Curate, connect, and discover
My chorus teacher hate New Year's Resolutions because usually people don't follow up with it or they do and burn themselves out within a month. So 2 days ago he made us write down at least one resolution and we're going to check back in with eachother at the end of the semester/month. One of my resolutions was to write and upload the Squid Game fics I've been cooking up in the old noggin. Everyone say thank you Mr. C 😊
Also posted this on Ao3 as "Reuniting With Your Brother by Sending a Military Raid to His Place of Work" by Gray_Day
Despite the casualty, Jun-ho could not be more thankful the crew caught the Captain sabotaging the mission. As devastating as the betrayal had been, the relief of catching their loose thread and making quick progress after was rivaling those negative feelings.
The crew had first tried to threaten him to show them the island, but to no avail. They didn't scare him, because he knew they needed him alive.
It was far too dangerous to return to land right away, considering was both dark and stormy, so they contacted the police requesting to meet them at the dock. In that meantime, they managed to fish out the body that was thrown into the ocean back onto their boat. As soon as the sun met the sky, the crew was racing back to land, relieved to find police waiting for them.
The Captain was immediately taken into custody, as was the boat and all items on it. The crews on both boat gave statements to the police. The body and drone were inspected and analyzed, and it was determined that he had both killed the man and tampered with the drone. Once it was offical that the captain would face time for murder and more in depth investigation would be conducted, he finally broke. The Captain admitted to being sent out to rescue Jun-ho, and soon after was ordered to keep him away from the island. He gave names, dates, locations, payments, all of it on the table.
"Finally," Jun-ho thought, sighing with relief, "They believe me..."
It was the next day that the police set out with the crew in search of the island. Originally, the police were opposed to bringing all of them along (with Jun-ho being the exception). But, the crew had been working on this mission for weeks. They understood what was going on and could help the dispatched officers with the finer details. And it turned out to be a great benefit that Woo-seok had been working so closely with Mr. Kim and Gi-hun for 2 whole years.
Within 48 hours they had found the island. They called in the military units they had on standby. Jun-ho had assumed they would've had more precautions prepared, but it was rather simple finding and entering the building. Maybe Gi-hun really was making changes from the inside...
As Jun-ho led the police through the haunting corridors, he felt his time as a circle guard finally payed off, truly. He had a good understanding of the layout, at least for most guards and the players, and he could recall where the VIP lounges were decently enough to arrest his... the Frontman... He was the weightbaring pillar. Once the Frontman goes down, the rest of the operation goes down with him.
Jun-ho took his boat crew and the original dispatched police with him to wander the purple halls, while Woo-Seok took the other half to find the players. He was a tad apprehensive about letting Woo-Seok lead a crew on his own.
In the short time Jun-m-ho had known the man, he found him to be a bit of a goofball and not the brightest, and rather naive, as far as mobsters go. But, he had no choice to keep his head held high and see the man's positivity qualities. The man had proven to be emotionally invested in the case after his friend's unfortunate death. He had real experience working in Seoul's more... underground ... communities. He knew his weapons decently enough and was strong and skilled enough not only to defend himself, but to protect others. Most of all, the poor man was hopelessly loyal. ("He officiated my wedding!" The man kept crying the night they first met.)
Woo-Seok had known of the island and it's games for years, even if he didn't believe it for a long time. Gi-hun, ever the paranoid one, had given them a map of the layout where players were permitted. In the end, it's like Woo-Seok was meant to help him. He could trust him to take the crew and forces to the players' quarters without issue.
His hand trailed along the wall as he guided them to what he hoped was the Frontman's wing of the building. Actually walking through the purple halls again after 3 years was a bit harder than he though. Every corner, every step appeared the same. No matter what direction you turn, you couldn't escape the mind-numbing, childish purple.
Bang!
A single shot echoed in the distance, followed by the cries of a single man.
Jun-ho ran to the noise, leaving the rest of his team to follow loosely behind.
"Gi-hun!" He called out, watching as Gi-hun was dragged away from the body of another player. Guards pointed their guns at him.
"Don't bother. The police are making their away around the building. We're surrounded by military enforcement and even more are on their way. We have a collection of evidence that this is an underground gambling ring using illegal and inhumane methods of torture and murder. As well as illegal harvesting of organs to be sold on the black market."
The guards loosened their grip on Gi-hun. He squirmed out of their grasp within seconds. He crumbled to the other player's side, sobbing and put pressure on the wound.
The Frontman watched Gi-hun for moment before turning back to face Jun-ho Even with the cold, lifeless mask, the Frontman gave off an air of defeat, raising his hands above his head. The guards looked to their boss before hesitantly doing the same. Policemen pushed passed him, rushing to arrest them.
All at once the world around him felt unreal. Maybe it was the lights, or the colorful walls, but he felt like he was in a dream. People moved in and out of his field of vision. Voices around him became muffled. His back touched the wall and he slid down to the floor. He felt like someone knocked all the tension out of his body.
He did it. It was over.
His fight was over.