GSGW c234
Chapter 234
Let us serve Ireum-nim.
Let us serve Ireum-nim.
Let us serve Ireum-nim.
Let us serve Ireum-nim.
Let us serve Ireum-nim…
Even though my ears are buried in flesh, the words echo. The language of a fanatic from the Happy Ending Sect, a faction of the Church of the Luminous Unknown, reverberates through the space and shakes the elevator…
……
Suddenly.
The elevator I am riding in is now in a different place.
Drip.
A dark space where the sound of a water droplet falling echoes.
A basement.
An ominous atmosphere I cannot identify. Damp chill, gloominess, mold-smelling wood, and …
A corpse.
It is Kim Heoun’s body, split into two.
At some point they have been carefully arranged and displayed in the dark basement. Inside a coffin filled with dozens of dried chrysanthemums and sunflowers, along with children’s origami.
I became happy
Blood drips down the chrysanthemums.
Do you want to become happy too?
The corpse in the coffin draws closer. Fear, the screams of those who are forgotten and erased, resignation, the only escape, the final happiness a human can grant another human, a painless death, and the end of a story …
Do you want to become at peace too?
But …
Of course it is frightening. The end of a story—an instinctive fear of death. Ah, it would have been better not to know. If it had been a death met in ignorance, without knowing anything, how peaceful the heart might have been.
But you have already come to know. A death chosen by oneself loses the meaning of happiness.
And so, there is only one salvation left for you …
Ireum-nim!
Flash.
The door in the basement ceiling opens. A bright and majestic light pours down from beyond it. Ireum-nim knows every narrative and every story you possess Only that being holds the answer to the truth of this world, and only that being’s will has meaning in this world May Ireum-nim look upon us may Ireum-nim ■■us Let us fully understand and follow that will Let us become a story meaningful to Ireum-nim Then perhaps the being within may take pity on us Perhaps we may become something the being cherishes And finally it may come The rest we have been waiting for, the happiness that will survive even after the end of the world Perhaps it will be given to us…
A happy ending!
As the basement grows darker and more sinister, beneath the beam of light from the ceiling something sparkling becomes visible… A piece of parchment.
It has a shape I have seen before.
A scripture of the Sacred Law of the Church of the Luminous Unknown.
Happy Ending Scripture — Section ■
■■■■■■■
The ritual parchment, still blank, calls to me.
As if inviting me to swallow it.
As if urging me to perform the ritual.
Make your existence into scripture.
Let your strangeness, your mystery, your unknowable eeriness, your cruelty and terror blossom into authority.
The light pulls at me with intense force.
It calls to me.
The basement grows darker and more unsettling. The single shining light source flickers like a lamp drawing a mayfly to it. And then …
'Hmm.'
I simply stand there quietly.
'So this is how it works.'
[Ohh, impressive. You know how to gaslight a potential convert in a properly cult-like way. Even light, smell, and sound stimuli. Typical, but quite impressive!]
Yeah… something like that.
If I were still capable of feeling rich emotions like before, I might have been deeply shaken.
They stab directly at a person’s primal fear, layering obsessive anxiety on top of hallucinatory confusion… it is practically brainwashing using hallucinations.
But more than anything— I already know.
'Ireum-nim isn’t like that.'
It is no different from when I encountered that centipede in Jisan Village.
In the end, I am simply standing blankly in an underground space that someone dragged me into, staring at a fragment of scripture.
If I wanted to escape, I could probably use the “Reading” ability. But… I probably do not even need to.
The one who dragged me here must be here somewhere.
"Huh? You’re not writing it?"
Just as expected, something suddenly pops up from behind the coffin holding the corpse.
The one responsible for all this—the executive of the Happy Ending Sect—casually turns around and dusts off the dirt from their school uniform skirt.
The light of Ireum-nim illuminates the dust drifting through the air.
Showing only their back, the figure speaks.
“This is actually really good… so why aren’t you writing it? Why not? Then…”
They stop.
Standing perfectly straight.
Only the head turns to look at me.
Come
with
me
.
.
.
Thud…
The head attached to the back falls off and rolls toward me.
The moment it bumps lightly against my foot—
I am once again looking at the underground corridor of Daydream Inc.’s main building.
But this time, the underground looks strange. A corridor of pulsing red flesh.
Blood vessels extending from the head stretch down the hallway.
As if the corridor itself has suction, it tries to pull me in …
Come
with
me
.
.
.
There is something inside the head.
'A dream?'
Instinctively, I realize something. This is the kind of supernatural tale where the moment you respond to those words, you fall into it.
…It seems the Church of the Luminous Unknown’s supernatural tale has properly marked Ho Yuwon and me as targets for recruitment—or management.
Hoo.
'What should I do?'
Strange sights like this no longer shake me very much. But should I just wait until the security team arrives?
/tn. boy you are the security team
'It would be better not to get tangled up with the Church of the Luminous Unknown.'
As for the Happy Ending Sect member in the school uniform… I vaguely remember reading exploration records that mentioned them a few times.
Still, there are so many insane and bizarre people in the Church of the Luminous Unknown that I cannot be certain just based on a school uniform. But dealing with them should still be possible.
And besides—
'…they just killed someone right in front of me.'
……
I decide.
'I’ll subdue them.'
Even if my brain gets a little damaged in the process, I can handle it.
I reach out my hand.
Right then—
“Alright.”
Something grabs my arm.
I turn my head.
Ho Yuwon, who had been riding the elevator with me, is smiling as he answers …
To the severed head of the Church of the Luminous Unknown.
“Let’s go together.”
…!
Wait. You—
answered
it
?
A tongue slips out of the severed head.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahadon’tlookhahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
The head grows enormous and swallows the elevator.
Once a response has already been given, it cannot be taken back.
I try to tear off the one holding my arm, but my body has already been swallowed, and I feel myself being carried somewhere far away …
……
[Well then, it is already too late to say you need help!]
[And oh, unfortunate news… my friend once said it would be difficult to trust the arbitrary judgment of this Braun! Very well. Let us see what happens ….]
Darkness.
***
To begin with—
I never particularly like the supernatural tales of the Church of the Luminous Unknown in the <Dark Exploration Records>.
Of course, they are popular.
After all, the appearance of the Church of the Luminous Unknown is clearly the turning point that turns <Dark Exploration Records> into a massive hit and an IP industry.
But still… I don’t know.
'They feel too… primal.'
It feels like something that knows no restraint.
It feels like something that knows no restraint.
And encountering that kind of raw unpleasantness in reality…
……
Reality.
“Roe Deer?"
I open my eyes.
Indoors, darkness, metal.
And Ho Yuwon.
“You’re awake! That’s a relief. With that body you probably can’t even sleep properly, so I was worried you hadn’t regained your senses yet—”
I grab his chin.
'You crossed a line.'
As I tighten my grip around Ho Yuwon’s face—
“Roe Deer.”
But Ho Yuwon keeps speaking.
“Don’t you want to escape from Daydream Inc.?”
……
“Director Cheong doesn’t treat you very well, does she? But if you stay locked in the isolation room like this, you’ll have a hard time finding any real solution.”
I tighten my grip on his jaw. I hear the creak of bone, but Ho Yuwon’s smile does not change in the slightest.
And then—
“Sorry I couldn’t ask earlier! It looked like the security team would arrive soon, so my mouth moved first…. As an apology—”
He makes a proposal.
“How about I give you some temporary freedom of movement?”
“…!"
“I have some information I need to investigate here. So each of us does our own thing. I gather information, and Roe Deer looks for a way to terminate the contract. And if you feel like helping, I’d be grateful as well….”
Information to investigate.
'…About Segwang Special City, probably.'
A motive that makes sense.
But he is not finished speaking.
“The most important thing is that we can do all of this without violating the employment contract. You’re accompanying a company director, Roe Deer.”
Ah.
“So it can be considered that you’re performing company duties. Think of it as a kind of overtime shift.”
……
“What do you think?”
I release the hand pressing down on Ho Yuwon’s chin.
Overtime:
Additional compensation to be requested later.
“Of course, I’ll make sure you’re properly taken care of.”
The tension settles as if a temporary truce has been declared. Holding back a sigh, I rise to my feet.
'It feels like I’m traveling with a bomb.'
Still, being able to treat him like a troll rather than an unknown threat is at least an improvement.
Only then do Ho Yuwon and I properly look around us. To understand the situation, we turn our heads.
“This place…”
A corridor with dim lighting from scattered lamps.
The distinctive feature is the structure: shaped like a cylinder cut in half, forming an arch.
And it is sealed.
This gray space shows no windows at all and is made entirely of cement.
“Doesn’t it look like an underground air-raid shelter?”
He is right.
With its old rusted walls exposed, it really does resemble a disaster evacuation bunker.
'…They recruited us and just dumped us here?'
Just as I try to figure out what is happening—
“Let us spread happiness.”
…!
A voice echoes from the far corner of the corridor.
A crowd.
The sound of nearly a hundred people walking.
And their voices speaking.
“Ah, did they come to welcome the new believers?”
Soon, the line of people rounding the corner comes into view. They are—
“Let us spread happiness.”
Ordinary people.
Smiling, whispering to one another as they walk. They look so normal you might see them on a weekend outing in the park.
Men and women of all ages mixed together, almost like a group going on a trip.
But something is in their hands.
Groups of five or six people carry something rather large together.
It is—
“Let us spread happiness.”
“Let us share happiness.”
Corpses.
Dozens of bodies are being carried in their hands.
Those carrying the corpses pass by us and continue down the corridor… apparently not noticing us because their view is blocked by what they are holding.
And at the very end of the procession—a familiar face appears.
“Let us spread happiness.”
…!
The one who “recruited” us.
Still wearing a school uniform, the delicate-looking teenager carries Kim Heoun’s corpse together with a male student who looks exactly like him—like a twin wearing the same uniform.
Our eyes meet. He gives a small smile, then continues walking.
“Should we follow them?”
Ho Yuwon and I slowly follow. If we continue down the corridor behind that bizarre procession—
“Let us spread happiness.”
We arrive at a vast open chamber.
A space that could easily be called the plaza of an underground bunker.
And it is already filled with coffins.
“Let us spread happiness.”
The people who arrive place the corpses into empty coffins.
When the task is finished, they gather in a circle. An elderly man who appears to be the oldest steps forward, raises both hands, and covers his head.
Then he shouts.
“Let us pray for happiness.”
Everyone performs the same gesture.
“Be happy. Be happy. Be happy….”
In the space filled with coffins, countless people raise their hands above their heads and pray earnestly.
“May the misfortune of being born into this world find peace in death. May they be happy.”
'.......'
And then I realize where this place is.
Final Ritual Site
A sanctuary for believers of the Church of the Luminous Unknown. It takes the form of an old underground bunker, and because it itself is a ghost story, it does not possess a fixed location in reality. It moves across various places for religious rituals, causing different supernatural phenomena. For detail records, please refer to this link
There is even a rumor that this space is actually the inside of something’s stomach, though its true nature remains unknown.
Depending on the sect, its form changes slightly, and its capacity varies greatly—from only a few people to tens of thousands.
There are even ritual sites inhabited by only a single person.
In other words—this is one of the Final Ritual Sites operated by the Happy Ending Sect.
'So we really did end up in the very center of the Church of the Luminous Unknown.'
And I am certain of one thing.
These people are already completely insane.
The Church of the Luminous Unknown is not a place like the Disaster Management Bureau that tries to maintain reason and humanity.
Even this ceremony—this place that superficially looks like a solemn memorial—is the same.
'They killed them all themselves.'
And most likely… Their own relatives.
To join the Happy Ending Sect as a lay believer, one must commit at least one murder. And the victim must be someone the initiate sincerely wishes happiness for. And the victim must be someone the initiate sincerely wishes happiness for.
/tn. a lay believer is a baptized member of a church who is not part of the ordained clergy
In other words—this must be the initiation ritual of the Happy Ending Sect.
'This is insane.'
And I am seeing it in person.
I really do not need this experience.
Now the people are stepping forward one by one, talking about who they killed and how good that person was, laughing and crying as they speak.
If I had eaten anything earlier, I would have vomited.
[Good heavens, I expected something from a cult.]
…??
[This isn’t even typical. Where are the human sacrifices, the fire, the goats, the pentagrams? How can they exploit believers with such a lack of showmanship?]
…Apparently it is too plain for a supernatural talk-show host who thrives on stimulation.
A very Braun-like comment… Haah.
Ah, come to think of it.
'Earlier… didn’t you say something before I lost consciousness?'
[Oh, I asked if you needed help, my friend!]
[But things happened so suddenly that I simply decided to observe for the moment.]
Huh… I see.
Well, either way, I do not have the mental space to focus on that topic anymore. Because the situation is becoming even more insane.
“Be happy!”
The people who finish speaking now push the corpses into a strange black box.
It seems the ritual has ended.
'They keep going in endlessly.'
That must be some kind of supernatural device as well. Perhaps they reuse the corpses. So—
I stop them.
Right before the coffin containing Kim Heoun is placed inside.
“Be happy—”
At that moment. Every person performing the ritual turns to look at me.
A strange being with horns, emitting black smoke.
And yet instead of screaming and running away, they simply stare silently.
Then someone murmurs—
“Authority?”
Whispers spread.
“It’s an authority.”
“Who is that…?”
Then one person steps forward.
The one who recruited me.
He blinks while looking at me, then nods casually.
“You want to keep it for yourself? Okay. That’s fine!”
…Ha.
I unzip the zipper on my wrist and place Kim Heoun’s corpse into the tattoo carved into the amorphous flesh beneath.
I would like to make one thing clear. I do not feel good about this.
'If I were still my old self, my hands would probably be shaking by now.'
The executive of the Happy Ending Sect watches the grotesque scene with shining eyes, then smiles at me.
“Anyway… you saw it, right? Even the Paradise of Love kid you abandoned has become happy!”
……
“Welcome. To the Happy Ending Sect."
Bro got employed again 🫠😭
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