By the time Jun-Hee called for everyone to gather, it was already about past 12 in the afternoon. The last time the class saw the president, He ran on his way up to the rooftop in a hurry, courtesy of Yoon-Seo who went ahead after seeming to have thought of an idea that could help. The students hurriedly poured into the lobby, expecting to hear of good news.

“Do you think they've…” Eun-Ha trailed off as they filed into the room, eyes taking on a gleam of hope as she traced the figures of Jun-Hee, Yoon-Seo and Jung-Won, who were looking over the map of the retreat center.

‘Were they able to get in contact with someone?' Yoon-Ji asked herself as she fell in step with Eun-Ha. She traced her eyes over the same map their class leader was intensely staring at, pondered for a while, and gently shook her head. "Don't get too hopeful, Eun-Ha."

It couldn't possibly be that simple. The words went unsaid, but it may as well have been with the way her words hung and filled the air like a thick fog. They all discovered the hard way that nothing here was simple or harmless, especially not the hope of escape.

As much as she hated to be the bearer of the bad news, she knew that they needed to face their situation with realism, not blind hope. Though this wasn't what anyone wanted to hear, it was what they needed. Careless hope could only result in death.

“Is everyone here already?" Jun-Hee inquired as he looked around. So-Mi broke off from her clique, glanced at everyone in the hall, and gave Jun-Hee an affirming nod which he returned with a grateful look.

"Unfortunately, we still haven't been able to contact anyone outside," he told them frankly, seeing no reason to proceed carefully. Although everyone had somehow expected it, it was still hard not to feel defeated. But they knew they were gathered there for a reason, so they decided to hold themselves together until the president finished.

Jun-Hee examined their expressions, before proceeding to place a palm over the board to his right, where the entire land property of the youth center was mapped out. "But after surveying the view of the area from the rooftop, we had the idea to try and find out if there was somewhere the boundaries didn't reach.”

“We went outside, and as expected, they lay entirely around the centre, but we were able to go far enough we even reached the entrance to the trail.” He said. Everyone intently listened to his words, trying to follow what the class leader was going with this information on hand.

“And, as you can see here, there's a mountain between that trail,” He gestured to the map, before continuing. “And at the end is a village.”

The male paused for a bit, letting everyone take in his words before he swallowed his spit and then finally said, "Knowing that, I believe the best thing for us to do is try to find people there who might be able to help." as Jun-Hee laid out his proposal, he was met immediately with a slew of doubtful looks questioning his seriousness.

Among those who reacted was Yoon-Ji, who held a lot of reluctance towards the plan. She crossed her arms, mouth parting to speak and raise her concerns, but stopping after seeing Kim Jin-Ha do so first.

“What if we try to leave and end up dead too?” The curly-haired male inquired, his voice tinged with fear, which was atypical. However, after witnessing not just one but three deaths in the same span of time, it would be weirder not to be conflicted by the proposition. He stared the president straight in the eyes and asked, "What happens next?"

"He's right," Lee Joo-Young chipped in, expressing her own displeasure, while her friend Mi-Na clung close to her side. She paused, looking at everyone, before resuming her line of thought: “Isn’t it too dangerous for us?”

They were asking all the right questions, and the class leader couldn't blame them all for being unsure. At first, he had been doubtful about this as well, But, after scouring the area, he had given this a lot more thought and found it was the most sensible course of action given the circumstances.

He averted his gaze and carefully considered what to say in response to his classmate's concerns, "No, we'll be fine as long as we don't cross the line."

This roused a bit more approval from everyone, and although their confidence didn't necessarily grow after hearing his declaration, it was still enough to sate them. But Yoon-Ji, who had been listening and pondering closely, was still not too convinced.

"Sorry," she began, uncrossing her arms while everyone turned their heads to hear what she had to say. "I don't mean to ruin this by being pessimistic, but Jun-Hee, I don't think we can simply say ‘as long as we don't cross the line’ and not have any actual precautions.”

Yoon-Ji never considered herself as one to actively participate in class discourse. Sure, she would normally speak on issues when she saw them– like when some classmates would openly harass others– but oftentimes, especially when it came to discussions that the president and vice president could manage on their own, she didn't feel the need to partake.

However, being that this was a matter that basically dictated their being. Any wrong decision, lack of preparation and even a stroke of misfortune could result in their deaths. So if she had to speak up to address her concerns, then she would do so.

Now, don't get her wrong, Yoon-Ji wasn't planning on going against the plan. If anything, she thought it was better as opposed to simply doing nothing and waiting until the mafia got to them or die some other ways. It was just that the plan lacked assurance for their overall safety.

If it hadn't been fraught with uncertainties like say, the possibility of an accident or the possibility that the trip to find help could be ruined by the mafia hiding amongst them, then it would've been all fine and well. But at this point when they'd already lost three of their own, it was better to be cautious.
 
“I'm talking things like accidentally tripping and stepping past the line, possible traps, wild animals… sabotage,” Yoon-Ji swallowed her saliva before continuing to elaborate, “I don't think this is going to be as simple as just saying not to cross the line so, I'm wondering if we've at least any…precautions?”

As she asked this out loud, the onlookers also pondered by themselves. Initially, they had been accepting of the plan, but the girl brought up a lot of great points they had missed themselves.

Before they could get a chance to hear from Jun-Hee, Kyung-Jun, who Yoon-Ji hadn't realized had neared her, also piped up, “I agree with the Pres’ plan, it beats just waiting here, so It won't hurt to give it a shot.”

The male continued, “But like she said, how do we know nothing happens? and do we all actually have to go? cause that seems pretty inefficient.”

Their remarks increased the tension, and the president watched as fear coursed through his classmates' faces for a brief moment, as though remembering that they were all still at the mercy of unknown killers whose intentions with pushing them to play the game were still unknown.

He couldn't blame the pair for being reluctant though, especially not Yoon-Ji, whose best friend had been taken away from her in a blink of an eye. There was a lot for them all to lose so being complacent was out of question.

“That’s right,” Jun-Hee directed to the girl, “A lot of things can happen during the search.”

"And yes," He agreed with Kyung-Jun, gazing over everyone and then briefly pausing at Yoon-Ji, who was still watching and heeding his words closely. "We can't all go. Which is why I decided that I'll be going on my own. That way, the risk will be significantly lessened."

His admission shocked and roused various sounds of disbelief and objection. The way he had announced it was resolute, moving them all. But it wasn't what they needed. Even Jun-Hee himself knew that.

Yoon-Ji shook her head, furrowing her brows at how the male came to decide when he had a better option. “No, We don't mean you or anyone has to do anything alone.”

She then went on to propose, “We only need a few volunteers as well as the most physically active ones from the class to help.” At her words, the athletes Jang Hyun-Ho and his friend, Kim Dong-Hyun nodded along.

“We can do it,” Jang Hyun-Ho announced, more than certain their added participation was better than allowing just one person, the class president nonetheless, to be some sort of sacrificial lamb. Beside him, Kim Dong-Hyun also imparted words of confirmation for the class to hear.

Jun-Hee, who had been put deep in thought after Yoon-Ji told him there was no need to do anything alone, observed them before accepting the proposition, “Okay, then. We'll have them join and–”

"–I'll also come with," Yoon-Seo cut in, glancing worriedly at the president with a paling expression.

Her friend, Jung-Won, placed a hand on her shoulder, as if to tell her to reconsider her rash choice to join. "Didn't you hear them? You can't, Yoon-Seo. You'll become a burden if you fall behind."

The president, also aware of her weak constitution, glanced back at Yoon-Seo and told her, "Stay here. The mountain trail will be difficult.”

Despite the president's refusal, the girl and her short haired friend looked to argue some more, exchanging reasons on why one had to go while the other continuously shot her down.

Things got even more troublesome than they ought to have been when even the vice president, who Yoon-Ji and just about all her classmates suspected to be sweet on Jun-Hee, scrambled to volunteer herself and one of her unknowing buddies, Woo-Ram. She then pleaded to try and get others from her clique to join, but was rejected due to the implications of the trip.

‘Why is she bringing up loyalty like that should make them feel obliged to join?’ Yoon-Ji frowned. They needed the right people to make the trip, it was for this exact reason she questioned Jun-Hee’s precautions in the first place.

“So-Mi,” Yoon-Ji decided to speak after getting fed up hearing the fuzz the vice president was making, “We don't need numbers, remember? Jun-Hee can't do it alone, but he also can't do it with people who could become liabilities anytime.”

So-Mi and her friends looked offended at the insinuation, but held back from saying anything when they saw how Jun-Hee visibly agreed with Yoon-Ji’s words.

“Like I was saying, we'll have Hyun-Ho and Dong-Hyun come along,” The class president reiterated, picking up where he was cut off. “I and So-Mi as well.”

He passed over the names of other students who had reluctantly tried to volunteer, scanning the rest of the group before posing the question, “Does anyone else want to volunteer?”

As the words left his lips, the remaining students averted their gazes, finding the idea of venturing onto the trail too risky to entertain. Yoon-Ji briefly glanced at Kyung-Jun, who had been the first to inquire about whether everyone had to participate. She subtly raised a brow upon seeing him rooted in place, showing no inclination to volunteer.

“What?” the delinquent lowly grumbled, noticing her expression.

Yoon-Ji shifted her eyes away, chastising herself for being a bit too expressive. “It’s nothing,” she murmured, feeling a twinge of embarrassment.

“Why go…?!” Yeon-Woo's familiar voice hissed, startling Yoon-Ji. Stepping back, she shuffled closer to her friends, realizing only then that she had drifted away while joining the class discussion. When she reached them, she found her male friends tugging Eun-Ha by the wrist, their expressions fraught with distress.

As Yoon-Ji rejoined them, she inquired, “What's going on?” Her gaze shifted from Eun-Ha to Yeon-Woo.

“Yoon, please talk her out of it,” Eun-Chan urged, “Eun-Ha wants to join the search but… you know it's dangerous.”

Yoon-Ji studied her friend's face, searching for any hint of doubt but what she found was the expression of someone set on her decision, regardless of her friends' pleas. Having been friends with Eun-Ha for years, Yoon-Ji was intimately acquainted with the girl's stubbornness. Eun-Ha was a headstrong and determined girl, traits that Yoon-Ji admired her for.

Despite this, Yoon-Ji couldn't fathom what had prompted this sudden desire to participate, especially knowing the implications of the search. Yet, if she was this determined, then figuring out her motivations and trying to dissuade her would only prove futile.

"Are you really sure about this?" Yoon-Ji could only ask, prompting a shocked 'Yoon!' from both Yeon-Woo and Eun-Chan.

When Eun-Ha nodded in reply, only then could Yoon-Ji see the crack in her expression. She noticed the subtle hint of sorrow in those eyes, as if feeling regret for putting her friends in such a predicament. Yoon-Ji sighed before conceding.

“I know I can't change your mind, so I'll join you. It'll be better than letting you go alone.” Her words carried a sense of resignation, accepting the reality of the situation.

The guys looked confused and slightly hurt, as if her decision to allow Eun-Ha to go and even join her was a betrayal. Yoon-Ji wholeheartedly  understood the reaction. But what else were they to do when their friend’s determination was irrepressible?

“Don't worry, we'll come back safely,” Yoon-Ji reassured. Although she knew that saying such a thing was careless, she had already decided that no matter what happened, she would be sure to make good on her words.

Eun-Ha snapped out of her daze and gently tugged her own wrist away from Yeon-Woo’s hold and then took both his and Eun-Chan's hands together. “Me and Yoon-Ji will look out for one another,” she assured them.

Yeon-Woo and Eun-Chan shared one final concerned look before conceding. The girls nodded thankfully and wordlessly made their way over to the others.

As the pair joined the other volunteers, the rest of the students observed with a sense of relief as well as guilt. Relief from the fact that they were not among the students to venture the trail, and guilt from the fact that these volunteers might be put in danger just to get help for the rest of them.

“Most of you are too weak to hike a mountain anyways,” everyone's attention went to Hyun-Ho as he broke the solemn silence. The athlete saw the other's expressions and decided to step forward, his striking white jumpsuit contrasting starkly against the map that delineated the trail they would walk. "So, just leave this to us. We'll make sure to get help."

With his confident declaration, a sense of reassurance washed over the group, bolstered by Hyun-Ho's assertive demeanor.

Yet, amidst the newfound determination, there lingered a palpable tension, a silent acknowledgment of the risks they might have to face.

–

After briefing on safety measures and supplies to bring, the group of students finalized their preparations and set off to the entrance of the trail. The rest of the class stayed behind, choosing to remain within the confines of the center, while a select few joined the group so as to personally bid their goodbyes.

“Follow me and make sure your feet don't touch any of the lines,” Jun-Hee instructed ahead of the group, looking closely at his phone whilst they navigated the youth center’s multi-purpose outdoor court.

The trip wasn't too arduous, what with the fact that they'd already scoured the area beforehand. But it was still better to be safe, so they took their sweet time to get across the area.

Eventually, their feet carried them over to the entrance of the trail, their eyes settling upon the flight of stairs littered with dried leaves that led up to the unknown. A solemn silence filled the air as the students looked at one another, and started to impart their goodbyes.

“You guys,” A slightly teary Yeon-Woo sniffled, holding a sob in as he looked at both Yoon-Ji and Eun-Ha. “Be careful and come back safe…”

The girls nodded at his words and turned towards Eun-Chan, who had been keeping silent since they arrived at the entrance of the trail. He still didn't say anything, instead he chose to raise his arms and motioned for them to get close. At this, the four shared a tight group hug, filled with warmth that so rivaled the heat of the afternoon sun.

It was their first group hug as four, the first after the passing of Heo-Yool, and it was near impossible to ignore the missing presence. But at that moment they still desperately tried to find comfort in each other's arms.

‘Don’t worry about us,’ Yoon-Ji thought, debating whether to tell her friends this outwardly, but she held off realizing it would be impossible to do such a thing. She knew if her friends did this, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from worrying as well. So instead, she enclosed her friends with trembling arms and unsaid promises.

“Be careful, everyone!” Yoon-Seo told the students, having finished saying her own goodbyes to her friend, Jun-Hee. More reminders were exchanged before the president finally climbed up a step, looked back and urged the others on.

“Let's go,” He said, and they finally took off, climbing up the stone steps.

The area around the youth center was surrounded by an expanse of dense forest, and was located a great distance away from the nearest city. This made the place perfect for a relaxing getaway, devoid of traces of the metro life. However, given the situation they were in, the remote location offered no any sort of comfort.

‘This is exactly what I was afraid of,’ Yoon-Ji bit her lower lip, thoughts wandering back to the days preceding the trip. She had made a huge fuss back then, cursing the mandatory trip for the fact that it was set in such an isolated countryside, knowing that if things took an unfortunate turn, they would be a whole day trip away from help.

And what do you know, despite being merely a product of pessimism, her worries were made true after their class was lugged into this twisted game that was, horrifyingly enough, made in the likeness of her and her friend's favorite pastime.

“You alright?” Jang Hyun-Ho, who was in front of her, asked. It hadn't been long into their journey yet, and so when he noticed the girl lagging behind a smidge, he was confused. He peeked, and saw her biting hard at her lip, seemingly thinking deeply about something. “Do you need anything? water? food?”

Picking up their voice amidst the silence of the forest, the others in the front paused in their steps and looked back to see what happened. Yoon-Ji looked up at them all and shook her head no, motioning to continue climbing up the trail. “Sorry, everyone. I was just thinking about this whole…situation.”

Dried leaves cracked under their steps as they continued, each thinking deeply about Yoon-Ji’s words. The way things have been going left them no time to fully digest the matter of their situation. All they knew was that they had to survive. But now that this was brought up, their long forgotten questions resurfaced once again.

Who was responsible for this? What kind of people looked at a class of young, highschool students and thought they had to be put in such a gruesome environment and fight for their lives? How did they kill their classmates without lifting a hand?

Despite the quest for answers to these unsettling questions, the grim reality remained unchanged: they all teetered on the brink of death, suspended by a thin thread.

“The trail will reach the end soon,” Jun-Hee spoke from the frontmost, chasing everyone away from their thoughts. “Everyone, be careful while climbing up. It'll only get steeper from here.”

The group nodded at the class president's words, and they set off once more, carefully navigating the pathway bordered with the stark white line.

This journey went on for an hour or so. They would take occasional breaks as to make sure no one accidentally passed out from thirst, hunger or exhaustion, and they would slow down whenever a particularly rocky climb was met.

They were advancing pretty well, and soon enough after what felt like hours, they reached a slope only some ways away from the edge. It wasn't very high, but the lack of steps posed a huge problem to the students who were missing the necessary gear to be able to safely get over. The president took it upon himself to make the first climb. With the assistance of Dong-Hyun, he got to the top and found himself on a stable footing. Afterwards, he helped the others up.

Yoon-Ji took a deep breath, feeling a pit form in her stomach as she looked at the height of the slope. she'd never done anything like this before, so this was a first. She tightened her grip on the strap of her sling bag before slowly making her way up. Hyun-Ho and Eun-Ha hung back, watching closely as she scaled the slope.

“Here, Yoon,” Eun-Ha lent a hand to assist. Yoon-Ji placed her hand with hers and pushed herself up the last step when all of a sudden, the foot she used to support herself slipped from the moist soil. 

“Ack-!” The girl let out a shriek, her body losing all its balance and pelting back down the start of the slope. When she reached the bottom, the girl cried out loud, feeling an agonizing pain from her rolled ankle as well as her elbow which she used to stop herself from rolling away further.

“Yoon!” The collective voices of the other members of the group rang out. They worriedly looked over the slope and observed as Hyun-Ho carefully scaled the way back down to check on the girl. Meanwhile, Eun-Ha stayed at the top, shakily and worriedly monitoring her friend's condition.

“What happened?” An alerted Jun-Hee asked, shuffling past the other members of the group to check. The sight that met him was of Yoon-Ji, laying on the ground with visible bruises and scratches on her skin. The president handed his map to Dong-Hyun and scaled the slope to get to the pair.

“She stepped on loose soil,” Hyun-Ho concluded as he looked at the incline, letting the president check on Yoon-Ji. The athlete directed his attention to the girl, who had her eyes and mouth shut tight as if to prevent any more noise from escaping, “Do you feel like anything’s broken?” 

Yoon-Ji drew a sharp breath, before nodding hesitantly. She looked up through her lashes and turned her attention to the group already at the top. She then glimpsed the sunlight passing through the leaves and said, “Go on ahead! I'll try to catch up with you guys after a bit…”

“No,” Jun-Hee shook his head decisively, “We can't leave you here.” Hyun-Ho also made a noise in agreement. They couldn't simply leave one of their own in the middle of the woods, especially when the threats were immeasurable.

“I'm just gonna lag behind, Jun-Hee.” Yoon-Ji replied, motioning towards her dark purple bruises. The president trailed his eyes over the injury, feeling sorry for the state the other was in. This was the exact thing she had inquired to him about, he hadn't addressed it directly and now here she was, suffering from his inaction. Yoon-Ji noted the regretful expression coming over the male's face and quickly told him, “Hey, this isn't your fault, okay?” 

“I know I was the one who brought this up earlier, and you're probably feeling guilty remembering that…” The girl hit right on the nails, making Jun-Hee swallow down his nerves. She continued, “But I was the one who decided to come knowing that an accident like this could happen, so that's not on you, okay?”

‘Hah, great going, Yoon.’ She thought to herself, feeling ashamed from the predicament she had placed herself in. Just before, she was going on about how they didn't need possible liabilities, and now here she was, body battered and injured; the very definition of a liability.

“I'm the class president, I should've-” The male was cut off as Yoon-Ji snapped out from her own regretful thoughts and told him, “Come on, nothing’s going to get done if we both just wallow in self pity.”

Her words were blunt, and for a moment, she worried she might have hit a nerve or gone too far. But seeing Jun-Hee take her words well and without a trace of bitterness, she knew she'd succeeded in getting through with the male.

“Okay, but,” Yoon-Ji lightly sighed, waiting for another wave of self blame but Jun-Hee did no such thing, instead announcing, “You're coming, okay? I'll even carry you if I have to.”

“Wha…?”

“She should've been careful,” A distressed looking So-Mi remarked from the top, earning herself a glare from Eun-Ha who had heard her clearly. It was clear she was becoming impatient, which was perfectly understandable what with the long trip, but Eun-Ha suspected this reaction was motivated by something else entirely. 

The vice president ignored the heat of the stare and asked, “Can she still walk?”

Yoon-Ji scoffed and asked back, “Do you think I can walk?” Thankfully, the exchange never escalated as So-Mi turned her back and grabbed the map from Dong-Hyun to see how long they still had to trek.

“Your ankle was sprained,” Hyun-Ho informed Yoon-Ji, before directing his words to the president. “She can't walk like this, we need to put a splint on her ankle to keep it from getting worse. Think you can do it, Pres?”

Jun-Hee nodded and looked at the girl for confirmation. Yoon-Ji agreed and let the president swiftly and efficiently brace her ankle with a splint. As they slowly finished up, the students who were already over the slope talked amongst themselves.

“Poor Yoon,” Eun-Ha worriedly looked over her friend. She felt guilty knowing the other had only joined out of concern for her, and now here she was, injured and hurt. When she saw the other fall down the slope, she felt her heart drop to her chest, and she had nearly jumped as well just to check on her friend. She watched her friend’s face closely, observing the way she forcefully tried to keep her noises minimal. “I don't think she's okay… Yoon is injured, we should go back.”

“Are you saying we should go back?” An irate So-Mi echoed. She directed a sharp stare towards the empathetic Eun-Ha, before continuing. “We're already all the way out here, it'll just be a waste.” 

The vice president leaned over the slope and addressed Yoon-Ji, “Let's keep going a bit more, yeah?” 

Although she didn't like how the other was acting in response to her situation, like she was deliberately asking to put her on a bind, Yoon-Ji nodded in agreement. She felt like all the moments that led up to this, and even her injury would all be meaningless if they just went back to the youth center empty-handed. “Eun-Ha, I'm okay. We don't need to go back now, not when we're nearly there.”

“But, you can't walk in that state,” Her friend replied, getting even more worried as she traced her eyes over the bruises and scratches that littered the other's skin. The sight of the girl falling from the height replayed in her head, and from the corner of her mind it overlayed with the scene of Heo-Yool falling to his demise. She shivered and continued, “We can stay here too and wait for them to come back with help.”

“And possibly put yourselves in more danger?” So-Mi interjected, her stern expression making Eun-Ha back down. She went on to say, “We're responsible for you guys, if something happens we'll have to be the ones to face your friends.”

“You guys, going back or continuing will be just as tiring,” Dong-Hyun cut in, “Just putting it out there. In the end, we should go with what Yoon-ji can manage.” At this, the majority finally agreed with the notion and looked at the girl to hear her own choice.

“I can continue,” Yoon-Ji nodded at them, sending Eun-Ha a short, apologetic look. So-Mi also nodded, satisfied with the outcome of the conversation. 

With that, both Hyun-Ho and Jun-Hee assisted the girl so they could get over the slope, afterwards, the latter carried her on his back so they could continue progressing.

The ache could still be felt all over, but knowing this would all be over soon if they managed to get help, Yoon-Ji let herself raise her hopes. She wrapped her arms loosely around Jun-Hee’s shoulders, and trained her gaze towards the trail.

“You okay there?” Jun-Hee asked, adjusting his hold on the girl.

“Could be better. I don't really like being sent dirty stares,” Yoon-Ji mumbled, avoiding meeting eyes with the vice president who, although walking ahead of them, would constantly look back at her and give her a glare. 

Jun-Hee looked up at her and then towards the frontmost, briefly making eye contact with So-Mi before said girl swiftly averted her stare. He sighed, telling his carry-on, “Sorry about that…”

The class president wasn't a stranger to the feelings So-Mi held towards him. For a long time, he'd been subject to her loving gazes, her words of praise and subtle declarations of awe. He was flattered, as anyone would be, but he was sure he had no such affections to return. He didn't know how to directly tell her that though. 

“Why apologize?” Yoon-Ji asked, genuinely curious what the male thought that made him feel apologetic. It wasn't as if he could control how So-Mi acted, her decision to do such things as a result of her affections were on her and her own being only. “It's not your fault she's like that… I mean, you don't see Na-Hee doing anything like that when someone else talks to Hyun-Ho.”

This elicited a breathy chuckle from Jun-Hee, “That's one thing to compare it to, huh?” The pair looked at the aforementioned athlete as he joined up with Dong-Hyun and led everyone on behalf of the president. 

Everyone knew how Hyun-Ho and Na-Hee were unapologetically sweet on one another, but the president shook his head and said, “I think they're different though, since it's clear that they only like each other.”

Yoon-Ji thought back to the instances when she saw the pair being close and openly sweet with, ‘ah, right.’ But having brought this up, she couldn't help but compare it to the president’s close friend, “Yeah, just like you and Yoon-Seo, huh?”

Jun-Hee was taken aback for a moment, before he, to Yoon-Ji's surprise, chuckled some more. He shook his head in denial. “Me and Yoon-Seo are close, but we're not like that.”

The girl thought back to Yoon-Seo and how she fretted over Jun-Hee to the point of arguing with Jung-Won. She recalled how Yoon-Seo would almost always put the male over her own well being, compared it to how the other acted and realized, ‘Ah, so it's like that.’

“What about you?” Jun-Hee asked, a bit curious as to Yoon-Ji's own love life. He couldn't deny he had a bit of liking towards her since their first year. Whether it was her looks, her personality, her ability to get on well, most people had only good things to say about her. But never had he heard of her actually getting with anyone. 

Yoon-Ji tilted her head before answering, “Never really thought of it, you know?” She was being honest when she said this. Having only been with Heo-Yool and her friends for years, she never really felt the urge to get into romance. Sure, she would occasionally crush on someone, but the level of admiration was only surface level and never really got past the border that dictated the need for deeper relations.

“Not even now?” 

Yoon-ji laughed, though underneath it laid a tinge of bitterness at the thought of their situation. She replied, “Especially not now. We’re a bit too busy thinking about how to escape and...not die so, maybe when this all ends?”

“Huh,” The class president trailed off, having already expected as much. Though, hearing the latter part of her answer, he couldn't help but blurt out, “I'll keep that in mind.”

The girl sputtered, lightly hitting the strong back she was settled against before quietly laughing. The lighthearted conversation distracted her from most of her ache, and she was thankful to have been able to talk to someone even if the topic wasn't exactly her forte. 

After they settled down from the height of the conversation, the pair finally realized they were slightly lagging behind the others, and tried to catch up. When they did, they were met with a variety of curious looks.

“Come on, let's keep going,” The class leader told them, not finding any need to explain anything. They turned to Yoon-Ji who only lightly shrugged. Realizing they weren't going to get anything out of them, the others decided to continue on. 

The group forged through the path, overcoming many more rough climbs. Since they were already near, the group no longer took any break as to continually and speedily get to their destination while the sun was still up. 

“I think we're nearly there,” Dong-Hyun announced, folding the map in his shaking hands before frantically looking around.

Eventually, the hours upon hours scaling of the entire trail led them to a dead end, whereupon the white line stopped. The sight immediately brought out a dreadful feeling within everyone, as they interpreted the matter of the situation.

“Damn it,” Jun-Hee cursed under his breath. “It's blocked…”

Before anyone could ask what to do next, Dong-Hyun suddenly urged them on, pointing towards the sign. “Come on everyone, look at this.”

Yoon-Ji squinted her eyes towards the red and yellow sign which directed them towards the direction of Muryeong Mountain Lodge which was 1.8 kilometers away. 

“Jun-Hee,” Dong-Hyun called towards the president, “There’s another one over there, let me go over there first.”

Without waiting for the class leader to reply, Dong-Hyun went ahead and ran, searching for a means to finally get help. The others stuck close and followed behind him, yelling for his name. But the male was in a rush, desperate to finally get their long awaited help.

“Dong-Hyun!” Hyun-Ho tried to get his friend to calm down, but the other was basically inconsolable as he paced himself and ran towards where he thought the line opened for them. However, his feet once again took him to a dead end.

“What the hell,” Yoon-Ji couldn't help but mutter as Jun-Hee carefully settled her down on the ground to take a breather. She wondered then if there was even actually an end to this, or if the perpetrators had purposely led them out to what was essentially a dead end, killing their hopes of escape. “Is there anywhere else we can go?”  

“None that I can see,” Jun-Hee replied, running his hand over his face as he stared defeatedly at the dreaded white line that just barely separated them from the rest of the world.

They all knew the outcome of the trip was uncertain, and that there was a chance they could find nothing out here. Still, knowing the hopes they held onto, the fact that they'd been led to believe there was something out broke at their resolve.

“Hey guys!” Amidst cursing their situation, Park Woo-Ram suddenly yelled, gaining everyone's attention. “There's a person over there!”

The group almost couldn't believe what Woo-Ram had said, but they swiftly shuffled near the male holding the camera, with the exception of So-Mi and Dong-Hyun. When they got near, Woo-Ram told them, “Look through here, there's some guys on the rock formations over there.”

They peeked at the screen and were positively stumped seeing the figure of two persons fishing. Immediately, they got to shouting and yelling, trying desperately to get the attention of who could possibly be their only hopes of escaping. But despite all this, the figures didn't do so much as a turn or a glance.

“We're here!"

“Why aren't they looking here?”

At first, it didn't come as a surprise that they couldn't be heard, especially since they were completely out in the open and their voices paled in comparison to the sound of the raging sea waters slapping against the cliffside. They also had no one good way to get the attention of the fishermen that didn't involve throwing anything. But, as this went on for longer, Yoon-Ji couldn't help but feel unnerved.

“Can I see that?” She asked Woo-Ram, who wordlessly handed her the camera. She looked through the screen, eyes carefully brushing over every detail they could land on when suddenly she felt her breath catch in her throat after realizing something. She looked towards Jun-Hee who was still supporting her, and said, “They're not moving.”

“What?” Jun-Hee asked, baffled. He was handed the camera and there he saw exactly what Yoon-Ji described. The figures they thought to get help from remained in the same stationary posture no matter how much time passed, unmoving in any way. A flight of seagulls also hovered above, eerily motionless, with not a single trace of movement discernible.

As he and the owner of the camera tried to decipher the mystery of the unmoving figures, the others slipped away, feeling an unbearable amount of dismay from the outcome of the trip. Amongst them was Eun-Ha, which drew the worried attention of Yoon-Ji. She saw her friend muttering repeatedly about how everything felt utterly wrong and using her one good foot, she carefully followed her friend.

She called out, “Eun-Ha?”

No reply. Yoon-Ji tried to catch up faster, calling out once more, “Hey, Eun-Ha?”

“Yoon?” Finally, her friend's voice replied, a bit shaky. “You should head back there, rest for a bit so that you won't feel tired when we... when we go back.”

It was evident how deeply the realization that they had reached a dead end was affecting her. She had joined in hopes of finding help for her friends and herself, yet they were faced with this absurd spectacle, offering no sliver of salvation from the mafia game.

“You know I'm not gonna do that,” Yoon-Ji simply replied, her voice tinged with determination. She didn't elaborate or say anything more, merely drew closer to the girl and took her hand in her own. 

“...fine, let's go,” Eun-Ha didn't say anything more, and the two walked along the path, absorbing the bleak view that was blocked by a white line stretching along the entire land area of the Muryeong Youth Centre. The trail followed the edge, cutting them off from the wide blue sea below. Tall cliffs stood worn by years of weather whilst the path itself dropped off steeply, a constant reminder of the danger they had placed themselves in without knowing everything was for naught.

Time dragged on as they walked. The sun dipped low, signaling the coming of dawn. Shadows stretched long, making everything seem eerie. Even though they were tired, they kept going, hope in their hearts as they seeked to figure out if there was still anything ahead.

As Yoon-Ji and Eun-Ha continued their walk along the trail, each step seemed laden with uncertainty, the light note with which they had started off slowly lost its effect and now the muted sounds of their footsteps echoed against the eerie silence, heightening their sense of unease.

In an instant, the tranquility shattered, replaced by a chaotic flurry of movement and sound as a collective gasp of horror escaped their lips. Their trembling eyes bore witness to the unthinkable. 

Kim Dong-Hyun, their classmate, had fallen past the line. 

( note )
[7/21] slightly edited

when I first watched the entirety of nhc, i had a lot of questions and even more complaints. I almost didn't get through it after seeing how everyone was just voting and killing whoever said something last.

Like I know we're talking abt highschoolers here, but the level with which most nhc characters go through the game is absolutely dumbfounding. So anyways I'm gonna try make everyone a tad bit smarter jus cuz 👍👍

as for this chap... I put Yoon-Ji in Na-Hee's place cause what's the harm in putting my oc through some more difficult times 😍

also slapped some good ol' bondingslashflirting sesh with JH on this chap bc I had a moment of enlightenment while writing. If y'all enjoyed it, just know my aro ass is thankful cause that was painful to write.