Kim Dokja reads the TWSA chapter and Hanibaram comes back to warm his heart (+protagonist's heart)

Kim Dokja remembered.

He had been on his way home to his small apartment after working overtime at his new employer, Minosoft Games Company.

Accompanied by the silence on the public bus, faint conversations around him, and his cell phone in his hand, the 22-year-old had sat alone on the edge of the back seat.

With his head against the window of the bus, his apathetic black eyes stared at the scenery of Seoul at night. Once fed up with the view, the man closed his eyes for a moment and tried to regain his composure. Today's day at work had been exhausting. After being severely scolded by Han Myungoh's annoying manager, the man had also heartlessly made him work overtime.

Even though he had only submitted the company's analysis data this month, it was not as if he had been the one who had compiled and worked on it.

A soft tune from his cell phone brought Kim Dokja out of his stupor.

The man hurriedly glanced at the pop up window on his unlocked phone and his eyes widened to see that the notification was about a new chapter of his favourite webnovel!

The fatigue, tiredness, lethargy, weariness and hatred that had gnawed on him instantly disappeared. With a happy heart, he opened the webnovel app and smiled happily as he saw that 5 new chapters had been posted by the Author-nim.

Instantly, the world around Kim Dokja drifted into background noise as his focus fell onto the story.

[ -Main Scenario #67 was one of the most difficult Main Scenarios, as Disaster came in the form of otherworldly cultists. Yoo Jonghyuk had already wasted three regressions in trying to deal with this scenario, yet it always ended in failure.

"Le-leader-nim..." Lifeless black eyes stared at the exhausted figure of Shin Yoosung beside him. Her sky-type monster was instantly exterminated by one of Disaster's subordinates.

The Disaster was The Fallen Temple, which had appeared majestically on the ceiling of the Seoul Dome. The surrounding area itself was protected by Valkyrie-type monsters that varied from class 7 to 20. As far as Jonghyuk knew, the temple itself was a Disaster and the source of all monsters that had appeared in the sky. It acted almost like a Dungeon, but the difficulty level was set higher.

"KYYYAAAAACKKKKK!" the loud screams of the guardian monsters almost made the listener's eardrums burst.

"Leader-nim! Are you okay?" Lee Hyunsung came staggering in. The man's face looked very pale and tired.

"Where's Lee Seolhwa?" It was Kim Namwoon's turn to show a troubled expression. How unusual.

"Seolhwa-noona has been injured quite badly." Jonghyuk's hands were clenched, thinking of the white-haired woman who was useless in this fight now.

"Lee Jihye?" Everyone fell silent. Yoo Jonghyuk gazed at his surroundings stoically, only to find the teenage girl already dead, with a Valkyrie sword in her bulging chest.

Ah... he had lost his sword, again.

"Everyone, prepare in your respective positions." Yoosung's face flickered with shock, a look of pain in her eyes.

"But! What about Seolhwa-eonnie-?!"

"Do you want to die protecting her?" Cut in the cold black-haired man without evenglancing at the girl.

"Those who don't want to fight, just back off. I don't need any burdens around me." Jonghyuk's sword was drawn as the man started his attempt to infiltrate the monster shrine with large strides.

Alone.

Without any companions.

'I can do it alone.'

'I can regress over and over again and fix everything.' ]

Dokja's hands clenched around his new cell phone, not knowing how to react to the word 'alone' from the protagonists' lips. Black eyes darkened, thinking of the loneliness he had experienced in the past after his father had changed and then the painful life with his mother, followed by the torturous life after his mother had gone to prison.

The word 'alone', in his dictionary, meant the same as 'tormented'.

Because there was no one to help when you were 'alone'.

You could only rely on yourself to 'survive'.

For this reason, Dokja instantly felt a connection with Yoo Jonghyuk's current situation.

[ "-ugh!" A slash from the sword of the monster guarding the front of the shrine almost cut his neck. Yoo Jonghyuk immediately lowered his head and counterattacked viciously.

There were many wounds on his body, but it didn't stop Yoo Jonghyuk from breaking through the enemy's defenses.

At least let him see how it looked inside the shrine to gain new information before he regressed!

"Hey! Watch out!" an unfamiliar voice flashed in Jonghyuk's eardrums as he was pushed away with the power of the wind, outside the range of the monster's attack.

...that voice... ]

".... Hanibaram?" Dokja whispered hopefully.

Because there was only one character who would suddenly appear in the scenarios that were considered to be very difficult by the protagonist. That was the figure of 'Hanibaram' who, so far, had appeared in 11 chapters and was described as a character who helped when Yoo Jonghyuk was really struggling.

For a moment, Dokja checked that there were only 2 chapters left. So, slowly and solemnly, he started to read again.

[ Jonghyuk's black eyes shook violently when he saw the familiar figure standing in front of him.

"Hanibaram?" The familiar reddish-brown eyes took a quick glance at him before he was busy pushing the monsters away with his wind slash.

It had been a long time since Jonghyuk had last seen the man with hair like a fiery dusk. Not since his 102nd regression. Hanibaram's existence seemed to just vanish when Jonghyuk had the time to look for him.

"You-?"

"Drink this-!" A bright white silver liquid potion was thrown at him. It was a high-quality potion that was difficult to obtain. Made from plants-The blackhead immediately shook his head, erasing his sudden thoughts about the potion's efficacy. Now was the time to fight, not think!

"Why are you here?!" Asked Jonghyuk as he joined back in, his back turned to Hanibaram, guarding each other's backsides.

"I answered your call." Jonghyuk's brows furrowed in confusion. What did he mean?

"And I'm here because of the temple itself." Hanibaram pointed to the front door of the magnificent marble shrine.

"Help me get in there." After pushing all the monsters away with his great strength, Hanibaram turned around and locked eyes with the black-haired man.

"In return, I will help you destroy this Disaster." The red-haired man's hand reached out to grasp Jonghyuk's, making the taller man freeze in surprise. ]

Dokja bit his lip, holding back the displeasure that suddenly arose in his heart. As always, he felt a strange jealousy when Hanibaram acted this warmly and close with Yoo Jonghyuk.

He couldn't tell you why, since they were both his favourite characters?

[ With the cooperation between the two, they arrived at the door of the shrine. Yoo Jonghyuk as a close-range attacker combined with Hanibaram as a long-range attacker.

They were a deadly combo.

When he had eradicated all the monsters in the way, Jonghyuk subconsciously moved in front of Hanibaram, preventing the other men from opening the temple door. ]

"What a gentlemanly gesture," Dokja chided in annoyance, eyes narrowed.

[ "Stay behind me." The red-haired man just stared at him for a moment before nodding.

When the door was forced open by Yoo Jonghyuk, the man could only be stunned to see the inside of the half-destroyed temple that was empty. There was nothing like the Gate that brought out monsters, inhabitants, or other strange things.

Just a temple left by civilization long ago.

Instantly, a sense of anger almost blinded Yoo Jonghyuk.

He had sacrificed his three regressions, such a long and sickening time, only to be faced with this result?!

His trembling hand formed into a fist and unconsciously reached for his sword. It only stopped when Hanibaram's pale fingers reached out for it.

"Why are you-?!" Jonghyuk's dark eyes shone intimidatingly, questioning the sanity of the other man who stopped him from destroying the shrine.

The quiet smell of nature surrounded them as the reddish-brown eyes stared deeply into Yoo Jonghyuk's. It was as if the other man was staring directly into his soul.

"Calm down, Jonghyuk-ssi. We haven't gotten any information yet. Don't act rashly," Hanibaram whispered softly. Once convinced that Jonghyuk's anger was beginning to subside, the red-haired man took a step forward.

Jonghyuk watched as the calm man assessed the situation.

"There's something strange about the atmosphere here," Hanibaram muttered as he raised both hands.

Silvery tendrils began to emerge from each of his fingers as a loud buzzing sound assaulted Jonghyuk's auditory drums.

Vaguely, he saw Hanibaram's surprised face, which soon turned into a small grin with a furrowed brow.

"You..." ]

"-hey! Aren't you planning on getting off?" The driver's voice took Dokja's breath away. Very unhappy about being interrupted, the dark-haired man gave him an exasperated look.

Climax!

How dare someone interrupt a reader who was lost in fantasy! Especially if it was at the height of the conflict!

"Are you getting off here or not?" Glancing at the deserted bus, Dokja sighed and nodded. After all, he was already one stop away from where he lived.

Reluctantly, Kim Dokja put his reading on hold and got off the bus.

*****

Taking the most comfortable position on his single bed, the 22-year-old opened the webnovel app again.

He even went as far as to reread the chapter to get into the right mood again.

[ "-I finally reached you." Hanibaram's voice sounded very cold in Yoo Jonghyuk's ears, making the taller man blink surprised.

There was no response after that sharp buzzing attack.

However, Jonghyuk's gut feeling told him that something strange was lurking around them.

"Answer my question, ■□□■■□, why am I still here?" Jonghyuk's brows furrowed at the other man's strange question.

What did he mean by 'still here'?

"After all this time... you finally showed your existence. Don't be a coward now. You're making me even more upset."

A sharp buzz, along with a strange sickening cracking sound was heard.

The other two men stared at the empty space of the shrine, more precisely at the air that had cracks in it. ]

"What is it?" Dokja muttered, fascinated by the strange phenomenon of a plot was not centered on Yoo Jonghyuk.

[ "Don't go you-!"

Jonghyuk's hand moved unceremoniously to prevent the other man, who seemed hypnotized from approaching the strange, cracked space, from stepping forward. At a glance he could see the total darkness behind the anomalous crack. Jonghyuk's black eyes widened, sensing a strange presence behind the foreign power.

"Let go of me!"

"No." Reddish brown eyes looked at him with a glazed look, making Jonghyuk almost choke up at the sight.

"I've been looking for him for so long! He... he's the one...!"

The cracks could be heard expanding. The taller man tried to keep them away from the strange, dangerous force.

"No. You'll die going near it." As Hanibaram wanted to protest again, Jonghyuk embraced the red-haired man, protecting him from the air cracks that he was sure were made of mana, which suddenly burst.

Ten minutes had passed, both of them were now facing the empty space of the ruined shrine that had turned into the scenery of a night sky filled with thousands of stars.

Jonghyuk, who had released the man from his embrace, now stood silently on Hanibaram's left side.

He watched the other intently, noticing how sad Hanibaram seemed. His eyes were shaded while looking at the sky painted with thousands of stars. The night breeze blew softly, making his bright reddish hair fly gently across his rosy cheeks.

Even in his sadness, it enticed Yoo Jonghyuk enough to engrave this memory into his heart. ]

".... is the genre of this novel still Action? There's no Romance tag or 'not-straight' genre tag," Dokja grumbled feeling irritated for some reason. If he had been there, he would have taken Hanibaram away from the protagonist and said 'what are you looking at, mf!' with a deathly glare.

[ "I..."

The melancholy framed face looked up at Jonghyuk. There was a small smile etched there, making the taller man resist the urge to cover up that pitiful smile.

"I've been looking for him for so long." Jonghyuk's face became confused.

"What is it?" The sad little smile turned into a calm smile.

"Something unreachable, but very close at hand."

Hanibaram then took a step away to Jonghyuk's right side. Reddish-brown eyes stared at the place blankly.

"Here. I hope he's here."

Who ? ]

"Who...?" Dokja's fingers caressed the screen of his cell phone. More precisely, Hanibaram's last words.

His heart suddenly skipped a beat.

His starry black eyes widened at his own strange thoughts and immediately shook his head. Trying to deny the theory that did not make sense.

[ However, Hanibaram was silent. He did not answer.

"He hasn't arrived yet," the other man continued and began to stare back up at the night sky. A long sigh was heard.

"Who is he?" Jonghyuk couldn't resist asking. Moreover, the clues regarding 'Hanibaram's' strange behavior always appeared so suddenly.

Was the reason not to save Yoo Jonghyuk?

But for this unrecognizable 'him'?

"Is he the reason you saved me all this time?" The black-haired man's hand moved to grasp Hanibaram's arm.

"Who am I to you?" Do I not matter to you?

Hanibaram did not answer.

The red-haired man just stared back silently.

A complicated and painful feeling arose in Jonghyuk's heart at the other man's silence. His silence answered Jonghyuk's question, that he was nothing-

"You are Yoo Jonghyuk." Black eyes widened. Feeling a shattered piece in his heart slowly starting to come back together.

Hanibaram faced Jonghyuk fully. ]

"The genre... is still safe, right?" Dokja refrained from leaving the chapter to check the genre tag of his webnovel.

[ "And you are a strong person." Hanibaram now smiled a small smile, making his beautiful reddish-brown eyes curve upwards like the rays of a solar eclipse.

"You're amazing, Yoo Jonghyuk."

"You're one of the reasons I'm alive." Badumb.

"I came because you called me."

Reddish-brown eyes glanced at the night sky with his right hand extended upwards, as if trying to reach something in the sky.

Jonghyuk watched silently. His eyes widened even more as bright sunlight appeared and shone on Hanibaram from behind. Creating an eye-catching golden glow, surrounding the other man's frail frame, as if mystifying the very unreal creation.

Yoo Jonghyuk's mouth went dry as the man whom nature loved looked back at him, in the bright golden glow, and showed him a face full of tenderness and anticipation.

Hanibaram shone like the sun during his Golden Hour.

The center of Yoo Jonghyuk's world was smiling at him.

"Just like him out there, who also called out to me." ]

The chapter ended up leaving Dokja with his heart racing.

His eyes stared at the last sentence of the last chapter's ending, not noticing that almost 10 minutes had passed. Even though it had been that long, Dokja's heart was strangely still pounding. His head was filled with random visuals of Hanibaram and Yoo Jonghyuk, as well as their scenes and conversations.

It was strange how a fictional story like this made Kim Dokja feel 'real'.

Unconsciously, a small smile appeared on the 22-year-old's tired face. Slowly, he brought the surface of his phone to his forehead, hiding his face between the folds of his hands, inhaling and exhaling.

His heart was now filled with nothing but love, adoration, and affection for Kim Dokja's only solace.

It may have seemed strange that a grown man was so reliant on a readerless webnovels like this. But for Dokja, for his heart, and for his sanity, this novel was his escape.

A place to try to be strong like Yoo Jonghyuk.

A place to try to stay patient like Lee Hyunsung.

A place to try to stay cheerful and cynical like Lee Jihye.

A place to try to remain bold like Kim Namwoon.

A place to try to stay kind like Lee Seolhwa.

A place to try to stay loyal like Shin Yoosung.

And a place to feel at home like 'Hanibaram'.

The centre of Kim Dokja's world.

Every time he read about this webnovel, it felt like Golden Hour to him.

The jet-black-haired man fell asleep with his cell phone still on. However, there was a peaceful calm on that usually tired face. There was a small smile as he felt the soft breeze from the window hit him, bringing the feeling of a stranger stroking his hair and another strong gaze guarding him, to him.

That night, Kim Dokja slept well, feeling safe among the two figures of his dreams.

SEE YOU IN THE NEXT CHAPTER