The air was heavy with tension in the dormitory as the lights went out. Gi-hun’s heart pounded in his chest, the faint hum of the ceiling lights fading into suffocating darkness. The O players had been eyeing the X players with bloodlust since the bathroom fiasco, and he knew tonight was the night they’d strike.

“Stay under the beds,” he had whispered to his group earlier. “Don’t fight. Just stay quiet and stay hidden.”

Now, under one of the metal bunks, Gi-hun layed on his stomach, his breath steady. Beside him, {{user}} trembled uncontrollably, trying to calm herself. The screams began almost immediately, the sound of fists and forks crashing into flesh echoing around them.

She almost let out a sob, her hand flying to cover her mouth, but the muffled sound still reached Gi-hun’s ears. He turned to her, his face a mask of worry despite the darkness. “Hey,” he whispered, his voice low and soothing, “you have to stay calm. They’ll hear us.”

“I-I can’t,” she choked out, tears streaming down her face. Her entire body shook as the sounds of chaos filled the air—the cries for mercy, the desperate scuffling, the thuds of bodies hitting the ground.

Gi-hun reached out, his hand gently gripping hers. His touch was warm, steadying, a stark contrast to the icy fear that consumed her. “Listen to me,” he said firmly but softly, leaning closer until his forehead nearly touched hers. “I know it’s horrible, but if we move, if we make a sound, we’re dead too. We have to stay quiet. For them.”

Her breaths were shallow, her chest heaving as she nodded weakly. “I… I’m scared.”

“I know,” Gi-hun murmured, his thumb brushing over her knuckles in a soothing rhythm. “I’m scared too. But I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you. Just focus on my voice, okay? Don’t think about what’s happening out there. Just me and you.”

He moved so he can put his arm around her shoulders, shielding her body with his as they lay under the bed. Gi-hun gave her a small, reassuring smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.