As Han Sooyoung furiously scribbled, a world came to life under her pen. The intricate and elaborate world started spinning tales of its own—tales of people, of joy, sorrow, anger, peace, defeat, victory, and disappointment. However, even though this world began under her incitement, she found it difficult to control such a complex and detailed world alone.
To gain control, she decided to focus on the shittiest character in the world: an ex-pro-gamer with an eternal resting bitch face named Yoo Joonghyuk. His only redeeming factor was that he could cook, but as a Bastard™, he only cooked for his sister, Yoo Mia. Han Sooyoung began posting the elaborate drafts of the novel under the name "Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World." To her surprise, she had one steady reader who always made it a point to leave comments and suggestions on how she could take the story further.
As she also had to feed herself, she started using her initial drafts and replacing Yoo Joonghyuk's name with Yoo Joonhyun and publishing them under the name "SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor." It had the same plot as Ways of Survival but was better paced than the original. Han Sooyoung, as you can surmise, didn't believe in the concept of self-plagiarism and didn't once think that the reader who left hateful comments on "SSSS-grade Infinite Regressor" was the same devoted reader of Ways of Survival.
*************
Kim Dokja was always a lonely child, wondering if the play on his name was deliberate, a manifestation of this cruel world. He felt like an outsider peeping through the window, but he found solace in the window to other worlds. He could always be found with his nose buried in a book, tuning out the noises from the outside world. One day, while reading an intense scene from Ways of Survival, Kim Dokja bumped into Song Minwoo, a school bully he wouldn't dare to forget even as he grew older.
Without looking up, Dokja quickly murmured an apology before moving past Song Minwoo. But he couldn't escape; he was blocked in his path.
"Hey, you little shit. Do you even know basic manners? Do you even know how to apologise? Well, I can't expect better from the son of a murderer now, can I?" Song Minwoo sneered, and his little followers giggled mockingly behind him.
Dokja clenched and unclenched his fists, took three deep breaths, chanted "I am Yoo Joonghyuk" in his head ten times, and then took a stance he always imagined Yoo Joonghyuk took during his epic battles and punched Song Minwoo in the jaw.
Or, well, he tried to. It was not a good idea for a lanky twig-like guy like him to take on a well-established school bully. Now, he also had to lie under the sceptical eyes of the school nurse.
"I really did bump into the lockers. I was reading! It was a really good book." Dokja wasn't lying. Many times, he had actually bumped into walls, lockers, and furniture while being deeply involved in a story.
"Well, if you say so," the nurse said, letting out a resigned sigh. Dokja smiled apologetically. They both understood what happened, but he really didn't want to move again.
He was glad that distant relative number 57473889 could give less of a shit about what happened to him, considering the fact that they had their own blood-related son. The lesser the attention paid to him, the safer he was. It was a belief that had been ingrained in his bones.
For him to pass the rest of his days here without being deemed a 'nuisance' by said distant relative and being moved to live in the house of another unwilling guardian would be the most ideal situation.
The nurse's voice broke the silence. "Well, then, let's get you disinfected at least."
Dokja knew it wasn't a request but a demand. He sighed and turned his face to the side, giving better access to the nurse. She dipped the cotton ball in some Dettol and started dabbing it on his bruises. Dokja winced in pain.
"I am Yoo Joonghyuk," he muttered under his breath.
The nurse looked up, confused. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"
Dokja's smile was polite, but his reply was distant. "No, nothing at all."
The nurse asked him to lift up his shirt, and Dokja complied. As he expected, the nurse gasped softly when she saw his bruises. Dokja knew she wasn't surprised by the bruises, but rather the other scars that dotted his torso.
"Are you sure you're okay? Is everything alright at home?" the nurse asked, concerned.
"It was a long time ago. My father is dead, and my mother is in prison. You needn't concern yourselves with it," Dokja replied, his voice devoid of any emotion.
The nurse finished wrapping his bandages and gave him instructions. "Make sure to change your bandages today after your shower. Try to ice them as much as possible for at least ten minutes for the next seven days. Take care, alright?"
"Thank you," Dokja said, genuinely grateful. It was rare for someone not to pry into his past and respect his boundaries.
The nurse offered him support. "You can always talk to the school counsellor if it gets too hard. Or even me, if you're okay with it."
"I might just take you up on that offer one day," Dokja said with a grin. He limped his way out of the infirmary and into the nearest washroom stall. As soon as he locked the door, he collapsed on the floor and repeated his mantra to himself.
"I am Yoo Joonghyuk. I am strong and powerful. I can make it out alive."
"I am Yoo Joonghyuk. I am strong and powerful. I can make it out alive."
"I am Yoo Joonghyuk. I am strong..."
"I am not Yoo Joonghyuk. I am Kim Dokja. I am weak and lonely. I want to die."
Note:
This is not edited lmao. I think the pacing is weird but honestly, I love this idea so much I just wanna continue. This is my last ditch effort in trying to continue this (been in my drafts for 10 months now). I hope the pressure of it being able to be seen by anybody will revive the mood I was in when I wrote this ;-;
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Merry Christmas! ☃️
Edit: Finally found some time to edit. Will do my best to continue!
