Chapter Text
Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, the mere formation of that estranged name brought such explicit comfort to Kim Dokja's weary soul—it wrought tight tendrils of sheer adoration to squeeze around his bruised heart, and it made his pale world dissipate from his mind like ink in water. It wasn't the name of a trusted colleague or beloved parent; rather, it was the name of the web novel Kim Dokja had read since he was a horribly weak 15-year-old fresh out of his first—and last—suicide attempt.
That day, when he awoke, he was bedridden and alone on the scratchy and hard hospital bed. It was certainly not a fun experience, especially with the harsh white lights that looked too close like flashing camera lenses and the static hum of the AC that seemed to highlight the silence of his sterile room. There wasn't even a window! Which- is... honestly, a begrudgingly logical choice given his previous actions, but it did not mean he had to enjoy it!
tick
tick
tick
In Kim Dokja's opinion, the second hand of the cheap plastic clock hanging on the wall in front of his pitiful bed moved too slowly. There was no window, and the clock did not indicate night or day; the only telltale sign that the sun was truly gone was the eerie silence that permitted outside the closed door.
His body didn't move well; it felt sluggish and weak. Yet, his mind raced. It raced not with tangible thoughts that could be explained in written words, but it filled and filled with blurry, half-formed words that faded to crumble, only for the next words to clump together weakly and fall apart again. Like a self-regenerating sandcastle, Kim Dokja thought weakly as his head begun to tilt heavily to one side.
tick-
"Haahh, seriously..." Kim Dokja muttered hoarsely to himself whilst staring at nothing; his eye twitched when the clock just gave another tick. The clock was ridiculously slow and loud. If he were taller and stronger, he would've yanked that godforsaken time-telling machine off the bleak wall and smashed it against the cold hospital wall till it gave a satisfying crunch and his long-awaited silence.
Silence. Yes, that's all he wanted. Silence from the ever-buzzing world and the suffocating pressure of living, to drift away until he could disconnect from his tattered body and find solace in isolation from everything real and sharp. Perhaps it was simply due to that childish wish that Kim Dokja found himself like this: barefoot, cold in his paper-thin hospital gown, silently trekking down the dark hallways of the hospital.
Was it instinct or desire that dragged Kim Dokja to the nearest light source in the pathless dark? Was it chance or fate that he found himself settled down in front of an unlocked computer screen? Whatever the reason may be, Kim Dokja couldn't find it himself to care all that much either way.
"I wonder if they have anything good here..." Kim Dokja muttered to himself as his thin fingers moved on instinct to search for his usual web novel website. It wasn't anything special, just a free website that usually only had second to third-rate garbage, as the people on that very website say. But it was free and convenient to use, so Kim Dokja didn't mind that much. All stories were stories, worlds that he could delve into and fade away.
He scrolled through the minimalist home screen and skimmed through the different options available.
[The Martials Art SSS-Class Master] by EmIDEbast
> In a dangerous world of cultivation and scheming politics, there was one man and one man alone who ruled them all: a stunning man with charming looks who had his way with numerous fine ladie-
No. Kim Dokja scrolled down.
[The Beautiful SSSSSS-Lady Has Her Own Harem of 200 Men!] by yoGlover<33
> She wa-
That was, objectively, worse. Kim Dokja sighed; his eye twitched faintly with increasing annoyance. He scrolled down again.
[Reborn as the Max-Level Disaster-class Ultimate Villainess] by tReacor-
> ...
[I Accidentally Became the Strongest SSS-Necromancer at 12 Years Old!] by Dend1-
> ...
[My S-Rank Legendary Item is an AK-47 Flamethrower Sentient Hybrid Waifu] by Fl-
> ...
[The Tyrant Alpha's Forbidden Petite, Blonde with Diamond Eyes Bride~] by 2hapPY-
> ...
[My CEO Mafia Stepfather is Actually My Secret Admi-
Ass. That was the word that Kim Dokja could describe every title his eyes had to unfortunately skim across. Seriously, what is up with these increasingly generic, cliché, and arguably less than appealing titles- Though finding a good, let alone decent, story was hard to come across nowadays, the fact that Kim Dokja still has to witness the increasing number of unoriginal, disgraceful, factory-level manufactured slop still brings a fresh wave of disappointment to the avid reader-
[Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse] by tls123
> No summary available
The white cursor paused, hovering idly over the title. It was... bland, simple, nothing extravagant or cloying. It seemed more like someone's personal blog rather than a web novel, and yet, Kim Dokja couldn't help but lean closer to the pale computer screen.
It didn't have a summary, its first chapter had just been published a few hours prior, and the author's name—tls123—looked as if the author had simply given up and just went with the default option.
Usually, Kim Dokja would have not chosen this seemingly bland web novel to read. Usually, Kim Dokja would have scrolled and kept scrolling until either his eye grew dry and weary from his fruitless search of stories to soothe his mind or until he finally found a decently good web novel to settle upon and fade away from the world. Usually, Kim Dokja would be consumed with his ever forming and crumbling thoughts as he searched and searched endlessly for a story that will save him from everything-
Click!
But today was not 'usual' in the slightest.
<Chapter 1>
"Yoo Joonghyuk woke once more in the rattling subway, it was a damming sight. A reminder of yet another failure to save the world and reach the end of the scenarios. Today, his 3rd round begins."
And so, today marks the day Kim Dokja finally finds his solace for years to come: the story of Yoo Joonghyuk.
———
13 years.
The web novel spanned across 13 with a total of 3,149 chapters. It never hit off, Kim Dokja never understood why. At first, it had a couple hundred views, but then it dropped and dropped again, and it kept plummeting before finally every chapter next only had an average view count of a very pitiful 1. He never left, how could he?
It was the story that had accompanied Kim Dokja much longer than any person had ever been in his life. It had been there with him through ever torturous days spent at middle school and high school, it had been there with him when he failed the university entrance exam, got kicked out by his relatives, and ended up in a third-rate college. It followed him to war- when he was unfortunately stationed at the very front lines of the army and endured the hardships of brutal training, his troop commander, and fellow soldiers.
And TWSA kept following even after that, kept staying by his side day-by-day.
Arguably, work life was worse than the army. Not only did he have to provide his own shelter, clothing, food and daily necessities, but he also had to endure every awkward and strained human interaction as he drifts from job to job.
"Yes, hello, my name's Dokja. I'm here for the interview..?" Kim Dokja introduced himself sheepishly with a bowed head, hands clasped together in front as the manager inspected him.
"Oh, so you're an only child?"
"No- Well, yes, I am... But that's not what I meant. My name is Kim Dokja."
"Oh, I see."
"...So, are you hiring?"
And that's how most of his work interactions went, which constituted to most of his interactions. His father had wanted him to be independent, his mother wanted him to be a reader. Thus, the name Dokja was given. Kim Dokja. A lonely man, with no friends or family except-
"Mother... You- you look paler than last time," Kim Dokja noted quietly as he sat in the flimsy plastic chair before his mother's unwavering gaze, keeping his gaze locked on his mother's clasped hand and the cuffs around her increasingly frail wrist. It was cold. His fingers were shaking, the room's temperature was strangely colder than outside, reminiscing his own mother's facade.
He took a small glance at his mother. In terms of looks, they were truly alike. Untidy raven hair and abyss-like eyes, pale skin, and soft facial features with only a few sharp edges. Kim Dokja was like a carbon copy of her, and he didn't know how to feel about that. 13 years, and he still didn't know how to talk to the mother than had poisoned his 'work-busy' father.
"I-" What could he say?
"I wish you would talk to me"? He had already asked—pleaded, begged—her for even a single word of comfort. None came.
"Do you love me"? Can someone be too old for such childish wishes? Kim Dokja had long buried such wants.
"How have you been"? Terrible. Obviously. She's in prison, but at least she had free food and shelter...
What could he say to the mother that had left and kept him in silence for over a decade? What could he say about his own life that was equally dull of any worthwhile stories? Work life at Softnomi was just as bland and tedious. All his co-workers and colleagues were, in some way or another, unreliable. His manager, the deputy head of marketing, liked to dump his unwanted workloads on his desk with no notice. Despite the overcrowded and loud office environment, Kim Dokja remained alone.
Here, stuck in the suffocating pressure of his mother's ignorance and selfishness, with the clawing grief and rage beginning to find its way up his throat—Kim Dokja began to read.
"Yoo Joonghyuk died again. It was, objectively, a rather idiotic death. The sunfish bastard made the same mistake in his 17th and 31st turn, but then there he goes making the same mistake again-"
Was it strange for a human man to have more affections for a character built of words than his own birth giver? Maybe in another society, yes. But in Kim Dokja's world, there was no one by his side but him alone and that very story. Kim Dokja, who had read the story from a young teen of 15 to a now 28-year-old salary man, had never expected for this horrid day to come so soon.
"There are three ways to survive the apocalypse. Everything is fading and I have forgotten some bits by now. But one thing is for certain: if you're reading these words, you will survive."
—The End—
Written by: tls123
The subway felt too loud today.
"...Is- Is that... Really it?" Kim Dokja whispered to himself hoarsely as his fore finger frantically scrolled up and down the screen. Is this it? 3,149 chapters spanning over 13 years with a measly average view count of 1; no epilogue, no sequel, just- The End? It felt like a cosmic joke, and he was the one who had slipped on a banana peel and plummeted down the stairs.
"Could- Couldn't you have at least given him a happy ending?!" Was what he wanted to yell. But to yell suddenly in a crowded public space goes against many of his principles. The final chapter ended in in Yoo Joonghyuk's 1863rd turn with the gloomy protagonist after thousands of years of peril finally reaching the end of the scenarios and walking ahead into a blinding light to fight with the Dokkabei King, leaving the scene of the story for good. He didn't know what happened next—Did he win? Was he free? Did he find the ending he had always wanted?
'The End' felt like a joke, a very sad and miserable joke. A joke that left Kim Dokja's guts reeling and his world slowly collapsing from his blissful drift in the story's endless stream of words back into that horridly sharp reality. He had always dreamed of a 'happily ever after' for the regressor—his sister, Yoo Mia, alive and happy, with the man married once more to his ex-lover, Lee Seolhwa, and all his companions breathing and well. With Lee Jihye still calling him "master" happily, Kim Namwoon still infuriating and comedically smitten with Lee Jihye, and Lee Hyunsung being able to finally put down his shield.
Though the story then would be incredibly different than the apocalyptic, fantasy, adventure story he knew of—a slice of life story with Yoo Joonghyuk and his companions after the scenarios? To Kim Dokja, it's unheard of, but he would've gladly clung to every sentence like sacrament anyway. But there was no 'after', there is no epilogue. Just a cold sense of abandonment as 'The End' stared at him mockingly. His story has... left him.
No more "New Chapter!" notification to look forward to
No more scenarios or rounds to analyze
No more new stories of Yoo Joonghyuk to read and read and read-
"The End had never felt so... bitter," Kim Dokja thought to himself as he stared at his slowly darkening screen. The end was always bitter, but never to this extent. Not to the point it felt like Hell was twisting his stomach and pushing up retch through his throat. Was it cold in the subway? Kim Dokja couldn't tell, he could only faintly notice the trembling of his fingertips.
Well- his work contract at Softnomi was reaching its due anyways. Kim Dokja leaned back in his cramped plastic seat with a long sigh, his back ached as his work bag that was slung behind him protruded against his lower back while his shoulders were pushed inwards by the broader shoulders of the passengers next to him. If he resigns from work now and stops using the subway altogether... his savings could afford him up to a litter worth of water and a week worth of convenient store kimbap, with maybe a few extra days if he rationed correctly. 1 week... Kim Dokja paused and pulls up the calculator app through his cracked phone screen, 1 week... 7 days... 168 hours, that should be enough time to reread TWSA, right?
Should he leave a note? No, who would even read it?
He should leave a donation to the author... Not like he has any savings to keep
Should he meet with mother first? Would she even care?
It's almost funny- how his life is already coming to an end right after his beloved story leaves him. But that is it, wasn't it? His life was that story, and now it's over. Thus, logically, him following that story too is a definite no brainer. It's certain now, is it not? How can a 'Dokja' live without their story?
It's sharp. Kim Dokja had never noticed how tangy and loud the subway was. He had always read TWSA the entire journey back to his dingy apartment room from work, and the entire journey to work from said apartment. And now he was forced to be aware of this arid and staticky sharp world because his story is over-
Ding!
Kim Dokja blinked at the sudden ring that pierced through the buzz of the subway, he looked down at his phone screen.
[You have one new message.]
—tls123: Thank you
...tls123? TLS123?! Kim Dokja jolts in his seat, his once blank eyes snaps wide awake as he hauls the phone closer to his face at breakneck speed. The author of TWSA just messaged him- Him! All despair that had clouded over his mind vanished with a poof of clouds as his shaky fingers began to frantically type a response before the message could disappear from his view.
—Kim Dokja: tls123? The author??
—tls123: I was able to complete it to the end thanks to you. I also won a competition.
A competition? TWSA was in a competition? It was... confusing, to say the least. TWSA was hardly popular, in fact, he was the sole reader of the story. So, hearing that TWSA was in a competition was a surprise to Kim Dokja.
—Kim Dokja: Congratulations! What kind of competition is it?
—tls123: You wouldn't know it because it's a small and unknown competition.
Oh- "Is this a lie?" Kim Dokja couldn't help but wonder. It was a truly unbelievable notion for the reader. Maybe TWSA was actually popular on another platform and he was merely unaware?
—tls123: I would like to give you a gift, as a thank you for being my dear reader and brining this story into the world.
"Well, that's ominous..." Kim Dokja murmured to himself, but the thought of receiving a gift from his favorite author erased such thoughts. A gift... It had been a very long time since someone ever gave him anything beyond the mandatory paycheck and alcohol at the office meetups. Kim Dokja wondered what it could be as his heart soared. What if the author gave him a limited-edition merch of Yoo Joonghyuk-
No doubts lingered in his mind any longer as he quickly typed in his email address to send to the mysterious author when requested.
—tls123: Thank you. Oh, and the series will become paid content soon.
wait, what-
—tls123: I will send you the gift at 7pm today. I wish you all the best, Kim Dokja.
Kim Dokja stared at the screen, then he glanced at the time at the corner of his phone—6:58pm. 2 more minutes till he gets his gift. He felt- excited? His heart was pounding against his ribs and his head felt, surprisingly, airy and light. As if all his burdens and worries had momentarily disappeared and he was left drifting in the clouds with anticipation wriggling through his fingertips.
Ding!
Huh? Kim Dokja blinks and refocuses on his phone screen.
[You have one new mail.]
Click!
Sender: tls123<[email protected]> 6:59pm
Thank you for everything, Kim Dokja.
<1 attachment>
Seriously, the author was a bit creepy. The continuous usage of his full name was off-putting with how familiar it felt. "Maybe they were just trying to be polite?" Kim Dokja reasoned with himself as he looked at the attachment with thinly veiled anticipation. This was it. The 'gift'. He wondered what it was for the author to put such emphasis on it, his heart gave yet another excited thump in his chest as his finger hovered over the file-
6:59:56
-
6:59:58
-
7:00:00
Kim Dokja had always planned what he'd do if the apocalypse were to start one day. He simply never expected such a day to come today.
Clack!
The light of the subway train suddenly turns off, the entire cabin grew dark with only a few dim sources of light to illuminate the area. Kim Dokja looks up from his screen curiously, finger still hovered over the unopened attachment. "Hm? What..." The passenger besides him muttered, confused-
CRASH!!
"AGHHH!"
"W-What's happening?!"
"IS IT A TERRORIST ATTACK?!"
"Someone, call the police-!!"
"DAMN IT! The service is dead-"
Screaming, yelling. Clutching, crying. Falling and running- Yet Kim Dokja stayed rooted in his seat, even as the passengers around him buzzed and circled around in panic. "What's happening?" He wondered to himself as he observed the chaos around him, and why did he feel such a strange sense of deja vu..?
—L-ladies and gentlemen! P-please evacuate! Evacuate immedia- ack!
The intercom blared for a moment before it fell silent too with a ringing buzz. The crowd was agitated and loud, too loud. As Kim Dokja watched the people around him began to unwind into a frenzy of panic, he couldn't help but wonder, why did he feel so... calm?
[The free service of planetary system 8612 has been terminated.]
[The main scenarios shall begin]
Ah. Was this the 'gift'?
Bzzt- a flash of bright light struck like lightning in the middle of the cabin. Beyond the crack of light, a small figure emerged. It was shrouded in fur with two small yellow horns protruding from its curved read and a brown straw garment wrapped around its body.
"The fluffy creature was too peculiar to be a fairy, too malicious looking to be an angel, and too innocent looking to be called a devil..."
[&OL#@!&0}#@!...]
[&OL#@!&0}#@!...]
"So, it was called a-"
"Dokkabei..." Kim Dokja muttered to himself, finishing the line of that story which fluttered through his mind. It was a dokkabei, the very antagonistic storytellers that resided in his beloved story. There was dokkabei here, which means-
[Testing. Testing. Can everyone here me? Ah, the language patch was malfunctioning for bit. Can everyone hear me now?]
Reality and fiction have overlapped. For some, this may be the living nightmare they've always dreaded- to be stranded in an apocalypse with certain doom. But for Kim Dokja? It felt like redemption-
"Excuse me?! What're you doing right now? I have no time for prank shows, I have a film audition to catch!" A man in a big suit yelled, probably some obscure actor, as he stepped up to the Dokkabei. Kim Dokja couldn't help but wince at the man's audacity. Maybe in another world, the guy's brimming ambition would've been praised by a film director, but the being before him was certainly not a director.
Kim Dokja knew how the story went, he wondered if he should get up and stop the guy before-
[Haha, you're really loud.] The dokkabei's red pupil enlarged and engulfed the rest of its eye as sparks danced around him, [Be quiet.]
A quiet burst filled the shocked silence. The unknown actor drops dead with a steaming hole in his forehead. Suddenly, the cabin became a bloodbath. "Too late," Dokja sighed inwardly as he closed his eyes serenely, quietly listening to the people around him beginning to pop and drop one by one. Every human that had protested or made a fuss found themselves on the floor with a hole in their forehead. No one was screaming now- it was rather nice, though the iron smell was unpleasant.
[This isn't the 'reality' you know anymore, got that? So, shut up and listen to me.] The dokkabei hissed at the remaining passengers aboard. Kim Dokja lazily opened his eyes once more to watch what the dokkabei had to say, though he knew exactly how it went...
[You've all had a nice and cushy life, right? Eating, breathing, and fucking without cost! Isn't that so nice?]
Wow, this dokkabei was rather vulgar and entirely wrong, nothing was ever free in human society-
[But now the good days are over! If you want to live nicely, you have to pay the price!] The dokkabei snapped its stubby fingers, a faint buzz sparked through the air as yet another notification popped up in front of Kim Dokja's eyes
[#BI-7623 channel has opened]
[Constellations have entered the channel]
A blue window then appears before every passenger's eyes.
<<Main Scenario #1 - Proof of Value>>
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear Conditions: Kill one or more living organisms
Time limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 300 coins
Penalty for failure: Death
The dokkabei smiled faintly as it began to fade in a burst of sparks, [Good luck, and give me an interesting story.] As the dokkabei left, the remaining sparks shifted and stretched to form a small blue window. White, indistinguishable squiggles wriggled on the window before finally settling down to form a readable number.
[30:00]
tick-
[29:59]
tick-
"Ah, a timer," Kim Dokja noted to himself dryly. The ticking was rather obnoxious, but he supposes it gave a sense of urgency in this scene. His gaze drags over the scene slowly-
"Trembling office workers covered in blood huddled at the sides of the cabin, mutilated bodies littered the cabin floor and drowned it with blood. And an old lay prayed fervently in her seat at the side..." He narrates inwardly to himself. Okay, seriously- there's something wrong with him, why wasn't he feeling anyth-
"Okay everyone! Calm down! May I have your attention please!"
Kim Dokja didn't recognize that voice, but that tone and style of wording... The righteous and upright tilt with a sense of responsibility only a soldier could have?
"I'm an army lieutenant currently serving in unit 6502."
"I'm an army lieutenant currently serving in unit 6502. My name is-"
"Lee Hyunsung..." Kim Dokja muttered to himself, his mumbled words carrying clearly through the suddenly silent cabin. He blinked and looked up to see said soldier staring at him with wide, perplexed eyes.
"H-how do you-"
"Ah! I'm sorry- I just happened to read the name listed on your badge," Kim Dokja hurriedly explained with his hands raised. Crap, why was his mouth running loose now of all times?! Kim Dokja inwardly winced at himself as he watched the soldier relaxed his rigid shoulders that had went up when a stranger suddenly said his name out loud.
"Kim Dokja," he smiled politely as he stood up from his seat with an outstretched hand towards Lee Hyunsung. "My name is Kim Dokja."
Lee Hyunsung relaxed minutely and smiled back; he reached over and grasped his hand in a firm handshake, "Lee Hyunsing, though I guess you already know that much," the giant man chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck.
"He really is a 'gentle giant'... Just like in the novel!" Kim Dokja thought to himself, amazed and oblivious Lee Hynsung's sudden fluster as he stared at the soldier with awe.
"Uh- ah, anyways! Like I said, we all need to stay calm!" Lee Hyunsung snapped back to focus as he tried to calm down the frantic passengers. "I've just been contacted by the army; we're currently under a national emergency. So, everyone please calm yourselves!"
"What a responsible man," Kim Dokja mused as the passengers started to surround Lee Hyunsung, demanding for an explanation from the government regarding their situation and when will the authorities come to save them from this 'act of terror'.
[26:37]
But these doubts held by the passengers will be their downfall. Why couldn't they see by now? This is most definitely not some twisted terrorist attack- reality has shifted.
[24:21]
And with every second of hesitation—Kim Dokja tilts his head up towards the invisible eyes through the cabin ceiling—the audience grows bored.
Bzzt! [I already told you...]
BANG! CRASH!
An explosion goes off in the distance as the dokkabei appears once more with a wide, twisted grin.
[This isn't some joke like terrorist!]
"Oh boy..." Kim Dokja sighed as the timer window glitched while the dokkabei giggled in glee as he changed the time limit.
[23:15]
tick-
[²̸̨̲̮̘̮̭̼̈̾̂̌̆͝͝3:̸̢̯̬̲̕14̴̃̋̔͑͘͠]
tick-
[10:00]
tick-
[The time limit has been reduced to 10 minutes, anddd as an added penalty for being so boring if no deaths occur in the next 5 minutes, everyone dies!] The dokkabei cackled. [I'm feeling pretty nice today! So how about I give you all a nice little show to get the ball rolling, shall we?] The fluffy thing snapped its fingers again and yet another window screen appeared, this time it was a video footage of another location where the scenarios were occurring.
"W-wait a minute, that's Daepong Girls' high school!" A passenger pointed out as the classroom filled with distraught students came into view from the window screen.
[The time limit of this scenario has been exceeded,] an automated voice filtered through the window screen. [Proceeding with the penalty.]
"W-wait, AGH-" Splat!
"LET ME OU-" Splat!
"P-please! No-!" Splat!
One by one, the students dropped dead with a burst. Each head of every student that failed to take a life explodes in a fire work of splattering blood. The once pristine walls of the classroom bathed in red.
"Ugh... argh.. ah-" Thud.
One student dies via strangulation.
Ding!
[Survivor of channel #Bay23515:]
One student remains standing with shaky hands.
[Lee Jihye.]
The subway cabin had been silent for a while now, but this time- it was a new kind of silence. It's the one that gets stuck down your throat and slowly squeezes the air out of your lungs. A breathless sigh slipped past Kim Dokja's lips as he watched his life slowly unravel in real time. As his dreadful life crumbles and entangles in real time with the story he had loved more than anything he had ever known.
"Lee Hyunsung, Lee Jihye... Even the dokkabei..." Kim Dokja whispered under his breath reverently. Two major characters and the antagonist of his story had arrived, so when- His heart thumped. When will he arrive..? Why hasn't he appeared yet...
Kim Dokja was about to start looking around when all of a sudden- "Ahh! P-please, stop-!" The old lady that had been silently praying fell to the ground as a teen with white hair and green school blazer began beating her up with clenched fists.
"Stop!!" Lee Hyunsung yelled, lunging forward to stop the white-haired delinquent, catching him by the wirst. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Tch," the teen looks over at the soldier with a sneer. "Surviving, obviously." He snorted loudly as he wrenched his wrist free to point towards the timer window, "Isn't it obvious? 5 minutes! We have to be the ones to pick who'll die or else everyone dies. There are new rules now! Don't you get it, army man?" The teen laughed, "The world is over!"
It was the cold, hard truth. The world is over. And deep within his bitter soul, it irked Kim Dokja that the first passenger in this cabin to accept that reality was Kim Namwoon, aka the 'Delusional demon'. He could see the faint tremble in Lee Hyunsung's usually steady arms as reality began to settle in. He looked towards Kim Dokja helplessly.
[The character 'Lee Hynsung' is distraught]
"I'm sorry, Lee Hyunsung-ssi..." Kim Dokja sighed with a slight frown as he walks up to the two, he casts one sorry glance at the trembling old lady before turning his gaze towards the now quiet Kim Namwoon. He smiled, "But our world is over." He flicked his gaze back to the soft-hearted soldier, "And in this world, we have to do what we can to survive to save as many people as we can. Even if it involves... less than morally good tactics."
Lee Hyunsung stiffened, Kim Namwoon's smirk widened.
"Kim Dokja-ssi..."
[The character 'Lee Hynsung' is shaken]
"Exactly! Finally, someone who gets it!" Kim Namwoon cackled.
[The character 'Kim Namwoon' is showing interest in you]
"You're a smart man, ahjussi!"
Kim Dokja's eye twitched faintly, "I'm only 28..."
"And I'm 19, so you're practically a geezer!" Kim Namwoon laughed as he lifts his leg and slams it down on the frail old lady's back with a loud crack! The old lady finally stops moving.
[The incarnation 'Kim Namwoon' has met the conditions!]
And, maybe, it was because of that one single notification or the manic violence a 19-year-old exuded, the other passengers began to move- No, to be more precise, they rampaged. Kim Dokja sighed calmly as the sounds of struggle and fighting washed over him in waves, puddles of blood beginning their slow crawl towards the soles of his second-hand dress shoes. Yes, this was it, this is the Star Stream. He breathed lightly. This- This is the apocalypse, his beloved story.
His heart thumped and thudded against his ribs painfully.
Ding!
[The exclusive skill 'Fourth Wall' is nullifying your emotions!]
Now all that is left was the star of the show: His protagonist, Yoo Joonghuk.
[06:54]
tick-