(POV 001/In-ho/Young-il)

BANG BANG BANG

Several gunshots announced the fatal end of the pentathlon's first round - 10 Players just got executed. I felt not a single emotion as I saw their bodies falling to the ground, I only saw scum that had failed everything in life. Carefully I gave Gi-hun a side-eye and I could instantly tell that he felt the complete opposite. He desperately watched the dead bodies of humans he couldn't have saved. I imagined seeing through his eyes, I wondered how it would be, seeing the world the way he did. Against my will I admired him, I had to admit it. On one side it was sad, seeing a man with such a blurred vision, someone believing that there was more to the world than a cruel place when there clearly was nothing more than selfishness left on earth. But at the same time I caught myself that I wanted him to be right. 456 had been unshakably following his goals and I knew that he wouldn't give up until he had proven his point of view.

'Bullshit' I thought. 'Not a single player here cares about more than himself.' I turned away to contemptuously watch the next group.

They were probably the five weakest of them all – of course teamed up together because no one of the others had been willing to help them. It was the mother and her son, the trans-woman, a girl shaking so bad in fear that she almost tripped and the crazy shaman woman. I exhaled and already imagined them pierced by several bullets.

To my big surprise they passed all of the first three games at the second or third try – they had more structure than the team before them and were motivating each other instead of accusing. Suddenly I noticed a change in the atmosphere around us: people began to shout together with the group at every step they made "HAWK TUAH, HAWK TUAH" and were raising their fists in the air cheering on them. But the biggest change I realized within myself. For a moment I felt attached to their emotions, I felt the hopeful cheering of the crowd. Just for a moment I was one of them. I couldn't stop myself joining in the cheering "HAWK TUAH" and every thought that could've held me back was blown away. When the group passed the finish line with barely a second left I wasn't the frontman anymore. Without any exception the crowd bursted into joyful screaming and I couldn't help it but join in while I made a happy jump, my arms high up in the air. Next to me I saw Gi-hun screaming as loud as I did and I was carried away by my emotions when I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and turning my body to him so we faced each other. We looked in each other's eyes while we shared that moment of success, both nothing more than players, sticking all together.

The group was escorted back to the dormitory and the cheering stopped. I was still staring into Gi-hun's eyes, unable to turn away from his gaze. 'Holy hell, In-ho, get your shit together', I told myself and focused on the following teams.