[Encore]

Everyone is shocked as they see me, face to face with Ashley, inches away from grabbing her collar and hit her face. Yeah, that big, red face, a perennial mask of glares, so puncheable, so... I'm at loss of words. She has just managed to let my worst side show.

Although I wish the others called for a fight, they don't. They somehow believe I'm too good to beat someone up. My fists are clenched, my bottom lip is swollen due to constant biting, my veins could pop at any time.

'Guys, I've disappointed you. I thought you'd see me as a cool guy, but the truth is, I'm anything but.' This thought keeps popping in my mind, to the point that I bite my upper lip, as well.

Kasey and Anna exchange worried glances. Amy, who has since stopped crying with Wendy, is dumbfounded. They don't know what to say or to do. They don't know if trying to get Ashley to reason is worth it. They don't know if they're ready to listen to my confession. Same goes with the other inmates, including Ashley, who sees this as a chance to throw yet more shit at me.

Lily asks, "Why did you snap at Ashley? She didn't tell the truth, did she?" She's now starting to doubt my integrity. That's predictable. I can't keep quiet forever.

I squish my eyes. "No, she's wrong. Even though my family was involved in tax evasion, I didn't have anything to do with that shit. Still, I didn't leave South Korea only for that. I left because of a girl."

"A girl? Really? Like, what? You dumped her or what?" Lee's mind is a whirlwind of assumptions that don't go straight to the point. He, like the other inmates, must believe I lied about never being a relationship. Let's make things clear, I never considered Lee Daehwa a girlfriend or someone I had a date with.

"Come on, Lee, you watch too many rom com dramas!" I exclaim out of frustration. "We never even dated. To be honest, I wasn't even interested in her."

"But she was obsessed with you, I guess," comments Anna. "Did you tell her honestly what you felt about her?"

I sigh. "I did. But she seems to live in Dreamland. Every time I rejected, she insisted that we're meant to be together. The point is, I don't like her. I don't give a damn about her. Still, everyone insists that we're meant to be together. That's bullshit."

"Okay, but why haven't you told anyone? I mean-" Anna cuts herself off. My frown clearly intimidates her. She realizes that and apologizes. "Sorry, I shouldn't have made that question."

"That's not the problem, Anna. That was just a question. It's not that I couldn't tell anyone, I just didn't want to until now," I answer, hoping to finally clear doubt about this matter.

It turns out that I shouldn't be that optimistic, though. Ashley is still diffident and doesn't want to relent on her witch hunt against me. She sneers, "Oh, really, are you telling me now that you left your home country just because you don't have the guts to reject a girl? Save it. You're pathetic."

"Ashley, you're testing my patience once again. Don't force me to take drastic measures." As I pronounce those two words in particular, the others stay quiet. What they perceive as a threat is my way of making things clear. She bites her tongue, at least for now.

On the other hand, Wendy asks, "About that girl, what's her name?"

I gulp. "Lee Daehwa."

"What's the problem with her? Apart from you rejecting her and so on."

"Well, she doesn't really take 'no' as an answer. Even though I tried to tell her that we can't be together, she insists."

"You've already told us, though," insists Anna. "Come on, there must be something more about her."

"Well, I nearly lost my old job because of her. She kept showing up at the worst time even though I warned her not to. Also, she's related to a person I can't really stand," I explain, but Ashley still doubts my words. She has a point, but I somewhat believe that she doesn't want to get past her prejudice against me.

Lily comments, "Oh no! That's not a good sign. I'm sure your parents understood, right?"

I scratch my head. "You're wrong, Lily. They don't understand. When I told them Daehwa isn't my type, to say the least, they dismissed it as bullshit." The more I talk about her, the worse. I'm sure she's going to call me soon. I'm also sure that, although I'm tempted to leave her hanging, the other inmates will push me into answering.

"So, are you telling me that, if it were for your parents and people around you back in Korea, you'd have to marry that woman even though you don't like her? That sucks," states Amy, wrinking her nose out of disgust.

"That's not a combined marriage, Amy. It's just out of convenience," points out Wendy. She's also wrong, though. A one-sided love doesn't mean my family are steering clear from attempting to marry me off to that creep.

"I guess there's another reason behind your dislike of that woman," adds Kasey. "It can't be only a matter of feelings."

"You're right, Kasey. There's another reason. I don't like her because her father is responsible for my best friend's death." Rage is running through my veins. My breath is ragged. My face is blood red. I bite my lips with all my strength.

I perfectly understand why the others want this game to end as soon as possible. They, unlike me, are as pale as ghosts. They're all openmouthed, unable to utter a single word.

I've just thrown them into the whirlwind of my life. They don't deserve to be tangled in my mess. They only have to get rid of their own burdens, not to bear mine as well.

The only way to sort it out is to put an end to this perverse game. Fuck rules. Hopefully, this is a turning point for everyone, so that they can go back to their ordinary lives with a newfound spirit and the will to sort out their issues once for all.

My intentions, however, are shattered as soon as my phone begins ringing.

"Who is it?" asks Kasey, a worried expression on his face.

I extract my phone from my jeans pocket and read the number out loud before saying between gritted teeth, "Daehwa."

"That girl? Does she need to call right now?" Amy frowns out of annoyance, followed by Wendy and Anna.

Knowing that an international call on KakaoTalk comes with a cost and wanting to put an end to this bullshit once for all, I decide to answer, regardless of the others' worried glances and silent pleads.

"Daehwa-ssi."

"At least you decided to answer. Listen, I really need to talk to you."

I make a sign to the others to come close to me, all while putting the phone in speaker mode.

"First of all, I really need to apologize to you for being so insistent. I shouldn't have bragged about my feelings for you. You became distant because I hurt you. Before you hang up on me, please let me explain everything."

"Okay. But I'm not alone. I'm with some other inmates from the place where I live. We were playing a game together-"

She cuts me off. "Are you joking? How can you organize a gathering in the middle of a pandemic? You're crazy!"

"Stop worrying. I know what I'm doing. Unless I find out someone caught Corona and lied to me about it, I'm safe. Also, I know a way not to get caught."

Anna, Lee, Kasey and Wendy barely retain laughter. The four of them, although they don't understand anything Daehwa says, believe she's subtly trying to flirt with me. I, on the other hand, think she's being sincere.

"Anyway, what were you talking about?"

"I... I..." She seems to be crying on the other line. "I lost everything. Mom and Dad got caught, too."

"Oh, shit. Have you got a plan?"

"No."

Amy asks out of a sudden. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember the tax evasion issue?" I explain. "Well, Daehwa is basically begging me to help her because her parents were also arrested."

Lily gasps. "That's sick! How could both of your families deceive you?"

I sigh. "Well, this is one of the reasons that brought me to wanting to know everything about the people I meet."

Everyone else in the room understands. Perhaps even Ashley. For the first time since the game began, she hasn't frowned or glared at anyone.

When I said this is indeed a turning point, I was right.