Chapter 2

1 “I’m Dokja.” That’s how I introduce myself to other people. “Dokja” being an unusual name and a homonym that can mean “only child” or “reader,” they often misunderstand. “Ah, so you’re an only child, huh?” “I am, but that’s not what I meant.” “Huh? Then…?” “That’s my name—Dokja Kim.” Dokja Kim. My father had named me that, hoping I’d be strong even when alone. But his wish must’ve only partially come true, because I ended up just alone. Here’s the gist of it— Dokja Kim. Twenty-eight years old. Single. Hobby: reading web novels on the way home from work. “You’ll fall into your phone if you stare at it so hard.” A friendly voice cut through the noise of the subway car. I looked up to see a pair of curious eyes staring down at me. It was Sangah Yu from HR. “Oh, good afternoon.” “Are you headed home?” “Yes. And you, Sangah?” “Yup. Got lucky today. My manager’s on a trip.” The person next to me got off, and Sangah plopped down on the empty seat. A gentle scent wafted from her as our shoulders touched, and despite myself, I tensed up a bit. “Do you usually take the subway?” “Oh, about that…” Sangah’s expression darkened. I realized this was the first time I’d run into her on the subway. Makes sense. After all, it was no secret that, from Mr. Kang in HR to Manager Han in finance, there was a whole line of men eager to give her a ride home. But I wasn’t expecting what she said next. “…someone stole my bike.” Bike? “You ride a bike to work?” “Yup! I’ve been working late these days, so I need the exercise. And…let’s just say it’s one less thing to worry about.” Aha, I see. Sangah smiled. Seeing her up close, I could see why so many guys had a crush on her. Well, not that it had anything to do with me. Sangah Yu and I lived in different genres. That seemed to be the end of the awkward conversation, and we both looked at our phones. I went back to the web novel I’d been reading earlier, and Sangah…what was she looking at? “¿Puede prestarme dinero?” “Sorry, what?” “It’s Spanish.” “…I see. What does that mean?” “It means ‘can you lend me some money?’” Sangah answered me confidently. This woman studied on the subway. She really did live in a different genre. But what use could she have for learning Spanish anyway? “You’re studying hard.” “And what about you? What’re you so focused on?” “Oh, I’m just…” Before I could do anything, Sangah’s eyes darted to my phone screen. “Is that a novel?” “Yes, I’m, uh…studying Korean.” “Wow, I love novels, too. It’s been a while since I read one, though. Don’t have the time these days…” That’s unexpected. Sangah Yu is into this kind of stuff, too? “You know, like Murakami Haruki, Raymond Carver, Han Kang…” Ah, of course. “Who’s your favorite author, Dokja?” “I doubt you’ve heard of them.” “Hey, I’ve read a lot of novels, you know? Tell me, who wrote that?” In moments like this, I wished I had a different hobby. I glanced at the title of the web novel on my phone. The World After the Fall Author: singNsong There was no way I was telling her “I’m reading The World After the Fall by singNsong.” “It’s just a fantasy novel. Kinda like, uh…The Lord of the Rings.” Sangah’s eyes widened. “Oh. The Lord of the Rings. I saw the movie.” “It was a good movie.” There was a brief silence. Sangah was looking at me like she expected me to continue the conversation. It was getting awkward, so I decided to change the subject. “Wasn’t it around this time last year that we started at this company? Can’t believe it’s been a year already. Time flies.” “Right? We were so clueless back then, weren’t we?” “Totally. Feels like it was just yesterday, but our contracts are almost up.” It was only after seeing her expression that I realized I’d picked the wrong subject. “Oh. Actually, I’m…” I’d forgotten. Sangah had been promoted to a permanent position in recognition of her role in securing a foreign contract last month. “Oh, right. Sorry I didn’t congratulate you earlier. Ha-ha. Guess I should’ve studied another language like you.” “D-don’t worry, Dokja! There’s still the performance evaluation. I’m sure you’ll—” I hated to admit it, but Sangah really was amazing. She shined like all the spotlights in the world were focused on her. If this were a work of fiction, she’d be the heroine. This was the logical outcome. I hadn’t made an effort, and Sangah had. I’d read web novels, and she’d studied. So naturally, she’d gotten promoted, and I was to be let go. “Um…Dokja.” “Yes.” “If you want…I can tell you what app I use to…” Sangah’s voice sounded distant. I could feel myself drifting away from the moment. I tried to bring my mind back to the present by blinking hard and staring straight ahead. There was a boy seated on the other side of the subway. Around ten years old. He was sitting next to his mom and looking down at the bug cage on his lap with gloomy eyes. “…Dokja?” What if I’d led a different life from this one? Maybe if the genre of my life were different… “Hey, Dok—” In other words, if the genre weren’t realism, but rather fantasy…could I be the hero? I didn’t know. And I never would. But something I did know was… “That’s okay, Sangah.” “Huh?” “It won’t matter if you show me the foreign language app.” …that the genre of my life was undeniably “realism”… “After all, Dokja lives Dokja’s life.” …and that I was just a reader, not the hero. “Dokja’s life…” Sangah had a serious look on her face. I waved my hand to reassure her I really was fine. I didn’t know her well, but it was clear she was genuinely worried about me. After all, she was in HR…so she would’ve had no illusions about my chances in the performance evaluation. “What a great line!” “Huh?” “That means I should live Sangah’s life.” This seemed to strengthen her determination about something, and she went back to studying Spanish with redoubled focus. I stared at her for a little bit before returning to the web novel. Everything was back to normal, but for some reason, my thumb felt heavy as I scrolled through the story. Perhaps it was the weight of my reality dragging it down—the cold, hard fact of life I’d been freshly reminded of. It was at that moment a notification popped up on my phone. You’ve received new e-mail. The sender was the author of TWSA. I opened it right away. Dear Dokja, TWSA will be paid content starting at 7 p.m. today. This should help. Best of luck. [1 Attached File] Right, the author had said they’d be sending me a present. Was this it? ……I really must be a reader through and through. Getting all excited over a single e-mail… Yeah, I guess it’s not so bad to live as a reader. I checked the time. 6:55 p.m. That meant it would be exactly five minutes until the novel became paid content. I opened my favorites list on the novel app. As the only reader, I felt I should leave a congratulatory comment to encourage the author. However… No Results Found. I typed “apocalypse” several times into the search bar, but the result was the same. TWSA’s comment section had completely disappeared as well. That’s strange. I knew it was becoming paid content, but shouldn’t there have been a notice at least? Just then, the lights inside the subway went out, and the car was plunged into darkness. Screeeeech! The subway car shook violently, and the sound of grinding metal pierced my ears. Sangah clutched my arm with a small yelp of fright. She gripped so hard that the pain drowned out the ongoing chaos. It took about ten seconds for the emergency brakes to bring the train to a full stop. Confused voices broke out all around me. “Huh? What happened?” “What’s going on?” Smartphones lit up one by one in the dark. Sangah spoke up, still firmly holding on to my arm. “Wh-what was that?” I tried my best to sound calm. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’s nothing.” “You think so?” “Yeah, I mean, what could possibly— Well, I’m sure the operator will let us know soon.” As if on cue, the announcement came on. Attention, all subway passengers. Attention, all subway passengers. The people around us quieted down to listen. I added reassuringly, “See? It’s nothing. They’ll apologize about the inconvenience, and the lights will—” E-everyone, please evacuate…I repeat, everyone— The announcement cut off with a loud beep. And suddenly, it was chaos. “D-Dokja? What in the world is—?” There was a flash of bright light in front of the car, followed by what sounded like an explosion and a ripping noise. Something was coming toward us in the dark. It was by sheer chance that I happened to glance at the clock in that moment. 7:00 p.m. With a loud tick, I felt as if the whole world had stopped. And then I heard a voice. [The free trial period for planetary system 8612 has ended.] [The main scenario has begun.] At that moment, my life took on a different genre.