Chapter Text
“Player 456 - Eliminated.”
The room went quiet. Silence fell over the place like a soft veil - submerging everything into a blurry hazy cloud. Nobody moved. Usually there would be cheering or shouting now. But the VIPs weren’t laughing. There was no giggling. Not even a chuckle. Nothing. Maybe because reality had hit them - or even just brushed them. Or maybe they had finally realized that they were wrong. Or maybe they didn’t care at all.
Looking down, In-ho didn’t say anything. He could feel a slight pinch inside his chest. Nothing to worry about though. It didn’t matter. Pushing the itchy feeling aside, he grabbed the self-destruction remote and made his way down the stairs. Clicking the button, he could hear the ticking noise of the timer as it began to go down. 30 minutes. 30 minutes and all of this would be gone. Swinging the door open, he entered the big room where they all had just witnessed death.
Blood was scattered across the floor, bodies lying next to each other. They were all so different - One was taller than the other, one had black hair while another didn’t. One had a longer and one a shorter nose. Each one of them different than the other. In-ho was silent. He hadn’t been able to notice details like that in a long time.
All the people here, they weren’t connected to each other in any way, having never met before or even having heard about one another. And yet, they were all humans. Each one of them, carrying their own story. Good, bad, neutral - No matter. Because quite literally.. that’s the point.
Humans.. They are selfish, greedy, disgusting and dumb, yes. But they are also happy, motivated, loyal, loving, caring, dreamers, wonderful, creative, talented, warm, kind, intelligent, interesting, charming, charismatic and so so so much more. Humans are.
The feeling inside his chest grew, only growing stronger when his eyes laid upon the man who had sacrificed himself to save a child that wasn’t even his, he tried to stay calm - not showing any of his emotions. 2 years ago, he would’ve questioned that man. Wondered about what benefits he was searching for. Hell, he would’ve probably laughed at the sheer thought of someone doing something similar to him. But now?
Something inside of him had changed, even if he didn’t want to admit it himself. Trying to push the feeling away once again, he pushed the button of the elevator and got inside. 28 minutes. He grabbed the child and took it in his arms. Standing there, he stared at the remote in his hands. With a swift motion, he clicked it again and a small sound was heard. Turning around to leave, he suddenly heard a loud noise, followed by the loud sound of crashing glass rippling through the room.
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Jun-ho rushed forward, the gun in his trembling hands pointing at his long lost brother. Standing there, he thought he’d be brave enough for this. Brave enough. Brave enough to- He strengthened the grip around the gun. All he had gone through to find this island, this godforsaken place. And yet, seeing his brother standing there, holding that little baby in his hands, he couldn’t do it. As the elevator slowly started descending, all Jun-ho could do was to watch his brother slowly disappear. Again.
Turning around, he suddenly noticed that the timers had stopped going down. Confused, he turned back - looking for his brother who was completely gone by now. Did they stop the self destruction protocol? But- why? Or maybe it was a trap, built to make them believe that the protocol had been stopped. He wasn’t sure but just in case it wasn’t true- It was safer to go outside again. The timer was probably by around 20 minutes by now, so it was really about time to get the hell out of there. Swiftly making his way back, he grabbed the diving gear and began tossing some things to the side. As soon as he touched the cold water, a shiver ran through his body. But again, it was nothing to worry about now. Adrenaline was pumping through his ears, even if he wasn’t sure if the building would really explode. He needed to get out anyways. With that thought in mind he fully submerged in the cold liquid.
Moments later, Jun-ho was sitting on the boat, trembling like a wet dog in the snow. The cold air was a refreshing change to the thick and almost dry air inside the island. Not only that, but the freaking island that was also still standing for- hell, whatever reason. The ex-policeman was so sure that the time must’ve already passed as he’d been shivering on board of this massive boat for a while now. The neat blanked he was snuggled into didn’t help a ton either. Reluctant to move, he took a peek at his watch, confirming his suspicions. It had been atleast 35 minutes, so this whole place should be in shambles. A new feeling started to kick in. Everything inside of him was screaming for him to go back inside, to finally expose all of this. But he knew that he should wait. 5 minutes can be a mistake.. 5 hours are likely not. Slumping back down, he sighed. Trying to sleep after all of this would be a genuine nightmare. This would be a long night.