the walk back to the dormitory was suffocating, the silence between the remaining players was heavy. punctuated only by footsteps of them and the guards down the staircase and the grating sound of classical music echoing over the speakers. cecelia found herself in between sang-woo and gi-hun. the fear for her life was now tangible, a constant weight pressing against her chest.

entering the dormitory room, cecelia noticed the once-crowded room had been stripped of most of its beds. only four remained, one against each wall of the now incredibly open space. their footsteps now echoing in the emptiness. cecelia hesitated, watching as gi-hun confronted sang-woo, their tension palpable even from a distance. her gaze shifted to sae-byeok as she passed by, moving slowly, her hand cradling her side. her brows furrowed in worry for her. but for the first time, she felt paralyzed, she felt stuck.

the rising voices of sang-woo and gi-hun cut through her thoughts, their argument escalating into shouts. cecelia could see it in sang-woo's eyes even as he talked to his childhood friend, that he no longer cared about morality or humanity—only the money. he would stop at nothing.

the blare of the door alarm interrupted their argument, drawing everyone's attention to the doors as guards entered, carrying black boxes tied neatly with pink bows.

"players," the masked manager announced, "we sincerely congratulate and commend you all for successfully completing the first five games. the four of you are now finalists, and as such, we have prepared a special gift for each of you. before we reveal the gift, please take a moment to change into the outfits provided."

cecelia grabbed her box as she and sae-byeok were escorted to the women's bathroom. cecelia turned her back respectfully as sae-byeok began to undress. her muscles ached horribly. as she took off her bloodied, sweat-stained shirt she groaned lowly. but the sound of pained groans filled the quiet room as sae-byeok struggled to peel her shirt from her body.

turning to the sink, cecelia turned on the faucet, about to run her hands under the cold water. but in her peripherals, her breath caught in her throat. in the corner of her eye, she spotted blood seeping from sae-byeok's side. turning fully, she froze as her gaze landed on the deep wound in sae-byeok's abdomen, a jagged shard of glass embedded in her flesh.

"sae-byeok... oh my—" cecelia began, stepping forward instinctively, only for the injured girl to back up defensively.

"i-i'm not going to hurt you," she said softly, her hands raised. "just...let me help you. please."

sae-byeok hesitated, her eyes narrowing. until finally, she relented, her shoulders slumping in exhaustion. cecelia moved closer, ripping her old shirt into strips while sae-byeok braced herself and yanked out the shard of glass. a guttural groan of agony escaped her lips as she tossed the glass into the sink, blood immediately gushing from the open wound.

she dropped to her knees without hesitation, pressing the cloth against sae-byeok's stomach. sae-byeok nearly collapsed from the pain, her hand gripping her shoulder tightly to steady herself.

"i'm sorry," cecelia whispered, her voice trembling as she worked quickly but carefully to wrap the fabric around the wound. her brows knit together, her face a mask of concentration and worry. she could feel sae-byeok's shuddering breaths, each one labored and sharp.

"let me," cecelia murmured, tugging gently at the waistband of sae-byeok's green joggers and sliding them down to help her undress fully. sae-byeok kicked them off weakly, her movements sluggish. blood was pooling around her, the crimson liquid spreading ominously across the tiled floor.

cecelia swallowed hard, her throat dry, the severity of her injury was clear. she was losing too much blood. she needed a hospital or she was going to die.

cecelia hurried to wash her own hands and clean herself up, her movements frantic as she opened the black box. inside was a crisp white shirt with a black bow tie, black pants, and a tailored suit jacket. the number 333 was printed neatly on the chest of the shirt. sliding into the outfit as quickly as she could, she turned her attention back to sae-byeok.

"let me help you," she said firmly, her voice steady despite the panic bubbling inside her. sae-byeok nodded weakly, allowing cecelia to guide her arms into the shirt and pull the pants over her legs. every movement a wince or groan of pain from sae-byeok.

as she fastened the final button on sae-byeok's jacket, cecelia looked into her eyes. "you're gonna be okay" she whispered to sae-byeok, but more to convince herself.

going back to the dormitory room, it was completely transformed. the harsh fluorescent lights had been replaced by a soft, golden glow from elegant table lamps and the warm flicker of candles scattered around. the concrete floor was now hidden beneath vinyl tiles, forming a raised platform in the center of the floor.

in the center stood a large, white square table, each side sat one of the four remaining players. dressed in their crisp suits, they sat in tense silence, their gazes darting warily between one another. the air was thick with mistrust.

a full-course meal had been laid out in front of them. cecelia stared down at her plate, a t-bone steak, the juices pooling beneath it, appetizers in small plates, accompanied by a glass of deep red wine. the sight of it all made her stomach twist, a sharp growl reminding her just how long it had been since she's eaten.

"tonight's feast is prepared as a token of gratitude for the sacrifice and effort that you finalists have made, and to encourage you all to perform even more splendidly in the final game. now please relax and enjoy your feast."

relax, cecelia thought bitterly, her fingers twitching at the absurdity of the word.

she glanced down at her steak. she was starving—her body weak and dehydrated. yet the thought of eating, of indulging in this "reward," made her feel uneasy. the thought of eating after what all she witnessed made her feel bad.

hesitantly, cecelia picked up her knife and fork. her hands trembled slightly as she cut into the steak, the blade slicing through the rare steak with ease. blood oozed onto the plate, the sight nauseating her. clenching her jaw, she brought it to her lips.

it wasn't appetizing, but it was sustenance. her stomach, desperate for food, welcomed it even if her taste buds didn't like the taste of the rawness. she forced herself to chew slowly, swallowing with a sigh that carried relief.

cecelia couldn't bring herself to look at the plate, the blood in the plate was too much for her stomach to handle. instead, she cast her gaze around the room, her eyes going between the other players. sang-woo and gi-hun ate quickly, them indulging in the food. and sae-byeok barely touched her meal, eating slow bites.

to hydrate herself, she sipped from the wine, wincing as the bitter liquid slid down her throat. she wasn't a wine drinker, but the slight relief it offered her parched mouth was enough to keep her drinking in small, reluctant gulps.

as the meal ended, the guards entered the room to clear the plates, their movements precise and methodical as they cleaned up. cecelia sat stiffly, her eyes glued to the white tablecloth, watching the gloved hands work.

when the placemats were removed, the gloved hand put the steak knife back down in front of her. cecelia's gaze darted to the guards as they did the same for the others, leaving each player with their knife. her heartbeat quickened as she reached for the handle, gripping it tight and slipping it into her lap.

her fingers curled around the cold handle, and a faint sense of reassurance settled over her.

cecelia glanced at gang-woo from beneath her lashes. his expression unreadable, his posture was tense, his hand hovering close to his knife, grabbing it. her lips pressed into a thin line as she lowered her gaze, clutching the weapon in her lap like a lifeline.

  the dining had been cleared out entirely, leaving the four remaining players isolated in a dim, suffocating silence. the only light from the piggy bank above them, and each of them had been armed with a knife—the air was heavy with tension and silence.

cecelia gripped her knife tightly, her eyes darting between the others. she didn't feel exactly threatened by sae-byeok or gi-hun. only one person in particular. her gaze eventually settled on sae-byeok, who was visibly struggling to stay awake. despite her efforts, her head drooped every few minutes in exhaustion.

quietly, cecelia approached her, her footsteps soft on the cold floor. the moment sae-byeok noticed her, she tensed, her knife immediately raised in defense.

"you know i'm not going to hurt you," was all cecelia said. without hesitation, she lowered herself onto the bed beside sae-byeok. once she was sat next to her, she adjusted the thin blanket draped over sae-byeok, tucking it warmly around sae-byeok's shoulders, knowing she was cold.

"i don't know why you care so much," sae-byeok murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

cecelia sighed, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "ah, you should know by now that i'm just a very caring individual," she replied dryly, her sarcasm light.

the brief silence that followed was unexpectedly comforting, broken by a soft chuckle from sae-byeok, before cecelia chuckled too.

approaching footsteps made her head snap towards the sound, her eyes narrowing as she spotted gi-hun lazily making his way toward them, his knife glinting in the dim light.

"come here to kill us?" cecelia quipped, leaning back against the wall. her sharp eyes gestured toward the blade in his hand.

"i have this with me because of sang-woo there. protection, you know." he explained.

"same," cecelia muttered with a sigh, slipping her own knife into her pocket. she gestured to the floor beside the bed. "join us."

gi-hun sat down, tucking his knife away. the three of them sat in silence for a moment.

"we should stick together," gi-hun finally said, breaking the silence. "whatever the next game is, we'll help each other get through it. as teammates. we'll show that psychopath what we can do, and we'll share the prize money, and then just...run away."

all three pairs of eyes drifted upward to the piggy bank suspended above them.

"what will you do when you get out of here with that money?" sae-byeok asked softly.

"i'd pay off my debts first," gi-hun said after a moment's thought. "then i'd buy my mom a real store in the city. she always hoped to run a real store, not just a street stall. and i would...finally start being a dad to my girl...for once in my life."

"how old is she?"

"she's ten," gi-hun replied.

sae-byeok's expression softened. "that's how old my little brother is," she said quietly.

gi-hun and cecelia both turned to look at her.

"where is your brother now?" he asked.

"in an orphanage," she replied, her voice trembling slightly. "in an orphanage. i promised that he'd get out of there soon. our mother is stuck in the north right now. i said i'd get her once i was able to make enough money, and i'll get us all a house."

"what about you, celia?" Sae-byeok asked.

cecelia hesitated, swallowing hard. "i'd pay off my debts in america. finally afford my grandmother's medications. move her and my fourteen year old nephew into a nicer home where we wouldn't have to worry about eviction notices and bills stacking up. and i'll look after ali's family. his wife and his son—make sure they're taken care of."

"celia, gi-hun...i think we should make a deal," she said suddenly.

"what kind of deal?" gi-hun asked.

"just in case one of us...makes it out of here alive, we'll look after each other's loved ones, okay?"

cecelia's chest tightened. she could see the sad truth in sae-byeok's teary eyes. she didn't believe she will live through this.

"don't say that," gi-hun said, his voice firm. "we'll beat sang-woo, and we'll all walk out of here together."

she turned her head to look at cecelia, "i still want you to promise me," she whispered. "promise me you'll look after my brother."

tears fell from her eyes as she exchanged a long, sorrowful look with sae-byeok. reluctantly, she nodded.

then, the soft shush from gi-hun drew their attention. their eyes adverting to sang-woo and gi-hun silently stood up. seeing the man across from them fight sleep, but failed. seeing his knife slip from his grasp as his head drooped, exhaustion finally overtaking him. gi-hun cautiously started to walk over, his knife in hand.

cecelia's breath hitched. this was their chance.

"don't do it," sae-byeok rasped. "that isn't you. you're a good person at heart."

his footsteps came to a halt, his knuckles white around the hilt of the blade.

"well, i'm not," cecelia said, attempting to get up. but sae-byeok's weak hand caught her arm.

"you are," she whispered. "don't let the anger," she grunted softly. "you have towards him for what he did to your friend, change who you are."

cecelia looked at sae-byeok through heavy eyelids, tears brimming in her already red, tired eyes. "i already have blood on my hands, sae-byeok."

"from protecting people. don't let it change to vengeance."

cecelia's vision blurred with tears as sae-byeok's words echoed in her mind. her bottom lip and chin quivered as she glanced back at sang-woo. she wanted nothing more than to kill him. but would ali have wanted to her to?

a soft thud drew cecelia and gi-hun's attention, their heads snapping toward sae-byeok. she was slumped over to the side, a weak groan escaped her lips. they both rushed to her side. cecelia got onto her knees as she tried to lift her limp body. one hand cradled her head, the other quickly moved aside the black suit jacket. her heart dropped when she revealed sae-byeok's white shirt, now soaked in crimson, blood pooling in the fabric.

"what happened? when did she get hurt?" gi-hun asked, his voice laced with panic as he leaned over and pressed his hand against the bleeding wound.

cecelia's lips parted, but before she could say anything, sae-byeok's soft voice broke.

"i think...i wanna go. i'd like to go home now." she murmured, her words slow and breathless.

"hey, hold on, sae-byeok. stay here. i'll go get someone, okay?" gi-hun said. he sprung to his feet and ran to the steel doors, pounding on them with his fists urgently. "hey, hey! we need help. she's lost a lot of blood! somebody get in here! there's a badly injured girl!"

cecelia's hand took over, pressing her hand firmly against the wound, trying to stem the heavy bleeding. she pressed harder, but there was no reaction—no wince, no flicker of pain. sae-byeok didn't feel it anymore.

"celia..." sae-byeok whispered, her voice so faint it was barely audible.

tears welled in her eyes as she glanced frantically between sae-byeok and gi-hun. her hands were slick with blood. the crimson soaked through her fingers, spilling out in waves she couldn't stop.

"please, sae—hang on. hang on," cecelia begged, her voice trembling with sheer panic.

not knowing what else to do, she stumbled to her feet, starting to run over to gi-hun who shouted at the guards for help, about to join him. to pound and scream for help. but her footsteps faltered.

she froze, her hands trembling violently as she stared at them—coated in sae-byeok's blood. her chest heaved, her breath coming in shallow gasps as the realization hit her.

there would be no help.

she's dying. cecelia thought. there was nothing she could do, nothing gi-hun could do. she needed to be with her as she died.

her legs moved on their own, turning her heel, cecelia was ready to walk back to sae-byeok when a wall hit her. not a wall—a person. sang-woo.

her breath hitched, her mouth parting slightly, but no words came out. her chest tightened, and her face twisted as she looked up into sang-woo's cold, unfeeling eyes. gi-hun's shouting became distant as she focused on sang-woo.

cecelia instinctively stepped back, but her foot caught for some reason, and she stumbled, falling onto her back, and sang-woo followed. his weight pressing down atop of her. the impact drove the air from her lungs in a simple exhale, feeling like the wind was knocked out of her.

for a silent moment, she thought it was just his weight that hurt. she exhaled again, staring into his dark eyes. at first, it felt like a fist to her chest. but the feeling shifted in a matter of seconds.

realization dawned on her slowly. allowing herself to slowing come to the face that she had been stabbed.

at first, she couldn't speak. the adrenaline coursing through her veins dulled the pain for a bit, masking the gravity of what had just happened. but as her body caught up with her mind, the agony came at full force. her chest burned with her slow breathing, each inhale like shards of glass.

"does that," she grunted, her voice strained. "make you feel better?" a dry chuckle escaped her lips, hollow and bitter. "killing me?"

she swallowed thickly, her throat constricting as she fought to keep her breathing steady. her lips parted, she wheezed as she exhaled the air out of her chest before inhaling sharply. eyes fluttering, she kept her eyes on him. raising a trembling hand, she brought it between their faces. sang-woo's gaze followed the motion, locking onto the small stone she held in between her fingers. his jaw clenched, his expression darkening further as recognition flickered in his eyes.

cecelia wheezed as she spoke, "you will never win," she groaned, "that money." she broke off with a strained laugh, her chest convulsing painfully as she did. despite the tears spilling from the corners of her eyes, she forced a smile.

her smile only enraged him. sang-woo's face vibrated with anger as her words hung in the tense air.

"you will...die in here." she whispered. her lips trembled, and the defiant mask she had on, slipped, replacing with genuine fear.

sang-woo growled lowly, grabbing her hand and yanking the stone from her grasp, hurdling it violently across the room. cecelia turned her head weakly, following its trajectory as it clattered to the floor, far out of her reach. tears spilled freely now.

a quiet, broken sob escaped her lips. sang-woo gripped the handle of the knife embedded in her chest, keeping the blade in place.

her thoughts drifted. she thought about her grandma and jacob. how they'll never hear from her again, they'll have no idea what happened, why she stopped calling, why she never came back. how they'll think she abandoned them. she'll never be able to help her grandma, to hug her again, or spend time with her. she'll never get to see her nephew, that was more like her little brother, grow up.

and then she thought about jun-ho.

tears pooled in her eyes again, and she shut them tightly, feeling them spill over. he'll find out that she didn't make it out alive. how cruel was she? to have brought this man into her life completely by accident, and unbeknownst to her—got him to love her. just for her to die. and the worst thing is, she never told him she loved him back.

her breathing grew labored, every gasp for air became more shallow than the last. the room's fluorescent lights flashed on. her eyes fighting to stay open. sang-woo's weight was suddenly pulled off of her, and though her vision was blurred, she could make out gi-hun running to sae-byeok.

cecelia's heart clenched as she realized sae-byeok was gone. cecelia laid still, her body to weak to move, her eyelids growing impossibly heavy. through her fading sight, she saw gi-hun's face as he turned to her, his expression twisted in anguish.

"CECELIA!" gi-hun's cry muffled in her ears, as if she was emerged underwater.

the last thing she felt was two guards on both ends of her pick her up. her body being lifted off the ground. cecelia's body was gently put in the black coffin she had seen so many previous players be put in. and now she was in one.

her breathing stopped.

two million won dropped in the piggy bank. one million for sae-byeok and one million for cecelia.

A/N:
10k READS! ... and this is how we celebrate.
i just KNOW my trusted readers that's been here from the start are pissed. i love you all, don't be mad at me 😔.
please don't be a silent reader!

with love,
chayla