WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: ChaoticRain
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 171: Episode 32: Kim Dokja's Love (8)
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They all looked as though they had only just realized that none of them had considered the fundamental problem. Then Lee Jihye spoke up again.
“Um...”
Of all people, Jihye was the first to raise her hand. I had a bad feeling about this.
“Yeah, Jihye. Do you know something?”
“No, I was just thinking... Couldn’t it be me?”
...What kind of nonsense was that now?
The group seemed drained by Jihye’s remark. Jeong Huiwon asked,
“What did Dokja do to you? Don’t tell me that guy...”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“I was only thinking about it logically. I’m young, pretty, cute, good with a sword, and I even have a bubbly charm... The more I think about it, the harder it is to find a reason he wouldn’t like me-”
The group ignored Jihye and continued their discussion. Huiwon was the one who spoke up again.
“I think Dokja likes Yu Sangah.”
“What?”
Sangah answered in surprise. She looked so shocked that I was almost hurt by it.
“Well, you know. There probably isn’t a man alive who wouldn’t be moved by Yu Sangah’s beauty. Dokja is a man too, after all. And... I don’t know. His whole mood seems different when he’s with Sangah.”
When the others nodded, Sangah’s face turned red. Ignoring Jihye in the back, who was apparently resolving, “I’ll never kill him,” Huiwon continued.
“Honestly, if I were Kim Dokja, I think I’d like Yu Sangah too.”
Now that I heard it, there really was no one better than Sangah. She was pretty, diligent, and kind... Right, there was nothing to criticize.
“That’s... It’s just because we were coworkers, and because Dokja helped me...”
Sangah looked troubled as she thought for a moment. Then she trailed off before suddenly counterattacking Jeong Huiwon.
“I thought it might be Huiwon, actually.”
“What? Me?”
“Yes.”
Huiwon’s eyes went wide at the unexpected counterattack. Damn it, this wasn’t a game of hot potato. Lee Hyeongseong, who stood nearby, also flinched and looked at Huiwon. Sangah continued.
“Well, Dokja seems especially kind to Huiwon. He seems to take particularly good care of your equipment too... And Huiwon smiles strangely often when you talk to Dokja...”
It wasn’t as if that was completely untrue. I felt especially at ease whenever I spoke with Huiwon. The fact that she was a “character” I had discovered also weighed on my mind.
Huiwon waved her hands with a flustered face.
“What? No, wait. It’s only because that guy is fun to tease-”
The group began whispering again. I had a bad feeling about this. Jihye, with a blank expression, was muttering in the back, “But what if I really do end up killing him...?”
No, what had I done wrong?
This time, Lee Gilyeong joined in.
“I don’t think that ‘love’ necessarily means love between a man and a woman. Families love each other too, right?”
“That could be true. Then what do you think, Gilyeong?”
“Dokja loves me.”
“...Dokja does? Why?”
“Well...”
At that question, Gilyeong agonized for a long while, clutching at his hair. Soon, fat teardrops began to stream down his face. It seemed he couldn’t find a single reason I might love him, no matter how much he thought about it.
Hyeongseong spoke next.
“Um, ahem. Could it possibly be... camaraderie? I also have memories of sweating together with Dokja while training in swordsmanship.”
“Camaraderie?”
“Yes. You see, the friendship between men is-”
The moment Hyeongseong began awkwardly explaining himself, everyone’s gaze turned toward Yu Junghyeok at once. Junghyeok, who had been silently watching with his arms folded, frowned.
“What are you looking at?”
Jihye flinched and whispered to Huiwon.
“...Come on, no way. Right?”
“Of course not. It isn’t.”
[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire shakes her head vigorously!]
Then Shin Yuseong, who had been quietly listening to the group’s conversation, raised her hand.
“Um...”
At that moment, the group might have silently realized something. Perhaps the one among them who could understand Dokja’s heart best was his incarnation.
“Right, Shin Yuseong! Hurry and tell us!”
“Do you know something?”
Yuseong slowly shook her head. Disappointment filled the others’ faces. However, Yuseong wasn’t finished speaking.
“Why don’t we just ask him directly?”
“What? Dokja? How?”
A chill ran through me. Come to think of it, Yuseong had been looking precisely where my gaze was this entire time. As always, my ominous premonition was right. My lovely incarnation pointed at me with an innocent face.
“He's been listening to everything we've said for a while.”
* * *
[A constellation without a modifier says he was wrong.]
“Again.”
[A constellation without a modifier says he was wrong.]
“One more time.”
[A constellation without a modifier says he was truly sorry.]
Only after repeating my apology several times did the group, especially Huiwon and Sangah, finally seem willing to forgive me. Huiwon asked,
“So... Who is the person Dokja loves?”
Just as I was about to answer, Hyeongseong said,
“Come to think of it, it might not be anyone here.”
“Oh, right. Dokja left alone with that woman, didn’t he? Her name was... Han Suyeong, was it?”
Huiwon chimed in. Sangah’s expression stiffened at the name Suyeong.
“...Are you with that woman right now?”
Sangah, who didn’t like Suyeong, looked deeply disappointed.
After taking a deep breath, I sent an Indirect Message.
[A constellation without a modifier says he has no one he loves.]
For an instant, indescribable joy and sorrow crossed the group’s faces. Some looked disappointed, while others looked excited. No, why was everyone so interested in someone else’s love life...?
Huiwon said,
“You have to be precise. You mean that you don’t have anyone right now. According to Fate, Dokja is bound to ‘fall in love’ with someone.”
Well... That wasn’t wrong. Huiwon continued.
“It would be better to change the question entirely. What kind of person do you like, Dokja? Is there anyone among us who comes close?”
Why did I have to tell them that?
“You may wonder why we’re asking, but it’s important to us. If Dokja ends up liking one of us, we might be able to stop that Fate.”
“That’s a good idea, sis.”
“If you think you might like me, make sure to tell me.”
Huiwon’s faint smile was downright terrifying.
Still, it wasn’t an entirely unconvincing argument.
Fate’s power to carry itself out was incredibly strong, but as I had said, it wasn’t something that could never be avoided. If I could find out who I would fall in love with, I might be able to defy Fate.
The group was this worried about my death. It was my story, but I almost felt guilty.
But...
[A constellation without a modifier says he doesn’t know.]
Huiwon finally snapped.
“Ah, why are you being so frustrating?”
“Mister, just rate us! We’re about to die, is this the time to worry about manners? Come on, look at me properly! Me!”
[A constellation without a modifier says he doesn’t want to do that.]
Damn it, at this rate, I was going to spend all my coins sending Indirect Messages.
[A constellation without a modifier says he doesn’t understand his own feelings either.]
“Wow, Dokja, seriously...”
[The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Headband takes an interest in the new story.]
[The constellation Secretive Plotter is curious about your choice.]
[The constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon keeps glancing at you.]
[A considerable number of constellations spit out sweet potatoes at your frustrating behavior.]
Even the constellations had joined their conversation.
[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire advises you not to deceive your own heart.]
[Some constellations declare that there is no one worth considering but the incarnation Yu Sangah.]
[A few constellations support the incarnation Shin Yuseong!]
[A small number of constellations who prefer lovers who are like friends support the incarnation Jeong Huiwon...]
[Some constellations who love a friend of a friend support the incarnation Lee Hyeongseong!]
...What a mess.
[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire says she has a good idea.]
Then, in the next moment, an item descended from the air.
+
<Item Information>
Name: Affection Meter
Grade: SS
Description: An item that reveals how the person being read feels about you. Press the use button and picture the target’s name and appearance, and their affection score will automatically appear in the air.
+
The moment I saw that item, I grew dizzy.
The Affection Meter was a luxury item that only Platinum-or-higher members of the Dokkaebi Compendium could buy. It cost a staggering 100,000 coins.
No, she spent 100,000 coins on this stupid entertainment?
“As expected of an archangel! You're such a big spender!”
Huiwon shouted happily.
[The constellation Demonic Judge of Fire urges you to use it quickly.]
“Then who should go first?”
“Huiwon has it, so Huiwon should try first.”
“Uh, um. Shall I?”
When it was finally time to use it, Huiwon looked a little nervous. I was just as nervous. In the end, it would reveal my feelings, so why was I this tense?
Everyone was watching the meter while clutching their hands tightly. It was such a strange feeling. A moment later, a beep sounded and a message appeared.
[The constellation Kim Dokja’s affection score toward the incarnation Jeong Huiwon is 54 points.]
Huiwon had been extremely tense, but she looked strangely deflated once the score appeared.
“Fifty-four points? That’s kind of ambiguous.”
“I’ll go next!”
Jihye snatched the meter away and playfully shouted as she pressed the button.
“Tell me Kim Dokja’s heart!”
[The constellation Kim Dokja’s affection score toward the incarnation Lee Jihye is 6 points.]
“...”
While Jihye stood blankly, unable to speak, the others, including Gilyeong, Hyeongseong, and even Yuseong, each used the meter once. Their scores were 49, 50, and 56 points respectively.
From a corner, I heard Jihye mutter, “Kim Dokja is trash.”
Yuseong, on the other hand, looked strangely excited.
Only Sangah and Junghyeok remained.
“Um, Junghyeok first...”
“I don’t have time to entertain that childish game.”
Junghyeok, who had been rummaging through the corpses of monsters in the distance, frowned. Naturally, the turn went to Sangah.
Sangah took the meter. Then, just before she used it...
[The constellation Queen of the Darkest Spring has gifted a unique item to the incarnation Yu Sangah.]
Something like cloth fluttered down from the air, and with a small flash of light, Sangah’s clothes changed. A black China Dress with slits at the sides, along with a black garter belt. It was exactly the outfit Persephone had worn when I visited the underworld.
Sangah stammered at the sudden change of clothes.
“W-w-what is this?!”
I desperately turned my gaze elsewhere and muttered to myself. That damn old woman from Olympus, seriously...
Hyeongseong cleared his throat and turned his head away, while Junghyeok frowned again as if he had no interest. Huiwon tilted her head.
“What is this, some event from the constellations? Those clothes look really expensive.”
“Sangah, hurry and press it.”
Then Sangah pressed the button.
[The constellation Kim Dokja’s affection score toward the incarnation Yu Sangah is 481 points.]
“Four hundred and eighty-one points? Isn’t that insane? This is practically certain!”
“As expected, the person Dokja likes is...”
Sangah’s face turned bright red as she tried to stammer something out. Then Huiwon, apparently sensing that something was strange, spoke.
“No, wait. This... Sangah, can I borrow those clothes for a second?”
“Ah, yes.”
Sangah lightly pressed the removal button, and her clothes returned to normal. Huiwon held the dress against her body and muttered suspiciously.
“...I don’t think this would fit me. Um, so... Ah.”
As Huiwon muttered, she accidentally pressed the button on the meter she was holding.
[The constellation Kim Dokja’s affection score toward the incarnation Jeong Huiwon is 481 points.]
Huiwon stared blankly at the air.
“...Why is it 481 points? I haven’t even put it on yet.”
“Sis, let me have it too.”
Jihye held the China Dress set in one hand and the meter in the other. She looked up at the air with a meaningful smile.
Then...
[The constellation Kim Dokja’s affection score toward the incarnation Lee Jihye is 481 points.]
Everyone fell silent.
While I couldn’t say anything in my overwhelming shame, Jihye clicked her tongue and shook her head. Huiwon clutched her stomach and trembled, while Sangah muttered with empty eyes.
“The thing you love most isn’t a person...”
Gilyeong and Hyeongseong were shaking their heads as well. Damn it, this was why I hadn’t wanted to do this...
Yuseong was trembling as she looked in my direction. I was too ashamed to face my incarnation, but as I was about to apologize, Yuseong spoke first.
“M-mister?”
Yes, I was sorry, Yuseong. I...
“Mister! What’s wrong? Mister!”
Yuseong’s face turned pale as she reached toward the air.
Something was wrong.
...Huh?
Yuseong’s frightened voice grew distant. Then my vision spun with a dizzy nausea that made me feel like vomiting.
Wait. Don’t tell me...
In the next moment, my consciousness cut out alongside a message.
[You have died.]
Footnotes:
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