Episode 1 – Starting the Paid Service (1)
“I’m Dokja.” (Dokja= can mean only son or reader).
I usually introduced myself to people , then the following misunderstanding would occur.
“Oh, are you an only child?”
“I am, but that isn’t what I mean.”
“My name is Dokja. Kim Dokja.”
Kim Dokja (Kim Highly Respected Only Son)—my father gave me that name to be a strong man by myself. However, thanks to the name my father gave me, I turned out to be just a normal single and lonely man.
In short, it was . I was Kim Dokja, 28 years old, and single. My hobby was reading web novels on the subway.
“Then I’ll go on my smartphone.”
In a noisy subway, I raised my head reflexively. A pair of curious eyes were staring straight at me. They belonged to an employee from the human resources team, Yoo Sangah.
“Are you going home from work?”
“Yes. What about Yoo Sangah-ssi?”
“I was lucky. The manager went on a business trip today.” Yoo Sangah sat down soon as the seat next to me became vacant. A subtle scent came from her shoulders, making me nervous.
“Do you normally take the subway?”
“That...” Yoo Sangah made a dark expression.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d met Yoo Sangah on a subway train.
Starting with Personnel Manager Kang to Finance Manager Han... There were rumors that Yoo Sangah had men from the company driving her home every workday.
Yet unexpected words came from Yoo Sangah’s mouth, “Someone stole my bicycle.”
“You commute by bike?”
“Yes! I have a lot of overtime these days and seem to be lacking exercise. It is a bit annoying, but it is worth doing.”
Yoo Sangah smiled. Looking closer at her, I could understand the feelings men held toward her. However, it was none of my business.
Every person had a genre of life, and Yoo Sangah was someone who lived a genre different from myself.
After the awkward conversation, we looked at our phones. I opened up the novel app I was reading on before while Yoo Sangah... What was this?
“...I see. What does it mean?”
“Please give me some money,” Yoo Sangah replied proudly.
Studying on the subway while going home... She truly had a genre different from me. However, what was the use of memorizing words?
“You’re working hard.”
“By the way, what is Dokja-ssi looking at?”
Yoo Sangah’s gaze was fixed on the LCD screen of my smartphone. “Is it a novel?”
“Yes, well... I am studying Korean.”
“Wow, I also like novels. I haven’t been able to read lately because I don’t have time...”
It was surprising. Yoo Sangah liked reading novels...?
“Murakami Haruki, Raymond Carver, Han Kang...”
“Dokja-ssi, what writers do you like?”
“You won’t know even if I say their names.”
“I’ve read a lot of novels. Who are the authors?”
At this time, it was really hard to say that I read web novels as a hobby. I glanced at the title of the novel in the app.
[The World after the Fall]
Author: Sing Shangshong (TL: The author uses the name of his previous novel and his author name, but with slight changes. I decided to go with the actual novel translation name)
I couldn’t say that I was reading ‘The World after the Fall by Sing Shangshong.’
“It is just a fantasy novel. That... Well, like the Lord of the Rings...”
Yoo Sangah’s eyes widened. “Aha. Lord of the Rings. I’ve seen the movie.”
The silence continued for a moment. Yoo Sangah was looking at me like she was waiting for me to say something.
Our conversation was becoming strained. So, I decided to change the topic. “It has been a year since I joined the company. This is my last year. Time moves really fast.”
“Yes. At that time, we both knew nothing, right?”
“That’s right. It seems like just yesterday, but the contract period is already over.” I realized that I’d said something wrong when I saw Yoo Sangah’s expression.
“Ah, I...” I had forgotten.
Yoo Sangah received credit for a foreign buyer last month and was already promoted to a full-time employee.
“Ah, right. My congratulations are late. I’m sorry. Haha, I should’ve worked hard to study a foreign language.”
“Ah, no Dokja-ssi! There is still the performance review and...”
I hated to admit it, but the sight of Yoo Sangah talking was wonderful. It was like the world’s spotlight was shining down on only one person. If this world was a novel, the protagonist would be such a person.
In fact, it was the inevitable result. I hadn’t tried, but Yoo Sangah made an effort. I just read novels on the Internet, while Yoo Sangah studied hard. It was natural that Yoo Sangah would become a full-time employee, and that my contract would be terminated.
“If you don’t mind... Would you like to know the app I use?” Yoo Sangah’s voice momentarily became distant.
It felt like the world was far away. I braced my mind and stared straight ahead.
A boy was sitting in the seat opposite me on the train. He was 10 years old or so. The boy held an insect collecting net as he sat next to his mother, laughing happily.
What if I had a different life from now? I mean, what if my life genre was different?
If the genre of my life wasn’t ‘realism’ but ‘fantasy’... Could I be the protagonist? I didn’t know. It would probably be unknown forever. However, there was one thing I knew.
“It is okay, Yoo Sangah-ssi.”
“It won’t work even if you tell me the app.”
The genre of my life was obviously ‘realism.’
“Dokja has a solo life.”
“I am just someone like that.”
In this genre, I wasn’t a protagonist but a ‘solo’ person.
“The life of a solo...” Yoo Sangah had a serious expression on her face
However, I waved my hands to show it was really okay.
I didn’t know why, but this person was really worried about me. Maybe because she was part of the personnel department... I was already aware of my performance though.
“Dokja-ssi is really good.”