Liar Game

The network’s board of directors are calling to axe the show or change producers, which is where Seunghyun draws the line. He won’t allow either of those things to happen, and points to the fact that jvN’s stocks have risen over 60%. What does Director Kim Seung-woo think will happen if the show is cancelled?
Even if Director Kim Seung-woo agrees, he still cites that Sunhwa, the nation’s sweetheart, will be eliminated in the second round without Joon. “What if he comes back?” Seung-hyun offers. Director Kim Seung-woo is stunned when Seunghyun lays his cards out on the table: What will it take to avoid disciplinary action against their show?
It’s clear that Seung-hyun’s favorite would-be player is Joon, but that’s not who Director Kim wants to win the game. Nor does he want Sunhwa. He wants someone of his choosing to win, which would rig the game. And that’s something PD Dasom won’t stand for.
Seung-hyun calms the impending fight between PD Dasom and Director Kim Seung-woo by agreeing to give Kim’s special contestant more of the limelight. Y’know, for entertainment value. It’s enough to appease the director, even though we don’t hear who his “special contestant” is.
Over a drink later, PD Dasom can only shake her head when it comes to Director Kim’s pick. She’s more concerned that their show will just turn scripted, but Seung-hyun isn’t so worried: “The reason the game is entertaining is because it doesn’t go according to plan.”
They share a sly smile over that, and PD Dasom is reassured. But when she asks Seunghyun why he stuck his neck out for her back there, he just smiles and cites good ol’ fashioned loyalty.
She knows that’s not all, and it isn’t—he expects them to be a team now, since the show is only going to get darker and they’ll have the reins to themselves now that they’ve made their deal with Director Kim.
“But why did you start this show?” PD Dasom asks. Seunghyun plays cute and claims it wasn’t him, but them who created it, even if she knows it’s a sugar-coated lie. Seunghyun pauses for a moment before saying, “We’re building the Colosseum of our era.”
When PD Dasom draws a connection between the Colosseum and Rome’s eventual ruin, Seunghyun almost seems excited at the idea. “Is that right? Then film it all on camera yourself until that moment of ruin.”
Sunhwa is asked for autographs while working her part-time job at the coffee shop, and demurs whenever Joon’s name is brought up. She gets a call from the Liar Game Robot while debating whether to call him instructing her where to go for the start of the second round.
She shows up for the broadcast the next day, where about half of the formerly forty contestants remain. But due to the darkness in the studio she’s unable to see who the other contestants are. Uh oh.
Seung-hyun announces that the prize for this round will be two million dollars, before pointing out that they’re missing one contestant… who he then introduces late for dramatic effect. It’s Joon.
Sunhwa actually seems happy Joon is there, but when she asks him questions he cuts her off with a swift: “Don’t make any assumptions. We’re enemies now.”
The contestants are loaded onto buses to transport them to the second round location, and though it’s clear Sunhwa wants to sit next to Joon, she gives him space and sits next to a bespectacled girl named "Miryo".
Miryo explains that while she planned to use statistics and sheer brain power to get through the first round, she ended up winning because her opponent got disqualified after physically assaulting her.
However, she claims that getting hit was actually part of her (many, many) scenarios. “I’m not an easy opponent,” she smiles.
One of the other contestants is shot down after he tries to play friendly, causing Sunhwa to wonder why there can’t be any niceties even if it’s a competition. That’s when Miryo asks her if she hasn’t heard of “Betrayer X,” who came in to help a participant only to fool her and join the game himself. Sunhwa doesn’t seem to consider Joon as a possible candidate.
After having their personal phones replaced with Liar Game Only phones, the contestants are led into a room to watch as Seunghyun gives them the parameters for the game: They’re not allowed to take a step outside the building, which houses the courtroom they’re all currently standing in.
Since the round is called “Minority Game,” it’s pretty self-explanatory. While the majority makes democracy go ‘round, this game rewards the side with less voters. One participant will be randomly chosen to ask a yes or no question, while each player will be given a “yes” or “no” card.
The goal is, then, to vote for the side you think will be the losing side, only you won’t know if everyone else will think the same and in so doing make the losing side the winning side. Whoever makes it to the end will win two million dollars, and if there’s a tie, the winnings will be split.
Seunghyun runs a practice round just to get everyone acquainted with the game, and asks a simple question: “Are you a woman?” While Sunhwa smiles that this’ll be easier than she thought -because the women there were less than the men..., Joon doesn’t look as convinced.
When the results are in, Sunhwa is shocked to find that she voted yes like the majority of contestants, and is not among the five contestants who would’ve gotten to move on in the round if it wasn’t just practice. Apparently she hasn’t understood the game yet, but Miryo and Joon did by figuring that everyone would vote “yes” because there are less women, and so they voted the opposite.
Now that they all should’ve gotten the gist, Seunghyun officially introduces everyone to the start of the second round, where the truth matters less than voting with the minority. This time, when they get a question, they’ll have time to think it over before giving their answer.
He picks the first questioner, a gangster who calls himself BULLDOG(Siwon). So the yes or no statement Siwon asks the others is: “I have killed a person before.”
While Seunghyun finishes his end of the staged broadcast, PD Dasom doesn’t bother to correct Director Kim Seung-woo when he incorrectly assumes that Joon entered the game because of money. Once a swindler, always a swindler, right?
There’s a lot of quiet in the courtroom while everyone thinks on which card they’ll submit, and Sunhwa proves she’s learned nothing from the first game when she tries talking to Miryo like they’re friends and not competitors.
But still, they agree to use the time they’ve been given to feel out the other competitors and maybe see which way they’re thinking of voting. Everyone else is doing the same thing, but it soon becomes clear that some contestants are trying to lie in order to influence the others. Of course—why else would they be playing this game in a show called Liar Game?

Notes

Hey!!!
I came up with a new chapter...enjoy!!!♥♥