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The scenario was not special, just battling several hoards of various species of monsters. Something they've done for too many times for one to even begin to count.
However, no one could ever be too careful.
Shin Yoosung feels goosebumps travel up her arms, and her eyes widen. Turning her head, she's meet with the sight of a foul looking wolf lunging at her, faster then the average monster. Just fast enough for Shin Yoosung to feel her heart drop in her stomach, for dread to set in her bones.
She's going to die.
She closes her eyes tightly shut and waits her impending demise.
The sound of claws piercing flesh resounds sickly in the air and she almost, as if subconsciously, prepares a scream, merely waiting for the expected pain of scar tissue tearing and blood vessels rupturing. And waits. But nothing comes.
Adrenaline pumping through her body, with a shake to her hands, she slowly opens her eyes.
The sight of the wolf was replaced with that of white - a white coat, more exactly.
"A-Ahjussi!" Shin Yoosung sobs in relief, throwing herself at her not-quite-exactly-father. If not for her still muddled state of mind processing everything a little slower then normal, she would have catched the smell of blood a little earlier. As it was, she subtly glances around her father figure.
Ahead of her, the wolf is nothing but visceral mass and bloodied fur, sticking morbidly all over the tainted earth. The sharp claws previously going for her life were now shattered in pieces. The killing was done in a very throughout manner, but still somehow both quick and soundless. Or maybe she disassociated for more time then she had thought.
A hand settles on top of her head, petting her disheveled hair "Yoosung-ah, are you alright?" She gazes up at her ahjussi who's eyes were already looking over her body, searching for any injuries.
Shin Yoosung fists the side of his coat in her arms, smiling "I'm alright ahjussi, thank..." She trails off, smile slipping off her face as she sees three big gashes across his chest. Kim Dokja takes in her sudden change in demeanor and also slips his gaze at his chest...
"Oh..." Now that Kim Dokja sees the wound, as if his body is finally processing it, a wave of pain crashes into him. Gritting his teeth, he gives one more pat to Shin Yoosung's hair, slipping his hand to rest on her shoulder and exhales a labored sigh. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Lee Seolhwa-ssi will come in no time, and will make sure I'm fine." While the wound could pose a problem if left unattended, their doctor was one of the best there were, so Kim Dokja himself wasn't too worried.
The poor girl was already on the verge of tears, and not becouse of the near-eath experience. "I'm sorry..." She whispers, guilt churning in her stomach.
Kim Dokja gives her a little smile, squeezing her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, everyone gets hurt once in a while."
She nods, clearly not convinced, but some tension does bleed out of her tiny frame.
Looking around, Kim Dokja can see the rest of his companions coming towards them. It seems like they were done with the scenario.
"Hyung!" Lee Gilyoung squawks, running towards him, worry plastered on his face. "Hyung, are you..." as he approaches, he gets slower and slower, until he's just ahead of the constellation and incarnation duo. He seems a little lost, gazing at Kim Dokja's wounds in... confusion?
The rest of the party arrives, with similar expressions on their faces.
Before Kim Dokja could even begin to wonder what's wrong with his team, Gilyoung slowly speaks "Ah... hyung... hyung is a noona?"
Kim Dokja blinks at him then look back at his chest... his exposed chest...
He can hear someone sputter some inteligibile gibberish, and he promptly covers his breasts with his hands.
"K-Kim Dokja- you-" Han Sooyung looks like she's just been slapped.
Hyunsung has his red face covered by Jung Heewon's hands, who openly stares at the new discovery.
Lee Jihye has a look of awe on her face, eyes practically sparkling, no doubt making up some sort of twisted story in her head.
Yoo Sangha is blinking owlishly at him.
Yoo Joonghyuk looks as close to shocked as his face can allow.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is screaming!]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is going crazy!]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is combusting at this revelation!]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is-]
[The Constellation 'Scribe of Heaven' says the Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of fire' needs to calm down!]
[A constellation who likes to change genders is very pleased by this development!]
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is pulling his hair out in shock]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is speechless]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' did not see that coming!]
[63000 coins have been sponsored!]
Thankfully, before anyone could ask any question, Lee Seolhwa gracefully made her way through the crowd and settled in front of Kim Dokja, beginning to examinate him. Of course, not before shooting a glare at the frozen party members, who then all promptly turned their back to the scene for the sake of some kind of illusion of privacy they unsuccessfully try to keep.
"This should do for now..." Lee Seolhwa checks for the last time the bandage she tightly wrapped around the constellation's chest. She got rid of the black t-shirt he was wearing underneath, as it no longer served any kind of purpose in its state of taters. As it was, the bandages covers his chest good enough, and the white coat hid what it didn't.
Meanwhile, Kim Dokja has been constantly bombarded by indirect messages by the constellations following his nebula. He was already filthy rich, but after this incident, he might not need for money ever again.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is asking why you hid it all this time?]
Kim Dokja shrugs "I haven't hid anything though. You just never asked."
"Why is Seolhwa unnie not surprised? Did she know?" Lee Jihye questions, clearly impatient.
"I'm the nebula's doctor, I've seen you lot naked more times then your mothers, of course I knew." She didn't roll her eyes, but it was a close thing. "Here, Dokja-ssi. Drink this." A potion was tossed in his arms, and he did as he was told. He could already feel himself feeling better.
He smiled at the doctor "Thank you, Seolhwa-ssi."
She nods and goes to check the others for any injuries.
"That explains a lot of things." He hears Yoo Sangha whisper to herself.
"Even you didn't know, unnie? Didn't you both work at the same company?" Lee Jihye mussed.
"Yeah, we weren't as close back then, but we still worked together on some projects." She looks at the woman, or man, in question, smiling "Who would have thought! And don't worry Dokja-ssi, you should follow your heart, I'm sure no one from the nebula minds."
Everyone enthusiastically voices their agreement.
"No, it's nothing like that..." He tries to explain.
"How should we adrese you now? Can I still call you ahjussi?" Shin Yoosung says, looking up at him.
"You can all adrese me as you want, I don't really care." He sighs.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is asking if the constellation 'Demon King Of Salvation' is a he or a she]
"Both, I guess..." When he was little and had longer hair, people would refer to him as a girl, but after he cut his hair...
It did not help that he was severely malnourished, dampening his body's growth, resulting in pretty much having a flat chest. Or the fact that his father didn't want to change the masculine name he gave him, even after finding out they have a girl.
This resulted in people automatically thinking he was a man, and he didn't care to correct them.
Kim Dokja feels a tug at his sleeve and looks down. Gilyoung has already planted himself on his left side, but right now, he was glaring at Shin Yoosung - not something overly uncommon.
"Noona, did she know?" He says with something that very much sounds like jealousy and betrayal. Now that he mentions it, Yoosung was also fairly composed at the revelation.
She side eyes him "No, I just had a hunch."
The kids promptly began arguing among themselves about a thing or another.
Seriously, those children... He thinks with exasperated fondness.
Shaking his head, he claps once, drawing everyone's attention "All right, I promise to respond to your questions, but only once we're back to the company. Is everyone ready to go?"
He hears a grunt from one sunfish, and an overlapping exclamation of agreement.
Somewhere along the way, Han Sooyung seems to have regained her composer, as she strikes a winning pose, proudly declaring "Seems that I'm not the flattest after all!" She starts laughing in a very disturbing way, making the kids shoot twin pair of glares at the witch.
"Figures that would be the first thing you thought about this whole situation..." Kim Dokja sighs.
"Not really surprising." Yoo Sangh adds, with something that could be condescending in her voice.
And so, a glaring contest starts between the two women.
Oh boy...