As the next scene began to play, the excitement in the room began to evaporate. The first scenario, the first taste of this hell that had become their world, was not something most people would want to revisit. Kim Dokja glanced at the kids with a small frown on his face. Lee Gilyoung only had to watch some of the horrors that had occurred, and Kim Dokja honestly thought that the boy had dissociated through the majority of the events in the subway, but his hands had still been clean by the end of that scenario. Not that it had lasted long, and the boy seemed remarkably well-adjusted, but it was the other kids he was more worried about.
He knew that Shin Yoosung carried a lot of guilt over what she had to do in the first main scenario, and Kim Dokja had no idea what Yoo Mia had had to do to survive. At least Yoo Mia had her brother for comfort, so he didn't have to worry about her. She probably wouldn't want Kim Dokja to even attempt to comfort her in the first place anyway. Wordlessly, he placed a hand on Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung's backs as a silent show of support, even just to feel like he was doing something.
Both children relaxed into his touch, and even began clinging to his waist. It was kind of cute, and Shin Yoosung's shaky hands as she desperately sought comfort only made Kim Dokja more certain of what he planned to do in the fifth main scenario. There was no way he was killing this kid, even if Seoul had to burn.
[Constellations who like children are cooing at the adorable sight.]
"It's a dokkaebi," someone exclaimed as the creature sprung into view. I don't know why that sentence popped into my head at that moment. The subway came to a halt, and the entire cabin grew dark.
Dokja looks around in disbelief, trying not to believe this could be happening. There was no way; subways stop all the time, after all.
The opening lines of a very familiar story kept crossing my mind. But it doesn't make any sense. There's no way.
Suddenly, Sangah opens her mouth. "... A dokkaebi?"
Dokja turns to look at her. "Sorry?"
Realistically speaking, there was no way this could be true. It was completely impossible, but…
Two small horns.
A downy creature wearing a straw garment was floating midair.
It was too peculiar to be called a fairy, too malicious to be called an angel, and too innocent looking to be called a devil. So we called it a "dokkaebi."
Dokja watches in disbelief as red sparks crackle in the train and a creature exactly as described in TWSA appears in front of the passengers of the subway cabin. The frightened passengers murmur amongst themselves, but all Dokja can do is pay attention to the dokkaebi.
At that moment, fiction and reality overlapped.
"This novel of yours," Yoo Joonghyuk began in a harsh voice, "is that where your future knowledge comes from?"
Of course the protagonist would pick up on it instantly. There was no way he should lie—Yoo Joonghyuk's lie detection skill aside—when everything would be revealed shortly anyway.
"...Yes."
The man's eyes narrowed as he thought something to himself, but he just turned back to the screen wordlessly. For some reason, Kim Dokja had the odd feeling that Yoo Joonghyuk felt satisfied with something, almost as if he had finally pieced together part of a strange puzzle. Weird, why would that be?
"Dokja-ssi, since the novel is called 'Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse', is it some kind of survival guide for the apocalypse? Maybe if more people knew, there wouldn't have been as many victims?" Lee Hyunsung asked, his expression brightening slightly. Kim Dokja hated to be the bearer of bad news, but everyone was probably getting their hopes up a bit too much.
Han Sooyoung just snorted. "Even if that thing was a survival guide, I don't think it would have changed anything when it was so boring that no one but this weirdo read past chapter 100."
Kim Dokja smiled sadly at him, choosing to ignore Han Sooyoung's statement. "Yes and no. There were parts that had genuinely helpful advice, but most of it was about something else."
Lee Hyunsung wilted. "Ah, I see."
Jung Heewon just patted his shoulder in consolation while shooting Kim Dokja a weak smile.
The dokkaebi tries to speak, but everything it says comes out in a garbled mess, to the confusion of everyone in the train cabin.
No one knew what was going on. No one except me. It was the dokkaebi that appeared in the opening paragraph of TWSA. This creature heralded the tragedy that carried on for thousands of chapters throughout "Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse." That very same dokkaebi was now right in front of me.
Suddenly, Sangah's voice cuts through Dokja's disbelief. "I think it's speaking Spanish. Should I try talking to it?"
"You don't even know what that thing is," Dokja replies quickly in a whisper, trying to avoid drawing the dokkaebi's attention. "Are you going to ask it to lend you money?"
"W-well, no, but…"
[Testing, testing. Can everyone hear me? Gosh, the language patch was malfunctioning for a bit. Can everyone hear me now?] The dokkaebi calls, only to be cut off by passengers who just want the train to get moving again.
An audition means nothing to a dokkaebi, who mutters about getting more customers if the paywall goes up at 7 pm. As the dokkaebi tries to get everyone's attention, the crowd of passengers begin shouting.
I am certain. I know exactly how this story goes.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is watching carefully.]
Ah, Secretive Plotter. It made sense that a constellation like that, who always praised him for his misdirections and subtle manipulations would be cataloguing everything he saw here. Honestly, with how supportive the constellation had been so far, it almost made Kim Dokja feel bad about how he had first reacted when his name appeared on the sponsor selection. Almost.
A constellation was still a constellation, after all.
Yoo Sangah nervously fiddled with her fingers as she watched, frowning. "It feels like it all happened so long ago, but seeing it again like this…"
"Yeah, I understand," Lee Hyunsung muttered. "I can't say I'm proud of anything that happened that day."
Then, in a show of uncharacteristic wisdom from a child, Lee Gilyoung looked over in their direction. "Just be proud that we survived, Hyunsung-hyung. We can't change it now."
Dokja knows he has to stop people from antagonizing it, and he tells Sangah not to move. Furious, the dokkaebi yells at everyone to be quiet as it explodes the head of the man asking about his audition. Blood splatters over the surrounding passengers and leaves crimson stains on the metal floor of the subway cabin, causing a mass panic.
[We're not filming a movie. This isn't a dream, or a novel, and it certainly isn't the reality that you are all familiar with! Do you understand!?]
More and more bodies hit the floor as the dokkaebi continues to yell, killing the noisy humans as easily as swatting a fly.
I hated to admit it, but this was real. My doubt and disbelief slowly faded away as I watched the floor quickly become painted in blood.
Shin Yoosung flinched violently at the blood splattering everywhere and curled closer to Kim Dokja for comfort. She trembled and shook, even after Kim Dokja hesitantly wound an arm around her waist in a half hug.
"Ahjussi…" she muttered tearfully, and Kim Dokja tried to whisper reassurances to her. On his other side, Lee Gilyoung frowned a bit, but reached over and patted her hand a few times anyway.
"I'll share hyung with you for a little bit," he said with a huff. Of course they could share, but Kim Dokja wasn't sure why they would go to him for comfort instead of someone like Yoo Sangah. It's not like he was great with kids in the first place, or anything.
[Constellations who like bloodshed are ecstatic.]
The kids, even Yoo Mia, flinched. Oh, just shut up, would you?
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is laughing at the display.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is glaring at constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon'.]
Thanks, Uriel.
[All of you have had quite a cushy life until now, haven't you?] The dokkaebi cackles. [You were able to breathe, eat, excrete, and reproduce without paying the costs! Ha! You've all been enjoying privileged lives! But it's all over now. Nothing is free in life, isn't that right?]
Everyone in the cabin is terrified, but a middle-aged man steps forward and offers the dokkaebi some money. Dokja and Sangah recognize him as Han Myungoh, the manager of the finance team at their workplace. The dokkaebi, however, is unimpressed despite how much money he offers. Without wasting a beat, the stack of won is burned to ashes.
[Ha, there's no time for chitchat. Your debt is piling up as we speak,] the dokkaebi sighs. [I won't bother explaining it to you. It will be faster for you to try and earn the money yourselves.]
The dokkaebi's horns grow, and an announcement pops up declaring that Channel #BI-7623 has opened and that the constellations are now making an entrance. System windows appear in front of everyone in the train that proclaim that the main scenario has arrived.
Dokja looks down at the message of the scenario requirements with hardened eyes. It tells him to prove his value by killing one or more living organisms within 30 minutes. If he succeeds, he will be rewarded with 300 coins. If he fails, the penalty will be paid with his life.
The dokkaebi cackles and wishes everyone good luck before grinning darkly.
[I expect to see an interesting story.]
With that, the dokkaebi vanishes, leaving all the passengers to their despair.
To think that the requirements seemed harsh at the beginning, considering how things had only devolved from there.
Glancing over to his side, Kim Dokja noticed that Yoo Joonghyuk was looking right back at him. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat. God, that was terrifying to see out of nowhere.
"What?"
Give a man some warning, dammit.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is eagerly watching for signs of companionship between incarnations 'Yoo Joonghyuk' and 'Kim Dokja'.]
Thankfully, Yoo Joonghyuk ignored Uriel's indirect message like a professional and continued the conversation without once acknowledging it. It was probably for the best, considering that Kim Dokja couldn't even be certain of what she meant by companionship. It's not like Yoo Joonghyuk even considered him a companion in the first place anyway.
"I only saw some of the chaos of your cabin through the window," Yoo Joonghyuk admitted. "I am curious to see what actually happened."
Kim Dokja nodded while glancing away. "Ah, I understand."
Well, he'd probably find himself disappointed by how Kim Dokja had handled things, but it was too late for regrets now. With any luck, Yoo Joonghyuk would hopefully at least understand why he did what he did.
Lee Gilyoung hugged him tighter around the waist, drawing his attention away from the protagonist. "Hyung, are you doing okay?"
"I'm fine," Kim Dokja replied, patting the boy's head instinctively. "It'll just get rougher from here, so let me know if you need anything."
"Okay!"
As for everyone else, Yoo Sangah and Lee Hyunsung still seemed to be doing okay, but there was no telling how long that would last. Still, it would be better to get it over with sooner rather than later. Without wasting any more time, Kim Dokja looked back up at the screen as the next portion began to play.