Ch 489: Ep. 93 - Omniscient Author's Viewpoint, III

The sight of Jung Heewon running forward could be seen.

She slid among the 'Nameless Ones' like the moonlight sliding off the blade.

The answer she was searching for was there.

Everyone had their own ■■. Finally, the moment of choosing their own conclusions had arrived for the <Kim Dokja's Company>'s companions.

"Jung Heewon!"

Her [Judge's Sword] drew a spectacular trajectory. The companions watched that sword trajectory and hurriedly chased after her.

Lee Gilyoung was about to leap into the air along with Yoo Sangah, but had to stop because of a girl was about to be left behind.

"Shin Yoosung…"

Shin Yoosung standing there all alone, was crying. Standing in the exact same location as before, her feet not going anywhere, and her gaze fixed on one spot – it was quite clear what she was looking at right now.

It was the Story that only Shin Yoosung possessed.

A Constellation and an Incarnation, connected through that radiating starlight. The light emitted by the Story was so beautiful and radiant that Lee Gilyoung unknowingly reached out towards Shin Yoosung.

⸢Lee Gilyoung was envious of Shin Yoosung.⸥

Just what was it like for one person to understand another?

He was too young to truly understand the meaning of the word 'understand' itself. Sometimes he'd feel this sense of deprivation because of that, but on the other hand, he actually liked the fact that his age could be used as an excuse.

⸢It's possible for you to not get it yet. But, that's okay.⸥

⸢You don't need to do this, but I'm sorry that we have to rely on you, Gilyoung-ah…⸥

⸢Hey, kid, stop showing off and get back.⸥

He was relieved. He even thought that it was a fortunate thing.

It was fortunate that he got to meet such people in a world like this one. People that he could rely on and act like a child, yet still could remind him with the fact that he was indeed a child.

⸢However, Shin Yoosung was here, too⸥

There was another child with them who didn't act like one. It was a girl who always looked up at a star. Lee Gilyoung also looked up at the same star – the star he liked. He knew very well the sorrowful light that star emitted, and how its colour would change when it tried to hide its true intentions or tried to lie.

⸢However, he didn't know as well as Shin Yoosung did.⸥

"How long are you going to stand around dazed like that? Let's go."

Shin Yoosung absentmindedly turned her head towards him. While meeting her gaze, Lee Gilyoung snatched up her hand. Then, the two kids began running. Sweat filled the tightly-held small hand.

'I don't understand Dokja-hyung as much as Shin Yoosung'.

She was the Incarnation of the Constellation, 'Demon King of Salvation'. No one could pry them apart or get in between them.

"You think you're the only one worried about hyung? You think you're the only one feeling sad?"

Lee Gilyoung shouted without even looking back and continued to drag Shin Yoosung. He hated the idea of looking younger than her. But for at least today, he wanted to behave like a child.

"I don't like the Han River. I like oceans better. And I don't like pizza but prefer fried chicken."

He too had been saved by that star, that's why.

"Going to the PC Bang! Playing phone games! And…!"

The star he liked so much could be seen in the distance. However, it didn't look like a star now.

"And, also…"

The star, the subject of jealousy and envy from the Constellations that ruled the heavens, was now…

…Now looked like a scary great demon from the webtoons the boy enjoyed reading so much.

The moment that huge head with tentacles wiggling about turned in his direction, Lee Gilyoung's running legs froze still.

The king of another world, now grown to a height even taller than a skyscraper.

The 'Enemy of the Story'.

The villain who would destroy this world.

⸢Did that demon look like Kim Dokja to Shin Yoosung?⸥

"I…"

Lee Gilyoung muttered while trying to fight against his body's trembling. Against the fear that that thing might not be Kim Dokja he used to know.

Actually, the Kim Dokja he had been looking at was wrong.

⸢"Hyung, are you a god?"

"…Wha?"

"Or, are you the 'protagonist'?"⸥

The fear that the words spoken by the Dokkaebis turned out to be correct.

⸢"I'm not a god nor am I a protagonist. In fact, I've been always envious of the real protagonist."⸥

Lee Gilyoung finally managed to stop the trembling and worked up his courage to look up. The vast Outer God's eye was now looking straight at the boy.

Kim Dokja's heart couldn't be seen; not a single thing about that Outer God felt like Kim Dokja.

The only thing remaining was belief.

– Gilyoung-ah. There is more than one way to form relationships.

Some time ago, he had a chat with Yoo Sangah regarding his dilemma related to Shin Yoosung. At the time, she answered like this after closing shut the book she was reading.

– It's similar to how different people interpret the same sentence differently. So…

Lee Gilyoung wasn't much of an avid reader so that comparison didn't resonate with him. Still…

– I think I understand.

He too had his own skill of conversing with the others.

– It kinda feels different when talking to a praying mantis and a cockroach.

The [Diverse Communication] was such a skill, that allowed him to communicate with species different than his. However, the boy lacked a skill to understand other human beings.

What kind of a person was Kim Dokja? He wasn't sure.

However, there was this one image that popped into his head first when trying to think of the person called Kim Dokja – the sight of people with their heads or bodies blown up.

⸢"I'm going to trouble you for a bit."⸥

And then, the face of Kim Dokja as he placed a grasshopper within the boy's grasp.

Suddenly, the surrounding view shook and a Story began waking up within the boy.

A swarm of yellow locusts buzzing in from somewhere swirled like a tornado and began enveloping the entire world.

⸢On that day, Lee Gilyoung thought to himself that it'd been nicer for the whole subway train to be flipped on its head. Just like the grasshopper that died in his hands.⸥

This incredible feast of Status caused the 'Outer Gods' to scream.

Constellations of <Star Stream> began pouring out their messages.

The Story flowing vigorously ignored the gazes of the Constellations and continued on with its storytelling. This story was something the boy hadn't told any adults yet.

And it was a story that Shin Yoosung, also a possessor of the [Diverse Communication], knew a little bit of.

⸢"You didn't even have enough money so why did you go and have a kid…"⸥

This intense stink of the brown coal, the sight of his father and mother lying on the ground like dead cockroaches – memories of him poking on the cold, unmoving flesh. A funeral without portraits came to an end, and the fatigued eyes of his relatives looking at him.

⸢"That girl Yeong-Mi, I knew she'd do something like this. She was told that that bastard wasn't good for her, yet she…"⸥

⸢"So, who's going to take that boy in? What about the eldest brother's…"⸥

⸢"We can't. There are three kids in our place already."⸥

Lee Gilyoung didn't know the proper words to describe his life that had been rejected from a very young age. He didn't have any ability to explain or express how big of a wound that was. And that wound continued to fester, unable to be healed or discovered.

⸢"Look for an organisation. There are places that look after kids like him."⸥

Lee Gilyoung got dragged by his aunt's hand and climbed on the Seoul-bound train. And he felt dizzy while looking at the map of ant tunnel-like Seoul's subway network.

There were so many tunnels here, and he didn't know where he was heading off to.

The grasshoppers inside the insect catcher cried like a lost child.

⸢"This boy, really now! Throw them away! Hurry! They don't live all that long, anyway. So disgusting!"⸥

What would've happened to him if the scenarios didn't start on that day?

"Dokja hyung!"

What if he didn't get to meet these people?

"Dokja hyung! I'm over here!"

Lee Gilyoung cried out loudly enough to tear out his vocal cords.

It was fine if his voice couldn't reach its target. It was fine if he wasn't Kim Dokja's Incarnation.

⸢"Gilyoung-ah. If you can't say it, then it's okay to not say anything. However, you must remember this one thing, okay?"⸥

The boy wanted to say this to him.

⸢"When you wish to say something, this hyung will be by your side to listen."⸥

…That, Dokja hyung wasn't a villain.

…That, he was a just regular person who happened to rescue the boy from other regular people.

The ranks of the 'Outer Gods' fighting out in the front were crumbling now. One of the sides seemed to break down completely, then a group of Incarnations led by the Myth-grade Constellations began advancing towards Kim Dokja. He needed to stop them somehow.

Tsu-chuchuchut!

He needed to convince them that Dokja hyung wasn't a person like that. But, how should he…

Ku-gugugugu…

Even as his enemies rushed in, Kim Dokja simply stood there like a wall. He seemed to be saying something every so often, yet those words couldn't be understood. Lee Gilyoung wanted to understand them, though. He hated leaning against the wall, all powerless and helpless. He wanted to stand on Kim Dokja's side.

He didn't care if this sort of world was destroyed or not. If Kim Dokja was the enemy of a story, then he'd also become this 'Enemy of the Story', too.

However, Kim Dokja was too difficult to understand for him.

He hated the fact that he was a little kid. If only he was an adult. If only he was Han Sooyoung, Yoo Joonghyuk, or Jung Heewon…

…If only he was Shin Yoosung.

He felt the sensation of the tightly-held hand. Shin Yoosung was still there.

"…You idiot. Wake up."

The swarm of locusts flying around settled down.

Shin Yoosung spoke up. "I can't understand ahjussi, either."

"I'm just doing my best trying to understand."

The skill of these two kids that allowed them to control the Chimera Dragon activated simultaneously. And now, they were in the most optimum state to understand each other.

Lee Gilyoung couldn't read Kim Dokja. However, Shin Yoosung seemed to know how, at least just a little bit.

The Story these two read together began rocking the world. And it was as if Kim Dokja's face could be seen ever so faintly now. It seemed like the figure of Kim Dokja they knew was almost within reach.

"Hey, kids."

Han Sooyoung stood next to them as if to provide protection. And Lee Hyunsung, Jung Heewon, and Yoo Sangah stood nearby to protect them in turn.

⸢Adults looking at the world together with the kids were here.⸥

Lee Jihye's battleship cast a shadow from the air. Both Gong Pildu and Lee Seolhwa could be seen near the cannons of the vessel. Lee Jihye then unsheathed her sword as if to imply that she was ready to fire at any time she wanted to.

That prompted the Great Dokkaebi Onsae to ask them.

"Don't make me laugh. That ain't the truth. You think truth is that simple? What you've shown is simply edited footage. And that's how you've all been creating scenarios so far, right?" Han Sooyoung spoke to the approaching Constellations as if to issue a warning. "Don't care whether he's become the 'Enemy of the Story' or whatever, he's still our companion. So, don't you dare touch him. Got that?"

"You touch him, and we'll kill you all."

The moment the Constellations protecting <Kim Dokja's Company> made a move, the powerful momentum of the opposing Constellations froze still for a moment there.

Tsu-chuchuchuchut!

Great Dokkaebi Harong detected the tremor within the Probability and promptly cut the messages off.

Frustrated by how the scenario wasn't unfolding in the way they desired, a Great Dokkaebi enduring the aftermath's storm asked them.

Incarnations that got near Kim Dokja shrunk back and began retreating away. It was the same story whether they were Incarnations hostile towards him or carrying a favourable impression of him.

The Outer God, now reaching high up into the heavens. The moment everyone looked into his eye containing the abyss itself, they shuddered and collapsed on their butts.

Everyone from <Kim Dokja's Company> looked up at Kim Dokja. What the Great Dokkaebi said was true. They couldn't understand him.

As if to wake up the characters that had forgotten their roles, the Great Dokkaebi shouted out loudly. [None of you have a choice in this matter! Kill him. If you don't, this scenario will not end!]

The oldest storyteller in this world was also watching the unfolding events.

Along with her companions, Han Sooyoung raised her head, and looked at the place where the 'King of the Stories' was – the being that summarised all the scenarios. She looked at the endlessly-stretching [Final Wall].

⸢That wall is where their story would be recorded.⸥

"The scenario won't end? Nice. Is that not what every reader wishes for?"

Han Sooyoung then looked up at Kim Dokja. When she glared continuously at the giant head of the cephalopod, she thought that it began to resemble Kim Dokja's face just a little bit.

"The story I'm writing definitely requires that idiot Kim Dokja's presence."

Han Sooyoung roughly unfurled the bandages like an author ripping up the manuscript she didn't like. Her Story dyed in the [Black Flame] spread out in the air like pitch-black ink.

As if to imply that she could write as long as she wanted to.

Tsu-chuchuchuchu…!

Han Sooyoung smirked. "Let's not end the scenario, forever."