The masked man said, "Next, drawing the next pair of teams. Group 10."
Jeong-hyeok's team stood up.
"Group 19."
Another team stood up as well.
"Groups 10 and 19, please enter the arena."
As they followed the masked man, 202 passed by 85 and said, "Fat pig, I won't ever have to see you again."
85 lowered her head and didn't respond.
Soo-mi shot 202 a fierce glare.
18 said to 202, "Only my sister would be friends with someone like her."
202 asked, "Biological sister?"
18 replied, "Probably not."
They chuckled after that.
Meanwhile, on the elevator up, Jeong-hyeok told his teammates, "Only answer the questions if you're confident."
Yong-jun said, "Right. Let's do this. We can win."
Soon, the door in front of them opened. They stepped out onto the terrifying platform.
A gunshot rang out. The game began.
First question: "Name three animals that breathe with lungs underwater."
Jeong-hyeok quickly answered, "Whale, dolphin, seal."
A green check appeared on the screen.
Second question: "Name five gases commonly found in Earth's atmosphere."
Soo-mi said, "Oxygen, carbon dioxide, um..."
85 turned to Soo-mi and said, "If I fall, promise me you'll get revenge."
With ten seconds left, Group 19 also failed to answer.
Time's up. Next question.
The wall behind them protruded. Due to her larger size, 85 lost balance and fell.
Soo-mi cried out, "No!"
Thud—85 was dead.
Third question: "Say the eight planets in English."
As everyone stood confused, Emma spoke: "Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune."
Jeong-hyeok and Zikai looked at her in shock.
Fourth question: "19 + 17 ÷ 5 = ?"
Zikai traced numbers in the air. Group 19 said, "21..."
Zikai interrupted, "22.4."
A green check appeared on the screen.
Soon, they got another question right.
Two members of Group 19 fell.
Next question: "What is the area of South Korea?"
Yong-jun blurted out, "10.33 square kilometers."
A green checkmark appeared.
They had answered five correctly. The door on the other side opened.
Jeong-hyeok immediately jumped across. The others followed.
Player 258 tried to jump, but slipped, dragging 303 down with him.
Jeong-hyeok froze, staring at the scene.
Meanwhile, all the wall panels behind Group 19 extended—they all fell.
At that moment, the host watched Jeong-hyeok from the control room.
Jeong-hyeok's group took the elevator back to the dormitory. On the way, 56 asked Soo-mi, "Miss, may I ask your name?"
Soo-mi replied, "My name is Pu Soo-mi."
They returned to the dorm.
202 looked at them and asked, "The fat pig didn't come back? Aww, what a shame."
Soo-mi glared at him in fury.
18 added, "What a pitiful loser. No friends at all."
Yong-jun stepped forward and said, "What do you mean, no friends? We were his friends."
18 replied, "You look like an idiot."
They all laughed loudly.
Yong-jun couldn't hold back and was about to charge, but Jeong-hyeok held him back.
Cut to: the game had ended. The screen in the dorm showed:
Remaining: 102 | Prize Money: ₩35.4 billion
As Jeong-hyeok ate, he said to the others, "Eat well. We'll need the strength later."
Soo-mi asked, "For what?"
Emma leaned in and whispered something in her ear.
The broadcast sounded: "Lights out in 30 minutes. Please prepare to sleep."
Jeong-hyeok gave Zikai a look. Zikai turned to Emma, Yong-jun, and Soo-mi and said, "After lights go out, we act. Avoid all contact with 18 and his group, understood?"
They nodded.
As the countdown ended, the dorm lights went out.
Emma and Soo-mi approached the small door and said to the masked guard through a tiny window, "We need to use the bathroom."
The masked man said, "No. Exit is prohibited right now."
Emma said, "Come on, let us go. We're girls, show some mercy."
The masked man repeated, "No. Exit is prohibited."
Emma grew annoyed. "You, triangle mask guy, get your superior. Bring the square one. I have something to tell him."
The square-mask man leaned in and said, "No. Exit is prohibited."
Then he shut the little window.
Emma continued her act: "Girls naturally have shorter urethras than guys. You boys can hold it, but we can't. Didn't you say this game gives us opportunities? What if I die from holding in my pee, that would be—"
Before she could finish, the door opened.
As Emma and Soo-mi stepped through, Jeong-hyeok and two others rushed in.
They shut the door, quickly overpowered the masked guards, and confiscated their guns and walkie-talkies.
They got three guns—two submachine guns and one pistol.
Jeong-hyeok handed the pistol to Yong-jun. "Take this. You three stay here and keep them in check. Zikai and I will take this mask to their HQ."
Yong-jun nodded.
Jeong-hyeok switched the walkie-talkies to another channel and handed two to Yong-jun. Then they left.
Jeong-hyeok pointed his gun at the square-mask man. "Take off your mask."
The masked man slowly removed it.
Seeing his young, innocent face, Yong-jun said, "Do your parents know you're doing this kind of stuff?"
Jeong-hyeok grabbed him. "Take us to your headquarters."
Before long, they reached a location.
The masked man said, "You need a mask to get in here."
He picked up a square mask. A scanner started scanning.
Then the door opened, and they entered.
Elsewhere, Emma said to Yong-jun, "You watch these two."
She walked off.
Jeong-hyeok and Zikai forced the masked man down a dark hallway.
Jeong-hyeok whispered, "How far to the HQ?"
The masked man trembled, "Turn right up ahead… it's the control room."
Just before they turned, Zikai suddenly stopped.
Jeong-hyeok asked, "What's wrong?"
Zikai stayed silent for a moment, then pointed his gun at Jeong-hyeok. "...Sorry, Jeong-hyeok."
Jeong-hyeok's pupils dilated. He raised his own gun instantly.
Jeong-hyeok asked, "What do you mean?"
Zikai gave a bitter smile. "I was never a player. After the game three years ago, they found me. They made me watch you."
Jeong-hyeok's finger curled around the trigger, veins bulging.
He roared, "So you've been lying to me from the start?!"
Zikai didn't respond.
Suddenly—BANG!—the masked man Jeong-hyeok was holding collapsed.
Applause echoed from the end of the hallway.
The Host said, "Brilliant. Just brilliant."
Jeong-hyeok spun around. The founder in a golden mask walked forward, flanked by fully armed masked guards.
Host: "Player 357, you're far more interesting than I imagined."
Jeong-hyeok pointed his gun at him, teeth clenched. "This game ends now."
The host chuckled, "Games never end. They evolve."
Elsewhere, Yong-jun pointed a gun at the two masked men. The two exchanged glances.
Yong-jun shouted, "What are you doing?!"
Suddenly, the masked men lunged.
In the chaos, Yong-jun fired—killing one, then shooting the one who tackled Soo-mi.
The gunfire echoed through the dormitory.
Yong-jun grabbed Soo-mi's hand and ran back to the dorm.
Cut to: Emma stepped from the shadows, standing beside Jeong-hyeok.
Emma said to the founder, "Let him go."
Zikai walked to the founder's side.
The host said, "Oh? The VIP lady finally shows herself?"
Jeong-hyeok looked at Emma in shock.
Jeong-hyeok: "You… you're a VIP?"
Emma: "Three years ago, I watched you from the surveillance room. You were different from the others… You don't deserve to die here."
The host sighed, sounding tired of the conversation.
He said, "Unfortunately, even a VIP doesn't have the power to interfere."
He raised a hand. A masked man instantly aimed his gun—
BANG!
Blood burst from Emma's chest. She staggered and fell.
Jeong-hyeok screamed in rage, firing back—but a hail of bullets came his way.
He looked at Emma on the ground, fury consuming him. He aimed at the host, about to pull the trigger—but several masked men tackled him.
Jeong-hyeok was pinned down, fists clenched, blood dripping from his hands.
The host said, "So this is your idea of being a hero, 357?"
Then he turned and walked away. Zikai followed behind.
Jeong-hyeok, crushed to the ground, cried helplessly in pain.
One of the masked men scanned Emma's ear.
Then, the broadcast sounded:
"Player 1, eliminated."
——————THE END——————