Feeling smug, Kim Dokja grinned. "There's no way I'll let him take her; she doesn't belong to anyone. I didn't turn her into a dokkaebi without her consent first, either."
Obviously it wasn't necessarily the ideal ending for 41st Shin Yoosung, but she had agreed to do this with full knowledge of what it would entail. Because of that, Kim Dokja had so many more options for his route to the epilogue that he desired, and she'd become a central figure to many of them. For his sake, as well as hers and Yoo Joonghyuk's, Kim Dokja couldn't let the Wenny Man get his way either.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is approving of the choice of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
This makes the Wenny Man grin, clearly amused, as he asks if Dokja intends to negotiate with him. When Dokja agrees, he declares they can negotiate once he hands over the egg. Muttering under his breath, Dokja wonders if the Wenny Man doesn't know what a negotiation is before stating that he can't do that because he needs the child.
The Wenny Man responds that Dokja doesn't know the egg's value, but Dokja casually replies that it's because the being born from that egg can create a 'channel', allowing him to broadcast outside the jurisdiction of the bureau. The egg glows brighter as Dokja explains that it carries the possibility of creating countless stories, and he knows that it's the reason why the Wenny Man wants it as well.
After briefly discussing the idea of Dokja rebelling against the Star Stream, Dokja asks if the Bureau is the entirety of the Star Stream before he gives a direct answer. "I will destroy the world of those fucking dokkaebi."
The Wenny Man grins in what is likely satisfaction and amusement, but just comes off as immensely sinister upon hearing his reply. "I like you."
[constellations who like negotiating are looking forward to seeing what the incarnation 'kim dokja' will do.]
"Not happening," Kim Dokja declared as soon as the Wenny Man tried forcing him to hand the egg over in advance. Just like his future self, he was entirely unimpressed. It wasn't a negotiation if there wasn't a bit of give and take—his 'negotiation' with Bihyung earlier aside.
Lee Jihye nodded vehemently. "Ahjussi won't just give up the kid. Master would probably kill him for that."
Okay, that was absolutely true. Yoo Joonghyuk had been upset enough about the fact that she was being turned into a dokkaebi in the first place, and if he found out that Kim Dokja had let her get taken away by the Demon of the Horizon again, then Yoo Joonghyuk would be livid. Actually, no—that might be too light of a word. Not even the protagonist's slight bias for him would be able to save him if that ever happened.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is cursing under her breath.]
"She is a living being," Lee Seolhwa insisted with a frown, "why should she need to have any more value than that?"
Yoo Joonghyuk shook his head. "It's not so simple. With a dokkaebi free from the Bureau's influence, anyone could control an entire Star Stream channel and use it to their advantage."
That was exactly the point here, and the Wenny Men—who were on bad terms with the dokkaebi—would do anything they could to get access to a channel like that. Kim Dokja had known that, and he had long realized that the Wenny Man would gravitate to the egg. As awful as it was, this was a way of guaranteeing that he'd run into one in time, even if it meant using her as 'bait'. Unfortunately, that also meant that the Wenny Men were now aware of her existence.
"Dokja-ssi promised that he'd continue her story, so it's only right that she's able to create that story with him," Yoo Sangah said firmly, and it warmed his heart. 41st Shin Yoosung would never want to end up back in the hands of the people who had tormented her so much, after all.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is curious about the idea of rebellion.]
A rebellion, huh? Those were a pain in the ass, honestly, but Kim Dokja wouldn't be opposed. He never intended to follow the Star Stream or the Bureau's rules for longer than he had to in the first place, and he was looking forward to tearing those goddamn stars from the sky.
Whether it was the Bureau or the Star Stream, Kim Dokja would fight against Fate itself if it meant being able to accomplish his goals. It didn't matter what it would take.
Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to nod approvingly before a smile that could almost be described as feral crossed his lips at Kim Dokja's declaration. "Good. We'll burn it all to the ground."
And oh, Kim Dokja couldn't restrain the shudder that wracked his body at that tone and the unfettered anticipation in the protagonist's eyes. It was intoxicating, and Kim Dokja felt like he couldn't breathe in the face of the force of nature that was Yoo Joonghyuk.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will create lots of chaos.]
The moment that the Wenny Man smiled as well, however, Han Sooyoung leaned back in disgust. "Never do that again, what the fuck? That's disgusting."
Yeah, that was pretty accurate. Then again, at least that declaration had sort of gotten the Wenny Man to warm up to him somewhat, so maybe the negotiation would go a bit more smoothly from here on out.
For a moment, Dokja thinks about a tale that most Korean children are told in their childhood—the story of the 'old man with a wen'. The good-hearted Wenny Men would be free of the growth on their cheeks thanks to the dokkaebi, and the bad-hearted ones would get more. Looking at the lump on his cheek, Dokja wonders if he's on the good or bad side.
The Wenny Man just scoffs, saying that humans always wonder about it, and mentions that there's no guarantee that him being good will mean that he'll take Dokja's side. Dokja remarks that he must be bad because he has a lump, and the Wenny Man retorts that stories that are handed down aren't always accurate.
This just makes Dokja declare that it's becoming increasingly clear that he's bad. The Wenny Man shakes, and Dokja looks at the lump on his cheek. According to TWSA, it functions like a warehouse for stories that are waiting to find a new owner. Despite that, it's not the reason he has sought out the Wenny Man today.
The 'Wenny Men', who operate in places beyond the reach of the dokkaebis' channels, take on a role similar to a black marketer within the Star Stream.
As Kim Dokja thought about that old story, Shin Yoosung looked up at him in confusion. "I've never heard of this before, ahjussi."
Maybe the story wasn't as popular as he had believed, or maybe it was because she was a character in TWSA? Now that Kim Dokja thought about it, he had never read anything about Shin Yoosung's parents because they hadn't come up in conversation somehow. Maybe that story hadn't existed the same within the world of TWSA, or maybe her parents just didn't know it.
[several constellations are listening to the story pensively.]
Yoo Mia tilted her head to the side as she listened to the explanation. "So they get uglier if they're bad?"
In a sense, yes. It was a tale meant to help teach children morality by showing a physical repercussion for being bad. When he had been younger, his mother had told him this story, but Kim Dokja hadn't liked it very much. He remembered looking at her face and her sad expression, and wondering why his father didn't have any lumps if he was a bad man, though he never voiced it. That night, Kim Dokja had sat in his room, pressing lightly on the bruises that still ached. In his young and naive mind, Kim Dokja had wondered if he was the bad one—if the bruises were his lumps, bestowed upon him by his father—and if they would go away if he learned how to be good. They never had.
Taking a deep breath, he shook the thoughts off. They didn't matter anymore, and all that did matter was whether or not the Wenny man would take his remark as an insult. However, the Wenny Man seemed to take it in stride, but his wording made Kim Dokja pause. He insinuated that he was one of the 'good' ones, but unless Kim Dokja used lie detection, there wouldn't be any way of telling whether or not that was true.
"He has a point regarding the story's accuracy—oral tradition can work to an extent, but details can change over time if the story is recited or remembered incorrectly," Yoo Sangah admitted thoughtfully. "Is it possible that the story we know isn't accurate?"
Han Sooyoung just rolled her eyes. "Don't overthink it. It's probably just that hack author screwing up somewhere because the novel was a mess."
Sure, TWSA wasn't the most carefully researched or planned out of stories, but that didn't mean that this could be blamed on tls123! Even though they had created this world, there was far more than what they had written. It was completely possible that this piece of information was something that had existed beyond the author's words.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is feeling tempted to poke the lump.]
Kim Dokja did not understand that constellation at all. Despite that, he couldn't help but admit that he was curious about what stories the Wenny Man had stored away in his lump.
"This is so weird," Lee Gilyoung muttered, looking entirely displeased with the current situation.
Jung Heewon nodded in agreement. "How the hell does that even work? Do they weigh anything?"
Honestly, Kim Dokja didn't know either, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. It's not like he had the time to ask something like that, and he suspected that the Wenny Man wouldn't be so keen on answering either. Anyway, Kim Dokja had something he needed to accomplish here above all else.
[some constellations are intrigued by the possibility of an illicit exchange.]
Seeming to have moved further into their conversation, the Wenny Man repeats Dokja's requests while holding up two bony fingers—to return to the scenario, and to obtain a new physical incarnation body.
For a price, they return exiles to scenarios and even provide unique items that can't be obtained in a channel. Of course, their prices are very expensive.
The Wenny Man agrees to the terms, but only if Dokja hands over the egg. Moving the egg away slightly, Dokja reiterates that he cannot hand it over, especially since she only listens to him after he fed her with his fables, something which the Wenny Man calls disgusting.
Instead, Dokja pulls up his fable list for the Wenny Man to look at instead, offering for him to choose and take one as a replacement. After some back and forth over Dokja's most important fables—and his weak attempts to fork over some he couldn't care less about—the Wenny Man seems to lose his patience. Annoyed that there aren't only pushovers like Bihyung in this world, Dokja further has to combat the fact that he's running out of time for negotiation due to his deteriorating state. In the time that they have been talking, his body temperature has dropped and the time between his skill's narration has been gradually increasing.
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is intrigued by the requests of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Is this how you're planning on getting your body back, Dokja-ssi?" Lee Hyunsung asked eagerly, his entire body language perking up all of a sudden. "If this goes well, then you should be back to us soon!"
Well… about that…
Kim Dokja shook his head. "I'll probably try, but I might have to make some concessions here and there. The Wenny Men's prices don't come cheap."
"But you're rich, ahjussi," Lee Jihye pointed out with a frown, "is it still too expensive even for you?"
Though he appreciated her faith in him, Kim Dokja couldn't help but chuckle. "They don't want payment in coins like the dokkaebi do, they'll want me to trade my stories or something equally valuable."
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Wenny Man immediately demanded the dokkaebi egg.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is feeling animosity towards the 'wenny man'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is reaching towards her sword.]
"He will not take her," Yoo Joonghyuk growled, his eyes narrowed at the screen in pure hatred. Honestly, it was pretty attractive, though Kim Dokja would refuse to admit that out loud even at knifepoint.
"He won't," Kim Dokja confirmed. "The fact that I've fed her with my fables is enough to make him disgusted."
Of course, while it was convenient for Kim Dokja, that didn't mean it was at all pleasant to hear such a thing said about her. Even though it was awful, it was still better than losing her back to the Demon of the Horizon, but Lee Seolhwa seemed very bothered by the Wenny Man's words nonetheless. Perhaps she was worried that Shin Yoosung's soul would remember what had been said after hatching, but Kim Dokja honestly had no idea how conscious she was in there right now.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is greatly entertained by the negotiating skills of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Han Sooyoung snickered. "Every time he picks a fable to try and take, you come up with some excuse for why he can't. That's hilarious."
Kim Dokja rolled his eyes. They weren't excuses, thank you very much. It was a carefully planned manipulation tactic.
Honestly, that Wenny Man was audacious. Did he seriously think he could ask for Kim Dokja's most powerful stories and actually get them? Unfortunately, the moment that he offered up the Silla-Tang Alliance story, Kim Dokja had to flinch a bit.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is looking disapprovingly at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is scoffing at the ungratefulness of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Well, maybe he wouldn't be trying to trade it away if she hadn't given him such a pathetic story after making him fight her battles for her.
As Kim Dokja's physical state continued to deteriorate, Lee Seolhwa frowned deeply. "Dokja-ssi, you must still have something else up your sleeve, right? You don't have the time to waste on this…"
Shit, she was right. [The Fourth Wall] was starting to struggle to keep up, and that was really bad news for him. If he didn't finish this negotiation soon, then he'd just fall apart and everything he had done until now would be for nothing.
Despite the anxiety beginning to rise within him, Kim Dokja tried to keep himself as calm as possible to keep the kids from freaking out. So long as he appeared calm and collected, then they'd hopefully believe that he had the entire situation under control. Damn that Wenny Man for being smarter than Bihyung and taking far more time to convince…
「The stupid Kim Dokja thought, 'Damn it, what fable should I give him then?'」
Though the wall aggravates him, Dokja still manages to spot a fable thanks to its prompting and shows it to the Wenny Man.
A fable that was legendary-grade but had no special functions at the same time. However, its existence itself was enough to attract the attention of the Wenny Man.
A scene of intense violence appears on the screen above Dokja's hand as the man in question grins and raises his eyebrows like a street seller trying to entice a customer. After a moment of shock, the Wenny Man erupts into rambunctious laughter while pointing joyfully at the screen. "Very well, I'll take this. The fable, [One who showed contempt for a streamer]. What a delightful story."
The Wenny Man grins creepily once more as Paul's absolutely pummeled form is displayed in all its glory. However, he also states that since the fable doesn't have any functional value, he can only fulfill one of Dokja's requests—namely, giving him a physical incarnation body. Asking why he can't return to the scenario, Dokja tries to fork over [Silla-Tang Alliance] once more as an add on, which the Wenny Man refuses. Answering his question, the Wenny Man explains that Dokja's actions have caused too many people to go on full alert, making most routes to return to Earth impossible, even if he paid an astronomical price.
Though his future self clearly wasn't thinking straight due to the whole situation, Kim Dokja had a pretty good idea of which story would be perfect. Though he would never admit it, he was actually somewhat relieved when [The Fourth Wall] pointed it out.
"Dokja-ssi had a fable like that?" Lee Hyunsung mused as Kim Dokja prepared himself to give away a functionally useless legendary-grade fable. At that, Kim Dokja couldn't help but smirk.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is cracking up at the realization.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is thrilled to see the violent story once more.]
"Oh, it was the one where you beat up that asshole dokkaebi!" Jung Heewon exclaimed with a wide grin. "He probably hasn't ever seen anything like that before!"
Thank goodness he had chosen to do that back then, really. The Wenny Men and the dokkaebi had an ages-old feud, and something like getting to see a dokkaebi thrashed until he could barely talk probably felt like seeing his birthday come early. Not that Kim Dokja knew if the Wenny Men celebrated birthdays, but whatever.
That story wouldn't be a huge loss to his status, in the grand scheme of things. In fact, it was quite an easy sacrifice to make if it meant being able to pursue specific stories later on.
The moment that the Wenny Man declared that he could only fulfill one request, however, Yoo Sangah's eyes widened nervously. "Dokja-ssi, you need to prioritize getting your body back, don't you? If you don't manage that soon, then you'll…"
"Yeah," Han Sooyoung added, "what the hell are you going to do if you get back here and you're still body-less?"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is contemplating possible solutions to the situation of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is contemplating punching the 'wenny man' in the face.]