pyojeol | kenos inbox

[ With his eyes closed and his hands in the way to further block out any light, Dokja finds some comfort in the darkness. He thinks he fades in and out of consciousness, his frazzled mind exhausted by this strange experience, but then he's abruptly pulled awake by the sound of his name.

When he peeks out from behind his hands, there's some hope that he'll find a nurse and that he'll be back in his hospital room, the familiar bustle of the staff just outside the door. But he doesn't get either of these things, his gaze landing on a woman he's entirely unfamiliar with, and that sends him scurrying back against the corner despite it no longer having any more room for him. His heart starts beating faster in his chest at the sight of this moving adult, an odd occurrence when everyone else in the library is frozen still.

But... she knows his name.

He hesitates as he lowers his hands a bit more, showing his battered face to stare up at her with wide, cautious eyes. They shine with the presence of tears even now, but there's a look of curiosity present as well. ]

Yes, miss...?

[It takes a moment for Sooyoung to realize that time has actually frozen around her. She'd thought it a side-effect from her own shock, you know -- like those moments in movies when time slows down to a crawl, right when the protagonist is on the brink of discovering something, reuniting with someone. ...Would this count as a reunion? Can you reunite with someone you never technically met? There was a book she read once, that had something like that -- meeting someone you only met before in your dreams.

I just want to meet him again.

She only remembers wanting to. Nothing about what she'd do when she did. Her nerves are all strung up, she feels as tightly wound as the bandage on her wrist even as she fights to remain calm on the outside. She looks at him for another moment, then walks over to him -- the confident stride at odds with her nerves.]

Show me your hand.

[THAT ISN'T HER NAME?]

[ The way she strides over to him, quick and assured, sends Dokja scrabbling back, his slippers sliding uselessly against the smooth floor. Her demand to see his hand also causes him to curl his fingers inward, fear blooming in his chest at the odd request and not understanding what she wants with his hand. In his experience, adults have either hurt him or ignored him, so having one approach him like this sends him into a mild panic.

He stares up at her with wide, frightened eyes. This close, he definitely doesn't recognize her, which makes the fact that she knows his name very suspicious. ]

W-why?

[ At least he manages to stammer out the question rather than quietly shake in his corner. ]

[What a childish voice.

Which makes sense, considering the Dokja in front of her is a child. His reaction makes sense too, aligning with what she knows of him. It frustrates her, stoking the spark of anger until it leaps into all too familiar flame. Isn't this anger meaningless? All those people who hurt him are dead now, even before they arrived in Kenos. They've been dead. His father, his relatives, his teachers, his classmates -- every uncaring and cruel person Dokja's encountered in his life. She thinks about telling him that now, as if that might make things better -- to know that they're all gone. As if that would undo everything they did.

Instead, she holds out her own hand, fingers folded into a fist, clearly hiding something in her palm.]

Because if you don't, then I'll end up throwing this at you instead. Hurry up.

[She's never been good with kids. That's Kim Dokja's job, and Yoo Joonghyuk's. Children can stay as far away as possible from her, thanks. Gilyoung and Yooseung are exceptions only because they're not children -- not to Sooyoung, at least. And Mia is too much like YJH to really think of as kid either. She's like a mini YJH. Dokja is the first kid in a long time she's interacted with, and it probably shows.]

[ It absolutely shows. Dokja's a little taken aback at how blunt she is, like they're supposed to be familiar with each other. Which... maybe they are? She knows his name, after all, and the way she addresses him doesn't feel like the typical sort of malice he's usually encountered.

Ah... The possibility that the fall had knocked some memories out of his head do get considered for just a brief moment, but none of the doctors had mentioned anything about amnesia to him.

Anyway, he's hesitated for long enough. The threat of having something thrown at him at least gets him moving. After another second of deliberation, Dokja slowly unfolds his hands from his chest. His gaze goes to her clenched fist at first, then back at her face as if seeking answers. But when nothing comes, he finally does as he's told and tentatively reaches out with one hand. ]

kenos inbox

fucking dies

THESE ICONS ARE SO SAD

then don't look at them

i refused to look at them for almost a month

you're so valid for that