Chapter Text
“Soo‑young‑ah! Hurry up, will ya?”
Kim Dokja yelled loudly outside the door — it had already been twenty minutes since he arrived at her apartment.
“This irresponsible dolt…”
he muttered under his breath, utterly frustrated.
As he stood there waiting for what felt like hours, Han Soo‑young finally decided to make her appearance.
Her shoulder‑grazing hair looked very much akin to a shrub, and her eyes were swallowed by dark, coffee‑like shadows.
“What the hell happened to you?” Kim Dokja tilted his head, his lips curling into a teasing grin.
“You look like a hedgehog.”
“Ugh. Just shut up, will ya? I’m already in a bad mood.”
“Oh my!”
Kim Dokja gasped dramatically and lowered his head.
“I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart! I deeply regret bothering you when you were already in a terrible mood!”
“You cheeky brat!”
Han Soo‑young growled and tugged at his ears.
Kim Dokja laughed, and Soo‑young’s lips eventually began to crinkle at the corners.
“Okay now. Let’s goooo.”
The two of them walked together for a while.
“Okay but seriously,” Dokja said, glancing at her, “what’s wrong? Everything okay?”
Han Soo‑young glared at him — scrutinizing his face for any signs of mockery, but Kim Dokja’s expression was completely sincere.
She eventually sighed.
“Ugh. We had a group assignment and my partner decided to just travel to a whole ass country and dump all the work on me. That little–!”
She started pulling at her already disheveled hair, babbling about how her group partner was a jerk.
“Why didn’t you just tell that to the professor?”
“Hm?”
“I mean, why not just tell him you finished your parts and your partner didn’t do anything?”
“Oh, I wish. That dude’s such a jerk! He just wants the assignment completed or it’s a zero. Ugh, that old geezer!”
(Tl: im lowkey just describing my own teacher. HES SUCH A JERK!)
She tugged at her hair again, now ranting about that “old geezer.”
Kim Dokja chuckled and the two of them walked together while ranting on about how much they hate their professors.
The two of them finally arrived at the college they both attend
“Alright then see ya later!”
They both waved at each other before parting ways and walking into their own classrooms.
And with that, the two of them went about their day: listening to lectures, sleeping and then getting yelled at, texting each other, sending memes, etc…
***
The bell rang, and Kim Dokja was just packing up his stuff when he was approached by three of his classmates. He didn’t need to look up to know who they were — he could already tell from their taunting giggles.
“Leaving so soon?”
The larger man laughed and grabbed Dokja’s chin, forcing him to meet his gaze.
“Did you forget what day it is? ’Cause I hope you didn’t.”
Song Minwoo and his two sidekicks had a habit of cornering Kim Dokja every Friday, demanding he buy them lunch like it was some kind of weekly tax.
And today, unfortunately, it just so happened to be that very day.
Today was not Kim Dokja’s day. He’d hoped those idiots would leave him alone just this once. He was broke, starving, and still had to buy Han Soo‑young her precious tteokbokki.
He sighed and muttered under his breath, barely loud enough to hear.
“I don’t have any money.”
“What was that? I didn’t quite hear you.”
Minwoo laughed, his sidekicks echoing him like parrots.
Kim Dokja inhaled sharply and raised his voice, forcing himself to be clear this time.
“I said… I don’t have any money.”
Minwoo froze, dumbfounded for a moment. Then his expression twisted.
“What kinda bullshit is that? Hey, you little twerp. You tryna act tough right now?”
Dokja gripped his bag tighter, his lips trembling.
“I don’t have any mon—”
Before he could finish, Minwoo shoved him hard against the wall.
Minwoo grabbed his collar, yanking him close. Their faces were inches apart — close enough that Dokja could feel the heat of his breath.
“Don’t give me that bullshit.”
Kim Dokja squeezed his eyes shut. His eyelashes trembled, and he bit down on his quivering lip, trying not to make a sound.
Minwoo’s grip tightened on his collar, knuckles whitening.
Kim Dokja tried to speak again; His voice was small and his breath shaky.
“I really don’t…have any–”
His voice was cut off again — this time by a sharp impact that exploded across his cheek, snapping his head to the side. His back hit the wall again, harder this time. A dull ringing filled his ears and his vision blurred.
Pain pulsed beneath his eye, hot and immediate.
Minwoo clicked his tongue “That’s what you get for talking back”
Dokja pressed a trembling hand to his cheek, feeling the sting spread under his skin. He kept his gaze down, swallowing hard, trying not to let his voice crack.
“…I told you,” he whispered, “I don’t have anything.”
Minwoo scoffed, shoving him one last time before turning away.
“Next Friday. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Their laughter faded down the hallway, leaving Kim Dokja alone — breathing unevenly, eye throbbing, and his pride stinging even worse.
“Damn you bastards…” Kim Dokja muttered under his breath.
He headed straight for the washroom, keeping his head down and avoiding any unnecessary conversation. When he pushed the door open, the room was empty — quiet, echoing, the kind of silence that only happened when everyone else had already gone home.
He stepped up to the mirror.
And froze.
“SHIT–!”
The shout ripped out of him before he could stop it.
His left eye was completely swollen, darkening into an ugly bruise.
“Dammit… those bastards…”
He splashed cool water on his face, even though he knew it wouldn’t magically erase anything.
He stared at his reflection again and groaned.
“Soo‑young’s gonna kill me.”
And she would.
She’d kill him first, then resurrect him just to kill him again, and THEN go hunt down the people who did this.
Especially because just last week, she’d tried to confront them, and he’d stopped her, insisting he “already handled it.”
Which, of course, was nothing but a big, stupid lie.
Typical Dokja.
He tugged his bangs lower. Didn’t help.
He angled his face to the left. Worse.
He angled it to the right. Somehow even worse.
“Screw it.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked out of the bathroom with his hair sticking out in every direction.
As he stepped outside, he pulled out his phone and typed quickly:
“Hey, something came up. I gotta head home early.”
He stared at the message.
Then his eyes widened.
“…Shit.”
It was Friday.
Friday meant tteokbokki.
Friday meant Soo‑young would actually murder him if he bailed.
Friday meant they had to go to ‘The Cozy Library’ where they’d game for a couple hours then read the latest chapter of the comic they’d been SO obsessed with the past two years.
He groaned loudly into the empty hallway.
“Why is my life like this…”
He started walking, frustrated, tired, and praying Soo‑young wouldn’t notice anything.
But fate hated Kim Dokja.
(Tl: Reminds me of the fate....)
Because halfway down the path, he heard it. A low, cold voice behind him.
“Hey. Kim Dokja.”
He froze.
His soul left his body.
He turned around slowly.
“Ah ah… S‑soo‑young… h-hey…”
Her eyes were dark.
Her expression was blank.
And a murderous aura was radiating off her.
“WHERE,” she said, voice trembling with rage, “IS THAT BASTARD.”
He panicked.
“Soo‑young‑ah, wait– it’s fine– I’m fine–”
“DON’T LIE TO ME. WHO HIT YOU.”
“It’s– it’s nothing! Really! I’m totally fine! Look– look, it’s Friday, right? I’m supposed to buy you tteokbokki, remember? We should go. Right now. Immediately. Before the line gets long. Let’s go–”
She glared at him so hard he thought he might die on the spot.
But eventually, after a long, tense stare, she exhaled sharply.
“…Fine. But you’re telling me everything later.”
He nodded rapidly.
“Of course. Absolutely. Later. Much later.”
She grabbed his wrist and dragged him forward.
And together, they headed towards ‘The Cozy Library’ — the place they had pretty much grown up in.
***
Ok Guys now ofc! A background story!
Han Soo‑young and Kim Dokja met for the first time in a hospital.
A fire had broken out during a celebration at the mall. Many people didn’t make it out — including both of their parents. Dokja was seven. Soo‑young was five. Two kids who had lost everything on the same day.
T
hey were placed in the same hospital room, their beds pushed side by side. They didn’t talk much at first, but they didn’t need to. Just having someone else there made the room feel a little less empty.
The doctor who took care of them often brought them to a small library owned by her daughter. It wasn’t big or fancy, but it became their safe place. They spent most of their time there — reading, drawing, or just sitting together because they didn’t know where else to go.
They grew up like that.
Middle school together.
High school together.
Always side by side.
Even though Dokja was two years older, they ended up in the same grade because of the time they both spent in the hospital. They both graduated the same year and finally moved into their own apartments. But nothing really changed. They still visited the library every day. And on Fridays, they stayed the night — gaming until they were half‑asleep, then sitting under the same blanket like real siblings, reading the newest chapter of the comic they had been obsessed with for two years.
The same comic they would eventually fall into.
(Tl: Kim Dokja is now 23 and Soo-young is 21!)