Love's Lethal Game | Night Has Come

Chapter 04

In the relative calm of Nam Yeon-Woo and Im Eun-Chan's bedroom, Park Ji-Eun, with Eun-Chan's permission, settled herself onto his bed for a much-needed nap. The events of the day had drained her, both emotionally and physically. Eun-Chan tossed her an understanding smile as she made herself comfortable, pulling the light blanket over her shoulders.

Nam Yeon-Woo, meanwhile, busied himself with a deck of cards, shuffling them absentmindedly. He and Eun-Chan sat on the floor, leaning against their beds, occasionally exchanging quiet words. Eun-Chan had pulled out a small notebook and was jotting down thoughts and observations about the day's events. Every so often, he'd pause and gaze into space, lost in thought, before resuming his writing.

The room was filled with a palpable sense of unease, yet there was also a quiet solidarity among the three friends. They were each dealing with the day's trauma in their own way, finding comfort in the small acts of normalcy amidst the chaos.

Just as Ji-Eun's breathing deepened, indicating she had fallen asleep, a jarring Purge Siren noise blared out of the speaker, instantly shattering the peace of the room. Ji-Eun jerked awake, her heart racing from the sudden intrusion. Yeon-Woo dropped his cards, scattering them across the floor, while Eun-Chan's pen skidded across his notebook, leaving a jagged line across the page.

"What now?" Eun-Chan muttered, his voice laced with frustration and fear.

All around the youth center, similar reactions echoed as students were startled by the siren. A collective sense of alertness swept through the building, each student bracing for what might come next.

Simultaneously, every student's phone rang with an unfamiliar ringtone, a stark reminder that the game was still very much in control. With apprehension, Ji-Eun, Yeon-Woo, and Eun-Chan each grabbed their phones, joining the rest of their classmates in checking the ominous notification.

The robotic voice that had become a harbinger of dread announced, "Kim Dong-Hyun was a citizen."

The room fell into a stunned silence. Confusion, curiosity, and worry were etched on their faces as they tried to process this latest revelation. Ji-Eun's mind raced with questions. What happened to Dong-Hyun? What happened to the team that was going through the hiking trail? What happened to her good friend Baek Eun-Ha who was among them? Did Dong-Hyun die? The uncertainty of not knowing what was happening outside their room added to the growing anxiety.

"Wasn't Dong-Hyun with the group that went to the mountain?" Yeon-Woo asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Eun-Chan frowned, closing his notebook with a snap. "Could it be that something happened to them up there?"

Ji-Eun clutched her phone tightly, feeling a sense of dread creeping over her, as she wordlessly agreed that something might have happened that triggered the announcement. Something bad had happened to them.

"Do you guys want to..." Ji-Eun rose to her feet from the bed as she addressed Yeon-Woo and Eun-Chan, "...go to the lobby and wait there?"

Agreeing with Ji-Eun's suggestion, Nam Yeon-Woo and Im Eun-Chan quickly gathered themselves. The trio swiftly made their way to the lobby, their steps echoing in the otherwise silent corridors of the youth center. As they arrived in the lobby, Ji-Eun's eyes were immediately drawn to the white statue of a female sitting on top of a white pillar. The statue, bathed in soft light, exuded a serene yet somber presence. It seemed to watch over the lobby, its downcast gaze adding to the heavy atmosphere.

The lobby also featured a small area with sofas and a coffee table, usually a place for lounging and socializing. But now, it served as their spot while waiting for the hiking team to return.