After the scenario ended, Kim Dokja fell unconscious. Due to the injuries he received and the stamina that went into the battle it was very much understandable.
Yoo Jonghyuk noticed the switched positions. This time it was Kim Dokja who got badly injured not him. Does this count as a failure then?
Yoo Jonghyuk wanted to save Kim Dokja but instead he got injured like this when he shouldn't have been. How unreliable of himself.
He doesn't know what happened after the fight with Disaster of Questions last round because he had to recover but the conversations with the dokkaebi was cut short.
[The sub-scenario – SSS-grade Hunt has ended.]
[The compensation settlement will begin.]
[You have obtained 60,000 coins as compensation.]
Yoo Jonghyuk wasn't one to uphold conversations and the dokkaebi seemed to give in because of the infamousness he had gathered. The point was that Yoo Jonghyuk wanted to be able to give his whole focus to Kim Dokja as soon as possible.
[Infinite Dimension Space Coat] – SSS-grade.
[Dark Fire Half-Gloves] – SSS-grade.
[Sylphid's Jump Boots] – SSS-grade.
The rewards were that of the last round except for the number of coins which had increased.
The choice was obvious.
[Infinite Dimension Space Coat]. It had been used by both him and Kim Dokja. It was the kind of item that can be useful through all of the scenarios. The fabric wasn't much protection but it could restore it self so that even if it got holes it would go back to normal after a few minutes. The most important part of it was the sub-space in its pockets.
Although the sub-space was small, unlike its name, it was still a SSS-grade item. It could be worn outside of armor so protection could still be used. This was also a fashion choice. Clearly the white [Infinite Dimension Space Coat] was used to connect solely to Kim Dokja. Kim Dokja made that coat his own.
Likewise, but no as popular, Yoo Jonghyuk had also used the same kind of item. The black color reflected his personality in being coldblooded. He would of never worn the white color usually if it weren't for Kim Dokja.
The point was that Yoo Jonghyuk had no problem choosing the reward for both himself and Kim Dokja. With the new fable and rewards out of the way, there was only room for Kim Dokja in his eyes.
[The Fable 'Life and Death Companions' is continuing its storytelling.]
Or would this also count as having his focus on Kim Dokja? The fable with the origin of him and Kim Dokja was choosing to make itself known. Although its origin is known, this time was more confusing.
There was also something else about this fable Yoo Jonghyuk had thought about. The beginning of the fable, when was that? Although the origin is with him and Kim Dokja, when did it begin?
Was it when Kim Dokja read the novel, or when the scenarios started, maybe when they first met, or could it be when they finished a certain scenario together? But there was also with the lesser fire dragon Igneel. Did it have stories from the pervious round or was it only this round? Was there another round included in this fable?
If only he had a better compatibility with stories then maybe he could have asked it. Should he ask Kim Dokja about it?
The only expression shown on Yoo Jonghyuk's face was his wrinkled eyebrows and caring gaze on Kim Dokja's face While Yoo Jonghyuk's arms was used to hold him by his shoulders and waist. It was a delicate hold which made the onlookers question their eyes.
It was a sight to behold indeed.
Han Sooyoung had some how sneaked her phone out of her pocket and was using it to take pictures. Probably for blackmailing, it could either be for Yoo Jonghyuk or Kim Dokja. Could probably be used for both.
If it weren't for the fact that they were currently in the middle of the apocalypse, this could of caused rumors online.
The sight didn't last long because Yoo Jonghyuk flipped Kim Dokja over completely before taking him on his own shoulder. It was the same way Kim Dokja had been carried before.
After Yoo Jonghyuk left with Kim Dokja, Kim Dokja's party followed shortly after.
Because of Yoo Jonghyuk's earlier gaze, the rest of the party didn't bother Yoo Jonghyuk with anything. Even though they wanted to consult Kim Dokja, and care for him of course. Since he was currently unconscious it only felt right to give the close companions some time of their own.
...
Yoo Jonghyuk put Kim Dokja gently down inside one of the tents that the party had. The ground wasn't as smooth as Yoo Jonghyuk would of liked so he used a thin mattress as well.
He lifted Kim Dokja head up before putting a pillow under it. Then there was also the undressing part. Because most of the wounds Kim Dokja had gather on himself was internal, all he could really rely on was the medicine from the scenarios and time. The self-healing ability of an incarnation was superior of that of a normal human. Therefor, some wounds had already started healing.
The problem was that Kim Dokja didn't have any healing skills on his own. Though he could continue fighting even with injuries during battles, the problem usually came afterwards. There was also the thing about not having a doctor yet in this party that was a problem.
Lee Seolhwa wasn't yet part of the party. Even though she was saved by Kim Dokja she still wasn't willing to team up. It was irritating but in the end it couldn't have been helped. She will come sooner or later anyway.
As of right now, there was only Yoo Jonghyuk here to care about Kim Dokja's wounds. Yoo Jonghyuk was only second to Lee Seolhwa because of his many chances with regressions.
Of course it hadn't been many times were he would have personally cared for others. Kim Dokja had definitely become one of those exceptions.
With a higher number of coins because of the scenario rewards, Yoo Jonghyuk chose that of higher grade pills. The pills would be enough to heal Kim Dokja fully over night. The wounds and bruises had been cleaned and bandaged.
The newly acquired coat had been used as a quilt. So the first thing Kim Dokja would see when he wakes up would be his clean white infinite dimension space coat.
After making dinner for the party, Yoo Jonghyuk chose to lay down next Kim Dokja like usual. This wasn't a habit he had before this round, Yoo Jonghyuk never slept next to Kim Dokja before. It was a more peaceful habit to soothe his nightmares.
Yoo Jonghyuk's own way of salvation.
His gaze once again flowed towards Kim Dokja. Even going as far as to reach with his hand and trace his line of sight. Kim Dokja's eyebrows wasn't that of a straight line as if expressing his own thoughts. Kim Dokja's dream didn't seem like that of a usual dream and it was more of a nightmare.
The nightmare affected Kim Dokja's mood and his face wasn't gentle sleep as before. After tracing Kim Dokja's eyebrows with his thumb, Yoo Jonghyuk stopped because he felt the cold sweat that covered Kim Dokja's forehead.
With a moment of consideration, Yoo Jonghyuk brought out a wet towel and put it on Kim Dokja's forehead to cleanse him of his sweat and to cool him down. Kim Dokja didn't have a fever but the wet towel helped him calm down and his brows went to that of a natural line.
Yoo Jonghyuk didn't get many chances to study Kim Dokja's face this close and he would not let himself lose this chance. Even after putting on the towel Yoo Jonghyuk didn't feel like sleeping just yet and just quietly watched his companion beside him.
His brain once again issued the need to protect.
Yoo Jonghyuk's eyes became even gentler than before.
If Kim Dokja had seen this he probably would of thought that Yoo Jonghyuk had been possessed.
There was also a certain constellation coughing blood in the distance but didn't dare to make any noice in case of ruining the current mood. She had already saved this memory forever in her brain and as a hologram. This is going to her collection.
[The Fable 'Life and Death Companions' is humming in joy.]
...
When Kim Dokja woke up he felt a faint taste of iron in his mouth. There was also something soft and cool on his forehead. He guessed it was a towel. The quilt that covered him wasn't actually a quilt but a white coat.
After a few seconds his memory kicked in. This was the coat he had read, the infinite dimension space coat that Yoo Jonghyuk had so commonly used. Only after recognizing the coat on top of him he noticed the faint breathing beside him.
After sitting up and looking around he found out that it was actually Yoo Jonghyuk who was beside him. There were currently in a tent like the night before, expect for the fact that the tent had another color. Before it was dark green but now it was black. That only added to the darkness, this was one of the reasons he didn't immediately notice that Yoo Jonghyuk was beside himself.
Had Yoo Jonghyuk developed a habit of sleeping next to him or something? Even though there was no problem with the amount of tents, Yoo Jonghyuk still chose to share one with him. Of course there was also another idea of how this habit had come from the previous regression round that Yoo Jonghyuk told him about.
There was a lot of information he felt that he had missed even though he had read through the whole novel. Had Yoo Jonghyuk always shared tents with him and therefor was also going it now? It felt logical to him.
Kim Dokja doesn't always think about Yoo Jonghyuk had spent a whole round with himself but it often crosses his mind. He felt himself subconsciously comparing his former and his current self. There was also a strange burden from it all.
Questions about his own existent weren't often positive.
Kim Dokja at one time questioned if the Kim Dokja Yoo Jonghyuk knew was a complete different Kim Dokja and that he somehow was a fake. That the Kim Dokja Yoo Jonghyuk knew wasn't him and that Yoo Jonghyuk wasn't actually his companion.
If Yoo Jonghyuk was faced with a choice of returning to that Kim Dokja of this round that wasn't him, would Yoo Jonghyuk actually leave him then? What if Yoo Jonghyuk suddenly disappeared because he had found his Kim Dokja?
Kim Dokja kept repeating to himself. His worries had somehow grown and he was anxious.
'What if all of this is just dream?'
'What if I suddenly waked up and found that everyone had disappeared?'
'What if Yoo Jonghyuk leaves?'
Kim Dokja's thoughts were a like a plague to himself. There was a reason for the wall to separate his mind from reality.