The rooftop, for many, is an oasis of calm—a place where students can relax and enjoy the silence away from the pressures of the world below. The perfect place to turn to when overwhelmed by life's biggest hurdles.

“It's pretty empty today, huh?” Heo-Yool said in passing as he set foot on the rooftop, his steps guided as he approached a spot by the guard railing, overlooking the sight of the school’s front yard.

Yoon-Ji nodded as she fell into place beside him, placing her arms on top of the barrier that separated her from a fall four storeys high. She watched as a stream of students walked the yard, then replied, "Most students have already gone home by now. We have extended clean-up duties, so it makes sense.”

“Right,” Heo-Yool nodded.

He took out a stick of cigarette from his pants pocket, examining it with his fingers for a moment before placing it between his lips. With a quick movement, he produced a lighter from his other pocket and sparked it to life, holding the flame to the end of the cigarette.

The cigarette ignited with a brief crackle, and Heo-Yool drew a deep breath. He exhaled slowly, letting a thick stream of smoke puff forth.

A moment of silence passed between them before Yoon-Ji turned, raising an eyebrow. “Was today that stressful?," she asked, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

Heo-Yool shrugged his shoulders. “Eh, Not really.”

But Yoon-Ji knew better. Contrary to how he was known, Heo-Yool wasn't all just about fun and mischief. Behind that class clown image and prankster he paraded around the school was a boy who had his days when things didn't work out the way he hoped they would. And the one thing he adopted to deal with this was to smoke.

Yoon-Ji shook her head, turning away from the heavy scent of smoke. “C’mon, you only smoke like this when you're bothered by something,” she said, a hint of concern in her tone. “If you just wanted to hit for fun, you wouldn't have dragged me along.”

“Maybe I just needed company,” the boy answered before continuing, “Also, aren't you happy I basically gave you a good excuse to skip out on cleaning duty? Not even the prez could object to it.”

This earned him a deadpan from Yoon-Ji, who told him, “Yool, you told everyone we were going to go take a piss.”

Heo-Yool broke out into a small grin before his expression immediately fell at the realization. “What’s wrong with—oh?"

"And the reason Jun-Hee couldn't say anything was because you dragged me before he could," Yoon-Ji explained, feeling out her wrist, which her friend strongly seized as he hastily whisked her away.

She wasn't upset or anything; she was just a bit fretful since she knew the boy's personality like the back of her hand. Heo-Yool didn't answer right away, so she used the opportunity to gaze at him, her face conveying a slight trace of concern behind a light-hearted tone.
 
“Look, I'm not going to pry much,” she said, her voice understanding. "Just remember, I'm here for you whenever you need me.”

She continued, a smile gracing her face. “We're best friends, after all.”

Though subtle, Heo-Yool's expression appeared to soften a little bit at Yoon-Ji's words, taking comfort in her assurance. One of the things he admired about her was her willingness to show her support for him. The 'him' who was virtually a nobody.

“Have any plans to change that?" Unsure how to respond without making the tone too mushy, Heo-Yool chuckled, weirdly wriggling his brows and casting an infectious grin across his face.
 
The girl guffawed, her melodic voice carrying over the air as Heo-Yool continued making weird faces.

"Just make up a better excuse next time, okay?" she asked, her voice returning to its normal tone as she calmed herself. "And seriously though, if you ever need someone to talk to or just want to get away from the chaos, I'm here for you."

At her words, there was a quiet moment of understanding between the two friends. Heo-Yool discarded his cigarette and trod on the smoldering embers. He then took a long breath and exhaled slowly, feeling his entire body relax. As the sun dipped below the horizon, providing a golden glow on the rooftop, the two friends lingered there for a few moments, savoring the scenery and each other's company.

For a moment, it felt like they were back in their childhood, before all the stresses and responsibilities of the world had hit them, when the only thing they cared about was playing and having fun with their friends. Where everything seemed to be perfect and nothing else mattered.

Yoon-Ji hummed to herself, feeling at ease in the tranquil silence. Suddenly, her friend called out, "Yoon,"

When Yoon-ji turned to face Heo-Yool, she felt her breath seize in her throat. As the golden light of the setting sun illuminated his face, she noticed his soft grin, and time seemed to stand still for a brief period.
 
He then spoke, in a voice free from the weight of all the stresses and worries of the world:

"Thank you."

–

Looking at the bloodied and mangled body splayed out at the bottom of the building, a pit formed in Yoon-Ji’s stomach. Her eyes traced over the figure who had been in her company just the previous night, and she felt bile rapidly climbing up her throat.

She recounted the events of the previous night. The sudden, violent thrashing of Heo-Yool, the panicked screams and cries of her classmates, the eerie silence that had followed—all of it came flooding back to her in a blur of terrifying sensations.

Dead. Heo-Yool was now dead. He was only among them yesterday, and now he lay lifeless on the pavement, having fallen victim to the unknown presence, forcing them to play a cruel and twisted version of the mafia game. Her friend had died, and she was one of those who were at fault.

Yoon-Ji strained to catch her breath. Her hands immediately sought the base of the shattered window for support, leading her to double over and ultimately vomit all over the floor. The bile seared her throat, and her eyes welled up with tears as she absorbed it all.
 
Yoon-Ji, still reeling from the shock, crept forward to take another look at the body. Before she could do so, someone yanked on her shirt, forcing her away. "Are you crazy?" the individual asked. "Get away from the window!"

She allowed herself to be drawn back, but her gaze remained fixed on the window from which her friend jumped.

"Yool," she muttered, her voice quivering as she imparted her final words: "I'm sorry.”

The hand that was tugging on her shirt slowly went away after ascertaining that she made no further attempts to walk towards the window. And when Yoon-Ji turned to thank the owner of the appendage for their help, she was surprised to come across Go Kyung-Jun.

His expression remained unaffected. But there was something deep beneath those dark eyes that reflected the exact opposite of the image he built for himself.

Kyung-Jun seemed… afraid.

She held herself back from saying anything, merely nodding in thanks and watching the male quietly turn as he walked away. The sight of the male's strong back clad in a vivid green jacket struck her with the realization that it was Kyung-Jun who helped her the night before. The one who kept her grounded while her heart broke for her friend.

Before he could continue, he abruptly halted and muttered in a low tone that no one other than her could hear, surprising the girl, "Hey.”

He turned his head and gestured his eyes towards the pair of hands she kept lowered to her sides. “Your hands are all messed up; you need to get them fixed soon."

Yoon-Ji furrowed her brow in puzzlement, then looked down to see her palms bleeding and strewn with little cuts. She looked back up and towards the window, realizing that the remaining shattered glasses on the base had cut her.

She turned to thank Kyung-Jun a second time, only to discover that he had left without uttering anything else, most likely to reunite with his friends. As always, his true intentions were completely lost on her. But that was a thought for another time.

"Yoon!" Eun-Ha's voice cried out to her, and she spun around to see the girl running towards her, Eun-Chan and Yeon-Woo were nowhere to be seen.

When her friend halted in front of her, she was immediately bombarded with words of concern as the other frantically checked her wounds and shakily examined Yoon-Ji's palms, "Wait here, I'll go to the infirmary and see if they have a kit."

"No," Yoon-Ji replied, shaking her head. "I'm fine... I can't feel it right now.”

"Yoon!" Eun-Ha raised her voice, her breath heaving as she stared at the other in apprehension One of their friends had just died a cruel death, she didn't want anything more to transpire. Especially not to her close friends.

But she knew Yoon-Ji. She understood that, despite her typical go-with-the-flow approach towards life, the girl was extremely firm about her decisions. Nobody could stop her once she made her choice. So she gradually backed down, merely placing her concerned gaze on her friend.

"Where are the others?" Yoon-Ji inquired, her voice significantly more composed than when she initially spoke. Although her friend's death left her unimaginable anguish, she knew better than to sit around and wait for her own demise.

"I think they're trying to find the person who made the announcement last night," Eun-Ha said, fumbling uncomfortably with her skirt. She went on to say, "And the others are probably trying to find Ju-Won's body.”

From the moment they woke up, another dreadful announcement was played. It was then they were relayed the news of Ju-Won's death, having apparently been killed by the mafia. What followed afterwards was a revelation of his own role. Curiously enough, he was a mafia himself, so on top of every question they had on the existence of the game, this roused a multitude of new questions within everyone's heads.

How did the boy die when he was a mafia himself? Did the ones assigned mafia perhaps not know each other's identities? Or was there something else they were missing from the picture?

“Ju-Won…” Yoon-Ji trailed off, vividly remembering the boy’s last appearance before everything went awry. She recalled the male's exhausted visage and her head snapped towards Eun-Ha, “Wait! I think I saw him go into the comfort room last night!”

“Really?”

Before they could finish conversing, a student raced down the flight of stairs. He peered about anxiously before focusing on their forms. He cried out to them from the opposite end of the hallway, "Hey! Hey there, you two!"

"Leave the building now! Hurry!" He urged, offering no other explanation before dashing out, leaving the girls to glance at one other in shock before following suit.

Their hastened steps rhythmically thumped against the floor while they ran as quickly as they could. They eventually matched the pace of their classmates, who were also on their way outdoors. Kim Jun-Hee and So-Mi led their class out into the front yard where they were left to stand around, unsure on what to do afterwards.

Yoon-Ji remained close to Eun-Ha before noticing her other friends and hushing them so they could all stick together.

"Where do we go now?" So-Mi inquired, her gaze nervously darting around.

Jun-Hee took a second to think before pointing towards the west direction and replying, “I saw a gas station over that way yesterday, Let's go there.” Their group advanced forward, while Yoon-Ji’s lot lagged behind.

“Your palms…” Yeon-Woo said in shock, peering at Yoon-Ji’s appendage littered with cuts whereas Eun-Chan’s face twisted with a mix of worry and disgust as he looked at the bloodied mess and asked, “Does it still hurt? Is anything still openly bleeding?"

Yoon-Ji shook her head no in denial, before forcing her hand into her pocket then pulling out her phone to look at the state of the game that started it all.

She was bewildered, and understandably so. For some reason, something felt off. The whole setup felt off. If they were, say, made to participate in such a terrifying game, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that those in charge must have done something to ensure they kept playing? As terrible as that seemed, it made no sense to set everything up only to give them the freedom to opt out later.

"What are you doing?" Eun-Ha asked, gnawing at her lower lips worriedly as she looked from her friend then towards the other students who had made it further out into the front yard, almost within the reach of the road. “We're going to get left behind, Yoon! Let's go!”

"No! Wait!" Yoon-Ji exclaimed frantically tapping the screen of her phone. After receiving no response, she pocketed the mobile device and looked around, "Something doesn't feel right…"

“What–” A blaring horn suddenly played from the public announcement system, interrupting their group from expanding on what the girl had said. They all looked up to see what prompted the warning and spotted their classmates only a few feet away from the road.

The students paused and looked about, terrified.

"The game must take place within the boundaries," the voice announced, causing everyone to repeat the words with their own puzzlement. Just like Yoon-Ji suspected, whoever or whatever was behind this wanted them to carry on playing the twisted mafia game of death.

"Boundaries..." Yoon-Ji trailed off. She and her companions looked at each other before making the ultimate decision to stay as far away from the boundary as possible. They remained in place and looked ahead, watching as the others debated what to make of the warning.

As Yoon-Ji witnessed some of them move to flee, "Everyone, stop!! Do not go any farther!" She screamed to the best of her ability, hoping that her classmates would hear her out. "Listen to the warning!"

Her friends watched her and then joined in, pleading for the rest to return. They had no idea what would happen if anybody disobeyed the warnings and left, but it was best not to take any chances.

Fortunately, most of them listened well out of fear and kept away from the border, which they had identified as a strip of white line that isolated them from the rest of the world. Nonetheless, a couple of students lingered close to the line, anticipating the class president's decision.

"Get back!" After some thought, Jun-Hee yelled, ushering those who remained: "Keep away from the line!"

"For what?!" Lee Sang-Hwan, one of their classmates, stepped up and confronted the President. He peered at the white line and then at the president, almost as if he could not understand what the other was proposing. "Do you guys actually believe this nonsense?”

The question stunned Jun-Hee, so when he replied in silence, the other took it as a cue and stormed towards the road, saying, "I don't freaking care! I'm leaving."

"Sang-Hwan!"

"Stop!"

Various cries and yells filled the air as the male dashed past the line and out into the middle of the road in no time. His friend, who had followed him out of concern, likewise crossed the line, causing the announcement system to broadcast the news they had been fearing, unsettling everyone to their core.

“For breaking the rules, Lee Sang-Hwan will be executed,” The haunting announcement rang, followed by another, “For breaking the rules, Kim Hyun-Seok will be executed.”

Within a few seconds, the two were grasping their own heads, much like Heo-Yool did before he started hurting himself. After a while, they came to a halt, looked up from their places, and stared everyone in the eyes with hauntingly blank expressions.

Their names spilled from the lips of the students, who could only watch in defeat from a distance. Some tried yelling out to persuade the two to return within the bounds, but it was futile. All that remained of them were the shelves of their former selves, devoid of anything save their burning desire to kill themselves.

What followed was a difficult sight. The two friends began to fight each other, brutally striking their skulls in an attempt to crack them open. Every hit resounded loudly, echoing the screams of dread that erupted each time the two stumbled away from one another after impact.

“What are you guys doing?!"

"Stop!!"

The violence continued until a particularly forceful hit threw Sang-Hwan to the ground, leaving blood pooling beneath his head as he convulsed in utter terror. Hyun-Seok, who was left standing alone, shuffled to one side of his friend's body before dipping and securing a large piece of stone.

Understanding what he intended to do with the object, everyone cried for him to stop, but it was no use. Hyun-Seok's body fell to the ground in a matter of seconds, the scene etched in the minds of everyone there.

As everyone stood around in silence, the final announcement came: "Lee Sang-Hwan and Kim Hyun-Seok were citizens."

The students stood in shock, unable to grasp how things had spiralled out of control so quickly. It was outrageous that just a few moments of anxiety and terror had resulted in the deaths of two more classmates.

If this was how the game went, how would they survive? How could they continue knowing that, at any point, they could become victims of the mafia? Or that any minor action they took that deviated from the game designers' intended plan could kill them?

With each passing moment, it appeared like the prospects of survival were growing increasingly small. The likelihood of losing somebody else was too much to take.

But as long as they didn't have a clear way out, this was a reality they'd face sooner rather than later.

—

The silence was palpable.

It felt as if the students were in a vacuum, unable to breathe or speak. The only feeling in the air was one of hopelessness and terror. Even the class leaders, Jun-Hee and So-Mi, appeared overwhelmed, unable to impart words of comfort to the others.

Yoon-Ji and her pals sought refuge in a pillar near the stairs. They sat on the floor, taking comfort in one other's company.

Eun-Ha decided to begin treating Yoon-Ji's palms, first disinfecting the wounds with the hydrogen peroxide she picked up on a quick trip to the infirmary. Yoon-Ji snarled as her friend wiped a cotton ball against her wounds, feeling more sensitive to pain than before as the unexpected surge of adrenaline dissipated.

"I told you we should've treated it earlier," Eun-Ha chastised, sniffling, before asking, "Do you think there's any glass left in there?"

Yoon-Ji pumped her palms open and shut, then jerked her head no. After that, Eun-Ha covered her palms in bandages and declared, "I'm not a professional at this, okay? If you bleed again, it's not on me."

"I know that," Yoon-Ji said with a faint smile, watching her companion fumble with the clean wrappings.

Yeon-Woo, who was sitting next to Eun-Ha, peered at her treated palms and nodded approvingly, "At least it looks better than before."

"But," Eun-Chan said, "how did you get those?" Were they present when you awoke?" He asked, fearful that one of the mafias hidden among their classmates might have caused the wounds.

“No, I was…” Yoon-Ji took a deep breath before continuing, “I was trying to look at Heo-Yool this morning…”

Another wave of stillness followed this admission. The hurt inflicted by the death of their dear companion was still fresh in their hearts, so while reckless, they couldn't blame the girl for wanting to glimpse her closest friend one more time.

As they basked in an unnerving calm, a phone flew out of someone's palm and landed on the tiled floor with a tremendous smash. The sound made everyone's hearts jump a beat, and their gazes shifted to Shin Seung-Bin, who was violently gripping his head.

"Damnit!" He yelled, his voice tinged with frustration and despair, and the others could sense the gloom of the situation coming up on them again. "Why don't our phones work?!”

Hearing this, a few students couldn't help but let out the tears they'd been withholding, while others exchanged glances of uncertainty, not knowing what to do or where to turn. All they knew was that the tension was increasing by the second, and they could feel their nerves fraying as they tried to think of a way out.

Yoon-Ji couldn't help but feel anxious as she looked about at her classmates. The class president's sombre thinking on the stairs, the Vice President's nervous gnawing of her nails, and her companions' hushed tears were all vivid reminders that they were in a life-or-death situation.

She couldn't help but be wary of the fact that some of these very same people crying and sympathising with them may in fact be the very same ones who would end their lives the very next day. But no matter how hard she tried to rationalise it, her conscience couldn't help but be tugged by the truth that none of them had asked to be put in this scenario to begin with.

She knew Ju-Won did not.

Heo-Yool did not.

Neither of them did.

"Yoon," Eun-Ha's quiet voice penetrated the solitude, making the girl hum in askance, "Do you think we'll find a way out…?"

Any other opportunity, she would have wasted no time in assuring her friend that, undoubtedly, they would find a way. Because this is what they've always done. They would always find ways to get out of trouble, no matter how serious it was.

But when she looked around again, noting the difference in numbers between when they first came and now, her words froze in her mouth. She let out a big, trembling sigh before saying, "I don't know."

Their ruminations were interrupted when a quietly sobbing Mi-Na walked forward in her place, drawing everyone's attention. She shakily asked no one in particular, "W-What should we do next?”

“Will we all die if we stay here?” The girl followed up, causing a few heads snap towards her direction, as if considering the implications of the words she just imparted. 

The president replied carefully, and everyone in the room turned to look at him. He remained silent for a moment before asserting his words, his voice steady yet reluctant. "Our teacher...he'll be back soon, let's just wait."

"No one's coming," Park Ji-Soo abruptly interjected, her voice shaking with emotion as she looked to Jun-Hee for answers. "How long do we have to stay here around those dead bodies? I can't stand it!”

Eun-Ha rose up, her voice trembling, and called out to Ji-Soo in defence. "Can you not...?" she asked, shaking her head. "Can you not call them 'bodies'?”

Yoon-Ji placed her hand on her friend's back and reassured her with a pat. She knew precisely how her friend felt about the use of the phrase. Referring to Heo-Yool and the other victims as 'bodies', as if they were just objects that needed to be disposed of in order for her to feel at ease, sparked a new form of rage.

She looked at Ji-Soo with a noticeably angered forehead crease and added, "Eun-Ha's right. I know you're scared, we all are, but the way you're referring to your classmates, to my best friend, it all sounds dehumanising.”

"They're dead," Ji-Soo responded firmly, twisting her face as she spoke squarely in front of Yoon-Ji. "What else should I call them then? Should I have to say their complete names so you feel better?"

Yoon-Ji's frown grew. The tension in the room got thicker by the second, as everyone's emotions, already delicate due to the gravity of their predicament, were pushed to the breaking point.

"Hey," the girl insisted, crying out to Jun-Hee, "Will you do something? We need to go home!”

Eun-Chan, who had been fuming since Ji-Soo began her tirade, slammed his right fist against a nearby post and walked forward. "Can you just shut up?" he exploded in a fit of rage.

"How can you even say something like that after seeing what happened to Sang-Hwan and Hyun-Seok? If you want to die so bad, then why don't you go and do it yourself? Don't drag any of us with you.”

Ji-Soo, evidently taken aback by his words, scoffed and began to shuffle away in an obvious attempt to make good on her threatened actions. Cha Yoo-Joon, her boyfriend, quickly stopped her movement and softly but firmly placed a hand on her shoulder. While his contact was not firm, it was enough to stop her in her tracks.

Said male then turned his attention to their vice president, saying, "Kim So-Mi, do you really not know when the teacher is coming back?”

So-Mi, who had been deep in concentration, finally looked up and answered Yoo-Joon's query with a simple, "I don't know."

Her nerves were undoubtedly tense, and she fidgeted nervously with the ends of her hair. “How can I when I can't even reach him?"

The others could barely stomach the silence that hung in the air. The only sound was the frantic beat of their hearts.

As Yoon-Ji began to speak, the students listened intently. "If we don't find a way out before night comes," she added, "that means we'll have to play by the rules of the game, right?"

Her words, while mentioned calmly, carried a weight of reality that impacted each of the students, reminding them that they were not being held at the retreat centre for no reason. They were there because they had a game to play. A deadly game.
 
"Are you the mafia?" Ji-Soo spoke up again, ignoring her boyfriend's attempts to calm her down and accusingly pointing at Yoon-Ji. "Seriously, why are you bringing that up now? What? Can't wait to kill us?”

"No, but why are you pressing Yoon?" Yeon-Woo irritably inquired aloud, annoyed that the other had just spent half her time complaining at everyone. Yoon-Ji simply rolled her eyes and prepared to explain why she had brought up the game.

Before she could open her mouth, a deep grunt cut through the strained air, stunning everyone in the room. It did not take long for the others to recognise Kyung-Jun's voice. He pointed at Ji-Soo with an annoyed expression on his face, his hand firmly running through his hair. "Hey, you,”

“If you're not going to say anything helpful just shut your mouth.”

"Go Kyung-Jun," Jang Hyun-Ho warned, making eye contact with the delinquent. The other didn't back down from the stern glare, and after determining that there was no intent to physically harm anyone, the former just up and broke it himself.

Ji-Soo scoffed, but the delinquent's intervention appeared to have an effect, as she backed down and rushed to her boyfriend's wide arms. Meanwhile, Yoon-Ji gave Kyung-Jun a look, but he had already turned away, suggesting that he had no interest in moving forward with the subject.

With the issue settled, she took the opportunity to observe her surroundings. Yoon-Seo, Jung-Won, and Jun-Hee appeared to have already left the classroom. According to Eun-Ha, the three ran upstairs when Yoon-Seo happened to have an idea.

They'd find out soon whether it was worthwhile.

As the group disappeared beyond sight, So-Mi's face turned sour. She said to the rest of the group, "You guys can go back to your rooms for now. If we find anything new, we'll let you know."

With that, she called on her posse and vanished, leaving everyone to wonder what got her worked up.  Yoo-Joon and Ji-Soo trailed her, with the latter giving Yoon-Ji a dirty stare before leaving.

“What's her deal, really?" Yeon-Woo murmured his gaze locked on the direction in which the others had gone. Yeon-Woo, being close to the troublesome Heo-Yool all the time, wasn't a stranger to the kind of looks Ji-Soo had been giving his friend.

He could understand if she was looking at someone like them, but Yoon-Ji? He couldn't think of a single reason to be hostile to her even if he tried.

“Don’t mind her,” Eun-Chan advised his friend while shaking his own head, “She probably doesn't mean any of it.”

"She doesn't," Yoon-Ji responded, nodding. "She's just scared, and I get that." She really did. Although she was able to rapidly, if not totally, adjust to the new circumstances imposed on them, this wasn't the case for everyone.

"So, what do we do now?" Eun-Ha asked, her gaze shifting between the three of them. They were essentially sitting ducks while waiting for an update from the class leaders. The majority of their classmates had already begun to split, seeing no point in remaining in the lobby.

Yeon-Woo said straightforwardly, "I think it's safer if we stay in our rooms for now."

They were all aware of the potential mafias hiding amongst them and the dangers that it posed. So, for Yeon-Woo, the only people he knew he could trust and confide in now were the ones who had no qualms to (try) show their roles to him, even before they knew the game was real.

The two concurred with each other and turned to a spacing out Yoon-Ji for her own confirmation. Startled out of her thoughts, she turned to face her friends.

"Uh," she started out, "You can go ahead without me. I still need to do something."

A look of confusion crossed her friends' faces. Eun-Ha inquired, "Don't you already have your phone with you?"

Yoon-Ji affirmed her by nodding and replying, "I do."

Yeon-Woo attempted to press her for further details, but Eun-Chan quickly intervened. The latter placed a hand on top of his shoulder and looked at Yoon-Ji with genuine worry, saying, "Just be careful out here, okay? If anything happens, run back to our room and don't hesitate to call for help."

Yoon-Ji smiled at her companions and nodded. "I will," she said in a whisper. She gave them one last reassuring gesture before waving them off as they trudged back towards their room.

After determining that they were no longer in the vicinity, she looked to the front desk and saw Kyung-Jun, his two thugs, and Jin Da-Beom, who was trying to keep himself small.

She gathered her strength and carefully approached the crowd, her shoes tapping lightly against the floor. Before she could approach them, Kyung-Jun motioned for one of his friends, Seung-Bin, to leave.

The short-haired male nodded and ushered Kim Jin-Ha. The latter arched a quizzical eyebrow before shoving Jin Da-Beom away. The gesture caused Yoon-Ji's brows to furrow downward, as if finding it all to be unnecessary, but before she could say anything, Kyung-Jun grabbed her attention by thrusting his hands inside his jacket pocket. His actions generated a soft jingling, which caused her to tilt her head.

Kyung-Jun peered at her with intrigue in his dark eyes after the three were completely out of sight. Before Yoon-Ji could begin to speak, the male had already beaten her to it, asking, "What do you want?"

"What is that?" Yoon-Ji queried, her gaze fixed on the pocket where Kyung-Jun's other hand remained. It was difficult not to ask out of suspicion, given that they were dealing with a game based on falsehoods and deception and that the prospect of actual death hung over their heads.

Kyung-Jun's gaze dropped to his hand, then back up. Yoon-Ji expected him to avoid the subject in some way, but she was astonished by his response: "Just some extra change I picked up from the desk.”

“Why?” He continued, the corners of his lips quirking up in amusement, “You want some of it?”

"No," Yoon-Ji replied, unimpressed by Kyung-Jun's excuse. She knew it couldn't be just some spare change, given how Kyung-Jun hid it and how he refused to let his friends see what he was up to.

Nonetheless, she refrained from pressing more, not wanting to risk enraging the man. Especially since his role remains a mystery to her.  

"I wanted to thank you," Yoon-Ji said. "For last night and this morning.”

“And during the meeting, remember that?" Kyung-Jun pointed out, tilting his head as his expression grew even more overtaken with a hint of his typical arrogance. Yoon-Ji exhaled quietly in displeasure before nodding and acknowledging, "The meeting, right."

“As I was saying,” she began to expound on her appreciation for the male's actions. “I wasn't thinking straight during those times, so I'm thankful that you stopped me from doing anything I would have regretted. That's all I really wanted to say.”

Kyung-Jun was not the most agreeable person in the class, especially given the type of activities he took part in. But it was understandable that she would want to express her gratitude after assisting her while she was in need. Unfortunately, due to recent circumstances, she did not have the opportunity to do it much earlier.

"Thank you."

The male didn't react much to her words, and she wasn't really in the mood to stay and try to get one, so she dipped her head in a nod as to say goodbye and turned to leave. But before she could, Kyung-Jun spoke once again: “If you really want to thank me, then I want you to answer my question honestly.”

Yoon-Ji paused. She knew she had nothing to hide, so she nodded, indicating her willingness to answer anything as long as it did not go beyond what she deemed reasonable.

“What’s your role?"

The two stared at each other, a chill crawling up their bodies as the question rang out. The girl wasn't prepared for the other to ask, but she figured it was most reasonable given their situation. He was probably seeking to figure out who his enemies were and who he could trust. Fortunately, she understood how to work around it.

"Since I'm going to show you mine anyhow, wouldn't it be fair if you showed me yours first?” She asked, her voice lacking any sort of tremble that would normally be there whenever she had the displeasure of interacting with the delinquent and his lot.

Noticing this, Kyung-Jun scoffed, "Suddenly grew a pair overnight, huh?"

Hearing no verbal response, he pondered the benefits of the deal, what he would gain from the exchange and promptly agreed, "Fine."

He pulled out his phone and disclosed his role to Yoon-Ji, who acknowledged and tucked her right hand into her own skirt pocket. She took her phone out and, after a few clicks on the screen, turned it towards an expectant Kyung-Jun.

A minute of stillness passed as the male intently examined the screen before returning his gaze to the girl's face.

"It's blank," he said, his visage infuriated at the idea of being double-crossed.

“So was yours,” Yoon-Ji replied, the revelation surprising the male as his eyes noticeably widened.

"Did you know?"

The girl nodded. She then put her phone back in her pocket and gazed into Kyung-Jun's eyes, feeling an unfamiliar boldness burning in her that she couldn't remember having before everything that transpired.

She already knew that the role screen showed as blank when others looked at it. But anyone who didn't know that would assume it did. Citizens don't really get disadvantaged when they make their roles known, however, if an unsuspecting mafia were asked to show their role, they would be much wary and try to deny any such exchange from taking place.

The fact that Kyung-Jun agreed to show his own without so much as a complaint or doubt basically confirmed he was not assigned a killing role.

Of course it would be a different conversation altogether if Kyung-Jun had already known about this and was confident his role wouldn't be found, but the way he pointed out her blank screen and how he reacted after being told his own screen was blank told her everything she needed.

“Before we knew about the game, my friends already tried showing their roles to one another,” Yoon-Ji recounted, “They did it to clear each other, but the screen only showed as blank. No matter who looked, there was something barring us from looking at other’s roles.”

In a way, not being able to clear themselves directly turned out to be the one thing that made them completely trust each other now.

Kyung-Jun carefully considered her words, speaking in an incredulous tone, “So me not knowing it would show as blank, somehow clears me from being mafia?”

Yoon-Ji nodded and watched as Kyung-Jun let out a breathy laugh, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked at the girl and asked, “How do you know I'm not just acting? Maybe I already knew about that and was trying to see your reaction.”

“I considered that too,” ’–And many more’ Yoon-Ji thought. In truth, there were many flaws to this whole plan. Aside from the knowledge of the blank screen, the existence of the police and doctor role placed a huge uncertainty in the reliability of the ‘test’.

The two were very important roles, and both were on the side of the innocent. Obviously, those assigned the aforementioned roles would go through ends just to try and hide themselves from the mafia. And going by this logic, if they ended up getting tested, they would likely act the same way the mafias would.

That's why the test was incredibly flawed, and wasn't something she would ever consider doing again to anyone else after Kyung-Jun, “The way you reacted seemed pretty telling to me.”

Kyung-Jun stared her for a moment before letting out a huff of air, barely audible beneath a whisper, "Unbelievable." He found it hard to believe that the girl had managed to figure him out so quickly. He had always prided himself on his ability to read people, but this girl seemed to be on a different level.

“Tell me honestly then,” He removed his hand from his jacket, before using it to run his fingers through his hair, “Are you really innocent?”

The question was intended to confirm the other's role. Kyung-Jun had no confidence that what the girl was saying was entirely factual, so he could only rely on these verbal confirmations that he might be able to use later. Whether it was to back the other up or go against her.

Without wasting a second, Yoon-Ji nodded in confirmation, Yes. She didn't bother to provide any explanation to back herself up, she simply let the male do all the deciding, carefully assessing her mannerism with his sharp eyes.

A short moment later, he asked, "Are you done then? Got everything you needed?"

She nodded in reply, "Yeah, I'm gonna head back now," before turning and walking away. Kyung-Jun stood there silently, his expression barely betraying any emotion other than a small nod.

As Kyung-Jun watched the girl’s strides, his mind was slowly filled with conflicting thoughts. He couldn't deny the apprehensive feeling that had crept up on him since the start of this game. From the moment they learned they were made to play a game of life and death, Kyung-Jun's anxiety had only grown. And now that he had seen with his own eyes how three of his classmates fell prey to the throes of death, the feeling was only amplified.

Since then, Kyung-Jun had found himself at a crossroads. He could either try to play the game on his own, relying solely on his own skills and instinct, or he could try to find an alliance, trusting in others and hoping that they would keep him safe. But who could he trust? And how could he trust them? These were the questions that lingered in Kyung-Jun's mind.

The unexpected presence that was Yoon-Ji suddenly barraged into the scene, and startled him out of this line of thinking.

When she approached him after the most recent events, he was plenty sure it wouldn't last long, like their interaction always ends up being. So he made a speedy decision, and asked the one question that had been resting on the tip of his tongue since everything started.

‘What’s your role?’

It was a very simple question, answerable simply by a word or two. But in that moment, it was one meant to unravel another’s entire facade, to measure whether they were to be trusted or if they were a threat who had to be neutralized.

In a strange turn of events, the only thing that came out of it, was himself getting found out. Him, Go Kyung-Jun. He, who not even the school disciplinary committee could contain. The idea was almost laughable. But he contained his feelings and listened as the other shared the considerations she made to assess his role.

After all was well and explained, he tried to make excuses for himself. But the other easily turned them down, and he was left with the knowledge that there was finally someone inside the building who knew what he was.

This someone, a girl, who he barely knew past the few times he'd tried to mess with her friends. The one, who to him, stuck out from the rest of the class. And the same one whose hauntingly traumatized expression burned itself into his head the night they witnessed a classmate jump to his death.

This was someone to whom he could probably gamble his trust.

Before Yoon-Ji could completely disappear out of his line of sight, Kyung-Jun called out for the last time, “Hey!”

The girl turned her head towards the voice, and he continued, “If I find out you lied to me, I'll be the first to vote you out.” The threat hung clearly on the end of his words, but along with it came the message that Yoon-ji wasn't expecting, but wholly appreciated.

Kyung-Jun trusted her.

She nodded her head to his words and walked off to return upstairs, feeling a strong sense of relief.

One of her main concerns since the game began has been finding someone she could trust. With so many students in their class and no information on who got which roles, it was difficult not to feel anxious. 

Admittedly, her approaching Kyung-Jun was motivated by a desire to return the act of civility she received, but simply an urge to return the act of decency she'd received. However, the resulting development that came from it, was certainly not an unwelcome one.

With this new bridge of trust forged between her and Kyung-Jun, she hopes he can help her and her friends navigate their way through this game filled with lies and deceit.

( note )
7k yap chapter
sorry for taking too long to update!
I've been busy with college stuff
and even now I'm struggling to
fit writing into my schedule but
dw I'm not stopping this anytime soon.

you can see kyungjun being less
murdery here but will that last? we dk

Also, Idk if I explained what Yoon-Ji did
well enough, but basically she used the blank
role screen to try and see if Kyung-Jun
would cooperate or not, If he didn't,
Yoon-Ji would've considered the act sus
BUT, I'm not saying THAT'S completely
reasonable since in panic there
would probably be others who are innocent
but would also try to hide their role
so uh, Yoon-Ji was kinda stupid for that smh!

unedited!