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A dreamer never really sleeps, and his companions decide it’s a problem that needs addressing.
Naturally, they cornered him on a weekend morning with his mind too sluggish to weasel himself out of the situation. Calling it an intervention sounds generous when multiple threats were exchanged, but Kim Dokja supposes that no mornings are complete without at least one threat of bodily harm in this house.
Playing mediator should be a role left for people like Yoo Sangah, maybe even Lee Seolhwa had she been available, but when the situation involves him, or rather, revolves around him, a hundred percent of the time his companions are too clouded with worry to keep their wits.
A compromise it is, then.
But even after knowing Kim Dokja and his unorthodox ways to solve a problem, it seems the man still found new ways to surprise them.
“It’s a dumpling.”
“No, it’s Dokja-hyung!”
“Ahjussi is a very cute dumpling.”
The solution he came up with is to depart his soul from the body.
Faced with Lee Gilyoung’s vehement rebuttal and Shin Yoosoung’s dazed mutter, Yoo Mia can only stare at the glowing round orb nestled on top of a small pillow placed beside the body of a slumbering man.
Sleeping, as he should be.
Han Sooyoung snorts from where she’s standing by the doorway, but nobody pays her any mind as their attention is currently on the unusual sight resting on the bed.
When Kim Dokja told them about his plan, they were skeptical at first. But like all things relating to that man, unexpected things seem to work out in the oddest ways.
“His complexion is looking better.”
Lee Seolhwa’s verdict seems to be the cue for everyone to breathe a sigh of relief, but even with a certified doctor’s diagnosis, their eyes still seem to wander over the man’s face, finally getting a clear look without a censor to block prying eyes over the man’s beautiful visage.
And true to the healer’s words, Kim Dokja looks well-rested, and as peaceful as a soulless body could be, considering his soul is literally right there by his side in the form of a glowing dumpling.
They don’t question why or how the body continues to breathe even without a spirit inhabiting it.
“Good.”
Warily, Jung Heewon grumbles from where she’s leaning against the wall. It was the best they could ask for, and although the situation sounds dangerous, with Kim Dokja’s soul sitting unprotected and out in the open, they can’t deny that it’s working.
“Still... it’s a bit...”
At Yoo Sangah’s wry smile, they all agree even if her sentence stays unfinished.
They all noticed, of course, when Kim Dokja started having trouble sleeping. And it’s not that he’s getting nightmares, or that his habits keep him up all night.
With combined efforts, they all worked to curb his habit of staying up reading, and as much as they wish to allow him time to continue doing what he loves most, forgoing sleep in order to read is out of the question.
So the problem lied with his dreaming, which wouldn’t be worrying if not for this ominous feeling that if they let the reader dream for too long, the fragile thread keeping him in this world may just snap one day.
However, removing his soul from the body so his physical form can get a good night’s rest had been the last thing on everyone’s mind when Kim Dokja first proposed this idea.
But, well, they wouldn’t be Kim Dokja’s Company if they doubted him even for a bit despite his unconventional means of getting things done.
“Well, at least it’s working!”
Han Sooyoung claps her hands together, snapping everyone out of their dazed state as Lee Jihye nods along with her, continuously snapping pictures of the scene using her phone.
“Ahjussi is finally sleeping! Problem solved.”
“That’s not the problem.”
Yoo Joonghyuk mumbles, brows furrowed.
It’s not harmful, yes, but the situation is still dangerous.
Right now Kim Dokja’s in the most vulnerable state the guarded man could possibly be in. With his soul out and his body asleep, there’s no way he can protect himself like this.
But Han Sooyoung waves him off, unconcerned.
“He’ll be fine. What are we here for?”
Jung Heewon huffs, while Lee Hyunsung puffs his chest with a determined frown on his face, but Yoo Joonghyuk still doesn’t look convinced.
Any other day and he would’ve been relieved to know that Kim Dokja felt comfortable enough to trust them to keep his soul safe while he slept, but considering his reckless actions during the apocalypse, this could just be another thoughtless decision for him.
Yoo Joonghyuk continues to grumble, but everyone’s too entranced by the cute little blob to care about his griping.
Eventually, Lee Jihye decides that she’s amassed enough pictures and breaks everyone out of their trance with a curious lilt in her tone.
“Should we wake him?”
Yoo Sangah glances at the clock, thoughtful. Seeing that it’s in the late hours of the morning, she replies with an affirmative.
Shin Yoosoung, taking the chance while Lee Gilyoung is distracted, raises a hand to poke the sleeping orb with a half-hearted mutter on her lips.
“Ahjussi, it’s time to wake up.”
Her finger sinks in what she assumes is her sponsor’s cheek in dumpling form.
Lee Jihye begins gushing, and the rest watch in quiet awe.
The dumpling doesn’t react, and while it makes no sound, the air around it seems to ripple in effect as the little thing quivers in response, and Shin Yoosoung gets the vague sense that the soul is grumbling from the unexpected disturbance.
It’s cute, unbearably so, and the others seem to agree if the cooing sounds are any indication. Shin Yoosoung flusters when Lee Jihye tries to get her to do it again.
In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to keep poking the squishy dumpling, so she settles for gently caressing it as she coaxes it to wake up.
“Ahjussi, it’s late.”
”Hyung, please wake up.”
“This is ridiculous.”
As her friends continue to whisper, Yoo Mia huffs with an eyeroll, but her eyes never leave the slumbering blob, far too engrossed to the situation to actually leave.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyunsung remains confused but encouraging, lost on how they ended up with a dumpling when they just wanted to see how Dokja-ssi was doing, but it looks like there’s nothing to worry about judging by how the troubled creases on Heewon-ssi’s brow seem to disappear as her face morphs into a bemused expression.
After a while, the children’s effort finally starts paying off.
The dumpling slumps, and the whispering slowly comes to a halt.
Everyone, including Yoo Joonghyuk who had been preparing to leave, watches with bated breath as the little blob opens its tiny mouth into a yawn, its small form stretching accordingly to the action.
And although they are unable to see its face, the round thing seems to stare at them with an unspoken question, and even if it doesn’t make sense somehow everyone knows that the small lump of light is looking at them with a tilted head, sleepily wondering what they woke it up for.
From the back, Lee Hyunsung is clutching his hand on the part of his shirt where his heart is supposed to be, face scrunched up with a near-constipated look on his face in an effort to not scream or do anything undignified.
Lee Jihye has no such qualms and mouths ‘so cute’ under her breath as she starts snapping pictures, while Yoo Sangah hides a smile with a hand up her mouth. Lee Seolhwa giggles at the scene, amused by how the action rendered everyone speechless.
Shin Yoosoung, remembering their main objective, snaps out of her trance and splutters shyly.
“Uhm, it’s late, ahjussi…”
“Ahjussi needs to wake up before orabeoni’s food gets cold.”
Yoo Mia chimes in when the flustered girl turns to her helplessly, crossing her arms as the spirit perks in attention.
Seeming to understand the situation, the dumpling hops off the pillow and starts… stretching.
‘What the fuck,’ Han Sooyoung soundlessly gapes with the others looking dumbfounded at the scene, spellbound as it starts bobbing up and down on the bed.
And just when they thought they’ve seen everything, the little thing begins to hop towards Kim Dokja’s body, waddling towards his chest area.
Jung Heewon starts muttering expletives under her breath, questioning.
‘It’s a dumpling what the fuck why is it so cute—?!’
Han Sooyoung agrees with the vulgar whispers, equally mesmerized when the dumpling settles itself right above the sleeping man’s chest.
The room begins to coo when the spirit starts to nestle on the spot, trying to get comfortable on its perch.
When the body begins to absorb the soul, seen with how the dumpling slowly begins to sink, Yoo Sangah starts ushering the kids out of the room.
The others follow her lead when the sleeping man’s eyes begin to flutter, while Lee Jihye has to be dragged away as she laments over how the ‘little man’ left too soon, sad over the little soul’s quick departure.
By the time Kim Dokja opens his eyes, he is alone.
They don’t tell him about the interaction.
For whatever reason, Kim Dokja is unaware of the brief exchange they had with his spirit. It might be due to its drowsy state, or maybe it’s because he’s disoriented, but nobody tells him.
When Kim Dokja asks, he gets giggles for a response. Most times, his companions share secretive smiles, unwilling to disclose whatever it is that is making them all laugh.
Eventually, he gives up prying and just lets them enjoy their secret source of entertainment, busying himself with stuffing food into his mouth.
Much to the company’s delight, it becomes their own little secret, an inside joke only they are privy to.
Huffing, Yoo Joonghyuk continues to feed Kim Dokja, successfully diverting his attention from their snickering companions.
The sight of the man filling his mouth with dumplings inevitably causes the former regressor to quirk up an amused smile, and the action works as a trigger for the entire house to burst into a fit of laughter.
Kim Dokja gapes at his companions, almost choking at the little smile on Yoo Joonghyuk’s face.
He asks Han Sooyoung for context, only to receive a breathless wheeze for his efforts.
Reluctantly, he drops the subject and continues to chew.
They also don’t tell him this.
They don’t tell him how pure his soul looks, oddly fitting for a man like him. Small, cute, and innocent in its own way. A curious little thing, perking up whenever a companion gets close, almost excited at the attention.
They don’t tell him about how the small blob would lean towards their touch, or how it would be purring if it could make a sound. Touch-starved, craving, and hungry for love they are all happy to provide.
They don’t tell him about the thrumming sound the ball seems to emit, a happy ripple in the air as it snuggles to the nearest thing that can provide it warmth.
They also don’t tell him about how the kids start sneaking into his bed, how Shin Sooyoung and Lee Gilyoung begin conversing with the tiny ball of light, or how Yoo Mia sometimes joins them, keeping her distance but periodically staring at the dumpling whenever she sees it react.
He doesn’t know that Lee Jihye likes to peek into his room every time she goes out at night to use the bathroom, or how Yoo Sangah would sometimes sit by his bedside to look at the stars out the window, petting the silent spirit every now and then.
He has no idea that Lee Hyunsung likes to make sure he’s always tucked in, both his physical body and the spirit. He doesn’t know about how Jung Heewon likes to linger in his doorway at night, calmed by the bright glow in the room, or that Han Sooyoung would sometimes pet the little thing with a fond look in her eyes, content to watch it shiver, pleased with her touch.
They don’t tell him how Yoo Joonghyuk likes to take the dumpling out and let it sleep on top of a small, folded handkerchief placed on the nearest surface as he prepares breakfast, keeping the slumbering soul in his line of sight while busy and only returning it on the bed when he goes to wake its owner up, or how Lee Seolhwa would gently caress its head and press a small kiss before she leaves for work.
Nobody tells him these things, so Kim Dokja can only wonder where the sudden warmth that floods his chest came from.
When he goes to ask, heart full and feeling loved, Kim Dokja’s brows quirk up in a questioning manner when he sees his companions looking worse for wear, the kids looking happy but tired while the others look exhausted despite the pleased expressions on their faces.
“Uh, is everyone here also having trouble sleeping?”
The grumpier ones groan in response, while the rest answered with a drowsy negative, their sleepy dispositions and sluggish response making Kim Dokja stare at them disbelieving, but still nobody deigns him with an honest answer.
In the end, he drops the subject.
And for the days that followed thereafter, Kim Dokja remains oblivious to how everyone lost sleep over his method of achieving a peaceful slumber.