Chapter Text
Travelling home from work was Kim Dokja’s second favourite part of the day (his favourite being the moment when he burrowed underneath the covers of his bed, finally giving in to the temptation of sleep after a long, hard day of being a corporate slave).
Speed walking to the station was always a nightmare- Dokja was a sweaty and frantic mess by the time he reached the ticket gate, with his suit jacket hanging over his arm and white collared shirt sticking to his skin due to the sudden exercise. He did wonder what he looked like to the average passerby; a skinny man panting and flailing around like some sort of squid out of water.
Running a hand through his ink-black hair, Kim Dokja fiddled with his train pass. He wanted to screech, aggressively smacking the card at the censor in front of him at every angle he could think of. Finally the gate in front of him opened, and with a loud whoop the lithe man scurried through it and headed towards his platform.
Breathing a sigh of relief as his train pulled into the station, Dokja gripped the strap of his black satchel and tried to slow the fast beating of his heart. Stepping into the carriage, the man was hit with the refreshing feeling of ice-cold air conditioning and felt himself physically relax under the piercing glow of the over-head light.
It was unusual for the train to be this empty, with there being only three other people in his carriage. Dokja supposed that it was due to the fact that it was technically a national bank holiday, but as he was just a pitiful contract worker for the scam company MinoSoft, the man was afforded no such luxuries (think of the extra pay, he told himself, think of the extra pay) and had to head into the office whilst the rest of the country got to relax.
Normally the train was packed, with people being squished together like sardines, their beady eyes searching and scanning for any sight of movement, with the permanent motivation of nabbing a seat. But due to the empty space, Dokja allowed himself to collapse down onto a seat, grimacing at the thought of how much grime must have been clinging to the material. The man stretched his long legs, taking advantage of such a rare occasion and covered his mouth with his palm as he yawned.
With a grin, Dokja pulled out his phone and headed online, connecting to billions of modern people around the world who relied on the web to feel something. Being on the train meant that he finally got to read, and reading was the only thing that got him through the agonising monotony of each and every day.
Kim Dokja was lost in the beauty that was literature, eyes drinking in every word on the small screen that was his phone with an avid enthusiasm, when the distinctive voice of the intercom rang throughout the train, alerting the man that they were finally heading towards his station.
Groaning, Dokja reluctantly put away his phone, promising that he would return to the beautiful world that was Dostoevsky’s ‘White Nights’.
The walk back to his apartment was slow, and frankly boring. Kim Dokja did not live in a nice area, but what it lacked in beauty, it made up for in its abundance of convenience stores. Dokja was not a rich man, and his frugal nature meant that all two of his meals a day were sourced from such shops.
He must have been about two hundred metres away from his apartment building when his peaceful journey was ruined. One moment, Kim Dokja was walking at a leisurely pace, and the next a man was falling from the sky.
Well, he didn’t exactly fall from the sky, but one moment the path in front of Dokja was clear, and then it was not.
Immediately Kim Dokja lurched backwards, letting out an extremely manly shout (squeal). Falling to his knees in front of the strange figure, Dokja’s hands shook as turned the man onto his back.
Wow. wow. W-o-w, the man was stunning- an Adonis, or some god in human skin. The stranger’s eyebrows were thick and the same shade as the hair on his head- so dark it could rival a black hole. Dokja was overcome with the urge to trace the man’s striking features that were so sharp his creator had surely looked up at him and smiled, fully in awe of the living embodiment of perfection.
The man was dressed in black, which meant that at first everything looked normal and ordinary on the surface, but upon further inspection, Dokja realised that the stranger was covered in red blood, and his long jacket was ripped, seemingly torn by some sort of animal. His tanned skin was a blue canvas of large bruises, and there were dark circles in the hollows of the man’s eye sockets. Placing a finger against the other’s nose, the office worker sighed in relief as he felt the tickle of the stranger’s breath-he was alive, but barely.
The bloody man’s eyelids flickered, and his chest spasmed and he choked out a quiet “I need-” Before turning to the side and retching. Blood spilled from his lips, and with a grunt the stranger rolled onto his back again.
“Oh, shit, shit, shit.” Mumbled Dokja, stressed as he fiddled with the man’s shirt in a desperate attempt to undo the buttons and get it off him. Giving up with his ministrations, the lithe man settled for ripping the other’s shirt, and the buttons went flying into the air.
Kim Dokja’s hand flew to cover his open mouth as he shivered in horror. There was a deep bloody gash where the stranger’s stomach should have been, and his organs were nearly spilling out of his torso like a crimson river. The office worker was overcome with a nausea so great that he had to actively fight the urge to throw up.
The stranger somehow managed to look judgemental despite the agonising pain that he must’ve been in, and raised a singular, angular eyebrow.
Violently shaking, Dokja wiped his wet eyes with his forearm, and then took a deep breath in.
This man was on the brink of death, and he couldn’t just stand around and do nothing.
“Okay, okay you can do this.” He mumbled in an effort to inspire himself. Rubbing his hands together, Kim Dokja delved deep into his core, searching for the source of his power that lingered beneath his skin. There was a sharp snap, and everything in his soul clicked into place. Feeling the cool, unfamiliar touch of his gift, Dokja channelled the energy building up inside of him towards his palms until his hands began to glow a vibrant white.
Kim Dokja leaned over the handsome stranger, apologising as the worker’s ID that was hanging from his neck smacked against the other’s wounded chest. Placing his hands on the man’s heart, the office worker pushed his energy into the other’s body. It flowed from Dokja as easily as water flowed from a tap, and the stranger’s chest pulsed white as he accepted his saviour’s power.
There was an open channel between the two, and Dokja poured as much of his gift into the other. His energy flamed and danced with joy, eager to finally be of use after many years of being kept inside.
One second the stranger was bleeding out on the floor, and the next he was sitting upright, gripping Dokja’s pale throat in his large hands.
The office worker’s eyes widened in surprise and helplessly tried to pry the other’s grip off of his neck. Anguished, Dokja struggled to reach out towards the other. In one, last attempt at freedom, he shoved as hard as he could against the other man’s chest, and the two parted in one massive burst of light as the stranger was pushed backwards by the sheer will of Dokja’s energy.
The office worker panted furiously in an attempt to fill his lungs that had been deprived of oxygen. It’s like he could still feel the other’s painful grip on his neck as his diaphragm seized. The energy flowing from Dokja’s hands retreated back into his body as he tried to steady the rapid palpitating of his pulse.
“I-I’m gonna go.” Declared Kim Dokja shakily, before rising to his knees at an almost inhuman pace and turning to sprint home.
He did not stop until he reached his apartment door.
It was then decided-Dokja would never help a dying person who appeared in front of him out of the blue ever again.
“I said,” Growled Yoo Joonghuk, slamming his fist on the desk in front of him. “I’ve found a guide.”
The woman sitting in front of him simply giggled in response.
Yoo Joonghyuk was the most powerful esper that Uriel had ever known, and she did let herself feel a surge of pride at being the one to manage him. The beautiful blonde woman was the leader of Korea’s most successful EG agency. Omniscience was one of the world's many elite organisations centred around the protection of the planet. Over a hundred million babies were born each year, and occasionally a very powerful baby was born, blessed with the power of protection by the gods above.
Their life-energy could be manipulated into what one could call powers, which varied from esper to esper. They had a very important (and subsequently well-paid) job, which consisted of protection of civilians, general moral up-keep, and the constant fight against ever-spawning monsters in order to prevent a large-scale disaster that would surely bring with it the end of the world.
Unfortunately, the more powerful the esper, the more powerful the energy, and this meant that once drained, the esper faced the risk of bodily overdrive. Not much was written about what exactly it pertained to, but espers were at risk of losing themselves and their grip on their power unless they were controlled by another.
Only a handful had the ability to control espers, and these people were called guides, arguably as powerful as their warrior counterparts, a guide’s job was to regulate, control or rejuvenate an esper’s power in times of need.
Due to the significance of these born espers and guides, once their abilities had manifested, they were filtered into training academies that taught them how to control their gifts. Both were looked upon in awe around the world, with espers often being so worshipped they were almost deified, and Yoo Joonghyuk was one of the greatest.
He was a man of many gifts, being as overpowered as he was handsome, or, that was the rumour at least. Many agencies now required their espers and guides to don masks in order to separate their jobs from their identities.
The problem with Joonghyuk was his extremely low compatibility rate with almost every single guide he had ever come across, and this meant that to her frustration, Uriel could never risk sending him out on missions alone, because although he would most likely be able to handle it, it was illegal to send an esper in to battle alone.
The blonde woman flicked her hair over her shoulder in one smooth movement before leaning forward in her chair. “Well,” She smiled. “What agency does this guide work for, or are they straight out of an academy?” Her knowing eyes raked over the esper’s impressive frame as he stood before her. Yoo Joonghyuk was heavily imposing, with dark hair and smouldering, troubled eyes (Uriel could rant about her favoured esper’s handsomeness for aeons, he was her muse and the main character in her widely-popular and highly rated ‘x reader’ fanfiction)
Crossing his arms, the esper barked “He doesn’t. He's an office worker.”
“Oh.” Replied Uriel, smacking her lips together as she leant back in her plush chair. Joonghyuk certainly looked healed, and his oppressive dark power was radiating off of his form in crashing waves. His energy pulsed around him, feeling much more alive and complete than before- one thing was for certain, he had definitely been guided by his perfect match.
How chaotic! Uriel loved the chasing arc, the hidden identity, the confusion, the tension~
“Alright. We’d best go find him then.” Declared the blonde, reaching out and pressing the pad of her pointer finger against the esper’s nose, before practically twirling out of her office. Turning around as she reached her door, Uriel chuckled, and sang in a light voice, “And I didn’t know you were into men, Yoo Joonghuk.”
The esper could hear her cackling resound throughout the hallway as the woman disappeared to who-knows-where.
Thinking deeply, Joonghyuk tried to recall the information that was on his saviour’s work ID. “Kim Dokja.” The tall man uttered pensively.
Something about that name felt so right on his lips.
“Kim Dokja!”
Said man flinched from where he was sitting at his desk. Peering over the wall of his box-shaped cubicle, Dokja sighed after having spied that it was his co worker Min Chayoung who was calling for him.
“Yes?” He replied, whilst rising from his uncomfortable, company-provided chair.
“Han Myungoh wants to see you in his office.”
“Oh crap.” Kim Dokja dragged his hands down his face. His boss was a vile, disgusting leech of a man who had somehow weaselled his way up to the top of their sham company, and if he was demanding your presence, you were sure to be in a lot of trouble.
Popping from her nearby cubicle like a meerkat, Yoo Sangah smiled cheekily at her fellow worker’s misery. “What did you do, Kim Dokja, mess up the monthly expense reports again?”
Laughing at her own joke, the woman tucked her brown hair behind her ear before stepping away from her desk to accompany her friend on her journey to the big boss’ office. The man’s throat was dry, and not even Sangah’s gentle demeanour was enough to brighten his mood as he walked towards the intimidating doors of judgement.
Dokja could feel eyes tracking the two of them as they walked together, no doubt fixed upon the beautiful form of the woman beside him. The man loved Sangah, but her shining radiance was bright enough to cast insecurities on the most perfect of people.
Meeting her co-worker's eye, Yoo Sangah smiled sympathetically as Dokja headed towards the boss’ office.
Staring at the fat face of his pig boss, Kim Dokja couldn’t help but squirm under the man’s intense gaze. He could not read any sort of emotion on the other’s face, and Dokja honestly had no idea as to what this berating could possibly be about.
“I received an interesting phone call earlier.” Stated Han Myungoh, face oddly neutral as he straightened a pen that was lying on his desk, and he strangely did not meet Dokja’s eye. Oh no, that was such an ominous thing to say! It left way too much to the imagination, and had the other man’s thoughts running at a mile a minute in an effort to figure out what on Earth could possibly come out of the man’s mouth next. The boss sounded calmer than Kim Dokja had ever heard him, and that unnerved him to no end.
“It was from Omniscience,” The boss paused for dramatic effect, grinning wolfishly at the man before him. “They informed me that one of my workers was a guide.” Han Myungoh smiled like a predator having caught its prey underneath its paw. He reeked of intrigue, amusement, and slightly of fear, which was something that the other found enjoyment in.
Dokja’s heart stopped and all traces of colour bled from his face. Eyes widening just a fraction, the man flinched and looked to the floor with stooped shoulders. Instantly his mind raced, scanning through every recent incident or encounter that he had that could’ve possibly given him away, and then he remembered.
The crazy guy who strangled him was a member of Omniscience? Dokja was in hot water now.
“Ah, well,” The reader chuckled weakly, feeling sweat form at his brow. It was like there was a siren flashing in his find screaming ‘Abort and lie! Abort and lie!’
“There must’ve been a mistake. They didn’t-”
“They mentioned you by name.”
“Oh fuck!” Dokja exclaimed, anger aimed entirely at himself (that was a lie, he blamed that stupid…sunfish bastard?! Ungrateful swine, maybe Dokja should’ve just left him for dead that night) “Shit, shit, shit shit!” The reader crouched, grasping his hair in his hands as he began to hyperventilate-he was too young for a midlife crisis, dammit!
“Who knew that we had a guide hiding away at Minosoft this whole time,” mused the older man. Rolling his neck from side to side, Han Myungoh continued “From today onwards, you are now under the employment of Omniscience. Congratulations, Kim Dokja.”
The lithe man stood and placed a hand on the nearby wall, attempting to steady himself. One of the biggest secrets that Dokja had worked hard to keep his entire life had been unearthed, just from his one act of being a good samaritan.
Releasing a shaky breath, the man turned, walking directly out of his (now former) boss’ office. The world was spinning, and Dokja could feel a tumult coil in his gut, and even the burning energy of his gift wasn’t enough to comfort him as he panicked.
The man’s brain scrambled to think about what Korea’s best EG agency could possibly want with him, and he eventually came to the conclusion that they were going to tie him down and suck him dry of all his energy, how, he did not know.
Hurrying back towards the main work area, Kim Dokja was in a frantic state of distress, and he could feel his coworker’s hot gazes searing into his face as he walked back to his cubicle. Clearly he looked upset, or something about his temperament had given away his unstable state of mind, as Yoo Sangah rushed towards him, concern evident in her features. “Is everything alright?” She asked in a kind tone, staring into her friend’s dark eyes.
Kim Dokja did not know what to say, and he swallowed the lump in his throat, before answering “I-I don’t know. I guess I’ve been released.”
The woman in front of him frowned, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder in a show of sympathy. Something was definitely wrong with Kim Dokja, and Sangah wished more than anything else in the world that he would confide in her, even if it was just shallow, surface-level conversation.
“Oh, Dokja-ssi.” She said, and drew her friend into her arms.
Kim Dokja squeezed the woman in front of him, and muttered into her shoulder. “We’ll catch up soon, yeah?”
Pulling back, the man headed towards reception where he was provided with a plain cardboard box to place his essentials in (the receptionist didn’t even remember his name, and just squinted at his ID before shoving a box into his hands with a huff), before heading back to his work area with a frown.
It took Dokja four minutes to pack his things; a blue pencil case, mouse pad, and a singular plastic potted plant, and then he proceeded to wipe it down with a sterile cloth. He had absolutely no fond memories of the company, with every Friday night being wasted at a different restaurant, having glass after glass of alcohol placed into his hand as the man awkwardly mingled with his fellow low-paid employees.
At least he would be free from the dirty clutches of Minosoft and its lack of both job security and stable pensions.
With one last, anxious glance backwards, Kim Dokja stepped out of the doors of the company in which he had been work-stock for the past year, and inhaled a lungful of fresh air.
Again, the train was empty- it was ten thirty in the morning, after all, and the black-haired man wasted no time in reaching for his phone.
Once back at his apartment, Dokja fiddled with the handle of his front door in an effort to enter his home, before bracing himself and shoving his weight against the door. It swung upon with a loud crash, and the man cheered happily at his apparent success.
Locking the door behind him, Kim Dokja stretched like a cat, sighing dreamily as his back cracked. A weight was lifted off of his shoulders, and the man made a conscious attempt to push his crushing worry about the future of his employment to the very back of his mind.
Humming to himself, Dokja removed his work suit and slipped into more comfortable clothes. Putting in his phone password, the reader pressed play on his downloaded playlist and began to dance along to the dulcet tones of R&B’s current chart-topper.
“Baby girl, I’m not blaming you~” He warbled, heading towards his kitchenette counter as his kettle finished boiling. Dokja continued singing as he rifled through his cupboard in a desperate effort to find something edible. Stretching his arm, the man smiled when he felt his fingers touch the circular plastic of a pot noodle cup that was pressed against the back of his barren food cupboard.
Sure, it was a little out of date, but it tasted alright, and Dokja gulped it down with avid enthusiasm. After cleaning up, he headed to his bedroom and collapsed onto his bed, content to spend the next few hours of the day scrolling on his phone.
Absentmindedly refreshing his emails, Kim Dokja flinched as he caught sight of a new contact. Its subject stared up at him morbidly, and the man was worried about the possible contents of the message. The email read as follows:
Dear Mr Kim Dokja,
We are Omniscience, Korea’s top EG agency. We have been informed of your recent interaction with the agency’s highest-ranked esper; Captain. We shall not recount the details of your interaction, but let it be known that we are fully aware of the events that took place.
Following your termination from ‘Minosoft’, we would like to formally invite you to accept a position at Omniscience. We understand that you may be hesitant to join our agency, so we shall henceforth hold a meeting at our main Seoul office tomorrow at nine a.m. You need not reply-we know you will see this email.
An agency car will be provided to pick you up from your apartment at eight forty tomorrow morning. Refusal to attend is not an option.
We look forward to your attendance!
Yours sincerely,
Uriel
Manager of Omniscience, coordinator of esper-guide team ‘King’
Kim Dokja wanted to burst into tears. He knew that his life would never be the same- Omniscience was said to be more powerful than the Korean government, and had special permission to do as they pleased- the safety of the world was heavily dependent on their agency, after all.
Tossing his phone to the floor, the reader rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling above him. He was helpless-he couldn’t help but submit to the whims of the higher ups, who could apparently converse with the gods themselves.
Dread trickled into his mind, and Dokja wanted nothing more than to disappear. Sitting up, the man reached for his phone and reluctantly decided to look up his new employer.
The company’s webpage colour scheme was black and gold, and everything about it screamed elegance. Dokja’s eyes scanned the information on the homepage, and he warily clicked on the ‘all about our guides’ link.
The information page was littered with posh buzzwords and scientific vocabulary like ‘horripilation’ which Dokja wasn’t even sure he could pronounce. He managed to figure out that guides and espers seemed to work in pairs, but the man quickly grew bored, hoping that it would all be explained at the mandatory meeting the next day.
Kim Dokja awoke the following morning with a start, throwing the covers off his bed and rising to his feet with a squeal. Nervousness had built up inside him during the night, and subsequently, Dokja had been unable to sleep, constantly tossing and turning, yet unable to give in to his body’s urge for rest.
The energy inside his body amassed near his heart as the reader stumbled towards his ensuite in a haze, squinting through the crust lining his eyes. After having brushed his teeth, Kim Dokja wobbled towards his wardrobe, sifting through his clothes whilst trying to find something suitable to wear to the most important meeting of his life.
He settled for his nicest, least-worn pair of brown slacks and his only pressed shirt, before shrugging on the matching suit jacket. It was slightly too big on him, but Dokja couldn’t afford to be picky.
Splashing his face with water, the man gazed at his reflection in the small mirror that he had mounted on the bathroom wall. Kim Dokja looked like he always did, with his pale skin that was unable to darken even in the sunniest of places, and the dark circles under both of his tired eyes.
Checking the time on his watch, the reader jumped, clambering for the items that he may need for the meeting- he settled on his trusty satchel that contained his phone, pencil case and a portable charger. Dokja was too anxious to use the supplied elevator- there was a sixty percent chance it would get stuck anyway-and sped down the stairs as quickly as he could without breaking his neck.
He left the building just as a sleek, black limo that probably costed more than his yearly rent pulled towards the entrance. Hesitantly stepping towards the car, Dokja opened his mouth to speak. “Er-” he began, but was interrupted as the passenger door opened with a click.
Dokja wiped his sweaty hands on his slacks before ducking into the fancy limo.
The man could hear the beating of his heart, and prayed to the gods that he hadn’t just hopped into a random car and was being driven towards his execution. The drive took place in silence, and Dokja couldn’t even start a conversation with the chauffeur because the privacy screen was up, so Kim Dokja was left alone with the scariest thing in the whole universe: his thoughts.
By the time the car reached its destination, the man was heading towards a panic attack, convinced that there would be a gang of mobsters waiting inside who were ready to ambush him with energy-enforced crowbars.
The door opened once more with a soft click, and, taking a deep breath, Dokja stepped out of the limo.
The building in front of him was the grandest skyscraper Kim Dokja had ever seen. It was shiny and very well maintained, with the agency’s opulent logo being visible from miles away, the man assumed, (why the company’s emblem was a pocket watch was anyone’s guess).
Suppressing his crippling feeling of nervousness, Kim Dokja gripped the strap of his satchel and headed towards the modern building in which the course of the rest of his life was to be decided.