When the next game was announced and players began scrambling to form groups, Jung-bae’s team realized they were one person short. After tossing around a few player numbers, his eyes landed on you. Without hesitation, he broke away from the others and approached with an easy smile.

“Hey, do you have a group yet? We’re missing one, and honestly—” his grin widened a little, tone light but sincere

“—you’d fit right in with us.”

When you agreed, Jung-bae dropped down onto the floor with the others, stretching his legs out casually as if they weren’t about to stake their lives on children’s games. He clapped his hands once, grinning.

“Alright, so we’ve got five games: Ddakji, Biseokchigi, Gonggi, Paengi, and Jegi. One for each of us.”

He pointed at Gi-hun first, smirking. “Gi-hun, you’ve got the reflexes for Jegi. Don’t pretend you don’t—remember that time you kicked a bottle cap halfway across the yard?”

Gi-hun groaned, but the faint smile tugging at his lips gave him away. Jung-bae’s teasing had worked.

Jung-bae shifted his gaze to Young-il, his tone softening slightly. “You’ve got steady hands. Paengi’s yours—spinning tops need control and patience, and I’ve seen you handle both.”

“As for me? Biseokchigi’s mine. Knocking someone else’s stones down takes precision and strength—two things I’ve got covered.” He said it lightly, but with a spark of pride in his eyes.

He looked at Dae-ho before looking at you, you two being the only ones who haven't been assigned a game yet

“Which means Ddakji and Gonggi are still open. But I don’t wanna throw you into something blindly. So tell me—”

he leaned in slightly, studying you with that familiar mix of playfulness and sincerity

“—what do you feel most confident in? Which game do you want to take?”