Chapter Text
The light of my phone illuminated my face, I didn’t notice when night came, and I didn't bother going to the light switch and flip it.
[The constellation, ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ urges you to go to sleep!]
[The constellation, ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is bored.]
[The constellation, ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is yawning.]
[The constellation, ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ asks that you put your phone further away from your face so you won’t go blind!]
[The constellation, ‘Secretive Plotter’ is concerned for your health.]
There’s no need to do it when the notifications from the constellations lit up the place every once in a while.
[The constellation, ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ remembers that you would end up with glasses because of that.]
[The constellation, ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is deep in thought.]
I continued to ignore the constellations in favor of reading TWSA once more, I had to think about the upcoming scenario and I didn't feel confident enough on the plan. There were too many holes, too many places for a slip up, for human failure that couldn’t be patched by any crazy stunt he could pull — or as his company kept saying, “suicidal plans”.
I had to come up with something more, even after throwing ideas with Han Sooyoung for hours it still wasn’t enough, not for someone like me who couldn’t try again.
I sighed, this was the fourth time I read the 825th regression, trying to squeeze more information out of the lines, the words, and the spaces in between the letters. I was thinking of reading the whole web novel all over again, searching for information in other regressions where it was only mentioned in passing or where Yoo Joonghyuk tried and failed.
Before I could begin my TWSA marathon the door to my room opened, blinding me with the light of the hallway before it closed. It disoriented me for a moment before I focused and the black coat that was standing on my door.
“Yoo Joonghyuk.”
The handsome bastard who still wasn’t asleep didn’t answer, instead, he walked up to me. Was he going to kill me? Or knock me out? He probably wanted everyone in their best conditions for the scenario, he won’t take someone who was slow because of lack of sleep.
It was still very inconsiderate on his part, I was planning the scenario and a couple of hours less of sleep wasn’t going to stop me. It didn’t affect my work at Minosoft and it isn't affecting me now.
Before I noticed it he grabbed my phone.
On instinct I tried getting it back but he was the protagonist, infuriatingly stronger, faster and taller than me, so simply held it out of reach. “What are you doing sunfish?!”
“Go to sleep.”
Couldn’t he see I was making plans for the scenario? I always do this before one starts, I’m not wasting time. “I’m doing some preparations.”
He frowned, “Doesn’t matter, go to sleep.”
I gaped, the audacity of this goddamn stubborn regressor.
I sighed, “Let me finish the last preparations then I’ll—”
“No.”
‘This stubborn bastard—!’
“I just—!”
“No.”
To top it all off he sighed then added. “Biyoo, turn off the channel.”
My cute daughter appeared and deactivated the channel for the night, which didn’t bother me as much but their messages were sometimes a good distraction, and even better, a nightlight for when he wanted to write some ideas down (in a way that wouldn’t be understood by the other constellations) or when he wanted to see the room when he moved around in an attempt to find a new idea.
Even then, the fact that she put his demands over own father baffled me.
I attempted to reason again with this unyielding sunfish while I tried to get my phone back to no avail. We spent some minutes like that before he simply sighed, like he was dealing with a child, and stuffed my phone in his coat’s pocket.
“Enough.” He glared, leaving no room for a compromise.
I gaped at him, this stubbornly handsome bastard wasn’t seeing reason. I tried to grab my phone from his pockets before he restrained my movements by grabbing me.
“Let—! Go—!” I trashed around in an attempt at making him drop me out of annoyance, instead he grabbed me with more strength, trying to crush me.
[The exclusive skill, ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking!]
If I didn’t know better I would think this was a hug.
He dragged me to the bed and—
????
He laid us both down in it?!??
?????????
[The exclusive skill, ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking intensely!]
What method of torture or murder is this??
I was so shocked I couldn’t even talk or scream in frustration and just…laid there with him.
[The exclusive skill, ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking intensely!]
Which didn’t make sense for him to do, maybe he did this once in TWSA and I forgot or something —.
“Kim Dokja.”
I refocused on the protagonist who caused him to spiral for a couple of seconds.
“Stop thinking.”
I simply stared at him, confused and annoyed, but I simply stayed there, waiting for him to finally lose the last of his patience and leave so that I could continue reading and planning.
I tried turning around to no avail, the bastard was still holding me with a tight grip, which got even tighter after I tried moving, making it so that I was smothered by the rather surprisingly comfy chest of the protagonist.
[The exclusive skill, ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking intensely!]
[The exclusive skill, ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking intensely!]
Trying to ignore the position we were in I tried to take my phone sneakily but the sunfish decided to take off his coat and his shoes for good measure, I guess.
“Sleep Kim Dokja.”
I could only huff in frustration, really, this sunfish bastard was causing him more problems than he could deal with without a warning.
“I was going to—.”
“You weren’t, you need to sleep too.” He held me tighter —I didn’t know that was possible— and let himself relax to the point that he closed his eyes.
[The exclusive skill, ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking intensely!]
I couldn’t relax yet, but I could let him believe that I actually did just so he could leave once he believed that I was out. Whatever make it better for him while he kept going,
One…two…four…eight plans to make sure—
“Kim Doka.”
I snapped my head to him, focusing back on him like it was in his nature.
He looked at me for a couple of seconds with an intense gaze before his eyes softened and he sighed, “Just sleep.”
I glared for a moment, he shouldn’t order me around for something that benefited him.
“Hypocritical coming from you, you’re also her—”
????!!!??!
I could barely breathe, he had grabbed the back of my head and held me closer to stop me from arguing all over again with him. Which…rude.
“Mmfhs!” That didn’t mean I couldn’t try, it was just…not really words, and not really arguing.
「 Ki m Do kja is st up id . 」
No I’m not. This sunfish protagonist is just a damn bastard who clearly didn’t understand what was necessary.
Still, I felt myself relax onto his hold with time, he also relaxed his hold of me letting me breathe more freely. Even then, I didn’t argue back or try to get my phone back or make more plans.
I just…stayed there.
…
It didn’t take long for my eyelids to get heavy and my limbs to start to go lax, even then, in the horizon between awake and asleep where he was conscious enough to feel everything that was touching him in the moment, he still could feel the warmth of Yoo Joonghyuk, embracing him, and still not leaving.
Weird.
He should have left after verifying he was finally sleeping.
[Due to excessive immersion, the influence of the Fourth Wall has temporarily weakened.]
He felt comfortable, warm and…protected.
Yeah, protected…
…
Yoo Joonghyuk finally felt the fool fall asleep, after so long trying to stay awake and do another of his plans that he was sure would end up in another sacrificial act from him.
He had the idea to make sure Kim Dokja would fall asleep before returning to his room, but he was sure that the second he left the slippery squid of his companion would somehow wake up and go back to looking at his phone till sunrise.
It was better to stay to make sure the fool didn’t have more time to make more suicidal plans.
It was the only reason he grabbed the blanket and laid it on top of them.
It was the only reason.
And with how slippery the squid was, he had to continue holding him close, to make sure he didn’t leave to do anything stupid.
It was just for that.
It was just for that, the warmth and softness of his hair and the small waist that he had grabbed with one hand, which made him really he could encase it if he were to grab it with both hands—
Right, it was just to make sure he wouldn’t leave again.
Just for that.