The main gate opened, and masked men carried in a coffin-shaped box.
Soo-Mi looked at them in confusion.
She turned her head toward Jung-Hyuk and saw that his blood had soaked the entire bed. Tears of grief streamed down her face.
Zhen-Yan looked at Soo-Mi but said nothing.
The broadcast announced:
"Player 357, eliminated."
Player 81 glanced at the screen: "3 players remaining," with the prize money now at "45.3 billion."
The masked men placed Jung-Hyuk into the coffin and closed the lid.
The three of them watched as the coffin was carried away.
The broadcast continued: "Attention, the final game is about to begin. Please follow the staff's instructions. Repeat..."
As they listened, they suddenly noticed small knives placed in front of their beds. They looked at each other, then each slipped the knife into their pocket.
Il-Nam stood respectfully before Jung-Hyuk's coffin, his eyes moist. Then he put on his mask.
Soo-Mi, Zhen-Yan, and Player 81 followed the staff up the staircase toward the game arena.
At that moment, Guest 5, upon hearing of Jung-Hyuk's suicide, furiously shouted: "What the fuck! Why did he kill himself? Shit! I really misjudged him."
Soon, they arrived at the door of the final game.
A masked man announced: "Player 18, Player 81, and Player 329—welcome to the final game."
He took out a box and said: "Before the game begins, each of you must draw a ball."
Zhen-Yan reached inside and pulled out a red ball.
Soo-Mi drew a blue ball, while Player 81 got a yellow one.
The masked man declared: "Player 18, Eagle. Player 329, Chick. Player 81, Hen."
The gate opened, and the three followed the masked man inside.
They arrived at the same field where "Green light, red light" had first been played.
The masked man said: "The sixth and final game is Eagle Catches Chicks."
Guest 1 remarked, "Eagle catches chicks? First time I've heard of a game named after animals."
Il-Nam replied, "This is one of the games we used to play as kids."
Inside the arena, the masked man explained:
"Here are the rules of Eagle Catches Chicks.
First: The Eagle must catch and kill the Chick within the five-minute time limit, bypassing the protection of the Hen, to win.
Second: If the Chick survives for five minutes without being killed, the Chick wins.
Third: The Hen must protect the Chick until the game ends. If the Chick dies, the Hen is also considered eliminated."
Player 81 looked at Soo-Mi, then at Zhen-Yan.
They walked to the center of the field. Soo-Mi, like a child, hid behind Player 81 and grabbed his waist.
The masked man declared: "Now, let the game begin."
The five-minute countdown started.
Zhen-Yan pulled out his small knife, and Player 81 drew his as well.
Zhen-Yan tried several times to bypass Player 81, but failed each attempt.
Player 81 shouted, "Don't even think about it, you bastard!"
Zhen-Yan smirked: "Then I'll just kill you first."
Player 81 stared at him in fear.
Zhen-Yan charged forward, and Soo-Mi fled.
Player 81 stabbed at him, but Zhen-Yan blocked with his hand, then stabbed his knife into Player 81's abdomen.
Player 81 shoved him away, yelling, "Fuck!"
The VIPs watched with great interest from the stands.
Player 81 collapsed, and Zhen-Yan pressed the attack.
He stabbed down at Player 81, who blocked with his hands.
Player 81 shouted to Soo-Mi: "Help me! If I die, you'll die too!"
Hesitant, Soo-Mi drew her knife and rushed at Zhen-Yan.
But Zhen-Yan kicked her to the ground.
As Player 81 struggled to rise, Zhen-Yan pinned him down and drove his knife into his back again and again, blood flooding the ground.
Then Zhen-Yan stood up, looking at Soo-Mi. She stared back in shock.
Soo-Mi raised her knife nervously: "Don't… don't come any closer."
Zhen-Yan glanced at the timer: 2 minutes 36 seconds left.
Suddenly, rain poured down from the sky.
On the VIP stand, Guest 3 said: "It's raining at the right time."
Zhen-Yan said to Soo-Mi: "Do you remember when we were kids? No matter what, Mom always told me to let you have your way. After you were born, their attitude toward me changed. They didn't care about me anymore. I've had enough of you. If it weren't for her being my mother, I would've killed you long ago."
Guest 4 exclaimed: "Oh, they're actually brother and sister! I can't believe it."
Guest 1 chuckled: "Yeah, that's interesting."
Zhen-Yan lunged at Soo-Mi. She slashed his face, but he stabbed at her, forcing her to dodge and fall. He thrust at her leg, but she avoided it and kicked him hard in the face.
Panting, Soo-Mi stood up and said: "Mom never meant it that way. It wasn't favoritism. She told me it was because… she didn't want you to always obey her. She wanted you to have your own opinions, so you wouldn't be bullied later in life."
Zhen-Yan stood up and growled: "You think saying that… will stop me from killing you?"
He tackled her to the ground, punching her face over and over.
Soo-Mi stopped resisting. Zhen-Yan raised his knife to strike, but froze midair.
He dropped the knife, looked at the timer—53 seconds left.
Sitting on the ground, he said: "Do you remember this place? Where we first played games? Back then, we didn't know the games would kill us. I wanted to forget our quarrels and happily play with you."
As he spoke, the timer showed 30 seconds remaining.
Zhen-Yan continued: "To be honest, when we were kids, I didn't really hate you. I just… wanted Mom's recognition."
Soo-Mi crawled up and said: "Time's almost up. Kill me, quickly."
The timer ticked into the final ten seconds.
Tears streamed down Zhen-Yan's face: "Soo-Mi… as your older brother… I'm sorry."
With a beep, time ran out.
The broadcast announced: "Game over."
A masked man walked up to Zhen-Yan. Soo-Mi rushed forward to block him, crying: "No… don't kill him! I should be the one to die… please, no!"
The masked man dragged Soo-Mi away and fired a shot at Zhen-Yan.
Bang! Zhen-Yan collapsed.
"Player 18, eliminated."
Though the rain poured heavily, Soo-Mi knew clearly that the wetness on her face was not rain—but tears.
The scene shifted. Soo-Mi carried a bank card to the bank to withdraw money.
She entered the password "0329."
Cash flowed from the machine.
Her eyes were empty as she looked at the balance—an amount she could never earn in her lifetime.
The next day, Soo-Mi went to her parents' and child's grave.
She wiped away the dust, looked at their photos, and said softly: "Dad… Mom… my child… I miss you."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
The scene shifted again—a car stopped in front of a house.
Oh Il-Nam stepped out and rang the doorbell.
Moments later, the door opened. Standing there was Jung-Hyuk's mother, Jang Lian-Mei.
Il-Nam spoke: "Are you Mrs. Jang Lian-Mei?"
Lian-Mei asked: "And you are?"
Il-Nam replied: "I am an acquaintance of Lee Jung-Hyuk."
He handed her a gift box: "This is his gift to you."
Lian-Mei scoffed: "Didn't he sever ties with us? What, now he regrets it and wants to come back?"
Il-Nam said: "These are Lee Jung-Hyuk's personal belongings… Lee Jung-Hyuk has passed away."
Lian-Mei's pupils widened in shock as she took the box.
Il-Nam got back into the car.
Opening the box, Lian-Mei found Jung-Hyuk's player uniform inside, the number "357" on it.
On the clothes was a small envelope. She opened it and found a bank card.
The next day came.
It was the last day of 2020. Midnight was approaching, and people gathered together to count down.
Soo-Mi listened to the lively voices outside, then silently climbed onto a chair, choosing the same way out as Il-Hoon's mother.
Il-Nam stood on a tall building, watching the distant crowd.
Far away, people began to count down:
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0."
Fireworks exploded into the sky, illuminating the night.
Il-Nam stood in the cold wind atop the building, then turned and walked into the darkness.