Ch 454: Ep. 86 - The square circle, I

While driving down the dimensional passageway, neither Han Sooyoung nor Yoo Sangah said much. Thanks to that, though, I was able to organise my thoughts while gazing outside the window – on what I need to do in the future, and the things I'd like to do.

Next to me, Uriel finally stopped muttering something with a serious face only to fall into a snore-filled slumber. Meanwhile, the 'Secretive Plotter' was half-leaning against her, also unconscious.

It kind of felt weird seeing two of the oldest viewers in my channel sleeping so defenselessly like that.

Han Sooyoung, checking me out through the rearview mirror, suddenly spoke up. "What are you grinning like that for? You should be getting ready to give us a proper explanation once we get back."

Explanation, was it? It was pretty clear what I needed to explain to them, of course.

"You only have one chance."

I found Yoo Sangah's bright smile rather terrifying.

"We've arrived."

Not too long after that, the Ferrarghini came to a stop.

We were back in Seoul.

A short while later, I was sitting in front of my companions.

The faces that I missed so much, the ones I wanted to see had gathered in one place. The <Kim Dokja's Company> that experienced the scenarios together with me, including Lee Gilyoung, Shin Yoosung, Jung Heewon, and Lee Jihye. And, Lee Seolhwa and Gong Pildu who guarded Seoul while I wasn't here. Finally, I could see my mother and the wanderers in the living room a bit further away.

I studied the faces of all my companions and lowered my head 90 degrees before opening my mouth. "I'm sorry."

"About what?"

"All the things I've done… I'm really sorry."

"H-mm… Well, sure."

…What's this? Weren't they furious at me?

I wasn't sure what's going on here, but well, I thought this was for the best. I had so many things to explain, after all.

"I'd like to explain a few things, starting from…"

"First of all, tell us whose child that is."

Gong Pildu threw out that question first. I chased after his gaze and saw the 'Secretive Plotter' floating inside a clear sphere near me.

Seeing that he still failed to regain his consciousness yet, it seemed that a serious problem had occurred after he used up far too much Probability. Meaning, it was impossible for him to clarify the situation by himself.

Meanwhile, rage began filling up Gong Pildu's eyes when I didn't answer back. "You said that you'd get rid of the scenarios so I protected Seoul for you, yet you dare to show yourself here with your child instead?!"

The grief of a man who spent his entire life as a 'Gireogi' dad could be felt in that voice.

"I see that you're under some sort of a misunderstanding, but…"

"Whose is it?" Gong Pildu glanced at Yoo Sangah with somewhat fearful eyes. "…Could it be?" He met her smiling eyes and shook his head. "…Right, there's no way. That means, it's with her, then?"

"You want to die?!"

Han Sooyoung growled angrily, prompting him to flinch grandly.

I didn't miss that opening and quickly jumped in. "Excuse me, isn't it a bit too much thinking that he's someone's kid? Besides, just where does he look like a newborn to you??"

"Han Myungoh's kid grew up in the blink of an eye, didn't she?"

Those words caused Han Myungoh's complexion to pale. "That kind of makes me uncomfortable."

"What bugs me more than that is the kid's face. It's exactly the same as that jerk-off's."

Gong Pildu shifted his gaze over to the corner of the living room while saying that.

That's where the cross-legged Yoo Joonghyuk and his glaring eyes were at, his entire body tightly wrapped in bandages. His trademark scary glare was locked on me.

– Kim Dokja, what is the meaning of this?

I could only sigh grandly. "It's only natural that he looks exactly the same as that 'jerk-off'. Because this kid is that jerk-off."

Silence descended on the living room in an instant. Gong Pildu was looking at me, his eyes asking what kind of rubbish I was spewing out this time.

It seemed that my tale was going to get a bit lengthier than initially planned.

"There are several Yoo Joonghyuks in this world… I guess I should start my explanation from there."

I started my in-depth explanation from the end of the 'Great War of Saints and Demons'.

From when I summoned the Outer God that destroyed the Demon Realm, the 'Nameless Mist', to stop the Apocalypse Dragon. (Gong Pildu: "Are you bloody insane?")

And then, encountering the 'Secretive Plotter' and him kidnapping me. (Lee Seolhwa: "Oh my goodness.")

Then, finding out that the Plotter was none other than Yoo Joonghyuk who had lived through 1863 regression turns. (Jang Hayoung: "…What the heck are you talking about?")

Forming a contract with him that also contained the 'Other World Pledge'. (Shin Yoosung: "…I knew something like that would happen, ahjussi.")

Entering the Giant Story ⸢Journey to the West⸥ without informing my companions. (Lee Jihye: "Ahjussi, you're definitely not cut out to be an actor, you know.")

The battle between two Yoo Joonghyuks, one from 1863rd turn and the other, from 999th turn. (Jung Heewon: "Just how many Yoo Joonghyuks are out there??")

Yoo Joonghyuk of this world-line, who thought that he was in the 3rd turn, realizing that it's actually the 1864th. (Han Myungoh: "Could it be that you yourself can't explain this and are just coming up with random stuff??")

Barely managing to clear the ⸢Journey to the West⸥ with my companions' help, but then, getting kidnapped by the Secretive Plotter again. (Yoo Sangah, wordlessly sighing.)

And finally, the event of encountering the 999th turn's Uriel in that place, who had become an Outer God herself.

When I got that far, even I began wondering what the hell I was talking about. I raised my head to discover that my companions were carrying roughly the similar expressions.

The first one to react was Han Myungoh. "Hmm, hmm. So that's what happened. I think I understand everything."

…But, that's plainly not possible?

Everyone was now looking at him. So, Han Myungoh added one more thing. "It seems to me that you actually enjoy dying or getting kidnapped."

"…Excuse me, I guess it's not just me who don't get it, right? Just what the heck are you talking about here? There are three of my Masters running around out there? And what's up with this 1864th turn and all…?"

Perhaps it was natural that they didn't understand.

From the get-go, the fact that the 1863rd turn had split into two was causing the complications.

Yoo Joonghyuk who lived through the original 1863rd turn went on to become the 'Secretive Plotter'. Meanwhile, Yoo Joonghyuk that lived through the altered 1863rd turn regressed once more and became the dude that we all knew.

Since I read the 'Ways of Survival', I could understand it fine, but it was natural that my companions would find this all rather mystifying.

Jung Heewon, massaging her head, asked me then. "Okay, so what are you saying? Is our Joonghyuk-ssi the 3rd turn, or the 1864th?"

That prompted Yoo Joonghyuk sitting on the corner of the bed to reply curtly. "I don't know."

"Eh?"

"I can't remember."

I activated the [Character List] and confirmed Yoo Joonghyuk's information.

Surprisingly, his attribute had reverted back to '3rd turn'.

"My memories returned only during the time when I was borrowing Kim Dokja's Story for a little while. It was similar to watching someone else's history."

…I had no idea it was like that.

Yoo Joonghyuk continued on. "This is what I think. This is originally the 3rd turn, and I am definitely the 3rd turn Yoo Joonghyuk. Except that, during a certain point during the world-line, the memories from when I was living in the 1864th turn have covered up mine temporarily."

Lee Seolhwa, listening in, joined the conversation. "…But, that doesn't make any sense. You're saying that the 3rd turn has influenced the 1863rd turn, and in turn, the 1863rd has influenced the 3rd… That's logically impossible."

"Logically, no." Eventually, Han Sooyoung stepped in, too. "It can only be valid in the form of written words. What I'm saying is that, such a thing is only possible because this world used to be a 'novel' originally."

She then shifted her gaze over to the 'Secretive Plotter' surrounded by the transparent sphere. "It's the same thing as the 'square circle' or the 'triangle with the total of their interior angles coming at 720 degrees'."

Lee Seolhwa tilted her head and asked her. "But, something like that can't exist, right?"

"It's more correct to say that you can't even imagine it, actually. However, as texts, as paragraphs, they certainly can exist. What's happening right now is just like that. To us, it might be a time paradox, but as texts of a novel, it's completely possible, you know. I mean, you can just say, there it is, so deal with it. It's not the issue with understanding it, but rather, accepting it. So, let's look at it in a simpler way. We're currently stuck inside a crap novel. Since the original was crap, this is the end result."

I wanted to say something as a rebuttal, but since she spoke of truth, I couldn't think of anything.

"If I was this novel's writer, I'd have stopped doing the world-line distortion thing at once or twice. Readers seriously don't like this sort of complicated stories, you know? Even the Constellations probably can't figure out what's going on here."

"A world with broken Probability will collapse by itself. I know of quite a few stories that ended in that manner. Worlds that even their authors gave up on."

Han Sooyoung was an author herself so she could say these words. She might have abandoned such worlds in the past, and she might be regretting it 'till this day.

When I thought about that, something felt off to me.

The world created by the author of the 'Ways of Survival', tls123, had become a reality.

– In that case, what kind of a conclusion would you like to see, Dokja-nim? Which conclusion would be a happy ending for the protagonist?

Could it be that the author couldn't finish his story and was leaving it up to us?

Jung Heewon scratched her cheek and asked. "Okay, so what's your conclusion, Han Sooyoung?"

"We gotta fight those bastards that shoved us into this stupid world. Whether it's the author, the Outer Gods, or even the Dokkaebis."

"The same as it has always been, then."

"Doesn't matter what happened in the original, you can chuck that crap to the dogs for all I care. We have to see our own Conclusion, anyway. We simply can't remain stuck in the damn shithole scenarios forever."

She was right. Right about everything.

Whether it was the Outer God King or the <Bureau>, it didn't matter.

No matter who our enemy was, we still had only one choice to make. We fight, win, and reach our answers in our own way.

"Dokja-ssi?"

Before I realized it, my companions were looking at me. They seemed to be waiting for me to say something.

Their expressions were asking me about what we need to do moving on, and what we need to make preparations for. Of course, I had been thinking about those, as well.

However, it wasn't that easy for me to say the first words.

Maybe it was because I felt nervous, knowing that the end was around the corner. It was fear that, although we reached this far with so much hardship, one wrong judgement from me and everything could go down the crapper, just like that. It was also a burden of knowing that I now had to walk on the path not seen in the 'original novel'.

My lips bobbed up and down several times, and eventually, I managed to eke out a word. "So…"

"That'll be enough for today." Yoo Sangah stepped in to stop me. "Let us rest for today, and carry on tomorrow. Everyone, we've returned from a tough scenario only just now, anyway."

I stayed up that night and made plans.

I was almost lured by the temptation to read the 'final revised' version of the 'Ways of Survival' several times, but in the end, I didn't. I wasn't sure why not, but then again I did have this hunch.

This gut feeling that, the moment I read the novel, I'd not be able to escape from its shackles.

"…"

I fell into a slumber so deep that I couldn't even remember when I succumbed to it. The last bits of the memories were a blur. I might have dozed off while reading a book, and I thought I drank a cup of warm tea that Lee Gilyoung had brought in. In any case, it was a rather sweet sleep.

And, I thought I had a happy dream, too.

The dream was about the chat I had with Yoo Sangah some time ago. Set in a world where all the scenarios had come to an end, my companions were busy talking about their daily lives. It was really peaceful. It was so peaceful, in fact, that it didn't feel like real 'peace' to me. And when I saw the bright smiles on Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung's faces, somewhat mysteriously I realized the truth.

⸢This is a dream, isn't it.⸥

I bit down hard on my lip, and as if an earthquake had erupted out, the view of my dream rocked about. Still in the haziness of my consciousness, I slowly opened my eyes and tried to sit up.

…What's this?

My body didn't want to move.

Also, the faint earthquake I felt inside the dream continued on, too.

I managed to force my eyes open, and the surroundings revealed itself under the dim darkness. What greeted me was the sensation of plush leather enveloping my back and the head.

"Hey, Kim Dokja's trying to wake up."

"Put him to sleep again."

I felt someone smacking me in the head, and my consciousness dimmed again. And as I faded out, I heard a mischievous voice talking to me.

"This is the workers' revolt, you dumbass."

And when I opened my eyes again…

I was inside an unfamiliar mountainside.