Chapter 4:
The Interrogation

"Lying is done with words and also with silence." -Adrianna Rich
 

The first round of the game that the twenty participants are playing is not exactly a fair game but the world is not fair, so why should games be fair too? That is just how life is, sometimes. Some people do not deserve what they have but we cannot do anything about it so we just keep quiet and keep our resentment to ourselves.

It is the same thing with the first round. The wolf is actually the most disadvantageous person at the moment because everyone is trying to find out who he or she is. It is safe to say that it is almost impossible that nobody will vote for him because there are just too many people so to play it safe, the wolf just has to make sure that the majority will not vote for him or her using his or her intelligence. The only thing the wolf can do at this moment is to survive. This is a game of deceit and lies, after all.

It is quite saddening to see that many people will be deceived by the wolf but Yoona does not think that there is any other choice. It is not like she and Luhan can tell them who the wolf is because if all of them vote for the wolf, the prize money will be shared among them and thus, each player will receive a meagre amount of it. If all nineteen participants vote for the wolf, they will roughly get around twenty-six million won.

Even Yoona’s inheritance from her deceased parents has a higher amount so what is the point of her joining this game? As the saying goes, every man for himself. She feels a little bit sorry but she has to be selfish. It is fine if she has to share with one or two people but nineteen? The number of people is too big and the prize money will be lesser. She does not think that she wants that to happen.

If all goes well, she, Luhan and Miyoung will most probably win this round. Even though she feels sorry for the others, she has to do this. Besides, it will be Miyoung who betrays them, not her, so it will not affect her in any way. They will hold grudges against Miyoung, not Yoona. If they do accuse her of knowing Miyoung’s malicious plan, she will just feign ignorance.

It is not like it is Yoona’s fault for not telling them that Miyoung is going betray them. It is solely their fault that they trust the owner of the cyber café. Did Qian not tell them not to trust anyone?

This is the real world, she thinks to herself.

Everyone is already seated inside the dining room, even Yoona and Luhan. The atmosphere there is very awkward and tense. Nothing but silence fills every corner of the room. Nobody touches their food as they are waiting for some sort of a cue. All of them are looking at Yoona and Luhan expectantly since they were actually the first ones to arrive and Amber allegedly asked them to collect each player’s phone and wallet.

Yoona exchanges glances with Luhan, not knowing what to do now that they are in the center of attention. Things do go as planned. They managed to see the suspects’ wallets and narrow down the suspects to pinpoint who the wolf is but they have never planned on what to do during the meal.

In situations like this, Yoona thinks that it is better if Luhan handles it because he has a cherubic face. People are more likely to trust him than her even though her words might be sweeter. She nods at the guy, giving him permission to do whatever he wants. It is all up to him now.

As soon as Luhan receives the approval, he takes in a deep breath before letting it out slowly to calm himself down. “We lied,” he announces, holding his head high to show that he is not a coward. Murmurs of confusion fill the room and everyone looks puzzled. “I’m sorry but we planned this meal, not Qian. We persuaded Amber to help us so that we will be able to look into your wallets.”

The confession has successfully caused an outrage because everyone is practically glaring at the two of them now. Both of them do not show that they are intimidated, however. They are too prideful to do that.

“Why would you want to see our wallets?” Sunyoung asks, narrowing her eyes at them. She looks very displeased but then, again, everyone in this room is cross with them so it is not exactly a surprise.

Since Luhan has a sincere face, he handles the apology and confession but since Yoona thinks that she is better with words, it is only right that she explains the reason for lying to them. “First of all, I want to say that, please, do eat the food that I’ve prepared because we do want to have a meal with all of you to talk,” she starts off politely and some of the tension clears a little bit.

A few of the players decide to take a bite or drink the water to quench their thirst and the young woman is grateful for that. “Secondly, I hope that all of you won’t take our lie to heart because we have no choice but to do this,” she requests. Her tone is still gentle and pleading and she can see that some of them are trying to keep themselves from frowning.

“And lastly, I shall explain why we needed to see your wallets,” she says. “You see, we don’t exactly have to see your wallets. We just want to check your birthdays and your wallets contain your ID. If we were to ask all of you for your birthdays, it is likely that you’d feel suspicious of us and would give us a false answer or not answer us at all. That is why we have to see your wallets to make sure that the information that we get is real.”

This has caused everyone to look at one another warily. “You didn’t steal my money, right?” Yifan asks in an obnoxious tone.

“If we want to steal your money, we wouldn’t admit that we lied to all of you,” Yoona deadpans. She almost rolls her eyes at him but she refrains herself from doing so. “I wouldn’t even ask you for your wallet. I would have just pickpocketed it.” The exasperation in her voice is quite obvious and she curses herself mentally for letting her annoyance take over her momentarily.

Luhan, who sees that his ally is beginning to lose her cool, decides to step in. “In conclusion, we just wanted to know your birthdays, that’s all,” he says smoothly, successfully bringing all the attention to himself now. Yoona shoots him a grateful look and he flashes a small smile in response.

“Why did you want to know our birthdays, though?” Sooyoung asks with her eyebrows raised in suspicion. The distrust on her face is so evident that everyone is able to see it with just one look at her.

The deer-eyed man just shrugs. “We met with Qian’s co-host and the clue that he gave us has something to do with your birthdays,” he responds, trying to be as vague as possible. There is no way that he will tell the others what exactly the clue is.

At this point of time, some of the players have already lost interest. They are busy filling their stomachs. Only a few of them are still very wary of Yoona and Luhan. “I don’t get it!” Yuri bursts out suddenly, causing everyone to stare at her. “You could have just done that and get this meal over with without telling us anything. Why didn’t you do that?”

At that, Yoona and Luhan do not really have an answer. They did not discuss on what to do next. All they cared was to find out the six suspects’ birthdays. Their confession is totally unplanned. Telling the rest that they have met with Jongdae is spontaneous. Everything is impromptu right at this moment.

That is why Yoona has to think quickly. The two of them need to know who the wolf is among Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and Zitao. They have to talk to the three of them, somehow, and try to guess. However, if she voices out her desire to talk to the three guys, everyone will know that something is up and the clue that they have received from Jongdae has something to do with it. They cannot afford to let the others know. It leaves her with no choice.

She looks at everyone’s lanyards. She studies their surnames carefully. Well, she can say that they want to talk to each of them alone but she has to make sure that they will be able to talk to their three suspects the earliest. Looking at their surnames, an idea comes to her mind. “We want to talk to all of you individually,” she utters.

Her announcement has successfully gained everyone’s attention. They stare at her like they cannot believe what she has just said. She plans to meet everyone, starting from Byun Baekhyun, Choi Jinri, Choi Sooyoung and so on, following the alphabetical order for their surnames. It should be fine since Zitao, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun have surnames that start with letters that come quite early in the alphabetical order.

“What if we refuse to do so?” Yixing challenges, tilting his head slightly to the side.

Silence ensues after that as everyone’s stare has become challenging. Violence is not allowed so there is no use in threatening them. Besides, they are too many of them, anyway. If threatening does not work, rewarding them will. Humans are greedy creatures. They will surely take on the offer.

“Frankly, the two of us received two hints earlier from Jongdae since every person gets one hint each,” Yoona tells them. “We’ll tell you one of the hints.”

Everyone pauses, as if to think about her offer. Yoona backtracks a little. She knows that there is a hole in her offer. Miyoung’s alliance can just send one person to get the hint and then refuse to meet them. That cannot happen.

It seems like Luhan has thought of it too because the guy suddenly declares, “Here’s a deal. We’ll talk to three people from Miyoung’s alliance, one person between Joohyun and Joonmyun, one person among Jongin, Jinri and Soojung and lastly, Oh Sehun. Then, we’ll let the people who have met with us know the hint and they can tell all of you. As for Miyoung’s alliance, however, we’ll only tell the hint to the last person who will meet up with us to ensure that the deal is kept.”

Everyone is busy considering the offer that Luhan and Yoona have made to them. Yoona smiles slightly. Luhan is really intelligent, she notes.

“We agree,” Miyoung, as the leader of her alliance, gives her approval.

“Us too,” Joonmyun says.

“Count us in,” Soojung pipes up.

Everyone turns to look at Sehun to see his decision. Since he does not have an alliance, everyone is certain that he will absolutely agree. His face is still blank and it is hard to tell what he is feeling when his eyes are covered. “I refuse,” he rejects civilly.

All of the players look at him in shock. They wonder why he does not agree before coming to a conclusion that this guy is an idiot. Yoona feels puzzled but she shrugs it off, seeing that Sehun is not among their suspects, anyway. They do not need to talk to him.

“That’s fine,” she says coolly, accepting his decision. “Since all of you have agreed, we’ll pick the people that we want to talk to among your alliances. No objections is allowed. Or else, we won’t give you the hint.”

Nobody protests at that since all of them want to know the hint except for Sehun since that guy is completely a fool.

“What if you lie to us?” Jongin voices out his concern.

Everyone turns to look at them, waiting for their response. “We won’t,” Luhan promises and everyone believes him.

Well, Yoona does not plan on lying to them about the hint in the first place, anyway.

***

Yoona and Luhan decide to hold their interrogation at the attic as it seems secluded. There is only one door to enter the attic and it is linked with the staircase to go downstairs straightaway. The stairs creak when they are being stepped on so they will know if anyone tries to eavesdrop.

The attic is surprisingly quite big and cosy although the lights inside of it are quite dim. It is filled with crates and boxes which is what Yoona has expected. She sits down on a crate and Luhan follows her actions. Then, she gestures for Baekhyun to sit down too.

The guy does as what he is told to do without any questions. He keeps a small smile on his face but Yoona knows that underneath that façade of his, he is feeling nervous. She immediately feels suspicious. If he is not the wolf, there is no reason for him to feel nervous.

“You’re nervous,” she points out as soon as all of them are seated comfortably.

Baekhyun’s eyes turn towards her when she says that and she can clearly see that he is trying to stop feeling nervous. She looks at her ally and almost smiles to herself because Luhan can see it too. Baekhyun lets out a shaky laugh and smiles weakly. “Well, I get nervous during interviews or anything that requires me to talk to someone privately,” he explains himself.

Yoona does not say anything. Instead, she turns to Luhan, waiting for him to start questioning the guy in front of them first. However, the deer-eyed man is silent as if he is deep in his thoughts. “This feels like a déjà vu,” he mumbles under his breath but it is still audible to her ears.

She raises her eyebrow at that, wanting to know what the guy means by it. Something tugs on her mind but she cannot quite grasp what exactly it is. Frustrated, she decides to shrug it off. Seeing that Luhan is still lost in his own world and Baekhyun is getting more uneasy as seconds pass, she knows that she has to start the questioning. This is the first time that Luhan has not been much of a help to her.

“So, are you the wolf?” she inquires bluntly, crossing one leg over another as she stares right into Baekhyun’s eyes.

Luhan seems to snap back to reality as soon as the question is asked. He has finally regained his senses. Yoona shoots him a look of warning before focusing on Baekhyun once again. The guy who is being interrogated does not seem to be intimidated by Yoona’s sudden question. It is unexpected, considering that fact that he was feeling nervous before.

Baekhyun’s nervousness seems to dissipate into the thin air as soon as the question is asked. The air around him changes and he looks more confident and certain now. A mischievous glint has appeared in his eyes and Yoona takes note of this inside her mind.

“Well, who knows?” he asks back, smiling playfully. His eyes twinkle with mischief and he seems to be having a lot of fun. He kind of reminds Yoona of Qian’s co-host.

Yoona just shrugs nonchalantly. It is not like she has been expecting an honest answer from Baekhyun or the other players that they will be interrogating later. She just wants to see his reaction because it will help a lot.

“Do you know who the wolf is?” Luhan questions, raising his eyebrow. The doe-eyed woman is really glad that he has come back to his senses. If not, she seriously has to reconsider this alliance of theirs. She cannot work with someone who spaces out easily.

Baekhyun shifts slightly before shrugging. “The person who has a criminal record is not the two of you, that’s all I can say,” he replies, not really giving them the answer that they want.

The doe-eyed woman hides a smile at that. If that is true, then, Miyoung’s alliance will not be targeting any of them. They will be safe from elimination as for now. It is funny, in her opinion. She thinks that it is amusing to see Baekhyun act so cocky with them. He thinks that he is playing it safe by not disclosing much information.

“Who is the person that your alliance will be targeting?” Yoona decides to keep on asking him questions. She knows that it is kind of pointless to do so because this guy will not reveal anything to them directly but there is a chance that he might slip up and she is totally counting on that.

The guy just shrugs again. His face does not contain any emotion and he fights to keep up with his poker face. Beneath his poker face, however, Yoona can tell that his mind is whirling. “How about the two of you?” he directs the question back to them.

Luhan lets out a chuckle as soon as he hears his question. Yoona is not really sure why he is laughing although she knows that it is certainly not a laughter filled with mirth. It is a mixture of bitterness and amusement, she realises after a few moments. “It doesn’t matter who we choose,” the deer-eyed man states in a factual tone. “It’s your alliance’s choice that matters because the person that you all vote for next Saturday will be eliminated.”

“Then, join our alliance,” Baekhyun suggests quietly. His eyes are serious and Yoona is certain that he is not joking.

She snorts at his suggestion before looking away from him in mild disdain. “Never,” she sneers when she looks back at him. It is not in her intention to show what she thinks of their alliance. She is not supposed to tell him what she feels.

Her objection causes Baekhyun to be puzzled. He just looks at the two of them with a question mark written all over his face. “Why not? Majority always wins.”

“Not if one of them decides to betray,” Luhan counters airily. He does not give a chance for Baekhyun to ask questions or argue. “You may go now and call Do Kyungsoo here,” he dismisses to show that the conversation is over.

The two allies have nothing else to say to this guy, anyway.

***

There are different types of silence in this world. Most people regard silence as uncomfortable and they try to avoid that situation while others actually do enjoy the quietness of it all. Silence can hurt, sometimes, though. In situations such as silence between two people who used to be so close but they have drifted apart, silence can be painful.

Silence can also bring peace. Some people prefer to go on a walk alone rather than going out with friends just to enjoy the serenity by themselves. There are also couples who like to keep quiet and simply enjoy each other’s company instead of talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

Silence is a unique thing, really. Although it is technically supposed to be silent, just like its name suggests, it actually conveys the messages that are unspoken. It is the complete opposite of its meaning, really.

The silence that fills the attic as soon as Baekhyun has left is neither uncomfortable nor pleasant. Instead, it is necessary to be kept because judging by the creak of stairs, Kyungsoo is coming up soon.

Yoona badly wants to discuss with Luhan about Baekhyun’s behaviour but she forces her lips to be sealed. There is no way that she wants Kyungsoo to hear about what they are talking about. Looking at Luhan’s face, she knows that he is fighting the urge to talk to her too. Later, she promises herself.

The door to the attic swings open and Kyungsoo walks inside. He closes the door behind him. Do Kyungsoo is a guy who is slightly shorter than average. He has wide eyes and a heart-shaped lips. His face is completely blank and Yoona knows instantaneously that it will be hard to read his expression.

Kyungsoo does not bother asking for their permission to sit down. He just does it nonchalantly like he belongs there. “What do you want to talk to me about?” he queries, going straight to the point. It is obvious that he does not like to beat around the bush. He would rather get this done and over with quickly.

“Are you the wolf?” Luhan asks the same question as Yoona did to Baekhyun earlier. The two allies know that there is no point is asking that question because it is not like anyone will admit it. They just want to see how the people that they ask the question to will respond.

Kyungsoo is not cocky like Baekhyun was but he is definitely a tough nut to crack. His eyes are studying them carefully, as if he is trying to figure out why in the world they would ask him such a stupid question. “I’m not,” he claims confidently.

Yoona and Luhan exchange glances, not knowing what to make of his answer. There is a chance that he is lying but the certainty in his voice throws them off a little. It is hard to tell whether he is lying or not because he is sitting perfectly still except for the few times he blinks, not avoiding eye contact, and he is really composed.

“How do we know if we can believe you?” she quips, raising her eyebrow doubtfully.

“Then, why would you ask if I’m the wolf or not?” he returns pointedly. “If I am the wolf, which I’m not, obviously I won’t tell the truth.”

He is a smart guy, she thinks to herself. His question is left unanswered. It is a psychological battle right at this moment. They have to figure out if he is truly not the wolf. It is usually easy to tell whether someone is lying or not but Kyungsoo is one of those rare people that is a really good liar.

Or maybe, he is telling the truth.

Yoona does not know because it is still hard to make up her mind right now. They have to push him more. If he is lying, there is a chance that he might slip up somewhere. “I think that you are the wolf, though,” she tells him with a straight face.

“I told you, I’m not,” Kyungsoo insists with a slight note of impatience in his voice.

The doe-eyed woman narrows her eyes at him right away. He is being adamant about the fact that he is not the wolf. “You’re not being very convincing right now, Kyungsoo,” she chastises.

A small sigh is emitted from Kyungsoo’s heart-shaped lips. He looks like he cannot be bothered with this interrogation anymore. “Up to you whether you want to believe me or not,” he responds. He has given up in trying to make them think that he is not the wolf. “Even if you vote for me, it won’t affect anything. I won’t be eliminated.”

Yoona can feel herself getting more annoyed as seconds tick by. There it is again. The people in Miyoung’s alliance love to boast about them being part of the majority, don’t they? If only they know that they will be deceived by the owner of the cyber café, she is pretty sure that they will hang their head in shame instead.

“If you’re the wolf, you won’t get the prize money, if we vote for you,” Luhan retorts wittily.

Kyungsoo’s beautiful lips form a small mocking smile. “Didn’t I tell you that I’m not the wolf?” he shoots back wittily.

Luhan does not respond and instead, he opts to stay quiet. Yoona purses her lips into a straight line. She tries her best to control her temper. Are all people in Miyoung’s alliance as obnoxious as Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are?

“We’re done,” she dismisses coldly. “Tell Huang Zitao to come here.”

At that, Kyungsoo immediately stands up and leaves the attic without another word. His shoulders sag slightly when he leaves.

***

It is sick how the world works, sometimes.

The rich get whatever they want while the poor have to suffer. Everything is handed to the rich on a silver platter while the poor have to work really hard to get what they need. People with connections and money have all the power and some can even escape the court’s law. It is just so corrupted and dirty.

Maybe that is one of the reason why Yoona has always hated this whole world. She resents the way the world works, sometimes. It is just so freaking unfair and she really despises it. Just like how she really dislikes Miyoung’s alliance right at this moment.

Irritation courses through her veins as she remembers how Baekhyun acted like he was some sort of a king just because he has an alliance to back him up. Exacerbation fills her when the way Kyungsoo boasted about their votes being ineffective flashes inside her mind. Oh, she really cannot wait to see Miyoung betray them.

It is mean of her to say that but that is how she truly feels. She wants to see their mortified expressions as soon as they realise that Miyoung has deceived them. She wonders if any of them will cry because of Miyoung’s betrayal. The thought of their hurt expressions has successfully soothed the anger away.

The sound of the creaking stairs indicates that Huang Zitao is about to enter the attic. Yoona tries her best to hide her displeasure. She does not want her mood at the moment to distract her from observing the guy. She has to remain professional in this until it is over.

Zitao is a tall Chinese guy who has eyes that are panda-like. He wears black clothing from head to toe. There is a small stud on his right ear and he looks murderous, in Yoona’s humble opinion. Looking at his body shape, it is clear that he is strong and fit. Zitao quirks up a small smile as soon as he sees them despite his scary appearance.

“Hello,” he greets quietly, his voice unexpectedly soft. His eyes are looking around the attic in wonder. He is feeling uncertain, Yoona can tell, as he sits down on the crate that Baekhyun and Kyungsoo previously sat. The doe-eyed woman is pretty sure that this guy is not as obnoxious as the previous two guys that they interrogated earlier.

“Um, just a warning, though,” Zitao speaks up, his tone awkward. “My Korean is not that good so you might have to ask me questions in simple words that I can understand.”

Yoona and Luhan exchange glances. “I’ll handle this,” the deer-eyed man whispers reassuringly but Yoona does not feel assured at all. Alarms go off in her head and she shoots her ally a dubious look. What if Luhan lies? What if he betrays her somehow? Sure, they have been building up trust for the past few hours but that does not mean that she fully trusts him.

“How do I know that you won’t trick me?” she questions, narrowing her eyes at him.

Luhan chuckles quietly in amusement. He flashes a crooked smile at her briefly before shrugging. “I don’t like making enemies, Yoona,” he chides gently. “I won’t trick you, I promise. Besides, you have no other choice other than letting me handle this since I doubt that you speak Chinese.”

A rush of bitterness courses through her but she swallows it without much of a choice. She reluctantly admits that her ally is right. She cannot speak Chinese and Zitao’s Korean is not that good. If she insists on interrogating him in Korean, she is pretty sure that the language barrier will cause problems between them.

Besides, as a fellow Chinese, maybe Zitao might feel more comfortable talking to Luhan. She has no choice but to let Luhan deal with it and trust him. So far he has not betrayed her trust so it should be fine. At least that is what she hopes for. “Fine,” she agrees at last. “But I’m recording this conversation and you have to tell me word by word about what he said.”

The deer-eyed man gives her a judging look, showing that he thinks that she has lost her mind. “Stop being paranoid and just trust me this one time, okay?” he replies. His tone is laced with slight annoyance.

“I’ll hunt you down if you ever lie to me,” she threatens, deciding not to record the conversation.

Luhan snorts loudly at that but he does not say anything. Instead, he turns his attention towards Zitao and foreign words flow out from his mouth. Yoona listens intently even though she has no absolute idea what they are talking about but she figures that she can roughly guess.

Zitao responds in the same language and he looks visibly relief to speak with his native tongue. Yoona feels pity for him as she imagines how hard it must be for him to live in a different country other than home especially since his Korean is kind of limited.

The conversation between them goes on and judging from their expressions, it is a pleasant one. There is no sarcasm or sharpness in their tones. Instead, they talk calmly and a peaceful atmosphere seems to wrap around them and Yoona has to admit that she kind of likes it. Not that she will ever admit it out loud, anyway.

She finds herself tuning out their conversation as she gets lost into her own thoughts. She thinks about how long this night has been and she longs for her bed and pillow. She suddenly wants to crawl into her bed and just sleep. She can feel the exhaustion seep into her bones and it is then she realises how much her muscles ache.

They have two more people to talk to after this but it does not really matter since Soojung and Joohyun are obviously not the suspects so they can just have a normal conversation. She wishes that time will go by faster and midnight will come soon.

At long last, Zitao stands up and he gets ready to leave. Before he departs, though, he turns towards Yoona and gives her a polite smile. “See you around,” he says in Korean in courtesy of her. She finds herself liking this guy better than Baekhyun and Kyungsoo. Well, this guy is polite, after all.

When Zitao finally leaves, she turns towards Luhan and motions for him to start explaining what they have been talking about just now. “He’s not the wolf,” Luhan declares boldly. From his eyes, Yoona can tell that he is very certain of it. He is not lying.

There is only one thing, though. Can Yoona really trust Luhan’s judgement? She thinks back to how calm and composed Zitao was earlier. She lets out a sigh. “What makes you think so?” she inquires, raising her eyebrows at him, demanding for a detailed explanation.

“Well, the way he talks, it seems like he has nothing to hide. Also, he is someone who is very soft-hearted despite his tough demeanour,” Luhan responds.

Yoona does not know if she should believe him.

***

The grandfather clock in the room shows that it is almost midnight and the twenty players will be going home soon. That is too bad, really, since their presences bring the big bungalow come to life. It is a shame because the bungalow will be empty for the next few days until next Saturday when the voting will take place.

It is amusing to see how people suspect each other and how they try to figure out who the person with a criminal record is. Jongdae finds it very funny to see them rack their brains so hard just to know who the wolf is in order to win the first round and claim the prize money. They should be more afraid about getting eliminated, in his opinion.

Elimination does not mean much in usual games but this is not a normal game. The game that they are playing is not one to be played for fun. He knows that some of the players join just for the fun of it while the others are desperate for the money. He shakes his head at them condescendingly.

Yoona and Luhan might be his two favourites but he does have an ultimate favourite. He thinks that Oh Sehun is a really interesting guy. He has met all the players before and tricked them into giving him their phone numbers. Most of them readily agreed to let him text his so-called older brother but only Sehun offered to drive him to the hospital.

Jongdae wanted to decline at that time but the guy insisted profusely and he had no other choice but to comply. Luckily, he used his quick wit, saying that he still needed to use Sehun’s phone to text his older brother not to pick him up as he already had a ride to get to the hospital.

Sehun is also the only one who does not involve himself in any alliance. He isolates himself from the others and that is a good thing because no one among the players can be trusted. No one at all. But then, making friends with them is also important because there will be times when he will need their help.

He just sighs quietly and silently wishing his favourites good luck and hopes that they will last long in this game. To last long in this game, however, will require them to sell their souls to the devil and that will be such a waste. The winner of this game will not come out unscarred.

“What are you thinking about?” a soft voice breaks through his thoughts and he turns around in surprise. He has been looking outside the window of a random room when Qian enters.

A smile automatically forms on his kitten-like lips. He shrugs, not really wanting the host to know about his thoughts. “Nothing much, Doctor Song,” he replies quietly. “I’m just wondering who will win this game.”

Qian chuckles in amusement at his words. She walks closer to him and sends him a look that successfully brings chills down his spine. She looks intimidating at the moment and Jongdae gulps. “You didn’t really pay attention to me earlier, did you?” she asks rhetorically as a dangerous glint can be seen in her eyes.

Jongdae looks away from her, not wanting to meet her gaze. Song Qian is a scary person. She is someone that he would rather not associate himself with but he has no other choice but to do that. Since when does he have a choice in anything, anyway? Even he being her co-host is not his decision. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles.

The young woman just shrugs at him even though her eyes are still blazing. It is obvious that she is angered by his actions. “It’s okay,” she responds in her fake sugary tone. “You’ve always had a lot on your mind.” The sarcasm in her tone is not missed by him but he holds himself back from saying things that he will regret.

“The winner for this game has already been designed right from the start, Jongdae,” Qian tells him bluntly. “It has already been decided by the organiser.”

“Why did the organiser create this game, anyway?” Jongdae voices out his wonder.

Qian snorts quietly to herself before shooting him another dangerous look that makes him shut his mouth. He knows better than to rile her up further. “You already know why,” she answers vaguely.

It is true. He does know why but he still does not get it. What will the organiser get out of this game? What is exactly the purpose of creating this game? “It has been eight years since that incident,” he shoots back, unable to control his tongue.

“Yes, and Lee Soonkyu is still nowhere to be found. Her case is going to be filed away as another unclosed case soon,” Qian replies tightly. Her lips are set in grim determination. “I have to make sure that that will not happen.”

Jongdae just sighs quietly and wonders what he has gotten himself into. He knows that being Qian’s co-host for this game is a mistake. “Her disappearance is partly the organiser’s fault too,” he points out.

Qian keeps quiet for a little while. “It’s all our fault, Jongdae. You, me, the organiser and the players,” she responds. “It’s all our fault.”

And Jongdae knows that it is the truth.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter. The main plot of this story is slowly beginning to start and I am looking forward to writing it. A lot of you suspect that Kyungsoo is the wolf but well, let's see if it's true. Who the person with a criminal record should be quite obvious by now, actually. Here are some questions to think about: Why did Sehun decline Yoona's and Luhan's offer? What is Lee Soonkyu's role in this story and what does she have to do with this game? Who exactly is the winner that has already been decided? Thank you for subscribing, reading, commenting and upvoting! Enjoy reading the next chapter! :)