Surprisingly, during one of the few breaks we had in between scenarios, a new message popped up onto our screens.
[A new hidden scenario is being prepared!]
"What the…?" Han Sooyung squinted her eyes at me."Kim Dokja, I thought you said we completed all the scenarios for this round?"
I looked at the message in surprise. "I thought we had…"
"Really?" Han Sooyoung's eyes grew large. "Then what's this?"
[Bald General of justice is scratching his head.]
[Demonic Judge of Fire is asking if anyone applied for a scenario extension.]
"I…" I thought hard. No matter how much I mulled it over, we had all just completed a main scenario, so there was no need for a hidden scenario to appear for a couple days at best. And since everyone was seeing the same loading screen, it wasn't a personal quest from a constellation…
A sudden shadow appeared by my side. "Kim Dokja…" Yoo Joonghyuk muttered, "Do you really not know anything about this scenario?"
The rest of my company gazed up at me with wide eyes. For once, I was drawing a blank.
My eyebrows knitted. Could this be part of a new revision that I hadn't read yet? My hand reached towards my phone, but there was no update from the last file of WOS. I licked my drying lips. An ominous feeling unlike anything I had ever felt before chilled my bones.
"Bihyung?" I called out desperately, but he was also looking at the screen with a confused expression.
Then, another strange message appeared.
[Constellation Monarch of Envy is sneering at Kim Dokja.]
I cocked an eyebrow. Monarch of Envy was a modifier that I hadn't heard of before, but it was easy enough to guess who it might be.
"A demon king?" I mumbled. It seemed that the appearance of this new constellation was no coincidence either.
While my brain slowly pieced together the situation at hand, the loading screen finally came to a halt.
[Hidden Scenario #??? - Protect Your Chastity]
Category: Hidden
Difficulty: ???
Clear condition: Prevent any 'incubus' from stealing your 'chastity'.
Time limit: 8 hours
Reward: 10,000 coins
Penalty for failure:
*Those who fail to possess a pure 'chastity' by the end of the allotted time will be poisoned
*Any 'incubus' remaining at the end of the scenario will be cursed
*Special attritional clear conditions exist in this scenario
There were varying reactions towards the message written on the screen. Lee Hyunsung gaped at the air, while Lee Jinhye tilted her head in confusion. A few other party members, in particular Jung Heewon and Yoo Joonghyuk contorted their faces in pure disgust. Had it not been for the circumstances, I would have bursted out laughing from how grievously ill Yoo Joonghyuk looked. Unfortunately, this was no laughing matter.
"What the hell is this?" Jung Heewon shouted, breaking the tense silence. "Why would you want to watch something like this, you perverts!" She screamed into the sky.
[Demonic Judge of Fire is blushing furiously!]
[God of Wine and Extacy is complaining that he isn't a pervert.]
[Queen of the Darkest Spring is hiding behind a fan.]
"What does it mean, Heewon-ssi? I don't understand it." Lee Jinhye asked.
Jung Heewon smacked the back of Jinhye's head. "Good, you shouldn't understand any of this. You're too young to be worrying about it anyways."
"Ow… what was that for?!"
Han Sooyung chuckled without mirth behind Lee Jinhye. "Of course you wouldn't understand, since you're still a virgin."
"What's that got to do with any of this—!"
Thankfully, Yoo Sangah had enough bandwidth to cover both Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung's ears before they started asking questions for themselves.
"Dokja-ssi, what exactly is this?" Yoo Sangah asked carefully.
I grimaced. "Well… it's exactly as you would expect with the words 'incubus' and 'chastity' involved."
Still, it was strange that such an event was occurring with seemingly no prior prompting. Seeing as there was no concrete answer, I drew the most reasonable conclusion.
"Bihyung, even for you this is a little…"
"I didn't authorize any of this!" Bihyung shouted quickly.
"Someone in the upper dobeki's must have overruled my channel…" he sweated nervously. "I have no control over this scenario."
That was…concerning, to say the least. If it was a scenario that was out of Bihyung's hands, and Biyoo's too, from the looks of it, then there's no telling what exactly could happen. The fact that there was a '???' listed as the difficulty rating was a testament to the severity of what we were dealing with. I frowned at the thought. But the scenario didn't seem too hard, considering the penalty wasn't death…
[Monarch of Envy is snickering.]
This message caught my eye, and suddenly I had an epiphany. When it comes to scenarios involving 'incubus,' it's obvious that it involves beings from the demonic race. And, not too long ago, we had quite a spectacular showdown with a demon king who specialized in wrath and lust…
"Monarch of Envy… you wouldn't happen to be a follower of Asmodeus, would you?"
Yoo Joonghyuk stiffened at my words. It's almost laughable to think that Asmodeus would have any followers, considering the fact that he was an odd duckling within the demonic world, but it's still possible. Many constellations feared his unpredictable thirst for brutality, but at the same time, many constellations admired his passion and drive as one of the 'seekers of the end.'
[Monarch of Envy is aggravated by Kim Dokja's brazen attitude!]
[Monarch of Envy says that Kim Dokja should address the Devil of Wrath and Lust by his modifier, even if he is deceased!]
[Monarch of Envy claims that this disrespect is why Kim Dokja and his company is in this situation now.]
…well that settled it. Even so, there's no way that a single (presumed) demon king could muster enough probability and coins to instigate a scenario like this.
"…Asmodeus must have had more followers than I thought," I mused.
[Monarch of Envy is glaring at Kim Dokja!]
"What do we do now, Dokja-ssi?" Lee Hyunsung asked tentatively.
"Well…" I started, unsure how to word it euphemistically.
"We try hard not to get f***ed." finished Han Sooyung. "Literally."
"What?!" Lee Jinhye blushed. Lee Hyunsung also blushed a shy pink at Han Sooyung's eloquent wording. The rest of the company heaved a big sigh of resignation.
"Master, this can't really be—"
"Yoo Sangah," Yoo Joonghyuk interrupted. "Watch over the kids." Yoo Sangah nodded grimly.
"Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon, come with me."
A myriad of protests met his commands.
"Why should I have to follow your orders?"
"Dokja-ssi, is this really alright?"
"Master, what about me? Shouldn't I come along with you?"
Yoo Joonghyuk paused. "Lee Jinhye you stay with Yoo Sangah."
"What!" Lee Jinhye reproached. "I'm not a kid!"
Ignoring her outburst, Yoo Joonghyuk motioned for Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung to get moving.
"Dokja-ssi…" Lee Hyunsung turned towards me with questioning eyes.
I sighed, stepping forward. "Yoo Joonghyuk , you can't clear this scenario by having Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon copulate."
"You never know until we try," he gritted through his teeth.
"Copu-what?!" Lee Hyunsung stuttered. His pink face transitioned into a tomato red. Jung Heewon, for once, was stupefied.
"Dokja-ssi, y-you can't mean we have to—?"
"Well," I sighed, "the object of the scenario is clearly trying to get people to…you know. It's not specified, but it's very possible that one of the special clear conditions is to have *cough* well I think you get the gist. And since you both are willing…"
"W-who says we're willing?!" Lee Hyunsung squeaked. And then, upon realizing what he had said, he stiffened. Jung Heewon wore a hard to read expression on her face.
"W-what I mean is… as in r-right now. I-it might be difficult… but if it was with Jung Heewon-ssi o-of course I would… but that's only if Heewon-ssi wanted to…" By the time he stopped stammering, Lee Hyunsung looked as if he were going to pass out from embarrassment.
"That settles it then." Yoo Joonghyuk stated.
"That settles nothing!" Jung Heewon finally broke out of her stupor, her cheeks tinted slightly with pink. "There's a time and place to do that sort of thing… Besides, if you want to complete the special clear conditions, then do it yourself!"
"If I could, I would." Yoo Joonghyuk deadpanned. "This is the only way."
"Then get Kim Dokja to do it with you, since you both clearly understand the scenario so well! And let the rest of us figure it all out at our own pace!"
A look of pure repulsion plagued Yoo Joonghyuk's face, and he regarded me as if I had implanted the foul words into Jung Heewon's mouth.
"Respectfully, I decline," I appeased by putting both my hands up in a placating manner. "Even if I did swing that way, I have standards."
Han Sooyung gave me a pointed look that seemed to say 'you have the audacity to be picky at your age?' And with a battered huff, I relented.
"Well, I have a singular standard, at the very least. One which Yoo Joonghyuk unfortunately does not meet."
[Demonic Judge is silently weeping...]
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at me with what might have been his most murderous gaze ever.
Jung Heewon scoffed. "And what might that be, do tell."
"Mental stability."
After taking a good look at the man who was reaching for his sword with the intent to decapitate my head, Jung Heewon grimaced in understanding before turning to face me.
"…we'll clear this scenario the regular way, then." Her tone left no room for debate. Unanimously, everyone silently agreed.
Of course, had we known the true details of the scenario beforehand, we might have made a different decision.
[The scenario is starting!]
But alas, it had already begun.
***
Above my head, a pure white heart manifested out of thin air, and embedded itself into my chest. The air was sucked out of my body as the cold symbol seeped into my skin, and I suppressed a shudder as a cool, refreshing tingle washed over my incarnation body. It felt… strange. As if I were being cleansed. I looked around and saw that my company had similar reactions to absorbing the heart.
"The hell is this?" Han Sooyung complained, pulling back the neck of her black shirt to reveal a white heart etched into the middle of her chest. "This is a shitty design for a tattoo."
I widened my eyes in surprise and turned my gaze to my own chest where the heart had fallen. Sure enough, right in the center of my torso was a simple heart tracing that was faintly emitting a white glow. I supposed that this must be the symbolic 'chastity' that we had to protect. If that was the case… then perhaps the scenario wasn't as bad as I had initially thought. In fact, it was quite manageable, I thought. It was like a game of tag.
The only problem was…
"Dokja-ssi," Lee Hyunsyung walked up to my side, "if this is our *cough* chastity, then where are the incubi?"
Two hours had already started since the beginning of the scenario, but the only thing that had appeared was a small horde of scorpions spewing a clear liquid. But they were easy to cut down with a few swipes of a sword. I considered that the scorpions might have been the 'incubi' of the scenario, since they were clearly from the demon world, but that would have been too easy. Moreover, the only penalty for not maintaining a pure 'chastity' would result in poisoning, which could easily be resolved with an antidote from the Dokkebi store. Wasn't this scenario too lenient? I couldn't help but feel like something was amiss. Beyond that point, there was something that had been bothering me…
"Any 'incubus' remaining at the end of the scenario will be cursed."
Out of all the penalties, this sentence made no sense. Why would there be a penalty for a demon that was a part of the scenario? It was something that had never before appeared on the list of penalties for an incarnation. If I could just see what an incubus looked like, I might be able to figure it out, I thought.
As if reading my thoughts, from across the clearing, Han Sooyung yelled, "No way…this is an 'incubus'?"
"Speak of the devil…" I muttered as I trudged over to where the commotion was forming.
Lee Hyunsung jogged beside me in confusion. "Dokja-ssi, shouldn't we be running away from the 'incubus'?"
"We need to know what it looks like first if we want to avoid it.",
However, as we arrived at the area where Han Sooyung was situated, there was no 'incubus', but there was…
"…Jung Heewon?" I asked cautiously.
[Demon-like Judge of fife is frantically running in circles.]
Doubled over on her stomach, Jung Heewon shuddered as if she was freezing. She took ragged breaths and, from the looks of it, she was struggling to keep her consciousness. But this wasn't the strangest thing that occurred. It was faint, but there was a definite demonic aura leaking from Jung Heewon's body.
"Stay back!" She barked as Lee Hyunsing and I approached tentatively.
Alarmed, I rushed over to Han Sooyung for an explanation. "Was she cursed by an incubus? Did you see what it looked like?"
Han Sooyung bit her lip nervously, but before she could speak, she was interrupted.
"Look…" Jung Heewon's gravely voice caught my attention and I watched in confusion as she unbuttoned the front of her shirt.
"H-heewon-ssi?" Lee Hyunsung spluttered. "W-hy—?" He stopped when he saw the markings on her chest.
Much like the rest of us, Jung Heewon had a heart-shaped tattoo centered right under her collarbone. It was identical in shape, in placement, and in size to the tattoo on my chest, except there was one minor difference: hers was a bright red.
A feeling of dread sunk into my bones.
"She wasn't feeling the best earlier…" Han Sooyoung commented. "I thought it was just period cramps or something."
Jung Heewon gave her a weak glare, but it was hard to muster any real bite with her condition.
"Do you… understand now?" Jung Heewon gasped. "Stay…away…"
Suddenly, a new message appeared on my screen.
[Warning! You have encountered an 'incubus'!]
I grimaced. Now I see, I thought internally. So this is the way it's going to play out…
"...this scenario just became a hundred times more difficult." I sighed.
"What?" Lee Hyunsung turned towards me with confused eyes. "What do you mean by that, Dokja-ssi? Is Heewon-ssi going to be okay?"
I glanced down at the woman before me, and met her eyes evenly. What was once a dark brown was slowly being consumed by a vibrant red hue. But even with the heavy shroud of lust eating away at her consciousness, Jung Heewon managed to retain some of her coherency. She said nothing as we shared a silent staring contest, but I could tell what she wanted to convey.
[Leave me alone for the remaining six hours.] Jung Heewon messaged me in a private tryst.
[You know that won't solve the problem in the long run.]
She grit her teeth.
[I refuse to be used like this.]
[Never again.]
I thought back to when I first met Jung Heewon all those years ago. When I saw how the people from Guemho station treated her, it wasn't too hard to guess what she had been through… It was beyond traumatizing for Jung Heewon, to say the least. To have her go through something like that again, well… it was certainly in bad taste. But…
[Heewon-ssi, I can't spare you the details, but in a future scenario we will have to face a lot of 'Evil' constellations…]
[I can fight them.] Her eyes were confident.
I shook my head and lowered my eyes from her gaze. [You won't be able to participate if you fail this scenario.]
Her confident eyes waivered.
[You'll be cursed by a demon if you remain an incubus at the end of this scenario. You won't be able to fight them.]
No reply came in for a while. After a moment, Han Sooyong seemed to understand that we were communicating via tryst and complained about being left out.
[...is it really the only way?]
It was cruel of myself, that much I know. To give Jung Heewon an ultimatum and push her into doing something she wasn't comfortable with. But, then again, we lived in a world where comfort was a luxury, not a standard practice.
[Yes.]
Jung Heewon stuttered a painful gasp, and Lee Hyunsung made a motion to help her before restraining himself.
"Heewon-ssi!"
She held up a hand to show that she was alright, but I could tell that she was losing composure very quickly. In about an hour or so, she would probably be reduced to running through the streets completely naked.
[I'm blaming you for putting me in this shitty situation, you know. This is all because you pick a fight with every constellation you meet.] Jung Heewon slowly gathered herself to her feet.
[...Asmodeous was the one who attacked me first, though…]
[It doesn't matter who started it, you still got me into this mess. I expect the company to reimburse me for all my hardships.]
[...fine.]
She stood up fully, small puffs of air escaping her lips involuntarily. Her eyes were almost completely red now. Breaking my gaze, her focus honed in on a large, muscular man with closely-cropped hair.
"Heeson-ssi…?" A confused Lee Hyunsung questioned as Jung Heewon made eye-contact with him. Despite the obvious hunger in her gaze there was still a small sliver of fear present in Jung Heewon's eyes.
[Lee Hyunsung isn't like the other men you've met, you know. He would never do anything you don't like.]
A visible tremble seemed to pass through her body, and she hung her head. But when she looked up again, there was no sign of hesitation.
[I know.]
Smiling softly, I called Lee Hyunsung. He turned his attention to me, and I saw the unbridled concern in his caring eyes.
"Go to her."
His eyes widened. "Dokja-ssi, if this is about earlier–"
"Lee Hunsung." a voice spoke from a little distance away, interrupting his sentence. He gulped audibly as he saw Jung Heewon walking towards him.
"You're coming with me."
***
Han Sooyung whistled as we walked back towards the base. "Who knew that you were such a match-maker, Kim Dokja? Maybe I should ask you to set me up with someone too."
I ignored her in favor of slicing a mid-sized scorpion in half.
"Go to her." She mocked, in a slightly deeper voice. "What are you, cupid?"
[Angel of Love is clapping his hands in delight.]
"You want me to set you up with someone?" I asked while cutting down a few more scorpions. "Then, how about Yoo Joonghyuk ?"
A harsh slap reverberated against my back.
"Hey, don't even joke about that," she shivered. "I would rather die than cozy up with that psychotic bastard."
"Hm… then Yoo Sangah maybe?"
She gave me a bewildered look. "Are you crazy? Have all those recovery potions messed with your brain cells?"
I shrugged. "I think it could work."
Slowly, her eyes narrowed, "You men and your male fantasies… who knew that Kim Dokja was actually a huge pervert? Huh?"
Exasperated, I continued to cut down the hoard of scorpions. Damn, why were there so many showing up now?
"Actually, I should have known you were a big 'ol pervert from the moment that I found out you were into garter belts and chinese dresses. How did you not get cursed with the incubus mark, you lusty, old man?"
As I prepared to defend myself and say that anyone would be excited about garter belts and chinese dresses, Han Sooyoung suddenly stopped walking and stared at the ground.
"Wait…why was Jung Heewon cursed in the first place?"
"Haa… that's…" I sighed, feeling very uncomfortable. Of course there was a reason why the red symbol had only appeared on Jung Heewon and no one else, but it was a bit difficult to explain. Thankfully, I didn't have to. A few seconds later, a look of realization dawned upon Han Sooyoung's face, and she stared at me in horror.
"You're 28 and you're still a virgin?!"
I glared at her. "So are you!"
"I'm not 28, old man. I'm still well within my prime." Han Sooyung gave me a look of pity. "I always thought that you were a depressing person, but this is even worse than I thought."
[Secretive Plotter is scoffing behind his hand.]
[God of Wine and Extacy says that he could help fix that problem.]
[Queen of the Darkest Night has a few candidates in mind for Kim Dokja's partner.]
Irritated, I ignored all the messages popping up on my screen. "...there's no need for concern. I'm perfectly happy with the way I am now."
"..."
"Kim Dokja, you're sexually supressed, aren't you?"
A blush involuntarily heated the back of my neck. "What gave you that impression—?!"
「Ki m Dok ja t h ought: may be a litt le b it….」
I stared in shock at the message before me. Even the Fourth Wall? Why is everyone like this?! It's really not like that at all…
"Alright, alright, old man. Calm down. I don't want you getting a stroke because you haven't gotten laid in a century."
I threw a scorpion at her head, which she unfortunately dodged.
"Ah… that reminds me." She said absentmindedly as she cut down a few more scorpions. "What do we do about the other member who got turned into an incubus?"
I looked at her in confusion. "What other member…?"
She paused and gave me a strange look. "...hey, aren't you supposed to know everything about the protagonist?"
The cold feeling of dread seeped back into my skin, almost numbing out the sensation of a stray scorpion piercing my leg with venom.
"Yoo Joonghyuk isn't a virgin."
***
As a man who has lived through two previous regressions, Yoo Joonghyuk was no stranger to lust. He immediately knew that, upon feeling the familiar sensation buzz near the bottom of his stomach, what path this scenario was heading down. But, after watching his lover die in his hands one time too many, Yoo Joonghyuk could never find it in him to love again. Thus, he was especially good at suppressing his libido. However, after four hours into the scenario, he was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain himself. He thought that such a thing might occur, so immediately after sensing the first buds of desire, he left Yoo Sangah and the kids to fight the scorpions alone. For a while, the constant exercise seemed to help with subsiding the burning ache in his lions, but it wasn't enough to satisfy his thirst. In the end, he decided to hole himself up in an abandoned apartment complex and wait out the waves of desire until the scenario was over. That was his plan, however…
"What are you doing here, Kim Dokja?"
From outside the first-floor window of the complex, a slender man stepped into his view. Eyebrow-length black hair, a lengthy white overcoat, and a mousy face that screamed trouble. Immediately, Yoo Joonghyuk sensed that Kim Dokja was up to no good.
"Why, hello to you too, Yoo Joonghyuk ," Kim Dokja smiled infuriatingly. In response, Yoo Joonghyuk gave him a menacing glare.
"Leave."
"I can't do that yet, Yoo Joonghyuk . I need you to do something for me first." Kim Dokja smiled as he eased into the apartment room via a gaping hole in the wall.
If looks could kill, then Kim Dokja would have been murdered ruthlessly.
"Leave, while I'm still asking you nicely."
Kim Dokja sighed. "Yoo Joonghyuk , why are you being so difficult? This is a simple matter that can be solved quite easily."
At this, Yoo Joonghyuk regarded him with a disturbed scrutiny. "... I don't swing that way."
Kim Dokja rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to have sex with you, so relax." Then, he reached behind the crumbling wall, and revealed a petite-looking black haired woman who was blushing.
"She will!"
Seeing Yoo Joonghyuk's bewilderment, Kim Dokja added. "Ah, don't worry, it's completely consensual, so you don't have to feel weird about it. I showed her a picture of your face and she agreed."
If he didn't have a raging boner at the moment, then Yoo Joonghyuk would have strangled him right then and there.
"No."
"Haa… why are you so difficult? You know that you have to do this so that you won't be useless during the battle between 'Good' and 'Evil.'"
Yoo Joonghyuk clenched his teeth. "I'll find another way."
"Yoo Joonghyu–"
A large sword pierced the floorboards of the apartment room, and the girl flinched as the power trembled through the air. Kim Dokja watched passively as his hair was blown back from the blast.
"I.." Yoo Joonghyuk panted through labored breaths, "...refuse."
Kim Dokja sighed. "You—"
"Um, excuse me?" The girl quivered beside Kim Dokja. "I think that I've changed my mind…sorry!" Kim Dokja watched as her black hair disappeared into the distance and he sighed once more.
"...look at what you've done." Kim Dokja complained, completely exasperated. "That was the only girl who agreed to sleep with you because she didn't know who you were. Do you know how hard that was? And now you look like you're on the verge of collapse because you blue-balled yourself."
A vein protruded from Yoo Joonghyuk's forehead.
"Leave."
"Yoo Joonghyuk," Kim Dokja warned, "I don't know what curse will befall on you at the end of this scenario, but I guarantee that you won't like it."
Red-tinted eyes glared at him in response.
The mousy man ignored Yoo Joonghyuk's heated gaze. "You know, Han Myungoh was cursed by Asmodeous. And as a result, he gave birth to a demon-child."
Yoo Joonghyuk widened his eyes slightly upon hearing this information.
"..how did—"
"He gave birth through his heart," Kim Dokja waved indifferently. "Don't sweat the details."
Despite his words, Yoo Joonghyuk looked as if he was quite literally sweating the details.
"Anyways, seeing as this whole scenario is because of the damn demon bastard anyways, I wouldn't hold it against the other constellations to impose a similar punishment."
"..."
"You don't want a kid, right? Then just get it over with, and go on with your life."
Wavering slightly, Yoo Joonghyuk looked at Kim Dokja's face. In his haze of lust and desire, he found that the usual creases by the corners of the rat-bastard's eyes weren't as annoying as they usually were.
He breathed a deep sigh.
"...alright, " he relented.
Kim Dokja perked up immediately. "Okay, then I'll go back and find the girl and—"
"No…" he paused to catch his breath, "not her." Yoo Joonghyuk's face hardened.
"...do you seriously have the time to be picky at this point?"
Despite the increasingly red flush coloring his ears and the darling crimson hue in his eyes, his face gave no hint of budging.
"...you sunfish bastard." Kim Dokja muttered. "How are you so composed when you're literally about to faint because of your hard-on? Shouldn't you be drooling over any breathing suitor at this point?"
Yoo Joonghyuk gave him a murderous glare.
"Alright, fine… I'll try to see if Han Sooyung will do it if I bribe her with enough money…" Silently, Kim Dokja mourned his soon-to-be empty wallet.
"...no!" Yoo Joonghyuk half-breathed, half-choked. "Not… that woman…I'd… rather die…"
"...you two are similar in the strangest ways…" Kim Dokja griped. "Alright then, Yoo Sangah—"
"N…o.." Yoo Joonghyuk wheezed, his face almost turning purple with frustration.
"I…can't…with…anyone who–"
With an enlightening realization, Kim Dokja froze.
"…is it because of Lee Seolhwa?" He wondered why it hadn't dawned on him before. Yoo Joonghyuk had always been the devoted type. It made sense that he would only desire his former wife. In a way, it was really commendable. Perhaps there are some redeeming qualities to this sunfish bastard afterall, Kim Dokja thought.
"Kim…Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk glared through his clouded eyes, "...I don't…want a child…"
"I know, I know. That's why I'm acting as your wingman right now—to help your sorry ass get laid."
A warm hand pressed into Kim Dokja's arm, and he recoiled at the startling contact. Kim Dokja barely had time to register how Yoo Joonghyuk had moved from the inside of the room to where Kim Dokja was by the hole in the wall before Yoo Joonghyuk began to speak again.
"Kim..Dokja…I.can't…" Yoo Joonghyuk gulped, struggling to breathe. Kim Dokja felt sorry for the man. It looked as if he were truly suffering.
"You can't what?" He asked, softly. He was really trying to be the supportive companion at that moment, all jokes aside.
Yoo Joonghyuk refused to meet his eyes. "I …can't…lie with a…woman…"
The sound of Yoo Joonghyuk's heavy breathing filled the room as Kim Dokja took the time to comprehend his statement. Suddenly, the hand on his arm felt like it was melting into his skin.
"...I thought you said that you didn't swing that way?" Kim Dokja laughed nervously.
"...I…don't…"
"Then why—"
"Not… usually… I…don't…" Yoo Joonghyuk lifted his eyes, and with what must have been a herculean amount of restraint, held his gaze with the man in the white coat.
Kim Dokja's eyes widened at the implication of that phrase. A myriad of emotions ran through his face– confusion, dumbfoundment, and uneasiness. But by far, the most prominent thing he felt at that moment was the tension choking his throat, and the cool beads of sweat rolling down his hot skin.
Ah…Kim Dokja thought. This must have been how Jung Heewon felt.
He watched as Yoo Joonghyuk clenched and unclenched his jaw, restraining himself beyond his capacity. Despite the copious amount of sweat clinging to Yoo Joonghyuk's forehead and chiseled jaw, Kim Dokja didn't think that the man before him was unattractive. In fact, the red flush on his face and the glisten of his smooth skin almost made him look like a god. If Dokja had to rank any of his companions by their beauty, then Yoo Joonghyuk would undoubtedly be first. Heck, Kim Dokja had often admired his handsomeness, eyeing his broad shoulders and magnificent muscles with a tinge of envy. However, the problem isn't the fact that Yoo Joonghyuk is handsome, Kim Dokja confessed internally. It was because this is Yoo Joonghyuk .
"Kim…Dokja…" Yoo Joonghyuk breathed, interrupting his thoughts. Unable to lift his head any longer, Yoo Joonghyuk lowered his face into Kim Dokja's shoulder, his hands still loosely grabbing his arms, but not keeping him in place. Kim Dokja could run if he wanted to; he knew that this was Yoo Joonghyuk's unspoken way of offering him this choice. Kim Dokja sighed and looked at the cracked ceiling for a long while. With the way they were standing now, with Yoo Joonghyuk practically slumped over Kim Dokja, with his hands clinging to his arms in an almost-hug, Kim Dokja was sure that Uriel was having a field day.
"Haa…Yoo Joonghyuk … Do you know what you're asking me to do?"
He felt as the larger man nodded slightly into the crook of his shoulder.
"...I..do."
"...you sunfish bastard, at least sound a little more apologetic about it…"
"Kim…Dokja…" He growled, pressing into his shoulder with more force. Kim Dokja could feel a significant bulge brush against his leg from the slight movement, and he silently began to recite some prayers.
"After all that lobbying I put into getting you laid…and this the solution you come up with?" Kim Dokja griped, just for the sake of being difficult. "Why do you alway make things so hard for me, Yoo Joonghyuk …"
Yoo Joonghyuk gripped his arms tighter.
"Alright, alright—I get it! Stop trying to cut off the circulation in my arms, you bastard…"
Slowly, Kim Dokja lifted his hands and placed them awkwardly around Yoo Joonghyuk's back. The larger man tensed at the contact, his breathing and the beating of his heart speeding up in tandem. He raised his head, his eyes searching for an unspoken answer within Kim Dokja's face.
"Joonghyuk -ah…" Kim Dokja mumbled quietly, "You're a really picky man."
Tilting his head ever so slightly, Kim Dokja slotted his chin over Yoo Joonghyuk's shoulder, a deep flush spreading down the back of his neck. He silently prayed that Yoo Joonghyuk didn't notice. Time paused for an eternity as the two men stood together in a tense stalemate, neither daring to cross the line any further than they already had. But it all came crashing down soon enough when Kim Dokja whispered the words "…do what you want," into the shell of Yoo Joonghyuk's ear.
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened as he felt rather than heard Kim Dokja's submission, but his surprise quickly turned into something much more primal as he caught sight of Kim Dokja screwing his eyes shut as the tips of his ears burned a crimson red.
'Do what you want.'
Yoo Joonghyuk scowled. He didn't need to be told twice.
***
After four hours of self-restraint, Yoo Joonghyuk was practically ravenous. His last thread of sanity snapped the moment he felt those soft, pale lips whisper into the side of his ear. There was no way he could hold himself back now.
Teeth bore into Kim Dokja's neck with a fervor that was unsightly, and at the first draw of blood, he gasped. But the gasping didn't stop there. In small utterances of startled 'ah, ah, ah's,' Kim Dokja continued to moan as Yoo Joonghyuk persistently battled his neck and torso, licking stripes of hot lava into the man's porcelain skin, until it was littered with unforgiving marks. While Yoo Joonghyuk's mouth busied himself with Kim Dokja's collarbone, bruising it with red and blue, his hands tore apart the smaller man's attire. Soon, his white trademark coat, along with his black shirt and trousers were discarded onto the floor, forgotten. Not long after, Yoo Joonghyuk's dark clothes followed. In no time, the two men found themselves tangled onto the bare mattress stuffed into the corner of the abandoned apartment.
"J-joonghyuk-ah… don't you think you're going a little fast? Shouldn't you at least buy me dinner first—ahh!"
Harsh teeth embedded into Kim Dokja's chest.
"You—haa—you sunfish bastard! Would it kill you to stop biting me every ten seconds? I'm not a chew toy!"
"Kim Dokja…" Yoo Joonghyuk rasped, looking up from his work to meet his hazy eyes. "....you talk too much."
Another well-placed bite into his ear punctuated his sentence.
"Ah—!"
Something about the way Kim Dokja's body writhed due to his ministrations stirred an insatiable desire within Yoo Joonghyuk. Since the beginning of the scenarios, Kim Dokja was always stringing Yoo Joonghyuk along, planning and scheming three, and sometimes four steps ahead of him. It aggravated Yoo Joonghyuk to no end. He was the regressor– he should know more about the scenarios than this annoying rat-bastard. But after watching that sly mouth pant uncontrollably because of his roaming hands, after feeling his slender fingers clutch onto his shoulders relentlessly, Yoo Joonghyuk was quickly becoming addicted to this side of Kim Dokja that he had never seen. And, like a starving man who hadn't eaten for months, he had every intention to gorge himself on the meal displayed before him.
Strong, calloused hands manhandled Kim Dokja onto his back, pushing his legs upwards to survey his glory hole. By no means was it attractive— it was a man's asshole after all. But Yoo Joonghyuk found himself hardening at the sight anyways. He attributed this reaction to the influence of being an incubus. At the end of the day, he was a straight man; he wasn't attracted to a man's ass. That being said…the man in question was Kim Dokja, who, at the moment, was splayed in a very seductive position with his shoulders flushed red and his neck brutally painted with markings from Yoo Joonghyuk's services. He reasoned that had any other man witnessed such a sight, they too would be tempted such as he.
As his tongue entered the hole between the black haired man's legs, Yoo Joonghyuk watched intently from his lower position as Kim Dokja's face morphed into embarrassed mortification.
"Ah-ah—!" Kim Dokja stuttered in a broken, high-pitched yelp.
Yoo Joonghyuk's pupils dilated at the sound. The only thing running through his mind at that moment was: I want to hear him make that sound again. And so he did. Over and over again, Kim Dokja wailed to the point of his throat becoming sore as Yoo Joonghyuk thrusted and swirled his tongue in and around his entrance, licking it like it was a feast. He savored it with a ravenous appetite, each exploration of his tongue delving deeper into the tight heat of Kim Dokja's hole, which clenched and trembled instinctively.
"J-Joonghyuk —ah! W-hy do you keep— ungh!"
Ignoring his cries, Yoo Joonghyuk's tongue traced the ring of flesh, marveling at how soft and pliant the muscle had become. He pushed a finger in experimentally, and surveyed with a renewed hunger as the digit sunk into the opening with little resistance.
At the sudden intrusion, Kim Dokja wailed. "Ah— don't just…stick it in there without warning!"
"Kim Dokja…you…"Yoo Joonghyuk muttered absentmindedly. "Have you…done this before?"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Kim Dokja lifted his head and stared at the man who was positioned between his thighs.
"Yoo Joonghyuk …do you really think we'd be in this situation if I had?" Kim Dokja gritted through his teeth, gesturing towards the white tattoo that was still glowing faintly on his chest.
"…then how…are you so…" he trailed off. The haze in his mind made it difficult to think.
Kim Dokja raised an eyebrow. "How am I what?"
Yoo Joonghyuk surveyed the man below him. His legs were now slightly spread apart for better access, and while his ass was tiny, it was soft and it fit perfectly in his hands. Yoo Joonghyuk also took note of how Kim Dokja's silky black hair was slightly tousled above his red-rimmed eyes that peaked through a dark fan of eyelashes.
Yoo Joonghyuk felt his length bulging impossibly larger at the sight.
"How are you so…sexy?"
"I—what?" Kim Dokja blushed, flabbergasted.
However, the only thing he met in response were two fingers pressing into his hole. He threw his head back in surprise, his back arching as he gasped, prompting the fingers to sink in deeper. Yoo Joonghyuk growled, taking the chance to hover over Kim Dokja's body and wrap his hand around both of their neglected dicks. Kim Dokja shivered violently as their molten lengths rubbed against one another, surrounded by the tight encasing of Yoo Joonghyuk's hand. Then, without warning, Yoo Joonghyuk began to move both of his hands simultaneously. Indecent sounds of flesh upon flesh perforated the room as both of their lengths collided in ecstasy. However, within the orchestra of lewd sounds, Joonghyuk noticed strange grunts of discomfort emerging from the smaller man's direction. From his position above Kim Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk observed how the man's eyelashes fluttered with unease, and how the small puffs of air lingered on his lips, which were clenched between his teeth. He frowned.
"Kim Dokja…why do you look…constipated?"
His eyes snapped open. "You try having two fingers shoved up your ass—ah. Let me tell you, it feels exactly like being constipated—ahhh!"
"…it's bad?"
"What do you think?"
The hand around their dicks tightened.
"Ah! Don't strangle my dick, you sunfish bastard…just…" Kim Dokja was silent for a pregnant pause, a silent battle dancing on his contorted face. However, whatever battle he was fighting in his mind, he must have eventually lost because his face bloomed an embarrassingly redder shade of crimson after muttering to himself for a moment. Almost sheepishly, Kim Dokja turned his attention back towards the man positioned between his thighs and muttered, "...just…try this, okay? It'll make both of our lives a whole lot easier."
A small bottle slammed into Yoo Joonghyuk's forehead, and he glared no so subtly at the blushing Kim Dokja. However, his glare soon turned into understanding as he realized what he held in his hand.
"I'll make… it…painless." He promised through his shallow breathing as he uncapped the lid and poured the clear liquid between his fingers.
"You'd better make it painless, Yoo Joonghyuk ." Kim Dokja gritted solemnly, his hands covering his face. "Or I'll cut off your dick."
Soon, the fingers which had exited his hole with a sickening pop returned with a cold gel lubricating them. Kim Dokja shivered as the careful digits reached impossibly further into this entrance, twisting and turning every time he became comfortable to the stretch. It was aggravating and humiliating how easily the fingers slipped in and out now, punctuating the air with filthy squelches, but Kim Dokja had no other choice but to succumb to the increasing itch pulsating from deep within his orifice.
"Ah—!" A sharp, strangled gasp escaped Kim Dokja's lips. Yoo Joonghyuk paused his ministrations, his burning lust ebbing away from concern. As I thought, Yoo Joonghyuk scowled, it's impossible with a man. He began to remove his fingers once again, but he was halted by a shivering hand grasping his wrist.
"Yoo…Joonghyuk …" Kim Dokja pleaded, his voice cracking. The larger man's dick traitorously twitched at the sound. He glared at the space between this hand and Kim Dokja's body.
"Im…hurting you…" Yoo Joonghyuk gritted through his teeth. "...this isn't going to work…"
But instead of agreeing and scuttling away like Yoo Joonghyuk expected, Kim Dokja only closed his eyes and held Yoo Joonghyuk's hand in place. Tentatively, and under the watchful red-rimmed golden eye of the man above him, KIm Dokja rutted his hips forward, the scarred fingers embedding deeper into his entrance. Yoo Joonghyuk let Kim Dokja guide him, his scowl furrowing even deeper.
"Kim…Dokja…" he warned. But Kim Dokja didn't seem to hear him as a jolt shuddered throughout his entire body. Yoo Joonghyuk watched, mystified, as Kim Dokja continued to grind himself on his fingers, his once dry dick now leaking with fluids. If I didn't know any better, Yoo Joonghyuk thought, then I think that Kim Dokja might be enjoying this…
Emboldened by this thought, he experimentally brushed his fingers towards the spot where Kim Dokja was grinding.
"AHHH—"
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened in surprise as Kim Dokja tensed and released a splurt of white liquid that painted his chest. Then his gaze lifted towards Kim Dokja's blissed-out face, and oh, Yoo Joonghyuk realized, perhaps this would work a lot better than I initially thought.
His fingers brushed past the soft knob of flesh again, and Kim Dokja convulsed with pleasure. An unidentifiable emotion took over Yoo Joonghyuk at that moment as he continued to poke and massage the spot that unraveled Kim Dokja. For the first time in a long time, he thought about holding hands with someone when he grew old, and having someone to sleep next to at night. But, that was a problem for the future, he decided while pushing deep into the spot again, eliciting another surprised gasp of pleasure from Kim Dokja. His primary concern at the moment, he grimaced while noticing the disparagingly different width between his fingers and his dick, was making sure that he could fit.
As a testament to his four hours of abstinence, Yoo Joonghyuk managed to steel himself long enough to properly loosen the inexperienced man. Thirty tortuous minutes of the larger man kneading and stretching Kim Dokja left both Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk in a state of licentious desperation. Dark curls matted Yoo Joonghyuk's forehead as copious beads of sweat trailed down his neck and abdomen, his body glistening in the quickly darkening room. His muscles were tensed with restraint, his mouth was open and panting, and his severely neglected hardened length donned an almost purplish hue from disuse. Below him, Kim Dokja wasn't any better. In fact, had anyone from the company seen him so disheveled and debauched, they wouldn't have recognized him. His head was thrown back in a silent moan (or perhaps a grimace, because he still hadn't completely forgotten that he was indeed being fingered by Yoo Joonghyuk ), and his body was spent, in multiple ways. Admittedly, he had already cum twice from Yoo Joonghyuk's clever fingers, and died twice more as he saw the wolfish grin plaster plaster upon Yoo Joonghyuk's face as he lost himself to pleasure. This fact alone was enough for Kim Dokja's fourth wall to become dangerously thin.
Then, the time came when Yoo Joonghyuk slipped his fingers out of Kim Dokja, and quickly replaced them with something much larger. Kim Dokja shuddered as the tip of something hard and hot pushed against his entrance.
"Kim…Dokja…" Yoo Joonghyuk breathed into his ear. That was the only warning that Kim Dokja had before his waist was grasped with a bruising grip, and impaled against Yoo Joonghyuk's hardness.
Slowly, the length breached into Kim Dokja's hole, invading every inch of his insides with a scalding heat. An involuntary gasp escaped Kim Dokja's mouth as the girth stretched him impossibly wider.
"It's too much—-!" Kim Dokja cried, his hands fumbling for purchase on Yoo Joonghyuk's bare back.
But, even as tears beaded in the smaller man's eyes, Yoo Joonghyuk continued to ease himself into Kim Dokja's tightness, observing with great interest and hunger as the ring of flesh expanded to accommodate his length. After a minute, both of their pelvises were flush against one another, and Yoo Joonghyuk was fully sheathed within Kim Dokja.
Countless tears leaked from Kim Dokja's face as Yoo Joonghyuk held his position, allowing the smaller man to become accustomed with the intrusion. Despite his lust making it almost impossible to think straight, Yoo Joonghyuk kept steady, a trail of sweat trickling down his neck and leaking onto Kim Dokja's heaving chest. The sound of their labored breathing lingered in the air. Easing his bruising grip off the lithe man's hips, Yoo Joonghyuk slid his hands up Kim Dokja's lithe body, sliding over the expanse of his stomach to where a prominent bulge was protruding.
"Ah–" Kim Dokja yelped as Yoo Joonghyuk pressed his thumb into his bulge. Yoo Joonghyuk glanced upwards at the source of the noise, and for the first time, he noticed that Kim Dokja was actually crying. But it wasn't the kind of ugly crying from pain; it was the out-of-breath, blissful kind of crying from too much pleasure. The larger man never imagined that he could elicit such a response from the cautious and guarded man below him, and it stirred something inside of him. Yoo Joonghyuk said nothing as he eyed the dimming white light tracing across the pale man's face. In the quickly darkening room, it was the only source of light that illuminated Kim Dokja's blushing face. A part of Yoo Joonghyuk was reluctant to see the light dim out. However, he found that the reddish hue that replaced the light suited the contours of Kim Dokja's face a lot better.
"Kim… Dokja…" Yoo Joonghyuk muttered, while placing his hands back onto Kim Dokja's hips.
"Ah!" Said man, shuddered, his eyes widening. "Yoo Joonghyuk , w-why is it getting bigger?"
Yoo Joonghyuk said nothing in response, allowing his actions to speak for himself. Giving a shallow thrust, a small test, Yoo Joonghyuk rocked into Kim Dokja with a carefulness that he didn't know he possessed. But, despite his restraint, Kim Dokja clung onto the bare mattress with shaking hands, and clenched his teeth tightly as he accommodated Yoo Joonghyuk's girth.
Yoo Joonghyuk bit his lips and resigned himself to a slow steady pace upon seeing Kim Dokja's reaction. He was a virgin, after all. Accepting someone of Yoo Joonghyuk's size and stamina as his first time…well it must have been difficult. Despite what most people thought, Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't a monster; even if his mind was addled by lust, he could still control himself to some degree. It was his anger that he had a hard time controlling.
However, like most situations involving the rat bastard, Kim Dokja somehow found a way to invigorate the regressor. After a solid ten minutes of the torturous slow pace of Yoo Joonghyuk's length thrusting shallowly, barely even exiting more than a full inch or two, Kim Dokja found his bearings.
"Hah…this is surprisingly a lot more vanilla—ah! Than I thought it would be… who would've thought that Yoo Joonghyuk was—ah… actually quite tame during the deed?"
Yoo Joonghyuk felt a vein protrude from the side of his neck, and without warning, he pulled out almost completely before plunging his full length inside Kim Dokja's hole.
"AHH—-!" The smaller man wailed, his arms jolting as he was hit with the full force of Yoo Joonghyuk's lust and anger. Yoo Joonghyuk took Kim Dokja's hands and placed them on the back of his neck before leaning over and growling in his ear.
"Prepare yourself."
Kim Dokja scrambled frantically beneath his hold. "Y-yoo Joonghyuk -ah, it was a joke—"
However, his words were cut off by a well-placed thrust that reached deep into his stomach. And then another. And another. Yoo Joonghyuk relentlessly pushed his way inside of Kim Dokja, molding and reshaping his insides with every thrust. Kim Dokja held onto the man's back for dear life, his nails scraping into Yoo Joonghyuk's skin with enough force to draw blood as his hole was ruthlessly abused and stretched beyond his capacity. Calloused fingers brushed over the bumps and divots of Kim Dokja's hip bones and ribs as Yoo Joonghyuk attempted to map out every inch of his porcelain skin in the near darkness, savoring the way that that Kim Dokja's body heated and hummed under his fingertips. As his hand brushed over what he knew to be Kim Dokja's length, he couldn't help but smile. Copious amounts of precum dripped from his hardened dick, and with every thrust, he could feel it jerk and quiver. Yoo Joonghyuk placed his thumb over the slit and pressed down hard as he promptly thrusted sharply into Kim Kim Dokja's prostate. The reaction that the smaller man gave was electrifying.
A full body tremor wrecked through Kim Dokja's skin as he was brutally toyed with on two separate erogenous zones. His back arched and his neck was involuntary thrown back in near ecstasy. But, it wasn't enough.
"J-Joonghyuk -ah…!" Kim Dokja called out desperately as Yoo Joonghyuk continued to grind his thumb.
"If you have something to say… say it clearly," he deadpanned in between thrusts.
"Ah—you bastar—ah!"
Yoo Joonghyuk pushed his thumb deeply into the head, enough for it to be painful, and Kim Dokja wailed as he released onto his hand with a bust of euphoric pleasure. The small man panted uncontrollably as the dizzying buzz subsided through his system, his tired forehead resting on Yoo Joonghyuk's collar bone. Without any warning, he was thrusted out of his daze by something long and hard.
"H-hold on, I just came!" Kim Dokja scrambled for purchase.
Yoo Joonghyuk smeared the various liquids on Kim Dokja's abdomen with his hand. "I noticed."
"T-Then…isn't the scenario—ah!— completed?" Kim Dokja shuddered.
Yoo Joonghyuk took note of the congratulations screen that popped up beside them for a brief moment before closing the tab.
"No."
Kim Dokja gaped at Yoo Joonghyuk's incredulous lie. "'No'?"
"No." Yoo Joonghyuk confirmed while leaning forward to ghost the edge of Kim Dokja's ear. "I haven't finished yet."
Kim Dokja's body tensed. In the entire time that they had been copulating, Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't come once. "Yoo Joonghyuk -ah, t-that's not part of the scenario—"
"Kim Dokja." The golden eyed man interrupted.
A sharp tug pulled them closer, deepening the flushed length connecting their bodies. Kim Dokja cried out helplessly. "At the start of this you told me: 'do what you want." Yoo Joonghyuk smiled.
"So I will."
***
「Fo r t he s ec o n d ti m e th a t da y,
Ki m Dok ja thou ght: th is is ho w I die.」
Honestly, death shouldn't come as a surprise, especially given the amount of times that I've died. However, I never anticipated that I would go out quite like this. Sitting in the abandoned apartment room, completely naked on top of a bare mattress, I gazed in confusion as a very solemn looking Yoo Joonghyuk unsheathed the Heaven Shaking Sword from the within pile of his discarded clothes.
I glanced carefully at the man before me, noticing how the sharp edge of the blade caught in the morning sun. He wasn't completely naked, thank the lord, but despite the coverage on his lower-half, the monster that lurked underneath his pants was all too transparent to my eyes. Looking down at myself I realized to my dismay that I had no time to ogle Yoo Joonghyuk's flame dragon when mine was still on display. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing on display either… My bleary eyes widened as I came to terms with the countless splotches of purple littering my thighs and collarbone. Beyond the…bruises, there were also some bite marks on my shoulders and my ni—nope. I was not going to look at that one.
I surveyed the artwork with a critical eye, and then turning to the artist, I finally asked, "...what are you, a dog?"
Yoo Joonghyuk glared at my commentary, and for a second I was sure that the blade was going to pierce through my heart. But, it didn't. Instead, he threw my white coat square into the center of my face.
"...get dressed."
I sighed heavily, and shifted my weight to get dressed until a sharp pain coming from…a very questionable place halted my movement. I grimaced. Even with the Fourth Wall, I'm still this sore?
I gave Yoo Joonghyuk a pointed glare, which he deliberately ignored in favor of inspecting his blade.
You sunfish bastard…
Putting on my clothes took longer than I would care to admit, but Yoo Joonghyuk said nothing as I struggled with my garments. Perhaps he felt some guilt after all. After a while, I was fully dressed and sitting at the edge of the bed while staring at the man in front of me.
Yoo Joonghyuk was still half-naked, with a sword in his hands, but within the few minutes that it had taken me to get dressed his facial expression turned sour. He wasn't facing my way, but I could tell through the small bits of thoughts that leaked through that he was definitely sporting a massive scowl on his brow.
「...this was a mistake.」
I heard the sentence as if he had said it aloud, and my gaze faltered. To be honest, it hurt. I wasn't expecting sweet nothings from Yoo Joonghyuk or anything, but a little bit of appreciation would have been nice. Considering the fact that I offered my virginity to save his sorry ass. Not only that, I was the one on the bottom! I should be the one moping here! I lost my virginity and my dignity!
Feeling ticked off, I started to hiss, "You ungrateful—" but I was interrupted by a sword pointing towards my chest. Only…the handle was facing in my direction.
"...if you're trying to kill me, you're pointing it the wrong way."
Unwilling to meet my eyes, Yoo Joonghyuk pushed the sword handle deeper into my chest "...just take it."
I narrowed my eyes. "...Yoo Joonghyuk , you don't need to give me your sword as hush money; I won't tell anyone how you moan when—"
"Kim Dokja!" Yoo Joonghyuk growled, stomping into my space and pushing the sword into my hands. He averted his gaze throughout the whole process, leaving me sitting dumbfounded with a sword in my hand pointing directly at a half-naked Yoo Joonghyuk.
I was at a loss for words. "I'm not into knife play, Joonghyuk-ah."
"Kim Dokja…" he growled.
"Yoo Joonghyuk ," I mirrored. Then, I sighed, because if he wasn't asking me to knight him, I had no idea where this whole setup was going. "Look, I won't know what you're thinking unless you tell me." For once, this statement was true. Ever since Yoo Joonghyuk pushed the sword into my grasp, I couldn't read his thoughts. On every other occasion, my understanding of Yoo Joonghyuk was incomparable, and I had the smug awareness knowing that I probably knew him better than himself at times. But in this sort of foregin circumstance, my comprehension of him was disparagingly low. I didn't know this Yoo Joonghyuk who wouldn't meet me in the eye. With him like this everything seemed so…uncertain.
He stayed silent for a while before taking the tip of the blade and placing it right above his heart.
"...kill me."
"...what?"
"Kill me." He repeated.
Numerous thoughts ran through my brain. Is he having regressor depression again? Why now?! He's gotten this far without it being this much of a problem! And why the hell is he asking me to kill him? Despite all my questions, the only word that managed to escape my mouth was, "Why?!"
Yoo Joonghyuk pursed his lips. "I…you didn't want this," he muttered darkly. "And I can't…with the fact that I forced you… We can't…" his voice cracked." We can't be companions like this…!"
I stared at the point where the blade met his skin and I furrowed my eyebrows. Maybe I should just kill him and be done with this embarrassing situation. But, as much as I would have liked to simply get rid of the source of my problems, I couldn't very well do that. Yoo Joonghyuk was as much my problem as I was his.
I sighed. "Yoo Joonghyuk , I'm not going to kill you because you and I had sex."
"...you should."
"I could, but I won't."
"..."
I could see the gears turning in his head. For someone who was apparently experienced with doing the deed, he certainly didn't have the confidence of someone who did. Maybe it's because I'm a man, not a woman, I wondered. However, that thought offered me no consolidation for my growing annoyance.
"Seriously…" I muttered, "Yoo Joonghyuk , you… are you just trying to die because you slept with a man?"
At this accusation, Yoo Joonghyuk scowled. "That's not why–"
"Then why in the world are you asking me to kill you? I literally did that with you to avoid you dying in the future, you sunfish bastard! Why would I just go ahead and kill you afterwards?"
"Kim Dokja, you didn't do that because you wanted to, you did it because you felt like you had to. That's not…" he gritted his teeth. "I'd rather die than to live with that on my consciousness."
A long pause followed as I slowly lowered the sword.
"…I won't let anyone in the company die," I started off slowly," because I want all of us to see The End together. That includes you, Yoo Joonghyuk ."
He scowled. "So you did this because you wanted it?"
Well, that's putting it a little strongly… I griped internally.
"…essentially, yes." I conceded. "I would do a lot of unconventional things because I want you all to stay alive."
At this, Yoo Joonghyuk's face blackened. "Then… would you do the same thing you did with me today for another company member?"
My mouth hung open. "Haa…you… why are you getting hung up on the hypotheticals? The point is: it was consensual. There's nothing more that needs to be said!"
"Kim Dokja, answer my question." He ordered, taking a step closer now that the dangerous object wasn't aimed at his chest.
"Would you do that with Yoo Sangah?"
"What—?" I choked. Where the hell is this coming from? I looked up at Yoo Joonghyuk, hoping that he might be joking, but as always, he was deathly serious.
"I—look I don't know! It depends on the situation, I suppose? But I'd really rather not think about it—" Apparently this was the wrong answer because the death glare that Yoo Joonghyuk gave me was downright murderous.
"What about Lee Hyunsung?"
"What? No—"
"Then you would for Yoo Sangah, but not for Lee Hyunsung?"
"Haa— why are you—ok fine." I gritted, defeated. "No. To both."
Yoo Joonghyuk stared down at me, his shirt still off and his aura still menacing, but he didn't look as murderous as before.
"...then why did you…with me?"
"You're really talkative today, Yoo Joonghyuk." I complained.
"Kim Dokja." It wasn't a question, but I know he was still expecting a response.
At that moment, I wanted to be anywhere but in an enclosed space with yoo Joonghyuk. I glanced at the gaping hole in the side of the wall, but I doubt that I could make it with the condition that my body was in. And with the way Yoo Joonghyuk tracked my eyes and repositioned his back towards the hole, I knew I couldn't even hope for a peaceful escape.
I openly seethed. "What do you want me to say, Yoo Joonghyuk? Because in all honesty, I don't know exactly why I did what I did. You're the one who asked me to do it!"
"...you could have left."
I averted my eyes. I could have. But when I thought about what might happen to Yoo Joonghyuk, could I really? It wasn't so hard when I thought about it during the moment, but why was it so hard to piece together now? I just did it because…
"...you're different." I muttered. I didn't know how else to explain it. Actually, I doubt that there was any other way to explain it. Yoo Joonghyuk is different from the others. That thought wasn't a new revelation by any means, but it certainly had a different taste to it given the situation. However, I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing…
"Kim Dokja are you…in love with me?"
As soon as I heard those words escape from Yoo Joonghyuk's mouth, I seriously thought I was hallucinating. Because there's just no way that Yoo Joonghyuk would say something that absurd. But when I whipped my head up to peer into those scowling mis-matched eyes, I knew that this was reality. Because in reality, only Yoo Joonghyuk would ask such a personal question while activating sage eye.
Unfortunately, my brain was far too overloaded to actually answer his question with coherent words, so the best I could do was morph my face into the most neutral poker face I could manage. However, Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't done with his investigation.
"When Olympus read your fate, back in the demon tower…" he paused. "I was the one who killed you."
My eye twitched uncontrollably. Shit. In all honesty, bringing the demon tower up was a low blow. I was certain that both Yoo Joonghyuk and I had an unspoken rule to never discuss that event because of how awkward it was. 'Kim Dokja will be killed by the person he loves most.' With a prophecy like that, and the result that ensued, it's pretty clear what that meant. And yet here Yoo Joonghyuk was, milking it for all it was worth. Damn sunfish bastard…
However, I knew staying silent wasn't doing me any good in the long run. I looked suspicious if I didn't say anything, but at the same time If I did say anything it could be interpreted in the wrong way. Really, there's no winning no matter what I do. I glanced longingly at the hole in the wall. Yoo Joonghyuk blocked my view once again and I sighed.
"Look, Joonghyuk -ah, loving someone and being in love with someone are completely different…"
[The Character 'Yoo Joonghyuk has activated the skill 'Lie Detection'.]
['Lie Detection' is unable to verify the truthfulness of your words.]
Yoo Joonghyuk stared down at me, his expression indecipherable.
I glowered back in response. Lie detection? Really? The fact that this sunfish bastard pulled out this card was concerning, because even I didn't know what the actual 'truth' was. Perhaps that's why lie detection was unable to discern my thoughts as well.
"Yoo Joonghyuk, does it even matter?" I asked quietly after some time had passed. In reality, I just didn't understand. Why does he need to know? It's not like he—
[Your understanding of the character 'Yoo Joonghyuk ' has increased!]
[The skill 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' is in effect.]
「...Kim Dokja is a fool.」
I widened my eyes. This sunfish bastard…don't tell me after claiming my body he wants to claim my heart too? Was he the type of person who fell in love after sleeping with someone? But then again…Yoo Joonghyuk rarely ever slept with anyone other than…
A wicked smile began to form on my face. "Joonghyuk -ah…let's suppose for a second that I am in love with you." I crossed my legs, and watched with increasing interest as Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes followed the movement. "What are you going to do about it?"
Despite my brave front, I wasn't feeling all too confident in how he would answer. At best, he might snap at me and hurry out of the room. At worst he might strangle me to death. But, either option would ultimately lead to an end to this conversation, so I gladly bet my stakes.
"…"
He stayed silent for a while, analyzing my form and studying my face. If I were a lesser man, I might have cried, but I held his gaze despite the increasing amount of sweat rolling down my back. The inside of Yoo Joonghyuk's mind was blank, leaving me no clues as to how this would play out. However, as he leaned over my body, outstretching his hand towards my neck, I realized what was about to happen.
You sunfish bastard? I cried internally. I should have stabbed you when I had the chance!
But my demise was inevitable. Fingers wrapped around the front of my neck, and I braced myself for death while screwing my eyes shut.
There goes another one of my lives, I groaned internally as the fingers around my neck tightened. I felt my head leaning at an awkward angle, and I waited for the painful sensation of my skull snapping against my vertebrae.
Shock infiltrated my nervous system as I felt something warm press against my skin. And much to my confusion, it wasn't my tepid blood. Soft lips lightly ghosted the temple of my head, and I opened my eyes to see the stunning sight of Yoo Joonghyuk's collarbone. Had it not been for the hand wrapped around my throat, I would have reeled backwards in surprise. Nevertheless I still flinched upon coming into contact with the foreign sensation, and Yoo Joonghyuk paused his ministrations. However, it only lasted for a stagnant moment until a scared hand snaked up my neck and tilted my chin backwards.
I felt every breath that Yoo Joonghyuk exhaled as he pushed my neck even further back so that our faces were square with one another as he leaned over me. From this distance, I could count every single dark eyelash that framed his eyes, and a new wave of appreciation washed over me as I was able to observe his unmatched beauty at such a close angle. His pouting lips were close as well, too close for comfort. And with increasing awareness, it dawned on me that those very same lips on his face had been on the top of my forehead mere seconds ago. …he kissed me? I was lost in a daze. Why?
It was an anomaly. Yoo Joonghyuk , the eunuch-like man who criticized any sexual impulse, had willingly displayed a form of affection? Sex was one thing, and given the situation, it was a necessity. But this? Plucking a kiss on top of a man's forehead? This was unprompted and voluntary. A shiver ran down my spine. Who is this person? I screamed internally. However I didn't have much time to mull over this thought as I realized that he was leaning in closer.
A surge of panic overtook me as I considered the possibility that he might be aiming for my jugular, but instead of my neck, Yoo Joonghyuk had a different target in mind. In hindsight, I shouldn't have been too surprised, considering he had just kissed my forehead, but somehow I couldn't fathom having Yoo Joonghyuk's lips on mine until I felt his warmth dancing upon my tongue.
It was suffocating, as most things tend to be with the stubborn sunfish bastard, but in a different way. Usually, when using the word 'suffocating' in a sentence with Yoo Joonghyuk , it means that I am quite literally suffocating from asphyxiation via his hands strangling my neck. Now, his hands were still around my neck, and I was still suffocating from a lack of oxygen, but it wasn't because I was being strangled.
[The Fourth Wall has become dangerously thin!]
It was because the damn bastard had his tongue shoved down my throat.
His hands were like a brand around my neck, and with every desperate bob of my Adam's apple, I could feel his thumb indent on my skin. Beyond that, I could barely feel anything else because everything above my chin was on fire. Without even seeing myself, I already knew my face was a mess. I had never been kissed before, and even when Yoo Joonghyuk and I had copulated the night prior, we didn't go this far. Well, I suppose in some regards we went farther, but we ultimately skipped over this step. At first I thought that was for the better because I could have treated our night together as a test of my stamina and abilities had there been that gap between us. However, the gap was now closed.
Slow, brutal, and relentless. Like a hungry wolf, Yoo Joonghyuk bit into my lips and swallowed words on my tongue with an insatiable passion. My hands clung to his bare shoulders in a desperate attempt to regain my sanity, but it was useless. I barely had time to breathe, much less think.
He held onto my chin firmly as he climbed over my lap and deepened the kiss. Fervorously, he licked into my mouth like he was starving, prompting me to scrunch my eyes from the over stimulation. In fact, it was so much to take in, the sensations, the emotions, the implicit meaning behind this all, that I started to go boneless under his touch. Yoo Joonghyuk's hands snaked their way underneath my shirt, pressing into the shoulder blades of my back, in order to keep me from collapsing. Soon, I turned my face away just so I could breathe a little, but Yoo Joonghyuk only took that as a sign to start biting odd places, namely my neck. As he slowly, and painfully, made his way up to my lips again, showing no sign of replanting, I couldn't help but curse out in my mind. You bastard…was what we did last night not enough?!
When he finally pulled away, I was heaving for air while on my back. Yoo Joonghyuk was looming over me, his wild, curly hair framing his beautiful face. A strong blush kissed the tips of his ears, but besides that, he almost looked the same as usual: burly shoulders shaking from exertion, sweat glistening his skin, and a big scowl adorning his face. Compared to him, I must've been thoroughly debauched. By the time that I fully grasped what had happened, I was fairly certain that there was steam evaporating off my skin, and there was no doubt that I had a full-face blush. I managed to summon a shaky arm in the hopes that I could escape, at least temporarily, but my efforts were thwarted by a pesky hand which, to my mortification, pinned both my wrists above my head.
"…Kim Dokja…" Yoo Joonghyuk breathed into my ear. An involuntary shudder wracked my body as his hair tickled my neck.
"Does this answer your question?"
***
Han Sooyung thought it was funny when Kim Dokja went pale at the realization that Yoo Joonghyuk was probably walking around with his dick waving in the air. She thought it was even funnier when she observed Kim Dokja trying to pimp some random girl for Yoo Joonghyuk's sake.. But, by far, the funniest thing that she had witnessed was when Yoo Joonghyuk returned from the scenario ten ten hours after it ended, carrying Kim Dokja in a bridal hold.
No one else in the camp seemed to realize what that meant, but the moment Kim Dokja met eyes with Han Sooyung, she knew.
Ah. They f*cked.
It was the little things that gave them away the most: the bandages around Kim Dokja's neck, the ripped fibers around his pant line, and the healthy glow shining on his face.
Damn, I can't tease Kim Dokja about being a virgin anymore.
But of course, Han Sooyung realized that if one door closed another door opened. There were plenty of other things that she could tease him about now.
"Wow, you both took your time coming back to the group," Han Sooyung called out to the approaching pair of men.
"Ajusshi!"
"Hyung!"
Kim Dokja waved awkwardly from his position in Yoo Joonghyuk's arms. Noticing that Kim Dokja seemed to be injured, both Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung rushed quickly to his side.
"Ajusshi! Are you hurt?"
"Hyung, why do you have bandages around your neck? Are you alright?"
Kim Dokja shifted slightly from within the iron prison known as Yoo Joonghyuk's arms, and offered the children his cover-up smile.
"I'm fine."
"But Hyung, you don't look fine." Gilyoung eyed the bandages around Kim Dokja's neck. "Did you fight a vampire?"
"No, no…Actually, I got bit by a nasty fish."
"A fish…?" Sin Yoo Sung and Lee Gilyoung echoed. For a demonic-inspired scenario located on land, the appearance of a fish was rare.
"Then why is Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi carrying you, Ajusshi? Did the fish break your bones?" Shin Yoosung asked, intrigued and nervous. She thought that this must have been a very fearsome fish if it could hurt Kim Dokja to this extent. Perhaps I could tame it…
Unable to help herself, Han Yoosung interjected. "Most likely, the 'fish' in question broke Kim Dokja's back."
"His back!?" They exclaimed, mortified.
"What, aren't I right?" Han Sooyoung teased lightly upon seeing Kim Dokja's weak glare.
"No, you're not. My back is fine, I just…upset my stomach a little bit."
"But why is that ba-Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi carrying you? He's never this nice to Hyung."
"Ah, that…Yoo Joonghyuk is helping out because he owes me one." Kim Dokja patted Yoo Jonghyok's chest. "He felt so bad he said that he'd be my own personal vehicle for a whole month!"
"...I never said that–"
While it was clear to Han Sooyong what that meant, the two children seemed to interpret the meaning differently. "You! Did you try to poison Hyung with bad fish?" Lee Gilyoung yelled with an accusatory expression.
"Ajusshi, I'll be your personal vehicle, so stay away from that bad man!"
"No, I will!"
While a battle for Kim Dokja's personal vehicle was underway, Yoo Sangah walked in and glanced questioningly at Han Sooyoung.
"What's going on here? Why is Yoo Joonghyuk carrying Kim Dokja-ssi?"
"Well that's probably because they cleared this scenario together."
"Yes? Well, we all cleared this scenario, so that's a given…"
"No, you don't understand." Han Sooyoung smiled deviously, "They cleared the scenario together."
Yoo Sangah's face morphed from confusion to belated surprise. "O-oh… I see."
After watching them interact for a while, with Kim Dokja teasing Yoo Joonghyuk and Yoo Joonghyuk ignoring Kim Dokja while maintaining his careful grip, Yoo Sangah noted that "...surprisingly, they matched up better than I would have thought."
"Well in comparison to some," Han Sooyong glanced at the outline of Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon who were visibly red with embarrassment, "they're pretty normal."
Yoo Sangah hummed in agreement. Then, after a brief pause, she sighed. "I'm too sober for this."
Han Sooyoung huffed in agreement. "I'll buy soju if you buy vodka."
"Deal."
By the end of the week, there were not two, but three couples within the Kim Dokja company.
Notes: