I was numb. I couldn't shake the image of Sae byeok. That was how I would remember her now, her lifeless bleeding body. Making it so I couldn't help her. "Player 217, Player 218 and player 456, welcome to the final game. Before we begin, we'll flip a coin to decide who played offense or defense. Please choose a shape. Triangle or square." The masked man said to us.

"Triangle." Gi-hun and I said at the same time. That left Sang-woo with square. The coin was flipped and it landed on triangle.

"It's triangle. Please choose either offense or defense." The masked man told us, Gi-hun and told me how to play and what to pick. We stared at Sang-woo for a while before choosing our role.

"Offense." We both replied.

"Player 217 and player 456 will play offense. 218 will be defend." The masked man said before the doors opened. We entered the room, I saw the doll from Red Light, Green Light. Still as creepy as before. "For the final game, you'll both be playing Squid Game. Let me explain the rules of Squid Game. One, the attacker must enter the squid shape court, run past the defense, and then tap the area inside the squid's head with his or her foot to secure the win. Two, the defender must block the attacker's advance and for them outside of the court's bounds in order to win. Three, if a situation arises, in which either player is unable to continue playing the game, the last one or two standing will be the winner." The masked man said explaining the rules. Me and Gi-hun were coming out alive.

"A player's unable to continue. Could you explain that?" Gi-hun asked wanting to know more.

"That would be referring to the player's death. And now, with that, let the game begin." The masked man said, Gi-hun and I went to our place. He told me to tighten my laces and I did. He then picked up some dirt from the ground. I then followed his lead. Waiting for him to leave the first circle.

"We always used to play this as kids. When we cross...do you remember what we used to call it?" Gi-hun asked him, I saw Sang-woo with his knife raised.

"Shut up. Who cares about all that?" He asked before going to stab Gi-hun. I picked up some dirt before Gi-hun threw his handful in Sang-woo's face. He moved and I went to the circle. I then threw my lot in Sang-woo's face before getting to the other side where Gi-hun was waiting for me.

"Inspector royal. 'Inspector royal,' we called it." Gi-hun said before it started to rain. This was perfect. Me and Gi-hun kept staring at Sang-woo.

"I put an end to her suffering. You know she would have died anyway. Haneul, I was saving you from watching her die in pain." Sang-woo said to me.

"You keep my name out of your mouth." I said to him. Could we just kill this man now.

"That's bullshit. Stop lying. She could've survived. They would've treated her." Gi-hun said to us, these people maybe dehumanized but I knew they would've helped her.

"I know what you're like, okay? You're both the reason that I had to kill her. I knew you three would stop all this, so she didn't die in there." He said to us, so he just cared about winning.

"Was that it? You killed someone because this might end?" Gi-hun asked him, this man was so selfish. I just wanted to stab him already.

"Yeah! You and those girls would have been the majority you needed to get out! Going home without a single cent. I couldn't do that!" He shouted at us.

"Who cares what you would be going home with!" I shouted at him.

"They're the ones who stopped me. 'Cause I was gonna kill you with this." Gi-hun said before pulling his knife out. I decided to take mine out as well. "It's over. We won't let you leave with that money." Gi-hun said making Sang-woo scoff.

"I'm gonna make you suffer the way Sae byeok did in her last moment." I said to him as we both approached him. Gi-hun went to stab at him but he moved back. Gi-hun was trying to fight him but got caught. He luckily managed to escape Sang-woo's grasp but slashing his face. This made Sang-woo drop his knife. He then went to using blazer. He was swiping it at us, I managed to grab it and pull him forwards just enough to slash his side. When Gi-hun went to do it, Sang-woo grabbed him and made Gi-hun lose his knife. They fought before Gi-hun got free and Sang-woo threw his jacket at us.

"You bastards!" Sang-woo shouted at us. He then managed to grab me and punch me before I kicked him right where it hurts and broke free. He then went to attacking Gi-hun again and I helped to get him free. The three of us collapsed and Sang-woo started to choke Gi-hun out.

"Get up! Get up! Get up!" Sang-woo said to us. I kicked Sang-woo giving Gi-hun enough time to get free. The two of us then fought Sang-woo before he picked up a knife and stabbed us both. I was in pain but I wouldn't rest until Sang-woo was dead. "You recognized it? It's the damn place where they made us okay Red Light, Green Light. So many people played with us, but now they're dead. Everyone except for us, Gi-hun and Haneul." Sang-woo said before kicked Gi-hun and then me. "We...we've already come too far to end this now." He said before going to stab Gi-hun. Instead he stabbed Gi-hun's hand. I managed to pull myself away. I watched the knife go through Gi-hun's hand before he bit Sang-woo's ankle and got free. We both managed to get onto our knees before Gi-hun started to beat Sang-woo. I had no energy to fight but I managed to stand up.

"So it was you that killed them. You...you killed everyone! You killed them. You're the one who killed them." Gi-hun said before standing up and pulling the knife out of his hand. He went to stab Sang-woo but he couldn't.

"Gi-hun, you can do it." I said to him weakly. He then stood up and looked down at him. We then began to walk away and over the winning point. But Gi-hun stopped before we could. I stopped as well.

"I can't. I wanna end here." Gi-hun said before walking back over to him. "Clause Three of the agreement. The players are able to end the game when...the majority agrees. So if the three of us give up now, you have to end it, right?" Gi-hun asked, I didn't want to stop.

"Player 456 wants to stop the game." The masked man said over the radio. We were so close to the end. I couldn't give up.

"Sang-woo, Haneul." Gi-hun said to us.

"I just thought...how they used to call our names when...our moms had made supper for us. That won't happen again." Sang-woo said to him, I still didn't trust this man.

"Let's go." Gi-hun said before offering a hand to Sang-woo. "Let's go together." Gi-hun added. Sang-woo reached up to grab it.

"Gi-hun. Haneul. I'm sorry." He said to us before he stabbed himself in the neck. Gi-hun collapsed beside him.

"Sang-woo! Sang-woo..." Gi-hun said while holding him.

"Gi-hun...Haneul..." Sang-woo said to us.

"No, Sang-woo. Don't talk." Gi-hun said to him.

"My mother, go help her." Sang-woo said to us.

"Don't talk, Sang-woo." Gi-hun said whilst crying.

"You have to help her." He said to us before taking his final breaths.

"Ah...no. Don't...Sang-woo, don't...oh, no!" Gi-hun said before wailing. I sat beside him and hugged him like he did for me. During my time in this place of hell I viewed Gi-hun as a father figure. He would always look after me and Sae byeok. "No! Sang-woo, no!" Gi-hun said while waiting. We were the winners. But I didn't feel like a winner. We were put in the back of a limo with everything tied together. The game master was with us.

"You should celebrate. That was quite the game there. It's also the first time we've had two winners." He said to the two of us.

"Why? Why did you do it? How can you?" Gi-hun asked numbly. I wished I died back there as well.

"You bet on horses. It's the same here but...we bet on humans. You're our horses. I did not expect you to both finish your race." He said to us.

"You're fucked up if you think that this is how you can treat people." I said to him, I wanted to spit and punch this man.

"Who are you?" Gi-hun asked him.

"It was a dream. Just think of it that way. And it really isn't a bad one for you, either." He said to us.

"My girlfriend was murdered of course its a bad one." I said to him through gritted teeth.

"Who are you?" Gi-hun asked again. "Who are you?" He asked. We couldn't see. "Who are you? Who are you? Who are..." He started before we were knocked out. We were then dumped outside onto the cold wet floor afterwards. It was raining. I felt someone undo my blindfold. I saw Gi-hun beside me. I looked up and saw a man.

"Jesus. Praise the Lord." The man said. I felt something in my mouth so I spat it out. Gi-hun did the same. We then went to a cash machine.

"Check your IC card information." The machine said. He then pressed something on the screen. "Please select the amount you would like to withdraw." It said to him. He selected 10,000 Won. He entered his 4-digit pin but I looked away. I started to do the same on the other machine. I took out the same amount. "Counting the bills. Sorry, please wait a moment. Please take your cash." It said to us. I took the blood money. I then looked at my balance. ₩45, 599, 990, 000. Gi-hun has the same amount. He then walked me to my part of the city before walking back to his home. When I made my way to my apartment. The front door was wide open. Almost as if someone managed to get in.

"Appa, you left the door open. But I'm home." I said to but nothing. I then switched on the light and shut the door. "Honestly you're daughter just returned home from being missing and this is the welcome I get." I said out loud, where was he. I turned around a saw some blood. The whole place had been torn upside down. Someone had found him.

1 year later

Gi-hun and I kept in contact due to the fact we were the only people who believed each other. I'd found out a month after returning that my dad had been sent back to the North. I truly was alone. I'd had a meeting with the bank and they asked why I hadn't don't anything to it's the money and it was just sitting there. Gi-hun had called me to say he had a meeting. We both felt the same about the money. It was blood money that we didn't deserve. I went to this spot that we had. We would talk about what we'd done and how we were. But tonight we sat in silence watching the river, drinking alcohol.

"Excuse me. Would you buy some flowers? Please, mister and ma'am. I need to get rid of them tonight or they'll end up wilting away." A woman said to us. Gi-hun dug around in his pockets and pulled out ₩10,000. He then handed it to her. "Thank you, mister. I appreciate it. Uh, here. Have a good night." She said while placing the flower down and walking away. Gi-hun picked up the flower and took a card off of it. He opened in the envelope.

"What is it?" I asked him, seeming as he stopped he showed me. It was the card we'd received that invited us to the game. He flipped it over and read it. I looked over and read what it said.

"December 24, 11:30 p.m. Sky Building, 7th floor from your Gganbu" The card read. We went to the building on that day. Went all the way up to the 7th floor and went into said room. It was pitch black and empty except one corner it was lit up and there was a bed. We then walked over to the person. To see the old man. I though he died.

"Pour some water in there. Please, Gi-hun." He said and Gi-hun poured him some. I would rather have thrown it over him. Old man took the glass and drank from it.

"Who are you? You explain this." Gi-hun asked him. Old man put his glass down.

"You see him? That man down there? He must be drunk...be he's been sitting there for hours. He looks homeless too if I had to guess." He said to two of us.

"You...were you the one who's behind it?" Gi-hun asked, hear I thought he was a sweet innocent man but apparently he wasn't.

"He's going to freeze to death if he stays out there any longer. And no one is going over to help or anything." He said to us, I knew someone would.

"Why the hell did you do it?" Gi-hun asked him.

"Please tell us why." I said to him.

"Would you help out that guy?" He asked us.

"Answer us! Why did you do that to us?" Gi-hun asked him, we just wanted answers.

"You think that you will stop walking and help that disgusting, stinking drunk, little piece of trash, huh?" He asked us. That wasn't the answer.

"Show is who you are! Why did we get to live and no one else?" Gi-hun shouted at him angrily.

"Listen. Let's play something tonight." He said to us.

"I'm done with you're stupid childish games." I said to him.

"That man out there...if he remains out there until midnight, I win. If anyone...goes to help the drunk before then, in that case, you win." Old man said to us making Gi-hun grab him.

"Cut the crap, okay? I could easily snap your neck right here." Gi-hun said, I knew he wouldn't.

"If you do that, then you won't get to hear my explanation for all this. Play this game with me and...I'll give you the...answer to your question." He said to us making Gi-hun let go, we both went to the window and looked down.

"And if we win...then I'll kill you without a second thought." Gi-hun said making me nod.

"What will you...bet on it with then?" He asked us.

"Anything." We both answered.

"It doesn't matter. You might as well take everything we have." Gi-hun answered.

"But he already has." I said to him, he'd already taken a lot from us.

"So then...who are you?" Gi-hun asked him.

"I earn...a living, lending out money." He said giving us answer.

"You give money to people for a living...and you get rich doing it?" Gi-hun asked, if I only I could have a job like that.

"Money. You know what making money is like. It's not simple to do." He answered, it's not but at least I tried.

"So then...was any of what you said true or was it all just a lie? Oh Il-nam. Is that even your real name, huh?" Gi-hun asked him, I didn't even know his name.

"It is. Yes, that's real. Oh Il-nam. That tumor's also real. And it also had gotten larger too. That's true. And the house I used to live my family in was almost exactly like that one in the alley. That's all true." Il-nam told us, we watched as someone stopped in front of the man and squatted beside him before walking away and looking back. "Can you still...trust anybody to be good even after everything you've been through?" He asked us.

"Why did you send a card?" Gi-hun asked him.

"I heard that all the money you won is just sitting there and that you are still living like you used to. Is it all just because you feel guilty?" Il-nam asked us, it was blood money of course we felt guilty.

"Guilt? Shut up. You don't feel any guilt for what you did, do you?" Gi-hun asked him.

"If you did I'd be surprised." I said to them both.

"It's yours now. That cash is your reward for your hard work and luck. And you have every right to use it now. Life goes by quick. In one minute...gone in a blink." He said to us, it started to snow outside.

"Why did you do something like this?" Gi-hun asked him curiously.

"Do you know what someone who doesn't have any money has in common with someone with too much money to know what to do with? Living is...no fun for either of them. If you have too much money, then it...doesn't matter what you buy, or eat, or drink, or whatever. Everything, well, it all gets boring. All of my clients, started to eventually say the exact same things whenever we talked. Everybody felt...that there was no joy in their lives anymore. And so, we decided to get together. We did a little bit of thinking. What could we all do to...finally have some fun?" Il-nam said to us, this man was as sadistic as they came.

"Some fun? You put us through all of that so you can have fun?" Gi-hun asked him.

"How sadistic to do you have to be when you have to get happiness from watching people die." I said to him with anger.

"It seems...that you forgot how...no one had to play, and you...all put your signatures on the agreement. And that you all made your decision to come back on your own. Well, he's still out there. It looks like you've run out of luck. Tell me...you still trust...in humanity being good?" He asked us, we may have put our signatures down but not for death.

"I wanna know...I wanna know why you joined us?" Gi-hun asked him.

"Oh, well, in my childhood I always had so much fun out doing things with all of my friends. We'd lose track of time for hours. I wanted to just...feel something just one last time before I die. And you are not going to get that feeling if you are just going to spectate. And I desperately wanted that." Il-nam said to us, so what.

"And so...did playing do that then?" Gi-hun asked him.

"Hell yeah. You asked why I let you live. By joining...and playing with you...I got that chance to...feel again. Thanks to you...I got to remember all of these things I had...forgotten long ago. It had been such a long time...since I...was able to have that much fun." He said to us in his final moments, I heard a siren outside, the police were helping the man.

"Look at that. There's someone who cares." Gi-hun said before the clock chimed midnight. The sound of a flatline on the monitor could be heard as well. I was hoping Il-nam witnessed what happened before he died. Gi-hun walked over to him. "You saw that, didn't you? You saw that you lost." Gi-hun told him before we left.

"I hope he did. We won against him again." I said to him. We decided that we would use our money for better now. I was finally going to get my hair done and cut. I may have gone blonde as well. Sae byeok probably would've laughed a little if she saw me now. Today I was going to try and help my dad where as Gi-hun was going to speak with Cheol. He knew I wouldn't have been able to go due to the fact I would've been a mess in front of him. When it got to later in the day I looked through all the pictures that I had of Sae byeok that we took together that one day. I smiled as I looked at them. "If only you were here now in my arms instead of me I'm yours. I wish we had more time. You never deserved any of this." I said while smiling at one of the pictures. Did I forget to mention that this week I was going to America with Gi-hun so that we could visit our families.

"You have arrived at Incheon Airport Terminal One. This is Incheon Airport Terminal One." The announcer said as we started to get off the train.

"Just promise me that you'll have a safe trip. I'm about to see you after years and I would like for you to be in one piece." My mum said over the phone.

"I'll be fine ok, I'm not at the airport. Which means you won't have to wait any longer." I said to her. I shook my head and smiled. I then heard someone groaning in pain. I could tell that Gi-hun heard it to. "I'm gonna call you back in a minute ok but I love you." I said to her before watching someone play Ddakji. I then hung up on my mother to watch.

"Let's play again. Right now!" The player shouted, the man looked at the two of us. He recognized us and smirked. The two of us dumped everything and ran to the other side but it was to late. He was on the train, his hand on the glass. The train then took off. We walked over to the player. "What the hell are you doing?" The guy asked us as Gi-hun took the card from him. "Give me back that card!" He shouted, Gi-hun then pushed him again the wall. "Oh!" He got out.

"No. You don't. You don't go!" Gi-hun shouted at him.

"If you go, you will lose everything you had including yourself!" I shouted at him. We kept the card and walked away. Making our way to the terminal.

"This is the final boarding call for U-Way Airlines. Boarding for U-Way Flight 202 to Los Angeles will close shortly. All passengers bound for Los Angeles, please make your way to Gate 22 immediately. Ladies and gentlemen this is the final boarding call." The announcer said, that was our flight. We kept looking at the number on the card. As we made it to the walkway to get to the plane I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that they were going to start up another game. I knew that Gi-hun felt the same when he pulled his phone out and dialed the number. I also dialed it at the same time.

"Do you wish to participate in the game? If you want to play, please state your name and date of birth." The man over the phone said.

"Son Haneul. February 14, 2001." I said to them, they went silent. "Now you listen, I'm a human not some racing animal. So, I want to know why you people do this and who you are." I said to him.

"Player 217. Don't get any absurd ideas." They said to me, who did they think they were.

"I know that it wasn't a dream because if it was my girlfriend would still be alive. If you think I can forgive you, I will never." I said to him bitterly.

"Just get on that plane. It's for your own good." They said before I hung up. Gi-hun and I turned back. As if we would get on the plane. We have something we have to do first. Put an end to this.