Mind Games - Night has come

06

"Kim Dong-hyun was a civilian."

"What the hell?" Ji-soo muttered quietly under her breath, taking out her phone as she stopped walking, Min-ji and Yu-jun doing the same thing.

Everyone's eyes were glued to their phones, a chilling silence settling in, their expressions reflecting a mix of horror and confusion in response to the announcement.

Min-ji let out a heavy sigh, her hand falling to her side as she held her phone there. "This is driving me insane," she complained in frustration, unable to feel anything but intense worry for her classmates. After learning about the events that unfolded while she was unconscious, she felt a heart-wrenching anxiety, wondering who would be the next victim in this deadly game.

Min-ji, Yu-jun, and Ji-soo had decided to wait for the return of their classmates in the lobby. As hours passed, the confined space of their rooms felt increasingly suffocating, their anxiety growing as they awaited any sign of their friends. The shared fear among those who stayed behind in the youth center intensified, creating an atmosphere of tension.

Approaching the large stairs, ready to descend, they encountered some classmates, including Yoon-seo and Jung-won, carrying Heo-yool's lifeless body. They swiftly disappeared into a corner with their burden. Min-ji frowned, halting her descent, and her friends, Yu-jun and Ji-soo, noticed her hesitation.

"Are you guys just gonna act like that just didn't happen?" Min-ji questioned, pointing towards the direction where Yoon-seo and the others had vanished. She was perplexed by their nonchalant response to students casually carrying a corpse, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

"Least of my worries," Ji-soo replied with a shrug before continuing down the stairs.

Min-ji hesitated for a moment, her expression still perplexed, before deciding to continue going down the stairs. The three of them made their way to the sitting area in the lobby and sat down on the small sofas.

Min-ji rested her head back on the sofa, leaning on it as she looked up at the tall ceiling, "I seriously can't believe you guys let Na-hee and So-mi leave; you had to at least try to stop them," she told them, feeling disappointed by their lack of loyalty. "Who knows? They could already be dead somewhere by now," she added, now looking towards them.

Ji-soo hit her arm in response to her last remark, visibly frowning, "Don't say that!" she warned, obviously displeased by Min-ji's words.

"They couldn't be, or else they would've made an announcement about their deaths," Yu-jun stated.

Min-ji slowly nodded her head, "Right. The announcements," she replied, "By the way, did anyone even find out where they're coming from?"

Yu-jun shook his head, "No, we went to look inside the broadcasting room, but nothing. It was completely empty."

Min-ji sighed, not getting the response she had hoped for, "Who else is making them? A ghost?" she then said, leaning back against the couch.

Ji-soo's hand found its way to Min-ji's arm once again as she hit her, this time harder, making her complain in pain and look at her in surprise, "A ghost, my ass. This is serious!" she told her.

Min-ji sulked but looked away and muttered, "..sorry."

After a brief silence, she exhaled, "So.. Dong-hyun is really dead. I wonder what happened," she mused, breaking the quietness as her gaze drifted downward, contemplating the recent announcement and the lingering resonance of the siren.

"He must've tried to exit the designated game area," Ji-soo simple replied.

After some time, more people congregated in the lobby, anxiously awaiting the return of their classmates who had ventured out, risking their lives to seek help after finding themselves ensnared within the confines of the white lines.

The sun had already set, casting darkness outside when the sound of approaching footsteps reached their ears. Jun-hee led the way, with his classmates trailing behind him.

Min-ji leaped from her seat and hurried toward the entrance, joined by others, forming a crowd. Her eyes quickly sought out Na-hee and found her, supporting Hyun-ho with an injured leg.

"Na-hee," Min-ji called out, pushing through the crowd to reach her friend, "What happened? Are you okay?" She inquired anxiously, examining Na-hee's state with concern.

Na-hee offered a weak smile and nodded, "I'm okay. I just slipped and sprained my leg."

"What happened to Dong-hyun?" Eun-chan's voice cut through the air, prompting Min-ji to turn her head and witness the unfolding scene.

A heavy silence followed.

"Say something, please," Choi Mi-na pleaded when no one responded to Eun-chan's question. "Where's Dong-hyun? What on earth happened?" Panic edged her voice.

Once again, silence persisted. None of the witnesses to Dong-hyun's death offered an explanation, leaving an unsettling sense of worry among the onlookers.

"He thought..." So-mi began, breaking the silence but hesitating as she searched for words. "The white line disappeared... and went to check on it. But he slipped," she explained slowly, the traumatic event palpable in her hesitant words.

Min-ji took a deep breath, glancing back at Na-hee beside her, still being supported by Hyun-ho. She silently thanked whatever higher power existed that Na-hee had only injured her leg, not crossed the white line and faced the same fate.

"What about the village?" Kyung-jun interjected, his tone growing louder as he looked between his classmates, demanding answers. "How far did you go? You said you'd find people and ask for help! Did you?"

"We can't go," Jun-hee finally spoke, his voice soft-spoken yet carrying the weight of the situation. "It's all blocked by the lines," he added.

"So..." Min-ji began, carefully choosing her words. "We're trapped in here. We're trapped until we finish the game." Speaking the thought aloud tightened her stomach into a million knots.

Jun-hee glanced back at her and nodded solemnly. "Yeah."