Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

To Kim Dokja, the concept of soulmates was no different from that one tag in an otherwise good fanfiction whose sole purpose in the story was to complicate the plot in the worst way possible.

It was a phenomenon that could not be explained by science. For sometime of the day, marks that appeared on your soulmate’s body, showed up on yours. The younger you were, the longer this connection window lasted. As you got older, the time the marks showed on your skin decreased till one day they stopped appearing.

His mother had explained it to him once when he was ten years old.

"Soulmates are two halves of one soul" she’d said. "They were tied together by the universe. The connection was the universe giving them a chance to find each other."

“What if they don’t like each other?” he’d asked his mother.

“They usually do.” she’d said. “But just because you find each other, doesn’t mean you have to be with each other. Soulmates are just the person who suits you the most in this universe. As long as you don’t fall in love, your soulmate is no different from family related by blood.”

“What if they fall in love?”

“If they both love each other, their souls are tied together. The marks last a whole day. They belong to each other. If not, the person who fell in love dies. Their soul dies yearning to be whole again.”

“I don’t want to meet my soulmate then.”

“Its not scary. It takes a lot for the bond to form. Many people live their life without experiencing it at all.”

When Kim Dokja still looked unconvinced, she’d added, “Even if it did happen, I think it’ll end well. After all, you are very lovable. My sweet son.”

That day Kim Dokja had giggled while his mom pinched his cheeks and smiled at him adoringly.

While 10-year-old Kim Dokja may have believed her that day, 13-year-old Kim Dokja knew better. 13-year-old Kim Dokja witnessed his mom get arrested for killing his abusive, alcoholic father.

14-year-old Kim Dokja resigned to never being able to see his mother on the right side of the bars for a long time. He was okay with having to hold his head down at school, okay with being called names and being pushed into lockers. He was still okay somehow.

But 15-year-old Kim Dokja was taught that life could get worse by a book his own mother published. A book detailing the night that ruined his life.

15-year-old Kim Dokja was not as strong as his younger self.

The bullying at school grew worse. His aunt seemed to care more about his ruined clothes than the bruises on his face. His cousins made sure he never got a break at home.

15-year-old Kim Dokja was weak and there was nothing he could do about it.

The first mark Kim Dokja got from his soulmate was a deep cut on his knuckle. It didn’t hurt, but it made his mom fuss over him till she realized what it really was. Then they’d both spent the rest of their day worrying about his soulmate. His mother had convinced him to write them a message.

It was a simple ‘Are you okay’

Immediately, another cut appeared on the tip of his left thumb. Dokja wrote another message just below the previous one.

‘What is that??’

They never got a reply.

Instead, his mother had a bruise on her right cheekbone when she tried to protect him from his father. Kim Dokja got off unscathed. He rubbed the ink off to try and calm his father down but to no avail. He learnt to hide his marks from then on.

The next day, as he was returning home from school, he saw the first words his soulmate had written for him.

‘The carrots were too hard.’

His mother had laughed at that. She told him their 13^th birthday must have passed recently. They might have been shocked by the message and the connection must have closed before they could write him a reply.

He’d whined to her about them not writing to him on their 13^th birthday like he tried to. His mother tapped the words on his arm.

‘That’s not what’s important, is it? You’re the same age as them, Dokja.’, she smiled.

He wanted to learn more about them.

Kim Dokja’s father was a bitter man. He hated the sight of words or even wounds on Dokja’s body from his soulmate. His mother told him it was because his father’s soulmate had died many years ago. Dokja thought it was because his father hated his mother’s soulmate. Whatever it was, the hatred extended to Dokja and his soulmate.

The connection opened during dinner one night. Kim Dokja watched as the words etched themselves on his left arm.

‘What is your name?’

Dokja’s soulmate never wrote much. They’d never even exchanged names. Dokja had asked them their birthday and then scolded them for not writing sooner. His soulmate never apologized for that. He didn’t know what made his soulmate write to him that night, but they had bad timing.

His father had taken one look at his arm and thrown a glass at his head.

The night ended with a bandaged forehead and a cut right over his wound. His father had warned him off exchanging words with his soulmate if he wanted them to be safe. His soulmate had written him more messages.

‘what happened to your forehead?’

‘what happened?’

Under his father’s stern eyes, he’d written back, ‘Don’t talk to me ever again’. Later that night, he saw a few more messages.

‘???’

‘What did I do?’

‘??’

‘Fine’

He cried himself to sleep.

Almost a month after his father’s death, Kim Dokja saw words on his arm. He’d almost forgotten about his soulmate. He didn’t think he’d see words on his arm again.

Scrawled just below a fresh bruise on his arm was a simple sentence.

‘Stop getting hit.’

Kim Dokja felt warm at the thought of his soulmate worrying about him. He still had somebody. He was not alone. He scrambled off his bed to find something to write back with. He uncapped the pen just in time to find another message being etched on his skin.

‘It almost got me into trouble with my tutor.’

Dokja lowered his pen, his lower lip trembled a little. Of course. He didn’t want them to get into trouble too. He lifted his pen onto his arm.

‘Sorry.’

The messages came more frequently. But they only pissed Dokja off. He’d always thought soulmates were supposed to be nice to each other. If they were two halves of the same soul, then they shouldn’t be mean to him.

Kim Dokja’s soulmate was a blunt jerk.

The messages they wrote him seemed mocking. ‘Are you being bullied?’, ‘Just fight back.’, ‘how can you be so weak?’, ‘Tell your parents or something.’, ‘The bruises are annoying’.

Dokja never responded to any of them. If his soulmate couldn’t help him or be nice to him, then they should just shut up. But sometimes, only sometimes, his soulmate was tolerable.

‘Tomato soup or Mushroom?’

-‘Mushroom. Tomatoes suck.’

‘Only kids are picky about vegetables.’

His soulmate never played it nice for more than a message at a time though. It was like it physically pained them to tell Dokja nice things.

When he told his mother about this during one of his visits, she’d asked him to write them something nice first. He stopped complaining about them after that.

It turned out there was a reason people asked for names in their very first conversation. The longer you knew someone, the harder it was to ask for their name.

Kim Dokja had been talking to his soulmate for more than a year now.

He knew his soulmate was a boy from what he’d been told about girls on Valentine’s Day. He must be good-looking if he got confessed to often. His soulmate hated language classes but was good at math. His soulmate never cared much for birthdays because his parents were never around. Kim Dokja could relate to that.

His soulmate cooked almost all his meals (He let Dokja pick dinner sometimes). He loved playing games. He was trying to find a part time job to buy more games. He didn't know a lot about him yet but he knew more about his soulmate than his soulmate knew about him. That he knew for sure.

But Dokja still didn’t know his name.

Kim Dokja had fantasized about meeting his soulmate quite often.

In those dreams, they would play games together. Dokja would lose and his soulmate would make fun of him. But occasionally he would win and his soulmate would throw a fit over it. Sometimes, it involved him being invited over for dinner. They would fight over what to make, Dokja’s non-existent cooking skills, and who would do the dishes.

Dokja had thought of it enough.

But all those times, Dokja had never considered his soulmate not wanting to meet him. He’d never thought of the possibility that his soulmate would find him embarrassing or troublesome.

Not until the release of The Book.

He'd tried not to let it get to him. The number of wounds on his body increased drastically. They stopped being in places hidden under his clothes. He went home with bruises on his face, his arms, anywhere they could reach. Nobody asked him about it, Nobody cared.

His soulmate would ask sometimes, similar to the way he used to asked before. Dokja never responded to them, so he’d stopped asking. That was till,

‘I got fired from my part time job. Stop getting into fights. Stop getting hit. I need the money.’

Kim Dokja froze.

He’d hoped the bruises wouldn’t affect his soulmate, but that was an afterthought at most. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be a burden. He wanted to be able to make it stop, if not for himself, at least for his soulmate’s sake. But all he could do was apologize.  

His time at school got worse. At home, the reporters’ pestering drove his aunt and her family to the edge. Kim Dokja woke up each morning hoping he didn’t. He still visited his mother in the prison, if only to cry and shout at her.

Somehow, despite what he’d expected, his soulmate didn’t stop talking to him. He had tried asking about what’s happening to him once but Dokja never answered. So he stopped asking. His soulmate didn’t mention the bruises. Instead, they continued to talk about dinners and games among other things that didn’t matter.

Kim Dokja thought he could live like that. Even if everything went to shit, the world he pieced together from what he knew about his soulmate would be enough for him.

The topic of part time jobs came up again, but this time his soulmate didn’t blame him for it. Instead he told him

‘I’m going to start streaming games.’

-‘why?’

‘I can’t find a good part time job.’ and then right below it, ‘My friend forced me to do this’.

Kim Dokja knew nothing about game streaming.

-‘best of luck’

‘pick a name.’

-‘what’

‘I have to stream because of you. so pick an id for me.’

Kim Dokja thought it was a lot to ask of him. Weren’t usernames a big thing? If Dokja was a streamer, he’d pick a name carefully.  But maybe his soulmate didn’t care. Maybe he was just being chatty.

-‘sunfish152’

‘no.’

Dokja was expecting that, but he wrote the 'no' before Dokja could finish writing the name. He laughed a little.

‘why’

-‘Haven’t you played survival mola mola?’

‘its easy and boring’

-Exactly why I like it

‘you should play better games.’

-‘I only have a mobile’

‘You should watch my stream. Search yjh on Starstream’

-‘I will when you’re famous’

‘8 pm’ tonight.

-‘Don’t be disappointed if I’m not there. I warned you’

His soulmate didn’t reply.

It was 30 minutes past 9. Kim Dokja didn’t join the stream. He didn’t know if his soulmate was disappointed. He didn’t say anything. Dokja didn’t ask.

He could have joined the stream. He didn’t have anything better to do. But he didn’t want to.

It would become too real.

He was too scared to put a name or voice to the person in his dreams. Or worse, a face. It would become way too real and reality was never good. He didn’t want the world he made in his head with his soulmate to be tainted.

And he was right.

Reality was never good because three days later, Kim Dokja jumped out of a window on the second floor of his school.

He didn’t die.

He woke up in the hospital a week later, body aching all over. When he gathered enough energy to lift his hand up, he saw his arms covered in writing. The words disappeared under the left sleeve of the robe and the cast on his right arm. The words on his left arm looked like they were traced over many times.

‘what was that?’

‘hey’

‘what did you do’

‘I feel weird’

‘where are you?’

‘what did you do’

‘reply to me’

‘where are you?’

‘I should have asked where you live before’

‘did they hit you?’

‘I can teach you have to fight’

‘please reply to me’

‘????’

The old traces looked faded and smudged. Dokja’s face scrunched up at the thought of his soulmate not bathing for the week he was asleep. But then he felt himself tear up. He dropped his arm over his eye.

The nursing found him tracing him over the words on his arm, his eyes moist. She told him he had writings all over his body when he was brought in. They had a hard time identifying the smaller wounds because of that.

She told him he must have worried his soulmate a lot and left him a pen to write back. Kim Dokja never did. Instead he traced the lines with his finger over and over again. The words on his right arm, those he could see above the cast, were almost illegible. His soulmate was right handed.

There were new writings on his left wrist.

‘I looked it up online’

‘they say it only happens when your soulmate dies. Tell me its not true’

‘tell me you’re alive’

‘please’

Kim Dokja’s heart hurt. How could he tell him he was alive when he couldn’t promise to be the very next day? He wrote an ‘I’m Sorry’ under that message with his fingertip.

It was better for him to think Kim Dokja died. It would end up true anyway.

His aunt visited him two days after he woke up. She told him if he were to jump anyway, he should have gone to a higher floor. She didn’t seem happy he woke up. She told him she had to deal with the authorities, the press and the bills. She told him that the money for the bill came from his inheritance.

He didn’t care about any of it.

His cousins never visited. None of his classmates did. The nurse left him a flower on his third day. She looked a little hopeful when he thanked her.

He wondered what he looked like to her.

A 15 year old boy with a broken arm, leg, and head, who stared at the window all day long with no friends and family visiting him. Did she know who he was? Did she read the book too? Did she tell the reporters? Were there pictures of his injured body?

He hoped there was and he hoped his mother saw them. He hoped they never told her he survived, he hoped she carried it for the rest of her life.

He stared and stared at the window. He was on the fourth floor. The window was a small distance away. He only needed to recover enough to be able to stand. Then he could drag himself there.

Everyday his soulmate wrote to him. On the third day after he woke up, the connection opened to new marks on his body. He seemed to have switched tactics.

His soulmate now told him about his life.

‘I couldn’t not bath any longer. My classmates were looking at me weird’

‘Someone asked about the marks. I almost punched him.’

‘I tried making dumplings. It didn’t turn out well.’

‘I streamed Survival Mola Mola. I got my first comment that stream’

‘They told me to delete my account. It’s your fault’

‘I hit 30 watchers yesterday’

‘Are you one of them?’

Kim Dokja froze at that. He wasn’t one of them, but he could be. If he wasn’t gonna live longer, why did it matter if his dreams had a face to them?

But he was hesitant. It felt weird, illegal almost. It would be a point of no return. It haunted him every minute of the day.

He was released a week after a woke up. At home, his cousins avoided him like the plague. His aunt and uncle never spoke a word more than what was required. He was to go to school after his arm and leg healed. His teacher would bring in the study materials so that he doesn’t miss anything.

The window of his room was right next to his bed. But this was just a floor high. Maybe he would get lucky. Maybe he should wait till he goes back to school.

The night after he was released from the hospital, desperate to think of anything other than how he’ll soon be on the 4^th floor of his school and how he definitely won’t survive this time, Kim Dokja gave in.

He downloaded Starstream on his phone. He was glad it was in his bag and not on him that day. The naming was a bit of a problem. He couldn’t come up with anything meaningful.

He decided on Guwon, a character from one of the novels his mother used to read him. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony.

Salvation.

It couldn’t be more unlike him. His soulmate couldn’t find him even if he wanted to.

He typed in yjh and waited nervously for it to load. The profile picture was of a game character. It was 8 pm. The small circle on the feed indicated that he was live. Dokja clicked on the stream and held his breath in anticipation.

When the stream loaded, Kim Dokja forgot how to breathe.

His soulmate was handsome. The prettiest man he’d ever seen. He had broad shoulders, dark eyes and perfect hair that curled up slightly at the ends. He was wearing a hoodie and gloves. Maybe to hide the marks matching those on Dokja’s arm.

yjh was also wearing a black mask. It only added to his beauty.

Kim Dokja had no doubt he looked even better under the mask. That only pissed him off. If this was the man the universe thought Kim Dokja could fall in love with, then he was set up. It was a face that very few could resist and Dokja was afraid he was not one of them.

The face that was newly added to the boy in his dreams reminded him he was yet to hear a voice. Dokja, who didn’t know much about streaming, thought streamers were expected to talk their viewers through the game.

What was his soulmate doing?

The stream was as quiet as it could be, with only the sounds of his mouse and keyboard. An occasional comment popped up asking him to speak but his eyes never strayed from the screen. It was like he forgot he was supposed to be streaming.

Dokja switched tabs to another streamer just to check and sure enough, the streamer was talking them through the game. Dokja switched back to yjh’s stream.

He could comment and ask him to speak. He didn’t doubt it’ll get ignored just like the others. So he waited and continued watching. He watched the view count go up and down.

He didn’t know the game yjh was playing but he noted it down to search it up later. He wondered what yjh meant. Was it random? Knowing him, it might be his name. Dokja really wanted to know.

Almost an hour through the stream, yjh flinched. His eyes zoomed in on the chat, squinting a little. Dokja smiled, covering his mouth.

He must have just realized he was streaming.

“Oh.”

Dokja’s smile froze on his face. Oh. It was just a sound. But Dokja just knew.

“I’m not used to this. I’ll do better tomorrow. Thank you.”

A few messages popped up in the chat telling him its alright and that he played well. A viewer who must have watched his previous streams told him that they thought he’d do that the next day too. They didn’t seem angry. One told him he looked good enough to not speak at all.

Kim Dokja agreed. That voice was dangerous.

The day after, Dokja spent the day watching videos on the game. The evening was spent trying to figure out how Starstream worked. There were enough options on the app to make Dokja feel like an old man who was told to use a MacBook.

He figured out a few things seeing tutorials and articles. As a viewer, you could follow different streamers. There were two types of followers, regular viewer and constellations. The constellations were those viewers who paid the membership fee, they had access to special events and content hosted by the streamer. Their chat messages showed up highlighted in a different colour, making them easier to spot for the streamer.

There was also the coins. You could either pay money to purchase coins in bulk or watch ads that give unfairly few coins each. With the coins, you could superchat the streamer. Superchats popped up on the streamer’s screen making them impossible to miss. You could also buy gifts for the streamer or donate money.

He figured that was all the functionality he’d need. He wasn’t planning to watch any streams other than yjh's after all.

He spent the hour before the start of the stream watching ads and collecting coins. The member fee was too expensive for him right now. But coins he could do, even if watching that many ads tested his patience.

yjh started the stream at 8 pm sharp. Kim Dokja was his only viewer at 8 pm.

yjh was dressed similar to the day before. He nodded a hello and started his game. Dokja’s eye twitched.

Like that one viewer commented last stream, yjh was too engrossed in the game to speak. Kim Dokja waited for a few minutes. He hoped that as the view count increased, yjh would speak up. But he didn’t.

The count hit 50. He was sure it was yjh’s face had nothing to do with it.

The chat began talking among themselves. Someone started a bet on how long it’ll take him to start speaking if he ever will. The longest was three months.

yjh might have lucked out with the chat but Dokja knew it was not good for business to run a stream like this. Of course, it had nothing to do with yjh’s voice and how much he liked it. He was just helping his soulmate out.

Dokja decided to take part in the bet. He typed out a ‘today’ in the chatbox. He smiled as a few others tried to talk him down.

He clicked on the superchat. He was using his hard-earned coins to help him out, yjh better be grateful.

‘You said you would try harder today’

And sent. yjh paused for a second to read the superchat. His character on screen died. Kim Dokja smiled seeing yjh frown.

“What should I say?” he said after a pause.

The chat told him he was cheating but they didn’t set rules. There was nothing at stake anyways. yjh skimmed through the chat. His frown deepened, maybe because of the bet.

‘What is your name?’

Kim Dokja knew that was a bit too nosey of him. He’d accepted it if yjh refused to say.

“Yoo Joonghyuk.”

Oh. It was a nice name. It suited him. The chat seemed to think so too.

Yoo Joonghyuk eyed the chat for a little longer, waiting for another question to pop up. The chat seemed to pick up on that, but his question set the precedent. It was all a bunch of nosey questions.

Yoo Joonghyuk lived in Seoul. He was still in high school. He was 179cm tall. Kim Dokja thought that was enough for today. He sent another superchat,

‘Have you played this game before?’

Yoo Joonghyuk nodded, “It’s my second run.”

‘Then just narrate what you’re doing, some tricks or lore. Or what happened your first run.’

Joonghyuk looked like he hated the thought of having to talking but he gave in.

It was an awkward attempt. He sounded stiff. He had trouble reading the chat while playing. He zoned the chat out again a while later. Dokja used his coins again. He was running down his reserves faster than he’d have liked to.

The streams that came after that followed the same theme, except he got a little better with each one. Kim Dokja joined the stream everyday right from the beginning. He collected coins throughout the day and spent them all at night. But as the view count grew, he found himself having to superchat less frequently than he did at first. There were others willing to spend coins.

Kim Dokja‘s arm and leg healed. He went back to school. He had more eyes on him. The whispers of his classmates persisted except now they die down whenever he got close. Nobody bothered him anymore. The teachers kept an eye on him but never approached him. Coming back to school was better than what he’d imagined.

The streams became a staple in his life. The other chat regulars started greeting him when he joined in.

Yoo Joonghyuk became Dokja’s reason to live.

One more day, one more stream till one day Dokja realized it had been days since he stared down the windows at school, days since he went to bed hoping he wouldn’t wake up.

Yoo Joonghyuk still wrote on his arm, except now he seemed to have accepted his death. The words on his arm felt like a diary, like they were written for himself. The writing was limited to his left arm.

But he still wrote, he still wore full sleeves on streams, the marks still appeared on Dokja.

Sometimes Dokja thought Yoo Joonghyuk must be the Salvation Dokja’s id referred to. He wondered if he would ever know how much he meant to Dokja and all that he did for him. He hoped he would never, because that would mean he would know Dokja was alive and let him think his soulmate was dead on purpose.

If not to the world, Dokja hoped he remained dead to Yoo Joonghyuk at the least.

Time passed by.

Dokja went from a depressed high schooler to a tired college student and now a corporate slave.  He’d stopped visiting his mom in prison.

The last he’d seen her was when his aunt drove him there right after his high school graduation. She looked shaken up, worried almost, but Dokja knew better. The guilt and concern on her face calmed his anger down enough for him to say nothing about it.

Instead, he gave her another chance. He asked her about the book once more.

She stayed silent.

He then told her about Yoo Joonghyuk. He told her he’d be going to college on scholarship far from home. He told her that was the last time he’d be seeing her.

His mother said nothing the entire time. She kept her eyes cast on the floor. As he got up to leave, all she told him was that she would pay for his tuition and wished him well. That was the last he’d seen her. He was 18 years old.

He moved out of his aunt’s house to a dorm, shared with two other guys. He accepted the money his mother sent him for tuition. His aunt said it was the royalties of The Book. He thought it was the least she could do.

He worked two part time jobs to pay for food and rent. He kept to himself. After graduation, he served in the military.

24-year-old Kim Dokja worked at a small startup company. The pay wasn’t great but he got to leave work at 6pm, which meant he had time to join the streams.

Despite all that changed in his life, the streams remained a constant.

Yoo Joonghyuk’s channel had grown immensely.

Back when they were still in high school, someone had posted a clip of the stream on Twitter. It went viral. The views poured in, the count increased exponentially. Yoo Joonghyuk decided to compete professionally. He reduced the number of streams to 4 days a week.

Dokja didn’t know that having a chuuni id was a requirement for pro gamers till Joonghyuk changed his channel name from yjh to SupremeKing.

He’d made fun of him for it for three whole days till he threatened to ban him from his streams. The threat worked for Dokja too, teasing him meant using up coins for superchat. Dokja could only watch so many ads a day before he hit his limits.

Yoo Joonghyuk now had mods on his channel. The first time the mod appeared, Kim Dokja had teared up with pride. Joonghyuk could now entertain his viewers fairly well. He was still awkward at times, and didn’t speak as much as the others but it was nothing his looks wouldn’t make up for.

Now 9 years later, Yoo Joonghyuk still wrote on his arm. It was not as often as he used to. Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to use his arm as a to-do list or a diary depending on his day. Dokja didn’t know how to feel about it.

A part of him thought it was stupid for him to still write on his arm when as far as he knew, his soulmate was dead. But the bigger part of him was glad that even if it was just an old habit that was hard to kill, Yoo Joonghyuk never stopped.  And as long as Joonghyuk didn’t stop, Kim Dokja had a reason to live.

At this point of time, Dokja thought that even if Yoo Joonghyuk stopped writing, he’d still mean something to him. Joonghyuk might not know who he is, but Yoo Joonghyuk seemed to remember Guwon.  

While Dokja was not Yoo Joonghyuk’s first viewer (he could have been, but he wasn’t), he was someone Yoo Joonghyuk remembered.

Dokja knew Joonghyuk was familiar with his id, but he’d expected it to be nothing more than the familiarity a streamer would have with one of their oldest viewers. Sure Joonghyuk had asked him if he’d be open to being a mod for his channel, which he had to turn down due to wanting to have as few strings to cut as possible if he ever wanted to run. But he was one of his oldest streamers, it was to be expected.

What was not expected however was his reaction when he went to serve his military notice.

He had joined the stream on a day off and sent a superchat greeting Joonghyuk and the rest as he always did . Joonghyuk, paused the game mid-fight.

“Guwon. Where were you?” he asked with a frown.

The chat went crazy. It wasn’t his real name but hearing his id in Yoo Joonghyuk’s voice was life changing. He clipped the segment just so he could play it later.

guwon: Military service. I’m on leave rn.

Yoo Joonghyuk’s face shifted through many emotions till it settled on his normal blank expression.

“Okay.” He then resumed playing like he'd never paused it.

But that interaction never left Dokja’s head. He was important enough to be remembered, even if he was just a viewer and not his soulmate.

Since then, Dokja had taken to teasing Joonghyuk about his absence. Anytime he could catch the stream, he’d make sure to ask Joonghyuk if he’d missed him. It was usually met with threats of being banned though he knew now that Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn’t do that to him.

Towards the end of his military service, he had set up a countdown in Yoo Joonghyuk’s discord server. Joonghyuk never acknowledged it but Dokja thought he knew because of the marking on his hand. He wasn’t cute enough to do a countdown but the stream schedule that he’d written on his arm had one scheduled on the day of his release despite having no reason to stream that day.

It was a nice feeling, knowing that atleast someone other than his landlady and employer noticed his absence.

Kim Dokja was 25 when his life began to change irreversibly again.

Unlike when he was 13, this time it crept up on him slowly. Slow enough that he didn’t notice until it was too late.

It started small.

Kim Dokja did not have friends. He barely had acquaintances, friends were almost unthinkable. So when Kim Dokja made his first friend at the age of 25, it was shocking to say the least. He learnt there are many was to make friends and annoying people into friendship was also a thing.

It started in Yoo Joonghyuk’s stream chat. Kim Dokja was 26 when he came across a fanfic that altered his brain chemistry.

The Ways of Survival was the longest Yoo Jonghyuk-centric fanfiction to have ever existed with nearly 3k chapters written across a span of years. It started around the time of Yoo Joonghyuk’s first stream and ended 10 years later when Kim Dokja was 25.

It was not a popular fanfic by any means.

It barely had any readers beyond the 100^th chapter. Kim Dokja stumbled across a link to the fic in the stream chat almost year after it had started.  It had 41 chapters then. But the author churned out chapters at such great speed, Dokja knew they were either unemployed or a student. He thought it’s the former but it could very well be both.

The plot of TWOS, while intriguing at first, was incredibly frustrating.

TWOS Joonghyuk was a man stuck in an dystopian world. He went through regression after regression, 1864 times, to reach the end of the apocalypse. The characterization of Yoo Joonghyuk was almost accurate. The Yoo Joonghyuk who wrote on his arms for years, who kept streaming day after day to earn money, who took care of his little sister who showed up at his door with a note after his parents abandoned them. They were similarly stubborn and hardworking.

TWOS also included characters from Yoo Joonghyuk’s life. Reading the latest update only to find the new character who was someone who Yoo Joonghyuk was acquainted to around the time of its release was an interesting experience.

TWOS was frustrating, repetitive and mind numbingly painful to read. It also meant everything to Kim Dokja. He’d followed it religiously for years. Its update was almost as important to him as Joonghyuk’s stream. It is his third reason to live.

When it ended, Kim Dokja had grieved like a man who'd lost his children in a custody battle. He almost went through with rereading it before he realized even he couldn’t subject himself to that. He wasn't that desperate yet. He decided to just carry the pain in his heart of the rest of his life.

That was till he came across a newly released web novel.

SSSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor by Black Flame Empress was, to put it mildly, the most shameless form of plagiarism Kim Dokja had ever seen in his life.

It was so similar to TWOS that if they were people instead of stories, they’d be, not twins, but the same person.

The main character of SSSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor was named Yoo Joohyun. He was a regressor who regressed 1684 times. His nickname was the Absolute King. The story started in a train. His sword was called Splitting the Sky Sword. And this was just a few similarities in the long list of similarities Kim Dokja had noticed.

Dokja had no idea how the fans of the web novel could defend it. Dokja personally had enough. He’d taken one look at the thievery and set out for war.

Every time a new chapter released, Dokja commented a breakdown of stolen plot points in that chapter. After the 69^th chapter breakdown, he woke up to a DM from the author.

BFE: dude stop it already
me: no
BFE: do you have nothing better to do?
me: no

As time went on, Kim Dokja learnt to expect DMs from the author the way the fans of the series came to expect a plagiarism check from Dokja. After many many breakdowns and even more arguments in the DMs, the author asked Kim Dokja to be her beta reader. Dokja agreed if only to keep her in check.

He hadn’t expected to start caring for someone as immoral as her.

He learnt that her name was Han Sooyoung. She worked at a publishing company as an editor and as a hobby wrote her own web novel. Even though her work was a blatant rip off, Dokja knew that Han Sooyoung loved her work. And maybe because it was a rip off of his favorite fic, her TWOS Walmart edition didn’t seem that bad anymore.

The woman was a little twisted in the head, there was not a single polite bone in her body. But somehow, she had charmed her way into the very small list of people Kim Dokja cared about. Proof-reading her novel also became another staple in his life.

She was his 4^th reason to live.

Yoo Joonghyuk’s stream chat was nothing like the streamer himself. The chat was lively and fun and that made it obvious that they were here for the good stuff, Yoo Joonghyuk’s face.

There was nothing wrong was that of course. As a fellow YJH face stan, it was an acceptable reason to join a stream. But Kim Dokja was especially fond of the chat. With the huge number of viewers, it was difficult to read the chat of course, but sometimes at the start or at the end of the stream when things slow down, it was cozy and comforting.

Like what he imagined an old gc full of high school friends he hadn’t spoken to in years to feel like. Maybe he was just projecting. But Dokja loved watching the stream replays just to read the chat.

As a regular viewer of 10 years, there were quite a few names that Dokja remembered.

warfarxgod and deluxiondemon. They were two viewers who called Yoo Joonghyuk Captain. So either he was their mentor, or it was just some children’s roleplay, he was not sure. But they knew each other in real life.

Then there was apostle01, an oddly familiar person who was also Yoo Joonghyuk’s friend? He wasn’t too sure. They seemed to know each other well considering she was one of his channel mods, but it was unknown if they actually got along well. 

There was a time when the chat thought they were dating till she saw it in the chat. She'd cursed Yoo Joonghyuk out for creating a situation that led to someone typing their names together in the same sentence as dating. She threw a fit so bad that all the compilation videos were taken down in record time. Then Joonghyuk took away her mod status. That was the end of that rumor.

That was too bad for Dokja, he kind of shipped them too.

While apostle01 was a fake, lsol_ was the real deal. 

Lee Seolhwa was Yoo Joonghyuk’s first serious girlfriend. They started dating when he was 24 and she was 22. Kim Dokja found out through reminder on his arm about their first date and a stream that was cancelled suddenly. Yoo Joonghyuk did mention her on stream sometimes. She popped up in the chat enough for the viewers to catch on. He had her as a priority member after all.

But Dokja's favorite among all the stream regulars was u_fo_riel.

Uriel was the stream’s second mod, and she happened to be extremely fond of him. She replied to his message no matter have fast the chat went by. They’d even taken to texting privately. She was way to kind to him, much more than what he deserved.

She’d made him a priority chat member. He didn’t know how she managed to convince Yoo Joonghyuk. Hell, he didn’t even know why she liked him that much, he was in the military when she became the mod. But he remembered her excitement when he first texted as a priority chat member.

He didn’t know how it happened but it seemed you can make friends with knowing you’re befriending someone too. She was his 6^th reason.

Kim Dokja at 27, was man with two online friends, a soulmate who doidn’t hate him(yet) even though he should, and six reasons to live.

28 found Kim Dokja staring at a text from Han Sooyoung asking to meet up in real life. It was a little nerve wrecking but Dokja saw no reason to refuse. They'd set a time and place to meet.

Kim Dokja, 28, was a tired intern who had no clue of what he just signed up for.

Chapter Text

Kim Dokja, at 28, had three pressing issues that disturbed his otherwise ideally uneventful life.

The first was Minosoft.

It wasn’t the hellhole of a company or his piece-of-shit manager that was stressing him out. Not that he didn’t hate every aspect of the company—but it was what he had expected, he was somewhat prepared.

It wasn’t even the prospect of unemployment after his term as an intern ended (he wasn’t making the cut, he was sure). Sure, it made him miss his old company, peanut salary and all, but he’d pull through somehow. The streets didn’t look that bad anyway. The floor heating in the Seoul Station passageways meant he could survive the winter. At least his living area would be more spacious than the shoebox he was living in now.

But really, unemployment was future Dokja’s problem to deal with. In the present, Dokja was faced with a much more unexpected issue.

Offline friendship.

Yoo Sangah and Kim Dokja both worked at Minosoft and had been hired at the same time. They were acquaintances, they'd never done anything more than greet each other in passing.

So why had Yoo Sangah suddenly decided to befriend him?

It couldn’t have been the time he'd pretended not to see her put pepper in Han Myungoh’s coffee. Or the time she cursed Han Myungoh out loud in the break room, thinking she was alone. That was just Kim Dokja having no presence and a lot of hatred for his manager. He would step over his corpse if it came down to it.

Yoo Sangah knew that.

So why? Why did she suddenly start sitting next to him during lunch? Why did she start striking up conversations on their commute home?

Kim Dokja had been asked by at least three men if he was dating Yoo Sangah. They’d never even looked at him before that.

Yoo Sangah was competent and beautiful. If she was a character in a novel, she’d be the female lead. Naturally, Yoo Sangah commanded attention wherever she went. Befriending her meant some of that attention would be focused on him too.

That disrupted Kim Dokja’s as-uneventful-as-it-can-be life. But he couldn’t tell her off when she was being that polite and nice to him.

It became his cross to bear.

Kim Dokja had friends. Two of them. Those friendships were easy.

With a screen between them, Dokja didn’t have the room to overthink his words. He didn’t have any faces to read, no twitch of an eye that he’d lose sleep analysing. It was comfortable. It was the kind of friendship he liked.

Yoo Sangah didn’t live in his screen. She was alive and a part of his everyday life. She saw him as he was, introverted and plain. So he couldn’t understand why it was him she wanted to befriend. It was troubling, it made him anxious.

But Yoo Sangah’s smile was warm and unwavering. She seemed content with having conversations with herself and letting Dokja pretend to be a wall. She never overstepped by a lot, pushing him just a tad bit past his limits before pulling back. Eventually she wore him down.

So when Yoo Sangah, with her warm and hopeful smile, asked him to join her for dinner, he gave in.

There were only so many excuses he could come up with.

The second problem confused him more than it stressed him out. It was a long running issue spanning years. Almost an internet mystery at this point of time.

Yoo Joonghyuk’s chat was weird about him. He didn’t know when it started. By the time he noticed it, it was too late to address it.

He was being treated like some sort of celebrity and a clown at the circus, both at the same time.

Kim Dokja was used to being greeted as soon as he joined, his priority member privilege made sure his messages caught Yoo Joonghyuk’s attention more often than it didn’t. It wasn’t a big deal.

So why was it that every time Joonghyuk addressed him, the chat acted like the masses probably did when they tasted the first bread ever made?

Who was Joowon? Why was he so relevant in their chat? Why did it matter what Joonghyuk and Dokja thought of him?

He seemed to be an actor according to Google. A rookie actor. His debut movie wasn’t that good. He was handome yes, but why was Yoo Joonghyuk’s chat so taken by him?

guwon: guys, who tf is joowon? I want in too

u_fo_riel: oh

lootmydussy: lmao get this chat

deluxiondemon: what an idiot

ga_b_riel: @u_fo_riel Control yourself

apostle01: nobody tell him

warfarxgod: lolol

guwon: …mb

They made it a meme. Was it a new internet thing? Was he too old now?

When Yoo Joonghyuk caught the name in the chat, he’d only frowned and tilted his head. He didn’t seem to know either but everyone else did apparently. Lee Seolhwa had commented asking if she should be worried. The chat had promised her that it was just a joke and she had nothing to worry about.

Well, he was worried. But they didn’t care about that. Why was he the only one not in on the joke? It felt like cyber bullying on some days.

At least, Yoo Joonghyuk himself didn't seem to know either. Kim Dokja was just glad that he had company when it came to being the butt of the joke. Joonghyuk didn’t seem to care though.

The third problem was entirely Kim Dokja’s fault.

He’d heard the weather forecast that morning. They said it would rain. But weather forecasts were never right anyway. That morning, Kim Dokja ran late for work. He forgot to take his umbrella with him.

That meant it would rain around the time he’d be returning home. So Dokja left half an hour earlier than he usually would. He reached home just a few minutes before he’d usually reach home. He was safe.

But the problem wasn’t him.

It was the two kids who were playing in the park in front of his building. He noticed them as he walked home. He wasn’t a busybody though, so he kept his concerns to himself and walked home.

But he was right this time too. It started raining exactly when he would normally leave office building. The kids ran into his building. It was raining heavily, it was dark outside. The perfect time to commit crimes if you didn’t want witnesses. Dokja didn’t live in the safest side of town.

Kim Dokja wasn’t a busybody, but it was kind of his fault for forgetting the umbrella. So he took an umbrella from the bucket and headed downstairs.

The kids looked a little wet. They were huddled together on the top stair of the entrance. Kim Dokja sat on the other corner of the stairs. He’d come downstairs alright, but how was he to talk to two kids without coming off as a creepy adult?

He turned to look at the kids, they were already frowning at him.

Great.

Now no matter, how he approached them, they were going to think he’s creepy. He decided to just get done with it.

He opened his mouth to ask them but was interrupted.

“Ajhussi, don’t move.”

“Huh?”

The boy pointed at his left shoulder. “There’s a grasshopper on you”. His eyes were shining. He seemed to be in his bug obsession phase. Kim Dokja had his too.

He caught the bug in his right hand. It was huge, it felt a little gross. He stretched the fist enclosing the bug towards the boy. “Here.”

The boy zoomed to his side, the girl was a little hesitant. At least one of them had a sense of danger. The boy opened a bug case that Kim Dokja didn’t notice hanging off his shoulder. Kim dokja dropped the grasshopper in, shuddering at its size.

Without a pause, the kids begin arguing about the aesthetics of the bug. Dokja personally was on the girl’s side. It was ugly.  But they were glancing at him like they wanted his opinion on the matter and Dokja was tired as it is. He interrupted them before it got more troublesome.

“Its late. I don’t think it’ll stop raining anytime soon. How are you going home?”

The girl fidgeted with her fingers nervously. “My mom…she comes to pick me up if I’m late. I don’t know why she’s late today.”

He turned towards the boy. The boy turned his head up and crossed his arms. “I’ll go home when she does.”

Dokja took out his phone and handed it to her. “Do you want to call your mom?”.

She nodded and took the phone from him. It took a little longer than he thought it would for her mother to come, considering the girl said they lived just a street away. Her mother did look a little frazzled and apologetic.

“I’m so sorry. I was caught up with stuff, I forgot to pick her up.” Dokja wanted to ask her how she could forget her daughter so easily. He’d been trying to forget his mother for years. But he didn’t.

He simply offered her a tight smile. “It’s okay. Be careful next time.”

She thanked him for watching her daughter as they left. He thought it was a little odd that she didn’t ask him who he was but maybe that was because she didn’t think he was suspicious. He’s not sure.

The boy was still there. It was raining, albeit not as heavily as a while ago. Kim Dokja asked him where he lived. The boy pointed to a building a little away from Dokja’s. It was close enough for the boy to go on his own.

Dokja handed him the umbrella. “Get going.”

He waited till the boy disappeared into the building. By the time Dokja went back home, it'd stopped raining.

Han Sooyoung lived closer to him than he’d expected. The café she wanted them to meet at was closer to her house than it was to his. He didn’t complain, she wouldn’t have cared anyway. 

They’d been talking for almost 2 years. He was more nervous than he should be.

Han Sooyoung wanted it to be a game. She thought she could find him without knowing what he looked like. He didn’t think it would end well but how wrong could it go? Worst case, she’d go through 5 other people before getting to him.

Well. He was wrong.

Kim Dokja reached the café 15 minutes before their meeting time as per Sooyoung’s request. He’d ordered a latte and sat at the corner of the café from where he had full view of the door. Then he waited.

It was 20 minutes after the scheduled time. Either Han Sooyoung was late or she'd ghosted him. The messages he sent her got no reply. He decided to wait a little longer.

It was 40 minutes after the scheduled time, almost an hour since Dokja arrived at the café. The staff were starting to side-eye him. He’d waited long enough. Sure he was disappointed, but he doubted that it was on purpose. Maybe Sooyoung was caught up with something else.

As he walked towards the door, a short woman with even shorter black hair rushed past him and pulled the arm of a guy who was walking towards the seat Kim Dokja had just vacated.

“Hey, you’re Dokja, aren’t you?

The man turned around, startled. Kim Dokja watched in horror as the coffee slipped out of his hand and spilt on the woman’s shirt.

The café fell silent.

The woman stared down at her shirt in shock. It must have been hot.

Han Sooyoung. The absolute dumbass. He should have never listened to her.

The poor guy snapped out of his shock and apologized to her profusely. Dokja watched as her palm curled into a fist. He decided to step in before the situation got worse.

He put an arm on her shoulder, she flinched. Dokja didn’t look at her. The second-hand embarrassment was strong as it is. If Dokja looked at her, he knew it’d end with Han Sooyoung’s fist in his face.

“My friend mistook you for me. I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry.”

The guy apologised to them again. Kim Dokja contemplated whether he should offer to buy him another coffee, but the guy left before he could bring it up. He turned to Han Sooyoung.

“You idiot. I knew your game would end bad.”

“It turned out like this because you thought that. Its all your fault.” she huffed.

“Are you crazy? No, don’t answer that. Come with me.” he turned towards the door.

“Where?” she asked following him.

“My house.”

“I don’t like you like that.”

Dokja wondered if he could get away with pushing her into oncoming traffic.

“I just wanted to give you a change of clothes. If you don’t need it, then fine. Let’s head back.”

“I was joking geez. Let’s go to my house. Its closer.” Sooyoung smacked his shoulder and resumed walking.

“Right.” Dokja followed her home.

Han Sooyoung had made a good call taking him to her house because she would have made fun of his for sure.

Her apartment was a spacious two-bedroom apartment. It looked like something out of a décor magazine.

“Did you get the wrong house?”

She looked at him like he lost his mind. “I think I’d know where I live.”

“Right.”

Dokja felt cheated. He thought she was broke too.

“Order some food while I get changed.” Dokja thought she was way too trusting. He could have run away with most of her things by the time she got changed. He would have if he had been a lesser man without a naturally suspicious face.

“What did you order?”

Dokja's mind was still stuck on the ceiling. Was it normal for apartments to have chandeliers?

“I didn’t know what you liked.”

“Ugh. You should have just ordered something. I’m hungry.” she plopped down on the couch.

“You do it then.” He sat on the other end of it.

She ordered some fried chicken. It was quiet for long enough to start to get awkward. Thankfully, Han Sooyoung was incapable of staying silent for long.

“You!”

“Me what?”

“Why didn’t you stop me before I went up to that guy? You knew it was me.”

This idiot. “You mentioned my name to him, that’s how I knew.”

“Oh.”

“Why were you late anyway? I waited for an hour.”

“I did get there on time. But I couldn’t figure out which one was you.”

Dokja shook his head, dissapointed. Han Sooyoung looked away from him.

“Why did you think that was me?”

“I thought you’d wear glasses since you read all the time.”

“Too bad I don’t. You lost. What do I get?”

Han Sooyoung frowned. “You never asked for anything.”

Dokja glared at her. 

She glared right back. “You should have asked before. Its too late now.”

“Who plays games without a price?”

“I know a few who do.”

“I’m not one of them.”

“Do I look like I care?”

“You made me wait for an hour.”

Han Sooyoung decided to pay for the food they ordered. That was good enough for Dokja.

She was a small woman, much smaller than him. She had almost fox-like features. She was pretty, maybe half as pretty as Yoo Joonghyuk, which was a lot actually. Her personality seemed to be just as shitty though. She was going through the chicken she got him in record speed. It was hard for him to keep up.

He should have known there was a catch. Her grin had looked a little too smug.

They put away the trash and settled back on the couch. She was on her laptop.

“So why did you want to meet up?”

She turned her laptop towards him “Here, the next update. I want you to proof read it in front of me.”

He took it from her and placed it on his lap. Sooyoung scooted closer to him, their shoulders barely brushing.

“What’s special about this chapter?”

“Nothing. You usually have a lot to say about my work. I wanted to see if you were just a keyboard warrior or if you’d keep the same energy in real life.”

Surely there were limits to being shameless. Maybe Han Sooyoung was just that thick skinned.

“So you want to hear me talk shit in real life. That can be arranged.”

Han sooyoung just smirked at him. Of course, that smirk would fade over the next few hours as they argued over every sentence of her draft. Dokja was well on his way to making sure she regretted meeting up when he heard shuffling near the front door.

“Ah, my roommate is here.”

Seeing Dokja’s confused face, she added “I mentioned her a few times. Why don’t you remember?”

“I have better things to take note of.”

Then the roommate walked into the living room.

Kim Dokja knew the Gods were rarely in his favor but at times like these, it felt like he had personally wronged them somehow.

“Dokja-ssi. How was your weekend?”

“Oh yeah, you two work in the same company right?”

“Yoo Sangah-ssi. I’m a little surprised.”

Why did things like this always happen to him?

Everything made sense now. He should have seen it coming really.

Why else would Yoo Sangah approach him out of nowhere? Han Sooyoung must have asked her to keep an eye on him. That’s why Sooyoung was so easy-going about having someone she’s meeting for the first time in her house. Because Yoo Sangah told her beforehand that Dokja was a loser and she had nothing to worry about. It all made sense.

Dokja sunk back into the couch defeated.

Well played. He did not see this coming.

“Why do you look like the world is ending?” Han Sooyoung still had the nerve to look at him like he’s the weird one.

“I just realized many things.”

“Like what?”

“I’m dumb”

“You’re 28 years too late but better late than never I guess.”

Couldn’t she cut him some slack? He’s going through a minor crisis.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

Sooyoung tilted her head. “Like what?”

“Ask Yoo Sangah-ssi to keep an eye on me.”

“Pause. What do you mean?”

“You told Yoo Sangah to befriend me.”

Han Sooyoung looked like she was told to delete all her novels off the internet. “Why would I do that?”

“You were looking out for me?”

“Are you an idiot? You’re not my child. Why would I do that for a grown man?”

Oh.

“I didn’t know you knew each other till I told her we were meeting today. That happened yesterday by the way.”

“Oh.”

“Oh indeed. You’re a fool.”

Dokja grabbed the pillow on the sofa and buried his face in it. He could feel his face heat up.

“Well my bad for thinking you were looking out for your friend.”

“That’s not my style. I’d just barge into your house to do that. Or drag you to my own.”

Dokja’s head snapped up. Han Sooyoung avoided his eyes, the tip of her ears were slightly red with embarrassment. Dokja knew his face was red.

“What’s wrong with you two?”

They both startled at Youu Sangah’s voice. It was weird to see her dressed down casually, illegal even. The whole situation was just so absurd. Dokja stood up abruptly.

“I should go home.”

He dashed out of the door ignoring Yoo Sangah’s call to stay for dinner.

It was Han Sooyoung’s fault.

They were friends. Was it so hard to say she cared without making it weird?

Kim Dokja did not like children. It was more fear than dislike, but that meant the same to him.

So he had absolutely no idea what to do with the two children waiting for him at the entrance of his building. 

Their names were Lee Gilyoung, the boy and Shin Yoosung, the girl. They were both 11 years old and were waiting to return the umbrella Dokja lent Gilyoung the previous day.

That much was fine.

It was the eyes. They looked like they were expecting some kind of reward for their good deed. It made Dokja nervous. He decided to sacrifice the popsicles he bought for himself.

“Wait here.” he said and headed upstairs to his house.

By the time he opened the fridge, the children were inside his house.

If Dokja was their parent, he’d spend everyday in fear of them following some stranger home. What happened to stranger danger? Didn’t parents teach their kids that these days or was that too lost to time?

“Ajhussi, your house is smaller than mine!” Gilyoung said, kicking his shoes off.

“You’re being rude again. Sorry, Ajhussi.” Yoonsung followed him in, also kicking her shoes off.

Why was it always him? Did his people repellent power wear off?  Since when did he look approachable? He wanted to go back.

The children came over to his house often. Yoonsung’s mother had started to think of him as a babysitter sometime during the past month. Kim Dokja on his part, had tried to keep them out for a while. But children were much more stubborn than he was. He gave in soon.

He knew they’d grow to become his 7^th and 8^th reason to live. He let it happen.

Yoo Sangah seemed to have a policy which made sure that you couldn't rid yourself of her once you entered her home. If Kim Dokja thought Yoo Sangah was too friendly before, it was nothing compared to how she was after the house visit.

While Yoo Sangah before the visit never overstepped and gave him some time and space to get used to things, this Yoo Sangah treated him as though they’d been friends since before they were born. Casually striking up conversations, making plans he didn’t remember agreeing to, making a group chat with her and Han Sooyoung. He decided it'd be easier to go with the flow.

He’d asked asked her one time when she and Han Sooyoung came over to his house. Dokja had drowned Sooyoung in alcohol as revenge for making fun of his house. Yoo Sangah was just a little tipsy. So was Dokja.

“Why are you so nice to me? We barely knew each other.”

Yoo Sangah smiled, a little dopey. “You always caught my eye, Dokja-ssi. You remind me a little of myself, I always thought we’d be great friends." 

She refilled her empty glass. "I’ll admit I approached you because the air around you was quiet. But I grew to like your company. I hope you’ll like mine too. Han Sooyoung’s friends are my friends too. Let’s all get along.”

She clinked her glass to his, mumbling a soft “Cheers”. She leaned back into his not very comfortable couch. She looked drowsy.

Dokja dragged both her and Sooyoung to his very narrow bed and piled them on each other. They didn’t seem to mind. Sooyoung latched on Yoo Sangah almost immediately. Dokja threw a fresh blanket on them.

“Cheers.” he whispered into the dark of the night. 

He slept on his couch knowing he’d wake up aching in places he’s never felt pain in before. That night, he gave in again.

He now had 9 reasons.

Time went on. Kim Dokja’s schedule now included plans with Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung. His evening were spent playing along with the whims of the kids. He liked them a little more now. Gilyoung had taken one look at Sooyoung and told her he didn’t like her. It had sent Han Sooyoung into a hissy fit that lasted for days.

They liked Yoo Sangah just fine though, maybe because she was a nice(?) person unlike the gremlin.

It was a scary feeling, having plans to look forward to and people waiting for you to come home. Just a few months ago, Dokja wouldn’t have even imagined his life turning out this way. That makes it scarier.

It had all happened so fast, that only meant he could lose things just as quickly too.

Terrifying.

It kept him up at night sometimes. But the one time he’d mentioned it to Han Sooyoung, she’d called him an idiot ten different way.

It was just a private thought that popped up sometimes.

Having to interact with people offline, meant less time for online activities. Dokja had spent years being a regular on Yoo Joonghyuk’s stream. His absence stood out like a sour thumb to some of them it seemed.

He had finally managed to get the children to go home before 8 after two weeks of not being able to. His house now have toys and children’s books lying around. It was a strange feeling.

Dokja joined the stream a little after 8pm. He was a little taken aback. Yoo Joonghyuk was playing the demo for the game that Dokja was testing at Minosoft. It wasn’t even on the list of games that Joonghyuk wrote down on his arm a few days ago.

guwon: I know this game

Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at his message, then he glared at the camera. Dokja thought he would say something again. But he just resumed playing.

u_fo_riel: guwon ToT where were youuuu

warfarxgod: traitor is back

deluxiondemon: welcome back cheater

apostle01: how could you do this to us

abfd_: go back to where you came from booo

apostle01: tomatoes, tomatoes

guwon: ??

guwon: what do you mean???

Kim Dokja was confused. What do they mean by traitor? Him? Kim Dokja? He wasn’t even there for the past week. He skimmed through the regular chat, and they were echoing the same sentiments.  So it wasn’t just the superchat and priority messages.

It was likely they had planned to prank him.

deluxiondemon: this guy is so shameless

apostle01: burn him at the stake

 u_fo_riel: noo he doesn’t even know what he did. We need to hold a trial.

warfarxgod: agreed. still guilty af tho

warfarxgod: how could he betray captain like that?

guwon: ????????!!!

u_fo_riel: check my dm guwon

guwon: wait

apostle01: you guys text privately?

u_fo_riel: I need a source for info

u_fo_riel: but he only replies sometimes

warfarxgod: what a jerk

deluxiondemon: +1

apostle01: +2

Kim Dokja opened the floating chat window. The stream chat were still rinsing him for god knows what reason. He had requests from other viewers, but Uriel was the only one he kept in touch with. He did forget to reply often. He usually has no business in the chat section of the site. He’d have to do better for Uriel.

He had a lot of messages from her.

The first few messages were carrying on from their previous conversation. The next few were her asking if he’s busy. Then there was a clip of Yoo Joonghyuk talking about Lee Seolhwa.

“We broke up a while ago.”

That’s all he said. Like it wasn’t a big deal. Like it didn’t throw Kim Dokja’s world off its axis.

When Yoo Joonghyuk first wrote about Lee Seolhwa all those years ago, it was a bittersweet feeling. He was happy for him of course. Glad that he’d found someone he loved and trusted, someone he could depend on and share all his burdens with. Joonghyuk was the type to do everything himself, he’d hoped Lee Seolhwa’s presence would help him.

But there was a very small part of him that was sad that he couldn’t be someone Yoo Joonghyuk depended on. He had the chance. He could have been right there. Just one stroke of ink. He could have helped.

Kim Dokja stayed quiet for all these years. He didn’t say anything when Yoo Mia showed up on Joonghyuk’s doorstep when he was 18. He didn’t offer him support when his parents abandoned them. When Yoo Joonghyuk worked himself to the bone to take care of his sister, Kim Dokja didn’t write a single word of comfort.

He selfishly kept queit, kept his skin unmarked on his end. Yoo Joonghyuk deserved so much more than someone like him.

Sure he had tried to compensate for it by leaving messages as Guwon. But Guwon was not Joonghyuk’s soulmate. Guwon’s words wouldn’t mean as much to Joonghyuk as Kim Dokja’s words would have.

He’d failed as a soulmate.

Lee Seolhwa was good for Joonghyuk. Someone like Joonghyuk wouldn’t spend years with someone if he didn’t love them. They should get married the way they did in TWOS. Lee Seolhwa was Yoo Joonghyuk’s happily ever after.

Her existence made up for Kim Dokja’s absence. How could they break up?

Why did they break up?

Joonghyuk seemed fine. His face was blank as usual but it did not seem like he was sad. But Dokja could be wrong about this too like he was about many other things.

Kim Dokja wanted to ask him. The stream was not the place to ask such questions.

He could just write on his arm but it’d been years. He can’t. Not after so long.

So he decides to pay the price for his selfishness. He pulls up Yoo Joonghyuk’s channel and paid the member fee. He shouldn’t. His finances were already struggling with the added expenses from hangouts and snacks for the kids. But it was an emergency.

It was easier if he thought of it as a belated birthday present. He didn’t even buy himself a cake. He deserves this much at least.

As a constellation, Yoo Joonghyuk would be notified of his message request. It was still up to him to accept the request and respond, but at least he would know he texted him.

The message gave him a deep sense of déjà vu. It was a simple ‘Are you okay’. It was also the very first words he wrote to Yoo Joonghyuk.

He hit send before he could change his mind.

Dokja thought he might die in the few seconds it took Joonghyuk took to reply. When Joonghyuk got the alert when Dokja paid the fee, he had looked confused. Then when he got the message, he’d paused the game. The chat was confused too.

He didn’t know what Uriel’s keyboard smash meant but he hoped it meant something good.

Yoo Jonghyuk frowned at the camera for a while, then asked the his viewers to wait. Kim Dokja watched in real time as Joonghyuk typed back a reply. His phone dinged.

‘?’

This bastard. Did he really have to spell it out?

‘I heard you broke up with Lee Seolhwa.’

On screen, Joonghyuk’s frown deepened. He typed, ‘It was a mutual breakup. It’s been months.’

They were flirting on stream months ago. Yes, she didn’t appear for a while. But he thought that was just normal. She had her own life.

-‘What? Why?’

Joonghyuk glared at the camera. He lifted his phone, the screen hidden from the camera and clicked the power button hard.

End of conversation, it seemed.

Joonghyuk resumed his game. Dokja sulked and went back to reading Uriel’s Dm’s.

She seemed to have more to say about that. It seemed Yoo Joonghyuk never told her anything about it. She found out along with everyone else and seemed to think that was insulting as his mod.

Dokja chuckled. That’s so Uriel.

Cute.

He scrolled past the messages about the breakup. She asked him if he knew about the breakup. How would he really? He didn’t.

There were more texts telling him she missed him and wanted him back. He texted her saying he missed her too back along with a lousy explanation of him being busy. Then he reached the traitor accusation. The first were were just many variations of if he was cheating on Yoo Joonghyuk. He did not know he could do that.

He skimmed through them to find the origin when he found it. He could only facepalm. These people had way too much free time and very few functioning braincells.

He went back to the stream chat.

u_fo_riel: IM SCREAMING AGAAAAAAKAKJAAKJAK

guwon: I did not cheat on Joonghyuk.

warfarxgod: were you the one texting him

apostle01: sounds like something a cheater would say @guwon

abfd_: +1

goldenheadband: not convincing at all guwon

guwon: the kids wanted to see the game. Joonghyuk-ah didn’t play it back then.

u_fo_riel: he called him Joonghyuk-ah kyaaa~~~~

apostle01: wut

u_fo_riel: wait asjdlsds

deluxiondemon: wait

abfd_: lmaooooo

warfarxgod: @u_fo_riel……

u_fo_riel: WDYM KIDS?????? guwon??!!

guwon: ??

On screen, Joonghyuk seemed to have made a mistake. His character was hit by a combo and died. Joonghyuk cursed.

Him cursing is hot.

Was that a streak? Did he lose a streak? He should watch he replay.

apostle1: you’re a geezer??

abfd_: you have kids??

deluxiondemon: how tf did you have time for streams as a dad

guwon: woah woah they’re not my kids

u_fo_riel: oh :)

apostle01: oh

warfarxgod: we’re so back, thank god

deluxiondemon: boooo

skybreaker: good to hear

On screen Joonghyuk cleared his throat. The chat really made Dokja feel old sometimes.

Chapter Text

There was a reason why people were advised to not have kids until they were ready. Kim Dokja learned it the hard way one Thursday night.

He returned home from work tired, hungry and 3 seconds away from passing out. He heard voices coming through the door. It wasn’t anything new but he had hoped they wouldn’t be here tonight.

Sometime during the 3 months they had known him, the kids had decided that having to wait for Dokja to come home and let them in was beneath them. His house was theirs to come and go as they pleased.

One day, Lee Gilyoung, 11, had put out a hand and demanded Dokja to hand over his spare key. His support—Shin Yoosung, also 11, had made the most pitiful face known to mankind. He caved in.

He handed the key over. Dokja worked late. It was safer for them to wait inside. He didn’t want to be charged with child negligence.

Even if they were not his children, it was a possibility.

That Friday, he came home to find that the number of children in his house had multiplied.  

Three human, one feline. The feline was a problem but that was nothing compared to the third human child.

Pitch-black hair that curled up at the ends, straight eyebrows, and eyes glaring hard enough to kill him. Even the expression matched. He’d recognize those features on anyone.

Yoo mia glared at him like he was a vermin who’d dared to trespass her sacred home.

“Who are you?” she asked.

Gilyoung smacked her head. “This is his home.”

The kitten meowed. Dokja’s hands slackened, and his coat and bag dropped to the floor.

The kids seemed to think it was the kitten that shocked him.

“Ajhussi!”, Shin Yoosung started. “Mia found this kitten on her way here. But her brother won’t let her keep it. Neither will my mom. We can’t leave her on the streets!”

Kim Dokja’s knees almost buckled at the mention of her brother.

Yoo Joonghyuk used his arm as a to-do list. Dokja rolled up his sleeve to check and yup, there it was.

‘Pick Mia. 7pm’

It was 7:27pm. Which meant Yoo Joonghyuk was searching for her wherever she told him she’d be. Dokja knew Joonghyuk bought Mia a phone. Dokja also knew Mia often forgot to take it with her.

He was so screwed. So, the kids were his scriptwriter’s method of screwing him over. That was a sneaky low blow.

“It’s late. Does your family know you’re here?”, he hoped and prayed that she’d say yes.

Mia sat up straight. “What’s the time?”

“7:29pm”

“Oh no. I told my brother to pick me up at 7.”

He should have died at 15. If he had died, he wouldn’t have had to live through these kinds of situations.

“Why didn’t you keep track of the time?”

Mia huffed. “It’s Ajhussi’s fault. You don’t even have a window.” He did. It was just behind his curtain that was hidden behind his cloth line.

“Or a clock.” she added. In his defense, he had never expected his house to become a hangout spot for middle schoolers.  

He didn’t respond to her. There were more important questions that needed to be asked.

“Where did your brother tell you to wait?”

“The park I always go to.”

“How far is that from here?”

“10 minutes?”

They got there in 7 minutes.

Yoo Mia was out of breath. “Ajhussi, why don’t you have a car?”

He gave her a tight-lipped smile. “You were in my house. You tell me why I don’t have a car.”

Mia made a face. He was usually kinder to children, but she was the reason he had ended up in a situation where he might meet his soulmate. She could put up with some snark in return.

At the park, he instructed Shin Yoosung and Yoo Mia to wait at a bench while he hid behind a tree near the bench.

“If you see someone suspicious, call me soon as you see them alright? I’ll be right here, behind the bench.”

Mia rolled her eyes. “Just give me your phone. I’ll call him.”

Um, no can do.

“I left my phone at home. Just do as I say, okay?”

They nodded a little confused.

“Why are you hiding though, Ajhussi?” Yoosung asked.

“Mia’s brother sounds a little scary.” He replied, even though he had not been told anything about him by then. Mia smirked. That must have made her happy. Brat.

They’d left Gilyoung at home to watch the kitten till they returned. Shin Yoosung didn’t trust him enough to leave him alone with the kitten but Dokja needed Shin Yoosung.

He had no plans to meet Yoo Joonghyuk today. But if he was spotted, Shin Yoosung’s presence would be helpful than Gilyoung’s. After all, she was his sister’s age. Joonghyuk wouldn’t get violent in front of her.

Despite all his planning, he had overlooked one crucial detail.

Nothing ever went the way Dokja wanted it to.

He’d been waiting for almost 10 minutes. The girls were chatting away, there was no sign of Yoo Joonghyuk. Dokja gave him 10 more minutes to find Mia on his own. Otherwise, he’d have to let Mia call him.

Knowing Yoo Joonghyuk, he was either terrorizing poor civilians or two seconds away from attempting to file a missing person report.

6 minutes into the 10 minutes he gave Joonghyuk, he heard some rustling behind him. Dokja didn’t dare look back. It was probably a stray cat. If he did turn back and there was nothing or worse, there was someone else, Dokja didn’t trust himself to act like a responsible adult and protect himself and the girls. Ignorance was bliss.

It was pitch dark. The rustling continued. It seemed to be coming from right behind him.

He mentally urged Joonghyuk to hurry up.

“What are you doing?” a low, deep voice snarled right beside his ear.

“Gah!” Dokja turned around only to be pushed into the tree by a hand curled around his neck.

Dokja gasped.

Yoo Joonghyuk looked better in real life. Dokja didn’t think that was possible. It was a face people would have waged wars for. It was probably the last face Kim Dokja would see before he died.

Yoo Joonghyuk looked murderous. His hand tightened its grip around his neck.

“Why are you watching them? Explain yourself.”

The thing is Kim Dokja would love to explain to him that he was just watching them, not watching them but he could barely breath, let alone talk.

“Can’t…breathe…”

He pawed at Joonghyuk’s hand, trying to push him away but the bastard was way too strong.

“Joonghyuk Oppa?”

“Oppa, what are you doing?”

Why was Yoo Joonghyuk "Oppa" and Kim Dokja "Ajhussi" when they were the same age? Pretty privilege was real—even kids played into it.

Joonghyuk stepped towards the bench, pulling Dokja along. He let go once they were right in front of the kids. Doka coughed and gasped. He hoped his neck wouldn't be bruised tomorrow. He'd have to kill himself if it did.

Yoosung rushed to his side and held his hand.

“Ajhussi, are you okay?”

Dokja nodded. With a hand still cradling his neck, he glared at him.

The bastard didn’t look the least bit apologetic. It was as if he had maxed out his looks stats and left nothing for his personality. Yoo Joonghyuk pulled Mia close to him, keeping an eye on his proximity to Shin Yoosung.

“Speak.”

Dokja glared harder. He didn’t deserve to be choked in such an unsexy way when all he was trying to do was help him. He stayed silent in retaliation.

In the end, it was Mia who spoke up.

“That Ajhussi is Yoosung and Gilyeong’s uncle.”

Since when? Even Dokja didn’t know that.

“We were playing in his house. He doesn’t have a clock. So, I didn’t know the time till he got back home.” Yoo Joonghyuk finally looked away from him. Dokja hadn’t realized he was holding his breath.

“Why didn’t you pick my call?” he looked down at Mia, hand patting her head.

“I left my phone at home.” she said, smiling sheepishly. It was proof of how much Joonghyuk had spoilt her. Dokja would never be able to giggle at that face. Then again, Joonghyuk would never hurt his sister.

“Don’t forget it next time.” He kept his hand on Mia’s shoulder and turned to Shin Yoosung.

“Do you need a ride home?” Yoosung shook her head. “No, I’ll walk home with Ajhussi.” she held up the hand that was holding Dokja’s. Joonghyuk nodded. “Get home safe.”

He glared at Dokja as he left. It was as if he was telling him to behave. Dokja’s hands itched to throw a punch.

“How do you know her?”

Yoosung was still holding his hand.

She looked up at him. “Who? Mia?”

“Yes.”

She swung their connected hands front and back. “We go to the same school. Gilyoung goes to a different one. But Gilyoung and I play with each other in the evenings and Mia and I are deskmates. We’re all friends.”

“I see.” What a small world.

Dokja knew of Yoo Mia’s existence since he was 18. But there were no photos of her online. Well, there were a few, but they were photos that Yoo Joonghyuk had explicitly asked to be taken down. So, Dokja never went searching.

He knew she looked like him. Yoo Joonghyuk had written it on his arm a long time back. He’d heard her voice. She walked into Joonghyuk’s streaming room sometimes while he was streaming but Joonghyuk always covered the camera and muted his mic before she got too close.

Everyone who followed Joonghyuk knew how protective he was of his sister. It was the same with Lee Seolhwa till someone found her social media.

He’d always wished to see Mia. Joonghyuk’s writings were filled with her. He wanted to see if she did look like him, the way she acted, her voice, if she loved her brother as much as he loved her.

Then she had turned up at his house. It was almost funny in hindsight.

Kim Dokja met his soulmate that night. He tried not to think about it.

Contrary to Shin Yoosung’s concerns, the kitten was still alive when they reached home. But Gilyoung was asleep. So, it was to the kitten’s credit that it survived.

Yoosung kicked Gilyoung awake.

“Be gentle, Yoosung-ah” She just pouted, lifting the kitten into her arms.

Gilyoung sat up straight, looking around frantically. “What? What happened?”

His eyes landed on Shin Yoosung who was glaring at him. His face scrunched up. “Oh, you’re back.”

Kim Dokja looked at the kitten. It was time to address the next problem.

He couldn’t take it in.

While the kitten wasn’t so young that it would require constant care, it still wasn’t old enough for him to leave it at home alone while he was it work. Then there’s also an issue of finances.

Pets, like children, were expensive. He could afford to buy the kids books and toys because he didn’t have to pay for their food and clothing. A pet would be his child. He’d have to buy the food, toys, take it to the hospital if it got sick. He didn’t know if he had the time, money and energy for that.

He had to break it to them gently.

He texted Han Sooyoung first.

me: Do you want a kitten? I have one here

BFE: Yes, obviously.

He blinked at his phone in shock. He couldn’t believe Han Sooyoung was being useful for once. Then is phone buzzed again.

BFE: Yoo Sangah’s allergic tho. So can’t :’)

No, he couldn’t believe he thought Han Sooyoung could be useful. He didn’t blame Yoo Sangah though, allergies sucked.

He had no easy way out. It would make the kids sad but he had to do it. Gently.

“I can’t raise it.”

Way to be gentle. He was an idiot.

Shin Yoosung looked heartbroken. Lee Gilyoung stood up. “But Ajhussi, she has no where to go. She’ll be eaten by dogs on the street.”

He gestured at them to sit. Once they were seated on the couch, he tried to explain it to them.

“Listen. I won’t be home most of the day. You have to go to school. The kitten is still very young. We can’t leave her home alone for that long. It’s dangerous.”

Shin Yoosung’s lower lip trembled. Dokja hoped she wouldn’t cry—he had no idea how to calm her down. Gilyoung shifted next to her.

“What if we have someone take care of her in the morning?”

“Who?”

The kids had no answer. Instead, they gave him their best kicked puppy look. It was working. But not well enough.

“Even if someone was willing to take care of her during the day, I can’t afford to raise her.” It felt shameful to admit to that, but it was the truth.

“We can give you our pocket money.” Gilyoung said.

Kim Dokja shook his head. “I can’t let you do that.” He’d be a failure of an adult.

“Ajhussi, please keep her. We’ll help you with everything.” Yoosung pleaded. Dokja shook his head.

He could barely take care of himself. How was he to raise another living being?

The kids looked sad but there wasn’t much he could do about it. The doorbell rang. It was probably Yoosung’s mom.

“Yoosung, ask your mom about it.”

“I’ve asked her before. She always says no.” She got up to get the door.

“How about this? I’ll keep her till we can find her a home. Is that fine?”

The kids nodded reluctantly. They would be able to play with her a little longer. Yoosung left with her mom.

Gilyoung held the kitten in his hand, pouting. Dokja sighed. He emptied out a box of books and threw a few old T-shirts into it. He took the kitten from Gilyoung’s hands and placed her in the box. That day, Gilyoung didn’t leave like he usually did after Yoosung left.

Dokja gave him a questioning look. “You’re not leaving?”

“Ajhussi, I-“ Gilyoung looked hesitant.

“What’s wrong?”

“Can I stay the night?” Dokja raised his eyebrow.

Gilyoung squirmed on the couch. “I fought with my mom. I don’t want to go back tonight.”

Dokja had never met his parents in the few months he had known the boy, but it was obvious he had some problems at home. He didn’t want to pry. He would tell him if he wanted to.

“You can stay if you tell her you’re staying over.”

“Do I have to?” he whined.

“Yup. I don’t want to get into trouble.”

“Here.” Dokja handed Gilyoung his phone and headed to the kitchen. “After you’re done with the call, search what to feed the kitten.”

Dokja had planned to eat instant ramyun, but since Gilyoung was spending the night, he switched to rice. Dokja wasn’t the best cook, but he could make decent fried rice. He had just finished chopping the vegetables when Gilyoung walked into the kitchen.

“Ajhussi, internet says cat food.”

He’d get some later. “Something we’d have at home?”

“Plain meat, boiled eggs, rice, cooked veggies.”

Dokja had cooked rice. If he put just one egg in the fried rice, he’d have one egg left for the kitten. He really needed to go grocery shopping soon.

“Where do I sleep?”

After dinner, they fed the kitten. Dokja took a few videos to show Yoosung the next day.

“Take my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Ajhussi, your couch sucks. We’ll both fit on the bed.”

They would fit, yes. But it had been years since he slept beside someone else. He didn’t want to relearn that feeling.

“Its fine. You take the bed.”

“Yoosung is gonna be so mad about me sleeping over. She’d be angrier if we shared a bed. Ajhussi, you have to.” Gilyoung insisted.

Dokja should have known. It was like annoying Yoosung was his motivation for everything.

“Just sleep on one side. I’ll join you” It was easier to agree. He could always change his mind later or pretend he’d just woken up early. Gilyoung nodded, satisfied.

It was still too early for bed. Gilyoung must have been sleepy.

Dokja wasn’t though.

He checked on the kitten. She was sleeping. He could see why the kids wanted him to keep her. She was small, pure white except for some darker fur around her nose. He poked her paw. She flexed her paw, making a small sound.

Adorable.

He’d wanted a pet when he was their age too. It didn’t happen. He wanted to keep her for the kids, but he didn’t want to raise her half-heartedly. If he did keep her, he would want to give her everything —just like Yoo Joonghyuk did for Mia.

Why couldn’t they have asked Joonghyuk to raise the kitten instead? Sure, he wouldn’t agree the first time they asked or the second time, maybe not even the third time. But if they kept asking, he’d definitely give in. No matter how hard he tried to be stern with Mia, he had never succeeded. He knew that from some absurd reminders he’d seen on his arm over the years.

The kitten would have a better chance with Yoo Joonghyuk. The fact that he’d look interesting holding a small delicate kitten was just an added bonus. He had no ulterior motives at all.

But they had come to him.

He plopped onto the couch, pulling his laptop into his lap. He had never paid attention to finances before. He had not found the need to. But if he wanted to at the least entertain the idea of having a cat, then he needed to plan out his finances.

First, he searched for articles on the average cost of raising a cat. Like human children, they got more expensive as they grew older. Maybe he could get a pet insurance?

He was halfway through estimating his monthly expenses when his phone buzzed with a notification from Starstream.

SupremeKing started their stream!

It was 9:30 PM, well past his usual stream schedule. Dokja clicked on the notification to join the stream. Joonghyuk seemed to have been done with his explanation already. On screen was a loading page. He worked fast.

guwon: you’re late today

The others greeted him like usual. He sent them a quick greeting. Joonghyuk didn’t miss his comment.

“I was caught up with something. It messed up my schedule.”

…

It was him, wasn’t it? Joonghyuk was late because of him. It was technically because of Mia but Joonghyuk probably wouldn’t blame her when he had another scapegoat ready, Kim Dokja. He wanted to scream.

Joonghyuk was very punctual. He’d rarely missed his mark by more than a minute or two. It was a new experience.

At least, Joonghyuk didn’t look too ticked off about it.

“Since I started late, it’ll most likely be a short stream. Today, I’ll be attempting to beat my previous speedrun record.”

So, it was going to be a long stream. Dokja smiled.

Yoo Joonghyuk loved beating records. But his previous record was impressive. It would probably take him a long time to beat it. The chat thought the same thing.

abfd_: so long night aye?

deluxiondemon: you really think you can beat that?

warfarxgod: @deluxiondemon of course he can.

apostle01: @warfarxgod Simp. He’s not all that. His previous record was a fluke.

guwon: @apostle01 who are you again?

u_fo_riel: @guwon og yjh defence squad captn

apostle01: @guwon your mom

warfarxgod: mom jokes are lame af

guwon: @apostle01 my mom’s dead

abfd_: shit

apostle01: ….my apologies

guwon: jk lol

apostle01 : you little shit

deluxiondemon: geezuz man

warfarxgod: the fuc is geezuz

Dokja could tell the constellation chatbox was distracting Joonghyuk, which was great. Joonghyuk had restarted the run twice already. That meant the stream would be longer. It also felt a little like revenge for what happened in the park.

guwon: my dad’s the dead one

apostle01: @guwon dude….

u_fo_riel: ToT

guwon: jk again lol. or am i?

apostle01: I don’t even know if I should believe that guy anymore

u_fo_riel: I want him to have a happy family, so hard trust on the jk 😊

guwon: @u_fo_riel <3

warfarxgod: @u_fo_riel ?? homewrecking?

u_fo_riel: noooo I would never

abfd_: I was just wondering why it didn’t come up yet

u_fo_riel: @guwon </3

guwon: ???

abfd_: tbh I thought we were finally getting guwon lore drop

u_fo_riel: @abfd_ that’s mean

apostle01: @guwon are you yjh’s alt account?

guwon: he’s literally on screen playing

apostle01: pre-recorded

hajayong: I say he AI

deluxiondemon: @guwon AI allegations before GTA 6

guwon: @hajayong how did you know?

warfarxgod: gasp

deluxiondemon: our ranks were infiltrated

apostle01: red alert red alert

guwon: you guys are way too dramatic. I’m human

apostle01: no shit

deluxiondemon: imagine training an AI to be a yjh simp

abfd_: ugh

guwon: i’m not a simp

abfd_: yes you are

guwon: I’m not. I’m a fan

apostle01: simp***

guwon: no

“Guwon. Stop spamming”

Dokja flinched. Agh really. Yoo Joonghyuk should have warned him before speaking. He was not ready to be addressed directly, not after their first meeting.

u_fo_riel: gaadsjkadsdshhadssljkkjadsjdjd

u_fo_riel: he only mentioned him

abfd_: somebody restrain her

guwon: why me? Everyone’s talking.

“You’re annoying.”

deluxiondemon: somebody check on uriel

apostle01: is that what they call it these days?

u_fo_riel: hahahaha

warfarxgod: its slowburn guys

u_fo_riel: yes slowburn :’)

What were they talking about again? He had no clue. They would only clown him if he asked like all the other times he tried, so he ignored them.

guwon: I’m entertaining them on your behalf

hajayoung: we can entertain ourselves but that’s cool ig

guwon: If you want me to shut up, then start speaking.

Joonghyuk didn’t seem to like that. 13 years of streaming and he was still so stiff about it.

guwon: I’m serious. I’ve got work to do anyway

apostle01: you work??

abfd_: wdym you don’t spend your days waiting for yjh’s stream?

guwon: I’m a contributing member of society

guwon: you’re leading me back to the lore drop aren’t you

abfd_: guilty

u_fo_riel: what were you doing?

guwon: budgeting

warfarxgod: ew

deluxiondemon: gross

goldenheadband: why?

guwon: the number of kids in my house multiplied

apostle01: are you a father, are you not a father?

guwon: I’m babysitting them

goldenheadband: why are you checking finances then?

guwon: it’s complicated

apostle01: ?? just sell them if it’s that complicated

guwon: ??thats illegal

u_fo_riel: @apostle01 ?!?

apostle01: jk

“Stop using my chatbox as a group chat.”

Again, Kim Dokja would have liked a five-second warning every time Joonghyuk spoke. People didn’t always get what they wanted.

apostle01: start talking then

Joonghyuk reluctantly started narrating his gameplay. He spoke much more than he did in his early streaming days. But he wasn’t consistent. On some days he spoke as much as you’d expect a seasoned streamer to speak, and on others, he barely said anything more than the greetings. Every stream was a gamble for YJH voice stans.

It was a nice background noise. A little distracting, but Dokja had worked under worse conditions. He had to get the work done before he went to work the next day.

Dokja had fallen asleep before you could make a conclusive decision about the kitten situation. He had time. So, it wasn’t a big deal.

He had woken up early. There was still time before he absolutely needed to wake Gilyoung up so he let him sleep. Dokja decided to be productive. He did the dishes and laundry, and took out the trash. He then used an old perfume as air freshener. It was a good start to his day.

Lee gilyoung woke up on his own. He was a good kid.

“It smells good here.”

“That’s all me.” Gilyoung seemed to not believe him.

Gilyoung headed straight to the door. “I’ll come over right after school.”

“Eat something before you leave.”

Gilyoung looked up from shoes. “Ajhussi, you have nothing in your fridge.”

He was right. But that didn’t mean Dokja liked his tone. He remembered his meeting with Yoo Joonghyuk last night and his eyebrows furrowed.

“Gilyoung-ah, I’m just 28. Call me Hyung.”

Gilyoung looked taken aback. “You’re 28? I thought you were older!”

Dokja was speechless. Were all kids that rude or did he just hit the lottery?

“Get out.”

Gilyoung laughed. “Did Yoosung come by?”

“Not yet.”

“When she comes, you have to tell her I slept over. Okay?”

That just spelt trouble for him.

“Please, Hyung.”

Dokja nodded his head. It was okay to let Gilyoung think he would do it.

Yoosung came by a little later. Dokja boiled some chicken and shredded it. They fed the kitten together. He did not tell her Gilyoung slept over.

“Dokja-ssi, you look good today.” Yoo Sangah stepped right next to him. It was almost 6:45pm. He had wanted to leave a little early but he was late in the morning from grocery shopping. Leaving early wouldn’t look good when he was still an intern.

“Huh?”

“You look energetic today.” She smiled at him sweetly.

“Yeah, you don’t look like you’re about to keel over today. Shocking.” Dokja knew his day was about to get worse. That voice promised a bad time.

“Sooyoung-ah!”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Dokja was of the opinion that Han Sooyoung was much more tolerable with a screen separating them. Seeing her in real life felt the same as how realizing everyone could see his imaginary friend would feel. Disturbing.

“I had some work in the area. So, I waited for you in that café over there. Aren’t you grateful” Han Sooyoung looked as annoying as usual.

“There’s no way I’d be grateful for that.” She kicked the back of his knee, almost sending him tumbling to the floor. He pinched her the inside of her arm as revenge. She yelped. Yoo Sangah fixed them both with a look and moved to walk in between them.

"Sooyoung mentioned you have a kitten." She said.

"Its not mine. Some kids in my neighborhood brought it to my place."

Soyoong leaned forward to look at him. "Huh? Why would they bring it to your place? They should have taken it to their home."

Dokja sighed. "Exactly. But they didn't. I almost got into trouble last night because of that."

They looked at him alarmed. "What happened?" 

"It's a long story."

"We have time."

Dokja took a deep breath. “One of the kids' brother almost beat me up last night.”

There was a short pause. Then the two of them burst out laughing. Dokja desperately needed better friends.

“What did you do?” Sooyoung asked, mid laugh. Dokja scowled at her.

“There are these two kids who come over to my house often. They brought home a friend yesterday. She was the one who found the kitten. The friend didn’t tell her brother she was coming over and she lost track of time.”

Sooyoung frowned. “The brother beat you up for that?”

“Of course not. Listen to the whole thing.” He didn’t know why he was telling them in the first place.

Did having friends make him loose-lipped?

“I took the kid to the park her brother was supposed to pick her up from. I hid behind a tree so that he wouldn’t see me. And guess what? He did. He thought I was creeping on two little girls.”

Han Sooyoung hollered. Yoo Sangah, to her credit, tried to hold back her laughter but she failed. The other passengers on the subway looked at them weirdly. Dokja wanted to disappear.

“Why the fuck did you hide behind a tree?”

Good question. Too bad he wasn’t going to tell her the real answer.

“I thought if he saw me, a strange man, standing next to his missing sister in a park at night, he’d punch me first and then ask questions.”

Solid. Very believable.

“That makes sense but hide behind a tree? Really?” She was still laughing. Sangah coughed into her shoulder. “That’s unfortunate. Did you explain it to him?”

“I’m still alive. So yes, I did. The bastard didn’t even apologize.”

The doors of the cabin opened to their station.

“I wouldn’t either.” Sooyoung said, grinning. Dokja pushed her out the subway. She stumbled back. He followed her out and steadied her. She glared at him. Dokja smiled at her sweetly. Sooyoung continued glaring at him all the way to the entrance of the station.

Their houses were on the opposite sides of the station. Dokja turned right. “Get home safe. See you on Monday.”

He continued walking. The sound of two sets of footsteps followed him. Dokja around abruptly.

“What are you doing? You live on the other side.”

Han Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah looked at him like he was crazy. “We want to see your kitten.”

“Aren’t you allergic?” he asked Yoo Sangah.

She pulled out a mask from her pocket. “I am. I’ll be fine if I keep my distance.”

“Are you sure?”

Sooyoung pushed past him. “Yes, she is. Now let’s get moving.”

 Dokja and Sangah walked a step behind her. She seemed really excited to meet the kitten.

“Are you keeping the kitten?” Yoo Sangah asked.

“I’d like to but I don’t know if I can.”

“Why not?”

Dokja kicked a stone on the footpath. “I was actually planning on moving.”

Han Sooyoung stopped and turned around.

“Huh?”

Yoo Sangah looked shocked too. “To where?”

“Some place closer to the station.”

“Oh. That’s great.” Sooyoung resumed walked. He squinted at her. That was weird.

“For a moment I thought you meant somewhere far away.” Yoo Sangah patted his arm.

Far away? There was no reason to.

“Nothing like that. Its just tiring to have to walk so much after a long day.”

Sangah nodded. He continued, “The closer the house is to the station, the higher the rent. I don’t know if I can afford that and a kitten at the same time.”

She hummed. There was nothing more to say. They were almost at his house.

“Why is your door open?” Sooyoung asked, turning the knob freely.

“The kids are over.” He pushed the door open.

Mia was over too. All three of them were towering over the little kitten. Dokja walked towards them. “Don’t crowd her. You’ll scare her.”

Han Sooyoung stepped behind him, eyes wide as she looked at the kids. “Yoo Mia?”

“Sooyoung Unnie? Why are you here?” Mia huffed.

“That’s my question.” She turned to question Dokja but paused. Her eyes widened.

“No way.”

“You know her?” Dokja asked Sooyoung.

“You got beaten up by Yoo Joonghyuk?” Han Sooyoung covered her mouth in shock.

“Almost. You didn’t answer my question.” Dokja replied, indignant.

“I know her brother.”

“I know that. I meant you know him in real life?”

Sooyoung looked puzzled.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I meant of course you’d know him. It was his fanfic you plagiarized.”

She grabbed him by his hair. “I’m telling you I didn’t. It was a coincidence.”

Dokja retaliated. “If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. We’ve been over this.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Lie.”

“Truth.”

“Lie.”

A masked Yoo Sangah interrupted them. “Can we please behave in front of children?”

Dokja pulled his hand away from her head, shaking off the loose strands in his palm.

“Ow.” Sooyoung rubbed her scalp, face scrunched in pain. Dokja felt a little sorry. He patted her head as an apology. She scratched his hand in return.

“Ouch.” Dokja clutched his now wounded hand and glared at her. The snake smiled at him.

Yoo Sangah sighed and moved to sit on the couch, eyes fixed on the kitten. The kids were looking at them like they were animals in the zoo. Dokja rolled his eyes and crouched next to the kitten.

“Did you feed her?”

“Yup. Mia bought some cat food.”

Dokja nodded at her. “Good job.”

“Does your brother know you’re here today?” Sooyoung snickered, crouching down next to Dokja.

Mia pouted. “He’s the one who bought me the food.”

Dokja didn’t want to take any chances, “Did you tell him you’d be here? “

She looked down at her feet. Dokja groaned, running a hand over his face. “Mia, you know I’m the one who’ll get into trouble, right? Your brother is going to kill me.”

Mia frowned. “Oppa wouldn’t do that.”

“Not to you.” He on the other hand was screwed.

Sooyoung smacked his back. She sat down on the ground and pulled out her phone. “I’ll tell him she’s here.”

Han Sooyoung was an angel.  

“Send me your address, I’ll send it to him.”

A very bad angel. He did not like this.

“I’ll take her back to the park.”

Sooyoung and Sangah stared at him in disbelief. “Dokja-ssi, why would you do that?”

“Did you like being choked by your crush that much? Do you want a repeat?” Sooyoung asked.

Dokja choked on air. “Do you like making shit up?”

Sooyoung smirked. “I am an author.”

“I wish you were not.”

“Sure. Be for real now. No sane person would read that shitty fanfic if they didn’t like Yoo Joonghyuk.”

“You wouldn’t have copied it if you thought it was shit. So shut up.”

“Oh. You really liked the fic huh. Good to know.” Her smile was creeping him out. He didn’t know what made Han Sooyoung smile like that but he didn’t think he wanted to know.

“I still think you like him though.”

“Get out.”

He didn’t like him. He was just his soulmate.

Mia perked up. “Ajhussi, you like my brother?”

Sooyoung giggled. Dokja was going to kill her.

“Hyung, not that guy. You can do better.” Lee gilyoung whined.

Yoo Sangah snorted. She feigned innocence when Dokja looked at her. That betrayal hurt.

“My brother is much better than this Ajhussi. Everyone likes him.” Mia snarked.

“I’m just a fan. I don’t like him.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

“Han Sooyoung, I’ll skin you alive if you don’t shut up.”  Han Sooyoung cackled like a witch. At least Lee Gilyoung looked satisfied with that.

Dokja was so tired of these people.

“Okay fine. The bastard asked for your address. I sent him my location. Mia, get your things. Your brother is coming.”

So Yoo Joonghyuk had his address. Dokja was about to pass out. All his years of hard work were going down the drain right in front of his eyes and there was nothing he could do about it.

18-year-old Kim Dokja would be so upset.

Mia stopped in front of him. “Ajhussi, can he come in here? I want to show him the kitten.”

Hell no.

“Only if you can convince him to keep it.”

There was only one way to regain control over his life. Get rid of the source of the problem. If he got Yoo Joonghyuk to take care of the kitten, changed the lock of his door and pretended he never entered Yoo Sangah’s house, everything would go back to normal.

Mia shook her head. “Oppa said I can’t have pets till I’m 15.”

Dokja smiled. “Then your Oppa can’t come in.”

Mia pouted “You’re a fan, right? I can ask Oppa to give you an autograph.”

Too bad Dokja was a bigger fan of Yoo Joonghyuk staying the fuck away from his offline life.

She had decent bargaining skills, he’d give her that.

“I’m a very casual fan. There’s no need for that, really.”

Sooyoung snorted. Mia glared at him.

“Is it because of what happened yesterday?” Shin Yoosung asked, worried.

“What happened yesterday?” Gilyoung asked.

Dokja intervened before Yoosung could say anything. “Nothing happened. There was a small misunderstanding. That’s all.”

Gilyoung didn’t look convinced.

“Then there’s no problem right, Ajhussi? Joonghyuk Oppa is nice.” Gilyoung pulled a face, Dokja could relate. That sentence was completely untrue.

Shin Yoosung and Mia both looked at him, pleading with their eyes. With just one look, Dokja knew he was fighting a losing battle. He looked to Yoo Sangah for help, she gave him a thumb’s up. Han Sooyoung was a bad influence.

“Fine. Bring him up.” The girls beamed at him. Gilyoung didn’t look too happy, so somebody was on his side.

Mia hopped over to Sooyoung and asked for her phone. She asked Joonghyuk to come upstairs. It seemed like he didn’t agree at first but eventually caved in.

Mia and Yoosung waited by the door. Dokja sat on the couch next to Yoo Sangah. In front of them, Gilyoung and Sooyoung gushed over the kitten.

Sangah patted his back encouragingly. Dokja sighed and buried his face in his palms.

Why him?

Dokja heard him before he saw him. He looked up hesitantly. Mia dragged him by a hand while Yoosung walked beside him. Joonghyuk was already glaring at him. His eyes shifted to Sooyoung and Yoo Sangah.

He greeted them with a nod and turned back to Mia.

“Oppa, isn’t she cute? She’s so small and soft.” She lifted the kitten and placed her in Joonghyuk’s palm.

It was an image that resembled a gap-moe poster cover.

Yoo Joonghyuk was tall with big hands and broad shoulders. His black clothes and resting bitch face only made him more intimidating. The contrast of all that to the small, white kitten held awkwardly in his palm was just gold.

A shutter went off. The kitten meowed.

Kim Dokja couldn’t hold it in any longer. He tried to stifle his laughter with the back of his hand but failed miserably.

Yoo Joonghyuk dropped the kitten on his head. Dokja’s hand’s shot up to catch her before she fell.

“Hey! Careful.”

Joonghyuk ignored him and marched over to Han Sooyoung. “Delete it.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Nope.”

“Delete it now.”

Joonghyuk pulled her hand and tried to snatch her phone. Sooyoung tossed it to Yoo Sangah.

“Oh, it’s a cute photo.” she said. “Mia, do you want to see it?”

Joonghyuk scowled at her. “Don’t.”

She handed the phone to Mia. She squealed. “Oppa, you look so cute. I’m going to set it as your contact photo. Unnie, can you send it to me?”

Sangah nodded. “Yes, I can. Sooyoung, you have her number, right?”

Han Sooyoung nodded, still in Joonghyuk’s grasp. She winked at him. Joonghyuk deflated, looking defeated. He released Sooyoung and walked over to the door.

“Mia, come. We’re leaving.”

Kim Dokja wanted to see the photo. It must have been cute considering Joonghyuk barely put up a fight. But asking would mean getting teased. He should have peeked when Sangah had the phone. He was way too curious. How unfortunate.

Yoo Joonghyuk waited till Mia was done with her round of bye’s. He nodded at Yoo Sangah. Han Sooyoung called out to him as he left.

“Reach home safe, Joonghyukie.”

He slammed the door shut.

“Geez how does he get worse each time I meet him?” Han Sooyoung mumbled.

“He’s a sooty bastard, that’s how.” Gilyoung who’d stayed silent the whole time spoke up.

“Don’t curse, Gilyoung-ah.” Dokja placed the kitten on the floor and asked Yoosung and Gilyoung to feed her the cat food Mia bought with her. It was enough to last him a few days.

Dokja turned to Sooyoung and Sangah. “How do you two know him?”

Han Sooyoung wiggled her eyebrows. Crazy woman. Dokja turned Yoo Sangah.

“He’s Sooyoung’s friend. They went to the same school.”

Dokja’s eyebrows shot up. Schoolmates, that was shocking.

Sooyoung squeezed into the narrow space between Dokja and Sooyoung. “We went to the same middle school and high school. He used to be a nice kid, but then shit happened and he turned out like this.”

Kim Dokja desperately wanted to know what exactly happened but refrained from asking. That information is neither his to seek nor it is hers to give.

“Joonghyuk and nice? That’s a little hard to believe.”

“What’s hard to believe is you having a thing for him.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“That’s because I don’t have a thing for him. I swear I don’t.”

Sooyoung rolled her eyes. “I’ve been listening to you talk about him for two years. It’s obvious to me.”

“It’s okay if you do, Dokja-ssi. Joonghyuk-ssi isn’t a bad choice at all.” Yoo Sangah added.

But Dokja didn’t. All he wanted was for them to drop it and not bring it up again. He couldn’t imagine being in love with anyone, definitely not with Yoo Joonghyuk, not after everything tat happened between them.

Yoo Joonghyuk was his soulmate. It was natural for Dokja to find him attractive, but that didn’t mean anything. Sooyoung was the one reading too much into it.

“I think I’d know how I feel. It’s getting late. You should leave.”

The two of them looked a little guilty. Dokja felt a little bad. “I’m not mad, just a little tired.”

They nodded in unison. Sangah got up first. “See you on Monday, Dokja-ssi.”

He followed them to the door. “See you.” Sooyoung looking like she was sulking a bit.

Dokja flicked her forehead. “Text me when you reach home.” He waved at them tell the turned towards the stairs.

There were noises of the tap running in the kitchen and the kids arguing. It’d be time for dinner soon. He had to remind them to go back home on time.

‘Yoosung-ah, Gilyoung-ah, it’s late. If you’re done feeding her, go back home.”

“We’re done, Hyung.”

The two bid the kitten goodbye and put on their shoes.

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Shin Yoosung’s head snapped up. She looked angry.

“Ajhussi, why did you only ask Gilyoung to sleep over? You even waited till after I left to ask him!” She sulked, drawing patterns on the floor with her foot.

Gilyoung snickered but stopped when Dokja shot him a stern look.

“He asked to stay. If it was me, I’d have ask you both.”

She looked a little appeased till Gilyoung opened his mouth. “But I’m the one the one who slept over first. Take that!”

Her smile dropped. Dokja felt guilty. “Gilyoung fought with his mom. I couldn’t refuse him.”

“Then let me stay over tonight.” He knew it’d come to this.

Dokja nodded. “Fine.”

She cheered. “Then me too.” Gilyoung said.

“No, only me. Ajhussi, tell him.”

Did every parent have to go through this? Dokja was tired already.

“Gilyoung, you had your turn yesterday. It’s her turn today.”

“But Hyung- “

“You both can stay over next time, okay?”

Gilyoung nodded, clearly displeased. “Hyung, you can’t do anything that you didn’t do yesterday okay?”

“Ajhussi doesn’t have to listen to you.” Yoosung huffed.  

Gilyoung stuck his tongue out at her and opened the door. “Behave” he told her before he left.

Yoosung smiled at him sweetly. “I’ll come back after dinner, Ajhussi.”

She left with a bounce in her steps. Dokja sunk back into his couch.

Did kids their age like sleepovers that much? His house didn’t even have anything fun. Once again, Dokja felt older than his age.

Kids, these days. He shook his head.

Chapter Text

It was 7 am on a Sunday morning. Dokja was wide awake, staring, at his ceiling, counting sheep to past time.

Yoosung and Gilyoung had slept over the previous night. Something about Dokja not caring for the kitten like they did.

He felt offended. He’s the one who housed and cleaned up after her but sure, he didn’t care at all.

The kids had used up their pocket money to buy some snacks saying they wanted to have real sleepover. Dokja, not wanting to be outdone by literal children, had rushed to the supermarket to buy ingredients to make a humble hotpot.

While it didn’t taste as good as it would in a diner, it was good enough for the kids to eat it without complains. Then came the issue about sleeping arrangements.

The kids had wanted to watch a movie. Dokja did not have a TV. He told them to take his laptop to the bed and watch whatever they wanted. But they refused.

“Ajhussi, in a real sleepover, everyone has to sleep on the same bed and watch the same movie.” they’d said.

So, Dokja with no other option left, dragged the mattress off his bed along with his old mattress that was still not spoilt enough to be thrown away, to the living room. They pushed the couch and table aside to make space for two single mattresses.

Dokja let them pick the movie. They picked Spirited Away, good taste. He had let them drag him to the middle and climb all over him.

It had been way too long since he slept next to someone else. It was way too warm and nice for Dokja to resist, so he let them chatter away in his ears throughout the movie and pretended it annoyed him.

He had fallen asleep like that, oddly fuzzy and happier than he’d felt in years.

Then he’d woken up in the morning with hair in his mouth and two missing limbs.

Yoosung had her head burrowed into his right shoulder, a chunk of her hair had found its way into his mouth sometime during the night. Gilyoung strangled his left arm, head resting on his shoulder while the rest of his body clung to the length of his arm like a leech.

It had been 30 minutes since he woke up and he was starting to think he’d never feel his arms again.

Dokja could wake them up, but it felt wrong to wake them up early on a Sunday morning.

He’d tried to nudge his arm from their grips but it only made them hold on tighter. He switched tactics. He squirmed gently in his place, hoping they’d move away on their own.

It worked. Yoosung turn away from him while Gilyoung moved back and groaned, shoving his hand into Dokja’s face.

Dokja quickly stood up and sat on the couch.

His right arm recovered first. Dokja used it to lift his left arm up and released it.  He watched in horror as it flopped down on the couch lifelessly. He bit his lip to stop himself from screaming. He poked his arm once, twice.

It did not feel like a human arm, it felt like some new meat-jelly hybrid.

Dokja rubbed his arm frantically, almost tearing up in relief when he felt the telltale stinging of blood starting to flow through his arm again.

He glowered at sleeping children and then sighed.

What a scary way to start his day.

Dokja woke the kids for breakfast at an acceptable time. 9:10am. They still looked groggy.

He made the kids some scrambled eggs and toast and boiled some eggs for the kitten. They had run out of the cat food Mia brought the previous day. Dokja planned to buy some more that afternoon.

He sat on the floor with the bowl and crushed the eggs. The kitten seemed to eat the most when he was the one feeding her, so Dokja was on permanent feeding duty.

“Ajhussi, we should name her.” Yoosung said.

“No. And don’t talk while you’re eating.” Dokja stroked the kitten’s head with a finger.

“We can’t keep calling her the kitten, Hyung.” Gilyoung whined.

“She won’t be staying with us forever. There’s no point of naming her.” Dokja replied. It would also be a problem if she got attached to the name. He was already afraid she was attached to them.

“But it’s common for kittens at shelter to have names. Isn’t it the same thing here?”

Dokja considered it.

“Ajhussi come on. Isn’t it sad that she doesn’t have a name when she lives with us?” Who is Us? “Let’s name her. Her owners can change the name if they don’t like it.”

They had a point. The kittens at the shelters all had names, some really bad names too.

“Fine. Name her.”

“You choose the name, Hyung.”

“Huh, okay.” Dokja nodded, deep in thought.

A name. Dokja was to pick a name.

Dokja thought a name should be simple. Easy to pronounce, No multiple meanings that would leave you wondering which of the two was the real meaning of your name.

Something simple, but also cute. He stared at the kitten, empty black eyes stared back at him. She meowed and something just clicked.

“Biyoo. What about Biyoo?” The kids nodded vigorously.

“That’s a cute name!”

He smiled and bent closer to the kitten. “Biyoo, do you like your name?” She nuzzled into his palm. Dokja took that as a yes. He lifted her into his hand and rubbed her belly. She squirmed meowing.

Dokja looked up at the kids, grinning widely. They looked a little too happy over a name. It was suspicious.

But it was the first time Dokja ever named anyone. So, he just let them be.

The kids told him that Mia told them that cat food was cheaper at a pet store near her house.

The store was more than 20 minutes by walk which made him wonder how Mia came over almost every other day. Dokja decided to take the bus. The bus stop was empty except for an older women. He gave her a small smile in greeting and sat down closer to the other corner of the bench.

He had to wait a few minutes for the next bus. Dokja decided to not waste that time. He took out his phone to text Sooyoung.

me: the new chapter sucks btw

She replied almost instantly. That phone addict.

BFE: who are you and what did you do to dokja?

me: ??

BFE: where’s my detailed chapter breakdown?

me: do you have a degradation kink

BFE: …

BFE: All I wanted to know was if you moved on from TWOS

BFE: Is my novel the rebound? 😏

me: tf no

me: I’m out. I need my laptop to write the breakdown

BFE: huh? you went outside willingly?

BFE: where?

me: to buy cat food

BFE: oh nice

me: we named the cat btw

BFE: oho?

me: her name is Biyoo.

BFE: didn’t you say you’re not keeping her?

me: yup.

me: but the kids said the shelters name their kittens. It’s okay if we do it too

BFE: I see 😏 

me: what?

BFE: nothing 😏 😏 

me: ??

BFE: 😏 😏 😏 😏 

me: tf is wrong with you?

BFE: 😏 😏 😏 😏 😏 😏 😏

“Excuse me, young man.”

Dokja looked up from his phone. The woman stood in front of him, her bags resting on the seat. “Yes?”

“How do people pay the bus fare?” it was an unexpected question.

Dokja looked at her curiously. The woman, probably in her 50s, was beautiful. She had green eyes and long, wavy hair that was more golden than blonde, tucked into a neat bun. She must have broken many hearts in her younger days.

The woman was definitely a foreigner.

“You can pay with a T-card. Do you have one?” he replied.

She looked confused. “A T-card?”

“We use it to pay bus fares.”

“Oh. I don’t have one.” She looked worried. “Can’t I use a normal card?”

“You can if you have the transit function enabled.” Dokja didn’t think she’d have that.

“I don’t think I do.” Yup.

“Never mind then. Unfortunately, most buses these days don’t have the coin box. You’ll have to get a T-card.” he told her.

“But I never use the bus. My taxi broke down on the way and I need to be home soon. The driver told me I was better of catching a bus than waiting for another taxi.”

Then the card would probably just be a waste.

“Where do you live?” he asked her.

She lived around a stop before the pet store. The bus turned around the corner of the street. Dokja eyed her bags and then looked at her.

She was around his mother’s age.

Dokja stood up and lifted some of her bags. “Come. I’ll pay for you.”

“Oh really? Thank you.”

She followed him in, watching carefully as Dokja paid their fares. He guided her to the only free seat and stood beside her.

She smiled at him with gratitude. “Let me pay you back.” She said, opening her purse.

“No, it’s okay.” It felt wrong to accept money from her.

“No, let me.” She insisted.

Dokja refused again. “It’s not a big amount. Please don’t pay me back.” She stared at him for a few seconds and then closed her purse.

“If you say so.” She had a kind smile.

“You look just like my husband did when he was around your age.” She says, giggling a little. “He was more handsome though. Just a little bit.”

Dokja couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t doubt that.”

“Do you live around there? The place we boarded the bus in.” She asked.

He nodded.

“I’m Persephone. What’s your name?” He was right. It was a foreign name.

“Kim Dokja.”

“How old are you, young man?”

“I’m 28.”

She nodded slowly. “I see.”

They were getting closer to her stop. He told her as much. She stood up and tried to grab all her bags. She had a lot of them.

“Do you know how to get home from the stop?” he asked her.

“I’ll have to figure that out. Or” She paused, smiling mischievously. “I’ll have to find another kind young man who is willing to help me out.”

Dokja chuckled. He grabbed some of her bags. “This kind young man will help you out a little longer then.” He got off the bus with her.

She looked taken aback. “Weren’t you on your way somewhere? Won’t you be late?”

Dokja shook his head. “I was on my way to buy something. Nothing important. It’s just a stop away. Now tell me your address. I’ll walk you home.”

It turned out her house was quite close to the bus stop. They walked in silent for a while. The lack of conversation made him feel oddly self-aware.

He was being uncharacteristically meddling.

Dokja was not a busybody. He usually kept to himself. He wasn’t sure what made him help her out so willingly. It could have been her age or it could have been the fact that she reminded him of his mom.

It was the first time he’d thought of her in months. Dokja swallowed the lump in his throat.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Persephone’s voice. “We’re here.”

Dokja had guessed that she was well off from the brand labels on her bags and the rich neighborhood, but this was insane.

It was a mansion.

Dokja stood in front of the huge gates, gaping. Persephone chuckled and rang the bell. A maid opened the gate. Dokja thought they only existed in TV shows.

She immediately took the bags from Persephone, fussing over her. “Ma’am, we were so worried. You should have asked us to send a driver.”

“You didn’t have to. This young man helped me home.” Persephone said pointing at him. The maid finally noticed Dokja. He stood up straighter. She took his hand in hers and thanked him profusely.

Dokja tried to tell her it wasn’t a big deal but was brushed off.

“Lily, is Hades home?” Persephone asked.

“No ma’am. We still have time but we’ll have to hurry.” she said. She took all the bags from them and hurried into the mansion. “I’ll set it up in no time, Ma’am”

Persephone turned Dokja. “Today is the anniversary of when my husband and I started dating. I don’t care for it but Hades loves anniversaries. I went out by myself to surprise him. I would have surely been too late it you didn’t help me. Thank you, Kim Dokja.”

He smiled at her. “I’m glad you made it on time. I’ll be leaving then. Hope he likes your surprise.” He turned to leave but was stopped.

“Would you like to join us? Its just the two of us, I’m sure Hades wouldn’t mind some company.” Dokja looked at her, shocked.

It was a private event, an anniversary celebration. And they lived in a mansion. He didn’t know her well enough to join them for something like that. Dokja knew he’d die of nerves if he accepted her invitation.

“No, I- I don’t want to intrude.”

She insisted he join them but Dokja refused. “I have to leave. It was nice meeting you.”

She looked a little disappointed. “Likewise. Get home safe, son.”

Dokja left, feeling completely out of his element. Rich people were scary.

On the bus back home from shopping, Dokja texted the group chat with Yoo Sangah and Sooyoung.

me: Ykw

me: I almost saw the inside of a rich person’s house

He got a reply while he was walking home from the stop.

Sooyoung: I’m rich. you’ve been to my house.

me: you’re rich. I’m talking rich rich

Sangah: who’s house then?

me: Someone I helped on the bus

Sooyoung: Is this your sugar bby moment? Dokja don’t fumble

me: shut it. she’s old enough to be my mom

Sooyoung: that’s why they call em sugar mommy

me: no

Sooyoung: fine. ask her to be your mom then

me: Are you crazy? she’d have one of her bodyguards beat me to pulp

Sangah: bodyguards?

me: She has a maid, maid uniform and all. There’s definitely a bodyguard

Sooyoung: holy shit😳😳

me: she asked me to come in for dinner. I ran

Sooyoung: what an idiot

Sangah: dokja-ssi you should have had dinner with her. why did you leave?

me: it was a mansion, the dinner was an anniversary celebration. How could i?

Sangah: you should have joined them as their son

me: Sangha-ssi….

Sangah: I’m so disappointed

Sooyoung: yeah, dokja kys

me: 🖕🖕

Biyoo was adorable.

Dokja knew that the very second he saw her but she seemed to only get cuter as time went on. She was a clingy kitten. He didn’t know much about cats but he’d always thought of them as aloof. But Biyoo seemed to love attention. She always climbed into laps and nuzzled into palms.

She liked Dokja the most. It pissed the kids off because Dokja gave her the least amount of affection among all of them, but she seemed taken by him. Dokja liked the feeling. He liked Biyoo. 

He was almost in love with her at the moment because she was his only distraction from the other living being in the house.

Yoo Jonghyuk was on his couch. It was an exceptionally strange evening.

Mia came over almost every day since they brought home Biyoo. Joonghyuk had naturally started picking her up from his house. He usually waited in his car downstairs, Dokja never tried to meet him either. 

Today, the kids had dropped their bags by the couch and gone outside to play. Joonghyuk must have waited for a while before coming upstairs to get her. Dokja had invited him to wait inside, fully expecting him to decline. However, Joonghyuk simply walked in and sat down on the couch without saying a word.

That almost gave Dokja a heart attack.

Joonghyuk looked so out of place in his apartment.  Like a bar of gold on a pile of pebbles. He looked awkward too, his shoulders were tense. He was staring at Biyoo who was staring right back at him.

Dokja would have laughed if the kids were home. Instead, he stood still be the entrance of his house, cursing himself.

He mentally urged the kids to come back soon.

He handed Joonghyuk Mia’s bag wordlessly. Joonghyuk placed it on his lap. Dokja eyed the empty space next to Joonghyuk but decided against it. He walked to the kitchen instead, taking Biyoo with him for emotional support.

Dokja climbed onto the empty kitchen counter and placed Biyoo on his lap. She looked up at him confused. He covered her face with his hand and tickled her chin.

Joonghyuk looked at him like he was crazy. “What are you doing?”

Dokja feigned innocence. “Playing with Biyoo?”

Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow. He looked good. Dokja was so not okay. “Biyoo is the cat, by the way.”

“That’s not what I asked.” Joonghyuk deadpanned.

Dokja tilted his head, the poster cover of innocence. Joonghyuk’s eye twitched.

“Why are you on the kitchen counter?” he asked, voice strained.

“Oh that. The couch is too narrow for two grown men.” Joonghyuk looked at the couch and then the floor. Dokja avoided his eyes. Yes, he chose the counter because it put enough distance between them. Sue him.

Joonghyuk looked around his house. Dokja stared wishfully at his phone that was on the table by the couch. He should have grabbed his phone instead of Biyoo.

“Are you nervous?” Joonghyuk asked a while later.

“What?” Dokja asked incredulously.

“Mia said you were a fan.”

Yoo Mia was banned from his house.

“What? No. I just watch your streams sometimes. I'm very casual fan.” Dokja said, hands waving around.

“How long have you been watching my streams?”

“A few years.” That wasn’t very casual, was it?

Joonghyuk hummed. “What’s your id?”

Why was he doing this to him?

“Why?”

“I’m just curious.” The look in his eyes told him he was scheming. Mia definitely told him something weird. It was all Han Sooyoung’s fault.

Dokja wondered if there was any way he could make Yoo Joonghyuk leave. He had a stream scheduled at 8pm. Dokja could tell him he’d be late for that, but he was supposed to be a very casual fan and very casual fans didn’t know the streamer’s schedule.

He decides to stall.

“I don’t remember.”

“Then check it.”

Damn it. Why is he so insistent?

“My phone’s all the way over there.” He points at the table.

“I’ll help you check then.” Dokja never moved so quick in his entire life. His phone was password protected, but he did not want his phone anywhere near Yoo Joonghyuk. With his luck, it might malfunction and type “Kim Dokja is Yoo Joonghyuk’s soulmate.” all on its own and then Yoo Joonghyuk would kill Kim Dokja. Then he’d have to go to jail, which would make Mia and his fans sad.

It was better for Yoo Joonghyuk to not touch his phone.

“I’ll do it myself.”

He could make up some random id, but if he was caught later, it’d make him look suspicious. He decides to make an alt account with his spare email.

“Why are you so insistent anyway?”

“Mia said you were a big fan of mine. Since you said you were just a casual fan, I wanted to make sure it was casual enough to not harm Mia.”

That made sense. He wouldn’t want someone who was after him to be spending time with his unsuspecting little sister. He typed in the first name that came to his mind.

“It’s hakyun with an upper K.”

Joonghyuk kept his eyes fixed on his phone. Dokja rolled his eyes and turned the screen towards him, making sure it shows nothing more than his id.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’m really not after you. I don’t know what Mia told you, but if its something weird, its Han Sooyoung’s fault.”

Joonghyuk snorted. “It always is.”

Glad they have that in common.

It was a little weird how natural talking to him felt. It was more of an interrogation than a conversation, but Dokja didn’t mind it at all. Was it because they were soulmates? Or was it just a consequence of his newly acquired social life?

He did not like that feeling. It felt like he was getting used to Yoo Joonghyuk alarmingly fast. He could not let that happen.

But Joonghyuk no longer seemed to be someone he could just avoid meeting. Dokja felt conflicted. He attempted to distract himself by talking.

“So where do you liv-“

“Are you keeping the cat?” Joonghyuk asked him, point at his hand.

Dokja glared at him. Did he really have to interrupt him with a question he’d been asked a hundred times?

He huffed and sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall beside the couch. “No, I’m not. I’m just keeping Biyoo till I can find her a home.” Biyoo sat curled up on his thigh. He rocked his leg lightly.

“Biyoo?”

“That’s her name.”

“You let them name her?”

“Hey! I’m the one who named her.” Joonghyuk looked at him like he was stupid.

Why was he looking at him like that? Was it the name? Did he think the name sucked?

That would be rich coming from Yoo Joonghyuk. If given the chance, he would have named her Infinite White Flame Kitten or Supreme Cat or something equally chuuni sounding.

“What? Biyoo is a cute name.” He said, smiling as he stroked Biyoo’s fur. The look on Joonghyuk’s face worsened.

Dokja scowled at him. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Stop being a fool then.”

“What did I do?”

Yoo Joonghyuk did not answer him. Instead, he asked “When will they come back?”

Dokja heard footsteps and the shouts of the kids. “I’m guessing anytime now.”

The door flew open.

“Biyoo, I’m home- “Gilyoung cooed, only to cut himself off at the sight of Joonghyuk. “What’s he doing here?”

Mia pushed him aside. “Oppa! Are you here to play with Biyoo too?”

Yoo Joonghyuk stood up. “No, I’m here to pick you up. You’re late by the way. You asked me to pick you up at 7.”

“Everyone knows 7 means 7:30, Oppa.”

“No, 7 means 6:50. I’ll be picking you up at 6:30 from tomorrow.”

“You can’t do that.” Mia whined.

He shouldn’t do that. Knowing Mia, 6:30 would definitely be 7. Kim Dokja did not want Joonghyuk in his house for half an hour every evening. He did not want him in his house at all.

Yoo Joonghyuk stared down at her sternly. “On second thought, don’t come here again. Play at our house.”

Thank you. That was exactly what Dokja wanted.

“No. You promised to let me go wherever I want.”

“Only if you behave. Come, let’s go.” With that, Joonghyuk walked out of the house. Mia followed him out, sulking.

“Joonghyuk Oppa is scary sometimes.” Yoosung said.

“Hyung, don’t let that guy in again. I don’t want him here.” Dokja laughed. Gilyoung really seemed to hate him.

“Why do you hate him so much?” He asked him.

“I don’t know, everything about him pisses me off.” Dokja laughed harder. Yoosung smacked Gilyoung’s head.

“You’re just jealous.” She said, crossing her arms.

“There’s nothing to be jealous about that guy.” Gilyoung crossed his arms and turned the other way.

Dokja found his antics quite funny. After all, it wasn’t everyday he came across someone who hated Joonghyuk in a non-malicious way. But it probably wasn’t responsible to encourage it.

“You shouldn’t talk about your elders so disrespectfully, Gilyoung-ah.”

“It’s only him, Hyung. I’m nice to everyone else, I promise.” Yoosung made a face. Dokja somehow doubted it.

“Yoosung seems to disagree.” With that the kids started bickering again. Watching kids argue was oddly entertaining.

“Are you two staying for dinner or going back home?” He asked when the banter went on for too long.

“I have to go home.” Yoosung said.

“Hyung, can I stay the night?” Gilyoung asked him. Yoosung immediately shot him a glare. Gilyoung had been staying over a lot over the past few weeks. Dokja never asked for a reason, but sometimes he wanted to know if things were okay.

He hoped he would tell him soon.

“Of course, you can. Did you tell your mother?”

Gilyoung lit up. “I’ll tell her now. Can I bring my uniform? I don’t want to wake up early just to go back home.”

“Sure.” Gilyoung whooped as he ran to house his.

“Ajhussi, you can’t like him more just because he stays over often.” Yoosung said, hand clenching the hem of her shirt.

He didn’t know what brought this on but he did not like the look on her face.

“I like you both the same, Yoosung-ah.”

She smiled at him. Dokja thought she looked better like that. “You can’t take that back.”

“I won’t.”

She returned home after that.

The thing with Gilyoung came to a head on one random Tuesday.

Dokja woke up to his door slamming open. He’d rushed out in panic only to find Gilyoung on his couch sobbing. He stood there frozen for longer than he would have liked to.

“Gilyoung-ah?” Gilyoung’s sobs grew louder. He curled in on himself.

Dokja rushed towards, him kneeling down in front of him.

“Gilyoung. What happened?” The boy cried harder. Gilyoung bent forwards and wrapped his hand around Dokja’s shoulders.

Dokja stayed still for a long time, till Gilyoung’s cries died down. He rubbed his back hesitantly, not knowing what to do.

Dokja gently pulled away from him. It was then he noticed his red cheek. Dokja’s heart dropped. For a second, it felt like he was looking at his younger self. He wanted to run away.

“What happened? Why are you crying?”

“Hyung, I don’t want to go back home. I hate it there. They’re always so mean to me. I hate being home. Can’t I stay with you? Please. I really don’t want to be around them.” he pleaded with a shaky voice.

Dokja’s hands shook with worry and something he didn’t want to put a name to.

“Why? What did they do to you?”

Gilyoung told him everything, his voice trembling throughout. Lee Gilyoung’s situation was not similar to Dokja’s. It was not any better, just different.

Gilyoung was born out an affair his mother had with her soulmate. Even though his father had forgiven his mother for it, he let Gilyoung know about his grievances every chance he got. His father didn’t hit him often, but it wasn’t very rare either. He was treated completely different from his siblings. It was so obvious, his siblings picked on it. His siblings called him names, stole his things and got him into trouble with his father.

Gilyoung’s mother never intervened. She watched her son be punished for her mistakes from the sidelines.

“I don’t belong there, Hyung. My dad hates me. My mom hates me. Nobody there likes me. It’s much better here. I’d rather just stay with you.”

Dokja’s heart ached for him.

It was a situation similar to the one he’d lived through. He had spent each day wishing there was someone he could lean on, someone who could help him.

But Dokja didn’t have any.

Now, more than a decade later, he had a little kid in his house asking for help.

Dokja stood up. “You can stay but I’ll need to talk to your mother first.” Gilyoung looked scared.

He picked Biyoo from where she had crawled over to them and placed her on Gilyoung’s lap. “Watch over each other for a while. Hyung will be right back.”

Dokja wasn’t good with words. He could only hope his actions would be enough.

“Um, you are?”

Gilyoung looked a lot like his mother. They had the same hair, nose and eyes. But Gilyoung looked a lot kinder.

“I’m Kim Dokja. I live over there.” He said, pointing at his building. “Gilyoung comes over to play often.”

Her eyes lit up with recognition but then dimmed. “Oh… Is- is Gilyoung at your house now?”

“Yes. He said he doesn’t want to go back home.”

Her eyes widened. She looked over her shoulder, then stepped outside and closed the door. “Can we take this somewhere else?”

They ended up at the park in front of his building. Gilyoung’s mother shifted in her seat. Dokja didn’t know what to say so he waited for her to speak.

She stayed silent for a while before asking him “How much did Gilyoung tell you?”

“Enough to know what’s going on.” He replied coldly.

She took a shuddering breath. “I love Gilyoung. I really do but I cannot protect him. Doing so would ruin my marriage. I’ve tried. It only made it worse.”

Dokja doubted it.

“My husband is not a bad man, what I did really upset him. He loves me a lot. It’s because he can’t bring himself to hurt me that he hurts Gilyoung.” She glanced as his face and turned away quickly. He knew he must have looked furious.

She opened her mouth to continue but Dokja knew there was no point in hearing her out.

“He asked to live with me.” Her mouth snapped shut.

Dokja hoped that would shock her into action. If she did love Gilyoung like she claimed to, then that would have been heartbreaking to hear. But that’s not what happened.

“Can you? Can you take him in?”

It was Dokja turn to be left speechless.

“What?”

“I’ll pay for his tuition, food, everything. Can you just give him a place to say?” Seeing the bewildered look on Dokja’s face, she added “I’ll visit him often. We’ll have him over during celebrations. I’m not asking forever. Just for long enough that my husband loses his anger. Gilyoung is a good boy, I want him to have a happy childhood, even if it’s not with me.”

Dokja scoffed. Even if she tried to put it nicely, her stance was obvious to him.

“If you really wanted him to grow up happy, you wouldn’t get back with a man who hates him.”

“He promised to treat him like his own.”

“And he broke it. Now what?”

Silence.

Dokja scoffed. “Why are you letting him punish Gilyoung for what you did? Why are you willing to send your son away for him?”

“I love him.” She said.

Then you wouldn’t have cheated, Dokja wanted to say.

“More than your son?” he asked instead.

Silence, again.

Dokja didn’t like her one bit. He knew for a fact that if she had intervened years ago, then Gilyoung could have lived happily with his family. In his story, she was the only person whose actions he couldn’t justify at all.

Maybe he was projecting, but he couldn't bear to look at her any longer.

He stood up. “You know what? Fine. He can stay with me.”

She had the audacity to look relieved.

“But I’ll give you sometime first. Try to talk it out with your husband first. If you still want this, then we can make legal arrangements for him to stay with me.”

She nodded, hesitantly. “I’ll pack him a bag for now. I’ll let you know my answer soon.”

With that he turned around and went back home.

“Hyung!”  Gilyoung ran up to him as soon as he opened the door. “What did you do?”

Dokja hesitated for a second. “She said you could stay with me.”

A myriad of emotions passed through Gilyoung’s face. It settled on a sad smile.

 “Oh.”

“Its not finalised, but that’s what we decided on for now.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t tell Gilyoung about the time he gave his mom. That might be false hope. While Dokja hoped she would pull her weight and try to talk to her husband, he knew it would be easier for her to take the easy way out.

Gilyoung did not want to go school that day. He asked if he could sleep in. Dokja let him.

Now that he was not in the park listening to Gilyoung’s mom write him off, he began to realize the weight of his actions.

Dokja didn’t know shit about child raising. If Gilyoung were to stay with him, how would that work legally? Would he have to adopt him? Dokja was too young to be a father.

She told him she would pay for all of his needs. She might keep her word in the first few years of this arrangement. What about when the kids were all grown up? What about college? Would this arrangement last forever? Would they eventually take him back?

The whole thing was starting to look scary in his head.

He pulled out his phone and texted Sangah and Sooyoung.

me: can you come over tonight? there’s something I need to tell you.

“Holy shit.”

Dokja was seated on the floor in front of the couch while Sooyoung and Sangah sat on it. He had Biyoo on his lap for emotional support again. She just looked happy with the attention he gave her.

He would miss her when he finally found someone who would take care of her.

It was just the three of them and Biyoo. The kids were playing outside.

“His parents really piss me off. He’s just a child. How could they do this to him?”

“Yeah.”

Dokja laid down on the floor. Biyoo walked over his abdomen, trying to find a comfortable place to lie down. He stared at the ceiling fan.

“I don’t know if I can take good care of him.”

“I think you can.” Yoo Sangah had way too much trust in him.

Han Sooyoung looked at him for a long time. “Kim Dokja, you don’t have to force yourself to take him in. I know you want to help him, but if you think you can’t, then that’s fine too. Nobody will blame you.”

Yoo Sangah nooded. “Its not a small decision. We understand.”

Dokja shook his head. “But Gilyoung wouldn’t. He’s just a child. He wouldn’t take it well if I sent him back there again.”

“It doesn’t have to be you.”

“But he came to me. You didn’t see it. I’ve never seen that kid cry even when he scraped both his knees to the bone. He came to me sobbing, asking me to help. I cannot send him away. I just can’t.”

Dokja wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he did. Not when he knew personally knew how it felt.

“If that’s what you decided, then that’s fine. But you cannot take it back later.” Yoo Sangah warned him.

“I know.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

“How does it work? Do you think I’ll have to adopt him?”

Yoo Sangah hummed. “I don’t think you’ll need to. As far as I’m aware, all you’ll need is a legal document where the parents explicitly stated that they consented to letting Gilyoung stay with you. You’ll have to talk to an advocate though.”

He wouldn’t be able to move apartments anytime soon, that was for sure.

It took a little more than two weeks to finalize everything and move Gilyoung in completely.

Gilyoung had been sad at first but he had made peace with it soon. Dokja is sure Biyoo and Yoosung had played no part in that, he’s very sure.

When Shin Yoosung found out Gilyoug was going to move in with him, she’d been very upset. Dokja almost thought she would throw a tantrum over it but then Sooyoung and Sangah pulled her aside to talk. He didn’t know what they told her, but Yoosung didn’t say anything about it. She’d just clung to Dokja the entire evening and glowered at Gilyoung when she left.

He really was grateful to Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung.

They’d come over almost every night in those two weeks. They’d split the advocate fee among the three of them. They also helped him setup up the apartment to make room for Gilyoung.

He was really grateful he had them in his life.

guwon: hello

Yoo Joonghyuk was playing the game Dokja was testing at Minosoft again. He thought he’d finished the demo a while ago.

guwon: Joonghyuk-ah, didn’t you finish the demo already?

“Guwon. I was told there’s an alternate ending.”

There was one. They’d gone all out with the demo to promote the actual game release. It was a good game, the visuals being the best part about it. Dokja lucked out with this stream, he had not watched any in the past two weeks.

guwon: there is. I like that ending better.

Joonghyuk nodded, the corner of his lips lifting up. Dokja smiled, he was unfairly good looking. So good looking that Dokja could feel himself destressing just by looking at him.

God really had his favourites.

He shook his head and focused on the chat.

u_fo_riel: @guwon where were youuuu o( 〒 ﹏〒 )o

apostle01: I bet he was cheating on us again

abfd_: off with his head

goldenheadband: @abfd_ you can tell he watched alice in wonderland recently

abfd_: @goldenheadband what no, that’s a kid’s movie

guwon: @u_fo_riel I was a little busy :}

deluxiondemon: can’t believe you actual have a life wtf

guwon: @deluxiondemon tf

apostle01: he’s right. you’re supposed to be a figment of our imagination

guwon: @apostle01 are you flirting with me?

u_fo_riel: ???/?

apostle01: wtf

abfd_: ayooooooo

apostle01: no of course not. tf dym

guwon: ‘you’re always on my mind’ or some shit like that

apostle01: ….wow. narcissist much

abfd_: dude

u_fo_riel: guwon ToT

guwon: geez my bad

deluxiondemon: why would you think that

apostle01: let me guess, you read some romcom with online dating

deluxiondemon: lmao

guwon: …no comments

abfd_: rofl

warfarxgod: lol remember that time when he read some crime thriller and was suspicious of you for a week?

guwon: that did not happen

goldheadband: but it did

apostle01: why is it always me

guwon: you’re sus

apostle01: stfu

On screen, Joonghyuk had beat the hidden boss and had to choose between two treasure chests. Dokja knew this one. The wrong chest would mean he got a decent item and would have to backtrack later to open the correct treasure chest, which had the item required to get the alternate ending.

guwon: Joonghyuk-ah, chose the white one

warfarxgod: No, chose the red

deluxiondemon: red is better. it has a good item. I saw it on another stream

guwon: where are the cheating allegations now

deluxiondemon: its only cheating if you do it, dumbfvck

guwon: how does that work

guwon: chose the white one

warfarxgod: red

Joonghyuk read the chat, contemplating on his choice.

guwon: Junghyuk-ah, trust me. Choose the white one. You’ll know why later.

Joonghyuk opened the white one. Dokja grinned at his screen when Joonghyuk’s face twisted in anger.

The item was a dumpling.

deluxiondemon: a dumpling lmao

warfarxgod: this is why you should listen to me

apostle01: romance only gets you so far idiot

u_fo_riel: he trusted guwon the most :’)

“Guwon. Explain yourself.”

guwon: keep playing, you’ll see

Joonghyuk glared at the screen. Dokja felt offended. Dokja wasn’t pranking him. The dumpling would be useful later.

Well, even if he was trying to fool Joonghyuk, what could he even do? Reach through the screen and beat him up? The most he could do was curse at him. Dokja should have let him pick the red one.

At the end of the demo, when the dumpling revealed itself as a support character,  Dokja spammed the chat asking Joonghyuk to thank him. But for all his efforts, Joonghyuk only gave him a “I would have done that without your help.” and a “Shut up if you don’t want to get banned.”

Ungrateful bastard.

Chapter Text

The kids were out playing, Biyoo was asleep. It was a peaceful evening.

No kids shouting in his ear, no clingy kitten crawling over him, no Han Sooyoung ruining his mental peace and most importantly, no Yoo Joonghyuk overthrowing years of careful planning.

Dokja sighed, content. He had downloaded some web novels to read that evening. He was barely 5 chapters in when the door of his house slammed open.

“Ajhussi! Ajhussi! Look at this!” Shin Yoosung came running to him. Giyoung followed her looking sullen. Dokja sat up from where he was sprawled over his bed, alarmed.

“What happened?

“Here, look! My arm has words on it.” she said, excitedly shoving her arm into his face. She got her first soul mark. He sat up straight, feeling excited himself. He pulled her closer to get a good look at it.

'hello? ' It read.

“Yoosung-ah, that’s your soul mark. Did you show your mom?” Dokja asked her, running a finger over the word.

“No, I wanted to show you first.” Kim Dokja’s undiagnosed heart disease acted up again.

He took a pen from the table next to his bed and handed it to her. Gilyoung walked over and sat next to him?

“What do I write?” She asked.

“Anything.” Dokja said, unhelpfully.

“Write hello. Then it’ll be your soulmates turn.” Yoosung seemed to like the idea. She uncapped the pen and wrote it down in neat strokes.

“That was smart.” Dokja ruffled Gilyoung’s hair. He snuggled closer to Dokja’s side. “Hyung, when will I get my mark?”

“It’ll take some time.” Gilyoung was going to be 12 this year. He had to wait a year more in the worst-case scenario.

“Why? Yoosung got hers.” He pouted.

“That’s because I’m special.” She gloated, flexing her arm.

“No. I mean yes, but not the way you think.” The two of them looked confused.

“Usually, people get their soul marks on their 13^th birthday. If today is Yoosung’s soulmate’s 13^th birthday, then normally she wouldn’t be receiving her soul mark yet since she’s just 11 years old.” Dokja explained.

“But she did.”

“Yes. Its an anomaly. Yoosung got lucky.” Yoosung whooped, cheering. Gilyoung sulked, kicking his legs in the air.

“I want to meet my soulmate too. That’s not fair.”

“You’ll turn 12 this year. Just one more year, okay?

“If my soulmate is older too, then will I get my mark early like Yoosung did?”

Dokja hummed. “If you’re close in age, then it can happen.” He looked hopeful. Dokja didn’t want him to break his heart over false hopes. He added “But your soulmate can also be younger than you. It might take longer than a year.”

Gilyoung groaned. “I hope not.”

‘Ah, I got a reply.”

Gilyoung groaned louder. “Shut up, I don’t want to hear it.” He fell back on the bad, pulling a pillow over his head.

“What did they say?”

“It’s a name. Han…Donghoon? Han Donghoon.”

“So, it’s a boy.”

Yoosung nodded. She wrote something back, probably her name.

“Go sit down. The connection window will be open for at least a few hours. You can talk for long.”

She smiled at him happily and went to sit on the couch. Her happiness was contagious. Dokja felt his good mood from earlier increase exponentially.

Was this how his mother felt when he found his first mark? How did Joonghyuk feel? Did he have anyone around him to show it to?

He was snapped out of his thoughts by Gilyoung curling around him. Dokja ruffled his hair, fondly.

“Come on, be a little happy for her.”

“I am happy for her. It’s just that she’s gonna be talking to him all day. I’ll be bored.”

Dokja snorted. “It’ll only be like that the first few days. The connection won’t even stay open all day.” Gilyoung didn’t look convinced. “Besides, you still have Mia.”

His face scrunched up. “Hyung, you just made me feel worse.”

Dokja laughed. This kid was a real hater.

me: han sooyoung. I’m gonna be nice and say the new chapter was good

BFE: that gave me the creeps

me: stfu

BFE: I’m serious

BFE: why tho

me: I have good news

BFE: what is it

me: guess

BFE: you finally got laid?

me: its not about me

BFE: lmao

BFE: you finally decided to keep biyoo

me: no

BFE: ….

BFE: then wtf is it

me: tch

me: Yoosung got her first soul mark!!!

BFE: woahhhh

BFE: holy shit! Isn’t she just 11?

me: she’ll turn 12 this year, but yup.

BFE: so who’s her soulmate?

me: some kid called han donghoon

BFE: 13?

me: no. yoosung told me he’s 14

BFE: holy shit

me: yeah. she awakened early

BFE: but the boy awakened late

BFE: our yoosung-ie lucked out

me: she did

me: it made gilyoung upset though

me: he wants to meet his soulmate now

BFE: that kid is really competitive

me: that he is

me: is it weird to want to celebrate yoosung meeting her soulmate?

BFE: nah, it’s a milestone and its your kid. do it

me: she’s not my kid

BFE: spiritually she is

BFE: don’t bother arguing, you’re not fooling anyone

me: shut up

BFE: <3

me: come over with Yoo Sangah sometime, I’ll buy us food

BFE: let’s split

me: okay

BFE: :]

“Hyung, when did you meet your soulmate?”

Dokja, for the life of him, couldn’t understand why someone would focus on him when there’s fried chicken in front of them.

“When I was 13.”

“Oh. Then it’s fine.” Gilyoung went back to eating.

It had been three days since Yoosung’s soulmate’s birthday. She spent them writing message to him and Gilyoung spent them sulking about having to wait. Dokja understood the impatience, but only when Gilyoung wasn’t questioning him about his soulmate.

“Did you meet your soulmate, Ajhussi?” Yoosung asked. Dokja wanted to scream.

He plastered a smile on his face. “Yes, I did.” He could feel all the eyes in the room stare holes into him. 

“Woah, who is it? I wanna meet them too!” Gilyoung said, his eyes glittering. Dokja felt the corner of his lip twitch.

“You can’t.” He said.

“But why?” he whined.

He could give him three reasons why—One, he already met him. Two, he hates his guts. Three, it would leave Gilyoung wishing he’d never asked to meet Dokja’s soulmate.

“They don’t live here.”

“Your soulmate is a foreigner?” Sangah asked.

“No. They just live abroad.”

“Then, give us a name, or a picture.” Yoosung asked, eyes glittering.

“I don’t have any.”

Han Soyooung snorted. He glared at her.

“What do you mean you don’t have any?” Gilyoung asked, flabbergasted.

“I never asked for it.”

“Why didn’t you?” Dokja just shrugged. The kids looked at Han Sooyoung like she’d know something.

“What? Don’t look at me. That idiot is always dodgy about his soulmate.” She said, grabbing another piece of chicken.

“I’m not dodgy.”

“Oh sure. You met your soulmate but never asked for a name? Very believable.” She gave him the stink eye.

Oops.

He messed up. But it didn’t really matter, he was the only one who knew. As long as he kept his mouth shut and skin unmarked, no one else would know.

“It just happened.” He said. Han Sooyoung nodded.

“Fine. I believe you.” That gave Dokja the creeps. It was suspicious, she wouldn’t let it go that quick.

Turned out, he was right in being suspicious of her.

“Ask them now.”

“What?”

“Just write it on your arm.”

Dokja tried to laugh it off, feeling the panic set in. “I’ll do it later.”

“Why not now?” She asked, crossing her arms.

Dokja was starting to feel agitated. He reached out to Biyoo who was sneaking towards the chicken and pulled her into his lap.

Dokja had been hiding for years. He’d worn long sleeves every single day, even during the hottest of summers, to avoid any accidental scraping or marks. He’d been very careful with pens and ink.

For 13 years, he had kept himself unmarked on purpose. He wasn’t going to let Han Sooyouong ruin it for him now.

“Han Sooyoung, drop it.”

“Give me a reason.”

He was about to snap at her when Yoo Sangah intervened. She held Sooyoung’s arm. “Sooyoung, stop it. You’re scaring the kids.”

Gilyoung and Sooyoung were looking at them anxiously. Sooyoung looked at them, and then back at Dokja. Then she slumped back into the couch.

“Sorry, I got too worked up.”

“I’m sorry too.” He said, though he didn’t know what he was apologizing for.

They spent the rest of the dinner avoiding each other’s eye.

The next day, Han Sooyoung sent him the link to the latest chapter of her novel that was just a chapter of TWOS with the character names changed. In response, Dokja had sent her a wall of text pointing out all the similarities and berating her for it.

That was her way of apologizing.

Kim Dokja, 28, realized that being soulmates meant more than just marks on his skin. It meant being forced into all kinds of situations for plot progression by his scriptwriter and not being able to do anything about it.

Like all his interactions with Yoo Joonghyuk, this one too started with his scriptwriter’s favorite plot device, Yoo Mia.

Dokja was walking home from the station after work when a car pulled to a stop beside him. It was Persephone.

“Kim Dokja! How have you been?”

“Persephone. It’s nice meeting you again.” He greeted her, bowing lightly.

“Are you on your way home?”

“Yes, I am.”

She opened the car door. “Get in, I’ll give you a ride.”

Dokja shook his head before he even realized what she had said. “No, it’s okay. I wanted to walk after sitting all day.”

She smiled at him. “In that case, I’ll drop you right back here. Let me take you around.”

“Huh?” Why would she do that?

“I don’t mean any harm. I just wanted to talk and thank you again for the other day.” Dokja stood rooted to the ground. It was a little suspicious. She had already thanked him enough that day. It wasn’t even that big of a favor.

Seeing him hesitate, she added “It’s just an old lady’s whim. Please, don’t worry. I don’t have any ill intentions."

Dokja got into the car reluctantly. It was hard to refuse an elder’s request. She started with small talk about his day and work. And then-

“I wanted to invite you to dinner again.” There it was.

“You don’t have to. You thanked me enough for it.” he replied politely.

“It’s not just me. My husband wanted to meet you too.”

Dokja was confused. He chuckled nervously. “Is that so?”

“My husband lived in Korea when he was younger. Even after we got married and settled in Europe, he came to Korea often for work. We decided to live here after his retirement. I’ve only been here a few times. Being in a new country made me feel really anxious. You’re the first person who made me feel at ease here.” She placed a hand on his arm.

“It might have been a small thing for you, but it means a lot to us. Will you let us thank you properly over dinner?” She asked him in a hopeful voice.

Dokja really couldn’t refuse her after hearing that. Turning down her well-meaning request just because he felt intimidated by her wealth would be an jerk move.

He accepted her invitation. They exchanged phone numbers.

“Will this weekend work for you?” Dokja nodded.

“I’ll send you the address in case you forgot.” she said, beaming.

He laughed.

“That’s not a house I would forget- “ He cut himself off mid-sentence.

“Excuse me, can you stop the car?” Dokja said, raising his voice.

“Why? What happened?” Persephone asked him, worried.

The car skid to a halt, Dokja opened the door and stepped out in a hurry.

“I have to go now. There’s an emergency. I’ll text you later. Get home safe, Persephone.” He told her. He shut the door without waiting for a reply. He made a mental note to apologise to her for it later.

He crossed the road in a hurry.

On the other side of the road was Mia. She was fighting against the hold of an older woman. Dokja didn’t know what it was about but Mia looked distressed and the woman, angry.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” He asked when he was closed enough.

The woman’s hold loosened as she looked up at him. Mia shook free and hid behind him. “Ajhussi! Help me.”

Dokja put a hand on Mia’s shoulder, holding her close and fixed a stern glare on the woman. Behind him, Mia smirked smugly. The woman pointed her finger at her. “You! Wait till I tell your brother about this.”

Dokja faltered at the mention of her brother. “You know Yoo Joonghyuk?”

The girl finally looked at him. “Of course, I do. Captain was the one who sent me after her.”

'Captain'. There were only two people who called Yoo Joonghyuk that. The woman must be Lee Jihye. Now that he was looking at her properly, it was clearly her. Dokja felt the urge to bash his head into a nearby wall.

He’d seen her in tournaments with Yoo Joonghyuk. How had he not recognized her? He felt embarrassed for jumping in without knowing anything.

“What’s going on? Why were you fighting in the middle of the street?” he asked, glancing at Mia.

Lee Jihye sighed. “She ran out after a fight with her brother. She has her exams in three days. He scolded her for playing instead of studying and she just walked out! He sent me to bring her back.”

Dokja really shouldn't have gotten involved. H pulled Mia out from behind him and gently pushed her towards Jihye. “Mia. Go home.”

Mia clung to his hand. “No.”

Dokja tried to pull his arm free. “Your brother will be worried. Just go home.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “No.”

“Where were you even planning to go?”

“I don’t know.” He raised an eyebrow. “Maybe your house?” she said. It sounded more like a question than an answer.

He sighed.

“Oh. You’re the Ajhussi she keeps talking about these days.” Jihye said suddenly. “You look better than she said you did. No offense.”

Mia looked away from him. “None taken. Her standard is her brother. Its hard to compete with that.” He said, smiling a little. Jihye laughed and nodded in agreement.

He looked down at Mia again. “My house, really?”

“Yup.”

“But you hate my bed. You won’t be able to sleep well.”

“I don’t care. I don’t want to go back home.”

“You’ll have to share it with Gilyoung. You still don’t care?”

“Nope.” Dokja was sure she planned to kick him off the bed if it came down to it.

He looked at Jihye helplessly. She just threw her hands up in the air, exasperated.

He switched tactics. “How would you feel if your brother did this? Imagine he didn’t come home for a one day after a fight between you two.”

Her lower lip trembled. “That’s different.”

“Its not. Captain will be so worried if you don’t come back.” Jihye said.

“I don’t care. Ajhussi, let me stay at your house.”

Dokja shook his head. “I can’t let you stay without your brother’s permission.”

Mia stomped her feet, upset. “But Gilyoung and Yoosung-“

“-were allowed to stay over because their parents let them. I’ll let you stay if you call your brother and ask him yourself.” he said sternly.

Mia looked angry. Her eyes welled with tears. “If you don’t want to let me stay, just say it.”

Dokja opened his mouth to refute but was cut off. “You know what? Fine. I’ll just go somewhere else.”

Lee Jihye bristled. “Mia, no!”

Dokja quickly caught her arm and pulled her towards him. “It’s dangerous. Just go back home.”

“No.”

“Mia, please.”

“Just let me go.”

When she didn’t stop struggling against his hold, Dokja decided it’d be easier to just let her stay.

“Fine, You can stay with me. But only for tonight, and I will not entertain any repeats. Clear?” He told her sternly. She nodded. Dokja, then addressed Jihye.

“Lee Jihye, right?”

“Yes.” she looked at him warily.

“I’m Kim Dokja. Can you tell Yoo Joonghyuk she’ll be staying with me tonight?” She looked hesitant.

Dokja covered Mia’s ears and spoke in a hushed voice. “He knows where I live. If he has a problem with her sleeping over, he can come over and get her himself.” He uncovered Mia’s ears.

“Okay, then. I’ll let him know.” Jihye replied. Dokja nodded. He bid her goodbye and turned, still holding Mia’s hand.

“What did you tell her?” Mia asked, frowning.

“Secret.” He said, smiling at her sweetly. She pouted but didn’t say anything more.

“Ajhussi, you should have used the red onions. It tastes ugh.”

Dokja’s eye twitched.

He got it, alright? Yoo Joonghyuk cooking was God’s gift to humanity while Kim Dokja’s cooking was just a little better than edible trash. She'd made that clear.

Dokja had made pasta for her. He’d made it before, occasionally. It had turned out fine. And Yoo Joonghyuk wasn’t a big fan of pasta. So, he thought he’d have a fair chance at impressing her.

The reaction he got from her was far from impressed.

She had something to say about every step in the cooking process. “Oppa’s veggies are cut smaller.” “Oppa’s sauce is thicker.” “It doesn’t smell as good as Oppa's pasta.” “Oppa looks good even while cooking. You look like you’re dying.”

Wasn’t she supposed to be mad at him?

“Ajhussi, Oppa’s pasta is much better.”

“Then go home and ask your Oppa to make you dinner.” Her shoulders slumped at the mention of going home.

Ah seriously. He shouldn’t have asked Gilyoung to eat dinner at Yoosung’s house. If he was here, then Dokja wouldn’t have to resort to being snarky towards a kid. Gilyoung would take care of that.

Mia stayed quiet for the rest of dinner. He felt a little bad about it. After dinner, he gave her some chocolate that he’d kept hidden from the kids.

“Your brother is streaming right now, do you want to watch?”

She shook her head first, but changed her mind.

Dokja opened his laptop and logged in to the haKyun alt account he made back when Joonghyuk wanted to know his id, glad that it had some use to him. Mia sat on the couch with Biyoo curled up beside her. He gave Mia the laptop and sat on the floor, watching the stream on his phone from his main account.

Yoo Joonghyuk was upset.

He didn’t look upset, but Dokja had been watching him for years. He’d be a complete loser is still couldn’t decipher his soulmate's expressions after 13 years of watching him. Also, Mia was right in front of him, it was as obvious as it got.

Dokja glanced at Mia, she was frowning at the screen.

The stream was a silent stream. Dokja never liked them much.

guwon: Joonghyuk-ah, you’re developing frown lines

Joonghyuk’s brow twitched. “Shut up.”

guwon: your face is the only good thing about you, take care of it

apostle01: @guwon is he your type or something?

guwon: I’m just making an observation

u_fo_riel: make more observations

jahayoung: in fact, make a list

guwon: the list starts and ends with his face sigh

Yoo Joonghyuk snorted. “You’re bad at listing, guwon. Try harder.” Dokja smiled to himself.

guwon: then be a little nicer then<3

apostle01: sus

guwon: @apostle01 yjh is known for one thing and its not his shining personality. don’t single me out on this

abfd_: @guwon never thought I’d hear something sensible from the og yjh simp

Joonghyuk glared at the camera. “Uriel, ban guwon for 10 minutes.”

deluxiondemon: abuse of power

u_fo_riel: nooo, don’t make me do it

shiiooott: is it finally my turn, king? *licks lips*

guwon: :(

extremethirst: @guwon move. your reign is over :}

abfd_: @u_fo_riel won’t do it, go back to sleep 

u_fo_riel: ٩(ˊ ᗜˋ*)و ♡

guwon: @u_fo_riel is the best! Suck it yjh

apostle01: @guwon he will if you let him

u_fo_riel: @guwon hehe

guwon: ?

“Uriel, ban apostle01 for 10 minutes.”

apostle01: they hated Jesus for saying the truth

<User @apostle01 has been restricted. timeout: 480s>

jahayoung: she reduced 2 mins to show support :’)

uriel: :’)

abfd_: lmao yjh looks mad

guwon: banned for joking around, you’re so boring

deluxiondemon: pahahahahahahahaha

warfarxgod: @guwon you’re boring

guwon: @warfarxgod wbk

It was then that Dokja noticed his alt account spamming the regular chat. He cringed a little seeing Oppa typed out from his account.

“Ajhussi, do you know who guwon is?”

Dokja’s heart almost stops beating. “Uh, nope. Why?”

“He’s teasing Oppa so casually. Oppa never lets anyone get away with that.”

Dokja’s felt his face heat up. “Maybe they’re friends.”

Mia nodded. “I want to meet him.”

“You can’t. Joonghyuk himself never met him.”

Her hold on the laptop loosed and she slumped in her seat. Dokja stared at his laptop nervously as it shifted on her lap.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

She pouted. “Oppa doesn’t look that upset since this guwon texted.”

Dokja smiled.

So, that’s why she agreed to watch the stream.

“Maybe guwon is trying to cheer him up because he is upset.”

She turned towards him. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

She turned to stare at the screen, not entirely convinced. Dokja suddenly had an idea.

“Say, Mia, do you wanna test it out?”

“How?”

Dokja moved to sit next to her on the couch, making sure he didn't crush Biyoo. “Your brother knows my account id.” he said, tapping the screen lightly. “I bet the second I text him, he’s going to ask me about you.”

Her eyes lit up. She passed him the laptop. “Do it, do it.”

“I need to watch some ads first for the coins.”

“Ajhussi…”

“If you say it, I won’t help you.” Mia mimed zipping her mouth. He chuckled and typed out a superchat, feeling oddly excited himself.

haKyun: hey

It was immediate. Joonghyuk paused the game and sat up straighter. “haKyun, is everything okay?” The chat was going crazy. Dokja bit back a smirk. Mia grinned, bouncing on the couch.

haKyun: yup

“Send me proof.”

Proof? A photo of Mia maybe. But how was he to send it to him?

haKyun: how? I’ll send you a chat req?

Joonghyuk shook his head. “I have your number. I’ll text you.” Dokja’s jaw dropped. He could feel his heart racing. Joonghyuk had his number? He never gave him his number. How did he get it-

Nevermind. There was only one answer to that question. He pulled up Han Sooyoung’s messages and there it was.

BFE: Yo

BFE: Yoo Joonghyuk asked for your number. Should I give it to him?

BFE: hey

BFE: dokja

BFE: Kim Dokja

BFE: squid

BFE: I gave you a chance to refuse btw

BFE: I sent him your number

me: why did you do that

me: my life

me: it’s ruined

His phone buzzed, a notification of a new message popped up. Dokja almost dropped the phone. He stared at the notification for a few seconds.

Yoo Joonghyuk had just sent him a text. Him. Not guwon but him. Kim Dokja.

His breath hitched, a finger moved involuntarily trace the ‘Stream @8:30’ hidden under the sleeve of his shirt.

“Open it, Ajhussi. Come on.” Mia urged him.

He bonked her head. That scriptwriter’s plot device had no right to be so impatient. He was going through a crisis. She clicked open the chat herself.

unknown: Proof. Now.

No introduction. No pleasantries. It was only rough business with him.

Dokja’s fingers itched with the urge to type out a ‘wrong number. who dis?” But he knew Joonghyuk would drive over and finish what he started that day in the park, so he held back.

He stood up and placed the laptop on Mia’s lap. He pointed his camera at her, making sure the laptop screen was visible.

“Smile!” She beamed at him.

It was a cute photo, the kind you would post on your daughter’s 18^th birthday as a throwback. He sent the photo to Joonghyuk without any caption. For his efforts, Yoo Joonghyuk sent him a thumbs up.

Dokja almost threw his phone at the wall.

“Mia, your brother is so annoying.”

“No, you’re annoying.” He rolled his eyes. He should have expected that.

On screen, Yoo Joonghyuk had resumed playing like he had never stopped, visibly less upset. Dokja turned to Mia. “Happy now?”

“Yup.” she smiled, eyes crinkling.

Then the door opened. “Hyung! Where were you-“

The way Gilyoung cut himself off gave Dokja a sense of Déjà vu. He reacted the same way that one time Yoo Joonghyuk waited for Mia in his house.

“Why are you here?” he shouted, pointing at her.

“What’s it to you?”

“Gilyoung-ah, don’t point at others. It’s rude.”  They ignored him and continued bickering. Dokja saw a chance. He took the laptop from Mia.

“Mia will be staying with us tonight and no, you don’t have a say in it. Now, why don’t you two go play with each other? I have some work to do.” The two of them protested but went to the bedroom to play.

Dokja slumped back into the couch. Peace, finally.

His phone buzzed with a text.

BFE: its just a number, chill

me: don’t chill me

BFE: dramatic

BFE: why did he want it anyway 😏

me: it’s not what you think it is

BFE: I think it’s exactly what I think it is😏😏

me: no.

me: mia is sleeping over tonight. that’s why.

BFE: oh

BFE: boooo tomatoes

me: 🤷🏻🤷🏻

BFE: but why is she sleeping over? he usually doesn't let her.

me: she fought with him and then ran out

BFE: oof

me: yeah

BFE: I still think it’s sus but I’ll let it go

me: eat shit

BFE: I have a question

me: bark

BFE: are you haKyun?

me: how did you know

BFE: its obvious

BFE: he asked for your number, you have mia over

me: you watch the streams?

BFE: for research purposes only

BFE: its not entertaining at all

me: sure

me: whats your id

BFE: apostle01

Dokja almost choked on air. apostle01 was the ringleader of the clown guwon group. She seemed to know Joonghyuk offline too.

So, it was Han Sooyoung all along.

Dokja was going to beat her up the next time he saw her.

me: I hate you

BFE: ilyt

me: gross

BFE: x2

me: so what research?

BFE: plot material obvi

me: how dare you bring that up so casually, thief

BFE: here we go again

me: how long have you been watching the streams

BFE: years

me: you’re a fan

BFE: ew gross

me: cry

me: if you’re apostle, that means you know right?

BFE: know wut

me: who’s jooyun?

BFE: wha

me: I saw it in the chat when I was texting Joonghyuk

BFE: read that again, you’ll figure it out

me: ???

BFE: lmao wow

me: …

BFE: the male love interests are both dumbfucks huh

me: tf do you mean

me: or which novel?

BFE: bruh

BFE: ykw? figure it out yourself

BFE: its so obvious

BFE: you’re gonna hate yourself once you get it

me: What?

me: wdym

me: sooyoung

me: han sooyoung

me: I hate you

Great. A new thing to lose sleep over.

If it was so obvious, then he woud have figured it out already. He's not dumb. Did they have a secret group chat where they all decided to prank him? How did they get both guwon and haKyun? Was he that unlucky?

He shook his head and focused on his laptop again. They were still talking about him. Dokja snorted.

It happened every single time. Anytime, Yoo Joonghyuk interacted with someone more than usual, the chat would go crazy. Yoo Joonghyuk would ignore it till it got resolved or the next interaction happened.

He still remembered the first time Lee Jihye appeared on Yoo Joonghyuk’s stream. The chat rinsed him for cheating on Lee Seolhwa till they realised it was just Jihye. Lee Seolhwa found it adorable but Yoo Joonghyuk had lectured them for a few minutes before making Kim Namwoon take over the stream. The chat barely lasted 10 minutes before they asked for Yoo Joonghyuk back.

The chat did go overboard that day but it was still one of Dokja’s favourite streams.

goldenheadband: is it really that big a deal

u_fo_riel: it is

warfarxgod: you don’t get it

goldenheadband: glad I don’t

abfd_: +1

deluxiondemon: +2

warfarxgod: fvck off

deluxiondemon: but I get them tho

apostle01: ik what you are, you fake

deluxiondemon: shut up

greatballoffire: are we still on hakyun?

goldenheadband: yes

greatballoffire: tch

abfd_: lmao joowontwt is in shambles

warfarxgod: @abfd_ what were you doing in our house?

abfd_: breaking in lol

deluxiondemon: @abfd_ lmao

apostle01: kinda funny ngl

jahayoung: nobody saw this coming ToT

deluxiondemon: hakyun hidden boss

abfd_: it’s the funniest shit I’ve seen this year

warfarxgod: @abfd_ choke

deluxiondemon: guys quick joowon or jooyun?

There’s that name again. Dokja quickly googled jooyun. It was either an actress or a fictional idol. Dokja didn’t want to be left out of the loop again.

haKyun: who is jooyun now?

jahayoung: uriel ban that name

apostle01: lmao

abfd_: he has a type huh lmao

deluxiondemon: I’m dying kekeke

u_fo_riel: its too early for a name

haKyun: ?

warfarxgod: @haKyun :\

aposte01: I’ll just say, between the two, I’d pick jooyun

me: han sooyoung, who tf is he

BFE: your mom

warfarxgod: @apostle01 wha

u_fo_riel: you traitor! whyyy ToT

apostle01: I think he has a chance, and I like underdogs

jahayoung: @apostle01 I see, we will remember this

deluxiondemon: alexa play treachery by shiro sagisu

warfarxgod: alexa shove a stick up his ass

apostle01: @deluxiondemon she seems to be into pegging. prepare yourself

warfarxgod: what no

warfarxgod: and why him

deluxiondemon: @apostle01 shut.up.

emumon: anyone notice how guwon didn’t say a word since this started

goldenheadband: we just moved topics…

u_fo_riel: poor guwon

Dokja picked up his phone.

guwon: I’m right here though?

abfd_: lol

guwon: you guys won’t tell me who joowon and jooyun are to us. how am I supposed to participate in the discussion

deluxiondemon: they’re both dumb

guwon: what

u_fo_riel: this just ruined my life

deluxiondemon: lmao

guwon: what did

guwon: ??.

JooWon the actor(real) @JWfiles
who is that? bruv what
258🗨 • 3.7K⟲ • 8.9K♡

           pancake @mushishishi
           I did not see him coming
           24🗨 • 668⟲ • 3.6K♡

           tentoes @squagges
           guys it was just a text
           54🗨 • 2.3K⟲ • 7.5K♡

                     hear ye @hearsay
                     but its yjh. he smiled :') (all day all night from the kitchen to the-)
                     55🗨 • 1.4K⟲ • 2.6K♡

                               []  @bItchcraft
                               woah woah calm down
                               2🗨 • 3⟲ • 555♡

           annaoop ☑ @witchcroft
           jwers got a little too brave after yjh broke up with lsh. this is well deserved
           157🗨 • 3.5K⟲ • 3.8K♡

                     ❤ @4951trauma
                     we kept in our house. don’t bring lsh into this. you’re just mad its not croft
                     65🗨 • 1.6K⟲ • 2.7K♡

                               annaoop @witchcroft
                               in your house? you guys are all over his chat. and anna can do so much better than him so nope, I’m glad.
                               55🗨 • 1.5K⟲ • 1.8K♡

                                         ❤ @4951trauma
                                         yjh would have told us off if it bothered him. its just a joke
                                         22🗨 • 898⟲ • 1.4K♡

                                                   annaoop @witchcroft
                                                   tell yourself that
                                                   13🗨 • 63⟲ • 412♡

           yjh’s tiddie belt @ yjhsleftchesticle
           notice how haKyun and guwon never texted at the same time? I say haKyun = guwon
           64🗨 • 4.5K⟲ • 5.6K♡

                     dilf hunter @ilikemynutsmilked
                     copium final boss
                     14🗨 • 1.3K⟲ • 2.5K♡

                     hear ye @hearsay
                     you’re so real for this
                     6🗨 • 20⟲ • 778♡

                     statue of bigbooty 🍑 @jwreal
                     you just saved my life
                     2🗨 • 13⟲ • 211♡

The next morning Yoo Joonghyuk came knocking on his door at 6 in the morning. Lucky for him, Dokja stayed up the entire night reading novels and was awake enough to open the door with just a light knock.

One more chapter curse was real.

Yoo Joonghyuk stepped into his house awkwardly, peering over his shoulder.

“She’s still sleeping. You’re way too early.” He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get rid of the soreness. Work was going to be a pain with his hurting like that.

He sat on the couch with his head buried in his hands. Yoo Joonghyuk walked over to the only room in his house and opened the door slowly.  Then he walked over and sat on the couch next to Dokja.

“Why are they sleeping on the same bed?” Joonghyuk asked, crossing his arms sternly.

Dokja noted that he left the bedroom door open. He rolled his eyes, got up and closed the door.

“Why did you close it?” Joonghyuk asked, now glaring. He was starting to get up to reopen it but Dokja stopped him.

“They’re sleeping. You’ll only anger her more if you wake her up this early.” He gestured him to sit back down. “They’re sharing a bed because I was supposed to sleep.” Dokja said.

“On the floor?”

“Yes, that.” Joonghyuk shot him an odd look.

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing. They’re 12-year-old kids. They can share a bed just fine.”

“You could have left the door open.”

“Open, closed. It’s the same thing.”

Joonghyuk’s lips pursed.

“It is no big deal. But she’s my sister.”

This over-protective brother. Sometimes he wondered if he had a sister complex, but it didn’t seem to be that extreme. He just loved her a lot.

“Don’t act like this, Yoo Joonghyuk. It doesn’t suit you. Mia would throw a fit if she knew.”

Joonghyuk’s lip lifted on one side. “How would you know if it suits me or not?”

Oh, right. Very casual fan. Dokja almost forgot.

“I meant your image. It doesn’t suit your image.” He corrected himself.

“And what image do you have of me?” Joonghyuk asked him, looking mildly amused.

Dokja felt wide awake. 

It was 6am, Yoo Joonghyuk was sitting on his couch and asking him what he thought of him. Even if he ignored everything else, he couldn’t answer that question because of time constraints.

His eyes darted around the room in avoidance before the landed on Joonghyuk’s arm.

‘Pick Mia @6am’

Dokja was so glad he’d made a habit of wearing long sleeves. Yoo Joonghyuk too, mostly wore long sleeves. He only wore short sleeves on the days where he didn’t write anything on his arms.

It was a little strange to see the writing on Joonghyuk’s arm. It somehow looked different, more special.

Joonghyuk moved his arm closer to himself, looking displeased.

Dokja apologised. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

He covered the mark with his other hand. “I’ll let it go since you watched over Mia.”

Dokja’s eyebrows shot up. “Woah, hold on, you prick. Those two are not on the same level.”

“It’s worse.” Joonghyuk replied, looking annoyed.

“No. You owe me a favour now.”

He scowled at him. “No.”

“Yes. Where are your manners? You should’ve asked me how to pay me back the moment you walked in.”

“Fine. What do you want?”

Good question. What did he want from Yoo Joonghyuk? He couldn’t think of anything right now.

He was just about to ask Joonghyuk to save the favour for later when his phone buzzed with a text.

Persephone: Good morning, Dokja. It’s Persephone. I wanted to ask if you’d be available this Saturday night.

Her timing was impeccable. It was as if his scriptwriter was telling him to follow the script.

“I want you to watch over the kids for a night.”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s face went blank. “By kids you mean?”

“Gilyoung and Biyoo.” He said pointing to the kitten who was now playing with the hem of Joonghyuk’s pants. “Mia would probably want Yoosung with her though.”

“The kitten is still here.”

“That’s not the point, Joonghyuk-ah. Will you do it?”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s face soured. “That’s asking too much.”

“No, it’s not. I have plans for Saturday night.”

“Plans that’ll keep you busy the entire night?” Joonghyuk asked, raising an eyebrow.

He had no plans of staying over at Persephone’s house. But if he was going to have dinner with a rich, foreign couple in their big, expensive mansion, he would want enough time to destress after that. That’s for sure.

“I don’t think I’ll be out the entire night, but I sure as hell won’t be in a condition where I can entertain the kids after I get back.” Dokja replaid.

Yoo Joonghyuk looked oddly impressed. Dokja has no idea why but he shot him a small smile.

Joonghyuk nodded. “Fine. Just this once and only because Han Sooyoung would annoy me to death if I ruined this plan of yours.”

Kim Dokja had no idea what Sooyoung had to do with him meeting Persephone and her husband. He must have looked confused.

“She talks about you often, much more than I’d like her to.” He added.

Dokja nodded, his lips drawn in a tight line. He did not want to know what she told Yoo Joonghyuk. Ignorance is bliss.

Joonghyuk woke Mia at 6:50am.

The voice he heard first was not Mia’s, but Gilyoung’s.

“Ack! Hyung!” Gilyoung came running to stand behind Dokja, who was leaning on the bedroom doorframe.

“Hyung, why did you let him wake me up? His face was the first thing I saw today. Now my whole day is gonna go bad!” He whined into his back.

Yoo Joonghyuk looked so offended, Dokja burst out laughing.

“That’s not how it works, Gilyoung-ah.”

“I wasn’t trying to wake you up-“ Joonghyuk started.

“Ah, Hyung, his voice, make it stop.” Gilyoung said, covering his ears. Joonghyuk looked murderous. Dokja laughed harder.

“Really, why couldn’t you wake me up?” He hit his head against Dokja’s back lightly. Dokja stretched an arm back and slung it over his neck in a gentle chokehold.

“Don’t be so rude to your elders. Besides, he was trying to wake Mia up, not you.” He said, pointing at Mia. Mia who was currently awake and glaring daggers at them.

“Ugh, why are you so loud so early in the morning? Lee Gilyoung, I’ll kill you.” Mia groaned. She was pointedly ignoring Joonghyuk who was hovering over her awkwardly.

“Your brother is here to pick you up.” She opened her mouth only to be cut of by Dokja. “We’ll wait out. Talk it out.” He added, fixing a meaningful stare at both of them.

He dragged Gilyoung out with him and deposited him on the couch. Gilyoung groaned. Dokja ruffled his hair. “Stop being so mean to him. I doubt he did anything to you.” Dokja said.

“But he’s just so annoying. Don’t you get annoyed just looking at him?”

Dokja did feel annoyed sometimes, but that’s nothing compared the other emotions that come with it.

“Even if he is annoying, you should be more polite. He’s your friend’s brother.”

“She’s not my friend.”

“Even you don’t believe that.”

Gilyoung huffed. Dokja needed him to play nice, at least till Sunday morning. Joonghyuk was more patient with children than he was with adults, but he wasn’t all that patient to begin with. Gilyoung wasn’t Mia. Joonghyuk had no reason to hold back from imposing whatever corporal punishment he saw fit.

“Listen to me. Hyung has to go to a friend’s house for dinner this Saturday. It might be late by the time I get home.”

“Friend? Is it Sooyoung Noona?”

“No. You don’t know them.” Gilyoung nodded.

“Okay, and?”

“I asked Yoo Joonghyuk to let you and Biyoo stay at his house for the night.”

“What?”

“What” Both Gilyoung and Mia cried out in unison.

That was some quick talk-it-out.

“Hyung, I’ll just stay here alone.”

“Oppa, I don’t want him to come over.”

“You really think this is going to work?” Joonghyuk asked him, looking tired already.

“I don’t know. But you agreed, so it’s no longer my problem.” He smiled at him sweetly. Joonghyuk scowled.

“Mia, he let you stay over last night. I’m letting Gilyoung stay over in return. So behave alright? You brought this onto yourself.” Mia frowned at that.

“But what did I do?” Gilyoung asked. Dokja pulled his ear lightly.

“I asked him to. I don’t want you to stay alone. It’s just one night.” Gilyoung stared at him in silence for a while before huffing out a “Fine.”

“I’ll allow it if Yoosung can sleepover too.” Mia said. Dokja gave Joonghyuk a knowing look.

“Fine.”

Dokja beamed. “Glad we have that sorted.”

Chapter Text

Dokja was freaking out.

It was Saturday evening. He was two mansions away from The Mansion and he already felt drained. The night hadn’t even started and Dokja had already learned two very important things— clothes don’t make the man and Yoo Joonghyuk’s address.

When he had told Sooyoung and Sangah about his dinner plans on their way back home from work, they had immediately dragged him to a clothing store and gifted him a nice dress shirt. Ignoring their wishes for him to become a sugar baby, it was a sweet gesture.

It was also the first gift he had received in years.

Sometimes, he wondered how he lived before he met them. He couldn’t imagine a life without them and the kids anymore.

But despite their efforts to make Kim Dokja feel better about the dinner, the fact was that he was completely out of his element. He was very nervous about the meeting.

To add to that, Yoo Joonghyuk had sent him his address that afternoon without any warning, like it was no big deal. Sure, he’d sent it so Dokja could drop the kids off. But now he had to live with the fact that he knew Joonghyuk’s address.

And as if that weren’t enough, Joonghyuk had taken one look at him and said, 'You clean up well.' Though backhanded, it was still a compliment.

Kim Dokja felt jittery, like his nerves were on fire.

He tried to shake of that memory. He had to get himself together if he didn’t want to embarrass himself. Dokja had been standing outside the gate for at least 5 minutes to prepare himself mentally.

Before he could actually ring the bell, the door opened. It was Lily, the maid from last time.

“Um, I’m sorry but you were out here for a long time.”

“Thank you. I was just really nervous.” He said, sheepishly.

“You shouldn’t be. Master and Madam are very kind. They’ve been looking forward to tonight ever since you made plans.’ She said, excitedly.

Dokja smiled. Suddenly, Lily gasped.

“Oh no, they are going to be upset with me.” Lily said, looking worried.

“Why?”

“They wanted to be the ones to welcome you in. But I ruined it!” Dokja chuckled, feeling himself relax a little.

“I’m a little early. You can just tell them you didn’t want to keep me waiting.”

She clapped her hands together. “That’s a great idea! Thank you, sir”

“Call me Dokja.”

“No can do, sir. It’s more appropriate this way.” She shot him a knowing look. He tilted his head in confusion but she didn’t clarify. She led him into the house.

Dokja looked around cautiously. It looked like someone had pulled the house straight out of an interior décor magazine—beige walls, expensive-looking furniture, a very pretty chandelier. It was complete with expensive vases and weird paintings that only rich people liked.

“You can wait here.” Lily said, gesturing to the couch. “I’ll go inform them that you’re here!” She walked away with a bounce in her step. Lily was so full of energy, it was rubbing off on Dokja. Though he couldn’t understand her excitement, he was grateful to have met her first.

He sat down on the couch cautiously, marvelling at how comfortable it was. The living room looked cozy with golden lights, blankets thrown over the couch neatly, plants all over the room and many, many photos on the wall.

Dokja wanted to take a closer look but didn’t want to seem rude. Most of the photos were of just Persephone and her husband. There were some group photos and a few photos of pets but the biggest frame in the room was their wedding photo.

It was a beautiful picture, Dokja couldn’t take his eyes off it.

“You can take a closer look, we don’t mind.”

Dokja flinched and turned around.

“Dokja, you look quite handsome today.” Persephone said, smiling warmly.

Dokja stood up to greet her. “Thank you. You look lovely as always.” Her smile widened. She pulled him into a short hug and then gestured to the man beside her. “This is Hades, my husband.”

Dokja stuck a hand out. “I’m Kim Dokja. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. I was looking forward to meeting you.”

Hades shook his hand firmly. Dokja found it hard to maintain eye contact. How could Persephone think he resembled Hades? Dokja almost felt offended on the man’s behalf.

Hades looked intimidating. He was nearly a head taller that Kim Dokja, with shoulders so broad it put Yoo Joonghyuk’s shoulders to shame. Hades looked so impressive, he could convert Yoo Mia if he really tried to.

“Doesn’t he look a lot like you did when we first met?” Persephone asked, her eyes twinkling.

Hades ran his eyes over him and nodded. “Almost identical.”

Dokja shot them a wobbly smile. Was this an old-fashioned way of insulting someone? He wanted out.

He handed them some pastries he bought from a really nice (expensive) pâtisserie. He hoped Gilyoung wouldn’t mind eating plain rice and cup noodles for the rest of the month. His wallet wasn’t faring well.

They sat on the couch.

“I wanted to thank you for helping my wife the other day. It was very kind of you.” Hades said, smiling.

Dokja waved his hands in front of him, feeling flustered at being thanked again.

“Uh, I just happened to be there. It’s not a big deal. Anyone would have done the same.”

They looked amused by his gesturing. Dokja immediately dropped his hands to his lap and shot them an awkward smile.

Persephone chuckled. "Don’t be so tense, Dokja. It's just a casual dinner."

Dokja stopped fidgeting with his hands and pressed them flat onto his thighs. “I’m sorry. It’s just, I don’t do this very often.”

They don’t ask what ‘this’ meant. Instead, they make small talk.

“How old are you, Dokja?”

“I’m 28.”

Persephone looked shocked. “You look so young!”

“I do get that sometimes.” He said sheepishly.

There was a short pause.

“So, what do you do?” Hades asked.

“I’m a QA intern at Minosoft.”

Hades hummed. Dokja fisted the fabric of his pants. He wasn’t ashamed of his job, he’d already told Persephone before. It was just the house doing things to him. He didn’t want them to think they’re wasting their time on him.

It was a thought that made him feel pathetic just for having it.

“Kim Dokja, speak confidently. Every job role needs someone to fill it.” Hades said.

Dokja nodded, not knowing what to say. Thankfully, Persephone spoke up.

“He’s so tense because of you, Hades. You look like a gangster.” She said, smacking his arm. Hades looked baffled.

“What?”

Dokja bit back a smile.

“Look, even Lily is too scared to approach you. I think dinner is ready.” Persephone raised an eyebrow at Lily, who nodded vigorously.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Come, Dokja. Maybe some good food will loosen you up.”

She got up and gave Lily the pasties he got them. Dokja followed Persephone and Hades into the dining room.

“But Persephone, you said I have a kind smile. How could I possibly look scary?”

“For him to see it, you would have to smile in the first place. Drop the stone act. You look ridiculous.”

“Persephone!”

Dokja snorted, then tried to cover it up with a cough. Persephone smiled at him sweetly. Hades just looked away. If Dokja was to be bold, he’d say he was sulking.

Dinner was a pleasant ordeal.

The conversation flowed smoothly with mostly Persephone telling him stories from their younger days. Those stories cemented what Dokja had thought the moment he laid eyes on Hades.

If Yoo Joonghyuk was the protagonist of the present, Hades was probably the protagonist of his time.

Hades had a rags to riches story. He went from working in a morgue to a mine and somehow meeting the right people at the right time, making decisions that would eventually lead to him owning a jewellery business. He fell in love with a model who wouldn’t give him the time of day. Determined to be worthy of her affection, he worked hard and won her heart in the process.

Dokja wanted a book written about them.

They’d laughed when he told them so. Knowing their history, their laughter seemed softer and more intimate. Looking at them in their retirement home, so in love after all these years, Dokja couldn’t help but think that if their life really was a book, then this, what he was looking at, was the epilogue.

Their happily ever after.

He wondered if Yoo Joonghyuk would get his too. Hades and Persephone were not soulmates. Joonghyuk too would eventually marry someone else. Would he also sit beside his partner, listening as they reminisced about their youth with guests? Would he laugh and smile just as openly when he was old?

Dokja could almost picture it. He could only hope to see it for real someday.

Maybe he could if he was nicer to Joonghyuk. Maybe they could even be friends. That way, Dokja wouldn’t have to dream anymore—he could just see Yoo Joonghyuk live the life Dokja’s always wanted him to. He could be a part of it.

A very small, insignificant part.

Maybe.

They served the pastries he brought as dessert. Dokja was very grateful. He really wanted to taste them at least once in his life.

Dokja felt lighter than he did in days. The dinner went much better than he thought it would.

“Did you like the food?” Persephone asked him. He could see the chef peeping from the kitchen door.

Dokja chuckled. “I think it’s the best I ever had” He said, meeting the eye of the chef, who smiled at him.

“In that case, we should do this often. How about you come over next week too?” She asked him eagerly. Hades nodded.

“I’d love to but I might be busy for a while with house hunting.”

“House hunting?”

Dokja nodded. “Recently, I got a kitten and a kid. The house I live in right now is way to small for the three of us.”

“A kid?” They looked shocked.

“He’s not mine! I’m his temporary guardian. It just happened.”

“I see.” Hades looked at him for a while. Dokja tried not to shrink away.

“Well, I doubt I’ll have any luck with it. It’s more like window-shopping.” Dokja admitted.

“If that’s the case, there’s this apartment that I own. I used it whenever I visited Korea while I was still actively working.” Hades said.

Dokja sat up straighter instinctively. “Oh no, my budget is much smaller than you probably think it is.”

“You’ve not even looked at the apartment yet.” Hades said, getting up from his seat. “Follow me.” He turned around and walked away.

Dokja blinked in shock. Were they going to the apartment? Right now?

A hand touched his shoulder gently. He looked up to see Persephone smiling. “Don’t worry about it. Just follow him.” she said, pointing at the dining room entrance. Hades was waiting for him there.

Dokja wordlessly followed him up the stairs, confused. He thought they were going to see the apartment. Why were the going up stairs?

Suddenly, Dokja felt a little scared.

What if this was some elaborate murder scheme?

Hades pushed open the balcony door and paused. “We’re here.”

It had to be a murder scheme. Funny how it would end with him being pushed off a balcony.

Hades went closer to the railing. He made no move to pull Dokja closer to it.

Maybe it wasn’t a murder scheme. Did he want Dokja to live in the balcony? Was that it?

Hades looked at him questioningly. “Why are you just standing there? Come here.” Dokja forced a smile and walked closer. He had a feeling he wouldn’t like whatever Hades said next. He just hoped it wouldn’t be a murderer coke rant.

Hades lifted a hand and pointed to a building a little away from where they were. “You see that building? My house is on the 3^rd floor.”

“What?”

Dokja was stunned. He was not expecting this.

The apartment Hades was pointing at was in a good neighbourhood. It was a building that caught Dokja’s eyes everytime he walked by it. It would have been perfect for the three of them if not for the insanely high rent.

“It’s a two-bedroom apartment. The building is a little old, so you won’t find any modern tech in the house, but it’s in great condition. The apartment allows pets and it’s a 5 minute walk from the bus stop on the other side-“

Dokja couldn’t believe his ears. He had to interrupt.

“I can’t afford it.” he blurted out.

Hades frowned. “I’m not asking you to pay. It’s empty anyway. I’d rather someone use it well than keep it empty and locked up for years.”

Dokja was almost certain that this was a dream. Any moment now, he was going to wake up to his almost empty fridge and Biyoo’s tail in his mouth.

Dokja stood there gawking for a good amount of time. Hades and Persephone looked at him worried.

“I- I can’t accept it. Why would you do that? For free? Why?”

They looked at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation. Dokja prepared himself for the prank camera location reveal. He couldn’t think of any other explanation for this situation.

Hades turned towards him, leaning against the railing lightly.

“Would you believe us if we told you it is out of the goodness of our hearts?”

“No. It’s unbelievable.”

Hades nodded. “In that case, we owe you an explanation. Let’s go back downstairs. This might take a while.”

Dokja nodded and followed them down to the living room. He eyed the front door as they walked past it. The nerves from a few hours ago were back with vengeance.

Dokja sat gingerly on the edge of the sofa. Seeing his tense posture, Hades’ expression softened.

The silence stretched between them until Persephone finally broke it.

“We knew about you before we met at the bus stop.” she blurted out.

“What?”

Both Dokja and Hades looked at her in shock, though for entirely different reasons. Persephone looked away, avoiding their gazes.

Hades cleared his throat. “We first saw you at the café near your office.”

Dokja didn’t have to ask how he knew where he worked. He had already assumed they’d run a background check on him before they let him in their house. Wasn’t that just another rich person thing?

“We don’t have any children. We tried for years, but nothing worked out. Eventually, we accepted it. But when I saw you in that café, I couldn’t help but think that if we had a son, he would look just like you. Like Persephone said, you look a lot like younger me.” Hades said, pointing at the photos on the wall.

Persephone put a hand on Hades’. “We were completely taken with you. We wanted to approach you and talk, but we didn’t know how to. We watched you from afar not knowing how to talk to you-“

“Until that day at the bus stop.”

Persephone looked guilty. “It is true that the cab broke down. But I was about to call our driver. I was at the bus stop so that the driver could find me easily, then I saw you. I knew I couldn’t miss the chance.”

“What is it that you want from me?” Dokja asked hesitantly.

Hades turned his palm and held Persephone’s hand. “We won’t ask you to be our son.” He said. “We would love to adopt you if you let us, but you don’t have to. All we want is to be a part of your life.”

Dokja didn’t know how to feel about all that. It felt like a scene from a movie.

He tried to compartmentalize it and think it through rationally, but all he could think of was that they were wasting time on him.

Dokja would never live up to the expectations they had for their child.

The more they got to know him, the more disappointed they would be. They were just blinded by Dokja’s resemblance to Hades. Once the initial excitement wore off, they would surely regret it.

“Would you be okay with that?” Persephone asked him. She looked hopeful.

Dokja didn’t know.

It had been years since he had a parental figure. He didn’t remember what it felt like, if he’d like having one again or if he would hate it.

Would he be okay when they left eventually?

When he took too long to answer, they reassured him that he could take his time to think.

“We weren’t planning on asking you so early. We wanted to get to know you better first. I guess we got a little too excited and got ahead of ourselves.” Hades said.

Dokja thought it was better they told him everything in the first meeting.

If he really thought about it, Dokja had a lot to gain from their offer and very little to lose. The prospect of having parental figures in his life was as tempting as it was foreign. Hades and Persephone didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives. If Dokja made sure he and the kids didn’t get too attached to them, it should be fine.

But what if it was the wrong choice?

“…Dokja?” Persephone called warily.

They looked nervous —nothing like how they had at the start of the night.

It made him feel hopeful. Maybe they wanted this enough to overlook all of his flaws. Maybe it would be okay to accept. Even if they didn’t, he would have something like a family, even if it was only for a while.

“I want us to get to know each other better.” he said. “I can’t promise you anything. I haven’t had a family for a long time. So, let’s take it slow.”

They looked relieved. “As you wish.”

Not knowing what to say after that, Dokja stood up. “It’s getting late. I should leave.”

They stood up. “Let us walk you out.”

The three of them stopped near the front door. Dokja turned to thank them for the night but Hades spoke first.

“Do you want to see the house I mentioned earlier?”

Dokja paused to think. “Okay.” Why not?

He smiled at him. “Let me know when you’re free. I’ll take you there.”

Dokja nodded. “Thank you for tonight.”

Persephone hugged him. “I’m looking forward to our next dinner together.”

He smiled at them before leaving.

Walking past the gates, Dokja felt oddly calm—like he was having an out-of-body experience.

He stopped and looked up at the sky. It was almost 9. He’d only spent a little under two hours at dinner, but it felt far longer. He sighed and resumed walking.

He needed a drink.

Dokja decided to go to a bar.

After all, if he was to live the single father life, he might as well enjoy the full package.

At first, he was just planning on buying some drinks on his way home but then changed his mind.

It was just 9pm, Gilyoung wasn’t home, and Biyoo was old enough to be home alone for a while. There was no real reason for him to go back home so early on a Saturday night. With the kids and the kitten, Dokja wasn’t sure when he’d get another night to himself.

The bar was not very crowded. It wouldn’t be until midnight, that he knew.

Dokja sat at the counter and bought himself a drink.

He’d been to this bar when he was still in college. It looked the same as it did back then. Back then, he had been dragged out by some of his batchmates. He’d left the first chance he got.

But now, he wished he had stayed.

Coming to the bar alone made him feel nervous. It wasn’t that he had anything else in mind, but he wouldn’t mind it if it were to happen. Maybe.

However, he knew him leaving with someone else was highly unlikely. He resigned himself to people-watching. Youngsters these days dressed really well. Dokja was almost envious. When he was younger, he dressed in whatever was the cheapest in the stores. 

Looking around, everyone was either in groups or pairs. Dokja felt self-conscious. He bought another drink to drown out the feeling.

He was halfway through his second drink when he felt a tap on his shoulder. His breathed hitched. He pursed his lip to hide the smile that was creeping on his face.

Was this really happening? Was it finally his turn?

He schooled his expression into something more casual and turned around as nonchalantly as he could.

“Oh! I knew that back was familiar.” Dokja couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Hyunsung-ssi!”

“Oh, were you waiting for someone?”

Dokja shook his head, embarrassed. “No. I was just taken aback.”

The man smiled warmly. “I see. It’s been a while, Dokja-ssi. How have you been?”

Dokja met Lee Hyunsung during his military service. They were both of the same age, and Hyunsung was extremely kind and earnest. They got along well enough during their time in the military but didn’t stay in contact afterwards.

Dokja had always assumed he would stay in the military, so running into him here was a shock.

Lee Hyunsung took the empty seat next to Dokja.

He looked as good as ever, if not better. He had a kind, welcoming face and shoulder broad enough to rival Yoo Joonghyuk’s. Even while seated, he was tall enough to catch eyes. He would be intimidating if not for the waves of warmth radiating of him.

Dokja felt his shoulder relax. It felt nice to see a familiar face.

“I’ve been good. What about you?”

“The same. I have to say, you look the same. It feels like no time has passed, like we’re still 22”

“Is that a compliment or?”

Hyunsung looked flustered. “Of course, it’s a compliment.”

Dokja laughed. “I was just teasing. Don’t make that face.” Hearing that, Hyunsung’s face twisted a little more. Dokja laughed harder.

Hyunsung raised an eyebrow. “How many drinks did you have, Dokja-ssi?”

“Just two. I’m not drunk.”

“You’re halfway there. You’ve always been a lightweight.” Hyunsing said.

He would know. Hyunsung was the one he shared his first drink with after all.

“I’m not that bad.”

Hyunsung shook his head, still smiling. “It’s because you’re all skin and bones.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“It is. You can search it up.”

Dokja punched Hyunsung’s shoulder lightly. “I said I’m not drunk. I’m just happy to see you again. I wasn’t expecting to run into you here of all place. Scratch that. I didn’t think I’d meet you at all.”

Hyunsung made a complicated face before settling on a tight smile. “I’m actually glad I met you here tonight, Dokja-ssi. It’s almost fitting.”

Dokja straightened up instinctively as the mood shifted.

“What’s fitting?”

Hyunsung hesitated for a second. “Do you remember Heewon?”

Dokja nodded, confused. “I do. Your soulmate, right?”

“Yup. She works as a bartender here.”

“Oh. You’re here to meet her?” Dokja asked light-heartedly, bringing the glass to his mouth.

“Um. No. I came here to break up with her.”

Dokja almost choked. “What?”

Lee Hyunsung laughed awkwardly. Dokja couldn’t believe his eyes. The Lee Hyunsung he knew could never be so casual about something like this.

Sensing Dokja’s judgement, Hyunsung quickly jumped to explain himself. “Hear me out first.”

Dokja leaned against the counter to support himself. “Go ahead.”

Hyunsung took a sip of the drink he bought himself. “Heewon has two soulmates.”

Dokja’s eyebrows shot up. “For real?”

“Yeah. Shocking right? The way we found out was kind of funny. Her other soulmate, she has two soulmates too, by the way. She was going through a rough patch with her soulmate and had written a message asking for a break. Heewon freaked out when she read it.” he chuckled.

“Understandable.”

“Maybe it was because she and her soulmate weren’t doing well, but she latched onto Heewon as an escape. Her soulmate is a good person. They are platonic but she and Heewon got along so well, I panicked.”

He took another sip.

“I thought I would be replaced. So, I pushed Heewon away before she could. She tried to reach out, she really tried her best but I was too in my head. She gave up eventually. By the time I got myself together, it was too late. There was this distance I couldn’t bridge. We still kept in touch, but it felt more like an obligation than a relationship.”

“So, you decided to break up?”

“Yes. Heewon is too kind. She wouldn’t want to hurt me. Well, either that or she thinks we’re already over. I guess I’ll find out today. Either way, since I’m the one at fault, I should resolve it.”

“When did she meet her other soulmate?” Dokja asked.

“Around two years ago.”

Life was really strange sometimes.

Five years ago, when they were both 23, nearly a year into their acquaintance, Lee Hyunsung had taken him along to meet his soulmate for the first time. It remained one of the better memories from his military days.

Now, almost five years later, they were both 28 and meeting each other for the first time in more than 4 years. Lee Hyunsung was telling him he was going to break up with her.

Dokja watched as a droplet of condensation slid down the side of his glass

He had thought they would have a happily-ever-after too.

Dokja didn’t realise he was frowning till Lee Hyunsung pointed it out. “Don’t worry, Dokja-ssi. I’m not ending it. I’m going to ask her to start over, a second chance.”

Dokja smacked his shoulder. “Say that first then.”

Hyunsung laughed. “You’re still as kind as ever.”

“I’m not.” Dokja found himself smiling.

Hyunsung leaned against the counter, his elbow propped up and his chin resting lightly on his palm.

“I’m really glad I met you tonight Dokja-ssi. I was really nervous.”

“Even though you made up your mind?”

He turned toward Dokja and smiled softly. “That’s exactly why.”

Looking at him like this, in the dim lights of the bar, Dokja was forced to remember that Hyunsung was popular in the military for a very good reason. He looked good enough to slap Yoo Joonghyuk lightly on one cheek. That was much more than what he could say for the average person.

Lee Hyunsung was a handsome man.

Dokja cleared his throat and looked away, flustered. Hyunsung looked a little confused. “Did I do-“

“If you’re that glad, then treat me to a drink.” That was a cover up and an attempt to save his wallet at the same time.

Hyunsung’s face lit up. “I was just about to ask you that!” he glanced at his watch. “It’s time for her break. Let’s get a drink after I’m done talking?”

Dokja nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

Hyunsung glanced at his phone, reading a message, probably from Heewon. “I’ll be back.”

Dokja patted his back. “Best of luck.”

Hyunsung gave him a wobbly smile before leaving. Dokja sat at the counter, alone again. It felt a little more awkward than it did before. Glancing around the bar, his eyes landed on the corner table he had been eyeing earlier—it was empty now.

Dokja bought himself another drink and made his way to the empty table. Now that was no longer sitting, he realised Hyunsung was right. He was a little tipsy.

Just a little, though.

He probably should have waited for Hyunsung to come back before getting another drink. This was his fourth one. Dokja did not have a high tolerance. But he couldn’t just let it sit there. It wouldn’t taste as good once the ice melted.

He took a sip, looking around. He looked at the time on his phone. 9:34 pm. It hadn’t even been five minutes since Hyunsung had left. Dokja was bored. He stared at the time, wishing it would move faster.

Then he saw it. The Star Stream notification icon.

Dokja grinned. Yoo Joonghyuk’s streams last at least 3 hours. He took out his earbuds from his pocket and joined the stream only to be greeted by an empty chair. Yoo Joonghyuk was nowhere in sight. Dokja frowned and turned to the chat.

deluxiondemon: I’m telling you

apostle01: uriel ban him

u_fo_riel: ToT

deluxiondemon: crush a packet of hot cheetos, pour it into a mayo bottle, mix mix mix

apostle01: gross

deluxiondemon: best shit ever

abfd_: agreed

warfarxgod: I just puked

deluxiondemon: you should try it

warfarxgod: you should kys

apostle01: lmao get wrekt

deluxiondemon: I’m gonna make you try it next time

warfarxgod: and how will you do that?

apostle01: @deluxiondemon put it in your mouth and kiss her?

deluxiondemon: stfu fr

warfarxgod: ewwww

goldenheadband: @deluxiondemon rip

abfd_: F

apostle01: F

greatballoffire: F

deluxiondemon: stop

u_fo_riel: F <3

jahayoung: F

warfarxgod: F

deluxiondemon: ….

Dokja chuckled and took another sip of his drink. Poor guy. He decided to take pity on him.

guwon: guyss where’s he>

apostle01: hi, I’m good, wbu

warfarxgod: straight to the point I see

u_fo_riel: guwon!!!!!!!

goldenheadband: he’s babysitting kids he said

abfd_: it wasn’t going well

jahayoung: lmao no greetings

guwon: @u_fo_riel !!!!!

guwon: what happened??

deluxiondemon: there was a huge crash, then he ran off lmao

Oops. Those were his kids, he was a little worried. They were usually well behaved, but kids were kids. You can never be sure.

guwon: you think they’re okay?

goldenheadband: if it was bad, he would end the stream

greatballoffire: yup

guwon: makes sense

apostle01: kids are fine chill

If Sooyoung was saying that, then there was no need to worry. She knew that Gilyoung and Yoosung were sleeping over at his house. But Dokja couldn’t help it. He wanted to text Yoo Joonghyuk and ask, but he didn’t want him to think he was watching the stream on a night out.

If something went wrong, Joonghyuk would have called him.

shiiooott: we’d prolly be able to hear if he didn’t mute the mic

abfd_: what do you think we’d hear

warfarxgod: scolding prolly

shiiooott: hot

From personal experience, Dokja would say it was more scary than hot, but to each their own.

abfd_: ugh

apostle01: to each their own

baldjustice: anyone here into bald men

goldenheadband: you’re bald??

warfarxgod: this isn’t a dating site, get out

baldjustice: I’m not bald btw. asking for a friend

abfd_: @warfarxgod when I say that about joowon…

<User @abfd_ has been restricted. timeout: 20s>

apostle01: lmao

warfarxgod: @abfd_ suck

deluxiondemon: @u_fo_riel that’s abuse of power btw

guwon: @u_fo_riel bad

u_fo_riel: @guwon its just 20 seconds :(

jahayoung: she’s way too cute for it to be abuse of power

shiiooott: @abfd_ they hated Jesus for saying the truth

apostle01: @abfd_ is no Jesus so we good dw

goldenheadband: he didn’t lie tho

greatballoffire: the 'won' himself agreed with us

jahayoung: @greatballoffire irrelevant

guwon: @greatballoffire the whomst

apostle01: dumbfvck

guwon: @apostle01 b!tch

greatballoffire: @guwon I’d like to live I’m sorry

apostle01: boo

guwon: ?????

Dokja downed the rest of of his drink. Fuck Han Sooyoung.

Just then Yoo Joonghyuk came back into camera view, except this time he had an extremely familiar kitten in his hand.

He plopped down on his chair and placed Biyoo on the desk. She immediately tried to reach for the keyboard. Joonghyuk held her back with one hand and rubbed his face with the other.

Dokja swallowed. He’d seen Joonghyuk with Biyoo before. He’d been over at house enough for it to happen. But he never saw them like this.

Yoo Joonghyuk in his dimly lit gaming room, still visible ticked off from whatever the kids did, holding tiny Biyoo so gently.

So this was the gap-moe the mangas talked about. Dokja never understood the hype before but he was now a changed man.

He groaned. “Sorry about that.” He put Biyoo on his lap, out of view and continued playing.

extremethirst: holy shit

u_fo_riel: omg the kitty ♡ 〰 ♡

apostle01: Ariana what are you doing here

goldenheadband: @apostle01 what?

shiiooott: holy shit

supremebrick: all day all night no lube no protection from the kitchen to the

warfarxgod: captain….wow

deluxiondemon: here we go again

goldenheadband: @deluxiondemon he does look cool

suvelut: guys I’m out of storage, take more screenshots on my behalf

jahayoung: @suvelut I’ll have the clips on twt by tonight dw

u_fo_riel: omg she’s peeping. pspsps ( つ ✧ω✧) つ

apostle01: @u_fo_riel get your hands off my daughter

purry: @apostle01 that’s my daughter actually

guwon: apostle01 ??? she’s not your daughter

jahayoung: @/god thank you

jwt: we’re well fed today

apostle01: @guwon how would you know :)

Dokja cursed Han Sooyoung in his head. If she wanted to call Biyoo her daughter, she should raise her herself. Instead of doing that and being useful, she was being annoying on the internet.

warfarxgod: yeah @guwon how do you know?

guwon: she’s too adorable to be @apostle01’s

jahayoung: …true

abfd_: lmao get wrekt

apostle01: @guwon choke

apostle01: @guwon I can ruin your life

guwon: @apostle01 forgive me master

abfd_: @guwon ??stay strong bro

u_fo_riel: Joonghyuk! lift her up! lift her up!

goldenheadband: lift her up! she’s struggling

Dokja looked at Biyoo on the screen. He could barely see the top of her head. It looked like she was trying to get back on the desk.

Dokja had already taken screenshots of Yoo Joonghyuk holding Biyoo, but he wanted more. So, he sent him a super chat. He didn’t know if he would see it. He was ignoring all the superchats and donations pouring in.

guwon: Joonghyuk-ah, lift her up. I wanna see

Dokja lucked out. Yoo Joonghyuk paused for a second and lifted her up for the camera. She meowed. Dokja wished he had recorded that. He could always watch the replay. He already planned to do that anyway.

deluxiondemon: way to be obvious captain

apostle01: captain obvious

warfarxgod: a good way to d!e

u_fo_riel: waaahhhhh idk what to focus on

guwon: cute

u_fo_riel: ded

apostle01: @guwon who is

jahayoung: so who was sacrificed for this?

mirukiwei: @jahayoung someone check on the paul brothers real quick

shiiooott: guys ToT the way he’s holding her ToT

yjhskitten: that should be me….

shiiooott: @yjhskitten the username….

apostle01: @yjhskitten lol

deluxiondemon: @yjhskitten why did you leave your post

abfd_: @yjhskitten lmaoo

jahayoung: @yjhskitten maybe it wasn’t meant to be <3

yjhskitten: :(

supremebrick: the size difference between his hand and the kitten, ded

nirvanaog: @SupremeKing do you want to see my cat?

Dokja’s face scrunched up immediately.

Nirvana.

Dokja hated him.

Unlike Yoo Joonghyuk, Nirvana was a hobbyist gamer, but he took his games seriously. During the early days of Joonghyuk’s streaming career, he was often compared to Nirvana because they played the same games. Nirvana had done streams where he bitched about Yoo Joonghyuk and his plays.

Dokja had spent hours fighting with him and his fans on forums. It only lasted a short while though. Once Yoo Joonghyuk got used to streaming and took off his mask, Nirvana switched lanes immediately.

He’d been trying to get Yoo Joonghyuk’s attention for years in vain.

abfd_: @nirvanaog ugh

deluxiondemon: bruh he is on stream

apostle01: say hi to his chat then- hey losers

jahayoung: @nirvana bro get out

shiiooott: @nirvanaog’s chat, update the ‘nirvana failed shots’ thread

deluxiondemon: @shiiooott that thread was by his fandom?

warfarxgod: @deluxiondemon yup. he’s soo lame. captain would never

extremethirst: @nirvana ignored again lmao

goldenheadband: he left lol

u_fo_riel: good

guwon: lol

extremethirst: let’s get back to our lord and saviour, the kitten

abfd_: ffs enough already

supremebrick: @abfd_ just leave or something?

abfd_:  @supremebrick no, choke

mirukiwei: guys how many kittens do you think it’d take to cover the king’s shoulders?

u_fo_riel: seated or sleeping?

guwon: 5-6

jahayoung: @guwon again. how do you know

abfd_: can’t a bro know the size of another bro’s shoulder?

goldenheadband: not this bro it seems

apostle01: @guwon that was very quick

guwon: @apostle01 thanks I’m good at math

u_fo_riel: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

warfarxgod: @/whoever made this happen, thank you

apostle01: @warfarxgod that would be haKyun kekeke

Han Sooyoung was dead to him. That’s for sure. He texted her a middle finger emoji just in case and left her reply (a question mark) on read.

abfd_: absolute cinema lmao

deluxiondemon: fuck that guy, I’m team joowon from now

warfarxgod: @apostle01 wut

u_fo_riel: @apostle01 wdym

apostle01: :)

jwt: @apostle01 ??

apostle01: ask joonghyuk yourself

u_fo_riel: @SupremeKing who’s kitten is that?

Yoo Joonghyuk looked at the message and replied “My friend’s. I’m only watching her for the night.”

Dokja’s jaw dropped open. ‘My friend’s.’

‘Friend’s.’

Friend.

Yoo Joonghyuk called him a friend. Dokja could barely contain his smile. He swayed in his seat lightly, feeling giddy.

He’s friends with his soulmate. Yoo Joonghyuk thinks they are friends.

jahayoung: welp there goes my day

abfd_: day fvcking made

apostle01: muhuhahahaha

u_fo_riel: @apostle01 how did you know?

apostle01: @u_fo_riel you tell me

deluxiondemon: @u_fo_riel she knows captain. how could you forget? are you dumb

warfarxgod: @deluxiondemon you’re asking that lol

shiiooot: should I count this as a win?

jahayoung: bruv stfu. not now

goldenheadband: guys its just kitten sitting

extremethirst : not for them. twt is gonna be a battlefield

jahayoung: @extremethirst don’t talk about it

shiiooott: lmao can’t wait

warfarxgod: every dog has its day

shiiooott: @warfarxgod and today is not yours

On screen, Yoo Joonghyuk turned towards the door. Through the speakers Dokja could hear Mia’s voice. Yoo Joonghyuk did not mute the mic nor did he turn off the camera.

“Oppa?”

Yoo Joonghyuk rotated his chair to face her. “What is it?”

She sounded sheepish. “Oppa, can we use the PS5? I promise we’ll behave”

“No.”

“Then let us watch TV. Board games are too boring.” she whined.

“Then go sleep.”

“But it’s too early to sleep! At least give us Biyoo.”

“No. You almost hurt her. I told you to not do anything I wouldn’t approve of.” Yoo Joonghyuk said sternly.

“But I said sorry.”

“Mia, I’m streaming right now. Either you go back and accept your punishment for the night, or prepare yourself to be punished tomorrow as well.”

There was no answer, just the sound of the door slamming shut. Yoo Joonghyuk pressed the base of his palm to his eyes. Dokja watched attentively.

Joonghyuk rarely showed emotions on stream, especially those that stem from his personal life. So, on the rare occasions that he did express himself, it felt special.

Right now, a part of him felt special but a bigger part felt guilty. He seemed to be having a hard time. Aside from the guilt and excitement, there was a very small part that was amused.

Big, strong Yoo Joonghyuk having a hard time because of children, pfft.

extremethirst: Scold us too king

warfarxgod: I get to see that often btw

shiiooott: @warfarxgod @/god I see what you’ve done for others

supremebrick: just one chance king, just one

guwon: what happened tho

apostle01: lmao what did they even do

goldenheadband: he said they almost hurt the kitten

u_fo_riel: Yoo Joonghyuk!! what did they do

guwon: Joonghyuk-ah what was the punishment

“They were enacting that movie, Lion King?” Yoo joonghyuk said. “They made a mountain with pots and pans and placed this kitten on top of it. It toppled.”

Dokja burst out laughing.

It’d be one thing if anyone was injured, but since they were all fine, it was just funny. The distaste on Joonghyuk’s face made it better.

“Punishment? Nothing much. I made them clean up the mess and brought the kitten with me. They can either play board games or sleep.”

Dokja blinked. It was a lenient punishment. Dokja expected something harsher. The chat seemed to think so too.

apostle01: lion king lmao

goldenheadband: at least they didn’t try to climb the pile for a true enacting

warfarxgod: @goldenheadband that would suck

deluxindemon: isn’t that scene the first thing that’s come to mind if you have a kitten?

jahayoung: @deluxiondemon for normal people, its not

abfd_: the punishment was surprisingly lenient though

shiiooott: @abfd_ true lmao, my mom would have whooped my ass if I tried that shit

Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at the chat. “That’s because I can’t be harsh on other people’s kids.” Then he glared at the camera like he knew Dokja was watching.

Dokja snorted.

On screen, Biyoo was climbing up the front of his t-shirt. Joonghyuk tried to pull her away but she clung onto it. Dokja took a few more screenshots, just in case.

guwon: Joonghyuk-ah, you should adopt the kitten. I wanna see her on your stream everyday.

Joonghyuk stared at that message for a while. “I can’t. She already has an owner.”

Tch. Well, he tried.

jahayoung: @guwon weird way to ask someone to marry you

guwon: @jahayoung I literally didn’t but okay

guwon: @apostle01 stop typing. fvck you

apostle01 : wtf how did you know

abfd_: unprovoked lmao

guwon: @apostle01 you think I live in your walls or something?

apostle01: @guwon do you?

guwon: fvck no, I’d rather d!e

deluxiondemon: lmao @apostle01

apostle01:   @guwon if I catch you on the street, you’re ded meat

warfarxgod: @apostle01 with your twig arms?

apostle01: @warfarxgod I can take you in a fight for sure

warfarxgod: bet, see you tomorrow

apostle01: sure

Dokja stared at the chat.

He was a little upset, he’d spent a lot of money on cocktails yet he was starting to sober up already. With how long Hyunsung was taking, Dokja would be sober enough to drive back home if he had a car.

He decided to get another drink.

guwon: guys what’s the strongest cocktail that you know of?

apostle01: why cocktails? just take the shots straight

u_fo_riel: @guwon ???

guwon: @apostle01 I hate the taste

deluxiondemon: @guwon weakling

guwon: @u_fo_riel I’m out with a friend

goldenheadband: oooh date night

warfarxgod: @goldenheadband he said friend

abfd_: date night

guwon: lol

jahayoung: @guwon wdym by lol???

He was in the middle of typing a comment when he saw a hand knock on the table. He looked up to see Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung.

He removed his earbuds and shoved them into his pocket.

“You’re still here!” Heewon exclaimed.

“I was promised a drink.” Dokja said, eyeing the tray of drinks in her hands.

Heewon smirked and placed the tray on the table. She sat down beside Hyunsung, opposite to Dokja. 

“Long time no see, Dokja-ssi. How have you been?”

“Good. What about you?”

She grinned wide. “As you can see, I’m doing great.” she said, tilting her head towards the bar counter. Dokja smiled and nodded. “Yes, I can.”

“Sorry if we took too long, Dokja-ssi.” Hyunsung said, looking apologetic.

“Ah, no. It’s alright.”

Dokja was more curious about how the conversation went. He was admittedly a little distracted by the tray when they returned, but now he was actually taken aback by Jung Heewon’s presence.

Dokja’s eyes flickered between the two. Did that mean the conversation went well?

Fortunately, Heewon offered him an explanation before he even had ask.

“Don’t look so worried. We’re fine. It went the way he wanted. We’re trying again.” She said, nudging Hyunsung with a shoulder. He smiled at her in return.

Dokja leaned back on his chair, sighing in relief. “Glad to hear that.”

Then a devilish grin appeared on Heewon’s face. Dokja instinctively leaned away as much as possible.

“So, Dokja-ssi. I heard you’re a lightweight.”

Dokja glared at Hyunsung, only getting a smile in return. “I’m average.”

“I heard from my colleague that you’re on four right now.” Dokja nodded, wary of where the conversation was heading.

Heewon picked up a fancy-looking, pink cocktail from the tray and placed it in front of him.

“This is my latest invention. I’m personally very proud it. I think it’s good enough to make it to the menu. I want you to taste test it for me.”

Dokja nodded. He brought the glass to his lips and took a sip. “Mhm!”

It was berry-flavoured and was more on the sweet side than the sour. Dokja liked it more than he thought he would. His head snapped up to meet Heewon’s smug gaze.

“So, how’s it?”

“It tastes amazing. I really like it.”

“Right?” She laughed when he took another big sip. “I’ll have to warn you though. It may not taste like it, but it’s a pretty strong drink.”

The second she said that, Dokja started to feel lightheaded again. Dokja laughed. “It doesn’t taste like it at all!”

“That’s its specialty.”

Dokja took another sip. “It’s really good, Heewon-ssi.”

She smiled, more genuine this time. “Thank you.”

Dokja felt his shoulders relax completely. Maybe it was the drinks, maybe it was the nostalgia. It could be both. Dokja found himself talking a lot more than he usually would.

He learned that Hyunsung was a civil servant. He wasn’t very shocked by that. It was a job that suited him. Heewon on the other hand, decided to become a bartender after working as one part-time during college.

Heewon told him about her other soulmate. “I’m telling you, both of them are complete opposites. She is very small, bubbly and very cute.” Heewon gushed, stopping herself midway to add “Not cuter than you, Hyunsung-ah.”

Lee Hyunsung turned red. Dokja burst out laughing.

“Stop it, Heewon.” Hyunsung said.

Heewon winked at him and continued talking. “Like I was saying, she’s half his height.”

“Half? For real?”

“I’m serious. I wish I had a picture to show you. I’ll make sure to click one the next time we meet.” She said.

“You better. I’m really curious.”

They were easy to talk to. They did not act like two people who’d just reconciled after a rough patch that lasted two years. Either they were really good at hiding it, or they had really talked it all out, no bad feelings.

Dokja was glad. He had really needed something like that tonight.

They stayed at the bar for a long time.

Sometime that night, Heewon had ordered more drinks saying it was Hyunsung’s treat. At first, Dokja was hesitant because he had to go back home. But they’d brushed off his concerns.

“Hyunsung will take you home. He brought his car.” Heewon said.

Dokja looked at Hyunsung. “But didn’t you drink too?”

“I only had one drink. I won’t drink anymore. Don’t worry.” Hyunsung smiled, his broad shoulders suddenly looked more reliable than it did a minute ago.

Dokja drank more alcohol in that one night than he had in years.

By the time Heewon’s long break ended, Dokja was one shot away from passing out.

“Oh my god, he’s gone gone.” Heewon laughed.

“’M not” Dokja slurred. It only made them laugh.

Dokja glared at Heewon. She’d drunk just as much as he did, why did she seem fine? it was so unfair.

She passed him a glass of water. “No more.” he said, pushing it way.

“It’ll make it all better. Trust me.”

Dokja lifted his head with great difficulty and eyed the glass suspiciously. He’d seen something like that before, but couldn’t remember what it was. He downed the entire glass in one go.

“This. This tasted better than the others. What’s it called?” His earnest question was only met with laughter. He looked at them offended.

“I’m so glad you’re recording this.” Hyunsung said.

“I never miss my chance.” Heewon replied.

Dokja nodded. “You never do.”

More laughter.

Heewon and Hyunsung stood up. “Come on, Dokja-ssi. It’s time to go.”

“Go where?”

“Home.”

“Oh.” Hyunsung moved closer to where Dokja was seated and stretched out his hands to support him. Dokja pushed himself up and wrapped his arms around Hyunsung’s neck. Hyunsung’s arm shot up to support him.

“D-Dokja-ssi?”

“Oh my god!”

He nuzzled into Hyunsung’s shoulder. “Let’s stay in contact, Hyunsung-ssi. See you soon.”

“Yes, I’ll text you more often. But Dokja-ssi, I’m supposed to be taking you home.”

Dokja pulled away, almost losing balance. Hyunsung held him upright by his waist. Dokja grinned at him.

“You were? Oh, then let’s go” he said, pointing at the exit.

“Yes, we can go. But you have to let me go first. And Heewon, stop recording!”

She laughed and pocketed her phone. “I already got enough footage. Get home safe you two. I need to get back to work.”

Both Hyunsung and Dokja said their goodbyes. Then Dokja turned to Hyunsung.

“Why did she have to leave again?”

Lee Hyunsung sighed. “I forgot how troublesome you were when you got this drunk.”

“Hey!”

A lot of struggles and one not-so-long car ride later, Dokja felt a lot better and unfortunately, not very sober.   When the car was a street away from his house, Dokja demanded Hyunsung to stop the car.

As soon as the car stopped, Dokja got out of the car. Hyunsung followed.

“What’s wrong, Dokja-ssi?”

“No, I just wanted to walk home.” he replied.

Hyunsung looked worried. “I don’t think you should be doing that right now.”

Dokja gestured him to come closer. Once he did, he pointed to a building at the end of the street. “I live over there. Just a street away. I’ll be fine.”

Hyunsung reluctantly agreed. “Alright. Let me walk you home then. It’s my fault for getting you this drunk.”

“I’m the one who drank though.” Dokja chuckled.

“I wanted us to get hammered together like old times. It’s more my fault than yours, Dokja-ssi.”

Dokja swung a half-hearted punch at Hyunsung’s shoulder, barely landing it. Then he spent a minute wondering how many years of train it took to build muscle like that.

“Next time, let’s drink together. Get home safe, Hyunsung-ssi.” Dokja patted his back and turned around.

He turned around when he was less than halfway there, Hyunsung was still watching him. Dokja smiled. Some people never change. Hyunsung had always taken his responsibilities seriously.

Dokja waved at him. Hyunsung waved back.

Dokja turned around and pulled out his phone, intending to telling Hyunsung to go back home. As soon as he unlocked his phone, he saw a message notification in Star Stream.

Dokja opened the inbox curiously. His eyes widened when he saw the id of the sender.

It was a message from Yoo Joonghyuk.

SupremeKing: Did you get home safe?

Dokja felt a little warm inside. It was the first time Yoo Joonghyuk had texted Guwon. Despite all the years they’ve known each other, they’d never texted privately except for that one time Dokja texted him after learning about his breakup with Lee Seolhwa.

Dokja opened his camera and snapped a picture of his hand making a peace sign towards the ground. It was a shaky photo, the flash only made it look worse. He sent it to him anyway.

guwon: <sent a photo>

guwon: yupppp

Joonghyuk read it immediately. But Dokja did not get a reply till just before he was about to fall asleep.

It was a photo of Biyoo on a pillow on the ground and Yoo Joonghyuk’s hand petting her.

SupremeKing: <sent a photo>

SupremeKing: Goodnight.

Dokja woke up the next morning feeling like death reincarnated.

He’d forgotten to close the curtains the night before which led to his eyes being assaulted by light from a thousand suns as soon as he woke up.

He groaned and tried to go back to sleep but the ringing noise in his head was too loud and the room too bright. He pushed himself off the bed and took some medicine. He closed the blinds and laid back down.

The medicine made him feel better but he couldn’t fall asleep.

Dokja tossed and turned for almost half an hour before giving up. He buried his head under his pillow and groaned.

Fuck. He shouldn’t have drunk so much.

He sat up slowly and pulled out his phone. He had a few text notifications. He clicked on the one from Yoo Joonghyuk.

yoo joonghyuk: call me when you’re coming here

Dokja was in no state to leave his house right now. Still, he called him—only to regret it the moment Yoo Joonghyuk picked up. Dokja pulled the phone away from his ear.

Listening to his voice so close to his ear was a little dangerous.

Dokja grimaced, suddenly feeling more awake than he’d like. He put the call on speaker and leaned against the wall.

“…When are you picking them up?” Joonghyuk asked.

Dokja glanced at the time. 9am.

“Later. I can barely move right now.” Dokja replied.

“In that case, I’ll give you 20 minutes. Get here as fast as you can.”

This rude bastard.

“I just said I’m tired, you jerk.”

“You said I only had to watch them till the morning.”

“Now I’m asking for a little more time. What’s the hurry anyway? They’re such good kids.” Dokja said, trying not to sound amused. He knew full well what happened last night, after all.

“With you, maybe. Come here. Now.”

Dokja sighed. Joonghyuk must have used his patience quota of the day on the kids.

“If you really want them gone, drop them home yourself. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait till noon.”

When Joonghyuk didn’t respond, he added “You’d have dropped them here at sunrise if they were that unbearable. Stop being dramatic.”

“Tch. Fine. I’ll see you at noon. Don’t be late.” Joongyuk hung up without waiting for a reply. Dokja cursed at his phone.

The other texts were from Han Sooyoung, Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon. He didn’t remember exchanging contacts with her. Maybe she got it from Hyunsung.

He opened Han Sooyoung’s chat first.

BFE: oi

BFE: how was it?

BFE: dokja?

BFE: Kim Dokja

BFE: its almost midnight

BFE: did they murder you?

BFE: rip ig

BFE: pos

BFE: I’ll give you till tomorrow morning. you better answer

BFE: or else I’ll start the preparations for your funeral

me: funeral? seriously?

me: don’t people usually file a missing person report first?

me: and you could have just called me

me: the dinner was…something

me: call me later

Han Sooyoung replied immediately. Dokja smiled at his phone. She must have been worried, not that she’d ever admit it.

BFE: loser

BFE: I wanted to call you last night but the thought of having to hear your voice was just 🤮

me: stfu

BFE: and tell me now

BFE: I’m going out, I’ll call you after lunch

BFE: just gimme a summary

me: I’m too lazy to type

BFE: Idc

BFE: do it

BFE: Sangah wants to know if she can quit her job

BFE: did you get sugar babied or no

me:…..

me: they wanted to adopt me

BFE: WHAT

BFE: Holy Shit

BFE: wait switch to the gc

Dokja sighed. He didn’t have the energy for an interrogation. It’d be so much easier if they called.

sangah: Dokja-ssi!!!

sooyoung: holy shit

sooyoung: sangah quit your job

sooyoung: our investment is finally paying off

me: who tf are you calling an investment

me: if I ever get rich, I’m going to pretend idk you

sooyoung: wdym if? you said yes right?

me: its on hold

sooyoung: why tf

sangah: it was the first meeting, sooyoung-ah

me: yeah, we’re taking it slow

sangah: I see

sangah: hope it ends well

sangah: (I’d really like to quit)

me: .…

me: they also offered be a house

sooyoung: Kim dokja you lucky fucker

sangah: dokja-ssi. don’t take it slow. please hurry up

me: can you not be blinded by the money and focus

sooyoung: focus on what?

sooyoung: what else is there if not money

sangah: the people

sooyoung: the people are the money

me: you’re too rich to be talking like a broke person

sooyoung: fuck off

sangah: are you accepting the house?

me: idk. I do need a bigger one

me: its fine right now but when Gilyoung gets older, he’ll need his own space

me: but I think the house might be too much

me: he wanted me to live there for free

sangah: ah that might be hard to accept

sooyoung: repeat after me kim dokja

sooyoung: shame is for the weak

sooyoung: they offered. you just take it

me: ….

me: sangah-ssi, if she’s beside you, please slap her for me

sangah: unfortunately, she’s not

sooyoung: boo sux to be you

me: anyway

me: come with me when I go to see the house

sangah: would that be fine?

me: I think it’ll be fine, I’ll ask them just to confirm

sooyoung: when?

me: next weekend?

sooyoung: okay, I’m in

sangah: me too

me: okay deal

sooyoung: deal

With that settled, he clicked on Hyunsung’s text next. It was sent the night before.

Lee Hyunsung: It was nice meeting you today, Dokja-ssi. Let’s hang out often.

Lee Hyunsung: Hope you feel fine tomorrow

me: I feel like I was run over

me: Jk

me: Let’s meet soon.

Two down, one more to go.

He knew the third sender was Jung Heewon because that was the last message in the preview. He had 23 messages from her.

23.

Given the context, it was a scary number.

Dokja opened the chat warily and then sighed in relief. Most of the messages were images.

unknown: <sent 17 images>

unknown: <sent 2 videos>

unknown: Guess my favourite picture lol

unknown: Hope you reached home safe

unknown: Let’s hangout soon, Dokja-ssi. I had a lot of fun last night

unknown: This is Jung Heewon btw

Dokja saved her contact and downloaded the media.

The first few were harmless—paired selfies, then a few group shots. He remembered these. He looked decent. Presentable.

Then it got worse.

There were photos he had no memory of. There was a photo of Dokja grinning at the camera all dopey, like a fool. There was also a video of him rambling that he did not want to be subjected to. He scrolled past them quickly out of embarrassment, only to land on something even worse.

In the photo, Dokja was clinging to Lee Hyunsung, his head buried in Hyunsung’s shoulder while Hyunsung’s arms were wrapped around his waist. It looked... incriminating.

Scandalous.

Dokja froze. His face burned.

To his growing horror, there were more of the same kind. Each photo somehow worse than the last. There was even a video.

me: Heewon-ssi

me: please I beg you

me: delete everything

me: we can click better photos next time

me: delete

He stared at his phone for a long time, waiting for a reply. He got none. He sighed and went to make himself some breakfast.

He finally got a reply while he was on the bus to Yoo Joonghyuk’s house.

Jung Heewon: nope

Dokja glared at his phone and punched out a reply.

me: why not? why would you even keep that?

Jung Heewon: it’s cute

Jung Heewon: You two look like a couple

me: a couple of friends yes

me: why are you okay with such a pic

Jung Heewon: it’s just a hug chill

Jung Heewon: and I know you guys are just friends

Jung Heewon: you literally met yesterday after 4yrs

Jung Heewon: why would I have a problem?

me: I don’t like the pic

Jung Heewon: well idc

Jung Heewon: Hyunsung looks really good in those pics <3

me: …

me: crop me out

Jung Heewon: no can do

me: delete it

Jung Heewon: no signal

me: what?

Jung Heewon: no signal

me: that’s so childish

Jung Heewon: no signal

Dokja groaned and buried his face in his palm. When he finally sat up, he caught the woman beside him watching him with concern. He gave her a reassuring smile, but it only seemed to worry her more.

She kept an eye on him till he reached his stop.

Dokja was not having a good day so far. It even had potential to get worse.

Despite Yoo Joonghyuk’s warning, Dokja was late, on purpose.

It wasn’t planning on being late at first. But one glance at the words on his arm while he was showering changed his mind.

It read ‘9:30am pick up 12pm’ with a weird looking creature drawn next to it. If Dokja didn’t know any better, he’d say it looked like a rat.

But Dokja did know better. He also knew that that creature was supposed to be him. He fought the urge to draw something back—maybe a dick or something.

So really, it wasn’t his fault. It was Joonghyuk’s.

Yoo Joonghyuk should be grateful there was a scheduled power outage in his building for a few hours from noon—Dokja was already planning to be at least an hour late.

Not that he’d care. If anything, Joonghyuk would be even more pissed if he knew. Dokja just hoped Joonghyuk had a great morning. He really didn’t want to be choked today.

Dokja knocked on Yoo Joonghyuk’s door at 12:23pm. Luckily, it was Shin Yoosung who answered. Her face lit up and she immediately wrapped her hands around his waist.

“Ajhussi!”

He ruffled her hair. “Yoosung-ah. Sorry for being late.”

“No, it’s fine. Come in.” she said, pulling his arm.

Dokja didn’t move. He planned to grab the three of them and leave before Yoo Joonghyuk showed up. “No, its fine. How about you get Gilyoung and Biyoo? We need to leave soon.”

Before Yoosung could respond, the door opened fully. Yoo Joonghyuk leaned on the doorframe, glaring.

Dokja grimaced. “Joonghyuk-ah. How have you been?”

His eyebrow twitched. Dokja pursed his lips.

“Come in. You need to put Biyoo in her carrier.”

Come in, he said. He was single-handedly making his apartment door look like the gates of hell. How was Dokja supposed to walk past that?

“You heard him, Ajhussi. Come.” Yoosung said, tugging his arm.

Reluctantly, Dokja let himself be pulled inside, carefully avoiding Joonghyuk’s glare as he stepped past him.

It was when he walked into the living room, safe and unchoked, that the realization hit him.

He was in his soulmate’s house.

Yoo Joonghyuk’s apartment was exactly what he expected from an apartment in a rich neighbourhood—spacious and well-kept. Nothing too fancy, but far from lacking.

The living room was a little messy with board games and cat toys lying around. Dokja bit back a smile. It looked lived in.

Gilyoung and Mia were sitting on the floor. Like Yoosung, Gilyoung ran to his side the second he came into view while Mia just made a face at him.

“Hyung!”

“Hey. Where’s Biyoo?” Dokja looked around the living room. He couldn’t spot her.

“She’s under there.” Mia pointed to the narrow space under the couch. “She’s been hiding there since Oppa brought the carrier.” The carrier was on the couch.

“How long has it been?”

“30 minutes?”

Dokja looked at Yoo Joonghyuk pointedly. He simply shrugged and walked into the kitchen.

Dokja sighed and sat on the couch. “She hates carriers. When she goes into hiding like this, it’s better to just let her be. She’ll come out on her own.”

“I told them that, Hyung. They didn’t listen.” Gilyoung said, sitting next to him.

“He did not. Ajhussi. he’s lying.” Yoosung sat on his other side.

“I’m the one who said that.” Mia grinned.

Dokja got up before they could drag him into their argument and headed to the kitchen.

Whatever Joonghyuk was cooking smelled amazing. He caught a whiff of it the second he walked in. But it was one thing to smell the food and another to actually see it being made.

Yoo Joonghyuk looked like a model-chef.

If someone filmed his daily life and put it online, Dokja was pretty sure the country’s marriage and birth rates would skyrocket.

“What are you making?” he asked, peeking over his shoulder.

“Food.”

“Really? I couldn’t have guessed that.” he said, rolling his eyes. Yoo Joonghyuk made a face at him.

“Why are you here? Take them and leave.”

Dokja glared. “You’re the one who scared Biyoo off. If I try to get her out now, it’ll only take longer. You’ll have to put up with us for a little longer.”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s frown deepened. He turned back to the stove without replying.

Dokja stuck a tongue out at him and moved to sit on one of the three stools in his kitchen bar counter setup. He leaned against the wall and pulled out his phone. Joonghyuk turned to look at him, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Dokja sat up straight. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Yoo Joonghyuk clicked his tongue. “Nothing.”

That guy was a little weird.

Dokja scrolled on his phone aimlessly. No novel caught his eye, he’d already caught up to the updates. He was a little bored. From their excited voices, the kids were playing something. Dokja stared at Yoo Joonghyuk’s back.

If it was anyone else, Dokja would have volunteered to help. But Yoo Joonghyuk hates cooking with other people. So, it was better for him to sit still.

Smelling such good food for so long was making him hungry.

Since there was a power outage, he didn’t want to take the kids home. It would be too stuffy inside. But he couldn’t afford to buy them food outside. He’d already spent a lot of money the previous night.

Then he was struck with a thought.

So, the sequence of events till then was—Dokja woke up late hungover, decided to pick the kids up at noon even though he could have come earlier, found Biyoo hiding away in the narrow space under the couch where human hands can’t reach easily and thus, was forced to wait at his soulmate’s house for a little longer during lunch hour watching said soulmate cook.

It was a little too convenient. There could only be one explanation for this.

His scriptwriter wanted him to eat lunch here.

It made sense. Why else would there be a power outbreak? Why else did the food smell so good?

So, Biyoo was this episode’s plot device. His scriptwriter was really forcing it.

But if he thought about it, it wasn’t that big a deal.

They’d been to each other’s houses, Dokja had his phone number, his kids were friends with Joonghyuk’s sister. What’s some food compared to that?

Even if he didn’t eat it today, Dokja was sure it would happen eventually.

He’d rather let it happen now than wait for his scriptwriter to create another ridiculous scenario.

“Say, Joonghyuk-ah?” Dokja started carefully. Yoo Joonghyuk turned to him slightly.

“You seem to be in a good mood. Did you have fun last night?” Dokja almost facepalmed the second the words left his mouth. So much for being tactful.

Last night could not how been fun for him.

He prepared himself to be stabbed or something similar. But to his surprise, Joonghyuk did not react violently. Instead, the corner of his lip tilted upward and he turned away.

“Did you?”

Dokja’s eyebrows shot up.

Who was this guy and what did he do to his Yoo Joonghyuk?

Well, whatever he did, Dokja didn’t mind. Imposter or not, no sane person would complain about a Yoo Joonghyuk with an upgraded personality.

“Yes, I did.” Dokja said smiling sweetly.

Joonghyuk smirked. “I see.”

…Imposter Joonghyuk was not very good for his heart.

Now that he confirmed his good mood, it was time to ask him the important question.

“Joonghyuk-ah.”

“What?”

“I’m really hungry. Can I eat lunch h-“

“No.” The usual Joonghyuk was back. So, it was a split personality case. What a shame.

“Why not?” he whined.

“That was not a part of the deal.” Joonghyuk said pointedly.

Dokja grit his teeth. “Hey, come on. I’m starving. What if I passed out on my way home and died?”

“Sounds good.”

“You-! Agh.” Dokja clenched his fist in frustration. He put aside all his shame to ask him and that’s what he got.

Dokja almost gave up when another wave of aroma hit him.

He strengthened his resolve. The food would surely be worth it. Joonghyuk didn’t think much of him anyway. Dokja had nothing to lose.

“Joonghyuk-ah, you’re not going to let two pre-teens and a kitten starve, are you? That would be way too heartless even for you.” He said, feigning concern.

Joonghyuk looked at him questioningly. The expression on his face looked so genuine, it made what came out of his mouth next more infuriating. “I’m not letting them starve. I already made food for them.”

Dokja’s jaw dropped.

This rude bastard. He was just too cruel.

Dokja huffed and turned around, facing the living room. He leaned his elbows on the counter and watched the kids play games to pass time.

It was soon time for lunch. Dokja’s stomach growled.

He made sure to look as displeased as humanly possible when Joonghyuk started to bring the dishes to the table. The one time he glanced at him, he had just snorted.

Dokja’s soul had it worse than Dokja himself did. His soulmate was the worst.

Then Dokja noticed it.

Yoo Joonghyuk brought 5 plates to the table. Dokja doubted the fancy looking, patterned plate was for Biyoo.

He hid a smile behind his hand and feigned ignorance.

He waited patiently. At the end, it was Mia who called him.

“Are you not eating, Ajhussi? My brother cooks really well.” she asked.

Oh, he knew that very well. That was exactly why he was doing this.

“Your Oppa is the one who said I can’t eat what he made.” Mia looked at Yoo Joonghyuk questioningly. He shrugged.

“Joonghyuk-Hyung is the one who brought the fifth plate. I’m sure he doesn’t mind.” Gilyoung said.

Dokja did a doubletake.

Joonghyuk-Hyung?

“Gilyoung-ah. Since when is he your Hyung?” Dokja asked with narrowed eyes. Gilyoung chose to stuff his mouth with food and avoid his eyes.

That kid ate his food once and folded.

Weak.

Tempted, Dokja finally got up to join them. Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow at him, Dokja held his head high.

Since all the chairs at the 4-seater table were occupied, Dokja dragged a stool and placed it in between Gilyoung and Yoosung. He then filled up his plate with a little bit of everything.

It looked so good that Dokja couldn’t resist taking a picture.

He tried the Murim dumplings first. The dumplings were Joonghyuk’s favourite, so they had to be the best.

The first bite had Dokja’s head snapping up, his eyes open wide. In front of him, Yoo Joonghyuk was look at him expectantly.

It was probably weird for Dokja to find that cute.

“Holy shit, this tastes amazing. Joonghyuk-ah, once you retire, please open a restaurant.” Dokja gushed.

Joonghyuk hummed, trying to appear nonchalant. He looked visibly smug though.

Dokja devoured his food at record speed.

“Hyung, you’re eating better than you usually do.” Gilyoung observed.

Dokja shrugged. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Lee Gilyoung. I have to make the most of it.”

Mia snorted. “Why not just ask him to cook for you again?”

Joonghyuk answered for him. “I won’t do it.”

Dokja pointed at him. “See! You don’t know how good you have it, Mia.”

He stuffed his mouth with more food.

Getting to eat good food two days in a row, the light was finally shining on him. It was either his turn at happiness or he was going to die soon.

Whichever it was, he didn’t care.

He asked for seconds, but Joonghyuk made him wait until the kids finished eating—which was fair. Dokja offered to do the dishes to repay the favour but was turned down.

Kim Dokja wasn’t one to insist on doing something like dishes so he went back to the living room.

Yoosung checked on Biyoo. “Ajhussi, she’s sleeping. Don’t we need to feed her?”

Dokja hummed. “We’ll feed her after she comes out. It’ll be fine.”

“Okay.”

“That means we’re not leaving now, right?” Gilyoung asked, excitedly.

“I guess.” Dokja wasn’t too eager to go back home and he doubted Joonghyuk would kick them out.

“Let’s go to the park!”

“Park?”

“There’s a park in the middle, you can see it from the balcony.” Mia said. Gilyoung pulled his arm.

“It looks cool from here, Hyung.” He led him to the living room balcony.

Dokja wouldn’t exactly call it cool, but the park was really well made with green gras, benches and stone pavements. It was more of a walking park with some playground equipment in one corner but it was big. It was in the middle of the complex, surrounded by the other apartment buildings.

Since Yoo Joonghyuk’s building was the one closest to the front gate, he’d completely missed the park before. Looking at it now, it looked like a really good place to live, especially if you had kids.

Dokja wondered if the apartment Hades was talking about had a park too.

“Isn’t it pretty?” Mia asked smugly.

“Yes, it is. I bet it looks better at night.”

“It does! You should stay the night, Ajhussi. I’ll show you around.” she said. 

As nice as that sounded, she should really ask her brother before inviting others to stay over. Yoo Joonghyuk barely lasted a night with three of them. He’d skin Dokja alive if he asked for more.

Besides, staying the night would make his scriptwriter happy. Just the thought of that made him scowl.

“I’ll drop by some evening instead.” he replied. “If you want to go to the park, then get going. You only have time till Biyoo wakes up.”

The three of them zoomed out the door. Yoo Joonghyuk looked at him questioningly. “Where did they go?”

“The park.”

“It’s hot outside.” Joonghyuk frowned.

“It’s October and they’re just downstairs. They’ll be fine.” Yoo Joonghyuk did not look convinced but he nodded and went back to doing dishes.

Dokja stared at his back for a few seconds before plopping on the couch, face down.

He mentally cursed himself. What was he thinking sending the kids to play? Now he’s alone with his soulmate in his soulmate’s apartment.

He was an idiot.

Sure, he’d been alone with Yoo Joonghyuk before but that was in the comfort of his apartment. Being in Joonghyuk’s home, having lunch together (with the kids), watching Joonghyuk while he did the dishes, it was kind of domestic.

It was what he imagined he would have had if he wrote back to Yoo Joonghyuk after waking up in the hospital 13 years ago.

Kim Dokja, 28, did not deserve to see this side of Yoo Joonghyuk.

Dokja grabbed a cushion and buried his face in it. He hoped he would just suffocate. Even if he didn’t die, at least he would have a valid reason to leave.

“Don’t kill yourself in my house. But if you really have to, I can help.”

Dokja looked up, still sulking. Yoo Joonghyuk was looking down at him with a frown.

How did Yoo Joonghyuk look so good from every angle? It made Dokja feel worse.

“Fuck off.” Dokja said.

Joonghyuk made a face at him and moved to sit on the one-seater. He ignored Dokja’s gaze on him and pulled out his phone.

“Is she awake?” Joonghyuk asked, scrolling on his phone.

“Yoosung said she was sleeping.”

Joonghyuk nodded towards the floor. “Check.”

Dokja’s eye twitched. This bastard’s personality nearly cancelled out his looks

Dokja kneeled on the floor and bent down, the side of his head touching the floor. He almost gasped out loud when he saw her.

Biyoo was lying on her back with her paws pressed against the bottom of the couch. It looked like she was walking upside-down. It was one of the cutest things he’d ever seen. He needed someone else to see it.

“Joonghyuk-ah. Come here.” Dokja called out, softly.

Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Dokja shushed him. “Come here. I want to show you something.”

Joonghyuk got up to stand beside him. When he came within arm’s reach, Dokja grabbed his hand and pulled him down to a kneeling position.

“Look at Biyoo.” he said, pushing his head down.

Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him before turning towards Biyoo. Dokja smirked when the glare fell off, only to gawk at the soft smile that replaced it.

“Why is she sleeping like that?” Joonghyuk sounded amused.

Why are you smiling like that? is what Dokja wanted to ask, but that would surely ruin the moment.

“I don’t know. But isn’t she adorable?” Dokja replied instead.

Yoo Joonghyuk nodded.

“I think she likes your house. You should take her-“

“No.”

Dokja rolled his eyes. “Tch.”

“And you’re not convincing anyone with that act. So, drop it.” Joonghyuk said.

Dokja did not want to be called out like that. “I just got used to having her around. It happened against my will.”

Yoo Joonghyuk looked at Dokja like he was stupid. He was not.

 He turned to look at Biyoo again. “Does she sleep like this in your house too?”

“No. The space under my couch isn’t this narrow. She does like small spaces though, like cups and boxes.” Dokja replied.

“Just get a new couch then. Your couch sucks anyway.”

“Buy me one.”

Joonghyuk ignored him.

Dokja opened his camera to take a picture but it was a little too dark.

“Hey, turn on your flash.” he said. Joonghyuk moved backwards.

“Why are you moving back?” Dokja asked.

“It’ll be too bright for her if I’m that close.” Joonghyuk said, holding his phone low. “Be Quick.”

Dokja snapped a few photos of her from different angles. “Done.”

Yoo Joonghyuk turned of his flashlight and moved to sit on the couch. Dokja stopped him.

“Don’t, you’ll crush her.”

Joonghyuk looked at his incredulously. “You were lying down there before.”

“You’re heavier.” Dokja said, smiling sweetly. His smile dropped when he saw Joonghyuk clench his fist, but he got away unscathed.

“Whatever.” he walked back to the one-seater he was sitting on before.

Dokja stayed on the floor.

Even the floor of his house was really comfortable. Was that what every nice apartment felt like or was it just the carpet?

“Hey, Yoo Joonghyuk.”

Joonghyuk sighed. Dokja’s mouth twisted. All he did was call his name.

“What is it now?”

“What would you do if someone you met recently offered to let you live in their empty apartment?”

Ever since he was young, whenever Dokja struggled to make a decision, he’d ask himself, What would Yoo Joonghyuk do?

It wasn’t because he thought Joonghyuk had all the answers, nor was it bias. Joonghyuk had raised both himself and Mia, and they turned out just fine. So, whatever he would choose had to be the right choice.

It was that simple.

For years, Dokja had only guessed at Joonghyuk’s choices. Now, he had the chance to ask him directly. He’d come so far from his old life—it was almost terrifying.

Yoo Joonghyuk blinked at him. “Can you afford it?”

“That’s the thing. They said I could live there for free with Gilyoung and Biyoo.”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyebrows shot up. “After just one night? How good are you?”

Dokja was confused. “What do you mean-“

Then it dawned on him.

His face flushed.

“You-! It’s not like that. I’m talking about a nice old couple who want to adopt me into their family.”

Joonghyuk looked shocked. “That actually happened?”

“I know it’s unbelievable. But it did happen.”

Joonghyuk didn’t reply. He was still staring at him in shocked. Dokja kicked his leg to snap him out of it, only to crumple on the floor when he kicked him back. “That hurts.”

“You asked for it.” he said. “So, what did you tell them?”

“I asked them for some time to think.”

“Hm.”

“What would you do if you were me?”

He smirked. “Toss a coin.”

Dokja was speechless, really.

So, this was why they say to never meet your idols. He felt disillusioned. Maybe Yoo Joonghyuk only survived because of protagonist plot armor. Maybe his choice wasn’t the right answer.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for asking. My bad.” Dokja scoffed, turning away.

The longer the silence stretched, the more Dokja cursed him mentally. All he wanted was some advice. Was his advice so expensive that he had to gatekeeping it? Yoo Joonghyuk was supposed to say something that would change his life and solve all his problems.

How useless.

Yoo Joonghyuk sighed again. Dokja turned to look at him.

“Look. I can’t imagine that happening to me. So, I don’t know what I’d do.” he said flatly.

Dokja’s face fell. It made sense but he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

“But-” Joonghyuk added. “I think if you really thought it was a bad idea, you wouldn’t even be considering it. Just try it. If you don’t like it, move out. Don’t overthink it.”

Dokja lit up.

It wasn’t the life-changing answer he had expected. In fact, he’d already thought of something along those lines himself. But somehow, it was exactly what he needed to hear.

Maybe, it was because it came from Yoo Joonghyuk.

Dokja smiled. “You’re right. I was thinking the same thing. My lease is about to end soon. I was planning on moving out anyway.”

Yoo Joonghyuk nodded. “Congrats on your new home.”

Dokja beamed at him. “You know, you’re kind of useful, Joonghyuk-ah. You can cook, clean, you’re rich— Ack!”

Dokja clutched his leg where Yoo Joonghyuk had kicked him. “I told you that hurts. What are your legs even made of? Steel?”

“If you didn’t want to be kicked, you would have shut up.”

“I was just complimenting you!”

“It didn’t sound like one coming from you.”

“You’re way too suspicious of me for no reason.”

Joonghyuk gave him a once-over, his gaze slow and assessing. Dokja felt his face grow warm..

“You look and talk like a conman.” Joonghyuk said.

Dokja scowled. “I don’t.”

“You do.”

“I really don’t.”

Yoo joonghyuk shot him a look before pulling out his phone again. Dokja did the same. They stayed like that for a while until Biyoo crawled out from under the couch.

She meowed and clambered onto Dokja’s lap. He brushed some dirt off her fur and stroked her gently.

“Look who finally decided to come out!” Dokja said, booping her nose.

“Should I get her food?” Joonghyuk asked.

Dokja nodded.

Joonghyuk placed a tin of cat food in front of her and asked, “How did you get her into the carrier last night?”

“The trick is to bring her to the carrier, not the other way around. If you’re holding her while putting her in, she’s a lot calmer.” Dokja explained.

“I see.”

“She’s really affectionate.”

“Hm.”

Once she was done eating, Dokja picked her up and placed her inside the carrier. She panicked when he shut the carrier door, but calmed down as soon as he stuck a finger through the grill to pet her.

He should really save up and buy one of those carrier backpacks. That might be less scary for her.

Leaning back on the couch, Dokja absentmindedly continued petting Biyoo through the carrier door while scrolling through a novel on his phone.

“Why are you still here?” Yoo Joonghyuk asked.

“Joonghyuk-ah, that’s very rude of you. I’m really hurt.” Dokja said, placing a hand over his heart in mock offense.

Joonghyuk stared at him blankly. Dokja chuckled and dropped his hand.

“Do want the real reason or a strategic one?”

“What do you think?”

“There’s a power outage in my building today. Even though it’s cooler these days, it still feels stuffy inside without a fan.”

“So, you used me.”

“The food was good and your apartment is really nice…” Dokja trailed off when he saw the look on Joonghyuk’s face.

In an effort to calm him down, he added, “Hey, it’s no big deal. You said we’re friends on your stream, remember? Just think of it as us hanging out-“

Yoo Joonghyuk looked murderous.

Dokja had a feeling he had just made things worse.

And he was right.

One moment, they were in Joonghyuk’s living room. The next, Dokja was outside the apartment with Biyoo’s carrier and the kids’ bags.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Dokja turned around and rang the doorbell repeatedly.

“Hey, Yoo Joonghyuk! You’re really going to kick me out like this?” he yelled.

He heard a faint ‘Yes’ through the door.

 Dokja flipped the door off and then quickly dropped his hand, embarrassed at acting so childish at his age.

Sighing, he made his way to the park. The kids were still playing.

He sat on the bench for a while before calling out to them.

It had been a day well spent.

Chapter Text

JooWon the actor(real)  @JWfiles
guys. I cracked the code. guwon is hakyun /s
444🗨 • 1.4K⟲ • 9.5K♡

    [] @bItchcraft
    notice how we’ve never seen them in the same room?
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        ego @egsektra
        notice how we’ve never seen them at all?
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    joowon @breakingmybacksword
    joowoners and jooyuners, lets stop fighting. In this club, we all fam
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        jooyun’s first son @kween
        no ❤️
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    ❤ @SupremeQueen
    real I was the fly on their wall
    20🗨 • 456⟲ • 2K♡

        the first two are my alter egos @yjh3rdwife
        real I was the wall in hawon’s room
       38🗨 • 673⟲ • 987♡

            hear ye @hearsay
            so true, I was his phone
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                yjh’s tiddie belt @yjhsleftchesticle
                we all know what I am ( ͡ ° ͜ʖ ͡ °)
                4🗨 • ⟲ • 42♡

    hear ye @hearsay
    so what do we call them now? joowyun? jooyon? joowonyun?
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        it came to me in a dream @careerrussianroule
        bruh if they are the same people why do you need a new ugly name? let’s stick to joowon
        38🗨 • 673⟲ • 987♡

            jyt @brazilianmikuuu
            so this was a jooyun erasure attempt all along. joowoners are the worst
            24🗨 • 562⟲ • 1.3K♡

                it came to me in a dream @careerrussianroule
                didn’t you read the revelation? there is no jooyun. it was just joowon in a different font all along<3
                60🗨 • 356⟲ • 887♡

    yjh’s tiddie belt @yjhsleftchesticle
    …its always the big accounts that steal
    4🗨 • ⟲ • 42♡

        statue of bigbooty 🍑 @jwreal
        get behind me user yjhsleftchesticle. 𝖎 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖈𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚
        6🗨 • 59⟲ • 43♡

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        notice the /s ?
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            yjh’s tiddie belt @yjhsleftchesticle
            what it mean?
            4🗨 • 27⟲ • 34♡

                psych ward escapee @sawsage
                it means she’s not a psych ward escapee like you are. Hope that helps<3
                15🗨 • 76⟲ • 191♡

                    yjh’s tiddie belt @yjhsleftchesticle
                    rich coming from you
                    3🗨 • 2⟲ • 334♡

        JooWon the actor(real)  @JWfiles
        I’m the small account
        64🗨 • 1K⟲ • 2.5K♡

            yjh’s tiddie belt @yjhsleftchesticle
            …just give me credits
            4🗨 • 97⟲ • 492♡

                JooWon the actor(real)  @JWfiles
                Jared, 19 <3
                52🗨 • 675⟲ • 1.5K♡

    what that tongue do @ivanism
    you’re so right queen. manifest it for us
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        JooWon the actor(real)  @JWfiles
        haha with my luck, I’m not too sure about manifesting but I’ll try<3
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            the first two are my alter egos @yjh3rdwife
            don’t say that queen. you always win
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It was Saturday, exactly one week after the dinner with Hades and Persephone.

It was the house-viewing day.

Dokja had already asked Hades and Persephone if he could bring the kids along. They had happily agreed. We’d love to meet anyone important to you, Persephone had said.

It made him feel special. It was an addicting feeling.

Speaking of addicting feelings…

“Kim Dokja. Where the fuck are you? I’ve been waiting for at least 4 hours now.” Han Sooyoung yelled at him through the phone.

So dramatic.

He wasn’t late. He’d told her to be there an hour early just to piss her off. It made his day.

“Still on my way. I told you I left 5 minutes ago. Were you expecting me to teleport there?” he replied.

“It was 10 minutes ago, and where’s your time sense? How can you make them wait for so long? What if they rescind their offer?” Of course, that’s what she’d worry about.

“You’re the only one waiting though.” he said cheekily.

“What?”

“I told you to come an hour early. Did you have fun?”

“Kim Dokja, you rat!”

Dokja pulled his phone away from his ear. He desperately needed a remote that could control Han Sooyoung’s volume. He’d keep her on mute all the time.

“How could you? I was so bore- worried.”

Bored or worried, neither made her sound nice. He was already aware of her motives.

“That’s why I asked you to wait at a café. Yoo Sangah’s there with you. Why are you bored? Is she boring now?” he asked her.

“Shut up. She’s not coming today. She is not well. Didn’t she text you?”

Dokja felt a little guilty. He took his time because he thought she’d have Yoo Sangah with her.

“I don’t know. I didn’t check my phone. I wouldn’t have made you wait if I knew.”

“It’s alright. You now owe me one.”

“For what?”

“For making me wait.”

“You’re not making any sense.” Han Sooyoung rarely made sense.

He continued speaking before she could reply. “What happened to Yoo Sangah? Is she okay?”

“It’s a mild fever. She’s weak to climate changes.”

“Oh.” It was getting a lot cooler now, especially at nights. He hoped Sangah would recover soon.

“Can I come over to see her after we’re done seeing the house?” he asked Han Sooyoung.

“Nah. I don’t think you should. She doesn’t really like people seeing her when she’s sick.”

Understandable. Dokja was the same.

“But she lets me though.” Sooyoung added, gloating.

Dokja’s face scrunched up. He should have made her wait for the four hours she mentioned earlier.

What a loser.

“I didn’t ask.” Dokja looked out of the window. They were almost there. He turned to the kids who were sitting together a few seats behind him and gestured them to get ready to get off the bus.

“We’re here. Come to the bus stop.” Dokja said, getting up from his seat. He made sure Gilyoung and Yoosung followed him.

“Send me the address. I’m not walking back to the bus stop if it is closer from here.” Soyooung demanded.

“Stop being lazy. We’ll wait at the bus stop. Get your ass here as soon as possible.”

Dokja hung up without waiting for her reply. Times like this made him relate to Yoo Joonghyuk’s ways. It was fun and would surely piss Sooyoung off.

He just didn’t like it done to him.

The three of them sat at the bus stop. Gilyoung was chatting away excitedly about what he wanted from the new house. Yoosung listened quietly.

Dokja thought she was being a little too quiet, but maybe he was just overthinking it.

He listened to their conversation and chimed in when needed, saying things like, “Yes, it might have a swimming pool,” and, “No, Gilyoung, we cannot afford a car next, especially not a sports car.”

Dokja checked his phone. More than 10 minutes had passed since the call and there was still no sign of Han Sooyoung. She said she was in a café near the bus stop. What was taking her so long?

Dokja dialled her number. She picked up immediately.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“Look up.”

Dokja lifted his head in confusion. “What do you mean by that-“

Then he saw her.

She was stepping out of the café right in front of the bus stop, on the other side of the road, a smug smirk on her face.

Dokja ran a hand down his face, groaning. She was so infuriating.

Through the phone, he heard her snicker.

He glared at her as she crossed the road and when she got closer, he smacked her on the head.

“What was that for?” she asked, clutching her head.

For making me wait was what he wanted to say but he’d made her wait longer. So, he just shrugged in reply.

She kicked the back of his knee.

Dokja grabbed onto her for support, almost sending them both tumbling down.

They burst out laughing once the regained balance only to stop abruptly at the looks on the kids’ faces.

“You two are so childish. Even we don’t act like this.” Yoosung said flatly.

Han Sooyoung pulled away. “You two are worse. Stop lying.” she said, sticking a tongue out at them.

They looked so unimpressed that it made Dokja laugh harder, causing Sooyoung to smack him again.

“Stop laughing.” she said.

“Okay, okay. We’re getting late. Let’s go.”

Dokja led them to a nice-looking apartment complex that was exactly five minutes from the bus stop on foot.

Standing outside the gates, Dokja had a sense of déjà vu.

The apartment looked like any other in the neighbourhood. It was the fact that he was entering the place with the intention of actually moving in there that got him.

Han Sooyoung pushed him towards the security before he could gawk for too long.

Once they were let in, they made their way to the third building from the gate.  There were four in total. The first two were on ground level, while the other two were elevated. They were separated by a seating area which had benches and a double staircase.

It looked fancy.

They made their way to the third floor. Gilyoung looked excited about having an elevator. Dokja could relate.

Persephone pulled him into a hug as soon as she opened the door.

“Dokja! Nice to see you again.”

“You too, Persephone.” Dokja nodded at Hades. “Hello, Hades.”

Persephone glanced behind Dokja and then looked at him expectantly, waiting for an introduction. He started with Han Sooyoung.

“This is Han Sooyoung, a close friend of mine. Sooyoung, meet Persephone and Hades.”

After they exchanged greetings, Dokja gestured for the kids to come closer.

“And this is Gilyoung and Yoosung. You’ll be seeing them often.”

Persephone and Hades looked delighted at that. Persphone gave the kids a gentle hug.

“Hello there. I’m Persephone and that’s Hades, my husband. We’re so happy to meet you.” she said, smiling sweetly.

“Nice to meet you too, uh-” Gilyoung trailed off, looking to Dokja for help. He was probably unsure of what to call her.

To be honest, Dokja didn’t know either. He looked at Han Sooyoung, who smirked at him.

“Call them Grandma and Grandpa. They’re going to be family after all.” she said.

Dokja elbowed her, reminding her to behave. She smiled at him innocently. 

He didn’t bother correcting her, though. Persephone and Hades were beaming with happiness. Dokja didn’t want to ruin it for them.

“So, Dokja, is she your girlfriend?”

Both Sooyoung and Dokja choked on air.

“What? No. No way.”

“I already have a girlfriend. Even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t date him. No offense.” Sooyoung said, scrunching up her face.

Dokja looked at her in shock. “You have a girlfriend? Since when?”

Han Sooyoung gaped at him. “Kim Dokja, are you serious?”

“Yes, I am. What the fuck? Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, feeling offended. Sure, they pretended to hate each other, but weren’t they close?

Dokja thought of Sooyoung as his closest friend. He didn’t like that she had kept something that big from him.

“Wow, I can’t believe you.” she said, exasperated.

“Who is it? Since when?”

“I’m not doing this in front of them. Figure it out yourself.” she said, gesturing towards Hades and Persephone.

They looked amused.

Dokja’s face flushed. “Sorry about that.”

“You two get along well.” Hades observed. “How long have you known each other?”

“A few years.”

“I see.”

There was a short pause before Sooyoung cursed softly. “Shit.”

Dokja turned towards her. “What? What’s wrong?”

She didn’t answer him. Instead, she turned to Hades and Persephone.

“I’m really sorry for coming empty-handed. That was rude of me.”

Oh. Dokja should have noticed that earlier.

Persephone waved her off. “It’s completely fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Han Sooyoung smiled, looking relieved.

“Do you want to look around the house?” Hades asked.

Dokja nodded. “Yes, please.”

It was exactly like Hades described it earlier. A nice two-bedroom apartment, not too modern compared to newer apartments but Dokja didn’t mind it at all. The kitchen was open and visible from the living room, which was partitioned to accommodate a dining area. There were two balconies— one in the living room and the other in the master bedroom.

The house was fully furnished, which made things a lot easier for Dokja. He would still bring his couch and bed. He’d need them when he eventually moved out.

Dokja followed Sooyoung to the kitchen area while Persephone and Hades took the kids to the balcony.

Sooyoung ran a finger along the edge of the kitchen counter and pretended to blow dust off it.

“Such a pretty kitchen wasted on someone like you. What a shame.” she said.

Dokja’s eye twitched. “That sounded like a flirty old man.”

“You think that’s flirting? What do you know about old men flirting? No, what do you know about flirting, period.”

“I know as much as I need to.”

“And that is?”

“Nothing.”

Sooyoung made a face at him. “Boring.”

Dokja slid the doors of the wall cabinet open. It had more space than his belongings could fill.

“So, what do you think?” she asked, leaning against the counter. “Do you like the house?”

Dokja glanced toward the balcony, where Hades hovered protectively as the kids peeked down below.

“I do. But, I’m still not sure if it’s okay to take it.”

“What? Why?”

“I didn’t do anything to deserve this.”

Han Sooyoung looked serious all of a sudden.

“Listen to me, Kim Dokja. Such opportunities don’t come often. You think everything in this world is fair? You really think people only get as much as they deserve?”

Dokja shook his head. “No.”

“If you know, then stop overcomplicating it. Just accept the house. If you don’t like it, move out and return the key. It’s that simple.”

Dokja chuckled. “That’s exactly what Yoo Joonghyuk said. You two think alike.”

Sooyoung nodded. “Of course we do. I raised that guy-“ Huh? She what now? “Wait. You told him? When?”

“What do you mean you raised him?”

“Long story, ask me later. Now, answer my question.”

“Last Sunday. I went to pick the kids up but ended up staying for a while.”

Han Sooyoung wiggled her eyebrows. Dokja’s face scrunched up in disgust.

“What the heck? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

Dokja shrugged. “Because I was just hanging out at a friend’s place. It’s not a big deal.”

“You’re friends now?” she asked excitedly. “You know what, Dokja? Send me reports of your progress with him instead of those shitty chapter reviews.”

“Why would you want that?” he asked, incredulously.

Han Sooyoung shook her head mockingly and placed her hands on his shoulder.

“Kim Dokja. What should I do if my plot inspo is asking me why I wanna know more about his progression with my other plot inspo? What should I tell him?” she asked solemnly.

Dokja shrugged her off, annoyed. She smirked.

“What’s wrong with you? Don’t write novels based on your friends.” He said sternly and then added “Oh wait. You already did that. Thief.”

Her smirk fell. “When will you let that go?”

“When you delete your cheap copy.”

“So, I have to bear that cross forever?” she sighed.

“You could always take it down.” Dokja said in a teasing manner.

“Just for that, I’ll publish hard copies and gift you one on your birthday.” she said, grinning devilishly.

“Oh god, don’t.” he groaned.

Sooyoung laughed at his expression, and Dokja couldn't help but smile.

As the others started making their way back inside, Dokja’s eyes landed on Yoosung, who trailed behind them, looking sullen.

“Sooyoung-ah. Is it just me or does Yoosung look upset?” he asked her, keeping his voice low.

“It’s really obvious. I was waiting for you to talk to her.” she replied.

Dokja did plan to talk to her but not here.

“I thought of doing that after we returned home.”

“Hm. Just make sure you talk to her as soon as possible.”

“You have any idea about what upset her?”

Sooyoung gave him a look. “I’ll let her say it.”

With that she pushed off the counter and headed to the living room where the others were seated.

“Dokja, do you like the house?” Hades asked him once they were seated on the couch.

“Honestly, it’s perfect” Dokja admitted.

If he only considered the house, he had no reason to say no.

“Will you move in?”

Dokja could feel Sooyoung’s and the kids’ gazes on him. Gilyoung would be sad if he said no.

“It’d be great help if you let me move in.”

Hades smiled. “Then, it’s settled. Welcome to your new home, Dokja.”

Dokja smiled wide. “Thank you, Hades.”

Persephone and Hades exchanged looks. They looked satisfied.

“But I’ll have you know, I will be paying you rent.” Dokja added.

Their heads snapped towards him. Dokja could feel Sooyoung’s gaze heavy on the side of his face.

“Dokja, you don’t have to. We asked you live here.” Persephone said.

 “No, I insist.”

“But- “

“At the least, let me pay the same amount as my current rent, just to ease my mind.”

They looked trouble. “Why don’t you just pay other bills with that money? It’s the same thing”

Dokja shook his head. “It doesn’t feel right.”

Hades still seemed hesitant. So, Dokja added, “I know you want us to be family, but no parent would coddle their 30-year-old son like this. It’s better for me to pay rent.”

At the mention of parent and son, Hades gave in.

“How about you pay the bills with that money and pay us whatever is left?” he asked.

Dokja hesitated.

“Just agree for now. You can ask them to change it after you start living here and get a clue of what your monthly expenditure would look like.” Sooyoung said.

That made sense.

Dokja agreed reluctantly. And with that, it was settled.

Dokja had a new house(temporary).

They left to go to a restaurant. Hades insisted it was something worth celebrating and promised them a treat.

Dokja thought he should be the one treating them but he was not one to refuse free food, so he accepted gladly.

They made their way downstairs. Dokja eyed Shin Yoosung.

She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Dokja felt a pang in his heart. He’d wanted to wait till they returned home but considering how upset she was, Dokja didn’t know if it was right to wait.

Dokja turned to Hades and Persephone to ask them to give them a minute when an excited voice called out to them.

“Persephone! Hades! It’s been so long since we last met.”

A petite woman with long blonde her exclaimed, bouncing towards them eagerly.

“Oh, Uriel! How have you been?” Persephone asked, pulling her into a hug.

Dokja’s eyebrows shot up.

Uriel?

Was that a common name or was his world really that small?

Turned out, his life really was just a sandbox simulation. That was the Uriel he knew. The confirmation came from Han Sooyoung herself.

“Hey.” She nudged Uriel’s arm. “Greet me too.”

Uriel pulled away from Persephone and pounced at Sooyoung. “Sooyoung! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you.”

She stepped back and looked at Dokja and the kids. “What are you doing here? Who are they?”

“This is Kim Dokja and the kids are Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung. They’ll be moving into my apartment soon.”

Uriel’s face lit up. “Oh! We’ll be neighbours then. I live in the 6^th floor. I’m Uriel. Nice to meet you, Dokja-ssi.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

Meeting Uriel felt surreal. He’d known her for years. They’d exchanged messages too. She seemed to adore him just as much as he adored her.

But she didn’t know who he was right now. He felt a little guilty, like he was tricking her.

He was.

Uriel greeted the kids with head pats.

Uriel was exactly like Dokja imagined her to be. She looked like a doll and an angel at the same time. She was bubbly and sweet. Her bright energy was so contagious even Yoosung seemed to have cheered up a little.

“So, are they your relatives?” Uriel asked Hades.

He nodded. “Something like that.” he said, smiling at Dokja.

Dokja gave him a small smile.

“I’m glad we meet you here. Please take care of him. He’s like family to us.” Persephone said.

Dokja’s felt his ears go warm.

“Yes, of course. You can count on me for anything.” she said, beaming.

Dokja knew the smile on his face was probably too fond to be directed at someone he met a few minutes back, but he couldn’t help it.

Uriel was adorable.

Then Han Sooyoung broke the moment.

“Oh yeah, this will be fun.”  

Dokja’s face scrunched up at the grossly smug look on Han Sooyoung’s face. He didn’t know what she was up to. He didn’t want to know.

Uriel frowned at her. “Huh?”

Dokja intervened before Han Sooyoung could say something weird.

“Don’t mind her. She’s a little crazy.” Dokja told Uriel, apologetically.

“Right?” Uriel replied, sweetly.

Dokja relaxed at that.

Uriel was the best.

He turned to look at Han Sooyoung, who rolled his eyes at him.

‘You don’t know what she’s like.’ she mouthed at him.

He shot her the fakest smile he could muster.

“You guys were leaving?” Uriel asked them.

“We were heading out for lunch.” Persephone replied. “Would you like to join us?”

Uriel shook her head. “No, I promised to eat lunch with Gabriel.”

“I see.”

“I’ll get going now.” she said, stepping back before pausing.

She turned to Dokja and handed him her phone. “Hey, give me your number. Come over for dinner after you move in.”

Dokja typed in his number and sent himself a text. “Sure, I will.”

She waved at them as she walked away.

Han Sooyoung snuck up behind Dokja. “That’s Uriel from the stream.”

Dokja turned to her. The others were already walking towards Hades’ car.

“I figured.”

She snorted. “No wonder you looked disgustingly soft.”

“Shut up.”

They piled into the car with Gilyoung seated on Dokja’s lap. Hades took the wheel.

He took them to a nearby restaurant.

Lunch was nice. The restaurant had good ambience. The food tasted amazing.

Dokja ended up telling Hades and Persephone about how he met Sooyoung and the kids. He did have to physically stop Han Sooyoung from saying something embarrassing more than once. In return, Hades and Persephone told them more stories from their younger days, mostly anecdotes from when they travelled around the world.

It sounded fun.

They even asked Dokja to come along with them next trip. He just laughed awkwardly, already thinking about how he’d turn them down later.

Even after they were done eating, the conversation kept going.

Dokja leaned back in his seat and watched them talk.

He was glad. Everyone was getting along better than he’d hoped. He’d been a little worried that maybe he was rushing things by introducing them all too soon. But seeing them like this made him feel like maybe it was okay after all.

When it was finally time to leave, Persephone asked him, “Do you want us to drop you home?”

Dokja shook his head. “No, it’s okay. We’ll go back on our own.”

Sooyoung nodded beside him.

Gilyoung tugged at his arm. “Hyung, let’s go to Mia’s house.”

“Hm?”

“I want to tell her about the house.” he said with a devilish grin.

Dokja raised an eyebrow at him and then turned to Yoosung.

“What about you, Yoosung-ah?”

“I wanna go too.” she said.

He nodded. “Okay, let’s g-“

He stopped mid-sentence, catching Sooyoung smirking at him from the corner of his eye. Dokja sighed, already feeling tired.

“Sooyoung, don’t.”

She grinned. “Aren’t you going to his house a little too often? At this rate, you should just move in with him.”

Dokja rolled his eyes. “I’ve only been there once. It’s been a week.”

Sooyoung gasped dramatically. “That’s twice a month! Yoo Joonghyuk doesn’t let someone he just met come over so often.”

She snapped her fingers and looked at him with wide eyes, “It must be love.”

Dokja suddenly became very aware of Persephone and Hades’ gaze on him.

The kids snapped their head towards him.

“Hyung, you can’t! Not with that sooty bastard.” Gilyoung said, face scrunched in betrayal.

Dokja wanted to ask where this attitude was last week when he was going around calling Yoo Joonghyuk ‘Hyung’.

“Ajhussi, it’s too early for that. Don’t date around casually.” Yoosung said, all serious.

Han Sooyoung burst out laughing.

Dokja’s eye twitched. He reached over and smacked her head.

“Are you a middle schooler?” he muttered. “You know we’re not like that.”

Persephone spoke before she could reply.

“So, who is this Yoo Joonghyuk?” she asked, her eye sparkling.

“A friend. He’s a friend.” Dokja replied quickly.

“A special friend.” Sooyoung teased.

He was going to strangle her the first chance he got. He really shouldn’t have brought her with him.

Why couldn’t she have been sick instead of Yoo Sangah?

“Oh my! How did you meet? How old is he?” Persephone leaned forward eagerly.

Dokja looked at Hades for help but he only raised an eyebrow at him, urging him to answer.

Dokja sighed and gestured to the kids. “He’s their friend’s brother. We’re the same age. And we’re just friends.”

Persephone clapped her hands together. “Why don’t you bring him along next time?”

Dokja paused at that.

That was not a good idea. He wasn’t even sure how he’d bring that up with Yoo Joonghyuk. Even if he did manage to, Joonghyuk had no reason to agree.

It was too early for such introductions.

“Sorry,” he said, awkwardly. “I don’t think I can. We’re not that close.”

Of course, it wasn’t like Kim Dokja thought of Yoo Joonghyuk as anything other than a friend. It was totally platonic on his side.

The only reason he refused was because it was too early for something like that on both sides. He wanted to take it slow with Hades and Persephone. Rushing through this wouldn’t do them any good.

“Maybe some other time, then,” Persephone said with a warm smile.

They left soon after.

Hades and Persephone said their goodbyes to Sooyoung and the kids. Dokja walked them to their car.

“Thank you for today. I don’t know how I can repay you for what you’ve done for me.” he said.

Hades patted his shoulder. “Don’t be so formal. We told you this before, we only want your time. We don’t want anything else.”

Dokja nodded. “Thank you.”

“When will you move in, Dokja?” Persephone asked.

“My lease ends next month.”

“I see. Then just consider the house your Christmas gift, though you said you’ll still be paying rent.”

Dokja laughed gently. Persephone hugged him.

“When can we see you next?” she asked.

“Next weekend, if you are free.”

“Anytime. Just come over whenever you feel like it or give us a call.”

“Yes, I will.”

He opened the car door for Persephone. She smiled at him as she got in.

“Aw, such a gentleman.”

Dokja blushed.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Dokja looked at Hades who was almost halfway into the car.

“Forgot what?” he asked.

Hades typed something on his phone. Dokja’s phone dinged with a notification. He fished it out of his pocket and opened the message.

He looked at Hades questioningly.

“That’s the passcode to the house. Feel free to change it.” he said.

Dokja’s grip on the phone grew tighter. He watched in a daze as they drove off.

He walked back to where the others were waiting for him.

“Kim Dokja, holy shit. You really lucked out. You don’t even have to try, they already love you. Did you put a spell on them?” Han Sooyoung asked when he was close enough.

“You think? It just happened. I think I used up the rest of my life’s share of luck on this.” he said.

Sooyoung patted his back. “I’ll give you some of mine. Don’t worry about it.”

He looked at her impressed. She could say nice things sometimes.

She nudged him away and showed him the map on her phone.

“The bus stop is on the way to Joonghyuk’s house. It’s not that far. Let’s walk?”

“Yup.”

Sooyoung and Dokja walked a step behind the kids, only calling out to them when they were going the wrong way.

“Sooyoung-ah.”

“What?”

“Who is your girlfriend?”

Dokja instantly raised his hand to block the hit that he knew would come his way.

Sooyoung pulled her hand back and clenched her fist.

“You shameless jerk. With what face are you asking me that?”

“This one.” he said, pointing at his face.

She looked at him like he was an idiot. “That was way too lame.”

Dokja nudged her. “Come on, just tell me.”

“How don’t you know?”

“You never told me.”

“But I did!”

“I must have thought you were joking. Or I just forgot.” he said, try to look at sorry as humanly possible.

Sooyoung looked at him for a long time and then sighed.

Dokja looked at her eagerly. “So?”

“Just ask Sangah later.”

“Stop trying to act mysterious and just tell me. I’m curious.” he insisted.

Sooyoung refused. “No. This is punishment. Suck it up and bear with it.”

“Tch.” he clicked his tongue. “Fine.”

Sooyoung smiled at him with pursed lips. “Good. Can’t wait.”

Dokja eyed her suspiciously.

Can’t wait for what?

They reached the bus stop. The kids continued walking without realising. Dokja called out to them, but they didn’t hear it.

“It’s fine. I see them often anyways.” Sooyoung said.

“Okay, then. Text me when you get home.” he said.

“Okay. You have fun.” she wiggled her eyebrows.

Dokja shook his head exasperated. “Sure.”

He turned to follow the kids but she stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Don’t forget to talk to Yoosung.” she said with a serious tone.

Dokja nodded. She let him go.

“See you.”

“Get home safe.”

Dokja jogged to catch up with the kids who’d walked a good distance ahead of him. They turned to him.

“Huh? Where’s Noona?” Gilyoung asked, looking behind him.

“At the bus stop.” he replied.

“She’s not coming with us?”

“No. Sangah is sick, remember? She has to take care of her.” he explained.

“Oh.”

They resumed walking.

The kids were talking among themselves normally. Yoosung didn’t seem to be as down as she was before.

Dokja didn’t know how to talk to her. He did have an idea of what it could be, but what could he tell her to make her feel okay?

He was still deep in thought when they reached Yoo Joonghyuk’s apartment. When the elevator door opened, Dokja pulled Yoosung back.

“Gilyoung, why don’t head up first? Yoosung and I will be there in a bit.”

Gilyoung must have sensed it too because he listened without refuting.

Dokja led Yoosung to the park.

“Yoosung-ah? What’s wrong?” he asked once they were seated on the bench.

Yoosung didn’t reply. She just stared at the ground with furrowed eyebrows.

“I can only help if you tell me what’s wrong.” he added.

Tears streamed down her face. She tried to wipe it away in vain.

Dokja panicked.

“Shin Yoosung? Why are you crying?” he asked, trying to keep the panic off his voice.

She curled into his side and clutched his shirt.

“Ajhussi, can you not move away?” she said, hold back a sob.

Ah. He was right.

It was the house.

Dokja put his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.

“Yoosung-ah…”

“If you move, then you’ll all be here. Gilyoung and Mia can hangout anytime. I’ll be left out. I don’t want that.” she cried.

Dokja sighed. He could understand where she was coming from.

“Just because we’re moving away, doesn’t mean we’re leaving you behind. It’s just a few minutes away. Nothing will change.”

He knew that wasn’t true. It woudn’t be the same for her, but he didn’t know how to comfort her.

 Dokja wanted a bigger house. He wanted a room to himself. He didn’t want to sleep on the couch or at the edge of a narrow bed  after a long day of work.

It was fine some days, but he didn’t want to do that everyday for the foreseeable future when he had options.

Maybe it was selfish. If he was a good person, he would have thought of Yoosung and reconsidered it.

But he wasn’t.

Shin Yoosung shook her head. “No, it’s not the same. Ajhussi, can’t I live with you too?”

Dokja bit his lip, feeling the guilt stab his heart.

“That will be difficult to arrange. Gilyoung is only staying with me due to some problems at home.” he replied as gently as he could.

“It’s not like it’s all fine at my house. Just let me stay with you.” she insisted.

Dokja froze. “Did something happen at home?”

“No, but I don’t like it there.”

Dokja knew there was more the story, but if she didn’t tell him now, then she probably didn’t want to.

“That’s…” Dokja trailed of not knowing what to say.

“Can’t I live with you?” Yoosung pleaded.

When Dokja didn’t reply, she burst out in tears. Dokja pulled her closer and tried to calm her down.

“Yoosung-ah, don’t cry. Even if you don’t live with us, we can still work things out.”

She looked at him, lips trembling.

“How about this? You can come over everyday after school and play with Biyoo, Gilyoung and Mia. I will drop you home around dinner.”

She sniffed and looked at him with hopeful eyes.

“I can do that? Everyday?” she asked.

“Yes, everyday. You can sleep over at weekends. I’ll talk to your parents about this. Nothing will change.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

Yoosung smiled finally.

Dokja’s shoulders sagged in relief.

He spotted Mia and Gilyoung approaching them. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Yoosung.

“Here, quick, wipe your face. They’re almost here.” he said.

Yoosung hurriedly wiped her tears away but that could not hide her puffy eyes.

“Yoosung-ie, why didn’t you come up-“ Mia paused. She looked at Yoosung, then at Dokja and then back at Yoosung.

“So, you were crying. Did that Ajhussi do something to you?” she narrowed her eyes at him.

Looking at her act like this, no one could deny she was Yoo Joonghyuk’s sister.

“No, Hyung would never. She’s just a crybaby.” Gilyoung said in his defence.

“I’m not a crybaby!” Yoosung said.

Mia stepped closer and hugged Yoosung protectively, pulling her away from Dokja while doing so. She gestured ‘I’m watching you.’

Dokja had to remind himself that Mia was just 12 years old and that he as a fully grown adult should be more patient.

He smiled at her as sweetly as possible and then stood up.

He couldn’t tell Mia off, but he could go annoy her also-an-adult brother, which was a better choice in his opinion.

“You kids have fun. I’ll head upstairs.” he said.

He ruffled their hair and left.

Dokja rang the doorbell of Yoo joonghyuk’s house.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Dokja banged the door with his fist.

“Yoo Joonghyuk, open up. I know you’re in there.”

There was no response. Dokja grit his teeth.

That jerk had no manners, really.

“I’m only going to get louder the longer you make me wait.” he yelled.

He raised his fist to bang on the door, when it swung open. Yoo Joonghyuk glared down at him, he looked annoyed already.

Dokja barely did anything. He was so impatient.

“What?” Joonghyuk asked him indignantly.

“What do you mean what? Let me in.” Dokja replied.

“Is this going to be a weekly thing?”

“No.”

Dokja smirked at the relieved look on Joonghyuk’s face and then added, “It’s gonna be worse. I’m moving houses. It’s just two streets away. Prepare yourself.”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s face went carefully blank. Dokja held back a snicker.

“You can only come over once a month and only if you’re with Gilyoung and Yoosung.” he said sternly.

“Don’t say that, Joonghyuk-ie. We’re friends, remember? You should treat your friends well. Now let me in.” he teased.   

Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him a little more before sighing. He stepped back and let Dokja in.

Dokja walked straight to the couch and plopped down, burying his face in the soft cushion.

Yoo Joonghyuk locked the door and sat down on the single seater.

“Aren’t you getting a little too comfortable?” he said, eyeing the way Dokja was sprawled out on his couch.

Now, Dokja could tell him he’d known him for 13 years, more if they counted the time from when the connection first opened, but he did not have a death wish.

Instead, Dokja just muttered an ‘I’m tired’ and pushed his head deeper into the cushion.

“How did you raise Mia on your own? Dealing with kids is nerve-wrecking.”

“You get used it.”

Dokja raised his head off the cushion and rested his chin on it.

“Yoosung was upset about me moving house.”

Joonghyuk narrowed his eyes at him. “So, you did make her cry.”

“Mia said the same thing. You’re such a bad influence.” Dokja said, pointing his finger at him.

Yoo Joonghyuk leaned back, smirking. “It comes to us naturally.”

It seemed being an asshole and looking exceptionally good were both very natural to him.

Yoo Joonghyuk looked as good as he usually did. He was wearing a black t-shirt and sweatpants. His hair was a little messed up.

Dokja’s eyes were drawn to his bare arms.

There was no writing on them. When Dokja saw no writing on his arm in the morning, he’d chalked it off to the connection not being open.

It turned out Yoo Joonghyuk had just not written anything.

To be fair, that did happen sometimes. But these days, unmarked arms were becoming more common.

Was Yoo Joonghyuk finally letting him go? Did he finally accept he was gone for good?

Dokja didn’t know how to feel about that.

It should be a good thing. Dokja wanted it to happen. But the thought of not seeing Yoo Joonghyuk’s writing on his arm everyday for the rest of his life made him feel lonely.

The arm shifted upwards. Dokja followed it with his eyes till it landed on Yoo Joonghyuk’s face.

He was looking at him weird.

“What’s with that look?” Yoo Joonghyuk asked.

Dokja feigned innocence. “What do you mean?”

“Is there something on my arm?” Joonghyuk asked, glancing down at it.

There was nothing there and that was the problem.

“No, it’s just, you’re way too built for someone who has a desk job.”

Yoo Joonghyuk looked puzzled.

Phew, good cover.

“Do you want me to beat you up?” he asked.

“Huh?” Dokja asked, confused. “No way. Where did you get that from?”

Yoo Joonghyuk shrugged.

He had no reason to be as violent as he was. Geez. Just because he has good muscles doesn’t mean he can beat up people for fun.

Why did he work out so much anyway?

Knowing that chuuni bastard, he probably worked out in preparation for an apocalypse.

Dokja was pretty sure he heard Kim Namwoon say something like that in a video.

Like master, like student.

Dokja made a face at him. Yoo Joonghyuk kicked the couch in warning.

“You ended up taking the house.”

Dokja nodded. “Yeah. You won’t have to pick Mia up every other day. She can walk home on her own.”

Joonghyuk crossed his arms.

“I’ll probably come over if it’s too late. She’s too young to be walking home at night.”

“It’s just two streets away. But better safe than sorry, I guess.” Dokja said.            

“Shin Yoosung was crying because you’re moving here?”

Dokja sat upright and crossed his legs. “Yeah. Wait, I didn’t mention her crying.”

He eyed Yoo Joonghyuk with suspicion.

Joonghyuk rolled his eyes. “We saw you from the balcony.”

“Oh.” He forgot they could see the park from here.

“What did you tell her?”

“I told her that she could stay till dinner and that I’d drop her home afterwards.”

Yoo Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow.

“Everyday?”

“Yeah. I still have to ask her mom about it.”

Yoo Jooonghyuk hummed.

“You won’t have to worry about that. Her mother is…easy-going.”

Dokja shot him a look. He wasn’t sure Yoo Joonghyuk meant it in a positive way.

“You know something?”

“No. She just never questions anything. I don’t know if she’s too trusting or…” joonghyuk trailed off.

Dokja recalled Yoosung telling him she doesn’t like it at home. From Dokja’s observation, it didn’t look like there was anything concerning going on.

Yoosung and her mother’s interactions never seemed tense. In fact, her mother was indulging to the point of concern.

“I’ll talk to her soon. There’s still time till I move.”

“When are you moving?”

“Mid December, maybe? My lease ends around then.”

“There’s a month left.” Yoo Joonghyuk looked visibly relieved.

“Don’t make it so obvious.” Dokja said, kicking Yoo Joonghyuk’s leg. He immediately lifted his feet up and tucked them on the couch before he could kick him back.

Yoo Joonghyuk rolled his eyes. “So childish.”

Dokja stuck his tongue out at him.

Yoo Joonghyuk pushed himself off the couch. Dokja looked at him questioningly.

“I have some work. I’ll be in my room. Don’t disturb me even if you need something.” he said.

“Wow, so polite and hospitable.”

Yoo Joonghyuk opened the door to a room and paused. He turned to look at Dokja.

“Behave.” he said before disappearing inside.

The door slammed shut behind him. Dokja fought the urge to recreate the pots and pans tower the kids made when they stayed over that one time.

It took minutes of reminding himself that he probably wouldn’t get away with it to hold himself back.

He pulled out his phone and leaned back on the couch. He still had a few hours before they needed to head home.

He opened the web novel he had downloaded a few days ago.

Yoo Sangah and Han Sooyoung came over to his house on Tuesday.

Yoo Sangah had taken a leave on Monday, just because she could, she’d said. She’d recovered by Sunday but hated that she couldn’t enjoy her weekend.

Dokja wished he could do that too, but he was sure that wouldn’t fly with his manager. He needed to behave if he wanted to be a full-time employee.

Life was so unfair.

They’d bought takeout on their way home from office. It wasn’t time for dinner yet.

Dokja was sprawled on the floor while Sooyoung and Sangah took the couch. Biyoo was lying on Dokja’s stomach.

She’d grown a little. She was twice the size she was when the kids first brought her home. Dokja poked her nose, smiling when her face scrunched up.

“Hey, Kim Dokja” Han Sooyoung called out to him. “Did you ask her about it yet?”

“Ask who what?” he asked.

“Ask Sangah whatever you asked me when we went to see the house.” she smirked.

Yoo Sangah looked at him questioningly.

Oh, the girlfriend.

Dokja squinted at Sooyoung. He knew she was messing with him but he couldn’t avoid it. Now that she’d reminded him, he was very curious.

He sat upright, shifting Biyoo on to his lap.

“Yoo Sangah-ssi.”

“Yes?”

“Who is Sooyoung’s girlfriend?”

Yoo Sangah’s jaw dropped open. She turned to Han Sooyoung, who was cackling away beside her.

“Is he serious?”

Han Sooyoung laughed harder. Dokja felt offended. Yes, he fucked up but he’s trying now.

“I am.” he replied.

Yoo Sangah covered her mouth in shock. “How could you not know?”

“Is she a celebrity or something? Why is it so shocking that I don’t know?” he whined.

“It’s me.”

Dokja blinked at Yoo Sangah. Han Sooyoung laughed so hard she need to hold on to Sangah for support.

Surely, he’d heard wrong.

“Huh?”

“I’m her girlfriend.” Yoo Sangah held Sooyoung’s hand. “We’re dating.”

It was Dokja’s turn to be shocked.

“What? Why?”

“What the fuck do you mean by why?” Sooyoung sat up straight.

“Han Sooyoung, how did you get her to date you? She’s way out of your league.”

Han Sooyoung got off the couch and knelt down next to him.

“You’re asked to get beaten up, huh?” she said, raising her fist.

Dokja pointed at Biyoo. “Watch it, you might hurt her.”

Han Sooyoung scooped her up and dropped her on Sangah’s lap. She then pulled on Dokja’s hair.

“What about now?”

“Ow ow ow. Let go.” he pulled Han Sooyoung’s hair in retaliation.

“You let go first.”

Yoo Sangah laughed at them as the rolled around on the ground.

“Okay, stop it. Let each other go.”

Dokja released her hair. Han Sooyoung flopped down on the floor next to him, head resting on his arm. Biyoo, the only one in the house who truly loved him, jumped down from Yoo Sangah’s lap and snuggled into his empty side.

In hindsight, maybe he should have seen it coming. He’d just thought of them as very close friends but he should have known.

Their apartment had two bedrooms, but Han Sooyoung had told him one of them was an office. They had the same lockscreen—a photo of them in a park. They had matching phone cases. Now that he thought about it, their profile pic was matching too.

They were so obvious. If they were idols, they’d have a scandal for sure.

“I’m an idiot.” he blurted out.

“We been knew.” Han Sooyoung replied.

“Shut up. I should have noticed.” he said,

“To be fair, we thought you already knew.” Yoo Sangah said.

Dokja frowned at her. “Why would you think that?”

“One, you saw us kiss- “

“Huh? I saw what now?” he asked, eyes wide in shock.

“You saw us kiss.” she repeated.

“I did?”

“Yoo Sangah, hold me back.” Han Sooyoung said, not moving an inch from where she was lying on his arm.

“When?” he asked.

“The morning after the first time we stayed over, I think. You came in to wake us up.”

Dokja tried to recall what happened that morning.

“I don’t remember something like that.” he admitted.

“Well, you can see it now.” Han Sooyoung shot up from the floor and kissed Yoo Sangah right in front of him. Dokja rolled his eyes.

“Congrats, I guess.” he snarked.

Sooyoung beamed at him and plastered herself to Yoo Sangah’s side.

“But you really didn’t notice? You were looking right at us.” she said.

“I don’t know. Maybe I was too out of it? We did drink the night before.”

Yoo Sangah nodded. “Makes sense. I did think it was weird that you didn’t react.”          

Dokja nodded. He looked at them for a minute.

“Wah, really. Han Sooyoung, you really lucked out.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Both Dokja and Sangah laughed. When they calmed down, Dokja suddenly remembered the other question that was left unanswered that day.

“Han Sooyoung, remember how you said you raised Yoo Joonghyuk?”

Han Sooyoung hummed.

“What did you mean by that?” he asked.

“Oh, that.” Han Sooyoung started.

Yoo Sangah interrupted her. “Is it okay for you to tell him? What if Joonghyuk-ssi gets mad?”

Han Sooyoung brushed off her concerns.

“It’s just Kim Dokja. I’m sure he won’t mind. Most of it is public knowledge anyway.”

If it was public knowledge, then Dokja probably knew of it already. But he wanted to hear it from Sooyoung’s perspective.

“What I meant by that is Yoo Joonghyuk went through some shit. I helped him out. The end.”

There was a minute of silence.

“Hey! What do you mean by the end? You said it was a long story.” Dokja yelled.

“And I meant it.” she muttered. “It’s long. I can’t be bothered to tell you all that.”

“You tricked me.” he said, feeling betrayed.

“It’s not my fault you got all excited about getting your hands on your celebrity crush’s lore.” she teased.

“Look at you calling it lore like a chronically online snake.”

“Look at you being all picky about words. Look at you calling someone else chronically online.” she said mockingly.

Dokja kicked her leg. “Shut up and tell me.”

“Geez, you’re so obsessed. Tone it down.”

Dokja raised his leg to kick her again.

“Ah, put it down. I’ll tell you.”

Dokja smiled at her sweetly. She rolled her eyes.

“Yoo Joonghyuk and I were in the same class in school. That jerk was popular, everyone wanted to befriend him, including me.” She said pointing at herself. “But that’s only because I thought he’d be good material.”

Dokja scrunched up his face in disgust. “Born scum.”

“Put that face away if you want to hear the rest of it.“

Dokja obliged.

“He wasn’t as bad as he is now. Anti-social? Maybe. Introverted? Definitely. But he wasn’t that bad. He never let anyone too close to him.” she said.

Yoo Sangah was listening too. Dokja wondered if she already heard this before.

“We sat next to each other for a while. That guy had his walls up high. I really wanted to befriend him. There were lots of perks and little to no cons, but he wouldn’t let me no matter how hard I pestered him.”

She made herself sound annoying as fuck. At least she was self-aware.

“There was no opening at all till something happened. No, don’t ask. I won’t tell you.”

Dokja snapped his mouth shut. Damn it.

“This part is not public information. If you want to know, you should ask him.” she said.

“After that incident, he had a hard time for a while. You know about his family situation, right?”

Dokja nodded.

“He had no one to support him. That’s where I come in. That was my opening.” She grinned devilishly.

Yoo Sangah cut in. “She meant she was worried and wanted to help him.”

Han Sooyoung looked offended. “Don’t put words into my mouth. I’m telling you, he’s just material.”

Dokja snickered into his hand.

“Where was I? Yeah, he was too out of it to push me away, it just stuck. We became friends.”

“So, you tricked your way into his life.” Dokja said, playing along with her façade of not caring about her friends.

“Yes. That’s just how it is sometimes.” she shrugged.

“They have an odd dynamic.” Yoo Sangah added. “You wouldn’t think they were friends if you saw them interact but they really care about each other.”

“We do not.”

“But really, you got a friend like Yoo Joonghyuk and a girlfriend like Yoo Sangah. Insane luck.” Dokja marvelled.

“Oh, you’re lucky too. You got a friend like me.” she said cheekily.

Dokja deadpanned. “I must have killed a village in my previous life.”

She shot forward.

“You come here.” she said, reaching towards his hair.

“Ah!” Dokja leaned back, out of reach.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Yoo Sangah pulled Han Sooyoung back and wrapped her arm around her. She calmed down immediately and snuggled into her.

She really was just a feral cat.

A snake-cat hybrid.

“How did you two meet?” he asked them.

Yoo Sangah smiled, a fond look taking over her face. “Our soulmates are friends. We met through them.”

“Oh.” So, they met their soulmates already.

“You know them actually.” Han Sooyoung added.

“I do?”

“He does?”

“He’s a Yoo Joonghyuk simp. Of course, he does.” she stated like it was obvious.

“Hey! What does this have to do with him?” Dokja said, offended.

“You know Kim Namwoon?”

“Yup.”

“He’s my soulmate.”

“Oh.” What the fuck?

It’s sandbox world for sure. What’s next? Yoo Joonghyuk’s parents living next door?

“No way.”

“I know. The kid is fucking annoying, by the way. Wrote an armful of words I wish I never read when our connection first opened.” she mimed a full body shudder.

“Now, stop acting like you hate him” Yoo Sangah said.

“I don’t hate him. I met you because of him.” Han Sooyoung cooed.

Yoo Sangah blushed. “Aww.”

Dokja fake gagged. His efforts won him an annoyed look from Han Sooyoung.

“If her soulmate is Kim Namwoon, is your soulmate Lee Jihye by any chance?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“I met her once.”

“Really?”

“Yup. I met her that night when Mia stayed over after fighting with Joonghyuk.”

“Oh. She’s a nice girl, isn’t she?”

Han Sooyoung rested her on her hand and stared at him.

“Uh, yup.” He maintained eye contact with her till it got too creepy.

“Okay, what’s up?” he asked.

“Since we told you about our soulmate, it’s your turn.”

Yeah, no. He should have known it would come to this.

“I told you, I don’t know his name.”

Yoo Sangah looked between them nervously.

“I’m telling you, let’s find out.”

“No, why are you so curious anyway?” he shot back.

“Because I’ve got a bad feeling about it. I don’t know. It feels like something I should know.”

Dokja got up and headed towards the door.

“No, you don’t have to know. This is the only thing I refuse to tell you about. Ask me anything else.”

“Why not? Where are you going?” she asked, also getting up from the couch.

“I’m going to get Gilyoung. It’s time for dinner.”

“Kim Dokja, you-“

The door flew open. Dokja barely managed to avoid getting hit.

“Oh, Hyung, you didn’t tell me they were coming over today.” Gilyoung said as he walked in.

 Dokja placed a hand on his chest to calm himself down.

He almost lost his nose there.

“Where’s Yoosung?” he asked.

“She’s eating at home today.”

“What do we do about her share? Think we can split it?”

“No, let’s save it for tomorrow.”

“Oh! You bought takeout! What’s for dinner?”

And with that, the conversation was dropped. Han Sooyoung eyed him suspiciously for a while till Sangah told her to drop it.

He would have to avoid being alone with Han Sooyoung for a while. Either that, or find a way to fake a soulmate.

They spread out the takeout on the table and sat to eat. Suddenly, Dokja had a thought.

“Lee Gilyoung.” he called.

“Hm?”

“It’s just a hunch but did you know about them?” he asked, pointing at Sangah and Sooyoung.

Sooyoung scoffed. “Really?”

Gilyoung looked confused. “What about them? Ah! That they’re dating?”

“Yup.”

“Obviously. You didn’t know?” Gilyoung asked.

“I knew.” Dokja replied quickly.

“Hyung…you’re so dumb sometimes.” Gilyoung said, looking at him with pity.

Dokja pulled Gilyoung’s bowl away from him. “You know what? Eat plain rice today. No takeout for you.”

“Hyung, I’m sorry.” he whined.

Dokja let go off the bowl and flicked his forehead. “Be nice to your elders.”

“Yes, yes.” Gilyoung dug into his food in hurry while glancing at Dokja between bites.

Dokja took a bite of his own food. “Relax, it’s yours. I won’t take it away.”

Gilyoung smiled. His pace slowed down.

It was almost 8:30pm by the time they were done eating. Dokja put away the dishes and the trash.

He turned to Yoo Sangah and Sooyoung. “It’s getting late.”

Yoo Sangah raised an eyebrow. “You’re kicking us out?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Oh, he does. It’s almost time for Yoo Joonghyuk’s stream. He wants us gone.” Han Sooyoung teased.

“I was just asking.” he replied. “And you’re the one who’s on every stream. I only watch sometimes.”

From his alt account. He’d only used his haKyun account once.

“Were you not planning on watching the stream?” Sangah asked sweetly.

Dokja couldn’t deny that.

“I did plan to.” They smirked. “But I wasn’t asking you to leave. It’s not that serious.”

“We know it’s that serious.”

“I’m just a fan. it’s casual.”

Han Sooyoung grabbed their bags from the couch.

“Let’s leave before he gets deeper in denial.” she said.

“I’m not in denial.”

“Oh no, he’s still at the first stage.” Sooyoung grabbed Yoo Sangah’s arm and started dragging her to the door.

“Yeah, sure, whatever. You’re not gonna listen to me anyways.”

They laughed all the way to the door.

“See you tomorrow, Dokja-ssi.” Yoo Sangah said.

“Have fun, Kim dokja.”

Dokja waved at Yoo Sangah and flipped Sooyoung off.

He shut the door and walked back to the couch. He grabbed his laptop from the table and powered it on.

Gilyoung poked his arm.

“Hyung, are you really that guy’s fan?” he asked, the distaste evident in his face and voice.

“He plays well.”

“Why does everyone like that bastard? Yoosung and Mia are always going on about him.”

Dokja laughed. “What did I tell you about respecting elders?”

“I don’t say that to his face anymore.” Gilyoung muttered.

Dokja shook his head in exasperation.

“If you’re watching the stream, I’m going to bed.”

“Isn’t it too early?” Dokja asked.

“I’m not done reading that manga you got me.” Gilyoung grinned.

“Fine, don’t stay up too late.”

“Okay.”

Gilyoung walked into the bedroom. Dokja logged into his alt account.

He figured he might as well use up the coins he had left there. And if he got to tease Sooyoung while she knew it was him, that was an added bonus.

Yoo Joonghyuk was playing a newly released game. Dokja had seen its gameplay trailer a while ago. The actual thing looked pretty cool.

Dokja typed in a greeting out of habit but deleted it before sending. It felt a little awkward to do that from this account. The regulars knew guwon, not haKyun. He would mostly like not be greeted back.

deluxiondemon: I swear I can beat master at this game

warfarxgod: @deluxiondemon there’s a limit to lying

deluxiondemon: I was so close to beating him that one time

abfd_: @deluxiondemon I’m rooting for you. dethrone that mf

apostle01: @deluxiondemon the last time you said this, you dream it up

Dokja paused.

How dare Han Sooyoung tease him when she’s the one watching streams on her way home while her girlfriend is right beside her?

goldenheadband: lol

deluxiondemon: @apostle01 leave me alone

haKyun: @apostle01 what are you doing here?

abfd_: lol

jahayoung: noo

deluxiondemon: lmao this will be good

u_fo_riel : ToT

goldenheadband: here we go again

apostle01: @haKyun I knew it

extremethirst: before you guys start, I want you to remember yjh is married to me

abfd_: @extremethirst @deluxiondemon give them your id

haKyun: @apostle01 knew what?

warfarxgod: whether twt stays on my phone depends on how stream goes

shiiooott: you guys are so dramatic

dion_e_sus: bro sent one message and got booed

abfd_: @SupremeKing this is your chance to do the funniest shit ever

u_fo_riel: @abfd_ I can and will ban you

apostle01: @haKyun that you sent us away because you wanted to watch the stream •ᴗ•

jwt: I hope twt servers are down today ( ╥ ﹏ ╥)

abfd_: ooooooooooooooo

goldenheadband: sent you away? what goes awn

jahayoung: @apostle01 stop talking bruh

u_fo_riel: |д ･)

deluxiondemon: lemme grab popcorn

apostle01: @haKyun defend yourself

jyt: @apostle01 the queen is single handedly holding this fort up ily

jwt: @jyt you’re my opp in every single way fight me

haKyun: @apostle01 bitc I just didn’t want to waste my coins replying to you

deluxiondemon: @haKyun what are you saving it for? :)

jyt: @jwt send coordinates

jahayoung: @deluxiondemon 🍅🍅🍅

apostle01: @haKyun you’re too broke to be buying coins

abfd_: go on go on

haKyun: @apostle01 obvi I didn’t buy it. I watched ads

deluxiondemon: @haKyun it’s love

abfd_: @haKyun @SupremeKing happy marriage, I was your OG fan

haKyun: @deluxiondemon wtf its not

apostle01: ( 𓁹 󠁘◡ 𓁹 )

goldenheadband: tbf, he said no

jahayoung: @abfd_ its one-sided bruv pack your bags

On screen, Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at the chatbox. He raised an eyebrow at the camera, a sly look crossing his face.

“K- haKyun,”

Dokja’s stomach drop.

He almost called him by his name. Just imagining the consequences of that was scary. The way he called out his alt account id soothed the anxiety that brought on though.

“Isn’t that a lot of effort for a casual fan?”

Like usual, this too was Han Sooyoung’s fault. He needed her to give him a formal apology, preferably in the YouTube apology video format for convenience.

warfarxgod: @jahayoung …..

deluxiondemon: kekekekekekekkekekekekekeke

jahayoung: I’m sorry

abfd_: lmaooooo

haKyun: It’s from that day. I’m almost out of coins so clearly I didn’t watch for long

greatballoffire: that day…

apostle01: @haKyun that was a little too defensive

warfarxgod: im not having fun. 0/10 exp, highly don’t recommend

haKyun: @apostle01 I know where you live

deluxiondemon: highlight of my year! I don’t think this can get any better

apostle01: #haKyun you also know where yjh lives. You’d rather go over there wouldn’t you

goldenheadband: I’m seeing the light

u_fo_riel: wut

deluxiondemon: update: it just got better. @apostle01 you’re the best

apostle01: @deluxiondemon louder

haKyun: @SupremeKing block that witch

jyt: this is what internet was made for

Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at the chat and sighed. “Uriel, ban apostle01 for 1 minute.”

apostle01: My job here is done. shoot me down

<User @apostle01 has been restricted. timeout: 120s>

extremethirst: notice how its always her?

abfd_: @u_fo_riel doubled the timeout lmao

goldenheadband: abuse of power

warfarxgod: just deleted twt off my phone :’)

deluxiondemon: @warfarxgod can’t wait to see you tomorrow kekeke

warfarxgod: @deluxiondemon choke

haKyun: @SupremeKing good boy

Joonghyuk’s face scrunched up. “That was not because of you. Uriel ban haKyun for a minute.”

haKyun: fvck you

<User @haKyun has been restricted. timeout: 180s>

 deluxiondemon: someone take @u_fo_riel to court

jahayoung: 3 minutes lmao

shiiooott: you’re all so dramatic its funny lmao

Dokja stuck his tongue out at his screen. He grabbed his phone and joined the stream through his main account.

Yoo Joonghyuk thought he could get rid of him that fast? Too bad.

guwon: hey guys

u_fo_riel: @guwon   o(T ヘTo)

abfd_: @guwon man you should have logged on one minute ago

guwon: @abfd_ why?

deluxiondemon: @guwon for entertainment of course

jahayoung: that’s rude tbh

deluxiondemon: @jahayoung and you guys are not for banning them for longer than asked to?

warfarxgod: @deluxiondemon no <3

apostle01: @delusiondemon that’s a heart yahoo your first W

abfd_: lmao

deluxiondemon: stfu

warfarxgod: </3

deluxiondemon: @apostle01 that was the shortest two minutes of my life

jahayoung: @deluxiondemon +1

warfarxgod: if she’s back, then ‘he’ will be too soon

extremethirst: is this his you-know-who moment?

abfd_: my timer says there’s 33 seconds left

jwt: @abfd_ this b!tch

u_fo_riel: quick @guwon ask yjh something?

guwon: huh

deluxiondemon: @guwon don’t do it bro trust

apostle01: @guwon do it for science lmao

jahayoung: @apostle01 I’ve never hated you less

What was wrong with them really?

He’s pretty sure they were talking about haKyun. Why were they turning on him now?

What did they want him to ask Yoo Joonghyuk?

What could he even ask him as guwon?

Dokja groaned.

Now that he knew Yoo Joonghyuk personally, it was hard to think of something that an online friend(?) like guwon would ask about on a random Tuesday live stream.

His eyes landed on Biyoo who was making her way to the bedroom.

guwon: @SupremeKing  I want to see the kitten from that one stream

u_fo_riel: best ask ever

warfarxgod: no wait noooo

Yoo Joonghyuk pursed his lips. “I’ll have to ask my friend about it.”

apostle01: @haKyun he wants your daughter

abfd_: gold

jahayoung: this is devastating

Well, if Yoo Joonghyuk wanted her on his stream, she should share custody.

haKyun: @SupremeKing you can have her, but only if you’re willing to pay child support.

deluxiondemon: ohemgee guys they have a child together @u_fo_riel @warfarxgod

apostle01: @haKyun pretty bold for someone who was in denial a few minutes ago

u_fo_riel: hahaha

abfd_: she’s broken lol

haKyun: @apostle01 I’m telling you that’s not it

apostle01: @haKyun you’re obsessed

haKyun: @apostle01 if anyone’s obsessed, it’s you. You’re the one watching the stream on your way home when your gf is right there next to you

jyt: pause

deoluxiondemon: apostle01 x SupremeKing?

abfd_: @apostle01 is not a loser?

apostle01: @deluxiondemon you really want to pull that shit with me?

haKyun: @abfd_ ik, I was shocked too

u_fo_riel: @apostle01 aw you’re such good friends (~˘ ▽ ˘)~

goldenheadband: so that’s love interest #3? #4?

warfarxgod: @apostle01 I knew you were a little in love with master. don’t blame you

apostle01: that implies you’re a little in love with him. @deluxiondemon kys

deluxiondemon: why me?

abfd_: @apostle01 so its your turn now

apostle01: no its not. tf, I have a gf

guwon: don’t let your gf stop you from finding your wife

Dokja snickered at his phone. He hoped she liked the taste of her own medicine.

greatballoffire: does that mean SupremeKing is the wife?

apostle01: @guwon d!e

haKyun: he’d be a good wife

deluxiondemon: @haKyun talking from experience?

warfarxgod: @haKyun I can see the vision

u_fo_riel: @warfarxgod fraternizing with the enemy….

haKyun: @u_fo_riel why am I the enemy ToT

abfd_: @haKyun times do be tuf brother stay strong

Dokja had a feeling he would never truly understand these people.

He noticed he was almost out of coins on the haKyun account. He placed his laptop on the couch and leaned back with his phone in hand.

He noticed a text notification. It was from Han Sooyoung.

BFE: you

BFE: I bet you’re having a lot of fun rn huh

BFE: even sangah is laughing at me

BFE: I will remember this

me: ooo I’m so scared

BFE: you should be

me: you wouldn’t do shit to me

BFE: I’ll have you do it yourself

me: ??

BFE: both you and that Yoo Joonghyuk

me: what did he do now

BFE: standing up for your man?

BFE: cute

me: ….

BFE: he let that conversation happen

BFE: I need revenge

BFE: help me out

me: me?

BFE: yup

BFE: if you cooperate, I can get many hits with one stone

me: what’s the plan

BFE: I need you to flirt with guwon

Dokja burst out laughing. He laughed so hard, he almost kicked his laptop off the couch.

Han Sooyoung, wow, she really was funny sometimes.

Flirt with himself?

He would have never seen this coming.

BFE: .

me: lmao

me: hold on I’m still laughing

BFE: ??

me: lmao

BFE: bitc are you in or no?

BFE: yes/no quick. the convo in the chat rn is the perfect setup for this

Dokja glanced at the chat.

jahayoung: I think we should take matters in our own hands and play wingman

goldenheadband: what if youre misinterpreting the whole thing?

warfarxgod: we’ll find out when we get there

abfd_: the jokes are going to write themselves

jyt: peak entertainment imo

jwt: if this fails, we’re nuking @jahayoug

Dokja tilted his head in confusion.

Wingman? For whom?

He didn’t know what they were up to.

What he did know was it could be fun, playing along with her. He’d be messing with everyone, including Han Sooyoung.

me: okay, I’m in

BFE: lmao

me: what should I do?

BFE: flirt

me: how

BFE: ….

BFE: what a loser

BFE: I’ll give you an opening, just talk like you’re interested in him

BFE: as long as he’s the slightest bit interested in you, its okay

me: what do I get out of this?

BFE: a chance to piss Yoo Joonghyuk off

me: not enough

BFE: I’ll treat you to good food

me: BBQ

BFE: deal

me: also, I’m almost out of coins

BFE: I’ll pay for your membership

BFE: just for this month

me: you’re the best lol

BFE: shut up and watch

Dokja snickered again.

In the chat, they were spam mentioning guwon.

jahayoung: @guwon

abfd_: @guwon

warfarxgod: @guwon @abfd_ why are you helping us

abfd_: @guwon @warfarxgod guess

u_fo_riel: @guwon

guwon: what is it?

u_fo_riel: we have a question

guwon: ?

warfarxgod: @guwon are you dating someone

Dokja’s eyebrows shot up.

If they were playing wingman, that meant he was the target. So, who were they playing wingman for?

On screen, Yoo Joonghyuk paused the game to change some settings. They way he kept glancing at the chat made Dokja think he was in on this too.

A faint blush spread across his cheeks.

Why him?

guwon: no

jahayoung: cheers!

deluxiondemon: it’s not even a win

u_fo_riel: @guwon what’s your type? ( ˘ ³˘) ♥︎

Was it Uriel? Were they playing wingman for Uriel?

No way.

He thought about the Uriel he met earlier that week.

His face flushed.

Uriel was adorable, but he’d never thought of her that way. He didn’t have a type to begin with, but he was sure it wouldn’t be Uriel.

There was also the possibility that he was getting ahead of himself. It might not be Uriel. It might not be anyone.

But just in case he was right, he had to turn her down gently.

He typed down a description of someone who was the exact opposite of Uriel.

A man. Tall with wide shoulders and deep voice. Had to be the same age as him.

As he typed, he realised that the description sounded a lot like Yoo Joonghyuk. That wouldn’t do. That would be misinformation.

He needed a middle ground.

He retyped the reply.

Still a man. Neither tall nor short, lean build and the pretty type. Preferably the same age. 

That sounded completely normal and vague. He didn’t know anyone like that among his friends.

extremethirst: why’s he taking so long?

greatballoffire: why are you asking him in the first place?

jahayoung: why not

greatballoffire: do you guys ever talk about the game

abfd_: @greatballoffire that’s what the regular chat and the youtube comments are here for

shiiooott: @greatbaloffireI love the drama honestly

deluxiondemon: @guwon hurry up

guwon: a man, neither tall not short, lean build, the pretty type and preferably my age. Good enough?

abfd_: bro made a list for you guys lol

goldenheadband: that’s oddly specific

jahayoung: how old are you?

guwon: 28

warfarxgod: we checked 2/5. it’s not looking good

deluxiondemon: guys, it’s me. I check 4/5

guwon: no

warfarxgod: @deluxiondemon who lied and called you pretty?

apostle01: @deluxiondemon ShortKing?

deluxiondemon: ….

jwt: lmao yjh looks disappointed

jyt: @jwt he doesn’t lmao

jahayoung: @jyt get your eyes checked

apostle01: yk who checks 5/5?

abfd_: whomst?

u_fo_riel: @apostle01 I have a bad feeling

apostle01: @guwon get your man @haKyun

warfarxgod: wut

shiiooott: holy shit

deluxiondemon: unprecedented curveball

u_fo_riel: ( ⊙_ ⊙) 

abfd_: insane plot twist

goldenheadband: rofl

deluxiondemon: I prayed for times like this

Dokja grinned wide. So that was his cue.

Sure, he didn’t really know how to flirt, but he’d spent years talking to himself. He could do this.

haKyun: @guwon hi?

abfd_: bro subscribed just to get laid

guwon: @haKyun hello

shiiooott: go on go on

jahayoung: what is life even

deluxiondemon: never saw master fumble this bad ever, both in game and irl

warfarxgod: yeah, he’s definitely poisoning you the next time you’re over

u_fo_riel: speechless

goldenheadband: why are they quiet?

abfd_: @guwon @haKyun do something

Ah, it was harder than he thought.

His phone dinged with a notification. Dokja grimaced.

BFE: wtf are you doing?

BFE: this is not what I paid for

me: what am I supposed to say?

BFE: say something

me: like what?

BFE: god you’re hopeless

me: just help me out

BFE: fine

Dokja wouldn’t call whatever Han Sooyoung did next help. If anything, it just made it harder for him to talk.

apostle01: @guwon @haKyun why tf are you silent?

guwon: @apostle01 what do you even want us to do?

deluxiondemon: @guwon date?

apostle01: @guwon he checks all your boxes. the kitten you like so much is his

abfd_: oh yeah, if you date, then you wont have to ask yjh to see the kitten

jahayoung: you’re trying too hard

apostle01: you’re a yjh simp, he’s a yjh simp. You guys can simp together

warfarxgod: @apostle01 that’s the wrong plot

apostle01: @haKyun guwon read that shitty fic you love so much too. Idk if he read it to the end but yeah, you guys have so much in common

How did she manage to threaten his anonymity when she didn’t even know guwon?

At this rate, the next message he’s see from her would be a ‘Oh his name starts with a K and ends with ‘im Dokja’ too, what a coincidence haha.’

haKyun: whether he read the fic or not doesn’t matter to me

u_fo_riel: @haKyun I’m warming up to you

haKyun: what matters is what he thinks of SSSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor

apostle01: @haKyun …you squidfaced prick

guwon: @haKyun its hot garbage

haKyun: @guwon marry me

abfd_: and scene! pack it up fellas

jwt: yjh’s expression…

jyt: @jwt it’s the same as always

deluxiondemon: its game over for jwntwt and jyntwt

guwon: @haKyun <3

u_fo_riel: @guwon traitor

guwon: @u_fo_riel ?

warfarxgod: how could you just switch sides?

guwon: @warfarxgod I never switched tho? I was always a SSSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor hater

haKyun: @guwon as you should be. only scum could write trash like that

guwon: @haKyun the author really has no shame

haKyun: @guwon true true. such people should be on a watchlist

apostle01: okay @haKyun cut it out, you’re having way too much fun with this, aren’t you

deluxiondemon: @apostle01 why did you cut them off? they were bonding :)

apostle01: @deluxiondemon tomorrow is going to be the worst day of your life.

warfarxgod: @apostle01 I hope it’s the same for you too

abfd_: @guwon @haKyun just take it to the dms, no interruptions

guwon: @abfd_ good idea

jwt: its over

haKyun: @guwon accept my request

jahayoung: it was a fun run ig

<User mass_prod donated 1000 coins> Fun skit guys

u_fo_riel: ….

warfarxgod: yeah it’s a wrap, it was all for fun anyways

abfd_: @warfarxgod spoken through tears

On screen, Yoo Joonghyuk clicked his tongue. Dokja held back a laugh.

“I didn’t know I was running a gossip channel.” he said, flatly. “There’s no reason for my chat to be focused on something other than games.”

If Han Sooyoung wanted to piss him off, she’d succeeded.

Yoo Joonghyuk looked more irritated than mad, which was almost the same thing.

abfd_: this wasn’t a problem before, just saying

apostle01: you’re so obvious lmao

deluxiondemon:   guwon and haKyun are quiet because they are texting each other.

hwt: @deluxiondemon amen

goldenheadband: @hwt that was quick

“Uriel, restrict chat for 10 minutes, including yourself.”

shiiooott: that’s cold

extremethirst: and kinda hot

abfd_: @extremethirst ?/

u_fo_riel: @SupremeKing noooo I’m sorryyy ( っ ˘̩ ╭╮ ˘̩) っ

apostle01: @SupremeKing you made uriel cry, shame on you

deluxiondemon: 🍅🍅🍅

Yoo Joonghyuk sighed. He restricted the chat for 10 minutes himself and resumed playing. This time, he talked throughout the stream with a passive-aggressive narration.

Kim Dokja faked a few message between his accounts just in case Han Sooyoung asked him about it. It was a very short conversation, he didn’t put a lot of effort into it.

He set his laptop aside and sprawled on the couch.

His phone chimed with another notification.

BFE: good job

BFE: and fuck you

me: ilyt

BFE: gross

me: he did look pissed right?

BFE: he always has a rbf on, it’s hard to tell but ig

me: lol

me: he must really like being the centre of attention

me: a protagonist through and through

BFE: you really think he’s mad about that?

me: what else?

BFE: pfft kid

BFE: you’ll understand when you’re all grown up

me: stfu

BFE: lol

BFE: dw I think it’ll play in your favour

me: what are you on about now?

BFE: when it happens, just know its because of me

me: are you high?

BFE: no I’m just realising god’s plan

BFE: it’s me, I’m the god

me: your mental illness is showing

BFE: :)

me: Im worried for Yoo sangah

BFE: worry about yourself first

me: choke

BFE: cry

BFE: you didn’t actually text guwon right?

me: I did. why?

BFE: woah fr?

me: you wanted me to

BFE: I didn’t think you’d get that far

me: -_-

BFE: tell me if the plot changes

me: ??

BFE: the story is still in the drafts. I can change the male lead anytime

me: don’t contact me ever again

Dokja muted her notifications for a few hours. He switched back to the stream.

Yoo Joonghyuk seemed very energetic. Dokja had no doubt that live would go on for a few more hours.

There were still a few minutes left for the chat ban to lift.

Dokja increased the volume and placed his phone on his stomach.

As he watched the seconds tick by on the timeout counter, his eyes drooped.

He fell asleep to Yoo Joonghyuk’s voice.

ruby-chan haiiii @aiiscreaam
Tough day for both joowoners and jooyuners
444🗨 • 3.4K⟲ • 13.5K♡

    what that tongue do @ivanism
    @JWfiles good job with the manifestation 눈_눈
    123🗨 • 1.4K⟲ • 9.5K♡

        JooWon the actor(real)  @JWfiles
        I didn’t mean for this to happen ToT
        61🗨 • 999⟲ • 7.2K♡

            the first two are my alter egos @yjh3rdwife
            lmao
            🗨 • 6⟲ • 925♡

            TT @rin_troller
            Weren;t you the one who wanted to matchmake lol
            55🗨 • 696⟲ • 1.7K♡

               ❤ @SupremeQueen
               the greed was too strong on this one
               8🗨 • 256⟲ • 1.3K♡

               statue of bigbooty 🍑 @jwreal
               we win some we lose some
               14🗨 • 87⟲ • 333♡

                   TT @rin_troller
                   we lost more than some lol
                   8🗨 • 56⟲ • 211♡

    hawon @breakingmybacksword
    Guys, calm down. they were prolly joking around
    3🗨 • 332⟲ • 1.8K♡

        jooyun’s first son @kween
        that dn..
        🗨 • ⟲ • 31♡

        [] @bItchcraft
        you sure jumped ships real quick
        20🗨 • 456⟲ • 876♡

            hawon @breakingmybacksword
            I like to be on the winning side :)
           3🗨 • 332⟲ • 1.8K♡

    hear ye @hearsay
    If you want to stone someone, it should be @yjh3rdwife. They coined the name hawon first
    24🗨 • 562⟲ • 1.3K♡

        the first two are my alter egos @yjh3rdwife
        *shocked pikachu face* why me ToT
        38🗨 • 673⟲ • 987♡

            yjh’s tiddie belt @yjhsleftchesticle
            the audacity to ask that now
            4🗨 • ⟲ • 42♡

    ego @egsektra
    just to be clear, its not that serious right? we’re joking with these ships, right?
    13🗨 • 377⟲ • 767♡

        dilf hunter @ilikemynutsmilked
        I wouldn’t worry lol. They’re just butthurt now. It was like this when yjh first started dating Lsh too. it’ll blow over soon
        43🗨 • 443⟲ • 1.6K♡

            jyt @brazilianmikuuu
            I hope you’re right
           4🗨 • 162⟲ • 445♡

JooWon the actor(real)  @JWfiles
[CLOSED}
60🗨 • 356⟲ • 887♡

    annaoop @witchcroft
    points and laughs 
    141🗨 • 723⟲ • 642♡

        [] @bItchcraft
        bruh get out fr
        6🗨 • 59⟲ • 43♡

    Uriel  @u_fo_riel
    noo ToT
    8🗨 • 544⟲ • 3.1K♡

         JooWon the actor(real)  @JWfiles
         we were outgamed (◞‸◟,)
         6🗨 • 1.8K⟲ • 1.7K♡

    yjh’s tiddie belt @yjhsleftchesticle
    I’m so confused lmao, there are yjh’s irls on all three sides. Are they just joking around?
    133🗨 • 545⟲ • 976♡

        psych ward escapee @sawsage
        if they are, then its pretty funny imo
        23🗨 • 175⟲ • 348♡

        omi’s thigh appreciation @omigiri
        yeah I was wondering too
        4🗨 • 27⟲ • 34♡

        it came to me in a dream @careerrussianroule
        its good pr if that’s what this is, but yjh’s reaction made me think it’s not
        15🗨 • 76⟲ • 191♡

            yjh’s tiddie belt @yjhsleftchesticle
            same
            3🗨 • 2⟲ • 334♡

    Hawon (real) @HWfiles
    hawoners follow me
    64🗨 • 1K⟲ • 1.1K♡

        dilf hunter @ilikemynutsmilked
        its too early for this
        4🗨 • 97⟲ • 492♡

           jyt @brazilianmikuuu
           cry about it <3
           22🗨 • 375⟲ • 887♡

The next Saturday followed the same routine as the previous one.

Dokja and the kids spent the morning with Persephone and Hades at their house. After lunch, they headed over to Yoo Joonghyuk’’s house.

Yoo Mia was the one who answered the door.

Dokja walked in and sat on the couch as usual. The kids were sitting on the floor in front of the TV to play games.

Yoo Joonghyuk was doing the dishes in the kitchen.

Dokja thought it was a little weird that he didn’t even acknowledge him. He usually had something mean to say about Dokja.

There was also the fact that he’d taken to drawing weird, chicken scrawl like things on his arm. Dokja had no idea what that meant.

It made him feel like a historian trying to decode cavemen drawings.

He was just glad the connection opened during the day. He’d have stayed up late otherwise.

He glared daggers at Yoo Joonghyuk’s back to remind him of Dokja’s presence in his house. Joonghyuk remained unmoving.

Dokja frowned.

He moved to stand next to Yoo Joonghyuk and cleared his throat.

Joonghyuk only glanced at him, nothing more.

“Hey, you need some help?” Dokja asked.

“No.”

Dokja’s frown deepened.

It felt like Yoo Joonghyuk was mad at him, but he didn’t remember doing anything wrong.

The only thing he did recently that could have pissed him off was the Tuesday live stream incident. But it’d been days. Surely, he wasn’t mad about such a small thing for a long time.

Maybe it was something that had nothing to do with him.

“Hey, is this a bad time? Should we leave?” he asked, trying to be considerate.

“No.”

“Are you mad at me or something?”

“No.”

Dokja’s eye twitched. “Then tell me what’s wrong.”

“No.”

Dokja sighed in frustration. He sat on the counter next to the sink.

Yoo Joonghyuk finally looked at him. “Get off, I just cleaned it.”

“Then clean it again.”

Joonghyuk set the dish he was cleaning down and glared at him fully.

“What? I’m just giving you a reason to act like this.” Dokja said.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket. Immediately, Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes landed on it. Dokja pulled his phone closer to him.

“What?” he asked.

Joonghyuk shook his head. “Nothing.”

He picked up the dish he’d set down and continued washing them.

Dokja scrolled on his phone mindlessly. He watched Yoo Joonghyuk from the corner of his eye. The man seemed to be looking his way, at his phone to be specific.

They sat in silence till he was done doing the dishes.

Dokja watched Joonghyuk as he removed his apron and wiped his hands off. He paused by the dining table, seemingly contemplating something.

Then he walked closer to Dokja and leaned on the counter right beside him, facing away from him, towards the living room.

Dokja waited for him to say something.

“I’m not mad at you.” he finally said.

Dokja locked his phone and set it on the counter beside him. He turned to face Yoo Joonghyuk.

“Then what is it?”

“I-“ he cut himself off.

“You what?”

“Did you text guwon that night?” Joonghyuk asked.

Dokja blinked. “Uh, yeah. Why?”

“What did you talk about?”

“Just this and that. Why are you being nosy all of a sudden?” Dokja asked.

“I was just curious.”

Dokja leaned forward to meet his eye but Joonghyuk turned away from him,

“Ah, really What does that have to do with if you were mad or not?”

There was a short pause.

“I misunderstood something. Recently, I realised I was wrong. I’m not angry.” Joonghyuk said bluntly.

That didn’t explain much of anything though. Dokja pushed for a little more.

“What did you misunderstand?” he asked.

“Something.”

“And that is?”

Yoo Joonghyuk stayed quiet on purpose. Dokja clicked his tongue.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to tell me.”

And he meant that. Dokja was more annoyed with himself for feeling entitled to an explanation than with Yoo Joonghyuk for not saying anything.

They were barely friends.

Why was Kim Dokja expecting more out of him?

He changed the topic.

“You know, I met Uriel the other day.”

Yoo Joonghyuk gave him a curious look. “When?”

“Last Saturday. She lives in the same building as me.” he replied.

“Oh, that apartment is quite close.” Yoo Joonghyuk said, his eyebrows furrowing.

Dokja pushed his shoulder. “This again! I know you don’t hate my company.”

“How are you so sure?”

“You would have kicked me out by now.”

A hint of a smile appeared on Yoo Joonghyuk’s face.

“Uriel asked me about you.” he said.

“Me?” Dokja asked, surprised.

“haKyun. She asked me to introduce you to her.” Yoo Joonghyuk sounded amused.

Dokja smirked. “Oh yeah, go ahead. Tell her to come over this time next Saturday.”

Joonghyuk shook his head. “No. She’ll only get more annoying if I do.”

Dokja tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve seen how she is in that chat.”

“Yeah, she’s adorable. What’s wrong with that?”

Yoo Joonghyuk looked at him disbelief.

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Kim Dokja, are you an idiot?” Joonghyuk asked incredulously.

Dokja glared at him, feeling affronted.

“If you’re going to call me that, at least do it after you tell me what it’s about.” he snapped.

Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him for a while before shaking his head.

“Figure it out yourself.”

“You-“

Dokja shifted his leg, aiming to kick the back of his knee but Yoo Joonghyuk stopped him with a hand on his thigh, right about his knee.

“If you keep that up, I’ll break it.”

He squeezed his thigh once in warning before releasing it.

Dokja pressed his knees together. He looked away, hoping to hide his flushed face.

“Muscle brained jerk.”

“It’s not my fault you’re built like a twig.”

Just because he wasn’t built like a fridge didn’t mean he was built like a twig. He had the body of your average 28-year-old salaryman.

Dokja vowed to hit the gym soon. He needed to teach him a lesson.

They sat in silence for a while before Joonghyuk spoke.

“How long have you been watching my streams?” he asked.

Dokja narrowed his eyes. He’d already asked him this.

“A few years. I told you before.”

Yoo Joonghyuk hummed. “Then you should know. Guwon…he was there from the start. He’s my oldest viewer.”

Dokja stared at the side of his head. He didn’t know where this was going.

“He helped me out sometimes, I don’t know if it was on purpose or not. Even though we didn’t know each other well, he was important to me.”

Joonghyuk’s voice was gentle, his expression was soft and open in a way Dokja had never seen before.

And he was talking about him.

Dokja swallowed a lump in his throat. He gripped the edge of the counter to ground himself.

“Guwon’s presence on my channel was a constant. He instantly made me feel better.”

Dokja recalled all the times Yoo Joonghyuk replied to Guwon’s message even though he ignored the others. So, it wasn’t just a coincidence.

“It’d been like that for a long time. But recently, it changed.”

Dokja drew in a breath.

“Maybe, Uriel and Lee Jihye’s nonsense got to my head, but I started to expect more.”

“What do you mean more? What did they tell you?” Dokja asked him, his voice shaky.

Yoo Joonghyuk turned to face him. Dokja’s breath hitched.

A small smile appeared on Joonghyuks’s face. “The same as what I told you to figure out.”

A laugh forced its way out of Dokja.

When he didn’t reply, Yoo Joonghyuk continued, his tone lighter than it was before.

“On Tuesday, seeing you both interact like that, I realised I was wrong. I was a little embarrassed.”

“What were you wrong about?” Dokja asked.

Yoo Joonghyuk looked at him like he was stupid.

“How didn’t you get it yet? Kim Dokja, you really are a fool.”

“Stop calling me a fool. You’re the one playing around with words.” Dokja scoffed.

Yoo Joonghyuk flicked his forehead and then leaned closer.

Dokja instinctively shifted away, his heart racing.

“Oh, it’s empty.” Yoo Joonghyuk smirked.

 This bastard, really thought he could get away with it just because he looked cute while he was being playful.

“You, come here-“

Dokja reached to bonk his head. Yoo Joonghyuk moved out of his reach. He leaned against the entrance of the kitchen.

Dokja couldn’t even bring himself to be angry. He let his hand drop.

“I’ll get you next time.” he muttered.

Yoo Joonghyuk looked incredibly amused and not threatened by him at all.

“Sure, I can’t wait.” he said smiling faintly.

With that, he turned around. Dokja’s eyes followed him in a trance as he walked into the living.

Dokja rubbed the skin over his racing heart with his hand.

He felt strange today.

He shook off the feeling and followed him to the living room.

Chapter Text

It was a Friday.

Dokja and the kids were staying over at Sooyoung and Sangah’s house. They were in the middle of setting up the inflatable bed for the kids when Gilyoung and Yoosung bounced up to them.

“Hyung! What are we doing for Christmas?”

Dokja paused.

Christmas. He didn’t remember the last time he celebrated it.

“What do you want to do?” he asked.

“I want a party, like the ones they show on TV.” Yoosung said, her eyes twinkling.

“I want a big Christmas tree with lots of gifts under it.” Gilyoung added, excitedly.

Dokja laughed.

“You’d be lucky if your Hyung celebrates Christmas. As far as I know, Christmas is just another holiday for him.” Sooyoung said, shaking her head at him.

The kids’ smile dropped immediately.

Dokja glared at her. “We’ll celebrate this year.”

The kids cheered.

“Then, we can decorate the tree ourselves, right?” Gilyoung asked.

“You can do whatever you want.” Dokja replied.

They beamed at him.

“What do you want for Christmas?” Sangah asked them.

The kids paused. They thought for a long time before giving up.

“Agh, if you ask me so suddenly, I can’t think of anything.” Yoosung whined.

Yoo Sangah laughed. “There’s still time. Think properly.”

“We’ll make you a list.” Gilyoung said.

“Make sure you add what you want from Santa too.” Dokja said, trying to sound casual.

Both Yoosung and Gilyoung looked at him flatly.

Yoosung crossed her arms. “Ajhussi, we’re not kids. We know Santa isn’t real.”

Sangah and Sooyoung burst out laughing. Dokja’s face burnt with embarrassment.

“Ah, is that so?” he smiled sheepishly.

The laughter got louder.

Dokja kicked Sooyoungs leg. “Stop it. It’s not that funny.”

Sooyoung rubbed her leg with her other foot. “Ow. Why me? I’m not the only one laughing.”

“Well, I can’t kick Yoo Sangah.”

“Aw, that’s nice of you, Dokja-ssi.”

Sooyoung glared at him before turning to Yoo Sangah with a sickly-sweet smile.

“I’d take bullets for you, babe. Kicks from bony legs are nothing compared to that.” she blew Sangah a kiss.

Yoo Sangah pretended to catch it and kissed her hand.

The kids cringed away. Dokja covered his eyes and groaned.

“Ugh. Han Sooyoung, they need to censor your face. That ruined my day.”

“Well, lucky for you it’s almost night. Sleep it off.” Han Sooyoung smirked.

Dokja rolled his eyes.

“Hyung, instead of worrying about Santa, you should worry about what you’re gifting Yoosung.” Gilyoung said.

Dokja raised an eyebrow at Yoosung. “Why? Are you picky?”

“No, Hyung! You don’t know? Her birthday is on 24^th.” Gilyoung exclaimed.

All eyes snapped to Yoosung. She looked away shyly. Han Sooyoung slapped his shoulder.

“Kim Dokja, you idiot. You didn’t know? What if we missed it?” she chided.

Dokja reached out to Yoosung.

“Yoosung-ah, I really didn’t know.” he said.

She shook her head. “It’s okay, Ajhussi. I never told you.”

“How do you celebrate your birthday?” Yoo Sangah asked.

“We don’t really celebrate. My parents get me cake for dinner. That’s all.”

“I see.”

Dokja exchanged glances with Sangah and Sooyoung.

“I don’t really care much about my birthday. I’m more excited about Christmas this year.” Yoosung continued.

“What exactly are you looking forward to??” Sangah asked, kindly.

The kids’ faces lit up.

“A huge tree.”

“I want to decorate it!”

“Lots of food.”

“I want cake too.”

While they were distracted with listing their requirements of the party, Dokja leaned towards Sooyoung and whispered “We should throw her a surprise party.”

She nodded. “Since she mentioned dinner with her family, maybe we can take her out for lunch?”

“I’ll ask her mom.”

She nodded. “We need to go gift shopping soon.”

“Yeah.”

It seemed like December was going to be very busy.

Following his recent routine, Dokja took the kids to Yoo Joonghyuk’s house on Saturday.

Gilyoung’s hand barely touched the doorbell before the door swung open.

Mia stepped out, dressed warmly from head to toe. She looked very excited.

“Park! Oppa finally let me play in the snow. Let’s go to the park!” She exclaimed, pulling Gilyoung and Yoosung towards the elevator.

“Don’t stay out for too long or you’ll end up falling sick.” he called after them. Gilyoung flashed him a thumbs up just before the elevator door closed.

Dokja shook his head and turned to walk into the apartment only to find Joonghyuk closing the door. He quickly jammed his foot into the gap and tried to push the door open.

“Yoo Joonghyuk, don’t you ever get tired of doing this?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“No. Go home.” Joonghyuk replied, keeping his voice low. He pushed Dokja’s foot out with his own.

Dokja pressed his shoulder to the door, putting all his weight into it. The door barely budged.

Dokja frowned. “Let me in.”

“I’ve got people over. You should leave.” Joonghyuk glanced over his shoulder. Whoever he had over, he really didn’t want Dokja to meet them.

Dokja clicked his tongue. "You should have told me. You knew I’d be coming here today.”

Yoo Joonghyuk did not look the slightest bit apologetic.

He pushed Dokja off the door. “I forgot. Now, get going.”

Yoo Joonghyuk jerked his chin towards the elevator. Dokja glared at him.

It wasn’t that Dokja wanted to intrude, but the kids were here. Maybe he could go back home and ask Yoo Joonghyuk to drop them back later.

Just as he opened his mouth to ask him that, a voice called out to him from inside.

“Joonghyuk, who is it?”

It was Uriel. If it was her, then there was no need for him to be sent away. Joonghyuk knew they were acquainted.

So, what was the big deal?

Dokja looked at Yoo Joonghyuk and raised his eyebrow.

Joonghyuk frowned. It made Dokja smile.

“Kim Dokja, don’t. Just leave.” he whispered furiously.

“No, it’s cold.”

With that, Dokja stood on his toes and peered over Yoo Joonghyuk’s shoulder. From the door, he could see Uriel and Lee Jihye.

Lee Jihye’s eyes widened at the sight of him.

“Hello!” he chirped.

Uriel’s face lit up with recognition.

“Oh, Kim Dokja! What are you doing here?” 

She stood up from the couch and walked towards them. Yoo Joonghyuk cursed under his breath and moved aside.

Dokja shot him a smug grin and then turned to Uriel.

“Gilyoung and Yoosung are friends with Mia. They’re the kids you met last time.”

“Oh, I remember. You brought them here to play?” she asked.

“Yeah. We do this every Saturday.”

Her eyes widened a bit at that. She glanced at Lee Jihye over her shoulder and then at Yoo Joonghyuk.

Dokja looked at her questioningly. Uriel smiled at him sweetly.

“I see. Why are you still at the door? Come in!” she urged.

“Yeah, okay.”

Dokja wiggled his eyebrows at Yoo Joonghyuk as he stepped into the apartment. Just as he walked past him, Joonghyuk held the back of his shirt.

“You should leave. I’m serious.” He said, frowning.

“You’re the one who told me to figure it out.” Dokja replied.

Yoo Joonghyuk sighed and released his hold on him.

“Whatever. Just take responsibility for the trouble you’re causing.” He muttered and walked towards the couch. Dokja tilted his head in confusion and then shrugged it off.

Yoo Joonghyuk was too paranoid. What trouble could Dokja even cause in this situation?

Joonghyuk sat in his usual single seater. Dokja walked towards the other single sofa, his usual place on the three-seater taken by Uriel and Lee Jihye.

Dokja greeted Jihye, who nodded back.

“So, Dokja-ssi. How long have you known Joonghyuk?” Uriel asked.

15 years if he was allowed to be honest. But honesty in this situation meant death and Dokja could not die before Christmas. He promised the kids a party after all.

“A few months?” he answered instead.

“I see.”

“Ajhussi.” Lee Jihye started.

“Hm?”

“You’re him, right? haKy-” she was cut off by a boyish voice.

Kim Namwoon turned around the corner of the living room, shaking the water off his hands.

“Captain, if the bathroom stinks it’s because of Mia. Not me- Oh.“ he stopped at the sight of Dokja.

Dokja felt embarrassed on Namwoon’s behalf. He stifled a laugh.

The others however, were not as kind.

Lee Jihye and Uriel laughed out loud. Even Joonghyuk snorted back a laugh. Dokja looked at him, intrigued.

Though he’d seen it before, he couldn’t help but think Yoo Joonghyuk looked his best when he smiled.

“Kim Namwoon, the balcony door is open. Just jump.” Lee Jihye through her laughter.

Namwoon’s face turned bright red. “Shut up.”

He sat on the corner of the couch closest to Dokja. “So, who are you?”

“I’m Kim Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk’s friend.”

Kim Namwoon’s eyes widened. He turned to Yoo Joonghyuk.

“Captain, since when do you have friends? This isn’t you.” He said solemnly.

Yoo Joonghyuk barely spared him a glance. “Jihye, throw him out.”

She nodded, standing up. “On it, Captain.”

She pulled Kim Namwoon’s ear and lifted him off the couch. “Ow, ow, ow. Lee Jihye, it hurts. Ouch.”

“Let him go. Joonghyuk was joking.” Uriel intervened.

She looked very amused though.

“Well, I’m not.” Jihye grinned. She released his ear only to grab a fistful of his hair. “You know how annoying he is, Uriel.”

“I barely did anything.” Namwoon cried out, pawing at her hand.

“You don’t have to do anything. Just your existence is annoying.” Jihye said. She tugged at his hair one last time before letting it go.

Kim Namwoon immediately folded into himself, one hand rubbing his hair while the other clutched at his heart.

“Ouch. That hurt.”

Dokja noted with interest that his cheeks were redder than his ear. That meant either Lee Jihye was gentle in her bullying or…

Dokja grinned at him slyly.

Kim Namwoon’s face scrunched up. “Ajhussi, what’s with that face? You’re scaring me.”

Dokja’s grinned dropped.

“Hey, why am I an Ajhussi? I’m just 28. You’re 23, aren’t you?” he said, feeling offended.

Kim Namwoon gasped dramatically. “How do you know? Are you stalking me?”

Yup.

This kid was Han Sooyoung’s soulmate for sure. It’d barely been minutes since he met him and he already wanted to punch him in the face.

Dokja smiled tightly. “I’d rather die than waste time doing that.”

Lee Jihye defended him. “Kim Namwoon, you really think you’re all that just because your hair matches your pants?”

The entire room went silent.

How does one respond to that?

Lee Jihye laughed at their expressions. “I always wanted to try that.”

“Jihye-ah, you’re so lame.” Namwoon said despite the wide smile on his face.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t want to hear that from you.”

“You’re both lame though.” Uriel said, flashing them an innocent smile when they glared at her.

“If you’re done here, you should go,” Yoo Joonghyuk said, cutting in abruptly.

The three of them blinked, caught off guard.

“What? Why?”

“No can do.”

“Why can’t we just hangout here?”

“You’re noisy.” Yoo Joonghyuk replied flatly.

“Joonghyuk-ah, do you have a thing for kicking people out?” Dokja teased.

Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him but said nothing. That was as good as a confirmation in Dokja’s opinion.

“Before you do that, I want to ask you guys something.” Dokja started.

The four of them looked at him curiously.

"So, I’m hosting a bit of a dinner party this Christmas. I wanted to invite you all." he said.

“Huh? Us too?” Kim Namwoon asked.

Dokja shrugged. “Yeah.”

Dokja knew it might seem a little weird to invite them over, especially since it was their first time meeting him but Dokja had known of them for years. And the kids had said they wanted a lot of people over.

They wanted a party like the ones in the movies.

Dokja had to fill the head count someway.

“What do you say?” he asked them all but kept his eyes locked on Yoo Joonghyuk. Uriel, Jihye and Namwoon followed his gaze.

Joonghyuk looked contemplative.

“Who else did you invite?” he finally asked.

“It’s mostly people you know. I’ve only asked Yoo Sangah and Sooyoung till now. If you’re in, it’ll be all of us, Sangah and Sooyoung, the kids and Biyoo.”

“Biyoo?” Jihye asked.

“She’s my kitten.” Dokja explained. “You’ve seen her before.”

“I have?” she asked.

“She’s the kitten Yoo Joonghyuk had on his stream. Small, white, very cute- “

“Wait. Isn’t that kitten haKyu- ” Uriel cut herself off. She looked between Yoo Joonghyuk and him in shock.

“He’s haKyun” Yoo Joonghyuk said flatly. He sounded resigned.

Uriel stared at Dokja in shock.

Lee Jihye looked at the floor with narrowed eyes. “So, I was right.”

She didn’t sound happy.

Kim Namwoon, on the other hand, looked absolutely delighted. He grabbed Dokja’s hand and shook it.

“Holy shit, Ajhussi. Why didn’t you tell me? You don’t know how happy I am to meet you!” he grinned wide.

“Um. Me too, I guess?”

Dokja, feeling extremely confused, looked at Yoo Joonghyuk for some explanation to why they were acting like that.

Yoo Joonghyuk simply shrugged. He looked an odd mix of annoyed and amused. Dokja’s eye twitched.

He was of absolutely no help.

Dokja looked at Uriel and Lee Jihye who still looked out of it. “Is there something wrong?”

Uriel immediately snapped out of whatever she was thinking about and smiled at him. “No, no. I was just a little surprised.”

Dokja noticed her smiled didn’t quite meet her eyes but he thought nothing of it.

Lee Jihye quickly changed the topic.

“So, if all of us are in, there’ll be like ten or eleven of us at your party?” she asked.

“More actually. I’m planning on inviting two other friends of mine.” Dokja replied.

“Are your friends anything like you?” Joonghyuk asked.

Dokja looked at him weird. “What if they were? Would that be a problem?”

“Obviously. I can barely tolerate one of you.” he sassed.

Dokja rolled his eyes.

“If it helps, they’re not like me. They’re fun. Lee Hyunsung is a nice guy. Maybe some of that niceness will rub off on you when you meet him.”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s eye twitched. Before he could say anything, Uriel spoke up.

“Lee Hyunsung?” she exclaimed, eyes wide.

“Yeah?” Dokja replied, unsure of why she reacted like that.

“I know a Lee Hyunsung too.” she chirped.

“Is your Lee Hyunsung tall, bulked up and a civil servant?” Dokja joked, glad that the weird mood from earlier was gone.

Uriel’s eyes grew wider. “He is!”

Dokja’s eyebrows shot up. “No way. Is it the same guy?”

“Do you have a picture of him?”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Yeah, I do. Hold on.”

He pulled up Jung Heewon’s chat and scrolled till he found the photos from the time they met. He carefully avoided those photos and picked a photo that showed Dokja and Hyungsung grinning at the camera.

He passed the phone over to Uriel. “Is this him?”

Both Namwoon and Jihye leaned towards Uriel to look at the photo.

“This is him!” Uriel exclaimed, looking at him with twinkling eyes. “Oh my god. We have so many common friends. How have we never met before?”

Dokja laughed a little. “I wonder too- “

And then he froze.

“Uriel, don’t!”

He was too late.

He watched in real time as Uriel swiped through the photos and landed on that photo. He knew it was that one with how her eyes widened.

She sat there frozen, staring at the photo in shock. Lee Jihye looked between him and the photo with wide eyes. Kim Namwoon whistled lowly.

“Ajhussi, you’re wilder than you look.”

Dokja felt his face heat up.

Ah really. Who swipes on other people’s photos? Isn’t it basic decency to only see what you’re showed?

Dokja stood up to take his phone back. Just as his fingers touched the back of his phone, Uriel shot off the couch. She stood a little away from Dokja, clutching his phone in her hand.

“Kim Dokja, you-. How could you!” she snarled, eyes burning with anger.

Dokja faltered.

“It’s not what it looks like.” he said, trying to sound as sincere as he could.

Then Yoo Joonghyuk stood up and grabbed his phone out of her hand. His brow shot up when he saw the photo. Dokja immediately knew whatever he was going to say next would make things worse.

“This outfit. Wasn’t it from that night? You asked me to watch the kids so you could get laid.”

“No! Yoo Joonghyuk, what do you even think of me?” Dokja shouted indignant. Seeing Joonghyuk’s expression shift to something devilish, he quickly added “No, don’t answer that.”

Dokja glanced at Uriel.

She looked betrayed. Her fingers twitched over nothing. She looked borderline scary.

Dokja tried to diffuse the situation.

“Uriel, I asked him that because I had plans to meet Had-“

“Meet Hyunsung. I know. I just saw it.” Uriel cut him off, her voice low and controlled.

Dokja would rather be anywhere but there. He’d sell his soul to get out of that situation.

“No, Uriel. I- “

“Kim Dokja, you homewrecker! How could you-“ she cried, pointing a finger at him. “Both Joonghyuk and Hyunsung. Poor Heewon. Does she even know?”

He heard Kim Namwoon mutter a “Wow, this is gold.” Which was followed be a smack. That must have been Jihye.

Dokja tilted his head confused. Why was Yoo Joonghyuk’s name slipped in there? Dokja decided he’d figure that out later.

For now, he had other things to focus on.

He walked towards Yoo Joonghyuk and snatched his phone back. He glared at him just because he could and then handed it back to Uriel.

“Here.”

She frowned at the phone like it offended her. “What?”

“Take it and see who sent it to me.”

“Huh?”

She looked at him suspiciously and took the phone. She swiped out of the media to the chat screen and froze.

“Heewon?”

“Yup. She was the one who took them in the first place.” He said taking his phone back from her and pocketing it.

“Oh.”

Uriel’s expression turned sheepish.

Dokja sighed. “You should have just let me explain.”

“I- I just- “ she cut herself off and looked at the floor.

“It’s just prejudice. Don’t take it seriously.” Kim Namwoon smirked.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dokja asked, bemused.

Uriel quickly took his hand. “Kim Dokja, I’m sorry. I just jumped to conclusion without hearing you out.”

 She looked genuinely remorseful unlike the jerk standing behind her.

“It’s okay.” he said. He couldn’t stay mad at Uriel. It was just a misunderstanding after all.

“How do you know them though?” Dokja asked.

“Heewon is my soulmate.” She replied.

“Oh! The other one. So, that’s you.”

Either Dokja was right about the sandbox simulation or his scriptwriter thought they were being funny again. Probably both.

“They told you that? You guys must be close.” Uriel sounded guilty.

“I know Hyunsung from my military days. We’re good friends.”

“Oh. Heewon did tell me they met an old friend. I just didn’t know it was you.” she looked at the floor, shoulders hunched.

She looked so pitiful, it made Dokja feel like he was the one who wronged her.

“Uriel, it’s okay.” he said.

She just nodded.

There was a short silence before Jihye broke it.

“Phew, I’m glad I didn’t say anything.” she said.

“Yeah, you always ditch me when it comes down to it.” Uriel said, sulking.

Jihye wrapped her arms around her. “Aw, but I don’t do that though. I’m always on your side” she said, grinning.

Uriel pursed her lip to stop herself from smiling. “Yeah, sure.”

The tension in the air faded just like that. Despite that, Dokja felt a little awkward sitting back down. It wasn’t time to leave yet, so he decided to go sit in the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Uriel asked, her voice small.

“The kitchen. I need to make a phone call.”

“I see.”

He flashed her a smile. She looked relieved.

He sat on the corner stool of Joonghyuk’s bar setup.

He gave Han Sooyoug a missed call just to put some truth behind his excuse. She texted him instantly. Dokja smiled into his hand as he opened her chat.

BFE: ?

BFE: are you attention deprived?

me: watch your tone

me: I have gossip

BFE: forgive me for my rudeness, kind sir

me: that’s the spirit lol

BFE: now spill bitch

me: ……

me: im at Joonghyuk’s house rn

BFE: yeah, I guessed

BFE: its saturday, what’s new

BFE: did you guys fuck or something? 😏

me: what no

BFE: disappointed

BFE: ik you are too

me: ugh stfu and let me speak

BFE: just type? who’s stopping you

me: you

me: anyway

me: uriel, jihye and your brat of a soulmate are here

BFE: sock him in the face on my behalf

BFE: thanku in advance

me: sure

me: anyway turns out they know hyunsung and heewon

BFE: oh?

me: heewon is uriel’s soulmate

BFE: no wonder she sounded familiar

me: ask me how I found out

BFE: how

me: I told you I met hyunsung and heewon right?

BFE: yup

me: I got a little drunk that day

BFE: little

me: yes

me: and heewon may or may not have clicked pics of me and hyunsung that may or may not look scandalous

BFE: ohemgee send

me: no

BFE: tf do you mean no

BFE: I’m curious

me: not my problem

BFE: what if died from curiosity

me: good riddance

BFE: …you talk so bravely for someone who I know for sure will be bawling their eyes out

me: that won’t happen

me: you’ll live longer than me

BFE: that’s sweet

BFE: but I really don’t want to hear something like that from you

me: rude

me: stop interrupting then

BFE: stage is yours

me: anyways those photos exist. heewon sent them to me

BFE: send

me: can you stfu

BFE: zips mouth

me: uriel may or may not have seen them and thought hyunsung was cheating on heewon with me

BFE: lol

BFE: lmao

BFE: sangah fell of the bed laughing btw

BFE: she kicked me off the bed while laughing -sangah

BFE: defamation

BFE: lmao

me: yeah yeah laugh all you want

BFE: why do you always end up in situations like this lmaoo

me: fuck if I know

me: if I get my hands on my scriptwriter, they’re dead meat

BFE: your twig arm punches feel like a massage

BFE: there I said it

me: I hate you

BFE: lol

BFE: btw I definitely need to see those pics now

me: no<3

BFE: I’ll get it out of you

me: I just deleted them

BFE: I’ll ask heewon then

BFE: Christmas party humiliation time

me: no

me: han sooyoung

BFE: you have two options

BFE: either you send it to me

BFE: or heewon sends it to me

At this point, Dokja was convinced that since his scriptwriter couldn’t reach him, they sent him Han Sooyoung instead. He really hit the worst luck lottery with her.

me: fine

me: <sent a photo>

BFE: woah

BFE: it’s kinda sexy ngl

BFE: you have a type huh

BFE: body wise atleast

me: stop talking

BFE: sangah made me send it to her

BFE: if you see your colleagues with that pic, its not me

me: I’ll kms if that happens

BFE: nah fr tho, it’s not that bad

BFE: a little sus, but defo not bad

me: thank you geez

BFE: quick question

BFE: why are you texting instead of socializing?

BFE: did you run away after that

me: no

BFE: pfft

me: shut up

BFE: okay okay

BFE: I’ll entertain you

BFE: you owe me one again

me: eh no

BFE: boo

BFE: btw

me: ?

BFE: how are you gonna move your stuff

me: idk