The sun was beginning to shine brightly. Jake stared listlessly out of the window.
Today, he was going to school to double-check his friends' data stored there. He was sure there was something to be found.
Krietttt.
Jake walked into the dining room. Jay and Sunoo were already there, waiting for him.
"You took ages in your room. I've already bought some food for us to eat together," said Sunoo.
Jake gave a brief smile in response, then sat down in one of the chairs.
"Oh, did you buy soup and satay? Is this the same satay we had yesterday?" asked Jake.
"Yeah," replied Sunoo.
"You're quite the connoisseur when it comes to satay," commented Jay.
"Well, it's tasty, that's why I keep buying it from there," replied Sunoo.
"Aren't you going to have any of the soup either, No? It's really good," said Jay.
"I'm not really into veg, hehe," replied Sunoo casually.
"Oh," Jay replied briefly.
After that, only the clinking of spoons and forks could be heard, filling the silence until their food was almost finished.
"Jake, do you remember me telling you about my family last night?" asked Sunoo.
"Yeah, why?" replied Jake.
"I haven't told you the whole story yet," said Sunoo softly.
Jake fell silent, confused. Suddenly, he felt a sense of unease.
"The rest of the story is… I'm on my own now. Because my cousin is dead… at the hands of a hitman."
Jake's eyes widened. Instantly, he realised that the person sitting opposite him was Unknown – the mastermind behind all the terror, and the reason his friends had gone missing.
"You!" Jake jumped to his feet and grabbed Sunoo by the collar.
Thud!
Before a fight could break out, Jay suddenly fell off his chair.
Sunoo smiled at Jake. "No need to rush."
"You're—" Jake's sentence trailed off. His head suddenly felt dizzy; the world was spinning.
"Are you okay, Jake?" Sunoo removed Jake's hand from his shirt, then laughed.
"Soup laced with chloroform. A brilliant idea, isn't it?"
*****
Splash.
Jake woke up with a tightness in his chest – water was running up his nose.
"I don't want to wait around," said Sunoo, tossing aside an empty bucket.
"You bastard!" Jake struggled, trying to break free from the ropes tying him to the chair.
"You're a murderer, Jake. If I'm a bad guy, then so are you, right?" said Sunoo, then turned towards Jay.
"Shall I kill him right now?" asked Sunoo as he moved closer, gripping a knife.
"Don't!" shouted Jake.
"Nah, no need. Let him just be a hostage." Sunoo grinned, pressing the knife against Jay's cheek.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!" Jake shouted, trying to wake Jay. But it seemed Sunoo's drug was too potent.
"I'll kill you first," said Sunoo, then slashed the knife across Jake's arm.
"Arghh!" Jake screamed in pain.
"You know, I did this to Heeseung too. He bled to death."
Sena kept slashing with the knife again and again. Jake's body was now covered in blood.
"Stop! Just kill me if you want!" Jake shouted.
Sunoo chuckled. "I won't let you die that easily."
He picked up a flask of boiling water and poured it over Jake's body.
"ARGHHH!!" Jake's scream echoed through the room.
"I also forced Sunghoon to drink cyanide. You're lucky I'm just pouring boiling water on you, not acid," said Sunoo.
Jake could only stare at Sunoo with a glazed look and gasping breaths. His eyes glanced at Jay, who was beginning to come round.
Smack!
Sunoo slapped Jake. "You're in a bit of a hurry, aren't you? Your torture isn't over yet."
He then turned towards Jay. "Now you have to watch your friend suffer."
Sunoo picked up a hammer and approached him.
"You've finally woken up."
"S-Sunoo…" Jay was confused. He felt his body was paralysed and saw Jake, badly injured, in front of him.
"What am I looking at…"
"Surprise!" said Sunoo cheerfully.
"Did you do this?" asked Jay, in disbelief.
"Yeah. I'm Unknown." Sunoo placed the hammer on the table.
"I almost forgot—I'm not allowed to torture you… because you're not part of my group," said Sunoo, glancing towards the door.
"You can come in."
The door opened. Jungwon entered, holding a pistol in his hand.
"Jungwon?" Jay couldn't believe his younger brother was still alive.
"You can take your revenge on your brother now," Sunoo said to Jungwon.
With trembling hands, Jungwon aimed the pistol at Jay… and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet pierced Jay's head. He was dead instantly.
"Well done, Jungwon." Sunoo clapped his hands.
"I'm sorry, big brother…" Jungwon fell to his knees, weeping in front of Jay's body.
"How touching. But unfortunately, I'm not one for drama."
Sunoo took a knife and stabbed Jungwon in the neck.
"That's that, then." He clapped his hands as if he'd just brushed off some dust.
"Now there's just one more pest to deal with out there."
Sunoo picked up his bag and was about to leave. But before he did, he turned to Jake, who was barely conscious.
"Sleep well. See you in hell."
Sunoo left Jake, who would slowly bleed to death.