Chapter 29: Come to the Land Full of Happiness
N4E68【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!】DAdphd
O7aDi“Damn it.”h8P
5TVf“T-this… this guy just did something weird to us, didn’t he?”YTAA
zilQ“Did it just say Happyland…?”1Q71
Mo1j4aThe bald man, who had nearly been grabbed by the neck instead of the hair, wrote another short note and showed it to us.eja8EjB
VdYHsGU[I had no other choice. Please understand.]zQHLZ
rNB5cVAlthough his face was pale from his poor condition, he did not seem to feel the slightest bit of guilt.u8I
Me2NbjvIn fact, he barely seemed to have any expression at all.3YT2Js
gWvYb“Wow… wow…”BKaWUcZ
wGRyOhChoi Jaeha grabbed the back of his neck.uvZLGj0
PNje“What a shameless man.”3g8
yJq7RBX[Even so, I’ll tell you everything I can. Ah, my name is Lee Jinsu.]VTRqB
LPHHIt was unclear whether he had always been like this or whether it was the labyrinth’s fault.0Uv5soK
EJH[Wait a moment. This has a time limit.]4HcZm
YyoJ5o2Lee Jinsu set down the phone and looked back at the game screen.pcnbuS
tfJ【A raccoon-costumed clerk is selling ice cream. It looks delicious. You cannot endure your hunger.】MBmYI
zRhanIs【▶ Eat】xCKD
3j0B【▶ Resist】ls9hS
JOm3kPClick.TXU
rr1fBw【Eat!】tUi
Pcm0As soon as Lee Jinsu clicked “Eat.”B6CrA
YSlSmZoCrunch! Splash! Crack!dEHzX
CvWAlong with sound effects completely impossible for someone eating ice cream, the entire screen was splattered with red blood that quickly disappeared.PwpY5
ghWZ8haThe raccoon-costumed clerk also vanished.TKX
Gs0MJo【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.】A6HBlDn
jefVLee Jinsu stared at that disgusting screen without changing expression and opened his notes app again.1AWC
CSQnKU2[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.]Vqngk3
miEU“And what exactly is the penalty?”70nJPg
N8aRzst[This.]e8S20
aJpEKqLee Jinsu opened his mouth wide.cgRZqL
ZPQb5It really looked as though his tongue had been cut off.MpQ
guAKOnly a small part remained at the root.hbfWA
xsasvu“Ah…”axSDmz
NhCSzm“My God…”shrlw
wk1wU2Even Choi Jaeha, who had been glaring at him until just moments ago, lost some of his momentum.1qfh0Ql
ZhJX[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.]iYbr
khV3GAt that moment.F5c
egZDing!fh1
P9JOymJ♫ Ta-da-da, da-da, ta-daaaan… ♫X9UGe
dPBHSuddenly the phones lit up and circus-like music began to play.SPMHUXn
l5Z7bAn organ accompaniment with a retro style and a cheerful, lively rhythm.1A3s
eS1sNA melody that resembled a theme park parade.Xu47QKJ
LANO“What is this?”LMses
oX4“Don’t tell me it’s that invitation from before…”9rxKm
pPVLIThe same thing happened on everyone else’s phones.Tu8R
5IMClack.3wtM8b
bEgC8WENext, an ownerless drawer suddenly opened and a handheld game console flew out from inside, landing in front of Jung Jiho.ovP
wEE[There’s also a mobile and console version. I guess it’s because you don’t have assigned computers.]1ko9Z5R
hki1A9If there was no computer, it used a phone.ECQvk4Y
w8KAnd if there was no phone, it lent you someone else’s console.Hwe2K
HU1fuqWhat a kind, fair, and considerate labyrinth.Yqp8mL1
GVSV7All of us looked at the game title on our screens.5jPJi
yDhW【Lost In HAPPYLAND】YzLo5Rr
HOiv【ENTER】1f8v0C
pQWHappyland.J5IAa3
whSiwnAn abandoned amusement park that became an invasion-type labyrinth eight years ago.buh1mL
QxW6It 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.wvCy1Rm
qDWUntil one day, during the shooting of an idol group’s music video, the labyrinthization phenomenon occurred.8Z05I
gHBk5The Happyland Labyrinth was also resolved through the complete annihilation of everyone trapped inside.vsTml
kkXAVlEJust like Seonghwa High School, which we saw in the auditorium.xq0vQ
hLGOxOr Mount Yeongun, which we heard about on the radio in the parking garage.zhS
AOYLaB4“Can’t we… just not play?”dIgXzQ
LwlHwang Juyeon tried to escape reality in a subdued voice.1P6
266lShe did not even seem to believe it was possible herself.3YgATh2
Si06“We should sit together. Can we borrow some chairs, Mr. Lee Jinsu?”V5xa51
wwOTQAt Yoo Hyunjae’s question, Lee Jinsu nodded without issue.mKE
NTxCqb[If you need anything, use whatever you want. The owners aren’t here anymore anyway.]C6sRk2e
LRAvwClack! Rattle!quGl8J
lMhjThe rolling chairs gathered around Lee Jinsu.v9PrU
MfHWhen we pressed ENTER beneath the game title, a new screen appeared.myjGiJ3
Io1xf【Enter your name】LnA5rma
WHru【＿＿＿＿】E1B
lKwJQ“There weren’t any problems with not using your real name?”A3a0
kovu0From the earlier pop-up, it seemed that Lee Jinsu had used “binary” instead of his actual name.IY0K
ScXX5Although, depending on how you looked at it, perhaps that was also his real name.jasnO6
QjQ[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.]JdxDd
cJT8x92“Then I… will use my name.”inhaR
a0ZltDxAfter a brief hesitation, I entered my name.BdVo
yrQq6d【Seon Yuhan】y2Z
ldK2Uwk【ENTER】omOaUs9
WKO95Looking at that name, I shook my head, feeling like an idiot, and pressed Enter.q7Ow
smcAfter all, it wasn’t as though the labyrinth was stupid.abVpa
aCIDuEWEven if I entered another name, it would not stop recognizing my existence.hRlA
BzFRLlEven if I had entered “Hong Gildong,” it would not kill Mr. Hong Gildong in my place.KtEYt
3u8wn7Z【…Waiting for access to Happyland…】rFJAjcS
fWi“Ugh, I’ll just use my surname. Ah, what should I do? I seriously know nothing about games…”0mSF
Hl4EvHwang Juyeon, who had entered “Hwang,” grabbed her head with a distressed expression.uJTBBFu
Dsr9“I’m not very good at these electronic games either.”LiBABkJ
m1XeLQThat’s why labyrinths…2iMqnl
KKbMuttering in a subdued voice, Yoo Hyunjae idly played with the ring on his pinky finger before entering “Hyunjae.”J7uxA7
kfC9“Hmm, then I’ll use my initials… Ah, Jiho, what are you going to use? Do you want your uncle to help you?”Ax7ZMrQ
DOpWhen Jung Jiho silently nodded, Choi Jaeha began asking, “How about this? Or this one?” while skillfully operating the buttons.S78FEzw
pEupbThus, the name “Jyo” was entered on Jung Jiho’s console.R4QW63
OUKx“But this is still loading and won’t move on.”uUt
81m“Ah.”3SJ
tlGAtSAt Choi Jaeha’s question, Lee Jinsu made a sound and opened his notes app.XhQZu2G
oSCmVYj[It seems only one person can play at a time.]uRMRPe
NVf79“What exactly is that supposed to mean?”42I6pMC
d6f[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.]Ft2
FVLyce“What?”F6bDaO
zygSK[So I think the system works in a way that I have to die or quit before someone else can enter.]9BUtz
VEF“You’ve got to be kidding me! You should have said that sooner!”riK
x8Ns“Could it be according to the order in which we entered our names…?”byIv2l
kcc9N3If entry was first come, first served, I would probably be next.Qe9zGjd
YMkcThen Hwang Juyeon, Yoo Hyunjae, Choi Jaeha, and Jung Jiho.yO9b
z3OZYF“But is it possible to quit?”yXwS1
EGzCk[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.]U7jlc0
qpf“Didn’t you say your coworker died?”EpCjL
t9YvWasn’t that more of a button for quitting this world than quitting the game?5g49
PG3OojK“Ah.”xHh3dG6
rYaLee Jinsu absentmindedly opened his mouth before typing again.i0m
AJPe[Well, I killed him.]kS7
HIR8n“What?”8P6OZ
trAm“W-what?”UCx
29lqV“You killed him? A person?”UMls8B
CHvChoi Jaeha jumped to his feet in horror.1XQO
DiyqwOPHwang Juyeon immediately grabbed a pen she found on the desk.CfTR
Qd3RHAnd Yoo Hyunjae discreetly pushed Jung Jiho behind him.POcZWU
dg44Lee Jinsu continued typing with the same impassive expression.MHfCv
ZECZ[He was about to die anyway. But he didn’t die because he pressed EXIT, so don’t worry.]mSifPH
Nn1nThe fact that he did not try too hard to justify himself made it strangely believable.zR7B
NDECX[If you press CONTINUE, you simply keep playing. But you receive a penalty.]Fiy
sPaMVKS“Haa… That penalty. Is it randomly losing a body part? Without pain?”miUvnW
lHN8Lee Jinsu nodded.MFyV
LPQMk[It’s completely random. Sometimes it’s like losing a few fingernails. And if you’re unlucky, you might lose a lung.]tPL14
qlmRq1If you did not choose an option within the time limit, you received a penalty.WJkt55
hF7And if you died in the game and wanted to continue, you also received a penalty.2g2plYt
SOJm2That meant that, depending on which body part you ended up losing, you could die instantly.wY9iK
0nI3rN[So if you don’t want to lose anything, just press EXIT.]RNla1
qGmPThen the turn would pass to the next person.QGMR
N0pBgZAnd so on until it reached the last person, Jung Jiho.LI6DFD
fI7Kw4Was this some kind of sacrifice game?uF0
VPCeu“Then why didn’t you quit? Because there was no one to pass the turn to?”lDlwoce
wzkSBQ[That’s one reason.]JAqX4K
jTIElE9His bloodshot eyes stared directly at me as he smiled.Z6neQK3
zs2G6x[But also because it’s fun.]j6Ja
8kmPerhaps the only things Lee Jinsu had lost in this game were not just his tongue and hair.NolsOj
5ptmZWHe seemed to have some kind of problem with his brain.NJmOk
bCzhAlthough it could not be ruled out that he had always been like that.7yyuOz
bCH4fUj“Wow. He’s completely insane…”CQCzE
fMMjP2Horrified, Choi Jaeha slowly moved his chair closer to me.cCqE5
TXkB“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.”0r9rGyv
CiMKEZ9Having officially received the title of normal person, I turned my gaze toward Lee Jinsu’s monitor.rwN8
T3tVZA【Look! It’s the Pang Pang Car! Get into the adorable bumper car and drive around going pang pang! Be happy!】Ohy
Itz【▶ Be happy】89ikNv
kPCy7【▶ Be unhappy】fyPYF
YmELee Jinsu selected “Be happy.”ggsw
tXrL9Completely calmly, without caring that everyone was watching him.r2p8kN
a2w9V[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.]df9A
vaHuThat meant he had tried the “Be unhappy” option.yLBnV6
n8sZxM“What’s the objective of the game? What do you have to do to complete it?”v8j
zW5HXlb[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.]UYsM5cM
as5IzN“And how long does the game last?”fNb
SzxZX[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.]tBkfrV
wdEIn other words, the actual duration could be several times longer.ZJq
Gzw7NnqOr you might die before getting that far.TKmUq
wPCtc[Even so, compared to others, this one doesn’t have absurd difficulty.]LuR8JJr
Ue8z6“How can you possibly…?”yqvi
anxPuxChoi Jaeha started to protest, but lost the will to continue halfway through the sentence.7SFG
piB[Because the player is a visitor. If we were playing as the park employees, the balance would be broken and nobody could clear it.]HnO6Nvn
f1evBP“What…? And why is that…? Mr. Seon Yuhan, what does that mean?”EeLWM
pA0hThis man really had no interest in labyrinths.nOiWTBl
aHJqOdHow enviable.Rfk11a
sWvgHwang Juyeon seemed to have understood more or less.IEC
s6jcpAnd the co-director of Yuwi Guild, who had remained silent this whole time, obviously understood as well.n1sRx
3vtIt was normal that Jung Jiho did not understand; he had not even been born when the Happyland incident happened.ipsO9m
DfpUZ“To begin with, the people who got trapped in Happyland…”VQTj
9dIxsufFor everyone’s safety, I had to explain at least the basic knowledge.guB
eR2“They were filming an idol group’s music video when…”BpP
Q6a3“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.”qdTk5B
pbo5UPersonally, I found it disgusting.DVG
6gzgPeople who had never shown any interest and only came running when they heard someone had died tragically.gCyPEU
Ftvy9DxPeople who started digging up memories of the deceased in order to force themselves to care.K284foB
nrbON8People who enjoyed others’ suffering as though it were entertainment.JG17cT
00lEight years later, even those idols were gradually being forgotten.uwAN
8nA14And the staff members who had also been memorialized were barely more than names remembered by anyone.Wia
cOfBZ7“In any case, when the bodies were recovered, they were all wearing cast uniforms… that is, Happyland employee uniforms. Of various kinds.”1lsBMQn
UKFThe uniforms differed depending on the ride or assigned job.m4slbnr
KS1“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.”f2OXtz
hivAnd that conclusion was probably correct.CZ3
Gs4JkwWIf the contents of this game were based on the real events.zchB
apKVRh“Hey, wait. You said the players are visitors inside the game. Then we…”JT6Wh
n8ue“Yes.”F4gsut
ds0SbQkBang! Craaack! Bang! Splaash!wCZK
mhJ9j【You executed a perfect drift on a soaked surface.】nSRzWr
KybsI briefly glanced at Lee Jinsu’s monitor, where those unpleasant sound effects and messages appeared, before continuing.a6cSP2
QgDnD“We are the ones who kill people.”Wag6bN
xok3TyU“Haa… I knew it. No wonder the game is so twisted.”EQQj
G6LkChoi Jaeha looked at the NeoSoft employee with disgust, unable to understand how anyone could find that game fun.8c8h
wfzlnThen.LYFr
IZ6pBang! Crack!X5AaDc
kp1KH1S“Aiguer…!”hFG0V
AMWHHLee Jinsu let out a strange sound of pain.0f7
hl1It seemed he had tried to say “ow.”Scab5VP
LVHa【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.】ZYwvn
1U8【CONTINUE】zpvWvkZ
QkuHY【EXIT】sn9jOD
pokGmSZ“Mr. Lee Jinsu, wait…”zIP
mFeSA22Click.m0ggA1z
pEPB2OB【CONTINUE!】lzy29
Lekb2AeOnce again, that deranged player’s hand was faster than the eyes.71Lo
2LVxm【The wise decision of someone like you never wastes an opportunity to be happy.】RuW
49HcS【But happiness always comes with a price!】2grLRK
GeNPWo【Don’t worry! It won’t hurt. A small contribution will make you happy: Head】AW9bB
xgDtJxPAnd at the exact moment that message appeared.Tqv
eGM“Buaaagh! W-what the hell…? Ugh!”9FOD2u
AKXTPart of Lee Jinsu’s head disappeared.xmlITm
Ru7eAnd then.On0MUM
PsXJQ【Access complete!】g9K
Z8fThe screen of my game, which had been waiting to enter all this time, changed.gdhdm
cYqj【Welcome to the land of happiness, Happyland!】eNDpSbv
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