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“So, ‘getting in your coat’ wasn’t actually a joke?”
“Nope. Be my guest.” Dokja holds the edges of his coat open, exposing the inside. It just looks like a regular lining.
“Dokja-ssi, isn’t that a bit…”
Dokja sighs, like he has done this before, before running at full speed towards Hyunsung, wrapping the inside of his coat around him. He disappears without a word. Dokja turns around to face Gilyoung.
“Well, it's your turn next.”
Watching the raindrops falling upwards in the distance is not one of Kim Dokja’s favourite pastimes, but the most common. He likes to fantasize what it would be like to be in that kind of rain, if he wasn’t immune. Maybe it would burn his skin like acid, or sting him with the force of a thousand needles. Or feel nothing at all, because you can’t feel pain when you don’t exist anymore.
Knowing that sensation would be like coming back from the dead, Dokja thinks. Like how believers revive and proclaim the faith of Jesus Christ, claiming they saw his face at the end of the tunnel.
“Are you zoning out at the Storm again.”
He turns from his spot to find Han Sooyoung, hair flattened like it’s just been washed.
“What’s up with your hair?”
“Uriel said I was filthy from being outside or whatever. Don’t change the subject.”
“Sure. You look stupid.”
“Your face is stupid. Say, why doesn’t that coat of yours ever get stains or anything? It’s white.”
“Good question. Ask Uriel.”
“No. I’m going to sharpen my knife. See ya.” Not even bothering to blowdry her hair, she goes off to prepare for their next trip.
Kim Dokja knows, keeps track of how many times he’s weathered the Storm. 1862 Reversals so far, an unknown number of human casualties, and 8 people he managed to recruit onto his team (or adopt).
They’re still trying to figure out what the Storm is, really. The Eden Foundation manages all projects related to it, and has deemed Kim Dokja as the only one who is completely immune to the Storm’s effects. He has henceforth been assigned the title of Timekeeper – one who keeps track of the flow of time through Storms – whether or not he was interested in being employed. At least he gets to have his own team, Kim Dokja’s Company. (“That’s a stupid name,” Han Sooyoung, who calls everything stupid, had told him. And Kim Dokja had said, “Shut your mouth. You weren’t even born when I made this name.”)
As far as Kim Dokja is allowed to know, no one knows the origins of the Storm, nor can anyone predict the place and time of future Storms. It dissolves the reality of places afflicted, and the humans along with it, then shifts the whole thing to another point in time, like returning a set of playing cards to its reshuffled deck. So, Eden calls this a Reversal. It’s as the principle of mass conservation says – mass cannot be created nor destroyed, and can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another. It is only logical that with so many recorded Reversals, there will be a person from the 3rd pre-Reversal era that looks and sounds exactly the same as one from the 666th pre-Reversal era. One such case is the human that Eden calls (unprofessionally) The Sunfish Yoo Joonghyuk, whose appearance and identity has been recorded at least 1500 times out of the 1862 Reversals that have occurred so far.
Of course, being the sole Timekeeper, Kim Dokja has met the sunfish bastard on many of his trips. Although each Yoo Joonghyuk never remembers any of their previous lives before the Storm, and is rarely even aware of the Storm’s existence, his stubborn tsundere nature somehow remains a constant in every era no matter how the cards were shuffled. He also, Kim Dokja notes in the file as professionally as possible, is easily spotted in a crowd due to his striking looks. Sounds plenty objective.
The files on Yoo Joonghyuk (shelves worth of them – he’s basically a metaphysical miracle) do not contain Kim Dokja’s more… personal encounters with Yoo Joonghyuk. He would write them down just to remember, but writing’s never been his thing, and the thought of Han Sooyoung writing about his extended cross-timeline-universe on-and-off situationship makes him want to kill himself. Does it count as long distance if Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t know of his existence yet? Honestly, most of the time Dokja chooses to avoid Yoo Joonghyuk in most of the pre-Reversal eras, if not for some kind of supernatural entity trying to serve the sunfish to him on a platter. Meeting Yoo Joonghyuk for the first time gets tiring, in the sore way he gets from pressing on a lingering bruise. It’s distracting, unprofessional, and unbecoming for a distinguished Timekeeper like him.
(Well, professional or not, Uriel seems to be in love with the idea of Dokja sweeping Yoo Joonghyuk off his feet and bringing him into Eden headquarters in a bridal carry – Eden Foundation protection is somehow the only way humans can survive through a Reversal. Dokja is not selfish enough for that thought.)
So, to no one’s surprise, the first thing waiting for Kim Dokja in Seoul’s subway is a glimpse of wavy black hair and a long black trench coat.
Dokja has the urge to scream, or call Han Sooyoung, or Uriel, or immediately jump off of the train. Instead, he pulls out his phone to check the time. Well, a man with a job is a man with a job. He promised Yoo Sangah he’d go back for some souvenirs at the Seoul Museum of History while she’s busy with Eden administration work.
Being a Timekeeper doesn’t really come with a schedule – the Storm comes whether or not they do anything about it. If they’re not in need of some new samples, or dealing with anything (or anyone) in their way, the real mission starts once the first signs of reversed rain arrive. That’s how he’d gotten so much time to fool around with Yoo Joonghyuk in the previous eras, like having an old friend you can turn to in the midst of all this death and debris. Except for the fact Yoo Joonghyuk doesn’t know him right now.
The Yoo Joonghyuk that appears in front of him may look as simply dressed as everyone else on the train, but if one looks closely, he most certainly has a dagger hidden somewhere between those belts and straps. Oh, so it’s like that, Dokja thinks.
There are three most commonly recorded ways Yoo Joonghyuk appears pre-Reversal: becoming a pro gamer, a chef, or an assassin. The former two Dokja finds easier to get along with, but the latter he prefers to avoid, if only to save his own neck most of the time. He may be an Arcanist, but he’s not sure he can hold his own against Yoo Joonghyuk if the situation comes to it. Unfortunately for him, this era’s sunfish seems to have violent tendencies, which means he won’t be easy to approach. It’s not that Dokja wants to see him again.
He takes a few good looks at Yoo Joonghyuk anyway while he can. When he’s not spewing curses and insults at him, he’s quite easy to the eye. And maybe he ogles more than necessary, because Yoo Joonghyuk’s gaze flits away from that poor spot on the side of the train car he’s been staring holes in, and makes direct eye contact with Kim Dokja.
Damn, he was going overboard after all. Dokja turns his head towards the window, pretending the eye contact was only an awkward coincidence. He should probably get off at the next stop.
“Next stop is Gwanghwamun Station. The doors to…”
Perfect. He exits the station and walks the familiar path to the museum. Maybe on the way he can pay a visit to the statue of General Yi Sunsin for Jihye’s sake–
Dokja finds himself in a back alley.
“Who are you, and what is your business with me?” A familiar deep voice sounds out. Dokja is backed up against concrete, a knife grazing his throat. He can feel the edge of Yoo Joonghyuk’s trench coat brushing his leg. This sooty bastard’s been tailing him since the station?!
“Hey, wait a minute, I don’t know you either–” The sunfish cages him in further, another arm landing next to his shoulder to block him from escaping. “–hhk! This is attempted kidnapping, you know.”
“Don’t play that game with me. What is your name?”
Dokja takes his breaths as small as possible. “Is that how you treat the ladies?”
“I’m warning you.”
Whatever. This Yoo Joonghyuk doesn’t know him, so there’s no harm in telling him his real name. Less hassle if he bumps into someone he does know, too. “I’m Kim Dokja.”
Yoo Joonghyuk hesitates a bit before moving, as if he’s calculating something. Despite Dokja’s very cooperative response, he is not rewarded with a knife-free neck, but a hand roaming around his pockets and patting his sides. “Hey hey hey, wait–! Shouldn’t you take me out to dinner first before doing all that?”
“Weapons. Out with them.” Clearly, after more than a thousand Reversals, this sunfish still hasn’t learned to play nice. Kim Dokja relents, splaying his arms against the wall. There are worse ways to die.
Dokja grumbles, “Who even are you? Why would I want to harm you?” With how things generally go, Assassin Yoo Joonghyuk is arrogant, ruthless, and annoyingly powerful, which is a great look on him, actually. At this point, Yoo Joonghyuk is probably thinking of the thousands of ways he can get Dokja out of the way. Not that he wants to stay with this guy.
“Don’t act stupid. I see that look in your eyes. You wouldn’t say such reckless things if we were strangers.”
Ah. Dokja supposes he was acting quite familiar with someone he’s never met. It’s never easy to snap out of the easy banter he’s always had with Yoo Joonghyuk. “Seriously, you jerk, I don’t know you, and I don’t care if you think I’m lying. Let me go. I don’t have anything to hurt you with.”
After a few more pats – the bastard even feels around his back pockets! Can’t a man have some dignity around here? – Yoo Joonghyuk lets a flustered Dokja go. Then, he asks, “Do you have a companion?”
Huh? The Yoo Joonghyuk that Dokja knows always works for himself. What kind of idea does that bastard have now? “What? Are you asking if I’m alone?”
Like he hasn’t even registered what came out of his mouth, Yoo Joonghyuk stays silent.
“...No, I don’t.” Then he’s left alone in the alley.
Most of Kim Dokja’s Company have at least heard of Yoo Joonghyuk before; some even worked closely with their own Yoo Joonghyuk before Dokja recruited them into his little team. Two of his closest companions, Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah, have been in his team since the beginning, the latter being assigned to him by Uriel herself. (It’s not very nice to remember them sitting next to him while he’s pissfaced drunk from a singular spiked punch, ranting about the first ever Yoo Joonghyuk he’d met.) And with how often Dokja’s path intertwined with the sunfish in the earlier pre-Reversal eras he’d weathered, it’s not very surprising for most of the recruited Arcanists in Kim Dokja’s Company to have their own history with Yoo Joonghyuk. The sad truth is, half of Dokja’s team are companions of Yoo Joonghyuk’s he doesn’t remember anymore.
Squidkeeper company (9)
Kim Dokja
Guess who i just saw in Gwanghwamun
Han Sooyoung
oh my god
Lee Hyunsung
Who?
Han Sooyoung
sunfish oppa is back
Lee Gilyoung
The sooty bastard??? again??
Kim Dokja
@ Lee Gilyoung Who taught you that word
Han Sooyoung
soot·y /ˈso͝odē/ adjective adjective: sooty; comparative adjective: sootier; superlative adjective: sootiest 1. covered with or colored like soot
Lee Jihye
Ahjussi, say we’re allowed to see him?
Han Sooyoung
@ Kim Dokja i need some fresh air too let me OUT
Kim Dokja genuinely ponders the possibility. It’s not that he wants to be the gatekeeper, but he knows first hand the pain of seeing the lack of recognition in your lifelong companion’s eyes after seeing him fade away in your arms a mere two years ago. He trusts Jihye and the others, he does, but it’s a pain nobody should go through. And for Han Sooyoung’s feigned nonchalance, he knows full well she misses that bastard too. But then, the current Yoo Joonghyuk is too unpredictable for anyone to meet, and he doesn’t want to be any more suspicious than he already is.
Kim Dokja
We have an assassin on our hands
Not for now
Jung Heewon
Let us know if you run into trouble
Dokja sighs. He’s not completely defenseless – he can use his own Arcanist powers when it comes to it, and given the situation he could summon his companions. When he was given the title of Timekeeper, Uriel had equipped him with something called an ‘SSS-grade Infinite Dimension Space Coat’ that, as its name suggests, is actually a disguised, wearable portal that, when activated, transports the target into the user’s chosen dimension. Kim Dokja has this destination permanently set as an isolated mansion in the middle of a snowfield that’s never cold, as he’s always dreamed of as a kid. He’d imagined the dimension himself, but he doesn’t actually spend much time in it, unless he finds a completely secure space to store the coat (usually on a hanger in Uriel’s private office). So, the mansion is now the residence and meeting spot for Kim Dokja’s Company; it’s also a way to bring his companions with him while keeping them safe from the Storm. One small caveat, though, is that humans are not protected against the Storm while in the snowfield, a fact he learned the hard way one Reversal, when he’d tried to save as many people as possible by stuffing them into his coat.
Being the species with the obvious magical advantage, Arcanists have dividing ideas on what to do with humans. Some organizations, like Eden, have a more humanitarian take on the situation, going on the path to help humans be eventually able to survive Reversals. However, some concluded the Storm was some higher deity’s way of culling the weak – they viewed humans as no more than disposable tools, taking human lives carelessly and wanting to harness the powers of the Storm for their own benefit. The Gourmet Association was one such organization. One of its leaders, Asmodeus, had crossed paths with Kim Dokja and his team once or twice, even carelessly killing Yoo Joonghyuk as collateral damage in one of these encounters. If the differing opinions on humans weren’t enough, this had completely fractured the relationship between Eden and the Gourmet Association.
Kim Dokja almost wants to summon one of his companions out of his coat while he has the free time, if only for some idle chatter. Something to occupy his mind other than constantly replaying his recent encounter with Yoo Joonghyuk. This notion is further solidified when he senses a strange presence behind him, light, sneaky footsteps that definitely do not belong to that sunfish. Did that conversation with the others seriously jinx his fate? Maybe the Gourmet Association actually decided to show up and end his misery, again. He decides to ignore whatever it is, and, right, his mission: Sangah’s souvenir.
Not even an hour later, Kim Dokja found himself in another situation.
Damn it, Asmodeus always has to get brave when Dokja’s back home in Seoul again. He knees one of his assailants in the groin, and fires stray sparks of electricity off of his hands to the other two surrounding him. Only three, then? He doesn’t come off that weak, does he?
Might as well make the numbers fair. Dokja is about to throw off his coat and summon Heewon and Hyunsung while his enemies are being electrocuted, when a flutter of black arrives in front of him and finishes his opponents off. A clean assassination.
With blood on the floor and dripping from his dagger, Yoo Joonghyuk turns around and makes eye contact with Dokja once again. “I was right.”
And it only took two turns to end the battle. Dokja is still catching his breath. “What? Stop speaking in riddles, you bastard.”
“You’re not a human. You’re an Arcanist.”
He slips his sleeve back on. Dokja doesn’t know yet what this era’s Yoo Joonghyuk thinks of Arcanists – he could be part of that Salvation Church that campaigns for anti-Arcanist laws for all he knows. So, he stays silent.
Yoo Joonghyuk clears his throat. “So careless with showing your powers in public. I could kill them off without my Arcanum just as easily.”
He’s an Arcanist? Kim Dokja draws in a short breath. In every era before this, Yoo Joonghyuk has been a human. That’s why he’s had such a hard time simply existing around the bastard, knowing however much progress he makes in their relationship in an era, Yoo Joonghyuk will never… If he’s truly an Arcanist,... Dokja doesn’t dare to entertain the hopeful part of him that begs him to come clean to Yoo Joonghyuk about everything, anything for what could be his only chance to get him to stay. Has whichever higher deity taken a liking to their story? Reshuffled their cards to a winning hand.
Yoo Joonghyuk leans in closer to where Kim Dokja is resting on the floor, barely hiding his shock. “Have I gained your trust? Kim Dokja.”
This bastard, always so direct. “...Yes, I am an Arcanist.”
The other man scoffs, as if he didn’t even need to hear Dokja’s confirmation, before pulling him up without warning. “This is a one-time assistance.”
… Why does that feel like a threat?
Squidkeeper company (9)
-4+ unread messages
4 new mentions
Jung Heewon
@ Kim Dokja ? I was on standby and saw the portal about to open but it closed
???
Are you ok
Lee Hyunsung
@ Kim Dokja I’m here
Shin Yoosung
???! did something happen?!
ahjussi????
Jung Heewon
@ Kim Dokja
Han Sooyoung
@ Kim Dokja you idiot what happened
Kim Dokja
I’m fine
YJH to the rescue
Asmodeus sent some guys after me again
Han Sooyoung
i have a better question
Lee Jihye
why would Master save you??
Kim Dokja
I don’t know actually
but he told me something interesting
He’s an Arcanist
Lee Jihye
WHAT???
Han Sooyoung
ok didnt know that was possible?
Lee Hyunsung
But there’s no reason for Joonghyuk-ssi to lie…?
Lee Seolhwa
Dokja-ssi, does this mean we can recruit him?
Kim Dokja
I’ve been thinking the same
Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves right now
It’ll be fine
It’s a worthwhile question to consider. If being reincarnated into an Arcanist only happened once every 1863 Reversals, missing the opportunity to recruit Yoo Joonghyuk now would probably cost them another decade or so. Kim Dokja takes a deep breath, and removes himself from the equation. If they succeeded in taking Yoo Joonghyuk in, first of all, Uriel would be very happy. Yoo Joonghyuk might not be a very good team player, so he would most likely be made the vice leader of Kim Dokja’s Company. Dokja’s team. Dokja shakes his head.
He would be a very strategically useful addition to the team, that’s all. Plus, Eden could use this opportunity to study him up close, figure out what about him is so special. He could find a way to recover his memories.
Kim Do█ja and Yoo J█ █hyuk could start over, for re█ this time.
No. Yoo Joonghyuk is an anomaly of an existence. Who’s to say he actually wants to join the Foundation or be with Kim Dokja or his other companions? No, he always works independently, after all. He should want to keep his normal life as a human, unknowing of any interspecies conflicts or Storms or anything that would harm his loved ones in each era. Plus, his ex-wife is right there.
(He is holding a Yoo Joonghyuk from the █ █th pre-Reversal era. It is 18 minutes until Reversal, and the Storm Syndrome has set in. Yoo Joonghyuk’s left eye and right leg are a mess of familiar blue pixels that Dokja has come to associate with Reversal. If Dokja squints through his tear-filled eyes, Yoo Joonghyuk almost looks like he is melting into the wet concrete ground, or perhaps the concrete is melting into him. The blue pixels are warped in its reflection. Dokja’s team has long since disappeared into his coat, the Timekeeper refusing to keep them in danger despite their protests.
Kim Dokja is holding Yoo Joonghyuk in one arm, the man fully laying over his bent knee, an umbrella in his other, trembling hand. The umbrella is useless when the rain comes from below. It phases through Yoo Joonghyuk’s clothes and erodes him from his soul while it soaks Kim Dokja’s trousers in a chilling cold.
Yoo Joonghyuk opens his mouth, his last coherent sentences in this era. “Kim Dokja. Tell me, you fool. Will I ever get to meet you again?”)
No. Yoo Joonghyuk is better off staying away. He has the right to a normal life where he dies of old age, maybe married with two children.
(Kim Dokja pulls a sobbing Lee Seolhwa from her catatonic husband in the █ █st pre-Reversal era. “Joonghyuk-ah! Joonghyuk-ah!”
He looks away when Seolhwa brings Joonghyuk’s rain-soaked face to her tear-soaked lips, and sends him off a final time. She goes willingly into Dokja’s coat. After, he purses his lips slightly, his mouth forming a tight line, and looks back at the near-unrecognizable Yoo Joonghyuk before setting off by himself.)
It can’t be helped. If not for his own sake, then his companions’.
(Somewhere, in the back of his subconscious. [ Stu█p id Kim█Dok ja. ])
Turns out, there was indeed a more urgent mission other than bringing back souvenirs. The Gourmet Association hadn’t shown up to assault Dokja for no reason – they’d received intel from one of their anonymous spies. The Association was having classified meetings nearly every single night, which was enough indication they were planning something big. If Kim Dokja had been the one to finish that fight – which he could have done! – he would have left one of them alive only to figure out the Association's exact actions. Damn, why does that bastard always have to be so thorough with his kills? At this point, he’s almost certain he and his team would have to seek out the Association’s Seoul branch themselves. No point in waiting until Asmodeus makes another move.
Dokja hadn’t summoned anyone from his coat in case they attracted too much attention in public, but now that he was actually alone… He threw his coat on the floor.
“Han Sooyoung.” He suddenly felt a little childish, like he was the protagonist from that one animal-capturing game.
“Finally. I was wondering what the fuck was going on up here. Couldn’t even swear around the kids.” With the exception of Sangah, Seolhwa, and Gilyoung, who all had assignments to do at Eden this time around, the members of Kim Dokja’s Company were to be on standby whenever Dokja was on a mission. Look, he does text the group often so they don’t get too bored, okay?
“You speak like you just spent ten years in prison. Whatever, let’s get down to business.”
The Gourmet Association isn’t just a minority of extremist Arcanists – most of their members are actually just regular, generally unregistered Arcanists who joined the Association purely to seek protection from the Storm. Aside from Eden, the Association is the only group with protective or useful gear like the Infinite Dimension Space Coat, although probably with a different name and appearance. (Uriel had his coat customized to suit his needs, of course.) It’s really only the higher-ranks who actively scorn humans, but the heart of the Association has been diluted to the extent that the bottom-feeders see being in the Association as some sort of union for Arcanists. Which Dokja supposes is true, to some extent. Essentially, you could join the Association as a low-rank as long as you were an Arcanist. Unfortunately, Dokja is pretty sure that he and Han Sooyoung are recognizable enough by any high-ranking Association member if they happened to walk by, so simply waltzing into their headquarters and asking for employment wouldn’t be a solution.
Han Sooyoung looks at Kim Dokja like he’d just said grass is blue. “I was born to do stealth missions.”
So, Kim Dokja is now staring at yet another wall of a back alley while Sooyoung controls her Arcanum-manifested Avatar from a distance. Apostle, she’d decided to call it. It seems the back alleys are where the action always happens.
Due to recent events, Kim Dokja finds his thoughts automatically wandering back to that bastard. Talk about betrayal.
He replays their encounter in his head like a film. Speaking of which, he hadn’t realized the Yoo Joonghyuk of this era hadn't actually told Dokja his name. Being the arrogant bastard sunfish he was, he’d assumed somehow that Dokja knew of his identity, but it could always be a bluff to scare Dokja off. And the look in his eyes when he said he was an Arcanist was… unfathomable, as much as Dokja prided himself on knowing the most about Yoo Joonghyuk. It was a little like reading the weird fix-it spinoff of a novel he already finished the tragic ending of – the feeling that this did not belong to the same world as the main story, but a sliver of hope that someone thought to write of this at all. To know that Yoo Joonghyuk could finally extend his life beyond the Storm this Reversal was a little anticlimactic. He wonders if his companions feel the same way.
(The bloodied corpse of Yoo Joonghyuk from the █ █st pre-Reversal era lies in front of Kim Dokja, a silent spectator. The killer has kindly left his face untouched as a strange sign of respect, his body only bearing scratch marks in fatal areas. Yoo Joonghyuk died with dignity and sanity intact, eyes still fixed in a relaxed expression, too calm for what the rest of his body endured.
A blackened claw puts Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyelids to rest, the hand of a killer now the hand of a mourner. The girl in front of him is crying silently, as if she were attempting to be as calm and resolute as her Captain when he told her his last wish. The land surrounding them is dry, and Yoo Joonghyuk’s hands look more calloused than before.
The girl looks up at Kim Dokja, tears in her eyes still. He has a solemn expression. She speaks with her throat hoarse. “Ah … Ahjussi. It was what Captain wanted, right?”
She doesn’t seem to have the energy to move a single muscle, so Dokja kneels down next to her, a hesitant hand on her shoulder. “You did well, Yoosung-ah.”
Yoosung doesn’t speak for the rest of the day. Dokja pats her on the head slowly like a child.)
Apostle wears a simple black cloak that goes over his head. The Seoul branch of the Gourmet Association is leagues behind their actual headquarters, being in some sort of underground bar instead of taking up a whole building. It seems to have been renovated mostly using Arcanum, decorations placed in a rush to make the bar look worthy enough for Asmodeus’s arrival. A guard stops Apostle at the entrance. “Name?”
Han Sooyoung decides to keep it short and simple. Maybe gain a little of Yoo Joonghyuk’s brashness. “Apostle. I’m here to serve the Association.”
“Arcanist?”
Apostle does the barest minimum and snaps his fingers. A small fire rests on his finger.
“Welcome to the Association.”
In the alley, Han Sooyoung mumbles just loud enough for Kim Dokja to hear. “I’m in. Fucking idiots.” Kim Dokja sees water gathering at the vents.
Their plan was to gather as much intel as they could, and possibly try to figure out who the spy they had at the Association was. If Asmodeus was sending people after Kim Dokja, there’s a high chance the three low-ranks were just to test the waters. The possibility of getting subdued by the Association on purpose crossed Dokja’s mind again. (Han Sooyoung hits him on the head. “You don’t even know whether they want you dead or alive. We’d like our Timekeeper in one piece, thank you!”)
Han Sooyoung is in the middle of eavesdropping on the neighboring table when an old man pulls Apostle aside to size him up. “You know what, you’re in luck today, rookie. Listen. Two rules in here. One, don’t ask questions. Two, do exactly as you say. If you ever doubt anything that happens in here, remember you could be rotting away out there. Clear?”
Han Sooyoung thought to herself. What kind of typical gangster shit is this? “Understood.”
“You a good fighter?”
“Looking to find out?”
The man laughs in his scratchy tone. “Alright, I get it, kid. Sense of humor your generation has nowadays.” He points to a discreet looking door labelled STAFF ONLY. “Got a mission for you in there. Then we’ll know if you’re a good fighter.”
Right when Apostle is approaching the door, a taller man sweeps past him in a similar black cloak to his. He takes the opportunity to head in the room himself. The room is as dingy as the rest of the establishment. A brown-haired woman in a black silk cape and a folding fan covering half of her face, and a girl with short blonde hair and white lace dress, sits around a table. And of course, the smallest girl in the room, with two braided hair loops and a gothic black dress, is horizontal on the sofa, a lazy gaze sweeping through the room. It’s a strange contrast to the unpolished wooden furniture. It creaks with every kick of her leg. “Who’s this now?”
Han Sooyoung thinks again. For the bigwigs of the Gourmet Association, they don’t have a singular low-ranking officer around them or anything. She and Kim Dokja could’ve easily overpowered these three if they did go with the other plan. “Someone said there was a cause to fight for. I can fight.”
Both of the taller women look Apostle up and down, and the blonde girl’s eyes crinkle with a laugh. “Oh! That’s a good one~ Asmodeus, do you think this guy looks the part?”
Asmodeus doesn’t even look at him. She kicks her legs idly. “Hmph. We have enough.”
The blonde one speaks up again. “Hmm… Are you sure, Asmodeus? This one looks a bit like your type. Not as tall and striking as the one we already have, but still~!” She finishes off with a giggle. Do these people just hire anyone who’s a good looking Arcanist?
At this, Asmodeus finally looks at Apostle. He tries not to move a muscle. “Really, Euphy. I’m not that shallow…”
(While the three exchange looks, undoubtedly judging Apostle’s appearance, Kim Dokja kicks a pebble. Han Sooyoung’s been out for 15 minutes so far – usually she doesn’t have to fully be there for her Avatar skill to work, but there’s a high chance Apostle will just go in threatening people if they leave it to Han Sooyoung’s default subconscious. He’s running out of things to do at this point, already having updated the rest of the group on their current plans. Dokja hates the feeling of waiting.)
The woman that isn’t Asmodeus or Euphy speaks up. Her golden eyes seem to pierce through Apostle. “Hold on a minute.” She waves her hand, and a green light passes through him. Han Sooyoung guesses it’s some sort of mental attack that’s supposed to stop Apostle from leaking any information; Avatars made from Arcanum can be physically hurt, but are mostly resistant to this kind of thing. The woman narrows her eyes a little at Apostle’s lack of reaction. “Safety measure.”
The other two carry on as if nothing happened. Asmodeus says, “You know, actually, this one’s got a sort of rugged beauty to him. That man who left just now’s more striking, but this one …” Han Sooyoung tunes them out again. She decides to focus on the quietest one, the one still staring Apostle down like she knows him. It’s probably, no, definitely, a fear tactic. Apostle was just a random guy Sooyoung made up in her head a good thirty minutes ago. Did she actually figure out who Apostle was, or does her resting face just look like that? (Also, Han Sooyoung wishes she’d stayed longer to see that mysterious guy’s face so she could see what the hype’s all about. At this rate, the Storm would have already ended if she waited for them to finish.)
Before Apostle can interrupt, the other woman starts first. “Enough,” she says firmly. “Don’t forget this boy’s mission.” Han Sooyoung internally thanks her, even if she’d probably done that only to send Apostle to his death quicker. Asmodeus, who was still horizontal and twirling one of her hair loops in thought, sits up completely. Euphy straightens up from where she’d been leaning against a ratty pillow.
“Fine~ It’s simple. Just go after that guy who just left, and report back if you see anything he shouldn't be doing, like, revealing himself to the target or whatever. I forget anything?”
How the fuck do these people do anything around here? Han Sooyoung feels herself getting more impatient. “Any names and descriptions, anything? I’d, well, hate to get the wrong person.”
“Oh, right! The target is wanted for, betraying us… Uh, doesn’t really matter, just keep him alive. He has a white trench coat with him all the time, looks kind of ugly. I’m not good with names~” Okay, so Kim Dokja. That they knew.
The other woman finally speaks. “Allow me. Let’s call our target the Squid. And as for our dear assassin…” The woven sprig of gold in the woman’s eyes turns into thorns, flytrap tightening its jaws.
“...the Sunfish.”
It has to be some kind of curse at this point. Either Yoo Joonghyuk is actively stalking him, or some higher power really wants them to spend time together. Currently, Yoo Joonghyuk is standing over a crouching Kim Dokja and half-conscious Han Sooyoung. Dokja looks up at him, unfazed. “You again?”
The man grunts in acknowledgement. “I thought you were alone.”
“I don’t know her.”
Yoo Joonghyuk stares at him, trying to figure out from Dokja’s expression whether he’s joking or not. Too bad, he has a really good poker face. Anyway, Dokja throws him a bone. “…Coworker.”
This just makes Yoo Joonghyuk’s eye twitch harder. What answer did he even want from Dokja? “Are you actually following me around? Stupid sunfish.” He says that last part to himself.
Yoo Joonghyuk stares blankly at Dokja. Again, seriously, this guy can’t keep his eyes off of him. Is it possible for a Reversed human to have subconscious memories of their past self? Something to note to Uriel. “What did you just call me.”
“You haven’t even given me your name, o good sir who stalks me.”
“I’m not stalking you. You just look like you’re up to no good.”
“Oh, great! I’m just a normal office worker who also happens to be an Arcanist, and made inappropriate eye contact with you on the train. That’s up to no good for you?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you.” Maybe Yoo Joonghyuk is less on guard with his mannerisms since Dokja isn’t supposed to know know him, but being a professional sunfish microexpression analyst, Dokja can see his hand moving ever so slightly to where he keeps his dagger, and the way Yoo Joonghyuk’s gaze wavers when he looks between Dokja and the still-out-of-commission Sooyoung.
Kim Dokja’s been so preoccupied with the details of their frequent encounters, that he hadn’t considered the broader implications of Yoo Joonghyuk always being around him. In the other eras, it’s always been Dokja who was in pursuit of Yoo Joonghyuk while he skilfully dodges Dokja’s attempts to befriend him. Honestly, he wants to enjoy the feeling while it lasts, but the more rational side of him begs for his vigilance. The infinitesimal possibility of Yoo Joonghyuk being an Arcanist and being gravitationally attached to Kim Dokja? Ha. There’s a higher chance of Asmodeus using his Arcanum to turn Yoo Joonghyuk into an actual sunfish. He fiddles with Han Sooyoung’s split ends.
It’s silent again – Dokja still doesn’t know why on Earth Yoo Joonghyuk is still standing there with them – until Han Sooyoung stirs. Her hand grasps around pointlessly until she catches hold of Kim Dokja’s arm. “Kim Dokja–! Y–”
Dokja has never moved so quickly. He lifts his coat and covers them both so Yoo Joonghyuk can’t hear. “What? What happened?”
Han Sooyoung coughs, as if she can’t get a word out. Underground, Apostle’s eyes are wide open as his severed head continues to stare in front of him. Asmodeus’ purple lightning fizzles out. “I didn’t expect it to be you, Han Sooyoung-ssi~” She turns to look at the brown-haired woman. “Persephone, how’d you know?”
Fuck. Her cover is blown. She switches over to her original body, managing to get a couple of words out.
The woman stands, finally revealing her face. Her folded fan traces a casual path down her chin. She doesn’t answer Asmodeus, but addresses Apostle directly. “Heh. How do you think we let you in? Sooyoung.”
Apostle grimaces. “Don’t act so familiar with me.” There’s no more time. The Avatar scatters into the humid air.
When Han Sooyoung comes to, stupid Kim Dokja is too close to her. She lets go of his arm and gets to her feet. Of course. The sunfish is already poised to attack, dagger unsheathed. “Don’t come any closer.”
Dokja looks between her and Yoo Joonghyuk. “What? What did you find out?”
“Wake up, Kim Dokja. This fucking bastard’s been trying to gain your trust so he can hand you in to Asmodeus!” Sooyoung imbues her daggers with her black flames, also poised to attack. God, how could she have missed the red flags? Maybe that stupid squid brain is contagious, he’s just too obsessed with that bastard, he doesn’t care about his own safety– She knew that the situation was too good to be true, as much as she wanted, so much, for Yoo Joonghyuk to ride off into the sunrise with them forever. Looking at Dokja’s expression, Sooyoung knows him well enough to see he’s at a similar stage of denial.
Kim Dokja smiles. “Kill me, Yoo Joonghyuk.” To Sooyoung’s horror, the bastard actually looks like he’s about to do it.
“Kim Dokja! Move! What the fuck are you doing?!” When Yoo Joonghyuk rushes towards them, she pushes Dokja out of the way to block his attack. Fuck, she’s definitely not good enough alone against this guy. “Are you stupid?! Have you forgotten everything you’ve worked for, Kim Dokja?!” She can’t find an opening quick enough to strike him; all she can do is block attack after attack until she finds the energy and time to split an Avatar. “Kim Dokja!”
Yoo Joonghyuk isn’t even aiming for any fatal spots on Sooyoung. She takes the opportunity to start speaking. “Hey, bastard.” Sooyoung dodges a slash to the face. “Not the face!– What did the Gourmet Association even offer you? Was it just that they got to you first?!” With what she knows about Yoo Joonghyuk, his goals have always been personal. There’s no doubt the Association offered him a good deal, but she knows Eden can do better. Kim Dokja isn’t the only one who wants Yoo Joonghyuk to stay, after all.
Dokja looks at the vents. The water level is going higher; it won’t be long until the raindrops start to rise. He hadn’t wanted to fight Yoo Joonghyuk right now – they’re nowhere mentally prepared for this, and he knows there has to be a way to convince Yoo Joonghyuk to be on their side. With how they’re still alone in the alley, he takes it that Asmodeus hadn’t bothered to find their very conspicuous hiding place, probably finding preparing for the Storm to be more important.
The bastard still isn’t speaking. They’re going to have to play their cards very carefully. Sooyoung glances at Dokja, who is not looking at them. “Yoo Joonghyuk,” she starts again, “the people in the Association aren’t the only ones who can help you. They’re corrupt, and they want all humans dead. I don’t think that’s your goal, and if you were aiming to take down the Association from the inside out all by yourself, that’s not the way to go about it.”
“I want,” Yoo Joonghyuk grunts, propelling himself away from Han Sooyoung’s defensive stance, “–to live.”
Then, three things happen at once. The first raindrop flows towards the sky. Yoo Joonghyuk drops his knife, and disappears into Dokja’s coat.
It’s silent for a while. Sooyoung goes to pick Yoo Joonghyuk’s knife up. “Were you planning that the entire time?”
Dokja closes his eyes briefly, and holds his open coat towards Sooyoung, who takes it instinctively. “Give me a moment to talk to him.” She watches as he opens the portal again.
Now alone in the alley, Sooyoung sighs. She lets the raindrops flow through her hand. The rain won’t harm a regular Arcanist like her, right now at least.
When Kim Dokja opens his eyes again, Yoo Joonghyuk is already waiting for him. They’re in one of the more secluded rooms Dokja keeps from the rest of their team. It’s covered in settled dust, there are books all over the place, and it’s completely soundproof. Yoo Joonghyuk looks around without moving his head.
He feels bare without the coat. “Let’s have a talk, Yoo Joonghyuk.”
Dokja has experienced this a thousand times over. He peeks from the doorway to the kitchen to spy on Joonghyuk’s cooking. Whether or not he chooses to become a chef, the skills have always been there. It’s a celebratory feast to mark the start of their alliance – Sangah, Hyunsung and Jihye offered to help in the kitchen, but with Joonghyuk being Joonghyuk, he decides to do everything himself. Won’t even let Lee Seolhwa’s surgically precise hands near the mise en place.
(The █ █th Yoo Joonghyuk is sitting so close to Kim Dokja on the Kaizenix Castle’s massive couch that their thighs touch. He nudges Kim Dokja, who realizes he’s been restlessly shaking his leg against Yoo Joonghyuk’s the entire time. In this era, unusually, he is not Yoo Joonghyuk but Schweichen von Kaizenix, the First Prince of Kaizenix Archipelago. This time, the rest of Kim Dokja’s Company are allowed out and gathered in the keep’s Great Hall as guests, chattering amongst themselves.
He’s exhausted. Co-leading a revolution is hard work. “Y- Schweichen. Your Highness. What are you thinking?”
“Don’t call me that.”
Dokja doesn’t know what he expected. He follows Yoo Joonghyuk’s line of sight regardless and sees he is staring intently at the far corner of the room where Lee Seolhwa is speaking about something to Jihye. Because Dokja is stupid, he says, “Want me to set you up?”
Yoo Joonghyuk finally turns around to look at him. “Are you a pervert?”
Dokja doesn’t bother to clarify he meant Lee Seolhwa. “Sorry, just kidding.”
“…”
“What do you want to do now, Yoo- Your Highness?”
Yoo Joonghyuk is silent for a while. “There is nothing more to want.” He relaxes further into the couch, which makes his legs spread further and in turn push Dokja’s legs to the side. Dokja doesn’t move. “Then, do you have an unfulfilled wish?”
“Uh, me?”
“Yes, Kim Dokja.”
Dokja looks between Yoo Joonghyuk and the rest of Kim Dokja’s Company, together in the same room. It’s a thought that doesn’t leave once it has taken root in his mind. His first instinct is to say something in the complete opposite direction, like “I want to have some alone time for once”, or even something out-of-character-ly ambitious like “world peace”, but he settles on:
“I want to live in a really big house with everyone.”
Yoo Joonghyuk looks at him like he’s a little stupid. “We are already in a really big house with everyone.”
Dokja doesn’t say anything. Instead, he redirects his attention to the faint sounds of rain outside.)
Yoo Joonghyuk doesn’t even look up from his cooking. “What, Kim Dokja?”
“Nothing. Just admiring that ugly mug of yours. You’ll cook for us again, right?”
“...”
“Yoo Joonghyuk?”
“...Right. Yes.” Then, Yoo Joonghyuk shoves a tray of small dishes of pickled carrots, panfried vegetable pancakes and seasoned bean sprouts into his arms. He heads back out to the set table.
The table seems to have decided for Dokja to be at the center next to Yoo Joonghyuk and Mia, and everyone else seated around them. Gilyoung and Yoosung have a brief fight on who gets to sit next to Dokja’s other side; Sooyoung pretends to go for another pancake while sliding into said seat. Kim Dokja still has no idea how Yoo Joonghyuk can get so much cooking done in such a short amount of time. By now, the table is completely full. Everyone seems mesmerized for a moment at the sight before them, except Yoo Joonghyuk who just looks closely at Dokja’s reaction. Dokja pretends not to see the eyes on him and gives a small smile to his companions.
“Ahjussi, this feels like the time for you to give a speech!” Gilyoung pipes up. Yoosung looks at Dokja with a determined smile as if to encourage him.
Dokja balks a little. “Uh, well.” Then he remembers his character, and puts on his Leader Timekeeper Voice.
“This feast is in honour of our newest member Yoo Joonghyuk, and his sister Mia. … We’ve worked hard today, everyone. Eat up and get some rest.” He hopes this is enough. He doesn’t get to do speeches often.
Lee Hyunsung helps him out by raising his glass of water. “To Joonghyuk-ssi, and Dokja-ssi!” The others follow suit with their own variants of chants, and Dokja feels a little strange at Hyunsung’s initial words. Does he have to make it sound like they’re celebrating their anniversary or something? He looks over at Yoo Joonghyuk, but the man is busy flicking something out of Mia’s hair.
The rest of the dinner is filled with chatter; even Yoo Mia seems to get along with Yoosung, Jihye and Heewon in particular. No one seems to address the Storm-shaped elephant in the room, well, or out of the room. The constant loss through the Storms has conditioned Dokja to feel distant towards any human he meets that isn’t Yoo Joonghyuk, and Mia isn’t an exception, although Dokja knows how important the girl is to him. To Yoo Joonghyuk, though, Dokja thinks it must be rough for him to experience loss for the very first time in this life. He catches Joonghyuk glance at Mia every few seconds like a typical overbearing brother would.
(“My sister,” Yoo Joonghyuk had said to him a few hours ago. “Also. …She’s still outside. Mia is only a human.”
It’s something Dokja fully expected. Since Yoo Joonghyuk was lucky enough to be born an Arcanist, he thought cynically, there’s no way Yoo Mia would be spared as well. Arguably, this would be a worse fate for Yoo Joonghyuk than if they’d both died together as humans. Dokja should know.
He decides not to say anything about it. “Ah. Since you’re an Arcanist, you’ll be fine here and under the rain outside, until the actual Reversal. We can bring your sister here, for her last– for a few moments. But she will still be Reversed when the time comes.”
Yoo Joonghyuk nods solemnly in acknowledgment. “And how should I trust you?”
“The rest of my companions are just downstairs outside of this room. We don’t have much time, but all I can say to gain your trust right now, is the Eden Foundation wants you on our team. You’re a good fighter. Fight with us, Yoo Joonghyuk.” Really, Kim Dokja is out of his depth saying all this optimistic stuff, but it’s just a broad generalization of Eden’s ideals. Plus, the fact they need to study Yoo Joonghyuk for cosmic anomalies can be saved for later.
The man in front of him exhales with the feeling of putting down a large weight. “Prove it.”)
The group grows quieter when the rain rises heavier. It’s a strange scene – the snowfield around the house is completely peaceful and unmoving, while the rain splashes behind the false sky, presumably in a local abandoned Eden branch safespot before Han Sooyoung had headed into the coat herself. Yoo Mia holds Yoo Joonghyuk’s hand tightly.
Mia’s words have a trembling calmness to it, a voice that should belong to someone three times her age. “Everyone… Orabeoni… I’m…” she struggles to form words for a few seconds and stops. Mia sighs, and Yoo Joonghyuk slowly raises his arm to pat her shoulder soothingly. Then, the ends of her pigtails start to glow in telltale Storm Syndrome pixelated blue.
Her voice grows even more distorted. “Thank you for cooking, orabeoni– You guys–” she looks like she wants to say more, but Yoo Joonghyuk stops her with a tilt of his head, as if telling her not to strain herself. The formal farewell is left unspoken as Mia closes her eyes under the gaze of her temporary companions. Yoo Joonghyuk’s hands are a little shaky.
Then, as Yoo Mia starts to fade from existence, Yoo Joonghyuk says, “Kim Dokja.”
“I’m sorry.”
Yoo Joonghyuk sounds almost offended. “What? Why are you sorry.”
“For your loss.” He is.
“Tch. Don’t play around.” Next to them, Gilyoung looks like he wants to jump in to defend Dokja, but Yoo Joonghyuk has an effect on people that makes them not want to talk to him. “Come outside.”
Kim Dokja wants to refuse with the excuse of saying it’s cold out in the snowfield (which it isn’t, since the sky and the snow are no more than stage props), but Yoo Joonghyuk moves a bit too urgently for him to refuse. Knowing full well the rest of their companions are spying on them from inside the window, Dokja follows his steps.
Yoo Joonghyuk walks a good distance from the house, enough for them to be out of earshot. The snow beneath his shoes is decently deep – when he finally stands still, turning around to face Kim Dokja, the snow goes up to his ankles. “Kim Dokja.” He says the name slowly, almost savoring the feel of the vowels around his tongue.
Dokja thinks his name’s been said so many times this era. It’s almost enough to make a dictionary full of the ‘Kim Dokja’s that Yoo Joonghyuk has said in variants of tones. Knowing what the bastard is like, there’s no way he pulled Dokja out of the warmth of his home without an important reason. He suddenly has a feeling of dread.
“Yoo Joonghyuk–”
“There’s something you’re not telling me.” Is it just the illusion of coldness, or does his voice sound a little off?
Dokja takes a second to think. “If this is about your sister, I understand how you feel, but I don’t think there’s a way to–”
Yoo Joonghyuk cuts him off with a heavy stare. “No, it’s not about that.” And instead of elaborating, he shuffles his leg out of the snow.
No, that can’t be right.
Now that Dokja is actively looking for it, there are undeniably blue distortions growing from Yoo Joonghyuk’s cold-covered feet, the tips of his fingers, the center of his chest. He can’t tell if the blue in his eyes is merely a reflection, or if the Storm Syndrome has really spread that far.
There’s no way Yoo Joonghyuk hasn’t doubled over in pain yet. But, this stupid man is still standing in front of him trying to talk.
“You didn't have to lie, Yoo Joonghyuk.”
“It was for Mia. Joining the Gourmet Association. It was the only way.”
Kim Dokja understood most humans didn’t know about the Storm until it was too late. And once there were physical signs of the Storm, humans generally succumbed to the Syndrome and eventually lost all sense of conscience anyway.
For Yoo Joonghyuk to know about the Storm long enough to find his way into the Gourmet Association… He must have been in contact with some kind of prophet. Kim Dokja only knew of one person capable of this – he was going to have a quick few words with her when he returned to the Foundation. Ah, fuck, he knew he was missing something; that spell the Association does to keep the mouths shut of whoever works for them. It only works on Arcanists, since there’s no way they would willingly work with a human, but in this case… He should have been wary of Yoo Joonghyuk the moment he decided to jump ship with no consequence whatsoever.
But now, there was no return or starting over for this particular Yoo Joonghyuk. It looks like even on the verge of death, the man is as tight-lipped as ever; he won’t even admit out loud that he’s a human.
Kim Dokja thought to himself: not that Yoo Joonghyuk needed to spell anything out when it came to talking with Dokja.
“Yoo Joonghyuk.”
“I won’t bother you and your companions any longer.”
“That’s not what I–” An uncontrollable force pushes Kim Dokja forward. He puts both of his hands on Yoo Joonghyuk's shoulders. Yoo Joonghyuk startles just a little. “You really want to know the truth? Right now?”
There is a glint in Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes that gives away his interest. So, Kim Dokja starts talking. The record of Yoo Joonghyuk, the Sunfish, the anomaly that has plagued the Eden Foundation since its establishment and persisted through 1863 eras so far, who will add another digit to the number of his Reversals in a few minutes.
It’s not a good narration by any means. He’s mostly rambling to himself with the attentive audience of one, steadily fading away by the second. Kim Dokja wouldn’t be able to stand it if the vision of Yoo Joonghyuk listening struck him directly, so he stares at the rise and fall of Yoo Joonghyuk's chest belt as he still continues to breathe.
He relays details he would rather take to the grave than mention to Uriel, Yoo Sangah or even Han Sooyoung. The words fall out of him like baby birds thumping to the ground before learning to flap their wings. At one point, Yoo Joonghyuk crumpled to the ground under his arms. He doesn't register how tightly he holds Yoo Joonghyuk, but the man is still unmovingly looking at him.
Maybe this position has been ingrained into whichever form Yoo Joonghyuk takes, the clasp of Kim Dokja’s hands on his shoulders or in his hair or on the sides of his face. They fall into it as naturally as water disappears into a sink.
The sound of his own voice drowns out everything else. And when he comes to, even the imprint of Yoo Joonghyuk in the snow is gone.
After a while of silence, Han Sooyoung steps out from where the rest of the group has gathered behind Dokja at some point of his rambling. She kneels down and wipes off some of the half-dried tears on his face with her thumb. Then, her arm falls back loosely to her side.
“Ahh, this is a bit embarrassing…” Kim Dokja feels like the last thirty minutes was a dream. His voice is laughing, but his eyes are still glassy, looking straight ahead at nothing.
Everyone copes in different ways when something they fervently hoped would come true ends up to be a fluke. Uriel lets Dokja stay in the Eden Foundation’s database for a longer time than usual. While he’s there, Han Sooyoung makes him read the new action novella she wrote within the week. Yoo Sangah continues to write reports with Uriel. It happens to be Heewon and Hyunsung’s turn to cook this week, so they use the same pots and pans Yoo Joonghyuk had used, to cook Dokja a fancier-than-usual omurice with no tomatoes. Jihye practices her swordsmanship alone. Seolhwa watches Dokja closely as she does her research across the room. Gilyoung and Yoosung are chased out of the database by Han Sooyoung, so they draw pictures in the snow outside.
It would take too much time to mourn Yoo Joonghyuk after every era, if he even existed at all. For all Dokja knows, it could just be a coincidence, and they were just following a random guy. A coincidence that happened 1863 times. Regardless, the records in Uriel’s office are enough of an obituary. Han Sooyoung is always saying if he loves reading so much, he should read her writing instead. (Dokja doesn’t remind her that she writes about half of Uriel’s reports, but he appreciates the sentiment of trying to distract him.) He really should read something else, but he finds the repetition hard to pull out of. Name: Yoo Joonghyuk. Species: Human. Gender. Date of Birth. Date of Death. Age: 28. Age: 31. Age: 68. Age:█ █. Kim Dokja reads again like he can find a method to the madness.
There are some loose ends he needs to wrap up, anyway. He takes a moment to wait out the cramp in his leg when he stands up again. Lee Seolhwa sends him a sharp look when he tries to swallow a pained hiss.
The walls of Zarathustra Hall are polished as usual. “I need to see Anna Croft.”
It’s easier than it should be for Dokja to barge into Anna Croft’s office without an appointment. The last few times he was here, the woman always had an irritating expression on her face that gave off the impression that his every move adhered to her predictions. God, Dokja knew she was the only prophet in this place, but couldn’t you lower your ego just a little?
“Are you done meddling yet, Anna Croft?” He doesn’t wait for her to turn around in her chair before speaking – seeing her silhouette already reignited the fire that had been previously comforted by the neat records.
“I have done nothing of the sort.”
“I know it was you. Leading Yoo Joonghyuk to the Gourmet Association? Giving him intel, and telling him to lie about –” Dokja huffs a breath, “ – about being an Arcanist. You should think about the answer you give me, because you know I am capable of escalating this situation to Uriel. Our beloved prophet, betraying the Eden Foundation to offer Yoo Joonghyuk to Asmodeus on a silver platter.”
Anna Croft starts to turn around at the mention of Yoo Joonghyuk. “Timekeeper Kim. There is classified information even you are not privy to. What the Foundation plans to do with Yoo Joonghyuk, or shall I say, the subject The Sunfish, is out of your control.”
“You’re saying the Foundation told you to do this?” Kim Dokja is half convinced Anna Croft is bullshitting him just to see his reaction, or throw him off, something like that. He likes to think it’s almost an unofficial assignment, for Timekeeper Kim Dokja to always be the one pursuing Sunfish Yoo Joonghyuk through the eras, the two sides of a coin. So, for the Foundation to allegedly be planning something with Yoo Joonghyuk before running it by him…
Anna Croft has the audacity to look sorry for him. “Indeed, I was the one giving him instructions in this era. He was under supervision of our spy at the Association the entire time, so it had always been a safe operation, if Timekeeper Kim was worried about the Foundation risking a life.” She fixes him with a red glint in her stare.
Dokja really wants to give her a piece of his mind here, but he grits his teeth and turns around without a farewell. He’s not entirely sure what he should be taking away from that interaction; he’d love to chalk it up to Anna Croft being a bitch and leading Yoo Joonghyuk down a wrong path just to spite him, but really, he knows she wouldn’t use her powers and go through all that effort for something that trivial. After all, in order to give Yoo Joonghyuk orders, she had to gain his trust too. (He suppresses the sharp sting of jealousy… Ah, what? Yoo Joonghyuk isn’t his.)
It’s not worth it to ruminate on it now. Dokja’s procrastinated enough already; he still has the paperwork that Uriel assigned to him, and he’s not allowed to use his team leader powers to assign it to someone else.
Yoo Sangah hands the company a set of new IDs, freshly printed and polished cards attached to a lanyard that repeats “OLYMPUS UNIVERSITY”. Next to him, Lee Gilyoung cheers. Dokja can understand, since the boy was recruited to the Foundation before he’d even finished his regular high school education.
He looks down at his own student ID. “KIM DOKJA : STUDENT ID : 91587942” stares back at him in a taunting blue font. Isn’t he a bit too old for this?
“Aren’t I a bit too old for this?” Dokja protests to deaf ears. Nobody is listening to him. He’s Lead Timekeeper Kim Dokja, he saved these Arcanists and pulled them up by their stray hairs, and nobody listens to him.
This time, Uriel had assigned them to investigate a university suspected of colluding with the Gourmet Association. Naturally, the team chose the members with the most acting potential. Gilyoung and Yoosung were obvious choices, since they were the youngest and most likely to pass as students. Heewon had taken one look at him and volunteered – on his behalf! – his name to roleplay as a university student. Sure, he can look twenty-one, ignore the fact he’s more than a decade older than that. He already has back pain and migraines because of this bunch, but. Close enough.
Lee Hyunsung adjusts his lanyard next to Dokja, then pats him on the shoulder gently. “It’s alright, Dokja-ssi. You’ll do well!” Easy to say when he was hired as a sports coach, Dokja thinks. Never trust a school authority figure.
Then, he looks to Han Sooyoung next to him, looking vaguely proud. “Ah, I always knew I had the potential to pass as a university student~ I’m a genius beautiful girl writer after all. Hey, Kim Dokja, don’t look so sad. Yoo Sangah-ssi and I will make your school life a breeze~”
He gives her a look that says “whatever floats your boat”, then looks back down at the ID. They’d used the same picture on file at the Foundation for these; this Kim Dokja is thin and has a faraway look in his eyes, a product of the upbringing that he chooses not to think about, before the Foundation had taken him in. He hadn’t really cared about his appearance back then, but now that this picture is going to be shown off to anyone who bothers to take a look, he wishes he did. Ah, maybe from a different angle… No, that kind of thing only works in the mirror. Camera distortion is no joke. He wasn’t that ugly, right?
Either way, there are many things that remind Kim Dokja of his past, and his university life was unimpressive at best. Then, at the ripe age of 33, he attends university again with his friends. It’s not unlike rewriting history, even though they’re not here just to experience university life.
He looks at Hyunsung ruffling Gilyoung’s hair, and at Sangah quickly trying to hide a knife Sooyoung had accidentally brought onto school grounds. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.
Of course, there’s the feeling that Yoo Joonghyuk would be here as well. He always shows up anyway.
Kim Dokja thinks he’ll accept a school if he can't have a big house.