Everyone's eyes turned to me.
The pillar I had slammed cracked, and the fractures spread across the ceiling and floor.
"You motherfuckers actually thought you could just leave the food in your own hands?"
"S-still, we all worked together to get it!"
Someone with a bit of nerve tried to argue with me, but—
"Who said that?"
"Huh?"
"Which bastard lied and said we got it together? My sister and I were the only ones who secured it."
Those assholes from the Cheoldupa hadn't secured a single scrap of food.
In other words, Cheon Inho had done absolutely nothing for us, yet he had stirred people up to demand we hand over everything we had.
"And even if we pretend everyone helped, without the two of us, you would've lost the food and your lives. You should be so grateful that you're even allowed to breathe, and instead, you pull this kind of bullshit?!"
As I shouted, the crowd began to edge backward.
If they were going to fold this easily, they shouldn't have mouthed off in the first place.
Of course, the fact that a single punch from me had shaken the ground and cracked the station probably played a part.
Even so, they were pathetically spineless.
"If you've got no strength and no brains... then you should be thinking about clinging to a bastard like me if you want to survive. Do you still think the government is functioning? Do you really think rescue is coming any minute now?"
Everyone fell silent.
Even Cheon Inho seemed not to have expected me to be this aggressive. He just stared at me, mouth shut.
As for that guy Cheolsu, who had already been burned by me once, he wouldn't even dare meet my eyes.
[Many Constellations in the channel raise a toast to your refreshing takedown.]
[500 Coins have been sponsored.]
"Now get lost. You're annoying—"
"Wait a second."
[I'll handle it from here. This is enough.]
"...Fine. If you say so."
Dokja stopped me, speaking through a skill.
It should be carved into their heads by now.
They would now perceive her as "the only woman who can control a man with that kind of power," and Cheon Inho would be no exception.
In other words: touch Dokja, and I crush you.
The problem was that there wasn't a single person in this place capable of stopping me.
Touch Dokja, and you die. That was the conclusion I had forced upon them.
That thought should be firmly planted now.
"Mr. Dokyun? Wasn't that a little too extreme?"
"When idiots are that easily manipulated, you need a shock strong enough to break the spell if you want them to face reality."
People who have been worked up by agitation won't listen to logic, no matter how you explain it.
They mistake their manipulation for righteousness.
They firmly believe that any opposing voice is just a lie meant to deceive them.
To break that, it's far more efficient to smother them with the fear of absolute power than to waste breath on logic.
It wasn't a sustainable method in the long run, but we weren't planning on staying at Geumho Station for long anyway.
"Of course, we will share the food. But it won't be free."
"What... what do you mean by that?"
"Not free...?"
"Don't tell me you're going to sell it?"
[A few Constellations' eyes begin to shine.]
[The Constellation 'Secretive Plotter' snorts.]
I didn't know exactly what Dokja was planning, but if things were going her way and the Constellations were entertained, I didn't see a reason to interfere.
"That's right. I'm not a volunteer, and I don't trust any of you."
At Dokja's words, Cheon Inho's expression—which had looked momentarily victorious—twisted in real time.
Confused murmurs rose from the crowd.
"If you don't want it, don't buy it. But if you try to steal it..."
Grrrrrrr.
"Well, I think you already know what happens then."
"Th-then, h-how much...?"
Even if they were dissatisfied, they couldn't openly resist with me standing there. The group members could only back off and ask the price.
If they had cooperated this nicely from the start, the atmosphere would have been much more pleasant.
"I only accept Coins."
.
.
.
"Um... Ms. Dokja, Mr. Dokyun, was that really the right choice? Isn't 50 Coins per item too expensive...?"
"Just so you know, from next time on, I'll be charging you all 10 Coins as well."
I didn't think it was that bad.
It wasn't as if we were exploiting their desperation by charging 200 or 300 Coins.
In this world, you could get 100 Coins just for killing a single mosquito.
Whatever the outcome, Dokja surely had a plan.
"Dokja, I'll take one."
"Do you want water too?"
"I'll eat the ramen dry. Just give it to me."
"...I guess you don't charge Mr. Dokyun because he's family."
Heewon, who had recovered enough to move, slowly pushed herself up.
Well, the truth was a little different.
"The food was something the two of us brought back together anyway. More importantly, Dokja takes all the profit from the sales, so it's fine to just give me a few pieces, right?"
Put simply, I gave up my share of the profits in exchange for the food.
[A very small number of Constellations are uneasy over the fact that you are a 'pushover'.]
"I'm only a pushover for Dokja. You've all seen me do anything to keep her alive, so why are you acting surprised now?"
[Most Constellations nod, admitting that now that they think about it, that's true.]
[Constellations of the Absolute Good alignment begin to worry over your continued sacrifices.]
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' stares at the siblings while drooling.]
Technically, since we secured it together, I could have taken a cut of the earnings. But the food was simply my justification for not taking a share of the profit.
"Of course. I'll pay from now on. I don't need handouts. I'm Jung Heewon."
Heewon had fully woken up. Other than that, nothing major happened.
We spent the rest of the time in idle chatter.
"Ms. Dokja, Mr. Dokyun, you should get some sleep. I'll take the first watch."
"No, I have something I need to do. Besides, I don't really get tired easily."
[Many Constellations are dumbfounded by Dokja's shamelessness.]
[A few Constellations comfort you.]
"Don't comfort me over something like this."
"...Pardon?"
"Ah, not you, Hyunsung. I was talking to the Constellations."
"Ah...."
Normally, talking to thin air would make you look like a lunatic. But now that Constellations were a reality, not doing it was what made you strange.
"Anyway, what do you mean, Ms. Dokja? Something you need to do?"
Lee Hyunsung looked at me, but...
I don't know either.
Even though Dokja had a skill that allowed only the two of us to communicate, she hadn't shared her plan with me.
Not even what was coming next.
I didn't know if she was still refining the details or trying to spare me the worry, but I couldn't help feeling that she didn't fully trust me.
"Um..."
[Oppa, the shop starts now. Just trust me and follow my lead.]
Having lived with me for so long, Dokja was always quick to notice my concerns.
This time was no different. She looked at me with those deep eyes, a sly smile playing on her lips.
"...Why?"
.
.
.
"I'm never doing business with you again."
"Good grief. You sold all of that overnight? Ha, ridiculous. Everyone was just hesitating... And why is Mr. Dokyun collapsed over there?"
"He's mentally exhausted."
[Many Constellations sympathize with you.]
For once, I agreed with the Constellations.
Dokja took the Coins, while I did all the labor of sourcing and selling the goods.
If family could be exploited, she was the first to do it.
Knowing I struggle to refuse her, she worked me all night under the guise of "asking a favor."
Who can I blame? I should blame my own pathetic mental fortitude.
We had only known each other for two days, but seeing how visibly drained I was, everyone had something to say.
"...Mr. Dokyun looks truly pitiful."
Lee Hyunsung.
"Seriously. He looks so exhausted it's almost hard to even poke at him..."
Jung Heewon.
"Hmm...."
Yoo Sangah.
"What is it, Sangah?"
"Ah, it's just... somehow, the way he looks tired reminds me of Ms. Dokja."
"Yeah, maybe because they're family, they have a similar vibe...?"
"Is that what I look like when I'm tired?"
Even Dokja was muttering to herself now.
[Constellations of the Absolute Evil alignment are amused by your plight.]
Now even the Constellations were joining in.
Still, seeing Dokja smile didn't make me feel bad.
It had been so long since I'd seen her smile in front of other people.
"But don't you need to tell them that part?"
"Ah. Yeah, it'd be better to say it."
"You two, what are you—"
""It wasn't only the marginalized group that bought from us.""
We sold to anyone who came, regardless of their status.
Naturally, the mainstream group had more Coins, so in practice, they bought almost everything.
"Starting today, we'll be limiting food rations. Distribution will be three biscuits per person."
"Ugh, that stingy bastard. They practically bought everything themselves, and they still can't be a bit more generous."
"Well, we sold it, so that's that."
[Most Constellations are appalled by your words and actions.]
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' appeals to you, saying you shouldn't do that.]
"Ah, then sponsor us the amount of Coins we made from selling it. If you do that, we'll give the Coins back."
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' closes her mouth.]
Hypocritical bastards. Their own Coins are precious, yet they have plenty to say about us earning ours fairly.
If they're going to shut up that easily, why bother picking a fight in the first place?
"Oppa, aren't you getting more and more blunt with the Constellations?"
[Most Constellations tear up, saying you are speaking for their hearts.]
"They're bastards who snicker while we suffer. I can curse at them if I want. People talk shit about kings behind their backs too."
Though now, you couldn't even do it behind their backs.
With the channel, they could watch from anywhere, so no matter what you did, it was just an open insult.
"Anyway, where's the Goddess of Love and Beauty? Haven't seen her lately."
[The Constellation 'Goddess of Love and Beauty' is moved, saying she is right here and asking if you were worried about her.]
"You showed up every day, and then you stopped. That's all."
[The Constellation 'Goddess of Love and Beauty' likes your tsundere side.]
[300 Coins have been sponsored.]
As always, I enjoyed my usual WWE match with the Constellations who had flocked to this ruined world.
"Yesterday, Ms. Kim Dokja over there told us something useful."
Again, again, again with this bullshit.
I'm standing right here. Do they think that because I look a little tired, it's the perfect moment to try something?
"Thank you for telling us something useful, Ms. Kim Dokja."
"Because of that bastard...."
"Want me to gouge your eyes out before you move away?"
"...."
"If one word from me is enough to make this place go quiet like a library, then you shouldn't even try it."
Watching the killing intent aimed at Dokja vanish at a single word from me, I felt it in my bones once again: this world preys on the weak and bows to the strong.
The old world had been like that too, but after the apocalypse, it became an absolute law.
"In the end, doesn't this just mean the mainstream group monopolized the food again? Weren't you trying to weaken them by encouraging trade between the people?"
"That's right. I was hoping people would rise up on their own."
Dokja was really good at lying.
Even though she'd never believed for a second that people would rise up on their own.
"Still, you left enough food for yourselves to eat, right?"
"No, we sold all of it."
"What?! Th-that... can we really trust her...? And you, as her brother, what were you doing instead of stopping her?!"
"Because I trust Dokja completely."
"You still have to do what you need to do yourself! It's not like you'll only breathe when Ms. Dokja tells you to breathe!!"
It wasn't unreasonable for Jung Heewon to react like that.
From the outside, I probably looked like nothing more than Dokja's puppet, but the truth was different.
Dokja knew the future, and last night she told me what was about to happen.
That's why I didn't stop her.
It wasn't that I blindly followed her plans; I was making my own judgments.
Whatever the case, my number one priority was Dokja's safety.
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