Chapter Text
It was in the early evening when the KimCom returned to the industrial complex.
The space around them was unusually still and quiet, they moved almost like ghosts, each one going and disappearing in different directions.
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge Of Fire’ is worried about the incarnations and recommends for them to rest]
[Many other constellations agree with the constellation ‘Demon-like Judge Of Fire]
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The constellations’ worries were met by deaf ears, none of the incarnations read their miserable attempts of comfort. The most they got was a polite glance followed by a hollow stare.
The moment they stepped inside it was as if a string had snapped.
Lee Gilyoung rushed to the bathroom— rushed steps and shallow breath echoed in the hallways as he didn’t even dare to raise or open his eyes, he made his way to the restroom purely guided by his instincts.
Shin Yoosung, on the other hand, went up the stairs with slow, heavy steps. Her breath controlled, almost unnatural. Her lips were parted, unconsciously trembling and mumbling words no one but her could hear
It would’ve almost looked normal if their small bodies weren’t shaking so hard, trying desperately to not make any significant noise— or any sound that could give away the fact that they weren’t holding up that well.
[The constellation ‘Prisoner Of The Golden Headband’ feels pity for the young kids and holds his hair in distress]
[The constellation ‘Master of Steel’ incites the incarnations to check on the young children]
In the apocalypse there was no space for weakness, even for kids— at least, that’s what the two children seemed to believe.
Comforting them now would only cause more harm, they were in full alert mode and even if it seemed cruel, it was better to leave them alone for now.
They would eventually need to learn how to regulate their own feelings— It was bound to happen sooner or later.
It didn’t feel right— But Kim Dokja couldn’t even concentrate properly on the shaken kids before his attention was catched by the sound of somebody gagging.
It was followed by the wet sound of liquid hitting the floor with a violent all in go used, the faint stench rising in the air was anything but pleasant, but no one dared complain.
Behind him Lee Jihye was throwing up her soul, her legs threatened to give up— her knees almost buckled. She would’ve surely fallen to the ground if it wasn’t for Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon rushing to hold her up.
[Many constellations are disgusted by the scene shown and request the dokkaebi to censure the sickening view]
The moment the adults read that message, the room became grim. As if it wasn’t cold enough, the mood soured even further.
[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ is enraged by the other constellations inconsideration]
[Many constellations of the ‘Korean Peninsula’ are enraged by the absurdity of the situation]
[2500 coins have been sponsored to the incarnation ‘Lee JIhye’]
She looked pale, her whole body was shaking greatly. Her eyes were red, puffy and wet— he realized that the quiet sniffs he’d been hearing since earlier belonged to her.
She looked up at the constellations’ messages with unfocused eyes, she barely had the strength to do that, let alone keep her head up. Soon the two women beside her decided it was better to take Lee Jihye to Lee Seolhwa— she needed some serious rest.
[Some constellations feel pity for the incarnation ‘Lee Jihye’]
[500 coins have been sponsored]
A sudden suffocating feeling filled Kim Dokja’s chest, he didn’t react on the outside— he just observed quietly as he had always done. His eyes sharp as he faked being busy on his phone. Kinda pathetic wasn’t he?
He didn’t like the atmosphere one bit. with already 5 people gone it shouldn’t be that strange for the room to be silent. But hell, the churning in his stomach only worsened because of those few people left.
Lee Hyungsung looked out of it since the end of the scenario, he barely answered questions and any attempt to brighten the mood failed miserably. It was driving Kim Dokja crazy.
‘Later I have to ask Jung Heewon to talk to him, he won’t open up to anybody else… Gosh if I knew this scenario would’ve ended up in such a mess I would’ve went there alone’
Kim Dokja sighed internally as he looked to the other two big problems that had been nagging him and eating up at his stomach since earlier.
Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk.
They were the people who should’ve handled the scenario better, but Kim Dokja had underestimated the scenario and overestimated their capabilities. It was grandly his fault.
But this wasn’t what was bothering him—
[K im Do k j a is ab ig li a r]
‘Shut up’
Han Sooyoung had disappeared the moment they set foot in the industrial complex, she looked weirdly bothered and lost in thought. We are talking about Han Sooyoung here— If she is the one lost in thought it means that the situation was drastic.
Yoo Joonghyuk was a mess in his own league. His face showed no sign of change, but it took much more for Kim Dokja to be fooled. He knew Yoo Joonghyuk better than himself and he knew how to read his body language perfectly.
At least, that's what he liked to believe.
Tight jaw, cleaning the sword obsessively even if it was already spotless, not yet changed from his battle clothes and… those unfocused, empty black eyes.
As if ticking a checklist Kim Dokja noticed each small change in the other man’s behavior. He knew he sounded kinda creepy— but hey, he had read about him for 10 years, what else did you expect?
Those weren’t signs Kim Dokja could ignore. His internal alarm had been screaming for hours now, slowly melting his brain.
[The ??? poison has spread to 3% of your body. Attention! Stop the poison before—
ah- Yes, that too. The least of his problems, really. An unknown poison he knew perfectly well. That was why he wasn’t going to deal with it anytime soon.
—Mute
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge Of Fire’ is observing you intently]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner Of The Golden Headband’ is observing you intently]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is observing you intently]
[Many constellations are observing you intently]
I looked at the series of messages with a stoic gaze, my eyes narrowed.
Well, it was only natural for them to expect help from the least fazed person— just why did this bring him a deja vu-like feeling?
Kim Dokja sighed internally. This had been one of the most traumatizing scenarios yet.
It wasn’t because it was particularly gruesome or morally scandalous.
They were already past that point, things like that no longer affected them. But there was still something the Star Stream could pull to get a reaction— trauma, fear, nostalgia.
It was a scenario combining all those tricky emotions, it was only natural for them to come back like this.
Still, Dokja hadn’t predicted the aftermath and now that he was stuck in the middle of the storm, all he felt was a heavy uncomfortable feeling that settled on his back like a heavy weight.
The scenario was about killing or getting killed by your loved ones or reliving your trauma. Either way, it didn't matter. It was fake and no one would actually die, but the image was so vivid and realistic that their own brain would play dirty tricks on your mind.
Of course it wasn’t just that. Before anything began they would make the incarnation spin a wheel with different numbers and the number you’d end up with was the same number of times you’d have to kill that person or the times you had to relive that same situation.
Funny enough each one ended up with a fairly high number— at least, that’s what Kim Dokja guessed from the worn out faces. Just a guess, if they got 1 or got 20 the impact was still there.
They couldn’t see each other’s “stages”
Fortunate or not— Kim dokja couldn’t decide for himself. He could guess based on what he read in TWSA.
Lee Jihye probably relived the moment she killed her best friend once again, Lee Hyungsung the time he spent in the army, Yoo Joonghyuk probably saw his family— his child, when he used to be with Lee Seolhwa.
As for the others, Kim Dokja had no particular idea. He also preferred not to know, he wasn’t really that curious. If it was possible he wanted to respect their privacy. He already knew a lot about the world— too much.
And just like they couldn’t see each other’s stages, the constellations were oblivious to what happened to them too. They were able to see only the incarnation’s reaction but not what they were seeing. When he realized this he immediately found it suspicious.
But he decided to not dwell on it any further. He already had quite a lot to take care of now.
'With whom should I start? '
Really it was all a gamble, everybody was going through a hard time and he couldn’t really think about who needed comfort the most, because they all did.
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ complains a the stillness of the situation]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner Of The Golden Headband’ frowns at ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’s apathy]
[Many messages have been summarized]
[The constellations are waiting for your next move]
As he was lost in thought the constellation’s messages were flooding in, there were those who were greatly worried, those who found it all boring and who deeply enjoyed the drama.
No matter the intent, Kim Dokja ignored them all with the grace of a cat.
‘I might as well start with Lee Hyungsung since he’s alone…’
Kim Dokja concluded after a deep contemplation. He would’ve preferred for Jung Heewon to approach him, but it was inevitable for him to intervene. Lee Hyungsung was the one who looked most out of it…so.
It was about to be a long night.
Lee Hyungsung was sitting on the couch in the living room. There was an electrifying stillness in the air that made Kim Dokja’s heart beat faster.
'Can't believe I'm actually feeling anxious because of Lee Hyungsung'
[The constellation ‘Master Of Steel’ looks at his incarnation with great worry]
His friend’s black was slouched, his breath was shallow and seeing how he didn’t even react to Kim Dokja, he was most likely zoning out.
Dokja’s steps were light but he made sure to make his presence clear to the other man as to not startle him. As he approached him, millions of possible conversations played in Kim Dokja’s head— each one felt wronger than the other.
[Many constellations hold their breath wondering what will happen next]
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But then, ironically, the less expected outcome played out right before him.
Without a single word or sound Kim Dokja was quickly thrown and pinned to the ground, Lee hyungsung held his arm behind his back pushing it to the point of making Dokja groan in pain.
—ugh! shit..
Curses flowed out of Dokja’s mouth like a current, but they went unnoticed by the man on top of him who was now hyperventilating.
'A panic attack..? No...he's too alert for it to be a panic attack..'
His grip on Kim Dokja’s arm was rough, merciless. His face on the other hand was desperate, his eyes weren't looking at Kim Dolja, they didn't register him.
He kept looking in random directions and reacting as if he saw something there.
'Is he having an episode..?'
The first instinct that surged Kim Dokja’s body was to squirm away, to fight. But without hurting Lee Hyungsung in the process, getting away was practically impossible.
[The constellation ‘Master Of Steel’ is shocked by his incarnation’s actions]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ rejoices at the sudden turn of events]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge Of Fire’ glares at a certain constellation]
He was an ex-soldier, sure— but he hadn’t expected him to be this strong.
‘Well, this isn’t exactly going as I had planned…This is going to leave a bruise 100%. What a great way to start’
Lee Hyungsung’s whole body shook violently against his, his eyes were wide open and his eyebrows were furrowed. He then muttered something Kim Dokja couldn’t quite make out.
—Lee Hyungsung. Lee Hyungsung it’s Kim Dokja
He said in a clear tone. This entire situation most likely started because Lee Hyungsung suffered from PTSD. It was never explicitly written in TWSA but there were many hints that led Dokja to this conclusion.
He wasn’t going to explain each one of them but one thing he knew was that in this kind of situation you should never lose your composure. Even if you are scared shitless, you have to suck it up and just deal with it, it’s life after all.
So after scanning his surroundings for any dangerous objects he breathed in and held his breath. His body ached under Lee Hyungsung’s weight, it was hard to not groan from the pain.
—Lee Hyungsung it’s ok, you are safe. You are not there.
He looked straight into his eyes. Lee Hyungung’s face hesitated, he looked confused and disoriented as he checked his surroundings frantically.
—No, look at me. Lee Hyungung it’s the 24 XXX 20XX, we are in the industrial complex and you are ok. I am Kim Dokja.
He repeated. If he wanted to he could get out of his grasp now that he had lowered his guard— but he had no intention of startling him, so instead he chose to suffer a bit more.
—Dok..Dokja-ssi..?
The words rolled heavy on his tongue, his voice was hoarse and almost breathless. Soon enough his eyes became wet. As if burned, Lee Hyungsung stood tall on his feet. Helping Dokja to get up.
His hands’ trembling got even worse and this made Dokja’s eyes narrow. Why did Hyungsung always have to overthink everything so much?
He made sure his wrist was covered so Hyungsung wouldn’t notice the redness he had caused. Then he held his shoulders tightly.
Before the apologies could flow in, Dokja spoke
—Lee Hyungsung, it’s ok. I’m not hurt. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me and in fact you didn’t. You must’ve felt very disturbed because of that scenario, I know that. The past can’t be undone, but that also doesn’t mean it has to define our present. You must always look forward, not because what’s behind is worthless, but it’s because it is the very thing that should make you strive to be better.
Lee Hyungsun’s shoulders shook greatly before he pulled Kim Dokja in a hug, he hugged Kim Dokja so tightly it literally knocked the air out of his lungs. When he finally realized he was being too rough with him he loosened his hold.
—S..sorry
—Don't worry, thanks to you I realized I'm not flexible at all
'Now why did I jist say that? I should've just shut up'
Having a big bear-like man crying right on his shoulder wasn’t really on Dokja’s list for this year, but still, he held him and patted his back. He really didn’t know what else he could do to comfort him— he had never meant or thought this would get this emotional.
After a bit Kim Dokja helped Lee Hyungsung sit on the couch and as he walked to the kitchen to get some tissues, he carefully checked his wrist in a casual manner to not attract the constellation’s attention. It was beginning to become purple.
It wasn't surprising, after all since earlier moving it had become a hassle, so he had expected it to look like this.
— still, It was a big ass bruise and he didn’t want anyone to notice it.
He didn’t want Hyungsung to feel more guilty than what he was already feeling. He sighed as he pulled the sleeve down. That evening he’d ask Bihyung to open the dokkaebi bag.
When he came back to the living room he gave the tissues to Lee Hyungsung and recommended that he rest a bit. He then retreated back to the kitchen, only to notice that Jung Heewon was now there.
But something was off about her, she was holding the counter tightly as if she was supporting herself, then the other hand was digging into her arm. Her nails driven so deep in her skin that they drew blood.
Her head was lowered and this sudden display of vulnerability surprised Kim Dokja— he felt out of place, like he was seeing something he shouldn’t have.
—Heewon?
He called out in a soft whisper as he approached her, when she didn’t answer he called out for her again, this time by lightly touching her shoulder.
—Jung Heewon?
Her head snapped back, her eyes red with fury. In seconds he was being choked by her calloused hands. They were tightly wrapped around his neck, squeezing the air and the life out of it.
Unconsciously Kim Dokja’s hands flew to hers, trying to get her to loosen her grip.
He did get that everybody was tense and he was careless and inconsiderate when approaching her, but wow.
If it kept going like this, by the end of it all his body will be aching all over— he might even get nostalgia from old times!
'Like c'mon guys, spare ne some slack!'
Yes. It was indeed going to be a looong night for Kim Dokja