Chapter 3:
Men Are All Wolves

"Trickery and treachery are the practices of fools that have not the wits enough to be honest." -Benjamin Franklin

The sound of piano never fades and the young man continues to play. His fingers are hitting the notes perfectly and not a single note is missed despite the fact that he is not exactly the best pianist out there. To be completely honest, he is just an amateur. The only reason he is able to play with no mistakes is because he has been practising for weeks now and he is a fast learner.

He does not bother to look up when the wall that separates the secret room he is in and the library moves to reveal where he is. He just acts like he does not notice and continues playing until he finally finishes with the piece.

It is then when he finally looks up and sees the two people who have invaded his space. Yoona and Luhan, he notes silently to himself. Those two people are his favourites out of everyone here. “Can I help you with anything?” he inquires formally as he stares at them.

Judging by their expressions, the two of them are awed by the hidden room. They do not even take a step inside but instead, they peer inside carefully. There is nothing much in the hidden room, though. There are only more bookshelves which are placed against the curved walls. The piano that the young man was playing just now is placed right in the middle of the room and next to it lies a small table which is usually used by children.

“May we come in?” Luhan asks for permission politely while Yoona is too busy staring at the pianist’s face. There are furrows in her eyebrows which show that she is thinking hard about something.

The pianist shrugs nonchalantly, not really minding the company since these two people are his favourites, after all. “Just press the button that is placed on the right wall as soon as you come in,” he replies before he starts playing the piano again. He plays the same piece again and as usual, the notes that he hits are perfect.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he notes that the two players have already entered the hidden room and Yoona presses the button. The wall moves back into its place, successfully concealing them from the library. Silence except for the piano sound fills the room and none of them says anything.

The young man continues to play, not minding Yoona’s and Luhan’s presence. He does not feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. The two players are staring at him intently and a small smirk forms on his lips. He knows exactly why they are staring but he does not bother to acknowledge it. Instead, he feigns ignorance and waits for them to bring up the subject first.

Just as the last note for the piece is pressed, Yoona exclaims, “I know it now!” Judging by the tone of her voice, it is obvious that she is delighted that she is able to remember it. The pianist looks at her innocently and he does not say anything. “You were the one who asked for my mobile phone to text your older brother last time, weren’t you?” she accuses with her doe eyes staring at him, demanding the truth.

Luhan’s face also lightens at Yoona’s sentence and the pianist knows that the puzzles have already fitted in their minds. “It wasn’t just you, Yoona,” he responds. “I did that to all participants to get their phone numbers.” He lets a small smile touch his lips. “If you noticed, the unknown number that messaged you the information about the other players is actually the same number that I messaged on your phone last time.”

Yoona and Luhan take their phones out of their pockets and check for confirmation. The pianist’s smile widens as soon as he sees them accept the truth and keep their phones back in their pockets.

“You’re Qian’s co-host, aren’t you?” Luhan questions, getting straight to the point. He narrows his eyes, trying to pretend like he is someone not to be messed with. The young man almost scoffs because the Chinese man has a face that is too pretty to be considered as scary.

“Yes, I am,” the pianist affirms carelessly. He stares at the two players challengingly. “What are you going to do about it?”

For a moment, nobody speaks. Everyone is too busy staring at one another, trying to make them lose their nerves but the young man knows that everyone in this hidden room is very prideful. Nobody wants to lose this unofficial contest. He snorts to himself. Well, giving in does not mean that he has lost, right?

Just as he is about to open his mouth to say what is on his mind, the doe-eyed woman beats him to it. “Qian told us to find you if we want our clues,” she tells him. “She said something about how you can be unpredictable at times.”

A flicker of amusement passes over the pianist’s features for a moment before it goes away. Of course Qian would say that. Well, it is true. He is supposed to meet all of them in the meeting room just now but he does not bother to show up. It is not that he is avoiding them or anything. It is just that it will not be fun if all of them know the same hint so he decides to go missing in action and only give the clues to those who ask.

“Let’s just say that I don’t think it’s the right time to meet all of you,” he says vaguely. “Besides, I’ve already sent you a message that contains information about the other players, haven’t I? Isn’t that enough?”

“No, it isn’t,” Luhan replies bluntly, not caring about how ungrateful he sounds. The pianist smiles slightly. Well, this is one of the reasons why Luhan is his favourite player. His bluntness is one of his charms, really.

Yoona takes a step closer to him and his gaze goes from Luhan to the young woman. He looks at her questioningly but he does not bother to say anything. “How many people have you met?” she asks curiously, tilting her head to the side slightly.

The pianist’s eyes twinkle with mischief as soon as he hears her question. He keeps a mysterious smile on his face and his head to the side. “Well, who knows?” he responds infuriatingly.

A flash of annoyance crosses over Yoona’s features but he can see that the doe-eyed woman is trying her best to control her anger. “You’re the only one who knows,” she retorts smoothly, not even batting an eyelid. “What’s your name, anyway? Or should I just call you ‘your younger brother’?”

The sarcasm that is laced in the young woman’s tone does not offend him. Instead, it makes him feel more amused than ever. This is fun, he thinks to himself. “Kim Jongdae,” he introduces himself, choosing to stop playing games with them. “I’m Doctor Song’s co-host. So, I assume that you’re here to collect your hints?”

Luhan and Yoona exchange glances as soon as they hear ‘Doctor Song’ but they do not comment anything on it. There is no time to ponder over it and instead, they choose to focus on the hints that they will be receiving. “Yes, we want to know more hints,” Luhan affirms for the both of them.

Jongdae smiles at them and nods in understanding. He keeps quiet for a little while, thinking about what to tell them. A few minutes pass by in silence and the two players wait patiently. Soon, a small smile forms on Jongdae’s lips. “Well, do you want to know your hints separately or together?” he inquires, raising his eyebrow.

The two players look at each other again and it seems like they are communicating through telepathy even though it is impossible. “Together,” Luhan announces calmly.

The pianist’s smile widens at that. “Smart move,” he says in approval. “Come a little closer, will you? I’m just going to say your hints once and whether you catch it or not, I don’t give a damn so pay attention.”

Just like puppets, the two players come closer to him to listen to his words even better.

***

After asking permission from Jongdae, Yoona and Luhan stay in the hidden room for the time being to discuss what they have found out. Since they decided to listen to their hints together, meaning that they know each other’s hint, it automatically forms an alliance between them.

They decide to sit down on the floor, opposite of each other at the table that is placed next to the piano. Luhan takes out a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket to list down all the players’ names while Jongdae begins playing the piano again. Yoona distinctly notes that it is the same song as before and she wonders why the pianist plays this song over and over again but since the co-host is a little bit insane, she decides to shrug it off.

“So,” Luhan begins, causing Yoona to snap back to reality, “there are twenty participants altogether and one of them has a criminal record. We need to find out who that person is to win this round.”

The doe-eyed woman nods and gestures for him to continue with his analysis. It is interesting to know what the young man opposite of her thinks about this situation. She wants to know if what they are thinking is the same. Besides, who knows if she might have missed a thing or two? It does not hurt to listen to other people’s analysis.

“Miyoung wanted to build an alliance with all of the players but eight of them refused to do so,” the deer-eyed man goes on. “Considering the fact that the majority of the players were interested in Miyoung’s suggestion, the wolf decided not to leave so that he or she could stay safe. That means Miyoung’s alliance will target one of the other eight players, us included.”

Taking in a deep breath, Luhan continues, “After that, somehow, Miyoung will know who the true wolf is and change her vote so that she could win the money all by herself. This is how we can conclude that you, me, Sehun, Jongin, Soojung, Jinri, Joohyun and Joonmyun are not the wolf.” With that, he cancels all the names that he mentioned.

Yoona merely nods at that, agreeing with each word that Luhan said completely. “So this leaves us with twelve suspects,” she says.

Luhan nods in response before writing ‘Men are all wolves’ on the paper. He taps the sentence twice with the pen that he is holding at the moment. “This is one of the hints that we received from Jongdae,” he states.

“I think he meant to say that the real wolf is a guy,” the doe-eyed woman deduces. “Since the term men are all wolves is used to say that men like women who are y or something like that, I think that the crime the wolf committed has something to do with , molest or flashing.”

The young man shoots her a judging stare as soon as she finishes with her theory. Yoona raises her hands up in defeat. She knows that the last part is a little bit over the top but that is the only thing she can come up with other than the fact that the wolf is a guy. Out of the corner of her eyes, she notes that Jongdae is biting his lips to hold back his laughter although he still continues to play the piano perfectly.

Yoona glares at the co-host. “Don’t you dare laugh,” she snaps at him crankily and with her words, the pianist finally lets loose. He stops playing and starts to laugh. The young woman knows that her assumption is absurd but it is better than nothing, right?

After a few moments, Jongdae composes himself and keeps a straight face. Just as he is about to continue playing the piano, Luhan voices his wonder out loud, “Why do you keep on playing the same song? Aren’t there any other songs that you can play other than Bruno Mars’s Nothing On You acoustic version?”

The co-host freezes for a moment. Yoona narrows her eyes at him in suspicion. Now that she thinks about it, it does seem fishy how Jongdae just plays the same song repeatedly even though he has played it more than a dozen times. His whole body is rigid and he seems to be thinking of an excuse.

Letting out a small sigh, Jongdae finally relaxes after quite some time. He turns his head to look at the two players. “I have a performance soon,” he tells them before pursing his lips into a straight line. “I want to make sure that it will be perfect.”

Yoona raises an eyebrow at him doubtfully but she decides that this guy is weird. She cannot comprehend him at all but right now, she is not in the mood to figure out the puzzle in front of her. She just wants to find out who the wolf is so that she will be able to win. “Good luck with that,” she responds flatly before going back into business. “Anyway, do you agree with me or not about the fact that the person with a criminal record is a male, judging from Jongdae’s first clue?”

Seeing that Yoona has decided to brush the subject off, Luhan decides to go along with her because he does not think it is significant to know why Jongdae keeps on playing the same piece. Maybe it is true that he does have a performance but the deer-eyed man simply does not care and so, he shrugs it off.

“I think that what you said is true but your assumption that the wolf committed or molest or anything close to that is simply ridiculous,” Luhan responds, not bothering to lighten his words because he knows that the young woman can take it.

The doe-eyed woman nods in response. She snatches the pen away from the guy in front of her and cancels out the females’ names on the piece of paper. “So that leaves us with Zhang Yixing, Wu Yifan, Byun Baekhyun, Do Kyungsoo, Park Chanyeol and Huang Zitao. Am I right?” she muses.

It is Luhan’s turn to nod in agreement. “With Jongdae’s second clue, we can narrow it down some more but the thing is, how are we supposed to find out when their birthdays are?” he wonders as a frown appears on his face.

Yoona just shrugs nonchalantly as she does not have the slightest idea. The text message that the co-host sent them earlier does not contain information about the other players’ birthdays and that what makes everything difficult for the two of them to pinpoint who the wolf is. Jongdae told them that the wolf’s birthday is between January and May. They just have to find out the remaining suspects’ birthdays and hopefully, only one of them was bornt during those months.

The two of them stay quiet and only the sound of Jongdae playing the piano fills the room to prevent the atmosphere from being awkward. Yoona drowns herself in thoughts on how to figure out when their birthdays are. They cannot just go ahead and ask the six guys, can they? The six players will certainly get suspicious of them and not to mention that there is a possibility of them lying.

They need to make sure that the information that they receive about the six suspects’ birthdays is true, somehow. That is the only way.

“We need to see their wallets,” Luhan speaks up, breaking the silence between them. His eyes are hard and determined. Yoona thinks that she has made the right decision to make him as her ally. She decides that she needs to get him to work together with her for the other rounds but they have to do it discreetly so that the other players will not get suspicious and decide to break the alliance between them.

She knows why the deer-eyed man said that they have to take a look at the six players’ wallets. Wallets are one of the most important things that people bring with them whenever they go out. Inside a wallet, it usually contains money and the owner's ID. If they can look at their ID, they will definitely know when the suspects’ birthdays are.

“I think I might have a way to do that,” the young woman replies as a wicked smile appears on her luscious lips. Her eyes gleam with excitement and Luhan looks at her curiously. “But first, we have to make sure that Miyoung’s alliance will not vote for us next Saturday.”

Im Yoona is a manipulative person, after all.

***

“I don’t have much time,” Sooyeon whispers to Yoona urgently as she enters the bedroom the younger woman is in. She locks the door behind her and Yoona smiles in satisfaction. “They think that I’m in the bathroom. I lied to them because they do not allow us to communicate with those who are not in our alliance.”

The deer-eyed nods in understanding. She has texted her best friend, asking Sooyeon to meet her in the second bedroom on the second floor of this bungalow. She knows that it is not easy for the older woman to do that but somehow she has succeeded in getting away from the alliance.

“What do you want to talk about?” Sooyeon questions, raising her eyebrows curiously.

The younger woman shifts uncomfortably under her best friend’s scrutiny. She knows that she has to make this thing quick so that it will not be suspicious for the other players in Miyoung’s alliance. “Have you all decided on who to vote for next Saturday?” she inquires, observing the older woman closely.

Sooyeon does not look surprised at the question. She sits down on the bed, right next to the younger woman. She looks thoughtful for a little while before letting out a small sigh. “I’m not exactly sure, to be completely honest,” she answers slowly. “Miyoung is pushing everyone to vote for one of you guys who left just now but everyone is confused on who to vote for.”

Yoona nods, taking all the information in. It is a good thing that Sooyeon has stayed earlier. If not, she will not have any way to gain information about what Miyoung’s alliance is up to. As expected, they will vote on one of the eight people who left. Now, she just has to make sure that she and Luhan will not be included in the list of people that they will vote for.

The younger woman tries to think of a way to convince Sooyeon. She knows that her best friend will do anything for her but as for Luhan, she is not exactly sure because the two of them do not know each other. Considering the fact that the older woman does not like it when people beat around the bush, she decides to get straight to the point.

“Can you do me a favour and make sure that none of them will vote for me and Luhan next Saturday?” she requests, giving Sooyeon her best pleading expression.

Instead of agreeing straightaway, the older woman snorts loudly as soon as she hears the request. A teasing smile forms on her lips and Sooyeon looks at Yoona with a smug look on her face. “So, you and Luhan, huh?” she responds as she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

Yoona immediately stops giving Sooyeon the puppy eyes and instead, she shoots daggers at her best friend from her eyes. “We’re just in a temporary alliance,” she says defensively. She is glad for the fact that her face does not go red or anything. If not, her best friend will certainly even more.

Sooyeon bursts into mirthful laughter. However, the older woman drops the subject because it is not important right now. “How do I know that Luhan is not the wolf?” she challenges, holding her head high. “I mean, I know that you’re not but I’m not sure about that guy. I do know him but we’re not that close.”

The younger woman is a little bit surprised at Sooyeon's confession of her knowing who Luhan is but she decides to shrug it off. It is none of her business, anyway. Yoona keeps quiet for a moment as she ponders over whether she should tell her best friend about what she has found out or not. Sooyeon promised Miyoung that she would work with the owner of the cyber café earlier and she is the type to keep her promise so Yoona does not think Sooyeon can be trusted for the first round even though they are technically best friends.

However, she does not want to see her best friend getting tricked. It angers her to no end and that is why she decides to tell Sooyeon half of the information that she knows. “We suspect that the wolf is among the twelve of you,” she tells her quietly. “Don’t tell anyone about this and don’t trust Miyoung too much.”

Her best friend nods, showing that she understands. “Don’t worry,” she assures. “I’ll make sure that you and Luhan won’t be voted for as the wolf next Saturday. You can trust me.” The two of them exchange a look.

“I know,” Yoona replies as her lips quirk up a small smile. She knows that she should not trust her best friend completely but she decides that she will have faith in Sooyeon unless her best friend proves to her that she cannot be trusted.

Sooyeon gives the younger woman a smile of her own and she stands up. She dusts off her clothes carefully before looking at Yoona. “I think I should go now,” she says. “They’re going to get suspicious if I were to disappear for such a long time.”

Yoona approaches her best friend and reaches out for Sooyeon’s hand. She squeezes it gently. “Thank you for helping me, Sooyeon,” she says sincerely.

The older woman chortles at that before patting Yoona on her shoulder. “What are best friends for?” she asks rhetorically as her tone is laced with slight teasing. Her sentence brings a smile to the younger woman’s face. Sooyeon steps away from Yoona and goes to the door. She grasps the door handle and stops.

She turns around slowly before asking, “Have you, by chance, met Qian’s co-host?”

The doe-eyed woman freezes for a moment at the unexpected question. She does not know if she should tell her best friend the truth but since Sooyeon has been nothing but helpful to her, she nods her head briefly. “He is a strange guy,” she says, trying to be as vague as possible.

Sooyeon’s eyebrows shoot up at that. “How strange?” she questions.

Yoona just shrugs nonchalantly, not knowing how to explain how weird Jongdae is. The co-host has a really strange personality and he is one of the rare people that she cannot figure out when she first met him. Usually, if she is unable to figure out someone when she first meets him or her, this means that that person is very complicated beyond comprehension.

“He is just eccentric,” she responds after a little while and leaves it as that.

***

While Yoona is supposed to meet with Sooyeon, Luhan is tasked to meet up with Miyoung to dig in more about who she will make a scapegoat out of the eight people. The owner of the cyber café is the only one who has the power to make someone be eliminated from the first round with just a flick of her fingers. It is best not to get on her bad side.

Which is why the young man has to meet up with her to make sure that she will not make the others vote for him or Yoona next Saturday. The two of them have decided to meet at the balcony on the second floor at exactly nine o’clock since it has already stopped raining.

Luhan is already at the promised place fifteen minutes before just to make sure that Miyoung does not have anything up her sleeves. The older woman is obviously very sly and she is dangerous as for now so he has to be extremely careful. One wrong move and the older woman can easily make him the scapegoat.

As the young man stands with his hands grasping the railing of the balcony, he takes in the scenery. There are other bungalows other than the one he is in. The bungalow is placed at a very secluded area where there is only one road between it and the bungalow in front of it and there is a dead end right at the end of the road. It is a one big neighbourhood and he really admires the big houses.

The chilly air during the night after the rain is very calming but Luhan shivers, anyway. He waits patiently for the arrival of Miyoung as his mind begins to wander. He thinks of his alliance with Yoona and wonders if it is the right decision. He can tell that the young woman is intelligent but he also knows that she cannot be trusted fully. As for now, he decides to work together with her since they know each other’s hints.

“Why didn’t you join my alliance?” a voice breaks through his thoughts, successfully snapping him back to reality.

The deer-eyed man recognises the owner of the voice effortlessly. Instead of responding, he just stares at the view of the night. He lets the silence between them grow before it becomes unbearable for the older woman. “Aren’t you going to answer my question?” Miyoung asks silkily.

Without even turning around to see her expression, he knows that the older woman is cross with him but he remains silent. He contemplates on how he should respond for a moment before letting his shoulders droop. He turns around slowly just for the dramatic effect. He shoots Miyoung a look of disdain. “I think you know exactly why I refused to join,” he replies coolly.

Miyoung visibly winces at that. “I thought we were friends,” she says, her voice small.

It is all a trick, Luhan knows. How many times has he let himself be fooled by that tone of hers, anyway? “ happens,” he retorts. At that, the older woman does not seem to have any response. “Drop your mask, Miyoung. You and I both know that your alliance with them is fake. You planned to make one of us into a scapegoat while you get the prize money all by yourself.”

If Miyoung is surprised at the fact that he knows about her malicious plan, she does not show it. Instead, she stands right next to him and looks at the stars up above the sky. Silence ensues for a little while before a small chuckle escapes her lips. She turns to look at him and there is something atrocious in her eyes. Finally, she has dropped her mask.

“You should be nice to me, Luhan,” she chastises in a mocking tone. “I can make you into the scapegoat if I want to.”

Luhan stares into her eyes defiantly, showing that he is far from intimidated. The power of authority is crystal clear in her voice but it does not stir fear inside of him. It only ignites fury because Luhan does not like to be threatened. Although he feels annoyed, he pulls himself together so that the older woman will not have the satisfaction of seeing him lose his temper.

“I would like to see you do that,” he challenges, knowing full well that she will not. It is not that Miyoung is a coward. It is just that he has been nothing but chivalrous to everyone when he first came to this bungalow. He was sweet to everyone and if Miyoung were to say to them that he is the wolf, most of them would not believe her and thus, this would cause chaos to erupt. Then, their alliance would be broken.

Of course, as expected, Miyoung does not fall for his brilliant trap. The older woman is cunning, after all. She crafts her plans carefully and in such a short time, she is able to have a detailed plan. It is not a good move to mess with her but Luhan is not afraid of her. They know each other, after all.

“It’s a pity that you didn’t join my alliance,” she says remorsefully. Her mask is already back on and it frustrates him to know how easily she can slip back into her other self. “I would have shared the prize money with you.”

Luhan snorts out loud at that. He narrows his eyes at her. “Really?” he questions doubtfully. Miyoung nods, her eyes wide and innocent. His lips curl at that. “I don’t believe you.”

The older woman laughs and her eyes twinkle in amusement. Everything is a game to her. Well, this is a game, after all. She shrugs. “It’s up to you whether you want to believe me or not. It doesn’t matter because the majority is already on my side and I can make any one of you fall with just a flick of my fingers,” she announces with a hint of arrogance in her tone.

The deer-eyed man has never felt so repulsive in his life. Sure, he knows the older woman but that does not mean he likes her. He simply tolerates her attitude all this time but Miyoung always has a way to push his buttons. She loves to irk him and it annoys him to no end that she has such a hold over him.

However, he still manages to have a control over his temper. It still surprises him, sometimes, the amount of patience that he has. “You’re a fool, Miyoung,” he remarks insensitively. The older woman opens to protest but Luhan has already left the balcony. There is nothing left to say.

It is true, though.

Hwang Miyoung is a freaking fool.

Her idea is brilliant, sure, but it is totally foolish. She may have gained most of the players’ trust but then, she will betray them while it is only the first round. She makes amazing plans but she does not think far.

If she betrays them now, who will she work with in the future rounds? Luhan does not think that the other players will want to form another alliance with her after they have been brutally deceived by her. Unless, of course, those players are idiots. There is a famous saying ‘once bitten, twice shy’, after all.

The deer-eyed man shakes his head. His eyes slide towards his wristwatch. It is already nine-thirty at night. They have two and a half more hours to go before midnight. His lips form a small smile.

It is time to carry out the plan that he and Yoona have made so that they will be able to find out when the six suspects' birthdays are.

***

“Is forty enough?”

That question makes the doe-eyed woman roll her eyes exasperatedly. How many times has Luhan asked the same question again and again? Well, it is uncountable which is why it makes her feel so irritated. “Yes,” she answers brusquely.

Knowing that Yoona is feeling annoyed, Luhan decides not to aggravate her further. To be completely honest, she is grateful for that because she can be quite cranky, sometimes. The young woman continues to prepare the dining room for the meal that all of the participants will be having together. It will not be fun if everyone decides to stay with their own alliance for the rest of the night.

With the help of Amber, the two players have managed to cook forty omelettes for the twenty participants with two for each. The only reason Amber agreed to help them is because has nothing better to do and she told them that Qian allowed her to do anything she wants as long as she does not reveal who the wolf is.

As soon as the table is made, Amber goes to the microphone that is connected to the intercoms that are placed in all of the rooms in this bungalow. She switches it on and clears once for attention. “All participants of this game are required to gather in the dining room for a meal together,” she announces concisely. “I repeat, all participants are required to gather in the dining room for a meal together.”

After that, she switches off the microphone and gives Luhan and Yoona a thumbs-up. The two of them nod their thanks and the helper walks away, seeing that her job there is done. The two players take their positions right in front of the entrance of the dining room. Right next to the door, there is a table with two baskets placed on top of it.

The two of them exchange glances before they take out their phones and wallets from their pockets respectively. Yoona places her phone into the right basket and her wallet into the left basket and Luhan follows suit. After that, they guard the door again.

Surprisingly, it is Sehun who arrives first. He is still wearing his sunglasses and his pace is in no hurry. Yoona stares hard at the guy, wanting to read what he is feeling but to no avail. Those sunglasses are definitely a pain in the neck for hindering her from seeing Sehun’s expression.

“You have to put your wallet and phone inside these baskets,” Luhan speaks up as soon as Sehun is close enough to them. “Amber went to the bathroom for a little while and told us to keep watch and make sure that everyone does as they are told.”

Sehun does not say anything. Instead, he stares right into Luhan’s eyes and as per normal, no one knows what he is feeling. Yoona has a feeling that he is speculating whether the deer-eyed man is telling the truth or not. Before he can make a decision, three other people arrive.

“What’s going on here?” Soojung demands as soon as she sees them, causing Yoona and Luhan to exchange wary glances.

“Amber told us that all of you have to place your phones and wallets into these baskets,” Yoona responds, shrugging as she tries to act aloof. “She’s in the bathroom at the moment.”

Jongin and Jinri look at each other before their eyes land on the baskets. Then, Jongin looks at Luhan and Yoona doubtfully. “Why would she want our phones and wallets?” he inquires as he shoots them a dubious look.

Luhan simply shrugs nonchalantly, effectively telling them that he has no absolute idea. “Qian’s orders, she said,” he responds. “If I’m not wrong, Amber also mentioned something about not wanting us to be distracted by our phones and wallets during the meal so that we will be able to communicate with one another.”

Jinri nods to herself thoughtfully before whipping out her phone and wallet. “I don’t see anything wrong with that,” she declares coolly. With that, she places her belongings into their respective baskets.

It seems like her actions have cleared some of the doubt in the other players’ mind. Without much commotion, they line up to give up their items. Soon, Miyoung’s alliance join in the line without any word of protests or doubts. Yoona observes the guys in Miyoung’s alliance carefully.

None of them is acting suspicious. Kyungsoo, Yifan, Zitao and Yixing are silent, not bothering to speak with the other players. Instantly, she knows that they are introverts. Meanwhile, Chanyeol and Baekhyun are having a conversation with each other. It seems like they are getting along well.

As for now, she cannot narrow down her suspects yet.

When it is Miyoung’s turn to give her wallet and phone, Joonmyun and Joohyun arrive. The owner of the cyber café turns around and her lips curl into a mocking smirk as soon as she sees them.

Yoona raises her eyebrow questioningly at her but the older woman does not say anything. Instead, she shoots Luhan a smile full of malice before placing her wallet and phone into their respective baskets. Then, she brushes past them to enter the dining room.

Everyone is compliant to their request although Sehun and Jongin protested a little bit earlier. When everyone except for Luhan and Yoona is inside the dining room, the two of them immediately reach for the basket that contains everyone’s wallets. They open everyone’s wallet, looking for the six suspects’ wallets.

As soon as Yoona sees that the wallet that she has opened is Kwon Yuri’s, she tosses it back inside and continues her search. A few moments later, Luhan nudges her gently and she looks at him. He shows her Yifan's ID which is in his wallet.

6^th November 1990, she notes.

Luhan places the wallet back inside the basket and Yoona continues to look through it  They show each other the ID of the suspects to show that they are not lying. After they are done with their job, Luhan takes out the same piece of paper and pen that he had earlier in the hidden room before writing something.

Wu Yifan – 6^th November 1990

Byun Baekhyun – 6^th May 1992

Park Chanyeol – 27^th November 1992

Zhang Yixing – 7^th October 1991

Do Kyungsoo – 12^th January 1993

Huang Zitao – 2^nd May 1993

The two players exchange a smile. There are only three people left in their suspects list now. It still does not tell them who the wolf is but it is good enough. They itch to discuss what they have found with each other but they refrain themselves at the moment. As for now, they have a meal to attend.

With that, the two of them enter the dining room together.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading the third chapter. So far, who do you think the person with a criminal record is? It may seem a little bit hard to guess at the moment since I haven't put in much interaction with the suspects but if you notice, I have put in some subtle hints. Here is one question, though: is one of the suspects really the wolf or is it somebody else? Tell me what you think below. Thank you for reading, subscribing, commenting and upvoting! Enjoy reading the next chapter! :)