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After the latest wave of monsters, the KimCom was exhausted out of their minds. Jung Heewon was specially shaken up this time, having used her powers to their full extent. She was in a tent right now with the healer, guarded by Lee Hyunsung as the woman healed Heewon inside, taking her time to go over every scratch and scab, replenishing as much of her energy as she could.
It was a blessing that no other member was severely hurt, Joonghyuk noted, everyone got away with minor cuts and bruises - despite the fight lasting three hours - Heewon was the only one with severe injuries and- Dokja. He wasn't sure where Dokja hurried off to, the fool had rattled off orders to him and Han Sooyoung and ran away, as is his nature.
They had been camping for an hour and a half now, Joonghyuk still scanned their camping ground once more, going the extra mile to cover all bases. He made sure that all three kids were ok, lee Gilyoung was fussy about having to let Joonghyuk check him for wounds but at his insistence, he relented, not wanting to upset his Dokja hyung when he returned. Yoo Mia, of course, demanded a few coins and extra care material for a leather bag she had picked in the wild. Joonghyuk had agreed, promising her the things she so wanted.
Shin Yoosung was the easiest of all three children, readily showing her arms that had minor scratches and told him outright about the sprain in her ankle. “But don’t worry, ahjussi left me a healing syrup for situations like this, I’ll share it with Mia.”
“Hey, what about me?? I’m hurt too!” Gilyoung perked immediately. He’d never miss out on a chance to snag something hyung related, it seemed.
Mia watched the two bicker and gave her oppa a stink eye, as though blaming him for the never-ending quarrel between the two siblings.
Next came time to check on the older members of the company. He gave Sooyoung a glace and if her scoff was anything to go by, she was perfectly fine, being a nuisance as usual. Yoo Sangha was fine too, she had learned her way around such disastrous fights now and oddly enough, was recovering quicker than the rest.
After a short chat about meal prep and hunting, she went inside to replenish her energy until it was time to cook. Hyunsung was no different, he was mostly half-dead in worry for Heewon. Unable to reassure him, Joonghyuk simply patted his back and walked around the giant man, into the tent, to the unflinching healer who hardly spared him a glance before refocusing on her patient.
“She’s recovering well, she’s asleep now”
Joonghyuk nodded calmly, watching the healer lean back in her seat and stretch out her arms over her head, he moved out of the way slightly to avoid getting hit. “Do you need anything?” he asked after a moment, voice contemplative.
“No.” she replied with a sigh. “Do you?”
“No.” he said when he realized she couldn’t see him shaking his head.
They shared the space for a few long moments, watching over Heewon who frowned in her sleep, clearly uncomfortable with the bandages, probably sore after the hour-long healing session.
Seolhwa likely needed sleep too, she looked completely spent. In the dim glow of the tent, she looked so human with her heavy eyebags, hunched back and solemn expression, forehead creased in thought- or worry, he couldn’t ever tell the difference. Her coat was sitting aside today, rumpled and wrinkled under the weight of a few glass bottles; he guessed they were energy potions she bought for the session, though it was Heewon who likely drank them in the few moments of consciousness to keep her heart pumping.
‘What would he have done?’ a question echoed in his heart, followed closely by what he imagines the fool looks like.
Without the walls guarding him, would he show a similar humanity, or would it be worse? It certainly can’t be better than this, he internally scoffed at the idea, the man was working day and night, more than the rest of them. The constant staring into the white void of his screen, the zoning out during their travels and the careful examination of landscapes whenever they had a moment to themselves – he’d be surprised if his face was anything but dark circles.
Frustrated with himself, he sighed through his nose and walked out the tent, nodding at Hyunsung to check up on his partner. He went to Gong Pildu, who was sitting on a tree stump looking into the forest that surrounded the company.
“Keep guard, Sangha and I are going to hunt.” Half-truth, he bit his tongue. He felt the stare of the old man burning into his back as he took his sword and marched into the forest, sangha following closely.
Though not as tired or injured, the woman was dishevelled too. Her hair was going haywire, and her dress was torn in places where she had been sliced by the monster. Regardless of the severity, she took it well and had already almost healed, only reminder a bunch of scabs and scars left.
She had trouble keeping up the pace with him, which wouldn’t be a problem if the fool was here instead. But then again, he’d have to drag him by hair to go patrolling.
This was as good a replacement he could bargain for right now.
“Go east,” he suddenly said without turning or stopping. “meet me at the base when you’re done scouting for threats.”
He didn’t wait for a response and ran towards the movements he saw in a distance, hoping it would be something edible.
It was edible, it was quite a big game too. They each took turns keeping the fire while Hyunsung and Gong Pildu were given the duty to keep the kids isolated from it lest they hurt themselves. Joonghyuk carefully mixed several seasonings and leathered the meat before putting it to roast over the fire, slowly rotating the make-shift skewers while the company waited with their grumbling stomachs.
He handed the children their meal first, then left the company to their devices as he took his portion and sat aside, monitoring the fire that charred the meat softly, perfectly tender. Sooyoung was still debating Pildu about whether his portion was cooked well enough or not while Hyunsung quietly took two large pieces back into the tent, still fretting over Heewon like a worrywart.
'Barely any different than Dokja', he thought as he bit into the meat, enjoying the slight burn of spices it brought along. It was in moments like these when everyone and everything reminded him of that fool, stupidly confident and so embarrassing with that silly phone and his obsession with him and Seolhwa.
He gulped down another mouthful of meat, picking on a fibre that got stuck between his teeth. He would’ve enjoyed the meal today if it were a little saltier.
5 hours since they started camping, the sun was going to set within the next hour or so and the rat had yet to show face.
The kids watched Joonghyuk sharpen his sword with a murderous glare, hands sloppy and hurried as he ran his sword up and down the sharpening stone. Yoo Mia joked that he was going to murder someone, Lee Gilyoung didn’t like the implication that it might be his hyung while Shin Yoosung refused to even consider the possibility.
Mia thinks the siblings are quite a boring pair, much like everyone else in the company. If she was the leader, she would’ve only recruited funny people, at least then there would be a possibility of softness on her oppa’s handsome face.
But then again, the ugly ahjussi did everything that even a circus wouldn’t achieve. She may be young but she knows the signs of love, ok? Plus, “Oppa!” she wasn’t paid to keep this secret. “You wanna know where ugly ahjussi went?”
Dokja threw his legs over the rooftop ledge of the tall building he was sitting at. The sky had changed colour since he came here, soft purple, pinks and oranges painted the sky while the sun kissed the horizon, sinking deeper into its warmth every passing moment.
His breath was ragged, coming in small huffs that hurt his entire body at the slightest movement. He had managed to get away before anyone noticed the infection on his abdomen, though he had to pay Yoo Mia into silence lest she cried to the whole company about it.
Now, sitting on the rooftop, he hoped Heewon had received the care she needed. She had played an important role during this fight and deserved a celebration.
A shame he wouldn’t be there to witness it.
Now thinking about it, maybe he forgot a few reminders, Yoo Joonghyuk should be able to handle without him for a week though-
“Kim Dokja!” a sudden call from behind startled him. with difficulty, he turned to look at the approaching figure, unable to distinguish the voice from the loud thumping in his head. The figure almost ran towards him and dragged him to his full height by the collar.
Speak of the devil.
Joonghyuk stared at the half dead man who struggled in his grasp, his face still blurred by a million pixels like a character locked behind a paywall. Gently, he sat him down on the dusty concrete, their coats rustling as they moved along the soft flow of the wind, backs against the scenery.
He laid Dokja behind a wall, shielding him from the world outside as he bought several healing potions on the spot and thumbed the fool’s mouth open, pouring it in little by little. He continued the process for a while, or at least until Dokja bit down on the thumb that held his face in place.
His face twitched in annoyance but he pulled his hand back, already angry at the loss of warmth.
“Do you have a thing for being bitten, huh Joonghyuk-ah?” the injured man smirked, chuckling to himself while Joonghyuk looked on with a blank expression. There was so much he wanted to say, he had to say it, right? Someone had to.
He needed to get it off his chest.
So he cut off the man’s slurry rambling by grabbing his collar and pulling hard. The bottle of potion in his hand tumbled over despite Dokja’s best efforts to not waste it. This was the moment, he had to say it now, he might not get another chance to, but the surprised expression in front of him broke his defenses.
He's nothing like Seolhwa, Joonghyuk thought as he took in the man’s features. Big, starry eyes that were nothing like Seolhwa’s sharper ones, a long straight nose so unlike Seolhwa’s smaller one, his face was long with high cheekbones, thin eyebrows and black hair and long bangs that framed his face perfectly. His lips were chapped and parted, moving slowly to question his sanity, there was a small scar under his right eye from one of the early scenarios. It was almost faded now, just a memory.
His grip slipped from Dokja’s collar to his neck, pushing him back into the wall as his larger frame caged him completely.
Dokja was safe, alive, warm and breathing right in front of him, right under his thumb, his pulse rushed north, steady, perfect.
Dokja flinched as Joonghyuk leaned forward, kneeling as he did so. 'Are you hurt?' he meant to ask, instead came in a tired voice, “Get off me.”
Joonghyuk didn’t listen, as tends to be his natural response to life in general. He leaned until he was settled against Dokja’s shoulder, thumb now gently grazing his neck where his pulse was.
‘Stop dying’ he almost said but frowned and reframed his thoughts. “Why didn’t you come with us?”
“Heewon needed the healing more, I just thought I’d resurrect through this one.” Dokja replied, giving up on pushing him away and simply resting his arms over the man’s broad shoulders. “I thought I told you when I left, I guess not.”
Joonghyuk was quiet for a while, thinking, reframing, thinking more and frowning at the outcomes he received. Nothing conveyed what he felt. Meanwhile Dokja was starting to feel sleepy, one of the perks of the healing potion Joonghyuk fed him. Through his drowsiness, he watched the man rise from his position on his shoulder and rest their foreheads together, and Dokja noticed then, as the handsome man closed his eyes in pain, that his eyelashes were unbelievably long. He was beautiful. With all the seriousness he heard the man say, “choose me Kim Dokja, stop dying.”
There was something tender about the way he said it. His voice was soft and his hand quivering where it still pressed down on his pulse, he was looking at him like he would vanish if he blinked too long. Maybe he would, maybe he was imagining things.
What does it matter when he won’t remember a thing when he wakes up?
“If it matters at all, I’ll choose you every time Joonghyuk-ah, even in another life.”