Eunbyeol picked up the next card.
Unfolded it slowly.
Her expression didn't change at first.
But her eyes paused.
Just slightly.
She read it aloud.
"Everyone says the council has fifteen members..."
A small murmur.
"...then where is the fifteenth one?"
Silence followed.
Harin frowned. "What does that even-"
Then it clicked.
All council members were seated in the circle.
Fourteen chairs.
Fourteen names on the board.
But everyone always said-
Fifteen.
Eunbyeol didn't look confused.
She looked... amused.
"Interesting question," she said lightly.
Her gaze shifted.
Directly to Jiwon.
"You wrote this."
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
Jiwon didn't deny it.
Eunbyeol leaned back.
"Well then."
She placed the card on the table.
"I'll answer."
The room grew very still.
"There are fifteen members," she said calmly.
"I simply don't play every round."
Harin blinked. "What?"
Eunbyeol's smile deepened.
"A leader doesn't need a point chart to hold power."
Her eyes never left Jiwon.
"I sit outside the scoring system."
A ripple of realization spread.
Sungwon exhaled slowly.
Sora's fingers tightened slightly.
Jinwoo's jaw shifted.
Jiwon didn't move.
She had forced Eunbyeol to admit it publicly.
That she wasn't equal in this circle.
She was above it.
"Does that answer satisfy you?"
Eunbyeol asked softly.
Jiwon held her gaze.
"For now."
The room felt different.
Because this wasn't about points anymore.
It was about structure.
And Jiwon had just made everyone see it.
Eunbyeol wasn't just a participant.
She was the axis.
And now-
Everyone knew.
The room was still adjusting after Eunbyeol's answer.
But Eunbyeol didn't let the silence breathe for long.
She picked up the next card.
Unfolded it.
Her eyes flicked once toward Jiwon before she read it.
"Harin."
Harin straightened immediately.
"What?"
Eunbyeol read clearly:
"Do you believe you deserve your seat in this council... without Eunbyeol's support?"
The air shifted instantly.
Harin's expression stiffened.
Sungwon leaned back slowly.
Sora looked down at the table.
Jinwoo's eyes sharpened.
This wasn't a casual question.
This was a direct strike.
Harin forced a small laugh.
"What kind of question is that?"
Eunbyeol's voice was smooth.
"A truthful one."
Silence.
Harin's jaw tightened.
"If you lie," Eunbyeol reminded calmly, "a point will be deducted."
"And refusal transfers your point."
The board felt closer now.
Heavier.
Harin glanced-just for a second-at Eunbyeol.
That glance was enough.
Everyone saw it.
Jiwon didn't move.
She didn't react.
She simply watched.
Harin swallowed.
"...Yes."
But the word lacked weight.
The silence that followed was louder than the answer.
Eunbyeol's gaze didn't change.
"Truth?" she asked softly.
Harin held her chin higher.
"Yes."
A pause.The point was marked under Harin's name.
But the silence in the room felt... unconvinced.
Jiwon tilted her head slightly.
"That's a pure lie."
The words weren't loud.
But they cut through the room instantly.
Harin's head snapped toward her.
"What?"
Jiwon's expression stayed calm.
"You don't believe that."
A ripple moved across the circle.
Eunbyeol didn't interrupt.
She was watching.
Harin scoffed. "You don't get to decide what I believe."
Jiwon leaned forward slightly.
"You looked at her before answering."
The room shifted.
All eyes flicked-subtly-toward Eunbyeol.
Harin's face flushed.
"I did not."
"You did," Jiwon replied evenly. "You needed confirmation."
"That doesn't mean anything!"
"It means," Jiwon continued calmly, "you're not sure."
The air felt sharp now.
Harin's fingers tightened against the edge of the table.
"You think you're so smart?" she snapped.
"I think," Jiwon said, voice steady, "if your position depends on someone else's approval... then you don't deserve it."
A collective inhale filled the room.
Sungwon watched with open interest.
Sora's expression tightened slightly.
Jinwoo didn't move.
But his eyes were locked on Jiwon now.
Eunbyeol finally spoke.
"Careful," she said softly.
Jiwon turned to her.
"You said lies cost points."
Her gaze didn't waver.
"So detect it."
Silence.
Heavy.
Because now the system was being tested.
Was this game truly about truth?
Or only about control?
Harin looked between them-angry, humiliated, defensive.
Eunbyeol's lips curved slightly.
"This game doesn't allow external accusations," she said smoothly.
"But..."
A pause.
"If the room believes it's a lie... we can vote."
Murmurs spread instantly.
And just like that-
The game became even more dangerous.
The murmurs grew louder.
Eunbyeol raised her hand slightly.
"If the majority believes Harin's answer was a lie..."
Her eyes scanned the circle.
"...her point will be deducted."
Harin's face drained of color.
"You're actually doing this?" she snapped.
"No one is forcing anything," Eunbyeol replied smoothly. "The council decides."
Silence fell again.
"Raise your hand," Eunbyeol said calmly, "if you believe Harin lied."
For a second-
No one moved.
Then-
One hand.
Sungwon.
Lazy. Casual. Almost amused.
Harin stared at him in disbelief.
Then-
Another.
Sora.
Her expression unreadable.
A third.
Then a fourth.
The hesitation began to disappear.
Hands rose slowly around the circle.
One by one.
Not all.
But enough.
Jinwoo hesitated.
Just slightly.
Then-
He raised his hand too.
Harin's breath caught.
Fourteen members.
Eight hands raised.
Majority.
Eunbyeol counted silently.
Then nodded.
"Vote accepted."
She marked the board.
One point deducted from Harin.
The scratch of the marker sounded louder than it should have.
Harin's hands trembled slightly.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered.
But her voice lacked confidence now.
Jiwon didn't smile.
Didn't react.
She simply leaned back in her chair.
Because this wasn't about humiliation.
It was about exposure.
And the room had seen it.
Eunbyeol tapped the marker lightly against the board.
"Well," she said softly, "that was educational."
Her eyes flickered toward Jiwon.
You wanted to test the system.
Now you've changed it.
The air in the circle felt different.
More unstable.
Because now everyone understood something:
If the room could vote against Harin-
It could vote against anyone.