Second Try Idol

I figured I should start with the easiest target among the members. It would simplify the mission a lot if I could get Joo-Han on my side, but unfortunately, he and Yoon-Chan were off-limits. They were both too perceptive, so a single offbeat conversation would make them suspect something was up.

Jin-Sung might be easier to fool, but he was the hardest to catch since he was the most diligent at dodging and escaping. I would have to pass on him. Therefore, I decided to target Goh Yoo-Joon first.

"Special forces, if you happen to see Goh Yoo-Joon while you are around, please let me know immediately. He used to be a relay runner, so he's incredibly fast."

"Okay!"

"Where could that key be? Hmm, where could it be?"

As I chatted casually with the cameraman, I searched every corner of the room I had entered. Finding the members was crucial, but so was diligently searching for the key.

"You seem quite relaxed, Hyun-Woo," the cameraman noted.

I shrugged nonchalantly and hummed a tune as I strolled out of the room.

Maybe the game would have been even more fun without the immediate threat of the special forces chasing me. Imagining the contrast in the final edit of me strolling carefree versus the other members frantic and tense while searching for hints and keys brought a pre-emptive smile to my face.

I'd better head up there too and start picking them off one by one. I took out the smartphone that was given and pulled up Goh Yoo-Joon's contact in the messenger. Pressing the call button, it rang a few times before Goh Yoo-Joon's voice came through.

- Hey, what’s up? Where are you?

"Where are you?"

- I am about to head up to the third floor.

"Have you already searched all of the second floor?"

- Uh... not really? But there are just too many special forces on the second floor.

It seemed he was opting to start from the third floor due to the lower risk of capture at the game's starting point on the second floor.

"Let's search together. I’ve just finished checking the second floor thoroughly, and it’s likely on the third."

- You want to team up?

"Since it’s a team game, we will find the key faster if we work together. What if there’s another ability we can use together like earlier?"

- Um, okay. Come up to the third floor.

"Alright, I’ll meet you there."

I hung up and made my way to the third floor.

"Goh Yoo-Joon is said to be on the third floor. I’ll try to catch him there." I dangled the handcuffs in front of the camera on my wrist, signaling my intentions.

Once I capture Goh Yoo-Joon, I planned to recruit him right away. His easygoing nature made him an ideal recruit, and he was surprisingly sharp when it came to strategizing in games like this. Having him as an ally would be a substantial advantage. ṘÁℕο฿Ё§

"Suh Hyun-Woo!"

As soon as I reached the third floor, someone called out to me. I turned toward the voice to see Goh Yoo-Joon signaling from the doorway of a room near the third-floor staircase.

I pretended to check the surroundings and walked over to where he was hiding. As I entered the room, Goh Yoo-Joon immediately started complaining. "Hey, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you on the second floor for ages."

"I was just on the second floor now. Looks like we just missed each other. But why do you ask?"

"Well, Jin-Sung thought he saw you get caught earlier."

Oh, so Jin-Sung saw that while fleeing?

I casually brushed it off. "I almost got caught, but managed to escape just fine."

"Oh, really? That’s good. Anyway, let’s get out of here. I’ve already found everything there is to find here. I even found a hint~ But I am not showing it to you~" Goh Yoo-Joon hummed a tune as he opened the door to leave.

I followed him out, noting the clear absence of special forces compared to the second floor as he mentioned earlier. "Are there no special forces here at all?"

"There are some, but not as many as on the second floor."

"Ah, I see."

This complicated things. I was not strong enough to overpower Goh Yoo-Joon and drag him to jail on the second floor by force. I had hoped to subtly assist the special forces in catching him if we encountered any. It appeared the production team placed fewer on the third floor, likely to encourage more active exploration by the members.

Since I couldn’t get help from the special forces, I would have to persuade Goh Yoo-Joon to move toward the spot where more special forces were located.

"Alright. Let's keep looking then."

I trailed after Goh Yoo-Joon and made our way into the next room. I scanned the area for any potential hiding spots and clues and quickly positioned myself strategically, even before Goh Yoo-Joon had a chance to settle in.

"I will take a look around here. Why don't you head over to the changing room?" I suggested casually.

"Okay." He agreed and turned toward the changing room while I rummaged through every nook and cranny of the place I had chosen. I looked through the desk drawers and a couple of rickety chairs.

It would be a real breakthrough if I could find just one useful hint. Time was of the essence since we had to round up the team members and locate the keys quickly. My search paid off when I discovered an envelope tucked in the lowest drawer.

[Go to a place where the lights never go out.]

It was definitely a clue. I stared at it, puzzled.

"..."

‘What in the world does that mean?'

I decided to tackle it later. After a brief attempt to decode the message, I quickly gave up and called out to Goh Yoo-Joon. "Hey, I found something. It’s a hint."

"Really? I want to see it too!"

Goh Yoo-Joon appeared from the changing room clutching a card. It could be another clue or some kind of ability that I didn’t know about.

As I laid the clue I found on my lap, I probed, "What’s that you got there? A hint? Or is it an ability?"

"Ability~" He responded with a mischievous grin.

"...Really? You look pretty suspicious," I pressed, squinting at him skeptically.

"For real, for real. Let's share them, shall we?"

"Fine, but you go first. We’re a team, right? We should be transparent with each other if we’re going to find this key. There should be no secrets," I said half-jokingly, half-serious. Though I pretended to be irritated that he was holding back, I didn’t really mind. If he got eliminated, all his clues would be mine anyway.

Seeing that Goh Yoo-Joon wasn’t easily going to reveal his card, I played along and reluctantly showed him my hint first. "I’m not sure if this tells us where the key is, or if it's hinting at another location where more clues lie. But it says to go to a place where the lights never go out."

He peeked at the card in my hand, then looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"What does that mean?"

I didn’t know.

"I think it means…" I bluffed, trying to sound knowledgeable.

"It means…? Oh, you mean~" He played along as he caught on to my act.

"It’s probably telling us to check out the second floor, like our practice room or where the trainees have their monthly sessions," I speculated, hoping he’d buy into my theory.

"Uh... really?" He was obviously reluctant. It was understandable since the special forces team had practically taken over the second floor.

I continued and pieced things together as I spoke. "It says the lights never go out, right? Maybe it's a metaphor, implying that either the trainees or we are practically practicing 24/7."

"Hmm, I had thought of that too," he admitted, finally starting to come around to my interpretation.

"Exactly. And maybe there are so many special forces on the second floor precisely because that's where the key is."

That wasn’t actually what I believed. I thought the real clue suggested the key was on the third floor, and the special forces were on the second floor to encourage us to move up instead of lingering there.

But I kept nodding by going along with Goh Yoo-Joon's deductions and suddenly got up. "So, should we head back down to the second floor then?" I proposed, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"...Ha, guess we should. I’m really not keen on going down there with all those nerves."

"We have to, though. Think about our Rings waiting for their gifts."

I pulled him to his feet and linked arms with him as we made our way down the corridor.

"Let’s start with the trainee practice room. It’s probably the place where the lights stay on the longest. If it feels too risky, we can always duck into our practice room," I suggested, playing it cool.

Our room was considered a safe zone, after all. "And besides, we are both pretty fast runners. Haha, let’s go."

"...You’re suddenly very chatty. Hmmm, that’s suspicious."

Truth be told, I had already scoped out the trainee practice room with Jin-Sung earlier, but my earlier suggestion was merely a ploy to get Goh Yoo-Joon to the second floor.

Then, the moment arrived. Goh Yoo-Joon sneakily peered through the gap in the door at the emergency exit on the second floor to survey the corridor. He turned to me with a visibly anxious face.

"Dang, seriously… There are too many, ugh. Looks like we might get caught, Suh Hyun-Woo."

"..." I quietly watched him for a long while. "Yoo-Joon."

"...Yeah? What’s up?" It was rare for me to call Goh Yoo-Joon by his first name without the formalities. It seemed he instantly noticed the change in the atmosphere. He took a step back. I held up the clue card in my hand, frowning and tilting my head in confusion.

"I honestly don't understand what this clue means."

"What?"

I tightened my arms and crossed them over my chest to prevent Goh Yoo-Joon from getting any further away. "Do you know why I suggested we come down to the second floor?"

"Why are you suddenly so intimidating?" Goh Yoo-Joon paused mid-question, and his face broke out in goosebumps. "Isn't this a team game?"

Clink-

At that moment, my sleeve slid down my arm just in time to reveal the handcuffs as I held the card.

"...Uh." Goh Yoo-Joon became startled and had instinctively lowered the phone he was filming with.

I grabbed his wrist, lifted the phone back up, and flung the emergency exit door wide open. And then I screamed. "Waaaaah!!!"

Every member of the special forces on the second-floor corridor turned their attention our way and rushed toward us.

"Damn it!! Suh Hyun-Woo! What the heck?"

Our team's tallest member panicked and tried to escape. Naturally, I was shaking from the chaos, but I didn't let go of him or the phone. This guy was not only fast, but since he also found an ability in the changing room, I knew he'd definitely escape if I let go.

"Suh Hyun-Woo, what's with you? What's this? Are you a spy?"

"Yes!"

"What, for real?" Goh Yoo-Joon looked at me with betrayal on his face as the special forces closed in and surrounded us. He seemed resigned as he let himself relax.

I released his arm, and the special forces took over and securely bound him.

"Wow, really... I trusted you, though."

"Why would you trust me?" I took the handcuffs from the special forces and locked them onto Goh Yoo-Joon's wrists. And as we pretended to be captured by the special forces and headed to jail, I asked, "Since you got caught, don't you think it's a bit of a shame to end things this way?"

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