"Maybe ahjumma will actually do something cool?" Shin Yoosung wondered, glancing over at Han Sooyoung. Kim Dokja honestly had no idea if she would or not, but he had no doubts that she'd at least try.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' thinks that the incarnation 'han sooyoung' is very cool.]
The author puffed up a bit in pride, seeing as the constellation she wanted as a sponsor was absolutely favouring her. If she didn't end up with the dragon after the next sponsor selection, then Kim Dokja would… Well, he wasn't sure, but he'd probably do something stupid. Like intentionally provoking the protagonist, or eating something questionable.
Two swords pierce through a man's side, one by his shoulder and the other by his waist. The scene zooms out to show Dokja and Sooyoung on either side of this man, holding their swords. With varying degrees of difficulty, they pull their swords out of his body and send blood spurting everywhere.
Sooyoung giggles over the haul of 18,400 coins that the two obtain thanks to the constellations. Dokja thinks that it's a shame to split the coins with her, but rationalizes that she was part of the reason for getting them, so it's fair. He's pulled out of his thoughts when Deputy Yoon calls out to him, calling him a psychopathic bastard and saying that Dokja was always this kind of person.
Deputy Yoon sits on the ground, heavily battered and bruised while barely keeping himself up with his sword acting as a brace.
"I should've realised it back when someone in the company spread rumours that you…" Dokja's eyes widen in shock as Deputy Yoon speaks. Thankfully, Sooyoung ends any further blather by rushing in and decapitating him for a change. She states in an extremely chuuni manner that he talked too much for a minor character while doing so.
"Fuck yeah, we got so many coins!" Han Sooyoung cheered gleefully. She probably hadn't been getting anywhere near that much on her own, and even though she had to split it with Kim Dokja, he could understand her excitement. He definitely needed to restock after using up most of his coins during the battle for the throne, after all.
"Hyung isn't a psychopathic bastard," Lee Gilyoung hissed. "That's the sooty bastard's job!"
Not wrong, but still. Kim Dokja couldn't even find it that amusing because he had a sinking feeling in his gut that he knew what this was about. He hadn't known that those rumours had even reached his workplace—they had died down after high school, and he had done everything he could to stay under the radar.
So why…?
[several constellations are confused by the words of the incarnation 'yoon seongho'.]
"Dokja-ssi, do you know what he's talking about?" Yoo Sangah asked, concerned. "I never heard any rumours, and I can't believe that you could have done anything bad enough to cause that."
But he did. He had. Kim Dokja had done something bad by simply existing, tying her to that man. Without him there, she might have been able to leave. Without him, she wouldn't have had to do what she did.
"I…" Kim Dokja said weakly. "I do know."
He could still remember the microphones shoved in his face, the cameras, the constant whispers and stares. He could remember the heavy pressure of society's judgment weighing him down, day after day. The taunts, the jeers, the jokes that maybe he'd snap, just like she did.
"Ahjussi?" Shin Yoosung asked quietly, frowning as she looked up at him.
Right. Kim Dokja had to focus. "I'm fine. Sorry, Sangah-ssi. I'd rather not talk about it, if that's okay."
[many constellations are curious about these rumours.]
[a constellation who values secrecy respects the choice of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
As soon as the man's head went flying, Kim Dokja exchanged a quick glance with Han Sooyoung. They didn't say anything, but he could tell that she knew he was grateful.
Turning to look at Dokja, she asks if he's upset that the man's dead, trying to figure out why Dokja has such a hurt expression.
Did I… look like I was hurt?
Sooyoung then demands to know why he just stood and listened to the man talk, boldly stating that constellations don't care for the heavy stuff with a face that screamed 'I'm right'. Dokja sighs, scoffing as he thinks that a person like this would never actually worry about him. He then banters right back, claiming that killing them afterwards is more satisfying for the constellations.
As the two begin to loot the dropped items, Sooyoung argues that people prefer the satisfaction of a swift death, pointing out that Dokja's not a writer so he doesn't know better than she does. Dokja then states that—as a reader—he does know better. As they continue bickering, Dokja casually takes the
After changing, Dokja gets a notification that his Karma Points have increased by 11, he looks around and sees some people emerging from the broken cages. They all look towards him while muttering about him saving them.
Honestly, Kim Dokja didn't care that the man was dead—they didn't know each other that well anyway. It was everything else that was the problem, but it's not like he could just say that to anyone.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is sending the incarnation 'kim dokja' a worried glance.]
"Don't keep your worries to yourself, you fool," Yoo Joonghyuk scolded gruffly, looking at Kim Dokja intently the entire time.
The protagonist seemed to be trying to convey something with his gaze alone, and Kim Dokja didn't feel threatened by it at all. Was this his way of showing he cared?
"I'm really okay, Joonghyuk-ah," Kim Dokja said with a slight laugh, hoping that his voice wouldn't waver. He couldn't be caught lying to the man now. Though the protagonist didn't seem to believe him, he eventually relented and looked back up at the screen.
[some constellations believe that a swift death is most satisfying.]
[several constellations think that learning motivations is more important.]
It seemed that, just like Han Sooyoung and Kim Dokja, the constellations couldn't agree on a unified approach either. To be honest, both could be either satisfying or terrible—it all depended on the execution.
[a few constellations are saddened that the incarnation 'kim dokja' is no longer wearing the robe.]
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is glad that his robe served its purpose well.]
As thankful as he was that he even got the robe in the first place, god did Kim Dokja ever want to change his clothes now that his future self was back to wearing something normal. The robe was only tied around his waist, and even though he had it as secure as it would get, he was a bit concerned that the top part would shift just wrong because of the kids tugging on his sleeves. He wasn't wearing a shirt underneath, and the last thing he wanted was to end up exposed in front of everyone. Again.
Dokja lifts his hand and gestures for them to stop, telling the group that they need to survive by themselves from now on. Many look crestfallen, but Dokja mentally states that he can't afford to help them all till the very end, even if that sounds heartless. He speaks up, stating that there are still items around that he hasn't grabbed and that they can head to Chungmuro where people may be willing to help them.
As people scramble for items, clearly not caring about the latter half of Dokja's sentence, many skirmishes break out. Dokja watches on in disgust, wondering if this is what the dokkaebi wanted to show him.
A Kingless World. A world which is completely beyond anyone's control.
The screen goes down a highway, filled with bodies and crashed vehicles. The corpses strewn about are clearly visible, and most of their deaths were obviously caused by other humans.
The laws and morals that we used to live by was such a terrible cover-up for the lack of faith human beings have in each other.
Lee Hyunsung looked upset when he saw all the people who looked lost. "I'm not even at Chungmuro anymore to help them…"
Jung Heewon patted him on the shoulder to console him. "I'm sure there will be other people around, Hyunsung-ssi. Don't worry."
They both tensed up when they saw the incarnations all begin arguing and fighting each other instead of taking advantage of the strength in numbers and their newfound freedom.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is watching the current events in disappointment.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is cackling at the petty fights.]
Kim Dokja knew that this world was a shitty place. He had known that for a very long time, and it would have been a mess whether or not he had taken the throne. People would still lie, kill, and steal—this was just proof that nothing had truly changed.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is saddened by the fighting.]
His hands clenched into fists, and he tried to find some degree of comfort in the kids leaning against him. He couldn't blame himself for any of this. It wasn't his fault.
Sooyoung speaks up, asking if they all want to die and if they're stupid. People stop their fighting to look at her as she tells them to use their heads, stating they should make companions instead of enemies. As some try to shakily respond, she keeps going, stating that even if they get some more items, there's no way they'll be as strong as Dokja. Naturally, she looks pissed off as she says that, clearly disliking having to acknowledge his strength even if it is to make a point.
Dokja looks down at Sooyoung with a clear gaze as people start to help each other up. Just as Dokja starts to ask her about what she said, the woman dashes away as quickly as possible. After a moment, Dokja chases after her, freaking her out to the point that her eyes resemble those of cats. He asks if she normally plagiarizes the stuff she says too.
A scene of Joonghyuk standing and looking at a group of people, his coat fluttering majestically all the while, appears on the screen.
"If you don't think you can be strong enough to be untouchable, find companions instead."
Those words were said to survivors asking for advice in TWSA by Yoo Joonghyuk.
"Wow, ahjumma actually complimented ahjussi," Yoo Mia drawled, even as she looked slightly entertained by that. Kim Dokja was enjoying her misery a bit too—it was honestly hilarious watching Han Sooyoung say nice things about him while looking utterly pissed off that she had to acknowledge it.
Yoo Sangah glanced over at Han Sooyoung. "Those were wise words, and a lesson that many people still need to learn."
On one hand, Kim Dokja was glad that the two of them seemed to be reconciling. On the other… wasn't that…?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is raising a brow at the words of the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
'She didn't…' Kim Dokja thought before he paused, his mind racing as quickly as the Han Sooyoung on the screen was fleeing. His eyes narrowed as soon as he realized exactly what was bothering him.
No, she totally did.
[a constellation who is knowledgeable about copyright is curious about the copied dialogue.]
Yoo Joonghyuk leveled a blank stare at Han Sooyoung. Though he didn't say anything, Kim Dokja could hear the unspoken, 'Are you serious?'
Han Sooyoung threw her hands up in the air. "We already established I didn't plagiarize! There are only so many motivational speeches that make sense in an apocalypse!"
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is watching in amusement.]
Sooyoung, still sprinting at top speed, yells, "I didn't copy anything! That's from my novel!"
"Then why are you still running away?" Dokja retorts.
"Because…" Sooyoung begins, not slowing down in the least, "wait, why are you chasing me!?"
Dokja catches up to her and picks her up by the hood of her sweater, not unlike a cat being picked up by their scruff, and proceeds to ask for compensation for saving her in the form of a power bank since he's sure she has at least one.
Sooyoung grits her teeth before explaining she doesn't have any and lost most of her items back in Gwanghwamun. Dokja then asks for her novel instead, and Sooyoung angrily says that he'll have to pay for the chapters if he wants to read it. Dokja then steals her phone while saying all the servers—which were likely located in Seoul—are offline. Dokja wonders if the file might be like the one he has, which means she might be the only one who can read it. Sooyoung tries to claw at him to get her phone back, but he holds her back easily with a hand on her forehead. Opening the text file, he realizes that's not the case.
Lee Jihye snickered. "Ahjussi, you seriously chased her down for a power bank?"
Apparently so. Kim Dokja just shrugged—it made sense to him.
"I need my phone to work to access the text file, so I need to power it somehow," Kim Dokja muttered. "The least she could do is lend me one."
Han Sooyoung grumbled, and then looked even more upset as soon as the recording revealed that she had lost all of them.
"You'd better pay for those chapters, you ass," Han Sooyoung muttered, crossing her arms in a huff.
[constellations who like literature are curious about the novel written by the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
Kim Dokja braced himself, gritting his teeth slightly. He remembered this mess of a novel far too well, and he hadn't particularly wanted to revisit it.
And then, a section of SSSSS-Infinite Regressor appears on the screen.
Yoo Joonhyun silently opened his status window. He wanted to check out the new skill he had just obtained, the [Eye of the Enlightened].
[Name: Yoo Joonghyun
Age: 27
Star Contractor: ???
Exclusive Attributes: 3rd Round (Mythical), Pro-Gamer (Rare)
Personal Skills: Eye of the Enlightened lvl. 1, Close Combat lvl. 1, Weapons Proficiency lvl. 1, Mental Barrier lvl. 1, Lie Detection lvl. 4…
Stigma: Return from Death lvl. 3
Stats: Vitality lvl. 24, Strength lvl. 24, Agility lvl. 25, Magic Power lvl. 23]
Joonhyun cheerfully states that he got lucky this round.
A man with stringier hair than Joonghyuk's is shown on the screen as he looks at his window with a smile that seems slightly off. Also, he's wearing a dark grey jacket in contrast to Joonghyuk's black coat.
Yoo Joonghyun smiles and chuckles to himself as he looks at his status window.
Dokja looks at the screen in silence as he looks completely done with it all. He tells Sooyoung that she has no conscience, stating that the status window was almost word for word that of TWSA's. Sooyoung points out that she used 'star contractors' instead of 'constellations', claiming that they're totally different. Dokja then points out how the protagonist's name is similar and that there's even a typo of 'Joonhyun', her protagonist's actual name.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is flabbergasted.]
[a constellation who is knowledgeable about copyright is speechless.]
Same. This wasn't even the first time Kim Dokja had read this dumpster fire of a novel, and he was still baffled by how much of a knock-off it was. Han Sooyoung very pointedly did not look at anyone, staring straight ahead and curling up slightly.
Jung Heewon rubbed her eyes. "I'm not seeing things, right?"
"You are not," Yoo Sangah muttered, completely unimpressed. "Joonghyuk-ssi, are you certain that there's no way to get around [Lie Detection]?"
Yoo Joonghyuk's expression was dark and his eyes were narrowed as he glared at the screen, gritting out a response as he did so. "Not that I'm aware of."
Yeah, there was nothing Kim Dokja could do to save her now.
"Wow," Lee Gilyoung not-so-quietly whispered to Shin Yoosung, looking at the character on-screen, "now there's a sootier bastard."
Okay, Kim Dokja had to restrain the urge to laugh a bit at that one, even though Shin Yoosung had no such reservations. This 'Yoo Joonhyun' (wow, so creative, right?) was definitely not anywhere near Yoo Joonghyuk's level—in competence or in looks. The real one was so much more handsome, and a grey coat? Who thought that was a good idea? Black was a much more fitting colour for a protagonist. After all, it looked cool as hell, blood didn't really show on it, and combined with Yoo Joonghyuk's black hair and eyes, it gave him an effortless air of mystery!
"Who the hell is that copycat?" Yoo Mia griped, shooting a disgusted look at the screen. "His name is even similar."
The typo just made it worse, too. Lee Jihye looked so shocked that she had no words, and that was probably for the best because Han Sooyoung was already looking rather red from embarrassment.
[many constellations are astonished by the similarities.]
"Shut up!" Han Sooyoung exclaimed, and unfortunately for her, it sounded more like a squeak than the confident tone she was probably hoping for. "I can't control that shit."
"What do you mean you 'can't control it'?" Kim Dokja asked skeptically. She was the writer, so why wouldn't she have control over the narrative?
Han Sooyoung curled into herself a bit. "I wrote the whole thing based on these dreams I kept having. They haunted me every single night for years, so I just decided 'fuck it, I guess I have to write this now'. I just recorded what I saw, okay?"
[the constellation 'poked out his eyes' is curious about the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
What was he doing here? Yoo Sangah also looked alarmed, and even Han Sooyoung seemed confused.
[the constellation 'poked out his eyes' wonders whether the incarnation 'han sooyoung' possesses the gift of prophecy.]
Wait… he couldn't be suggesting…?
"Huh?" Han Sooyoung asked, completely baffled.
Kim Dokja stared at her for a moment. "Han Sooyoung, do you think those dreams could have been of Yoo Joonghyuk's regressions?"
"What!?" she exclaimed, looking taken aback. "I… I don't fucking know. Maybe? I don't have the [Prophet] attribute, though."
"It wouldn't surprise me if it was tied into your [Writer] attribute, considering how it worked," Kim Dokja muttered. "Plus your abilities as the First Apostle come to mind as well."
The way the Star Stream distributed attributes had never been fully explained in TWSA, but considering that her potential visions were more closely linked to her writing than anything else, it might be a possible explanation. Also, the only canonical prophet in TWSA, Anna Croft, had just been good at predicting people while gambling before the scenarios. She hadn't been a shady fortune teller, or anything of the sort, but the Star Stream had assigned her the [Prophet] attribute nonetheless.
Han Sooyoung looked pensive, but also a bit nervous. To be fair, they were possibly completely recontextualizing everything she had previously thought, so that made sense. Though Kim Dokja couldn't be certain if their guesses were even close to being right, at least this way they had a potentially valid reason for why her work was so eerily similar to TWSA while [Lie Detection] confirmed that she hadn't plagiarized it.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is curiously looking at the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
Damn, for all that Kim Dokja pretended to be a prophet, could it be that she actually was one? Even if she was a prophet with an extremely limited viewpoint, could her novel have been born from those visions? Had she foreseen the actual beginning of the apocalypse and had no idea?
As Sooyoung gets defensive, Dokja asks how many chapters of TWSA she read, and she hesitantly tells him that she read 99 chapters. She pauses, wondering why she answered, before demanding her phone again. Dokja just shoves her face back further.
I wonder what the writer of TWSA would say if they ever found out that excluding me, the one who read the most number of chapters was also the one who ended up plagiarizing their novel.
Dokja then brings up the 'meteorites' in the fifth scenario, and Sooyoung responds that her novel didn't have them. Dokja is pleasantly surprised that she didn't copy that too, but this is ruined when Sooyoung responds that there were 'sealing stones' as she lifts Dokja's arm off her face. Dokja, once again, goes silent in disappointment with her.
The meteorite which contained the Fire Dragon I killed at Anguk Station was discovered by Han Sooyoung after all.
Dokja states that he plans to gather them all, asking if she has any other information on them. Dokja then messages Bihyung, wondering about his auction results for the Dragon parts, but gets no response. He guesses they must be in a mitigation meeting right now.
An image of Dokja's imagination of some intermediate dokkaebi sitting around a table are shown on the screen, all looking stressed as they say the scenario was ruined and discuss counter measures to make the constellations happy.
Han Sooyoung scowled at the mention of plagiarism again, but she looked far more troubled than before. Lee Jihye, apparently, was less concerned.
"Hey, ahjumma, if your novel was maybe actually about us, what about the character who was sorta like me?"
Glancing over, a bit taken aback that she had even been asked that question, Han Sooyoung replied instinctively. "Yi Ji-ae?"
"Wow, our names really are similar. Maybe that theory was right, ahjussi!"
It was definitely seeming more and more likely, which left Kim Dokja completely baffled.
"I have to admit, there are far too many coincidences," Lee Seolhwa muttered. Everything was the same, but slightly to the left. It would make sense if she was trying to interpret what she recalled of her possibly prophetic dreams.
Kim Dokja's head was hurting just thinking about it.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' thinks that the incarnation 'han sooyoung' is even more cool now.]
"At least the dokkaebis aren't having an easy time either?" Lee Hyunsung said with a shrug. Clearly, he was trying to raise the mood a bit, but everyone was just so confused by these possible revelations that it was hard to focus on that. Kim Dokja did have to agree, though. It was nice seeing the dokkaebis panic a bit on occasion, too.
Suddenly, the Dokkaebi Bag appears in front of Dokja. He's pleasantly surprised that the dokkaebi didn't forget to put ads on either, but he's amused that even though Bihyung is busy, he won't miss out on the chance to sell stuff. Dokja's eyes widen in shock as he realises that everything was sold, surprised that even all the bones were taken.
As of now, the only incarnations who could afford this much are Anna Croft, who has the backing of a Nebula, Ranveer Khan from India, Fei Hu from China, and no one else…
As the narration names the people, they appear in front of a red sky background. Of the three, only Anna Croft can be seen in full, while the others are silhouettes. Anna Croft's [Arch-Demon's Eye] glows yellow as she looks down in disdain.
Sooyoung then pesters Dokja, wondering why the man is tagging along with her when he can easily manage on his own.
It's true. Taking Han Sooyoung with me is a gamble. This person almost managed to kill me, and if you look at everything she's done so far, she's a horrible person.
"Of course he'd try to sell you stuff," Jung Heewon sighed with a shake of her head. "He's just as scammy as you are."
Hey.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is laughing at the current events.]
As soon as Anna Croft appeared on the screen, however, Yoo Joonghyuk's breath hitched and he dug his nails into his thighs. It looked painful, but he wasn't showing any indication of that on his face. Kim Dokja knew that the protagonist was numb to most pain now, but the worst was the injuries she had left on his mind.
Those scars ran deep, affecting him even over a hundred regressions later. Her claws dug into him and refused to set him free, and the 46th scenario would always leave Yoo Joonghyuk on edge, even when he did have a proper companion accompanying him. Anna Croft and her Zarathustra may not appear in every regression, but she haunted Yoo Joonghyuk's narrative like a vicious ghost.
Kim Dokja internally vowed that he would never cooperate with that woman. He refused to do that.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' intensely dislikes the incarnation 'anna croft'.]
"A horrible person, huh?" Han Sooyoung muttered absently before shooting Kim Dokja an unimpressed stare. "Takes one to know one."
Kim Dokja was well aware of that. He wasn't a good person, and he had never once claimed to be, so he didn't bother responding to her taunt. How could he when she spoke the truth?
However, Dokja is well aware that the [Avatar] ability is useful, and that she's the second most knowledgeable person after Dokja himself. This earns her the label of an asset. Outwardly, however, Dokja just mentions Sooyoung's earlier words about finding companions. If she contradicts him now, she'll look like even more of a hypocrite.
Sooyoung looks at Dokja in disgust before being surprised when a
Sooyoung asks why she should have to sign it before getting more upset about having to follow orders, which she claims she's never done in her entire life. After Dokja taunts her a little, casually replying that there's a first for everything, she finally agrees to sign it as long as they exchange information in return. After all, she has a lot of questions for Dokja.
"It'd not be wise to lie to me, because I have [Lie Detection]," Sooyoung states, activating the skill as proof. "Tell me. What are all of your attributes?"
"Don't be a hypocrite, ahjumma," Shin Yoosung said sagely, and the older woman rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm not gonna be happy about it, but I don't think I have a choice in the matter," the author griped. She looked even less impressed when the contract appeared, especially once she caught sight of the terms.
Yoo Joonghyuk thankfully seemed to have recovered from his Anna Croft-related issues and glanced over at Kim Dokja. "That's a smart move."
Of course it was. Unlike with the others who trusted him willingly, Kim Dokja needed to have some degree of leverage over her, and she knew that he had more knowledge than she did. It wasn't necessarily mutually beneficial, but it was as close as they could get.
[many constellations are curious about the questions.]
As soon as Han Sooyoung asked about his attributes, Kim Dokja had to wheeze a bit. Han Sooyoung scowled, realizing exactly what would go wrong with that question.
"Of-fucking-course. I don't know that you can't even see your own attributes page," she groaned. "What a waste of a first question."
Well, that certainly worked out in Kim Dokja's favour, and he couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.