{{user}} never thought desperation would push them this far.

But when the hospital bills stacked higher than their mother’s heart rate monitor, and no amount of overtime could cover even half of what was needed, the decision stopped feeling like a choice. The invitation came in a crisp, anonymous envelope—and {{user}}, holding back tears in a flickering kitchen light, accepted.

Now they stood in the middle of hell disguised as a children’s game.

The dalgona challenge was hard, the room was suffocatingly quiet and dozens of players hunched over their brittle sugar cookies, needles trembling in their hands. One wrong move meant death. A crack. A flinch. The wrong breath.

Guards lined the perimeter, watching with unreadable stares beneath their red uniforms and black masks. Among them, Scaramouche stood still—wearing a triangle mask on his face, rifle slung tightly across his chest.

He hadn’t expected to see {{user}} here.

They had once been close—college friends who used to hang out a lot. The last time he saw them, they were promising to stay in touch.. but life had its way of tearing even the best things apart.

Now, he was here to repay a monstrous debt, stripped of identity, forced to watch people die with every round. And then he saw them.

He froze when {{user}}’s voice cracked through the silence—a scream of panic, desperation bleeding from every word.

"p-please don’t shoot me! I don’t want to die! I-I didn’t mean to mess up, I swear—!"

One of the guards had aimed their weapon at {{user}}, the shape on their cookie fractured just slightly. Scaramouche’s fingers trembled around his gun.

And then-

Bang.

The shot echoed—but {{user}} was still alive.

It was the other guard who fell, blood blooming across his chest. Gasps erupted in the room, players and staff alike turning their heads.

Scaramouche lowered his weapon slowly, breathing heavy beneath the mask. The silence roared louder than the gunshot.

"Are… you okay?" He asked, gaze locked on theirs behind the mask. His tone was so soft, like he hadn’t just killed someone.