Prologue

After the conclusion of World War II, a war arose between the two nations in the Korean Peninsula called the Korean War. Many lives from either side were lost, but in the end, the North emerged victorious and claimed the South. Thus, the Republic of the Unified Korean Peninsula was established under a totalitarian government. Several uprisings and protests broke out immediately afterwards. The Supreme Ruler of the Republic of the Unified Korean Peninsula enacted the Battle Experiment No. 48 Program, declaring it to be conducted for research of the Special Defense Forces of Unified Korea. From then on, fifty third year middle high school classes are selected annually to conduct the Program where students in each class are forced to fight until one survivor is left. Results from this experiment, including the elapsed time, are entered as data. The winner of the program receives a lifetime pension from the government and a card autographed by the Supreme Ruler.

- An excerpt from the American journal, “The Fascist Mind”

40 students remaining

The multicolored neon lights of the shops and the outline of buildings outside the bus window faded as the bus entered the expressway to Incheon. It had been 3 hours and a half since the orange tinged sky evanesced and plunged the country into darkness. The digital display above the bus driver’s head turned 8:37.

Kim Minseok (Male Student No. 2, Third Year Class D, Hongcheon Middle School, Hongcheon County, Gangwon Province) had been staring in a daze outside the window which showed nothing but darkness except for the occasional light from the street lights. He turned his head towards his best friend, Heo Youngji, who had the window seat. She was rummaging around in her bag as if trying to find something so Minseok decided not to disturb her. As though suddenly remembering, Minseok took out his earbuds and Walkman (one of the few Japanese brands available in the Republic of the Unified Korean Peninsula) and then played a mix tape of different rock music to relax himself (which is declared as illegal. He got it from the kind gardener in the orphanage. He’s dead now though after the government learned that he was against them). Just the idea of getting on a plane already sent shivers across his spine as if he could already feel himself falling. Irrational, yes, but no one can blame him. After all, his parents died in a plane crash. Minseok was 4 years old then. He could still remember the day the Special Defense Forces arrived and told him that his parents were dead. Then they brought him to the local orphanage when his relatives refused to take him in.  He can only remember the events, not the pain of loss or the feeling of rejection, although he developed an irrational fear of heights afterwards.

From the back of the bus, Minseok watched his thirty-nine classmates, who were illuminated by dull fluorescent lights fixed in dingy ceiling panels. They were all in the same class from last year. They were all still excited and chatting away, since hardly an hour had passed since their departure from their hometown of Hongcheon. Spending the first night of a study trip on a bus seemed a little cheap. Worse yet, it felt like they were going on a forced march. Minseok secretly hoped that everyone would calm down after they arrive at Incheon Airport where the class would take a plane to the island of Jeju.

The loud students at the front of the bus who were sitting around their teacher Mr. Kim Youngmin were girls: Park Chorong (Female Student No. 3), the female class representative who excels in volleyball; Bang Minah (Female Student No. 4), the girl next to Chorong with the cute eye smile; Lee Suhyun (Female Student No. 11), the chubby girl whose brother is a member of the Special Armed Forces; Bae Juhyun (Female Student No. 6), the model student with a calm and intelligent demeanor; and Yang Jiwon (Female Student No. 9), who’s always smiling and sweet. These girls are like the mainstream girls or the model students. Each of them excels in academics and sports like volleyball and tennis. They are the total opposite of the delinquents led by Kim Hyuna (Female Student No. 2) and her cronies: Liu Amber (Female Student No. 10) and Im Jinah (Female Student No. 14). Minseok couldn’t see them from where he was sitting.

Right behind the driver’s seat were the male class representative Kim Junmyeon (Male Student No. 5) and Lee Jieun (Female Student No. 12), the famous couple of Hongcheon Middle School Third Year Class D. A lot of students envy them because of their looks and their relationship. It seemed that they were laughing because their heads visible to Minseok shook slightly. Minseok was sure that Junmyeon dropped a corny joke again and Jieun was laughing at Junmyeon’s attempt at humor.

Seating in the jump seat along the aisle were Kim Jongdae (Male Student No. 3, baseball team) and Lu Han (Male Student No. 7, soccer team). Minseok himself used to play soccer during elementary and was friends with Lu Han. They stopped hanging out though. Maybe because Minseok stopped playing soccer after he expressed his distaste with how the coach ran the soccer team while Lu Han is the coach’s favorite so he was afraid to voice his opinions even when he, too, disagrees with how the coach ran the team. Their friendship fell apart after that.

Come to think about it, Minseok thought, I’ve changed my friends too.

Immediately to the left of his seat were Park Chanyeol (Male Student No. 8), the class clown who is exceptionally tall; Byun Baekhyun (Male Student No. 9), the self-proclaimed king of sarcasm; and Do Kyugsoo (Male Student No. 6), the boy with the eternal poker face, who were all sitting together. Looks like they were really bickering loudly again (good thing Minseok got his earphones on or else he might be deaf by now). Behind them sat the kind, caring and innocent Zhang Yixing (Male Student No. 16) who was preoccupied with reading the Chinese poetry book he just bought (Unlike the Japanese, China is an ally of the Republic of the Unified Korean Peninsula so Chinese items are pretty easy to find). Basically, these good guys are all Minseok’s friends.

Minseok once came across a line from an American paperback novel he'd gotten from a used bookstore (he managed to get through it with a dictionary): friends come and then they go. Maybe that's how things were. Just as he and Lu Han were no longer friends, there might come a time when he will not be friends with Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Yixing anymore.

…Or maybe not.

Minseok looked at Heo Youngji, who was still digging through her bag. She had been Minseok’s friend since preschool. There was nothing special about it though. Everyone in his class made fun of him because he was from the orphanage but only Youngji played with him. They stuck together ever since. Minseok had made it this far with Heo Youngji. And that would never change.

Minseok turned around and looked back. The group of delinquents that included Cha Sunwoo (Male Student no 18), Lee Sungjong (Male Student No. 14), Lee Chaerin (Female Student No.13), Huang Zitao (Male Student No. 20) and Wu Yifan (Male Student No. 12) was sitting on the wide seat at the back of the bus. There was…Minseok couldn't see his face, but he could see between the seats the head with the oddly styled, blond hair poking out by the right window. Though on the head’s left side the others were talking and laughing over something dirty, the head remained absolutely still. Perhaps he'd fallen asleep. Or maybe, like Minseok, he was watching the street lights.

Minseok was completely baffled by the fact that this boy— Kwon Jiyong (Male Student No. 1)—would actually participate in a childish activity like a study trip.

Kwon Jiyong was the leader of the thugs in his district that included Cha Sunwoo, Lee Sungjong, Lee Chaerin and Huang Zitao. Jiyong is not particularly big or tall yet he could easily pin down a high school thug with relative ease. His reputation is quite legendary. His father is the president of one of the leading corporation in the country. He had a handsome and intelligent face that always bears a calm face. And most especially, he is the top student in Third Year Class D, surpassing even Park Chorong (who actually placed third in class) and the only student who can keep up with him is Kim Junmyeon (only after Junmyeon had studied to death without sleeping. Jiyong easily surpasses him even without studying). In sports, Jiyong is better and more graceful than almost anyone else in the class. So in every respect Kwon Jiyong was perfect.

The question of how someone this perfect became a leader of thugs is beyond Minseok. He never bullies other students, unlike the rest of his gang. Jiyong never did anything bad at school. He was usually absent. The idea of Jiyong "studying" was completely absurd. In every class Kim Jiyong remained quietly seated at his desk as if he were thinking of something that had nothing to do with class. Minseok thought, if the government didn't have the power to enforce compulsory education on us, he probably wouldn't come to school at all. On the other hand, he might just show up on a whim. I don't know. In any case, Minseok thought, I expected Jiyong to skip something as trivial as a study trip, but then he promptly shows up. Was this on a whim too?

“Minseok”, Minseok was staring at the back of the bus seat thinking about Jiyong when a box of cupcakes was suddenly held in front of his face. Minseok turned around to face Youngji. Her face showed a big smile. “I baked these cupcakes this morning. Try them, and then tell me how it was.” Youngji said. Minseok took one. It’s a little bit sweet, but he nodded and gave Youngji a thumbs-up anyway.

“So is it really good?” Youngji’s eyes brightened.

Minseok nodded.

“I’m planning on giving Jackson these so your opinion is really important.”

I knew it, Minseok thought. Of course she’ll make cupcakes for Jackson.

It was a month and a half ago during spring break when Youngji confessed to Minseok, “Hey, Minseok I have a crush on someone.”

Minseok’s heart dropped. Is it him? “Huh? Who is it, someone from our class?” he said and secretly hoped that it was him.

“Wang, Jackson Wang”

Jackson? That boy from the fencing team? “Huh. Well, he’s nice.”

“Isn’t he though? Isn’t he?”

“All right all right.”

Yes. Minseok’s got a crush on Youngji for quite some time now but Youngji treats him only as a best friend and nothing more. Maybe because he is too scared to admit and confess to her, but he really can’t do it. And now Youngji likes Jackson and there is nothing more he can do but support her.

Minseok grinned and ate the rest of his cupcake. The sweet, creamy taste spread through his mouth.

"These are good," Minseok said. “I’m sure Jackson will love it.”

Youngji, who'd been observing him all this time, exclaimed, "Thank you! I’ll give it to him later at the airport. Don’t worry, Minseok. I already saved a few cupcakes for us to eat in a separate box in my bag.” She said with a grin.

“Oh really? Can I have another cupcake? I really liked it.”

Youngji took out the separate box and gave him a cupcake, which he immediately crammed in his mouth.

He continued chatting with Youngji for a while but…

It was almost ten o’clock when Minseok noticed something strange.

Something weird was happening inside the bus. Chanyeol, who was on his left, had suddenly fallen asleep and was softly breathing. Zhang Yixing's body was slouching into the aisle. Heo Youngji was also asleep. No one seemed to be talking. Everyone seemed to be asleep. Well, yeah, anyone excessively health-conscious might be going to bed now, but still, this was their long awaited trip. Wasn't it a bit early to fall asleep right after leaving? Why don't everyone sing or something?

Worst of all, Minseok himself was overcome with drowsiness. He looked around in a daze when suddenly he couldn't even move his head, which felt heavy. He slouched against the seat. His eyes drifted through the narrow space to the rearview mirror at the center of the large windshield fading in the dark. He managed to make out the tiny image of the driver's upper body.

The driver's face was covered with what appeared to be a mask. A hose like tube extended downward from the mask. Thin straps were wrapped around his head, strapped above and below his ears. What was that? Except for the hose extending downward, it resembled an airline emergency oxygen mask.

So we can’t breathe inside this bus? Yeah, right.

He heard movement coming from the back. He had to struggle just to get a glimpse of something moving. His body felt so heavy it was like he was immersed in transparent jelly.

Minseok saw Kwon Jiyong looking around confused and struggling to fight the drowsiness, but then immediately slouched into his seat. Kwon Jiyong fell asleep.

Almost immediately, Minseok fell asleep too.

---

At approximately the same time, the students' families in Hongcheon were visited by men in black government vehicles. Alarmed by the late night visit, the parents must have been shocked when the visitors presented them with documents stamped with the government's official scarlet insignia.

In most cases the parents would silently nod as they thought of their children whom they most likely would never see again, but there were those who frantically protested, in which case they would be knocked out by an electroshock baton, or in the worst case, be pummeled by fresh bullets spat out from a submachine gun, one step ahead of their children in departing from this world.

By then, the bus assigned to Hongcheon Middle School Third Year Class D's study trip had long since branched off from the expressway and taken a U-turn. After returning to the city, it wove its way through various roads before it finally stopped and quietly turned off its engine.

The man in his forties whose hair was peppered gray looked like a typical nice bus driver. Still wearing the oxygen mask that was digging into his slightly sagging chin, he turned towards the Class D students with a faint look of pity. But as soon as another man appeared under the window, his face stiffened. He gave the Republic's peculiar salute. Then, he pressed the switch to open the door. Minseok glanced outside as the masked men in battle gear came rushing in.

Under the moonlight, the bluish-white concrete pier gleamed like bone, and beyond the pier the ship that would transport "the players" was swaying sluggishly in the wide open black sea.

first chapter done. i hope you guys liked it. the class list is on the main image. 

do some of the names sound unfamilar? that was because i used the idols' birth names~