#JUNG HEEWON IS KILLING IT THE MOST HERE

[skylark325]

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint Read Through

Chapter 21-31

It dragged Han Myungoh into a tunnel by one of his legs.

>Good drag that bitch away

The nearest, Yoo Sangah, swung her spear but the situation got worse because Han Myungoh held onto her.

>Oh COME ON

The real villain is that boss istfg

Jung Heewon burst out, "Ah…I knew I was going to get cancer because of that uncle."

>lmao?

[The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' resents this frustrating person.]

>Dude same

"If hyung was such a person, you wouldn't have saved me on the subway. I believe in you."

>I would kill for Gilyoung

To be mature and to be an adult were completely different things.

>THIS

i love how introspective dokja is

At that time, someone's voice was heard, "It is all because of Yoo Sangah-ssi!"

fucking hell

[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' hates the character 'Han Myungoh'.]

>Girl same

"Theft? Shit, don't talk bullshit! You should've just got in my car from the beginning!"

>what does that…what

"That…it keeps saying 'become Mother'…"

🫃?

The dark keeper pointed at Han Myungoh this time. "Kallitu!"

>OH

I’d argue dokja is more mother but whatever floats your boat demon

>Oh shit yeah no not dokja, the rich asshole is definitely mother

>demon mpreg CANON?

[The obsessive-compulsive constellations praise your readiness.]

>LMAO so real

"I'm not someone who kills easily." [The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' admires it!]

>No, you have a lying out of your ass policy

[The demon king 'Asmodeus' has put a terrible curse on the person who dealt the final blow!] [Final Blow: Han Myungoh]

>LETSGOOOOO

Love me some demon king curses

[The constellation 'Secretive Plotter' has recommended your scenario to Star Stream.]

>SP just like me fr

I grabbed the greasy hind leg and dug into the flesh. The juices ran from the flesh…I forgot to chew and closed my eyes.

>…is it bad that i wanna how it tastes

Suddenly, I looked up and met Yoo Sangah's eyes. Ha, Yoo Sangah came to her senses and suddenly cried out, "I'm pathetic."

>felt

[Ah, no, why is this thing here?] The alarmed Biryu shouted belatedly. [I-I-It was banned immediately after release!]

>warehouse issues man, you gotta fire your manager

>the novel is so much darker damn. i want to strangle those sexual predators

>heewon loml you’re so badass

Like a person who was born for murder, Jung Heewon killed and killed. If I cut off a man's arm, Jung Heewon stabbed his heart.

>so really he was helping her get more coins 🥹

[You have received 1,500 coins from the character 'Jung Heewon'.]

>did i mention i love her

[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' likes your companionship.] [The constellation 'Abyssal Black Flame Dragon' smiles slyly.]

>difference between a fujoshi and…whatever straight ship fans are called XD

Human physiology didn't stop even in a world like this. Lee Hyunsung also opened his mouth, "Ah, then I will go to the bathroom."

>ok but getting your period in a world like this would be my worst nightmare. like atp i might as well die

[A constellation wearing a straw mat is filled with expectations at your actions.]

[A constellation wearing a straw mat is delighted with your actions.]

[A constellation wearing a straw mat is puzzled by your actions.]

[A constellation wearing a straw mat is appalled by your actions.]

[The constellation 'Bald General of Justice' is happy at this situation.]

>average orv reader experience

He pretended to be okay but perhaps the one with the most terrible trauma in this place was this child.

> 😞

"Who are you? Don't you know that this area is our hunting ground?" In the faint light of the entrance, a girl holding a long sword stood.

>Jihyeeeeee. If she’s here then our buddy must be nearby

Lee Jihye, who was about to leave, turned her head at 'Yoo Joonghyuk'. There was vigilance in her eyes. "…Who are you?"

>she’s like…no way my master has friends so who tf are you

"I don't know. Master's friends?" At Lee Jihye's words, the eyes of the people on the platform became bigger. They looked at us with amazement and awe.

>LMFAO

"He is a good friend."

>Yall skipped first base and were straight up choking each other when you met the first time. Oh yeah i bet he’s a real good friend.

"…Yes. They are small forces, but the Landlord Association has obtained most of it."

>not the fucking land owners association we really can’t escape them anywhere

[The character 'Gong Pildu' demands 500 coins for invading his private land.]

>making a child pay rent typical land owner

In any case, I seemed to be the type that was popular with the bad guys. It was the same with Kim Namwoon.

>that checks out

Gong Pildu smiled like an ordinary neighborhood ahjussi, but I knew… Gong Pildu could never be an ordinary neighborhood ahjussi.

>real ones know no neighbourhood ahjushi is normal

"What is your relationship with Yoo Joonghyuk?" "We are companions separated by life and death."

>real good friends yes

"My best companion is coming."

>dokja your simp is showing

The main character, the lone hero of a drama, was walking by her side. He looked at me with impressively fierce eyes.

>DOKJA YOUR SIMP IS SHOWING

"Have you been well? Your face looks good?"

>flirting in front of everyone’s mother and my salad is this who we are

"Do you have anything to say?" Yoo Joonghyuk asked.

“You have the most luxurious hair and a face sculpted by Gods, truly if I could I would’ve already jumped-“

“I meant…about the scenarios.”

“OH yeah no I know enough, don’t worry.”

However, being cheeky isn't good. Should I just kill him now?

>God yjh would HATE being around middle schoolers. the child death rate would skyrocket

"What are you looking at?"

「······.」

Good job, Jung Heewon.

「 Kill… 」

"Yoo Joonghyuk."

>DOWN DAWG

"I have a lot to do." Yoo Joonghyuk stared at me quietly and said, "You will never understand."

>…about that 😭

"That jerk Yoo Joonghyuk." [The constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Headband' is satisfied.] [100 coins have been sponsored.]

>Talks shit

100 coins sponsored!

"Ah, I hate thinking." Jung Heewon complained.

>relatable

"I don't want ahjussi to die. You were quite impressive against Master earlier."

"Don't worry, I won't die.”

>well…

—

Great as usual. I love reading more of dokja’s thoughts hes such a freak and simp i love it XD

Next: Ch 32-52

Previous: Ch 11-20

Beginning: Ch 1-10

[web-novel-polls]

WN Women Bonus Polls #3: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

[Propaganda below] - Major Spoilers Warning!

Han Sooyoung / Han Suyeong from ORV / Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint

Submission 1: I can't even begin to explain the real reason so I'll just. She's everything. Consumes my every waking thought. Someone else please take the lead and add propaganda for me

Submission 2: 

Han Suyeong is a writer. She is cunning, self-serving and confident. Her avatar skill allows her to divide herself into as many copies as she pleases, and each copy can look like anyone. Her only weakness is that if she loses the copies, she loses memories. She initially starts as an antagonist who is not afraid to murder some people on her way to the top. She gradually bonds with the main character due to their shared knowledge and shared love of stories. *MAJOR spoilers for manhwa readers* She gradually becomes one of the three main characters. She is one of the two people from the main cast to become a constellation (god-like beings living off stories). She spearheads the attempts to rescue the one person who matters most to her, even when it is impossible. Even when everyone else has given up years ago. She dooms whole universes and all their people for her one person. She sacrifices everything.

Wiki Link

Jang Hayoung from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint / ORV

[No Propaganda prepared]

Wiki Link 

Additional Propaganda: 

Propaganda for Jang Hayoung: Transwoman, universe-hopper, canonically the prettiest character. Personifies one of the themes of the book. You can't know anyone just by looking from the outside; or more spesifically - you can't ever know anyone fully. The inside of their heads will always be a mystery for you. You can't ever know if they receive the words you say and the actions you do as you intended them. You can't ever know how the things you do affect another person. You can't ever know them.   But it's worthwhile to try anyway. 

Jung Heewon from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint / ORV

“Just because I am a murderer doesn’t mean I want to keep killing. I don’t want to be a monster.” - Jung Heewon, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Chapter 31 

Jung Heewon rights forever and ever. She’s so funny and cool and witty and funny and good and kind. I’m not far enough or eloquent enough to explain why she’s the best, so here’s another quote: 

“They lived their whole lives inside the cages of their worldview, only to be used by the invaders from the outside. Demanding such people to be brave was the very act of violence itself. Jung Heewon wanted to tell them; tell them that they didn’t have to fight, that she’d do something to resolve this by herself, somehow.” - Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Chapter 395 (Tumblr)

Wiki Link 

Lee Jihye from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint / ORV

Submission: 

Lee Jihye is boisterous, a little childish and even abrasive. She brags, jokes around, gets into teenage hijinks. But under the surface there is a great deal of survivor's guilt, self-loathing and insecurity. She is a traumatized teenager who killed her best friend to live, and has to live with that for the rest of her life. She is an incredibly talented swordsman and a general capable of turning a battle around all on her own. And a girl just trying to learn how to survive.

Wiki Link

Lee Sookyung from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint / ORV

[No propaganda prepared]

Wiki Link 

Uriel from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint / ORV

[No propaganda prepared]

Wiki Link 

Additional Propaganda 1: Cheerful and kind personality, amazing powers for smiting evil, huge rpf shipper. Think fujoshi but for people you actually know in real life 😂

Additional Propaganda 2: Member of the Absolute Good constellations, ships the main character with the protagonist. About to bankrupt her constellation paying for new content for her ship 😉

Yu Sangah / Yoo Sangah from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint

Submission: 

Yu Sangah is a intelligent and hardworking woman with a vast array of skills, which are sadly not optimized for surviving the apocalypse. But there is nothing she can't learn if she puts her mind into it, and soon enough she is a powerful force to be reckoned with.  She has the best interpersonal skills of the main cast and a vast array of knowledge. Her fighting style is graceful, athletic and utterly brutal. She wields dual daggers and threads.  All the while she remains the moral heart of the group, a steadfast support to her friends, and a capable leader in her own right. 

[lee-hakhyun]

kim dokja answers lee hakhyun's question.

can anyone dream when they want to?

he's the oldest dream, the world's most omniscient yet powerless god.

...how many years has kim dokja been here, dreaming? is this still the kim dokja we know?

lhh tells kdj that he doesn't have to handle this. that was why hsy wrote this novel, to have everyone dream, to free him from this eternity. so why..?

「But I'm the only one watching this 'world' right now.」 「Do you think it's better for this world to disappear?」

in the star stream, stories that no one read disappear. if kim dokja wasn't watching this 41st regression, it would disappear. is it right for a world where the tragedy was predetermined to never begin in the first place?

lee hakhyun starts to say that this is still a real world, and if the world is about to end, with more saddess than joy- kim dokja cuts him off, asking if it's better without it.

lee hakhyun can't answer. even if the end is a tragedy, the sadness and joy will still exist. someone would find their own happiness in the destruction.

but someone has died because of this story. jung jaewoo, jung moonho, lee hakhyun can't forget their faces.

「But someone might have lived because of this story.」

people have died due to this story, but others have survived.

like kim dokja. if this story was not created, he wouldn't have survived. there are many kinds of stories. is a sad story bad, and a happy story good? is a story of destruction meaningless? is this world, a tragedy from the start, better off not existing?

tragedy isn't just the star stream's story. even in a world without scenarios, people suffered, starved, killed each other. people still died. is this universe really different from the star stream?

we're all in ruin. life and death are just stories in between. lee hakhyun understands that, but he can't accept it. he's afraid of death, he doesn't like being sad, he's afraid of people disappearing, so he wants to run away. all stories end. unlike him, kim dokja has accepted this. happy or sad, this world was just a story. he read, and he's reading. for an unimaginable amount of years. is this still the kim dokja we know?

he asks. are you still the reader he knows. he doesn't know if he wants kim dokja to lie. to say he's still the protagonist of this story, that he'll solve this somehow. that they'll see the end of the scenarios together.

he responds, "if that's what you think."

he doesn't take that well :(. lhh is nauseous. kim dokja, clearly standing in the snowfield, looked blurry to him. he asks why he's here. why the readers came here.

kim dokja doesn't answer. for some reason or another, he can't answer. there's something wrong with this snowfield. here, it feels like a fairy tale. they conversed like it was a fairy tale. in metaphors, and symbols. this snow garden was a metaphor for 'between the lines'. nothing is written down, but everything is in between. this kim dokja isn't really him. he's the 'oldest dream', scattered throughout the universe. so he must be meeting lhh through expedient. and then he says the most cryptic bs god DAMN it kdj you're making this really hard for me

「We are the ones that make the story, but at the same time, the story writes us. The answer you want, you'll know when you complete your story.」 「What was the asnwer you found? You already read 'WOS'.」 「I read it, and I never finished it.」

all stories are already written and being written at the same time. lee hakhyun has his reponse, now.

kim dokja's question. if stories of destruction are meaningless. he doesn't know the answer yet. but he knows one thing. at least for this world, he'll prevent the destruction. he remembers the readers. dansu ahjussi, kyung sein, killer king and literaturegirl, ye hyunwoo, koo sunah, kim kyungsik.

he will see the end of this world. he remembers jung heewon, who lost her father, and yoo joonghyuk, who suffered a terrible regression.

even if this results in even more changes to this worldline, he will struggle to the end, somehow. maybe his choice will lead to a bigger tragedy for the universe. maybe people will blame him for this. and maybe they're right.

but he's not the 'oldest dream'. he can't dream about such a wide universe.

all lee hakhyun sees is the world in front of him. people who read his story, and are living his story. a little happiness before the ruin.

「Cheon Inho.」 Kim Dokja said. 「No, Hakhyun-ah.」 In spite of myself, I looked up. There was Kim Dokja. The Kim Dokja I knew. Someone who loves stories more than anyone else was talking to me. 「Whatever it may be, tell me a happy story this time.」

he leaves the snow garden. waking up, he notices some changes. the star stream has noticed his existence. ☐☐ is subject to probability restrictions now. some features have been locked until he's qualified.

his 'loss' has been recorded on the 'final wall'.

two so far.

the final wall acknowledges his contribution, and his exclusive skill evolves.

...he will get additional benefits the more 'loss' he collects.

and, his new story has been created.

[The story 'Recorder of Things That Will Disappear' has been born.]

the end of this universe has already been determined. nevertheless, this story has just begun, and lee hakhyun has sentences to write. so he will write.

after all, he still loves this story.

[cittielinks]

In a world where dungeons and hunters alike are slowly emerging, It never came as a surprise that a special department with regards to dealing with such phenomena came into existence as well.

No one would want to work with administrative force when you could be a hero, not Kim Dokja. 

When he found out he was a mere F-class hunter, he gave up on dreaming of becoming one of the greatest hunters in the world. Besides, he hated pain anyway, so he did the second best thing, which was working under the special branch of specializing dungeons. 

When he quit his old job and started working in the department, he was surprised to see no less than seven workers, including him! 

A disaster. 

He was then told by his supervisor, Aileen, that no one wanted to work here all because being a hunter was far more cooler. Kim Dokja clicked his tongue. People these days do not realize that they cannot even go to a dungeon without a specialist like them. He vowed that he would make his department the strongest! 

Now, in the present, Everyone has realized that they cannot enter the dungeon without the permission of the DoDS, nor will they be given pointers on how to survive the dungeon as well. Every since Kim Dokja came and straightened their sad excuse of a deartment, all of the higher ranking tried to get their good side. Jang Hayoung giggled whenever they saw someone beg Aileen or Kim Dokja to let them have a permit to enter. 

Such power really is the best!

“Boss! "Mark greeted

“The leader of the Supreme will be meeting you today regarding about acquiring a permit to be the first group of hunters to enter the new S-class Dungeon in BBusan,"he added.

Kim Dokja groans as he rubs his forehead. 

“For the last time, I am not the boss, Mark! Aileen’s the boss.” 

“She’s currently on vacation! You’re the acting supervisor right now anyway," Mark snickered. 

“Hyung, members of the Judgement as well as the Constellation and Prophecy will be coming here as well," Han Donghoon reminded. The clicks of his keyboard never cease.

“Fuck! It was today?!?"Kim Dokja cursed, feeling another headache coming. 

"Oof." Jang Hayoung stared at their boss with pity. 

Kim Dokja stood up and stared at his colleagues. He was about to call when Lee Hakyun barged into the office, seemingly frightened.

“D-Dokja-yah. The leaders are here–” Lee Hakhyun gulped when he felt glares coming from behind his back. 

“Kill me instead,” Kim Dokja said to no one in particular. 

So here he was in the conference room with Han Donghoon, surrounded by the best hunters in, most probably, the whole world. 

Yoo Joonghyuk, S-class. Attribute: multi. As well as the leader of Supreme along with Kim Namwoon, A-class hunter. A fire attribute. 

Jung Heewon, S-class. Water attribute and the leader of Judgement. 

Uriel, S-class. a purification attribute and a member of the Constellation. 

Lastly, Anna Croft, Unknown Attribute, S Class, is the leader of Prophecy. 

Kim Dokja wanted to just melt and be dead until this meeting ended. He beckoned Kim Namwoon to get Han Donghoon away from the conference room. The man grinned and dragged the poor man out of the room. He sighed. 

“It’s been awhile, Dokja-ssi! "Uriel greeted! As always, seeing Uriel smile is the best, he thought. 

“It’s been awhile, Uriel-ssi! I thought Plotter would be coming here," he asked. 

“Call me noona! "She huffs. 

“Uriel-ss– noona.” 

“Good! Well, that guy is taking care of his forest or something. He told me to tell you that he would be visiting at a later date or something.” 

Before Kim Dokja could reply, A loud bang from Yoo Joonghyuk’s side was heard. He frowned as he was about to scold him. Anna Croft beat him to it. 

“Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi should refrain from breaking Mr. Dokja’s stuff lest you won’t be giving priority over the dungeon," she said, her blonde hair simply swaying by the power outburst of the man. 

“Even if you guys are exes, you should give basic respect to other people. Ah, but you don’t even know that–” 

“N-now! Now! Let’s hold our horses.” Jung Heewon tried to calmly settle everyone. 

Everyone started to argue with each other, even as going as far as using their abilities. 

Luckily, his F-class body has such a special nullification that even if people, no matter their class, tried to oppress him, they could not do so because of his somewhat cooler ability. 

Luckily, he had asked Kim Namwoon to drag Han Donghoon out, or else it could be worse. 

“Everyone, calm down.” 

Inside the room filled with the greatest hunters, everyone froze. 

Kim Dokja sighed, and almost everyone was jolted by the sudden action. 

He then dragged his eyes to everyone inside the room. 

“I refuse to speak to ALL of you right now. So get out.” His voice doesn’t have a speck of emotion. If any of his employees would have seen this type of situation, They would run out. They refuse to experience the devil! 

“Out NOW! ” 

Slowly, everyone went out dejected; only Yoo Joonghyuk left. 

“Kim Dokja. Can we talk? "He asked softly. There was distance between the two of them.

“No.”

“Just for 5 minutes. Let’s talk about us.” 

Kim Dokja glared at the man. 

“No! We broke up, Yoo Joonghyuk, remember that? You were the one who broke up with me because you wanted to be a S-class hunter. Not me. So get out. I don’t want to talk to you.” 

“Kim Dokja..” 

“...”

Yoo Joonghyuk sighed and stared at Kim Dokja for a second, and then he left. He did no forget to drag Kim Namwoon with him. 

Once Kim Dokja was sure the man was gone. He slumped in his seat. 

What a tiring day!

[jankillbride]

[ID: three digital sketches of Kim Dokja holding Lee Gilyoung in various positions. In the left most sketch and the top right sketch, Lee Gilyoung is held in something like a princess carry. In the bottom right sketch, Lee Gilyoung is perched on one of Kim Dokja’s arms and the other arm is supporting him, as if he’s sitting on a chair. End ID]

true fact, i searched up “ben affleck.holding dog like sack of potatoes” to get this ref

this is just orv thoughts since i’m reading it for the first time and the tags maxed out on me :( so i’m moving all my predictions and whatnot here. it does exist in my annotations but i want to group them together. if you decide to read pls don’t give spoilers, i only just finished ch 50.

absolutely would die for gilyoung. each time kim dokja goes ‘this kid is cute’ i’m like yes he absolutely is. also wish i started a counter for how many times he pats gilyoung’s head/strokes his hair cause that man is fond.

also i wrote a fic where people were like. comparing one aspect to it to orv and now that i’m getting deeper into yoo joonghyuk (ish) i can’t wait for this man to go through agonies

it’d be interesting if a regression did happen and then we’d get kdj’s narration as it was in the beginning of the novel, though yjh would act differently cause he’s interested in this new prophet. also he did try to recruit gilyoung at a point, and gilyoung might’ve said yes if there was no dokja. so.

also let’s talk about bugs. because in the beginning humans were compared to insects. and that puts me in mind of the three body problem. but more relevantly, gilyoung’s ability is with bugs, and gilyoung is most definitely supposed to at least be a parallel to dokja. so it’s very inch resting

also the re-occurance of a maternal-son relationship. (maternal as in someone is fulfilling that role somehow) and how deficiencies in that have different outcomes. there’s gilyoung and the woman on the train, dokja and his mother, the mother and child at that one place where she encouraged her child to kill (i actually forget if the child was a boy but i think so), and jung heewon with her slightly younger brother (she had to fulfill the parental role (at least she had to force him to go to school) when her mother didn’t do that).

secretive plotter. so i think that they’re either a young yoo joonghyuk or some version of him. i used to think it was young/alt version of dokja partially cause he’s a reader and secretive plotter. but my friend who knows the ending said it wasn’t him. there is an author character though, so maybe it’s a version of her? or wait, one slight spoiler i know is that she was the original writer but dokja thinks she plagiarized off of someone else, and that someone else could be secretive plotter. which would make more sense considering all the scenarios follow ways of survival and so some outside force should be enacting this.

i think dokja might become a constellation in the end. i know people are conflicted about the ending and kdj possibly ends up separated from everyone but it’s happy for him? anyways becoming a constellation would lead to that. and becoming a constellation would mean he has the power to remain a ‘reader’ if he chooses, by watching the streams. but at the same time he can choose not to. he can no longer participate in this story. he can leave the narrative and i think that’s nice. it’s also part of the reason that i thought he could be secretive plotter, since there’s the potential for him to become a constellation, and perhaps in a parallel universe, a young dokja lives through ways of survival and watches orv dokja to see how he would’ve been in another world, had he had the chance to grow up and know what the apocalypse would be like. it would also serve as an additional parallel or foil to gilyoung because gilyoung doesn’t have the choice to grow up in a non apocalyptic world

[web-novel-recs]

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Thoughts, Chapters 1-100

I actually had a really hard time getting through the beginning of ORV since it’s building to emotional pay-offs VERY slowly. The first 100 chapters are a bit of a blur for me, but I already wrote my thoughts for Chapters 101-150 so. Uh. Here’s my even more biased than usual thoughts

Likes

Jung Heewon. She was my guiding light of having a clear and distinct personality right from the start. 

I want Lee Gilyoung’s ability so fucking bad. Do you understand how badly I blacked out with jealousy once I learned about it?

I think Yoo Joonghyuk was the first person to voluntarily tell Kim Dokja his attribute, or, at the very least, the vibe was that most were keeping their attributes, skills, sponsor, etc. a secret for tactical advantages. That scene made more of an impact due to this, and I enjoyed Yoo Joonghyuk genuinely being a good teacher. 

Speaking of, I'm genuinely fond of how Kim Dokja’s kind of a loser at times. He’s got tons of flaws that I am unfortunately tuned into as well as my own. I also think it’s meaningful in how Han Sooyoung is the one who constantly calls him out on his attempts to be an omniscient reader/schemer. 

Yoo Sangah choosing to save and believe in others because she was saved and believed in (Chapter 46, Chapter 95). Han Donghoon’s belief in people with wall as a way of understanding (Chapter 60). Yoo Joonghyuk’s refusal to give up (Chapter 82). Kim Dokja’s casual admittance that WOS was “ruined” by surviving alone (Chapter 31). Kim Dokja wanting to see the epilogue (Chapter 42).

“I believe in you more than the future that hasn’t come yet.” - Kim Dokja to Shin Yoosung, Chapter 97

Destroying the Absolute Throne & that one anti-grind set line: 

"Working up to build up history to become a constellation and then building up narratives to become narrative-grade constellations… then what? The higher the sky, the brighter the star? How long will you continue using the descendants of this land for your own sake?”  Kim Dokja, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Chapter 72

Scamming 👍

Dislikes

I know why Kim Dokja did it, and me disliking it adds credit to the story itself since I believe it’s supposed to be part of Kim Dokja’s moral complexity, but I did not like killing off Kim Namwoon, even if I agree with adding into the story itself. It’s not the fault of ORV but of Kim Dokja, in my opinion, for killing a 17-year-old AFTER you’d already found a work-around. I just don’t think it’s justifiable, and I did kind of hate him for a bit ngl (unfortunately, some of the reasons I disliked him were because I saw my own flaws in him, so it’s just a never ending cycle 😞)

The tentacle mpregging of Han Myungoh was funny and shocking at first, but, uh. Just personally not a fan of forced pregnancy on anyone, regardless of gender or what kind of person they are.

A lot of plot lines and characters just felt like they dropped off or didn’t really start. I think it will be much better as I read more, but the first 100 chapters are very plot-heavy & I just. could not connect or get into a lot of it due to the lack of insight into other characters, but that may also just be me

[godza]

 i have put the entirety of 188 on my keyboards paste so i will have the entire chapter on hand for torment. heres a snippet

“…If I use this, you can’t be resurrected.” “That’s why you are going to use it. It would be difficult if I came back again as a demon king.” “…” “What if the scenario ends up being ruined? You should stop thinking about it.” Yoo Jonghyuk glared at me without speaking. 「 Do you have an idea? 」 I just laughed at his question. Yoo Jonghyuk hesitated before eventually pulling out a sword. The Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds. Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi. It was a sword obtained from Yamata no Orochi in Peace Land. Yoo Jonghyuk spoke in a somber voice, “I hoped the moment where I had to use this would never come.” “Me too. However, now is the time.” [The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ feels despair.] [The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is sighing deeply.] [The constellation ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring’ is holding her breath.] The power acquired by a story will eventually collapse because of a story. My attribute of Eight Lives was derived from the power of Yamata no Orochi. This power was bound to be vulnerable to the weapon of death that killed Yamata no Orochi. Perhaps I would lose all my remaining lives if I was cut by this sword. Yoo Jonghyuk opened his mouth. “…To be honest, there is no certainty in this. The duration of Giant Body Transformation is over and I’m not confident in my current attack power.” “Don’t worry about it.” I could see Shin Yoosung furiously shaking her head towards me. [The constellation who doesn’t yet have a name has given his incarnation a ‘stigma’.] There was a dazzling light and my stigma nestled inside Shin Yoosung. [The stigma ‘Sacrifice’s Will Lv. 1’ has been activated!] The stigma caused a brilliant glow to emerge from Shin Yoosung’s body. [The master of the stigma risks his life for others.] [The attack power of the party is greatly increased in proportion to the desperation of their lives.] The exhausted eyes of my party members started to become energetic again. Sacrifice’s Will. It was a stigma that didn’t really suit me. One thing was for certain. My death was now confirmed. “Thank you for everything.” [The remaining capture time is 3 minutes.] The party members were running. Lee Hyunsung, Jung Heewon, Shin Yoosung, Lee Gilyoung, Yoo Sangah, Gong Pildu, Lee Jihye… They cried, screamed or were filled with deep anger. Everyone was coming towards me. My vision gradually diminished and all the characters became the landscape. I saw them and laughed. 「 Incarnation Kim Dokja will be killed by the person he loves most. 」 I had forgotten. All prophecies couldn’t be interpreted literally. In this Star Stream, people were stories. [The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ is looking at you.] [The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is looking at you.] [The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is looking at you.] [The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ is looking at you.] [The constellation ‘Maritime War God’ is looking at you.] As the gazes of countless stars in the sky poured towards me, a story was running towards me. “Ahhhhhh!” Parents, friends and lovers were all stories. [The remaining capture time is 2 minutes.] This wasn’t the Ways of Survival I knew but—It was a story more wonderful than Ways of Survival. [A constellation of a small planet is looking at you.] [All the constellations on the Korean Peninsula are looking at you.] It was my story. I laughed as Yoo Jonghyuk’s sword pierced my heart. [Your fate has been realized.] My body slowly sank down and Yoo Jonghyuk held onto me. “Kim Dokja.” “It was a really great story. Isn’t that right?” Yoo Jonghyuk stared down at me silently. I couldn’t find any words and just watched. It was as if I had always been meant to do this. [The effect of the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds has destroyed all remaining extra lives.] [You can no longer resurrect.] I finally looked up at the sky. The clusters of nebulae were in the centre of the night sky. Vedas, Olympus, Papyrus… I would never forget what they had done. Then the sky blinked. [The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ doesn’t wish for your death.] The stars shone brightly as if in response to my will. [The constellation ‘Abyssal Black Flame Dragon’ doesn’t wish for your death.] [The constellation ‘Secretive Plotter’ doesn’t wish for your death.] [The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ doesn’t wish for your death.] I looked at the sky and laughed. Due to these guys, I hated the constellations but I couldn’t hate the story. “Let’s meet again, Yoo Jonghyuk.” The power of the demon king disappeared and at the same time, strength drained from me. [The main scenario has ended.] [Seoul Dome has been freed.] A small black hole appeared in the air behind me. My body was slowly being sucked into it. My legs, my torso, my arms…they turned into powder and were slowly being sucked in. “Kim Dokja! No! Kim Dokja!” At the last moment, he tightly held me by the neck. However, it was already too late. My vision turned black and I was sucked into an empty void. The eyes of the constellations watching me started to disappear one by one. I was leaving the area of the channel. [The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ doesn’t wish for your death!] In the distant night sky, one star desperately blinked at me. [The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ doesn’t wish for your death!] Yes, you can stop now. Uriel. [The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’…] Thank you. The stars in the night sky went out one by one and Incarnation Kim Dokja’s story finally ended. [The constellations of the absolute good system have withdrawn the mark of ‘evil’ from you.] [Your incarnation body has completely been destroyed.] [You have failed the scenario.] Read Latest Chapters at wuxiaworld.eu [You have been expelled from the scenario.] [The Star Stream will announce your modifier.] In the faraway darkness, the Star Stream was quietly whispering to me. [Your modifier is the ‘Demon King of Salvation’.]

[salahare]

I’m going to drop this here Excellent dance cover with ORV cosplayers QwQ

[my-soul-sings]

Fandom: Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint  Characters: Kim Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk

Summary: This was a game, and he was the lone player in this universe. Or at least, he used to be, until he met him. 

Based on chapters 178, 188 and 226 of the light novel (spoilers ahead).

***

This was a game, and he was the lone player in this universe. 

Yoo Joonghyuk stared down at his empty hands, calloused and stained with the blood of the countless lives he’d slain to get to where he is now. But it didn’t matter. This was a game, and his goal was to win. If he failed, he’d just start over. Reset. Regress. It was simple. 

At the same time, it was lonely. 

Sometimes, he wished he could live like the people he saw all around him: fighting with their companions, protecting each other, and dying together.

But it was a wishful thought that he dismissed quickly every time it tugged at the back of his mind. It was impossible to live that way — after all, he would probably lose his companions anyway. They would either die or forget about him once he regresses. It was much easier to treat people as NPCs and tools, their worth determined by how useful they could be to him in this game. And if he failed, he’d leave them behind and start over to give it another shot. 

The goal, ultimately, was to win. Emotions would only shackle his feet.  

So why was he feeling so damn pissed? 

Kim Dokja was sitting across him on a bed, tubes strung to his body and hooked to a machine. He’d just woken up after being unconscious for a full week. Despite the man’s battered body, Yoo Joonghyuk still felt an urge to give him a punch in the gut for good measure. 

“When did you come here?” Kim Dokja asked. 

Yoo Joonghyuk forced himself to look away and took a seat in a chair by the bed, pouring himself a cup of tea. Supposedly, tea could calm nerves. He took a sip. 

It didn’t work. In fact, it was bitter. His fingers refused to budge from the fist that had been formed.

“Two days ago.” 

He heard a long sigh of relief, and the fist loosened slightly. He received a couple more questions about how he managed to survive the exile penalty, and once they were answered, an awkward silence settled in the room. 

It was strange. Yoo Joonghyuk had come in with the intention of yelling at Kim Dokja and giving him a piece of his mind for all the shit he’d put him through, but at this moment, he couldn’t find the words to say. His tongue didn’t move when he glanced over at Kim Dokja’s conflicted face. He promptly returned his gaze to his cup, as if the tea would give him answers. 

It didn’t. The only thing in his mind was the anger he’d held in since the time he realised that it was this man spreading his name in the demon realm. Mainly though, he was pissed at the number of times this guy had gone and jumped straight into hell to save his party. It was almost like that reckless idiot was actively searching for opportunities to kill himself. 

Yoo Joonghyuk hated it with every fiber of his being—because there was no greater pain than losing a companion.

Maybe he was being a hypocrite, but he didn’t care. Just like how he never cared about the cries of his party members when they watched him die, watched his life bleed out from his wounds and trickle past his twitching fingertips. After all, he could simply regress and recruit them again. He would regress until he won this cursed game. 

But this guy, Kim Dokja... he was different. He wasn’t a regressor. He obviously had many cunning tricks up his sleeve, but he wasn’t invincible and his luck would eventually run out. 

Yoo Joonghyuk thought it had completely run out when Kim Dokja turned into the demon king. He still remembered the moment he held the dying man in his arms, desperately trying to keep him from turning into dust and from being absorbed into the black hole. 

Of course, it didn’t work. His hands had come up empty, despite his desperate cry of Kim Dokja’s name. 

It was funny in a way. For someone who abandoned people as frequently as he did, when the tables turned on him he didn’t know how to deal with it at all. 

“The others… are they doing well?”

Of course he would ask about them. Maybe he was feeling guilty for pulling that stunt on everyone like that—as he should. “Lee Hyunsung went to the army. Jung Heewon and Lee Jihye are training new incarnations. They are strengthening their power in preparing for the future disaster scenarios.”

The stories about the others continued, the words forming and leaping off Yoo Joonghyuk’s tongue in fluid succession. As he spoke, Kim Dokja would interject with some questions of his own, and the tense muscles in Yoo Joonghyuk’s shoulders began to relax. Maybe it was the tea. It had been a while since he had such a civil conversation with that man.

Kim Dokja listened attentively, with a sad smile tugging on his lips. 

“Everybody is busy living.”

Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t miss the lonely gaze in his companion’s eyes. He understood it. Being forgotten by the companions you fought alongside with—he knew the feeling well. He was reminded of it every time he regressed and met their eyes again for the first time, and the unrecognition and suspicion in their eyes never failed to make his chest ache. 

“In addition, everyone is telling your story.”

Maybe he should have said it sooner without that long pause in between. But in that moment of silence when he stared at Kim Dokja’s sorrowful eyes, Yoo Jooghyuk felt understood for the first time. Being a regressor was a lonely thing, not just because it was a path he treaded alone, but because no one else could empathise or understand him.

“They say it a lot, your story.” 

No one else, except for Kim Dokja, it seemed.

The corners of the man’s lips lifted into a small smile as he covered his eyes, as if embarrassed by the fact. As if he could be embarrassed—he was easily one of the most shameless people Yoo Joonghyuk had met.

But it wasn’t a bad trait.

Yoo Joonghyuk took another sip of his tea, which somehow tasted less bitter now. He must have gotten used to the taste. 

“Let’s go back to Earth, Kim Dokja,” he said.

Their eyes met, and no other words were needed. 

[ravs6709]

Kiss The Cook- YJH & Kimcom

This fic was inspired by this post here by @kaptainkoalaoshiz . I saw it and had inspiration, and it's just short and sweet fluff, which happens to be my specialty

Technically takes place post epilogue, but other than some vague spoiler in the beginning, there's not really much spoilers, I think. It's my first orv fic, so I'm still kinda getting a hang of writing the dynamic, but enjoy!

Warnings- none, I think?

•~•~•~•~•~•

Han Sooyoung was the first in their group to wake up. Upon realizing that she was the only one awake, she grabbed her laptop and added on to her latest novel that she'd been writing. After a while, she couldn't figure out what to write next, so she got up and took a walk.

As each day passed by, the streets of Seoul began to look more like they did before the apocalypse. While it'd been over for a long time now, she still had to get used to being able to casually walk down the streets without the threat of a scenario looming.

It would have been an ordinary day- she'd finish her walk before going home, eat breakfast (mostly likely made by Yoo Joonghyuk), write some more until she'd make Kim Dokja read it over, argue with him over the edits being made, the usual.

Except… as she passed by a shop, a particular item caught her eye. She bought the item and walked home, a grin on her face.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Yoo Joonghyuk walked into the kitchen to make breakfast. In the past, he only cooked for himself, but once he started living with the others, everyone agreed that since he was the best cook, he'd make the most of the meals for everyone.

(He protested at first, then reluctantly agreed because he didn't like eating food cooked by other people. But it became something he enjoyed, the delighted smiles on their faces as they ate their meals made him feel a little warmer.)

He picked up his apron, then frowned. It looked similar to his apron- dark and plain- but there was writing on the front that definitely did not belong to his apron. The text was white, and read, "Kiss The Cook. "

It took him less than a second to know that this was a trap. The problem was, he didn't know who had switched the aprons, or when it had happened. Kim Dokja and Han Sooyoung would definitely pull a prank like this, but he wouldn't be surprised if they'd gotten Jung Heewon or even Yoo Mia involved. That meant that there were plenty of spots where his apron could be, and if Yoo Mia was involved, it meant that he wouldn't be getting his apron back, since she'd have it stored in her inventory.

With a resigned sigh, Yoo Joonghyuk put on the apron and started making breakfast.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Kim Dokja woke to the scent of food. He brushed his teeth, then went into the kitchen to see what was being prepared.

"Breakfast isn't ready," Yoo Joonghyuk said, not even bothering to turn around and look at him. "Get out of the kitchen."

Naturally, Kim Dokja did not not leave, and instead took a few steps forward.

"Oh, this looks good," he remarked.

"Of course it does," Yoo Joonghyuk replied, angling his body to turn away from him. "Now leave."

"What are you hiding?" He asked, moving so he could stand in front of him.

"Nothing, now get out." Except that he was still turning away.

It took nearly thirty seconds of moving around (and listening to Yoo Joonghyuk's threats) until Kim Dokja could finally see what he was trying to hide.

"Oh," he said, eyes falling on the writing. He grinned. "Well, don't mind if I do."

Kim Dokja gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, then ran out of the kitchen. "This wasn't my idea!" He yelled.

"What are you yelling about?" Han Sooyoung asked. She turned to look at where he'd been running from. "Oh, that makes sense."

"Was it your idea?" He asked.

She nodded, a grin on her face. "He's lucky that I only found the apron in black. Either way, he'll probably kill me. Well, he'll kill you first. I wish I got to see his reaction when you went in."

"What did you do to oppa?" A high pitched voice asked. Kim Dokja and Han Sooyoung turned to see Yoo Mia.

Somehow, the grin on Han Sooyoung's face grew larger. "Let's go see him right now."

Kim Dokja stood at the entrance to the kitchen while Han Sooyoung and Yoo Mia walked inside. As Han Sooyoung approached Yoo Joonghyuk, he picked up a knife and pointed it at her, all without turning around.

"Leave the kitchen, Han Sooyoung," he ordered.

"Put that away," she warned. She picked up Yoo Mia in her arms. "You can't go around pointing a knife at your own sister."

Slowly, he turned around. He took one look at Yoo Mia looking at the knife disappointedly, then put the knife down.

"How'd you even know it was me in the first place?" she asked.

"Kim Dokja was just here, I figured you'd come next."

She shrugged. "Mia, do you see what it says on his apron?" She stepped closer towards him. "You know what to do."

Yoo Mia wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, then gave him a kiss on his cheek. She was loud about it, something Yoo Joonghyuk would scowl at, but because it was his sister, his expression actually softened instead. Han Sooyoung took that chance and stood on her toes to kiss him on the cheek too.

"Why are you so tall ?" she muttered with a curse.

"You're just short."

She cursed then left the kitchen. She put Yoo Mia down, who ran off.

"What a coward, bringing Mia with you," Kim Dokja told Han Sooyoung.

"Not all of us lack self-preservation skills," she replied. "It's called being strategic."

He opened his mouth to reply, but then Yoo Sangah passed by them.

"Good morning Dokja-ssi, Sooyoung-ssi," she greeted.

The two of them greeted her back, then watched as Yoo Sangah walked into the kitchen.

"Oh, I see," she said, looking at the apron Yoo Joonghyuk was wearing. She kissed him on the cheek, and unlike with the two of them, he didn't scowl. "Thank you for breakfast, and for everything else, Joonghyuk-ssi."

He nodded slowly.

The rest of Kim Dokja's Company began to get up, and quickly caught on to what was happening, each of them going to give Yoo Joonghyuk a kiss. 

"What do you look so confused about?" Jung Heewon asked. "You look like Dokja-ssi every time we tell him that we love him. Well guess what, you're a part of the family too." She kissed him on the cheek.

Before Yoo Joonghyuk could say anything, Jung Heewon left the kitchen.

("Do I really make that kind of face?" Kim Dokja whispered.

"Yeah, you do," Han Sooyoung replied.)

It was heart-warming when Lee Hyunsung carried Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung on his shoulders so the kids could give him kisses, before leaning down himself to give him a kiss on the forehead.

"Hey Master," Lee Jihye greeted. She kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks." Then she left.

Lee Seolhwa walked in soon afterwards. If it'd been in the past, it might have been awkward as she kissed him on the cheek. But after all the years that had passed by, it wasn't, and as she walked out of the kitchen, his lips curved up in a slight smile.

After breakfast was finished, Yoo Joonghyuk called everyone over so they could take their shares. Kim Dokja noticed that Yoo Joonghyuk had an odd expression on his face, but before he could figure out what it was, the apron was being forced onto him by strong arms.

In the past, Kim Dokja might have been able to overpower him, but at this point, the protagonist was clearly stronger. The apron was put on him with little resistance.

"It's your turn," Yoo Joonghyuk said, then held Kim Dokja tightly, leaning down to press a quick kiss to his forehead.

The rest of Kim Dokja's Company took the chance to shower Kim Dokja in affection too. By the end of it all, they were all smiling.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Orv taglist- @subrosasteath

I may or may not write more stuff for orv, but if you wanna be added to the taglist, just lmk

[luxaofhesperides]

my body slaughterhouse

In the quiet moments in-between everything, Yoo Joonghyuk looks to Kim Dokja. Or: Yoo Joonghyuk just wants to care for Kim Dokja if only he'd stay still for a goddamn second.

joongdok, 2.7k; an orv fic about gentleness.

also on ao3, with author’s notes if you want to read that sort of thing.

. . .

Yoo Joonghyuk is not used to being soft. His hands are made for breaking things, not saving them; he has never been able to save anyone, including himself. The lives he’s lived, going back to that fateful day the world ended, have made him cold and cruel. There is a distance between him and the rest of the world that no one can cross.

He walks this world alone. He knows better than to expect anyone to keep up with him.

He knows better than to get attached.

But Kim Dokja, impossible and unpredictable, forced his way into Yoo Joonghyuk’s life and declared them companions. And suddenly Yoo Joonghyuk is not the one walking ahead of everyone else, alone; now, he chases after Kim Dokja, time after time, reaching for him, always a step behind.

Kim Dokja is here, in this regression, and that is all that matters.

 It’s quiet, tonight. There is no terrible tragedy hanging over their heads, or an enemy lying in wait for them. Tonight, they can rest.

Compared to his past regressions, everyone is lighter. They are not the same as they were before, at the beginning. No one is. But that heaviness they carried, that burden that slowly dragged them down, it’s not here.

Shin Yoosung smiles as she talks to Kim Dokja. Lee Gilyoung is relaxed on the ground, leaning back against Kim Dokja. They’re just kids, thrown headfirst into the scenarios, and Kim Dokja saved them, like he saved everyone else here. It’s no wonder they’re so attached.

Yoo Joonghyuk is too, even if he can’t bring himself to say it.

The others chat quietly in between eating. Something warms in Yoo Joonghyuk’s chest as he watches everyone enjoy his cooking. Kim Dokja too was taking time to savor his food. He was glad; he had put the best pieces on Kim Dokja’s plate.

It’s hard showing care, when he’s so used to everyone he cares for dying. It’s hard to show care when he’s the only one left in the end, and nothing he does can save them.

Kim Dokja meets his eyes; Yoo Joonghyuk had been staring for too long.

-Do you have something to say?  he asks through Midday Tryst.

-No. Go back to eating.

Kim Dokja doesn’t look like he believes him, but that doesn’t surprise him. Out of everyone, Kim Dokja knows Yoo Joonghyuk best. It still stuns him, the lengths he’ll go to ensure Yoo Joonghyuk survives.

It’s not just the world Kim Dokja intends to save, but Yoo Joonghyuk also.

So used to being to one in control, leading others and taking charge in the scenarios, it’s strange to be on the other side of that. To follow after someone else, to have faith in them to get through anything. To be willing to die to see their goals come to being.

Kim Dokja is the only one Yoo Joonghyuk would feel this way for. No one else compares.

Under his gaze, Kim Dokja flushes and ducks his head. He urges the kids to eat and does not look at Yoo Joonghyuk again.

That’s fine. Yoo Joonghyuk is satisfied with keeping Kim Dokja fed. It’s the least he can do for someone who died for him time and time again.

  “Why aren’t you sleeping,” Yoo Joonghyuk says. It’s more an accusation than a question, and perhaps that’s what makes Kim Dokja glare at him. Yoo Joonghyuk glances down at the phone Kim Dokja was so focused on, looks at its blank screen, and irritation quickly fills him.

“I wasn’t aware I had a bedtime,” Kim Dokja says, staring up at him defiantly. The circles under his eyes are dark, and will likely get even darker. For someone who always saves him, he doesn’t care for himself at all. It irks Yoo Joonghyuk.

“How do you expect to fight well if you’re too tired to function?”

“I’ll be just fine. It’s not like I need a lot of sleep in the first place.”

Yoo Joonghyuk is familiar with the urge to punch him, but it’s particularly strong at that moment. “Don’t be stupid,” he growls instead, “You’re no good to anyone when you’re exhausted. Go to sleep.”

Kim Dokja rolls his eyes. “Honestly, Yoo Joonghyuk, you’re worried over nothing. I’ve gone without sleep before, I can do it again.”

That such an infuriating man could give hope to so many others baffles him. That such an infuriating man is someone Yoo Joonghyuk is willing to die for is even more ridiculous. But this stubbornness is exactly why they’re all here today. He’s not as mad as he wants to be; he never is when it comes to Kim Dokja.

“Come,” he says, grabbing Kim Dokja’s arm, “I will make sure you sleep.”

“Yoo Joonghyuk!” He tries to pull away, but all that does is make Yoo Joonghyuk tighten his grip. “This is ridiculous! Let me go!”

He doesn’t bother answering. Instead, he drags Kim Dokja to his room and all but throws him on the bed. Kim Dokja sits up and stares at him.

“What has gotten into you lately?”

Yoo Joonghyuk considers. He wants to take care of Kim Dokja. Repay him for everything he’s doing for him, for all of them. He wants Kim Dokja to care a little more about himself, but until then, Yoo Joonghyuk is content with doing it for him. He wants to be gentle to the man who saved him, reminded him of the value of life, gave him a reason to continue on. He wants to hold Kim Dokja close so that he doesn’t die again, wants to protect him because one of these days his death will be permanent and that is the one thing Yoo Joonghyuk absolutely cannot survive.

He doesn’t know how to say all this. It gets caught in his throat, his chest. So he says nothing.

“Yoo Joonghyuk?”

Kim Dokja looks confused. Lost. There’s red in his cheeks and a tremble in his hands. It makes Yoo Joonghyuk’s heart ache.

He walks to the bed and guides Kim Dokja away from the edge. Kim Dokja lets him, watching his movement with wide eyes.

Yoo Joonghyuk climbs onto the bed, sits against the headboard, and pulls Kim Dokja to rest against his side.

“Yoo Joonghyuk?” he asks again, voice quieter, softer. Pressed against his side, with Yoo Joonghyuk’s arm around his shoulders, Kim Dokja feels vulnerable. Soft, like he might break at any moment.

Everything he feels tangles into a knot in his throat. What he wants to say won’t come out. Instead, he says, “I will stay and make sure you sleep.”

Kim Dokja stares at him for a long moment, then slowly, tentatively, relaxes against him. It feels like a testing of waters, a careful surrender.

It’s something Yoo Joonghyuk has noticed bust hasn’t given much thought. Kim Dokja doesn’t touch others easily. If he does, it’s quick and easy to miss. A hand on a shoulder, a pat on the back, here for a moment then gone in the next. He keeps a physical distance between others, save for the kids, and Yoo Joonghyuk has to wonder, has anyone really touched Kim Dokja? Held him as Yoo Joonghyuk does now, let him know the warmth of others, how grounding the weight of another can be?

This is not a question he will ever have answers to. But he does know that he is holding Kim Dokja, can feel the weight of him on his chest, not an unpleasant weight but a comforting one.

Kim Dokja turns his face into Yoo Joonghyuk’s chest. When he speaks, his voice is muffled. “If you plan to sleep here, then don’t sleep sitting up. I don’t want to hear you complaining about a sore neck tomorrow.”

He doesn’t know how much time passes, but Kim Dokja falls asleep, relaxing completely as his breath evens out. In sleep, his face is much softer. He looks younger when he’s not planning how to save everyone but himself.

The sight brings back that ache in his chest, which hurts in the most pleasant ways. How lucky he is, to have Kim Dokja in this regression. As long as he’s here, Yoo Joonghyuk will continue on. 

  Lee Jihye is brighter in this regression. She laughs more easily and is quick to tease others. It makes him wonder what she was like before the scenarios, before she killed her best friend and walked out of that school as its only survivor. It’s hard to remember that there was a before that haunts everyone here, when it’s all Yoo Joonghyuk has known for years.

She’s not as strong as she was before, but that’s alright. There are others that will help her when she needs it. All Yoo Joonghyuk has to do for her in this scenario is teach her how to fight; Kim Dokja will teach her how to live despite everything.

In this regression, Lee Jihye is still a teenage girl before she is a maritime general. There are still days she wakes up in tears, gasping her dead friend’s name, and withdraws into herself for a few hours. In past regressions, this has made her fight harder, more recklessly, uncaring of her own safety. Now, Kim Dokja watches over her carefully, speaks to her in low tones, and sends Jung Heewon to comfort her.

Yoo Joonghyuk wonders how things could have changed if he reached out a little more. Had he been less focused on clearing the scenarios and more focused on helping those around him, could they have survived?

He knows the answer, and it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. He tries not to think about it.

Lee Jihye grins when she sees him walk into the clearing they’ve claimed for training. For a moment, as she sits on the ground holding her sword, Yoo Joonghyuk sees her dead and bloodied. Then she stands and says, brightly, “Master! What are we doing today?”

Yoo Joonghyuk takes a moment to focus on the present, then says, “Start with warm ups, then do your katas fifty times. Then I’ll show you how to disarm someone without getting too close to them.”

Lee Jihye beams and gets to work. Yoo Joonghyuk observes her for a moment; she’s steadily improving, but she could be stronger. They could always be stronger, because they were are enough.

(The memory takes over: Yoo Joonghyuk, not fast enough, not strong enough, not clever enough to outwit Kim Dokja. Yoo Joonghyuk, holding Kim Dojka’s dying body, helplessly watching as he turns to dust, ejected from the Star Stream, unable to save him yet again.)

Yoo Joonghyuk makes his way to the other side of the clearing and unsheathes his sword. He, too, needs to be stronger. Strong enough to take on the constellations. Strong enough to save Kim Dokja from himself.

He trains for a few hours, teaches Lee Jihye new attacks, spars with her to let her practice. She’s the only one he found this regression; the others all gravitate around Kim Dokja. He only needs to look out of her and Mia in this regression.

Even so, Lee Jihye, like the others, turns to Kim Dokja as well. Despite how often she teases him and insists she doesn’t care for him, she is deeply affected by his deaths just as the kids are.

They stop for lunch, and Yoo Joonghyuk leaves Lee Jihye to her own devices as he considers the hidden scenarios he could go after in this area.

“Yoo Joonghyuk, come here,” Kim Dokja calls from where he waits by the door. “Are you going after the hidden items?”

He makes his way to Kim Dokja, already wary at the calculating gleam in his eyes. “I am,” he answers.

“Great! Let’s go then.”

“I don’t need you to come with me.”

“I wasn’t planning on giving you a choice.” Kim Dokja smiles, and it makes Yoo Joonghyuk want to both shove him away and pull him closer. He keeps his hands carefully still by his sides.

“I can get these on my own,” he says, knowing that would never be enough to convince Kim Dokja to let him leave alone.

“That’s not going to stop me.”

He leaves first, without looking back to see if Yoo Joonghyuk is following; he is, of course. He’s always following after Kim Dokja.

And because this is Kim Dokja, he can't go two minutes without trying to cause problems. “I’ll be getting my share of the items too, of course. Don’t expect me to guide you without expecting payment.” He smirks at Yoo Joonghyuk, waiting for him to respond.

He grabs Kim Dokja’s arm. “Pull your weight and do some of the work and I’ll let you have some.”

“Ah, always so violent, Joonghyuk-ah, can’t you have one conversation without threatening the other party?” He tries to break free of Yoo Joonghyuk’s grip, but now that he’s got Kim Dokja close, he has no reason to let go.

“What part of this is threatening?”

Kim Dokja gestures to his captured arm. “Do you not have working eyes? Most conversations don’t require such brute strength.” Yoo Joonghyuk wants to laugh at that. When has Kim Dokja ever had a normal conversation? He’s either planning something that will piss off the constellations, or antagonizing everyone around him. He avoids normal conversations as much as he can, as though speaking genuinely to someone for the sake of speaking to them will make him break out in hives.

“You can let go,” Kim Dokja tries, still trying to pull away.

Yoo Joonghyuk doesn’t bother to reply to that. He leads the way to the first hidden scenario in the area as Kim Dokja continues to struggle, then abruptly goes still, allowing the hold on his arm.

Another thing that Kim Dokja avoids: touch. Yoo Joonghyuk wants to keep him close, hold him at every opportunity, but Kim Dokja is quick to keep his distance and disappear. Even Yoo Joonghyuk has never been to physically isolated from others in past regressions. Kim Dokja seems touch starved, and that makes Yoo Joonghyuk want to touch him even more.

He slides his hand down from Kim Dokja’s arm to his wrist, and allows himself a small smile with Kim Dokja doesn’t try to pull away.

   “What are you doing out here?”

Kim Dokja’s voice is the first thing in a few hours to break the silence on the roof. Yoo Joonghyuk sits near the edge, looking out over the broken world. Everyone had been hit hard by the last scenario, and he had to escape and be alone before he drowned in his own thoughts.

It takes a long moment before he finds his voice. “I wanted some time to myself,” he answers.

Kim Dokja hums and doesn’t leave. He sits behind Yoo Joonghyuk, barely any distance between them.

“Are you thinking about everything that went wrong? Comparing this to your past regressions?”

Like always, Kim Dokja knows exactly what he’s thinking. It’s a relief that he doesn’t have to explain it when Kim Dokja already knows.

“You shouldn’t focus on what went wrong. There are too many things to go over. You should focus on the fact that we’re all still alive, and we made it through another scenario.” His voice isn’t pitying or overly gentle. Kim Dokja speaks as though this is obvious, and Yoo Joonghyuk feels some of the tension in his shoulders lighten.

“Have you already begun planning for the next scenario?”

“Of course. But we’ll go over that tomorrow, after everyone’s had some time to rest.”

There is nothing more to say for the night. Yoo Joonghyuk focuses on the sound of Kim Dokja’s breathing, and leans back just enough that their shoulders touch. It feels like a hard-won victory when Kim Dokja doesn’t startle or shy away. Instead, he leans back against Yoo Joonghyuk, pressing their backs together. A weight drops onto his shoulder; Kim Dokja’s head, tilted back so he can look up at the steadily darkening sky.

They stay until the sun sets completely.  It’s the first time he’s felt so at peace since the scenarios started.

That’s the first night Kim Dokja follows Yoo Joonghyuk to his tent and settles in besides him. He refuses to meet Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes, tense and nervous as though he wasn’t sure he was welcome.

Yoo Joonghyuk reaches out for him.

   Kim Dokja reaches back.

[wovenstarlight]

YWBK update: chapter 25 + liner notes

yesterday will be kinder has updated! you can read chapter 25 here, or start from the beginning here

okay, on to notes and commentary! first time i’m doing these, let’s hope this works out. commentary under the cut to save people’s dashes

Hamin laughs. “Given how bad you are at not being suspicious, that’s understandable.” “Oh, come on, I’m not that bad.” Hamin screws up his whole face in a squint. “Okay, so maybe I’m a little bad.”

this part was really funny to me when i wrote it because i was like “hmm reasons for DHM to understand why HHJ wouldn’t work in the guild” and then i was like Wait. Their Whole First Meeting, Dude. DHM was lowkey convinced for the longest time that HHJ was like, on the run from the KR version of the mafia, and got plastic surgery to look like his little brothers, and is possibly in some sort of witness protection program??? or something??? how else does he not have cops on his ass this man is so suspicious all the time

“I don’t think… They said the dungeons were, like, different worlds? Did they find people there?”

mafia theory second place. dungeon theory first place

“Like, humans? Um. No, no humans.” “So then you can’t be from there. Okay.”

dungeon theory shot down. mafia theory back in the running

“Hey,” he says cautiously. “I’m— I’m gonna go get us some water, okay? Why don’t you… take a minute.” “Okay.” “The bathroom is over there, if you need it.” “Okay. Thank you.”

after four years working alongside a guy you start to notice when he’s feeling a little out of it and needs a bit of a break... but as JHW mentions later you also learn to be a little subtle about giving him one

jung heewon What’s with your typing? It reads like Jihye’s [HYJ]’s fine. Very energetic Too energetic? He’s going to burn out. How do I make him calm down

Epic Burnout Man makes a reappearance! when translating sclass one of the things that makes me want to shake HYJ most is his habit of constantly adding things to his to-do list while he already has 1 billion things on his plate. and all the time he’s whining about “UGH there’s SO MUCH WORK to do” No One Asked You To Do It

Anyway. the point is. HYJ isn’t about to be beat by HHJ at Developing Issues 😔

jung heewon I haven’t spoken to him directly about this because if he’s anything like you he’ll take it as an insult You wtf whts tht supposed 2 mean quit typing jung heewon Better not say shit, mr “No, I can’t take days off and cater to my interests or go out with friends or on a date, I’m too busy taking care of the kids and making sure their needs are met, no I don’t care that there are thousands of people out there balancing personal enjoyment and romance and work AND kids at the same time, are you suggesting I be a BAD GUARDIAN to MY KIDS?”

see above re: not being too direct with pointing out when HHJ’s having Issues because he doesn’t react well

You wht but our eyes r fine jung heewon Even if having glasses doesn’t run in the family, you should still get him checked, just in case

top 10 funny time travel moments: referring to you and your past self as “us” (our = my eyes are fine), but other people think you mean “our family” (our eyes are fine = no family history of long/shortsightedness)

Also. Sooyoung-ie says hi [Attachment: 20XX1213_144516.jpg] 

ok no lie this was one of the parts that pissed me off the most, even though it’s Literally One Line, because. i love chat exchanges. i really do. when done right they’re a lot of fun to read. But Do You Know How Long It Took Me To Figure Out A Calendar For The Events In This Fic. now everything’s TIMED i have to count HOW MANY DAYS IT’S BEEN since XY event so i can CORRECTLY NUMBER the FILE ATTACHMENTS!!! this sucks!!! it took me fucking forever to pin down a timeline just so i could write this chapter plus the few before and after it!!!!

anyway i gave up when i reached year. i just put 20XX. fuck it. we are running on fairy tail time now. (actually i think that’s XXnumber number? XX76? or was it X796. something like that. Who cares i stopped watching fairy tail forever ago)

Fuck it! Hamin will understand!! “If you Awaken you should come work with me,” Han Hyunjae says all in a rush. 

“HAMIN WILL UNDERSTAND” => he literally was cool with me giving zero context for half a dozen absolute balls to the wall nonsense bullshit things i’ve done before. he’ll be fine with this too. dog_in_burning_house_this_is_fine.png

“You already know about the guilds, those are going to be for dungeon Hunters, but I was thinking of forming something like an independent group of contractors. Awakened people with skills that aren’t useful for combat, but that might… that will be generally useful. It’d be you and me, and maybe one other guy I met recently. Probably more in the future.”

given that HHJ has no idea currently that peace exists (i’m so sorry baby i’ll find a way to shoehorn you in soon i miss you so much) he’s got no intentions to start a kiseungsu business yet! he mostly wants to live quietly while just acting as a manager for other Awakening-related services, like YMW’s forge and DHM’s tracking service, along with the information exchange/lowkey spy ring that he’s planning on setting up with JHW and the bar. since HYH is fine associating with him in this timeline, HHJ’s thinking he can get a foot in the door that way, then eventually spread out into dealings with most major guild leaders

RIP to this plan. you were well-made but you will not last long.

“Please, I can’t tell you how I know that, I really can’t, it’d put me and my brothers in danger if it got out. But—” “No need.” Hamin looks slightly alarmed, and Han Hyunjae feels himself settle at the obvious concern in his eyes.

MAFIA THEORY RAPIDLY RISING TO PROMINENCE??? THIS IS NOT HOW DO HAMIN WANTED HIS GUESS CONFIRMED

“I spoke to the Task Force Head and she said that there’s been discussion about hosting a meeting for the nearby high-rankers, where they’ll announce the guild proposal and see who else is interested in trying it out.”

“they’ll announce” i’m sorry king 💔 you deserved a nap

(OH ALSO FUN FACT choi eunyoung is a canon character, not an OC of mine! she appears in uhhh i think late 140s? 150s? something like that)

“I think there’s… probably only one other S-rank who’s Awakened right now?”

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehhehe

Hamin beams. “No, they’re doing great! Spookie’s taken really well to the new housing situation, but I think Spots might miss the store…”

shoutout to @daemonic-dawn​ for letting me borrow a pet name, love u king. i had a much longer ramble about pet names here but i finished typing and realized it was all entirely off topic so i removed it for convenience

Hyunjae makes an annoyed noise in the back of his throat. “Don’t— I mean.” He huffs, visibly taking a deep breath, and Yoojin frowns reflexively. [...] “Is everything alright?” Yoojin kind of wants to be annoyed at his tone on principle, but he forces his shoulders to relax, matching Hyunjae’s posture. Though he can’t stop himself from being a little short when he answers.

things the brothers have learned in four years living together: getting confrontational often leads to arguments that just fizzle out anyway, so it’s way fucking easier to consciously tone down their combativeness in advance when talking to each other about things they have problems with, instead of screaming their heads off and then having to calm yoohyun down afterwards to boot

“I guess. Whatever.” Yoojin slumps. “Can I…” “Hm?” Hyunjae blinks at Yoojin as he gestures to the spot on the bed beside him, then jolts. “Oh! Yeah, sure, c’mere.” He opens his arms, and Yoojin goes over and flumps on the bed, head in Hyunjae’s lap. Almost immediately, Hyunjae starts stroking fingers through his hair, and Yoojin relaxes into the touch, listening as Hyunjae continues speaking.

cuddles 🥺🥺🥺 sorry i don’t have any other commentary here just. cuddles. extremely and overwhelmingly comforting for a man who spent the better part of 8 years(?) with no major positive relationships, and a kid who spent 12 years of early life basically abandoned by his parents. you had best bet they gave up on not hugging each other 1 year into this whole mess

Yoojin hums in acknowledgement. It’s not like he’d ever let himself get hurt; he has too many responsibilities to his family and friends. If he wants to be good enough to keep up, he can’t afford to fuck up like that. But… hyung will worry if he keeps working so hard. He can slow down a little for him. 

Problems disorder man when will you stop. the way he sees “getting hurt” as an inconvenience and an obstacle to his duties rather than a danger to himself. the way he doesn’t really care if he himself gets hurt, but if it’ll worry his family, then it’s a no-no. it’s just. wow. i know i wrote this but i hate him

“Not really. I talk to Myeongwoo about it sometimes.” “Ah, right, Myeongwoo.”

haha gays

“Don’t be weird about him,” Yoojin warns[...]. “I won’t, promise.”

if the “i won’t” line had a dialogue tag it’d be “Han Hyunjae lied”

“Is Eunwoo still in his relationship?” “Mhm, happy as ever. Apparently they’re trying long-distance, now that Eunwoo’s gone off to university abroad.”

three guesses for who eunwoo’s dating and you won’t need the first two

Hyunjae raises his hands like he’s going to deny the accusations levelled against him, so Yoojin seizes him by the collar and shakes him until he cries for mercy

oh my o/rv ass struggled so bad with not writing “shakes him like a man betrayed” here. it killed me not to. but in the end i prevailed (against, uh, myself. don’t think about it too hard.)

“Jeez, okay, he’s an F-rank!” “Eh?! Then why—” “He’s also got an SS-rank potential skill,” Hyunjae admits[...].

play-by-play of this scene because god if i draw any scene in this fic it would be this one just for the sheer hysterical nature of HYJ’s reaction:

YOOJIN: I HATE YOU WHAT THE FUCK WHY. TELL ME HIS RANK

HYUNJAE: HE’S AN F

YOOJIN: WHAT? WHAT THE FUCK?

HYUNJAE: he’s also got an SS-rank skill,

YOOJIN:

[lee-hakhyun]

my fucking gpd.whatever. i didn't about that at all (lying)

if he's the reincarnation of 49, he should have fragments of kim dokja. if what it wants to eat is 'kim dokja', he'll let it eat as much as it wants. dkos tells him to stop, but he bites down on his arm. hard. that gets the story's attention, and it latches on. he smiles through the pain as it eats parts of his story. when the story is eaten, some of his memories will disappear. what will he lose? blinking, his memory of the snow garden, the faces of the readers, start to fade. he doesn't want to forget.

and then there's sparks. the heir to the eternal name (how do i shorten that. htten?) kicks up a fuss, and dkos sighs and says he expected this. htten is in pain... and there's some messages.

[Story Fragment, 'Crazy Soldier Yoo Joonghyuk' refuses to be absorbed!] [Story Fragment, 'Crazy Soldier Yoo Joonghyuk' is going on a rampage!]

crazy soldier yoo joonghyuk..?? why does lhh have this??? (most likely answer: there was someone who gave lhh their story to heal him when he was injured last chapter. this is probably the story he got then...)

anyway, htten absorbed the wrong fragments and now it can't eat. the incomplete consumption gets him 10 extra minutes. he's got 12:59 left to live... but his skill penalty is lifted! he's able to activate blade of faith and start fighting off the grolls. hearing someone yelling out in a pile of grolls, he manages to save the woman who had been holding the dead incarnation earlier. making sure she's safe, he looks around. there's still fights all around. bang cheolsoo and his group along with dayoung and her mother fighting nearby, and jung heewon and jung eunho were dealing with the dragons in the front. dkos says there's one 5th grade and one 4th grade. lhh asks for coins.

dkos says he's broke.

yeah, so, when he had first signed with dkos, he had borrowed the story king of a kingless world, and presumably paid the probability cost with coins. dkos continues to say he's broke. lee hakhyun wishes he could use [lie detection]. so what can he do?? dkos says he doesn't know... now that lhh thinks about it, didn't sys also grow with no support...

— cheering?

lhh ignores kdj and blows the head off a groll.

dkos gives him tips on how to effectively kill grolls, and after a while the population of monsters is lessened by a lot. having someone who has read wos does have some advantages i guess. with the pressure relieved a bit, the geumho station group is able to breathe. and here's bang cheolsoo! geumho station group is mostly fine, but the problem is the dragons. the 4th grade dragon prepares its roar, and shin yoosung warns everyone as her nagak army starts an ensemble to offset the sound, with some making barriers with their shells. but nagaks are still only 8th grade monsters. eventually some burst, and shin yoosung collapsed inside one of the shells she was hiding in. grabbing the fainted sys, lhh hands her to bang cheolsoo. previously, he would have never left her with cheolsoo. but now, cheolsoo is trusted by the people of geumho station. lhh entrusts sys to him as he runs up to jung heewon.

6 minutes left. jungsa kim is carrying an exhausted jung eunho away. jung heewon alone is protecting the front line. she's standing her ground against a 5th and 4th grade dragon with [demon slaying] and [madness]. it's like watching yoo joonghyuk. but it's clear she can't last for much longer, with blood pouring from her nose and ears. dkos confirms that he knows the weakness of the dragons, but that it'd be hard for them with their current combat skills.

so it's possible if he's stronger. lhh checks his coins. 418,000... enough that even kdj was surprised. he did extort asmodeus for 300k coins lmao with 24k per stats to get them all to 70, lhh is ready to go. kdj says its time to get back to the stream. the stream... there's been very little indirect messages since lhh woke up. since he terminated his contract with bihyung and signed a contract with dkos, he no longer has the interest of the constellations seeking incarnations. bihyung does show up, saying that it's been a while since there's been a broadcast in korea. while the constellations complain that the korean channels aren't fun and that there are no more incarnations left in the korean channels, we have an idiot promoting his incarnation. over and over. asking why no one is watching this interesting story. is this how han sooyoung felt seeing kdj promote wos while she was writing it?

the constellations get annoyed. some even start to show hostility, saying they lost a good incarnation to him... lhh doesn't want to see dkos get vilified so he starts to tell kdj to stop. until dkos says that cheon inho is his incarnation, but not his incarnation.

?

the contract he signed with incarnation cheon inho was a temporary one.

what?

dkos will harshy grow for the next 2 years and then release him to the constellation sponsor market. and then vows it to the star stream.

what the fuck??

it works, though. the sky turns red from the amount of constellations entering the channel. there's so much of a disturbance the incarnations and even the dragons pause. and dkos signs a stream contract with bihyung. how the hell did he get a new contract so quickly?? the terms of the contract have been revised though. it's to be expected, when lhh first signed he got a 7-3 split, and it would naturally be worse the next time around—

the distribution was modified to 10-0.

kim dokja, what the fuck did you do

[lee-hakhyun]

590, 591, 592

(i know i said i would post this a few days ago. i lied. extra long summary instead </3)

alright alright here it is, the end of trauma and the beginning of episode 8

after hearing yjh say everything will be destroyed, lee hakhyun is VERY shaken and that causes a little problem

yeaah anna knows. while incite was able to fool her, it's not perfect and lhh doesn't have a fourth wall to block mental skills

i think.. it's based on how he sees himself at the moment? with [eye of sin], he had been acting as cheon inho when killer king used it, but it changed when he thought of himself as 'lee hakhyun'. and now this too, as soon as his ego slipped anna croft was able to see through him. this should apply to yjh's [sage's eye], too

before anything else can happen, someone else calls for anna and jung heewon, the only person to not get trapped in the prison, slams hakhyun in the head (she got spooked. closed her eyes and just swung the bamboo stick around)

well, lhh is out of the prison now, but it seems that the items lds and ksi were given weren't enough to keep them out of the prison

.. :(

lhh consoles ksi and lds, and they continue on to chungmuro station along with another promise to dansu that they will find jiyoon

after walking past ohdokhyup corpses, they end up near chungmuro station, and lee jihye is there! she's adamant about not letting them pass, until they mention they know yoo joonghyuk yjh has ordered ljh to kill anyone who knows him, so lee jihye attacks them. lmao

despite how powerful jung heewon is at this point, lee jihye is able to match her, and while they're both fighting each other, lee hakhyun passes them to get into chungmuro station. yoo joonghyuk is in a standoff with gong pildu and a boy hiding behind gong pildu just as they're about to fight, ☐☐ activates but just like last time, lee hakhyun doesn't understand yoo joonghyuk enough to change anything. so he checks reader feedback

591

with the messages from rlaehrwk, lee hakhyun starts thinking about the yoo joonghyuk's he's seen, and the small parts written about him in orv

he's given 20 characters, and only one chance to write a sentence for him

the scene is successfully reproduced, and lee hakhyun leaves the snow garden

now. this is interesting before, when he used ☐☐ on other characters, i don't think they noticed at all but there were probability sparks here, and yjh definitely realized something happened this makes me think,, if writes something too ooc someone smart enough might figure out someone has been pulling strings

well anyway, yoo joonghyuk is very confused. enough that he doesn't move even as gong pildu fires at him. so lee hakhyun.. jumps in front of yjh..

go change this turn lee hakhyun, but dont put uyotself in situations like like that dear god

while this is happening;

i.. i don't miss him at all... sooyoungie ㅠㅠ

lhh tells yjh to step back to let him convince gong pildu to calm down, and when yjh complies lee hakhyun calls out to not pildu, but the boy who was hiding behind him. if it's someone who wasn't there in orv, it's most likely a reader. with a '9158', the boy realizes that they are also readers and everything is deescalated

after this, yoo joonghyuk grabs lee hakhyun to interrogate him

lhh knows that yjh has doubts that he's yjh, but he still tries to act villain enough for yjh however, yjh doesn't quite trust him, so lee hakhyun talks a bit more

with yoo joonghyuk brooding, lhh returns to talk to the group and greets the new reader, ye hyunwoo. he's read orv over 50 times, and is one of the 7 apostles but while chatting, hyunwoo mentions jiyoon

592

lee dansu immediately reacts, asking if he knows jiyoon, to which hyunwoo is wary until he proves that he's jiyoon's father

well, still no jiyoon.. it seems hyunwoo was at the theater and is friends with jiyoon, though. he was actually the one who answered the '1863' question

they continue conversing for a while and hyunwoo says that jiyoon has read orv more than him, so she's read it at least 50 times they continue exhanging information while lee jihye talks with jung heewon farther away

even if ye hyunwoo has read orv so many times, he's still young gong pildu being protective of hyunwoo is nice

but after this, the readers' phones buzz.

c,ceo kim dokja?

what. all the readers pass out, and farther away, hsy watches this all

so, it seems that sooyoung did not plan for this, but she's going to track wherever they end up

and when lee hakhyun wakes up, he's.. back in the theater. as lee hakhyun himself, not cheon inho

he's able to ask if it's a dream for a fleeting moment before other readers begin to appear

he finds sein again, and as the readers realize what has happened people start calling out for each other

lee hakhyun tries to find ji eunyu, but she's not there

he also hears someone calling out for jiyoon

dansu mentioned it before,, but he was in the hospital before transmigrating, and he's in a really bad condition now lhh can't take him to a hospital, as they're in a subspace and the exits are blocked with lds passed out, ksi and lhh continue calling for jiyoon but can't seem to find her either both eunyu and jiyoon read orv a lot, i don't think they'd be dead, so where are they..?

kim dokja.. i don't want to think this is kim dokja. 【 】 <- i am pretty sure these are used for outer gods?

[lee-hakhyun]

595, 596, 597

yoo joonghyuk you asshole

here's my summary and thoughts on the first half of episode 9, 'Words that Can't Be Written'!

595. Words that Can't Be Written (1)

so. lee hakhyun's in a terrible state, and he was pulled away by a thread of light

o..ouch....

right, so this is definitely yoo sangah so, kimcom is aware that's something is up, but it seems they can't help out? oh hakhyun,,

lee hakhyun wakes up to jhw and ksi calling his name, and when he looks down, his body is fine. his head is not fine, probably. when jhw leaves to get water for lhh, ksi and lds come over to ask lhh what happened.

it seems he doesn't remember what had just happened he confirms with everyone that

they weren't able to find jiyoon, but she's read orv a lot. i'm sure she's still alive somewhere. but there's another question

are they really dead? did any of them end up in the underworld? are they just.. gone?

ye hyunwoo comes up and greets hakhyun then, and lhh belatedly notices people are moving around and preparing for something

emergency defense? this was happening earlier than in orv, and it wasn't planned. how did all the green zones get destroyed so quickly? ...there's only one answer to that. lhh had too much faith in yjh

god damn it, joonghyuk lee jihye goes to the stairs to watch. it's too late to persuade her to help now, but it seems ye hyunwoo has prepared everyone beforehand

to make it clear, the '7 apostles' is an orv fan club but it's led by 7 'apostles', one of which is killer king lhh again noticing the differences between this turn and kdj's turn

jung heewon. i love you. in every turn, she wants to protect,,,

orv isn't over yet. there are still stories to be told 'he couldn't even do that properly' holy shit hakhyun give kdj a break LMAO

with ye hyunwoo and gong pildu leading chungmuro station, the emergency game starts

this is concerning. she's not here to help the readers and it seems han sooyoung is planning on killing yjh. yoohan♡

596. Words that Can't Be Written (2)

gong pildu uses [armed zone], and his turrets take out waves of ground rats, but more continue to rush in. people fight, and people die.

lhh and ksi talk while they fight. i can see how sein didn't see the scenarios as fully real,, this is like both the most unbelievable yet believable thing ever. it's orv, who hasn't thought about what would happen if the scenarios started? but it's a whole different thing if it actually happened. there would be some separation from reality

yeah.. this could mean something going to write your own story, hakhyun?

the stuggle continues, and grolls start to emerge along with the ground rats. grolls are 8th grade monsters, and take a lot more to kill than a ground rat eventually, gong pildu needs to reload, and hakhyun's party steps up to cover the gap they manage to survive that long, but gong pildu was getting tired. kim dokja had given him a ton of potions, but hakhyun.. well, he's about to, but gong pildu calls hyunwoo

HE WENT ALL IN ON MAGIC POWER. THIS INSANE KID i commend him for being so attached to a character he'd base his whole strategy around them. the 'tech tree' that hyunwoo had been talking about all this time was for this. he's putting everything into surviving with gong pildu

good for him! the constellations took notice too (i don't know if i've mentioned this before, but pay attention to the constellation who hasn't revealed a modifier. he keeps showing up with,, interesting messages.)

but, someone says the words.

don't know if i talked about this before, but the last time someone said things were going 'smoothly', things did NOT go well. a screenshot from chapter 558

if you find yourself in the scenarios, do not say smoothly ^^

so, there are phases now, and a giant 7th grade monster appeared. the pildu and hyunwoo combo can not deal with this. but there's someone who can.

hakhyun has his own tech tree! well, not really, but it's close enough

another mention of hakhyun writing side stories speaking of the side stories;

597. Words that Can't Be Written (3)

lhh got that notification, but he's kind of in the middle of a battle. can't really check his phone right now. let's put that aside for now

jung heewon! with her new attribute, 'judge of demons', she's able to deal with a monster at this point only yoo joonghyuk would be able to kill.

oh!! she learnt a skill on her own!! jung heewon!!! catching the interest of the constellations too jhw against an imaginary yjh.. getting thrown off a bridge would do that to you jhw was really strong in the main story also,, lhh wonders if she'll be able to match yoo joonghyuk this time

there's the chapters, and the one we're reading right now i previously posted screenshots on this, but he uses the comment passes and gets very short comments. this pisses him off. with 2 passes left, a new option appears

pay coins to read top rated comments! coins really are everything the comment may be referring to hsy's plan for yjh? of course, lhh has no idea about that, and thinks that obviously nobody can deal with yjh he uses his final pass, and,

uh oh. but everything's going smoothly?

oh.

the comments are still increasing. lee hakhyun thinks, are the stories of the 'extras' written?

i'll come back to this in a later chapter.

lee jihye is a main character, not an extra. she wouldn't die. neither would jung heewon. but what about cheon inho? lhh hands jhw to ljh, who takes it in confusion. and then lhh starts walking forward.

i don't know how i feel about him relying on his skill to tell if he'll live or die. i believe in him, but this also doesn't feel good but go hakhyun!! write something good! you wouldn't go too far, would you?