Chapter 128 - Investigation
Fourteen hours ago, Ryu Min discovered a familiar name on the murder list.
"Joo Sung-taek? Did this guy also join Pseva?"
Although the age and name match, the nickname is a bit different.
"'Dungsters' as a nickname? Originally, it should be 'shitheads.'"
Given the rank and different information on the list, it seems he joined by manipulating the information a bit.
"So that's why Joo Sung-taek wasn't in a leadership position."
Joo Sung-taek is a skilled player ranking 2nd and 3rd in the zone.
If he were in a leadership position, they probably would have encountered each other earlier, but by manipulating the information, they didn't cross paths until now.
"Looking at the registration date, it seems he joined quickly, but... did he join just to not participate?"
Upon checking the cafe, there are no posts or comments made by him.
It seems he just passed the murder interview and then stayed silent.
"Although this guy should die, he might still be useful..."
He decided to spare him for now.
Although, in the end, his life is as good as everyone else's.
It has just been extended for a longer period.
"Huh?"
Upon reviewing the list again, he saw a nickname that seemed familiar somewhere.
"Name: Hong Seon-ah. Nickname: Cheek Bbang Jjjinbbang. Age: 22. Profession: Actress."
Suddenly, he remembered Seo Arin.
They are the same age and profession.
If they had worked in the same play, they probably knew each other.
"Should I look her up?"
Searching "Hong Seon-ah" on the internet, several articles appeared.
["Hong Seon-ah, surviving actress from round 8, her rainbow charm!"]
["Hong Seon-ah, Seo Arin, Gu Yeon-seung, Jang Bok-chul, and other popular artist players, still alive in this round..."]
["Actress Hong Seon-ah signs advertising contract with a major agency! She has reasons to keep living!"]
["Hong Seon-ah confirmed for the variety show 'Players'! Her role is expected..."]
Apparently, she is a celebrity who has survived so far, along with Seo Arin, among the twenty-year-old actresses.
"Cheat in murders and shamelessly continue acting in the entertainment industry... she's a woman without conscience."
Anyway, the information that she assisted in the murders is only known to the leaders.
If the leaders remain silent, it won't leak to society.
And Pseva won't report it either.
There's no difference between telling the truth and spitting from the bed.
"Surely she acts so openly because she knows we know the truth."
Frowning, Ryu Min decided to search Hong Seon-ah's Instagram profile for more information.
There were various photos, including one with Seo Arin.
"They seem quite close just from the photos."
In addition to the two smiling women, there were many other photos.
Mainly selfies of Hong Seon-ah being cute.
And there were also photos with friends.
Among them, Ryu Min looked closely at one photo.
It was a recent photo taken in front of a club with male actors, and below was a message.
["At the club I frequent, a photo with close actor colleagues. From the left, the younger Joo Ji-seung, Mr. Gu Yeon-seung, Mr. Jang Bok-chul, the younger Kang Soo-hyun... Today, we had a lot of fun again!"]
"Colleague actors?"
Names that sounded familiar.
Just in case, he reviewed the murder list once again, comparing the names of the actors.
"Ah..."
Each one of them, without exception, was a player who joined Pseva.
"Talking among themselves, are they all Pseva members?"
They committed murders, violations, and covered up crimes, shamelessly living as if they were human beings.
All this, under the name of celebrities and receiving the spotlight's attention.
Ryu Min, unable to contain his confusion, checked the Instagram accounts of each actor.
They really were close; there were many photos of them taken together.
"Are they close actors and also Pseva members? Is there something suspicious?"
What if all the killers gathered? Were they conspiring to commit another crime?
Investigating this idea, Ryu Min discovered a common pattern.
"There are many photos taken in the same club."
While looking at the photos taken in the same club, Ryu Min put on a coat.
Definitely, something smelled fishy.
If he went to the club, maybe he would find out more.
"Hyung, where are you going?"
"I'll just go out for a moment."
"At this hour?"
Nodding, he closed the door behind his younger brother.
"Go to sleep first. It might take a while."
-----------------
Vroom-
The club wasn't far from his current location.
After driving for 20 minutes with his Lamborghini, he arrived.
Since it was past midnight, it was a good time to go to the club.
"I'm not going to have fun, but to investigate."
He parked his car in the public parking lot and walked a bit down the street.
"It's here."
Ryu Min, finding the club he had seen on Instagram, was immediately disappointed.
He hoped there would be a doorman in security clothing, as seen in the movies, but there was nothing.
Not only that, but the club door was also locked.
"What's going on? Don't they open the club at this hour, almost like a peak time?"
Definitely suspicious.
He looked around the building and found a back door, which was also locked.
"I can sense that there are people inside, even though it's closed."
The doors were closed both at the front and back, but were there people inside within 30 meters?
"Suspicious, very suspicious."
If there were a window, he would break it and get in, but the club was in the basement.
How was he going to get in?
"Should I think deeply about this?"
Thunk-
He simply forced the door open.
Then, using invisibility, he stealthily entered.
He wore boots with ghost steps, so he made no noise while walking.
"...".
The club was silent, as if it weren't operational.
"But there are people inside."
Ryu Min, using his detection ability, headed towards the person he sensed.
"Eh?"
The guy, looking in this direction, seemed to have a detection ability.
Ryu Min quickly moved out of the 30-meter range.
"Weird. Did I make a mistake?"
When he saw no one and felt no one, a man with a mocking expression walked back.
"That guy is Joo Ji-seung, an actor."
After confirming his face, Ryu Min seemed uneasy.
"This is a problem. With all these detection abilities, I can't approach properly."
Suddenly, he realized that invisibility wasn't such a good ability.
"Until I get the Rune of Good Fortune in Round 9, there's not much I can do."
Fortunately, when he reaches Round 9, he will get the Rune of Good Fortune.
Until then, he had no choice but to be cautious and continue following Joo Ji-seung carefully.
As he walked, keeping a distance of 31 meters to avoid being detected by the detection ability, Joo Ji-seung soon encountered three people coming out of a room.
He recognized the faces instantly.
"Were Gu Yeon-seung, Jang Bok-chul, and Kang Soo-hyun among them?"
Despite the silence, Ryu Min could hear the conversation of the four men even though he was 30 meters away.
"Hey, where are you going, sir?"
"I'm going to buy alcohol. And also marijuana."
"Did you smoke it all already?"
"Yes. I told them I would bring it, but they couldn't wait and followed me."
Gu Yeon-seung's brothers responded to his comment.
"Hey, we can't stay still when our older brother is moving."
"Hehe, it's not that we want to smoke it quickly, so we followed you."
Their nervous laughter was a clear indication of their addiction to marijuana.
"You can barely control your body, what are you talking about? Stay here and rest. I'll bring the alcohol and marijuana."
"Mmm, in that case, can we ask you a favor?"
"Of course. Come in and sing a song. I'll take care of everything."
"Well, thanks. Brother!"
When Jang Bok-chul respectfully bowed, Gu Yeon-seung smiled disdainfully.
"By greeting me like that, you really look like a delinquent."
"My appearance may look like a delinquent. Hehe."
"Major (Elder) Gu, even if you see Jang Bok-chul like that, he's incredibly pure. He hasn't had any experience yet, he laughed, hehe, hehe."
"Oh, really? Is it surprising that someone like me has a bandit-like appearance?"
"Hehe, you don't bother me, both older and younger ones."
Jang Bok-chul blushed and touched his embarrassed neck.
"Anyway, lately, it seems you've been calling Seo Arin a lot, mentioning her name even in front of Seo Arin's ears. Is there a reason for your obsession?"
When Gu Yeon-seung's mouth mentioned Seo Arin's name, Ryu Min's gaze changed.
"Brother, but can I really see Seo Arin tomorrow?"
"Oh, yes. Se-ah called me. We agreed to meet at a café for lunch."
"T-then, am I free to pursue her tomorrow?"
"Of course. I can't deny anything to my Yeon-chul who got his ideal. I'll let you play first."
"Thank you, brother! Thank you so much!"
Jang Bok-chul bowed repeatedly.
"In return, will it be our turn next time?"
"Oh, of course. After I'm done, play as much as you want, brother."
"Aren't you basically saying that I should go first to the end?"
"Hahaha."
Jang Bok-chul seemed genuinely happy.
"By the way, every time I call you brother, I feel like I'm turning you into a thug. Just call me sir."
"But 'brother' sounds better than 'sir.' Hehe."
"Although when others see us, they might think it's strange. You should call me sir in front of others."
"Oh, you're being too much. Do you think I can't understand something like that? In front of others, of course, I'll call you sir."
Jang Bok-chul laughed to himself like a buzzing fly.
Reading his thoughts, he was weaving a difficult-to-imagine scenario.
"Hehe, when I see Seo Arin tomorrow, I'll do all kinds of things, damn bitch."
Ryu Min turned around as if he had nothing more to hear.
Having read his thoughts, he obtained essential information.
"These guys plan to kill Seo Arin."
It didn't occur to him that Seo Arin would be involved.
"What I found out of curiosity is connected in this way. There was only trash around Seo Arin, right?"
Probably, Seo Arin didn't know.
Being betrayed by her actress friend, Hong Seon-ah, was something she couldn't have foreseen.
"I'll know tomorrow. Trusting people is foolish."
In this world, stabbing a fellow player in the back for survival is common, even among colleagues.
Ryu Min, who had reached the 99th round as a player, had witnessed countless scenes like that.
"Anyway, this is an opportunity. An opportunity to gain Seo Arin's approval."
What if, under the name of Black Scythe, Ryu Min saves Seo Arin from a dangerous situation?
He could turn her completely into his ally.
"Men can dominate using force, but women are not affected by seduction."
That was the reason why he didn't kill those guys now but stepped aside from their path.
"It's better to sweep them when they're all gathered in one place. Killing her now won't make Seo Arin appreciate my effort."
Of course, how Seo Arin's sympathy would affect the future is unknown.
It can't be guaranteed that it will only have positive results.
But this opportunity can't be missed.
It would be a shame to let Ma Gyeong-rok handle this chance.
"It's better for me to save her than to rely on Ma Gyeong-rok."
Although they are currently cooperating, Ma Gyeong-rok could become an obstacle for Ryu Min.
If Ryu Min gets close to both Ma Gyeong-rok and Seo Arin, it could become troublesome later on.
Crack. A dull sound echoed as Ryu Min exited the club, waiting for the arrival of dawn.
"If I pursue Hong Seon-ah tomorrow, I might find the right moment."
It was time to personally take care of the trash.
14 hours later.
In Ryu Min's hands was the corpse of Jang Bok-chul, also known as Trash.
Having followed Hong Seon-ah to the club, Ryu Min killed him first while he was busy in the public restroom.
"If I show his body, I'll send a clear message."
After straightening the guy's swaying head, Ryu Min grabbed him and moved.
Of course, he wore a white mask to flaunt his identity as Black Scythe.
Changing his boots for another pair to avoid making noise, he silently slid towards the slightly open door.
Step by step, he entered with the sound of his steps.
Just in time to catch Seo Arin about to face something bad.
The actors' gazes turned towards Ryu Min.
Or more precisely, towards the corpse he had placed in front as if it were unharmed.
"Oh, Jang Bok-chul. Here is your beloved Seo Arin..."
When the actors noticed his presence behind the corpse, their expressions stiffened.
"Is this guy Jang Bok-chul, a friend of yours?"
"Who the hell are you?!"
"It seems so."
Ryu Min took care of erasing any trace of Jang Bok-chul's corpse.
"They said it smelled like trash around here. It seems they were all gathered here."
"Who the hell are you...?"
Without saying a word, Ryu Min raised Death Side.
The audience collectively held their breath.
Unless they were fools, that was enough as an answer.
"I-Is this, a scythe?"
"It can't be Black Scythe, right?"
Some actors shook their heads, denying the reality.
"Bah, surely not. Why would Black Scythe appear here?"
"Yeah. There's no guarantee that the scythe guy is him."
Two actors who were chatting let go of Seo Arin, whom they had held, and approached.
They were Gu Yeon-seung's loyal lackeys, accustomed to licking his shoes.
"Hey, bastard. How did you get in here?"
"Did you kill Jang Bok-chul? Huh?"
Ryu Min sighed as he reflected.
"It seems that the situation hasn't been fully assessed yet..."
"Is this kid sighing in front of us? He's definitely going to regret it..."
Ryu Min's scythe moved once in the darkness.
The heads of the two actors fell as if they were sliding.
No cutting sound was heard, as if they had been cut like tofu.
That's how both of them turned into corpses in an instant.
Clanc-Clanc!
"Oh!"
The remaining actors were scared and hesitated.
The expressions of astonishment on their faces were palpable.
This also applied to Seo Arin.
"I-Is that Black Scythe? Really?"
Although his voice sounded different, Seo Arin couldn't help but believe it.
The presence that appeared like a prince riding a white horse turned out to be Black Scythe, whom she knew.
Ryu Min aimed his scythe at those remaining.
"Come all at once. And don't think about resisting; it's not worth it."
A soft voice came out of the mask:
"Anyway, none of you will leave this place alive."