Dokja decided to follow Yoo Joonghyuk out to the garden, despite Han Sooyoung's and his own better judgement. It felt as though he was chasing after his own death, a part of him screamed out to just run away back to the party and forget the plan. But taking a deep breath, he walked on anyway. While there's a possibility that the prince might strike him down right then and there, it'd be practically guaranteed if he didn't start taking steps to mend the situation while he still had the chance. Right now, all he had to focus on was finding the prince.
But Dokja's turbulent emotions were somewhat calmed knowing that Sooyoung did care about him, even if she didn't express it much. Even if he did die, it was nice to experience a world where he was surrounded by such caring people. Dokja softly gazed at the moon, the stars in the sky making the castle garden even more brilliant than it already was.
"I'm sorry..."
Huh? After suddenly hearing a voice, Dokja instantly ducked behind a bush. Peeking out from behind it, he spotted the source of the voice. A woman with scarlet lips and long white hair having what looked like a serious conversation with the Crown Prince.
Lee Seolhwa: The Heroine of the novel, originating from Lee Duchy. The daughter of the royal physician and is deeply skilled in the medical field.
She was more stunning than the novel could've ever possibly described. The image of her standing with Yoo Joonghyuk was a truly ethereal image, they really did look like they belonged together. Despite that though…
Lee Seolhwa bowed and tightly clutched her dress as she murmured, "I'm sorry, but I can't accept your feelings for me, your highness."
They were supposed to kiss at that scenario weren't they!? Up until this point, it seemed like everything Dokja had experienced had happened in line with what the novel described, so what happened? Even though he didn't think he'd taken any major action, did a smaller decision he made impact the plot to this extent, like the butterfly effect? Or was the plot of the story already different even before he'd arrived ? All he could do was hold his breath and continue observing the scene.
Yoo Joonghyuk asked in a harsh, piercing voice, "Is it because of him?"
Lee Seolhwa shook her head.
"No, I simply wish to continue my medical profession, your highness". Yoo Joonghyuk remained silent for a bit before replying.
"You'd still be able to do so if you decide to be with me. My family's connections can and will provide you with all the resources you could ever need for you to have a fulfilling career "
Lee Seolhwa sighed, shaking her head again "While I don't doubt that, nor do I doubt the sincerity of your feelings, I still can't accept. It wouldn't be fair to either of us if I had to split my time and attention to both you and my career." Her eyes shone an intense resolve as she continued, " I'd like to make a name for myself by relying on my own skills and connections, rather than my partner's. Additionally, becoming your partner would mean having a constant target on my back. Not only would it severely limit my freedom, but in a profession such as mine, I can't take the possibility of endangering my own patients."
"Additionally, Your Highness, I simply don't have any affection for you." Joonghyuk remained silent, but Dokja could see high tightly his fists were clenched. Seolhwa went on. "And to answer you question about Sir Dokja, I don't have any feelings for him either."
On one had, Kim Dokja sighed in relief. On the other it still kind of stung, even though he had no feelings for her.
" If you'll pardon me, You Highness, I shall go seek out Prince Kim Dokja to make my feelings apparent to him too ."
Even as she walked away Prince Joonghyuk didn't bother reaching out to her. With Yoo Joonghyuk's body facing away from him, Dokja couldn't tell what kind expression he was making, but it wasn't hard to guess that he was hurt. Lee Seolhwa was his first love, and he'd spent years courting her. It'd be hard for any man to remain unaffected by her words.
With Lee Seolhwa out of the garden, Dokja was about to approach Yoo Joonghyuk who was going to depart as well. But as he stood up, Dokja tripped over a rock, rustling the plant in front of him. Before he knew it, he felt the tip of a sword on his neck. The only thing in his vision was a large shadow casting over his own.
Fuck.
"Get up." Yoo Joonghyuk growled out.
Dokja scrambled up to his feet as fast as he could and put his hands up, not wanting to anger the prince anymore. As he did so, the blade was still pressed against his neck. His first meeting with Yoo Joonghyuk after all the time he took to plan out what to do, and he's already screw it up. Just great.
"Turn around and face me."
Dokja followed the command, his whole body slightly trembling. He had his head bowed down, too scared to actually look the prince in the eye, but he could still feel the deadly aura emanating from the man.
He questioned in a low, deep voice, and his eyes glazed with resent, "What are you doing here."
As much as he wanted to respond, he couldn't speak. It felt as if his throat had bee stuffed full of cotton. Joonghyuk pushed the blade closer to his neck after his silence. Dokja closed his eyes tightly.
"Were you spying me?"
"I would never do such a thing, Your Highness!" Dokja rushed to say. Maybe he did spy on him just a little, but it was an accident! Besides, it's not like he could just say yes.
"Then why-", interrupting him before he could finish his next question, Dokja dropped to the ground and bowed down on his hands and knees.
"I sought you out to apologize for everything I've done to interfere in your life. I know I don't deserve to be forgiven for my actions, but… I still wanted to give you a sincere apology, even if you may not believe me. I'm truly sorry Your Highness!" Looking up to the prince, Dokja could see the shock on his face. He lowered his head once again and waited for Yoo Joonghyuk to speak. After a few seconds passed with no words, Dokja grew anxious. But eventually the prince broke the silence.
He scoffed, "So you're apologizing, but how do you expect me to believe you in the first place?" he questioned in a harsh, mocking voice.
"As I said, even if you don't believe, or choose not to forgive me at all, I...I-," Dokja began before swallowing.
"I don't care."
Looking up in surprise, Dokja saw the hatred in his eyes, looking at him as if he were an insect.
"I don't care even if you apologize, nothing will change. I still hate you, Kim Dokja" he gritted out.
It felt as though all the hairs on his body stood up, his sweat running cold. Damn it...maybe Han Sooyoung was right. Maybe it was just a pipe dream to think he could resolve everything with words alone. Perhaps the power of words that had saved him in his previous life wouldn't be enough right now.
Dokja trembled and pleaded, "Then I won't even enter to your sight; you won't even see my shadow" dammit, dammit! In Joonghyuk's silence, he quickly continued, "I'm not asking for your forgiveness...all I'm saying is that I'll try to change, Your Highness." Dokja faced him with quivering lips, but his expression was icy, still uncaring.
"No... I won't believe a single thing that comes out of your mouth..." he suddenly leaned in close and lifted Dokja's chin with his fingers. "Tell me, is this some kind of plan?" Dokja couldn't bring himself to move a muscle in his body, Yoo Joonghyuk's stare freezing him to his core.
"Absolutely not, Your Highness!" he cried out.
"Hmph, fine, I'll give you a chance but..." he leaned close to his ear "If you commit even one slight against me or my allies... I'll kill you the same way as that filthy servant from earlier". Letting go of his chin, Yoo Joonghyuk stood up and walked away, not looking back.
Dokja gaped at the space the prince stood before, unable to move as his whole body couldn't stop trembling. He started hyperventilating. Clutching his chest, it felt as if he was suffocating. Everything around him looked like it was spinning. He had no idea how long he was in that state before a voice called out to him.
KIM DOKJA! "Han Sooyoung cried out. If he could he would've smiled, thankful for her overprotectiveness of him. The last thing he saw was Han Sooyoung's frightened face.
---
All I could see was white for miles on end. All alone in here, I started to walk. After what felt like miles with absolutely nothing in sight, a figure finally appeared. I rushed over to them; they might know something.
I grabbed him by the shoulder and asked, "Excuse me, do you know where-."
When he turned around, I stepped back in shock. It was like looking in a mirror, his own face reflected back at him, though there were minute differences.
"…Kim…Dokja?"
I was going to ask, but suddenly his started to fade. I tried reaching out to him, but when we made eye contact, my whole started to shake.
" You have no business being here."
----
Dokja woke up in a cold sweat, his chest heaving. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest.
The hell was that? Was it really just dream, or a warning of some sort?
Dokja came to realize that he had awoken in his room, rather than the Seoul Empire Palace. Han Sooyoung had most likely brought him back. Feeling somethings around at his neck, he noticed it the small cut from Joonghyuk's blade had been bandaged up. The bedroom door abruptly burst open, almost being ripped off their hinges as his whole family and Han Sooyoung rushed to his bedside.
At this point, perhaps Han Sooyoung is already part of his family.
"YOU DAMN RAT!" she screamed, and smacked Dokja in the head.
"Oouch, I'm a patient here, c'mon!," he cried out, just as his parents and brother reached his side.
"Exactly who's fault is that ,huh!? I warned you about this didn't I!?" she shouted. Kim Dokja remained silent, not wanting to ever admit out loud that she may have been right about something. As Han Sooyoung opened her mouth to shout something else, the duchess interjected.
Persephone: Duchess of the Underworld and mother of the villain "Kim Dokja".
"Are you okay dear, does your neck feel better" she asked softly, her kind eyes filled with worry.
"Yes, I'm fine now, thank you for treating me" he responded with a smile.
"But Hyung, what happened that evening?" Namwoon asked.
"Oh, you mean last night?" Everyone gave Dokja pained looks. "What's wrong?", he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Hyung… you slept for two days straight..."
His eyes widened, filled with horror, "WHAT?!"
"YEAH, NOW TELL US WHAT HAPPENED!" Sooyoung screamed angrily.
"Well...I just went to meet the Crown Prince in the garden and-." He explained when Han Sooyoung interrupted,
"You actually went through with your plan?!" This time she wasn't the only one fed up with his actions, as the rest of his family looked at him, bewildered.
"What exactly is this plan, son?" the duchess asked, her eyes narrowed into a serious expression.
"I just apologize to him, I guess." He responded, feeling nervous under the pressure of all their stares on him.
After a brief moment of silence, Kim Namwoon spoke up.
"Hyung, no offense, but... do you think His highness would really listen to you?". Dokja felt slightly crushed under the weight of the truth, but his plan was a gamble he had no choice but to partake in. Obviously, the prince won't trust him yet, no matter what he said or did. But he did give Dokja another chance, words he'd just have to trust Yoo Joonghyuk to stick by
Dokja bowed his head and tried to look regretful as he said, "I know but I still want to apologize for everything I did to him". He still had to make 'Kim Dokja's' transition from crazy obsessive bastard to apologetic prince somewhat believable. It'd be easy to trick the public, since they could chalk up the sudden transition as frumors being over exaggerated, plus none of them had never actually met him in person so they have no way to verify. But with the people around him, he'd have to be a bit more careful.
When the others in the room asked how Dokja had acquired such an injury, he knew he couldn't exactly tell the truth there either. With how protective his family seemed to be of him, they'd probably hunt down Yoo Joonghyuk for threatening him so brazenly (even though his own character must've done the same to the prince several times over by now).
So, he just told them that he ran into the crown prince in the garden, where he was in a foul mood at the time and had mistakenly cut his neck after mistaking Dokja for an assassin. Dokja had tried to apologize to him, but he was still angry, so the both of them got into a fight.
Honestly the story wasn't too far from the truth, even if he did leave out a few details, and his family appeared to be satisfied by the explanation. Maybe instead of working for a game company he should've applied for an acting agency in his previous world?
"Mhm... I'm very proud of you for trying to mend the relationship with the prince, such a feat takes a significant amount of humbleness to go through with. It's a sure sign of the fine prince your growing into, son." the duke nodded approvingly.
Hades: Duke of the Underworld and father of the villain "Kim Dokja".
This was Dokja's first time formally meeting the duke of the Underworld. He'd actually been quite afraid to finally meet the duke and duchess in person, given how much the novel emphasized how powerful and intimidating they were. Though, Dokja should've known he was in safe hands, after all both the duke and duchess of the Underworld had an immense soft spot for Kim Dokja, spoiling him to no end. Once his rivalry with Yoo Joonghyuk had begun in the novel they had cheered their son on to no end, somewhat enabling his turn to villainy.
"But, son, you still have no consideration for your health or physical safety. I'm sorry, but as of now you are forbidden from leaving the mansion."
Dokja's eye's widened. While at one point he would've cheered from being ordered to stay home, but right now he had too much to do, plans to carry out. He couldn't just laze around while his life and the story itself were at stake!
"But Father..." Kim Dokja tried pleading with him.
"No young man, you are under house arrest," Hades firmly stated, before he promptly departed from the room.
Dokja stared at the door in shock.
"HOUSE ARREST?!