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Gi-hun's footsteps echoed in the darkness.
His face was tense as he descended through the maze's secret passage.
He moved slowly, his hand tracing the cold concrete wall.
His ears perked up at a faint sound in the distance.
"What the hell is this..."
Gi-hun muttered.
Suddenly, light leaked from ahead.
Gi-hun held his breath and approached carefully.
As he turned the corner, a vast underground space unfolded before his eyes.
The space resembled a giant circular arena.
In the center stood a massive hourglass, surrounded by several doors. Each door had a number written above it.
Gi-hun held his breath and surveyed his surroundings.
Then, a familiar voice was heard.
"Gi-hun hyung."
Gi-hun turned around in surprise.
It was Sang-woo. He looked tired, but his eyes were still sharp.
"Sang-woo... you made it here too."
Sang-woo nodded.
"Hyung, I've figured out what all this means."
Just then, the Front Man's voice boomed through the speakers.
"Congratulations, everyone. You've reached the final stage of the 'Hidden Truth' game."
Gi-hun and Sang-woo looked at each other.
Looking around, they saw other survivors gathering. Ji-young was among them.
The Front Man continued explaining.
"This game is called 'Choice of Time'. You must choose one of the doors before you. But be careful. Behind each door awaits a different time period."
A murmur arose among the participants.
"You have 10 minutes to make your choice. Once time is up, all doors will close, and those left here... well, I'll leave that to your imagination."
The giant hourglass began to turn slowly.
Gi-hun quickly analyzed the situation.
"This isn't a simple game. There's a bigger purpose here."
Sang-woo nodded.
"That's right. Hyung, this game changes the future based on our choices. The world could change depending on which door we choose."
Gi-hun's eyes widened.
"What do you mean?"
Sang-woo continued in a low voice.
"The game organizers are trying to change the future. We're their test subjects. They want to see what results our choices will bring."
Just then, Ji-young approached.
"Oppa, what should we do?"
Gi-hun took a deep breath.
"Let's stay calm. We still have time."
The participants began examining the doors, contemplating their choices. S
ome discussed with each other, while others were lost in thought alone.
Time passed.
After 5 minutes, the first participant made a choice.
He entered door number 3 and disappeared instantly.
Gi-hun grew anxious.
"We need to decide too."
Sang-woo spoke up.
"Hyung, I'm thinking of choosing number 7. I think it might mean something."
Ji-young asked,
"Why?"
Sang-woo explained.
"Seven is a lucky number. And everything in this game seems related to numbers. 456 participants, 45.6 billion won prize... Seven must have some different meaning."
Gi-hun nodded.
"That makes sense. But I have a different idea."
He pointed to door number 1.
"We need to go back to the beginning. To stop all this, we need to return to the starting point."
Ji-young asked,
"So should we each make different choices?"
Gi-hun fell into thought for a moment.
Various ideas crossed his mind.
'If we make different choices, someone might make the right choice. But then we'd have to separate...'
"No,"
Gi-hun finally spoke.
"We need to go together. The essence of this game is to divide us. But if we choose together, we can foil their plans."
Sang-woo and Ji-young looked at each other.
Anxiety and determination crossed their eyes.
"Then which door should we choose?"
Ji-young asked.
Gi-hun took a deep breath.
"Number 1. We need to go back to the beginning and set everything right."
Sang-woo nodded.
"Alright, hyung. I trust you."
Time continued to pass.
After 8 minutes, more than half of the remaining participants had already made their choices and disappeared.
Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and Ji-young stood in front of door number 1.
Their hands were trembling, but their eyes were determined.
"Ready?"
Gi-hun asked.
The two nodded.
"Okay, let's go together."
Just as they were about to open the door, suddenly the underground space shook with a loud noise.
"What's that?!"
Gi-hun shouted.
The Front Man's voice echoed again.
"Warning. An outside intruder has been detected. All participants must complete their choices immediately."
Gi-hun's eyes widened.
'Jun-ho, you've come...'
"We need to go now!"
Sang-woo yelled.
They held hands and jumped through door number 1.
A blinding light enveloped them, and for a moment, everything seemed to stop.
And then they vanished.
No one was left in the underground space now.
As the last grain of sand fell in the giant hourglass, all doors closed simultaneously.
The Front Man was watching all this from the control room.
A smile spread behind his mask.
"Perfect. Now the real game begins."
Just then, the control room door opened.
Jun-ho stood there, holding a gun.
"Don't move!"
he shouted. The Front Man turned slowly.
"Oh, Officer. You've finally made it here. But you're a bit late. The game has already moved to the next stage."
Jun-ho looked around in confusion.
"What are you talking about? Where's Gi-hun hyung?"
The Front Man smiled.
"He's already gone to the past. Or perhaps the future."
Jun-ho's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Now it's your turn to choose, Officer,"
the Front Man said.
"Will you join the game, or will you give up everything here?"
Jun-ho's hand trembled.
Two choices lay before him.
Would he pursue the truth, or choose safety?