♱ ♱ ♱
Danse Macabre

You've always been closer to a
haunted house than a cemetery.
What has died has never once
been buried, has it?

Cate
I used to love you.

Ian
What changed?

Cate
You.

Ian
No. Now you see me. That's all.

Cate
You're a nightmare.

        ON my thirteenth birthday, my father gave me a music box that was never able to close.

        I kept it on my desk and watched as the ballerina inside constantly spun with no sense of urgency. I had no desire to get rid of it. That was the first gift he ever got me—the gift he liked the most out of everything he had given me.

        My brothers did not pay much mind to the music box. When our father asked them their opinion, my eldest brother shrugged and said that it suited me. My second eldest brother never verbally said anything, but his narrowed eyes had said enough.

        Maybe I should have challenged him—forced him into speaking what he truly thought about my father's gift for me—but that would mean defending the family bastard, and he and I both knew that would never happen.

        So, I brought it with me to the day of my wedding. My father insisted on me doing so. He said it was a timeless gift, a memento of the love a father has for his daughter. I didn't question it. I should have but I took his word as it was, and watched as the ballerina spun for the entirety of my big day.

        My husband instantly took a liking to it the moment he saw it. He called it beautiful, a touching gift my father gave me. Strange, he admitted, to bring to a music box to a wedding—my own, nevertheless—but if anyone knew me best it was my father, the same man walking me down the aisle.

        I figured it was just an old man's last wishes.

        But the longer I stared at the box and traced my fingers over the polished wood countless number of times, the more I began to think.

        When my father gave me that gift... I never asked why it didn't close. I stared at it, held it in my hand as he spun the key, and watched as the ballerina danced even as the music long faded out.

        I think, even then, I understood what he was trying to tell me—it wasn't a gift.

        He was telling me a real dancer doesn't stop when the music fades.

        She keeps moving—even if it kills her.

        Now I'm in the games. A hell my father created. A kingdom I helped build. Yet, I'm not seated in my father's chair. I'm in his court, dancing along the tune he's been playing for me since I've been born.

        A little over twenty years later, I still see the ballerina spinning in my head.

        I am the ballerina.

        And I have a very sudden urge to break the fucking box.

Han Mi-rae     ✷     Im Se-mi
i. player 070

Seong Gi-hun   ✷     Lee Jung-jae
i. player 456

Choi Min-jae   ✷     Gong Yoo
i. the salesman

Han Ji-hoon   ✷     Teo Yoo
i. eldest brother

Han Seo-jun  ✷     Lee Dong-wook
i. second eldest brother

&

Squid Games Cast /
As Themselves

Dedication. first i'd really love to dedicate this fic to katsukist because mirae & gihun never would have happened if it wasn't for you, so ty for bullying me AND advocating for them. i love u so much!! ty for supporting me always <3

maenadscult, hmulupin, elongistel, chlamets, mazernrs, -bitchybisexual, wolfiesangel, runlikeh3ll, & to everyone else in the squid games fandom!

Author's Note. i finally published!!! the summary was so scary for me bc i've never written in first pov so i just kept constantly thinking if my writing even makes sense lol

this was originally supposed to be a junho fic but he already has so many fics and i when i thought of this plot i knew deep inside that it had to be a gihun fic bc revenge fics are not a want but a NEED

i self-inserted a bit when making mi-rae bc i want gong yoo so bad.... i literally couldn't get him out of my head and then i thought hmm why not make an oc who's married to the salesman 🤔 (gi-hun got the last laugh tho)

also important to mention— since squid games s3 isn't out yet, my plot so far isn't officially complete. i may add stuff later on depending on the final season but since im a slow updater, i should finalize the plot by the time the book is nearing its end. (im a full time student in college so pls dont yell at me over updates i promise u if i didn't take down the fic... i will update)

i want mirae and gihun to have a happy ending so lets hope the main character plot armor is still working in gihun's favor

Disclaimer.  I do not own anything regarding Squid Games. All of the plot lines and respective characters belong to its creators. However, I do own my characters, graphics, and plot line differences. Any very uncanny resemblance to my own plot, graphics, and characters will be reported. Please do not repost or plagiarize my work on any platforms whatsoever.

I found my media from Pinterest/Tumblr, if by any chance, you are the owner of respective media and would like for me to take it down, please let me know! (PSDs used: choco_creme — bbyhyuck, escapism — cavalierfou, aescoloring_6 — badcollins)

Content Warning. This book contains depictions of canon typical violence, gore, blood, abuse, death, poverty, mental illness, suicide, religious themes, suggestive/sexual themes, and explicit language. They're bound to occur in every chapter, so please do not take it lightly.

Layout. This design / layout was created by swallowtail. I don't own any of this layout.

Publication. Started: January 2025  /  Finished: N/A  /

DANSE MACABRE
© romanoiogy 2025