Chapter 386
Chapter 386
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 386. Long Notes
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"...What?"
Im Jaewoo couldn't understand at all what kind of situation he was in right now.
Just moments ago, he'd been chasing after the HR Team upward, so how had things ended up like this?
He looked around with bewildered eyes and realized that there weren't many people nearby.
No, it was beyond that level.
"Sunbae..."
The problem was that everyone had vanished like magic, except for one junior.
...
His breathing grew ragged, and gripped by a fear that made him want to vomit right then and there, he clamped his hand over his mouth and dry-heaved. His junior rushed over and patted his back.
"Sunbae! Sunbae! Pull yourself together!"
His junior grabbed his shoulders and shook him, and only then did he finally snap out of his panic, shaking his head as he gasped for breath.
"S-Sorry."
"No, it's okay. So, wh-what do we do next?"
At his junior's question, Im Jaewoo looked around, took a deep breath, and pulled out the manual with trembling hands.
"H-Here. It says to do what's written here."
With shaking hands, he flipped open the manual and began searching fervently through the entries.
"B-But how do we find this place?"
The Management Bureau's manual was a bit distant from common sense. It looked like a lightweight book, easy to carry, but its contents were vast.
But like all instruction manuals, he only read the sections he used often, so he had no idea which page held what he needed.
As Im Jaewoo clutched his head and let out a frustrated groan, his junior hurriedly spoke up.
"I-I heard that if you really want it, the manual will, uh, tell you..."
"Right...!"
He suddenly remembered something from orientation when he joined.
The Management Bureau's manual was connected to the user's mental strength or something like that.
"I've never tried it...!"
From the start, none of his fellow new hires had ever easily opened the manual.
Just looking at it brought on headaches and nausea—let alone searching through it and handling it?
It was insane. At least among normal humans, he was confident no one could do it.
"Argh!"
In the end, he chose the brute-force method.
Simply picking up the manual and checking it page by page.
It took a long time, but he finally found what he was looking for.
"Damn it...!"
With a curse, he opened to the page he wanted.
[Office Manual]
[Gangseo Branch Construction Site Guidelines]
1. This site is designed for entry alone for safety reasons.
2. If you are not alone and are with someone, never engage in conversation. It will distort your perception.
3. Even if you converse, don't panic too much. As long as it isn't smiling, you are still safe.
4. But if it starts smiling, check [T - Suicide Methods] immediately.
...
Come to think of it, I'm the maknae. I don't have any juniors?
With that thought, Im Jaewoo turned to look behind him.
And there, his junior was grinning ear to ear.
*
"Hey, can't you hear me?"
Ignoring Song Arin whining from behind, I read the manual while walking.
For starters, that isn't Song Arin.
She'd gone off with Jang Chaeyeon to block that weird something or other in the first place, so her being here would be the strange part.
My only worry is whether the others are okay.
"Hey!!! Kim Jaeheon!!!"
If you're gonna study, at least study harder. Song Arin has never called me Kim Jaeheon.
Song Arin yelled loud enough to make my ears ring, but I ignored her call and kept walking.
What's the next entry? What even is this in the first place?
Yoo Daon's parents dropped the Cube, and this incident happened suddenly.
If I look at the manual...
I slowly looked down at the manual.
[Office Manual]
[Gangseo Branch Construction Site Guidelines]
1. This site is designed for entry alone for safety reasons.
2. If you are not alone and are with someone, never engage in conversation. It will distort your perception.
3. Even if you converse, don't panic too much. As long as it isn't smiling, you are still safe.
4. But if it starts smiling, check [T - Suicide Methods] immediately.
Without even turning my head toward Song Arin, I kept walking.
Since I can't figure anything out right now anyway, it seems best to keep moving and look for the next spot.
How far had I walked with that thought?
-Shrrrrk!
The manual flipped open again.
[Office Manual]
[Gangseo Branch Construction Site Guidelines]
1. Gangseo Branch construction is not yet complete. Personnel here for construction must remember and follow these rules.
The fact that Gangseo Branch construction isn't finished is odd too.
I looked up and scanned the surroundings.
Now, the rooftop where no one was visible.
...
The texture of the floor felt different from before. No way it's time travel, right?
Even if I assume it is because of Yoo Daon, it wouldn't surprise me, but wouldn't the Management Bureau already know about that?
...
-Step... step...
For now, let's go down. It's the only thing I can do.
"Hey! Did you hear wha—"
The moment I passed the rooftop entrance, Song Arin's voice cut off completely.
So it disappears once you leave the rooftop.
If I ended up alone, the others probably did too.
I need to note this down.
With that thought, I slowly began writing the information into the manual.
More precisely, by reciting in my mind what I was thinking, directing it at the manual.
Soon, a new entry appeared in the manual.
[Office Manual]
[Gangseo Branch Construction Site Guidelines]
1. This site is designed for entry alone for safety reasons.
2. If you are not alone and are with someone, never engage in conversation. It will distort your perception.
3. Even if you converse, don't panic too much. As long as it isn't smiling, you are still safe.
4. But if it starts smiling, check [T - Suicide Methods] immediately.
5. This phenomenon disappears upon passing through the rooftop door. Those not working on the rooftop, please exit outside.
It even included things I hadn't specified.
...
I slowly craned my neck to look below.
Only precarious steel-frame stairs remained to greet me.
-Creeeak... creeeak...
The wind blew, making the steel beams groan in my ears, and an unnecessary anxiety welled up.
At a glance, it really looked like the Management Bureau before it was fully built.
Does that mean we've actually gone back to the era before the Management Bureau existed?
With that thought, as I kept placing my feet on the landing, the manual flipped open again.
[Office Manual]
[Gangseo Branch Construction Site Guidelines]
[Stairwell Landing]
1. Suppression of the stairwell landing is not yet complete. Various anomalies may occur as a result, so please confirm and respond to any phenomena. If an unrecorded phenomenon occurs, leave a mark on the surrounding walls describing how you died or were abducted. Compensation will be provided by the Management Bureau upon death.
2. If someone calls to you from the stairs, it is not human. Ignore it.
3. If someone taps your shoulder from the stairs, it is not human. Ignore it.
4. If someone grabs your leg and pulls, it is a person whose leg was severed for ignoring the above rules. Save them before they bleed out.
5. But if they speak to you, never respond.
This is chaos. Total chaos.
With that thought, I looked at the wall.
[6. Never, never, never look at the person coming up with you. Construction here is done alone.]
The phrase, written in trembling handwriting, caught my eye.
And that wasn't all.
[7. Do not look at the ceiling. Even if something falls from above, as long as you don't look, it only feels bad but won't harm you.]
[8. If your leg is grabbed, look at the person but with only one eye open.]
[9. The smell of blood attracts them. In other words, the more writing on these walls, the more they gather.]
Countless entries were scrawled there.
Some in blood, some in writing.
How am I supposed to memorize all this?
At this rate, moving will be impossible.
Then, my eyes stopped on one line.
[32. Don't believe everything written here. I was reading and didn't do anything, and now my leg's gone. You'll figure out what's wrong if you look closely.]
...
I quietly kept my mouth shut and looked around.
Among the countless entries, what to beware of and what not to.
Got it.
I slowly opened the manual, and it fluttered to match my will.
"Listen up. Starting the long notes."