Chapter Text
The first snowfall of the year is always the most dangerous one.
Kim Dokja knew that. Yet it came as a surprise when, on that first snowfall, a car skidded from the side of the road and hit him.
He had seen it, from the corner of his periphery, sliding uncontrollably towards him. A scream had caught midway in the back of his throat just before the car slammed into him.
The world blacked out for a moment.
When he returned, the car was gone and he was alone in the middle of the snow dusted street.
He could have believed, fooled himself into believing, if only for a moment, that nothing was wrong. But the snow around him turned into red. It bloomed out like a red flower around him, consuming the white of the snow into scarlet.
And the pain. He couldn't ignore the pain. Not any longer. It ripped through his body, an inescapable surge of raw agony.
Help. Help me. He wanted to cry out. Everything hurt. The pavement beneath his back tore into his skin. Every breath he took felt punctured, dragged out from his chest like a ragged cry.
Help. His lips moved, between gasps. Help. But his voice failed, and he was alone.
There was only the snow and him.
Is this... how I die?
Even... even if I never achieved anything great, surely this can't be the end. I still, I still haven't seen his ending yet.
His fingers twitched towards his phone screen.
I didn't... please. Please. If anyone, if anyone out there can hear me. Help me.
A brilliant blue screen blinked into existence in front of him. Kim Dokja's breath caught. A hallucination? It looked like a game interface, suspended in the air eerily by nothing.
[Do you want a second chance?]
[Yes] [No]
A second chance? Kim Dokja gasped as his phone slipped from his fingers onto the pavement. His eyes trailed down to the cracked screen of his phone, only slightly visible from where it had fallen away from him.
The game Kaizenix Magic Academy flickered faintly on the screen. As Kim Dokja watched, an image of Yoo Joonghyuk flashed across; face illuminated by the soft glow of candlelight as he stared up at the night sky. A small bubble appeared in the corner [Continue?].
Yoo Joonghyuk's face softened as he ran his fingers over the face of a silver pocket watch. Kim Dokja's heart ached.
I want to see the ending.
Reaching a shaking hand forwards he pressed his finger against [Yes].
On November 24th, Kim Dokja died.
In another far off universe, Kim Dokja woke up.
Light. Brilliant, bright light filled Kim Dokja’s eyes. Falling backwards, he tried to cover his eyes from the brilliance surrounding him. A claw stabs his eyebrow. Yelping, he glanced down at his hand--or rather where his hand should be, replaced by a snowy white paw.
What the heck?
A bright blue window flickered into existence front of him. He flinched backwards. The same window as the one before the car crash.
[Congratulations on your second chance! Welcome to universe system B1-7623!]
[We hope you enjoy your stay! No refunds, take backs or returns allowed. Further information will be revealed as incarnation progresses.]
Second chance? Does this look like home to you? The shiny message ignored him, throwing a fist full of shiny digital confetti at his face before promptly blinking out of existence.
Seriously?
Spluttering, Kim Dokja tried to shake off the bits of confetti that had landed on him only to find that they had disappeared just like the window. Bewildered, he glanced around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. The brilliant glow had faded away and what was left was a glowing circle of runes drawn onto the floor spreading out around him. They glittered a striking shade of blue, the same shade as the status window Dokja noted, spiralling in an intricate array of lines.
Transfixed, he peered closer at one of the runes near his feet. It resembled a tiny pocket watch, hands pointing towards 11.
A small gasp jolted Kim Dokja away from the runes and suddenly, he was very aware of the dozens of eyes trained down at him. The people around him were dressed in dark green uniforms; a crisp white collared shirt with a dark green blazer on top with gold trim. Shiny gold buttons glittered along their lapels and a shiny bright red badge emblazoned with an insignia glittered over their hearts. On a regular day, Kim Dokja would have been awed by the prestige and elegance the uniform screamed but the glory of their closet was overshadowed by how all of them were giants.
Giants. They towered above him, so huge he barely managed to reach their knees. And worse, their eyes seemed to be watching him with ill-concealed jealousy and hunger.
Please don't tell me I'm about to get eaten by man-eating giants. Kim Dokja thought fearfully as he glanced around in desperation to find an exit. The classroom was just as huge and luxurious as its occupants. Great arched windows to the right wall (all closed), dark mahogany desks pushed haphazardly to the sides of the room, a great golden atlas on the teacher's desk to the back and a engraved door closed firmly to the back.
Shit. I really don't want to get eaten alive.
Luckily, they appeared to be quite young. Around 13 or 14 from the looks of it. Maybe they hadn't quite yet developed a taste for human yet?
A boy to his right, just outside the circle, licked his lips. Nope! They definitely have!
"Familiar." A voice called from behind him. Kim Dokja whipped around. Before him, a young lad kneeled closer than the rest, the only one in the circle. Blood dripped from his thumb.
Kim Dokja’s jaw dropped and all fears of man-eating giants left as his eyes landed on the boy's face.
Dark, obsidian black hair falling into sharp, glittering eyes. Long eyelashes that seemed to brush impossibly high cheekbones. Carefully sculpted features still softened by youth. Luminous skin, full lips, a defined jawline. The kind of face a master sculptor spent all his days making and even the constellations failed to look away from. Instinctively, Dokja could tell that with his looks alone he would shape up to be a heartbreaker, if he wasn't one already.
And there was also strange, hazy familiarity to his face--like he’d seen it somewhere before. A long time ago perhaps--but surely he'd remember someone so gorgeous.
In a daze, he instinctively leaned into the outstretched hands. A scarred hand scooped him up by the back of his neck into the air. Kim Dokja wheezed. Batting desperately at the hands choking him, he let out a strangled cry as he stared down in horror once more at his paws. Paws. Glancing backwards, several bushy white tails, his tails, shake back at him.
There’s no way, there’s no way. Kim Dokja thought frantically, scrabbling for purchase. I got turned into a weird animal because of a cult and now I’m going to get choked to death.
Seemingly aware of Kim Dokja’s distress, the young lad let out a huff of exasperation before moving to cradle him in his arms. A firm hand pressed comfortingly on the top of his head, as he moved to the back of the classroom.
Letting out a deep exhale of relief, Kim Dokja tried to gather his bearings. This space, the classroom and this new stranger were strangely familiar. Peeking out from under the handsome strangers hand, he managed to catch the envious stares thrown his way in time before the (presumably) instructor called for attention. It was a strange being, a floating figure covered in downy white fur, two golden horns peeking above its head. It looked like a strange mix between fairy, an angel and a devil.
A Dokkaebi, his mind supplied. It was... a Dokkaebi. A growing sense of unease began to crawl under Dokja’s skin. He knew this place.
“Min Jiwon,” the dokkaebi called.
He knew that name. The words felt like ants creeping under his skin.
The girl, Min Jiwon, flounced towards the circle of runes. She smirked at the class, confidently throwing her hair over her shoulder as she made eyes towards Kim Dokja’s new owner(?) only for the long ends to flip around and smack herself on the mouth. Kim Dokja choked. She looked like her too. The unease churning in his gut grew into a dawning sense of doom. There’s no way. It’s not possible.
Pulling her hair out of her mouth with a frustrated huff, Min Jiwon cut her thumb with a dainty engraved knife. The blood pooled in a single bead at the tip. The runes around her feet glowed brightly as if sensing the blood above. The puzzle pieces slowly clicked themselves into place. Kim Dokja could only onlook as the runes glowed brighter, eyes pinned to the drop of blood.
It's going to be a chihuahua. Please don't let it be a chihuahua.
Min Jiwon smacked her hand down in the center with an enthusiastic cheer. A small bang and a small flash of light later revealed a very ugly baby chihuahua in the center. The tiny nose wrinkled in disgust as it eyed the students with a look of such disdain Dokja didn't think it was possible for a dog to make.
Fuck. Dokja thought as it let out a chorus of very loud, decidedly not elegant yaps. It really is as ugly as it was in the game. Maybe even more so as a baby.
As Min Jiwon shrieks in the background, wildly shaking her head in disbelief as she points to the dog's bulging eyes in horror, Kim Dokja feels the reality of his situation sink in. The people here aren't giants. The reason why everything is huge... is because he's the one who shrank.
“My familiar is not a chihuahua.” Min Jiwon screams. Her eyes bulge out like the chihuahuas comically. Familiar. Hadn't he just been called that?
He remembers what they had been in the game. Familiars are soulbound animals, a literal manifestation of a person's inner self and strength and a crucial part of a practitioner of magic. Two sides of the same coin.
Ah. So that's why the boy holding him looked familiar. He might be younger now, but he looked undeniably similar to his older counterpart. Perhaps it was his lack of a familiar in game that had thrown him off as well. Nonetheless, he knows where he’s been reincarnated now. Where he is.
Of all the places to be reincarnated, it had to have Kaizenix Magic Academy didn’t it?
Kaizenix Magic Academy had been Kim Dokja's favourite game. The last one he had played before the crash in fact. It was a popular dating simulator game where player followed the protagonist Yoo Sangah; a commoner who had been brought into Kaizenix Magic Academy due to her awakening as a mage. Kaizenix was full of the talents of the next generation, and almost entirely populated by the children of nobles and other influential figures from around the continent. Known for its stunning graphics and immersive gameplay, it had quickly gained a steady fan base. The complex web of choices and different endings available as well as its vast variety of diverse and interesting characters and the huge range of customizations had made it into a bestseller.
Among the cast of romanceable characters, a few had stood head and feet above the others in terms of popularity.
Shivering slightly, Kim Dokja craned his head upwards to glance at his summoner, beloved love interest, and cold Duke of the North-esque character; Yoo Joonghyuk.
Yoo Joonghyuk had been a fan favourite. He was been among the twelve romanceable characters and despite his personality leaving… much to be desired, he had been extremely popular due to the sheer virtue of his face.
He is kinda hot, Kim Dokja agreed petulantly as he inspected Yoo Joonghyuk’s seemingly poreless skin. How does his skin even breath? Was poreless skin normal? Or was it simply a benefit of being a male lead?
But while Yoo Joonghyuk was drop dead gorgeous, but he was also notoriously known for having the most difficult route. It was ridiculously easy for his affection ratings to drop down to 0 and for him or the main character to die. His difficulty had garnered him the title of "sunfish". Which, while annoying in the game, had not bothered Kim Dokja much. He could always try again. And again. But here, it wasn't a game.
He had one chance. One chance to finally see Yoo Joonghyuk's true ending. Failure wasn't an option.
So much for a 'second chance'.
But even so...
Yoo Joonghyuk stared down at him, dark eyes gleaming. He ran a hand through the top of Dokja’s head gently.
Away from the clatter of the class, Yoo Joonghyuk seemed somehow softer, the sharp lines of silhouette less cutting beneath the shade of the birches overhead. His still boyish features seemed younger and less sharp. The calm of the courtyard suited him.
Besides the incident caused by Min Jiwon--the self proclaimed King of Beauty--the rest of the summonings had gone smoothly, and the class had been dismissed within a half hour.
Yoo Joonghyuk had made his exit quickly in long strides, ignoring the other students that had swarmed towards him. Kim Dokja had caught a glimpse of himself in one of the full length mirrors that covered the walls sporadically, and made out fleetingly the figure of a small, snowy white baby fox nestled in Yoo Joonghyuk’s arms.
A cute baby fox for sure, but still, a baby fox.
Why a fox? Kim Dokja bemoaned his fate as Yoo Joonghyuk moved on to tentatively scratching the back of his ears. Shouldn’t Yoo Joonghyuk have a cooler familiar? Like a wolf or a dragon? But no. Fate wasn’t that nice. Instead he was a fox.
Lost in thought, Kim Dokja stared in bewilderment at his paws as Yoo Joonghyuk put him down on the bench beside him.
He tried to look behind again to count how many tails he has--and promptly fell off the bench.
“Familiar.” Joonghyuk called, voice tinged in amusement.
Of course his voice sounds good too, Kim Dokja thought pettily as he tried to sit up properly to maintain whatever little dignity he has left.
Yoo Joonghyuk watched him carefully, eyes scrutinizing his appearance as he extended a hand towards Kim Dokja. “I am Yoo Joonghyuk. I am your bonded.”
Instinctively, Kim Dokja put a paw on the outstretched hand. The corners of Yoo Joonghyuk’s mouth quirked up.
“We are life and death companions.”
But despite his difficulty, Kim Dokja had loved Yoo Joonghyuk. There had been something inexplicable, beyond his face that had drawn him to his character. Like a moth to a flame, Kim Dokja had been transfixed, mesmerized by his existence, resolutely trying to reach his perfect ending.
Without knowing the ending, without knowing all the variables and possibilities, would it even be possible?
I want to see the ending.
I want him to be happy.
His heart whispered, ignoring the questions, the uncertainty.
Yoo Joonghyuk was here. And Kim Dokja had always been weak to Yoo Joonghyuk.
"--stay with me--"
"--you can't leave--"
"--DOKJA--"