It was only the second scenario in the timeline of events being put on display, and Kim Dokja was already nervous. He knew he had a lot to answer for, but at the very least, he would get to see himself reunite with friends who were genuinely looking forward to seeing him. There were definitely some situations he wasn't looking forward to revisiting, though.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is hoping for more excitement.]
Well, he would get it eventually.
Inside the underground Geumho station, many people are gathered and are sitting in circles, standing, or lying on newspapers with dirty blankets. When the Cheoldu group's return is noticed, everyone can immediately see how injured they are.
People crowd around them in an attempt to help, while Dokja assists the woman from the convenience store down the stairs and into the station proper.
"Dokja?"
He looks up, recognizing the voice. Sangah, alongside Hyunsung and Gilyoung, emerges from the crowd. She seems surprised to see him, calling out once more. "My god… Dokja! Kim Dokja!"
Gilyoung then sprints through the crowd, crashing into Dokja with a tight and desperate hug, while Sangah and Hyunsung run up behind him. They're clearly relieved and overjoyed to see him after losing him on the bridge a few days earlier.
"Dokja! You're okay! Oh, Thank god! Thank god you're okay!" Sangah continues while Hyunsung happily calls out Dokja's name.
"I don't think I can explain just how relieved we all were," Yoo Sangah told Kim Dokja with a smile. "We were hoping you weren't dead, but after four days…"
Kim Dokja shook his head. "Honestly, I probably would have assumed I was dead too."
And, to be fair, there was a very real chance that he could have failed the hidden scenario if he hadn't managed to hold on. Not even the mucus would have saved him if he ended up submerged in the stomach acid for any length of time.
"You're not allowed to leave again, hyung," Lee Gilyoung muttered as he pressed himself closer to Kim Dokja. "You have to stay with us forever, okay?"
Well, forever was quite a long time, and extremely uncertain in this world. Still, if it would reassure him…
Kim Dokja smiled and patted Lee Gilyoung's head. "I'll do my best, and even if I have to go away for a bit because of a scenario, I promise I'll try everything I can to come back."
Lee Hyunsung didn't say anything, but he shot Kim Dokja a worried glance after that statement.
"I'm so sorry about what happened. I left you behind." Hyunsung remarks with remorse, somehow resembling a kicked puppy.
"It's okay. You had no choice." Dokja replies. It's the truth, after all. There isn't anything Hyunsung could have done.
Still, Hyunsung continues. "Thank god Yoo Joonghyuk was right."
"Yoo Joonghyuk?" Dokja asks curiously while handing a chocolate bar to Gilyoung from the stash he got from the convenience store.
"Well, he said you were probably still alive." Hyunsung replies sheepishly.
"Where is Yoo Joonghyuk?"
"Well, he's not here right now." Hyunsung says nervously. "Yoo Joonghyuk left the station yesterday."
As he says this, a scene of Yoo Joonghyuk walking off down the train tracks plays. His black coat trails behind him like the robe of a god of death, and it's clear that anyone accompanying him would have only been in the way.
'...Ah. I get it now.' Dokja thinks, putting the pieces together.
The Cheoldu group members should have died at the hands of Yoo Joonghyuk, but it seems they're still alive because he left the station in a hurry. Yoo Joonghyuk's a regressor who relives his life over and over again.
"Wait, Master, so that thing earlier about the… third round?" Lee Jihye began, then paused to mutter as she tried to recall the information from Yoo Joonghyuk's character profile. "You've lived through this apocalypse a few times before?"
Yoo Joonghyuk's mouth thinned into a line, but he nodded once. "I have. Every time I die, I regress and wake up in cabin 3707, about five minutes before the first scenario begins. It's not a fate I would wish on anyone."
Of course not, Kim Dokja thought to himself. Yoo Joonghyuk's life was an eternal hell that never seemed to end. Though he was only on his third regression, TWSA had covered all 1863 of them, and Kim Dokja was the only one right now who truly knew the extent of his suffering.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is feeling conflicted.]
Suddenly, her eyes lit up with understanding. "So that's what that ahjumma meant when she said that you used information no one else knows too."
Han Sooyoung just grinned, even though everyone knew she was internally resenting being called an ahjumma.
Lee Hyunsung looked troubled as he glanced over with a frown on his face. "So… that means that Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi has met some of us a few times before, right? Isn't it hard to start over and know that no one else remembers but you?"
Yoo Joonghyuk looked tense, but he nodded once. "Every time I regress, I have to remember that whatever bonds I formed before are no longer there, and that no one is the person I remember anymore."
He glanced at the floor, and Kim Dokja wondered who he was thinking about. Maybe it was Lee Seolhwa, considering they had been married in his previous regression. Maybe it was Yoo Mia, his beloved little sister who he ended up tragically losing more often than not. Maybe even his companions who he had lost twice over already.
No one seemed to know what to say, and no one was close enough to him to offer any comfort. Even Yoo Mia appeared to be unsure of what to do, likely struggling to try to come to terms with the fact that the brother she knew before 7 pm on that fateful day was gone, replaced by a man who had done this all before and who remembered raising a different version of her too.
Even surrounded by so many people, Kim Dokja couldn't help but feel that Yoo Joonghyuk was completely alone.
Dokja looks off into the station where the Cheoldu group members moving through are causing people to flinch away as they pass, clearly afraid of them.
He's in his third round right now, and has been reborn as a monster who monopolizes everything. He must've left without a backward glance to achieve his goal.
"...But he's still someone who'd tie up any loose ends," Dokja remarks, continuing his thoughts out loud without realizing. He wonders why the regressor is being so impatient this time around.
Hyunsung is curious about what he meant, but Dokja just waves him off and says that he's thinking out loud.
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is pleased that you are talking out loud.]
"Come to think of it, there's one person who's missing." Dokja muses.
"Oh, Mr. Han-" Sangah starts before being interrupted by a yell.
"Everyone out of the way!"
A few moments later, Dokja and his group are surrounded by a bunch of thugs wielding bats, pipes and other improvised weapons. Among them, Dokja notices an unpleasantly familiar figure.
"Y-you…!" Myungoh states while pointing a shaky finger at him. "Get him out of here!! He's the worst of the worst! Downright evil, in fact! He shouldn't be here!"
Says the man who basically kidnapped a woman and ran for it only a few days ago.
Han Sooyoung snorted out a laugh. "What is wrong with that guy? He's been nothing but a burden the entire time."
Well, to be fair, Kim Dokja hadn't chosen to save him specifically or anything. It was a close race, but if he could redo the first scenario, he just might choose to let Kim Namwoon live if it meant that Han Myungoh didn't.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is not impressed by the incarnation 'Han Myungoh'.]
"Now that I think of it," Yoo Sangah muttered with a frown, "does anyone know what happened to him?"
No one had an answer, and to be completely honest, nobody cared.
The entire time Myungoh is complaining and trying to convince everyone that Dokja deserves to be thrown out with the trash, Dokja's entire party looks varying shades of deadpan to exhausted. They are clearly very unimpressed with him.
Someone approaches and pats Myungoh on the shoulder. "Haha. Come on, Han. You should play nice. We're all survivors, after all."
The tall man, clearly the one with the power in the group, continues to speak. "Pleased to meet you. You must be the new guy. Mind telling me your name?"
Making the sleaziest grin known to man, he introduces himself as Cheon Inho
Cheon Inho?
'I've heard that name somewhere before.' Dokja thinks while reaching out his hand to shake Inho's. He replies with his name, just to be polite. "Kim Dokja."
He has a constellation sponsor… and is probably the leader of this group. It seems that the Cheoldu group works under him as well. He's probably going to make me pay for beating them half to death.
Dokja grips the thorn in his hand tighter just in case as Inho continues talking. "The others who came with you told me that you fought the monsters and saved my men."
Dokja freezes in surprise. '... What?'
"Everyone gather around!" Inho calls out with merriment. "This brave new member here has gathered food for us!"
The crowd of hungry civilians begin to gather around Dokja, and call out to him upon noticing the bags of food in his hands. Inho just makes another sleazy smile. "Welcome to Geumho station, Kim Dokja."
With a smile forced on his face, and looking like he wants to punch someone (probably Inho), Dokja thinks, 'What the…? So this is how it's going to be, is it?'
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' is excited.]
Kim Dokja sighed. "I can't believe I didn't realize that's what he'd do beforehand."
That type of person would take advantage of anything whenever they had the chance, so it shouldn't have been a surprise at all.
"God he was such an ass," Jung Heewon muttered, likely recalling her time at Geumho station before Kim Dokja had arrived. "At least you didn't want to put up with his shit."
Well, to be fair, Kim Dokja hadn't wanted to deal with anything too troublesome, but he had to clean up Yoo Joonghyuk's mess somehow. Honestly, he still wished that the protagonist had dealt with them regardless because it would have made everything so much smoother in the end.
[Some constellations dislike the incarnation 'Cheon Inho'.]
Later, Hyunsung explains the station's situation to Dokja while Sangah checks on the woman sitting nearby. There are only 87 people in the station, including Dokja, which is fewer than he expected.
"Only those who were in the cabin and those who were near the station survived." Hyunsung states with a downcast look. "Nobody talks about it, but since everyone cleared the first scenario…"
Everyone here survived by killing others. Everyone here is a murderer.
"Right now, Geumho station is divided into the Major group and the Minor group." Hyunsung continues, looking out at the crowd.
The Major group.
He glances over at Myungoh posturing for the thugs and spouting hot air. "Just trust me! The Chairman is doing what he can. We'll be rescued soon."
"As expected of the young master of Hangyeong Corporation!" One of the thugs remarks, seemingly Myungoh's new groupie.
The Minor group.
On the other side of the station, a mother cradles her young child who whimpers that they're hungry
She attempts to soothe them in a hug. "Just hang on a little longer. We'll be rescued soon."
Meanwhile others are talking amongst themselves, reassuring each other that things will get better and the government is doing what they can.
Even when a hundred murderers gather, they divide themselves in the strong and the weak. That's what humans are like. Did everyone think there was no other way?
[The constellation 'Bald Leader of the Peasant's Army' is calling for a people's revolution.]
Unfortunately, things were never that simple. The oppressed wouldn't rebel unless someone lit a spark to set them off, and everyone in the station had been thoroughly extinguished already.
Inho puts his hand on Myungoh's shoulder once more. "He's right everyone. Don't lose hope. We'll leave this place." With that last sentence he looks over his shoulder at Dokja's group.
"The distribution of food is decided by the Major group. But, since we're running low, we've been assigning people to go scavenge for food." Hyunsung's voice cuts back in, while overflowing garbage cans full of discarded food wrappers are shown on the screen. "Heewon's a part of our group, and she was assigned, too."
"Who's Heewon?" Dokja questions.
"The woman you saved. Her name is Heewon," Sangah states. "To be exact, there were a few others who went too…But only those from the Minor group never returned."
"I see you didn't join the Major group, Hyunsung. I'm sure they would've wanted you as a member of their group." Dokja states, realizing exactly what's going on in the station.
"Oh, that…" Hyunsung pauses. "I thought I should be in the Minor group. I don't know much about ethics or morality, but something didn't feel right about the Major group."
Hyunsung continues while looking down pensively. "But I guess I'm a hypocrite for worrying about right and wrong after everything that's already happened…"
Dokja taps his fist against Hyunsing's chest to get him to stop putting himself down.
"It's better to worry about right and wrong as a hypocrite than not at all. Don't ever forget that." Dokja reassures Hyunsung, who proceeds to tear up as his surroundings get weirdly sparkly.
"That still means a lot to me, you know," Hyunsung said quietly as he sent a smile Kim Dokja's way. "I don't know if any of us could honestly be called good people anymore, but at least we're doing the best we can."
"Ultimately, right and wrong are just what you make of it," Kim Dokja muttered.
When things like laws didn't apply, everything fell back on one's sense of inherent morality. Unfortunately, that meant that "good" and "evil," "right" and "wrong," were entirely subjective. What's the difference between stabbing someone in self-defense and stabbing someone because they have something you need or because you're angry? Is one more righteous than the other when, in the end, someone is still dead and your hands are covered in their blood?
As his thoughts began to drift towards his past, Kim Dokja forced himself to focus back on the segment being shown. Maybe he shouldn't have used that analogy, because now she was on his mind, and that was never a good thing.
"Dokja…" Hyunsung begins before being rudely interrupted by someone to their side.
"Kim Dokja"
Turning to look, the speaker is revealed to once again be Inho, who asks to have a word with him.
Just because the situation was unavoidable doesn't mean it didn't happen, and it must not be forgotten that what happened can never be justified.
"I'm going to get straight to the point," Inho continues. The scene focuses on Gilyoung and Sangah sitting by Heewon while holding onto the stash of food gathered by Dokja.
"Join our group," Inho states, causing Hyunsung to gasp.
'So, that's how it's going to be?' Dokja thinks, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I can offer you a high position. I hope you will lead this group with me."
"And if I refuse?" Dokja replies, clearly unimpressed.
An unappealing close up of Inho's frozen face is shown before his eyes open into slits as he chuckles. "Refuse? Now, that's funny. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind."
He tries to guilt trip Dokja into leading the group by claiming that he's a hero. It's a classic pressure tactic, and Dokja knows it.
"I'm not talking about something grandiose. I'm asking you to cooperate for everyone's survival. Can't you see those poor people suffering?" As Inho's words continue, the camera pans over the crowds of people looking hopefully over in their direction. It cuts back to Dokja's face, which looks thoroughly unimpressed.
Yoo Sangah looked distastefully up at the screen. "I forgot just how much he tried to guilt trip and manipulate you, Dokja-ssi."
Kim Dokja just shrugged. It wasn't the worst he had ever experienced, after all.
"Did he honestly expect this ass to cooperate with him?" Han Sooyoung chuckled. "He'd have more luck cooperating with a corpse."
Okay, that was maybe a bit much.
"I'd like to think that I'm a bit better than a literal dead body," Kim Dokja grumbled, "but you're right that I had no intention of playing into his hands."
[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' agrees with your actions.]
Thanks. At least Kim Dokja knew that the Secretive Plotter was (probably) on his side.
Later, Dokja and Hyunsung are sitting on some chairs, going through the bags of food, as Hyunsung peeks around nervously.
"Should you have refused like that?" Hyunsung asks.
"Did you want me to accept the offer?" Dokja replies flatly.
"No, of course not… I can't stop thinking about what Inho last said to you."
He clearly remembers what the man had said: "Come find me if you have a change of heart."
Though Dokja had thoroughly shot him down, Inho hadn't seemed convinced.
The quick flashback ends as Dokja continues the present conversation. "It's as he said. We'll see what happens."
"Anyways, it's dinnertime. Aren't you all hungry?" Dokja asks Gilyoung and Sangah, offering some of the snacks he found at the store. "Here, take one."
"Really? Can we?" Sangah asks, thankful to be getting some food.
"Hey!" A voice calls out, causing them all to pause in their snack acquisition.
They look up only to see an angry crowd of people looking at them. Multiple people then begin yelling at them simultaneously, accusing them of monopolizing all the food for themselves and stealing it. They want the food to be controlled and distributed by a central governing force—someone like Inho.
The most dangerous type of person in an apocalyptic world isn't someone driven by despair like Bang Cheolsoo.
Through the crowd, Dokja can clearly see Inho on the other side.
'Yes. I remember now. Cheon Inho from Geumho station. The truly dangerous type is the type that uses other people's despair as a fertilizer for power,' Dokja muses while his party members attempt to defuse the situation.
"Choose."
That's what Dokja can clearly read from Inho's scummy lips as he wordlessly questions whether Dokja will become a hero after sharing his food, or if he will become the villain who monopolizes it.
Dokja's face twists in anger. 'Cheon Inho!'
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is shaking her fist at the incarnation 'Cheon Inho'.]
Yeah, that hadn't been a good situation. Still, Kim Dokja had to admit that Cheon Inho was a skilled manipulator, and that backing him and the rest of a group into a corner was a smart decision. It would be much harder to argue against an entire crowd, after all.
Yoo Joonghyuk narrowed his eyes. "Maybe I should have killed him."
That's what Kim Dokja had been hoping for, but it was too late now. Admittedly, he couldn't just ride the protagonist's coattails all the way until the occasions where he needed to step in, but it would have been nice to take it a bit easier at the start.
[The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' is complaining about there not being enough blood.]
Seriously? This constellation couldn't appreciate a good mind game if it killed him. He would definitely be bored out of his mind for the next little while, and Kim Dokja was looking forward to it.