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Eye catching.
That would be the word Kim Dokja would use to describe the man in front of him.
“I don’t think so, no.” He responds nonetheless, “I apologize.”
There’s a man in front of him, pale faced and black-haired. He has a sharp look, attractive than average, but incomparable to Yoo Joonghyuk, though that more or less applies to everyone. His eyes are black pools that eyed him emptily, a hint of red on it. It gave off an eerie feeling.
The man in front of him feels odd.
“Right.” The man responds, “That’s fine, thank you.”
He’s searching for a location, maybe an item, or a teammate Dokja guesses. No luck so far.
“A train beside a lake passing by a bridge… I think.” Even he himself wasn’t sure.
…sounds familiar, but Dokja shook his head.
The protagonist is silent beside him, eyeing the man in front of them intently.
Dokja expects Joonghyuk to be rudely silent. He did not expect Joonghyuk to offer temporary companionship.
…? His attributes window must’ve caught Joonghyuk’s attention.
But he can’t see it. The man’s stats are not visible to Dokja’s eyes.
A real person then.
All the more unpredictable.
He lets Joonghyuk lead the conversation nevertheless.
“I’m Kim Soleum.” The man– Soleum, speaks. Finally putting a name to his mysterious figure.
“It’s nice to meet you Kim Soleum-ssi.” Dokja nods, the other responds just as politely. Joonhyuk simply turns to where the other nebula members are, looking back at his shoulder as if waiting for the two of them to hurry.
If Joonghyuk is this relaxed, does that mean the man’s personality is put on their attributes window? Some people have personalities to the extreme that they’re put on their personal attributes. He must be either super kind or super strong, either way it made Joonghyuk wants Soleum to accompany them even for a little bit.
For what? Dokja is not sure. To use Soleum, for sure, but for what? It’s not like Joonghyuk lacks strength.
…or maybe he just likes to recruit useful people, he did try to recruit Gilyoung that one time.
[Some constellations are shocked at the unexpected development.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is staring with wide eyes.]
[The constellation ‘Roe Deer Employee’ is scared speechless.]
…huh?
[The constellation ‘Leader of Trial to Utopia’ shushes him.]
Are these the constellations that follow Soleum?
[The constellation ‘Half-faced Mermaid’ blinks at the new incarnations.]
[The constellation ‘Black Cat Mystery’ urges everyone to shut their mouths.]
“Stop arguing.” Soleum whispers.
Unexpectedly, they did.
Dokja blinks dumbly, keeping his eyes off Soleum even when that man is the reason for his confusion.
He never had a constellation tied to an incarnation this much before. He never even tried to argue against his most loyal constellations. Ask favours, sure, but not lead.
“It’s okay Roe Deer.” Soleum continues, “It’s fine.”
Joonghyuk is eyeing the man from the corner of his eyes. Soleum kept his gaze locked to the ground. He’s wearing a suit, Dokja realizes. Why?
[The constellation ‘Roe Deer Employee’ tries to control his breathing.]
[The constellation ‘Half-faced Mermaid’ appreciates the new incarnations’ faces.]
“?!” Soleum flinches, “Did you have to say that?”
[The constellation ‘Black Cat Mystery’ smiles.]
Soleum sighs, pressing his thumb against his temple, “I’m sorry… they’re a bit chatty.”
‘Isn’t that all constellations?’ Dokja does not say, “It’s alright, I appreciate it.”
Soleum’s stoic face broke into a small smile, “Hm, well, he’s soft to cute faces, yes. He likes kids.”
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ smacks a hand on her mouth to muffle a chortle.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ did not mean to send that.]
[The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is confused.]
‘Me and you both.’ Dokja walks faster.
And so, Soleum temporarily joins them in search of a location he wasn’t sure of himself. The story starts from here.
.
.
.
[The constellation 'Monstrous Grape’ peeks into the channel discreetly.]
[The constellation ‘Leader of Trial to Utopia’ raises an amused eyebrow.]
[The constellation ‘Roe Deer Employee’ blankly stares.]
“Hello Agent.” Soleum whispers, wiping blood off his dagger with a grimace, “Busy?”
[The constellation 'Monstrous Grape’ nods sadly.]
[The constellation 'Monstrous Grape’ is complaining about his caring but overbearing seniors.]
“Seniors? Agent have seniors?”
Soleum flinches, nearly slicing his own finger when one Lee Jihye pushes her head against his shoulder.
“J– Jihye-ssi.” He presses a hand over his heart, “Please don’t do that.”
[The constellation ‘Half-faced Mermaid’ smiles softly.]
“Hello Mermaid sir!” Jihye salutes to the sky.
[The constellation ‘Half-faced Mermaid’ waves back.]
[The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ smiles at the exchange.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ cooed at the interaction.]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ rolls his eyes.]
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ shushes him angrily.]
“Anyway! I’m kind of curious, Soleum-oppa.”
It must be because Soleum is a young adult that she’s sticking close. With other adults over their mid-twenties, Soleum who’s in his early-twenties must feel the closest to Jihye’s age.
“Yes?”
“Are your band of constellations always there from the start or?” Jihye points at the messages, “They’re very clingy.”
[The constellation ‘Black Cat Mystery’ stared blankly with slit eyes.]
[The constellation 'Monstrous Grape’ winces in embarrassment.]
“Hmm, yes.” Soleum continues wiping his dagger, letting Jihye push her back against his side, “From the first scenario, they’ve been watching.”
“Then, are any of them your sponsor?” Jihye couldn’t figure it out, with all of them acting like his most loyal watcher, it could be any of them.
“No.” Soleum seathes it back to the strap on his thigh. His fingers settle over his tie and straighten it. The company never asked why he wore a suit in an apocalypse, even when their eyes spoke of their skepticality, “I don’t have a sponsor.”
“Huh.” Jihye responds, “Like the squid ahjussi.”
“Yeah.” Soleum stifles a smile, “Like the squid ahjussi.”
[The constellation ‘Half-faced Mermaid’ frowns at the nickname towards the incarnation ‘Kim Dokja’.]
“A face only Mermaid could love.” Jihye sighs, “Mermaid is too affectionate.”
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ snorts.]
Then, she presses for a spar both knew she would win, and Soleum withholds a sigh as she tugged at his wrist.
.
.
.
“We could avoid conflict.” Dokja presess, “I know you can win, but it’s just a waste of energy, no?”
Joonghyuk stubbornly glares at the group of people in front of them.
Dokja sighs. A hand came up to his shoulder, belonging to Soleum when he turned to see.
“I could try to convince them.”
The company collectively paused.
Soleum is… Soleum is reckless.
He’s kind of like Dokja, and no one likes that one bit.
Try as they might, with time, he wormed his way into their hearts anyway.
Unpredictable, dangerous. Nobody expects him to cut his own arm off that one time, nor the time he turns to look at them for half his face to be replaced with… with…
Shin Yoosung shudders at the memory.
[The constellation ‘Leader of Trial to Utopia’ raises both his brows.]
“Something from him?” Dokja guesses.
“Yes.”
All of Soleum’s loyal constellation spoils him rotten despite not being his sponsor.
Whipped, Jihye thinks.
Dokja’s mostly in disbelief because what even did Soleum do?
“Clueless people are stuck in a situation where escape is impossible, where killing doesn’t do anything, and time seems to repeat.” Soleum puts his chin on his finger, “Matching, yes.”
“...a fable?” Dokja furrowed his brows. What kind of scenario made Soleum experience the very same thing?
He knew that, despite reading TWSA he won’t exactly know everything. Like the real people in his nebula, or Kim Soleum.
This scenario isn’t something he knows of either because it’s not a main scenario. Soleum, on the erie times where he seems to act a bit too much like Dokja, as in knowing stuff people normally don’t, takes the lead this time.
A story.
A story being used here meant that Soleum experiences this one specific setting for the second time.
Really? People trapped with no way of escape with time repeating? How much can people say they’ve experienced that?
Joonghyuk eyed Soleum impatiently, seemingly half agitated by the situation but also curious what their newest member will do.
Trial of Utopia is what the story is called.
[The constellation ‘Leader of Trial to Utopia’ stiffles his smile at the nostalgia.]
[The constellation ‘Leader of Trial to Utopia’ remembers that time when he watched the incarnation ‘Kim Soleum’ fool the entire train.]
Fooled?
“Everyone.” Soleum, in an unusually confident voice, strides to the panicked mass of people. His hands are spread wide, “Be calm, for I will help you.”
“No way.” Han Sooyoung cortles.