The morning sky outside Reina's apartment window looked bright. The sun seeped through the thin curtains and illuminated the living room where Jo, Reina, Mina, Ren, and Taka were gathered. For the first time since the terrifying game began, they felt like ordinary people again, not pawns in the middle of a deadly game system.
Jo sat cross-legged on the thick carpet while holding a cup of hot chocolate. Beside him, Reina leaned back casually on the sofa, wearing simple home clothes but still looking charming in Jo's eyes. She chuckled when Jo made a stupid joke about Taka snoring too loudly last night.
"Seriously, Tak, I thought it was a time bomb siren!" Jo said with a laugh.
Taka, who was opening a pack of instant noodles, turned his head with a grin. "Instead of talking about me, look at Jo. He's like a guy in love, sitting next to Reina every morning. What's wrong?"
Mina and Ren laughed along, and Jo just grinned and shrugged. Reina turned to him and smiled thinly, there was something behind that smile that made Jo's heartbeat increase.
"I'm just… comfortable," Jo said softly, her voice barely audible.
The atmosphere in the living room felt warm, calm, and together. For a moment, the brutal world of the game felt like a nightmare that had passed. They talked about the food to be cooked, plans for playing cards tonight, and even simple dreams like taking a walk in the park if the world returned to normal.
However, in the midst of the light conversation and jokes, an electronic 'click' sound was suddenly heard from the direction of the television on the wall.
Everyone fell silent.
The television screen turned on by itself.
The color black filled the screen for two seconds then white text appeared slowly like a typewriter writing a message one letter at a time.
"Welcome back to the game of life."
"Players detected: 5."
"Game type: EYES OF THE GUARD."
"Game level: 3 Hearts."
"The game will start in: 00:01:00."
The cheerful faces turned pale. Taka dropped his spoon. Mina spontaneously stood up, taking a few steps back. Ren stared at the screen with his jaw clenched. Reina stared at Jo, her eyes losing their warm light in an instant.
"No… we… we're not ready yet," Mina whispered in a trembling voice.
"How could that be? We didn't sign up for anything… we just stayed here," Ren said, trying to stay calm.
Reina stepped forward, her voice calm but full of pressure, "The system probably detected our stay. We haven't moved for too long. It could be… it's considered a form of consent."
Jo stared at the screen with heavy breathing. "Three hearts… that means the game level is no joke."
"And the 'Watching Eye'?" Taka asked quietly. "What does that mean?"
Reina shook her head. "Whatever… we have to get ready. The game starts in less than a minute."
Jo held Reina's hand without realizing it. She said nothing. Only one thing was certain: the peace was over. And the next game would probably take more than just their lives.
The screen faded to black.
The final seconds of the countdown began to sound...
3... 2... 1...
The apartment door opened with an automatic mechanical sound.
Red light filled the hallway...the game had begun.
The mechanical sound of the automatic door slowly opening echoed through Reina's apartment hall. The red light flashed like an emergency siren, bathing the corridor in an invisible sense of menace.
Jo, Reina, Mina, Ren, and Taka slowly stepped out of their apartment. They looked at each other without saying a word—all understanding that a new game had begun, and their lives were once again at stake.
As they stepped outside, the large screen mounted on the wall at the end of the hallway lit up. A silhouette appears—a masked figure speaking in a distorted voice, like a robot wired together by broken wires:
"GAME BEGINS: THE GUARD'S EYE
Participants: 5
Duration: 30 minutes
Game Zone: One Apartment Building, 15 Floors"
The screen displays a digital map of the apartment building complete with moving red dots, representing each player's position. Surveillance cameras are hidden in every corner—the "eyes" of the game. Screens on each floor will constantly show their positions, making hiding for too long nearly impossible.
Game Rules (written on the screen in big, bold letters):
1. One player will be randomly assigned as the GUARD (It).
2. The GUARD must touch another player to transfer GUARD status.
3. Each touch will switch statuses and give a 5-second delay before the transfer is active.
4. When time runs out, the last player to be the GUARD is permanently eliminated.
5. It is forbidden to hide for more than 3 minutes in the same room. The system will detect and force you out with a loud noise and force the door open.
6. Your location will be continuously displayed on the big screen in each hallway. No privacy. No mercy.
7. The game starts in 30 seconds. Get ready.
Jo clenched his fists. "So this is… a deadly chase?"
Taka punched the wall, "And we're locked in a cage with cameras everywhere. Crazy!"
Ren took a deep breath. "There's no safe place. We have to move, keep moving."
Mina lowered her head. "If you're the last guard… you're dead…"
Reina moved closer to Jo and held his hand, gently but firmly. "We have to strategize, not just run. At least… one of us has to survive."
Jo stared at Reina for a moment. Their gazes met, there was no more joking, just tension and sincerity that was surging.
"GUARD HAS BEEN APPOINTED."
The big screen displayed:
REINA - STATUS: GUARD
All eyes turned to Reina.
She just smiled a little, a smile that suffocated Jo's heart.
"I started it… okay," she said, trying to stay calm.
Suddenly, the emergency door in the hallway opened automatically. A soft siren sounded.
"GAME BEGINS."
Timer on screen: 30:00
Jo shouts, "EVERYONE SEPARATED! DO NOT GROUP! USE THE STAIRS, NOT THE ELEVATOR!"
Without wasting any time, they scattered. Reina looked at them one by one before running towards the stairs, her footsteps light but heavy because she knew, time passed not only to chase... but also to let go.
If you want me to continue to the next part, which is 3. Chase and Sacrifice, just tell me. This part will contain emotional moments, tension when moving floors, their strategies to survive, and slowly lead to Reina's sacrifice.
The emergency door opened automatically, signaling that the game had officially begun. The five friends were thrown into a familiar reality, the same apartment building hallway, but now it felt like a gladiator arena: silent, stalking, and full of hidden cameras that sparkled like electronic spies. They were still in the same place, but the atmosphere had changed drastically. This was no longer a shelter. This was a cage.
The large timer on the hallway screen showed:
[30:00] - countdown starts.
The screen flashed.
Reina accidentally touched Taka.
They all turned to Taka, who stood frozen with a shocked face.
"Wow, seriously? Me? What should I do?" Taka laughed awkwardly, glancing at his four friends with obvious reluctance.
Jo raised his hand, "Relax bro, this is just… yeah, like playing hide and seek, right?"
Reina chimed in, "But the loser dies. Don't forget that." Her tone was flat, but her eyes were full of tension.
Mina hid half behind a concrete pillar, her face pale. "Taka… don't come near me, please."
"Huh, what should I do?! I have to touch someone, right?! This isn't an option!"
Taka started to panic. His breathing was heavy, his hands sweaty. He took a step forward, then back. Then laughed awkwardly again.
"Come on, don't be like this… I have to… Ren, I'm sorry bro!"
Taka suddenly made a short run and touched Ren's shoulder before Ren could run away.
Beep!
"STATUS: REN - GUARD (5-second transition)"
Ren glared at Taka. "Are you serious?! I was just looking for a place to hide!"
"Sorry! Panic!"
They burst out laughing, a laugh that sounded stiff and forced. A kind of self-defense mechanism before the real terror started to bite.
[28:40]
Ren immediately rushed the emergency stairs and started going down the floor. The others scattered.
Jo ran to the 13th floor, illuminating the hallway with a small flashlight from his cellphone.
Mina ran to the 11th floor, then entered an empty room and hid behind a closet.
Reina climbed to the 15th floor, the top floor and locked herself in a small room with central air conditioning.
Taka? He slipped to the 12th floor, half laughing and half praying that he would not be touched again soon.
[27:15]
Ren ran fast. Sweat began to drip from his forehead. The camera above his head flashed a red light indicating that he was being watched. The hallway screen on the 12th floor showed his position clearly.
"No good... all these screens are leaking our position. We can't stay still for long," Ren muttered.
On the 12th floor, Taka sneaks up, but it's too late. Ren appears from around the corner and without further ado taps!
Beep!
"STATUS: TAKA - GUARD"
"Hey!" Taka shouts, but Ren has already run downstairs.
[25:50]
The game has changed tone. The tension is palpable.
Jo hides in a public bathroom on the 13th floor. He closes the door and holds his breath. But the screen outside shows that someone has been in one room too long.
Audio Alert: "Player 04 (Jo), detected staying in one room for too long. Room will be opened automatically in 10 seconds."
Jo curses under his breath, "Shit!"
He exits the bathroom and runs away. His footsteps echo. The camera follows him.
[24:00]
Meanwhile, Reina opened a small gap in the air-conditioned room where she was hiding. From the ventilation hole, she could see part of the hallway.
She took a deep breath. "I have to hold on. I… can't be a guard."
But just as she was about to leave, footsteps were heard from the stairs. Taka appeared from the other side of the hallway, breathing heavily.
They looked at each other.
"Reina… I'm sorry. There was no choice."
He tried to get closer.
Reina fought back. She ran through the hallway, then jumped onto the emergency stairs, going down one floor to the 14th floor.
Taka gave chase.
"REINA!"
The chase began.
[22:15]
Meanwhile, Jo and Mina accidentally crossed paths in the 11th floor hallway.
Mina was shocked, "JO?!"
"SHH! Don't be so loud! Someone just followed me. Taka became a guard again!"
They stared at each other, for a moment as if returning to the real world of two friends who just wanted to survive.
Then the hallway screen lit up:
"GUARD: REINA"
"Transition in 5 seconds"
Jo and Mina stared at each other.
"Reina…?" Jo said softly. "She was caught…"
"No… she can't be the last," Mina said softly.
They knew.
Someone would be eliminated. And the clock was ticking.
While Jo and Mina whispered to each other Reina passed and touched Mina, seeing that it was during the transition, Jo pulled Reina and ran away from Mina who changed her status to a guard.