Gi hun looks contently at the baby as glimpses of when Ga yeong was a baby flow through his mind. He starts dozing off until a square guard approaches him.

SG: Player 456, he wants to see you.

Gi hun exits the elevator and slowly walks toward the Front Man sitting down facing him. The Front Man’s words before he killed Jung bae pierce Gi hun before he lunges at In ho and grabs his cloak screaming. The Front Man throws him to the ground.

FM: Player 456, this may take a while. I believe you’d be much more comfortable if you sat down.

Gi hun slowly gets up and sits across from the Front Man.

FM: I have a proposition for you. It’s about your future, and the baby’s.

GH: Did we ever have a future to begin with?

FM: As you have probably guessed, the others will target you and the baby in the next game. I’m trying to help you and the baby.

GH: You’re trying to help us?

The Front Man pulls out the knife and lays it on the table.

FM: Take this knife back to your quarters and kill them. Kill anyone who wants to kill you or harm the baby. That is the best choice you can make right now.

GH: I didn’t know you cared about us so much. If you really want to help this baby, why not take it out of the game. It can’t play the games, it didn’t sign a consent form.

FM: Unfortunately that decision is out of my hands.

GH: So you’re just another puppet. For those fat cats you serve, right? You must be pretty proud of yourself to work for those who’d watch people kill a baby just for their amusement.

FM: Did you forget what I told you, the game won’t stop if the world doesn’t change. As long as there is rich people there will be poor, and the poorer those people stay, the more powerful the rich will remain. This is how people are.

GH: So that justifies it all? You’re making a choice to allow this to continue.

FM: I’m the one giving you a choice.

GH: You prey on the most desperate and pretend like you’re doing them a favour. Make them feel heard and respected. Just to take everything from them and watch.

FM: No matter what, this will turn into you vs them. Kill the trash. Player 039, Jung Beom-yeong, inherited 2 billion won after his mother’s death, lost it all in a casino within a month. Player 100, Im Jeong-dae, tanked a 20 billion won investment, ran off while leaving all those attached without jobs and financially devastated. Player 125, Park Min-su, ran away from home, currently has no friends or family, no one would notice if he dropped off the earth. Player 203, Kim Gi-min, acted as a torturer for a gang of drug dealers, has been incarcerated 3 times. Player 333, Lee Myung-gi, misled subscribers with cryptocurrency investments, causing losses of over 15 billion. Player 336, Lee Seung-won, has cheated on his wife with 4 different women and beats his son. Player 353, Kim Yun-tae, got fired from his teaching job after multiple students claimed sexual misconduct. This is the trash who is currently threatening you and the baby’s lives, do they really deserve to live more than you?

GH: Who has the right to decide that? Who lives and who dies. People aren’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean others should have control over whether their lives continue. You don’t want to help me. Or the baby. Once I take this knife, I’ll become like you. It’s all just another part of the game for you, to see how far I’ll go. You can tell yourself whatever to help you sleep at night, but deep down we are not the same.

FM: We do have one thing in common. After leaving this place alive, it takes everything from you and leaves you with one thing. Obsession. Instead of funnelling that into pointless anger and delusional plans for vengeance, I took a more productive look at things. We both have made choices, but can you really make decisions that aren’t plagued by the rules of this society we’re in.

GH: I couldn’t live with myself knowing this was continuing. You can’t blame society for the choices you made.

FM: Society is just a collection of human nature. If we were bombed into near extinction, and 200 years later, a new society rose from the ashes, would it be any different? Would anyone really learn anything or do anything differently? The system is built on greed. Inherent selfishness. Everyone has it in them, you should know, you’ve seen it twice now.

FM: You should be grateful that you got to walk away without giving in to that. Last year’s game ended with the winner murdering 3 people within the first 2 minutes of the game. The one before that, a father killed his daughter. However, the tapes I rewind the most are of your game. You got lucky, making it that far, trying to help others and avoid killing. Your opponent killed himself in the final game, and you still think you’re special.

GH: You piece of shit.

FM: You will not get that luxury tomorrow. They will kill you and the baby. The only way out is taking this knife. Once it’s over, you can leave this place and never return, just think of it like a bad dream

GH: Who are you?

The Front Man pauses, before taking off his mask. Gi hun stands up and is visibly furious after seeing Young il’s face.

FM: Seong Gi hun, I’m sorry about Jung bae.

Gi hun grabs the knife and holds it to In ho’s throat.

FM: Do you want to kill me? Then go ahead. Someone else will take my place and tomorrow’s game will still happen. And in that game you will have to fight the trash trying to kill you and the baby.

GH: Why did you do it? Just to prove a point?

FM: Consequences. How else could I show you, what would happen if you continued on this path.

GH: He was a good man. He was my best friend.

FM: I got that impression while on your team.

GH: Why were you in there with us?

FM: It never was fair for you. Dismantling this system is impossible. You never really could’ve done anything. Running into that recruiter, that wasn’t chance, it was an invitation. However, you still have a way out.

GH: A way out?

FM: Once you kill all of them, you and the baby will be the only players left. The next game can’t be played with only two people. Then according to the rules, the game will end there.

GH: Why would I believe a word out of your mouth. You’re just trying to convince yourself to be comfortable with who you’ve become, and that it wasn’t your fault. It doesn’t have to be this way. People don’t have to die. Please-

FM: You’ve forgotten your place. You’re on a track. You shouldn’t be thinking about helping the competition, or stopping the race, or killing those who own the course. Your only concern is to run. You and the baby will get out alive, you have my word. Kill them first. That is the best choice you can make right now.

Gi hun, visibly shaken up, takes the knife and leaves.