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luxerians · 5 months ago

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The Last Mask (16)

Hwang In-ho/Oh Young-il/Player 001 x Reader

Chapter 16 - Caught You

Story Masterlist

NEXT : Chapter 17.1

PREV : Chapter 15

The fourth game finally ended after twelve grueling rounds. In total, 49 players were eliminated. It was supposed to be 48, as only four players were meant to be eliminated in each round, but one round had five players caught in the elimination zone. They couldn’t come to a unanimous decision about who would be spared, and as a result, all five were executed.

You and soldier 011 had put your masks back on – you in your square mask and her in her triangle one. The players had left and descended the stairs back to the dormitory. Only you, manager 009, and several circle guards remained in the game location. The workers quietly cleaned the conveyor belt, erasing the blood and tidying up the room.

Once everything was in order, you and manager 009 left the area, walking through the labyrinth of corridors. The silence between you was heavy, but it didn’t last long.

“Where’s 019?” manager 009 asked.

You kept your gaze forward, your voice calm and steady in disguise. “Not sure. They should’ve been back by now.”

Manager 009 didn’t press further, and the conversation ended there. The two of you continued toward the control room in silence.

When you entered, the first thing you noticed was the Front Man standing in the center of the room. The screen displaying the pictures of the surviving players glowed brightly beneath him. Beside him stood the masked officer as they both gazed at the massive screens showing live feeds of the dormitory.

Your eyes scanned the room, and you spotted manager 009 walking towards their previous station. Taking that as a green light, you made your way to your own monitor and sat down.

Just as you settled into your seat, the double doors leading to the dormitory slid open, breaking the tense silence of the room. The sound drew everyone’s attention. A manager flanked by 16 soldiers marched in and they took their positions in front of the door.

You realized what was coming next. It was time to announce the results of the fourth game: the number of players eliminated, the remaining survivors, and the updated total of the accumulated prize money.

The manager announced, “Congratulations to all of you for making it through the fourth game. Here are the results of the fourth game.”

The dormitory lights dimmed, casting the room into an eerie semi-darkness. The only illumination came from the glowing piggy bank suspended near the ceiling. All eyes were drawn upward as stacks of bills cascaded into the transparent container. The players watched, some with awe, others with blank stares, as the money continued to fill the bank.

When the flow of money stopped, the manager’s voice echoed again, cutting through the silence. “49 players were eliminated in the fourth game. The prize money accumulated up to this point is 43.2 billion won. Since there are 24 players remaining, each person’s share would be 1.8 billion won.”

A ripple of reactions swept through the room. Half of the players erupted into gasps of delight, their voices rising in excitement.

“Wow!” one player exclaimed, their face lighting up as if they could already feel the weight of the cash in their hands.

The jubilation of some players stood in sharp contrast to the shock etched on the faces of others. Gi-hun’s team, in particular, exchanged flabbergasted glances. Jun-hee and the mother were looking at the floor, still in shock about their near-death experience. Gi-hun’s jaw clenched, his gaze flickering between the piggy bank and the delighted players. Dae-ho’s expression was pale and distant.

However, Yong-sik and Jung-bae initially looked somewhat elated to hear the announcement, faint smiles creeping onto their faces. However, one stern glance from the mother to Yong-sik and from Gi-hun to Jung-bae caused both of them to restrain themselves, quickly lowering their smiles as guilt and unease replaced their fleeting excitement.

The manager continued. “You will now take a vote to decide whether to continue the games or not.”

As the announcement hung in the air, a line of circle guards – the workers – entered the room. They set up the familiar voting counter at the front of the dormitory.

The manager added, “The vote will be held in reverse order of your player numbers. Player 456.”

Slowly, all eyes turned to Gi-hun. Whispers rippled through the group as they recognized him not only as the previous winner of these games but also as the one who had instigated the failed uprising against the game management. Some players stared at him with a mixture of awe and resentment, while others seemed to hold him responsible for the chaos and loss they had endured.

Gi-hun stood stoic, his jaw tight as if he was aware of the silent scrutiny bearing down on him. He then moved out of the crowd of players and headed towards the voting counter.

Behind your mask, you frowned in concern. Gi-hun must be blaming himself for almost everything, including the deaths of Young-il and other players. You knew he was kind and selfless, but when he became adamant about something, he could cross into selfishness. It was either that, or he had a heavy hero complex, or a gambling addiction, or he hadn’t yet realized the full impact his actions had on others. Even so, you couldn’t help but think he didn’t deserve the silent judgment radiating from the other players.

Gi-hun reached the voting counter and stopped. He stared at it for what felt like an eternity. The players behind him began exchanging confused glances, whispers rippling through the group. Even you felt a flicker of bafflement behind your mask. Gi-hun, the one who had tirelessly urged everyone to quit the games, the one who had orchestrated the failed revolt against the management, was actually hesitating?

What is he doing? you thought, your pulse quickening. He never hesitated to press X before. Why is he taking his time now?

Gi-hun’s hands hovered over the buttons, but he didn’t move. Then, his gaze slowly lifted. His scowl deepened, and his eyes locked onto one of the CCTVs in the dormitory. The intensity of his glare made your breath hitch. From the control room, one screen now displayed a clear feed of him staring directly into the lens. It wasn’t just a look of defiance; it was a challenge, a silent declaration to the management that he wasn’t finished. It was as if he wanted to show them that his fight wasn’t over – that he still had more to give.

You glanced at the Front Man, who remained as still as a statue in the center of the control room. His attention was fixed on the screen as if he too was assessing Gi-hun’s intent. The tension in the air was suffocating, the room silent except for the faint hum of the monitors.

After what felt like an eternity, Gi-hun lowered his gaze back to the voting counter. His jaw tightened as he raised his hand and pressed the X button. A lighter ping echoed through both the dormitory and the control room, signaling his vote. Without looking at anyone, he turned and walked to the X zone.

The voting process continued. One by one, the players approached the counter to cast their decision. Jung-bae, Dae-ho, Se-mi, player 333, Jun-hee, the mother, Hyun-ju, and Yong-sik all voted for X. You knew they would vote for the right thing. Including Gi-hun, that made a total of nine X votes. It gave you a glimmer of hope that you all could finally leave this place.

But the other players, they voted for O. Among them were the greedy old man with a ten-billion debt (100), his equally greedy underling (226), the late Thanos’ friend (124), and the shaman (044). Their choice was no surprise, but what angered you more was how they whispered and schemed during the process, influencing the undecided voters with hushed conversations and manipulative gestures.

In the end, the results were announced: [X: 11 | O: 13]. The outcome sent a wave of crushing disappointment through you. It had been so close to a tie, so painfully close to everyone finally going back home. To you, disguised as manager 007, the result felt like a punch to the gut.

The 13 players in the O zone erupted into hollers of delight and triumph. Their cheers filled the dormitory, their voices dripping with greed and selfishness. It didn’t matter to them that Jun-hee was pregnant. That fact had become apparent to many since the fourth game, but it didn’t sway their decision. They couldn’t care less about forcing a pregnant woman to stay here longer for the sake of their greed. Behind your mask, you furrowed your eyebrows in indignation.

From the corner of your eye, you noticed a movement. Glancing over, you saw the masked officer turning to face you. His voice, distorted by the mask, rang out. “Manager 007 and 009, continue with your next task.”

Manager 009 rose from their seat without hesitation. You mirrored their movement, rising and following them as they moved toward the back of the center. The two of you positioned yourselves behind the masked officer and the Front Man, standing like a pair of bodyguards.

The Front Man’s gaze remained fixed on the live feeds of the dormitory. Everyone could feel it, including yourself. His commanding presence that demanded respect and fear in equal measure. You stared at him from behind your square mask, your mind drifting back to the conversation you had with 011 during the fourth game.

***

[Flashback begins…]

“What do you mean he will spare me?” you asked, your voice hushed but sharp with confusion. Behind your triangle mask, your eyes widened, trying to process the weight of 011’s words. The two of you were still disguising as one another – you wearing her triangle mask, and 011 now donning your square one.

011 hesitated, a rare pause that betrayed her own uncertainty. She didn’t meet your gaze as she finally spoke. “I’ve worked under him as a pink guard for years. In all that time, I’ve never seen him issue an order like this. Telling the guards not to shoot a specific player. He’s strict, but it’s always been about fairness. He treats guards and players with the same rules. That’s why I think… even if you reveal yourself to him, he might spare you.”

Her words hung in the air, leaving you reeling. You stayed quiet, mulling over what she’d said. The idea of revealing yourself to the Front Man… Could you trust that he’d spare you? And even if he did, at what cost?

“Do you know what he would do to me if he finds me?” you asked, your curiosity laced with unease.

011 answered, “No. I don’t. But I’ve heard whispers among the guards. Rumors that it might have something to do with the VIPs. Not sure if it's true or not.”

You furrowed your eyebrows beneath the mask. “VIPs?”

She hesitated again, the silence stretching just a moment too long. Whether she regretted bringing it up or was unsure herself, you couldn’t tell.

“You could think of them as investors,” she finally said, her tone quieter now. “They fund this operation. They’re the ones who ensure it keeps going. That’s what I know so far. And from what I’ve heard, they watch these games regularly. For their entertainment.”

Your skin prickled with fear, the mere thought sending an icy wave down your spine. One thought sprang to mind almost instantly. You could be handed over to these so-called VIPs. Sold to them, perhaps. The idea made your stomach churn.

Before you could fully process the implications, Gyeong-seok’s voice broke the tense silence.

“They’re watching us?” he asked, his alarm palpable even through the distortion of his triangle mask. “Could it be that one of the VIPs likes her? And that’s why there’s an order not to shoot her?”

His words made your blood run cold. A fresh wave of fear surged through you, twisting in your chest like a vice. Your hands trembled uncontrollably and you promptly hugged them to your chest, trying to steady yourself. The thought of being singled out – not for safety, but for something darker – made your heart race with dread.

“That’s…” you started, your voice faltering. “That can’t be it. Right?”

011 seemed hesitant, her voice quieter than before as she replied, “I’m not sure. If you ask me, I don’t think that’s the case. But it’s best to stay safe and alert.”

Her words did little to calm your nerves. You sat there, mulling over everything she’d said. Fear and apprehension tightened in your chest. The thought of being under constant scrutiny – while you were supposed to guard the Front Man – made your stomach churn, but an even darker fear gnawed at you: what if you were being reserved for one of the VIPs? The possibility sent a chill through your veins. You couldn’t let yourself get caught, not by him or anyone else who might have plans for you beyond this nightmare.

“What should I do then?” you asked, your voice low and uncertain. “I’m going to be his guard soon enough.”

When 011 spoke, her tone was solemn. “Try to adapt as fast as possible. Do not speak unless you’re spoken to. Whatever he tells you to do, just do it. And always be on alert. Watch everything. Listen to everything. He doesn’t tolerate mistakes.”

You nodded, taking in her advice even as the apprehension gnawed at you. This wasn’t just about survival anymore. It was about navigating a dangerous, unpredictable situation with a man who held absolute power over everyone here.

“Does he really need guards?” Gyeong-seok asked, his tone curious and innocent, as though the thought had just occurred to him.

011 glanced at him briefly before answering. “It’s customary to have two managers with him wherever he goes. He has a lot of tasks to oversee, and the managers assist with those duties. It’s as much about maintaining order as it is about support.”

Her explanation was straightforward, but it only added to your apprehension. You couldn’t afford to make a single mistake, not when you were walking such a thin line. And above all, you couldn’t shake the feeling that the Front Man’s presence was more than just commanding. It was suffocating, like he could see straight through any disguise you wore.

[Flashback ends…]

***

Back to the present, you and manager 009 waited in silence, standing for a few minutes as the Front Man surveyed the live feeds and ensured every operation was running smoothly. His imposing figure was still, his masked face tilted slightly toward the screens as if scrutinizing every detail with precision.

Then, without warning, he spun around, striding toward the exit and eventually walking past you both. Manager 009 immediately fell into step behind him, and you quickly followed. The two of you flanked and followed the Captain as he descended into the labyrinth of colorful stairs, the vibrancy of the walls contrasting sharply with the dark-coloured control room.

The three of you arrived at the armory, a large, sterile room lined with racks of weapons. Rows of MP5 guns, pistols, and other equipment were neatly arranged. Multiple circle guards were stationed throughout the room, diligently performing tasks such as logging weapon serial numbers, testing firing mechanisms, and cleaning the firearms. Overseeing them was another manager who moved diligently between stations.

“Status report on the firearms,” the Captain commanded, his distorted voice filling the room.

The manager stepped forward and answered, “All weapons are accounted for, Captain. The inventory has been cross-checked, and all MP5s have been resecured. Pistols have been redistributed to guards as per protocol.”

The Captain gave a curt nod and turned to 009. “Ensure the biometric systems have been fully calibrated. Test random samples to verify their functionality.”

“Yes, Captain,” 009 replied, moving toward one of the nearby stations where guards were monitoring the equipment.

You stood quietly, waiting. The Captain’s gaze swept over the room before it landed on you.

“007,” he said finally, “verify the safeties on the pistols. Ensure they’re properly engaged.”

The task was very simple, and you couldn't be more glad. You nodded and moved toward the rack of pistols. You meticulously checked each one, toggling the safeties to confirm they were engaged. It took only a few minutes to complete and then you returned back to stand behind him.

Once 009 finished their task and the armory was taken care of, the Captain led the way through another series of corridors, descending a staircase until you reached a room marked with no identifying signage. The door slid open, revealing a sprawling IT hub filled with rows of computers and massive screens lining the walls. Workers in circle masks sat at the terminals, their fingers flying across keyboards as they edited and managed live feeds from across the facility. One manager was present, walking slowly as they supervised everything.

The Captain strode into the room, his presence commanding immediate attention. “Report.”

The manager straightened up and informed, “All live feeds are edited and being transmitted to the VIPs as scheduled. Editing for clarity and focus is underway. No interruptions have been detected.”

“Good,” the Captain replied. He turned to manager 009. “Check every videos that have been transferred online. Ensure the footage meets the required standards for transmission.”

“Yes, Captain,” 009 said, immediately moving to one of the editing stations.

The Captain’s masked face turned slightly in your direction, his geometrical mask facing you for a fleeting moment. Your breath hitched and you braced yourself inwardly, waiting for any task he would give to you. But instead of speaking, he simply turned away, his focus shifting back to the workers and the room’s activity.

You stood behind him, feeling tiny compared to his tall, strong figure. From where you were, you noticed the sharp lines of his coat and the way his gloved hands rested at his sides. He looked like he was completely in charge of everything, and even though neither of you said a word, it felt like the air between you was charged with some kind of energy. You couldn’t explain it, but it made you feel nervous, like he could see right through you without even speaking.

Your gaze drifted upward, catching the faint reflection of yourself in one of the monitors. Beneath the square mask, your heart pounded, your thoughts racing. Why had he looked at you? Why hadn’t he given you anything to do? Was he testing you?

“009,” the Captain’s voice broke the silence after a few minutes, deep and distorted as always. “Report.”

009 responded immediately, “The edits are nearly complete, Captain. All footage meets the standards for clarity and focus. There are no delays in the transmission to the VIPs.”

The Captain gave a small nod in approval. Before he could say more, his radio crackled briefly. The distorted voice of the masked officer came through. “Captain, there is a commotion among players in the hallway close to the restrooms.”

Your attention snapped to the conversation immediately. You straightened instinctively, your heartbeat picking up speed. The Captain gave no visible reaction, his body language calm and composed as he lifted the radio closer to his masked face. “Report.”

“Several O players started a fight against the X players,” the masked officer reported. “Some of them were player 124, 100, 388, 333, and 222.”

Your eyes widened beneath your mask, your breath catching in your throat. Player 222… Jun-hee. The image of her flashed in your mind. Her small, trembling form, her hands protectively cradling her pregnant belly. Fear surged through you. What is happening? Why is she involved?

The masked officer continued, “Do we intervene, captain? Further losses of players would ruin the next game.”

The Captain said nothing at first, the silence hanging heavy in the room. Then, he turned his masked face directly toward you. The weight of his gaze pinned you in place. Even though you couldn’t see his eyes, you felt as though he was peering straight into your thoughts. You stared back at him, your heart thudding loudly in your ears. You didn’t need him to say it. You already knew what he was about to ask.

“007,” the Captain finally said. “Go.”

You bowed your head respectfully. You spun on your heel and left the room in a calm demeanor. But as soon as you were out of sight, you quickened your pace, practically jogging as you navigated the labyrinth of colorful staircases.

Your heart pounded fiercely against your ribs, every beat a reminder of the urgency of the situation. The bright, almost whimsical colors of the walls felt jarring, out of place against the heavy dread settling over you. Jun-hee… what were they doing to her? Was she hurt? Was she safe? The thought of her, vulnerable and frightened, made your stomach churn. She didn’t deserve this.

As you descended another flight of stairs, two triangle guards appeared from a side corridor. They immediately fell into step behind you. You glanced over your shoulder briefly, your pulse spiking until you recognized the marks on their uniforms.

It was 011 and Gyeong-seok; the latter still disguised as soldiers. It seemed they had caught wind of the commotion. Their familiar presence sent a small wave of relief washing over you, though your anxiety remained. They flanked you without a word. The three of you moved as one, your pace quickening as you closed in on the hallway near the restrooms.

“This way,” 011 said softly, her voice barely audible beneath the hum of the facility. You were grateful for her guidance and you followed. Your focus was razor-sharp now. Whatever was happening, you had to get there. You had to protect Jun-hee and your friends. In this place, survival wasn’t just about making it through the games. It also meant defending yourself against players who had no qualms about killing one another.

The three of you arrived at the source of the commotion, the sound of shouting and scuffling growing louder with each step. The moment your gaze landed on the scene, you froze, your breath catching in your throat. Behind your square mask, your eyes widened in horror.

Player 124, the late Thanos’ friend, was towering over player 333, his fists flying with relentless fury. Each punch landed with a sickening thud, and player 333, sprawled on the floor, tried desperately to shield himself, his arms raised defensively. He couldn’t get up; the assault was unrelenting, leaving him completely at the mercy of his attacker.

Nearby, two more O players were savagely kicking another figure who was curled into a tight fetal position. His arms were wrapped protectively around his head, his knees pulled to his chest. You could clearly see his entire form trembling as if in extreme fear. From your vantage point, you couldn’t see who it was, but the viciousness of the attack made your stomach churn.

Then your eyes darted to Jun-hee, who was on the floor a few feet away. She was crawling, her trembling hands stretched out toward the man being kicked, as though trying to shield him despite her own fear and condition. Before she could reach him, one of the O players broke away from the group and stormed toward her, his face contorted with rage.

“You bitch!” he roared, his voice echoing off the walls. “You should’ve been dead! You should’ve been eliminated, and because of you, that round restarted and all my friends are gone!”

He must be referring to the Open, Dongdaemun game, when Jun-hee, the mother, and three other players were caught in the area of elimination and you restarted the round.

Jun-hee’s flushed face turned upward, tears streaking down her cheeks as she cradled her belly protectively. She froze, wide-eyed, as the man raised his fist, ready to strike.

But then something tugged at his ankle. The man staggered slightly, his focus snapping downward. There, on the floor, was Dae-ho. Blood dripped from his battered face, his nose swollen and bleeding, but his eyes burned with determination. Despite his injuries, despite the beating he’d already endured, he clung to the man’s ankle with all the strength he had left.

“Get away from her!” bellowed Dae-ho, his voice hoarse but unwavering.

The O player sneered, kicking at Dae-ho’s hand to free himself. Then another voice joined in, “You should’ve just stayed down!”

It was player 226. He stood beside player 100, who watched the chaos unfold with greedy and sickening enthusiasm. They were encouraging the Os to continue as they were content to let the others do their dirty work.

Player 226, his sneer widening, stepped forward and raised his leg, ready to drive his shoes into Dae-ho’s already bloodied face. However, you’d had enough.

Reaching for your revolver, you unlatched the safety in one smooth motion. Raising it to the ceiling, you fired a single shot. The deafening crack echoed through the hallway, silencing the chaos in an instant. Every head turned toward you, their expressions a mix of shock and fear as they registered the weapon in your hand.

“That’s enough,” you said, your voice distorted behind the mask but still commanding. The air around you seemed to shift as you stared down the O players who you knew for sure had started this bloody fist fight. 011 and Gyeong-seok were behind you, holding their MP5s at ready. For the first time, you felt... powerful.

Player 124 and the Os who had been beating and kicking player 333 and Dae-ho backed away immediately, retreating toward the wall. Player 333 and Dae-ho, battered and bruised, struggled to their feet. Blood smeared their faces, hands, and uniforms as they limped to stand protectively in front of Jun-hee, who was still trembling near the opposite wall. Her hands were tightly cradling her belly, tears streaking her flushed face.

“Hey!” player 100’s voice rang out, filled with indignation. He jabbed a finger in your direction, his fury evident in the way his eyes widened like saucers unevenly. “Why are you interrupting us?! Aren’t you supposed to just stand aside and let us be?! Why are you stopping us now, of all times?!”

For a moment, the hallway fell silent except for the heavy breathing of the injured players. All eyes were on you, waiting for your response. You felt the weight of their stares. Behind your square mask, your mind raced to formulate an answer that would justify your interference while maintaining the facade of authority.

You stood still for a moment, your thoughts racing behind the mask. You knew that the players weren’t the only ones watching you. Somewhere, the guards in the control room were likely observing through the CCTV too. You had to justify yourself to everyone.

Then again, the Captain had told you to “go”. That must have been a green light to intervene, right? You gripped the revolver in your hand tightly, resolving to follow through with his unspoken directive.

“Unnecessary fights will no longer be tolerated,” you stated, your voice calm but firm. “The total number of players is already critically low for the next game. Any further disruptions will jeopardize the next game to run smoothly.”

“Tolerated?” player 100’s voice rang out, laced with mockery and anger. He stepped forward slightly in defiance. “Since when do you care about what’s tolerated? You guards didn’t care when people were dying during lights out, did you? What changed now?”

011 raised her MP5 slightly, the weapon’s barrel glinting under the harsh lights of the hallway. Her voice cut through the rising tension, calm yet carrying an unmistakable edge. “Listen to the order, 100.”

“Order?” player 100’s voice rose, echoing through the hallway. “Give me a break! You didn’t care about ‘order’ when people were dying left and right during lights out. What’s so different now? Is it because there is a pregnant woman here?”

“The difference is,” you said, still calm, “your fist fight jeopardizes the next game. Further disruptions won’t be tolerated.”

“Jeopardizes the games?” he spat, stepping forward slightly. “What, because one player’s pregnant? Is that it? Are we supposed to pretend like there’s no special treatment here? Because it sure looks like there is.”

Your grip on the revolver tightened slightly, but your tone remained controlled. “The rules apply to everyone equally. Any player, pregnant or not, who participates in the games is subject to the same conditions. Your actions, however, directly endanger the balance of the competition.”

“Don’t make me laugh!” player 100 shouted, gesturing wildly. “We’re all fighting to survive, and now you expect us to play fair? Give me a break. You think you can scare me? You think that gun in your hand gives you power over us?”

Your patience, already stretched thin, finally snapped. Without a word, you strode forward, your shoes striking the floor with deliberate force. The revolver in your right hand glinted faintly. Player 100 faltered, his bluster evaporating as you closed the distance between you and him.

When you were mere inches away, you stopped, your masked face level with his. The air between you crackled with tension, and the other players shrank back, their eyes wide as they watched the confrontation unfold.

“Do you have a problem listening to orders, 100?” you asked, your voice low and cutting. The question hung in the air like a blade.

Player 100 stumbled back a step, his bravado completely gone. His gaze darted to the revolver in your hand, then back to your mask. For a moment, he looked like he might try to retort, but the words never came. Instead, he glared you up and down and muttered something under his breath.

He then turned around and stormed off. Player 226 shot you a stinky side-eye before following player 100. The rest of the O players trailed behind, with player 124 flicking off player 333 as he left.

Once the O players disappeared down the hallway, you turned your attention to player 333, Dae-ho, and Jun-hee. The two men immediately checked on Jun-hee, their concern evident.

“You okay?” Dae-ho asked gently.

Jun-hee nodded but then looked at him with worry. “But you… you're bleeding.”

Dae-ho quickly shook his head, forcing a grin. “I’m fine. This is nothing.”

“Like I said,” player 333 spoke up, his voice firm but calm, “we can’t let you go to the bathroom alone. It’s better to have two men with you at all times. Everyone now knows you’re pregnant.”

“But, Myung-gi…” Jun-hee’s voice softened as she turned her gaze to him. “You’re hurt too.”

So his name is Myung-gi, you thought, filing the information away.

Myung-gi straightened his lips and gave her a small nod, his tone reassuring. “I’m fine. Let’s go back.”

The three of them turned toward you and the other triangle guards, preparing to leave. As they began to walk past you, Jun-hee suddenly winced, her steps faltering slightly as her hand swiftly moved to her belly.

Your hand shot up instinctively, steadying her by placing it lightly on her shoulder. Jun-hee froze momentarily but avoided meeting your gaze, murmuring softly, “Thanks…”

You urged her calmly as your hand subconsciously brushed gently over the top of her head, smoothing her hair back toward her neck, “Go.”

Jun-hee’s reaction was immediate. Her wide eyes snapped to your masked face, her expression filled with surprise, almost disbelief. Her stare lingered, and for a moment, you felt a flicker of confusion. Why was she looking at you like that?

“Jun-hee,” Myung-gi called. “Let’s go.”

Jun-hee hesitated for a moment longer, her gaze lingering on you as though searching for something. But eventually, she turned and followed Dae-ho and Myung-gi. You stood still, watching as they moved further down the hallway, her steps slow and careful. Even as they walked away, Jun-hee’s gaze flickered back to you briefly, again and again.

You and the two triangle guards – 011 and Gyeong-seok – remained where you were until the trio disappeared from view. The silence in the hallway felt heavy, but none of you spoke. Instead, you exchanged quiet glances, a mutual understanding passing between the three of you. There was no room for discussion here. You all knew you were being watched. Somewhere in the labyrinth of colorful corridors, CCTVs were likely trained on you. And through those cameras, the masked officer and the Captain were likely observing every move.

Without a word, the three of you began to walk back the way you came. After a few minutes, 011 and Gyeong-seok peeled off from you in different direction. You didn’t look back as you continued alone.

***

The next thing you knew, two hours had passed. Time seemed to blur as you followed the Captain wherever he went. Manager 009 was always beside you, the two of you sticking close to the boss like shadows.

During this time, the Front Man went from room to room. He gave commands and checked on tasks to make sure everything in this twisted operation was running smoothly. He never raised his voice, but the way he spoke made it clear he expected perfection. Manager 009 got most of the work, being handed one task after another. Each one seemed complicated and time-consuming, but 009 handled them all quickly and without hesitation.

And you? Over those two hours, you only got three tasks. Each one was so simple it almost felt like a joke. You stood guard at a door for five minutes, delivered a report to a nearby circle guard, and checked a number on a screen. None of it took much effort. You finished each task easily, but the simplicity of it all left you confused.

Why was the Front Man treating you differently? Was it because 009 had already proven how capable they were, while you hadn’t yet? Or was there something else going on? The thought kept nagging at you, even as you tried to focus on blending in. You couldn’t decide if you should feel relieved that your tasks were so easy or offended that you weren’t trusted with more responsibility.

It reminded you back when you were tending to your part-time job. Even here, you were still worrying about how you looked in the eyes of your “boss.” Old habits, it seemed, were hard to break.

However, thirty minutes into this, the three of you were ascending towards the control room when the Front Man suddenly halted in his tracks. The abrupt pause in the all-purple hallway made you and 009 stop as well. The silence stretched, thick and heavy, as the Captain slowly turned around to face you directly.

“007,” he said in his deep, distorted voice. “Head to the control room and take the elevator. It will lead you straight to the host's room above. It requires inspection. Check the lighting, furniture placement, and any potential issues. Check every room. Make a mental note of anything that needs attention, and inform the workers to handle it later.”

You blinked behind your mask, caught off guard by the sudden request. Now this was a difficult one. The host’s room? You had never been there but you didn't want to question him for fear of endangering your disguise and even show him that you were incompetent. So you kept your thoughts to yourself, lowering your head.

“Understood, Captain,” you replied.

The Captain stared at you for a moment longer before he turned to manager 009. “Continue with me to the next game's location. Ensure all workers are ready for tomorrow.”

“Yes, Captain,” 009 responded. Then, the two of them went back the way they came from down the hallway. You watched them for a second before turning toward the path that led to the control room.

You walked into the control room and saw managers sitting at their monitors, focused on their screens. You glanced around and noticed an elevator tucked beside the door you had just walked through.

Stepping up to it, you noticed the panel beside the door had only one button – an ‘up’ arrow. You pressed it. The doors slid open right away, revealing an elevator so bright unlike any other setting in this place. The inside was decorated in black and gold, looking fancy and elegant. The walls shimmered under soft lighting, and the floor was polished like a mirror. It felt too luxurious for this facility.

You stepped inside, glancing around quickly. There was only one floor option. You pressed the button, and the doors closed with a quiet hiss. The elevator moved up smoothly and seconds later, a small chime sounded and the doors slid open again.

The sight before you was stunning. The entire area was decorated in black and gold, making it feel grand and important. Directly outside the elevator was a long hallway with black doors on either side. At the end of the hallway, the space opened into a massive living room.

The living room looked like something out of a magazine. A huge television screen covered one wall, reflecting the soft glow of a fancy chandelier hanging above. Beneath it sat a single-seater sofa, placed right in front of the television. A small nightstand stood beside it. Other furniture was placed around the room – a table, a low cupboard with a diorama on top of it. The furniture and decorations were neatly arranged, making the living room look simple yet elegant, with the black and gold colors giving it a fancy and important feel.

You hesitated at the doorway, staring at the overwhelming luxury before you. Everything about it felt strange. You had seen wealth before, but this was different. It wasn’t just expensive. It was personal, like stepping into someone’s private space. Not only that. It felt like someone was watching you, even though you were completely alone.

The sound of the elevator doors beginning to close startled you into action. Without thinking, you quickly stepped forward into the hallway, the doors shutting behind you with a quiet finality.

Walking past the hallways and into the living room, you moved cautiously, inspecting the space. The sofa was perfectly neat, the cushions untouched. The nightstand held nothing above it. Then, the diorama caught your eye. It was a detailed miniature version of what seemed like a group of men playing musical instruments with a lady as a singer. Looking around, you realized there was another cupboard with a wired telephone.

Everything looked pristine, with no obvious technical issues in sight. Still, you wanted to inspect as much as possible per the Captain’s order.

In a way, you felt a small sense of satisfaction. Unlike the simple tasks he had given you before, this one required more effort. It almost felt like a test. It’s as if he was finally trusting you with something more significant. Not only that, but he had allowed you to enter this exclusive, luxurious space. Perhaps, through this task, you could learn more about this place and the way it operated.

You started by thoroughly examining the living room. You checked the lighting and other electronic systems. The television was in perfect condition, and the diorama sat undisturbed. The shelves were dust-free, and every piece of furniture was arranged with precision. It was as if no one had ever disturbed the space.

Satisfied with the state of the living room, you walked back into the hallway. Your gaze landed on the series of black doors lining the corridor.

You hesitated for a moment, debating whether to proceed further. Then, you remembered the Captain’s instructions – Check every room. That was as clear a green light as any.

You stepped up to the first door and pushed it open. The room inside matched the rest of the place, following the same black and gold aesthetic. It appeared to be a study with an expansive wooden desk in the center and several bookshelves lining the walls. Everything was arranged neatly with no signs of disarray. You checked the lighting, the air circulation, and the furniture’s condition before moving on.

The second room was a bathroom, designed with the same black and gold aesthetic. A large, polished black marble sink stretched along one side with gold-trimmed mirrors above it. The walk-in shower featured sleek glass doors and golden fixtures and a luxurious bathtub sat in the corner. It looked so deep and inviting. Like the study, this room was also flawless.

The third room contained what seemed to be a small, private meeting area. A circular table sat in the center, surrounded by four chairs. The walls were adorned with subtle gold accents, and a sleek control panel rested on the far side of the room. Like the others, this space was pristine with no indication of recent use.

Then, as you moved to the next door, you found yourself stepping into... a dressing room? Across from the door stood a mannequin dressed in a sleek black suit, its head adorned with a golden mask resembling an animal. Positioned on a raised platform, it gave the impression of something highly significant. Heavy black curtains flanked the display, adding to the dramatic presentation. To your left, a dressing table with a large mirror reflected the dim lighting of the room.

You glanced around and noticed a door, partially hidden behind the curtain. Curiosity tugged at you as you stepped closer and pushed it open. The moment you crossed the threshold, you stopped short. The lighting in this room was noticeably dimmer. It took you a moment to fully process what you were seeing.

A bedroom.

A wide single bed was covered in black sheets, one pillow neatly propped against the headboard. A wardrobe stood to one side. A nightstand rested beside the bed. On the opposite side, a study desk held a large PC monitor. Several books were arranged precisely on both sides of the desk, accompanied by a lamp, a box of tissues, and a set of writing utensils. The air carried a distinct scent – leather, or perhaps a trace of cologne. In this room, the scent and presence of the Front Man lingered unmistakably.

On the other side of the nightstand was a solid black door. Before stepping through, you decided to check the bedroom thoroughly. You scanned the furniture, electronics, and every small detail, making sure everything looked normal.

Once satisfied, you finally approached the door and opened it. What lay beyond surprised you. A narrow brick hallway stretched to the right, dimly lit by a single flickering bulb. At the end of the hall, a staircase led downward toward another door.

Glancing over your shoulder, you checked for anyone nearby. You felt like you were sneaking around, but technically, you weren’t. The Captain had told you to check every room, and this was no exception, even if it seemed strangely hidden. Like no one was supposed to access it except the boss himself.

Taking a deep breath, you descended the stairs slowly. When you reached the bottom, you hesitated before pushing the door open. The room was completely dark. Your hand searched along the wall until you found a switch. With a quick flick, the lights came on, casting a yellowish glow over the space.

The walls, like the hallway, were entirely made of brick. Rows of shelves lined every side of the room, filled with neatly stacked files, books, and documents. One wall was blocked by a shelf of drawers, each labeled, though the text was too small to read from where you stood.

Careful not to disturb anything, you walked further inside, scanning the shelves and the layout. Everything was perfectly arranged, untouched, as if no one had been here in a long time.

Once you were sure nothing was out of place, you turned back toward the door, ready to leave. But just as you moved, something unusual caught your eye. Sitting on a shelf close to the door was a small black box wrapped in a neatly tied hot pink ribbon. Unlike everything else in the room, this object looked so out of place, so different than other documents here.

You wondered why this box seemed so different from the other documents in the room. Curiosity sparked, you moved toward it and carefully grabbed the box.

Lifting the lid, you found a single framed sheet of paper inside. The heading at the top read, “Round 6.” Below, two neatly organized tables filled the page, and in an instant, you understood what it was. This was a record of winners from this game, dating all the way back to 1988.

Your mind immediately flashed to Young-il. He had told you he was the previous winner of this game in 2015. His name had to be here. Maybe seeing it would bring you some comfort, even if only a little.

You quickly scanned the list, searching for the year 2015. Your eyes landed on the correct row, and you followed it across to the winner’s name.

Except… it wasn’t his name.

“Hwang In-ho?” you murmured, confusion washing over you. That wasn’t Young-il. No. It was supposed to be Oh Young-il.

Your grip on the frame tightened as your mind raced. Who was Hwang In-ho? And why wasn’t Young-il listed as the winner of the game he claimed to have survived?

Wait. You lifted your gaze from the framed paper and stared into space, a sudden coldness running down your spine. Was he lying to you? Was he never a previous winner? But he knew so much about the game.

A thought struck you. Your eyes darted to the shelves filled with records. There had to be complete participant records somewhere in this room. Setting aside the box and framed paper, you rushed toward the rows of meticulously arranged files, scanning them carefully.

Each file was labeled neatly along the spine. After a quick search, your fingers stopped on a section titled “List of Players.” Your heart pounded as you searched for the year 2015. It was easy enough to find since the files were organized chronologically.

You pulled out a thick folder labeled “List of Players 1, 2015” and flipped it open. Page after page detailed the participants, but you quickly realized you had forgotten Hwang In-ho's player number.

Rushing back to the framed paper, your eyes locked onto the number next to his name. 132.

You hurried back to the file, flipping through pages as you repeated the number under your breath. Your fingers trembled as you searched frantically.

Finally, you found it. Player 132.

Your breath hitched as your gaze landed on the ID player photo attached to the upper left corner of the page. Your eyes widened in shock.

It was Young-il. A much younger version, his face softer, carrying a faint, hopeful smile. But then your gaze drifted to the name printed beside it.

Hwang In-ho.

Your pulse pounded in your ears. But… wasn’t his name supposed to be Oh Young-il?

The loud, jarring noise of the door swinging open sent a violent jolt through your body. Your breath caught in your throat as your heart slammed against your ribcage. You had been so completely absorbed in the record that the sudden intrusion felt like a gunshot in the silence.

Your head snapped toward the entrance, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights behind your mask. There, striding purposefully into the room, was the Front Man.

His masked face turned directly toward you, his entire posture exuding an imposing authority. The door shut behind him with an ominous finality, locking you inside with him. The weight of his presence sent a wave of overwhelming fear crashing over you.

You had been caught.

Your hands trembled as you slowly straightened up, the weight of the file slipping from your grasp. It hit the floor with a loud, unceremonious thud.

The Front Man took a step toward you.

Instinct took over. You took a step back.

Another step forward. Another step back. He was closing in, his slow, deliberate pace like a predator closing in on its prey. The fear gripping your chest made your breaths shallow, quick, and sounded deeper and distorted behind the square mask you're wearing. You kept moving backward until your spine met the cold, unyielding brick wall. Your breath hitched.

He did not stop.

His approach remained unhurried, measured, yet filled with intent. The air around you thickened as if the shelves around you were closing in. You felt suffocated. You pressed yourself against the wall, fingers splaying against the rough brick as if searching for a way to melt into it, to disappear entirely.

Then, in his deep, distorted voice, he finally spoke.

“007,” he said, his tone slow and deliberate. “Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize you?”

A cold chill gripped your heart, squeezing until you thought you might choke on your own fear. He knew.

You swallowed hard but your throat felt dry as sandpaper. Your body refused to move, paralyzed under his scrutiny. Every nerve in your body screamed at you to run but there was nowhere to go. No escape. You were trapped in the narrow space between the shelves and him.

You opened your mouth, but no words came out. Your mind raced, searching for a way to turn this around, to escape, to do something other than just stand there, vulnerable and completely at his mercy.

Your breath came in rapid, shallow pulls as your eyes darted across the dimly lit room, searching for any escape. The shelves boxed you in, towering with records of past games, past players, past victims. There was nowhere to go.

The Front Man were closing in on you, his presence suffocating you.

“You should’ve known you’d lose in this hide and seek game,” he said, his tone eerily calm yet heavy with unspoken threats.

Your fingers twitched at your sides. If you got caught now, what would happen? Would he spare you? 011 had said he would. But at what cost?

Your mind spiraled into terrifying possibilities. If you were spared, would he hand you over to the VIPs? Would you be nothing more than a prize, a twisted plaything for their amusement? The thought sent ice through your veins.

No. You had fought too hard. You had killed to protect yourself, to protect the people you loved, and to protect your body as a woman. You had survived this long and you weren’t about to surrender now. Every fiber of your being screamed at you to move, to fight.

Your breaths turned sharp, loud and unnatural through the mask. The Front Man took another step, his slow, measured pace sending a fresh wave of panic through you.

Then you remembered.

Your pistol.

The standard issue sidearm every square guard carried rested in the pocket of your jumpsuit’s bottom. Your grip tightened.

You braced yourself. The Front Man was getting closer, his figure looming over you, casting an inescapable shadow.

“You’ve been running long enough among these trashes,” he said, voice thick with certainty, with finality.

That was your moment.

You lunged for your pistol, fingers wrapping around the grip, yanking it free as you unlatched the safety in one swift motion. The cold weight of the gun grounded you. Without hesitation, you lifted it and fired.

But the Front Man moved with inhuman speed, ducking just before the bullet could meet its mark. His arm shot out to the side. You had no time to register what he was doing. Instinct took over, and you fired again.

Your shot met resistance, but not flesh. He had grabbed a thick file from a nearby shelf and raised it as a shield. The bullet struck the stack of papers, piercing but not stopping him.

Then he charged.

Like a predator finally closing in, his movements were terrifyingly fast, like a beast that had played with its prey long enough. He lunged forward, his dark form swallowing the space between you in an instant.

Your pulse spiked, adrenaline crashing through you. The walls of records blurred as your only thought became survival.

You had to move fast.

However, he caught you first. His gloved hand clamped around your wrist, twisting it just enough to force the revolver from your grasp. The weapon clattered to the floor. You gasped, breath hitching at the sudden loss of control – and at something else. His movement was eerily familiar.

Before you could dwell on it, he shoved you back. Your head was about to strike the brick wall and you instinctively shut your eyes tight. But instead of harsh impact, you felt a firm yet controlled buffer. His other hand had moved to cradle the back of your head, protecting your head against the wall with his gloved palm.

Your pupils dilated as the realization sank in, but there was no time to process. The Front Man was right there, his geometrical mask so close to yours that you could feel the heat of his breath through the distorted air of your own mask. His other hand wrapped around your throat. Not tight enough to choke, but enough to remind you that you were completely at his mercy.

Your legs were tangled. One of yours had slipped between his, and one of his was between yours, locking you both into place. The space between your bodies had nearly vanished, and the sound of rapid breathing filled the archive room. It belonged to yours and his, mingling together in the stillness.

A charged silence stretched between you. The tension was suffocating. Your chest rose and fell against his as adrenaline within you remained.

“You have allies,” his deep voice rumbled, low and unwavering, “among my guards.”

Before you could react, his gloved fingers slipped from your neck to the edge of your jumpsuit’s hoodie. A chilling realization gripped you. He was about to pull it down. To take off your mask. To expose you.

No.

Clenching your teeth behind the mask, you scrambled for a plan, for anything to break free. And then you felt it. His thigh, firm and brushing against yours.

With a sharp inhale, you moved. You slammed your knee against his, knocking his leg away, creating just enough space between your tangled bodies. Without hesitation, you raised your foot and kicked him squarely in the abdomen.

A grunt escaped him as he staggered back. You took the brief moment of respite to move. You turned sharply, gripping the nearest shelf, and with a raw, breathless yell, you shoved every file within reach off the shelves.

Papers and heavy binders cascaded toward him, crashing against his body, momentarily throwing him off guard. You didn’t wait to see how he recovered.

Heart pounding, you lunged past him, sprinting toward the door. Your fingers gripped the handle, yanking it open as you bolted up the stairs. Just as you reached the top, a heavy set of footsteps thundered behind you, fast and relentless, closing the distance far too quickly.

You didn’t dare to look behind you. Bursting through the door, you sprinted into the bedroom, but before you could make it halfway across the room, a force yanked your jumpsuit from behind. Your momentum was ripped away in an instant, fabric tearing as you were violently pulled backward and shoved onto the bed.

You landed sideways on the bed with a deep, distorted yelp behind your mask. Panic surged through you and you immediately scrambled to push yourself up but something heavy pressed down against you, shoving you back onto the mattress.

The Front Man.

He loomed over you, his weight pressing into you, keeping you pinned. You thrashed, twisting and bucking wildly beneath him, muffled grunts of struggle escaping your lips. His grip found your wrists and forced them down against the sheets.

Your legs were your last weapon. You kicked out violently, aiming for anything. His stomach, his ribs, even his groin. But he was faster as if he had anticipated your moves. In one swift motion, he maneuvered between your flailing limbs, pressing his legs firmly between yours to keep you restrained.

Even as he overpowered you, you refused to submit. You twisted, arched, struggled with everything you had, but he was stronger – far stronger. Unlike other men who had tried to take advantage of you, he wasn’t sloppy, he wasn’t careless. He was calculated and precise.

He held you there, unmoving like a boulder above you, as you thrashed beneath him. You fought with every last ounce of strength in your body but he didn’t budge. His sheer force pinned you down, absorbing each desperate attempt to break free.

Your breath came in sharp gasps, muscles screaming in exhaustion. Soon, your struggles slowed, jerky and uncoordinated, until they faded into mere trembling beneath his weight. Every attempt at escape had drained you, leaving your limbs weak and sluggish.

The only sounds in the room were your ragged breaths mixing with his heavy ones. Your chest rose and fell erratically, each inhale loud and desperate. His grip on your wrists didn’t waver. You glared up at the geometrical mask hovering inches above your face.

You felt the heat radiating between your bodies and the closeness. He remained still. The weight of his presence pressed into you, making your exhaustion feel even more overwhelming.

Your heart pounded wildly against your ribs, the realization settling in. You were trapped completely. He finally caught you.

Neither of you moved. Neither of you spoke. But in that heavy silence, an unspoken intensity hung between you.

He moved your wrists above your head, securing them in a firm grip with just his right hand. Your weakened struggle did nothing to deter him. His free hand reached for your hoodie, and this time, you didn’t resist. Your chest still heaved from exhaustion, breath escaping in rapid, uneven pulls as he pushed the fabric back.

Once your hoodie was down, his fingers slid to the back of your mask. With practiced ease, he unclasped it and pulled it away from your face. The mask left your skin, and he tossed it aside, letting it clatter somewhere in the distance.

Cool air kissed your damp skin, a stark contrast to the suffocating heat that had built beneath the jumpsuit. Sweat glistened along your face and neck, strands of hair clinging stubbornly to your skin. The sudden exposure made you hyper-aware of how raw and open you felt, your breath finally unfiltered, free in the space between you.

You glared up at him, your eyes burning with defiance despite your exhaustion. But he only stared. His mask tilted so slightly as if studying you. At this moment, his silence felt even more suffocating than any words he could have spoken.

Then, to your shock, he moved his left hand to the side of your face. His gloved fingers brushed against your damp skin as he gently tucked a few strands of hair behind your ear. Your breath caught in your throat. This action – so soft, so familiar – sent a jolt through you. Only one person had ever done this before. But why was he doing it?

Slowly, he withdrew his hand and moved it to his own hoodie. Your glare faltered when he pulled it down out of the blue. You could hardly believe it when he reached for the clasp at the back of his mask, unfastening it with ease. Your breath hitched, heart hammering against your ribs, as he slowly lifted it away.

And then, you saw him.

Your entire body locked in place, your breath caught in your throat. The world around you shrank, all sense of logic dissolving as your mind struggled to grasp what you were seeing.

It was him.

Young-il.

The man you thought had died. The man who had protected you, shielded you, fought alongside you. The man you had—

Your chest tightened, an overwhelming rush of emotions surging through you all at once. Relief, disbelief, betrayal, longing. The edges of your vision blurred and all you could do was stare, wide-eyed.

He looked just the same, but his hair was now slicked back neatly with oil, giving him an air of maturity and refinement that made him seem almost like a different man.

Your entire body trembled, overwhelmed with a torrent of emotions too vast to contain. It's like every emotion crashed into you all at once, leaving you breathless. You had mourned Young-il. You had thought he was gone forever, lost in the bloodshed of the uprising. Yet here he was, standing before you, alive. Breathing. Real.

But with that relief came something heavier, something darker.

Your chest tightened as realization set in. He had been behind that mask all along, watching, orchestrating, controlling the very nightmare you had been trying to survive. The games, the deaths, the suffering. Had all of it been at his command? Your mind raced, replaying every interaction you had with him back then, every moment of trust, every fleeting instance where you had allowed yourself to care. Had it all been a lie?

Was he ever truly one of us?

Your throat felt dry, your breath uneven. Why had he disguised himself as a player? Was it all some kind of elaborate test? A way to manipulate those around him? Or had there been something else – something deeper? Had he once been a victim of this place, just as you were? Or had he been in control from the very beginning?

Young-il stayed still above you, staring at you, his expression raw. The subtle tremble in his face betrayed the inner turmoil he tried so desperately to contain. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to speak, to offer some kind of explanation, but no words came.

The silence stretched between you, thick with tension, with questions left unspoken, with truths too painful to acknowledge.

His eyes, always so guarded, flickered with something you couldn’t quite decipher. Regret? Pain? Guilt? You don’t know anymore.

Your breathing was still uneven, chest rising and falling with the weight of everything crashing down at once.

“You…” Your voice cracked, barely above a whisper. “You were behind it all?”

His expression faltered, the conflict within him breaking through for just a moment before he steadied himself. But you had seen it. The hesitation, the uncertainty, the battle he was fighting within himself.

And it terrified you.

Because despite everything, despite the betrayal, despite the horror of what he had done… He still looked like the man you had fallen for.

He leaned down, his face inching closer to yours. You realized in that moment that you hadn’t moved at all. His grip on your wrists was weak yet you remained still, your body slack. The moment you saw his face, it was as if Young-il had turned off your resistance. After all, before all of this, he was the one who made you feel safe.

His warm breath mingled with yours. His eyes flickered between yours and your lips, searching, waiting. Your chest rose and fell with each shallow breath, your mind racing. Should you resist? Should you let him?

The tension between you both thickened as he halted just an inch away. He hesitated, waiting for the slightest sign of resistance from you. When none came, he finally moved. Tilting his head slightly, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against yours. You kept your eyes open, staring ahead, seeing his face so close to you. His lips were firm, yet soft, pressing against yours with calm restraint.

You should resist. He orchestrated this entire operation. He had bloods on his hands. He betrayed you.

Yet, memories flooded your mind. The way he had taken care of you, how he protected you time and time again. How he shielded you from danger, ensured you were safe, treated you like someone precious. Was it real? Or had it all been part of a larger deception?

But you wanted to believe. Wanted to believe that when he said you were his purpose, when he told you that you were worth protecting, that he wanted to take care of you more than as friends – you wanted to believe it was all real.

You were lost in the trance of the moment until he deepened the kiss, his lips pressing more insistently against yours. You could feel it. He could barely restrain himself the longer he kissed you. A quiet sound escaped you as he pulled you further into it. And you found yourself liking it. Your lips parted shyly and he took the invitation, his tongue delving into your mouth with increasing hunger.

His grip on your wrists disappeared, his hands moving to unzip your jumpsuit instead. Yet, you kept your hands where they were, fingers brushing against the sheets above your head, as your eyes fluttered closed, surrendering to the moment and to him.

NEXT : Chapter 17.1

PREV : Chapter 15

Story Masterlist

Please feel free to leave comments and feedback about my story, the characters, the "you", and practically anything! I love reading your comments, especially long ones! It motivates me a lot! What do you think about you guarding the Front Man and you remembered a flashback when 011 told you that you might be spared because of the VIPs? Do you think that's the case? And what about the brawl between Myung-gi, Dae-ho (while protecting Jun-hee) against Nam-gyu (124) and the O players? Do you think scene like this will appear in Season 3? Also I want to know your thoughts on you finally confronted player 100 in that scene. And why did Jun-hee kept glancing at you afterward? Next, why do you think the Front Man suddenly gave you the task to inspect the host's room? And now, the moment you all have been waiting for. What do you think about the Front Man confronting you in the archive room? Then you two had a brief scuffle - and he did not even try to harm you - and then you were pinned to his bed. What do you think about the scene of you two on his bed, finally seeing one another's face? Do you like this direction I take to reveal his face? I've been thinking a lot about this moment and could finally write this down. What do you think about the kiss?

Besides that, I want to know. How many of you are underage? You might want to avoid the next chapter. Now I wonder how to separate the NSFW scene from the next chapter so underage readers couldn't read it.

Leave a comment on the masterlist post to be added to the taglist.

#hwang in ho #hwang in ho x reader #hwang in ho fanfic #in ho #the front man #player 001 #squid game #squid game season 2 #squid game s2 #front man x reader #front man x you

236 notes · View notes

creamecafe · 6 months ago

Text

How Squid Game Season 1 Characters would react to Season 2 Characters

Kang Sae Byeok

Thanos:

Hates him no questions asked

Player 196:

Hated her at first, but seeing you both dislike Thanos, she somewhat tolerates her behavior.

Lee Myung-Gi:

Also doesn't like him but tolerates him a bit

Kang Dae-Ho:

Tolerates him and likes being in his company.

Rolls his eyes when he brags about being in the Marines.

Gyeong-seok:

Doesn't talk to him much or pay attention to him

Has a soft spot/compassion hearing about his sick daughter

Hyun Ju:

Friends with her immediately

Defends her if anyone tries to misgender her

Yong-Sik

Wonders why a son and mom would ever join this game?

Geum-Ja:

Has a soft spot for her

Jung-Bae:

Doesn't know how he's always optimistic

Jun-Hee:

Would ask about the baby

Curses Myung Gi

Seon-Nyeo:

Finds her amusing and funny

Min-Su:

Soft spot for him

Nam-Gyu:

Hates him but not as much with Thanos

Se-Mi:

Best friends with her immediately right on the spot.

Cho Sang Woo

Thanos:

Wants nothing to do with him and thinks he's an absolute waste of time

Probably would team up with him at some point seeing how determined he is to betray others

Player 196:

Wants nothing to do with her either

Like literally nothing

Lee Myung-Gi:

Finds his YouTube channel pathetic

Kang Dae Ho:

Thinks that his marine story is bs

Gyeong-seok:

Nothing for him really

Hyun Ju:

Doesn't really care but wonders why she transitioned

Yong-Sik

Wonders why a son and mom would be in this game as Sae Byeok did

Geum-Ja:

Feels bad for her a bit as he believes she won't last long

Doesn't really care about her that much but also leaves her be

Jung-Bae:

Wonders why he's so happy like Ali

Jun-Hee:

Pretends to not care but has a soft spot because she's pregnant

Min-Su:

Doesn't care about him that much

Se-Mi:

Thinks she's a weird like Saw Byeok

Ali Abdul

Thanos:

Would ask Thanos why he dyed his hair purple and why he has tattoos

Confused on why his name is Thanos

Player 196:

Would think she's spoiled

They probably would be good friends

Lee Myung-Gi:

Probably be annoyed at him

Would feel bad that he gets bullied by Thanos

Kang Dae Ho

Those two would be good friends you can't tell me otherwise

Gyeong-seok:

Comfort him about his daughter

Would be his friend

Hyun Ju:

Becomes curious of her background

Yong-Sik:

Would be his friend

Be annoyed at him of how he treats his mom sometiems

Geum-Ja:

Would respect her so much

Excited about the things that she says she'll cook when they escape the game (WHICH THEY DID GUYS)

Jung-Bae:

Become his best friend and talk a lot

Jun-Hee:

Tell her about his baby son and comfort her

Always asking if she's okay

Would give her extra food

Be upset at Myung-Gi for telling her to get rid of the baby

Min-Su:

Same as Jung-Bae

Se-Mi:

Would compliment her lip piercing

Ji-Yeong

Thanos:

Thinks he's weird and a bit pathetic

Player 196:

Finds her amusing

Lee Myung-Gi:

Intrigued by how many people are mad at him about the crypto scam

Kang Dae Ho:

Thinks he's interesting and likes being around him

Gyeong-seok:

Would talk with him if she's bored

Asks about his daughter

Hyun Ju:

Loves her a lot

Would talk nonsense with her

Yong-Sik

Nothing much for him sorry

Geum-Ja:

Respects her

Smiles at the amount of food she says she'll cook when they get out (If I see a single comment that it's not true, I'm blocking you)

Jung-Bae:

Admires how smiling he is

Jun-Hee:

Asks if its a boy or girl

Min-Su:

Asks why he's so quiet even though she's the same

Se-Mi:

Friends immediately

Now Hyun Ju, Jun-Hee and her girlfriend are having Mojitos on Jeju island

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lieutenantbatshit · 5 months ago

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CHAPTER 08 - once you go in, there's no turning back (hwang in ho x reader)

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----

You nearly passed out after the six-legged pentathlon game. You didn't realize as soon as you went back to the dormitory, you were fast asleep on supposedly on Hyun-ju's bed, but she didn't mind.

You felt your throat starting to sore, probably from the screaming you did earlier. You were in need of water so much. Plus, you felt your head throb a bit as you realized that you haven't had any breakfast yet.

"Oh, so that's how you got yourself those too?" You heard Guem-ja asked, but you didn't listen that much. It seemed she was talking to Hyun-just, hearing her deep, raspy voice close to... a man?

You didn't judge. In fact, it wasn't a problem at all. She still seems nice, and whatever made her decide to press O probably had something to do with her transforming. You knew how expensive those procedures were, yet you can't help but feel a sense of admiration for her as she continues to embrace herself, one where she's confident and feels true to her.

You head the door open as footsteps thudded to the ground. You slowly open your eyes, noticing a blanket tucked over you. Hyun-ju turned her attention to you and gave you a smile. Realizing you were sleeping on someone's bed, you quickly sat up and bowed. "Oh, I'm sorry for sleeping here. I felt so dizzy after the game."

"It's alright," Hyun-ju assured. "Did you have a good nap?"

You nodded, tucking away the blanket. "Very much so. I feel better now."

"That young lady made it!" You heard Geum-ja say excitedly.

"Who?" Yong-sik asked, scanning the room.

"The tiny young lady," Geum-ja replied. You quickly looked at the group of people walking, seeing Gi-hun, Jung-bae, Dae-ho, In-ho, and Player 222.

You rose from the bed and climbed down, waving your hand at Jung-bae who saw you. "Hey!"

Geum-ja and Yong-sik waved as well, seeing the relief in their faces, especially for Geum-ja. You knew how she must probably care for Player 222 so much, and you couldn't help but feel the same. You sighed in relief as you realized that they survived.

"I'll just go with them for awhile," you bowed to the group. "They're my friends. Are you guys going to be okay here?"

Geum-ja held both of your hands and caressed them with her thumb, feeling some sort of motherly care in the place. "Yes, yes. As long as you take care of yourself, alright? Please also tell me if that young lady needs anything," she pointed to Player 222 whose back was already turned, motioning for Gi-hun's group position. "I used to care for pregnant women, so please, please let me know if she's feeling anything, okay?"

You nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "I will. Thank you, eomoni."

You gave Yong-sik, Hyun-ju, and Young-mi a bow before turning away, making your way towards Gi-hun group. They seemed to be in the middle of conversation, hearing Dae-ho explain about his father fighting in the Vietnam war. You noticed In-ho smiling, his aura light and expressive that was completely different when you first saw him, and how he dismissed you earlier.

Dae-ho stood up and looked at you, noticing you were already there. He excitedly waves his hand, motioning for you to join. Jung-bae and Gi-hun smiled at you, and Player 222 motioned a space for you to sit. You avoided your gaze from In-ho, noticing how he was looking at you intently again.

"Listen, perhaps we should learn each other's names," Dae-ho said eagerly. "I still don't know your names, gentlemen. Or yours, miss," he looked at Player 222. He took a deep breath and held out his arm. "I'll start. I'm Kang Dae-ho. Dae means 'big', Ho means 'tiger'."

"Wow, big tiger. Cool name," Jung-bae chuckled as he motioned his hand like a claw, imitating a tiger. He then turned his eyes to everyone. "My name is Park Jung-bae. Righteous and twice. My parents wanted me to be twice as righteous."

Player 222 spoke quietly. "My name is Kim Jun-hee. I don't know what it means though."

"Hmm," you placed your hand on your chin as if to think. "I think it means something related to a lucky charm."

"That's right!" Jung-bae exclaimed. "She flipped the ddakji on the first try. It was so cool!"

You chuckled and gave Jun-hee a small pat on her shoulder, her face lighting up as she smiled. Just then, you heard In-ho speak up, looking at Jun-hee. "Jun-hee, when you get out of here, go see a doctor right away. You've been under a lot of stress. You need to get yourself checked out."

Jun-hee nodded in agreement. You rubbed her back as you felt her tense a bit, probably not used to the attention that much. She gave you a small smile as she held her belly.

"I'm Oh Young-il."

Your hand stopped as you looked at In-ho, or Young-il, as he introduced himself. You raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering why he didn't give his real name. He seemed to avoid your gaze as he spoke, his lips twitching a bit. Your instinct tells you that he was lying, but at the same time, you started to question yourself.

Was he really not the In-ho you knew? Is that why it seemed as if he dismissed you? Were you just dreaming when you saw him hear you call his name? Was it all just a dream?

"Young-il?" You asked confusingly. He looked at you abruptly then turned to his tracksuit, now avoiding your gaze. You knew he was lying.

"Young-il sounds like 'zero one', and that's my number," he chuckled, still avoiding your gaze as he looked at Jung-bae instead. "Easy to remember."

"Oh, that's true!" Dae-ho exclaimed, pointing his finger at Young-il's tracksuit. "Your name is your number."

Young-il looked at Gi-hun and proceeded to ask. "Oh, Gi-hun. What's your last name?"

"My name is Seong Gi-hun," Gi-hun replied, looking at everyone.

"Seong literally means last name," In-ho laughed, much to everyone's confusion. Each of you stared at him weirdly as his laughter continued. You eyed him as you noticed him looking at everyone, the only exception was you.

He was clearly lying, and him avoiding his eye contact with you was enough to determine that he's under a fake name. You decided to stay silent, but planned to confront him after when everyone isn't around.

You snapped away from your thoughts when the alarm buzzed, the doors opening to reveal the group of guards.

"Congratulations to all of you for making it through the second game," the square-masked guard announced. "Here are the results of the second game." He motioned his arm with a remote in his hand, pointing it to the piggy bank.

The lights dimmed, the piggy bank now acting as the light in the room. The TV displayed the growing number of the prize money as money rained inside the piggy bank, much to everyone in awe.

"In the second game, 110 players were eliminated. The prize money accumulated up to this point is 20.1 billion won. Since there are 255 players remaining, each person's share is 78,823,530 won."

"Wait, what?" Another player exclaimed, seeing his patch with the O sign. "It's still under 100 million? It's not even 80 million."

"Only 110 people died? Is that all?" Another player asked, much to your disbelief. "Did you count them right?"

Only 110 people? If this was held in the outside world, this was already considered a massacre. In just 2 days, 110 people already died by just playing children's games. This was madness. The world was a scary place indeed.

"Fuck. I almost died twice, and that's all I get?" You heard another player say near you. "I'd get more money than that if I let somebody beat me up!"

You looked at him in disbelief, trying to make sense of how these people can be okay with people dying here at the expense of money.

"I completely understand your disappointment," the square-masked guard said. "However, we always keep the door open for you to pursue new opportunities. You will now take a vote to decide whether to continue the games or not." The circle-masked guards from behind brought the voting machine consisting of the O and X buttons. You didn't realize how it looked more like a gift box, with a ribbon wrapped around the top. "Whether to continue the games for a bigger prize or to stop here is entirely your choice."

You scoffed. "We're being manipulated in this game. Trying to not take any accountability, huh." You muttered to yourself.

"Please feel free to exercise your right to choose in a democratic manner."

You shook your head in disbelief as Gi-hun looked at you, the worry on his face so evident. You knew how he wanted to save everyone and leave this place. He seemed to have a plan for everyone after leaving this game, and you wanted to trust that.

You noticed Jung-bae looking at the piggy bank more than usual, probably rethinking his decision. You looked at Gi-hun as he stared at In-ho's O patch. He seemed to notice this as he touched his patch briefly. "Don't worry. I want to stop here too. I should go and be with my wife at the hospital."

That didn't add up again. His wife was dead, as far as you can remember. Nothing was making sense at all.

"I'm telling you. We'll get out this time," Dae-ho said with determination. He touched his O patch and cursed at it. "A Marine should think strategically and know when to retreat. Isn't that right, brother?" Dae-ho grabbed Jung-bae's shoulder.

Jung-bae turned around and nodded, though he seemed to be reluctant. "Yeah, you're right. Marines aren't invincible. We should get out."

"We have to end the games here," Gi-hun said. "I will help you guys out when we get out."

You stepped forward, giving them all a smile. "I will too." You saw Gi-hun look at you confusingly as you continued, "I'm not in debt. Far from that. Jun-hee, I can go be with you at the hospital to help with your check-up."

"Unnie," Jun-hee said quietly, eyeing you. "Why are you here if you're not in debt then?"

You sighed deeply. This was it. There's no way out for you to lie on this one. Unlike In-ho, you decided to come clean. "I played ddakji with the recruiter on the subway because... well, I wanted to try and see if I was still good at playing the game," you placed your hand on the back of your head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Guess I made the wrong choice, huh?" You chuckled sheepishly. "I left Seoul when I was a kid and moved to the States for a long time. I came back here for good because well, this is my home. It's where I belong."

"You seemed to have a good life back in America if that's the case. Why did you have to come back?" you heard In-ho ask from behind, his eyes fixed on you.

You gulped before speaking, your gaze not leaving him. "I came to look for someone." For a second, In-ho's eyes flickered. You couldn't tell if he felt regret or some sort of recognition, but he was able to mask it well.

Dae-ho leaned in with a mischievous grin, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he dragged out a tease. "Is that someone your boyfriend, Y/N? That's so romantic!"

"He's... not my boyfriend," your eyes lingered on In-ho as you spoke. "But he's someone important in my life. I grew up with him when I stayed in Seoul. We were inseparable. But, I had to leave. I left without saying goodbye," you paused as the memory of you leaving flooded back as if you were back to that scene. "I knew we'd always be connected. No matter where we were, no matter what happened, we'd always be there for each other - always and in all ways."

In-ho's stare was unwavering, sharp, and deliberate as if daring to acknowledge the unspoken tension between you two. Your gaze clung to him as your eyes glistened with unshed emotions as if begging him to see how you missed him. You knew right then and there that it was In-ho you were looking at, not the Young-il he pretended to be. For a moment there, he looked like he might actually say something.

Then, just like that, he laughed. It was sharp and bitter. Like something was jagged to this throat, the hurt coming out as you felt it pierce your heart.

"People do that a lot, don't they?" In-ho mused, tilting his head slightly. "They all come back hoping to find something... only to realize it was never there to begin with."

"Yeah," you whispered, holding back your tears as you nodded slowly. "I guess so."

You hoped that something, or anything, that the boy you had once known would still be there. But in his eyes, you only saw a stranger. "If you're looking for something that's long gone, maybe you're wasting your time."

Your gaze locked on to his, and for a moment, everything seemed to slip out from your hands - your heart, your memories, your In-ho. It was all just gone, replaced with the avoidant and cruel Young-il.

"Young-il, you can't just shut her down like that," Gi-hun took a step forward, his brow furrowed with concern. "That's harsh."

"It's not a big deal," you spoke up, your voice trying not to crack. "He said maybe. He has a point."

Gi-hun, still caught in the confusion, glanced back at you, his face softening with empathy. "You'll find him soon, once we get out of there, hmm?"

You nodded, feeling thankful for Gi-hun's efforts. "I guess I'm the only one holding on," you murmured. "But he's right. It doesn't matter."

You turned away, the finality of it hitting you like waves. You didn't want to dwell too much on your feelings, thankful for the fact when Dae-ho held out his hand for everyone to stack theirs. "Let's huddle up."

You stacked your hands up along the others while In-ho stacked his on top of yours. You tried to ignore his touch, remembering how he dismissed you earlier.

"In one, two, three. Victory at all costs!" Dae-ho exclaimed with determination, as all of you cheered.

"This time, the vote will begin with Player 001," the square-masked guard announced. "Player 001, please cast your vote."

Everyone's eyes turned to In-ho, or so he introduced himself as Young-il. His eyes darted over you before walking towards the buttons. The room was thick with anticipation, his every step echoing in the silence as he walked. You notice his head facing upward, seeing the TV up. He was the first to vote, and you trusted that he would press X this time.

The red light shone on his face as he pressed X, a sigh of relief coming out of you as did the other players. He removed his O patch and replaced it with the X patch, walking towards the X area.

"Player 002."

You walked towards the voting machine, moving with a quiet, measured pace, your footsteps steady but purposeful. Your gaze flickered to the buttons, X or O, ready for you to decide. You didn't hesitate as you pressed the X button, the red light shining on your face as you saw the X results come for 2. You took a step back, walking towards the X area near Young-il.

The silence between you and In-ho was almost oppressive as the quietness of the room amplified the tension that clung to your skin. You both stood there, still and composed. You took a quick glance at him, only to find him already looking at you, making your heart skip.

"Player 007."

It was a brief eye contact, seeing a brief of the In-ho you knew than this In-ho he claimed to be. But the longer he looked at you, the more it hurt. In those seconds, you knew that even if he may have remembered something in the past, he wasn't going to let it through.

You abruptly looked at the TV as you saw the O results come up with 1. Your jaw dropped seeing Yong-sik vote for O, replacing his X patch with the O patch. You looked at Geum-ja, who seemed to be surprised with her son's decision as well. Knowing Geum-ja, she probably warned her son first before voting, only for Yong-sik to choose a completely different path.

You noticed more and more players voting for O, much to your horror. The more you stayed in this place, the more feelings of regret continued to stick through you.

"Player 095."

You were confident that Young-mi would press X as a sigh of relief came out from you when she did so. She walked towards next to you, giving her a reassuring smile as you held her hand for a bit, trying to calm her down.

Your eyes focused on the TV as you see more players vote, your emotions feeling as if they're on a rollercoaster as the votes alternated with X and O. Your hopes crushing as you see the O votes leading.

"Player 120."

Hyun-ju took a while to decide. When you noticed her hands flicker to the O button, you stared in horror a she pressed it, the blue light shining in her face as the O vote increased.

"Unnie," Young-mi mumbled as she looked at Hyun-ju, seeing them lock gazes for a while. You could sense Hyun-ju's hesitation as she went to the O area, her 0 patch remained in her tracksuit.

X - 33, O - 36

"Everyone!" Gi-hun shouted from behind the crowd. Though you felt a movement on your side as you saw In-ho moving towards the middle.

"Are you all out of your minds?" In-ho exclaimed in disbelief, his eyebrows furrowed together. "You still want to keep going after watching all those people die? Who's to say you won't die in the next game?" He walked towards the back, eyeing each and every player. "We have to stop. We'll all die if we keep going! Come to your senses, and leave with that money." He gritted his teeth as he spoke, his words spewing out with frustration. "You've got to survive first, or there won't be a next step."

"What do you think we can do with a mere 70 million?" Jeong-dae walked towards In-ho, raising his voice. "I don't know how much you owe, but for most people here, that doesn't even cover 10% of their debt. Am I right?" He yelled as the other players nodded in agreement. "There's no next step for us! That money won't change anything!"

"With that amount of money, I won't last long," Player 043 shouted, pointing at the piggy bank.

"It was 25 million after the first game," Jeong-dae continued. "And now, it's 78 million. After one game, the amount more than tripled! If we play one more game, the prize will be at least 240 million!"

"But I can't do this anymore," Young-mi cried out, tears forming in her eyes as her breath trembled. "Please. Please let me out of here. I really want to go home. I don't want to die."

"Young lady," another player spoke, his face pleading as he almost sobbed. "You're young, so you'd probably have another chance. But I don't. My family and I have no future. My business failed, and now I owe over 500 million. I've got to make at least half of that there if I want a real shot at a fresh start."

"What if you die?" You called out, questioning his statement as you walked towards the middle. "Then it would be the end for you and your family! Can you carry on living knowing how you get all the prize money at the expense of everyone's lives?" You raised your voice as your fingers pointed at him, seeing him look down as if he considered your words.

Just when you think you made your point, another player at the back shouted. "Don't get fucking scared! Ddakji, Red Light, Green Light, Spinning Top - it's not like the games are that difficult," he pointed at the TV. "Look, there are still 255 players. Way more than half of us survived! We've made it this far, so let's do this one more time!"

You felt your throat dry up, realizing how morally wrong that seemed, but he still made a point. You looked at In-ho, your eyes asking for support. But he only stared at you, his gaze seemingly unreadable.

You felt your heart pounding hard in your chest as your hearing started to become distorted as you heard the other players chant one more game, much to your fear. You felt suffocated as the air felt thick with... greed. You felt your migraine coming back, your pulse following the beat of each chant.

You felt a hand grab you from behind, pulling you from the crowd. You were too fazed, questioning humanity every second as the O votes increased more. Each tick of the counter felt like a hammer to the chest, each number driving the reality of the game deeper into your bones.

Your gaze drifted towards the hand that held you, realizing it was from In-ho. His fingers were cold and firm, pressing it gently as you felt your pulse harder. You could feel the ripple of human desperation in the air, your stomach twisting as nausea built on to you, realizing how greed, survival, and human nature laid bare. You stared at his hand made you more feel suffocated, as if it reminded you that you were tethered into this place, with no chance of escape.

There was no escaping it. If you wanted to get out of this place, you had to kill your way in. You were caught in a web of human greed.

"The results are 139 for O and 116 for X. Based on the majority vote, we'll proceed to the third game tomorrow."

You removed your hand from In-ho as you walked away, heading toward your bed as you lay down, staring at the ceiling, your thoughts blank. You weren't silent - you were silenced. It was no longer about the game, survival, or the people in the room. It was about the slow unraveling of human nature.

You turned over, burying your face in your pillow. You wanted to go home. You missed when you had no knowledge of this place. Why did you have to throw your life away for this cruel mess? Were you brought in here to question humanity? To reveal the true course of human nature? In this place, there was no salvation. You were surrounded by people who decided to fight, even if it meant leaving others behind.

Your heart ached as the cruelty in this place started to crawl into you, remembering more of how In-ho dismissed your feelings yet he continued to give you mixed signals, trying to weigh in if it was In-ho or Young-il you were talking to. He transformed in front of your eyes, and you couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the game, or if it was just his true nature finally breaking through.

----

You felt a light shine on your face. You noticed the players lining up for food, but you didn't feel like eating. You felt your stomach twist, though it wasn't from hunger - just mere emptiness. The food was there just waiting for you to be claimed, but you couldn't bring yourself to at least stand up.

"It's mealtime," you heard someone say, a voice you didn't want to hear, or at least expect.

You turned your back on him. "Not hungry." The flash of his words echoed through your mind, "If you're looking for something that's long gone, maybe you're wasting your time." The words had cut through you like a knife, a cruel reminder of how easily he had dismissed everything. And now, here he was, trying to coax you into eating.

"You need to eat," he firmly said. You turned to face him, seeing his eyes searching your face, with worry this time.

You scoffed. "You're wasting your time."

In-ho looked at you for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly as if he couldn't understand. He let his hand fall back to his side as he quietly walked away, while you stayed still on your bed. Instead, you closed your eyes, deciding to sleep and skip mealtime instead.

Just as you were about to drift off to sleep, you felt someone nudge your shoulder again. You sighed in annoyance, sitting right up as you turned to face In-ho, only to be surprised when you saw him holding two breads and two milk cartons. He placed a piece of bread and milk on top of your bed.

"I said eat," In-ho said, his voice commanding. He turned away and sat on the staircase near the others as Gi-hun, Dae-ho, and Jun-hee ate together in silence.

You can't help but feel your stomach growl, finally confirming that you are indeed hungry. You didn't want to let pride run over you just because it was In-ho who gave you your food. You reluctantly opened your bread and took a bite of it, savoring its cloudy texture to your mouth.

"Brother Jung-bae!" Dae-ho called out to Jung-bae, who was eating a bit away from your group. When he didn't budge, Dae-ho sighed and walked over to him, dragging him back to the group as Jung-bae reluctantly looked at everyone. "It bugs me seeing you sitting there all pathetic."

You only gave a small laugh as you continued to munch on your bread. Despite the awfulness in this place, you can't help but think how this place makes the best food you've ever tasted in your life, as if it was your last meal on earth.

"I'm sorry," Jung-bae said as he looked at all of you, his hands trembling a bit. "Jun-hee, Young-il, Y/N, I'm sorry," he bowed at each of you, then turned to Gi-hun. "Gi-hun, I'm sorry. I borrowed some emergency cash, and the creditors are harassing my ex-wife and kid. If I play one more game, I think I'll be able to settle my debt."

"Jung-bae," In-ho interrupted, looking at him steadily. His voice was low but you could hear the amusement in his voice. "You of all people shouldn't have done it. It's not twice as righteous," he pouted, much to your surprise.

You hated how your heart skipped a beat upon seeing him pout, a rush of warm feeling spread through your chest as your cheeks flushed. You quickly looked away, trying to avoid his eye contact as you noticed him glance at you as he pouted.

In-ho sighed and continued. "But, looking at the results, even if you had voted against, we would still have been outvoted."

"Right? It's not entirely my fault," Jung-bae said quickly, his breath hitching as his face lit up. You could see the comfort in his eyes as if his vote was justified, adding more when Dae-ho agreed.

"To be honest, I understand why you did it. The money isn't enough for me either, so when I went up to vote, I did think about playing one more game," Dae-ho admitted.

"You did?" Jung-bae asked, grabbing Dae-ho's shoulder.

Dae-ho grimaced and pushed Jung-bae back. "I said I get it."

Jung-bae sat beside In-ho as he bowed, sighing as he sat down. "Thank you for understanding. But I voted in favor partly because I feel confident. We did so well as a team, didn't we?" He looked at everyone, expecting an agreement. "If we stick together one more time, I'm sure we'll be fine," he moved towards Jun-hee. "Jun-hee, I'll make sure we survive the next game--"

"The next game?" Gi-hun sighed, staring into space as if his life flashed before his eyes. "In the next game, we might have to kill each other."

Jung-bae was clearly taken aback, staring in horror as Gi-hun spoke those words.

"Gi-hun, that's a bit much," In-ho replied, his voice light trying to ease the tension. "There's nothing we can do now, so let's try to stay positive."

"That's... not impossible," you spoke, much to everyone's surprise. You opened your milk carton, ready for you to drink yet it remained in your hand. "Every life here is valued at 100 million won. There's a high chance they would let us kill each other knowing how the O team was determined to continue the games, clearly not caring if they had to kill for the prize. They even have an estimate on how much the next prize money would be."

In-ho only looked at you as he ate his bread, chewing it as he gave you a nod as if he just analyzed you. "If that's the case, then we should eat, pull ourselves together, and try our best again."

You took a sip of your milk, only to find it to be chocolate milk instead. You glanced at the other milk cartons that your group had, and everyone had plain milk. You checked the label on yours, confirming it to be actually chocolate milk. You stared at it confusingly, wondering how you got a different milk than the others. You checked the other players' milks, all of them with the same flavors.

"Here, Jun-hee," In-ho handed his plain milk carton to her, waiting for her to take it. "You can have mine. Hang in there until the next game."

Jun-hee reluctantly looks at it, clearly shy. "No, it's okay."

"Take it," In-ho insisted. "I don't drink plain milk."

You blinked, caught off guard as you realized they all had plain milk. You were confused as to how that happened. How was he able to retrieve chocolate milk from the guards?

For a moment, you were caught between the instinct of continuing to drink and enjoy every sip of it. You noticed In-ho looking at you and the milk you were drinking, his gaze unreadable and neutral. At the back of your head, you wanted to believe that he hadn't forgotten. The In-ho you knew always remembered how you preferred it than plain milk, as you liked your milk sweeter. The milk felt out place, yet comforting.

You stared at it, you swear you've seen it. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he saw you drinking your milk. It was so simple, yet the weight of it felt heavy. Did he remember?

Your mind raced, trying to make sense of it. There had been no warmth in his actions before, especially when he easily dismissed your feelings. And yet, here was this. A small, seemingly insignificant gesture. But in the context of everything else, it felt like a distant echo of something real, something from the past that couldn’t exist here, not in this place.

You needed to know what In-ho was trying to do, and why he was acting this way. You needed to find the answer as to why he chose to hide behind the facade of Young-il in this place. At this point, the one who gave you the milk, was it really In-ho, or just another game that Young-il wanted to play?

----

A/N: I hope you like how I added more of the reader and in-ho's moments together. As much as possible, I try to still include the dialogues from the actual show and add some from Y/N to not disrupt the whole story. With that, feel free to leave out your thoughts here, and I'll gladly interact with each and everyone of you. 🫶

Don't forget to leave a comment in this post to be tagged on the next chapter! ✨

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lilchan076 · 19 days ago

Text

The squid game teams with a shy and quiet reader

((Writing to cope with the squid game s3 wait))

🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀

Enjoy!

456 team (gi hun, young il, jun hee, dae ho, jung bae,)

They would all be confused while you stumbled over your words when they were giving out names. You had been invited to join their team since your bed was next to gi huns, and embarrassingly caught you staring and listening to their conversations, but they all welcomed you nicely.

Jung bae would tease you or put you in the spotlight for some seconds in the middle of a conversation. You hated it while it was happening but looking back he may have wanted to include you or get you to warm up to them, and it took a while but you were less hesitant, he was like a uncle to you.

Jun hee was comfortable to be around you learned about her through her body language. She appreciated you when you would go with her to the bathrooms when you felt comfortable enough to.

Dae ho acted like a brother. He rambled, answered himself most times like jung bae, and he would include you alot. You understood his panic attacks as you got a few from just feeling eyes on you nonetheless being in a place like this. He stood by you and jun hee during the games to protect you two and you were grateful as you didn't know if you would be able to think with all the pressure.

Gi hun was like a father figure, he wouldn't pressure you to do anything you weren't comfortable with. During late nights neither of you could sleep he'd talk about when he was here before.

Young il would be protective over you and would be by your side during the games and the main room. During the gun fights, you'd be curled in a ball covering your ears, and he'd be in front of you shooting the guards.

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Thanos team (thanos, nam gyu, se mi, min su, geong su,)

Since min su has the same personality it's easy to know how'd they treat you

Thanos took a look at you and snatched you up for his team. Thanos and namgyu weren't the ideal people to be around but you didn't want to be alone so you were grateful.

Nam gyu goes with it if Thanos goes with it, he once caught you crying in your bed when he was on his way to Thanos for more drugs. He felt awkward and hesitantly stopped he tilted his head to try to see your face that was hidden you heard a sound and looked up with teary eyes and jumped out of your skin when you saw him which led him to take a step back I suprise. Embarrassed, you gripped your sheet and was about to just melt in your bed before he whispered 'you good? Someone hurt you?' He didn't seem like the type to care, so it was silent for a moment before you nodded your head lips, tugging into a slight smile. He was surprised by caring too he slid his jacket over his hands, quickly straightened up, and continued his path

Se mi would defend you if any player tried to take advantage of you. She'd drag you and min su with her like two little kids you didn't speak to her much but you'd always be next to her, legs touching while you leaned you head on her shoulder.

Min su was the most comfortable to be around you'd both silently plan out hiding spots if anything got violent. You'd both cling to se mi as if she was your guy's mother. Once in the middle of the night you were sat facing eachother both of you guys just silently crying about your life's.

Gyeong su was more in the background like you had wanted to be. When thanos and nam gyu took off he would've went with them, but looking back at you, your eyes widened in fear of being alone with complete strangers surrounding you. The team had just met a day ago but you did trust them surprisingly. Gyeong su turned to walk and sit beside you patting your back awkwardly but reassuringly.

No name team (Hyun ju, grand ma, Yong sik, young mi,)

Hyun ju kept you close to her. She welcomed you when no other teams wanted you. You owed her your life a few times but she just shrugged with a smile.

The grand ma held your hand either it was walking to the bathroom or walking to the next game

Yong sik grew close to you since his mom wouldn't let go of you, would tell his mom to calm down if she was asking to many questions.

As lovers::: (only doing a few)

Hyun ju:

She would not let you out of her sight. She's scared for you and your social skills but she know she is all you need.

Min su:

You two are stuck like glue together there would need to be threatening to scare you two for you to part, but once you reunite you run into his arms and cried about how scared you were, he'd try to be the bigger man but crumbled at your sobs tightening his hold on your jacket

Se mi:

She's always right behind you, hand on your shoulder to show she's there with you. In the main room she'd take you to a quiet spot and would just hold you

Gyeong su:

He always had a hand on you so you wouldn't get lost. Would also talk for you .

Nam gyu:

Once he took some of thanos drugs you started to avoid him. He acted like he didn't care but it killed him when he tried to calm you down in a panicked state but instead you pushed past him saying you were going to the bathroom. He didn't take anymore drugs after and stuck by you

Taking requests!!

#thanos x reader squid game #thanos squid game #squid game thanos #squid game 2 #writing #squid game #squid game x reader #min su squid game #semi squid game #daeho x reader #dae ho #kang dae ho #seong gihun #gi hun squid game #nam gyu x reader

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giveamadeuschohisownmovie · 5 months ago

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j4desblurbs · 4 months ago

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SQUID GAME RESTAURANT HCS

heyy this is literally a ripoff of @yurozo’s resident evil restaurant au but with squid game instead, hope you enjoy! go check hers out too it’s gold :)

this has got like…..every character i had even a semblance of a headcanon for LMAO (i’m sorry young mi and ji yeong fans 💔)

i am also sorry if this is inaccurate to actual restaurant roles and stuff, this is all for shits and gigs 🫶

ali abdul (player 199)

ali is a cook. he’s genuinely happy to be there all the time and never messes up a dish. everyone feels good about their days at work when ali is there because he sort of acts as everyone’s rock. he also has a stash of snacks for employees on their breaks, and remembers everyone’s birthday and gives them gifts.

cho hyun-ju (player 120)

hyun-ju is a hostess. a bit quiet but very sweet and people often leave great reviews because of her. she tends to be a little blunt when telling people about their wait times but no one’s ever complained about it.

cho sang-woo (player 218)

sang-woo is a manager. he mostly takes care of budgeting and handling vendors. rarely is seen anywhere but his office and by the back wall of the building when he’s taking his smoke breaks. he once caught su-bong with his vape back there but didn’t say anything to anyone because he was too damn tired.

choi su-bong (thanos, player 230)

su-bong is a cook. he tried to bring his vape in once and nearly got beat up by jung-bae. also tried to seize control of the speaker to play his own music and nearly got beat up by woo-seok. su-bong is surprisingly a decent cook. gi-hun definitely had his doubts about hiring him due to past…incidents, but his cooking makes up for it. he’s the best at dessert!

choi woo-seok (found the salesman in s2)

woo-seok has control of the speaker in the kitchen. he insists he can’t cook without a good track. at first he was very intense about his music, but eventually relented and let everyone but su-bong add a few songs to his playlist.

han se-mi (player 380)

se-mi is a waitress. she doesn’t make very much small talk and rarely if ever looks happy to be there but for some reason old people love her, so whoever happens to be the host on her shifts puts old people in her section. she pretends to be exasperated with this when talking to fellow employees but secretly doesn’t mind it.

hwang in-ho (frontman, player 001 s2)

in-ho owns the restaurant. he rarely comes in but when he does it's all hands on deck and everyone better be in line. even su-bong tends to shape up when in-ho's around. he's just got that kind of vibe.

hwang jun-ho (policeman)

jun-ho is the head waiter. people tend to think in-ho gave him the job just because he’s his little brother but jun-ho is genuinely good at this thing. takes no shit and will pull aside waiters who make mistakes to help/lecture them.

jang geum-ja (player 149)

geum-ja comes in every week when yong-sik is working so he can cook for her, since it’s almost always been the other way around. everyone looks forward to when she comes by because she’s basically everyone’s mom. brings everyone gifts around holidays and birthdays!

kang dae-ho (player 388)

dae-ho is the bartender. he is friendly and sweet and makes seriously good drinks. he frequently gets peoples’ numbers slipped to him on cocktail napkins because LOOK AT THE GUY. he also will make sure his marine tattoo is showing if creeps are bothering folks and will intervene if situations escalate. sometimes su-bong gets up to the bar and tries to sneak a few shots but dae-ho always turns him away. he’s serious about his job like that.

kang no-eul (guard 011)

no-eul mainly does scheduling and handles bigger parties/events at the restaurant. learned her lesson real fast after accidentally putting su-bong and nam-gyu on a shift together. almost never takes requests from employees to be scheduled with another employee because she knows that work will pile up if that happens. she hangs out with hyun-ju and gyeong-seok after work and will look after nayeon if gyeong-seok is working when she isn’t.

kang sae-byeok (player 067)

sae-byeok is a delivery driver. since she doesn’t really play well with customer service, gi-hun decides to start delivering. sae-byeok is real good at her job. she’s never been late to a drop off location; will stare at cooks who move too slow (su-bong.) until they start hauling ass and making an effort to finish cooking. often has her little brother in the backseat of the car. he’s on youtube shorts a lot.

kim jun-hee (player 222)

jun-hee is a hostess. she's one of the more quiet ones but is very particular about her job. takes into consideration every waiter's strengths + weaknesses and seats people accordingly. (except for myung-gi; i like to think she’d enjoy fucking with him). a bit more apologetic than other hosts, will seem genuinely upset if someone's got a long time to kill before they get a table.

lee myung-gi (player 333)

myung-gi is a waiter. jun-hee seats all the teenagers having nights out in his section because she thinks it’s funny. myung-gi does not think it’s funny. he thinks they’re too loud and too much and does his job as fast as he can while remaining polite to get away from them. has been reprimanded by jun-ho for checking crypto on his phone while on the job. he tries to take his breaks with jun-hee but she prefers taking them alone, much to his dismay.

nam-gyu (player 124)

nam-gyu is a dishwasher. once he and su-bong were scheduled to work the same shift and the ensuing chaos was so bad that they were never allowed to work on the same shifts ever again. since then nam-gyu is pretty quiet while working and usually has his headphones in.

park gyeong-seok (player 246)

gyeong-seok is a host. he also rakes in a ton of great reviews because he’s handsome and approachable. sometimes has nayeon with him and people loveee her. he never goes on breaks without hyun-ju or no-eul. is very meticulous with his work, never seats anyone with a waiter who wouldn’t be the best to serve them. #everyonelovesgyeongseok

park jung-bae (player 390)

jung-bae is the head chef. he runs a tight ship so orders are almost always perfect. once he had a chef under him that was so bad at his job (gyeong-su.) that he complained and complained to gi-hun until he got fed up and fired the poor guy.

(bonus: su-bong was not very happy with this and didn’t come into work for a couple days to “support his boy gyeong-su”).

park min-su (player 125)

min-su is a waiter and the newest staff member. despite being new he almost never messes up because he took training under jun-ho very seriously. he takes his breaks with se-mi and they run errands for each other/cover each other’s shifts. although he covers more for se-mi than she does for him; he rarely ever misses work.

park yong-sik (player 007)

yong-sik is a cook but sometimes does delivery driving too when sae-byeok can’t. really locks in when his mom is coming into the restaurant although he does his job well every other day of the week. as a delivery driver, he is definitely more approachable and chatty compared to sae-byeok, but he doesn’t love delivery driving because he prefers to be in the kitchen where he doesn’t have to interact with as many people.

salesman (ddjaki man, gong yoo)

the salesman always comes in at the same time, same day without fail. he orders one thing and one thing only and it’s usually black coffee or alcohol. never gets actual food. none of the waitstaff likes to deal with him because he’s almost too quiet. it’s unsettling.

seong gi-hun (player 456)

gi-hun is a manager. he’s mostly in charge of hiring, firing and dealing with customer complaints. he’s kind but gets exasperated pretty quick although he tries his best to hide it. out of the two managers he’s seen around more than sang-woo. never misses work but is interestingly not seen as much when in-ho swings by.

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izzyfishie · 4 months ago

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hi guys i finally made a shipping chart because i got so bored and wanted to try one of these

apart from sangihun i’m not really a huge shipper but i thought this would be fun lol

(i’m not looking to get flamed! please be nice about my opinions 🙏 i am also willing to elaborate on ANY of these if wanted , just send me an ask!!)

i also put my sexuality hcs!! (i will list them under the cut + perhaps give some more information since they may be kinda hard to see 💔)

MY SEXUALITY HCS

gi-hun: bisexual , but he doesnt know the label for it

sang-woo: bro that man is a HOMOSEXUAL + demisexual im projecting

sae-byeok: lesbian

ji-yeong: lesbian + asexual

ali: bi , women pref

deok-su: bi , no pref

mi-nyeo: bi , men pref

byeong-gi: homosexual doctor

jun-ho: canonically i hc him as aroace, but outside of canon i do ship him with others

salesman: omni , male pref

player 062: homosexual

in-ho: bisexual

jung-bae: pan ig? idk haven’t given it much thought

hyun-ju: bisexual

yong-sik: heterosexual

geum-ja: heterosexual + wouldn’t understand any of the terms anyway

myung-gi: heterosexual?? idk

jun-hee: pan

gyeong-seok: heterosexual

dae-ho: pan

thanos: man idfk,,

nam-gyu: homosexual bro this man is Not straight at all,

young-mi: lesbian

seon-nyeo: aromantic

min-su: bi , men pref

se-mi: pan (contrary to popular belief i don’t see her as a lesbian)

gyeong-su: pan

jeong-dae: ew. idc ig he’s straight , and probably homophobic

no-eul: hetero + asexual

masked officer: omni

#squid game #squid game 2 #ship chart #squizzy rambles #squizzy hcs #-> tagging any ships as red pink or purple bc yeah #sangihun #jibyeok #docsu #ddakhun #hyunmi #hyunseok #thangsu #baehun #junofficer #salesmask #mathhun #hyunsik

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lakesparkles · 2 months ago

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Which squid game characters have you drawn as animals so far? (I think I've seen everything, I've looked through the tags but I fear tumblr might be 'eating' a post or two. The searching system is, ahh, lacking at points)

Tumblr's searching system is the worst and I have too many posts, so here's a list of every character I designed so far:

Gi-hun: otter

Sang-woo: wolf

Sae-byeok: marble fox

Ali: sheep

Deok-su: boar

Mi-nyeo: stoat

In-ho: red fox

Jun-ho: coyote

The Salesman: fossa

Jung-bae: quokka

Jun-hee: ocelot

Dae-ho: leopard seal

Myung-gi: white-tailed deer

Hyun-ju: saluki (dog)

Young-mi: hedgehog

Gyeong-seok: german sheperd (dog)

Yong-sik: king penguin

Geum-ja: fairy penguin

Seon-nyeo: jaguar

Thanos: cheetah

Nam-gyu: striped hyena

Se-mi: honduran white bat

Min-su: corgi (dog)

Gyeong-su: tabby cat

Mi-na: peacock

#ask tag #i hope i didn't forget anyone #i'm so close to draw every important character #i can do it guys!!

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everwhovian · 2 months ago

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I just watched the s3 teaser trailer, and I am not okay! There's so much happening, and my mind is reeling with theories and thoughts!

I don't even think it's possible for me to organize my thoughts!

Okay damn you! I can't keep quiet

I don't even have many theories I can type out and make em sound sane... my emotions are all over the place!

First of all: HOW DARE THEY ALL LOOK SO GOOD OMG! I feel like I'm going feral and I'm aro ace so I usually don't care but THEY LOOK SO GOOD OMG WHAT

Gi-hun in the coffin?! Called it. I was screamed about that to my friends last time and they thought I was insane (yes I am thanks but not PROVEN insane)

But seriously, Gi-hun being brought back into a coffin? Diabolical! I love it!

And him being in time out during the voting! By being in handcuffs!! So that's why he was in handcuffs in that one picture

Poor Dae-ho! He looks so shaken! And he doesn't know yet that Jung-bae is dead. This will destroy me...

Also Hyun-ju and Gi-hun interaction? Yes please

I'm so scared for Jun-hee and Geum-ja and Dae-ho and EVERYONE basically

But Geum-ja and Yong-sik being on different teams is just torture! At least she's in a team with Gi-hun... BUT PLEASE I LOVE ALL THOSE CHARACTERS PLEASE NO

Team blue: Dae-ho, Hyun-ju, Yong-sik, Myung-gi, Nam-gyu, Seon-nyeo and her cult

Team red: Gi-hun, Geum-ja, Jun-hee, Min-su

This gumball machine is awesome, though! I will never look at one of those again without thinking about Squid Game

And the doorway into the room? Is that a fucking knife?! (I'm going through the teaser again while typing this)

Do they have to stap each other? Like one team against the other?! And only one team survives? Please, no... that... NO, that would kill me!! I have characters on BOTH teams I care about...

AND IN-HO?! Is he crying? What is the seeing?! Is that related to Jun-ho? To Jun-hee cause he's reminded of his wife?! OR IS HUMANITY FINALLY CATCHING UP WITH HIM AGAIN?!

don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for Inhun/457 shipping reasons etc.

I would eat that up if it's about Gi-hun!! Cause duh. Love the ship

But it's about Jun-ho, right? Please! We need more Hwang brothers content and INTERACTIONS PLEASE

although... don't make it angst or hurt/no comfort... I not being realistic but I don't want either of them to be hurt... just let them live PLEASE

No-eul, my girl!! Sneaking around in the vents hell, yes!!

AND JUN-HO FINDING THE ISLAND!!!

Yessss, my boy, you got this!

VIPs giving me goosebumps already... how they were sitting around that table... WITH THE FRONT MAN... well, yeah, obviously, but... is it In-ho? There was this theory that it could be Gi-hun in that mask cause one of the pictures Netflix shared showed a different posture that were used to... as if someone else is in the mask

Can you imagine?!

No-eul, are you burning it down?! Is she just burning down ONE FILE (please let it be Gyeong-seok's file cause she saved him, and he can see his daughter again!) or is she burning it all down?! Either way we SUPPORT HER!

WAIT WAS THAT GYEONG-SEOK'S JAW?!

Jun-ho... don't talk into a trap, please. That room looks weird af

What if it's the quarter of one of the VIPs? And then they find him?

WHAT IF JUN-HO GETS HURT BY THE VIPS AND THAT'S WHY IN-HO IS CRYING

am I reaching? Probably

BUT OMG I GOT IDEAS LEMME SCRAMBLE TO MY WORD DOCUMENT (aaahhhh)

AND JUN-HEE! THE BABY! OMG! I HEARD A BABY CRY! PLEASE DON'T HURT THEM I AM BEGGING

I can't see who it is and I don't wanna go down the rabbit hole of finding out just by the bracelets on the wrist... BUT IS THAT AN ARROW THEY DREW WITH BLOOD?! Like labyrinth and stabbing? Is that the game?

It's Seon-nyeo, isn't it? I remember her having bracelets, etc

Please don't let Gi-hun fight against one of his friends... he probably will be forced to do it... but PLEASE

GEUM-JA, PLEASE, WHY IS SHE CRYING?! DOES SOMETHING HAPPEN TO YONG-SIK OMG NO!

Did I miss anything? Yeah, duh. Everything happened so fast! But holy shit!

#squid game #squid game s3 predictions #squid game season 3 #squid game s3 teaser trailer #squid game teaser #squid game teaser trailer #seong gihun #hwang inho #hwang junho #hwang brothers

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degenerata69 · 2 months ago

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"I will show you that the world doesn't always go the way you want to" are the premises which Gi-Hun made a bet with In-Ho.

In-Ho, who is smart, cold, and manipulative, always seeming to be three steps ahead of everyone, is being put to the test if things would "always go his way".

He has the upper hand and will absolutely use all the cards in his favor.

This is a continuation of the post I made regarding his interpersonal manipulation to get Gi-Hun to like him and emotionally attach to him. In-Ho didn't stop there, using his position as a bureaucrat to manipulate both Gi-Hun and everyone else to continue the games, systematically ensuring the results he wants to win the bet.

As Gi-Hun correctly pointed out, the way he got people to comeback to the games was upon preying on their desperation, making it seem like they reached a dead end, with the only and last opportunity they had was to participate "willingly" on the games. Making it virtually impossible for people to want to vote out on later games as they feared something greater outside, and everyone has "come too far" to get out now. This time, it was much more sophisticated.

The addition of clause #4 and the voting system.

Unlike last time, people have the opportunity to get out and share the price money, even after only playing one game. A direct way to fuck Gi-Hun's mind as if those were the conditions of the 33rd Squid Game, at least both Sang-Woo and Sae-Byeok would have made it out alive, In-Ho knew this very well, so, he would need to prove that people will continue the games regardless if they shared the price money.

Him choosing to be player "001" is key into determining the fate of the results. If it came to end a tie or marking a tie, In-Ho would hold that power as he is the last person to vote.

Other factor to consider is that voting is *not anonymous* so the outcomes are corrupted by the expectations other people have on you, specially after they are marked with a patch that exposes if they chose to continue or wanted to get out. Min-Su is the most obvious case of voting for 'O' because he was intimidaded into doing so, however, Jung-Bae, Dae-Ho, Yong-Sik, Myung-gi and "Young-Il" all voted 'X' because there was an expectation from someone else to vote that way.

It is very interesting that the games did this fake illusion of democracy, as it only matters during the votes that people don't get violent, however, you are free to intimidate and even kill people.

Participants

While the players were already recruited, it was certainly convenient for In-ho to have many players that would put Gi-Hun on a very familiar and uncomfortable situation, some to point out:

Jun-Hee and Myung-gi: A pregnant woman and her incompetent baby-daddy, who is constantly trying to prove himself for Jun-Hee to forgive him and allow him to be part of her baby's life, as well as hers. Reminding him of how Gi-Hun (without fault on his own) neglected Eun-Ji and almost lost his daughter by witnessing the death of his friend during the strikes. Marking the resentment she holds against him.

Yong-Sik and Geum-Ja: a pathetic mama's boy who gets in debt and (unwillingly) brings his mother down with him, and while trying to make amends to fix mistakes, he doesn't realize how much he hurts her, as she makes her own sacrifices to help her son. Reminding him of the dynamic he had with his own mother, especially after In-ho maliciously implied that Yong-Sik would abandon her to save his own ass.

'Young-Il': A desperate husband who had his pregnant wife in the hospital, sick to death, with time running out, his "only hope" was to win enough money to pay for her treatment. Even if it comes to the death of others. But he is willing to set aside his selfish interest in favor of Gi-Hun's because he "respects and admires him." This is to both remind Gi-Hun's of his relationship with Eun-Ji and also the fact that he came back for the sake of his mother's health.

Jung-Bae: self-explanatory. Gi-Hun's best friend whom he neglected after being profusely traumatized. Too deep into the hole to see past it, blaming himself for not preventing Jung-Bae from falling victim into the system he swore his life to destroy. The only one who reminded Gi-Hun the person he used to be before entering the games. The weapon In-ho would use to destroy Gi-Hun beyond repair.

The Games

In-Ho certainly organized the games in a way that would be favorable to the outcome he hoped for.

He chose Red Light, Green Light first, besides having a huge death rate because of people panicking. He would make Gi-Hun believe that he'd be playing the exact same games as before, blowing his cover as a former winner and making people distrust him, even though his goal was helping as many people to survive as possible. He'd also use this to taunt him. "You know, if you didn't reveal yourself, I wouldn't have chosen to keep going, right? So it is your fault we are still here, despite your efforts of being a hero and saving everyone."

The six-legged pentathlon was also a deliberate choice, a game that relied on teamwork, having a high survival rate and just the right amount of adrenaline, would make people feel euphoric for surpassing the games, forgetting the unfortunate who didn't made it thru. Making people who were originally scared feel confident that if they keep going, they would be able to reach their goal. Not realizing that it meant that the money would be the cost of the blood of the people who "loose" until it came to bite them in the ass for the next game.

This one made it for the majority to vote 'O' without the need for In-ho to be the one making the final choice for him to get the favorable decision.

Mingle brought people back into reality, either losing or being close to losing someone they loved. It brought it back to 50/50.

And now it was turn for the extra round, where In-ho set it up to make it convenient for people to target one another. Keep in mind, if Gi-Hun accepted the terms of fighting one another, In-Ho would have won the bet, as he'd prove to Gi-Hun that things "always went his way," diverting Gi-Hun's objective in favour of the system In-Ho set up. What he didn't expect was that Gi-Hun didn't fall for it, suggesting to take down the whole system down instead of doing what the executives (In-Ho) wanted them to do.

If Gi-Hun chose to go with Young-Il instead of Jung-Bae, he would have kidnapped him (kinda as a payback for trying to do the same a few days ago) and revealed himself right there, winning the bet.

So it was Plan C, betraying him, and shooting the last trace of sanity Gi-Hun still held, his best friend, Jung-Bae, as well as everyone else who decided to follow him.

In conclusion

(Credits to @cleaveslice for such glorious image)

Hwang In-ho, you are not seeing the gates of heaven when your demise comes, malparido triplehijueputa.

#squid game #seong gihun #hwang inho #hwang in ho #in ho

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luxerians · 6 months ago

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The Last Mask (11)

Hwang In-ho/Oh Young-il/Player 001 x Reader

Chapter 11 - 50/50

Story Masterlist

NEXT : Chapter 12

PREV : Chapter 10

You brought your fingertips to your lips, tracing the delicate, swollen skin. The warmth of his kiss lingered there, a memory etched so vividly that it made your cheeks flush every time you thought about it. Ever since that moment, you couldn’t bring yourself to meet Young-il’s gaze. Embarrassment bloomed every time you saw even the faintest glimpse of him.

You’d spent some time trying to understand it. Why had he kissed you? Was it to take your mind off everything you’d seen him do to Min-jae? The thought made you pause. It was a caring gesture, or perhaps a manipulative one. Either way, it had worked. It had calmed you. The kiss pulled your thoughts away from his ruthless act. Whether intentional or not, his actions had eased the storm inside you.

The third game was over, and you descended the labyrinthine stairs again. The line of players moved slowly. At the very front of your group were the mother and her son Yong-sik. Just behind them was Hyun-ju, her face distraught, with Gyeong-seok walking behind her. Player 333 followed close behind.

Then came Jun-hee. Behind her was Dae-ho, and then Se-mi. Gi-hun tailed behind. You were next, with Young-il just behind you like your shadow. At the very back of the line was Jung-bae.

As you descended, you focused on the steps in front of you, avoiding any accidental glance backward. You couldn’t risk catching Young-il’s eye again. Every time the memory of his lips on yours surfaced, you felt the heat creeping back up your neck like lava.

That’s when Gi-hun glanced over his shoulder and spoke up solemnly, “When we get back, let’s count the number of people remaining.”

You blinked at him questioningly as Young-il replied from behind you, “Why?”

“If we count the numbers of Os and Xs, we’ll be able to see who’s likely to win the next vote,” stated Gi-hun.

You stayed silent as Young-il responded, “We’ll have to hope more people from the other side died.”

You couldn’t stop your thoughts from drifting back to Lee Min-jae and his friends. You briefly recalled that they had been among the players who voted for O. The memory of them lingered, but it was overshadowed by the shocking scene you had witnessed. His strength, his ruthlessness. It was unsettling. If he wanted to, you realized, he could probably take down half of the O players without breaking a sweat. The sheer intensity of his combat prowess was terrifying.

I never had the chance to ask him what he did before coming here, you thought. Was he in elite forces or something?

You finally reached the dormitory, and as you stepped inside, you immediately noticed them. Player 333 discreetly yet gently pulled Jun-hee away from the group. Your heart skipped a beat as worry crept in. You observed them from a distance, concerned about the pregnant Jun-hee and whether she might be taken advantage of.

After a few moments of watching them converse quietly between the bunk beds, you relaxed. It seemed innocent enough. Satisfied that Jun-hee was okay, you turned to follow the rest of your group. That was when you noticed Se-mi had strayed away. She walked off from everyone. You wondered why she didn’t stick with your group. For a moment, you considered calling her, but you hesitated. It felt too soon to cross that line; after all, you had only just met her.

“[Your name].”

You heard your name and turned to see Young-il. He had stopped walking with Gi-hun and the others and was now standing a few paces away, waiting for you. A small, warm smile curled his lips, and his face softened as your eyes met.

“Come,” he said simply.

You walked toward him, and together, the two of you headed back to your group’s usual corner. As you walked, Young-il’s left hand lifted, and he tucked a stray strand of your hair behind your ear. The gesture made you blush, and you stole a sneaky glance at him. You didn’t expect him to be so openly affectionate, even in front of others, especially after his confession. But then again, you hadn’t stopped him, had you?

The two of you reached the corner and immediately noticed a change. Many of the beds had been removed due to the dwindling number of players. Your group’s corner now consisted of stairs leading up to a few remaining beds. Beneath the stairs, a clear space offered an ideal spot for the group to sit around on the floor. Gi-hun and Dae-ho wasted no time claiming it as their own.

As you arrived, you couldn’t help but notice Jun-hee’s absence. She was likely still talking with player 333. Maybe he likes her, you mused to yourself, thinking about how adorable Jun-hee could be.

You and Young-il sat down on the lower bed tucked under the stairs right beside your group's spot. It offered a clear view of your group’s corner. Not long after, Jung-bae rushed back to the spot, ducking under the stairs to join the others.

“Gi-hun,” he began, “there are 55 people who voted in favor of continuing.”

Gi-hun stood straighter. “Are you sure?”

“I counted them twice,” Jung-bae reassured him.

Dae-ho, standing in between them, pointed at the O patch on Jung-bae’s chest. “What about you? Did you include yourself?”

Jung-bae glanced down at his patch, his expression momentarily blank. Then, looking back up at Gi-hun, he said, “It’s 56.”

You couldn’t help but smile at his antics. Dae-ho sighed heavily, closing his eyes as if counting in his mind. “We have 44 people on our side. That means we’re outnumbered by 12.”

Jung-bae leaned his head back in mock despair. “Shoot, that means we’re likely to lose again.”

That’s when Young-il stood up from beside you and walked over to the group. “It may seem like a big difference, but if six of them change their minds, it’ll be 50/50, all tied. If seven of them change their minds, we could win.”

“But those who pressed X might change their minds too,” Dae-ho pointed out.

Young-il met his gaze and replied, “They probably won’t change their minds easily.”

“Why not?” Dae-ho asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

Everyone’s eyes fixed on Young-il, waiting for his explanation. He didn’t keep them in suspense for long.

“They wanted to quit even when the prize was smaller,” he said evenly. “Now they can leave with even more money. They wouldn’t want to risk their lives playing another game.”

Jung-bae spoke up, “I’m going to press X this time. That means we’ll have a tie if five others change their minds. With six more, we win.”

You cast your gaze to the floor, feeling a tiny sense of hopefulness in your heart. You really wanted to leave this place. Young-il’s words made you feel hopeful that maybe… the next voting process would end with a majority of X votes.

You heard Gi-hun say, “Then let’s go over there and try to convince them.”

“No, that’s too risky,” countered the calm Young-il. You brought your gaze back to him. You noticed Gi-hun also staring at him in surprise, not expecting such direct opposition from Young-il. The latter continued, “Most of them will want to continue the games. If we make a move, they won’t just sit back and watch.”

Gi-hun frowned in displeasure, his voice carrying an edge as he said to Young-il, “So you think we should just stand here and pray they change their minds?”

He paused to take a step closer to Young-il, as if daring him to challenge his view. “What if we lose again? We march down, hand in hand, to play another game?”

“I understand how you feel,” responded Young-il. “I also wish I could leave right now. But this is the moment to stay calm.”

You slowly got up from your seat on the bed, feeling the tension rising between these two.

“Stay calm? We’ve already taken a vote twice,” retorted Gi-hun with a scowl. His voice rose slightly as he said, “If we can’t convince them, we’ll have to bring them over to our side by force.”

“If we provoke them now, we may end up in a big fight before we even get to vote,” countered Young-il. He refused to back down. Though he seemed calm, you could detect a hint of frustration in his tone. “Is that what you want, Gi-hun?”

You, Dae-ho, and Jung-bae stared at them quietly as the unpleasant tension crackled between the two men. Young-il and Gi-hun locked eyes, their glares daring each other to relent and concede their own view.

You hated this kind of argument, especially within a group of close friends like this. Simple disagreements had the potential to spiral into something bigger, risking unnecessary conflict and possibly breaking the group apart. You wanted to stop that from happening.

“Look, Gi-hun,” Jung-bae said softly, trying to diffuse the tension. “I’m too scared to play another game. I’m sure there are more people who feel the same way.”

Dae-ho stepped closer to the two men, his voice calm. “That’s right. If it’s just five or six people, we’ve got a shot. I did the math, and the prize is now over 300 million per person. I think that gives us a pretty good chance.”

It was clear that both Jung-bae and Dae-ho were siding with Young-il. Their reasoning seemed to chip away at the growing tension.

Hoping to help ease the atmosphere further, you added, “Let’s not forget about those we’ve acquainted with recently. Like Hyun-ju, Yong-sik, and Se-mi. They all voted for O before, but after that last game? I don’t think they will want to continue playing.”

Gi-hun and Young-il remained locked in their tense stare, but you noticed the atmosphere had started to shift. The pressure between them lessened slightly, thanks to the combined efforts of Jung-bae, Dae-ho, and your input. The argument hadn’t dissolved entirely, but at least for now, it felt like the group was pulling back from the edge of something worse.

The familiar blaring noise echoed throughout the dormitory. The double doors slid open, revealing the pink-clad guards as usual.

The square guard in the middle stepped forward and announced, “Congratulations to all of you for making it through the third game. Now, here are the results of the third game.”

After much announcement, the TV screen finally displayed all the necessary details. There were 100 players remaining. The accumulated prize money stood at an astonishing 35.6 billion won. Distributing all of that equally would mean that each player would earn 356 million won.

Your eyes widened in astonishment as the weight of that number settled in. With that amount, you could finally wipe away your family’s crippling debt and pay off the mounting hospital bills. Now you were more enthusiastic to quit this game, to take the money and leave. You couldn’t bear the thought of risking another game.

Your group, along with the other players, gathered at the far back of the dormitory’s clear center. The square guard’s announcement had concluded, and the guards were now setting up the voting counters.

Standing in the throng of players, you were lost in thought when you heard a familiar voice beside you.

“I’m glad,” Young-il said, his voice calm yet carrying an undertone of sincerity. You turned to him, catching the small smile tugging at his lips. “At this amount, you can pay all of your debts.”

A grin spread across your face as hope bloomed in your chest. “Yeah. Now I want nothing more than to go back home. My little sister must be worried.”

Young-il’s gaze lingered on you. He seemed curious but hesitant as he asked, “What are you going to do with the remaining millions?”

You looked away briefly, a genuine smile gracing your lips. “I’d use it to give my family a fresh start. My parents have endured so much. They’ve sacrificed so much for us. I’m going to give it all to them.”

Turning back to him, your warm smile deepened. “They deserve it.”

Young-il stared at you for a moment, his small smile growing as a glimmer of admiration flickered in his eyes.

He said softly. “It’s rare to see someone who thinks so selflessly, even in a place like this.”

That’s when a thought crossed your mind, and you glanced up at him, your voice soft and a little hesitant. “Young-il, if we manage to get a majority of X votes and we get to leave… will we still keep in touch?”

Young-il’s lips curved into a subtle smile, and he held your gaze for what felt like an eternity. His expression was calm and thoughtful as if weighing something significant. Then, with a reassuring nod, he said, “Of course. Once we win the majority vote, give me your phone number and address. I’ll contact you.”

Your face lit up with a wide smile, warmth spreading through you. Standing so close to him, it felt like the world around you faded, leaving just the two of you in this quiet moment.

You knew what he had done this morning should be a red flag to you. His capability to kill with such decisiveness and lack of hesitation should have terrified you. Yet, despite it all, your heart betrayed you. This wasn’t just a crush anymore. You were falling for him. For the man who had shown you his strength, his vulnerability, and a side of himself that he seemed to reserve only for you.

Then you heard Jung-bae say to Gi-hun, “356 million. With that kind of money, some of them will change their minds.”

Dae-ho continued, “If we get six more people, it’s a tie. If it’s seven, we win.”

Gi-hun nodded in response. Now that you were looking at them past Young-il, who was standing beside you, you took in your friends’ positions in the crowd. Starting from the far left were you, Young-il, Dae-ho, Jung-bae, and Gi-hun. Behind you all were Jun-hee, the mother and Yong-sik, Hyun-ju, and Gyeong-seok. You noticed the distance between both Young-il and Gi-hun, and it wasn’t hard to discern why. After all, they had come close to arguing moments ago.

“The vote will once again be conducted in reverse order of your player numbers,” the guard announced. “Player 456, please cast your vote.”

Gi-hun stepped forward and headed toward the counter. Along the way, the guard reminded, “To ensure fair and democratic voting, we will not tolerate any disruptions from this point onward.”

Without hesitation, Gi-hun pressed the X button, emitting a deep beeping noise. He then went to stand in the X zone.

After a few players took their turns, it was finally yours. You sent a glance at Young-il before stepping out of the crowd. When you reached the counter, you pressed the X button decisively and then walked over to stand beside Gi-hun in the X zone.

Next was Jung-bae’s turn. True to his promise, he pressed the X button, replacing the O patch on his chest with the X one. He then went to stand on the other side of Gi-hun.

Right after him came Dae-ho’s turn. He pressed the X button and joined you, standing beside you in the X zone.

The next player was someone you had gotten acquainted with during the last game – Se-mi. You were pleasantly surprised when she stepped up to the counter and pressed the X button. After replacing her O patch with the X one, she headed toward the X zone.

As Se-mi approached, Jung-bae reminded aloud, “Five more.”

Se-mi made her way to the X zone and caught your eye. You gave her a warm smile, which she returned with a friendly smirk before she positioned herself in front of your group.

A few minutes passed, and Jun-hee took her turn. Without hesitation, she pressed the X button. Shortly after, an O player stepped up. She hesitated at the voting counter, glancing between the X and O buttons. Finally, she pressed X. The sound of the deep beeping noise echoed, and Jung-bae and Dae-ho jumped in delight. Dae-ho exclaimed, “It’s four people now. Four more, and we win.”

Next was the mother’s turn. She pressed the X button. Then, another O player, player 125, followed suit, pressing X after a brief pause at the counter. The combined cheers from Dae-ho and Jung-bae echoed through the room. They turned to you and Gi-hun, saying in unison, “With three more people, we win.”

Your heart raced as you watched the process unfold. Young-il had been right. O players were changing their minds, one by one. Your mouth hung slightly open as the realization of leaving this game began to feel more and more tangible. This could be it. You could be free of this nightmare.

Then it was Hyun-ju’s turn. She approached the counter slowly. She stood there, staring at the buttons, her inner turmoil visible to everyone. After a few agonizing moments, she pressed the X button. The sound of the deep beep was like music to your ears. Cheers erupted around you. Dae-ho clapped enthusiastically, while Jung-bae, unable to contain his excitement, threw an arm around Gi-hun in a side hug. You found yourself grinning uncontrollably.

“Only two more now!” reminded Jung-bae, his voice filled with hope.

Hyun-ju replaced her O patch with an X and walked over to the X zone. Her movements were slow, her head hung low. The weight of player 095’s death clearly still lingered heavily on her. As she approached Jun-hee’s side, the mother came to her and gently patted her shoulder, offering silent comfort.

Soon enough, every vote caused either cheers or groans, depending on the outcome. When another O player pressed the X button, the O voters groaned loudly, while the X voters erupted into cheers.

“He switched to X!” effused Jung-bae, his excitement palpable. “That’s six! It’s a tie now! If we get one more person, we win.”

You bounced on the spot in pure delight, earning a pleased glance from Gi-hun. His expression reflected a mix of relief and hope.

Dae-ho, elated yet still astonished, said with a trace of disbelief, “Are we really going home?”

The anticipation mounted as Yong-sik’s turn came. As he approached the counter, Jung-bae couldn’t hold back and asked his mother, “Your son will definitely vote X this time, right?”

The mother nodded reassuringly. “Don’t worry. My Yong-sik will definitely press X this time.”

True to her words, Yong-sik pressed the X button firmly, his determination evident as he immediately ripped off his O patch. The screen updated to [X: 49 | O: 49]. The X zone exploded with cheers, the noise almost deafening. You jumped in happiness, your cheers blending with those around you.

Yong-sik turned to the X zone, proudly displaying his new X patch, and effused, “Let’s go home!”

The cheers from the X voters grew even louder. You felt an overwhelming sense of joy and relief. Glancing to the back, you counted the remaining unvoters. There were only player 006 and Young-il left. Both already had X patches from the previous vote. You grinned widely, filled with the certainty that these two would solidify the majority and secure your return home.

But then, as player 006 reached the counter, she pressed the O button.

A shocked silence fell over the X zone, quickly replaced by gasps and groans of disbelief. The O zone, however, erupted into cheers like fireworks. You froze, staring in shock as the voting results shifted to [X: 49 | O: 50].

You couldn’t believe it. Everyone in the X zone wore expressions of frustration and disappointment. Your earlier happiness crumbled, replaced by a gnawing dread as the reality of the situation set in.

“Lastly, player 001,” announced the square guard. “Please cast your vote.”

All eyes turned to Young-il. The dormitory fell silent as he began his solemn walk towards the counter. You watched intently, your breath catching in your chest. Dae-ho whisper-called his name, using his hyungnim honorifics. When Young-il glanced his way, Dae-ho raised a supportive fist and said, “Fighting!”

Young-il didn’t respond verbally. Instead, he gave Dae-ho a brief glance before shifting his eyes to you. Your heart thumped in anticipation as he turned his attention back to the front and continued walking. Dae-ho leaned toward Jung-bae, Gi-hun, and you, muttering, “It’s going to be 50/50, so it’s still a tie, isn’t it?”

You nodded slightly, unable to tear your eyes away from Young-il. The tension in the room was almost suffocating. As he reached the counter, he paused, standing silently in front of the buttons. You could see his gaze fixated on the large TV screen above. Seconds stretched for so long as he stared at the screen, his expression unreadable.

What is he thinking? Why hasn’t he pressed the button yet? Your frown deepened as worry gnawed at you. Could he… could he be considering voting for O?

The entire room seemed frozen, holding its collective breath. Young-il finally shifted his gaze to the buttons before him. His hand hovered over them, and the suspense was unbearable. Then, at long last, he pressed the X button. The deep, resonating beep confirmed his choice.

You exhaled loudly, your relief palpable. Around you, the X voters erupted in cheers and applause, their earlier anxiety melting away into joy.

Young-il turned around, his face breaking into a wide smile. He lifted his hand, forming an ‘OK’ sign as he looked directly at your group. He let out a visible sigh of relief and began his walk back to the X zone. The X voters at the front parted to let him through.

You smiled widely at Young-il as he arrived and stood beside you. His wide smile and reassuring nod brought a wave of relief that washed over you. His expression was a stark contrast to the solemn demeanor he had while deliberating in front of the voting counter.

“The vote has ended,” declared the square-masked guard.

“Wait, it’s a tie,” asked player 100, his voice laced with confusion. “What happens now?”

“Clause three of the consent form. In the case of a tie, players will vote again,” reminded the guard.

An X voter raised his hand, his voice breaking the growing murmurs. “So when are we going to vote again?”

“To give you some time to think, the vote will be conducted tomorrow,” the guard explained. “Until then, please think carefully about your future.”

A mix of sighs and quiet conversations filled the dormitory as players began to process the announcement. Slowly, everyone dispersed from the X and O zones. Disappointment hung heavy in the air, but there was also a sliver of hope. You felt it, too. The tie meant another chance tomorrow, another opportunity to sway the outcome.

Young-il nudged your arm softly, a subtle gesture that snapped you from your thoughts. Without a word, he turned and started walking. You followed him immediately, weaving through the crowd. Your steps took you past Gi-hun, who stood motionless in the middle of the dispersing players, his downcast gaze told you he was lost in a labyrinth of thoughts.

The quietness between you and Young-il as you moved toward your group’s corner was calming. It was as though the weight of the day’s events didn’t feel as heavy when you were walking beside him.

Still, you couldn’t hold back your curiosity and asked with a raised eyebrow, “Why were you taking so long to vote X? You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

Young-il chuckled softly, his amusement clear. You added with an exaggerated frown, “If you’d voted O, I would scream and die on the spot. That would’ve been my way out of this game.”

He laughed at your dramatic response, the sound warm and light. Glancing at you, he noticed the pout on your face and shook his head gently. He lifted his left hand and caressed the back of your head, brushing your hair as well.

“Sorry,” he said, the smile lingering on his lips. “I was just thinking about something else.”

“What were you thinking about?” you asked immediately.

As the two of you slowed your pace, nearing the corner where your group usually gathered, his gaze shifted around the room purposefully, almost as if looking at every surviving player. Then, his smile faded slightly as he explained, “I was wondering why so many people still insist on staying. They already have a share of 356 million. It’s enough to start over, right? I don’t know their reasons, but… it says a lot about this world.”

You stared at him silently, your mind catching onto his words and lingering on their weight. He looked down at the floor, his expression turning into something more thoughtful.

“It’s frustrating,” he continued, his voice quieter. “If everyone got one billion, would they finally vote to leave? Or would they insist on staying here?”

Young-il paused, bringing his gaze to you, and added solemnly, “If everyone knew about Jun-hee and her pregnancy, would that change their minds? Would they vote X for her sake? Or would they judge her for being here?”

His words sank deep into you, leaving a heavy pause in their wake. You found yourself thinking about Jun-hee, the fragile girl carrying a life within her. Would revealing her situation stir compassion or make her a target for scorn?

“This place exposes who you really are,” he said. “People can’t hide forever when they’re pushed to their limits. Even those who think they’re good, moral people find out just how far they’re willing to go when it’s their life on the line.”

You thought back to everything you’d seen so far. The alliances formed and broken within seconds. The violence when everyone’s lives were on the line. Even Min-jae and his friends revealed their true nature in their desperate, violent attempt to survive.

Then, you felt the gentle brush of Young-il’s hand against the back of your head, his fingers weaving softly through your hair in a way that made you feel safe. His touch was tender and when you turned your gaze toward him, he was already smiling at you.

“This place also shows who can hold onto kindness, even when everything around them turns to chaos,” he said.

His words lingered in the air, resonating deeply within you. You found yourself smiling warmly, his sentiment striking a chord you hadn’t expected. He slowly withdrew his hand, the warmth of his touch still lingering.

But then you remembered something. You looked up at him, your wide, doe-like eyes shimmering with sincerity, and said, “That’s you, though.”

Young-il’s gaze lingered on you, his expression shifting. His faint smile faltered and then disappeared entirely as he stared at you. You kept your smile, unwavering and genuine, as you continued, “You’re kind, too. You stay calm when everyone else is panicking, and you’re always the first to tell us to stay grounded. When player 333 was being bullied, you stepped in...”

You paused, lifting your hands in a playful yet subtle attempt to mimic his combat moves from that moment. “You were like a police officer in this place. Fair and protective.”

Young-il’s eyes remained fixed on you, his astonishment evident. The silence between you grew, stretching into something heavy yet unspoken. You tilted your head, puzzled by his reaction, but your smile remained intact.

Finally, a small smile returned to his lips. His eyes softened, glimmering with something you couldn’t quite name. Admiration? Gratitude? Both? His gaze flickered between your left and right eye, then briefly to your lips before dropping to the floor. A quiet chuckle escaped him, and he gently placed a hand on your back, guiding you forward.

“You’re too kind for this world, really,” he murmured, almost to himself, though you heard every word.

***

Minutes after the voting, dinner time arrived. The line to get your meal moved steadily, and you soon received a single roll of gimbap wrapped neatly in aluminum foil. You were puzzled when you unwrapped it and found a fork included. While a fork could work, gimbap was typically eaten with chopsticks or even just your hands. The choice felt unusual. Adding to your confusion was the glass water bottle handed out with the meal. Why a glass bottle? Wouldn’t plastic have been cheaper?

Seated at the staircase of your group’s corner, you unwrapped your meal and glanced around. Young-il was on your left, eating quietly, with Dae-ho next to him. Behind you, Jun-hee, Hyun-ju, and Gyeong-seok sat on the upper staircases, and to your right, the mother and Yong-sik settled in, their quiet bond evident.

Before long, Jung-bae and Gi-hun returned with their meals. Jung-bae, ever animated, grinned widely as he addressed Young-il. “I’m glad Young-il gave us another chance to vote again.”

“Same here,” added Dae-ho. “I was nervous, though. I thought he might vote to stay, like on the first day.”

Young-il chuckled lightly. “The money’s enough for me now. So it’s time to get out of here. Alive.”

Gi-hun took a seat on the lower staircase in front of the mother and Yong-sik. His gimbap remained unopened as Gyeong-seok spoke up, “But do you think we’ll be able to win the second vote?”

Young-il’s eyes shifted to the O players gathered on the other side of the dormitory. “We’ll have to go for broke. Like Gi-hun said earlier, we should try to convince some of them to change their minds before the second vote.”

You took a bite of your gimbap, savoring the familiar taste despite the tension. Yong-sik chimed in, “Will they, though? They seem to have lost their minds over the money.”

His mother, ever nurturing, offered her perspective. “The way I see it, we’re more likely to win. All we’ve got to eat is this roll of gimbap. Tomorrow, everyone will be hungrier. And when you’re hungry, you start to miss home.”

That’s when Yong-sik got up from his seat and stared directly at the O players across the dormitory. He called out boldly, “Hey!”

The chatter among the O players quieted as they all turned their attention to him. Holding up his opened roll of gimbap, Yong-sik continued with a wide grin, “Don’t agonize over your decision while eating this dry gimbap. I just want one of you to come over to our side.”

You noticed his mother and Dae-ho exchange amused glances, their expressions mirroring pride and encouragement. Yong-sik’s voice took on a friendlier tone as he added, “If we get out of here tomorrow morning, we could get Korean beef! I’ll tell you what. It’s my treat!”

His mother’s face lit up as she shot up from her seat and chimed in, “And after that, the noodles are on me!”

“Come on!” shouted Dae-ho, gesturing with an enthusiastic wave of his arm. “Come over to our side! Anyone!”

The atmosphere shifted, and for a moment, it seemed like the X side’s lighthearted plea might sway someone. But then, player 100 stood up abruptly from his seat on the staircases, his voice booming, “Once you all die in the next game, we can all leave with 800 million each! With 800 million, we could buy a freaking cattle ranch!”

Your eyes lowered as a sense of unease crept over you. They’re already counting how much they’d get if all of us X voters die? That’s ruthless.

The O voters erupted in agreement, cheering loudly like a united front of villains rallying behind player 100’s words. Their confidence was palpable, and now it was their turn to call out, trying to coax X players into switching sides.

Out of nowhere, Dae-ho stood up. He took a few steps forward and shouted, “Oh, really? 800 million? Who are you kidding? You really think you’ll still be alive after the next game? If you don’t get out now, you’re all going to die!”

Player 226, the man you recognized as player 100’s right-hand man, stepped down from the staircases with an air of defiance and retorted, “So let’s play one more game to see who dies. Stop trying to run away like a goddamn coward.”

Dae-ho let out an irritated laugh. “What did you say? Hey, come here.”

He surged forward aggressively, and Jung-bae scrambled to his feet to intercept him.

“Come here, asshole!” Dae-ho shouted again.

Player 226 grinned provocatively, taunting him further, as Jung-bae latched onto Dae-ho and tried to drag him backward. But Dae-ho, fueled by anger, pushed Jung-bae away and rolled up his sleeve to reveal a bold tattoo. “I was in the Marines, fucking asshole!”

The O players roared with laughter, their mocking voices filling the air. Player 226 smirked and shot back, “Oh, yeah? Then I was in the air force, fucker!”

Before the tension could escalate further, another O player shouted crudely, “Hey, if you want to go home, why would you even bother eating? Just starve!”

His taunt struck a nerve among the X players. You noticed many of them stand from their seats and they approached the middle of the dormitory. Jung-bae, clearly triggered by the comment, marched forward, pointing accusingly at the man who had spoken. O players began rising in turn, meeting them head-on in the center of the room. The verbal onslaught intensified as insults and curses flew back and forth.

The red and blue lines between the X and O zones were the only things keeping the situation from boiling over into a physical fight. Despite the yelling and chaos, you observed that neither side dared to cross the line in the middle.

You let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least it’s just words, not fists, you thought.

Amidst the escalating noise, your attention was drawn to Gi-hun. He unrolled the foil around his gimbap and froze, his mouth slightly open as if in shock.

Curious, you leaned closer to get a better look at what had shaken him so deeply. Before you could see anything, Gi-hun picked up the fork from his foil and held it up, his gaze fixed on it with apprehension.

“Gi-hun?” you called softly, tilting your head in concern. “What’s wrong?”

From the corner of your eye, you caught Young-il glancing at Gi-hun. Gi-hun remained unresponsive, staring at the fork as though it carried a weight only he could feel. Despite the escalating chaos of the shouting match between X and O players, your focus stayed on Gi-hun, your bewilderment growing with every passing second.

***

Eventually, the heated exchange between the X and O players fizzled out without resolution. You finished your roll of gimbap, the salty taste lingering on your tongue. Though your water bottle was still half full, you decided to conserve it for later.

Standing up, you scanned the dormitory for a trashcan and spotted one near the door to the women’s bathroom. Clutching the crumpled aluminum foil in your hand, you began to make your way there.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Young-il jogging to catch up with you. Assuming he intended to toss his trash as well, you smiled faintly and continued walking. But before you could reach the trashcan, he placed a hand over yours, halting you mid-step. His gaze locked on yours, serious and unwavering.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, tilting your head in innocent curiosity.

Without answering, he gently took the crumpled foil from your hand and began to unfold it. Inside lay the unused fork that had come with your meal. He carefully removed the fork, crumpling the foil back into a ball with his other hand.

Holding the fork out to you, he said in a low, deliberate voice, “Judging from how tense things are getting, it’s better to keep this with you.”

You blinked, startled by his grave tone. The realization of his words and his past as a winner of this horrific game clicked into your mind. He’d been through this before. He knew things you didn’t. Raising your eyebrows, you asked cautiously, “Why? What would I need this for?”

Young-il’s eyes darkened slightly, his expression unreadable. “It’s for your protection.”

Before you could probe further, he turned on his heel and strode to the trashcan, disposing of the crumpled foil. Returning to your side, he rested a hand lightly on your back and began guiding you back to the corner where your group was sitting. His touch was steady, reassuring, but it did little to calm the apprehension bubbling in your chest.

Slipping the fork into the pocket of your green pants, you decided to trust him. He had seen more of this place than anyone else in the dormitory, and if he thought this was necessary, there had to be a reason.

***

For the rest of the allotted free time, you found yourself caught up in animated conversations with your groupmates. Laughter mingled with lighthearted banter as the tension of the dormitory seemed to momentarily ease. You noticed Gi-hun lingering nearby, his posture still tense but his ears clearly tuned to the ebb and flow of your discussions. Gradually, he drifted closer, his guarded demeanor softening as he joined in here and there.

At one point, Young-il excused himself to attend to something, leaving you momentarily alone in the corner. Before long, Gi-hun appeared by your side, settling down on the staircases next to you. You turned to him with pleasant surprise.

“Are you free if I ask you something?” he began, his tone tentative.

You smiled warmly. “Of course. What is it?”

Gi-hun’s gaze dropped momentarily as he stared at the floor. He was evidently thinking about the best way to convey his question to you. After a few seconds, he looked back at you, hesitating for a beat before finally speaking.

“I’ve noticed something about you and Young-il,” he said, his voice carefully measured.

A wave of warmth crept up your cheeks, and you fought to maintain your composure.

Gi-hun leaned slightly closer, his expression earnest. “You two seem so close. So, I just want to know… what is it between you two?”

Your gaze shifted shyly, your fingers brushing against the fabric of your pants as you considered your words. “You could say that we are close. We talked a lot during our time keeping watch together.”

Gi-hun’s eyebrows lifted slightly in acknowledgment. “Oh. So, did he tell you about his wife?”

At his question, your smile faltered, and your gaze dropped. “He did.”

The memory of Young-il’s confession lingered in your mind. The sorrow in his voice when he spoke about his wife, and the depth of his pain, felt so real. But as Gi-hun’s words registered, a thought began to nag at you. Gi-hun had mentioned Young-il’s wife before, but it was clear he didn’t know she had passed away. That meant Young-il hadn’t told him everything.

Why hadn’t Young-il shared the full truth with Gi-hun? The man seemed to trust him. Or was it something else entirely? Or was he lying to you?

Doubt began to creep into your thoughts. Had Young-il been honest with you, or was there more to his story than he had let on?

You hesitated, wanting to tell Gi-hun the truth about Young-il’s wife but knowing it wasn’t your place to share. It was something deeply personal – a story only Young-il should tell. So you stayed quiet, even as the weight of the secret pressed against your chest.

Your silence must have spoken volumes because Gi-hun, ever observant, spoke up gently, “I’m sorry if my question upset you. I didn’t mean to pry.”

You gave him a faint smile, though it felt forced. “It’s okay. You’re just being thoughtful. I hope that, in time, Young-il will share everything with you himself.”

Gi-hun studied you, his curiosity evident in the way his eyes narrowed slightly. You could see he had more to ask, but before he could say anything else, a familiar voice cut through the tension.

“May I sit?”

You and Gi-hun both jolted slightly, startled by the interruption. Looking up, you saw Young-il standing there, smiling at the two of you. But there was something about his smile. A subtle edge that made you wonder if he had overheard your conversation.

Gi-hun quickly scooted over to make space, gesturing to the empty spot beside you. “Sure.”

Young-il lowered himself onto the step, sitting where Gi-hun had been moments before. He turned to you with a smile that seemed expectant, almost playful. “So, what were you two talking about?”

You froze, caught off guard by the question. Words failed you, and for a moment, you could only stare blankly. Thankfully, Gi-hun stepped in to fill the silence.

“I was just asking about you two,” he said, his tone neutral. “You seem much closer now.”

Young-il’s gaze shifted to Gi-hun, his expression unreadable. Then, he replied, “I hope that’s alright with you, Gi-hun.”

Gi-hun’s lips pressed into a thin line. He nodded solemnly as he answered, “It’s alright. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

The air between the three of you felt heavy, but Young-il’s calm demeanor didn’t waver. His presence alone seemed to assert that the conversation had reached its natural conclusion, leaving you with more questions than answers.

The familiar melody of the school bell echoed throughout the dormitory, silencing every murmur and drawing all attention to the speaker system. You assumed it was another announcement signaling bedtime. But this time, the voice that followed shattered that assumption.

“The following players have been eliminated: Player 230, 268, 212, 331, and 401. End of list.”

Your eyes widened in shock. The air seemed to freeze around you. What? How? The immediate question that ran through your mind was whether some hidden game had occurred without your knowledge. What else could lead to eliminations?

Gasps and murmurs filled the room as players turned to one another. The tension escalated as the sound of money dropping into the piggy bank reverberated above. Everyone’s gaze shot upward, watching as stacks of cash piled into the transparent bank, the accumulated prize money growing visibly larger.

The TV screen updated almost immediately:

Accumulated Prize Money: 36.1 Billion Won.

Prize Per Person: 380 Million Won.

Your mind reeled. Around you, players were standing in silence, their bewilderment palpable. Despite the bombshell announcement, you remained seated on the staircase beside Young-il, who exuded an unsettling calmness.

Jung-bae turned to Gi-hun, his eyes wide with disbelief. “What’s going on?”

You shifted your gaze to Young-il, seeking answers. His face remained composed, but his eyes carried an unspoken message. His expression wasn’t one of confusion or surprise – it was resolute, almost knowing.

You could feel the weight of his gaze, the subtle tension in his jaw. Whatever this was, it wasn’t good.

NEXT : Chapter 12

PREV : Chapter 10

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Please feel free to leave comments and feedback about my story, the characters, the "you", and practically anything! I love reading your comments, especially long ones! It motivates me a lot, even got me thinking on what Hwang In-ho fanfic should I make next. So what do you think about you and Young-il's conversations here? Do you notice that you chose to ignore Young-il's past chapter's ruthlessness? What about your conversation with Gi-hun? What do you want to happen next?

Leave a comment on the masterlist post to be added to the taglist.

#hwang in ho #hwang in ho x reader #hwang in ho fanfic #in ho #the front man #player 001 #squid game #squid game season 2 #squid game s2 #front man x reader #front man x you

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