''The team selection will end momentarily.'' Hyunrin glances around, driven by the need to find a team. In focusing on ensuring Jun-Hee's safety, she had neglected to secure a spot for herself.
''Excuse me. Can we join you?'' Hyunrin spins around to see two women. She sends her a smile and nods.
Only two more.
''Will you team up with an older woman and her son?'' Geum-Ja asks humbly. Hyunrin glances at the two women before turning to the older woman with her son.
''Yes, of course.''
"Time for team selection is up.'' The timer ends. The teams are divided over the two circles and they sat in rows of five. Then the woman continues to explain the second game.
''The game you will be playing is Six-Legged Pentathlon. You will start with your legs tied together. Each member will take turns playing a mini-game at every ten-meter mark, and if you win, the team can move on to the next one.
Here are the mini-games. Number one, the Ddakji. Number to, Flying Stone. Number three, Gong-Gi. Number four, Spinning Top. Number five, Jegi. Your goal is to win all the mini-games and cross the finish line in five minutes. Please decide players for each mini-game."
Hyunrin turns to her team, asking which game they play best.
''I personally want Flying Stone,'' Yong-Sik answers.
''I won a good amount of Ddakji against the salesman,'' Young-Mi answers shyly.
''Let me play Gong-Gi,'' Geum-Ja says. Hyunrin nods and turns to Hyun-Ju.
''Only Jegi and Spinning Top left, which one do you want?'' Hyunrin questions.
''Jegi,'' Hyun-Ju answers. ''Are you okay with Spinning Top?'' Hyunrin nods, looking at each player, and repeats the games in her head.

''It's good we got a woman. You can play Gong-Gi, right?'' Jung-Bae questions, looking at Jun-Hee. However, she shakes her head to his surprise. ''Don't girls play Gong-Gi anymore?''
''I've never played it,'' Jun-Hee admits silently.
''Right.''
''Actually, I can play Gong-Gi," Dae-Ho says with a slight tone of embarrassment.
''You? An ex-Marine?''
''I grew up with four older sisters. I used to play it with them from time to time," he explains.
''That's right. There's nothing a Marine can't do," Jung-Bae smiles and grabs his shoulder.
''Everyone else, what game are you confident playing?'' Gi-Hun questions.
''Ddakji for me. At the subway station, I won more times than the guy," Jun-Hee answers, looking at the men. Her eyes are on player 001, trying to figure out why Minsoo is so tense around him.
''Okay, then. Ms. 222, you can play Ddakji. I'll play Flying Stone. I was a pitcher for my baseball team. I'm good at throwing," Jung-Bae tells.
''That leaves Jegi and Spinning Top. Which are you good at?''
''Well, I'll play what you pick for me, Gi-Hun," In-Ho states.
''You know my name?'' Gi-Hun sounds surprised that In-Ho knows his name.
''Oh, your friend was calling you by your name, so I thought I'd try it. Does it bother you?'' In-Ho asks, forgetting he isn't supposed to know his name. Though, it is a pretty good cover-up.
''No, it's fine,'' he answers, yet his face still shows surprise.
''So, Gi-Hun. Which game are you good at?''
''I guess I'm better at Jegi.''
''Hmm... Then I'll do the Spinning Top.''
''All right,'' Jung-Bae says. ''Guys, bring your hands together. All together now. On three, we go, 'Victory at all costs.'.'' He puts his hand forward and the remaining four put their hands on his.
''One, two three.''
''Victory at all costs!''

''Teams one and two, get ready.'' Two teams of five stand at the start of the track. Their ankles are bound by shackles. They put their arms around each other or hook their arms for better balance.
''Let the game begin.'' The circular guard loses a shot in the air and the teams start walking by counting. ''One, two, one, two...'' Ddakji seems to be the easiest game since they pass their first chance.
During Flying Stone, the person needs to stand behind the line and throw the stone. However, the first chance is missed. The player asked for another stone, however, the guard pointed to the stone. They needed to retrieve the stone and return to their spot.
''A miss in Flying Stone will eat up a lot of time,'' Hyunrin says to Yong-Sik.
''A miss in Flying Stone will eat up a lot of time,'' In-Ho says to Jung-Bae.
The team passes the second game and hurries toward the third game. ''For Gong-Gi, you must pass all stages and catch all five stones at the end.'' Gong-Gi is a game with five stages. Toss one stone in the air, pick up others from the ground, and catch the tossed stone before it falls. Progress through stages by picking up one, two, three, and then all four stones at once. The final challenge is catching stones on the back of your hand. Miss a catch, and your turn ends.
''Practise the flip,'' Jung-Bae mentions to Dae-Ho once he sees the woman fail the flip.
''The flip?'' he questions before grabbing five stones to practice. The team continues to the fourth game which is Spinning Top. Spinning Top is a game where the player spins wooden or metal tops using a whip or string. The goal is to keep the top spinning as long as possible, often competing to see whose top spins the longest or performs the best tricks. However, the man failed to keep the top spinning.
''With Spinning Top, it'll take even longer if you mess up,'' Jung-Bae mentions to In-Ho, who glares at him in silence. The guards approach the teams with their rifles because they only have a couple of seconds left.
''Your time is up.'' The guards eliminate the players and blood spills everywhere.

"The following players are eliminated: Players 016, 045, 178, 189, 198, 254, 286, 341, 395, and 416." In-Ho stiffens at the mention of Player 132. Striving to appear nonchalant, he glances toward the team—and his wife. Her eyes aren't on him but on her teammates. He then shifts his glance to his guards, expecting them to remember his demand.
If you eliminate player 132, you will wish you were never born.
"Attention, please. Please wait while we tidy up the venue." Several guards enter the hall on forklifts, carrying several stacked black boxes. Ten to be precise. The guards place the bodies into the boxes before they get stacked on the forklift.
Hyun-Ju ties her hair as she glances down at Young-Mi, who appears to be terrified. ''Look at me, I'm Hyun-Ju. Cho Hyun-Ju. What's your name?"
"It's Young-Mi.'' As Hyun-Ju reassures Young-Mi, Hyunrin scans the room for Jun-Hee. Her heart settles when she finally spots her. Jun-Hee smiles and gives her a small wave. Hyunrin quickly shifts her gaze away from Jun-Hee, only to meet her husband's eyes. It's impossible not to look at him—he is the gravity that keeps her grounded. She is drawn to him, just as she has been for all these years. Yet, it can't be him. How could he be here, after nine years? It feels like a cruel trick, as if fate is punishing her even more.
''In-Ho,'' she whispers, reaching for her locket. It feels warm from her body heat. She draws a deep breath and tears her eyes away from him.
"That's right. I, Jang Geum-Ja, survived the Korean War. I will not die playing some kids' game,'' she says with confidence.
"I, Hwang Hyun... Hwang Minsoo, survived cancer. I will not die playing some kids' game. Let us pull together and do this."
"I'm the son of Ms. Jang Geum-Ja, who survived the Lorean War. I'm Park Yong-Sik."
"I believe we can do this. Let's show everyone else,'' Hyunrin says, her tone filled with confidence.

"Teams three and four, get ready." Their ankles are shackled and they link their arms together.
''Let's prove them wrong,'' Hyunrin states, her voice is ice cold. The guard loses a shot and they start counting. It is Young-Mi's turn to complete the first game Ddakji.
"All right, throw it hard,'' Yong-Sik motivates. Young-Mi through the first time, yet it doesn't move.
"Fail."
"Come on, again. Smash it!" She snatches the envelope from the ground and tries again, without result.
"Fail."
"All right." Young-Mi starts to feel the pressure and frustration building in her chest. She smashes the envelope yet she fails again.
"Fail." She breathes heavily, close to a panic attack. She is on the verge of tears and grabs the envelope.
"Hang on, Young-Mi. Try it with the other side. The other side,'' Hyun-Ju demands. Young-Mi briefly glances at Hyun-Ju with teared-up eyes before switching sides. She smashes the envelope on the other and it flips!
"Pass." Everyone cheers and Young-Mi sighs in relief. They link their arms and continue to the second game Flying Stone. Yong-Sik grabs the stone and focuses on the goal. He throws, yet he misses.
"I'm sorry!" he exclaims.
"It's okay. We will pick it up," Hyunrin says and they links their arms. While counting, they grab the stone. "Now backwards," she orders. In-Ho and several players gasp at the cleverness of that move.
"They won't lose as much time by moving backwards," he smiles, almost in awe. Though he isn't surprised that it is his wife who gave the order.
"Come on," Yong-Sik breathes, kissing the stone.
"Yong-Sik, look. Imagine the stone is the face of the crook who scammed you," Geum-Ja reasons. Hyunrin watches his expression change, from fear to rage.
"That asshole ruined my fucking life!" he yells and throws the stone.
"Pass." The waiting players cheer while the team cheer loudly as well. They link their arms and head to the third game: Gong-Gi. The guard sets down the table and they crouch. Geum-Ja starts playing but fails at one of the stages.
"Breathe, we have time."
"You said you played Gong-Gi with bullets during the Korean War," Yong-Sik mentions. Geum-Ja looks at her son for a brief moment, nodding before returning to her game. The players rise to their feet to watch. She passes through the stages and flip the stones on her fingers.
"Mom, just imagine the stones is Dad's mistress' face," Yong-Sik motivates.
"Rotten bitch!" she yells, throwing and catching the stones all at once. She held her breath and showed the guard all five stones. The guard makes a circle with his arms.
"Pass." Another burst of cheering echo through the hall as the team makes their way to the fourth game with 90 seconds remaining. In-Ho glances at the timer before looking at the team. He despises this powerless position.
Hyunrin ties the rope around the top and throws the Top, however, it lands to its side right away. She curses at her foolish attempt.
"It's okay," Geum-Ja comforts and they retrieve the Top. She goes tying the rope around the Top once again. She takes a deep breath, remembering the fun she had when she was a child. The laughter echoes through her mind as she is determined to make it spin. So, Hyunrin threw the Top and it spun.
"Pass!" Hyunrin exhales in relief and glances over her shoulder. It feels as if only In-Ho is present in the room; his eyes are effortlessly to find. Their gaze meets for a brief moment, but Hyunrin catches the pride in his eyes—the same pride he always displayed in public. It brought a smile on her face.
     "You must kick the Jegi five times."
"Please, look away," Hyun-Ju requests. Her teammates turn around before she turns to the crowd.
     "What? Yeah, all right."
     "You guys, too."
     "Don't look! Turn around, guys!" the players urge. Hyun-Ju starts the final game and all slows down.
     "One," Young-Mi counts in her mind.
     "Two," Yong-Sik counts silently.
     "Three," Geum-Ja counts.
     "Four," Hyunrin counts.
     "Five."
     "Pass." Every player cheers for them. In-Ho cheers loudly, clapping Gi-Hun on the shoulder. He watches his wife make her way to safety, and the heavy burden he had felt at the start of the game lifts from his shoulders. And there her eyes were again, as if drawn to his by an invisible pull. She found him effortlessly, and he gave a nod. What the nod meant, he couldn't say—whether it was relief that she was alive or a silent promise that he would make it too.
With that, she disappears through the doors.

"Last teams, get ready." In-Ho's team rises to their feet before their ankles are shackled. There is no support for them, only silence.
''It's a little sad that we have no audience, isn't it?'' Jung-Bar mentions, glancing around.
''I believe in you, guys. Plus, we have a previous winner," In-Ho smirks, looking at Gi-Hun. He remembers winning the game as Player 132. He had done everything to win that money. For his wife. In-Ho snapped out of his train of thought by the gunshot.
Jun-Hee grabs an envelope and smashes it. She manages to complete the first time in one try. They cheer and head to Flying Stone.
''Let's get this done the first time! I believe in you!'' Dae-Ho yells. It may be odd to think, but In-Ho's nerves aren't as hysterical as when his wife had her turn. It's because he will survive if they don't reach the finish line in time. The guards will simply eliminate every other player but him.
''When I played baseball, my pitches might've been slow, but I had flawless ball control," Jung-Bae explains, bending through his knees. He throws the stone and passes. They continue to the third game where Dae-Ho flawlessly plays the game of Gong-Gi.
Then it is In-Ho's turn to spin the Top. He throws the Too yet it falls flat almost immediately.
''There's no rush, we got plenty of time," Gi-Hun comforts.
''No fun passing all the time," Jung-Bae mentions as they walk to the Top.
''That's right, no growing without failure," Dae-Ho adds before walking backwards. In-Ho wraps the rope around the Top and tries again, however, the Top released once In-Ho's brought the rope backwards
''I'm sorry," In-Ho apologizes. His confidence slowly shows some cracks as they go pick it up.
''Let's go pick it up.''
''Are you sure you played it as a kid?'' Jung-Bae mutters. As they head forwards, In-Ho ties the rope around the Top, only to fail another time.
''What the hell is the problem?'' he yells. ''What the hell is wrong with me? You goddamn idiot! You're an idiot!'' Unable to hold his frustration, he hits himself in the face. Dae-Ho leans closer to Jung-Bae because he is intimidated.
''No one is blaming you! All right, take a deep breath, okay? Try to remember the times when you had fun playing this," Gi-Hun reasons. In-Ho takes a deep breath and ties the rope around the Top. What they didn't know is that In-Ho is a left-handed person. During the previous chances, he threw with his right hand.
''Take your time, stay calm.'' In-Ho switches to Top to his left hand and effortlessly throws the Top which keeps spinning.
"Pass."
Gi-Hun starts kicking the Jegi, however, the fourth time he kicks it flies further away. Due to In-Ho's quick analysis, he puts his leg forward so the Jegi would land on Gi-Hun's foot for the fifth time.
     "Pass."

ᵀᴿᵞᴵᴺᴳ 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚞𝚙𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎