In the dormitory, everyone huddled together in fear. Lim Sang-hwan looked at Song Zhengli and No. 432 sitting opposite him and said, "Thank you… for saving me just now."
The two of them forced out slight smiles with gloomy expressions. No. 237 curled up on the side in fear.
At this moment, the door opened, and masked men walked out from behind it. Everyone stood up and stepped back a few steps; some even hid under the beds.
A masked man said, "Sincere congratulations to everyone for passing the first game. Now we will announce the results of the first game."
The masked man pressed the remote control, and the number on the screen kept dropping.
"456… 400… 350… 300… 250… " The number finally stopped at 199.
The masked man said, "Out of 456 people, 241 have been eliminated. 215 people have completed the first game."
Choi Jeo-rim sighed while thinking at the side. Sang-hwan froze in place after hearing the number of people who died.
At this moment, No. 334 ran out, knelt on the ground, and begged, "I beg you, let me go. My grandson was just born and hasn't even seen what his grandmother looks like!"
Seeing this, others began to follow. More and more people knelt on the ground and begged. The masked man said, "It seems everyone has misunderstood. We are not trying to harm you, nor are we here to collect debts. Let me reiterate, we are giving you an opportunity."
No. 45 cried and said, "An opportunity? Even my creditors wouldn't kill me when giving me a chance!"
Zhengli couldn't stand it anymore. He walked to the center of the dormitory, looked around at everyone, and said, "If I remember correctly, Clause 3 of the agreement states that the game can be terminated if a majority agrees."
After speaking, he looked at the masked man. The masked man calmly replied, "That's correct."
Zhengli continued, "Then let us decide whether to stay here or leave."
The masked man said, "We will follow your will… and proceed with a vote on whether to terminate the game."
After hearing this, everyone sighed in relief.
The masked man suddenly added, "Before the vote, I will first announce the prize money accumulated from the first game."
As he spoke, he pressed the remote. A large amount of money began pouring into the giant piggy bank. The surroundings dimmed, and golden light filled the entire dormitory. The people crouching on the ground stood up and watched the money continuously fall into the piggy bank.
Sang-hwan, Zhengli, No. 237, Jeo-rim, No. 432, No. 334, and No. 45 all looked up. Everyone became lost as they stared at the overflowing money.
The masked man said, "In the first game, 241 participants were eliminated. Each participant's prize value is 100 million won. Therefore, 24.1 billion won has been accumulated in the piggy bank. If you give up now, this 24.1 billion won will be distributed to the families of the eliminated participants, 100 million won per person, and all of you will leave empty-handed."
Everyone stared at the prize money, unable to pull themselves away.
The masked man continued, "Now, we will begin the vote."
He placed a device with two buttons in front of the main door and said, "You can see two buttons ahead. Press the green circle to continue the game. Press the red cross to terminate the game. After voting, please stand on the other side of the central white line. Voting will proceed in reverse order according to your numbers. Please, No. 456, begin."
Everyone looked at No. 456. He slowly walked to the device and, under everyone's gaze, pressed the circle button. Sang-hwan looked at him in confusion.
After a few people—
"No. 432."
No. 432 walked to the device, thought for a long time, and finally pressed the cross button.
"No. 334."
No. 334 walked to the device, looked at the masked man, then pressed the circle button.
"No. 258."
Sang-hwan walked to the device, turned to look at No. 237, then pressed the cross button.
"No. 237."
No. 237 walked to the device, turned to look at the piggy bank above, and finally pressed the cross button.
"No. 161."
Zhengli stepped forward. Looking at the buttons, he finally pressed the circle button. Sang-hwan stared at him in shock from afar. Zhengli lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
"No. 64."
No. 64 walked to the device and hesitated before pressing the cross button.
"No. 45."
No. 45 walked to the device and pressed the cross button without hesitation.
As fewer and fewer people remained on the left side, the score reached 99:99.
The masked man said, "Now only the last voter remains—No. 6."
Everyone turned to look at the only person standing on the left. No. 6 walked to the device under everyone's gaze. Everyone silently prayed. Sang-hwan closed his eyes.
Beep.
Sang-hwan opened his eyes. Seeing the score 99:100, he finally relaxed. Zhengli showed a disappointed expression. Although No. 237 had chosen the cross button, she seemed slightly down. No. 64 sighed. No. 334 looked angrily at those celebrating.
The masked man said, "A majority has voted to terminate the game. Therefore, this game ends here."
No. 334 ran out and said, "How can this be?! The other 99 of us still want to continue. You're just letting us go like this?!"
Hearing her words, a few others also stepped forward to protest.
The masked man said, "We bid you farewell with regret. However, we will not completely close the door of opportunity. If the majority wishes to restart the game, we will begin again at any time. Now, please take care."
After speaking, the masked man bowed.
On an empty street, a van stopped and threw Lim Sang-hwan and No. 432 out along with their clothes.
Sang-hwan lay on the ground, at a loss. No. 432 called out, "Hey, I'm here. Help me untie the rope on my hands."
Sang-hwan crawled toward the voice and used his teeth to untie the rope. After removing his blindfold, No. 432 helped Sang-hwan remove his rope and blindfold as well.
Sang-hwan picked up the clothes, sat up, and said, "Oh, my lifesaver."
No. 432 looked at the bag in his hand, then pointed at Sang-hwan's and said, "That bag is mine. This one is yours."
They exchanged bags and put on their clothes and pants.
No. 432 looked at Sang-hwan and said, "You look like you were just assaulted."
Sang-hwan smiled and said, "When I first met you, I thought you were a cold handsome guy. After getting to know you, I realized you're a pervert."
Both of them burst into laughter.
No. 432 asked, "Where do you live?"
Sang-hwan looked at the empty surroundings and said, "Anywhere but here."
No. 432 laughed and said, "I know this road. My clinic isn't far. How about staying there for a day?"
Sang-hwan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright."
On the other side, Song Zhengli and No. 45 were arranging their clothes.
Zhengli looked at No. 45's blank expression and asked, "Hey, little dummy, what's your name?"
No. 45 looked at him and said, "My name is Lee Taek-gyeol. Why do you call me little dummy?"
Zhengli smiled and said, "Because you look a bit silly."
Taek-gyeol retorted, "I'm not stupid. I was a top student in primary school, middle school, and university."
Zhengli frowned and asked, "Then why did you end up in a place like that, playing games with someone like me?"
Taek-gyeol said bitterly, "I'm good at studying, not at communicating. Many companies don't want me. I can't even do something as simple as taking orders for others."
Zhengli turned and walked away. "Then I'll still call you little dummy."
Taek-gyeol chased after him and asked, "Hey, where are you going?"
In the clinic, Sang-hwan asked while eating, "Do you think we should call the police?"
No. 432 brewed coffee and said, "No. If calling the police worked, they would've been caught long ago. Organizations like theirs are usually very good at hiding."
After hearing this, Sang-hwan said, "Makes sense. As expected of a doctor—you're smart. By the way, what's your name?"
No. 432 replied, "My name is Park Chae-ho. You're Lim Sang-hwan, right?"
Sang-hwan smiled and asked, "How do you know?"
Chae-ho recalled and said, "I was behind you when you were talking to Zhengli." After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Are you sick?"
Sang-hwan paused while eating, then shook his head. "No, no. I'm strong and healthy. How could I be sick?"
They both smiled at each other.
Sang-hwan asked, "By the way, why are you, a doctor, broke? My mom always told me to become a doctor because they earn a lot."
Chae-ho said helplessly, "This is not a fairy tale world. For someone like me who runs a small private clinic, just purchasing medicine costs a lot. The expenses are so high I can't even pay rent, let alone daily necessities. In the end, I ended up drowning in debt."
Sang-hwan laughed awkwardly.
On the other side, Taek-gyeol kept following Zhengli. Zhengli turned around impatiently and said, "Can you stop following me?!"
Taek-gyeol lowered his head. "I don't have a home. I don't know where to go."
Zhengli got angry. "Neither do I! And if you keep following me, I might get exposed."
After hearing this, Taek-gyeol turned and left. Zhengli watched his lonely back as he walked away, then also turned and walked off into the distance.
The next morning, Sang-hwan woke up early. Seeing Chae-ho sleeping beside him, he quietly got up and walked out of the clinic.
Taek-gyeol, who had been sleeping beside a trash can, woke up and found an extra card on his body. He flipped it over and read:
"Time: June 16, 12:00 AM. Location: Same as before."
He sighed.
In the hospital, No. 237 was taking care of her husband who had just undergone surgery. She held a metal container and fed him a spoonful of porridge.
At this moment, a doctor opened the door and said, "Family member, please come out for a moment."
She put down the spoon and container and walked out. The doctor looked at her seriously and said, "If this continues, your husband may be in danger."
Her eyes became moist. "Please make sure the heart is reserved for my husband. Within five days, I will definitely give you the money."
The doctor sighed. "I understand… I will."
In another hospital, Sang-hwan sat opposite a doctor. The doctor was looking at his CT scan. After putting it down and removing his glasses, the doctor spoke heavily, "Because you haven't undergone chemotherapy for a long time, your cancer has reached a late stage. I'm sorry to tell you this."
Sang-hwan's expression changed instantly. He forced a smile and asked, "Is it… beyond saving?"
The doctor lowered his head, sighed, and shook it.
Sang-hwan nodded. "It's okay. Thank you."
He walked out.
It was already evening outside, and it was raining heavily. Sang-hwan walked in the rain along the street.
Listening to the passing cars, his heart ached endlessly. Yet his face showed no expression, as if nothing had happened.
At a convenience store, Zhengli ate while taking out a photo from his pocket. Looking at the happy memory of himself and his wife, all the past flooded back. He put the photo away and continued eating. As he ate, tears began to flow uncontrollably.
At night, Choi Jeo-rim sneaked along the street. Halfway through, he noticed a poster on a utility pole—it was his photo. It read:
"Reward: 5 million won for capturing this traitor."
As he stared at it, someone in the distance noticed him. Their eyes met. Jeo-rim immediately turned and ran. The person chased after him.
Sang-hwan, soaked all over, returned to his apartment. Just as he was about to enter, he noticed a card stuck in the door. He picked it up and looked at it.
The scene shifted.
Sang-hwan, No. 237, Zhengli, Chae-ho, Taek-gyeol, and Jeo-rim all stood at the same place where they had boarded before.
Zhengli checked his watch. It was midnight.
At that moment, a van stopped in front of them right on time. The door opened. With heavy hearts, they boarded the van.
The same automatically closing door. The same unconscious people. The same mist pouring out.
And the same loss of consciousness.