Squid Games: The Rematch

Hide and Seek

Gi-hun awoke to the usual intercom voice.

"Attention all soldiers, you have 10 minutes until headcount."

Gi-hun sighed and sat up, his eyes resting on the gun that was near the door. He must've sat there longer than he thought. As he gazed up at the timer, it read 1 minute left.

Gi-hun was quick the put on his uniform and mask before stepping outside his room just in time.

"The headcount will now begin," the intercom said.

A few seconds later, the headcount was complete, and Gi-hun immediately went on to his task. He made his way to the beds that the soldiers were in to wake them up.

He walked up to a young girl that looked to be thirty or so. She was sleeping soundly, barely making a move, much less a sound.

"It's time to get up," Gi-hun told her.

The woman didn't open her eyes.

Gi-hun spoke louder. "Get up!"

She suddenly opened her eyes and gazed upward. She sat up quickly.

"I'm so sorry!" she said. "I've been so tired lately that all my body can do is sleep!"

Gi-hun looked at her strangely, before grabbing her wrist and pulling her up.

"Make your way to the center of the room, please," I told her.

She nodded slowly and walked wobbly toward the center of the room. The other players looked extremely tired as well.

That's...strange, Gi-huh thought. He needed to discuss this in private with Hwang. Maybe he'd have some hints on what going on...

Gi-hun made his way to Hwang and tapped his shoulder. Hwang turned around quickly.

"It's me," he whispered, barely audible. "we need to talk in private. I think something strange is—"

Before Gi-hun could finish, the music started and the voice of the intercom came on.

"Attention all players, the next game is now set to begin. Please follow the soldiers and go outside towards the eastern part of the building. I will repeat the instructions..."

Gi-hun looked over to where the soldiers were walking. The building did seem to be bigger. A lot bigger. He hadn't noticed until just now. He shrugged it off and followed the other soldiers outside through the eastern door. Once he walked out, he was surrounded by trees, rivers, huge boulders, and more things you'd typically find outdoors in the woods.

What the hell type of game is this...?
Gi-hun asked himself.

The players looked confused as well, but they also marveled at the scenery. It must've looked like heaven to them for being locked inside a room most of the time.

"Attention all players, this next game will be in teams. Please pick someone you'd like to play with. Then you will be given the next instructions. The time limit is 5 minutes."

Gi-hun watched as the players talked amongst themselves, his eyes scanned the area for Hwang. He eventually found him talking with a girl who looked a little younger than him.

"Soldier 158! You forgot your gun," a voice said behind him.

Gi-hun turned to see another square soldier.

"Your job today is eliminating players. Pay attention to the rules."

Gi-hun took the gun in his hands shakily.

"The time to select a player has now ended. I will now go over the game you will be playing. This game is hide and seek. One player will be the seeker, and one will be the hider. You may choose which one. If the seeker manages to find who is hiding from them in ten minutes, they are safe. But the person who is hiding will be eliminated. Let me repeat the instructions..."

Gi-hun held his gun and watched and Hwang ran off into the trees. The girl started sprint after him, but she seemed so lethargic and could barely run strait. Gi-hun noticed this in the other players too. They seemed slower and could barely keep their eyes open. Yet, they ran and hid anyway, as if they had a sudden burst of energy.

Gi-hun started to make his way toward where Hwang had ran and walked around, hoping to see him hiding somewhere. He looked under bushes, in the trees, behind huge plants and boulders, but found no one...

He walked a bit more until he decided to whisper.

"Are you here?"

There wasn't a response as Gi-hun noticed the sound of footsteps nearby. He pointed his gun at the girl who was most likely looking for Hwang. Gi-hun said nothing as she looked around. After a few minutes, she started to sprint off elsewhere. And that when Gi-hun heard a familiar voice.

"Seong."

He felt his ankle being grabbed and he saw Hwang crawl out of a pile of wood, moss, rocks, and twigs.

"Hwang!" Gi-hun said, carful not to make move noise or movement. "Nice hiding spot."

Hwang looked up and smiled, "I'm a police officer. I know how to hide."

Hwang winked at Gi-huh before the voice on the intercom came on.

"Attention all seekers, you have only 2 minutes to find the hider."

Gi-hun looked down at Hwang.
"I'm going to find that girl. You stay here and hide. Don't make a noise."

Hwang nodded before quietly going back into hiding.

Gi-hun ran through the forest, looking Hwang's seeker. He remembered the number on her shirt. Number 57. As he continued to run, his eyes saw her in the distance, she was still looking, but slowly.

Gi-hun stopped and slowly looked at the timer. It read 30 seconds. He shakily held his gun as he started to walk up to the girl. She turned to look at him. Gi-hun sighed and looked away.

"I'm sorry player 57," he told her. "You've been eliminated."

He closed his eyes tight as he lifted gun and pulled the trigger.