Chapter 22: Mark

Could it be possible that he remembers me?

The me he met in the previous loop?

Or perhaps.

“Your face looks familiar.”

For an instant, I was on the verge of stepping back.

There was not even a trace of the arrogance typical of someone powerful in Yoo Hyunjae’s gaze.

No, rather, he let no emotion escape at all.

And even so, he conveyed a strange pressure.

Maybe I simply felt guilty because of the debt I owed Yoo Hyunjae from the previous loop.

After all, this was the first time I had seen him this closely and in a calm mental state.

“Ah, excuse me.”

Yoo Hyunjae, who had been observing me without moving a muscle, finally blinked and greeted me.

He looked like a doll that breathed and moved.

“I thought perhaps you worked for our company, but it seems that’s not the case.”

I sighed internally.

“Yes. Not yet, but I want to. I came today for an interview at Yuwi Guild. I’m Seon Yuhan.”

“Ah, I see.”

He smiled with a softness that looked almost brush-painted.

“Did it go well? I hope so.”

What an out-of-place comment.

Who cares about the interview when we are trapped inside a labyrinth and about to die?

But precisely because he spoke so naturally about something so unreal, it gave an absurd sense of security.

As if we really could get out of here.

“Eh, nice to meet you. I’m Choi Jaeha, I work at Howol Accounting Firm on the sixteenth floor. It’s an honor to meet you……!”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Choi Jaeha. I’m sorry we have to meet under circumstances like these. And excuse me, but you would be……?”

“Ah! Hello. I’m Hwang Juyeon. I don’t work here. I came because I had a magic show at the daycare. And… this child’s name is Jung Jiho.”

“Nice to meet you. You too, Jiho.”

Without hesitation, Yoo Hyunjae knelt on one knee to bring himself to the child’s eye level.

“You must have been very frightened, but thank you for enduring so bravely.”

I didn’t know whether to say it was worthy of someone who had built his fortune from a young age.

Even in a situation where life and death hung by a thread, he still interacted with others completely naturally.

“Ahh. So you came directly down here from the second floor…… It seems the floors are mixed.”

We briefly explained the situation, and Yoo Hyunjae accepted it without showing much surprise.

“In fact, a small emergency exit I had never seen before appeared. When I opened it, there were only stairs going downward. Basement Five was supposed to be the lowest underground floor, so I assumed something had changed.”

As expected of a guild director, he seemed to understand the absurd characteristics of labyrinths very well.

“By the way, it’s impressive. All of you made it this far without serious injuries.”

“We were lucky. Director, aren’t you feeling unwell? It must have been quite a shock when the building suddenly became like this…….”

The accountant from Howol Accounting Firm treated the director of Yuwi Guild as though he were literally his own boss.

It’s admirable how consistent he is.

Though honestly, someone like Yoo Hyunjae deserved to be treated like a superior even by people unrelated to Jaerae Group.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m really fine.”

The director slightly lifted the corners of his lips.

“I make a living dealing with labyrinths. I’m not such an amateur that I’d panic just because I got trapped inside one.”

Even though a moment ago we had clearly heard him retching because the place was silent as a grave.

His ability to pretend nothing had happened was impressive.

“Since introductions are over, it would be best to organize a formation for safety. Jiho will go in the center……”

As they quickly organized themselves, the three of us —except for Yoo Hyunjae and Jung Jiho— exchanged glances as if we had rehearsed it.

We reached a silent agreement.

We would not mention the retching we had heard before finding him nor his reddened eyes.

We did not know whether he believed we had not noticed or whether he simply wanted us to pretend to ignore it.

But if someone wants to hide something, the polite thing is not to force it out.

“Which one of you should go in the back? Preferably someone who doesn’t get scared easily watching horror movies.”

“Khm…….”

“Ah. I’ll go in the back.”

“Good. Then it’s settled.”

And so the five of us formed a diamond.

Yoo Hyunjae in front.

Choi Jaeha, Jung Jiho, and Hwang Juyeon in the center.

And me in the back.

“If we end up separated, stay in groups of two or three. No one should be left alone. And you too, Seon Yuhan, keep your flashlight to a minimum.”

“Director, is something attracted to light?”

I tried to remember the appearance of the thing that had taken my heart the previous time.

The ears that gladly listened to the prayers of living beings, the mouth that preached sermons of absolute truth, the hands that offered the mercy of enlightenment…… Oh, World-Honored One, the one who comes from machines and returns to truth, the one for whom coming and departing are no different, worthy of his name, virtuous, noble, wise, benevolent, merciful, compassionate, generous, forgiving, pious……

“No, Seon Yuhan.”

Within that dim and faded light, Yoo Hyunjae looked directly at me.

It was a cold gaze, but precisely because of that, it kept me connected to reality.

“It doesn’t seem to have eyes.”

“Then why……?”

“Because we do.”

That low, professional voice instantly penetrated my ears.

Without realizing it, I shrank back.

I had no choice but to understand the implied meaning behind such an obvious statement.

That means we, the ones who do have eyes.

“Must not witness it. Whatever it is. Anything capable of frightening you.”

There are things that must not be seen with these eyes.

“And if you do see it, don’t panic. And if you panic, cover your mouth. I’m not completely certain, but……”

Yoo Hyunjae’s flowing voice hesitated for the first time.

“It seems to come when it hears sounds above a certain level. For example, screams.”

Ah.

No wonder.

Now that I thought about it, the last time Yoo Hyunjae kept telling me to calm down.

But I misunderstood everything, lost my mind, and ended up screaming at him like a madman.

That’s why I died.

“T-then…….”

Choi Jaeha, tightly holding the child’s hand, covered his mouth with the other and spoke in a whisper.

“Shouldn’t we be careful even when talking……?”

“No.”

Yoo Hyunjae answered firmly, as if trying to reassure us.

“I’m sure it can’t hear something at this level. As you can see.”

“But, excuse the question…… how exactly did you discover that information……?”

Hwang Juyeon asked.

Her tone was careful, but it hid a certain sharpness.

“I was actually just about to tell you. Originally, I was here with Mr. Kim, my personal driver……”

Yoo Hyunjae widened his eyes slightly and showed a complicated expression.

“After realizing this place had turned into a labyrinth, we started exploring separately. Checking the cars or trying to open doors.”

“All these cars?”

“Yes. If something seems strange, that in itself can be a clue.”

The Jaerae Building is an enormous skyscraper by nature.

And the underground parking lot, unlike the upper floors with their hollow square shape, does not have an open central space, so the actual area is even larger.

At the very least, there had to be fifty vehicles parked there.

“Did you find anything?”

“Ah, it’s nothing major, but I found some strange skid marks. Though I’ll explain those later.”

Yoo Hyunjae continued speaking while giving me a small nod, as if asking for understanding.

“I don’t know exactly what he saw, but Mr. Kim suddenly started screaming. I ran toward him and found him completely shaken, babbling incoherently. And shortly afterward, something resembling a grotesque Buddhist statue appeared and tore Mr. Kim’s heart out……”

Director Yoo Hyunjae frowned slightly and left the sentence unfinished when he looked at Jung Jiho.

Choi Jaeha and Hwang Juyeon seemed to understand the rest, because their expressions darkened.

“At the very least, I should have taken his hand. But I ended up running away…….”

It was an incredibly calm murmur.

As if he were forcibly suppressing his emotions.

“In any case, that’s why I concluded that thing is attracted to loud sounds. Mm, now I’d like to show you those skid marks and then split into two groups to continue exploring.”

Immediately, Yoo Hyunjae erased even that vague melancholy from his face and stepped back into the lead.

Tap, tap…….

The footsteps of the five people, all different, sounded out of sync, like a musical performance played off rhythm.

“Here.”

Yoo Hyunjae stopped in front of a pillar and shone his flashlight at the floor.

A clear tire mark stretched across a long empty space where there were no cars.

I silently observed those black tracks.

“No, but in a parking lot you can’t really go fast enough to leave marks like that, even if you tried…….”

“And isn’t the position a little strange?”

Following Choi Jaeha’s comment, Hwang Juyeon tilted her head and pointed at the marks.

“They’re too close to the pillar. If it had really been a car, the body would’ve hit the pillar before leaving marks like that.”

“Exactly. That’s why they seemed strange to me too.”

Yoo Hyunjae nodded at Hwang Juyeon’s words.

“I was just trying to investigate that when what happened to Mr. Kim occurred…….”

“But even so, I don’t understand how we could investigate further…….”

“Pattern.”

“What?”

Everyone turned toward me at my involuntary comment.

I cautiously looked around before opening my mouth.

“Well, tires don’t all have the same design either. I thought maybe we could first investigate the vehicles using the same tire pattern as that one.”

Of course, there still wouldn’t be only a few.

But it was still better than dismantling every car without any clues.

“That’s an excellent deduction.”

The eyes of Yuwi Guild’s co-director gleamed dangerously.

“I heard there was a meeting today to recruit a new Red Actor. Was the interview you mentioned for that? Wasn’t it for an agent position?”

There is such an enormous difference between a Red Actor recruitment meeting and an agent interview that it’s like the difference between a CEO and an unemployed person looking for work.

“No. I really came for the agent team interview. And the only kind of escape I know is escape rooms.”

“Ah, but that’s also an excellent quality for a Red Actor.”

It’s impossible to talk with him.

Was he always like this?

He has a strangely stubborn personality.

Besides, this is clearly not the time for that.

There’s something odd about the way his mind works.

“Well, let’s leave that for later. For now, how about we simply split into two groups and explore both sides?”

Yoo Hyunjae made a light gesture with his hand, dividing the group into two.

Choi Jaeha and me.

And Yoo Hyunjae with Jung Jiho and Hwang Juyeon.

“Yes, I don’t mind.”

“Mm, neither do I…….”

Hwang Juyeon shrugged, and Choi Jaeha reluctantly agreed.

Jung Jiho silently nodded as well.

I looked at the child and the woman standing beside Yoo Hyunjae.

Their chests are torn open and their entire bodies are stained dark red.

No.

It’s an illusion.

“Yes. I agree too.”

“Then, Seon Yuhan, take a picture of those marks and check them together with Choi Jaeha.”

That’s how I ended up approaching the vehicle parked in the nearest section together with Choi Jaeha.

“Good God…… there’s so much money here. The VIP section really is on another level.”

The accountant was admiring the row of executive cars when.

Bzzz.

The phone now serving as a flashlight vibrated, and the screen suddenly lit up.

[+82 70-329-1159

1 text message]

Out of habit, I unlocked the phone and checked the message.

[[Internal Message] I’m already on my way to C07. You’re coming out to greet me, right? My person ŁɨИ∃ ID: nmywyty]

An icy sensation crawled down my spine, as if insects were climbing up my back.

I involuntarily turned my head.