"Whoa! Wasn't I dead?"
[You must get out of here quickly. If you don't, you'll be completely annihilated.]
"What?!"
[They introduce themselves as the 'Soul-Burning Great Tree.']
"Well, you talked to me before too. No way you couldn't speak now."
[They urge you to hurry, saying you can't stay here for long.]
"Yeah, yeah. Great Tree, then. How do I get out of here?"
[It smiles, as if to say you already know the answer.]
Just as the Great Tree suggested, there was only one way to survive and leave this place.
The hunchbacked old men known as the Demon of the Horizon.
The problem was that those bastards traded in Fables, and I didn't have a single one to my name.
[It asks if you remember the Disaster of Floods.]
"...I remember. She was such a good kid. It was a tragedy that things turned out that way."
[It explains that if you also become a disaster, you can see Dokja one last time.]
"So you're telling me... to become a disaster that might end up killing Dokja?!"
If I became a disaster, I wouldn't be able to move by my own will.
It wasn't just a matter of orders; Probability itself would force my actions.
In other words, if I became a disaster, I wouldn't be in a position to simply "go along" with things.
[It advises you to remember the effect of your attribute.]
The effect of my attribute?
"!! So that's it."
No matter how powerful an attack was, if the stats were 0...
Wouldn't that make the attack less than a mosquito bite to the target?
[Even if the support burns and is cut down... we will remain as a stump, a place to rest for a while.]
"You're right. I saved a life, so I should make sure that life continues."
Then all I could do now was wait.
Wait for the Demon of the Horizon.
Of course, whether they'd actually show up was still a gamble.
"While we wait, let's talk. What the hell are you, exactly?"
[It replies that it doesn't understand the meaning of your question.]
"A mere attribute lets me endure a place like this...? Do I look stupid enough to buy that?"
[The Great Tree gives a bitter smile and answers. This isn't the time for that truth to be revealed yet.]
It claimed to be my attribute, yet it could speak to me.
And while talking to it, I'd felt it before—sometimes it was glib and playful, and other times it was deadly serious, as if it had a split personality.
Whenever I spoke with the Great Tree, it felt like I was talking to two different people.
Well, it had even argued with itself before, so why not.
[The hunchback will be here soon, so let's just play for now.]
"Yeah, yeah."
Even now, it shifted between sounding like a Constellation's message and a child trying to chat.
.
.
.
"Are you the First Exile?"
"Hm... I didn't think you'd actually come."
—Crackle!
"...Interesting. I can't see proper information even with the Great Demon’s Eye, and from the way you speak, it's as if you already know me."
"Hm? I don't really know about that. What does it show?"
"The attribute window appears, but strangely, all the letters are garbled."
The letters were garbled...? Was that even possible?
[The Great Tree lifts its nonexistent nose proudly.]
Was the Great Tree really such an absurdly strong attribute?
"That's news to me too."
"So... what now? Before that, how did you know I would come?"
What else? Because I knew the Ways of Survival.
"Strictly speaking, it was a gamble. I made a flashy debut in the very first Scenario and was exiled simultaneously. What Incarnation in any world could pull that off? To be 'exiled' rather than 'dead' in the first Scenario."
"Then you must know we trade in Fables."
"The problem is that I don't have any Fables. That's why I called your arrival a gamble."
I had made a short, sharp impression, but that was all.
The Coins I possessed were nothing more than trash to beings like them.
Right now, I had no choice but to beg for this hunchback's mercy.
"Looks like you're not as stupid as I thought."
"No, I am. I picked a fight with Constellations, after all."
"Puhaha!! Right! That's true."
If I were really smart, I would've groveled to the Constellations until the very end to squeeze something out of them.
"So, what did you come to take from me?"
"Why not think of it as me coming to laugh at a miserable exile?"
"No way. You came because you want to use me for something. Just like the Disaster of Floods."
"Just how much... do you know?"
"Among Earth's Incarnations, I probably know the second most."
Of course, the one who knew the most was Dokja.
And I, who had listened to Dokja with complete focus every single day, was second.
There was no way for him to know that, so his reaction was only natural.
[The Great Tree urges you to hurry, saying even they can't endure much longer.]
I didn't know what kind of place this was, but it seemed the reason I could remain here intact was thanks to my attribute.
"I don't have much time left. As for the source of my information, you can ask my little sister when she comes later."
"Your little sister told you? Wishing for your own sister to be exiled... you're a frightening bastard."
"As if. I just know my sister better than anyone, and with her personality, I figured she'd end up here at least once."
"You and your sister are both seriously insane, aren't you?"
Me, crazy about my sister, and Dokja, crazy about the Ways of Survival—we weren't that different, so he wasn't exactly wrong.
"So I can assume you're willing to grant my request?"
"Say it first."
"Turn me into a disaster, like Shin Yoosung."
"..."
The hunchback fell silent after hearing my words.
"Kuhahahahaha!! This is insane—even for a madman, you're this far gone! Since you died, are you trying to drag your sister down with you?!"
"No. I want my sister to step on me—a disaster—and climb even higher."
"You think your sister is that strong?"
"Of course. She'll become far greater than you can imagine."
"Mad bastard... But you should already know, shouldn't you? All the seats for disasters are already filled."
The Four Great Disasters.
That was a fixed part of the Scenario.
I knew it was something that couldn't be changed.
"I know, I know. But have you never considered this?"
"Considered what?"
"If you want to raise a beast, do you need a zoo? Or do you need the vast wilderness?"
"..."
I would descend upon the world together with the Disaster of Floods, Shin Yoosung, and make the trial even harsher.
And the people of the Seoul Dome who overcame that trial would have a much easier time with the next Scenario.
I never once doubted that Dokja could overcome the trial.
I never once doubted that Dokja would reach that trial in the first place.
I was the one who had spent more time with her than even our mother had.
I was the one who knew Dokja better than the Ways of Survival ever could.
No one knew Dokja better than I did.
"Then what's the price?"
"Deferred payment."
"Are you playing word games with me? If you know about us, then you know we don't accept deferred payments."
I had nothing.
The hunchback knew that too.
I decided to treat this as a test.
"No. You can send me back into the Scenario, but you can't make me part of a disaster. That's the work of a Dokkaebi like Paul."
"How unpleasant. You dare mention Dokkaebi in my presence?"
"Hear me out. If this deal goes through, you'll sell my soul to Paul and take your payment from him... if you think about it that way, you don't lose anything, do you? And later, when my little sister comes, if you can collect my share from her too... then it's pure profit. Definitely not a loss."
The hunchback glared at me.
"You shouldn't see me as a trading partner. You should see me as merchandise to be sold."
"...Fine. I'll play along with your little scheme once. Go on, become a disaster and try killing your sister with your own hands."
—Swoosh.
The hunchback reached a hand toward me.
"Because of this, my sister—Dokja—is going to destroy the world of the Dokkaebi. The Bureau isn't the Star Stream, after all."
The hunchback paused for a moment, then reached out again, gripped my head, and spoke.
"Ho."
—Grin.
"I like you. You, and that little sister of yours."
.
.
.
—Thud!
"Ow, take it easy, would you?"
[I'm exhausted. Tired.]
[The Great Tree falls asleep for a while.]
"Yeah, get some rest."
"...Who are you now?"
"Oh, we finally meet. Hi, Yoosung. My name is Kim Dokyun. I'm your partner, and the man who hates Yoo Joonghyuk the most."
What had a child like you ever done wrong to deserve going through something like that?
Yoo Joonghyuk cared so much for her own little sister, so why couldn't she look after Yoosung, who was just as young?
All I felt was pity for the child in front of me, pretending to be an adult.
"You know me? And the captain too?"
"I do. I know you're disappointed in Joonghyuk and trying to become a disaster. I'm here because I'm going to become the forest that stays with you."
"So the captain didn't send you?"
"I hate Joonghyuk—that bitch—with all my heart."
This was probably the only thing we had in common.
I hadn't even seen the deaths of people like Lee Hyunsung and Lee Jihye, who had been Yoo Joonghyuk's companions, so if I dared stand beside her and say I understood her pain, it would only sound like shallow pity.
What I wanted wasn't to pity her. I wanted to become a stump she could rest on for a while.
"That's similar enough, I guess. But what do you mean by becoming a forest?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Are beasts stronger in a city, or in nature, where they can breathe freely?"
"You'll create an environment where I can use my power better? That can't be your only goal."
"Hm. Maybe it's because you're from the 41st turn, but you're quick."
"And how exactly do you know about the 41st turn?"
She was suspicious of me, but perhaps because she had come here too, she knew we were in the same situation. She only glared at me before turning her head away.
"I'm going to become a stepping stone. You know it too. We're going to lose. I'll just become a stepping stone for the sister who survives."
"And with that weak mindset, you want to become a disaster?"
"That's not something I want to hear from someone else who's here because of a weak heart."
"There's one more thing I hate today."
"And there's one more thing I like."
She had to know already that once you'd come here, even if you didn't want to, you'd be forced to.
There was nothing we could do except glare at each other.
"Yoosung, this doesn't fit the mood, but can I ask you one favor?"
"No. Shut up."
"Will you call me oppa?"
"What? What the hell is this crazy bastard saying?"
"You're a little kid out there, so doesn't that mean I'm older?"
"Why are you blaming the Scenario in a place outside the Scenario?"
She was still looking at me with contempt, but the atmosphere had loosened a little compared to before, so that was enough.
But there was still something I hadn't said yet. I was going to save Yoosung too.
Because Dokja would want that.
She was probably already making plans in the Scenario to save Yoosung.
"Yoosung."
"Can't you just shut up for once?"
"Why don't you cry?"
"What kind of nonsense is that now?"
"...If it were me, I'd have cried all day. You were sent back to the past, and the price was sleeping for a thousand years. Then you came back, passed on information, gave enough advice, and even took your own life as a final sign of respect. And even so, Yoo Joonghyuk never once called you a companion."
Yoosung stared at me with wide eyes.
"That's the second reason I came here. To save you. Sometimes crying is better."
"What the hell are you?!"
As if trying to hide her feelings, Shin Yoosung shouted and grabbed me by the collar.
To me, she just looked like a child embarrassed that someone had seen through her.
My little sister alone was enough for me when it came to hiding feelings until they festered.
I wanted kids, at least in front of me, to be kids.
If they were sad, they should cry. If they were angry, they should get angry. If they were happy, they should laugh.
Sometimes they should whine because they wanted something.
Like ordinary children.
The current Shin Yoosung, and the Shin Yoosung of the 41st turn standing before me now—both were just children to me.
The Shin Yoosung of the 41st turn was just a child who had matured a little too quickly because she'd gone through far too many things no child that young should ever have to endure.
That was how I saw it.
"Yoosung. You're mature, but you grew up too fast. Sometimes it's okay to cry like a child. Who's here besides you and me, anyway?"
"Shut up! Shut up...!"
"You're confused. You're wondering why a man you've never even met knows so much about you. Why it feels both happy and sad to be acknowledged by a stranger who isn't your captain."
Tears had gathered on Shin Yoosung's face.
"I just want children to be children. I hate seeing sacrifice for others treated like something natural. I hate seeing people hide behind the word 'selfless' and endure their own pain as if it's normal. I... just want to save you, Shin Yoosung."
What I wanted wasn't disaster Yoosung, or the 41st turn Yoosung with all her information. I wanted Yoosung who could snap and sulk like an ordinary child... Yoosung who could enjoy that kind of ordinary happiness.
And I would make that happiness for her.
"Let me become another family for you. Someone who laughs with you when you're happy, cries with you when you're sad, and treats your wounds when you're hurt. Not a companion. Family."
"Why? I don't know you. Even if you say you know me, what you know isn't everything."
"Of course not. Even family, no matter how close, can't know everything. What's important is the desire to come to know each other."
"Fine. Then make me say 'oppa' with my own mouth."
"You just did."
"That obviously doesn't count, does it?!"
Shin Yoosung was still crying, but she was smiling too.
She looked like the kind of person people say is crying because they're happy.
I just hoped this would lighten her burden, even a little.
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