"I hope you have a plan, Dokja-ssi," Yoo Sangah murmured in concern, glancing over at him nervously.
Quickly, Kim Dokja went over everything he knew about the Wenny Men in his mind, and couldn't help but smile. Though he had no expectations of being able to get anywhere near close to as good of a deal as he had gotten from Bihyung, he figured that he had what could be considered a secret weapon. If he had to stack his side to come out on top in this negotiation, then Kim Dokja wouldn't hesitate for even a second.
[several constellations are feeling suspicious of the 'Wenny Man'.]
The strange man opens his black and gold eye—one identical to the one that Anna has—amidst a crackle of sparks and remarks that it's strange that he can't see Dokja's information with it. Internally, Dokja supposes that this is the person who had told Anna where to get it in the first place. Regardless, Dokja knows that the Demons of the Horizon are incredibly dangerous, and that if he underestimates him whatsoever, then he'll end up eaten.
After a purposeful delay, Dokja replies that even a prophet couldn't see his stats, and then calls the man slow for a Wenny Man. This briefly startles the old man who realizes that Dokja knew he was coming. Smiling, Dokja holds up the egg and states that he must have come for it.
In a close-up, the man's blackened and sharpened teeth come into focus at the same time as his lump begins to swell ominously, and he declares that the soul inside the egg is his. "A version of myself in a parallel dimension sent that soul here. That soul belongs to me."
The second that the Wenny Man opened his eye, Kim Dokja could tell that Yoo Joonghyuk had tensed up, and it made perfect sense. This was the source of Anna Croft's powerful eye, and just seeing it was likely uncomfortable for him.
"They have eyes that let them see stats too? That's so unfair," Lee Jihye muttered, as though her own teacher didn't have a skill that did exactly the same thing. Thankfully, Yoo Joonghyuk's skill had come from an entirely different source, because Kim Dokja could unfortunately see the protagonist literally carving out his own eye from his skull if it happened to match Anna Croft's.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is snickering in amusement.]
Jung Heewon sighed in relief. "At least he can't see your stats either, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, at least there's that," Kim Dokja muttered as he watched the screen. Internally, though, he was a bit uncertain. Had defending against that intrusion only lowered his remaining time thanks to [The Fourth Wall] having to expend more energy to keep the Wenny Man out?
Han Sooyoung just sneered a bit as Kim Dokja mused that the Wenny Man had likely informed Anna Croft of how to find the eye in the first place. "Well that's not freaky at all…"
It was Anna Croft; Kim Dokja wouldn't be shocked if she made a deal with the devil to accomplish what she wanted.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will be cautious.]
He'd certainly do his best. While Kim Dokja hadn't hesitated to beat up or bully some dokkaebi despite knowing that they could be extremely dangerous, the Wenny Men were on a different level. This negotiation would be like walking on a tightrope in the middle of thick fog, and hoping that the other end happened to be connected to the place he wanted to go. If he fumbled or ended up in the wrong place, he could be screwed over.
"He wants to eat you!?" Shin Yoosung asked in terror. "Ahjussi, you can't let that happen!"
Yoo Mia nodded in agreement. "He wouldn't taste good; he's too skinny."
Kim Dokja didn't even want to dignify that with a response, and it's not like he even had a physical body that could be literally eaten anymore in the first place. It was his story that would be consumed instead, and according to Persephone, his was pretty good and would only get better.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is wishing to threaten the 'wenny man'.]
[constellations who like gourmet food are licking their lips as they imagine the taste.]
As Kim Dokja informed the Wenny Man that even Anna Croft hadn't been able to see his stats, Lee Gilyoung looked extremely proud as he sat up a bit straighter. "That's because hyung is awesome!"
Holding back a laugh, Kim Dokja just ruffled his hair. What mattered more right now was that the Wenny Man was clearly here for the egg—not that Kim Dokja would let him take her. He had literally gone to hell and back for the soul contained within that shell, and Kim Dokja wouldn't give her up for anything.
The second that the Wenny Man tried to declare ownership over the egg, Jung Heewon's hand immediately went to the hilt of her sword. "Is he trying to kidnap her? How despicable!"
[several constellations are displeased by the actions of the 'wenny man'.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is trying to talk down the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' from going on a rampage.]
"Her soul does not belong to anyone," Yoo Joonghyuk snarled, and Kim Dokja found himself relaxing ever-so-slightly. Though Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't there in the future to help defend her, Kim Dokja was rather pleased that he was so protective already.
"Yeah!" Lee Jihye insisted angrily. "So what if your parallel self's mother's neighbour's pet dog's babysitter's best friend who is also you did something in some other world? That doesn't mean anything here!"
Kim Dokja was going to pretend that made sense.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering at the wording of the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
Shin Yoosung, on the other hand, just clutched onto the fabric of Kim Dokja's sleeve a little bit tighter, and he couldn't fault her for it at all. It was probably hard to see someone try to say things like that about a different version of herself, but Kim Dokja wouldn't let anything happen to her, no matter what.
Dokja immediately feigns ignorance as the Wenny Man mentions that he had been wondering where the soul had gone when he hadn't been able to find it in the Underworld. The egg then becomes the camera's focus, a galaxy erupting behind it, as 41st Yoosung's long hair drifts by until it pans down to reach her. The man then asks for Dokja to return it, which Dokja declares as nonsense since he doesn't recall there ever having been some sort of a lost and found policy in the Star Stream.
Inside this egg is the soul of the Shin Yoosung who came from Yoo Joonghyuk's 41st round. So in a sense, he was right. It was the Wenny Man before my eyes who transformed Shin Yoosung into a 'disaster' and sent her to this dimension.
Before the Wenny Man can get any further, Dokja declares that they should ask Yoosung for her opinion directly, actually addressing the egg for an answer. Putting his ear to the egg with a look of intense concentration, Dokja waits a few seconds as the egg faintly hums. Leaning away once more, he asks the egg if this guy is her owner. The egg shakes, and Dokja nods as though he understands what it's saying, loudly asking her who she belongs to.
When the Wenny Man lets out a sound of annoyance, Dokja turns to glance at the man while still seeming to 'respond' to the egg. "That's right. Souls can't belong to anyone, in the same way that no one can possess a Story."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is smiling in amusement.]
"Thank you again for letting me take her," Kim Dokja said meaningfully as he looked up at the ceiling. Persephone hadn't been obligated to make that deal with him in the first place, after all, but it had saved 41st Shin Yoosung from being taken and sent off to another world as a disaster once again.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is looking fondly at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"A lost and found policy?" Han Sooyoung scoffed, rolling her eyes. "The dokkaebi would sooner take your shit and then resell it to you at three times the price."
Only three times? She was being rather generous today, it seemed.
"Just because he sent her here doesn't mean that he has any ownership over her!" Lee Hyunsung insisted, looking genuinely angry, as Kim Dokja mused that the Wenny Man was technically the same being as the one who had sent her off in the first place. Just like Jung Heewon, he couldn't tolerate the sight of injustice, and it was a trait that Kim Dokja appreciated a lot.
A moment later, Lee Seolhwa raised a brow as Kim Dokja discussed the possibility of asking 41st Shin Yoosung directly. "Would she be conscious enough to respond from within the egg, let alone in a language that we could understand…?"
[some constellations are scratching their heads in confusion.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is smirking as he drinks another sip of wine.]
Then, Kim Dokja began speaking to the egg in an overexaggerated fashion, and it took everything he had to not start snickering. Oh, this was amazing. He was totally electing to troll the Wenny Man, wasn't he?
Jung Heewon couldn't hold it in any longer as Kim Dokja put his ear to the eggshell and she burst out laughing, and Han Sooyoung followed soon after. Lee Jihye's jaw dropped, and Yoo Sangah just shook her head in disappointment, though it was clear that she had a small amused smile tugging at her lips.
"So you can actually understand her?" Lee Gilyoung wondered, and Kim Dokja could only shrug. Honestly, there was a non-zero chance that his interpretation skill could be helping, but there was a larger chance that he was just bullshitting for his own amusement.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is greatly entertained by the current events.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is feeling fondly exasperated by the actions of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]