Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. 

~ C.S. Lewis

31 October 2012.

The last thing Siwon remembered before he was knocked out cold the night before was walking alone in a parking lot with a fearful suspicion that he was being followed. He had picked up his pace, hoping to reach his car before the mysterious stalker caught up with him. A nagging voice in his head told him he was being overly suspicious and that it was fatigue which was the culprit behind his hallucination. But before he could speed away in the safety of his Maserati, he felt a sharp pain on his neck caused by a hypodermic needle.

Siwon opened his eyes, frightened but curious of where he might be. He was laid down on the ground with his two hands on his side, as though he was marching in his sleep. His back was aching from spending the night on the unforgiving marble floor and he sat up while trying to soothe the pain away with his right hand. The room was dark but there was a window on the side which was boarded up hastily. Siwon stood up and his first instinct was to take a peek through a tiny gap between the boards to check his surroundings. All he could see was grassland, with a few occasional trees. It appeared that he could be in a mansion about 3 stories high. Siwon contemplated prying the boards open but even if he could get the windows opened; there was no way he could jump from it. He could try shouting for help but it was unlikely anyone was going to hear him.  

His only option was to leave this room by the door. He could stay cooped up inside this empty room but his survival will become an issue when his body starts to dehydrate and hunger creeps in. Siwon was a little afraid as to what could lie behind the door. He knew his attacker was not solely after his life and this was probably a sick game set up by someone like those he saw on the movies.

His hand was shaking as he reached out for the door knob. He turned it and closed his eyes while saying a short prayer before pulling the door open.

When he opened his eyes, his eyes were met with the doe-like eyes of his closest buddy, Lee Donghae.

“Siwon?” Donghae’s voice was trembling as he called his name.

“Donghae!” Siwon wrapped his arm around Donghae’s body and held him in a tight embrace. He would normally consider such intimacy between them to be a gay act but knowing he was not alone in this situation was much more important.

“Siwon, I was walking back from my dormitory yesterday after late night studying in the library when someone attacked me. The next thing I knew, I woke up in an empty room just opposite yours. Siwon, what happened? Why are we here? How did you get here?” Donghae was hysterical as he held on firmly to Siwon’s arms and demanded answers. These were answers to questions that Siwon could not answer. But knowing how nervous Donghae can get when he was helpless, Siwon knew he had to keep him rational at this crucial moment.

“Donghae, I do not know yet but we will find out. Do not worry; we will get out of this mess.” Siwon had to sound convincing to lie to Donghae, who was now his thumb like a baby. But Siwon could not convince himself of his own lies. He was unsure of what was yet to come and surviving this ordeal would likely be a miracle.

“I don’t want to die, Siwon. I want to go home and see my parents. I want to graduate from college. I want to marry Yoona.”

Siwon had no answer to Donghae. The only thing he could do was to put an arm around Donghae and his back.

Another door down the corridor swung open, which made Siwon and Donghae jumped up in fright. A familiar figure stepped out of the room with her hand rubbing her temple. As her eyes fell on the two masculine figures, there was a sparkle of hope ignited in them.

“Siwon, Donghae!”

“Sooyoung!” They called her name out in unison as she rushed towards them. The three friends embraced each other as Sooyoung tried to stay strong, not allowing any tears to fall.

“I’m so scared. Someone attacked me while I was on my way back from the supermarket. I was dragged into a dark alley and knocked out. The next thing I knew, I was in this creepy room with absolutely nothing inside it!”

Sooyoung is a strong girl, having been a soccer athlete since High School which won her the scholarship to Seoul National University. She was not particularly smart compared to her peers but she had guts and could kick many guys in the . Siwon and Donghae treated her like one of the brothers.

“Why did someone take us here? I wonder what he or she wants. If this is a kidnapping, where are the kidnappers?” Sooyoung asked. She had a point. They could have been kidnapped because they were the children of wealthy people. Even though Sooyoung was on scholarship, she could have paid for her own college education over a hundred times because her father had loads of money. So did Siwon and Donghae who were even more well-to-do than Sooyoung.

“Well if it’s about money, my family will give it to them! I’m sure my dad won’t let his only son die even if he has to give up his entire fortune. I’m sure I will get out of here alive.” Donghae sounded optimistic as though he had found the solution to the problem.

But Siwon was a little skeptical. He had a bad feeling about this whole set up. If it was a kidnap, they would probably be tied up, blindfolded and gagged to be controlled. Instead they were free to roam around a mansion and to interact with each other. He truly hope that it was because he was a horror movie buff which allowed his wild imagination to mess with his brain but it was clearly not the case when another door was opened.

“This is a game. Our kidnapper, he’s sick in the head.” The voice belonged to Yuri, the last member to complete their college clique.

“Yuri!” Siwon exclaimed as he rushed over towards Yuri when he saw the envelope and paper in her hand. Donghae and Sooyoung scrambled over as well.

“What does the letter say? Do they want money?” Donghae asked as he tried to get a glance at the contents.

Yuri shook her head and laughed bitterly. “It’s not that simple.”

She handed the letter over to Siwon, who read it out loud with Sooyoung and Donghae by his sides.

“Hello Siwon, Donghae, Sooyoung and Yuri. Today is Halloween and I would like to invite you to spend a night at my mansion to play a game. I promise you a fun-filled night of horror where you will learn about the darkest natures of your friends and hopefully find your true self at the end of it. The only way out of here is to abide by my rules. If you want to survive to see the sun rise again tomorrow, you have to play.”

Siwon crumbled the letter angrily in his fist and threw it aside.

“This is a horrible joke right? Come on, admit it Donghae. Are you behind this? This is one of your pranks again right?” Sooyoung grabbed Donghae by the collar playfully as she laughed loudly.

“Are you crazy? Why would I want to do this? I admit I put the cockroach in your lunch and released the air from your tires but I wouldn’t do anything like this!” Donghae defended himself angrily as he glared at Sooyoung. Siwon pulled Donghae back as Sooyoung released her grip.

“You know what, let’s just play this game. If we follow the instructions, maybe we can get out of this mess.” Yuri stated calmly as though it was a matter of fact.

A wicked smile appeared on Sooyoung’s face as she turned her attention to Yuri.

“Why are you so calm, Yuri? Aren’t you afraid? I think the only reason why is because you are the one behind this!” Sooyoung threw her second accusation at Yuri who was slightly taken aback by how quickly she could change her stand.

“So first you think Donghae was behind this and now you think it’s me? Sooyoung, we have known each other for two years and I thought you’ll know us well enough by now. Donghae may be a little mischievous but he doesn’t have the guts to play with fire. I’m not panicking because I know that would not help to save any of our asses in this situation!” Yuri raised her voice to get the point across to Sooyoung who finally awaken from her confusion.

Streams of tears fell from Sooyoung’s eyes as she used the back of her hand to wipe it away. Sooyoung is a strong girl and she had never cried in the two years they were friends. Yuri realized that she might have sounded too harsh and quickly hugged Sooyoung in her arms.

“I’m sorry, Sooyoung. We’ve been best friends and I should know that you always put up a strong front even though you are vulnerable inside. I’m not going to shout at you again. Everything will be fine, okay?” Yuri tried to comfort Sooyoung who retuned the hug and nodded.

Siwon and Donghae put their arms over the girls as the four friends huddled together for reassurance and comfort.

“We’ll pull through this together. Our friendship will prevail.” Siwon said as the other three nodded in agreement.

As Sooyoung opened her eyes and looked up, she noticed a neon sign which had just started flashing above the last unopened down along the corridor with the words ‘Enter  and let the games begin’.