Side Story: Episode 21-3 - Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint

Episode 21. Kim Dokja (3) I promptly activated [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint]. Surely, there must be someone thinking about me right now. If there was even a single person who considered me, I could learn what was happening. [Currently, this skill cannot be used.] A pounding headache ensued. Was it that no one was thinking of me, or was it the aftermath of overusing the skill? The flickering light in the distance began to shine in my direction. "Author?" A woman stood in the darkness. She wore a traditional royal hanbok of an antique hue, with a crown perched on her head. Such a woman was calling me "Author". My mind struggled to process this. "Who are you?" The woman looked at me with an expression of disappointment and asked in a voice as clear as rolling glass marbles. "You don’t know who I am?" In my head, I understood. Naturally, there was only one person in this world who would call me “Author.” Still, confirmation was necessary. "When was Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint first published?" "January 2nd. It was during my second year after joining." "What does '1863' mean?" "You don’t think about such things when you write." "What iteration is this world line?" "The 41st iteration." Tears almost welled up. It’s certain. No doubt about it. The person in front of me was my one and only editor. "Editor." "Author." For a moment, we clasped hands and teared up. * When 'ORV' was just starting, a reader once asked me such a question. —If you could transmigrate into 'ORV', which character would you like to become? Looking back, that comment could have been left by 'Kim Dokja’s Representative'. —Hmm, a character I’d like to become... There aren’t many I wouldn’t want to become. For example… At the time, I typed out a reply but didn’t hit send. I didn’t want to intrude on the readers’ enjoyment by adding the author's personal opinions. So, I simply replied with, “I’ll think about it until the conclusion.” Back then, Ji Eun Yoo, who read the comment, commented: —I wouldn't choose to transmigrate into Kim Dokja. —Is it because he keeps dying? —Yes. —Then how about Jung Heewon or Lee Hyunsung…? —They also nearly died, didn’t they? Lee Hyunsung even died once, didn’t he? True. Looking back, there wasn’t a single character among the 'ORV' cast who remained unscathed until the end. —A character who survives quietly, as if they’re not there, is the best. Truly, a statement fitting of a veteran web novel editor. Perhaps Ji Eun Yoo’s current character choice was also due to her comment from back then. But I wonder if Ji Eun Yoo is satisfied with her choice now. "Still, Min Ji Won is a bit…" Probably not. The character Ji Eun Yoo transmigrated into was 'Mihui King Min Ji Won'. In the original story, she is an Incarnation who has the Shilla Dynasty’s Jinseong King 'Maegeum Supreme' as her Sponsor. She is noted for her beauty within 'Ways of Survival', and for a brief moment, she even showed interest in Kim Dokja. "A character who survives quietly, as if they’re not there, seems to be just what the editor wanted." "No one really expects to transmigrate when they say stuff like that. This wasn’t your doing, was it?" I protested against Ji Eun Yoo's suspicious gaze. "If I orchestrated this, would I have chosen to transmigrate into Cheon Inho?" "True." Ji Eun Yoo nodded thoughtfully and added, "But did Cheon Inho always look like that? He seems to have undergone some cosmetic enhancement." "I never wrote Cheon Inho as ugly." As we glared at each other for a moment, I suddenly remembered what kind of person Ji Eun Yoo was. Someone who would debate a single sentence with me for thirty minutes. Someone who wouldn’t tolerate a sentence that didn’t fit the context or rhythm. Someone who unwaveringly supported my story, yet spared no criticism if the plot felt unstable or if the story’s balance wavered. "Anyway, it’s a relief we’re both alive, Author." Always the one to say what I needed to hear. "Editor." "There’s a lot I want to ask, but now doesn’t seem like the time for us to catch up." I nodded. But my mind was still cluttered, unsure of where to start. Fortunately, Ji Eun Yoo was the person who best understood what I needed in such times. [Incarnation ‘Min Ji Won’ activates ‘Canning Factory Lv.3.’] The scenery around us shimmered like a filtered image, eventually morphing into a familiar space. "Is this―" "It’s been a while, hasn’t it?" I never expected to see this scene again. A cramped, eight-pyeong room meticulously equipped with study cubicles. Each desk had a computer, and the central table was piled with coffee mix and packets of biscuits. This was Ji Eun Yoo's company, the 'Writing Room' of the management. "Perhaps because I’m an editor, I have such a skill." The so-called ‘Canning Factory.’ Reserved for writers with erratic serialization schedules or those who ditch their deadlines and run off. I had been brought here on several occasions when brainstorming new stories, too. "Time flows more slowly in this space. One second in the real world is about ten minutes here." Such an impossible time multiplier. "But the skill has a long cooldown time, and the duration is short. Right now, it’s about ten minutes. Which equates to about one second in reality." Ten minutes. It wasn’t a long period, but it was a much-needed time for me right now. Grateful for Ji Eun Yoo’s consideration, I organized the situation in my head and then spoke. "Then, can I ask a few things?" "Of course." "What happened to the people who were with me?" Clearly, just before meeting Ji Eun Yoo, I was with the group led by Killer King. But now, they were nowhere in sight. "You mean the Apostles." As expected, Ji Eun Yoo also knew about the ‘Apostles.’ "They went to participate in the 'Qualification of the Final King'. They wanted me to tell you that they intend to stop the world’s end." I didn’t have to ask who said that. I looked over the message logs I received a while ago once more. [The ultimate ‘Absolute Throne’ is owned by Incarnation ‘Yoo Joonghyuk’.] **New Terms:** Killer King (킬러킹) - Retained as original - An alias of a character relevant to the plot, not previously defined in the list. New Names or Historical Characters - Min Ji Won (민지원) - Mihui King, an Incarnation connected to the Shilla Dynasty's King - Included because of her significant role in this narrative arc. **Explanation:** 1. "Canning Factory" (통조림 공장) literally translates to a place where writers are forced to write when avoiding deadlines. This plays on a common trope in the web novel industry where writers face the pressure of deadlines. 2. "Absolute Throne" (절대 왕좌) signifies a significant title or position denoting unparalleled power or authority in the narrative context; it is revealed that an important character, Yoo Joonghyuk, holds this title, indicating a major plot point. 3. The dialogue includes a playful banter about the transmigration into various characters, this reflects the metanarrative nature of 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint', blending the realities of authorship and fictional worlds, common in this genre. 4. Ji Eun Yoo’s characterization as an editor who remains critical yet supportive reflects a real-life dynamic often encountered between authors and editors. It demonstrates how her character might have roots in reality. 5. The dialogue lightheartedly examines various characters being undesirable due to the narrative's recurring theme of survival and mortality, echoing a typical meta-commentary approach in novels about novel-writing. Despite the Apostles participating in the 'Throne War', such a message appeared. The situation was clear. "Killer King and the Apostles have lost." None of them could stop Yoo Joonghyuk. My mind went blank. "What happened to the Apostles? Killer King, Cha Yerin, Dan-soo, Yehyun...?" "What if Yoo Joonghyuk killed them?" "What happens next?" "The Absolute Throne is connected to the 'deity of another world'. Now Seoul is―" "Author, you don't like the way things are going, do you?" "Pardon?" Even in this situation, Ji Eun Yoo spoke like an editor. Perhaps that’s why I started thinking like a writer. "I don't like it. Yoo Joonghyuk has taken the 'Absolute Throne'." "Why is that a problem?" "If Yoo Joonghyuk takes the 'Absolute Throne', this world will end. You know that." "But that’s the original story, isn't it?" I paused momentarily. She was right. This was the 'predetermined' narrative for Ways of Survival's 41st iteration. Yoo Joonghyuk seizes the Absolute Throne, and the world heads towards destruction. Shin Yoosung becomes a wanderer of world lines. "Are you feeling sorry for the characters? Trying to change the development to save them?" "..." "Is that the right choice? Maybe this is just how it's meant to be. The 41st iteration ends as planned, Shin Yoosung goes back in time, and thus the 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint' we know begins." "..." "You know well what kind of disaster can follow when one gets greedy and changes the story." When it came to scripts, Ji Eun Yoo’s words were always right. Some stories fall apart when one part is changed. Trying to protect one world line might lead to the collapse of the entire universe's world lines. But this time, I had my reasons. If this were purely a novel, I would have accepted Ji Eun Yoo’s words. But this world wasn’t just a 'novel'. "There are readers who have transmigrated into this world." "I know. That's the same for me." Despite the life-threatening situation, Ji Eun Yoo calmly replied. "But this wasn’t something you started, right? You didn’t bring readers here, did you?" "No." "Then it's not your responsibility." Had Ji Eun Yoo always been so cold? "In that case, it’s like this: Now that it's clear this world isn’t a 'novel', the tragedies occurring here aren’t the 'Author’s responsibility'." Responsibility. "Remember how you always joked that this was something Han Sooyoung wrote. It means it’s not up to us to return us to where we belong or to end this story." Ji Eun Yoo was saying: The responsibility for a story lies with the one who started it. Then who began this story? Was it Han Sooyoung? Kim Dokja's Representative? I numbly watched the computers in the writing room. There was no one sitting before them. As I unconsciously reached for a chair, Ji Eun Yoo added more. "If you change the storyline, it truly becomes your 'story'." My story. "If anyone dies or gets hurt in the altered storyline, it becomes entirely your responsibility. Can you handle that? You even had a hard time dealing with negative comments. This is on a whole different level." "But the transmigrated readers―" "Whether transposed into a novel or not, humans eventually die." Ji Eun Yoo pushed the half-pulled-out chair back in. "Though I think it’s a bit unlucky, since they're here, they should live according to their circumstances. Who knows? It might be more rewarding to survive here than living as editor 'Ji Eun Yoo'." I looked at Ji Eun Yoo. "There's no guarantee your revised story will be any better." Ji Eun Yoo was advising me: Not to start this story. Some story endings are known even before they begin. I recalled the many stories we had worked on together. So many projects we started boldly but couldn't bring to completion. “This time, there’s no escaping popularity issues or fleeing mid-series.” Yet, even so, I'm always drawn to such stories. Even when the story I've written torments me, I compel myself to write the next sentence. While I narrate the life and death of other beings not my own. "You're telling me not to write this story?" "Yes." "Then why do you still call me 'Author'?" Ji Eun Yoo’s eyes wavered. I continued speaking. "I have written stories already." At Geumho Station, at Chungmuro, at Seoul Station, I have written stories. "Because of me, some people have died and some have survived." There was no excuse for this fact. "So I must see this through to the end. Even if it’s not entertaining, even if it’s not popular. Even if only a single person reads it." "..." "So please, help me, Editor." Ji Eun Yoo looked at me. It was a gaze I knew well. Whenever I presented a new work without a plan, Ji Eun Yoo always reviewed it with the same look. Checking if the concept was fresh, if the plot was detailed, if it fit the current trends. After a brief evaluation, Ji Eun Yoo would ask me in the same tone. "You really want to write this, right?" "Yes." I don’t want to see this world end. I want to save people. I want to send the readers back to their original worlds. I want to give this inadequately written story a proper ‘ending’. With a light sigh, Ji Eun Yoo spoke. “While the throne's owner has been decided, it might not be too late.” It’s not too late. “Do you recall that episode 'The King of a World Without a King'?" Short fragments of memories flitted through my mind. "Until Kim Dokja sat on the 'Throne', the ‘Absolute Throne’ didn’t activate." At Ji Eun Yoo’s words, scenes naturally came to mind. Kim Dokja, who had proven the 'final qualification' and became the 'sole king of Seoul'. But because Kim Dokja refused to sit on the throne, the ‘Absolute Throne’ didn’t activate. That means, "If Yoo Joonghyuk can be prevented from sitting on the throne." "If only we can stop the ‘Coronation Ceremony’." "If we can sever the constellation of the 'Absolute Throne' before he sits upon it." To achieve this, there are two things I must do. First, escape from this dungeon. And second, "Acquire the ‘Death-Signature Sword’ to destroy the throne." [The exclusive skill, ‘Canning Factory’, is being deactivated.] I glanced down at the last ‘Star Jewel’ rolling on the floor of the Maze of Stars. Currently, I possess six ‘Star Jewels’. "Gather seven Star Jewels to summon the Death-Signature Sword." However, to summon it, I must withstand ‘Madness Level 7’. [‘Madness Level 6’ is consuming you.] [An unknown force is suppressing your ‘Madness’.] I looked at Ji Eun Yoo. The faint headache squeezing my head and the strange dizziness emanating from Ji Eun Yoo’s entire being. The things Ji Eun Yoo didn’t say and what I didn’t ask came together in my head like a series of pieces fitting into place. As I picked up the Star Jewel from the floor, Ji Eun Yoo spoke. "Show me if you use it." I nodded in response. We don’t know if the story we've altered will succeed. [Incarnation ‘Cheon Inho’ has acquired all seven Star Jewels!] All I can do is write the story, [‘Madness Level 7’ is consuming you!] while she will correct it. With Ji Eun Yoo’s incantation, something gripped my mind tightly. [The ability of ‘Prisoner of the Constrictive Headband’ controls your ‘Madness’.] I reached towards the radiant script floating in mid-air. The hilt of the sword gently fitting into my palm was the realization of the sentence that I had rewritten countless times. [Incarnation ‘Cheon Inho’ has summoned the ‘Death-Signature Sword’!] Now, it's time to go face the King of Seoul. **New Terms:** Maze of Stars (별미궁) - Retained as original, translated for context as it's an important location in the storyline, portraying a complex and possibly celestial or labyrinthine location related to the star theme. Star Jewel (별보석) - Retained original meaning, translated for clarity as a significant item related to the summoning mechanic or magic in the storyline. Coronation Ceremony (즉위식) - Translated directly as it is an event that signifies enthronement or the act of becoming a ruler. Madness Level (광기 단계) - Kept as a translated direct meaning from "광기", indicating a theme of consuming power or corruption graded in levels. **Explanation and Context:** 1. "Death-Signature Sword" (사인참사검) - The name of a weapon that carries significant power, capable of altering fate, hence the 'Death-Signature’ indicating its severing or finishing capability. 2. The 'Prisoner of the Constrictive Headband' represents the control or suppression of madness, symbolically tying restraints around mental chaos, potentially referencing a myth or a magical concept within the narrative. 3. The 'Madness Level' system conceptually introduces a power escalation theme often seen in narratives where the protagonist must deal with increasing consumptive power or madness associated with potent items like the Star Jewels, indicating both a boon and curse element, providing some degree of narrative tension. This translation maintains focus on the high-stakes narrative tension within this episode, where every action plays a key role in determining the next phase of the storyline, encapsulating a classic hero’s arc of making bold moves in the face of overwhelming odds.