Choi Nabi’s POV:

Time slowed.

The deafening gunshot rang in my ears, but nothing compared to the sound of Jun’s body hitting the cold, hard floor.

"JUN!"

I dropped to my knees, my hands trembling as they cupped his face. His mask had fallen off, revealing his pale skin, his lips slightly parted as he gasped for air.

"Stay with me, please," I begged, brushing his hair back. His blood pooled beneath him, staining my hands, my clothes—everything.

"Dad, what the fuck are you doing here?!" I snapped, my voice breaking with rage and despair. My eyes burned with unshed tears as I looked up at the man I once trusted, now standing before me as nothing more than a monster.

He stood there, gun still raised, his expression unreadable beneath the mask. "Stay out of this, Nabi," he said, his voice eerily calm. "This boy broke the rules. This is his punishment."

Punishment?

I let out a bitter, breathless laugh, my chest heaving. "Punishment?" My fingers curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms as I shook my head. "He was just trying to save me! To save our child!"

For a moment, there was silence. The weight of my words lingered in the air.

My father’s grip on the gun faltered—just slightly—but it was enough for me to see it. The hesitation. The crack in his composure.

But I didn’t care. Not anymore.

I turned my attention back to Jun, my tears falling onto his face as I stroked his cheek. His breathing was shallow, his eyelids fluttering. "Please, Jun… stay with me. We’re supposed to get out of here together, remember?" My voice broke at the end, raw and desperate.

He coughed weakly, his fingers twitching as he tried to reach for me. "Nabi… I—"

"Enough."

The single word cut through the moment like a blade. My father took a step closer, gun still in hand.

And in that moment, I realized—he wasn’t here to save me.

He was here to break me.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Jun lay in my arms, bleeding out, his body growing weaker with every passing second. And the man responsible for it—the man who raised me—stood there like it was nothing.

"Answer me first," I spat, my voice trembling with rage. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE? Don’t tell me you’re the one in charge of all this."

I could feel Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong tense beside me, their eyes darting between us, unsure whether to intervene or stay silent.

My father exhaled through his nose, his grip on the gun loosening slightly. "Well, I am," he admitted, voice void of any remorse. "It’s my job."

He wouldn’t even look at me.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, though it held no humor—just pure disbelief. "Your job?" My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms. "Your fucking job just made you shot the father of my child."

Silence.

His head snapped toward me, his eyes widening in shock. "W…what? You’re pregnant?"

I let out a shaky breath, my entire body trembling. "Yes," I whispered, my voice breaking. "And now, because of you, he might not live to see his own child."

For the first time, my father looked shaken. His lips parted, but no words came out. I could see it—the conflict, the hesitation—but none of it mattered anymore.

Because the damage was already done.

I glared at him, my hands pressing desperately against Jun’s wound, trying to stop the bleeding. His breaths were shallow, his skin growing colder beneath my touch.

"Do you know how much Mom suffered since you left?" My voice cracked, my vision blurred with unshed tears. "If she died, it’s all your fault."

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—guilt, maybe—but I didn’t care. He didn’t deserve to feel sorry now. Not after everything.

Jun stirred beneath me, a weak groan escaping his lips. My breath hitched. "Oh my love, I’m sorry," I whispered, my hands shaking as I pressed harder against the wound. "I need to stop this bleeding."

I turned my gaze back to my father, my heart pounding with a mix of rage and desperation. "You always end up taking away everything I love, huh?"

Suddenly the door broke , revealing my police uncle , Hwang Jun-ho

Jun-ho’s eyes widened in disbelief as he shifted his gaze between me and my father. His grip on the gun tightened.

“Il-ho… Tell me this isn’t true.” His voice was laced with betrayal, but my father remained eerily calm, his expression unreadable.

“It is true.” My father finally admitted, exhaling as if this was merely another inconvenience to him. “And if you know what’s good for you, Jun-ho, you’ll walk away.”

I clenched my fists, my whole body trembling with rage. “Walk away? Are you serious?! He shot Jun! The father of my child! If something happens to him, I swear I’ll—” My voice broke as I looked down at Jun, his breathing growing weaker.

Jun-ho quickly moved toward us, kneeling beside me. “We don’t have time for this.” He glanced at Jun’s wound, then back at me. “We need to stop the bleeding before it’s too late.”

I nodded frantically, pressing down harder as tears blurred my vision. “Please… Just save him.”

Jun-ho turned back to my father, his jaw clenching. “Il-ho, you’ve done a lot of unforgivable things… but this? Shooting your own daughter’s lover? This is where I draw the line.”

For the first time, something in my father’s face shifted. Regret. Hesitation. But I didn’t care. Not anymore.

Because if Jun died tonight… I would never forgive him.

"Is there anything I can do to make it up to you..?" My father asked 

"Yes..there is one thing , and you can't refuse."

He finally looked at me "Tell me what is it."

"Free all these people and surrender to the police, it's the best thing you can do to make up for it."

"Sure it won't bring mom back, but it's all you can do." I continued

My father’s face hardened as he processed my words. He looked away, his jaw tightening.

“Nabi… you don’t understand—”

“No, Dad! You don’t understand!” My voice cracked as I glared at him, my hands still pressing against Jun’s wound, desperate to keep him alive. “You can’t undo what you’ve done. You can’t bring Mom back, you can’t erase the years of pain you left us with, but you can stop this madness before more innocent people die!”

Jun-ho stepped forward, his gun still in his grip but now lowered. “Il-ho, listen to your daughter. This is your only chance to do something right for once.”

My father was silent for a long time. His fingers twitched, his breathing uneven.

“I’ll do it.” His voice was quiet but firm. “I’ll free the players… I’ll surrender.”

A shaky breath escaped me as I looked at him, searching his face for any sign of deception. But for the first time in years, I saw something else in his eyes—guilt.

“Then prove it.” I whispered. “Right now.”

"My colleagues will handle the rest. Come with us, Nabi," Jun-ho said firmly.

I watched as my father was handcuffed and led away, his expression unreadable. A part of me wanted to hate him, but another part felt… empty. This was the man who had caused so much pain, yet seeing him like this—defeated, exposed—didn’t bring me the satisfaction I thought it would.

Jun was carefully lifted onto a stretcher by my uncle's colleagues, his body pale and weak as they rushed him toward the ambulance. My heart clenched painfully. Would he make it? I could barely breathe from the anxiety tightening around my chest.

Jun-ho placed a reassuring hand on my back, guiding me toward his car. "Come on, we need to go."

Sliding into the passenger seat, I rested my forehead against the cool window, watching as the facility faded into the distance. My reflection stared back at me—tired, broken, but filled with a desperate hope.

"Please, Jun… just hold on."

"No way we are already in Jeju Island !" Ji-yeong exclaimed

"Oh..you're right , it's pretty." I answered

Ji-yeong leaned forward from the back seat, resting her chin on my shoulder. "Still, that was a lot to take in… You’re handling it better than I expected."

I let out a dry chuckle, though my chest felt heavy. "I don't think it's really sunk in yet. Maybe I’m just too exhausted to process it all."

Sae-byeok gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You don’t have to be strong all the time, you know. We’re here for you."

I looked between them, my heart swelling with gratitude. Despite everything, I wasn’t alone.

"Thank you," I whispered, finally allowing myself to exhale. "I don’t know what I’d do without you guys."

TIME-SKIP TO 3 YEARS

"Yes I'm coming Aeri don't cry.."

Aeri was our little 3 year old baby, I gave birth to her 8 months after the Squid Game incident with a little difficulty not gonna lie

Thanks to Jun-ho, Jun and I were able to pay off our debts and start a peaceful life with our child, I stayed in touch with Ji-yeong and Sae-byeok who were literally the sweetest aunts in the world

"Aww she is sooo cute , she look exactly like you"  Ji-yeong said while playing with the baby

I took off my apron and joined the girls in the living room

"I know right , her dad's genes didn't even fight" I laughed

Finally Jun entered the room, laughing, holding toys in his arm.

"Hey stop making fun of me !"

He carried Aeri in his arms then handed her the toys. "Here you go little princess."

We all laughed and decided to have lunch when someone rang the doorbell.

"I'll go open the door."

I got up from my chair and opened the door, I looked around but strangely there was no one, suddenly my gaze fell on something at the bottom of the door

A red and blue envelope...

CHAPTER 008

END.