Chapter Text
“If I had the ability to see the future, I wish that from the day I was born, fate would tell me when you’ll arrive”.
In this world, there are things that are difficult to explain…
-The disappearance, death or rejection of a loved one.
Life itself is full of mysteries that we don’t always want to solve.
Pretending that problems don’t exist is easier than facing them. This is what Kim Dokja has learned from early age. However, a pair of eyes fixed on his back seemed to be intent on preventing him to avoid this problem.
No matter how much he quickened his pace or which rute he used, that person was still there, and of course, Kim Dokja didn’t dare to look back too much. He was not one of those people who believed in the paranormal; however, he had no other explanation for this situation and he really didn’t want to incur the wrath of whatever was following him.
Chills ran down his spine from just thinking about it.
Thank you! But he already had enough problems in his life!
At first, he tried to lose sight of it. He ran as fast as he could and took all the shortcuts on his way home without much success. His physical condition was not the best and his legs felt heavier. The people around him began to give him mixed expressions of concern, so at some point he had to stop to take a break.
He thought everything would be fine and there was no way he would have followed him to the station, not until his sight met the heavy boots of his stalker.
In sight that his situation would not improve no matter where he went or what he did, he figured that the best thing for him to do was to ignore him. A few days have passed since that incident and seeing that he didn’t seem to have any ill intentions, he moved on with his life. However, he has learned one thing or two from his new partner.
He still had doubts about the nature of this appearance. Although it was not possible for him to discern if it was a simple ghost or some demonic entity, he was sure that no one but him could see it.
This was verified on Monday morning, when he entered his classroom and no one else paid attention to the six-foot man behind him.
His boundaries seemed to be strictly set. He gave him a half smile, feeling sorry for the poor soul that should be tied to a person as boring as him.
On the other hand, in the last few days he seemed to have come with terms with the situation. The gaze on his back no longer felt impatient or annoyed and, there were times when he didn’t even feel it on him and that were the moments when he worked up the courage to take a look.
If he were allowed to describe him in a few words, he would say that he was a man of exceptional appearance. This to the point where it would be strange for a person not to find attractive in his face. Another highlight were his eyes, they seemed to be charged with so many emotions and it seemed impossible for him to keep his gaze fixed without being completely drawn to them.
In the midst of his trance, the man returned his gaze from the window to rest on him again. His eyebrows arched together, he had an annoyed expression.
He’s definitely not happy!
Pretending nonchalance, Kim Dokja took his cellphone out of his pocket, opening a familiar page that he knew would make him forget those cold tremors on his body. His hands also stopped shaking as he looked at the name written on the screen.
[ Three ways to survive in a ruined world: Chapter 350 ]
In recent months, he has become obsessed over a certain web novel. It was an apocalyptic novel whose protagonist had managed to capture his attention. The plot was amazing and the narrative captivating, but as strange as it sounded, it was a work that did not even reach a hundred visitors per chapter.
Of course, this mattered little to Kim Dokja. That novel eventually became his anchor to this world and always managed to lift his spirits up. The author was nice and always answered his comments with thanks for his support, in addition to solving his doubts in case something had not been clear to him in the plot, he even took his opinion on aspects in the plot!
He couldn’t be more grateful for his daily updates.
But the most important thing for him, what he kept precious in his heart, were the words of the protagonist. While his dialogue was characterized as harsh and direct, it usually ended up being what he needed to hear. This alone was enough to give him the courage to face a new day.
Living through the experiences and adventures that Yoo Joonghyuk and his companions had become a regular thing on his life.
Anyone who listened to him would say that it was something strange, but his desire was so great that he sometimes lost his way in his reading and his imagination began to wander.
‘What would I give to be there… To be one of his companions’.
But Dokja is still the reader. A reader cannot be part of the story, much less become a protagonist.
Now that he thinks about it, the author's description of the protagonist was eerily similar to that of the man next to him. However, he was sure that in no way was the protagonist of said novel the one who was trying to get his attention with impatient signs at that moment, uselessly knocking on the window pane.
The person who was definitely not Yoo Yoonghyuk pointed at the window, suggesting that it was time to go.
He hadn't realized how late it was, much less that he was left alone in the classroom. Class ended a while ago. He still didn't want to go home, so he planned to stay a bit longer solving some homework problems for him.
The twilight reflected through the windows, its glow in shades of orange. The sun was slowly lowering on the horizon, ushering in the night.
These days, strange as they were, had been peaceful.
This couldn’t last.
After a while, it was impossible for him to continue ignoring the clock. He closed his notebooks and put everything inside his backpack. As soon as he left the classroom, he unconsciously pressed his belongings to his body.
Lowering his guard at the first sign of calm could not become a habit, he had to remain on the lookout. He rips his fingers repeatedly with the tip of his fingernail.
He is nervous.
This seemed to reassure him somewhat.
— "Everything will be fine”. — He repeated over and over again.
The man who definitely couldn't be Yoo Joonghyuk cast a curious look. He didn't understand his sudden change of attitude, unusual for the one who had the nerve to ignore his existence until now.
Kim Dokja had been so busy trying to avoid this stalker, ghost, demon, alien? That he ended up completely forgetting about what he could really hurt him and that he would have to face sooner or later.
A few blocks from the high school, he noticed familiar figures in the distance. It was Song Minwoo and a few classmates from older grades. His body began to tremble.
As in his previous predicament, running wasn't the smartest option, he knew what would happen next if he did. From experience, it was better to go with the flow until they tire of it and, if he had any luck, he would come out unscathed.
— "Kim Dokja!" — Minwoo approached him with fresh air, took him by the neck and pulled him towards the group of his friends who were resting in the corner.
Allowing for a mental observation, Kim Dokja found their looks rather funny. They had the juvenile delinquent look you'd find in some drama.
The futile attempt to show maturity through cigarettes and alcohol, wearing the school uniform loose and with two or three buttons of the shirt open. The intimidating pose was definitely a relevant extra. They were the spitting image of a movie thug.
He was never intimidated by their appearance, impossible, but he was more than aware of what they could do to him.
Matches were never fair. Song Minwoo never entered a fight alone, his blows were always accompanied by a tool or a friend. He didn’t have a particular preference, everything ends up hurting and making the same way at the end of the day.
Although he was sure that – even if the match was fair -, chances of him winning were slim to none.
Ugh, he should had accepted that cigarette.
A little smoke in his lungs didn't sound too bad now, at least compared to the horrible rib pain he was feeling.
The cold floor comforted him, made the pain bearable and alleviated it to some extent, this was not the best day for him. He would wait a little longer, he didn't think he would be able to get up soon, much less did he want to accidentally run into them on his way home.
He was tired.
He held out his hand. His cell phone ended up flying too far from his body, he tried to get closer to it and while unlocking his screen he noticed a huge fissure on its surface. He would have it fixed later. The only thing that mattered was that it was twenty minutes before seven, he still had time before the update.
His body was small and thin. The bulging little figure he formed on the pavement was barely visible in the distance. Being the constant object of mistreatment, his skin collected purple marks and scratches everywhere.
Ah, he remembers that he once tried to defend himself.
It didn't turn out well.
The stars in the sky were beautiful. If only the city lights were dimmer, his glow would be more intense. Intoxicated in the wonder of the landscape, he wondered if in that endless sky there was someone reading his story, just like he was reading Yoo Yoonghyuk's story.
Though….
W̶h̶o̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶f̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶e̶r̶e̶s̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶m̶u̶s̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶i̶r̶ ̶m̶i̶n̶d̶
Eventually, he looked up and his weary gaze met the impassive face of his delusion.
— “Tell me, do you find it interesting?” — he asked without thinking.
The man gave him an expression unlike any he had seen before.
Kim Dokja finally recognized his existence, he knew he was there.
—“No.”
It was a deep, scratchy voice that rumbled in Kim Dokja’s ears. He seemed to be unaccustomed to the use of it and as monotonous as he tried to sound, the presence of an incalculable amount of emotions was evident.
I was kind of nice…
— “It’s the first time you speak.”
—“ I had no reason to.”
Right, all these days he had spent all his efforts to ignore his existence. At some point, he must have made him wonder if he could really see him, if it was really worth trying to communicate with him.
Kim Dokja let out a small laugh. Of course, this took the man by surprise, who looked at him with some strangeness, raising one of his eyebrows.
—“ I was sure you were work of my imagination, a simple illusion.”
An illusion born of stress and delusions, of his deepest desire. He still thought so, only at that moment he really felt that he needed some company.
When he felt it was enough, he staggered to his feet from the ground. It would be a long walk home, an eternity.
It was late. If he got to the apartment now, he would meet other people he also didn't want to run into in a bad mood along the way, so he determined that the best thing for him to do now was to stop by the convenience store for some noodles.
—“ Can you walk?” — his companion asked.
No matter how few expressions he showed, the tone he used made his concern sound more real.
—“I’m fine. This is nothing…”
A notification sounded in his pocket and the screen lit up on his face.
[ 'Three Ways of Survival' has updated a chapter ]
With this, the pain instantly disappeared and his eyes shone with indescribable emotion. Had Yoo Joonghyuk managed to win against Asmodeus or would he go back to the start? That was the question and he couldn't wait to know the answer.
His steps quickened, entering the room with renewed vitality. He took some instant noodles from the food court and set them up at one of the tables. As he prepared them, it was impossible for her to ignore the look of disgust his company had on his dinner.
It seemed that, in the in eyes of this person, he had committed an unforgivable crime.
—“Do you want some?”
He wasn’t sure if this illusion could eat or taste anything he had done.
—“I don’t eat other people’s food.”
—“I see, I’m sorry”.
He knew it.
This person was so similar, both in appearance and personality to the protagonist of Ways of Survival that it was impossible that it was not him.
Three Ways of Survival's Yoo Joonghyuk would never touch anything offered to him. He was still unclear on the reason for this behavior, the novel has not progressed far enough to cover this feature of his with an explanation.
Kim Dokja leaned his good cheek against his hand and began to think.
' How real is all this? It is impossible for 'Yoo Joonghyuk' to exist, after all, he is the protagonist of a novel, a fictional character! There's no way that's possible. This must be the work of a bad hit’.
He took the cell phone out of the bag, wiping the surface of small bits of glass. Finally, he opened the notification which redirected him to another Ways of Survival chapter. He had a cell phone in one hand and chopsticks in another, not a good way to eat at all. A bad habit.
— “Drop the cell phone”.
Kim Dokja stopped what he was doing for a moment, looking up and pretending to pay attention to what he was going to say with a blank expression.
—“ You can’t eat and read at the same time.”
Raising an eyebrow, Kim Dokja raised his chopsticks and cell phone at the same time. Showing that indeed, eating was not an impediment to reading him. He picked up where he left off, glancing down at the screen from time to time.
—"I meant you shouldn't..."
He knew that wasn't the point of his tablemate, but he was about to get to an interesting part and wasn't planning on leaving his reading for some simple noodles.
If he stopped reading...
Yoo Yoonghyuk got up from the chair where his 'his body' rested and positioned himself behind his back, looking curiously at what kept him from concentrating on his food.
—"What is that?" —He asked, confused.
He swore he had seen him moving the screen down, as if he were reading something; however, all that was on the screen was a blank notepad.
— "I'm reading, can't you see what's on the screen?"
— “No, I can’t. I see nothing”.