He laughs, pointing at his reflection in the mirror.

“I look ridiculous, don’t I?” He turns to the side before remembering that, since they were five, everyone else had paired up and he was left alone.

“The pains of being leader…” he sighs.

But really, the outfit was ridiculous. He looked like a Stormtrooper.

“I bet Changmin loves it.”

The gun was remarkably stupid as well. A bulky Nerf-like thing that didn’t even shoot anything remotely solid.

“But Yoochun would like it.”

Now what part of this would Jaejoong and Junsu like?

“Oh, Junsu likes order. This is neat.”

“Jaejoong prefers formality, and if this isn’t formal, I don’t know what it is.”

He scoffs at his image again before yanking open the door.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Yunho-ssi.”

What was the kid’s name again? Kill ‘em? Hill pun?

“Uh, yeah?” he mutters, struggling with the gun.

“Kindly remember, your objective is to win, so please do not show any mercy. This is only a game, after all.”

Yunho lifts his head slowly. There is something in the boy’s tone of voice that unnerves him.

“Yes…” he begins warily. “Whoever said that it wasn’t?”

The other smiles placatingly.

“I apologize. I just wanted to remind you.”

Yunho begins to wonder if this is just a game of laser tag after all.

“I regret that you are alone,” the boy says, grimacing. “But I hope you understand.”

“Oh, of course.” He brushes it off lightly “After all, who else is going to die alone but the leader? It’s my responsibility.”

“And is that why you have so many lines too?” Yunho is the leader of a five-member band.

“Why, you little-” Yunho swipes, but the other ducks away easily, laughing.

“Yunho-ssi, the game will start soon.” The boy slips away.

Yunho’s face calms, changing into steely determination.

He cannot lose.

Firstly, it would hurt his pride as leader.

Also, Changmin would never stop teasing him.

“U-Know Yunho lost?? What, no way! Our leader?”

Yunho shudders, hearing his sarcastic voice already.

“Five minutes to launch.”

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Yunho, Entrance One.

Changmin, Yoochun, Entrance Two.

Junsu, Jaejoong, Entrance Three.

“Please prepare for launch,” an electronic voice beeps.

“As you like it,” he chuckles, placing a finger on the blue button.

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Far away, Junsu hears the chimes of one minute to launch.

“For whom the bell tolls…” he murmurs, foreseeing his tragic fate.

“The sun always rises,” Jaejoong retorts. “You won’t die.”

“You’ll regret taking this so lightly,” Junsu shoots back. “As I lay dying.”

“Shut up.”

And Junsu knows he has won.

But there is no time to celebrate.

Because the doors slide open.

And the game begins.

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Changmin is worried.

Not for himself, of course, and certainly not for Yoochun.

Yoochun can take care of himself well enough.

No, he is concerned about Yunho’s wellbeing.

However ing much he teases him.

However ing annoying he can be.

However ing fussy he is.

Because Changmin knows that all Yunho does is care.

Oh, so much.

And he knows that Yunho knows he knows.

“U-Know…” he whispers. “Please be safe.”

Yoochun hears.

He knows.

But he stays silent.

Because he knows that Changmin will turn into a monster if he mentions it.

The corners of his mouth tilt up.

But really, he knows how much they care, for each other especially, and he just does not have the heart to break such a moment.

Changmin glares at him anyway.

“What?” he fairly growls, trying desperately to hide the fact that he was nearly crying.

“Nothing,” Yoochun replies, a soft smile sitting on his face.

Changmin scowls and continues to maneuver through the maze, which is oddly circular.

“Actually, Yunho, please lose. That way I can laugh at you.”

Yoochun shakes his head, holding back a laugh.

Oh, those two.

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This is too easy.

And much too nervewracking.

He has not met a single soul since Game Start.

Who the knows when one of those little ers would pop out and scare the ing out of him?

Ah, if only Yunho still had as much energy as they.

And he is too soft.

How could he ever kill his own members?

Even though this is technically just a game.

But the boy had revealed that, instead of harmless light, the guns spew electricity which, using the suit, would travel throughout the body.

He had experienced it firsthand.

He could never subject his own members to that pain.

And he never would, if he could help it.

He cannot stop the others, but he can stop himself.

And that has got to be good enough.

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Junsu is so ing bored.

The maze must be huge, seeing as there was absolutely nothing to see but stone.

More than once, he had thought of turning his gun on Jaejoong.

But well, first of all, Jaejoong would not be amused, and an unhappy Jaejoong was precisely what he did not need at the moment.

Plus, he can’t betray his teammate, now could he?

Besides, he would never, could never.

But Jaejoong…?

Would he?

He certainly could, but…

No.

Junsu could have slapped himself for thinking such a ridiculous thing.

Of course Jaejoong would stay loyal to him.

Til the end, hadn’t they said?

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He observes them through the glowing computer screen.

Yunho is sitting against a wall, looking all cool.

Changmin and Yoochun are still cautiously advancing.

Junsu and Jaejoong have stopped to examine the guns.

His eyes darken.

Too slow, not enough action.

He types a command.

“Trap: Walls.”

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“Oh my god what the !”

Yoochun hauls Changmin along as the walls begin to close in.

“!”

Yunho scrambles up and runs like all hell had broken loose behind him.

“What the actual-”

Jaejoong never gets a chance to finish his sentence, as he and Junsu have stumbled into a dead end.

“Jaejoong!” Junsu yells, eyes frantic.

“Not my ing fault!”

The two abandon their weapons and any attempt of escaping, seeing as the only exit has already been sealed off.

They wait for Death to arrive.

But it never does, because in a dark room, a boy shows a sudden, humorless smile.

They have forgotten that this is a simulation, a game.

Good.

But that does not stop him from halting the walls.

“Team Junsu and Jaejoong, out.”

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“Jaejoong? Junsu? Inpossible!”

But it would have been more impossible had Changmin lost.

After all, however much Yunho tries, he cannot best Changmin at any game.

Actually, none of them can.

But still, Yunho is not amused.

He very nearly died-

Yunho freezes with the sudden realization.

This is a game.

All of this, just a ing game…

“Kindly remember, your objective is to win, so please do not show any mercy. This is only a game, after all.”

Yet it feels so…

Real.

It must be the setting and effects.

Suddenly, he trips and falls face-first onto the hard stone.

“Ouch.”

“Team Yunho, out.”

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His face is blank.

Yunho knew too much.

He could tell.

And that is precisely why he had set trip wires throughout the entire maze, ready to activate at any time.

Poor Yunho.

Oh well.

At least there are two more.

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“Yunho??” Changmin cries out, breath quickening.

Yoochun grimaces.

What could have brought their invincible leader down?

The one who never falls sick when the others do, the one who never shies away from physical labor…

What was so horrible that even Yunho could not survive it?

And suddenly, there is Changmin’s gun, pointed at his face.

“I’m sorry…” he says hesitatingly, face full of regret.

“Go ahead.” Yoochun spreads his arms. “Win for him.”

And so Changmin does.

He shoots Yoochun, who falls, thrashing and writhing.

“Yoochun, out. Winner, Changmin.”

He wins for Yunho.

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“Heh… that happened a little too quickly.”

And much too predictably.

Of course Changmin would win.

Ah well.

Now that he knows how it works…

Kim Kibum smirks.

“Time for the real deal.”