LEE SANG-JUN'S POV

I didn't expected , her  to be here. I didn't knew why she was there , but one thing I knew well was that I couldn't let her die.

The moment I saw Nabi among the players, my blood ran cold. Why the hell was she here? She didn’t belong in a place like this. I didn’t know how or why she ended up in this nightmare, but one thing was certain—I couldn’t let her die.

Maybe I abandoned her. Maybe I shattered her heart. But it was for the best. Keeping her away from me was the only way to protect her. If she had stayed by my side, she would’ve been dragged into my mess—into my debt, into my destruction.

Maybe I should’ve told her the truth. Maybe I should’ve held on tighter. But back then, I was drowning, and my only priority was keeping her safe.

But none of that mattered anymore.

Because now, she was here, caught in the same deadly game. And if there was one thing I knew for sure—I wasn’t going to lose her again.

When this was over, I’d take the money, find her, and make her mine again.

My eyes landed on her neck, and for a moment, the world around me faded.

She was still wearing it.

The cheap butterfly necklace I had made for her back in high school—the one I thought she would have thrown away the moment I left. But she didn’t.

A sharp ache twisted in my chest. Did this mean she still loved me? No. She couldn’t. She shouldn’t.

I didn’t deserve her love. Not after what I did.

And yet, the thought of her holding onto something I gave her—clinging to a piece of me after all this time—made something dark and selfish stir inside me.

Maybe, just maybe… she was still mine.

A sharp voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Move forward."

I clenched my jaw and obeyed, but my eyes couldn’t help but drift back to her.

That’s when I saw him.

Player 324.

Standing too close. Smirking. Flirting.

My grip tightened into a fist as a dark wave of jealousy surged through me. I didn’t know him, but I already hated him.

So when he leaned in toward her, running his mouth like he had a chance—I made sure he didn’t.

With a perfectly timed "accidental" shove, I sent him stumbling.

"Hey, pretty~—Ow! What the f_ck?!" he yelped.

I barely glanced at him under my mask. "Sorry," I muttered, not meaning it one bit.

But as my gaze flickered back to Nabi, I knew one thing for sure.

He needed to stay the hell away from her.

Nabi let out a small chuckle at 324’s reaction, and for a brief moment, the chaos around us faded.

I had made her laugh again. After all this time.

A dangerous warmth spread in my chest, but I couldn’t let myself get distracted. The game was about to begin.

Before she could step too far away, I leaned in, lowering my voice to a whisper. The modified distortion hid any trace of familiarity, but my words carried all the urgency I felt.

"Be careful. You must NOT move—not even an inch."

She turned to me, brows furrowed in confusion, clearly unsettled by a guard whispering to her. But after a moment, she gave a hesitant nod before stepping into place.

The robotic voice echoed through the air.

"Red Light, Green Light—begin."

And just like that, the nightmare started.

I stood among the other guards, my posture rigid, hands clenched into fists. My heart pounded as I bit my lip, trying to mask my unease.

I knew what was coming. She didn’t.

My chest tightened at the thought of her reaction—the fear in her eyes, the way her body would freeze when she realized the truth. That “elimination” wasn’t just a word in this game. It was a death sentence.

And there was nothing I could do to stop it.

All I could do was watch. Watch and pray that she survived.

CHOI NABI'S POV :

That Square Guard was acting strange.

The other guards stood still, emotionless—just like they were supposed to. But him? He was different. Always moving, always watching.

I tried to ignore it, brushing off the unease creeping up my spine. It didn’t matter. My focus needed to be on the game.

At first, I thought it would be easy—Red Light, Green Light was something I played countless times as a kid. But then I remembered his words.

"You must NOT move—not even an inch."

Something about the way he said it stuck with me. Why did he sound so... worried? No, more than that—desperate.

Why would a guard care so much?

A strange feeling twisted in my chest, but I shook it off. Now wasn’t the time for distractions.

The game was about to begin.

Player 324 smirked, leaning in slightly. "Hey, what’s your name, pretty?" He winked, clearly enjoying himself.

I sighed, already regretting this conversation. "Nabi. Choi Nabi."

His grin widened. "Nabi, like the butterfly? Cute. A pretty name for a pretty girl."

I rolled my eyes, but he didn’t seem fazed. "You’re not even curious about my name?" He pouted dramatically. "Well, fine. I’ll tell you—after we win this game!"

I scoffed. "Yeah… whatever you say."

He was annoyingly persistent, but right now, I had bigger things to worry about.

I glanced up at the giant doll, and damn… she was creepy.

Her lifeless eyes scanned the crowd, unblinking. Something about her felt wrong, but I pushed the thought aside as the game began.

"Green light..."

I sprinted forward, my heart pounding.

"Red light!"

I froze in place, barely breathing.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Player 324 still moving. Idiot. A smug thought crossed my mind—well, he’s out.

"Oh well, I los—"

His words never finished.

A deafening gunshot rang through the air.

I flinched. My body locked up as his lifeless form hit the ground, a bullet clean through his head.

Then I felt it—warm droplets on my skin.

I looked down. Blood.

His blood.

Splattered across me.

A scream caught in my throat, but no sound came out.

And that’s when I realized—this wasn’t a game.

This was survival.

Screams erupted around me.

Players scattered in every direction, pure panic taking over. Gunshots filled the air. One after another. Bodies dropped like lifeless dolls, blood painting the ground in horrifying splatters.

My mind was a complete mess.

This is what he meant…

I finally understood why that Square Guard had warned me. But why the hell hadn’t they told us before? If we had known the truth, we would have stopped this game. Right?

My stomach twisted painfully, nausea clawing at my throat, but I forced myself to keep moving. I had to survive.

Somehow, I made it. My feet crossed the finish line, but I barely registered it. My entire body shook as I realized I had been holding my breath the whole time.

Then, it all hit me at once.

I doubled over and threw up, my stomach twisting violently as bile and fear poured out of me. The sharp, metallic stench of blood filled my nostrils, making me gag even more.

Even after I had nothing left, my body kept trembling.

This wasn’t just a game.

This was hell.

I hurried to wipe the blood off my face, scrubbing at my skin as if I could erase what just happened. As if it would make any difference.

But the moment my hands dropped, the weight of it all crashed down on me.

My chest tightened, and before I could stop myself, the tears came. Silent at first—then uncontrollable. My whole body trembled, but no one around me reacted.

They were frozen.

The ones who survived, standing in stunned silence. The ones who didn’t—lying motionless on the ground.

I forced myself to look. To really see.

The players who hadn’t made it in time stood there, helpless. A second later—gunshots.

One by one, they collapsed. Their blood pooling, mixing with the others.

And the Triangle Guards? They didn’t even hesitate. No pity. No remorse. Just another task to complete.

So… this was the kind of game I was playing.

"The game is finished. Players may return to the dorm for breakfast."

The robotic voice barely registered. My legs moved on their own, following the others back inside. My mind was blank, my chest hollow.

I still couldn’t believe it.

I had watched hundreds of people die today.

And it was only the first game.

I had my breakfast which consisted of a simple brioche and milk and sat on my bed when player 067 and 240 came to talk to me.

Player 067 : They are noisy right ?

She nodded toward the players who were crying, screaming at the guards, pleading to be let go.

I stared at her, baffled. "How are you so calm about this?"

Beside her stood a smaller girl—Player 240. She had a quiet, almost thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Well," she shrugged, "we were shocked at first, too. But come on, wasn’t it already suspicious?"

She gestured vaguely around the room. "Making us rich just for playing kids' games? Sounded too good to be true."

She sighed. "I didn’t expect them to actually start killing people, but… something felt off from the start."

I swallowed hard, gripping my milk carton tighter. She had sensed something was wrong.

Player 067 eyed me from head to toe, her gaze sharp, analyzing.

"But how you didn’t move an inch?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Player 324 literally died right in front of you… and yet, you stayed completely still. Did you… know something?"

Her question sent a shiver down my spine.

I hesitated before answering. "At first, I didn’t move because I was frozen. Completely paralyzed by what I just saw."

My fingers instinctively tightened around my sleeves. "But then I remembered what that guard told me."

I turned my head slightly, subtly pointing toward the Square Guard.

Their masked face gave nothing away, but just the sight of them made my chest tighten.

But when my eyes landed on him, something felt off.

His stance. His movements.

Then I noticed it—his gait.

The way he forced his left foot forward, just slightly stiff, just slightly unnatural.

Just like Sang-Jun.

My heart skipped a beat.

I swallowed hard, my hands clenching into fists. No. No way.

It had to be a coincidence… right?

What the fuck was going on?

CHAPTER 002
to continue...