The Chronicle of the Beginning and Climax

Chapter 9 – The Hidden Path

The golden door stood before them, a silent judge of human nature. Betray or trust. Live or die.

By now, almost everyone had caught on—trusting was a death sentence. The few who had attempted to move forward without betrayal had vanished from existence, erased like they had never been there at all.

Only thirteen players remained.

Jihwan stood at the back, fingers loosely wrapped around his Book of Change. His gaze swept across the golden door, watching as the next group prepared to enter.

Three players stepped forward, whispering hurried negotiations. One of them, a girl with trembling hands, nodded furiously. "We all choose trust, okay? Please—let's not betray each other!"

The door glowed. The system locked in their choices.

And then—

[Result: Trust – Trust – Betray]

Player Kim Doyoon moves forward.

Player Hwang Jisoo – Eliminated.

Player Nam Haeun – Eliminated.

Two bodies collapsed before vanishing.

The betrayer—Kim Doyoon—did not look back.

The remaining players stiffened. Some cursed under their breath, while others took a step back, realizing the inevitable.

Betrayal wasn't a choice. It was the only way forward.

Jihwan exhaled slowly. No. That wasn't true.

Something wasn't right.

Why would a test designed to measure "choice" only allow for one answer?

He shifted his attention back to the golden door. The glowing letters above it pulsed faintly, the words shimmering as if they had been written in liquid silver.

He narrowed his eyes.

There was something odd about those letters.

They looked... unfinished.

Like there was something beneath them.

Jihwan glanced around. The others were too preoccupied with watching the remaining players make their choices—fear and paranoia had consumed them. No one was paying attention to the door itself.

He stepped forward, reaching out carefully—

And the moment his fingers grazed the golden surface, his Book of Change trembled.

A new message appeared.

---

[The Variable is watching.]

[The hidden path has been revealed.]

---

Jihwan's heart slowed.

The letters above the door shifted, breaking apart for just an instant.

And beneath them, new words flickered into existence—

[Trust or Betrayal – Choose Wisely]

[There is another way.]

Jihwan's pulse spiked.

There was another way.

But… how?

He took a step back, mind racing. Every single player had followed the system's given choices—Trust or Betrayal.

No one had tried to deny the choice itself.

And if there was one thing Jihwan understood, it was this—

Games always have loopholes.

He glanced at the remaining players. Sohyun met his gaze.

She had seen it too.

Without hesitation, she stepped closer. Her voice was low but firm. "You saw it, didn't you?"

Jihwan nodded slightly. "The real choice isn't between trust or betrayal."

Sohyun's eyes darkened. "Then what is it?"

He looked at the golden door again, watching the letters flicker.

And then, for the first time since the test started, he smiled.

"Refusal," he said softly. "We don't play the game at all."

Sohyun's breath hitched.

"That's…" She hesitated, glancing at the bodies of the fallen players. "But everyone who entered had to choose—"

"No," Jihwan cut in. "They thought they had to choose." His fingers traced the edge of his book. "But the system never said we had to participate."

Sohyun's grip on her book tightened. "Then… what happens if we refuse?"

Jihwan's smile didn't fade.

"That's what I'm going to find out."