Chapter 490
Chapter 490
Kim Rae-bin reflected on his professional skill once more.
The Sheriff.
If he could identify the culprit before the game ended, he could snipe them...!
‘Then I can catch the culprit and save the member who became the sacrifice!’
Originally, the rules of this game were simple.
It was a team-based deathmatch.
In other words, the culprit and the sacrifice automatically formed one team of two, while the remaining five members formed another. Only one side could survive.
However, if the Sheriff successfully sniped the culprit, the story changed.
Instead of both the culprit and the sacrifice dying, only the culprit would be offered as a sacrifice in their stead, and the game would end.
Meaning, the sacrifice could live!
Minimum casualties!
It was objectively the best route.
However, there was a condition.
If Kim Rae-bin accidentally sniped someone who wasn't the culprit, that person would die.
A burnt offering—meaning they would be burned to death atop that coffin-shaped altar.
Therefore, he had to catch the correct culprit on the first try.
‘I must do my best!’
Kim Rae-bin clenched his fists inwardly.
Meanwhile, the situation in the room was spiraling further into shock and confusion.
Seon A-hyun’s revelation!
“Y-You’re the Detective?”
“…And you’re saying that when you exchanged cards with Moon-dae, the Sacrificial Mark seems to have passed over?”
“Y-Yeah.”
For the first time since the deduction began, the two Se-jins stopped bickering and began questioning Seon A-hyun in unison.
Both wore inscrutable expressions.
“Then, if what you’re saying is true…”
===================
1. Seon A-hyun <-> Park Moon-dae
2. Cha Yu-jin <-> Ryu Cheong-woo
[Mid-term Evaluation]
3. Ryu Cheong-woo <-> Bae Se-jin
4. Cha Yu-jin <-> Park Moon-dae
===================
Based on this sequence, the person Park Moon-dae exchanged with after his trade with Seon A-hyun was…
The final exchange, number four.
Everyone turned their heads.
“Cha Yu-jin.”
One hour before the card exchanges ended.
Cha Yu-jin, who had found a new coin near the entrance, had exchanged a few words with Park Moon-dae and completed a trade right then and there!
Kim Rae-bin swallowed hard.
‘Is it really…?’
However, the person in question, Cha Yu-jin… looked completely indifferent.
“I’m not the sacrifice. Because I’m not the Scholar.”
“…!?”
“I can promise you. I swear.”
He seemed perfectly fine.
The members were slightly flustered.
“Th-Then what’s your job?”
“I’m the Doctor.”
“…?!”
At Cha Yu-jin’s blunt declaration, the members began to murmur.
“Hmm, right after it was revealed that Moon-dae isn’t the Doctor but the Undertaker? The timing is a bit suspicious~”
“I didn’t know Moon-dae hyung was the Doctor! I was just staying quiet. I was trying to observe what the members said and find the answer.”
Bae Se-jin asked cautiously.
“Can you prove it?”
“No one here can prove their job. But I really am the Doctor! If there’s another Doctor here, come out and say it.”
“……”
“No one’s talking. I know why. Because I’m the Doctor!”
Cha Yu-jin shrugged. His confidence certainly made him seem like the real deal…
‘Is it true?’
If so, they had to re-evaluate their deduction.
Who exactly was the Scholar, and who was the culprit? Kim Rae-bin tried to wrap his head around it.
It was then.
Park Moon-dae, who had been silent as if lost in thought, touched his chin and spoke up.
“…A-hyun, you said you were the Detective.”
“……Yeah.”
“Then… even if we assume you are the Detective, there’s another possibility.”
“Wh-what is it…?”
“The person chosen as the first sacrifice by the viewers’ vote. It might not have been the Detective, but the Jester.”
“…!!”
That was true.
What if the starting point of the circulating Sacrificial Mark wasn't the Detective, but the Jester?
“If that’s the case… this is what I’m thinking.”
Park Moon-dae turned his head.
“Among the suspicious candidates who still seem to be lying about their jobs, only one has a record of exchanging cards.”
He naturally looked toward that person.
Bae Se-jin.
“…!!”
“Hyung. You exchanged with Cheong-woo hyung after the mid-term evaluation, didn’t you?”
Bae Se-jin’s eyes widened.
“And you said Kim Rae-bin is claiming to be a Journalist even though that job doesn't exist? But Kim Rae-bin has no record of exchanging cards.”
“……”
“You also claimed Lee Se-jin is the Jester, not the Lawyer, but that Lee Se-jin also has no exchange record.”
In other words, among those whose jobs were currently contested and unconfirmed, the only one with a record of exchanging cards was Bae Se-jin!
‘Could it be!’
Kim Rae-bin’s mouth fell open as he looked at Bae Se-jin.
“Wait.”
Bae Se-jin responded in the calmest tone he could muster.
“Cha Yu-jin is just speaking confidently; there’s no evidence. Someone else could be the Doctor but staying silent because of a job mission.”
“Mmm.”
“And… right! Cha Yu-jin also exchanged cards with Ryu Cheong-woo once before Park Moon-dae. If, say, Cheong-woo was the Jester, and as you said, the Jester was the initial sacrifice from the viewers’ vote…”
Ryu Cheong-woo raised his hand with a troubled expression and answered.
“Well… even so, Yu-jin eventually exchanged cards with Moon-dae at the very end. Wouldn’t that mean the Sacrificial Mark moved from Yu-jin to Moon-dae?”
He was correct.
“Then Moon-dae would have to be the sacrifice, but since Moon-dae’s job is the Undertaker and not the Scholar, that’s impossible.”
“Ah.”
It was a contradiction. The final jobs didn't match up.
‘It’s impossible.’
Kim Rae-bin swallowed.
“Even if Yu-jin was the Jester and had the sacrifice card at first, it’s still strange. The mark would have passed through me, since I exchanged cards, and then over to you.”
“……”
“Se-jin, are you the Scholar? The final sacrifice.”
At Ryu Cheong-woo’s question, Bae Se-jin’s face stiffened.
“No way! And if that were true, it would mean you’re the culprit! Since you were the last one to exchange!”
“Right. So that means it’s not the case. If we were on the same team, we wouldn't be interrogating each other like this.”
Ryu Cheong-woo continued calmly.
“And Se-jin. Weren’t you insisting earlier that Lee Se-jin was the Jester?”
“……”
It was a valid point.
Until now, Bae Se-jin had been fighting tooth and nail with Lee Se-jin over the Lawyer role, claiming the other was the Jester…
It was a bit late to start suspecting someone else of being the Jester.
Ultimately, Bae Se-jin groaned.
“Seriously… Hey, Lee Se-jin! Just reveal your job honestly! We can’t deduce anything!”
“…Whew! Hyung-nim, you’re a really good actor! Wow~ Why don’t you be honest, hyung?”
“Eeeek!”
Lee Se-jin also looked like the veins in his forehead were about to pop. He explained with a chillingly polite smile.
“Look, hyung, even if I were the Jester, it’s impossible for me to have passed the Sacrificial Mark in the middle~ I didn’t do any exchanges.”
“……”
That was true. One of the only two names missing from the card exchange record was Lee Se-jin!
‘The other one is me…’
Kim Rae-bin swallowed hard.
Lee Se-jin’s helpful explanation continued.
“But the final sacrifice’s job is the ‘Scholar,’ right?”
It wasn't the Detective or the Jester, who were the most likely to be picked by the vote.
The final sacrifice’s job was the Scholar!
“Whether the viewers voted for the Detective or the Jester, the person with that job isn't the sacrifice right now, right? That means they passed the mark through a card exchange.”
“……”
“I don’t know how it circulated… but it eventually ended up with the Scholar.”
There wasn't a single logical flaw in Lee Se-jin’s words. Even Kim Rae-bin found himself nodding reflexively.
‘I see.’
Then, truly, Lee Se-jin hyung and himself—who had no exchange records—were innocent!
“Then… that means Cha Yu-jin is the Scholar, and Park Moon-dae passed it to him!”
“I’m not the Scholar. There’s definitely another possibility.”
“I’m telling you, I’m not the culprit either…”
“……”
Silence fell.
It didn't seem like anyone was lying.
Even Park Moon-dae spoke up.
“……Could it be that the viewers chose the Scholar from the very beginning?”
“Did the production crew pull something?”
“Mmm.”
The groaning members looked like they all had headaches.
Because the jobs were so mismatched, no matter how they looked at it, the scenarios didn't fit.
However, Kim Rae-bin knew one more piece of information about the jobs for certain.
A piece of information no one else knew.
Himself.
‘I am the Sheriff!’
He began to fill in the blanks from there.
Kim Rae-bin clasped his hands together.
The two people with the same name fighting over one job—each claimed the other was the Jester and they were the Lawyer.
‘Let’s assume one of them is telling the truth and has deduced correctly.’
If so, the table could be easily completed.
He slowly matched people to jobs, recalling everyone’s testimony.
As he crossed them off using the process of elimination…
“……”
One slot remained.
He realized it.
“…!”
Kim Rae-bin took a deep breath. Then he called out the name of one person.
The one who was left.
“Cheong-woo hyung-nim.”
“Yes?”
Kim Rae-bin turned toward him, visualizing the table he had created.
He had matched the members to their jobs.
===================
1. Ryu Cheong-woo - ?
2. Bae Se-jin – Lawyer (or Jester)
3. Seon A-hyun - Detective
4. Lee Se-jin - Lawyer (or Jester)
5. Park Moon-dae - Undertaker
6. Kim Rae-bin - Sheriff
7. Cha Yu-jin – Doctor
===================
Filling it out this way left only one question mark.
And… only one job remained.
When he plugged it in, it looked like this:
===================
1. Ryu Cheong-woo - Scholar
===================
‘Ah.’
This way, there were no contradictions in the job testimonies!
It was the first piece of job information that emerged without a single flaw.
‘I have to start the deduction from here!’
He had to speak now.
Kim Rae-bin opened his mouth with determination.
“I am the Sheriff.”
“……”
“Therefore, hyung-nim, you are the Scholar!”
“…!!”
“I have matched all the job testimonies. And… you are the only one left.”
Kim Rae-bin earnestly explained the table he had made. He could feel the members listening to him with intense focus.
“…That is all!”
“……”
Kim Rae-bin caught his breath.
‘Will they believe me?’
He looked around with pleading eyes.
And… Park Moon-dae raised his hand.
“Wait, what’s the probability that Bae Se-jin hyung or Lee Se-jin isn't the Jester?”
“That’s……”
“It feels a bit inaccurate to me. Since there’s no evidence.”
How could he say that?
Just as Kim Rae-bin was about to sink into dejection from the shock, someone else spoke.
“Wait.”
“…!”
Bae Se-jin cut in, his eyes narrowing.
“Park Moon-dae, are you… trying to protect Ryu Cheong-woo? That’s how it feels.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that……”
“Y-Yeah.”
“…!”
Seon A-hyun also cut in calmly.
“If it were the usual Moon-dae, I think… he would have said let’s at least consider it. Since Rae-bin spoke up so courageously.”
“Hmm. He might be trying to deceive us.”
“Rae-bin…?”
“……”
Everyone fell silent.
‘Huh?’
Kim Rae-bin was a bit flustered, but Bae Se-jin nodded vigorously.
“Right. If Rae-bin is the Sheriff, he probably tried to fake being a Journalist because of some mission or ability. This actually makes more sense to me.”
“Se-jin hyung….”
“Sheriff sounds like a good job just by the name. He probably tried to hide it because it’s like a police role.”
Kim Rae-bin was deeply moved!
But Park Moon-dae remained stoic.
“Yes. I’d like for that to be the case too… but if Cheong-woo hyung is the Scholar, the culprit is immediately revealed based on the exchange records.”
“What…?”
“It’s you, hyung.”
“…!!”
“Cheong-woo hyung’s last exchange record was with Bae Se-jin hyung.”
Bae Se-jin’s face turned deathly pale.
And Kim Rae-bin realized it too.
‘Then, assuming Bae Se-jin hyung is the Jester….’
Jester Bae Se-jin was the initial sacrifice, and he passed it to Scholar Ryu Cheong-woo!
Everything fit perfectly!
‘O-Oh my god.’
Just as he was agonizing over whether he should prepare to snipe, someone raised their hand and shouted.
“That’s weird!”
“…!”
It was Cha Yu-jin.
He spoke clearly.
“Then Bae Se-jin hyung would have disagreed with Kim Rae-bin’s story. Because he wouldn't want to be caught.”
“……”
“But Se-jin hyung was the first to say we should believe him. However, Moon-dae hyung disagreed. So Moon-dae hyung is more suspicious.”
“……”
“Could it be that Moon-dae hyung did a secret card exchange?”
“…!!”
Ah!
‘Right, if he secretly exchanged cards without letting anyone know….’
Just as Kim Rae-bin was about to consider that, he realized the reality of the situation.
‘…Wait?’
Then, a small chuckle was heard.
It was Park Moon-dae.
“It’s impossible.”
“…!!”
“As you all know, the front door is exactly in the middle of the two lodgings. It means it’s impossible for people who want to exchange to approach it without being caught.”
That was true.
The front door was located exactly in the center.
If two or more people approached it, they would be spotted no matter what!
Looking back at Cha Yu-jin, Park Moon-dae added kindly.
“If you try to exchange there, you’ll stand out. In fact, everyone was watching whenever more than two people moved.”
“…Umm.”
Then, Park Moon-dae gave the decisive testimony.
“Besides, I never went toward the front door at all.”
“What…?”
“After the mid-term evaluation, I stayed on the side of the lodging where I started. Se-jin hyung, you saw me too.”
It was true.
After everyone had checked their cards alone in their starting rooms during the mid-term evaluation to see if they had the Sacrificial Mark.
The lodging where these three had woken up.
Park Moon-dae had stayed there and continued his search without leaving.
“…Um, why did you do that?”
“I was wondering if there was a way to get rid of the bathroom ghost.”
Park Moon-dae’s explanation—that he wondered if his Undertaker ability to communicate with the dead could be used there—was seamless.
“Since my job is the Undertaker, I thought maybe I could talk to the ghost.”
“Whoa.”
So the conclusion was this:
Therefore….
‘Moon-dae hyung-nim… never even attempted an exchange!’
“In conclusion, based on the circumstances, I am someone for whom a card exchange was impossible.”
“……”
“I believe everyone is now convinced of my innocence.”
Though it was only based on suspicion to begin with, Park Moon-dae added with a shrug.
‘…I can’t refute that.’
Kim Rae-bin looked to his side.
The person who had revealed himself as the Detective was standing there.
His eyes were wide as if he were in shock.
‘This can’t be.’
Kim Rae-bin hurriedly spoke up to offer encouragement.
“U-Um, A-hyun hyung. If that’s the case, then we should suspect the other people who attempted exchanges after all….”
“N-No.”
“…!!”
“It’s possible. Even for Moon-dae…!”
Seon A-hyun muttered firmly, his face pale.
Park Moon-dae asked back without wavering.
“How?”
“……”
“You’re not going to say I used a walkie-talkie or something, are you? The production crew isn't stupid; they wouldn't put something so unfair into a deduction variety show.”
Seon A-hyun quietly shook his head.
Then he spoke.
“Moon-dae… doesn't need to go to the entrance.”
“…?”
“Only Moon-dae’s card needs to go to the entrance…!”
“…Ah!!”
Bae Se-jin let out a sudden exclamation. He had understood the meaning.
And Seon A-hyun explained clearly.
“The person who wants to exchange just has to take Park Moon-dae’s card with them to the entrance…!”
“…!!”
“Right! And they can just pretend to pass through the entrance while using both cards by themselves to exchange quickly!”
“Aaaaah!”
The atmosphere heated up in an instant. Kim Rae-bin also flushed and gave a thumbs up.
“That is exactly right!”
“Th-thanks…!”
They didn't both need to go. Seon A-hyun, who had found that loophole, smiled faintly.
However, Park Moon-dae… nodded.
“…?”
“That could be possible.”
‘He’s admitting it just like that?’
Of course, that wasn't the case.
“Then anyone could have done that.”
“…!!”
“It seems like a method that’s possible for anyone besides me, as long as they just hand their card to the other person.”
He was right.
“……”
A moment of silence fell again.
Lee Se-jin asked, holding back a sigh.
“…Does anyone remember which members were loitering near the entrance?”
“……”
From here, they were back in the labyrinth.
And even if someone’s testimony came out, it would be the same.
Anyone could give false testimony.
Even though everyone emotionally suspected Park Moon-dae was the culprit, they had to admit there was nothing more to talk about.
Park Moon-dae was very skilled at refuting arguments.
‘I see.’
That was when Kim Rae-bin realized.
‘When there is no physical evidence, that’s when I must use the Sheriff’s ability.’
Only then could they avoid the greatest potential risk during the culprit deduction—the ‘annihilation of the remaining five.’
‘I’ll verify it once with the Sheriff’s ability.’
Of course, the risk was high. If he sniped the wrong culprit, an innocent person could die.
And in fact… in that case, the Sheriff would die too.
Kim Rae-bin remembered the next line of the rule description.
In other words, the Sheriff’s bullet… was fired at the cost of his own life.
Still, that would be better than everyone dying because they pointed at the wrong culprit!
‘It’s time to try.’
Kim Rae-bin steeled his heart.
Then he raised his hand.
“…?”
“Kim Rae-bin?”
He shouted.
“The Sheriff snipes participant Park Moon-dae!”
“…!!”
At that moment, a dazzling light effect erupted from the giant coffin placed in the center.