Chapter Text
When the returnees and I landed on the beach, the first thing I noticed was a very faint connection towards something.
My avatar.
Though I had turned into a squid, I was sure my party would recognize me. And if they didn't my avatar was all I needed to prove my identity to them.
Just where was it though?
"Alliance! The Busan Alliance!"
Along with the shouts, people approached through the crowd of incarnations that split apart. At this moment, I heard the distant sound of boats in my ears. There was a faint saltiness in the breeze from Haeundae.
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is shaking faintly!]
12 boats appeared on the sandy beach of Haeundae. Two people leapt from the front boat.
"The admiral has come!"
"The Insect King!"
I once again realized that a lot of time has passed. Some things had changed and some hadn't changed. The girl with the cap on her head was still wearing her distinctive hoodie but she no longer wore a uniform skirt.
The boy with the insect net still had his distinctive, fierce eyes but his features were more pronounced and he was taller. At the very least, he couldn't stick to my thighs anymore.
"Kid, do you want to do it or should I?"
"We will decide by tossing a coin."
I missed them. I really missed them. I wanted to say this. The pure white sand sparkled and I knew I had to run away, but I couldn't move my feet.
[The constellation 'Demon King of Salvation' is looking at his companions.]
Maybe I had hope. The others were different but they would definitely recognize me. Perhaps I wanted to believe that.
[The scenario penalty has distorted the indirect message.]
The next moment, an indirect message emerged in the air.
[The 'Ugly Squid' is provoking the incarnation 'Lee Jihye'.]
Lee Jihye stared at me.
"Kid, I will kill that squid."
Before I could react, the incarnations that were watching us announced the arrival of another person.
"The Supreme King!"
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is trembling!]
I turned around and saw Yoo Joonghyuk taking big strides in our direction. He muttered something to someone behind him before he ran over suddenly and held me up by the collar.
"Fool.", was all he said before he smashed my body into the ground, burying me halfway into the sand.
"B-Brother!", The Flying Fox shouted.
"It's okay! No one attack!", I held my hand up to stop them from approaching. They would all die here if they interfered with this guy.
Screams suddenly echoed from behind him and I knew immediately who they were.
They're finally here.
"Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi!", Yoo Sangha screamed behind him.
"Bastard! Don't kill him yet! I need to land my own few punches!", Han Sooyung was also here, running towards us.
"Hey, wait! I called shotgun!", she screamed as another woman with evil bloody aura overtook her. Jung Heewon's eyes were shining red. It almost made me want to take my chances with Yoo Joonghyuk.
"Jung Heewon-ssi! Please go easy on him!", Lee Hyunsung shouted after her.
"Ahjussi!", I looked up at the sky and saw the black dragon covering it. There was a nostalgic face. Like Lee Jihye and Lee Gilyoung, this child had grown a lot.
She landed her dragon and walked over to us.
"… Shin Yoosung.", I called out to her but soon realized my mistake.
[The 'Ugly Squid' is provoking the incarnation 'Lee Jihye'.]
… I had almost forgotten this scenario was still going on.
"Why is it always me?", Lee Jihye appeared from behind me, holding the sword of the God of Naval Warfare.
… She wasn't still going to attack me, right?
"Kim Dokja.", Yoo Joonghyuk said, and I turned to look at him.
"Yeah?", I answered reflexively, knowing the scenario would distort my speech.
"Yeah?", I heard someone else answer and I saw him.
My avatar stepped out from behind him, looking at Yoo Joonghyuk intensely.
I don't look like that, right?
"… Go ahead.", he said, looking away, and I— my avatar approached me. It knelt down and held my hand that was sticking out from the sand.
It soon disappeared and its memories fused with mine. A splitting headache thundered in me suddenly as three years of memories forced themselves into my mind.
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is shaking violently!]
My consciousness blurred and everything went dark.
When I woke up again I was in a hospital room with bright lights. As my eyes adjusted I gradually noticed the chairs around the bed I was in and the window that was open on the far side of the room.
And Yoo Joonghyuk. Standing by the doorway, unmoving. His head was bowed and his arms were crossed.
"… Yoo Joonghyuk?"
His head shot up suddenly and a fraction later he saw me looking at him and his eyes widened slightly.
Was he sleeping while standing?
"… You're awake.", he stated.
"Yeah. How long has it been?"
His eyebrows furrowed slightly before relaxing again. "… Two days."
"Oh."
He was still standing there, right next to the window. It made it look like he was glowing.
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' has activated!]
Two days was a lot of time. Of course, that was nothing compared to the three years that my companions had to wait for me.
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is shaking faintly!]
I had to make it up to them somehow. Especially to the children. They had grown up so well without me. And falling unconscious on the first two days back wasn't really… compensatory.
"Where were you?", Yoo Joonghyuk suddenly asked. Why was he still here? Why had he come here anyway?
"Does it matter? I'm back now, so—"
"Yes.", Yoo Joonghyuk cut me off sharply. "It does matter."
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is shaking!]
'It matters.'
Something echoed in the back of my mind.
"So, where were you?", he asked again, less careful this time.
What was that?
"… In a different worldline."
"Different worldline?", Yoo Joonghyuk's brows knit tightly as his shoulders stiffened.
That's why I didn't want to tell you, sunfish bastard.
"Yes, but it was fine. I was only there for three days, so it's not really even my fault that so much time passed. I had no way of knowing."
"Three days?" His eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, it was a really short time. I wouldn't have stayed there for three actual years voluntarily."
[Ki m Do k ja is a li ar .]
Shut up.
"… I see.", Yoo Joonghyuk said slowly, the corners of his mouth twitching.
I looked out of the window, the skies were clear and it was still bright out. Maybe I could take the kids on a walk? Would they like that?
"So…" Yoo Joonghyuk walked a few meters closer to the bed. "Do you remember?"
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is trembling!]
These messages are starting to get annoying.
"Remember what?"
I sat up straighter and noticed that my coat was gone. I saw it hanging on a coatrack in the corner of the room. Was this a hospital? Was it Lee Seolhwa's? If every room was as big as this one the building must be massive.
Yoo Joonghyuk furrowed his brows. "The three years. You absorbed your avatar, didn't you?"
"Three years is a lot of time, Joonghyuk-ah. How do you want me to crowd them next to the three days I was away?"
[Ly in g is a ba d ha b it .]
I should turn you off.
[K im D ok ja ca n't.]
His hand started scratching the hilt of his sword.
…
He wouldn't, right?
"Kim Dokja, stop lying."
"Why would I be lying?" I smiled at him.
He sighed. "Do you remember the three years or not?"
"I don't."
[The character Yoo Joonghyuk has activated the exclusive skill "Lie Detection Lv. 5".]
[The character Yoo Joonghyuk has confirmed that the words are false.]
Damn.
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is shaking violently!]
[Sa yi ng t he tr ut h is a vi rt ue .]
"Kim Dokja." Yoo Joonghyuk came closer as he held the hilt of his sword tightly.
Did he stay in my room until I woke up just to terrorize me?
"Why won't you say the truth?" Yoo Joonghyuk looked… sad?
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is shaking violently!]
What did he want me to say? So what if I remembered the three years? What does that change? What does it matter?
[It ma tt er s.]
'It matters.'
A headache assaulted me that felt like my skull was going to split open.
[I ca n't he lp yo u an ym or e.]
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' has partially deactivated.]
I saw scenes I had never experienced before and heard my voice say things I never did.
'What do you know?' Han Sooyoung's angry face.
'What's with that reaction, Ahjussi?'
Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung crying.
Feathers and Yoo Joonghyuk's panicked face.
'Because you're my Yoo Joonghyuk.'
Burning scars.
'I love you too.'
…
The pain stopped.
"—! Kim Dokja!" Yoo Joonghyuk was abusing the 'call nurse' button panicked.
"I'm fine." I pushed his arm away from my shoulder lightly.
"How are you fine?", he screamed at me.
"What's wrong?" Lee Seolhwa ran in suddenly
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at me for a moment. "I don't know."
You don't know and you just called the nurse?
"I'm fine, Lee Seolhwa-ssi. Thank you."
"… Are you sure?", she hesitated.
"Yes, I'm sure there are other patients who need your help."
"Alright. Call me if you need anything. It's nice to see you again, Kim Dokja-ssi." She smiled at me.
"You too, Lee Seolhwa-ssi." I smiled back.
She closed the door after herself and I hoped Yoo Joonghyuk had gone with her.
"What was that?", he asked.
"What was what?"
"Kim Dokja." I felt his murderous glare burn my skin.
"That was just a headache."
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at me, almost disappointed.
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is shaking!]
"What do you want?", I asked him.
"The truth."
"What truth?"
"Stop running away."
"How am I running away? I am literally lying on a be—"
"You know exactly what happened when you were gone."
…
"I don't understand why you can't be honest with yourself for once."
He walked over to the edge of my bed scowling and held the side rails. Then he sent a message through Midday Tryst.
— I love you.
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is shaking!]
…
— I love you.
"Yeah, I heard you the first time."
— So answer.
"What do you want me to say?"
— The truth.
…
— Do you love me too?
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is shaking!]
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' has partially deactivated.]
Suddenly, I felt my heart ache in a way I hadn't felt before. It felt familiar. It felt like the distant memories of lonely nights only accompanied by a bright screen of text.
It hurt.
It felt like the wiping of tears off my smartphone to see a beloved story better.
It burned.
Like the need to sleep, because sleep was the only escape. Dreaming was the only escape. Reading was the only escape.
Breathing felt like a chore.
And I realized that at some point I never put the cellphone down. To this day I was still holding tightly onto something that didn't include me when it was screaming at me that I was part of it.
A scalding heat burned my cheek. It was Yoo Joonghyuk's hand.
"Don't cry.", he commanded.
I laughed.
Was he seriously commanding me right now?
He smiled.
He smiled and it burned an endless pit into my chest.
— Stop crying.
His smile disappeared and both his hands were now wiping tears away from my cheeks.
— I'm sorry.
"What are you sorry for?"
'What are you sorry for?'
— I don't know.
"Then don't be."
'Then don't be.'