GAME OVER | SQUID GAME

◽️CHAPTER 23 ◽️

"Don't leave me...Sang-woo..." he said quietly and weakly.

Gi-hun buried his face in Seok-woo's shoulder, holding his waist tightly as if to ensure that he stays with him. Seok-woo let out a light sigh, a smile creeping onto his face as he reached his hand back and gently caressed Gi-hun's head. For now, the sad man could only see Sang-woo. He wasn't ready to accept what he heard, wasn't ready to let go of him. But Seok-woo could deal with that, knowing Gi-hun was in a lot of pain at the moment.

He thought he could deal with it, at least.

Seok-woo had grown an intense fondness towards Gi-hun. Some might even say he was in love. With those feelings constantly brewing inside of him, having to hear Gi-hun call him Sang-woo for a while would be...difficult.

"I'm not going anywhere, love. I'll never leave your side." Seok-woo said calmly, feeling Gi-hun nuzzle his head into his hand, whimpering a bit like a small puppy.

"Promise...?" Gi-hun whispered sadly. Seok-woo chuckled, turning his head and gently kissing the top of Gi-hun's head.

"I swear it." He replied before continuing the sandwich for Gi-hun. Gi-hun separated himself from Seok-woo and went back to flop on the couch.

"Uncle Seok-woo!" Hwa-young could be heard running out of one of the rooms and to her uncle. Gi-hun payed her no mind as he once again stared off into space. "Are you okay?! What happened?!" She asked in a panic.

"Everything is alright, Hwa-young. I was actually hoping you could do me a favor." He replied, Hwa-young's worried expression changing to one of confusion at the sudden change in topic.

"What is it...?" She cautiously asked. Seok-woo then turned his body towards Gi-hun and pointed to him.

"I'm sure you know Gi-hun. He's gonna be staying with me for a while so I was hoping you could watch over his apartment. It's right next door, you know where it is." He explained. Hwa-young looked towards Gi-hun before nodding.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, sure I can do that. What about Sang-woo? What happened to him!" She said and asked, earning a chuckle from her uncle.

"He's a thing of the past."

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Gi-hun was finding it especially hard to fall asleep that night. Cuddled up in the arms of Seok-woo, he believed that it was Sang-woo who lay beside him. His mind played this trick on him where he couldn't get Sang-woo's face to disappear. Luckily he wasn't that far gone; while he believed it was Sang-woo next to him, it didn't feel like him.

It all felt like a fever dream to him. He remembered the harsh words so clearly as they pierced his soul, crushed his heart. He was aware of what went down, he saw it all happen. He could remember moving his lips as he spoke with Sang-woo for the last time. His eyes were open so wide as he watched him walk away, further into the place he was so desperate to avoid. Was it all his fault? No. It couldn't be. Sang-woo was right beside him...wasn't he?

How much time passed? How much time passed since they gave in to their feelings for each other? How did it all go so far downhill so fast?

Gi-hun could feel his body get pulled closer to Seok-woo as a kiss was planted on his head. It just didn't feel right. Moving away from Seok-woo, Gi-hun got up and went into the bathroom, where he stared blankly into the mirror. A tear fell from his eyes, but he didn't feel like crying. He could hear Seok-woo shifting in bed; Maybe he'd come and check on him.

- SQUID GAME: GAME OVER -

The silence of a jail cell was even more deafening than Sang-woo could have ever imagined. His eyes fell on a mouse in the corner, clearly struggling to move. It looked desperate. But could Sang-woo really do? They both didn't have any food in the cold cell. After just minutes of watching the hungry rodent, it squeezed through a hole in the wall. Sang-woo, now truly alone, wished that it were so easy to just crawl through a hole to freedom.

Gi-hun came to mind. Sang-woo let out a deep sigh, trying his best to let go of him. Just thinking of him made him aggravated but that's wasn't what his heart was telling him. Broken as it was, his heart missed Gi-hun. Every heartbeat was more painful than the last.

Clenching his fist, he slammed it into the wall, grunting loudly. He lowered his head, fighting back heavy tears.

'Dammit....I hate you....I hate you...I hate you...

I love you.'

To Be Continued....🔺

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Hey :) I'm sorry for how long this took and I'm also sorry for how short this chapter is. I've had a hell of a lot going on in my private life and with Christmas on the way, I got a lot to do. This story will be continued but I really wanted to get this out to you guys. Thanks for reading and I'll have a better chapter out soon ❤️