Chapter 33

Chapter 33. Games Are Not Played to Win

“Ah. Ah…….”

“Yoo…… Hyunjae, Representative?”

Yoo Hyunjae was alive. For a very brief moment.

A strange gurgling sound flowed out between the lips that had been smiling cleanly, and the eyes that had held intelligence rolled around before falling out with a plop.

With their support gone, his neck, unable to bear the weight of his head, bent at an angle it should not have bent, and his body, which had been sitting upright, went limp in a shape that fit the curve of the chair perfectly.

“Mr. Seon Yuhan, don’t tell me his bones…… all of them…….”

I forgot even the thought that I had to move the corpse immediately, and stared blankly at Yoo Hyunjae, who had slumped across the chair.

He looked just like a doll.

A doll clumsily stitched together by a child using its own blood and flesh. A doll that had forgotten to have bones put inside it, so that instead of standing straight, its insides had all burst out. A doll that was ultimately abandoned without ever being played with.

Yoo Hyunjae had died.

For the first time.

The first.

Strangely, I found that so very…….

Frightening.

“I will move the Representative and return.”

SCRAPE, DRAG.

The entire time I moved Yoo Hyunjae’s corpse away, I had to shake my head to drive off an inexplicable fear.

I must not think any further. No more.

【Welcome to Happyland, the Land of Happiness!】

Now it was my turn.

***

【What is your name?】

【▶ Seon Yuhan】

【▶ binary】

【▶ Hwang】

【▶ Lee Jeongwoo】

【▶ Forgot】

The early progression was similar.

All events, including riding attractions, seemed to be influenced by probability, so the order and type differed slightly, but for now, the basic flow was the same.

Ride an attraction, a stand appears, the game asks my name.

【Seon Yuhan!】

【Ah】

Ah?

【y o】

Yo?

Was it an error? Why was something like this appearing?

【e】

【u】

Eu?

【y】

【u】

Yu?

What was it saying?

Just as I tilted my head, wondering what on earth it was.

【Ma】

【The ma chine】

【The ma chine　does it re main　does it go　I re main　you are gone　who ever　I　the ma chine　does it re main　does it go　I re main　you are gone　who ever　I　the ma chine　does it re main　does it go　I re main　you are gone　who ever　I　the ma chine】

The script gradually lengthened until it filled the screen.

A mechanical voice, identical to it, flowed out while breaking off sharply and stretching out.

“…….”

Don’t tell me.

DING!

A pop-up appeared as if covering and hiding that screen.

【Hello, Seon Yuhan. This is Labyrinsoft. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused while playing 《Lost In HPPYLN》.】

If it was apologizing, did that mean this was not what the game intended?

Was it not the case that only another Labyrinth’s rules could interfere with the rules of a certain Labyrinth?

Just as when the memory of Jeong Jiho disappeared at Book Bang Ollae, even Goose Teacher from Uri Saenal Daycare Center forgot Jeong Jiho’s existence.

【Corrective action has been taken regarding the error that occurred, and compensation will be provided through a special event. We once again apologize to Seon Yuhan, who may have felt discomfort due to the in-game error.】

I pointlessly rubbed my forearm and stared at the screen.

For now, I had to focus on the game.

【Oh! As you played happily, the hot light is now looking down upon you. It is meal time!】

A restaurant with the sign ‘Happy Restaurant’ was drawn in pixel art.

【Food for you has already been prepared. It smells delicious.】

An illustration of three foods appeared.

A pork cutlet covered in thick sauce.

Tomato pasta packed with meatballs.

A hefty hamburger dripping with juices.

【To think you can only eat one of these! You ponder what to eat. They say the Chef’s recommended menu is ‘pork cutlet.’】

【▶ Pork Cutlet】

【▶ Pasta】

【▶ Hamburger】

The recommended menu was pork cutlet?

【Hamburger!】

How could I trust that?

The humans desperately struggling to survive, or even to hurt me a little before they died if they had to.

【Unbelievable! The savory taste of the thick patty and the texture of the fresh, crisp vegetables are in perfect harmony!】

CRUNCH, CHOMP! CRACK! CRUMBLE!

【You finished your meal happily.】

I had to survive.

【The Chef’s eyes are turning red. It seems he was moved by the sight of you eating so deliciously.】

Just as they had wanted to survive.

A pork cutlet made with unidentified ingredients.

The Chef must have sprinkled it with a very special secret seasoning. Whether poison, gunpowder, or anything else.

Just as I could only eat one of the three menu items, the Chef, by the rules, could likely tamper with only one menu item.

That was why he bothered to recommend one.

【You look forward to dinner. Perhaps then, you may taste the true flavor of the Chef?】

“…….”

Dinner, huh.

I would have to make sure to eat without letting my guard down then.

【A clerk wearing a lion mask is selling hot dogs. They look delicious. You are full right now.】

【▶ Eat】

【▶ Endure】

If I was full, I should endure.

What if I overate and got sick?

【Endure!】

CRACK!

“Huh.”

CRUNCH, CRACK!

Red ketchup splattered across the screen, accompanied by an unpleasant smacking sound.

“Huh? Mr. Seon Yuhan, didn’t you just press Endure?”

【No matter how full you are, there is always a separate stomach for snacks! You licked the ketchup around your mouth in satisfaction. You do not think you will be hungry for a while.】

“Ha, seriously, what kind of bull……!”

Hwang Juyeon began to raise her voice, but when she saw the child sleeping beside her in exhaustion, she closed her mouth.

“It seems that even if you endure, you may eat by probability.”

“This is seriously unbelievable…….”

【There is the ‘Twist Train’! Find hidden snacks inside the chug-chug, spinning train! Become happy!】

【▶ Become Happy】

【▶ Become Unhappy】

The attraction in the illustration was shaped like a three-car electric train, like a small subway, being shaken up, down, left, and right in one place.

【Become Happy!】

RUMBLE, SCREECH!

【The train has stopped. Which car will you open?】

【▶ No. 1】

【▶ No. 2】

【▶ No. 3】

It was a shell game. Or perhaps nose work.

Since there were no particular clues, I decided to simply choose the top option.

【No. 1!】

BANG! CRUNCH!

【Ding-dong-dang! Your senses precisely located the snack that had been sneaking between the swaying train cars.】

I heard the sound of something hard like a dog chew yet slightly soft being chomped and swallowed.

It ate deliciously enough to make even me hungry.

【There is graffiti on that wall. Graffiti made while waiting for happiness is also one of the delights of an amusement park!】

This was an event I had never seen before.

Was it because this was my first time surviving past lunchtime?

【Looking at the mischievous graffiti gives you the feeling of a treasure hunt.】

A treasure hunt?

Come to think of it, when the error appeared earlier, it said compensation would be provided through an event.

This must be that event.

What a game. It would not even give a reward easily.

【You look at the graffiti.】

[↓Comehere

• ●

▼▲

Cǒmețøthetickêtboøth]

【They expect that you will not be able to read it. But you can read it. Where will you go?】

【▶ Restroom】

【▶ Ticket Booth】

【▶ Prayer Room】

……Yes, I could read it. I could.

【Ticket Booth!】

【How strange. There is nothing at the ticket booth. Did someone already loot the treasure? You search the ticket booth.】

[　　Fees

Adult：10,000 won

Child：⑦,000 won]

【It seems there is someone who likes ‘7.’ They even drew a circle around it. You open the cash register. Could there be treasure inside?】

【There is a note inside.】

[I cannot escape. Instead, I can kill. If you come to the management office, there should be a human corpse, but pass by calmly. Go inside, open the paper tray, and there is a key in the top compartment, so do not be afraid. Come pray.]

Grammatically, there was no particular problem, but considering it was a disaster situation, the sentence had too much unnecessary wording and felt contextually awkward.

“This is…….”

“It seems to be a code.”

Still, there were enough hints, and it was not that difficult.

“A code? Then how do we……. Ah! Don’t tell me the ‘7’ is the hint?”

“Probably…….”

I copied the code exactly into the diary, then circled every seventh character.

Just as the number ‘7’ in the fee table had been circled.

“Fe…… rris…… Whe…… el…… Pig…… Car…… Wea…… pon.”

Ferris Wheel, pig car, weapon.

There was a weapon in the pig car of the Ferris Wheel.

I did not know exactly what a pig car was, but perhaps it had a pig drawn on it.

It must have been written in the code because it would be recognizable at a glance.

【Where will you go?】

【▶ Management Office】

【▶ Ferris Wheel】

【▶ Prayer Room】

If one read the note normally, the management office was the intermediate stop, and the prayer room was the final destination.

But if one read only every seventh character.

【Ferris Wheel!】

I would go to the Ferris Wheel and ruin it all.

Their treasure.

The weapon that would kill me.

【There is the ‘Ferris Wheel’! Cute animal drawings are painted on the twelve cars of the Ferris wheel. Which animal do you like?】

【▶ Rat】

【▶ Ox】

…

【▶ Dog】

【▶ Pig】

They seemed to be the twelve zodiac animals.

【Pig!】

【Without hesitation, you leap up, open the door with the cute baby pig drawn on it, and enter.】

THUD, BOOM! RATATATA—! KABOOM!

“Ah.”

With a dreadful explosion, the screen again blinked continuously and trembled.

【Oh dear! When you go treasure hunting like a pirate, there are days when you misread the treasure map and lose everything. You have entered a state where you can no longer enjoy happiness. Still, you can continue becoming happy.】

【CONTINUE】

【EXIT】

“Fuck, why is this happening? Don’t tell me that was a trap too?”

“Ha…….”

I had been caught.

No wonder it had been too easy. The hints had been blatantly given.

That was why I had thought even harder.

No, they had ‘made’ me think harder.

Those humans had.

Thinking back on it…….

[↓Comehere

• ●

▼▲

Cǒmețøthetickêtboøth]

‘If it has enough language ability to see this and go not to the restroom but to the ticket booth, then of course it will not believe the contents of that note at face value either.’

That was how the humans must have judged it.

Especially if the choice I made earlier at the restaurant, not trusting the Chef’s recommendation, was reflected in the later progression.

……They are studying me.

【CONTINUE!】

【Wise as you are, you do not miss a chance to become happy.】

“Mr. Seon Yuhan, are you going to continue……?”

“Yes.”

【However, happiness always requires a price!】

【Worry! It will not hurt. A small sponsorship will make you happy：appendix】

“I am continuing, it seems.”