pairing: BaekChenLay
length: 2753 words
Part One: Hope or Despair
A/N: This is technically unfinished with lots of continuity errors, since I haven't had time to edit yet. I'll re-upload once the chapter is actually finished, but I wanted to get this up sooner rather than later, since it was meant to be a Baekhyun birthday tribute. Sorry for the delay and I'll do my best to finish this ASAP!

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The Neo Killing School Game was modeled after the original Killing School Life that originated from Hope’s Peak Academy. Headed by Monogom, the devious headmaster of the academy, sixteen students were pitted against each other, forced to betray their fellow peers in order to “graduate” from Hope’s Summit Institute and live a normal life outside of school. And how was this betrayal conducted?

Through murder.

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“So there you have it!” Monogom beamed, evidently pleased with himself for successfully pulling off the spooky live narration. “Go forth and be wild, my children!”

“What are you even talking about?!” Junmyeon cried out in protest. “You haven’t explained anything! We still have no idea what this Killing Game thing even is and why we’ve suddenly been forced into one!”

“Tch, tch,” Monogom shook his head, pressing his cushy paw against his forehead, with his shoulders slumped in disappointment, “don’t you know that good narratives benefit from showing rather than telling? Just experience it yourself, so we can get a fun story out of this!”

“There’s nothing fun about murder,” Sehun firmly stated, his stoic gaze hardening the longer he stared at the maniacal black and white teddy bear.

“Oh? I must say that I completely disagree with you, young man,” Monogom cheekily replied, cupping his plush cheeks with his paws.

Baekhyun wanted to let out a snort, seeing as he completely agreed with the Ultimate Carpenter. However, the bright red glint in Monogom’s left eye sent an ice-cold shiver down the Ultimate Scriptwriter’s spine and he clenched his fists at his side while his heart raced uncontrollably within his chest, unable to vocalize anything.

“After all, life is BORING without a little chaos, isn’t it?” Monogom continued, pulling out a megaphone to emphasize his point. “Do you really want to grow up and throw away your lives by joining the workforce like everyone else? By becoming another cog in the wheel that we call society?”

“As if I’ll ever be like one of you,” Chaerin retorted with a disgusted sniff. “My father already promised me his fortune once I graduate. The moment I turn eighteen, I’ll be able to buy the entire country if I feel like it.”

The teddy bear’s ears instantly perked up and he sidled up to the Ultimate Golfer, whose frown deepened as she leaned away from the pushy animal.

Everyone else instinctively backed away from her as well, leaving the two standing together in the center of the gymnasium.

“Ohoho, we’ve got Miss Moneybags here, don’t we?” His voice suddenly lowered an octave as he asked, “Tell me, Ms. Lee, how much do you think Dear Ole Daddy values your life, hm? Would he sacrifice his fortune to come rescue you from here? Or would he give you up to double or even triple his empire?”

Chaerin scoffed, her right hand immediately flying to her chest in vexation. “How dare you insinuate that my father wouldn’t save me! In fact, I’ll call him right now and prove it to you!”

Monogom grinned widely and bowed grandly to the rich girl. “The floor is yours, Ms. Lee.”

Baekhyun bit his bottom lip as he nervously watched the Ultimate Golfer take out her bejeweled smartphone and dial her father’s phone number. As the phone line connected and rang, she put the outbound call on speakerphone so that everyone in the gymnasium could hear the dial tone.

And it rang.

And rang.

And rang.

Until, after a full minute, a loud beep sounded throughout the room before the call instantly died.

Chaerin’s jaw dropped as she stared dumbfounded at her smartphone.

“What’s the matter, Ms. Lee? Cat got your tongue?” Monogom cackled, head thrown back obnoxiously while pointing at the white cat decal on Chaerin’s jet black phone case.

The Ultimate Golfer’s cheeks immediately burned red as she rounded on the teddy bear, pointing accusingly at him. “You did something to my phone! My father always picks up after the third ring!”

“Guess there’s a first time for everything,” Monogom commented with a shrug. “And that fortune must mean a lot more to him than you do.” The teddy bear then pulled out his own smartphone and made a show of unlocking it with a passcode. “I’ll go ahead and wire him the promised amount for proving my point. He’ll certainly thank you, Ms. Lee, when he sees the extra zeroes on his next bank statement.”

Chaerin’s eyes instantly widened with fury and before Baekhyun could blink again, she spat her bubblegum onto Monogom before snatching one of her golf clubs from her white golf bag and swinging it towards the black and white bear.

But before the golf club could reach its target, a giant black anvil suddenly fell from the ceiling.

Everyone collectively screamed as they watched the anvil fall towards Chaerin, who was frozen in place as she looked up, golf club in mid-swing.

And just as suddenly as it fell, it stopped, barely an inch above the Ultimate Golfer.

She instantly fainted, her golf club clattering to the floor next to her.

“Chaerin!” Bom dashed over to the unconscious girl and tried to pull her away from the dangling anvil. After several unsuccessful tugs, the Ultimate Makeup Artist whipped her head around and barked, “Someone help me!”

Chanyeol, Eric, and Sehun ran up to assist Bom in carrying Chaerin away from the danger zone and gently laid her down on the floor near the back of the group.

Meanwhile, Monogom only whistled a merry tune as he deftly plucked the sticky ball of bubblegum from his fur and carelessly flicked it towards Lu Han, who sped away in a flash before it could land on him.

“You—you almost killed her,” Jongin then choked out. The Ultimate Lion Tamer was tightly gripping Jjang Gu’s mane, using the lion as both a physical and emotional anchor.

“Yes, very observant of you, Dr. Doolittle,” Monogom sarcastically quipped, causing Jongin to flinch while Jjang Gu growled warningly at the teddy bear. “It was her fault, honestly.”

“How?!” Minseok called out indignantly.

“She almost broke one of the rules of the game,” Monogom answered plainly while dusting off his paws. “Duh.”

Yixing stared at the talking teddy bear, utterly flabbergasted. “What rule?! You didn’t tell us there were any rules!”

“Did I not? Whoopy-daisy!” Monogom pulled a giant red handbook and a pair of glasses out of thin air, using one hand to flip open the book while using the other to place the glasses neatly on his face. After clearing his throat several times, the teddy bear announced, “Listen carefully, kids, since I’m only going to say this once.

“Rule One: Students may reside within the school campus only. Leaving school grounds is prohibited.

“Rule Two: Nighttime is from ten at night to seven in the morning. Some areas may be off-limits at nighttime, so please exercise caution and restraint.

“Rule Three: Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitories is seen as sleeping in class and will be punished accordingly.

“Rule Four: You are free to explore Hope’s Summit Institute at your discretion while respecting the restrictions already set in place.

“Rule Five: Violence against headmaster Monogom is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of the surveillance cameras installed within the school.”

Baekhyun blanched as he nervously looked around the gymnasium, suddenly aware of the bright red lights blinking from every corner of the expansive room.

“Rule Six: Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes ‘blackened’ will graduate, unless they are discovered.

“Rule Seven: Additional school rules may be added if necessary.

“Whew!” Monogom tossed his glasses and the handbook behind him before whipping out a handkerchief and wiping a giant imaginary sweat drop from his forehead in one fluid movement. “That was a mouthful.” He then turned back to Yixing, who was still slack-jawed with shock. “So you see, Ms. Lee almost broke Rule Five by trying to hurt poor, little, defenseless me!” The teddy bear dramatically dabbed the edge of his round right eye with his handkerchief before loudly blowing his nose into the cloth.

“So...if we break a rule...we die?” Kyungsoo whimpered, eyes round with fear.

“Oh no, of course not!” Monogom pouted while crossing his arms in front of him. “It wouldn’t make for a very exciting game if you all died like that. This isn’t about me killing you kids.” The talking teddy bear suddenly grinned as his left eye flashed bright red. “It’s about you killing each other!”

Baekhyun was just about ready to throw up everything he had eaten that morning after hearing Monogom speak so casually about murder.

“But that doesn’t mean I won’t let you off the hook if any of you do happen to trip up!” the talking teddy bear warned, shaking his paws sternly at the students. “Whoever said, ‘Rules are made to be broken,’ must belong in a trash can and I certainly won’t hesitate to throw any of you into the trash if I catch you violating any of these sacred regulations. After all,” without warning, Monogom pulled out a wooden gavel, “the law must be upheld! Order must be maintained!” And he smacked the gavel squarely upon the suspended anvil, causing the heavy object to wobble dangerously in mid-air.

Sandara let out a shriek as she buried her face against Chanyeol’s chest. The Ultimate Butler protectively wrapped his arms around the Ultimate Fangirl while glaring at the talking teddy bear, who seemed to pay no attention to any of the angry stares he was currently receiving.

After another stretch of ice-cold silence, Monogom suddenly twirled around and hopped back onto the stage where he had first appeared. “Well, that’s all for first-day announcements, folks! If you ever do forget what the rules are, you can check your E-Handbooks to remind you, since I certainly won’t be!” He snickered loudly before giving the students a salute. “Happy killing, my friends! I can’t wait to see the chaos you’ll bring!”

And with that, the black and white teddy bear disappeared in a haze of smoke, leaving the sixteen Super High School Level students with trembling hearts and a newfound sense of paranoia.

Baekhyun’s knees buckled underneath him and he limply sank to the ground for the umpteenth time that day.

Jongdae sat down next to the Ultimate Scriptwriter and smiled kindly at him. “You okay, Baekhyun?” Although the Ultimate Pilot was still grinning from ear to ear, he surprisingly wasn’t bursting with energy like he’d been the entire morning. It was...comforting to see this calmer side of Jongdae, especially after all of the craziness that had just occurred.

Yixing also dropped down next to Baekhyun, hugging his camera to his chest. “This plot twist should be the biggest scoop ever, but...will we even survive long enough to get this story published?” He let out a hollow laugh as he mindlessly thumbed through his camera roll, gaze wholly unfocused.

“We can’t just stand around and let this wacko bear we just met control us!” Zitao angrily pointed out, waving his magnifying glass in the air. “He’s not the boss of us!”

Junmyeon slowly nodded, although he was unable to hide his grim expression. “How are we supposed to fight back though? It’s clear he has traps planted all around the school. Chaerin was lucky Monogom decided to spare her.” The Ultimate Violinist shuddered as he recalled the anvil plummeting from the ceiling. “Incredibly lucky.”

“Let’s just leave the school then,” Minseok huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. “We’ll easily find another one to attend as Super High School Level students. Besides, it’s not like any of us have a strong attachment to this place anyway. It hasn’t even been one full day.”

Lu Han nodded excitedly in agreement. “C’mon, guys! Let’s go before it’s too late!” He zoomed out of the room before anyone else could blink, but his enthusiasm caused the others to perk up with hope.

Jongdae quickly jumped to his feet and helped Baekhyun and Yixing up from the floor. Meanwhile, with help from Zitao, Sehun lifted Chaerin onto his back and carried her out of the room, followed closely by Bom and Minji. Sandara clung to Chanyeol while Eric, Kyungsoo, and Jongin each led one of the lions out of the gymnasium. Junmyeon and Minseok brought up the rear, herding the lions from behind whenever one of them tried to stray from the pack.

All of them raced down the halls, not daring to look behind them.

But Baekhyun’s heart instantly dropped when he saw giant metal doors instead of the original glass ones at the entrance, with Lu Han trying to kick down the door in vain.

After another fruitless kick, the Ultimate Racecar Driver faced the other students and sent them a forlorn gaze. “I... I think we’re too late, guys...” Lu Han said, uncharacteristically slowly.

“No way! We can pry this open!” Minseok claimed, already stepping up to the doors and examining every bolt and hinge. “With Sehun and Zitao’s skills and my expert eyes, we’ll definitely be able to bust these doors down.”

Sehun nodded as he lowered Chaerin to the ground, leaving her with Bom and Minji. He and Zitao both took out their toolboxes and began following Minseok’s instructions. However, the longer they worked, the more evident it became that the doors were soldered shut and no amount of hacking or prying would force them apart. Jongdae tried to help as well, claiming that he had experience fixing airplanes, but even with another set of hands, the boys were unable to make a single dent.

By the end of it, Sehun, Zitao, and Jongdae were all sweating and panting, completely slumped over while the others looked on with dread and despair.

“I­—don’t—understand!” Minseok yelled, punctuating each word with an angry kick to the door. “My calculations all lead to an escape, so why—won’t—this—door—budge?!”

“Pft, you really think I would let you squirts escape that easily?”

Everyone instantly paled when the same honeyed voice from earlier joined the conversation and they all whipped around, instinctively keeping their backs together as they scanned the main hall for the headmaster.

Instead, a large plasma screen lowered from the ceiling and turned itself on, showcasing the black and white teddy bear sitting behind a desk with his feet propped up and a wine glass in hand. “Remember Rule One? Leaving school grounds is PROHIBITED!” Monogom gently swirled the dark red liquid in his wine glass while adding with a cheeky grin, “I figured you guys might forget, so I did you the favor of closing off the school so you don’t accidentally run off and suffer the consequences of breaking a school rule! Right, Ms. Lee?” He pointedly looked at Chaerin, who was still unconscious in Bom and Minji’s arms.

Minseok let out a frustrated growl, poised to lunge at the talking bear, but Eric hastily held him back with a warning glance.

“I really am the kindest headmaster around,” Monogom preened before carelessly tossing the glass of wine behind him. “Anyhow, I’ll let you all enjoy the rest of your free time until nightfall! Have fun!”

And the plasma screen zipped back up into the ceiling, leaving the Super High School Level students stunned and alone once more.

Kyungsoo heaved a deep sigh before gesturing to the still-unconscious Ultimate Golfer. “Since we’re stuck here for the time being, we should move Chaerin to her bedroom and brainstorm a plan.” His stomach then growled loudly and he smiled sheepishly as he added, “And I can also make some food for us in the kitchen to snack on. I get hungry when I’m stressed.”

Junmyeon nodded and everyone else followed suit soon after. “Should we split off into two groups for now? To keep everyone accounted for.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Jongdae answered cheerfully.

“Alright then, first group will be—”

“I WANNA BE WITH CHANYEOL!” Sandara yelled, instantly jumping into the Ultimate Butler’s embrace and wrapping her arms around his neck. “We’re a package deal! You can’t split us up!”

“...Okay...uh, first group will be Sandara, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, Jongdae, Yixing, Minseok, and myself,” Junmyeon listed, pointing to each person. “The second group, escorting Chaerin to her dorm room, will be Bom, Minji, Eric, Sehun, Zitao, Jongin, and Lu Han. Any objections?”

Everyone collectively shook their heads, so once Chaerin was carefully hoisted onto Sehun’s back again, the two groups split off towards the cafeteria and the dormitories, respectively.

♈♈♈