Dokja, was not having a good day.
And that would be an understatement for the century,because he's had plenty of bad days,, ranging from 'my co-worker added salt to the coffees' to 'omfg my favorite novel of all time whose sole reader is me is real',this had to takes the cherry.
The flicker of the blue screen,the ting sound of a new scenario being sentences was the start of it.
The world had gone white—then dark.white hot pain surging through his body,then nothing.
When the light faded, the chaos of the battlefield had vanished. No broken terrain. No screams. No blood-soaked dust hanging in the air. Just... quiet. Too quiet.
Suspiciously so,still in a daze he was,yet he still decided to take in his surroundings which didn't take him much time to realize was very much different.
A room, or well a theater(?) The theater was massive. No doors, no exits. Just velvet-lined seats and a massive obsidian screen looming over them like an indifferent constellation,
It looked like the private cinema of a god with too much money and no taste.
A scenario? Perhaps?
He takes one more look to the people around.
Yoo Joonghyuk stood a few feet away, arms crossed, blood on his coat drying like he didn't even notice it. He looked like someone had dropped him into a dimension he intended to punch his way out of.
He probably would do something like that won't he?
Jung Heewon looked wary, it was hard to notice with the limited lighting,she did seem ready to fight.
A young girl one—sat frozen beside Lee Hyunsung, who was doing a mental inventory like a good soldier. And another stranger,a person sitting at the further backside.
Lee jihyee was beside seolhwa, curious and confused but not unguarded along with han sooyoung,who was glaring at me, i purposefully avoided looking at her.
I swear it's not me this time damnit.
Everyone was quite.
Nobody was talking.
They were all clearly trying to figure out two things:
Where the hell they were.
Who to blame for it.
He didn't like where that second one was going.
Then the screen lit up.
White light spilled across the room like a flood. A sentence began to scrawl itself across the screen in silver text:
"This is to change the never-ending wheel of destiny written in stone."
A ting.
[The fourth wall has thinned]
Dokja's gut turned.
Not twisted. Not fluttered. Just folded in on itself like origami done by a human high on meth.
"Oh no," he whispered.
Nope,nope,this is not part of the narrative structure. I have read the script. This line is not in the script.
"You're kidding me," Dokja muttered, eyes narrowing at the glowing script on the screen that suddenly miraculously appeared,glaring at them in the hope that maybe if he just stared for long enough maybe the world would eat itself up and he'd wake up,again,by the broken throne.
"This is to change the never ending wheel of destiny written in stone."
"kim dokja." Yoo Joonghyuk growled, eyes flicking around the space. "What did you do this time?"
The man was still in a very bad mood,he did just gut him in order to destroy the throne,he'll give it a pass this time.
Not like he can do anything to this hunk of a man in the first place.
"Why do you always assume it's me?" Dokja deadpanned. "Maybe it was you."
that did it, he should at least decide what which flowers he wishes to be on his grave, his mouth is going to be his downfall,it's already in process.
And anyways this wasn't in the three ways to survive in a ruined world anyways,maybe it was yoo jonghyunk.
A ting interrupted his thoughts process.
The screen flicked, crackling back into existence at the front, its pale light painting tired faces in monochrome.
Then-
"Main Scenario #0 — The Reader's Perspective."
"Wait," he whispered. "Wait, wait, wai—"
The screen blinked.
And then:
A face.
His face.
Not just a flash or a flicker. Not the blurry, uncaptured mess everyone always saw in scenarios. No. This was clear. Crisp. Unforgiving 4K ultra-definition.
⭓ [The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is watching with interest.]
⭓ [The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' wonders who this is.]
⭓ [Many constellations are looking on intrigued.]
Well that stamps the fact the constillation are still here.
Soft features. Pale skin under bad fluorescent lighting. Eyelashes longer than should be legal. A little bit miserable, a lot exhausted, and still—
Stupidly, impossibly, heartbreakingly pretty.
Silence.
Then—
"…Who is that?" Jung Heewon said, her voice hushed. "Is that supposed to be…?"
"That's not…" Lee Hyunsung blinked, trying to subtly take a double check,he was not subtle at all, sitting beside jung heewon tensed. "That can't be Dokja-ssi, right?"
"It is," Han Sooyoung said slowly. "But his face is… visible."
Lee Jihye squinted. "Wait. His face wasn't supposed to do that."
"Right? Wasn't it always blurry because he was ugly?" she added innocently.
Dokja turned, scandalized. "Excuse me?!"
Q
"You're pretty?!" Jihye yelled. "That's illegal!"
"I am not—!"
"That's what we're focusing on?!" Dokja shrieked.
"Yes!" Sooyoung looked genuinely betrayed. "You were blurry! We assumed that was your face. It made sense! You gave 'blurry ahjussi energy'!" air quotation
"I don't even know what that means!"
" you looked like a haunted JPEG file," Jihye said. "We thought it was on purpose!"
Sooyoung muttered. "This is devastating. What am I supposed to mock now?"
"You could try supporting me emotionally?"
"I'd rather eat glass." dokja eyes twitched in annoyance ,Han sooyoung very not childishly stuck her tongue out.
"I told you hyung was pretty," Lee Gilyoung said, nodding like a wise sage.
"…Thank you, Gilyoung," Dokja said faintly, maybe he should dig up a hole and die.or collapse
"I didn't think you were ugly," Yoo Sangah said gently. "I just couldn't… remember."
Not....remember...?
And again,what was it they said,...blurry?
"Your face is very different from Joonghyuk-ssi's," Hyunsung added thoughtfully. "You look… softer."
'huh-!?" Kim dokja shrieked
"Dokja-ssi has a… gentle face," Hyunsung added, as if this helped. "Like someone who reads poetry and folds laundry for stress."
"Hyunsung-hyung, I kill monsters for breakfast.litrelly."
"You look like a minor forest deity," Sooyoung muttered. "I feel so lied to."
⭓ [The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is openly gawking.]
⭓ [The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is deeply ashamed that she could not recognise incarnation kim dokja.]
⭓ [The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire is saying incarnation kim dokja is very pretty.]
⭓ [The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire is screaming is delight]
⭓ [the constillation 'bald general of justice' nods in satisfaction]
⭓ [constillation 'abyss black flame dragon' says that's he's not giving incarnation kim dokja any pretty privileges with a scoff]
"...You're pretty," Jung Heewon said, half-shocked.
⭓ [the constillation 'secretive plotter' is staring intently]
"Can we stop saying it like it's a crime?!"
"I am not—!
"…Dokja-ssi," Seolhwa said, voice dazed. "You look… like someone who shouldn't bleed."
Kim dokja just slumps his shoulder. He doesn't know what's happening but he feels like his input isn't gonna help it, why not just give up.
Then.
A small voice spoke:
"He's still blurry, a little."
Everyone turned.
The young girl sitting in the seat which seemed to big for her beside the one of hyunsung-ssi
Jung Heewon blinked. "Wait—who—?"
"Shin Yoosung," she whispered.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Sooyoung visibly paled, I saw a live heart attack happen in real time,it would've been funny if I also wasn't going through a crisis right now.
She turned to him slowly.
She mouthed, 'Why is she here?!'
He mouthed back, 'Why are ANY of us here?!'
This wasn't right.
Shin yoosung was here,the next scenario involves her but not right now,they still have time,so why-
Their surroundings dimmed.the bickering stopped,and everyone tensed again.the weight of their situation coming upon on them, unfamiliar place, unfamiliar situation.
They were still adjusting. Or pretending to.
The theater wasn't a theater. It didn't feel like one. The walls shimmered like code. The air was stale. There were no exits. And no one knew why they were here, accept for that showcase of dokja's face,where his face was exposed,which again he didn't even knew appeared blurry.
It was only natural for someone to activate their skills.
"Attribute Window," Lee Jihye said, idly flicking her fingers,tensed as they are from being in an unfamiliar place and trying to cope with humour.
Nothing happened.
She blinked.
Tried again, louder. "ATTRIBUTE WINDOW."
Now everyone's attention was on her,and the problem quite clear without wording it.
Still nothing.
"…Huh?"
Kim Dokja didn't even look up. He already knew what was coming.
Or had a somewhat sense of it.
"What?" Jihye frowned. "Why isn't it working?"
There was a sudden stillness. Then:
"Character Window," murmured Yoo Sangah. Her voice was calm, but her fingers twitched.
"Stigma: Hell Flames Ignition," Heewon whispered.
Yoo Joonghyuk scowled. "attribute Window."
Nothing.
He tried again.
"ATTRIBUTE WINDOW."
And again.
"___________—ACTIVATE."
Silence.
It spread like static. One by one, everyone reached for something—anything.
There was nothing to reach for.
Even Hyunsung looked shaken. He tapped at the air like a confused grandpa trying to unlock a touchscreen door.
"Just what did you do kim dokja." Yoo joonghyuk growled
All heads turned to Kim Dokja.
"Why is it always you?!"
He held up his hands. "Okay, first of all—rude. Second—"
They're right, though. Of course they're right. You knew the second the Fourth Wall thinned. You knew something was missing. You always know. That's your thing. Your curse. Your skill.
Reading Comprehension: OFFLINE.
Panic took shape. Small, splintering voices overlapped.
"I can't access my skills—"
"Did the dokkaebi take them?"
"Are we in a punishment scenario?!"
"What kind of scenario disables the SYSTEM?!"
My eyes were fixated on the protagonist who's eyes were twitching,he looked second away from plunging that sword of his in my gut,maybe the only reason he hasn't is because of jung heewon,who was also glaring at the man,daring him to try anything.
She had no way to win.
Unless of course she used her stigma.
Which,as we can see...
Hyunsung tried to take control, stepping forward, arms out like a bouncer calming a riot. "Everyone, please—we don't know anything yet—"
BZZZZT—!
The screen at the front of the room flickered to life, glowing a harsh, clinical white. The voice was not a voice. It came from everywhere and nowhere at once.
[⎡SYSTEM NOTICE⎦]
⎡You are currently in a Restricted Zone.⎦
⎡All permissions have been temporarily revoked.⎦
⎡This is to ensure a fair and unbiased observation.⎦
⎡Do not attempt to access privileges.⎦
⎡Resistance will be punished.⎦
⎡Please enjoy the show.⎦
"'Enjoy the show?'" Sooyoung hissed. "Are you kidding me?!"
⎡The constellation 'Bald-Headed Buddha' offers a thin smile.⎦
⎡The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' observes in silence.⎦
⎡The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is offended on behalf of all dragons.⎦
⎡The constellation 'demon like judge of fire' is alarmed.⎦
[Constillation 'bald general of justice' wishes to bestow his stigma to his incarnation]
[Many constillations are alarmed]
Kim Dokja swallowed hard.
Unavailable.
That's one word for it.
And the worst part?
The screen still hadn't told them what they were watching.
And dokja had a very bad feeling about it, seeing the senarios name,the feeling was very bad
The screen lit up.
Kim Dokja's stomach dropped.After far too much time wasted on panic, despair, and Yoo Joonghyuk looking like he was five seconds away from decapitating someone (Dokja, probably), the theater finally reached something close to a truce.
Yoo Joonghyuk's threats had graduated from verbal to visceral—just because the attribute window was disabled didn't mean he couldn't disassemble a man with a chair leg and god's blessing. The only reason he hadn't yet was because he didn't have god's blessing right now.
Not that he needed it.
If he said one wrong thing, that man would probably snap his neck like a glowstick.
Han Sooyoung, meanwhile, had been throwing elaborate glances at Dokja, was trying to communicate with him telepathically through sheer force of will and elaborate eyebrow choreography. as if her eyebrows could pierce the truth out of him. She was definitely plotting a scene of public humiliation.
He ignored her, obviously.
It's not like he knew what was going on either.
Constellations tried to intervene. That much was clear.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is trying to breach the theater boundaries.]
[The system denies all external interference.]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is baring its teeth.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is throwing popcorn.]
Of course. They could watch—but not interfere.
For Dokja, was both comforting and terrifying.
Sparks of.probability few Somewhere behind them, the screen flickeretried clawing at the edge of the theater, like nails on glass, only to be forcefully repelled.
Eventually, after enough chaos and bickering to humble Olympus itself, everyone sat down.
Mostly reluctantly.
Yoo Joonghyuk perched on the edge of his seat like a war crime waiting to happen, eyes flicked to the dark screen every so often like he expected it to suddenly breathe.
Lee Jihye was mid-breakdown about her missing attribute window,her sponser trying to comfert her, and Jung Heewon looked like she was calculating how many kicks it would take to take to break that screen.
Lee gihyee was cluchung his sleeve beside him.
And somewhere in the back of the room… there was someone else.
A stranger.
Aslan.
Dokja was fairly sure he know who that is.
He's also sure wasn't supposed to be here.
Or maybe he was.
Maybe that was the problem.
Eventually, the consensus had been: sit down, shut up, and watch whatever this scenario had prepared. And finish it fast.
Not that Dokja believed that was an option.
The screen was too still. Too aware.
It felt like staring at a grave that hadn'
t been filled in yet.
And it was his name on the headstone.
[Now broadcasting: "The Reader's Perspective."]
Dokja's stomach dropped.
A hollow, echoing dread filled the space.
He didn't need to guess who this was about.
The reader.
There was only ever one.
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is trembling.]
Dokja inhaled sharply. His heart thudded against his ribs like it wanted out.
No no no no—
"Oh my faithful Fourth Wall," he whispered, "don't fail me now. Not when I'm surrounded by people who will absolutely dissect me emotionally, physically, and maybe spiritually."
And then it came.
His voice.
From the screen.
"I am Dokja."
"… Dokja-ssi." someone whispered.
It might've been Sangah.
[ The constellation 'The Secretive Plotter' is watching intently.]
Sooyoung leaned forward in her seat, chin on her knuckles.
"Well, well," she drawled. "The silent one speaks."
Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze was so sharp Dokja could feel it carving his sins into the back of his neck.
"I present myself to others by saying my name, Kim Dokja. However, most people have the same misunderstanding about this name."
Dokja's skin prickled.
This was a invasion of his privacy.
Though maybe he has no right to say that as he watched someone else misery to survive.
Sooyoung tapped her chin. "You know, it's always the quiet ones."
"I'm not—"
"I bet you have a tragic backstory and everything."
He flinched.
[ The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is intrested in incarnation 'kim dokja' past.]
[The constillation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is intrested in incarnation kim dokja's past]
[Many constellation are intrested in incarnation kim dokja past
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is silent.]
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is watching only Kim Dokja.]
He didn't like that last one either.
Did not like it at all.
He could feel it now—the attention. The weight of that gaze. Someone was pressing in against the barrier of the Fourth Wall.
His Fourth Wall wavered.
And for one terrifying second, he almost heard someone whisper through the crack:
Everyone focused on the screen.
"Oh, so you're an only child?"
"Well, yes, but that's not what I meant."
"Oh… then what did you mean?"
"It's my name. Kim Dokja."
"Dokja is indeed a pretty unique name." Jung heewon see says.
"I've never met anyone who's same is the same as the ahjussi's" jihye said.
Han Sooyoung leaned back slowly, arms crossed, eyes glittering like she'd struck gold. "This sounds… suspiciously like an inner monologue."
"Wait… are those his thoughts?" Jihye said, wrinkling her nose. "But he's not talking."
MY thoughts were being broadcasted like a source of entertainment.
In the name of a scenario
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is curious.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is asking if this is legal.]
[The constellation 'Father of the Rich Night' looks away out of respect.]
In a world where the currency is your soul and people's head explode like confetti when the timer hits zero, we're drawing the line at thought broadcasting?
Hah…
My father gave me that name because he wanted me to grow up to be a strong and independent person. But perhaps my name is a curse… because I've been lonely and single my entire life. This is who I am in a nutshell.
"...Pfft," Sooyoung choked. "Strong and independent? I'm sorry, are you describing a cat?"
Dokja closed his eye
This wasn't just a scenario. This was a biographical documentary, and he hadn't signed off on distribution rights.
And Yoo Joonghyuk Dokja risked a glance.
Joonghyuk hadn't moved.
Still as stone.
Still staring.
But there was a tension in his shoulders now, subtle but unmistakable, like he was reading something very, very carefully and not liking what it implied.
Dokja braced himself.
He knows. Or he's about to.
Better prepare for his life's end if this is gonna go the direction he thinks.
The screen continued.
However due to my father naming sense I've lived my life as an ordinary and unmarried man.
The image of Kim Dokja filled the screen.
No glamor.
No filters.
Just a pale, gaunt 28-year-old office worker with dark circles under his eyes and an air of existential exhaustion.
[Kim Dokja. Age: 28. Graduated from a third-rate university. Currently employed as a contract worker at a subsidiary of a major conglomerate.]
[Hobby: Reading serialized webnovels on the subway on the way home from work.]
In short,this who I am
Jung Heewon let out a breath that might have been a laugh. "Seriously?"
Even Hyunsung, who had been sitting politely, eyebrows drawn, gave him a very soft side-eye.
"He doesn't even look like someone who knows how to throw a punch," Jihye said, squinting at the screen.
Dokja is very offended right now,but he doesn't says anything because restorting to would only lead to unessesary drama,it's definitely not because what they is true.absolutely not.
[Constillation 'queen of the darkest spring'- urges incarnation kim dokja to rest]
The scene cuts to Dokja sat quietly in the center seat, scrolling on his phone like nothing else in the world mattered.
But today's subway ride was unlike any other.
The camera panned,a so ft voice
"Oh, my. At this rate, you might get sucked into your phone."
Yoo Sangah smiled politely down at the seated Dokja.
Han Sooyoung blinked. "Wait—isn't that…?"
Sangah's hand flew to her mouth.
"That's really me,just before the scenario started..." she murmured.
[The constillation 'demon like judge of fire' is jumping in excitement,saying 'its about to start's]
[The constellation 'Master of Steel' is quietly observing.]
[The constellation 'god of wine and ectasy' is snickering.]
[The constellation 'The Secretive Plotter' continues watching Kim Dokja.]
Looking up, Dokja sees a familiar woman with long chestnut hair smiling down at him.
'Yoo Sangah from HR?' he thinks before hurrying to reply to her.
[The constellation 'God of Wine and ectasy'' is asking for more drama.]
[The constellation 'Bald General of Justice' is curious about the unfolding events.]
This was only the beginning.
And Dokja wasn't sure how much longer he could watch himself like this.
Or worse
How much longer he could keep hiding what came next.
"H-hello," he manages to stutter.
Back in the theater, multiple heads swivel in tandem toward the real-life Kim Dokja, who is, at this moment, desperately pretending to be invisible.
"Are you heading home?" she asks politely.
"Yes, you too?"
Yoo Sangah smiles and sits down next to him. He flinches.
"Yes, I got lucky. My team manager is away on a business trip."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait—" Jihye sat up straighter. "Did you just recoil like she was a sword flying at your face?!"
I can't believe I ran into Sangah, the most popular girl at work. Her shampoo smells really nice…
Dokja flushes at his own thoughts process
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is attempting to hide their face in secondhand shame.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is shrieking with laughter.]
[The constellation 'Lily Blooming in Aquarius' is politely looking away.]
[The constellation 'queen of darkest spring' sighs deeply.]
Dokja hunched down in his seat like a collapsing building. The emotional damage was critical.
Why. Why. Why would the screen include that line.
Of all the thoughts, of all the mental commentary, why did it have to be the shampoo.
His life was flashing before his eyes, and it was just a reel of every time he had embarrassed himself on-screen.
Aslan frowned slightly from where he sat a few rows back, arms still loosely crossed.
"…That is one weird thought to have," he said flatly.
Dokja buried his face in his hands. "Noted."
"And I still have no idea who any of you people are, by the way."
The room didn't respond.
The group just… stared at him.
Mostly in silence.
Unmoving. Awkward. Suspicious.
Aslan blinked. "What, do I have something on my face?"
He was ignored,in favor of returning to screen, because frankly enough nobone knew what to say they were clueless as much as him on what's going on.
Lee Gilyoung tilted his head thoughtfully. "Ahjussi, were you in love with her?"
Dokja choked.
"No. Absolutely not."
"She's very pretty," Yoosung said with a nod. "But I think she's too normal for you."
"…Thank you?"
"I mean you're kind of like a weird raccoon."
"...Thank you."
Kids are weird.
The screen continued one
Dokja glances at her in slight confusion. "Do you usually take the subway home?"
From the HR assistant manager to the finance team manager, I'll bet there's a line of men waiting to drive her home.
Back in the room, a heavy silence descended again.
Shin Yoosung leaned toward Gilyoung and whispered, "Is he talking about a crush again?"
"I think so," Gilyoung replied, very serious. "It sounds like a complicated adult thing."
"I didn't knew sangah-ssi was so popular" jung heewon says.Ah well....."Yoo Sangah, sitting stiffly a few seats down, flushed and lowered her eyes. Dokja, meanwhile, very deliberately refused to turn his head in her direction.
He had already seen this scene—had lived it—but the secondhand shame of watching his own narration unfold was… spiritually fatal.
"Actually," Sangah says with a sigh, "someone stole my bicycle."
"You commute to work on a bike?"
"Yes, I've been working a lot of overtime lately, so I thought I could use the exercise," she explains. "And I have some personal reasons too…"
After her words trail off, Sangah shoots Dokja a kind smile.
"Why is this turning into a slice-of-life drama?" Jihye muttered. "Isn't this supposed to be an apocalypse?"
"Shhh," Sooyoung said, waving a hand. "Let the awkward romance play out. It's character development."
.Yoo Sangah, sitting stiffly in real time, flushed and lowered her gaze.
Dokja did not—could not—look at her.
'Seeing her up close, I get why all the guys are head over heels for her.'
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is alarmed.]
The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' does not approve of this blossoming comradeship.]
[The constellation 'Lily Blooming in Aquarius' is trying to calm constillation 'demon like judge of fire'.]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is exasperated.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' has created a new betting pool: "Who Will Incarnation Kim Dokja End Up With?"]
Yoo Joonghyuk made a low sound in the back of his throat.
That was it.
A single syllable that reverberated like the drawing of a blade.
Dokja's shoulders stiffened.
He did not dare turn around.
He could feel the protagonist's judgement pulsing through the air like an aura.
Aslan, meanwhile, was rubbing his temple like the whole scene offended him on a philosophical level.
"I still don't get it," he said. "You're all treating this guy like he's some world-ending variable, but the man is just awkwardly crushing on a coworker while she talks about bike theft."
"You're not wrong," Heewon said.
"You're also not right," Sooyoung added.
Dokja looked like he wanted the screen to crack in half and consume him whole.
Well, none of that concerns me. She and I live completely different lives.
And just so you know, Sangah wasn't the reason today's subway ride was different.
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is trembling faintly.]
Yoosung poked Gilyoung. "Do you think he liked her?"
Gilyoung shrugged. "no wat,hyung likes men"
He spluttered, hand hitting his chest like he was trying to unalive himself before the scenario could.
"I—what—"
They were sitting right beside him.
He hadn't even noticed when they'd nestled up so close, probably instinctively seeking comfort. Understandable. Sweet, even.
But the fact that they were whispering about his love life like he wasn't right there
"Gilyoung—!"
The boy tilted his head innocently. "What?"
"Where did you—who said—when did I ever—?!"
"Your eyes do this weird sparkle thing around that scooty bastard."
There was a beat.
Then Yoosung, nodding in agreement: "That is true.but I don't like him,he's scary,maybe we should find another man for ahjussi"
"what does that even mean?!"
[The constellation 'Lily Blooming in Aquarius' is unsure whether to support a romance or a moral crisis.]
Sooyoung burst out laughing.
"Oh my god," she wheezed. "Outed by your own bug-raising son!"
"You didn't deny it right away," Jihye pointed out, a sparkle in her eyes as she looks between him and joonhyunk.
Yoo Sangah coughed delicately into her sleeve.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' in congratulations incarnation kim dokja for coming out.]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' says to skip to action.]
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is now placing bets on "Yoo Joonghyuk route."]
[The constellation 'God of Wine and estacy' is howling with laughter.]
[The constellation 'The Secretive Plotter' is watching Kim Dokja with interest
Dokja wasn't sure whether to cry, scream, or start tunneling through the floor like a mole.
He hadn't even gotten to the apocalypse part of the day yet, and his personal life had already been dissected by a twelve-year-old, a nine-year-old, and a cross-dimensional peanut gallery.
"Gilyoung-ah," he whispered, weakly, "can you… maybe not… say things like that out loud?"
Gilyoung blinked back in confusion. "But it's true?"
Sooyoung let out a high-pitched wheeze and slapped the back of her seat. "I knew I liked you, kid."
Hyunsung gave him a sweet, sincere smile. "Don't worry, Dokja-ssi. I support you."
"…Thank you?" Dokja whispered, dead inside.
"Even if it's Joonghyuk-ssi. Love is love."
Joonghyuk's expression did not change.
But the air temperature dropped by about three degrees.
.
Jung Heewon looked torn between laughter and secondhand grief. "You all do know that Joonghyuk's right there, right?"
Yoo Joonghyuk's eye twitched.
Just once.
It was slight.
But it was the emotional equivalent of a blade being unsheathed.
He did not turn.
He did not speak.
But the air around him dropped a few degrees in temperature.
Joonghyuk shifted. Finally.
Very slightly.
Just a tilt of the head in Dokja's direction.
"You liked her?"
Dokja flinched. "I didn't—Not like that—it wasn't—That was a long time ago—I didn't even talk to her—"
"You were narrating her shampoo."
"That was one time—!"
Sooyoung held up an invisible mic. "Everyone give it up for Kim Dokja, the protagonist of his own unintentional romance subplot."
Yoosung clapped twice.
Dokja deflated in his seat.
"¿Puede prestarme dinero?"
"Pardon?" Dokja blinked, momentarily jarred from his scrolling.
"It's Spanish," Sangah answered cheerfully, lifting the tone of the train. "It means 'Please lend me some money.'"
Dokja gave her a slow, baffled look, as if she'd spoken in tongues.
'Studying Spanish on the subway…? She's a different breed. Where would she even use that phrase?'
"Ah… you're studying hard," he offered, the social grace of a tired office worker on autopilot.
Then she leaned in.
Just a little.
Just enough to invade his space and peek over at his phone.
"What about you, Dokja? What are you reading?"
His soul left his body.
With the reflexes of a hunted man, he pulled his phone away so fast he practically shoved himself into the poor stranger on his right.
Heewon. "It's still weird seeing that guy pretty."
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is squinting at the screen.]
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is suppressing laughter.]
[The constellation 'Lily Blooming in Aquarius' is curious about the genre of the novel.]
"Oh, I'm…" Dokja struggled.
The screen clearly showed it: the black text box of a serialized webnovel. Apocalypse genre. Gray letters. Ways of Survival.
Sangah tilted her head. "Is it a novel?"
.
Don't look. Don't read it. Don't realize what it is.
Please.
"Yeah," he managed. "I guess you could say I'm studying Korean, haha…"
Sooyoung let out a scandalized cackle. "Oh my God. Your conversation skills were just as tragic back then too?"
"This man really has nothing going for him except his face," Aslan muttered.
Dokja wanted once again wished to be anywhere but here.
At that, Sangah lit up with genuine enthusiasm. "Wow! I love novels! My favorite authors are Murakami Haruki, Raymond Carver, Han Kang, and…"
Dokja's mind blanked out. He was in full panic mode now.
'Of course she reads real literature,' he thought bitterly. 'I'm about to be socially executed.'
"Who's your favorite author, Dokja?"
He smiled weakly. "You probably wouldn't know even if I told you."
' Because I can't tell you what I'm actually reading.'
[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is curious about Incarnation Kim Dokja's reading preferences.]
My hobby is reading serialized webnovels on the subway on my way home from work. I'm not proud of it, but…
Today is different.
Today is the final chapter of "Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse," a novel I've been reading for over ten years.
Sooyoung sat upright instantly. "Wait—hold on. You read the entire thing!?"
Everyone turned to her.
"You know what he's reading?" Jihye asked, frowning.
Sooyoung waved them off, eyes glued to the screen. "Don't worry about it—keep watching."
Dokja's pulse jumped.
Idiot.
People might wonder why I'm making such a fuss over the ending of a web novel…
But this story is different.
I've been reading this since I was in eighth grade.
The screen shifted.
A young boy in a too-big school uniform.
Curled in the dusty corner of a dark library.
Face bruised. Knees pulled to chest.
The only light in the room: the glow of his phone.
[The exclusive skill fourth wall is trembling dangerousky]
Silence fell in the theater.
Yoosung gripped Gilyoung's hand.
Even Jihye went still.
"…You really loved that story," he thinks someone said that,but he's too busy trying to not have a panic attack to notice really.
The fourth wall is really useless when needed isn't it?
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' has gasped.]
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is expressing deep concern for Incarnation Kim Dokja.]
[The constillation 'queen of the darkest spring' is expressing deep concern for incarnation kim dokja]
Dokja didn't move.
He couldn't.
He could feel every stare on him, every constellation's gaze, every flicker of understanding blooming in the people who had fought beside him—and still didn't know him.
He didn't want them to see this part. Not the real part.
Not the ordinary, bruised, pathetic part.
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is flickering violently.]
Sooyoung whispered, stunned, "It really… means something to you."
He didn't respond.
Because if he opened his mouth, he might actually
Yoo Joonghyuk was still. Silent.
But for once, he wasn't glaring at the screen.
He was staring at Dokja.
And his gaze, for the first time, was unreadable.