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Laid on a bed of green grass, Jiwoo smiled at the feeling of the sun reflecting down on her as she turned her page in her book. The skies were blue and the sun was out. A soft wind blew in her hair and it was finally summer dress season, the girl was beyond happy. It was times like this she understood, the sublime, to her this is what epitomised the word.

Feeling a figure lay beside her, she turned her head and dropped her book to rest on her chest as she smiled at the person. Light chatter passed between the two and she found herself forgetting about any deadlines or missed assignments, all she could think about was them together in nice weather, doing nothing but enjoying the sun.

When his brows furrowed, she found herself mirroring his actions before bursting into a round of laughter at the seriousness of her own expression. For a second his lips upturned at the sound but he turned serious once again, wondering how this girl managed to make him lose control of his own functions.

"How come our moments are reserved to secrecy?" Kyungjun had suddenly asked her and her laughter ceased.

Jiwoo frowned sadly, wishing it was any other way. "It's a selfish reason really. I like being around you, you make me feel seen and special. But, when I leave these moments I'm met with the reality. You're a bad person, Kyungjun, it does not matter how nice you are to me, you treat others horrendously and I don't think I can stand by and watch you do that. I know its wrong to want to be around you, even after everything I know..."

The girl trailed off, her gaze lingering on him, only now noticing their closeness. "I'm a hypocrite, I hate everything you do and yet I can not help but want to be around you. These moments make me forget about everything, I selfishly desire that escape." Jiwoo explained and Kyungjun found himself trapped in her stare.

It was odd, they were both selfishly desiring one another, knowing full well they could never fully have one another, not unless one of them changed and that was unlikely. So, instead, they remained in their blissful ignorance and allowed themselves to believe that this could last forever.

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Waking up, Jiwoo groaned, a sudden pain in her back blossoming from the slightest movement, perhaps she had slept oddly. Memories of the night prior came back to her and she shivered as she remembered that she still wore the blood of her classmate. It made her uncomfortable, overcome with the urge to just rip her skin off.

Moving herself to her feet, she glanced at her brother, who had been looking at her with an expression of concern. Jiwoo hated pity, hated giving pity, hated receiving pity.

Breaking their eye contact, she looked around the room, noticing they had thrown themselves into an office in their haste to hide.

She heard her friends and brother asking if she was okay but she merely waved them off as she glanced at the shelves on the wall, finding her attention caught on the mirror beside it. Seeing a visual of his blood on her face made her want to vomit and she froze, digging her nails into her palm.

Just as if her life was not already hitting rock bottom, the siren sounded and Jiwoo braced herself for the announcement.

"Before the last vote closed, Police used their skill."

Jiwoo felt her eyes turn to her brother's before she looked back at the mirror, hoping that Yoonseo and Jungwon had not seen their exchange.

"During the night, Park Jisoo was executed by Mafia. Park Jisoo was a Citizen. All participants identify the Mafia and begin to vote."

Not even allowing an explanation, Jiwoo was at the door and out into the hallway, desperately searching for a bathroom to wash her face. Behind her, she heard Junhee but eventually his voice was barely discernible and she was glad she was momentarily alone for this.

Pushing open the bathroom door, Jiwoo headed towards the sinks and turned them on. Making a cup with her hands, she splashed the water on her face and scrubbed harshly. Tears of frustration ran down her cheeks and she barely noticed them as she attempted to get rid of every drop of blood.

When she finally erased any sign of his blood, she turned the tap off and just stared at the crimson coloured liquid that rest in the bottom of the sink.

Swallowing harshly, she felt herself overwhelmed, raising her fist and punching the mirror above. It shattered and a slight sting ran through her knuckles but she paid it no mind.

Pulling the shard of glass that had embedded itself into her knuckle, she dropped it into the sink and spun her body around. Unable to support her weight any longer, Jiwoo stumbled to the floor, her back hitting the sink behind her. Frustrated and angry tears flowed freely, dropping onto her shirt as she dug her nails into her thighs.

Jiwoo was sick of the deaths, sick of the choices, just sick of life in general.

Why this was happening to them she did not know she prayed that it all came to a stop soon, unsure how long she could keep going like this.

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Now calmed down, Jiwoo wandered into the room and ignored the questioning glances her brother sent her way. Instead she leaned against the wall nearby, crossing her arms over her chest as she cast an annoyed glance in Kyungjun's direction. The boy had requested everyone to meet up for an unknown reason and they were all silent, awaiting his explanation.

Seeing him just made Jiwoo more and more confused. Everytime they got somewhere, when she begun to believe he was an actual human, he did something to send them three steps backwards. Him torturing Wooram confirmed the type of person he was and it made her feel disgusted whenever she looked at him.

But, she could not wash away whatever it was that, deep down, remained. It was unfamiliar and even more confusing that anything she had come across, but she found herself comforted by the feeling.

Once everyone was in the room, Kyungjun rose from where he had been perched on a broken car. "Park Wooram was Mafia," he recited amusedly, "see? What did I tell you?"

Clapping sounded as Seungbin grinned at his friend, applauding his statement. The others shot him irritated looks at his enthusiasm.

A scoff left the lips of the girl who leaned on the wall. "If you really brought us here so you can gloat then I'm leaving." Jiwoo announced, pushing her body off the wall.

"Ko Kyungjun has a great hunch," Seungbin continued from his friend's statement, "what's the Police doing? Learn from him."

Jiwoo restrained the urge to walk over to the boy and gouge out his eyes, he did not understand the immense pressure put on them because of their roles. If they helped indiscreetly, they risked putting themselves at risk, what use would they be if the Mafia killed them in the night?

Kyungjun glanced around at the students, his gaze lingering on the girl at the back of the group for a few seconds. "If you want to catch the Mafia, do as I say."

Stepping towards his friend, Jinha caught his eyes. "What do we do?

"You'll take turns saying who you think is Mafia, and I'll pick for you." Kyungjun explained his idea and various scoffs passed from the group of students.

Taking a step towards the group, Jiwoo moved to stand at her brother's side. "Are you a prophet now, do you suddenly just know everyone's roles?" Jiwoo called out, rolling her eyes at his announcement. "Who are you to decide for everyone, anyway?"

"Yes, who do you think you are?" Somi added onto the girl's question, glaring at the boy who stood before them.

Running a hand through his hair, Kyungjun sighed. "Didn't you see Wooram try to kill me last night?" His eyes moved along the students, landing on Jiwoo's as he almost dared her to retort. "Who other than me is definitely Citizen?" Nobody spoke and so he continued. "I think Mafia's among the people who voted for me yesterday."

At his words, Jiwoo scowled, seeing where this was going. Was he really going to attempt to pin the blame on her brother again? What was his relentless desire to prove that Junhee was not a Citizen, despite how much effort he continually put into ensuring everyone made it out of these games alive?

Somebody behind her voiced their protest to Kyungjun's sudden announcement as they tried to defend themselves. To that, the boy merely retorted, "you sided with Wooram and tried to kill me. What clearer evidence is there?"

"That's not evidence, you're just making yourself very unlikeable. Wooram trying to kill you is not at fault of anyone here. Although, believe me, we have all had the urge." Jiwoo mumbled, sending a sarcastic smile his way as his eyes narrowed on her.

Nudging his sister to stop talking, Junhee sighed. "We really did not know, don't judge based on last night."

Diverting his attention to the other Kim sibling, Kyungjun tilted his head. "Then what should I judge you on? You're the only people who voted for me." He exclaimed harshly, failing to hide his irritation.

Before Jiwoo could open her mouth, Jungwon spoke up. "Is that it?" She quizzed as the attention shifted in her direction. "Your logic is crap."

Feeling an argument approaching, Somi diverted her attention away from the night before and onto the current Mafia killing — Jisoo. She tried to defend them from her murder, questioning why they would kill someone that they were all friends with, claiming they had no reason to.

At that, Kyungjun had a response prepared. "Who cares how close you are when you could die?" He commented, his words making his own friends send him an apprehensive glance.

He was right though, not many people would spare their life to save someone else's, it was inherent in humans to desire their own salvation. It was selfish but it made Jiwoo wonder if when it comes down to it, would she kill her friends to save her own life? She was certain that she would not, she would never go to such extreme lengths to prolong her life, but a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she would never know unless she was in that situation.

Conversation begun again about the different roles, students wondering why the Doctor had not used their skill last night but the Police had. The mention made Jiwoo grimace as she recalled wasting her skill on Kyungjun, and for what? What did she need to prove by seeing if he was lying or not?

Suspicions turned to Yujun and Jiwoo frowned, unsure if she could see the boy ever killing his girlfriend, as far as she knew they were perfectly in love. However, before their theories could go anywhere, Kyungjun was announcing that he would choose someone to vote for.

Raising his hand, he pointed in the Kim siblings direction and a scowl formed on Jiwoo's face as she glared at him. "Kim Junhee is Mafia." Kyungjun announced, his lips upturning. "You can tell when he got the axe and went all crazy to save Wooram."

Jiwoo took a step towards the boy, her hands pressed against his shoulders as she pushed him backwards. "Shut the fuck up, Kyungjun, we both know he is not the Mafia, so stop accusing him just to be petty." She exclaimed, pushing him again as she spoke.

"Besides, Junhee did that to save Wooram, thinking he was a Citizen." Somi chimed in, backing up Jiwoo's prior statement. "We were all betrayed by someone we trusted. He really got us good, we're victims too."

Nodding to what she had said, Nahee added onto the conversation. "Yes, I don't think we should vote for Junhee just because of that."

"Then shall I pick one of you?" Kyungjun shot back, daring the others to speak.

An irritated groan left Jiwoo's lips as she threw her head back. "Or you could just stop being a dickhead and wait for some actual evidence to turn up, rather than just picking at random because you dislike the person." She retorted, sending him a fake smile once she finished speaking.

"Don't you know about presuming innocence?" Yoonseo continued from Jiwoo's comment, glaring at the boy before her.  "Don't insist when you don't have proof. We're not voting for whom you dislike most. This is just like a witch hunt."

Taking a step forwards, Kyungjun narrowed his eyes at the two girls, not expecting anyone to speak against his seemingly foolproof plan. "My hunch is proof, for fucks sake."

A laugh left Jiwoo's lips as she took a step towards the boy, the two mere centimeteres away from one another. "Unless you're a prophet and can see into the future, your hunch means nothing to us." She told him, her voice low as she watched him clench his jaw.

Raising his hand, he motioned towards her brother. "Is there proof he's not Mafia? There isn't."

"We just listed several, what do you mean there isn't?" Jiwoo scoffed, throwing her hands in the air in annoyance.

From her side, Yoonseo furrowed her brows, as if recalling something. "Proof?" She called out slowly, capturing their attention. "There's proof, there's a surveillance room in the basement, I'm sure everything was filmed."

Silence surrounded the group of students as they glanced at one another at this sudden piece of new information. Kyungjun dropped his eyes to the girl mere inches from him and frowned, watching as she looked at Yoonseo. When she finally turned around to look at him, their eyes met and for a moment she forgot about their prior argument, why she was annoyed with him and every little flaw he held.

It was just them against the harsh reality that awaited them.

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