CHAPTER 09 : IT WAS YOU

                                    

                                          
CHAPTER 09 : IT WAS YOU
“...ja.”
“...”
“...im Dokja.”
“...”
“Kim Dokja!” Along with a smack, Punisher shouted directly to his ear. Kim Dokja was awakened from his imaginary world. He saw Punisher go back to her previous location after getting his eardrums hurt.
“Geez… You didn't need to yell.” Kim Dokja grunt as he rubbed his ear. Ever since he wore the Constrictive Headband, the symptoms of his curse didn't resurface for two weeks. However, he could only see the movements of the hand being slowed, not completely stopping at all. He could only sighed in dejection as he prepared himself once it struck 12. 
“You're too preoccupied to even hear me.”
Within those two weeks, the meet ups with Punisher continued. Punisher was also somewhat of a worrywart. Maybe because she saw him collapse twice. 
“Sorry, I just have something on my mind.” Kim Dokja excuses. “So… What are you saying again?” 
“I dislike that headband of yours.” Yoo Jonghyuk spat out.
“No, not that.” Kim Dokja retorted. He already heard those statements for the past two weeks, sometimes thrice in a day. This made Kim Dokja wonder why Punisher hated the Constrictive Headband, when Sun Wukong himself told Kim Dokja it suited him. 
“...Lately, I became interested in a certain topic.” Yoo Jonghyuk started. Because Kim Dokja didn't even bother to say something about the curse, Yoo Jonghyuk thought he should have initiated it in a roundabout way.
“Oh! When you said you were interested, I thought you became interested in someone.”
“Make that cheeky mouth of yours to stop speaking nonsense.”
Kim Dokja raised both his hands in surrender. He chuckled as he said. “Okay, okay. So what's next?”
Yoo Jonghyuk gave Kim Dokja his signature glare before he continued. “Do you believe in curses?”
“Why? You want to curse someone? Why don't you just spat out curses, I'm sure they'll become petrified with your sharp tongue—” 
Cracked! 
Kim Dokja behaved himself and shut his mouth when Yoo Jonghyuk split the chopstick in half with his bare hand. He felt like if he continued, it would be his bones who would end up cracking instead. Sweats formed on his forehead. “I, I promise, I'll stop now.”
Yoo Jonghyuk stared at Kim Dokja for a moment, observing if he would still act naughtily. Seeing how 'obedient' Kim Dokja had become, who was currently putting leaf cabbage on his mouth, Yoo Jonghyuk opened his mouth once again. “Your answer?”
Kim Dokja recalled the question Punisher threw earlier. He chewed the leaf cabbage before answering. “I do.” He also inwardly thought. ‘The best example is already in front of you.’
He thought Kim Dokja would lie or change the topic again, but he actually said yes. So Yoo Jonghyuk started whatever he planned to do. “Just think of this as a simulation.”
“Hm. Then?”
“Imagine you're a cursed person, how would you react?”
“I would be shocked of course.” Kim Dokja answered, then he saw Punisher move her hand to the hilt of her sword. He immediately changed his answer. “W-why are you like that? If I was cursed then I would really be shocked. After that I'll find a way to break it.”