It was blinding.
For a moment, I thought I'd died.
The ceiling was impossibly white, lit with a sterile brightness that made me squint. Rows of massive lights hummed above, casting a sharp glow across the wide, industrial room.
Then I heard the noise.
Coughing. Shuffling. Whispers. Heavy breathing.
I wasn't alone.
As my eyes adjusted, I sat up — or more like stumbled up — and realized I was lying on a hard mattress, tucked into a metal frame several stories high. Dozens of stacked beds surrounded me in rows that stretched across the cavernous space.
Hundreds of people were waking up at once.
I looked down over the edge and carefully climbed the ladder. The moment my bare feet hit the cold floor, I saw it:
A massive digital screen.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMaGYVuP1YZ
Bold red numbers blinked on display:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvR1Al5ACJ
456 PLAYERS
My mouth went dry.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQ0FwlUviR
Where the hell was I?
Before I could even process it, a loud voice rose from a few beds to the left.
"Give it BACK, asshole!"
Two men — Players 191 and 288 — were already fighting. One had a busted lip. The other was gripping a rolled-up wad of money in his fist, swearing back like a madman.
"You said you'd pay me back before the end of the month!"12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPm7NBJdw9z
"I thought I'd be dead by now, how was I supposed to—"12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIHLorN2Np
"You will be dead if you don't give it back!"
I winced as the yelling escalated. Others were backing away, staring. A few looked amused. Most looked afraid.
Then I heard a calm, tired voice beside me.
"Here we go again," the man said. "Already too old to be fighting over money."
I turned.
He was tall, a bit scruffy, with a tired expression like he'd seen all this before. His player number was 456.
Something about him felt... familiar.
Had I seen him on the streets before? Maybe in passing?
He gave me a half-shrug, then looked back toward the fight like it didn't even surprise him.
I didn't know it yet, but I had just met Seong Gi-hun — the man who once won the Games.
In the far corner of the room, someone else was watching too — not with judgment, but with silence.
Player 218.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGST0oquzaq
His arms were crossed. His eyes unreadable.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTX7Rqbeez5
He stood still as a statue, letting the chaos unfold while saying absolutely nothing.
There was something about him that felt... off. Not evil. Not good. Just unreadable.
He didn't blink during the fight. He didn't flinch.
Like he was here for something else entirely.
Then came the footsteps.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Every player turned as masked guards in red uniforms poured into the room from steel doors above the staircase.
They marched in eerie unison. Guns strapped to their chests. Faces hidden by black masks.
One of them, likely the leader, stepped forward and spoke through a distorted speaker.
"Welcome, players.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKilPxERbfQ
You have all been brought here due to severe financial hardship.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVluNQrjoB0
You have chosen to participate in a series of games.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW25VK7YfRM
If you win all six, you will receive the prize money.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aLowNJrQV
If you break the rules or refuse to play... you will be eliminated.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhl2XLVXm95
The first game will begin shortly."
A murmur ran through the crowd.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mvQLdyAIC
Some laughed nervously.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UT1EqyQb3
Others froze.
"Games? Like... children's games?" someone whispered.
But no one had time to ask further. The guards turned and exited as fast as they came.
Nearby, I noticed a large man with tattoos and wild eyes laughing to himself.
He was built like a tank. Slouched. High as hell.
Player 230 — Thanos, someone called him.
He was talking to himself, pacing like he didn't even know where he was.
Behind him, a man — followed in his footsteps like a lost puppy.
Nam-Gyu.
He didn't speak, just trailed after Thanos with a notebook clutched tightly in his hands. I wasn't sure if they were friends, or if Nam-Gyu was just latching on to the biggest presence in the room.
Either way, Thanos didn't seem to mind.
"Yo," Thanos suddenly grinned, throwing an arm around a shy boy standing nearby. "You look like you need a bro."
The boy blinked at him, startled. He had soft eyes and a nervous energy that practically vibrated off his skin.
Player 125 — Min-Su.
He flinched slightly, but didn't pull away.
Thanos chuckled, ruffling his hair roughly. "Yeah, you're my bro now."
Nam-Gyu scribbled something in his notebook. Still silent. Still attached at the hip.
And strangely, none of it felt threatening.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LWwSXJw1t
Weird... yes.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDz9ZrGzHe
Dangerous? Not yet.
I stood in the middle of it all.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBVhkWbZ59
456 strangers.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfifhxWxtgw
One huge room.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcw0RIEU10D
And not a single escape door in sight.
I looked down.
For the first time, I noticed the number stitched to my jumpsuit:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWeErTOY1f
324
That's when it hit me.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDU0AYNI9Yu
This was real.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxWyc7BmsE
This was happening.
And something told me this wasn't going to be just games.
As I stood there trying to take it all in, I noticed Gi-hun stiffen next to me.
His head tilted. His eyes locked on someone a few beds away.
"...Jung-Bae?" he muttered, like he couldn't believe it.
I followed his gaze.
A gruff-looking man in his late forties was leaning against a bedpost, arms crossed, eyes scanning the room like a hawk. He looked like he didn't trust a single person here — and honestly, that was probably smart.
But when Gi-hun called out to him, the man blinked and turned.
They stared at each other for a long second.
"No way," Gi-hun said, walking toward him. "You? Here? What the hell are you doing in this place?"
Jung-Bae exhaled slowly, pushing himself off the post.
"I could ask you the same thing," he replied, voice gravelly but calm. "Didn't expect to see you in a prison for the desperate."
Gi-hun gave him a crooked grin, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Yeah, well... I thought I left this behind." He leaned in closer. "But you? You don't even know what this place is, do you?"
Jung-Bae narrowed his eyes. "All I know is I'm broke and out of options. What the hell are you talking about?"
Gi-hun hesitated, then leaned back. "Nothing. Just... be careful."
Jung-Bae didn't respond. He just gave him a short nod and looked away again, analyzing the others with the same silent suspicion.
Something told me he wouldn't trust anyone — not even Gi-hun.
Across the room, a deep laugh echoed.
Thanos again.
He was stumbling over his own feet, half-laughing, half-mumbling things no one could understand.
Nam-Gyu followed just behind him, small, silent, and watchful. He scribbled something quickly in his notebook — a habit I was beginning to recognize.
Min-Su walked a few paces behind both of them, visibly trying not to make eye contact with anyone.
His shoulders were hunched, eyes darting every which way. He looked like he wanted to disappear.
"Yo, brooo," Thanos said, spinning around suddenly and wrapping an arm around Min-Su's neck. Min-Su flinched but didn't resist.
"I'm thinking we're the dream team, huh? Me, you, and little mute-kid here." He jabbed a thumb at Nam-Gyu, who stared up at him blankly.
Min-Su stammered, "I-I'm not really good at... teams—"
"Exactly!" Thanos shouted. "That's why I'm the muscle. You're the brains. And Nam-Gyu? He's the... emotional support pet."
Nam-Gyu blinked twice. Then went back to writing in his notebook.
I wasn't sure if Thanos actually liked them or was just too high to tell the difference between friend and follower.
Either way, they didn't seem scared of him.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpR1FoTrRGa
Yet.
Then I saw her.
A woman standing with her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach.
Player 222. Kim Jun-Hee.
Her belly wasn't huge, but it was visible enough. She looked maybe six months pregnant. Her jaw was tight, her expression tired, but there was something steady in her gaze.
Like she wasn't going to let anything — or anyone — stop her from making it out alive.
Thanos whistled low as he passed her.
"Damn, girl," he smirked. "I didn't know they were letting two of you in. You come with a roommate in there or what?"
Jun-Hee glared at him without a word.
He leaned in slightly. "Listen, I don't mind the third wheel. Makes the team cuter."
"Back off," she said coolly.
Thanos just chuckled and gave a fake salute. "Respect, mama bear. You've got claws."
Jun-Hee turned her back to him and walked away slowly, one hand on her lower back.
Min-Su stared after her, then looked up at Thanos.
"You... probably shouldn't have said that."
Thanos blinked. "Why? It was a compliment." Then he burst out laughing again.
Nam-Gyu calmly held up his notebook and showed him something he had written.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvVt1ljREz
It just said:12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzd1GhImi98
"You're gonna die first."
Thanos squinted at it, then cackled even louder. "Yeah? Put that in my obituary, kid."
I watched them from a distance.
This place wasn't normal.12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrNz2GTDAI
These people weren't normal.
But somehow, I had a feeling they were going to matter more than I ever expected.
I couldn't take it anymore.
Thanos had already made a show of himself. But mocking a pregnant woman? In a place like this?
Jun-Hee didn't need to say anything. Her eyes said enough. She was tired. Pushed to her limit already.
I stepped forward.
"Leave her alone," I said sharply.
Thanos turned to me, a grin spreading across his face like a wildfire.
"Ohhh," he crooned, raising his eyebrows. "We got a hero in here."
I held my ground. "It's not funny. Back off."
He paused, blinking a few times like he was actually processing it. Then he tilted his head... and started chuckling.
"Ohhhh shiiit, I like you," he laughed. "Spicy little mouth on you, huh? You tryna fight or flirt?"
I rolled my eyes. "Neither."
But he was already pacing in circles like he was on a stage.
"Yo, yo, yo—listen up, players in the dome," he said, arms wide. "Big T and Sassy Queen about to take this place home—"12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa49XEi1NCG
He suddenly broke into a terrible freestyle rap:
"Got numbers on our necks,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gBIIdZysr
But baby we ain't pets,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdNwrbYSCG
This girl got bite and bark,12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuiULHUvCy
Just wait till the lights go dark!"
Nam-Gyu, standing nearby, snorted — actually snorted — and tried to hide it behind his sleeve.
Thanos turned to him instantly. "My boy!! You feelin' the bars?"
Nam-Gyu shyly nodded, then started bouncing slightly like he was catching a rhythm. He didn't speak, but he pantomimed beatboxing softly, just enough for Thanos to notice.
"Ohhhh shiiiiiit!" Thanos threw an arm around him. "See?! My hype man. Silent but deadly."
Min-Su, standing off to the side, looked like he wanted to sink into the floor.
I took a breath, staring at them, and then at Jun-Hee, who met my gaze with a small nod. Not a thank you — more like a quiet acknowledgement.
That was enough.
Somewhere far above us, a horn echoed through the room.
We all looked up at once.
One of the guards, masked and dressed in red, stepped onto a platform.
"Attention, players," a voice boomed. "The first game will begin shortly. Please prepare yourselves."
Silence fell like a shadow over everyone.
Even Thanos stopped laughing.
I looked around the room. People shifted uncomfortably. Some whispered. Some prayed.
And then I saw him again.
Player 218 standing alone near the edge of the room.
Hands in pockets. Face unreadable — like stone. But not cold. Almost... lost.
His eyes met mine for a second.
Blank. Vulnerable.
And then he looked away.
I didn't know his name yet.
But something about him made the hairs on my neck rise.
12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9t381404QG
