Chapter 3

「 Dokkaebi . The first time he appeared, someone said so . 」[1]

I didn’t know why but that sentence suddenly popped up in my head . The stopped subway train, the dark room… These details gave me a sense of deja vu . The subway had stopped before, but it was rare . Even so, why? I remembered the familiar words from a novel… but it was ridiculous . Wasn’t it impossible?

At this moment, the door of car 3807 opened wide, and the electricity returned . Yoo Sangah muttered by my side, “…Dokkaebi?”

My head was ringing . I trembled uneasily as the novel I knew and the reality before me overlapped .

「With two small horns and wearing a small straw mat, the strange and fluffy creature was floating in the air . 」

「 It was too strange to call it a fairy, too evil to call it an angel, and too tranquil to call it a demon . 」

「Thus, it was called a ‘dokkkaebi . 」

And I already knew the first thing the dokkaebi would say .

「&아#@!&아#@! . . . 」

[&아#@!&아#@! . . . . ]

Fiction and reality overlapped precisely .

“What is this?”

“Augmented reality?”

Amidst the chattering people, I was thrown into another world alone . This was unmistakably a dokkaebi—the very dokkaebi that opened the door to tragedy for thousands of lives in Ways of Survival . It was Yoo Sangah’s voice that broke me out of my thoughts . “It sounds vaguely like Spanish . Should I talk to it?”

I was a bit taken aback and asked, “…Do you know what that is? Will you ask it for money?”

“No but…”

It was at this time that I heard the correct pronunciation of Korean . [Ah . Ah . Does this sound good? Ah, I had a hard time because the Korean patch didn’t work . Everyone, can you hear my words?]

As a familiar language was being spoken, I could see people’s expressions relax . The first one to step up was a big man in a suit . “Hey, what are you doing right now?”

[…Huh?]

“Are you filming? I have to go because I have to quickly get to an audition . ” He seemed to be an obscure actor since his face was unfamiliar . If I were a casting director, I would’ve picked him out for his brimming ambition . Unfortunately, the presence before him right now wasn’t a director .

[Ah, auditions . That’s right . This is also an audition . Haha, there was a shortage of data . I just entered when it was monetized at 7 p . m . ]

“What? What are you talking about?”

[Now, now . All of you, relax in your seats and listen to me . From now on, I will tell you something very important!]

My chest was becoming stuffy .

“What? Quickly get off the train!”

“Somebody call the captain!”

“What are they doing without the cooperation of the citizens?”

“Mother, what is that? A cartoon?”

There was no doubt about it . This was the development I knew . I didn’t want to be mixed up in this… but there was no way . The people present wouldn’t listen to the small and cute-looking CG creature . The only thing I could do was stop Yoo Sangah who was trying to get up from her seat .

“Yoo Sangah-ssi, it is dangerous, so stay here . ”

“Huh?” Yoo Sangah’s eyes widened . I spoke during a moment of bewilderment, but there was no way to explain what I understood . To be exact, I didn’t have to explain .

[Haha, you are really loud . ]

There was a presence with a stronger persuasive power than anyone else right now .

[I told you to be quiet . ]

I closed my eyes slowly as the dokkaebi’s eyes turned red . Something burst, and the subway became silent .

“Uh, uh . Uh…” There was a big hole in the forehead of the unknown actor who had to go to the audition . The man who had spoken several times collapsed on the spot .

[This isn’t a movie shoot . ]

There was a cracking sound once again . This time, it was the person talking about the captain .

[It isn’t a dream . It isn’t a novel either . ]

One, two… Blood sprayed into the air as the heads of some people started to burst . They were all the people who had protested against the dokkaebi, as well as the ones who screamed or went wild . Those who caused the slightest fuss had a hole in their heads . Suddenly, the subway became a bloodbath .

[This isn’t the ‘reality’ that you know . Do you understand? So everyone shut up and listen to me . ]

More than half the people present here died . Blood and body pieces filled the subway . Now, the people didn’t scream . Like primitive apes in front of a powerful predator, everyone just watched the dokkaebi with terror . I was surprised and held tightly onto the shoulder of Yoo Sangah who was hiccuping .

This was real . The strange message which entered my ears, the dokkaebi had appeared in front of me, and the train car that had become a bloodbath…

[Everyone, your lives have been nice so far . Isn’t that right?]

In the special needs seating area, an elderly grandmother met the eyes of the dokkaebi .

[You have been living too long for free . Isn’t life too generous? You were born and paid no price for breathing, eating, pooping and breeding! Ha! You really live in a good world!]

Free? No one in the subway lived for free . The people strived to make money in order to survive, and they rode the subway on the way home from work . Yet at this moment, no one disputed the dokkaebi’s words .

[But now the good days are over . How long can you continue living for free? If you want to enjoy happiness, it is common sense to pay a price . Isn’t that right?]

The gasping people couldn’t answer . Then at that time, someone carefully raised their hand . “D-Do you want money?”

I wondered what type of person could speak in the middle of this situation, but surprisingly, I knew his face .

“Yoo Sangah-ssi . Isn’t that Department Head Han of the finance team?”

“…Right . ”

There was no doubt . He was a typical parachute [2] in the company and the number one person newcomers avoided . It was Han Myungoh, department head of the finance team . Why was this man riding the subway?

“I will give you money . Take it . Please note that I am a person like this . ” Department Head Han pulled out his business card as people cheered him on . It was the atmosphere of a savior fighting against terrorists . “How much do you want? A big one? Or two?”

He was offering a sum that was overly large for a department head of a subsidiary company . There was a rumor that Han Myungoh was the youngest son of the leader of the affiliate company and now I thought it might be true . I couldn’t carry that many cheques in my wallet .

[Hrmm, you are giving me money?]

“T-That’s right! The cash I have right now isn’t much but… I can give you anything if you let me out of here . ”

[Money, good . A plant fibre that many humans mutually agree on . ]

The department head’s expression brightened . It was an ‘Indeed, money is everything’ expression . How pitiful .

“Now, this is all I have―”

[It only applies in your time and space . ]

“Huh?”

At the next moment, flames appeared in the air, and the cheques in the department head’s hands burned up . Department Head Han let out a scream .

[That paper has no value in the macrocosm world . If you do this one more time, I will blow away your head . ]

“U-Uhhh…” Fear once again spread on the faces of the people present . It was easy to read what they were thinking because it was just like the novel .

「 What the hell will happen now? 」

Only I knew what was going to happen in the future .

[Phew, the debt is piling up during the time when you are noisy . Well, yes . Rather than explain it a hundred times, isn’t it quicker for you to make money yourself?]

The dokkaebi’s horns rose like they were antennas, and its body floated to the ceiling of the train .

A moment later, a message rang out .

[#BI-7623 channel is open . ]

[The constellations have entered . ]

A small window emerged in front of everyone’s blank eyes .

[The main scenario has arrived!]

+

[Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Value]

Category: Main

Difficulty: F

Clear Conditions: Kill one or more creatures .

Time Limit: 30 minutes

Compensation: 300 coins

Failure: Death

+

The dokkaebi smiled faintly as it became transparent and disappeared into the next space .

[Then, good luck everyone . Please show me an interesting story . ]

[1] Dokkaebi (Korean: 도깨비) are legendary creatures from Korean mythology and folklore . Dokkaebi, also known as Korean goblins, possess extraordinary powers and abilities that are used to interact with humans, at times playing tricks on them and at times helping them . Wiki

[2] Parachute: a person who relies on their connections to rise in the company