(POV Gi-hun)

"Witness the consequences of your little game." The Frontman's gun was aimed directly at my brain but I didn't fear death. I had lost. We had lost. Everyone who had participated the rebellion was probably dead. Dead like Young-il. Thinking his name caused me pain, hearing his last words through the walkie-talkie had torn my heart to pieces. It was the moment when I knew that it was all over, that I failed, that all of us had died for nothing because of me.

I stared the Frontman directly in the face, ready to die, when he suddenly aimed at Jung-bae. 'NO', was the only thing coming to my mind while I watched in terror what was about to happen.

"Gi-hun", Jung-bae whispered – then the Frontman shot him. His body collapsed to the ground and I heard myself screaming. I wanted to get to him and at the same time I wanted to get revenge on the man who killed my friend and also the man I...deeply had cared about. I didn't stand a chance. Triangle-guards tackled me down and pushed my face to the ground while the Frontman and his accomplice disappeared. I tried to fight with all my strength until suddenly someone pressed a handkerchief against my mouth and nose. I immediately got dizzy and noticed an odd chemical smell – before I could even think of fighting the dizziness I lost consciousness and fell into the darkness.

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Young-il...Jung-bae... Dae-ho... Sae-byeok... Sang-woo... Il-nam... Names kept echoing in my head, names of beloved people I had lost. I slowly opened my eyes, expecting to still lay on the ground, watching the dead body of my friend, held by guards, the place where I lost consciousness – but it wasn't the case. As I carefully sat up, I realized that I had been sleeping in a bed, big and comfortable. My eyes got used to the darkness and I found myself in a room: not much furniture, nothing but the bed and a small table to be precise, and a fireplace inside the wall. I immediately got up and searched for logs in the fireplace, something I could possibly use as a weapon – but there were none. 'They're not as stupid as they seem', I thought bitterly. I found a switch on the wall and turned on a dimmed light. As I looked down on myself I was surprised: I expected myself to be dirty and smeared with blood, but I couldn't find any trace of it. I still wore the clothes with No 456 but they were tidy and not at all perforated – someone had changed them. Confused I rolled up my sleeve and realized that even the wound at my arm, where the bullet had hit me, had been taken care about. I had no idea what those people's deal was but they surely needed therapy. I touched the doorknob, trying to open it – 'Locked. Of course' – when from the outside I heard a voice yelling:

"...SIMPLY INSUFFICIENT! HOW COULD YOU NOT PAY ATTENTION, HOW COULD YOU LET THEM SURPRISE YOU!? UNARMED PLAYERS FIRST OVERPOWERING YOU AND THEN ALMOST REACHING THE CONTROL ROOM, ARE YOU FCKING KIDDING ME?! ARE YOU AWARE WHAT COULD'VE HAD HAPPENED?" I recognized the robotic voice instantly, it seemed to be the Frontman reprimanding his staff. This was so absurd that I could've found it funny if the situation hadn't been so serious. I pressed my ear against the door as the Frontman continued barking:

"AND WHO CAME UP WITH THAT SECURITY CONCEPT? DID IT NOT COME TO YOUR MINDS THAT A LACK LIKE THIS IS TOTALLY INADEQUATE? YOU WERE PLAYED BY A HANDFUL PEOPLE AND IT COULD'VE ENDED ALL DIFFERENTLY IF I HADN'T INTERVENED!"

"But Sir, we..."

"I WILL HEAR NO MORE PATHETIC ATTEMPTS AT JUSTIFICATION. Management, begin with the preparations for the next vote. DISMISSED!"

I swallowed; the Frontman seemed to be in an extremely bad mood. I turned away from the door, expecting the conversation to be over, when I heard the Frontman continue:

"You! Bring No 456 his breakfast. And you're taking care that he actually eats it, understood? I will see him right after."

"Yes boss... but he might not want to eat, he could be stubborn after everyth..."

"I DON'T CARE HOW STUBBORN HE IS!", the Frontman yelled and this time no one dared to contradict.

I moved back from the door, unable to make a clear thought. Right after the doorknob turned and a masked guard entered with a tray.

"No 456, breakfast.", he announced short-handed. "The Frontman will talk to you as soon as you'll be finished."

"How do I know you did not poison this", I snorted contemptuously, determined to not make it easy for them. The guard sighed.

"No 456, if the Frontman wanted you dead you'd simply be dead. And we know much more efficient methods than food poisoning. Now eat." Provocatively I shook my head.

"You're all criminals. You really think you can kill my friends and then you turn up with breakfast here?! I want to speak to the Frontman now!" The guard slammed the tray on the table and stood close to me in a threatening way.

"Listen here, you little sh!t. None of us knows what's his deal with you but the orders were clear: alive and unharmed. And I am clearly not getting punished when you die because of hunger, so you will eat for heck's sake, even if I must shove it down your throat. You will see the Frontman after!" Without another word the guard left the room and I rolled my eyes. I was stubborn but had to admit that I didn't have a choice. Besides I hadn't eaten much in a while and I would need my strength, especially when I would meet the Frontman after. I started to eat and got carried away by my thoughts. 'Alive and unharmed'... weird. Why would the boss of all evil want me to be alive? To torture me maybe – but unharmed? Why the hell did I get special treatment? I was sure that he knew that it was me who had been inciting the rebellion.

As soon as I had finished my breakfast the door opened again, a guard appeared and his gun pointed at me. "No 456, follow me." I was escorted through some corridors until we stopped in front of a massive black door. The guard opened and as I entered I saw him, the man with the black mask.

"No 456. So we meet again."