A namesake claiming to be Lawyer.
Bae Sejin and Keun Sejin were locked in a heated debate.
“...Lee Sejin stayed silent all this time and only spoke up after they decided who would die. That’s obviously strategic—on purpose to confuse everyone!”
“Come on, hyung. It’s the opposite. It’d be more unnatural to blurt out your profession and ability from the start. Think about any Mafia game—good citizens wouldn’t do that out of caution.”
Both had valid points.
In any case, neither could actually both be Lawyers—one of them must be bluffing... impressive, really. I inwardly admired it.
“Oh... Mun Dae hyung, who do you suspect?”
“From the situation, both are possible.”
One’s an actor, the other a natural variety-show talent.
‘Either could smoothly pretend to be a different profession.’
Both could troll with their professions if they wanted. Right now, neither claim felt logically off.
“...That’s sophistry. I spotted someone suspicious early and shared with reliable people!”
“But if you were Mafia, that’d all be lies too. Then it’s baseless.”
‘This is chaos.’
I could almost see the others’ eyes spinning. I clicked my tongue and raised my hand.
“I have questions for both of you.”
“Huh?”
“Could you explain your Lawyer ability? Liars usually show gaps.”
“Good point. If you detail it, someone will slip up.”
Ryu Cheong woo nodded.
‘Right. Keep probing, and unprepared fabrications collapse under pressure.’
“Okay.”
Both “Sejins” seemed intrigued.
“Great idea, Mun Dae Mun Dae~”
“Then I’ll go first.”
Bae Sejin jumped in, eager to claim the floor.
“As a Lawyer, I can learn exactly how many professions there are, and what they are.”
He then listed what he knew. The others nodded as they repeated them.
“Doctor, Sheriff, Detective, Scholar, Mortician, Clown...”
“And Lawyer.”
“Exactly.”
Bae Sejin nodded seriously.
“If your profession isn’t listed, raise your hand.”
No one objected.
‘No one’s expression changed noticeably.’
Meaning their profession was among those listed.
‘So Bae Sejin’s likely telling the truth.’
Sensing that, Bae Sejin stared challengingly at Keun Sejin.
But Keun Sejin gave a wry smile.
“Hmm, you know what professions exist...”
He shrugged.
“But from your tone, you really seem to know.”
“...!!”
“You’re admitting you lied about being a Lawyer...”
“No, no.”
Keun Sejin shook his head and spoke earnestly.
“I think Bae Sejin hyung actually has a different ability. He’s lying only about being a Lawyer.”
“...!!”
So Keun Sejin’s theory was...
‘Bae Sejin used another profession’s ability to learn the list, then impersonated a Lawyer?’
That was possible!
“Honestly... ‘Lawyer’ doesn’t seem to fit that ability.”
“Whoa.”
Kim Rae bin gasped. At the same time, Bae Sejin bristled.
“A Lawyer should know the defendant well! How is that odd?”
“No, that ability screams ‘culprit’ or ‘mastermind.’ It’s perfect for constructing a scheme~”
For a moment, the members’ faces flickered with “maybe so.”
Now Bae Sejin narrowed his eyes coldly.
‘Method acting or genuine obsession?’
I shrugged and asked Keun Sejin,
“Then what is the true Lawyer ability?”
Keun Sejin smiled and answered confidently.
“It lets you designate one person and learn if they’re innocent.”
“...!!”
My goodness.
And he didn’t stop there.
“By the way, I’ve already used it~”
“......?!”
The room’s atmosphere shifted instantly. Even Seon Ah hyun, who’d stayed silent, reflexively asked,
“W-who...?”
“The member right next to me~”
Keun Sejin tapped the person beside him. It was...
“Kim Rae bin?”
“That’s right!”
He grinned. Kim Rae bin looked as if his eyeballs might pop out—but still nodded in puzzled agreement.
“I’m not the culprit, of course. I’ve never exchanged cards...”
Bae Sejin clenched his fist and interrupted,
“That makes no sense!”
“...?!”
Kim Rae bin was shocked.
“You said you’re a Journalist! But there’s no Journalist profession!”
“...!!”
“Oh, now that you mention it...”
Kim Rae bin’s eyes spun around. Classic.
“And every time I tried to reveal this, that guy blocked me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Isejin!!”
Bae Sejin shouted, clasping his hands and muttering,
“...And one profession was odd.”
“Huh?”
“Clown.”
“.......”
Oh ho.
“Remember our last card game? The Joker—or Clown—whoever holds it last loses....”
A shell game rule.
Bae Sejin swallowed hard.
“So maybe Kim Rae bin is Clown? Losing is the mission.”
“What!?”
Kim Rae bin looked even more horrified.
‘If he’s acting, I’ll double-act.’
But Bae Sejin, as if his logic suddenly clicked, spoke with conviction.
“And Isejin is the Scholar.”
“What??”
“Isejin is the sacrifice, and he wants to prevent me from naming Kim Rae bin, so they’ll both win!”
“...!!”
That rule existed.
Meaning the only way for the sacrifice to survive is to mislead us.
“What do you think?”
“......”
It was a decent theory. But then Keun Sejin burst out laughing.
“Ah—I get it.”
“...?”
Keun Sejin declared like a bomb.
“No, you’re the Clown, hyung.”
“...!!”
“Bluffers usually speak first to set the stage.”
“What?! Wait, that’s just a tired tactic to pin me because I’m cornered! You’re just parroting me!”
“No! You’re insecure, that’s why.”
“Hey...!”
Their obsession was escalating. It felt like we needed a caption, “They’re really fighting^^.”
Ryu Cheong woo hurried to mediate.
“Um... Sejin hyung, Isejin.”
“Yes!”
“Can you explain your logic?”
“Sure~”
Keun Sejin grinned.
“I think Sejin hyung is Clown. He’s most likely the Black Lamb—our Mafia!”
“What?!”
“Calm down, Sejin hyung, let’s hear him out.”
As Ryu Cheong woo calmed Bae Sejin, Keun Sejin winked at me.
“......”
“And before we entered here, I heard something from Mun Dae.”
“...!?”
Right.
The one with the strongest speaking rights had private info shared beforehand.
—I have something...
“May I share?”
“Go ahead.”
I nodded. Keun Sejin began.
“Ah hyun said he’s the Scholar.”
“...!!”
That was it.
‘Suspicious.’
‘Scholar’—the profession chosen as the sacrifice.
“I don’t know what the sponsors’ first vote was, but the final sacrifice is Scholar.”
I continued calmly.
“And the person who said they’re Scholar is right there—Ah hyun.”
“......”
“So, we should question Seon Ah hyun first....”
“Um, excuse me.”
Seon Ah hyun spoke with a pale face.
“I... never said that.”
“...!!”
What?
In the dark cult-like chamber, the circle of people floundered in endless revelations.
“I have a different profession.”
“Huh??”
Had any participant truthfully revealed their profession in this game?!
Kim Rae bin was stunned again. Even Seon Ah hyun was caught in this.
‘Bae Sejin and Keun Sejin claim Lawyer.’
‘Mun Dae hyung says /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Doctor.’
He quickly organized his thoughts.
So...
------------------=
TeSTAR professions (claims)
Ryu Cheong woo – ?
Bae Sejin – Lawyer
Seon Ah hyun – Scholar
Keun Sejin – Lawyer
Park Mundae – Doctor
Kim Rae bin – Journalist
Cha Yoo jin – ?
------------------=
They all claimed differently, and accusations flew.
Now Seon Ah hyun even denies being Scholar!
“Then what’s your profession?”
“I have the ability to learn others’ professions.”
“Gasp.”
“And... I used it on Mun Dae and learned something.”
Seon Ah hyun said with determined eyes.
“Mun Dae isn’t a Doctor.”
“......!!”
“He lied about his profession...!”
Again?
Kim Rae bin swiveled his head as if his neck might snap.
‘Mun Dae hyung definitely said—’
—I am a Doctor.
Bae Sejin shared the same look.
“Park Mundae?”
“......”
Park Mundae said nothing. Seon Ah hyun continued.
“You said you were Doctor...but you’re a Mortician.”
“...!!”
“What!?”
In an instant, shock rippled through the room.
—Mortician?
Kim Rae bin turned to him. He needed to stay calm.
‘Mun Dae hyung’s reaction...’
“......”
He looked remarkably calm.
Slightly... embarrassed?
Park Mundae scratched his head.
“Well... ‘mortician’ ends with ‘ician’ like ‘physician’—so Doctor still fits, right?”
“......”
Everyone was speechless.
“Hey!”
“No... I thought it was a Mafia game, so it felt weird to be so upfront.”
Park Mundae scratched his cheek, and the tension snapped.
“What on earth!”
“There’s a saying: bad law is still law. Mortician ends in ‘ician.’”
“This is insane....”
“You’re an idiot, hyung!”
Park Mundae muttered shamelessly, “Anyway, I didn’t lie,” and they all cracked up.
Bae Sejin was near despair.
“Anyway, admit it—what does a Mortician do? Do they fool people?!”
“No, no—it lets you communicate with the dead. We haven’t had any dead people yet, so I don’t know how to use it.”
“Ugh.”
“I actually learned that at the midgame announcement. I told you I didn’t know that ability.”
“Ugh....”
Park Mundae didn’t look cornered—just impulsively strategic early on.
Bae Sejin groaned, then shouted,
“Well, you should’ve said it at the start!”
“I tried, but with two Lawyers and Ah hyun lying about Scholar, mine would’ve been drowned out.”
“......”
Fair enough.
With that face, Bae Sejin was convinced, and Kim Rae bin half believed it too.
“And.”
Park Mundae turned to Kim Rae bin and stared.
“......!”
“I find Sejin hyung’s list of professions quite convincing.”
“Yeah.”
“Not sure if that’s a Lawyer ability, though.”
“Hey!”
Ignoring Bae Sejin’s protests, Park Mundae challenged Kim Rae bin.
“So, Raebin. Are you sure you’re a Journalist?”
“......”
Silence fell. He bit his lip.
‘Is this it?’
Just as Kim Rae bin was about to speak—
“Wait! We lost sight of our goal!”
“...!”
This time Cha Yoo jin interrupted, eyes blazing.
“Our goal is to find the sacrifice and the culprit. So what matters is something else.”
“Huh?”
“What is it?”
Cha Yoo jin asked bluntly.
“How did the card exchanges happen?”
“...!”
“The important thing is the sequence! We need everyone’s info. Don’t pre-judge anyone, or you’ll be biased.”
“Hmm....”
Park Mundae summarized.
“So you mean we should map out all the exchanges first.”
“Yes!”
“...That makes sense.”
Many nodded, but Park Mundae added calmly,
“But I think it’s still wise to keep suspicion. It seemed like Yoo jin was covering for Raebin.”
“Ha?”
“I agree~”
“Right. Let’s map the exchange history and then grill Raebin.”
“...Understood!”
Kim Rae bin nodded firmly.
He decided to do everything he could. He hadn’t forgotten his profile’s advice:
– It’s best to hide your identity.
“Okay, let’s organize it.”
Meanwhile, the members began sequencing what they’d witnessed at the front door panel.
“First was Seon Ah hyun ↔ Park Mundae.”
“Yes.”
“Then Cha Yoo jin ↔ Ryu Cheong woo.”
After that, the announcement sounded, and they returned to their rooms to check cards...
Then.
“In the late game, that was it?”
“Seems so.”
Summarized:
------------------=
[Midgame announcement]
- Ryu Cheong woo ↔ Bae Sejin
- Cha Yoo jin ↔ Park Mundae
------------------=
Exactly four exchanges.
“The person with the coin was in front. The one who initiated.”
“Got it!”
Kim Rae bin nodded.
“Hyungs—claiming you were just heating chicken but you still exchanged! Were you sneaking off~?”
“You were causing a ruckus! I did it when you were in the bathroom. Everyone else saw.”
“My goodness.”
Nearby, another banter broke out, but he focused.
‘Then the culprit is among us... is that what they see?’
Still, that left five.
Trapped in this bizarre situation—including himself hiding his profession—Kim Rae bin felt dizzy.
“Um, anyone else exchanged besides those mentioned?”
Keun Sejin’s question was met with silence. His smile deepened.
“Then... at midgame, who had the sacrifice card? That mark!”
“.......”
No answer yet.
Then—
“I know.”
“...!”
Cha Yoo jin’s eyes gleamed as he raised his hand.
“At midgame, the person with the sacrifice card is Mafia.”
“...!”
“Because they didn’t exchange, meaning they don’t want to reveal their exchange history.”
If they weren’t the culprit, they’d surely cooperate and reveal who they traded with.
“Oh...!”
The members murmured in awe.
But then.
“That could be the opposite, Yoo jin!”
“Umm?”
Kim Rae bin spoke carefully.
“The person with the sacrifice card may have stayed silent, and thus still be the sacrifice.”
“Oh,”
The sacrifice survives if the Mafia guess fails.
There was a reason for the sacrifice to keep silent!
“But the sacrifice is Scholar here~”
Keun Sejin suddenly said, as if recalling.
“Would the viewers vote for Scholar as a profession to kill? They’d pick something more eye-catching. Right, Mun Dae Mun Dae?”
“That’s true.”
Park Mundae nodded lightly, and Bae Sejin agreed.
“Yeah, Park Mundae said Detective or Clown would get the first vote.”
“Mm, yes.”
So the culprit is definitely among the exchangers.
“Ah~ but it could still be someone who exchanged early and kept the card.”
“...!”
“Then Raebin was the sacrifice, like you said!”
At that moment.
“Oh...!”
“...?”
Seon Ah hyun covered his mouth.
‘What’s happening?’
Kim Rae bin was about to ask then saw Seon Ah hyun’s pale face.
“It was me.”
“...??”
“I think I passed the sacrifice to Mun Dae.”
Seon Ah hyun said, white as a sheet.
“I’m... the Detective.”
“......!!”
He straightened up.
“But Mun Dae isn’t Scholar. So I passed the sacrifice mark to someone who said they’re Scholar.”
“......”
Kim Rae bin checked the exchange list.
After midgame,
- Cha Yoo jin ↔ Park Mundae
“...!”
If this was true...
‘No way.’
Cha Yoo jin was the sacrifice.
‘Mun Dae is the culprit, Cha Yoo jin is the sacrifice, Scholar!’
Realizing he didn’t know Cha Yoo jin’s profession, Kim Rae bin clenched his fist.
‘If that’s right... should I act?’
He was still looking for a chance to use his “profession ability”:
– If you correctly shoot the culprit, you can die in their place.
Culprit shot.
Yes.
Kim Rae bin’s profession was Sheriff.
- Cha Yoo jin ↔ Park Mundae
