“Luhan…” you muttered inaudibly. You seem lost for words, totally not expecting for this to transpire. He sighed and walked away silently as you stand there and gaze in pity on the corpse of Daehyun. Many questions lingered on your mind though. The fact that Luhan saved and dirtied his hands for you, it’s absolutely implausible for him to do that.

  You treaded blankly as you wandered on the mansion, pondering about what happened to you earlier. You saw Baekhyun and grumbled vehemently. He would probably exasperate her again. As if in cue, he spotted you and you stoned on your location.

  “Soomin,” he called while smirking, his cherubic face contradicting his personality.

  “Sheesh, get lost…” you groaned while grasping her hair in frustration.

  “Woah, woah, calm down. Why do you look so frustrated?” he asked.

  “It’s because I saw you. Now, don’t bother me anymore!”

  He laughed, obviously amused at your concerted expression. “Hah. Not at all, when do I stop bothering you anyway? You know it’s sort of my entertainment.”

  “Shut up, Bacon or I’ll smack your face!”

  Suddenly, both of you heard a piercing cry coming from the kitchen. You shivered at the thought that someone might be already dead again. You and Baekhyun dashed speedily through the hallways to see what happened, unexpectedly bumping into Sehun who was calmly making his way to the kitchen.

  “Tch,” Sehun grumbled and resumed walking, not even bothering to take a glimpse behind.

  “Still not in good terms with him, aren’t we?” Baekhyun mocked, although slightly concerned about your neutral relationship with Sehun.

  “Don’t bother asking…” you uttered and exhaled quietly while both of you are walking towards the kitchen.

  “What happened?” you asked Chen who was busy tending Kyungsoo’s badly burnt arm.

  “The oven suddenly exploded,” Chen explained briefly, carefully wrapping Kyungsoo’s arm with a bandage while frowning. “I’m sorry, it’s my entire fault. I shouldn’t have asked Kyungsoo to cook food for me.”

  Kyungsoo smiled weakly. “Don’t apologize to me Chen. You’re not the one to be blamed.”

  You sighed; feeling relieved that no one yet has died, but quivered as soon as you thought about the fact that in this mansion, everyone is a victim. Anyone can be a killer, including you. The dead body of Daehyun suddenly flashed on your mind, and you almost wanted to cry because of guilt and remorse. He died partly because of you, because Luhan killed him.

  “Is something troubling you, Soomin?” Kyungsoo questioned worriedly, noticing that you were being awfully silent. You answered with a 'no' and turned to look at Sehun who was already spacing out. He surprisingly stared at you too, still with his icy cold eyes.

  “Soomin!” someone called to attract your attention. It was Tao− his dark brown orbs never failed to intimidate you. Yet, you admire that feature of him. It was mysterious and calming, emanating a strong aura.

  “Tao?” you asked, almost in a squeaky voice that you saw Baekhyun snickering in your peripheral vision.

  He nodded then said, “Baek, can I borrow Soomin for a while?”

  You scoffed violently while glaring at Tao. “You spoke as if I’m a thing. What’s worst is that I’m owned by this Bacon.”

  Baekhyun looked at you innocently before nodding at Tao. He chuckled silently before waving goodbye at Kyungsoo and the others. You tried to find Sehun; however, he was nowhere to be found.

  “Why am I thinking about him anyways?” you thought silently before shrugging it. You and Tao walked along the halls, and then he stopped to check if there are only the both of you. You suddenly wished that Baekhyun was here to ease the awkwardness and the tension.

  “What do you want to talk about Tao?” you said to drop the uneasiness.

  He leaned slightly on the peach-painted walls. It was obvious that he was tired; he spent sleepless nights working on with something together with Kris.

  “Kris and I found a way out…” Tao whispered, although loud enough for you to hear.

  You blinked your eyes in shocked of what Tao had just said. “How—“

  “It’s not important. Now, I’m telling you this because…” he paused, taking a deep breath. “We need your help Soomin.”

  You trembled. You had a feeling that this would be dangerous, but escaping sounds sweet in your ears now.

  “It’s only us?” you questioned, biting your fingers.

  “Well, what do you expect? It’s better if we save our asses now while we still have the chance.”

  It was all new to you, and you were not ready yet. You thought about leaving Chanyeol here, and also Baekhyun even if he annoys the hell out of you. There’s also Kai, Kyungsoo, and the others who never fails to make you smile.

  “Tao and Kris, how could they betray their friends and abandon them here? Sure, we would be saved but how about the others? If we flee, President Shadow would surely kill them all. We can’t tell the police something about this mansion, or else, the President would just hunt us down,” you thought.

  “I’ll think about it first.”

  “You better think about it. Only until midnight, time is running out. I’ll tell you the details if you agree. Meet me at the lobby when you’re ready to give me your decision.”

  “Tao… I have one question though? Why did you choose me? There are a lot of people who wants to be in my position and are far better than me.”

  Tao didn’t answer. He was soundless that you can already hear the crickets outside. You were shocked however when Tao pushed you harshly on the floor and did a backflip. It was then that you realized. Someone was trying to kill the both of you− with a sharp arrow.

  “Run!” Tao ordered while facing the attackers. They were many, but you can’t tell who they are with your blurry eyesight. Tao shouted something, but it was unclear and hazy. Then, someone carried you and that’s when your consciousness drifted away.