Killer Addiction - (Squid Game)

Chapter 29 - The Plan Is Simple

Dae-eun rose from her seat facing the fresh corpse, glowering down at it in disgust.
"If you win, I'll give you the information that your fellow survivor has been so badly trying to acquire. It's on a card in my pocket... I'm sure you remember which one."
The salesman's taunting words rang in her ear as she stepped around the table, pulling open the suit's breast pocket.

After a moment of rifling around, the girl extracted a small black envelope with a pink bow.
BANG BANG.
The aggressive thumping on her door made her fingers pause, turning to the door.

Wait- I didn't lock it-
No sooner had the thought sounded in her mind than the apartment door swung violently ajar, revealing a man clearly on a mission.
He entered without hesitation, a pistol was quickly held up to her upon their gazes locking.

"Police! Hands above your head, now!" He commanded sharply.
Dae-eun's eyes flicked back and forth before slowly raising her hands, the envelope still clutched between.
The man advanced for a moment before the girl could finally place his face.

"Jun-ho?" She tested.
The man stopped dead.
"...how do you know my name?"

She swallowed, attempting to lower her hands, only for him to pull back the hammer on his pistol, prompting her to keep them raised.
"I know I look a lot different now- but I'm Song Dae-eun. We... met briefly three years ago. You came asking about the games."
Jun-ho paused, a flash of recognition in his eyes before his exterior softened slightly, regarding her with much less hostility.

"...right. I remember you. I followed the van that picked you up to take you to the island."
"Yeah- that was me." Dae-eun cast her eyes to the salesman's corpse, prompting him to do the same.

"Your doing...?"
"No, he shot himself."

"What?" He gaped. "Why would he do that?"
"We played a game. Russian Roulette. He lost." She said bluntly.
Jun-ho spotted the revolver sitting a few inches away from the salesman's limp hand, where it had fallen moments after his expiry.

His eyes then drifted back and spotted the envelope in her hand, his gun raising back up.
"That." He spat, pointing the muzzle at it. "Where'd you get that?"
"It was in his pocket- it was my incentive for playing his stupid game. Gi-hun's been looking for him for years, but he tracked me down instead."

"Gi-hun? Seong Gi-hun? I thought he was dead..."
"I thought the same about you until five minutes ago."
He flashed her a look, to which she cleared her throat, "Can I put my hands down, please? I'm not even armed."

"And how do I know you're not gonna go for that revolver the second you do?"
"Do you know how Russian Roulette works?" She shot back. "The only bullet that was in it is currently lodged somewhere in that scumbag's skull. I'd be better off throwing my phone at you."
Jun-ho gave a huff before lowering his gun, "Fine. Put 'em down. The gun was... more for the intimidation factor, anyhow."

Dae-eun lowered her hands, turning to the envelope.
The policeman walked up beside her, his gaze locked on the black piece of card clutched between her fingertips.
"You said this was in his pocket?"

"Yeah... said that the 'information' Gi-hun's been looking for is on it."
Opening it up, Dae-eun removed a familiar golden card, printed with a black circle, triangle and square.
At least he wasn't lying about this being legit.

Flipping it over, she studied the contents.
Club HDH
October 31st, Midnight.

A meeting card. Just like the one I got when I was invited back.
She spared him a glance.
"...did you find your brother?"

"Sorry?"
"You said you were looking for your brother... In-hi?"
"In-ho." He corrected.
"In-ho, sorry. Did you find him?"

"..." Jun-ho went quiet, working his jaw as he suddenly found the floor much more interesting than her face. "No, I didn't."
Yeah, and I'm a unicorn.
She decided against asking any more, rationalising he wasn't in a talkative mood about his brother.
Maybe he was dead and Jun-ho was still grieving.