Chapter 19: Representative in the Darkness

It was a place so dark it could leave you blind.

Tap.

The moment I pressed the flashlight button, a white light illuminated the front.

This is…….

A place with hundreds of windows and doors.

Hundreds of windows and doors that must never be opened without permission.

“Basement 5…….”

A parking garage.

B5.

I stared blankly at the huge letters written on the wall.

If time can twist, then space can twist as well.

It makes sense.

“Haa…….”

It seems all the floors got mixed together. I already suspected as much.

After all, it wasn’t a coincidence that they talked about floor information in the Tarae Diary advertisement.

I quickly checked the floor information on the first pages of the Tarae Diary.

…

…

…

[3rd Floor｜Main auditorium, conference room]

[2nd Floor｜Main auditorium, Saenal Daycare, Book&Come, TARAE]

[1st Floor｜Lobby, Saero Café, labyrinth garden]

…

…

…

It seems the second and third floors were exceptions because they were originally connected through the main auditorium.

That’s why at first I naturally assumed that below the second floor would be the first floor.

In any case, all the floors of the building got completely scrambled, and now there’s no way to know which floor is where.

That’s bad.

But trying to find at least something positive here…….

If you reach the first floor, you can get out.

No, to be precise, now it’s more likely that the labyrinth’s exit is on the first floor.

By instinct, I’m sure the exit is there.

Labyrinths, by nature, are made to keep people wandering for a long time while suffering.

If the exit were on some random absurd floor, there would be no need to mix up the floors to make people lose their way for so long.

In other words, precisely because the exit is on the first floor, they probably mixed up the floors to make finding that first floor more difficult.

Of course, it’s not impossible that, on top of mixing the floors, the exit isn’t even on the first floor…….

But honestly, I want to believe the labyrinth wouldn’t go that far.

Because labyrinths are kind.

Difficult, yes, but not so much that a person collapses and gives up from the very beginning.

They give us a goal to keep moving forward and the hope of getting out.

They pull us from the front and push us from behind so we survive longer, wander farther, and get even more lost.

That is the labyrinth’s method.

Because labyrinths are cruel.

Of course, that’s not the only reason.

Labyrinths respect “doors.”

“……It has been confirmed that there are masks in charge of each of the three grades. The third-year ones use mouth-shaped masks…… These masks do not attack teachers first and seem incapable of entering the teachers’ office…….”

For example, in Seonghwa High, which became a labyrinth just like this Tarae building, the basic masked monsters could not cross the threshold of the teachers’ office.

A door divides one space from another.

Crossing a door means entering a completely different world from the one before.

At least, that’s how we understand it and how we believe it, right?

Even if it’s all the same concrete floor, crossing this threshold makes it a hallway, crossing another one makes it an office.

The labyrinth incorporates precisely those “door” rules into its own rules.

In other words, there is a high probability that, upon crossing the first-floor door —the original entrance of the Jaerae building before it became a labyrinth— you can get outside.

Of course, not all labyrinths take the form of a closed building like this.

Some labyrinths don’t even have an exit door.

Maybe that’s why.

Even though I got out, it doesn’t feel like I really got out.

“…….”

I shook my head to clear those thoughts away.

I didn’t move recklessly and carefully observed my surroundings.

A basement where naturally not a single ray of light could ever filter in.

Even with the blackout, the atmosphere was completely different from the upper floors where light entered through the windows.

The cool, damp air characteristic of an underground parking garage slipped unpleasantly beneath my clothes.

“Uugh, ngh…….”

Then I heard a faint sound in the distance.

My whole body tensed immediately.

I turned off the flashlight and sharpened my hearing.

The sound of something dripping, a dry broken cough, painful groans that sounded like crying.

Ah.

A little while ago, I myself was making sounds like that in the main auditorium.

“Excuse me… are you alright……?”

Someone was vomiting.

……Or maybe coughing up blood.

I turned the flashlight back on, extending my arm toward the direction of the sound so the light would reach farther.

“Khmm.”

In the distance, I saw a silhouette hurriedly lifting its head and straightening its hunched body.

“I’m fine.”

Even though he was quite far away, the firm and clear voice of a young man reached me perfectly.

Luckily, it seems he was only vomiting.

“Turn off the light.”

The phone flashlight wasn’t very strong, so I could barely make out the outline of his face in the shadows.

But there are people whom even the tiniest spark turns into a halo.

And after hearing his voice, I more or less believed I knew who he was.

“Ah, yes.”

So I obeyed and turned off the flashlight without arguing.

“Is it dangerous to turn lights on?”

Besides, listening to someone who had been on this floor longer than me is never a bad idea.

It doesn’t matter whether he’s telling the truth or lying. You can always get information.

“Yes. According to my suspicions.”

For example, that means total darkness is advantageous here.

At least for that man.

“Stay still there. I’ll come to you.”

And it also means he doesn’t want me approaching where he is.

Normally, both of us would move and meet halfway.

What could be there?

It could simply be that he doesn’t want to show the vomit.

But if it’s not for such an insignificant reason…….

“Yes. Understood.”

I moved my feet slightly while feeling around the pillar and the car beside me, mentally tracing an escape route in case something happened.

Tap, tap.

The sound of low heels striking the floor slowly approached.

The darkness was so absolute that it almost felt better to close my eyes, so every step carried hesitation, and the rhythm was slow and uneven.

Even so, it seemed turning off the light did not benefit only that man.

Tap, tap.

Finally, when the presence was only two or three steps in front of me.

I greeted him quickly, as if drawing a line.

“Good evening, Director.”

Founder of Hyunjae Sports Agency.

Co-director of Yuwi Guild.

And owner of the Tarae building, which had turned into a labyrinth overnight.

Yoo Hyunjae.

“My name is Seon Yuhan.”

“Ah, mm. Nice to meet you. You have a good eye. It must’ve been difficult to see me.”

His voice sounded strangely embarrassed, but it was so dark that I couldn’t even distinguish the face of the person standing before me.

“Do you happen to work at our company? I’d feel a bit bad if I failed to recognize you…….”

“Ah, no.”

But even so, I felt like I could imagine Yoo Hyunjae’s expression, and that eased my tension a little.

It’s not like this is some tiny company with fewer than five employees.

If the director recognized some ordinary employee, the one getting frightened would be the employee.

And even less would he properly recognize my face from that distance, considering I don’t even work here.

“Today I came for an interview. It’s my first time entering this building.”

“Ah. I don’t know what time it is, but I heard there was a meeting today to recruit new Red Snake members. Was that you?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Then you must be from the Red Snake Support Department. Agent?”

“Red Snake Supp…… ah, Red Snake Support Department. Yes. Correct.”

Inside, I was surprised.

It felt strange that the director knew even that kind of schedule.

Though, if it’s a Red Snake recruitment meeting, maybe it is worth remembering.

“You find it unexpected, don’t you?”

“Uh…….”

Should I answer honestly and say yes?

Or deny it?

I didn’t know what kind of answer he wanted.

No, before that.

Do we really have to keep up social etiquette even inside a labyrinth?

With Yoo Hyunjae, who technically remains my superior in a Schrödinger state because I still don’t know the result of my interview?

“I’m very interested in people. Especially those who could become part of our people.”

Wait.

The moment I heard that, all the useless thoughts vanished instantly.

Every hair on my body stood on end.

“But, Director.”

Hwang Juyeon and Jung Jiho.

“Have you perhaps seen any other people around here?”

Where are those two who went down before me?

“Other people?”

“Yes. A woman and a child. They should’ve come down here.”

“Are they your family?”

His voice sounded slightly concerned.

“No. Not exactly. We just met upstairs and, well…… I lost them.”

It’s better not to explain how I ended up losing them.

“Do I need to catch them?”

What the hell is he talking about?

“No, that’s not what I mean…… it’s normal to worry. The people who arrived before me disappeared.”

“Ahhh. I see. But on this floor, it’s only the two of us.”

At least humans.

His voice sounded gloomy as he added that.

I never expected there to be no non-human things inside the labyrinth.

That part I don’t doubt.

“I…… see.”

What mattered were Hwang Juyeon and Jung Jiho.

I couldn’t decide whether this man was lying about them or not.

If I could see facial expressions or body movements, it would be different.

But only hearing his voice made it difficult to tell.

And recklessly turning on the flashlight might provoke something truly dangerous.

Of course, that assumes Yoo Hyunjae is telling the whole truth and not trying to toy with me.

“Ah, right. I suppose you also know well that this place turned into a labyrinth…… considering you came from the upper floors.”

“Yes. But it seems the floors are mixed together. I came down from the second floor, and when I opened the door to the first floor, I never imagined I would appear here…….”

If Yoo Hyunjae is telling the truth, there is a possibility that Hwang Juyeon and Jung Jiho ended up on completely different floors.

Maybe the disorder of floors in this labyrinth is not fixed, but changes depending on the moment or the person.

But if he’s lying…….

“Ah By the way, Director. Have you been alone this whole time?”

Very carefully, I clenched my fist and shifted one foot slightly backward to adjust my center of gravity.

Without making the slightest sound.

“……You could say that.”

Why the hell is he speaking so ambiguously? He even takes unnecessary pauses.

“In my case, the person who was with me disappeared shortly after this place turned into a labyrinth. Didn’t something similar happen to you?”

“Ah……. Actually, Mr. Kim, ah, my driver, was with me.”

Yoo Hyunjae’s voice paused for a moment.

“Ah, damn it. This isn’t the time for this.”

His deep disembodied voice was heard again.

“Seon Yuhan, listen to me carefully.”

So close it felt like I could touch him just by reaching out my hand…….

“And don’t be startled.”

The instant I realized that.

My entire body broke out in chills.

This crazy bastard.

When the hell did he take off his shoes?