Starting the Paid Service (2)
「 Dokkaebi. The first ti he appeared, soone said so. 」 (Korean goblin. Check out the link for more information.)
I didn’t know why but that sentence suddenly popped up in my head.
The stopped subway train, the dark room... These details gave a sense of deja vu.
The subway had stopped before, but it was rare. Even so, why? I rembered the familiar words from a novel... but it was ridiculous. Wasn’t it impossible?
At this mont, the door of car 3807 opened wide, and the electricity returned.
Yoo Sangah muttered by my side, “...Dokkaebi?”
My head was ringing. I trembled uneasily as the novel I knew and the reality before overlapped.
「With two small horns and wearing a small straw mat, the strange and fluffy creature was floating in the air. 」
「 It was too strange to call it a fairy, too evil to call it an angel, and too tranquil to call it a demon. 」
「Thus, it was called a ‘dokkkaebi. 」
And I already knew the first thing the dokkaebi would say.
「&아#@!&아#@! ......」
[&아#@!&아#@!.......]
Fiction and reality overlapped precisely.
“What is this?”
“Augnted reality?”
Amidst the chattering people, I was thrown into another world alone. This was unmistakably a dokkaebi—the very dokkaebi that opened the door to tragedy for thousands of lives in Ways of Survival.
...It was Yoo Sangah’s voice that broke out of my thoughts. “It sounds vaguely like Spanish. Should I talk to it?”
I was a bit taken aback and asked, “...Do you know what that is? Will you ask it for money?”
“No but...”
It was at this ti that I heard the correct pronunciation of Korean. [Ah. Ah. Does this sound good? Ah, I had a hard ti because the Korean patch didn’t work. Everyone, can you hear my words?]
As a familiar language was being spoken, I could see people’s expressions relax. Then the first one to step up was a big man in a suit. “Hey, what are you doing right now?”
[...Huh?]
“Are you filming? I have to go because I have to quickly get to an audition.”
He seed to be an obscure actor since his face was unfamiliar. If I were a casting director, I would’ve picked him out for his brimming ambition. Unfortunately, the presence before him right now wasn’t a director.
[Ah, auditions. That’s right. This is also an audition. Haha, there was a shortage of data. I just entered when it was monetized at 7 p.m.]
“What? What are you talking about?”
[Now, now. All of you, relax in your seats and listen to . From now on, I will tell you sothing very important!]
My chest was becoming stuffy.
“What? Quickly get off the train!”
“Sobody call the captain!”
“What are they doing without the cooperation of the citizens?”
“Mother, what is that? A cartoon?”
There was no doubt about it. This was the developnt I knew. I didn’t want to be mixed up in this...but there was no way. The people present wouldn’t listen to the small and cute-looking CG creature. The only thing I could do was stop Yoo Sangah who was trying to get up from her seat.
“Yoo Sangah-ssi, it is dangerous, so stay here.”
“Huh?” Yoo Sangah’s eyes widened.
I spoke during a mont of bewildernt, but there was no way to explain what I understood. To be exact, I didn’t have to explain.
[Haha, you are really loud.]
There was a presence with a stronger persuasive power than anyone else right now.
[I told you to be quiet.]
I closed my eyes slowly as the dokkaebi’s eyes turned red. Sothing burst, and the subway beca silent.
“Uh, uh. Uh...” There was a big hole in the forehead of the unknown actor who had to go to the audition. The man who had spoken several tis collapsed on the spot.
[This isn’t a movie shoot.]
There was a cracking sound once again. This ti, it was the person talking about the captain.
[It isn’t a dream. It isn’t a novel either.]
One, two... Blood sprayed into the air as the heads of so people started to burst.
They were all the people who had protested against the dokkaebi, as well as the ones who scread or went wild. Those who caused the slightest fuss had a hole in their heads. Suddenly, the subway beca a bloodbath.
[This isn’t the ‘reality’ that you know. Do you understand? So everyone shut up and listen to .]
More than half the people present here died. Blood and body pieces filled the subway. Now, the people didn’t scream. Like primitive apes in front of a powerful predator, everyone just watched the dokkaebi with terror.
I was surprised and held tightly onto the shoulder of Yoo Sangah who was hiccuping.
This was real. The strange ssage which entered my ears, the dokkaebi had appeared in front of , and the train car that had beco a bloodbath...
[Everyone, your lives have been nice so far. Isn’t that right?]
By the special needs seating, an elderly grandmother t the eyes of the dokkaebi.
[You have been living too long for free. Isn’t life too generous? You were born and paid no price for breathing, eating, pooping and breeding! Ha! You really live in a good world!]
Free? No one in the subway lived for free. The people strived to make money in order to survive, and they rode the subway on the way ho from work. Yet at this mont, no one disputed the dokkaebi’s words.
[But now the good days are over. How long can you continue living for free? If you want to enjoy happiness, it is common sense to pay a price. Isn’t that right?]
The gasping people couldn’t answer. Then at that ti, soone carefully raised their hand. “D-Do you want money?”
I wondered what type of person could speak in the middle of this situation, but surprisingly, I knew his face.
“Yoo Sangah-ssi. Isn’t that Departnt Head Han of the finance team?”
“...Right.”
There was no doubt. He was a typical parachute in the company and the number one person newcors avoided. (Parachute: a person who relies on their connections) It was Han Myungoh, departnt head of the finance team. Why was that man riding the subway?
“I will give you money. Take it. Please note that I am a person like this.”
Departnt Head Han pulled out his business card as people cheered him on. It was the atmosphere of a savior fighting against terrorists.
“How much do you want? A big one? Or two?”
He was offering a sum that was overly large for a departnt head of a subsidiary company.
There was a rumor that Han Myungoh was the youngest son of the leader of the affiliate company and now I thought it might be true. I couldn’t carry that many cheques in my wallet.
[Hrmm, you are giving money?]
“T-That’s right! The cash I have right now isn’t much but... I can give you anything if you let out of here.”
[Money, good. A plant fibre that many humans mutually agree on.]
The departnt head’s expression brightened. It was an ‘Indeed, money is everything’ expression. How pitiful.
“Now, this is all I have―”
[It only applies in your ti and space.]
“Huh?”
At the next mont, flas appeared in the air, and the cheques in the departnt head’s hands burned up. Departnt Head Han let out a scream.
[That paper has no value in the macrocosm world. If you do this one more ti, I will blow away your head.]
“U-Uhhh...” Fear once again spread on the faces of the people present. It was easy to read what they were thinking because it was just like the novel.
「 What the hell will happen now? 」
Only I knew what was going to happen in the future.
[Phew, the debt is piling up during the ti when you are noisy. Well, yes. Rather than explain it a hundred tis, isn’t it quicker for you to make money yourself?]
The dokkaebi’s horns rose like they were antennas, and its body floated to the ceiling of the train.
A mont later, a ssage rang out.
[#BI-7623 channel is open.]
[The constellations have entered.]
A small window erged in front of everyone’s blank eyes.
[The main scenario has arrived!]
[Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Value]
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear Conditions: Kill one or more living things.
Ti Limit: 30 minutes
Compensation: 300 coins
Failure: Death
The dokkaebi smiled faintly as it beca transparent and disappeared into the next space.
[Then, good luck everyone. Please show an interesting story.]
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