Chapter Text
“Dㅁkㅁa! ㅁokjㅁ! Come on! Hurry up!”
A familiar voice called out, but all that could be seen was the back of a little girl wearing a white dress.
But still, Kim Dokja ran.
He ran and ran towards the strange but familiar voice calling to him.
He didn’t know why but he felt compelled to the figure and stopping was simply not an option.
“Hey! Didn’t I tell you to hurry up! Why are you so slow!”
The voice’s laughter echoed in the vast expanse of the boundless landscape of stars and space.
Kim Dokja, exhausted, tripped. Hitting the cold grass face first, he groaned and as he sat up the figure reached out their hand to him.
"Hey! Idiot! What are you doing, so clumsy! Get up already!"
Kim Dokja looked up to see their face, but he couldn't-there was a strange blur around the face, as if something was preventing him from viewing their face.
"Hey. Why aren't you grabbing my hand? Are you really that hurt? Well, its ok! Here have a lemon candy!"
The figure proceeded to shove a lemon candy into his mouth. It was sweet but also sour like a lemon.
"All better now right! Ooooh, hey look at that, isn't it so pretty?"
The figure exclaimed, puffing up their chest in pride, waiting for praise. Kim Dokja looked into where the figure was looking and saw countless stars, constellations, universes, multiverses, the big dipper, everything… Then they spoke, but it was something that Kim Dokja could not hear, it was as if their words were censored, but it was something about their name. What exactly was it?
"My name is Hㅁㅁ ㅁㅁyㅁunㅁ! You better remember it!”
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“Dokja-ssi, Dokja-ssi.”
I woke up to someone calling my name.
I rubbed my eyes as my vision cleared, when someone lightly tapped my shoulder beside me.
It was Yoo Sangah-ssi, I hurriedly got myself situated, wiping drool off my mouth, and asked “ Oh, Sangah-ssi is there something you need?”
“Yes, I’m sorry for waking you, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t miss your stop. Oh! I'm terribly sorry if this wasn't it!”
Of course Sangah would do that, she’s so kindhearted… and beautiful. I guess that’s why she’s a full time employee while I'm stuck as a contractor.
“Aha, thank you Sangah-ssi, how considerate of you.”
“Oh no, it's nothing, really…”
“...”
How awkward…
I discreetly pulled out my phone and checked to see if TWSA had updated, after all, today should be the day that the 3150th episode is released.
Excited, I opened up the app and then the chapter.
It was the end? That was all? No that can’t be…
As I was pondering what could’ve possibly possessed the author to write an ending like this, Yoo Sangah-ssi asked “what are you doing Dokja-ssi?”
Startled, I pulled my phone away.
“Oh, I was reading a … novel.”
Yoo Sangah-ssi’s eyes shone, as she asked “You like reading too Dokja-ssi? Who are your favorite authors? Is it Thoreau? Shakespeare? Or is it Bradbury?”
“No… You probably wouldn’t know if I told you.”
After all, I am the only reader for this 3000+ chapter webnovel…
Yoo Sangah-ssi looked a little down, it seemed that the conversation was becoming strained so I decided to change the topic, then Yoo Sangah spoke.
“If you don’t mind… Would you like to know the app I use?” Yoo Sangah’s voice momentarily became distant.
It felt like the world was far away, like I was in that dream again. I stared straight ahead of me.
A boy was sitting in the seat opposite me on the train. He was 10 years old or so. The boy held an insect collecting net as he sat next to who seemed like his mother, laughing happily.
“...Dokja-ssi?”
Maybe I could’ve thrived if my genre was different in life, what if it was “fantasy” instead of “realism”? Could I be the protagonist? I didn’t know. I probably would never know. However, there was one thing I knew.
“It’s okay, Yoo Sangah-ssi.”
“Huh?”
“It wouldn’t work even if you told me the name of the app.”
“I have to live my own life Sangah-ssi.”
I wasn’t the protagonist in this story, I was simply a reader.
“... Live your own life…” Yoo Sangah had a serious look on her face.
“Dokja-ssi, you’re so inspiring! I should also live my own life!”
Yoo Sangah seemed to have made a choice and started typing something down on her phone. I gazed at her face before returning to my screen. Where I was reminded of the ending that just unfolded in TWSA, but also met with a notification from the author of TWSA.
It read [This story is for just that one reader.]
Another message read:
-This series will soon become paid content. As a token of appreciation, I have attached a gift to you. [1 attachment.]
I wondered what gift it would be, hopefully a giftcard.
“…Dokja-ssi?”
I could feel Yoo Sangah-ssi looking at me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.
“Ah… sorry. It’s nothing.”
Just then the train shook slightly. A strange vibration ran through the carriage, different from the usual movement of the subway. It was subtle, but enough to make me look up.
“…Did you feel that?”
“Hmm?” Yoo Sangah-ssi tilted her head. “Feel what?”
“…Nothing.”
Maybe I imagined it.
The subway continued moving.
The boy across from me was still laughing, swinging his legs slightly as he talked to his mother. The ordinary scenery passed by the windows, dark tunnels flashing intermittently with dim lights.
Everything was normal. Too normal.
I looked back down at my phone. The screen flickered. For a brief moment it went black.
“…?”
Then it turned back on as if nothing had happened.
“…That’s strange.”
“Dokja-ssi?”
“Did your phone just—”
Before I could finish my sentence everything suddenly went dark.
“—Ah!”
A few people gasped. The train jerked violently before coming to an abrupt stop. The sudden silence was overwhelming.
“…What’s going on?”
Someone further down the carriage spoke.
“Is this a power outage?”
“No way… we’re still in the tunnel…”
Murmurs spread quickly. I tightened my grip on my phone.
Something felt wrong.
Not just inconvenient.
Not just unexpected.
Wrong.
A faint sound echoed through the darkness. At first, I thought it was static, the train coming to a sudden halt, or a musician and his guitar. Then the static became clearer. Like a voice.
[The free service has ended.]
…What?
[Main scenario has begun.]
The moment those words were spoken—
A blinding light burst from the center of the carriage.
People screamed.
“What is that?!”
“Monster!?”
Floating in midair was a small, round creature with short stubby legs and arms.
It rotated slowly, as if observing everyone. My heart dropped.
“…A dokkaebi.”
“What?”
Yoo Sangah-ssi looked at me, confused. I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. Because I already knew what was going to happen next. Just like in the novel. The creature grinned, with its sharp plentiful teeth showing.
[Hello, humans!]
Its voice was cheerful. Much too cheerful.
[This is your first scenario.]
Silence fell over the carriage.
No one moved.
No one understood.
Except me.
“…It started.”
“What started?” Yoo Sangah-ssi asked quietly. I stared at the dokkaebi. At the thing that had just turned reality into fiction.
“…Everything.”
The dokkaebi clapped its small hands together.
[Kill at least one living being.]
The words dropped like a stone. No one reacted at first. As if their minds refused to process it.
“…What?”
“Did it just say kill?”
“This is a joke, right?”
Nervous laughter broke out.
Someone stood up.
“Hey, what kind of prank is this? Who’s behind this?”
The dokkaebi tilted its head.
[Ah… it seems you didn’t understand.]
Its smile widened, as people's heads started to pop.
[You have thirty minutes.]
The carriage fell into chaos. People shouted, argued, panicked. Some tried to open the doors. Others called emergency services.
But—
Nothing worked.
I slowly stood up.
“Dokja-ssi…?”
Yoo Sangah-ssi looked up at me, her eyes filled with confusion.
I knew that look, I had seen it countless times before In the novel I had been reading for over 13 years.
“…We need to get ready.”
“For what?”
I glanced toward the door. The dark tunnel beyond the window reflected my face.
“…To survive and we better hurry at that.”