WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: smol_anon

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 4: Episode 1 - Launch of the Paywall (3)

After the dokkaebi disappeared, people reacted in different ways. Some desperately tried to escape the train, while others frantically dialed the police. Yu Sangah was among the latter group.

“The police... the police aren’t answering! What should we do... what should we...”

“Calm down, Sangah-ssi.”

I looked straight into her unfocused eyes as I spoke.

“Sangah-ssi. You’ve played that game the development team made recently, right? The one where the whole world gets destroyed, and only a few people survive.”

“W-what? Why are you...”

“Just think of it like this. We’re inside that game now.”

Sangah's lips quivered as she mumbled blankly.

“A game...”

“It’s simple. Every game has rules. We just need to follow them.”

With those words, I took a deep breath and steadied myself. I, too, needed time to process all of this.

Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse.

The scenes I had only seen described in the novel were now unfolding in front of me.

「The dokkaebi with extended antennae.」

「Corpses strewn across the carriage like trash.」

「Terrified office workers, drenched in blood.」

「An old woman praying in the priority seats.」

I took in each of these scenes carefully as though I was Neo from the Matrix, questioning reality itself. But after all that careful observation and questioning, there was no denying it anymore. I didn’t know how, but it was clear.

TWSA had become reality.

I had to think. How could I survive in this new world?

“Everyone! Please calm down and take a deep breath.”

It was exactly five minutes after the dokkaebi vanished that someone stepped forward.

“Is everyone calm now? Please, stop what you’re doing for a moment and pay attention to me.”

The speaker was a tall, muscular man with a short two-block haircut. He was at least a head taller than most people. His commanding presence caused the crying and phone calls to taper off, and when he had everyone's attention, he continued.

“As you know, in national emergencies, even a small disturbance can lead to greater loss of life. From now on, I will take control of the situation.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“National emergency? What the hell are you talking about?”

A few people, having regained their composure, stood up in automatic resistance at the word "control." In response, the young man pulled out a public official ID card from his wallet.

“I’m currently serving as a lieutenant in the 6502nd Army platoon unit.”

At his words, a look of relief flashed across several faces.

“Soldier… he’s a soldier.”

But it was too early to relax.

“I’ve just received a message from my unit.”

People crowded around the soldier’s smartphone. I was nearby, so I could easily read the contents.

―Level 1 national emergency declared. All personnel are to report to their units immediately.

There were gasps all around.

A national emergency. I wasn’t surprised, though—I knew it would happen. In fact, what surprised me was something else.

Lieutenant Lee Hyeonseong.

This man before me went by that very name.

I knew him. I had never seen his face before, but I recognized the name instantly. After all, he was one of the main supporting characters in TWSA.

「The Steel Sword, Lee Hyeonseong.」

Even characters from the novel were making an appearance. I had no choice but to accept the situation as real now.

“Mr. Soldier! What the hell is going on?”

“I’m trying to get in touch with my unit, but...”

“What about the Blue House?[1] What’s the president doing? Contact the president immediately!”

“Apologies, but as a low-ranking officer, I do not have a direct line to the president.”

“How will you be ‘taking control’ if you can’t even do that?”

“I’m doing this for your safety, everyone...”

Even in the face of such absurd questions, Hyeonseong remained calm and professional. Watching him handle the situation, I realized the novel's descriptions hadn’t been wrong.

But was this really how he was supposed to appear?

A strange feeling of unease crept into my mind. As the sole reader of TWSA, I was certain this wasn’t how Lee Hyeonseong was introduced in the story. He was supposed to show up after the first scenario, not before.

So, what on earth was going on now?

If only I could re-read that part of TWSA right now, I’d get to the bottom of this uneasiness…

My thoughts were interrupted when someone shouted.

“The Prime Minister is giving a speech! It’s really a Level 1 national emergency!”

Everyone scrambled to check their phones. Yu Sangah turned her screen toward me.

“Dokja-ssi, look at this.”

There was no need to search for it—the top trending keyword was “Prime Minister’s Speech.” And I already knew how this speech would go.

―Dear citizens, I regret to inform you that unknown terrorists have appeared in Seoul and other unspecified areas.

The speech was simple. The government would use every available resource to combat the terrorists and would not negotiate under any circumstances. Citizens were urged to remain calm and go on with their daily lives.

I hadn’t thought much of it when reading the novel, but hearing these words in real life felt rather ridiculous.

Terrorists? Sure, that was a convenient explanation.

“But where’s the president? Why is the Prime Minister speaking?”

“They say the president’s already been killed.”

“What? Really?”

“Well, it’s not official, but the Naver comments—”

“So it’s just hearsay!”

Of course, I knew it wasn’t hearsay.

“Ahh! What the hell-?!”

People dropped their phones as the sound of gunfire erupted from their screens. Static crackled and blood splattered across the video feed, and everyone realized what had just happened after a moment of stunned silence.

“Th-the Prime Minister...”

The Prime Minister was dead. His head had exploded on live broadcast.

The sound of gunfire echoed a few more times, and the screen went quiet. Then, a familiar figure appeared on the screen.

It was the dokkaebi.

[I told you. This isn’t something as half-baked as terrorism.]

People were left speechless, their mouths opening and closing like goldfish.

[You still don’t get it, do you? I guess I have no choice. Do you still think this is all just a game?]

The dokkaebi’s tone was so casual, yet it sent chills down my spine. My hands clenched into fists without me realizing it.

[Haha, according to my research, the people of this country are quite good at games. So how about we raise the difficulty a bit?]

A beeping sound rang out, and a massive timer appeared in midair. The remaining time started ticking down rapidly.

[The remaining time has been reduced by 10 minutes.]

[Remaining time: 10 minutes.]

[If no one kills within the next five minutes, all lifeforms in this carriage will be exterminated.]

“What the hell does that mean? Is this a joke?”

“Did you hear that? Hey, did you guys hear that too?”

“Lieutenant! What do we do now? Why aren’t the police here yet?!”

“Everyone, please calm down and listen to—”

But the situation in the carriage had already spiraled out of Hyeonseong’s control. I could feel Sangah clutching tightly at my clothes- and an unshakable sense that something was off.

A supporting character like Lee Hyeonseong had appeared. But why hadn’t he shown up yet? If this was following the plot I knew, he should have appeared by now.

“There’s been a murder in the next carriage!”

Through the window, the bloodbath unfolding in car 3907 was clear as day. Those who made eye contact with the killers turned deathly pale.

“Don’t let anyone through! Don’t let them in!”

People were trying to barricade the doors. It was a pointless effort, because their real enemy wasn’t on the opposite side of the door.

[Until every car’s respective scenario is completed, all forms of exterior access are restricted.]

As the message appeared, people were thrown back from the door as if they’d hit an invisible barrier.

“Wh-what is going on?”

Then, the dokkaebi’s voice echoed again.

[Haha, some places are getting really interesting, while others haven’t even started. Alright, here’s a special service. I’ll show you what happens when nothing starts in five minutes.]

A massive screen appeared in the air, displaying a classroom. There were several girls trembling in fear, all dressed in navy-blue school uniforms. A high-school boy watching the screen mumbled as he nervously bit his fingernails.

“...Isn’t that the uniform for Typhoon High?”

Some girls were working together to break down the door, while others huddled, trying to think of a solution. Their clear determination to solve the scenario without killing anyone made them wiser than most of the adults here. But that only made the scene unfolding before us even more tragic.

Amidst ominous beeping, screams from the girls began to cry out.

[The time limit has expired.]

[Payment collection is now starting.]

Before the announcement finished, the head of the student in the front row exploded.

One by one, more heads burst open, spraying blood everywhere. The students screamed as they madly rushed to the doors and windows.

“Oh my god… how could this be—”

Cleaning tools broke, nails got torn off, but the doors wouldn’t budge. No one could escape. Bang. Bang. More heads exploded, one after another.

Finally, one girl began strangling her friend. The sound of choking filled the air as the girl's arms fell limply to her sides. In the end, the only one left standing was the girl who had strangled her, with eyes gleaming with venom as she glanced around.

[Channel #Bay23515. Typhoon High, Class 2-B survivor: Lee Jihye]

The visage of the girl glaring at the screen zoomed in, before vanishing with the footage. Then, the dokkaebi’s voice echoed again.

[So, what do you think? Isn’t it fun?]

The dokkaebi laughed, but no one was watching the screen anymore. Anyone who locked eyes scrambled to distance themselves from one another in horror.

“Shit, what the hell is this? What the fuck is going on?!”

Even Sangah had let go of my arm, though she still hadn’t completely moved away from me. With both my hands now free, I quickly pulled out my smartphone.

Why hadn’t ‘he’ appeared yet?

The knowledge of what I knew from the novel was blending into the unknown variables of this situation and losing relevance. The only way to break through this was to re-read TWSA. But how could I find that novel again? It wasn’t even popular enough to be pirated...

Wait a minute.

[1 attachment]

I stared blankly at the email notification that had appeared on my phone.

No way... it couldn’t be, right?

I hesitated for a moment before opening the attachment. As soon as I did, the strangest sensation washed over me. The file name was:

[Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse.txt]

Footnotes:

[1] Blue House: The South Korean equivalent of the White House, where the president resides.

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