Right. The next scene is the sponsor selection Dokja muses, watching on with a critical eye. His best bargaining chip to come. His mouth tugs up into a feral grin as he thinks about it. Since the cat's outta the bag, it'll be fun seeing how everyone reacts to just how many things he has up his sleeve.
Lee Jihye leans up and over her chair, trying to get as close to Jung Heewon as possible. Heewon leans away from Dokja and towards the teenager to help.
"Is ahjussi planning again? He has that scary look on his face." She stage whispers, one of her hands held up to the side of her mouth as if to hide what she's saying. Heewon snorts.
"Yeah, the rats back at it again. He's probably trying to figure out a way to scam someone again."
Kim Dokja ignores their terrible whispering because the protagonist is looking at him again. Dropping his smile, he looks on wearily trying to figure out what the bastard wants.
"I wouldn't have killed Kim Namwoon." He began, pausing for a moment. No shit. You consistently worked together with him. "But, I understand why you did. Even if I think it was a stupid decision."
Joonghyuk didn't say anything else, resolutely looking at the screen. Kim Dokja sits in his chair stunned, not expecting that turn of events. This is too many compliments for him. Is something catastrophic going to happen?
Everyone is now on the edge of their seats, excited for 'Sponsor Selection' to happen. Though, if Dokja recalled correctly, a couple of things happened beforehand.
[Now, this is interesting. What in the world happened here?] the dokkaebi asks as it fizzles back into the subway cabin. [I was only gone for a minute, but look at all this mess!]
In the blood-covered cabin, only five survivors are still standing. Kim Dokja, Lee Hyunsung, Yoo Sangah, Han Myungoh, and Lee Gilyoung - the boy who had the cage with the insects. Every other passenger is a cold, bloody corpse left sprawled out on the ground.
Looking down at the body of Kim Namwoon, Dokja recalls how only moments before, the teenager had looked panicked, trying his best to find a way to live. The fingers of the kid are burned into his suit jacket from where he had tried to kill him, scrambling to try anything. It didn't matter how much he didn't want to die. Dokja had done nothing to save him and would still do nothing given the chance. He just stood there with coldly blank eyes as Namwoon had fallen to the ground in a bloody headless mess.
'You were right. I am just like you. I could have saved those people. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel guilty, but it's strange...'
Dokja glances over at one of the windows of the subway cabin and finds a splatter of blood on his cheek. There's a memory scratching at the back of his head that he can't quite remember. Annoyed, he raises his hand to his face in an attempt to wipe it off with the back of it. It's then that he realizes that his skin is still clean and that the blood is on the window. He pointedly looked away, not willing to think about how familiar the scene looks.
'How am I able to remain so calm? It feels like I'm just reading the novel instead of actually partaking in it.'
"Is that what that skill is, ahjussi?" Lee Jihye pipes up, several of his companions turning to Dokja in search for an answer. Han Sooyoung doesn't look to him, continuing to observe the screen in front of them. She speaks up soon after he looks to her. "Does it do something so simple as to change what you feel?"
Yoo Joonghyuk twitches from where he's strung up like a bow in his seat, the tenseness of his muscles entices Kim Dokja to ogle as he watches.
"The fourth wall, in literature, is the separation between the characters in the story and the person reading." Her voice is flat and her eyes narrow as she watches. She doesn't even turn to the teenager as she speaks. Rude much.
"It does more than temper my feelings." Dokja admits, thinking about what exactly 'The Fourth Wall' has done for him. He comes up with an increasingly extensive list that he is not willing to admit. "It might be easier for you to see than for me to explain."
Han Sooyoung snorts, finally looking over at him. She is totally judging him. "Yeah right. I bet it's just because you don't want to have to explain."
He is going to ignore that.
[You slaughtered 124 living organisms.]
[Slaughter details: 1 grasshopper, 123 grasshopper eggs]
The next popup informs Dokja that the coins he obtained have been halved since the organisms were non-resistant, but he still receives 6,200 coins even with the deduction. After taking away the amount he used for his stats, Dokja is left with a startling amount of 3,500 coins. Achievements, rewards, and the channel usage fee deduction popups are quickly sent away. There's something more important happening now.
The train begins to move again with a rattle, and the survivors wonder if this hell is over. If they can go home now.
'The world we once knew has collapsed, and a new world is being born. A I am-'
As the train leaves the tunnel, the survivors gather at the window only to watch in horror as giant sea serpents emerge from the river, enduring attacks from fighter jets.
"Wha- What in the world?" Myungoh mutters, his eyes wide as he watches on.
Yoo Sangah has been stunned into silence. "My god..."
The dokkaebi chuckles, a deep rumbling thing that crackles like lightning. [Now this is fascinating.]
'-the only reader who knows how this world will end.'
The train comes to a stop on a bridge under the looming shadow of a giant sea serpent. The darkness of the cabin returns as if they never moved from the tunnel. Fearing the worst, everyone inside braces themselves for an attack. Except for Dokja who stands right by the window, looking on with knowing eyes. The remaining passengers realize the monster isn't doing anything, though still wary as they watch through the window.
'That snake-like monster there is called an ichthyosaur. It's also known as a sea serpent. Later on, it will be classified as a grade 7 monster in TWSA.'
Hyunsung looks carefully out the window, still not sure he believes his eyes. "What on earth... What is that?"
The world of TWSA prioritizes scenarios over everything else. So, we won't be attacked by any creatures unless they are part of the scenario.
"Dokja-ssi, that would have been nice for everyone to know." Yoo Sangah says gently, looking over at him in a way that reminds him of the person who put salt in their boss's coffee. It sends a shiver up his spine.
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' agrees that Incarnation 'Kim Dokja' should communicate with his friends more.]
She did have a point, for all it was inutile. At least everyone here will know that going forward.
'We're safe, for now.' Dokja thinks to himself before glancing over at the dokkaebi, who seems to be gleefully floating in the air and gleefully staring at some stars gathered around its head. Instinctively, Dokja counts them.
'One, two, three... twenty, twenty-one. There are 21 in total. No wonder he's so happy.'
The number of stars signifies the number of constellations that are logged into the channel.
-Constellations:
They are the most mysterious beings in TWSA and the masterminds behind this tragedy who livestream the scenarios from across the universe.-
In other words, they are the ones who watch the dokkaebis' channels.
For a newbie dokkaebi, Dokja is well aware that 21 constellations viewing his channel is a huge achievement. The dokkaebi is probably ecstatic.
In the original story, Namwoon killed almost everyone in this cabin.
[Due to the death of Kim Namwoon, two constellations feel slightly hostile towards you.]
Thinking about it rationally, Dokja realizes that some constellations are probably furious, and that the new system window popup that informed him that his payment is being delayed due to a scenario inspection is likely because he killed Namwoon. Well, as hands off as you ca kill someone at least. Now that the constellations' preferences are beginning to appear, he supposes that this is the officially the start of the story.
Kim Dokja walks away from the window, disregarding anything that may be happening outside for the moment. There is nothing that can harm them here while the next scenario has been stagnated. Approaching Namwoon's corpse- The neck stump looks way too cleanly cut and has blood that has started to congeal, it's sticky and thick and nothing he wants to touch. The rest of him is startling in tact with not a 'hair' out of place. If you ignore the stump for a neck, it would look like a person just laying there.- he bends over and grabs the knife from stiff fingers. It'll probably be useful in the near future. He stands and turns his body in the direction of the dokkaebi.
'It's just so hard to believe. I was in their position yesterday, but now they are the ones watching me.'
"That would have been such a risky thing to say. I'm bummed you didn't actually say it." Han Sooyoung says, cackling at the several offended messages from constellation on popup windows that Dokja can't see.
"I'm not stupid enough to do that. Not yet at least." He grumbles, sneering at her and pushes the kids heads down to flip his middle finger up at her as well. The kids struggle for a bit wanting to see what he's doing. He doesn't let them go until he has stopped any offensive gestures. "That would ruin so many of my plans."
The witch snorts, muttering under her breath about how his plans rarely ever actually work. In retaliation, he bites back that she's fallen for plenty of his plans. She reaches over and hits the back of his head. He swears at her.
Yoo Joonghyuk, along with several others in their group, are looking on unamused. The kids are plenty amused, even enjoying the bickering.
It's Lee Hyunsung that interrupts them, calling up from where he's sat with Jung Heewon. "To think that teenager would have killed everyone if he hadn't been stopped..."
His words bring down the mood, leaving the what-if's unsaid. He continues with a more upbeat tone. "Thank you for preventing that. And for letting my hands stay clean."
Kim Dokja doesn't look at him when he nods his reply. There is no need to be thankful to him.
[A few Constellations are impressed with your scenario.]
[The Constellations have sponsored 500 coins to you.]
'Of course, as long as there are constellations who hate me, there are also constellations who support me.'
With a smirk, Dokja lowers his head to stare at the floor. A feral gleam overtakes his eyes as his smirk turns into him baring his teeth in what could barely be considered a smile. 'I hope all of you enjoy the show, because sooner or later you'll end up paying the admission fee with your lives.'
['The Fourth Wall' stabilizes]
And there it is. The one thought that he hoped would have just stayed an inside thought.
[Many Constellations are offended at the audacity of the Incarnation 'Kim Dokja']
[Several Constellations laugh uproaringly at the ambitions of the Incarnation 'Kim Dokja']
[The Constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' sticks his finger in his ear with a smirk.]
That was about what he expected. If they knew how genuine those words are, backed up by so many of Yoo Joonghyuk's regressions, they probably wouldn't be laughing from their high horses. They will just continue to see humans as these little things they can just play with however they want, but they forget exactly what a repressed human is capable of.The Constellation 'Secretive Plotter' warns that the threats that Incarnation 'Kim DOkja' made are not to be taken lightly.]
That's quite curious, isn't it? That guy seems to be more aware and supportive of his plans, but it's interesting that he has taken such a declaration so serious. It's the next window popups that send him into a slightly baffled, slightly flustered mess.
[The Constellation 'Secretive Plotter' applauds Incarnation 'Kim Dokja' for both his wit and beauty.]
Now, what is this bastard on about? Dokja thought everyone was over the 'pretty' thing. Sitting there confused, he was not ready for Uriel as a whole.
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' demands that Constellation 'Secretive Plotter' step very carefully or else he'll ruin the companionship.]
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' does concede that Incarnation 'Kim Dokja' is both pretty and smart.]
What the fuck does that even mean? Jung Heewon and Han Sooyoung both burst out laughing and that's all the answer he needs about that. The kids also giggle a little bit, Yoo Mia definitely quieter than the others but he can still hear it. Yoo Joonghyuk looks slightly miffed for a reason Dokja can't really place.
"Dokja? Are you okay?"
At the sudden voice, Dokja looks over his shoulder and sees Sangah about to reach out for his shoulder. She looks tired, and her nice clothes are splattered with blood. He apologized for not being able to help the elderly woman, her headless body set aside in the cabin near where Namwoons own body is. It's a shame, but she wouldn't have survived anyway. Sangah turns the conversation back to him with a curious look.
"Dokja-ssi," she asks, "how are you so...?"
"Pardon?" Dokja is unable to understand what she's trying to say. Is there something wrong with him?
She purses her lips and shakes her head. "It's nothing. Thanks for earlier."
That's odd. He hadn't done anything to earn that. Sangah seems to clock his confusion, looking sheepish. "You, um... you threw the cage towards me."
With that, Dokja remembers he had in fact thrown it in the direction of Sangah. He recognizes the look in her eyes and decides right there that he has to stop that. "That was just coincidence. I won't do anything like that again."
'I don't know exactly what she's thinking, but she was smart enough to survive this chaos. She probably understood what I said. Because of my choice, some lived, while some died. I don't deserve the gratitude of those who survived.'
"Ah." A flustered Sangah looks away, the blush climbing up to her ears. She sits with her back straight in the chair, perfect posture and all. It seems she's embarrassed.
"Oh." Lee Hyunsung muttered behind him, a deep rumble that Dokja can't quite place the emotion of. He does sound embarrassed as well, though, so at least he has that to go off of. It's so hard to gauge what anyone is feeling when he's purposefully trying to avoid their gazes. This is already embarrassing enough for him as it is. There's no point in making it worse.
Lee Gilyoung is grabbing onto him tightly, those tiny eyes that know more than they should are turned onto him. It's slightly unnerving when Shin Yoosung does the same with almost equally wise eyes. What are they feeding these kids? What is this? Is it something in the water?
Ignoring his own unease, Dokja just rests his hands on each of their heads and ruffles their hair. It's nothing he should worry about... Probably. Ultimately, even though he had released the grasshoppers, it had been their choice to look for them. Their choice to catch and kill them.
"I'm glad you survived, with your own strength." Dokja mutters under his breath, smoothing Gilyoung's hair out of his face. The kid looked up at him with big watery eyes, leaning forward to settle into a hug tight enough to make him wheeze. Hey hey, careful, that probability storm earlier took a lot out of him.
Yoosung looked on with a frown, hugging Dokja from the other side with equal strength really making it hard to breath. Kim Dokja just sat there and did his best, letting the children do as they please.
Yoo Joonghyuk and Yoo Mia look on from where they're sitting next to him. Yoo Mia looks on with a sort of longing that slightly startles him. It's then that he thinks back, trying to remember if Mia had any real interactions with kids her age. It's the protagonist that cuts into his thoughts.
"Even so, gratitude would be due in such a situation, fool." The words are oddly kind for the insult tacked on to the end of that. Slightly miffed, Dokja decides to ignore the entire sentence. he has decided the sunfish bastard has gone crazy. Nothing new.
[Wow! So, did all of you prove your worth? I see there are many survivors,] the dokkaebi says smugly, his eyes narrowing as he smiles before turning his attention back to the channel. [Oh my! Thank you for the sponsorship, dear constellations! I can't believe there are 21 constellations watching my channel!]
While the dokkaebi is distracted, Dokja thinks over the number of survivors. Five is more than he expected, even if he knew Hyunsung would probably survive due to his strength and athleticism. He glances over at the kid, walking up to him and gently placing his hand on the boy's shoulder with a blank look.
"Hey, kid, do you want to live?"
The boy looks back at him with empty and exhausted eyes, looking so familiar it makes a certain kind of resentment bubble up in his throat and forces the back of his eyes to burn.
['The Fourth Wall' stabilizes]
He's not going to cry here. He speaks around the dead thing in his throat as he asks if the kid would like to team up with him. Gilyoung says nothing and just nods once, a sparkle filling tired eyes.
'This isn't sympathy. If I had to put in the words to describe this, I would call it hypocrisy.'