Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint - Chapter 576

WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME COMICS

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint ◈

Chapter 576: Episode 5: Villain (1)

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「"At this point, the real mastermind is Kim Dokja."

- From a comment on Chapter 516 of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint」

* * *

When someone passes out often enough, there comes a moment when they realize, Oh, I'm unconscious right now.

If my editor, Ji Eunyu, had heard me say that, she would have thrown me into a state of philosophical tension by asking, "If you know that, doesn't that mean you aren't unconscious?" Fortunately, Ji Eunyu wasn't here right now.

Put simply,

「I'm unconscious right now.」

At this rate, I might pass out even more often than Kim Dokja, the guy who passes out at the drop of a hat. That wouldn't do.

I forced my eyes open.

I was surrounded by faint darkness.

Had I still not woken up? I blinked hard several times, but all I could see was darkness.

Something about this darkness felt familiar.

There was also the sensation of a chair warmly cradling my back, and the comfort of my arms resting on its armrests.

This was a theater.

More precisely, it looked very much like the screening room where "Kim Dokja's Banquet" had taken place.

When I casually turned to the side, I saw children seated here and there, with empty seats between them.

At first, I thought they had come to see a movie together. Then I looked closer and realized every one of them had Dokja's face.

A chill ran down the back of my neck.

Had I been thinking about Dokja too much?

Was that why I was having such an absurd dream?

After rubbing my face, I looked around again.

They really were little Dokjas.

As if they couldn't see me at all, they stared blankly ahead, yawned, or did whatever they pleased.

Watching a movie with a whole group of little Dokjas. Symbolically and metaphorically, I had no idea what kind of dream this was.

「"Ah, damn. This is insane. It can't be."」

As if voicing my feelings, a voice came from the screen.

I looked at the screen along with the Dokjas. At some point, a movie had begun playing there.

「"Mister! Wake up!"」

Among the collapsed ruins, I saw Gyeong Se-in and Uncle Dansu.

I roughly understood what was happening. This seemed to be right after I fell beneath Dongho Bridge.

Uncle Dansu spat out the dirt in his mouth and asked.

「"What happened to Inho-ssi?"」

The moment he woke up, Uncle Dansu began looking for me.

I could tell from his expression alone. He was genuinely worried about me.

「"I don't know."」

Se-in shook her head weakly.

「"Huiwon-nim is gone too."

"I remember Inho-ssi pushing us..."

"I think he did it to save us."」

The two explored the area as if searching for traces of me. Before long, they found something among the rubble.

「"It looks like there was a fight here. Was it a monster?"

"There were monsters, but..."」

Se-in's expression became grave when she saw the Poison Rhino's corpse.

「At that moment, Se-in realized what had happened.」

Her voice trembled slightly as she continued.

「"I think Inho-ssi and Huiwon-nim ran into Yu Junghyeok."

"Yu Junghyeok?"

"It looks like he's gone now."

"Did he leave with Inho-ssi?"

"I don't think so... There are signs that someone fought here."

"They fought?"

"That's what I think. I think Yu Junghyeok attacked first..."

"Then Inho-ssi and Huiwon-ssi..."」

After a brief silence, Se-in spoke as if making a vow to herself.

「"They probably aren't dead. You know as well as I do that Inho-ssi is no ordinary reader who'd read it to the end."」

Se-in glanced toward the tunnel leading to Geumho Station.

「In truth, Se-in had already regained consciousness when Yu Junghyeok passed by her. However, she didn't move right away because the skill [Sixth Sense] had warned her.」

She had a skill like that too?

「[Sixth Sense] told her that if she got up now, she would certainly die. So Se-in kept pretending to be unconscious until Yu Junghyeok's presence had completely disappeared.」

I thought that was a relief. If she had moved then, she really would have died.

Se-in clenched her fist as she looked toward Dongho Bridge, where Huiwon and I had fallen.

「"For now, I think we should return to Geumho Station."

"But Inho-ssi is still..."

"If Inho-ssi and Huiwon-nim are alive, they'll come there too. We don't know what's around here, so it's dangerous for the two of us to stay."

"..."」

Uncle Dansu still looked reluctant, but Se-in's judgment was right. The two of them couldn't even catch a single Ground Rat. They would definitely have a hard time on their own.

「"You saw the Poison Rhino lying dead. There's no way the two of us can find them, so let's bring the Ironhead Gang and come back. ...If those Ironhead Gang bastards are still alive, that is."」

The thought suddenly occurred to me that I could trust her when I wasn't around.

Se-in had an accurate grasp of the resources we had. I also liked that she hadn't forgotten what needed to be confirmed.

The little Dokja beside me wore a faint smile, as if he liked that fact too.

The little brat knew a thing or two.

「The first thing Se-in had to do was stop Yu Junghyeok from wiping out the Ironhead Gang.」

I had even used Incitement on Bang Cheolsu to remove Geumho Station's dangers. I couldn't let that crazy Yu Junghyeok destroy our peaceful Geumho Station.

Uncle Dansu finally seemed to agree, and the two hurried toward Geumho Station.

They fled for their lives when they encountered a pack of Ground Rats, then bravely faced one when it appeared alone.

How long had they run like that?

At last, Geumho Station came into view.

Se-in stopped Uncle Dansu as he tried to enter the station, pressing herself against the tunnel wall.

「"Wait."」

Sharing Se-in's view, I felt a chill in my chest.

The hem of a black coat swayed in the light wind.

Yu Junghyeok was there.

He looked around Geumho Station, then tilted his head as if something was strange.

「"A total of 134 people. Strange. How did this many survive?"」

That psychopath. He should have been glad so many people survived.

One man in Geumho Station seemed to be thinking the same thing as me.

「"Who are you?"」

A man walked toward Yu Junghyeok with a cocky expression. He was from the Ironhead Gang.

「"I'm asking you. Who the-"」

In exactly three steps, the man's limbs twisted, and he crashed onto the floor.

Dokja and I had it comparatively good. At least we'd introduced ourselves before getting beaten.

When I looked to the side, the little Dokja was wearing a sinister smile too.

「"Aaaah!"

"W-what's going on?!"」

As people screamed, Bang Cheolsu and the rest of the Ironhead Gang rushed over after noticing the commotion.

Maybe because I had drilled it into him so thoroughly, Cheolsu didn't immediately charge in cursing. Instead, he calmly asked.

「"Who are you to cause this kind of trouble? This is our Area."

"Bang Cheolsu. Are you the leader?"」

Cheolsu seemed to hesitate for a moment.

That bastard wasn't already looking for a chance to betray us, was he?

「"Our leader is a man named Inho Cheon."」

Fortunately, he wasn't betraying us. That didn't mean the situation had improved.

「"So Inho Cheon has already taken over."」

As expected, Junghyeok began misunderstanding the situation. He nodded several times, then looked around as if he had grasped everything.

「"Inho Cheon is already dead. So the minor groups can come out without worry. I'll teach you how to get Food from now on."」

No one moved. They only retreated while looking at Junghyeok in fear. Some trembled, perhaps shocked by the news that I was dead.

Junghyeok spoke again.

「"I said those in the minor groups should come out."

"There are no minor groups. What do you mean-"

"You, shut up."」

Cheolsu's large body was slammed into the floor by Junghyeok's grip. Junghyeok stepped on him as he writhed like an insect, then looked at the people again.

「"There is no one left to torment you. That means you don't need to walk on eggshells anymore."

"Ghk, cough..."

"The Scenarios ahead won't be easy. If you don't act now, you'll live like slaves forever."」

Was this how Junghyeok's first meeting with the people of Geumho Station went?

He had probably seen the same scene dozens of times already and spoken similar words.

Still, for a guy who had never served, Junghyeok sure talked like a military drill instructor.

The little Dokja beside me nodded as if he agreed.

I felt like I was starting to like this kid.

「"There won't be another stroke of luck like this. Those who want to survive, step forward right-"

"Let that man go!"」

Surprisingly, it was a young child who stopped Junghyeok's drill-instructor act. For a moment, I wondered if there was another little Kim Dokja over there, but there wasn't. She was just an unfamiliar little girl.

A woman who appeared to be the girl's mother rushed out and quickly held her.

「"D-Dayeong! You can't do that!"

"But that bad man is hurting Uncle Cheolsu!"」

At that moment, I remembered who the mother and daughter were.

The pair known as Dayeong and her mother.

There really had been people like them at Geumho Station.

They were members of the minor group that had fought against the major group in the main story of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.

Dayeong shouted.

「"Uncle Cheolsu didn't do anything wrong! Why are you hurting him?"」

Dayeong's mother quickly hid Dayeong behind her. Yet perhaps her daughter's cry had moved her heart.

In the end, Dayeong's mother spoke too.

「"Why are you doing this? What do you want?"」

Junghyeok's eyebrow twitched at her words.

「"You still haven't come to your senses. Did Inho Cheon threaten you? I told you he was dead."

"I wasn't threatened. What are you even talking about...?"

"That man extorted your Food. He exploited you as slaves and sent suicide squads aboveground under the pretense of scouting. Are you saying you'll forgive someone like that?"」

As Junghyeok said that, he kicked Cheolsu on the ground once more.

Seemingly unable to watch any longer, Dayeong's mother pulled Cheolsu toward her and helped him up. Cheolsu lowered his head as if ashamed.

After looking over Cheolsu's injured face, Dayeong's mother turned to Junghyeok as if she had made up her mind.

「"I don't know what you're talking about. Cheolsu-ssi didn't do such things. He gave us Food."

"He gave you Food?"」

Junghyeok paused and looked around. Only then did he seem to realize something was strange about the station's atmosphere.

「"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said."」

Prompted by Dayeong's mother's words, people began chiming in one by one.

「"Cheolsu-ssi took such good care of everyone."

"That's right! Who are you to cause trouble when you don't know anything?"

"Cheolsu-ssi, come here! You didn't do anything wrong!"」

They were all people who had received Food from us.

Supported by the people around him, Cheolsu wept.

That was when someone asked.

「"Excuse me, what do you mean Inho Cheon-ssi is dead?"」

Junghyeok answered after a short pause.

「"Exactly what I said."

"Did you kill him?"」

Junghyeok gave no answer to Dayeong's mother's question.

「"Why would you do something like that...? He was the only one who took care of people after the First Scenario ended. I thought enough terrible things had already happened..."」

The people began whispering as they glared at Junghyeok.

Junghyeok slowly raised his head and looked back at them. Startled, the crowd stepped back a couple of steps.

The Ironhead Gang filled the space they left behind. With tense expressions, they stepped forward as though protecting the people, each gripping a pipe.

Their eyes said they would fight if Junghyeok attacked at any moment.

「"Go!"」

That was when Dayeong pointed at Junghyeok and shouted. The crowd followed her lead and cried out together.

「"Get out! Get out!"

"Leave our station right now!"

"Bring Inho-ssi back!"」

The people shouted.

Junghyeok stared down at the small box of snacks thrown at him.

He had probably seen the people of this station many times.

He had saved them, killed them, taught them, or taken them in.

And he had probably given up on them.

「Yu Junghyeok looked around at the people in silence.」