Mind Games - Night has come

07

Min-ji navigated the expansive corridors of the youth center, seeking out Jun-hee who had vanished after their perilous hike. Intuition led her to believe that he, burdened with a heavy responsibility, might be grappling with finding a solution. The sorrow etched on his face upon returning without answers mirrored the forlorn statue in the lobby, conveying a sense of hopelessness.

Pushing open the door to the second floor, she entered, her movements deliberate as her mind worked ceaselessly. Glancing at the floor while walking alone, she looked up to see Da-beom approaching.

"Where are you going?" she asked, prompting him to slow down. His hand pulled down his headphones as she suggested joining the gathering in Room 22 for discussions. Their steps slowed until they stood face-to-face.

"Kyung-jun and the others called me," he replied, his tone subdued, revealing his reluctance to share more.

Min-ji sighed, disheartened by Kyung-jun's group's continued torment even in their dire circumstances. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

Da-beom shrugged, covering his ears with his headphones as he walked past Min-ji. "It's alright," he uttered before disappearing through the door.

Left standing in the deserted corridors, Min-ji refocused on her original mission. After exploring various locations where she anticipated Jun-hee might be, she chanced upon an office room. Jun-hee, visibly frustrated, had his arms draped over a table, the room enveloped in darkness. Concerned, Min-ji illuminated the space.

"Hey, Jun-hee, what's wrong?" she asked, approaching with concern.

As she approached, an old phone on the desk rang. Hope surged within her, but Jun-hee abruptly shattered it, revealing the call to be a deception. He flung the phone away, expressing his frustration at the false connection, "Just leave it."

"What?" she blinked, taken aback.

His hand held out the phone's wire, revealing it wasn't connected. "It's all fake," he declared in frustration.

Examining the cut wire in her hands, Min-ji's brows furrowed in a mix of panic and confusion. Her investigation expanded to the computers, their unresponsiveness adding to the unsettling discoveries. Opening a desk drawer revealed emptiness, and even the folders on the desk held nothing.

"How come it's all empty?" she pondered aloud, frustration evident. As the shock settled in, Jun-hee, leaning against the wall, sighed in shared bewilderment, "I don't know." The room, initially a beacon of potential answers, now echoed with the hollowness of deception.

After a heavy sigh, Min-ji, appearing somewhat calmer, stared emptily at the room's contents. Frustration tugged at her as she ran her fingers through her long black hair, seeking solace in the tangled strands. "What do we do?" she asked, turning to Jun-hee, who mirrored her empty expression, drained of both hope and color.

With a slow shake of his head, Jun-hee echoed, "I don't know."

Attempting to devise a plan, Min-ji proposed, "Let's just join everyone else for now. We've gathered a few people to discuss who we're gonna vote for."

Her intention to pacify the situation inadvertently fueled the fire. Jun-hee's eyebrows furrowed, and he looked at her in shock and disbelief. "Vote?" he repeated, his tone escalating, "You still plan to vote after Yool died?!"

Min-ji's eyes widened at his sudden anger, visibly taken aback. Recognizing his extreme frustration, she knew he needed an outlet, and she inadvertently became its target. "What else are we supposed to do? The game has to end for us to leave," she explained, attempting reason.