Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kim Dokja squinted at the screen, as if struggling to read the lettering. What the fuck is this? Han Sooyoung verbalized Dokja’s thoughts as if she had heard them through a new vein of telepathy. He hoped otherwise.

The scenario displayed the following:

_{Category: Sub-Scenario}

_{Difficulty: C}

_{Clear Conditions: A selected member of voted by the nebula will have their strongest skill turned into a human for the duration of the scenario. The chosen must take care of their Skill by doing the following:}

_{Feeding them 3 meals a day
Tending to any injuries
Comforting their Skill
Making their Skill happy}

_{Time Limit: 1 week}

_{Reward: 500,000 coins for all members of , better understanding of Skill, +30 levels to all members of .}

_{Penalty for Failure: Permanent Loss of Skill for , Unable to use all skills for 48 hours.}

_***

_{To say the least, Dokja was unsure about accepting this scenario. They certainly had a tad bit more than a month to prepare and discuss the next scenario, but this could be a hinderance.}

_{He started to fret, before he lifted his head to sweep his gaze around the rest of the members.}

_{Han Sooyoung was confused in a similar manner to Dokja, peeling her lip back in disgust. This hadn’t shown up in any part of WOS.}

_{Jung Heewon looked at the screen in contemplation, before glancing at the campfire blazing in the center. She pursed her lips as she contemplated the words.}

_{Sangha remained calm as the read the screen, acting as if she were reading another one of the offers Minosoft received again.}

_{Lee Jihye stared at her screen, face twisting with a mix of guilt and sadness, reminded of Na Bori.}

_{Gilyoung and Yoosung were bickering over which one of their skills were better, where you could hear rather colorful language sprinkled in (learned from Sooyoung, no doubt).}

_{Hyunsung eyes flickered over the scenario screen with interest which could only be found in children, surely giddy at the thought.}

_{Yoo Mia’s eyes sparkled at the screen before she glanced up at Joonghyuk, who was seated next to her. He glared at the screen as his eyes furrowed deeper, trying to figure out how a concept like time could fit within this scenario.}

_{Dokja decided to clear his throat, saying “Should we accept-“. Before he had finished his sentence the window dinged, leaving his suggestion useless.}

_{He inwardly sighed. He didn’t have a plan for any scenarios that popped up like this, never mind one that could be so dangerous. It could leave them vulnerable to the other nebulae.}

_{Gilyoung decided to speak up “Who are we going to choose, Hyung?”}

_{Kim Dokja bit his tongue uncertainly, before replying “Let’s discuss who we’ll choose bit before we vote.”}

_{A list revealed itself in front of the incarnations, providing themselves with a variety of people to decide on.}

_{“Well, we should start off by finding out what might be someone’s strongest skill.” Sangha spoke up as Gilyoung and Yoosung snapped their heads toward one another.}

_{[Many constellations are interested in who they’ll choose]}

_{“Ah, well my strongest ability is based off steel, so it would be safe to assume that they would be rather stubborn…” Lee Hyunsung said sheepishly.}

_{[Constellation ‘Master of Steel’ huffs at their incarnation’s response]}

_{Han Sooyoung promptly declared that if her Avatar ability came to be human, that it would be incredibly demanding (as if she wasn’t). Jung Heewon continued looking at the fire while muttering something about arson. This cycle of excuses continued as Gilyoung and Yoonsung clashed over the nature of their abilities, finally landing on Dokja.}

_{“Well… in all honesty I’m not too sure about what is my strongest ability, to say the least. Although if that’s the case, I’ll probably be fine if I’m selected as it won’t make much of an impact.” said Kim Dokja.}

_{Sangha clasped her hands together with a pleased look. “It’s decided then! We’ll vote Dokja.”}

_{Everyone’s hands drifted to select “Kim Dokja” on their screens, and pressed submit. As all their answers flooded in, so did a white light that blinded the eyes of KimCom.}

_{As everyone’s hands drifted down from shielding their faces, a small, young boy was standing next to Dokja. He had a scrawny, bruised frame where clumsy bandages hung from. There were downturned, black eyes that shone entire nebulae. And said boy was promptly shoving his hands in front of Dokja’s face, obscuring it.}

_{Shin Yoosung and the other kids blinked for a few beats at the odd scene, before giggling and snickering. Han Sooyoung cackled at the visual, and a small chuckle that transitioned into a cough could be hear from Heewon.}

_{A soft “Oh.” came out of Dokja’s mouth. “Um… please, move your hands” He said timidly.}

_{“Ki m Dok ja tho ug ht: I sh ou ld be gra te ful that the Fo urth Wall is still do ing th eir job” the Fourth Wall jeered back.}

_{Dokja wearily sighed. “Take your hands off. I’ll be fine, Fourth Wall.”}

_{The boy pressed his lips together and contemplated for less than 5 seconds before saying “Ki m Dok ja is an i di ot.”}

_{“Come up with something more creative, at least? Use the variety of words from the novels I’ve read.”}

_{“Ki m Dok ja does n’t want the Fo urth Wall to des cri be h ow a man’s ‘m em ber’ feels wi th in-“}

_{Kim Dokja’s face flushed red with ease, and cut off the Fourth Wall “You know I don’t mean those novels! I have better taste, you know?” He mumbled “It wasn’t even that good, and it cost more than ₩100466…”}

_{Sooyoung grinned at Dokja’s despair, grinning ear to ear. “Is that why you’re always on your phone, squid Ahjussi?” Yoo Joonghyuk quietly stared at Dokja, blinking several times.}

_{Lee Jihye butted in, questioning “Oh, so do you like Joonghyuk, Ahjussi?” A mischievous glint passed over her eyes, shielded by the pair of hands.}

_{Dokja’s hands lifted to remove the Fourth Wall, which refused to move. “Can someone help take the Fourth Wall’s hands off?” Dokja said.}

_{The two shippers giggled quietly in the corner as he evaded their question. Joonghyuk strided over, before gently placing a hand around the Fourth Wall’s wrist. Joonghyuk said sternly “Take your hands off.” The Fourth Wall shut their eyes, furiously shaking their head and puffed their hollowed cheeks.}

_{After multiple attempts at trying to politely get the Fourth Wall to listen, Joonghyuk gently pried off the Fourth Wall’s hands.}

_{As Kim Dokja’s face was revealed, a soft gasp could be heard, and a loud dinging sound kept on going off.}

_{[ Constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is screaming ]}

_{[ Constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is poorly feigning disinterest ]}

_{[ Constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is banging their head on the table and blushing ]}

_{[ Constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is concerned about constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’s well-being ]}

_{[ Constellations ‘Father of the Rich Night’ and ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring’ are cooing over their heir’s looks ]}

_{[ Constellation ‘Goddess of Love and Beauty’ is glaring at her opponent ]}

_{[ Constellation ‘Mass Production Maker’ is scrambling together new merchandise featuring incarnation ’s face ]}

_{[Constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is considering if his flames can burn his eyes off until he can’t read the messages anymore]}

_{[Many Constellations are in awe at how incarnation looks]}

_{Dokja rushed to muffle his ears, screwing his eyes shut to block out the noise just as the Fourth Wall carefully slid their hands over the sides of his head. The sounds of the dings were much quieter, as he carefully peeked out one eye. Then both as his pupils adjusted to the light.}

_{“No way,” Sooyoung said, her jaw almost touching the floor “That’s just not fair. Are you telling me the ugly squid Ahjussi isn’t- like-“ Sooyoung sputtered like a broken engine as her hands flailed around.}

_{Joonghyuk looked at Kim Dokja, lacking most of his usual disdainful expression. Dokja might’ve been hallucinating, but he was quite sure he saw the tips and base of that bastard’s neck flush a light pink.}

_{Yoosung proclaimed “I told you he wasn’t an ugly Ahjussi!” in a proud stance, a hand resting on her hip, and the other pointing at Dokja’s face. Gilyoung snapped back out of his daze at her words, and blabbered “I never said he was ugly!”}

_{Lee Jihye stood quietly, just staring at Dokja like a deer in headlights.}

_{Yoo Mia was the most excited out of them all, as she scrutinized every detail of Dokja. She noted the resemblance of him and the human form of his skill quietly. She searched his eyes curiously, as if looking for answers.}

_{Heewon and Hyunsung looked at each other for a moment before their gaze flitted back to the Fourth Wall and Dokja.}

_{Hyunsung bit his lip before asking “What is your Skill? They… resemble you. A lot.”}

_{Dokja tilted his head before saying “Oh, well this is my Skill, the Fourth Wall.”}

_{Sooyoung joined in by saying “Yeah, we can see that it’s a Skill. I think they want to know what it actually does, because right now it’s covering your ears. It was just smothering your face, and I would just like to make some sense of that.”}

_{Dokja pursed his lips and squinted briefly before saying “It’s annoying, and pesters me 24/7.”}

_{The Fourth Wall rolled it’s eyes “Ki m Dok ja shou ld be grate ful to the Fou rth Wall for pro tec ting Ki m Dok ja be cause he’s a wh iny baby.”}

_{“Am not!” Dokja huffs, before standing up to get away from the Fourth Wall. He then proceeds to collapse on the floor, body crumpling underneath him. A gentle thump could be heard as his head struck the floor.}

_{The Fourth Wall walked over to casually prod at the unconscious body, before talking to nobody in particular “Ki m Dok ja sh ould ’ve trea ted his wou nds befo re the Fou rth W all left. It ca n’t num b the pa in like th is.” The Fourth Wall quietly grumbled, peeved.}

_***

_{A bright light beamed from the ceiling, and the air tasted like bleach and the metallic scent of blood. Dokja’s bleary eyes squinted as he teared up a little from the exposure.}

_{He opened his eyes, before groaning and trying to sit up. A rough hand quickly pressed his back down into the mattress, keeping him still. He flinched, and turned his head to look at the source of the hand as his face reddened from the contact.}

_{Joonghyuk sat there, watching Kim Dokja as he fended off a Fourth Wall that seethed with rage. The Fourth Wall ran right towards Joonghyuk who held back the Fourth Wall with his singular palm, making it a rather humorous sight if not for the man behind it.}

_{Dokja heard some coughing from the other side of the room that attempted to attract his attention. He flipped his head over to the rest of KimCom, who were boring holes into him with their eyes.}

_{Dokja started to panic, and tried to scramble free from the bed. He did not wish for another lecture, especially when he knew they would be made for his ears only. He didn’t want them to worry.}

_{Sadly, (as he was both lacking in physical strength and mental stability, the latter mainly due to the absence of the Fourth Wall) he was unable to escape, restrained by his co-workers.}

_{“Tell us. Now. You literally have a fractured femur you dumbass?!”}

_{“Why didn’t you get it treated?”}

_{“How come you’re even walking anymore?”}

_{“And don’t get me started on those gashes!”}

_{Sooyoung, Seolhwa, and Heewon all interrogated Dokja with various questions.}

_{Dokja dully answered “To the first and second one, I was going to treat it myself so you guys wouldn’t make a fuss. Third question, Way of the Wind. Last one, those cuts are none of your business.”}

_{A hint of nervousness flickered across Dokja’s face as he spoke his last statement, with a few other emotions stirred in. He hurriedly masked his poor demeanor a few moments too late.}

_{Heewon narrowed her eyes at him. “You are going to tell me about those scars NOW.” She bellowed, failing to notice how the Fourth Wall trembled at her statement.}

_{The Fourth Wall lunged forward to place themself between Dokja and Heewon, acting as a barrier. Heewon sized up the Fourth Wall, preparing for a fight.}

_{She looked at their frail, wiry, frame, and the bloody bandages that seemed to encircle every surface. For the few places that remained bare, purple and yellowed bruised bloomed under the skin. Her gaze looked up at the Fourth Wall’s face, which had the same dark hair (albeit much greasier and unkempt) and the soft features that adorned the face of Kim Dokja.}

_{Her breath hitched, and she blanched. “Who- who are you supposed to be, exactly?” She straightened her posture as her hand drifted to cover her mouth in horror.}

_{The Fourth Wall was taken aback, seeming adverse to change the subject. “A pro tag oni st to a sto ry I kn ow se cond be st.”}

_{Heewon was confused, as she tensed her jaw. “Who?”}

_{The Fourth Wall looked at her like she was asking if the sky was blue. “Co st play ing Ki m Dok ja of co urse! Ri ght wh en he turn ed 10!” They pointed over to the figure trembling on the bed, betrayed by his most trustworthy skill.}

_{Sangah had a mild reaction, as she had witnessed the horrors of his story. It was still more sickening to see it in person than on paper.}

_{Sooyoung’s eyes widened as she took a sharp intake of breath. She formed fists at her sides, nails digging into her palm.}

_{Heewon excused herself briefly to leave the room, as she walked over to the bathroom. She clutched her stomach as she continued to grip over her mouth.}

_{Gilyoung, Yoosung and Mia crowded together, whispering and commenting on how small his body was. They saw how the clothes hung off his frame.}

_{Joonghyuk’s brows furrowed as he watched Dokja panic. Joonghyuk’s stomach knotted up, and his heart ached. What happened? What happened for him to look like that? Was the though that blared in everyone’s heads}

_{The Fourth Wall rushed over to soothe him, his breaths slowing. The Fourth Wall hugged Dokja, who gripped onto the frail back like a lifeline. The Fourth Wall enveloped itself around Dokja, who finally leveled out into his usual demeanor. The Fourth Wall released him and backed away to let Dokja ease himself out of the bed.}

_***

_{After everyone recollected themselves, Seolhwa insisted that she treat the Fourth Wall’s wound’s. The rest of the group agreed immediately. Seolhwa then mentioned that the scenario required 3 meals a day.}

_{That job was immediately appointed to Yoo Joonghyuk who (suprisingly) took the job with no reluctance. KimCom knew that Joonghyuk was no joke in the kitchen, so they left him to tend to his duties.}

_***

_{Seolhwa’s face darkened as she peeled off the bandages. All these cuts and lacerations matched perfectly with the ones Kim Dokja had now, albeit missing a decent few the current Dokja had.}

_{She asked the Fourth wall “Where did Dokja get these…?”}

_{The Fourth Wall promptly pressed their lips shut, and shook their head.}

_{“I need to know what kind of injury Dokja had so I can treat it properly” Seolhwa reasoned.}

_{“Se olhwa ca n’t kn ow.”}

_{“Why not?”}

_{“Be cau se Dok ja will be…” the Fourth Wall trailed off.}

_{“Okay.” Seolhwa remembered the weakened and panicked frame of Dokja, quivering like a leaf. It was something to dig into later, left to another date.}

_{Her hands finished cleaning thoroughly their wounds, as she tenderly wrapped the skin in fresh bandages. As far as she could tell, these certainly weren’t injuries that happened because of something. They happened because of someone.}

_***

_{The Fourth Wall was sent off to the lounge to wait for food, where the rest of the group sat. Kim Dokja sat quietly in the center, listening to the various conversations sprinkled around.}

_{The Fourth Wall strides over to the crowd of people, before falling on top of Dokja earring a gentle “Oof” out of him. The Fourth Wall sat there straining, attempting to obstruct him from view.}

_{“Please get off me.” Dokja said through the mass of hair.}

_{“Dok ja ca n’t pro tect him se lf if he tri ed.”}

_{“I can do plenty so! I survived without you for 28 years.”}

_{“On a we b no v el.”}

_{“It’s alright, nothing bad will happen.”}

_{The rest of the group watched their childlike arguing bounce back and forth.}

_{Lee Gilyoung muttered “Oh, so that’s why Hyung keeps on arguing with the air.”}

_{A few of the adults sputtered, and Heewon chuckled. Sooyoung (like the witch she was) cackled wildly. The room then burst into laughter at the statement.}

_{The Forth Wall’s hands covered Dokja’s ears once more, but decided on shifting off of his body in favor of standing behind him.}

_{“What does the ‘Fourth Wall’ do, per se?” Hyunsung inquired.}

_{“Oh, well…” Dokja was unsure how to explain a Skill he himself knew so little about.}

_{“Is your strongest skill just a visual censorship skill?” Sooyoung jeered.}

_{“No t ju st!” The Fourth Wall interjected, puffing out their cheeks in frustration.}

_{“So what do you do?” Sooyoung pressed.}

_{“Sa ng ah al rea dy kn ows” the Fourth Wall looked over at Sangah who sat in the corner. She tensed up a little.}

_{“I don’t think that’s something to share without Dokja-ssi’s permission.” Sangah reasoned.}

_{“But we won’t get anything that way.” Sooyoung pouted.}

_{Undeniably, they all wanted to know more about Kim Dokja. So they pressed on.}

_{“Is that what he really looked like?”}

_{“What kind of stuff did he read?”}

_{“Why is he so thin?”}

_{“Is he actually an ugly Ahjussi?”}

_{“How did he get so hurt?”}

_{“Why didn’t he treat his broken leg?”}

_{“Does the Fourth wall also censor his body?”}

_{“Why is the Fourth Wall Covering your ears like that?”}

_{Their questions bombarded him, as the Fourth wall tried to shield Dokja’s ears from the onslaught of noise. Both of them shook. The interviewers.}

_{Sangah tried to meekly step in, realizing what they were digging up “We should stop asking him questions.” Her voice was drowned out by the onslaught of words from her companions.}

_***

_{Yoo Joonghyuk walked through the hallways carrying a tray loaded with exquisite dishes, as a smell that would make anyone crave his cooking wafted off.}

_{His ears perked up as he heard shouts and yelling from the lounge. He quickened his pace, glasses of water sloshing around wildly in their cups. He propped the tray upon his knee and burst open the door, earning a large slam.}

_***

_{Everyone’s gaze focused on the intruder, food in hand. He strided over to the coffee table nearby before gently approaching Dokja’s trembling figure, which was now curled up.}

_{He crouched down, watching tears stream down his face. He glanced up at the Fourth Wall, which was desperately attempting to cover his meek figure. He saw the Fourth Wall was now translucent and shaking in sync with Dokja’s silent weeps.}

_{Joonghyuk’s eyes flicked over to Sangah who quietly sat nearby. She knew everything about his story. Joonghyuk glared at the other members, before his eyebrow twitched. He huffed for a brief moment and then promptly shoved a murim dumpling into the mouths of the Fourth Wall and Dokja.}

_{Dokja choked, hacking and coughing his way through the dumpling before swallowing. “What was that for?!” Dokja screeched, sitting up straight to confront Joonghyuk. He was yanked by the collar and dragged to a seat at the table as the Fourth Wall hurled insults and teased Dokja’s pitiful position.}

_{The opaque Fourth Wall was promptly shoved down in a seat next to Dokja right after that. Plates were nearly thrown across the table as Joonghyuk set up the dining area. He carefully placed down the tray before forcing food towards the two.}

_{The rest of the group stared at the scene of Joonghyuk demanding that a 31 year old man to eat, technically force feeding them both.}

_{The Fourth Wall said between bites “Ki m Dok ja sho uld ea t mo re in stead of rea ding ab out it. It’s so mu ch be tte r.”}

_{Kim Dokja ignored the snarky comment, instead savoring the budding flavors of various seasonings melting on his tongue. Despite the fact that the Fourth Wall was eating for the first time, it wasn’t really savoring the food because it didn’t really require food in the context of its existence. In stark contrast,}

Chapter Text

Oh my gosh, TYSM y'all!!! This was one of my first fanfics that I made a while ago, so I'm glad to see that y'all liked it!!! tysm for the 33 kudos and 218 hits!!! :D Please check out my Webtoon account, Av1d_R3ader!!

Link:
https://www.webtoons.com/p/community/en/u/_vgwi7p

I'm so happy to see that people like my writing, so I hope you'll like my art too!!!
I'll try my best to pick this back up, but I'm unsure as to what I should do with the plot line next :/ if you guys have any ideas, I would be super heckin' grateful!!!!

( >v<)/❤️

Hope y'all have a good day!!!!!!