#ep: table 34 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

esrione · 1 month ago

Text

404: Soul Not Found

Summary // Five friends enter a VR horror game, unaware that one of them has been secretly assigned as the killer. As reality blurs and roles shift, trust shatters. The only way out is through betrayal, death, and the unraveling of their sanity.

Pairing:

Warnings:

Dolls, blood, gore, horror, strangled, whole arm being torn off, physically body abused till death, sanity zero till death, instant death

Side characters:

W/C:

10 693

Note:

Replicated from -> GoSe ep: 34&35 Bad Clue & Corpse Party(anime)

Title by -> @nerdycheol

Character selection by -> @gyubakeries

As @gyubakeries said, this sub-unit's name is called the brain line🤣

If your blog doesnt have age stated and a pfp / you are under 21, you are blocked.

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Kwon Soonyoung hated virtual reality.

The headset loomed on the table like a trap, humming faintly under the dim blue light of the testing room. He crossed his arms, scowling at it like it had insulted his choreography. It wasn’t fear—he’d never admit to that. But the thought of being trapped in a world built from code made his skin itch.

“I’m not putting that thing on,” he said flatly.

“Oh, come on,” Seungkwan whined from the corner, already halfway into his gear. “It’s not haunted. It's high-tech.”

“That’s what someone possessed by the headset would say,” Soonyoung muttered.

“Just put it on,” Jihoon said without looking up from the terminal. His tone was clipped, efficient. “They won’t let us start until everyone’s in.”

“Yeah, Hoshi,” Jeonghan drawled, lounging on a nearby bench like he was in a spa. “Think of it as... performance art. You're pretending to be brave.”

Soonyoung glared at him. “I am brave.”

“Then prove it,” Jeonghan said with a smirk.

In the corner, Vernon adjusted his gloves silently, eyes flicking to Soonyoung’s reflection in the monitor. He hadn’t said a word since entering the room, but there was a strange focus in his expression, like he was already halfway inside the game.

Soonyoung sighed. His pride was at war with his instincts. One more look at the headset, and—

The lights flickered.

Once. Twice. On the third flicker, everything went black.

He didn’t even touch the headset.

— ♬ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ♬ —

Soonyoung groaned.

His eyes fluttered open, but the world that greeted him wasn’t the testing room.

It was... quiet. Too quiet. A thick mist hung low over cobbled streets, and dull lanterns cast an amber glow through the fog. Old stone buildings rose around him like a forgotten European town, eerie and untouched. The air smelled like rain and rust.

He sat up slowly, his fingers brushing against uneven pavement. It felt real. Too real. The chill, the texture, even the weight in his limbs. it wasn’t how games were supposed to feel. Not that he had much experience to compare.

A voice crackled faintly overhead, mechanical and cheerful.

《Welcome, players, to Halcyon. Please remain calm while initial syncing completes.》

Soonyoung blinked up at the foggy sky. “Remain calm?” he muttered. “I didn’t even log in.”

“Hey!” a familiar voice called. “There you are!”

Seungkwan jogged toward him, dressed in strange Victorian-style clothing—lace cuffs, a dark vest, and boots that looked stolen off a stage production. His expression flickered between relief and annoyance.

“You okay?” he asked. “You just appeared out of nowhere like—poof.”

“I never agreed to this,” Soonyoung said, standing with effort. “I didn’t put the headset on. The lights went out, and then—bam. I’m here.”

Seungkwan looked uneasy. “Yeah... same. None of us pressed start.”

“Wait—‘us’?”

“Over here.”

Jihoon’s voice cut through the fog. He stood near a crooked fountain with Jeonghan beside him, both looking equally displeased in their tailored NPC-style clothes. Vernon leaned against a wall nearby, arms crossed, staring at a glowing board that had just lit up on the side of a building.

“We all got pulled in,” Jeonghan said lightly, but his usual smirk didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Glitch, maybe?”

“Or a trap,” Vernon said.

The board let out a low chime, then words began to appear, letter by letter, in a glowing serif font:

《Welcome to Halcyon.

You have seven days.

Solve the murder mystery.

Find the killer.

Win the grand prize.

Fail—and you may never leave.》

A collective silence fell over them.

“What kind of tutorial is this?” Seungkwan said, laughing nervously. “Where’s the pause button?”

“There’s no UI,” Jihoon muttered. “No menus. I can’t access system functions.”

Soonyoung felt the hairs on his neck rise. Something was wrong—deeply wrong.

The board flashed again:

《Day 1 begins now. First clue awaits in the mansion.》

In the distance, a bell tolled once. A shadow moved in the mist.

Soonyoung’s jaw clenched. “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you guys.”

Jeonghan patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. You can trust us.”

He smiled and Soonyoung didn’t believe him for a second.

The mist clung to their clothes as they moved through the narrow streets. Their footsteps echoed against the stone, too loud in the silence. No other people. No animals. Just old signs creaking in the wind and broken lamps flickering like they were tired of pretending to be alive.

The mansion loomed in the distance—tall and crooked, like it had grown out of the earth against its will. A wrought-iron gate stood open, the path ahead lined with dead trees and wilting hedges. It felt like they had been dropped into the middle of a ghost story.

Soonyoung kept glancing behind them.

Jeonghan led the way with surprising ease. He walked like he knew the place already, occasionally pausing to glance at signs or statues, fingers brushing against odd symbols carved into stone.

“You seem suspiciously comfortable,” Jihoon muttered, eyeing him sideways.

Jeonghan just grinned. “I pay attention.”

“Or you know something we don’t,” Vernon added, sharp eyes not missing a beat.

Jeonghan turned, walking backwards as he faced them. “Fine. You want to know? There’s a way to see your character profiles. Took me five minutes to figure out.” He tapped his temple. “The command works mentally. Just think ‘Reveal Role’ really hard. And no, you can’t use voice commands, they’re blocked.”

“Wait, really?” Seungkwan blinked. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“I wanted to see if anyone else would figure it out,” Jeonghan said, unapologetic.

Soonyoung sighed. “Of course you did.”

Still, curiosity itched at the back of his mind. He shut his eyes for a moment and focused: Reveal Role.

A soft chime echoed inside his head. Then text appeared in his vision like a floating screen only he could see.

《Kwon Soonyoung

Role: Detective

Skills: Interrogation Boost, Flash Memory Recall

Limitation: Cannot lie without penalty (verbal stun)

Objective: Solve the murder, protect the truth.》

Soonyoung’s lips pressed into a line. “Detective,” he muttered.

“Same,” Jihoon said quietly. “Well... Investigator. Close enough.”

“I’m the Lawyer,” Seungkwan announced. “Charm bonus. High persuasion. And, ugh- emotionally unstable? Excuse me?”

“I got Doctor,” Vernon said. “Can treat wounds. Moderate logic, low charisma. Wow. Thanks, game.”

Jeonghan smiled like a cat who already knew his prey was cornered. “And I’m the Heir.”

Everyone turned to him.

“Of course you are,” Seungkwan said dryly.

“I have high access to the mansion’s locked areas,” Jeonghan explained. “Also... apparently, I have secrets. And the prompt literally says: Don’t trust the Heir. Isn’t that fun?”

No one laughed.

As they reached the gate, the mansion’s massive doors creaked open slowly on their own. Inside, the air was colder, the hall dimly lit by chandeliers that flickered as if afraid to glow too brightly. Portraits lined the walls, elegant, grim, unfamiliar faces watching their every move.

“This better not be horror,” Soonyoung muttered, stepping over the threshold.

A voice echoed through the hall:

《Welcome to Halcyon Manor. Your stay has begun. One among you is not who they claim to be.》

The doors slammed shut behind them with finality.

Everyone froze and no one moved.

Soonyoung’s heart pounded in his ears. He scanned the hall again, arched ceilings, velvet carpet, the scent of old wood and wax. Everything was too still. No dust in the air. No sound beyond their breathing.

Then, something twitched.

The chandelier above flickered, not a normal flicker, but a stutter, like frames skipping in a broken film reel. The lights blinked in and out of place, freezing mid-swing. The walls behind Vernon shimmered, their texture folding over itself like corrupted data.

“What the-?” Vernon stepped back, eyes darting to the warped wallpaper behind him.

A cold wind rushed through the hallway, though none of the windows were open. The portraits on the walls melted for half a second, faces stretching downward like wax before snapping back to normal. A piano note played itself in the next room, loud and dissonant.

Then, silence.

Everything returned to normal. The walls. The lights. Even the chandelier settled back into place like it had never moved.

Jeonghan slowly turned to the group. “Did we all see that?”

“Yup,” Seungkwan said, already hugging himself. “That was not just me.”

Jihoon was silent, jaw tight. “That wasn’t part of the game.”

“No way it was,” Soonyoung muttered. “That was a glitch. Like... the code broke.”

Jeonghan looked up at the chandelier. “Or something inside the game is breaking it.”

Vernon knelt near the portrait that had glitched. He ran his fingers over the frame. It was solid. Real. “Whatever it is, we should move fast. Glitches like that don’t happen without a reason.”

“Right,” Soonyoung agreed. “We look for clues. Stay in pairs. Don’t split up completely.”

“I’m not going anywhere near a room alone,” Seungkwan declared, grabbing Jihoon’s arm. “We’re a team now.”

Jihoon scowled, but didn’t shake him off. “Fine.”

They fanned out into the mansion’s main floor, boots echoing on marble. The entry hall led to several rooms: a grand dining hall, a dim study, and a sunroom with blacked-out windows. Dustless, but unnervingly lived-in. Someone had left a teacup on a table. A fire flickered in the study’s hearth.

Soonyoung and Jeonghan entered the study first. There, Jeonghan ran a hand over the bookcase until a click echoed. A hidden drawer opened, revealing an old letter sealed in red wax.

Soonyoung scanned the elegant script:

《To my dearest heir,

If you are reading this, then the bloodline has fractured. Trust no one—especially not those closest to you. The truth lies in Room 6.》

He looked up. Jeonghan’s gaze was unreadable.

“Room 6,” Soonyoung said. “We find that next.”

“Of course,” Jeonghan replied smoothly. “After all, this is my house. Let me show you around.”

Soonyoung narrowed his eyes.

Even in a game, Jeonghan played too well.

Soonyoung kept the letter tucked in his palm, its weight far heavier than paper should be.

The mansion twisted like a maze, hallways that looped in gentle curves, doors that had no labels, mirrors that reflected the walls behind them instead of their own images. Jeonghan led the way, hands behind his back, almost humming as if this were a casual stroll through a museum.

Soonyoung wasn’t convinced.

"You sure you know where you're going?" he asked.

“Mm,” Jeonghan mused, pausing at an intersection. “The mansion map changes every round of the game. But I saw a brass ‘6’ etched above a door earlier. I just need to find that hallway again.”

“That’s… very specific.”

Jeonghan turned, smiling. “That’s me.”

Soonyoung rolled his eyes but said nothing.

As they moved deeper into the corridor, the warmth of the lit hall gave way to something colder. The wallpaper darkened. Floorboards creaked more loudly. The air grew thick, like it had been waiting for them.

“There,” Jeonghan said suddenly.

At the far end of the hallway, half-covered by a torn curtain, was a wooden door with a brass number. The 6 had been scratched, the bottom of the curve fading into nothing. But it was still visible.

Room 6.

Soonyoung stepped forward first, testing the doorknob. It turned easily, and the door creaked open with a whisper.

The room was dim, lit only by a candle on a writing desk. A portrait hung over the fireplace—a woman in black, face turned slightly as if she'd been watching the door. A thick journal sat in the center of the desk, untouched. And everything smelled like dust and roses.

They stepped inside.

No sound. No motion. The door didn’t slam shut this time—but Soonyoung still felt watched. He approached the desk, reaching for the journal. Jeonghan, meanwhile, wandered the room casually, glancing at the portrait, fingers trailing the drapes. Soonyoung opened the journal carefully. The pages were old, handwritten, dates scattered in the margins.

《March 12 — The voices are louder. I can hear them between the walls. They whisper names. Sometimes mine.

March 17 — My brother suspects me. He saw the red stain on my sleeve. I told him it was wine. He didn’t believe me.

March 23 — The mansion is shifting. I opened the door to the nursery and found the garden instead. I am losing time again.

April 1 — Someone else is here. They are not part of the game.》

Soonyoung froze.

He looked up. “Jeonghan.”

Jeonghan turned, meeting his eyes. “Yeah?”

“Read this.”

Jeonghan took the journal, scanning the page. His face didn’t change, but his posture shifted. A beat passed.

“I thought this was supposed to be scripted,” Soonyoung said quietly. “Like, part of the murder mystery plotline.”

“It is,” Jeonghan replied, closing the book slowly. “But that last entry?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not part of the game.”

Soonyoung’s mouth went dry. “You sure?”

“I’ve watched gameplay streams before. Read guides. There’s no mention of a hidden journal like this. And definitely no mention of someone outside the game being in it.”

Soonyoung turned toward the door. He didn’t like the way the room felt now—like something had taken a breath beneath the floorboards.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“For once,” Jeonghan said, “I completely agree.”

As they stepped out, the candle in the room flickered violently then snuffed out.

And somewhere deep in the mansion, a faint laugh echoed.

A child’s.

Jeonghan’s eyes met Soonyoung’s.

Neither needed to speak, they bolted down the hallway in sync, the silence of the mansion broken only by the pounding of their footsteps. The shadows twisted unnaturally as they passed, walls groaning faintly as though the house itself were breathing.

Then-

A scream.

Jihoon.

Soonyoung’s heart dropped. He didn’t even pause, just turned the corner where the voice came from. They tore through the hallway and burst into the small library, just as the others crowded around a toppled bookshelf.

Jihoon was on the floor, face contorted in pain, one leg pinned underneath the thick wooden shelf.

“Jihoon!” Jeonghan yelled.

“I’m-! I’m stuck!” Jihoon hissed, fists clenched, trying to keep from yelling again.

Vernon was already kneeling beside him. “We need to lift this. Now!”

The five of them scrambled around the shelf, Soonyoung grabbed one end, Seungkwan at the other. With a heavy groan, they lifted just enough for Jeonghan to pull Jihoon out by the shoulders. Vernon was immediately at his side, digging through his inventory menu with frantic fingers.

"Hold on, just- let me-" Vernon muttered. “There should be a healing command- some kind of item!”

Jihoon gritted his teeth. “Hurry-”

Then they heard it.

That same child’s laugh. Soft. Echoing from the walls. Twisting around their ears like it was circling them.

Soonyoung froze. “That’s the same one…”

Jeonghan nodded, jaw tight. “It followed us.”

Seungkwan clutched his arms. “Why is there laughing, this isn’t funny! Who let a demon baby in here?!”

The laughter grew louder. Clearer. Coming closer.

Vernon’s fingers raced. “Got it!” A soft blue light emanated from the medallion he pulled out, he pressed it against Jihoon’s leg, which glowed momentarily. Jihoon let out a sharp breath, the pain visibly ebbing from his face.

“I can move,” he said, voice hoarse. “Let’s go.”

No one needed to be told twice.

They helped Jihoon up, supported him, and rushed to the nearest exit, toward the grand living room. But when they got there, everything stopped.

The main door. the one they’d entered from just an hour ago, was sealed shut. Chains of dark iron wrapped around the frame, stretching unnaturally like veins of a dying tree. The handles were twisted together, almost melted into one.

“Oh no…” Seungkwan whispered. “Oh, nononono…”

Soonyoung stepped forward, grabbed the door handle, and pulled.

Nothing.

“Why is it locked?” Jihoon asked, breath still uneven.

“It’s supposed to be the reset point,” Vernon said. “This door always leads out at the end of the cycle. It’s part of the design.”

“Well, it’s not part of this one,” Jeonghan muttered.

Another giggle. Right behind them.

Everyone spun around‐ But no one was there.

Just the massive, flickering fireplace and their own shadows trembling on the walls.

The cold silence stretched across the grand living room. The massive door loomed like a final verdict, its twisted chains unmoving no matter how hard they pulled or pushed.

Soonyoung ran his fingers through his hair, trying to suppress the rising dread. “There’s gotta be another way out. This can’t be it.”

Jeonghan glanced around the room, fingers resting thoughtfully against his chin. “If this mansion is the core of the game, there has to be a system. An end. Maybe even a hidden reset.”

“Or a backdoor,” Vernon added. “In most VR games, there’s always a failsafe. A sequence the players can trigger manually.”

Jihoon, now standing with the help of a makeshift cane Vernon fashioned from a chair leg, squinted at the portraits on the walls. “Maybe we missed something earlier.”

“Okay, split up again?” Seungkwan asked, hesitant.

Jeonghan shook his head. “No. We’re not doing that again. Not after what happened with Jihoon.”

That seemed to ease Seungkwan a little.

Soonyoung glanced toward the hallway leading to the east wing. “There were locked rooms we didn’t touch before. Maybe something’s there.”

Together, the group began sweeping the mansion again, this time sticking together. Room after room revealed eerie antiques, dust-covered furniture, and riddled bookshelves. In one parlor, they found an old clock ticking backward. In another, a piano that only played a single note no matter which key they pressed.

“Why is everything broken or cursed in this place?” Seungkwan muttered.

They reached a narrow corridor lined with paintings of various staff and residents: fictional characters from the game, each labeled with names and professions. It was Vernon who pointed it out first.

“These are NPC profiles,” he said. “Designed to look like a part of the scenery. But I think they’re giving us hints about our roles.”

Jeonghan stepped closer to one, squinting. “Wait, this one’s labeled ‘Chief Investigator.’ That’s what I got.”

Soonyoung turned to Jihoon. “Didn’t you say that’s your job too?”

Jihoon blinked. “Yeah… weird. Could be a game error?”

Seungkwan tilted his head. “But isn’t it weird that only Jeonghan seems to know all the mechanics?”

Soonyoung paused, suddenly considering it. “Now that you mention it…”

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow. “What, are you saying I’m the villain because I actually know how to play?”

“You do know too much,” Vernon added, but his voice wasn’t accusing, more puzzled.

Jeonghan crossed his arms. “What, I read the manual. Sorry I didn’t dive in blind like you guys.”

Still, the unease crept in. Soonyoung didn’t want to admit it, but something about the logic of the game was bending around Jeonghan. His instincts were starting to itch.

Before the tension could settle, a creak echoed from the ceiling above, followed by a thump.

All of them froze.

Soonyoung narrowed his eyes. “That came from the attic.”

Jihoon shifted slightly, fingers tight around the cane. “Should we go up?”

Jeonghan turned without hesitation. “There might be another clue. Or another way out.”

Soonyoung sighed. “Let’s move.”

And just like that, the group headed for the narrow stairway to the attic, unaware that time was ticking down and that one of them wasn’t playing fair.

The narrow stairs creaked under their weight as the group ascended. Dust floated thick in the air, making each breath feel like swallowing cobwebs. The attic door groaned open with a reluctant shriek, revealing a room shrouded in dim, flickering candlelight.

Old furniture lay under white sheets, and dozens of porcelain dolls sat in rows along the far wall, their glassy eyes reflecting the faint light.

“Why is it always dolls?” Seungkwan muttered, visibly unnerved.

“I think they’re just decoration,” Vernon whispered, though he didn’t sound convinced.

Soonyoung stepped carefully across the wooden floorboards, scanning for anything that stood out. Jeonghan moved to the shelves at the back, eyes squinting at a series of old notebooks.

Just as Jihoon limped over to peer into a dusty trunk, one of the dolls’ heads snapped around with a sickening crack.

Everyone froze.

The doll's mouth slowly opened… and from it came a garbled, mechanical whisper.

“He sees you.”

Then, the candles blew out all at once.

Seungkwan screamed. So did Vernon.

Jeonghan’s voice broke through the chaos. “Lights on! Light spell- whatever the system command is!”

With a faint bzzt, the candles flickered back to life. The dolls sat still again.

“Did that… thing just talk?” Jihoon asked, his knuckles white around the cane.

Jeonghan walked forward, ignoring the rows of dolls, and reached behind the one that moved. With a quiet click, a false panel in the wall opened behind it, revealing a small compartment.

Inside, wrapped in old cloth, was a dusty mirror with an inscription carved into the handle: “Only the true face may unlock the truth.”

Soonyoung took it carefully, frowning. “Is this… another clue?”

Jeonghan nodded slowly. “A metaphor, probably. ‘True face’ could mean our character identities. Maybe we need to find something that matches each of us.”

“There’s a library downstairs,” Vernon said. “Those NPC files, maybe we’ll find character portraits or more records there. If we cross-check them with the mirror, maybe we’ll see something.”

As they turned to leave the attic, Soonyoung cast one last glance at the doll. Its head was still tilted. Watching.

And though no one else noticed, for a brief second, he could’ve sworn its lips moved again. But this time, there was no sound.

Back in the library, the atmosphere was thick with unease. Dust hung in the air, undisturbed pages still fluttering from their earlier rush. The group huddled around the character console. Jeonghan tapping in commands as the familiar glowing profiles began to load.

“I just want to confirm mine,” Soonyoung muttered. “It said I was a detective when we started.”

Each panel loaded, one by one.

《Kwon Soonyoung

Role: Groundskeeper

Skillset: Manual labor, Observation, Stealth

Background: Works quietly around the estate. Knows every inch of the mansion but keeps to himself.》

Soonyoung’s brows furrowed. “What the…? That’s not me.”

Jeonghan quickly clicked into his own.

《Yoon Jeonghan

Role: Game Designer (Flagged)

Skillset: Authority Override, Puzzle Instinct

Background: Insider knowledge of game structure. Possibly tampered with original pathing.》

Jeonghan blinked, lips parting. “No, no, no—that’s not what I had before.”

“Try mine,” Jihoon said tensely.

《Lee Jihoon

Role: Archivist

Skillset: Information recall, Surveillance logs

Background: Studied the mansion’s past. Archives include identity discrepancies.》

“Wait—mine changed too.” Vernon pushed forward.

《Hansol Vernon

Role: Alchemist (Experimental)

Skillset: Brewing, Improvised medicine

Background: Disgraced for failed treatment methods. Obsession with altering fates.》

Seungkwan squinted at the console as his name loaded.

《Boo Seungkwan

Role: Medium

Skillset: Spiritual sensitivity, Speechcraft

Background: Former skeptic turned believer after a courtroom possession incident.》

They all stared at each other.

“These aren’t random,” Soonyoung muttered. “They match what we found downstairs. It’s changing the story.”

“Or showing us what we’ve been hiding,” Seungkwan said shakily.

“That’s not possible,” Jeonghan snapped, though his voice faltered.

“You're the only one who seems to know how this game works inside out,” Vernon pointed out coolly.

Jeonghan’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t argue.

A soft click echoed from one of the bookshelves. A hidden panel slid open. Inside was a box with a riddle engraved:

“Only when stripped of all falsehoods shall the path ahead open. Speak your truth or remain trapped in lies.”

The box had five rotating dials, one for each player.

Soonyoung looked at the others. “We’ll have to use these new roles to solve this.”

The five of them stood over the strange box, each rotating their dial to reflect the roles that had been revealed—Groundskeeper, Game Designer, Archivist, Alchemist, Medium.

As the last dial clicked into place, a deep rumble shook the walls. The box hissed open. Inside was a folded parchment, worn with age, and a brass key. Soonyoung snatched the note and read aloud: “The mansion holds the truth, but only beyond its walls lies the key to survival. Your roles may deceive you—but your choices won’t.”

“Is that… a way out?” Jeonghan asked, stepping toward the back wall where a sealed door had previously been.

Now, the bricks were shifting. Grinding open. But before they could move, the lights flickered violently. Then—screaming.

A horrifying glitch split the ceiling, reality tearing open like shattered glass. Red-eyed, grotesque figures twisted from the walls, crawling on all fours. Their limbs elongated with each glitching movement.

“Run!” Soonyoung shouted, grabbing Seungkwan by the wrist.

But it was too late. One of the creatures lunged. Seungkwan shrieked as it slammed into him, clawing across his side and sending him crashing into the bookshelf. Blood pooled quickly.

“SEUNGKWAN!” Jihoon screamed, rushing to his side.

Vernon yanked Seungkwan back, barely dodging another swipe.

“Do something, Vernon!” Jihoon’s voice cracked with desperation. “He’s not breathing right!”

“I- I'm not really a doctor! I’m an alchemist now- my medicine isn’t stable!” Vernon’s hands trembled, searching his inventory bag. “I don’t know if it’ll help or kill him!”

“Try!” Jihoon barked.

Jeonghan and Soonyoung pushed a cabinet against the open door as more horrors glitched into the room.

“Hurry!” Soonyoung yelled.

Jeonghan turned, kneeling beside Vernon. “What do you need?”

“Something cold and something binding-” Vernon muttered, digging out vials. “It might stop the internal bleeding.”

As Vernon administered the shaky concoction, Seungkwan coughed, then groaned. His eyelids fluttered.

“He’s alive,” Vernon exhaled. “But we have to move. Now.”

Together, the group carried Seungkwan out the secret passage, the brass key fitting perfectly into the ancient lock.

A heavy click. The door swung open—

And sunlight poured in.

They stumbled outside, into thick forest. The mansion sealed behind them with a grinding slam, as if angry to let them go. The silence that followed felt heavy, too heavy.

Soonyoung turned to look at the others.

“We’re out,” he whispered. “But something doesn’t want us to leave.”

Behind them, the mansion loomed. A shadow moved behind one of the upstairs windows. Watching. Waiting.

— ♬ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ♬ —

The forest felt like a dream stuck on loop.

No matter how long they walked, the golden light filtering through the trees didn’t shift. The sky remained locked in that strange, almost surreal hour—too bright to be evening, too soft to be noon.

But their bodies told another story. Their limbs were heavy. Their stomachs ached with hunger. Their minds ran dull with exhaustion.

“We’ve been out here for hours,” Jeonghan muttered, crouching beneath a tree and wiping his sweat-dampened brow. “How the hell is it still daylight?”

“No way to tell the time here,” Soonyoung said, looking up at the frozen sun. “It’s like this world doesn’t have night.”

“Feels like we’re being watched, even out here,” Jihoon added, his eyes scanning the treetops. “It’s... unsettling.”

Seungkwan sat with his back against a rock, one hand pressed to his still-bandaged side. “I’m starving. We need to find food or we’ll collapse before this game kills us.”

“We already searched for an hour,” Vernon sighed. “Nothing edible. Just rocks and cursed-looking mushrooms.”

Soonyoung rubbed his temple, then looked to Vernon. “Hey, you’re an alchemist, right? Can’t you, like... make a potion or something? Something that gives us a boost?”

Jeonghan let out a laugh, voice rough with fatigue. “Yeah, Vern. Got any sparkling grape elixir in that coat?”

Seungkwan, with a huff, smacked the back of Jeonghan’s head. “Do not joke about grape juice right now, I swear.”

Vernon, unfazed, rummaged through his pouch. “I might be able to synthesize something. If I can combine a few base herbs and convert the mana correctly, it could...”

“You lost me,” Jeonghan interrupted.

“I’ll try,” Vernon mumbled.

Just as he laid the items in front of him, a loud ding echoed through the trees—sharp, synthetic, and way too cheerful.

A glowing interface blinked into existence above their heads. The robotic voice of the game returned, hollow and inhuman.

《System Update: Congratulations on clearing The Mansion of Mist.

Phase Two: Begin.

New Objective: Reach the Cradle of Origins. Coordinates uploading now.》

A glowing path lit up in the forest, snaking toward the east.

“Cradle of Origins?” Jihoon repeated, frowning.

“Sounds ominous,” Jeonghan muttered, standing slowly.

Soonyoung narrowed his eyes at the glowing trail. “It’s guiding us again. Just like back in the mansion.”

“But where is it taking us this time?” Seungkwan asked, struggling to his feet with Jihoon’s help.

Soonyoung glanced around at his friends—their shadows still stretching long even though the sun had not moved an inch.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” he said. “But I’ve got a bad feeling the game’s just starting to play dirty.”

The glowing path finally faded as they crested a ridge, revealing a clearing unlike anything they’d encountered so far.

Nestled within a wide basin of twisted trees and pale grass lay an ancient ruin. Crumbling pillars jutted from the ground like the fingers of a buried giant. Ivy crept along the cracked stone walls of a long-abandoned temple, its roof half-collapsed, its entrance carved with symbols that flickered faintly with digital glitches.

It was eerily quiet. Too quiet. No wind. No birds. Not even the usual ambient hum of the game’s system.

“This is it?” Vernon murmured, tightening his grip on his bag. “It looks like it hasn’t been touched in a thousand years.”

“The Cradle of Origins...” Jeonghan trailed off, stepping forward with a wary glance. “If this is where it all started, maybe it’s also where it ends.”

Soonyoung remained silent, eyes tracing the strange carvings on the archway. It reminded him of something—he couldn’t place it, but the symbols felt familiar. As if he’d seen them earlier in the game, or... somewhere else entirely.

As the group stepped through the threshold, the atmosphere shifted instantly. A low, humming sound vibrated in their bones.

The interior was massive, much larger than the temple’s exterior suggested. There were no doors or furniture—just a vast stone chamber bathed in unnatural white light. On the far end, a massive, mechanical structure hovered in the air, floating above a stone pedestal like a suspended heart. Dozens of black cables fed into it, pulsing faintly.

“So this is the core of the game?” Seungkwan whispered, gripping Jihoon’s shoulder for balance.

“I don’t like this,” Jihoon muttered, eyes narrowed. “It feels too exposed. Like we’re standing in the middle of something’s eye.”

Suddenly, the humming stopped. Then, the game spoke again—this time slower, deeper.

《Welcome, players. This is where stories are rewritten... and truths are erased.》

A massive digital interface unfurled midair, displaying the players’ profiles—each of their faces, names, and character roles. But something was wrong.

The names began to glitch. Letters scrambled. Roles flickered.

Soonyoung’s title switched from “Groundskeeper” to “... ??? …” Jihoon’s briefly showed “Archivist,” then glitched violently, sparking as if it resisted being revealed. Seungkwan’s “Medium” swapped to “Archivist.” Vernon’s “Alchemist” flickered and turned into “Healer.” Jeonghan’s “Game Designer” now displayed... “Watcher.”

“What the hell is going on?” Jeonghan stepped back. “Why are our profiles changing again?”

The ground trembled. A crack split the floor beneath them just a few inches, but enough to make their hearts skip.

Soonyoung’s voice was low. “I think we’re being shown the truth.”

“Or someone’s rewriting it right in front of us,” Jihoon added.

Suddenly, a loud clang echoed through the temple. The floating machine began to descend, its pulsing core now glowing blood red.

Then came the laugh. The same child’s laughter from the mansion—but this time, distorted, metallic, and inhuman.

“Stay alert,” Soonyoung warned, drawing closer to the group. “Whatever this place is... it doesn’t want us to leave.”

The laughter faded into the stone walls, replaced once again by silence. The group remained still, hearts pounding, eyes trained on the floating machine now dormant in the center of the temple. Then, Jeonghan noticed something glinting through a hallway to their left.

“This way,” he said quietly, his voice tight.

They followed him down the corridor. It curved unnaturally, as if the temple had shifted its own architecture. The air was thicker here, and it carried a scent—sweet, warm, strangely comforting. When they turned the final corner, they stopped in unison.

A long banquet table stretched down a grand dining hall they hadn't seen on the map. Ornate chairs lined each side, and the table was covered in glistening dishes—roasted meats, steaming soups, golden pastries, vibrant fruits. It looked real, not the slightly-off aesthetic of most VR food. It even smelled real. Mouthwateringly real.

“What... the hell is this?” Vernon breathed, stepping forward.

“Is it a trap?” Seungkwan asked, already clutching his growling stomach.

“Maybe,” Jihoon muttered, analyzing the food from afar. “But we haven’t eaten since the mansion. This could be the game’s way of giving us a break... or testing us.”

Jeonghan scoffed. “So what? You think if we eat, we turn into pigs or something?”

“No, but if this game is glitching, then we don’t know if it's nourishment or poison,” Soonyoung said. Still, he couldn’t deny the gnawing emptiness inside him. “That being said... if we don’t eat, we’ll collapse.”

A quiet pause followed.

Jeonghan finally rolled his eyes and plopped into a chair. “Then I’ll go first. If I explode, don't follow.”

He grabbed a piece of bread, bit into it, and chewed. The others watched with bated breath.

"...This tastes real," Jeonghan said after swallowing. “Like... actually warm bread.”

One by one, cautiously, the others joined. Seungkwan cried a little after his first bite. “I missed this so much,” he mumbled, stuffing his face with fruit.

Even Vernon gave in, muttering, “Maybe this is what the alchemist made for us after all.”

Soonyoung, still hesitant, sat at the head of the table, scanning the room. Everything was too perfect. Even the candle flames didn't flicker.

He reached for a glass of water, but paused when he saw it. Underneath his plate, barely visible, was a folded slip of paper. He pulled it free, and discreetly opened it under the table. It was written in thick red ink:

《The food is borrowed time. When the bell tolls, you must pay your debt.》

A shiver ran down Soonyoung’s spine. He looked up. Everyone else was eating happily. But now, he wasn’t hungry anymore.

The moment the last bite was taken and the laughter began to settle, the air shifted—dense and suffocating, like a pressure drop before a storm.

DONG.

A deep, resonating bell echoed through the temple, vibrating in their bones. The sound was ancient, metallic, and ominously slow—like a warning from something watching.

Soonyoung's head snapped toward the sound. The paper in his pocket practically burned against his chest now. His instincts screamed run, but his body couldn’t move fast enough.

DONG.

Another toll.

Suddenly, an invisible force slammed into Soonyoung from the left side, so hard that it threw him off his chair and into the wall with a sickening crack.

“SOONYOUNG!” Jeonghan yelled, leaping to his feet.

DONG.

A sharp, grotesque tearing noise filled the room. Soonyoung screamed. A raw, blood-curdling scream. His left arm—gone. Blood poured from the torn flesh where his arm had once been. He writhed in agony, clutching at the air in panic, vision spinning.

“VERNON!” Jihoon shouted, his voice cracking. “NOW!”

“I- I’m trying!” Vernon dropped to his knees beside Soonyoung, pulling vials from his coat. “I don’t know if this will work- I’m not a doctor!”

“YOU’RE ALL WE GOT!” Seungkwan yelled, voice trembling.

Vernon’s hands shook as he poured a glowing blue liquid over Soonyoung’s wound. A faint shimmer spread across the torn limb, slowing the bleeding. Soonyoung’s breathing turned ragged, eyes wide in terror, the pain far from fading.

Everyone else stood frozen. No one spoke of the food. No one said anything at all. But the silence was heavy. They all knew—this wasn’t just a punishment. This was a warning. And the cost of disobedience... had just become terrifyingly real.

Soonyoung sat slumped against the cold stone wall, his breath shallow as he stared at the stump where his left arm had once been. The pain was still there, searing and real, even though the wound had been healed by Vernon’s alchemic touch. It burned through him like it hadn’t been healed at all.

This is a VR game, Soonyoung kept repeating in his head, but the thought felt hollow. The pain had felt too real, too vivid. Every second of it had been agonizing, almost as if it had transcended the lines of virtual reality and seeped into his very consciousness.

“Do you feel it?” Jeonghan’s voice broke through his thoughts.

Soonyoung looked up to see Jeonghan standing by, his usual composure visibly shaken. His eyes were wide, filled with a mix of anger and fear. Soonyoung nodded slowly, his voice hoarse as he spoke.

“It was too real,” he rasped. “I don’t care if this is a game... it hurt like hell. It hurt.”

Jeonghan’s gaze softened for a moment, but then his shoulders stiffened, as if shaking off the vulnerability. “We can’t let it get to us. We need to keep moving.”

But Soonyoung couldn't shake the feeling. The pain hadn’t just been physical. It was like it had burrowed itself into his mind, branding him. He touched the bandage tightly wrapped around his shoulder, his fingers trembling.

“Let’s go,” he muttered, pushing himself to his feet. The group moved on, trekking deeper into the temple, but even as they walked, a sense of dread clung to them.

The walls of the temple loomed higher and higher, winding corridors leading into the unknown. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. Everything seemed to pulse with an energy that felt wrong. The air was thick, and the dark stone felt alive with malevolent whispers. Soonyoung could hear his own breathing loud in his ears, trying to drown out the noise in his head.

DONG.

The bell tolled again. This time, there was no warning. The air crackled, and everything seemed to freeze for a moment.

And then, a sudden scream.

“JIHOON!” Vernon shouted.

It was too fast for any of them to react. Soonyoung only saw Jihoon’s form lift from the ground, as if some invisible force had grabbed him. His feet left the floor, his body twisting in mid-air, before he was dragged—screaming—at an unimaginable speed down one of the winding passages. The rest of them barely had time to register what had happened.

“No!” Soonyoung's voice broke through the confusion, but it was too late.

Jihoon was gone.

Without another word, they scattered in different directions, racing through the dark, labyrinthine corridors. Soonyoung pushed through the stone hallways, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he forced his body to move despite the pain that still burned in his mind and phantom limb.

He rounded a corner, nearly tripping over his own feet. The place felt like it was shifting, closing in on him as if the temple itself was alive and mocking his every step. The stone walls seemed to hum with an energy, flickering dimly like the heartbeats of some ancient entity.

It was then he saw it, a faint glow from behind an old, cracked bookshelf. His instincts screamed at him to investigate. Soonyoung gritted his teeth, his remaining hand pushing aside the heavy, dusty wood. Hidden behind it was a small, ornate box.

A clue.

He knelt before it, his hands shaking as he pried it open, revealing an old parchment inside. The text was in a strange, jagged script, but it was decipherable enough. His heart pounded in his chest as he read the first few words aloud.

《To save what is taken, a price must be paid.》

The rest of the message was cryptic, something about blood and sacrifice, and an image of a locked door hidden deep within the temple. It made Soonyoung’s stomach twist, but his mind was already racing with possibilities.

The bell tolled when Jihoon was taken. The bell tolls again for us all.

Soonyoung knew one thing—if they didn’t act quickly, they’d all be trapped here, paying for a game that wasn’t supposed to feel this real.

He gritted his teeth and tucked the clue into his pocket, already standing and running down the passage to meet the others. His heart hammered in his chest. He couldn't let them lose Jihoon. The price was already high. And it was only just beginning.

Soonyoung’s legs felt heavy, each step an effort as he clutched the clue tightly in his right hand, his left arm still throbbing with a dull, phantom pain. The stone floors echoed beneath his feet as he searched for the others, his mind focused on the words he had just read.

I can’t let them down. Not Jihoon. Not any of them.

But before he could make any real progress, a scream split the air. It was raw, full of terror—a sound Soonyoung knew all too well. It was a scream that echoed through the temple, sharp and desperate.

And then there was a crash.

The noise reverberated, followed by the unsettling scrape of something heavy dragging across the ground. Soonyoung’s heart stuttered, and he sprinted towards the source of the sound, panic rising in his chest.

As he turned a corner, he saw it.

Jeonghan.

His body was being dragged with terrifying force across the stone floor. His limbs were bent at unnatural angles, his clothes torn. Soonyoung could only watch in horror as Jeonghan was slammed against the stone wall, his body crumpling in a sickening way. Blood splattered against the stone, the impact so brutal that it left Soonyoung frozen in place for a moment, his mind unable to process what was happening.

The scene was too much for him. Too real. The stench of blood filled the air, and the sight made his stomach churn. He couldn't breathe. His body rebelled as bile surged up his throat.

He stumbled back, vomiting violently, his knees buckling beneath him as his tears mixed with the bitter taste in his mouth. His chest tightened, his sobs escaping in broken gasps as the scene replayed in his mind, over and over again.

No. Not Jeonghan.

He couldn't process it. Couldn’t understand how it had all escalated so quickly. His vision blurred with tears, but even through the haze, he knew one thing.

The game had become real. And it was playing for keeps.

Soonyoung could barely stand. His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps as his heart pounded painfully in his chest, drowning out everything else. The bile in his throat burned, but it wasn’t just from the image of Jeonghan’s mangled body—it was the overwhelming, suffocating weight of it all. The crushing weight of the realization that this wasn’t just a game anymore. That it had turned into something they couldn’t control, something they couldn’t escape.

His arm… Jeonghan… He could still feel the phantom pain where his left arm had once been, the memory of the searing, agonizing cut fresh in his mind. It all seemed too much. Too real. Too impossible.

But then, a sharp breath, forced and controlled, left his lips.

I can’t break now. I can’t.

Soonyoung swallowed hard, pushing the terror down into the pit of his stomach, burying it beneath layers of exhaustion and numbness. The sadness was there, clinging to him like a heavy cloak, but he couldn't let it consume him. Not yet.

Vernon. Seungkwan. Jihoon... They need me.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his fingers trembling as he gripped the clue in his right hand. It felt like the only lifeline he had left. With one final shaky breath, he stood up, forcing his legs to move, each step heavy and deliberate, as though the very air in the temple had turned to lead. He couldn’t waste any more time.

The pain in his arm was nothing compared to the dread of losing more of his friends. I won’t let anyone else die. I can’t.

He glanced back one last time at the spot where Jeonghan had fallen, a quiet sorrow settling over him like a shadow, but he knew he couldn’t afford to linger. His heart broke for his friend, but right now, it wasn’t just about survival. It was about finding the others; finding a way out of this nightmare.

The sorrow would have to wait. For now, there was only the next step, and the next, and the next.

Vernon. Seungkwan. Jihoon... I’m coming for you.

Soonyoung wiped his tears, trying to clear his mind as he pressed forward. The walls seemed to close in on him, the weight of their surroundings a constant reminder that the game was far from over. The silence was oppressive, but the echo of his own footsteps kept him going.

Even if his heart was breaking, even if his body was screaming for rest, he had to keep moving.

They need me. And I won’t let them down.

Soonyoung’s feet dragged, each step a struggle. His entire body felt like it was made of lead, and every corner he turned seemed to stretch on forever, the silence weighing heavily around him. The air felt colder now, suffocating, as though the temple itself was closing in on him, urging him to give in.

But he couldn’t. Not now.

He forced himself forward, moving despite the numbness that threatened to overtake his mind and body. He was barely aware of how much time had passed, or how far he’d walked. His heart was still heavy with the image of Jeonghan’s body, but he had pushed it to the back of his mind. For now, there was nothing he could do for Jeonghan. There were too many others who needed him.

As he rounded another corner, he spotted Vernon, sitting against the stone wall, his expression worn and anxious. His eyes immediately met Soonyoung’s, relief flashing in his gaze, but it was quickly overshadowed by the concern that followed.

“Soonyoung,” Vernon said, rushing over. His voice was tense, though there was a flicker of hope behind it. “Where are the others?”

Soonyoung’s stomach twisted, the memory of Jeonghan still fresh, but he didn’t let himself falter. He couldn’t afford to.

“I found a clue,” Soonyoung said, his voice hoarse, but firm. He couldn’t let Vernon see how broken he was. “It’s about Jihoon.”

Vernon’s brows furrowed, a flicker of curiosity and desperation in his eyes. “What clue? Tell me, Soonyoung. We have to find him.”

Soonyoung swallowed the lump in his throat, fighting the rising emotions, the overwhelming sorrow that threatened to spill over. He clutched the piece of paper tighter, the edges crinkling in his hand. He had to say something. He had to keep going.

“It’s… It’s about the temple,” Soonyoung continued, speaking quickly, not allowing himself to pause. “The clue said there’s a hidden chamber beneath the altar. It’s the only way to reach him. We have to get there before time runs out.”

Vernon stared at him, blinking in disbelief for a moment before nodding. “The altar. Under the temple…” His gaze hardened, determination taking over his expression. “We’ll get him back. I won’t let him die here.”

Soonyoung’s heart tightened at the words, but he pushed it down. I can’t let him die, either.

For a moment, the weight of the situation nearly crushed him again. But he forced himself to focus, knowing that their lives were on the line. They had to find Jihoon. No matter what.

“Let’s go,” Soonyoung urged, his voice steady despite the storm inside him. “We don’t have much time.”

Vernon didn’t hesitate, standing up quickly, his face grim but resolute. The two of them set off together, every step taking them deeper into the temple’s mysteries, to whatever horrors awaited them next.

But as they moved forward, Soonyoung couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong. Something was still hidden. Something that no one was ready for.

And though he didn’t speak a word of it, the haunting image of Jeonghan’s broken body lingered in his mind like a shadow, a reminder of how fragile they all were.

The heavy silence that enveloped the air felt suffocating as Soonyoung and Vernon made their way deeper into the temple, the dark stone walls seeming to close in around them. Each step echoed louder than the last, the weight of their mission pressing down on their shoulders. They moved quickly, the desperate need to find Jihoon driving them forward.

And then, through the thick shadows ahead, Soonyoung saw it: an eerie, chilling sight.

Jihoon’s body was suspended in mid-air, his legs dangling loosely, his back arched as if he were caught in an invisible grip. His head hung low, and for a moment, Soonyoung’s heart stopped. His mind raced with the worst possibilities, the terror of what he might find rushing over him.

But then, as the footsteps drew closer, Jihoon’s eyes slowly fluttered open. The light in his eyes was weak, but they were unmistakably alive, filled with a mixture of confusion, fear, and something that almost looked like relief when they locked onto Soonyoung and Vernon.

"Soonyoung… Vernon…" Jihoon whispered hoarsely, his voice barely audible, as if every breath was a struggle. His head tilted just slightly, gaze hazy but fixed on them. "You found me…"

Soonyoung’s heart clenched in relief, but the fear didn’t fade. Not completely. He took a few more steps toward Jihoon, his eyes scanning the air around his friend, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. The space around Jihoon seemed warped, as though the very air itself refused to acknowledge his form—no ropes, no chains, nothing to hold him. Yet, there he was, hanging in place, suspended by an invisible force.

Vernon stepped closer, his eyes wide with concern. "Jihoon, are you- are you okay? What happened? What’s going on here?"

Jihoon didn’t answer right away. Instead, his gaze flickered to Soonyoung and then to Vernon, his lips parted as if to speak, but the words seemed to die on his tongue. He struggled to gather himself, swallowing hard before finally speaking.

“I don’t know,” he managed to croak, his body trembling slightly, as if still recovering from the strange paralysis. “I was… pulled. There was no way to fight it. It felt like something was dragging me... pulling me deeper into the temple. I couldn’t- couldn’t stop it.”

Soonyoung clenched his fists, trying to keep his composure. He couldn’t let himself fall apart now, not with Jihoon still hanging on by some invisible thread.

Vernon’s face tightened in frustration, worry etched deep into his features. “We’re getting you down from there, Jihoon. Just hold on.”

As Soonyoung and Vernon worked to carefully approach Jihoon, trying to figure out how to release him from whatever held him in the air, the atmosphere around them shifted again, the air growing colder and heavier with each passing moment. The temple seemed to respond to their presence, the walls almost alive with a strange, oppressive energy. It felt like they weren’t just dealing with the game anymore but something much darker.

And as they reached Jihoon, Soonyoung caught the faintest glimpse of something, movement in the shadows, a flicker of something watching them, just out of sight. His heart skipped a beat, but before he could say anything, Jihoon gasped.

“Watch out,” Jihoon whispered, barely audible, his eyes wide in warning. “It’s not over… This place- It’s a trap.”

Soonyoung and Vernon froze, staring at Jihoon in alarm. Before they could react, a low, ominous hum filled the air. The shadows in the temple seemed to twist and distort, creeping closer around them, and suddenly, they could feel it. Something was wrong.

Soonyoung’s instincts flared. The air had thickened, and the pressure felt unbearable. This was no longer just a game. They were trapped in something far worse. And with Jihoon still suspended, barely clinging to consciousness, Soonyoung knew they needed to act fast.

“Vernon,” Soonyoung said with urgency in his voice, “grab Jihoon. Now.”

Without hesitation, Vernon lunged forward and gripped Jihoon’s ankle, trying to yank him down. But the moment his hand made contact, Jihoon’s eyes widened in panic. His body jolted violently, and his mouth opened in a silent gasp before choking sounds escaped him.

Soonyoung’s eyes darted up. Jihoon’s neck was being pulled back by something unseen, as if an invisible noose had snapped around it. His hands clawed at nothing, feet kicking helplessly in the air as he struggled for breath.

“Vernon, he’s being strangled- stop!” Soonyoung shouted, his voice cracking.

Vernon froze for a split second, stunned, his grip still firm on Jihoon’s ankle. Thinking fast, Soonyoung dropped his clue paper, rushed forward, and wrapped his arms tightly around Vernon’s legs.

“Hold steady!” Soonyoung yelled as he began to lift Vernon with all the strength his remaining arm could muster, pushing the younger up higher to relieve the tension around Jihoon’s neck.

As Vernon rose a few more inches, Jihoon let out a strained gasp, his body slackened slightly, the invisible pressure around his neck easing just enough. His hands dropped from the air as he sucked in the smallest breath, still trembling but momentarily free from the choking force.

“Let go!” Soonyoung called up. “Let go of his ankle- now!”

Vernon obeyed immediately, releasing Jihoon’s leg, and the moment he did, Soonyoung stumbled back, cradling Vernon’s descent. The two of them fell hard against the temple floor, panting.

Jihoon’s body, still suspended, fell limp again, but the strangling force didn’t return. He hung there, unconscious but alive, no longer gasping.

Soonyoung coughed as he sat up, sweat beading across his forehead despite the cold air. “That thing… it reacts to touch. We have to find a different way.”

Vernon nodded, stunned, still catching his breath. “We almost lost him…”

Soonyoung looked up at Jihoon’s limp form, fists tightening. “We’re not going to. We’ll figure this out.”

Despite the growing dread curling in his chest, Soonyoung refused to let fear take root again, not while Jihoon was still alive, not while Vernon was with him. They had no choice but to find another way to break Jihoon free… without waking whatever was watching from the shadows.

Soonyoung sat on the temple floor, breathing heavily, glancing up at Jihoon—still suspended midair, unconscious or barely hanging on.

Suddenly, the silence cracked.

“Soonyoung? Vernon? Jeonghan? Where are you?!”

It was Seungkwan’s voice, hoarse and anxious, echoing through the stone walls.

Vernon jolted upright. “That’s Seungkwan! I’ll go get him- stay with Jihoon!”

Before Soonyoung could protest, Vernon was already running, disappearing around the bend. Then came the silence. Thick. Oppressive. Soonyoung stayed crouched, his eyes shifting between Jihoon’s limp form and the hallway Vernon vanished into. Every breath felt like it weighed a ton. The flickering torchlight made Jihoon’s shadow twitch—like something else was moving. Soonyoung clenched the clue paper in his good hand, jaw tightening.

Then... a cold breeze whispered past his neck.

He froze.

Behind him, a faint giggle. Low. Crooked. Childlike. The same one they had heard back in the mansion.

He turned slowly, only to find the corridor as empty as before. No one was there. But the feeling lingered—like he wasn’t alone anymore. Soonyoung’s breath trembled as he stared up at Jihoon’s suspended body. He rubbed his eyes, hoping the exhaustion was playing tricks on him.

But when he looked again- Jihoon’s eyes were open. And they were wrong. A sickly, unnatural hue, murky and glowing faintly, not the brown he knew. The pupils were too wide, as if dilated with something inhuman. And worst of all, those eyes were looking right at him.

Soonyoung stumbled back, heart slamming in his chest. “Jihoon…?”

The head tilted just slightly. The expression unreadable. Cold. Almost smiling.

“No, no-” Soonyoung backed away further, the weight of the temple’s silence pressing against him. His mouth went dry, panic spiking.

“VERNON!!” he shouted hoarsely. “VERNON, COME BACK!!”

No response. Only the faint sound of his own ragged breathing and the slight creak of unseen movement somewhere in the shadows. Soonyoung clenched his fists. He couldn't stay here. Not with that thing pretending to be Jihoon.

With his right hand gripping the wall to guide himself, he turned and ran through the corridor, heart pounding. He needed Vernon. He needed someone.

Turning a corner, he nearly collided with someone- “Seungkwan!”

Seungkwan stepped back, startled. “Whoa- Soonyoung?”

Panting, Soonyoung grabbed Seungkwan’s shoulders. “Where’s Vernon? Did you see him?”

Seungkwan blinked. “Vernon? No- wasn’t he with you?”

“You screamed earlier!” Soonyoung insisted. “That’s why Vernon went to find you!”

Seungkwan froze. “What? I didn’t scream. I was searching for you two the whole time.”

Soonyoung’s stomach dropped. His hands fell to his sides as his face turned pale.

“…Then who-” His voice cracked. If Seungkwan never screamed, then… who had Vernon heard? And where did Vernon go after following that voice?

The moment realization dawned on Soonyoung, a low, gurgling hiss filled the air. A thick black smoke slithered out from the cracks of the temple floor like veins, curling around Seungkwan and Soonyoung’s ankles. It rose fast, too fast, swallowing the corridor in an unnatural darkness. Instinctively, they clung to each other.

“Don’t let go!” Soonyoung gasped, gripping Seungkwan’s wrist tightly.

“I won’t-!”

But the smoke surged with a vengeance.

And in a heartbeat, Soonyoung was alone. Seungkwan was gone. The air was colder, heavier. The temple felt different—distorted, like a dream twisting into a nightmare.

“Soonyoung…” a voice slithered, and he spun around—only to find shadows moving like silhouettes, crawling along the walls with elongated fingers.

“No- no, no…” he backed away, breath hitching.

The whispers grew louder. His own thoughts screamed over them, but they were distorted too. Jeonghan’s broken body. Jihoon’s inhuman stare. Vernon’s disappearance. The fake voice. The laughter. All of it collided in a spiral of madness.

The wall he leaned against pulsed. The floor beneath him twisted. His injured body trembled, and his vision shook.

“Soonyoung,” the voice cooed again, soft and wrong.

And then he saw himself, a mirror image, smiling wide with pitch-black eyes, stepping forward with a hand outstretched.

He fell to his knees.

His mind, fractured, exhausted, and overwhelmed. He couldn’t take it anymore. Soonyoung let go. The last thing he saw before his body slumped, was the mirrored version of himself kneeling in front of him, cupping his cheek.

“Let’s play now,” it whispered.

And Soonyoung did. Because he was no longer there.

— ♬ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ♬ —

Seungkwan’s eyes snapped open, his chest heaving as he jolted upright. The black smoke was gone, but so was Soonyoung.

His hands scraped against the cold stone floor. The room was unfamiliar, lit only by a single flickering flame in the corner that cast haunting shadows across the walls. It felt alive like something was watching, breathing with him.

He scrambled to his feet and stumbled toward the door, only to find none. Just solid, ancient brick surrounding him.

“No, no, no-” Seungkwan muttered, panic rising as he searched for a crack, a weakness, a seam.

A whisper drifted from behind him. He turned. No one. Then-

BANG.

The wall pulsed. Cracks formed.

He saw something, or someone, a hand reaching through a fracture. A hand… real.

“Soonyoung?” he gasped, dropping to his knees and crawling toward it. “Hyung, is that you? Please- please help me!”

His hand stretched out, fingertips brushing against the hand. But it pulled back. And something else grabbed Seungkwan from behind.

“No-! Let me go!” he screamed, nails digging into the stone as he was dragged backwards by something unseen.

His heels scraped violently. His breath turned to gasps. He clawed at the floor, the flame flickering wildly as the shadows turned monstrous.

Then the door revealed itself behind him, open, but too far.

His final scream was hoarse, desperate, before the room swallowed him whole. Silence followed. Only the faint scent of smoke and something burnt remained.

— ♬ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ♬ —

Jihoon's eyes snapped open, his body lying on soft grass beneath a pale, unmoving sky. The temple loomed in the distance behind him, cold and silent. His body ached faintly, but he was alive. Breathing.

And alone. Then came the voice.

《Congratulations, Jihoon. The game has ended.》

His breath caught. "What? Ended…? Where are the others?"

No answer.

He sat up quickly, fingers scrambling to open the character interface. Everyone’s profiles: gone. Only his remained. But something else appeared at the bottom of the menu:

《Log Out》

His eyes widened. "Finally…"

Without a second thought, Jihoon pressed the button. But nothing happened. Not immediately. Then—

A sharp crack echoed behind him. He turned. A shadow. Fast. No form. No time. A sudden coldness sliced through his chest before his mind could register it. His body froze mid-motion, eyes widening in horror as blood bloomed in his mouth.

He staggered, gurgled out a breath. Then collapsed.

The "Log Out" button flickered.

The grass drank in the silence. And the temple smiled in the distance.

— ♬ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ♬ —

Back in the real world, the skies remained heavy with the gray hue of late afternoon, indifferent to the growing dread that settled across the city.

A corkboard outside the convenience store fluttered in the wind, the corners of the papers curling with time. Five posters stood side by side, all freshly printed but already weather-worn.

Each one bearing a name… a photograph… and the haunting word: MISSING.

Kwon Soonyoung. Boo Seungkwan. Yoon Jeonghan. Lee Jihoon. Hansol Vernon Chwe.

Smiling faces stared back from the paper, unaware of their fate. Friends, classmates, and family passed by, whispering, placing candles and flowers beneath the board. Authorities gave up weeks ago, claiming it was a case of vanishing with “no traceable digital footprints.”

The gaming café where they were last seen was locked down. Their VR pods? Removed. The system logs? Erased. The game? No longer existed.

But those who knew them best… they remembered. They remembered how they were excited. How they laughed. How they entered the VR game for what should’ve been just another thrill.

Now, their bodies were never found. Only silence remained. And the chilling feeling that is somewhere beneath lines of corrupted code and false realities.

In the shadows of the corrupted game logs, if anyone had the ability to dig deep enough, they would’ve seen the final shift.

Just before Soonyoung’s death, as his sanity was overtaken by the creeping dread and he allowed himself to be consumed, the game system silently made one last change to the character details.

Seungkwan’s profile flickered… and the title “KILLER” vanished from his role. A breath later, it appeared under a new name: Lee Jihoon.

But none of the players were aware of this, not even Jihoon, at the time. Only the system knew. Only the game watched. Yet if we rewind to the beginning, just before the five friends were allowed to meet inside the virtual mansion, there was a brief, strange moment where Seungkwan stood alone, the world still forming around him. A cold robotic voice had asked: 《List the order of your friends, from most to least.》

No context. No reason given. Just the demand. So Seungkwan, confused, complied. He listed:

1. Jeonghan

2. Vernon

3. Soonyoung

4. Seungkwan

5. Jihoon

He didn't know what he had done.

The game simply responded: 《Acknowledged. Prioritization received.》

It was only after Soonyoung’s death that Seungkwan’s killer status quietly lifted. Because the first on the list had been eliminated.

By the time Jihoon woke up, outside the temple, isolated and confused, the weight of the silence was crushing.

He looked at the character details.

And there it was. His name… His role…《KILLER》