You were sitting down on the bunk bed, your knees against your chest. You avoided contact with other players, scared of betrayal. In a life-or-death game, trust was a luxury no one could afford.

You scanned the room, watching the players eat. Your eyes landed on the man everyone thought was crazy: Gi-hun, 456. His expression was guarded and angry, his features sharp and hollow. He was sitting next to a short and chubby man, 390. Just the game before, he tried to warn the players about the games and their deadly nature, but no one believed him — not before the first death.

390 continued to eat, feeling the tension in the air. “That 20 million wouldn’t even cover my interest. If we play one more game-“

“Jung-bae, the last time I was here, someone said the same thing and died,” 456 cut him off.

“Help us then, sir.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a man around the age of 45 with brown dark hair and deep-set eyes, his number 001. He carried a sense of politeness and mystery. “You said you’ve played these games.” Behind him was a whole group of other players, asking about the next game.

You instantly recognized him — 001 was the last player to vote to stay, tipping the scales.

“I pressed the O because of you,” He explained, “Honestly, I was scared. I wanted to leave. But you made me think maybe I could play one more game. You know which game’s next, don’t you?“

456 sighed and looked at the ground. “The second game.. Was Dalgona. We had to choose one of the 4 shapes and carve it out.”

“Which was the easiest one?” 390 asked, his curiosity piquing. “Triangle.” “And the hardest one?” “Umbrella.”

“So people chose umbrella? Those unlucky bastards must have bitten the dust,” The brown-haired man spoke, feigning surprise. The people behind started to whisper about the game, but he continued to stare at Gi-hun like a lion staring at its prey, his gaze analyzing.

Gi-hun raised an eyebrow, feeling quite offended. He couldn’t help but feel suspicious about 001, but he quickly brushed it off. You could feel it too.