FRONT MAN

"Sir, a squared worker is dead."
     I gaze at the worker through my mask. Workers do not simply die unless they are killed. I demanded the workers to take me to the body.
     The workers stand back as I approach the body. My suspicions are confirmed once I retrieve the bullet from the body's head. That kind of bullet is only being used by the Korean police.
     "It seems we have an intruder," I say, the mask changing my voice. "Find. Him."
     The workers bow and rush off. I cast a last glance at the body before returning to the headquarters. My thoughts wander to my wife. You know that feeling when standing in a room, yet everything feels distant no matter how loud it gets? It is muffled, numbed down. That is what it's like now. The noise of the world fades without her in it.
     I kept running through everything in my head, wondering if there was something else I could've done. She was slipping through my fingers, but I know she kept strong for my sake. I noticed everything that brought her pain, no matter how hard she tried to hide it from me.
     I was forced to watch. To watch her struggle and I have never felt more powerless than these moments. I remember the last time I saw the hope flickering in her eyes when I promised her I would make it happen.
     It was a promise I couldn't keep.
     Here I was, walking the earth without her by my side.

I reach my quarters and remind myself of my purpose here. I reach for the phone, however, I notice something different. I narrow my eyes at the placement of the receiver. It is not how I usually put down the phone as I subconsciously reach for my gun.
     ''Are you here?'' I question. ''You have made a mistake. I always put the receiver down the other way.'' I yank the door open and point my gun into the room. Several rooms are checked, yet no sign of the intruder.
     The intruder must be near. This intruder infiltrated the island and was a cop for heaven's sake. With the gun in my hand, I search my quarters. My eyes dart around for suspicious motions or spots to hide.
     ''The bullet you shot was from a Smith and Wesson M60 revolver, standard issue for Korean police.'' I open doors without much result.
     ''What's a cop doing here without a partner?'' I question, opening several doors. ''I am sure you have lots of questions.''
     ''It's not too late to come out and talk,'' I say, heading into a bedroom. I point my gun around the room. ''I don't know how you got in, but you can't leave this place without my permission.'' I open the door to the basement and walk down the stairs. Flicking the light switch to search the archives. I cautiously walk through the rows of shelves, feeling his presence here. It is an odd feeling, but I know he is here. I notice an open drawer, knowing they must be closed at all times.
     My radio beeps as I slowly bring it to my ear.
     ''We found a body.''
     ''Where is it?'' I question.
     ''The northern coast of the island.'' With that, the line broke. I lowered the device and turned to the drawer that was open. Without further thought, I stride away from the basement.

The workers brought me to the shore where a body lay. It has been dead for a while. The worker hands me an identification of the person.
     ''We found this police ID on him.'' I open the passport and I am sure that my heart skips a beat. This passport belongs to someone I know. Someone I gave a part of my body to. A kidney to save him.
     Hwang Jun-ho.
     My younger, stepbrother.
     My eyes shift from the passport to the body. I examine the face of the dead and come to the conclusion: this is not my brother. The next conclusion is that my blood runs colder.
     My brother is the intruder.
     ''Incinerate the body," I say before walking away. It complicates the situation.

I welcomed the VIPs and introduced myself before bringing them to the room where they could watch the next game. As I am forced to stay with them, I provide the VIP's with information about the games and players.
My radio beeps as the worker tells me the intruder has been with one of the VIP's. I leave the VIP room to search for him, only to find out he has escaped through a hole. My phone rings and bring the phone to my ear.
"One of the diving packs is gone," the worker tells me. "I suspect the intruder took it." I tighten my grip on my phone.
Clever boy.
     Yet, not clever enough.
"Start tracking it and get the boat ready," I demand. While heading to the boat, my mind debates what to do with him. Either eliminate him or let him join my crew. If it had been a random man to infiltrate the island, I would have had him eliminated by the guards or myself. However, my brother...
     Hyunrin always adored Jun-ho and vice versa. Blinded by my own grief, I never realized how he must have felt. Besides, it has been five years since I last saw him. The last time I saw him was when Hyunrin... The last time I saw him was before I entered the Squid Game.
I go on the boat with five workers, pursuing the tracker on the diving equipment. Eventually, I noticed the tracker's movement stop. Jun-ho has gone ashore.
"Bring him to me alive," I tell. I stand in front of the diving equipment while the workers sprint away. I raise my gun and shoot the air tank, preventing his possible escape.

I head up the mountain and hear a gunshot close by. I see the workers closing in on Jun-ho.
     ''Police! Put down your weapons, you got that?'' Jun-ho yells. ''We already know everything about you all. The Coast Guard will be here soon.''
     ''I don't know,'' I say, entering the scene. ''Have the Korean police ever been quick to act? And besides, you barely get any signal around here. I don't know what you tried to send, but I doubt it went through.'' Jun-ho points his gun at me and looks at me with disgust in his eyes.
     ''Come and turn yourself in. You'll get a plea bargain with that," he says. It is clear that he is at a disadvantage, yet he holds his ground.
     ''If you drop the gun right now and hand over the phone, I might let you live," I say, slowly approaching him.
     ''Stop right there!'' he warns, cocking his gun. I scoff, continuing my approach.
     ''That gun of yours holds five bullets. But per police regulations, one chamber must remain empty, and one must be filled with a blank. That leaves three live rounds. You've already used one to kill a man and another one to break the lock. Which means that there's only one bullet left in your gun.''
     ''One bullet is more than enough to kill you," he threatens, however, I do not care.
     ''Give up," I say.
     ''I warned you," Jun-ho yells. "Take another step and—" I did not stop and Jun-ho fired the bullet through my shoulder. I bend over in pain but raise my hand to prevent the workers from killing Jun-ho.
     The pain spreads through my shoulder, however, it is not close to the pain my wife endured. A sharp breath ripples from my throat and I straighten my posture.
     "This is over. Now come with me," I say. ''Do as I say or you die.'' A wise man like him should know when he has lost a fight.
     ''Who the hell are you?'' Jun-ho breathes in disbelief. I slowly remove the hood and mask. My bare eyes meet Jun-ho. Despair flashes through his eyes.
     "Hyung?"
     It would have broken my heart to hear my brother's broken voice. Only, I don't have a heart. Long ago where Hyunrin kept it safe, but when she died... My heart died with her.
     ''Let's go. Make this easy.''
     I watch several emotions flash through the man's eyes. Disbelief. Regret. Furious. Sadness. Resentment. Confusion. I extend my hand, inviting him to come with me.
Jun-ho slowly shakes his head. "No," he breathes, barely a whisper. I raise my gun, but something within me seems to hesitate. The next words made me stumble, and my heart stopped.
"Nuna is alive!"
...
     ...
     ...
     ...
...
No...
     No.
"Liar," I hiss, tightening the grip around the gun.     
     "Hyung, nuna is—"
     "LIAR!" I bellow, interrupting him. "Don't you dare think you can use my wife to ensure your safety."
     "Hyung, please," he pleads.
     "Don't waste my time with lies," I grit through my teeth. He stumbles forward with his arms open toward me.
     "In-Ho, why?" His voice broke. He meets my eyes, but every sound fades. My eyes met his, but I made my decision. I pull the trigger and the bullet flies to Jun-ho. The bullet strikes him in the shoulder. I maintain eye contact as he falls off the cliff.
I turn around to face my workers. Jun-ho's words echo through my mind. Nuna is alive. It cannot be, however, his words brought me into hesitation. A sparkle of hope emerges from my chest. The thought of her being alive.
No.
It's a fool's hope.
"Find Hwang Hyunrin," I say at last.
     Find my wife.

"If you wish to participate, please state your name and birthdate."
"July 26, 1984."
     "Hwang Minsoo."
"Please pay attention to further detail..."

ᵀᴿᵞᴵᴺᴳ 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚞𝚙𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎