Chapter 2:
Wolf Among The Sheep

"Remember... a wolf in sheep's clothing does not look like a wolf. Get it?" -Olivia

Im Yoona looks around her as Qian’s words seem to bounce off the walls of the meeting room. Welcome to the game, everyone, the words echo in her head and she resists the urge to shudder because the way Qian said it makes her feel as though she were saying ‘welcome to Hell’ instead.

It seems like she is not the only person in the room who thinks like that because uncomfortable expressions appear on the other participants’ faces. The host just continues to smile sinisterly because she knows exactly what they are thinking but it is too bad that they cannot quit now, isn’t it?

Qian sits down again after her one statement that causes everyone to shift uncomfortably. Her eyes twinkle with what looks like mischief but Yoona thinks that it looks more like malice but of course, it is not like she can read minds. The doe-eyed woman fights down the feeling of uncertainty that is beginning to overwhelm her and forces herself to act composed.

She wonders what kind of game that they will be playing and it is then she realises her mistake. She should have thought of that when she first filled in the form on the website. Stupid, she curses herself and she is about to curse herself more but is cut short when Qian continues her speech.

“There will be sixteen rounds in this game,” Qian announces and everyone looks around with their eyebrows raised. Yoona knows what they are thinking. Sixteen is a big number. Do they really have to put up with these people for the whole of it if they survive? Will they even survive?

Qian does not seem to be deterred by their uncertain glances. In fact, she looks pleased to see how all of them are having doubts at the moment. “For the first fifteen rounds, one person will be eliminated in each round,” she continues. “That means, for the last round, five people will be playing the game and only one will win it.”

Yoona knows that everyone hopes that the one person who will win this game will be themselves and she knows that she wants to win the game. There are too many players in this game. Will it be possible for her to avoid elimination?

“Right now, everyone has a five percent chance of winning this game and you all have to do everything to make sure that you survive until the end,” Qian goes on. “You know, greed is one of the seven deadly sins but for me, greed is a good quality. Especially if it means to look out for oneself.”

Out of the corner of her eyes, Yoona sees one of the participants raises up his hand. She looks at his lanyard to see what his name is. “Is there a specific name for this game that has so many rounds?” Baekhyun asks, looking curious. “Because I would like to know what game we will be playing.”

Qian smiles in amusement at that. She lets out a small laugh. “We will be playing a lot of games, Baekhyun,” she responds smoothly. “This game does not have a specific name but I’ll think about it and will inform you when I’ve thought of it.”

Although the host’s body language states otherwise, Yoona knows that Qian is lying. This game does have a name but for some reason, the wealthy woman does not want to tell them yet. Before she has a chance to wonder why, Qian interrupts her thoughts, “Now, let me tell you about the first round of this game.”

Finally, the unspoken word hovers in the air. The host has been delaying time for way too long, starting from the time she asked if anyone wanted to walk away before the game began. Qian also wasted time by explaining to everyone about the rounds in this game. She is taking her own sweet time, loving every second of discomfort and uncertainty that each participant is having. She takes pleasure in knowing how anxious the people are and how much they want to tell her to get on with it but they cannot because she is the host and she holds all of the power.

“So what is the first round about?” Jongin inquires, seeing as Qian does not continue her words and he is the only brave one to voice his wonder out loud.

Qian grins and leans forward like she is about to tell them something that nobody should know. She gestures for all of them to lean closer to her and just like a puppet, everyone does. “There is a wolf among the sheep,” she says almost excitedly as her eyes glint.

“What?” some of the players burst out after her unclear words rang out.

“What do you mean by that?” another one of them asks.

People are exchanging glances once again at that and everyone has the same puzzled expression on their faces. Yoona really wonders why Qian loves to speak in riddles. She also wonders what the host means by that. Wolf among the sheep? That statement is usually used when someone in a group of people is very dangerous or a betrayer. Or maybe, a predator. It means that someone here is different from the others. How different, Yoona does not know. What she does know is that, the difference between that person and the rest of them is something very disturbing because Qian used the term wolf among the sheep.

Qian, as always, looks amused by their reactions. She knows that all of them are very confused at her sudden statement. She stands up and takes out a remote from the pocket of her pants. She presses a button and a screen is displayed at the front of the room. Round One is written on the slideshow and she presses a button and the screen changes.

Wolf among the sheep???

That is written on the screen and everyone continues to stare at the host in confusion, waiting for her to elaborate more on that.

“Like I said, there is a wolf among the sheep. Someone here is a wolf. Not in the literal meaning, of course,” Qian explains. She presses a button on the remote and the screen changes again. This time, it shows a picture of a faceless person vs. the pictures of all twenty participants.

“The first round is very easy,” Qian says. “All you have to do is find the person with a criminal record and you have to vote on who you think the person with the criminal record is. The person with the most votes will be eliminated from this game and the person who votes for the right person will get a prize of five hundred million won. Let’s say that there are more than one person who vote for the right person, then, the money will be split into the number of people who vote for the right person. Are there any questions?”

Someone raises up his hand and Qian gestures for him to ask. Based on his lanyard, his name is Park Chanyeol. “What if nobody votes for the right person? What happens to the person with the criminal record?”

Qian smiles and shrugs nonchalantly. “The person will get five hundred million won all by him or herself,” she replies like the answer is simple.

“But I’m pretty sure everyone here has committed a crime before,” someone by the name of Kim Taeyeon speaks up. “Littering, smoking or drinking when we’re under-aged. Or maybe, stealing, having with a minor or something else.”

The host chuckles at Taeyeon’s words. Qian looks really amused by that. She maintains the smile on her face. “That’s why I said, someone with a criminal record, Taeyeon,” she chides. “Someone who has gotten caught for committing a crime. Not someone who has committed a crime before. I’m pretty sure that the person who has a criminal record knows who he or she is.”

“Is there any way to find out whether someone has a criminal record or not? Are there any hints, clues or something?” Miyoung questions.

The smile on the host’s face never fades. It does not even get smaller. Instead, the smile widens and Yoona wonders how Qian’s cheeks do not hurt from all the smiling she does. “My co-host is supposed to give all of you the hint but well, he could be unpredictable at times. I guess he does not want to meet all of you yet so you have to find him by yourself if you want your clue. Other than that, interact with everyone and try to see if that person seems like someone with a criminal record or not.”

Qian presses a button on the remote and the screen goes blank. She approaches the door to the meeting room and opens it. She turns around and gives one last smirk. “All of you are supposed to be here until midnight so you have time to interact with people, find my co-host to get your clue and explore this bungalow, if you want to. You don’t have to vote on who you think the person with a criminal record is today. The vote will be taken place next Saturday night so you have plenty of time to think it through,” she says. “Before I leave, are there any more questions?”

Nobody says anything as they sit in their chairs silently. Qian smiles. “Let the game officially begin, then,” she announces. “Remember, do not trust anyone.” With that, she leaves the room and the door shuts behind her.

The game has finally begun.

***

Silence ensues as soon as Qian left the room. For the nth time that night, everyone exchanges glances. Yoona does not know what anyone is waiting for and just as she is about to stand up to leave the room, Miyoung stands up and looks at everyone expectantly. “I have a proposal to make,” she reveals.

Everyone turns to look at her, interested in what kind of proposal she wants to make. “I think that we should all work together to find the wolf among all of us and vote for him or her next Saturday,” she suggests and it is obvious that she thinks that it is the right thing to do. “That way, it will be fair for everyone except for the person with the criminal record.”

“I don’t agree,” someone with the name of Seo Joohyun pipes up. “What if you are the person with a criminal record and this is just a decoy so that nobody will vote for you?”

“She’s smart,” Luhan whispers in Yoona’s ears and the doe-eyed woman merely nods in response.

 Miyoung shrugs and spreads her arms open in defeat. “I swear that I’m not the wolf,” she declares. “I’m a law-abiding civilian but it is okay if you don’t believe me. I’m just stating my opinion. How about this? Whoever wants to work together with me to find the wolf shall stay in this meeting room and who doesn’t want to, shall get out of this room.”

“Agreed,” Joohyun says and she stands up. Joonmyun, who is sitting next to her gets up too and the two of them leave the meeting room without a second glance. Judging by how fast Joonmyun agrees with her, Yoona knows that the two of them know each other and are most probably good friends or lovers.

She looks around her to see who else will leave and she does not find it surprising when Sehun stands up and departs from the room. She meets with her best friend’s eyes and she raises her eyebrow at Sooyeon. Sooyeon just shrugs and mouths, I’m staying because I promised Miyoung to work together with her just now. It seems like her younger sister did not make the same promise because Soojung is the next one to leave after Sehun.

“Are you going to stay?” Luhan asks as he nudges Yoona gently.

The young woman shakes her head. “No. Are you?”

“Nope.”

But the two of them continue to sit down, waiting for somebody else to leave first. After a few minutes, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor bounces off the wall in the meeting room and Jongin stands up. He approaches Choi Jinri and tugs on her arm. “Come on, let’s leave,” he says.

“But…” Jinri starts to protest but she is silenced by Jongin’s deadly glare. Defeated, she stands up and the two of them leave the room with Jinri being dragged by Jongin. When it is clear that nobody else is going to leave the room, Yoona makes her decision. She stands up and her eyes accidentally meet with Miyoung’s.

Miyoung seems to be disappointed and her gaze slides to the man next to Yoona. It is then she realises that Luhan has stood up too. “You’re leaving too, Luhan?” she asks in what sounds like a sad tone.

Yoona turns to face the man who sat next to her and raises her eyebrow questioningly. It seems like Miyoung and Luhan know each other from before just like how she and Sooyeon know each other too.

“You and I both know that I don’t have a criminal record,” Miyoung tries to plead him into staying.

Luhan looks conflicted but Yoona knows that he has made up his mind and once he has set his mind on something, nothing will be able to stop him. She can see that this guy is very determined to get what he wants and will stop at nothing to get it. That is why he does not even bat an eyelash when he says, “Yes, I’m leaving.”

In life, you have to be selfish sometimes and think about yourself instead of others. That is the only way to survive in this world. This world is filled with selfish people who want to fulfil their own desires. This world is a corrupted place and sometimes, you have to join in the corruption to survive. Sometimes, you have to be selfish and think about yourself first before others.

That is what Luhan has been doing, Yoona realises. The guy next to her is not a fool. The doe-eyed woman cannot say that Luhan does not care about Miyoung’s feelings because she does not know what is inside his heart. What she can say for sure is, Luhan definitely brushes off her feelings in order to survive.

Do not trust anyone that is what Qian told them. Friends or not, do not trust anyone. After all, betrayal comes from your friends instead of your enemies and that is why it always hurts when someone betrays you. Yoona lets out a small sigh. What has she gotten herself into?

Without further ado, the two people with deer eyes leave the meeting room.

***

The people who left the meeting room are gathered in the living room at the moment since none of them knows where else to go. The eight of them are just sitting in the living room silently. Yoona shifts uncomfortably at the sudden silence but she does not do anything to break it. Instead, she just observes the other seven participants carefully.

Joohyun and Joonmyun are sitting on the couch together and despite the large size of the couch, they are sitting close to each other which confirms Yoona’s theory that they are lovers. Sehun is standing with his back against the wall and he still has not taken off his sunglasses. Jongin and Jinri sit next to each other on the other couch and unlike Joohyun and Joonmyun, the two of them maintain quite a distance from each other which shows that they do not have any special relationship even though Jongin practically dragged Jinri out of the meeting room earlier.

Soojung is sitting on the floor opposite of where Sehun is standing and her legs are stretched out. This shows that she does not care about what others think of her and does what she wants to do. As for Luhan, he is sitting on a single chair right next to Yoona who is sitting on the loveseat all by herself. The silence is beginning to asphyxiate everyone in the room.

“Should we introduce ourselves?” Jinri speaks up, successfully breaking the silence.

Everyone looks at one another and shrugs, not really wanting to tell the others more about themselves because they could be lying. “There’s no need to do that,” Sehun answers emotionlessly. “Just look at our lanyards if you want to know our names.”

Jinri nods in response almost timidly. “I was just trying to make the atmosphere not awkward,” she mumbles under her breath.

Yoona blatantly ignores Jinri and Sehun and turns her attention towards the couple who are sitting close together. She looks at them so intently that it makes them look at her in wonder. “Why did you disagree?” she voices her wonder out loud to Joohyun. “Isn’t it better if we work together to find out who the wolf is?”

Joohyun returns her gaze and she holds it with her chin held high. Yoona smiles. Although Joohyun looks young, nothing much can intimidate her. She is a strong person, Yoona can see. “Are you trying to imply that I’m the wolf?” she asks almost defensively.

The doe-eyed woman lets out an amused chuckle at that before shaking her head. “No, I wasn’t trying to imply that,” she responds. By this time, the other six people in the room pay attention to the exchange between her and Joohyun. “I know that you’re not the wolf, Joohyun.”

The young woman raises her eyebrow at Yoona’s statement. “Why are you so sure of that?” she questions as she narrows her eyes in suspicion.

Yoona lets her eyes sweep over Joohyun from head to toe. “That’s awfully easy,” she replies, smiling almost wickedly. “Look at how you dress, Joohyun. You don’t reveal much skin and the way you walk tells me that you’re the daughter of a rich person. The guy next to you, Joonmyun, is your boyfriend but the two of you have not even initiated skin contact throughout the night because you do not like PDA or in other words, public display of affection.”

“Right now, you’re also sitting elegantly. You do not slouch when you sit and you also do not relax into the couch that you’re sitting at right now. This just shows how morally upright you are and that is why I know that you can’t be the wolf because you’ve been living your life with a set of principles that you follow closely,” she continues. Then, she leans forward slightly. “Aren’t I right?”

Joohyun does not say anything but she continues to hold her head high, still wanting to show that she is not intimidated by that. Yoona smiles gleefully because she knows that she is right. This is why she decided to major in psychology during her university days. She loves how she is able to know someone’s personality simply by observing them. It is exciting and thrilling for her. It is almost like a game.

Her little speech has gotten everyone in the living room to focus on her. “Why don’t you analyse me too?” Jongin requests curiously as he tilts his head to the side slightly.

Yoona just shrugs nonchalantly. “I don’t see why I should. I already know that none of us here is the wolf so I don’t have to do that,” she responds, totally blowing the guy off.

Jongin’s face sours but the doe-eyed woman does not really care. All she wants to do is figure out who the wolf is and claim the prize money.

Her previous statement has successfully made Soojung stand up from her position. A scowl is set on her face. “How do you know that none of us here is the wolf? I think that this guy,” she points towards Sehun, “is very suspicious.”

Sehun gapes at Soojung in a way that shows that he is very offended by her remark. “Why am I suspicious?” he inquires, his voice an octave higher than normal.

Soojung turns towards the guy mockingly and points towards his sunglasses. Sehun’s jaw drops open and Yoona is pretty sure that he is rolling his eyes but she cannot tell for sure because she cannot see his eyes. Sehun takes off his sunglasses and lets the seven people in the room see his eyes and it is then Yoona knows why he wears those sunglasses.

“Can’t a guy wear sunglasses when he has sore eyes so that the people around him won’t get infected too?” Sehun snaps angrily before he puts on his sunglasses again.

Soojung falters for a little while before she shrugs. “Well, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen anyone wear sunglasses during the night. I mean, hello? It’s called sunglasses for a reason, okay?” she retorts, not wanting to lose.

The guy with sunglasses just shrugs in response, not bothering to reply because he knows that Soojung is one hell of a stubborn person. Instead, he looks at Yoona. “What makes you so sure that none of us here is the wolf?” he questions.

Yoona shrugs. She cannot believe how stupid people are sometimes. The answer is very obvious and logical. It is based on common sense. She does not say anything because there is no way she is going to share things with the idiots in the living room.

To her surprise, someone else knows the answer. “Thinking about it logically, the wolf will want to be a part of the big community so that he can blend in more easily,” Luhan explains. “There are twelve people in that room which means that if they decide to target one person, that person is bound to lose because twelve is more than half and it is considered as majority vote. Being in that group ensures that he or she will not be voted so the wolf will survive in the game and this also means that the group will target one of us to vote for.”

“I shouldn’t have left,” Jinri mutters as she shoots a glare at Jongin.

Yoona glances at Jinri in disdain. “No, you did the right decision,” she interjects.

“What do you mean by that?” Joonmyun, who has been quiet all this time, speaks up for the first time since he left the meeting room.

“I get it now. I know what Miyoung’s plan is,” Soojung announces almost excitedly. “She’s the wolf, right? She’s going to make sure that people won’t vote for her by making sure that they vote for someone else. Someone who is one of us here.”

Luhan shakes his head vigorously at that. “Hwang Miyoung isn’t the wolf,” he refutes. “I know her well enough to say that she isn’t the wolf.”

“I’m confused right now,” Jinri admits grudgingly. “Can’t you explain it in simple words?”

A thoughtful look crosses over Joohyun’s face. Sehun seems to be thinking really hard, judging by the crease on his forehead. A few minutes pass by in silence and nobody bothers to explain what is happening. Yoona emits a small sigh. The truth is out there and it is so obvious that she feels so frustrated that everyone except for Luhan cannot get it.

“Hwang Miyoung is a baleful person,” she starts out slowly. “She will get everyone in the meeting room to vote for one of us here but at the last minute, she will change her vote to the real culprit which is among the other eleven so that she can win the prize money all by herself. It’s that simple. God, why can’t you all get it?”

Silence fills the room after her explanation. They seem to be awed but at the same time horrified by Miyoung’s malicious plan. They really cannot trust anyone, can they?

“Wait,” Jongin says. “So, one of us here is bound to be eliminated?”

Everyone looks at one another uncertainly.

“Let’s just hope it’s not ourselves, then,” Luhan concludes, after a moment of silence.

***

Yoona involuntarily shivers. She looks outside the window and finds that it is raining. The clock on the wall of the room that she is in currently shows that it is already eight at night. Only four more hours to go and she is able to go home. After the discussion, she has immediately walked away from the others because she needs some time alone. She cannot trust anyone at the moment. To be completely honest, she does not exactly have a plan on how to win the game.

Yes, she can analyse each and every one of the participants but sometimes, analysis can be inaccurate. She does have a degree in psychology but she has never put that degree to use due to the fact that she keeps on changing jobs. It is then she receives a text message from an unknown number and the text message contains information about the other players.

The text message also confirms her theory of Joohyun being a morally upright person. The young woman majors in law at K Women University. Yoona wonders how she and Joonmyun met but since it is none of her business, she stays out of it.

She has ten people crossed off her list of suspects on who the wolf is. She obviously does not have a criminal record so she is the first person to be out of the list. As she previously has said, the wolf has to be one of the twelve people in the meeting room so Luhan, Soojung, Sehun, Jongin, Jinri, Joohyun and Joonmyun are crossed off too.

Luhan claimed that Miyoung is not the wolf because he knows her. Although Yoona does not trust anyone, she knows that he is telling the truth. Other than that, Miyoung also has a splendid plan on how to win the money all by herself which means that the malicious woman cannot be the wolf so she is left with the other eleven.

Yoona has known Sooyeon for a long time and they have been best friends for six years. If Sooyeon has a criminal record, Yoona would have known and therefore, Sooyeon cannot be the wolf and that is how she is left with the other ten people. The ten people that she suspects are Kim Taeyeon, Byun Baekhyun, Park Chanyeol, Choi Sooyoung, Wu Yifan, Do Kyungsoo, Huang Zitao, Zhang Yixing, Kwon Yuri and Park Sunyoung.

It is still hard to pinpoint who the wolf is because she does not have any more clues and therefore, she decides that she really has to find Qian’s co-host or just ask the host about the clue. That is the only way to narrow down the suspects to find out who the wolf is. She has to find either one of them by hook or by crook.

There is only one problem, though. She has no absolute idea where to start. The bungalow is such a big place although there are signs inside the house. How is she supposed to find one person in such a big place?

One thing is clear, though. She will get nothing if she continues to sit around like this. It is time for her to get out of this room and search.

She hopes she can find the co-host.

***

Yoona does not know how long she has been walking around the bungalow aimlessly, hoping to find Qian’s co-host. She has not seen a single soul as she walks around and she assumes that Miyoung’s group is still in the meeting room while the people who did not want to be involved in her group already left the living room.

The only person that she has met is Amber but Amber cannot be the co-host because Qian clearly used ‘he’ when she spoke about her co-host. Well, at least, she gets to explore the bungalow, right?

After what seems like hours but a few minutes in reality, Yoona finally meets someone other than Amber. It is Luhan and judging by the pace in his walk, he, too, is wandering around aimlessly, not knowing where to go.

“Are you looking for Qian’s co-host too?” Yoona asks as soon as she is close enough to the guy.

Luhan nods absentmindedly before letting out a small sigh. “Are we playing hide and seek or something?” he complains. “Why can’t I find him? Where is he hiding exactly?”

The doe-eyed woman pats his shoulder sympathetically. She empathises with him because she is having the same problem too. “Want to find him together?” she offers because she really is in need of a person’s company. Besides, Luhan is smart. Perhaps, she can find out a thing or two from him as they search for the co-host together.

“Yes, please,” the guy accepts immediately and the two of them start walking. “After you left, Joohyun and Joonmyun also decided to leave and it’s obvious that they will work together since they are lovers. Then, Sehun walked away because that guy is so anti-social like that. Soojung, Jinri and Jongin seemed to be joining forces and I don’t fit anywhere so I just decided to leave too.”

Yoona thinks about it for a moment. It seems like Luhan wants to work together with someone but he does not have the chance to do that. He does not think anyone is worthy enough to work together with. He has the same mind as hers and for the umpteenth time, he is smart. She can definitely make use of his intelligence.

“Let’s work together,” she proposes after a moment of thinking to herself.

Her statement causes Luhan to stop in his tracks and stare at her in shock. Yoona also comes to a halt and she raises her eyebrow quizzically. “I didn’t expect that,” Luhan remarks, at last. “From the way you speak, it seems like you don’t think anyone is in the same level as you. You think that other people are below your level and you do not like to interact with people who aren’t worth your time.”

“That’s right,” she affirms nonchalantly. “I think that we’re on the same level and that is why I want to work with you.”

It is Luhan’s turn to raise his eyebrow. “What makes you think so?”

Yoona lets out a small chortle at his question. She shrugs her shoulders. “You’re quite smart. You were able to figure out everything that I knew and the text message that I received just now told me that you majored in psychology when you were in university which means that you already figured that out without me telling you anything,” she answers.

Luhan merely nods in response. He has started walking again and the doe-eyed woman follows his footsteps. She knows that he is thinking hard about her proposal and is trying to list down the pros and cons of working together with her.

When they reach at the end of the corridor, Luhan still has not said anything and so, Yoona opens the door which is at the end of the corridor. The two of them walk inside and the young woman looks around her. The room that they have entered is actually a library. Well, big houses always have libraries inside them.

The library’s air conditioner is switched on and Yoona shivers because it is raining and she is inside an air-conditioned room. She wants to leave the cold place quickly but Luhan is already walking towards the shelves of the library to browse through the books.

The doe-eyed woman lets out a small sigh and decides to walk past the shelves to get to the back of the library. She sits down on the carpet on the floor and waits. Luhan just continues to think as he looks through the books in mild interest.

It is obvious that he is not even paying attention to the books that he is browsing through. If he is, Yoona is pretty sure that he will immediately drop the book that he is holding at the moment. She snickers to herself as the title of the book is faced towards her direction. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ is written on the cover of the book.

“You’re holding a book of ,” she calls out from her position.

Luhan seems startled by her voice and he immediately looks at the cover of the book that he is holding. Yoona continues to snicker out loud as he almost drops the book in shock. The guy quickly shoves the book where it belongs and his face is already beet red. The young woman cannot help but laugh loudly at his reaction.

The guy is obviously flustered but he tries to act cool as he approaches Yoona and sits next to her. The doe-eyed woman just cannot stop laughing, remembering his reaction earlier. “I’m not a ert,” he tells her bluntly which causes her to laugh even harder.

Luhan makes a face at her and stares at her as she continues to laugh mirthfully. He waits patiently until she has calmed down. “Why are you so flustered?” she asks as soon as she has stopped laughing but the traces of laughter are still evident in her pretty doe eyes. “You’re a grown man. It’s okay, I understand.”

“No, it wasn’t like that!” he protests loudly but the young woman ignores him as she starts to laugh again.

It takes Yoona around ten minutes before she finally calms down. “I’m sorry, it was just too hilarious,” she apologises sheepishly. “I know that you’re not a ert.”

“I was just thinking about my answer to your proposal to work together and I didn’t realise I was holding that book,” he explains to justify himself.

Yoona, not wanting to embarrass Luhan further, decides to drop the subject because she knows that it is making the guy uncomfortable. It is not that Luhan is an innocent person who does not know anything about . He is already an adult so obviously he is not that innocent. He is just not very open about things like that.

“So, what’s your answer to my proposal?” she asks. She cannot decipher anything from Luhan expression so she does not know whether he wants to work with her or not. “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want to but that will be such a waste because two heads are better than one,” she adds as an afterthought, not wanting Luhan to feel that he has to work with her.

But then, again, Luhan is not the type of person who feels obliged to do anything. He makes his own decision, seeing that he refused to join Miyoung’s group even though he knows Miyoung. If Luhan works with her, it will be because he wants to.

“How do I know if I can trust you?” he voices out his wonder at last. “I mean, this is a game of deceit and lies, after all. I have to be careful.”

Yoona chuckles because the way Luhan worded his sentences shows that he does not want her to feel offended by his lack of trust. She does not blame him, really. She will ask the same question too if their places are switched. “I don’t know,” she replies. “Maybe you could give it a try and see how trustworthy I am.”

Luhan visibly frowns. “I don’t like taking risks,” he states simply.

“I take that as a no, then,” Yoona responds. She shrugs nonchalantly to show that no offense is taken. Although she is acting like she does not care about his rejection, deep down, she really feels that it is such a waste, really, because she could use some extra help. But then, again, she is perfectly fine on her own so it is not really such a big loss.

“I’m sorry,” Luhan says apologetically.

“Don’t sweat it,” she replies. Just as she is about to open to say more, the sound of a piano playing beats her to it.

Yoona pauses. It is a familiar tune and she knows that she has heard it somewhere. She racks her brain to know what song this is and it is then it hits her. Someone is playing the acoustic version of Bruno Mars’s Nothing On You and the sound seems to be coming from the right end of the library.

The two of them stand up and walks towards the right end of the library. There is nothing but a wall over there but the piano sound seems to be coming from the other side of the wall which is impossible.

Beautiful girls, all over the world, I could be chasing but my time would be wasted…

“Maybe it comes from the next room?” Yoona suggests.

Luhan shakes his head at that. “It is possible if the sound comes from the left side of library, Yoona,” he chides gently. “The problem is, it comes from the right side and this library is placed at the end of the corridor, remember?”

Yoona freezes at that and she looks at Luhan, almost frightened. The piano sound continues to play and a chill goes down her spine because who could possibly play a piano on the other side of the wall when the library is placed at the end of the corridor? Everything will be solved if the library is placed in the first storey of this bungalow because someone might play the piano at the yard but they are currently on the second storey.

The two people with deer eyes exchange glances. It has to be a ghost or a spirit. That is the only explanation that Yoona could think of.

Or maybe not.

There is a rectangular shape that separates a part of the carpet that they are standing on from the rest of it near the corner of the wall. Someone has carved a rectangle shape on the carpet. Curious to know what is under that particular carpet, Yoona lifts it. She looks at Luhan and points at what she has found.

There is a button right under the carpet but the button is placed slightly lower so that it will not create a bulge when the small rectangle carpet covers it. “Press it,” Luhan urges in a low tone. The nervousness in his voice is unmistakable but Yoona does not comment anything on it.

Without further hesitation, the button is pressed.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! This chapter basically tells you about the first round of this game. A few questions have been raised in this chapter. Why didn't Qian tell the participants the name of the game that they will be playing? Is Miyoung really the wolf or not? Who exactly is the person with a criminal record? Tell me below what you think because I love knowing what my readers are thinking and their analysis. I've been told quite a number of times that this story has a similar concept as Liar Game. That drama is amazing, I swear. However, I've been planning this story for months but I've never wanted to post it before because the story that I had in mind was a little bit repetitive. When I watched that drama, inspiration was burning inside of me and I decided to change some things in the original story that I planned and thus, this story is produced. Don't worry, everything that I write in this story is purely original and based on my imagination although I was inspired by Liar Game.

Thank you for reading, subscribing, commenting and upvoting! Enjoy reading the next chapter! :)