It’s the second night

Episode 6

That spring, Yoo Hae-in inherited a huge fortune when the chairman and his wife of Ino Group died in an accident.

And people were saying that Yoo Hae-in had a deep connection with rock.

Rock leaked national secrets because of a woman and, in the end, was cut off like a useless tail.

“All the middlemen involved in the Inosystem project are dead. They were all killed in the same way. It’s like cleaning up evidence.”

After that, nothing else mattered.

National secrets? None of that was important.

For Juheung, family was everything.

Even the neighbor lady, the building manager, and the church priest all said the same thing—Juheung’s love for family was special.

And it was true.

Everyone has a different life, so everyone has different values.

Some value honor. Some value money. Some value power.

For Juheung, the most important thing was family.

Respected Dad. Loved Mom. Especially close to older brother Rock. They weren’t just siblings two years apart. They were like twins.

They were poor.

But because they were poor, they loved and relied on each other even more.

Losing family all at once—

It was worse than a natural disaster.

Couldn’t sleep.

Couldn’t eat.

Had to endure long nights with a broken heart.

But it wasn’t just a random robbery?

Someone killed them on purpose?

Who?

Who did it?

Who killed her family? Who destroyed her life? Finding that out was the first priority.

If there was no way, giving up would have been easier. But Juheung had a skill so great, it could be called genius.

So, nothing else mattered. The first thing to uncover was the connection between Rock and Yoo Hae-in.

Juheung started hacking all the CCTVs near Yoo Hae-in’s house and the places she visited.

Also hacked into the intranet of the Ino training center, where Yoo Hae-in came and went like it was a playground.

At first, just like Sooyoung said, it seemed like there was some kind of romantic entanglement between them. But that wasn’t it.

Didn’t know why, but the CCTV footage showed that Rock was being threatened.

Three hours before the terrible murders—

Rock was meeting with Yoo Hae-in.

The CCTV had no sound, only video. But Yoo Hae-in was clearly scolding rock with a fierce expression.

And Rock’s expression—

It was twisted in fear, trying hard to hide it.

With Sooyoung’s help, analyzed the lip movements of Yoo Hae-in and Rock.

Yoo Hae-in was saying:

“You’ll die like this.”

“So listen to me.”

In the end, Rock leaked national secrets because of Yoo Hae-in’s threats.

Now, one question.

The middlemen who leaked information like Rock were all dead.

But Yoo Hae-in was still alive?

Didn’t that mean she was the culprit?

At least, an accomplice?

So, if Yoo Hae-in was investigated, the real killer who murdered her family would be found.

But now—Yoo Hae-in wasn’t the culprit?

How was that possible?

Everything that had been built up one by one—

It all came crashing down.

“ Are you sure hae-in isn’t the culprit?”

[Juheung-nim being alive is as clear as day.]

“Hah, this is ridiculous.”

With a dumbfounded face, Juheung asked one last question.

“Just one more.”

This was the most important question.

“Why did you save me? And in Yoo Haein’s body, of all things?”

Nineteen people had died. But the only one revived was her. Was there a special reason?

[The reason Yoo Haein’s body was given first is because Juheung’s original body was too damaged to be repaired.]

That was somewhat expected. She had been at the center of the explosion, so her body must have been severely destroyed.

[Among the dead nearby, Yoo Haein’s body was the least damaged.]

“So, it was just an easy choice.”

[Another reason is that Yoo Haein absorbed Juheung-nim’s essence.]

Yoo Haein absorbed mine? What did she lack that she had to take from me?

That made no sense.

She had never been robbed in her entire life.

[She clearly took it, and she paid the price for it.]

[And reviving Juheung-nim in this way was because Juheung-nim is the main player of this game.]

Why am I the main player?

[Because Juheung-nim has a reason to complete this task, no matter what.]

A reason?

[ *** and Juheung-nim share the same goal.]

[Juheung-nim wants to catch those who took away the family that was everything to her. And *** must punish those who have disrupted order.]

Disrupted order?

None of this made sense. But the voice gave no more answers.

[From now on, Juheung-nim must survive as Yoo Haein and identify the mafia before the second night arrives.]

[As I said before, there is an ally, so cooperate well.]

[Also, the game’s time limit is 49 days. Be careful not to exceed it.]

Forty-nine days.

That was the number of days a dead soul remained in the afterlife, waiting for judgment.

On the 49th day, the soul would either reincarnate or fall into hell.

“What happens if the time limit is passed?”

That could happen, right? Like failing to complete the quest or finishing it but not identifying the culprit.

[The game will automatically end, and the given body will be discarded.]

“What?”

Shock.

The mind turned blank.

So, in the end, the outcome was fixed. No one could guarantee victory. It was an uncertain game.

But there was no time to panic. In a way, this was the last chance. The last chance to take revenge for the family.

So, anything had to be tried. A body that had already died had nothing to lose.

“Alright. What should be done to meet you again?”

[I respond to the player’s needs. I will also appear when guidance is needed.]

[Juheung-nim. Enjoy your game on MoJoTalk.]

The thin line trembled slightly, then disappeared.

A cold and dark space.

Lying flat in that darkness, Juheung thought and thought again.

It was eerie and strange, but this situation wasn’t too bad.

If this was reality, it meant getting another chance.

Even if it was a virtual world after death, it was the same. At least, revenge could be taken.

Juheung stared at a point in the air, let out a dry smile, and spoke.

“Find the mafia as Yoo Haein?”

Speaking to the one who had revived the dead girl and forced her into the game.

“Alright. Let’s figure it out before the second night comes.”

And then, you must, absolutely…

Give them the terrifying punishment they deserve.

With those words, Juheung closed his eyes tightly.

***

Taejo eventually decided to attend the weekend family gathering at the Itaewon main house. It was because his mother called early in the morning.

— If you don’t show up at dinner today, I’ll set a wedding date with Haein. I’ll force you to settle down.

He planned to go and explain everything in person and get rid of Yoo Haein.

But things don’t always go as planned.

6 PM.

Just as Taejo arrived in front of his family home and got out of the car—

“Yoo Haein?”

What bad luck. The person he ran into in front of the house was Yoo Haein.

At first, he doubted his eyes. Yoo Haein was the type who wouldn’t step outside her room without dressing up.

As if she had some kind of obsession, her makeup was always perfect, her hair always styled, and her outfit always flawless.

But now?

No makeup, a tracksuit, and just a big trench coat over it.

Maybe she knew she looked messy because she pulled her hoodie up, but strands of unstyled hair still stuck out.

And instead of her usual sky-high heels, she was wearing sneakers.

Was this really Yoo Haein?

But she proved it herself.

“Omg”

The moment she saw him, she flinched and turned around like a startled deer.

Her reaction was so different from usual that Taejo’s instincts kicked in. Was she up to something?

Reaching out, he grabbed the collar of her trench coat as she tried to run away.

“Stop right there.”