If were to ask the book i'd be most excited for if i am a reader of my books, i'd say this one HAHAHAHA i hope you guys love this book as much as i do <3

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"s-sanggyun?"

taehyun takes the first foul step, not letting the younger boys get closer to sanggyun– or the body, if he looked at it (but yet he does not want to admit it, sanggyun is still alive sanggyun is still alive goddamnit) he approaches slowly, more desperate with each step.

"hyung." donghan whimpers. taehyun doesn't reply. "hyung,"

"he's not dead, donghan. i still believe that." taehyun assures him, though he's not sure anymore once he lays his eyes again on sanggyun, whose blood was already spilling everywhere.

"no, it's not that." he denies bluntly.

"then what is it?"

"don't you think.. this is a trap?" his voice cracks a bit in the last part, not sure if he was supposed to say it out loud.

before taehyun could reply to donghan's comment, the phone in his pocket rang, bringing chills all over everyone's skin. taehyun was dead frozen, every single part of his body somehow lost its ability to move. "what?"

hyunbin, noticing his hyung's unfavorable amount of shock until he's in the state of being paralyzed, immediately slips his hands to the older's jacket and checked who was calling. "it's an unknown number."

"i couldn't c-call anyone just now s-so that's why i'm s-so s-s-s-shocked.." the words coming out of his mouth were distorted because of his trembling.

"should we answer it?" hyunbin asks.

"no, it's not safe." kenta insists. "my mom told me not to speak to strangers."

"do you really goddamn think that's important, hyung?" yongguk clashes in with the logical thinking. "it's better if we do."

"why?"

"because it's what the culprit wants."

the room falls in dead silence. "you think this is the work of one person?" taehyun asks.

"in my opinion, yes." yongguk states in a strong tone. "whatever happened today, i believe it was done by one person. donghan's cut on his neck, kenta hyung's being tied up, sanggyunie-hyung—" he looks at the boy on the bed again and sighs in disappointment. "here's the thing: the guy knows everything about us. that's what's scary. we weren't able to call anyone but he was able to call us. it's because he knows this place in and out."

"how is he able to do that?" kenta asks.

"isn't it obvious?" yongguk's gaze strengthens. "because he's one of us."

donghan leers. "oh, so you're saying you don't trust us now?"

"if that's how you say it, yes." yongguk's words were sharp, but he said it with a certain pain in his heart. he could hardly blame his group members for anything, let alone blaming them for attempting to kill him. "at this point, it's hard to differentiate what's real and not real. for now, it'll be best for everyone not to trust anyone."

"you sound so sure of yourself," donghan mutters. "how do we know that you're not the one lying?"

"it's for you to decide—"

"for god's sake, so should i answer the goddamn phone?" hyunbin interrupts the forsaken argument, annoyed by the ringtone that must've feel like it has been going on forever.

taehyun, who tend to keep himself out of the stirring conflict yongguk has made my his statement, nods to hyunbin as an upright decision. "just answer it."

hyunbin nods and takes a deep breath before answering the call. "hello?" he murmurs.

"the culprit isn't in that room, but the culprit's commander is standing among of you." the voice answering is the usual woman voice you'd hear in siri, but the frightening atmosphere makes the voice unpleasant to hear. "i was paid by the commander, and i have been given the order to keep going. the only way to stop me is if one could reveal the commander, and by that i will automatically step away from my job to prevent legal authorities." the voice continues.

hyunbin skims at everyone's faces thoroughly. "it'll be better for you to show yourself now before things get dirty, commander!"

kenta groans in frustration. "what kind of bullshit is this–"

"but because the commander is feeling highly sympathetic to you all, he's willing to give you a small hint. hint will be revealed in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1." the voice disappears, but the phone starts playing a very much familiar song to the boys.

i know you know.

everyone immediately have their eyes on hyunbin and donghan.

"you may send your decision of who's the commander to this number in 30 seconds. there must only be written one name. if one does not send a name, this may fall into deeper consequences." the screen suddenly blackens, only showing an option to send message and a 30 seconds countdown.

"what the fuck is this?" hyunbin grumbles furiously.

"hyunbin, slow down." taehyun consoles calmly. "we must think through this. that is still considered as a vague fact."

"vague? you call that vague, hyung?! the guy just literally sorted out the suspects with only two left!" yongguk alleges.

taehyun knew all too well who the two people were, yet he was still skeptical about all of this. "but still, we'd still have to think through this."

"we don't have much time, hyung." kenta croaks indefinitely.

yongguk nods. "we have to do this now."

"what, so you're just going to throw my name in just because i was in the fucking team?" hyunbin protests.

"who said that we're going to throw in your name?" yongguk says, as his eyes trail to donghan's position.

donghan steps back, understanding the sudden situation. "ah, hyung.."

"donghan," kenta starts talking, taking yongguk's side. "donghan, we're so sorry."

"why does it have to be me?!"

"because you were the start of all of this." yongguk explains. "you said you knew there's a killer in this house. you saw him. kenta only woke up being tied but you—" he points at the boy. "you were awake. you were there all along."

taehyun wasn't getting any of this. "yongguk, stop it. you're scaring the boy."

"what, so you think the fucking cut on my neck was by my intention?!" donghan unbuttons the upper part of his shirt to show the big scar that even reached his chest. "you think i faked all of that for attention?! why in the world do you think i'd kill you?!"

yongguk sighs. "that's not what we're saying-"

"yeah, that's exactly what you're saying!" donghan almost had his hands on yongguk before his hyungs stopped it.

"yongguk for god's sake, shut up or else i'll suspect you as the culprit." taehyun demands. "this is not something that we'd take easily."

"hyung, 10 seconds." hyunbin gives the phone back to taehyun, showing the ongoing countdown.

"we have to make a choice, hyung." kenta reminded him.

"you think i don't know that?" taehyun eyes found donghan's, the confident maknae who's starting to look vulnerable at this point. "donghan."

donghan refuses to answer.

"donghan."

"yes, hyung?"

"you swear you didn't do it?" taehyun asks with a soft and calm tone.

donghan nods. "i swear."

5 seconds.

"hyung, you have to think rationally." yongguk reaches out again, trying to convince him.

taehyun turns around to answer the text all by himself. he writes the name he suspects of without the members behalf and clicked send.

"hyung!"

suddenly, the lights go out.

—

bitch ye long chapter
i want y'all to guess who the culprit isssssss this is getting fun yaY!

- yuehwa