Chapter 35: How Many Funerals Has It Been Now?
r0yZra0“If it were possible to turn back time, what would you do, Mr. Seon Yuhan?”f3jDJR
0aSTW**9Kkdz
3wU[Deceased: ]Zmyowgn
6eIsI led Choi Jaeha, Hwang Juyeon, Jung Jiho, and Yoo Hyunjae through the B5 basement parking lot and quickly found Bae Seou’s funeral urn.PWB7
ojG2bIt wasn’t difficult.UyW
lW1We only had to pretend we were following what was written in the diary.qIIv
8Hrr[Deceased: Bae Seou]DDruT
b0Efy“Huh? Bae Seou…? Huh? Huh…?”D40VP
LfixYFwoosh.9TNBNvF
ciXFive flowers burst into flames on their own and turned to ashes.Ncy
JyRf9K“T-this…”gvdu
iNiHwang Juyeon watched the scene in confusion before moving her lips.2Mcg3
cW48i“What is it? Do you see something? Or hear something?”u4iXwBM
lCj“No, it’s not that. It’s just that… I don’t know whether I should say it or not. I’m not completely sure either.”3bj
frK32NAWhat was she suddenly talking about?61fGsk
nd83c1Honestly, at that moment my head was completely occupied with the idea of clearing that game.gk7Pa5
6zdqMO2After all, everything was random.EAKe
l5RkyAnd many of the penalties weren’t fatal.M02
OpXlaWI was only thinking.EACNL
Ebux‘This time I have to win.’6kk
i2NNNothing else.C3DXhk
EuNBut a single sentence from Hwang Juyeon, spoken while carefully pointing at the urn, erased all those absurd thoughts at once.AbqI
V5YBgKv“I think I know this person. Bae Seou.”A0b
bmBcWy“…What?”HUnvo
ojRWhat was she suddenly talking about?LbP
dZgxNwTNo, wait.xaoPoST
4OKThen why hadn’t she said something like that before…?j3gXxkK
zTw1ekmAh.M1Pm
OnjBecause we had never been in a situation where she could.5Ra
qxXeEIVThe first time, I was the one who heard that strange voice and ran toward the emergency stairs.P1n
OArThe next time, Choi Jaeha had just died.zYbiLE
HIrzPpAnd after that.ZH6
zxkI had completely abandoned Hwang Juyeon.5nUZ
feUV7Obsessed with the game.pOuLH
cmt0lm“When I saw the name in the diary, it felt familiar. And when we heard on the radio about the unidentified skeleton found in the Yeongun Mountain Labyrinth. But I couldn’t remember properly. I couldn’t connect the pieces.”PcM
RPhPThe piano teacher continued speaking while nervously moving her slender fingers.fZhRE
V2o“There was a girl named Bae Seou who disappeared. About twenty years ago. I was in middle school. We went to the same church. Though only for a short while.”ua3FoKK
M4U5j“Ah…”zOdgP
tsq8“After that, I stopped going for various reasons, so I lost contact with her. But I think that Bae Seou and this Bae Seou are the same person…”0JnNh
pBgWait.tJX
plglThe church?acx4ZEc
rPnkThen the cross?RqyV43
vNCwyuHI remembered the cross-shaped pendant inside that delivery box.pkHew1
A4wJL2SAnd how using that cross as a clue had led me to search for the car with the cross ornament, which ended up causing Hwang Juyeon’s death.G77S9T
0haHadn’t it been a trap?BOyoP
GB1No.vBP
Gjn5PzThat wasn’t it.IzYzcpB
nWdsvwnThe real clue connected to “Bae Seou” was the shipping label.sBe
xw8XxYNot the cross inside.MNUhQ
K309oY9“Ah. The emblem.”EhDXP
ysSMj9Yoo Hyunjae said, slightly raising his eyebrows.rISj
F3iO“I mean the emblem on the sedan that the snake entered. There was a cross drawn next to the snake. Maybe that was also a clue.”lJ5oM
EP4db2“Ah, I suppose so. Sorry for not realizing it sooner…”hrnx
QoWW0At this point, it could no longer be a coincidence.0xWg
HOq0LcThey didn’t know because they had never opened the box to see what was inside.8ONre
GavJBut I did.v5suXwg
xultxk3“Still, I’m glad we figured it out… Well, shall we go down? I think the next floor was the 14th, right?”Lywl5a
ZInxHD3Hwang Juyeon quickly changed the subject, as if trying to hold back her emotions.nln
ZPvBRO8But I decided to remember it.xtqr
3wJQO9Because that cross.IlWCRpi
cPj6FMight be a clue to finding the culprit.VbH
IfVgBZ***KqISh
mSY[NeoSoft]upJUicy
kWq6By now, the image of the game company office plunged into a blackout felt familiar.t27Ruy
ipXxG“Uh… hello…”EPj4Vo
eyoFA living Lee Jinsu did not.rx65Q
3ngkI had only seen him once.oD1wxnA
hezeFHe has a tongue, he has hair, and he has ears.eN8tFf
RyI94It looks like he’s missing a few fingers and part of a leg.cfxpzny
N4bBut in any case, he’s alive.IK6VB
4G5YBFK“Ah. You came down from the parking lot…? My coworker and I were playing this game and… ah. We had another coworker too, but he died, so we moved him to the director’s office over there…”4os
8yPBJjHe felt strangely similar and yet different from the man who calmly confessed to killing his coworker and refused to quit the game simply because he found it fun.FN2
59jBvHe wasn’t cold.LGA
UKuMlBut he wasn’t energetic either.7GeuWk
bAeXHe had deep dark circles under his eyes and a gloomy expression.8RCx
Mn8yvNuAnd he barely showed any emotion.5fB
YWJWofpDing.QaxNvS
MT3H7As we exchanged brief introductions, a familiar pop-up window appeared on Lee Jinsu’s monitor.D0C0U92
XoDEY【Hello, binary! It looks like you’re happily enjoying 《Lost In HAPPYLAND》 by LabyrinSoft! How about inviting some new friends to share happiness?】B90O3J
3xmx0aA【▶ Invite】7pw
ThVLee Jinsu sighed while holding the mouse.hOyZVl
PVgzswk“I’m sorry, but I’m going to invite you. There’s no other way…”2ad
gEL“Yes. Go ahead.”KQ39F
FQVXjV【Invitation Complete!】WV33lp
qxVUFive screens lit up, including Jung Jiho’s, who received a new handheld console.M73
abAfuxQ【Enter Your Name】GQzD
aBv6【＿＿＿＿】1nNh
EHv0Rhi“Be careful with that… I’m not completely sure, but I think it’s played in the order that names are entered…”bhdL5k
NW4K6xLee Jinsu began explaining everything he knew in a quiet, subdued voice.EtX
02SpWeThat it was probably possible to quit by pressing EXIT, though he wasn’t sure.r92q8e
1wVAnd that pressing CONTINUE caused a random body part to be lost.2DWSFSk
5LuraEu“But you can also lose something like your heart and die. My coworker died that way…”bNU
xPCJgVAs I carefully watched Lee Jinsu’s eyes as he vaguely finished the sentence, I realized something.pECJj
IaKEqLI realized which option he would choose between CONTINUE and EXIT.E7Z1
9J6Suppressing a slight anger, I looked at the monitor of the man who wanted to die.SoVr
dBqxpNC【What is your name?】Gs2Ck
2Azk【▶ Kim Jinwoo】Kuf45
us9VcV【▶ kmj1234】sc6
g86【▶ Yoo Min】92hb
AnHEiX【▶ binary】XytT
WvcdZ【▶ I forgot】6cp
hY68It was exactly something I wanted to ask.WVqZ
3pN“Those names… are they IDs of people you know?”qJX
0ASTLee Jinsu slowly nodded.gX5
sD95l“They seem to be people from our office. Actually, when we first saw them, my coworker and I talked about it. We thought maybe it was like an instance dungeon. Honestly, I wish it were. At least that would mean they’re not all dead and are still alive somewhere.”mYqneh
uYzL“Uh…”TAORACm
0MoUn8cHwang Juyeon spoke timidly.QiG24
CGeQrb“Instance? What does that mean?”iczUBy
hQryCC“An instance dungeon.”oPSGQ
QAd0hVW“Yes, but what exactly does that mean?”YwFMvq
wUCrL“Oh… ah…”X66mS
CvaZThe NeoSoft employee froze for a moment before briefly explaining the concept of instance dungeons, player parties, and his own theories.6AP
BHnuf8B“Ah. So, in gaming terms, we’re a party. And the people who disappeared belong to other parties and are trapped in labyrinths identical to this one?”tkdvK
fm2h2“Yes. Something like that…”YKI
pVLWhile the teacher and the model student conversed, the first person I thought of was the interviewer.1f6
fbANvWSThe idea that the missing people were still alive somewhere not being just my own hypothesis was good news.lIP8p
Q9lBut the fact that I couldn’t find them without surviving myself was very bad news.cHHW3AG
j1E“Ah…”yK1T
AD7GNLee Jinsu’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.YQG
rT1NY2I looked back at the monitor.gx2Ao
WvSDZ【What a shame! There was a better driver than you. You are no longer in a condition to enjoy happiness. But you can still be happy.】jLhWjQW
Xrd【CONTINUE】RN6
Hik【EXIT】TvxJexX
CQeExKU“No. Wait a second…”ubkWACX
q02teNh【CONTINUE!】IrQ
pIK“What the hell…? You… Ha…”kiF
GL13I had never managed to beat this damn man’s speed.ENaDsH
OnJFor a moment, I grabbed Lee Jinsu by the collar of his hoodie and then let go.sfut
KekwEH【Don’t worry! It won’t hurt. A small contribution will make you happy: Lung】ZUc
eUGyDY7Getting angry at someone who was about to die was pointless.RmZL
xoMThe entire time I watched Lee Jinsu die, suffocating with a pale blue face, just as it had happened to me once before, I had to curl up as if trying to hide my entire body.Soum32d
9kt6yOYou’re going to find peace all by yourself?b5cLeo
o3zmI can’t even die.Z2y4
KfJBKUI’m not allowed to die.Z07oNM
hoQrWhy do you get to rest?A6Tf59
u48Only to suppress that irrational anger.d3ctps
aawh…5l1
v3IhnE【Don’t worry! It will hurt. A small curse will make you unhappy: Liver】v1Nl
wgt“Ha…”ndJ6r
5wpr“Are you okay?”lP3w
9Rq7N“I’m fine… Just a little dizzy.”2NPSI
4AWf7“Dizzy? Then this… No, would some medicine help? Ah, Mr. Seon Yuhan, you’re not going to die, right?”mFyI
NbM“I’m not going to die… My head is just ringing a little.”GUKV4
v5x“Huh? Ah. Right. I’ll be quieter.”XjU1J
tx9I50ZFortunately, it seemed that only part of my liver had disappeared and not something fatal.gVhR
3h2CL【Lost In HAPPYLAND】qHBChj
vgEE【CLOSED】FI1XNc
URfHWLAll of our screens changed at the same time.Mb7T
eO7“Wow! It really ended! It’s over! Look! The door opened! Come on, qui—! No, wait. Mr. Seon Yuhan, sit in that chair. I’ll push you.”PtG
PIEJX“I already told you I’m fine…”Yms
MNwJ2The huge accountant in his thirties was jumping around in delight like a small child.M1h
KszMeanwhile, the actual child remained still behind Hwang Juyeon, clutching the edge of her clothes.IeTZ
cjMZBoI knew Jung Jiho was looking at me with concern.sZVsj
KWqAnd I pretended not to notice.SwR7
c1E4dDChildren’s eyes sometimes pierce through the world like sharp ice or needles.d441zY
AWv6g0eI didn’t want to know exactly what he saw in me that frightened him.iobXz
bTamW“I can really walk.”gCo
84Ss73While I was arguing with Choi Jaeha about whether I should sit in the chair or not—R5zjZ
LMwvMSClick. Bzzzz.n9Pf
2IE4“Ah! You scared me!”apJy
MvqGSuddenly, the multifunction printer against the wall started operating.9yque
2fGAShhk…vFv2zc1
i8i2yScratch…h9z9D
8vBev“It’s printing something. Looks like a photograph…”EPRF
CXKVlAgYoo Hyunjae, who was closest, tilted his head as he watched the page come out.n1HsODO
JrkShhk…FqyQ
cGRbwznScrape…2O0aY6
NvCWe all gathered around the A4 sheet.NPm0lH4
KNpH“It looks like those photos they automatically take when you come down from a roller coaster.”5jK
EZ3The printed image was very low quality, as though a Polaroid photograph had been scanned.3VtnJm
0QSR8An old six-seat roller coaster wrapped in shadows.96g
8irvwLeIn the background, the rails could be faintly seen along with a completely black night sky.nvHJl
9sdAnd beneath the photograph was a caption written in an adorable font.kySTje
aYTd[One of Seon Yuhan’s Happiest Moments]HZuy
trWhJD“Seon…? Wait. Why does it say it belongs to Mr. Seon Yuhan? There’s nobody in the picture.”Ku47yl
CEsM“That’s true.”X74vJ
hoPIZoI took the sheet and carefully examined the image.qql
Qcu“I’ll keep it, just in case.”tsIFp
ep8“Yeah. Let’s get out of here first. But Mr. Seon Yuhan, are you really okay? You still look terrible.”1dDQ
2Ymr“Yes. I’m really fine.”0RlQ
yDY0NI folded the photograph and slipped it into my pants pocket while hiding the trembling of my hands.25nKTmv
vIMIz6Because I knew.asrVymE
3tXoojII knew that my eyes had met the eyes of the person in that photograph…Znm4
RSWbPH***hk7F
OZyrg2“What do you think the next floor will be…?”VnW
W2uA“Yeah. Mr. Seon Yuhan, there wasn’t anything after the 14th floor in the diary, right?”dMe2eEG
KTJ85aO“No.”RLMMk2
sqzlZ3“Then maybe this is the last one. Hopefully.”rTRz
nC31tOTheir voices echoed through the hallway descending from the emergency exit on the 14th floor.tO6S7zN
71aClank.aJwin
faKKvyJWe opened an emergency exit door that indicated Floor 13 on the inside, even though we knew it probably did not lead to Floor 13.HzYene
uZnfLY“What?”K5sEa0
SRQ“Uh… why…?”ctjJu
mbcWe came out onto the 14th floor again.3Tw8dS
X1o“Maybe…”1j1
yvVx“…there was some kind of mistake. Let’s try going down again—”5Rb
6xA“—Mr. Seon Yuhan.”c2Ia
y5ZlJREYoo Hyunjae’s deep voice pierced into my back when I tried to deny reality.4IP9tNT
7L6m“Labyrinths do not make mistakes. That is something humans do.”bGaG
NmQMVZqSuddenly, all strength left my body.nK5
55Sc“M-Mr. Seon Yuhan!”tU7gtX4
2zKfnrjThen…0BA
vecrt7sHad everything I did in Happyland been meaningless?2wrjdP
pvSHad all that sacrifice of my organs been for nothing?gON2nJX
EMWZJBAll that time I spent forgetting them?i1m
RBjHfLosing myself?ccmw
BHbwLxTrying to abandon my own name?rYxvj
gV7g…Please.HRT595
m7FZTell me it wasn’t.oVmym
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