"The time when my life changed was when I entered those damn games... It feels like the world hasn't been the same since, and I'm not sure I'll ever recover."
Saera sat across from the judge, her voice low but steady. The judge nodded, scribbling something down, before looking up at her again.
"Start from the beginning. We need everything, if we're going to track down the island."
Saera's eyes darkened as her mind pulled her back into the past — to the moment before it all began.
My name is Saera Han, and this is my story.
My life used to be hard. Now it's just unrecognizable.
It all started because of my younger brother. Do-yoon was only seventeen. He didn't deserve the pain he was going through. He had gotten tangled in some debts with dangerous men — the kind who don't forget what you owe, even if you're sick and dying.
And Do-yoon was sick. He had started coughing up blood. It stained his pillow at night, and no matter what I did, I couldn't afford the hospital bills. Our parents had died in an explosion just a year before, and since then, it was just the two of us.
I tried everything. Job applications. Begging. Selling what little we had left.
Nothing worked.
That's when my friend Jina came up with the idea.
The Horse Track – One Week Earlier
"You're gonna hate this," Jina said, dragging me through the crowd. Her perfume mixed with the thick stench of cigarettes and cheap beer.
"What is this place?" I asked, already regretting it.
"Horse track. Don't freak out. We're not here to bet big. Just watch."
Jina was always like this. Chaotic. Bold. Reckless. The exact opposite of me. But she cared. She always had my back, even when I didn't ask her to.
I stood stiffly at the edge of the betting ring while Jina confidently walked up to a booth.
"Lucky Number 6. 100,000 won."
My eyes widened. "Jina— that's insane!"
She waved me off. "Relax. I've been watching these races for months. Trust me. If this works, it's for your brother's surgery. Got it?"
I nodded slowly. "Got it."
We watched as the horses lined up. My heartbeat thudded in my ears louder than the announcer's voice.
Then the gates opened.
Number 6 stumbled at first, and my heart sank.
But then—11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2CDXDheA9
He surged forward. Fast. Fierce. Unstoppable.
He crossed the finish line seconds before the others.
We won.
Jina let out a scream and grabbed me in a hug. "YES! That's it, Saera! We're saved!"
We barely had time to celebrate.
Because the second we walked away from the counter, two men in leather jackets blocked our path.
One of them had a scar across his cheek. The other wore a smug grin.
"You Saera Han?" Scarface asked.
My blood ran cold. "...Yeah?"
"You have a brother, right? Han Do-yoon?"
Jina stepped protectively in front of me, but the taller man pushed her aside.
"Your brother owes money," he said. "A lot of it. And guess what? When he doesn't pay, we collect from you."
I clenched my fists. "I'm trying to help him—"
"Not good enough," Scarface snapped. "We saw you win just now. That money's ours."
"Like hell it is," Jina growled.
Then I ran.
We bolted through the crowd. Past security. Through the back gates. My lungs burned, and Jina screamed for me to keep going.
They chased us all the way to the subway station. I didn't stop until we were safely on the train, the doors shutting just before the men reached us.
Jina collapsed into a seat, panting. "They're serious, Saera. This is bigger than I thought."
I looked down at the crumpled envelope in my hands. The winnings. Enough for Do-yoon's surgery. Maybe.
But now they were after us. And this time, they wouldn't just threaten.
That Night
Back home, Do-yoon was burning up again. Coughing blood into a napkin, pale and shaking.
"I'll figure it out," I whispered, kneeling by his side.
He looked at me, eyes hollow. "Please hurry..."
"I will," I said, stroking his hair. "I promise."
But even as I said it, I had no idea how.
Back in the Courtroom – Present Day
Saera sat quietly, her fists clenched in her lap.
"That's when it all began," she whispered. "That's when the card showed up."
The judge leaned forward. "What card?"
She swallowed. "The invitation... to the Game."
It was the next night when I found it.
After checking on Do-yoon, I went out to get some medicine from the 24-hour pharmacy. I was exhausted. My body felt like it was running on leftover stress and adrenaline from the chase at the racetrack.
The street was nearly empty when I turned the corner toward the pharmacy... and stopped.
A man in a dark coat stood ahead, under the flickering glow of a streetlight. He was holding something — a rectangular card — and he smiled like he knew me.
I blinked. "Can I help you?"
He walked up slowly, his movements calm. "You looked like someone in need of a second chance."
I hesitated. "Do I know you?"
He held out the card between two fingers.
It was beige, simple. A square. A circle. A triangle.
No name. No contact. Just symbols.
I didn't move. I didn't take it.
"What is this?" I asked.
He smiled wider. "A game. One that could change everything."
I frowned. "Not interested."
"Think about it," he said, tucking the card into the front pocket of my coat without permission. "For your brother's sake."
I opened my mouth to protest, but he was already gone.
Gone — like smoke in the dark.
Back in my apartment, I stared at the card for hours.
It had no address. No name. Just a number to call.
I should've thrown it away.
I should've burned it.
But instead... I called.
The Phone Call
The voice on the other end was mechanical, almost lifeless.
"To participate, press 1.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyytgmGsby
To decline, hang up now."
I hovered my thumb over the keypad.
Do-yoon coughed again from the bedroom. I could hear how bad it was even through the closed door.
I pressed 1.
"You will be picked up tomorrow at 11:45 PM.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUICrBO2Gky
Be at the corner of Sinjeong-ro and Baekseok Street.11Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMBIPoEUlc
Come alone."
The line went dead.
That Night
I didn't sleep.
I watched Do-yoon sleep instead — his lips dry, his face pale, his body curled up under our one decent blanket.
What kind of sister would I be if I didn't try?
Even if it was a scam. Even if it was dangerous.
If there was even a chance that I could win something... earn something...
...I had to try.
11:44 PM — The Street Corner
A black van pulled up, silent and slow.
The back door opened, and a man in a red jumpsuit and a black mask stepped out.
He didn't speak. Just nodded.
I stepped inside.
The door slammed shut.
Seconds later, I felt a sharp pain in my neck.
Then—
Darkness.
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