Of course, that was when Kim Dokja tried offering [Silla-Tang Alliance] again, and he could tell that the Lady of the Sleeping Brocade was very upset by this, considering the few huffy messages she sent before falling silent. Well, it's not like he cared all that much anyway, so it wasn't a big deal.
"This is all the fault of the nebulae," Yoo Joonghyuk said darkly as his expression settled into a glower. "Kim Dokja may be a fool, but it wasn't his actions that caused this specific mess."
Honestly, that was quite touching, even though Yoo Joonghyuk definitely considered him at fault for other messes. Still, he was right—even though the nebulae had hoped he'd die out here, they probably weren't completely blind to the possibility that he could come back through some kind of other means. It would make sense that they'd be on guard for such a thing, which would make returning to Earth nearly impossible.
Lee Jihye looked almost defeated as she sighed deeply. "You don't have other stories you want to give away, so what can you even do, ahjussi?"
What could he do, huh? Well…
"Just wait and see, Jihye-yah," Kim Dokja said with a confident grin. "I definitely have a plan."
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is wondering if this plan is trustworthy.]
Of course it was, shush.
Instead, he tries to offer a decent body, such as a healthy incarnation body that has been recovered from Murim. Though it's enticing, Dokja refuses. It doesn't matter how good a body is if he can't return to the scenario—though it can stop the collapse for a while, it would still eventually deteriorate if he doesn't have access to a channel. Naturally, they both know that the Wenny Man wants him to take that deal so he can come and find Dokja again when it breaks to get one of his other stories. Dokja then tries to emphasize how important it is for him to return, asking if there are any other scenarios he can go to, even if it's not on Earth. That's what Jungyeong had done, so there's no reason that he shouldn't be able to do it.
The Wenny Man shakes his head, stating that it would be even more expensive. Pressing the rarity of the fable, since it's near impossible for an incarnation to get a chance to beat up a dokkaebi, he tries to get the Wenny Man to think of the clout he could get from showing it off to his friends after storing it in his lump.
"Murim?" Lee Seolhwa wondered for a moment. "Ah, wasn't that the place where Kyrgios-ssi had gone for a while?"
Kim Dokja nodded and shot a glance over at Yoo Joonghyuk as well. The protagonist had trained there before, and had occasionally gone back in several different rounds, usually to pick up specific useful items. Considering what Kim Dokja had learned about the First Murim from TWSA, a body from there wouldn't be too bad…
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is agreeing with the priorities of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Wait, ahjussi, shouldn't the body be first?" Shin Yoosung wondered, shooting a confused glance over in Han Sooyoung's direction, as though she didn't want to be proving the woman's earlier words right.
"No," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly, casting a meaningful look in Kim Dokja's direction. "Even if he gets a new body, it would still fall apart again without a scenario to sustain him."
That was exactly right. Kim Dokja shrugged good-naturedly and allowed a smug smile to cross his face. "The Wenny Man thinks that I'm stupid enough to fall for that. No way am I going to let him get any extra leverage to take more of my stories."
Lee Gilyoung grinned widely. "Hyung is such a good scammer that nobody can scam him!"
While that wasn't technically what was going on, it wasn't entirely incorrect either. Regardless, there was another loophole he could use here, and he was certain of what it would be.
[the constellation 'goryeo's first sword' is nodding in approval.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will find a solution soon.]
As Kim Dokja continued negotiating with the Wenny Man, Yoo Sangah's eyes widened in realization. "Dokja-ssi, are you planning on being sent to some other world where the scenarios exist?"
"Most likely," Kim Dokja confirmed with a small nod. "I just need any scenario at this point, and if Earth is under too much scrutiny, I'll have to look elsewhere."
This was a tried and true method, after all. Both Cheok Jungyeong and Yoo Joonghyuk had followed this type of path at one point, and Kim Dokja just hoped that he'd be able to manipulate the Wenny Man into sending him where he wanted to go. If he got sent somewhere that Yoo Joonghyuk had never been in TWSA, then he'd be out of luck and he'd have to rely on his wits to survive.
Han Sooyoung huffed, crossing her arms with a scowl. "How the hell is it more expensive to go somewhere that isn't locked down? That makes no sense!"
Of course it didn't make sense, but the Wenny Man knew that Kim Dokja was on a strict time limit. The closer he got to that limit, the more desperate he'd be, and the more likely it was that he'd accept whatever deal he could get even if it was bad. Honestly, it was a smart tactic, but Kim Dokja wasn't foolish enough to fall for something like that.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is disapproving of such underhanded manipulation tactics.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is confused by complicated things.]
As Kim Dokja reminded the Wenny Man of the story he was already going to hand over, Jung Heewon burst out laughing. "Seriously? I don't know what I expected you to say, but it wasn't that. The mental image of a group of those guys gossipping over that story is just…"
Jung Heewon's words trailed off into an amused wheeze. Admittedly, it wasn't the greatest of arguments, but it definitely wasn't one that the Wenny Man had ever heard before. Plus, with how hated the dokkaebi were, a story where one got beat to a pulp would be highly coveted.
"Will that actually work…?" Lee Hyunsung muttered, looking incredibly concerned. "Ah… I'm not doubting you, Dokja-ssi, I just…"
"It's fine, Hyunsung-ssi," Kim Dokja replied casually. "It might not work, but it's worth a try anyway, just in case."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is wishing that the incarnation 'kim dokja' could solve this with violence instead.]
Yeah, not happening. Especially not when his body would probably shatter the second he tried.
After an agonizingly long time spent thinking, the Wenny Man points at Dokja and declares that the only place he can go is the Demon Realm. As he says this in a voice as though he's saying something terrible, a purple galaxy is shown on screen. With a chuckle, the Wenny Man tells Dokja that people live there so it's not that bad, and that he has enough demonic energy in his body that it won't be noticeable if he goes there. In particular, he specifies that Dokja will be sent to the 73rd Demon Realm—a place where the losers of the scenario have gathered for a long time, and somewhere that's currently without a ruler.
As Dokja hands over the fable, he thinks about what the 73rd Demon Realm is like, glad that he'll at least be able to return to a scenario area, even if he can't get the scenario. However, as a result of being sent somewhere, he won't be able to get a body as part of the deal. As the Wenny Man eats the fable and the light comes to settle in his lump, he imparts some advice on Dokja about what he'll need to do.
The longer the silence was drawn out, the more antsy the kids (and Lee Jihye) got. They all fidgeted and changed their seating positions a few times, though all Yoo Mia did was finally climb out of her brother's lap and return to his side—albeit the one closest to the other kids.
Finally, the Wenny Man declared that Kim Dokja could be sent to the Demon Realm, and Kim Dokja almost let out a deep sigh of relief.
"The Demon Realm!?" Lee Jihye exclaimed, looking at Kim Dokja in horror. "That's not good, is it?"
Kim Dokja did everything he could to restrain the smirk that was threatening to break free, instead just saying, "If it's somewhere I can go without a steeper price that has a scenario, then it does the job."
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will be careful.]
With his body in the state that it was, he had no choice but to be careful. At the mention of demonic energy in his body, though, the entire group fell silent once more. Clearly they were still very upset about the whole thing, and Kim Dokja didn't fail to notice how Yoo Joonghyuk clenched his jaw angrily at the reminder either.
"Hopefully the energy won't have a negative effect on you, Dokja-ssi," Lee Seolhwa murmured kindly, and he had to appreciate her professionalism in the face of all that had happened.
Han Sooyoung, on the other hand, looked distinctly uncomfortable by the mention of the Demon Realm, probably because of that curse that her future self was under. Well, it's not like she'd have a reason to even consider going there in the first place, so it wasn't her problem.
"It's too bad you aren't the real 73rd Demon King, hyung," Lee Gilyoung muttered petulantly. "It would be so cool if you showed up and took over the place."
[constellations who enjoy watching hostile takeovers are intrigued by this suggestion.]
Well… that was certainly an idea. Unfortunately, he was a Demon King in name only right now, despite the energy in his body. Technically speaking, he was just a normal constellation who happened to have a modifier that contained the words 'Demon King' because it related to his birth story. However, that didn't mean that Kim Dokja could never take that position in the future—the 73rd Demon Realm had no ruler, after all.
Yoo Mia looked over at him with a frown. "Ahjussi, what do you mean by not getting the scenario? Aren't you going there to have a scenario again?"
Kim Dokja looked away awkwardly as he was suddenly pinned under several intense and displeased stares. "Just because I'll be in a scenario area doesn't mean that I'll automatically be given their scenario…"
"Dokja-ssi will probably have to complete some kind of condition to receive the scenario," Lee Hyunsung theorized, and he was completely correct. Thankfully, Kim Dokja was already confident about this one, so it wouldn't be too difficult.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is wondering how the incarnation 'kim dokja' will handle the issue of not having a body.]
[several constellations are wondering if the incarnation 'kim dokja' will possess other people to survive.]
Yeah, not happening. Kim Dokja wanted his body back, thanks. He wasn't going to float around as some kind of body-hopping parasite, and the fact that it would also mentally exhaust him made it far to inconvenient to even consider.
Still, Kim Dokja did cringe a bit as the Wenny Man literally ate the story and it somehow came to rest in the lump hanging off his face. Yeah… reading something like that and seeing it were truly two different things.
Taking a deep breath, the Wenny Man blows sucks in the air around them, and Dokja realizes that he's not just inhaling. Instead, the Wenny man is sucking in both time and space around them, causing the lump to swell, before he blows out a passage between worlds that displays a dump on the other side. He urges Dokja to hurry because it won't last as long as a portal, prompting Dokja to put away the egg and step through.
A blinding light hits Dokja as he steps through and he feels as though he's jumping through the universe. Stars pass him like countless meteor showers, and fragments of stories of what used to be scenario areas fly around him. For a moment, the Star Stream notices his presence and it feels like there's a gaze on him, but it quickly disappears as the system messages reveal that the Star Stream has decided to turn a blind eye to his existence. A small shock of probability strikes him, but Dokja figures that the Wenny Man paid for most of the cost of sending him here. Finally, the night sky full of unknown stars comes into view as he emerges on the other side.
[many constellations are curious about the mode of travel of the 'wenny men'.]
"Is he making some kind of portal?" Han Sooyoung muttered, brows furrowed in confusion. "Actually, I'm going to give up on looking for sense in this."
It was probably for the best; common sense had left the picture long ago.
As the Wenny Man exhaled and seemingly connected two different locations through a strange time-space tunnel, Kim Dokja couldn't help but feel slightly awed by the whole thing. On the other side, though, was someplace that looked like as much of a disaster as Seoul.
"Is that… a landfill?" Yoo Sangah wondered in confusion, tilting her head to the side slightly. "Could it be to help Dokja-ssi avoid detection…?"
Well, not intentionally, but Kim Dokja supposed it would serve as a secondary purpose. Knowing that the tunnel wouldn't last long, he focused intently on the moment that his future self finally stepped into it and was sent off to another world.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will be able to return swiftly.]
All going well, it shouldn't take too long. However, Kim Dokja couldn't focus on timelines or plans because he was too enthralled with the visuals of falling through time and space, past the stars and old, fragmented stories. It was beautiful in a way that few things were, and Kim Dokja felt the urge to reach out and touch it even though he knew he couldn't. He wanted to know what stories were out there that he had never read, and he wanted to learn everything he could about this enthralling world.
The moment that the Star Stream glimpsed his existence, though, Kim Dokja felt the urge to shudder.
"A gaze," Yoo Joonghyuk muttered under his breath, frowning deeply. "No constellations have noticed your presence, so what is looking at you?"
Kim Dokja didn't know either, and that made him stiffen up a bit. Could it be that the Star Stream itself was somehow alive? Was there some being controlling the whole thing, or was it a situation like [The Fourth Wall] where it seemingly had its own consciousness despite not being 'alive' in the sense that people were?
Was it all just a coincidence?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the current events.]
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is humming thoughtfully.]
Yoo Sangah let out a sigh of relief when whatever it was decided to turn a blind eye to his existence and allowed him to pass, and Kim Dokja felt much the same. It was nerve-wracking already as it was, but he couldn't imagine how anxious his future self felt in the face of something like that staring at him when he was essentially helpless.
"Ahjussi, you aren't going to die again before you even get there, right?" Shin Yoosung asked nervously as Kim Dokja was afflicted with a small probability storm.
Patting her hair, Kim Dokja tried to smile at her. "I'll be okay. I'm strong enough to withstand that."
Probably. Anyway, since the Wenny Man was paying for the majority of the cost, he probably had it much worse and Kim Dokja would hold onto that mental image for his own amusement.
After what seemed like forever, he finally approached the exit, emerging into a world that he didn't know anywhere near as well as the one he called home.
[many constellations are eager to see new and interesting scenarios.]