“I don’t want to let go of myself,

I don’t want to ruin myself anymore,

Memories that aren’t ending even when it’s over,

I have no confidence to win over it.”

– Error, Vixx

“Excuse me for a jiff,” Yoona tells Lu Han and abruptly walks out of the coffee shop afterwards. She does not want to answer the call inside due to deafening ambience.

“Hello. May I talk to Miss Yoona?”

“That’s me,” she answers briefly. “May I know who is this speaking?”

“I’m Kim Suho,” the calls states and instantly picks up, “the host of CODE:BREAKER.”

A cold shiver runs down her spine as those words hit her eardrums. “W-why are you calling me?” Yoona frowns in bewilderment. “I thought I’ve had no business to do with the show.”

A chuckle vibrates through the speaker, causing the girl to slightly recoil. “Don’t be too worked up, Miss Yoona.”

“Am not.”

“You are,” replies Suho with yet another amused chuckle. “Anyway, let’s cut to the chase, shall we?”

She bites her lower lip. “Whatever. Just spill what you want to say.”

“After much discussion and thoughts, we have decided to pull you back into the game.”

“W-what?” Her face whitens. “Pull me back into the game? Are you kidding me?”

“You think after you’ve thrown me off, it’s easy to drag me back into that one hell of a ride?!” Yoona is not exactly angry nor is she happy to be back into the game, but she feels particularly dissatisfied of the management. She is not a toy that can be played as they please.

“I’m sorry if you’re deeply hurt by the elimination. The death match last night between you and Mister Kai is merely a gimmick. No players will be eliminated until the end of the game.”

Truth slaps right in her face. Her lips quiver to speak, but she could not.

“So…” the host takes a cognizant pause, seeing no further response from the wonderstruck female student.

“Will you re-enter the game and crack the code in the final round along the other five players… or will you not?”

///

The host’s explanation on Yoona’s sudden appearance in the manor explains everything. Lu Han nods approvingly and glances at Yoona’s direction before he turns to the remaining players. It seems like they have already been well-aware of the fact. They have arrived earlier than him, after all.

“Welcome back,” he mutters, smiling at her as he stands not too far from the couch she is sitting with the others, “… Yoona.”

“Thank you,” she says with a slight turn. Perhaps she is bashful to look him into the eyes after the meeting this evening.

After Lu Han moves to the couch, Suho proceeds to the next agenda – presenting the given hint.

“Have you all read the hint?” he asks and earns unanimous nods from the players.

“I don’t get a thing about the hint,” Jongin sighs.

“Me too,” Krystal agrees, lips jutted out adorably. “Mind to reveal the meaning behind the hint?”

“Not that easy.” Suho smirks. “Instead of me revealing the meaning behind the hint, I would like every one of you to jot down your answer regarding the given hint. The closest meaning to the right one will be given a big reward.”

 “What kind of big reward will it be?” Much to everyone’s horror, the ever reserved Jongsuk shoots the host a question.

Suho’s eyes glisten. “Are you interested?”

 “Well…” Jongsuk pauses, clicking his tongue. “If the reward is worth fighting for.”

“Too bad I won’t reveal the reward,” he says. “Still, the reward is worthwhile – like Jongsuk has stated just now. And… it might be pretty useful to be used in the final round.”

///

The night after they have given the host their respective answers for the given hint this evening and the hearty dinner, six of them spend time chatting and watching TV in the lounge. The difference is they are in their boarding house as the fact that they are not allowed to cross the manor. Suho stated during dinner that there will be some renovation tonight and if any players were to enter the manor, a string of penalties will be given right away.

“Here.” Lu Han hands a glass of orange juice over to Yoona before he takes the vacant seat next to her.

Albeit the utter shock, Yoona takes the glass and mutters. “T-thanks.”

“No biggie.” He grins at her and carefully sips the juice.

Just before Yoona could reply, Krystal is a tad faster. “Lu Han oppa only gave Yoona unnie that orange juice! What about me?”

“Sorry, Krystal,” Lu Han answers casually, eyes locked on the TV show. “I have only two hands.”

The younger sighs in aggravation as she crosses her arms over her chest and leans back against the couch. Yoona, on the other hand, remains passive. She lets the glass of orange juice on the coffee table, leaving it untouched. It has become quite uncomfortable for her to look at Lu Han after they both know their status. Her heart keeps beating fast whenever their gaze meet each other while Lu Han, on the contrary, acts like nothing has ever happened. The situation has turned opposite, she would say. It was Lu Han who was fidgety back then at the coffee shop.

“I was wondering if you two have something going on each other,” Jongdae chimes in with a speck of suspicion. “Are you two, by any chance… dating each other secretly?”

Lu Han coughs and almost spits on the juice. “We are what? Dating?” He glances up at Yoona. “Nah, that doesn’t make sense.”

“It surely does not make sense,” Kai says. “They two don’t seem to have a good relationship.”

“I’m here not for making any kind of romantic relationships, guys,” Yoona replies defensively. In advance, she and Lu Han had already told each other to seal their status from anyone’s knowledge. “I’m here for the game and that’s what matters.”

“See?” Kai chuckles. “Those words come from The Girl on Fire.”

Lu Han gulps nervously. “Kai’s right. I’m here for the game as well.”

However, Jongdae does not seem to buy their words. He still thinks that the said couple has something to do with each other. To make it convincing, they are acting differently than before. “What about you, Jongsuk hyung?” He tilts his head. “Do you think Lu Han hyung and Yoona noona are going out?”

“Do I….” Jongsuk deadpans, looking at Jongdae with a pair of tedious eyes, “… have to answer it?”

Kai and Krystal burst into big laughter upon Jongsuk’s unexpected counter-attack. Jongdae’s face reddens after hearing what the older has just said.

“Y-yes,” he stutters. “I’d like to know your opinion.”

“I’m sorry to say this… but their status is none of my concern,” Jongsuk snorts and focuses his attention back to TV, leaving Jongdae in bewilderment.

“This weird hyung is totally funny!” Kai does not stop laughing like crazy. “Every word that comes out from his lips leaves me speechless!”

Jongsuk glances at the idol. “Errr… thanks?”

“I was wondering about the given hint this evening.” Yoona does not want to prolong the topic about her and Lu Han. “What’d you guys answer? I don’t really get an idea for the hint. It’s too difficult.”

“It’s indeed difficult,” Krystal sighs heavily under her breath. “Instead of leaving it empty, I wrote the answer randomly.”

“I didn’t know my answer is right or not, either,” says the idol. “What about you, Jongdae? What did you write?”

Jongdae gives him an eye-smile. “I wrote what came up in my mind. I don’t know whether my answer is right, though.”

“You?” Yoona’s gaze shift to Jongsuk.

The tall boy shrugs. “No idea as well.”

“What about you, oppa?” Krystal seems interested. “Did you figure out what the answer is?”

“If you look at the clue, it seems like the final round has the similar concept to the first round, ‘Catch the Culprit’, right?” Lu Han says and earns an agreement from them. “And besides, if you look at the clue,” he trails off, grabbing a piece of paper on the coffee table and underline the lines in the clue that seem suspicious.

Wait a minute; it’s a red light,

I don’t even know what’s wrong with the current situation,

Under the rule of the jungle,

The weak becomes the scapegoat.

Aye aye; it’s a red light,

Listen carefully to whoever is trying to warn us,

Open your eyes wide,

Get ready and chase after them.

It’s ; red light,

The vivid, red light,

It gets bigger by itself,

That red light.

Kai is the first to react. “I don’t find the line suspicious at all.”

“It is suspicious,” Lu Han presses. “Don’t you find the whole clue relates to one thing?”

“No,” Kai replies again, only to not be affected by the older male’s estimation.

“Even if I tried to read the lines a few times, I still don’t get the whole thing,” says Krystal and follows by Yoona’s.

“Enlighten us, Lu Han,” Yoona adds with gleaming eyes.

“Fine then.” Lu Han looks at each other’s eyes. “What comes to your mind about ‘red light’?”

“Color?”

“Emergency?”

“f(x)’s latest song?”

Lu Han bows his head down in response as those answers come at once. “None of them is right.”

Jongdae finally speaks up. “Uhm, I don’t know if mine’s true, but… I wrote this one for my answer.”

Jongsuk an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“From what I’ve thought, red light refers to,” he stops, his lower lip, “… police.”

///

Sharp at 2 pm, all the six players have gathered in front of the medieval-looking manor for the final round that will be taken place here later.

“Why do we have to wait here?” Kai brushes his wet temple off, though it is not that scorching hot at the moment. Perhaps he is not used to being in this kind of situation – hot and humid.

“Suho said that we are not allowed to cross the manor without consent,” Yoona pitches in, replaying Suho’s word of warning last night.

Kai puckers his lips annoyingly. “But it’s freaking hot here.”

“What a brat,” Krystal mutters in a low voice, eyes hurt a lot seeing how diva-ish the idol is right now. It is not like they would be standing here for an hour. Waiting for mere minutes would not hurt in the slightest.

“Oh, what is that?” Jongdae points a finger towards the door. “Why didn’t we notice there was actually a flat screen TV in front of us?”

“I didn’t notice it too,” Lu Han agrees. “It’s big and noticeable, though.”