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I'll finish your story.
Chapter 287
Kim Dokja is the main protagonist of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. He is the sole reader of the webnovel Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World, an apocalyptic fantasy story written by tls123 who read it through the end.
Appearance
Kim Dokja has a thin face and pale skin. His hair is thin and black; he has long eyelashes and dark circles.[4] His countenance is calm and fresh, although somewhat edgy. There is a marked difference in his appearance when he smiles and when he's expressionless. As an adult, he has a slender physique, being rather skinny prior to the beginning of the scenarios, although he has become more muscular due to raising his Strength stat.[5] He has burn scarring/tanning due to the probability storm he weathered after Gigantomachia.[6] He also has scars on his hands[7] and presumably the rest of his body as well from the numerous fights he has been through. The number 6424 is "stitched" into his left forearm, from his brief period masquerading as a Removal Slave in the 73rd Demon Realm.[8]
He is often described as looking plain or unappealing by other characters, so much so that he gains the Incarnation modifier "Ugliest King". It is later revealed that his appearance is "censored" for those looking at him. In Dark Castle, Lee Jihye says she cannot remember what he looks like;[1] in the 73rd Demon Realm, when footage of the 73rd Demon King scenario is being shown in the Syswitz Complex, Kim Dokja himself notices that his face is distorted on the screen.[9]
Kim Dokja is fairly expressive and has distinct mannerisms, though he may not realize it himself. He tilts his head slightly when worrying about the kids. When he thinks about his mother, his eyes close and his eyelids twitch slightly. He smiles mischievously and arches his eyebrows when he's teasing (generally towards Han Sooyoung). He gets a glint in his eyes when he thinks about his most loved stories.[10] According to Shin Yoosung, his nostrils flare when he lies.[11] He has a distinctive smile, sometimes described as "unlucky" by his party members [4][12] and unique enough in nature that people recognize him by it.[13]
As a 15-year-old child, Kim Dokja was relatively small-statured, enough so to be mistaken for an elementary schooler, suggesting some amount of impaired growth or undernourishment. He wore a middle school uniform and carried a thick school bag with himself.
Personality
As a child
Kim Dokja was a withdrawn and nervous child due to his history of abuse and bullying from family and classmates. He spent most of his time immersed in books and webnovels, avoiding contact with others. However, he still struggled with immense depression, which eventually drove him to attempt suicide. Shortly after he woke up, he discovered the novel Ways of Survival and became invested in it, staying alive so he could read the novel's next update. This novel remained his main interest for the next decade, and he lacked interest in most other things and people, not making a single friend or having any hobby outside of reading. He continued to be withdrawn as well as anxious (often using the mantra "I am Yoo Joonghyuk" to boost his own confidence) well into adulthood.As an adult/in general
Kim Dokja is, at his core, a dedicated and loving man. He devotes himself to those he cares for, going so far as to sacrifice his own life for them; as a result of this devotion, he is careful with whom he grants his deep trust to. He frequently tries to shield his loved ones from danger by taking their struggles onto himself and often becomes extremely self-deprecating when he is unable to push through said struggles alone.
This self-deprecation is a recurring pattern of behavior. For all that he loves others, he is extremely harsh on himself, being insecure and having very low self-esteem and self-worth. He used to perceive himself as perpetually alone and struggled with recognizing when people genuinely cared for and looked up to him, although he has become better at this since the beginning of ORV. Where he used to repress his emotions (as observed by Jung Heewon in early scenarios), he has also become more emotionally expressive (for instance, crying and yelling without restraint, particularly so during the epilogues). He is usually quite casual when he speaks to others, but when he's shocked or nervous, he has a tendency to speak formally.
He is somewhat self-conscious about his image and how he's perceived, though less so when he's going by a pseudonym. In early scenarios, he pretended to be ruthless and cold-blooded. As time passes, he tends towards an image of someone who is polite and put-together, and who always has a plan. In fact, he does tend to plan ahead for most situations based on his knowledge of Ways of Survival. However, he often develops tunnel vision, failing to consider outside factors playing into and altering his situation. He is notably bad at improvisation (a fact that becomes more apparent as his timeline diverges more and more from the original Ways of Survival) and takes some time to get back on his feet when faced with setbacks, having minor emotional breakdowns at particularly shocking situations.
Nonetheless, he is immensely dedicated to his goals, seen when he surpasses even death in order to reach the end of the scenarios. This translates into occasional bouts of stubbornness and singlemindedness.
History
As a child, Kim Dokja loved to read, a habit that was encouraged by his mother.
Later on, Kim Dokja would go on to become the sole reader of all 3,149 chapters of the webnovel "Ways of Survival." The characters in the novel would become sources of comfort for Kim Dokja as he struggled through his unfortunate life, and he would grow alongside Yoo Joonghyuk as the protagonist regressed and struggled towards the end. Kim Dokja undergoes various unfortunate events, including failing his CSAT and ending up at a third-rate university, drawing an unlucky straw and ending up at the front lines during his military service, and landing a low-paying job at Minosoft. Through it all he constantly reads the daily updates of the webnovel, consistently commenting under each chapter and supporting the author while adding his own suggestions.
At one point he discovers "SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor," a novel written by the original younger Han Sooyoung. He comments angrily that it is clearly plagiarized and is shot down for trying to promote the ridiculously unpopular original "Ways of Survival." When he approaches tls123 about this, the author only writes that they are glad they are getting more views, which Kim Dokja finds pitiful.
Eventually, as he finishes the final chapter of "Ways of Survival" on the transit one day after work, the novel becomes reality, beginning the events of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.
Synopsis
- Main article: Kim Dokja/Synopsis
non-detailed plot summary needed.
Kim Dokja starts off in the subway car next to Yoo Jonghyuk's. He makes a plan that saves Lee Gilyoung, Yoo Sangah, Lee Hyunsung, and him from dying, while killing Kim Namwoon in the subway car. All of them escape with the help of Lee Hyunsung's powers before Yoo Jonghyuk can find them.
Through completing the scenarios, Kim Dokja eventually becomes a constellation by acquiring 5 fables and creates his own nebula.[17]
Quotes
- "Eat the soil, Yoo Joonghyuk."[18]
- "Release your hand and get lost, you damn son of a bitch."[19]
- "It has always been 'once' for me." (To Yoo Joonghyuk)[20]
- I will only make the ending that I want.[21]
- The story changed every time I read it. The story was over but it wasn't over. The story wouldn't end unless the reader gave up on the story. --Dokja's memory of rereading a story when his mother taught him to read as a child[22]
- "I don't know where the story will take me. However... I'm sure that the place I want to go is the final chapter."[23]
- I want to see the ending with you.[24]
- ⸢The pale cheeks; two eyes gleaming like stars, were now looking at him.⸥ The white coat perfectly matching mine was dancing in the wind.[25]
Trivia
- His name, Dokja, can be written with two different Hanja, giving different meanings to it—either with "Dok" (讀) as in reader (favored by his mother), or "Dok" (獨) as in alone (favored by his father).[26]
- Taking the year that ORV started (2018) to be the same calendar year in-text at the start of the novel, and assuming that all ages are given according to the Korean system, Kim Dokja's date of birth is February 15, 1991.
- He used to work in the QA department at Mino Soft.[27]
- He doesn't like to drink.[9]
- His favorite food is Murim dumplings with chicken broth,[28] the same as Yoo Joonghyuk's preference.
- He dislikes tomatoes.[28]
- He has a poor directional sense, and often gets lost, particularly in buildings he's visiting for the first time. He has considered getting GPS-like skills (Reading Map or Pathfinding) to remedy this issue before.[29]
- He met Yoo Sangah because he asked her for directions when they first joined Mino Soft.
- Yoo Joonghyuk has called him a bad driver.[30] However, Kim Dokja previously drove with Han Sooyoung as his passenger, and despite her sharp tongue, she made no such comments on his driving skills. As such, the truth of his driving is currently inconclusive.
- The Fourth Wall has noted some of his mannerisms and tendencies, including a habit of muttering to himself and being self-deprecating when he lacks confidence. Although not mentioned explicitly as one of his habits, he often pats the kids on the head or ruffles their hair.[10]
Gallery
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.png "Kim Dokja (Webtoon Prologue).png (2.16 MB)")
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ORV Novel Chapter 152 (read original)
- ↑ 팬아트 이벤트용 등장인물 외형 묘사입니다. Sing Shong on Munpia. Translated text available here, courtesy of porifra.
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 146 (read original)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 ORV Novel Chapter 281 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 359 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 346 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 488 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 194 (read original)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 ORV Novel Chapter 198 (read original)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 ORV Novel Chapter 438 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 97 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 284 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 252 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 187 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 287 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 513 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 150 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 288 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 11 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 331 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 251 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 170 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 278 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 282 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 508 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 180 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 307 (read original)
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 ORV Novel Chapter 420 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 306 (read original)
- ↑ ORV Novel Chapter 424 (read original)