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It was not Kim Dokja's day.
First he woke up to his tent leaking, then Shin Yoosung got sick with an odd status ailment. He had split the group into two teams, one to stay back with Shin Yoosung and train, one to go with him to get an ingredient to cure the illness.
His team consisted of himself, Yoo Joonghyuk, and Jung Heewon. The monster they needed to hunt liked to move in packs and were tough to kill, so he had to bring the heavy hitters.
Finding the monster's tracks was simple enough, the rain overnight having turned the dirt to mud, preserving their tracks. The problem was that, when they found their den, Kim Dokja realized that it was mating season for the monsters, so they were even more aggressive than usual.
"Damn it!" Jung Heewon yelled in frustration, cutting yet another one of the monsters in half. Blood sprayed over the ground, some splashing onto her clothes. She glanced over to where Kim Dokja was facing off against two of the monsters, then over to Yoo Joonghyuk, who was chasing one after practically dicing another.
"Dokja-ssi!" She called out above the roars. "What's the loot drop rate again?"
"It should be-" Kim Dokja jumped out of the way of one of the monsters who tried to ram into him with its horn, "one in twenty!"
He cut down the one which rammed him and quickly jumped to a safer area to survey the battlefield. They had killed almost the entire den at this point, but none of the monsters had dropped the ingredient. Yoo Joonghyuk killed the one he had been chasing as Jung Heewon killed another across the cavern.
Kim Dokja frowned and tried to recall what information there was about these monsters, hoping there was a hint on how to get the ingredient. Nearby, Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened and he bent down to grab something from the monster corpse. He looked over at Kim Dokja to let him know what he found, only to see one of the last monsters rushing towards the distracted man.
"Kim Dokja!" He yelled as he yanked his sword out of the corpse and sprinted over. He slightly too slow however, and was only able to get between Kim Dokja and the cavern wall after the monster had rushed him.
The sickening thud of his skull hitting rock reverberated through his body just seconds before Kim Dokja's own head hit his. Everything went black instantly.
—
"-ja!"
"Dokja-ssi wake up!"
slap
Kim Dokja's eyes snapped open as his head jerked to the side from the force of Jung Heewon's slap. He shook his head to clear the spots from his vision before catching Jung Heewon's wrist before she slapped him again.
"I'm up!" He groaned. He went to push himself up to find his hand landing on something much softer than stone. He looked down to find that he was half laying on the unconscious Yoo Joonghyuk's hand pressed on his peck.
Kim Dokja let out a little yelp and retracted his hand. Jung Heewon poorly suppressed a snort at the sight, which he returned with a glare to say 'never mention this to anyone.'
"Yoo Joonghyuk?" Kim Dokja turned back to the other man to see that there was a small puddle of blood forming under his head. "Shit-"
"How bad is it?" Jung Heewon asked as Kim Dokja tilted the regressor's head up to inspect the injury. He let out a quiet sigh before purchasing some healing salve and a plaster from the dokkaebi shop.
"It's shallow, but still bleeding a lot." He cleaned up as much of the blood as he could before applying the healing salve. "Did you take care of all of them?"
"Yup, there was only one other after the one that rammed you." Jung Heewon smiled confidently, gesturing to the cavern of corpses. "It looks like this bastard managed to find the ingredient just before he rushed to protect you."
Kim Dokja sighed in half hearted annoyance. "Sunfish bastard." He grumbled as he finished his work.
"Pay attention then, fool."
Kim Dokja jumped in surprise at the gruff voice that escaped his lips. He looked down at Yoo Joonghyuk's body to see he was still unconscious.
"Dok-?" Jung Heewon called out as she met his confused gaze.
"What did-?" Kim Dokja started.
"What the fuck?" Yoo Joonghyuk finished, speaking from Kim Dokja's mouth.
Jung Heewon's eyebrows raised in surprise and glanced between the two men. Kim Dokja looked utterly bewildered, eyes unfocused as he looked inward. He yelped and jumped up to his feet, hand to his head and blinking rapidly.
"Yoo Joonghyuk?? How are you in my body??"
"Kim Dokja, what did you do?"
They spoke at the same time, words overlapping and cutting into each other. Kim Dokja looked himself over to make sure he was still him and Jung Heewon watched, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"You're not doing your Yoo Joonghyuk roleplay thing again, are you Dokja-ssi?"
"No I-"
"Wait, taking my name is a reoccurring thing?"
"Yes, but that's not important right now." Kim Dokja shook his head, which wore Yoo Joonghyuk's characteristic scowl.
"You sound almost exactly like him when you do that." Jung Heewon grinned, standing up from where she was crouched.
"Well yeah-"
"It's still me-"
"Just speaking with my vocal chords."
"And you speak so fluidly together…" Kim Dokja shivered at the mischievous glint in Jung Heewon's eye.
"Is this your possession skill again?" Yoo Joonghyuk looked down at his body, eye twitching in annoyance.
"No, I don't know what…"
"Check your attribute window."
Kim Dokja sighed as Yoo Joonghyuk crossed his arms across his chest. "I can't." He could feel Yoo Joonghyuk's confusion on his face so he tried pulling up his attribute window.
[Attributes window cannot be opened.]
'Fourth Wall, can you show me?'
[ The fourth wall shakes its head.]
'Not even any status effects?'
[t oo dang erou s.]
[bu t…]
[i ca n still t ell you.]
'Thank you.'
"Kim Dokja, what-" Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes shook at the messages he was hearing responding to Kim Dokja's thoughts.
"Not now."
[■■■ Kim Dokja is ■■■ incarnation Yoo Joonghyuk.]
"It's censored?" Kim Dokja muttered out loud.
Jung Heewon walked next to Yoo Joonghyuk's body and nudged his arm with her boot. "Can he feel this?"
"No." Yoo Joonghyuk glared at her.
"Well, you have the item, don't you Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi?"
Kim Dokja nodded before sighing and walking over.
"Help me get him onto my back." He asked.
A bit of shuffling later, Kim Dokja had Yoo Joonghyuk's body secured on his back as he walked out of the cavern following Jung Heewon. The whole time, Kim Dokja was muttering quietly to himself, trying to come up with some reason this would happen. Jung Heewon had to direct him physically a couple of times to keep him from running into something before Yoo Joonghyuk got fed up.
"Kim Dokja, if you won't focus then let me take over."
"-could it- hmm?" Kim Dokja snapped out of his stupor and blinked a couple times in surprise. "Oh yeah, sure."
Kim Dokja paused and closed his eyes for a second before Yoo Joonghyuk opened them. He shifted his body on his back a little and muttered something about being off balance before he looked up to see Jung Heewon looking back at them. He sent a short glare her way before the two of them continued on in silence. When they exited the cavern the sun momentarily blinded them before the system messages poured in.
[Constellation, Demonic Judge of Fire sighs with relief at your return.]
"Was the broadcast blocked in here?" Jung Heewon asked, looking back at the cavern entrance.
[Constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon grumbles about the channel not working.]
[Constellation, Demonic Judge of Fire squeals as she notices one incarnation carrying the other.]
[Constellation, Secretive Plotter says something is suspicious about Kim Dokja.]
Yoo Joonghyuk glared up at the constellations before turning to Jung Heewon.
"Let's go."
"Right." She turned and they started their return journey back to the others.
[Constellation, Demonic Judge of Fire blinks in surprise.]
[Constellation, Demonic Judge of Fire asks why Kim Dokja is acting like Yoo Joonghyuk.]
Yoo Joonghyuk's frown deepened at the message but he didn't respond. He could still hear Kim Dokja's rambling thoughts as he spoke with the fourth wall. Suddenly, he felt an idea pop into his head.
'I wonder if the librarians know…'
"I'll be right back, Yoo Joonghyuk." Kim Dokja said quickly.
Before Yoo Joonghyuk could ask what that meant, he felt Kim Dokja's consciousness slip deeper into their mind, somewhere he couldn't follow.
"What-?" He muttered, blinking at the sudden loneliness.
"Kim Dokja?" Jung Heewon walked next to him and tilted her head.
"He went somewhere deeper." Yoo Joonghyuk frowned, shifting the weight of his body again.
[Constellation, Demonic Judge of Fire is screaming at the implications.]
[Constellation, Secretive Plotter says his theory was correct.]
"Deeper in his head? How does that work?" Jung Heewon kicked a rock out of their path. Yoo Joonghyuk grunted in response, which she took as him not knowing either.
—
It was nearing sunset when the the trio returned to camp. Yoo Joonghyuk split off immediately and gestured with his head for Lee Seolhwa to follow him as he went to his tent. Yoo Sangah and Lee Gilyoung looked at him confused as he walked past them without greeting before they turned to Jung Heewon.
"Heewon-ssi, what happened out there?"
"Why is hyung acting like that sooty bastard?"
Jung Heewon motioned for the nearby party members to gather as Lee Seolhwa exited the tent with the ingredient in hand.
They all followed her into the tent where Shin Yoosung was resting. Lee Seolhwa began making the cure as Shin Yoosung sat up in the bed, eyes blurry and unfocused. She noticed the tension in the room and murmured.
"Is ahjussi alright?"
Jung Heewon patted her on the head with a smile.
"He's fine, he just got into a bit of a situation with Joonghyuk-ssi."
"Dok- Joonghyuk-ssi briefly explained what happened to me." Lee Seolhwa added, finishing up the cure. She walked over and fed the strange colored stew to Shin Yoosung.
"Joonghyuk-ssi? Isn't he passed out?" Lee Hyunsung piped up.
"Something strange happened when we were hunting. Joonghyuk-ssi shielded Dokja-ssi fr-"
"That is strange." Han Sooyoung cut her off with mock surprise. Jung Heewon glared at her before continuing.
"He shielded Dokja-ssi from getting bashed into the wall and took the blow for him. I think, somehow, the impact forced Yoo Joonghyuk's soul into Kim Dokja's body."
"Master is in that squid ahjussi?" Lee Jihye's eyes lit up.
"Something like that." The group turned to the entrance of the tent where Kim Dokja stood, sporting an awkward smile.
"Hyung!" Lee Gilyoung ran over to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. Kim Dokja chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair before looking at the rest of them.
"Ahjussi?" Shin Yoosung muttered, blinking tiredly at him as he walked to her side.
"Rest, Yoosung-ah. Don't worry about me."
"Sorry…" She ducked her head. "You got into this mess because of me getting sick."
Kim Dokja shook his head. "No, you're not the one at fault. If anything-"
"-this fool is the one at fault for not focusing." Yoo Joonghyuk cut him off.
"Excuse you!" Kim Dokja shot back, glaring at nothing in particular. He glanced up at the party who was looking at him with varying levels of surprise or amusement. Han Sooyoung muttered something to Lee Jihye before the two of them burst out laughing.
"See?" Jung Heewon gestured at Kim Dokja. "They keep talking over each other."
Han Sooyoung pulled out her phone with a grin, eyes sparkling. "What's it like? Can Yoo Joonghyuk still feel his body or just Kim Dokja's? Do you share a heartbeat? If Kim Dokja gets hor-"
"HAN SOOYOUNG." Kim Dokja gasped as Yoo Joonghyuk growled, reaching for his sword.
"Kidding!" Han Sooyoung held up her hands, laughing at seeing Yoo Joonghyuk's glare on Kim Dokja's face. "Really though, what is it like?"
"Are you seriously asking me this for your fanfiction?" Kim Dokja said through the glare. Han Sooyoung's silence only answered his question and he looked at the others, who all looked as curious as she did, although some hid it better than others. He sighed before a look of resignation covered the glare.
"Not in here, Sooyoung-ah needs to rest." Kim Dokja looked over to where the girl was already nodding off.
As the party filed out of the tent, Kim Dokja looked up slightly.
"Biyoo?"
[Baat!]
With a little chirp, the puffball Biyoo appeared near his head.
"Biyoo, can you try to see if your system can tell us anything about this?" Kim Dokja reached up to pat her gently. He felt a foreign throb in his chest at the gesture, but didn't question Yoo Joonghyuk about it. Biyoo opened her system interface and messed around before frowning.
[Baat…]
"It's ok, Biyoo." Kim Dokja sighed lightly before turning his attention to the party. Everyone was looking over at him while some glanced over at Yoo Joonghyuk's tent where his body rested.
"We aren't really sure what happened either, to be honest." Kim Dokja confessed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's… weird. It feels similar to when I use my skill to possess Yoo Joonghyuk, but this time I'm the one being possessed. It's like…" he paused, trying to find the words.
"It's like you have one more presence in your head than usual." Yoo Joonghyuk finished. "But you already have something like that, don't you, Kim Dokja?"
Kim Dokja went silent at the accusation and avoided looking at his companions, who were looking at him and each other with confused looks. Han Sooyoung's stare felt like it was digging into his soul, but she finally stopped staring and spoke with a sigh.
"Saving that tidbit of lore for later," She grumbled, "What does the system say about this?"
"The fool can't see it-"
"BUT-" Kim Dokja cut in. "I was told there is a status effect that is censored."
"You're a constellation, what happens when you try to look at yourself?"
"I-" Kim Dokja paused, considering the idea. "I haven't tried that yet. I'm not able to look at myself, but if I can look at Yoo Joonghyuk…"
Kim Dokja focused his gaze inward.
[Constellation, ■■■ is looking at ■■■ Yoo Joonghyuk.]
"Censored again?" Kim Dokja muttered. He felt Yoo Joonghyuk's eye twitch in annoyance and was about to say something when the message glitched in front of them.
[Conste■■■, ■■■ is looking at you.]
[You are looking at ■■■ Yoo Joonghyuk.]
"What-?"
[ Y O U ■■■ ■■■ ■■■.]
Kim Dokja stumbled as probability sparks surrounded him. He could faintly hear his companions calling out to him, as well as the pings of constellations trying to take some of the probability, but there was just too much.
"Kim Dokja-" Yoo Joonghyuk called out, voice strained in pain.
Finally, the system messages stopped glitching.
[You look at your incarnation, Yoo Joonghyuk.]
[Your sponsor, Demon King of Salvation, is looking at you.]
The world seemed to freeze for Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk as their eyes widened in disbelief at the messages.
Then the probability sparks grew even more intense and everything went black.
—
"KIM DOKJA!"
The collective scream of panic from the party members echoed around camp, shocking Yoo Joonghyuk awake. He shot up to find him laying on his bedroll in his tent, the remainder of the probability sparks dancing around him. He jumped off of the bedroll and sprinted out of the tent. Some party members looked his way at the noise while the rest surrounded the limp body of Kim Dokja.
"Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi!" Yoo Sangah called out with relief as he skid to a stop next to her.
"Is he-?" He panted, pushing past Han Sooyoung to get to Kim Dokja, who was still surrounded by some probability sparks. He pushed through the pain of the sparks to grab Kim Dokja, bringing his chest up to his ear.
Still breathing, normal heartbeat. He mentally noted as he lowered the body to look over Kim Dokja's complexion.
The eye bags that seemed to permanently reside under his eyes looked deeper than usual, and he had a cold sweat coating his forehead. His eyes were half lidded and fluttering, unseeing eyes focused on nothing. His lips were slightly parted and there was a small puffs of air as he breathed shallowly. Yoo Joonghyuk took one of his hands in his and could feel it trembling slightly.
"-hyuk-ssi?"
The ringing in his ears faded as the sparks vanished, allowing him to realize Yoo Sangah was calling out to him, a hand hesitantly placed on his shoulder.
"He's alive." Yoo Joonghyuk forced out, trying to control his shaking voice.
"Hyung…!" Lee Gilyoung hiccuped through tears across from him, trembling as he knelt down and grabbed Kim Dokja's other hand.
"What the hell was that?" Han Sooyoung frowned.
"What did you see, Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi?" Lee Hyunsung's brow creased with worry.
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes never left Kim Dokja's face as he recalled the system messages.
"Kim Dokja…" He started, voice feeling distant. "…is my sponsor."
There were gasps around him at the revelation.
"But how?" Lee Jihye murmured. "You were around long before he became a constellation, master."
"Kim Dokja wasn't in the first rounds, how the hell-" Han Sooyoung cut herself off, realization dawning. "No… no that's not…"
Yoo Sangah looked over at her, eyes widening as she came to a similar conclusion based on Han Sooyoung's reaction.
Yoo Joonghyuk finally looked up from the body in his arms to the sky, gaze searching for his constellation. He scanned the stars and saw a few of them flicker from his intense gaze, but he kept searching. He couldn't see his constellation no matter how hard he looked. Instead, he opened Midday Tryst.
»Yoo Joonghyuk: Kim Dokja.
»Yoo Joonghyuk: Kim Dokja, what happened?
»Yoo Joonghyuk: Respond, Kim Dokja.
He waited but got no response. He let go of Kim Dokja's hand and brought it up to cup his cheek. Kim Dokja's eyes fluttered more at the contact but didn't open.
"His incarnation body is stable, but he isn't waking up." Lee Seolhwa said from where she had situated herself next to Yoo Joonghyuk.
"My Midday Tryst messages aren't reaching him." Han Sooyoung said behind him.
»Yoo Joonghyuk: Come back.
»Yoo Joonghyuk: Please.
[Messages have been returned.]
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at the message.
[The modifier you are trying to message does not exist in the star stream.]
"…doesn't exist?" Han Sooyoung gasped at the same time as him, having gotten the same response.
No. No, not again.
Yoo Joonghyuk felt himself getting distant from the others, who were panicking more as Han Sooyoung recounted the message. He pulled Kim Dokja's limp body closer to himself as a torrent of thoughts swirled around in his mind.
Kim Dokja is my sponsor.
Kim Dokja is my companion.
Kim Dokja gave me the stigma Regression.
Why? How? When?
Why can't I remember him if he was the one I signed with?
Am I angry at him?
He didn't know either.
How could this happen?
Questions made his vision swim as he slowly brought his head closer to Kim Dokja's, gently putting their foreheads together. He watched the fluttering eyes slow their movement before they completely closed. He closed his own eyes and reached out with every sense he could. He had to find any trace of his companion—his constellation as he could.
[Story, Life and Death Companions, is searching for its other half.]
The world around him seemed to blur and fade away as he focused on the soft breaths against his lips. He matched the rhythm of the breaths, hoping that something about that would bring Kim Dokja back.
—
Yoo Joonghyuk opened his eyes to see a familiar train. For a split second he worried he had regressed again, but when he noticed how empty the train car was, he was able to calm down. He looked around to see pitch darkness outside the train windows, and that his form was somewhat see-through.
Kim Dokja was in the next car back then, wasn't he?
Yoo Joonghyuk quickly made his way over to the door between carriages. On the other side of the glass he could see the back of that familiar white coat, the owner of which was sitting on the bench sideways and looking out the window.
"Kim Dokja?" Yoo Joonghyuk said, as if he wasn't sure himself. He grabbed the handle and yanked, but the door didn't budge. He tried again to no avail, so he took a few steps back and channeled his power into his fist.
CRACK
Glowing white cracks started forming on the door.
CRACK
Another hit made the cracks spread further, a few reaching the frame. Yoo Joonghyuk's fist started shimmering in the golden light of a transcendent.
CRACK
There was now a small hole in the door. The whole time, Kim Dokja had not moved or shown any sign that he had even noticed what was happening behind him.
"Kim Dokja!" Yoo Joonghyuk called out, grabbing the sides of the hole. The metal creaked awfully as he tore the door in two. Once the opening was large enough, he slipped through it into the next car. He made his way over to Kim Dokja, he noticed that he could see something in the window that he was facing. The scenery was familiar, it was Seoul. Only, it was different from the rounds he knew. He was about to call out to Kim Dokja again when he saw himself in the window.
This Yoo Joonghyuk was much older, grey streaks in his hair. He looked tired but happy. He was speaking to someone as he lay on the grass, but there was no one around him. Instead, he could be seen reading system messages.
Yoo Joonghyuk walked around to see that Kim Dokja was staring at the window with a sad face while his slightly parted lips silently mouthed his response.
"…Kim Dokja?" Yoo Joonghyuk sat down in front of the other man, looking between his face and the window. There was still no indication that Kim Dokja had heard him or even was aware that he was there. He looked back at the window to see the older Yoo Joonghyuk reading something before nodding with a smile. A familiar golden light settled into his chest before it began rippling out from him. Yoo Joonghyuk recognized this sight, it was similar to when he had regressed before, and it gave him a feeling of dread. This Yoo Joonghyuk looked down at the light with fascination and anticipation before smiling at the sky and drew his sword. Yoo Joonghyuk stopped breathing as he saw this other him point the sword at himself before swiftly driving it into his chest. The scene in the window flickered and text appeared.
[End of the 0th round.]
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened in shock but before he could process the words the window went dark. He slowly looked back at Kim Dokja to see him still staring at the window, tears falling from his eyes. Something clenched in Yoo Joonghyuk's soul at the sight and he reached out. With a gentleness that even surprised himself, he lightly wiped a tear away.
When he touched the falling tear, the memories of the round he barely remembered flowed into his head. It happened only in a split second, but it felt like years as his life flashed before his eyes. He blinked rapidly and the scenes faded back into the train car. Kim Dokja was still seated in front of him, and as Yoo Joonghyuk continued wiping his tears away, his eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into the touch.
"Kim Dokja." Yoo Joonghyuk's voice broke the deafening silence. Kim Dokja's eyes fluttered open again and he slowly looked up at him, but he wasn't quite seeing him. He smiled slightly, sadness still in his eyes.
"Joonghyuk-ah…" His voice was just above a whisper. "No, you're not really here, are you?" He let out a small laugh that made Yoo Joonghyuk's brow furrow.
"What are you talking about, fool? Of course I'm here." He reached up to cup Kim Dokja's face with one hand while he grabbed his hand with the other. He gave what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze, and Kim Dokja looked down at their hands.
"Joonghyuk-ah… why would you be here? This place…" Kim Dokja looked around, eyes lingering on the window. "This can't be real, it can't." Tears started falling again. "If this is real, then I…" His gaze returned to Yoo Joonghyuk and his eyes shook.
"Kim Dokja, I'm real. I don't know what this place is, but this is real." Yoo Joonghyuk spoke with determination, willing Kim Dokja to feel his resolve. He lifted the hand in his and placed it above his heart. "I'm here and I'm alive. So are you, Kim Dokja."
Kim Dokja stared at his hand as he felt the breaths and heartbeat under his fingers. He inhaled a shaky breath and brought his other hand up to clutch Yoo Joonghyuk's coat. Suddenly, he curled in on himself, clinging onto Yoo Joonghyuk with a strong grip.
Yoo Joonghyuk almost moved back at the sudden contact but stopped himself when he felt how Kim Dokja was shaking with silent sobs. He had never seen Kim Dokja being this emotional and wasn't sure what to do. His hands hovered to his sides awkwardly before he gently wrapped them around Kim Dokja's shaking back. At the motion, Kim Dokja's breath hitched and he curled up even further. He was whispering apologies between silent sobs.
"Kim Dokja, it's okay." Yoo Joonghyuk said gently, running a hand up and down his back. "I'm not angry at you."
"…why not?" Came the shaky reply.
Yoo Joonghyuk considered his response for a moment, looking at the window.
"Supporting constellation or regular incarnation, you are my companion, Kim Dokja. I chose you over the world before and I'd do it again."
Kim Dokja went still in his arms before he rose to look at him in the face. His eyes were a bit puffy and red from crying, but his gaze was clearer than before, albeit filled with disbelief.
"…you what?" His voice croaked as a wobbly smile formed on his lips. "You're joking."
"You know I don't make jokes, not about things like this." Yoo Joonghyuk returned his gaze, showing how serious he was. He moved his hand from Kim Dokja's side to cup his face again before glancing at his lips. "I'll give you undeniable proof, if you don't push me away."
Kim Dokja's eyes widened as Yoo Joonghyuk's voice dropped in pitch at the last sentence, a whisper of a promise landing in the air between them. He could feel his face getting warm and noticed that Yoo Joonghyuk's cheeks were also dusted in pink. He gave a barely perceptible nod, but Yoo Joonghyuk noticed it and closed the space between them.
The kiss was soft, barely there at first. Kim Dokja's eyes fluttered shut as he leaned in, wrapping his arms around his companion. Yoo Joonghyuk guided him, tilting his head just perfectly to deepen the kiss with a gentle need that surprised Kim Dokja.
It felt like the kiss lasted forever and only for a moment at the same time. They parted slightly and Yoo Joonghyuk rested their foreheads together.
"Let's go home, Kim Dokja." His voice barely above a whisper, breath brushing past Kim Dokja's smiling lips.
"Okay."
—
The party stood to the side where they were catching up Shin Yoosung on the situation. She had come out of the tent just minutes after Kim Dokja went limp and the others were trying to comfort her.
Yoo Sangah half listened to the others as she looked back at where Yoo Joonghyuk was still kneeling, golden aura dancing around him as he held Kim Dokja in his arms. He had been that way for almost 20 minutes now, and she and Han Sooyoung had to guide the others to leave them alone to not disturb whatever Yoo Joonghyuk was doing.
Han Sooyoung glanced at Yoo Sangah, who met her gaze before both of them looked back at the two men. Neither of them knew what Yoo Joonghyuk was doing, but the way his golden aura swirled around him and floated up into the sky told her that he was doing something that only he could do to find Kim Dokja.
[Midday Tryst messages have been sent.]
Han Sooyoung jumped at the system message before her head snapped back to the two men. Yoo Joonghyuk's golden aura began began sinking back into him, bringing another aura with it, which was glinting with silver stars. One by one, the party members noticed the shift and turned to look at the others.
Once the auras had fully returned, Yoo Joonghyuk moved back, still holding Kim Dokja gently in his arms.
"Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi," Yoo Sangah spoke first as the party approached. "Is he…?"
She cut herself off as Kim Dokja's eyes fluttered open again. He looked at Yoo Joonghyuk with a dazed expression for a moment before he noticed the others.
"Oh." He said eloquently.
"OH???" Han Sooyoung nearly exploded. "You zap yourself out of the star stream for 30 minutes and the first thing you say when you get back is 'oh'???"
Kim Dokja frowned as he sat up with Yoo Joonghyuk's help.
"30 minutes? It felt like… years." He glanced at Yoo Joonghyuk.
"How do you feel, Dokja-ssi?" Yoo Sangah offered her a hand, which he took to stand up.
"Uh… disoriented but otherwise normal?" He offered a smile that didn't seem to reassure the party members.
"If you're 'normal'," Jung Heewon emphasized the quotation marks with her fingers. "Then can you explain what happened? Either of you?"
Kim Dokja opened and closed his mouth a couple times, trying to find the words to say. He felt Yoo Joonghyuk's hand gently grasp his and he took a stabilizing breath before nodding.
"Okay, I'll explain it."