When Lee Jung-Hyuk was a child, whenever he didn't want to study, his parents would say, "What will you do in the future? In today's society, if you don't study, how will you find a job?"
Jung-Hyuk would always reply to his parents, "I don't need to study. I already know what I want to do in the future. I'm good at writing, so I'll write novels and make a lot of money."
His parents were already exhausted and said, "Do whatever you want, go be a writer. We won't interfere anymore."
It wasn't until he grew up that Jung-Hyuk realized his parents were telling the truth—without education, it was very hard to earn money.
One day, as usual, Jung-Hyuk was at home writing a novel. As a child, he believed that as long as he kept working hard, he would be rewarded. But after all his effort, not a single person showed interest in his novels, and no one wanted to sign a contract with him. His living expenses had always been supported by his wife.
When he first told her he was a writer,
she asked, "So you can make a lot of money?"
Jung-Hyuk said, "Yes. But only if someone signs a contract with me."
She replied, "It's fine, I'm willing to wait. Before you make big money, I can support you."
Jung-Hyuk wrote many works, but still, no one was interested.
He longed to have a child, but because of his financial situation, he never dared to bring it up with his wife.
One day, they had a huge fight, and she left him.
Now, with no financial support, Jung-Hyuk just wished someone would notice his work.
Without his wife's help, Jung-Hyuk started borrowing money. At first, it was only 100,000 won, but since he could never pay it back, over time it accumulated to 100 million won.
Using the last money in his bank account, he bought a subway ticket and went to a bridge. Looking down at the endless river below, he thought, If I jump, maybe I can be free.
Just as he was about to climb over the edge, a man in a suit stood in front of him.
The man in the suit asked, "Do you want to play a game with me? If you win, I'll give you 100,000 won. If you lose, you give me 100,000 won."
As he spoke, he opened the suitcase in his hands. Jung-Hyuk was shocked to see it filled with cash and some folded paper cards.
The man continued, "Playing with cards—you know how, right?"
Jung-Hyuk snapped out of it and said, "Yes, yes, yes."
The game began. The man in the suit let Jung-Hyuk go first. Jung-Hyuk used all his strength to slam the card down, but it didn't flip. When it was the suited man's turn, he flipped it on the first try.
Just as Jung-Hyuk was about to run, the man said, "No money? Then we'll use slaps instead."
The man slapped Jung-Hyuk across the face, then they continued the game.
In the second round, Jung-Hyuk flipped the card. Delighted, he held out his hand. The suited man really did give him 100,000 won, leaving Jung-Hyuk speechless with joy.
They played a few more rounds, and Jung-Hyuk won 900,000 won in total. Looking at the money in his hands, he was overjoyed.
The suited man then said, "If you want to make more money, call this number."
He handed him a card. Jung-Hyuk looked at it but said nothing.
The man added, "Better hurry, or there won't be any spots left." With that, he walked away.
Jung-Hyuk didn't think much about it, bought a subway ticket, and went home.
When he got home, he picked up his phone and saw a message: someone was interested in his work. The message read, Meet at a restaurant tomorrow at 4 p.m. He danced with excitement.
The next day, he got ready early, eager for the moment to come.
At around 3:30, he left for the subway station. Just as he was about to board, a group of people dragged him into the restroom.
Their leader looked at Jung-Hyuk, who nervously said, "I have money, I have money."
They took the cash from his pocket, but the leader said, "Only 80,000? That's not enough."
Gasping, Jung-Hyuk said, "I'll pay you back, really."
"I'm giving you one last chance. Next time I see you, if you haven't paid me back, you're done for," the leader said before they left.
Jung-Hyuk immediately ran toward the subway, but it had already departed. Without hesitation, he sprinted out of the station, running like he was racing against time. When he arrived, he was already 15 minutes late. The person who was supposed to sign the contract with him said:
"Your work is very good, but you're too unpunctual. I'll give you this as a lesson. I hope you won't make the same mistake again."
He turned and left, leaving only an empty cup on the table.
Jung-Hyuk sincerely apologized, but it was too late.
Heartbroken, he went back to the subway station. As he boarded, he suddenly noticed a man in a suit sitting across from him—yes, it was the same suited man from yesterday. He was playing the same game with another person.
After the game, the other man took the card the suited man gave him, went home, tossed it on the table, and went to shower. Sitting on the sofa, Park Il-hoon saw it, picked it up out of curiosity, and noticed a phone number.
(Il-hoon was that man's son.)
Driven by uncontrollable teenage curiosity, he called the number. Using his father's name and date of birth, he signed up for the game. The person on the other end gave him a location and told him to wait there the next day.
Meanwhile, Jung-Hyuk returned home, looked at the card the suited man had given him yesterday, and dialed the number.
"Do you want to participate in the game? If you do, please state your name and date of birth," said the voice on the phone.
He replied, "Lee Jung-Hyuk, October 29, 1996."
The caller then gave Jung-Hyuk an address and told him to be there tomorrow night—they would pick him up.
The next day, using his last bit of money, Jung-Hyuk had dinner and went to the location to wait. Soon, a vehicle stopped in front of him, and the door opened. He got in. After a moment of silence, just as he was about to speak, smoke filled the car, and Jung-Hyuk passed out.
At the same time, Il-hoon lied to his father, saying he was going out with friends, and went to the designated place. He too got in the car, which soon filled with smoke.
When Jung-Hyuk woke up again, he was in an unfamiliar place. Looking around at the crowd, then down at his clothes, he saw the number "357" on them.
Il-hoon also woke up, saw the number "201" on his clothes, and felt uneasy in this strange environment.
As the crowd gathered in the middle, the door opened, and a group of masked men walked out.
Before they could speak, a man shouted angrily, "Why did you kidnap me and bring me here? Is this the game you were talking about?"
"Sorry, to ensure the safety of the game, we had no choice. We hope you understand," one of the masked men said.
After that, the crowd erupted into chaos. People began to panic, and Il-hoon was squeezed uncomfortably in the middle.
The masked man pressed a button on a remote and spoke:
"Player 123, Wu Ji-Xian, debt: 3 billion won.
Player 409, Jung Yun-Ho, debt: 4 billion won.
Player 300, Choi Ji-Heo, debt: 6 billion won.
Player 95, Kim Eun-Hye, debt: 46 million won.
Player 369, Kim So-Yeon, debt: 1.5 billion won.
Player 201, Park Myung-Woo, debt: 20 million won.
Everyone here is drowning in debt, unable to repay, standing on the edge of life. When we first approached you, you didn't believe us. But as you've seen, when we play a game, we keep our promise and give money. All of you voluntarily joined this game—there's no coercion. Now, we'll give you another chance to choose: go back and spend the rest of your life being chased by creditors, living like garbage, or seize the last opportunity we're offering."
The crowd fell silent.
Il-hoon had heard his father's name and couldn't believe he owed 20 million won.
A piggy bank appeared above everyone's heads.
"This is where your prize money will be kept," the masked man explained. "During the six games, after each one, the prize money will be added to this piggy bank."
Someone asked, "How much is the prize?"
"The total prize is 45.6 billion won," he replied.
Hearing the number, everyone looked shocked, including Jung-Hyuk.
The masked man continued, "If you want to participate, sign your name on the agreement in front of you. If you don't, let us know now. We'll always give you the chance to quit."
Jung-Hyuk looked at the form, hesitated for a long time, but finally signed his name.
Il-hoon read the rules carefully, then signed as well.
When Jung-Hyuk was zoning out on his bed, the player in the bed next to him—409—said, "Hello."
Jung-Hyuk politely replied, "Hello."
"Can I chat with you?" 409 asked.
Before Jung-Hyuk could answer, the masked men told them to line up and head somewhere.
They arrived at a place to take photos. Looking at the camera, Jung-Hyuk heard a voice say, "Smile."
In the headquarters, the host saw a photo and asked, "Why is there a minor participating in this game?"
A masked man with a circle on his mask replied, "Sorry, we didn't know he wasn't the actual person."
A masked man with a square mask asked, "What do we do now?"
The host said, "Continue the game."
After the photos, everyone followed the masked men. Along the way, 409 kept trying to talk to Jung-Hyuk.
Il-hoon spotted his father's friend, Wu Ji-Xian, number 123. He ran over, patted his shoulder, and said, "Hello, uncle."
Ji-Xian looked at him, then realized, "Why are you here? Where's your father—"
Before he could finish, they arrived at a huge playground.
A giant doll across from them said, "Welcome to the first game. Please wait on the field."
Jung-Hyuk looked at the giant doll in the distance and said to 409, "Look at that doll—it's so ridiculous."
409 replied, "Yeah, they have 45.6 billion won but made that doll—ridiculous."
As soon as they finished, the gate behind them closed.
The doll announced, "The first game is Green light, red light."
A few young people laughed. "Such an easy game? For 45.6 billion? This must be fake."
The doll continued, "Within five minutes, cross the finish line while avoiding detection by the 'tagger.'"
Ji-Xian said to Il-hoon, "You should be good at this kind of game."
Il-hoon smiled, "Not bad."
The doll turned around, and the game began. "Green light" — people moved slowly. "Red light" — everyone stopped. The doll's eyes began scanning.
Someone complained, "Hey, you stepped on my shoe."
The person behind pulled his foot back and said, "Oh, sorry, sorry."
The doll said, "Player 2, eliminated." Bang! Blood splattered onto another player's face before he could react. Horrified, he wiped it off, screamed, and tried to run—only to be shot mid-run.
After that, people started running one after another, with a few staying still.
Il-hoon said to Ji-Xian, "Don't move."
Nearby, Jung-Hyuk and 409 were shaken by the sudden gunfire and chaos, but Jung-Hyuk held onto 409 tightly, not letting him run in fear.
When all the runners had been shot, the doll repeated, "During 'Green light,' you may move. If detected moving after 'Red light,' you will be eliminated."
In another room, the host pressed a button, and a small toy began playing Fly Me to the Moon. He sat back, sipping wine, watching the players on screen.
Back on the field, the game continued: "Green light, red light. Green light, red light." After two rounds, no one dared move.
Il-hoon walked a few steps forward and said, "If you don't move, you'll be eliminated when time's up."
Only then did people start moving again. Some were eliminated mid-way, but Jung-Hyuk and 409 made it to the finish line. From the finish area, Jung-Hyuk spotted the same kid who had urged everyone to move, still in the crowd, and felt worried.
Finally, Il-hoon and Ji-Xian crossed the line safely.
When time was up, some players still hadn't crossed and were eliminated.
Just as people were catching their breath, something above them slowly began to close.