None of the women looked comfortable, and Kim Dokja wasn't sure if there was anything he could do to help. Unlike before, there were no more guarantees of survival. No way to reassure themselves that they had already gotten out of this situation alive.
Han Sooyoung looked like she was trying to stay as strong as possible, but it was obvious that it was a difficult feat to accomplish.
"Ahjumma, you'd better be okay," Lee Jihye muttered anxiously, and Kim Dokja could only watch as the woman took a shaky breath.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is scowling at the incarnations on the screen.]
At the very least, she had a potential interested sponsor looking out for her now.
As the men outside the cage start a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors to decide on who gets the honour of entering the cage and doing whatever they want next, Dokja realizes that Sooyoung might die if he doesn't do anything.
But if I keep her alive, she will definitely be an obstacle. This is the only other person who knows about this world's story.
The screen zooms out, highlighting Sooyoung inside the cage.
The scenarios have changed drastically, making most of her knowledge obsolete, but…
Dokja's eyes go wide as he immediately stops that train of thought. 'Wait, what the hell am I thinking? Does everyone who can be a threat now have to die, while only helpful people become worth saving?'
Deputy Yoon, noticing Dokja's line of sight, leans over his shoulder in a sleazy pimp-like manner as he offers for Dokja to have his way with Sooyoung if he does him a favour. When Dokja plays dumb, he asks for a way into a group, greedily eyeing Dokja's items as he speaks of power.
Han Sooyoung's posture went rigid for a moment at his thoughts before she laughed dryly. "Seriously? I can't fucking believe you. We really are alike."
Yoo Sangah's eyes widened and she looked over at Kim Dokja in shock. "Dokja-ssi, you wouldn't actually…"
Would he? He had stopped himself, but he couldn't deny that the thought was there. It had been there for a while. After all, he had planned to get rid of some of the prophets in Anguk station, so Han Sooyoung was completely correct. They were more alike than either of them wanted to admit or acknowledge.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is feeling extremely conflicted.]
But why? Uriel was a constellation of absolute good, she should be berating him for that decision, and for even having that thought. Kim Dokja already knew he wasn't a good person, and he supposed that everyone else was finally realizing it.
When they watched the other man whispering those things, the children shivered even though they didn't know what he was talking about. Good. They shouldn't know.
"What the fuck!?" Jung Heewon hissed, shaking more than she would ever wish to. "He just… Dokja, you wouldn't. You wouldn't, right?"
Everyone was eyeing him and Kim Dokja felt his stomach drop. They seriously couldn't think that he would ever do something that vile?
"No," Kim Dokja said firmly, sick to his stomach. "I would never."
Jung Heewon seemed to relax slightly, but he could tell that she was still incredibly shaken up by the mere suggestion. Han Sooyoung wasn't doing much better, despite her usual confidence.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is expressing concern for the trapped incarnations.]
Dokja states he wouldn't mind introducing him, but that he wants everything to be stopped in return. Scenes flash by—the new salaryman maniacally holding the dagger as the others try to calm him, a man getting one-sidedly backed into the bars as he withstands heavy blows, the men outside of cages cheering and goading for the deaths and beatings of the ones inside.
Deputy Yoon laughs with a punchable look on his face as he asks Dokja what he means by that.
"Let them all go," Dokja states with finality.
Deputy Yoon pauses before trying to guilt trip Dokja using their past together. When Dokja doesn't respond to this, he switches to insulting Dokja by calling him a gloomy loner who barely talks to anyone, and when he does, only uses a few words. The man also recalls that only 'do-gooders' like Sangah ever tried to occasionally talk to him.
A scene of Dokja grasping his phone in both hands as Sangah cheerfully greets him at the company is shown on the screen, and Dokja only hums in greeting as several men watch them judgmentally from behind.
Dokja asks how any of this is relevant while Deputy Yoon laughs, covering his face with his hand.
All at once, the held breath was collectively let go. Kim Dokja didn't even know why he was worried—he knew himself, and he knew he wouldn't do anything like that. But still, that fear of the unknown crept up on him. The apocalypse could twist even the most noble of people. TWSA had clearly shown it through Yoo Joonghyuk alone as it showed his best and his worst.
Though he had coped remarkably well so far, Kim Dokja found himself genuinely afraid. What kind of person would he be by the time they reached the end of the scenarios? Would he still be able to recognize himself anymore?
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' approves of the demand of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Yoo Sangah frowned at the nasty words that their former coworker was spouting. "That's not why I tried talking to you…"
Kim Dokja knew that. Yoo Sangah was just a genuinely nice and friendly person, and she wasn't trying to get into anyone's good graces just by being that way.
"I know, Sangah-ssi," he said quietly. The scene of their old workplace was an unfortunate reminder of how the world used to be, and how he had been treated. He had never been particularly social in the first place, and the desperate need to avoid attracting attention for the vast majority of his life never helped the situation.
"If they think you're gloomy, then they don't know you well," Yoo Joonghyuk muttered gruffly, to Kim Dokja's surprise.
While he appreciated the unexpected vote of confidence, Kim Dokja wasn't sure how to respond. Instead, all he could do was hum in acknowledgement as his gaze went distant. Kim Dokja knew that he may have been a smarmy bastard to Yoo Joonghyuk, overconfident and prepared with all his knowledge of the apocalypse, but the regressor had never met him before the scenarios. At that time, a gloomy loner was probably an apt description.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is frowning.]
"Deep down, you're also enjoying this situation. Right?" Deputy Yoon asks with a creepy smile, looking even more deranged than usual. He talks about how the two of them are the same, coming from the QA Team—or the Lab Rats, as others in the company used to call them. He then turns, gesturing at everything around him, and says that now they make coins off of the people who used to look down on them.
He brings up the 'astronomical' number of acquiring 5,000 coins a day without needing to do anything, just like their old game monetization models. As he finishes his grand speech, a shaky voice comes from behind him. The salaryman drops his dagger, tears streaming down his face and armour disappearing as he states that he can't do this.
A vein pops in Deputy Yoon's face as he raises his hand for someone to come over, clearly annoyed at this outcome. Dokja intervenes, placing his hand on Deputy Yoon's shoulder and saying that he knows a better way to make coins.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' hates the incarnation 'Yoon Seongho'.]
"I'm not," Kim Dokja said shakily. "I'm not enjoying this."
Sure, this world might be better than the old one for him, but that didn't mean he was enjoying it.
"I believe you hyung," Lee Gilyoung said as he held onto Kim Dokja's arm tightly. "That guy sounds stupid."
Shin Yoosung nodded. "Yeah, he's being super mean."
At least the kids were on his side, and Kim Dokja hugged them just a bit tighter.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the pitiful amount of coins.]
"All that, just for 5,000 coins?" Yoo Mia said with a raised brow. "And ahjussi is such a scammer, of course he knows a better way."
Would that count as her having faith in him? He hoped so.
"Dokja-ssi, I hope you're going to free them," Lee Hyunsung muttered anxiously, and Kim Dokja desperately hoped the same. It was the most likely option, the most reasonable, but there was always a chance that there would be some factor they wouldn't or couldn't notice just by watching on a screen.
Dokja starts to draw his sword as he explains that you just have to do something that excites the constellations. Deputy Yoon sounds excited about this as the men inside the cage begin to shake and hiccup out of fear. Dokja activates
"Something like that," Dokja states, his expression blank. Some of the men running the place start to yell out in anger as Dokja then gleefully jumps around and slices more cages open. With a smile, he turns around and strikes the men chasing him, cutting through their legs like butter.
When Deputy Yoon angrily asks what he's doing, Dokja simply reiterates that he's showing the constellations what they want, easily earning him 8,000 coins from his supporters. He then insults the farm and remarks that earning coins is easy, causing the other men to attack him.
"You did free them," Jung Heewon said, relieved. She glanced over and smiled slightly. "And you looked cool while doing it too."
Kim Dokja had to smile back. It was a relief that he really had done what he expected.
[many constellations are cheering for the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is grinning widely.]
"Those strikes were quite precise, Dokja-ssi," Lee Seolhwa said, and Kim Dokja glanced over quickly. He still wasn't used to her being here, but it wasn't unpleasant. "I assume you aimed for non-lethal areas to preserve your attribute?"
"Yes, I can't kill anyone unless I want to lose it," Kim Dokja replied. It would be awful to lose [King of No Killing] after going so far to get it, and losing the chance of resurrection in case of any unfortunate accidents.
Lee Jihye snickered. "It's so funny that they're trying so hard just to get 5,000 coins, and ahjussi gets way more without even trying."
Yeah, it was kind of funny, wasn't it?
Once the fight is over for an instant, everything is quiet as Sooyoung is shown on the screen again. Suddenly, just as someone carefully picks her up, she opens her eyes and calls the situation bullshit as she disgustedly recognizes that she's in Dokja's arms. Upon Dokja's realization that she's awake, she says that she was only pretending to be unconscious in order to catch her attackers off guard.
As Dokja starts to walk out of the cage, intent on putting her down, Sooyoung grasps his collar urgently. They both pause with varying faces of exasperation and awkwardness as a helpful label appears, stating that Sooyoung barely has any Stamina or Mana left.
As more men watch Dokja from amidst the carnage he left earlier, Sooyoung asks if constellations will leave due to this development. Dokja responds that some like this type of development, and asks if she even wants him to save her or not.
"Ah, so you really were faking," Kim Dokja deadpanned. Han Sooyoung tried not to show that she was relieved by that news, but she wasn't hiding it very well.
Still, she put up a good front. "Of course I was, I'm not just going to let some random fucker get the best of me."
[a constellation who likes harems is looking curiously.]
Hell no. Absolutely not. Kim Dokja would rather eat a whole raw tomato than even consider that.
Han Sooyoung was also gagging as she shot a disgusted look at Kim Dokja. "You'd better put me down soon, or else."
Kim Dokja expertly ignored Yoo Joonghyuk's continuous staring at his back—seriously, what was it this time?—to shoot Han Sooyoung an exhausted look.
"You realize that I have no control over what happens there, right? At least I know not to pick you up once we eventually get out of here because you'll be awake to walk on your own."
That's what he gets for trying to be nice, he supposed.
As soon as the screen revealed that she was completely exhausted and depleted of mana, Kim Dokja shot her another disappointed look.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' approves of the current events.]
Then, a frantic indirect message followed almost instantly.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' wishes to clarify that she approves of the incarnation 'kim dokja' saving others.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' does not approve of this companionship.]
Yeah, Kim Dokja wasn't even going to waste his brain power on trying to understand the archangel right now.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is laughing wildly.]
Sooyoung looks at him suspiciously. "This is a cliché, you know that right? The cliché of a protagonist who saves the beautiful damsel in distress. I thought you hated those."
"You're wrong about two things," Dokja states as he kicks a man away, noticing that other wanderers are starting to appear. "First, I'm not the protagonist."
As Dokja runs away to the sound of their pursuers' cries, all while still holding her in his arms, windows appear stating that he gained a Karma Point.
Karma points accumulate for the privilege of 'King of No Killing'. It increases only when the system determines that a person was 'saved'.
'This means that Sooyoung would have died if I had left her there.'
"A damsel in distress," Kim Dokja deadpanned. "Yeah, right."
"Fine, I might not be in too much distress there, but even you can't say that I'm not pretty," Han Sooyoung stated with a confident flip of her hair. Kim Dokja pursed his lips slightly, but managed to reign in a witty comment. He could manage holding it in. He could.
"That's right, ahjussi," Yoo Mia said a moment later, putting her hands on her hips. "My oppa is the protagonist, not you."
She was exactly right. Kim Dokja would never be the protagonist of the world of TWSA, and he had no desire to take that position.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is not interested in clichés.]
As soon as the Karma Point notification showed up, though, Han Sooyoung froze.
"Fuck," she muttered. "I really had to get saved by that asshole? Hell no! I want a do-over! Let me save myself, dammit!"
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is roaring in approval.]
[a constellation who likes harems is disappointed in the words of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
"Fuck you," said Han Sooyoung. Poetic, wasn't she?
"And second, you aren't a beautiful lady," Dokja states blankly, causing Sooyoung's eyes to widen in shock and offense.
Her pupils narrow to the point of being cat-like in her anger, as she demands to be put down. Dokja easily complies, dropping the woman straight onto her butt without any fanfare.
"I didn't mean like that!" she hisses at him.
Dokja, however, remains unfazed. "You should fight too. You like that sort of cliché."
Sooyoung, still sitting on the ground, turns to observe the crowd. Many people stand, brandishing their weapons towards the two as they continue to talk about clichés. Deputy Yoon grasps his hair, bent over as he grits his teeth in anger.
Sooyoung finally looks to the ground beside her, noticing a fallen sword, which she picks up. She stands up, pointing the sword towards their attackers.
"Let's end this quickly and move on towards the next story," Sooyoung states, attempting to sound cool.
Unfortunately, her moment is almost instantly ruined by Dokja as he sighs. "You may be trying to sound cool, but it's not cool at all."
Han Sooyoung practically squawked in offense. "What the hell? I'm gorgeous, you asshole!"
Kim Dokja glanced over at her, raising a brow. "You're okay, I guess."
"I'll show you 'okay'... I can't believe you fucking dropped me too," Han Sooyoung grumbled, obviously pissed off. Still, something about it felt extremely performative—unlike previous times, Kim Dokja didn't feel like he needed to genuinely worry about her lunging at him. Apparently, Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon were less concerned as well, even if the kids stiffened up slightly.
Lee Jihye snickered behind her hand as she looked slyly over at Han Sooyoung. "You can't even claim ahjussi is ugly anymore to get back at him either."
Kim Dokja sighed as Han Sooyoung glared at Lee Jihye. "I told you guys from the start that I wasn't ugly…"
"Yeah, but everyone says that," Jung Heewon laughed. "I still can't believe that you're not blurry anymore."
Lee Hyunsung nodded like an eager puppy. "Dokja-ssi, your features really suit your face."
He supposed that was a compliment? Feeling Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze on him again, Kim Dokja glanced over and their eyes met. The weight of his eyes focused on Kim Dokja's face felt so much more intense than it had been before whatever was going on with his face was lifted.
"They do," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly. It was only two words, but it felt like more of a compliment than anything else anyone had said. Kim Dokja felt heat rise on his cheeks and he turned back to the screen, desperately hoping that no one would notice how flustered he was.
"Thanks."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is extremely excited.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' believes that the eyes of the incarnation 'kim dokja' are particularly pretty.]
Huh? His eyes? And… pretty? Kim Dokja looked away, not sure what to think of that. Shit, why was that affecting him so much?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' says that the eyes of the incarnation 'kim dokja' remind him of glittering stars.]
Fuck, his cheeks were burning. Who the hell allowed this constellation to just say stuff like that?
Jung Heewon whistled as Yoo Sangah giggled, and Kim Dokja wanted to hide his face again. Yoo Joonghyuk was staring daggers at the message, probably because it was a distraction from getting back to the important things they were supposed to be learning.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is glaring at the constellation 'secretive plotter'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' once again reminds the constellation 'secretive plotter' not to interfere with the companionship.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is sipping his wine while eagerly watching the drama.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing and rolling his eyes.]
"Who cares?" Han Sooyoung muttered, "I can't believe you said I didn't sound cool when you say stuff like that all the time too."
Well, at least he knew he sounded lame—and, if he ever got too full of himself, Kim Dokja could count on Yoo Mia to remind him that he was dumb.