WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: smol_anon
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈
Chapter 3: Episode 1 - Launch of the Paywall (2)
「A dokkaebi[1]. The moment it first appeared, that was what someone called it.」
I didn’t know why that sentence suddenly came to mind. The subway coming to a sudden stop, or the carriage being plunged into darkness, weren’t events that could trigger a sense of déjà vu in this situation. Emergency stops in the subway were rare, but not unheard of.
Yet, for some reason, the opening passages of an all-too familiar novel kept resurfacing in my head. But there was no way. It couldn’t be, right?
It was then that the doors at the front of car 3807 burst open, and the lights flickered back on. Yu Sangah, who was next to me, muttered softly.
“...a dokkaebi?”
Alarm bells echoed harshly in my head. Reality overlapped with the story I knew before my eyes, as my surroundings swam.
「Two small horns. A strange fluffy creature, draped in a ragged cloth, was floating in midair. Too bizarre to be called a fairy, too sinister to be called an angel, and too innocent to be called a demon.」
「That was why the creature was called a dokkaebi.」
And I knew exactly what the dokkaebi would say first.
「&ah#@!&ah#@!....」
[&ah#@!&ah#@!....]
Fiction and reality overlapped perfectly.
“What is that thing saying?”
“Is this some kind of augmented reality?”
As people murmured around me, I felt like I alone had been thrown into a different world that I could recognize. That was definitely a ‘dokkaebi’—the very one that always heralded tragedy across the thousands of chapters of TWSA.
My thoughts were interrupted by Sangah’s voice.
“That sounds like Spanish. Should I try talking to it?”
I couldn’t help but ask, a bit incredulously.
“...what will you even say? Are you going to ask if it wants money?”
“Well, no, but...”
It was then that a clear, fluent voice in Korean rang out.
[Ah, ah. Testing, testing. Can you all hear me now? Wow, the Korean patch was a hassle to install. Can you all hear me well?]
Perhaps it was the familiarity of the language, but I could see the tension easing from people’s faces. The first to step up was a large man in a suit.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing right now?”
[...Excuse me?]
“Is this a movie shoot? I’ve got an audition to get to, so I’m in a hurry.”
I couldn’t place him, so he was most likely an unknown actor. His voice alone was so imposing, that I’d have cast him on the spot if I were a director. Unfortunately, the being in front of him wasn’t one.
[Oh, an audition? So people are still auditioning at a time like this. Haha, I guess I didn’t do enough research. I was told people would stick around the most if I started the paywall at around 7 PM.]
“What? What are you talking about?”
[Alright, everyone, calm down and take your seats. You’ll want to hear what I’m about to say.]
My chest constricted more with dread at every passing word.
“What the hell! Start the train!”
“Someone contact the conductor!”
“What the hell are they doing without telling us civilians?”
“Mom, what is that? A cartoon?”
There was no doubt. This was the exact scenario I knew. I had to stop it, but how? No one would take the words of a small, cutesy CGI creature seriously. All I could do was stop Yu Sangah, who was cluelessly trying to stand up.
“Sangah-ssi, don’t move. It’s dangerous.”
“What?”
Yu Sangah’s eyes widened in surprise. I had spoken without thinking, but I had no way of explaining the situation at the moment.
Actually, I didn’t need to explain.
[Haha, it’s getting way too noisy.]
After all, the being in front of us possessed the most persuasive power imaginable.
[I told you all to be quiet.]
The dokkaebi slowly closed its eyes, then opened them to reveal their new red glint. The sound of something cracking echoed through the air, and the train fell dead silent.
“Ah, ah...”
A large hole had opened up on the forehead of the nameless actor shouting earlier. His mouth wordlessly opened and closed a few times before his body crumpled to the ground, his pupils unfocused.
[This isn’t a movie shoot.]
The cracking sound rang out again, this time from the woman who had been demanding to speak to the conductor.
[This isn’t a dream. It’s not a novel either.]
One by one, blood sprayed from the heads of the people in the carriage who had protested or screamed. Anyone who had made even the slightest commotion now had a gaping hole in their head. In an instant, the train had become the scene of a bloodbath.
[And this isn’t the ‘reality’ you knew either. Do you understand? So just shut up and listen to what I have to say.]
More than half of the people were dead. The train I always took to go home was now filled with blood and scattered bodies. No one was screaming anymore. Like primitive humans frozen in terror before a vicious predator, everyone trembled while staring at the dokkaebi.
I held down Yu Sangah’s shoulder as she hiccuped in shock, while holding my own breath as well.
This was real.
Even when the strange messages had echoed in my ears, even when the dokkaebi had appeared in front of me, I hadn’t fully grasped it. But now, as I looked at the blood-soaked carriage, the reality of this situation finally set in.
[Up until now, life must’ve been pretty good for all of you, right?]
In the priority seating section, the elderly passengers trembled as the dokkaebi locked eyes with them. The creature sneered as it continued.
[You’ve lived too long without paying a price. Life’s been too generous to you, hasn’t it? You got to be born, breathe freely, eat food, shit it out, and reproduce- all for free! Wow, you people really lived in a wonderful world!]
Free? There was no one on this subway who lived for free. This was a place filled with people who had to work tirelessly to make a living. But no one who would dare speak up.
[But the good times are over. You didn’t think you could live off free handouts forever, did you? If you want to savor happiness, you have to pay its price. Isn’t that common sense?]
The listeners, now breathing heavily, were in no state to respond. But then, someone slowly raised their hand.
“A-are you asking for money?”
I looked to see who on earth would ask such a question in a situation like this. To my surprise, it was a familiar face.
“Sangah-ssi, isn’t that Manager Han from the Finance Department?”
“...It is.”
It was definitely him. Han Myeongoh, the company’s infamous parachute executive, [2] who topped the list of the people new hires in particular shunned. What was he doing on the subway?
“If it’s money you want, I can give it to you. Just take it. I have the status to match, too.”
Myeongoh had even pulled out a business card, earning a few supportive glances from the passengers.
“How much do you want? A big note? Two?”
He was casually offering an obscene amount of money that no mere department head of a branch company could possess. There had been rumors that Han Myeongoh was the youngest son of the company’s chairman, and now I was starting to believe it too. No ordinary manager would carry around so many checks.
[Hmm, so you’re saying you’ll pay me with your kind’s money?]
“Y-yes! I don’t have much cash on me right now… but if you let me out of here, I can offer you as much as you wish.”
[ Money, how nice. The fiber of plants, infused with humans’ collective subjectivity of value.]
Myeongoh’s face lit up at the dokkaebi’s response. His expression said it all: “See? Money solves everything.” Pathetic.
“Well, I don’t have much right now, but please—”
[That might be true, but only in your confined space-time.]
“Eh?”
Suddenly, flames erupted from the checks in Han Myeongoh’s hand. The burning paper curled into ash as he screamed in horror.
[That kind of paper has no value in this extended dimensional plane. If you try that again, I’ll blow your head up.]
“A-Ahh...”
Fear spread across the faces of the passengers once again. Their expressions were so predictable, it was like reading an open book.
「What the hell is going to happen?」
And then there was me, the only one who knew exactly what was coming next.
[Haah, every second we waste talking, your debt piles up. But rather than explaining it a hundred times, earning the money yourselves will be a better learning experience.]
The dokkaebi’s horns stretched out like antennas as its body floated toward the ceiling of the train.
A moment later, a message echoed in the air.
[Channel #BI-7623 has been opened.]
[The constellations are making their entrance.]
Above the dumbfounded heads of the passengers blinking dazedly, small windows flickered into existence.
[The Main Scenario has arrived!]
+
<Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Value>
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear conditions: Kill one or more living beings.
Time limit: 30 minutes
Rewards: 300 coins
Penalty for failure: Death
+
The dokkaebi’s smirk began to blur at the edges as the creature turned transparent and phased into the next car.
[Well then, I wish you all good luck. Do give us an interesting story.]
Footnotes:
[1] Dokkaebi or dogkagkwi (Korean: 도깨비 or 국각귀) are legendary creatures from Korean mythology and folklore. Dokkaebi, also known as "Korean goblins", are nature deities or spirits possessing extraordinary powers and abilities that are used to interact with humans, at times playing tricks on them and at times helping them.
[2] Parachute: Korean slang for someone who only got to a high position in a company through nepotism, and skipped the hiring/promotion process.
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