They had finally gone to bed, but neither of them really slept. In-ho knew that he wouldn't get much rest, but he had hoped that Elizabeth might. She had her eyes closed, but he couldn't hear the tell-tale signs of her sleeping just yet. He found himself growing concerned for her, wondering if she'd be exhausted when she woke up and how that might affect her mood. He suspected they must have dozed for a short while because when they woke up, the sun was peeking in through the closed curtains and he could hear the seagulls making noise. Turning his head to the side, Elizabeth was nowhere to be seen. He patted her side of the bed before forcing himself to sit up. He looked around but saw that her pyjamas were folded on the end of the bed and the door to the bathroom open, steam coming from it but the light turned off.

He pushed the quilt back and stood up, stretching and yawning before heading to the living area. Sure enough, he found her in the kitchen, already making breakfast. She was dressed in a navy pantsuit with a brass buttoned blazer and a white shirt that was undone at the collar. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail and she'd applied a light layer of makeup. She looked like she was going to a business meeting, but he suspected this was her way of trying to blend in as opposed to the form-fitting dresses she usually wore for work. The main issue was that it wasn't entirely working as, no matter what she did, she stood out. Then again, she was posing as a VIP. They had an air of arrogance about them that he hoped she could pull off.

"I'm making scrambled eggs," Elizabeth spoke and drew him from his thoughts. "I wasn't sure if you'd be hungry, but I figured we needed to try and eat something."

"Thank you," he said gratefully to her.

She let him walk to the kitchen and handed him her coffee that she'd been drinking, figuring he needed it more than she did. "I know that neither of us got much sleep last night, but I wanted to let you lay in for as long as you needed to."

"I appreciate it," he said, pouring the hot liquid down his throat. "Did you manage to get some sleep?"

"A few hours," she said and went back to stirring the eggs. "Breakfast is nearly ready. I'll bring it out to the patio if you want to take the cutlery and juice?"

He nodded and quickly kissed her temple before he did as she requested. Heading to the patio, he set the table and closed his eyes as he sat down, letting the sun roam over his face and enjoying its heat. He wondered if this would be how it was when they both went to Italy. Would it be lazy breakfasts in the sun? Would it be long walks down the stone cobbled streets, picking up things to cook for dinner? Would it be afternoons spent in bed to avoid the sun? Whatever it might be, he was ready for it.

Elizabeth carried the plates out and set them down on the table. The two of them ate and spoke of nothing of great importance, opting to chat about mundane things instead. In-ho cleared the table before going to shower and change, leaving Elizabeth to enjoy her peace on the balcony. Once he was finished, hair damp and dressed in the familiar grey suit he donned for six days of the year, he went to his safe and pulled out the handgun he had. He didn't want to scare Elizabeth any further than he had the night before, but she needed to be prepared for anything, even though he would make sure no one touched her.

"You said you knew how to shoot?" he checked with her, heading back to the patio. She turned to look at him and nodded before she spotted the gun in his hand. "You won't need to use it, but I want you to have it. It'll make me feel a lot safer knowing that you have something."

"Your gun?" she checked with him.

"I trust you know how to use it," he said. "But allow me to refresh your memory."

She nodded and he picked her up from the chair and handed her the gun. He was impressed by how she expertly held it, checking that the safety pin was still engaged before raising it. In-ho stood behind her, hands going to her shoulders and lowering them, sensing she was tense. His chin sat just by hers, their cheeks almost brushing.

"Aim for the centre of that tree in the yard," he urged from her and Elizabeth just nodded her head.

She took the safety off and squinted before she pulled the trigger, the recoil moving her backwards only slightly and the bang echoing through the surrounding area. In-ho looked to the tree and saw the bullet lodged in it. He nodded his head and moved from behind her, walking towards it and observing it closer. "You've got a good aim," he said.

"I think my father would've preferred a son," Elizabeth said. "Hence why I got to learn how to shoot."

"You're doing a good job," he promised her of that much. He didn't know whether to be alarmed by how good of a job she seemed to do. He knew that she wasn't someone to be messed with. He'd known that for a very long time, but he wasn't entirely sure just how dangerous she could be. Either way, she knew how to handle a gun expertly. "And promise me you'll keep this on you at all times."

"I promise," Elizabeth assured him and he watched her put the safety on before tucking it into the waistband of her pants, pulling her jacket to fan around her so that it was hidden. "You're going to be okay, aren't you?" she asked from him, voice hesitant and on edge. He moved towards her and spun her to face the tree that she had just shot. His arms went around her waist, clasping hold of her hands and squeezing her tight.

"I'm going to be better knowing that you're going to be okay," he whispered to her and Elizabeth's lips arched upwards. "When we go this morning, I will make sure everyone knows you're a VIP. That way, you're untouchable…and if anyone does dare to touch you, well, you know what to do. Shoot them in the knee and get out of there."

"How will I be able to communicate with you?" Elizabeth wondered from him and he kissed the side of her neck.

"You won't be able to," he told her and she had to admit that she wasn't entirely keen on that. "But, every so often, I'll put my hand to my chest and just know that's for you…the only one who has my heart."

Elizabeth's smiled seemed to grow then and she turned her head to the side, lifting a hand to stroke his cheek. "Has anyone ever told you that you're actually a hopeless romantic?" she wondered from him and he smirked at that, shaking his head.

"I'm not sure they have," he said, "and they definitely haven't said it to me after I've taught them how to shoot a gun."

"In all fairness, I already knew how to shoot a gun," Elizabeth retorted and he rolled his eyes, moving his face closer towards her.

"Do you always have to be so argumentative?" he wondered, but there was a teasing tone to his voice and her lips arched upwards at him.

"You still love me, right?"

"Always," he murmured, finally kissing her.

…

Elizabeth knew that her palms were sweating. She was nervous, she couldn't deny that. They had drove to the facility together and Elizabeth wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the prospect of not seeing In-ho for six days. Since the two of them had gotten together, they hadn't spent longer than a day apart, if that. Elizabeth was still going to worry about him, no matter how many times he told her that she didn't have to. He parked the car outside the control room, mask on his face as Elizabeth also wore hers. He opened her car door and held his arm out to her. She took it and he escorted her to the entrance.

"Remember, you need to have an air of confidence around you," he whispered to her, voice husky. "You're a VIP. You own these people. Everyone in there is beneath you."

"I've got it," Elizabeth promised him.

He just nodded subtly and they entered the control room, walking down a long corridor before he turned into another room. He kept her arm inside of his, but he knew that the two of them had to keep a respectful distance from each other. He merely looked like he was escorting her and being gentlemanly. Elizabeth tried not to stare around the control room for too long. Glancing at the floor, she saw how it began to fill with the faces of people playing the games, numbers underneath them. There were guards sat at computers, dressed in pink jumpsuits with masks on their faces. But, there was another guard who was stood in the centre of the room, hands behind their back and legs spread. They had a black jumpsuit on instead of a pink one. Some of the pink guards turned around but soon looked back to their screen, though one of them allowed their eyes to linger longer than they should, taking in the woman in the pantsuit.

"Sir," he spoke, although his voice seemed distorted. "The games will be ready to begin shortly."

In-ho just inclined his head. "We have a VIP joining us for the duration of the games. If I cannot attend to her then I imagine you will be able to?"

Elizabeth realised she had never heard him speak with the mask on and for a moment she found it unnerving, but then she reminded herself that it was just In-ho. It was the man she loved. He kept her arm inside of his as the man in the black mask just nodded his head in Elizabeth's direction. She didn't return it, knowing that she had to give off an air of arrogance. Instead, she let In-ho take the lead.

"Consider it done, sir."

"She is to be a major investor and so I expect you to be nothing but accommodating to her every request?"

"I will endeavour to ensure she is well taken care of."

"Good," In-ho said. "I will return shortly."

He walked off then with Elizabeth still on his arm. She looked around the control centre for a final time, wondering just what the people behind the masks looked like. At the end of the day, they were just people. They were just ordinary people, but they had found themselves on the right side of the games. They were the ones who followed In-ho's orders and it was only as Elizabeth realised the magnitude of the games did she realise just how much fell on In-ho's shoulders. Would anyone continue them if he went? Would they just cease? She knew the old saying though – cut off the head of a snake and another one will grow in its place.

They took the familiar walk down to In-ho's office. Only once they were safely in there did he take his mask off, lowering his hood and placing the mask on the table next to his chair. Elizabeth reached behind and removed her own mask, leaving it on the worktop by the sink. In-ho looked over to her and saw her tighten her ponytail.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she assured him. "It's just weird seeing people here instead of it being abandoned."

"I get that," he promised her. "It's a lot to take in, but you don't need to engage with anyone. I'll leave you the car key and the keycode for this office…no one else has it…no one else should bother you unless you ask them to."

"It's not me who should be worried, it's you," Elizabeth said. "If you're going in there then God only knows what might happen. I'm going to be fine out here. I don't need you to worry about me."

"And when have you known me not to worry about you?" he questioned.

"Fair point, but I'm just saying that you don't need to," she said and she tugged the gun from the back of her pants, setting it down next to the mask. "Anyway, the first game…when does it start?"

"In another twenty minutes," he said. "Is it too early for alcohol?"

"Considering that once you go into the games you won't be allowed to drink, I think it's the perfect time for a glass," she said. "I've never been averse to day drinking anyway."

He chuckled at that and let her pour each of them a glass of scotch. She handed it over to him and he raised his glass. "A toast," he said and Elizabeth tilted her head but raised her glass anyway.

"And what are we toasting?"

"Us," he said. "But, more importantly, you."

His glass clinked against hers and they took a sip. He knew that he had to tell her. She deserved to know the truth before the games started. He didn't want her to see him when he had gone. He wanted her to see and he wanted her to understand just what was going to happen. Because, as much as In-ho knew he had to deal with Seong Gi-hun, he also quite liked the idea of toying with Robert Jacobs.

"And why am I the subject of a toast?"

"Because you've come so far," In-ho said. "And after everything that you've gone through, I wanted to give you something…but I didn't know what, not really. You're not materialistic, although you do enjoy shiny, fancy objects."

"Who doesn't?"

"And so I started thinking that you deserved a chance to have your own back. You deserve a chance to have your own revenge," he said and Elizabeth's brows arched on her forehead as she began to wonder just what he was talking about. Holding his hand out to her, his smirked remained on his face. "Come here."

Elizabeth did as he asked, letting him lead her around the seat and standing in front of the screen. He grabbed hold of the remote on his way, letting it flicker to life before he scrolled through the various CCTV images. Finding the one he wanted, he saw how the players were being led out onto the dirt pitch, ready for the first game. Zooming in on the screen, he waited patiently for her to say something. He wondered if he had made a mistake and she'd be appalled. He just waited for the penny to drop and slowly he saw realisation dawn on her face. She let go of his hand and moved closer to the screen, her eyes flickering over the grainy image of the man with the sleeked back blonde hair and strong jawline.

He knew it was risky. He knew that bringing her husband into the games was dangerous. But then he looked at her face and he saw the way she smirked when she recognised him on the screen and he knew that he'd made the right decision. He could trust her. He reached for her hand and dragged her closer to him, leaning down and whispering into her ear. "No one's going to touch you now. You're with me."

"You brought him into the games," Elizabeth whispered, the smirk still on her face and her eyes fixed on her husband.

"I sent the Salesman to recruit him," he confirmed for her. "He chose to be here. No one forced him. I've told you before that no one forces anyone into the games."

"But you still sent the Salesman after him," Elizabeth said and he felt her fingers flex in his hand. "And now he's here…he's in the games…"

"Part of the reason why I want to go into the games is to stop Gi-hun. 456 cannot be allowed to ruin what has been built," In-ho said. "But, at the same time, your husband is in there and I want to see him suffer just like he made you suffer and so I'm going in there and you…you, my darling…I want you to tell me what you want to happen to him. For so long, he held your life in the palm of his hand. Now the roles are reversed. Now you have the power."

A range of emotions took over Elizabeth as her eyes flickered around with her husband on the screen. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking down, kicking dirt with the toe of his shoe. He looked defeated. He looked lost. No one spoke to him and he was a loner. Maybe Elizabeth would've felt sorry for him at one time, but she struggled to feel anything for him now. She moved closer to the screen, her hand leaving In-ho's. He observed her intently as she stood in front of the screen, narrowing her eyes at Robert.

"I want him to suffer," Elizabeth declared. "I want him to feel the fear that I felt when I woke up every morning next to him…this isn't going to be long enough for me…six days…no…he needs to suffer more than that. I need him to know what it's like to be so scared you feel hopeless, In-ho."

"If you want him to know pain then I can make his life hell."

"No," Elizabeth said firmly and she whirled her head around to look at him and he swore he saw a manic gleam in her eye. Her lips turned up into a sneer and she stalked towards him. "I want to be the one to dictate what happens. I want to be the one who makes him hurt and, in the end, I want him to know that it was me. I want him to know that I was the one who ran these games for him…made every decision for him…the puppet master…and I don't want him to die in here."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want to be the one to do it," Elizabeth said. "I want to be the one who takes everything from him."

"Then what do we do?" In-ho questioned her.

"We plot."

…

Elizabeth was sat on the back of the chair, her knees bent and feet planted on the seat. She had a glass of scotch in her fingertips, drumming them against it and watching the screen. In' ho was sat on the chair, an arm wrapped around her calves and the other laid on the arm of the chair, his own glass there too. He had his legs crossed and was waiting for the game to begin. Elizabeth sat forwards as it was announced that the game would begin.

"He'll get through," In-ho told her confidently. "I've made sure it's so even if he does move."

"Good," Elizabeth said and she relaxed slightly. "And 456?"

"He's played before. I doubt he'd get knocked out in the first game."

Elizabeth hummed gently at that. Finally, the game began with the first 'green light'. The camera roamed over the field as people began rushing forwards and stopping. Elizabeth watched the game unfold, her eyes squinting as she sat forwards and spotted a man at the front of the pack. In-ho shifted in his seat, moving his glass to the table. He laced his fingers together on his lap and Elizabeth saw the twitch of his lips.

"Is that him?" she wondered.

"Indeed," he confirmed.

"He's trying to lead them through the game," Elizabeth commented and In-ho chuckled.

"Let's see just how well he can do. As soon as the first shot is fired, panic will escalate," In-ho said confidently as 'green light' echoed around. Everyone rushed forwards again, but this time 456 fell to the back of the pack. He covered his mouth with his arm and Elizabeth frowned.

"Is he speaking?"

"The camera only detects motion in front of it. He's covering up his mouth so that it doesn't see," In-ho told her. "It's very clever of him, I will give him that."

Elizabeth agreed with that. She knew that Robert was going to make it out of the game alive, but she wondered just where he was on the field. She finally saw him. He stood out, his blonde hair flapping as he ran forwards and then came to a halt. Elizabeth had to admit that she was surprised he had actually managed to stand still. He was the most impatient man she knew. He didn't do standing still.

"Here we go," In-ho mumbled and Elizabeth had to confess that she was too invested in watching Robert to realise what had just happened. But then she saw it. A woman started flapping around and Elizabeth wondered just what was going on. What had happened to make her jump around like that? And then she just dropped to the floor, her body collapsing into a heap on itself. In-ho turned to look up at Elizabeth. "You don't need to watch."

"Yes, I do," Elizabeth replied.

It took a moment before someone turned their head to see the body on the floor. From there, chaos erupted. More people started moving, no doubt in panic at what they'd seen. Elizabeth watched as some of them swarmed back towards the doors, banging on them to get out. In-ho picked his glass back up and he took another sip.

"They couldn't follow simple instructions," he said.

"A lot of them are standing sill," Elizabeth commented. "456 is clearly yelling at them."

"I have to say, more people usually die sooner into the game," In-ho told her.

They kept on watching as the doll finally turned back around and no one dared to move. The clock kept ticking down, however, but still no one went when they had their chance. 456 finally darted forward to the front of the pack again and Elizabeth wished she could hear what he was yelling, but the microphone in the arena was hardly picking anything up. In a way, she was glad of that so she didn't have to listen to their yells.

"He's getting them to move in a line," Elizabeth observed as they formed several lines, green tracksuits merging into one. "It's a way to protect more of them from the motion. Oh, he is good. I think you might have your work cut out for you, In-ho."

A dark chuckled passed his lips. "You know I don't mind a challenge."

The game progressed much smoother then. Most of the groups stayed in a line and ran forwards. There were some who stumbled and fell to the floor, the fear etched on their faces. Elizabeth saw Robert cross the line with thirty seconds to go and he collapsed to the floor, chest heaving and panting for breath. Others kept on moving over the finish line, but there was one man on the floor. He'd been shot, his leg bloody as he tried to crawl forwards. He couldn't do it, however. And then 456 ran back to him.

"He's helping him. Is that allowed?"

"It's not against the rules," In-ho told her as 456 got the man to his feet and someone helped him. "But he did move…so the rules still apply."

They crossed the line with just a second to go and fell to the floor in a heap before the shot was fired. The man might've crossed the line, but he wasn't supposed to. Elizabeth winced at that and In-ho reached for the remote and turned the screen off. Elizabeth let out a deep breath and drained the dregs of her scotch. In-ho took the empty glass and put it down for her. He moved a hand to take hold of one of hers in her lap.

"And that was the first game," he concluded.

"Intense," Elizabeth said. "And now they have a chance to leave the games if they want to?"

"If the majority of players vote to leave then yes," In-ho said.

"And if it's a tie?"

"Then they vote again until the deadlock is broken," he said. "People crack."

"I'd be voting to leave," Elizabeth said. "I wonder which way he'll vote."

In-ho scoffed. "My best guess would be he'd vote to stay. I've seen the debt he's in. He's not going to have enough to get him out of it. The games will go on. Trust me, the people down there will keep playing…'just one more game'…and they will keep saying that because they're the ones who make it through."

"I guess so," Elizabeth agreed with that point. "And now?"

"Now, I get ready to go in and you go back to the apartment for the rest of the day-"

"-In-ho-"

"-There are cameras set up there. You can watch everything."

"And you won't let me come?"

"We have a plan," he reminded her. "I won't deviate from it. You will have what you want, Elizabeth. You will have everything that you want."

Elizabeth knew that she had no other option but to trust him. She knew that she would return the following day to the control room and his office to watch. She just needed to be close enough to him and keep an eye on things in case they went wrong and she could step in if necessary. That was what she had sworn to do. She was a VIP. She was the one in charge now. If she said something then it went. In-ho wouldn't be there. Yes, he was delegating to his second-in-command, but Elizabeth outranked him and she would step in if she needed to.

"Six days is going to drag, you know that, right?" Elizabeth checked with him.

"I'm going to struggle just as much as you will," In-ho promised her and he moved to his feet. He pressed play on the record machine in the corner and sauntered back to the seat, his hand outstretched to Elizabeth and his head bowed. "Will you do me the honour of one final dance before I go?"

"How could I say no?" Elizabeth replied cheekily and she took his hand and climbed from the chair and into his arms. An arm going over his shoulders, she closed her eyes and rested her cheek by his neck. She listened as 'Fly me to the moon' played out and she swore she could feel him humming by the vibration from his chest.

"I didn't know you liked jazz this much."

"It's a dying art," he said. "Arguably, jazz songs are the most romantic type of songs. They tell a story…whether it is lover's quarrelling and making up or breaking up because they can no longer be together…the process of falling in love and how hopeless it is…that's one that I understand all too well. When you left me in that restaurant after I told you the truth, I knew that I should let you and I did…there are times when I think that keeping you here and subjecting you to this is cruel."

Elizabeth shook her head on his chest. "It would've been much crueller to have left me," she promised him. "I chose this. I chose to be here with you. I will always choose you. Those people down there…they made choices too."

In-ho knew how remarkable she truly was. How could he have found someone who understood him and accepted him for who he was? She saw him. She saw the good, the bad and the ugly, just like he saw her. He saw the darkness inside of her and a part of him knew that he shouldn't be encouraging it to rear its head, but another part of him wanted to see it. He wanted to see just how far she would go. Was that toxic? Yes. He suspected it was. But their entire relationship was toxic. Neither of them could quite see it or, if they did, they buried their heads in the sand.

He listened to the lyrics of the song, the hand on the small of her back bringing her as close as possible. 'Fill my heart with song, and let me sign for ever more. You are all I long for, all I worship and adore. In other words, please be true. In other words, I love you.'

"Let me walk you back to the car," he whispered as the song drew to a close but Elizabeth shook her head.

"Just another minute," she bargained with him and picked her head up, kissing him softly. His eyes closed and he dropped her hand, moving it to cradle the back of her skull instead. Her fingers wrapped around his neck and the kiss deepened, both of them pouring everything they had into it. Elizabeth felt the searing heat between them, his soft lips dominating hers as she tried to fight back. She moaned when his tongue swept along her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, giving into him further. She didn't know why it felt like a goodbye kiss, but she tried to push that idea out of the back of her mind.

It was six days. All she had to do was survive for six days without him. She could do that. She was sure she'd be able to. Would it hurt? Would it be miserable? She imagined so. But she knew that she could do it. She just kept kissing him until they both broke apart for air.

He took a deep breath, thumb running along her cheekbone. "What do you do to me?" he whispered, the question hanging in the air and going unanswered as all Elizabeth could say back to him was:

"The same thing you do to me."

He kissed her again quickly, but he knew that he had to let her go. He headed over to her mask that was still on the worktop side and picked it up. "Once we leave this room, we can't risk anyone knowing about us. When the games are done and when we're back in Seoul…things can go back to how they were."

"I know," Elizabeth agreed with him.

He gave her one final kiss before he pulled back and just stared at her, almost like he was scared he might forget her face when she put the mask on. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said back to him and that was all he needed to hear to convince him that he had to go into the games. He needed to do this for her.

…

Robert stood towards the back of the room. Player 456 had been particularly vocal during the vote, demanding that people leave the games. Of course, Robert knew that wasn't going to happen. The player had said how he'd won the games before and Robert had scoffed at that. Why come back in unless you knew you could do it and wanted more money? And so he had made his decision, pressing the 'o' button. The amount they were offering was a pittance. It would hardly do anything to clear his debts and convince Elizabeth that he had changed.

He'd moved through the other 'o' players to stand at the back of the room and wait for the final vote to be counted. He knew that there were a few people staring at him and he wondered if it was because they had seen his face in the papers or because he owed them money. He didn't hang around to find out.

His Korean was good, but there were times when he heard people speak and he couldn't entirely follow conversations. He picked up words like 'diplomat' and 'disgrace' though. His lips had arched as he thought about it, hands in his pockets and eyes set to the floor. Everyone in there had their own problems, but not many of them had seen them splashed across every news outlet in South Korea. He almost felt like a celebrity, but he could see that he wasn't going to get any preferential treatment.

He kept on glancing up at the numbers during the vote as they changed. Things were pretty close and the atmosphere became tense when it came down to the last ten players. Every vote seemed to count. He didn't join in with the chanting, deciding to stay out of it and let people make their own minds up. When it went to a tie, he found that pretty interesting. The final player had the fate of everyone in that room with his vote. He walked down the middle of the 'x's' and the 'o's', strides long and purposeful before he hit the 'o' button. Half the hall erupted in cheers and the other half groaned audibly. Robert looked as the man turn around and glanced between the two groups. Robert was about to turn and walk away, ready to call it a night, when he did a double-take.

That man looked familiar to him. He wasn't wearing an expensive shirt and his hair wasn't neatly combed back, hence the lack of recognition. But it was him, alright. Robert was certain of it. It was the man who was supposedly in love with his wife. It was the man who had beaten him to the floor that day. It was the man who had the life Robert wanted. But why was he here? What had happened to make him become so desperate to turn to a place like this?

And then he had the audacity to meet Robert's eye. He didn't even look shocked to see him. He just smirked at him, a smarmy look staying on his face before he disappeared into the rest of the crowd.

Robert's teeth ground together and his hands clenched into fists by his sides before he mumbled in English to himself.

"You can run, but you can't hide."

...

A/N: We are in the games! Would love to know what you think!