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୨⎯ jia ⎯୧

i barely get a second to breathe before the wolf-masked vip approaches me. just like yesterday.

"tiger," he greets smoothly, stepping towards me like we're already familiar. "i was hoping to catch you before the next game."

i don't react, simply tilting my head slightly, waiting.

he takes that as an invitation to continue. "what do you think about us working together?"

ah. so that's what this is about.

"it's been my dream to collaborate with mr. lee for years," he continues, his tone casual but his words calculated. "i've made several offers, but unfortunately, he hasn't seemed interested."

i let out a quiet hum, crossing my arms. "well," i say, keeping my voice smooth, indifferent, "if mr. lee hasn't agreed to work with you yet, there must be a reason."

his mask hides his expression, but his posture tenses just slightly. not enough for the others to notice, but i do.

he chuckles after a moment, but it's forced. "perhaps. but now that you're here, maybe we can reconsider."

i don't think so. but before i can respond, i feel it.

him. the front man. he's watching.

and worse - he's amused. he finds this funny.

i resist the urge to glance his way, keeping my attention on the wolf.

"we'll see," i say smoothly, offering nothing more.

then, without another word, i step away - because i refuse to give either of them the satisfaction of pushing this conversation further.

suddenly the front man steps forward, his deep voice cutting through the conversations.

"the next game will now begin," he announces, his tone as controlled as ever.

the large screen flickers to life, revealing an open field with bright markings, players standing in their spots with their legs tied together in pairs. some look confused, others already on edge.

the frontman continues.

"teams will start with their legs tied together. at every ten-meter interval, one member of the team must play a mini-game. if they succeed, their team can move forward to the next challenge. if they fail-" he pauses slightly, letting the weight of his words settle, "-they will be eliminated."

the room stays silent for a beat before he lists the games:

game one: ddakji.
game two: flying stone.
game three: gong-gi.
game four: spinning top.
game five: jegi.

"they will have five minutes to complete all mini-games and cross the finish line before time runs out," he concludes.

the vips shift, adjusting in their seats, already interested.

"now this is a creative one," the owl-masked vip chuckles, swirling his drink.

"a bit nostalgic, don't you think?" the deer-masked vip muses. "childhood games, but with deadly consequences. i love it."

"the teamwork aspect is what makes it interesting," another one adds. "imagine getting stuck with someone useless. what a nightmare."

i remain silent, watching the screen, watching the players who have no idea how quickly their fate will be decided.

the front man's voice fills the room once again, commanding silence.

"it is now time to place your bets. announce your prive and name your chosen group."