Silence suffocated the remaining eleven survivors who sat around the dining table. The chair on the far edge of the table remained an empty space that Kim Seok Jin used to occupy. The theft of one’s life in a brutal demeanor was a haunting disturbance to the onlookers. The moral conflict arose when they were faced with the decision to return to the safe mansion, or aid their deceased friend in a proper and respectful burial.   But when one person the heel to escape the living hell and find comfort anywhere but the wretched aquatic chamber, another followed. And another one. And another one. Some might have struggled to stay longer, but the fact their footsteps led them back inside the mansion made them no different.   In the end, they were like a colony of parasites bound as victims to the Game Master’s orchestric playroom. The string of life was merely a thinning cord about to snap and disintegrate at any point. One mistake would mean the end of their orchestrated performance.   For the longest time, no one had dared to say a word. They just sat there in a circle. Mourning because they were afraid, not because they cared. Silent to avoid judgement, not because they had nothing to say.   The game had to continue.   “We need to solve this equation,” Ye In was the first one brave enough to break the silence. Someone had to speak. They may not be able to bring the death to life, but they had a chance to prevent death from taking lives.   “We just lost a person,” Ji Ae uttered, her voice hoarse from the silence she’d been holding. She glared viciously at the girl as if she was at fault. “How can you talk about the game like Seok Jin’s death meant nothing?”   “That’s not what I meant.” Ye In stared at the others who were mainly avoiding eye contact. Ji Ae looked at her like she was guilty of some trespasses, but Jung Kook’s gaze had that calming glint that shielded her from any condemnation.   “So how long were you planning to mourn for him?” Yoon Gi suddenly questioned. He stared at the others with a look between urgency and boredom. His hand kept fiddling with a black colored ballpoint, unconsciously twirling it between his fingers.   “What are you talking about?” Nam Joon questioned defensively.   “Do we have to hold up the entire game until the other is done crying? The only way for us to escape this house is by completing all the games. The more time we waste, the longer it takes for us to go home,” Yoon Gi stated sternly, his lips pressed to a thin line. Obviously, he had zero remorse for causing Seok Jin’s death.   “I hate to say this, but the dumb pepper head is right,” Ji Soo said, ignoring the guy who frowned at the name. “We don’t even know how many games we have to play.”   “The food supply is limited too,” Soo Jung added, staring at Nam Joon who had helped her with this information. “We can only last for two or three weeks. No more than that.”   “Tell Ji Ae to stop devouring everything like a bulldozer, and we might be able to last longer,” Mi Joo muttered quietly, but just loud enough for the other to hear.   “This is not the time to fight, please!” Soo Jung stopped the two girls before another commotion would erupt that day. “Like Ye In said, we need to solve this equation.”   “Right.” Ye In spoke and placed her paper with the equal sign on top of the table for everyone to see. “Since mine is an equal sign, that means I am at the very end of the equation.”   “Is this based on age order? Ye In is the youngest,” Ho Seok questioned.   “That can’t be. I am the oldest and I have a plus sign,” Soo Jung stated, showing hers. “There must be a different order.”   “The number of in our names?” Myung Eun began questioning.   “Could it be our grades at school?” Tae Hyung wondered out loud. “No wait, wouldn’t Myung Eun be last then?”   “Huh?” The girl in question looked so detached from reality and flashed a smile instead. “My grades are better now that I’m majoring in music. It’s not as bad as it was in the past.”   “Really? I remember your mother yelling at you because you were ranked 10th in class,” Tae Hyung reminisced the time they were in the same class during their early high school days.   “Why is that a bad thing? She made it in the top 10,” Ji Ae remarked.   “My class only had 10 people.” Myung Eun grinned innocently. And suddenly, they all understood why her mother was worried about her and why she could’ve been ranked last.   “Maybe the Game Master will give us a clue regarding the order we need to use,” Tae Hyung then suggested and his eyes subtly glanced over to the TV that remained pitch black.   There were no game missions for today and it was already nearing dinner time.   “How about we just write down everyone’s number or sign for now and then gather again if we find something?” Soo Jung suggested as she placed her paper on the table too.   “Sounds good,” Ji Ae agreed and mimicked the movement. “Who has Seok Jin’s paper?”   Yoon Gi didn’t say a thing and perfectly threw the piece of paper to land in the center of the table. He then stopped twirling the pen and placed it back in his pocket. The others read the paper they hadn’t seen before.   “A plus sign,” Ho Seok read out loud.   “Alright, let’s write everything down for now,” Soo Jung repeated again as she had taken a notepad and a bunch of pens and distributed it to the others.   “We can just take pictures,” Yoon Gi spoke with his smartphone in his hand.   Soo Jung halted her movements and slowly let her arms fall to her side. parted to form a small circle, realizing how stupid she was.   “Some people prefer it the old fashioned way,” Ji Soo quickly said so the elder won’t feel offended. She took the pen and paper from Soo Jung’s hand. “Thank you.”   As some began to jot down the information or take picture, Yoon Gi was the first one to leave his seat and descend upstairs. The girl beside him quickly followed.   “Wait, Yoon Gi!” Myung Eun’s voice stopped him and she grabbed his hand to catch up to his steps. “You changed it, didn’t you?”   He raised his eyebrows with slight interest. “What?”   “You changed the sign. I saw you draw on it,” Myung Eun spoke, referring to Jin’s paper. It wasn’t supposed to be a plus sign earlier.   Yoon Gi was far from amused now and pulled the girl closer to himself as he trapped her eyes in his gaze. “Would it be wrong of me to do that?” He asked.   “W-well…”   “Listen, Myung Eun,” Yoon Gi interrupted her and bent forward to whisper into her ears. “You can trust no one in this game. Everyone’s goal is to win, even if others have to suffer through it. Before others can outsmart you, you need to be the one outsmarting them first.”   Myung Eun blinked, feeling her heart tighten as he pulled away from her. She studied his face and found that smug grin there. “Isn’t that cheating?”   “In a game between life and death, the only thing you can cheat is death itself.” Yoon Gi placed a hand on top of the girl’s head and she squeezed her eyes at the sudden touch.   “You should do whatever it takes to survive too, Myung Eun.”   The words were completely taken from , and she remained in silence while her eyes stared at his backside. Perhaps, she had to follow his example.     It was night time, they assumed, judging on the elongated hours that went by after dinner. No food was served during dinner and they wondered whether Seok Jin had secretly prepared the dishes for them. Now that he was gone, they were left with with instant noodles and microwaveable mac ‘n cheese.   Similar to the previous night, some had troubles sleeping and decided to roam around the place. Jung Kook had become somewhat of the tour guide since he had observed the entire architecture with ease in no time. If he had enough spare time, he might even draw a blueprint out of it.   He led them to a hallway they didn’t even realize existed. The lamps were flickering disturbingly the more they walked. The paintings were still on the wall along with other decorations; most of them depicted a gruesome graphic of death. In order to get to the exit door, they had to pass all of that.   “Here.” The boy halted his steps in front of an olden-style door made of the poorest looking but most durable wood. It resembled a secret door that would lead to the dungeon. The surface was rough and raw with numerous splinters sticking out. Trying to knock or push the door open was therefore not an option.   “What is this?” Ho Seok asked.   “I believe this door is our way out,” Jung Kook answered. His hand now moved to the golden door handle latched in silver chains and locked with a specially customized letter lock. Instead of numbers, it contained all letters of the alphabet.   “Is this what we need to gather the clues for?” Mi Joo questioned, taking a closer look at the lock.   “I suppose that the number for the zodiac code equation will ultimately be used for this,” Jung Kook answered.   “But the equation would provide us with a number, not a letter.” Mi Joo saw the misfit between his theory.   “There are actually numerous ways to convert the number to letters. I think that’s what Jung Kook is implying,” Ye In spoke, seeing Jung Kook nod at her. But that was something to be saved for later; they had to actually solve the equation first.   “So it seems we will be playing seven different games?” Ho Seok then remarked. His fingers traced the empty slots inside the lock, confirming they needed seven letters.   “It seems like it,” Mi Joo agreed. She then pulled away from the lock and let out a deep exhausted sigh. “I don’t think I can handle six more deaths.”   Her words halted the others with what they were doing, brin