Chapter Text
Minsu threw the cross-shaped necklace at Nam-gyu as hard as he could.
There should have been colorful pills inside — drugs.
Nam-gyu looked at him with guilt in his eyes, confused. Then he immediately ran after the cross, which had landed almost in the middle of the bridge.
He stopped there while the giant jump rope swung several meters above him.
Ever since quitting drugs, his legs had been shaking. His heart was beating far too fast. His hands trembled. He felt cold and hot at the same time. He hadn’t slept at all the previous night.
Honestly, he wasn’t even sure these weren’t his final moments.
Usually, he always knew he would somehow survive.
But now?
All he could think about was Thanos — that this was another game without him.
How deep down he missed him, but was too afraid to admit it.
How he had almost started crying in his bed because he missed him so much.
How he saw his friend bleeding on the cold bathroom floor — already cold himself.
He jumped once.
Twice.
And again.
He bent down to grab the cross — to his surprise, it was empty.
He knew he was taking his last breaths.
He looked ahead and whispered to himself, “Su-bong…”
He already knew he was done for, so he just waited the millisecond until the rope hit his legs.
The last thing he saw was a blurred image, a mix of smells, and almost complete silence.
He knew there was no turning back.
His body hit the ground.
He lost consciousness almost instantly.
Blood spilled.
He lay on the floor in a similar position to Su-bong.
Red liquid poured from his body.
In one short moment, everything ended.
All the memories. All the moments. Everything.
He had no idea what would happen to him now.
Where he would go.
He didn’t believe in any afterlife.
But was this really the end?
The afterlife is a pretty strange place.
Everyone is in one room.
Anyone can leave.
But they don’t want to — they prefer watching what’s happening in the games on the screen. Time here feels… faster somehow.
Anyone who died in the same place, on the same island, in the same deadly games can meet again.
Everyone knows they’re dead.
In a way, they feel calm. Peaceful.
On the screen, they watch their friends die. And hundreds of other people.
It feels wrong.
But some small part of you is happy — because you’ll be able to see them again. Watch their smile. Hear their voice. Talk to them.
And this time — without drugs.
When someone dies, after a few minutes they’re transferred to this strange place.
At first everything looks normal.
But something is off.
Only you can fully realize it — because everyone you see is dead.
You too.
Before you fully process what happened, you look around at the crowd.
Your kindest friends are there. The ones who could make you laugh even when you were afraid you wouldn’t survive until tomorrow.
The same ones you cried over.
They walk toward you with the same smile you saw every day.
Greeting you.
Talking.
Acting like nothing happened.
You’re so stunned you can’t say a word.
You’re dead.
***
Se-mi, Gyeong-su and Thanos had been sitting in the afterlife like usual for the past few days.
But this day felt different.
Su-bong stared at the screen showing the current game — jump rope.
He couldn’t look away.
He looked absent.
He hoped Nam-gyu would make it.
He believed he would.
“Hello? Earth to Thanos???” Se-mi repeated, waving her hand in front of the purple-haired man’s face.
He only stared at the floor.
He was in shock — sure.
But… he would be able to see him again, right?
There were no drugs here. Normally he wouldn’t act like this. He wouldn’t worry.
“Are you really that worried about that bastard?” the dark-haired girl continued.
No response.
Nam-gyu should be transferred here soon, but his body had to finish first.
After a few minutes, he appeared.
Thanos, who had been waiting for him, even let a single tear fall.
Su-bong stood in front of Nam-gyu.
The younger one looked down at the floor.
He looked disappointed. In himself.
Thanos almost tried to force him to look at him.
(It didn’t work.)
“Hey. It’s okay, my boy.”
“I’m sorry… wait. It is?”
“Yes, Nam—”
Both of them said “—Gyu” at the same time.
“I had to die for you to remember my fucking name!?” the younger said in frustration.
“I always remembered. I just liked annoying you.”
Nam-gyu froze.
After a moment, Thanos added quietly,
“But… you don’t need that anymore.”
He threw away the cross necklace that should have contained drugs.
“Come on. Join the others.”
“But…” Nam-gyu didn’t finish, wiping his tears.
“Se-mi practically forgave you.”
“Wait, what?! Why would she?”
Su-bong grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the group where Gyeong-su and Se-mi were talking.
“I’m sorry. Really. I lost my mind.”
“You? Apologizing? Sounds funny coming from you… but I’ll say I forgive you. For some reason. I’ll even say I kind of understand you. Let’s say.”
Nam-gyu smiled.
Probably for the first time in two days.
The dark-haired man knew he was dead.
He remembered almost everything.
He wasn’t religious, but he didn’t know any religion that predicted it would end like this.
He stared at the wall, lost in thought.
Se-mi watched how close Nam-gyu and Thanos were.
She was almost sure about every thought in her head.
But she wasn’t going to say she noticed how extremely gay they were acting.
Most people focused on the screen.
One minute left.
But the girl with blonde tips and a brow piercing — Jun-hee, the mother of the child Gi-hun carried to the other side — still hadn’t stepped onto the bridge.
She couldn’t pass the jump rope game because of her leg injury.
Giving birth in the middle of the game the day before didn’t help either.
She stood at the edge, near the abyss.
She shouted to Seong Gi-hun to take care of her daughter.
And then…
She jumped.
On her own.
Slowly into the abyss.
After a moment, she wasn’t visible anymore.
Her body lay at the very bottom.
Blood spilled across the floor.
It was one of the saddest things in the last few days.
Soon she would be transferred to the room of the dead.
Nam-gyu took out a small black hair tie and tied his hair into a ponytail.
Thanos looked at him like God had returned to earth, realizing how good a man could look.
Se-mi snorted.
“Hey Nam-gyu, if you squint your left eye, you kind of look like a lesbian mom of two. The only difference between you and her is that she likes girls.”
“WHAT? I’M NOT GAY.”
“Mhm,” Se-mi muttered while walking away.
Thanos smiled, almost laughing, as if their arguments amused him.
***
Jun-hee appeared crying near the wall.
Ggeum-ja and Hyun-ju quickly walked over to her, trying to comfort her, telling her how proud they were of her.
Ggeum-ja hugged her.
Hyun-ju smiled softly, then walked toward her best friend.
“Hey, are you mad? You haven’t been talking much.”
“What? No… I didn’t think you’d notice. Nothing happened…” Young-mi said quietly, confused.
“Do you want me to sit here with you?”
“If you want…”
Hyun-ju knew that when Young-mi said “if you want,” it meant “yes,” because she never wanted to “cause trouble.”
Young-mi played with her fingers, staring at the floor. It was clear she was thinking about something.
Hyun-ju carefully asked if something was on her mind.
“Nothing… just…”
“Just?”
“I’m wondering where my mom is. And how my older brother is doing. I don’t even know if he’s alive — he had money problems too. Our mom died when I was sixteen. I didn’t have money for rent or food. And my brother… I wouldn’t even be surprised if he was in the games too. He seems mean, and to most people he is. But not to me.”
It was probably the longest monologue Young-mi had ever given.
“Oh… you think your brother could’ve died in the games?”
“Maybe my mom too…?”
“What kind of tragic family story is that? And your dad?”
“Good question.”
“See? You shared your problem and it’s already better. We’ll find them. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah… let’s say that.”
***
Sang-woo, Sae-byeok, and Ji-yeong were sitting near a wall.
Each was busy with their own thoughts.
Sang-woo sat two meters away from the girls, like he didn’t belong to them. Meanwhile, the girls sat very close — Ji-yeong almost resting her head on Sae-byeok’s shoulder.
“Aren’t you scared of tomorrow’s finale?” Sae-byeok asked calmly.
“Why would we be?” Sang-woo answered arrogantly.
“BRO YOUR LOVER MAN COULD LITERALLY DIE,” Ji-yeong shouted.
“First of all, why the hell did he get into this shit again? And what do you mean by ‘lover’? We’re not—”
He stopped mid-sentence, hoping no one noticed how much he liked Gi-hun. Maybe a little too much. and he understood how defensive he sounded.
“Dude. You keep your photo together in your wallet,” Ji-yeong continued.
“You went through my wallet?!”
“DON’T CHANGE THE SUBJECT. What is going on with you two?”
“What do you want me to say? You already know we’re childhood friends.”
“If that’s what you think. Keep telling yourself that. The closet is glass, Sangwoo”
“This conversation started with finale stress and ended with Sang-woo’s yaoi roots…” Sae-byeok muttered.
They returned to their comfortable silence.
But the silence was drowned out by conversations.
From the mix of voices, Ji-yeong recognized one.
She looked around until she saw the same purple hair she had seen her entire teenage life. The same voice she’d heard since childhood.
“Hey, you know the guy with colorful hair? That’s my cousin,” she laughed.
She pointed at a group of four — three boys and one girl.
They looked young and happy in their conversation.
“What? You know them?” Sae-byeok asked.
After a short exchange, the women decided to approach Su-bong and his friends.
“Heeey… long time no see, right? XD”
Thanos turned when he heard his cousin’s voice — a voice he hadn’t heard in years.
“JI-YEONG? Where have you been all these years?!”
“I could say ‘in a grave,’ but I didn’t even get one, so… lmao.”
Nam-gyu looked confused. “Who is this?”
“My cousin,” Thanos answered.
Ji-yeong and Sae sat with Nam-gyu, Gyeong-su, Se-mi and Thanos for a while.
They felt comfortable.
But Nam-gyu was jealous as usual — even if she was just Thanos’s cousin.
Relax. Su-bong is not sweet home Alabama.
They talked about tomorrow’s finale and random nonsense.
“Do you guys want to be friends?” Se-mi asked clearly.
“SE-MI, CAN YOUR LESBIAN ASS STOP FLIRTING WITH RANDOM GIRLS?” the dark-haired man muttered.
Gyeong-su and Thanos laughed.
“And can your internalized homophobia ass stop doing what it’s doing?” Se-mi shot back.
Ji-yeong suggested a rap battle.
Unfortunately, they refused.