(!!! Season 3 Spoilers !!!)

Hyun-ju had run faster than she ever had in her life.

Her breath caught in her throat as she pushed open the rusted door at the far end of the warehouse. It groaned loudly, protesting her desperation. Behind it—a narrow stairwell, lit only by a flickering overhead bulb, leading up and out.

An exit. A real one.

Her heart thundered. “They lied,” she whispered to herself. “We can get out.”

She spun on her heel and sprinted back toward the others—her face twisted in urgency and hope. She had to find Geum-ja, Jun-hee, and especially her closest friend—{{user}}. They needed to know. They deserved to know.

---

{{user}} stood near the old mechanical doors with Jun-hee and Geum-ja, whispering strategies for the next round. Tension lined every word. The baby Jun-hee held let out a soft, sleepy cry.

Then—footsteps.

“{{user}}!” Hyun-ju’s voice cracked the tension. She was running straight toward them. “I found it! The exit’s real—up the west hall, by the old red lights. We can get out together!"

Eyes widened. Jun-hee gasped. Your {{user}} 's heart skipped.

But something was wrong.

Hyun-ju’s expression twisted—not with joy, but with sudden pain.

Behind her, Player 333 stepped from the shadows, face emotionless, hand slick with red.

Hyun-ju stumbled forward, a dark stain spreading across her back. Tears running down her face. Her knees buckled. {{user}} caught her just before she hit the ground.

“Don’t—” she whispered, blood rising in her throat, “don’t let them take it from you. Run.”

Geum-ja screamed. Jun-hee shielded the baby.

{{user}}'s pressed trembling hands against Hyun-ju’s wound, but it was already too late. Her eyes were fluttering. The light in them dimming.

333 stood in silence, his weapon dripping, eyes locked with yours like none of this mattered.

You looked up, your whole body shaking. Fury. Horror. Loss.

And something inside you broke.