Kim Dokja pointedly didn't look at Yoo Sangah as they waited for the next segment to begin, hoping to avoid any further awkward lines of questioning. At the very least, nothing too serious had happened between the completion of the Theatre Dungeon and the start of the fourth main scenario. Maybe he could take this opportunity to relax a bit.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is pleased that everyone was alright.]
The third main scenario is finally done, and now all that's left is the aftermath.
In Chungmuro, Pildu kneels on the ground surrounded by empty flasks, relieved that the scenario has finally come to an end. On the theatre's roof, Jihye watches over Joonghyuk as the other three prepare to leave. Suddenly, Dokja gets a surprise when a pop up informs them that the fourth main scenario will start shortly. Even though he's unsettled by the short period between scenarios, Dokja tells Jihye to stay with Joonghyuk and to let him know when the protagonist wakes up, griping that he deserves another slap to the head.
As soon as that's done, Dokja carries Gilyoung on his back as he heads down the stairs with Heewon. Along the way, he gets a message from Bihyung and checks that the filtering process went through properly.
The constellations possess great power and wealth, but they aren't omniscient. That means there's information even they don't know of…
The screen shows a brief recap of what the fight might have looked like to the constellations, with Dokja's fervent plea to Joonghyuk heavily filtered.
Perhaps a little more was filtered out earlier, but definitely not anything less. In the original novel, this was how the fact that Yoo Joonghyuk was a 'regressor' had been kept secret in the early chapters.
[several constellations state that the incarnation 'kim dokja' assumed correctly.]
Well, it was good to know that his intuition was right on the mark when it came to how much information was filtered overall. It wouldn't be great if everything had been revealed too early, after all.
"Thanks for carrying me, hyung," Lee Gilyoung said quietly, reaching over and giving Kim Dokja a hug.
Kim Dokja couldn't help but smile in return, affectionately ruffling his hair. The kid really deserved more credit for everything he had done during that fight. If he hadn't been able to contact Titano (II, apparently), or if his control wasn't as good as it was, they all could have easily ended up dead.
Shooting a glance around at the rest of the group, Kim Dokja was unfortunately unsurprised to see an expression of displeasure and frustration gracing Yoo Joonghyuk's incredibly handsome features. It seems he wasn't too fond of the comment about getting slapped again.
Maybe if he didn't say anything, then the protagonist wouldn't direct his anger that way…?
However, in his next message, Bihyung reveals that even he had experienced the filtering, making Dokja question if it was possible to block information from a dokkaebi. After some thought, Dokja suspects that it's linked to the constraints of probability. Bihyung then mentions that since there were so many, he won't send all the indirects that were received. Dokja thanks him and agrees to only see the ones from high paying constellations.
{...what am I, your manager? -_- }
Immediately after, the indirects come through, including a noteworthy one from Secretive Plotter where it mentions he is fascinated by Dokja's existence.
Heewon then speaks up and offers to carry Gilyoung. As Dokja passes Gilyoung off, he notices she clearly has questions and asks how much she heard. When she reveals she did hear a bit, Dokja's face goes stiff as a board and gains a strangled smile as his thoughts reveal his internal panic. He hadn't expected her to be able to hear anything.
"Dokja, who are you really?" Heewon asks bluntly, cutting to the chase.
Dokja looks at the sleeping Gilyoung before responding to her question. "I… am someone who knows a little about the future."
Heewon then questions if anyone else knows and if she'll be killed for finding out. Dokja is clearly caught off guard and asks why she would even think that.
Heewon, who's clearly watched too many mafia dramas, starts listing off cliché lines like "you know too much". Dokja shuts her down and says he didn't bring it up with ill intent, pointing out that the scenarios will only get harder and death looms all around them.
"I'm asking you to be my companion," Dokja states firmly, to her surprise.
Upon hearing Kim Dokja's request, Han Sooyoung whistled, shooting the two of them a wicked grin. "Wow, such a playboy."
What the fuck was she on about now?
And why the hell was Yoo Joonghyuk staring at him while looking like he wanted to disembowel him with his glare alone?
"Excuse me, what?" Jung Heewon asked bluntly, shooting a glare of her own at the plagiarist.
Han Sooyoung, seemingly enjoying the chaos, shrugged and grinned wider. "Considering how that asshole was talking about our dear protagonist earlier, it sounded to me like 'companion' means something a bit more like 'companion', y'know?"
Jung Heewon's lips curved into a scowl, and Lee Hyunsung looked nearly devastated as soon as he realized what the other woman was insinuating. Lee Jihye's jaw dropped and she seemed extremely troubled as well, though Kim Dokja wasn't sure why that would be. She had to be trolling him; she couldn't seriously believe that nonsense, right?
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' does not approve of such a companionship.]
Sorry, Han Sooyoung, but it wasn't like that. Not only did he not think of Jung Heewon in that way, but also he couldn't get in between whatever was starting between her and Lee Hyunsung. It would be like trying to break up Yoo Joonghyuk and Lee Seolhwa—tantamount to sacrilege, in Kim Dokja's opinion!
"Kim Dokja…" Yoo Joonghyuk growled, and Kim Dokja immediately spun around and held up his hands placatingly in an attempt to get him to calm down.
He laughed awkwardly. "What's wrong, Joonghyuk-ah?"
The protagonist's brow furrowed and his scowl deepened. He looked genuinely upset about something, but what could it be? He couldn't think of anything that had happened that would be offending him, unless Yoo Joonghyuk was still extra mad about that slapping comment.
"So you just go around calling anyone a companion," Yoo Joonghyuk scoffed, his glare digging deep into Kim Dokja's soul as he did so.
Did he think that Kim Dokja was flaunting having companions in his face? Considering the fact that Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't think of anyone as a companion since no one else could keep up with him, it made sense that he was this upset. That was… kind of sad, actually.
"No, it's not like that—" Kim Dokja began saying until Jung Heewon cut him off with a furious retort.
"What, are you taking it back?"
[The constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Shut up, not the time.
"No, Heewon-ssi, it's not—"
"Oh my god," Han Sooyoung wheezed, "this is so much better than I thought it would be."
[The constellation 'secretive plotter' is disappointed in the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
[several constellations are enjoying the chaos.]
Seriously, could no one let him finish one goddamn sentence!?
Kim Dokja groaned. What even was his life.
"Heewon-ssi, of course I want you as a companion," Kim Dokja said weakly, "and as for you, Joonghyuk-ah, chill out a bit. Other people are allowed to use the word companion if they want; you don't have to get so upset about it just because you refuse to use it."
Jung Heewon shot him a small smile, but Yoo Joonghyuk's frown deepened further. What was his problem?
Unfortunately, Heewon's answer isn't shown since the video jumps ahead to Chungmuro, where Pildu is interrogating Hyunsung and Sangah for Dokja's whereabouts. The two look relieved when Dokja arrives and calls out to them. As soon as he's close enough, Dokja jumps down to join them and the two run to him like puppies do when their family comes home. As Pildu continues to swear, Dokja does a quick check of his stats using [Character List].
'Gong Pildu. At a glance, it seems his stats rose sharply again.'
Everything is interrupted when pop-ups appear in front of everyone, announcing the fast approaching start of the fourth main scenario. As Bihyung begins to talk, Dokja gives the fuming Pildu a slightly sassy shrug.
Bihyung announces that the fourth main scenario is a cross-station scenario and will be exciting before getting to the point and mentioning the prerequisite of needing a Representative for Chungmuro station. A window appears in front of those present once more, explaining that the 'Representative Election' would be complete when someone grabs the flag in the center of the platform, as well as informing everyone that the leader will gain command over all other members of the station.
"I can't believe the next scenario began so quickly," Yoo Sangah muttered with a frown. "We barely had time to rest."
Kim Dokja shrugged. "We finished our third main scenario later than some other stations—even if we did end it early. We were already behind schedule."
Lee Hyunsung looked confused by that. "Why did they make Chungmuro's third main scenario so long, then?"
That was an excellent question that Kim Dokja did not have an answer to.
[several constellations are wondering about the reasoning as well.]
When in doubt, blame the Star Stream.
As the platform and flag start to materialize, Pildu immediately shoves the other landlords away and runs towards it.
His thoughts are gleeful as he sees his chance for freedom. 'All I need to do is become the 'Representative'! Then even that bastard can't control me…!'
However, Pildu's happiness is quickly cut short when Dokja issues a command. "Gong Pildu, down!"
He immediately faceplants with a loud thud as the contract comes into effect. Dokja then steps on his back as he walks over him and picks up the flag, teasing Pildu by fake-apologizing for not seeing him on the ground.
[You have become the 'Representative' of Chungmuro station. You now have the qualifications to walk the 'King's Path'.]
As soon as it's in Dokja's grasp, the flag becomes real and is labelled as the 'White Flag'. A countdown of five minutes begins, stating that he will be recognized as the leader as long as the flag isn't stolen within the time frame. Dokja muses that Joonghyuk would've originally gotten the position before mentally defending his choice to steal it by reiterating that Joonghyuk was already strong.
Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung cheered as soon as Kim Dokja walked all over Gong Pildu. They really didn't like him, huh?
"I can't believe you really stole the flag from my oppa, you ugly ahjussi," Yoo Mia muttered with a scowl.
Kim Dokja could only sigh. "Hey, he was unconscious and definitely more than five minutes away. There was no way he could have gotten it in the first place, and Yoo Joonghyuk is more than strong enough to get the flag from another station."
He couldn't have let Gong Pildu or another random person pick up the flag and screw over all his plans!
Yoo Joonghyuk still seemed disgruntled, but he did appear to be a bit less offended than before, which was probably a good thing. Was he just calming down, or was the acknowledgement of his strength and Kim Dokja's extremely solid reasoning enough to convince him that this had been for the best? Whichever it was, Kim Dokja would take it without question.
[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is pleased to see the amount of confidence the incarnation 'Kim dokja' has in his companion.]
See? He almost had too much confidence in the guy, sometimes.
Pildu yells at other members of the Coalition to snatch the flag, and many people rush towards him. Dokja's party members rush forward too, albeit for a different reason. Dokja gleefully tosses Hyunsung the shield from the Theatre Dungeon and explains that it's for him, which makes Hyunsung light up like a dog wagging his tail, with the addition of an excessive amount of sparkles.
Hyunsung quickly jumps in front of the party, holding the shield out in front of them and activating [Wide-Scale Defense]—a skill linked to the shield. This surprises the Landlord Coalition, which makes Pildu grit his teeth as he activates [Militarized Zone lvl. 6] in a last-ditch effort to claim the flag. Unfortunately, he is immediately stopped by Dokja who forces him to flop over once more.
"Keep your head to the floor until I let you get up. Also, those turrets are annoying; shut them down."
As Pildu is forced to cancel his skill, Dokja notes that there are more turrets than before. Pildu tries to go with the tried and true method of cursing the man out, but he's only rewarded with being silenced once more.
"Thank you so much again for the shield, Dokja-ssi!" Lee Hyunsung exclaimed, looking just as excited as he had the first time. It was kind of endearing, honestly.
Kim Dokja smiled at him. "It was no trouble at all, Hyunsung-ssi. Plus, you're always defending us, so thank you."
Lee Hyunsung immediately got flustered and looked away, shyly rubbing at the back of his head with his left hand. Seriously, how was such a large and imposing man so shy and mild-mannered?
"Gong Pildu-ssi also improved quite a lot during the scenario," Yoo Sangah mentioned. "Willingly or not, it's a good thing he's cooperating with us."
It really was, especially since that meant he couldn't become one of the Ten Evils in this regression.
[The constellation 'defense master' is hoping that the incarnation 'kim dokja' will treat his incarnation better in the future.]
Kim Dokja grimaced. Yeah… he'd try to work on that. Maybe.
Dokja then addresses the crowd, holding the flag over his shoulder as a thug would a bat. "Right now, everyone here has two options."
Upon hearing his words, many people flinch or step back in fear.
There are a total of 29 people left in this station. Among them, 20 belong to the Landlord Coalition, and there are 9 others, including us.
Dokja notes that there aren't a lot, but he knows that it's time to gather people to 'his side'.
And it's time for them to pick a side as well.
"You can either leave Chungmuro and go to another station, or choose to stay here under me," Dokja tells them before glancing at Heewon and thinking about the moment from before. 'I have to keep only the people I can trust close from now on.'
The screen quickly flashes back to Dokja's question to Heewon, where he brings up that just because they have been allied doesn't make them companions. He then tells her that he needs her strength, and that he could aid her with his knowledge.
Heewon is curious, and decides to ask, "Then, what is my fate in the 'future' you know of?"
At this, Dokja's eyes widen before he hesitantly explains that she was not present in the future he knew. Internally he hopes that this is being filtered as well.
Variables like her, who I personally raised, had no role in the original novel. Perhaps sometime after the fourth scenario, when the second 'Sponsor Selection' begins, she will be able to play an important role in the future scenarios if she chooses a constellation wisely. Especially for times when I'm facing other such unknown variables.
Conflicted, Heewon asks for time to think over her answer.
… And Yoo Joonghyuk's face was back to looking like he had just eaten a whole lemon. Seriously, was he that upset by the idea of other people calling each other 'companion'? Should Kim Dokja rescind his companionship offer to avoid offending him?
"Well, it makes a lot more sense now why you wouldn't have known about me before," Jung Heewon said with a slight laugh. "I never would have guessed that this is what was going on."
Fair, it definitely wouldn't have been anyone's first guess, either. Nobody except for a conspiracy theorist would ever genuinely believe that the world they had known was fictional and that they were mere characters without solid proof.
Kim Dokja smiled back at her. "For what it's worth, I wish you had been a named character in TWSA, Heewon-ssi. You definitely would have gone far."
Considering just how powerful the Mad Butcher had gotten with the same starting attribute, the Judge of Evil definitely would have surpassed them, whoever they were. She was definitely a valuable ally to have, and Kim Dokja was relieved that she had accepted his offer.
[A few constellations agree with the assessment of the potential of the incarnation 'Jung Heewon'.]
Back in the present, Dokja continues ruminating on his past thoughts—notably about the presence of 'The Prophets'. Dokja continues to explain the situation of Chungmuro to the people standing before him, promising that he won't tyrannically ask for rent or survival fees, but that he also won't deal with internal conflicts.
Some of the landlords start talking to Pildu about leaving, but they're cut off by Dokja telling them to leave Pildu behind since he now belongs to Dokja. Naturally, he looks incredibly smarmy the entire time as Pildu looks up at him helplessly.
Five of the landlords decide to leave, and they walk down the tracks leading away from Chungmuro station as the sub-scenario ends. As Dokja muses over the title of 'King' that he's still ineligible for, and the powers he's awarded as the leader, Bihyung snaps his fingers and a new window appears that announces the beginning of the fourth main scenario.
"They were stupid for leaving," Shin Yoosung muttered with a frown. "Everyone knows you survive better in groups."
She wasn't wrong, but Kim Dokja hadn't had any reason to make them stay. They were upset, and it would have caused more problems in the long run.
Yoo Sangah looked upset and angry by the mention of The Prophets, and Kim Dokja had to restrain a grimace. Right. All of that would be coming out soon, wouldn't it? That wasn't going to be good.
Before he could sit and think about possible plans for when the fallout inevitably happened, the segment ended and the screen went dark. He wasn't looking forward to the fourth scenario being recapped like this—especially not the dragon thing—and he had the distinct feeling that he would be getting yelled at quite a bit for some of his actions.
Unfortunately, the constellations didn't seem to be on the same page.
[The constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
[Many constellations anticipate the next scenario.]