Myeong‑woo followed the luxury car ahead, with two police officers trailing behind.
They arrived at a dock and saw rows of cars boarding a ferry. The three of them got out and followed the cars onto the ferry.
One of the officers spoke into his radio:"Hello, captain? We need backup here—please come right away."
The radio responded:"You two—retreat immediately. Do not act without my permission, or your police credentials will be revoked."
Officer Choi Jun‑soo snapped back into the radio:"Captain, did you forget the training you gave us? Now there's real trouble and you want us to retreat—you're cowards!"
After saying that, Jun‑soo tossed the radio off the boat.
The other officer, too afraid to take risks, jumped off and fled in shame.
Myeong‑woo asked Jun‑soo:"What do we do now?"
Jun‑soo shook his head:"I don't know."
At that moment, masked men got out of the car.
As they were about to return to the cabin, Jun‑soo opened fire. One masked man fell.
Before the others could react, Jun‑soo shouted:"I'm a police officer! You are under arrest for kidnapping. You have the right to remain silent!"
The masked men retreated as they realized the situation.
One of the masked men up above took a gun.
Jun‑soo shouted up to him:"Put down your weapon! I'll repeat—put it down."
The masked man fired on Jun‑soo. Myeong‑woo shoved him behind cover.
The Host called out to the masked men:"Be careful with your shots—don't harm the participants."
Then, the Host sat down in front of a monitor and sipped red wine.
Meanwhile, Jun‑soo had lost his radio and now had no plan.
Myeong‑woo said:"You ruined the plan."
Jun‑soo apologized:"I'm sorry."
With nowhere left to go, Jun‑soo grabbed Myeong‑woo's hand and dove into the sea.
Cut to, Jeong‑hyuk wakes up, surrounded by familiar music.
He looked down at his clothes—
"Number 357."
Zi‑kai found Jeong‑hyuk. The other confused players gathered in the dorm's center.
At that moment, the door opened. A masked man emerged.
He said:"A warm welcome to all of you. Over the next six days, you will participate in six different games. Those who complete all six games will receive a massive prize."
Number 85 said:"If we were kidnapped to play—how are we supposed to trust you?"
(85 is the plus-size girl Myeong‑woo saw being bullied.)
The masked man replied:"Sorry, but for the safety of the game, we had no choice. We appreciate your understanding."
Number 149 asked:"Why are you wearing masks? Are you hiding your identities because you're doing illegal things?"
The masked man replied:"To ensure fairness and confidentiality, we never show staff faces or identities. We hope you understand."
Number 239 asked:"You took our phones—are you even reasonable?"
The masked man pressed the remote:
"Number 239, Wu Youtian: convicted of major international fraud with 12.1 billion won involved. Escaped prison in March 2023, now under Interpol red notice; 2.7 billion won personal debt.
Number 149, Song Seungho: 200 million won debt.Number 85, Kim Yeonna: 60 million won debt.Number 450, Shin Jeongeo: 1.9 billion won debt.Number 320, Lim Yuyeo: 2.3 billion won debt.Number 191, Lee Dayong: 9.9 billion won debt.All of you are heavily indebted, on the edge of life's cliff. When we first approached you, you didn't believe us. But as you've seen, we play a game and deliver our promise of money. You joined voluntarily with no coercion. Now we give you a second chance: go home and live under debt like trash—or seize this final opportunity?"
Suddenly, piggy-bank icons appeared over their heads.
The masked man continued:"What you see over your heads are your precious prize piggy banks. Each time you pass a game, money will be added."
Number 56 asked:"How much is the prize?"
The masked man replied:"The total prize is 45.6 billion won."
Everyone's face lit up in surprise at the amount.
At that moment, Number 18 walked up behind Number 329 and touched her shoulder:"Soomi, what are you doing here?"
Soomi looked shocked:"Oppa, what are you doing here?"
(85 is the bullied girl; Soomi is 329—don't mix them up.)
Before she could speak further, the masked man said:"If you want to play, please sign the consent form below. If not, inform us now. You can always withdraw."
Soomi asked 18:"Are you sure you want to do this?"
18 replied:"Let's play. It's the same either way when we go back."
Soomi and 18 signed the consent form.
Jeong‑hyuk looked at the form; Zi‑kai asked:"Are you sure Myeong‑woo and the others will show up?"
Jeong‑hyuk replied:"Let's wait a bit—they should be here now." He signed, and Zi‑kai followed.
They queued to take photos.
Number 85 fixed her hair in front of the camera. 202 spotted her and whispered to 62:
"Look at that fat pig, fixing her hair."
He chuckled.
(202 is one of the bullies Myeong‑woo saw earlier.)
Jeong‑hyuk stared at the familiar camera. The camera said:
"Smile."
He looked serious and the photo snapped.
On the way, Number 18 asked Soomi:"Why are you here?"
Soomi replied:"I'll tell you once we're out."
They soon arrived at a massive arena.
Number 62 pointed into the distance:"What is that thing?"
The doll across said:"Welcome to the first game. Please wait on the field."
Jeong‑hyuk stared at the doll solemnly, then glanced at the seagulls above and felt a grave sense of foreboding.
The doll continued:"You have five minutes. Avoid being detected by the ghost and cross the finish line to pass."
Jeong‑hyuk turned to Zi‑kai:"They probably didn't make it."
Zi‑kai looked puzzled:"Why?"
The doll turned away—
"Green Light, Red Light." Everyone froze.
Jeong‑hyuk shouted:"Don't move! This is not an ordinary game. If you get detected, you'll die! No matter what happens—do not run. Never, under any circumstances, run!"
Number 202 whispered:"This guy's nuts."
"Green Light, Red Light."
Jeong‑hyuk kept yelling:"Don't move!"
After several rounds, no one was eliminated.
Then Number 142's nose tickled—he couldn't hold back a sneeze. He stared at the doll.
The announcement came:"Number 142, eliminated."
A gunshot—BANG.
Number 22 looked at the bloody body, and just as he tried to run, he was shot.
Panic erupted and everyone started frantically fleeing.
Jeong‑hyuk yelled helplessly:"Don't move! If you move, you die!"
After all the runners were shot, the doll announced:"Repeat—during 'Green Light, Red Light', you may move on 'Green Light'. Any movement during 'Red Light' will result in elimination."
Meanwhile, the Host quietly pressed a button. A toy began singing "Fly Me to the Moon." He sat back, enjoying his red wine as he watched the players on screen.
After two more rounds with no one daring to move, Jeong‑hyuk strode forward and said:"If time runs out, we die anyway. As long as we stay still when it watches us, we won't die."
The doll turned back. The players moved. A few were eliminated mid-way. Jeong‑hyuk and Zi‑kai barely made it across. Others followed.
Time's up—the rest crossed safely.
Just as they gasped for air, something in the sky began to close.
Cut to Jun‑soo arriving at headquarters. He grabbed his captain's collar and said:"Why didn't you support us? We had guns pointed at the cars—if you had backed us up, we could've arrested them!"
The captain pushed him away, shouting:"Police need evidence—evidence! If I'd gone last night and found nothing, who would take responsibility for that failure?"
Jun‑soo sat on the ground speechless.
Back in the dorm, everyone sat on the floor.
Number 85 cried silently in her bed.
Suddenly, the door opened. The masked man emerged and said:"Congratulations on passing the first game. Now we'll announce the results."
On the screen, numbers dropped: "456...400...350..."
The masked man resumed:"Out of 456 players, 135 were eliminated. 321 made it through. Congratulations to all of you."
At that moment, someone stepped forward and begged on their knees:"Please spare us, sir. I'll work hard and repay the money."
Others knelt too.
The masked man said:"You may have misunderstood—we don't intend harm; we're giving you a chance."
Jeong‑hyuk stood up to speak, but Zi‑kai stepped forward:"Consent form rule 3, If more than half the players agree, the game can be stopped."
The masked man said:"That's right. We respect everyone's choice. Before voting, here is the total prize so far."
He pressed the remote. A piggy bank descended, and money started pouring in.
Everyone watched in awe.
The masked man said:"135 eliminated in Round One, so 13.5 billion won has been accumulated. If you withdraw now, that money goes to the families of those eliminated—100 million won each. However, you'll leave with nothing. Voting begins now: Press ○ to continue, × to stop. Voting will go in reverse numerical order. Number 454."
454 hesitated, then pressed ×.
453 pressed ○.
Many others voted next.
The tally reached 30:29.
"Number 357."
Jeong‑hyuk stepped up and pressed ×.
"Number 329."
Soomi hesitated but pressed ×.
"Number 239."
Pressed ○.
"Number 202."
Pressed ○.
"Number 149."
Pressed ○.
"Number 109."
Pressed ×.
"Number 85."
Pressed ○.
"Number 62."
Pressed ×.
"Number 56."
Pressed ×.
The score: 139:130.
Jeong‑hyuk couldn't sit still anymore.
He was about to speak, but Zi‑kai ran out.
Zi‑kai yelled:"What are you guys doing? Gambling your lives away for money—is it worth it?"
Number 202 said:"Would going out make it different? Here, we at least have some chance."
Number 56 replied:"Going back? Gambling your life for money—it's not worth it."
Zi‑kai took a breath, but Jeong‑hyuk said:
"Let it go. These people are already crazy over money—there's no reasoning with them."
They continued voting, calling more numbers.
The score climbed to 173:172.
"Number 18."
Pressed ○. Soomi watched from afar.
Score: 159:157.
"Number 15."
Pressed ×. Score: 159:158.
"Number 10."
Pressed ○. Score: 160:158.
"Number 9."
Pressed ×. Score: 160:159.
"Number 5."
Pressed ○. Score: 161:159.
Jeong‑hyuk watched in despair—he knew it was hopeless.
The masked man said:
"Finally, number 1."
With a beep, the score became 161:160.
Circle votes won.
It was number 1—the foreigner, standing there.