Chapter Text
Kim Dokja did not understand his companions.
He should have known that something was off the first time he truly spoke to Yoo Sangah but he wasn’t thinking. He was too focused on Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World. He was amazed that the author would send him the text to read as a gift, after all.
Yoo Sangah sat right next to him without so much as a word or heed. Kim Dokja looked up at her in slight concern and warryness. Her aura was different than before. She was still clearly the Yoo Sangah he knew from work, the beautiful female lead of a romance novel, yet something about her was off.
She showed him a small smile, her eyes reflecting with a pain Kim Dokja had never seen before except in the mirror. He couldn’t help but meet her gaze. She did the same, her facial expressions twisting before she frowned.
“Are you heading home?” Yoo Sangah asked, expression a little pinched.
KIm Dokja blanked for a moment. It was quite obvious he was heading home. He had never seen Yoo Sangah at the train station, though it was his routine to do this— to read on the train after a grueling day of work. It was a bit anticlimactic but he enjoyed stories more than anything else.
“Uh, yes. You are as well, I presume…?”
They started up a small conversation after that. Kim Dokja learned that Yoo Sangah biked back and forth from work, enjoyed learning new languages, and was a hard studier that always strived to improve herself. She offered to show him the app she used to help her learn, though she didn’t seem too into it.
Kim Dokja peeked over her shoulder to watch her pull up the app anyway. Her movements were sluggish, like she wasn’t actually interested in showing off the app she used to learn foreign languages. Or perhaps, she just wasn’t interested in speaking with him.
He saw a foreign sentence on her phone screen. She explained that it was Spanish before sliding her phone away. Her movements were abrupt and to the point. She smiled at him after, as if she wasn’t acting so bizarre.
Kim Dokja was incredibly confused by Sangah. She was so different from what he had noticed from the few times they were in the same room together at Mino Soft. It was almost enlightening. Yoo Sangah was pleasing their co-workers in order to get a secure job while he remained on his contract and did meaningless things with his time, like read web novels every chance he got.
Yoo Sangah then mentioned with a lecturing tone, “You look tired.”
Her eyes were understanding and almost warbling. That didn’t make any sense. Did Yoo Sangah care that much about random co-workers? Kim Dokja shook his head mentally. Yoo Sangah was simply a very kind person. It was why so many men sought after her. Though… Kim Dokja could never see himself with her. They had completely different lives and goals.
Kim Dokja chuckled awkwardly, attempting to pretend that he didn’t have bags under his eyes from restless nights spent awake instead of asleep. It was his own bad habits that made him like this.
He assured Yoo Sangah horribly with a lie, “I’m just fine. Don’t worry.”
Yoo Sangah twisted her lips, as if thinking about something hard.
She opened her mouth hesitantly before asking, “Did your web novel end today?”
Kim Dokja was surprised. He couldn’t hide it. Yoo Sangah smiled amusedly as Kim Dokja faltered next to her.
“How do you know about that?” he asked, throat dry.
Yoo Sangah tilted her head. She clicked on her phone, eyes peering down to the brightened screen. Kim Dokja noted that it was 6:59 P.M. They had only been chatting for a couple of minutes and yet Yoo Sangah knew so much about him. It was weird, right?
Was he missing something, perhaps? He clutched his phone nervously; the urge to read the epilogue of his life-saving web novel almost turned into a physical need.
Then, just when the numbers on Yoo Sangah’s screen changed to 7:00 P.M., she wrapped her arms around him.
The train cabin turned dark, the lights flickering off as a morbid feeling overcame him. Kim Dokja tried to look around but Yoo Sangah’s grip around the back of his shoulders and neck made it impossible. She was strong— stronger than anyone he had come across before.
Yoo Sangah whispered to him, “It’ll be okay, Dokja-ssi.”
And then the sharp sound of metal filled his ears. They rocked around in their seats, clutching onto one another for dear life. The train stopped moving with a loud hiss. Kim Dokja heard the panicked screams, grunts, and questions as everything in the world seemed to halt with a morbid screen tint.
Once the train didn’t seem to be moving anymore, Yoo Sangah allowed him to break free from her clasp. He knew that it was her who let him roam alone. She could have held him down by force alone. She must have concluded that it was safe to sit up without protection.
“Are you okay?” he asked breathlessly.
Yoo Sangah wrapped her arm around his, locking him in place. Kim Dokja looked down to his for a moment before seeing her eyes. She didn’t look scared or frightened like everyone else in the train cabin. Yoo Sangah didn’t seem to be wary, either.
She was determined.
Yoo Sangah could move mountains with her mind alone, Kim Dokja knew. Her determination was incredibly strong and obvious. It was as if Yoo Sangah was determined to protect something.
Determined to protect what? he wanted to ask.
Kim Dokja cast his eyes at the carnage around him. The train station speakers told them to evacuate, but how could they? There was no way off of the platform… Not with the creature who popped into existence in their cabin.
It was a dokkaebi— too innocent-looking to be a devil, too peculiar to be a fairy, and too malicious to be an angel. The horns of the dokkaebi were just as described in the novel. Kim Dokja’s heart skipped a beat, or perhaps it was three.
This was much too similar to what Kim Dokja had spent nearly half of his life reading. He knew that novel well; had grown up alongside the chapters being the only reader after a few chapters too many. He tried to tell others that Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World was a great read but no one wanted to listen.
And now…
It was reality. The genre of Kim Dokja’s life changed right then and there, and he knew it too.
The dokkaebi couldn’t speak in a language Kim Dokja knew at first. Yoo Sangah didn’t seem to mind. She kept her grip on him strong. They were still in place, sitting on the side while most of everyone else had stood up in alarm.
While the dokkaebi frightened most passengers, Kim Dokja felt his pulse slow down the more time he spent with Yoo Sangah. She held his hand in hers, intertwined. It was comforting. It was something he didn’t want to let go of. Sangah was so kind and brave. Dokja wondered if he could ever be the same, if not mirror it at times.
Yoo Sangah whispered in his ear as she squeezed his hand, “We’ll be fine.”
Kim Dokja wanted to believe her.
But then the Dokkaebi began to speak. Kim Dokja widened his eyes in fear as his life flew by. The only reason he managed to stay grounded was because of Yoo Sangah’s strong grip.
[Testing. Testing. Can everyone hear me? The language patch was malfunctioning for a bit.]
The dokkaebi talked around, the humans in the compartment argued with the being. It wouldn’t end well. Kim Dokja knew that it wouldn’t end well. Dokkaebi weren’t the best about being easy to talk to. They cared about views. Violence was one of the greatest views of all.
The floor of the train splattered and filled with blood. It splashed onto his shoes but he remained frozen. Kim Dokja felt his hand shake. It only made Yoo Sangah squeeze the one she was holding harder. How could she be so strong? Those people were just slaughtered.
[CHANNEL #BI - 7623 HAS OPENED]
[The constellations are now making an entrance.]
With a ping, a blue screen filled Kim Dokja’s field of vision.
Main Scenario #1
[Prove Your Value]
Kill One or More Living Organisms.
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Time Limit: 30 Minutes
Reward: 300 Coins
Penalty for Failure: Death
A chipper noise filled his ears, then. The dokkaebi was speaking again. [Well, good luck everyone. I expect to see an interesting story.]
The dokkaebi disappeared in thin air, leaving the train cabin empty with shaking fear.
Yoo Sangah kept Kim Dokja in his spot, sitting beside her. She took out her phone. It was open to a messaging platform. Kim Dokja tried to look at it, seeing as someone had sent her message, but Yoo Sangah closed out of it without a care.
Yoo Sangah turned to him. “Dokja-ssi, you need to remember something. Can you do that for me?”
Kim Dokja licked his lips with uncertainty. He nodded silently, hoping that would be enough. He couldn’t speak— couldn’t think, really.
A novel was unfolding before his very eyes. Maybe if he had read something with romance or adventure or literally any other genre, they would be fine. But no. He liked Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World too much to ever think about putting it down. It was a novel made just for his eyes.
“Good,” Yoo Sangah said. She tightened her hand around his and peered deep into his soul. “Your one goal is to survive. Don’t let anyone get in the way of that.”
Kim Dokja was at a loss for words. She sounded like she had discussed this before, as if this was the nth time she had lectured him.
Abruptly, Yoo Sangah stood up after untangling herself from him. She grabbed his hand, taking him to her destination. Kim Dokja forced his legs to move through the confused, panicking crowd.
Yoo Sangah walked right to a tall, muscular man sitting next to a child. Kim Dokja tried to not look too surprised when they greeted one another. Were they friends? Well he supposed it made sense. They were both incredibly good-looking.
“Sangah-ssi, it’s good to see you,” said the unknown man.
“Hyunsung-ssi,” she greeted back.
Yoo Sangah just looked at him after that. It was like they were speaking through their minds or maybe with their eyes. Kim Dokja didn’t understand it.
Lee Hyunsung wasn’t supposed to be here. He’s with the protagonist… At least, he was in the novel. He was a subordinate that was once a comrade before one too many regressions. How on earth did Yoo Sangah and Lee Hyunsung know one another?
Kim Dokja, unable to cope with having so much time spent wrapped in Yoo Sangah’s arms and in the beginning of a novel that smelt of death, looked down to the boy next to Lee Hyunsung. Kim Dokja waved at the child, eliciting a grin and wave back.
Kim Dokja was drawn away from his thoughts when Yoo Sangah lifted her free hand up. They were still intertwined so Kim Dokja had no idea what Yoo Sangah was thinking. She opened her hand palm-up before Lee Hyunsung dropped a grasshopper into hers.
Yoo Sangah crunched down on the grasshopper. The sound filled Kim Dokja’s ears. It made sense. Living organism. That didn’t mean that it had to be a murder of another human being.
Yoo Sangah wiped her palm off onto her pants. She turned to him, picking up the hand she was holding onto, and forcing it open.
“What—”
Lee Hyunsung dropped the grasshopper into Kim Dokja’s hand. Then, Yoo Sangah forcibly bent down his fingers so that the grasshopper would be crunched. Kim Dokja kept his hand clenched in shock before he opened it up. He just killed a bug… with his bare hand.
Yoo Sangah hummed triumphantly. “There,” she announced.
Lee Hyunsung nodded to her before they both turned to Kim Dokja.
“We’re safe,” Lee Hyunsung said, pleased.
Lee Hyunsung sat down next to a cage of grasshoppers. The boy stepped forward from being the military lieutenant to grab Kim Dokja’s hand before leading him to sit down. Kim Dokja followed without a second thought. Yoo Sangah took his other side, boxing him in.
That just happened. They cleared the scenario with no blood on their hands.
Kim Dokja looked down at the boy. Somehow, Kim Dokja found himself patting the boy’s head before setting his arm at his side. It was strange. He had never seen that boy before today. He hadn’t spoken to Yoo Sangah before today either. And Kim Dokja definitely hadn’t met Lee Hyunsung before today. He had only read about the man.
“What’s your name?” Kim Dokja asked the boy.
The boy grabbed Kim Dokja's laying hand before announcing, “Lee Gilyoung. It’s nice to see you, Hyung.”
“Ah,” this was weird, “hello. It’s good to see you too…”
Kim Dokja did not know how to respond. Why were these people acting like he knew them? First, Yoo Sangah walked right up to him as if they were friends. Then she protected him during the beginning of the Main Scenario. After that, Lee Hyunsung helped save his life by killing a grasshopper. Now, this strange boy, Lee Gilyoung, had decided that they were close.
Kim Dokja got the feeling that he was missing out on many things. It didn’t make any sense, seeing as he was the one who read the novel that was happening around them in the real world.
They sat there as the tragedy unfolded. A teenager with white hair was violently killing people at the other end of the cabin. Kim Dokja couldn’t make out the nametag on their chest, but it was clear who it was. Kim Namwoon was dangerous and a flatout prick. Kim Dokja didn’t care for him much in the novel.
And now he saw the person up-close. They were ruthless and psychopathic. It was no wonder that he was able to survive through the scenarios. Kim Namwoon would massacre the entire cabin if it meant that he could have some fun terrorizing them.
As more plot points unfolded — the president, the prime minister, the so-called terrorist attacks, the shortened time-limit, the blood splashing onto the floor like paint — they didn’t move. Kim Dokja held onto Lee Gilyoung and Yoo Sangah’s hands. Lee Hyunsung’s leg tapped but nothing else seemed out of the ordinary.
And then Kim Namwoon reached them. He had successfully murdered or turned others into murderers without much care. He lethargically walked towards them with relaxed shoulders. He was cocky.
Instantly, Lee Gilyoung pried his hand away from Kim Dokja and stuffed something into Kim Dokja’s palm. Before Kim Dokja could question it, Lee Gilyoung closed Kim Dokja’s hand for him. It was becoming overbearing, not being a part of these plans.
Pings littered in his ear. Kim Dokja didn’t care about the pop-up screens. He didn’t have time to care about it when Kim Namwoon was standing in front of an innocent child and an assigned adult. He was spewing something about needing to choose who lived or died.
Kim Dokja moved before anyone could stop him. Or, perhaps, they knew he would step up. He heard Yoo Sangah sigh while Lee Gilyoung cheered him on. There was a warm feeling in his chest as he argued with Kim Namwoon. Somehow, he was loved by the strangers that saved him.
Fighting Kim Namwoon was easier than Kim Dokja expected. Lee Gilyoung had handed him grasshopper eggs to kill, giving him enough coins to up his stats. It made it clear that Lee Gilyoung knew that Kim Dokja would leave to fight against Namwoon. They knew Kim Dokja too well.
Kim Dokja wanted to ask his companions — ‘cause that’s what they were, now — how they knew him so well.
None of that seemed to matter, though. Kim Dokja had better things to focus on. Kim Namwoon panted against a pole in the cart. He had already killed others. He would pass this scenario. However, he wouldn’t kill anyone else. Kim Dokja wouldn’t let that happen.
KIm Dokja walked over to where Yoo Sangah, Lee Gilyoung, and Lee Hyunsung stood. They were crushing the rest of the grasshoppers. As soon as he walked over, it looked like Lee Hyunsung was going to open Kim Dokja’s hand, so Kim Dokja saved him the trouble by smashing a grasshopper against the side of the cage. The other man nodded his head in approval.
It was as if they were trying to teach Kim Dokja how to survive. What a strange thing.
[Main Scenario #1 Prove Your Value has ended.]