The masked man placed Player 40 and Yun-Ho's corpses into the coffin-shaped gift box.
Meanwhile, Lee Jung-Hyuk walked back to the dorm, looking completely lost. Il-hoon saw him and immediately hugged him. The two of them stayed like that without saying a word. After a while, So-Yeon also walked over.
Now the number of remaining players was 12, and the prize money had reached 44.4 billion won.
Lee Jung-Hyuk stared at the number in silence.
(In Korean, the number 4 and the word "death" are pronounced the same way.)
At that moment, the VIPs arrived.
VIP 1 said: "I'm looking forward to this game. Just tell us what it is."
The Founder replied: "You will know when the game starts."
Elsewhere, Lee Jung-Hyuk sat blankly staring ahead, not touching the food in his hand.
Il-hoon came over and said to him: "Don't be sad. We have to learn to let go. My mom used to tell me this all the time when I was little."
Il-hoon smiled and continued eating.
That night, no one trusted each other anymore. No one dared to close their eyes.
Before long, the lights came on. They lined up and headed somewhere.
In front of the screen, VIP 3 asked: "Who are you all betting on?"
VIP 5 said: "123, this number is easy to remember."
The other VIPs chuckled.
Meanwhile, Lee Jung-Hyuk and the others arrived at the place.
Then, the announcement said:"Welcome to the fifth game. Before the game starts, please choose one number from 1 to 6 from either of the two sets on the models in front of you. I repeat, before the game starts, please choose one number from 1 to 6 from either of the two sets on the models in front of you."
Lee Jung-Hyuk looked at the numbers, then pulled Il-hoon and So-Yeon toward the models and said:
"You two pick the middle number, 3. It's in the center, so it should be safer."
Il-hoon asked: "What about you?"
Lee Jung-Hyuk replied: "I'll take 1. If there's any danger, I'll be in front of you."
After that, the three of them took their respective numbers.
Then Player 123 went up, hesitated for a moment, and took number 2.
The Founder said to the VIPs: "Now, the game has begun."
The screen in front of the VIPs slowly lifted.
VIP 4 exclaimed: "Wow, is that BINGO?"
The Founder said: "Yes."
Lee Jung-Hyuk and the others entered the game arena.
As soon as they stepped inside, the "BINGO" music began to play.
Then everyone was startled by the transparent glass beneath their feet. Looking down at the height from the ground made them break out in a cold sweat.
The announcement said:"Welcome to the fifth game. The fifth game is Bingo. Now, players must split into two teams of six. In each round, each team sends one player to compete. If that player wins, they will continue to play. Eliminate all six of the opposing team's players to win. Now, let the game begin. Number 6 from Team 1 versus Number 6 from Team 2."
VIP 2 commented: "This should be the fairest match."
At that moment, Lee Jung-Hyuk looked at Il-hoon with worry, thinking: "Why are we going in reverse order?"
He went over to Il-hoon and said: "I'm sorry."
Before Il-hoon could speak, Player 123 said: "What's there to be sorry about?" Then he looked at Il-hoon and added: "Play with me properly, and you'd better die for me."
Lee Jung-Hyuk grabbed his collar.
Player 123 said: "No violence allowed."
Only then did Lee Jung-Hyuk let go.
Player 308 stood on the transparent glass platform. Once the glass opened, he would fall. For someone with a fear of heights, this was a nightmare.
Player 308 looked down, his legs trembling nonstop.
As they stared at the buttons in front of them, the announcement said:
"All you need to do is press the button in front of you, and a ball of your team's color will drop."
Player 308 hesitated, then pressed it.
The red ball landed in 1,1.
Next was Player 325.
The blue ball landed in 1,2.
They continued one after another.
Red ball → 1,3
Blue ball → 2,1
Red ball → 2,2
Blue ball → 2,3
Red ball → 3,1
Blue ball → 2,4
Red ball → 3,2
Blue ball → 3,3
Red ball → 4,1
Blue ball → 4,2
Red ball → 4,3
Blue ball → 5,1
At this point, VIP 6 complained: "That useless number 308, what kind of garbage am I betting on?"
Player 308, hands shaking, pressed the button.
The red ball landed in 1,4.
Player 308 muttered: "I'm screwed!"
This was the last square needed. Both the players and VIPs were tense to the extreme.
Blue ball → 1,5.
Player 325 jumped up in excitement.
Suddenly, the glass beneath Player 308 opened. With a scream—
"Ah!"
Player 308 fell, shocking everyone.
VIP 6, who had bet on Player 308, cursed: "Bastard!"
The announcement continued: "Team 1's Number 5, please come forward."
They played four more rounds.
"Team 1's Number 3, please come forward."
So-Yeon stepped up.
Before long, she defeated Player 144.
Player 144 glared at her: "You bitch!"
Then the glass opened, and Player 144 fell.
"Team 2's Number 3, please come forward."
Il-hoon stepped out.
The two of them looked at each other, while Lee Jung-Hyuk, like a guilty child, didn't dare meet their eyes.
Number 3 was both the safest number and the most dangerous.
They began the match, pressing alternately.
Red balls → 2,4 → 3,4 → 4,4 → 5,4.
Il-hoon saw this and gave a helpless smile.
So-Yeon pressed the button.
The red ball rolled into 1,4 for all to see.
So-Yeon said to Il-hoon: "I'm sorry."
Il-hoon looked toward Lee Jung-Hyuk.
From a distance, Lee Jung-Hyuk silently closed his eyes.
Il-hoon looked at him and, with a strained smile, said: "Thank you, Lee Jung-Hyuk."
A tear rolled down his cheek.
Then the glass opened, and he fell.
Hearing the thud, Lee Jung-Hyuk's body trembled. He shed tears of regret. Watching a young life disappear before his eyes, he felt he should have been the one to die.
"Team 2's Number 2, please come forward."
Ji-Xian stood in front of So-Yeon: "Just wait to die, bitch."
They began their match.
Before long, the red ball landed in 3,4.
Seeing this, VIP 5, who had bet on Player 123, silently prayed.
Ji-Xian pressed the button.
The blue ball landed in 4,2.
VIP 5 shouted excitedly: "Yes, yes, that's right!"
Ji-Xian grinned with his lecherous smile.
They continued playing.
Blue ball → 4,3.
In the end, the only remaining spots were: 1,4; 1,5; 4,4; 4,5; 5,3; 5,4; 5,5.
So-Yeon said: "Even if I die with you, I won't let you win."
Ji-Xian replied: "We'll see."
VIP 5 urged: "Come on, come on."
Before long, red and blue balls filled 4,4; 4,5; 5,3; 5,4; and 5,5.
So-Yeon looked ahead in despair and pressed the button.
The red ball landed in 1,4.
Ji-Xian grinned wickedly: "Hahahaha… hahahahahahahaha!"
Then he pressed the button.
Blue balls connected from 1,5 → 2,4 → 3,3 → 4,2 → 5,1.
Ji-Xian said to So-Yeon: "It's over. Everything is over."
Lee Jung-Hyuk looked at So-Yeon.
The glass opened, and So-Yeon fell.
Ji-Xian then played two more rounds and won them both.
Lee Jung-Hyuk's team won without him ever going up.
VIP 5 said: "Yes, I won."
VIP 3 said: "There's another game, don't get too excited too early."
Lee Jung-Hyuk stared at the corpses beneath the glass, lost in thought. He wished he had been the one to die instead.
At this moment, VIP 4 was walking back to his room. As he turned a corner, a waiter bumped into him, spilling wine all over his body.
VIP 4 furiously cursed in Cantonese: "丢雷楼某隔嗨!"
（Swear words in Cantonese）
The waiter said, "I'm so sorry."
VIP 4 turned to a nearby soldier and said, "Give me the gun!"
The soldier obeyed and handed him the gun.
VIP 4 raised the gun, aimed at the waiter, and shot him in the forehead.
The waiter collapsed to the ground, and VIP 4 spat out another curse in Cantonese: "死扑街."
（Swear words in Cantonese）
Then he turned around and walked back to his room.
Masked workers came with a coffin and placed the waiter's corpse inside.
From a distance, the host watched everything unfold.