Work Text:
Kim Dokja had a really long dream. In there he saw himself and his group completing different scenarios. Oddly, the scenario seemed to be different from what he knew, there were also faces he didn’t remember surviving. Each scenario seemed to blur pass them in an impossible speed as there were more people helping them.
But the strangest of all was how was merely riding a bus through them and before he realized they had arrived in front of the final wall again. Once Kim Dokja had placed his hand inside the slot on the final wall and he was about to see the conclusion beyond it, he woke up. And when woke up, he forgot everything about it.
Instead, he remembered a destroyed world and an even more broken people. He remembered being dead than alive again, all for the sake of completing the hellish scenarios. He remembered the novel he read to survive and how it became his new reality. And he remembered the people who fought alongside him through that world.
But even they felt like a distant memory to him and the room he woke up to was unfamiliar. He had no idea how much time had passed or if he was even still on the 1864th Earth. His memory caught a blank after they went beyond the wall as if someone deliberately erased that part of his memory.
His inner thought was cut short by the sound of something crashing on the floor, he turned his head to the direction of the source. In front of the opened door, stood Lee Seolhwa, broken glasses scattered under her feet.
“Dok- Dokja-ssi!”
She exclaimed in surprised, hands flying to her mouth in an attempt to suppress her shock. She was about to take a step forward completely unaware of the mess near her feet.
“Seolhwa-ssi, be careful of the glass shards!” he reminded urgently, the voice coming out of his throat sounded raspy from the lack of use.
Still in a trance-like state, Lee Seolhwa finally looked down and noticed the sharp fragments on the floor.
“Ahh yes, I will get this cleaned up after,” she said absentmindedly and merely sidestepped her way towards Kim Dokja.
She then started to grab various body parts of him without saying anything, leaving Kim Dokja flustered.
“Wait- wait a minute Seolhwa-ssi! I know that you are a doctor but isn’t this a bit too much!” he protested hurriedly.
Seemingly deaf, Lee Seolhwa ignored him and continue to perform her medical check, while muttering to herself.
‘This is a miracle’ she whispered to no one, somehow Kim Dokja’s previously broken soul had managed to stabilize.
“Dokja-ssi, welcome back” she informed him after she removed her hands from his body, a nostalgic smile was decorating her pretty face.
“How long has it been Seolhwa-ssi?” he inquired, he has been curious how long he had been asleep.
Lee Seolhwa was about to open her mouth to answer him but decided against it at the last minute. Instead, she questioned him back,
“Dokja-ssi how much do you remember?”
He told her about his last memory being defeating the Dokkaebi king and crossing over the final wall.
“Are you telling me the truth?” she asked
Kim Dokja nodded as his answer, there was no reason for him to lie. Besides, he thinks that lying to a doctor is defeating the purpose of a health checkup.
“I see”
She replied curtly, Kim Dokja noticed that she almost looked relieved at his words.
“Then I should tell you the truth too. I will sum it up, but you can ask the details later Dokja-ssi. There was a situation and we crossed over world-line. When we came back twenty years had passed on Earth. Since then, you had been unconscious for two years” she explained.
“Ahh you were with us when we travelled so you also didn’t age for twenty years” she added.
Her explanation was relatively short, but Kim Dokja still took several minutes to process the information.
“Seolhwa-ssi is us you mentioned…” he inquired, hoping that it was who he thinks they are
“Ahh that would be the Kim Dokja’s company, the masters and the surviving constellations were also there and had all gone back safely” she informed him in a good mood.
Hearing that Kim Dokja felt relieved, the people he remembered were still here although he does not know if they still care for him. He was about to ask Lee Seolhwa about the other members of Kim Dokja company’s life when he was interrupted by the doctor’s excited voice.
The composed Lee Seolhwa, who could maintain a graceful poise even in a dire battlefield, is shouted to the person on the other side of her phone.
“GUYS, YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT, BUT KIM DOKJA IS AWAKE!!!” she informed the other person… or people judging from the multiple shouts of disbelieving that replied her. She turned off her loudspeaker and look sheepishly at Kim Dokja, seemingly to apologize for the loud noise.
“If you don’t believe me, I will switch to video call and you can see him for yourself!” she exclaimed, thankfully this time with a normal volume.
“Say hi to the camera Dokja-ssi,” she said before shoving her phone in front of the unprepared Kim Dokja.
He felt a sting in his eyes when he saw their tiny faces reflected in the small LCD screen of Lee Seolhwa’s phone,
“Hi,” he greeted oh so awkwardly.
But then the dam broke, and he heard sniffling from the phone speaker. They promised him that they would go there as soon as possible and he started crying too. He had been denying it but his biggest fear upon waking up was that no one remembered or cared about him anymore.
He had taunted his mind with the idea several times before Lee Seolhwa entered his room. He thought that if that were the case, he would pretend that he is fine, he knows he deserves it after always making them worry. But he also knows that he would not be able to live in a world where he had to go back being alone again.
By the time the video call ended they had all become a teary mess, Lee Seolhwa and himself included. The doctor left the room to fetch him some food and water, ‘it must have been so long since you have real meals’ she told him while still dabbing her tear-filled eyes with a piece of tissue.
“Seolhwa-ssi don’t forget about the broken glass” he reminded her again while laughing and she gave him a thumbs-up in reply.
When she came back not even half an hour later, she was carrying a tray containing a glass of water and a bowl of soup. From the opaque colour, it seems to be a type of cream soup, the aroma emitted from it was so tempting that his stomach growled when it was placed in front of him.
He felt embarrassed at the reflex action, but Lee Seolhwa merely smiled in content at him.
“Fufufu, don’t worry Dokja-ssi that is normal. I bought you soft food because I thought your stomach is not yet ready for a harder meal. Do enjoy it someone works hard to make it you know.
At first, Kim Dokja thought she was the one who made it, but then remembered that being skilled at making potion does not guarantee you are good at cooking. He took a spoonful of the soup, then another one and another one. Before he realized his bowl is already empty in front of him, that is how good it is.
“You shouldn’t eat too fast Dokja-ssi, you will have an upset stomach” as expected she scolded him, but then she smiled mischievously and even snickered a little bit.
“Since Dokja-ssi likes it so much, do you want to meet the chef?” she asked him excitedly.
“Hmm, are they here?” Kim Dokja was surprised by the unexpected question.
She nodded her head before calling out to someone outside the door,
“You should come in, he said he wanted to meet you”
Kim Dokja should have expected that man to come in, the taste of food was familiar, something that he had tasted before. He closed and opened his mouth several times before saying his greeting to the tall man,
“Long time no see Yoo Jonghyuk,” he winced at how badly it was worded. He noticed that Yoo Jonghyuk also flinched at his words. The air between them suddenly felt so much denser.
Lee Seolhwa coughed before excusing herself out of the room to take replacement IV, he knew that she just did not want to be included in their conversation.
“…”
“…”
“How is your body?”
Unexpectedly it was Yoo Jonghyuk who broke the stifling silence between them first. He had walked across the room and was now standing awkwardly near his bed. Kim Dokja realized that he was not there when Lee Seolhwa called the group, but she must have sent him a message. And he must have been nearby to be able to come this soon and even had the time to cook the soup too.
Kim Dokja observed at the other man in the eyes and noticed the different emotions swirling in them. He saw worry and uncertainty, but then he also saw longing, hope and even affection in those eyes. And he realized that Yoo Jonghyuk is still the same man that loved him all those years ago.
“Why are you so far away, come here. Let me hold your hand,” croaked Kim Dokja, he knew that he must have sounded like a toad, but he didn’t care. Standing in front of him was the one man that had always been by his side, long before he even met him, and he really missed him.
Something must have snapped inside Yoo Jonghyuk as he stepped closer to Kim Dokja, pupils blown wide in disbelief like the thought of him waking up here was merely a figment of his imagination. He then held Kim Dokja’s hand oh so carefully, as if he were afraid that Kim Dokja would shatter if he put more pressure.
Kim Dokja could feel the strong calloused hands holding his own trembled ever so slightly. The hands that had always been steady when it held a sword that used to cut down countless stars were now shaking like a newborn fawn. Kim Dokja heart squeezed painfully in his chest, he wondered how much the past years had worn down this powerful man.
“Jonghyuk-ah I’m back” he whispered as he placed his other hand on top of the other male’s so that their hands were now joined. He felt Yoo Jonghyuk squeezed his palm before saying,
“You’re really here,” the childlike wonder in his voice only made Kim Dokja’s barely held tear to drip again.
“I’m really here Jonghyuk-ah” he reassured his lover.
~⚜~
After several minutes of convincing Yoo Jonghyuk via answering whatever questions he threw, the other man had finally accepted that the Kim Dokja he knew had really woken up. Kim Dokja wondered what happened to him for his usually tough lover to react this way.
They held hands and chatted for a long time and when they looked at the digital clock hung on the wall, the letter 13 had been replaced by 16. To Kim Dokja’s second embarrassment of the day, his stomach growled again in hunger. He was hooked up to the IV, so he did not know why his stomach still reacts that way.
Yoo Jonghyuk had only looked at him fondly before he reluctantly let go of Kim Dokja’s hand and went out of the room with a promise of more delicious food.
Somehow as if it was timed, not long after Yoo Jonghyuk left the room another crash occurred outside of the room followed with different cries.
“Ajhussi!!!”
“Hyung!!!”
“Dokja-ssi!!”
“Kim Dokja!!”
And soon he was surrounded by four cry people. Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung were attached on each side of his body on the bed, while Han Sooyoung was bawling while having his head in a headlock, a feat she would not be able to do if he were standing. Meanwhile, Yoo Sangah, the sanest one out of the four, gave him a brief hug before occupying the chair Yoo Jonghyuk had left empty next to his bed, although his arm was still held captive by her.
“How are you feeling now Dokja-ssi?” she asked with her everlasting gentle voice.
Before he could reply to her question the door opened again with an even louder ‘bang!’.
“Kim Dokja you punk!!”
“Dokja-ajhussi!!!”
The demon slayer duo entered the room in a rush, their eyes scanned the room quickly to locate Kim Dokja’s position. Before adding themselves to the pile of bodies surrounding him.
Jung Heewon uncaringly shoved the author to steal her position, which the author retaliated by elbowing the older woman in her ribs. Meanwhile, Lee Jihye settled cross-legged at the end of his bed and Kim Dokja was forced to withdraw his stretched leg, much to the two children displeasure. They glared at the older girl that invade their space, while Jihye made a face at them like the mature adult that she is.
The six people somehow managed to fit around Kim Dokja and he spent the next few minutes busy telling Han Sooyoung to ‘stop wiping your snot on my hair’ which she turned a deaf ear on, or ‘Gilyoung-ah don’t squeeze my side too hard’. And then he heard the door to his room opened again, this time unaccompanied by the loud noise.
Yoo Jonghyuk who just came back from cooking Kim Dokja more food grimaced at the human pyramid formed inside the room in his absence. Kim Dokja laughed at the sour expression on his lover but merely asked if he wanted to join too, which was expectedly denied by Yoo Jonghyuk.
Instead, he carefully placed the tray he was holding on the folding table next to Kim Dokja’s bed, but not before he shooed the rest of the group away to make room for him to eat. They then scattered around the floor but still close enough to his bed.
Now that most of them were there, Kim Dokja began to ask the details on what happened two years ago after he lost his consciousness. He saw them looking at each other before Jung Heewon elbowed Han Sooyoung to be the volunteer. The author grumbled in displeasure but told him the story anyway.
He did not know that they specifically chose Han Sooyoung, because she is a writer and she would be able to gloss over some truths naturally.
He listened to how he fell unconscious and his body deteriorated after they returned back to Seoul. How they found out that a part of him did not manage to cross the wall and came back with them. About how they plan out a group regression, to recover the used-up pieces of walls so that they can cross over the final wall again.
They told him that they went to the 1865th turn along with some other incarnations and constellations and how they managed to save everyone they failed to save in this turn and left most of the world intact by the end of the scenario.
‘Jerk, we fulfilled your promise and made Bihyung into a Dokkaebi king there’ Han Sooyoung informed him while landing a light punch on his side.
But then she continued about how even after they managed to take the part of him left behind, his story had scattered across the universe, leaving only an unconscious body with a fragmented soul behind. They had gone almost crazy at that time and even planned another regression, to meet the 4th wall left in the wall and ask for a way to recover his soul. But then they found out that Yoo Jonghyuk could no longer regress.
That was when they decided to go back to 1864th turn Earth using the repaired ark from the final scenario gifted to them by Bihyung. When they arrived back on earth, they were greeted by anna croft who informed them that twenty years had passed since they left. Since then Kim Dokja had been unconscious for two more years.
"And then today we received a crazy call that said you had woken up from her," Han Sooyoung finished the story while mimicking a phone call and pointing at Lee Seolhwa, who had gone inside the room and joined the crowd sitting on the floor somewhere in the middle of the storytelling. She nodded pridefully as if she just completed a noble job.
Kim Dokja heard everything clearly, yet somehow the story felt… well like a story. He did not feel like a part of it even though the auhtor had stated that he was semi-conscious throughout the 1865th turn.
“Ajhussi was more like a half-awake zombie, to be honest,” Lee Jihye quipped.
They told him not to worry too much, everyone he knows is still around and alive and that he should just focus on recovering. Then they reassured him that they felt the same at first and that he will get used to it.
“Dude! The first time I arrived back on Earth I collapsed in Anna Croft’s arms! And that was THE me, of course, you would take some time to get used to this,” Han Sooyoung told him with an exaggerated hand gesture, before giving him, her typical condescending look.
Kim Dokja chose to believe them.
~⚜~
As per Lee Seolhwa doctor’s order, Kim Dokja was told to stay in the hospital for another month. She told him that he needed to rest and did some rehabilitation, ‘two years in a coma was a long enough time for a body to forget their natural capabilities’ she had told him
True to her words, when he tried to walk for the first time, he would have fallen to the floor if it wasn’t for Yoo Jonghyuk’s sturdy arm supporting him as his legs gave up upon standing. The long rest had made his muscle to be almost non-existent and thus like a toddler, Kim Dokja had to learn again how to walk.
The next morning, he woke up to long blond locks partially covering his vision and big green eyes staring so close at his face. Kim Dokja somehow managed not to hold back his surprised shout, as the green eyes were soon filled tears, followed by a bone-crushing hug from a small body.
“Kim- Kim Dokja is really awake” the archangel that was hugging him tightly started to bawl.
Kim Dokja wheezed out a breathless laugh, hands mimicking a wave uselessly under the powerful hold of the petite girl.
“Uriel, it’s nice to see you again”
Hearing the words, the angel slightly loosened her embraced to look at Kim Dokja’s opened eyes and his breath became easier. But then she cried even harder and hug him even stronger and he could almost hear his bone cracking.
“Calm down Uriel, you’re going to send my maknae to the underworld at this rate”
Someone behind Uriel scolded the angel, before forcefully lifting her off from him. Kim Dokja took a large gulp of air to fill his lungs again, then suddenly pain spread on his forehead.
“That’s for making us worried, welcome back maknae-yah,” the figure said, the hand that flicked him before moved to ruffle his hair.
Now that his view was unobstructed, he could see the faces of his visitors clearly in the room. He saw the handsome face of the great sage that is still grinning at him and the pouting beauty who was unceremoniously dumped on the floor next to him.
“Great sage” he bowed his head at his senior and the monkey king let out a laugh at his action.
“No need to act so polite, none of us cared about that here,” he told him while still messing up his hair.
“I also want to play with Kim Dokja’s hair” the archangel that had regained her bearing stood up and try to shove the great sage away with moderate success.
While the two bickered, Kim Dokja then noticed that there is a teenage boy with bandages wrapped on both of his arms, observing them with an amused smirk near the door. He saw that dark hair and manic red eyes only once back during the great war of saints and demon, he was taller than what he remembered but it could be no one else but him that would complete the chaotic trio.
“Abyssal black flame dragon?” he asked, and the boy nodded his head and chuckled in confirmation.
The memories of them desperately trying to change the fate of these constellations written on the final wall flashed in his mind, Kim Dokja was glad that they had succeeded that day.
“Kekeke, they do not allow dragons to enter the hospital, so I have to use this incarnation body”, the dragon informed while walking towards him and placed the fruit basket he was holding on his bedside table.
Kim Dokja had been informed that they were a part of an idol group and is currently on a world tour but thought that his friends were messing up with him. But now looking at their flashy attire that looked like they cost more than Kim Dokja’s paycheck before the apocalypse, he started to think that it may be true.
“I thought you guys are on a world tour?” he tested the truth.
It was Uriel that answered him, her eyes directed at him sparkled in adoration as if she were looking at a cute animal.
“We were, but we booked the earliest flight to see you”
“I missed you so much”
She was about to jump on him again, but a hand was gently holding her back.
“Uriel, let my son rest”
The calm and collected voice felt like a spring breeze on a cold night.
“Hello son” the queen of underworld greeted him.
Kim Dokja saw the oddly warm darkness wrapping around her like a blanket that seemed to wave at him, he then noticed the melancholy in her eyes. He realized that this lady who took him as her son had lost her significant other because of him.
“I’m- I’m sorry” he did not dare to look at her in the eyes.
“Don’t be. What we did was our own choice, there is no greater honour for a parent than to be able to save their child. If you feel sorry you are disrespecting your father sacrifice” she chastised him sternly, but the hand that stroke his face was gentle.
He thought that after crying so much yesterday he would not be able to cry anymore, but he was proven wrong when tears started to pool in his eyes.
“Silly child… don’t cry! We are all here happy that you are finally awake” she smiled gesturing to the other guests who nodded along in agreement with her words.
~⚜~
A week passed by uneventfully after the first tear-jerker two days and soon they formed a routine on who gets to be with Kim Dokja for that day. This was due to Lee Seolhwa complaint of them not meeting hospital visitor regulation, so they must schedule their visit.
Each day was separated to three sessions, they dubbed it breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What they did in each session was almost literally as the name suggests, accompany Kim Dokja to eat his meals. Yoo Jonghyuk cheated as he appointed himself to be Kim Dokja’s personal chef, thus he could see him three times a day every day. When Kim Dokja heard the idea, he thought it was adorable and he rewarded the male with kisses.
Lee Seolhwa had also appointed Yoo Jonghyuk as Kim Dokja’s rehabilitation assistant, so every morning they will walk around the hospital complex together.
Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah who both took a break from their job received the morning shift along with his adopted mother and his birth mother. Kim Dokja had protested and told them that there is no need to leave their job for him, only to be brushed off by them.
‘Nah, I don’t need to work anyway, I’m rich’ Han Sooyoung nonchalantly replied as she casually reminded Kim Dokja how much of a successful author she was.
‘They will be fine without me for a while Dokja-ssi, youngsters need to learn independence’ Yoo Sangah reassured him, her usually bright smile had a cold edge to it.
Both Persephone and Lee Sookyung often accompany him on his morning walk when they visited and every time it happened Yoo Jonghyuk will always look sadly in his direction, much like a kicked puppy. His lover had become adorably attached and possessive over him since he woke up.
Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung, who he learnt had broken up from a morning gossip with Han Sooyoung, often visited him in the afternoon. Whenever the two accidentally arrived together, Kim Dokja felt like escaping from his own room from the awkward air between them. He was always glad whenever Jang Hayoung also visited as she could always break the tension in the air with her light-hearted joke.
‘As expected from the once master of ‘wall of impossible communication’ he thought as he looked at her in awe.
While Gilyoung and Yoosung who are now in high school and Jihye who is in college would light up his room at dinner with their enthusiastic talk about their day. Kim Dokja often found himself staring at their unburdened youthful faces with a fond smile. He is glad they grew up to be happy young adults.
The others like Gong Pildu, Han Myungoh with his daughter and the ex-constellations-turned-idols trio popped up from time to time with the later trio much more often than the other two. Selena Kim and her boyfriend Mark and even the now middle-aged prophet Anna Croft also paid him a visit.
He remembered how surprised he was when he first saw the proof that the world had really aged by twenty years, on Anna Croft.
‘Why are you so old?’ he had accidentally blurted out, Han Sooyoung who happened to be with him when the prophet visited had cackled like a madman at his words.
She hit them both on the head, before insincerely apologizing for her rudeness. Kim Dokja admitted he deserved that.
‘Not all of us went across the world line, those that remain will have to age with the world’ she explained to him like he was a kid and she was the responsible adult that has to teach him.
Later he searched up what she did for the past twenty years and found himself impressed. Anna Croft had truly worked hard to rebuild the world into one that matched her ideal 'end'.
The second week was more eventful, after the group saw the picture of Yoo Jonghyuk and him kissing, courtesy of the devil herself, they started to behave hostilely toward Yoo Jonghyuk.
Kim Dokja pitied his lover, but at the same time he found the group attempt to protect his (non-existent) purity adorable, so he did not do anything to stop them. However, he compromised by giving Yoo Jonghyuk more hugs and kisses whenever they have time for themselves.
On the third week, his master Kyrgios came back from his training on a far-away island. He then challenged Yoo Jonghyuk into a fight… for the right to court him. Kim Dokja had gotten a headache that day and he lamented to Persephone about this when she visited him the next morning, only for her to side with his teacher.
‘A duel of honour is the quickest way to determine a man’s worth’ she told him while stroking his hair.
‘But mother, this is not the 19th century,’ he had argued.
‘You only deserved the best of man’ her tone was final, so Kim Dokja shut his mouth.
When they came back to the hospital, thankfully both were still alive, Yoo Jonghyuk was sporting a large cast on his right hand but his face was proud as if he just won a big award. Next to him, Kyrgios had bandages all over his body, but the expression on his face was one of solemn. He looked almost like a satisfied dad that knows his son is now in a good hand.
Fortunately, no one challenged Yoo Jonghyuk for his right to date Kim Dokja anymore, although the Great Sage was so close of doing so. If that happened, he was not sure if they both would remain alive or if the Industrial Complex would remain standing after they are done. Kim Dokja thanks the heaven that ‘idol-burden’ exists and that the monkey king cares about his public persona.
~⚜~
Kim Dokja expected that when he would officially be discharged from the hospital, the members of Kim Dokja’s company would celebrate with him. He thought the kids would throw a small party, while the adults would toss some drinks for more good luck to come.
Instead, on the day when he should have been out of the hospital, he found himself tied on the backseat of a moving vehicle. His eyes were blindfolded, while his ankles and wrists were bound. Thankfully, his mouth was not gagged, small mercy from his abductor. Any other person would have shouted for help like crazy, but Kim Dokja had survived many dangerous situations before, thus he calmed his mind and analyzed his situation.
His bindings were made of soft material that did not irritate his skin at all and so was the clothes that cover his eyes, he suspected that they were made of silk. Meanwhile, the leather of the seat he was currently laid felt expensive and the car itself smelled clean and new. So, he came into the conclusion that his kidnapper must be someone relatively wealthy.
‘Why would a wealthy person kidnap me?’ he wondered in confusion.
Judging from the choice of material and his overall comfort, he decided that his abductor did not plan to hurt him, at least for now. So, Kim Dokja decided to relax on the lavish seat, besides it was not like he could do anything with his limbs tied up and useless.
Not long after, the car stopped, and he was carried out of the car into a room. The kidnapper placed him on a soft sofa, before leaving him alone in the room. Kim Dokja had recognized the man from the smell of his clothes, but he decided to play along. He was curious about the reason behind this stage-play.
Several minutes passed and Kim Dokja started to get bored from the silence, he contemplated calling the man’s named. But before he decided to do anything, the door to the room burst open with a loud ‘bang!’
It was followed by an exaggerated shout of ‘Kim Dokja!’
A familiar pair of hands gently removed his blindfold and light returned to his eyes. Kim Dokja blinked several times to adjust to the sudden brightness before his eyes landed on the large figure that was busy untying his restrained wrists and ankles.
“Jonghyuk-ah what are you doing?” he asked
“Releasing your binding” his lover answered literally.
Kim Dokja let out a small laugh at the innocent answer and he elaborated his question further,
“I mean, why do you bring me to this place?”
Hearing his words, Yoo Jonghyuk froze. His hand stopped in the middle of undoing the last knot on Kim Dokja’s ankles, so he nudged him to remind him to continue.
“…”
Yoo Jonghyuk finished untying his binding in silent and Kim Dokja moved to stretch his body. When he was done, he turned to face Yoo Jonghyuk and cupped his hands on the taller man’s face.
“Jonghyuk-ah, I promise I will not be angry, so tell me why we are here mm?”
He nuzzled his head under Yoo Jonghyuk’s chin affectionately, like a kitten asking for attention.
“I was told that every romantic scenario began with the heroine getting kidnapped and the hero rescuing them” Yoo Jonghyuk finally confessed.
Kim Dokja frowned at his answer,
“Who told you that?” he asked incredulously, who in their right mind would suggest something so-
“Han Sooyoung”
… of course, it could only be that lunatic. There is no one else that would dare to plant such a crazy idea to THE Yoo Jonghyuk except for her.
“And you believe her?” he interrogated further.
“She is a good writer” his lover answered honestly.
That is true, but she is also a menace that took pleasure in seeing others falling for her trick. She and Abyssal Black Flame Dragon were truly a match made in heaven.
Not knowing what else to do, Kim Dokja merely hugs his lover much broader body and pats him in the back as a consolation.
“…I will kill her when we get home” Yoo Jonghyuk murmured dejectedly.
“If you do, she will just haunt us for eternity instead” replied Kim Dokja and he heard Yoo Jonghyuk let out a huff in amusement.
Seeing that his lover’s mood was better, Kim Dokja asked him again.
“Why do you bring me here Jonghyuk-ah?”
Now that Kim Dokja had a proper look at the room, they seem to be inside a luxurious villa. The glass panel that separates them from the outside world, displays an impressive array of cherry blossom tree decorating the courtyard beyond it. It is a beautiful place.
“I’m bringing you to a holiday” answered Yoo Jonghyuk.
“Just for the two us” he then added.
Hearing the answer Kim Dokja brightened, he had been wanting to travel with Yoo Jonghyuk for some time!
“Come on then let’s go see what we can do here!” he excitedly tugged on the other male’s hand.
.
A trip to the receptionist later and they were given a map that showed a list of activities that they could do inside the villa ground. They decided to choose the shooting area as their first stop.
There were only a few others beside them in there and by the time Yoo Jonghyuk was done showing off his skill, they had all been won over by his superior sharp-shooting skill. Kim Dokja was not doing that bad either, all his shots were inside the target despite that being his first try on shooting.
‘Beginner’s luck’ Yoo Jonghyuk had teased him which led to a showdown that of course, he lost to.
‘What do you want as your gift your majesty’ he jokingly replied.
‘Mmm later’ was the answer he received.
Next, they moved on to the horse-racing ground. Kim Dokja suggested that Yoo Jonghyuk should ride a white horse and when he was asked why,
‘It’s prince charming on a white horse duh’ he answered like it was a piece of general knowledge.
Yoo Jonghyuk nodded earnestly as if what Kim Dokja just said was important information. They then looked around to find a white horse. When they found one, instead of riding it as he was suggested, Yoo Jonghyuk lifted Kim Dokja and secured him on top of the horse.
‘My prince charming’ he told Kim Dokja who looked at him in confusion.
‘!!!!!’ Kim Dokja blushed furiously at the unexpected romantic remark and Yoo Jonghyuk just gazed at him with fondness.
They both ended up galloping on a pair of white horses on the racetrack. This time Kim Dokja won the race, he suspected that Yoo Jonghyuk might let him easy, but Kim Dokja would still gloat on his win anyway. He was shameless like that.
‘It’s 1-1 now’ he told Yoo Jonghyuk.
The last game for the day was a couple game, much to Kim Dokja’s disappointment, in which they have to compete with other pairs to find the treasure box hidden inside a part of the manor. They had found the box rather too quickly with their skills from the apocalypse days and won themselves a pair of imitation crowns. Kim Dokja wore a simpler gold one and gave the royal red one to Yoo Jonghyuk.
‘It fits you conquering king’ he snickered while placing the crown on Yoo Jonghyuk’s head. The other man frowned at the teasing words but did not take off the head ornament.
.
Before they realized the sun had beginning to set, painting the sky in a stunning gradation of violet and orange. The dimming light from the sinking sun made the faux crown they wore glittered as they strolled unhurriedly side by side, enjoying the evening breeze under the cool shadow of the cherry blossom trees.
A gust of wind shook the tree branches, causing cherry blossom petals to fall over them. Kim Dokja watched the dainty pink petals danced fiercely in the air, some landed on his hair and even more settled in Yoo Jonghyuk’s curly dark hair. Kim Dokja laughed as he watched the man swatted at the air in a futile attempt to stop the flower from sticking to him.
He moved closer towards the man to help him plucked out some of the flowers. As he caught a stray petal at the tip of Yoo Jonghyuk’s bang, he realized how close he was to the other man. From this distance, he could freely admire the man’s stunning features.
Kim Dokja forgot how good looking his lover is. He observed the way the setting sun painted a golden amber on the man’s tan skin, illuminating his tall, chiselled figure. He looked like a sculpture carved by the universe’s best craftsman like this, each detail too perfect to be true.
But then his golden eyes blinked, dangerous yet captivating, and Kim Dokja was reminded that this man is real, he was no longer a character from his fantasy. And this Adonis was looking at Kim Dokja with affection that was reserved only for him.
Kim Dokja felt like falling in love all over again and before he realized the words had slipped from his lips,
“Jonghyuk-ah let’s get married” he dazedly whispered.
He could feel the taller male’s body stiffened in front of him, but then it was followed by an amused huff. Suddenly, Yoo Jonghyuk was already kneeling on one knee in front of him.
“How are you always one step ahead of me” Yoo Jonghyuk complained but his tone was fond.
“Kim Dokja marry me” he then pulled out a velvet box from his pocket and present the ring inside to Kim Dokja.
“Okay! But you cannot take back your words later!” Kim Dokja answered without any hesitation.
“I never go back on my own words” Yoo Jonghyuk replied with certainty and Kim Dokja did not feel any tremble from the hand that carefully slide a perfectly sized ring to his ring finger.
The moment Yoo Jonghyuk stood back to his full height, Kim Dokja jumped into his arms and latched onto his necks like an oversized koala, before tackling the man into a kiss. They stared into each other’s eyes as if there were only the two of them in this world.
Kim Dokja saw the way Yoo Jonghyuk neck bent to steal another kiss from him when a mischievous idea crossed his mind. Swift like a cat, he ducked before slipping away from Yoo Jonghyuk clasp like an eel.
He turned to face his lover and told him,
“Race you back to our room. Losers have to deal with the wedding preparation”
before breaking into a sprint, leaving his still dumbfounded fiancé behind in the dust.
When Yoo Jonghyuk finally snapped out of his confusion, his bellowed promise of ‘just you wait Kim Dokja’ made Kim Dokja laughed harder as he dashed madly towards their villa.
~⚜~
He was hoping that nobody noticed the ring on his finger when they return from their holiday, but of course, it was impossible as all his friends had sharp eyes and instinct from years of survival. Not that he was trying to hide it in the first place, Kim Dokja was damn proud for successfully snatching the SSSSS-grade protagonist.
But he would MUCH prefer it if it were not Han Sooyoung who first noticed about the ring.
“Wow! What a beautiful ring, where did you stole it?” she exclaimed while holding his hand captive in the air. Yoo Jonghyuk, who had a debt to settle with the author, was already seething next to Kim Dokja.
“Don’t touch my fiancé,” he barked at her and tried to land a hit on her, but she simply jumped out of his reach.
From a distance, the author cackled like a maniac, as several shouts of ‘WHAT!’ echoed throughout the building.
.
As per his foolish bet with his fiancé, he had to deal with most of the wedding preparations himself. Yoo Jonghyuk the ever-caring lover, offered to null the bet, but of course, mindless and short-sighted Kim Dokja rejected the offer from his pride. His useless pride minds you!
The bet itself was stupid in the first place, why did he, a recently released patient with weak stamina and no muscle power, challenged the strongest man he knows.
‘Did he seriously think he could win? Where did Kim Dokja from a week ago get his confidence?’
He lamented about this as he was left at the mercy of two overly excited ladies who were more enthusiastic about his wedding that either him or Yoo Jonghyuk.
“Dokja-ssi, do you prefer to have the reception in the afternoon or evening?”
“I think an afternoon wedding is a classic, then we can have the reception in the evening?”
“But Sangah-ssi, a night wedding would be gorgeous, imagine reciting your vows at sunset and then dancing with your lover under the stars”
“Oh, you are right Seolhwa-ssi. Then should we have the reception immediately after the ceremony? What about the location, have you searched about it?”
Kim Dokja had not even had a chance to give his opinion, before the two ladies in charge of choosing and decorating his wedding venues continue to throw in their ideas. He was however amused at how invested the two career-women who have no interest in settling down themselves in the near future, regarding this matter.
He vaguely heard about large room, glass-roof, garden, and planetarium, then he got distracted by the meme that Han Sooyoung DMed him. The author had disappeared as soon as the help-Kim-Dokja-plan-his-wedding party was founded, claiming that it was too cheesy for her.
She was obviously still alive, if her constant message and posts on her social media were an indication, so they let her be for the time being.
“What do you think Dokja-ssi?” two pair of sparkling eyes looked at him with expectation, and Kim Dokja could feel cold sweat formed behind his neck.
“Umm, about which one is this?” he asked the duo nervously, silently cursing himself for being distracted.
Yoo Sangah smile flattened a little at his lack of attention but soon returned even brighter than before.
“We found this hotel with a banquet room that is connected to an open air terrace by the ocean. We planned to have the ceremony in the garden and the reception in the hall” she informed him in high-spirit.
“Also, this hotel is located at a cliff, it is in Jeju, but look at how gorgeous the view from this place” Lee Seolhwa added while turning her laptop so that Kim Dokja could also see the picture.
‘Wow! The view is indeed stunning’ he thought in amazement.
It was probably one of the most beautiful places he had seen and he soon found himself lost in thought. He imagined himself walking down the aisle, stretched along inside the glasshouse with his friends encouraging him from their seats. He thought of Yoo Jonghyuk, waiting at the altar with the golden sky and sea as his background, and visualized his handsome face smiling tenderly at him.
He must be daydreaming for quite some time as when he finally came back to his senses, he found the two beautiful women next to him smiling fondly at him, as if they knew what he was thinking about. He cleared his throat in embarrassment, before giving his opinion.
“I really like the location Seolhwa-ssi, Sangah-ssi. Thank you for helping me” he told them sincerely. Kim Dokja was grateful for their assistance, if he was by himself, he wouldn’t even know where to start.
“Fufufu, it was my pleasure Dokja-ssi,” Lee Seolhwa told him.
“I am thankful that I get to plan your special day Dokja-ssi,” Yoo Sangah also replied at the same time.
The warm and lovely atmosphere soon turned heated again as they got into a passionate discussion over which colour pallet they should choose for their theme.
“Dokja-ssi what is Jonghyuk-ssi favourite colour?” he heard Yoo Sangah asked him and he surrendered his fate to another long brainstorm. This was only the beginning…
.
Next in the list was the buffet and wedding cake. Selena Kim who co-own a restaurant with her boyfriend Mark offered to prepare the food for the buffet when she heard about his wedding from Jung Heewon. She promised him a medley of western and Korean cuisine and he almost bowed at her in appreciation. She was still as nice as ever.
That left only the cake for now and he already made a promise with Gilyoung, Yoosung and Jihye on Saturday for it. The trio had looked at him with starry eyes at the prospect of cake testing and he could not say no to them. Besides, they had been whining about wanting to take a part in the planning too, so this was like killing two birds with one stone.
High schoolers have a holiday on the weekend, but that was not the case for college students. He had interrogated Jihye when she claimed that she has no class this Saturday. In the end, she had to send her class schedule to him followed by an angry of ‘I told you that I am free!!’ before he believed her.
And that was how he found himself bakery hunting in the middle of Seoul city centre, with three kids surrounding him like ducklings.
“Hyung the shop over there has crazy good matcha parfait” Gilyoung tugged at his hand while pointing to the store he wanted to go.
“Noo! Let’s go here first, their strawberry shortcake is divine” Jihye steered him to a different direction. They both had completely forgotten the reason why they were here in the first place.
Kim Dokja who was stuck in the middle of the human tug-of-war, felt his head spun for a second, this kid’s strengths are no joke. Thankfully, Yoosung was also there with them to break the fight.
“Stop it you two! Looked at how pale you made ajhussi” she admonished both them.
He looked at Yoosung in awe, the little girl had grown so much in his absence. Not only her, both Gilyoung and Jihye immediately stopped their bickering and apologized for disturbing him without any protest, the three of them had matured a lot. Somehow Kim Dokja felt a bit sad that the missed the chance to watch them grow.
“Let’s go to the bakery that Hayoung-unnie recommended” the young girl took his now free hand and smiled at him before guiding him to the right direction.
“Shin Yoosung that is cheating! I also want to hold hyung’s hand!” Gilyoung shouted in protest as he jogged to catch up to them along with Jihye.
The bakery they arrived to had minimalistic décor. Most of the furniture was painted ebony or white woods colour. In the glass wall counter, an array of mouth-watering desserts was arranged according to their colour. Both Gilyoung and Jihye who had been wanting to eat some sweets were immediately tempted by the display.
He saw Yoosung huffed at the duo while muttering ‘how childish’ under her breath, but she looked like she wanted to join them. He mirthfully asked her,
“You don’t want to try any of the desserts? They looked so good though”
She looked at him as if asking for his permission, and he found himself laughing in amusement at the adorable look.
“Let’s ask for a platter, then you guys can choose whatever you want”
He told them, and the three of them looked at him with surprised eyes.
“Ar- are you sure ajhussi?” Lee Jihye asked him, and he was about to nod his head in confirmation but then she continued with “do you even have any money?”
Hearing the question Yoosung and Gilyoung had also turned to look at him warily.
Hey! That was rude! He did not know how either, as he remembered not having many coins left after Han Sooyoung used up all his saving for their final battle. But when he woke up, there was already a bank saving account under his name with a ridiculous sum of money inside. There was even a black card that came with it.
He answered the young adult’s question by brandishing said black card and soon their doubtful looks turned into one of amazement. Money is really a universal language.
“Order whatever you want kids,” if he had a pair of sunglasses, he would have put it on right now.
Surprisingly, the owner himself was the one who brought their dessert platter to the table. The owner was a good-looking male who looked a few years younger than him and other than the star-struck eyes he gave to Kim Dokja, he looked like a normal successful young entrepreneur. Before he could interrogate the man, the man himself had opened his mouth.
“Are you the real Kim Dokja? I am your huge fans” he exclaimed after placing down their tray on the table.
From the corner of his eyes he could see Gilyoung and even Yoosung glaring at the man, they looked ready to fight with the oblivious guy.
“Can - can I ask for your autograph?” the male said while thrusting a notebook and a pen towards his direction, completely unaware of the death stare thrown on his back.
Kim Dokja gestured for the duo to calm down, before leaving his signature on the cover of the notebook as indicated by the man. The man took back his notes carefully as if he were holding a priceless treasure.
“Hayoung told me that you are looking for a wedding cake. Do you have any preference Dokja-ssi?” his sudden switch to a formal tone surprised not only Kim Dokja but also the kids, they looked like they were hit on the head after being reminded of their original business.
“Eh, umm I’m not sure. What do you have here?” he inquired.
The owner explained that they could make the cake using any kind of sponge cake, and he could choose between whipped cream or buttercream as frosting. They also have a choice of modelling chocolate, fondant, or sugar décor to make the decoration. Then he pulled out an album with illustrations of previous wedding cakes.
“How many tiers of cake are you planning to have?” the youth asked as he clicked on his pen and opened his note.
Kim Dokja’s mind slowly processed the numerous information, meanwhile, the youth trio he brought along were already busy flipping the pages of the album.
This
“This cake matches our theme, right?” Lee Jihye said, she then turned towards the rest for approval. Gilyoung grumbled and said that he preferred the one, two pages before this more, but Yoosung agreed with the older girl.
“I also think it suits the blue and silver colour palette that Sangah-unnie told us,” she said while moving the album so that Kim Dokja could see it too.
The three-tiered cake was covered in midnight blue fondant decorated with silver dust, resembling a night sky, golden flowers were blooming on each of the tier’s corner. At the top of the cake, a figure of a couple can be seen dancing inside a crescent moon.
Kim Dokja had to admit that Jihye does have a good eye, the cake fit their starry sky theme well.
“We can increase the number of tiers and add more silver glitters, to make the night sky is brighter. You can also choose the picture of you and your partner for the chocolate model on top,” the owner suggested.
“What do you prefer for the cake base?” he continued his questioning.
They decided to have an alternating layer of vanilla and matcha sponge cake for the base, as decided by the trio. Kim Dokja did not mind, as he suspected that they would be the one eating most of the cake anyway. He also left the final design to the owner, wanting it to be surprised on the D-day.
Later, they got into a bill fight, as the professional pâtissier refused to take his money for both the desserts and the wedding cake, claiming that it was all in the house. Kim Dokja was however a stubborn man that knew how to appreciate someone’s hard work, so he refused to leave until he made a payment.
By the end of it, Kim Dokja walked home with pride as he had successfully paid for the wedding cake. He did not know, that Gilyoung, Yoosung and Jihye had all went home with newfound respect towards him.
.
Kim Dokja not for the first time and certainly not the for the last time, regretted his decision to not listen to Yoo Jonghyuk’s words. His partner had suggested doing the wedding fitting together, but he was swayed by Jang Hayoung tempting words of ‘don’t you want to be surprised by how good your husband will look on the wedding day?’ so he declined the offer.
In retrospect, he should have known that the pretty ex-transcendent was quite cunning, with how she could befriend beings with even the most difficult and questionable personalities out there. So, once again Kim Dokja had no one other than himself to blame for his situation.
Earlier in the day when he arrived at the entrance of the boutique Jang Hayoung owned, he was welcomed by enthusiastic Uriel who had given him a short but tight hug before she practically dragging him inside the store. In the store, Kim Dokja saw the owner herself was busy sorting an impressive array of designer clothes, ranging from suits to dresses on a large couch.
When she eventually noticed their presence inside, instead of greeting him Jang Hayoung eerily ordered her staff to ‘lock all the exit’. A red alarm had blared in his head and he belatedly thought of making a run out of the shop, only to realized that his arm was still held captive by the unbelievably strong archangel.
He tried giving his best pitiful look, at the two beautiful ladies that was showing a menacing smile at him, hoping that they would let him go out of whatever they planned for him. But alas, Uriel merely cooed about ‘how adorable’ he looked, before taking his phone and passing it to Jang Hayoung behind her. And there went Kim Dokja plan to call his lover for help.
‘Don’t worry, we will make sure you will be the prettiest bride on your wedding day’ Uriel had promised him as she ushered him towards the array of clothes set by the other girl before, ignoring his protest of ‘but I’m also the groom’.
And that was how he ended up inside one of the spacious dressing out trying out one of the white suits in the boutique repertoire.
“Come on Kim Dokja, we still have a lot of clothes to try~” encouraged Jang Hayoung from outside of the dressing room and he could also hear Uriel’s excited squeal of ‘I can’t wait to see it!’.
Kim Dokja fumbled with the button on the outer coat before he clumsily wore the dark grey tie that came with the suit. Then he went out of the room to show the look to the two expecting ladies.
“How do I look?” he asked them, he thought that the outfit matched him quite well.
Rather than giving him a comment or a compliment, instead, he saw Uriel threw a dirty look toward Jang Hayoung.
“I thought you are supposed to be good at coordinating clothes?” she complained to the ex-transcendent.
To which the other girl rebuked with,
“Hey, I’m not perfect! I could make a mistake too!”
Kim Dokja blinked his eyes in confusion at the conversation, not understanding why the two girls broke into a verbal argument in front of him. He was about to say something to stop the duo, but before he could say anything the idol had opened her mouth first.
“It’s my turn then!” she claimed.
“Here! Try this next Kim Dokja” she enthusiastically thrust her choice of attire at him.
… It was a long wedding dress.
Specifically, an elegant wedding gown that looked and felt very expensive. It was also something that definitely did not suit a brazen person like him.
Do not get him wrong, he had nothing against wearing a more feminine outfit, it just he was sure this sort of ensemble would not look good on his bony and gaunt figure. Instead, this kind of clothes would look much better on the angel herself.
Jang Hayoung threw a judgmental look at the archangel as she probably had the same figure of mind as him but to his dismay, she did nothing to stop the other girl. Kim Dokja then threw a desperate look at the designer, that went unnoticed by her.
“Wai- wait a moment please” he pleaded.
“I don’t think this would suit me, besides I can’t wear this on my own,” he said while eyeing the dress in his arms, the gown consisted of several layers which would be too much if he were to wear them on his own.
“You wouldn’t know until you try it! And don’t worry, we will help you~” Uriel cheerfully told him while pushing him back towards the dressing room.
“Jonghyuk-ssi would kill us if he knows about this, but what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him” the boutique owner mumbled to herself, before following the other two.
“Ehh! EHH!! WAIT!!! I take back my words! I can wear this on my own!” he protested loudly in surprise at their decision, but the two girls turned a deaf ear at his plea.
The white wedding dressed was just the first round out of the many rounds of dresses, robes and suits he tried on. Kim Dokja had given up on his struggle about an hour and a half ago and had agreed to wear whatever they gave.
He realized that there is no way to change the minds of the two ladies once they are set on something and that it would be better to save his energy to put on other clothes then trying to struggle away from their grasp.
“Hmm, this one looked the best out of all the other ones” Jang Hayoung nodded her head in appreciation as she turned Kim Dokja’s body around like a mannequin.
“Right!!! My fashion sense is good after all” Uriel boasted confidently.
The pale pink cherry-blossom patterned robe that the pop-idol chose was flowing gracefully down Kim Dokja’s body, highlighting his slim neck and waist and at the same time hiding his skinny figures, transforming him into an alluring beauty.
“But I think, I have a more fitting robe than this one. Wait I will bring it in” Jang Hayoung told them before scurrying out of the dressing space to fetch the clothes she had in mind.
The designer barely left for five minutes, when she came back with a snow-white robe in her arms. The pure white robe had snowflakes pattern cut on the translucent sleeves, a white chrysanthemum was sewn on the left side of the chest area. Kim Dokja agreed that this one looked better as a wedding outfit compared to the last one.
“Chrysanthemum is a symbol of loyalty and devoted love, that was why angels in Eden liked this flower ” informed Uriel next to him, with a melancholic tone.
“Come on! Let’s try this on, I hate to admit it, but I think Hayoung might be right about this,” then the bubbly voice retuned, and Kim Dokja found himself unable to say no to the request.
Deep inside he already knew that the reason why he let his friends fussed over him and enthusiastically prepared for his wedding was his cowardly way of forgiving himself. He had dragged them with him through the hellish scenario and then head left them to deal with the aftermath, while he blissfully slept for two years.
He was not able to spend time with them other than when they were fighting for their life together. So at least this time, he wished they could do something normal together, like any other group of friends living in an ordinary world where the apocalypse is no longer there.
Uriel excited cheer snapped him out of his stupor, Jang Hayoung was just done with tying the final ribbon on the front part of the robe and was currently turning his body to face the mirror.
As expected, the robe, which was similar in design as the last one, looked beautiful on him. The soft feather-like white robe glided down long enough to cover his feet, making him seemed to float in the air like a deity from folklore. He looked good in this outfit, the two ladies did an excellent job to find this outfit.
“A silver tiara on top would make this outfit perfect” Jang Hayoung mused and Uriel nodded her head in agreement. The designer then took his exact measurement to tailor the robes to his perfect fit.
Now that the venue, cake and outfit had been decided he was done with his part of the wedding preparation. Persephone offered to handle the flowers and this time he took up the offer because no one knows about flowers better than the Queen of Darkest Spring herself.
Jihye, who is doing graphic design in college agreed to take care of the invitation and Han Sooyoung and Jung Heewon were f̶o̶r̶c̶e̶d̶ roped into distributing them by Yoo Sangah. Now the only thing left was the wait for the planned date to arrive.
~⚜~ THE WEDDING ~⚜~
Kim Dokja did not think the day he would ever get married would come. Before the apocalypse, he did not even have a friend much more a lover, who is he going to get married with? Besides, he was too busy to feed himself every day, so a wedding just never crossed his mind.
After the apocalypse happened, he did not know if he would still be alive at the end of it. He used to think that it would be okay as long as he lived long enough to see the epilogue of the story, then even if he died, he would have no regret.
He was glad that he survived. He was glad that he woke up on that morning, albeit twenty-two years late. However, it still did not feel real to him that he and Yoo Jonghyuk, the reader and the protagonist, are going to get married in less than half an hour.
His make-up and style team, which was consisted of Lee Seolhwa, Jang Hayoung and his adopted mother were busy putting the final touches to his look.
Jang Hayoung was straightening the back of his crinkled robe, while Lee Seolhwa dusted off the translucent powder to seal of his make up before shaking a bottle of hair spray to secure his styled hair. Persephone then came and placed her carefully picked flower bouquet in his hand.
‘Purple hydrangea for mutual understanding, white heather for happiness to come and blue hibiscus for everlasting love’ was the blessing she gave him.
“My beautiful son… go get your happiness,” she told him, before placing a soft kiss on his forehead. Whenever he was with her, Kim Dokja was reminded of how warm a mother love could be.
Kim Dokja looked at his reflection in the mirror, they did more than a great job in dressing him up today. His sickly complexion had been transformed into a healthy lively colour, thanks to Lee Seolhwa concealing and toning skill. Combined with the flowy white robes that Jang Hayoung matched to his perfect fit and the star ornaments adorning his head, dare he says, that he looked stunning.
Satisfied with their works, the ladies excused themselves out to go to their seat first leaving him alone with only his mind as his company. It must only be several minutes long before a knock could be heard, but it was enough for Kim Dokja to overthink.
“Maknae-yah are you ready?” the figure opening the door asked him.
‘No’ Kim Dokja answered in his mind, but he nodded his head.
He felt his stomach ached, unfounded worries crawling in his heart.
‘What if when he arrived no one is there waiting for him in the altar’
‘What if this whole thing is nothing but a sick prank made up by his mind, and later he wakes up to an empty room and found out everything is just a dream’
‘What if-‘
A dull pain from his forehead snapped him out of his internal panic and he looked up to see the towering figure of the Great Sage in front of him. The monkey king was wearing a beige suit and his long platinum locks are neatly tied into a low ponytail.
The most surprising thing of all though, was how cleanly shaved he was. Kim Dokja never thought that there would come a day when the great sage equal to heaven looked very human.
The hand that barely stopped itself from messing up his carefully styled hair, moved to land a rather strong pat on his back.
“Stop getting lost in your thought dear junior” Sun Wukong admonished him strictly, but the look he gave him was kind.
“Don’t worry too much, if that Yoo Jonghyuk dares to treat you badly, then he shall face the great sage equal to heaven himself” the monkey king declared as a reassurance to Kim Dokja.
This brought a smile to Kim Dokja face, he should not be worried as there was no way he could conjure up the Great Sage Equal to Heaven as his wedding chaperone even in his wildest dream.
Seeing that the younger male was no longer as tense as before, the ex-constellation resumed his postponed task.
“Shall we go then; I will be walking beside you until you reach your destination,” promised the monkey king before he offered his right arm to Kim Dokja.
Kim Dokja took the offered arm and walked out of the room; he might have gripped the arm a bit too tightly from his remaining nerve, but the Great Sage said nothing.
The first thing he noticed when he entered the banquet hall was how adorable Yoosung and Gilyoung as the flower boy and girl were. They are a bit too tall now, but they still looked precious in their matching cream hanbok as they merrily scattered the flower prepared by Persephone on the red carpet. Kim Dokja heart felt much lighter seeing them there.
As he walked down the aisle, he noticed the expressions on his friends’ face. Yoo Sangah was already holding a tissue to wipe her tears, while next to her Han Sooyoung was busy blinking her misty eyes away and if it was any other occasion Kim Dokja would have laughed at her struggle, after all, she claimed that she would not a single tear throughout the ceremony.
Jung Heewon gave him an encouraging thumb up, while Lee Hyunsung a seat behind her had his hands full wiping both his eyes and nose. He saw Persephone giving him a proud smile, Lee Sookyung relieved smile were the last expression he saw before he reached the base of the altar.
Only two people were occupying the altar, one figure belonged to the elegant archangel wearing a white heavenly dress, her uniform when Eden was still there. Her usual carefree demeanour was replaced with a solemn smile and on her hand, a gold rod was present to give blessing to the soon to be married pair.
Then Kim Dokja eyes landed on the man standing on her left and his brain suddenly drew a blank, as his mind went into a short-circuit.
Yoo Jonghyuk looked handsome, would be the biggest understatement of the day that a fool could utter. Because such a simple word could never capture the magnitude of how -how unreal the man looked.
As planned, by the time Kim Dokja reached the altar the sun had sit so close to the ocean, dyeing the sky in dashing shades of pink and orange with a hint of violet. And Yoo Jonghyuk standing in the middle of the magnificent backdrop looked much more dazzling.
The tips of his styled dark hair glowed golden under the light and his golden eyes glittered like a crystal. The dark blue three-piece suit he wore was tailored so perfectly to fit his tall and defined stature made him look regal. His whole figure exalted a dignified aura befitting of his once status of the ‘supreme king’. And once upon a time, Kim Dokja would gladly serve under this majesty.
Suddenly, Kim Dokja felt small, he felt like he was too ordinary to stand next to this God’s masterpiece. He considered turning back and maybe postponed the wedding to somewhere far in the future maybe when his heart was more ready. But before he could do anything that he would regret later, the Great Sage had let go of his arm and gave him a gentle push towards the altar.
‘It’s time maknae-yah’ he heard him whispered.
And his mind might say no, but his heart said yes as before he realised, he had taken the hand Yoo Jonghyuk offered towards him and stood across him in the altar.
“A marriage is a promise for a lifetime. To always cherish and support your partner, in health and sickness. To love and care for your partner in happiness and sadness. It is a commitment to remain faithful in the test of time and unknown future. To be married means you are ready to become one in heart and soul,” Uriel began her speech.
“Before you declare your vows to heaven, I need to hear that it is indeed your intention to get married today.
Yoo Jonghyuk, do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to Kim Dokja in marriage? If so, answer ‘I do’” she continued and pointed her staff at Yoo Jonghyuk.
“I do” Kim Dokja heard Yoo Jonghyuk replied with certainty, his eyes that were fixed at Kim Dokja’s burned with the same sincerity.
At that moment, his brain and heart were finally at peace, there was nothing he should be worried about, there was no need to compare their worth when they love each other so much.
She nodded at the answer before moving her staff towards Kim Dokja and repeated the question,
“Kim Dokja, do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to Yoo Jonghyuk in marriage? If so, answer ‘I do’”
“I do” his hesitation from a moment ago was but a figment of memory now.
A cheerful beam slipped from the angel lips, but then she composed herself and continued with her duty.
“If any of you in this room have something to say on why they should not be together, now is your last chance to speak up,” Uriel said, as she surveyed the audience for a raised hand.
“No one? Then may I ask the grooms to declare their vow and exchange their rings”
They had discussed it before, that Kim Dokja would say his vow first then Yoo Jonghyuk after, as he was afraid that he would forget about his if he heard his lover’s first.
Kim Dokja steeled his nerves and opened his lips,
“From the beginning, there is only you
I used to think I know everything about you
But I realised I was foolish,
a few lines on a book cannot describe a person
I want to know more about you
So, if you let me, then I will spend the rest of my life
Learning the little things that made you, you
And make sure you are never alone again
I promise to always hold your hand,
So that you will never get lost on your own
You were my first love and you shall be my last one
My one and only life and death companion”
Kim Dokja was barely able to finish his words before his voice cracked, his hands that were putting a ring on Yoo Jonghyuk’s finger were trembling so hard that it was a sort of luck that he managed to get it in.
He saw Yoo Jonghyuk took a deep breath before saying his vow,
“You were an unknown variable in my monotone world
And yet you brighten up my day
Because of you, I remembered how to be happy
You make me feel alive again
You complete my life
And I am forever grateful for you
So, if you let me then I promise
To dedicate the rest of my life for your happiness
I will accompany you wherever you go
And I will protect you until I breathed my last
You were my first love and you shall be my last one
My one and only life and death companion”
‘Copycat’
He told the other man with a wet laugh, the tear that he had been holding back now ran freely on his cheek and he could barely see the other man’s face through his blurry vision. Much like his own, Yoo Jonghyuk’s hands shook as he successfully slipped the ring into Kim Dokja’s finger.
“With the audience as witness, I here- hereby declare that you are married," the angel stuttered as her voice quavered.
She took a deep breath to compose herself before she continued with her declarion.
"Now you may kiss your partner”
Kim Dokja felt a sturdy arm around his waist, pulling him closer to the warm body facing him. And he felt a calloused hand wiped gently at his eyes, temporarily clearing his vision.
Only then he could finally see the loving eyes that were looking at him with affection and tenderness.
When that handsome face bent down, Kim Dokja closed his eyes and met him halfway. Their lips slotted together perfectly, like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle made for each other.
Their kiss tasted salty, but he could not imagine a better one at the moment, not when Yoo Jonghyuk held him inside his embrace that felt like home too him.
The separated for air for a second, but then he let Yoo Jonghyuk stole as many more kisses as he wanted from his lips, not minding the cheer and jeer from their friends below.
When they finally parted, only then Kim Dokja remembered about the bouquet in his hand. Somehow, the flowers had survived from being crushed between their embrace.
As per tradition he threw the bouquet towards the crowd and watched them trying to catch it, not one person below cared of the implication behind it as he saw even Abyssal Black Flame Dragon shoved Han Sooyoung to try to grab it. In the end, Selena Kim was the one that successfully took the bouquet and the crowd clapped at her.
Kim Dokja laughed quietly at the spectacle, his heart felt light like a feather as he looked at his friends with fondness. He then linked their fingers together, before turning to face his husband.
“Jonghyuk-ah”
“Mmm”
“You cannot refund me now”
“And I don’t want to”
“You will be stuck with me for a long time”
“Good, that is the plan”
“Jonghyuk-ah, let’s live a long life together”
“I would want nothing more than that”
.
.
.
[Then the two lovers share a smile
Their eyes twinkle like the stars
As if telling an unspoken ‘I love you’
Only reserved for the other
Unbeknown to anyone
A message that could no longer be heard
Entered a system that no longer exists
It goes like this…
[Kim Dokja, has reached his ▪️▪️!]
[Kim Dokja’s ▪️▪️ is ‘happily ever after’!]
-FIN-