—KTH
7:49 AM KST

taehyung had been trying to break the chain off with the saw, but it proved to be futile. it simply wouldn't cut through.

he had probably...one hour left? and if he failed, he was basically left here to rot. that was great. all because, what, he cheated on his girlfriend? banged a stranger? went out with his friends more than he did with his family? taehyung snorted, rolling his eyes at the idiocy of the situation.

"fuck you," taehyung said, but to nobody in general. he leaned his head back against the wall, his right hand still gripping the saw.

he raised the tool so that it was eye-level; he narrowed his eyes, turning the hand-held saw over in his hands, running the tip of his finger against the edge of the blade carefully.

maybe he could cut through his foot to free himself from the chains.

taehyung wrinkled his nose in distaste, setting the saw down before he could do anything stupid. he stood up, cringing from the stiffness of his knees. the bookshelf across from him was within reach, but he wasn't in the mood to solve any riddles (if any were to be found) nor in the mood to read any books. taehyung, out of curiosity, leaning towards the rim of the bathtub. it was...there for a reason, right?

he groaned, rolling his eyes at his stupidity, but was quite baffled.

the key was right there, hanging inside the drain. it seemed as if that sick person had expected taehyung to run the water—probably to drink, lose the key without realizing it, and have taehyung cut his damned foot apart because there was no other choice.

taehyung was careful to pick the key out from the drain with quivering fingers, the tension in his shoulders relieving as he brought the key towards his ankle, fitting it in the lock. this was too easy, wasn't it?

when the shackle opened up, he got up immediately and walked towards the slightly wedged-open door, slipping past the opening and making a beeline for his phone as soon as he saw it—but much to his dismay, there was no signal—of course. all the table had to offer was a small bottled water.

taehyung frowned, checking his only notifications that appeared on the bar.

unknown number :
taehyung...you've succeeded.
congratulations. too bad it's
not over yet—the other door
will open once everyone else
has either escaped or failed
in their allotted time. be
grateful that i'm giving you
a short time to catch up on
your breath. see you soon,
cheater.

unknown number :
8 9 , 13 25 14 1 13 5 9 19
10 9 14 . 9 8 15 16 5 9 19 5 5 
25 15 21 19 15 15 14 .

a/n ;
idk if i should publish
another mystery/angst fic
like this one or a filthy
smutty vkook or yoonmin
after i finish this one oops!!
also would it be wrong if
i added smut to this book omfg
given the situation and all ;;

+ 6.66K reads i'm emo