[many constellations are shocked by the skill 'the fourth wall'.]
"Whoa, that looks so cool, hyung," Lee Gilyoung gasped, and he seemed to be in awe of what he was seeing. It was extremely impressive, and Kim Dokja honestly felt much the same. This wasn't a sight that he would have experienced through the original TWSA at all, but it was just as exciting and unexpected as any of the events contained within its pages.
Looking at the papers in front of him, Dokja guesses that this must be [The Fourth Wall]. On the other side, probability sparks as the hands seem to unravel from where they've made contact with the wall, causing Nirvana to jolt back abruptly and ask what he's done. In an accusatory tone, Nirvana demands that Dokja release the wall. Suddenly, words form on the wall, causing Nirvana to go quiet for a moment as they read.
「If I keep reincarnating because this world exists, then I'll just have to erase this world from existence.」
Processing it, Nirvana begins to panic as a cold sweat washes over them, their whole being trembling when new words appear just below the first.
「If it's Yoo Joonghyuk, he will be able to take me to the end of this world.」
Screaming louder, Nirvana asks Dokja once again how he could know this, for it's their truth put on display in front of them. Yet, when Dokja responds, things only get worse for them.
Jung Heewon's brow raised in surprise as the wall appeared to disintegrate Nirvana's attack on contact. "Damn, your skill really is overpowered."
"Right now, that is working solidly in our favour," Kim Dokja replied, still half in disbelief that his skill had even been capable of something like that in the first place. Even in a place like a soul, Nirvana was still powerful enough that they shouldn't have been shaken off that easily.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is cackling at the reaction of the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
"Do they actually think ahjussi is stupid enough to take the wall down?" Yoo Mia scoffed, shooting another glare at the screen. "Ahjussi might be stupid, but he's not that stupid."
To be honest, Kim Dokja had no idea if that was supposed to be a compliment or not.
However, he didn't have time to think about that for very long, not when words suddenly began to appear on the wall. Kim Dokja jolted in surprise, his eyes growing wide as he read what was written.
"Wait, that doesn't make sense…" Lee Jihye muttered in confusion, tilting her head to the side as she did.
Those words… they were… "Nirvana's thoughts?" Kim Dokja gasped, suddenly feeling very strange about the entire thing. "How are their thoughts on the wall?"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is stunned by this turn of events.]
"Hey," Han Sooyoung called suddenly, and there wasn't even a bit of her normal teasing tone present in her voice. "Is that a line from the novel that you can remember?"
That made sense—if his skill was truly composed of all the words written in TWSA, then it would make sense for a line that had been written to appear suddenly. However, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't recall reading the two specific sentences that appeared on the wall.
"If it was, then I can't remember it," Kim Dokja admitted nervously. Something about this whole situation was beginning to feel viscerally wrong and he didn't know how to feel about it.
Yoo Sangah hummed in thought for a moment, glancing over at him. "Dokja-ssi, this might be a stretch, but… since you have a mind-reading skill that clearly came from your attribute, just like this one, do you think they're connected somehow?"
Was she implying that maybe his skill was passively reading Nirvana's mind and putting it on display?
Honestly, he couldn't disprove it in any way, but the thought of being able to do something like that was so unsettling that he didn't want to entertain it for long. All he could do was shrug. "I honestly don't know."
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is feeling increasingly suspicious of the skill 'the fourth wall'.]
"You don't have to reach the end of the world. You will die here." At the sound of Dokja's voice, a few of the pages peel away to reveal his face. Looking at Nirvana like they're nothing but a speck of dust, the reincarnator stares back in horror as the broken portions of their body slowly begin to transform into words. The escaping characters seem to eat away at their massive body until only their torso is left.
At that moment, the wall buzzed once more as new words appeared in front of them.
「Finally, the reincarnator Nirvana was able to reach their 'one and only life' after hundreds of years of waiting. They were greeting their first true 'death'.」
Nirvana begins to laugh as they read the words, and it slowly changes from hysterical cackling to a chuckle of acceptance over the course of reading the few sentences. As their next words match exactly what appears on the wall at the same time—「This is what it's like to die.」—their eyes widen.
Not letting the reincarnator hide, the wall details the 'fear' they feel at that moment—the fear of reaching what they'd always wanted, and the fear of not existing. Their detached forearm reaches out towards the wall as their mouth dissipates. 「However, Nirvana couldn't scream out their words because their mouth had been scattered. Their arms, reaching out in desperation, faded away effortlessly.」
"Ahjussi, are you actually going to be able to kill them?" Shin Yoosung wondered nervously, glancing back and forth between him and the screen as she did. "Can you even use [Bookmark] in there?"
Kim Dokja didn't know, but it was possible that defense was the best offense in this case. If [The Fourth Wall] was able to lock down both his and Yoo Joonghyuk's souls until the point where Nirvana wouldn't be able to do anything, then they'd only end up hurting themself more as they tried to do everything they could to 'become one' with the protagonist.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering at the current events.]
"Their soul is unravelling," Yoo Joonghyuk remarked with only a bit of confusion seeping into his tone. With every sentence that escaped from Nirvana's body, they seemed to grow weaker and weaker. Kim Dokja had never seen anything of the sort before, and he already knew that Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't either.
It was a baffling turn of events that made Kim Dokja feel speechless. It looked almost as though the very stories and fables that made up a 'soul', according to Persephone, were being stripped from them and dispersed.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is extremely intrigued by this turn of events.]
[many constellations are confused and uncomfortable because of this scene.]
"Those words are extremely unsettling," Lee Seolhwa murmured, but despite her carefully calm tone, Kim Dokja still noticed the way she was clutching onto the material of her clothes nervously.
Han Sooyoung shuddered. "Shit, I may not like them, but that looks like a horrific way to go if they're actually dying."
Being torn apart at the seams, and having every part of your existence slowly stripped from you… Han Sooyoung was right, this was awful. Despite that, Kim Dokja watched in rapt horror as the reincarnator seemed to go through all five stages of grief in a matter of seconds, especially when the wall updated to say the same thing they were saying at exactly the same time.
"This is getting pretty freaky," Lee Hyunsung admitted, his shoulders hunching nervously as he glanced around. "I can't be the only one thinking that, right?"
Shin Yoosung shook her head and curled up closer to Kim Dokja. "I'm scared too."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is unsure of how to feel.]
Even though this was technically defeating Nirvana and accomplishing their goals of ensuring that the Salvation Church couldn't do any more damage, Kim Dokja couldn't bring himself to feel enthusiastic. He was stuck staring at the screen, feeling cold and uncomfortable, as his skill disintegrated a person while invading their every thought and feeling.
This was horror on an existential level, the likes of which Kim Dokja had never experienced before. He knew how it felt for his privacy to be invaded, for people to try to pry into every aspect of his life no matter how much he hated it, but back then he had been able to endure it by staying silent. Now, with the wall putting Nirvana's thoughts on display for anyone to read without regard for privacy, Kim Dokja felt sick at the realization that he was the one doing it to someone else.
Still, as he watched in rapt horror, Kim Dokja couldn't help but wonder. How did Nirvana feel in that moment, realizing that they were finally about to die? How did they feel, knowing that they were long past the point of no return? According to the wall, they finally felt uncertain and fearful right at the end, not knowing what would come next.
"It's over, at least," Yoo Sangah murmured softly, but it wasn't anywhere near triumphant. No one felt reassured, even if they felt relieved.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter is sitting back in his chair pensively.]
Dokja, now only seeing the wall's description of Nirvana's thoughts and pleas, becomes a simple reader once more. Nirvana pleads to be spared, even offering to tell Dokja his mother's secret in exchange for their life.
「As they struggled in desperation, Nirvana ended up muttering the words they hated the most in their last moments.」
「I don't want to die.」
The last sentence stretches across the pages in big words before erupting into a massive burst of light, causing Dokja to brace before his eyes open at the ding of a notification.
['The Fourth Wall' has devoured the character 'Nirvana Moebius'.]
His eyes widen as he reads that Nirvana was devoured by the wall, only causing him to feel that it's different from when the Theatre Master was killed before. Deep down, he's afraid, and he knows it.
"Fuck, you're just reading all of this," Han Sooyoung muttered with a grimace. "Then again, what the fuck would you even do? It's not like you ever knew how to control this fucking skill in the first place."
That was true, and Kim Dokja felt extremely apprehensive. Though the skill had always protected him so far, he had no idea if there was a limit to what it was capable of, or whether it would become a double-edged sword.
[many constellations are wondering about the secret of the incarnation 'lee sookyung'.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' greatly disapproves of people who share others' secrets.]
She scoffed, and Kim Dokja knew that she was glaring at the screen intently as she spat, "Pathetic."
Admittedly, Kim Dokja wasn't even interested in hearing what Nirvana had to say in the first place. The fact that she had secrets wasn't news to him—in fact, the list of things she did tell him would probably be shorter. Why should he care about any of them, let alone care enough to spare someone who had nearly killed Yoo Joonghyuk for the sake of their obsession?
That was something unforgivable.
Lee Gilyoung scoffed and scowled. "Now they don't want to die? How stupid."
[a few constellations are pitying the incarnation 'nirvana moebius'.]
As they vanished in a burst of light, Kim Dokja let out a sigh of relief. Finally, everything was over and he could—
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is gasping in shock.]
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is greatly alarmed by this turn of events.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is frowning in confusion.]
Kim Dokja couldn't breathe as he read the notification that had just popped up on the screen, and he tightened his grip on the kids instinctively. Maybe he was holding them a bit too tight, but neither of them complained because they were shaking as much as he was.
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said, sounding uncertain and taken aback, "what…"
"I don't know," Kim Dokja replied breathlessly, unable to tear his eyes away.
He didn't know what was going on, but his skill had just eaten someone. What the actual fuck was happening!?
He didn't have the time to panic, not when he had to figure out what the hell was going on, but it was hard to stay calm in the face of whatever that was. It didn't help that Lee Hyunsung looked a little green, or that Lee Seolhwa seemed stunned into silence.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is impressed by the skill 'the fourth wall'.]
At least the Great Sage didn't seem to be too bothered, but he had a vendetta against Nirvana's sponsor, so he was incredibly biased in the first place.
He's a lot less calm when the next two messages detail that the wall is smiling in a satisfying manner before eyeing him with a covetous gaze. Before him, the entire wall warps and moves as he finally realizes that he has no idea what the wall actually is, even though he's grateful that it killed Nirvana.
Suddenly, his thoughts stop abruptly, horror creeping over him as new words appear on the pages in front of him.
「At that moment, Kim Dokja thought, 'What if I end up being devoured by this [Wall] someday as well?'」
"The wall is… what?" Jung Heewon gasped breathlessly, her complexion paling as she began putting the pieces together.
Han Sooyoung's jaw dropped only a moment later. "Your skill is fucking sentient. What the actual fucking bullshit is this!?"
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is extremely anxious.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is confused by the skill 'the fourth wall'.]
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is narrowing his eyes suspiciously.]
"Hey, ahjussi?" Lee Jihye asked shakily, seeming very nervous as she turned to look at him. "Why is it looking at you like that?"
Kim Dokja didn't know, but he was growing more and more uncomfortable with every passing moment. He didn't like this at all. Sure, it killed Nirvana and ended that fight before it could get worse, but at what cost?
"I—"
But before he could finish his words, his breath was stolen from his lungs by his own thoughts appearing on the wall as well.
What if he… got devoured as well…?
[many constellations are gossipping intently.]
[several constellations are worried about the incarnations.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is alarmed by this turn of events.]
A shudder ran down his spine, and he stared at it in shock for a moment, unable to even think.
"Dokja-ssi," Yoo Sangah whispered intently, glancing around nervously and drawing her legs up closer to her body as though to unconsciously protect herself, "is it just me, or does that message remind you of the ones we got when this scenario started?"
"Fuck," Han Sooyoung gasped, immediately looking up at the ceiling. "You can't be implying—"
It was easy to remember the strange notifications they had all received in the beginning, and Kim Dokja felt a dawning sense of horror wash over him as he realized that Yoo Sangah was correct. There were a few types of messages that had been strange—the weird direct ones, and the others that had all begun with 'Han Sooyoung thought'.
All the adults, even her, exchanged a panicked glance. Something was so incredibly wrong here, and they had to get to the bottom of it. The fact that Kim Dokja was certain that he had seen Nirvana in this place made it even more suspicious, and he couldn't help but wonder if his own thought was meant as a premonition rather than a mere concern.
"Forget the future, we have to get the hell out of here," Jung Heewon hissed, glancing around at the oddly white walls surrounding them. They had seemed nondescript before, but now they were just suspicious.
Suddenly, Lee Jihye perked up. "I've got an idea."
Normally, that wouldn't inspire much confidence, but it wasn't like they had a choice right now.
She looked up at the starry ceiling and narrowed her eyes as though she was trying to find specific stars. "Hey! Sleeping lady-unnie and bald-ahjussi's sponsor!"
[the constellation 'defense master' is looking at the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is listening to the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
"Can you please tell bald-ahjussi and actress-unnie that we're in trouble?" she pleaded, and Kim Dokja had to admit that it was a good idea (for once). Of the constellations here, those two were friendly to them, and their incarnations weren't stuck here. Maybe they'd be able to help from the outside, somehow.
The constellations went silent for a moment, but returned only a moment later.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is panicking.]
[the constellation 'defense master' is demanding to know why he cannot contact his incarnation.]
… What?
[many constellations are looking around nervously.]
[the constellation 'tiger eating rice cake' is unable to contact the constellation 'nail-eating rat' either.]
Kim Dokja's eyes widened in horror. Hadn't that constellation left the channel way back during the part in Geumho station when they were slaughtering ground rats? And the constellations couldn't contact them either?
Something was definitely wrong. Something was so beyond wrong, and it was hard to suppress the panic that was beginning to overwhelm all of them.
"We're fucked," Han Sooyoung muttered manically as she tugged on her hair, "we're actually fucked. What if we're about to get fucking eaten!? Shit, what if we already did!?"
The kids whimpered, and Kim Dokja hated that he wasn't able to help them more, but he was feeling more and more terrified by the second. After all, if they were stuck in here forever, then what would that mean for the ending that he wanted? What if Yoo Joonghyuk could never escape…?
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. If this was really all because of his skill, and if strange things were already happening anyway, then maybe it would be worth trying…?
Fuck it, they were already screwed anyway. The worst thing that could happen was failure, right?
"Attributes window," Kim Dokja muttered while not expecting anything, and for an instant, a blue screen flickered into existence in front of him before fizzling out in a shower of probability sparks. He flinched away, eyes wide in shock, before messages appeared from the crackles of probability.
[n o.]
[k im dok ja is no t a llowe d.]
"Kim Dokja, what the hell did you do!?" Jung Heewon asked in a horrified tone, but he was too busy staring at the direct messages.
"I just… I thought that maybe…" he sputtered, unwilling to take his eyes off of the messages. That confirmed it, didn't it? Whatever was going on, whoever was in charge of this scenario was outright preventing him from accessing his attributes window.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is demanding answers.]
[ha h a.]
"Han Sooyoung." Yoo Joonghyuk's voice was firm, and she didn't even argue as she glared up at the ceiling.
She took a deep breath. "Hey you! Why the fuck can't the constellations contact their incarnations here, huh?"
[be cause t he █̶͉̝̳̻͙̏͛͒█̵̨̨̙͈̒̽͑͆̔̕͝█̶̟̎͆͂̊̅█̸͖͈̪̝̼͎̲̌̂̋͑͐́̅█̴͎̥͈͈̈́͆ͅ█̴̜̰͉͉͉̤̾█̷̝́͂͒̉̽̿͐́ͅ do es n ot kno w.]
"Cut that shit out," Han Sooyoung hissed. "Give us some solid answers for once, fuck!"
[han sooyoung thought, 'this is going to be difficult, but it has to be done.'.]
[han sooyoung thought, 'this is the only way we can ███ ███ ████'.]
Yoo Sangah clenched her hands into fists as she snarled uncharacteristically at the messages. "That doesn't answer anything!"
However, the messages didn't reply to her at all, and her determined expression began to look more and more defeated.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is cursing out the messages.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is insisting that the incarnations be released.]
Kim Dokja agreed—hadn't they learned enough already? They had so much to do, and since they didn't know what was happening on the outside of this scenario, everything could be changing and disrupting any plans they could hope to make.
"Let us go," Han Sooyoung said firmly. "We're done with this bullshit."
The air sparked for a moment, and everyone except for Yoo Joonghyuk flinched back. The protagonist was shielding his sister with his own body, and he was glaring intently at where they had come from.
[han sooyoung thought, 'promise me one thing—don't let them leave before they have seen enough.']
"I don't fucking care!" Han Sooyoung shouted, but before she could say anything further, another message popped up.
[(goodness, so rowdy.)]
[(my apologies, but we cannot let you go yet. The ending credits have not yet played, you see.)]
Lee Jihye scoffed. "So what?"
The air in front of her sparked threateningly once again, and she scooched back closer to the rest of the group to get away from it. Yoo Joonghyuk narrowed his eyes and carefully began pulling his sword out of its sheath, and the rest of the group began slowly reaching for their weapons too. Lee Hyunsung seemed a bit lost without his shield, but he looked as though he was ready to put his body in between the others and any danger with or without it.
[(don't get hasty; the █̷̨̺̟̲͇̮̞̺̤͍̯̦̻͎͋͜█̴̝̙̣͈́̉́͆̍̔͐̾͘̕͝█̴̱̞͉̙̮̥̰̝̽͋█̴͇̒̿̍̔̒͑̂͌̈̕͜█̸̨̯͈̮̗͔̱̘͎̓̅̐̎͝█̴̧̤̰̰̫̳̳̄͗̓͜͜█̷̠͈̹͆̿͒̍͒͘ has rules, after all.)]
[han sooyoung thought, 'you may have to get a bit rough. We never were good at listening to instructions.']
With that, more and more sparks crackled around the room before falling silent, and before they could even begin processing what the fuck had just happened or what it meant, the screen lit up once more.
After what feels like a long few seconds of staring at this unsettling realization, the [108 Afflictions] is finally released. Jolting back into the real world, still in Joonghyuk's body, Dokja pants heavily and braces himself with a hand on the ground as the dokkaebi state that they're going to declare the strongest incarnation. In front of him, Nirvana's body sits slumped and motionless as it dissipates into dust. As he watches, Dokja wonders if Nirvana has finally found rest after a long time spent wandering the world.
[The strongest incarnation is none other than…] one of the intermediate dokkaebi begins saying to the silent incarnations before Dokja's hearing turns tinny and he staggers back. His skill deactivates due to exhaustion, and his vision goes black as his consciousness disappears from Joonghyuk's body.
Ah. I'm at my limit.
With the ding and a 'you have died' message, Dokja's body and the pool of blood below it appears on the screen for a moment before disappearing into the darkness.
Kim Dokja looked around worriedly, noticing how pale and uncomfortable everyone looked. No one knew what to do or say, and the entire situation felt so wrong that there wasn't anything they could do. He knew a threat when he saw one, and that last direct message had most certainly been a threat.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is wondering if the incarnations are alright.]
Jung Heewon shrugged weakly. "Define 'alright'."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is looking sadly at her incarnation.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is clenching his hand into a fist]
"I don't think we have a choice but to finish whatever it wants us to see," Kim Dokja admitted quietly before burying his face into the kids' hair and letting out a deep sigh. He was tired of all this, and even though he wanted to be certain that Yoo Joonghyuk was alright, there was far too much on his mind.
Yoo Mia clutched onto her brother, but she sent Kim Dokja a worried look as Nirvana disintegrated and the dokkaebi began announcing the strongest incarnation.
"Dokja-ssi…" Lee Hyunsung muttered, sounding halfway to tears, as he glanced over in Kim Dokja's direction.
Ah, so his future self was dying. It seemed that he had hit his limit already.
The kids trembled and sniffled, even though they tried their best not to cry, and Yoo Joonghyuk was scowling deeply. This whole situation was so fucked up, and there was nothing they could do about it.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is closing her eyes mournfully.]
And two days later, my funeral began.
When the screen starts to light up once more, the sound of rain filters in. A crowd of people are all seen standing solemnly as a coffin is carried in by six hwarang and followed by a small crowd of familiar faces. They all remember what had happened—about an hour after the scenario had ended, Dokja's body had been discovered on the roof, and it was determined that he had died of excessive blood loss.
The members of his group, now used to his repetitive deaths, hadn't panicked at first. They had just waited for him to get up and smile the way he always does, then tell a few timid jokes. However, after a few hours had passed and Dokja didn't wake up, they began to panic. It had only worsened when days passed and he still hadn't come back to life.
Everyone froze, and the kids seemed to stop breathing. Even she looked downright stunned into silence, and Kim Dokja wasn't sure how he should feel about that.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is wondering if this is a bad joke.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is staring at the current events in confusion.]
"What…?" Lee Seolhwa breathed, looking as confused as they all felt. This was real, wasn't it?
Kim Dokja was dead, and his body was lying in a coffin, unmoving.
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes shook, and he instantly turned an intense yet desperate gaze onto Kim Dokja, as though he was wordlessly pleading that he'd have some sort of explanation for all of this.
"Fuck," Han Sooyoung cursed, going as pale as a sheet. "Hey, asshole, why aren't you getting up?"
Kim Dokja didn't know. Was it part of the scenario? Did the Star Stream outmaneuver him and add a hidden clause that would prevent him from cheating death?
"Seriously, answer me! You asked me to kill you, but do you think that excuse is gonna fly when that bastard comes for my head?" Han Sooyoung shrieked, looking more and more upset by the second as she gestured at the protagonist. "I can tell you right now that it won't!"
Furiously, Kim Dokja tried to think back to when this attribute was used in TWSA, but he couldn't remember any details other than the fact that it allowed someone to come back to life, and they gained something every time one of the lives was used up.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is looking mournfully at the incarnations.]
"You have to wake up, Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk hissed, and he looked pointedly at the kids who were sobbing into the fabric of the robe.
Kim Dokja hugged the children and let out a shaky breath. "Joonghyuk-ah, believe me, I wouldn't have done this if I wasn't confident I'd come back, so…"
But he couldn't be sure. Not anymore. Not in a situation like this.
All they could do was hold their breaths and wait.
Jiwon had been the one to suggest holding a funeral for him and had offered to help. Because of that, two of the other hwarang dig a shallow grave to serve as Dokja's final resting place. As the open coffin is placed to the side of the hole, ready to be buried, the two children throw themselves onto it with heart-wrenching cries as the three standing behind them—Heewon, Hyunsung, and Jihye—try to keep their own contained, all in various states of sorrow and disbelief. The angle finally switches to display the inside of the coffin, and Dokja's face looks uncharacteristically peaceful while his hands have been delicately placed over his abdomen so he looks like he's merely sleeping.
Jihye turns to the adults around her, tears finally dripping down her face, saying in a wavering voice that stuff like this has happened before. She sounds desperate to keep the hope of Dokja waking up any moment. She begins to shake Heewon's arm and asks where her Master went, begging for him to arrive and save Dokja because she's sure that Joonghyuk can somehow bring him back to life. Still distraught, Jihye demands to know where Seolhwa was the entire time as well.
Her anger and denial grows as she finally moves to stand beside the sobbing children, leaning over the coffin as she speaks to the man within. She demands that he wake up, and reveal that this is all a prank.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is wiping away her tears.]
Ah, so it was Min Jiwon's idea. It was awfully considerate of her, considering the circumstances.
He felt detached from his own body as he looked at all the people gathered to bid him farewell, and number still when he saw only five members of his own group. Admittedly, he had never expected Han Sooyoung to attend in the first place, so her absence wasn't a surprise. To be honest, there were more people in attendance at his funeral than he had ever imagined before.
However, it hurt more than expected to notice that Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't there either. After everything they had been through, Kim Dokja had thought that maybe the protagonist would feel upset over this, but Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't even bothered to come to his funeral. Ah… why had he even let himself have hope in the first place? After 28 years, Kim Dokja already knew that it would only lead to disappointment.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is putting his hands together in prayer.]
"Ahjussi… you can't just leave us like that," Lee Jihye sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "Why aren't you waking up?"
Kim Dokja couldn't look at her as she cried, unsure of what to do or think. Honestly, she had never seemed that attached to him before, so this reaction was a surprise. Above all else, Kim Dokja felt a pain deep in his soul when she begged to know where Yoo Joonghyuk went, going so far as to claim that he'd be able to fix the situation.
Even though he was the protagonist, not even he could save someone from the clutches of death—that was the reality that Yoo Joonghyuk knew all too well.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is looking sadly at the incarnation 'lee jihye'.]
Lee Seolhwa bit her lip. "I'm sorry, maybe I could have—"
She cut herself off, knowing that it was futile anyway. He had to die completely to clear the scenario, and any healing would have been too late by the time they had found him anyway.
Kim Dokja couldn't bear to look at their faces—Lee Hyunsung's devastation, Yoo Sangah's guilt, Jung Heewon's barely concealed fury, Han Sooyoung's frustration, the kids' sorrow. He couldn't even look back at her to see what kind of expression was on her face, and he couldn't tell how Yoo Joonghyuk was even feeling. Despite his shaking eyes, his face was completely blank, as though he hadn't yet processed anything he was seeing.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' gently says that she will make sure the underworld welcomes the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Seeing that no one else is able to move, Jiwon carefully steps forward, lightly placing her hand on the girl's arm before speaking in a soft voice, "... He was the strongest in Seoul."
Knowing that she's the only one who can do this, simply because she knows Dokja but their relationship isn't too strong, Jiwon begins to speak to the crowd. She talks about how Dokja chose to sacrifice himself for everyone in silence while everyone was enthusiastically watching the fight. She speaks of the nicknames that everyone was thinking of as he was announced as the strongest incarnation—the King of a Kingless World, the Lonely Messiah, and the Ugliest King. The fact of the matter is that Dokja died for Seoul, and he died without anyone knowing about it.
Heewon pulls Yoosung away from the coffin, even as she continues crying. Hyunsung still looks confused, but Gilyoung's expression falls into something blank, as though he's no longer in reality as he mumbles that Dokja isn't dead.
As everyone slowly has to admit that Dokja is dead and won't be resurrecting again, two hwarang step forwards and pick up the lid. As they cover the coffin, the final narration plays.
They now had to live in a world without Kim Dokja.
Kim Dokja closed his eyes as Min Jiwon began speaking, and internally, he thanked her. None of his companions would be in the right mindset to speak right now, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle listening to them say anything either.
[the constellation 'lady of the sleeping brocade' is feeling intense pride for her incarnation.]
It was touching, really. Well, everything except for the part where she included 'the Ugliest King' as one of his official nicknames—that he could have done without.
Still, what she couldn't have known was that he didn't die for Seoul specifically. He died like that for two purposes—one, to be able to save Yoo Joonghyuk, and two, to end the scenario. If he had truly wanted to save Seoul selflessly, then he would have ended himself the moment the scenario had begun instead of waiting for a carefully calculated moment like that.
"Don't leave me, hyung," Lee Gilyoung whimpered, his voice muffled by the robe. "Please don't leave me too."
Kim Dokja didn't trust his voice, but all he could think as he held the child tighter was, 'I'm sorry.'
Maybe this was one of the things that this scenario was meant to prevent, and maybe the screen would follow the true protagonist of the world from now on. Kim Dokja didn't know, but he was worried.
Without him around, would anyone be able to stop Yoo Joonghyuk from regressing?
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is sobbing.]
[the constellations of the korean peninsula are mourning the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is silent.]