When the front man invited you into his room, you had prepared for him to say anything— anything but the words coming out of his mouth. It wasn't out of the ordinary for him to bring you into his room, you were his most trusted manager, after all. Normally, you would just talk about the game and listen to what he was complaining about, promising to fix it, but this time was different.

"So, you will be joining me. I need to make sure that I stay alive and I know that you are more than capable of protecting yourself and myself if needed."

I stared at him, trying to read his impassive face. Was he suggesting I risk my life for him? I shifted my weight on the leather couch. Of course, I had no power to object, but my pulse spiked at the thought. I was too young to die. I had agreed to oversee these games, not participate nor risk my life for them.

"With all due respect, sir, I feel like you can protect yourself. You know these games better than anyone and you have combat experience." I turned my gaze and looked out the window that stretched the entire wall's length. From my position up here, those that were playing red light green light looked like mere ants.

I took In-ho's silence as a que to keep talking. "Me? I have no experience what-so-ever. I probably couldn't even protect myself if a fight broke out during lights out!" I turned my body so that I was facing him head on. His expression remained emotionless, but I could see the wheels turning in his head.

"Yes, that is true..." He took a sip of his whiskey as he pondered, "But the chances that something physical would happen are slim, and I would be there to protect you, as well as the guards. I need you there to support me; to make sure that I don't say anything I would regret. Besides, it would be more fun playing with someone I actually like."

"Good, I knew I could count on you."

We both turned our attention towards the game infront of us. Most of the players had made it across, but there were a few stragglers and many dead bodies littered on the floor. That was not something I missed about being a circle guard: cleaning up the dead bodies. I did get used to it after a while, but the initial shock of having to touch someone who was alive moments ago was nauseating. The smell of the corpse and the blood on my hands was something I would never forget.

I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts. There were 20 seconds left on the clock and about 10 players still remaining. There was no way they were going to make it. I turned towards In-ho, desperate for a distraction from their inevitable fates.

"So what are the games going to be again?" Of course, I knew, but it would ease my nerves hearing him say it.

He took another sip of whiskey before answering. "After this game it will be the pentathlon, mingle, dongdaemun, tuho, and finally, squid game.

I felt confident with pretty much all of them. I figured we would team up for the pentathlon and mingle so we would both survive. Dongdaemun was more luck based, but the managers would ensure that we would both be okay. Tuho, on the other hand, would be tricky. If we managed to pair up, one of us would have to win and continue on. The only point of me joining was so that we would be playing together. If one of us had to die, that would defeat the purpose.

After some deliberation I decided to ask, "what happens if one of us gets out?"

This seemed to stump him too. Furrowing his brows, he brought his hand to his face, clearly trying to think of an answer.

"Well, that hopefully won't be an issue until tuho as we will be able to manage until then." I nodded as he continued. "If one of us gets out then the other should try to get out as soon as possible. I don't want either of us being harmed or killed by another player."

I swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on me. The thought of being left alone with the bloodthirsty players was enough to make my heart race.

"Ok, but what happens if we both make it to squid game? We can't win, but we also want to survive."

It seemed that he already thought about this, as he answered quickly. "We will just have to get out before the final game. That won't be too hard to figure out when the time comes. We can just go to the bathroom and have one of the guards announce our death by— say—food poisoning."

"Sounds like a plan."

I took one last glance out the window. The players had finished their game and were watching as the circle guards cleaned up the bodies of their peers. I secretly dreaded being so close to death, but I had to endure it. It's not like it was something it was unfamiliar with. Both my parents had overdosed, leaving me with their crippling debt. At 18, I had no choice but to enter the game as a guard, cleaning up corpses for a living. I was promoted and promoted again, until I managed to become the front man's assistant. Now, several years later, I dread remembering those times where all I knew was blood and death.

The guards started leading the players back towards the main hall. One by one, they exited. Some spared a glance at the fallen players, others looked forward, opting to forget what they had witnessed.

"We need to enter the games when everyone is distracted so they dont notice us." He stood and walked towards his room, keeping his black, geometrical mask on his side table. "There is a jumpsuit for you in the bathroom, come out when you are done changing."

He entered his room and shut the door behind him. I walked towards the bathroom and mirrored his movements: shutting the door to change. This was not the first time I had been in this bathroom, but everytime it shocked me with how luxurious it was. It had a modern vibe, the counters and shower wall were covered in a dark marble and the floor was made of quartz. There were no overhead lights, but bright leds underneath the counter and lining the walls.

I walked towards the counter and noticed a bright green jumpsuit laying on it. Hesitantly, I took off my pink uniform and changed into the players' outfit. It was the perfect size, but it was still uncomfortable. I ran my hands over the fabric, trying to smooth out the wrinkles until I came upon a patch on my chest: 002.

I looked at myself in the mirror. It was rather unusual to see myself without my square mask and pink outfit. My eyes had bags underneath them and my cheeks were slightly flushed, but it didn't make me look bad, rather, it made me look more human. Something this place was missing was humanity, something I wasn't afraid to acknowledge.

I figured that since I wouldn't be able to access a shower for a few days, the best hairstyle would be a braid. Thankfully, since I had to care for myself most of my life, I was able to do it fairly quickly, but not before In-ho knocked at my door.

"Hurry up, we need to get down there."

"Ok, just a second!" I called out, finishing my braid and washing my hands. I ran my wet hands through my hair to dry them and opened up the door.

I stopped in my tracks as In-ho's firm gaze landed on mine, pinning me in place. His eyes traveled down my body, assessing me with an unusual expression. His eyes flickered with something unreadable before meeting my gaze.

"What?" I said, a hint of defensiveness was evident in my voice, but he either didn't care or didn't notice.

"You look... different. I am used to your pink uniform."

"You look different too, but you don't see me staring."

He did look different , though not bad at all. His black suit that he normally wore covered his body head to toe, which was a crime with how good he looked. He was still rather muscular and lean despite his age. Although the green didn't look flattering on anyone, he somehow managed to pull it off.

"Well then, what are you doing now?" He asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

I scoffed, turning away from him trying to stop the blush spreading to my cheeks.

"Come on, we need to go." He walked towards the door and held it open, letting me out before shutting it behind him.

We walked through the colorful labyrinth, navigating each turn with precision. "I came up with a backstory for us, so just play along when the time comes." He muttered under his breath as we came closer towards the main hall. We were close enough that we could hear one of the managers explaining the rules of the game. It was only a matter of time before people started begging to leave. I did pity those who wanted to leave, but alas, it was their decision to join.

"Come up with an alias, but make it believable." He was silent for a few moments as he listened to the players who were now complaining about how they wanted to leave.

"Also, don't stand near me until I approach you."

I scoffed under my breath. This would've been stuff to tell me before, not as we were just about to start playing. From the cover of the door we were able to watch as the manager explained the rules of voting.

Right before we entered the room under the distraction of the piggy bank, In-ho turned towards me with a small smirk on his face.

"One last thing, Y/N, good luck."

And with that the door was silently opened and we slipped in the room, undiscovered by the players who were entranced by the piggy bank.