GAME OVER | SQUID GAME

𒊹CHAPTER EIGHTEEN𒊹

Sang-woo looked down at Gi-hun with widened eyes, losing his grip and ultimately dropping him to the floor. He looked at his hand, the hand that inflicted pain on the person he once swore to never do harm on.

There was a stinging feeling, a small cramp starting to build up. Gi-hun sat up, sliding out from underneath Sang-woo as he stood up, allowing his hair to hide his face again. He couldn't allow Sang-woo to see his bloodshot eyes, not in this situation. Sang-woo stood up with him.

"Gi-hun I-....I didn't- mean to-.." Sang-woo's struggled to get his words out as he shakily reached out to Gi-hun, who couldn't get the tears to stop running down his burning cheek.

"Save it." The older male harshly said, turning away from the younger man, "I guess my old man was right...people don't change; they only get worse." Gi-hun said through a weakened voice before storming off.

He'd go to the room he shared with Sang-woo but he didn't even want to see him. Going to the other bedroom, he shut the door as hard as possible before breaking down into loud sobs. Sang-woo went to the door and gently placed a hand on it, crumbling on the inside at the heartbreaking sound of Gi-hun crying.

~ FLASHBACK ~

"Hey Gi-hun. Are you ready?" A young Sang-woo asked Gi-hun, who was bouncing back and forth from his heels to his toes waiting for someone. The boy with messy hair looked to his friend and a bright smile appeared.

"Yeah just give me a minute. I'm waiting for my best friend to come. We're gonna play marbles after homework!" He said happily. Sang-woo's expression dropped to a frown and he raised an eyebrow.

"Best friend? But I thought..I was your best friend." Sang-woo said, a small mixture of sadness and confusion in his voice, though he tried to keep his composure and hide it. Gi-hun giggled and ruffled his hair.

"You are my best friend! But I also have another best friend!" He said with that same big smile on his face, "Oh there he is!" He waved at a boy jogging towards them. Sang-woo glared slightly at him.

"You can't have more than one best friend...that defeats the point of them being the best." Sang-woo said as the other boy showed up. Gi-hun hummed and cocked his head to the side, raising an eyebrow at what Sang-woo said.

"Sure you can! They both are the best to me." Gi-hun said, wrapping his arm around the other boy's shoulder.

"Stop it. I'm your best friend, not this kid." Sang-woo pointed at himself and then at the kid, who held his hands up in surrender. Gi-hun put his hands on his hips.

"Sang-woo don't be like this. We can all hang out if you come to my house too. How about that?" Gi-hun suggested with a bright smile. Sang-woo just grunted and started walking home without them. Gi-hun sighed.

"What was that about?" The kid asked, nudging Gi-hun's shoulder.

"I'm sorry about him. He gets like this a sometimes. This is the first time he's gotten this angry about it, though." Gi-hun replied, jogging with him in hopes of catching up with the angry Sang-woo.

~ PRESENT DAY  ~

Sang-woo sat against the door, lost in his thoughts when he realized the crying stopped. He pressed his ear up against the door in hopes of hearing some kind of movement, but he heard nothing. He furrowed his eyebrows a bit. Before gently knocking.

"Gi-hun?" He softly called to him, but got no answer. Sighing, he didn't bother moving from his spot on the floor. He rested his back against the door once again and mentally punched himself. He deserved it, anyway. He sighed, "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."