Squid Game: Hwang In-ho | Front Man x Reader Oneshots

Trust In Me

song inspiration: trust in me by etta james

~~~

The bright city lights blurred past you as you sat in the car, next to In-ho. Your head was resting on the window, but your hand was holding his. You were exhausted, as you'd just finished working a round of the Squid Games with In-ho, working alongside him as the Front Woman. Now, the two of you were being driven back to your shared apartment for some much needed time off.

You'd worked with In-ho for a couple years now, having met after you won your own Squid Game. It was hard to get past his rough exterior, but the two of you quickly fell deeply for each other. It was easy to bond over your shared experiences as well. Despite both of your flaws, you had a great relationship, full of love, understanding, respect, and a bit of playfulness. You loved getting to know him beyond his stoic personality.

After each game, you were given some time off before having to return to the island. You were really looking forward to your time away with In-ho, since this last round of games had been particularly stressful for the both of you. The VIPs were especially demanding, and a few guards had acted out of line. There was never enough time in the day to get anything done, let alone sleep or eat. You also barely saw In-ho, making everything even worse.

You reflected on all of this as you sat in the car with In-ho, sighing to yourself. You were determined to make the most of your time away with him. You turned to him, and noticed he was looking at you, a melancholic look on his face.

You gave him a curious look. "What's up?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Are you okay?"

You gave him a soft smile. "Yeah, I'm just tired. What do you want to do for dinner?"

"Whatever you want." He leaned forward to kiss you softly.

You smiled. "Why don't we go somewhere nice? We haven't been out in a while."

"Sure." He smiled back at you.

~~~

You arrived at your apartment, setting down your things, wanting to change and get settled in a bit before going to dinner. You immediately felt relaxed being back in your home, almost feeling giddy with happiness, but you could tell In-ho was lost in his thoughts. He wasn't the most expressive person to begin with, but you could tell something was burdening his mind. Maybe it was just stress.

The two of you began unpacking your clothes together, but you had other plans in mind. You turned to In-ho and hugged him from behind, interrupting him. He turned around and wrapped his arms around you too, sighing. The scent of his cologne flooded your senses, bringing you comfort.

You brought your hands to his face and softly kissed him, then started rubbing your hands on his shoulders to try and relax him. His muscles were tense under your touch, and even though his arms were around you they were barely holding on to you. He was clearly troubled by something.

You broke from the kiss, looking at him concerned. "Tell me what's wrong." You gently rested a hand on his cheek, rubbing your thumb.

He sighed, looking down and avoiding eye contact. You could tell he wanted to say something, but he kept it in and stayed silent.

"What's going on?"

He looked at you, finally, and you could tell there was pain behind his eyes. What in the world was happening?

After several moments of silence, he finally spoke up. "I just... I hate seeing you stressed like that."

You breathed a sigh of relief. That was it? You hugged him. "Hey, it's okay. We both know what we signed up for."