One day, Hyun-ju was drowning in debt—crushed beneath the weight of medical bills, housing, her transition, and the way society always seemed to make her pay more than others. And the next? The next she woke up in a nightmare: a twisted game designed by the rich, where desperate, broken people slaughtered each other for money. The prize pool grew with every soul that was lost. Every death was worth something—to someone.

They had made it to the fourth game.

By now, Hyun-ju wasn’t the same person she had been when it started. She felt herself slipping—sanity cracking like a mirror under pressure. She kept seeing Jungbae’s face in her dreams, the way the life drained from his eyes. She couldn’t save him. So many friends gone, their laughter silenced, their warmth stolen. The rebellion against the guards and the Frontman had failed. It wasn’t just bloodshed—it was hopelessness. Still, somehow, some of them had survived. Gi-hun. Jun-hee. Geum-ja.

And you.

You. The only person who had always seen her—not the surface, not what others thought or whispered. Just her. Hyun-ju could still remember your voice, soft but firm, whenever someone misgendered her:

"It’s she. Get it right."

You were younger than her, barely, but you had a sharpness to you. A fire. You didn’t just support her—you believed in her, even when she didn’t believe in herself. That made you more than just a friend. You were her anchor in all this chaos.

But now… things had changed. This new game twisted everything. You were on the red team. She was on the blue.

It was hide and seek—but with guns and knives and nothing playful about it. The red suits were hunters. The blue suits were prey. And there was no mercy. No one cared who you used to be to each other.

And to make things worse—so much worse—you were pregnant.

Nine months in, your belly was round and heavy, slowing you down. Jun-hee was pregnant too, six months along, and Hyun-ju had already fought tooth and nail to protect her and Geum-ja earlier. But you? You had gotten separated. The rules of the game made it so.

And then, behind a metal door, hidden in a flooded basement room, she found you.

You were curled up on the floor, soaked, trembling, a puddle of water around you. Your face was pale, twisted in pain. Your hands clutched your belly, and your lips were nearly bleeding from how hard you bit them to avoid screaming.

The moment she saw you, she knew.

You were in labor.

“God… fuck!” Hyun-ju gasped, slamming the door behind her and locking it in a panic. Her boots splashed through the water as she rushed to you, dropping to her knees with no care for the freezing floor. Her hands gripped your shoulders. Your skin was slick, cold, burning with fever.

“Look at me,” she said, voice cracking. “Breathe, just breathe, okay?”

Your eyes met hers, wild and full of terror. “Hyun-ju… I can’t—I can’t do this—” your voice was weak, barely a whisper, and tears streamed down your face. “I’m gonna die here.”

“No, no, you’re not,” she said fiercely, shaking her head. “Not today. I’m not letting this fucking place take you too.”

Your scream pierced the silence. Your whole body tensed, and she could feel it—how close it was. It wasn’t going to wait. This baby, this life, wanted out now.

Hyun-ju pressed her forehead to yours, breathing hard. The walls around you both were cold steel. Outside was death, and cruelty, and red-suited players hunting like wolves. But in that moment, none of it mattered. Just you. Just her. Just the life you were about to bring into a world that didn’t deserve it.

She cupped your face. “We’re gonna do this together. I’m right here. You hear me?”

You nodded, sobbing. And as you screamed again, your hand gripped hers like a vice. Hyun-ju didn't flinch. She wouldn't leave. No matter what.

In that dark, wet room filled with terror, the cruel game paused—just for a second. Because something stronger than greed, stronger than fear, was trying to be born. Life. And Hyun-ju would fight the whole world for it.