Clues.

Clues were what needed to be dug up and uncovered in order to solve the mystery of the murders. Taeyong shifted his gaze around at the decreasing number of NCT members. Anyone could be next. Anyone.

Taeyong counted the clues, but then slouched back down. The clues made everyone seem suspicious. Nothing made sense. It was hopeless. 

"Guys I'm bored." Yangyang grumbled. "What can we do?"

Gawking at him, Jaemin turned to the Chinese boy. "You're seriously bored? When things are boring, no one is dying thus I think we should stay bored as opposed to all worrying about death." 

"You make a valid point but I'm still bored." 

Taeyong tried to dismiss the bickering as, well just bickering but somehow couldn't. Everyone was on someone's nerves and the arguing wouldn't cease. Arguments about little things like being bored mixed in with real threats about love and relationships between some of the elder members.

Taeyong sighed helplessly as Jaehyun and Ten exchanged suspicious looks. Those two would never trust each other and that made Taeyong feel terrible. His two best friends always at each other's throats.

In 2017, Ten had told Taeyong he had feelings for him in the most adorable way possible. He had set up the dorm room kitchen full of roses, Taeyong's favorite flower and confessed. Of course Taeyong had always knew Ten was special but there was one problem. 

Taeyong was already in a relationship with Jaehyun. When he told Ten, the Thai boy seemed deflated and depressed but had laughed it off at the time. Taeyong had no choice but to tell Jaehyun about what happened and he was not pleased.

Ever since the kitchen turned rose garden incident, Ten and Jaehyun never seemed to get along like they used to. Taeyong had ended his relationship with Jaehyun on good terms, claiming  both of them needed to focus on work instead but deep down, he just wanted to keep Ten from being hurt. 

But Ten had Kun now. Jealousy rose in Taeyong's throat whenever he saw the two eldest Wayv members hand in hand and he realized only now that must have been how Ten felt all along. He felt horrible, knowing his feelings for Jaehyun had put his best friend through so much pain and heartbreak. But alas, love isn't all hearts and kisses. There is sadness and tears too, no matter how hard you try and avoid them. And now Kun was dead. Ten would never be whole again. 

"Hey, you seem a little out of it. Are you okay?" Taeyong shook his head as Yuta's quiet voice broke his train of thought.

"Oh," he stuttered as the Japanese boy looked at him through concerned eyes. "Oh, yes Yuta I'm fine. I was just deep in thought, trying to outsmart this stupid game."

Yuta smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, same. I just can't suspect anyone, I know I say I do but truly I can't see anyone doing something like this. I trust my members too much."

Taeyong nodded, understanding exactly how the younger felt. "I get you. Because I look at all of your faces and I remember our best moments together. Who could have been lying this entire time?"

Yuta clucked his tongue in response and leaned against the wall. "Exactly. You're pretty smart Taeyong." Putting a hand over his shoulder, the two friends embraced in a semi awkward hug, as Yuta wasn't really a big hugger.

"Thanks for being there for me." Taeyong whispered into his shoulder and Yuta laughed.

"Always." He grinned and headed back to his spot next to Sicheng who was napping. 

Taeyong felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He always knew Yuta was a wonderful person and friend but he never really confided in him much. He was more of someone to hang out with and laugh with then to have deep, sentimental talks with. Maybe Taeyong should have seen through his exterior to Yuta's heart and seen what he was truly like earlier than a few hours before both of them were put to their deaths.

As the hour dragged by, no one really chatting much Taeyong gazed around the room, searching for clues. Nothing jumped out at him until.....

Fuck. 

Fuck.

FUCK!

It hit Taeyong like a speeding bus. He had seen it and all the pieces were coming together. He knew who it was, he had to tell someone! It was so obvious now that he realized it. A pang of guilt struck his heart. Jisung was right. He died for nothing. 

Taeyong's eyes darted around, eyebrows furrowed as he made sure no one was paying attention to him. Inconspicuously he rose his arm up to his mouth and pressed a button on his watch. A red light flashed on and off and on again, Taeyong assuming that meant he could report his findings. 

"Hello?" He muttered under his breath, as softly as possible internally grateful as Chenle had begun a conversation. 

When he was provided no response besides the red light blinking, Taeyong narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice even more. "I accuse _________ of being the murderer."

Frantically Taeyong shut off his watch and looked back up. Not one member seemed to have caught on. He breathed a sigh of relief and laid back.

Bang! 

Members wailed in panic and fear as the door was bust down. Taeyong felt his stomach plummet as he realized his mistake. He must have been wrong! He was painfully reminded of the rules at the beginning of the game, if you get your accusation incorrect you are killed.

"Well NCT members, it seems your leader, Lee Taeyong had reported an accusation. Can you believe it?" The speaker scoffed, as if ashamed. 

Taeyong felt shame wash over him as the members turned to him with hurt expressions on their faces. Jaehyun didn't meet his eyes. 

"Guys I know who-" Taeyong was cut off as one of the men violently grabbed his arm, pulled him over, and covered his mouth with his big hand. 

"I can't believe you." Haechan choked out. "You accused one of us?! You're our leader, you're supposed the support us!"

"Who was it?" Jaemin snarled. "Who do you distrust? You must have been wrong and now you're going to die."

"I could have swore it was-" Taeyong screamed in frustration into the man's hand. He had teased him, letting him speak then cutting off his word again. The astonished and betrayed stares from the remaining members made it impossible to feel scared but only disappointed in himself.

"I can't believe you Taeyong." Doyoung agreed with Haechan. "You can't leave us like that, distrusting one of us. I won't forget you."

"Me neither." Ten spit out the two words quickly and leaned back into the shadows. 

"Well, that's all for this hour folks. Oh, how shall your leader die?" 

Taeyong gasped his shock as his legs were practically swept out from under him and the two burly executioners forced his towards the door. Taeyong craned his neck but couldn't even sneak one last look at his members. 

"Please." He pleaded but came out as more of a pitiful squeak. "Please tell me." The men slammed the door to the dark room and locked it. "Was I right?" 

Taeyong wasn't provided an answer but was walked-well shoved through an even dimmer lit hallway with brown bloodstains covering the crooked floor tiles. He fought back the squirming feeling in his stomach. How many people have died here before us? 

A whirlwind of thoughts and emotions filled the leader's head; he was dying in only a few minutes and his members would be on their own. How had life turned this bad so quickly? One minute he's at dance practice the next he's in a red room he'd never believed even existed.

Another door loomed in the distance, frightening Taeyong to a point of near insanity. "Please!" He yelled, digging his heels into the blood floor. "Please stop!"

But his pleas were ignored, obviously. The door was unlocked and Taeyong was thrown inside roughly. He landed on his hands and knees, tears forming in his eyes as he scraped his leg up really bad. "Ugh." He winced as he felt warm blood begin to drip down his lower leg. 

As soon as Taeyong began slowly regaining his strength and standing up, he was kicked back down in the nose. "Ah!" He felt even more ruby red blood begin to flow from his already injured nose.

Taeyong's eyes widened as he realized a man was already hovering over him. He choked on his words as his gaze landed on the sharp knife in the man's right fist. It was the end of the line.

"Please tell me," Taeyong begged. "Was I right?"

Taeyong screamed in agony as the man plunged the knife deep into his abdomen, blood a crimson color bursting from his ripped skin. Again the knife was stabbed into his stomach. Taeyong yelled and struggled and cried as a pool of his own blood spread at an alarmingly fast pace beneath him. 

"No..." he breathed as the masked man raised the dirty knife once more, Taeyong's vision failing as the weapon was brought down one last time into his chest. Taeyong howled in distress as he felt a few ribs snap and something inside him pop open.

Finally Taeyong coughed up one last mouthful of blood and fell still, crimson liquid spread all over his lifeless body. 

The masked man threw down the knife, chuckling lowly at the sight of the mangled dead boy. "You were right."