Chapter Text
Kim Dokja
Darkness.
Not the comforting darkness of a closed room at night, nor the peaceful darkness behind closed eyelids. This was something else entirely, an absence so complete it felt like existence itself had been revoked.
It was this darkness that greeted Kim Dokja the moment his consciousness returned
He floated, or perhaps he stood, or lay suspended(he honestly couldn't tell), in an endless black void. Direction had no meaning here. Up and down were concepts that belonged to a different reality, one he could no longer recall with certainty
Well, this is new.
His mind was groggy, unstable, his memories drifting just beyond his grasp. He reached for them like smoke, trying to piece together the fragments
His eyes were open, he was fairly certain of that, yet he saw nothing. The darkness pressed against him like a physical weight, cold and suffocating, wrapping around his consciousness like wet fabric clinging to skin.
For a moment, or perhaps an eternity, he couldn't really tell, panic clawed at the edges of his mind.
Questions relentlessly assaulted him.
Where am I? What happened?
The industrial complex. The scenario window with all those question marks. His company gathered around him, and then..
His company.
The thought struck him, and suddenly he was scrambling, trying to move, trying to call out. His mouth opened but no sound emerged, swallowed by the absolute silence of this place.
Were they safe? Had they been taken too? Were the kids scared?
The image of Gilyoung and Yoosung's faces, wide-eyed and terrified, flashed through his mind. Yoo Joonghyuk's sword drawn, ready to fight an enemy he couldn't see. Han Sooyung cursing him for getting them into this mess, Hyunsung's guilt, Heewon and Jihye's anger—
Calm down, he told himself, forcing his breathing into a steady rhythm despite being unable to hear it.
Think. Analyze the situation.
It was what he always did. What he'd learned to do through thirteen years of reading about survival, about enduring impossible odds, about clawing your way through hell with nothing but your wits and determination.
It was the same instinct that had kept him alive through countless scenarios—and long before that, the same instinct that had taught him how to avoid a beating from his parents and bullies
[The Fourth Wall is nullifying your emotions]
The familiar notification appeared in his vision, blue text stark against the endless black, and Kim Dokja felt a wave of relief so intense it nearly broke through the Fourth Wall's suppression.
At least that still worked.
At least he still had that.
He focused on the window, using it as an anchor point in the void. If his skills still functioned, if it could be called a skill, then he wasn't completely helpless.
He tried summoning his Attribute Window. Maybe it would work here in the abyss, away from the scenarios and he'd finally catch a glimpse of what the Fourth Wall was so determined to hide.
Nothing.
He tried again, concentrating harder, willing the familiar interface to appear.
Still nothing.
A frown creased his features as he attempted to access his other skills: Way of the Wind, Bookmark, anything.
Each attempt met with the same result: silence and absence.
"Interesting," he muttered aloud, and this time his voice worked, echoing strangely in the void
"Everything's been blocked except the Fourth Wall."
That was...odd.
Deliberate, certainly.
Whoever, or whatever, had brought him here wanted him capable of thought but not action. They wanted him calm, not panicking or lashing out with his abilities. That's probably why the Fourth Wall was still active.
Actually, now that he thought about it, that was almost considerate in a disturbing sort of way. Like a kidnapper who remembers to pack your anxiety medication
His mind began working through the possibilities with the precision of someone who'd spent years dissecting narrative structures and plot devices.
First: the forced acceptance of the scenario. He'd rejected it clearly, his company had made sure of that, what with the sword to his neck and the rope in Lee Jihye's hands.
Yet they'd been pulled anyway, which meant someone with authority over or outside the <Star Stream> had intervened.
Second: the separation. If this was truly a hostile situation, why separate him from his company at all? The most efficient approach would be to kill or capture them all together. Splitting them up only made sense if...
If what?
If the goal wasn't elimination but something else. Interrogation? Unlikely. There were easier ways to extract information. Testing? Possible, but testing what? Or perhaps...
Perhaps they wanted to talk
His train of thought derailed as his memory surfaced more clearly now: the strange scenario notification, filled entirely with question marks. At the time, he'd been curious, yes, but also deeply suspicious. In all his years of reading Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World, he'd never encountered anything quite like it.
Which meant this was new territory, unchartered waters.
The realization should have terrified him.
In the scenarios, knowledge was power. His knowledge of TWSA was what had kept him and his companions alive through impossible odds. Without that knowledge and foresight, he was just...
Just Kim Dokja.
The reader who'd spent thirteen years of his life following Yoo Joonghyuk's regressions. The idiot who kept sacrificing himself because he couldn't bear to watch his friends die.
But instead of terror, Kim Dokja felt something else stirring in his chest, that old familiar sensation he'd felt countless times while reading late into the night, discovering plot twists and revelations.
Curiosity.
[Ki m Do kja i s an id io t]
"Shut up," he said reflexively.
The wall was right, of course. Only an idiot would feel curious in a situation like this. But then again, he'd always been an idiot when it came to stories.
And this... this felt like the beginning of a story.
"I haven't even done anything yet." He paused. "Wait. Can you… see what I'm thinking right now?"
[.....]
That was concerning. The Fourth Wall had always been far too perceptive for his comfort.
But at least it was here. At least he wasn't completely alone in this void.
Kim Dokja took a breath—or tried to; he still couldn't tell if he was actually breathing or if his mind was just insisting he should be—and decided to try the direct approach.
"Any idea of what's going on?" he asked the void.
[.....]
The silent treatment huh?
He sighed, recognizing that particular brand of silence. This tsundere either didn't know or refused to tell him. Probably the latter. The Fourth Wall had always been stingy with information, preferring to let him figure things out on his own.
"You're really not going to help me here?" he tried again.
[.....]
"Not even a hint?"
[Ki m Do kja i s an id io t]
"Yes, we've established that. Thank you for your invaluable contribution."
The notification flickered again, and Kim Dokja could have sworn it was laughing at him.
"Come on, you must know something," he pressed, unable to keep a thread of desperation from creeping into his voice.
"You're normally so knowledgeable about everything. If anyone would have information about this place, it'd be you. Why aren't my skills working? Where's everybody else? Is this even still part of the <Star Stream>?"
[.....]
"Playing hard to get? Really? We're past that stage in our relationship, don't you think?"
[K im Do kj a i s an no yi ng]
He couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face
"Annoying but right," he countered cheerfully. "Which means you do know something."
[.....]
He waited a beat, watching the empty space where a notification should be appearing
........
Any second now
........
“…Are you ignoring me?”
[.....]
He waited another second, then frowned. “Wow. Not even a comment. After everything we’ve been through together. I’m hurt.”
[.....]
“Oh, I see how it is,” he continued, undeterred "Is this what you do now when you don’t want to answer difficult questions?”
[.....]
He clicked his tongue. “You know, if you think pretending not to hear me will make me stop talking, you’ve seriously misunderstood me. I'm very persistent you know”
[.....]
He felt frustration building in his chest, mixing with the fear the Fourth Wall was keeping at bay.
"You realize if something happens to me, you go down too, right? We're kind of in this together. It would be in your best interest to help me out here."
[T he Fo ur th Wa ll i s no t co nc er ne d]
"Not concerned? Really? You're literally part of me. If I die, you—"
[Ki m Do kja's exi ste nice i s no t i n da nge r]
He blinked at the notification.
"Oh, so you do know something. Care to elaborate on that?"
[.....]
Bastard. Why have you gone silent again?
"Why aren't my other skills working then? If you know I'm not going to die or that my "existence isn't in danger", then you must know something about this place."
[.....]
"Fine, fine. Keep your secrets." He paused, then added with deliberate casualness, "I'm sure you just don't know anything and that's why you're acting like this. It's okay to admit when you're out of your depth."
The Fourth Wall trembled—just barely—and Kim Dokja couldn't help another small smile.
"Ah, so you are listening. Good to know."
[T he Fo ur th Wa ll i s ig no ri ng K im Do kj a]
"Sure you are. That's why you just responded to tell me you're ignoring me. Very convincing."
[.....]
"See? You're doing it again.".
[.....]
"...Are you really not going to help me?"
[.....]
"Fine," he said finally, defeat coloring his tone. "Be that way. Don't help me. I'll just... figure it out myself. Like always."
[Ki m Do kja i s su lk in g]
"I am not sulking."
[.....]
"I'm not!"
He received no response to that either.
He sat in silence for what felt like several minutes, trying to piece together more details from his fragmented memories. The white light. The sensation of being pulled. Had he heard his company calling for him? Or had that been his imagination?
Finally, he decided to try another approach—this time directed at whoever might be listening rather than his sulking companion. (He definitely wasn't the one sulking)
"You know," he continued speaking aloud, "if you wanted to talk, you could have just sent a message. The ominous kidnapping routine is a bit much, don't you think?"
Silence answered him.
He sighed again, settling into... whatever position his body had assumed in this void. Without sight or reference points, he couldn't even tell if he was sitting or standing, but his mind insisted he was in some kind of resting position, so he went with that.
This is getting nowhere. Whoever dragged me here isn’t talking, and neither is my so-called ‘companion’.
The frustration ebbed, replaced by a dull resignation. The Fourth Wall had always been stingy with information, preferring to let him figure things out on his own. He should have expected this.
At least the fear was manageable. At least he could think clearly, even if those thoughts weren't leading anywhere productive.
Minutes passed. Or hours. Time felt as meaningless as direction here.
He tried counting to keep track. One. Two. Three. By the time he reached three hundred, he'd lost track of whether he was counting seconds or just numbers for the sake of counting. His sense of time was completely shot.
Around what he estimated was the thousandth count—though it could have been the five hundredth or two thousandth for all he knew—a new problem emerged.
He was bored.
Incredibly, stupidly bored.
Of all the things to worry about right now, he thought with a trace of hysteria, boredom shouldn't be one of them.
But there it was. He'd been separated from his company, trapped in an endless void with no information and no way out, and his primary concern was that he had nothing to do.
What was he supposed to do while waiting for something to happen? There was nothing to look at, nothing to interact with, no scenarios to prepare for. Just... endless darkness and his own thoughts.
And maybe that was the real danger—not the void itself, but being left alone with what his mind would inevitably drag to the surface.
Without distractions, without anyone to interrupt the spiral, memories began to stir. Old fears and half-buried nightmares pressed closer, as if waiting for the right moment to claw their way back into the light.
The silence pressed in, amplifying every thought until it felt too loud, too close.
Which made the presence of the Fourth Wall all the more irritating.
It was there—watching, listening, undoubtedly aware of exactly what he was thinking—and yet it had been decidedly unhelpful so far.
Though, he mused, a dangerous idea forming in his mind, it is still here. And it can clearly hear me.
A smile slowly spread across his face—the kind of smile that usually preceded something incredibly stupid.
"You know," he said conversationally to the void, "if we're going to be stuck here together for who knows how long, we should probably find something to do."
[.....]
"No? Still playing the silent game?" He leaned back—or thought he did; spatial awareness was meaningless here.
"That's fine. I can talk enough for both of us. I've had thirteen years of practice talking to myself while reading, after all."
[.....]
[K im Do kj a i s sc are d]
Shit, am I that predictable?
[.....]
[K im Do kj a i s bo re d]
He blinked, then huffed a short laugh.
Well. That was fast.
"...Very bored," he confirmed quickly, faintly happy that the Fourth Wall had changed it's assesment.
"Incredibly bored. I'm starting to understand why people go insane in psychiatric hospitals. There's nothing here. Just... darkness. And you, but you're not exactly a sparkling conversationalist."
[T he Fo ur th Wa ll fi nd s th is ir on ic co mi ng fr om K im Do kj a]
"What's that supposed to mean?"
[.....]
He squinted at the notification window.
"...Are you calling me boring?"
[T he Fo ur th Wa ll de cl in es to co mm en t]
"You are! You're actually calling me boring!"
[K im Do kj a i s pr oj ec ti ng]
"I am not—"
He paused, then sighed. "Okay, maybe I am. But in my defense, it's not like I'm the most interesting or popular person under normal circumstances."
A new, even more absurd thought struck him, and he voiced it before he could think better of it.
"Hey, maybe that's the key," he said, his tone shifting to mock-seriousness. "Whoever went through all this trouble to get me alone... maybe they're a secret admirer. It's a classic trope in books you know. Mysterious kidnapper is actually a lonely god with a crush."
He paused for effect.
"If that's the case, I should prepare my strategy. Since I can't use my skills or stigmas, maybe I can use my devastating good looks and charming personality to seduce some answers out of them. What do you think?"
The silence from the Fourth Wall was profound.
[.....]
[Ki m Do kja i s de lu sio nal]
The words appeared with a flat, dismissive finality.
Kim Dokja’s theatrical posture deflated.
"...Right. Of course." A wry, self-deprecating smile twisted his lips. "I'm not exactly a Yoo Joonghyuk, am I?"
No mysterious entities were lining up to kidnap him for his pretty face. He’d never even had a girlfriend before. That alone said enough.
[T he Fo ur th Wa ll ag re es]
"Thanks for the kind words I guess," he muttered, the brief spark of absurdity guttering out, leaving behind the familiar, dull ache of low self-esteem he usually kept carefully buried.
He shook his head, as if to physically dispel the thought. "Forget it. It was a stupid joke."
[K im Do kj a i s st upi d]
“Yeah, yeah, have your fun.” He sighed. “Anyway, how long has it been since we entered this space?”
[T im e i s di ff ic ul t to me as ur e in th is sp ac e]
"That's not helpful."
[T he Fo ur th Wa ll i s be in g as he lp fu l as K im Do kj a de se rv es]
"Wow. Rude." He shook his head chastisingly
"Anyway it looks like I'll just have to prove that I'm not boring to you. Did I ever tell you about the time I read three hundred chapters in one sitting? My eyes were burning, my back was killing me, but I couldn't stop. The cliffhanger at chapter 299 was just that good—"
[Ki m Do kja i s be in g an no yi ng]
There it was. He couldn't quite suppress his grin.
"Annoying? Me? I'm just making conversation. You know, since you won't tell me anything useful, I figured we could at least pass the time. Unless you'd prefer to tell me what's going on?"
[.....]
"I'll take that as a no." He paused thoughtfully.
"How about a game then? Since we're clearly going to be here a while, and you've decided to be completely useless in terms of actual help."
[Ki m Do kja i s tr yi ng to pr ov ok e a re sp on se]
"....Is it working?"
[No]
"That response suggests otherwise."
[.....]
He could practically feel the Fourth Wall's exasperation, and something about that was deeply satisfying. If he was going to be stuck in this void with no information and no way to help his company, he might as well entertain himself.
"Alright, here's the game," he announced, his tone taking on an edge of barely suppressed amusement. "I spy with my little eye something that is..."
He paused dramatically. "...black."
[.....]
"Your turn. Try to guess what it is."
[Ki m Do kja i s an id io t]
"Wrong answer. Try again."
[T he re i s on ly da rk ne ss]
"Exactly! Which means everything I spy is black. Want to try another round? I spy with my little eye something that is also black, but in a slightly different direction."
[T hi s i s no t a ga me]
"Of course it's a game. I make an observation, you respond with increasing frustration. It's very entertaining. For me, anyway."
[T he Fo ur th Wa ll i s ig no ri ng Ki m Do kja]
"Uh-huh, I believe you."
He waited a beat, then continued. "Round three: I spy with my little eye something that starts with 'D' and rhymes with 'arkness.'"
[.....]
"No guesses? Fine, I'll tell you. It's darkness! Surprised?"
[Ki m Do kja i s ch il di sh]
"Childish? That's rich coming from the wall that's been giving me the silent treatment for—" He paused.
[.....]
[Wh at]
Kim Dokja smirked. "Ah, so you are still listening. Good to know I'm not just talking to myself."
[St op]
"Stop what? Talking? But I'm bored. You won't tell me anything useful, my company is missing, I'm trapped in a void, and I have nothing else to do. So unless you want to actually help me, you're stuck listening to whatever comes out of my mouth."
[T hi s i s un ne ce ss ar y]
"Unnecessary? You're right. Know what would make this unnecessary? Telling me literally anything about what's happening."
[.....]
"Nothing? Still nothing?" He made a show of sighing with exaggerated flair. "Fine. Let me tell you about every single plot hole I noticed in Ways of Survival, starting from chapter one. There was this thing with the timeline that never quite made sense—"
[Ki m Do kja]
The notification appeared with what he could only describe as a threatening aura.
"Yes?"
[St op ta lk in g]
"Make me."
[.....]
He grinned into the darkness. "That's what I thought."
The Fourth Wall's presence seemed to... shimmer? Fluctuate? He wasn't sure how else to describe it, but he got the distinct impression it was the metaphysical equivalent of someone pinching the bridge of their nose in frustration.
Good, he thought with perhaps more satisfaction than the situation warranted. If I have to be stuck here, confused and worried and useless, at least I can make you suffer too.
It was petty. Childish, even, as the Fourth Wall had accurately pointed out.
But it was also the only thing keeping him from spiraling into panic about his company's safety.
"So," he continued brightly, "since you won't play I Spy, how about Twenty Questions? I'll start: Is this place part of the <Star Stream>?"
[.....]
"I'll take that as a 'not answering.' Question two: Are we still in the same world?"
[.....]
"Question three: Are you going to answer any of these questions?"
[No]
"Finally, an answer! That's progress." He settled more comfortably into his undefined position in the void. "Question four: Does your refusal to answer mean you actually don't know, or are you just being difficult on purpose?"
[Ki m Do kja i s te st in g bo un da ri es]
"That's not an answer to my question."
[I t i s no t me an t to be]
[Ki m Do kja i s ov er th in ki ng]
"I'm really not. If anything, I'm underthinking because I don't have enough information. Which, again, you could help with."
[.....]
"And we're back to silence. Great." He drummed his fingers against... something. His leg? The void? Who could tell. "You know what? This is fine. I can do this all day. Or all week. Or however long we're stuck here.
The Fourth Wall's presence seemed to recoil slightly.
"Oh, you don't like that idea? Interesting."
[Ki m Do kja i s in su ff er ab le]
"And yet you're still here."
[T he Fo ur th Wa ll ha s no ch oi ce]
"Sure you don't." He smiled into the darkness. "But admit it—you'd miss me if I stopped talking."
[.....]
"I'll take that as a yes."
[I t i s no t a ye s]
"Keep telling yourself that."
He settled back into the void, feeling oddly content despite the circumstances. Despite the Fourth Wall's unhelpful attitude, the back-and-forth was something.
But it was just a distraction
He found himself once more thinking about his company. Worrying, if he was honest with himself, though the Fourth Wall was doing its best to keep the emotion manageable.
Are they together? Were they separated too? Do they know what's going on?
Were Gilyoung and Yoosung scared?
They'd clung to him so tightly before the transportation. He could still feel the ghost of their small hands gripping his coat, their faces pressed against his sides.
Was Yoo Joonghyuk doing something stupid again?
Was Han Sooyung already three steps ahead, plotting their escape?
He hoped so. She was smart enough to analyze the situation, to keep the others calm, to figure out what was happening. If anyone could lead them in his absence, it would be her or Yoo Joonghyuk.
The thought should have been comforting, but instead it just made him feel more useless.
What was he doing here, floating in the darkness, while his friends needed him?
They're fine, he tried to tell himself. They've survived worse.
But the reassurance rang hollow in his mind. They'd survived worse together. With him there to guide them, to use his knowledge of Ways of Survival to navigate the scenarios.
Here, separated, with no information...
[The Exclusive Skill, Fourth Wall is shaking]
Kim Dokja took a breath. Then another.
Stop it. This isn't helping anyone.
Panicking wouldn't solve anything. Getting lost in guilt wouldn't bring him back to them. He needed to focus on what he could control: understanding his situation, finding a way out, or at least gathering information.
He'd been in worse situations before. Probably. Maybe. Actually, this was pretty bad, but the point stood.
Then a voice spoke
[Don't worry, they're all okay]