Third person's pov

The morning started with an unexpected surprise—breakfast was fancy. Not just the bland porridge or sad-looking eggs from before. No, this was fancy fancy. Kimchi, rice, grilled fish, seaweed soup, and a steaming pile of perfectly seasoned side dishes.

Jungkook stared at the tray in front of him with narrowed eyes.

“They’re buttering us up,” Yoongi muttered, poking at the fish with his chopsticks.

Jimin shrugged. “Maybe they’re congratulating us for making it this far?” he said, popping a piece of kimchi into his mouth.

Jungkook, however, wasn’t so sure. He looked at the tray, then at the guards stationed nearby. “This feels like the ‘last meal’ scene in every movie,” he whispered.

Taehyung smirked as he scooped some rice into his mouth.

The peace didn’t last long. Once the players were done eating, the familiar voice crackled through the speakers,

“Players, prepare for the next game. Follow the guards to the staging area.”

Jungkook sighed, pushing his tray aside. “Here we go.”

The group stood and followed the line of players into another massive room.
In the center of the room stood rows of metallic lockers. Each had a number corresponding to the players. A guard stepped forward and began explaining the rules.

“For the next game, each player will receive an oxygen tank. The tank will last for 15 minutes. Each of you will also receive two refills, but use them wisely. The maze you are about to enter is filled with poisonous smoke. If your oxygen runs out, you will suffocate.”

The room fell silent, save for a few nervous shuffles. Jungkook’s stomach dropped.

“Maze?” he whispered, turning to Taehyung. “Did they just say maze?”

Taehyung nodded.

“And poisonous smoke?” Jungkook’s voice rose slightly, drawing a few glances. “Who even thinks of this stuff?!”

The guards continued their instructions. “Players who complete the maze within the allotted time will move on. Players who fail will be eliminated.”

“Great. Just great,” Jungkook muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Each player was directed to their locker to collect their oxygen tank. Jungkook adjusted the straps, frowning as the guard attached the breathing apparatus to his face.

“Is this thing even clean?” he mumbled under his breath.

Once everyone was suited up, the guards opened the doors to the maze. Thick, swirling clouds of poisonous smoke were visible even from the entrance, an eerie green mist curling and rising like something out of a horror movie.

Jungkook’s hands were already clammy. “I’m not even in there yet, and I’m hyperventilating.”

“The faster you breathe, the quicker your oxygen runs out.” Yoongi said, looking around.

“Thanks, Yoongi,” Jungkook snapped. “Super helpful advice. I’ll just stop breathing entirely.”

The moment Jungkook stepped into the maze, his heart rate skyrocketed. The poisonous smoke was thicker than he expected, making it almost impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.

“This isn’t so bad,” Taehyung said, stepping carefully over a tripwire.

“Not so bad?!” Jungkook hissed, nearly tripping over the same wire.

Taehyung grinned, his eyes glinting behind the glass of his mask. “Just stay close to me. I’ll keep you alive.”

Jungkook opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a sudden clang. Ahead of them, a player had triggered a trap—a massive metal spike swung down from the ceiling, narrowly missing them.

“Holy—” Jimin grabbed Taehyung’s arm, pulling him back.

“Close one,” Taehyung said casually, as if they hadn’t just witnessed a near-death experience.

────୨ৎ────

The poisonous smoke swirled thicker as Jungkook, Taehyung, and Yoongi trudged deeper into the maze. There were walking in a straight direction and then things took a sudden turn when Yoongi, who was leading, came to an abrupt halt.

Thud!

“Son of a—what the fuck?!” Yoongi groaned, stumbling backward and rubbing his forehead.

“What happened?” Jungkook asked, panicked.

Yoongi stepped forward again, reaching out cautiously, and—smack!—his head hit something solid again.

Jungkook’s lips twitched, “Are you... hitting an invisible wall?”

“No, dumbass,” Yoongi snapped, glaring at him. “It’s a mirror!” He reached out and pressed his hand against the smooth glass.

“Careful, Yoongi. Your luck might run out before your oxygen.” Taehyung said looking at Yoongi through the mirror.

Yoongi turned, ready to retort, but as he moved—bam!—his shoulder collided with another mirror.

Taehyung led the group forward, his eyes scanning the maze. Jungkook stumbled behind him, still chuckling at Yoongi’s misfortune, until—yep—you guessed it: Jungkook himself walked face-first into a mirror.

“Oh, come on!” he groaned, rubbing his nose.

“Watch your step,” Taehyung said over his shoulder, “I’d hate for you to hurt that pretty face of yours.”

Jungkook glared but continued moving behind him.

After a series of wrong turns and painful encounters with mirrors, they finally escaped the maze.

The next part of the maze was a maddening corridor that seemed to loop endlessly. No matter which direction they went, they kept ending up in the same spot—a room marked by a flickering red light.

Jungkook groaned loudly, leaning against the wall. “This is ridiculous. How are we supposed to get out of here?!”

“Maybe if you stop complaining, we’ll figure it out,” Yoongi said, already fiddling with the map they were given.

“I’m not complaining,” Jungkook snapped. “I’m... expressing frustration!”

“Your oxygen tank’s halfway done.”

Jungkook froze. “Halfway?! Are you serious?” He fumbled with the gauge on his tank and cursed under his breath. “Great. One tank gone, and I’m already on my refill. Everyone else is probably still on their first.”

────୨ৎ────

They finally escaped the looping hallway and entered the next area: a pitch-black room filled with poisonous smoke so thick they couldn’t see their own hands in front of their faces.

“This is just perfect,” Jungkook muttered, sticking close to Taehyung. “Can’t see, can’t breathe, can’t—”

Suddenly, someone’s hand brushed against Jungkook’s backside.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Jungkook shrieked, jumping about a foot in the air.

The others froze. “What’s wrong?” Taehyung asked, his hands reaching for Jungkook.

“Someone—someone touched my ass!” Jungkook hissed, spinning in the dark. “Who did that?! Who—”

Before he could finish, he felt arms wrap around him, and his body was lifted off the ground.

“Stop wriggling,” Taehyung’s familiar voice said, his tone calm.

“Put me down!” Jungkook yelped, squirming in Taehyung’s grip.

“I’m trying to keep you safe,” Taehyung replied, carrying Jungkook like a sack of potatoes. “You’re too slow.”

“Who gave you the right to pick me up?!” Jungkook demanded, “Do I look like luggage to you?!”

Taehyung didn’t answer. Instead, he tightened his grip, his voice light, “Stop squirming. You’ll waste more oxygen.”

Jungkook continued to wriggle, muttering every insult he could think of. “You’re insufferable! Arrogant! Annoying! And put me down right now, you overgrown—”

“You’re cute when you’re mad,” Taehyung interrupted, chuckling softly.

Jungkook froze for a second, his face burning. “Don’t call me cute!”

“You can keep insulting me all you want,” Taehyung said, clearly enjoying himself. “It won’t change the fact that you’re adorable.”

“TAEHYUNG, I SWEAR—”

But before Jungkook could finish, Taehyung set him down gently, his hands lingering on Jungkook’s shoulders for a moment.

“See? We made it through the room,” Taehyung said, pointing towards the exit.

“Ugh!” Jungkook turned and stormed off, behind them, Yoongi sighed loudly. “If you two are done flirting, we still have a maze to finish.”

“We’re not flirting!” Jungkook said  which only made Yoongi roll his eyes harder.

As the group trudged through the maze, Jungkook’s legs felt like they were about to give out. His chest was heaving, his breathing was erratic, and sweat dripped down the side of his face.

“You’re breathing too fast again,” Taehyung called from ahead, his voice annoyingly smooth.

“DO YOU THINK I DON’T KNOW THAT?!” Jungkook shouted back, his voice cracking slightly. He turned his face toward the heavens—or, well, the smoke-filled ceiling—and muttered,

“This is it. This is how I go. Not even something cool like saving a puppy. No. Suffocation in a death maze. Great. Fantastic.”

“Stop talking to yourself,” Yoongi muttered as he passed by, bumping Jungkook’s shoulder.

“I’ll talk to myself all I want!” Jungkook snapped.

Yoongi raised a brow but wisely chose not to reply.

They turned the next corner, and Jungkook immediately froze.

“Oh, no,” he whispered, his eyes wide. “Oh, HELL no.”

Ahead of them was a trap that made his stomach drop. It was a series of platforms spaced out like trampolines, but they were slightly uneven, bouncing unpredictably. To pass through, players had to jump from one to the next without falling into the poisonous smoke below.

Everyone groaned.

“This is going to suck,” Jimin muttered, eyeing the platforms warily.

“Don’t worry,” Taehyung said with a smirk, “It’s all about balance.”

One by one, players began making their way across. Taehyung, of course, cleared the trap first. Yoongi and Jimin followed, their movements slower but they mad it.

Then it was Jungkook’s turn.

He stood at the edge of the first platform, staring at it like it was his mortal enemy.

“You’ve got this, Jungkook, it's just a jump!” Jimin called encouragingly.

Jungkook glared at him, muttering something about murdering everyone here under his breath. Then he turned back to the platform and took a deep breath.

“Okay, Jungkook. You can do this,” he whispered to himself. “Just jump. It’s fine. It’s not like there’s deadly smoke below you or anything. Oh wait, there IS. Cool. Awesome. Love that for me.”

He bent his knees and jumped to the first platform. It wobbled violently under his weight, making him yelp.

He jumped to the next platform... and immediately fell backward onto his butt.

“Damn it!” he yelled, slapping the platform with his hand.

Jungkook gripped the edge of the wall as he scrambled back to his feet. He tried again, bouncing from one platform to the next. But by the time he reached the final jump, his legs felt like they were about to give out.

“I can’t do it,” he muttered, collapsing to his knees. “I’m done. Just leave me here.”

“Jungkook, get up!” Taehyung yelled.

“No!” Jungkook shot back. “I’m too young to die, but also too tired to live. This is my fate.”

Jungkook mustered the courage for one last attempt. He bent his knees, bounced as hard as he could, and launched himself toward the end of the trap.

He didn’t make it.

But just as he was about to fall back into the smoke, Taehyung, Yoongi, and Jimin grabbed him by the arms and hauled him up onto the solid floor.

“OH MY GOD!” Jungkook yelled, lying flat on his back. “I’M ALIVE! I’M ALIVE!”

“Barely,” Yoongi muttered, shaking his head.

“YES, YES, FINALLY!” Jungkook continued, ignoring him. He grabbed Jimin’s arm and shook it. “THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME!”

“That was mostly Taehyung,” Jimin said with a grin, pointing at the man in question.

Jungkook turned his head to see Taehyung kneeling beside him, he looked at Taehyung but got up without thanking him.

────୨ৎ────

The group reached yet another horrifying part of the maze. Ahead of them was a narrow passage with deadly traps—spikes, swinging axes, and smoke vents. It looked impossible. But before they could even process how they were going to make it through, the voice boomed over the speakers again.

“To proceed, one player must stay behind to activate the final lever and allow the others to advance. The lever must remain held for the gate to remain open. Once released, the gate will shut permanently.”

The group froze. The air became even heavier than the poisonous smoke around them.

“Wait, so the person who stays back…” Jimin trailed off, his voice trembling slightly.

“Dies,” Yoongi finished bluntly, “There’s no way anyone can survive this alone.”

Silence fell over the group. No one moved. No one spoke.

Jungkook broke first. He sank to the floor, his hands gripping his hair as he shook his head frantically. “I don’t want to play anymore,” he muttered, his voice cracking. “Now someone has to die!”

Taehyung crouched down in front of him,“Jungkook,” he said softly, “breathe. You have to breathe.”

“I can’t!” Jungkook yelled, hyperventilating now. “I can’t breathe, my tank’s almost empty, I’m going to die, I don’t—”

Before he could finish, Taehyung reached for Jungkook’s tank. He removed Jungkook’s nearly empty refill and replaced it with his own full one.

Jungkook froze, staring at him in disbelief. “Wait. Wait. What are you doing? That’s your oxygen.”

“You need it more than I do,” Taehyung said simply.

“No!” Jungkook snapped, shoving Taehyung’s hand away. “You don’t get to do that! You don’t get to decide stuff like that for me, Taehyung!”

“Jungkook, you’re panicking.”

“Of course I’m panicking!” Jungkook yelled, his voice cracking. “I’m running on half a lung and zero sanity! And now you’re giving me your oxygen like you’re some kind of martyr?! What is WRONG with you?!”

Taehyung just smiled faintly, standing up. “It’s fine. I’ve already decided.”

Before Jungkook could argue further, Yoongi stepped forward. “I’ll stay,” he said bluntly.

Jimin’s eyes widened. “Yoongi, no—”

“I’ll stay,” Yoongi repeated firmly, cutting him off. “I’ve made up my mind. The rest of you go.”

Taehyung, however, had other plans.

“No,” he said sharply, stepping forward. He grabbed Yoongi by the collar, shoved him toward the gate, and spun around to push Jimin and Jungkook forward as well.

“Taehyung, what the hell are you doing?!” Yoongi growled, trying to resist.

“Getting you all out of here!”

Before anyone could react, Taehyung slammed his hand down on the button near the gate. An invisible wall shot up between him and the others, cutting them off from reaching him.

Jungkook stumbled forward, his hands slamming against the barrier. “NO!” he screamed, his voice was pure disbelief. “NO! Taehyung, what are you doing?!”

Taehyung stepped back toward the lever, gripping it tightly with both hands. “Go!” he yelled, his voice echoing through the maze. “You don’t have much time!”

Jungkook’s heart raced, his chest tightening. “No, no, no,” he muttered, his hands trembling as they pressed against the barrier. “This can’t be happening. What are you doing, Taehyung? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

Taehyung’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at Jungkook, “I’m making sure you survive.”

“I HATE YOU!” Jungkook screamed, tears streaming down his face. “I HATE YOU SO MUCH!”

Jungkook's fists were pounding against the barrier. “You don’t get to do this! You don’t get to make this choice for me! I hate when you do this, Taehyung!”

Taehyung’s voice cracked slightly as he said, “Go, Jungkook. Just go.”

Jungkook’s breath hitched. He wanted to scream, to break the barrier, to drag Taehyung out of there and force him to come with them.

But the barrier wouldn’t budge.

Jimin and Yoongi grabbed Jungkook’s arms, trying to pull him away.

“Let go of me!” Jungkook yelled, struggling against their grip. “I can’t leave him! I can’t—”

“Jungkook, we have to go!” Jimin said, his voice urgent.

“No!” Jungkook screamed again, “He’s going to die! I can’t—I can’t leave him like this!”

“You always do this! You always make decisions for me! Stop it, Taehyung!”

Taehyung’s lips quirked into a sad smile. “I know,” he said softly, just loud enough for Jungkook to hear.

He forced a tear to roll down his cheek, knowing Jungkook would see it.

“Go,” Taehyung said again, his voice quieter this time. “Just go.”

Jungkook shook his head violently, tears streaming down his face. “I can’t—I can’t leave you!”

Taehyung let out a shaky breath, wiping the tear away quickly. In truth, he wasn’t crying. He was pretending—performing—for Jungkook. He wanted Jungkook to feel every ounce of guilt, every pang of regret.

Yoongi and Jimin pulled harder, dragging Jungkook away from the wall.

Taehyung’s hands tightened on the lever as he watched Jungkook disappear down the next corridor. Once they were gone, the fake tears stopped, and a smirk crept onto his lips.

“Guilt looks really good on you, my love.”

Jungkook couldn’t process it. No, this wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening. This was Taehyung—his Taehyung. He would come running through the smoke any second now, flashing that smug grin, like everything was fine.

But as the seconds dragged on, Taehyung didn’t appear.

Jungkook’s legs gave out beneath him, his body crumpling to the floor. His breaths were shallow, coming out in desperate gasps that barely reached his lungs. His oxygen tank beeped frantically, signaling that it was nearing empty, but Jungkook didn’t care. None of that mattered. Not when Taehyung was still back there, behind that invisible wall. Alone.

“Get up!” Yoongi barked, grabbing Jungkook’s arm and trying to drag him forward.

“No!” Jungkook screamed, flailing his arms to free himself. “Let me go! I need to go back!”

“You can’t go back!” Jimin said, his voice strained as he pulled Jungkook’s other arm. “You’ll die if you go back!”

“I don’t care!” Jungkook shouted, tears streaming down his face. “I can’t leave him! I can’t—I can’t lose him!”

Yoongi’s grip tightened as he dragged Jungkook further down the corridor. The poisonous smoke was getting thicker, and almost everyone’s tanks were running out.

Jungkook’s knees scraped against the rough floor as he struggled against them, his nails digging into the ground in a desperate attempt to claw his way back. “He’s going to die!” he yelled, “I can’t let him die! Let me go! LET ME GO!”

“Jungkook, stop it!” Jimin shouted,  “You’ll die too if you go back! Do you think that’s what he wants?!”

“I don’t care what he wants!” Jungkook screamed, thrashing harder. “He doesn’t get to make this choice for me!”

────୨ৎ────

So how was the chapter ?

What are your thoughts on it ?

Should I end this book in about 5 chapters? I need everyone’s opinion on this.