"Just a little bit more," Kim Dokja muttered to the kids at his side, trying to reassure them that they were almost done.
The apprehension was rising throughout the crowded room as many different incarnations murmured about getting to leave, and Kim Dokja was no different. They had been stuck in here for so long, they deserved to get out and go back to clearing scenarios.
"Come find me, remember that ahjussi," Shin Yoosung pleaded as she clung to him. "I don't want to be alone anymore."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is smiling kindly at the incarnation 'shin yoosung'.]
Kim Dokja nodded. "We will, don't worry."
Lee Hyunsung brightened up and looked over at them. "Dokja-ssi, where do you think would be the best place to meet up once we get out of the scenario? Not everyone was in Gwanghwamun with you when we were teleported here, after all, and that would be easier than running all over the place and going past each other."
Kim Dokja hummed, thinking of places that everyone could find easily because Lee Hyunsung had a very good point. Well… maybe simpler was better in this case. "Let's all meet back in Chungmuro station, everyone. Yoosung-ah, do you know the way there?"
The girl nodded and tried to look confident, even as her lip wavered anxiously. "I can find it, ahjussi. It's better this way too, so we don't end up missing each other along the way if where I am isn't safe anymore."
That was absolutely true, and if anyone really didn't want to be part of the group, it was as simple as just not showing up at the meeting point. Well, even though it probably wouldn't be at Chungmuro, Kim Dokja knew that he would run into Yoo Joonghyuk again eventually. As for Han Sooyoung… he really had no idea. She could join if she wanted, since tensions seemed to be easing a bit, but Kim Dokja definitely wanted to be there before her just in case he needed to run any interference.
He sat up a bit straighter, finally more confident that they had a plan for after they were released from the scenario. It would be fine.
Just as Dokja wipes away the blood that's beginning to drip from his nose again using the sleeve of his robe, the dokkaebi approaches him to state that he will personally make sure that Dokja will regret what he did today for the rest of his life. Despite the dokkaebi's frustration, Dokja just shoots him an exhausted yet victorious smile.
Why, are you mad? You must be since I won this round. With this, my goal of creating a 'Fable' in the Fourth Scenario has been reached.
Confused incarnations yell as they look up at the destroyed throne, trying to figure out what is going on and demanding to know why Dokja would destroy it. Others yell up at the dokkaebi, pleading with him to give them another 'Absolute Throne' and the chance to redo the fight to claim it. The dokkaebi simply tells them they can't change a finished scenario, thrusting all the blame onto Dokja for anything that happens from now on.
"That damn dokkaebi," Jung Heewon hissed as she palmed the hilt of her sword. "I'd cut him to shreds if I could."
Kim Dokja had no doubt that she meant it. They had suffered a lot because of this dokkaebi in particular, and Kim Dokja was honestly tempted to join in on the beating if he could.
[some constellations agree that the incarnation 'kim dokja' should regret it.]
Too bad, he wouldn't. If everything continued going according to plan, then he'd be standing on the same level as them soon enough.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is wondering why the dokkaebi is so annoying.]
"They're cowards for blaming it all on you," Lee Gilyoung muttered angrily.
Well, it was true that by destroying the throne, the fifth scenario would be harder, and he could understand if people blamed him for it. In fact, he expected it to be chaotic. Still, Kim Dokja just hoped that everyone here wouldn't blame him even further.
Dokja's grin becomes a bit angrier as he mentally insults the dokkaebi. The dokkaebi then snaps his fingers, causing people to suddenly start disappearing as he announces that he wonders how many will survive without a leader. It starts with random people before moving to his allies. Sangah and Sungkook (who still hasn't bothered to grab pants off anyone here) try reaching for Gilyoung and Joonghyuk, who are both unconscious.
[If this world is destroyed, it is all because of you,] the dokkaebi states as finally only Dokja and the dead remain. Dokja watches in silent shock before turning to the grinning dokkaebi in anger, ready to scream at him. With a final snap of his fingers and a crackle of probability, Dokja disappears as well.
Left alone by the ruined throne, the dokkaebi lets out the most cliché villain laugh imaginable before his grin sharpens menacingly.
[I'll be sure to keep an eye out to see how long you last.]
The screen froze and blinked out of existence, plunging the entire room into silence for a moment as everyone was left staring at a blank wall. That was it—they had caught up to their present. Kim Dokja frowned, glancing around at the room and the many restless incarnations that sat further away from their group. What now?
"Is that it?" Kim Dokja wondered aloud, exchanging curious looks with the others in his group. "There can't be anything left to show us, right?"
They could go back to clearing the scenarios, and maybe—just maybe—Yoo Joonghyuk would be willing to collaborate once they met back up sometime in the fifth scenario.
Yoo Joonghyuk frowned and narrowed his eyes. "We haven't gotten a notification saying that the scenario has been completed yet. Be on your guard."
That was worrying, but Kim Dokja genuinely couldn't think of anything else that could be required for this scenario. Why wasn't it being marked as complete?
"Joonghyuk-ah, I think—"
Suddenly, the room itself shuddered and several people who had been attempting to stand up were thrown back to the ground. The walls shook and trembled as the levels of panic inside the room began to rise. Nobody knew what was going on, least of all Kim Dokja, and he was struck with the uncomfortable realization that there could have been hidden clear conditions that they had failed to complete. The punishment for failing the scenario… it was death, wasn't it?
Fuck.
[several constellations perk up in curiosity.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
[The scenario rewards will be delayed due to a conflict in the system.]
What? Delayed? Why were there rewards without an official scenario clear notification; what the fuck was going on!?
Everything shook and people screamed and as the rumbling and shaking got worse and worse, the kids ended up stumbling out of Kim Dokja's grasp. He reached for them, but they shrieked as they were tossed across the floor, landing closer to Yoo Joonghyuk than to him.
"Yoosung-ah, Gilyoung-ah—" Kim Dokja began, but just as he was about to tell them to stay close to the protagonist just in case anything else happened, his gaze lifted to where the screen previously was and then he instantly froze.
A cold sensation washed over him and Kim Dokja found himself just staring at the empty wall that seemingly flickered in and out of existence. He couldn't quite make out what was behind it, but it looked like a hallway lined by… something.
However, what caught his attention and struck terror into his heart was the person standing on the other side and staring back at him. Their features were mostly unclear, but the only thing Kim Dokja could see was that they were looking at him with unearthly golden eyes, staring into his very soul before they grinned, bringing a finger to their lips in a shushing motion.
Their mouth opened and their voice sounded staticky, like it was coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. It echoed inside Kim Dokja's mind until his head pounded painfully, yet it vanished as soon as he heard it and he was left grasping at nothing if he tried to recall any details.
[(G̶̺͈͚͙͎͊̈́o̴̧̭̬̿͝ ̷̻̲̰̾̿͐̌̌b̸̖̘̥̓a̴͕͉̓c̷̡̻̲̻͎͊̃̃k̷͓͌̐,̷͎̠̹̎̋ͅ ̴̳̦͌̇̔͘K̴̭͙̙̱̚i̸͇̯̪̯͔͒͊̿̍̍m̴̥̱̈́̈́ ̸̧̢͉̝̽̐́̿̿͜D̷̫͊̔̽̆o̷̡͙̔͌͆͗̕ͅk̴̫̥̗͙̪̆j̷͖̍͆̅̈ḁ̷͚̩̗̾̈͗.̵̜̟̪̋̂̈́̂͜ ̴̛̮̬̮͖̽̉̅͠Į̶̺͂t̶͍͕͙́̓'̷̮̹̲͕͕͆s̴̨̨̘̙̥̈́ ̶̱̈́́n̸̖̜̞̯͚͗͑̐͘͝ỏ̷̢͔͕͚͌̓̿ţ̵̫̓̎ ̷͕̲̻̺́̃̓͑̍y̸̱͊̒̊̚͠ȩ̷̝̐͆͌͊t̷̮͑̾̚ ̸͙̽̓ṱ̴̘̺̣̇͒͆ï̵̺̰͗ͅm̶͖̓͆̕̕ͅë̸̼̩̫́͑ ̷̧̛̣̹̔̾̾t̷̥̭̟͒́̔̕o̴͈̭͌͗ ̶͖̭̞̹͉̀█̴͇͈̮̊͝█̴̲̘̅͐͘█̴̡̰̯̖͛̀̒̚͜█̵̹̻͒̊͜ ̴̡̨̖̠͒͋̊͝ȋ̵̝̱̫̦̄̌́n̵̖̰̍̒t̸͍̱͍̏͌o̷̰̍̅ ̵͎̼̟̗͍́̎̈́̊t̶̢̞̣͊̌█̵̧͇̝̟̏̊̓ͅë̶̯͙̉͂ ̷̡͇̝͓̀̾█̴͈̅ͅ█̶̳͎̹̭̼́█̶̜͙̇͒█̶̢͙̹͍̏̕█̶͙͈̬̙̓͒͆́̉͜.̶̎̇ͅ)]
Kim Dokja felt like he was floating, cast out of his own body and hovering suspended in space around everyone. The walls flickered more violently and the ceiling of stars above blinked desperately and Kim Dokja absently wondered what that annoying noise he was hearing in the distance was.
It sounded broken, constant and hoarse, yet familiar all the same. After a moment, Kim Dokja realized what that sound was—it was anguished screaming, the kind of sound only made by someone in complete and utter agony, and—
Oh. That was his voice, wasn't it?
Han Sooyoung didn't know what the fuck was happening. The moment they had caught up to their present, the scenario seemed to be fucked and the room had lost its shit and started throwing people around. Though she really didn't want to deal with everyone who probably still mostly hated her—like Miss Goody-two-shoes, even if things were getting marginally better—Han Sooyoung was beginning to realize that she probably didn't have a choice.
She had watched it happen and she hadn't known what to do. Right in the middle of a sentence, Kim Dokja had suddenly gone still and dropped to the floor, clutching his head and screaming so loudly that it made her ears hurt.
[many constellations are worried about the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is greatly alarmed by the current events.]
"What the fuck is going on!?" Han Sooyoung hissed, shooting a look over at that stupid protagonist. She hoped that maybe he'd have a clue for once, but Yoo Joonghyuk looked just as baffled as she did. She had no idea what the fuck he was thinking, but she could at least tell that he was really fucking concerned right now. Of course he was, what had she even expected? Those two were so fucking obvious that they had something going on but also fucking sucked at doing anything about it.
Still, that wouldn't matter at all if they couldn't stop this shit.
[many constellations are panicking as they watch the current events.]
As Kim Dokja's screaming reached a whole other level of awful, probability sparks erupted from his body and enveloped him in a storm worse than the one that they had all just seen on the screen.
"Hyung!" Brat number 1 screamed, desperately trying to get closer to where Kim Dokja had unconsciously curled into a ball.
Naturally, Brat number 2 followed suit. "Ahjussi!"
'Fuck, the kids,' Han Sooyoung cursed internally as she floundered, trying to make any sort of plan. Goddammit. She didn't know what the fuck to do and she hated that the only person who might was currently screaming his throat hoarse on the ground. Han Sooyoung fucking envied Kim Dokja sometimes—him and his stupidly annoying brain that could come up with a half decent plan in mere moments.
"Don't get near him!" Yoo Joonghyuk yelled, grabbing the two kids in a bear hug and doing everything he could to physically keep them away from the man writhing on the floor in pain, even as they fought back against his stupidly powerful grip. Still, his arms were like solid metal and nothing they tried let them move even an inch from where Yoo Joonghyuk was holding them.
His sassy sister didn't need to be held back (good, because despite what the monkey king thought, the protagonist did not have three fucking arms) as she clutched onto his coat fearfully and watched with widened eyes. A quick glance over at the others told Han Sooyoung that Mr. Lieutenant had done the same for that Judge lady and was barely holding her back from charging forward, and Miss Goody-two-shoes had one hand on Fangirl's shoulder while the other was covering her mouth in horror.
They were all yelling at Kim Dokja, pleading with him to be okay, and Han Sooyoung cursed. He wasn't fucking okay, and everyone knew it.
The sparks lashed out, streaking over her shoulder and hitting other incarnations scattered around the room. Panicked cries cut out as one by one, more and more people were… well, Han Sooyoung had no fucking clue if they were expelled from this scenario area or if they had been struck dead by the storm hitting them. Frankly, she didn't give a shit about what happened to them, but some of those sparks were too fucking close for comfort.
Despite the absolute chaos literally everywhere around them as more and more incarnations vanished from the room, Han Sooyoung caught sight of a woman with white hair ducking and weaving her way through the throng of panicked people, heading in their direction. Wait, wasn't that the protagonist's ex? The doctor?
She had no fucking clue if the ex-wife could help with this problem but, as Han Sooyoung gritted her teeth to endure the sheer volume and painful sound of Kim Dokja's agonized screaming, she'd take anything at this point.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' offers to lend the incarnation 'kim dokja' some of her probability.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is also offering probability to the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is…]
More and more constellation messages rolled in offering their probability until Han Sooyoung had to start manually dismissing them, but she scowled. It didn't seem to be doing jack shit, even if this had worked after he broke the throne. Plus, from what she remembered, the constellations offering to help this time were much more powerful than the Korean constellations who had helped that asshole before.
So why the fuck was he still screaming?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is greatly distressed.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' demands to know why the constellations cannot share probability with the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
What? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?
[many constellations are protesting the unfairness of this scenario.]
"Han Sooyoung!" Yoo Joonghyuk yelled, looking at her with a sort of desperate expression that she never expected to see on an ice-cold protagonist like him. He was almost pleading with his eyes, and it threw her off for a moment. "If this doesn't stop soon, Kim Dokja is going to die!"
She understood that it was important to tell everyone, but at least he was the one who had to deal with the kids fighting him even harder as they screamed out Kim Dokja's name.
"Ahjumma please," Fangirl yelled. "Just talk to the thing controlling the scenario!"
"Fucking fine!" Han Sooyoung yelled back. Goddammit, why did she have to get a responsibility like this? She was fucking worried too, but if even this failed, then she didn't know what they could do.
"Hey!" Han Sooyoung declared angrily, glaring at the wall in front of her. "What the fuck is going on? How do we stop it!? Why can't the constellations fucking donate their probability!?"
[y ou ca n't a n̵̩̚d̶̪̚ ̴̩͗ ̷̛̮t̷̢͛ ̸̺̌h̸̟͊e̶͖̽y̶̲̅ ̷͕͘ ̷̝̉c̷̛̘ă̶̰ ̸̭͗n̶̹̋'̴̫̽t̶̗̅ ̸̡̃ ̸͍̕e̵͖̾i̴̻͆ ̴͉͐t̸̻̂h̶̤̉ē̴̘ŕ̴̻.̵͇̀]
"The fuck does that mean!?" Han Sooyoung hissed while pointing insistently at Kim Dokja's anguished form. "He's going to fucking die!"
And why the fuck were this fucking bastard's messages starting to glitch out again? Her writer's instinct was screaming at her that this was bad news, and she couldn't help but tense up as the messages continued.
[K̷͕̆͐̽̑̋͒͘i̶̭̠͈͉͐͝m̴̢̛͉̼̱̪͍̺͓ ̵͙̝̭̰̮͉̝̪̭̄̈́̅̎̒͛͠D̶̛̛̫̦̠͖͉̜͍͋̂̒̔͆̐̇█̶̤͈̾k̸̨̛̞̱̞̹̒̈́̉͝͝j̶̼̮̑̈̇̀̕͝a̵̛̮͓͉͋̔̀̇̒̊̽̽ ̶͍͈͕̲͔̄̃̀̏͊̓̕█̴̳̏͒͠ṡ̸̨̞̽̃̀̌̓̔ͅ ̷̜͇̺͕̝͓̺̱̭̅̈̚͜ͅṇ̷̻̘͉͍̔̀█̸̢̡̻̖̦͙͖̜̟̠̺̾͊͛̌̐̔̚͝ ̸̧̨̙͉͔͍͓̘͍͋͋̇̃͆͝l̷̛̦̺̦̬̫̞͍̝̼̠͖̄̽͆́̃̇͐̀̍͠o̶̝̰̜̯̺̦̜̰͗͊͌̀̀̌͂̂̇█̷̹͌͗̑̑͝͝͠█̸̨̧̛̰̣̲͐̀̅͊̂͠͝ę̸̨̠̯̫̳̝͓́͛̿̌̊͂̾̒̓ŗ̷̼̮̹̱̥͚͓̞̓̎̾̃̍̈̊͋̈́ ̸̺͓̪̪̠̀̃͗́ͅͅ█̴͕͙̬͈̉̒̉̀̒ ̴̨͓̻͇͇̂̅͘͝█̵̨̟̺̻̜͉̞̹͈̭̥̐̎̈͒̏̋͆̒̽̕█̷̛̯̪̣͔͓̙͚̫̤̈́͌̈́̏̓̋̆͘̚█̷̻̲̭̲̫͔̫̥̭̹̟̓͒̀͠█̷̜͕͚̖͔̳͙̞͙̞͊͜͝█̷̢̮͕͕͉̿͐́̓͗͛͠█̵̦͉̜́̔̏ͅ█̸̻̘̞̈́̚͜█̶̬̼͖͔̙̀̍̽́̽█̴̨̗̰̺̖̝̦̟͍̝̥̽̍̋̂͑̿̔̊͠.̸̧̧͎͎͍̚]
[̸̢̢̱̖͔̹̲̜̳͈͒̄́͌̎͊̈́̾́ͅT̷̛̼̞̹͉̪̣͓͈̑͛̈́͒̃̏̌█̸̢̜̪͉̜͔͉̲̟̯̹̯̻̖̖̓̂ị̶̛̐͌͊̎̓̒̾́̑͛̉́̄̾̀́͌́̕͝ş̵̛̲͕͉̟͉̱̙̘͇̝̣͈̝̫̗̳͍̐̊̿̋̓̓̎̈́̌̚͜͠ͅ ̴̡̨̝̟͉͓̥͔̟̮̠̟͛̉̄̈́̃̅̈́̓̎̓͆̔̒͂̓̒̄͘̚͘̚͠ͅî̴̪̮̦̦͓̭̱͈̀̀̔͒̄̇̐̉͋̚͜͠█̶̬̥͋͊͊̋̆́͒̃̓͑̾̑̈́̒̌͆̑̕͘͝͠͝ ̴̡̢̗̯͎͍͇̰̱̖̩͐͛͜t̸̡̛͍͙̳̮̩͖͎̞̻͓̙̼̖̳͉͊̑́̆̃̔͌̔̏͂̒̿͐█̸̙̽͝ę̶̧̨̢͎͕̝͇̫͎͇̞͈̟͖͈̫͓͈̿̍̈́́͆͒͌͊̉̌̑̃̊͂͂́ ̸̧̰̠̘̻͆̉̽͌̉̀͂̏́̚͘█̵͎͚͍̔̅͐̀̈̔̓̍̾̊͠r̶̞̫̘͖̬͉͍̻͔̲͕̣̟̄̓̏̌̀͒͋͛̈́́͋̏̆͜͝█̸̢̬̲̹͔͍̩̗̥̥̮̗͍̪̱͕̖͔̺͊̾́͜ͅͅ█̴̢̡̱̣̗̪͙͓̲̥̙̹̀̓̃͗́̎̽̎̀̊ͅ█̷̢̛̪̳̼̲̰͍͈̰͚̈́̔͑͆̐͗́͋̍͑̑̔͘ͅ ̶̪̝̣̭̤͉̺̖̜̈̏̈́̇̒̊̄̅͛͛̇̐̀̓͑̚t̴̨̡̥̫̪̙̝̟͚̪͚̭̰̣͖̯͕͈͎͕̹̭̍͆ḩ̷̢̡̨̛̝̭̼̲̳̲̞̻̰̣̤̞̏̒̍̿͑̄̽͑̇̈́̒̊͗̋͊̉͝͝͠█̶̮̣̫̱̱͌͆͑█̵̢̛̗̊̈́͐̆͛̾̆̄̄̉͜ ̸͙͕̃̑█̷̨̩̭̳͖͍̳̬̝͓͖͚͌̉̏͑̌́a̷̩͍̱̝̳̣͖̺͓̣̤̬̾̾̈͆̓͊̀́̊̅̂̑̽́̄̐̚̕̚s̴̟̫̎̊́ ̴̡̛̰͂̈́̅͐̒̋́̀͂̏́̋̒̉͌͘█̵̢͍͍͔̩͖̻̗̏█̵͉̘̖̥̰̜͈͇̘̭̤͓̺͖̖͚̻̪̞̎̓̎̒̔̈̾̀ţ̵̮̤̥̯͓̘͇̹̱̪̲̰͍͎̻̄̄̉͌̀͗͛͒͋͑̃̈́̓̚͜͝͝ͅ ̸̢̧̡͎͕͙̹̘͙͔̳̞̮̥͎̇̋͑̄̊͑̑͛̒̈̑̅̐̈́͂̅̊̓̉͆͝t̵͎̭͙͚̱͍̘̼͚̥̼̭͎͍̠͕͍͖̥͗͂̉͌̈́̃͒̿͋͊͘̚█̶̧̱̪̤̲̰̝̘̖͔͙̭̫͕̬͈̰̀͐̒͌̍͗̅̏̎͗̋̉͊͋̉͐̕͜͜͝͝ͅ ̴̞̝̭͖͓͉̠̘͙̺͈̝̱̣̪̠̉̇͆̈́̂̏̿̈́̌̍͌̀̈̔͐̅̒̑̕█̷͈̞͖̠̪̦̄͋̇ͅë̵̛͚͉͈͑̋̃̿͘ ̷̢̻̲͙̖̮̯͇̪̬̰̅́͐̾͠█̵̪͆́̽̌ͅ█̶̢̺̰̤̯̦̆̓█̷̢̛̺̻͒̐͛̔͊͊̉̊̉̂̓̇̀͑̌̊͘͠█̶̨̛̺̞̹̻͚̯̼̒̽̓̇͗͐̀̃̈́̂͛͂̇̄̾̂̚͘̕͘█̶̨̢͍̯͔̳̞̟̹̓̄█̶̡̫̻̣̰͇̬̤̿█̵̡̩̟͎̘̭̞̬̩͔͚̪̪̰͓͖̫͂͋͗̑̕̕͜͝.̷̧͓͕̹̪̱͈͉̺̟͇̼͊]
Fuck. That was no help at all.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in worry.]
The ex-wife skidded to a stop near enough to Kim Dokja and his massive probability storm that she could visibly see the protagonist tense up at the sight of her dropping to her knees to look him over as best as she could. Goddamn, doctors had balls of steel, especially since those fucking sparks still shooting off him had zapped away almost every single person in the room except for the group Han Sooyoung still refused to fully consider herself a part of just yet, the doctor lady, and a brown-haired woman (wait, was that the not-Apostle from the prison?) sitting tensely in the corner of the room. Why did she look so bothered anyway?
Whatever, Han Sooyoung had more important things to worry about.
His screaming got worse and worse to the point where it was unbearable, until suddenly—like a string was cut—the sparks of the probability storm vanished as Kim Dokja crumpled to the floor in a heap and went completely silent.
Fuck, was he dead?
Kim Dokja was floating in space, existing yet not existing all at the same time. He was everything yet nothing. The beginning and the end. He was comfortable yet not, and parts of him wanted different things—to stay, and to go. It felt like he was being torn in two, caught between the cogs that drove the universe forward.
Suddenly, something tugged on his soul. It was insistent, and for a moment, Kim Dokja thought he felt a scarred hand gently take his. But just as he tried to grasp it, the hand slipped away, leaving his palm tingling. Desperately wanting to find it again he knew that hand, he knew it better than he knew himself, Kim Dokja had no choice but to follow in its wake.
In the distance, as he fell through space and time back into his body, a train horn blared.
"...ja-ssi? Can you…"
Those were… words?
"...s he ali…"
Yes. Words.
"Fuck, what's wr…"
His ears were ringing and it took a moment of everything feeling like it was settling into place before Kim Dokja felt like he was alive again.
"Kim Dokja-ssi? Please respond if you can hear me," a gentle voice said, and it wasn't one he recognized. Still… they sounded like a nice person.
"'M 'kay," Kim Dokja gasped, and his voice sounded awful. Right. He had screamed, hadn't he? What had happened there?
"Kim Dokja-ssi?"
"Ahjussi!"
"Dokja-ssi?"
"Hyung!"
So many people were calling out to him and it was all starting to blend together. His head hurt so badly, and he rested his forehead against the floor for a moment, finally realizing that he was curled up in a ball on the ground. That was… probably humiliating. He wasn't sure yet.
Then, a voice that he would know deep in his soul spoke to him. "Kim Dokja?"
That was Yoo Joonghyuk. He sounded… off. Worried, even. That was weird, why would he be worried? Kim Dokja couldn't make any sense of it.
Carefully, bracing himself on the ground, Kim Dokja lifted his head and blinked away the bright lights as he instantly focused on his protagonist's handsome features. Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened suddenly and his mouth dropped open, and Kim Dokja couldn't help but think that surprise looked funny on him. Yoo Joonghyuk was so shocked that his arm around the kids loosened just enough for them to scramble to escape his grasp.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is gasping in shock.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is stunned into silence.]
[many constellations don't know what to say.]
What were they talking about? Kim Dokja forced himself to tear his gaze away from Yoo Joonghyuk's frozen expression to squint at the messages, trying to read them even as his head swam.
"Oh," Yoo Sangah gasped as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I was right. Dokja-ssi really does have kind eyes."
"Ahjussi?" Lee Jihye asked, blinking rapidly. "Is that really you?"
What? Who else could he be?
Clearly, his surprise showed on his face, because Lee Hyunsung took a hesitant step forward. "Dokja-ssi? Your face… it's not blurry anymore."
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' approves of the face of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is frustrated that he can no longer make fun of the incarnation 'kim dokja' for being ugly.]
"My… face?" Kim Dokja asked hoarsely, accepting Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung's insistence on helping him up. "What?"
Han Sooyoung pursed her lips. "You're not blurry anymore, and you're not… entirely ugly."
So in other words, he was good-looking?
For some reason, Kim Dokja's gaze was unconsciously drawn back to tracing Yoo Joonghyuk's features. They had softened somewhat, and he appeared to be doing the same in return. The protagonist just stood there, watching Kim Dokja with a searching gaze. It made no sense, but it wasn't unpleasant.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is clasping her hands to her chest hopefully.]
"Yoo Joonghyuk?" Kim Dokja whispered, and he shuddered when the protagonist's gaze snapped to staring into his eyes.
"Kim Dokja," he replied, his voice sounding gentler than usual. "You…"
He… what?
Yoo Joonghyuk's ears were bright red, and Kim Dokja couldn't look away. He was magnetic, and Kim Dokja was hopelessly drawn in. With only a few words, Yoo Joonghyuk had Kim Dokja trapped in the palm of his hand.
Kim Dokja spoke hesitantly, mindful of his destroyed throat. "Joonghyuk-ah? What's wrong?"
Before the protagonist could say anything further, a ding of another message interrupted them as the screen came back into existence.
[All incarnations remaining in the scenario have received 5,000 coins.]
[The Hidden Scenario 'Dramatis Personae' is continuing.]
It was… continuing? Wasn't it over? They had received the rewards and everything!
"What?" Han Sooyoung breathed. "Explain!"
[Han Sooyoung thought, 'The only way to change the ◼◼ is to change the future.']
[Han Sooyoung thought, 'And the only way to change the future is to witness it.']
Kim Dokja glanced around the room frantically, finally trying to get his bearings, and realized that it was much emptier than before. Other than the group of people that surrounded him, the only other person was a woman with long, brown hair, and—
Kim Dokja sucked in a breath as he forced himself to turn away and stare intently at the screen. That wasn't her. It couldn't be her. He had just been seeing things. No no no no no no no—
Before any of them had the chance to collect themselves—least of all Kim Dokja—the next scene began, plunging them into the unknown.
Dokja then appears on screen, lying unconscious outside on some wooden flooring with a bench nearby. His eyes are still closed as the rewards roll in.
"Oi," A taunting teenage voice calls out as a younger Dokja wearing a high school uniform appears on the screen. There's a massive bruise on his cheek and his eyes are so dull that they look like they belong to someone who's completely given up on life. "Oi, Kim Dokja. What're you reading?"
A group of three teenage bullies stand around Dokja's desk as they taunt him, joking that he looks like he just might kill them. The boy who's clearly the leader, and the one who seems most comically evil, grabs Dokja in a headlock and pulls him up from his seat by the neck.
[many constellations are confused by the current events.]
Kim Dokja froze. No. This couldn't be happening. Not only was that woman possibly in the room (don't think about it don't think about it don't think—) and the screen continuing to show things that hadn't happened yet, but they also chose this of all things?
This was supposed to be their future, not his past! Why was this on display? It wasn't anything like the [Welcome Prison], which was supposed to trigger trauma, so why…?
This wasn't real. It was probably just a nightmare he was having while unconscious, and Song Minwoo had probably died in an earlier scenario. Kim Dokja had to believe that before he lost himself again. It was just a bad nightmare, and then it would go away, locked back where it belonged in the prison of his mind.
"What the fuck?" Jung Heewon hissed, tightening her grip on her sword. "He's fucking dead."
"Ahjussi?" Lee Jihye asked shakily, glancing back and forth between the Kim Dokja in the room and the one on screen. Clearly, the bruise and his vacant expression were freaking her out as much as they freaked out the other kids, who clung to him anxiously. He could barely bring himself to stay present, already drowning in the memories of his high school tormentors.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is furious at the sight of an injustice]
Even Yoo Joonghyuk was practically radiating anger in waves as he watched, and Kim Dokja wasn't sure how he should feel about that.
"If you're mad, stab me," he taunts Dokja as the boy frantically claws and tugs at his arm, struggling to breathe through the pressure. "Then you can make headlines the same way your mother did."
As Dokja grits his teeth, he reminds himself to act like Joonghyuk in order to give himself the strength to endure their torments.
Ghostja watches from the distance as his younger self is continuously harassed by the three teens.
This is… a dream?
Dokja reminisces, remembering that he read TWSA to cope when he was miserable.
Damn it, did it have to be this kind of dream… Song Minwoo.
The screen focuses on the lead bully, who now has an overly wide mouth as he laughs viciously as he grabs onto Dokja's hair to keep taunting him.
I wonder what this bastard is doing right now. I heard that my bully got into college, and later found a good job. Life is so unfair…
Han Sooyoung's eyes widened suddenly, like she connected some dots. Kim Dokja knew exactly which ones she was connecting, too, and he hated every second of it. All he could do was sit there and hope that she wouldn't say anything.
"Act like me?" Yoo Joonghyuk wondered aloud, sending Kim Dokja a shaky glance.
Immediately, Kim Dokja clammed up. "It's nothing, Joonghyuk-ah. Don't worry about it."
He didn't look convinced, frowning and furrowing his brow as he did so. Yoo Sangah looked over at Kim Dokja in worry, probably recalling that damned sentence he had thought in the theatre dungeon. Who would have guessed that his own thoughts would be his downfall?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is stunned.]
By how shitty his life really was? The constellations really had no idea.
At his sides, Lee Gilyoung snarled. "Hyung, I'll make sure he gets bedbugs if I ever see him."
Shin Yoosung's confidence seemed to falter a bit after Lee Gilyoung's words, but she continued her glaring a moment later. "How dare he hurt ahjussi like that!?"
Lee Hyunsung looked extremely downcast as he glanced at Kim Dokja. "At least… at least it's just a dream?"
More like a nightmare. If he could forget that Song Minwoo and his cronies existed, then Kim Dokja would be a happier man for sure.
As Dokja wonders if his old bully is still alive, [The Fourth Wall] activates, eliminating everything in a wave of pixels. [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] Level 3 activates as Dokja can hear multiple people calling out for him, and he subconsciously cycles through them.
Heewon yells out for Dokja as she is shown to be standing in a bar, the words 'Story Whisky' on the wall behind her. Jihye complains about a large bump on her head and the fact that she's back at her school. Hyunsing looks depressed as he stands in the military barracks.
Looking at the facts, Dokja puts together that they've all been shifted to places they have history with, all while cursing out the dokkaebi for his actions. Although none of them can hear him, Dokja tells them to keep themselves safe, and that they'll meet again soon.
Once his skill deactivates, Dokja finally opens his eyes and he looks around, confused about where he is as he realises that he's on a rooftop. Looking over the side of the building, he seems unamused as he states that he was hoping he would end up anywhere else, which seems to excite some constellations. The scene zooms out, revealing the Minosoft logo on the building.
This is the rooftop of Minosoft, the company that I worked for.
Kim Dokja sighed in relief after seeing that several of the group members were okay, especially considering the fact that he had no idea where they could be relative to his location.
"Ugh, seriously? That's going to take forever to heal," Lee Jihye muttered, upset by the bump visible on her head.
Lee Seolhwa shot the teenager a gentle smile. "Hopefully, you can find some ice to reduce the swelling."
Kim Dokja wasn't entirely sure when she had joined their ragtag bunch, but having her around would be a relief if something bad happened again. Still, he couldn't help but feel some measure of disappointment at the realization that he had missed seeing her reunite with Yoo Joonghyuk.
Was this how Lee Jihye felt earlier when she was unconscious…? Maybe he could understand her perspective just a bit better now.
The girl smiled in return, then looked at Kim Dokja with a confused expression. "Also, ahjussi, it's really weird that we can see your face clearly now, but you still look blurry on the screen…"
He did? That was weird, especially since he had never thought that he looked blurry in the recording… Unfortunately, Kim Dokja didn't have the time to sit and think about that further. Lee Hyunsung's mood dampened the moment he realized where he had ended up, and Kim Dokja understood why. Life in the military was the opposite of glamorous, after all, and he clearly had related trauma since it had been triggered by the [Welcome Prison]. Kim Dokja hoped that he would be okay, but there wasn't much that could be done since the scene went away quickly.
"You ended up on the roof of the company, Dokja-ssi?" Yoo Sangah wondered in surprise. "I would have thought that you would have gone somewhere else."
Well… his apartment, maybe?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' doubts that the incarnation 'kim dokja' had enough of a life to end up anywhere else.]
Kim Dokja really didn't want to admit it, but the stupid dragon was right. He never did anything other than going to work, reading webnovels at home, or buying quick meals from the corner store.
Still, it was depressing for his job to have such a large impact that he ended up there later.
Dokja laments that he ended up here as he reminisces about the times when he would chat on the roof with Deputy manager Yoon Seongho whenever they were scolded by their managers. Dokja briefly wonders if the man is even alive as Dokja looks down at the notifications that just popped up.
A sub-scenario appears to act as a filler in the 10 days between the main scenarios, and it declares that he has to eat and sleep, as well as pay 500 coins everyday, lest he be punished. The sub-scenario also notes that there is a coin mission ongoing, and that all monsters will drop coins.
As Dokja—the capitalist that he is—is excited about replenishing his coin stock, he overhears some people yelling from below the building. Looking down at the street, he identifies the people as wanderers since this area was not under any King's jurisdiction.
Dokja attempts to look up information in his text file, only to realise that his phone has died. He instead changes his priority into searching for a portable battery, hoping to find one somewhere in the office. Inside the building, many dead bodies lie strewn around as Dokja makes his way through one of the floors. Dokja comes to a stop in front of a bloodied sign, which has the barely recognizable text that reads 'QA Team'. Dokja looks at it as he remembers that this used to be his department, wondering why he would have any nostalgia for such a dog-shit company.
Yoo Sangah frowned and muttered, "I'll admit, I never really had a good feeling about that man…"
Huh? Did her intuition tell her that?
"I wouldn't really consider the two of us friends," Kim Dokja sighed. "We just ended up at the same place at the same time to commiserate, really."
Han Sooyoung clicked her tongue when the new scenario appeared. "A survival scenario with a coin penalty? Disgusting."
And 500 coins per day, too. That would be rough on most incarnations. Even with monsters dropping coins, there would still be people too afraid to fight.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is sighing and picking his nose.]
"You worked for a gaming company," Yoo Joonghyuk said, and Kim Dokja wasn't sure if he was recalling their conversation on the bridge or just going off of context clues in the scene from the future. That was still bizarre, in Kim Dokja's opinion—seeing himself do things he hadn't yet done, and being able to realize exactly how he had ended up there.
"I did," Kim Dokja confirmed. "It was garbage, though."
Also, despite what he had said, Minosoft definitely didn't produce the kinds of games that Yoo Joonghyuk would have touched even if he was real before the scenarios. All of their games were trashy cash-grabs, and Yoo Joonghyuk had been a star RTS player. Speaking of which… if Min Jiwon's movies ended up really existing, did that mean that recordings of Yoo Joonghyuk's professional gaming career were out there somewhere?
The Yoo Joonghyuk from before the beginning of the scenarios was a complete mystery to him, and Kim Dokja couldn't help the flicker of excitement at the thought of getting to learn something completely new about the protagonist. If he could find them, Kim Dokja knew he would absolutely watch every single one.
He quickly moves on, going from drawer to drawer in his search. As he rummages through things, someone suddenly shines a light in his face "Who's there?!"
Upon looking at Dokja, the man pauses and lowers his drawn dagger, revealing himself to be the aforementioned Deputy Yoon. "Dokja? Is that you!? You survived! You're alive!"
Dokja looks back at him, stunned to see someone he recognizes. As they walk down the hallway, Deputy Yoon reveals that the First Scenario occurred while he and many others were working overtime, as well as the fact that he killed their team leader. A creepy smile overtakes his face as he describes his act of stabbing the man with a pen in great detail, revelling in his death.
Dokja cuts him off to ask if he's alone, and Deputy Yoon reveals that he's with a group. Curiously, he starts to ask about Dokja's situation, and if he came here after clearing a Main Scenario. Dokja just explains that something happened in Gwanghwamun.
Deputy Yoon calls him unlucky, stating that there's no need to clear the scenarios himself—just hide and others will clear them for you. Dokja looks on blankly as deputy Yoon laughs it off and says that there's no point in risking your own life. He pats Dokja on the back, telling him to relax and that they don't need to seek power from a King, completely oblivious to the fact that Dokja is a King himself.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is enjoying the bloody description.]
Of course he was.
Yoo Sangah shivered. "I'm very glad that neither of us ended up working overtime, Dokja-ssi."
He was very glad too. At least on the train, it had been predictable since he knew everything that surrounded those events. If he had been stuck at Minosoft—far away from the protagonist and overseen by a different dokkaebi—Kim Dokja might have died.
Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes. "This guy seems like an ass."
Well, he had never been that bad during their chats… still, she was right. Something about him did seem off. Maybe Yoo Sangah's intuition had been right all along.
Yoo Mia huffed. "Ugh, what a coward. These idiots who sit back and do nothing are the reason why my oppa has so much weight on his shoulders all the time!"
The girl wasn't wrong at all. It was annoying, honestly, and Kim Dokja had often found himself getting frustrated by all the people who would gladly ride on the protagonist's coattails during TWSA. Just because Yoo Joonghyuk was always the strongest didn't mean that he had to handle everything alone.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is narrowing his eyes at this man.]
He leads Dokja out the front door of the building where a huge group of people are standing, chattering amongst themselves. A man in a baseball cap calls out to Deputy Yoon to ask about Dokja's identity. Deputy Yoon easily tells him that Dokja's a colleague from work, and the man asks if Dokja's a wanderer, stating that they don't accept anyone from other groups.
Dokja asks Deputy Yoon who that man is, and he replies that the guy is the coin farm's manager. When Dokja asks what he means by a coin farm, Deputy Yoon smiles evilly as he points to a nearby cage. Dokja startles as he looks over, eyes wide in shock.
Outside the cage, men stand around, mocking and goading the ones inside. Those inside are beaten and bleeding, one of them with his eyes nearly swollen shut as blood and tears drip down his bruised face. His knuckles are raw from punching and he holds a bloody dagger in his other hand.
The screen zooms out, revealing there to be many, many more cages scattered around the grounds. Like a sick and twisted mix of a zoo and a colosseum, people are being treated as cheap fighting tools against their will for some constellations' sick idea of entertainment. Dokja looks a mix of stunned and furious as Deputy Yoon laughs, explaining that they use this to get coins from those inside the cages in exchange for feeding them.
As soon as the coin farm appeared on the screen, everyone stiffened. Kim Dokja's mind raced. Those weren't supposed to start appearing yet, so why…? Was it really his fault, because he hadn't given in? Was this part of the butterfly effect that he and Han Sooyoung were so worried about?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is furious at seeing injustice.]
[the constellations of the absolute good alignment are angered by this sight.]
Jung Heewon was no better, her eyes practically blazing in hatred. "Those fuckers…"
Yoo Sangah trembled, though Kim Dokja wasn't sure if it was in anger or in rage. The kids shook too, and he carefully held them closer. He knew this world was shit. Kim Dokja knew that. But still… seeing it was totally different than reading about it.
Yoo Joonghyuk's jaw was clenched too. He may appear unaffected, but he really wasn't. He had seen these horrors before, and he knew better than most just how awful they could get.
As Dokja walks between the cages, he notes that this had appeared in TWSA as well, but he didn't expect one to be around so early. Some constellations seem bored by the cage fights, and this makes Dokja realize that since the farm is still in its early stages, they aren't making that much.
Ahead, Deputy Yoon watches as a man in a suit gets pushed into a cell, telling Dokja that he's come at the right time to see something fun. Getting a good look at the man, Dokja realizes that he's one of their co-workers—a relatively recent hire.
"I remember what you'd once said, Dokja-ssi. That all of today's games play it safe and that gamers don't want to pay for common mass-released stories. Once I'd thought about it, it made a lot of sense," Deputy Yoon states before throwing a dagger into the cage in front of the newest addition. He asks the man who the others in there with him are, and the man lists off a bunch of the company higher-ups.
When Deputy Yoon reminds him that things are different now and to open his eyes, the [Colosseum] begins. A digital-like armour appears on the salaryman before solidifying into reality as a window appears before his eyes, telling him to take revenge. From outside, Deputy Yoon adds more fuel to the fire, egging the man on by reminding him of his frustrations and all of the wrongdoings of these men—overworking and stealing his presentation, among others. The man, now angered, slowly stands while tightly clutching the dagger.
Kim Dokja stiffened. "I can't believe he'd use my own words like that…"
It felt sickening, almost. Sure, he didn't particularly care about any of these people, but having his thoughts twisted and warped until they turned into exploitative bullshit was deeply uncomfortable.
[constellations who like the colosseum are excited.]
"They're forcing him to fight?" Lee Jihye gasped, looking nervously at Kim Dokja. "Please do something ahjussi!"
What could he even do? He was stuck in this room with her, and maybe this screen was showing the most likely future, but Kim Dokja honestly didn't know if he would even end up retracing these steps later or not.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will put a stop to this.]
He probably would, even if just to put on a show for the constellations and earn more coins. That was just the kind of person he was.
As Deputy Yoon giggles in a creepy way, seeing the messages from the constellations preparing to gift coins to the salaryman for taking revenge, Dokja looks disappointed in him. Dokja looks away when another man loudly yells that they have fresh meat, and for them to be thrown in a cage. Dokja's eyes widen in shock as he recognizes one of the people tossed into the cage—a woman with short black hair.
'Is that…?'
Outside the cage, some of the men make creepy and disgusting comments upon seeing her. Just as Dokja suspected, inside the cage lies Sooyoung, eyes closed and arms meticulously placed to seem like a delicate damsel in distress.
'The plagiarist, Han Sooyoung!'
Han Sooyoung's jaw dropped. "What the fuck!? I could beat those fuckers any day! How did they end up grabbing me like that!?"
Kim Dokja was equally stunned. Why would Han Sooyoung have ended up close enough to Minosoft to have ended up as a captive in the coin farm? And had she also been knocked out when she arrived?
Jung Heewon froze upon hearing the comments the men were making, and though she tried to hide it, Kim Dokja knew she was shaking. At the very least, Lee Hyunsung had the awareness to avoid touching her for now, even though he looked distressed as well.
For his part, Kim Dokja felt sick just listening to the things the men were saying, and he desperately hoped that the kids had no idea what any of that meant.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is enraged.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is demanding that the incarnation 'kim dokja' mete out justice.]
"I might not like you very much," Yoo Sangah said quietly, looking over at Han Sooyoung, "but I hope you get out of that situation. That's… that's awful."
Even though Yoo Sangah carried a grudge, she was a woman too, and she knew the dangers of that as well as Jung Heewon did. And after what she had said about their coworkers before, it made Kim Dokja's stomach flop uncomfortably. If so many of them had been creeps before the apocalypse—subtly or not—then he had no doubt that played a role in the development of this coin farm.
Han Sooyoung exchanged a glance with the other woman. "... Thanks."
It might be an awful situation, but maybe there was a silver lining? At the very least, Kim Dokja hoped that maybe this would be the extension of an olive branch between the two of them.