Love's Lethal Game | Night Has Come

Chapter 03

THE NEXT DAY...

The next morning arrived with an eerie uniformity, as the music of a school starting blared from the speaker. Each student in the hallway stirred awake simultaneously. The sun's rays filtered through the windows, casting a soft glow over the scene of confusion and disarray from the night before. The students slowly sat up, rubbing their eyes and looking around in bewilderment. The memory of the previous night's events came crashing back, and a heavy silence settled over the group.

Park Ji-Eun was among the first to fully regain her senses. She blinked rapidly, her mind replaying the horrifying images of Heo-Yool's self-destructive actions and his tragic fall through the glass window. Tears welled up in her eyes as the reality of what had happened hit her. Around her, classmates began to whisper, their voices a mixture of shock, fear, and disbelief.

"Did that really happen?" someone murmured.

"Where is... Heo-Yool?" another voice trembled.

Lee Yoon-Seo immediately got up and looked down at the shattered window where Heo-Yool was last seen jumping out of. Ji-Eun observed her and from Yoon-Seo's reaction, the former knew that Heo-Yool's body was down there. So what transpired last night was not a nightmare.

Ji-Eun looked around, her heart heavy with grief. The atmosphere was thick with unspoken sorrow and confusion. Classmates consoled each other, some still in tears, others simply sitting in stunned silence.

As Ji-Eun's gaze swept across the room, it landed on Kyung-Jun, who was sitting up with a dazed expression. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, there was a silent exchange of mutual shock and sadness. Kyung-Jun's usual tough demeanor was nowhere to be seen; instead, his face was etched with genuine disbelief and uneasiness. It was a side of him Ji-Eun had never seen before.

Suddenly, their stare was broken off by the ringtone coming from everyone's phone simultaneously. Every student instantly reached for their device just as a Purge Siren noise blared out, followed by a robotic female voice, "Before the last vote closed, Police used their skill."

Another Purge Siren sound enacted and then the same voice announced another one, "Choi Ju-Won was executed by Mafia. Choi Ju-Won was Mafia."

Ji-Eun frowned, looking at the speaker on the ceiling, and wondered why Ju-Won was killed by a mafia when he was a mafia himself.

The third Purge Siren resounded, "All participants, identify the Mafia and begin to vote."

"Where's Ju-Won?" asked Yoon-Seo to everyone.

The students' faces were tense and confused, their brows furrowed as they exchanged glances. Some had tears in their eyes, their mouths hanging open slightly in disbelief. Others had a hardened expression as they tried to make sense of what was happening. The chaos and confusion that filled the room were evident, as no one dared to speak a single word in fear of what was to come. The realization that there was something sinister behind this seemingly innocent Mafia game was a shocking revelation. And the fact that they were being told to vote again after what happened to one of their own classmates just moments ago was a harsh reminder of the dangerous game they were all playing.

"The broadcast..." someone spoke up. All eyes were cast onto Park Woo-Ram whose eyes were wide with disbelief. He then pointed at the ceiling and voiced out his question, "Who's in charge of the broadcast? Why is it even on?!"

Jang Hyun-Ho, who had blood dripping from his forehead, probably due to his attempt to stop Heo-Yool earlier, spun to look at Woo-Ram and informed, "The studio's on the second floor. Let's check it out. Come."

Ji-Eun watched as he, Kim Dong-Hyun, and half of them dashed towards the stairs, rushing to catch the culprit of everything that happened in that building. She then glanced at her phone which was showing the Main Menu of this ominous Mafia game. She knew fully well and still remembered that she was a Doctor. She could heal anyone, including herself, and knew that such ability was priceless when it came to this specific game where death could happen to anyone. She then wondered who she should heal for tonight. She then glanced at her close friends - Baek Eun-Ha, Nam Yeon-Woo, and Im Eun-Chan.