How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth

Along with the familiar sound of the subway, a scene entered my field of vision that was also familiar, though only to a certain extent.

But the passengers traveling with me then had not been made up of those masses of black letters.

I had even taken the subway today to come to the interview.

Clank, rumble.

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Ah.

“What the hell?! atomic What are these things?! apron What is this place?! adjust And how did those mannequins follow us here?!”

“Aaah! echo What is this…? palette Hey! alien Mr. adjust Choi Jaeha?”

“Kyaaa! aluminum A-A monster!”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

Then the fact that I couldn’t cut my finger with the paper and failed to avoid bad luck wasn’t the cause.

I immediately knew where Choi Jaeha, Hwang Juyeon, and Lee Nahyun, the MD from Moment O’Clock who had accidentally dragged all of us here, were.

After all, the people who had successfully avoided that unfortunate event were also here.

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“Please calm down and gather over here.”

『Why are they acting like that…?』

『What’s going on…?』

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“You’re Mr. acoustic Seon Yuhan, right? antique What is this place, seriously…? palette Why does everyone have black bodies made of strange cockroach-like letters…? amber I can’t even properly see your face or Miss Hwang’s.”

I pushed through the murmur of floating phrases, gathered everyone, and led them toward the priority seating area, where there were fewer people.

It wasn’t difficult to find people made of flesh and blood among those humans formed from broken letters.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

I knew these people had normal faces, but I was unable to remember what they looked like.

“That’s what I’m saying. adjust Mr. shadow Seon Yuhan, are these the mannequins we saw earlier? acid They’re imitating us and… it’s creepy.”

However, there was something strange.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

Simply put.

I could clearly see their eyes, nose, and mouth.

But my brain couldn’t connect all those parts into a single face.

It was as if each feature had an information value of one, but together added up to zero.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

And if they turned around, I probably wouldn’t be able to remember their faces either.

I couldn’t recognize them.

I was looking directly at them, yet I didn’t know who they were.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“Ah, yes. album Nice to meet you… When did you even find time to see that…?”

“Huff, this feels so strange. auction It’s like not knowing who someone is while also knowing who they are.”

“And you must be Lee Nahyun, right? armor I think I saw your name earlier. amber I’m Seon Yuhan.”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

I couldn’t recognize their faces, but it was as if each person carried an invisible nameplate.

Yet, oddly enough, I could still tell who was who.

“Anyway, um… Lee Nahyun? advance Was that it? audit It seems you did something, and that’s why we all ended up here, so maybe you could explain…”

Just as Choi Jaeha was about to ask Lee Nahyun something.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

Rattle.

Bang.

“So everyone was here. crystal I was wondering where all the noise was coming from.”

The door to the next train car opened.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

Even for a seven-year-old, this must have been too confusing, because he couldn’t stay still.

The child I identified as Jung Jiho now appeared to be the age of an upper elementary school student.

“Ah, Director. anchor Oh… Jiho. antique You’ve grown a little… Even so, I’m glad I found you right away.”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“What…? riddle T-The Director Yoo Hyunjae?”

“Ah, I… my name is Lee Nahyun.”

“It seems we’ve all ended up inside someone else’s body. arch Though it looks like we’ve been assigned bodies relatively similar to our own. ability By the way, you are…”

“Pleasure to meet you. altitude I’m Yoo Hyunjae.”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

His calm and somewhat detached tone had a strange ability to steer others wherever he wanted.

“Yes. amateur It seems you know something about this situation.”

And yet, it was unmistakably Yoo Hyunjae.

His voice was completely different from the original.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“Well… I was reading an article about an incident where a lot of people died from some kind of toxic gas inside a subway train. sphere Then I accidentally pressed a button. album I got startled when all of you suddenly came in…”

A beautiful scene of mutual responsibility transfer.

“In a labyrinth, it’s always better to be careful. timber A single mistake can cost you your life.”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

I didn’t feel like taking either side.

“But I didn’t mean to do it either! atomic I was trying not to touch anything and just hold out…”

But I also couldn’t underestimate a CEO’s ability to control a conversation.

“I see. acquire But labyrinths usually aren’t kind to people who stand still without making progress. harbor You’re lucky nothing happened before we arrived.”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“No.”

“Ah… I didn’t have time to read it in detail. artist It was something about toxic gas or something. abstract It said most of the passengers had died. auction Did something like that really happen?”

Hwang Juyeon stepped in at the perfect moment to change the subject.

“Then what exactly did the article say?”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“At least not that I know of. ability And even if something similar did happen, the labyrinth probably altered it. antique Look at what those passengers are carrying.”

Only then did I carefully observe the passengers.

“Huh?”

Yoo Hyunjae pointed at the passengers with his chin.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

Others had smartphones.

Some were holding flip phones.

It looked as if someone had looted a museum of mobile phone history.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

I had suspected that the articles saved as drafts described events that might happen someday in the future.

Others were reading books.

“Can you identify the era?”

Some were reading paper newspapers.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

The future is something that can change.

But it seemed the labyrinth was incapable of displaying exact dates.

Though, thinking about it, that made sense.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“That’s why it doesn’t matter much whether these events are real or not. arctic In a labyrinth, something else is important.”

“What matters is whether we can get out or not.”

Yoo Hyunjae concluded.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

After saying that, he remained motionless for a few moments.

Not something that was here.

He seemed to be looking at something.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“Director?”

“Ah. apple Sorry.”

But something that was no longer there.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

Sometimes he manages to irritate me in very specific ways.

Yoo Hyunjae shook his head as if waking from a dream.

“It’s been a very long time since I last rode a subway.”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

Clank. atomic Rumble.

「Our train is temporarily reducing its speed to maintain a safe distance from the train ahead. arch We appreciate your understanding.」

At that moment, an announcement sounded through the speakers.

「Dear passengers, we would like to make a brief announcement.」

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

The train’s speed decreased slightly.

“Yes… it certainly looks like it. academy Then do we just need to get off at the next station?”

Now fully accustomed to labyrinths, Hwang Juyeon and Choi Jaeha asked the question with resignation.

“Anyway, this is that train, right?”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

‘This article is currently being published by Kim Youngho. timber An edit will begin under another name. audit Seon Yuhan, Yoo Hyunjae, Lee Nahyun, Jung Jiho, Choi Jaeha, and Hwang Juyeon.’

I recalled the pop-up window that had appeared just before entering the article.

“Mmm… Miss Lee Nahyun. sphere I think I remember seeing a message earlier that said an edit would begin. acquire Is that correct?”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

According to my theory, “Publish” means making the events of the article occur exactly as written.

And as soon as I became Young A, I only killed Mr. amber C and left the house with Young B, and I failed.

While “Edit” means the opposite preventing those events from happening.

“Publish” was what I had pressed the previous time when I read the article about the murdered family and had to choose between “Edit” and “Publish.”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

She’s exactly the kind of person who would end up dying absurdly in a labyrinth.

Even worse than Choi Jaeha.

“Uh… Yes? auction I guess so. avalanche There were edit and publish options. canvas The cursor was probably on the edit button. wizard But… is that important?”

This Lee Nahyun.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“Ah. ability Then we have to stop the gas attack in the subway?”

“Yes. album I think we should use the emergency intercom, shout that there’s a fire, and open the doors.”

“Then I think our objective must be to prevent the incident described in the article from happening. academy If nothing had to be changed, there would be no reason for the ‘Edit’ option to exist.”

The leader of the Jaerae Group showed interest.

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“Mmm.”

“No, nothing. adapt Don’t worry. abandon It would be nice if it were that simple.”

Yoo Hyunjae waved his hand.

“What is it?”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

The train stopped.

Rumble.

「Dear passengers, we would like to make a brief announcement. alpha Our train will temporarily stop to maintain a safe distance from the train ahead. august Thank you for your understanding.」

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

As if it were a starting signal.

「…Please remain calm and follow the instructions…」

“Then let’s give it a try.”

***

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

『Aaah! atlas Don’t push!』

『Get up! sphere They said there’s a fire!』

Before we could even make our way through all the cars shouting “Fire!”, an announcement began playing and the doors started opening.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

That was when—

Since there wasn’t actually a fire, I decided to stay out of the way and wait quietly so I wouldn’t get swept up in the crowd.

『Hey! amber Move out slowly!』

The sight of those masses of black letters, like a colony of ants, throwing themselves over one another to escape felt strangely unreal.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

『Excuse me.』

And at that instant.

Someone grabbed my arm.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

As if a digital distortion effect had occurred, my vision filled with static and the entire scene changed.

Like a hallucination.

Only for a moment.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

The subway hand straps looked like nooses.

“……”

A subway car so silent it could make you deaf.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

Faceless corpses swaying to the rhythm of the rattling train.

The voice addressed me again.

And from every one of them hung a hanged person.

『What company do you work for?』

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“Excuse me?”

I shook my head to clear away the lingering image.

I gently removed my arm from his grip and looked at the person.

Judging by the short hair and body build, he was probably a man.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

But he wasn’t wearing a school uniform.

『I asked where you work.』

At first I thought he might be a student because of his small stature and slender frame.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

『Because I’ve been watching you and some of your companions for quite a while now.』

Is this how future cult members start a conversation?

“Why do you ask?”

It was a completely unexpected question.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

Ah.

『And I was wondering exactly who you people are to be spreading lies like that.』

He must have been one of the passengers who had been riding in the same car as us from the beginning.

The fragmented letters, twisting like insects, lifted their gaze toward me as they drew closer.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

Did he think about reporting us for making a false emergency announcement?

If he had been observing us all this time, it was natural that he would find us suspicious.

We just had to stop the gas attack and complete the article’s “edit.”

It didn’t matter.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“Yes. admire A biological or chemical attack.”

『Something worse than a fire?』

“The truth is, we suspected something much worse. anchor But it was so absurd that we thought it would be more effective to say there was a fire and evacuate people quickly.”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

After all, once everyone got out and the situation was resolved, the edit would be completed and we would leave this world contained within the article.

『What? arctic Are you serious?』

I answered honestly while checking that nearly all the passengers had already left the train.

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

『…How strange.』

The mass of black letters clustered into the shape of a head tilted slightly to one side.

“Yes. echo So you should leave as soon as possible. avalanche Now that almost nobody is left, you’ll be able to get out safely—”

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

“…What?”

『Where did the information leak from?』

I felt a brutal impact on my lower jaw, as if it had been shattered.

Bam!

Content of How to Die in a Company That Turned Into a Labyrinth - Chapter 46: Now Our Train published by TrungTu Reads.

And the world went dark.