Yoo-joon exhaled sharply, his hands trembling as he pressed the final vote. His voice was quiet, yet it cut through the silence like a blade.

"Cha Yoo-joon voted for Kim Minji."

Minji's breath hitched, her stomach plummeting. The words on the screen blurred as her vision swam with unshed tears. No... No, this can't be happening.

"I swear, I'm a civilian... please, believe me!" Her voice cracked, raw with desperation, but the doubt in their eyes only deepened.

Jeong-won's fingers flew over the keyboard, her urgency palpable. "Give me time. I'll try to restore the videos!"

Na-hee rushed forward, arms wrapping around Minji in a tight embrace. "Minji... it's okay." But they both knew it wasn't.

Mina and Ye-chan exchanged uneasy glances before finally stepping back, their silence heavier than any accusation.

"Fine," Mina murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "We'll wait until midnight."

But the deadline loomed over Minji like a noose, tightening, suffocating.

—

"FUCK IT!"

Kyung-jun's roar shattered the heavy silence as he slammed his fist into the wall with a sickening thud. His knuckles split, blood smearing against the cold surface, but he didn't care. His entire body trembled with barely restrained rage.

"HOW CAN THEY FUCKING VOTE WITHOUT PROOF?!"

Minji flinched at the outburst but reached for his wrist instinctively, her grip hesitant, trembling. "I don't know... but I kind of understand them." Her voice was small, fragile—so unlike the strong-willed girl he knew. "In a situation like this... even the smallest proof can change everything."

Her words only twisted the knife deeper.

—

The tension was suffocating. The only sound was Jeong-won's frantic typing as the entire group crowded around her, watching the screen like it held their fate.

[Chat] Jeong-won: "I think I can restore the images from the second floor."

Kyung-jun absentmindedly ran his fingers through Minji's hair, a grounding touch in the chaos. She barely noticed, her entire focus locked on the flickering screen.

"I did it!" Jeong-won gasped, her voice breaking with relief. "We just need to check who entered Ji-su's room last night—"

BANG!

A deafening pop split the air before the screen went black. Sparks erupted from the computer, and a sudden explosion sent flames licking toward the ceiling.

"MINJI! STEP BACK!" Kyung-jun's voice cut through the panic as Jun-hee lunged for the fire extinguisher, spraying foam over the growing flames. Smoke curled into the air, thick and suffocating, as everyone scrambled backward.

A heavy silence followed, broken only by Seungbin's furious snarl.

"Fuck you, bitch! Were you trying to burn us alive?!"

Minji staggered back, horror widening her eyes. "It's not me... please, I swear." Her voice cracked, but no one moved to comfort her.

A sharp gasp from Yeon-chan cut through the tension.

"What the fuck is this...?" His hand trembled as he pointed at one of the surviving monitors.

The screen flickered, displaying a dimly lit swimming pool. The water was eerily still—until something

She stood at the edge of the pool, her figure unnaturally pale, almost translucent, as if she weren't entirely part of this world. Her head tilted ever so slightly, long, dark hair cascading over her face, obscuring her features. She didn't move—just stood there, eerily still, watching.

Mina sucked in a sharp breath. "She... she looks like a ghost."

Minji's hands clenched into fists, her pulse hammering against her ribs. "I've seen her before," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the static hum of the screen. "I keep seeing her. But every time I try to get close... she disappears."

A scoff shattered the moment like glass.

"Enough of this bullshit," Seungbin sneered, arms crossed tightly. "Stop trying to change the subject, Minji. You're the mafia, and we all know it."

Minji flinched at the venom in his voice. The weight of suspicion pressed down on her, suffocating.

Jun-hee let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing his temples. "Then let's go check the damn pool ourselves."

—

Their footsteps echoed through the dimly lit pool area, the humid air thick with tension. Shadows stretched unnaturally along the tiled walls, twisting with each flicker of the overhead lights.

They searched.

Every corner. Every reflection. Every shifting ripple in the water.

But the girl was gone.

Nothing remained but their anxious faces staring back at them from the still, undisturbed surface of the pool.

Kyung-jun practically tore the place apart, muttering curses under his breath, his frustration evident with every sharp movement. But no matter how desperately they searched, the answer was the same—whoever, or whatever, they had seen on the screen... was no longer here.

Then—

"YAH!" Jin-ah's sharp voice sliced through the silence. "It's already midnight! Are we voting or not?!"

Kyung-jun straightened up, exhaling slowly as he dusted off his pants. His gaze swept over the group, sharp, calculating.

"What if," he murmured, "we voted differently?"

Minji's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Yoon-seo rolled her eyes, arms still crossed. "We don't have time for your games, Kyung-jun. Either vote or shut up."

Jun-hee pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly losing patience. "Just let him talk."

Kyung-jun's expression was unreadable as he spoke. "Minji has three votes out of thirteen, right? Majority decides who dies. But... what if no one reaches the majority?"

A beat of silence.

Yoo-joon narrowed his eyes. "You're suggesting we split the votes?"

Kyung-jun gave a slow nod. "If we divide the remaining votes, no one reaches the threshold. Minji survives."

Jeong-won adjusted her glasses, the gears turning in her mind. "Wait—you're saying we deliberately scatter the votes so they cancel each other out?"

A flicker of hope ignited in Minji's chest.

Seungbin let out a dry, mocking chuckle, shaking her head. "And who the hell would want to tie with her?"

Kyung-jun's voice was quiet. Steady.

"Vote for me."

Minji's breath caught. Her heart plummeted.

"What the hell are you saying?!" she whispered, her hands trembling.

He didn't waver. Didn't hesitate.

He just looked at her.

"Trust me, Minji."

"Jin Da-bum voted for Go Kyung-jun."
"Kim Jun-hee voted for Go Kyung-jun."
"Im Eun-chan voted for Nam Yeonwoo."

One by one, the votes stacked like the final pieces of an intricate game—every decision carrying the weight of survival or betrayal.

Then, at last—

"The vote is over."

A sharp exhale rippled through the group before Yeon-chan's voice cut through the silence, filled with relief. "It worked!"

Minji barely had time to react before she was pulled into Kyung-jun's arms. His grip was strong, grounding, his hand running comfortingly over her back as if to shield her from the chaos. She clung to him, a desperate anchor in the storm.

But their relief was short-lived.

"Since Kim Minji and Go Kyung-jun received the same number of votes, a second vote will take place between them for the next ten minutes."

The words slammed into her like a freight train.

Minji's breath hitched, her blood running ice-cold.

"What?" Her voice cracked, disbelief clawing at her throat.

The mechanical voice pressed on, indifferent, merciless. "Only those who did not vote for them will vote again. If the result is another tie, both will be eliminated."

Her legs gave out.

She collapsed onto the cold floor, struggling for breath, as red and blue warning lights pulsed through the underground room. It felt like a nightmare—distorted, suffocating, inescapable.

"VOTE FOR HER, DAMN IT!" Seungbin and Jin-ah's voices tore through the chaos like gunfire.

Yeon-woo frantically checked his phone, his fingers shaking. "A minute's already gone—fuck, what do we do?!"

Mina clutched her head, her voice trembling with panic. "Who am I supposed to vote for?! This is insane!"

Then—without hesitation—So-mi made her choice.

"Kim So-mi voted for Kim Minji."

The words barely registered. Minji's mind was drowning in white noise, her vision blurring as the weight of panic consumed her.

Then, amidst the storm of frantic voices, one sound cut through it all.

Calm. Unshaken.

"I'm the mafia."

The world came to a standstill.

Kyung-jun froze, his entire body going rigid. His head snapped toward her, his breath caught in his throat.

"What the hell are you saying?" His voice was hoarse, almost pleading. "You're not."

Minji wiped at her tear-streaked face, forcing out a broken, bitter laugh.

"I was the mafia the whole time... and you all believed me."

Silence.

A deep, gut-wrenching silence that swallowed the room whole.

For a moment, no one moved. No one even breathed.

Then—

"F-Fuck, I knew it!" Jin-ah's voice cracked through the stillness like a whip.

Before Minji could react, Kyung-jun moved. He lunged forward, grabbing her wrist with a crushing grip.

"Minji, are you out of your mind?!" His voice cracked, raw and desperate. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Kim Jun-hee voted for Kim Minji."

"NO—NO!" Kyung-jun's knees buckled beneath him. He turned to the others, his entire body trembling, his voice wrecked with desperation. "Please—please, don't do this! You can't!"

His hands shook as he held onto her like she was slipping away.

"Choi Mina voted for Kim Minji."
"Im Yeon-chan voted for Kim Minji."

One vote after another. Sealing her fate.

Minji exhaled softly. She had expected this outcome. She had accepted it.

Then, with a quiet, almost serene expression, she reached out.

Her fingers curled around Kyung-jun's wrist, gentle but firm. Without a word, she pulled him away, guiding him somewhere else.

The others watched, saying nothing.

They understood.

They let her go.

Kyung-jun swallowed hard, his voice barely above a whisper.

"...Minji?"