Chapter Text
01
-tls123: To thank my reader, I want to give you a special gift.
-Kim Dokja: A gift?
-tls123: Yes, it’s a surprise.
To express gratitude for readers’ long-standing support, the author of Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World decided to send him a gift—a powerful affirmation for a reader. As this novel, serialized for over a decade, neared its conclusion, the gift carried deep commemorative value.
Following the author’s request, Kim Dokja provided his delivery address. After confirming the details, the author promised the gift would arrive at his doorstep the next evening.
-Kim Dokja: You’ve worked hard all this time. Thank you so much.
-tls123: I hope you’ll feel the same way tomorrow.
The author’s reply was cryptic, but Kim Dokja, immersed in joy, didn’t notice.
-Kim Dokja: Of course! I’ll always support you!
After their conversation ended, every second felt unbearably long.
Kim Dokja tossed and turned for half the night, slipping into dreams he couldn’t recall. The next morning, he nearly overslept. Dragging a sleep-deprived face through a hectic day, he finally boarded the subway home.
What could the gift be? Kim Dokja stared at his phone screen, scrolling through yesterday’s chat with the author, searching for hints about the gift. If it needed shipping, it must be something tangible. Perhaps merchandise from Three Ways of Survival? If he could get a set of physical books…
Kim Dokja couldn’t help but smile. He hoped the gift would arrive tonight as promised, or he’d likely lose sleep again from anticipation.
Dokja-ssi, you seem happy today.”
In the noisy subway car, a gentle voice sounded beside him. Kim Dokja reflexively looked up, meeting the gaze of Yoo Sangah, a colleague from HR who joined the company at the same time.
“Yoo Sangah-ssi,” Kim Dokja greeted, “something good happened. I won a prize.”
Yoo Sangah sat beside him, offering a smile. “Congratulations. Good things always seem to come one after another.”
“There’ve been quite a few lately. I guess you already know?” Kim Dokja caught her hint. As an HR staff member, Yoo Sangah knew company matters well—like how he, too, had secured a permanent contract, meaning higher, more stable income.
“Yes! I’m glad we’ll keep working together,” Yoo Sangah said.
Recalling the grueling work and countless late nights for that contract, Kim Dokja sighed. “I’m glad too. It’s really important to me.”
“Is there a special reason?”
“I’ll need to care for a distant relative’s child soon.”
Kim Dokja had to work hard because he was no longer alone. Months ago, his mother contacted him unexpectedly with news: a child who’d lost both parents needed care. The child had been rejected by several families, and Kim Dokja was the last option.
“Why me?” Kim Dokja had asked, incredulous. He thought he’d cut all ties with her, never imagining such news.
“You can refuse if you don’t want to,” her steady voice came through the phone, unshaken by his evident frustration.
“A child? I can’t handle that…”
“Then refuse. Let him go to another unwelcoming relative’s home or a welfare institution.”
Damn it. Kim Dokja felt utterly defeated, as if he’d been emotionally coerced.
After days of anger and hesitation, he ultimately accepted the child. He didn’t want another kid to suffer like he had as a young boy. His mother had once again upended his life, using an undeniable reason to pull him from the novel’s world back to reality.
Due to legal reasons, he wouldn’t formally adopt the child, but in practice, the child would be under his care. To support another life, Kim Dokja had to work harder, cutting back on reading time. Of course, he never gave up reading entirely. In his scarce personal time, the reader seized every chance to escape painful reality, returning to the safe, joyful world of fantasy novels.
“That’s not easy,” Yoo Sangah said, her face showing understanding and emotion. “Have you met the child yet?”
“We’re about to,” Kim Dokja replied. “School’s out, and the person caring for him will bring him tomorrow. I’ve taken a few days off to help him get familiar with the area.”
“What’s the child’s name?”
“Lee Gilyoung.”
“He’ll definitely like you,” Yoo Sangah said with a smile.
At that moment, Kim Dokja’s phone vibrated with an email from tls123: “The gift has been delivered. Please check soon.”
Kim Dokja felt the subway was moving too slowly for the first time. Once it reached his stop, he’d run home. He sent a quick thank-you to the author, but there was no reply.
During this time, Yoo Sangah turned to her own matters. Her expression was calm and focused as she softly recited along with something playing on her phone. Kim Dokja snapped back to attention, listening closely and reaching a surprising conclusion—was that a Buddhist sutra?
…For some reason, his head began to ache.
Perhaps his confusion was too obvious, as Yoo Sangah chuckled softly. She paused and showed him her phone screen, confirming it was indeed a sutra. “A bit strange, isn’t it?” she asked.
Kim Dokja didn’t judge. “Everyone has their own hobbies.”
“It’s calming. I can recommend some if you’d like.”
“If I get the chance, I’ll try it,” Kim Dokja replied cautiously.
“It’s almost seven,” Yoo Sangah noted with a sigh.
Following her gaze, Kim Dokja noticed a clock on the subway’s display screen. At that moment, an indescribable feeling gripped the reader. Together, they watched the time tick closer to 7:00 p.m. Kim Dokja held his breath, instinctively waiting for something to happen.
Seven o’clock.
Seven o’clock and one second.
Seven o’clock and two seconds.
…
Nothing happened.
Yoo Sangah let out a soft breath. They fell into an odd, relieved silence as the subway pulled into her station. She stood, bag in hand, smiling as if everything was normal. “See you after the holiday. Good luck!”
They bid farewell, and Kim Dokja watched her step off the train.
Still a few stops from his destination, the reader opened his favorites list to check if the author had posted the final ending. To his shock, Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World had vanished from his list.
Kim Dokja rubbed his eyes, flipping through his favorites and bookmarks multiple times, then searching the website repeatedly. He still couldn’t find it. The novel had completely disappeared.
Was it a network error? Authors didn’t usually delete their novels without warning, right? Unable to comprehend, Kim Dokja nervously messaged the author, hoping for a reply, but like his earlier thanks, his questions sank into silence.
The excitement over the gift was thoroughly extinguished. After reaching his stop, the reader stepped onto the path home with heavy feet.
To Kim Dokja, this novel was like his life, accompanying him through many tough moments. A decade of his life, just deleted? He hadn’t even seen the final ending. Thinking of this, the reader felt as if a piece of his heart had been hollowed out.
Kim Dokja was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. If he could, he’d get drunk, hoping to wake up and find the novel restored, but he couldn’t. He had an important meeting tomorrow and needed to make a good first impression on the child as a guardian. This was the tiresome real world.
With a tangled mess of emotions, Kim Dokja stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hallway to his apartment. Turning the corner, he saw someone standing at his door.
The person must have been there for a while, as the hallway’s motion-sensor light hadn’t turned on. Kim Dokja couldn’t make out his appearance, only discerning that he was tall and very sturdy.
The delivery person? Thinking of the gift, Kim Dokja quickened his pace and called out, “Excuse me, sir, is that…?”
*Click.* As he approached, the motion-sensor light turned on.
In that instant, Kim Dokja stopped in his tracks, his heartbeat seeming to halt.
The man before him had a handsome, dazzling face, one Kim Dokja could instantly recall from several descriptive passages. His hair was disheveled, as if he’d endured a wandering life, unkempt for some time. It was hard to imagine anyone in such a disheveled state could possess such stunning beauty in real life.
The man noticed him, his dark, despairing eyes fixing on the reader. His pupils trembled, as if seeing a ghost or an illusion. He looked tormented, his soul utterly broken.
This couldn’t be—it had to be—but how could it be?
The man’s lips moved, his voice rough and dry, but Kim Dokja clearly heard what he said.
“Kim Dokja.”
The protagonist of 'Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World' called his name.
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TBC
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Translator's Note:
HEY YALL!! Is me again translating another ORV fic!! I just had to bring this one over!
I’ve tried to stay as faithful as possible to the tone and style of the author. If you notice any mistakes, lmk! Hope you enjoy!
Please show your support by giving kudos to the original author on AO3 through the link below:
🔗 AO3:https://archiveofourown.org/works/47142898/chapters/118776718#main
Here’s another finished translation of a work by the same author if you’d like to check it out! 💕
【众独 Shining Above】:https://archiveofourown.org/works/68337486/chapters/176840926