40 students remaining

The bag containing Mr. Youngmin’s body (or whatever that was left of it) was dragged to the back of the room by one of the soldiers. It left behind a trail of fresh blood on the center aisle. Then, a sound of wet vomit splashing on the floor was heard. Now the room began to reek of a mixture of sharp coppery stench of blood and the sour smell of puke. Minseok felt like vomiting too.

“Well, you see, Mr. Youngmin violently opposed your class assignment to the Program. We did what we had to do…although we do feel sorry for his passing.” Yang Hyunsuk said solemnly as he was returning to the lectern. Sorry? You’re sorry? Don’t make me laugh.

The room grew silent again. Everyone now knew. This was real. It was no mistake, nor was it a prank. They were going to be forced to kill each other.

Minseok tried to think clearly, but his mind was still spinning after watching Youngmin’s head explode.

They had to escape. But, how? That's right…first he'd meet with Youngji…Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo and Yixing…but how was the Program actually conducted? The details were never publicized. Students were given weapons to kill each other. That much was known. But could they talk to each other? How did the government monitor the game? His thoughts were interrupted when Hyunsuk clapped his hands loudly.

“I am now going to explain the rules of the Program.” Hyunsuk smiled a little. "I think you all know how this works. The rules are simple. All you have to do is kill each other. There are no violations. And the last remaining survivor can go home with a card autographed by the Supreme Ruler.” Oh, what an honor.

"Now, you may think this is a horrible game, but in life, the unexpected is bound to happen. You must at all times maintain self-control in order to respond properly to accidents. Consider this as a training ground. Also, men and women will be treated equally. There will be no handicaps for either side. It all lies on your personal abilities, intelligence and skills. We are all born different, after all. I do have good news for the girls, though. According to Program statistics, 49% of past winning survivors have been girls. Just remember you’re just like the others and the others are just like you.”

Hyunsuk made a signal. The trio of soldiers went outside and began to haul in large, black, nylon duffel daypacks, forming a pile by the front entrance. Some of the bags looked awry as if it contained a large or long item trying to poke out.

"We will have you leave one by one. Each one of you will take one of these bags prior to departure. Each pack contains food, water, and a weapon. As I said, every one of you differs according to ability. So these weapons will add another random element. In other words, it will make the game all the more unpredictable. You will each end up with a randomly selected weapon. As you leave in order, you will take the pack on top of the pile. It also contains a map of the island, a compass, and a watch. We are on an island with the longest width at 2 and a half kilometers and the longest length at approximately 3 kilometers. It’s never been used for the Program. We had the residents evacuate the island. So there is absolutely no one else here. So…"

Hyunsuk walked over to the chalkboard and started to draw something. On the top-right he drew an arrow pointing upward and the letter "N." He wrote an "X" on the rightmost center of his drawing, and then kept the chalk pressed on that “X”.

"All right then. We're at the school on this island. It is roughly boot-shaped. This is a diagram of the island, so this indicates the school. Got that?" Hyunsuk tapped the symbol with his chalk. "I will be staying here to monitor your efforts."

Hyunsuk proceeded to draw four spindle shapes on the north, east, west and south of the drawing.

"These are ships. They are there to kill anyone attempting to escape by sea."

Then he drew parallel vertical and horizontal lines over the island. The boot shape indicating the island resembled a warped grill now. Starting from the top-left, Hyunsuk wrote markers in each grid, "A=l," "A=2,"…in order. The next row read, "B=l," "B=2," and so on.

"This is just a simplified diagram. The map inside your packs will look something like this." Hyunsuk placed his chalk down and clapped his hands to clear off the dust.

"Once you leave the premises, you are free to go anywhere. However, announcements will be made across the entire island every 6 hours starting at six o’clock. That's four a day. I'll be referring to this map when I announce the location of zones that will be forbidden after a certain time. You must examine your maps closely and check your compasses against them. If you are in a forbidden zone you must clear out of the area as soon as possible because of the collars around your necks.”

Hyunsuk put his hands on the lectern and looked at everyone. Minseok once again the metal collar.

"That device is the result of the latest technology developed by our Republic. It is 100% waterproof, anti-shock and it can't come off. It won't come off. If you try to pry it loose…" Hyunsuk took a small breath, "…it will explode."

Several students who had been their collars immediately released their hands including Minseok. These are bombs? Oh god…

"The collar monitors your pulse in order to verify signs of life and transmits this information to the mainframe at this school.” Hyunsuk continued, “It also pinpoints your exact position on the island for us. Now, let's return to the map."

Hyunsuk once again pointed to the map on the chalkboard.

"This same computer will also randomly select forbidden zones. And if there are any students left in the zone after the designated time—of course dead students won't matter—the computer will automatically detect anyone alive and immediately send a signal to his or her collar. Then…"

Minseok knew what he would say.

"That collar will explode."

He was right.

Hyunsuk paused for a moment to examine everyone. Then he continued, "Why would we do this? To prevent players from getting too far away from each other, because the game wouldn’t proceed in that case, would it? So we will make you move. Simultaneously, the area you can move around in will shrink. Got that?"

Hyunsuk called us players in a game. No wonder. It was ing outrageous, Minseok thought. No one said a word, but everyone appeared to understand the rules.

"All right, so that means hiding in a building will do you no good. Even if you hide in some hole you dug in the ground the transmission will reach you. Oh, and by the way, you are free to hide in any building, but you won't be able to use the phone. You won't be able to contact your parents. You have to fight on your own. That's how the game of life is anyway. Although I did say that the game will begin without any forbidden zones, there is one exception: this school. Twenty minutes after your departure this school will become a forbidden zone. So please first get out of this area. Got that? Now, in my announcements I will also read off the names of those who have died in the past six hours. Each announcement will be made regularly, but I'll also be contacting the last remaining survivor by announcement as well. Oh…and one more thing. There is a time limit.” Hyunsuk paused for a while. “Listen up. A lot of people die in the Program, but if no one dies within twenty-four hours, then it won't matter how many students are left...."

Minseok knew what he would say.

"The computer will detonate the collars of the remaining students. There will be no winner."

Again, he was right.

Once again, the room became silent. The room was still reeking of Mr. Youngmin’s blood. Everyone was in a daze. Everything that happened was beyond comprehension.

Hyunsuk clapped his hands for the last time. “I have covered all the tedious details and now I have a piece of advice for everyone. Some of you might be thinking that murdering your classmates is impossible, but don't forget that there are a few who are willing to do it."

Everyone remained silent, but something changed.

Everyone started looking around at each other with a hint of nervous suspicion. Only a few, like Jiyong, remained calm.

Advice? You call this an advice? Minseok thought. He knew exactly what Hyunsuk was doing: planting thoughts of distrust and suspicion among them. He knew, though, that his classmates were closer and more solid than Hyunsuk thought. Or are we?

"All right then, you'll find some paper and pencils in your desks. They say that in order to remember something, write it. So, I want you to write ‘We will kill each other’ three times.”

Everyone had no choice but to do it. They know what will happen if they refused.

Hyunsuk continued, "Okay then. ‘If I don't kill, I will be killed.' Write this down three times too."

"Every two minutes, one of you will be leaving the classroom. Once you go through this door and turn right down the hall you'll find the school exit. You are to leave immediately. Anyone loitering in the hall will be immediately shot. According to the Program rules, once we determine the first person, the rest of the order will correspond to your classroom seating assignments. Male, female, male, female, got it? Once we reach the last seat number, we start over from the first number. So…"

At this point, Minseok recalled that Youngji's class number was 20 which meant that the time between their departures will be short (except if Students 1 or 2 were called first which means he has to wait for an hour and twelve minutes to meet her).

From the inner pocket of his beige coat, Hyunsuk took out an envelope.

"The first student is selected by lottery. Hold on…”

Hyunsuk was tearing open the envelope, when suddenly, Kwon Jiyong spoke up, “I was wondering when the game begins.”

Everyone looked back to the last row where Jiyong was.

“As soon as you leave here, so you can start thinking of your own strategy.” Hyunsuk returned to reading the card inside the envelope. “The first student is...”

Everyone held their breath.

“…Male Student No. 12, Wu Yifan!”

Hearing the announcement, Wu Yifan, who was sitting in the back row along with the rest of Kwon Jiyong’s gang, stood up holding the bag he’d pack for the study trip and walked over to the pile of duffel daypacks. He was about 187 centimeters tall and muscular. He used to be in the school archery team. He definitely stood a chance in this killing game, Minseok thought. Yifan received his day pack and then left for the hall without even looking back.

In the quiet room, several students took a deep, restrained breath.

"Now we will wait two minutes. Then the next one will be Female Student No. 12, Lee Jieun."

Jieun was a seat away to his right. As she made her way to the exit, she touched the desk of her boyfriend Kim Junmyeon and left a piece of paper behind for him. She might have dashed off a message on that sheet of paper on which they'd been instructed to write, "We will kill each other."

Hyunsuk didn’t seem to notice this. Junmyeon quickly snatched the paper and clenched it tightly. Minseok felt a surge of relief. This insanity is not enough to destroy their love.

What could that paper contain? Maybe Jieun designated a place where they could meet. But, how? They haven’t seen the island. Maybe she just based the location on the quadrants on the map. Minseok thought how hard that must be for Junmyeon and Jieun. Their time of departure was too far away from each other. What if Jieun patiently waited just to learn during the announcement that Junmyeon died before he could reach her? Or what if Junmyeon managed to reach the designated place just to see Jieun’s corpse? No, Minseok thought. He didn’t want to think about the worst case scenario. They will make it. I’m sure.

Jieun took her bag, stared at Junmyeon for a full five seconds then exited through the front door. Minseok could hear her footsteps calmly walking down the hall.

This routine continued ruthlessly on and on. Minseok watched as other students like Chaerin, Yixing, the twins Heo Minsun and Minjin (Female Students No. 18 and No. 19), and Zitao leave the room. Then it was Youngji’s turn. She tensed as Hyunsuk called her name. She couldn’t give Minseok a note because he was seated rows behind her. She stood up slowly then as she picked up her packed bag for the study trip, she glanced at Minseok who was watching her and then mouthed “I would wait for you” before making her way to the front. She took her bag then left immediately.

Minseok caught the gesture but he wasn’t sure if he just imagined it. Maybe Youngji’s mouth was just trembling from fear. He’ll know when it’s his turn.

Then, it’s Jiyong’s turn. He’s still calm as ever. After him was Kang Jihyun (Female Student No. 1), who took her bag quietly, unlike most of the earlier girls who cried. Forty minutes since Wu Yifan left and two minutes after Youngji’s departure, Minseok heard Hyunsuk call out, “Male Student No. 2, Kim Minseok.”

The hall was unlit. The only light came from the classroom. He looked to his right. There was another room, then another, both identical to the room he'd just exited. And then at the end of the dark hall there was what looked like a double-door exit. At the end of the hall there was another room on the left. He headed directly towards the exit both because Hyunsuk warned that anyone loitering in the hall will be shot down and also because he wanted to see if Youngji, who waited outside, was safe especially after Jiyong departed before him. 

He stepped out of the school and descended the porch stairs.

Under the moonlight, an empty athletic field the size of three tennis courts spread out beyond the building. There were woods on both sides of the field and the school and beyond it were a school arch and a paved road that stretched onwards. He could hear the waves and feel the sea breeze. The sea must be just a distance behind the school. He remembered that the Program can take place in a variety of locations. Sometimes the location was a mountain surrounded by high-voltage fences, or abandoned prison houses that hadn't been demolished yet, but for Hongcheon County the Program was usually held on an island. According to the local news reports he'd seen (of course, in each case the location would only be announced after the game was over), every game in Hongcheon took place on an island. This time was no exception. Maybe this island was somewhere in the Sea of Japan.

Minseok scanned the athletic field again. No one was there. Not Zhang Yixing nor Heo Youngji. Damn it. Maybe I just imagined her gesture. Ugh, I’m such a loser. I should’ve taken the initiative to signal her instead. Then an idea entered his mind. Youngji couldn’t have gone that far in 6 minutes. I’m just going to find her.

He decided to take the paved road instead of the woods so he walked across the field towards the school arch. He was already halfway across…

…when he noticed it.

He didn't see it last time because he was too preoccupied with the overall view, but this time he saw something that looked like a garbage bag lying near his feet.

Minseok wondered whether it was someone's duffel daypack, dropped by accident, but then his eyes widened.

It wasn't a garbage bag, nor was it someone's daypack. There was hair growing out of one end. Human hair.