C H A M P I O N O F D E A T H

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       THE DOOR SLAMMED SHUT BETWEEN THEM.

    Sae-bom collapsed against the cold floor of the hallway as the guards finally let go. Her knees scraped painfully against the tiles, but she didn't move. Her hands curled into fists, blood now dried and crusted under her fingernails. Her chest heaved with broken sobs.

     She had never felt this kind of grief before. The kind that made your bones feel hollow, the kind that stole your voice, even when you were screaming.

     She crawled to the nearest wall, pressing her back against it, and pulled her knees to her chest like she did when they were kids hiding under the table during thunderstorms. She wished this was a storm, she wished it would pass. She wished her sister was still breathing, still cursing at her for crying so much.

    Her body shook as memories stabbed into her—Sae-byeok's laugh when she tried to cook, the way she tied her shoes for her when her hands were too cold to do it herself, the way she used to brush the hair from her forehead when she was sick, or the way she waited up for her after every gruesome job.

And now, the way her blood had soaked Sae-bom's hands, hot and terrifying, draining away everything that had made her whole.

     She rocked back and forth, whispering her sister's name like a broken prayer, "Sae-byeok.... please wake up... please..."

     But all that answered her were the echoes of distant footsteps, the fading echo of Gi-hun's and Soo-min's desperate shouts from inside the room, and the silence of death settling over everything.

     Her rage simmered below the surface. It clawed at her chest like a beast trying to break free. It was louder than the heartbreak, louder than her sobs. She would make Sang-woo pay. She didn't know how—she didn't know when, but she would.

     She lifted her tear-streaked face toward the camera mounted high on the hallway ceiling. Her voice was raw, barely more than a whisper now, "You did this," She rasped, "All of you... you let this happen."

     And then, slumping back against the wall, her fingers stained with her sister's blood clutched at her chest like she was trying to hold in her breaking heart. Her cries became quieter, but not because they stopped—because her body couldn't scream anymore.

     But the fire had been lit, grief had become fury. And Sae-bom would never be the same again.

    The fluorescent glow of the hallway dimmed into a disorienting blur as Sae-bom continued to sit on the cold floor, her shoulders convulsing with sobs again that echoed through the sterile emptiness like the last sounds of something once living.

     Her head rested against the white-tiled wall, knees clutched to her chest as her cries broke through her throat in hoarse, pitiful waves. Her sister's blood was flaking dry on her skin, but it clung to her like it was branded into her flesh—her fingers, her dress, her soul.

     The maze of candy-colored stairs lay just beyond the archway, vibrant and twisted in their surrealism, a grotesque contrast to the weight of grief that paralyzed her limbs.

Sae-byeok's voice whispered faintly in her ears, a phantom memory she couldn't grasp. She heard her laugh. The way she used to say her name. The soft tone she'd use when she was trying to calm her down.

    Her body shook harder, the air barely entering her lungs. She could still see her lying there. Still, cold, unmoving. Gone.

     The guards that had dragged her away stood not far from her, unmoving and silent as statues. She didn't hear them murmur amongst themselves. She didn't see as they turned one by one, summoned by something on their radios, and began walking down the technicolor steps in a line, boots clanking on the hard floors.

              All except one.

     A single square-masked guard remained behind, standing directly in front of her, watching the broken shell of the girl curled up at the edge of the hall. He didn't speak. He didn't move—until slowly, hesitantly, he lowered himself to a crouch.

     She didn't notice him at first, too lost in the storm of her grief. But when his gloved hands gently reached out to her shoulders—soft, not forceful—she flinched like she'd been struck.

     "N-No—don't touch me!" She screamed, weak fists slamming against his chest, pushing him back, "Get away from me! Get away!"

     Her panic rose like a tidal wave. Her body thrashed, trembling violently, still crying out for her sister, for someone, anyone who would just undo what happened. She didn't notice the way the man's black mask had come loose, slipping from his face during her outburst.

     "Sae-bom," A familiar voice rasped over her cries, urgent, "Sae-bom—look at me."

     Her name. Spoken so gently it pierced the fog. She froze, breath catching, as two warm hands cupped her face.

     Her blurred vision barely made sense of the face hovering above her, brows drawn in desperate concern, mouth moving gently around her name. Her heart leapt as she blinked rapidly, thinking—no, it couldn't be— "In-ho...?" she whimpered.

     But her vision cleared—and it wasn't her beloved. It was Jun-ho, her best friend.

     Still in the pink uniform of the guards, but without the mask. His eyes were wide, filled with grief and panic, but also warmth. A warmth she hadn't felt since the moment she stepped foot into this nightmare.

     Her breath caught in her throat, a sound like a broken sob slipping past her lips before she collapsed into him. Her arms flung around his shoulders, and his own came around her tightly, holding her like he could shield her from everything—every scream, every wound, every piece of her heart that had just been destroyed.

    "I'm sorry," He whispered into her hair, cradling the back of her head, "I'm so sorry, Sae-bom. I should've gotten to you sooner. I'm so sorry..."

     She sobbed into his chest, her fists clinging to the fabric of his uniform, "She's gone," She cried into him, her voice muffled but sharp, gut-wrenching, "My baby sister... she's gone..."

     Jun-ho's jaw clenched, and he hugged her tighter against his chest, "I know," He said softly, though the words were poison in his mouth, "I know..."

     His eyes drifted to the black dome of the camera on the ceiling, still and silent. Then to the colorful steps just beyond them. The other guards were gone—for now. He didn't know how long they'd have. But every second was precious. If they stayed, she'd be punished—or worse.

    "Sae-bom," He whispered after a second of silence, gently pulling away to hold her by the shoulders, "We have to go. I found a way out. But we have to move now."

     She stared at him with distant, empty eyes. Her face was pale, streaked with tears, and her body slumped weakly in his grip like a marionette with its strings cut. She didn't answer, but she leaned into him, her weight telling him she would follow.

     That she trusted him. That she had nothing else left to lose.

     Jun-ho cursed under his breath, cursed the system, cursed every masked bastard behind the walls who had allowed this to happen. He swallowed the bitter truth he couldn't say yet—not here, not now—that In-ho was once a part of it, that the man she loved had played the same games she had lost her sister to.

       He whispered against her temple again, "Come on."

     Sae-bom's hand reached for him weakly, grasping the sleeve of his uniform like a lifeline. Jun-ho pulled her up with care, slinging her arm around his shoulders, supporting her weight with his body. Her head lolled slightly forward, cheek brushing against his neck, her breath uneven.

     And they began to move—up the stairs, through the dizzying maze of kaleidoscope colors, past doors and turns and secret passages Jun-ho had memorized over his weeks undercover.

      The maze was disorienting, like a child's drawing come to life, but to Sae-bom it was simply grey. Lifeless. Quiet. She walked like a ghost.

      Her thoughts refused to stay present. Every breath reminded her of the one her sister would never take again, every step away from that room felt like a betrayal. She dearly hoped the other two males she cared about would survive, she didn't know if she could handle anymore death.

     But Jun-ho's grip kept her grounded, almost like he knew what she was thinking. He spoke softly as they moved, "Soo-min and Gi-hun... they'll survive. I promise."

     Her eyes fluttered open at that, head tilting up to glance at the side of his roughed up face, "How...?" She whispered, barely audible.

     Jun-ho looked at her, and even though the truth was far too complex to explain right now, he simply nodded,  "I know. Just trust me."

    And she did. It was the only thing keeping her upright. Her sister's memory, her friends still trapped, and Jun-ho—the one familiar hand in a sea of faceless monsters. She didn't realize she was crying again until Jun-ho paused to brush a tear from her cheek.

     "It's not over yet," He stated in a calm voice, and adjusted the grip he had on her figure, as he pushed open the final door that lead to their exit, "But I'm going to get you out. I swear to you."

    Sae-bom clung to his words, the last sliver of light in a world now stained with shadows. But her grief was a deep and endless sea, and she knew it would drown her if she didn't focus on getting out of the hell they were trapped in.

     Together they ventured through the back rooms of the massive building, where she couldn't wrap her head around how large it was. She barely paid attention to where they were going, not even when they stepped down from stairs leading into a cave with water below.

     "Sae-bom, I need you to put this on alright?" He had grabbed the diver gear from where he last left it, and placed her to lean against the wall as he strapped on the oxygen tank around her back, "We need to swim a few meters up to get where we are going."

     The Kang girl just nodded her head weakly, trembling fingers grabbing the oxygen tube to place it in her mouth as her dark eyes watched Jun-ho placed his on next. She glanced around the room, seeing all the gear placed on the shelves, and wondered what the area was for and why they needed diving gear.

     "Have you been here before?" Her voice was quiet, and raspy from all the crying as her energy had weakened also. She grabbed the outstretched hand he reached for her, and was gently pulled into the cool water, that made her wince feeling it.

    "This is my second time now." He answered quickly, voice muffled from the mask around his mouth also as his head snapped up towards the stairs on the wall, and heard incoming voices, "We got to move, stay close to me Sae-bom."

     She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat, and grabbed his hand tighter as they submerge under the water. The coldness washes over her like a tidal wave, and her legs kick, as the torch in his free hand lights their way up.

    Jun-ho kicked his legs much more faster than she did, which she was thankful for and was getting pulled along by him also. She tried not to glance around the water, as her eyes were stinging already. She just focused on the light shining in from above.

     She saw him pointed at the surface of the water with his thumb, and she followed his line of movement to spot that they were closer to breaking the surface then before. Her legs tried to kick faster at that, and tightened her hand around his.

     He broke the surface first before tugging her up soon after, as she released a loud breath of air. The waves were crashing behind them from what she could hear and see. She pulls off the mask around her mouth, and inhaled deeply to calm herself.

     "What is this place....?" She trailed off in both confusion and awe, not even realising how far away the games were from any civilization. She scanned the rocks and beach from more, that had rocks covering it inside of sand, and felt as Jun-ho unbuckled the tank from her back quickly.

     "This is the outside of where you are taken," Jun-ho's answer came fast and out of breath, as he unzips the guard wear off of his body to reveal to suit underneath, and drops it all onto the rocks below their feet, "the island looks bigger than it is."

     She hummed lowly in thought, her stomach twisting with unease the more she glanced around at the threatening island. Her track suit clanged to her body, and she wrapped her arms around her self to keep warm, not even noticing the blood running down the side of her clothes.

      Her eyelashes were blinking rapidly, and tried to keep herself standing up straight. Everything hurt, including her body and inside where her heart was. That was hurting the most, and she didn't think it would get any better, not after what happened.

      Jun-ho grabbed her arm to gently pull her closer to his side, as he saw her shivering figure. He then reached into his jacket to pull out his phone, and unzipped it from the protective bag he had over it, breathing heavily as he does so.

      He cursed to himself when he saw that there still was no signal, and how his phone was about to die also. He glanced up at the mountain ahead, and then back down to the weak Sae-bom knowing he needed to get her to safety in her state, and fast at that.

     "Come on, Sae-bom. I've got you." He coaxed the girl gently, wrapping an arm around her waist this time so she could run with him, and pushed back the wet locks clinging to her forehead, "We have to move, okay? Lean on me all you want."

     She just nodded again, and casted her hollow gaze downwards at the rocks, as she leaned into his side. She did start to run with him now, being careful not to trip on the rocks, but he held them both steady enough for it not to happen.

     The rocks made clicking sounds as they ran across them, and all the way up to the grassy trail that lead into the heart of the mountain. Many times she had to grip onto him tighter, the fear she felt growing stronger as she refused to let go and see how high they were.

     Waves crashed behind them loudly, but it was hard to hear from how far they had ran up onto the island. The two were nearly at the top, but Jun-ho saw how hard Sae-bom was breathing and came to a stop to let her relax, but also check the signal on his phone.

     He kept one arm around her waist to hold her, him still not noticing how she was bleeding and getting paler. With his free hand, he lifted up the phone to see the signal wavering and getting stronger.

     "We're close now, come on." He muttered in a coax again, slipping the phone into his pocket so he could focus on helping her up the hill, "Just a little further, Sae. I promise."

     She bit back the pained groan when he placed too much pressure on her wounded side, but didn't vocalize it as she knew they had bigger issues to worry about. She stayed upright on her feet, and leaned into him as they began to run more.

     The ground was uneven the more they ventured up, and most of the time Jun-ho had to walk up first, before reaching down to help Sae-bom along it. She was thankful to him, because she knew she would surely of given up without him being by her side.

     However, the sudden sound of metal clanging loudly followed by a hissing sound made the two stop in their tracks. It was the bullet that was fired that caused her to flinch, and cower into Jun-ho's side more, who squeezed her shoulder to reassure her that it was fine.

     Her stomach drops drastically spotting the familiar figure on the beach where they once were, and was pulled down by Jun-ho to hide between the bushes. The fear in her eyes was wild, the Frontman was closing in on them, and she had a feeling the guards were already on the move also.

     Jun-ho somehow made a call to the Chief of police with the one bar of signal they had, and she grimaced in pain touching her side. Her palm came in contact with her skin under the track suit, and felt sick seeing the scarlet tint coating her skin.

     Sae-bom knew she had dealt with worse before, so she wiped the blood on her pants, and watched with lidded eyes as Jun-ho tries to send the evidence he found while he had infiltrated the games. She dearly hoped that would be enough to stop these games from every happening again.

      "Alright, let's go." He whispered urgently, standing up first to check if the guards were close, and when he found none, he quickly bent down to pick Sae-bom up by the forearms to help her stand.

      Together they ran more up the mountain trail, and it was getting harder for her to stay awake and breathe normally, even with his support. They stopped one more near some trees for cover so he could resend the photos, but they didn't stay still for long as the guards were closer now than ever.

     "J-Jun-ho..." She tried to get his attention by weakly calling his name, her head lulled to the side as she spotted the guards looking right at them, and tugged on his black sleeve, "They've seen u-us--"

      He acted quickly when the guards yelled where they were, and pointed at them. He basically picked up Sae-bom in his arms, and began to run faster through the trail of trees, hoping to at least loose them or find a safe place for the girl to hide.

   The thick canopy of the forest swallowed the narrow path they followed, and each step was a battle. The world around them was silent save for the rustling of leaves beneath their feet, and the muffled sound of Sae-bom's labored breathing.

     She staggered, and Jun-ho caught her again, holding her up tighter. That's when he felt it. The warmth soaking through the fabric of her shirt. His eyes widened, and he glanced down to see the crimson that stained her side—darker now, thick and spreading fast.

     "Shit," He whispered under his breath, panic beginning to claw its way up his throat.

     Sae-bom said nothing, teeth clenched tight to keep any sounds of pain from escaping. Her hand pressed firmly to the wound, but it didn't help much. The adrenaline was fading, and the weight of everything—her sister's death, the games, her body failing—was closing in on her.

    Behind them, the sharp crack of branches echoed, followed by the shouts of pink-suited guards closing in. And above it all, a deeper, colder voice—his voice. The Front Man. He was here too, hunting them, hunting her.

     Jun-ho looked around frantically. Trees towered above them, thick trunks and wild brush painting a jagged line of camouflage along the slope. They were nearing the edge of the island, the cliffs not far beyond.

      He needed a place—anywhere—to hide her.

     "There," He muttered, spotting a low ridge surrounded by a tangle of trees and thick shrubs. He guided her carefully off the trail, supporting her weight as they moved through the foliage.

Sae-bom let out a strangled breath, every step making the pain in her side throb harder. But she didn't complain. She didn't even cry, she just followed him.

     He lowered her gently into the space between two heavy trees, brushing aside leaves and branches to conceal her from view. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best they had. Her back pressed against the cool bark, and she winced, a weak groan slipping from her lips despite herself.

      "You'll be safe here," Jun-ho said, crouching in front of her, "I just need to lead them away. I'll come back for you. I promise."

     "No," She whispered instantly, her voice hoarse and weak but fiercely urgent. Her eyes searched his desperately, wide and afraid, "Let me do it. Not you..."

      His head shook before she could even finish, "Absolutely not."

            "But—"

     "You need to stay hidden," He stated firmly, his voice low but sharp, as his dark eyes gazed into her wide eyes, "You're hurt. You're losing blood. You won't outrun them, Sae-bom."

     Her lips quivered, but the argument died in her throat. She sagged against the tree, pale and trembling. She wanted to be strong, she wanted to fight, but her body wouldn't obey her anymore. The fight was slipping out of her like the blood soaking into her clothes.

     Jun-ho reached for her again to steady her, and that's when he saw it—really saw it. His hand came away red, "How long...?" He asked, voice breaking, "Sae-bom, how long have you been bleeding?"

    She didn't answer at first. Her forehead rested against his shoulder, eyes fluttering closed for a brief moment, "I'll be fine," She whispered, like a lie she'd repeated too many times, "You have to go... just promise me you'll be careful."

    He swallowed hard. She was crumbling in front of him, held together by sheer will alone, yet she still worried about him. He closed his eyes briefly, grounding himself, before nodding slowly.

     "I promise," He said softly, brushing a hand over her wet, tangled hair, "I'll be back for you. No matter what."

    Then, in a gesture born not of romance, but of something older—deeper—he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. A brother's promise, a best friend's vow. His hand lingered on her cheek as he looked at her one last time, memorizing the face of the girl who'd survived so much already.

        And then he was gone.

     She watched him disappear through the trees, the shadows swallowing him whole as the distant sound of guards shouting grew louder. Seconds later, yelling rang out. The sound of a struggle echoing through the woods as Jun-ho did what he always did—protected her.

     Sae-bom tried to sit up straighter, to peer through the brush, but the pain in her side flared sharply, and she sank back down, hand clutching at the wound again. Her body was cold, too cold as her fingertips were trembling.

     She leaned her head back against the tree trunk, eyes fluttering toward the sky that peeked through the canopy overhead. The voices seemed closer now, and it made her stomach twist in worry for Jun-ho.

     The cold seeped deeper into Sae-bom's skin as her body gave in further to exhaustion. She lay motionless against the base of the tree, her fingers twitching slightly in the fallen leaves. Her eyes, half-lidded and burning, stared blankly ahead.

    Her breathing had become shallower—each inhale like a gasp through clenched lungs. Blood still seeped from her side, warm but sluggish now, soaking into her clothes and the soil beneath her.

     She barely registered the voices nearby. Distant at first—then clearer.

     Jun-ho's voice, urgent and panicked, and another, distorted through the thick, chilling mechanical voice of the Front Man. They were closer than she realized.

     "Where is she? Where is player 450?" The Front Man demanded, calm and slow, but heavy with menace. When he didn't get an answer, his voice rose,  "I know you helped her escape. I know she's here, hand her over to me."

      A beat passed. Her ears rang. Then—a gunshot.

     It cracked through the air like thunder, and something hit the water with a loud splash not far from her hiding spot. The sound echoed across the cliffside, bouncing off rock and forest like a cruel drumbeat.

      Sae-bom flinched violently, heart seizing in her chest.

    "Jun-ho?" She tried to whisper, but her voice was no louder than a breath. Her blurred eyes blinked rapidly, trying to focus, to see. Her limbs didn't respond, and her body remained limp against the tree. The darkness at the edge of her vision crept in further.

     She didn't know who fired. Did Jun-ho fall? Did the Front Man shoot him? Her breath hitched just thinking about what could of happened, what did.

          And then—movement.

     Leaves and branches shifted around her. She could barely make out the flash of pink suits surrounding her. Figures emerged one by one—guards, rifles raised. Cold metal clicked as they reloaded. Muffled voices passed orders around, some directing, some confused at how they missed her before. Guns lifted, and aimed.

     She wanted to run, she wanted to scream. But her body didn't move. Her vision tilted slightly, swimming, and her head lolled against the tree bark. This was it, she couldn't even feel the pain anymore.

        Then—like a command from a god—"Stand down."

      The distorted voice rang louder than the others, cutting through the chaos. Firm, commanding. The guards instantly halted, and no one moved.

      "Lower your weapons." There was a beat of silence, even the wind stilled.

     The Front Man stepped between them, "If any of you hurt her—" The voice slowed, darker now, vicious like a blade dragging across metal, "I will shoot you myself and you'll lose that finger you pulled the trigger with."

    The guards obeyed without question, without hesitation. Guns dropped to their sides, heads bowed as they stepped back to let the one in charge through.

      Footsteps approached next—measured, purposeful.

     Sae-bom's eyes flickered weakly toward the boots that stopped in front of her. She tried to press herself further into the tree, but her limbs were useless now. Her lips trembled as she weakly muttered, "P-Please... don't..."

     But he didn't stop. Instead, the Front Man lowered to a crouch in front of her. Slowly, as if approaching a wounded animal, "I won't hurt you," He said softly—almost gently, the distortion in his voice still there but muted, restrained, "You're safe now."

    Her eyes fluttered, her breath catching faintly at the memory—he'd said something like that before, the last time he helped her. He'd tended to her wounds before. He'd never harmed her. Even now, with so many opportunities to end it, he hadn't. But she was too tired to protest. Too far gone.

     Carefully, the Front Man reached out, his gloved hands slipping beneath her frame with care. She was weightless in his arms. Fragile, bloodied, cold.

     He lifted her with a tenderness that didn't match his title or reputation, his arms looping under her knees and around her waist, mindful not to put pressure on her injury.

     As he stood to walk through the group of guards, her body collapsed against his chest like she was made to fit there, her face pressing gently into the fabric of his dark coat. The warmth of him surrounded her like a cocoon against the cold.

     She didn't resist when he tucked her head into the crook of his neck. Her arms—barely able to move—loosely curled around his shoulders like instinct, as if her soul still recognized something behind the mask. Or someone.

    There were more voices, more footsteps around them. She didn't bother opening her eyes anymore, it was all a blur. Then—something strange, something different. A quiet shift, a soft click, a removal.

    And then, a whisper, not distorted, not masked. Just a voice, his voice, "...I'm sorry." And a warm kiss—delicate, human—pressed to her forehead, lingering like it physically pained him to remove the touch.

    Sae-bom's body relaxed fully, her limbs going slack as the last remnants of her awareness drifted away. She slipped into darkness.

     But for the first time in what felt like forever, she wasn't afraid.

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❪ ✏️ ❫ 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂 : 4751
─►☆ AUTHOR'S NOTE :
well guys s1 is now over for this fic and now we move onto s2 which im so SO pumped for since in-ho is now closer than ever to being in actual chapter with sae-bom as himself and not hiding behind the mask like he is right now 🤭

i did warn you all that the time line of this may seem a bit off and different, but it's not that much of a change, all i did was move the scene on the cliff to after the death of sae-byeok unlike the show

gawd we all saw that s3 trailer right??? im shaking in my boots just thinking about it like omfg, but i will say im already planning scenes for this fic in s3 as we speak and it's gonna be a even more emotional roller-coaster compared to s2 that's all i will say. regardless im so pumped ugh and now we move onto s2/act 2 officially!

anywaysss you all know the drill, vote,
comment, ect mwah <33🫶