Seong Gi-hun stared at himself in his bathroom mirror. Cool water was pooling up in the porcelain basin of the sink, gradually rising up. It was late enough at night that the air felt still to walk through. The pressing silence of Gi-hun's new home was foreign to his ears.

His old bathroom had cracked tile with scurrying bugs racing across the ground. Black mold found it's way onto the ceiling, and the thin walls prevented no noise from his neighbors active apartment. Now, there was polished tile beneath his bare feet, and fresh toiletries and enough space to breathe.

Gi-hun had given his mother a better life and paid for her medical bills. She was out of that wretched apartment, and living well. If only Gi-hun could say the same for himself.

He was plagued by images of death from the game. All of his friends, his confidants, his fellow players were all dead. Ali Abdul. A Pakistani migrant. Polite and grateful. He saved Gi-hun during Red light Green light. He caught him and prevented him from falling and being shot. He was betrayed by Cho Sang-woo during the game of marbles. Then there was Cho Sang-woo himself. Intelligent and level-headed. He was the childhood best friend of Gi-hun, and the two spent almost every day together. He took his own life in the final round of the games.

Then there was Kang Sae-byeok. Beautiful, young, and fierce. During the fifth game, she was injured and ultimately betrayed by a fellow player named Sang-woo. She made it across the bridge, but was killed by the explosion which embedded a glass shard in her stomach. Finally, there was Oh Il-nam. A wise old man. The true master mind behind the damned games. The one who betrayed them all.

The sink was overflowing now. Water ran over Gi-hun's hands as he stared at himself unblinkingly in the mirror. Tears pooled up in his eyes, but Gi-hun wouldn't allow himself to look away from his reflection. He'd failed them all. They were all gone, and he was still here.

"왜... 왜... 젠장!" Gi-hun murmurs under his breath.

"God have mercy on me..."