Chapter 5

[Joker of the Night]

(special thanks for the beta by: Yocaterpillar)

The news about Kangin’s accident spread in the media immediately the morning after.

It was no wonder. Kangin (or Kim Young-woon, his real name) was the son of Korea’s Chief of Naval Operations. Rumor had it that his father was to be chosen as the next General of Korea’s Army. Furthermore, he was one of the heirs of the Kim Empire. The Kims were known to be quite a problematic big family. And in their sixth generation, five young Kims entered Der Märchenclub.

Kim Young-woon was infamous for his drinking habits and Kim Heechul was always known as the unpredictable troublemaker. Another boy from the Kim family was rumored to be the genius weirdo who refused his inheritance, while his sister was this ‘blonde-haired ’. As far as Jessica knew (from the gossip Krystal reserved for her), among the sixth generation of the Kims, only Kim Ryeowook was sane enough. Well, Ryeowook was Seoul’s “spy” as he was famous for knowing lots of rumors about Seoul’s insiders, but at least, he was the normal one.

In any event, the near-death accident of one of the heirs of such an infamous family empire surely garnered attention.

Jessica tried not to think much about it. Not that she tried to look unsympathetic, but she did not want to be dragged into the problem any further. She already tried to forget that she had heard the mysterious singing right after Kangin’s fall. She did not tell anyone about it. She did not even find it necessary to talk about Im Yoona’s strange behavior.

Everything would die down soon.

She sometimes wondered when all her obligations to come to Der Märchenclub would end.

The next Wednesday night, Jessica found herself back in the very same Bluebeard Chamber.The trauma still slightly lingered (and she intentionally avoided the spot where she saw Kangin fall) but she supposed as long as she did not look at that spot, she could still bear it.

The main discussion that night was undoubtedly about Kangin’s accident. Some people tried to interrogate her, as she was one of the few people who had witnessed the scene. Being bombarded with questions about something she did not want to hear about was quite stressful. Jessica decided to momentarily get out of the Bluebeard Chamber and wander around the building.

Her heels clicked noisily on the marble floor of Seoul Opera House, and it contrasted the overall silence outside the Bluebeard Chamber.The combination calmed her though. She was taking more steps to the west wing, when a voice suddenly alarmed her.

“You’re escaping them too?”

Jessica turned around to find the source of the voice. There, leaning on one of the gigantic pillars that supported the building, was a young man (possibly another member of Der Märchenclub) who studied her with childish, yet wise-looking eyes. His black hair was combed neatly and he gave her a polite, awkward smile (that nearly reminded her of Donghae’s smile, although this man’s smile was somehow less timid and more confident).

“I’m Kim Kibum, nice to meet you.” Kibum extended his hand to shake hers. Jessica let him take her hand briefly as a courtesy.

Ah. So this was another guy from the rumored troubled Kim family.

“Their questions start to get rather annoying, eh? Yoona is smart enough not to come to Der Märchenclub tonight. That only leaves Sunny, but at least, she likes attention and can answer all of their inquiries.” He glanced to look at Jessica’s blank stare and Kibum elaborated more. “The four of us are the witnesses of my cousin’s so-called accident.”

She denied the obvious; she denied her own intuition. “It is an accident.”

“You don’t seriously think that way.” Kibum grinned sheepishly. “Because you heard that song.”

She maintained her interest at the lowest level on purpose. She somehow had a feeling where Kibum wanted to direct this conversation to, but she felt like playing the Devil’s Advocate. “What, you’re trying to make a conspiracy theory now, Kibum-sshi? That Kangin guy just drank too much alcohol and it was an accident.”

“And the song?”

Her argument was weak, she knew. “I didn’t hear it.”

“No. You did. I heard it too. Sunny and Yoona also heard it. Sunny did not waste the hint and submitted her guess to Leeteuk Hyung immediately. Yoona just wants to give the victory to Sunny; she doesn’t really care much about this game, just like you.”

Jessica would rather keep the topic away from herself. “And you?”

Kibum shrugged. “I just enjoy observing the game. Not really interested in participating though. I can only hope the game’s management wouldn’t give hints about my role as easily as they gave out the hint for Kangin Hyung’s role.”

“Hint?”

“The song. What else could it be if it wasn’t a hint?”

Jessica suddenly found it hard to gulp. There was something uncomfortable about the whole situation, about her own sanity. And losing her sanity was the last path she would take. “And your point in telling me all of this is…?”

“Nothing, but just keep up your wisdom. Not recklessly telling the song you heard was wise. It’s still too early to create panic in this club.”

Something about the way he spoke ignited the curiosity that she rarely expressed. “Are you suggesting that there are more…havoc to come?”

“Well, it’s quite apparent, isn’t it?” he said as he lit his cigar. “The stakes are high, but the prize awaiting is also worthy. These people would do anything to get it, including throwing away their humanity.”

Jessica chuckled bitterly. And she began to wonder why she bothered to continue the conversation with such a weird man. “I think you've watched too many dramas, Kibum-sshi. Not that I like any of you guys, but at least, I trusted you all to be rational enough. You’ve just proven me wrong.”

“Rationality will be questioned soon.”

She grew more skeptical. There was something about the way Kibum spoke that ignited the urge to defend, to debate. Jessica was pretty surprised at her own reaction. “For what? For authority and power? You and I both know perfectly that all members of this club have more than enough of that.”

“Trust me, Jessica-sshi. All of us here are nothing more than laboratory mice. This club holds more authority than you could possibly imagine.”

She sighed. “Now you’re suggesting that this game is rigged?”

“Of course. The winner is already designated. We just don’t know who that person is.”

Jessica shrugged carelessly. “I pity those who are so eager to win then.”

“Don’t lose hope, Jessica-sshi. A cornered mouse is scarier than you think. This is not a game to see who can guess right. This is a game to see whose inner monsters awakenat the right time and place.”

She lost interest. “You seriously need to stop reading all those conspiracy books, Kibum­­-sshi.”

Kibum smiled for the last time before he pushed his body away from the pillar he was leaning on. “I wish you luck then. Take care of yourself, Jessica-sshi.”

Jessica thought that the man should have taken care of his delusional self first. “Yes, you too.”

One of the most annoying things about this club, in Jessica’s opinion, was the people who should have mi