Player 300
Player 300 found a seat but was suddenly shoved to the ground by Ji-Xian, who took it for himself.
Lying on the ground, Player 300 said, "You bastard. Even if I die, I won't forgive you."
Time ran out. Player 300 died.
Player 94
Ji-Xian, realizing he was about to lose, stood up and grabbed Player 94's sleeve.
Player 94 demanded: "What are you doing?"
Ji-Xian snarled: "You must have cheated!"
As Player 94 struggled to shake him off, Ji-Xian suddenly let go. Because of the force, Player 94 toppled the blocks.
Player 94 glared at Ji-Xian. Ji-Xian sneered: "Goodbye, bastard."
Player 94 shouted in fury as the Masked Man approached: "You son of a bitch!!!"
A gunshot rang out.
"Player 94, eliminated."
Player 40
Player 40 stopped, looking at Il-hoon: "Player 201, you're still young. I don't want to see your life end here. I'm sorry."
As he spoke, his trembling hand knocked over the blocks.
Il-hoon grabbed his collar angrily: "What are you doing?! We agreed not to give up!"
Player 40 said: "I didn't let you win. My hand just shook." A tear slid down his face. "Live and make it out."
The Masked Man walked toward him.
Bang.
"Player 40, eliminated."
Jung Yun-Ho (Player 409)
Yun-Ho said softly: "I love you, Jung-Hyuk."
Then, he pushed the blocks over.
Jung-Hyuk stared in shock: "What are you doing?!"
Yun-Ho smiled: "When you get out… don't forget… your first time… was with me."
A tear slid from his eye.
With a beep, the game ended.
The Masked Man walked toward Yun-Ho. Jung-Hyuk tried to rush forward, but another Masked Man held him back.
Helpless, he cried out: "Yun-Ho! No! Yun-Ho!!!"
Bang.
"Player 409, eliminated."
Park Il-hoon (Player 201)
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.
Kim So-Yeon (Player 369)
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.
Wu Ji-Xian (Player 123)
Just a short distance remained to the platform. Ji-Xian looked at the water steadily rising below. His body started to weaken, but he clawed his way upward. Just as he was about to reach the platform, Jung-Hyuk leapt onto him from behind, locking his arm around Ji-Xian's neck.
"Thank you," Jung-Hyuk said, "for choosing not to kill me earlier."
Then, locking his chokehold, he rolled with Ji-Xian downward. At the last second, Jung-Hyuk let go, sending Ji-Xian plunging into the water while he caught the edge of the stairs with one hand.
Jung-Hyuk climbed up to the platform and collapsed there, exhausted.
Flailing in the water, Ji-Xian muttered helplessly, "You… win."
A gunshot rang out — bang.
"Player 123, eliminated."
Player 85
Player 85 told Soo-Mi: "If I fall, please avenge me."
Ten seconds remained, Team 19 hadn't answered either.
Time up, next question.
The wall pushed forward. Because of Player 85's large body, she lost her balance and fell.
Soo-Mi screamed: "No!"
With a loud thud, Player 85 died.
Emma (Player 1)
The Host continued: "What you don't know is—the one beside you is actually a VIP spectator of this game."
Jung-Hyuk turned in shock toward Emma.
Stammering, he said: "You… you…"
The Host pointed a gun at Jung-Hyuk. "Player 357, now I'll show you the price of being a hero."
Just as Jung-Hyuk braced for death, the Host turned the gun toward Emma.
Emma shook her head at Jung-Hyuk.
Then, BANG!—Emma collapsed to the ground.
Jung-Hyuk roared in fury and charged at the Host, but the masked men pinned him down.
Tears of helplessness streamed down Jung-Hyuk's face.
The masked men scanned Emma's ear. The broadcast announced:
"Player 1, eliminated."
Player 78
Player 370 lunged with his knife. Player 78 grabbed his arm and struck him with an elbow. Seizing the blade, Player 78 tried stabbing back, but Player 370 flung him away, then quickly locked his throat from behind.
Player 78 kicked against the wall, slamming both of them to the ground.
He scrambled up, reaching for a broom. Suddenly, Player 370 snatched the fallen knife and stabbed his back—once, twice, over and over in a frenzy.
From a distance, Player 99 watched the scene unfold.
Player 370 rose to his feet.
"Player 78, eliminated. Player 370, cleared."
Da-qiang (Player 202)
He lunged, smashing the racket against Da-Qiang's knife. Da-Qiang winced in pain and stepped back. Soo-Mi swung again, but Da-Qiang dodged—the racket broke, leaving only the sharp handle.
Momentarily dazed, Soo-Mi was shoved into the gym equipment. Da-Qiang snatched his knife and thrust at him, but Soo-Mi blocked with the racket's broken handle.
Then, with his other hand, Soo-Mi crushed Da-Qiang's testicles.
Da-Qiang collapsed, writhing on the floor in agony, tears streaming.
Moments later, his face turned purple—he died from the pain.
Zhang Yong-Jun (Player 56)
Yong-Jun shoved his hand away, tossed the knife aside: "It's enough if you live."
Then he smiled faintly.
With a beep, the broadcast declared:
"Game over."
Jung-Hyuk held Yong-Jun tightly, while Soo-Mi wept uncontrollably behind them. Player 262 felt his heart ache at the sight.
With his last strength, Yong-Jun whispered: "Pl... Player 18..."
Masked men approached, pulling Jung-Hyuk away.
He struggled, crying: "No... Yong-Jun... No, Yong-Jun!!!"
A gunshot rang out.
"Player 56, eliminated."
Player 99
As Player 99 panicked, Player 370 kicked him to the ground, then stabbed him repeatedly with the bottle. Just like that, Player 99 died in a pool of blood.
Choi Jun-Su
Just then, behind them, a mortally wounded masked man used his last strength to fire at Jun-Su.
Ming-Yu reacted, shooting the masked man dead.
Jun-Su looked down at the wound on his body, then collapsed to the ground.
Ming-Yu rushed to hold him.
Jun-Su whispered: "I... I'm sorry."
Blood poured from his mouth as he died.
Jiang Zi-Kai
The Host then pointed his gun at Ming-Yu and said: "Three years ago, it should have been you who died in that garbage heap, not your son. Now, you'll soon join your son and wife."
Ming-Yu glared at him, tears of rage in his eyes.
Then a gunshot rang out—
"Bang."
Oh Yoo-Chun (Player 239), Bei-bei (Player 62)
Bei-Bei struggled violently to shake him off, but Yoo-Chun clutched her hair. Bei-Bei, realizing, pulled him close and hugged him tight as they both fell together.
Yoo-Chun screamed in despair.
"Player 62, eliminated. Player 239, eliminated."
Zhao Zhi-Xuan (Player 68), Player 370
Player 370 smirked.
As Young-Hee approached to launch Zhi-Xuan, Zhi-Xuan lunged forward and grabbed him tightly.
Player 370 struggled: "Let me go, you bastard!"
Yeong-Hee moved beside them.
Zhi-Xuan said: "Let's go join Player 99 together."
Player 370 screamed: "Fuck you!"
They were both flung off. Player 370 let out a desperate scream.
Player 262
He leapt forward, reaching square 9. On the return, as he bent to retrieve the sandbag, he almost fell, but steadied himself and landed back at square 1.
As soon as he landed, Zhen-Yan kicked him down.
With a loud crash, Player 262 was reduced to a bloody pulp.
"Player 262, eliminated."
Lee Jung-Hyuk (Player 357)
Jung-Hyuk returned to his own bed, staring at the knife in his hand.
Memories came flooding back—
(Yun-Ho said to him: "Hello.")
(At the last second, Il-Hoon hit the bullseye. Their hearts, suspended in midair, finally settled.)
(Yun-Ho smiled and said: "When you get out, don't forget—your first time, you gave it to me.")
(Il-Hoon looked at Jung-Hyuk, forcing a smile as he told him: "Thank you, Lee Jung-Hyuk.")
(Yong-Jun said to Jung-Hyuk: "Everyone must do their best. No matter the game, we'll work together.")
(Yong-Jun asked Jung-Hyuk: "Are you okay?")
Jeong-hyeok smiled through his tears, then looked up at the surveillance monitors and said:
"My life...is for me to decide."
After saying that, he raised the knife in his hand and plunged it into his own neck.
Il-Nam at headquarters watched the whole thing, his eyes welling with tears.
Park Zhen-Yan (Player 18)
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."
Park Soo-Mi (Player 329)
Soo-Mi listened to the lively voices outside, then silently climbed onto a chair, choosing the same way out as Il-Hoon's mother.