Chapter Text
It had been roughly five weeks since the events of Eden, and Jongwoo was beginning to get sick of his monotonous life.
Wake up, go to work, come home, sleep, repeat. It was one never ending cycle. And while he hadn’t landed a prestigious job by any means, he was earning more than he had been working under Jaeho. Honestly, he should be grateful that he had somehow landed another job and was earning a stable income at all. His pay was enough for him to be able to afford another studio room, and yet, he couldn’t be further than satisfied with his current situation. It was just so boring.
While he had tried endlessly to forget what had occurred that fateful night, Jongwoo couldn’t shake the memory of how invigorated he had felt. Finally letting out that rage and frustration that he had built up since he moved to Seoul felt more than gratifying. It felt phenomenal. And as much as he hated to give the man any more leverage over him, Moonjo had been right. Jongwoo simply couldn’t deny how good it had felt to not to have needed to hold back anymore.
But he couldn't just go around killing people. Jongwoo had - for the most part - reformed and rejoined society. And if he was aiming to come off as a law abiding citizen who had most definitely never killed another person, he would have to seek out that feeling through different means.
So as any good man would do, he turned to gambling.
Jongwoo had never been into gambling his money away - usually because he had very little money to gamble with - but he assumed that there had to be something about it that people gravitated toward. He had heard that, like many other addictions, the dopamine release that followed a gambling win was beyond stimulating. And how people would do almost anything to experience that pleasure again, such as gambling away the mortgage to their home or their college tuition. So maybe, just maybe, gambling would help Jongwoo experience that unmatchable feeling again.
But as he got caught up in his mission to find that elusive feeling, Jongwoo was soon drowning in debts. Somehow, in only a matter of days Jongwoo had gambled away everything he had saved up and more. He was so desperate to find that feeling again that he didn’t even think twice when a tall, tailored man walked up to him one day after work and offered to play a game in exchange for money.
And as he walked away a couple minutes later with both a stinging face and a pocket full of cash, Jongwoo reached out into his pocket and pulled out the man’s odd business card. He flipped it over and read the number engraved onto the card, and then pondered.
This could be his chance. Jongwoo no longer had anything to lose, and as he felt the weight of the money in his pocket, he realised that this could very well be the opportunity he needed. After all, if all he had to do was play old children’s games, Jongwoo was beyond confident in his capabilities.
How hard could it be anyway?
And so Jongwoo reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out his phone before swiftly inputting the number. He pressed call and held the phone up to his ear and waited for the line to connect. Once it did, an almost robotic voice followed quickly.
“Please state your name and date of birth if you would like to participate in the games.”
“Yoon Jongwoo. March 6th, 1996.” He responded quickly.
The person on the other line then informed him of where he was expected to wait that night for when he would be picked up and taken to the games. And as Jongwoo hung up the phone, he realised that it was too late to turn back now.
———that night———
The breeze was prickly cold and Jongwoo still shivered despite the thick jacket he had on. Thankfully, before he could freeze to death, a van distantly approached. The lights were blinding and Jongwoo held up a hand to block them, but they quickly dimmed as the van pulled up beside him.
The doors swung open and Jongwoo hopped inside. He shut the doors behind him and looked around at the other passengers who were strangely quiet. It was late at night, so perhaps they had fallen asleep already? Jongwoo shrugged at the odd sight before he settled into his seat.
Suddenly, a hissing sound rang out throughout the car and an overwhelming amount of contaminated gas appeared around him. He could feel his head becoming heavy and his vision going hazy before he quickly succumbed to the effects of the gas. Jongwoo’s body went limp as he fell completely unconscious, his head landing on one of the other passengers beside him.
And then the van started up again before swiftly accelerating off into the distance.
———later———
Jongwoo’s eyes fluttered open as a distant melody filled his ears. He groaned as he propped himself up, rubbing his eyes with his palms as he tried to come to his senses.
And as he dropped his hand and looked around, his breath hitched.
What the fuck?
His eyes darted across the large space filled to the brim with black, steel bunk beds. Jongwoo’s attention then turned to himself - as he looked down at the turquoise jumpsuit he had on. Where had the clothes he was wearing gone? And his belongings?
Jongwoo looked around and quickly found he wasn’t alone in his confusion. The people beside him were also trying to understand where they had been taken to and why their clothes had been changed.
And Jongwoo simply watched as people slowly started to make their way down into the open space among all the beds, trying to gather what was really going on. Quiet murmurs and conversations filled the silence of the room and Jongwoo even found himself beginning to join the crowd of people below.
But as everyone crowded around and were actively surveying their surroundings, a loud buzzer sounded and suddenly a door slid open to reveal a large cluster of pink…guards? What the hell?
They marched toward the startled crowd in an unsettling amount of sync before abruptly stopping. It was then that one of them, with a white square on their mask, stepped forward and started an announcement.
Jongwoo’s mind began to wonder as the mysterious person spoke as he tried to fathom just how many people were in this room with him. It had to be what, 300 people? 400? Either way, he had not been expecting this many people to have joined the games too.
He was immediately brought back to reality when a man in the front row yelled out.
“Could I have my phone back? I have to invest in my crypto.”
His eyes fell on the back of a weirdly familiar head before the square-faced guard replied.
“Player 333. Lee Myung-gi, or more commonly known as ‘MG Coin,’ a youtuber who encouraged his subscribers to invest in the cryptocurrency company, Dalmation. And when the company crashed and both he and his subscribers’ investments failed, they all fell into massive debt. Currently, he is $1.8 billion won in debt.”
The voice echoed throughout the vast room as a video played on the screen above them. It was the man playing the same game Jongwoo had played. Getting hit, trying again, and then winning the money. It was all the same.
Jongwoo watched from afar as this ‘Player 333’ immediately quieted down and dropped his head in embarrassment before disappearing into the crowd. But the guard didn’t stop there. Instead, Jongwoo watched as the stories of several other people who had chosen to speak up replayed over the big screen. And whether they were $400 million won or $10 billion won in debt, their stories all had one thing in common. The ddakji.
Jongwoo’s brows scrunched up at the odd connection before he pieced it together. So everyone here was in some sort of debt and had been recruited to join these games by the same tailored man? While it was strange, it wasn’t that far-fetched. Given that they were all given a large wad of cash for simply winning a children’s game, perhaps this wasn’t going to be any different. Perhaps they’d continue to earn more easy cash for every game that they played.
But before he could dwell on the thought any longer, the pink guard concluded with one final statement.
“The first game will be beginning soon. Good luck.”
And with that, a 30 minute timer appeared on the TV screen above them. The doors behind the pink guards suddenly opened and they retreated inside before the doors quickly closed after them.
Jongwoo stared absentmindedly up at the timer, and wondered what the first game would be. Whereas the people around him had separated and either went back to their respective beds or began to mingle with each other. It probably didn’t hurt to make a friend or two. Who knows if these upcoming games were to be individual or group based.
Luckily for Jongwoo, he didn’t have to approach anyone as he felt someone behind him tap his shoulder lightly. He turned around and much to his surprise, it was none other than Player 333. What was his name again? Lee Myung-jun? Lee Myung-hwan?
“Hello, I’m Lee Myung-gi.”
Ah, that’s it.
“Yoon Jongwoo, it’s nice to meet you.” He replied casually. And as Jongwoo inspected the man more closely, he was almost startled at the alarming similarities between them. He had noticed their similarities when the video appeared on the screen but Jongwoo didn’t realise that they were this similar.
The other man also seemed to also pick up on their similar appearance before he cleared his throat and spoke up.
“How old are you, by the way? I’m 25.” Myung-gi managed.
“Oh, I’m 27.” Jongwoo responded.
“Then may I speak casually with you?” Myung-gi’s reply came almost instantly and Jongwoo nodded in response.
“Well then, I just wanted to say that we look eerily similar, hyung.” He practically blurted out, but quickly followed it up with an awkward chuckle.
“Yeah, I noticed that. I didn’t expect to meet my doppelganger in here of all places.” Jongwoo replied, a little lamely.
But it was true, what were the chances that he’d meet his doppelganger in the games? Jongwoo didn’t even really believe in the whole doppelgänger thing in the first place, but upon seeing Myung-gi, he quickly changed his mind.
Myung-gi let out a low chuckle before his face lit up in amusement.
“Oh! Even our numbers are similar!” He shrieked, reaching a hand out to point at Jongwoo’s jumpsuit.
Number?
Oh, yeah. Jongwoo had yet to see what his number was. And as he followed the direction of Myung-gi’s finger, his eyes fell on the number stitched into his turquoise jacket.
Suddenly, Jongwoo let out a loud, hearty laugh. Myung-gi furrowed his brows and looked around, seemingly embarrassed by Jongwoo’s unexpected outburst.
There was no way that was his number.
His patch read an equally amusing and unbelievable “303”.
And as Jongwoo calmed down, he let out a sigh in disbelief. He returned his attention to Myung-gi who was looking at him a little strangely.
“Oh, sorry.” He cleared his throat before concluding, “It’s a long story, but I just didn’t expect that this was going to be my number. A coincidence, that’s all.”
Myung-gi gave him a half-hearted smile, most likely still a little weirded out by Jongwoo’s sudden antics.
But despite Jongwoo’s outburst, they fell into a comfortable conversation. They discussed how they had both ended up here, even if Jongwoo already knew Myung-gi’s situation thanks to the guard from before. But regardless, it was nice to have found someone to talk to. They both guessed and pondered what the next game could be and how they would go about winning. And Jongwoo found himself smiling for the first time in a while. It had been a long time since he had felt content like this.
His eyes wandered up to the timer above them, where it displayed a bright ‘10:23 MINUTES REMAINING.’
Oh shit, time had gone by a lot quicker than he expected. And as his eyes fell back down to Myung-gi, the younger man opened his mouth as if to say something.
“Hyung?”
Jongwoo hummed in response, encouraging Myung-gi to continue.
“I know we’ve only just met, but can I ask you for a favour?” He questioned a little hesitantly.
“Yeah sure, what is it?” Jongwoo was a little confused as to what the request could be, but he listened carefully anyway.
“Is it alright if I borrow your jacket? Just for the first game though! It’s just that 303 is my lucky number and you know…” He trailed off but Jongwoo didn’t need him to finish to understand what he meant.
A bit of a strange favour he thought, but it wasn’t anything Jongwoo couldn’t do, so he obliged.
“Oh um, yeah of course.” And with that, Jongwoo took off his jacket and handed it over to the younger man. Similarly, Myung-gi took off his own jacket and then they exchanged them.
“Thanks Hyung!” Myung-gi beamed and Jongwoo couldn’t find it in himself to care about the odd request anymore. If it made the other happy, Jongwoo couldn’t be too upset. Plus, it was probably a good thing that he wouldn’t have to see that number for a while. While it was amusing, it was also just as scary. Coincidences seem to be hitting him left and right today. Honestly, what’s next?
And as Jongwoo finished putting on the jacket, Myung-gi spoke up one final time.
“Well it was nice talking to you, hyung. Good luck.” And with that, they said their pleasant goodbyes and went their own ways. Myung-gi headed off in some other direction while Jongwoo made his way back to his bed. Maybe he could snag in a nap before the games started. It was an optimistic thought, but Jongwoo was determined.
And as he neared the stack of beds that contained his own, he felt a firm hand cup his shoulder. Jongwoo turned to see a slightly taller purple haired man standing beside another dark haired man.
“MG Coin, how’s it going man?” His voice was almost comical. Then Jongwoo’s eyes fell to the man’s number, 230, before he quickly returned the man’s stare in confusion.
“Who?” Jongwoo sincerely asked.
“Aw come on MG Coin! We’re your fans, don’t you remember? It’s me Thanos and…” Player 230 turned to what Jongwoo assumed was his friend whose name he had seemingly forgotten.
“Nam-gyu.” The other man corrected.
“Right, Nam-su.” He added. Jongwoo fought to keep back an eye roll at the man’s impolite and most definitely intentional miscall of his friend’s name.
“Anyway,” he continued, “how could you seriously not remember? You were the one that told us to invest in that stupid crypto currency that made us lose everything!” Thanos spoke with an oddly upbeat tone, but Jongwoo knew it was meant to be somewhat intimidating.
“You’ve got the wrong person. Could you let go now?” Jongwoo responded placidly. He could’ve been sleeping by now and these idiots had only held him up. At this rate, he may not even have the time to get to his bed.
Thanos and Nam-gyu/Nam-su simultaneously scoffed at his response before the grip on his shoulder tightened.
“Mr. MG Coin, I know you’re a little spacey up here,” he reached a finger out and tapped harshly on Jongwoo’s forehead, “but this is new, even for you. Are you trying to cosplay as an amnesiac or something?” Thanos practically laughed out the question.
“Look man, I already told you that you’ve got the wrong person. The games are about to start so just let me go on my way.” Jongwoo ignored the question and reached a hand up to Thano’s, before he forcibly unraveled the man’s grasp on him.
Thanos, surprised by Jongwoo’s sudden display of force, scoffed once again. But it was Nam-gyu who spoke up this time.
“Lee Myung-gi, are you really asking for a beating?” He spat, quickly moving into Jongwoo’s personal space.
Lee Myung-gi? He’s not—
Oh.
And as the puzzle pieces swiftly fell into place, Jongwoo couldn’t help but crack a smile at it all. Ah, so that’s why he wanted to swap jackets. Myung-gi was being sought out by these idiots because he had scammed them and now Jongwoo was the one being harassed.
Jongwoo looked around beyond the small crowd that had gathered amidst their obnoxiously loud argument, before his eyes fell on the person he had been looking for.
Player 333.
Or well, Player 303 if you looked at the jacket.
Myung-gi had been watching them the entire time from afar, so when Jongwoo’s eyes fell on him, he quickly averted his attention elsewhere.
And to think Jongwoo thought he’d made a friend. In the end, it had been too good to be true. Everything that ever happened to Jongwoo was never that simple, and he should’ve known better.
Jongwoo quickly focused his attention back on the two men in front of him who had now inched forward and were doing their best to physically intimidate him. Myung-gi may have been intimidated, but he certainly wasn’t.
“That’s not my name.” Jongwoo gritted out.
And before he could even register it, a fist collided with the side of Jongwoo’s face, causing him to stumble back slightly. Once he had regained his footing, Jongwoo instantly recognised the familiar irony taste that had now filled his mouth. He then leaned to the side, opening his mouth before spitting the build up of blood that had accumulated on his tongue onto the floor beside him.
Thanos, who had landed the punch, had been so caught up basking in the success of his efforts that he was caught off guard when Jongwoo immediately landed a nasty right hook to his cheek. Similarly to Jongwoo, he stumbled back and raised a hand to the now red and sensitive area. But before Thanos could return the punch, it was Nam-gyu who reeled his arm back before he lunged toward Jongwoo.
Jongwoo dodged the other man’s lackluster attempt as he simultaneously landed a harsh jab at Nam-gyu's side, temporarily winding him. Thanos took his friend’s brief moment of incapacitation to lurch into Jongwoo himself, sending the two toppling over backwards. Jongwoo’s head hit the floor with a deafening thud, followed by a sharp pain that rippled throughout his head.
Thanos scrambled to straddle him, and it wasn’t long before he was drilling punches into Jongwoo. It wasn’t an ideal situation to say the least. But Jongwoo would rather die than let this idiot get the better of him. And somehow amidst the continual hits, Jongwoo managed to time a strong blow to the other man’s face, causing him to go flying back whilst clutching at his now profusely bleeding nose.
But as he scrambled to his feet, Jongwoo noticed that Nam-gyu had also regained his breath and was preparing himself to leap forward into Jongwoo again. So, he took the initiative instead. Jongwoo ran up to Nam-gyu before he thrusted a leg into the man’s abdomen, sending him tumbling back onto the floor. And Jongwoo didn’t waste a single second as he focused on landing several kicks on the other’s body, leaving Nam-gyu groaning out in pain as he tried to throw his hands up in a pathetic attempt of defence.
And even as the man beneath him slowly started to give into the pain and became weaker, Jongwoo didn’t stop kicking him. If it hadn’t been for Thanos ripping him away from Nam-gyu, Jongwoo probably would’ve beaten the man to death.
Thanos’ nose was still relentlessly bleeding when Jongwoo turned to face him. And suddenly, Jongwoo found himself propelling forward into the purple haired man in a matter of seconds. Similarly to Jongwoo only moments before, the sound of Thanos’ head hitting the ground echoed through the vast space. It was then Jongwoo’s turn to scramble to hold down the other man under him before he could retaliate. But instead of opting for his fists like Thanos had done with him, Jongwoo slithered his hands around the man’s neck and mercilessly tightened his grip.
He felt Thanos’ breath hitch under his fingers and it wasn’t long until Thanos was reaching his hands up to Jongwoo’s, desperately trying to unravel his grip. Jongwoo only tightened his hold, leaving the man beneath him to flail his legs out in panic.
And for a moment, Jongwoo felt it. That feeling he thought had been long gone. It was electrifying and somehow Jongwoo felt his hands wrap around the man’s neck even tighter. He couldn't help but chase the thrill of how the purple haired idiot heated up like a furnace under his grip.
Jongwoo stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity. Thanos’ movements beneath him soon became increasingly more erratic as he began to run out of breath, but it didn’t make Jongwoo loosen his grip at all.
But suddenly, he felt a strong pair of hands on his shoulders that grabbed onto him and sent him flying onto his back. Jongwoo landed harshly with a strained wheeze that left him struggling for air. But as he quickly caught his breath again, he looked up to see who had broken them apart.
An older man stood between the two and Jongwoo’s eyes drifted toward his number.
001.
“Enough!” His voice was loud and demanding, but in the meantime, Jongwoo had managed to get to his feet.
“This has nothing to do with you.” He spat.
Jongwoo then felt the palm of the older man’s hand striking his cheek, followed by a piercing slap that rang out shortly after. He was much stronger than he looked. Jongwoo, partly stunned by the slap, swiftly came to his senses and peered up to see the older man quickly closing the distance between them.
“Young-il, don’t!” A different voice cried out, effectively stopping the man dead in his tracks.
Jongwoo’s eyes darted around the crowd trying to find the owner of the voice before they settled on a taller man with short black hair.
Player 456.
The man emerged from the crowd and hastily made his way over to the two, putting up both his arms between them as if to prevent them from fighting any further.
Jongwoo cocked an eyebrow up at the sudden odd and heroic gesture, before he let out an annoyed sigh. The feeling he had been chasing was now long gone and Jongwoo was already missing its presence.
“There’s no need to fight! We can all get out of this together, so stop fighting with each other!” His voice was stern but nevertheless full of hope.
“Gi-hun, didn’t you see that he nearly killed Player 230? I think I’m speaking for the people here when I ask how we are supposed to feel safe knowing he’s walking around?” The older man, or Young-il as he now knew, retorted rather aggressively.
Gi-hun then opened his mouth in return to say something but was interrupted by a loud buzzer sound that blasted through the speakers. Everyone’s attention suddenly shifted from the fight to the TV screen which was now flashing ‘00:00 MINUTES REMAINING’.
And not even a second later, the doors opened to reveal a much larger group of pink guards.
“The first game is about to begin. Please follow the guards.”
Jongwoo couldn’t tell if he had been saved by the bell or if he was annoyed by it. On one hand, he certainly didn’t want to hear this Gi-hun figure ramble on about how they all needed to befriend each other because friendship prevails above all and blah blah blah. But on the other hand, he would have loved to try out his luck on Player 001 who had already proven himself as an interesting opponent given his recent display of strength. So in the end, Jongwoo was conflicted.
But he had no time to dwell on these feelings, as he soon found himself joining the line of players leaving the room led by guards with various shapes on their masks. Jongwoo noticed the strange architectural design of the new area that they had entered and how the colours were almost blinding.
And while he wasn’t actively focused on it, Jongwoo could feel several sets of eyes on him. Not to mention how the people surrounding him were keeping their distance from him. Honestly, after what had just happened, he couldn’t even blame him. He had almost killed two men in front of everyone.
Jongwoo knew it wouldn’t be good to linger on the thought, so he directed his full attention to taking his photo. He absentmindedly wondered what it could be for before brushing the thought off as it was now his turn.
And so Jongwoo took his photo bloodied, beaten, and black and blue. But soon after everyone had taken their photos, the guards led them into a large open field.
He looked around in confusion as to what the game was supposed to be before his eyes fell on the rather large doll in the distance. Suddenly, the green gates that they had come through shut loudly, causing a wave of confusion to flow over the crowd. It was only a few seconds later that a girl’s voice played out loudly over the speakers.
“Here is the first game. You will be playing Red Light, Green Light. You are allowed to move forward when ‘it’ shouts out ‘Green Light’, and stop when ‘it’ shouts out ‘Red Light’. If your movement is detected afterward, you will be eliminated.”
The rest of the players quickly began murmuring and chatting, and Jongwoo couldn’t help but overhear a few of their conversations.
“Red Light, Green Light? The thing we did as kids in the playground?”
“Yeah, I think that’s what she said.”
“Is this a joke?”
Then the voice played over the speakers again.
“Let me repeat the rules.”
Jongwoo didn’t listen the second time around as he was more held up on the fact that it was true. Were they seriously going to be playing children’s games for money? There had to be a catch. It couldn’t be this easy.
He watched as the doll in the distance slowly turned around and raised a hand to the tree before the voice rang out again.
“Those players who cross the finish line without being eliminated within the five minute playtime, will pass this round. With that, let the game begin.”
And immediately, the five minute timer above the doll began.
“Green Light.”