Chapter 6: Those who could not get out

「Senior, what’s wrong? What’s in there?」

The first-year student, who no longer wore her hair short but in a ponytail, approached the boy who was stiff like a statue.

The boy flinched and tried to close the locker, but it was already too late.

「That… can’t be.」

Both seemed to immediately understand the meaning of that phenomenon.

That place was a labyrinth from which only those who fulfilled certain conditions could get out.

Perhaps there is also a condition for the entire labyrinth to be resolved and everyone to get out at the same time.

But most likely, the easiest way to escape is to wait until graduation.

「I’m so jealous. Really. I wish I had been born a little earlier. Then I could graduate with you. But seriously… congratulations. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.」

The girl with big eyes spoke firmly, though on the verge of tears.

The only first-year student of Seonghwa High School clung to the only student about to graduate and cried for a long time.

Sniff.

From the back row, a sob was heard.

In the auditorium there were only two people.

One vomiting, the other crying.

A truly beautiful cinematic experience.

「Stop saying nonsense about staying. Think about getting out. Don’t come back. Don’t worry about me. If you’re that worried, get out and ask for help. You already know all the rules.」

「Do you think you can endure without me? Two years?」

Both looked at each other with reddened eyes, as if their gazes would pierce.

「And me? Do you think I can endure without you?」

I know that love can save a person.

「Damn it, what is that? Does it have its eyes and mouth stuck together? Hey! Get into the teachers’ room! I’ll distract it! I’ll be right back, tell Song Seorin something!」

That’s why I also know that love can kill.

「S-seorin… Song Seorin… what are you doing? Hey, get up… are you upset? Because I didn’t go to the auditorium? I… I didn’t graduate… wait… the graduation… was it because of me…?」

Yoon Haejun hugged Song Seorin in the teachers’ room turned into a sea of blood and did not get up for a long time.

The scene changes.

Yoon Haejun gathered the bodies in silence.

He cleaned the dried blood from the teachers’ room.

He put on the jacket and tie carefully.

He selected food in the store skillfully.

He went up to the rooftop and placed the items one by one on a low desk.

I carefully observed what he had placed.

Apple jelly, pear ice cream, sikhye, rib-flavored snacks, fish-shaped cookies, rice drink.

Yoon Haejun knelt before the heaviest altar in the world.

He bowed.

He stood up and bowed again.

His hunched back, like that of a child, trembled slightly.

Behind the last student of Seonghwa High School, black smoke began to rise.

The camera slowly pulled away, showing the school.

Seonghwa High School burned like a torch in the darkness.

Finally, the school became small and the end credits began.

[Those who could not get out]

[Yoon Haejun]

[Song Seorin]

…

…

…

Names. Names. Names.

More than 200 names.

I covered my mouth.

The labyrinth is a space governed by rules.

If you follow the rules correctly, you can get out.

“Those who could not get out”.

Therefore, the labyrinth has no malice.

If it seems to have it, it is only an imitation.

A human interpretation.

This place… mechanical, pure to the point of being terrifying…

[Location: Seonghwa High School]

…
…
…

[Subtitles: Labyrinth Pictures Co., Ltd.]

The credits also ended.

I took out my phone discreetly to check the time.

6:02.

Duration: 2 hours 7 minutes.

I thought it was time to get up, looked back at Choi Jaeha, and gestured to him.

Flash—!

But suddenly, behind my head, that is, the screen lit up again.

Damn it.

A delayed attack.

I sat back down abruptly.

If I had stood up thinking the credits were already over, I really would have died.

Does this damn labyrinth also have post-credit scenes?

Is it going to show a preview of the next part?

Thinking that, I looked at the screen—

“Huh?”

Without realizing it, I stood up abruptly.

“Huh?”

That idiot voice of Choi Jaeha was my last memory.

Definitely, in this labyrinth there is a rule that forbids saying “huh?”.

Damn it.

**

Do not stand up from your seat before the movie completely ends.

**

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

Was it an illusion?

Did I really see what I thought I saw?

Besides, it happened so fast that I don’t even know how I died.

How do you silently kill a problematic viewer in the middle of a screening?

…No. It doesn’t matter.

I had something to do.

“Excuse me. From this moment on, this building has turned into an invasive labyrinth. You have to leave. Yes, it’s serious. Please, listen to me.”

I helped the interviewer up while speaking.

“In a moment there will be a blackout, so you won’t be able to use the elevator. Be careful not to fall on the stairs and do not stay on them for more than 5 seconds. If someone asks you the time, answer normally. If you get trapped in the auditorium, you must follow the instructions without exception. And you probably can only move one floor at a time. If after doing what is necessary on the second floor you can’t get down to the first, then I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

Huff.

I spoke too much while walking fast and ran out of breath.

“Ah… u-understood.”

The interviewer nodded, confused.

“But, are you okay, Mr. Seon Yuhan?”

“Yes. Hurry. I have to get people out of the elevator.”

I also asked him to spread the news of the labyrinth through SNS via the agents of the Yuwi Guild.

“I understand.”

He looked at me firmly.

“By the way, Mr. Seon Yuhan. You don’t have to apologize for not knowing something here. In a labyrinth, not knowing is normal.”

“Ah.”

Then, the fact that I knew things makes it… abnormal.

And even so, he didn’t question me.

He even told me not to feel bad.

Having someone like that as an interviewer is one of the few strokes of luck among my many misfortunes.

“Yes.”

It was hard to look him in the eyes, so I lowered my head.

“Then, take care. See you later.”

“Yes. Take care.”

I hope he doesn’t disappear.

Will I be able to see him again?

Thinking that, I stopped the elevator.

6… 5… 4… 3… Ding!

「The doors open.」

That unpleasant face of the accountant appeared.

“Mr. Choi Jaeha.”

“Huh? Yes?”

“I have something to tell you. Step out for a moment.”

Confused, he stepped out.

“Eh… what’s going on…?”

He stared at me.

I didn’t have much to tell him.

Just that this building had turned into a labyrinth and that in less than a minute there would be a blackout.

“What…? That doesn’t make sense…?”

He started using formal language without realizing it.

Interesting.

If you speak politely, even if you say crazy things, people respond the same way.

Before, it wasn’t like that.

Boom!

“Ah! What was that?”

Boom! Crash! Bang!

“You’ve already confirmed it. Let’s go to the stairs.”

Crash! Thud!

“Ah… yes…”

After hearing the surround sound of elevators falling, he became docile.

“Hold onto the handrail and go down slowly. But don’t stop.”

“Ah… yes… but… how did you know I was there?”

His voice echoed in the hallway.

“I knew unilaterally. You’re an accountant at Howol, right?”

“Ah… I see. You saw it on the web.”

He sighed in relief.

“But—”

“Don’t stop. Keep going down.”

“Ah… yes. Your name?”

“Seon Yuhan.”

Luckily he didn’t take out his card.

“Then… Mr. Seon Yuhan.”

“Yes?”

“How did you know I was in the elevator?”

Wow.

He’s smarter than he looks.

“I didn’t.”

“But you called me right when the doors opened.”

…Strategic error.

“Besides, you knew the elevator was going to fall. That doesn’t normally happen.”

…He really thinks.

I can’t give him time.

“I have good instincts. I felt that this would be a labyrinth and that I knew what would happen.”

“Does that make sense?”

He dropped the formal language.

“Not even fortune tellers get that right.”

“Maybe you’ve never been in a labyrinth.”

He went silent.

“Labyrinths leave questions unanswered.”

He looked at me cautiously.

“Anyway. The problem now is this.”

I pointed.

“We came out on the second floor even though we opened the door on the first.”

“What…?”

Again.

“Damn it!”

Well… it was inevitable.

“So… what do you plan to do?”

“Search the entire second floor. It could be the condition to go down.”

I pointed at the auditorium.

“We start here.”

“I don’t want to…”

But he had to.

Because I didn’t see the post-credit scene.

I have to see it.

To understand.

“Then we’ll go to the daycare, library, and store.”

I pointed at the map.

The building is square-shaped.

Empty center.

Everything connected.

“We go clockwise.”

I didn’t ask him to come.

But he came.

“Alright…”

He’s scared.

“But don’t be too surprised. And follow the rules.”

“What are you saying? I’m not a child.”

…He looks like one.

I opened the auditorium door.

***

In the end, I had to convince him again to sit.

And watch that trash movie again.

[Those who could not get out]

[Yoon Haejun]

[Song Seorin]

…

…

…

Names.

More than 200.

I thought about the school.

4 years ago.

On October 2, it became a labyrinth.

On February 5, it was resolved.

Burned.

Everything clean.

Nothing remained.

Only 6 bodies on the rooftop.

And traces of 200 people.

Now I know what they lived through.

Will I be able to tell it someday?

Will I be able to get out?

For them.

Flash—!

The screen lit up.

I gripped the armrest.

The post-credit scene began.