The sky was painted a deep crimson as dusk settled, casting long shadows over the dirt path.

    All around, the thatched houses stood in quiet stillness, exuding an almost eerie silence with not a hint of movement to be seen.

    "Ha-eun... no, Lady Yoo-hwa."

    The voice that called out was soft and calm. Familiar, even without looking, Ha-eun knew exactly who it was.

    "We need to escape before the fake Park Do-jun shows up. Come, let’s hurry."

    A hand extended toward her, accompanied by the sweeping hem of a traditional robe.

    Had it been anyone else, she might have followed without a second thought—someone she hadn’t known well enough to read their intentions at a glance.

    But she knew him too well. Even his small habit of slightly twitching his index finger when he had a secret was unmistakable.

    "Looks like the fake Park Do-jun is already here."

    Instead of taking his hand, Ha-eun took a few steps back. Almost immediately, a lighthearted chuckle followed.

    "Oh? Was it that obvious?"

    Scratching his head with a playful grin, Lee Gun-yeol’s expression was friendly, yet there was a strange chill to it. There was just something unsettling about a villain with smiling eyes.

    "I promise I won’t hurt you. So just come quietly."

    "I’m not ready to give up yet."

    "What do you think you can do now? The others don’t even know where you are."

    He took a step closer, then another.

    Gun-yeol’s shadow stretched across the ground, slowly reaching toward her. She tried to back up further, only to be blocked by the dirt wall of the house and a row of large earthen jars.

    Trapped. She could try grabbing his arm and holding him off or make a scene to buy time, but she doubted she could hold out until someone found her.

    "Can’t you at least give me a chance to pretend to run away?"

    "Haha. Pretend to run? I know how fast you are."

    "Do you think I could outrun you, though?"

    "Honestly, I think we’re about even."

    She decided to stall for time with small talk, figuring that struggling would be better than going down without a fight.

    Keeping the conversation going with the fake Park Do-jun, she wracked her brain for any possible escape plan.

    **Thud.**

    ‘...Huh?’

    Ha-eun suddenly realized that the row of earthen jars behind her wasn’t as tall as she’d assumed. While her hanbok was a bit restricting, it wasn’t so uncomfortable that she couldn’t move.

    If she could step onto one of the jars, the wall behind them was low enough for her to climb over.

    ‘...I probably won’t break anything even if I fall.’

    She had no idea what was on the other side of the wall, but staying here and getting tagged out seemed far worse.

    After all, the show was called *Don’t Stop People*. Simply hiding quietly in some shadowed corner until she was tagged out felt like a betrayal of the show’s spirit.

    "Oh, fake Lord Park Do-jun, do you really wish to harm this poor girl?"

    "Well, there’s not much choice now, is there?"

    "Please, my lord. I have yet to see the spring blossoms or the autumn leaves."

    "Save those for your next life."

    As the fake Park Do-jun stepped closer, Ha-eun’s eyes widened, and she glanced to the side as if spotting someone.

    "Lord Jeon Dong-guk!"

    “?!”

    She shouted out the name of the one person capable of resolving this situation and the one name that would surely distract the fake Park Do-jun.

    In a flash, Ha-eun leapt onto the jar behind her.

    **Rattle.**

    The lid of the jar wobbled beneath her feet, but with no time to hesitate, she grabbed the edge of the wall and vaulted over.

    "Ha-eun! That’s dangerous—!"@@@@

    But before Gun-yeol could reach her—

    **Thud.**

    She landed not on hard ground but on something soft and squishy. Feeling her feet hovering in midair, Ha-eun cautiously opened her eyes.

    And found herself staring into the concerned face of Jeon Dong-guk, holding her in a princess carry.

    Their final destination was a bar along the main street.

    But Ha-eun couldn’t go inside a bar. Gun-yeol offered to retrieve Lee Joon himself.

    "Wait here, Ha-eun. I’ll bring him out."

    However, she tugged him back, stopping him in his tracks.

    "Look, that’s Lee Joon’s car over there. I’ll hide inside, and when he comes back, I’ll... confront him."

    "C-Confront him? Do you really need to?"

    "People who break promises must face consequences."

    Rel

    uctantly, Gun-yeol unlocked Lee Joon’s car with a spare key, and together, they hid in the backseat.

    After what felt like an eternity of tense waiting...

    "There he is."

    As soon as Ha-eun saw him exit the bar, she signaled to Gun-yeol to stay silent.

    The car door clicked open, and Lee Joon slumped into the driver’s seat, the smell of beer filling the air as he fumbled with the ignition.

    With a firm hand, Gun-yeol slammed the car into park just as Lee Joon was about to shift into drive.

    "Hey."

    “!?!! Why are you here?!”

    Gun-yeol’s eyes narrowed, fierce and unyielding, his previous nervousness evaporating.

    Opening the door, Ha-eun slipped out, leaving the two adults alone to “sort things out.”

    As the car rocked with muffled sounds, Eun-hyuk cautiously asked Ha-eun, "Um, Ha-eun... what’s going on in there?"

    "Not yet, Manager-nim. You’ll find out soon enough. But for now, let’s leave them to it."

    She grabbed his arm, suggesting they grab a snack at the nearby convenience store. Soon, she and Eun-hyuk were sharing a couple of onigiri, thanks to a convenient 1+1 deal.

    It had been quite the eventful day—both in good ways and... not so good ways.

    ---

    "So, this is the trophy you got for winning on *Don’t Stop People*?"

    "Yep."

    "...Let me see."

    In a flash, Da-yeon bit down on the trophy.

    "Ouch! This isn’t real gold!"

    "Hmm, I never said it was..."

    "Then at least tell me if it’s plated!"

    Da-yeon had grabbed the trophy without permission, but Ha-eun didn’t seem to mind, used to her friend’s impulsiveness.

    After enduring Da-yeon’s outburst, Ha-eun finally turned to the coffee table, reaching for a thick script.

    "So, why’d you bring the *To Busan* script here?"

    Da-yeon hesitated, then took a deep breath.

    "Ha-eun... let’s have a rematch. Rock-paper-scissors."

    She wanted another showdown, another chance to compete in acting.

    But to her surprise, Ha-eun’s response was one of reluctance.

    "Hmm... can we do another audition instead?"

    "What? Why?"

    Da-yeon instinctively grabbed Ha-eun’s shoulders, shaking her in frustration.

    "I... don’t want to do any more sick scenes. It’s a movie about an epidemic, right?"

    "But you’ve done death scenes plenty of times!"

    "This is different."

    "How?"

    "Just... different."

    Da-yeon couldn’t understand why the very person who once said that you just have to keep going until you win—whether in rock-paper-scissors or acting—was now avoiding the challenge.

    Ha-eun had always been the one who embraced every competition with determination, seeing things through until the end. But here she was, hesitating, and it puzzled Da-yeon deeply.