"Ahjussi, are you sure everything is going to be okay?" Shin Yoosung asked nervously, glancing between him and the screen. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"You're doubting hyung?" Lee Gilyoung asked immediately, and Shin Yoosung began protesting and telling him that she wasn't. Honestly, Kim Dokja didn't have the time to stress over bad feelings or worries—what mattered was what happened going forward.
"I can't be certain, of course, but I'm pretty confident," Kim Dokja told both the kids as he patted them on the heads. "You'll see."
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is frowning slightly.]
Still in that smarmy and amused tone of voice, the dokkaebi brings up that Dokja is just as much of a showman as Dokgak said he would be. He also admits that violence isn't all there is to entertainment.
Right now, I'm trying to appeal to the constellations while saving the 'Disaster Shin Yoosung'. I chose and spoke words that they could hear with as little filtering as possible, so they would sympathize with 'Disaster Shin Yoosung', cheer me on as I tried to oppose the scenario, and pity the situation we're in.
The image of Dokja standing in front of 41st Yoosung protectively slowly turns into a stream window where a constellation chat can be seen in the bottom right corner. Among the unknown modifiers, Samyeongdang admits that even the Buddha would be moved by this situation.
All of this was so that I could change the direction in which this scenario was headed.
Yes, that was exactly right. Kim Dokja was basically doing the equivalent of those ads that show you a bunch of sad baby animals before asking for a donation, except instead of a baby animal, he had a beaten and bloody 41st Shin Yoosung. Maybe that wouldn't be quite as effective as the baby animals, but he was trying to garner sympathy for her in any way he could.
"Are you sure that appealing to the constellations is the best idea here, Dokja-ssi?" Yoo Sangah asked worriedly.
Why wouldn't it be? If enough constellations wished for it, then even the most rigid of scenarios could be changed.
"I'm sure," he answered firmly. Even though Yoo Sangah didn't look entirely convinced, she still nodded in understanding.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is wishing for the success of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is agreeing with his future self.]
See? Everything was going according to plan. This was perfect, and Kim Dokja had to pat himself on the back somewhat for it. If he could manage to save 41st Shin Yoosung and everyone else, then that would be the boost that everyone desperately needed.
Funny enough, your main strategist literally dying isn't great for morale.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is advising the incarnation 'kim dokja' to be more cautious.]
It would be fine.
Dokja internally mentions that the miracle of a scenario changing only occurs when the majority of constellations watching wish for it to go differently, and popups appear with several Korean constellations supporting his decision. Dokja stands up to the dokkeabi and asks him to either give them the rewards or continue with the scenario indefinitely, stating that two main scenarios can run simultaneously, so there won't be an issue with starting the sixth scenario even while the fifth scenario hasn't yet ended.
[Incarnation Kim Dokja. You are the smartest and most frightening incarnation I know,] the dokkaebi compliments him but quickly changes his tune, [But now, your intelligence will become your undoing.]
Dokja's eyes widen and he asks the intermediate dokkaebi for clarification, but his only answer is the most diabolical supervillain grin Dokja has ever seen as a window announces that the intermediate dokkaebi has gained control of the 'Disaster of Floods'.
"So it takes a lot of constellations to make that possible?" Yoo Mia wondered, glancing over at Kim Dokja. "Sounds like a pain."
Well, it certainly wasn't an easy feat to accomplish, but Kim Dokja was feeling pretty confident that his machinations had worked this time. After all, wouldn't it be a brilliant story to see the villain become a hero, casting off the shackles of their previous fate?
[several constellations are hoping for the scenario to change.]
Lee Jihye's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, they can run at the same time!?"
"That's right, they can," Kim Dokja confirmed with a sly grin. "It doesn't happen often or anything, but there was a situation where it happened in TWSA."
Han Sooyoung narrowed her eyes, as though to think harder about the circumstances where that would come to pass, but that wasn't in one of the chapters she would have read.
It had happened in the 1087th regression, when Yoo Joonghyuk had basically broken the scenario entirely by accident. To make a long story very short, an item required to beat one of the main scenarios had been destroyed before the scenario even began since one of his enemies had used it against him in a previous regression, leading to an impossible scenario. Since the constellations were furious at the stagnation, the dokkaebis had forcibly begun the next scenario at the same time.
Also, while a different situation entirely, the sixth and seventh scenarios ran at the same time as well. Since the sixth main scenario could only be challenged by a limited number of participants, the seventh scenario was active for everyone else. Because of both of these situations, Kim Dokja was confident that his reasoning was solid.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is hoping that the next scenario will soon begin.]
Then, the dokkaebi spoke and Kim Dokja froze. His intelligence would… what?
"Ahjussi?" Shin Yoosung asked in distress, lip trembling. "What's happening?"
No, this couldn't be happening. He wouldn't actually— wait, no, the dokkaebis absolutely would. This one in particular already had a grudge after the fourth scenario, so Kim Dokja should have realized that he wouldn't just let something like this go.
"Dokja-yah, you're overstepping," she said all of a sudden, sounding extremely disappointed in him. "You should have known that something of this magnitude wouldn't be allowed to happen."
When Jung Heewon and Yoo Joonghyuk both reached for their swords again—though Yoo Joonghyuk was more hesitant, likely remembering Kim Dokja's request from earlier—Kim Dokja shook his head.
"She's right," he whispered, feeling like hands were beginning to close around his throat as he struggled to admit this one thing. "Fuck, she's right."
He had miscalculated, all his planning had gone to waste, and now the Shin Yoosung of the 41st regression was paying the price for his hubris.
As the effect hits her in a crackle of probability, 41st Yoosung tries to resist, clearly in pain. Her voice is garbled and distorted as she tries to protest, but chains emerge from the ground and lock her in. From beside her, Dokja watches on in shock and horror before he realizes just what is going on.
[Fulfill your contract, cog of the scenario,] the dokkaebi commands in a condescending tone as Dokja realizes that this is due to 'Scenario Enforcement Executive Rights'—the power to control the fate of all the parts that make up a scenario.
The disaster screams in agony as it's announced that her personality has been modified. Dokja braces against the cyclone that suddenly surrounded the disaster as he wonders how the dokkaebi afforded the immense probability cost for it to be possible to interfere at this level.
As a window announces that the disaster's personality has been set to 'Evil', many constellations cheer. Dokja realizes that enough constellations agreed to share the cost of the probability for this development.
Kim Dokja bit his lip so hard that he was tasting blood as he stared in horror at what was happening.
Lee Hyunsung was almost in tears as he watched. "Dokja-ssi? Is there a way to stop this?"
"I don't know," Kim Dokja admitted breathlessly. This was horrifying, and it was all his fault.
If he had just complied, would her suffering have been reduced? If he had forcibly made her stay still and take a fatal blow while occupying her body, would he have been consumed by a probability storm? Would he have even survived his host's death?
Kim Dokja felt sick. Had he just added another chapter to the tragedy that was the life of Shin Yoosung of the 41st regression?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is excited to see a fight.]
Shit, they would have to fight, wouldn't they? In that state, there wouldn't be any reasoning with her.
"Hey, you have to snap out of it," Jung Heewon barked out, slapping Kim Dokja on the shoulder to get his attention. "Stop wallowing like that, dammit. You tried, and that's what mattered then, but now you have to face the fact that it didn't work."
She was right. His plan had failed, despite all his confidence in it, and now the dokkaebi was turning everything on its head.
"We will win," Yoo Joonghyuk declared, even though Kim Dokja genuinely had no idea where his confidence was coming from. Was this also a side effect of the protagonist halo?
[the constellations of the absolute good alignment are narrowing their eyes in anger.]
'Evil', huh?
Kim Dokja hung his head. The fact that her personality had to be forcibly modified only proved that despite all her actions and her anger, 41st Shin Yoosung had never been 'Evil.' Shit, he felt useless. It didn't matter how hard he had tried if this is what his failure had caused.
Where had he gone wrong?
Damn it, just why?!
Wondering how this happened, Dokja turns to Bihyung, who messages him to say that his attempts to convince the constellations otherwise were futile.
{How do I say this… your reputation is worse than expected.}
Dokja frantically looks at his indirects since they were always favourable, not understanding what happened. As Dokja realizes that there was more going on than the indirects he had been seeing, such as a long list of messages where constellations disagreed with him or doubted him, the dokkaebi taunts him for being arrogant and getting tunnel vision.
My judgment fell short. I deceived them with cheap tricks and got the channel event cancelled. Bihyung's channel having a limit of 9,999 subscribers is something any sharp constellation would realize from the very start.
Dokja realizes that he was being too naive, especially since not all constellations will send messages in the first place. Realizing that his tricks won't work anymore, his gaze returns to the disaster as the dokkaebi announces that his luck has run out. The sky behind the disaster warps as Sangah tells Yoosung that they're going to take cover while Jihye just straight up grabs Gilyoung and books it.
"Gee, I wonder why your reputation is shit," Han Sooyoung drawled, looking at Kim Dokja with the most unimpressed expression yet.
Well, everything had seemed good so far, so—
"You scammed them," Yoo Mia said bluntly. "Multiple times."
Right. That was a thing that he had done.
"You were overconfident," Yoo Joonghyuk stated with a disappointed gaze. "Don't let it happen again."
He could only work on that if they made it out of this situation alive. Still, despite everything, it was Yoo Joonghyuk's disappointment that hurt the worst—even worse than hers from earlier.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the misfortune of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Fuck, he had asked Bihyung to only send him messages from the highest-paying constellations back in the theatre dungeon too, hadn't he? Kim Dokja felt like the stupidest person in existence, and he buried his face in his hands. Of course constellations who hated him wouldn't send coins, so he wouldn't have even seen rude messages from them. Kim Dokja couldn't face the protagonist like this.
Even in 1863 lifetimes worth of failures, not even Yoo Joonghyuk had fucked up this catastrophically. Okay well maybe that was a lie, but he hadn't fucked up that catastrophically yet, so Kim Dokja couldn't even console himself with those moments of absolute stupidity.
[many constellations think that the incarnation 'kim dokja' shouldn't get cocky.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is disappointed.]
Yeah, he knew he fucked up. No need to rub it in. He felt like a piece of trash enough as it was.
"I'm sure that Dokja-ssi will find a solution," Lee Seolhwa said softly, smiling slightly. "You always have before, after all."
That was right, wasn't it? He could figure out some kind of solution, if he tried hard enough. Still, there were more pressing issues to worry about—like avoiding the initial attack.
'....So in the end, it ended up this way after all,' Dokja thinks as he looks sadly at the roaring disaster. Joonghyuk draws his sword, prepared to go on the offensive, but Dokja quickly steps in front of him, immediately realizing that something is wrong.
Joonghyuk runs towards Yoosung, but Dokja tells him not to touch her as he gets in between them and blocks the child with his body, stating that he'll never forgive Joonghyuk if he hurts her. When Joonghyuk states that there's no other way, Dokja reminds him that all they have to do is please the constellations.
As Dokja passionately declares that they can defeat the disaster, Jihye runs frantically with Gilyoung in hand as the ignored disaster chases them and begins to close in.
"What are you doing, you sooty bastard?" Lee Gilyoung spat, glaring at Yoo Joonghyuk.
The protagonist looked back at him with a raised brow. "I don't know."
"How could you not know! If hyung is trying to stop you, then we know it has to be something bad!" Lee Gilyoung shouted, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes at the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
"Me!?" Shin Yoosung gasped, clinging to Kim Dokja in fear. Kim Dokja instinctively grabbed onto her in return and stared at the protagonist in shock, ready to lash out at him if Yoo Joonghyuk looked like he approved of his future self's actions.
"Joonghyuk-ah?"
To his surprise, the protagonist looked equally stunned by his actions, staring silently at the screen with a clenched jaw and wide, almost distressed-looking eyes. In Kim Dokja's mind, it made logical and tactical sense that the protagonist would try to do such a thing, since killing the younger Shin Yoosung would instantly end the battle, but still… something was wrong. Suddenly, Kim Dokja remembered what had been bothering him earlier.
The Yoo Joonghyuk of the 3rd round in TWSA hadn't known about the Disconnected Film Theory yet.
Kim Dokja had suspected that something was off for a while—the protagonist using the Hidden Green Zones in Chungmuro, his weirdly high cooking skill, and his knowledge of the Outer God connected to the throne were all proof—but this was definitive. The Yoo Joonghyuk that Kim Dokja knew from the novel would never have considered killing the younger Shin Yoosung here because he simply hadn't known that it was an option.
Though their exact conversation had never been disclosed, Kim Dokja distinctly remembered that the Disaster of Floods of the 2nd round hadn't mentioned it, since he was supposed to use her information and succeed without any need to know how it worked. Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't learned the details of how the Disconnected Film Theory worked until the 37th regression.
Kim Dokja had realized that this wasn't exactly the 3rd round of the novel since all the people from the 'real world' were here, but that shouldn't be able to explain why Yoo Joonghyuk suddenly knew things that he shouldn't. Was this a side effect of their worlds colliding, somehow?
Just what was going on here?
[the constellation 'maritime war god' urges the incarnation 'kim dokja' to pay attention.]
What? Kim Dokja snapped back into reality, paling as he realized just what was going on in the future.
"Ahjussi, you'd better get your ass in gear soon," Lee Jihye hissed, looking extremely tense as she watched her future self attempt to rescue Lee Gilyoung.
Shit.
For a moment, I unknowingly let myself cling to hope.
The voice changes back to 41st Yoosung's as she looks at Dokja's outstretched hand, wondering if she could really go on living. Then the intermediate dokkaebi issues his order, and all her hope crumbles in an instant.
But even here, there's no hope for me.
The disaster's bloodshot eyes are blank, leaving her as a mere monster of the scenario, as she uses a skill on the fleeing teen. The blast creates a massive explosion, but the disaster's eyes widen as the smoke clears only to reveal Dokja crouching where there should have been a corpse or two. His arm and coat have taken on an almost furry and bestial look, and he holds his sword out defensively. Both him and Joonghyuk stand before Jihye, who has thrown herself over Gilyoung in order to protect him with her own body.
"The poor girl," Yoo Sangah gasped, looking utterly horrified by what was happening.
Shin Yoosung whimpered, and Kim Dokja held her close. This must be incredibly distressing for her, and he desperately wished that he could reassure her easily like he had before. But now, after failing, how could he do that? What comfort could he bring to anyone, and did he even deserve to anymore?
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is saddened by the current events.]
Lee Jihye winced and Lee Gilyoung hugged Kim Dokja as tightly as he could as soon as the disaster attacked them, and Kim Dokja felt all the blood drain from his face.
They couldn't end here. This was only the fifth scenario—they had so many left to go, and they couldn't lose anyone now. They couldn't lose two kids.
"Where the fuck am I?" Jung Heewon hissed, clenching her hands tightly. "I could be helping right now, dammit."
He had no idea where she was, but he hoped that she would arrive at some point. At the very least, with her attribute and skill, she would possibly become the only one capable of winning this fight.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
… huh?
Kim Dokja's eyes widened, seeing himself in front of the kids like that. Though he barely processed it, Kim Dokja also realized that Lee Jihye was prepared to die to save Lee Gilyoung, and something about that made his chest hurt. He couldn't focus on that right now, though. The skill he was using aside, something in him relaxed significantly as soon as he noticed that Yoo Joonghyuk was backing him up as well.
It would be okay now, right? The protagonist was here, and between the two of them… they could win, couldn't they?
"Master! Ahjussi!" Lee Jihye exclaimed, nearly in tears in her emotional state. Lee Gilyoung was already crying into the robe, holding Kim Dokja tightly.
Still, he managed to glance up at Lee Jihye and offer her a shaky smile. "Thank you, noona."
Her grin in response was practically blinding. "No problem! I'm gonna be the best noona you could ever want!"
Just how was she able to lighten the mood so easily? Truly, Kim Dokja was grateful to her.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is cheering for the incarnations.]
Dokja coughs up blood as it's revealed that he's obtained the [Sentiments of the Beast King] skill as his reward for using [First Person Supporting Character POV]. Joonghyuk gruffly reminds him that his stolen skills won't be enough here, and while Dokja gripes about his Mana, he tells the regressor to cover him.
Fine, if this is what all of you wanted to see…
Dokja's narration returns as he rushes forward, sword drawn.
Then I'll play my role to your heart's content.
As he runs, declaring that he'll stop the disaster, Dokja activates [Bookmark]. With his sword drawn, he prepares to strike the disaster who no longer responds in human words, sounding more akin to the beasts she governs.
「... It's alright. You can kill me,」 41st Yoosung's sorrowful and resigned voice tells him, barely breaking a whisper. Dokja's eyes widen as her thoughts flow into his head, and he grimaces as he realizes what this means.
'This is the price of failing to change the story…' Dokja grits his teeth and tells [Bookmark] to remove 'Delusional Demon Kim Namwoon' from slot 1 and replace it with 'Judge of Evil Jung Heewon'.
"Ahjussi!" Shin Yoosung yelped with wide eyes, looking anxiously at Kim Dokja. "You're hurt!"
He was fine. A hit like that was nothing if it meant the kids were safe.
"Oh thank goodness you got a skill," Lee Hyunsung sighed in relief. "And now we know that you can get them from people other than Joonghyuk-ssi, too."
For some reason, the protagonist looked a little irritated. Was he annoyed at the reminder that Kim Dokja could just permanently get a copy of one of his skills?
[some constellations are impressed by the current events.]
Kim Dokja's heart thudded loudly in his chest as he realized that he was about to truly fight side-by-side with the protagonist. Though they had done it before against the Disaster of Questions, Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't been an active participant there in the same way due to the poison. This time though, they were fighting as equals, and something about that made his palms begin to feel sweaty.
It was unfathomable, and it was exhilarating.
He felt floaty, and he almost didn't even care when the protagonist insulted his skills. He'd be eating his words soon enough, if Kim Dokja was about to do what he thought he would.
After all, there was one 'character' whose abilities would be crucial to winning this.
[the constellation 'master of steel' is watching nervously.]
When the disaster told Kim Dokja to kill her, though, he instinctively checked on Shin Yoosung. Thankfully, she was staring defiantly at the screen, and Kim Dokja pretended not to notice the way that Lee Gilyoung grabbed onto and squeezed her hand. At least the kids had each other to rely on, no matter how much they bickered.
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is curious to see what the incarnation 'kim dokja' will do.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is smiling mysteriously.]
Then, Kim Dokja switched out his bookmark slots, and Jung Heewon's eyes went wide as she gasped.
"This way you won't have to wait for me," she whispered as she realized what his plan was. "It's perfect."
After all, the disaster was 'Evil.'