GAME OVER | SQUID GAME

◽️CHAPTER THREE◽️

"You're taking Sae-byeok's brother to my mother?" Sang-woo quietly asked Gi-hun, who was crouched down putting a good portion of the prize money in a yellow suitcase. He nodded.

"Yeah. If we're leaving, there's no way we can keep him. It'd be too dangerous. And we don't know where his mother is." Gi-hun explained, earning a sigh from Sang-woo. Gi-hun closed up the bag and looked up at Sang-woo. "You gotta talk to your mom as some point, Sang-woo. At least tell her you're actually leaving the country this time. She's probably worried sick about you by now."

Sang-woo debated continuing to argue but seeing as there was a kid with them, he didn't want to say anything anymore. Gi-hun was right about one thing, though; it'd been some time since Sang-woo spoke with his mother in person. Even before going back to those horrific games, he couldn't bring himself to visit her at her shop. All he did was call her before attempting to cut his life short.

It was still late at night, Sang-woo took Cheol's little hand and led them all to Sang-woo's mother, who was getting ready to close up shop. Sang-woo stopped in his tracks, causing Cheol to look up at him.

"Mister?" He called to him softly. Sang-woo looked down at him and gently patted his head with his free hand before continuing on.

"Mom?" He called to the little lady. She whipped her whole body around to see who was speaking to her. Upon seeing her son for the first time in a while, she froze up and dropped the leftover food she was holding on the col ground. Nothing could hold back the tears that were already forming in her eyes.

"Sang-woo..." she whispered his name before hurrying towards him, Sang-woo squatting a bit to get to her height and pulling her into a tight embrace. "Oh, my son...what happened? Where have you been? The police came and told me there's been a warrant out for your arrest, honey what does this mean? You wouldn't do anything wrong, would you?" She frantically asked questions as she pulled away and looked at her son, who looked heartbroken that he kept so much from her. She was so oblivious all this time.

"Mom I....I'm sorry. Whatever you heard is true." He said, his mother very clearly shocked at her son. "I was in debt — a lot of debt — and needed money. In order to acquire that money, I got into a lot of illegal things that I had no business getting into....I had even sold your home and your shop....Eventually the police caught up with me. But I was able to pay back those millions of won. Nothing will happen to you anymore...but I have to go." He explained with his hands on her shoulders.

"Go? Go where?" She asked in disbelief, barely able to process anything she was just told.

"That hasn't been decided yet." Sang-woo replied as his mother's eyes fell on young Cheol. He looked back at her as Gi-hun gently nudged him to her.

"And what's your name?" She asked kindly.

"Kang Cheol." He said simply, earning a smile from the older woman.

"Kang Cheol. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you. Now are you two sure you have to leave? Is there anything I can do?" She asked, standing up straight and looking at the two older men.

"It would help a lot if you could cover for us. The best you can do is say you never heard from us." Gi-hun replied as he passed the yellow suitcase to Sang-woo's mother. "And I hate to say it..but we may not be able to keep in touch. Not with our phones, at least. The police would be able to track our phones, thus making Sang-woo easier to find." He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Right..." she sighed, "well...if things must be this way..then I'll do my best." She replied with a little nod before Sang-woo pulled her into another hug.

"....I love you, mom." He said softly as she tightly hugged him back, stroking his head as though he were a child again. Tears started to well up in his eyes. It's been so long since he hugged his mother. He forgot how comforting it could be. For a moment...he felt like a kid again; a kid who had no worries, could play all the games he wanted. But his experiences proved how cruel life truly is and how children have been sheltered from it.