When Ali returned, he realized that Cho Sang-woo had already left.
A bad feeling crept up inside him. He opened the small bag Sang-woo had given him — the one supposedly filled with his marbles — only to find it full of pebbles.
Ali froze. His eyes widened, trembling as disbelief and betrayal flooded his face.
His throat tightened, and tears welled up uncontrollably.
Behind him, the Triangle Masked Guard sighed softly — then raised his pistol and fired a clean shot into the back of Ali's head.
"Player 199, eliminated."
Sang-woo, walking down the corridor, flinched when he heard the announcement echo through the speakers. His hand trembled slightly, but he kept walking.
Only one minute remained before the thirty-minute countdown would end.
But Player 001 hadn't regained consciousness yet, and Seong Gi-hun was on the verge of breaking down. He shook the old man's shoulders frantically.
"Wake up! Please wake up!"
Finally, under Gi-hun's desperate shouting, 001 slowly opened his eyes.
"Do you want to bet everything you have… and I'll bet everything I have — for one last game?" the old man said weakly.
Gi-hun stared in disbelief. "You mean, use your one marble against all nineteen of mine?"
001 nodded calmly.
"What kind of bullshit rule is that? That's not fair!" Gi-hun snapped, shaking his head.
The old man gave him a small, sad smile. "And was it fair when you tricked me to take my marbles?"
Gi-hun froze.
At that moment, he realized the truth — 001 hadn't been confused at all. He had let Gi-hun win on purpose. Shame and guilt crashed into Gi-hun like a wave.
"I… I—"
Before he could finish, 001 gently took his hand and placed his last marble into Gi-hun's palm.
"Take it. It's yours. We're gganbu, remember? We made a pinky promise."
"There's no 'yours' or 'mine' between gganbu. Thank you, my friend. Thanks to you, I lived well before I left."
Tears streamed down Gi-hun's face as the old man hugged him one last time.
"It's okay," 001 whispered softly. "Everything will be alright."
Just before the countdown ended, Gi-hun stumbled out of the courtyard door, crying uncontrollably.
Behind him came the frail voice — "I remember my name. It's Oh Il-nam."
And then, a single gunshot.
"Player 001, eliminated."
When Gi-hun returned to the dormitory and saw Kai laughing with Ji-yeong, something in him snapped.
He rushed forward, grabbed Kai by the collar, and slammed him onto the bed.
"Why are you two still alive?!"
Kai looked up calmly. "Didn't you listen carefully to the rules? Winning ten marbles from your partner counts as victory. Ji-yeong and I simply exchanged our marbles. That way, we both won ten from each other. Problem?"
Gi-hun's heart shattered.
How could he not have thought of something so simple — a way where both could live?
He thought of Oh Il-nam, the old man who had just died because of his own choice… and crumpled to the floor, his voice breaking.
Kai glanced at him and asked quietly, "Are you sure 001's really dead?"
Gi-hun's face twisted with rage.
He lunged again, slamming Kai back down, "If he wasn't dead, you think I'd still be alive right now?!"
He looked up at the counter above them.
Remaining players: 14.
Total prize money: ₩44.2 billion.
Gi-hun pointed at it, voice shaking. "Do you see that? Fifteen people died this round — fifteen! And they didn't have to! If you'd just shared your damn trick, no one needed to die! You killed them, you selfish bastard!"
He punched Kai in the face again and again. Kai tried to fight back, but he was smaller, thinner — completely overpowered.
Ji-yeong and Kang Sae-byeok tried to intervene, but Cho Sang-woo stepped in to block them, watching coldly.
Sang-woo secretly hoped Gi-hun would beat Kai to death. It would save him the trouble.
Of the fourteen survivors, Kai was easily the most dangerous — not physically, but intellectually.
They had both used the rules to survive, but Kai had used them to keep both himself and his partner alive, while Sang-woo had only managed to sacrifice his.
Kai's cunning was terrifying — he was like a fox with the venom of a snake.
If he survived until the end, he would be a major threat.
Sang-woo smirked inwardly. "He's ruthless and clever… but weak in a fight. I won't even need to dirty my hands."
Gi-hun raised his fist for another blow — but this time, Kai pressed the dagger Ji-yeong had given him against Gi-hun's side.
Gi-hun froze.
Kai slapped him hard across the face — once, twice.
"I let you hit me to let out your emotions. You think you can keep going just because I stayed quiet? You say I didn't share my method — are you insane? Why the hell would I give away the trick I risked my life to figure out to my rivals?"
He pressed the blade slightly harder, glaring at Gi-hun.
"If you're so righteous, then think of your own damn way to save yourselves. What am I, your father? You think I'm here to babysit you all?"
With that, Kai pulled the dagger back and climbed up to his bunk, bruised and bleeding.
Ji-yeong immediately went to him, her voice soft. "Are you okay?"
Kai winced but smiled faintly. "I'm fine. Just a few scratches."