Chapter 29: Come to the Land Full of Happiness

【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!】

“Damn it.”

“T-this… this guy just did something weird to us, didn’t he?”

“Did it just say Happyland…?”

The bald man, who had nearly been grabbed by the neck instead of the hair, wrote another short note and showed it to us.

[I had no other choice. Please understand.]

Although his face was pale from his poor condition, he did not seem to feel the slightest bit of guilt.

In fact, he barely seemed to have any expression at all.

“Wow… wow…”

Choi Jaeha grabbed the back of his neck.

“What a shameless man.”

[Even so, I’ll tell you everything I can. Ah, my name is Lee Jinsu.]

It was unclear whether he had always been like this or whether it was the labyrinth’s fault.

[Wait a moment. This has a time limit.]

Lee Jinsu set down the phone and looked back at the game screen.

【A raccoon-costumed clerk is selling ice cream. It looks delicious. You cannot endure your hunger.】

【▶ Eat】

【▶ Resist】

Click.

【Eat!】

As soon as Lee Jinsu clicked “Eat.”

Crunch! Splash! Crack!

Along with sound effects completely impossible for someone eating ice cream, the entire screen was splattered with red blood that quickly disappeared.

The raccoon-costumed clerk also vanished.

【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.】

Lee Jinsu stared at that disgusting screen without changing expression and opened his notes app again.

[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.]

“And what exactly is the penalty?”

[This.]

Lee Jinsu opened his mouth wide.

It really looked as though his tongue had been cut off.

Only a small part remained at the root.

“Ah…”

“My God…”

Even Choi Jaeha, who had been glaring at him until just moments ago, lost some of his momentum.

[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.]

At that moment.

Ding!

♫ Ta-da-da, da-da, ta-daaaan… ♫

Suddenly the phones lit up and circus-like music began to play.

An organ accompaniment with a retro style and a cheerful, lively rhythm.

A melody that resembled a theme park parade.

“What is this?”

“Don’t tell me it’s that invitation from before…”

The same thing happened on everyone else’s phones.

Clack.

Next, an ownerless drawer suddenly opened and a handheld game console flew out from inside, landing in front of Jung Jiho.

[There’s also a mobile and console version. I guess it’s because you don’t have assigned computers.]

If there was no computer, it used a phone.

And if there was no phone, it lent you someone else’s console.

What a kind, fair, and considerate labyrinth.

All of us looked at the game title on our screens.

【Lost In HAPPYLAND】

【ENTER】

Happyland.

An abandoned amusement park that became an invasion-type labyrinth eight years ago.

It 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.

Until one day, during the shooting of an idol group’s music video, the labyrinthization phenomenon occurred.

The Happyland Labyrinth was also resolved through the complete annihilation of everyone trapped inside.

Just like Seonghwa High School, which we saw in the auditorium.

Or Mount Yeongun, which we heard about on the radio in the parking garage.

“Can’t we… just not play?”

Hwang Juyeon tried to escape reality in a subdued voice.

She did not even seem to believe it was possible herself.

“We should sit together. Can we borrow some chairs, Mr. Lee Jinsu?”

At Yoo Hyunjae’s question, Lee Jinsu nodded without issue.

[If you need anything, use whatever you want. The owners aren’t here anymore anyway.]

Clack! Rattle!

The rolling chairs gathered around Lee Jinsu.

When we pressed ENTER beneath the game title, a new screen appeared.

【Enter your name】

【＿＿＿＿】

“There weren’t any problems with not using your real name?”

From the earlier pop-up, it seemed that Lee Jinsu had used “binary” instead of his actual name.

Although, depending on how you looked at it, perhaps that was also his real name.

[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.]

“Then I… will use my name.”

After a brief hesitation, I entered my name.

【Seon Yuhan】

【ENTER】

Looking at that name, I shook my head, feeling like an idiot, and pressed Enter.

After all, it wasn’t as though the labyrinth was stupid.

Even if I entered another name, it would not stop recognizing my existence.

Even if I had entered “Hong Gildong,” it would not kill Mr. Hong Gildong in my place.

【…Waiting for access to Happyland…】

“Ugh, I’ll just use my surname. Ah, what should I do? I seriously know nothing about games…”

Hwang Juyeon, who had entered “Hwang,” grabbed her head with a distressed expression.

“I’m not very good at these electronic games either.”

That’s why labyrinths…

Muttering in a subdued voice, Yoo Hyunjae idly played with the ring on his pinky finger before entering “Hyunjae.”

“Hmm, then I’ll use my initials… Ah, Jiho, what are you going to use? Do you want your uncle to help you?”

When Jung Jiho silently nodded, Choi Jaeha began asking, “How about this? Or this one?” while skillfully operating the buttons.

Thus, the name “Jyo” was entered on Jung Jiho’s console.

“But this is still loading and won’t move on.”

“Ah.”

At Choi Jaeha’s question, Lee Jinsu made a sound and opened his notes app.

[It seems only one person can play at a time.]

“What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

[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.]

“What?”

[So I think the system works in a way that I have to die or quit before someone else can enter.]

“You’ve got to be kidding me! You should have said that sooner!”

“Could it be according to the order in which we entered our names…?”

If entry was first come, first served, I would probably be next.

Then Hwang Juyeon, Yoo Hyunjae, Choi Jaeha, and Jung Jiho.

“But is it possible to quit?”

[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.]

“Didn’t you say your coworker died?”

Wasn’t that more of a button for quitting this world than quitting the game?

“Ah.”

Lee Jinsu absentmindedly opened his mouth before typing again.

[Well, I killed him.]

“What?”

“W-what?”

“You killed him? A person?”

Choi Jaeha jumped to his feet in horror.

Hwang Juyeon immediately grabbed a pen she found on the desk.

And Yoo Hyunjae discreetly pushed Jung Jiho behind him.

Lee Jinsu continued typing with the same impassive expression.

[He was about to die anyway. But he didn’t die because he pressed EXIT, so don’t worry.]

The fact that he did not try too hard to justify himself made it strangely believable.

[If you press CONTINUE, you simply keep playing. But you receive a penalty.]

“Haa… That penalty. Is it randomly losing a body part? Without pain?”

Lee Jinsu nodded.

[It’s completely random. Sometimes it’s like losing a few fingernails. And if you’re unlucky, you might lose a lung.]

If you did not choose an option within the time limit, you received a penalty.

And if you died in the game and wanted to continue, you also received a penalty.

That meant that, depending on which body part you ended up losing, you could die instantly.

[So if you don’t want to lose anything, just press EXIT.]

Then the turn would pass to the next person.

And so on until it reached the last person, Jung Jiho.

Was this some kind of sacrifice game?

“Then why didn’t you quit? Because there was no one to pass the turn to?”

[That’s one reason.]

His bloodshot eyes stared directly at me as he smiled.

[But also because it’s fun.]

Perhaps the only things Lee Jinsu had lost in this game were not just his tongue and hair.

He seemed to have some kind of problem with his brain.

Although it could not be ruled out that he had always been like that.

“Wow. He’s completely insane…”

Horrified, Choi Jaeha slowly moved his chair closer to me.

“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.”

Having officially received the title of normal person, I turned my gaze toward Lee Jinsu’s monitor.

【Look! It’s the Pang Pang Car! Get into the adorable bumper car and drive around going pang pang! Be happy!】

【▶ Be happy】

【▶ Be unhappy】

Lee Jinsu selected “Be happy.”

Completely calmly, without caring that everyone was watching him.

[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.]

That meant he had tried the “Be unhappy” option.

“What’s the objective of the game? What do you have to do to complete it?”

[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.]

“And how long does the game last?”

[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.]

In other words, the actual duration could be several times longer.

Or you might die before getting that far.

[Even so, compared to others, this one doesn’t have absurd difficulty.]

“How can you possibly…?”

Choi Jaeha started to protest, but lost the will to continue halfway through the sentence.

[Because the player is a visitor. If we were playing as the park employees, the balance would be broken and nobody could clear it.]

“What…? And why is that…? Mr. Seon Yuhan, what does that mean?”

This man really had no interest in labyrinths.

How enviable.

Hwang Juyeon seemed to have understood more or less.

And the co-director of Yuwi Guild, who had remained silent this whole time, obviously understood as well.

It was normal that Jung Jiho did not understand; he had not even been born when the Happyland incident happened.

“To begin with, the people who got trapped in Happyland…”

For everyone’s safety, I had to explain at least the basic knowledge.

“They were filming an idol group’s music video when…”

“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.”

Personally, I found it disgusting.

People who had never shown any interest and only came running when they heard someone had died tragically.

People who started digging up memories of the deceased in order to force themselves to care.

People who enjoyed others’ suffering as though it were entertainment.

Eight years later, even those idols were gradually being forgotten.

And the staff members who had also been memorialized were barely more than names remembered by anyone.

“In any case, when the bodies were recovered, they were all wearing cast uniforms… that is, Happyland employee uniforms. Of various kinds.”

The uniforms differed depending on the ride or assigned job.

“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.”

And that conclusion was probably correct.

If the contents of this game were based on the real events.

“Hey, wait. You said the players are visitors inside the game. Then we…”

“Yes.”

Bang! Craaack! Bang! Splaash!

【You executed a perfect drift on a soaked surface.】

I briefly glanced at Lee Jinsu’s monitor, where those unpleasant sound effects and messages appeared, before continuing.

“We are the ones who kill people.”

“Haa… I knew it. No wonder the game is so twisted.”

Choi Jaeha looked at the NeoSoft employee with disgust, unable to understand how anyone could find that game fun.

Then.

Bang! Crack!

“Aiguer…!”

Lee Jinsu let out a strange sound of pain.

It seemed he had tried to say “ow.”

【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.】

【CONTINUE】

【EXIT】

“Mr. Lee Jinsu, wait…”

Click.

【CONTINUE!】

Once again, that deranged player’s hand was faster than the eyes.

【The wise decision of someone like you never wastes an opportunity to be happy.】

【But happiness always comes with a price!】

【Don’t worry! It won’t hurt. A small contribution will make you happy: Head】

And at the exact moment that message appeared.

“Buaaagh! W-what the hell…? Ugh!”

Part of Lee Jinsu’s head disappeared.

And then.

【Access complete!】

The screen of my game, which had been waiting to enter all this time, changed.

【Welcome to the land of happiness, Happyland!】