Chapter 308: Episode 58 – Context of the Constellations (4)
After a short time, the party members managed their equipment while waiting for Kim Dokja. Lee Jihye changed her blade and asked Jung Heewon, “Is Dokja ahjussi being serious? Really destroying Olympus...”
“It must be a joke. Dokja-ssi isn’t that stupid.”
“Still, we don’t know where he has been for three years. Do you know the last three years?”
“...I understand. I’m not a fool.”
“We might not know where he has been for three years but if we look at Master...”
The speaking Lee Jihye quickly shut her mouth as she felt Yoo Jonghyuk’s gaze from a distance. Jung Heewon sighed at Lee Jihye before glancing at the meeting room that Kim Dokja entered.
***
Two people were sitting in a private room reminiscent of the reception room of a detention centre.
“It’s been three years.”
“...It took me longer than I thought.”
Kim Dokja watched Lee Sookyung and locked his lips several times. There were many things to say but some were buried in the layers of scenarios and others were missed by time passing.
“That...” In the tomb of a bygone story, a word was barely excavated. “I’m sorry.”
Lee Sookyung smiled and wondered,”Are you thinking of leaving for the next scenario?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“This evening.” Kim Dokja kept his mouth shut for a moment before asking, “Will you go with me?”
“I still have a lot of work to do here.”
Lee Sookyung gazed out the window at the industrial complex. Kim Dokja followed Lee Sookyung’s gaze and looked out the window. They were women who had once been prisoners in this society.
There were Cho Youngran who had Jeon Woochi as her sponsor and Lee Boksoon who fought with him on Fishland.
“There are more people than you think who make the wrong choice because they are attracted to greater power.”
The criminals who left prison were now fighting for people.
“The important thing is that people can change. Perhaps now they are getting the opportunity.”
Lee Sookyung’s voice was sneering at herself. Lee Sookyung turned her head and stared into her son’s eyes.
“Do you know? A big story is a way to destroy an individual.”
“I know.”
Kim Dokja’s eyes shook slightly. Small sparks jumped out from his two eyes. Perhaps it was a topic that shouldn’t have been brought up. A human being exterminated by a ‘big story.’ Her son probably knew this better than anyone else in the world. Lee Sookyung hesitated for a long time before speaking.
“There is something I want to say.”
“I know. I read it as well.”
The book written by Lee Sookyung, the Underground Killer. Lee Sookyung’s book became a bestseller and society started talking about domestic violence in earnest, leading to a bill to strengthen the law on punishment. On the macro level, it might’ve been the right thing to do.
However, thanks to the story, the humans ‘Lee Sookyung’ and ‘Kim Dokja’ were completely dissected.
Kim Dokja became the son of a tragedy caused by domestic violence in this society and Lee Sookyung became a criminal who killed her husband and made it a story. People called them by different names. The son of a murderer or a cruel mother... It changed the world only a little bit.
“We were exterminated even before the book came out. Maybe even in the future...”
Kim Dokja’s words were cut off halfway before the end. Rather than look at each other, they stared out the window.
The world was there. There wasn’t anyone who wasn’t hurt. On top of the scenario-weary incarnations, the constellations wishing for more terrible stories were shining.
Kim Dokja spoke, “A big story destroying an individual. I’m going to change that.”
“I’m here to change it as well.”
“Then... we have to separate here again.”
Kim Dokja stood up and told her, “Be well.”
The door closed and Kim Dokja disappeared. Lee Sookyung silently watched Kim Dokja disappearing through the door. After a while, a shadow emerged from behind a curtain of the meeting room and Han Sooyoung came out. Han Sooyoung watched the door that Kim Dokja had gone through. “...He is a grumpy fellow.”
“That’s how I raised him.”
At Lee Sookyung’s words, Han Sooyoung narrowed her eyes. “Ajumma. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“The book.”
Lee Sookyung looked like she didn’t know. Han Sooyoung glanced at Lee Sookyung and was oddly incensed.
“I heard about Ahjumma’s motives. The earnings from that book, did you send it to your relatives? It supplemented his living expenses.”
“It didn’t go to that child so it’s like I didn’t send it.”
“Where are your relatives now?”
“They are dead by now.”
Han Sooyoung closed her mouth. The previous animosity was pointless after the destruction of the world. All the people who had to pay a price had died comfortably and the rest of the people had to live their lives in a more terrible world.
Han Sooyoung sighed and asked. “By the way, you really aren’t coming?”
“I think I have raised my child for too long. It is enough for me to live my life.”
Lee Sookyung’s lightly smiling face was wrinkled. One reason why the industrial complex could be safe was Lee Sookyung. The Demon World and Earth. The fact that two different ecosystems could unite safely was possible thanks to the non-discriminatory rule of Lee Sookyung and Yoo Sangah.
Lee Sookyung was a necessary person for the industrial complex.
Han Sooyoung knew it well and turned away without a word. She walked to the door that Kim Dokja had exited through.
Lee Sookyung opened her mouth. “Sooyoung.”
Han Sooyoung raised her hand without looking back. “Don’t worry. Leave your son to me. You just―”
“Be careful.”
Han Sooyoung glanced back with a bemused expression. Lee Sookyung was smiling. Her eyes were the same colour as Kim Dokja. Han Sooyoung licked her lips and sighed.
“Anyway... I have no luck to the end.”
***
A girl sucking on candy suddenly pointed at me and declared, “Squid.”
I briefly lost my soul at the mental attack.
[Some constellations are wondering about the girl’s identity.]
This girl... I mean... I sighed and spoke the girl’s name. “Mia, have you been well?”
“Who is this Ahjussi?” She had forgotten since I hadn’t seen her for a long time. I was about to explain when Yoo Mia clapped her hands. “Ah, my brother’s friend.”
“Not a friend... in any case, you’ve changed your way of speaking in the time since I last saw you.”
“You have become uglier in the time since I last saw you.”
“Hey, Yoo Jonghyuk. Surely you aren’t taking your sister with you?”
At my words, Yoo Jonghyuk glared at me from where he was putting a hand on Yoo Mia’s head. I watched him for a moment before asking, “...Have you been well? I was so busy that I forgot to ask.”
“There is no time to leisurely ask something like that.”
I heard that hard voice and felt it was somewhat familiar, rather than feel upset. Yes, this was the Yoo Jonghyuk I knew. The Yoo Jonghyuk I knew kept speaking. “The 46th scenario is dangerous. Of course, I am leaving my sister behind.”
“Who else are you going to leave? Yoo Sangah-ssi will naturally stay behind. My mother and the
Wanderer forces...”
“I will leave Flying Fox.”
“You have already talked to Flying Fox?”
“I signed a contract with the returnees group.”
Those freed from being a disaster needed time to adapt to their home world. Yoo Jonghyuk contacted them and came back with a contract related to the protection of the industrial complex. As expected from the protagonist, he was pretty good at acting.
However, I shook my head. “They won’t be able to protect this place alone.”
“Teacher will be back soon.”
“That isn’t the problem. Besides, it will be more dangerous if transcendents are here. Don’t you know?”
Yoo Jonghyuk was well aware of what I was saying. It was because he lost the Breaking the Sky Sword in the last round.
Yoo Jonghyuk nodded. “I know. You can come back before ‘that’ happens. You should be thinking about the 46th scenario.”
“I’ve thought about it.”
“It won’t be easy. It might fail.”
It wasn’t unusual for him to say so.
-You can’t break through the 46th scenario alone. Don’t you know?
I spoke these words to persuade Yoo Jonghyuk the first time I met him. Finally, the day had come to realize those words.
Yoo Jonghyuk said, “There are many ways to clear the 46th scenario.”
“No, there’s only one.”
“It won’t turn out like you think.”
“Haven’t you talked with the party members while I was away?”
“I don’t believe in people.” Yoo Jonghyuk replied in a composed manner while Yoo Mia, listening by his side, shook her head.
I told him, “Don’t you know what’s after the 46th scenario? If you don’t cooperate with others from now on—”
“A real disaster doesn’t appear on the surface.”
I shut my mouth at Yoo Jonghyuk’s words. The 45th scenario ‘Glorious Return’ was a scenario where people fought disasters. The appearance was a monster but they were fighting against humans. I read the messages stored in the system log.
[You have cleared the 45th scenario.]
[Your group members didn’t kill anyone throughout the scenario.]
[Your group members didn’t kill any incarnations throughout the scenario.]
[Your group has shown new possibilities between incarnations and returnees!]
[The ‘disaster state’ of you and the group will be released.]
New possibilities. It was evidence that trust and faith were capable between different species. Yoo Jonghyuk spoke like he read my thoughts. “After the scenario started, many people were killed by the scenario. More than that, many people were killed by the same human beings.”
Yoo Jonghyuk’s cold eyes suddenly looked far away. “You will lose the party in this scenario.”
“What are you saying...”
“I have already lost a lot of people. You are different.”
“...”
“You better prepare your heart.”
I frowned because I knew the 46th scenario. Thus, I wasn’t convinced by Yoo Jonghyuk’s words. It was impossible with the party that I knew. After three years, they might’ve locked me up and fed me sleeping pills but they would never fight against each other...
“By the way, are you going with me?”
“Uh, why?”
“Well, I’m just asking.”
Intense sparks flew in the air. In the distance, the party members were coming this way. Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung were leading from the front while Lee Jihye, Lee Seolhwa and Lee Hyunsung were behind them. The problem was Jung Heewon and Han Sooyoung.
...Come to think of it, they had a problem. Damn.
[Main Scenario #46 – Proof of the Stars has arrived!]
The 46th main scenario, Proof of the Stars. In order to meet Olympus and the other constellations, I had to break through this scenario. Soon after, the dokkaebi carrying out the scenario appeared in the air.
[Let’s start the main scenario.]