Jun-Hee and Hyun-ju walked through the gloomy place, their footsteps echoing softly on the cold surface of the ground. There were still blood stains from the brutal fight that had started that night.

All those scenes made Jun-Hee's stomach churn. Seeing how all those people killed each other to reduce the number of participants and thus increase the value of the prize made her very sick.

If she had known in advance what would happen, she was sure that she would never enter this hell.

But that recruiter had sounded so convincing inviting her to play some simple games to earn money. Has that man paid his consequences? I hoped so, that someone could stop him from recruiting people, but he seemed like a ghost. The way he disappeared after giving her the card still surprised her.

The pair continued to advance, slowly, with the dim light of the piggy bank above them that only accentuated the heaviness of the atmosphere, a constant reminder of where they were and what they had lost. Each part of that money was worth the blood of each dead person… "Chilling" Jun-Hee thought.

Hyun-Ju walked in silence, thoughtful, just like Jun-Hee. But the latter had a whirlwind in her mind that she couldn't control.

"What can I tell you?" She asked himself as he slowly moved forward. I felt that any words I could say to him would be insufficient to calm someone who had been through so much, and who had lost too much in the end. Not only did she have the weight of the failed rebellion, but she knew that she had lost more than necessary in those previous games he had.

It seemed totally unfair to her. Gi-Hun had risked everything, including himself, to give everyone in that room a chance, a real chance to get out of there. Even if the result was not what she expected.

She thought about the looks and insults from all the participants, especially from that player 100, who Gi-Hun received after being brought back by the guards. He had been the target of her frustration, her anger, her fear.

But despite everything, she could never see him the same way that others saw him. No. He wasn't a failure at all. He was… different. Admirable.

Jun-Hee's heart raced slightly as he realized what he thought about that man. She couldn't help but remember the intensity of his gaze and voice when Gi-Hun was telling them about the plan tonight. They had attracted her in a way that she couldn't quite understand, but deep down she enjoyed feeling that way. Even though she didn't like the idea of making that "small sacrifice" with the other X, she felt that there was a minimal chance of winning there.

But the sincerity, the conviction that was in every word Gi-Hun said to the group, had ignited something in her. Since then, she couldn't help but look at him with different eyes.

Why do I care so much?" she thought, although the answer was already clear in the depths of his heart. What he felt was not just admiration for the man… but something stronger… something that had once passed through his mind. Something she almost felt when she first dated with Myung-gi.

She knew where this was going, and that scared her a little. Was this a place to allow himself to think about that? When in any mortal game they were always on the brink of death? I needed the answer to that.

HYUN-JU (120): "Are you okay?"

That question took her out of her thoughts. She realized he had stopped at one point, but he couldn't remember when.

JUN-HEE (222): "Y-yeah… I just… I just think about how to help him"

Hyun Ju watched her for a moment, tilting her head slightly.

HYUN-JU (120): "And it's really just that?" I ask, curious, but not wanting to sound accusatory.

Jun-Hee just avoided his gaze, and decided not to answer. Hyun-Ju quickly realized that something else was going through the pregnant girl's mind, but decided not to press it. She just decided to squeeze her shoulder a little, letting her know that she had her full support in the face of everything, and wanting to calm her friend down. Jun-Hee looked at her again, this time smiling, regaining the confidence they required.

They didn't care that the players from group O started staring at them when they saw that they were heading in the direction of 456. Jun-Hee didn't care anymore. She was going to help him. But a voice made her stop again.

?: "Where are you going, Jun-Hee?"

Jun-Hee stopped, recognizing that voice. It was Myung-gi. She felt a slight tremor in her spine, pursed her lips, and turned to look at him. She noticed that Hyun-Ju had tensed up. She knew that she still wouldn't forgive him for what happened with Young-mi (095) in the "Mingle" game, and she hated him enough.

JUN-HEE (222): "I'll go talk to Gi-Hun. What does it matter?"

MYUNG-GI (333): "What does it matter?" He repeated with an incredulous laugh, "Really?"

JUN-HEE (222): "Yes. Why?"

MYUNG-GI (333): "Are you going to comfort the idiot who caused many deaths and put us all in danger with that 'brilliant' idea?" He said the latter with a tone of sarcasm.

Hyun-Ju clearly didn't feel comfortable listening to him. She couldn't do it after all. She hates him, but she just reacted out of respect for his partner.

Jun-Hee, on the other hand, took a deep breath, trying not to lose his composure.

JUN-HEE (222): "T-The plan may have gone wrong, yes, but he did it for all of us."

MYUNG-GI (333): "For all of us?" He said in disbelief as he stood up from the bunk he was on. "You can't say that rubbish, Jun-Hee. He wanted to play the hero against those guards and now he put us all in the eye of the storm. He didn't think about 'us'. He did it for himself."

JUN-HEE (222): "That's not true!" She raised his voice, his patience starting to wear thin. "He risked everything because he wanted to give us a chance; he wasn't going to sit back and let more people die."

MYUNG-GI (333): "And guess what: all he did was cause more people to die, right? We lost a lot of people who voted to end the games, even people who seemed close to you. Tell me, don't you care?"

The latter hit Jun-Hee like a slap. Her face hardened, but her hands shook slightly. She didn't care if the other players saw the little scene that was created.

JUN-HEE (222): "Don't you dare say that," she said in a whisper filled with anger. "Don't talk like I don't care. There were people I loved who died in that rebellion. But you know what? Gi-Hun loved those people too."

MYUNG-GI (333): "Then if you really care, act like you do Jun-Hee," his frustration also increased "You can't just ignore what he did."

Jun-Hee stared at him.

JUN-HEE (222): "I'm not ignoring anything. But I'm not going to abandon him when I know that all he wanted was to help us and now he's suffering."

MYUNG-GI (333): "Suffering. How convenient. Now, are you going to cry with him too?"

JUN-HEE (222): "Stop it, Myung-gi!" Jun-Hee exploded. "Why do you always have to be like this? Why can't you stop being selfish for 1 minute?"

MYUNG-GI (333): "Am I the selfish one? I'm one of the few, with the other crazy people who want to stay, who see things as they really are. That guy is not a hero, Jun-Hee. He's a disaster waiting to happen, and if you stay close to him, he'll end up dragging you with him to your death. And what will happen to the baby? What if something happens to it because of your stupid decisions?"

Jun-Hee stared at him with narrowed eyes, her anger rising with every word that came out of her mouth.

JUN-HEE (222): "Stupid decisions?! Do you really have the nerve to talk about that when you…" She stopped, breathing heavily, trying not to get completely carried away by this argument. "You have no right to decide for me, Myung-gi. Not anymore."

As Myung-gi was about to continue the argument, Hyun-Ju couldn't take it anymore and decided to step in front of Jun-Hee, glaring at him with an angry face.

HYUN-JU (120): "That's enough. If she wants to help him, it's her decision. And I'm with her."

MYUNG-GI (333): "Of course you support her. Always so noble, right? Just like with 095." He said the last part without thinking, but it was too late.

HYUN-JU (120): How dare you mention her?!

MYUNG-GI (333): "I saved their lives in that game. She didn't have time to get there. You just don't want to accept it. I saved you like a hero. Not like the idiotic thing 456 did!"

Hyun-Ju advanced towards Myung-gi, ready to hit him, but Jun-Hee grabbed her arm gently, calming Hyun-Ju down. Myung-gi breathed, trying to calm down, and looked at Jun-Hee again.

MYUNG-GI (333): "Listen Jun-Hee… I… I'm only saying this because I care about you. I want you and the baby… our baby… to be safe."

Jun-Hee felt a knot in her stomach. For a second she believed in that sincerity, but that moment passed quickly. It was too late

JUN-HEE (222): "Our baby? Are you worried now?" She asked with a bitter tone.

MYUNG-GI (333): "Y- yes... I…"

JUN-HEE (222): "So if you're worried, where were you when I needed you the most? When I called you over and over again these past 6 months and you ignored me?!"

Myung-gi opened his mouth to respond, but he was at a loss for words. Jun-Hee continued.

JUN-HEE (222): "I don't believe you anymore, Myung-gi. First you say you want to get back with me, but you really just want my share of the money, and now you say you're worried…"

Hyun-Ju had already calmed down, and she was surprised at how angry Jun-Hee was. She had never seen her like this.

JUN-HEE (222): "I'm not interested in what you have to say. I don't need you to take care of me, and much less do I need your permission to do what I think is right."

Myung-gi took a step back, his face showing a mix of frustration and something else. Something that looked like… regret. But it was too late… 6 months late

MYUNG-GI (333): "Jun-Hee…"

JUN-HEE (222): "No. No more. I'll have the baby, and if we make it out of here… I don't want to see you again."

Myung-gi just looked at her. Hyun-Ju looked back at him, annoyed, clearly still bitter about what happened in "Mingle" and now having the guts to bring it up again.

MYUNG-GI (333): "Do whatever you want. But don't come to me when things go wrong."

With that, he turned around and walked away from the place where the argument happened. Jun-Hee watched him go, still angry and hurt by him. It really hurt her, because she had come to consider him important… but not anymore… she meant it.

He didn't genuinely care about her, and she felt it. Hyun-Ju placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her as best he could.

HYUN-JU (120): "Are you okay, Jun-Hee?"

JUN-HEE (222): "Yes. Let's go."

And they both headed back to Gi-Hun. Jun-Hee felt lighter, having managed to leave behind that painful past she was carrying.

Gi-Hun was sitting in the darkest corner of the room, on one of the bunks away from everyone else (He probably ended up there after the fight between O and X, when the lights went out). He was staring at the floor, filled with blood remains of people he had "sacrificed" for the greater good. That made him feel more horrible. The heavy air of the place weighed as much as his thoughts, as if each breath dragged him further into the abyss of his mind. There, in that almost suffocating solitude, the inner demons began to devour him.

"I failed them all." That thought echoed in his head all the time, over and over again, like an echo that would never fade and never go out. He had always failed people. He failed his daughter… he failed his mother… he failed Sae-Byeok… he failed Sang-Woo… he failed Jung-Bae.

He remembered his friend's face staring straight at him, scared as the leader of the masked men aimed straight at his heart. His friend, who accompanied him to bet on the horse races, his brother in this damn nightmare, was dead because of him.

"He trusted me. He looked me in the eyes and believed in this plan, he believed that we could win and free everyone. And all I did was lead him straight to his death."

He clenched his hands tightly, as if trying to contain his own trembling. He could hear Jung-Bae's laughter in his head, that laughter that always managed to ease the weight of the horror they were living a little. He remembered the last heart-to-heart talk with him, when he called him "The Stingy King." He had missed those rare talks with his friend. But now… he felt like a knife hearing that laughter and remembering the talk. It reminded him of what he had lost.

GI-HUN (456): "I'm an idiot," he whispered to himself, his voice cracking.

Sae-Byeok would have thought the same thing, and told him so in that characteristically cold tone. He missed her at that moment, too.

And that rebellion… it had been a complete disaster, an impulsive, desperate idea. What did you really hope to achieve? You didn't think it through. You didn't plan it properly. Was the idea really to take weapons, give them to a couple of players who also want to end this, get to the place where everything was managed, and kill them all? Did you really think it was going to be easy?

He just clung to the hope that he could change something, that he could save them all. But reality hit him like a bullet: He was no hero.

He was just an ordinary man, full of mistakes and weaknesses. A man who had caused the deaths of many, including his friend, and now had their blood on his hands. Why did I tell him to come with me? What kind of friend does that? And the gazes of the other players tormented him too. Their gazes, filled with anger, disappointment, fear. They insulted him, they hit him, and everything was fine. Everything his hands touched ended in ashes. "I failed everyone… everyone…"

RECRUITER: "You must accept that you are trash like everyone else. A piece of shit who got lucky and is still here."

That was what the recruiter had told him that night they played Russian roulette. And now he could claim that he was right. It was nonsense. I let people die just for their purpose. He was always lucky, but the others around him weren't. He didn't deserve that fate.

He failed everyone he met. And that word, "failure," made him sink deeper and deeper into a dark pit full of misery and pain. The promises he made, about stopping the games to help all the participants, now sounded like a cruel joke in his head. He promised… but all he did was make things worse for everyone.

"What's the point? I don't even deserve to be alive. It should have been me. Not Jung-Bae…"

The thought hit him with the force of a truck, leaving him with an empty feeling in his chest. For a moment, he wished someone would attack him as part of the "Special Game" and eliminate him, erase him forever, from this life, from this endless suffering. Tears threatened to fall, but he couldn't cry. He could only sob. His chest shook with each labored breath, as if his body was trying to expel all the pain, but it was useless. The physical pain after the beating he received in the bathroom was nowhere near what he felt psychologically.

The pain was embedded in his soul, like a wound that would never heal.

He brought his hands to his face, covering himself as if he were trying to hide from the world, from himself. But he couldn't escape. The voices in his head wouldn't stop.

"You're a failure"

"You killed them all"

"You're a monster with airs of a savior"

Every word crushed him. He wanted to scream, but no one heard him. He wanted to disappear, to do everyone a favor, but that wouldn't change anything either. He was broken, like a plate that had just fallen to the floor, broken into a thousand pieces.

GI-HUN (456): "I'm a fucking failure," he said inaudibly.

He stood there, in the darkness, feeling the world crash down on him. The guilt, the sadness, the anger at himself... it was too much. And as he continued to stare at the floor, a question formed in his head: What's the point of continuing to fight if I only bring death and suffering?

Hyun-Ju and Jun-Hee came to his side, both girls advancing with cautious steps, as if they were afraid of breaking something fragile. And, in a way, they were going to face precisely that: a broken man, physically and emotionally.

Gi-Hun continued to stare at the floor, not even limiting himself to looking at the girls. His eyes seemed dull, as if the life and determination that once shone in them had completely extinguished themselves, like a flame.

Hyun-Ju was the first to approach. She took a deep breath, trying to find the courage to speak. It was almost as complicated as the time she told her family the truth about her desire to be a woman. She knew that one false word could lead to him being destroyed more than he already was. Seeing him like this hurts both girls.

Hyun-Ju knelt in front of Gi-Hun, who didn't even look at her.

HYUN-JU (120): "Gi-Hun…" she began, her voice soft but serious. "I know what you feel. I was there too, and I know what happened."

Gi-Hun didn't even react. He didn't even look up at her. He was a dead man, still standing. Hyun-Ju continued, trying to fill the crushing silence with her words.

HYUN-JU (120): "It wasn't your fault, you know? No one could have foreseen what would happen. We all… we all made that decision together. We all knew the risks, and we all hoped to fight for freedom… just like Jung-Bae."

Gi-Hun remained motionless, but with his fists clenched on his knees. This revealed that Hyun-Ju's words had reached him, even if only superficially.

HYUN-JU (120): "The important thing now is that you keep going. We can't give up now."

Hyun-Ju watched as Gi-Hun seemed to want to look at her. And when he did, she saw all the pain emanating from those eyes. Nothing like that look of trust she saw in him when they saved that poor man in "Green Light and Red Light." But his lips remained sealed, and his body seemed trapped in a state of immobility. Hyun-Ju gave a sigh as she stood up, and looked at Jun-Hee. It was her turn

Jun-Hee stepped forward, her hands shaking. She had witnessed what Hyun-Ju tried, but she knew that words wouldn't be enough with someone as broken as Gi-Hun. She knew it all too well, because no words could calm her down during those 6 months of loneliness. She understood him... she did it in a different, deeper way. Her emotions were too intertwined with her own admiration and affection for him.

She crouched down, so that she was facing him, her knees touching the bloody ground, but she didn't care. From that position she looked him straight in the eyes, seeing his dead eyes that seemed to avoid contact with her.

JUN-HEE (222): "Gi-Hun..." her voice was sweet, almost a whisper, typical of her.

Obviously, there was no reaction. But Jun-Hee didn't give up. She paused, as if she was gathering all her courage for what she was going to say.

JUN-HEE (222): "I know what you're thinking... that you failed. That this was all your fault. That you don't deserve forgiveness."

Gi-Hun's eyes locked on the girl. He was listening to her. Jun-Hee felt a lump in her throat as she saw the overwhelming sadness she felt inside.

JUN-HEE (222): "But it's not like that... you're not alone in this. You never were and you never will be. We all made the decision with you because we believed in you. Because you... gave us hope."

Jun-Hee's voice trembled as she said those last words. She knew her own heart was completely exposed at that moment, but she didn't care.

JUN-HEE (222): "Jung-Bae wouldn't blame you. He believed in you until the very end. And he did it because he knew you were the only one who could do something, the only one who had the courage to try. For everyone."

Gi-Hun gritted his teeth, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. Jun-Hee's words hit him like a torrent, breaking down the walls he had built to contain his pain.

GI-HUN (456): "What if… I failed?" he finally muttered, his voice cracking. "What if… everyone who died was my fault?"

Jun-Hee couldn't help but feel her heart break at those words. She wanted to push that pain away from him, to bear it herself if she had to. She leaned closer to him, close enough so he could feel the warmth of her presence.

JUN-HEE (222): "You didn't fail, Gi-Hun. You're here. You're still fighting, even if you don't realize it. And we're still here with you. I'm here with you."

Tears began to slide down Gi-Hun's cheeks, and Jun-Hee knew she had reached her breaking point. Without thinking, she reached out her arms and hugged him, wrapping her arms around him carefully, as if she was afraid he might break even more.

JUN-HEE (222): "You don't have to carry this alone" She whispered in his ear, her voice full of tenderness "I trust you, I still do. Don't give up, please… we're all with you"

Gi-Hun stood still for a moment, as if he didn't know how to react. He was surprised by the warmth of the hug and the softness of the words that came out of Jun-Hee's lips. All of this made his thoughts become more chaotic, trying to process what she was saying. But finally, he felt something inside him that prompted him to return the hug. So, he slowly raised his arms and returned the hug, resting his forehead on Jun-Hee's shoulder. And finally Gi-Hun was able to cry. Tears fell, soaking the green suit, but Jun-Hee didn't move. She hugged him tightly, as if with that hug she could offer him refuge, even if momentarily, from his torments.

It wasn't just a comforting hug. It was a silent and powerful connection, a sign that he wasn't completely alone in this world. And in that gesture, Gi-Hun could once again feel a slight glimmer of security. Jun-Hee, the pregnant girl he met in that hell, hadn't left him alone in his darkest moment. She had come to lend him a hand, and for that he was grateful.

Hyun-Ju, who had watched the scene in silence, felt a lump in his chest. He couldn't help but smile softly. There was something in the connection between those two that was undeniable, something that not even years of pain could destroy.

HYUN-JU (120): "It's true." She approached the couple again, who were still hugging each other. "I trust you too, Gi-Hun. As do Dae-Ho, Geum-Ja and Yong-Sik. You didn't let us down." You did what you could and we appreciate it, and we know you can keep fighting.

Gi-Hun lifted his head from Jun-Hee's shoulder, with whom he was still sharing the most comfortable hug he had received in years, and looked at Hyun-Ju as well. For a moment, those words echoing in his mind faded away, and he was grateful for that.

GI-HUN (456): "Thank you," he whispered, his voice still broken, but lighter.

Jun-Hee gave him a shy smile back, her eyes still shining from the tears she also began to shed.

JUN-HEE (222): "Always"

It was in that hug with Jun-Hee that Gi-Hun was finally able to find some peace. Something that for a long time, around 3 years, had been elusive. Jung-Bae's laughter didn't hurt as much anymore.

Jun-Hee and Gi-Hun shared that silent embrace for a while longer, an embrace that said more than a thousand words to both of them. And at that moment, a faint but persistent glimmer of hope seeped through the cracks of darkness they both carried.

The warmth of their closeness was comforting, like a haven of silent understanding spreading between them. Jun-Hee could feel all the pain being released in Gi-Hun as he cried on her shoulder. But beyond the pain and sadness, she sensed a strength, a resilience that didn't want to go away.

And it was at that precise moment that, without thinking too much, he uttered some words he had been holding back for a long time.

JUN-HEE (222): "Everyone here needs you... I need you."

With that said, Jun-Hee not only expressed what she felt at the moment, but also what accumulated as the days went by within that game. Those words were more than a simple statement, rather they were a revelation to Jun-Hee. When she said them, something inside her stirred.

The affection she had been harboring, that attraction she had felt for Gi-Hun, could no longer be ignored.

That feeling was now becoming something deeper... more meaningful. And as she felt her confession sink deep into him, a torrent of emotions ran through his chest.

Gi-Hun, upon hearing those words, felt a shock of reality different from the one he had been feeling. He felt gratitude for both women, especially this girl who was hugging him right now. It was a comfort he hadn't expected, but needed more than anything. He laughed when he remembered the recruiter again. No... he wasn't trash like the others, and he was willing to prove it.

Finally, as the pressure on his chest eased a little, Gi-Hun slowly separated from her. But what happened next was even more powerful. Gi-Hun took Jun-Hee's hands, surprising her and with an intense gaze that seemed to carry the promise of something more, Gi-Hun spoke.

GI-HUN (456): "I will... I will do everything possible... to get us all out of this. Especially you and the baby."

His words, simple but loaded with determination, resonated with Jun-Hee in a profound way. They weren't just words of comfort, they were promises of action. He was willing to keep fighting, to keep doing the impossible to free everyone trapped in that nightmare. But there was something in that statement that made it clear that, among all the people he would fight for, she had a special place in Gi-Hun's heart.

Jun-Hee, hearing those words, couldn't help but feel that the world that until then had been collapsing around her was beginning to rebuild itself. The intensity of Gi-Hun's gaze, that silent promise, made her feel valuable, loved, and for a moment, she forgot the fear she had been carrying. I knew that although the future was uncertain, at least at that moment, she had something to fight for.

And, as they both stared at each other, Jun-Hee felt his face grow hot. It wasn't just the mutual comfort they had offered, nor the words he had said. It was the meaning behind those gestures, what had been born between them in this short but significant exchange. The connection had grown stronger, and it didn't matter if they didn't fully understand it, because Jun-Hee knew that something had changed inside her. She liked him, she loved him, although she didn't admit it so easily.

Gi-Hun, noticing the blush on Jun-Hee's face, felt a mix of confusion and gratitude. He wasn't sure what was going on between them, but what he did know was that at this moment, Jun-Hee had become an essential figure in his life. And he wouldn't admit it openly and so quickly, but that simple gesture had led Gi-Hun to feel something more for the woman in front of him. An intense love.

For a moment, both remained silent, absorbed by the intensity of their shared gaze. Without additional words, just with the language of their eyes, they shared an unspoken promise: that together, with everything they had suffered, they would continue fighting, no matter how dark the road became.

Hyun-Ju knew what was happening. They had both clearly fallen in love with each other, but she didn't want to interrupt the moment. She just smiled at the scene in front of her, happy that they both found something in all this hell. Or rather, that they have found each other. She decided to take a step back and leave the lovebirds for a while, heading in the direction of Dae-Ho to see if he had calmed down yet.

Returning to the couple, who were still looking at each other intensely, they both knew something perfectly: In that hug, in those words, Jun-Hee and Gi-Hun had met at a turning point. The destruction, the loss, the scars of the past, everything that had defined them until now, was beginning to fade, if only for a moment. Now there was something else, something new, something bigger. And although they didn't know exactly what the future held for them, they both knew that, at least for now, they could face whatever came together.

And now... Gi-Hun knew that there was still something, or rather someone, to fight for.