The door opened. Masked men walked in, carrying a coffin-shaped box.
Soo-mi looked at them, confused.
She turned her head to Jung-hyuk's bed—blood had soaked the entire mattress. Soo-mi wept silently.
Zhen-yan said nothing, just watching her.
The radio sounded:"Player 357, eliminated."
Player 81 looked at the screen: "3 players."Prize money: "45.3 billion."
The masked men placed Jung-hyuk's body into the coffin and closed the lid.
The three remaining players watched the coffin being carried away. Suddenly, they noticed that small knives had appeared in front of each of their beds.
They glanced at one another, then silently pocketed the knives.
Soon, they arrived outside the final game arena.
A Masked Man announced:"Player 18, Player 81, and Player 329—welcome to the final game."
He took out a box and said:"Before the game begins, each of you will draw a ball."
Zhen-yan reached in and pulled out a red ball.
Soo-mi drew a blue ball.
Player 81 drew a yellow ball.
The Masked Man explained:
"Player 18: Ice.Player 329: Water.Player 81: Normal."
Then the door opened. The three followed the masked man into the arena.
They arrived at the same field where they'd first played "Red Light, Green Light."
The Masked Man declared:"The final, sixth game is Ice and Water."
VIP 1 commented:"Ice and Water? Didn't that just become popular last year?"
Oh Il-nam replied:"That's right. But it's now considered a childhood game for modern kids."
Inside the arena, the Masked Man explained the rules:
"Rule one: Ice – the chaser. Touch all Water players to win.Rule two: Water – the rescuer. Touch players frozen by Ice to rescue them.Rule three: Normal – the runner. Avoid being caught by Ice.
Rule four: If any role (Ice, Water, or Normal) becomes unable to continue, the other remaining role(s) win.
Unable to continue refers to death."
Soo-mi asked in shock:"Unable to continue... does that mean... death?"
The Masked Man calmly answered:"Yes. It means the player dies."
Player 81 smiled at Soo-mi.
The Masked Man then said:"Time limit is ten minutes, the game starts now"
The three players took their starting positions. The countdown began.
Zhen-yan pulled out his hidden knife and rushed toward Player 81.
81 ran for his life.
Soo-mi stood frozen, unsure of what to do.
81 stopped and shouted at Zhen-yan:"Wait, wait, wait! Shouldn't we kill the girl first?"
Zhen-yan asked:"What good would that do? Only one of us can survive in the end."
81 said:"Let's kill her first. Then it's 1v1 — a man's duel, fair and square."
Zhen-yan hesitated, then nodded.
Together, they slowly approached Soo-mi.
She brandished her knife, waving it nervously.
81 suddenly charged:"F*** you!"
Just as he was about to stab Soo-mi, Zhen-yan tackled him to the ground and stabbed him in the heart.
Zhen-yan stood up, staring at Soo-mi.
Soo-mi stared back in shock.
She waved her knife:"D-Don't come any closer."
Zhen-yan glanced at the timer — 5 minutes and 36 seconds.
Suddenly, heavy rain began pouring from the sky.
In the VIP stands, VIP 3 said:"It's raining at just the right time."
Zhen-yan said to Soo-mi:"Remember when we were little?No matter what I did, Mom always made me give in to you.Ever since you were born, their attitude toward me changed.They didn't care about me anymore.I've had enough.If you weren't my mother's child… I would've killed you a long time ago."
Then he charged at her.
Soo-mi slashed across his face.Zhen-yan stabbed toward her, but she dodged and fell.He went for her leg—she rolled away and kicked him in the face.
Gasping, Soo-mi said:"Mom wasn't trying to be unfair. She told me…She didn't want you to always obey her.She wanted you to form your own opinions…So you wouldn't be bullied by others in the real world."
Zhen-yan stood up:"And you think… saying that will stop me from killing you?"
He lunged at her, knocked her down, and punched her face repeatedly.
Soo-mi stopped resisting.
Zhen-yan raised the knife to stab her—
—but paused midair.
He dropped the knife.Then looked at the timer: 1 minute and 9 seconds.
Sitting down beside her, he said:"Remember this place?Where we played our first game.Back then, we didn't know the games would kill people.I wanted to forget our fights… Just play a happy game with you."
30 seconds left.
Zhen-yan said:
"Honestly… As a kid, I didn't hate you.I just… wanted Mom's approval."
Soo-mi struggled to her feet:"Time's almost up. Just kill me."
10-second countdown began.
Zhen-yan cried:"Soo-mi… As your big brother… I'm sorry."
Beep.
Time's up.
A Masked Man approached.
Soo-mi rushed to stop him:"No! Don't kill him! I should be the one to die! Please, don't!"
The Masked Man dragged Soo-mi away…
…and shot Zhen-yan.
BANG.
Zhen-yan collapsed.
The rain poured, but Soo-mi knew clearly— the wetness on her face wasn't rain.
It was tears.
Scene shift, Soo-mi stood at the ATM with her bank card.She entered the password: 0329.
The machine spit out cash.
She stared blankly at the remaining balance— an amount she could never earn in her lifetime.
The next day
Soo-mi stood before her parents' graves.
She wiped away the dust and looked at the photo of her parents and a child.
"Dad… Mom… My child… I miss you all."
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
The day after that
December 31, 2020.
Just before midnight.The city was alive with countdown celebrations.
Soo-mi listened to the noise outside.
She quietly climbed onto a chair…choosing the same escape as Il-hoon's mother.
Meanwhile, Oh Il-nam stood atop a tall building, gazing at the crowd in the distance.
They began counting down:
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0."
Fireworks burst into the sky, lighting it up in dazzling colors.
Il-nam stood in the cold wind, then turned and walked into the darkness.
———————THE END———————