Cost of Living

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/34524136.

Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Categories: Gen, Multi, M/M
Fandom: Squid Game (TV 2021)
Relationships: Hwang Junho & Seong Gihun, Hwang Junho/Seong Gihun, The
Salesman/Seong Gihun, Hwang Junho/The Salesman
Characters: Seong Gihun, Hwang Junho, The Salesman (Squid Game), the recruiter (
squid game ), cho sang-woo ( mentioned ), hwang Inho ( mentioned )
Additional Tags: gihun just wants to have fun, let the goofy dilf dance, jun-ho lives! au, uh
oh the angst has appeared in my comedy plot :/, this is a more serious fic
than intended, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, ptsd mention,
Anxiety Attacks, gi hun & jun ho are the buddy cop dynamic we deserve,
the salesman be fine af & also mysterious
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2021-10-16 Completed: 2021-11-28 Words: 12,436 Chapters:
9/9
 Cost of Living
by barricadeboyznthehood

Summary

Nothing will stop these two from discovering the salesman's recruitment tactics except maybe
a sick dance beat.
--------

“It pays to have favors owed to you.” A smug smile on Jun-ho’s lips. “It’s probably not his
main apartment. I have a feeling he moves around a lot.” The smug smile slipping a little as
he glanced back at Gi-hun. “You remember the plan, right?”
Gi-hun waved his friend off. “Ahh, as if I could forget. Only been talking to me about this for
weeks.” He took on a mocking tone of the police man, “ Gi-hun don’t talk to anyone
suspicious. Gi-hun establish a routine. Then switch it up. Gi-hun stay away from your past
gambling places. Gi-hun don’t have any fun.”

Notes

honestly i've had so many ideas and half started fics involving squid game characters. this is
the first finished start to one of those ideas where Gi-hun and Jun-ho team up after the games,
YES JUN-HO LIVED , and they're trying to track down the salesman to see how he selects
not only those in debt but the guards / those used to entertain the VIPS. Please let me know if
you want me to continue this! I'm still trying to get a feel for these characters.

See the end of the work for more notes

 Switch it Up

“Is this tip reliable?” Gi-hun asked, shielding himself from the early evening drizzle of rain
by shaking his baseball cap from his back pocket and placing it onto his head.
“As reliable as most tips are. Especially in ….these kinds of situations.” Jun-ho replied with a
slight sigh. He was already starting to feel defeated.

The renewed hope in his chest when he saw Gi-hun outside at a café a year after the game,
his dark hair dyed a frankly awful shade of red, diminished in the past few weeks. Gi-hun let
out a noise of worry as they walked along the busy streets of Seoul, settling into his
reassuring nature by clasping his hand on jun-ho’s shoulder.

“Even if we don’t find anything tonight or get anywhere closer with clues, I haven’t been out
like this in ages. Have you? You seem to always be soooo busy with your investigating.
Don’t even have time to return my phone calls.”

“Huh? You never call me.”

“Oh. Well, texts then.”

“Only if you’re needing a ride home.” Jun-ho teased lightly. He would never admit it to Gi-
hun but there had been some days where he couldn’t be bothered to answer his texts, the
constant ping!ping!ping! of his phone sending Jun-ho into a spiral he almost couldn’t climb
out of ; every message from Gi-hun ( number 456 ) , a reminder that the game wasn’t over.
His brother wasn’t safe. His brother was one of THE organizers. But then, Gi-hun had lost
people. He potentially had killed people directly. Jun-ho needed to remember the other’s
suffering, the man’s sacrifice. The case wasn’t solved. Hell, technically according to the
police department and Jun-ho’s superiors, there wasn’t a case at all.

“This is the place we need to get into?” Gi-hun asked, dark eyes scanning the outside of a
modern bar. This is where the salesman was hanging out?

“He met you where you were at, right? The train station? Let’s meet him where he’s at.” Jun-
ho answered simply.“His apartment isn’t far from here.”

“He met me when I was at my lowest.: Gi-hun corrected with a sense of shame slipping
through in his voice. If he hadn’t missed his train. If he had stopped after one round. If he
wasn’t such a fuck up. “Wait, how do you know where he lives?”
“It pays to have favors owed to you.” A smug smile on Jun-ho’s lips. “It’s probably not his
main apartment. I have a feeling he moves around a lot.” The smug smile slipping a little as
he glanced back at Gi-hun. “You remember the plan, right?”

Gi-hun waved his friend off. “Ahh, as if I could forget. Only been talking to me about this for
weeks.” He took on a mocking tone of the police man, “ Gi-hun don’t talk to anyone
suspicious. Gi-hun establish a routine. Then switch it up. Gi-hun stay away from your past
gambling places. Gi-hun don’t have any fun.”

“I don’t know if I said it quite like that but ….yeah, just try to remember all that. But we can
have a little fun though.” The young policeman was happy that his older friend could even
remember the feeling of that word. “Judging by your last sighting of him, I doubt he would
approach you in public, especially if you seem to be thriving and not in need of anymore
money. You must seem indifferent. Not angry. Not righteous. Not in need of revenge. Leave
that to me.”

Gi-hun nodded as he listened to his friend, adjusting the baseball cap on his head. “And if he
approaches me?” His voice faltered a bit.
“Challenge him to a game. I’m sure this bar will have some.” Jun-ho shook the rain drops
from his unassuming black jacket and ran a shaky hand through his hair. “After you, sir. I’ll
follow you in after a few moments. Don’t want people staring at both of us, huh?”
 THE BACK ROOM
Chapter Summary

Gi-hun and Jun-ho get closer to the discovery of the salesman's recruitment tactics.

Chapter Notes

A somewhat comedic prompt in my head has turned into a serious fic because squid
game has wrecked my emotional responses lolz. Think of this fic as a dromedy, both
men are dealing with their issues and the people they have lost while also trying to save
future willing and unwilling participants of the games.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

A group of well-dressed women exited the bar, Gi-hun holding the door open
further for the group to pass before he walked into the dimly lit establishment. One of the
woman’s eyes glancing longingly behind her as the young detective Ji-hun stubbed out the
last of a cigarette onto the relatively clean sidewalk.

This is a place sang-woo would go to, Gi-hun thought immediately upon entering, the
sudden stab to his heart causing it to pound loudly in his ears. Sleek glossy wood of the bar
met with oiled brass tops. The only sources of light being from low-hanging globes above
tables and the frosted fluorescent glow of the mirrored shelves holding top shelf liquor
behind the longest bar Gi-hun had ever seen. He walked further into the room, ignoring the
dampness that still clung to his bones from the cold outside. High rounded stools met the bar,
every seat occupied by similar seeming professionals: all dark neutral business attire, the odd
occasion party dress from a woman or two celebrating some event, the even odder young
drinker out of place in casual clothing. He remembered when him & sang-woo tried to
impress their dates in college by bringing them to such a fancy place. How quickly the
money emptied from their wallets for weaker drinks than their neighborhood haunts.

A few taller men stood at the sides of the bar trying to get the bartenders attention,
flashing fat stacks of bills in their hands, some whistling and rudely snapping their fingers.
Waiters passed by in crisp white button-downs and black slacks delivering drinks and checks
to some of the bigger groups in the back of the room. Curtains hung half closed even further
into the room, seemingly leading to another room. What it held Gi-hun was sure he would
find out. As Gi-hun stepped up to the bar, suddenly feeling under-dressed, he tried to get the
attention of the bartender. Opting for a friendlier approach, even a pitiful one, he sighed
loudly and smiled at the nearest waitress passing by with a tray of empty glasses and wadded
up napkins.

“Ugh, what a day! Excuse me miss, what am I saying? I bet you’ve had a busier day than
mine, huh?” He contorted his face apologetically as the waitress stopped and lowered the tray
onto the bar, pushing it further towards one of the barbacks who took it from her.

“It’s always busy around this time.” She conspired with Gi-hun, not sure if he would be a
nuisance to her or if he was just trying to make polite conversation.

The waitress grabbed a fresh tray filled with drinks for a table and smiled weakly at Gi-hun.
“Would you like a drink, sir? To help with your stressful day?”

Gi-hun smiled as if the waitress had offered him a million won, “That would be most
appreciated, thank you miss.” He searched for a nametag on her shirt but found none. Wait a
minute, what was he supposed to order in such a place as this? “Can I get a…..scotch on the
rocks?” He asked, sounding a little unsure as the waitress looked blankly at the older man
and repeated his order for him.

“Are you sure that’s what you want, sir?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Thank you.” Gi-hun nodded and gestured over to a table, it’s occupants just
leaving. “I’ll be over here if that’s okay.”

“That is just fine, sir.” The waitress gestured towards the table. “Sit down there and I’ll get
your drink for you.”

The older man did as he was told, relaxing into the seat as he glanced over instinctively as
the door opened and Ji-hun walked into the room. More confident and sure than Gi-hun had
been the elder man noticed with a bit of a grimace. Was he really that goofy? He saw that
Jun-ho had ditched his black coat and instead walked into the bar dressed similarly to the
other professionals. Had he ever seen his friend in fancier attire? Was a button-down and
some pressed dress slacks really considered that fancy? Watching a friend when they
hadn’t seen you yet was one of Gi-hun’s favorite pastimes besides his normal people
watching. Even though they had a plan, observing Jun-ho walking confidently up to the bar,
shouldering past people and getting the attention of the bartender in seconds had Gi-hun
admiring the man. Maybe this plan was going to work if he didn’t fuck it up. The waitress
returned with the drink, glancing over as Jun-ho approached the table with his own drink and
set it down next to Gi-hun’s.

“Oh, sorry excuse me.” Jun-ho murmured to the woman as the waitress blushed lightly
and ignored Jun-ho’s relaxed presence as he sat down next to the older man, draping an arm
around his friend’s chair. “Let me know if you or your friend need anything else.” The
waitress looked at Gi-hun with a genuine smile before moving towards the back of the room,
moving apart the black curtains to give a glimpse of several round tables and raucous
laughter wafting over the smooth jazz music that played overhead. “What do you think is
back there?” The elder gestured towards the half-revealed room.

“According to my tip, allegedly illegal dealings. Mostly gambling though. High stakes
too.” Jun-ho offered up as he took a sip of his sujo. Gi-hun reluctantly took a sip of his
scotch, the taste ironically burning more than the sujo ever would. Who really drank this
stuff?

“Do you want to switch?” the young detective asked with a wry laugh that would
otherwise offend gi-hun if he knew the younger man was making fun of him.

“Fuck yes.” Gi-hun chuckled as he offered up his glass to Jun-ho’s bottle and small shot
glass.

“You’ll recognize him, right?”

Gi-hun nodded. “Yeah. But you’ll know it when you see him. He’s….different. You can
almost feel it.” There was a certain anonymity that wealth brought that the salesman carried
with him. It wasn’t some form of posturing that sang-woo and his financial buddies had
participated in, the same posturing that all these bar patrons were taking part in. Did they
even realize they would never reach the top rung? And then what? If everyone who had Oh
Il Nam’s wealth eventually felt the same despair and boredom that those deeply in debt did,
the middle rung was where everyone should live. “He wouldn’t be playing poker in there.
That’s not his style if that’s what you’re thinking.” He continued as he saw Jun-ho looking
past all the patrons and directly into the curtained room. “Why would he want to play even
more games in his down time?”

“who says this is where he goes to relax? I think this is where he goes to ….pick up. ” Jun-
ho said hesitantly, trying not to let the bile that was in his stomach rise further. Sudden
images of the final game flashed through his mind, the unctuous order of too much alcohol
and old man sweat filling his nostrils, the surprisingly tight grip on his wrist, the low growl of
a promised death if not satisfied. Monsters masquerading as decent human beings.
Despicable.

Jun-ho continued, “ He’s looking for potential…VIPS. Possibly local investors. Oh Il-nam
is dead. Who can possibly front the money for this operation unless someone local? The
international VIPS cannot sponsor it all especially if they aren’t able to physically attend the
final games. What would be the point?” He reached for the traded glass, gulping down the
scotch hurriedly as the ice clubs clicked against his teeth and slide down the glass. “There are
other people besides the guards that my brother uses for the VIPS. There’s a hierarchy to the
guards, yeah, and special privileges that the guards share. I wouldn’t really call them
privileges though.” Jun-ho swallowed thickly.

“Jun-ho --- LOOK!" Gi-hun interrupted as a flash of a dark gray suit walked up towards
the bar, several customers glancing towards the man as the salesman slipped a few crumpled
bills into a glass jar at the countertop. The salesman passed the waitress who had served Gi-
hun & Jun-ho, briefly grabbing her by the arm and whispering into her ear as he handed her
something. She blushed lightly again, eyes widening as she unfolded whatever was given to
 her and looked around in confusion to thank the salesman who had disappeared. Both men
downed their drinks and glanced at each other worriedly. Do they follow the salesman out of
the building or talk to the waitress?

Chapter End Notes

what will the men choose? follow the salesman or question the waitress for information
about the back room? let me know what you think in the comments. xoxo
 Onwards
Chapter Summary

ji-hun makes a discovery. gi-hun is wanting more sujo to deal with the situation.

Chapter Notes

The chapter lengths will vary depending on what i'm feeling, sorry for the
inconsistencies. Wanted to keep the paces of the chapters varied depending on the mood
of the scenes. Hope you enjoy!

Sujo warmed Gi-hun’s throat as he chugged the bottle forgoing the tiny glass to be measured
out responsibly. Oh god, maybe he shouldn’t have done that. Jun-ho looked at him with an
analytical gaze, mouth open for a moment as if he was hesitating on the right thing to say.
“Do you want to be laying on the floor right now instead of helping me?” He chided
teasingly. “Come on, we either need to go chase him down or go talk to your waitress friend
over there.”
“No need to be an asshole. You’re the one who offered to switch.” Gi-hun muttered, “If we
go after the salesman, he might just disappear again. Better to figure out what he said to the
girl.” The young detective nodded in agreement, slipping a few bills out of his wallet and
putting them on the table. A primal need to snatch the bills off the table glistened in Gi-hun’s
dark eyes, two years ago he would have told Jun-ho to go ahead without him and pocketed
some of the money. Now he had too much money. Maybe Oh il-nam was right. The older
man shuddered at the thought.

The younger detective was already talking to the waitress, Gi-hun quickly scurrying over to
hear the tail end of the conversation. “He was admiring the print we have in the other room.
He mentioned the original was even better. I don’t know how he would have that or seen it.
That was presumably lost centuries ago unless there’s some secret restoration art society I
don’t know about.” The waitress told Jun-ho with a shrug of her shoulders. “Is this something
I should be worried about?” She asked, holding the trademark card of the salesman between
her fingers.
Gi-hun inhaled shakily and nodded his head quickly, “ Yes! Yes you should be worried about
it. Don’t ever call that number. Throw it away.”
“You should only be worried about it if you’re in debt, miss.” Jun-ho corrected swiftly,
casting a chiding glance towards Gi-hun that he was going to scare this woman from telling
them anything more. “Are you in debt?”
“A few student loans that I thought I would be able to pay off by now.” She answered,
moderately embarrassed. “This job was supposed to cover my monthly installments but my
father he’s…..he’s not in good health. The medical bills are piling up.” She admitted. “I…I
really should get back to my tables, sirs.”
“Please let me know if that man comes back.” Jun-ho told Mi-suk as he handed her a slip of
paper with his burner phone number written on it.
“I will. Have a good night.” Mi-suk told the pair before returning to work.
“Ay, that was a bust. Hmm?” Gi-hun sighed, running a hand across his face. Why was he
suddenly craving another sujo to distract him from the defeat he felt?
“Not exactly, Gi-hun.” Jun- ho murmured, tapping a finger to his temple and pursing his lips.
“Shit. How could I have missed THAT?”
“What is it? What???” Gi-hun asked.
“We need to go. Then I’ll explain.” Jun- ho tugged on Gi-hun’s jacket sleeve as he made his
way towards the door.
 The night of...
Chapter Summary

Gi-hun and Jun-ho finally get what they were searching for .....kind of.

Chapter Notes

Thanks soooooo much for all the kudos and comments, I really appreciate it! Hope you
enjoy this chapter.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“That painting Mi-suk was describing, the one on the wall of the bar in the back room…”Jun-
ho said as he walked briskly into the evening glow of the city. “The one your salesman was
so interested in, so was my brother.”

Gi-hun wrinkled his nose immediately at “your salesman” but left the correcting comment
die in his throat. “Ahh, what could be so special about this painting, hmm?”

“Before he passed, our father was an economics professor. But he had a similar problem as
you used to --- gambled away a lot of our mom’s inheritance she got from our halmeoni. She
relied too much on my brother after that but ….he was always too distant. Couldn’t step up to
meet the family’s needs.” Jun-ho remembered the cold wash of dismissal when he would
cling to his brother when he magically reappeared, wanting to talk to him about school,
relationships, what he was doing, anything. Only to be met with a condescending pat on the
head, a question if their mother was home, where she hid her dwindling stash of money, from
their father’s life insurance, if she had collected all her mother’s belongings from the estate
yet. “You have to understand my mother’s side of the family was quite wealthy, but my
mother married for love it seems. My father was an honorable man. That’s what my mom
said drew her to him, his own moral code, his ethics, how he saw the world. My mother’s
family would not support her financially if she chose him, but she did.”

The chirp of his car unlocking shook Jun-ho from his private thoughts as he reached over
and opened the passenger door for Gi-hun. The older man slid into the seat, buckling his seat
belt, and castan expectant glance over at the younger man. “Your mother sounds like a
romantic woman but ….what of the painting, jun-ho? What does that have to do with your
family?”
 “Our house was always decorated with art. Family portraits, landscape prints, my
jeungjohal-abeoji was a dabbler in oil paintings for a time. That print, that supposed centuries
lost painting, it haunted my father’s thoughts, and it seems to have cursed my brother as well.
He was always an admirer of the arts. For awhile I thought he might try to go to a musical
conservatory for piano, but he soon become bored.” The car grumbled to life with a push of
a button, the radio soon sputtering out alternative rock that Jun-ho soon quieted with a twist
of his wrist against the dial. “If my hunch is correct, this is much bigger than I originally
thought.”

Fucking fantastic, Gi-hun thought.

“Keep your eyes out for the salesman. “ Jun-ho reminded his elder as he drove slowly
through the city streets, circling the block around the bar.

“Oh Il-nam talked nonstop about the boredom of wealthy people, of wanting excitement and
adventure, those who observed find some thrill in watching the games but Oh Il-nam wanted
to participate. Now that he’s gone, do you think others like him will want to join the games?
Wealthy people can have nothing to lose too. Nothing to live for.”

“I think that could be a great liability, if this stretches internationally, the implications of
certain individuals going missing overseas, potentially dying of mysterious circumstances.
They wouldn’t want to deal with all that, would they?” Jun-ho questioned aloud.

“They’ve kept things pretty quiet since the late 90’s. No one in your entire police station
noticed people going missing. No one has filed anything since then? Give me a break.”
Jun-ho looked sheepish for once, embarrassed. “There is a time period to wait before
reporting someone missing, especially in your circumstances, a lot of people just….show up
one day on their family’s doorstep begging for money. Others die in alleyways from an
overdose. A few sign away their physical rights like you did and are unable to pay. My
brother was always in and out of my life. Dodging my calls. Begging my mother for money
until one day he didn’t. So, I went out to search for him.”

“I’m sorry you found him in the way you did.”

“Me too.”

The car came to a slow stop at a red light, the only other cars on the road heading to other
destinations. Gi-hun rolled the window down to take in the cool night air, marveling as he
tried to make out stars in the polluted cloudy sky. Perhaps those blinking lights were just
planes overhead. The familiar crack of hand meeting swollen cheek echoed down the street
and Gi-hun practically stuck his head out the window like a dog to search for the noise.

“Do you hear that?”

Jun-ho rolled down his window and heard multiple successions of slaps followed by “If you
really insist on your ddjaki ability, why are you losing so badly?”
“Park the fucking car!” Gi-hun exclaimed.

-------------------------------------

Jun-ho parked on the street, locking his car and grabbing his jacket that he had discarded in
the back seat. “I think I should approach him.”
Gi-hun nodded in agreement, he felt his blood boiling as he heard another succession of
slaps and a few whimpers that followed. “I’ll wait over here.” He gestured towards one of the
benches closest to the street. A trickle of fear washed over him as he realized this night was
like the nights, he spent waiting by the curb for a van to take him away. How eerily similar in
mood and weather. He tried to shake the feeling of another potential kidnap. He was finished
with the games. There was no need to worry.

The detective walked casually towards the sound of ddjaki tiles hitting the brick
walkway, the exclamations of defeat from a desperate man echoing in the evening air. He
pulled out his burner phone to call his personal phone’s voicemail, leaving a rambling
message about coming home late from work and for the non-existent person on the other side
of the line not to worry. He had just picked up some more late shifts at his job, he was trying
to save for the holidays.

A flutter of crisp bills being rolled into waiting hands, a smug smile adorning the
salesman’s face. The swollen cheeks of a man dressed in threadbare clothes detailing the
construction company he worked for on the back of his shirt, the cast of the moon shadowing
the salesman’s face except for the glint in his eyes as he gestured for the player to pick up the
Ddjaki tiles for him. The back of the man obviously hurting from his job as he bent down
with an angled hand on the small of his back, letting out a sharp exhale as he lowered himself
to the ground to pick up the tiles. The man handed them to the salesman and Jun-ho saw the
gray-suited man hand the other a card. “Remember to call me. There aren’t many spots
left.” The desperate man let out a humorless chuckle as he walked away from the salesman,
adjusting his long hair over his face to create a curtain so others could not see the burning
shame of a reddened cheek. He past Jun-ho wordlessly, barely noticing the other as the
young detective typed a few messages to Gi-hun.

𝗷𝘂𝗻-𝗵𝗼: 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘄. 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆.

𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗽: 𝗼𝗳𝗰 𝗶’𝗺 𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆. 𝗶𝗳 𝘂 𝘆𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶’𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿
𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗱.
𝗷𝘂𝗻-𝗵𝗼: 𝗼𝗵, 𝘀𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂? :))
𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗽: 𝘀𝗵𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗽. :/

Jun-ho saw the salesman stand up to collect his briefcase from the bench. He walked
over steadily, pulling out a half full packet of cigarettes, tapping the bottom of the carton to
lodge one free from the cold. He slipped the stick between his lips, muttering curse words as
he patted his jacket pockets, dipping a hand into the fabric and pulling out odd bits of mint
wrappers and a few coins. He cursed some more as he glanced up at the radiant moon and
debated putting the cigarette back into the carton.

“Need a light?” The salesman asked, hand already holding up a sleek onyx lighter that
seemed heavy.

“Thanks, man.” Jun-ho offered up a quirk of his lips, hand reaching out to grab the soon
to be borrowed instrument.

The salesman tutted, lips pursing slightly as his free hand grabbed Jun-ho’s wrist. “Allow
me.” His expression softened though the grip on Jun-ho’s wrist was all too tight. Fuck, why
was it so tight? It was just a fucking lighter. What was this guy’s power trip? The salesman
held on for a bit longer than necessary according to Jun-ho. All his instincts as a cop
suggested to wriggle free, pull his gun on him, arrest the guy. But for what? Letting a stranger
borrow a lighter? The hand holding Jun-ho’s finally let go, instead flicking open the lighter
and holding his hand in front of the flame before dropping it towards the end of the
detective’s cigarette. Jun-ho nodded in appreciation, teeth biting into the cigarette as he
muttered out a thanks.

“What was that?” dark brows furrowed upwards, inviting lines crinkled around his eyes.
Fuck, was this guy really going to make him say it again?

Long drag of a cigarette taken as Jun-ho ran through his options. Best to play along. He
exhaled expertly, resisting the urge to let the smoke hit the guy right in the face. He turned
away, letting the smoke waft in the direction of where Gi-hun sat a block or two away
impatiently waiting for some sign to come over. The cigarette now hung glowing between
Jun-ho’s fingers. “I said, thanks man. Appreciate it. Had kind of a shit day.” He sighed
lightly, eyes flickering to meet the salesman’s analytical gaze. “But you’ve made it better.”
He added, a cheery almost overly sweet tone to his voice. Fuck, he felt like he was twelve
again trying to impress his older friends, his teachers, his tutor, his father, his brother. Is this
how the salesman made everyone feel? Like you were disappointing him just for existing?

He expected the salesman to smile, to laugh, hell to even chastise him for letting his moods
be dependent on someone else’s kindness. But no, instead the salesman said nothing and let
his eyes inspect Jun-ho’s timid gaze.

“Do you want to play a game?” The salesman offered up, the inviting eyes around his eyes
crinkling further, the quirk of his lip turning into a playful smirk.

“Nah, I’m not that good at Ddjaki.”

“Oh. So you saw that?”

Jun-ho’s heart fluttered at the realization. Shit. He most definitely was getting slapped.

“Well yeah. Hard not to recognize Ddjaki when you see it. Haven’t played in forever.”

The salesman shook his head. “ Don’t worry, that’s not the game I want to play.” He collected
 his briefcase from the bench and looked expectantly at Jun-ho. “Follow me.”

Jun-ho wavered, shifting on the balls of his feet. The sudden weight of his burner phone in
his pocket feeling like an anchor. “I really should be getting home.” How was he supposed to
yell now without him seeming like a lunatic?

“Home can wait.” The salesman countered. “You’re coming with me.”

Chapter End Notes

why is jun-ho always getting whisked away to a second location? also the salesman is
that dude who wants to seem gentlemanly but only does it as a power trip change my
mind.
 something about you
Chapter Summary

Jun-ho takes a car ride with the salesman only to be left with more questions than
answers.

Chapter Notes

Yessss i know that this is more jun-ho / the salesman centric with this chap right now but
i'm trying to set up the vibes between them before Gi-hun gets involved. Thanks again
for all your kudos and comments, I really appreciate the comments and interest!!! Please
let me know in the comments what profession you think the salesman has / had before
the games. I've been trying to drop some hints. It might not be what you originally think.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Several minutes had passed without any noise that Gi-hun could hear. The older man even
straining so much that he had fallen off the bench. Pacing a few times up and down the block
waiting for any sign of struggle or game – playing. No tiles forcefully thrown down on the
brick walkway. No crisp slaps to aching cheeks. No cursing. Nothing. What the fuck was he
supposed to do now?

His fingers delved into his pocket, the mended one sang-woo’s mother had reattached with
patchwork silk lining, digits grazing the edge of a spare key fob. Son of a bitch! Some
detective work, hwang! If Gi-hun was spiritual, he might think the ghost of sae-byeok had
possessed the detective in his moments before meeting with the salesman, slipping the extra
set of keys into the older man’s pocket. But he is not spiritual, not anymore. Seems the
detective was superstitious or just covering all outcomes.

------

“Where are we going?” Jun-ho asked, sliding into the ultra- comfortable seat of a luxury car
and buckling his seat belt. Fucking course it has tinted windows, he internally sighed as he
looked out the window and saw the vague blink of city lights. The carlock clicked in place as
the salesman pressed a button and turned to look at Jun-ho with the same condescending
smirk Gi-hun was accustomed to.

“Why would you ask such a silly question? It’s a surprise. Can’t discuss anything further.”
The salesman hummed in his throat as if the basic question the detective had asked was like
asking if the moon was made of cheese. Completely ridiculous and a waste of his time.

“I really should be getting home though. I can’t stay out all night.” Jun-ho added, stifling the
impulse to bring up people looking for him, family members that would notice he was gone.
Isn’t that the first thing the victim says when going to a stranger’s car at the beginning of a
horror movie?

“You won’t be out long. It’ll only take a moment.” The car purred to life. Jun-ho felt the
vibrations in his seat and almost moaned. The whiskey from the previous bar was effecting
him more than he thought.

“Still, I’m going to tell them I won’t be out late.” Jun-ho dug into his pocket quickly and
texted Gi-hun the street coordinates and that he would keep him updated. Another hum of
disapproval left the salesman’s throat as they drove downtown, passing the bar where jun-ho
and gi-hun had first spotted the salesman and onwards deeper into the city. “Is this your
thing? Picking up strangers and asking them to play a game? Sounds pretty creepy, dude.”
Jun-ho noted with a wry smile, trying to provoke the salesman into some reaction other than
indifference and one-word answers. “I’m into giving people opportunities.”

“You’re what? An admin with financial loans? An insurance agent? A philanthropist? A

recruiter?” Jun-ho rattled off logical possibilities that he hoped would lead him to an answer.
“Your answers are making me doubt my line of work. Perhaps I should have investigated
more into insurance work. A little too boring for my taste though.”

The young detective swallowed thickly, fingers laying gently on the passenger car door
handle. The instinct to flee flooding his system at the trip wire words: investigate more. “It’s
pretty boring from what I hear. Your line of work seems….more interesting.” He responded
delicately.

The salesman let out a scoff. “INTERESTING.. Such a non-issue word, don’t you think?
Find a better word, please.” A matching wry smile adorned his face as he glanced at Jun-ho.
Reflecting that same sort of sardonic quips Jun-ho had exhibited earlier.

Jun-ho amended his non-issue word with a breathless laugh, his fingers releasing their slight
grip on the door handle, strategically resting on the gearshift. “Your line of works
seems….exciting. Flexible. You still really haven’t told me what you do exactly.”

“My My, all these questions. What if I interrogated you like this?”

“I wouldn’t consider it interrogating …..fuck, I don’t even know what to call you.” Jun-ho
noted simply. “What should I call you?”

“Hmm, you can call me sir.”

“You don’t seem that much older than me.”

“I am.” The salesman countered with a slight eye roll, dark eyes resting on the gearshift
Jun-ho gripped. “ Care to grip something else that tight?”
Jun-ho let out a held breath, chuckling lightly and shaking his head as he relaxed his grip on
the gearshift and slowly let his fingers dance over towards the salesman’s thighs, palm of his
left hand resting on the salesman’s nearest thigh. “Is this more what you had in mind?” He
tested.

The salesman exhaled slowly, eyes flicking to meet Jun-ho’s, a tutting sound leaving
his lips before his eyes focused back on the road. He was hesitating. Defenses breaking down
little by little thanks to Jun-ho’s careful questions and light touch. “I don’t know what made
me say that. Just forget it.”

“But you said it. Obviously…..some part of you meant it.” Jun-ho countered, cautiously
rubbing his palm slowly against the salesman’s slack covered thighs. Damn, even the fabric
of his suit felt good.
“I , was reading…..the situation wrong.” The salesman noted with a huff, a regretful look
present in his eyes as he glanced over at Jun-ho. Almost as if he would unlock the car and let
the man walk free, never to go towards the surprise in store, never to know what game was to
be played. As if he never meant any of this to happen. Almost as if he got into such a deep
pit he couldn’t climb out of , the only difference between him and the contestants being he
was on the other side of things.

“That situation where you coerced me into going with you to some undisclosed location?”
Jun-ho spilled out without abandon.

“I…I didn’t coerce you.”

Jun-ho arched his eyebrows and clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. “Come on, you
really can’t believe that? A good-looking dude like you, wearing what you’re wearing, giving
people an opportunity to win copious amounts of cash. You know you’re only able to do that
because of how you present yourself and how desperate the…participants are. Shit sorry, the
people you prey upon. I mean, really. Who the fuck goes up to people all SAW like and asks
them if they want to play a game? Do you REALLY have nothing better to do?” Provoking
someone in a locked car was not a smart idea but Jun-ho was at least recording this
conversation if nothing else that was his righteous fail safe. Fuck if it was inadmissible in
court, at least there would be some record of this. Of what the salesman did. How he
operated. He could give Gi-hun and the victims families at least that knowledge.

The salesman remained silent as they slowed to a red light, never daring to glance at Jun-ho
after. Instead, he reached over and removed the other man’s hand from his thigh. “We’re here.
You don’t have to go in with me but ….”He trailed off, unbuckling his seatbelt as he parked
the car on the street as they pulled up to the bustling nightclub. “I think you’ll want to.”
Jun-ho furrowed his brow at that. His curiosity getting the better of him as he watched the
self-assured nature of the salesman take over as he exited the car and opened up the
passenger door for the younger detective. The salesman adjusted his suit, smoothing out any
wrinkles from Jun-ho’s hand on his thigh moments before. He pressed a self-conscious hand
to the pocket of his pants as if to search for something, a wallet maybe? Keys?

The younger detective slipped out of the car, huffing slightly at the low nature of the vehicle,
so much struggle that the salesman extended his hand to the younger man to hoist him up.
 “You really shouldn’t have such a low fucking car.” Jun-ho sighed, rolling his eyes at the
beautiful vehicle before joining the salesman. How ridiculous. He really thought they would
stand in line like everyone else. But the salesman was delving a svelte hand into his slacks
pocket, pulling out a lanyard credential, a flash of laminated ID that Jun-ho couldn’t discern
shown to the bodyguard who directed them down the alleyway towards an unmarked door.
Jun-ho’s burner phone buzzed as Gi-hun had caught up with them in the detective vehicle.

carrot-top : why the fuck does he have to drive such a bitching car?
jun-ho totally unfair, man. Keep close inside but be careful.

“I hope you won’t be so distracted inside.” The salesman tsked as he grabbed the other man’s
wrist and led him down the alley, knocking on the door in a secret code before a set of eyes
flashed upon the visage. “Bringing an assistant tonight?” The set of eyes asked, and the
salesman genuinely smiled.

“It’s a big night. Thought I could use the company.” The salesman answered, credentials
tucked back into his pocket as he kept his hold on Jun-ho’s wrist as they were led inside.

Chapter End Notes

the goofy comedy slightly smutty nature of this intended fic and rating will happen
eventually i promise. i like to have some plot with my smut , scratch that i like to have a
smidge of smut with my hella plot lol. thanks for bearing with me and going on this
crazy ride. squid game fandom is the best! please let me know if there's any specific fics
or prompts you want me to write!
 caught
Chapter Summary

Jun-ho is led into the club and reflects on the salesman's involvement. Gi-hun searches
for his missing partner.

Chapter Notes

Hiiii, thanks so much for your patience! Everything has been crazy for me this past
week but i'm so happy I'm finally able to post this chapter. Hope you all enjoy. Thanks
again for the kudos and comments!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Being in a place you’ve never visited is exciting. To be in a place you’ve never been with a
stranger you know is involved in some massively shitty schemes is a whole other level of I’m
fucked. Jun-ho isn’t sure why the salesman invokes a sense of nervousness in him, but it’s
there. Underlying like the pain in his back that he swore was from swimming practice but
turned out to be something worse. The sunken line of scar tissue evidence.

The games had seemed like a twisted dream. A nightmare induced by watching too many
scary movies or the result of some buried trauma. But it was far away. On an island jun-ho
never really pinpointed aside from the odd maps he drew on, post it-notes littering his walls,
random web searches that made no sense when he woke up from a nap. To be here. In a
nightclub. In a place where people partied, hoped against hope to be someone else for a night,
to potentially meet a hookup or the love of their life; it all felt wrong. Perverse. To be
infiltrating a source of humanity with a purveyor of the sick games his brother organized,
promoted, surveilled.

Jun-ho bit the inside of his cheek to keep from screaming. To keep from telling the throng of
people that the man he was with would lead to their demise. Maybe his mother was right after
all, the devil would come disguised as something beautiful. That’s how the salesman got
away with what he did. To rely on his affability, his custom suit, his good looks. No one
would question him or dare report him. He most likely had friends in high places. Jun-ho
shuddered briefly at the thought. How far up did this go? Did he really want to know that
answer? Look at what happened to Gi-hun, his inner voice reminded him, look at how your
chief treated him. How you viewed him that split second you saw the desperation in his eyes,
the defeat in his shoulders, the frustration foaming at his mouth as he yelled from outside.
You almost didn’t believe him. That stupid fucking card. You wish you had never seen that
card. “You need to move faster.” The salesman urged the younger man, soft hand gripping
Jun-ho’s elbow. Another gesture to move quickly or else he was going to be swallowed up by
the pockets of crowds that gathered in the hallways leading to the bathrooms, near the bar
top, in little hives around the plush booths with curtained walls separating groups. The
nervousness never left Jun-ho as he was being lead farther away from these groups of people
and closer towards a set of stairs off the stage area where a DJ played house beats. He
wanted to ask where he was going but he knew it would be pointless. Only showcasing the
nervousness, he felt. The sudden urge to be anywhere else.

“Don’t look so seasick. We’re just going to play a game."

Jun-ho stayed silent. A game. Which game? A game he would know. Why was he being lead
away? Couldn’t they play downstairs at least where there were people?

“We can order drinks. You can drink, right?” The salesman narrowed his eyes as if expecting
the younger’s features for any sign indicating his age. The detective should be flattered really
but the question only made his stomach turn more.

“Yes, I can drink.” He responded letting out an indignant huff that catapulted him back to
grade school when his brother would tease him when they played any sort of activity. Could
he do this? Did he know how to play this? Was he really going to play sports in school?
Would they have to bother their dad from his work to get him to teach little jun-ho how to do
something? It awakened a spirited side that served Jun-ho well in his detective work but
might cause him to trip up with the salesman.

Using his leverage as an imposter square supervisor, he saw some of the salesman’s footage
thanks to the other guards he bribed during the games. Letting them know that if they were
involved with any side hustle like the doctor and his organ harvesting business, they could
expect a bullet. He had to catalogue some of the salesman’s footage to see if any of the VIPS
could have been tipped off to how a contestant would fare thanks to their interplay with the
salesman. Using this excuse, knowing how his brother operated on a distorted view of
fairness, knowing how important the VIPS were, he had gained access.

The detective had seen the smug smile of the man before him. He had seen the feral glint in
the eyes of the contestants before they knew they were contestants. How they practically
glowed golden with diffused light when they saw the suitcase full of won. How simple it
would be to win so much money. How little their bodies already meant to them (a lot already
signing away their physical rights or in failing health) . To see what others put themselves
through just for enough money to buy a nice meal at a fancy restaurant, enough money to pay
a third of their rent, enough money to bet double on losing dogs. How many had searched for
the salesman afterwards? Delirious with the high of winning so much. Would they have more
opportunities for quick cash? Did any of them tell their family or friends what had happened
or were they too ashamed? How many had gone unreported to the police? How many
assumed dead either from drugs or the circumstances of their lifestyles? How many parents
grieved the loss of their sons and daughters?

“What will you have?” The salesman asked as they climbed the stairs, letting Jun-ho go
before him, the smallest ghost of a touch on the back of Jun-ho’s body guiding him upwards.
How badly Jun-ho wanted to push the guy backwards, tumbling down until he was nothing
but a confused drunken fool that decided to climb some stairs. But they hadn’t started
drinking yet and Jun-ho needed answers.

“Scotch.” Jun-ho let the order tumble out, a little unsure. He was ordering it because that’s
what he usually had but he said it like he was ordering it for the benefit of the salesman. To
impress him. To seem older. To seem cultured.

“Hmm.” The only sound that emitted from the salesman and Jun-ho couldn’t see his
expression until they reached the hallway which led to a room as big as the establishment.
Tinted glass reminiscent of the two-way mirrors in the police station. He could see everything
from the perfect vantage point. His stomach turned again as he realized it was an oddly
familiar setup.

“I thought it would be better to get to know you in here.” The salesman added as he walked
over to a wet bar style countertop, bending down to inspect the beverage bar fridge, pulling
out a small bucket of spherical ice cubes that he set on the countertop. He reached above
towards a set of cabinets, retrieving two tumblers that he plopped a spherical cube into before
retrieving a premier bottle of scotch from a rather ornate bar cart with swan heads as handles.

“This is some view. You own the place?” Jun-ho inquired, hesitantly walking closer towards
the salesman to make sure there wasn’t anything extra going into his glass.

The salesman let out a laugh. An amused scoff that reminded Jun-ho of his older brother and
he felt his mouth go dry in remembrance. Why did he miss his brother so? When he knew
what he was capable of? Participating in?

“No, I don’t. I just know the person who does. They let me come up here sometimes. I like to
people watch.”

“Seems like the perfect place to do so.” Jun-ho murmured as he looked backwards towards
the main group of people dancing in the center of the club. He spotted the erratic flaying of
his friend as Gi-hun knocked over a poor bottle service waitress, sending champagne and
sparklers everywhere. God damn it, gi-hun! There were several people on the floor, glass
everywhere, sparkles snuffed out, two managers and a bodyguard followed Gi-hun as he
made his way through the crowd, glancing around frantically supposedly in search of Jun-ho.

“Something the matter?” The salesman asked, turning around with the glasses and oh fuck
Jun-ho hadn’t been paying close attention to the scotch. Should he even take a sip of that?
The salesman sensed the hesitancy of the younger man and slowly took a sip of the scotch.

“What? Oh no, nothing. Just some asshole knocking over that poor waitress’s tray.”

“Unfortunately, that’s typical.” The salesman added with that same amused laugh as he drew
closer, offering Jun-ho’s glass to him. Jun-ho took it as both men drew closer towards the
glass watching the spectacle of Gi-hun searching for him, elbowing past people, pushing past
them like he was playing American football. He was either incredibly light on his feet or
perpetually pissing someone off by bumping into them.
 The detective glanced over at the salesman and saw the smallest flicker of recognition in his
midnight eyes, the slight curve of his mouth that showed the indent of dimples he wanted to
press his fingers into. “Should we place a bet?” The businessman murmured, that slight
curve of his mouth turning wider, echoing a breathless laugh as he took another sip of the
amber liquid.

“On what?”

“On him.”

“On him?” Jun-ho glanced down at Gi-hun as the music changed and Gi-hun stopped in his
tracks, pressing his hands to his knees looking winded.

“Let’s bet on how long it’ll take him to find you.”

Chapter End Notes

the salesman knows and sees all. why he gotta be like that damn . idk why but i wanted
the salesman to channel his inner bond villain for a moment with jun-ho and be all
~mysterious~
 anguish
Chapter Summary

gi-hun grapples with those he lost while searching for Jun-ho.

Chapter Notes

PLEASE NOTE: There has been talk in a comment about translating my work and after
some consideration, the thought of my work being translated and redistributed to other
websites I don't know or trust makes me uncomfortable. I do not authorize my work to
be copied, translated or redistributed to other websites. I would like to contain my work
in it's original form and keep it on this website.

chapter deals with mentions of PTSD, anxiety attack and Gi-hun grappling with loss.
also let me know if any of my spellings of the korean words or the use of honorifics are
wrong, thanks!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

When Gi-hun saw just how crowded the inside of the club was the momentary pride Gi-hun
felt when he located Jun-ho disappeared. What if his phone was off? What if he was whisked
away somewhere he wouldn’t have cell service? What if Gi-hun hadn’t located him but
instead was searching aimlessly for someone he’d never find? The older man hadn’t much
time for clubs anymore. Preferring his friend’s quieter bar even though Sung-hoon’s wife
hated how he attached himself like a leech to their friend groups, picking up the leftover
scraps of loose change around the bar, enticing those drunker than him to play darts, flirting
shamelessly with her friends when his separation was imminent. The last time he had been in
a place like this was with his wife and all their friends, celebrating someone else’s birthday.

Shrieks of partygoers filled the air, mingling with the thumps of the bass from the speakers,
the sizzling sounds of sparklers seeming dangerously close for such a crowded space.

“Need a drink, meos-issneun ?” a woman cooed, placing a gentle hand on Gi-hun’s forearm.
He almost expected her to shake him and maybe she should have. For her voluminous wavy
hair, the under eyebags of someone aging, the predatory smile of someone used to getting
their own way and the salacious tilt to her voice came into focus smacking Gi-hun with
remembrance of 212.

“I…I…no, no thank you.” Gi-hun stuttered out, scrambling to get away from the woman,
seeing the disappointed set of her mouth as she waved two fingers in goodbye to him
 mouthing words he couldn’t make out. As he turned, arms poised like a runner waiting for
the start off shot, he collided with the bottle service waitress with the sparklers attached to the
tops of champagne bottles. A celebration. Just like the day he came here with his wife and her
friends. A celebration, of what? Engagement? A birthday? A milestone some might forget in
their old age. The bottles crashed to the floor. The spilled liquid snuffing out the sparklers. A
remaining one fizzing as people stepped on top of it stamping out its glow. Various people
yelled, some in surprise others in frustration as their clothes were stained. Others rushed to
help the waitress, hoisting her up as she glared at Gi-hun. He apologized endlessly, head
snapping up like a deer who hears the stalking hooves of a predator, as he saw presumably a
bodyguard and one of the managers headed towards him. He couldn’t get kicked out. He
needed to find Jun-ho. Gi-hun turned around searching for Jun-ho, eyes casting around the
luscious booths curtained off. Could he be in one of those? He turned a little too quickly,
tripping over some sticky liquid still not cleaned up, nearly falling flat on his face when a
man steadied Gi-hun, gripping him by the back of his shirt.

“Whoa there. Be careful, seonsaengnim.” a firm but soft voice chuckled as he hoisted Gi-
hun up and dusted off the back of his jacket. “It seems really crowded tonight.” The man
mused and when the older man went to turn around and thank his savior, Gi-hun gasped in
surprised and felt his throat go dry. Soft curls, kind dark eyes, skin the color of toasted
coconut shell. No, it couldn’t be. He had to find Jun-ho. He couldn’t stay here any longer.
He backed away from the man, muttering thanks and running closer to the DJ.

“Look up.” A voice whispered in his ear, a form pulling away to reveal a man with a serious
set to his expressions, glasses forever sliding down his nose causing him to push them up
with an exasperated sigh leaving his lips.

“Huh?” Gi-hun whispered, mouth agape as he stared at the visage of his oldest and dearest
friend projected onto the screen behind the DJ as if moving behind the projection, the deep
bass causing Gi-hun’s chest to ache and feel hollow. Or maybe it was the ghost of his friends
calling him back. Why them and not me? Why me and not them?

“There’s not much time, hyung.” Sang-woo called out to him pointing upwards towards the
tinted glass that barely shown anything.

“He’s in there?”

“Yes.”

“And I can….he’ll be safe? Once I get up there.”

“That’s up to you and him, gi-hun. Up to what you decide.”

“I miss you.” Gi-hun choked out, “I’m sorry.” But the vision blew away like smoke from a
burning field. Gi-hun was only left with the sudden puzzled expression of the DJ as he
glanced downwards to a solitary man with a red nose, flushed cheeks and a tear escaping.

Chapter End Notes

really wanted to have a stand alone chapter of Gi-hun's state of mind before he finds
Jun-ho and confronts the salesman. hope you enjoyed even though it was sad.
 solipsism
Chapter Summary

Jun-ho figures out the salesman's backstory. Gi-hun gets funky with the dance beat.

Chapter Notes

this chapter was written heavily under the influence of listening to old hannibal playlists
on 8tracks so check the end notes for links to the playlist I was listening to and the songs
I think Gi-hun would vibe to while dancing in a club!

This chapter is titled after a philosophy theory and according to google it's definition is:
“solipsism is the theory that only the self is real and that the self cannot be aware of
anything else except itself. An example of solipsism is the idea that nothing matters
except yourself.” there is a classical track named after this theory and i found it very
fitting for squid game and namely the interactions between gi-hun/the salesman and jun-
ho/ the salesman, that preservation of self and caring only for oneself when in truth gi-
hun and jun-ho care about each other now. but that instinct to protect oneself and only
care about oneself is still there. idk i was in my angst feels when i wrote this.

PLEASE NOTE: There has been talk in a comment about translating my work and after
some consideration, the thought of my work being translated and redistributed to other
websites I don't know or trust makes me uncomfortable. I do not authorize my work to
be copied, translated or redistributed to other websites. I would like to contain my work
in it's original form and keep it on this website.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Gi-hun’s world was spinning and he barely had anything to drink. Voices of those he lost
swirled in his head but the overwhelming urge to save Jun-ho was forefront in his mind. At
least one other person survived that hellhole. He can’t be in danger again. He couldn’t be a
good dad for his daughter. He couldn’t have saved Sae-byeok. He couldn’t have taken Sang-
woo with him out of the games both their pockets full of money.

But Jun-ho. He was right there. He had been there helping all along. He had been trying to
figure out what was going on, how he could stop the games. Jun-ho was rescued from the sea.
He had been reborn.

Gi-hun felt a fierce attachment to the young detective. Both sharing the same drive to
dismantle the games and avenge those they lost. The older man headed towards the front of
the club, to the bar in search of any clues to Jun-ho’s whereabouts. He would ultimately listen
to the voice of Sang-woo ( LOOK UP! ) it had reminded him earlier but he needed to steady
his nerves first.

“It’s on the house.” The bartender told Gi-hun as he pushed the bottle towards him.

“Huh?” Gi-hun scrunched up his nose in confusion, turning around to see if that woman had
admired him earlier was anywhere to be seen.

“Who gave it to me?” He asked. “I’d like to thank them.”

The bartender ignored Gi-hun’s request, eyes momentarily fleeting towards the row of tinted
out windows above them.

---

Watching from his aerial viewpoint, Jun-ho’s brows creased as he watched Gi-hun mouthing
something to thin air. Who was he trying to talk to? Not the DJ. The leather chairs which
sat in the middle of the room beckoned Jun-ho to sink into them. But the young detective
knew that if he even relaxed for a millisecond, the salesman would use that to his advantage.
No, he must stay upright and alert the whole time, praying that Gi-hun reached them in the
time Jun-ho had bet. Ten minutes. Hopefully Gi-hun wouldn’t get distracted. Jun-ho didn’t
really want to fight the older man before him.

“Another?” The salesman questioned though it was more of a statement as Jun-ho’s glass was
refilled. Jun-ho barely glanced over at the man before the glass was reaching his lips and he
practically gulped it down. The amber liquid only burned slightly, the warmth flooding over
his body and relaxing any of his hidden nerves. The detective slipped his hand carefully into
his pocket, frowning slightly as he retrieved nothing.

“Your phone is over there.” The salesman gestured to a safe underneath the counter and Jun-
ho grimaced in frustration. The older man moved closer to Jun-ho, his big hands coming
down to grip the detective’s shoulders, squeezing firmly and pressing a pressure point with
his thumbs. Jun-ho stifled a feeble noise that threatened to rise from his throat.

The salesman’s voice rumbled mere centimeters away from the younger’s ears which burned
shameful red at the closeness. “I didn’t want anything spoiling our bet. You said he would
find us in ten minutes? That’s generous.” The salesman hummed aloud with a laugh as he
surveyed Gi-hun wading through the crowd, purposefully heading towards the bar. “Has he
replaced one vice for another? I never took him to be a drunk.” He sighed voice full of faux
pity for the former gambler as he let go of his grip on Jun-ho and sunk down into one of the
comfortable looking chairs.

“Why don’t you sit down while we wait for your friend. It would be much more
comfortable.” The salesman told Jun-ho, a mirthful smile plastered on his face as a tilt of his
head gestured to the companion chair opposite him.

“No thanks, I’m okay with standing.”

“Here then?” The salesman patted the arm of his chair and let out, if Jun-ho didn’t know any
better, a genuine laugh as the young detective shook his head. “Hmm, guessing here
wouldn’t be any better? It would be for me.” The older man replied as he patted his thighs
and Jun-ho bit the inside of his cheek trying not to seethe at the older man. He didn’t want to
potentially endanger Gi-hun with his reactions.

“Who do you think I am, exactly? I’m not…..”Jun-ho let out a small sigh. “Working the
streets or whatever.” He tried to be tactful, not knowing what terminology might potentially
trigger the older man. Who knew if that was what he was suggesting exactly?

“That wasn’t what I was inferring, officer.” The salesman replied, his signature smirk now
wide on his face as the realization slapped Jun-ho across the face as hard as he had seen the
salesman slap the contestants.

“I….how….”Jun-ho squeaked out, the crack in his voice betraying the incredible amount of
rage and righteousness bubbling up inside his body. Okay, he shouldn’t have been so gentle
with this information collector.

“How do I what? Know your occupation? It isn’t that difficult to assess. “ The salesman
tutted, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Really? In this day and age? It was so easy to find
anyone. Especially a police officer. All he had to do was call Jun-ho’s station. Pretend to be
someone else helped by the young man, calling in to praise his fine efforts and detective
work. Jun-ho should be thanking him. The older man was one of the reasons Jun-ho wasn’t
assigned immediately to desk duty when he was rescued from the sea and spouting off his
tales the doctors assumed to be head injury related trauma.

“T-that’s an invasion of privacy. Have you been stalking me? I could arrest you right now.”

The salesman let out an indignant scoff. “On what charges? What evidence? You came with
me freely to this place, did you not? If anyone is stalking someone, it’s you and that man.”
He continued, swirling around the contents of his scotch glass, holding it up to the light and
peering through as if seeing through a prism as the chandeliers above refracted the cut of the
glass. “What is it your brother says? Your identity is your life, your being, your soul. To see
someone’s face is to know all.” The salesman mused into his scotch glass, sipping the last
remaining contents of it. “Bit dramatic and philosophical for my taste but your brother and I
are similar in that regard about identity. Identity is everything. Assumed identity. Perception
of your identity by others. The self. What’s in a name? Everywhere branding. People are
branding themselves. To build a following. Sell things. To make money. To buy more things
with that money. To support people. To abandon people.” The salesman tutted as if the whole
human race disgusted him. “And you know what they say about money? It can’t buy you
happiness. But it can temporarily fill that void.”

“Wow.” Jun-ho deadpanned. “What a nice little tangent. You get that from one of my
brother’s teenage journals?”

Instead of riling Jun-ho up further, the salesman ignored him and continued “I will conspire
with you on one thing, your brother has a convoluted sense of fairness. He is the most biased
person I know. He hides it well, though.” He shook his suit sleeve revealing one of the most
beautiful watches Jun-ho had ever seen. “Five minutes past. Are you really sure about your
bet?”

“I’m sure.” Jun-ho stated, walking confidently over to the chair opposite the salesman as he
slid his glass towards the older man. “Another.”

The salesman dark brows rose upwards, and the corner of his mouth quirked up as he looked
expectantly at Jun-ho.

This fucking asshole. “Please?” Jun-ho spat out. The salesman smiled though it never fully
reached his eyes as he poured Jun-ho’s glass halfway.

“You’re really not worried about your friend?”

“We haven’t stated the terms of our bet, so no. I’m not.”

“Ah, you’re hoping for some loophole?”

“Are there loopholes with betting? The only loophole would be people’s changing desires.”

“And you think mine will change?”

Jun-ho cast a pointed look towards the salesman’s body and the amount of liquor he had been
drinking, a mirror smirk bloomed on his features. “Yeah. I think you’re going to trip up,
yulyeong .” If the salesman had done his research through whatever avenues were available to
him, Jun-ho had done his due diligence with more official resources at his fingertips. Every
lackey and hired hand in illegal activities was willing to give information for a lessened
prison sentence and for protection from rival gangs or even their crossed bosses. Jun-ho had
carefully selected as to not tip off any of his superiors working on cases. He continued with
his smirk widening, “Hmm, or is it cheolsae? Gwisin was the most basic one like okay, we
get it. No one can find this dude! My personal favorite is manglyeong. Sounds pretty fucking
cool to say.”

“Are you expecting me to be impressed? Congratulations on finding a piece of information I

let slip out there. That’s what other people call me. My nickname if you want to call it that.”
The salesman shrugged, letting his affable nature dissolve in nonchalance though Jun-ho
could detect the smallest quiver in his fingers as he reached for his scotch glass and found it
empty.

“Is alcohol your vice? You drink a lot of it.” Jun-ho noted, eyes flickering down to the
salesman’s fingers.

“On occasion, I drink. Why?”

“Oh, no reason. Wanted to know if you considered this a special occasion and thought you
might get lucky.”
The salesman shook his head. “It is a special occasion of sorts. An anniversary.”

Jun-ho’s eyebrows raised slightly, and the salesman scrunched up his nose and shook his
head. “Not what you’re thinking. An anniversary of….”

“ When you were fired from HANKYUNG and subsequently UISIG.” Jun-ho interrupted.

“No it…it wasn’t like that.”

“Oh, it wasn’t? You composited a character for one of your economic profiles in Hankyung
and when the real person wrote a letter to your editor speaking of libel charges and potential
charges of defamation of character you were suspended. Which was generous on your
editor’s part. Then UISIG because of apparent budget cuts and promise of internal
restructuring, started firing journalists without cause. “Am I correct?” Jun-ho could see he
was riling the salesman up, his free hand clutching the arm of the chair and squeezing hard as
he fought back the urge to correct the detective.

“UISIG had no right to fire us like that. They were promising us there wouldn’t be any
immediate firings. But they lied. There weren’t any exceeding budgets to cover. No, they
were saving their asses and firing the talent that kept them afloat. Who lets another company
come in and buy them for such little money? Who fires 30+ journalists without cause except
to say it’s cause of budget cuts and wanting to build something better? Who goes to an all-
video format? It’s a fucking newspaper for christ’s sake not TIKTOK.”

Jun-ho decided to take a more relaxed approach towards the salesman’s sudden emotion.
Commiserating with the man but redirecting the energy. “Restructuring happens a lot in the
police department. There’s a lot of resentment that can build up when you’re put on desk duty
or signed up without your knowledge to be the one to train the newbies. Hell, I managed to
escape desk duty when I got back. If we weren’t so short staffed over that holiday weekend I
got out of the hospital, I think I would have been tossed to the back of the line.”

“It’s a lot different than a police department.”

“So you decided to celebrate the anniversary of your firing…with me?”

“It appears that way. Thought I could paint over that bad memory with a fun one.” The
salesman shook his shirt sleeve again to peer at his watch. “Eight minutes have passed now.
You might lose the bet, Jun-ho. Then what?”

Three drinks in and now Gin-hu was feeling loose enough to search for Jun-ho. He attested
that drinking somehow made him more logical, more cognizant of those around him, more
alert. Instead, he was progressively swaying against the bar, singing an old nursery rhyme to
himself as the beat changed and suddenly, he was overcome with emotion. This was his
m*therf*cking jam! Maybe it was the atmosphere of the club. Maybe it was the drinks in his
system. Maybe it was the deep thrum of the music reminding him of the fear-based
adrenaline he felt during the games. He found himself in the middle of the dancefloor, arms
flaying, hips swaying, and head nodding to the music. He was going to live it up on the
dancefloor no matter at what cost. Just for a moment. Only until this song ended. That would
 give him enough time, right?

Jun-ho witnessed the older man’s confusing flaying on the dancefloor as the salesman
counted down a minute annoyingly using his watch. God damn it, Gi-hun. But Jun-ho would
be lying if he said he didn’t want to be down there with him. It had been a long time since he
danced or felt any other emotion aside from fear, shame and regret.

Chapter End Notes

*one of the newspapers I mentioned is a real newspaper and I used the commonly used
nickname for it. It was very difficult trying to review south korean newspapers so I went
with an economic offering and whatever was the easiest to search thanks to google. The
other newspaper is one i made up and lowkey if you were around in march/may 2020
you might recognize which american newspaper i'm shading with the salesman's stance
on his firing also lowkey mixed it together with a magazine that went to a totally video
format and it made NO SENSE.

** let me know if you thought the salesman's previous profession would be something
different.

here are the links for music that helped me write this chapter:

https://8tracks.com/book-em-spacemonkey/love-is-stronger-than-death

gi-hun club dancing vibes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_sV8oYLzgc&t=1299s

a VERY fitting song for the dynamics in this fic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=DB0KEyJcDjo

you know this is on the salesman's gym workout mix/ also what he hears in his head
whenever he starts playing a game with one of the potential contestants:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lLBLjn3FCI

thanks so much for reading, all the kudos and comments. much appreciated!
 the spoils
Chapter Summary

Gi-hun reaches the top of the stairs but will he be able to save Jun-ho?

Chapter Notes

Hiiiii , hopefully you like this chapter. I'm ending this work at nine chapters but i might
pick up where it left off with a separate work! Let me know if that's something you'd
like to see happen cause i want to make a gi-hun/ salesman confrontation fic where this
one left off. thanks for all the support and kudos with this work, I really appreciate it.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

The wallowing deep bass of the electronica echoed through Gi-hun’s chest, the closer he
moved towards the raised stage, the glimpse in his peripheral of the hidden stairway a mirage
to his subconscious. The digital beats dug deeper into his skull, so much that his pulse
synched in time with the music. His hands reached up to his throat, nails embedding
themselves in the flushed skin as he pinched himself. Jun-ho, Jun-ho, JUN-HO? The music
slowly faded. Cymbals no longer crashing, high-pitched sound effects no longer trilling
leaving his ears ringing, Gi-hun scrambled towards the stairway among the mass of the
crowds dancing happily and unaware of what lay upstairs. Truthfully, Gi-hun was also
unaware and the selfish part of his brain screamed for him to turn around. To leave Jun-ho
alone with that despicable person. But the new part of his being, (the part that survived).
The dormant compassion that lay there unearthed ever since he was a child, bloomed once
more in his heart. He wouldn’t leave another person in a time of crisis. He wouldn’t watch
another person die needlessly.

--

He hadn’t thought this through, like many things in his life. Gi-hun slowly ascended the
stairs, clinging helplessly to the railing until he reached the door. His palms were sweaty. The
back of his neck slick with sweat from the heat in the club and the feverish way he chugged
the drinks and danced away to music. you’re getting ahead of yourself, hyung. sang woo’s
stoic tone echoed through Gi-hun’s mind as he turned the door handle. He needed to focus.
What was his plan? Everyone always though by his jovial attitude that he was drunk. Perhaps
acting more drunk would work. It might give Jun-ho enough time to formulate a more solid
plan. The older man figured the salesman hadn’t encountered his kind of drunk attitude.
He’d be surprised if the salesman even drank. Straightening up his wrinkled clothes,
adjusting his formerly rain-soaked baseball hat atop his matted hair, Gi-hun opened the door
and walked through to whatever lay ahead.

“20 seconds to go.” The salesman announced, dark eyes fixed on the face of his expensive
watch as he smiled condescendingly. “Your faith in your friend isn’t unwarranted after all.”

Gi-hun’s stomach curdled with fear, blood rushing to pound in his ears, his hands clenching
into fists lest they shake and give away his true feelings. Gi-hun couldn’t even look at the
man. He let the flush of anger creep up from his chest to his cheeks, hopefully it appeared he
was past his drinking limit and not wanting to strangle the man in front of him. get it together,
dude. Sae-byeok hummed in the back of his mind with her signature wry chuckle.

When Gi-hun did survey the scene before him he saw Jun-ho seated in an armchair opposite
the salesman, noting the ruts in the floor that suggested the armchair was pulled closer on
purpose. Two crystal tumblers. Jun-ho’s half-filled and the salesman’s empty except for the
pool of melting ice. The room was unsettlingly cozy for where it was, the panorama glass
wall triggering some dormant emotion in Gi-hun that he couldn’t place. Save that for later.
Gi-hun swayed slightly, rising on the balls of his feet, smiling goofily to give off the air of
too many drinks.

“I won the bet.” Jun-ho’s voice rose above the soft music playing from an unknown speaker,
His hands gripped the arms of the plush chair to rise but the salesman leaned forward,
pushing Jun-ho back with a shove to younger man’s shoulders.

“Yes, you did. Don’t you want to give the victor his spoils?”

Jun-ho eyed the salesman warily trying to assess the situation, the same gaze fell upon Gi-
hun who was swaying ridiculously.

“Is this chair taken??? Oh, excuse me ma’am.” Gi-hun snickered as he bumped into the lamp
sat in the middle between the two chairs and almost ended up in the lap of the salesman. The
well-dressed man instinctively leaned away from Gi-hun and raised a hand outward to ensure
he didn’t fall on top of him. He wiped the hand against his trouser pants. The smile on the
salesman’s face had lost the condescending edge as he watched Gi-hun with a bemused
childish wonder.

“Please sit down, Gi-hun.”

Number 456 suppressed the rage that welled up inside him when his eyes locked with the
salesman, his presence shaking the other’s resilience ever so slightly. Would he want to play
another game? Had he made Jun-ho play one? This was all some horrible trick. Nausea
overtook him and he coughed lightly into his palm.

The salesman continued, hand gesturing towards the chair Jun-ho occupied. “My, you really
aren’t feeling good. Sit down.” There wasn’t anywhere to sit besides the chair and Jun-ho
self consciously scooted to the edge. He wasn’t going to be involved in whatever sick fantasy
the salesman wanted. He could let Gi-hun sit down but then getting the man up and out of
there quickly might be a problem. Better for him to stand.
“I’m fine!” Gi-hun laughed loudly, shaking his head at the suggestion as if it was the
stupidest thing he ever heard. The salesman tightened his jaw at the refusal. Gi-hun moved
closer to Jun-ho, hands gripping the back of the armchair as he glanced down at the top of
Jun-ho’s head as the younger man addressed the salesman.

“How many more of you are there?”

“More?”

“Cut the bullshit.”

“I’m only a salesman. An opportunity giver. There aren’t many opportunities in life to change
the course of destiny. Wouldn’t you agree, Gi-hun? Look at where you are now.”

“Back where it started, it seems.”Gi-hun muttered under his breath. “What did you do to Jun-
ho?”

“Do to him? Nothing.” The salesman frowned in disapproval. “I wouldn’t hurt your friend.”

Gi-hun scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure. I believe that.”

“Such mistrust, Gi-hun. I’m believing to think you don’t like me very much.”

“Like you? WHY would I like you? You are the very thing I hate most.”

“What do the americans call it? Head hunter? That’s what I am. No need to make it anything
more than that.”

“But it is more. Don’t you see that? Do you really not know what’s going on?” Gi-hun
exclaimed, his hands digging into the fabric of the chair so much that crescent shaped indents
appeared.
Jun-ho had seen the fissure line of division between the guards. Most of the lower rung were
kept in the dark about things other than their duties. Only the superiors knew the whereabouts
of the other guards and even then, no one really knew the lengths to how far this game
reached. Maybe the salesman had been kept in the dark. Gi-hun was getting more agitated,
pacing the length of the room, hands outstretched waving erratically at the salesman as he
asked endless questions that would never get answered.

“We only played a game, Gi-hun. I won.” Jun-ho spoke up, head turning to look up at the
older agitated man. He tried to calm him down with his tone, with his hand briefly resting a
top the older man’s.

“You beat him, huh? Good boy.” Gi-hun’s general jovial attitude returned, genuine smile
plastered on his face, turning into one of contempt as he smirked at the salesman. “He beat
you fair and square. We get to leave. Isn’t that one of your rules? Fairness.”

“It’s one of the rules of the game, yes.”

“Then we should be able to leave.” Jun-ho stated as he rose from the chair, downing the rest
of the tumbler full of scotch. His eyes burned with the regret he felt at not being able to stop
the games. At being face to face with one of its participants. A man who knew his brother.
Knew the twisted side of him.

“Fine, you’re free to go. I won’t keep you here.” The salesman said as he rose from his
chair, straightening out his trousers and adjusting his suit jacket. “You both have more
questions though. Who else better to answer them?” He smiled that same stupid smile that
made Gi-hun want to slap him. He reached into his suit jacket and Jun-ho instinctively
reached for his holster that wasn’t there. “It’s just a card, detective.” The heavy cardstock
stuck out between his fingers like a freshly rolled cigarette.
Gi-hun reached past the detective and investigated the card to see if it was a game calling
card. Satisfied that it seemed to be a personal business one of the well-dressed man, he
pocketed it into his jacket. Jun-ho pointedly looked at the older man and Gi-hun retrieved the
card from his patchwork jacket to hand to the younger man who kept it between his fingers as
he looked towards the salesman.

“We’ll be calling you, manglyeong.” Jun-ho spat out with a rare smirk.

“Late at night and lonely, I hope.”

---

“That was too fucking easy.” Jun-ho and Gi-hun muttered at the same time as they climbed
into Jun-ho’s car.

“He’s up to something.” Gi-hun said with a glance towards the club.

“You looked like you wanted to punch him in his face.”

“He could use a good punch, don’t you think?”

“I was really hoping you would, but I didn’t have my gun on me. He could have pressed
assault charges and then where would we be?”

“You’d have to bail me out. Would you do that, officer?” Gi-hun said cheekily, attempting to
rest a hand on Jun-ho’s atop the gear shift but miscalculated and landed on his thigh as Jun-
ho pulled out onto the street.

“I uh ---” Jun-ho murmured as he fiddled with the radio dial and pretended like Gi-hun’s
hand wasn’t in his lap. “Yeah, I’d bail you out. Let’s not think about that right now. We need
a strategy.”

“I like to think my strategy worked pretty well---”

Jun-ho snorted. “Only worked because of me winning.”

 “You didn’t have faith in me?”

“I did, that’s why I won.” Jun-ho replied with a grin. “We’re going to call him. But first I
have to check some things at the station.”

“Ah, I have great timing.” Gi-hun chuckled, sheepishly removing his hand from the
younger’s lap and resting it against his seat. “Hey, can I stay with you tonight? Like a stake
out?!”

“You can stay at my place, yeah.” Jun-ho nodded, glancing over at the older man and the way
his face lit up. “Ugh, more work? Can’t we just watch a movie or something?” He teased
lightly, glad to have a partner in this investigation.

“You complaining about more work? Never thought I’d see the day.” Gi-hun teased with a
grin and Jun-ho flushed lightly. “We can watch one movie. In case we get too tired of all
this.”

Chapter End Notes

thanks so much for reading my notes, you're a real one if you do. I had a lot of fun
writing what was supposed to be a one-shot and it turned into nine chapters. thanks for
all the comments and kudos, I appreciate it!
End Notes

Thanks so much for reading, please let me know what you think. You'll get goofy gi-hun after
he's had a few drinks and Jun-ho trying to corral him so he doesn't completely blow the
operation.

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