Day 2

[Day 2, the day has come. Players, please come out and confirm that you’re alive. Good morning, everyone!]

Junsung couldn’t even pretend it was a good morning. He had barely slept. At first, within five minutes, he checked the features and performance of the tablet. The problem started right after that. He couldn’t sleep, and even when he drifted off, his eyes flew open every few minutes. He couldn’t get Reina’s words from Day 1 out of his mind.

Would you prefer to die when you’re asleep, or die when you’re awake, knowing that you would be killed?

The citizens chosen for elimination will be .

This new rule was almost like a curse for the citizens. It was only decided because it would be better to die asleep in bed, but it also meant that the collar could explode at any time at night. Sure enough, the players all looked pale and tired as they got out of their rooms. Their eyes were sunken in, showing that they each hadn’t slept a wink all night. The funny thing was that the oldest player seemed most refreshed and healthy, as if he had had a good night’s sleep.

“The bed is really soft and comfy. How come I never knew about these comfy beds before in my life?”

“……”

[Hey, everyone. It’s daytime, but we’re all going to gather in the conference room to vote later. You are welcome to sleep longer. You all look… like you haven’t had much sleep.]

“… Damn it.”

Reina spoke as though she was doing them all a favor when it was actually all her fault. Sleep or no sleep, there was something they all had to check before anything else. The players looked around to see who had survived the first night. The person eliminated…won’t be able to come out of the room. Junsung broke out in a cold sweat when he realized this. He looked around when bluntly asked the question that was weighing on everyone’s minds. “Anyone not out of their room yet?”

“Well…”

Everyone’s eyes fell on one room door that had stayed closed. It was room. Except him, all the others stood in the hallway or next to the banister. The players moved closer and lingered by door, sneaking looks at one another.

“The doors are all unlocked now, right? Shouldn’t we go in and check?”

“You should go ahead…”

“Come on, someone just go in!”

Usually, Junsung took the lead in such situations, but this time he didn’t dare. He knew he wouldn’t bear to see what awaited them behind the door.

“Damn it, you sissies. Get out of my way!” While everyone else was hesitating, grumbled and stood in front of room. But she didn’t have to turn the doorknob, because the door cracked open from the inside. , dressed in pajamas that didn’t quite suit him, muttered as he walked out. “Ugh, this game ain’t even lettin’ us sleep, eh? Hey, why are you all in front of my room? Eh? What, votin’ time already?”

“…….”

All 12 players were alive. Not one of them had been killed overnight. Everyone seemed to relax when the realization dawned. seemed particularly pleased.

“So the mafia all voted for different people, huh?”

“Yeah! They’re all human, after all!”

The players generally seemed happy seeing the others alive, but some of them had dubious expressions. looked particularly doubtful. He said, “Or maybe the mafia had actually plotted murder, but the doctor succeeded in defending him.”

“Hey! Don’t spoil the mood here!”

“Funny you should say that, given that you’re the one who messed up the Bingo vote.”

Actually… The guy had a point!

As a citizen who had been anxious and restless all night, Junsung couldn’t believe that the mafia had showed mercy. assumption that the doctor had defended the kill sounded more plausible.

came up with a whole new theory. “Eliminated players get killed? That was all a bluff! They’re probably just kicked out of the house or something. The hosts watching us were probably laughing at us all being so scared and nervous on Day 1.”

“You sound like the character who always dies first in a horror movie.”

“Oh, shut up! Hey, Red Ball, whatever happened at night?”

“She’s not answering because you called her Red Ball. Reina! Hey, Reina!”

No response. Everyone was fine, and the host was not responding. let out a big yawn.

“If that’s the case, this is a ridiculous game! I literally couldn’t sleep a wink last night. Can I go back to my room for a nap?”

“Just wait. At least we should listen to what Reina has to say.”

“Maybe she ain’t hearin’ us. She’s in the conference room. Wait, I gonna go ask.” headed downstairs, while Junsung quietly observed how sleepy looked.

Then maybe the ones that do not look so drowsy are the mafia! It may have been true, but there was no way to tell. looked particularly sleepy, and looked like he had a good night’s sleep. All the others looked reasonably drowsy, given that it was still early in the morning. Looking dazed, said, “I’m going to take a nap on the couch downstairs. Wake me up if something comes up.”

“Wait a minute, !”

“Huh?”

held up his hand and called for everyone’s attention, and then started clapping. “Well, the mafia didn’t pick anybody at night! Let’s give them a big hand for valuing life instead of pursuing their selfish interests!”

“Yeah, that’s right!”

“Very nice, kids.”

and began applauding in agreement. Junsung, a little skeptical, joined in anyway. Some of the players seemed determined not to believe this theory. , , and had their own opinions.

“The chances of the doctor successfully defending us is 1/9, excluding the mafia,” said . “As the doctor doesn’t know who the mafia are, the chances are actually 1/12. So compared to that, there’s a greater chance that the mafia actually showed mercy.”

“Come on, no one’s gonna die. You believe that someone would actually get killed in this game?” retorted.

“Maybe they all voted for different people without the intention to show mercy,” suggested.

In the meantime, some players didn’t seem to care about this argument. and were squabbling over who would get to use the shower first.

“You kids take forever to shower. Let me go first,” said .

“Fuck the nonsense,” retorted.

“What? You foul-mouthed little…!”

What a complete disaster. Junsung looked around for , who was around the same age as him. Just then, they heard an extremely shrill and loud sound.

Beep-------------------.

It was like the piercing beep from a heart rate monitor when one’s heart stops.

“Wh- what the hell is this noise!?”

“Downstairs! It’s coming from downstairs!” pointed toward the living room and raced down the stairs, while others hovered for a moment, stunned, before they rushed after him.

, who had talked about taking a nap, was on the couch, his body jerking all over, and making gagging sounds.

“Hey, hey!”

He seemed like he wanted to scream but couldn’t. His limbs wriggled as his entire body was paralyzed, which was the most frightening and terrifying thing Junsung had ever seen in his life. It was enough to give him the biggest shock possible, both physically and emotionally. The way a human quickly nears the end of his life…

“Out of my way! Hey, !” rushed to side and grabbed him as he continued to make gagging sounds. Just then, stopped moving, and his arms went limp. attempted CPR, but it was useless. “He… he’s dead…!!”

A hush fell over the players. clasped a hand over her mouth and backed away, before dropping down to the floor. Everyone who had been relieved was now completely astounded. The sound from collar stopped, but the red light kept blinking freakishly. It clearly indicated that he had been eliminated. When everyone was still holding their breath, Reina finally broke the silence, and her voice sounded out of the speaker again.

[Good morning, everyone. My sincere apologies for making you see this awful sight in the morning. I know I said that the citizens chosen for elimination overnight will be . However, unfortunately, , whom the mafia had chosen to attack on Day 1 did not sleep all night. Now that he finally fell asleep, I could operate the collar as per the rule. My apologies for not expecting this beforehand and causing you this inconvenience.]