C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - N I N E :
" I can't let you have the same fate as him."
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Yi-Seo's heart pounded as she stared at Sang-woo, his words still lingering in the air.

"Be my partner."

She should say yes. It was logical. They knew each other, understood each other's strengths. A partnership between them made sense.

But as she opened her mouth to respond, doubt gripped her.

Sang-woo had changed. She saw it in his eyes—the cold calculation, the quiet desperation. He wasn't the same man she once knew. The Sang-woo she remembered had ambition, but this version of him had something else lurking beneath the surface. Something sharp. Something dangerous.

What if he turned on her? What if, when the time came, he made a choice that put himself above her?

Her mind spiraled through the possibilities. Would he betray her? Would she hesitate if it came down to her or him? Could she even trust him?

She clenched her fists, her chest tightening. No. She couldn't risk it.

"I can't," she said suddenly, her voice quieter than she intended.

Sang-woo blinked, his brows furrowing. "What?"

She forced herself to meet his gaze, ignoring the way her stomach twisted. "We can't be partners."

His expression hardened. "Why?"

Yi-Seo hesitated. She didn't want to say it, didn't want to open up a wound that had barely begun to close. But the look on his face—the mixture of confusion and something dangerously close to hurt—made her chest ache.

"I just can't," she repeated.

"That's not an answer," Sang-woo said sharply, his patience thinning. "You know this game isn't about emotions. We need to be smart. And you're telling me you'd rather pick someone weaker over me?"

Her fingers dug into her palms. "I never said that."

"But that's what you're doing." He scoffed, shaking his head. "You'd rather trust a stranger than me."

Yi-Seo swallowed hard. "Sang-woo, please don't—"

"Forget it," he cut her off, standing abruptly.

She opened her mouth to stop him, but no words came out. He didn't wait for an explanation, didn't give her a chance to say anything else. With a sharp exhale, he turned on his heel and walked away, his shoulders tense with frustration.

Yi-Seo sat there, staring at the ground. She felt like she had made the right choice, but why did it feel so terrible?

A quiet chuckle beside her made her flinch.

"Ah, young people," a familiar voice said. "Always making things complicated."

Yi-Seo turned to see the old man settling down beside her with a tired but amused smile.

"You don't look too happy with your decision," he observed, folding his hands over his knees.

Yi-Seo sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's just... I don't know."

"Of course you know," he said lightly. "You're just afraid to admit it."

She frowned. "Admit what?"

"That you still care about him," he said simply.

Yi-Seo's breath caught in her throat. She looked away. "It's not that simple."

"Nothing ever is," he agreed. "But making decisions out of fear? That's the fastest way to lose yourself."

She let his words settle in, the weight of them pressing against her chest.

The old man sighed, looking around at the remaining players. "You know, you remind me of my friend's daughter."

Yi-Seo glanced at him. "How so?"

"Stubborn. Smart. Always overthinking things." He chuckled. "She used to sit just like you, staring at the ground, deep in thought. I used to tell her—sometimes, you just have to trust."

Yi-Seo titled her head and exhaled through her nose as if she heard that phrase before. "Trust is dangerous in here."

He hummed. "Maybe. But sometimes, the most dangerous thing is being alone."

She looked at him then, really looked at him. His expression was kind, patient, expectant.

"Would you like to be my partner?" he asked gently.

She hesitated, glancing around at the other players who had already found their pairs.

Then, slowly, she nodded.

"Yes."

—-

Time was up. All Players stepped out of the sterile, fluorescent-lit hallway into a vast, open space that was different to the previous game arenas. The area resembled a nostalgic Korean village, a facsimile of a neighborhood from decades past, bathed in a perpetual twilight that casts a melancholic glow over the scene.

Yi-Seo looked to the sky above, seeing the artificial deep orange, as if the sun was eternally setting, creating an eerie sense of frozen time.

"All players, follow the instructions from the staff and go to your position." The robot voice spoke.

A guard stepped in front of Yi-Seo and the old man; leading them to where the next game would be. Yi-Seo's stomach twisted, nervous for what's to come. This was the first time ever where the robot didn't say what the game was.

The duo walked through the small village. Yi-Seo looked at in awe, childhood memories flashing back. She looked to the side, seeing a small house that looked strangely familiar to her childhood home.

"Whatever we're doing. I hope we win." The old man spoke up and smiled at her. Yi-Seo forced a smile and agreed.

As the players moved to a place to play their game, the warmth of nostalgia is replaced by a creeping sense of dread. The village, though picturesque, feels like a cemetery of memories—a place where fate will decide who stays and who vanishes. No one knew what was about to come.

"Please take one pouch each." The robotic voice instructed. The guards held up two pouches.

Yi-Seo grabbed her's, noticing the familiar bag, sound, and weight of it. She quickly opened it, confirming what she had been thinking; marbles.

"There are ten marbles in each pouch. Please check how many there are."

Yi-Seo poured her marbles onto the palm of her hand, counting exactly ten marbles.

"We're playing marbles." Yi-Seo smiled, remembering all the times she's played it before. "I bet you're good at it."

"Oh of course!" The old man replied happily. "This was the biggest game during my era."

"Good! We'll work great together. My dad taught me some tricks back then. We can beat everyone!" Yi-Seo smiled confidently, the old man chuckled.

"In this game, use your ten marbles to complete with the partner next to you. The player who takes all then marbles from their partner wins."

Yi-Seo's face dropped in realization. She looked down at her marbles, not excited to play anymore. She took a deep breath— not knowing if it was in relief that she didn't partner up with Sang-woo or, she had to compete against the old man.

The soft crunch of gravel underfoot and the occasional gasp of realization from the players are the only sounds that punctuate the silence, as each pair prepared for the cruelest twist of the games yet.

"You have 30 minutes. Let the games begin." The timer started.

—

The game began, and the old man knelt down, running his fingers over the dirt like he was recalling an old habit. "Marbles," he mused. "So many ways to play. Which one shall we choose?"

Yi-Seo sat across from him, rolling a marble between her fingers. "Does it matter?" she said quietly. "The outcome will be the same. One of us is going to die."

The old man chuckled. "That's an awfully grim way to look at it."

Yi-Seo arched a brow. "Is it? We've been playing games since the moment we stepped in here, but in the end, it all comes down to the same thing—who gets to live and who doesn't." She tossed the marble into the air and caught it with ease. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"True," the old man admitted, "but we can make the most of this." He smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

For a while, they played in silence, the soft clinks of marbles colliding the only sound between them. The weight of the situation lingered—both of them knew what was coming. But in this fleeting moment, there was nothing but the game.

The old manwatched Yi-Seo closely as she made her next move. "Tell me, child. Do you have a family waiting for you back home?"

Yi-Seo hesitated, caught off guard by the question. Her grip on the marble loosened slightly. "I do," she answered, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "My mother and my little sister. My mother should be out of the hospital by now... she's probably waiting for me to come home."

Yi-Seo bit the inside of her cheek, wondering if her family was doing alright — wondering if her mother was still alive.

He nodded slowly, as if processing her words carefully. "And your father?"

Yi-Seo's smile dimmed just a little. "I never knew what happened to him," she admitted. "He was in my life but one day he just disappeared, there was no trace of him. But he was a good man."

For a moment, his expression shifted—something fleeting, something heavy—before he masked it behind a soft hum. "A good man, you say..."

Yi-Seo tilted her head. "Why do you ask?"

The old man simply shook his head. "No reason. Just an old man reminiscing."

She didn't press further, turning back to the game. They each had a handful of marbles left, the pile between them shrinking with every turn.

"What about you? Do you have a family?"

"I had one. I'm the last one standing." The old man cleared his throat.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." Yi-Seo looked at him. "Did you have any kids?"

"Oh yes. They were my precious diamonds ever." He took a deep breath, "his birthday is on the 24th of this month."

Yi-Seo nodded, not wanting to continue this sad conversation. Then, she did something bold — hope that she has a chance of winning this game.

She smirked, tossing a marble with a flick of her wrist, knocking two of his out of the circle in a single stroke. The precision was almost arrogant, calculated. A part of her wanted to prove that she could win—that she was always one step ahead.

The old man exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. And then, in a quiet voice, he said, "You remind me of your father."

Yi-Seo froze, her fingers tightening around the marble. "What?"

The old man smiled faintly. "I told you last night, didn't I? He was a proud man. Always carried himself like he could take on the world, no matter how much it beat him down. And you—" he tapped his temple lightly, "—you have that same look in your eyes."

Yi-Seo's throat went dry.

She swallowed, shaking her head in head in confusion. "You don't know my father."

"I did." The old man leaned back, tossing a marble absentmindedly. "A long time ago."

Yi-Seo exhaled sharply, confusion settling deep within her. "Then tell me. What kind of man was he? How did he look like?"

The old man tilted his head. "He loved you and your sister, Hwa-Young very much."

Yi-Seo flinched at the mention of Hwa-Young.

"He talked about you all the time," he continued. "Said he would do anything to give you both a better life. But the world isn't so kind, is it?"

Yi-Seo gritted her teeth. "No. It isn't."

A beat of silence. Then the old man's next words sent a cold chill down her spine.

"He entered a game like this, you know."

Yi-Seo's entire body stiffened.

"What?" she whispered.

The old man sighed. "He was drowning in debt. Just like many others. Just like you. When I found him again many years later, he was already too far gone. He told me... he had no choice." He tossed a marble lazily.

Yi-Seo's vision blurred, her fingers trembling as she gripped her marbles. She looked at his face, finally recognizing his familiar features. Her breath hitched as she remembered him walking side by side with her dad one day while she was at the park.

"You're lying," she said, her voice shaking. "You don't know what you're talking about. How do you know he participated in these games?"

The old man simply looked at her, his expression unreadable. "That I can't tell you."

Yi-Seo's breath got heavier, tears started forming in her eyes.

Her father had always been secretive about his struggles, but she had known. She had seen the weight in his eyes, the exhaustion in his shoulders. And then one day, he was gone.

Was this... what happened to him?

Was this why he never came back?

She felt like she couldn't breathe.

The old man exhaled softly, his gaze lowering. "I shouldn't have told you."

Yi-Seo clenched her jaw, her mind reeling, heart pounding. The marbles in her hand felt unbearably heavy.

She stared at him, searching for something—anything—in his face that would make this all a cruel joke.

And then, the old man spoke again.

"My name is Oh Il-nam."

Yi-Seo's entire world came to a crashing halt.

Her breath caught in her throat. The missing pieces slammed together in her mind.

Oh Il-nam.

The old friend. The one who offered to help her father.

The one who knew too much.

The one who wouldn't testify.

Yi-Seo's lips parted, but no words came out.

"You could've testified!" Yi-Seo yelled. "My family could've been at peace!" Tears began to roll down her eyes.

"That's why I can't let you have the same fate as him." He whispered.

"How did he die?" Yi-Seo demanded. II-nam did not reply, he just stared at her. Yi-Seo patients ran low. He gripped him from the collar of his shirt. "Answer me damnit! How did he die?"

The old man ignored her question one last time before he gently rolled his last marble into her hand.

"I have no time left," he said softly. "But you do."

Yi-Seo stared down at the marble, tears threatening to spill all over her face. Why...? Why are you doing this?"

Il-nam's smile deepened, though there was something weary behind it. "Because this isn't the end, child."

Yi-Seo's breath trembled.

She didn't know if he meant for her or for himself.

But as the guards approached, and Il-nam sat there, calm and accepting, she realized—

This was his choice.

"It was nice to finally meet you." The old man smiled. "Yoon Yi-Seo, take care." He went up to her, giving her his jacket. "Just in case you get cold."

Yi-Seo grabbed his jacket as she began to sob.

"Go out there and win. Make sure you win." Were the old man's final words.

The guard escorted Yi-Seo the exist, she flinched once she heard the gunshot . She couldn't hold it anymore, as she was being escorted, she fell onto the ground and sobbed.

The same overwhelming feeling she felt in her teenage years came flooding back. She thought she had finally healed but knowing that her father was in the same situation she was in now, made her feel disappointed. She felt like a failure.

words from the author:

Well that was a lot to unravel! Rewatching this episode made me tear up a bit. Everyone deserved better 💔

But thank you guys for 10k reads!! :)