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[90% of your citizens permanently left your area and moved to the Yoo Joonghyuk Industrial Complex.]
[A new industrial complex, the ‘Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja Industrial Complex’ emerged from the joined population.]
The messages popped up before my eyes on the second day of my escape. At least most of the citizens arrived safely at the other industrial complex… but what’s with this sudden fusion? And why Yoo Joonghyuk’s name was in the first place in the new industrial complex? Ah, never mind.
I felt a slight remorse in my chest when I thought about Yoo Joonghyuk. I know he was still angry at me because of the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint incident. Even though he helped me save Biyoo, I was not sure how he would act when we meet next time. Maybe he is not that happy with this new resolution about our joined industrial complex...
[Kim D okja is an i diot.]
“Shut up.”
This brat and his comments… I was not paying attention to the Fourth Wall, rather I checked my surroundings. I was still riding the ‘Dog Who Threw Himself into the Flames’ and I had to be on alert even though we didn’t face any enemies for a long time now. The persistent dog kept me safe from the pursuing constellations for more than twenty-four hours now and he was still running tirelessly. In this tempo perhaps we would reach the newly emerged industrial complex in half a day or less.
[Kim D okja sh ould check h is messa ges som etimes.]
The Fourth Wall was really talkative today. Usually, he just teased me with cheeky comments but now I had an ominous feeling about this sudden alert. I sighed and gave in.
What messages was he talking about?
I checked the notification window of the indirect messages I got from the constellations… they were mainly irritated notes about my boring flight. Well, thank you, sometimes even I can have the luxury to be boring?
Then I suddenly saw the little icon… Midday Tryst.
[You have 38 unread messages.]
Shit. Thirty-eight? Why didn’t I get any notifications from Midday Tryst until now? It was because of the distance? Or because of that bastard Dokgak? I could easily see that the dokkaebi was the one who hold back my messages on purpose.
I opened the suppressed window and I gulped when I saw the name of the sender of all my unread messages: 'Yoo Joonghyuk'
Shit. I have the feeling that the bastard would want to kill me even more after this… I hurriedly opened his first message. It started like this: Kim Dokja, I saved Biyoo / Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 23 hours and 39 minutes ago
His messages continued over the last day.
But why did you suddenly disappear? / Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 22 hours and 54 minutes ago
I have no time for your childish antics. / Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 22 hours and 39 minutes ago
I will kill you if you don’t show up again. / Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 21 hours and 18 minutes ago
It isn’t a joke. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 20 hours and 39 minutes ago
Kim Dokja. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 17 hours and 38 minutes ago
…
You make me angrier than before. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 10 hours and 56 minutes ago
It is enough. Stop this annoying act. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 9 hours and 20 minutes ago
The new name of our nebula is „Fucking Idiot’s Company”. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 8 hours and 56 minutes ago
Fucking idiot. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 7 hours and 55 minutes ago
What did you do this time? /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 7 hours and 30 minutes ago
…
Write. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 2 hours and 25 minutes ago
If you sacrifice yourself again I will kill you again. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 2 hours and 15 minutes ago
Don’t dare to die. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 2 hours and 5 minutes ago
Kim Dokja. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 1 hour and 55 minutes ago
KIM DOKJA. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 1 hour and 04 minutes ago
WRITE. /Sender: Yoo Joonghyuk, 1 hour and 03 minutes ago
Wow.
I was kind of in awe that Yoo Joonghyuk had the capacity to have a conversation this long, even if it was only with himself… and yeah, I was a little bit touched that he was so concerned about me despite the fact that we were officially not on speaking terms right now. This sunfish bastard…
[You ar e not just a litt le bit touch ed.]
[Kim D okja is smi ling like a sc hool girl.]
“Shut up!”
I really wanted to turn off the Fourth Wall sometimes. Nevertheless, I was still smiling when I wrote my answer to that jerk.
- You idiot. I am alive, I was in a personal scenario!
I was not sure if the distance will be sufficient between us to have a conversation in real-time. Midday Tryst usually worked in a fixed radius and I was not sure what’s the delay time if you are too far away from your target. But I have to try anyway.
- I am going back to the industrial complex. Wait for me there, okay?
- I mean… our new industrial complex.
- By the way, if our nebula’s name is Fucking Idiot’s Company, then our industrial complex should be named Sunfish Bastard’s Industrial Complex. What do you think?
I sent the messages with a satisfied grin. As predicted, there was not an answer immediately which probably was the penalty of being too far away from each other… or I really angered the sunfish bastard and he didn’t check his messages anymore. Anyway, I hoped this idiot won’t do anything stupid until I get back.
The ‘Dog Who Threw Himself into the Flames’ had probably felt my excitement (and worry) through my body because he started to run at an even higher speed than before. I wished we could go even faster than that…
*
After six or seven hours of uneventful traveling, we finally arrived safely at the Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja Industrial Complex. And I almost got a double take when the Hidden scenario emerged. My messages were still unread in the Midday Tryst window but now I started to understand the reason behind it.
[Hidden scenario – ‘the Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja Game’ is in progress.]
[Midday Tryst is automatically closed. You can’t use any communication device while the hidden scenario is in progress in the area.]
[Would you like to participate in the hidden scenario – ‘the Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja Game’?]
I let out a tortured sigh. Now, what the hell is going on here?
<><><>
I had a bad feeling about this. Most hidden scenarios were activated according to the will of the Star Stream, just like the main scenario. There was still a lot of time until the Demon King Selection, so of course, the constellations needed some entertainment until then. But why this scenario? What’s the meaning of this?
A subsequent message gave me a hint.
[The citizens of the industrial complex are currently confused about the identity of their leaders.]
[An emergency promotion scenario is activated.]
It seemed like the sudden fusion of our industrial complexes created a commotion. Maybe our earlier impersonation act with Yoo Joonghyuk was also not helping the situation at all. A lot of people were still chanting the ‘I am Yoo Joonghyuk’ slogan and the citizens of my industrial complex only saw me for a brief moment before the ‘Skirmish’ scenario started. It was not a surprise that they were confused…
[We are currently electing the ‘real Yoo Joonghyuk’ and ‘real Kim Dokja’ of the industrial complex.]
Damn, this was not good at all. Did Yoo Joonghyuk arrive here at all? That bastard didn’t get my replies in Midday Tryst and he sounded like he planning to do something stupid again… Shit. At this rate, our names were going to be stolen and we can’t participate in the Demon King Selection!
“Yiiip!”
I turned to the ‘Dog Who Threw Himself into the Flames’ – I mean ‘Osu’. I gave him the name when we arrived at the complex and allowed the dog-constellation to stay by my side. Now he looked like a loyal golden retriever next to me. He looked at me with questioning puppy eyes.
“Ah, you shouldn’t participate in this scenario, Osu. Go find Jang Hayoung and the Breaking the Sky Sword Master! I would join you after this… whatever is this.”
Since this was not a mandatory scenario I only hoped that the others wouldn’t want to try to impersonate me or Yoo Joonghyuk. The idea was just ridiculous but knowing the party members… maybe Jang Hayoung would try it? He was also such a cheeky kid.
Osu “yipped” again which sounded like an “okay”, then ran away from me to the inner part of the complex. I didn’t hesitate anymore after this, I accepted the new scenario. Immediately after joining the scenario, a message window emerged.
+
[Hidden Scenario – Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja Proof of Identity]
Category: Main
Difficulty: ???
Clear conditions: Prove to the constellations of the ‘Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja Industrial Complex’ channel that you are the real Yoo Joonghyuk or the real Kim Dokja.
Time Limit: 3 hours
Reward: Become one of the dukes of The Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja Industrial Complex and 200,000 coins.
Failure: ???
* All aspiring ‘Yoo Joonghyuk’ / ‘Kim Dokja’ in the scenario will have the same appearance until the scenario ends.
* During the time limit, the aspiring ‘Yoo Joonghyuk’ / ‘Kim Dokja’ who receives the most points from the constellations will inherit the Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja Industrial Complex.
+
…It was the first time I had seen such a scenario. This scenario naturally wasn’t in the original novel.
[Would you like to participate as Yoo Joonghyuk or Kim Dokja?]
I almost laughed at the question. It would be really twisted if I chose Yoo Joonghyuk… could I convince the constellations that I am that jerk? I know him better than anyone but if he also chose to be himself in this game then only one of us would win in the end and some random Kim Dokja would be the other winner next to him or me. So the answer is no. I should participate as myself. I was pretty sure that Yoo Joonghyuk would find this game stupid and would never try participating as me.
I clicked on my name between the options. There was no other way.
[A new aspiring ‘Kim Dokja’ has entered.]
[There are three hours left in the scenario.]
[You must be acknowledged as ‘Kim Dokja’ by most of the constellations.]
[You are the 704th aspiring Kim Dokja.]
[There are currently 704 aspiring Kim Dokjas and 311 aspiring Yoo Joonghyuks in the game.]
Well… Why there were so much more Kim Dokjas in the game?? They found it easier to play me or they chose me because I was the more popular of the two of us? Probably the latter. I was not an easy person to imitate so they chose me because they liked me more than the jerk, right?
As I accepted the scenario I was summoned to the outskirts of the plaza in the Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja Industrial Complex. There was already a struggle between people to prove that they were the real me or the real Yoo Joonghyuk.
[Haha, everyone! Do you want to be recognized by the constellations? Show us that you are the real star duo!]
I heard the voice of a dokkaebi. Was it Bihyung? It had to be him. This scenario seemed to be a lighter one in tone and also in difficulty but I am still gonna kill him for this. Only if Yoo Joonghyuk won’t be faster than me.
The view before me was crazy. This whole situation was crazy (and maybe a little bit funny. But no.)
Hundreds of people were wearing our faces and our looks, it was dizzy just to look at all the Kim Dokjas and Yoo Joonghyuks. Half of the people seemed to be dueling with each other but half of them tried to convince the constellations with their acting skills… or by shouting our names. By our names I mean my name especially.
“I am Kim Dokja!”
“Look at me, I am Kim Dokja!”
“No, I am the real Kim Dokja!”
… Damn, something felt strange.
Most of the aspiring Kim Dokjas were just repeating my name and not showing any unusual gestures. They were those who were blinded by the duke’s position and participated without any strategies. But what about the Yoo Joonghyuks? None of them were shouting Yoo Joonghyuk’s name even though there was the 'I am Yoo Joonghyuk' slogan which they liked before…
Now the aspiring Yoo Joonghyuks were mostly grumbling.
“This scenario is nonsense.”
“Pathetic.”
“Get over this stupidity, I am not participating in this!”
“Kim Dokja!”
…
Damn protagonist again. Why even his imitators were more intelligent than mine? It seemed like only the clever people dared to choose Yoo Joonghyuk in this game. It was not fair at all!
And how should I find my Yoo Joonghyuk – I mean the REAL Yoo Joonghyuk – if they are this good? Will I be able to tell the difference? … Well, I should be, I know this sunfish bastard the best. But he can still surprise me sometimes, like with all those worried messages in Midday Tryst. I thought he would just ignore me for a few days because of the Murim incident but he cared about me even in his angry state… damn. I hope I can talk to that idiot soon.
At least he had to know that I am alive because he must have gotten the notifications about our joined industrial complex. And also, there wouldn’t be an imitation game of us if we were not still alive… so yeah. I was kind of sure that Yoo Joonghyuk was here and he was also looking for me. But what would be his strategy?
I can’t use Midday Tryst but maybe I should use my ‘status’ to message him?
[During the hidden scenario you can’t use your constellation ‘status’.]
[All your skills are limited and your levels are reduced to the average participants’ level.]
…Of course.
Okay. Don’t panic, let’s just take a look around here.
Most of the people around me were Kim Dokjas because of the higher ratio in choosing me. Next to the name-shouting lazy persons, there were some plausible participants who were trying to convince the constellations in a much cleverer way.
“I am the Demon King of Salvation!”
“I am King of a Kingless World! I destroyed the Absolute Throne!”
The latter Kim Dokja was holding a sword that looked just like the Four Yin Demonic Beheading Sword and he made an impressive swing above a nearby bench.
[A few constellations are interested in this candidate.]
[Candidate 404th Kim Dokja has gained 50 points.]
…Well, not bad. But not that good either.
I entered the center of the industrial complex and more and more people started saying plausible things. Okay, maybe I should be a bit more concerned about the Kim Dokjas here, but for now, I decided to let them alone. I will have time to prove myself to the constellations, now I should concentrate more on the Yoo Joonghyuks.
I needed to find the real bastard in this mess.
Of the hundreds of participants, there was a Yoo Joonghyuk who immediately caught my attention.
Not because he was doing something spectacular, it was rather the contrary… this participant was lying on the ground with his two arms folded before his chest and wearing a peaceful expression. Like he was sleeping.
I frown for a moment with a smile on my face. What the hell is this guy doing? He also caught the attention of the constellations because they were wondering about his state as well.
[Some of the constellations are interested in this candidate.]
[Some of the constellations are wondering why candidate 40th Yoo Joonghyuk lying on the ground.]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ says that Yoo Joonghyuk is usually knocked out at half of the fights so it’s understandable he is knocked out again.]
What?
[A lot of constellations agree with this reasoning.]
[Candidate 40th Yoo Joonghyuk gained 200 points.]
WHAT?
I couldn’t help laughing because it was just freaking funny. I think I liked the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven for a reason.
But seriously? This guy got 200 points just for lying on the ground? He is an even bigger bastard than the real Yoo Joonghyuk if he is going to win this game with such a shameless act.
I shook my head with disbelief while I found another weird participant not far away from the last one. This Yoo Joonghyuk was also totally motionless but he was standing in a frozen posture with a menacing face and a cold aura.
I laughed out loud even more intensely and I felt that I am going to cry if this continues. I can’t believe this.
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ confirms that this is Yoo Joonghyuk’s famous Hibernating B■■ch Face!]
[Candidate 98th Yoo Joonghyuk gained 300 points.]
How do these people know so much about Yoo Joonghyuk? I had to wipe away my tears from laughter because I just can’t… I knew I shouldn’t enjoy this situation so much because these two participants just confirmed my suspicion: that people got information about us before the game. Nobody should know about Yoo Joonghyuk’s Hibernating Regeneration, only we and a few constellations who watched the channel at that time. So Bihyung even gave this kind of sponsored help to the other participants… dammit. Either way, it was funny… but it was weak as hell.
“You know, Yoo Joonghyuk would never make fun of himself in this way. He is too arrogant to enjoy self-irony.” I said as I watched the hibernating guy and the knocked-out guy. They were really clever to pull these off but the real Yoo Joonghyuk would never do such an act for the constellations.
[A few constellations are interested in you.]
[A few constellations are demanding that you prove you are Kim Dokja.]
Ah, my comment got some attention. I had to smile at that…
Just wait for it.
I went past the two guys to a more eventful scenery which was now more interesting to the bigger audience as well. In front of me, there was a Yoo Joonghyuk and a Kim Dokja who were actually dueling. And it was quite spectacular.
The aspiring Kim Dokja was even using a skill that was emitting white-gold light from his sword. It was not White Pure Star Energy but it was pretty close to it in appearance, just like the blue-light aura of Yoo Joonghyuk’s sword. I was honestly a bit surprised, but my jaw dropped even more when the guy impersonating me started to talk to the aspiring Yoo Joonghyuk.
“Get a hold of yourself! You idiot!” The Kim Dokja guy didn’t cut Yoo Joonghyuk with his sword, instead he punched him in the jaw. “You promised yourself not to think like that! You are not alone, we are in this together! I’ll always be by your side so don’t you ever lose hope! Think about our children!”
…
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ shreds some tears and says this was one of her favorite moments.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ hopes that you can see your children soon!]
[Candidate 79th Yoo Joonghyuk gained 500 points.]
[Candidate 80th Kim Dokja gained 500 points.]
… If I remember it right the last time they believed we only have one child. Since when have we had more? Maybe they thought that Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung were our adopted children?
Never mind, I hoped that the real Yoo Joonghyuk DIDN’T see this. This misunderstanding was still so embarrassing I couldn’t even watch it.
I turned away from this scene as fast as I can just to witness another uncalled memory… which also didn’t happen the way the participants presented it.
Oh my god.
Please just not this.
“My fate was to be killed by the one I loved the most,” said the bloody Kim Dokja who was lying in the lap of a tearful Yoo Joonghyuk. It looked like he had a fatal wound on his chest from a sword.
“Kim Dokja, no! Don’t leave me behind, you idiot!” The Yoo Joonghyuk candidate was caressing the other guy’s face and he was desperately crying like the whole scene was real. Like this was not only a stupid act. He looked totally helpless.
The aspiring Kim Dokja reached for his hand and tenderly squeezed it.
“I would never leave you alone. I will come back to you.” He placed a soft kiss on the other guy’s hand. Yoo Joonghyuk started to sob even more and stroked his hair lovingly.
And that was it.
[The exclusive skill ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking intensely.]
I felt some stinging sensation in my chest as I watched them. What the hell? This whole damn thing was ridiculous and it felt like a soap-opera episode. This was such an exaggeration, this never happened between us!
But seeing Yoo Joonghyuk crying like that… it was just fucking painful to watch. It looked so real, even though I knew it was just an act. I never wanted to see him like this. He already had so much misery because of his regressions, he lost so many loved ones. I don’t want to cause him such pain again if I can avoid it…
I hate these guys for doing this. They did this whole act so casually, using our faces and playing with emotions they didn’t know anything about.
But it seemed like the constellations totally bought it.
[Some of the constellations have teary eyes.]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ manly admits he is touched by your companionship.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ weeps and asks why are you doing this to her heart?]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ says this is the best scenario even if her heart is crushed from the angst.]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ finds this scene annoyingly cheesy and boring but admits these are totally them.]
[Candidate 215th Yoo Joonghyuk gained 500 points.]
[Candidate 216th Kim Dokja gained 500 points.]
Damn, at this rate we are going to lose to these impostors! I was not even sure that the constellations were judging by credibility anymore. It seemed like they were just giving points if they found the scene touching or entertaining and they didn’t care about the characters being OOC.
Now I needed to find the real Yoo Joonghyuk even faster. We had to show these idiots who we really are!
「 Kim Dokja thought that they were better than this. That there were more real emotions between Yoo Joonghyuk and him. 」
“I don’t need your descriptions on this!” I said irritatedly and felt some unpleasant warmness crawling up my face.
I didn’t know what this sudden feeling was but it was annoying as hell.
[The Fourth Wall is giggling.]
I rolled my eyes and decided to just ignore the brat. He really was in his element today, maybe because of this ridiculous scenario – it was clear that he found it funny and wanted to bug me with it as much as he can. But I couldn’t deal with him right now, I had more important issues at hand.
So where is the real sunfish bastard?
I was pretty sure that unlike the constellations and the Fourth Wall he was not having fun in this damn game, so maybe I needed to look for the most irritated and angry faces.
Well…
The problem was that most of the people seemed like they were enjoying themselves? It seemed like they really liked roleplaying us and everybody was caught in the moment…
“Get your hand off me and get lost, you damn bastard!”
…
“If you are a real apostle you have to know: am I going to kill this man or not?”
“He is my companion in life and death!”
“Yoo Joonghyuk, this is the best damn thing I’ve ever eaten!!”
I turned in the direction of the last voice since that was an unexpected thing to say in this situation.
Not far from Hibernating Bitch Face and Knocked-out Guy there was a Yoo Joonghyuk who was actually… cooking.
No way.
I don’t know where that guy got the equipment from but he made quite a plausible cooking station at the edge of the field… and he was just casually cooking some meat like there was not a problem in the world.
He seemed annoyingly self-confident and smirked at the aspiring Kim Dokja who praised his food. He seemed like he was really proud of his skills and liked the compliment.
The guy noticed that I was also staring at him and he suddenly sent me a warm, familiar smile. And a wink.
[The exclusive skill ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking intensely.]
Damn, that impostor almost got me! I was a little bit angry that he had to ruin it with that wink! Yoo Joonghyuk would never do something like that. It was so lame…
Now I was almost 100% sure that this Masterchef was friends with Hibernating Bitch Face and Knocked-Out Guy. They were the most shameless participants in this game so far and they openly enjoyed the scenario by being lazy and making food. Such bastards.
「 But deep in his heart Kim Dokja liked them because they reminded him of the adorable and human side of Yoo Joonghyuk. 」
I rolled my eyes again but I didn’t give the pleasure to the Fourth Wall to comment on his stupid description.
Okay, maybe even that bastard has an adorable side but mostly he was just a jerk. I was never denying that he had a good side but unfortunately that side was suppressed in 90% of our time together. So no big deal.
I was thinking about this when I heard a familiar cold voice not far from me.
“Get out of my way! You are not the real Kim Dokja!”
Hmm, that was more like it…
Didn’t he sound just like the original? I started to get my hopes up as I turned to the new guy approaching. He was quite angry and seemed like he doesn’t take any bullshit. Just like the Yoo Joonghyuk I knew.
[Some of the constellations showing interest in candidate 100th Yoo Joonghyuk.]
The mad Yoo Joonghyuk was pushing away two Kim Dokjas out of his way at the same time. One of the Kim Dokjas was brave enough to touch the shoulder of this fuming animal.
“Hey, wait a moment!” shouted the offended Kim Dokja. “Don’t ignore your companion, you bastard!”
…Oh, wasn’t he quite good? I would have probably told him something similar? He was a really brave person. Okay, maybe not all of my imitators were lost cases.
[Some of the constellations showing interest in candidate 642nd Kim Dokja.]
[Candidate 642nd Kim Dokja gained 200 points.]
“Don’t dare to touch me!” The 100th Yoo Joonghyuk pushed away the intrusive hands and reached for the hilt of his sword. It was even a black sword just like Yoo Joonghyuk’s Black Demon Sword. Hmmm….
He was really convincing. The most convincing one so far.
The menacing, cold face was just like the Yoo Joonghyuk I knew from Ways of Survival. He acted like this at almost every turn. Even the constellations seemed to be focusing on him.
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ says that Yoo Joonghyuk is merciless and would kill the fake participants!]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ says that Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn’t do that, especially if it’s Kim Dokja!]
Well, they were both right in their own ways. But what will he choose?
This angry Yoo Joonghyuk also saw the messages from the constellations and sneered at them. He never really cared about what the constellations thought about him. Especially in his later regressions, he despised the sponsors from his heart.
Now he was scoffing even at Uriel’s message. And then I knew…
The Yoo Joonghyuk imitator cut off the heads of the two shocked Kim Dokjas in a quick movement and left a bloody trail behind him as he was walking away.
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is enjoying the blood bath and is convinced by this candidate.]
[Candidate 100th Yoo Joonghyuk gained 500 points.]
I shook my head with a sigh. What a fool...
“This is not him.”
I still wanted to wait a little bit and not participate in the game until I met the real Yoo Joonghyuk but I couldn’t let this go without a word.
“It’s true that the Yoo Joonghyuk in his later regressions would have done that. He would even do that in this round if he didn’t meet me. But here is the problem: he met me and he changed.”
Even I was not aware of this fact for a long time but now I could see everything much more clearly. I got to know Yoo Joonghyuk not just from Ways of Survival, but in reality. For long months I watched him, I talked to him, I fought side by side with him, I cared about him. The Yoo Joonghyuk from the third round was not like the Yoo Joonghyuk in the novel anymore.
“The real Yoo Joonghyuk likes to threaten people, and yes, he even has a killer aura, but he would only kill those who are enemies and mean harm to him. He would never kill innocent people, especially if they are the citizens of our industrial complex and wearing my face!”
[Some of the constellations are listening to you.]
[The constellation ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring’ took an interest in you.]
Just as I wanted. My next words were going to be cocky and arrogant but I couldn’t help myself. At that moment I felt kind of special and proud that I have that strong bond with the protagonist of my favorite story.
“The real Yoo Joonghyuk would never risk killing me because… I am his companion and he cares about me deeply.”
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ nods feverishly at every word you are saying.]
[The constellation ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring’ smiles at you.]
[Some constellations are wondering about you.]
[You gained 500 points.]
Not bad and I didn’t do anything just talk?
It was a surprise that Persephone was also watching this scenario since she was not the one who took interest in minor games usually but maybe my assumption was bad. She was a Greek goddess after all, and they all loved theatrics and drama…
It was like she read my mind because the next moment she sent a new indirect message, addressed to me.
[The constellation ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring’ is wondering what you think about candidate 314th Yoo Joonghyuk and candidate 1st Kim Dokja?]
Candidate 314th Yoo Joonghyuk and 1st Kim Dokja?
I wasn't sure who these two were that she was referring to since a dozen players were around me at the moment and I didn’t know their participation numbers.
[The constellation ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring’ laughs and asks you to turn around.]
I did as she suggested but I wished I didn’t do that. Because I was not prepared for that sight. Not at all.
What the fuck.
Oh my…
If I had drunk something at that moment then I would have spat it out from the shock.
WHY THE HELL IS THAT GUY NAKED OVER THERE??
<><><>
After Yoo Joonghyuk accepted the Hidden scenario he immediately regretted his decision.
Even the advantages of being a duke of an industrial complex or the prospect of becoming a Demon King didn’t worth the stupidity and embarrassment he had to face in this game.
“This is that guy’s fault again…”
He sighed.
Since Kim Dokja came into his life the scenarios somehow became more difficult, more unpredictable, and even more idiotic. Everything was way more complicated than in the first two rounds because of that guy, but somehow… became more lively as well.
And more nerve-wracking.
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at the hundreds of aspiring Kim Dokjas and Yoo Joonghyuks before his eyes and his hands came into a fist. He needed to calm down before he did something stupid… like punching everybody in the face or just killing all of the citizens. All of their citizens.
I can’t believe that Kim Dokja pulled this off… a joined industrial complex, this never happened before.
As much as he was angry and irritated, he was also quite impressed that the stupid idiot managed to do something like that. At least this meant that he was alive and he was probably joining this absurdity. But what the hell is that guy planning? And why he didn’t answer anything in Midday Tryst? Did he know that this scenario would happen? Is he here and already making a big show for the constellations? That would be so like him…
“Hey, I waited for you!” A guy looking and sounding just like Kim Dokja suddenly came into his view and snapped him out of his thoughts. “Let’s go and show the constellations that we are the real deal!”
The approaching guy was smiling at him mischievously and his greyish eyes were shining with excitement. He was really convincing at first glance. He even dared to touch Yoo Joonghyuk’s wrist and made a hurried expression like they were familiar with each other.
“Come on, the constellations prefer the pairs here, we shouldn’t do this in solo. What do you think about showing them the ‘nebula scene’?”
“…What scene?”
Yoo Joonghyuk irritatedly tore away his hand from the guy’s grip. His first instinct was to grab the neck of the stranger but his manners were improving these days so he only snarled at him as a sort of welcome.
The Kim Dokja candidate looked at him with disappointment in his eyes.
“You didn’t get the dokkaebi’s input? You know, the ‘nebula scene’ was when they… I mean when we romantically declared at the Constellation Banquet that we are going to create our own nebula. Just the two of us, the Comradeship Company.”
Comradeship Company…
Yoo Joonghyuk felt that the blood in his veins started boiling and his eyes were twitching. He already hated this game and that was only the first person he encountered.
“The name is not Comradeship Company.”
“Who cares? Then it’s some other queer name.” The guy laughed and this laugh was so fake on Kim Dokja’s face that Yoo Joonghyuk became even angrier. How dare this fucking bastard make fun of them? Is he even aware of their true strength? Even Kim Dokja could crush this guy with one blow.
Yoo Joonghyuk's fists became even tighter and his expression darkened.
“Don’t talk about things you know nothing about. Get lost before I kill you,” he said through gritted teeth and a cold blue aura started emitting around his body.
The Kim Dokja impostor was still laughing as he noticed the intensive killer aura. Like it was a fun thing to watch.
“Wow, you are really into roleplaying.”
You asked for it, you fool.
[The exclusive skill “Hundred Steps Godly Fists” is activated.]
[Your skill level is reduced due to the scenario penalty.]
“I hate roleplaying.”
The guy flew around fifty meters in the air and then disappeared somewhere in a mountain of debris.
Well, trash should be there where it belongs.
Yoo Joonghyuk wiped his hands with irritation although he felt a slight satisfaction. That bastard got what he deserved and now he won’t talk any more bullshit.
[Some of the constellations are taking an interest in you.]
[The constellation who likes to change gender says that you maybe hate roleplaying but you love crossdressing.]
“Get lost!”
[The constellation who likes to change gender is preparing popcorn.]
[You gained 100 points.]
This Asgardian bastard.
Yoo Joonghyuk was kind of relieved that he already did his “ten minutes per day disappearing” act because it would have been an even bigger nightmare to change into his female form in front of hundreds of Kim Dokjas. Well, these were mostly weak impostors but still… it was an annoying thought and he couldn’t wait to get over with the whole damn thing as soon as possible.
I have to find the real Kim Dokja and end this foolishness.
Yoo Joonghyuk went into the center of the industrial complex and looked around with growing impatience.
As he expected, there were some really lame people who were definitely NOT Kim Dokja. They were only shouting names and declarations like “I am the King of the Kingless World” or “I am the legendary Kim Dojega” or “I am the Ugly King” – the latter one was especially pathetic since Kim Dokja would have never used this nickname on himself. (Yoo Joonghyuk still didn’t understand why people thought that Kim Dokja was ugly but it was something that bugged Kim Dokja’s ego so he never commented on it.)
Next to the annoyingly uncreative people, there were mostly candidates who were acting in pairs… just like Trash Kim Dokja mentioned earlier.
Yoo Joonghyuk was still not impressed at all.
Half of the people were dueling in a heated way but their skills were not even close to theirs, it didn’t matter that the scenario penalty brought everybody to the same levels. They were still pathetic and obviously weak. Nobody could pull off a believable Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship technique or Kim Dokja’s signature Electrification. It looked like a fight between kindergarteners.
This is not even worth watching.
The more intelligent people in the square at least tried a different approach: they were recreating some scenes which were really popular in the Star Stream. Now Yoo Joonghyuk was starting to understand why Trash Kim Dokja suggested playing the ‘nebula scene’…
Not far from him there was a Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja candidate who were constantly gaining points from the constellations… and they were basically doing nothing. Kim Dokja was lying in the lap of the other Yoo Joonghyuk and the guy was feeding him some dark greenish liquid with a spoon.
Yoo Joonghyuk felt the twitching of his eyes again.
This didn’t happen like this at all… These bastards!
“Kim Dokja, open your mouth. It will eliminate the poison.”
“Ugh… it tastes like shit.”
“Complain one more time and I leave you here!”
“…Will you cook something better for me later? Something actually edible?”
“Perhaps if you shut up.”
[The constellations who love cooking are interested in what would Yoo Joonghyuk cook for Kim Dokja.]
[Candidate 210th Yoo Joonghyuk gained 100 points.]
[Candidate 487th Kim Dokja gained 100 points.]
…
Yoo Joonghyuk watched the scene with an irritated and also astonished expression.
These two impostors were quite plausible even though this never happened between them. But only if this happened! It was such a blow to his ego when Kim Dokja had to feed him the medicine after he got poisoned by Lee Sheolhwa. Yoo Joonghyuk definitely would have enjoyed the situation more if he had been the one who could help the arrogant Kim Dokja like that.
But he would never ask me to cook for him.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t understand why but he became angry again as he watched them. At least he left the pair without punching both of their faces even if he really wanted to hit them until they flew into the debris just like Trash Kim Dokja.
Maybe he should have stayed with that innocent pair because he was not mentally prepared for the next scene he was encountering in a moment.
This was also a Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja pair, and they also had a kind of calm vibe. They were sitting on a railing at the edge of the field and were looking into the distance, far away from the game, far away from all the struggling participants. But Yoo Joonghyuk could hear crystal clear what they were talking about even if they were not looking at him.
“… live this round properly... The more you repeat the turns, the more out of control you will become. Ask yourself. How different are you now from the beginning?”
“That…”
“Don’t imagine that you will get better if you throw away this round. Maybe this is the round where you will see the end of this world as a ‘human’.”
“…”
Yoo Joonghyuk felt like his feet were rooted to the ground.
How did they know about this personal conversation?! It was low even for the dokkaebis to give out such private information for a scenario’s sake. Yoo Joonghyuk felt the building rage in himself but also felt conflicted. It was an important and valuable memory for him and it was not exactly bad to watch it again but… it was his. And Kim Dokja’s. These random strangers shouldn’t steal it like it was some stupid act in a theatre. They know nothing about them!!
Yoo Joonghyuk gritted his teeth again as he decided to give a 'lecture' to the impostors but he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The Kim Dokja of the pair was reaching for the hand of the Yoo Joonghyuk and caressed it gently. In exchange the Yoo Joonghyuk turned towards him with his whole body and touched his face with such softness Yoo Joonghyuk was not even aware that he was capable of…
...And that was the end of it because he couldn’t watch it anymore.
He turned and rushed away from the scene before he could see the constellations' idiotic messages or before he could see something which would be the biggest stupid lie in the world. He was not interested in that.
Because Kim Dokja would never behave like that with him and the whole idea was absurd, pathetic, and ridiculous. They were companions and maybe even friends, and that was it. Kim Dokja was in love with Yoo Sangah or maybe Han Sooyoung or both of them… the point was that Kim Dokja liked women. And that was fine since Yoo Joonghyuk also liked women so what was the problem? They didn’t even have time to be soft or gentle with each other, the whole idea was crazy.
So there was not a problem at all. Right?
Yoo Joonghyuk slammed his fist into a nearby wall. Because he just felt like it.
[Some of the constellations are interested in your pointless aggression.]
[You gained 100 points.]
He almost smiled at that. Fucking constellations. Fucking stupid hidden scenario.
Stupid Kim Dokja.
He shook his head. This was not a time to get a mental breakdown, especially not over a stupid game that was not even a difficult or serious one. Yoo Joonghyuk knew that this scenario meant to be a 'fun' one to rest a little bit between the bloody and cruel ordeals.
…
He noticed that the citizens were actually enjoying themselves in this craziness. There was a lot of laughing and bantering… some people were recreating their famous ‘bridge scene’, some people were bringing life to their fight for the Absolute Throne (damn Kim Dokja, that was not funny at all) and some Yoo Joonghyuks and Kim Dokjas were fighting an invisible Yamata no Orochi together. (It was lame.) There was even a guy who was impersonating him by actually cooking food and didn’t give a shit about anything else. Yoo Joonghyuk sneered at that.
Like he could cook better than me.
His mood became slightly better although he still hated the whole thing. Why this has to be about them? At least it seemed like most of the participants only knew their most iconic and notorious moments and that was a relief. Yoo Joonghyuk would have killed even Bihyung if that bastard dokkaebi would let out all their private conversations and data.
Now he was almost in a calm state when of course somebody needed to ruin it and make his blood boil again.
Yoo Joonghyuk thought that nothing could surprise or shock him anymore but then he suddenly saw the man.
His jaw literally dropped at the sight and that almost never happened.
But this…
This bastard really…
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is screaming.]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is coughing and politely averting his gaze.]
[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is looking curiously at candidate 1st Kim Dokja.]
Even Kim Dokja's biggest sponsor, Secretive Plotter was watching this... And the guy was the first candidate for the game.
Next to Yoo Joonghyuk, there was a doppelganger of him who was almost wearing the same expression as him. And maybe his shocked face was not an act either.
It was such an extreme and unbelievable view.
The Kim Dokja candidate before them just got free from all of his clothes and he was fully naked in front of their eyes. Yoo Joonghyuk had already lived through this scene but his brain was short-circulating just like the first time it happened.
“Ah, this damn resurrection, I lost all of my clothes,” complained the naked Kim Dokja with a sneaky smile while he did a poor job to cover up himself with his hands. He pretended that he didn’t notice the two Yoo Joonghyuks staring at him. He slowly made a turn to show off his perfectly rounded ass as well, then he bent down to reach for his coat… with also a maddeningly slow and suggestive movement.
Yoo Joonghyuk was swallowing hard as he watched him.
And then he exploded like a bomb.
I’ve had enough of this.
This is the last thread…
Firstly, he turned to the other speechless Yoo Joonghyuk and hit him in the face so hard that the guy passed out immediately without a chance to talk or defend himself. He already had a running bloody nose but after the hit at least his nose was broken as well.
“Stalking bastard.”
Then he went for the Kim Dokja.
The guy of course noticed the sudden violence which happened behind him and now he was shrieking with fear. If Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn’t have been one hundred percent sure that this was an impostor, then now he was totally convinced that this guy was a shameless fake person who dared to use Kim Dokja’s body for his own benefit.
“Yo-yoo Joonghyuk, what’s the matter…” The impostor’s voice was trembling but he tried to act brave before him. “Don’t you like what you see? Is this not what you want?”
The fucking guy put his hand on his neck suggestively while one of his fingers was playing with his lips. Kim Dokja’s soft, pink lips.
Yoo Joonghyuk felt a rush of unexpected warmness creeping through his body, especially his face. Like electrification run through his every nerve.
“Kim Dokja would never use his body for attention and coins!” This time Yoo Joonghyuk actually grabbed the guy’s neck because this whole thing was infuriating. He had enough of this damn game and all the bullshit people were pulling!
To the guy’s credit, he was still trying to be brave, even though Yoo Joonghyuk was literally choking him right now. Really hard. But he was still smiling slyly which made Yoo Joonghyuk uncertain for a moment. Maybe…
“I am only…” The guy stuttered through ragged breaths. “I am only doing this for your attention, you bastard!”
“What?”
Yoo Joonghyuk’s hand shook and his eyes became wilder. What? This cockiness and boldness… Is this possible? Really?
Is he the real Kim Dokja?
Would he do such a shameless act to stand out from the crowd? To get his attention?
Yoo Joonghyuk became totally speechless.
His heart was beating crazily as he looked into the brave, familiar eyes.
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is close to dying by nosebleed.]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is tearing out his hair from the tension.]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ says you are disgusting but he is happy about the choking.]
[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is silently processing the unexpected twist.]
[You gained 600 points.]
[Candidate 1st Kim Dokja gained 600 points.]
“Are you really…” Yoo Joonghyuk watched him with conflicted eyes. This challenging smile, this glint in his grey eyes… The Kim Dokja candidate drew closer to him boldly. Yoo Joonghyuk could feel that his naked waist was pressing against his own body. It was not a bad feeling.
“You are such an idiot,” The guy was quieter now, and he gently put his hands around Yoo Joonghyuk’s strong arms. “It’s me, Yoo Joonghyuk.”
Yoo Joonghyuk swallowed hard.
This damn guy was really good.
Not just he knew what he should say but his gestures were perfect as well.
Yoo Joonghyuk wished it was real. Really. But just like the pair at the railing, this was only an illusion, a huge lie, that would never become reality. Yoo Joonghyuk’s face hardened as he watched the impostor before him.
“The real Kim Dokja doesn’t want my attention.” He pushed the guy away with a sour expression.
He doesn’t even read my messages in Midday Tryst. He doesn’t even care that I was angry at him because of what he did at Murim…
It was a ridiculous thought that now, in this hidden scenario he would do something like this to get his attention like that. In such a suggestive and promising manner... No, this can never be true.
Yoo Joonghyuk felt the cold and dejected aura around himself again as he kicked the stomach of the surprised Kim Dokja impostor. The guy was not smiling anymore so confidently, the fool.
Yoo Joonghyuk maybe wanted to beat him up a little bit more or just put a damn coat on the bastard – but he couldn’t do either because in the next moment he was the one who got a surprise kick in the stomach which made him fly in the air for a few meters.
What the…
Yoo Joonghyuk was staring at a new, fully clothed Kim Dokja, who has an irritatingly confident and familiar smile.
“The real Yoo Joonghyuk is really such an idiot sometimes.”
<><><>
Well, usually Yoo Joonghyuk was the one who attacked me first and gave me a punch or a kick in the stomach but now I couldn’t help myself. He made me quite angry with his depressing, self-deprecating statement.
I know that the regression depression was a recurring problem with this bastard but seriously…
“Come on. The real Yoo Joonghyuk always gives me a challenge.”
I looked at him expectantly while I was reaching for my sword. I barely had the time to take the weapon out because Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t hesitate. He was so fast that I almost get my head cut off in a moment.
Shit. He was no joke.
Like always.
An involuntary smile appeared on my face as I looked into his flaming eyes. Hah. Now he was quite angry as well but also his arrogant self started to wake up.
“You were never a challenge to me.”
HAH.
“I don’t know, Yoo Joonghyuk. Do you want to talk about the Absolute Throne incident?”
I gave him a smirk and shrugged my shoulders. Yoo Joonghyuk snarled at that and I could see a vein pulsating in his temple. Okay, maybe I was playing with my life here? It was never a good idea to step on the protagonist’s ego but sometimes it was necessary. And now he deserved it because of his stupid statement.
I could see that something in his eyes changed. Now the game was really on.
“I would rather replay it.”
He started with a dark smile and that was it.
There was no more talking as his Black Demon Sword collided with my Unbroken Faith. And even though our skill and item levels were reduced, an earth-shaking swirl arose as our swords met each other. And if I wasn’t one-hundred percent sure that he is the real one, now I was absolutely confident that he is my sunfish bastard.
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is watching the encounter excitedly.]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ says he was waiting for THIS.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ screams NOOO and asks where is the fluff?]
[Candidate 314th Yoo Joonghyuk gained 1000 points.]
[You gained 1000 points.]
I couldn’t even read the messages because Yoo Joonghyuk took the fight so seriously. Damn. Maybe this was a reckless idea?
There was a blue energy emitting from the sunfish bastard’s body which changed into a golden one soon. Shit. That was his transcendence power. Maybe he could only pull off the first level because of the scenario penalty but it was still impressive… and scary. This asshole.
I also activated Electrification through Bookmark and raised it as much as the scenario allowed it. Now I was really angry even though I was the one who started this stupid fight.
“You know you don’t need to do this to get my attention.” I managed to push away his sword and made a counterattack. “I already watched you in your best and worst moments, you had my attention even when you couldn’t say a word or couldn’t lift a finger because of paralysis!” I reminded him angrily while our swords were still colliding with each other.
“So what’s this bullshit about I don’t want your attention, you bastard?”
Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t answer me but his mouth narrowed in a tight line. He looked irritated and angry but now I don’t have an idea what he was thinking about or why he had a kind of tortured and sour expression. May I could use Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint on him but I wanted to hear it from him, from his own mouth.
“Do you really think that low of me? Look at all these scenes around us!”
Yoo Joonghyuk stopped for a moment as I pointed my sword at the players around us.
Everybody was still trying to convince the constellations with our stories. Even if they changed them slightly or played them exactly as they happened, it doesn’t matter. Most of the stories were still the same. It was about the companionship between me and Yoo Joonghyuk. About our friendship. Our history. What we lived through together for months. How we got to know each other, how we became something more together. How I became part of the story and part of the life of the protagonist who saved my life for years… just to continue to save my life when everything became reality.
[The exclusive skill ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking violently.]
“This whole fucking scenario is about us and our memories together and you dare to say that I don’t care about you?”
Maybe I was overreacting this but fuck it… I thought we were over the ‘we are not companions’ phase. We saved each other lives tons of times, I was there for him always, and I even had a heart-to-heart with him when he was down and was thinking about regression. I thought we have a damn connection. Okay, I also have a kind of shit personality and I know that I am bad with emotions and stuff but I can’t be such a bad friend…
And that bastard was looking at me with an angry face like I was the one who hurt him and not the other way around!
“Kim Dokja, you are twisting my words.” He said with an irritated and cold voice and tried to stop my attacks. Well, that was new that he was the one who tried to stop a fight between us.
“Then what did you mean when you said that?” I didn’t want to let this go. Maybe it was more about the unresolved tension which grew between us when we came back from Murim. At that time I expected a fight, I expected a tantrum from Yoo Joonghyuk but he chose to be silent. He chose to ignore me which was worse than a fight.
I wanted to settle things, to know his feelings. To know his thoughts.
“It was only for the game. It meant nothing.”
This cold bastard. He is choosing to be silent again.
I raised my Electrification level even more and decided to give him a lesson here when a voice that sounded just like me interrupted us.
“You fucking idiot! He meant that you don’t want his attention in a romantic way. Are you really this fucking dense? Geeez. I thought that you were the brain in the team but you can’t even notice if a guy is pining for you for like twenty scenarios.”
What…
WHAT.
[The exclusive skill ‘Fourth Wall’ is shaking violently.]
[The Fourth Wall is also laughing at you.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ says THANK YOU to candidate 1st Kim Dokja.]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ likes 1st Kim Dokja and wants him to be included in the fight!]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ says that candidate 1st Kim Dokja needs an award.]
[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is deeply disappointed in you.]
[Candidate 1st Kim Dokja gained 100.000 coins from the constellations.]
[Candidate 314th Yoo Joonghyuk gained 5000 points.]
WHAAAAT.
I gained no coins and not even points from the constellations but that was not an important thing right now. I looked at the naked guy – well, he was not really naked anymore because he had some sense and put on a coat before I could kill him for his little act – and my brain froze for a moment. What did he just say?
That uncomfortable heat that I was feeling earlier was coming back to me and it flooded my whole body. From head to toe, even I felt it in my ears. I couldn’t say a word but it didn’t even matter…
Yoo Joonghyuk was acting instead of me: he rushed to the cheeky, bold impostor and the change in his aura was apparent. He was activating ‘Hundred Steps Godly Fists’ with a killer expression I’ve never even seen on his face before.
“I am going to kill you one day, you fucking bastard. Now get lost!” He punched the guy’s jaw with the godly fists skill and the poor guy didn’t even have the chance to answer him. He was flying away from the scenario’s area, maybe even from our industrial complex, into the galaxy. Well, he kind of deserved it and I also wanted to do that to him later because he was a shameless fuck who used my body for attention, but what the hell??
What. the. hell? Was it true what he was talking about? About the pining… What does that even mean?!
“That was a misunderstanding,” Yoo Joonghyuk was answering me quickly in a monotonous tone when I still couldn’t pick up my jaw from the ground and I was close to dying from overthinking.
A misunderstanding, my ass!
[The personal skill ‘Lie Detection’ is activated.]
[‘Lie Detection’ confirmed that the statement is false.]
AAAAAAAAAAAAH.
Yoo Joonghyuk also saw the message that popped up before my eyes and his face became as white as a freshly whitewashed wall. Then in the exact same moment he tried to hit me in the face but he missed it miserably because I was fucking expecting that from him! But I didn’t expect THAT.
THAT HE WAS PINING FOR ME.
“Is it true?” I asked him seriously as I dodged another blow. Yoo Joonghyuk became more and more frustrated with every second but I didn’t care.
“Kim Dokja, leave this alone! This is not important.”
“This is fucking important! I am involved in this. I am the target of your desires!”
Why I had to put it that way? Why I had to be such a bastard? I don’t even understand myself sometimes.
But it seemed to work because Yoo Joonghyuk’s face became red suddenly – or if I wanna be correct then I would say a very very light pink – but the point was that he felt fucking embarrassment over my statement and I’ve never, NEVER seen this reaction from him and I was… speechless.
I made Yoo Joonghyuk blush. (A very light and tiny blush but it still counted as a blush!)
“It is true,” I said with shock as I saw his growing anger next to the embarrassment. Of course, the latter emotion only lasted for a moment because he was the protagonist and he was Yoo Joonghyuk. Somehow, he managed to get back his cold demeanor as if nothing happened.
“It doesn’t matter since you don’t want it.” He growled as if he was just talking about the weather or just some boring strategy. He looked into the sky with an impatient face. “Now end this pathetic scenario and get out of here.”
No. No way.
Is he really trying to get away with this like it wasn’t a big deal? Like he can leave the whole thing with a shrug? He thought that his feelings meant nothing to me?
This bastard.
“You know, that was like the most unromantic confession ever.” I started in a discontented voice because seriously. “Not like I ever got a confession or anything but still. This was pretty lame, Yoo Joonghyuk.”
“It was not a confession.”
Yeah, of course. I rolled my eyes so hard that they almost popped out of my skull. I decided not to listen to him. Instead, I walked in front of him and grabbed his tight black top on his stupid perfect abs. No, I was not having a crisis here at all.
“So you confessed and do you not even ask me about my feelings in exchange?” I looked into his eyes because perfect abs or not I was still quite angry at him and I wanted to make a point here. And I liked his eyes more.
“Do you just assume things without confirmation?”
Yoo Joonghyuk was still unwavering like a statue although I was standing pretty close to him now. Our faces were only a few centimeters apart. He could look anywhere but Yoo Joonghyuk also chose my eyes and only my eyes.
“Kim Dokja likes women. I don’t need a confirmation.” He stated with a snarl and full conviction. I wanted to laugh at that.
“It’s funny because I thought you liked women too. What about Le…”
“That’s in the past. And now is now.”
Yoo Joonghyuk interrupted in an abrupt way. I was a little bit taken aback by his sturdiness. Even if his feelings changed from the last round I was kind of sure that Lee Sheolhwa would be always more important to him and she would be always his first choice. But now he was looking at me with such intense eyes that I could barely breathe. And he wasn’t even choking me now.
And then I realized it…
He was really serious.
“Wow, you are always so eloquent with your speeches,” I said with an embarrassed cough as the blood was flowing to my stupid face and ears again. But I also felt the stupid grin forming on my lips as I was looking into those deep black eyes. I can’t help it. This jerk had that effect on me.
“I don’t even know how I can love a guy with such a horrible personality. He is so aggressive, impatient, and thick-headed sometimes.”
“…”
Yoo Joonghyuk was watching me with confusion. Until now he was kind of sure of himself but now his expression changed little by little.
I was smiling widely at his stupid face.
“Even his impostors make better love confessions than him, but you know what?”
I placed my hands on his cheeks and slowly caressed his skin. Maybe I was not as soft or not as perfect as some of the other Kim Dokjas out there but this was me. The real me. My fingers were trembling a little and I felt like crying as I looked into his eyes.
My only protagonist’s eyes.
“I don’t want to replace my sunfish bastard with anyone. I think he is perfect for me.”
[Candidate 314th Yoo Joonghyuk activated the personal skill ‘Lie Detection’.]
[‘Lie Detection’ confirmed that the statement is true.]
“Did you seriously use Lie Detection for th…”
I didn’t have the time to get upset about the Lie Detection because Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t hesitate anymore.
He pulled me into his space with firm hands and he pressed his lips to mine.
All the air left my lungs and my knees went weak in a moment.
His lips felt the way I always imagined on my lonely nights as a teenager… and sometimes as an adult as well... Warm and soft and real. A little bit chapped from wind and fights but definitely soft.
He pulled me even closer in a tight embrace while I automatically put my hands around his nape. Was this a dream again? I felt a delighted smile pressed on my lips as I responded to his kiss and as I snuggled closer to him. Then this bastard became bold and licked into my mouth and everything became a little bit more heated.
His tongue started to fight with mine and I couldn’t help the groan escaping my mouth. This was definitely not a dream… not at all. And this bastard now was pretty confident. He even dared to bite my lower lip because he is such a jerk. Of course, I bit him back.
We stopped for a moment just to smile stupidly at each other but then I started to attack his lips again. It was our best fight yet.
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is screaming YEEEEESSSSSS and saying now she will die happily.]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ says this was worth his every strand of hair.]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is going to throw up but he is happy about the biting.]
[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is flabbergasted.]
[The constellation ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring’ is donating 314th Yoo Joonghyuk a Chinese dress and a garter belt.]
[The constellation who likes to change gender approves the donation of the Queen of the Darkest Spring.]
[You gained 100.000 points.]
[Candidate 314th Yoo Joonghyuk gained 100.000 points and an SSS-grade Chinese dress and an SSS-grade garter belt.]
I laughed into our kiss because I heard the stupid messages the constellations were sending us. A Chinese dress and a garter belt, really?
If I was not embarrassed enough then now I really felt my face is on fire. Well… maybe, just MAYBE it was not a bad idea to put that on Yoo Joonghyuk? Okay, not the dress specifically but the garter belt…. damn, I really need to stop these thoughts.
Yoo Joonghyuk ended our kiss with a displeased expression although his lips were red and tormented from our passionate way. It was a good look on him.
“You are quite clumsy at this.” He stated as he licked his lips but I saw a slight smirk on his arrogant face. Of course, he didn’t comment on the dress, it was way below him but he needed to tease me to save his ego.
I can’t believe this bastard.
“It was still the best fucking kiss you’ve ever got.”
“…”
I didn’t get a response which was a shame because I wanted to use ‘Lie Detection’ on him but of course, the sunfish bastard was aware of that as well.
Instead, he kissed me again and I tried not to notice the adoring way he was looking at me because then I would totally and irreversibly fall for him. And that would be bad because he already made me weak in the knees and made me tremble in his arms like a lovesick teenager.
「 Kim Dokja already had it really bad for Yoo Joonghyuk but he always loved deluding himself. It was a bad habit of his. 」
Damn brat, shut up.
Still, I was smiling because yeah… he was kind of right.
[Most of the constellations are convinced that you are the real Kim Dokja and 314th candidate Yoo Joonghyuk is the real Yoo Joonghyuk.]
[The Hidden Scenario – ‘The Yoo Joonghyuk – Kim Dokja Game’ is ended.]
[You are a winner.]
We heard some unexpected applause and whistling in the background as our citizens realized that we are the winners of the game… while we were still in the middle of passionate smooching.
We broke apart in an awkward and startled way, and in our growing embarrassment Yoo Joonghyuk also got my delayed Midday Tryst messages. He was surprised by them at first but his expression softened immediately as he read my replies I almost forgot about.
“We have a new name for our nebula.” He was muttering quietly as he was looking at the annoyingly cheerful crowd around us. “Now it’s Comradeship Company. Choose a matching name for the industrial complex.”
That was the last thing he said before he turned away from me and was looking for an escape from our citizens.
My jaw dropped again from shock.
That was… a joke? Is he capable of making a joke? Or is he serious?
I watched Yoo Joonghyuk walking away in a hurry but the tip of his black sword touched the ground the whole time.
And I couldn’t help the grin that spread on my face at that moment.
That bastard.
I’m really the winner of this scenario.