Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

. . .

[Hidden anomaly detected: technical standby.]

 

[Attempting to resolve the unexpected issue.]

 

[Requesting urgent assistance. Please stand by.]

 

[Request failure. System reset in 47:59:59]

 

[Fourth Wall shutting down.]

. . .

Kim Dokja awoke with a jolt. His body felt heavy, weighed down against the sheets, his strength dulled in a way it hadn’t been since the apocalypse began. Slowly, he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sluggish beams of sunlight spilling through, draping his room in soft ribbons of light.

Kimcom was currently preoccupied; taking on sub-scenarios, training in the usual grounds or relaxing in the living quarters of their hideout.

Instead, Kim Dokja had just risen from an unexpected nap, forced upon him by the other members. They seemed to believe that he ‘wasn’t getting enough rest’, and, according to Yoo Joonghyuk, ‘looked too flimsy’ and needed to take a break to ‘reduce his concerningly high ego’.

Kim Dokja had rolled his eyes at this and responded in his typical sarcastic manner, pointing out Joonghyuk’s inability to even comprehend the fact that he wasn’t the only one existing right now. Expectedly, he had been aired, leaving him to make his way to his bedroom and have a short sleep to shut the nagging Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung up.

Feeling unusually light-headed, he brushed it off and sat up from beneath his warmed covers.

His dizziness didn’t dissipate, however, and instead grew with the rush of system notifications taking up his view.

His breath halted, catching in his throat as he understood the cause of his deteriorating senses; the Fourth Wall had shut down.

His most valued yet mysterious skill, derived from his attribute of ‘Reader’.

The skill that allowed him to be ‘Kim Dokja’.

Shut down.

This Kim Dokja. Not the Kim Dokja, pre-scenario, mindlessly slaving away, equipped with his concerningly depleted mental and physical health. Now he seemed to have reverted back- back to the ‘real’ him.

He flopped back down into his duvet, covering himself in a pathetic attempt to hide his increasing sense of vulnerability.

Who was ‘Kim Dokja’, without what makes him ‘Kim Dokja, Demon King of Salvation’?

Was this it—when he finally had to lean on Kimcom? No, that was the last thing that was going to happen. Trusting his life in the hands of someone like Yoo Joonghyuk? Forget it, he’d be surprised if he wasn’t the one to kill him himself.

Yoo Joonghyuk couldn’t find out. Who knew how he’d put his ‘Sage’s eye’ or even his ‘lie detection’ skills to use in a situation as golden as this one?

A wave of anxiety rose and broke inside him, trailing down his nerves. This wasn’t fiction anymore; there was no screen, no button to stop it. The horrors he had once dismissed as scenery—blood, bodies, the countless dead—were all waiting for him, piling up in the cracks of his mind until they threatened to overflow.

Only now did he realise the quiet weight of the Fourth Wall, the unseen force that had carried him through every scenario.

He was tempted to start throwing hands with the Dokkaebi team, atleast saving himself from the shit-ton of covering up and avoidance he was about to be forced through.

This was more than just a simple ‘system error’.

Things were about to go horrifically downhill, and he was at the heart of it all, unable to escape through his usual half-assed blocking out and deflections. His Wall, distancing himself from his reality, along with the members of Kimcom, had simply vanished. No identifiable cause. Nothing.

What else would he expect from the pathetically unconsiderate Star Stream?

God, he was truly fucked.

. . . 

“Where’s that rat bastard this time?” Han Sooyoung snarked, having just returned from another one of her ‘side quests’.

Jung Heewon was watching TV in the living area with her feet stretched out onto Lee Hyunsung, who sat pink-cheeked next to her on the sofa, not daring to move from his role of her personal pillow.

She replied, “He’s sleeping in his room, he’s been looking too frail lately so we sent him off to catch up on his sleep. Forcefully.”

The children were sat nearby, including the 16-year-old Lee Jiyhe, competing to see who could stuff to most crackers into their mouths. They gave the impression of human hamsters, squealing between mouthfuls of grotesque chewed food at each other. 

Lee Seolhwa was in her office as usual; Yoo Sangah was training in the open grounds; Yoo Joonghyuk was presumably back out on another trip, ditching the rest of the members in his usual routine of solitudal misery.

“Goddamn that squid. I’m going to find him and make him eat Yoo Joonghyuk’s leftovers from the fridge, before I quite literally shove it down his throat til it’s flowing from his ass.” she groaned, glaring towards his shut door with her arms crossed.

Lee Hyunsung then gulped, fearing that she was infact not messing around as she trodded towards his room.

“Ugly squid bastard, open the door and stop being such a fucking shut-in.” she called from outside.

About a minute passed.

“Prick..” she muttered, collecting one of Sangah’s hairpins from a nearby counter and proceeding to break into Kim Dokja’s room with her usual wanted-criminal attitude.

The door burst open, revealing the usual tidy room, often looking as if it were unoccupied since development. Yet instead there was now signs of life, with a Kim-Dokja classic white coat strung on a chair, a rogue belt discarded on the floor and a silhouette curled up under the duvet. Kim Dokja. Han Sooyoung smirked to herself, she could see his charcoal strands of hair peeking out at the edge of his pillow.

She stormed up to the inhabitant and stripped back the warm duvet he was occupying.

“Hngh-” he muttered, using his arms over his face as an escape from the eye-straining daylight. He wouldn’t be surprised if she gave him permanent blindness.

“Hey bastard, face me and get up. Go eat or I’ll have no one left to abuse with my newfound insults. Plus, then I’d be forced to cope with an even gloomier sunfish who thinks he’s from some kind of doomed yaoi novel..”

“What the hell..?” he muttered and hesitantly pulled down his arms, revealing his frowning expression.

The light beaming down illuminated his pristine face.

Pristine? Holy shit. Fuck. What the fuck? His face is fucking clear. What the fuck. What the fuck? What the fuck!??

Devoid of the usual filtered blur, Han Sooyoung managed to get a true look at his face. The face behind his mask and cocky smile. The face behind his signature barricade.

Even with exhaustion and a slight flush clinging to him, his prominent features stood out like an angel in the deep of the Underworld. Her eyes trailed along his milky, translucent skin in which complimented his hair; ink-dark strands framing his too-pale face. Clear, perfectly puffed cheeks tinged with blossom complimented the delicately plumped lips further down, dressed with a slight flush, and the softened yet sharp lines of his face structure.

She’d give up her life to see this pale scrawny man shoot a pretty smile her way.

Oh god.

A 6-page-long english language essay she’d never have managed to write otherwise flooded into her mind.

That was beside the point.

The man infront of her was simply an outrage; he could shock models into resigning with half a glance. His looks were dissimilar from Yoo Joonghyuk’s, whose sharpened features cut clean across his immaculate face, and instead his were curved softer- less noticeable from afar. Though, the longer you looked, the harder it was to pull away.

Despite this, he could most definitely slap Joonghyuk round the face, and more than once. Hell, he could even use a punch. 

She’d nicknamed this man ‘ugly’.

“Wait.. Give me a moment.. I think my eyes have finally caught up with the hell of the scenarios.” She rubbed her eyes in a comical manner, concealing the fact that she genuinely believed that something was up with her eyes.

“Holy shit.. What the actual fuck. What the fuck have you done this time you bastard? Whose face did you steal? Why are you looking like that? Fuck..” she muttered, face showing her obvious disbelief.

“What? Make some sense before harassing me. I’ve just woken up, what could I have possibly done with my face? Stop repeating ‘fuck’ and share it with the rest of the group.” he mumbled groggily, now rubbing his own eyes.

She continued to blink a few times.

“Fuck.”

“…”

She then spoke, “Fuck, you bastard, I knew you had some kind of concealment skill but one to this extent? One that can cover.. well, this?! Fuck..”

“What? Concealment skill?” he repeated, throwing a glare up at the ceiling in confusion as if it was the one at fault. It almost seemed to tremble in defence.

He then sighed, coming to conclusion.

“Haa.. I didn’t know about this. I guess it also means it’s related to the Fourth Wall.”

“Your skill? What’s wrong with it? Well clearly some kind of shit has gone down to uh.. you know.” she said, still eyeing up his face as if he was the creator of the star stream himself.

“God.. Some system error.. Im screwed.”

“You look like a fucking model. Fuck. You look better than me, and that wasn’t even possible until now.” she groaned, ignoring him, “Wait, a system error? TWSA’s never had anything like that.. Shut down? Thats fucking messed up. It’s like saying Yoo Joonghyuk’s miserable face has finally brightened up into a smile. Absolutely disgusting.”

“…”, he’d always thought that he looked average, why was she overacting so much? “Don’t tell the others. I can’t be like usual right now so just.. shut up.”

“Why? Are you really so different without the Wall? Whatever. Only if you promise to buy me unlimited beef buns for a year. Unlimited. And I can’t promise the others won’t figure out by themselves.”

“5 months.”

“10.”

“…Alright. My poor coins..”

“I know for a fact you’re a millionaire.”

“…”

“Actually, make it 11- if the sunfish hasn’t killed you off by then.”

“Great, thanks.”

“Anyway, do you have a fever? Your cheeks look like shitting tomatoes.” she questioned.

“‘Shitting tomatoes’? Nevermind, eugh, don’t mention those. Probably, I guess it’s just an effect of the wall vanishing.” he grumbled, eyes squinting again, “It’s only mild, it won’t affect me.”

He hadn’t been seriously ill since the start of the apocalypse- maybe it had something to do with his skills? The Fourth Wall maybe?

…

Oh great, well he hoped that it wouldn’t affect his already crippled mood too badly.

. . .

Trailing behind Sooyoung, Kim Dokja trudged along the corridor towards the kitchen as she drifted off back to the living area giving him her signature smirk, sitting down on the sofa. He continued on, waddling slowly. Towards the rest of Kimcom.

Avoiding any of their possible lines of sight, he slipped behind the kitchen counter and made his way to the fridge. He wasn’t really hungry but if he didn’t eat, well, he didn’t want to find out what blackmail Han Sooyoung would pull up this time. And he was sure it would have something to do with his current embarassingly weakened state. 

He lazily opened the fridge, still dressed in his crumpled black shirt- with the top lazily unbuttoned, revealing lines of his pale collarbones- and baggy pants, which draped beneath his heels as he walked, only now realising his lack of a belt. Hopefully he could just continue to avoid the rest of the company, especially Yoo Joonghyuk, at least until the Fourth Wall was restored and stable enough.

He picked up some of Joonghyuk’s leftover cooking; he was definitely the best cook in the house, his meals made Dokja look forward to eating after time spent during a sub-scenario.

Avoiding his hands brushing against the ripened tomatoes as he reached in, he took out the remaining tub containing rice, pickled vegetables, kimchi and steamed salmon. Luckily, it was still fresh from the morning.

He wandered over to the table, using his chopsticks to indulge in his favourite chef’s cooking.

Whilst eating, he suddenly felt hands on his shoulders from behind, making him jolt in his seat.

“Ahjussi?”, it was the three children, probably back to restock their cracker collection for another competition, “Sorry, we didn’t mean to make you jump, we thought you’d notice us like usual.”

“Oh, it’s fine, I guess I just didn't notice you this time aha-” he spoke quietly, smiling as he shrank back into place and took another bite.

He turned to face the kids behind him, revealing the expected three typical culprits.

Suddenly, the two children, the older Lee Jihye and younger Lee Gilyoung who was standing behind Shin Yoosung, froze in place, dumfounded expressions morphing onto their faces.

“N-no way.. something’s different.. what’s this..?” Lee Jihye mumbled.

“Is this really Ahjussi?…Ahjussi? Why has your face changed? I thought you were supposed to be ugly?” confessed Lee Gilyoung, evidently confused by the sudden shift in appearance.

“Ahjussi was never ugly, and he hasn’t changed- I told you!” defended Shin Yoosung, brows furrowing as she looked between the others and Kim Dokja.

“What.? Right, well, don’t concern yourselves too much.. it’s just a temporary change, don’t worry.” he spoke, throwing a comforting smile towards them.

“This is what you really look like? Why didn’t I notice before?” Lee Jihye questioned.

“Like I said-”

“Atleast now I understand master’s taste..” she muttered, “Hell, how did I have the guts to call this man ugly..? My life is done for.”

“What? What are you even talking about..”

“Nothing..” she smirked, still admiring every aspect of his face.

“…”

They then continued scavenging for their crackers, the two occasionally glancing back in awe as he continued munching on his rice.

He finished up his meal and made his way towards the leaving area. Briefly eyeing the room, he trudged along before laying comfortably on the sofa where Han Sooyoung was consuming yet another chemical-induced lemon lollipop; she unexpectedly yet silently allowed him to rest his legs across her lap, mirroring Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon across on the other sofa.

They seemed to give him a shocked yet curious glance-over before returning their view back to the TV, occasionally sneaking looks at his newly unfiltered face, much like the children. 

He guessed that, despite their deal, Han Sooyoung had hinted towards his change in appearance before-hand, presumably avoiding mentioning the Fourth Wall, or so to say, the lack of it.

The thing he dreaded most, however, was the return of Joonghyuk, that damn sunfish bastard.

God knows what kind of tantrum that moody prick would throw after realising he was lied to by Dokja's own face the entire time.

Subdued by his drowsy and weakened state, Dokja succumbed to his need for more sleep and rested curled up on his side with a pillow beneath his head, still stretched over the sofa and along Sooyoung.

. . .

Stomping with his grubby combat boots upto the entrance of the Kimcom’s premises, Yoo Joonghyuk mumbled curses under his breath, consisting of the typical ‘damn you Kim Dokja’, ‘fool’, ‘I’m the only one being proactive here’ and ‘lazy scum’. No surprises there.

He steadily removed his boots and his signature trailing black coat at the door, revealing the sharp outlines of his moulded muscles visible beneath his usual crisp shirt. He adjusted himself into his inside slippers; Lee Jiyhe had chosen them before, insisting that Kimcom must all wear the same for a sense of ‘companionship’. 

How foolish.

He only had one companion.

He continued to trudge into the abode, dragging his heels as if it had taken him all the effort he could muster to leave for another sub-scenario of his own free will.

Once he reached the living area, however, he was unsurprisingly disappointed with the sheer amount of people present. Although, it could have been worse as a few were still missing.

Briefly glancing around the room miserably at the members, his eyes darted around until they locked onto a point. Onto a certain someone. He noticed the bastard, Kim Dokja, curled up on the sofa, stretched along Han Sooyoung as if he were her supreme ruler. 

His clothes were scruffy and crumpled in more places than one, and his baggier pants were falling looser than usual due to his unprofessional lack of a belt. His gaze lingered a moment too long for his own comfort.

Less than a moment later, he noticed how he was asleep- unusual for that damned fool- and appeared somewhat flushed across his face, showing signs of a light fever.

He then froze again.

Wait,

his face?

His pupils shrank as his eyebrows furrowed even narrower.

He hesitated on the spot for longer than he should have. Longer than he usually did.

Kim Dokja’s disheveled bangs fell across his milky forehead in careless strands, perfectly highlighting his smooth, heated cheeks and sloping nose bridge. His face looked like it had been painted with precise, gentle caresses of a brush- delicate, almost fragile, yet impossible to tear eyes away from.

Fuck.

The word slipped through his mind before he could stop it and he forced his lingering gaze away before the members noticed his presence behind them.

What the hell had happened whilst he had been out?

Why was that bastard’s real face showing—clear, unguarded, no blur to hide it?

Fuck. His face.

His real face.

That fool. Always smirking, cocky as he covered both his mind and emotions, and now… nothing. Just his face, laid bare in the open, as if he’d finally run out of tricks.

He’d been blind to it, choosing to excuse everything as Dokja’s typical, suspicious games. This was far from what he had expected. This wasn’t what he had pictured.

He should have looked deeper before, past the wall and the mask, to the man beneath—without the smirk, without the act, simply himself. He didn’t realise how much he had been missing out on.

He tore away his gaze, almost as quickly as the sight of Kim Dokja had attracted it, and silently retreated into his room.

Nobody had noticed his faltering steps.

. . .

Dokja awoke, still dazed and curled up on the sofa, supposedly ditched by Han Sooyoung halfway through his nap. However, now a soft blanket was draped across his figure. His fever had mostly subsided and now the only reason he felt so miserable was due to the lack of his emotional support barrier. 

The remaining Kimcom members had returned and were now scattered across the room, minus Yoo Joonghyuk, who was in his usual role preparing dinner for the company. 

A rich and savoury smell wafted through the atmosphere, raising his appetite back up from the dead.

Soon, the members swarmed the table as Yoo Sagah assisted Joonghyuk in serving the food and plates. Kim Dokja rose and drifted along with the others.

Still with a partially flushed face, he used his chopsticks to slowly nibble on the wide selection of dishes on the table. He had ended up sat next to Joonghyuk this time, who kept throwing pathetically obvious glances towards his face, along with the rest of the members, making him shudder nervously. 

Avoiding all possible eye contact with each individual, he looked up as the pink-cheeked Yoo Sangah casually brought up the scenario mission they had preplanned to go on the next day.

“Which time are we departing?” Jung Heewon asked, just as casually as Sangah.

“Maybe after breakfast, so we are back in time for another one of my victories stuffing snacks into my mouth? I can’t let anyone break my record. Im planning to use cookies this time.” Jihye remarked.

Rolling her eyes, Han Sooyoung responded, “Whatever, ugl- cough, squid, you fine with that?”

The eyes of the members at the table lingered shamelessly on him, awaiting a reply.

Looking away nervously, he mumbled, “Yeah.. I’m fine with anything.”

Lee Hyunsung’s chopsticks clattered onto the table as he momentarily coughed and looked down, hiding his reddening face.

Kim Dokja looked up, observing the visibly intrigued Kimcom, and Yoo Joonghyuk, who refused to meet his eyes alongside him.

“Why are you all looking at me..?”

“…”

“You fool.” Joonghyuk muttered, glaring holes through his plate as he continued to look away.

“Dokja, your appearance seems to have changed since before… Almost as if it has become.. sharper?” Sangah politely mentioned, “Though, I haven’t been able to recall your face since before, either..”

“Yeah- you’re right- I’d noticed his blurry face, but never paid any mind to it..” Heewon confessed. 

“God, someone said it. I still haven’t managed to get over this since lunch.” Lee Jihye commented.

“…”

“It’s not a big deal. And its only a temporary fix..” Kim Dokja claimed, shrivelling down in his seat and glancing towards Han Sooyoung, who snickered beneath her breath.

The children almost seemed to frown in disappointment.

Gradually, the food was demolished and the members began to return to their places with a polite ‘thank you for the food’. 

Yoonghyuk stepped off of his stool and began collecting the empty plates and bowls from the table. Kim Dokja was wandering beside him, similarly gathering cutlery and placing it beside the sink.

Yoo Joonghyuk made his way over to the sink and flicked on the tap, preparing to wash the dirty dishes, as per his usual routine. He noticed, however, that Dokja seemed to be subconsciously hovering around him in the kitchen, preoccupied with his own unreadable thoughts.

Soon, he appeared to gradually snap back from his trance and trudged back towards his room to wash up and sleep, preparing for the scenario the next day. Yoo Joonghyuk carefully glanced towards him a few more times as he wandered out of the room, leaving Joonghyuk alone in the kitchen once more.

…

After successfully dragging Dokja out of his bed for the second time, Han Sooyoung led him into the kitchen for a fulfilling breakfast of borderline edible pancakes, this time made by hers truly. Only Lee Gilyoung, Lee Jihye and Yoo Joonghyuk were there, already eating their own meals.

He was now dressed in a neater version of his usual black outfit, with his white coat draped over the counter as he went to sit down. Despite this, his hair still remained disheveled and static. 

The company had now mostly became desensitised to his top-model appearance and avoided bring up his abnormal state again, instead choosing to stick to stealing quick peeks to satisfy themselves.

“You better eat those, you bastard, I made them myself.” Han sooyoung remarked proudly, placing herself next to Kim Dokja, who was unlucky enough to be opposite a miserable Yoo Joonghyuk who almost appeared to have a dark cloud hovering over his expression.

“Right.. If I don’t get some kind of food poisoning and drop dead before I can finish one…” Dokja mumbled.

“You prick. They’re not even that burnt!” she cried defensively, lifting her clenched fist to smack him hard on the back of his head.

“Ungh-” His head lurched forwards on impact, dropping the crisp thin of black currently held between his chopsticks.

Opposite, Joongyuk froze in place, staring whilst his lips remained slightly parted as they had been preparing to take a bite from his own puffy, golden pancakes. Even Lee Gilyoung to his right lifted his head, startled by the sound of the collision. Lee Jihye continued stuffing her face with porridge.

“Shit, bastard you were supposed to avoid that..” Sooyoung coughed, reaching for his shoulder as a last-minute guilty comfort.

“Ngh.. sorry.. I’m fine.” he repeated, lifting his face slightly to reveal his faint smile, equipped with his abnormally flushed eyes and a dot of blood on his delicate lips.

“Fuck, shit, sorry I completely forgot..” she muttered, gently raising up her hand to his scalp to feel for any damaged skin.

“Ahjussi, are you alright?” questioned Gilyoung concerningly.

Joonghyuk’s cold eyes grew darker still, preying on Sooyoung as he spied her actions intentley.

Forgot? Forgot what exactly?

Was that squid bastard really overreacting this much?

“Ah- don’t touch it..” Dokja mumbled, lightly biting his lip as he fumbled to stop her hand, “Mnh..” 

He had forgotten the difference between his body’s strength and pain tolerance before and after the appearance of the Fourth Wall. How unfortunate.

Her hand pulled back, revealing a light, thin smear of crimson across the tips of her fingers.

“It isn’t bleeding much, but it’ll probably bruise. ..Is that even possible? Can scalps bruise? Whatever. Sorry, I forgot about controlling my strength..” She muttered, reaching over to the sink to clean her palms and returning with a damp flannel to temporarily place on his head.

“Its alright, just try not to since.. well.. circumstances.” he mumbled, revealing a mild undertone of nervousness to his smooth voice as he glanced at the table, still carrying that slight smile of his.

Causing the hardwood table to rattle, Joonghyuk shot up with a hollow expression and an unreadable look behind his dark eyes. He shortly made his way to the other side of the table behind dokja, mercilessly crushing Sooyoung’s foot with his sole on his way, and slammed down his uneaten pancakes before the man.

He then proceeded to walk away, hands clenched by his side, leaving a confused Dokja and Sooyoung.

“Oh, I guess I must’ve interrupted him whilst he was eating..”

“What a kill-joy.” Sooyoung complained.

“What joy is there to kill right now?” Dokja remarked, brows slightly furrowing.

“Aha whoops my bad-” she said awkwardly, looking off and stuffing another lollipop into her mouth as Dokja rolled his eyes.

She then cleaned up her mess and wandered out after Joonghyuk, leaving a forlorn Dokja to consume the unsurprisingly delectable pancakes gifted to him.

. . .

The members stood around in a loose huddle just outside the network of passageways; the new sub-scenario requiring all of their efforts, minus Lee Seolhwa, took the form of a shadowed, derelict Labyrinth coated in an array of vines and other unsightly organisms.

Facing the entrance, they prepared themselves with Yoo Sangah infront, peering in to get an idea of the terrain. Kim Dokja hovered near Joonghyuk, subconciously following him around. Despite the smaller man clinging to his side, eyes darting and visibly on-edge, Joonghyuk didn’t bring it up.

His face was bleak, each gentle plum-toned shadow beneath his eyes proof of his lack of sleep the night before, though he had clearly pretended otherwise. It made Joonghyuk’s chest tighten in irritation. What was with this fool’s sudden switch in attitude?

“Uh.. we should- uhm..” Kim Dokja began from beside Joonghyuk, licking his lips, “Lets..!”

Voice cracking, he instinctively attempted to narrate a plan for the scenario- but with the lack of the Fourth Wall- even his own self-confidence had rapidly subsided. He had reverted back to his unsociable, introverted, geeky attitude.

“…”

Joongyuk eyed him discreetly.

“Y-yeah right,” Han Sooyoung began, actively rescuing Dokja from his pitful attempt, “Well, let’s head in together and survey the area. If we get split up, we can always just signal through Midday Tryst if we come across the boss.”

After giving Sooyoung an eye of gratitude, she sent a wink and a small thumbs-up towards him.

“Make sure to use a light; it gets dark quickly as you go in. Though, there’s not enough for everyone.” guided Sangah, distributing around flashlights from her inventory storage.

“I call dibs on going in with Ahjussi!” called Shin Yoosung, smirking towards Lee Gilyoung.

“Thats not fair, let me come!” the latter cried in response.

“…”

“Yeah, no, there’s no way I'm sending you in with just him,” mumbled Han Sooyoung before speaking up, “Let’s just go through as a group, it’s simpler that way.”

Lee Hyunsung let out a subtle grin; he would obviously be happy with the idea of venturing and fighting alongside his team, especially Heewon.

They began to enter, leaving only Han Sooyoung, Lee Jihye, Kim Dokja and that sunfish bastard to enter behind them.

“I’m going in alone.” demanded Joonghyuk, already past the entrance divide. He was ignorant to the fact that ‘going alone’ meant directly following the team’s path.

“Whatever, selfish bastard. Dokja, follow the tea-” spoke Han Sooyoung, turning around to face him.

“U-uh.. um..-” Dokja frantically began, struck with a wave of panic, eyes flickering as he considered rushing after the man.

His steps faltered, but without another second to think, he stumbled back towards Joonghyuk's presence, as though drawn there by instinct. 

“…”

Lee Jihye let out a slight snigger under her breath, and the others were left to catch up with the team.

. . .

Corresponding with Sangah’s guidance, the maze succumb to the dissipating light and plunged itself into an abyss of black. With the rest of the team ahead, Yoo Joonghyuk walked a meter away from the back with a light, leaving Dokja fumbling behind as he tried to keep up with the man’s quickened pace, despite his inconsistent waves of anxiety and dread.

He was going to die here.

The moment he passed through the entrance, he was going to die. For real this time. He’d be left alone, bleeding out upon the long-abandoned floors of the Labyrinth, no hope of return. This was it. He couldn’t just ‘quit reading’. This was no longer a mere story for him. It was reality. And it was hopeless. What could a pathetic human do in the face of an immense outer force like the Star Stream? What could someone like him- someone unable to even survive through middle school- possibly do to make it out of this?

He lagged by half a pace, breathing rougher than he wanted to admit. Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes narrowed—his inhumane senses missed nothing.

The walls pressed close on either side, the suffocatingly damp stone slick with shadows. Falling behind into the throat of the shrouded corridor, he briefly halted, unsure if the dimness encasing his skin was the maze or the fading of his own vision.

Turning back, his unfocused pupils dilated with sheer panic as the area was plunged into black; Joonghyuk and the flashlight had disappeared from his sight.

His breathing stilled, head shooting back around as stagnant air refused its way down his lungs.

“M-mnph..”

A brief mutter escaped his lips, no voice to call out as he fumbled around to lay his hand on one of the grimy walls for support. Yet without his vision, he could only buckle forward slightly, clutching his mouth with his hand as he softly panted for any wisps of breath he could gather.

However, within the next moment, he caught sight of a torch’s flicker as Joonghyuk silently retraced his steps, stopping a meter infront of him. 

Kim Dokja instantly straightened, voice cracking in the echoing dark, and though the air refused to escape, Yoo Joonghyuk whipped back around before he could speak as if to guide him back to the group.

He was too unsteady, too vulnerable, his usual mask stripped away. And still, his feet carried him toward Yoo Joonghyuk like he was the only constant, catching up to him and quickening his pace to remain in his presence.

The dark pressed in, and yet Dokja lingered at his side like a shadow that refused to leave. Whenever the torchlight flickered, he drifted closer as though seeking comfort from the cold.

In the endless dark, he relied on Joonghyuk’s steps as his only compass, until they caught up with the rest of the team, now only a few steps between the two.

“Ah, they’re back..!” noticing their return, Sangah called towards Sooyoung, who was positioned infront of her.

“Where did you two run off to? I turn around for a second and..” began Han Sooyoung, noticing their return back to the group, although she was only able to make out their silhouettes in the darkening atmosphere.

“…”

“Bastards, just stay with us, we’ve already come across a few monsters on the way.”

Yoo Joonghyuk lightly grunged in acknowledgement under his breath, Dokja remaining silent as his staggered breath had yet to return to his paled face.

However, within minutes, contradicting his own agreement, Joonghyuk slipped off into a passageway at his side- not leaving room for another conversation as Dokja continued to trail behind him like a lost child.

“What did I just say-?!” cried Sooyoung from behind them, voice echoing further off into the distance.

“…”

The silence made dokja once again lean closer, as though afraid the man might vanish in the gloom. His sleeve brushed against Joonghyuk's back, faint and unthinking, but he didn’t pull away.

If he didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought that this man went this way on purpose.

The rest of Kimcom could have led him along, yet Dokja’s place remained fixed at Joonghyuk’s shoulder, seeking comfort in the man he had rested his life upon once again.

Yoo Joonghyuk kept walking; he kept his blade in one hand and light in the other. He didn’t look at him. He didn’t need to. He knew Dokja was leaning closer with every step, refusing to part for even a moment, as if Yoo Joonghyuk was the only solid thing left in the dark. Against the dim glow of the torch, his already pale skin looked ashen, eyes dull, as though the maze had already claimed him.

Constant turns, forks in their path, a few dead-ends, on and on and on. The labyrinth swallowed light. Every step sank into silence, as if the stone itself was listening. The air was damp, heavy with the taste of dust and old blood.

The air shifted before the attack. The silence broke like glass in their ears.

From the corner of the passage, something surged forward, all claws and glimmering teeth; the torchlight bent across its body, illuminating the fur skin of a wolf-like beast.

Kim Dokja froze, body tensing from beside Joonghyuk as he didn’t even consider withdrawing his own sword from his inventory.

His body moved too slow- his eyes unfocused, as if he couldn’t separate illusion from reality in the endless dark.

Yoo Joonghyuk stepped infront of him without thought, blade flashing through the narrow dark.

Stone rang with the scrape of steel, sparks scattering against the black walls, setting alight to flickering glimpses of their surroundings. The creature shrieked, its form collapsing into a pile of dissipating flesh, as if it were made from ash.

Kim Dokja swayed in the choking murk, knees threatening to give way. Was this what he had been living through? It was just like a novel.

Joonghyuk caught him before he could lose balance, his grip firm on his wrist.

“Stand,” he ordered, voice hard, though his hand didn’t let go.

Kim Dokja blinked at him, disoriented, but his weight leaned into Joonghyuk all the same. The man dropped his wrist and returned his sword to its place beneath his coat.

The maze was quiet again, but the dark pressed tighter than before. After allowing Dokja a brief moment to catch his breath, they continued pacing through the cycle of walls, still walking as close as they were before.

Strange whispers started to follow them, echoing with words neither could quite make out. Dokja, senses dulled, caught his own name being repeated more than once.

They steadily continued, until they came across evidence suggesting that some form of life had already passed this way: scraps of fabric, faint footprints. It reassured Dokja, but Joonghyuk grew tense—he didn’t trust how messy the trail seemed.

A soft collection of footsteps began to echo from behind them. For a moment, they resembled the repetitive steps of a person, until the sound morphed into something more twisted- an identifiable entity mimicking a human’s behaviour.

Despite the unsettling taps growing louder and more frequent, as if it was rapidly closing in on them, Joonghyuk remained at a steady pace, silently guiding Dokja until he switched down another path.

His consistent steps finally fell to a stop.

He swivelled around, now directing his torch onto Kim Dokja's figure, and stood for a moment- examining the flimsy man before him. Dokja froze like a deer in headlights, patiently waiting for his command.

Behind Joonghyuk, a thickened wooden door stood looming over the two, a thin crevice opening up a crack, allowing Dokja to briefly peer through it.

Through it, an encased cavern stretched outwards, giving shape to an enormous circular room, with a shadowed figure hovering in the middle of the grounds.

The Labyrinth’s centre- containing the scenario’s boss monster.

Kim Dokja’s eyes widened slightly, unnoticeable, expect for the fact that Joonghyuk’s torch, followed by his gaze, was fixed upon him.

“Wait here.” he demanded coldly.

“W-wait- No, let me go in with you. Wait- wait, stop..!” Dokja rambled frantically, eyes darting between his own enclosed surroundings and the man infront of him.

“Kim Dokja, don’t test me.”

“..Please, I won’t be a hinderance, I swear. I’ve been fine all of the other times, haven’t I? What’s the difference in one more scenario?” he rambled, quaking body increasing in subtle tremors.

“I’m not negotiating.” He repeated sternly, unwavering as he drilled his voice deep into Dokja’s skin, along with his piercing stare. He gave no room for argument.

Kim Dokja’s face, disturbingly mortified, visibly flushed an even paler shade of bright white, figure twitching with intensifying shakes. 

Joonghyuk's harsh eyes flicked over his uneven breathing, his trembling hands—details he could never hide behind a filter.

Brows furrowing further, Joonghyuk gave a final glare and tsked towards the man before tossing his own sword infront of the other’s feet; he faced his back to Dokja as it clattered to the ground and retreated into the doorway, slamming it shut behind him. The hallway returned to silence, lit up dimly by Yoo Joonghyuk’s torch- placed on the floor next to the weapon.

Steel clashed against scales, the sound muffled through the door like thunder.

Kim Dokja grasped the blade in his hands, sliding his weight down against the grimy wall as his clasp tightened in fear within the veiled corridor. The flashlight was still gently rolling about on the floor.

It was over. This place was determined to be his final deathbed, clutching that damn protagonist’s sword, after meeting so many ends beforehand. He shivered in pure dread, absent-minded towards the blade’s edge currently digging its way into his delicate palms.

Alone, the silence pressed heavier than the stone walls. His chest rose and fell too fast, each breath clawing at his throat. He pressed his weight into the wall, knuckles white around the blade of the weapon.

After 10 minutes, in which- to Kim Dokja- felt as if he had already secured his own place in the Underworld, the sounds came to a stop, and Joonghyuk’s figure- as unharmed as before, minus a few smears of beast blood- came back through the cavern’s entrance.

 

[Boss eliminated.]

[Sub-scenario complete.]

[Reward: 900 coins]

 

Dokja looked up, fresh breath finally making its way back into his stiffening lungs.

“…”

Joonghyuk’s eyes scanned him from head to toe, sharp and assessing.

Without a word, he crouched down, reclaiming his sword from Kim Dokja’s grasp.

The shaken man used the hard stone behind him to stumble to his feet, legs still weak and dizzied. Joonghyuk neatly secured his blade back in its place, acquired the torchlight and took a step closer to Kim Dokja.

Yoo Joonghyuk tsked, swiftly grabbing his wrists in a firm grip and examined the lashes of blood across his fair palms. Kim Dokja grimaced slightly as his skin was pressed down by tough fingers in a solid hold.

He then let go, turning around in another direction and trailing off ahead through the twisted corridors to the maze’s exit. Dokja yet again followed behind, still coated in a thin layer of cold sweat with a nervous expression permanently drilled across his face.

Within 15 minutes of travelling, Kim Dokja’s eyes caught a glimpse of daylight, and squinted as he was led back outside, bringing an end to the scenario. The rest of Kimcom were lazed around, clearly waiting for the two of them.

“You made it back then? You should’ve contacted the rest of us saying you defeated the boss, we would’ve been stuck in there without the system’s announcement of the end of the scenario.” Han Sooyoung complained, “Where’s the other bastard? He didn’t get lost.. did he?”

Yoo Joonghyuk was stood inconveniently, blocking their view of the shaken-up man placed behind his tall figure.

The bastard in question flinched guiltily at the mention of his name.

“…”

“Ah, right, my bad, I couldn’t see the squid from over there.” she stated, subtly trying to steal glances of the condition of the man behind him.

“…”

They gradually began to gather themselves, and made their way back to Kimcom’s premises; Dokja dumbly refused to move more than a meter from the man’s side.

. . .

After returning, Kim Dokja had found his way back to the sofa, now curled up again with his coat draped over him and in a heavy state of sleep. The fire flickered in the living area, warming the twilight atmosphere with a soft lick of orange light.

The younger children, Lee Jihye and Yoo Sangah had retreated to their rooms after washing up, leaving the rest of the team sprawled across the sofas. Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung were in the kitchen cleaning up dishes from dinner, which Dokja unsurprisingly did not attend.

“Han Sooyoung.” Joonghyuk demanded coldly.

“What? What do you want, you arrogant bastard?” spoke Sooyoung, startled.

“What is wrong with Kim Dokja. His face. Now- this.”

“Well, uh, maybe he's just been feeling unwell lately-?”

“He was terrified. In the maze.”

Her face paled, biting her lip with a hint of guilt beneath her expression.

“I’ll talk to him for you-”

“Don’t.”

“Fuck. This bastard, making me clean up his mess..” she groaned, towering up the used plates, debating trading her unlimited beef bun supply for the sake of her morals.

“…” he narrowed his eyes at her, “What mess.”

“haha..” she laughed awkwardly, “cough… I can’t say anything but… he’s gotten himself into something again, so just, be mindful of that bastard- okay?..” 

“…” his expression darkened as he set down the empty dishes and walked out of the kitchen.

. . .

He made his way over to Kim Dokja, who lay asleep on the sofa, and lightly kicked the pads beneath him, stirring him awake in a daze. His eyes flitted open, hair mussed, and blinked blearily at Yoo Joonghyuk in confusion.

Dokja, disorientated after being awoken from his deep sleep mumbled, “Joonghyuk-ah?..” in a half-asleep notion, and Joonghyuk stiffened. 

A few members looked their way, eyes widened by the lack of the typical addressing of ‘bastard’, ‘damn protagonist’ and ‘sunfish’.

“You look pathetic lazing around like this.” he reprimanded, though he didn’t really mean it.

“Ah.. I’m sorry.” he muttered beneath sleepy eyes, apologising.

“Go to bed.” Joonghyuk demanded, waiting to the side as Dokja groggily sat himself up and dragged his feet off into the direction of his room.

Yoo Joonghyuk pushed the man’s coat aside, before sitting in the space heated from Dokja’s nap, to sit, thinking to himself, infront of the TV with the others.

. . .

“Dokja-ssi? Here, come, I’ll dress your palms.” stated Yoo Sangah, bringing a small box of medical supplies to the side of his bed.

“A-ah? Sangah-ssi? What-? How did you..”

“Joonghyuk- *cough*.. Um, I noticed on our way back from the sub-scenario..” she replied, avoiding eye contact whilst carefully fixing his wounds.

“Oh.. thank you, then.” he praised, allowing her to continue.

“Well, goodnight, sleep well.” she spoke, getting up and walking to the doorway.

“And you Sangah-ssi, goodnight.” he responded with a warm smile as she left the room, lightly closing the door behind her.

. . .

Chapter Text

. . .

The next morning, Dokja’s door slammed open with a bang. 

He slowly sat himself up in bed, visibly concerned as he swore to himself that he was sure he had locked the door before going to sleep.

Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, his vision landed upon Joonghyuk’s broad figure stood in the doorway.

“…?”

“Breakfast.” he stated, almost demanded, as his eyes briefly lingered on the man’s figure before abruptly turning on his heels and vanishing from view.

“…”

Good morning I guess?

Not even daring to waste more time than he already had by daydreaming, he changed out of his pyjamas before wandering through to the kitchen.

At the table, Dokja noticed Joonghyuk casually push the better portion of food towards him as he sat down; it was piled up slightly higher than his own, fixed with a pre-selected balanced variety of proteins, carbs and vegetables.

..?

Did he think he was sick or something?

Best not to bring it up, he’d rather keep trying to avoid that sunfish of a man.

At breakfast, the others chattered as usual, blending into a calming and familiar muffle of voices. However, almost shattering the homely atmosphere, Joonghyuk and Dokja hardly spoke; their silence drew side-glances from the team.

Yoo Joonghyuk was one thing, but now the lovingly sarcastic man who usually brought the life to the table?

Unheard of. Although they often prayed upon his silence, forcing him to stop self-sacrificing with that sickening smile of his, this time it was unprovoked- causing more worry than otherwise.

Outside, morning light glowed faintly gold against the fractured skyline, soft and unhurried- contrasting greatly against the tensed mood inside the premises. A mild breeze stirred the air, brushing away lingering dust and carrying the faint scent of sun-warmed stone.

Han Sooyoung accidentally exchanged an awkward glance with Yoo Sangah, who also seemed to notice their unsettling temperament. Though, atleast Sooyoung knew the reason behind his switch-up.

After everyone had cleared up their plates, the tension only seemed to rise; nobody had the guts to bring up the two silences present in the room.

“sigh..” Han Sooyoung exhaled, rolling her eyes as she caught up to and tugged at the sleeves of the two men who had been wordlessly heading to their rooms. Kim Dokja had been trudging along, dragging his feet, while Yoo Joonghyuk followed a meter behind at an unbothered pace.

Joonghyuk’s eyes dropped to her hand clutching his coat; his expression twisted with visible dislike before glancing toward her other hand gripping Dokja’s sleeve. Less than a moment later, he yanked himself free, mood darkening by the second.

Sooyoung bit back the urge to comment on where his gaze lingered, forcing a grin instead. She began, half-smiling half-daring them to refuse, “You two- morning card game with the rest of us. To.. lighten the mood..?”

“Ah.? Oh, sure..” Dokja responded, a geeky yet attention-stealing smile plastered onto his newly unobstructed face.

Yoo Joonkhyuk glanced at him from the side, before proceeding to follow him as he joined Han Sooyoung to a large, circular table with the rest of the team. Despite sitting near, Joonghyuk placed himself at the side, pulling out his sword to sharpen instead of participating.

The two children buzzed, fighting for their spot next to Kim Dokja at the wooden table; Yoo Sangah sent a light smile towards him in an attempt to lighten the mood, and he softly returned it.

No one objected, except the sunfish bastard of course. They rarely did when she took that tone.

The cards appeared from her coat pocket like they’d been waiting there all along, edges bent from overuse.

She sat cross-legged between Dokja and Heewon on a small beanbag, flicking the deck between her fingers in a steady rhythm.

“Better watch out Kim Dokja, you’re losing this time,” she added, with a grin sharp enough to pass for normalcy.

This sly bastard. For once, he wasn’t able to rely on his [Fourth Wall] to give him the brains he more often than not lacked. Of course she must’ve known.

He gave her a small smirk, cursing her silently.

Dokja proceeded to in halfheartedly, his expression focused but distant, like his mind was still elsewhere.

Across from him, Joonghyuk remained sat upright further back, sharpening his blade in a steady motion. His eyes followed Dokja’s hands rather than his sword or the game itself, though the team seemed to be oblivious to this.

When Dokja finally lost, the reaction was small- a twitch of his brow, a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

Sooyoung blinked, then leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand with a smirk. “Huh. Didn’t think I’d see that.”

He shrugged, pushing his cards into the pile. “Guess I’m off my game.”

“Somebody isn’t acting like his usual self today,” she responded, eyes curved into crescents as her face twisted into a sly expression.

Out of sight from the others, he shot her a glare.

It wasn’t a dramatic loss, but the moment lingered. The last time he’d been beaten was months ago, during the only round Joonghyuk had been forced into playing. This odd moment further attracted the attention of the members to his off behaviour.

Joonghyuk’s gaze flicked down to him again, unreadable as ever.

After a few more rounds, Kim Dokja didn’t manage to rebuild his win streak, and instead kept to sulking silently, staring down into his lap.

“We have another outing today.” Yoo Sangah began, attempting to disregard the now softened intensity in the air, “It’s not a scenario this time, but we need to gather some supplies from a nearby area.”

“Right, it’d be better if we all went again, considering the amount we’ll be able to gather if all of us contribute.” Heewon reprimanded, with Lee Hyunsung nodding along.

Hyunsung asked, “Is there anything in particular we need to bring..?”

“I think this rat over here needs to finally bring some brains and get rid of that new geeked self of his, before we all end up getting killed.” Han Sooyoung muttered on reflex; the edge of a grin tugged at her lips- more of a habit than mockery- as the group fell quiet.

Lee Jihye in particular began snickering at this comment, enjoying the usual insults thrown towards the ugly ahjussi.

A few glances drifted toward Kim Dokja, waiting for the usual quil to smooth the tension. Though, it never came.

She had expected an instant witty response, much like the others, and instead was greeted with silence as the man in question flinched in his place, peering back at the rest of them wide-eyed.

Something uncertain flickered across his face instead; his shoulders seemed to fold inward, expression tightening with embarrassment or perhaps worry at the mention of their lives being at stake.

Sooyoung’s grin faltered- her confidence wavering for a beat as she remembered the current state he was in.

“Oh.. right, I’m sorry if I’m being a burden. I didn’t mean..” Dokja nervously began, looking back down at his lap and stumbling on his words awkwardly.

“Ah- I didn’t mean it, I was, uh-“ Sooyoung frantically began, waving her hands infront of her in a gesture of peace; she’d better apologise before she was personally smacked to the top of that bastard’s mental hitlist.

From the other side of the table, Joonghyuk, shot her a killing glare, bringing her rant to a halt. She awkwardly peeked towards Dokja and rubbed the back of her neck.

“It’s okay, I understand.” Kim Dokja spoke, giving her a light smile that didn’t do much to quell her discomfort.

“Bastard,” she thought, “When’s he gonna stop being so damn gloomy like this and making everyone else concerned. ‘Don’t tell the others’ my ass- he’s practically writing it on his forehead that he’s having a fucking personality crisis right now.”

“U-uh anyway, so um..” Lee Hyunsung began again, face redding as he tried to steer the conversation away from Dokja’s mockery and unusually disturbing behaviour.

Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes finally tore themselves away from Han Sooyoung’s nervous expression, who had been clearly attempting to avoid the man’s chilling gaze; he looked back down at his sword and continued to sharpen its edge.

“Dokja-ssi, are you going to be coming with us today?” Sangah began politely, calming the tension emitted from a certain sunfish sat at the edge of the table.

“He’s not coming with us.” Joonghyuk abruptly commanded, breaking his typical mysterious chunni demeanour as he looked up from his blade.

“Why?” Sooyoung began, lifting her chin from off of her free hand. She furrowed her brows at the man, contemplating his sudden change in antics.

“Annoying.”

“…”

“We can’t just leave him here alone-“

“Why not?” he demanded.

“haha um..” she began, sending him a smile as a trail of sweat crept down her forehead.

“…”

“Right,” Heewon spoke, giving a questioning look to the two who were acting suspiciously adamant, “Dokja-ssi can decide for himself.”

Joonghyuk redirected his glare towards her instead.

“Ah.., I can come like usual, right?” he began, “Unless you’d rather-“

“Dokja, shut up.” Han sooyoung reprimanded.

“…”

A certain man in black pierced the side of her face once again with a threatening stare.

“Let’s go as a team, ahjussi!” Shin Yoosung called, breaking the silence as she smiled brightly- clearly unable to read the mood of some particular members.

She had set her cards down long ago, giving up on understanding the complex rule changes of the game.

“That’s not fair- ahjussi, come with me instead!” Lee Gilyoung defended, pushing Yoosung back with a palm to the face. He too had long since forfeited his turn.

“I said it first-! Ahjussi-“ she cried as she twisted his hand away from her, causing him to cry out before continuing to block her mouth.

“I knew ahjussi first, so that doesn’t matter-! Ahjussi- Mmph-!”

“What was that? Yeah, exactly.” she mocked, using her own hands to cut him off and swat his wrists away from her, “Ahjussi, you’ll come with me right?!”

“Ah- uh..”

“No need to fight, we can settle it later,” Sangah spoke, easing their tantrums with a smile.

After the last card clattered onto the table, Han Sooyoung stretched and yawned, glancing at the clock.

“We should probably get the day started,” she said, shoving the deck to the side.

“Agreed. Let’s get ready,” Lee Jihye nodded.

. . .

The group trudged through the abandoned streets, the morning warmth rising as they neared the goal area.

By the time they reached the outskirts, an out-of-place sharp breeze cut through their clothing, carrying hints of a winter’s frost. The sunlight from the morning seemed weaker here, swallowed by the looming grey clouds above.

Kim Dokja rubbed his arms as a shiver ran down his spine; Joonghyuk’s eyes narrowed and scanned the shadows, silent in a way that presented his usual wariness as he walked a short distance away from Dokja.

“Why is it getting colder..?” Jung Heewon began, treading confidentially through the excess rubble of the abandoned urban park. A few buildings of a small town could be seen above the trees in the distance.

“Ugh.. isn’t it supposed to be spring by now? Summer maybe?” Lee Jihye complained, brows furrowed as she trudged with her sword unsheathed by her side.

“Mhm, it’s weird.” Sangah spoke.

Joonghyuk’s eyes narrowed, a moment before a slight tremor rose up from beneath their feet.

A system notification then came up into view.

 

[Bounty Scenario: Shelter Protocol]

 

[A few constellations have requested a hidden scenario to increase danger levels.]

 

[Due to the rapid environmental decline, all participants are at risk of hypothermia and system failure.]

 

[Clear conditions: Survive until the completion of the primary objective. Find the hidden protective units for safety from the harsh conditions.]

 

[Time limit: 2 hours.]

 

[Reward: 2000 coins, ???]

 

[Penalty for failure: Hypothermia, potential death.]

 

“What the fuck?” Han Sooyoung muttered, annoyed by the sudden request for survival, “Are you s-shitting me..?! On a n-nice fucking day like this.!”

‘This didn’t happen in the novel, ..right?’ Kim Dokja thought, further wrapping his arms around his thin infinite coat in an attempt to capture his escaping heat. He felt the effects of the cold more than he had within the confines of his [Fourth Wall].

The temperature continued to plummet, giving rise to goosebumps on some of the member’s arms, Dokja included.

A tremor ran through the ground- not from impact, but from air itself tightening. The chill sank deeper, biting through fabric, through skin. The notification flickered at the edge of their vision, however their focus was distracted by their breath forming into harsh white clouds within the air, followed by coats of frost spidering out across the crisp grass as if it were a spreading infection of white.

“Ahjussi,” Shin Yoosung began, tugging at Kim Dokja’s sleeve, “t-there are monsters approaching us.”

“Ah, r-right, Yoosung. We should be prepared..” he responded, covering the soft tremble in his hands between the crooks of his elbows as he kept his arms crossed around himself.

Joonghyuk briefly glanced at him from the side, noticing how the smaller man again subconsciously edged closer whilst they continued onwards. Yet, once again, he turned a blind eye to it.

The first one appeared between the gradually strengthening gusts- a silhouette of a wolf-like creature, dragging itself through the snow, its joints cracking like ice splitting open. Its eyes caught the light in the distance, glowing a dull, hungry blue.

Disregarding team communication, Jung Heewon and Lee Jihye pounced forward, slashing their swords against the gradually approaching figures.

Steel clashed against frost-hardened hide; the impact sent shards of ice spinning through the air like glass.

A few minutes later, the crisp grass squashed beneath the weight of the selection of ice-like wolf carcusses crumbling upon it. They continued forward, pace quickening as the pale sky threatened a flurry of snow in their direction.

The atmosphere continued to rapidly drop in temperature, forming instant ice upon any sign of water. Kim Dokja’s eyes and delicate nose reddened with chill as he began to nudge towards Joonghyuk’s direction with every step. Lee Hyunsung and Yoo Sangah cradled the children by their sides, sharing their remaining body heat as a temporary relief.

“F-fuck..” Sooyoung groaned, shivering in her clothing, which was currently doing a pathetic job at securing her warmth, “Rat bastard, let me use your coat, y-yeah?”

“…” Joonghyuk shot a glare towards her figure.

“I’m just as f-freezing as you are r-right now..” Kim Dokja complained, equipped with a frown and red-flushed skin.

“I can’t fight properly like this- my fingers are too stiff and frozen,” Jung Heewon warned.

“Oh- something’s up ahead-!” Lee Jihye called from further ahead, disrupting their conversation.

“Ah? I can’t see clearly through the fog..” Sangah muttered.

“W-what the fuck!” Han Sooyoung cried out, stumbling forwards in an attempt to rebalance herself, “I’m telling you, my shoes just froze to the fucking ground.”

“What do you mean-?” Dokja questioned from a few meters away, before suddenly lunging forwards towards the ground.

The crisp sound similar to the formation of an icicle broke out, before Joonghyuk moved closer and steadied the man with a firm grip around his wrist.

Looking back towards the ground where he had stood, Kim Dokja explained, “Sooyoung-ah was right, the ground started freezing over my shoes..”

“Oh how I hate those fucking constellations.” she called back.

After securing his footing again, Yoo Joonghyuk casually let go of his hold and they continued walking onward without mentioning it.

. . .