C  H  A  P  T  E  R   T  W  E  N  T Y - T  W  O  :
"I'll go first."
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The clang of the guillotine echoed in their ears, sealing the fate of the opposing team. Yi-Seo exhaled sharply, her body still trembling from the adrenaline. The others, equally exhausted, barely had the energy to speak as they sat on the cold floor in their holding area as they ate their corn. The metallic scent of sweat and fear hung thick in the air. Yi-Seo could still feel the phantom burn of the rope in her hands, the ghost of the struggle clinging to her muscles.

"I seriously thought we were going to die." Player 212 spoke up. "But once I laid back, I really felt so much stronger! 'What is this? This works?' Sir, how did you come up with that?" She looked towards the Old Man.

He smiled before speaking, "When I was young, I just--"

"You copied that from a movie, right?" She interrupted him and pointed her corn towards him, "What's the movie? You know, the one that goes like this." She leaned back and moved her arms around.

"The Martix!" Ali replied happily.

Player 212 stopped her movement and looked down at him. "So, you slacked off at work and just watched movies in Korea?"

Ali put a stern look on his face but did not reply. She then looked up and smiled at Sang-woo.

"And you, oppa." She started which made Yi-Seo straighten her posture and glance at player 212. Sang-woo bit his corn, unfazed.

"Just take three steps forward!" She mimicked his deep voice and then fan-girled. "I mean, that was way too cool! How did you come up with that in that situation?"

"It was actually thanks to her." He replied nonchalantly and tilted his head towards Yi-Seo. "She was the brain here."

Yi-Seo sent Sang-woo a small smile. Player 212 smile faded, looking at Yi-Seo annoyed.

Player 212, then smirked as she sauntered over, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Didn't think you had it in you, sweetheart. Thought you'd be one of the first to drop."

Yi-Seo rolled her eyes. "And yet, here I am. Alive. While you were dead weight."

She gasped, placing a dramatic hand on her chest. "Excuse me? I was the glue holding this team together!"

"Yeah, by screaming like a banshee and flailing around," Yi-Seo shot back. "Inspiring, really."

Player 212 narrowed her eyes. "Careful, princess. You wouldn't want to mess with me. I have connections."

Yi-Seo scoffed. "Oh yeah? What, with the rats?"

Her nostrils flared. "Listen here, you uptight little—"

"Enough."

Sang-woo's firm voice cut through the tension, his gaze hard as he looked at Yi-Seo. "Just drop it," he murmured under his breath.

Yi-Seo raised an eyebrow but didn't push further. She knew that look—Sang-Woo wasn't asking. He was telling. With a huff, she leaned back, crossing her arms. "Fine. Not worth my energy anyway."

"She saved our lives. All you did was this was bullshit." Ali spoke up, defending Yi-Seo.

"I did?" She asked, confused. "What are you bullshitting about?"

"You were crying, 'Are you crazy? That's bullshit'" Ali mocked which caused Yi-Seo to chuckle out loud. "That's what you said."

"Hey! Which country are you from? Do you even have a visa? You're an illegal alien, right?" She snickered which caused Yi-Seo blood to boil.

Yi-Seo was about to open her mouth until Sang-woo put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, covering her mouth.

"You never change," he said, shaking his head, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

She tilted her head, smirking slightly. "You wouldn't want me to."

He didn't respond right away, just watched her. After a moment, he reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. It was a small, fleeting touch, but it made Yi-Seo freeze.

"Oppa, are you the leader?" Player 212 interrupted their moment.

Sang-woo sighed in annoyance before answering, "We don't have a leader. We're all equal on this team."

"Even better."

--

The lights were about to go out. Sang-woo expressed his thoughts and said a fight may break out like the previous night. Gi-hun later on suggested that they should build a barricade around them, not just to protect each other but themselves first. Everyone in the group agreed and began to find remains of the broken beds whatever loose objects they could scavenge that could help protect them.

Yi-Seo moved to the front, where Gi-hun had already started positioning the largest metal pieces to form a makeshift wall. He wiped his brow, already sweating under the pressure, his expression tense but focused.

"This is the most important part," Yi-Seo murmured, kneeling beside him and adjusting a loose pole. "If the front collapses, the rest won't matter."

Gi-hun nodded. "Yeah. If they break through here first, we're done for." His voice lacked its usual playfulness, but there was still a hint of warmth underneath the exhaustion.

They worked in tandem, shifting debris into place, securing gaps where they could. Yi-Seo reached for a particularly bent piece of bed frame, only to find Gi-hun's hands already there. Their fingers brushed briefly, cold against cold.

"Sorry," he mumbled, pulling back slightly, though he offered her a small, sheepish smile.

She let out a quiet chuckle. "No, you take it. You're the expert builder here, after all."

"Oh, so now you respect my craftsmanship?" Gi-hun teased, lifting the metal and wedging it into their barricade.

"I always did! Well, expect the time you broke my bed." Yi-Seo laughed. "How do you manage to break a bed you haven't built yet?"

"Hey, tough times. That doesn't count!"

"I bet Jung-bae would've done a better job than you." She shook her head. "Speaking of him, has he been alright? I haven't talked to him in ages."

Gi-hun nodded his head. "He's been alright. You know how divorces go."

"Divorce, what?" She looked at him in shock. "Unbelievable. Him and his wife were so cute together."

Gi-hun nodded in agreement then shrugged. "We were rooting for you and Sang-woo to eventually get married and beat both of our marriages." He teased. Yi-Seo playfully rolled her eyes.

She grabbed the last metal frame needed to cover the last space. As she was about to cover the spot, player 101 came walking towards them. He walked confidently-- as if he owned the games and with a big smirk on his face.

"Hey. Mr. Ssangmun-dong!" The thug called out but then looked over to Yi-Seo, "Hello pretty face."

Gi-hun looked at him sternly and then stepped in front of Yi-Seo.

"So desperate to stay alive. You really think this will help? It looks very drafty." He whispered then laughed.

"What about you? Those scumbags on your so-called team. Do you really trust them?" Gi-hun whispered the last part.

Player 101 smirked dropped and looked at his team.

"If I were one of them, once the fighting starts at night, I'd take the chance to kill you first. After all, you're the strongest one." Gi-hun looked at him for one more minute before grabbing the metal frame from Yi-Seo's hand and covered the gap.

"I'm so proud of you!" She whispered and smiled at him like a proud mother.

"Proud for what?"

"You stood your ground. You made him overthink. You saved our asses tonight."

--

Only a few minutes were left on the timer. Gi-hun reunited the group-- as they were anxiously waiting.

"The lights will go out soon. They won't be able to easily attack us, but let's tale turns keeping watch just in case."

"Let's do it in pairs." Sang-woo added on. "There's a chance one person might fall asleep or side with another team to betray us."

"I'll... go first." The Old man offered, his voice as steady as he could manage. "Old people don't get very sleepy," he offered.

A scoff came from somewhere in the group. "Hey, how can we trust an old man like you and fall asleep in peace?"

The words struck Yi-Seo the wrong way. The sheer arrogance, the disregard. The insinuation that the old man nothing but a burden. It ignited something sharp and immediate inside her.

"Just shut up!" she snapped, her voice cutting through the low murmurs. All eyes turned to her.

The man who had spoken flinched but stood his ground. "What? I'm just saying—"

"You're saying you'd rather throw suspicion on an old man instead of actually thinking about what's in front of us?" Yi-Seo shot back, eyes narrowed. "He has as much to lose as we do. He's still standing here, trying to help, while all you're doing is tearing someone down."

The man hesitated, glancing away.

Yi-Seo exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "We're already fighting to survive, and the worst thing we can do is start degrading each other. Especially someone who's done nothing but help." She turned to him then, nodding in his direction. "We're not going to start treating people like they're disposable. That's exactly what they want us to do."

The old man gave her a small, almost knowing smile.

"I'll go first."

Sang-woo and Yi-Seo both offered at the same time.

"It'll ease off the tension a bit." Sang-woo reasoned. "So everyone can have a good night sleep." Yi-Seo nodded in agreement.

Gi-hun frowned. "Are you sure?"

"We'll go first," Sang-woo confirmed, crossing his arms. His voice was steady, unreadable, but there was something in his expression—some unspoken thought lingering behind his sharp gaze.

Yi-Seo met his eyes, and for once, there was no tension between them, no unspoken resentment. Just silent agreement.

"All right." Gi-hun nodded. "Wake me up when you get tired."