The air was suffocating.
Ha-Eun scanned the crowd relentlessly, her eyes cutting through the sea of faces. Something was wrong, more than before. Red Pulse members were slipping in one by one, blending into the audience like shadows taking shape.
Han-Ryeong stood in the corner.
Donghae… on the opposite side.
They were closing in.
"What's the plan?" MC ORCA asked, his voice low.
Chan-Sik didn't take his eyes off the floor. "We know as much as you do. Stay close. We don't have reinforcements like them… so whatever happens, happens."
His gaze shifted toward Ha-Eun.
"Look… you don't belong here. You should leave."
Ha-Eun frowned. "What's going to happen?"
"We don't know," Chan-Sik replied. "But you're not part of this. You're just a bystander."
"It's okay…"
"It's not okay!" Hye-Jin snapped, louder than she meant to. "You're not made for this life."
Sung-Woo nodded quickly. "Yeah… you need to go. Now."
Ha-Eun hesitated.
Everything in her life had been structured, safe, predictable, controlled. Study. Obey. Repeat.
But this?
This chaos… this danger… this feeling…
It was the first time she felt like she belonged somewhere.
Even if she didn't understand it fully… she understood herself here.
She turned.
And walked away.
"It's better this way," Chan-Sik muttered. Then louder: "Stay close to Min. We keep him alive. That's the only objective."
The crowd erupted.
Game 6 was reaching its peak.
MC ORCA leaned forward, eyes locked on the screen. "He's down… but not out."
Even if Min lost, there was still one more game.
One more chance.
One more minute to survive.
"Let's wait," Chan-Sik said, arms crossed. "And see what breaks first."
Around them, the Warlocks armed themselves with whatever they could find.
Hye-Jin quietly grabbed a couple of glass bottles, gripping them tight.
Sung-Woo held a splintered wooden plank, knuckles white.
MC ORCA picked up a broken microphone stand, testing its weight.
Improvised.
Desperate.
Ready.
The crowd shifted.
More Red Pulse.
Too many.
The Warlocks felt it now, the imbalance.
The storm was coming.
Game 6 erupted from the very start.
Do-Gyun didn't hesitate this time. His opener was aggressive, faster than before, sharper, like he had already solved Min's rhythm. Early pressure hit Min's natural expansion, forcing him to react immediately.
"Early push…" Sung-Woo muttered. "He's not holding back at all."
Min stayed calm.
Zerglings fanned out, scouting, buying time. Drones pulled back just enough to survive while his defenses came online. A clean hold, but barely.
Do-Gyun pulled back.
Too clean.
Chan-Sik narrowed his eyes. "That wasn't the attack…"
Moments later, the real pressure hit.
Dropships appeared on the edge of the map, this time not empty.
Marines and tanks unloaded into Min's mineral line, forcing chaos. Workers scattered. Mutalisks rushed in to clean up, but the damage was already done.
At the same time.
A second force pushed the front.
"Double pressure…" MC ORCA whispered. "He's splitting Min's attention."
Min's hands moved faster now, snapping between control groups, juggling two battles at once. Mutas picked off reinforcements. Hydralisks repositioned. Zerglings flooded the ramp to delay the tanks.
For a moment.
It worked.
The crowd roared as Min stabilized both fronts, barely holding the line.
But Do-Gyun wasn't finished.
He expanded again.
And again.
Every trade, every skirmish, it all favored him.
"He's choking him out…" Chan-Sik said quietly.
Min tried to shift momentum.
A counterattack.
Mutalisks flew across the map, diving into Do-Gyun's base, targeting production, factories, add-ons, anything that could slow the Terran machine.
For the first time,
Do-Gyun slipped.
Or at least, it looked like he did.
The crowd erupted as structures burned.
"Is this it?!" Hye-Jin shouted.
But then…
Missile turrets finished.
Marines repositioned.
Perfect.
The mutalisks were caught mid-escape.
One by one,
They fell.
Min pulled back, but the cost was too high.
That was his window.
And it closed.
Silence crept into the Warlocks' side.
Do-Gyun moved out.
Final push.
Siege tanks lined the choke point again, locking Min in place. Dropships circled overhead, ready to reinforce instantly. Every angle was covered.
Min tried to break through.
Zerglings rushed.
Hydras followed.
But the firepower was overwhelming.
Explosions lit up the screen.
Units disappeared in seconds.
"Come on… come on…" MC ORCA muttered under his breath.
Min searched for an opening
Anything…
But there was none.
Do-Gyun had him.
Completely.
A final engagement in the center sealed it.
Min's army collapsed.
And just like that
It was over.
Min lost.
The crowd exploded.
Some cheered. Some screamed.
But beneath it all, something darker was brewing.
The final game was coming.
In the bathroom, away from the noise, Ha-Eun stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection.
The muffled roar of the crowd echoed through the walls.
The door creaked open.
Soo-Yeon stepped in.
Silence.
They locked eyes.
Soo-Yeon walked forward, stopping beside her at the sink. Neither spoke. The tension between them was thick.
Ha-Eun opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Without warning…
Soo-Yeon grabbed her by the hair and slammed her forward.
Ha-Eun reacted just in time.
Her hand shot back, crack, a clean strike across Soo-Yeon's ribs, breaking the momentum. Her head barely missed the porcelain sink.
They separated.
Breathing heavy.
Eyes locked.
"You should've left," Soo-Yeon muttered.
Soo-Yeon lunged first, fast, aggressive, precise.
Ha-Eun stepped back, deflecting, her movements controlled but unrefined in real combat. Soo-Yeon fought like someone used to dirty fights, no hesitation, no restraint.
The door burst open.
Two more girls entered, one of them familiar.
The one from the warehouse.
The one who helped drug Min.
Three against one.
Ha-Eun steadied herself.
Her stance shifted.
Different.
Disciplined.
The first attacker rushed.
Ha-Eun pivoted, redirected, elbow strike, knee-down.
Second came from the side.
She ducked, countered and… Cracked! Another body hit the tile.
Soo-Yeon came last.
Slower now.
Smarter.
They clashed again, harder this time.
No words.
Just impact.
By the end
All three were down.
But so was Ha-Eun.
Bruised.
Blood trailing from her forehead.
Breathing uneven.
Silence.
Except for the distant roar of the crowd.
She staggered to the sink, washing away what blood she could.
Her reflection looked different now.
Not clean.
Not untouched.
Real.
She sank into a stall, sitting down, head leaning back.
"What am I doing…" she whispered.
The countdown echoed through the speakers.
The crowd erupted again.
Game 7 had begun.
Ha-Eun slowly stood.
No hesitation this time.
She pushed the door open.
And walked back into the war.