Chapter 49: Chapter 40: Jade Crown of Silla (1)

"Maybe there was an error on the site...I never made an account, so perhaps the system didn't register me as a viable 'viewer'?" I briskly went on, without input from Kim Dokja.

It wasn't like Kim Dokja's insinuations led to anything. I was just jumping to conclusions too early.

At this point, I knew I was making excuses, desperately trying to overcome the lurking truth.

Still, please let me hang onto this for a little longer.

Kim Dokja looked at me with eyes with a sliver of pity, but also of cold contempt.

"Whatever suits you." Kim Dokja shrugged.

"Right. What was your question again?" I tried to change the topic.

To my relief, Kim Dokja didn't pursue my janky defenses, and proceeded to repeat what he said.

"I asked what the 'final wall' that you were talking about is."

"The final wall, where stories of all rounds are written on it. The end of all scenarios. However..." I blanked out.

What was I about to say? I felt like I knew, but didn't quite remember either. And it was something very important.

My head throbbed.

"And?" Kim Dokja prodded, eager to know what I was about to say through that pause.

"Sorry, I can't remember." I furrowed my brows, fighting the ringing in my ears.

Why was the headache back again? I was getting through the conversation with Kim Dokja just fine, so why now?

However, it appeared Kim Dokja took my comment the wrong way.

Pondering my answer deeply, Kim Dokja frowned and shook his head a little helplessly.

"It's fine if you don't want to say. It just proves you're a cheater." Kim Dokja gave me a sly quirk of upturned lips.

Having torn open my fresh wounds, I burst out,

"No, I'm not!" 

I've read the story, I'm not a cheater. I've read it all, and so have you, so why are you attacking me? I felt betrayed in an explicable way.

But as the words left my lips, I realized Kim Dokja was only provoking me.

"If you weren't a cheater, you wouldn't have mentioned a term that wasn't in the story, and furthermore, acting mysterious to give it weight. In fact, it doesn't even exist." Kim Dokja continued to pry by attempting to rile me up.

Wisely snapping my jaw shut, I refused to give him the satisfaction of successfully piercing through my defenses.

Coolly, I told him,

"I've already told you all I know. Whether you want to believe it or not, is up to you."

"Well-" Kim Dokja wanted to continue his assault, but Na Bori and Lee Jihye had walked back into the room, one with a scowl and the other with her hands on her hips.

"5 minutes are up, mister. Now get out." Na Bori rudely shoved her thumb in the direction of the exit over her shoulder.

[The constellations are complaining over incarnation 'Na Bori's' actions.]

[The constellation, Secretive Plotter, gives a knowing smirk. 200 coins are sponsored.]

[The constellation, Demon-like Judge of Fire, is wondering what the context of the censorship is.]

[The constellation, Lily Blooming in Aquarius, says they've just logged on and has no clue what's going on.]

[The constellation...]

Ironic as it was, the messages of the constellations calmed me down from my predicament.

The singular conversation between me and Kim Dokja expanded into an interaction with the various constellations and people, giving me a ground to stand on.

Though, I wondered where the constellation 'Sorrowful Heart of Silver' went. I hadn't heard from them in a while.

In fact, it felt like whenever I got near or was in Chungmuro station, they went silent.

Then again, it really had been a while since I heard from them, not just when I got to Chungmuro.

What were they doing?

Still, they were a constellation, and had things outside of the broadcast to do, so I didn't think about it too much.

"Alright." Kim Dokja's voice broke me out of my drifting thoughts.

Giving me a gentle, yet off-putting smile, Kim Dokja gave me a nod, "It was nice speaking with you."

I hurriedly replied with a bright smile of my own, despite feeling gloomy inside.

"L-likewise." 

Watching as Kim Dokja's back disappeared from view, Na Bori and Lee Jihye looked at me like they wanted to ask something, but refrained.

I was thankful for that.

Just as I was about to say something to them, a midday-trust screen popped up.

[Come meet me in two hours at the outskirts of the Seoul Dome, near Seongnam.]

It was Min Jiwon.

My expression became solemn as I remembered our agreement.

Sensing this change, Lee Jihye asked in a partly begrudged, partly helpless, tone,

"Are you going off again?"

How did she know? The question caught me off guard.

Na Bori, understanding what Lee Jihye meant in that one question from their rapport, followed up,

"And if you are, we're going with you this time."

"But don't you still have this station to take care of? Or following Yoo Junghyuk?" I couldn't help but ask, deciding not to trying to pretend to be oblivious to their implicit connotations.

Na Bori and Lee Jihye each gave me a glare.

I stiffened, unsure of how I provoked their ire this time. It felt like every single time I opened my mouth nowadays, Na Bori and Lee Jihye would become easily triggered.

"Did you really need to ask that question? Squid-ahjussi and the others can handle it." Lee Jihye asked, peeved.

"We're companions. And we'll always help each other." Na Bori blinked unhappily. "Besides, that psychopathic master can wait by his lonesome." Na Bori added hatefully.

Suddenly, I felt a multitude of feelings.

A sourness filled my nose and ears, from feeling touched, along with the tips of my ears and heart filled with warmth.

At the same time, I felt guilty at trying to push them away because of the feeling of my inferiority. I felt like I wasn't particularly close to them that would warrant such a trust, that it would be better if they interacted with the people that they preferred more.

Since, in the end, I wasn't their only friend. And, I wasn't an important one either. 

I looked down, unable to meet their faces at the moment.

Perhaps, I would slowly fade out of that position of their heart one day, displaced by others with increasing importance.

But that day was not today, and I would embrace their intentions, and to my own.

Once I crossed this hurdle, I felt a wall inside me softly lower itself, and I instantly felt closer to the two before me now.

To answer that now vague question over my foggy memories-

Yes, I could trust that they trusted me.

"Then, we need to leave immediately. Since you know Jung Youngho was one of those guys with me, do you know where he is?" I spoke to them with more ease than before.

Having only included Jung Youngho, it was clear I threw any considerations toward the avatar out the window, since it wasn't the time to worry about them.

Lee Jihye gave me a devious grin, "Sure, I'll go bring him over."

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Departing swiftly and leaving Na Bori behind, I looked at Na Bori to seek answers for Lee Jihye's strange grin.

However, I decided against that notion when I saw a familiar mischievous grin on Na Bori's face.

Still, my question did not go unanswered, for very quickly, Lee Jihye returned with someone bound up in turn.

Said bound up person was even attempting to flirt with Lee Jihye.

"Hey, pretty little lady, why don't you loosen this knot for me?"

My expression darkened at the familiar lazy and insolent voice.

Jung Youngho, have you fallen so low? Jihye's just a minor, and my friend, you son of a -

"Oh? Yo, how did you get so beat up?" When Jung Youngho took note of me, he first laughed uproariously and mocked me.

Jung Youngho's mood swings were unpredictable.

He was just as calm as a cookie when he was interacting with me before, wasn't he?

"Shut up." I glared at him. "It's time to leave."

"Eh? Already? But there's so many beauties here unlike you-"

[The Constellation, Great King Heoncheon Hongdo Gyungmum, agrees with his incarnation.]

For Fs sake.

"We're leaving."

"But you're not the boss of me. I'm not going. Don't wanna." 

What are you, a child? Also, didn't you admit I was the boss before?

"Jung Youngho, [Help me]." I gave Jung Youngho a cold smile.

[The Constellation, Great King Heoncheon Hongdo Gyungmum says you're abusing your authority.]

[The Constellation, Lily Blooming in Aquarius, is laughing at the Constellation, Great King Heoncheon Hongdo Gyungmum.]

[The Constellation, Maritime War God, is shaking their head at Great King Heoncheon Hongdo Gyungmum.]

I raised my brows at the constellation messages.

"Again?" Jung Youngho gave me an exasperated sigh, managing to undo the ropes binding him.

To be honest, these kind of ordinary ropes had no chance of actually restraining Jung Youngho, who had been playing along. Although, I didn't really understand why.

He didn't seem like the kind of guy to willingly be bound.

Just as I was about to reply, another message log appeared in-front of my eyes.

[Hey, you alive?]

The message was from a dokkaebi I almost forgot about due to how hectic things had been lately.

[As you can see, Youngkik.] I replied to them casually.

[Well, you can't go dying on me when we still have the contract in place...] They snorted, but it was a clear intent to cover up their concern.

A dokkaebi having concern over a mere incarnation? I might have scoffed at it in the past, but the relationship between Youngkik and I had grown.

Still, having left that piece, Youngkik did not send any further messages, as if they were playing dead.

As a Dokkaebi who could multitask and process information at a superhuman level, I was sure no matter how busy they were, they would always be able to send me messages.

Regardless, Youngkik only wanted to give me a check-in, and that was enough, so I also put a close on this case with one last message.

[We'll be heading off then, see you.]

Another message quickly answered,

[Did you forget the incarnations Lee Jihye and Na Bori are still under my broadcast? I'll be coming along.]

Oh yeah. [Right.]

There appeared to be an implicit "dumb earthling" wrapped in the words, or at least that was what I was imagining Youngkik's gaze would be telling me.

Waving that image out of my mind, I took one last glance around the room of the people coming along with me.

"Are you guys ready?" I asked as I stepped onto the ground from sitting on the bed.

"Mhm." Lee Jihye vocalized, while Na Bori nodded her head, albeit hesitantly.

Meanwhile, Jung Youngho was massaging and rotating his wrist as he caught onto the possible situation,

"Does this have anything to do with that 'beauty king' lady?"

"Yes. Jihye, Bori, you may not know, but I had signed a nonaggression pact with one of the seven kings of Seoul, the 'beauty king' Min Jiwon. As per one of the requests when signing it, she will need our help with getting an important item to her. That happens to be now. It's likely dangerous, however, so you guys should be careful." I gave a brief rundown of the situation for the people in the room as I urged them to follow.

"So uh...this 'beauty king' or whatever, did they say anything about what's going to happen when we get the item, or where?" Lee Jihye voiced her doubts.

"Unfortunately, no. Our current meeting area is the edge of the Seoul dome, near Seongnam, so like the south-east corner." I gave a wry smile to Lee Jihye and tapped my nose in condolence.

"Okay...so basically, you don't know anything." Na Bori gave me an impassive stare that I felt uncomfortable beneath.

"N-no, well, I tried asking, but the other side didn't tell me anything." I tried to defend myself.

"You're too easy to be pushed over. I might be calling you a crybaby more than Jihye once you keep landing yourself in these terrible situations," Na Bori muttered.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that." Lee Jihye replied with clenched teeth, setting off a playful banter with Na Bori after that.

"You'll always be crybaby Jihye to me~ Isn't that right, crybaby Jihye?"

"..."

"Crybaby, crybaby, crybaby, crybaby-"

"Okay, shut your trap! I should be calling you crybaby instead! I still didn't forget the time you bawled your eyes out when you failed to achieve master's order-"

"But didn't you cry the most back in 4th grade?!" 

"Ladies, ladies, how about we-" Jung Youngho tried to butt into the conversation as it began to escalate, but was told off.

"Screw off, stinky old man."

"Don't poke your nose into our business."

That also set Jung Youngho's rage into motion, because he began to argue back to the other two.

"You shouldn't treat your sunbae so harshly, you pipsqueaks. This esteemed one has already forgiven you on your transgressions of tying me up. I should have you know, I am a king! A legendary magic king!"

"What? You still have eighth-grader syndrome? An old man with chunnibyou, interesting."

"Pfft-"

"F*ck, I'll show you a magic trick that you'll only see once in your lives!" Absolutely enraged, Jung Youngho began pulling out his spear from his inventory. However, whether he would be able to swing that spear in the opponent's territory was questionable...

"Oh, this ahjussi swore!"

"How scary..."

They poked fun at Jung Youngho as we traveled to the exit of Chungmuro.

Although danger lurked at every corner of this scenario infested land, that made the few moments of reprieve made them all the more meaningful.

Perhaps it was on purpose to lift everyone's spirits to endure toward a brighter tomorrow, despite knowing the meaning of every second counting down to doom, I also found myself smiling alongside my companions.

It also gave me the courage to shove all my uncertainties aside.

Let tomorrow be tomorrow, and today be today.

A/N: The spear moment was inspired by a comment from one of the chapters of this fanfic. Also, I apologize for not updating more often...I'm getting distracted by both uni and lots of LN + Manga + Manhwa + Manhua + ORV fanfics...ha.ha.ha. ;-.-

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