Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Chapter 2

Starting the Paid Service (2)

「 Dokkaebi. That was what someone called it the first moment it appeared. 」 (Korean goblin. Check the link for further details.)

I am not sure why, but that specific line suddenly surfaced in my consciousness. The motionless subway train and the dark carriage... these particulars triggered a sense of deja vu.

Subway trains had occasionally stopped before, but such occurrences were rare. Still, why did this happen? I recalled familiar words from a novel, yet the thought felt absurd. Was it not impossible?

At that instant, the doors of carriage 3807 swung wide and the power flickered back to life.

Yoo Sangah whispered beside me, “...Dokkaebi?”

My brain throbbed. I shivered uncontrollably as the world of the novel I knew and the reality unfolding before me began to merge.

「 With two diminutive horns and wearing a straw mat, the strange, fluffy creature floated effortlessly in the air. 」

「 It felt too odd to be a fairy, too malevolent to be an angel, and too tranquil to be a demon. 」

「 Thus, it was labeled a ‘dokkkaebi’. 」

Furthermore, I already knew exactly what the dokkaebi was about to utter.

「 &아#@!&아#@! ......」

[ &아#@!&아#@!....... ]

Fiction and reality aligned perfectly.

“What is happening?”

“Is this augmented reality?”

Amidst the growing clamor of the crowd, I felt stranded in a completely different world. There was no mistaking it; this was a dokkaebi—the very entity that triggered the tragic downfall of thousands of lives in Ways of Survival.

...Yoo Sangah’s voice pulled me from my daze. “It sounds a bit like Spanish. Should I try speaking to it?”

I felt dazed and retorted, “...Do you have any idea what that is? Are you really going to ask it for money?”

“No, but...”

Just then, I heard the clear, crisp sounds of Korean words. [Ah. Ah. Is the sound quality okay? My apologies, the Korean patch gave me quite a bit of trouble. Everyone, can you hear me clearly?]

As the familiar language echoed, the tension on the passengers' faces seemed to dissipate. A large man in a suit was the first to stand his ground. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

[...Huh?]

“Are you recording something? I need to leave immediately for an audition.”

He appeared to be an unknown actor, as his face was not familiar to me. Had I been a casting director, I might have noted his raw ambition. Unfortunately, the presence floating before him was no director.

[Ah, auditions. Of course. This is an audition of sorts as well. Haha, there was a minor data shortage. I just arrived as the monetization kicked in at 7 p.m.]

“What? What on earth are you blabbering about?”

[Now, now. Everyone, please take your seats and listen closely. I have something incredibly important to tell you!]

A suffocating pressure tightened my chest.

“What is going on? Get off the train at once!”

“Someone call the conductor!”

“Why aren't they cooperating with the passengers?”

“Mom, what is that? Is it a cartoon?”

There was zero doubt. The sequence of events was following the narrative I knew. I desperately wanted to avoid being tangled in this mess... but escape was impossible. The people here would never listen to a small, cute-looking piece of CG. The only action I could take was to restrain Yoo Sangah, who made a move to stand up.

“Yoo Sangah-ssi, please stay put. It’s dangerous.”

“Huh?” Her eyes widened in surprise.

I spoke during her moment of confusion, but there was no simple way to explain my understanding. To be exact, there was no need to explain.

[Haha, you people are truly noisy.]

A presence far more intimidating than anyone else commanded the room.

[I told you all to be silent.]

I slowly squeezed my eyes shut as the dokkaebi’s eyes flared crimson. A sudden pop echoed, and the subway carriage plunged into absolute silence.

“Uh, uh. Uh...” A massive hole appeared in the forehead of the struggling actor who had been so eager for his audition. The man who had spoken out slumped dead to the floor.

[This is not a movie set.]

Another cracking sound resonated through the cabin. This time, it was the person who had been shouting for the conductor.

[It is not a dream. Nor is it a work of fiction.]

One by one... blood sprayed into the air as the heads of several passengers burst apart.

It was the people who had protested, cried out, or panicked. Anyone who caused even the slightest disturbance ended up with a hole in their skulls. Instantly, the subway turned into a slaughterhouse.

[This is not the ‘reality’ you were accustomed to. Do you grasp that? Now, hold your tongues and listen to me.]

More than half of the individuals present had been killed. Blood and visceral remains coated the train car. The survivors no longer dared to scream. Like primitive prey facing an apex predator, everyone stared at the dokkaebi in pure, paralyzed terror.

I gasped, clutching tightly onto the shoulder of Yoo Sangah, who was choking back sobs.

This was real. The bizarre messages ringing in my ears, the dokkaebi manifesting before my eyes, and the carriage transformed into this gruesome scene...

[Everyone, your lives have been quite pleasant until now, haven't they?]

Near the handicapped seating, an elderly woman caught the dokkaebi’s gaze.

[You have lived far too long for free. Isn't life simply too generous? You were born and paid absolutely nothing for breathing, eating, excreting, and breeding! Ha! You have all lived in such a wonderful world!]

Free? No one in this subway lived for free. These people struggled daily to earn money just to survive, commuting home after backbreaking labor. Yet, in that moment, not a single person dared to refute the dokkaebi’s twisted logic.

[But those good days have reached their end. How long did you expect to live for free? If you wish to continue enjoying happiness, it is only common sense to pay the price. Correct?]

The gasping crowd remained silent. Then, someone tentatively raised a hand. “D-Do you want money?”

I wondered who would dare speak in such a situation, but to my surprise, I recognized his face.

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

“...Yes, it is.”

There was no room for doubt. He was the classic office parasite, the type of manager every new recruit loathed. It was Han Myungoh, the head of the finance department. Why was this man riding the subway?

“I will provide you with money. Just take it. Please, recognize that I am a man of means.”

Department Head Han brandished his business card as the crowd watched with bated breath. It felt like the scene of a hero attempting to negotiate with terrorists.

“How much do you need? A million? Two million?”

He was offering a sum far too significant for an ordinary department head. Rumors had always claimed that Han Myungoh was the youngest son of the conglomerate leader, and at that moment, it seemed highly likely. I couldn’t even fit that many checks in my own wallet.

[Hmm, you are offering me currency?]

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

[Money, how interesting. A fiber material that humans have collectively agreed to value.]

The department head’s face lit up. It was the expression of a man who believed money could fix anything. How pathetic.

“See, this is all I possess—”

[That only holds value within your confined time and space.]

“Huh?”

An instant later, tongues of flame erupted in the air, incinerating the checks in his hand. Department Head Han let out a harrowing shriek.

[That paper is utterly worthless in the macrocosm. If you attempt that again, I will erase your head.]

“U-Uhhh...” Fear once again rippled through the remaining people. It was all too easy to read their thoughts; it was exactly like in the novel.

「 What the hell is going to happen now? 」

Only I knew the truth of what would follow.

[Phew, your noise is simply wasting time. Well then, I suppose it is faster for you to earn the money yourself than for me to explain it a hundred times.]

The dokkaebi’s horns twitched like antennas, and its body drifted toward the ceiling of the car.

A heartbeat later, a notification chimed.

[#BI-7623 channel is now open.]

[The constellations have entered the channel.]

A translucent window manifested before everyone’s vacant eyes.

[The main scenario has arrived!]

+

[Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Value]

Category: Main

Difficulty: F

Clear Conditions: Kill at least one or more living beings.

Time Limit: 30 minutes

Compensation: 300 coins

Failure: Death

+

The dokkaebi flashed a faint, cruel smile as it turned transparent and vanished into the next dimension.

[Good luck, everyone. Please provide me with an entertaining story.]