956 Episode 56 Myth (8)
The moment I heard that question, I remembered what had happened with Han Sooyoung in the 1,863rd round.
「 "There's definitely a 'huge baby' somewhere in this universe." 」
Han Sooyoung said. She believed there was a 'huge baby' in this universe, and that baby, she believed, was the source of all these stories.
I stared straight into the Wenny King's eyes and asked,
"You're curious about the origin of this universe, aren't you?"
For the first time, a hint of emotion flashed across the Wenny King's face. A flicker of excitement flickered deep within his eyes.
[As expected, you knew.]
Despite living for so long, the King still loved stories.
[Did you hear it from her?]
Perhaps the Wenny King had already guessed I'd heard this information from Han Sooyoung.
I paused for a moment, then nodded and continued.
"That's right."
[That's right. At this point, she's probably the only one who's reached the truth of the universe.]
"You have that same expression on your face, don't you?"
[What do I look like?]
Like a child desperate to solve a question right now.
"You look envious."
The Wenny King smiled.
[Me? Do I really look like that?]
Looking at him again, he seemed less like a child desperate to solve a question and more like an old man who'd never wanted to know the answer.
Looking at that expression, I thought about the 'story' that would determine the end of this world—the ultimate dream of all Constellations.
「 A Single Story. 」
Completing a Single Story, dedicating it to the [Final Wall], and creating an immortal record.
The Wenny King before me, and the other Mythical Constellations, are probably living towards that conclusion.
But as that conclusion draws near, they will feel a complex ambivalence.
「 The desire to know the end of a story, and the wish that it would continue forever. 」
The fact that even the Oldest Beings in this world couldn't escape such instincts struck me as quite tragicomic.
[Did she say anything else?]
"I think I should ask that."
I shook my head and quickly added,
"What exactly is this 'huge baby' you speak of?"
The universe of the 'TWSA' I'm talking about began in the mind of a boy. Han Sooyoung wrote that, and I believe it too.
But Han Sooyoung, in the 1,863rd round, didn't think so.
「 "Do you really think a mere boy's imagination could shape the universe?" 」
Even if Kim Dokja, as a child, provided that 'imagination', the being who 'realized' it wasn't Kim Dokja. That was why Han Sooyoung proposed the concept of a 'huge baby'.
[You're foolish. You could have used that as an excuse to make a deal with me.]
"Don't you already know that I don't know?"
The Wenny King nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer, and asked back.
[Aren't you afraid of knowing the truth of the world?]
The Wenny King looked up at the sky. Perhaps not, but in this <Star Stream>, there are few Constellations higher in the sky than that one.
I didn't know what world the Wenny King was gazing at, or what he felt as he took his last breath in the main story.
All I could see was the price tags of the stories piled high like snow on his history.
[That everything we knew was just a part of the Great Being's dream—a ridiculous stage he devised. Isn't it truly terrifying to realize that we possess no innate value or meaning?]
Listening to those words, I felt as if I could vaguely understand why he put a price tag on stories. I thought for a moment and then answered.
"I'm not afraid. I always think about it."
I recalled the world I'd lived in for a long time. Memories gradually fading as I entered the <Star Stream>. In that world, where scenarios, Dokkaebis, and Constellations were all fictional stories, people were still part of a stage someone had created.
On stage, people played the roles of good, bad, or the audience. From their respective positions, they argued, made mistakes, killed, or pointed fingers at someone.
They called the events on stage an inevitable reality, blamed the actors involved in the tragedy, and at the same time, indulged in it. They fueled their lives with it.
Thinking about this, I began to understand why Kim Dokja was so able to adapt to the world of 'Ways of Survival'.
Perhaps Kim Dokja survived in this world not simply because he was a reader of 'Ways of Survival' or because he was a master of the 'Fourth Wall'.
[The story, 'Heir of the Eternal Name', nods at your thought.]
He was able to adapt so well to this world because he had already lived in the 'ruined world' before coming here.
The Wenny King tilted his head in confusion, perhaps sensing some sentiment in my response.
[Your brother said something similar.]
"What did he say?"
[He said there was nothing to fear, since it was an ending he had seen countless times.]
An ending he had seen countless times.
I couldn't fully fathom the feelings of Snowfield Kim Dokja, who had relayed those words.
[Even I don't know much about the huge baby.]
After a short pause, the Wenny King began to speak.
[I only guess that its existence exists beyond the distant wall, in the 'deep sea of ■■■', where the first records were created.]
The deep sea of ■■■.
It was a story I had once heard from the 'Recorders of Fear'.
"Why are you so readily sharing that information with me?"
He, who placed a price on every story, couldn't help but value the information I shared. So, the reason the 'Wenny King' was sharing it with me now was clear.
He believed I would reach that place someday.
With a dark smile on his face, the Wenny King nodded and said,
[If you ever visit that place, show me the scenery. That's the condition of my deal with you.]
"Do you know why I came to negotiate?"
[Didn't you come here to ask for a transfer to a higher scenario?]
As expected, engaging in a power struggle with a being of the Wenny King's caliber wasn't easy.
[The Constellations might complain, but I can send you and one of your companions to the higher levels with my own strength.]
He even knew exactly what I needed.
I smiled bitterly at the Wenny King and asked,
"Thank you. But did you ask my brother the same thing?"
The Wenny King gave a sly smile instead of answering. He probably meant he couldn't tell me that much.
[Are you willing to make a deal?]
"I will."
[Then let's get started right away. The timing isn't bad.]
The timing isn't bad?
[The Constellations and the Bureau were just distracted.]
I pictured the empty skies of the 'New Murim District'. Apparently, the sudden disappearance of the Constellations and the Bureau wasn't a coincidence.
"Is something happening in the higher-level scenario?"
[You have a knack for thievery. If you want to know that, you should leave something more significant than a hair.]
"Should I at least clip my fingernails?"
[If possible, how about pulling them out whole?]
We glared at each other, eyes narrowed, then simultaneously relaxed our expressions. Both he and I knew this deal couldn't go through.
[Just kidding.]
"I was joking, too."
I already felt uneasy about giving him hair, and I had no intention of giving him fingernails.
Licking his lips, the Wenny King waved his finger in the air, and a portal began to swirl and form. As I approached the portal, the Wenny King spoke, as if he'd forgotten.
[Oh, I almost forgot. I have a gift for you.]
"I'd rather not. Gifts like that usually end badly."
[Your brother gave it to me.]
I turned around and saw the Wenny King smiling at me, as if he'd expected me to. A small piece was spinning like a top at his fingertips. Just a glimpse from afar was enough for me to realize what it was.
「 A fragment of a fingernail left behind by 'Snowfield Kim Dokja of the Snowfield'. 」
The sublime quality of the story felt in the fingernail.
The Wenny King spoke with a hint of regret.
[I recently received this from the recorder recording his stories. He told me to tell him when you come here.]
My brother, too, seemed to have anticipated my search for the 'Wenny King' to advance to a higher scenario.
It wasn't strange.
Just as I was Kim Dokja, so was he. It was only natural that he was thinking what I was thinking.
"If it's a gift from my brother, I should accept it."
The moment I slowly reached out for the nail fragment he handed me, a fragment stirred within my heart.
[The story, 'Heir of the Eternal Name', growls.]
Heir was wary of that fragment. The closer it got, the clearer the fragments contained within became.
A faint fear rose within me. Snowfield Kim Dokja had left such a story fragment here, even before the final battle of the worldline. His confidence was astonishing, and at the same time, I was curious about the fragments he had left behind, even at the risk of such a loss. The moment I finally read the first sentence of the story, which was right before my eyes,
「 That day, in the 41st round, Kim Dokja returned. 」
I realized what this story was about.
「 "Who… are you?" 」
「 "Who do you wish me to be?" 」
The story was about a protagonist.
「 "I am Kim Dokja." 」
And it was about the people who knew that protagonist well.
「 "From now on, I will lead the scenario." 」
I gazed at the rippling story with trembling eyes.
「 Before me lay the myth of the past eight years, personally built by Snowfield Kim Dokja. 」
Even without reading, emotions seeped through the margins of the sentences. They were the emotions of the people who had created this story together.
Listening to the voice of the Wenny King, I discerned glimpses of those emotions.
[If you don't want it, it's okay not to accept it. However.]
In the midst of the flowing emotions, countless people called out a single name.
「 "Kim Dokja." 」
People called out his name, rejoicing or mourning.
「 "Kim Dokja?" 」
They mourned or marveled.
「 "Kim Dokja!" 」
They sometimes admired him.
「 "Kim Dokja..." 」
Or they were relieved.
「 There, unknown to me, were the eight years of Kim Dokja and his companions. 」
The fingertips reaching for the story flinched. It was a first time I hesitated to read anything. Because,
「 It seemed like there was nothing for me to write in this story. 」
The Wenny King added, as if he found my reaction amusing.
[Your brother said you must have many questions, and that if you open the story, you will find the answers.]
My face was reflected in the Wenny King’s red retina. An expression so clear and undeniable, it was impossible to deny.
And so, for the first time, I learned about myself.
[There are stories whose endings are so intriguing yet so terrifying to see.]
I have that expression on my face as I turn the last page of a book.
[So that’s how the story is to you, Kim Dokja.]