Chapter 85: Debut (8)

Chapter 85: Debut (8)

The “Instant Response” game was simple. We just needed to answer Director Han Bu-Joon's questions within a one-second window. Any sign of hesitation or fumbling with words would count as an unsuccessful attempt, and a team that successfully answered everything honestly would be rewarded with the coveted revival ticket.

‘This final game seems a bit too easy,' I mused, but surprisingly, it was challenging for everyone involved.

- Whom in Chronos do you have a grievance against?

“...Ah! Uh...! Oh, no, nobody!" answered Jin-Sung.

- Failed!

“Looks like there's someone in your mind, eh?" I asked.

“No, no, there's no one!" Jin-Sung frantically denied it, shaking his hands in protest.

We also faced tricky questions like “Would you lend a million dollars to a member?” or “Do you have anything to complain about the company?”

Fortunately, since many of us kept failing, my team had several chances to answer the questions before we reached our destination.

“Next is Yoo Il-Seok's team. Yoo Il-Seok, would you let your wife become a guest star in Flying Man?"

“No!"

“Woo-Seok, honestly, do you prefer Camping Man (another program on a different channel) over Flying Man?"

“Nah, Flying Man is definitely better."

- Yoo-Joon, are you annoyed with your roommate?

“Yes!"

"What?" I asked.

- Hyun-Woo, what's the most beautiful thing in the world?

What a sudden question!

“...Me!"

- Failed! Hyun-Woo, you hesitated there.

“Come on, be lenient, Bu-Joon!"

- No leniency here.

“Really, Bu-Joon? Anyway, Yoo-Joon, what's the issue with your roommate? Who is it?

Goh Yoo-Joon pointed at me. “This guy right here."

“Me."

“Wait, you guys have been friends for ages, and you still have issues?"

“Oh, definitely," Yoo-Joon replied.

I then glared at Goh Yoo-Joon and retorted, “I've got a fair bit to complain about him too." Our bickering was like a trivial high school spat, so the cast members couldn't help but laugh at our antics.

“Yoo-Joon, what are your gripes?"

“I always have to wake him up in the morning because he stays up too late. If he knows he'll oversleep, he should go to bed earlier, right? He stays up so late that it keeps me up too."

“What's keeping you up, Hyun-Woo?"

“Just listening to music, reading fan comments and stuff. Why do you have to exaggerate? Whenever I stay up, I even go to the living room to not disturb you."

Dada took my side. “Come on, going to the living room makes sense. Yoo-Joon's exaggerating!"

“No...!" Goh Yoo-Joon chuckled awkwardly at the accusation.

“So, Hyun-Woo, what bothers you about Yoo-Joon?"

“He is always gaming on the laptop meant for monitoring.” As I said this, the rest of the members nodded in agreement, exclaiming their understanding.

“He is always hogging the laptop with water balloon games. I have to wait forever to use it." As Jin-Sung enthusiastically explained Goh Yoo-Joon's habit to the cast, Joo-Han hyung added a twist, “But Hyun-Woo, aren't you part of that too?"

“Me?"

Joo-Han's revelation made Yoo Il-Seok giggle. “Attention everyone, another whistleblower has emerged! The continuing saga of the Chronos laptop! Joo-Han, your turn to speak!"

“What's up, Hyung? Why did you call me over?"

“Let's stick together for a bit. It's early in the game, and it'd be a bummer to get eliminated too soon." His suggestion sounded reasonable. Sticking together felt safer than venturing alone.

“Hyung, no one's been eliminated yet, so let's not be too aggressive in our movements. Let's quietly target any lone players we come across until the crowd thins out a bit."

“That’s exactly what I think."

We planned to wait for the more energetic and aggressive players—like Jin-Sung and Goh Yoo-Joon—to make moves and then join the fray more actively in the later stages. Hence, Ji-Hyuk and I moved to an upper floor for a better vantage point.

“It'd be great if someone took out Senior Jang Seok and Senior Goh Seong-Cheol."

“Everyone's probably thinking the same thing. Charging at them too soon would be a fast track to elimination."

“How many revival tickets do they have?" I wondered while subtly glancing at Ji-Hyuk's item, a watch adorned with the Flying Man logo. It might be worth making a move to snatch it when the time was right.

“Hyun-Woo, look there! It's Senior Ye-Hee."

“Where is she? What's her item?"

“It looks like a hat. Should be easy to grab."

I held Ji-Hyuk back gently and said, “Just stay here, Hyung. I'll dash over and snatch the hat."

“You sure? I'm grateful then. I'll keep watch."

I left the room and scanned the area before racing toward Lee Ye-Hee.

“Wh-what's happening!? Hyun-Woo? Why are you here?!"

Taken aback, Lee Ye-Hee darted off in the opposite direction. However, I was quicker, thanks to my sprinting skills honed in high school, and I effortlessly snatched her hat as I passed by.

- Ye-Hee eliminated! Ye-Hee is out!

“What the... Hyun-Woo! You are targeting me first?”

As soon as Ye-Hee was announced out, I quickly went back to her side, fixing her tousled hair with a hint of remorse.

“Senior, I am so sorry. I really am.”

“Fine, Hyun-Woo. I will see you in five minutes. Just wait. I will get you back!”

Hearing this, I bowed at a ninety-degree angle as I felt guilty. “I am so sorry!”

After that, Lee Ye-Hee disappeared into the maze of corridors, accompanied by the muscular staff.

I exhaled sharply, feeling the adrenaline. “This is so intense. My heart's racing!"

This game of tag was like no other. Back at Ji-Hyuk's hiding spot, I tried to steady my pounding heart.

“Nice move, Hyun-Woo!"

“Hyung, this is really intense. Eliminating someone feels so surreal."

“You handled that pretty smoothly. Any sign of High Tension or Chronos members around?" asked Ji-Hyuk while peeking cautiously outside the room, showing a preference for a safer approach by staying put in the room. It became clear to me that he wasn't one to actively seek out more screen time.

Keeping a close eye on him, I sensed his complete trust in me and asked, “Can you see anyone?"

“Nope. But I think I can hear Dada's voice from that direction."

Edging closer to Ji-Hyuk under the guise of listening out for Dada, I subtly reached for his wristwatch.

“...Hyun-Woo?"

Ji-Hyuk turned slowly, sensing something amiss.

“Hyung, I'm sorry, really."

After all, he had plenty of revival tickets, so I swiftly removed the watch from his wrist without a second thought.

“Ah, Hyun-Woo... I feel so betrayed right now."

“I'm sorry, Hyung. I will see you again soon."

- Ji-Hyuk eliminated! Ji-Hyuk is out!"

Dripping with a sense of betrayal and disbelief, Ji-Hyuk was then taken away by the robust men. And so began the saga of Suh Hyun-Woo's cunning gameplay.