"It’s hard to decide the value of life. So, what if we just choose five to get the bullet instead."
"Let’s give them a sure chance to live, and in exchange, they get to kill one of us."
There was a long pause after #41 spoke.
And then, from the side, soone raised their hand.
A woman with short, buzzed hair and sharp cheekbones.
"How are we supposed to decide that?" she asked. "What’s the basis?" Her head tilted toward the crowd.
"By how many people we’ve killed?" she asked, her eyes flicking toward #25, who pursed his lips.
"Or by how many we’ve saved?" she continued, turning to #41. She knew that he was responsible for trying to save the most people during the First Circle—including her.
"Because if that’s the case, you should be the last to go."
Eyes landed on #41.
"No," he said finally. "Like I said, it is hard to put value on a life. It’s even harder to rank it."
He swallowed, voice trembling.
"But we’re Desperates, and our desperation is what brought us here."
Zeno’s eyebrow twitched slightly. That was a nice line. However, it was still part of the script.
#41 kept going.
"We have at least an hour," he said, turning in a circle so everyone could see his face. "So let’s use it. Let’s tell our stories. Not just as Desperates. But as people. Humans with pasts and reasons."
The forest grew quiet again. This ti, not out of fear but from interest. Maybe even hope.
And then another voice broke in.
"Then what’s your story?" #94, played by Billy, the youngest contestant raised.
He looked at #41. "Why did you co back here when you’d already won?"
Victor PD leaned toward the monitor. "It’s ti," he whispered to the staff beside him. They nodded, so in worry and so in excitent.
The ad-libbed parts were going to co, so they watched on their toes, making sure that everything was going well.
#41 stepped forward.
"I ca here at first because I had sothing to live for," he began. "My wife. She was... my life. She stood by when I was broke, when I was angry, when I wanted to die."
His voice cracked just slightly.
"She got pregnant with our first son. We nad him Jiho. However, my wife was sick at that ti, and she couldn’t carry our son until she was all better. That was the mont I told myself—I’d do anything for them. I’d crawl through hell. So I joined the ga."
"I won," he continued. "Sohow, I made it out. The only one among a hundred contestants."
Zeno quickly noted the acting techniques he was utilizing. The volu and modality of his voice were the most impressive. Although, Zeno found it quite hard to believe he would do anything for his wife when he cheated on his realone.
"But when I ca back," #41 continued, his voice becoming bitter, "they were gone. My wife. My son."
There was a wave of sympathy across the crowd.
Just then, #25 raised his hand. His voice didn’t rise, but it still had a big impact.
"So you ca here?" he asked. "If you have nothing else to live for, then why are you back?"
Sangwon froze, and his breath hitched. He looked at Zeno like he’d been slapped. His mouth opened and closed, but nothing ca out.
Victor’s voice rang out from behind the cara.
"Cut!"
Everyone exhaled at once.
Sangwon stepped back, blinking hard. One of the makeup staff moved to fix the fake blood near his collarbone, but he waved her off.
What kind of question was that?
Victor stood from the monitor, rubbing the back of his neck. "That was a really good question," he whispered to himself.
Then, he clapped. "Let’s go with the question. Sangwon, think of an answer."
Sangwon nodded, still stunned and a little embarrassed. That question truly caught him off guard.
anwhile, Victor turned to his assistant. "Mark that take. We keep it."
And then—though he would never admit it—Victor glanced at Zeno across the room. The man hadn’t moved an inch, his hands still tucked into his pockets.
No matter how much Victor hated how Zeno made him feel like he was always one step aside, he couldn’t deny this one thing.
He had great sense.
And with that, he really could make a damn good show.
"Ready... Action!" Victor exclaid, and they snapped back to their characters once more.
"I ca back to find sothing I could live for," #41 said, responding to the previous question. "I don’t want to die searching, even if I have to claw through hell again."
There was silence before #33 Sora raised her hand. She stepped into the light with a kind, quiet dignity. Her presence radiated warmth despite the cold set around them.
"I’m a teacher," she began. "I teach at an institution focused on special education."
Her words were soft, but they rang clear. "Where I co from, there’s no real funding. The kids I work with... they don’t get the world they deserve. But they deserve everything."
Her voice faltered, and she clasped her hands together.
"I don’t have a child. But I want to be their hope. I want to fight for them in a system that never fights for them back. That’s why I ca here."
They stilled before deciding she could have a gun. She bit her lip, but after telling her story, she beca even more determined.
Without warning, she pulled the trigger at soone who tried to molest her during the First Circle.
Bang.
The victim dropped, and others turned away from shock.
"isner," Devon muttered. "She does the isner technique really well."
Sora returned to her spot, lips pressed into a trembling line, but her spine straight as ever.
One by one, others stepped forward.
The lines of the extras were under a script, making the filming flow better.
After a while, Misha finally stepped forward.
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