Chapter 16: Chapter 12: King of Wanderers (2)

I should have thought about it before. If I, who read the novel, reached this point, then what about the others who were readers of that novel?

Especially, that one faithful reader I couldn't hope to catch up to?

With the unleashing of hundreds of butterflies, what would happen to this world?

I couldn't imagine the absolute chaos that would result. Not everyone was a martyr. In fact, there were more selfish people than selfless that could survive in this dog eat dog world.

So, armed with future knowledge, what kinds of destruction could the readers have? It was true that not everyone was bad, and was using the knowledge to help others.

For this Leader Lee in-front of me, reading from the notes, the way this place was structured, and the previous conversation, she was certainly the latter kind of reader, using the knowledge to help others.

But that could not offset any potential damage. And, what if this knowledge helps some people, but has catastrophic effects in an unforeseen way?

Leader Lee stood up, the chair skidding from under her that brought me back from my raging thoughts.

Watching her back as she left, I glanced at the papers still scattered over her desk, and then back at Leader Lee exiting the door.

I sucked in a breath after making a decision.

[What are you planning now?] Youngkik looked at me in wariness.

"Something potentially crazy and something I'm not sure will work." I mumbled as I replaced Leader Lee's position in the seat and took up her pen.

Looking at the daunting amount of pages, I hesitated before my pen touched the paper. Although, to others, it may appear just as a random pen suddenly floating, a true occult phenomenon.

I began writing in answering the small notes that littered the papers.

Beneath the comment of the special stove, I wrote:

Magic Power Stove. It's small enough to fit in a pocket, and can only be obtained once for each person. Additionally...

Although I didn't know the location of the Magic Power Stove as the novel hadn't explained any near the prison, I hoped the information would help.

[Some constellations are looking on with glittering eyes at the mysterious phenomenon]

[Lily Blooming in Aquarius is confused by the filtering.]

Youngkik looked surprised as more commission money rolled in, not expecting it to happen.

[What gibberish are you writing?] Youngkik asked, curious about what information I wrote to be filtered even to their eyes.

"It's not gibberish. It's helpful notes." I snapped back without looking at them.

Youngkik snorted, [You? Help? Why? All Earthlings only trample on each other to reach the end of the scenario, to amuse the constellations with their stories, anyway.]

"Well, I wonder why I'm doing this?" I smiled wryly, thinking of the answer to the next question as I shook the pen.

Youngkik looked at me, recalling the moment of the ghosts and seemed to have realized something.

The Dokkaebi watched on, this time silent at me working on the notes.

When I put the pen down and stretched, standing up to check the time, I suddenly lurched forward.

"Ugh!" I hugged myself, feeling really uncomfortable, as if a part of me was converting into an unknown entity.

[5% complete. Conversion to 'Star Stream's Messenger' has begun.]

When the cold robotic voice resounded in my head, I froze.

"Youngkik?" I spoke to them, wanting someone to explain my frightening circumstances.

[What is it, Earthling?] Youngkik grumbled, but then paused after studying me for a little longer, [Is it me, or did you get a little smaller?]

Youngkik's tiger teeth showed as they began laughing, [Looks like you're feeling the consequences of being outside the scenario!]

I paled a little.

"Youngkik, what do you mean? Did you also hear the notification?"

[Notification? What notification?]

"The one about converting into a 'Star Stream's Messenger'?"

[Hm? What, you want to spite me now? Stop talking in filters.] Youngkik sounded irritated.

I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach, and then some.

"What did you mean earlier about 'consequences of being outside the scenario'?" I hurriedly asked.

[Oh that? Are you aware that an existence is built on memories of others, or so to say, 'stories'?]

I nodded my head, pardoning the condescending tone Youngkik took on.

[Well, obviously, since existences need stories to live, you, who are right now practically storiless if not for me, and not in a scenario, obviously something is going to go wrong.]

I waited for Youngkik to continue on, but they didn't. It meant they didn't know anything about 'Star Stream's Messenger'. Perhaps, no one knew, except the Great Dokkaebis, some constellations, the wenny men, and, the Dokkaebi King.

But the current me couldn't meet with any of them.

What should I do? I bit my lip and chewed on it in distress, feeling my mind going blank.

Youngkik coughed into their clawed hands after noticing I was truly in a pickle after not hearing any usual quibble back.

I looked up at them.

[Isn't this simple? Just get back into the scenario. This is why Earthlings can't do anything by themselves.]

A hammer to the noggin struck me stupid.

Youngkik's suggestion was correct. Re-enter the scenario.

But how?

I glanced back at the table subconsciously, and a sudden chain reaction of ideas swamped my mind.

Existences lived on stories, or 'memories', and in that case, I just needed others to notice my existence and remember me. I had already left a mark on Leader Lee's notes, waiting to be discovered, so why couldn't I mess with- ahem, help with - other things?

Heroically, I phased through the door Leader Lee and Han Ryuyang had left through.

Huh, so I can pass through things like a ghost, I thought. And perhaps I should have given it more thought.

Which brought me to the present, where I realized whenever I tried to touch someone my hand passed straight through without obstruction, which was the same when I tried to pick up a wrapper.

Speechlessly, I bored holes in my hand like it was a whole new limb.

Youngkik couldn't help but roll with laughter beside me, which didn't help at all. They even smacked a nearby table in their agitation.

[Haha- the look on your face when you left that room to the one now -]

Youngkik was happy with my misery, like they had regained their dignity after being blackmailed by me into a contract.

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"No, but I could touch Leader Lee's things! How come I can't now?" I exclaimed, not wanting to accept the situation.

[Kekeke] Youngkik continued to cackle with glee, unable to answer.

"Stop laughing! Why are you even here instead of other places?!" In my embarrassment at the shaming, I shouted back at Youngkik.

[It's - it's because -] Young Kik wheezed before finally getting out, [this is a really interesting story.]

And then they erupted into renewed laughter.

I hadn't expected a Dokkaebi of all beings to be consumed by emotion, and being laughed at really didn't make my day.

Huffing, I continued to try to touch things to understand the principles of my new circumstances, but even as the sun began to go down, I still couldn't touch anything, nor understand why I couldn't.

Hair? Nope.

Bed? Also no.

Paper and pen? Still no.

Food? Water? Ok, not that.

Ground. Seriously, I can't? Then what am I standing on?

[25% complete.]

An indescribable feeling came over me as I once again felt like another part of myself changed.

[Hm? looks like you need to hurry up, Earthling.] Youngkik commented after I had gotten smaller, or rather, gotten younger, according to Youngkik's observation.

I wanted to look in the mirror to see what I looked like now, but even the mirrors did not contain my reflection so I was left clueless.

"I guess we should head back for now." I talked to myself and my audience as I decided to give up for now.

Maybe if I slept on it, and my thoughts were more organized, would I find a breakthrough. I knew the more I tried in my current method, the harder it would be to figure things out.

Retracing my steps through the prison, passing by the hurried people without bothering to dodge, hearing the signs of rowdy life that I wished to be a part of, I returned to the makeshift office.

Without bothering with the courtesy of knocking on the door, which was frankly not possible at the moment, I slipped through the door, and my vision opened up to finding Leader Lee back at the desk.

Away from the view of others, her head supported her hair that dangled messily down, her back slouched as she tiredly read the reports her members had filled in. It seemed she felt safe enough, for the mask lay cast aside on the desk.

Looking at the exhausted but vitality-filled face, I was surprised by how young Leader Lee looked, around her prime instead of my estimated middle-aged years.

Had she not discovered my written notes? If she had, what had been her reaction?

I suddenly felt nervous.

Setting down the documents with a sigh, Leader Lee rubbed the bridge of her nose and closed her strained eyes.

"Am I too old now?" She breathed.

Relaxing, Leader Lee fell back on the chair, and when she opened her eyes, her direction was to the cabinet at the side.

Taking a key from her pocket, she opened the cabinet and took out the notes on [Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World]. It appeared she had taken it out of a hidden compartment of the cabinet, because it already appeared compact with other files.

My heart rate sped up as she shifted through the pages to consult on.

Through the rustling of papers, Leader Lee suddenly paused in her focused reading after discovering an anomaly. Her eyes widened slightly before a frown overtook the shock, and then deep contemplation.

Suddenly, Leader Lee snatched the mask and placed it over her face.

Taking out a walkie-talkie, Leader Lee said a few names I didn't recognize.

"...come to the office immediately."

Before I could even exhale my held breath fully, the thudding of feet could be heard, and in came a few other women.

"Who entered and exited my office during the hours I was gone?" Tapping the desk with her digits, Leader Lee's stern voice was heard as she opened with her question.

"No one came in when you went to survey the area, Lee Sookyung." The one who replied first was a middle-aged lady.

"What happened, Sookyung?" A gentil, old woman spoke next, her words getting straight to the matter at the heart, and despite being aged, her insight was still sharp.

Hearing the Leader Lee's full name, I didn't know why I got a feeling I heard it from somewhere before, but I didn't dwell on the matter as I attentively continued to listen, my hands soon clammy with sweat.

The drumming of the desk stopped as Lee Sookyung's eyes behind the mask dilated by a miniscule amount that wouldn't be noticed if I wasn't watching closely. They were the eyes of someone with someone to hide, and someone who was going to lie.

"My sponsor had given me a warning, as you know with my divination reports. Today is also the first day we are accepting foreign strangers into the safe zone, so I may have thought too much. Now, my friends, I'm afraid this divination may lead to a future omen, so I need your opinions..." Swiftly and confidently, I watched in amazement as Lee Sookyung redirected the conversation into finding a solution to a non-existent crisis.

[Founder's Mother is smiling.]

Hm? It may be a straying thought, but which channel was this on?

I glanced at the invisible Youngkik munching on popcorn from who-knows-where at the suddenly full-throttle discussion going on in the room.

[What are you looking at?] They looked at me.

"Who's running the channel here?"

Youngkik rolled their eyes, still shoving popcorn into their mouth, [And why should I know or care? This spot is not under me, anyway.]

Was it me or was Youngkik getting more expressive and sassy? Or, was this how they originally were?

I felt like a rush of blood ticked a vein on my head in irritation. To keep myself from exploding, I took in slow deep inhales and exhales, missing part of the discussion.

"...and that is all. Please get some rest everyone."

My head jerked back up, and I blearily realized that the discussion was over.

"You as well, leader."

"Yes, Sookyung, you've done more than enough. You need some rest yourself."

And with that, the few women in the room filed out and gently closed the door behind them.

As soon as Lee Sookyung confirmed that there was no one left in the room did she finally sigh and sink back down in the chair, talking out the notes and flipping through them again in contemplation.

She tapped the desk as she spoke to herself quietly, "Who are you? Are you here to harm us, or help us?"

Along with Youngkik by my side, we remained silent as we watched Lee Sookyung run her hand through her hair in distress. The clock on the wall continued ticking, which looked incongruent with the office, well into the night, until Lee Sookyung's head drooped onto the desk as she fell asleep in the middle.

I turned and twisted my head to find something to cover Lee Sookyung at least, and was able to find a blanket.

A little unsure, I reached my hand out lightly like a water flea skipping the water, and was surprised to find that I could feel the texture under my hand as I pulled it up.

Draping it over her shoulders with trembling hands after my nervousness manifested, I answered her question, even if she could not hear me.

"I want to help. Is this hypocritical of me?"

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