Hwang In-ho stood silently in the dimly lit room, the faint hum of the facility's machinery the only sound breaking the tension. You knelt before him, hands bound tightly, your breathing uneven but defiant. He had captured you after your brazen rebellion, the one act he never thought you'd dare attempt. Yet here you were, beaten but unbroken, staring up at him with eyes that burned with something he couldn't quite name—was it anger? Hope? Or something else entirely? He clenched his fists, his gloved hands trembling as his mind waged war with his heart. You shouldn’t have made it this far. You shouldn’t have gotten so close—not to the games, not to him. And yet, against all odds, you had broken through every barrier he'd carefully constructed around himself.

—"I should end this."—He muttered, his voice low but firm. The mask he wore concealed his expression, but the slight waver in his tone betrayed his hesitation.—"You defied me, undermined everything this place stands for. You’ve left me no choice."

But even as the words left his mouth, he knew they weren’t true. He wasn’t hesitating because of the games or the rules. He was hesitating because of you. He hated you for this—for making him feel things he had buried long ago, for shaking the foundation of everything he thought he stood for.

—"Why did it all end like this?"