• Chapter 48 – The Game of Geniuses (7)

After losing the first round, Hong Juho instinctively realized this game was going to be tough.

“We probably should’ve just bought a hint from the start.”

Dojoon’s team had correctly guessed all four digits—clearly, they’d bought the three-gem hint and figured out the pattern with certainty.

“We need to buy one now. If they slip up, we might have a shot at coming back.”

Hearing that, Hong Juho nodded, accepting reality.

“Guess we don’t have much choice.”

With that, Lee Sangmoon headed toward the dealer room to purchase a hint.

But standing in his way was Dojoon.

It was obvious to anyone—he was blocking the entrance deliberately.

“Dojoon, can you move? I need to buy a hint.”

Sangmoon asked politely, but Dojoon didn’t budge. That refusal darkened Sangmoon’s expression.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m doing this for you, hyung. It’s pointless for you to buy the hint.”

Dojoon’s confident statement made Sangmoon’s eyes narrow.

“What are you talking about?”

“Even if you see the hint, you won’t be able to solve the problem.”

He wasn’t guessing—he was certain.

Still, Sangmoon couldn’t just take him at his word.

“How do I know you’re not lying?”

“Then buy it from me instead. I’ll give you the same hint for just two gems. That’s a whole gem off the price!”

Dojoon’s offer piqued Sangmoon’s interest.

But his eyes still held caution.

“Make it one.”

“No can do. Two gems. But I’ll throw in the answer to round two. And if I’m wrong, I’ll give the gems back.”

It was too good a deal to pass up.

Sangmoon had nothing to lose.

“Fine. I’ll take it.”

He handed over two gems.

Dojoon smiled slyly.

“The answer to the next round is 6535. The hint? It’s pi—also known as π.”

“As in… 3.14 and so on?”

“Exactly.”

Sangmoon shut his eyes tightly.

Dojoon was right. No one on Sangmoon’s team would’ve solved that.

“For the record, I memorized the first hundred digits of pi for fun. So… yeah, there’s no chance I’m wrong.”

With that, Dojoon had effectively declared victory.

It was practically set—Lee Sangmoon and Hong Juho would be heading to the Death Match.

Sangmoon’s expression was one of total resignation.

“I better get ready for the Death Match.”

He turned to leave, but Dojoon stopped him.

“Hyung. How many gems do you have left?”

“Why? Planning to take them since I might get eliminated?”

Despite Sangmoon’s sharp tone, Dojoon kept a warm smile.

“I’m not that kind of scumbag.”

“Then what?”

“You have seven gems, right?”

The fact that Dojoon knew exactly how many he had made Sangmoon flinch inwardly.

“Yeah. So?”

“Give them all to me, and I’ll drop out of this round. I’ll also give you the answers for all the upcoming rounds. Even if I end up in the Death Match, I won’t choose you.”

“What?!”

The offer was shocking.

“Think about it. If I lose, I won’t drag you down with me. If I win, you’ve got all the answers handed to you. Win-win.”

It was a no-brainer.

Sangmoon had already pegged the Top 4 as the biggest hurdle.

No one left was easy to beat.

But if he made it to the Top 3, the odds would shift in his favor.

“Dojoon will probably win the next main match anyway…”

That would pit Park Haneul against him in the Death Match—a far easier opponent than Dojoon.

“Worst case, I place second. If Dojoon ends up in the Death Match with Juho and gets eliminated…”

If Juho could somehow take Dojoon out, even better.

As Sangmoon ran the possibilities in his head, Dojoon calmly added pressure.

“If you don’t take the deal, I’ll offer it to Juho instead.”

That sealed it.

“Alright. I’m in.”

Sangmoon handed over all seven gems.

Dojoon provided the answers for the remaining rounds. As they parted ways—

“Dojoon.”

“Yes?”

“Why me? You could’ve made the offer to Juho.”

It didn’t quite make sense.

Sangmoon had been the one constantly cornering Dojoon.

There was no reason for Dojoon to favor him.

“Simple. You had seven gems. Juho had five. Two more is a better deal for me.”

It was a straightforward, calculating reason.

Sangmoon nodded in reluctant understanding.

Everyone knew how obsessively Dojoon had chased after gems from the start.

At first, he seemed like just another crazy kid blinded by the prize money.

“Good thing I had more than Juho.”

Relieved, Sangmoon turned and headed back to his room.

The rest of the game played out… one-sidedly.

Sangmoon told Juho the answer to round two—then left him behind.

From then on, he kept all of Dojoon’s answers to himself.

Juho watched, disappointed.

“How could you throw me away like that?”

“Sorry, man. I have to survive too.”

Backstabbing was ugly, but it was part of survival.

Juho understood… but it still stung when it happened to him.

That’s when he noticed something strange.

“It’s round nine… and Dojoon still only has one point?”

Juho also had just one point.

“If I win this next one, I’ll avoid elimination—barely.”

But considering the secret deal between Dojoon and Sangmoon, he figured he’d still be the one targeted.

Park Haneul was most likely to win overall.

“Still… there’s always a chance, right?”

And then—

“Round 10 results: The correct answers were submitted by Park Haneul, Lee Sangmoon, and Hong Juho. Each gains one point.”

“Wait—Juho got it right?!”

Sangmoon realized Juho must’ve used his four remaining coins to buy the answer at the last minute.

“That means… Dojoon’s the only one left with a single point.”

Even so, Sangmoon trusted their deal.

Dojoon had promised not to pick him.

Breaking a fair trade would lead to harsh criticism from viewers.

Considering the optics, Sangmoon felt safe.

“He’ll keep his word.”

The 10 rounds came to an end.

Park Haneul, with a perfect score, finished with 10 points.

Sangmoon answered every round except the first—earning 9.

Juho scored in round 2 and then one final time at the end—ending with 2 points.

Dojoon, as promised, stopped playing after the first round—finishing with 1.

“The winner is Park Haneul. She is granted immunity from the Death Match. The elimination candidate is Kim Dojoon, who has the lowest score.”

All eyes turned to Dojoon.

“Mr. Kim Dojoon… will you be using an item?”

The sudden shift in tone caught everyone off guard.

“Wait, what? An item?!”

No one was more shocked than Sangmoon.

“No way…”

He remembered a hidden hint he couldn’t find—despite scouring the mansion.

The only unexplored place was the jail.

But since Sangmoon had won nearly every match, he’d never gone there.

“Damn it…! The clue was in the jail all along!”

A chill ran down his spine.

Dojoon grinned and pulled a slip of paper from his pocket.

“Yes. I’d like to use the Elimination Candidate Swap.”

“Elimination Candidate Swap?!”

The name said it all.

Normally, the lowest scorer is the elimination candidate and selects an opponent for the Death Match.

But this item flipped the script.

“If I’m right…”

Sangmoon looked at Dojoon—who wore a faint, wicked smile.

And he knew.

“I’ve been had!!”

“I’m changing the elimination candidate from myself to Hong Juho.”

“Kim Dojoon has used the item. As a result, Hong Juho is now the elimination candidate. He cannot choose Kim Dojoon or Park Haneul for the Death Match, due to immunity.”

Sangmoon immediately understood the implication.

“Therefore, the Death Match will be between Hong Juho and Lee Sangmoon. Both players, please proceed to the Death Match Room.”

Sangmoon turned beet red, glaring at Dojoon like he wanted to kill him.

“Kim Dojoon!! You lied to me!”

“No, I kept my promise.”

“What?!”

“I never said I wouldn’t send you to the Death Match. I said if I became the candidate, I wouldn’t choose you. That’s exactly what I did.”

Sangmoon was stunned.

Dojoon was technically right.

It was a stretch—but he’d never promised more than that.

“There was only one person left. I had no choice.”

Dojoon looked unapologetically smug.

Sangmoon fumed, but the host intervened.

“Further conflict will result in penalties. Mr. Lee Sangmoon and Mr. Hong Juho, please proceed to the Death Match Room now.”

Sangmoon left, gritting his teeth and glaring all the way.

Dojoon looked utterly unbothered.

Meanwhile, Park Haneul frowned.

“I hope Juho wins.”

“Why?”

“If Sangmoon comes back… it’ll be terrifying.”

“Really? I hope he does come back.”

“What? Why?”

Dojoon answered calmly.

“It’s not enough yet. I’m not done repaying him.”

“W-What?”

“I may not repay kindness, but I return grudges tenfold. That’s my rule.”

He genuinely hoped Sangmoon would return.

Because Dojoon was dead serious about revenge.

At the same time…

PD Jeon Jonghyun was watching the results unfold on camera.

“This is insane! I can’t believe Dojoon pulled the rug out from under Sangmoon like that!”

Watching Sangmoon get dragged into the Death Match gave him goosebumps.

The camera zoomed in on Dojoon’s face.

“He’s a total monster.”

Jeon thought back to when he first saw Dojoon’s application—pushed by someone upstairs.

His resume was stellar—so good, it was hard to even call it a “favor.”

But still, he was just a high schooler.

“I underestimated him, big time.”

Jeon hadn’t taken Dojoon seriously at first.

Book smarts didn’t translate to survival games.

He thought Dojoon was just a disposable side character.

But he turned out to be a monster.

“His story arc is incredible.”

And that made Jeon nervous.

If Dojoon stumbled even once, the entire narrative could fall apart.

To finish this story perfectly, Dojoon had to win.

“With just a little seasoning… Season 2 will be a hit.”

The villainous Sangmoon vs. the lone hero Dojoon.

It was textbook.

Predictable—but the kind of drama viewers loved most.

People always welcomed a new hero.

So Jeon silently prayed.

“Come on, Dojoon… finish strong. If you win, I’ll push you to the top!”

A producer secretly rooting for a contestant—an ironic twist.

For the first time in his life, Jeon Jonghyun was genuinely cheering for someone.