Chapter 32: The Lucky Unfortunate

“Mr. Seon Yuhan. That was… a gunshot, right?”

“Why is there someone with a gun? Is it because it’s a game?”

“Ah! It must be an agent sent by the Labyrinth Management Bureau!”

“I thought they stopped doing that. Since Dalumul-ri, ten years ago. Happyland was eight years ago.”

As I listened to the conversation between Choi Jaeha and Hwang Juyeon, I forcibly loosened my grip on the phone.

Those bastards from the Labyrinth Management Bureau.

I knew they would never abandon that habit.

They know perfectly well that anyone who enters an invasion-type labyrinth will probably die, and yet they still send people in to gather data, increasing the body count.

Although, judging by the movie, four years ago they did not send agents into Seonghwa High School.

Ah.

Though in that case, there was that incident where the parents sneaked in.

Surprisingly, it happened during a period when government control became “more relaxed.”

“Well, they probably said one thing and did another. Otherwise, why would a gun appear? And from the description, it doesn’t sound like a pistol or a rifle. It sounds more like a heavy machine gun. That’s something that’s hard to see even in the military. You can’t even carry one by yourself. They deliberately sent it in there.”

“Ah, really…? But then, after going that far… they still couldn’t even let it become known…”

Were those parents unknowingly encouraged to infiltrate the labyrinth, and the authorities simply allowed it?

Or was there some kind of agreement?

With the few scenes shown in the movie, it was impossible to know.

Either way, the Labyrinth Management Bureau had taken the special characteristics of a school into consideration.

Perhaps they concluded that parents would fit better there than armed special agents.

Should I consider that an improvement?

“I have certain connections with the Labyrinth Management Bureau due to business reasons.”

The director of Yuwi Guild feigned modesty with a dry voice.

“It is a place that has a tendency not to be honest. Very similar to a labyrinth.”

Then they might try to enter here as well.

After all, since this was a guild building, it would not be strange for agents from the Labyrinth Management Bureau to come and go.

Although the chances of them ending up as corpses were still much higher.

Especially now that all the floors were mixed together.

【CONTINUE】

【EXIT】

“Then I’ll keep going.”

“Hey, no, wait…”

Choi Jaeha alternated his gaze between my heel-less right foot and my face, unsure of what to say.

“Look, I’ve thought about it. For me, honestly, one time was already enough. No, more than enough…”

The accountant lowered his head with an embarrassed expression before speaking with difficulty.

“So, Mr. Seon Yuhan.”

【CONTINUE!】

“You crazy bastard.”

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

“You’re going to drive me insane, you crazy bastard!”

“Why… why are you hitting me…?”

“For God’s sake! Doesn’t it hurt? Aren’t you scared? You could end up dead like that man earlier! And even if you don’t die, you could end up permanently disabled!”

【But happiness always comes at a price!】

Afraid?

Of what?

Of dying?

Of living?

Was there something I was supposed to fear?

Becoming an “incomplete” being?

“Ha. Look at that expression. What the hell is wrong with you? How can you smile at a time like this? You… you really aren’t normal.”

My honorary title of normal person was officially revoked.

In the end, I had made no progress at all.

“You look completely normal. Then why the hell are you like this? It’s terrifying, seriously…”

“Because.”

“What?”

That was exactly the question I had always screamed like a desperate cry.

At this world.

At this life.

But I had never received an answer.

And because of that, I had none to give either.

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

“Ghk… huff…”

It was an extremely strange sensation.

I could feel the air passing clearly through my throat.

But my chest would not expand.

“Hah… huff…”

No matter how much I inhaled.

No matter how much air I sucked in until my mouth became completely dry.

It was like a thirst that could never be quenched.

“W-what do we do…?”

“…It has to reach the lungs…”

“…Yuhan… Mr. Seon Yuhan…”

Inside my chest was a void as deep as a well.

And inside that empty well…

There were too many deaths.

***

“If it were possible to turn back time, what would you do, Mr. Seon Yuhan?”

“Hah… huff…”

I gasped desperately.

As if it were the first breath of my life.

As if I were breathing in the world for the first time.

As if I would never be able to do it again.

As if it were my last breath.

“Mr. Seon Yuhan? Are you okay? What’s wrong all of a sudden? Can you speak?”

“Yes… yes.”

I stood up while supporting myself on the interviewer, who had approached in concern to examine me.

“Interviewer.”

“Yes?”

“This building… has become a labyrinth.”

***

Before stripping away the librarian’s shell in Will You Come to the Bookstore?, and before heading to Saenal Daycare, where Hwang Juyeon and Choi Jaeha were already waiting for me.

I took a moment to check the Tarae Diary.

[∃, 2, ⒝5, 14]

[㉳ㅣSeou]

“What a thing…”

Seriously.

It had everything.

The horrifying mechanical voice of Administrator Tarae replayed in my head.

‘SeonYuhanSeonYuhanSeonYuhandearestcustomer aslongasyouwantit itwillbeyours anytime anywhere inanyway however anydamagescausedduringthisspecialdeliveryprocessarecompletelynatural andTaraeassumesnoresponsibility whatsoever wouldyouliketopurchaseitrightnow?’

It had said that damage could occur during delivery.

And, indeed, the shape of the letters was gradually becoming distorted.

The same thing was happening to the record of the Lost In HAPPYLAND scripts that I had written in a separate section at the end.

It was natural that the handwriting had changed.

It looked as though something that was not human had tried to “draw” an imitation of my handwriting.

I suppose at least no one would ask why the handwriting was exactly the same.

“Ha…”

I closed the diary and headed toward the daycare.

There was still a long way to go.

***

“Wow, so what was written in that diary really was the floors… It really was B5… Then the next one is the 14th floor?”

Right after taking Jung Jiho out of the daycare on the second floor, I had shown the Tarae Diary to Hwang Juyeon and Choi Jaeha.

I had to show it to them before reaching NeoSoft.

After that, there would no longer be a natural opportunity to “discover” it.

“It’s quite a peculiar artifact.”

As expected, I also showed it to Yoo Hyunjae while he was still nauseous in the parking garage.

“You say you found this in Will You Come to the Bookstore?”

“Yes. I went to look for the person from the library, but there was no one there. This was just lying on the floor. I thought it might be a clue.”

I gave him exactly the same explanation I had given Hwang Juyeon and Choi Jaeha.

“Librarian?”

Yoo Hyunjae’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“There is no librarian in our library.”

“What? That can’t be true!”

Hwang Juyeon’s voice cracked.

“Of course there was one. We even talked to her…”

“Was there a librarian before the labyrinthization began? Because if so, I find that even more terrifying.”

“Uh… Now that I think about it, no. At first there was nobody at the desk. When I came out because of the fire alarm, she was already there, so I assumed she had just stepped away for a moment. It seemed perfectly normal.”

And so that small unsettling mystery was resolved for those who did not know the whole story.

Afterward, Choi Jaeha died.

Without even getting to see Bae Seou’s funeral urn.

“…Brother-in-law?”

This time it wasn’t because of his niece.

It was because of his brother-in-law.

I didn’t understand exactly why, because he kept babbling incoherently.

But he was so furious that no one could calm him down.

【Bae Seou】

Fwoosh.

I silently watched the four chrysanthemum flowers burn away on their own.

Counting how many white chrysanthemums had never even gotten the chance to burn.

***

【NeoSoft】

The dark atmosphere of the game company, immersed in a blackout, was not very different from before.

But…

“Ah…”

Lee Jinsu was very different.

He was no longer bald.

He had a thick, messy head of hair.

And he was missing an ear that had previously been exactly where it belonged.

“I think… he’s dead.”

And above all.

He was dead.

We had arrived at NeoSoft at roughly the same time as before.

The fact that the missing parts were completely different proved that the penalties were entirely random.

Ding!

♫ Ta-ra-ran, tan, ta-tan… ♫

【Lost In HAPPYLAND】

【ENTER】

The screens of my phone, Hwang Juyeon’s phone, and Yoo Hyunjae’s phone lit up.

And a handheld console dropped in front of Jung Jiho.

【Enter your name】

【＿＿＿＿】

“This also matches exactly what was written in the diary…”

Lee Jinsu was no longer there to explain it.

But all the information he had given us in the previous cycle had already been recorded.

“‘Does the play order depend on the order in which names are entered?’ There’s a question mark.”

Yoo Hyunjae read the notes with interest.

“It seems he wasn’t completely sure. For a labyrinth artifact… it feels surprisingly human.”

Of course.

Because after my death, I had no way of confirming what happened.

And because it really had been written by a person.

“For now, let’s assume it works according to entry order. I’ll go first. Jiho will go last.”

“You’re going first? It’s dangerous.”

“If you’re going to get hit anyway, it’s better to take the first hit sooner rather than later.”

Honestly.

I was grateful.

And quite surprised.

“Then I’ll go after you.”

I had assumed I would be first again.

I would never have put Hwang Juyeon or Jung Jiho ahead of me.

And I had never imagined Yoo Hyunjae would volunteer.

“Ah. Then it really does work according to entry order.”

【Welcome to the land of happiness, Happyland!】

Yoo Hyunjae’s game started first.

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

Thunk…

Crack!

A ring more expensive than my monthly salary and a watch more expensive than my yearly income fell to the floor.

“Wow.”

Yoo Hyunjae picked up the ring that had rolled across the floor and put it back on his right pinky finger.

Surprisingly, using only one hand.

The left sleeve of his jacket hung empty from the wrist to the elbow.

“Are you okay? The watch… do you want me to put it back on? Although the glass broke…”

“No, it’s fine. Thank you.”

Yoo Hyunjae placed the watch on a nearby desk.

“It feels unreal.”

He stared for a long time at the empty space where his arm had been.

“Because it doesn’t hurt.”

Then he murmured,

“Although that’s usually exactly what makes it dangerous.”

【You have finished resting. Now it’s time to be happy again!】

The game continued.

BOOOOM!

Splaaash!

【What a shame! A trap hidden beneath the water has exploded. You are no longer in a condition to enjoy happiness. But you can still be happy.】

“It seems they planted an explosive trap.”

Yoo Hyunjae shook his head as he looked at his screen.

He had avoided the machine gun in the Haunted House.

Only to end up running into an explosive trap in the Waterfall Ride.

I quickly took notes in the diary.

Soon it would be my turn.

【CONTINUE】

【EXIT】

After confirming that I had finished writing, Yoo Hyunjae brought the index finger of his remaining hand toward the screen.

【CONTINUE!】

“…Huh?”

He chose to continue.

Not quit.

“What…? Why…?”

“Because it’s obvious.”

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

“Because I want to live.”

A dry.

And desperate.

Declaration.

He wanted to live so badly.

Even after losing half an arm.

Even if he might lose something even more important.

“Because I want to get out.”

That was how desperately he wanted to escape.

From a labyrinth.

“I’m not very good at these kinds of games.”

“Then why don’t you quit…?”

I had been certain he would withdraw.

I thought playing first once was already more than enough.

“But I like gambling a little.”

Ah.

Now I understood why Choi Jaeha had smacked me on the back earlier.

“And this seems like a bet worth taking.”

【But happiness always comes at a price!】

“Normally, I’m lucky.”

A faint smile appeared on Yoo Hyunjae’s lips.

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

And then.

Yoo Hyunjae’s body collapsed.