[Kim Dokja gave Yoo Joonghyk a moment to consider it. It had to be a lot, all at once. It definitely was for him. But the clock was ticking down, and if he didn't hurry up, they'd both fail this scenario in just a couple of minutes.
How long could he really need? How slow could he be? This was definitely to his benefit!]
Companions. Equals.
[He heard Yoo Joonghyk's thoughts mentioning soulmates, and he wondered, briefly, if he was actually considering that option. But if he was considering something like that, he wouldn't be threatening to kill him. Who killed their own soulmate when they'd finally found them.]
We don't have much time, and it's a lot to consider -- [If you were as slow as this nonchalant bastard.] -- So why don't we cross the bridge together since it needs two people, and then we can talk about any details.
[And he'd like to be set down, too. It was uncomfortable, being held by his neck like this, nearly pushed over the edge!]
[This seems to actually be more on his mind than the fact that they had to cross the bridge very soon if they wanted to make it. He doesn’t know why it bothers him honestly. Why he wants the other to want to be his soulmate. He’ll just assume it has to be their bond messing with his thoughts and feelings.
At the very least, Yoo Joonghyuk actually puts the man down for a moment. He then grabs the other by the collar and all but starts dragging him across the bridge without slowing his brisk pace.]
[I shouldn’t get too attached. He’s only interested because I’m useful to him.]
[Yes. This is what he has deduced. The other has no interest in their bond despite them being soulmates. It’s merely a mutually beneficial relationship to progress through the Scenarios. The regressor he can (begrudgingly) accept that. It’s not like he needed a soulmate. He got by without one this long. Besides, wouldn’t he be the one who would suffer out of the two, especially if he did regress?]
[He hears the thought "can't soulmates be equals too?" but a moment later it's followed by another message.]
[You have become worn out due to excessive concentration. Personal skill Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint deactivated.
[It made sense. He was exhausted. But he wanted to hear more of Yoo Joonghyk's thoughts on the idea of soulmates. He remembers the times it came up in Ways of Survival, but Yoo Joonghyk had always dismissed it then, claimed he didn't need one. In later regressions he'd resented the very idea. But now it was real, and Kim Dokja found he really needed to know all his thoughts.
He was set down, and he almost wanted to ask about it, but then he was grabbed again and being yanked forward. He stumbled after, barely able to keep up.]
Hey-- Hey wait! Not so fast!
[They were almost out of time, so there was no time to slow down. He couldn't even see Yoo Joonghyk's face like this. Maybe he would have been able to read his expressions.]
[His tone is dismissive and uninterested. Yoo Joonghyuk probably would only be marginally inconvenienced about getting to safety without the bridge. After all, would the protagonist be so easily beaten this early into the Scenarios?
The walk across the bridge is a good to clear his mind. He can think about everything that happened in such a short period of time. There's still a lot about Kim Dokja that he doesn't know. Ignoring that they're soulmates; he has no idea what any of their attributes were. This. He refused to not at least know more and the smaller man obviously knew him well enough that he was nothing short of meticulous. Deep down, he can't fully accept this all. Things were too convenient weren't they? When has the Scenarios ever been convenient? And this man shrouded in mystery who could easily claim to get him passed a later Scenario...
When they finish crossing, he immediately turns his attention back to Kim Dokja.]
You seem to know me plenty, so you must know that this isn't adequate enough.
[One of his eyes start glowing gold. Kim Dokja probably would recognize that he was activating Sage's Eyes. His intention was obvious.
What happens instead of accessing an attribute window is being electrocuted. It mostly stings, but the pain was negligible at most. The issue really is that it does nothing to soothe Yoo Joonghyuk's nerves or temper; something that Kim Dokja doesn't want when the regressor was as volatile as he was.
His hand around Kim Dokja's throat? Maybe the reader should just get used to this a bit.] How?!
[The personal skill Fourth Wall has blocked The Sage's Eyes.]
[Kim Dokja is as surprised as Yoo Joonghyk is. He had a skill like that? He'd hoped that he'd be able to figure something out about his own attributes when Yoo Joonghyk used Sage's eyes, but apparently those weren't hidden only for him.
His panic started rising again seeing Yoo Joonghyk's anger. He gripped the man's wrist, trying to at least make sure the man couldn't squeeze hard enough to cut off his air flow. It only took a mild inconvenience to make a psychopath like him decide it was better to just kill the person he was dealing with, so whatever his explanation now, it had to be good.]
You know how. Skills like this exist.
[It would be better if Yoo Joonghyk came to the conclusion on his own. The attribute Prophet neutralized detection skills as well. It was his only way out of this mess.]
[The man clicks his tongue; obviously not particularly happy with the response.]
Since you know the future, you should be able to tell your own future then.
[The regressor holds the other over the monster infested waters again. His expression has calmed down to something more neutral (or as neutral as his face can get).]
You seem to act like you know me and you're a prophet. Will I or won't I? You can prophesize this much can't you? [He looks at the other with a piercing gaze. Almost as though he's searching for something specific.] Tell me, Kim Dokja, what will I do?
[It wasn't enough. This bullheaded man was too stubborn to accept the obvious. Kim Dokja shouldn't be surprised. He tried harder to pry Yoo Yoonghyk's hand loose, but his grip wasn't even budging, and now Kim Dokja was being lifted up, kicking in the air as he was being held over the Ichyosaur's open mouth.
He shouldn't be surprised. He wasn't, really.]
I know you, so let me tell you this: I meant it when I said we'd be equals. If you think of me as a subordinate, I won't help you.
[He glanced over his shoulder, down at the monster beneath him. His heart was thumping in his chest for several reasons, but when he looked back at Yoo Joonghyk again, he was smiling, a cocky grin that dared him to do it. He was surprising even himself.]
Now let go already. Get lost, you bastard.
[This was it. This was it. He'd done it, and now he'd have to deal with it.]
[The man has the audacity to smile at Kim Dokja. His expression though...there's something almost fond about it and it was directed at the other. He easily lets go of the other.]
You better not die then, Kim Dokja.
[He really did have such the audacity to say that while dropping the man into the mouth of a monster. Still, he needed the other to prove themselves to him. He couldn't just accept these things at face value. Not after the first two regressions.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2021-12-07 12:27 am (UTC)How long could he really need? How slow could he be? This was definitely to his benefit!]
Companions. Equals.
[He heard Yoo Joonghyk's thoughts mentioning soulmates, and he wondered, briefly, if he was actually considering that option. But if he was considering something like that, he wouldn't be threatening to kill him. Who killed their own soulmate when they'd finally found them.]
We don't have much time, and it's a lot to consider -- [If you were as slow as this nonchalant bastard.] -- So why don't we cross the bridge together since it needs two people, and then we can talk about any details.
[And he'd like to be set down, too. It was uncomfortable, being held by his neck like this, nearly pushed over the edge!]
no subject
Date: 2021-12-07 12:45 am (UTC)[Can’t soulmates be equals too?]
[This seems to actually be more on his mind than the fact that they had to cross the bridge very soon if they wanted to make it. He doesn’t know why it bothers him honestly. Why he wants the other to want to be his soulmate. He’ll just assume it has to be their bond messing with his thoughts and feelings.
At the very least, Yoo
Joonghyuk actually puts the man down for a moment. He then grabs the other by the collar and all but starts dragging him across the bridge without slowing his brisk pace.]
[I shouldn’t get too attached. He’s only interested because I’m useful to him.]
[Yes. This is what he has deduced. The other has no interest in their bond despite them being soulmates. It’s merely a mutually beneficial relationship to progress through the Scenarios. The regressor he can (begrudgingly) accept that. It’s not like he needed a soulmate. He got by without one this long. Besides, wouldn’t he be the one who would suffer out of the two, especially if he did regress?]
no subject
Date: 2021-12-07 10:20 am (UTC)[You have become worn out due to excessive concentration. Personal skill Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint deactivated.
[It made sense. He was exhausted. But he wanted to hear more of Yoo Joonghyk's thoughts on the idea of soulmates. He remembers the times it came up in Ways of Survival, but Yoo Joonghyk had always dismissed it then, claimed he didn't need one. In later regressions he'd resented the very idea. But now it was real, and Kim Dokja found he really needed to know all his thoughts.
He was set down, and he almost wanted to ask about it, but then he was grabbed again and being yanked forward. He stumbled after, barely able to keep up.]
Hey-- Hey wait! Not so fast!
[They were almost out of time, so there was no time to slow down. He couldn't even see Yoo Joonghyk's face like this. Maybe he would have been able to read his expressions.]
no subject
Date: 2021-12-07 11:21 am (UTC)[His tone is dismissive and uninterested. Yoo Joonghyuk probably would only be marginally inconvenienced about getting to safety without the bridge. After all, would the protagonist be so easily beaten this early into the Scenarios?
The walk across the bridge is a good to clear his mind. He can think about everything that happened in such a short period of time. There's still a lot about Kim Dokja that he doesn't know. Ignoring that they're soulmates; he has no idea what any of their attributes were. This. He refused to not at least know more and the smaller man obviously knew him well enough that he was nothing short of meticulous. Deep down, he can't fully accept this all. Things were too convenient weren't they? When has the Scenarios ever been convenient? And this man shrouded in mystery who could easily claim to get him passed a later Scenario...
When they finish crossing, he immediately turns his attention back to Kim Dokja.]
You seem to know me plenty, so you must know that this isn't adequate enough.
[One of his eyes start glowing gold. Kim Dokja probably would recognize that he was activating Sage's Eyes. His intention was obvious.
What happens instead of accessing an attribute window is being electrocuted. It mostly stings, but the pain was negligible at most. The issue really is that it does nothing to soothe Yoo Joonghyuk's nerves or temper; something that Kim Dokja doesn't want when the regressor was as volatile as he was.
His hand around Kim Dokja's throat? Maybe the reader should just get used to this a bit.] How?!
no subject
Date: 2021-12-07 12:03 pm (UTC)[Kim Dokja is as surprised as Yoo Joonghyk is. He had a skill like that? He'd hoped that he'd be able to figure something out about his own attributes when Yoo Joonghyk used Sage's eyes, but apparently those weren't hidden only for him.
His panic started rising again seeing Yoo Joonghyk's anger. He gripped the man's wrist, trying to at least make sure the man couldn't squeeze hard enough to cut off his air flow. It only took a mild inconvenience to make a psychopath like him decide it was better to just kill the person he was dealing with, so whatever his explanation now, it had to be good.]
You know how. Skills like this exist.
[It would be better if Yoo Joonghyk came to the conclusion on his own. The attribute Prophet neutralized detection skills as well. It was his only way out of this mess.]
Didn't I tell you I know the future?
no subject
Date: 2021-12-07 12:20 pm (UTC)Since you know the future, you should be able to tell your own future then.
[The regressor holds the other over the monster infested waters again. His expression has calmed down to something more neutral (or as neutral as his face can get).]
You seem to act like you know me and you're a prophet. Will I or won't I? You can prophesize this much can't you? [He looks at the other with a piercing gaze. Almost as though he's searching for something specific.] Tell me, Kim Dokja, what will I do?
no subject
Date: 2021-12-07 12:33 pm (UTC)He shouldn't be surprised. He wasn't, really.]
I know you, so let me tell you this: I meant it when I said we'd be equals. If you think of me as a subordinate, I won't help you.
[He glanced over his shoulder, down at the monster beneath him. His heart was thumping in his chest for several reasons, but when he looked back at Yoo Joonghyk again, he was smiling, a cocky grin that dared him to do it. He was surprising even himself.]
Now let go already. Get lost, you bastard.
[This was it. This was it. He'd done it, and now he'd have to deal with it.]
no subject
Date: 2021-12-07 01:00 pm (UTC)[The man has the audacity to smile at Kim Dokja. His expression though...there's something almost fond about it and it was directed at the other. He easily lets go of the other.]
You better not die then, Kim Dokja.
[He really did have such the audacity to say that while dropping the man into the mouth of a monster. Still, he needed the other to prove themselves to him. He couldn't just accept these things at face value. Not after the first two regressions.
Still...]
[Don't die, Kim Dokja...
Come back to me.]