sparkle for you ☆!

Ok so this only took me about 2 months to finally get around to putting the list together but anyway here we go (also it’s very long and i spent 5 entire hours writing this all up lmao)

Top 10 Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk moments from Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

Big spoilers my friends

1.「Incarnation Kim Dokja will be killed by the person he loves most.」

Yeah you've read the novel you know how it is. Next.

2. The Demon Realm Reunion

There was a flustered laugh as relief spread from deep inside my heart. I wonder why. I glanced at Aileen's wrist watch at this moment. The clock wasn't going backwards. The time was advancing steadily without rewinding. The needle could go back but time wouldn't return.

"...He came." I was so happy that I wanted to call out his name. -- I smiled and said, "The real Yoo Joonghyuk came." I couldn't see or hear it but I could feel it. That person was definitely in this world. (chapter 220)

These two really pulled a whole Call Me By Your Name re-enactment like?? they each started a revolution and conquered entire cities in the other's name, thereby causing the entire Star Stream to crash for like a week because nobody knew how to deal with this unprecedented public courtship display. 

3. The pocket watch arc (aka my favourite motif)

I suddenly seemed to understand a bit of his mind. To the regressor Yoo Joonghyuk, the time in these worlds didn't belong to him. In a life that could go back over and over again, the present time was meaningless. Once this was over, I would ask Aileen to make me a watch. If he had something like this, he might become more attached to this world. Maybe the regression depression would get better... (chapter 207)

The extent that YJH matters to KDJ.... *sobs* Long quote incoming but this really is one of my favourite scenes ever:

It was a hospital room. He could feel the texture of a soft bed and his right hand touched something hard. Yoo Joonghyuk raised his upper body with a groan and saw a small pocket watch wrapped around his arm with a watch strap. The moving hands of the clock were like his heartbeat. Yoo Joonghyuk looked down at his watch. 

Yoo Joonghyuk looked up at the sky. The sky was bright enough that the light of the stars wasn't needed. He counted the light of the constellations beyond them. He counted and counted again. He didn't know. There were so many stars that he couldn't find the person. -- It must be an error. He sent the message repeatedly, several times over and over. He sent it, sent it and sent it again. 

As the messages kept being returned, Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze slowly lowered. Then finally, 「You have exceeded the quota for today's messages.」 There was a ticking pocket watch in the foreground while messages filled Yoo Joonghyuk's vision. 「The constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' doesn't exist in the Star Stream.」「The constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' doesn't exist in the Star Stream.」「The constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' doesn't exist in the Star Stream.」「The constellation --- (chapter 281)

Mmmm *chefs kiss* IT'S ABOUT THE DESPERATION. THE SOUND OF THE TICKING POCKET WATCH AS THE CHAPTER CONCLUDES BY REPEATING THE SAME STATEMENT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN LIKE THE SOUND OF HIS HEARTBEAT BUILDING UP.

Then later followed by the part where KDJ is reminiscing to a comatose YJH about all their past encounters and joint battles only to fall asleep next to him and wake up to THIS:

The dim moonlight was coming in through the window. It was a bare hospital room. I slowly rubbed my eyes. Then I realised something was wrong. "...Yoo Joonghyuk?" The bed was empty. Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't be seen anywhere in the room. -- I hurriedly got up but I couldn't feel Yoo Joonghyuk anywhere. On the bed, the pocket watch with the familiar design remained. (chapter 355)

IT'S ABOUT THE PARALLEL BETWEEN YJH WAKING UP (in a hospital room) TO A WORLD WITHOUT KDJ WHILE WEARING THE WATCH HE GOT FROM HIM, TO KDJ WAKING UP (also in a hospital room, just for good measure) TO A WORLD WITHOUT YJH WITH ONLY THE WATCH LEFT BEHIND THAT HE ORIGINALLY GAVE HIM. IT'S ABOUT THE SYMBOLISM.

4. Kim Dokja x 1864th round Yoo Joonghyuk

[What? They were fighting and holding each other by the collar a few hours ago...] In the distant place, Kim Dokja seemed to be stroking Yoo Joonghyuk’s head. Looking at this scene, Gabriel was reminded of Uriel and herself. It was different but there was some resemblance. (chapter 288)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: KDJ is such an unreliable narrator who doesn’t tell us anything half of the time even if it’s directly related to the plot, much less if it’s not relevant to the scenarios. For all we know, these two could be holding hands in every scene they are together and we would be none the wiser. Considering they have held hands during battle, they could very well continue doing that outside battle and KDJ has just conveniently decided to omit that from the narrative.

Of course we can’t forget about the legendary moment that comes right after: “Yoo Joonghyuk, eat the soil.”

5. The returnee’s reunion

Midday Tryst was a temporary item. After a certain time elapsed, the period of use had to be extended by paying additional coins. Yet Midday Tryst was activated without delay. In other words, someone had been extending that period of time. (chapter 304)

Keep in mind that KDJ has been gone for THREE YEARS and there was no reason to think he would be back or even alive, yet YJH continuously extended the use of their private chat window. (And later on we see he was even using it as his own little notes app to write about the members of KDJC on the off-chance that KDJ would read them omg that's so endearing wtf that's literally so cute??) And then of course the reunion itself:

We fought desperately as if it was the only conversation we could share with each other. -- I couldn't help smiling. I thought this whole thing was a misunderstanding. I thought Yoo Joonghyuk attacked me because he didn't recognize me. Nevertheless, it wasn't like that. -- Yoo Joonghyuk recognized me and knew I would come here. I didn't know how it was possible but it was obvious. He was waiting for me here. (chapter 304)

*cries* also note how before KDJ landed on Earth he said “I’m going to look for somebody” and the Flying Fox was like “Oho do you have a lover waiting?” and KDJ legit just smiled at him. *dries tears* anyway moving on 

6. This absolute shoujo manga moment

If it fails, I would die here. At this moment, the weight of the spear lightened. Someone was also holding onto the spear from behind me. -- “Kim Dokja, there is only one chance.” It was an eternal ‘once’. A ‘once’ made with the countless failures of the regressor. “It has always been ‘once’ for me.” Thus, this one chance couldn’t fail. We threw the spear at the same time. (chapter 331)

No wonder it was nominated for Best Chemistry Award at the Banquet of Good And Evil

7. The re-introduction on Reincarnation Island

"My name is Kim Dokja. Twenty-eight... No, wait. I was twenty-eight, and I was an employee of a game company. My hobby was reading web novels...” As if I was talking to someone I met for the first time, I continued to tell my own story. “It’s pathetic, right? Well, this is who I am... Yoo Joonghyuk, who are you?” 

To me, Yoo Joonghyuk was someone I ‘knew’ since from a long time ago. To be more specific, he was someone I read all about myself. That was why I had never heard about his story in his own words. He finally opened his mouth. “I am Yoo Joonghyuk. -- Yoo Joonghyuk, a former regressor.” (chapter 370)

THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT HERE!!! KDJ’s coming to terms with YJH being his own person, taking a step to genuinely introducing himself and getting to know someone after a lifetime of loneliness and isolation, YJH’s no longer defining himself as a regressor, and of course the development in their dynamic as Companions of Life and Death. And KDJ’s resolution to not use Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint on YJH anymore because that would reduce him to a character again. It’s brilliant.

8. Yoo Joonghyuk vs. Secretive Plotter

[Why are you tring to rescue Kim Dokja? At the end of the day, isn’t he just another Constellation you hate so much?] --- “He, the ‘Demon King of Salvation’, might be a Constellation, but... -- That ‘Kim Dokja’... He isn’t a Constellation. No, he’s simply a human.” (chapter 415)

And to match KDJ understanding that YJH isn’t a character, we have YJH realising that KDJ is just human. It’s so simple yet means so much. The whole fight between YJH and SP is a wonder to read, like YJH’s devotion to KDJ, the length he is willing to go to save him, the way he also at one point used KDJ’s own words from their re-introduction above to describe him to the SP whilst adding his own explanations of why KDJ is so precious to them all. I’m crying.

9. Just... every soft and quiet moment between these two

I sneakily averted my gaze and began chowing the dumplings as well ... If I used the [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint] here, I might have heard something more entertaining just now, but well, I swore not to use that anymore, so... “...It’s not that bad, I suppose,” I heard Yoo Joonghyuk’s nearly-inaudible muttering and quietly looked up at the sky. 

The stars of the night sky sparkled as they looked down at us, as if the destruction of the worlds was a story belonging to a distant realm. While chewing the dumpling, I began thinking this for the first time. That I wouldn’t have minded this story going on for a little while longer. (chapter 429)

There are so many quiet moments that I just absolutely adore - their first talk on the rooftop at the beginning of the story, in the Demon Realm when they had a proper conversation for the first time over a cup of tea, the aftermath of the Proof of the Stars scenario when they just lay on the floor exhausted and content, confident in being companions instead of betrayer and betrayed. 

But if i had to pick just one to make the cut for this list, it would be this scene when they were re-enacting the Journey to the West. Same scenario where KDJ is technically still in disguise but we now know that the others were aware of who it really was all along, and YJH never hesitated to treat KDJ’s wounds with the most valuable potions. I love how YJH always seems like such a down-to-Earth guy whenever he’s just eating his favourite dumplings. I love how KDJ is sticking to his resolution not to treat YJH as a character by using the skill. I love how the first time KDJ is content just living in the present is at this so ordinary moment, standing next to YJH.

10. The World of Zero

“The world that I designed. the one that Yoo Joonghyuk brought to reality. The 0th turn’s story, completed in this manner. “Sometimes, this peace feels like an illusion... And every now and then, I get the feeling that my life has been completed by someone else.” [Constellation ‘Demon King of Salvation’ is...] 

“I didn’t mean to say I’m unhappy,” Yoo Joonghyuk smiled faintly. I dazedly stared at him for a moment there, having finally learned that he was capable of such a smile. --- “Tell me, you fool. If I continue to regress, will I get to meet you again?” (chapter 524)

The cause of my suffering. The reason for my sleepless nights. The origin of my tears. I just can’t get over it, the way that KDJ and YJH are made for each other, both narratively and symbolically. YJH was created for KDJ to help him live, but YJH the regressor as we know him wouldn’t exist in the first place without KDJ being destined to be his sponsor and keeping the story alive as the Oldest Dream. It comes full circle, the one wouldn’t exist without the other, this is some actual soulmate material. And YJH choosing to regress after a completely succesful round and fulfilling life, just to meet his Demon King of Salvation (WHICH HE DOES, AFTER 1864 ROUNDS. THAT’S ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE LIFETIMES, JUST TO MEET ONE PERSON)

someone 30-40 years older than me: they've been around for awhile you just getting into them?