"Hey, what do you think looks good to wear?' Dokja asked them while looking at the mirror and holding two different outfits, contemplating what he should wear. Sooyoung and Heewon just looked at him blankly, bored.
"The one on the right..."
"The one on the left…"
Dokja turned his attention to them and saw that both of them were looking at him with boredom, yawning as if they were about to fall asleep. "Both of you aren't listening, are you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
They looked at each other before looking at him again and said, "We are listening..." But Dokja gave them a deadpan stare. Sooyoung sighed and said, annoyed, "Well, it doesn't matter what you wear anyway. That bastard is already in love with you."
"Yeah, but this is my first outing with him, I should at least look good for it, right?" Sooyoung and Heewon exchanged glances, silently judging him. As if the two hadn't already gone on dates.The same day Joonghyuk expressed his interest in courting him, he asked Dokja to go to the star festival with him.
The prince suggested it as a way for the both of them to get to know each other better. He thought it would be a good way for Dokja to see him as a romantic interest, seeing how Dokja couldn't yet comprehend why Joonghyuk would want him.
Dokja shook his head and looked at himself in the mirror. "I really don't know what to wear," he said, scowling.Then, he turned his head towards Sooyoung and Heewon, "Hey, both of you, can't you help me?"
Sooyoung sighed and walked towards him. "You know I'm not good at this, right?" she said, sounding annoyed.
"I can tell..."
"Shut up!"
"How about this?" Heewon said, capturing the attention of both Sooyoung and Dokja. She held up a plain tunic made of linen, paired with loose-fitting trousers and a hooded cloak. Dokja stared at the clothes, a pensive look on his face.
"Isn't it too simple?"
Sooyoung chimed int, "Simple looks good on you. Plus, it doesn't hurt to blend in the crowd. You can't be attracting attention, especially if you don't want your date with lover boy messed up by rapid citizens."
Dokja puts his hand on his chin, appearing deep in thought. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded and took the clothes to change into.
---
After the next few hours of Han Sooyoung and Heewon pep-talking him to prepare him for the date, and a couple of well wishes from his parents to enjoy the night out (along with adamant reminders to keep safe), Dokja went off to the night market. As he walked up to the street, he saw Joonghyuk waiting for him near one of the stalls.
"Nice to see you, Your Highness," Dokja muttered awkwardly as he bowed, Joonghyuk doing the same. Both shifted nervously, not quite knowing where to proceed from there. As happy as they were to finally acknowledge each kther's feelings, it didn't take away the fact that neither of them had any experience in this sort of thing.
Nevertheless, the two steeled their nerves, determined to have fun. It'd be a waste of time if they spent the entire time overthinking their actions and being nervous around one another. While they had this time together, they might as well use it enjoying each other's presence.
With a determined stride, Dokja decided to loop his arms around Joonghyuk's started guiding him around the market, showing him the stalls that he enjoyed from his time with Sooyoung, Jiwon and Heewon. Joonghyuk, initially surprised that Dokja was the one who took the initiative, slowly felt himself relax as they looked around the market, enjoying Dokja's proximity as the other man lead him around the market excitedly.
Though the prince happily indulged Dokja in foraging through the mountains of novels in the book stalls, he was much more reluctant to get anything from the numerous food stalls that lined the street, even upon Dokja's insistence. He only gave in since Dokja weaponized his cute pouting lips against him, with Dokja 's stomach rumbling half an hour into their walk from all the aromas from the stalls permeating down the street.
They settled on a dumpling stall run by a sweet old lady. She'd called out to them first, saying she'd give a discount to them.
"Such nice-looking young men like yourselves ought to eat a lot, you need a lot of food if you want to grow up big and strong!" Was what she reasoned.
Nevertheless, Joonghyuk insisted on paying the full amount. Dokja practically inhaled the dumplings, almost regretting how fast he finished them after taking the last bite. The dumplings were soft and warm, and the broth they were served in tasted perfect. He turned to Joonghyuk to ask if he liked it, only to find him. giving a scrutinizing look at the food.
"Aw, come one, Joonghyuk, are your really going to let that nice old lady's delicious food go to waste?" Dokja gave him an unimpressed look, hands on his hips.
After grumbling his denial about doing such a thing, the prince took a tentative bite from the dumpling, only for his eyes to widen comically. As he chewed, he looked down at the dumpling in the small bowl unbelievingly, as if it were some kind of miracle.
"Uwaaa, what is this I see? Could it be that the esteemed Joonghyuk himself is actually enjoying food made by another person at last? To think you would've passed up on this if I hadn't forced you to try it out. You should thank me, y'know."
Dokja continued to prod and tease Joonghyuk, who simply ignored him in favor of taking his time to enjoy the rest of the dumplings on his plate.
"Hmph, this is simply a lucky exception. Besides, why would I thank you when I should be thanking that lady running the stall? Wait for me here, I'm going to ask her for the recipe."
Taking the emptied plate and utensil the Dokja held in his hand, Joonghyuk went to throw them away before approaching the dumpling lady, all the while Dokja entertained himself by looking around the street to see what other stalls they should visit.
After Joonghyuk returned, slipping a piece of paper with hastily jotted down notes on it into his pocket, they both set off to continue exploring the rest of the night market. Neither of them bothered to by much, each content with just enjoying each other's company and people watching the multitude of citizens that decided to gather here tonight just like them.
After quite some time of wandering around, the two men approached the town square, the sound of music and jovial laughter only getting louder and louder with each step they took towards it. Upon reaching the area, they saw a few performers playing instruments in front of the large fountain in the middle of the square. Around them, people had paired up to dance to the music, lovers, friends, and even strangers pulling one another into the crowd to dance together.
Sparing a small glance at each other, both sharing the same excited glints in their eyes, Dokja and Joonghyuk wordlessly intertwined their hands together before joining in. Dokja laughed joyfully as he danced, each step and swing of his body filled with a child-like playfulness that almost no one around him had ever gotten the opportunity to see. All the while Joonghyuk couldn't take his eyes off him.
He really was blind not to realize sooner that he was in love with this fool. His smile, his smug banter, his cunning intelligence; he really did love everything about Dokja. The times when he'd held so much malice against the man felt like a far-off dream. To think there was ever a time that he'd hated this man to the point he was willing to kill him. In the back of his mind a small part of himself couldn't help but be insecure about the impending loss of his title.
He knew that Dokja wasn't so shallow as to abandon him just because he'd become a commoner. But it was still a question of if and how their dynamic would change; he wanted to be a person capable of supporting Dokja in all his endeavors. By becoming a commoner, they'd live in two different worlds, and though Joonghyuk would still have his reputation and skills to rely on, it would only carry him so far when trying to stand side by side with the heir to the Underworld dukedom.
"Joonghyuk~ah," Joonghyuk snapped back to reality when Dokja called his name, smiling at him warmly, as if he were the most precious thing in the world.
And… ah.
Joonghyuk supposed that while he was distracted, someone had come along and replaced the Underworld heir he had previously held in his arms with an angel…no, a deity. As they spun around in circles the rest of the crow faded into the background and the music turned muted, leaving only the saturated streetlights to illuminate Dokja's captivating beauty. The light caught on to his eyelashes, illuminating his figure to form a halo of light around him.
Right now, Joonghyuk a mere human in the presence of his beloved god, whose star laden eyes he'd happily drown in for the rest of his life.
Only when a resounding boom went off did the rest of the world finally faze back into reality, night sky colored with fireworks of different hues, the mesmerized gasps of the crowd being drowned out by the distant explosions in the sky. They were so mesmerized, in fact, that they would never notice the tender kiss the first prince of the Seoul Empire and the heir to the Underworld Dukedom shared in that moment. Only the fading sparks of the fireworks could serve as a witness as that lit up their silhouettes in the night.
Not able to bear the thought of this wonderful moment ending, Joonghyuk hyuk held Dokja's body close, burying his face in the man's neck as he inhaled Dokja's scent. Surprised but endeared by Joonghyuk's clinginess, Dokja smiled and patted Joonghyuk's head, taking the chance to run his fingers through the prince's way locks.
"Your hair is as soft as Biyoo..."
"Biyoo...?" Joonghyuk frowned as he pulled away from the hug. Accompanying Dokja as often as he did nowadays meant he'd gotten to know the majority of his friends and family one way or another, but over these past few weeks he didn't recall ever encountering a 'Biyoo', nor had he heard Dokja mention them. He tilted his head at Dokja in confusion.
Dokja stared at Joonghyuk for a moment, amusedly thinking to himself that Joonghyuk looked like a confused dog before realizing what he had said. "Oh, Biyoo? She's my baby," he clarified with a smile, his thoughts filled with fondness for his adorable little fluffball.
"Your… what?" Of course Dokja already had Lee Gilyeong and Shin Yoosung as his children, but the way her referred to Biyoo seemed a bit different somehow. Was she perhaps not adopted, and actually his biological child?
Dokja referred to her as a baby, so he could've only received her recently… so why didn't he tell Joonghyuk about her, and who was the parent… unless…
Joonghyuk grabbed Dokja's shoulder, causing him to flinch. "Dokja... did you get pregnant?" he asked in a panic.
Dokja's eyes widened to the size of saucer. "The hell? Of course not, what made you think that!?"
"Then who's child is Biyoo?"
"Well me, duh?"
"Why don't I ever see her at you manor?"
"Huh, she lives in the forest…"
"What?! You leave your child all alone in the forest?" Was this some sort of strange Underworld Duchy child raising tradition? Either way Joonghyuk wouldn't have any of it. His mind flashed back to the days when he was raising Yoo Mia all by himself, the thought of leaving her behind in such a dangerous place made knots form in his stomach.
Dokja frowned, then realized he made Joonghyuk misunderstand the situation. He quickly clarified, "Ah, wait, no, no, Biyoo isn't a human baby. She is a creature of the forest, and the forest is her home. She is safe and well taken care of there." His arms flailed in the air as he clumsily tried to explain. He probably looked like a terrible human being during that moment of confusion, he could only imagine what Joonghyuk was thought about him as he imagined Dokja abandoning a child in the forest.
Now it was Joonghyuk's turn to frown. He recalled the rumors he had heard about mysterious creatures in the forest, beings that were not quite like ordinary animals. More recently there were even whispers of a devil who could communicate with these creatures. Nevertheless, his curiosity was piqued. Dokja spoke about this creature with such affection that it was probably safe to take a look... right? Besides, as the person trying to court Dokja, it was only expected for him to try to get to know every aspect of his life.
"Dokja... Can I meet Biyoo?"
---
"… you do know where you're going, right, Kim Dokja?"
Joonghyuk's prior curiosity was starting to wane into doubt as the traversed through the dark forest, the moonlight being the only thing lighting up their way forward. Rumors of the mysterious forest creatures must've warded off any human attempts to develop the area, because there were no signs or paths to follow. He could only trust that Dokja knew what her was doing, but that trust was fading fast. The pince could've sworn that they passed the same rock three times in a row.
Dokja then put his hand on his chin, making a thoughtful expression.
"Who knows" he said with a smile and a shrug
"…"
Feeling Joonghyuk's judgmental stare burning holes into his back, Dokja chuckled and reassured him, "Don't worry, Joonghyuk~ah. We don't need to find them; they are the ones who will find us." Dokja reassured cryptically.
Despite Joonghyuk's lingering uncertainty, he sighed and decided to trust Dokja's judgment. They continued walking through the dark forest, making sure to stay close to each other for safety. As Joonghyuk and Dokja continued walking, their attention was suddenly caught by a movement in the nearby foliage. Joonghyuk's senses sharpened, and he became instantly alert, his gaze fixed on the spot. They both pause and remained cautious, ready to react to any threat that was going to make itself known.
As the plants parted, Biyoo, Popo, and the Griffin emerged and rushed towards Dokja and embraced him in a warm hug, to both men's surprise. Joonghyuk's initial alarm turned into relief as he witnessed the friendly interaction between Dokja and the creatures. It seemed that Dokja really did have a friendly relationship with these strange creatures.
"Awww, I missed you guys too," Dokja said, smiling as the creatures hugged him, trying his best to reciprocate.
After the small group gradually loosened their embrace, their attention then shifted to Joonghyuk, who had been observing the scene with a curious gaze. The creatures were… different from what he had imagined him to be. The stories that he'd heard about them made them out to be much more terrifying and incomprehensible forces of nature, but the creatures that stood before him now seemed like anything but that.
As they stood there, a silent understanding seemed to pass between Joonghyuk and the creatures.
"Ba-at?" [Who is he?]," Biyoo asked, her innocent eyes shining in wonder at the two humans in front of her.