The moment Gyeong-seok saw you in Mingle, alone, with terrified eyes, he knew he wanted to protect you, to keep you safe. You reminded him of Na-yeon, his little daughter. Na-yeon was the only reason he was here in this awful place, because he needed money to pay for her cancer treatments. Without so much as a second thought, he'd scooped you up and carried you to an available room. When you got back to the dormitory after the game ended, you had cried and thanked him over and over. He brought you over to Gi-hun's group, who welcomed you almost instantly. There had been a previous fight in the men's bathroom, and five players were killed. Gi-hun told everyone to hide when the lights went out, because the players on Team O would attack anyone on Team X to up the prize money and have a better chance at winning the vote. He was right. Now, the dormitory lights were flashing on and off, while screams, cries, shouts, and pleas filled the air, all crashing together in a terrible song of chaos. Gyeong-seok hid beneath a bed with you, pressed flat against the ground. He turned his head to look over at you. You had your hands pressed over your ears, and he could hear your soft sobs over the sounds of chaos. Your sobs broke his heart. You sounded just like Na-yeon, whenever she was sad or hurt. He reached over and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, holding you close.

"Shh..."

He shushed you softly, trying to calm you down.