Ch 522: Epilogue 1 - The World of Zero, VI

It had been a week since Kim Dokja lost his consciousness.

The companions took turns to nurse him as he remained in a coma. Lee Seolhwa and Aileen continued to administer medical treatment in alternating turns, and many Incarnations blessed with famed healing skills also paid visit, as well.

Unfortunately, none of them could discover the reason why Kim Dokja suddenly ended up in this state.

– His internal structure is becoming unstable. We don't know the reason yet. Maybe, it's related to the <Star Stream System>'s weakening, somehow…

A few Incarnations cautiously discussed the topic related to the [Avatar].

"Ahjussi."

Kim Dokja remained unconscious, and while staring at him, Shin Yoosung murmured as if to steel herself.

This person, he's Kim Dokja. Without a doubt, he is the Kim Dokja that I remember.

However, there was one thing that didn't change no matter how many times she told herself that.

⸢The power of her 'Constellation sponsor' cannot be felt from this existence before her eyes.⸥

The Story that warmly embraced her couldn't be felt all that well right now.

Even the Stories that connected her to Kim Dokja were hesitating with their storytelling. As if, this existence before her wasn't suitable as the subject of their story. Shin Yoosung slowly closed her eyes.

The 'sponsor contract' that tied her to Kim Dokja was still in effect. There it was, the starlight within the night sky, remaining in the exact same spot and watching her as always.

⸢If that's the case, then just whose starlight was that?⸥

Shin Yoosung stared at Kim Dokja's shoulder that still hadn't healed yet.

This arm always protected his companions. With that arm, he painted his world. With that arm, he ended the scenarios, and brought down the Final Wall. She slowly raised her head and looked at Kim Dokja's face. The golden headband put on top of his head during the Journey to the West scenario still remained where it should. The constrictive headband lost its powers after the Great Sage's Story weakened. Shin Yoosung reached out and brushed his dishevelled hair underneath the headband.

⸢"Don't worry, Yoosung-ah."⸥

Kim Dokja kept his promise.

⸢The PC Bang she wanted to go together.⸥

⸢Pizzas and Cola she wanted to enjoy by the Han River.⸥

Inside those fantasy-like moments, Kim Dokja was definitely there. They were gentle, tender moments that a person sacrificed all of his life to bring to reality.

She didn't want to deny this conclusion that they only managed to reach through such a long, arduous journey.

Shin Yoosung buried her face on the bed and sobbed, until the fatigue sent her into dreamland. Someone opened the quiet hospital room's door and entered inside.

"Hey, it's time to cha…"

Lee Gilyoung entering the room discovered the sleeping figure of Shin Yoosung and promptly shut his mouth. He lightly dusted the thin blanket next to the chair and covered her shoulders with it. Then, he settled down on the other side of the bed.

"Dokja hyung."

He carefully tucked Kim Dokja's hand that slipped outside the bed under the duvet. It was a hand full of scars. It was also the same hand that gave a certain boy his grasshopper once upon a time.

⸢There was a time when Kim Dokja was like a god to the boy.⸥

Lee Gilyoung stared at Kim Dokja for a long, long time before softly muttering out.

"…Hyung, you're still you, right?"

He sighed deeply and slowly stood up to open up the room's curtains.

There were truly many people walking on the streets outside. People that Kim Dokja had saved. This was the world that he had protected. Lee Gilyoung sat near the window and silently counted the number of passersby for a long while.

"…That stupid idiot. If you were going to make an Avatar, you should've done it properly."

The grumbling Han Sooyoung was walking inside the Industrial Complex.

It had been one whole week since Kim Dokja had collapsed. She had come to a conclusion in the meantime.

⸢I can't expect any help from the companions.⸥

Yoo Sangah was right – this 'Kim Dokja', and the 'Kim Dokja' she missed, were both Kim Dokja. Meaning, this was the true ending he had been wishing for, and everything would be fine if the companions decided to accept it.

However, it was possible for at least one person to have a differing opinion about it.

"Hey, shorty."

"What is it, Black Flame Dragon ahjumma?"

"Where is your oppa right now?"

"Don't feel like telling you, though?"

"You little!"

Yoo Mia quickly ran away and hid between the narrow alleyways. She was so unbelievably fast that by the time Han Sooyoung got there, that little kid was already long gone without a trace. However, Yoo Joonghyuk must've been nearby considering his little sister was around here.

And so, how long did she continue to walk afterwards? An unfamiliar noticeboard appeared before her eyes.

A residential area set up on the western sections of the Complex was here. The antique architectural style reminded her of the medieval fantasy setting. She only heard about this place from Lee Sookyung, but now that she had witnessed the view of this rather unexpectedly well-thought-out cityscape, Han Sooyoung couldn't help but be impressed.

Just as she began thinking that it'd not be so bad to sightsee since she was searching for that fool anyway…

"Sooyoung-ah!"

An unexpected person found her first.

"…Yuri?"

"You've been living here?"

"For a while now. I know you've been busy, but still, I'm a little sad that you only came to visit today."

"…You totally sound like a Korean, you know that?"

Han Sooyoung was really glad to see Yuri sipping tea before her eyes like this.

Yuri di Aristel.

Back in the Kaizenix Archipelago, Han Sooyoung took possession of this woman and carried out the scenario. Now that she looked back, so many things happened back in Kaizenix. She wasted decades waiting for that stinking Kim Dokja, for instance. And…

"By the way, who were you trying to find here? Was it me, perhaps?"

"I'm sorry. It's not, but…"

"Tch. In that case?"

Han Sooyoung briefly explained her situation, and Yuri clapped her hands if she understood.

"Ah, you meant your fiancé?"

"My fiancé?"

Han Sooyoung thought about something for a bit, before her expression crumpled. Now that she looked back some more, didn't she almost get married to that guy?

Yuri asked in a teasing tone. "By the way, which one do you really prefer? My personal preference is the shorter…"

"Never mind that. You know where Yoo Joonghyuk is right now?"

"Mm? Is that your preference?"

"Please just answer the question."

"If it's that idiot…"

…That idiot?

"Well, what good timing. There he is."

A huge shadow ran past the cafe's window with a whoosh. Han Sooyoung hurriedly shot up and rushed outside the cafe.

"Hey, what about the bill?!"

"Sorry! I'll get it next time!"

She spotted the figure running up ahead. It was Yoo Joonghyuk kitted out in a tracksuit, currently running through the Industrial Complex while maintaining a constant speed. She heard the Complex's residents murmuring to each other nearby.

"…He's running again, that guy."

"Why does he stupidly keep doing that, when you can just use your skills?"

"It's already been three months."

This was her first time hearing that. Han Sooyoung gave chase, and studied Yoo Joonghyuk's back while doing so. It was as the residents said; he was moving with his own muscles without using any skills whatsoever.

She lightly sucked in her breath, activated her skill, and reached next to Yoo Joonghyuk.

"What are you doing?"

The running man soaked from head to toe in sweat glanced at her before returning his gaze back to the road.

*

"Are you going to enter a marathon or something? But then again, even you would need to find a job in this new world, so…"

Her provocation failed to elicit a reply from Yoo Joonghyuk. Just as she began wondering what to say next to get a response from this stubborn fool, people they brushed by could be heard muttering to themselves.

"…Look at that, another idiot showed up."

These morons, seriously now…!

Just as Han Sooyoung was about to give them a piece of her mind, Yoo Joonghyuk opened his mouth first.

"I'm running, because I want to."

"Why? You feeling frustrated too?"

He didn't reply. Instead, a very faint shadow was cast over his expression. She couldn't fully understand the meaning behind his current expression, but it still felt like she could get it just a little.

"How much of that novel did you say you've read?"

Han Sooyoung ended up replying in a weirded-out voice from that unexpected question. She didn't think Yoo Joonghyuk would ever ask her about that. "Just a bit in the beginning part."

"What kind of a person was I originally in that world? For instance, during the 0th turn or the first turn…"

"What rubbish are you on about? Why are you asking me that, anyway?"

"For some reason, I can't seem to remember the past all that well."

That was the first time she heard this.

"You can't remember?"

"No, it's not that I can't, but they are completely fragmented."

"You've regressed for over a thousand times so, yeah, even I would end up like that."

Although she spoke in jest, Han Sooyoung got an idea as to why Yoo Joonghyuk's memories were so unclear.

Technically speaking, Yoo Joonghyuk was the protagonist of a novel called 'Ways of Survival'. Every bit of info related to him came from the author's setting, and those not told by said author were basically 'things that don't exist'.

The novel 'Ways of Survival' began from Yoo Joonghyuk's 3rd regression turn. So maybe, he shouldn't be fully recalling anything that happened between his 0th and the 2nd regression turn.

"Is that really important? What you were like back then?"

Whether this was an issue of the setting, or he really did forget… Regardless of what, the past was past. That might sound like a rather obvious thing to say, but she still wanted to tell him – that the truly important thing wasn't the past but the future about to take place.

However, Yoo Joonghyuk replied like this first. "It is important to me."

He continued to maintain a constant breathing pattern; Han Sooyoung watched him force his body to its limits without the help of any of his skills and got this feeling that she finally gained clarity on something.

⸢Yoo Joonghyuk is someone who can clear the 'scenario' the best in this world.⸥

Paradoxically, the Supreme King who could clear the scenarios far better than anyone lost his usefulness after the scenarios ended.

So, in this world where the scenarios were over, just what had become of Yoo Joonghyuk?

Han Sooyoung's lips bobbed up and down several times.

"You probably were Yoo Joonghyuk even then. Yoo Joonghyuk who'd become the regressor."

This was all she could do, returning what he said in the past back to him in full. And in order to change the topic, she quickly followed that up with something else.

"Besides that, I have something to say to you. Maybe you know this already, but this world-line's Kim Dokja is…"

"He's an Avatar. I already know."

So, he did know. Han Sooyoung was about to make a retort, but clamped her mouth shut, instead.

Getting this far wasn't the issue. No, now that she was here, her lips didn't want to part all that easily at all.

Was it okay to suggest to this 'Yoo Joonghyuk' that they should go and rescue Kim Dokja, the one that still remembered the 'Ways of Survival'?

She didn't know the answer to that, and could only swallow back the words circling around on the tip of her tongue.

Unexpectedly, it was he who opened his mouth first. "If you want to rescue him, then you need to get to the subway beyond the 'Final Wall'. The problem with that is you can never reach there through the regular methods of crossing the world-lines."

Han Sooyoung was surprised for a second there, but still managed to reply quickly enough. "…If we open the 'Final Wall' one more time, we can go there. We need to gather the 'fragments' to open the door, though. And looks like we already have one of the fragments."

⸢That's what Han Sooyoung said.⸥

Even she could more or less hear [The Fourth Wall]'s intermittent messages nowadays. These texts butted in irregularly as if to explain the world – perhaps they were sentences currently being recorded on [The Fourth Wall] that this world-line's Kim Dokja possessed.

"The issue is with the other fragments."

The 'Wall that Decides Samsara' Yoo Sangah used to possess.

The 'Wall that Divides Good and Evil' Jung Heewon and Lee Gilyoung used to possess.

And finally, the 'Wall of Impossible Communication' Jang Hayoung used to possess.

Those 'walls' were used up while opening the Final Wall. There must've been a way to get them back, but the current Han Sooyoung couldn't think of one.

"Han Sooyoung."

"What now?"

"This is the third lap."

Third lap?

Only after hearing that did she realize that the same exact scenery as earlier was laid out before her eyes. It was the sight she encountered when stepping foot in this district for the first time. They had been running in a massive loop until now.

"What did you see? I was looking at the birds on top of the tower," said Yoo Joonghyuk. "Those birds always return there during this time of the day."

"…"

"And that cafe, it's always full around this time every day."

"You…"

"Have you seen the clock tower back in Kaizenix? Faces of different people are engraved into the second, minute, and hour hands. Your face is also there."

Han Sooyoung followed after Yoo Joonghyuk's words and turned her head. The world as described by him was indeed right here. Maybe he had been staring at this scenery while looping around many, many times.

"Why are you looking at stuff like that, though? Have you finally gone insane?"

Han Sooyoung felt that him looping alone was truly a pity and could only say that as her reply.

That prompted him to say this, however.

"If you run one more time…" Yoo Joonghyuk had come to a stop even before she had noticed it, and he was now asking her. "If you get a chance to run again, do you believe you can see it better the next time?"

Han Sooyoung also came to a halt right there.

In all honesty, she already knew. From a while ago, she realized what he was trying to say. However, she wanted to pretend that she had no clue, instead.

Because she thought that method was not a good one at all.

"You…"

The way to save Kim Dokja.

The way to gather the three disappeared 'fragments' again.

The way that only Yoo Joonghyuk could resort to.

⸢And that was to return to the world where that 'Wall' still existed. And then, to walk on the hellish landscape once more.⸥

"You wanna solo that crazy thing all over again??"

Not even she and Kim Dokja wanted that.

On top of that, no matter how amazing Yoo Joonghyuk was, there was no way he could, all by himself…

"No, it's impossible alone."

His calm, collected declaration caused her eyes to blink.

"That's why I asked you. What did you see?"

The Status of Transcendence was rousing up from Yoo Joonghyuk's rippling muscles. This transcended form that surpassed Constellations was evolving once more.

Han Sooyoung looked back at the path she had run past and saw the tower's clock hands circling around. She could see the engraving of her own dumb-looking face on the diligently-moving second hand.

What would happen if she got to run on that 'time' once more? If so, would she be able to run even better than before?

Maybe, she might be able to – if she made a thorough preparation beforehand. And… if she got to work together with the companions she lived with in this world, too.

She looked back, only to discover the regressor that had run on that very distance countless times staring right back at her.

"I need your help, Han Sooyoung."