UNLUCKY THIRTEEN | SEVENTEEN

000: we're ready for take-off!

Fear--- how he loves it so.

He adores the sick, utter dread upon their pathetic faces, the heat of realization dawning on them like a lit candle. Skin, shriveling with tension as their destiny becomes unavoidable.

He enjoys watching their hands grapple desperately for an escape out of the darkness. Soon they realize that the color black is the last one they'll ever see.

He gushes as they begin to self destruct and lose control of their senses, either too numb or too stimulated by the horror coursing through their veins. It's then that hopelessness spirals into madness.

He preens as the life drains out of their eyes, any glimmer of hope dissolving into complete nothingness. The taste of their own blood goes unnoticed as their minds begin to detach themselves from reality.

Anxiety-sparking, heart-breaking, never-ending...

Fear.

Instilling it in others is just such fun.

But poor Han Sungsoo doesn't seem to think so, judging by his muffled screams and the violent shaking against the rugged ropes that confine him. There's a torrent of tears running down his pale, sullen face with beads of sweat to accompany them.

What a shame, the Mastermind thinks.

"You've always been such buzzkill, Mr. Han," he laughs, smiling like the boy next door. "If only you weren't! Then you'd enjoy this so much more."

He only gets a strangled noise in response. 

"Oh no, I'm sorry Mr. Han," the Mastermind says, answering for the man. "But I'm afraid I can't tell you who I am." He pouts in the man's office chair, chin rested in the palm of his hand. "That would take all the fun out of things, ya' know?"

The mastermind then hops out of his chair and grabs the gun on the table. He continues to talk to Sungsoo while he does so, nonchalantly. "I never thought a person could cry as much as you, Mr. Han. It almost makes me want to spare your life and give you back to your family."

Dust is blown off the gun barrel.

"But if I do that, I can't play my game," the Mastermind explains, sighing. His eyes go round and puppy-like, shoulder-shrugged. "And I love playing games, Mr. Han."

Footsteps draw closer to Sungsoo, who shrinks back from the man he can't identify. "Especially Russian Roulette. It's so unnerving and makes me want to puke half the time. I love it!"

The cloth around Sungsoo's mouth is untied and tossed to the ground, eliciting the man's sudden gasp for air. Sungsoo finally swallows the bloody metallic-tasting spit that he's been holding for almost an hour.

Sungsoo can't even take his next breath. The cold gun muzzle is already touching the roof of his mouth. Terrified yells only come out as pitfuls of gags, restrained by the hunk of metal blocking his lungs. The heels of his shoes bang into the leg of his chair again and again until...

Click.

Every part of him freezes, except for his chest, which continues to steadily heave up and down without being told to do so. Sungsoo can't stop the emotions rising within him, and the Mastermind knows it.

"Ah, Mr. Han," the Mastermind says, putting his head down. There's a faint blush across his cheeks. "I'm embarrassed for myself right now."

The unknown man's tone of voice is much softer than before. And to Sungsoo's surprise, he feels the loaded weapon being pulled from his chapped lips.

Another sigh escapes the Mastermind.

"I can't shoot you," he admits, while his feet take him to the Dean's desk. There, he crouches down and searches for something. "I honestly just wanted to give you a good little prank, Mr. Han." He waves his finger around and tuts, "I would never do anything like that."

Then, "That would be so boring!"

The mastermind stands back up and stretches his back, before revealing some sort of boxy device in his hand. He grins like a little kid and starts rambling again, mindlessly flicking the switch of the controller on.

"Once you told us to never stop reaching for the stars." Tap. Tap. Tap. "And while I never cared about the stars, Mr. Han..."

 It flashes red.

"I've always wanted to see the moon."

---

AUTHOR'S NOTE

HI THIS IS TERRIBLE, BUT I HONESTLY JUST WANTED TO FINISH IT ALREADY. I WAS GONNA DESCRIBE THE STUFF THAT HAPPENED MORE IN THE END... BUT HAHAHAHHAHAA NO.

THANKS YALL

Yes I called him the Mastermind because in the game that's legit what they're called and also I was started to get confused with my own characters thanks

ILY

jiangers