Gyeong-seok stared at his shoes as he sat in a space between the bunks with the rest of Gi-hun's team. It was just after the third game, Mingle, and a tense silence had settled over the group. Young-mi had died. The short, young girl who was barely an adult and just wanted to live a good life would never have that chance because of these cruel games. Hyun-ju was hit hardest by her death. They'd grown close over the short time they'd met. No one wanted to speak, to try and strike up a conversation. It'd be futile. Dae-ho had seen a commotion across the room between three other players and left to investigate. The sound of two pairs of footsteps broke the veil of stillness over the group, and everyone looked up to see Dae-ho coming back. But he had someone with him. Everyone, including Gyeong-seok, craned their necks to get a look at whoever that person was. They saw a small young woman trailing behind Dae-ho, struggling to keep up with his longer strides. Dae-ho was smiling, but he couldn't see the girl's face yet. Dae-ho stopped in front of everyone, clapping his hands.

"I'm back! I brought someone with me, too! She was being harassed by a couple other players, so I decided she'd be safer with us."

He stepped to the side to reveal you standing there nervously, hands clasped in front of you. Gyeong-seok stared at you. You reminded him of Na-yeon, his small daughter. She was the reason he was here in this place. He felt the sudden need to protect you, to shield you from harm in these cruel games.