Chapter 29: Come to the Land Full of Happiness
Dhv0D【Invitations will soon be sent to your friends! They say happiness grows the more it is shared, right? Binary will also receive even greater happiness for sharing happiness!】vwUtm
2DTh1t“Damn it.”0Mn0L
3qxs“T-this… this guy just did something weird to us, didn’t he?”ZCnNjh
QNA7j“Did it just say Happyland…?”KYAGHmU
vwPMThe bald man, who had nearly been grabbed by the neck instead of the hair, wrote another short note and showed it to us.nkh
iqq[I had no other choice. Please understand.]lVeOoWS
X46GBAlthough his face was pale from his poor condition, he did not seem to feel the slightest bit of guilt.YIdXjng
jtDYSIn fact, he barely seemed to have any expression at all.tsaiAYt
Sd5“Wow… wow…”ruCg11
FfUJChoi Jaeha grabbed the back of his neck.ECtBIt
zgnA“What a shameless man.”c2M
DOjXd[Even so, I’ll tell you everything I can. Ah, my name is Lee Jinsu.]o5AJ
16KolILIt was unclear whether he had always been like this or whether it was the labyrinth’s fault.heD
GKl8WQ[Wait a moment. This has a time limit.]gW2b
6gDXSwqLee Jinsu set down the phone and looked back at the game screen.0Oz4
FZZ9n【A raccoon-costumed clerk is selling ice cream. It looks delicious. You cannot endure your hunger.】MTS
qcnQdV5【▶ Eat】h3zn
tbL【▶ Resist】LDd9M
jTueBvClick.cB2
pUBaVe【Eat!】A2QH
zdvi2As soon as Lee Jinsu clicked “Eat.”hQLyL
c7qhNCrunch! Splash! Crack!bvGsuD
sR9Along with sound effects completely impossible for someone eating ice cream, the entire screen was splattered with red blood that quickly disappeared.8DWGylf
jGggeThe raccoon-costumed clerk also vanished.Cq6
N2WS【The sweet-and-salty combination never fails! Licking the ice cream left around your lips with satisfaction, you feel that you won’t be hungry for a while.】G3xc
4JjPLee Jinsu stared at that disgusting screen without changing expression and opened his notes app again.tFJPUtD
qcXEW2h[Anyway, if the time limit runs out, the game automatically chooses for you and the penalty is applied all the same, so you have to pick something before the timer ends. No matter what.]xSuDY
AeFa“And what exactly is the penalty?”FGY
AymyFCN[This.]lw5
VYiOdLee Jinsu opened his mouth wide.eo2IAj
zkA6DZPIt really looked as though his tongue had been cut off.Tbe7
PyIuROnly a small part remained at the root.yQm
rFV7HHP“Ah…”n1O
F2OXWbL“My God…”ju6
KhPZeEven Choi Jaeha, who had been glaring at him until just moments ago, lost some of his momentum.RzEd
JqQ8vG[But it doesn’t hurt. And sometimes only something like losing your hair happens. There’s no need to be too scared. It seems that the body part that disappears and the amount are completely random.]J1x
DjUAt that moment.sz8V8
rmoNLDing!a8V
H72z67♫ Ta-da-da, da-da, ta-daaaan… ♫D09q
YEnzUISuddenly the phones lit up and circus-like music began to play.X2VQ
vvpAn organ accompaniment with a retro style and a cheerful, lively rhythm.MzhVP
zBDAM0A melody that resembled a theme park parade.96O
xAg“What is this?”oAcA9K
VWmbK“Don’t tell me it’s that invitation from before…”9brXDaR
4eufIThe same thing happened on everyone else’s phones.clM1
bivXKClack.pk6E
RDh5LNext, an ownerless drawer suddenly opened and a handheld game console flew out from inside, landing in front of Jung Jiho.yy3dSg
uOPpcHF[There’s also a mobile and console version. I guess it’s because you don’t have assigned computers.]HgU
N9ohIf there was no computer, it used a phone.BfgY
wSpkwAnd if there was no phone, it lent you someone else’s console.gfcQ
HIzvjPWhat a kind, fair, and considerate labyrinth.lS10Zrw
shJAll of us looked at the game title on our screens.XsTM
2H2xx7E【Lost In HAPPYLAND】KyLXDd
jz7RKG【ENTER】7e60Q
HZTlo64Happyland.fdpt
WHtAn abandoned amusement park that became an invasion-type labyrinth eight years ago.ihH5JSh
QJCIt had already been closed for a long time before its transformation, and because of its distinctive atmosphere, it was often used as a filming location.sUfXzzP
ya5seukUntil one day, during the shooting of an idol group’s music video, the labyrinthization phenomenon occurred.VzTB9
5gLiThe Happyland Labyrinth was also resolved through the complete annihilation of everyone trapped inside.Cu4K
RbTsJust like Seonghwa High School, which we saw in the auditorium.58GVenC
Dz7AOr Mount Yeongun, which we heard about on the radio in the parking garage.IrFyOXY
ihvZB“Can’t we… just not play?”4eeYL
K11YlHwang Juyeon tried to escape reality in a subdued voice.S02R
2br64She did not even seem to believe it was possible herself.LwCH8
nGZ“We should sit together. Can we borrow some chairs, Mr. Lee Jinsu?”Kh1Q
cDnvNAt Yoo Hyunjae’s question, Lee Jinsu nodded without issue.NiJnCjx
PgEhQX0[If you need anything, use whatever you want. The owners aren’t here anymore anyway.]9lYmI
xYKmHClack! Rattle!Vtm5qge
kZSzThe rolling chairs gathered around Lee Jinsu.K30y6
QOTObpWhen we pressed ENTER beneath the game title, a new screen appeared.0A0YI
TCzF2【Enter your name】0Kuzy
lcuDdU【＿＿＿＿】JWU
PJKmf0e“There weren’t any problems with not using your real name?”ZaM6u
kOWhYFrom the earlier pop-up, it seemed that Lee Jinsu had used “binary” instead of his actual name.Ops2Uhm
2cDq1nAlthough, depending on how you looked at it, perhaps that was also his real name.J8vt
YBwcU[Every now and then there are quiz-like questions asking whether you remember your name, but it doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s your real name or not. It feels more like a player ID.]JcJQE
TuMx“Then I… will use my name.”hcwxo
uSIAfter a brief hesitation, I entered my name.O0gHLg
Dz7brs【Seon Yuhan】h9g9sG8
2H9VZ【ENTER】6QL
27WgLooking at that name, I shook my head, feeling like an idiot, and pressed Enter.QXq
nzLoVokAfter all, it wasn’t as though the labyrinth was stupid.nrK
DUZ1oEven if I entered another name, it would not stop recognizing my existence.oKoJhc4
P18VljEven if I had entered “Hong Gildong,” it would not kill Mr. Hong Gildong in my place.LWN0iZa
UVz【…Waiting for access to Happyland…】hSc
lvf“Ugh, I’ll just use my surname. Ah, what should I do? I seriously know nothing about games…”i2b
e320L6eHwang Juyeon, who had entered “Hwang,” grabbed her head with a distressed expression.jyV
KacatP“I’m not very good at these electronic games either.”n2Tb
mmFbTThat’s why labyrinths…zTCa
LFaOmLMuttering in a subdued voice, Yoo Hyunjae idly played with the ring on his pinky finger before entering “Hyunjae.”j4U
8emx“Hmm, then I’ll use my initials… Ah, Jiho, what are you going to use? Do you want your uncle to help you?”pf5KVa0
oJ4When Jung Jiho silently nodded, Choi Jaeha began asking, “How about this? Or this one?” while skillfully operating the buttons.nKWo064
C7io7EThus, the name “Jyo” was entered on Jung Jiho’s console.d2Ml48d
LjA“But this is still loading and won’t move on.”sZlX
gto“Ah.”BvD
UxwAt Choi Jaeha’s question, Lee Jinsu made a sound and opened his notes app.pAPwVx
ahC[It seems only one person can play at a time.]oxUsJ
B3l“What exactly is that supposed to mean?”9BGM
WzYkQq[I know it’s a weird thing to say because it’s an offline game, but it means only one person can log in. Since I’m playing right now, none of you can enter. My game didn’t start either until my coworker stopped playing.]CahYr
zRL4“What?”IRFs0
bCU[So I think the system works in a way that I have to die or quit before someone else can enter.]XbNwWq
yVRllU4“You’ve got to be kidding me! You should have said that sooner!”JkGOtC
S06g“Could it be according to the order in which we entered our names…?”t61D
S33siIf entry was first come, first served, I would probably be next.XXHWDe
LwzYXXOThen Hwang Juyeon, Yoo Hyunjae, Choi Jaeha, and Jung Jiho.Qf6AXW
Al3r6“But is it possible to quit?”KpTtzaz
dgUvE[If you quit inside the game. Or if you die. Either way, the options CONTINUE or EXIT appear. My coworker pressed EXIT, and then it became my turn.]EBzixW
YW6U“Didn’t you say your coworker died?”Zvq6dF
ObMNygWasn’t that more of a button for quitting this world than quitting the game?PUF
miJ2“Ah.”8pPC
bGMLee Jinsu absentmindedly opened his mouth before typing again.2b5
w6uVh[Well, I killed him.]k1vRR
Yu5n“What?”xr59RG
O1W“W-what?”7SwRY
imo“You killed him? A person?”ciD
CHYTol0Choi Jaeha jumped to his feet in horror.oN8k
bANuOHwang Juyeon immediately grabbed a pen she found on the desk.MTzEY
r6fxp32And Yoo Hyunjae discreetly pushed Jung Jiho behind him.7M2K
1czyPLee Jinsu continued typing with the same impassive expression.aI7IDW
2HxU[He was about to die anyway. But he didn’t die because he pressed EXIT, so don’t worry.]bxz1gw
qYBgNHnThe fact that he did not try too hard to justify himself made it strangely believable.zs9ge
COIe[If you press CONTINUE, you simply keep playing. But you receive a penalty.]GB6ueS
kerzZP“Haa… That penalty. Is it randomly losing a body part? Without pain?”TE8c
N8RePLee Jinsu nodded.7YPZiZ
gVzvt[It’s completely random. Sometimes it’s like losing a few fingernails. And if you’re unlucky, you might lose a lung.]wB5le3
jzHItIf you did not choose an option within the time limit, you received a penalty.uTzBq2
oOi6IAnd if you died in the game and wanted to continue, you also received a penalty.IDI06
8QSKRlvThat meant that, depending on which body part you ended up losing, you could die instantly.77Ujvrl
VNxWO[So if you don’t want to lose anything, just press EXIT.]K5ZK
sQGhrThen the turn would pass to the next person.r7G0
0At5atLAnd so on until it reached the last person, Jung Jiho.mZaB0G0
akIWUWas this some kind of sacrifice game?8SuA
K4Gix“Then why didn’t you quit? Because there was no one to pass the turn to?”SXjtc
aLegFIX[That’s one reason.]9hbeRk
GuX41LHis bloodshot eyes stared directly at me as he smiled.W4GYu
1Yzeu[But also because it’s fun.]90HtMGP
c6FudPerhaps the only things Lee Jinsu had lost in this game were not just his tongue and hair.w1x
GtWDHe seemed to have some kind of problem with his brain.Z3lY
UqpB5Although it could not be ruled out that he had always been like that.6K9
780“Wow. He’s completely insane…”gw5AqhW
7hy2lKHorrified, Choi Jaeha slowly moved his chair closer to me.ghY
n1ba“Mr. Seon Yuhan. Do you remember when, in front of the elevator, you grabbed me and started saying nonsense and I thought you were crazy? And then in the parking garage too… I want to apologize. You really are a normal person.”wsodn3m
mGoHaving officially received the title of normal person, I turned my gaze toward Lee Jinsu’s monitor.4SXT
BYrNvPB【Look! It’s the Pang Pang Car! Get into the adorable bumper car and drive around going pang pang! Be happy!】vR31roM
AuhQGvB【▶ Be happy】mzlChQ
d0Fo【▶ Be unhappy】828f6tL
jsFle6ZLee Jinsu selected “Be happy.”dfbLL
ha9FzSxCompletely calmly, without caring that everyone was watching him.qwC9x8x
ctw5mK5[With the rides, it’s usually best to choose this option. That way, time inside the game passes faster. If you don’t get on, some pretty disturbing events tend to appear.]uUZaE
FiTdThat meant he had tried the “Be unhappy” option.5WISJdm
h6ov“What’s the objective of the game? What do you have to do to complete it?”kw1R
twnVO[From the opening scenario, it seems the goal is to survive until closing time. Based on how it’s structured, that appears to be the natural ending.]NRwXc3R
BcVFZbd“And how long does the game last?”8RHc
Kuwx[Who knows. It doesn’t seem very long. If you choose quickly and always make the best decisions, maybe around twenty minutes. Assuming the most efficient route possible.]Euof
e7BIn other words, the actual duration could be several times longer.Ziz
BlwJpsOr you might die before getting that far.vNaskF
5aw0[Even so, compared to others, this one doesn’t have absurd difficulty.]8Yf
Mv2QKZS“How can you possibly…?”1VayT
4o7Choi Jaeha started to protest, but lost the will to continue halfway through the sentence.3RmjK7m
QuV[Because the player is a visitor. If we were playing as the park employees, the balance would be broken and nobody could clear it.]7MK
KIUHFJ“What…? And why is that…? Mr. Seon Yuhan, what does that mean?”Z5Fi
e3dThis man really had no interest in labyrinths.Ni7vR
A6FROHow enviable.qciv3W
sjoxHwang Juyeon seemed to have understood more or less.JRS
nWSAnd the co-director of Yuwi Guild, who had remained silent this whole time, obviously understood as well.4f4J
tRtze5It was normal that Jung Jiho did not understand; he had not even been born when the Happyland incident happened.tPDEbmN
o028ez8“To begin with, the people who got trapped in Happyland…”us5Nc7A
s4Vv6uFor everyone’s safety, I had to explain at least the basic knowledge.EPfCxIP
r8RElq6“They were filming an idol group’s music video when…”snlt
CSm“Ah, I remember that. People gathered to pay their respects and everything. They were unknown, but after they died they became famous. It felt strange.”0TEh
ARMoPersonally, I found it disgusting.BDMQK
Jv8RB1People who had never shown any interest and only came running when they heard someone had died tragically.JEiW5F
1xjHUPeople who started digging up memories of the deceased in order to force themselves to care.oCGSFda
XKVPeople who enjoyed others’ suffering as though it were entertainment.7MBJ
4Q3Eight years later, even those idols were gradually being forgotten.szcldy
lJpiAnd the staff members who had also been memorialized were barely more than names remembered by anyone.RiXa
aBHA9S“In any case, when the bodies were recovered, they were all wearing cast uniforms… that is, Happyland employee uniforms. Of various kinds.”dbEH
IHUbqThe uniforms differed depending on the ride or assigned job.Lkl
P0Qy“But based on the condition of the bodies, it was concluded that rather than employees, they had been treated as though they themselves were the attractions.”se4u
0IlAnd that conclusion was probably correct.wyRtay
gdD0qlpIf the contents of this game were based on the real events.SoDpLbq
FNfj5I“Hey, wait. You said the players are visitors inside the game. Then we…”3TKxyzH
18JG“Yes.”DqFGc
PI708Bang! Craaack! Bang! Splaash!pQD4ilu
rpcv【You executed a perfect drift on a soaked surface.】Z4iGt
nozlI briefly glanced at Lee Jinsu’s monitor, where those unpleasant sound effects and messages appeared, before continuing.Pu8
7bd6“We are the ones who kill people.”t75Nzu
scGfL“Haa… I knew it. No wonder the game is so twisted.”zbq7YsW
5pvgChoi Jaeha looked at the NeoSoft employee with disgust, unable to understand how anyone could find that game fun.lLbyMN
hbQO65PThen.Y51s
GnQUAUpBang! Crack!34h
sF5WX1“Aiguer…!”Rl5
VG0KYLee Jinsu let out a strange sound of pain.5MuGE
x0ZIt seemed he had tried to say “ow.”JDy
rc93p【What a shame! Even you could not overcome a strategy of mutual destruction. You are no longer in a condition to enjoy happiness. Nevertheless, you can still continue being happy.】R67f
zFS【CONTINUE】KsFBT
QkanHC【EXIT】tCDHAex
djLwzY5“Mr. Lee Jinsu, wait…”DCY
jpmvzClick.ioI0cS
t1i【CONTINUE!】E5IwefR
nSSOnce again, that deranged player’s hand was faster than the eyes.dbP
FpTNbtd【The wise decision of someone like you never wastes an opportunity to be happy.】HdzcMTy
y3Xb9【But happiness always comes with a price!】nRbOYfu
PkR【Don’t worry! It won’t hurt. A small contribution will make you happy: Head】9hO
e2bIfqDAnd at the exact moment that message appeared.W9SM
4AdW“Buaaagh! W-what the hell…? Ugh!”zvKlC
SSOSXnWPart of Lee Jinsu’s head disappeared.qcPr
lVCW4EAnd then.3ToM
oxgH【Access complete!】JRx7l
ygNnvThe screen of my game, which had been waiting to enter all this time, changed.s17
ol1B【Welcome to the land of happiness, Happyland!】2fb
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