The metal chain around their wrist unclasped, the belt retracted itself, and the machine locking their feet released. They were finally free from the torturous chairs.   Ho Seok was the first one to remove himself from the chair, running barefoot across the digital screen in the center to rush his way towards his friend.   Mi Joo’s body was entirely limp, boneless, and lost the balance to maintain on the chair. When her body nearly tumbled over forward, Ho Seok arrived in time to catch her. He knelt down on the floor, wrapping his entire arm around her head. The blood smeared on his hand.   “Mi Joo, you’re gonna be fine,” he murmured. His voice was nothing but a small whimper filled with much trembling hidden beneath his frantic cry. “We’re gonna get out of here together.”   She no longer responded, and laid lifeless within his arms.   Several others had slowly gathered around them, watching with sympathy at the heartbreaking sight. Everyone was aware of Ho Seok and Mi Joo’s special relationship, knowing this incident tore his heart to pieces.   “Ho Seok,” Ji Soo hated to be the one saying it, but she had to. “She’s dead.”   “No, she’s not!”   They watched with pained hearts at his denial. He lowered his head, placing his warm lips against her cold ones to transfer some air. His lips were soft, and hers were hardening. He had thought about what kissing her would feel like, but it was nowhere near to this.   “Stop it! She’s dead, Ho Seok!” Ji Soo said again, hating to see him behave as a lunatic. Before she could use some force, Ye In’s hand against her shoulder held her back.   “Let him cope with the loss in his own way,” she said with a smile ghosting her face.   Ji Soo’s tenseness released as she skimmed their surrounding now. The grid board suddenly lit up again, and instead of the cards, the number five now appeared in big red letters.   “We got another number,” she informed. Jung Kook and Ye In soon shifted their sight to the same direction.   “We should keep track of them all. It must be our way out,” Jung Kook spoke, and the other two nodded.   “I find it strange that the game didn’t immediately end after Ji Ae and Mi Joo got three matching pair of cards. Did the last one not count?” Ye In suddenly questioned.   “Maybe it doesn’t count if someone died during the game,” Jung Kook suggested a theory that made sense.   Ye In pressed her lips. They failed their teamwork once again. “She should’ve chosen acupuncture.”   As the two discussed the issue, Ji Soo took notice of Ji Ae standing still at a distance, calmly watching the sight unfold. It was hard to tell whether she felt any sympathy or guilt at all when all that was written on her face was… Satisfaction.   On the other hand, Yoon Gi was less interested in Mi Joo’s lifeless state and kept his attention on Myung Eun whom the others had seemingly forgotten. He watched attentively as she furrowed her eyebrows in a frightened knot. She walked out of her chair carefully, as if the ground they were on was made out of thorny bushes. No one could tell what was going on in her mind. So he approached her.   “You okay?” He questioned, always soft when it came to her. He did not even know what prompted him to offer her a hand, but he helped her step out of the chair.   She looked up at him with big, horrified eyes. “What did you say?” She questioned as a small whimper.   “Are you okay?”   She watched his mouth move and saw his conflicted gaze as he looked at her strangely. She felt the warm touch of his hand against her skin. She smelled the freshness of the chamber and the iron smell from Mi Joo’s blood. But that was it. Her eyes began to water on its own, and more fear struck her.   “Yoon Gi,” she called, her hand tightening. “I can’t hear.”     Ji Soo, Ye In, Jung Kook, and Ji Ae were crowded in the dining room where Ji Ae had the audacity to eat a bagel like nothing had happened. Ho Seok was slowly accepting the truth, burying Mi Joo’s body at the backyard along with the other victims. Yoon Gi and Myung Eun had gone off elsewhere.   “You didn’t have to take it this far,” Ji Soo was the first one to speak. It was directed at Ji Ae.   “I played the game. Isn’t that what we were supposed to do?” Ji Ae shrugged, continuing to eat.   “You could’ve given her an easier punishment. One that wouldn’t cost her life,” Ji Soo said, and Jung Kook heavily nodded in agreement to this.   Ji Ae threw her bagel back to her plate, looking up to meet Ji Soo with dark, grim eyes. “Lee Mi Joo should’ve been dead five years ago. Her death is long overdue.”   There was disbelief in Ji Soo’s eyes. “Do you hate her this much?”   “I hated her ever since I found out she was having an affair with Ji Min!” Ji Ae yelled out, bonking her fist against the table.   The move and words surprised Ye In and Jung Kook, both taken aback by the sudden revelation.   “That’s right, Jung Kook.” Ji Ae now turned to him. “Your brother, whom I loved very much, actually cheated on me with that Lee Mi Joo!”   “That can’t be…”   “Do you know the real reason why she and Ho Seok aren't dating? Because she never loved Ho Seok. She was in love with my boyfriend!” Ji Ae’s voice blared through the room, yelling to the point her voice cracked.   Silence resumed, and this time, Ho Seok was standing at the door frame.   “What did you say?” He asked with a distant look.   Ji Ae turned to him, surprised. He was so pathetic. Yet another victim of this mess. “I said, Mi Joo is nothing but a freaking who knows you are in love with her, but ignores it and continues seducing my boyfriend behind my back.”   “My brother would never do that,” Jung Kook then said.   “I saw it with my very own eyes! They were holding and touching each other so intimately.” Ji Ae hated having to reveal this to everyone. She hated reliving those bitter memories.   “So you killed her as revenge?” Ho Seok questioned, his voice meek and exhausted.   “I didn’t kill her. I was merely playing the game,” Ji Ae repeated her reply.   The answer triggered the anger in Ho Seok who began yelling, charging towards the defenseless girl. He wanted to hurt her, to make her pay for what she did to Mi Joo. But his movements were cut short when the other three got up and held him back with force.   “Mi Joo is not that kind of person!” He kept yelling uncontrollably like a wild beast on restraints.   “Keep telling yourself that.”   Jung Kook then turned to Ji Ae, a certain sadness washing over his face. “My brother is not that kind of person either.”   At that, Ji Ae’s heart began to constrict painfully. She had seen the truth. She was the victim. But why did they stare at her like she was the criminal?     Without caring what the others were up to, Yoon Gi had taken Myung Eun’s hand by force, guiding her to the study room where the piano was located at. He pushed her gently towards the seat in front of the grand piano.   “Play it,” he said.   Myung Eun was silenced, staring at the instrument in front of her. Her hands glided on top of the keys, placing her fingers against the tiles she had grown up with