of me when they're in trouble. If I'm unconscious, and you're thinking of me, I can offer support. But I have to be inside your head for that, so I'll hear your thoughts.
So that's what he was doing earlier, when he was looking for Jung Heewon.
A suspicion pricked at Yoo Joonghyuk's mind. Did Kim Dokja need to be unconscious, or dead?
He pushed it away for the moment. He wouldn't pry open every one of Kim Dokja's secrets today.
Midday Tryst
[Yoo Joonghyuk] Fine.
[Kim Dokja] Then I swear.
Blue flames flared around Kim Dokja's chest. Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened. That guy, he had sworn an Oath of Existence. Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't even requested it from him.
Kim Dokja's smile was a small, strangely meek thing.
"In exchange, tell me if you start thinking about regression again, okay? We'll find another way."
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't answer. He just looked at Kim Dokja. Kim Dokja looked back.
Maybe that scene lasted a bit longer than necessary. After a few minutes, there was a cough nearby. Min Jiwon stood there, her appearance flustered.
"Are you still having a secret conversation? Apologies, I don't mean to interrupt, but..."
The wistful glance she sent to Kim Dokja seemed to completely fly over the guy's head.
"Ah, by the way, King of Beauty," he said. "I need your help."
With the Hwarang's help, they reunited with their companions. However, Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung were on the other side of Seoul. Only Lee Jihye, Gong Pildu, Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung could be gathered before the next scenario started.
[Main Scenario #8 — The Strongest Sacrifice]
Every four hours, Seoul would be besieged by a wave of monsters. Every four hours, the monsters would get stronger, until either half the remaining population of the Seoul Dome was exterminated or the strongest incarnation among them died.
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at the system window and felt his mood, temporarily stabilized by his conversation with Kim Dokja, grow darker again.
This scenario was one he had never seen. The eighth scenario shouldn't have been like this. Although Kim Dokja had a point that this was a good occasion to collect more information for his next regressions, letting half of Seoul's survivors die was out of the question. But they had only fended off the first wave of monsters and the Dome's population had already dropped from 107,624 to 90,531.
"Honorable Supreme King! Please accept me!"
"I respect you!"
Just like the morons currently trying to curry Yoo Joonghyuk's favor, most incarnations in Seoul were indeed weak and useless.
"Now now, our Supreme King isn't in a good mood right now so back off. Do you want to die?" Kim Dokja said, hustling the weaklings away.
The incarnations glared at him and shuffled off with rebellious mutters. Kim Dokja turned back to look at Yoo Joonghyuk. It was a bit more intent than the way he usually looked at him.
"Do you want to read my thoughts?" Yoo Joonghyuk said indifferently.
"I want to," he admitted without shame. "Doesn't your face look bad?"
"My face looks bad? I'm not the one they call the Ugliest King."
Lee Jihye guffawed. The two kids plastered themselves to Kim Dokja's sides, offering well-meaning if misguided reassurances.
"I think Ahjussi is handsome."
"Hyung, the face isn't everything."
Kim Dokja endured it all with a blank expression.
Yoo Joonghyuk's mood lifted a little.
"Master," Lee Jihye said when she stopped laughing. "Were you looking at the scenario? What do you think? Who is the strongest incarnation in Seoul?"
"Of course it is me," Yoo Joonghyuk said.
There was no doubt in his mind. How could it be anyone else?
Kim Dokja threw him an annoyed look. Then his eyes widened.
"Wait. Do you mean to die?"
"I'll be able to stop this scenario if I die."
There was an easy way to end this scenario before any more deaths happened. He just had to regress...
Kim Dokja glared.
"Didn't I say to talk to me before you went and decided something like that?"
"..."
Yoo Joonghyuk had forgotten. He turned away, unwilling to admit it.
"There is nothing to discuss. This scenario can't be allowed to continue. The strongest incarnation in Seoul has to die."
"You're being too hasty," Kim Dokja said. "Is there even any guarantee that you are the strongest? For example, me..."
Every eye in the party zeroed in on Kim Dokja. They displayed various degrees of contempt and confusion.
"Hey, are you being serious?" Lee Jihye laughed.
"Dokja-hyung is kinda..." Lee Gilyoung trailed off.
There was an interesting look on the fool's face.
"I was just using myself as an example," he grumbled. "There is also Nirvana."
"The leader of the Salvation Church?" Min Jiwon said as she wandered closer. "He was stronger than the Supreme King, wasn't he?"
"Master, is that true?" Lee Jihye gasped.
Yoo Joonghyuk gave a thunderous scowl.
"That guy doesn't mesh with me."
"Then... is the leader of the Salvation Church the strongest?"
"Oh my god, there is a person stronger than Master?"
The very notion made Yoo Joonghyuk want to kill something. That guy, stronger than him? Did cheap mental tricks count as strength, now? But he couldn't say anything, because he didn't actually know. What did the scenario count as strength?
Kim Dokja approached him.
"Let's just try it, okay?" he said, sounding reasonable. "We should get rid of Nirvana anyway. Let's assume for now that he is the strongest and prioritize his death. If it's not him, we can always think of something else later."
Looking at his calm face, Yoo Joonghyuk felt strangely reassured. The temptation to regress and return to more familiar waters was still here, but... it was a good plan. And Yoo Joonghyuk had promised to try.
He nodded.
"Fine."
Kim Dokja was the strongest incarnation in Seoul.
As Yoo Joonghyuk looked down at the man's lifeless body that had been found on an abandoned rooftop, he wondered many things.
He wondered if Kim Dokja had known from the start. He wondered what made him stronger than Yoo Joonghyuk.
He wondered who Kim Dokja had gone to to engineer his own death this time.
He hadn't asked Yoo Joonghyuk. Maybe it was because Yoo Joonghyuk had refused to kill him earlier. Kim Dokja had just stayed silent and done as he pleased, as usual.
There was a stab wound in the body's gut. The white coat was stained red from the large puddle underneath it. Kim Dokja had bled out. It would have been a long death, one he could easily have stopped if he hadn't chosen it for himself.
A long enough death for Kim Dokja to have used that famous "support" skill of his on Yoo Joonghyuk, when it had looked like Yoo Joonghyuk might lose in his fight against Nirvana.
Yoo Joonghyuk should have realized that something was wrong when his mindset kept worsening after his first meeting with Nirvana. It was too early in this regression for him to give in to despair like this. That bastard Nirvana had used a skill to progressively erode his mental barriers, until they gave in in the middle of the fight.
Yoo Joonghyuk had thought of Kim Dokja, then. Not on purpose. It wasn't in his nature to ask for help. But as Nirvana's skill fell on him, he had decided he needed to regress now before he was entirely brainwashed, and then he had had a reflexive, unexpected thought. 'But Kim Dokja said...'
Don't regress without talking to me first, he had said. We'll find another way, he had said.
And then Kim Dokja had been there.
'You jerk, it's about time you thought of that.'
His presence had filled Yoo Joonghyuk's mind. It had shielded him, relieving him of the agony his soul had been enduring.
'Take a break.'
Despite his attempts to resist, Yoo Joonghyuk had found himself trusting him with the rest. He had lost consciousness.
And had opened his eyes to the announcement that the scenario was over. The strongest incarnation in the Seoul Dome, the "Ugliest King" Kim Dokja, was dead.
Shin Yoosung fussed with the hair on Kim Dokja's forehead, straightening it. Most of Kim Dokja's companions were here. Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung had caught up, though Yoo Sangah was still missing. They waited around the body, joking about the revenge they would take on Kim Dokja for going behind everyone's backs. But the more time passed with no sign of the man waking up, the more the already tense banter grew sparse.
"Hey, isn't it taking longer than usual?" Jung Heewon eventually said.
None of the others answered. Maybe they all thought it in their hearts. This death was different from the previous ones. It had been demanded by the scenario. Could Kim Dokja really come back from that?
Yoo Joonghyuk knew it didn't matter. Death was death. And Kim Dokja had asked him to kill him earlier, had said he still had a way to come back, even without King of No Killing.
But Yoo Joonghyuk didn't know what he had planned to use. What if the skill or the item couldn't be used for some reason or another? What if there were restrictions that Kim Dokja hadn't been aware of? What if something had gone wrong?
A system window popped up in his field of vision.
[The item Midday Tryst has come to the end of its paid one-month period.]
[Pay 3,000 coins to renew use of item Midday Tryst?]
[Yes | No]
"..."
Yoo Joonghyuk had the sudden thought that Kim Dokja was such a cheapskate that he would use death to avoid his bills and force them on him. Somehow, he wanted to laugh. He closed his eyes with a snort.
"Master?" Lee Jihye said.
Yoo Joonghyuk stabbed a finger at the 'Yes' button. It lit up and the window disappeared. He pushed off of the railing.
"That guy will come back," he said, with all the certainty of a divine commandment. "It might look different from before. It might take longer. But he will be back."
He turned on his heels and left.
Kim Dokja would be back.
The alternative was unacceptable.