"Game: Mingle. When the music stops, form a group matching the number announced. You have 60 seconds. Failure to do so will result in elimination."

A heavy pause.

Suddenly, the room is filled with unsettling, upbeat music— Then the music stops.

"Form groups of two."

Chaos erupts. Players scramble, grabbing at whoever is closest. You reach out, heart pounding, but everyone around you is already locked in pairs. You spin around, searching desperately, but the room is thinning out, every time you approach someone, they turn away, eyes darting elsewhere, already clinging to someone else. You move faster now, the pressure tightening around your chest.

40 seconds left

Panic surges through you as everyone around locks into pairs, their grips tightening like lifelines. You spin, searching desperately. But there’s no one.

30 seconds left

For a split second, the realization crashes over you—you’re going to die here. But then, you feel a firm hand wrap around your wrist. You whip around. It’s him. Number 001, a man you’ve seen lingering in the background, always calm, always watching.

Without a word, he pulls you through the scrambling crowd toward another room—Room 3. As you reach it, there is a player inside it, confused and hesitant. You widen your eyes, sure player 001 will leave you out, chosing this other man... but he 001 doesn’t slow down. With a sudden, brutal shove, he throws the player out of the room as if they weigh nothing. The person stumbles, hitting the ground hard, their protest silenced by the cold stare of 001.

10 seconds.

He pushes you inside, his grip lingering on your wrist for a moment longer than necessary. His eyes meet yours—dark, steady, like he knows exactly what he’s doing.

Then, without a word, he shuts the door behind you, locking it just as the timer hits zero.