– Zeno even knows about this planet?
– I searched it up and it’s real!
– It looks even prettier than Earth. I want to live there!
– Be careful what you wish for.
– Zeno was the best in this game.
Zeno stared at Bacon PD in disbelief that he had just said HIS planet out loud. Yes, they were acknowledged by international space administrations, but they weren’t really famous! Not at all.
It was weird that Bacon PD even knew about its name.
“Isn’t it the same as Earth?” Bacon PD chimed. “I was searching for planets that are liveable like Earth out of curiosity, and this planet came up after thorough research.”
Zeno merely nodded and let Bacon PD do the honors of inputting the code.
Was he mistaken? Was Bacon PD just interested in planets?
3 – 6 – 5.
A chime echoed through the room like a soft gong and all the lights dimmed—except for the glowing planets and the sun orb at the center. It pulsed once, then slowly faded into a warm gold.
A line of text appeared along the nearest wall in crisp font.
Congratulations.
The doors hissed open behind them, fog coming in and engulfing them. It felt like they had found an oasis in the middle of a desert.
No one moved at first.
Then, Zeno took a step forward. The rest followed, and they were led to the safe zone—the one they stayed in after the ‘Dead Sound’ mission.
Inside, the air was even colder, and the scent of fresh fruit and something savory filled their noses.
“Oh my goodness,” Annie breathed.
Sitting on a long metallic table were neatly lined trays with glass tumblers of chilled watermelon juice beading with condensation and large black bowls filled with steaming, glossy jjajangmyeon.
“Omo,” Billy whispered. “This looks so good.”
Bacon PD’s stomach growled before he could pretend he wasn’t hungry.
“Coaches don’t usually give you jjajangmyeon unless the next day’s training is hell,” Zeno muttered, eyeing the spread suspiciously.
“Well, guess we’re in for it,” Minsu said cheerfully, already grabbing a bowl.
One by one, they sat. Chairs molded to their forms like memory foam. They picked up chopsticks, slurped up thick black noodles, and downed icy, sweet drinks between bites.
“I don’t care what’s coming,” Minsu mumbled with his mouth full. “I needed this.”
“Same,” Billy said. “I didn’t realize how starving I was.”
They were halfway through the meal when a soft mechanical whirr sounded.
One by one, thin black bands rose up from hidden panels in the table. They resembled smartwatches, but a little bit bulkier.
– They spoke too soon.
– I have a feeling it’s not over yet.
– They’ve been through hell already (literally). Imagine getting stuck in a sauna-like atmosphere for eight hours.
The screens blinked to life with each person’s name, a bar, and a number.
“Welcome to your new status,” Lucy said. “At this moment, we are going to split the 800 points equally among all of the contestants.”
Minjae sighed in disappointment. “Then, it feels like we didn’t even do anything. The difference in our points are still the same.”
– I hate how he makes sense.
– Yeah, it won’t end here, would it?
“At this moment,” Lucy continued. “Everybody has the opportunity to eat.”
Zeno’s brow furrowed. The chopsticks hung in his fingers.
“With your newly acquired points, you will now learn the value of sacrifice along with the brutal reality of life.”
A soft ping echoed across the room. Their devices flashed once.
“You devour. And you give.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Minsu asked.
“Tonight, at 8 PM, the second real-time broadcast will begin.”
– Oh?
– That’s a few hours from now!
– I need to take a leave from work to watch this.
– Such dedication you have.
“In the broadcast, your fates will be decided.”
“Every ten minutes, you will be given two choices.”
The screen on their devices is split into two options.
Give and Devour.
“You must select one person to whom you can give your points. This choice is unlimited and mandatory.”
“What do you mean unlimited?” Ari asked sharply. “We can give an infinite amount?”
“You can give to as many people as you choose and as many as points as you like as long as it’s within your own value.”
Another chime.
“You must also choose one person to devour points from. This will happen automatically. You will take 10 points from a person you choose each round.”
“What?” Annie muttered, completely forgetting the noodles inside her mouth.
“Every ten minutes, this cycle will continue.”
The room was quiet..
“The game will only end when one person’s value drops to zero.”
– I see what this is.
– Can you give an explanation for us dummies?
– Contestants have points. They need to give points to one person. They need to devour points from one person. The game only ends when one of them has a value of zero.
– Still too complicated for me.
– Man, I don’t know if you should be watching this then.
With that, the screens turned black once more. “Enjoy… for now.”
Zeno looked up from his device, and at that moment, the cool air suddenly felt heavy.
There, he saw glints, barely there but clear enough in their eyes.
The twitch of a smirk was too quick to catch. The sideways glance passed beneath lowered lashes.
Minjae.
Minsu.
Billy.
Zeno stared at them. They weren’t great actors.
In that single, loaded moment—the way Minjae leaned over to whisper something to Minsu with the tiniest upward curl of his mouth, the way Billy looked down at his device with a smirk he quickly wiped off his face—Zeno knew.
They had made an alliance.
***
The cameras were still rolling. However, the trio knew that the broadcast had already finished. Aside from that, the live footage wouldn’t start until 8 PM later. With that, they decided to gather.
Minsu leaned over the counter, mouth full of leftover kimchi pancake. “I’m just saying, if we don’t do it now, we’ll never get the chance.”
Billy nodded, whispering, “I’m not doing this because I hate him. I just think he’s too good of a player.”
With that statement, he wanted to wash his hands of all consequences.
“Exactly,” Minjae smirked. “Aside from that, he also needs to go home soon. Such a big actor. Wouldn’t he have more opportunities outside? It’s unfair how he’s here when he’s already becoming more popular.”
Minsu cracked the drink open and frowned. “You think he knows we’re gonna target him?”
Minjae took a long sip of his drink and looked at them. “Who cares?”
Only one thing was certain.
“It’s time we get Zeno out of this show.”