#and honestly at this point anyone who says that they're not in love (1864th regression at the very least) are just wrong

[everyyoojoonghyuk]

Spoilers for orv. Idk up to where cause I can't remember just don't continue if you haven't finished the novel

Anyway another day another thinking about YJH and how S O F T he is

Especially how 999th regression YJH fits into it

He basically did everything like how KDJ did, except without all the cheats that KDJ was able to nab and literally lost whole parts of his body and couldn't even reach the end himself because he made sure his companions could instead

And it's not like he even particularly tried to reach the end himself that run, it was more of a throwaway. A big whoop-dee-doo for living 1000 lives. Every other life he was selfish and cruel and violent (especially as he goes through more and more regressions). The goal here was to get to the end no matter what - which included seeing his friends die constantly

Despite that, we know that he genuinely cares for the companions that he makes throughout the regressions, he just gets more and more hurt seeing them die and subsequently cheer him on life after life that he detaches himself as much as possible to avoid the hurt. It's like getting a wound over a scar over and over - eventually the re-scarred tissue becomes very tough and unable to move much

I mean. It's a testament on how much he cared for them that he gave up an entire regression just to see them succeed. Even being 1000 lives in, he continued to care for them

And the 999th YJH that we see is the kkoma version. And he's just. So nice. He takes care of KDJ, makes sure he's fed with things he likes, protects him from the outer gods, gives him his coat, goes with him on his journey, and even teaches him how to make murim dumplings! Of course, he's still YJH, being blunt and sorta deadpanned all the time, but the rest of his personality stands out so much because of its uniqueness

But is it really so unique? Again, he's still a part of YJH. This isn't out of the ordinary for YJH wholely, it's just that the guy distanced himself because he knows that no matter what, either his companions will die and he will reach the end, or he will die so they can reach the end, so he doesn't show those parts of himself often. We can see it a LOT more in the regression that KDJ shows up in though because of how much he helps and how he takes the lead in taking care of their companions. He even goes full dad mode on the grill when they go on vacation which is adorable

And not to make everything about joondok but KDJ truly does bring out the softness in him. And that's true for every YJH that meets him. 999 is very nice to him, 666 is tsundere but still helps, 81 (I think) cooks for him, Secretive Plotter, although through kidnapping, still wants him to learn the truth ("and if he can't then ig he should stay here with me UwU 🥺" like we get it buddy this is a small foreshadow to how you will cherish Oldest Dream and spend the rest of your existence caring for him, every YJH loves every KDJ and vice versa WE GET IT) and let's him leave, 1863 YJH is ridiculously soft for KDJ after he learns of his journey thus far and literally dies for him after knowing him for I think 3 days. Of course the top contenders for "I AM SOFT FOR KDJ" is 0th regression and 1864th regression YJH

Like. "If I regress will I ever be able to see you again?" He literally had his happily ever after and choOSE TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO MEET KIM DOKJA INSTEAD. He KNEW what was in store for him but he didn't care!!!!!!! He loves him too much to care!!!!! Though honestly I don't think it was a romantic love at that point or he wouldn't have gotten with Seolhwa because he is a very genuine guy and wouldn't get with someone he wasn't in love with. I think there was a different love though. The best friend kind. The kind that can only come from someone who was by your side no matter what. Yoo Joonghyuk loved that the Demon King of Salvation adored his story and wanted to end the guy's solitude no matter what

Which brings me to 1864 YJH!!!! AKA the one we all know nearest and dearest

It does not take long for YJH to get attacked to KDJ once they finally meet (again). He is so different that by the 6th scenario, when he's fighting adult SYS, she notes that he is acting strange. KDJ himself notes several times during the entirety of ORV that his actions are "unlike him." And almost - if not entirely - every time this is mentioned, it has something to do with how well he treats KDJ

One of my favourite, yet overlooked, aspects of YJH bring soft for KDJ is that he is the only person he will eat food from. He usually only eats meals that he prepares himself because he's stuck up about cooking, but but KDJ! It doesn't happen often, but several times he eats what KDJ makes, including murim dumplings that were made so well he forgot to be stuck up

I'm rambling by now, but my point is that KDJ brings out the best in YJH and the latter is so deeply in love so early on that it's embarrassing and shows to literally everyone everywhere to the point that many people think that they're an item