𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 | 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐝 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞

***

In-Ho opened his eyes. Bright light illuminated the main hall where the players "lived" during the games. That annoyingly cheerful tune, which played every morning instead of an alarm clock, buzzed irritatingly in his ears. I'm in the game room. That means I'm playing with the others? In-Ho slowly looked around. That familiar tense atmosphere, that familiar smell of something metallic. A bruise remained on his arm from the uprising - it still hurt when pressed. The uprising?.. But I'm here in the room with the others now... there are clearly more people here than there wereduringthe uprising... There, in the distance, stood that irritating young man with purple hair. What was his name... Thanos..? But he died in the bathroom right before that pivotal moment. I wonder what gameisabout to begin? The second one? The third? What point in timeisthis even? If I woke up during the games... does that mean I went back in time? Am I a player?.. Am I a Frontman?.. He slowly stood up, quietly muttering the last phrase under his breath. — Yo what???? A "Frontman?"... Hey, guys, did y'all hear that? Our Yeong-Il is the Frontman! Laughter erupted, and someone gave him a playful tap on the shoulder. It was Jung-Bae. — Oh man, with those dark circles under your eyes... are you even sleeping properly? Or are you already seeing things? Ha-ha, a Frontman... In-Ho only nodded nervously, offering a faint smile. Sure it really wasn't a funny joke, yet the other players nearby just chuckled quietly. In this tense atmosphere, perhaps Jung-Bae was the only person that still had the energy to crack a joke in such a horrible place. In-Ho looked at the faces of the people sitting nearby. Player 222, a young pregnant woman named Jun-Hee, smiled gently, nervously placing her hand on her already visible belly. Player 388, Dae-Ho, a young man and former marine — lively and seemingly taking after Jeong-Bae in the "don't lose heart" department... Player 120, Hyun-Ju. A man in the past, a woman in the present. Hyun-Ju once served in the military, which made her stronger and tougher. Her biggest dream is the surgery that would rid her of a body she hated and let her become the person she truly felt she was. Player 390, Jung-Bae. Gi-Hun's best friend, just as much of a goof-off. A former marine, well, such a cheerful person... That's all In-Ho could think about him. Player 149 and Player 007, just a regular family — mother and son - with their own failures and accomplishments. Too ordinary to deserve any attention from the Frontman at all. By the way, who cares about an old lady who failed to raise her son properly? Just no one there. The Frontman's focused, unwavering gaze now rested on Player 456, who was sitting with his back to everyone else. He was clearly deep in thought, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and staring at the floor. Gi-Hun. You're here, Gi-Hun. You're alive, Gi-Hun. What are you thinking about, Gi-Hun?... — Geez, look! Our "Frontman" is on a mission... oh no, he found Gi-Hun before Gi-Hun himself could find him lol! More laughter echoed through the group. How In-Ho longed to shut Jung-Bae up once and for all so he would stop annoying everyone with that damn stupid laugh! Yet the Frontman couldn't allow himself to do that. The tense moment was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Soldiers in bright pink uniforms appeared, bringing breakfast for the players. As soon as the food was visible from the distance, everyone quickly lined up, preparing to experience what might be their only happy moment in this disgusting room before the next game of surviving — eating. Only Gi-Hun didn't hurry to join the others. He remained still, lost in thought. In-Ho sat silently behind him, watching his heavy breathing. — Mr. Gi-Hun... Player 456 slowly turned around, casting a serious glance at In-Ho. Frontman swallowed and continued: — Did you have a nightmare? You seem a bit troubled. Gi-Hun's voice dropped to a whisper. — He sure knows I'm only here to stop those damn games... He sees everything. Last night before bed, I told our team I might know today's game. Yeong-Il... I feel really uneasy for some reason. In-Ho just listened attentively, his focused gaze fixed on Player 456. Ah, how much he cares for the others... anyone but himself. A truly remarkable person. — Mr. Gi-Hun, in that case, please take your breakfast. If you're our leader, you need sharp and clear thinking in a critical moment. It's really important. In-Ho's cold hand, once so quick to draw a pistol from his pocket to remind everyone who was in charge, now gently touched the player's shoulder with unfamiliar tenderness. — Our new friends are counting on you, right?... I'm counting on your past experience too, because right now, we're playing with the winner. Thus we have a reason to trust you. WE have a reason to trust YOU. Gi-Hun flinched nervously, withdrawing further into his thoughts. Yeong-Il. He truly stood apart from the rest. Without a doubt, he was the only person in that room who had never mocked Gi-Hun's talk of past games — unlike that greedy elderly Player 100 and his pitiful followers, whom he would surely betray at the first chance, wouldn't he? Yeong-Il would never put Player 456 in an awkward position. He sure was someone truly mysterious. It felt like Gi-Hun could also trust him as he trusts his best friend Jung-Bae. Once the games were over, they'd definitely get out of here alive, become good friends, maybe even have a drink together — some soju, just why not? In-Ho's calm yet intense gaze remained on the back of Gi-Hun's head, as if he were carefully trying to read his mind. But then, quite suddenly, Yeong-Il just stood up and sighed. — Mr. Gi-Hun, allow me to take today's breakfast portion for you along with mine, I really guess you should eat something. And the only words he received were just nothing but a quiet reply: — Yeong-Il, thank you. Thank you. — Oh well those two clearly get along well... One's way too calm for the present situation, the other's like a hamster on a wheel, slowly driving himself into a nervous breakdown. Why is he even stressing out? He's got plenty of money, enough for a peaceful life... — Player 007 said suspiciously, glancing sideways at the situation while sitting a bit apart with his elderly mother. — In any case, it's just none of your business! If that man came here, then he must really have some serious problems with those people! Moreover they're probably not pleasant at all! — his mother replied, clearly displeased to hear such comments about Gi-Hun. — Don't forget, a new game is about to start! We all need to stick together! Every single one of us! Only then we'll definitely make it through! — Dae-Ho suddenly started speaking up in an attempt to ease the tension. Jung-Bae, sitting nearby, just smirked. — That quiet guy seems to have decided to take all Gi-Hun's attention for the whole breakfast... Trying to be his new best friend — look at him! How dare he... Hey! Gi-Hunnie! I'm still here, you know? — he shouted playfully and loudly, waving at the Player 456, who, hearing the murmurs among the players, simply cast him a mildly annoyed glance that clearly said "hey, please, calm down." Meanwhile In-Ho let out a quiet chuckle as he accepted two food portions from the guards. The overall atmosphere in the room greatly amused him — just like every other time he had hosted these games. He admitted that he couldn't care less about the others — their fates, their debts - none of it meant anything to In-Ho. After all, most of them had brought this upon themselves. A few were different, perhaps — the ones who joined for money they wouldn't even spend on themselves — but even they didn't deserve his sympathy. In-Ho would never justify their choices. Because people always choose their own path. They lock themselves in cages of their own making even if the solution to their problems often lies right in front of them — just grab it and don't miss a chance from life! But what will the player choose? Which path will he take, and will it lead to a happy ending? And which path will you take for now, In-Ho?... ••• TO BE CONTINUED •••