Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Happiness Apartment Lobby
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Arrived safely at the apartment entrance.
There was a minor incident, but since the victim wasn't human, it could count as accident-free.
"Is that Lee Seung-hoon? Lee Seung-hoon, the chairman of Sarang Trading?"
"Really, Chairman Lee Seung-hoon?"
"It's really him!"
"No way!"
Once introductions were done, people looked at me in surprise.
Soon after, more survivors arrived at the entrance, bringing our total to thirty including me.
"Were you all in the parking lot?"
"Yeah, there had to be at least a hundred people... but only this many..."
As expected, Happiness Apartment seemed like an entity that abducted large groups at once, just like the one in my dream.
'Probably, the missing people will vanish from everyone's memories.'
Or the Foundation might cover it up as a natural accident or disappearance.
Either way, priority one was escaping alive.
"Anyone here on their second visit?"
"Like hell!"
"Does anyone know how to escape?"
"You kidding?"
First-timers, all of them.
"Then let's gather info. We need to head inside the apartment."
"What? Even the parking lot had those crazy monster bastards! You're going inside!? Are you insane!?"
Something was off.
Normally, in these special situations, my words were taken as gospel truth.
"Going into a suspicious apartment like that is no different from suicide!"
"Who knows what monsters are living inside!"
"Didn't you watch [Sweet Home]? This could be just like that!"
The source of that trust was my status as the world's top fixer, forged by the legacy of the Great Author.
"This is my opinion as a fixer."
"You're a chairman, not a fixer."
"I'll admit you have skills. But that's as a businessman, not for handling absurd situations like this."
Looks like this special space was blocking the power of the Great Author's legacy too.
'Can't force them.'
They had a point.
The apartment might be a trap, and staying put could be the way out.
At the same time, the escape method might be in a manual inside the apartment.
"I'm going in. Those who don't want to can stay."
I might walk into a trap and die, or the ones staying might be the smart ones.
Since either choice could be right, I didn't persuade anyone and left the entrance.
"I-I'm going too!"
"If he's the chairman, he must know something!"
"What if those shadow monsters come back if we stay here!"
Fourteen people followed me.
"You guys are crazy."
"We've been here an hour already? No monsters, it's safe! No need to take risks!"
"Wait for the advance team to confirm it's safe."
Fifteen stayed at the entrance.
As we approached the front door, the automatic doors slid open to welcome us.
'Clean.'
No flickering lights or damp mold smell like in creepy ghost stories.
The bright, tidy entrance felt not just fine but excellent, like a brand-new luxury apartment.
"Wow, this is like a new town apartment lobby."
"You don't know? This is exactly like a high-end apartment lobby!"
Looks aren't just for people.
As the group regained some composure and cautiously checked their surroundings, I surveyed the layout.
'Spacious lobby around 3,000 square feet, chairs and sofas for resting, three elevators, restrooms, cleaning closet, four vending machines, emergency stairs, and a large digital clock visible to everyone.'
And the community bulletin board.
I headed toward the board, where people were already gathering.
"What's all this?"
"More rules?"
The board was packed with all sorts of info.
I started checking from the left.
[John James Randall (58), Last Seen: Room 307]
[Chris Aiming (40), Last Seen: 2nd Floor Hallway]
[Wang Jun Lei (15), Last Seen: Rooftop]
[Baek Chun-sam (70), Last Seen: Lobby Restroom]
[Sundar Pichai (39), Last Seen: Emergency Stairs]
Faces, names, ages, and last seen locations filled the list densely.
[Please follow the rules below.]
[First: The lobby is a shared space for everyone. Do not damage or steal anything.]
[Second: This place is safe. The safest place in the world. So relax and rest easy.]
[Third: No fighting allowed here. Everyone, keep the peace.]
[Fourth: Keep the shared space clean at all times. Do not dirty it.]
[Fifth: Occasionally, you'll hear a nervous tongue-clicking sound. That means the lobby is dirty. Open the cleaning closet, take out supplies, and clean promptly. If you don't, the lobby will become 'clean.']
[Sixth: Don't hesitate too long at the entrance. The lobby dislikes people dithering about entering. It might chase you far away.]
The moment I read the sixth rule, a scream rang out.
"Kyaaaaack!"
I rushed back through the lobby to the entrance, following the cry.
"S-Save me!"
The people gathered at the entrance were being lifted into the sky one by one.
Not grabbed by some force.
It was as if the world had flipped upside down—they were falling upward.
"Grab my hand!"
In the lightning-fast situation, I reached out to save at least one.
I barely caught her hand, but the woman's body stretched like taffy into a thread connected to the sky.
"......"
Even that soon vanished.
"H-Heek..."
"What the hell was that..."
"Someone got sucked into the sky?"
The latecomers who followed trembled in terror at the sight.
"Heek! What the fuck!?"
Happiness Apartment entrance arrivals: 30 people.
Current location: Apartment lobby.
"......Let's go in. Before anything else happens."
Survivors: 15.
Information is survival.
I checked the bulletin board again according to the rules.
'Missing persons updated.'
Fifteen added.
Last seen: Apartment entrance.
Exactly the number who just fell into the sky.
'Missing persons are the entity's victims.'
Next, the notice.
[Do not break the rules. Rules are the law. The law that takes your life—and protects it.]
[You can survive. If you don't let your guard down.]
The notice seemed like advice from a long-term survivor.
[No place is perfectly safe. Rest well, but never fully relax.]
[Trustworthy allies are a huge help to survival.]
[Untrustworthy allies will lead you to death.]
[Check the bulletin board on every floor. All necessary rules are there.]
[Beware the managers. Do not upset them. Ever.]
[When leaving the floor, use the elevator.]
[Avoid stairs unless absolutely necessary. They're safe but deadly.]
[The lobby is safe, but not forever. Break the rules, and it's more dangerous than anywhere.]
[Good luck, everyone.]
The advice ended there.
Did this person escape successfully?
Or did they fail and end up on the missing list?
'That's the bulletin board done.'
Next, the cleaning closet.
Large carpet vacuum, broom, mop, cleaning supplies, etc.
Just your standard cleaning closet.
'Clock, sofas, chairs—all normal.'
Next, the elevators.
The three elevators served different floors.
[Serves 1F~36F, Lobby]
[Serves -1F~-36F, Lobby]
[Serves Basement Floors, Lobby]
Total of 36 floors above and below.
Elevator 1 covered all positive floors, 2 the negative ones, and 3 only basements.
'What do negative floors mean? And no info on how many basement levels.'
Maybe it shows when you board?
I checked the rest first.
'Vending machines are just vending machines.'
One for drinks only.
One for snacks only.
One for lunchboxes.
And one for medicine—four in total.
[Insert cash.]
[Cards accepted.]
Pulled out my wallet and inserted bills.
Korean won went in fine.
Touching my card to the reader let me input the amount.
'Neat how prices update in real time.'
Digital price tags, initially blank.
Once I inserted money, they switched to won—probably adjusting to the currency and value inserted.
'Not without peculiarities.'
Lots of unfamiliar products.
Stuff that probably doesn't exist on Earth.
One that caught my eye:
[Unicornia - Rainbow Flavor]
[Yummy ice cream taste!]
[Come on! To the fantasy world! Let's play!]
Drank the beverage with a unicorn and rainbow in kiddie animation style.
A real 'rainbow taste' filled my mouth.
'So rainbows taste like this.'
First time trying it, but I was convinced.
Besides that, plenty of new items mixed with familiar ones.
'Finally, emergency stairs.'
The stairs looked normal, but the sign next to them said otherwise.
[1. Emergency stairs can be used anytime. Access all floors via these stairs.]
[2. When using, do not move more than 2 steps at a time.]
[3. Do not turn back midway. Fine after reaching the next floor.]
[4. Follow the above, and use safely.]
Just two key rules.
'No jumping multiple steps, no turning back before the next floor.'
Once going up, keep ascending to the next floor.
Same for descending.
'Checked everything.'
Follow the rules, and it shouldn't be hard.
They're not written in complicated language or tricky methods.
Anyone who can read can follow them.
'If other floors are like this, scouting won't be tough.'
Time to move?
Go alone, or with the group? I pondered.
Rustle-!
"Whew, feels like I can breathe now."
Amid the murmurs of survivors pondering next steps like me, I heard a snack bag crinkling.
"You really need to eat something to think straight."
Following the sound, one survivor was brushing crumbs off his hands.
My eyes were drawn to the trash piled in front of him.
Banana Kick.
Wee Has.
Choco Pie.
Nunettiene.
Staring at the crumbs scattered on the floor, I recalled a crucial fact I'd forgotten.
'We're all in the same space.'
Rules aren't just for me.
Everyone has to follow them.
'And...'
No matter how simple and easy to understand...
There will always be those who ignore or fail to grasp them.
"Oh dear."
Somewhere in the lobby.