Chapter 732

Lee Jihye could still recall the day she first encountered Kim Dokja.

Within the shadowy tunnel of Chungmuro Station, a pale-faced man had emerged like an apparition through the Specter territory.

「 «Just who are you people? Are you not aware this zone is our hunting ground?» 」

That was right. That had been her first meeting with Kim Dokja.

「 «…You made it here after defeating all the specters?» 」

Now, Lee Jihye stood in that same tunnel, gazing at the fragments of story that persisted in their narrative.

«Ahjussi, if you’re in a spot like this, they’re just lying around.»

She knelt and gathered a piece of the story. This fragment was the very reason she had come to this ‘world line’.

[The story fragment ‘First Meeting with the Sea Admiral’ has been acquired.]

A faint smile touched Lee Jihye’s lips as she read the fragment’s name.

«So this becomes a story too.»

It made her a little happy.

This meeting was documented. It confirmed that her ahjussi had shaped a part of her she held dear from the time they had spent together.

«Hmm. I suppose there’s nothing more here.»

Once the fragment was secure, Lee Jihye scanned the area a final time before activating the Kim Dokja tracker crafted by Lee Seolhwa.

[No ‘Kim Dokja Fragments’ are present in this world line.]

Her mission within <Kim Dokja Company> was to gather the fragments of Kim Dokja dispersed across the worlds.

Initially, she had been with her companions, but after ‘a cluster of Kim Dokja fragments was located in the 41st round’, Lee Jihye became the sole member journeying through other world lines to collect these story pieces.

So many months had passed.

Finally, the collection of the target ‘fragments’ was nearly complete.

«It’s been too long since I’ve been home. Biyoo! Take me back!»

A ‘baaat’ sound echoed in her mind a moment later, and the portal within her swirled to life, pulling her inside.

[You have arrived at the target dimension.]

«Whoa.»

The journey was immediate.

When she first began world-hopping, the trips weren’t nearly this swift; her metaphorical abilities had likely strengthened over time.

Lee Jihye emerged from the portal, took a deep breath, and called out loudly.

«I’m back—!»

Yet, despite her announcement, there was no response from her friends.

A tinge of disappointment touched her, and she dragged her feet forward to search for them.

«Hello! I’m here! Where is everyone!»

Just as she left the transmission room and stepped into the opposite hallway.

«Oh, is that Jihye?»

«Seolhwa unnie!»

She encountered Lee Seolhwa, who appeared weary for some reason.

Lee Seolhwa immediately took Lee Jihye’s wrist, murmured something to herself, and then nodded.

«You seem well. Your balance is steady, I was concerned.»

«Why are you worrying about me?»

«Huh? Jihye noona!»

Turning, she saw Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosoung exiting a room.

«Unnie!»

Shin Yoosoung ran over and embraced Lee Jihye.

«Wow, you’ve gotten so much bigger, kiddo.»

She patted Shin Yoosoung’s head. Watching them, Lee Gilyoung made a disgusted noise.

“Where’s Sangah unnie?»

Shin Yoosoung lifted her head to answer.

«She’s in the observation room. We were all heading there anyway.»

«Is Master with her?»

«The gloomy guy is in the sealed training room.»

«Again? Master claims I still have training to complete.»

«He’s recuperating from internal injuries.»

«Master got hurt?»

«He picked a fight with a myth-grade constellation.»

A myth-grade constellation.

Lee Jihye’s face grew serious.

«Myth-grade?»

Few constellations remained that could threaten the present <Kim Dokja Company>.

However, if the opponent was ‘myth-grade’, that changed things.

«Odin. Along with the narrative-grade lowlifes from <Asgard>.»

Lee Jihye’s mouth fell open.

«What, did Master actually manage that?»

«He’s as powerful as he’s always been.»

«No, that’s only when things are equal! That’s their world line. What about the probability backlash?»

«Which is why he ended up injured.»

«And Sooyoung just let it happen?»

At the mention of Han Sooyoung, the mood of her companions visibly soured.

Lee Jihye studied their expressions carefully.

«What’s with everyone’s faces? Why did Master fight Odin? Did Dokja ahjussi appear?»

Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosoung exchanged a look.

A bad feeling settled in Lee Jihye’s stomach.

«Wait. Seriously?»

«To be precise, it was a ‘massive fragment’ of hyung.»

«A massive fragment?»

«A fragment holding the ‘Demon King of Salvation’ story.»

«At that point, he’s practically the real thing, isn’t he?»

«He’s not 100% my hyung.»

At Lee Gilyoung’s reply, Shin Yoosoung shot him a glare.

Lee Jihye watched their tense standoff, then patted both on the shoulder.

«Lee Gilyoung. I had a thought while I was out gathering fragments.»

«What thought.»

«No human can ever be a complete one hundred percent.»

At this solemn pronouncement, Shin Yoosoung looked up suddenly, and Lee Seolhwa covered her mouth with a soft, «Oh my.»

Lee Jihye puffed out her chest triumphantly at Lee Gilyoung’s sour expression.

«What? Impressed by your noona’s wisdom?»

«It’s shocking that noona had a thought that deep.»

«Do you need to be hung upside down again after all this time? My point is—»

«You’re saying we should accept him even if hyung doesn’t come back perfectly.»

«Hmm…»

«You think I’m dumb? I know that. But—»

No person was ever a ‘complete one hundred percent’. Humans always lost and forgot things.

What Lee Gilyoung truly feared was.

«What if the hyung we worked so hard to get back… doesn’t remember noona?»

«Huh?»

«Can you still say that? Can you confidently say it’s okay if he’s not one hundred percent hyung?»

Lee Jihye stared blankly into Lee Gilyoung’s eyes. Then she looked at Shin Yoosoung, and then at Lee Seolhwa.

«That’s not an option. Of course he has to remember me.»

«But just a second ago—»

«It’s not fair. I didn’t even get to go to MIT, I’m stuck doing this, and if he forgot me—»

«You didn’t get into that college anyway.»

«It doesn’t matter. He remembers me, so it’s fine.»

«How can you be so sure?»

«You’ll be amazed at what I brought back.»

Lee Jihye, wearing a knowing expression, reached into her backpack.

But where was it?

The Kim Dokja fragments she had carefully stored during her travels were nowhere to be found.

That was impossible.

She had definitely collected so many—

«Eh?»

The moment Lee Jihye dropped her backpack in shock, something small and quick leaped out from within.

Lee Jihye’s eyes went wide.

«Oh my god.»

Shin Yoosoung shrieked.

«Ahjussi!»

A kkoma Kim Dokja, no larger than a small doll, was looking up at his companions.

Shin Yoosoung and Lee Gilyoung were the first to react.

«Over there!»

«Move, Shin Yoosoung!»

The kkoma Kim Dokja darted away to evade the two children.

«Grab him!»

The group scrambled after the tiny figure.

After a frantic chase—

«Ah.»

The kkoma Kim Dokja had led them to the observation room where Yoo Sangah was.

The sound of a door opening.

Yoo Sangah, who had been monitoring a screen, met the gaze of the kkoma Kim Dokja.

Yoo Sangah looked down at the surprised little figure. The kkoma Kim Dokja raised both hands toward her. Recognizing him, Yoo Sangah offered a gentle, weary smile and spoke.

«Did you miss me that much?»

She reached out, carefully lifted the kkoma Kim Dokja, and set him on her desk.

As his perspective shifted, the kkoma Kim Dokja’s attention turned to the observation room’s monitor.

The story of the ’41st round’ was playing out.
A masked man on the screen was speaking.

«My intention is to steal the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’.»

The man’s brilliant eyes and pale skin were visible in the gaps of his mask.

The party members who had arrived were now also watching the screen.

Yoo Sangah waved a hand.

«Jihye, you’re back?»

«Yes, unnie. But perhaps that…»

Yoo Sangah looked at the man shouting on the monitor.

A man who weathered storms and bargained with wolves.

«Right? That’s Dokja, isn’t it?»

A man who hid his companions in a brick house and confronted the scenario in an unimaginable way.

Yoo Sangah watched the man’s story.

—Let’s make a story that will endure forever.

It would take volumes to explain precisely who he was.

Yoo Sangah wasn’t the one who could write those volumes. Only the man himself could decide their contents.

Instead, Yoo Sangah could read the title of the book.

«Yes, he is Dokja-ssi.»

«Obviously. Who else would do something like that? Shouldn’t we assist him? If he dies there—»

«Not possible now. We lack the necessary probability.»

«Dammit, it’s all that gloomy bastard’s fault! Picking a fight with Odin…»

«What’s the status of the constellations in our world line? Can we reach any?»

«Yoo Sangah, we still can’t make contact easily—»

Just then, the kkoma Kim Dokja in Yoo Sangah’s arms flinched.

Simultaneously, a violent probability storm erupted on the screen.

Beyond a great hall opening in the sky, a god from another world was being summoned.

«What.»

But the expressions on the party members’ faces as they saw the summoned ‘God of Another World’ were peculiar.

«That… Isn’t that him?»

The storm hammered against the brick house.
Each gust against the walls felt like it might tear the building from its foundations.

The power of the ‘God of the Other World’ was greater than anticipated.

[The constellation ‘The First Pig To Die’ breaks into a cold sweat.]

Even the Pig constellations supporting the structure seemed to be struggling.

Kyung Sein asked.

«What was summoned?»

I remembered my request to the Wolf Constellation.
To overcome this, I had asked him to ‘designate summon’ a specific ‘God of Another World’.

«I believe—»

«The story is weakening!»

Dansu ahjussi cried out urgently.

[The voice of the story ‘The Three Little Pigs’ grows fainter.]

That shouldn’t be happening.

If this story collapsed, the constellations would lose their foundational narrative. For those of great-grade status, the ‘origin story’ was everything. To protect their standing, they would hold on until the very end.

Yet, if the story was weakening…

[The conditions for the complete ‘staging’ reproduction are unmet.]

Damn, that too.

The staging had been incomplete from the start.
To fully recreate this stage, a ‘youngest pig’ was needed to oppose the ‘wolf.’

We had only met the conditions for ‘The Three Little Pigs’ through a workaround.

[Fragment of the story ‘The Last Born’ begins its storytelling.]

One was a fragment of the ‘youngest’ Kim Dokja’s story.

[Fragment of the story ‘The man who ate eight meals a day’ begins its storytelling.]

The other was a fragment of Yoo Jonghyuk’s story.

«Kim Dokja.»

But for a while now, little Yoo Jonghyuk’s expression had been odd.

«I’m hungry.»

What?

[Fragment of the story ‘The man who eats eight meals a day’ complains of hunger.]

Wait, could this be why the ‘stage adaptation’ is failing?

«Everyone! Food! I need food now!»

«Huh? Why food all of a sudden—»

«Hurry! I need to feed this guy!»

Little Yoo Jonghyuk’s strength seemed to be waning noticeably. This guy, who required eight meals a day, was weakening because he hadn’t eaten a single proper meal.

The one silver lining was that this was an inn.

«Food! Bring food! Owner!»

Kyung Sein requested food from the crane owner, who quickly provided it.
Freshly made soup, newly steamed sweet potatoes and potatoes. Wheat bread with jam. The food looked delicious.

I shouted to Kyung Sein.
«Feed him! Give him all eight meals at once!»

«Huh? Is that safe?»

«Now!»

Little Yoo Jonghyuk couldn’t use his hands, busy channeling magic power into the ‘Brick House’.

Kyung Sein, hastily spooning some soup, brought it to little Yoo Jonghyuk’s lips.

«Here, open up. Ah!»

Little Yoo Jonghyuk turned his head away.

«I refuse.»

«Huh? Why? You said you were hungry.»

Kyung Sein tilted her head and sniffed the soup.

«There’s nothing poisonous! Look! It’s good, I’d eat it myself…»

I was baffled.
Yoo Jonghyuk was refusing food.
Why?

[The story ‘Heir of the Eternal Name’ speaks.]

I felt a headache coming on.
Damn, now I remembered. Yoo Jonghyuk had ‘that particular trait’.

Yoo Jonghyuk, frowning, looked up at me and declared.

«I do not eat food prepared by others.»