GAME OVER | SQUID GAME

𒊹 CHAPTER 22 𒊹

Warning: this chapter will 100% hurt your feelings 💔 but hey! Maybe Seok-woo x Gi-hun shippers will like it?

🔞 Actual smut is not in this chapter BUT there is sexual contact/harassment(?) so some people may be uncomfortable with that anyway. Here is your warning. 🔞

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Gi-hun looked at the slightly smiling male as he pulled away from his ear. He wasn't sure if his ears were failing him or if he really heard correctly.

"Why...? And whatever your plans are...why tell them to me?" Gi-hun asked in almost a whisper. Seok-woo just chuckled, looking down slightly.

Gi-hun found himself constantly asking 'why'. So many questions left unanswered, so much trauma left unresolved and he was left with just one word, one question, one chance to get an explanation. Even when he did get his answer, he couldn't feel satisfied. He could never be sure of who was lying and who was telling the truth. In such a short amount of time, he put so much trust into this man, and now he wasn't sure if he could trust him at all.

"I'll tell you once I'm out of the hospital-" Seok-woo. began as he looked up at the distressed man beside him.

"Tell me now." Gi-hun demanded, growing sick of waiting for answers, sick of waiting for the truth.

"Now isn't the time. I want it to be special, especially now that Sang-woo will be out of the picture. You're free now, Gi-hun; I've saved you."

The air in the room seemed to grow thinner as the words engraved themselves in Gi-hun's brain. He felt like he couldn't breathe; the words he would've responded with seemed to come up his throat and get stuck there. Sure he had to wait for answers from Seok-woo, but the utter confusion about what he was saved from was overwhelming. So many thoughts ran through his head, like maybe Seok-woo knew about Sang-woo hitting him and took it to heart a little too much. But could he even use that as an excuse? It was one minor reason why he wanted to take a break; because he wasn't sure what else Sang-woo could've done out of anger.

Perhaps he didn't think through the situation enough; he didn't consider that if their relationship were to fail, things would become a bit awkward and thus make it harder to protect Sang-woo and keep him out of prison. They were fine for a while, so the reason why Seok-woo did it and decided to tell Gi-hun was beyond him.

Unable to handle the atmosphere in the room, unable to look at Seok-woo for the time being, Gi-hun got up from his seat and bowed slightly to excuse himself. He needed air, he needed some time to himself. Above all, he needed the see Sang-woo and make sure he was okay. Maybe he'd bail him out of jail since they had more than enough money for it.

Seok-woo laughed a bit to himself once he knew Gi-hun was out of sight. He heart was racing, face was burning, and he couldn't help but to smile. Hurting Gi-hun was the last thing he wanted but it needed to be done if he wanted him for himself. Sang-woo was dangerous as long as he was out of prison. He was bound to get caught at some point anyway.

'I know it's tough now...but I'll be all you have left soon, Gi-hun...'

- SQUID GAME: GAME OVER -

"You have a visitor, Cho Sang-woo." A low and rather grumpy voice sounded into Sang-woo's new jail cell while he sat up against the cold wall staring out the bolted window. He slowly turned his head towards the police officer before getting up and awaiting his temporary freedom.

The halls were cold and the handcuffs pinched and scratched at Sang-woo's wrists. This was it; the very position he tried so hard to avoid, was willing to give up his life to get out of. A sickening mixture of sadness and rage welled up within his heart and all ten of his fingers pointed to Gi-hun. It was so long ago that Gi-hun promised to always be at his side and he'd never leave him, never betray him. Sang-woo walking through a prison with a cop behind him proved those promises to be fake. Empty.