Plotter of the Opera

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/47952208.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: M/M
Fandom: 전지적 독자 시점 - 싱숑 | Omniscient Reader - Sing-Shong
Relationship: Kim Dokja/Yoo Joonghyuk, Kim Dokja/Secretive Plotter
Character: Kim Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk, Secretive Plotter (Omniscient Reader),
Demon-like Judge of Fire | Uriel, Han Sooyoung, Jung Heewon, Yoo
Sangah
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Scenarios (Omniscient Reader), Alternate
Universe, Angst, Yandere Secretive Plotter (Omniscient Reader), no
beta we did like kim dokja
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-06-18 Updated: 2023-07-03 Words: 4,224 Chapters:
2/?

Plotter of the Opera

by aimhigh1006

Summary

Kim Dokja works as a ballerina and choir member at an Opera House that is said to be
haunted by a ghost called Secretive Plotter.

Kim Dokja doesn't mind his life there. He's friends with the other ballerinas and even has a
great teacher, though he has never seen his face.

Kim Dokja soon learns that his Secretive Plotter and his teacher are one and the same. At
the same time his childhood sweetheart, Yoo Joonghyuk, reenters his life. Kim Dokja then
learns that Secretive Plotter's love is actually a deadly obsession and Dokja must play his
twisted game if he wants to escape.

This is an AU based off the musical version of The Phantom of the Opera.

Notes

This takes place at the same time as The Phantom Opera, 1881

Unlike real life in 1881 in this fic being gay is okay.

 Think of Me

Kim Dokja rolled his eyes as he watched the scene that was playing out in front of him. The new
managers of the Opera House were already trying to suck up the prima donna of their company.

“How long do you think they’ll last?” One of his fellow ballerinas, Han Sooyoung, asked leaning
over to him.

“If she continues to bring in the money they’ll stay. We have a sold-out show of Hannibal tonight
because of her after all,” Dokja answered with a shrug as he continued to watch the ass-kissing.

“No amount of money would be enough to deal with her,” Jung Heewon butted in.

“I’m more curious with how they’ll deal with-” Sangah began to say, but suddenly they were
prompted to perform the beginning of Act III of the show, so their oh-so-amazing prima donna
could show off. They disbanded their small huddle so they could all get into position.

A shiver suddenly went down Kim Dokja’s spine. He had the feeling that he was being watched,
that every movement he made was being carefully evaluated. He felt these eyes on his every day
since the day he first joined the Opera House as a ballerina. He would always calm himself down
by saying it was his star staring at him, his teacher.

He was immediately taken away from his thoughts when the orchestra began the aria and his body
automatically responded to the music. Moving with the song as if it was second nature to him.

CLASH

As they were performing a backdrop fell sending everything into chaos.

“It’s him!”

“It’s the Secretive Plotter!”

“The Plotter must have done it!”

Secretive Plotter, he was a legend that haunted the Opera House. Shortly after Dokja joined the
opera house mysterious events began to occur. Things would go missing and at other times things
would randomly appear. There was even an increase in workplace accidents. Dokja thought back to
one of the tech crew falling from the fly tower and breaking his neck when he hit the stage,
causing immediate death. It rattled quite a few people, but Dokja wasn’t that upset at the man’s
untimely demise since he would often make sexually crude comments towards him and once even
tried to feel him up. People blamed the Plotter, even though the rigger was alone on the tower. If
anything weird occurred in the Opera House it will always be the Secretive Plotter who was
blamed.

So of course, there were exclamations of it being him. Dokja wouldn’t be surprised if eventually,
their prima donna blamed him for missing a note during a performance. They seemed to forget that
their rigger was an absolute drunk. This time he had the excuse of not being at his post but Dokja
doubted that was the truth.

There were many theories on who this Secretive Plotter was. It was a ghost, a god, or some
disgruntled employee that wanted to mess with the opera house. Dokja put his money on a
disgruntled employee because whenever this Secretive Plotter would send a letter filled with
demands, the demands were always met. Their former manager even gave the Secretive Plotter
quite a large monthly salary.

The falling back dropped caused the prima donna to throw a tantrum and storm out, saying she
would be refusing to play the role. The commotion and whispers became even greater when Uriel
entered saying she had a letter from the opera ghost.

“A letter from the opera ghost? You are all obsessed,” One of the managers scoffed.

“He welcomes you to his Opera House and commands that you leave box five empty for his use.
And reminds you that his salary is due,” Uriel relayed.

The two new managers laughed at the thought of paying what they saw as an urban legend a
salary.

“Plotter was being paid 44 million won a month. Perhaps you could afford more with Yoo
Joonghyuk as your patron.”
Dokja felt his heart skip a beat when he heard that name. Despite it being years since he last saw
Joonghyuk’s face just the mere mention of his name made his heart flutter. He was transported
back to the days he and Joonghyuk would spend as children up in his attic as his mother read them
stories. Joonghyuk not even complaining when Dokja requested that his mother read it to him
again and again.

They were separated after his mother died. He had no father, the man had drunk himself to death
before Dokja was able to form any memories of the man. He remembered Joonghyuk dragging him
to his house saying that they would live together from now on. Instead, Joonghyuk’s mother took
him to the opera house and thankfully the choreographer, Uriel, took him in and trained him as a
ballerina and allowed him to live in the dormitories.

When he heard Yoo Joonghyuk’s name it was as if he was back up into the attic. How he missed
and longed for those days. Joonghyuk was the patron of the opera? Dokja’s face blushed thinking
of Joonghyuk coming to see a performance. He would come, wouldn’t he? He was a patron now
after all. He doubt Joonghyuk would notice him, he was just in the choir and would every now and
again play a minor character.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Jung Heewon took his hand and pulled him to the center of
the stage, “Kim Dokja can sing it!” Jung Heewon proudly announced.

“What? Sing what?” Dokja asked confused, wondering why the hell Heewon was shoving him, just
some choir boy, in front of their new managers.

“Have you been paying no attention?! The lead stormed out and now there’s no one to play the part
of the lead. Since it’s new performance there’s no understudy,” Heewon explained.

“Are you suggesting we cast some boy in the role?” A manager scoffed with a shake of his head. “I
can’t believe it, full house and we have to cancel.”

“He can sing soprano, he has a great teacher,” Uriel spoke up in defense of her pupil.

“And who is this teacher of yours?” One of the managers asked.

Dokja was silent for a moment. He didn’t know how to explain to these men who his teacher was.
They would think he was mad if told them his teacher was a constellation. Instead, he quietly
uttered an, “I don’t know his name.”
That was the truth he did not know the name of his teacher, but he was sure it was the constellation
that had been sent to him in order to guide him. His mother had promised him after all.

The answer only caused laughter to come from the two managers, but Uriel spoke up again, “Just
let him sing for you. He has been well taught.”

The managers rolled their eyes but relented, and instructed the conductor to start from the
beginning of the aria.

‘What the fuck’, ‘What the fuck’, ‘What the fuck - that was the inner dialogue of Kim Dokja. Sure
there was never a normal day at the opera house but this day made every other day seem
completely mundane. What the hell was Heewon thinking when she dragged him over to the
managers? He couldn’t actually perform the lead role?!

He just wanted to run away and hide. He wanted to go and seek comfort from his teacher, but he
knew that his teacher would only chastise him for not taking such an opportunity. Dokja took a
deep breath as the music began to play. Fine, he would do it for his teacher. He would hope that his
teacher would see him perform and be proud of him.

“Think of me, think of me f-fondly,” Dokja meekly began to sing and even stuttered a bit, causing
a huff to come from the managers. He looked over to Uriel, Sooyoung, Heewon, and Sangah. They
all smiled and nodded at him urging him to go on. Dokja nodded he knew he could do better than
this, he had been taught to do better than this.

“If you ever find a moment spare thought for me,” Dokja continued to sing but now with greater
confidence. He was determined to show all the skills his teacher had taught him. He wouldn't let all
those hours of practice and the time his teacher had spent on him to be in vain.

Then as if it was in a blink of an eye he was now singing to a full house. Dokja sang with all his
might, knowing that Joonghyuk was there and hoping that his teacher was watching him. He sang
hoping to show Joonghyuk he made the right decision to become a patron and sang to show his
teacher, his constellation, that he was a diligent student who had been studying hard. He wanted
both of these men to feel the love he had for them.

“There will never be a day when I won’t think of you!” Dokja belted.
While his character may be singing to someone else to Dokja this song was about Joonghyuk. Ever
since they were separated there was never a day he did not think of Joonghyuk. When he first
joined the opera house he was worried that his loneliness would drive him mad. Thankfully the
other ballerinas took to him, but he knew the person he had to thank the most was his teacher.
Though he had never seen his teacher’s face Dokja knew he would have been lost without him.

“But please promise me sometimes you will think of me!” Dokja sang the final line of the song. He
wanted to turn his head and look over to the box where Joonghyuk would be watching the show
from. He hoped that Joonghyuk would think of him every now and again. It didn’t have to be every
day like he did, but to be a happy memory that came up in Joonghyuk’s mind every now and then
was more than he could ever ask for.

Even though it was a foolish thought Dokja wondered if Joonghyuk would be able to recognize
him. He knew the possibility was slim to none, he was wearing a wig and a dress and had makeup
caked on his face. He wondered if Joonghyuk knew it was him, would be proud?

Instead of looking over to the manager’s box, he focused his eyes on the glistening chandelier that
hung in the center of the auditorium.

"Can it be....can it be Dokja?" Joonghyuk quietly muttered to himself as he leaned over the rail to
gaze down at the beautiful performance that was happening in front of him. During the show, he
couldn't help but feel some overwhelming feeling of familiarity. Now as he watched the lead sing
their solo alone on stage Joonghyuk knew that without a shadow of a doubt that was Dokja, his
Kim Dokja. He would be able to recognize him anywhere.

'So this is where you were all this time," Joonghyuk thought to himself. Even though he begged
and pleaded with his mother to tell him where she took Dokja she always refused.

"Bravo! Bravo!' Joonghyuk applauded and cheered after the number ended, standing up from his
seat because Dokja deserved no less than a standing ovation. He only wished that he had a rose he
could throw on the stage.
 Angel of Music
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

“Dokja!” Heewon called out with a smile on her face as she entered Dokja’s dressing room.

“Heewon,” Dokja greeted as he looked up from his seat in front of the vanity. He was currently
going through the painstaking task of removing all the pins in his hair to take out the wig.

“You were perfect! I only wished I knew your secret who is this new tutor?” Heewon asked as he
helped Dokja remove the wig.

Dokja tensed for a moment and wondered if he should tell Heewon. Heewon was a good friend,
actually, the first friend he ever made when he joined the ballet choir. While others whispered
about their newest members and gossiped behind his back Heewon had always been kind to him.
Even when rumors about his deceased mother spread she paid no attention to them and was always
sure to be by Dokja’s side. She always believed him and never judged him without good reason.

“Can I tell you a story?” Dokja asked softly as Heewon prompted him to stand up so she could help
take off the corset.

“You’re always the best at telling them.”

“My mother before she became sick and passed away would always talk about sending me a
constellation to guide me. This constellation would be my guide and guardian. My mother would
often read stories to me and my favorite one was about an angel of music. So I asked her if the
constellation she’d send to me would be the angel of music.” Dokja began and smiled as he
thought back to the memory of him and his mother. He had made her read the story of the Angel of
Music so many times. She didn't mind, always telling him that you can discover something new
each time you reread a story.

“After my mother passed away I wondered if she would send me a constellation, my angel of
music to guide me. I used to dream of how my angel and star would appear before me, but when I
sing I can sense him and I know he’s here.” Dokja continued on.

“Him? Are you saying you found a tutor who you believe is a constellation your dead mother sent
to guide you?” Heewon asked with a raised brow as she held out the white silk robe for Dokja to
slip into. She was starting to get concerned for her dear friend’s health.

“When you say it like this I sound like an absolute madman,” Dokja sighed as he tied the robe close
around his slim waist.

“But here in this room or practically anywhere within the opera house I can hear him calling my
name softly. He’s somewhere inside hiding and he’s always with me. He’s an unseen genius.”
Dokja spoke as nervously paced across the room, fearing what his friend’s response would be.

Heewon gave him a smile that was a mixture of pity and concern. She pressed the back of her hand
against Dokja’s forehead. Dokja leaned in accepting the touch, knowing it came from a place of
concern.

“You’ve worked yourself hard tonight. And not just tonight, every night you diligently practice,
often going above and beyond what Uriel commands of us, ballerinas. It’s not surprising you’re
exhausted. You should get some rest.”

Dokja nodded. Of course, Heewon wouldn’t believe his tale. A hidden man, an angel of music,
giving him lessons. Dokja wouldn’t have believed such a story either. Perhaps there are some
stories that people can only really truly believe when they are experiencing it themselves.

“Heewon!” Uriel announced as she strode into the dressing room. “I believe you should be
practicing.”

Heewon nodded and kissed the top of Dokja’s head before joining the rest of the ballerinas. He
wondered for a moment if Heewon would tell Sangah and Sooyoung about his constellation and
angel of music. He quickly shook away that thought, Heewon was loyal, wouldn't speak of it to
anyone without his permission.

“I was asked to give you this,” Uriel said, pulling Dokja away from his thoughts. She held out a
note for him to take.

“Thank you, Uriel,” Dokja nodded as he accepted the note.

When he was alone in the dressing room again he sat back down at the vanity and began to read
the note aloud to himself, “A red scarf….the attic….Guwon.”
He looked down at the cryptic note in confusion before suddenly he heard a confident and
resounding voice come from behind him.

“Kim Dokja! Where is your red scarf?!”

Dokja blushed as he heard that voice. His voice was practically the same as all those years ago
except now just a bit deeper. Hearing that voice again brought back so many memories. His
childhood was not always the happiest, but the happiest times of his life occurred when he was
with the owner of that voice.

During his childhood, his father died via an accident when he was drunk out of his mind. There had
been rumors that it was his mother who had killed him and made everything look like an accident.
There had been whispers surrounding them wherever they went. Other mothers refused to let their
children to what they believed to be the son of a murderer. The owner of this velvet voice was
different. He would sneak away so often to play with Dokja that his mother eventually relented and
allowed the pair to be friends.

“Sir?” Dokja responded, deciding to act coy. It was always fun to mess with him a bit back then,
Dokja wondered if it would be the same now.

“Well, you can’t have lost it after all the trouble I took. I was just fourteen and soaked to the skin!”

“Because you ran into the sea to fetch my scarf!” Dokja exclaimed as he turned around to see the
man his childhood crush had grown up to be. The excitement of seeing him again had overtaken
his desire to act coy.

“Joonghyuk it is you!” Dokja grinned from ear to ear and stood up from his seat. Before his mind
could stop himself his feet rushed over to embrace the man he had so many fond memories with.
He let out a quiet sigh of relief when he felt Joonghyuk’s arm wrap around him in reciprocation.

“Guwon let his mind wander…” Joonghyuk softly spoke.

Dokja chuckled at that. He hadn’t heard his childhood nickname in years. The only people who
would call him that were his mother and Joonghyuk. Hearing the name again, especially coming
from Joonghyuk hearing it felt like being welcomed home after a long and tiresome journey
abroad.
“Guwon thought am I fonder of dolls or of goblins or of shoes,” Joonghyuk continued on as his
index finger lightly traced over Dokja's facial features.

“Or of riddles or of frocks,” Dokja took over and leaned into the touch that he had been missing for
so many years.

“Those picnics in the attics,” Joonghyuk reminded as he stepped away from the embrace but only
so he could take Dokja’s hand and intertwine their fingers together.

“Mother reading us dark stories of the north,” Dokja said as he allowed Joonghyuk to take his hand
to his lips to kiss.

During his childhood there had been many times he imagined Joonghyuk’s lips upon him. They
were both shy and nervous, neither unsure of how to make the first move. It seemed like
Joonghyuk had now grown out of his awkward teenage boy self and into a confident young man.

The gentle kiss made his heart flutter. While he was experiencing the joyous occasion there was a
small part of him buried deep inside that felt like he was betraying someone. Dokja didn’t
understand why but decided to simply ignore that nagging feeling. He allowed the joy of their
reunion to veil any sense of guilt he was feeling.

“Know what I love best Guwon said is when I’m asleep in my bed and the angel of music sings
songs in my head,” Dokja said and quietly but ever so sweetly sang the last part of the sentence to
Joonghyuk as if he was Joonghyuk's own personal songbird.

“Mother said that when I’m in heaven child I will send a constellation to guide you…” Dokja
began with a sad smile on his face.

Joonghyuk frowned hearing Dokja speak about things that occurred days before his mother’s
death, “Yes, and you would request that the constellation be the angel of music.”

“Well, Mother is dead, and I have been visited by the angel of music,” Dokja told him and gave
Joonghyuk’s hand a squeeze. Heewon didn’t understand him, but perhaps Joonghyuk would. Yes,
they hadn’t seen each other since they were both sixteen, and eight years had passed since then.
But surely Joonghyuk would still know him well enough to know he wouldn’t talk lightly about
his mother’s promise.
“No doubt of it, and now we to supper,” Joonghyuk nodded. He eagerly wanted to spend time with
Dokja and make up for all the years they had lost.

Dokja frowned at the reaction. Joonghyuk had misunderstood him as well. It seemed he didn’t
understand that when Dokja spoke of the angel of music he wasn’t speaking of some principle he
lived his life by, but instead of a real man who had taken him under his wing.

“No, Joonghyuk, the angel of music is very strict,” Dokja shook his head as he pulled his hand
away and wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly feeling alone again.

“Dokja I understand that you probably hold yourself to high standards, but it’s okay to go out. I
promise I won’t keep you out long. I will be a proper gentleman,” Joonghyuk tried to assure him.

Dokja sighed and before he could say anything Joonghyuk spoke up again.

“You must change and I must get my coat. Two minutes, Guwon,” He remarked and took Dokja’s
hand in his once more to place another kiss on his hand.

Dokja rushed to the door and yelled out to Joonghyuk who was walking away, “Things have
changed, Joonghyuk!”

Dokja closed the door and leaned against it as he figured out how the hell to make Joonghyuk
understand. As he tried to figure out a way a loud commanding voice suddenly echoed throughout
the dressing room.

“Insolent boy! This slave of fashion! Basking in your glory!”

Dokja shivered as he heard the voice. Just like Joonghyuk’s voice, it was a voice he would know
anywhere. It was him, his angel music, his constellation. This was the first time he had heard his
star sound so angry. And the betrayal and guilt he suppressed when he was in Joonghyuk’s
embrace rapidly rose back to the surface.

Dokja liked to think of himself as someone who could keep their head held high, but now hearing
all the anger in his constellation’s voice Dokja couldn’t help but tremble.
“Ignorant fool! This brave young suitor sharing in my triumphs!” His star called out.

“My star I hear you. Speak I listen. Stay by my side guide me. My soul was weak forgive me…”
Dokja meekly spoke out and hoped it would be enough to win over forgiveness.

He waited a few moments and there was no response. He shivered fearing that he had lost his star,
his teacher, his constellation, his master. Had he truly angered his precious star so much?

“Enter at last, master,” Dokja quietly pleaded. If he angered his teacher so much that he decided to
abandon him Dokja wanted to if only for a singular moment lay eyes on the man who met so much
to him.

“Flattering child you shall know me,” the voice called out, now in a much gentler tone after seeing
how much his pupil was shaken.

Dokja smiled as the warm tone he was used to his angel using returned. His heart started to beat a
bit faster when it seemed like his teacher agreed to the request to let him see him. His heart jumped
again when his angel called out once more.

“See why in shadows I hide, look at your face in the mirror, I am there inside.”

Dokja was confused but did as his angel instructed and walked toward the large mirror that was
mounted on the dressing room wall. As he peered into the mirror slowly it wasn’t only himself he
was seeing. In the reflection, he could see a man. A man that had the same height and build as Yoo
Joonghyuk. There was one very clear difference, this man had a black veil covering the upper part
of his face.

Dokja didn’t even need a moment to know who he was looking at.

“Angel of music, guide, and guardian! My star hide no longer! Come to me strange, constellation!”
Dokja sang out, heart bursting with joy and excitement. He decided it would be proper to sing the
first time he met his dear teacher face to face. He wanted to sing his heart out for this man and
make him proud. Also, he hoped that by singing his pleads, his teacher to fully reveal himself to
him. He needed more than just seeing him in a mirror.
 “Come to your constellation. I am your constellation,” his star sang back in a low memorizing
baritone voice. As he sang the mirror opened up, revealing his teacher on the other side.

Dokja was so memorized by the angelic voice of his teacher and entranced that he was finally able
to see him in person anything that was not his shining star was drowned out. So when his teacher
reached out his hand for him to take Dokja did not hesitate to take the hand and allow the man to
lead him to whatever was hidden beyond the mirror. Even if it was only a world of darkness
behind the mirror, Dokja would follow knowing it was his constellation guiding him.

Chapter End Notes

Thank you for reading!

Comments and kudos are appreciated!

Angel of Music 25th anniversary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqDEpI9-UJ0

The Mirror 25th anniversary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-A4RFTj5YQ

I highly suggest listening to the songs as you read the fic! Also just suggest watching
and listening to the Phantom of the Opera in general!

Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!