Eunbyeol leaned back in her chair.
"Let's play a game."
"It's not a question," she added smoothly. "I'm telling you."
Jiwon looked back at Eunbyeol.
"...Okay."
A small pause.
"What's the game?"The room grew still.
Eunbyeol's smile deepened.
Eunbyeol folded her hands on the table.
"It's simple," she said smoothly. "A Truth Game."
Murmurs spread across the circle.
Jiwon didn't react.
Eunbyeol continued.
"Everyone here will write one question."
She gestured to the blank cards placed in the center of the table.
"Personal. Honest. Dangerous."
A small smile curved her lips.
"No lies allowed."
Jiwon crossed her arms slightly.
"And how do you plan to prove what's true?"
Eunbyeol's eyes flickered.
"Oh, I don't need to."
A pause.
"Your face will."
The room felt tighter.
"Each round," Eunbyeol explained, "a question will be picked randomly.
The person whose name is written on it must answer."
Jiwon's expression remained steady.
"So this is just public interrogation?"
Eunbyeol leaned forward slightly.
"Call it honesty."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Or are you afraid your truth won't sound as clean as your image?"
The room shifted subtly toward Jiwon.
Waiting.
Watching.
From the side-
Jinwoo stood motionless.
He didn't defend her.
He didn't look at her.
That hurt more than the game.
Jiwon stepped forward and picked up one of the blank cards.
"Fine."
She grabbed a pen.
"If we're playing truth..."
Her eyes locked with Eunbyeol's.
"Let's make it interesting."
She wrote something.
Folded the card.
Placed it in the pile.
Eunbyeol smiled.
That's what she wanted.
Confidence.
Because confidence makes people reckless.
Eunbyeol raised her hand slightly.
"There's more."
The murmuring stopped.
"This isn't just about answering."
She gestured toward a large board placed near the wall.
A chart.
Names written in neat columns.
Every council member's name.
And-
Jiwon's.
Jiwon's eyes narrowed slightly.
Eunbyeol continued calmly.
"Each truthful answer earns one point."
"If you lie..."
She paused deliberately.
"Points will be deducted."
A ripple of tension spread across the room.
"And if someone refuses to answer?"
Her smile turned sharp.
"Their point will be added to someone else's chart."
The students exchanged looks.
"So choose carefully who you protect," Eunbyeol added.
"And if someone stays silent for too long?"
Silence filled the room.
"The game ends."
A pause.
"And the person with the lowest score..."
She let the words sink in.
"Leaves the school."
The weight of it crushed the air.
This wasn't entertainment.
It was execution.
Jiwon looked around slowly.
All council members were seated in the circle.
Watching.
Waiting.
Wanting this.
They didn't just want to play.
They wanted to break her.
Eunbyeol's eyes locked onto Jiwon again.
"All council members are participating."
Her voice softened slightly.
"And since they all want to play with you..."
A faint tilt of her head.
"You will participate too."
No escape.
No allies.
Only survival.
Jinwoo stood near the wall, fists clenched.
He hadn't spoken yet.
Jiwon looked at him.
For half a second.
He didn't move.
She looked back at Eunbyeol.
"...Fine."
One word.
Steady.
If they wanted truth-
She would give them truth.The chairs were filled.
Fourteen council members.
And one outsider.
Jiwon.
For a moment, Jinwoo remained standing near the wall.
Eunbyeol glanced at him.
"Aren't you participating?"
The room shifted slightly.
Of course he was.
He was a council member.
Jinwoo walked forward slowly and took an empty chair in the circle.
Not beside Jiwon.
But not far either.
The distance between them was careful.
Controlled.
Fourteen council members.
And Jiwon.
Fifteen players.
One circle.
One board.
One elimination.
Eunbyeol stood.
"Since everyone is here..."
She looked at the pile of folded question cards in the center of the table.
"Let's begin."
Her fingers hovered over the stack.
"Remember," she said calmly, "truth earns you survival."
Her gaze briefly flickered to Jiwon.
"And silence ends everything."
The air felt thinner.
Jiwon sat straight.
Unmoving.
Unblinking.
This was no longer about popularity.
Or pride.
This was survival.
Eunbyeol picked up the first card.
Unfolded it slowly.
Her eyes scanned the words.
And for a split second-
Something interesting flickered across her face.
She looked up.
"This question..."
A faint smile.
"Is for Jinwoo."
The room froze.
Jiwon's fingers tightened slightly against the edge of her chair.
Jinwoo didn't move.
"Jinwoo," Eunbyeol said smoothly.
"Do you trust Jiwon?"
Silence.
Complete.
Total.
Because this question wasn't just about trust.
It was about yesterday.
About Sungwon.
About doubt.
About pride.
Fourteen council members watched.
Jiwon didn't look at him.
She couldn't.
.
Now the truth game begins.