What was my ■■? I knew that the Mass Production Maker would ask that question. “Are you curious?”
[Is there anyone here who isn’t curious?]
The Mass Production Maker laughed lightly and several constellations coughed. The atmosphere grew unusual and the other party members who weren’t aware of the situation started to pay attention to me.
“Why is everyone suddenly…?”
“Shhh.”
Lee Hyunsung tried to intrude only to be stopped by Jung Heewon.
I slowly looked around at all the people in the room. All of a sudden, everyone in the hall was watching me.
■■…
There were various names for it in Ways of Survival. For example, the Dokkaebi King said:
「 The end of every story and the beginning. 」
However, this was what Yoo Jonghyuk had to say:
「 The damn Star Stream. 」
Lee Hyunsung would describe it as the ‘whole region’ while Yoo Sangah might say ‘old design.’ It would be ‘graduation’ for Lee Jihye. Surprisingly, all these interpretations of ■■ weren’t wrong.
The Mass Production Maker asked, [All those who have earned the qualification of the end have received a different name of the ‘end.’ Do you know?]
“It is natural since all your stories are different.”
In the first place, there wasn’t a proper noun capable of communicating ■■ in the proper sense. The fact that the filtering was resolved meant that I could ‘read’ it. Perhaps the constellations who received a hidden scenario like me were probably in a similar position.
+
[Hidden scenario – ‘A Single Story’]
Category: Hidden
Difficulty: ???
Clear Condition: Complete one story to reach ■■.
Time Limit: ―
Compensation: ???
Failure: ???
* Currently, you have completed the ‘initial’ portion.
* See the additional scenario description for details.
+
The hidden scenario ‘A Single Story’. This scenario was given to all those who obtained the qualification of the end. In the galaxy of the distant Star Stream, we went through numerous stories and completed a single ‘perfect’ story.
The legendary stories, the mythical stories and even the giant story that I got were just a journey towards the ‘single story.’ The Mass Production Maker in front of me and Persephone over there would’ve received this scenario. Of course, the place where they finally arrived was different from me.
[Baat!]
Biyoo blocked the channel of the hall before I even directed her. Perhaps Biyoo instinctively realized that the story to be told from now on was important. The protests of the constellations flowed through the air and the Mass Production Maker spoke in a heavy tone.
[My ■■ is ‘dried up’.]
I was a bit surprised because I didn’t think he would reveal his hand so easily. Then the dancing Persephone also spoke. [I am ‘death.’]
Dried up and death. Both were words that could symbolize the ‘end’ of something. It was a paradoxical end for the Mass Production Maker who liked to make something and for Persephone who governed the world of the dead.
Now that they revealed their cards, I had nowhere to retreat. “Everybody, please swear by your modifiers. You will never speak of what you heard here.”
The constellations glanced at each other.
[Of course…]
[Hum, what is this? Why would we go somewhere and say it…]
[How great is your ■■ that you are feeling such pressure?]
I didn’t answer immediately and just smiled. Then a ripple started among the constellations.
[Don’t tell me?]
The thoughts in the constellations’ heads seemed to be visible. I looked at their expressions and thought.
Yes, think about it. Be worried and suspicious. That way I would get the picture I desired.
As the agitation of the drunk constellations reached the peak, I slowly opened my mouth.
***
Han Sooyoung walked down the street. They were the ruins of Seoul. There were no survivors on the streets and she was walking alone. All types of delusions passed through her head.
Why was she here now? She had obviously been fighting with the constellations using the black dragon. No, rather, Seoul had been closed off. Why…
-Black dragon?
The Abyssal Black Flame Dragon didn’t answer.
-Hey, is anybody there?
Han Sooyoung wandered between the ruined buildings and shouted. The corpses of monsters hung between the familiar buildings of Gwanghwamun. Han Sooyoung shuddered every time she passed between nasty smelling corpses. Every one of them was a monster she couldn’t face right now. How? What happened?
There was no one to answer her questions. No, she thought it would be better not to have answers, even if someone was here. If there was a living being here, they would be the terrifying monster who killed these monsters.
If this was a dream, please wake up…
Then a shadow of a person could be seen in the distance. It was a familiar humanoid form dressed in a white coat. Her heart was full of complicated emotions.
-Kim Dokja!
The moment the person looked back. There was the sound of flesh being pierced and a knife suddenly burst out of the coat. The white coat was dyed red.
Han Sooyoung screamed as she woke up from her sleep.
“Haack, haack…”
She blinked a few times and her sense of reality slowly returned.
“What…?”
She couldn’t help talking to herself. Her back was wet with sweat.
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is satisfied with your soliloquy.]
[The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ believes that you have now truly become his successor…]
“Shut up.”
The black dragon was speaking bullshit so this seemed to be reality. Han Sooyoung placed a hand against her temple. Why was that person in her dream?
Han Sooyoung would’ve usually passed over the dream but it was a world where superstition became reality. Thus, this dream couldn’t be overlooked. Shortly afterwards, she noticed the bandage around her arm.
“God dammit. It hasn’t been solved yet.”
“Don’t loosen it. You are still wounded.”
She looked back with astonishment and saw a woman standing there.
“…Kim Dokja’s mother?”
“You are the only one who still calls me that.” Lee Sookyung wiped Han Sooyoung’s back and forehead with a towel.
Han Sooyoung asked, “Why didn’t you go to the Demon World?”
“What type of face would I have to go there?”
“Kim Dokja would’ve liked it.”
“He would’ve liked it more if you went.”
“…You don’t know your son very well.”
Han Sooyoung stuck out her small lips. Lee Sookyung laughed lightly and replaced the wet pillow with a new one. Han Sooyoung sniffed the new pillow and said,
“It seems to be resolved well.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Kim Dokja’s big disaster.”
Seeing the black dragon’s ecstatic state, things on the Demon World side seemed well. The damage on the Korean Peninsula wasn’t greater than expected. There was a blow to the area but the citizens were safely evacuated…
The dream troubled her but a dream was just a dream…
“It isn’t over.”
“…Eh?”
Lee Sookyung brought over a plate without speaking and pointed to the Good or Bad Luck, Disaster or Happiness Fortune floating on it. Han Sooyoung read the characters rising to the surface of the water. She couldn’t believe it. Thus, she asked Lee Sookyung to repeat the divination many times. They were all the same. Han Sooyoung looked down at the arm wrapped with a bandage and declared, “Please contact Kim Dokja.”
***
The night after the party ended, I sat alone in the office. Normally, it would be a good time to read Ways of Survival while relaxing with a cup of hot chocolate. However, I couldn’t afford it now.
I was staring at a huge debris lying on the table. It was a pierce that came off from the last car that Surya and I fought in. I closed my eyes and tried to reconstruct my memories of the time.
Surya’s train was much shorter than the mythical train. In addition, the last car had a hole in the back. It was as if part of the train had been ripped off.
In other words, that space wasn’t the original last car. I opened my eyes and examined the wounds on the debris fragment again. There was something powerful enough to pull off part of Surya’s train that my party members and teachers barely broke.
…It was also ‘that.’
Knock knock knock.
I looked up at the sound of knocking and saw Yoo Sangah watching me from the door. “I’m sorry Dokja-ssi. Am I disturbing you?”
“No. I called you.”
I urgently arranged the table and greeted Yoo Sangah. Yoo Sangah looked around with a slightly shaky expression and then sat carefully on the other side of the table where I was sitting.
“Would you like some tea?”
“Nope. It’s fine.”
“Then do you want water…?”
“Okay.”
We silently faced each other across the small table. I called her but I couldn’t easily bring up the topic. Yoo Sangah must have many questions for me as well. I told her, “Just ask.”
“In fact, I’ve been thinking about Dokja-ssi for quite some time.” Her tone sounded like she had been waiting. “Why do you know the future that others don’t know? How could you be so calm in such situations and always find answers that others haven’t thought of?”
“Then did you find out something?”
“I seem to know some things while others don’t feel right.”
Perhaps Yoo Sangah had been studying me. Just as she studied Spanish with the app, Yoo Sangah would’ve studied people. As always, she reached meaningful results before anyone else.
“To Dokja-ssi, is this world like a novel?”
“Why do you think that?”
“It is because of what you said at the party.”
…As expected from Yoo Sangah. Really, that was the only thing I could say.
-I’m heading towards the final chapter.
That was my answer to what ■■ I received. The final chapter. The end of every book that needed to be reached by turning over the pages.
Yoo Sangah continued speaking, “The constellations were greatly surprised. There were some who were amazed and some who were shocked.”
The constellations had to feel surprised. It was a statement I gave with such intentions.
“After Dokja-ssi left, I asked the queen of the underworld. Why are you so surprised?”
“What did she say?”
“She said Dokja-ssi is very special.” Yoo Sangah moistened her lips with the water and continued, “I heard that every being is given a different form of ■■. In addition, most of them are very personal words. There are numerous ■■ in the world but I heard that words that imply the ‘end’ are extremely rare.”
Anyone who heard it would understand it meant an obvious ‘end.’ It was a word that had excellent versatility for all beings.
“In addition, all beings who received such a clear ‘end’ were great constellations like Olympus, Vedas and Papyrus… the top deities of the massive nebulae.’
“…”
Now… Dokja-ssi has become one of them.”
Yoo Sangah was staring at me with complicated eyes. Her trembling eyes held feelings that she herself couldn’t measure.
I replied, “It is a good thing.”
“…It is good?”
“Now I can finally try something.” I smiled. However, Yoo Sangah didn’t smile back.
“After the destruction of the world, I thought Dokja-ssi was happier. You laughed more often than before and seemed more vigorous… thus, you looked good. By the way…” Yoo Sangah bowed her head. “Dokja-ssi, why do you think this world is fiction?”
Yoo Sangah didn’t know me. What was ‘fiction’ to me? What did this world mean to me? I couldn’t explain or describe it.
“Ah, I’m sorry Dokja-ssi. I was presumptuous…”
Nevetheless, the only person who could tell me such things was Yoo Sangah. She was a person who noticed things that nobody cared about.
[The exclusive skill ‘Character List’ is activated!]
She was the first colleague I met. Maybe it was before this world began.
[The person’s information can’t be accessed through Character List.]
There was an unexpected sense of relief from the rising message.
[Currently collecting information about the corresponding figure.]
When I first used Character List on Yoo Sangah, I had been very anxious because I couldn’t read her information. Why was it now the opposite?
I sighed lightly and looked out the window. It was a clear sky. This was a world where nothing had happened yet.
“Yoo Sangah-ssi, I’d like to ask you to do something.”
Thus, now was the only time to prepare.
TL: Rainbow Turtle
