Chapter Text
It took In-ho a lot longer to figure out the true identity of ‘29’ who was also the masked waiter sitting beside him. He had to give it to his brother. It was a ballsy move infiltrating this place by himself. Stupid, overtly confident, and ballsy, with a hint of desperation intermixed in there, he suspected, which normally, he wouldn’t classify any of these attributes to Jun-ho. Maybe desperate if he was set on finding In-ho. He had a stubborn streak a mile long.
Jun-ho being here didn’t matter though. Within just a couple hours, he and the host came to a compromise that left In-ho satisfied and the host not having to worry about the ramifications of having the whole police force at their doorstep. Jun-ho would be alive and relatively unharmed while In-ho could still fulfill his duties as the protective, older brother.
In-ho concluded that the true test to all of this was getting his brother to agree that the compromise that was reached would be beneficial to everyone. Despite his current occupation as the host’s right hand man, he still loved his brother. His first instinct would always be to protect Jun-ho. But his brother might not see it that way. He was, after all, here for a reason. Despite the way he flinched every time a player plummeted to their death on the large monitor, In-ho knew deep down his brother’s reason for being here wasn’t to save them. He was here for In-ho.
“Ha! Look at how that fella was pushed off the edge. Didn’t see it coming, did he? Now this is what I call real entertainment. Am I right, boys?” The man wearing the tiger mask smirked as he looked over to the other VIPs.
“It is certainly a delight,” the VIP wearing the buffalo mask mused. He raised his glass, swirling the alcohol inside. Looking up, he found In-ho’s eyes and smiled briefly, before turning to the host. “I don’t know how you pull it off year after year, but your games are always so exciting. Your hospitality is also just wonderful. I’m sure the others can agree when I say it’s top notch.” He waited a moment for the other men to murmur their agreement. Smiling, he relaxed back into his chair and took a long sip.
In-ho watched from the couch. It was time. Everyone, including the host, were busy watching the game playing out on screen. He stood up slowly, the movement going unnoticed to everyone except his younger brother and the host. He pulled his brother to his feet, leaning over to whisper in his ear, “If you want to live, you will do as I say.” Jun-ho’s breath hitched but otherwise remained still. He waited for the younger man to nod. He wasn’t quite satisfied though. He knew what Jun-ho was doing, he used to do it with their mother when they were kids, giving her the answer she wanted to hear but not actually meaning it.
He gripped Jun-ho’s wrist tightly, watched impassively as he winced. “You are going to take me seriously.” Jun-ho jerkily nodded, his eyes still clouded with pain. In-ho hated the look, hated knowing he was causing his brother pain on purpose. He almost stopped, almost dropped his hand, but the host had been very clear that Jun-ho was his responsibility now, his to keep in line. He couldn’t help reaching out to cup the right side of Jun-ho’s face, ignoring the way his brother flinched and tried to jerk away from the gentle touch. “Good boy,” he murmured after a moment, hating the way Jun-ho was looking at him like he was something awful. Even though he wasn’t wrong. In-ho was a monster. He lived in a world that demanded blood, that celebrated the deaths of other people unfortunate enough to come across the games.
He let go of Jun-ho after a moment, trying to recompose himself. He had a job to do. He half turned before saying, “You are going to follow me out of the room. You will walk behind me slowly and keep quiet. You will not cause a disturbance. Do you understand?” Jun-ho nodded, surprise and fear swirling in his eyes. In-ho left the room without another word, knowing his brother would follow after him.
He led Jun-ho to an unoccupied room off the far end of the hallway. Jun-ho slowly entered after him, walking further into the room before In-ho turned around to close the door. For a minute, the room was dead silent. If he were to drop a pen right now, he’d hear it perfectly as it fell to the floor. Part of In-ho was afraid to turn around because of what he’d find in Jun-ho’s expression. Fear? Hate? They hadn’t seen each other in years, since Jun-ho was in high school, chasing after a dream much bigger than he was. In-ho wasn’t sure if he was ready to reveal himself to his younger brother just yet. He didn’t want his brother to stare at him like he was a monster, even if that was what he was. In-ho stared at the door.
He knew he didn’t have a choice though, he couldn’t keep hiding from Jun-ho.
Not only did Jun-ho deserve to know, but it was part of the deal. Jun-ho would stay out of the actual games but the host wouldn’t allow him to leave, he had to stay with In-ho. There was just no way for In-ho to hide behind the Front Man the whole time around his brother.
The sudden press of cold metal against his back had In-ho stilling. He slowly raised his hands, realizing at the faint clicking sound that it was a gun pressed against him. Of course his brother would come with a gun in his pocket. Smart kid, he thought.
“It’s my turn to tell you how it’s going to go,” Jun-ho hissed, his hand trembling as he pressed the gun harder against In-ho. In-ho started to turn around but Jun-ho jabbed him with the gun. “No! Don’t move. Don’t speak, unless you’re answering a question. Got it?” he demanded.
In-ho sighed but stood still again. “Yes. Got it.”
Was this how it was going to end? Was he going to die here at the hands of his little brother?
“Good. Good, okay,” Jun-ho said, recomposing himself. There was a moment of quiet and In-ho knew what was coming. “I want to know where my brother is.”
Even though he prepared for this question a dozen times in his mind since he found Jun-ho, it still left him speechless and frozen, a kid lost at a carnival. How many times had he stared at the mirror and wondered how he could ever face Jun-ho again after knowing the things he knew now, the things he had seen and done and had done to him?
In-ho had blood on his hands, had stood by as hundreds of people were slaughtered, had facilitated these horrific bloodbaths, had beaten and killed people, innocent people. For a long time after he survived the games as a player himself, he told himself that he did what he had to do because he had no other choice. It was kill or be killed, survive or die. Yes the third clause was there, had always been there, but who would end the games to go back to their old life, drained and damaged and penniless? He couldn’t go back to ‘normal’, not after everything he had seen and done.
He hadn’t realized how long he stood, frozen in place, with his thoughts and emotions swirling around him like a tsunami, until he felt the familiar strong grip on his arm as Jun-ho spun him around. He was faced with angry hazel eyes staring back at him, lips twisted in a sneer. “Hey, asshole! Answer me when I’m talking to you. Where the hell are you keeping my brother and just who are you?”