[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is hoping for some more interesting action.]
Judging by Yoo Sangah and Lee Hyunsung's expressions, they were too. After all, everything in the next section would be things they hadn't been present for. Still, Kim Dokja couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive at seeing themselves go through the Theatre Dungeon. Not everything had gone smoothly, and they hadn't exactly explained to anyone else just what had happened in there.
A black aura spews out of the door at Exit 1 of Chungmuro station as pop-ups explain that it's a Hidden Dungeon that has already been discovered. The quartet passes warily through the barrier and they enter the Theatre Dungeon, where they discover that it can be cleared by beating the Master of the Dungeon.
Jihye questions Dokja about his earlier statement about Joonghyuk being in danger, even asking why he would try to save Joonghyuk. As she does, so Secretive Plotter pipes in with an indirect, saying that he wonders about Dokja's intentions. Of course, Dokja's answer that they're partners isn't believed by Jihye either.
Lee Jihye and the constellations are wondering why—he's the type of guy who, given the chance, would kill me, so it's strange that I would save him.
'And now here comes the misunderstandings.' Dokja sweat drops as a message from the Demon-like Judge of Fire arrives, claiming that she's pleased by his desire to save his friend from danger.
When Yoo Joonghyuk's regressions reached 2 digits, I remember these lines from the novel very clearly.
"By the way, what happens to the world after your regression?"
A shadowy figure is shown speaking to Joonghyuk, who is sitting on some rubble and wiping down his sword after what was inevitably another bloody battle.
"I don't know either… I always choose a world where more people are alive."
Dokja muses about the fact that Joonghyuk wouldn't know about the worlds he abandoned as the girls comment on Dokja being suspicious as always.
In fact, there was no definite theory about what happens to the world after his regression in TWSA. Nothing was explained—not science, not magic, nothing. What happens to the world after he regresses and disappears? Would it reset along with the regression? Or would it branch off into a parallel universe?
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed as he sent a strange look in Kim Dokja's direction. "Is this why you're so intent on ensuring I don't regress? To make sure that this world won't die with me?"
"Well—" Kim Dokja began, but Han Sooyoung cut him off.
"The idiot's probably going to try to beat around the bush and find excuses, so I'll just answer for him." She crossed her arms and looked sternly at the protagonist. "Instead of betting on the unknown, it's better to keep things predictable, right? You tend to play it safe the same way at the start, so you can't even blame him for it."
… She really did know exactly what he was going to do, didn't she? It wasn't that he didn't have other reasons for wanting to keep Yoo Joonghyuk alive—he had many—but that was one of the biggest factors. Self-preservation was a powerful thing, after all.
The faint traces of warmth in Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze disappeared as a frown overtook his expression. Kim Dokja hadn't even realized that the warmth was there until it had vanished, leaving behind only cold fury.
"I see."
He sounded betrayed.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' feels conflicted.]
Yoo Mia glared at Kim Dokja with as much venom as she could muster—which was an impressive amount. "You promised to help everyone, ugly ahjussi. I thought you actually cared about my oppa, but apparently I was wrong."
No… that wasn't it.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is pleading for there not to be a fight.]
"I…" Kim Dokja began, finding that his words were catching in his throat. He wanted to explain himself. He wanted to prove that he wasn't the person they thought he was, but he was terrified of actually voicing anything. Deep down, Kim Dokja had always known that Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't be impressed with him, but it hurt more seeing it happen for real. He couldn't lie, and he couldn't redirect.
All he had to do was force himself to actually say what he meant.
"I want him to live," Kim Dokja managed to say, albeit in a whisper.
"So we don't all possibly die; we know this already," Han Sooyoung sighed and shot him a pitying glance. He didn't deserve that pity, dammit, so why was she looking at him like that!?
Kim Dokja clenched his fists and impulsively raised his voice before he could lose what little nerve he managed to muster. "That's not why! It's a factor, yes, but I have other reasons too!"
Jung Heewon and Yoo Sangah exchanged a look with each other before Yoo Sangah turned to him with a frown. "Then what are those other reasons, Dokja-ssi?"
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' wishes for the incarnation 'Kim Dokja' to explain.]
Fuck, why was this so hard?
"You know that TWSA has been my favourite story for over a decade. It's Yoo Joonghyuk's story, and I don't know about you," Kim Dokja said as he cast a hesitant glance at the rest of the group, "but an ending without the protagonist wouldn't feel right."
"In the end, you're still just seeing me as a character," Yoo Joonghyuk growled under his breath. "I shouldn't have hoped…"
Hoped? For what?
"I'm not done," Kim Dokja said firmly, the words spilling from his lips without his consent. He couldn't focus on whatever the protagonist was saying, too overcome by the fear of his own inability to keep his mouth shut.
He wanted to stop talking. He wanted to bite his tongue. He wanted to keep everything inside because it was too overwhelming and too much and the product of over a decade of thoughts and feelings about Yoo Joonghyuk but he couldn't.
"You deserve to reach the ending of this story, too. You deserve to be happy. You're only in your 3rd regression right now, but according to the novel, you lived through 1863 hellish regressions as you fought and killed and died in this apocalypse."
Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes widened and his carefully guarded facade dropped for a moment. He seemed shocked to his core, completely disarmed by the sheer amount of suffering that lay ahead of him. By the end of his regressions, Yoo Joonghyuk's life was a monument to tragedy itself, and hearing about just how many times he had failed to destroy the Star Stream and the scenarios was probably too much for him to process.
His pupils shook as much as his hands, and Kim Dokja felt awful for blurting it out like this, even if the protagonist had wanted to learn more about the novel and his fate. Kim Dokja hadn't wanted this information to come to light this way.
Shut up shut up stop talking this is going to ruin everything—
[Many constellations are horrified by what was just revealed.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is pulling out his hair in shock.]
Still, for some reason, Kim Dokja couldn't stop. Something inside of him forced him to open his mouth again even as his voice dropped into a shaky whisper. "It was one thing when you were just words on a page, but… I never got to find out what happened to that Yoo Joonghyuk at the end."
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is trembling.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is sobbing into her hands.]
"Is it really so bad that I want to make sure you reach the ending this time? You deserve to be able to live in this life, Yoo Joonghyuk."
By the end of his impassioned speech, Kim Dokja was almost panting and he felt tears beginning to prick at the corners of his eyes. Shit. Why hadn't he just bit down on his tongue until it bled to force himself to shut up? Why had he let himself say all of that?
Flustered and overwhelmed, Kim Dokja immediately buried his face in his hands and refused to look at anyone—not even Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung, who were trying to get his attention by tugging on his sleeves.
He definitely couldn't look at Yoo Joonghyuk right now, even if the man was still silently trying to process everything. Not after saying far too much.
That was absolutely mortifying. Kim Dokja wanted to die just so he never had to face anyone else ever again.
'The second option would be fortunate, but if it's the other…' Dokja frowns in response to his thoughts as Jihye frustratedly comments on how they've yet to encounter anything.
Yes, I need to prevent his 'Regression'.
Gilyoung then notices a wall full of ripped posters ahead of them, and when he points them out, Dokja says he doesn't know who ripped them. However, he thinks that it should be pretty obvious that it was Joonghyuk, who had come through here earlier.
Passing the ripped posters, they climb the non-functioning escalator to the next level as Jihye and Heewon begin to have a bonding discussion about their love of swords. Jihye is incredibly proud of the sword Joonghyuk gave her, joy visible on her face as she shows it off. Heewon, on the other hand, is more hesitant about saying she likes her own bone sword, which makes Dokja feel a bit guilty. As Dokja joins the conversation, Gilyoung's expression turns panicked and he pulls on Dokja's shirt to stop him. When Dokja turns to look at him, Gilyoung quickly mentions that others are there as well. Jihye and Heewon immediately prepare for battle as Dokja wonders about the identity of the individuals.
As they sneak up the escalator, they begin to hear a muffled conversation. When they get to the top, they see a group of four people who are talking about information bought from the prophets—an apparently disgusting group that provides accurate info.
Whispering from where they're crouched on the stairs, Jihye notes that none of them are from Chungmuro, and Dokja guesses that they must have come from the surface. As Jihye wonders about the poisonous fog, Dokja states that they must have completed their scenario faster than Chungmuro did, since all the stations had different ones.
'Prophets? They were never mentioned in the novel at all. At this point, only Yoo Joonghyuk and I are supposed to know about this place. Then, what the heck is causing these changes?' Dokja thinks with a frown as the four people are enveloped in a spotlight that came from above the movie poster and they vanish.
Yoo Sangah stiffened as soon as 'The Prophets' were mentioned, and from where Kim Dokja was still hiding, he knew this could only end in disaster. Especially once Han Sooyoung's identity was revealed, considering everything that had happened. The two women had seemed to be striking up a tentative friendship so far, and Kim Dokja was terrified that he would have to watch it collapse.
He dared to cast a quick glance over at the protagonist, hoping that Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't looking back at him. He wasn't, but he did seem to be lost in thought, his gaze and expression equally distant. That was better than anger, Kim Dokja supposed, but part of him just hoped that the man would forget everything that Kim Dokja's traitorous tongue had let spill.
[Several constellations are curious about 'The Prophets'.]
"Thank you for noticing that, Gilyoung," Jung Heewon said quietly, recognizing the tension in their group easily. Clearly, she was making an (extremely obvious) attempt at changing the subject.
[A constellation who values caution praises the actions of the incarnation 'Lee Gilyoung'.]
The boy grinned, happy to be praised. At least someone was feeling better about everything, but that didn't help the overall situation.
Between Han Sooyoung and Shin Yoosung's identities, this group was a bomb waiting to blow. All Kim Dokja could hope for was that whatever was left wouldn't be unsalvageable.
Everyone other than Dokja is shocked by their disappearance, and they approach the wall cautiously. Dokja carefully begins looking over the posters, examining them.
'All of these are torn.. The only one untouched is… 'the era forgotten by mankind shall befall'… that bastard… out of all things…' Dokja thinks with an odd smile. Suddenly the spotlight flashes on them, causing Jihye and Gilyoung to wave their arms around in confusion, as if trying to escape an unseen enemy.
"So.. are you a fan of movies, Heewon?" Dokja asks, expressionless. Heewon responds with a confused frown that she's not sure who wouldn't like them, but Dokja just declares she's about to hate them. This, unfortunately, only serves to confuse Heewon more as they begin to disappear.
[You have been hit by a projector beam. The movie screening will now begin.]
The light fades, and the movie poster for Jurassic Park is all that remains.
As their vision gradually returns, the group finds themselves in a lush jungle.
Jihye's eyes go wide as she glances around frantically. "What the bloody hell is this!?"
"Right now, we are inside a movie," Dokja explains, turning to the rest of the group with a serious face.
The Theatre Master of the 8th floor recreated this world from a movie using their powers. Every poster is basically a portal and, at the same time, a floor of the 'Theatre Dungeon'. Yoo Joonghyuk probably went into a lot of these posters, likely just to get all the rewards.
[The constellation 'God of Wine and Ecstasy' prepares his drink for a good show.]
[Constellations who love movies are excited.]
"You went into the movie!?" Lee Hyunsung blurted out, looking at the group in awe. "I can't imagine how strange that felt."
Lee Jihye laughed. "Tell me about it. We went from a dingy hallway to a jungle in an instant."
Well, that wasn't even in the top 10 of the strangest things that would happen in TWSA, but the Theatre Dungeon would seem pretty impressive this early in the scenarios.
Jung Heewon rolled her eyes. "It would have been cooler if the movies hadn't been trying to kill us."
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' declares that that is the best part.]
No it wasn't. That was the worst part, actually.
Heewon seems to take their predicament in stride, since it's just another ridiculous situation of many, while Jihye asks which movie this is. Gilyoung, however, looks around and starts to walk off towards some shrubbery, which catches Jihye's attention.
As he approaches, a figure darts out of the bushes. It's a large mantis that's about half his size. Jihye moves to attack it with a swift slash of her sword as she calls out to him to move in panic, but Gilyoung grabs the mantis by its abdomen and pulls it out of harm's way as he ducks under her swing. He's incredibly focused, and immediately points out that the mantis is a Titanoptera from the Triassic Period. A green glow surrounds the boy and the bug, before a huge smile overtakes his face. They appear to be communicating, thanks to Gilyoung's skill.
Jihye confusedly asks what is happening, pointing her sword in Gilyoung's direction while he happily swings the mantis around in the air as a child would with their new pet. Dokja just sagely answers, "Fabré."
Maybe this stage can be cleared easier than I've expected? Yoo Joonghyuk must've ignored this movie after reading the contents, since the rewards are given by the type of movie in the 'Theatre Dungeon'. However, he had no idea that this movie holds incredible rewards.
Lee Gilyoung's expression brightened upon seeing his bug companion. "Titano!"
Shin Yoosung and Yoo Mia, on the other hand, recoiled in disgust.
Lee Jihye just groaned and facepalmed. "I can't believe you just grabbed it like that, do you have no sense of self-preservation?"
"He wasn't going to hurt me!" The boy protested, pouting. "And he helped!"
[A constellation that likes grasshoppers believes that grasshoppers are better than mantises.]
Lee Gilyoung looked at the indirect intently for a moment. "They're both good."
"They're both gross," Yoo Mia griped, grimacing. "I don't even care that the rewards are good, I'm glad my oppa didn't go through that one. Ick."
Well, it was for the best. They wouldn't have stood a chance against Yoo Joonghyuk without the buffs they picked up in that level.
"Still, this seems awfully tame for Jurassic Park…" Yoo Sangah muttered anxiously.
Gilyoung, who's been communicating with the mantis, seems to have learned something important and begins to call out to Dokja when the ground begins to shake. Ahead of them, screams pierce the air as two men who are covered in blood stumble out from the treeline. Jihye notes they were the ones they'd seen enter earlier before the ground shakes again. Instantly, she and Heewon look up and spot their pursuer.
"I might know what movie we are in now…" Heewon states shakily as a T-Rex emerges from the destruction. Jihye agrees instantly, just as shakily.
'That is at the very least a Grade 7 Monster..!' Dokja thinks, pulling a strangled grin, 'but for sure, the harder the Dungeon, the better the rewards are.'
The T-rex roars loudly, and Dokja immediately scoops Gilyoung into his arms as they turn and begin to run away faster than a man carrying two margaritas, accompanied by Jihye's frantic scream.
"Ah, I spoke too soon," Yoo Sangah remarked as she paled. "That looks terrifying."
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' says that dragons are better than dinosaurs.]
Lee Hyunsung nodded vigorously. "I hope you were able to outrun it."
"Outrun it?" Jung Heewon smirked with a wink in his direction. "Nah, we fought that thing."
Shuddering, Lee Hyunsung looked at her with a tinge of fear in his gaze. "I hope no one was hurt…"
Jung Heewon's laugh was a bit too forced, likely due to the tension, but her smile was genuine. "Don't worry, we're all capable of protecting ourselves."
"Yeah!" Lee Jihye cheered. "Just wait—you'll see us kicking dinosaur ass soon enough!"