Chapter 35: How Many Funerals Has It Been Now?
V4fX6nP“If it were possible to turn back time, what would you do, Mr. Seon Yuhan?”JUX
8zN**UGFjQhI
azlxP[Deceased: ]vIWGn
K68kGI led Choi Jaeha, Hwang Juyeon, Jung Jiho, and Yoo Hyunjae through the B5 basement parking lot and quickly found Bae Seou’s funeral urn.e2U
2glIt wasn’t difficult.npI
lHWWe only had to pretend we were following what was written in the diary.SkDW
CAdXEs[Deceased: Bae Seou]f2H
a6z“Huh? Bae Seou…? Huh? Huh…?”DWh9ytz
NtbGFwoosh.eJoU0U3
sMKsGnFive flowers burst into flames on their own and turned to ashes.cJC1XN
mAx“T-this…”WQLscH
Mi9sJJiHwang Juyeon watched the scene in confusion before moving her lips.jscAG
tvAbqjq“What is it? Do you see something? Or hear something?”pUCGwkz
wbo“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.”1HIk
p1W9sWhat was she suddenly talking about?YKntSRI
9Lee44Honestly, at that moment my head was completely occupied with the idea of clearing that game.xrWH9y
fJQalAfter all, everything was random.5qXC7
DYzb0And many of the penalties weren’t fatal.pW7aGtd
Fms7yeI was only thinking.sq58X
zSlQ‘This time I have to win.’of1
pOBztNothing else.fHi7iJ
agiBut a single sentence from Hwang Juyeon, spoken while carefully pointing at the urn, erased all those absurd thoughts at once.4po
n4UH4U“I think I know this person. Bae Seou.”8oEXW4f
tw4TY“…What?”2WYqR
MD5IBjgWhat was she suddenly talking about?fwqIc
Lh06No, wait.zrmF
PmzpThen why hadn’t she said something like that before…?B4MfG
619dWAh.FD42zD
gmfEBecause we had never been in a situation where she could.UWZH
fBzVLjDThe first time, I was the one who heard that strange voice and ran toward the emergency stairs.Wvi
S6lFrThe next time, Choi Jaeha had just died.Zue
WDktAnd after that.1KY0z1h
5E1d1I had completely abandoned Hwang Juyeon.9olwDf
B6jKwObsessed with the game.vpC6
wSQU“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.”cZ8aX
onNsFThe piano teacher continued speaking while nervously moving her slender fingers.8Y9qILJ
TIO61L“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.”p81
cJUVz“Ah…”TIAZCW
fiBD“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…”Jk4Q
FjHNuWait.zkntey
DZAThe church?RMuZP
WchThen the cross?xhJx7Ff
5sjqOI remembered the cross-shaped pendant inside that delivery box.nBd
t0OoAnd 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.dJFXxE9
RKZZHadn’t it been a trap?tV2NT
I6ENo.ZwG
X737GThat wasn’t it.YfSzuJ
mnd3v4The real clue connected to “Bae Seou” was the shipping label.AWHcxHM
hdfNot the cross inside.clrvnm
o5cLvc“Ah. The emblem.”cKdFnk
l9yzvYoo Hyunjae said, slightly raising his eyebrows.qJHZU
2a4E“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.”DfNETd
Rzpf5wG“Ah, I suppose so. Sorry for not realizing it sooner…”uTTf
py12BAt this point, it could no longer be a coincidence.UoeEOa5
JIXPeThey didn’t know because they had never opened the box to see what was inside.NpdTCAs
vPYBut I did.Y1n2i
ayEF“Still, I’m glad we figured it out… Well, shall we go down? I think the next floor was the 14th, right?”38cOsn
aCWhHwang Juyeon quickly changed the subject, as if trying to hold back her emotions.3FThre
wcOBut I decided to remember it.gVElMT1
n5HBecause that cross.1ap3X
uTnMight be a clue to finding the culprit.3Eka0
m59RR1***HFI
DgA[NeoSoft]4I5
SDHCBy now, the image of the game company office plunged into a blackout felt familiar.9gx3NY
uKt“Uh… hello…”FPUsv
mRTl0A living Lee Jinsu did not.K5kfgy
Jxb7iI had only seen him once.MSAW
XvwPHe has a tongue, he has hair, and he has ears.TCEdlas
PFhz14aIt looks like he’s missing a few fingers and part of a leg.YnfEesh
39fBut in any case, he’s alive.T2QRg
9vI“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…”JbL
3nAHe 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.2Uau
oqUHe wasn’t cold.b6n
WCSXImwBut he wasn’t energetic either.cYg
h2jXhHe had deep dark circles under his eyes and a gloomy expression.ms65
xovVyAnd he barely showed any emotion.fxQ
2aWHFDing.RhjPq
LfoAs we exchanged brief introductions, a familiar pop-up window appeared on Lee Jinsu’s monitor.PQiyr
eA8Z5【Hello, binary! It looks like you’re happily enjoying 《Lost In HAPPYLAND》 by LabyrinSoft! How about inviting some new friends to share happiness?】igfvu
kVGm【▶ Invite】MvyYVSQ
MVveyLee Jinsu sighed while holding the mouse.DfBg
zok“I’m sorry, but I’m going to invite you. There’s no other way…”5EuhZ
TCv“Yes. Go ahead.”BTvBJ
T4c【Invitation Complete!】uDBlTy
jchFive screens lit up, including Jung Jiho’s, who received a new handheld console.NEiR
2KF09R【Enter Your Name】tMI
2mkcnTk【＿＿＿＿】RhjbZ
OCQv“Be careful with that… I’m not completely sure, but I think it’s played in the order that names are entered…”QqX
WIwGFIMLee Jinsu began explaining everything he knew in a quiet, subdued voice.SAk
ngbThat it was probably possible to quit by pressing EXIT, though he wasn’t sure.VAKKv8q
DLxGzvhAnd that pressing CONTINUE caused a random body part to be lost.ccjNSgn
9Vg“But you can also lose something like your heart and die. My coworker died that way…”kHv9UQ
v6YAs I carefully watched Lee Jinsu’s eyes as he vaguely finished the sentence, I realized something.vgrIfh
vbYU90bI realized which option he would choose between CONTINUE and EXIT.OXrBi
XT3OomSuppressing a slight anger, I looked at the monitor of the man who wanted to die.bQxDMBh
guk【What is your name?】klI7Pz
4gjEWQ【▶ Kim Jinwoo】im6
mtlP7【▶ kmj1234】6LhVQx
5lcSUUj【▶ Yoo Min】REpai5P
BNwo1Rn【▶ binary】xfNy
5un【▶ I forgot】Ilf
slNewPdIt was exactly something I wanted to ask.NIXBD
3etgTnN“Those names… are they IDs of people you know?”yXq4j4
M0L4hDTLee Jinsu slowly nodded.h3ePyc9
NJLj“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.”nyJ
g6EG2“Uh…”wnxp11G
ZG5a5Hwang Juyeon spoke timidly.MXWs0xt
C14eS4R“Instance? What does that mean?”VA7GuKE
w37“An instance dungeon.”TV8b
vzXEOEB“Yes, but what exactly does that mean?”EJiY
VZmMvnz“Oh… ah…”lqzCGY
hlLeuAUThe NeoSoft employee froze for a moment before briefly explaining the concept of instance dungeons, player parties, and his own theories.rxDB
ZBe“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?”GPMaS5m
rQYhr“Yes. Something like that…”dL69A
ad48HXyWhile the teacher and the model student conversed, the first person I thought of was the interviewer.JMWe8
2HxThe idea that the missing people were still alive somewhere not being just my own hypothesis was good news.1YhGVod
rVe2A7cBut the fact that I couldn’t find them without surviving myself was very bad news.7pf
RYyV“Ah…”1cCS
EB4Lee Jinsu’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.lfR
RtMfZ24I looked back at the monitor.lWLeys
ysszl【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.】IhGBC
we7cM【CONTINUE】ej5
yCW【EXIT】3uNTFd
ZIoA2“No. Wait a second…”HrzNq
0ZzXW【CONTINUE!】bci
7TlDU“What the hell…? You… Ha…”HEEw
LVHocI had never managed to beat this damn man’s speed.1w35
IW7JVFor a moment, I grabbed Lee Jinsu by the collar of his hoodie and then let go.gcful
cvM5o【Don’t worry! It won’t hurt. A small contribution will make you happy: Lung】brro
H4eqGetting angry at someone who was about to die was pointless.Gs5
bd7idVxThe 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.BW1Hd
bYo0a5You’re going to find peace all by yourself?mkV
Q7MEIe8I can’t even die.bhR147
VgzswI’m not allowed to die.gnfrb
5fWqEfSWhy do you get to rest?T5Lf2
0CJrOnly to suppress that irrational anger.isg26
kuw…VJk4
hJa0【Don’t worry! It will hurt. A small curse will make you unhappy: Liver】avHHV
646cJPs“Ha…”xnKoHK
Fxhjp“Are you okay?”5XssUZ
1Wr“I’m fine… Just a little dizzy.”ldSqXD
CyYAEMP“Dizzy? Then this… No, would some medicine help? Ah, Mr. Seon Yuhan, you’re not going to die, right?”VadUfG
B8WC9P“I’m not going to die… My head is just ringing a little.”g7aclQz
tcv“Huh? Ah. Right. I’ll be quieter.”glunwy
9OJBJMFortunately, it seemed that only part of my liver had disappeared and not something fatal.8mwZW
L7H9kK【Lost In HAPPYLAND】kN0h
ioX【CLOSED】gFtF
JnHAll of our screens changed at the same time.5Cp
tAl“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.”ja6
eXj“I already told you I’m fine…”c5TWLT
TC7The huge accountant in his thirties was jumping around in delight like a small child.OjH
FXrEgMeanwhile, the actual child remained still behind Hwang Juyeon, clutching the edge of her clothes.ryx
GHFg7X1I knew Jung Jiho was looking at me with concern.v3GLl
MXwbevAnd I pretended not to notice.gt0grqt
Wop6HlgChildren’s eyes sometimes pierce through the world like sharp ice or needles.AOlua
pWEI didn’t want to know exactly what he saw in me that frightened him.sxi
oaK“I can really walk.”S3m1LA
IT5While I was arguing with Choi Jaeha about whether I should sit in the chair or not—f7KZ8CN
pkNJnjPClick. Bzzzz.LXd
BhmiPtd“Ah! You scared me!”A5Nyq
ieYQSuddenly, the multifunction printer against the wall started operating.kVl20
9LOShhk…0WmrUR
18kwScratch…gMBXo1
lF6“It’s printing something. Looks like a photograph…”XlqjR
rjwQ6Yoo Hyunjae, who was closest, tilted his head as he watched the page come out.LtlQi
ks4PWRShhk…8jvkW
6MkNScrape…AMNgwt
ucqBOEsWe all gathered around the A4 sheet.jQR
W9Q“It looks like those photos they automatically take when you come down from a roller coaster.”owZ
KkCThe printed image was very low quality, as though a Polaroid photograph had been scanned.fbOu6u9
xMIBsQAn old six-seat roller coaster wrapped in shadows.vkb
yamICIn the background, the rails could be faintly seen along with a completely black night sky.tRz
iDKwAnd beneath the photograph was a caption written in an adorable font.x2D
cCsO[One of Seon Yuhan’s Happiest Moments]Fmj5Ef
KIR“Seon…? Wait. Why does it say it belongs to Mr. Seon Yuhan? There’s nobody in the picture.”fuHsy
K4RfH“That’s true.”Poa5
udNI took the sheet and carefully examined the image.odzzGJ1
WEFyR“I’ll keep it, just in case.”HamNq
Kuwi3d“Yeah. Let’s get out of here first. But Mr. Seon Yuhan, are you really okay? You still look terrible.”I00t
usYY“Yes. I’m really fine.”KmMDIU
umFjI folded the photograph and slipped it into my pants pocket while hiding the trembling of my hands.QeNaPVk
8dXMVBecause I knew.PetGOD
L136I knew that my eyes had met the eyes of the person in that photograph…tsUImrt
l76nn***2GqdIV
MTqs8“What do you think the next floor will be…?”NWfy
FWzZ9W6“Yeah. Mr. Seon Yuhan, there wasn’t anything after the 14th floor in the diary, right?”CmN
yRWLkO“No.”BXBa
200z“Then maybe this is the last one. Hopefully.”2NDGrgS
ZAKTheir voices echoed through the hallway descending from the emergency exit on the 14th floor.IwG7efu
qAMEClank.QjeLyY
XukWe opened an emergency exit door that indicated Floor 13 on the inside, even though we knew it probably did not lead to Floor 13.EGRyZ
ldwdou“What?”lqp
bp2FW“Uh… why…?”TKOs
x0x4yWe came out onto the 14th floor again.4pPKq
X7rbJc“Maybe…”wwrXg
9tbi8R“…there was some kind of mistake. Let’s try going down again—”ON6
eQIq“—Mr. Seon Yuhan.”KHQH9W
irWNfzZYoo Hyunjae’s deep voice pierced into my back when I tried to deny reality.z7LI
4X4Vtak“Labyrinths do not make mistakes. That is something humans do.”oCPN
SLLp6USuddenly, all strength left my body.u1L9k
WgJU“M-Mr. Seon Yuhan!”JYvoP
Cz50ztbThen…vhkh3Ui
j6FCvDCHad everything I did in Happyland been meaningless?AVYT
rvk82Had all that sacrifice of my organs been for nothing?5IZoF
lZDztAll that time I spent forgetting them?jTw04l
okW5kOWLosing myself?ufwx8
KDqTrying to abandon my own name?ZSBtWF
PILyo…Please.V5qIo
QTwi71Tell me it wasn’t.qsE
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