The Sergeant and The Artist

by sourpatchboy15

Summary:

Cho Hyun-ju has been discarded from both the military and society. As her debts pile up, her pursuit of liberation seems to be hurdling towards a dead end.

Park Gyeong-seok divides his time between sketching portraits for the visitors of Seoul Land and caring for his sick daughter. As her cancer progresses, his feeling of hopelessness does as well.

When both people are confronted by a strange man, their connection in the harsh, deceptive environment they're thrust into may be what they're both missing.

Cross-posted on Wattpad

Chapter 1: 001

Notes:

Song for the chapter: Hello/Здравствуй by Peremotka
https://youtu.be/BUZKVunSf4A?si=3IEe8KuBIBhALF8R

Summer 2024

"What do you mean, this is my last dose?"

The doctor sighed as the woman in front of him began to form tears in her eyes. "Miss Cho, you've been unable to get back on health insurance. Without it, each weekly dose of estrogen is 20,000 won. The testosterone blockers are 30,000 for a weekly card. You're looking at over 200,000 won a month. You've told me that you're already in debt. I wish I could help you, I'm very sympathetic, but I can't do it if you don't have a way to pay."

"But you said things could revert if I stop. That can't happen, Dr Choi. I've gotten this far."

"I'm sorry, Hyun-ju. It wouldn't be ethical. I tried to speed up your medical card application, and it keeps getting declined. It's an injustice, but you know what dishonourable discharge brings."

Hyun-ju scoffed, brushing hair behind her ear. "Oh, I know."

"I really am sorry, Miss Cho. If I could, I'd keep giving you your medication for free. But I could lose my medical license, I hope you can understand that."

Hyun-ju nodded her head, giving a shy smile. "Of course, Dr Choi. I don't have any resentment for you. I'm truly grateful for the care you've given me."

The doctor smiled. "Of course, Hyun-ju. And I hope you know that, should your fortunes change, I'll happily resume your treatment. Including your surgeries."

Hyun-ju smiled, standing up and bowing her head. "Thank you, sir. I hope to see you again soon."

"I do too, Miss Cho. Take care."

Hyun-ju smiled until she was out of the clinic, when her expression dropped and she wringed her clapsed hands. She found herself going into the nearest shop, picking up a bottle of soju and eyeliner, handing up the 10,000 won note and ignoring the disgusted looks of the customers and cashier as she walked out.

She walked for over an hour until she found herself in a deserted park, with nothing around her but the sound of shuffling leaves and the wind. She sat down against the tree, opening the bottle of soju and chugging it back, ignoring the sting from the unfamiliar drink; she wasn't a drinker. She removed it from her lips, gasping and wincing. She then opened her handbag, taking out her phone and ignoring all the emails about her debts and text messages from sneering loan sharks. She once again opened social media, scrolling past and wishfully looking at all the pictures of trans women in Thailand, translating the captions from Thai and reading them happily. They were beautiful women, happy women, and they had started at her point. Everyone else thought they were beautiful too. They weren't exiled from society and their support systems simply for being who they were.

Hyun-ju wanted to be one of them. She wanted their lives, their bodies, their confidence. She hadn't felt confident since the last time she delivered orders, wore that cap, held that gun. Even though she despised how her body filled that uniform, how her hair was buzzed under the cap, how she had to sneak little moments of trying on make-up, the feeling of respect was the warmest one that had ever filled her. She missed the feeling of pride that came from her friends and family, how her parents put their arms around her and stared at her intently with love and awe instead of bowing their heads in shame and blocking the sight of her with their hands. Despie dying on the inside from living as the wrong person, she missed support, being the one to lend people money instead of scraping the bottom of the barrel for money.

"Excuse me, ma'am."

Hyun-ju jumped slightly, looking up to see a man in a suit, handsome with a smile on his face as he held his suitcase.

"I'm sorry, I'm loitering. I'll leave now, sir."

"Oh, that isn't necessary. I just have a proposaal for you."

Hyun-ju sighed, standing up and brushing off her long plaid skirt. "Sir, I'm sorry, but even if I was interested, I'm in no position to invest in whatever coin you're peddling."

"There's no coin, ma'am. I simply want to play a game."

She squinted her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

The man smiled, putting his briefcase on a table and opening it, revealing neat stacks of money and a number of coloured paper tiles. Hyun-ju's eyes widened; she hadn't seen that much money since her discharge. She also recognised the tiles from anywhere.

"Are you familiar with ddakji?", the man asked, picking up the red and blue squares.

"Very much. I played it all the time as a kid." She scratched the back of her head in confusion. "So, is that all you want to do? Play a kids game."

"Oh yes, but with a special offer to you. For each round you win, I'll give you 100,000 won."

Hyun-ju scoffed. "What's the catch? What if I lose?"

The man smiled, presenting the tiles again. "What colour do you want to play as?"

Hyun-ju looked away, sighing before looking back at the salesman and taking the blue square; it was always the one she was lucky with as a kid. With that, the strange man placed the red square on the ground, motioning for her to start the round. Hyun-jus shrugged and walked over, preparing the tile in her hand in the foolproof manner she often did. As she predicted, once she had slammed it down, the red one flipped. A smile spread across her face, chuckling.

The suited man nodded his head. "Well done." He reached into the suitcase, removing notes and puttting them into Hyun-ju's hands. After inspecting the money with glee, she heard the man speak again.

"Congratulations. Would you like to play another round?"

Hyun-ju looked at him, then back at the money. 100,000 wouldn't handle her monthly prescription, let alone any of her debts. She looked up at the man, placed the bills into her pocket and picked up the tile again. "I won. I go first, don't I?"

The man nodded. "If you wish."

Hyun-ju nodded her head nervously, preparing her tile again. However, this time, the tile didn't flip. The man then took his turn, her tile now flipped over. She sighed, wringing her head as she took the money from her pocket before the man blocked it.

"You don't need to pay me with money. You earned that."

Hyun-ju furrowed her eyebrows. "Then how?"

"You pay with your body."

Her jaw dropped. "What?! Who are you, you perv-"

Her disbelief was amplified by her sentence being cut off by a slap to her face. "What's wrong with you?"

"That's what I mean. Consider each slap equivalent to 100,000 won."

Hyun-ju groaned, picking up her tile again. In her frustration, and desire to get back at the man, she didn't flip his tile this time. He took his turn, flipping her tile, slapping her again. They continued playing for several rounds, Hyun-ju winning and losing some. Eventually, she managed to accumulate a million won. After reaching the mark, she went to pick up her tile, before the man stopped her.

"I'm afraid that's all we can play today, Miss Cho."

She looked away from her handbag and towards the man, stumbling backwards in shock. "How do you know my name? Who are you? How did you find me here?"

"Miss Cho Hyun-ju. You were born on February 18th, 1986. A Sergeant in the ROK Special Forces before being dishonourably discharged after beginning your gender transition. You have paid millions for hormone treatment and two surgeries, but haven't found work since you were discharged, making your debt climb. Your parents cut contact and haven't given fiancial support, and your social circle is non-existent. You're not entitled to social benefits or health insurance, and you now sit on a debt of 330 million won. You currently reside in an apartment in Gwangmyeong, from which you face eviction."

Hyun-ju's eyes widened. "Who are you?"

The man smiled again, pulling out a brown business card from his jacket pocket. "There are more games like the ones we played just now, where you can earn even more money. Enough money to pay off your debts and continue your treatment. Even enough to move to Thailand."

Hyun-ju's hand shook as she reached out and took the card, flipping it and observing both sides; one with circle, triangle and square symbols and the other with a phone number. She wiped a tear, wincing slightly at the bruised skin from the slaps. "They're just other kids games, right? Like ddakji, ggongii, jump-rope?"

The man just smiled again. "Take care, Miss Cho."

With that, he grabbed his briefcase and walked off, leaving Hyun-ju bewildered. She took out her purse, placing the bills inside it securely. She then opened her phone, opening the camera to observe the bruising on her face. Sighing, she placed the cool glass of the soju bottle against it, waiting a few minutes before covering it up with foundation.

 

⭕

 

"Is everything okay, Gyeong-seok?"

The man looked up from under his bucket hat, forcing a smile at his coworker. "Yeah. It's just tough with Na-yeon."

The other man tutted, returning to his portrait. "I understand, man, but your sadness is driving away customers from you. It's making my hand ache, having to absorb your clients."

Gyeong-seok chuckled, making his coworker smile. "I'm sorry, Jae-jun. I'll try to help you out with that."

"Where is Na-yeon, actually? I miss her toddling around and laughing."

He sighed, beginning to sharpen his charcoals. "My mother is with her in the hospital. She told me I should go work, try and earn more for her medication. She's tough, even though her granddaughter is ill."

"Don't I know, my own one is still disappointed I'm not a lawyer."

"Aren't we all?", Gyeong-seok teased, getting a playful slap from his friend.

Jae-jun suddenly stopped smiling, noticing the bruising on Gyeong-seoks face. "Hey, man, what happened to your face? Did you get into a fight?"

The man frowned, returning to his charcoals. "I just fell. I took a walk after finding out about the drugs Na-yeon needs and missed the last step."

Jae-jun nodded, though not believing his friend. With that, he continued sketching the couple in front of him, leaving Gyeong-seok to his charcoals and thoughts. A few moments later, he noticed his light being blocked by a tall shadow, then hearing a gentle clearing of the throat. He looked up, seeing a tall woman in a plaid shirt and long skirt pairing, wringing her hands timidly.

"Excuse me. Would it be okay if you did my portrait?"

Gyeong-seok observed the woman for a moment, noticing her sharp features yet a gentleness in her eyes. Despite the look from Jae-jun telling him not to do it, he nodded his head at the woman. "Of course. Sit down."

She gave him a small smile, setting down and placing down her handbag. "How much should I pay you?"

He shook his head, beginning to work on the outline. "Worry about that after we finish the picture."

"His rate is typically 25,000 won.", Jae-jun interjected, giving the woman a judging look.

Gyeong-seok sighed at him in exasperation, while the woman gave an anxious smile back. "That's quite okay, sir."

He chuckled awkwardly, continuing the outline as he looked back and forth between the canvas and the woman. He noticed more about her as he drew; she had large brown eyes that served as a portal to her emotions, contrasting a more stoic appearance but perfectly complimenting her whenever she smiled. She slowly became more comfortable, her stoic frame softening and her smile becoming more noticeable. Her makeup was light, but done well to compliment her features. Perfect eyeliner, soft pink lipstick, natural foundation that just about covered some blue and purple on her cheek. When he noticed this, he stopped for a moment, looking at her with concern.

"I'm sorry to ask you, ma'am, but did anyone hurt you? I noticed some bruising on your face."

She looked down insecurely, before looking back up. "I fell. I'm a bit clumsy."

Gyeong-seok chuckled, nodding to accept her story though not believing it. After creating an awkward tension, he urgently felt the need to break it. "Where are you from, ma'am?"

She blinked in surprise before answering. "I'm currently renting in Gwangmyeong."

"Oh? What brings you out to Gwacheon?"

She sighed, looking around at the surrounding park and neighbouring amusements as she took in the lively music. "I came here to Seoul Land often as a child. I lived further away, but we came here at least once a summer. I guess I was missing it. And I always wanted to get my portrait done. My parents got one done once and it turned out quite nice."

Gyeong-seok smiled, nodding his head. "I'm the same. I live a few minutes from here. Maybe we went on a rollercoaster together once."

The woman chuckled, blushing slightly. "Maybe. I don't really remember the artists from back then being as handsome."

Now, it was Gyeong-seok blushing. "Well, what do you do for a living?"

"Just odd jobs. I was farming recently. I had a long-term job that I was dismissed from for an illness."

Gyeong-seok frowned. "That's not very fair. I have a sick daughter, imagine if she was expelled from school for being sick."

"I'm sorry to hear that. About your daughter, I mean."

The man shook his head. "It's okay. I've gotten plenty of pity. I just have to do right by her now. Do you have kids of your own?"

The woman sighed before giving a shy smile. "I wish. I just haven't been lucky. I would love a child."

"There's nothing better. That little girl is my whole world. I wish you luck with that. You seem like you'd be a great mother, ma'am."

The woman blushed once again, though tears began to form in her eyes. As always though, she held them back, not wanting to show weakness, or just how much she desired the thing she could not have.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Did I say something wrong?", Gyeong-seok asked, noticing the tears the woman was suppressing.

"Oh no, not at all, sir. Just hayfever."

Again, he didn't believe her, but nodded his head and continued the portrait. He had drawn the likeness of many people, including many beautiful women. However, something about this woman left him in awe, much more than previous muses. Her non-conventional appearance, as well as her tender demeanor, complimented each other in a way that made drawing her a challenge as well as a pleasure. Whenever she softened her face, or gave a big smile, his canvas reflected that, and his heart drummed a gentle but strong rhythm whenever it happened. He wanted to keep drawing her forever, until all her walls were broken and he saw what she was like underneath. What drew him in even more was that she looked as if she was carrying a despair, just like he was. He felt like she would understand him, not just take pity. She wouldn't look at him as if he was an alien egg that needed to be handled gently just because of his situation. She would treat him normally, continue giving him that gentle smile that didn't express pity, but understanding. Before he knew it, he was smiling too.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I have to ask, is your face okay? It looks like it hurts."

Gyeong-seok looked up, noticing the conern on her face. "It's nothing. I just slipped. I'm pretty clumsy too."

The woman smiled again, letting out a gentle chuckle. "I hope you're not clumsy with your hands. I intend to hang that picture in every house I live in."

Once again, Gyeong-seok's cheeks were crimson. He teased back, "How come you want to have a portrait of yourself?"

"I want to see how someone else sees me. How an artist sees me, not just the normal shallow person. Out of everyone here, your work had the most heart. I'm just lucky you were available."

He smiled again, returning to the comfortable silence between the two and his drawing. After another thirty minutes of that comfortable silence, of him glancing up to her and basking in the warmth of her eyes, the portrait was complete. He smiled, fully looking at the woman.

"It's finished, ma'am. I always put my initials on the portrait, but I also put the subjects name. May I have your name?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, before simply answering, "Just Miss Cho, sir. Just Miss Cho."

Gyeong-seok sat puzzled for a moment, before shrugging and simply writing 'Cho' in the left corner of the canvas. He then turned the canvas around, smiling as Miss Cho's eyes welled with tears.

"It's beautiful, sir, just beautiful. But I'm afraid it's inaccurate. It looks like a completely different woman, someone much more beautiful."

"I'm sorry, Miss Cho, but I simply draw what I see. If you see beauty, then that's what I saw."

The woman sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win against the man's insistance. "Thanks so much, sir. Waht's your name so?"

Gyeong-seok smiled brightly. "Just call me Mr Park. I'll get this in cellophane for you, Miss Cho. You have a good bit to go."

"Oh, there's no need, Mr Park."

"Oh, I insist. I don't like my work getting damaged."

The woman gave in, smiling as she got the bills from her handbag and handed them to Gyeong-seok once he was done wrapping her portrait. "Thanks very much again, Mr Park."

"Of course, Miss Cho. Thank you for your time."

She bowed before walking away, gently holding the portrait under her arm. Gyeong-seok then counted the money, his eyes widening when he realised his hands were holding 100,000 won. He ran from his booth, trying to call after the woman but she simply kept walking. He stumbled back, sitting down in defeat. He looked back at the bills in awe.

"You seem to have liked him."

Gyeong-seok's eyes shot beside him, looking at the smirking face of Jae-jun. "What do you mean, him?"

"C'mon, Geong-seok, you really couldn't tell? That was a man."

"Just because she was tall. C'mon, Jae-jun, I know you haven't been with a woman, but don't be ridiculous. My wife was tall, remember?"

Jae-jun sighed, scratching his head. "Whatever you say, man. But everyone could tell. He's one of those men who try to be a woman. Maybe that's why he got fired."

"You don't know her. Maybe you're a woman, you do act like a little bitch."

"You don't know 'her' either, Gyeong-seok. Chill out."

Gyeong-seok groaned, wanting to be finished with the conversation. With the end of the day nearing, he figured no one would be coming to his booth. With Jae-jun occupied with drawing a mother and daughter, he opened up his sketchbook, and found himself, among the various pictures of Na-yeon and his family, drawing the face of Miss Cho.

 

⭕

 

Hyun-ju looked between the wrapped portrait and the brown card in her hands, debating her choices. What she saw in the portrait, and throughout the hour that it was being drawn, was someone who understood her, who saw her for someone other than the social pariah. He was so nearby, just a bus trip away. All she would have to do is look up Park G-s on social media and make a friend, a reason for staying in Korea, support she longed for. And she had partially. She'd found Park Gyeong-seok. He was a widowed father of a very sick girl, Na-yeon. She was adorable. His wife was beautiful. She had been able to carry that beautiful baby, even if it killed her. Hyun-ju would never be able to do that, and she hated it. All she wanted was acceptance, and a child to call her own, but because of some sick twist of fate, she was here, debating to enter a game offered by a man who knew too much about her.

Eventually, she took out her phone. She couldn't interfere with the nice man's life. She was a burden he didn't need.

"Hello?"

"Please state your name and date of birth if you wish to compete in the games."

"Cho Hyun-ju. Februrary 18th 1986."

"Identity confirmed. Meeting place and date is exactly 5 kilometres east of your apartment at midnight on October 31st."

The call ended, and Hyun-ju was left in her apartment. She had finally paid her rent, and would be able to for the next few months through the odd job she found on a neighbouring farm. But she knew she couldn't live like this anymore. She looked at the map of Thailand on her wall, the feeling of hope that she would be there soon filling her bones.

 

⭕

 

October 31st

Gyeong-seok checked his watch, noting the long hand was slowly moving towards the 10 and away from the short hand at 12. At that moment, he debated running back home, lying back in bed and holding Na-yeon close, brusshing the few remaining hais on her head and kissing her forehead. However, his feet stayed on the ground, knowing that it would be for the better. He would be back home soon, comforting his daughter and occasionally looking at the drawing of the mysterious Miss Cho. He had tried to find her, but Cho was a very common surname. Even if it was ridiculous, he felt like he loved her in a way. Not just for her looks, but her spirit. She had radiated pure goodness, which Gyeong-seok found really rare. He wished he had found her, that she had walked through the park again, that she had given him her name. All he had of her was a surname and a sketch.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a black van which stopped in front of him. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw a person with a black mask bearing a circle and in a pink jumpsuit.

"What is the password?", the distorted voice asked.

"Uh, Red Light, Green Light."

WIth that, the door of the van slid open, and Gyeong-seok stepped in, taking a seat among only two other people who were both asleep. He looked at the woman in sat next to him, his heart dropping when he saw who it was.

"Miss Cho?"

As he placed his hand gently on her shoulder, smoke began to fill the van, making him panic and shake her shoulder more.

"Miss Cho! Miss Cho! Miss...."

 

Chapter 2: 002

Notes:

Song of the chapter: Perfect Strangers by Jonas Blue and JP Cooper
https://youtu.be/qyvck005pyQ?si=ETKivFJnu2C26DTb

Hyun-ju's eyes fluttered open, wincing at the bright lights and sound of classical music. She sat up, noticing that she was now wearing a dark green tracksuit with a square on her right breast bearing the number 120. She threw the thin bedsheet from her body, seeing white slip on shoes on her feet instead of the purple converse she had arrived in. She looked around the room in confusion, doing a double take when she thought her eyes were deceiving her about the figure beside her who was beginning to stir. She stared in disbelief for a moment as the man woke up, and he blinked upon seeing her.

"Miss Cho!" He sat up immediately, turning torwards her. "Are you okay?"

"Gyeong-seok. What are you doing here?"

"How do you know my name?"

"What are you doing here? In fact, where are we?"

Gyeong-seok threw off his blanket, beginning to walk down the metal steps that divided the framed beds. Hyun-ju followed as they both looked around in shock and confusion, seeing hundreds of people around them in the same tracksuits. Despite the room they were in being bug, the sheer amount of people and beds and bleak white walls brough a feeling of claustrophobia. There was a small podium at the front of the room in front of double doors, with a screen on top indicating that there were 456 people in this room.

She looked back Gyeong-seok, pointing at his chest and then hers. "You have number 246, I'm 120. We all have a number."

Gyeong-seok scoffed. "That's a bit extreme. Were you told we were just gonna play kids games for some cash?"

"Yes." She then tilted her head, balancing her weight on one knee. "We met him around the same time, didn't we? Our faces were both beaten."

The man frowned. "The well-dressed man with the briefcase?" Hyun-ju nodded. "That bastard. Where did he find you?"

"I was walking in a park. You?"

"Behind the hospital while I was smoking."

Hyun-ju scoffed. "That's just wrong. Approaching you with your daughter in the next building."

Before either them could speak, the doors slammed open, and a number of the pink guards walked in, this time with triangle masks and guns. The room went silent, the guards presence incredibly menacing.

"I would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to you all. Over the course of the next six days, you will each compete in a number of games. Those who successfully complete all six games shall receive a handsome cash prize."

Against her better judgement, Hyun-ju spoke up, despite the stares she attracted. "You told me we would just be playing kids games, but you knocked me out and practically kidnapped me. How can I believe what you say?"

"We had to take those measures to ensure the anonyminity of the staff and confidentiality. We apologise for the confusion."

Hyun-ju scoffed, looking back at an equally curious Gyeong-seok. They continued to stare around the room in disbelief and the guards in puzzlement as a girl complained about the tracksuit, a man with purple hair whined about his shoes and another man demanded to use his phone to check the crypto market. Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok looked at each other, smirking slightly at the man's passion.

The mood in the room switched once again when the young man, revealed to be named Lee Myung-gi and the runner of a crypto YouTube channel wanted for fraud, had the video of him playing ddakji played. Two more players had their videos played and their debts announced, until Hyun-ju saw her face come up.

"Player 120, Cho Hyun-ju, 330 million won in debt."

Her heart dropped, the taste of metal forming in her mouth. She looked beside her, hanging her head in shame when she saw the shocked expression on Gyeong-seok's face.

"Hyun-ju. Hyun-ju. Cho Hyun-ju."

Hyun-ju raised her head, looking at him as people's laundry continued to be aired. "What are you saying?"

"Your name. I finally know it. Cho Hyun-ju. It fits."

Her cheeks were pink again, a feeling she hadn't had since months ago at Seoul Park. Gyeong-seok was also feeling that drum in his chest start again. Their moment was interrupted by the room going silent at the sound of an older man speaking.

"So, you're saying that, if we vote after the next game, we could all leave with the prize money?"

Hyun-ju looked at the stringy man and back at the guards.

"That is correct. If a democratic vote terminates the games after the first game, everyone will leave with a share of the money accumulated that round. The opportunity to vote will be available to all of you following each game."

Hyun-ju glanced back at Gyeong-seok, who began to relax slightly.

"Just how much money would we win if we finished all six games?", someone asked.

Another pause, before the guard spoke. "With 456 players in the room, and each player accounting for 100 million won, the final cash prize would be 45.6 billion split among the remaining players."

The room exclaimed, as did Hyun-ju. She didn't expect more than 5 million won to be won here, let alone 100 million a head. Immediately, she began to strategise. Once the share had reached over 400 million a person, she would leave. That would pay off her debts and give her the comfort she needed to move to Thailand and finally finish her transition, and buy a house. Six days and her life would begin.

"If anyone would no longer like to partake in the games, please say so now."

Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok looked at each other, the strangers nodding to confirm that they were doing it. With that, they walked up together, Hyun-ju walking behind him in the single file line. When she reached the table with the contracts, she read the clauses throughly, storing them in her brain for later. After some initial hesitation, she signed her name, her actual name, not the name that haunted every official document she owned. She came in with her naame and that's what she would use.

She joined Gyeong-seok after signing it, an awwkward tension now between the two. Gyeong-seok was the one to break it.

"How did you know my name?"

Hyun-ju sighed, wringing her hands. "I found you online, from the initials you gave me. It wasn't too hard."

Gyeong-seok looked at her in disbelief. "Why didn't you reach out? I wanted to thank you for the money you gave me."

Hyun-ju smiled. "It was a good portrait. 25,000 was too little."

"Hyun-ju, they just said you're 330 million in debt. Why would you give me that?"

The woman shrugged. "It was just a good portrait. And I had it on me."

Gyeong-seok sighed, knowing that it would be impossible to get through to her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, the action causing both people to inhale sharply. "Listen, Hyun-ju. When we get out, don't be a stranger. As for the games, would you like to stick together?"

Hyun-ju looked down shyly, unsure of what to say. She then looked up, nodding her head. "There's strength in numbers, I guess. But why me?"

Gyeong-seok shrugged, swallowing back his real answer. "You're a familiar, friendly face. Not a bad one to see in a room of 456 people."

Hyun-ju smiled, nodding. "Okay."

"The first game will begin momentarily. Please proceed to the game hall."

Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok walked out together, looking at each other in a slightly disturbed awe as they saw the full scale of the colourful stares they'd have to climb. Knowing they'd be stuck walking among a large crew of bodies for a while, Gyeong-seok struck up conversation.

"So, you never told me what your job was before. The one you were unfairly dismissed from."

Hyun-ju's tone turned colder. "That's off the table. Ask anything else."

"You know I'm here for my daughter. How exactly did a nice woman like you get herself in 330 million debt?"

"Also off the table. Next."

Gyeong-seok chuckled awkwardly, rubbing sweat from the back of his neck. "Okay, fine. Why really didn't you reach out to me? I felt I owed you a soju, or a coffee."

Hyun-ju stopped, leaving up against the pink stairwell to leave other players walk through. "You didn't owe me anything. You had enough going on, I had enough going on. You didn't need an extra burden to carry."

Gyeong-seok scoffed. "Why would you be a burden? Because you're in debt? I'm here too! So are 454 other people!"

Hyun-ju just smiled timidly and turned to begin walking again. "That's also off the table."

Gyeong-seok sighed, following after her in silence until they entered a room where they were asked to take their photo in front of a screen.Hyun-ju went first, leaving Gyeong-seok standing beside an older woman and her son. He looked back, being captivated by the sight of Hyun-ju adjusting her hair and inspecting her makeup in the camera.

"Is that a man or a woman?"

Gyeong-seok turned back, hearing the older woman loudly whispering.

"People can do that now! Men realise they're more comfortable as women after a while and they change themselves to match that, and the other way around as well.", her son interjected as his mother stared at Hun-ju in horror.

"Why would they want to do that?! Men are men and women are women!" The son tried to shush his mother as he dragged her away as she kept her gaze on Hyun-ju. "That's unsightly!"

Gyeong-seok glared at the older woman before looking back at Hyun-ju in intrigue. Other people were staring at her, even those who should've been out of the room by now. She suddenly looked back at him, hanging her head before walking away slightly after her photo was taken. She lingered there though, seemingly waiting for him. Gyeong-seok moved along, standing in front of the camera and merely giving himself a quick ruffle of his hair and pasting a small smile to his face as the cameras shuttered. He then moved along, following after Hyun-ju.

"Thanks for waiting.", he said to the back of Hyun-ju's head with a nervous chuckle. "That wasn't necessary."

"We're sticking together, right? You'd wait for me." Hyun-ju's tone remained cold, but there was a tinge of warmth in there that was good enough for Gyeong-seok.

"Of course." And he had been waiting for her, all summer and most of fall.

After what felt like an eternity of walking up identical flights of pink stairs, they were finally led to to a set of green double doors, walking through to enter a large room that almost deceived Hyun-ju into thinking she was outside on a playground before noticing that the walls were merely painted. After everyone had poured in from the row of double doors, the slammed loudly, making everyone jump. Hyun-ju turned her sight towards a doll situated at the top of the room, tapping Gyeong-seok's shoulder to redirect his attention.

"Is that Young-hee? From our schoolbooks?", she asked in puzzlement.

Gyeong-seok squinted, standing up slightly to see over the head of another contestant. "It is. What are we gonna do, learn off our times tables?"

Hyun-ju chuckled, though didn't have time to respond before an automated voice began speaking.

"Welcome to the first game. Today, you will be playing Red Light, Green Li-"

"Everyone!"

Hyun-ju's and Gyeong-seok's heads jerked, seeing the older stringy man from before running in front of the crowd.

"Listen carefully! This is just not a game! If you lose, you die!"

Despite the snide chuckles surrounding the room, even Gyeong-seok giving the man an incredulous look, Hyun-ju looked and listened. Even with everyone in the room saying he was crazy, even his best friend, Hyun-ju felt that she recognised some sincerity.

"If they catch you moving, they will kill you! They'll shoot you from above! That's not just a regular doll, it has motion sensors in its eyes. If you move, it'll be detected, and they'll shoot you!"

"Is this guy alright?", Gyeong-seok whispered, Hyun-ju not answering and continuing to listen.

After some more snide remarks from the crowd, and the man's relentless warnings, the large doll turned around, raising its hand in front of its eyes. "Whatever happens, don't panic! Don't start running!"

"Let the game begin!"

A timer dinged, showing that a 5 minute time limit had began. The doll started singing the song that Hyun-ju remembered from her many childhood rounds of this game; "Mugunghwa-kkochi pieot-seumnida!"

"Stop!"

No one had moved, but the man screamed nonetheless. He had his mouth cupped by his hands as he yelled, his back to the doll and frozen in place; the doll couldn't detect his mouth moving. Everyone remained frozen, until the doll turned back around and repeated her rhyme, no one moving again this time.

"Listen everyone! If you don't start moving, you'll die too! Go until she turns around!"

The doll turned back against the tree, singing the rhyme again with more people moving this time. The man yelled "Freeze!" on cue, not having moved himself. The pattern repeated, until the players were about half of the way up the room with a decent amount of time to spare.

That's when it happened.

A young woman screamed, Hyun-ju glancing over to see her jumping and screaming before stopping to look at the purple haired man from before. "Shit. I moved, didn't I?" Then a gunshot rang out, his face sprayed with blood.

Shaky silence filled the room. The man looked horrified. A woman who had previously mocked him was standing next to the body, and she screamed and moved, a bullet promptly lodging in her head.

After that, panic. Everyone started running, bodies toppling over and people being crushed. Hyun-ju felt Gyeong-seok trembling behind her, and knew what would happened if she turned her head, so she remembered how the man could move his hand behind his back without detection. With her hand already behind her back, she reached back ever so slightly to brush his hand, trying to reassure him.

"I will now repeat the instructions." The voice returned, the carnage over for now. While the doll repeated what was now embedded into her head, Hyun-ju could still feel Gyeong-seok trembling, her own breath shaky now. Finally, the doll turned around again, and Hyun-ju grabbed his hand, keeping him behind her and using her free hand to put an elbow around her face, just as the older man was doing.

"Listen, Gyeong-seok." More gunshots rang out. "Stay behind me, stay with me. Don't panic. Stay on my feet, I'll be running fast. Squeeze my hand if you've got that."

She had no choice but to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, as unexplainable as they were, that rose when the man firmly yet simultaneously gently squeezed her hand. Once the rhyme started again, she pulled both her body and his forward, sprinting before coming to a satisfying stop. Soon enough, everyone was in lines, the leader hiding any movement from those behind them. Hyun-ju inevitably became the leader of her line, resulting in her letting go of Gyeong-seok's hand out of fear of her stares redirecting to him. Nevertheless, he stayed behind her, and it wasn't long before they were among the first to cross the finish line with two and a half minutes to spare. They panted in relief, looking at the remaining players left to cross. The older man continued to yell for them to cross, with only a few more gunshots rang out.

Suddenly, it was the final twenty seconds of the 'game'. Almost everyone who was alive was over the line except for one man, who was shot in the leg and staring directly at the older man who had ran out from home and was kneeling front of him. "Help me."

It came out weakly. The state he was in was one Hyun-ju had seen many times; a comrade looking directly towards her for help. Despite Gyeong-seok pulling at her tracksuit, she was standing up, and as the rhyme started again, she got there just in time to pick up the weight of the two men before they fell.

She looked directly into the shocked eyes into the man who had been getting them all across, their breaths shallow as the clock ticked and they supported the weight of the injured man. When the rhyme started again, she pushed and pulled the weight of the man with their saviour, and fell across the finish line just as the timer beeped.

After a moment of recovery, they both looked towards the man they just saved, both opening their mouth to ask how he was before a gunshot rang out, and both their faces were drenched in blood. Hyun-ju looked down, her chest heaving in horror as she saw the blood pooling from the man's head.

Suddenly, she was pulled into a set of strong arms. "Hyun-ju-na!"

She looked up, still in shock to see a horrified Gyeong-seok who hugged her and placed his chin on her head. Her eyes widened, not reciprocating the hug, and taking the earliest possible to leave it. That opportunity came when a loud clanging noise came up, and she looked up along with everyone else to see the roof close around them, the slight breeze that had been present in the room leaving. She looked at the older man in shock, who simply looked up in an incredulous manner at the roof closing, his shock only returning when he set his sight on the dead man between him and Hyun-ju.

 

⭕

 

A heavy silence filled the room once they had returned, Hyun-ju staring at her hands that still caried the blood of the man she had tried to help, and that Gyeong-seok had held, the black nail polish on one nail slightly chipped. She could feel his eyes on her, that left her for a few moments then returned for more in a constant pattern. Finally, she turned her gaze to him, his already on her.

"Thanks for helping me.", Gyeong-seok spoke. "I don't think I would've passed without you."

Hyun-ju nodded. "It's nothing. You would've found a way."

"I don't think I would've, actually. I was only a few feet away from someone who was thrown into the ground during the chaos. If you weren't basically protecting me, I would be gone."

She just gave him a shy smile. "We said we'd stick together in the game, and we did. I intend to keep sticking with you."

Gyeong-seok's face faltered, his eyes darting around before returning to Hyun-ju's face in puzzlement. "You want to keep going?"

"Well, of course. We make a pretty good team-"

"Not that, Hyun-ju. Do you not remember the vote?"

She squinted slightly, before she remembered. "Oh yeah. If they let us do it, what'll you do?"

Gyeong-seok scoffed incredulously. "Leave, obviously. I don't see why anyone would vote to stay."

His question was answered a few short moments later, when it was annonunced that 91 players had died, and 9.1 billion won would be divided among the remaining 365 players. That meant only slightly over 24 million won per person. Hyun-ju's gaze remained on the golden piggy bank in the air, while Gyeong-seok stared intently at the voting podium that had been brought out.

"In line with our democratic system, each and every player will have the opportunity to vote on whether to continue the games or to terminate them. Please press the blue button with the circle if you would like to continue, or the red button with the X if you wish to terminate the games and go home with the current share. After casting your vote, please move to the side of the room corresponding with your vote. The vote will proceed in reverse order of your assigned number. Player 456, please cast your vote."

Eeryone looked around the room, Hyun-ju surprised when she saw the man from earlier, the one who'd helped everyone, walk up the long hall. Without hesitation, he pressed the red button, taking what appeared to be a patch and pasting it on his chest. That was when she looked down and noticed the velcro square on the other breast, across from her number. The vote continued, with the circle voters gaining an advantage, much to the chagrin of Gyeong-seok.

Eventually, it was his turn to go up and vote. Hyun-ju gave him a soft reassuring smile before he walked up, pressing on the red button without hesitation. He walked over to the slightly smaller side of the room, giving a relieved nod to Hyun-ju as he sported his new red patch with a distinct white X.

The voting continued, only being interrupted by 456 having another outburst, this time attempting to convince people to vote to terminate the games. This led to more chaos, accusations of him trying to scare them to get more money for himself. Eventuallly, he exploded.

"I've played these games before! I said I've played these games before! And everyone who I played with, every single one, they all died!"

A silence filled the room, during which Gyeong-seok's widened eyes met Hyun-ju's. After a moment though, Hyun-ju drifted into thought, blocking out the fallout of 456's confession. It made total sense that he had been in here already, not in a malicious manner like he was accused of, but because of his leadership. She believed him, and she didn't tend to trust strangers. That meant that she also believed him about everyone else dying. It wasn't out of the question; she had just seen 91 people get sniped. She knew there was a strong chance she wouldn't make it out alive if they stayed.

However, she looked back up at the piggy bank. 24 million won would only cover the costs of one surgery and return flight to Thailand, barely accounting for time spent recovering. After that, she'd come back 'home', still a social pariah even if she was medically affirmed. Her drivers license would still show her with a buzzed head and dead eyes, and a gut punch of an M and her old name. In the eyes of the government and society, she would never be Hyun-ju. She would be a laughing stock. Her debts would still be unpaid. She'd still be slaving away on farms or the odd factory job. Her life on the outside would still be the same, and coming here would be pointless.

Her gaze returned to Gyeong-seok, who stiffened in disappointment when someone voted to stay, and relaxed again when someone voted to leave. He wanted this so badly. He had something incredibly precious to return to, and 24 million could very well cover the costs. He wasn't cut out for these games, whereas Hyun-ju felt she could fight. Still, she found herself wanting to get out and get that soju with him, even if she hated soju. She found herself wishing she had followed him, made a friend of him, not just someone to protect.

She then looked at the blue aisle. Many of them were greedy, rowdy. One man had even accummulated a debt of 10 billion won. To clear his debt, he would have to be one of the final four at least. Hyun-ju imagined it in her head, being on the edge of victory and having to hear him still shouting. He had already grated on her nerves, his desire to continue the games seemingly more motivated by greed than genuine helplessness; who even gets a 10 billion debt without living their life by constantly saying "One more game"?

Once again, however, against her better judgement, her eyes returned to the piggybank, its gold hue reflecting on her face as the red from the X side reflected on Gyeong-seoks.

Before long, the sound she dreaded came. "Player 120, please cast your vote."

She walked up the aisle, looking aside to see Gyeong-seok's hopeful face. She looked away immediately, keeping her gaze on the podium. When she finally reached it, her hand faltered in the middle. The votes were now neck to neck, her vote about to give an edge and send one side into celebration and another into dismay. One sides dismay would be annoying, with Mr 10 Billion sure to yell out it being an outrage, with the other side's dismay being heartbreaking, a handsome artistic stranger stiffening his frame and bowing his head in disappointment. For a split second, a crucial split second, she thought of life on the outside. Sneering faces, a look of objection from a cashier reluctantly handing over the make-up she just bought, a farmer kicking her into the field she was working in. The feeling of having to hold it in until she got home to a toilet she wouldn't be glared out of, or worse.

Gyeong-seok's hopeful gaze dropped harder than a rock, seeing the blue hue hit her face. The circle side jeered in celebration, Hyun-ju's gaze blank as she took the blue patch and pasted it to her chest. She moved over to her corresponding side, leaning against a bedframe in shame as Gyeong-seok's eyes welled with tears.

 

Chapter 3: 003

Notes:

Song of the chapter: Seventeen by Sharon Van Etten
https://youtu.be/PP898OAn1qg?si=OYsk10BifPP40E4Z

Hyun-ju remained fiddling with her food, nested in a silver lunchbox that she hadn't even attempted to empty. She was sitting upright at the edge of her bed, neatly made as soon as the voting ended. She had to get away from Gyeong-seok, who had looked for her to no avail. She had looked down at the room, seeing him search around the room wildly for her as players began to become aquainted, especially those on the same side. His eyes scanning the room kept missing the sight of her fulfilling the familiar military duty of making her bed, one she kept with her even three years after discharge. She couldn't face his heartbreak, knowing she had caused it, even if 182 others had contributed. After getting called for food, she quickly camouflaged in with the crowd, which wasn't difficult with everyone in the same attire. Even if he couldn't see her, she never lost sight of him, or how he wasn't giving up on looking for her.

His insistance puzzled Hyun-ju. There was no anger in his eyes, merely pain and worry, with a glint of panic. Still, she told herself that he was disgusted with her. He now had two reasons to be, so that must be it. Her shame drowned her logic, and she let the man stumble around confused, shrugging off anyone else who tried to speak to him. 

She looked up from her food just at the moment that it clicked in Gyeong-seok's head to check the beds they had woken up in, the one Hyun-ju had designated as being for herself, even if no numbers were on beds. He was near the podium, giving Hyun-ju enough time to hurriedly put her jacket back on, hiding the arms she always felt were too big. As she pulled her hair from the back of the jacket, she cursed herself for how she was acting. Between being cruel to this man with her passiveness and suddenly acting like a schoolgirl when he was about to approach, she didn't know what was wrong with her.

He had spotted her before she had the opportunity to act nonchalant again, the two now stuck in eye contact as Gyeong-seok made his way towards her. Hyun-ju sighed, knowing she wasn't getting out of this, and put her food to the side as Gyeong-seok came up the steps and leant against the railing.

"Hyun-ju, have you been avoiding me?"

Hyun-ju exhaled, fidgeting with her hands. "I'm sorry. I should've voted to leave."

"I don't think I'm mad. I'm just curious. Besides your debt, what's keeping you here? Surely living is a better alternative."

Hyun-ju looked up, directly into Gyeong-seok's dilated eyes. "I don't really live on the outside. I just exist."

Gyeong-seok furrowed his eyebrows, sitting on the edge of his own bed. "What do you mean, Hyun-ju? Do you still have the illness you got unfairly dismissed from work for?"

"I'm afraid it's a lifelong affliction, Gyeong-seok." She sighed, brushing hair back behind her ear. "Can you take a wild guess what my affliction is, Gyeong-seok? You've seen how people look at me, even heard how your friend talked that day."

Gyeong-seok's cheeks flushed, remembering the words of Jae-jun. "I'm really sorry about him, Hyun-ju. He doesn't know what he's-"

"Gyeong-seok. The thing the mother and son were talking about."

The man squinted in thought for a moment, before he realised. His eyes widened, leaning back on his bed as he looked around and nodded his head, Hyun-ju in a state of fear.

"Okay. Is that all?"

Hyun-ju's eyes widened, leaning forward and tilting her head. "What?"

"So, you're transgender, is that what they call it? Sorry if I got that wrong. But are you seriously saying that's what your 'affliction' is?" Gyeong-seok chuckled, leaning forward this time. "My daughters cancer is an affliction, Cho Hyun-ju. You're just being yourself. Are you saying you were fired for being yourself?" Hyun-ju nodded, a tear falling from her eye. "Well, their loss."

"No, Park Gyeong-seok. My loss. I'm 330 million won in debt. I'm doing lousy jobs for lousy pay. I don't have any family or friends. I can't even afford to continue my medication."

Gyeong-seok sighed, hesitating slightly before putting a hand on her knee, making her tense before relaxing. "Hyun-ju. You do have a friend. I'm right here."

Hyun-ju sniffled before chuckling. "We're just teammates, Gyeong-seok. Friends would be friends on the outside. If you were my friend on the outside, it would be social suicide."

Gyeong-seok frowned. "Hyun-ju. I've spent the last few months hoping that you'd come back to Seoul Land. That I'd bump into you. I want to be your friend."

"Why?"

Gyeong-seok smiled, removing his hand from her knee. "Why not? You're a nice person."

"You only drew me once."

"Yes. I only drew you once. And yet, you looked me up, and knew my name and what my kid looked like before I even knew your name."

Hyun-ju laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that. In future, I'll ask you if you'd like a soju or coffee."

Gyeong-seok smiled, picking up his lunchbox and water. "In the meantime though, a nostalgic lunch?"

"That'll do."

Hyun-ju smiled, the two taking a bite from their lunchboxes at the same time. Gyeong-seok's face scrunched, Hyun-ju's face mirroring the expression.

Gyeong-seok swallowed the egg, immediately taking a slug of water. "Shibal, that's dry. All these pink guys and not one of them can fry an egg properly."

"Try the rice. It's like sand."

Gyeong-seok grimaced. "I'd rather not."

"Well, at least the water is fine. I'd be worried if they messed up water."

Gyeong-seok chuckled, continuing to shovel the dry yet familiar food into his mouth, finding the barely cooked food sickening yet necessary to fill the ache that he felt for food. It wasn't long before he heard a sweet chuckle, looking up to see Hyun-ju shaking her head with a smile as she steadily ate her food.

"What's so funny, Hyun-ju?"

She moved her gaze to him, retaining her smile. "You'd almost think it was bibimbap you were eating. I'm struggling with this."

"Well, I am quite hungry. Even if I'm used to not eating for most of a day with Na-yeon in the hospital, I always let loose when I finally get a meal. Sorry."

Hyun-ju shoot her head. "No need to apologise. I'm sorry to be nosey, actually, but how is Na-yeon?"

Gyeong-seok sighed, chewing on his food. "It's not good. She needs a drug that isn't covered by insurance. I tried picking up other jobs, freelancing, even doing a construction gig or two. But it's really expensive. The people at the theme park offered to raise money, but I've never liked accepting charity. Really, that was stupid of me, with my daughter's life on the line."

"No, I get it. Before, I fractured my ankle at work. They insisted on covering the costs, it was a given in the job, but I nearly wanted to pay for it myself. I hated all the fuss, it was only a minor injury in the grand scheme of things. But I was treated like precious porcelain for three weeks. I hated it then, just wanted to take care of myself."

Gyeong-seok smiled, finally having finished his lunchbox and putting it to the side. "You must've had a good job before. What were you, a lawyer? Stockbroker? Oh, maybe a cop if you got injured at work!"

"Sorry, Gyeong-seok. That's still off the table."

He scrunched his nose slightly, before respectfully nodding and taking a sip of water. After a few moments of silence, Hyun-ju spoke up.

"Gyeong-seok. I am sorry for keeping you here. If you'd like me to, I'll make it up to you by sticking with you during these games."

Gyeong-seok smiled. "Of course. And don't worry, Hyun-ju. You had your reasons for staying. And honestly, staying here doesn't feel so bad if you can keep doing what you did in the last game."

"Don't worry. We're getting each other out of here. We're getting ourselves some soju."

They exchanged one final warm smile before a cheery voice came over the intercom. "Lights out in 20 minutes. Please prepare to retreat back to your beds."

People began to shuffle, larger groups congesting together and retrieving mattresses, a clear divide in the room occurring after the vote. Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok were situated in the corner of the room, halfway up the row. It wasn't long before they had very little people resting near them, having a small bit of privacy away from the larger alliance groups. 

Hyun-ju placed her tray on the step on the right side of her bed, looking under the pillow out of curiousity. "No pyjamas?"

Gyeong-seok chuckled. "I guess not. I'm actually grateful though. This blanket is too thin. The tracksuit is warm enough."

Hyun-ju shrugged. "I guess. I just hope we'll leave soon. I hate being in the same clothes for too long." That was when a light bulb went off in her head, and she stood up. "Can you give me a moment, Gyeong-seok? I'll be back."

Gyeong-seok nodded, though with a bit of concern. After watching her footsteps disappear, his eyes turned to her bed on his right, neatly made with merely some wrinkles from where she was just sitting. Being a single dad for six years meant that his house was rarely tidy, toys strewn about and crayon on most walls. Since her diagnosis, he found himself not bothering some days to make beds, to clean ware, only getting himself to do it when Na-yeon was stuck in the hospital or when his mother begrudgingly took the reins of his house. Hyun-ju was prompt and deliberate in every movement, even back in Red Light, Green Light. She devised a plan quickly, promptly and desperately yet gently guiding him to the end. Everything he'd seen her do so far, she'd done it with care and careful consideration. Even her asking him for her portrait felt carefully articulated, compared to most of his customers who asked him on a whim for a nice souvenir. That was how his anger at her for choosing to stay had faded earlier; there wasn't anything Hyun-ju didn't do without good reason, even if he didn't know what it was.

Meanwhile, Hyun-ju was being escorted by a triangle guard after asking to go to the bathroom. Her breath hitched as she approached the bathrooms, hearing the rowdy banter in the mens that she put up with for most of her life. She heard many crude things during her time in the army, sometimes forcing herself to laugh along with their misogynistic banter. One time, they decided it would be funny if they gifted her a poster of an attractive woman to put in her room, a group of them having recently seen The Shawshank Redemption and been inspired to treat their leader. It was a woman from America who was becoming famous named Emma Stone. She recognised that she was attractive, that men all over the world were right to be losing their minds over her. However, she found the poster in the room to not be a gift like in the movie, but a crude prank. It brought back everything she felt from childhood, that she should have long hair, be wearing makeup, wearing skirts and dresses and brushing her friends hair. She never liked the feeling of sports drink rising in the air in changing rooms, of jeers whenever she talked to a woman, of having a razor at her head and having to pretend she liked the uncomfortable fade on her head. 

She was relieved when the guard opened the womens bathroom, though shocked. She didn't know what it would be like beyond those doors, as she had been shooed and glared and thrown out of every womens bathroom she ever tried to use, even when her features softened and she tried training her voice. Everyone seemed to know. She walked in now, the walls a blue tile and the stall doors pink. It was quiet. She walked up the bathroom, only seeing one set of feet under one of the never-ending stalls. Just as she had her hand on the handle of of a door, she heard sniffling.

Her entire body turned in the direction of the sound, stuck in place before hearing the sniffles turn into sobs. Against her better judgement, she walked up to the stall that she had seen the feet under, gently knocking.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you, are you okay? Do you need anyone?" A few moments of silence followed, before the person inside released more sobs. "I'm sorry, should I go?"

After getting no response, she wordlessly turned to head towards a stall, before she heard the door unlock. She turned back around, seeing a tiny girl with messy hair walk out, her cheeks drenched and her eyes welled with tears. Hyun-ju softened entirely, approaching her slowly, surprised when she didn't back away. In fact, the younger woman came closer, causing Hyun-ju to bend down slightly so they could face each other.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?"

Hyun-ju's feet nearly fell off the ground when the young woman crashed into her arms, sobbing into her chest. "I want to go home!"

Hyun-ju recovered from her inital shock, carefully wrapping her arms around the stranger. "Hey, hey, hey. It's okay. Let it out, dear. What's your name?"

The stranger sniffled, finding comfort in the feeling of Hyun-ju rubbing her back. "Young-mi. My name is Young-mi."

Hyun-ju seperated from the hold, putting her hands gently on Young-mi's arms. "My name is Hyun-ju. Cho Hyun-ju. Listen, Young-mi. I know it's scary in here, but I promise you, you are stronger than you think."

"Lights out in five minutes. Please retreat to your quarters."

Hyun-ju sighed, readjusting her posture and going into a stall to get toilet paper. She gently wiped Young-mi's eyes, no reluctance from the woman in doing so. "Young-mi, if you don't already have a group, you can stay near me and my friend for tonight. Or you can come over during the night. Would you like that?"

Young-mi nodded her head, exhaling a breath that stopped her tears. Hyun-ju smiled warmly, heading towards the bathroom door as she guided Young-mi out with a gentle arm around her shoulder. When Young-mi is a little bit in front, Hyun-ju hears a distorted voice behind her.

"Player 095, return to your quarters. Player 120, a moment please."

Young-mi widens her eyes in worry, before Hyun-ju gives her a reassuring nod. "Our friend is number 246. He's near the left corner of the room."

Once Young-mi had meekly returned to the dormitory, Hyun-ju turned towards the pink guard. 

"What is your connection with Player 246?"

Hyun-ju frowned, looking at the guard incredulously. "We met once on the outside. We're friends."

"Keep doing what you've been doing. Keep him alive. He needs to get out."

"I know. I will. Why are you asking me though?"

"He will continue to vote to leave the games. But they will run their course. There will always be a majority who will want to continue. And soon, there's going to be an explosion between the two sides. Just stay by his side."

"Of course." Hyun-ju nodded, fear settling in.

"One way or another, Player 120, he's getting out. If you don't protect him until then, I'll kill you."

She nodded again, unnerved. Before she could reply again, the soldier motioned her to move back to the dormitory, in a puzzled state when the door closes behind her. She looks up at the timer, seeing that there's only a minute and a half to lights out. She paces over to her bed quickly, stopping in her tracks when she noticed Young-mi sittimg in a bed on the far end of her side of the room. She then sped over to her, Young-mi's eyes meeting hers.

"Hey, Young-mi. Are you not coming over?"

She flinched slightly, looking briefly in Gyeong-seok's direction and back at Hyun-ju. "I don't want to be in the way of you and your boyfriend."

The statement plummetted against Hyun-ju, whose only reaction was to stifle a laugh. "Young-mi, he's not my boyfriend. Don't be afraid to come over during the night, okay?"

Young-mi's mouth showed signs of a cheeky grin, before merely nodding. Hyun-ju gave her a reassuring smile, before heading over to her bed, climbing in after gently pulling back the sides of the blanket she had tucked under the thin mattress. She turned onto her left side, smiling when she saw Gyeong-seok already looking in her direction. 

"Goodnight, Mr Park."

He gave a soft smile back, the two keeping their gaze on each other as the lights around them dimmed.

 

⭕

 

"Welcome to the second game. For this game, you will each be playing in teams of five. You now have ten minutes to form your teams."

The timer on the wall began, the playground-like arena filling up with an ambiance of frantic searching. Hyun-ju, Gyeong-seok and Young-mi glanced at each other, Hyun-ju speaking up first.

"Okay. We just need two more players. It shouldn't be that hard, right?"

It was that hard. Most people they asked took one glance at Hyun-ju, even at Young-mi, and turned away. Gyeong-seok was pulled by male players, told that they'd take him in if he left the girls behind. He pushed them off every time, returning to the girls without hesitation. Eventually, with , Hyun-ju turned to her friends.

"Guys, you should try and find a team without me. I'll meet back up with you two after the game."

Gyeong-seok scoffed. "No way, Hyun-ju."

"I'm just holding you two back. Gyeong-seok, you could go with those guys. You could survive well with them. Young-mi, 456's team there looks like it could use another member and they seem nice enough."

"No. I'm staying with you.", Young-mi insisted, remaining close to her.

"Same here. It's not happening, Hyun-ju. We're a team."

Hyun-ju sighed, debating walking away. But Young-mi looked at her as if she would break if she left her alone, even if all she did was comfort her in a bathroom. Gyeong-seok, as she knew by now, was about as stubborn as her and wouldn't leave her side. Of course, there was the bizarre conversation with the guard. Even if she knew she was what was dragging these two down, their insistance to stay with her being foreign. She nodded, showing that she was staying.

"Okay. It's looking like the teams are mostly formed. There's 365 of us, so we're going to get them sooner than later. Gyeong-seok, will you look? Young-mi, you come with me. We meet back here, okay?"

Gyeong-seok nodded, walking off and immediately spotting a young woman and man talking. The woman was like Hyun-ju in a way, encouraging the shy man, similar to Young-mi, to speak, break the bubble he had clearly formed around himself. Before he could reach him, the purple haired man from the day before was approaching them with two other lackeys, effectively ending that possibility. He then spotted the men from earlier, immediately steering clear. Another person he immediately steered clear of was the Shaman woman, who was kneeled on the floor in prayer. He didn't exactly feel the necessity to answer them. The only other player who was left alone was another small girl stumbling slightly. He began to approach her, though noticed that she was heading towards 456's team. He rubbed the back of his neck in defeat, retreating to the spot that he was to reunite with Hyun-ju and Young-mi at.

To his surprise, they were already standing there, along with the mother and son Gyeong-seok stood near the day before. His posture stiffened, a protective urge washing over him. The older woman seemed to be the most uncomfortable, along with some awkwardness from Hyun-ju. The son seemed to returning the same awkwardness, knowing that his mothers tongue could go off if he weren't holding her back. Hyun-ju's posture softened when Gyeong-seok approached, smiling softly before returning her gaze to the mother and son.

"This is all of us so. Five teammates.", she spoke timidly, the mother looking at Gyeong-seok in intrigue. 

"This is our other teammate? Oh, you're just so handsome, sir!"

"Mom! I'm so sorry, sir"

Gyeong-seok chuckled. "That's okay. Let's just focus on getting through this. What do you guys think it will be?"

The son shrugged, adjusting his glasses. "I really don't know. 456 was saying last night that it could be dalgona, but we don't need teams for that. I don't think it's that."

Hyun-ju looked around her, noticing that their group was standing between two large rainbow circles that covered the floor of the whole room. "These look like tracks. It could be a race of sorts but I don't think so. It would be too easy to just make us see which team could get around the track first."

The older woman grimaced at the thought. "I couldn't race with my hips anyway. I hope it's not that."

"Two tracks must mean that there are two teams playing at a time. We're hardly going to be playing to eliminate other people, are we?"

The question from Gyeong-seok stopped Hyun-ju's thinking in its tracks. Despite the ferocity of the O side, and the cruelty of the last game, she'd never considered killing each other being on the table. Sure, Mr Purple Head had pushed down a line of people in the previous game, but she hadn't cosnidered it being an inalienable aspect of the game.

"TIme for team selection is now up. Please assemble into lines and await further instructions."

The team looked at each other, Hyun-ju reassuring them with a smile before joining the shuffle of the room in aligning inside the two tracks. The bodies of people ended up forming two cross shapes, Hyun-ju's group nearing the top. Their placement made the others nervous, but Hyun-ju was confident. They wouldn't be scrambling for time in whatever the game was, and they could soothe the nerves of others.

"The game you will be playing is Six-Legged Pentathlon. You will start with your legs tied together. Each member will take turns playing a mini-game at every ten-meter mark, and if you win, the team can move on to the next one. Here are the mini-games; Number one, Ddakji. Number two, Flying Stone. Number three, Gonggi. Number four, Spinning Top. Number five, Jegi. Your goal is to win all the mini-games and cross the finish line in five minutes."

A tension immediately filled the air as the players were left to organise who would play what game. Hyun-ju turned to her team, motioning for Young-mi to turn around with her and talk to the others.

"What are you good at, guys?"

The son turned to his mother. "Ma, you said you often played gonggi with bullets. I think you should do that one."

The woman nodded her head. "Okay, Yong-sik. And you would be good at the flying stone, if you don't want to take that one, Mr 246."

Gyeong-seok shook his head with a smile. "Oh no, that's no problem, ma'am. I think I might do the spinning top, if thats okay with you guys." Young-mi and Hyun-ju both nodded, the proposal surprising Hyun-ju. "I play it often with my daughter. The sound of it spinning relaxes her."

Hyun-ju nodded, still slightly stunned. She then turned to Young-mi. "Which one would you like to do, Young-mi? It's your call."

Young-mi's breath became heavy, prompting Hyun-ju to wrap an arm around her, rubbing her shoulder gently. "Hey, it's okay. Do you want me to pick?" Young-mi nodded slowly, looking up at Hyun-ju's soft smile. "Okay. I'll go with the Jegi. I was pretty good at it as a kid. Are you okay to start with Ddakji?"

"Yes. I think I would be nervous at the end and I might mess up if we're close."

"That's perfect, so." Hyun-ju turned to the rest of her team. "So, our running order is Young-mi, I think I caught your name as Yong-sik?-" The man nodded. "-then omma Yong-sik, onto Gyeong-seok and I'll finish. Sound good?"

Her team nodded, all shocked by her leadership. Gyeong-seok gave her a soft smile, growing more in awe of her before the game had even began. Before long, the first two teams were called, one from each track. The entire room watched on nervously as they were shackled together, putting their arms around each other in comradarie. The two teams wish each other luck from across the opposing tracks, an act giving the message that there was no competiton here.

When the game began, the room filled with tense encouragement. People cheered when both teams passed Ddakji,  the track across from Hyun-ju's rejoicing even further when they passed flying stone. However, on her track, the team remained stuck on Flying Stone, the man continuing to miss it time and time again as time went on. 

"It seems like it will be problematic to miss on Flying Stone. You have to go and pick it up.", Yong-sik's mother spoke.

Gyeong-seok motioned towards the other track. "Getting stuck on Gonggii will be a setback too. The whole game has to restart."

Hyun-ju took a breath. "We just need to keep our heads cool. We all know our games. What will make us panic is the pressure the time puts us under, and if we try to pressure each other. It's only encouragement that will get us across that line. We can't afford to berate each other."

Gyeong-seok nodded. "Okay. Encouragement.  We've got this, folks!"

Before she could stop herself, Hyun-ju chuckled sweetly, looking at Gyeong-seok with endearment, who returned a gentle smile.

Yong-sik's mother leaned over. "So, how long have you two been together?"

The two whipped their heads around, widening their eyes.

"Oh, she's not- We just met-"

"We're just friends."

"Yeah, good friends- new friends."

The woman scoffed. "Whatever you two say. My apologies."

"Ma!"

As Yong-sik chewed out his mother in whsipers, the two looked away from each other, Hyun-ju noticing Young-mi holding back a laugh next to her.

"What's so funny, Young-mi?"

"Just friends. Sure, Hyun-ju."

Hyun-ju sighed, focusing her attention back to the game. There was only a few seconds left on the clock, and the other team had only just reached the spinning top, and the one on their side were sobbing as they finally knocked down the stone. Inevitably, both teams ended up being gunned down in a flurry of bullets and blood. Everyone exclaimed, Young-mi jumping into Hyun-ju's side. As the numbers of those eliminated were called out, she took notice of the distress on Gyeong-seok's face, his chest beginning to heave. Carefully, she reached towards his arm, giving it a comforting rub while trying to avoid the gaze of Young-mi and Yong-sik's mother. She felt a small smirk against her arm, knowing she had been caught.  She had to ignore both the slight teasing from her new friend and the hornets nest in her stomach as a forklift came in with a number of coffins, black with a pink bow on top. The sight shook the team, who were sshortly thereafter called to get ready for the game, an eerie silence falling on the room as the forklift exited the room. 

Hyun-ju swallowed back her fear as she tied her hair back into a ponytail, hearing Young-mi's breaths becoming more irregular beside her. She turned around to her, leaning down slightly.

"Young-mi. Listen to me." She tenderly picked up her hands, prompting the other tear-filled pairs to meet hers. "I know you're afraid. But you're incredibly brave and strong. I could feel it when you approached me last night, and again this morning. You can do this, okay?"

Young-mi nodded her head, earning a soft smile from Hyun-ju as she turned to the rest of her team. "We can all do this. I believe we can. We're a strong team, we're just nervous. Now, let's go show those people that these gamnes are no big deal."

Her team nodded in approval, Yong-sik's mother speaking up. "Exactly. I'm Jang Geum-ja, survivor of the Korean War. This is nothing."

"Exactly, Ma. We've survived worse. I'm sure we all have."

Gyeong-seok nodded. "My little girl is battling leukemia. These games are nothing." He prevented the onslaught of sympathy he always expected from this revelation, put his hand down. "All in." Everyone placed their hands on top of each others, lifting them towards the sky as Hyun-ju exclaimed, "Let's do this!"

With that, they were ushered onot their respective track, lining up into the agreed positions. With the hornets still alive in her stomach, Hyun-ju silently cursed herself for picking Jegi and having to deal with Gyeong-seok's arm around her for the next five minutes. However, she was surprised when having his arm interlocked in hers soothed her nerves as their ankles were shackled together, her balance suddenly being threatened and supported by Gyeong-seok. With one more reassuring look for Young-mi at the end of the line, a nod for Geum-ja and Yong-sik and a shy small and nod for Gyeong-seok, the gun fired in the air, and the five sped off.

 

Notes:

Just want to say thanks a million for all the hits and kudos on the last chapter! I'm new to this site after using Wattpad for several years so I'm still learning the ropes, but I'm happy to be here and reading other amazing stories. 🫶

Chapter 4: 004

Notes:

Song of the chapter: Shake You Down by Gregory Abbott
https://youtu.be/20lL8p26LAw?si=CHgx9qOfjGGujpBS

Just a quick note to say that this chapter contains reference to masturbation just so no one gets shocked 😅

The room was erupting in rioutous encouragement, fear trembling in the air along with anticipation after the loss of ten people a few moments ago. Hyun-ju noticed the impact of the overwhelming atmosphere on Young-mi, who had failed on the Ddakji twice already.

"Hey, Young-mi. Try the other side, flip it over. That's perfect, there you go." 

The red tile finally flipped, the crowd roaring in rejoice as Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok gently guided them further after a moment of celebration. They reached the next station quickly, Hyun-ju glancing up to see that they still had over four minutes remaining as Yong-sik picked up the stone. The team looked at him in anticipation, groans erupting when he missed the tombstone.

"Okay," started Hyun-ju, remembering the catastrophe of the last team who kept missing. "we're all going to walk over together." She guided them all over swiftly, Yong-sik picking up the stone. "Now, we walk backwards. No turning around." They did so, aligning neatly back behind the line in swift time. 

Yong-sik prepared the stone in his hand, sweat beading on his forehead. Geum-ja's hand went to his arm, speaking up. "Yong-sik, listen. Imagine that stone is the face of that bastard who scammed you at that casino."

The words from his mother do the trick, his eyes turning glassy as his arm reached back. "That fucker ruined my life!"

The tombstone fell over, the guard made a circle with its arms, and the room erupted in more cheers. Hyun-ju only barely acknowledged the surreal feeling of everyone cheering for her team as they approached the Gonggii station. They all bent down, keeping their eyes and encouragement on Geum-ja as she picked up the weighted plastic stones. She started off okay, but stumbled after the first attempt, the stones clattering out of her hands as her composure faltered. She fumbled again, bringing a groan of frustration to the room that didn't help Geum-ja. Hyun-ju hastily turned to the crowd, politely making a shush symbol that appeared to work for a considerable amount of players. 

Finally, Geum-ja was able to focus slightly better, getting to the point where she finally had all five stones on the back of her hand, ready for the concluding catch. 

"Ma, imagine they're the hair of that woman you found Dad with."

That worked for Geum-ja, making her exclaim in disgust and flawlessly throw up all five stones and catch them with her hands. The room erupted into more cheers as the "Pass" announcement came over the speakers and the guards made the endearing circle shape. Hyun-ju guided her team up so they wouldn't fall, their celebratory moment brief as they steadily marched towards the next station.

When they reached the station, Gyeong-seok quickly picked up the spinning top, rushing to spin the yarn around the toy. Hyun-ju looked up at the clock, seeing that they still had over two minutes left. "Hey, Gyeong-seok. We have time, deep breaths." She gave him a pat on the back, bringing some reassurance to him even if it further poked the beehive in his stomach.

He picked up the string, carefully winding it around the toy, the other end of the string meeting with his finger at the wide top. He took a deep breath as Hyun-ju advised, feeling another pat on his shoulder just as he carefully jerked it back to fire it. His breath hitched in his throat, only releasing when the top spinned on its axis perfectly.

The room roared in celebration, Hyun-ju looking away from her team briefly to see that there was now over a minute and a half to go. With the feeling of safety, she took the time to give Gyeong-seok a brief hug, barely registering her surprise when he tightly hugged her back. Reluctantly, she seperated them, and had a job in pulling Gyeong-seok's frame along as his legs had turned to jelly.

When they had finally reached the final station, Hyun-ju had a hand in her face as she picked up the Jegi. "In order to pass, bounce the Jegi on your foot five times in the air without dropping it."

Hyun-ju nooded her head, holding the toy in her hand before she became acutely aware of over 300 pairs of eyes on her. More crucially, she felt the anticipation of the pair right next to her, the pair she cared about the most. With one quick glance to verify the amount of time left, she turned to her team. "Can you guys turn around, please?"

"Wha-"

"Please, Gyeong-seok." Her team quickly turned around in puzzlement, before she turned back to the rest of the room. "Can everyone else turn around as well, please?"

She was hit by a sense of shock and relief when the entire room did so in unison after words of encouragement, swallowing it back as she grabbed the weighted circle of the toy, taking a deep breath before she dropped it onto the side of her foot.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Her breath caught in her chest as the toy fell on the floor, her head shooting up to the guard as her team looked at her in anticipation. The circle formed by arms appeared over the guard, causing the floor the room to vibrate with roars of celebration as the team headed for the finish line. 

Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok's grip on each others shoulders remained strong as the five of them ripped the ribbon in half, the room roaring even louder as the clock continued to tick. Once they realised what had just happened, the team joined in with the riotous celebration, Yong-sik hugging his mother tightly as Hyun-ju reached over to grab Young-mi's shaking hands in rejoice. Finaally, she turned back to Gyeong-seok, his eyes bursting with joy and adrenaline. They threw their arms around each other, squeezing the other tight before separating, Gyeong-seok's hands going to her cheeks as he laughed in joy.

"You did it, Hyun-ju! You got us through!" He planted a kiss on her forehead, her cheeks going even more crimson before they embraced one more time, turning back into a group hug with their team as they raised their fists in the air.

The euphoria in the room became even greater once the other team ripped their ribbon, doing so with a second to spare. The teams roared at each other, high fiving in the air as the numbers of each player were called out, all accompanied by "Pass".

 

⭕

 

"Oh, Hyun-ju-na, that was incredible!", Geum-ja repeated, making Hyun-ju chuckle as she removed her jacket.

"Ah, Ms Jang. You need to credit yourself too. That Gonggii was incredible."

"But Hyun-ju, you were pulling us all together! You were our glue! I hadn't seen that kind of leadership since my service!", Yong-sik rambled with enthusiasm, earning another chuckle but slight drop of the stomach from Hyun-ju.

She looked around, seeing that Gyeong-seok still hadn't returned from the bathroom. "Actually, before my transition, I was a first class Sergeant in the Special Forces."

The three teammates around her gasped, Geum-ja being the first to speak. "Well, did you leave the army to focus on your, change?"

"I didn't have a choice. I was deemed mentally insane and discharged immediately. I even had to give back my medals."

Another group gasp, followed by Geum-ja's voice again. "Well, that's just shameful! You must've been one of their best! When Yong-sik here did his service, bless his heart, he could only drive the soldiers around because he couldn't bring himself to pick up a gun. His sergeant was so cruel."

Hyun-ju smiled sympathetically. "I saw that a good bit. I could never to that to the young ones. They had to be there, why be cruel? I think I was firm, but never cruel."

"So, how did you end up here, then? Surely you had saved up enough for your operations."

Hyun-ju chuckled. "Well, not exactly. The hormones are expensive, and the travel expenses and the hospital stay prices on top of the surgeries were massive. I also had rent to pay and I had to feed myself, so that didn't make things much better."

"Ah, so what surgeries have you had?"

"Ma!"

Hyun-ju grinned. "Nah, it's okay. Slight breast augmentation based on what was there from hormones and facial feminsation. Basically softened the face through a couple different cosmetic procedures in one, so that was the most expensive one. Down below and my voice and Adam's apple are the remaining ones and then I'm done, but I have to continue the hormones forever."

Geum-ja nodded her head in shock and intrigue, before frowning slightly. "I think you should keep the Adam's apple. I know a lot of women who have them. Yong-sik, remember Mrs Kang down the road? Her voice was quite deep and she had the apple, but she had kids and everything!"

Yong-sik shook his head slightly. "I know, but maybe Hyun-ju isn't comfortable with that. And she's a big girl."

Hyun-ju burst out laughing, putting her hand over her mouth, the sound making Young-mi giggle as well. The mother and son joined in as well, the four laughing for another few moments before Hyun-ju abruptly stopped at the sound of a word next to her she never expected to hear.

"Hey, Unnie?"

Hyun-ju turned her head towards Young-mi, stunned by the name. "Yeah, Young-mi?"

"What's the deal with you and Gyeong-seok?"

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes, the other teammates chuckling. "We're just friends. We met once on the outside so we've been allies since we woke up here."

"Ah, come on, Hyun-ju!" Geum-ja threw her hands in the air and back down in exasperation. "We're all girls here, and there's a Yong-sik as well. Tell us the details."

Hyun-ju groaned, knowing she's not getting out of this. "Okay, I like him. I really do. But it's never happening."

"Why do you say that, Unnie?"

"I mean, it's kinda obvious, right? I've been on dates before. One punched me, the others took off running. Men don't like me."

Geum-ja tutted. "Ah, Hyun-ju. I don't fully understand these things, but I do know that man looks at you like the sunshine comes out of you. I know that look from a man from anywhere. Before Yong-sik's father, I had a man who looked at me like that. He was KIA, but I'll never forget that look."

Hyun-ju gulped. "That's now. Once he sees the rest of me, my arms, knows I was in the military, he'll get scared and run."

"Does he know you're trans, Hyun-ju?"

She nodded at Yong-sik, who continued speaking. "And he still looks at you like that, gave you a little kiss on the head in the last game. He really likes you, and he's a man. Something tells me he really doesn't mind that you're trans."

Hyun-ju shrugged. "I dunno. I won't be ruining anything anyway. He's a good guy and I hope we'll be friends on the outside."

Geum-ja furrowed her eyebrows. "I thought you said you already were?"

"Oh, no. He's an artist at Seoul Land. He did my portrait one day during the summer, but we didn't meet again besides that."

"And he remembered you?"

Hyun-ju nodded, causing Young-mi to squeal, Geum-ja to cheer slightly and Yong-sik to go "Ooooooh!"

"Hyun-ju, that man loves you. Yong-sik and I got a portrait there years ago after his father finally died. They're very busy people and don't remember most of the people they draw. He remembered you after so many months? Oh, Hyun-ju."

Hyun-ju sighed, rubbing the back of her neck as she listened to the older woman. "I dunno. I don't want to mess things up."

Geum-ja groaned. "Oh, come on. If we end up still here after the next vote, who knows if we'll make it out? That last game, if I hadn't been with you guys, I would've been a goner. Who knows what we'll have to do next?"

Hyun-ju swallowed a lump in her throat. "I didn't come here for romance though. I'm not getting distracted by this kind of thing."

"Oh, come on, Unnie! Stop being so rational! You like him, he likes you. What more is there to be said?"

"Nothing, except it's never happening." Hyun-ju sighed and looked towards the top of the room, finally seeing Gyeong-seok returning. She hurriedly put her jacket back on as Gyeong-seok noticed them and started jogging towards them. "Not a word about this and especially the military, okay? He can't find out."

"Hey, guys." Gyeong-seok raised his eyebrow at the quiet group, Hyun-ju's cheeks still crimson. "Everything okay?"

"I thought you were after falling down the toilet.", Hyun-ju spoke, making the girls chuckle and Gyeong-seok laugh slightly louder than the joke warranted. The other teammates looked at each other, giving a knowing smirk before Hyun-ju spoke after giving them a brief death glare. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah. I was trying to wash my shoes." He pointed down to his white canvas shoes, a massively failed attempt to wash off blood apparent.

Now, it was Hyun-ju's turn to laugh too loud. "Dude, you're meant to use washing powder for that. Or do they have a box of that around here somewhere?"

"Ha ha, funny. I tried soap but it's useless. Just foam.  To make matters worse, I got the water all over me."

Hyun-ju shook her head. "Why were you even trying to clean them? Out of all your clothes?"

Gyeong-seok gulped, trying to think of an answer to hide the embarrassing truth. "I just like having clean shoes. That's all."

Hyun-ju nodded her head, before turning to the other two girls. "Do ye want to go to the bathroom? Give the boys some space?"

Young-mi smiled. "Yes, definitely. We should get cleaned up too."

Geum-ja nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's go. Are you okay to stay here, Yong-sik?"

"Yeah. Go ahead, Ma."

The women nodded, walking down the stairs and towards the doors, leaving the men alone. Once the girls were gone, Yong-sik turned to Gyeong-seok.

"Okay, man. You were gone for ages. Half the teams are back now. What were you doing?"

Gyeong-seok groaned. "I'm not saying it."

"C'mon. Was it just something like pulling the snake?"

Gyeong-seok groaned louder this time, dramatically falling back onto the bed. "Not a word to the others. I'm serious, man."

"I'm right?!" Yong-sik laughed, coming closer to Gyeong-seok. "I was only joking. Okay, what inspired you to do that in the least desirable place on the planet?"

Gyeong-seok looked at Yong-sik in a deadpan manner. The man gasped, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Hyun-ju? I knew it!"

Gyeong-seok groaned yet again, picking up a pillow and muffling the groans into it. "Not. A. Word."

"Of course not. But why? It's obvious she likes you."

"Nah, she doesn't. She can have any man, she probably does on the outside. The portrait I drew of her on the outside was probably for a lover."

Yong-sik rolled his eyes, muttering "These two" under his breath. "Dude, open your eyes. She laughs at your awkward jokes. She chose the game that put you next to you. She looks at you like that. Just make your move, bro."

"Not a chance."

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Hyun-ju turned to the women. "Ye got the smell too, right?"

Geum-ja grimaced. "What, of sweat? None of us are smelling like roses."

"No, not that." She sighed, leaning against a stall and banging her head. "Young-mi, help me out, you got it too, right?"

Young-mi chuckled. "What, the smell of sex that would haunt a dorm room?" Hyun-ju ran over to the sink, turning on the tap and rubbing her face with water as the younger woman laughed and Geum-ja looked like she'd seen a ghost. "You think he was getting off, right?"

"For lack of a better phrase, yes, Young-mi." She turned off the tap, brushing her wet bangs out of her face. "He's not some weirdo, right? I'm not falling for a manwhore, right?"

By now, Geum-ja had politely left the conversation, her fingers in her ears as she hummed softly.

Young-mi groaned. "Unnie, he was obviously doing it to you. He could barely look at you when he came back. He was probably, you know, delicate."

Hyun-ju rubbed her hands over her face. "I can't bed him. I can't. None of that until I'm done. I feel too gross at the thought. But if he just wants to bed me, we have two different intentions."

"Unnie, Unnie, Unnie. You don't necessarily want to bed someone just because you do that. And even if he does, I know it's not his primary focus. Ye were just so close together for well over five minutes, he probably couldn't help it."

Hyun-ju squinted. "That's true, I guess. But our beds are next to each others and he seemed fine."

Young-mi's gaze went around the bathroom, Hyun-ju catching onto her knowing behaviour. "What is it?"

"He was admiring you while you slept this morning. I saw him. He was awake a few minutes before you woke when the music started. Not with lust, something deeper. Unnie, I think he loves you."

Hyun-ju scoffed, going back to splash more water on her face. "Bullshit. It's not love."

"It's something anyway, Unnie. And you know that. One of you will have to give."

Hyun-ju sighed. "Won't be me, he's the man." She went up to Geum-ja, patting her shoulder. "It's okay, ma'am. The degeneracy is over with."

The older women pulled her fingers out of her ears, sighing with exasperation. "Young people. You two will kill me."

Hyun-ju chuckled. "I'm pushing forty, Ms Jang."

"Yeah, exactly. Young." She tutted, pushing the two out of the bathroom. "Come on, let's get back, ladies. You can gossip once everyone's back."

 

Notes:

Thanks a million agaon for all the support! Loving writing this story and reading other great stories on here. 🫶

Chapter 5: 005

Notes:

Song of the chapter: Space Song by Beach House
https://youtu.be/RBtlPT23PTM?si=77FNt7VIrLaVydDM

Similar warning to last chapter 👌

"Player 120, please cast your vote."

Hyun-ju sighed, once again walking up that aisle earlier than before. The choice should've been easier this time around. A 78.82 million won share didn't cover her debts, but it got her a start. She could get a job, build on it. But that could take years, and luck to find an employer who wouldn't discriminate. Oh, but Geum-ja had just promised to invite them all for a homemade meal full of her favourite foods if they got out now. She hadn't felt the fullness of one of those meals in years.

However, she had overheard that Yong-sik had debts to pay off, Geum-ja to help. Judging by his position at the O side, he probably owed more than his mother was aware. They weren't in a position to help each other on the outside beyond companionship and home-cooked meals. She wished it wasn't all about the money, but it was. Money was the only thing that would set her life back on track from the depths it was currently in. Against her better judgement, she also believed that she could protect her friends. She knew how capable of a fighter she was, her ability to take on men far larger than her.

Young-mi's little face. Her desire, her need to leave. Gyeong-seok's desperation. Geum-ja's disgust as Yong-sik walked over to the blue side. She'd grown to care so much for those people in the day they'd been here. Young-mi was like her little sister already, already calling her Unnie and clinging to her side at all times. She had forgotten how good it felt to have someone look up to her, to tease her playfully and look to her for support. Her own little brother had cut her off along with the rest of her family. Geum-ja, a sharp little woman, gave her hope about how people can change. She'd heard her disgust at her on the first day, and now she was calling her a lady and inviting her into her home. Yong-sik was hilarious, filling the role of the encouraging older brother that she had also lost. These people had just met her, knew full well that she was trans, and got over it as if she had merely told them she had ten fingers and ten toes. 

Gyeong-seok. Where could she even start on Gyeong-seok? There was biological evidence that he liked her, and she knew just how much she liked him. It was teetering into adoration, at a dangerously rapid pace. The truth was, however, that she had always adored him. His portrait was still in its cellophane back in her apartment, his sloppy signature greeting her whenever she walked into the room for the last few months. The alternative account she'd log into to see what he had up on his profile, smiling at the photos of Na-yeon and the recent obsession with bunnies that was more evident as the months passed by. She'd even seen him at a market one day, his identity unmistakable as he ruffled his hair at the counter. She wanted to go up to him that day, help him with the shopping he was clearly struggling with, get him out of the awkward conversation with a shopkeeper about his daughter. However, she kept the promise to herself to not get close, not ruin his life. Yet now, here they were, allied together and refusing to admit to each other what they wanted to be.

A deep part of Hyun-ju wanted to press that X, get out with her newfound family and figure everything else out along the way. Have the dinner, be something with Gyeong-seok beyond flirtatious teammates in a near death scenario. Potentially even believe that she could be poor and happy, if she just had the right people. Young-mi's hopeful gaze on her back was telling her to do it, join her on the side she was already standing on, Gyeong-seok's eye pleading almost enough to be a catalyst. Finally, she reached the podium, her hand once again hovering between the bottons.

She looked behind her, spotting Geum-ja's encouragement, Young-mi's desperation and Gyeong-seok's pleading. She then made the mistake of letting her eyes go to the piggy bank above her, before returning them to the buttons.

"Come on, just press one! We don't have all day!"

She closed her eyes and pursed her lips in frustration, not opening her mouth. After that, she blocked out the celebratory sounds of the left side of the room and the groans of the right when she once again pressed the blue button. She raised her fingers off of the plastic sphere, glancing over to see the pain in Young-mi's face, almost breaking when seeing the disbelief on Gyeong-seok's face. She hung her head down, walking over to Yong-sik. 

"We're in for it now, huh?", she heard Yong-sik say timidly beside her, not giving a reply as she caught the angry eyes of Gyeong-seok as the vote continued. She couldn't look at Young-mi, but she heard crying that was undeniably her.

As the voting continued, another interruption came, this time from Player 001 telling them to terminate the games and save their lives. Like clockwork, Player 100 lead the O side into retaliation, saying that they just had to play one more game and triple the share again. 

"I can't do this anymore!" Hyun-ju's head shot in the direction of Young-mi, a pleading look in her eyes as she sobbed. "I'm scared. Just please let me go home." Tears fell from Hyun-ju's eyes as she watched her friend. "I just want to go home. I don't want to die!"

Hyun-ju could no longer look at her, looking down to the ground in shame as other O players tried to explain that she was young and could figure something else out, while their age meant that this was their final chance. She couldn't look at her, look anywhere, because if she did, she knew she'd get herself killed by demanding to be able to change her vote so she could go over and hug the small girl. All she did though was sink her shoulders in shame, letting the chants of "One more game!" fill her ears, the only glance she could muster was towards Yong-sik in shared regret.

Once the voting ended with nowhere near a tie and they entered the line to collect their food, Hyun-ju felt a pull on her sleeve after collecting her food. She jerked her head back, looking back to see Gyeong-seok.

"Hyun-ju, what was that? We agreed we were leaving now!"

Hyun-ju stopped in the middle of the room, looking around before sighing. "The results weren't even close. This isn't entirely on me."

Gyeong-seok scoffed incredulously. "You know that's not the problem. Why would you vote to continue? Just to cover your debt? Hyun-ju, 456 of us came here, and there's only 255 left. That means 201 people have died. What, do you not think you might be next? That Young-mi won't be?"

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen. None of you are dying on my watch. Believe me, Gyeong-seok."

He shook his head. "How can I? Look at that patch you're wearing! The same ones those other greedy bastards are wearing!"

"Gyeong-seok. I voted to stay last time, and I did my best to get us through the last game. I'm going to keep doing that."

Gyeong-seok scoffed once more, rolling his eyes as they walked back to the beds, seeing the bickering Geum-ja and Yong-sik walking around the room as well as the distraught Young-mi at their beds, simply looking off into the distance with a blank gaze, exhausted from her crying. She glanced up at Hyun-ju once before looking away again, Hyun-ju hanging her head as she climbed up the stairs behind her, Gyeong-seok taking a seat beside Young-mi as they sat in silence for a few moments.

"Ma, I wasn't the only one. Look! Hyun-ju voted to stay as well!"

Hyun-ju looked up, seeing the mother and son arrive. Geum-ja scoffed, pushing her son away slightly as she joined them on the stairwell and spoke.

"Why did you vote to stay, Hyun-ju? We all agreed to stop here, go have our dinner. You surely don't have a lot of gambling debts like my idiot son, you don't seem the type."

Hyun-ju sighed, looking at Gyeong-seok and then back at her team. "It's not even just about the debt for me. My life, it isn't good on the outside."

"Is that why you changed your mind?"

Hyun-ju took another breath, stiffening her posture. "The truth is, things were relatively fine until I came out. Sure, I was a bit femine for a man, people looked at me weirdly, my co-workers often thought I was gay, but I had friends. I was respected. But when I started transitioning, told people who I really was, everything changed. My friends all gradually stopped talking to me. My dad did as well, my mother cried all the time. My brothers were disgusted, literally kicked me out of the family home. I was fired, and all my savings went into my treatment. I wasn't working though, so my debt kept piling up. Even though I felt so much more free, I was liberated and working to become the person I always was, my life became so much harder."

Gyeong-seok's posture softened before Geum-ja spoke again. "Your own parents? No contact at all?"

Hyun-ju shook her head. "It's like I never existed. I looked at theeir profiles once on a burner account, all my photos were gone." She sighed. "I figure, one more game, and I'll be able to pay off my debt. I'll then go to Thailand, and finish my transition there. I'll start fresh, buy a small house. Leave all that baggage behind."

"Thailand? Why Thailand?"

Yong-sik jumped in. "There's a lot of people like Hyun-ju there, Ma! I've been there, and they're gorgeous, and everyone loves them. A lot of them are even better looking than most women, isn't that right?"

Hyun-ju chuckled at his enthusiasm. "That's true. I follow a lot of them online, they're truly beautiful."

"You're beautiful too, Unnie."

The groups heads all turned towards Young-mi, Hyun-ju's eyes welling with tears. A silence fell on the group, only broken as Hyun-ju's breath trembled, bring her hand to her eyes and collecting the tears that fell. Gyeong-seok's hand raised with hesitation, going to her knee in comfort once again. Hyun-ju glanced at him, sniffling as he shot her a small smile.

Geum-ja's voice spoke again. "Well, I'm not sure if beautiful is the word, but after spending time with you, you're not half bad."

Hyun-ju chuckled, wiping her eyes again. 

"You said she was unsightly when you first saw her, Ma.", Yong-sik spoke over his milk, swiftly getting his carton smacked by his mother as Hyun-ju chuckled again. 

"That's okay, Ms Jang." Hyun-ju patted the older woman's shoulder as she wiped the milk from her son's jumper with the wrapper. "You've made up for it with your actions."

Geum-ja smiled at her before turning back to her son. "Yong-sik, take that off, it's going to smell."

"No, Ma, it's cold in here!"

"Then go wash it off, go on, off you go!"

Yong-sik groaned in embarrassment, walking off to the bathroom. Geum-ja turned to Young-mi. "Dear, did you get your food?"

Young-mi looked up, her eyes darting around before shaking her head. "I'm not hungry."

Geum-ja sighed, getting up and pulling on the young girls arm slightly. "Come on, Young-mi. You have to eat, you're too skinny as it is."

Hyun-ju shook her head in amusement as she watched Geum-ja pull the girl towards the food line, before looking back at Gyeong-seok who still had his hand on her knee. He suddenly removed it, looking around awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, Gyeong-seok. I should've voted to leave no matter what."

Gyeong-seok shook his head with a smile. "You always have a reason for what you do, Cho Hyun-ju. I think I understand that more now." Hyun-ju returned his smile before he spoke again. "So, Thailand? Will you be on a plane as soon as you get out?"

Hyun-ju shrugged. "Not right away. I have to clear my debt first, get travel approved and all that. I have to have dinner with you guys, go for a soju with a guy I haven't been great to."

Gyeong-seok chuckled. "You've been pretty good to him. Thing is though, he's not really a soju man. Wine or coffee is more up his alley."

Hyun-ju smiled, sighing in relief. "That's good because I actually really hate soju."

"Finally, someone who agrees!" The two chuckled, Gyeong-seok slowly standing up and walking up to sit next to Hyun-ju. He took a breath. "Hyun-ju, is it true what you said about your family?"

She sighed, nodding her head. Gyeong-seok tilted his head, hessitantly reaching to pick up her hands, relief washing over him when she didn't pull them back after jumping slightly. "Look, I can't entirely understand it, aand I won't stop you from going to Thailand. In fact, I encourage you to do whatever it is you feel you need to do. But when we get out, if you wanted to, you could stay with Na-yeon and I for a while."

Hyun-ju blinked. "What?"

"Until you go to Thailand, I mean. Or if that's too much, we can just be friends. You know, keep in contact."

Hyun-ju sighed. "Why me though? Why have you been so insistant on staying by me, even when I contribute to keeping you from going home to your child?"

"Like I said, you do what you do for a reason. You just want to live the life you deserve. I can't really staay mad at you for that." He ran his thumbs across her hands, causing her to inhale sharply. "Also, why not you? You've saved my life twice already, you're a great person. Why is it so hard for you to believe I'd want to stay by you?"

"Because there are so many other people you could be allied with. You're a charismatic, strong man. What are you doing here with the misfits, offering your home to the queen misfit?"

Gyeong-seok laughed, removing one hand to cover his mouth. "Hyun-ju, on the outside, I'm the failing artist cancer dad. I only make enough to care for my daughter and put food on the table. I'm the only man in my family who isn't military or in the legal or medical fields. I'm the joke of the family, even my friends make fun of my choices. Shit, I'm a widowed single father, Hyun-ju. I'm as misfit as they come."

Hyun-ju smiled, sniffling as she put a lose strand of hair behind her ear. "You don't look misfit. I'm a misfit before I even open my mouth."

"Hyun-ju. I'm sorry to break it to you, but Young-mi was right."

She looked up, realising how close his face was to hers, the proximity causing her breath to become stuck as she choked out a, "What?"

Gyeong-seok swallowed a lump in his throat, his eyes moving between her lips and wide, tear filled eyes. He hastily lifted up his thumb, wiping the tears that slowly fell, lightly brushing a scar under her eye on her cheekbone. He sat back slightly, taking a breath as he scanned Hyun-ju's face, keeping his thumb on her cheek. 

"Hyun-ju, you're so beautiful. I wish you knew that."

A sob escaped her throat, closing her eyes tightly in a failed attempt to stop the tears from flowing. Gyeong-seok's heart drummed harder than ever, and pulled her into his embrace, letting her tears fall onto his shoulder and her arms wrap around his stomach. He placed his chin on her head, rubbing her back and holding her in a comfortable tightness. He sighed deeply, a tear escaping his own eye as he hugged her. 

"How could they do this to you? Make you believe you're not worth the entire fucking world?"

Hyun-ju opened her eyes, putting her head to the side and calming down her breathing enough to speak. "Because they're right. They were right when they said no one would be by my side if I went through with this, that my life would be ruined. People just look at me and they feel disgust."

Gyeong-seok adjusted his arms, bringing them to her shoulders to have her look at him. "Listen to me. Those people who judge you, they don't know you. Not even your family knew you, not if they could discard someone so amazing over something so trivial in the grand scheme of things. They have no idea what they're missing by the loss of you."

Hyun-ju chuckled, looking away slightly. "You barely know me, Gyeong-seok. You can't be saying all of that about someone you barely know."

"I know enough."

A breath caught in Hyun-ju's throat, her eyes fully fixed on Gyeong-seoks. Even though she knew she was falling for him, she hadn't realised how gorgeous he was until now. Light stubble peppered his sharp jaw, which held a smile that made something inside her melt. The eyes she returned her gaze to were wide and glassy with tears, the perfect compliment to the rest of his features. She hadn't realised that they were leaning in close until she felt the comforting firmness of his forehead on hers, becoming aware of their breaths hitting each others lips. before either of them could rationalise themselves away, they were both leaning in, right until their lips were brushing against each others.

"No food left? That's an outrage!"

Their heads jerked back, seeing Geum-ja below being shushed slightly by Young-mi as she tried to give out to the guard. Young-mi whispered to her, causing her to laugh and apologise to the guards, returning to the base and looking at the two with a wide grin.

"So, did it work? Did ye finally grow up and do something about your feelings?"

Hyun-ju frowned, looking at Young-mi who had slapped the older woman slightly. "What do you mean?"

Young-mi rolled her eyes, sitting back down. "Nothing, nothing."

Hyun-ju scoffed as she caught onto what they meant, sitting away from Gyeong-seok slightly. "Okay, back to more important matters. What do you guys think the next game will be?"

Gyeong-seok frowned, frustrated at the distance but kept with the change of subject. "Well, the two games so far have involved some degree of running, getting something done in a specific timeframe. But only the last one required teams. If we get another team-based game, we stick together again."

"But what if the teams are smaller or larger? What if they require teams of four?"

A silence fell as the team lingered on Hyun-ju's question, before Gyeong-seok looked up at the number of people remaining. "There's 255 of us left. That would mean the only teams they could have us in are threes or fives. In that case, we'll be fine. What are they meant to do when someone doesn't have a team? They harp on about fairness, don't they?"

"Fives would be perfect. If it's a three, Yong-sik and I will find that pregnant girl and you three can go together. And if they don't play fair and there ends up being twos, well, you two will obviously go together."

Hyun-ju gulped, looking down at Young-mi, whose head had bowed down slightly. 

"I could go with someone else. You two should stick together.", Gyeong-seok spoke. 

"Guys, there's no need to think like that! They won't ask us to go in twos. It's threes and fives and we're sorted!", Hyun-ju exclaimed, shocking the group slightly.

She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I'm sorry. Look, all our strategy needs to be is that we'll stick together. We can figure the rest out once we know what the actual games are."

Gyeong-seok nodded in agreement, before an idea entered his head. "I'll be back in a moment, girls." He walked down the stairs, heading in the direction of the 'base' of Player 456's team.

Once he was gone, Geum-ja and Young-mi turned to Hyun-ju, smirks on both of their faces.

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Did you finally get over yourselves?", Young-mi asked excitedly.

"We were just talking, that's all."

"Why are you so red so, Hyun-ju?", Geeum-ja teased, earning a bread wrapper in her face, resulting in a chuckle.

Meanwhile, Gyeong-seok approached the group, shyly walking over to the stringy man that sat in the centre of his group. "Hey, Mr 456?"

The older man looked up, a softness present on his face. "Yeah?"

"Could we talk for a minute?"

The man looked at the rest of his teammates, before his eyes returned to the X on Gyeong-seok's jacket. He nodded his head, standing up and telling his team he'd be back before he guided Gyeong-seok between a stairwell of the beds.

"What do you need?", the man asked, some coldness in his voice now.

Gyeong-seok released a breath, his hands on his hips. "When you played before, was there ever a game where you had to go into pairs?"

The man looked up before shaking his head. "I was wrong about the last game. It makes no difference what I tell you."

"Look, one of the last games was Tug of War, right? Two teams fighting for survival, like the pentathlon. Dalgona and Six Legs were both played in a playground. They are keeping patterns, even if the games aren't the same."

The man sighed, his eyes pinching together as though he was remembering something painful. "There was one paired game. Marbles. We all pretty much paired up with the person we trusted the most in here."

Gyeong-seok's face lit up slightly. "That's good, right? You just went against other pairs, right?"

The man shook his head, the realisation hitting Gyeong-seok like bricks. "You went against your partner?"

"Yes. But don't take that as an absolute pattern. If you think that way, you could get tricked as well."

Gyeong-seok sighed, looking off to the side before returning his eyes to the man. "Let's make a deal for the next game, okay? We look out for each others. A lady on my team is already looking out for the young woman on your team. If we have to split our groups, we help each other out. I have someone I can't lose here, and I'm sure you guys do too."

The older man looked to his team between the bars, before nodding his head and holding out his hand, Gyeong-seok shaking it firmly.

"And hey, my name is Gyeong-seok. Park Gyeong-seok."

"Seong Gi-hun. Good luck tomorrow, Gyeong-seok."

 

⭕

 

The lights had dimmed. The only sounds the people around them made were snores of varying volumes, the only light being from the O and X shapes on the floor and the dim light of the half full piggy bank. Hyun-ju turned on her side, slightly startled when she saw that Gyeong-seok was already balancing his head on his hand, gazing at her with the same intensity she had noticed earlier, the one that told her that he meant every word he was saying. 

Against her better judgement, she slung her legs over her bed, her feet landing on the cool steel of the stairwell that divided them. His eyebrows raised in surprise, but he still lifted up the blanket in invitation. She sat down on the side of his bed, bringing her hand down to run fingers through his hair, his chest heaving. Her hand settled on the back of his neck, ignoring her own heartbeat as she brought her mouth beside his ear.

"I know what you were doing after the Pentathlon. Why didn't you just ask me?"

She heard the gulp in his throat, smiling before turning back to face him. She didn't move an inch, waiting for him to make the next move. She didn't have to wait long before he held onto her shoulders, and he gently brought her down to the bed, adjusting slightly to make more room for her in the cramped single bed. He brought up a finger, gently pushing her head to the side so he could leave a kiss just under her earlobe, continuing to brush her skin with his stubble as he moved along her jaw and down her neck, settling on her collarbones as he gripped onto the zipper of her jacket. Before he could move it down, Hyun-ju brought her hand from his neck to his jaw, removing his lips from where they were and bringing his face up to look at her.

"Kiss me first."

Hyun-ju woke with a gasp, hitting her head against the bed above her when her body shot up. She groaned, uttering a "Shibal" under her breath before she looked beside her, seeing that Gyeong-seok was asleep. Her eyes followed the sound in her ears to the sight of the door near the podium, seeing Geum-ja pleading to a guard to let her and a small woman beside her to the bathroom. She carefully got out of her bed, walking down the stairwell towards them. She held back a laugh when Geum-ja's tearful pleading immediately stopped when the door opened, speeding up slightly so she could reach them.

"Sorry. Is it okay if I come too?"

Geum-ja looked back at her, a smile coming to her face. "Of course, of course. She's a woman too, her name is Hyun-ju."

Hyun-ju swallowed back a lump in her throat, following the two women as one triangle guard escorted them and another remained behind Hyun-ju.

"Player 120. Stay behind."

The other two women hadn't heard, the command merely whispered behind Hyun-ju. She stopped as the three turned a corner, then turned around to the guard. "What is it?"

"I will give you a hint about the next game if you promise to keep Player 246 safe."

Hyun-ju scoffed incredulously. "Isn't that cheating? I'm obviously going to keep him safe though."

"In that case, the next game is programmed to result in only 100 surviving players. After that, it is very likely a 50/50 split will occur in the voting. In that case, a riot will break out after lights out, each side trying to win the tiebreaker vote the next day."

Hyun-ju gulped. "How do you know we'll kill each other?"

"It's the design of the game. It usually occurs because of food shortage to create tension, but this year, it's about votes. Do you think 246 could defend himself during the riot?"

Hyun-ju sighed, shaking her head as she remembered his shaking frame during the first game, his butter fingers in the last game. 

"Then remember. By his side for the next game, defend him in the riot. No matter what."

"I wasn't planning on not doing so."

"I mean it, Player 120. No matter what."

Hyun-ju nodded her head, the uneasiness settling in her stomach as she continued up the stairs, her pace picking up to catch up with the others.

"Number 011. Where did you go?"

"Player 120 slipped. I was helping her up."

The other soldier didn't seem to believe the one beside Hyun-ju before it appeared to take notice of the growing bruise on Hyun-ju's head, opening the door to the bathroom without another word. She walked in, seeing Geum-ja offer help to the other young woman before she walked over to Hyun-ju.

"Hey, is she okay? Is she sick?"

Geum-ja leaned in slightly, whispering in Hyun-ju's ear. "She's pregnant. Second trimester, I believe."

Hyun-ju nodded her head, looking back to the stall that the girl who had sported the number 222 on her jacket went into, before walking towards the sinks, turning on the tap and splashing water over her face.

 

Notes:

For clarification, I have changed Jun-hee's pregnancy timeline so that she's not due at the time of the games. No winners being born in this fic 🙏 Thanks again for all the support!

Chapter 6: 006

Notes:

Song of the chapter: No 1 Party Anthem by Arctic Monkeys
https://youtu.be/mGUjVbsYG6E?si=-2CnZ6oSP0vc2_kW

*cue Thanos and Nam-gyu dancing with arms joined in a death game*

"All players get ready. The next game will begin momentarily."

Hyun-ju's eyes adjusted to the bright lights and classical music, groaning as she rose and stretched her arms. She looked beside her, seeing Gyeong-seok awake and rubbing his eyes, a smile spreading across his face when he saw her.

"Morning."

Hyun-ju smiled back, swinging her feet over the bed. "Morning. Ready to fight for your life again?" 

Gyeong-seok chuckled as Hyun-ju shook her blanket, doing her best to tuck it into the mattress in swift time. "You do that every morning. It brings me back to my service days, I'd always mess it up. The amount of push-ups I had to do."

Hyun-ju gulped, quickly finishing her job. She turned back to him. "Just a childhood routine of mine. That's all."

Gyeong-seok nodded his head, waiting for her before walking down the stairwell where they met with Young-mi, Geum-ja and Young-mi.

"Morning, lovebirds!", Young-mi chirped.

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes, holding onto her shoulders and turning her towards the line that was being built towards the game hall. "Girl, we're about to enter a game that could kill us, priorities."

"Oh, but you two are the perfect distraction in here!"

"Young-mi-a!"

Gyeong-seok chuckled awkwardly, before looking back and seeing Gi-hun approaching him along with his team. He smiled, holding out a hand for him. "Hi, Mr Seong."

"Mr Park." He took it briefly, giving a light shake before turning around to the rest of his team. "Uh, I just wanted to introduce you to everyone." He pointed to a man beside him bearing the number 001 with sharp features that only softened when Gi-hun introduced him. "This is Young-il." He turned to the man on the other side of him, an enthusiastic smile on his face with his jacket bearing the number 390. "This is Jung-bae." He then turned back behind him, pointing to a young man bearing the number 388 and the young woman with 222 from the bathroom the night before. "And these are Dae-ho and Jun-hee. That's our little team."

Gyeong-seok turned back to his team, scanning their faces for permission to introduce them, getting it through a chorus of nods. "This is Hyun-ju, if there's a leader on our team, it's her, she was incredible last game." Hyun-ju covered her grin with her hand as Gyeong-seok continued. "Then we have Young-mi here, and finally Geum-ja and Yong-sik."

The teams nodded at each other with a smile, the two pairs of 'leaders' acknowledging each other with respect. Gi-hun spoke again. "I do think it's a good idea if we stick together. We discussed it last night and there is strength in numbers. If it's a team game, we join up. But either way, we should stick together after this game."

Hyun-ju furrowed her eyebrows. "How come?"

"Last time, the players started to attack each other. It increased the prize pool, but we barely survived. We were lucky to have a man on our team, he was gentle but strong. Picked up one of those bars on the bedframe like it was nothing."

Hyun-ju pursed her lips, remembering her conversation with the guard the night before. She looked beside her, seeing a wave of fear wash over Young-mi. She placed an arm around her, pulling her in close. "Don't worry, Young-mi. It'll be fine."

"The next game is about to begin. Please begin to make your way towards the game hall."

The 255 bodies began to move out of the dormitory, Young-mi still cradled in Hyun-ju's arm. During the walk, the young Dae-ho spoke up. 

"So, you guys are a family, right? How did you all end up here?"

Hyun-ju looked back and chuckled. "What?"

The man became flustered. "Oh, I just assumed that she's your little sister, 007 is your brother, 149 is your mother and 246 is your husband."

Hyun-ju released a belly laugh. "Nah, it's only Yong-sik and Geum-ja who are related. Son and mother. The rest of us are strangers."

Jung-bae's eyes widened. "Could've fooled me. You five are so tight-knit. Gi-hun and I have been friends for years, that's the only connection in our team. Oh, and Dae-ho here being a fellow comrade."

Dae-ho pulled up his sleeve, showing his Marine tattoo off. Something panged in Hyun-ju's heart, the desire the raise her hand in salute and recognise a military brother. Instead, she gave a respectful nod and meekly said, "Thank you for your service, boys."

Dae-ho and Jung-bae chuckled, patting each other on the back as they continued up the stairs. Meanwhile, Geum-ja had fallen back to take notice of Jun-hee, her eyes heavy from a night of little sleep.

"Are you feeling better since last night? Are you okay for the game?"

Jun-hee nodded. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"I hope these men have been taking care of you. If you need some girls, come to us any time. The only men on our side are my Yong-sik and Hyun-ju's Gyeong-seok."

Jun-hee smirked slightly. "So they are married? Knew it."

Geum-ja chuckled. "Oh no, they barely know each other, apparently. But they're so stubborn, they won't do anything about it. To be young and dumb." Her smile dropped then slightly as the walk up the stairs continued. "So, where's the father? Why isn't he the one here getting money for his child?"

Jun-hee scoffed, her gaze turning from Geum-ja to the crypto guy who was staring at her from a flight behind them. "He's not in the picture."

"Ah! That's no good! It's always easier for the man to run away, isn't it?"

Jun-hee nodded her head. "I suppose so."

The groups kept chatting as they walked up, Gyeong-seok and Gi-hun falling into a conversation about game strategies while Yong-sik and Young-il remained silent, Young-il keeping his eyes on Gi-hun with intensity. Young-mi and Hyun-ju caught this, giving each other a playful look to comminicate that they were both thinking the same thing about the meaning of his gaze. Deep down, however, the man unsettled Hyun-ju. She was learning to trust more over the last few days, and trusted the other members of the team, especially the enduring duo that was Dae-ho and Jung-bae. However, his stare reminded her of ones she'd seen in her military days, even ones she'd worn a few times. It was a calculated stare, one that seemed to be ripped from the philosophy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War with its precision and observation. She wore it when she'd participate in simulations of going into enemy territory, especially when she gained the satisfaction of having clutched onto their trust and vital information, though knowing it wasn't yet time to strike an attack. She didn't like the man before her, and found herself hoping this wouldn't be a team game just so that she didn't have to stick near him.

FInally, after several minutes of tedious walking, they made it to the arena. Bright lights immediately hit their faces as they took in the room around them, a room reminiscint of a circus tent with doors lining the walls and a circular platform in the middle, with three horses on top of a mini carousel in centre. 

"What, they're going to make us ride a carousel? This is getting a bit ridiculous." Gyeong-seok muttered beside Hyun-ju, making her chuckle.

"Welcome to the third game.", the female voice over the intercome started. "The game you will be playing is Mingle. All players, please step onto the center platform. When the game starts, the platform will begin to rotate, and you will hear a number. You must form groups of that size, go into the rooms, and close the door within 30 seconds."

Hyun-ju scoffed in disbelief, before turning to her team, their new allies turning in themselves.

"Okay. Our biggest priority will be keeping the five of us together. But if a divide happens that means some of the ten of us would be left out of a group, find the nearest people you can. Young-mi, Gyeong-seok, you stay with me at all times. Yong-sik, prioritise your mother. In the other group, we need to look out for Jun-hee the most. If we all manage to get a group together, stay on my tail, I'll be running fast so try to keep up."

"What do we do if they ask to go in groups of two?", Yong-sik asked, making Hyun-ju's breath catch. "I'll obviously go with Ma, but what about you three?"

Hyun-ju considered it, looking between the two people who currently meant the world to her. "The two of you will go together. You guys surviving is most important."

Young-mi scoffed. "Unnie, no. What'll happen is if that's called out, you go with Gyeong-seok and I'll go with Jun-hee."

Hyun-ju sighed. "Okay. One of the three of us will go with Jun-hee. It depends on who's nearest to her. Deal?"

Her team nodded, making her smile and put her hand in the centre, her teammates putting theirs in before lifting them up to the sky, earning a chuckle from everyone. They turned back to their new allies, Hyun-ju giving Gi-hun a knowing nod before they headed onto the carousel together, all staying near each other.

As soon as they were on the platform, Hyun-ju bent down to hold onto Young-mi's hand, letting her huddle in tight to her, before she repeated the action hesitantly with Gyeong-seok. She looked to him, nodding with a small smile before he mirrored her expression, an unspoken understanding that they'd stick by each other.

"Let the game begin."

The platform jolted, making the players gasp and Jun-hee huddle more into Hyun-ju's side, a jingle from their childhood beginning. Round and Round, of all songs. Hyun-ju heard a groan beside her, looking towards Gyeong-seok sporting the face of a father who had only heard this song a thousand times because of his child. She only only muster a small smile, her heartbeat racing as she thought of what would happen once the number was called out. 

Abruptly, the platform and music stopped, making the players jolt forward slightly. "Ten."

The two groups looked at each other, a wave of relief washing over but being quickly replaced by a panic in the room as the timer began and the lights began to flicker. Hyun-ju pointed towards a room to the side, beginning her run and looking back every few seconds to make sure everyone was with her. She guided them towards a green door, busting it open and guiding her team through. She counted each head as they came in, immediately going to press her body against the door once she caught side of a group of men going for their door. Gyeong-seok noticed this, also pressing himself against the banging door, Hyun-ju closing her eyes in fear as she felt the door rattling against her spine. Finally, the timer went off, the door locked and the banging stopped.

Panting, Hyun-ju peeked through the gap in the door, seeing the triangle guards immediately arrive into the arena, guns drawn. Her eyes fell on the men who had just tried to open their door, who began begging for their lives before being gunned down in a flurry of bullets. She cupped her hands around Young-mi's ears, sensing her distress. She then turned to the rest of the room, who were looking at her in slight awe while maintaining the horror of what hat just happened on their faces.

"Is everyone okay?" Everyone in the room nodded, her hands removing from Young-mi's ears as the shooting subsided. Her chest relaxed, looking outside to see the forklifts with coffins coming in. 

"Please remain in the rooms while cleanup is underway."

Everyone in the room took a breath, Hyun-ju's attention turning to Gyeong-seok. "You okay?"

Though his eyes were full of fear, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead, he nodded his head. "You?"

"Never been better."

Gyeong-seok chuckled, raising a hand to pat her shoulder as he straightened up. "What'll we do so if a number that isn't two or five is called out next anyway?"

"If it's a four, it's best for at least one man to be with at least one woman. So you three, two women and one man.", Young-il spoke up.

"I'd go with Jung-bae and Jun-hee anyway. That's six of us.", Dae-ho spoke up.

"No. You and Jung-bae go with Geum-ja and Yong-sik. Jun-hee, go with the ladies and Mr Park, Gi-hun and I will find two other people."

The group nodded, the door unlocking behind Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok shortly after. Everyone flooded out of the rooms, blood splatter still remaining on the ground and carousel when they walked out. Hyun-ju's breath shuddered, her hands returning to the palms of Young-mi and Gyeong-seok as they returned to the carousel. Hyun-ju turned her head towards Geum-ja and Yong-sik, visibly shaken. 

"You two okay?" The mother and son nodded, Hyun-ju's chance to respond interrupted as the carousel jolted and began to spin again, the jingle filling their ears once again as Hyun-ju tightened her grip on the hands she was holding.

Once again, the platform jolted to a stop, Hyun-ju steadying her feet to support to weight of her friends. "Four."

The team turned to each other, nodding in acknowledgement to respect their arrangement. Hyun-ju ushered over Jun-hee, Gyeong-seok taking her hand as they ran towards the nearest room, closing it with 15 seconds left on the timer. Hyun-ju peeked out of the gap, relief washing over her when she saw Geum-ja, Yong-sik, Jung-bae and Dae-ho entering a room. Once again, she held her back against the door, a group of young people banging on the door before they ran off to try to find another room. She sighed with relief, closing her eyes before opening them and looking at her group. "Everyone okay?"

The other three people nodded, Hyun-ju approaching Jun-hee once the door had locked. "Are you okay? With the running and all?"

Jun-hee nodded, hiding the slight pain that nearly caused her to wince. Hyun-ju checked up on Young-mi, then finally on Gyeong-seok.

"You good?"

Gyeong-seok nodded, before he looked out of the gap in the door, seeing the carnage unfold once again outside before the forklift came in. Just as his chest began to heave, he felt a hand on his shoulder, Hyun-ju turning him away from the gap as she stood in front of it, sheilding him and the others from the sight. She relaxed her own breathing the best she could, looking back to see Young-mi and Jun-hee standing against the wall exchanging whispers. She smiled at them, happy to see her friend bonding with someone her age.

Soon enough, the door unlocked, more blood pooling on the ground. Hyun-ju's eyes went to Young-mi, her breath shuddering after her foot squelched in a puddle of it on the ground. Her hand flew into hers, gently pulling her away from it before her eyes fell on the sight of Geum-ja and Yong sik, a smile spreading on her face as her crew ran towards them, Geum-ja wrapping her arms around Hyun-ju and Young-mi.

"Oh, I'm so happy you're both safe!", the older woman exclaimed, turning to Gyeong-seok and Jun-hee, patting their arms. "You all went so fast, I was worried about you getting separated."

"Oh, no. Hyun-ju kept us all together.", Gyeong-seok quipped before turning his attention to the other two men. "I'm glad you both made it. Thanks for sticking with these two."

Dae-ho smiled. "Oh, of course." He then looked around the room, smiling when he caught sight of his friends. "Gi-hun! Young-il! Over here!"

The older men smiled as the walked over to the rest of the group, Gi-hun giving Jung-bae a pat on the shoulder as Young-il checked on Jun-hee. "Did you do alright with the girls and Mr Park?"

"Great. If we're going to go in twos, Young-mi and I are going to go together."

Hyun-ju's head jerked towards Jun-hee, who was smiling beside Young-mi as she chatted to her team. She looked back at Gyeong-seok, who nodded to accept the arrangement.

"Players, please step onto the platform. The next round is about to begin."

Hyun-ju's hands once again slotted into Young-mi's and Gyeok-seok's, something in her telling her to grasp on tighter this time. The spinning and jingle didn't go on for as long this time around, before the abrupt stop came and the voice spoke, "Three."

Hyun-ju nodded to the people beside her, lingering only slightly to see if the rest of her team had formed alliances. Once she saw Dae-ho and Jung-bae run off with Jun-hee, and Gi-hun turn towards Yong-sik and Geum-ja, she was off. Her grip adjusted to intertwine her fingers between those of her friends, adjusting for the sweat that had been pooling in their hands by tightening her grip. She pushed through the frenzy of bodies, her sight only settled on the red door that had no one surrounding it. She pushed through it, leaning up against the door as she finally let go of their hands. 

"Are you both okay? That was rough, no scratches, bumps?"

They both shook their heads, earning a nod from Hyun-ju before she looked through the gap. Her heart sank when she saw Geum-ja standing in the middle of the room, terrified and confused. Her eyes widened, her hand going to the handle. 

"Ms Jang! Over here!"

"Hyun-ju, what are you doing?!", Gyeong-seok yelled, pulling the door back in. 

She was about to protest, before she caught sight of Young-il grabbing her and another young woman with short hair and face piercings, running to the nearest door. Hyun-ju slumped against the door, looking at the panicked gaze on Gyeong-seok's face.

"She was in trouble. I wanted to-"

"Hyun-ju! If you had brought her in, all four of us would be killed! We would've been over the limit!"

Hyun-ju sighed, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "There would've been only three."

Gyeong-seok gazed at her in confusion, before the implication of what she was saying hit him as the door locked. He scoffed incredulously. "Really? You were going to play the hero?"

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes, looking towards Young-mi for support before seeing that she was returning the same look of horror. She swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking. "Look, I know you guys think I'm some master game player in here. But outside, I'm nothing. Young-mi, you have your whole life ahead of you. Gyeong-seok, your daughter needs you. Yong-sik needs Ms Jang and the mothers in her neighbourhood need her guidance. No one needs me out there. It would've been for the greater good."

"Unnie, I need you out there." Young-mi's breath shook. "I don't have any friends on the outside. My older sister is dead. When we get out, I need you to be sitting at Ms Jang's dinner table with us, do my makeup, meet up for lunch. And without you here, I can't even get out."

Hyun-ju sniffled, letting Young-mi into her ams as the massacre resumed outside, her ears sheilded by her embrace. She look up at Gyeong-seok, devastation still on his face. Her own breath trembled, the assigned numbers of those slain filling her own ears. 

"Fuck, Hyun-ju. Why would you even think of doing that? Ms Jang mightn't have even gotten here in time from where she was."

Hyun-ju nodded her head, holding back her tears. "Yeah. I guess it was stupid. I'm really sorry, guys."

The sound of the forklift subsided, followed by the door unlocking. The three shook as they walked out, Hyun-ju's eyes going to a screen that indicated the number of players remining. 141, out of 255 who had entered. A chill ran up her spine, remembering what the guard had said the night before. The memory made her body shift closer to Young-mi's and Gyeong-seok's, only being interrupted when her eyes caught the sight of Geum-ja, the trio running up to her and Hyun-ju embracing her tighter than before.

"Ms Jang! I was so worried!", she exclaimed, a tear coming from her eye.

"Oh, don't worry about me, sweetie. Mr 001 here saved me, as well as this young girl here."

Hyun-ju's gaze went over Geum-ja's shoulder, past Young-il and towards the young girl in question, recognising her as being the girl in the group lead by the purple haired man known as Thanos. She approached her slightly, asking "How come you didn't go with the little guy? Is he okay?"

The younger girl scoffed. "He's fine. Believe me."

Hyun-ju sighed. "Well, stay with us if you want. But he mightn't survive."

"Oh, I know. But he'll be fine for this game. Trust me."

Hyun-ju turned back to the rest of the team, whose gaze turned to the direction of the carousel. Just in front of it stood Gi-hun and Yong-sik, the latter shaking as the former guided him towards the team.

"Mom-"

"Oh, Yong-sik!"

As the mother and son tearfully reunited, Gyeong-seok turned to Gi-hun. "How did they get separated?"

Gi-hun took a breath, a look of guilt washing over his face as Jung-bae, Dae-ho and Jun-hee approached them. "We lost hold of her, and just as we were about to get her, a young man grabbed the both of us and shoved us into the room before we coild get her. He wouldn't let Yong-sik out to get her, even though there was time."

Hyun-ju frowned. "Do you know who it was?"

"He was wearing the number 333. He tried to regroup with us, but Yong-sik told him to get away from him so he wandered off."

Jun-hee tensed beside them, Hyun-ju immediately taking notice. She followed the younger girls gaze, her eyes falling on the man sporting the number; the crypto guy, who was staring at Jun-hee again. Hyun-ju scoffed to herself, looking back to the mother and son before returning her gaze to 333, something clicking in her.

Once they had shuffled back onto the platform, her grip returned once again to Gyeong-seok's and Young-mi's hands tighter than ever. As soon as the jingle started and the platform moved was as soon as they stopped. "Six."

The combined teams turned to each other, Hyun-ju speaking as the lights began to flicker. "The five of us are staying together. Who wants to come with us?"

Dae-ho raised his hand. "I'll go." With that, the six took off, the remaining four scrambling for two other teammates.

Despite the room being emptier, it was getting more chaotic to get through the room. Finally, Hyun-ju noticed a opening in the side of the room. "Over here! Come on!"

Dae-ho's arms shot around Yong-sik and Geum-ja's intertwined frames, following closely behind the unbreakable link between Gyeong-seok, Hyun-ju and Young-mi. Hyun-ju busted in the door once again, relief washing over her when she saw that it was empty. Everyone piled in, Geum-ja panting loudly as Hyun-ju went to put herself against the door once again, doing a satisfactory headcheck. 

"We're all okay, yeah?"

The group nodded, Hyun-ju returning the gesture before looking out of the gap, her heart rate settling slightly as she saw Jun-hee and Gi-hun disappear behind a door just before the timer stopped.

"Jun-hee made it. We're all set if we need to get in twos."

"Oh, that's excellent. But we hardly need another round, right? I'm exhausted. ", Geum-ja exclaimed, Yong-sik holding her up.

Hyun-ju walked over to Geum-ja, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If we play another one, we're nearly there. They said six games in total, yeah? There needs to be at least a few people remaining if the full games play their course."

Gyeong-seok nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we're nearly there. That song will never leave my brain though."

Dae-ho chuckled. "Tell me about it. Growing up with four sisters means I know it by heart."

Soon enough, they were out and back on the platform for the announced final round, much to everyones chagrin. 126 players remained, the carousel much less densely populated now than when they came in. As the jingle began for an ear bleeding fifth time, Hyun-ju heard Young-il talk about how likely it was for the next team to be two, as there were fifty rooms which would ensure the survival of 100 players to limit the numbers. Hyun-ju's suspicion was higher than ever, her being the only person to have heard about 100 survivors directly from a guard.

Finally, the song ended, the platform jolted to a holt and the lights began to flicker. "Two."

Hyun-ju's grip on Gyeong-seok's hand tightened, but only loosened slightlt on Young-mi's when she saw Jun-hee come for her. The four rand off the platform, headed for the nearest rooms at lightning speed, bodies falling over each other around them. Suddenly, Hyun-ju was jerked down, Young-mi's body on the floor as Jun-hee was snatched from her. 

"Hey!", she roared, the man pulling Jun-hee into the room with a brief glance. Hyun-ju turned to Gyeong-seok. "Get into a room. Lean against the door until I'm back."

"Hyu-"

"Do it, Gyeong-seok!"

He ran into the nearest room, Hyun-ju picking up Young-mi and bringing her towards the orange room the other pair had just ran into. She barged in, only with moderate effort against the man's minimal blocking. She gently threw Young-mi in, her sights settling on the man, and his number; Player 333.

He snarled. "Get out! Two of you, out!"

Hyun-ju waited until he charged at her, punching his nose before pulling him out of the room by his collar and kicking the door shut. The man tried to go to open the door again, before Hyun-ju grabbed and flipped his entire frame over by his arm and snapped it, resulting in a roar of pain. With one more kick to the side to make sure he wouldn't get up in time and a snarl in her own teeth, she ran towards the door Gyeong-seok was behind, barging through it just as the timer went up.

She had ended up in Gyeong-seok's arms, panting as their bodies fell to the floor. Her eyes widened, looking directly into his shocked expression as his arms held her. "Fuck, I'm sor-"

"Jesus, Hyun-ju. What was that?"

She looked to the side in embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry you had to see that. He'd just separated Yong-sik from Geum-ja, and I thought Young-mi would-"

Her words were cut off by Gyeong-seok's finger going to her chin and redirecting her sight to him. "I'm not sorry I saw it. Not a bit."

Hyun-ju looked in his eyes, the sound of shooting outside fading to the back of her mind as she saw the meaning behind his words in his face and felt his thumb sstroking her cheek. Adrenaline was filling her bloodstream, high off the fact that she just nearly died. She had almost died and it would've happened without her doing what she most wanted to do in here.

She couldn't rationalise herself out of bringing her hands to the back of his neck, bringing his face up to hers and crushing their lips together, the act immediately being reciprocated by Gyeong-seok. Despite the desparation, there was no lust, just relief as she brought her arms around his waist and pulled him up, neither separating from the kiss as they just about balanced the other on their feet. The blood from her knuckles and the man's nose transferred to Gyeong-seok's jacket, some lingering in his hair where she had held onto moments ago. Their arms enveloped each other, not budging once their lips finally separated, their chests heaving against each other as both sets of eyes widened.

"I'm sorry.", Hyun-ju whispered, Gyeong-seok returning a grin.

"For what?"

Hyun-ju grinned back, her soft chuckle cut off by Gyeong-seok planting a gentler, softer kiss on her lips, prompting her to respond with equal tenderness. While the last kiss was a culmination of stolen moments and glances, this one was an acknowledgement, an acknowledgement of something deeper than the two could yet verbalise.

"The game has now ended. All players must now exit the rooms and return to the dormitory."

 

Notes:

Hope you guys enjoyed this! Thanks again for all the support! 🫶

Chapter 7: 007

Notes:

Song of the chapter: Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby by Cigarettes After Sex
https://youtu.be/QI8VrXkffcg?si=YRh46okb2Qawg7qV

Hyun-ju's fingers only separated from Gyeong-seok's when she caught sight of her team, smiling as she went over to greet them, relief filling them as she approached them. Her arms immediately went around Young-mi, relief washing over her when the small girl hugged back. 

"Oh, I'm so happy you're safe!" She separated slightly, seeing a tinge of fear in Young-mi's eyes. Her own posture faltered. "Oh, 333? I'm really sorry, did I scare you?"

Young-mi nodded slightly, before wrapping her arms around her again. "Thank you, Unnie. I would've died."

Hyun-ju's smile turned warm. "Hey, not on my watch, remember? I didn't hurt you when I pushed you in, did I?"

"No, Unnie. Jun-hee caught me."

Hyun-ju's eyes turned to Jun-hee, removing her arms from Young-mi and approaching her, the girl wearing an unreadable expression. "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt?"

Jun-hee merely shook her head, her silence unnerving her. She nodded to accept it though, as she turned to Geum-ja who already had her arms open.

"Hyun-ju! Oh, I thought it was you who got your arm snapped, it all happened so fast!", the woman exclaimed as Hyun-ju bent down into her hug. When they separated, she inspected her hand. "Oh, dear! We need to get this cleaned up! Does it hurt?"

Hyun-ju shrugged. "Just stings. I've had worse."

Geum-ja nodded as the group fell in together, Hyun-ju slotting behind Gyeong-seok and in front of Young-mi as they were escorted back down the staircase. The silence that fell on them after every game washed over again, the sudden shift making Hyun-ju wince in realisation; not everyone made it back with the people they loved. She had gotten lucky, her entire crew as well as their new allies walking back down the stairs as The Blue Danube filled their ears. Even Thanos' group had lost someone, a young man who was a big fan of his music. The image of the tears on 333's face as she snapped his arm flashed in her mind, his anger and rage fading into desperation as she kicked him and left him for dead. She only got a flash of it amidst her adrenaline-fused attack, her only focus being on ensuring Young-mi's safety and getting back to Gyeong-seok in time to save him. 

Her blood went cold as the memory of the conversation with the guard came once again. A riot, bloodshed. Exactly 100 had survived, the split between the sides almost perfect. It was happening, and she knew she'd have to fight once again before the night was out. Her eyes darted down to her knuckles, skin torn and exposed from the impact. She knew she'd have to clean it off, find something to wrap it and preserve her strength for later on.

When they reached the dormitory, her team sighed as they approached their base, Gi-hun's going back to their own with a wave. While they sat down, Hyun-ju remained standing, breaking the silence.

"I'm just gonna go clean this off. Anyone want to come?"

Geum-ja and Young-mi immediately stood up, the men groaning as the women chuckled. They walked through the hall, Hyun-ju wincing slightly as she flexed her hand. She turned to them as she began to walk up the stairs.

"Are you sure you're both okay? That was an intense one."

Geum-ja gave a tight smile. "They've all been intense. Thanks again for all you did, Hyun-ju."

She nodded. "I just did what I had to do."

"The way you dealt with that guy was insane, Unnie. Did you really learn all that in the military?"

Hyun-ju smiled as her hand landed on the door of the bathroom and walked through. "Yes indeed. I once did that with a man twice my size, but there was no arm breaking. Just the tackling. I was put in charge of training the newbies quite often, as well as leading troops."

Geum-ja's eyes widened in intrigue as Hyun-ju ran the faucet. "Do you ever miss it?"

Hyun-ju sighed, watching the bloody water go down the drain. "Every day. I was serving since I was eighteen. I wanted to do it to push my feelings back, but my father also just wanted one of his kids to stay in the military, and I just happened to enjoy it. I was meant to get a promotion the year I began my transition. I wanted to stay hidden, work up and get the position, repress myself for another few years at least. But I couldn't do it anymore. Seventeen years of service and I was fired without another word. I even begged for just a demotion, but it was no use." She chuckled humourlessly as she dried off her hand with a large wad of the thin toilet paper. "And of all people I was replaced with, it was the guy I taught how to shoot a gun. He was ten years younger than me. I thought he was my brother, but he accepted the promotion with no hesitation and cut all contact with me. He was as timid as they come, and he was then looking at me like I was trash."

Geum-ja and Young-mi looked at her sympathetically, their opportunity to respond going when Hyun-ju unzipped her jacket, grabbing the hem of her T-shirt and going to bring it to her teeth.

"Woah, woah, Hyun-ju! What are you doing?"

Hyun-ju shrugged. "I need to wrap it. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Geum-ja sighed, taking out her hairpin and handing it to Hyun-ju, who took it in her fingers in confusion. She opened it up, her eyes widening when she saw a small blade.

"Ms Jang..."

"I'm an older lady with Yong-sik for a son. I have to have some way to defend myself against a break in."

Hyun-ju gave a small smirk, before looking back to her. "Can I use it to..?"

Geum-ja nodded. "Of course. Don't be hurting your teeth, dear."

Hyun-ju smiled, giving a nod in thanks before grabbing the shirt and making a slit about two and a half inches from the hem, carefully but swiftly ripping a strip from the foundation, creating a satisfactory bandage. Geum-ja walked over, taking back the hairpin before removing the strip from her hands and wrapping it effectively, tucking the end under her palm.

"There you go, nae ttal."

Hyun-ju's breath caught in her throat at the term. My daughter. She looked at the woman with a stunned expression, Geum-ja only returning a gentle smile. Hyun-ju blinked back tears, her response interrupted by Young-mi.

"So, what happened in Mingle Room 32?"

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes, leaning up against the sink as Geum-ja matched Young-mi's intrigue. "What happened between you and Jun-hee? Matching hair and all."

"Unnie, don't be so coy! You were glowing when you walked out, and his hair was a mess!"

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes again, though smiled at the memory. "Okay. Not a word leaves this bathroom. I kissed him."

Young-mi squealed as Geum-ja's hands joined together in excitement.

"And what did he do then, Hyun-ju?"

Hyun-ju's lips pursed together, before her grin overtook her face. "He kissed me again."

She felt both womens arms on her, Young-mi squaling and Geum-ja chuckling as she blushed. 

"Ah, and he's so nice too! He has my blessing!"

"Ms Jang, we're not getting married!" Hyun-ju's laugh stopped abruptly, inhaling as she fiddled with her hand. "I don't know if we'll be anything."

The other two women frowned, Young-mi speaking up. "Why, Unnie? He clearly likes you. From where we're standing, he loves you."

Hyun-ju released a chuckle. "Sure, that's how it is now. But what if, when we get out, he wants to take things further? I don't exactly have the equipment for that."

Geum-ja scoffed. "Ah, Hyun-ju! In love, it doesn't matter what you have or haven't. That man would adore even if you had 20 heads. And either way, aren't you getting a surgery when you get out?"

"I am. But the recovery period is long. Long enough for him to find any other woman, realise he doesn't need m-"

"Unnie. Open your eyes. He knows you're trans, maybe not everything that comes with it. But he knows why you're here. And he's still into you."

Hyun-ju sighed. "Okay. Let's say he can completely disregard the gender thing. What about when he finds out I was in the military? It's not exactly ladylike work."

The other two women snorted, turning to look at each other as if to say "Who's gonna tell her?" before facing Hyun-ju again.

She frowned. "What?"

"Unnie, did he or did he not kiss you right after watching you bodyslam a man and leave him for dead?"

Hyun-ju nodded. "Yeah. So?"

"I don't know, maybe he likes a woman who can hold her own like that. I once saw this French film about a guy who was head over heels for a girl in the military and joined a training camp just because she was there. Gyeong-seok's probably one of those men."

Hyun-ju shrugged, remembering the worlds he had said to her earlier. "Maybe. I don't know." She took a deep breath, standing away from the sink. "We should be getting back, right? Have a chat with the others before voting or mealtime?"

The other two women nodded, before Geum-ja spoke. "I might actually go to the toilet while I'm here. Do you mind waiting?"

"Not at all, go ahead. We'll just be outside the door."

Geum-ja nodded, disappearing into a stall while Hyun-ju and Young-mi stood outside. Hyun-ju turned to the younger girl, opening her mouth to speak.

"Hey, how was Jun-hee the final round? She looked off after the game."

Young-mi sighed, brushing some hair behind her ear. "She seemed really upset when his number was called out for some reason. Even though she tried to hide it, I could tell. She was shocked when you attacked him, but she was also a bit relieved. I asked her about it, but she didnt say anything."

Hyun-ju's eyes darted in thought, stopping on Young-mi as the thought hit her. "He was hardly the father, was he?"

Young-mi's eyes widened. "He could've been! I saw him a few times trying to talk to her!"

Hyun-ju gasped. "I killed someones father, didn't I?"

Young-mi patted her arm. "Unnie, you didn't know. And he mightn't have been the father. And if he was, Jun-hee didn't look happy whenever he would talk to her, angry even. You could've done them a favour, he was a crypto scammer after all."

"That wasn't for me to decide though."

"Unnie, you saved my life. You were angry for Ms Jang and her son. You had 30 seconds to decide what to do to save all of us. Don't beat yourself up over it." Young-mi took a breath. "If I was as strong as you, I would've done the same thing."

Hyun-ju smiled, bringing the girl in for a hug. "You're already strong, Young-mi. You're one of the final 100."

 

⭕

 

49 X votes to 50 O votes were about to turn 50/50, with Young-il about to go up and press the X button as promised. While disappointment lingered on their side, there was still optimism among the group, as the split was enough of a win in comparison to the overhwelming win last round. As glee filled the crowd, Hyun-ju's ears picked up on Jung-bae whispering to Dae-ho and Gi-hun.

"Brother Young-il, he scares me."

Her head jerked towards him, the man visibly trembling as he spoke.

"What do you mean?", Dae-ho asked.

"It's just that, in the final round, when we were in the room, he-"

The distinct sound of the red button beeped, the side erupting with joy and embracing, Hyun-ju feeling Gyeong-seoks arms around her. Despite her state of worry, she turned around to face him and hugging back, her heart skipping a beat when he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. The celebration continued as she gave a wide-eyed Young-mi a hug, plastering a smile on her face but only thinking about Jung-bae's words.

After the announcement that the tie-breaker vote would commence the next day and the divide in votes officially marked by the opposing sides shuffling to opposite sides of the room, Hyun-ju placed an arm on Jung-bae's shoulder, the man turning around to her in surprise. Her friends looked back at her, shuffling away when she signalled it.

"Jung-bae, isn't it? Would it be okay if we had a chat?"

The man nodded. "Of course."

The two walked between bedposts, out of earshot of the other contestants. 

"Hyun-ju, right? Great strategy last game!"

Hyun-ju chuckled before her tone turned serious again. "Thanks. So, I couldn't help but overhear you near the end of the vote. You said Young-il scared you in the final round?"

Jung-bae looked down at his feet, sighing before looking up. "It's nothing. Why?"

Hyun-ju tilted her head. "Come on, Jung-bae." She sighed when he didn't speak, removing one side of her jacket and rolling up her T-shirt sleeve, revealing her small ROK Special Forces unit tattoo on her bicep, slightly lasered off.

Jung-bae's eyes widened, about to fall into salute before Hyun-ju pushed his hands back down, ensuring Gyeong-seok didn't see it before she put her jacket back on.

"Look, if something happens tonight because of that result, you and I are among those who could be prepared for it. We've trained like crazy for most scenarios. But I need to know if I'm right to be paranoid about that man, or if I should trust him. What did he do in that room?"

Jung-bae sighed, leaning up against the wall before speaking. "Time was running out, and I had slipped. We got to a room, and there was already a pair in there. Young-il managed to throw one out, but one remained as the clock nearly ran out. Before it did, he snapped his neck. Now, I know it saved both of us, but there was something in his eyes, Comrade. Something that I can't stop thinking about. Like he enjoyed it, or it was easy."

Hyun-ju shifted her feet, crossing her arms and taking a breath. "Do you trust him?"

"Until that, I had no reason not to. Except a weird moment before the Pentathlon when he suddenly knew Gi-hun's name."

Hyun-ju's eyes darted up. "And when he knew only 100 would survive. I don't trust him, Jung-bae. I really don't."

"But Gi-hun trusts him a lot, and he's played before. I don't know what to do." He paused for a moment, before his eyes opened in realisation. "The Penathlon! We were on a roll, we had a lot of time left, and Young-il kept messing up the spinning top. Then, all of a sudden, he was perfect. We nearly finished a minute early until that point."

Hyun-ju scoffed. "I don't trust him. Not a bit. Nope. That man is the last chapter of Art of War to a T."

Jung-bae's eyes widened. "Do you think he's one of them? The ones above?"

"Maybe. But he could very well be deceiving to get the whole prize. Either way, we need to watch ourselves. Look out for anything odd about him, or in general."

Jung-bae nodded. Hyun-ju gave him a smile before the buzzer went off, a group of pink guards walking in with the familiar tables with crates of food.

"It is now mealtime. Please line up in an orderly fashion and collect your meal."

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes before nodding Jung-bae goodbye and walking over to Gyeong-seok as he approached.

"What was that about with Jung-bae?", he whispered when they united.

"I'll tell you in a while, but it's to do with the game."

He nodded, falling into line behind her. When she reached the top of the line and collected her items, she furrowed her eyebrows at the meal. A glass bottle of soda and kimbap wrapped in tinfoil. She unravelled the food in her hands as she walked, Gyeong-seok following behind her.

"Oh, if they cooked this right, this will be the best meal I had in days! I love kimbap!"

Hyun-ju went to smile back at his enthusiasm, before her heart dropped upon seeing what else was in the foil; a fork, something she never used to eat this dish with. She stopped in place, her breath caught in her throat as her eyes darted between the fork and the glass bottle, the weight unusual after the plastic bottle of water and paper milk carton the days before.

"Hyun-ju? Are you okay?"

She turned around to face Gyeong-seok, before putting the meal in one hand and grabbing his hand, pulling him between the bedframes she was just in with Jung-bae.

"Seriously, Hyun-ju, you're worrying me. What's up?"

Hyun-ju took a breath, before motioning down at the objects. "Mr Seong said that last time, people killed each other after lights out. Do you notice anything different about what they gave us?"

"It's actual food? I don't-"

"Gyeong-seok. The fork. The bottle. You don't eat kimbap with a fork and glass bottles seem like overkill. They've handed us weapons."

The colour drained from Gyeong-seok's face, unravelling his own tinfoil and pulling out the fork. He took a glance around, noticing players on the O side pocketing the cutlery with grins on their faces. 

"Holy shit. They're going to try and win the vote by force, aren't they?"

Hyun-ju nodded, sweat forming over her brow. "Look, if something does end up happening, keep that fork on you. Be prepared."

"Hyun-ju, I couldn't-"

"I know. But if someone attacks you, and I'm not around or distracted, you need to defend yourself. I'm not losing you."

Gyeong-seok smiled nervously, putting the fork in his pocket. "Now, Jung-bae. Do I need to be jealous?"

Hyun-ju guffawed, putting her hand to her mouth. "Not at all. Jung-bae, he's sweet, but he's not my type. I go for more of the artistic type, not the military men."

Gyeong-seok smirked, tilting his head. "Really? That's interesting."

Hyun-ju smiled, giving him a squeeze of his hand before returning to the topic. "He told me that he's scared of Young-il, because he snapped a mans neck in the final round. And that it kind of looked like he enjoyed it."

Gyeong-seok's eyes widened. "Really? But he's so.... unassuming."

Hyun-ju shook her head. "I didn't trust him from the second I saw him. But I probably shouldn't talk. I mean, what I did to 333, it was brutal."

Gyeong-seok frowned, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You did that to save us. And it was pretty cool. Obviously, I don't condone murder, but you didn't look like you enjoyed it anyway."

Hyun-ju shook her head. "I didn't. It was instinct. All I was thinking about was you and Young-mi, and the thought of doing nothing while she died. I was thinking about my people, but what if he had people?"

"Hyun-ju, he was about to basically kill Young-mi. If I was able to, I would've done worse. If it was you, I think I would do worse."

Hyun-ju looked into his eyes, the hornets nest in her stomach well kicked and buzzing wild. To make it even wilder, Gyeong-seok moved his hand from her shoulder to her cheek, bringing his thumb to her cheekbone scar once again.

"You said it was instinct, what you did. What did you mean by that?"

Hyun-ju straightened her faltered composure slightly, releasing a nervous chuckle. "I guess you can handle this if you can handle the trans thing."

Gyeong-seok furrowed his eyebrows. "What, are you an axe murderer or something?"

"Not quite." She took a breath, ready to spit it out. "I was Sergeant First Class in the Special Forces."

Gyeong-seok's eyes widened, something sparkling in them before he broke into a wide grin. "That is what you were so nervous to tell me? Hyun-ju, I thought you were about to tell me you were an assassin or something."

Hyun-ju gave a shy smile. "I was worried about what you'd think of me. That I wasn't feminine enough."

Gyeong-seok scoffed slightly, keeping his hand on her cheek as he looked in her eyes. "Cho Hyun-ju, I think you might just be the most incredible woman I've ever met."

Hyun-ju smiled back at him, a tear escaping the side of her eye before she placed her hand over his. "We should get back to the others, eat, strategise."

"Oh yeah, the kimbap. Nearly forgot about that."

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes, chuckling as she took his hand and walked them out of the corner. "Come on, dude."

 

⭕

 

Gyeong-seok turned from the sink and towards the bathroom door, the first thing catching his sight was the distinct tuft of purple hair bent down in front of an open stall. He was about to walk past, keep his head down, until he caught a glimpse of who else was in the stall; the small timid guy, Thanos gripping onto the red patch as he spoke.

"...I was given a second chance at life, so I decided to give it my best shot, make my mom proud. But you, with this, you're stopping me from doing that. It makes me so furious! I'm so fucking angry, man!"

 "Hey, man. Come on, leave the kid alone."

Thanos stood up, a grin playing on his lips as he approached Gyeong-seok, his friend walking out of the stall next to him and the timid guy running out. 

Thanos scoffed. "He speaks. What's it to you who I talk to, huh? Just fuck off."

"Look, don't be bullying the kid because of a vote."

"I'm not bullying him, that's my boy Min-su!"

Gyeong-seok looked back behind him, seeing Min-su trembling. "Yeah, you two seem like great pals. Just leave him alone. If he wants to go, he wants to go. He wants to stay, he wants to stay. Don't be intimidating him and interfering with the vote."

His friend chuckled. "You're the one who's with the tall girl, right? The one who took care of MG Coin for us."

Thanos released an exagerrated gasp and clasped his hands together, looking between his friend and Gyeong-seok. "Oh, she's my hero! Tell her I said gracias, will you?"

Gyeong-seok squinted his eyes. "Just leave the boy alone. Don't bring her into this."

"Oooooh!", his friend taunted with a grin. "Mr 246 here has a girlfriend! Or is it a boyfriend?"

Gyeong-seok's jaw clenched, his fingers beginning to travel to his pocket.

Thanos put his arm on his friends shoulder. "Hey, Nam-su. Be nice. That woman's our hero, remember?"

"It's Nam-gyu."

"Yeah, whatever." He turned back to Gyeong-seok. "You know, it's a pity. I was going to ask her to join the Thanos World, because she's a fucking machine and took out the reason I'm in here. She could help us do great things! But then, she switched sides, pressed that X button, and now, I think that invitations expired." He stood closer to Gyeong-seok, his jaw clenching again. "But who knows? She switched sides because of her boyfriend, right? What if I was her boyfriend? Let's say we do a trade, huh? I get your girl, you get Min-su."

By now, the bathroom had divided between the Xs and Os, everyones attention turned to the conversation, the attention not distracting Gyeong-seok from the slow travel of his fingers.

"Just shut up about her."

Thanos chuckled, putting a hand on Gyeong-seok's shoulder before he swatted it off. "I'm only playing, man. But really, it's not nice to have someone try and interfere with what's yours, huh? That's what you and all those X voters are doing, huh? Thinking you're so much better. And think about it, bro. She's only voted X once. Who's to say she won't just come to her senses, come back to us, and continue playing? She'll realise you're just a pussy, and come over and fight with us. Then, we'll win the whole thing, and I'll walk out with her on my arm. How's that sound?"

Gyeong-seok's patience officially snapped. His balled fist swung forward, Thanos swiftly leaning back with a grin on his face. He chuckled before widening his eyes and turning around. "Hey! Team O! These X bastards are attacking us to win the vote!"

Gyeong-seok scoffed, the opportunity to respond being taken by a punch landing on his jaw. He looked behind him briefly to see Min-su running out of the bathroom before turning back and dodging Thano's attempt to wrap his arms around him, landing a punch to his nose and picking up his collar before being flipped on the ground. The entire bathroom had now erupted into a brawl, bodies slamming down and punches thrown as Gyeong-seok kicked under Thanos' grasp, the man chuckling as he bent down and threw more punches at his face.

"You can't even fight. Do you really think she's going to stick around a pussy like you? Huh! You old fuck, come on!"

Gyeong-seok gritted his teeth, the other man's hands going to his neck with a maniacal laugh. Instead of fighting to take his hands off, Gyeong-seok's hand shot down to his pocket, removing the fork at last and driving it into the side of Thanos' neck. His act didn't hit him until he pulled it out, blood splattering all over his face as Thanos' eyes froze in place. Gyeong-seok shuddered, throwing the mans body off of him before grabbing the fork and putting it into his pocket, managing to run to the exit amidst the chaos.

Once he was outside, he leaned against the wall, holding onto his chest as he hyperventilated. He didn't take any notice of the guards right outside the door, only the sounds of the banging inside the bathroom. He looked down at his hands, drenched in blood as his chest heaved. His back slid down the wall, tears beginning to flow from his eyes as he became aware of the blood on his face. He buried his head in his arms, heaving and sobbing as the fight resumed and the guards remained stoic.

"Gyeong-seok! Oh my God, Gyeong-seok!"

His head shot up, seeing Hyun-ju running towards him and fall to the ground beside him. Her hands went to his arms. "What happened?!"

"He-he- he wouldn't- Min-su- kept talking shit- stabbed-"

"Hey, hey, come here."

He fell into her arms, Hyun-ju aiding him off the ground as he kept his head buried in her shoulder. muttering odd words about what had happened. She lead him to the front of the womens toilets, sitting him down again and removing the fork from his pocket. 

"Wait a moment, I'll be right back."

He nodded, watching her go into the bathroom. While it was only a minute, it felt like it had taken hours before she came back out, her jacket zipped down to reveal her T-shirt sloppily ripped at the stomach and the remains of it drenched in her hand. She placed down the filled glass bottle and rinsed fork, kneeling down and pressing the makeshift cloth to his face, wincing slightly at the coldness. She wiped around his face and his hair before she reached his hands, turning the rag around and cleaning those as well. She dropped the rag to the floor, picking up the bottle.

"Drink up, love. It'll help calm you down."

He looked up at her, concerned eyes firmly fixed on him as he took the bottle. He gulped down the water, his breaths beginning to stabilise as Hyun-ju ran her fingers through his damp hair.

"Why did you come?"

She took a breath, keeping her hand in his hair. "I got really worried, then Min-su came back and told me so I went after you. Then, I heard all the yelling and banging, and I just ran. It's after exploding back at the dorm too. No one hitting each other, but yelling."

Gyeong-seok sighed, settling his head on Hyun-ju's shoulder as he spoke. "I just wanted to stick up for him. He's so meek and they have him completely manipulated. Then, he started on about you, how he'd get you to switch sides again. I just saw red, Hyun-ju. I wouldn't have done it if he was just going on about me. But fuck, no one gets to mention you."

Her breath caught in her throat, adjusting her head to look at him.

"I'm not going back, you know? I'm done here. And whatever happens tonight, I'm sticking by you and the others. If we have to play again, I'll stick by you. I definitely wouldn't switch back for that prick."

He sighed. "But why, Hyun-ju? You didn't reach out after we first met. Why are you so stuck with me now?"

Hyun-ju inhaled, shifting to press her forehead against his and whisper. "Because now that I know you, I don't think I can ever run away from you again."

Gyeong-seok's heart drummed a heavy rhythm, coming to a crescendo when Hyun-ju tenderly closed the gap between their lips, gently holding onto the back of his head as his thumb remained on her scar. They both caressed the areas as the kiss softly passed something unspoken between them, hornets and drums fading to the background.

When they separated, the smiled for a moment, before Hyun=ju began to stand up after one final stroke of his hair.

"Come on. We should get back before everyone else."

Gyeong-seok nodded, standing up and leaning into Hyun-ju's side as she wrapped an arm around him, guiding him back to the dormitory as the muffled sounds of the brawl continued.

Notes:

Thanks again for all the support on the last chapter! 🫶🫶

Chapter 8: 008

Notes:

Song of the chaapter: Futire Days by Pearl Jam
https://youtu.be/FUiHtmkuVP0?si=lbuFlyt7ZtKS2e0n

Just a heads up, this one gets violent

The tension in the room could be sliced with a knife. Under Gi-hun's advice, the X voters had surrounded themselves with bed frames, creating a safe barricade and assembling the a portion of the 48 remaining players on their side; the fight had claimed two on their side, three on the other. Further bloodshed was now inevitable, now that revenge was a priority as well as the evident increase of the prize pool. Hyun-ju's eyes darted between the bars and towards the O team, who were plotting as well. She turned back to her team, placing her hand over Gyeong-seok's trembling one and keeping her arm around Young-mi. 

"They're definitely plotting something.", a man spoke, looking at the other side.

"The last time I was here, the players started attacking each other after lights out once they knew it increased the money.", Gi-hun spoke, intensity forming in his eyes.

Young-il frowned, tilting his head. "The players killed each other outside of a game? Surely not."

"They did. Dozens were killed, with bottles, with blankets. It was a bloodbath. We were given forks and bottles for a reason. It's happening."

Dae-ho spoke up. "So, what do we do?"

"I think we should attack them first. They won't be expecting it, they think we're weaker.", Young-il suggested, Hyun-ju's eyes immediately darting to him.

"We can't do that! It's not them we should be killing!", Gi-hun emphasised.

"Then what do you suggest?", the man from earlier spoke. "That we sit here, wait for them to slit our throats? Lose those on our side and stay trapped after the vote? We have more women and elderly on our side. We need to stand our ground."

"Killing them isn't the answer. It's just playing into their game."

Gyeong-seok squinted his eyebrows. "Whose game?"

Gi-hun turned to him. "The ones above. The ones who control the games, and watch us and bet on us. They're the ones we should be fighting, not people who are in similar situations to us."

Hyun-ju held back a scoff, looking at Young-il who had an amused glint in his eyes.

"How would we do that, Gi-hun? Aren't they heavily armed?", he spoke.

"We take their guns. We hide during the fight, and then when they come in and break it up, we'll take our chance. Then, we get upstairs, and we face the fuckers who are doing this to us."

Hyun-ju suppressed an incredulous look. "That would mean people getting butchered. And we'd just be supposed to do nothing?"

"Yes, it would. But it's essential to this going ahead."

Young-il stared at gi-hun, Hyun-ju noticing a grin playing on the corner of his mouth. "So what you're saying is, you'd sacrifice a few for the greater good?"

Gi-hun sighed, looking down for a moment before looking up again. "If it means saving hundreds from coming here ever again, then yes."

Hyun-ju released an exasperated sigh. "Gi-hun, that's not happening. There's no way we could pull it off. There's hundreds of them and not even fifty of us, and not all of us will want to do this, or can. I say we go defense."

The man sporting the number 047 scoffed. "Defense? How do you defend against forks and bottles?"

Hyun-ju shrugged. "We also have them. And if we lose grip of them, we can fight back in other ways."

"Like how?"

Hyun-ju's eyes darted around the group before she stood up, going to a spacios section of the floor. "Dae-ho, could you come here please?"

The man's eyes widened before he nodded his head, standing up and walking over to her. She began to roll up her sleeves, looking at Dae-ho as his lip trembled.

"Try and swing at me." The mans eyes widened, shaking his head as he heard a snicker. "Come on, you won't hurt me. Just pretend, even."

Dae-ho sighed, sloppily swinging his arm forward which was swiftly blocked by Hyun-ju, her hands going between his shoulder and wrist with a firm but gentle grip.

"So, what you want to do is grab the arm like this, put the top of your foor around the ankle like so, and that'll give you an opportunity to flip your attacker around. If you can't flip them, you can trip them this way, or you can use the opening to knee them in the groin." She didn't carry out the moves, merely signalling them in the air before separating from Dae-ho. "Dae-ho, do a chokehold."

His eyes widened, shaking his head. Despite Hyun-ju's encouragement, he didn't budge. She sighed. "It's okay, Dae-ho, you can sit. Gyeong-seok?"

The man's cheeks turned crimson, but stood up nonetheless. Hyun-ju gave him a soft smile, turning around to allow him to get her in the pretend chokehold, his arm barely encircling her neck.

"Now, in this scenario, you have a few options. You could hit your head back like this, potentially hitting their nose. Elbowing to the side could work, but not always. Or, if you're lucky enough to have someone barely touching your neck like Gyeong-seok here, you can just duck out and away."

Some of the other chuckled as Gyeong-seok rolled his eyes, Hyun-ju now out of his 'hold'.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but how are these supposed to help us against knives and bottles?"

Hyun-ju stood up straight. "I've seen these work against much worse weaponry. Once you've caused your attackers confidence to falter, you can gain the upper hand and overpower them."

047 sighed. "And where do our weapons come into this?"

"You can't just flail a weapon around with no rhyme or reason. And they will be coming at us with them immediately, probably going right for us in the beds. We need to be smart."

Geum-ja sighed and spoke up. "Ttal, what about those of us who can't fight? I don't stand a chance no matter what I'm taught with my back."

Hyun-ju inhaled, her face softening. "Those of us who can fight, we guard the vulnerable, because those pussies are bound to go after the easiest targets first. The vulnerable should hide under the beds. That's elderly, people with injuries, smaller people. And people who can fight, we stay on the beds. So Geum-ja, Young-mi, I'll be guarding you two. But I'll still teach you all the self defense." She glanced up at the timer, seeing that there was 25 minutes left. "I can get a few moves taught in this time. Is there anyone else who knows some moves, maybe even done a class, military, martial arts?"

Two hands went up, Hyun-ju darting her sight to see Jung-bae's hand as well as the girl from Mingle who was glued to Min-su's side. Hyun-ju motioned for them both to stand up, prompting them to approach her. 

"Jung-bae, you're military, you know your stuff, right?"

He shifted his wait. "I'm a bit rusty, but I'll do my best, Sergeant."

Hyun-ju smiled before turning to the girl. "How about you, Miss....?"

"Se-mi. My name is Se-mi."

"Se-mi. What do you have skills in?"

"I'm a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu."

Hyun-ju's eyes widened, a smile coming to her face. "That's perfect. That's something the more vulnerable people here could have as a last resort."

Se-mi returned the smile, nodding her head slightly before Hyun-ju turned to the rest of the group.

"I know offense seems like the wisest decision, but with the violence of their side and the vulnerability on our side, we can't afford to be brash. Defense is the best option."

Gi-hun grunted, adjusting in his place. "This isn't right. We shouldn't be killing each other. We should be going after the people who put us here, and this is our only chance!"

Hyun-ju took a deep breath, walking over and bending to kneel in front of Gi-hun. "Mr Seong. I believe in your cause. I really do. But the fact is, it will be a disaster. Even if we get their guns, we don't have enough ammo. To pull this off, we'd each have to have multiple magazines, and we don't know how much they carry on them. What do we do when we run out? How do we even know where the ones on top are? How many of us have the experience with guns to carry this out? If the games started off wth hundreds of us, it's safe to assume there's hundreds of them. No, it isn't right to kill people on the same level as us. And it is what the games want us to do. But those above, to carry that out would be a war. We have to get through a battle first, and that battle is against the people on the other side of the room. We have to get through the night and get out tomorrow. And when it comes down to it, we'll lose more people by waiting out the fight while we wait to grab the guns. It wouldn't work, Gi-hun. I'm sorry."

Gi-hun took a breath, looking to the side before looking towards Young-il.

"I still think we should go on the offense.", the other man spoke, to a small murmur of agreement.

Gyeong-seok straightened his posture. "Lets put it to a vote. Raise your hand if you're for going after the people on top."

Eight hands raised into the air, Gyeong-seok carefully counting.

"Okay. Hands up for offense."

Fifteen.

"Alright. Defense."

Twenty-five hands.

Gyeong-seok and Hyun-ju glanced at each other, nodding before Hyun-ju spoke. "Defense it is." She glanced up at the clock, seeing that there was now twenty-one minutes remaining. "Okay. We don't have much time, so Jung-bae, Se-mi and I will take groups of fifteen and teach the basics. Each leader will need a partner for demonstration, so I'll stick with Gyeong-seok."

Gyeong-seok's eyes widened, but he didn't protest. Hyun-ju patted his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze as the groups assembled. Her eyes furrowed when she saw Young-mi heading over to Se-mi, before smiling when she noticed her asking to be the demonstration partner. She also took notice of Dae-ho becoming Jung-bae's partner. She nodded at both fellow trainers, before returning her sight to the rest of the players and speaking.

"Okay. We don't have much time, so pick up whatever you can. Rotate around the trainers if you wish, or stay with one of us. When the clock is at five minutes, we'll get to bed and organise the protection arrangements. Let's begin."

 

⭕

 

"Lights out in 10 seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The lights dimmed with a slam that echoed through the room, Hyun-ju's breath shuddering as she pressed against Gyeong-seok's back, a fork in her pocket and a bottle in her hand. Her ears caught the soft sound of Young-mi and Jun-hee disappearing under their bed, only audible to them. She glanced over, seeing Geum-ja disappear Yong-sik and Min-su under Se-mi, the pattern continuing along the row of beds. Her eyes then turned ahead, seeing the O team getting up and beginning a quiet charge, slowly inching over to their side of the room.

"When the lights go out, the vulnerable must sneak under the beds of those who are able to defend. Unless exposed, the vulnerable should not come out from under the bed until the fight is broken up."

As the other players loomed over to the side, Hyun-ju grasped the bottle tightly in her hand, pressing a kiss to the nape of Gyeong-seok's neck before she began to inch into a position to be able to attack.

"We wait for them to attack, or attempt to attack. Once they make their move, that's when we react."

Their mattress suddenly dipped, Hyun-ju looking up to be faced with the crazed eyes of Nam-gyu, mere milliseconds away from driving the fork in his hand into her throat, or more likely Gyeong-seok's in his act of retribution for Thanos. Immediately, she sat up, crashing the bottle against his head, breaking his focus and plunging the jagged neck of the bottle into his neck. Before the blood could splatter any more, Gyeong-seok assisted with pushing him off the side of the bed, a crude snap confirming that there was little chance of further attack.

"Once you're in the clear, leave your bed and assist the others. If you're a defender, you can't afford to hide. With the vulnerable hiding, there will be less people fighting."

Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok jumped from the bed, their eyes adjusting to the flickering lights that began once the attack did. With a brief glance between them they set off to different areas of the chaos, Hyun-ju catching sight of a man attempting to strangle a woman on their side. She ran over, grabbing him by the neck and flipping him over, another snap confirming that she was in the clear. That was until she felt arms around her, faced with a man who bashed her against a bedpost and went to punch her. Immediately, she plunged the glass bottle into his stomach, his hands moving from her shoulders slightly as he threw his head back in pain. She plunged it again, kicking him to the ground before bending down and giving him one harsh punch to finish.

Her eyes turned again, seeing a man bent over Yong-sik with his hands around his neck. She sprinted up to his bed, grabbing the man by the neck and snapping it before throwing him off the bed. Yong-sik looked up at her with a mix of horror and gratitude, Hyun-ju only giving him a nod before she returned down, scanning around for another opportunity to help despite her head beginning to hurt from the lights. She glanced through the bars, taking sight of a man corrnering Se-mi before she threw the glass bottle at his head and delivered a punch before stabbing him with a fork. Hyun-ju's eyes widened before she felt herself being tackled to the ground, looking up to be faced with Player 226, a firece ally of Player 100 and key instigator of encouraging people to continue. His hands went to her neck before Hyun-ju caught hold of his wrists and jerked her knee up to fling him over her, immediately sitting up and grabbing his neck, sloppily plunging the fork into his chest, wincing when she heard the sound of gurgling.

She stood up, looking down to see a glass bottle next to his body, picking it up and returning her gaze around the room, her chest heaving. Finally, her sight set on Gyeong-seok, pinned against a wall and being delivered punches. She ran other without a second thought, smashing the bottle over the attackers head before grabbing his collar and pinning him to the ground. She turned her back to Gyeong-seok as she delivered a jagged stab to the neck, kicking his body away slightly when she stood up to look at Gyeong-seok, his face a mix of fear, relief and awe.

"Thanks.", he said as he panted, Hyun-ju's hands settling on his arms.

"Anytime."

Despite her breathlessness, she gave him a gentle smile, looking back around at the carnage going on around them, the softness between them foriegn to the brutality surrounding them. She caught a glimpse of Young-il in a fist fight, culminating in him being shoved against a wall in a chokehold. Hyun-ju looked back at Gyeong-seok, her fingers going to his jaw and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze before turning back around and picking up a bottle. As her eyes darted to Young-il, seeing him evidently losing the fight and his eyes beginning to flutter, the sound of the buzzer rang in her ears, the flickering lights being replaced by the equally eye-scorching bright light they had grown accustomed to. Their eyes darted towards the top of the room, seeing the soldiers walk in with guns drawn and firing into the air.

The bottle dropped from Hyun-ju's hand and shattered on the concrete, her eyes going to Gyeong-seok's as his widened in horror. She gave his hand a quick squeeze before raising her hands in the air, walking out of the corner as a soldier approached them, the fights around them being broken up. As she was patted down by a soldier, she looked to see Young-il gasping for air, his attacker having his hands up in surrender along with the rest of the players. Hyun-ju looking at Gyeong-seok, motioning with her eyes to tell him to come out upon seeing the fear on his face. He did so, stepping out and standing beside Hyun-ju.

For the first time in the last few dreadful minutes, she looked around the dormitory. A bed frame had toppled over, bodies tangled in the bars as well as over a dozen spread on the floor that weren't her own victims. Her blood ran cold, her eyes catching view of the red X patch on at least three corpses, even if she was surround by more blue patch bodies. Her heart rate settled slightly when she saw Young-mi, Jun-hee, Geum-ja and Yong-sik huddled together across the room, a smile settling on her face as they saw her.

After everyone was patted down, the soldiers turned their attention to the dead, everyone else keeping their hands up. Hyun-ju's eyes darted behind her, seeing the soldier tilt the ear of the man she had just killed, pressing a scanner behind it which preceded the number on his tracksuit being called out. Hyun-ju frowned as she noticed it, Gyeong-seok confused when he followed her line of vision. 

Gyeong-seok's eyes shifted from the soldiers to Hyun-ju, his eyes widening when he took notice of her forearm. "Hyun-ju, you're bleeding!"

Hyun-ju's eyes darted to her arm, noticing a slit in her left arm sleeve with some blood peeking out. She shrugged. "I'm fine. Didn't even notice."

"That's just the adrenaline! What if you have sepsis?!"

Hyun-ju chuckled. "Jagiya, I'm fine. It's just a scratch. Don't worry."

Gyeong-seok's breath hitched, his panic still present despire the drumming in his heart. A few moments later, the calling out of numbers subsided and Hyun-ju's eyes went to the screen. The number of players had dropped from 95 to 67. Twenty-seven killed. Over 570 million won per person. 

Finally, they could put their hands down, the forklift with coffins coming in and a signal being given to the players to put their hands down. Hyun-ju inspected her arm, seeing a slightly deep gash above her wrist. Her eyes moved up to look at Gyeong-seok again, a smile coming to her lips pnce they were able to wrap their arms around each others shoulders again, walking over to the rest of their group. 

"Hyun-ju! You're okay!"

Hyun-ju giggled into the increasingly familiar embrace of Geum-ja, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman before she turned to hug Young-mi, acknowledging Yong-sik and Jun-hee in the process.

"You were all okay, right? Nothing fell, no cuts?"

Young-mi shook her head. "There were close calls, but we were fine. We only came out when the guards broke up the fight."

Hyun-ju nodded. "That's great." She turned to Yong-sik. "You okay after back there?"

His face was tight, Hyun-ju placing a hand on his shoulder prompting him to release the tears he held back. She tilted her head soympathetically, bringing him in for a hug. "Oh, Yong-sik. It's okay."

"I'm sorry, Hyun-ju.", he sobbed, tightining his arms around her. "I should've fought back, then you wouldn't have had to-"

"No, no, Yong-sik. It's okay. I'm okay."

"Look at your hand! It's because of me!"

Hyun-ju sighed, separating from the embrace. "Yong-sik, it's a scratch. You nearly got strangled to death. I'm just glad you're okay, man. But you did good in the training, you could've gotten him off of you. What happened?"

Yong-sik shuddered, looking towards his mother and then back at Young-mi. "I- I can't hurt people. Even if it kills me, I can't do it. I've never been able to. i'm a wimp."

Hyun-ju looked at him sympathetically. "Hey, you're not a wimp. Your hearts just too big that it won't even let you act against people you know are against you. I'm like that too."

Yong-sik scoffed. "No, you're not. You just took down a bunch of men."

Hyun-ju shrugged. "I wouldn't do it if they only hurt me. I only do it for the people I care about."

The weight of her words hit her group immediately, tears pricking at their eyes as Gyeong-seok wraps his arm around her again. She shook her head slightly, changing the topic. "Have you guys seen Min-su and Se-mi?"

"Oh, yeah, they're around. Min-su got very upset so Se-mi is just calming him down.", Jun-hee spoke. 

"How about Mr Seong's team?"

A silence fell on the group, Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok looking at them obliviously.

"What?"

Geum-ja took a breath. "Did you not see it? Young-il was eliminated."

Hyun-ju gasped slightly, realising she hadn't seen Young-il stand up after the guards came. She stumbled slightly, Gyeong-seok holding her up and rubbing her arm. Her eyebrows knitted together. "I could've saved him. I saw him but then-"

"Unnie. You fought well. Look around. What do you notice?"

Hyun-ju glanced around, noticing how many more players were on their side now in comparison to the diminished numbers and confidence of the other side. Her shame switched to disbelief, her eyes returning to the screen in the room.

"Holy shit. We could win the vote." The realisation hit her like bricks, glancing between Young-mi and Gyeong-seok. "We could finally go home."

The rest of the team nod in agreement, Hyun-ju's celebration waning as she caught sight of Young-il being the last body placed in the casket. her eyebrows furrowing when she noticed the work dip a finger in blood and make a marking on the corner of it. 

 

⭕

 

Hyun-ju's eyes fluttered open, the room still dimly lit around them. The room was quiet now, the smell of blood and gunsmoke from the fight and subsequent breakup still in the air. She moved her head, surprise hitting her when she no longer felt the familar cold stiffness of the pillows here and instead a firm yet soft warmth beneath her head. It was only when she felt the surface beneath her softly rise and fall down again that she turned her head, seeing Gyeong-seok's content face as he slept.

Her first instinct was to panic, to immediately remove herself from a man's chest of all places. Then, she took notice of how comforting the placement was; her hand across his stomach, his arm draped across her shoulders. Even as she awoke, the memories of the hours before hand slowly soaking back into her conscience, she couldn't remember how this had happened. She remembered talking to everyone, Geum-ja wrapping her arm wound the best she could with the lack of permission to go to the bathroom, having to talk down a grieving Gi-hun. As for how she ended up sleeping on the chest of the man she was growing more attached to by the minute and not with their backs to each other like she remembered, she didn't know.

Above her, she heard him begin to stir, a light groan leaving his lips. He brought his free hand to his eyes, rubbing them briefly before looking down, gasping slightly when he noticed Hyun-ju."

"Sorry.", Hyun-ju stammered, begining to lift from him. "I should probably-"

"It's okay. Please stay."

She surrendered to the soft whisper, lying back down and placing her head on his chest again, hearing an echo of a strong heartbeat. A smile crept on her face as she felt his fingers go to her hair, gently combing through the strands that were dripped with sweat and blood hours before. She hummed when his fingertips would gently graze her scalp, her eyes fluttering closed again.

"Hey, Hyun-ju?"

Her eyes slowly opened, but she stayed in place. "Yeah?"

Gyeong-seok took a breath, continuing the movement of his fingers as he spoke. "I meant what I said yesterday. About you staying with Na-yeon and I for a while."

Her fluttering eyes opened fully, moving to sit up next to him. "I don't want to impose. I mean, how would Na-yeon feel about this strange woman in her house?"

Gyeong-seok smiled at her, his hand staying in her hair. "She'll love you. She already knows a bit about you."

Hyun-ju's eyes widened at his shy admission. "How?"

He chuckled, awkwardly scratching the baack of his neck. "Well, one day, I left her room to go down and get her some candy and get myself a coffee. When I came back, she was flicking through my sketchbook. And she found a sketch I had made of you and asked me who you were."

"You drew me again?"

His cheeks turned scarlet, Hyun-ju beaming at him. "Yeah, uh, I just wanted to remember you. I couldn't take a photo because that would've been creepy, so I drew you the best I could from memory."

Hyun-ju chuckled. "And what did Na-yeon say?"

"She thought you were a princess. Then, she started asking me most days had you walked by the park again. She wanted to meet you herself."

"Wow." Hyun-ju couldn't hold back her smile anymore, the infectiousness of it rubbing off on Gyeong-seok. "I don't know though. I mean, once we're out, you'll have to put her through her treatment. That'll be a lot for her."

Gyeong-seok sighed, keeping his hand in her hair. "Well, from my research, it'll be less strenuous than chemo. And either way, I want you to meet her. And I don't want you to be alone in that small flat of yours."

Hyun-ju scoffed softly. "Why me though? I still don't get it, Gyeong-seok."

Gyeong-seok shrugged. "Why me? I'm nothing special, but you've killed for me. You're a manificent woman, and you're attracted to me, of all people. You've worn medals and I only wear rags."

"You're handsome, and you get me. You killed for me too. You're kind, hilarious. You joined a death tournament for your daughter. You stayed by me even when I was keeping us here out of my own selfishness. You don't seem to be scared of the scary parts of me for some reason."

Gyeong-seok simply smiled, swallowing back the answer he really wanted to give her. "Hyun-ju, please don't run away on me again. I think I'll go crazy if you did. I don't mean don't go to Thailand, but just don't avoid me. Stay in contact."

"Oh, yeah. Thailand." Hyun-ju's eyes darted slightly, putting a strand behind her ear as she sighed. "Can I really come into Na-yeon's life if I end up going there? What if she gets attached to me or something?"

"She always video chats with her grandmother. And we'd visit when she was a bit better."

Hyun-ju sighed. "There's a small problem though."

"What is it?"

"I don't think I want to go there alone anymore. I think I've found what I was looking for, here of all places. People who see me, not just the idea of me. I don't think I can leave that behind." She took another breath, a tear coming out of her eye. "But this country has been horrible to me. The money will run out in time, and I won't be able to work. And you guys will be judged for being near me."

Gyeong-seok adjusted his posture, sitting up to take Hyun-ju's hands. "I'm not saying it won't be hard, but we can figure it out. All I know is, even if it's in a small way, even if we're only together in person for that dinner at Geum-ja's before you leave, I want you in my life. I think I need you in it, Hyun-ju."

Hyun-ju's breath caught in her throat, their faces inching closer to each others. "I think I do too, Gyeong-seok."

Gyeong-seok smiled, his hand going to her cheek and wiping the tear that was falling, his thumb once again on that scar. He closed the gap between them, gently pressing his lips against hers as she responded with gentle passion. Along with unspoken but obvious sentiments, they also passed a promise, a promise that neither of the were running away from the other. 

They seperated, reflecting a gentle smile in each other's faces before Hyun-ju looked around. The only sound in the room was snoring, her sight limited by the fact that they were resting in mattresses on the floor under the bedframes. She turned back to Gyeong-seok, putting a hand on the side off his neck and strroking it gently. The warmth fell from her face when she reached behind his ear, feeling something move that wasn't sturdy enough to be a bone.

He giggled slightly. "Hyun-ju, that tickles."

Her face remained straight, removing the hand and moving it behind her own ear, feeling the same foreign object. Her eyes widened.

"Hyun-ju, what is it?"

Hyun-ju gulped. "Do you notice what they do when they go to collect the dead, to see what number they are?"

Gyeong-seok thought for a moment before his eyes widened. "They scan behind the ear!"

Hyun-ju nodded. "And there's no velcro, nothing stuck there, not even an earring. It must be inside."

"What do you think it is?"

Hyun-ju sighed. "A tracker, maybe? Something that identifies us anyway."

"What should we do?"

Hyun-ju thought for a moment, releaxing herself back into Gyeong-seok's arms. "Well, my first instinct is to slice it out. But they'll be able to tell, if not by all the blood and half my ear gone then by them tracking me and seeing that I'm still in the ladies toilets here once I'm out." Gyeong-seok chuckled before Hyun-ju continued. "If they're still in us when we get out, we get them out then. It could be dangerous now."

"It'll be dangerous anytime, Hyun-ju. I adore you, but I don't think I'll be able to have you hack at my ear."

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes. "You big baby. I'll be careful. If it's worth anything, I trust you. An artists hand is a precise hand."

Gyeong-seok chuckled. "Okay, okay." His arms came back around her shoulders, before he lay back down, carrying her down as her head returned to his chest. He lay a kiss on her forehead, rubbing her arm. "Goodnight, Cho Hyun-ju."

"Goodnight, Park Gyeong-seok. We have a death game to leave tomorrow."

Notes:

Thanks again for all the support on the last chapter 🫶 I also have a question: I assign each chapter a song, but I haven't added them to the notes here. Should I edit each chapter to include the song and build up a playlist? 🤔

Chapter 9: 009

Notes:

Song of the chapter: Shadow by Chromatics
https://youtu.be/2Hwp0tA7IAM?si=1ehHhqkzY13wOKFN

Heads up for transphobia

"Aw, look! They're adorable! I don't want to wake them!"

"I know, I know, but we have to, Young-mi."

Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok began to stir, going to smile at each other before they both saw Geum-ja and Young-mi standing over them.

"Jesus!", they both exclaimed in unison, jumping in the bed and prompting the two women to laugh.

"Sorry, lovebirds! Good morning!"

Hyun-ju sat up with a groan. "How long have you two been there?"

Young-mi shrugged. "Only a minute or so. We were going to wake you, but you looked so cozy."

Hyun-ju chuckled. "Yeah, we were." She sighed, falling back down dramatically. "Do we have to get up?"

"That's a first, wanting to stay on those mattresses. Oh, I can't wait to be back in my bed.", Geum-ja gushed, before she bent down slightly to usher the pair from the bed. "Now, get up. The vote will begin soon."

Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok gave in, both ducking to get out from under the bedframe, Geum-ja and Young-mi shifting to make room. Hyun-ju groaned as she stood up, stretching her arm to the side and rolling her head.

"Did you guys sleep well?", she asked as they walked out to greet the men, Se-mi and Jun-hee.

"I did eventually.", admitted Young-mi, a smile coming to her face when she saw Se-mi. "We talked for a while, Se-mi and I. She's so cool!"

Hyun-ju raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Yeah. She was so relieved to be rid of Thanos and Nam-gyu, they were really bothering Min-su, especially Nam-gyu. He didn't say much but he's nice. And we live in the same town, all three of us!"

Hyun-ju smiled at her excitement, making a note to ask more about it later. Her face fell when she walked towards the rest of the group and observed their state; Gi-hun with his head down and Jung-bae looking at him with pity, Dae-ho still shook beside him as he held an arm around a blank-faced Jun-hee. Min-su was still as timid as ever, Se-mi wrapping a comforting arm around him, her cool demeanor turning to a smile when she noticed Young-mi. Young-mi smiled back, taking a seat beside her.

"Morning, everyone." Only nods in response.

Hyun-ju sighed, balancing her weight on one foot before speaking again. "Mr Seong, do you mind if we had a chat?"

Gi-hun's head moved up, glancing at his team before he nodded his head, slwoly standing up before following Hyun-ju into a corner.

She took a breath. "How are you doing, Gi-hun?"

No response, prompting Hyun-ju to sigh.

"I'm sorry about Young-il, and that we couldn't go ahead with the rebellion. But we both know that a lot more people would've died last night if we'd done it. It was already tough to get through the fight, and that was just against a bunch of uncoordinated greedy maniacs. We wouldn't have stood a chance against coordinated greedy maniacs." The words earned a nod from Gi-hun before Hyun-ju tilted her head. "Can I ask you a question? It's about when you got out of here."

The man looked up at her, nodding his head again.

"Do they put trackers in us? Behind the ear?"

G-hun's eyes widened, his trance officially broken. "How do you know?"

"I saw them scanning behind the ears. Then, I felt it behind mine and behind Gyeong-seok's. It's a tracker, right?"

Gi-hun nodded his head. "They knew I was about to get on a plane. I cut it out myself."

"Shit." Her eyes darted around before landing on Gi-hun again. "Was the rebellion your plan all along?"

Gi-hun sighed. "No. I had a whole team of mercenaries. Supposed to follow me in guns-a-blazing. I had a tracker of my own on me, but they found it. I tried to get people to vote to end then, but that clearly didn't work. So, the armed revolt was about plan F."

Hyun-ju frowned. "So where's the team now?"

"I don't know. Two boats of the toughest men I've ever met and they're probably lost at sea."

Hyun-ju sighed. "Do you think you'll try again when you're out? To end it permanently?"

Gi-hun shrugged. "I think I have to. I can just do what I did before, look around to see if there's someone new recruiting."

Hyun-ju raised an eyebrow. "Someone new?"

"I found him. He offered to play Russian Roulette and he lost."

Hyun-ju's eyes widened as his face remained neutral, as if he had just told her what the weather forecast today was. 

"How long have you been trying to do this?"

"Since I didn't get on that plane. Over three years ago."

Hyun-ju exhaled, tilting her head. "What'll be the plan now? Do you have family, friends?"

"My daughter's in America. She probably wants nothing to do with me, so I have pretty much no one."

"Damn, Gi-hun. I don't think that's healthy."

Gi-hun groaned. "Of course, it isn't. But what else is there to do when I know hundreds are dying year after year, and that I came back and my friends didn't?"

"It's survivors guilt, man. Had to read all about it in the military. And this place is a breeding ground for it." Hyun-ju sighed, sitting down on the edge of a bed across from Gi-hun. "Besides some work at the border, I was lucky enough to never enter an active war zone. But I spent almost half my life preparing for it. After my dismissal, I never thought I'd enter one, but I have. After a few months at the border, I had to go to therapy. I processed it well. But this, we can't even go to therapy."

Gi-hun nodded. "Any time I told the police, I was deemed insane. And the one policeman who believes me was seen as insane." He paused for a moment before his eyes lit up. "What if you or others went to the police? They wouldn't be able to ignore so many reports of the same thing."

Hyun-ju chuckled. "Gi-hun, I was deemed insane when I was discharged. Going to the police station and talking about some pink guards shooting us for losing kids games and promising money would get me sectioned."

Gi-hun frowned, about to ask about it but simply nodded his head. "That's true."

"Attention, all players. Voting will commence in fifteen minutes. Please begin to get ready."

A timer began to tick, prompting Hyun-ju to look back to Gi-hun.

"Was there voting the last time you were here?"

Gi-hun took a breath. "Only once. Right after the first game. The money was to go to the family of the deceased, and we went home with a one vote difference."

Hyun-ju''s eyes widened. "You left?"

Gi-hun nodded. "And a lot of us came back. Our lives on the outside were a lot worse. And then everyone died but me."

Hyun-ju sighed, beginning to stand up. "Shit. So you were invited back?" Gi-hun nodded again. "Well, at least the Os have a chance after this vote."

Gi-hun scoffed. "Maybe. But it happened based on the majority coming back last time. Would many on our side come back?"

"Well, me personally, I'm done. And I know most of the people on my team were done ages ago. But who knows, maybe they would if the money wasn't enough. I'm lucky to be leaving with something better than just the money."

Gi-hun looked at Hyun-ju, a smile forming on her lips as she fondly looked on at Gyeong-seok, chatting to the group with a wide smile on his face, placing a hand on Jung-bae's shoulder as he laughed at something he said. The laughter rubbed off on Hyun-ju, a chuckle leaving her lips as a smile formed on Gi-hun's face. 

"You're who he couldn't lose."

Hyun-ju's head jerked back towards Gi-hun. "What?"

Gi-hun's face dropped, standing up and trying to act casual. "Oh, nothing, nothing. We should head back."

Hyun-ju raised her eyebrow before shrugging, returning to the group and returning Gyeong-seok's smile as she approached. She stood beside him, smiling at the group as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, her heart betraying her brain as she leaned her head on his shoulder, causing an "Awww!" to rise from Young-mi and Jun-hee. Even Min-su smiled a bit.

"We were just saying that, if we get out, we might all go for drinks sometime.", Gyeong-seok spoke.

Hyun-ju nodded her head. "That sounds good. Where would we go?"

"I know a cool enough place. It's not too rowdy and they serve nice cocktails.", Se-mi spoke.

"And none of us are too far from it.", Dae-ho chimed in. "It's almost at the epicentre of where we're all living."

"You sure it's not more for a younger crowd?", Gi-hun asked, his posture stiffening awkwardly.

Jung-bae shook his head. "I've been there. It's not a nightclub or anything. Just a nice bar."

Gi-hun nodded his head. "Okay."

The group remained chatting for the next few minutes until the dreaded call to vote came, the players shifting to the bottom of the room, the divide remaining obvious. 

"Attention all players. Please note that any attempts to disrupt the vote will be met with immediate elimination. This vote is to be conducted in an orderly fashion."

Hyun-ju gulped, hearing Young-mi's shaky breath beside her and putting an arm around her. She looked beside her at Gyeong-seok, before looking back at Geum-ja and Yong-sik. 

"Hey. If they knock us out before we leave like when we arrived, I say we all meet at Seoul Land in the next few days.", she whispered with a grin, making the rest of the group smile.

"Okay. What day?", Geum-ja asked.

Hyun-ju's eyes darted in thought before she spoke again. "We were brought in Halloween night. We've played one game a day so if we arrived on the morning of the first, today must be the fourth of November. How does Sunday the tenth sound?"

Her group nodded, prompting Hyun-ju to smile. "What time should we meet?"

"I finish up drawing around sundown each day.", Gyeong-seok spoke. "Would that suit everyone?"

The group shared a chorus of nods, sealing their arrangement before the soldier spoke again.

"The vote will take place in ascending order of your numbers. Player 006, please cast your vote."

Yong-sik's eyes widened. "I'm up next."

"It's okay, son. We'll be with you soon." Geum-ja placed a comforting hand on her son's arm, just as he was called up to vote.

The excitement began to set in once his vote appeared on screen, levelling the votes to 1-1. The excitement in the room only grew as they took the lead, the score being almost doubled on their side by the time Young-mi walked up to cast her vote, more cheers erupting behind her as she walked over to Yong-sik.

"Since yesterday, some O voters have changed over!", Gyeong-seok pointed out to Hyun-ju, putting an arm around her shoulders as they both let out a chuckle of triumph.

"We could win this, couldn't we?", Dae-ho exclaimed behind them, Jung-bae slapping him on the back and laughing in comfirmation.

 

⭕

 

23 O votes to 45 X votes. A roar of celebration and gratitude filled the room as Gi-hun removed his hand from the button and shuffled to the respective side. The winning voters clamoured into a frenzy of hugging and cheering, Hyun-ju lifting Young-mi in the air through her hug, making their group laugh as they all embraced. Finally, she turned to Gyeong-seok, his arms immediately circling her waist and pulling her in, their lips meeting as Hyun-ju's hands planted against his shoulders, the two chuckling and returning to the celebrations.

"Wait. How is that fair? They killed nearly half of our side!"

The X group turned their heads, seeing Player 100 already complaining.

"You guys attacked first! We just fought back!", Dae-ho spoke, walking to the edge of the line. "Don't sulk just because we knew how to fight back!"

Gyeong-seok's arm wrapped around Hyun-ju when Player 100 pointed his finger at her. "That one, that one killed several people, killed my best friend! Why doesn't he get eliminated?!"

Hyun-ju scoffed, placing her hand on Gyeong-seok's chest to stop him from running over. She walked up to the line. "And what did you do, huh? What did you do while I fought back against your bitch friend? Nothing. You just cowered in your bed, didn't even throw a bottle. You riled up all those people and when it came down to it, you chickened out. You started a fight, we finished it. Simple as."

Another player spoke up on the other side. "No. You guys started it! Who was the first one to kill one of ours in the bathroom?"

"And what was your plan last night? Kill a bunch of young women and elderly to drive up the money, even the field? You lot are pathetic. Just take the money we get here and go."

"Players, please maintain order. In respect to the majority vote, these games have now ended. However, the window of opportunity has not been closed yet. Should you wish to return, the games will resume if a majority choose to come back. Thank you for playing."

Player 100 scoffed. "In that case, why don't the rest of us keep going? See who could win the rest of the money?"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible at this time. Please begin to form a line to begin the process of departure and maintain order."

Gyeong-seok kept his hands on Hyun-ju's shoulders, rubbing them reassuringly as they got into line. "Don't mind those pricks."

"Don't worry.", she whispered softly back. "I've dealt with worse."

They continued walking, being lead downstairs for the first time. While excitement lingered in the air, no one dared to speak in fear of elimination so close to the end. Hyun-ju felt Gyeong-seok behind her, his breath shaking slightly. She reached her hand back, catching hold of his and giving it a squeeze as the continued to walk. Finally, they reached a bright pink room that held four floors, the walls covered in doors.

"Players, each floor that you see before you features doors to rooms in which you can retrieve your belongings and return your tracksuit. Please walk up and take the key to your room, then change your clothes and await further instructions. Refrain from using personal decives you may have brought such as a mobile phone to protect the integrity of this operation."

Murmurs filled the room as a guard began to unlock a box that held the keys, Hyun-ju glancing at it to see multiple empty spots that held the keys of those eliminated. She gulped, intertwining her fingers in Gyeong-seoks and placing a comforting arm around Young-mi.

"Any player who has a number between 001 and 049, please retrieve your key now."

The group glanced at Yong-sik, his breath shuddering as he looked at his mother who placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, son. We'll see you soon." 

He timidly nodded his head, Hyun-ju giving him a smile before he walked up and retrieved the key, a guard escorting him and the handful of other players to the doors. He looked back at them, getting encouraging nods before smiling tightly and unlocking the door.

Once all the doors were locked, the manager spoke again. "Players between the numbers of 050 and 099, please retrieve your key."

Young-mi's breathing became heavy, turning to Hyun-ju and wrapping her arms around her. Hyun-ju released Gyeong-seok's hand to hold her tightly, placing her chin on her head before placing a soft kiss on her temple.

"Hey," she whispered as she separated them. "I'll see you on the other side, okay? Seoul Land and the bar."

Young-mi nodded her head, her tears being wiped by Hyun-ju's thumb. "See you soon, Unnie."

Hyun-ju gave her a soft smile, turning her around and patting her back to prompt her to walk towards the guard, reaching her shaking hand out to take the key before being escorted to her door. She looked at the others after inserting the key into the lock, getting the biggest look of encouragement from Hyun-ju before she disappeared behind the door. 

"Players between 100 and 149, please retrieve your key now."

Hyun-ju turned to Gyeong-seok, water forming in his eyes as her hand wenr to his cheek, placing a gentle kiss on his lips before giving him a quick hug. "Meet me at Seoul Land, okay?", she whispered in his ear. She felt him nod into her shoulder, prompting her to seperate from the embrace and run fingers through his hair, brushing the parted strands to their sides before nodding and turning to Geum-ja. Gyeong-seok opened his mouth to say something before her attention was diverted, but it snagged in his throat as if releasing it would make him choke.

Hyun-ju turned to Min-su, who was shaking as he refused to separate from Se-mi. She sighed sympathetically, extending her hand. "Come on, Min-su. I'll take care of you."

He hesitated, looking at Se-mi before walking slowly over to Hyun-ju, a warm smile on her face as she motioned for him to follow her. She took one more glance at Gyeong-seok, a genuine wide smile spreading on her face despite the tears in his eyes and his shuddering lip. Jung-bae patted him on the shoulder, giving a nod to Hyun-ju before saluting her. She chuckled slightly when Dae-ho mirrored his action, giving them all a nod before turning back around and reaching the manager and taking the engraved piece of silver, following a soldier towards the elevator in the centre of the room, putting an arm around a shaking Min-su as well as Geum-ja.

The elevator door slammed shut, a soldier standing in the middle of the cramped space. Hyun-ju ignored the judgemental gaze of Player 100, instead focusing on comforting Min-su with a repeated whispered mantra of "It's okay, man, its okay.".

"Why do you baby them? Him and that other girl? Is it because you won't ever be able to have a child?"

Hyun-ju's eyes shot up to the older man, her hand tightening around Geum-ja's to stop her from continuing with the charge she had started. "I look out for people I care about and that are more vulnerable than me. You wouldn't understand that because you're a money-hungry wimp who's never felt a shred of compassion in your life and only uses faux allyship as a means to a personal end."

The old man scoffed, shaking his head as the other playeres shifted uncomfortably. Finally, Geum-ja spoke. "Disgusting pig. Who do you think you are, huh? Hyun-ju has more heart in her fingernail than you have in your entire being."

"If he did, he would've voted to stay! I have kids as well, ma'am."

Geum-ja scoffed. "I doubt they have anything to do with your 10 billion debt, or want anything to do with you. Just take what you got and think about why you insist on bullying kind women and shouting about your greed all the time."

The man scoffed, his opportunity to respond taken by the elevator clanging to a halt and the doors opening, bringing them to another square room with 25 doors on each wall, each numbered. Hyun-ju took a breath, turning to Min-su and Geum-ja to give one more look of reassurance. 

"I'll see you both soon, okay? Come out for the drink, Min-su. Can't wait for the dinner, Ms Jang."

Geum-ja smiled at Hyun-ju, pulling her in for a hug as the other players went to their doors. "It was a pleasure to meet you, nae ttal."

Hyun-ju smiled, a tear threatening to leave her eye. "Thank you, Ms Jang."

They separated from the embrace, Geum-ja rubbing her shoulders and giving her a smile before heading over to her door. Hyun-ju turned to Min-su, gently heading himtowards their side of the room and towards his door. "It's okay, man. I'll see you soon."

He nodded timidly, disappearing behind the door. Hyun-ju took her key out of her pocket, walking down to the door that bore the number 120. She took a breath, unlocking the door and walking in, hearing it lock automatically behind her. Inside the claustrophic room was a small bench with her clothes neatly folded, as well as a first aid kit and a towel beside it and small sink to the side with a mirror ahead of it. She looked around the small room, taking note of a camera in the corner of the room, effectively shooting down her plan of unlocking her phone here and now and dropping a pin. 

She took another breath, zipping down her hoodie and wincing when the fabric slipped off her bruised body and the sleeves skimmed her cut from the night before. She opened the first aid kid, removing the bottle of alcohol and dabbing it to a cloth, inhaling sharply when it made contact with the cut. She finished cleaning it as soon as could, inspecting the deepness of the cut before deciding to grab the equipment to stitch it up, wincing as she carried out the painful procedure she hadn't carried out in years.

Once she was done and had disposed of the equpment, she turned to the sink, looking in the mirror to see the dried blood that was still present on her face and in her hair. She turned on the tap, watching the water turn red as she leant down uncomfortably to rinse her face and hair. After rincing her hands, she turned of the tap, reaching for the towel and drying herself off. She looked up at the mirror again, sighing as she looked at the bruising that revealed itself after the blood was gone. Her eyes went around the room, chuckling when her hopes of their being soap or deodorant came up empty. She approached her clothes, grazing them with her fingertips before dragging the ripped remains of the shirt was wearing from her body, replacing it with the black tank she had came in and covering it over with her purple hoodie, zipping it up before placing her hand in the pocket on the side of it, relieved when she felt the lip gloss and eyeliner she came with.

After changing into the grey sweatpants and purple Converse, cringing when she had to put on the socks from days ago, and had touched up her makeup carefully in the mirror, she took notice of a sign beside the mirror. "Once dressed, sit on the bench and await further instructions."

She shrugged, placing her makeup in her pocket and picking up her phone from the bench, pressing the button to verify it was turned off and placing the device clad in a phone case bearing purple lillies into her pocket. She crossed her legs and fingers, her heartbeat beginning to speed up as she waited for a voice to enter her ears. After a few moments, she began to cough, closing her eyes before opening the to take notice of the white smoke that was filling the room. She attempted to get up and run to the door, but had barely shifted her weight when she fell down again, her eyes fluttering andd her vision fading to black.

 

Notes:

Thanks as always for all the support! 🫶

Chapter 10: 010

Notes:

Song of the chapter: About You by The 1975
https://youtu.be/tGv7CUutzqU?si=TkvclOvFTTk-GrBe

"Cho? Cho? Hey, Cho!"

Hyun-ju's eyes fluttered open, groaning as she felt two hands on her shoulders and lifted her head from wet concrete. Her eyes adjusted to look at her landlord.

"Mrs Moon?"

"Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for days."

Hyun-ju groaned, beginning to stand up. "I'm sorry, Mrs Moon. I had some business to take care of. I'll have the rent to you by the end of the day. I promise."

"You'll have to, Cho, because otherwise, I'll have to evict you next week. I'm sorry."

Hyun-ju nodded her head. "That's fine, Mrs Moon. I'll drop by as soon as I can. I just have to drop by the convenience story really quick."

The older woman sighed. "Okay, go off. Just meet me by the end of the day, Cho."

Hyun-ju nodded her head, bowing respectfully. "Thank's ma'am."

She walked past the woman, rounding a corner before standing against a wall. She put her hands in her pockets, feeling for her belongings before her fingers caught on a small unfamiliar peice of plastic. Her eyes widened, pulling it out to reveal it was a credit card, her name printed beneath the long number. She gasped, putting it back into her pocket and rushing to the nearest ATM, not gaking any notice of funny looks as she arrived at the machine. She pressed the card in, her adrenaline momentarily stopping as the machine asked for her pin. She leaned her head against the machine, drumming her fingers against the wall in thought. Suddenly, her fingers drifted to the keypad, entering the digits 0-1-2-0.

The machine chimed, Hyun-ju selecting to view the balance. Her heartbeat began to race when the figure stared back at her; 570,588,235 won. She scoffed in disbelief, still leaning her forehead against the wall as she stared at the figure. Her fingers trembled as they went to the screen, choosing to withdraw the money for her rent and electricity. When the money fell into her hands, she stared at it, feeling it in her hands as she looked at the remaining balance. She speechlessly put it and the card into her pocket, heading towards her apartment complex again. Her eyes landed on her landlord, sitting with her cat on the bench by the door. 

"Back already? Where's your shopping?"

Hyun-ju speechlessly handed her the money, turning around to enter the complex and ignoring her words of thanks. She walked up the steps in shock, only snapping out of it once she was outside her apartment and went to fish in her pocket for the key. Once she was inside and had the door locked behind her, she leant against it, trying to catch her disbelieving breath as she closed her eyes. Once she had opened them, her eyes fell on the large canvas that still sat against the wall, her sight darting down to the messy scribble of initials at the bottom. A chuckle escaped her lips, bringing her fingers out to brush the signature as she looked at the rest of the portrait, how he had captured her features. 

She took her hand away from the canvas and went to take out her phone, waiting impatiently as it started up. A smile grew on her face when she saw that she already had a follow request from Kim Young-mi, relief washing over her at confirmation of the girls safety. She accepted it before tapping the search bar, Gyeong-seok's name already in the search history. Upon tapping on his profile, she noticed a new post; a photo of him holding his daughters hand with the caption, "Thing's are really about to look up for you, darling". Hyun-ju smiled at the hour-old post, finally pressing the 'Add friend' button.

For the first time, she took notice of the time. 7:53. Judging from her friends online activity, she had been out cold for a lot longer. She began to stand up to go into the shower when her phone started to vibrate, Young-mi's name appearing on the screen. A smile grew wide on her face as she moved to answer it.

"Unnie!"

Hyun-ju chuckled as she sat down. "Young-mi! We made it out!"

"We did! Listen, I'm after meeting up with Jun-hee, Se-mi and Min-su and we're going out for drinks. It's not the main drink with the others, but we'd love to see you!"

"Sounds great, Young-mi, but I actually only woke up about half an hour ago. I look and smell like shit."

"Ah, Unnie, that's okay! You can just get ready and join us whenever! We're going at around nine, if that suits."

Hyun-ju sighed, leaning back into her seat. "Okay, I'll come along-"

"Yay!"

Hyun-ju laughed. "But I'll only have one or two drinks. I have things I need to sort out tomorrow."

"Ooooh, like seeing your boyfriend?" Giggling erupted in the background.

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes. "See you soon. Send the address, okay?"

"Will do. See you soon, future Mrs Park!"

Hyun-ju groaned before raising an eyebrow. "Wait, where are you guys right now?"

"Se-mi's apartment. Do you want to come over and get ready with us?"

"Nah, I might when we're going with the others soon. I'll see you guys soon."

"Okay! Bye, Unnie!"

Hyun-ju smiled as she ended the call, placing her phone on a coffee table before walking over to her small wardrobe, quickly piecing together an outfit before checking her phone one more time. An address from Young-mi, but nothing else. She sighed and picked up a towel, heading into the small bathroom to get rid of the grime that stuck to her.

 

⭕

 

Gyeong-seok walked out of the hospital with a pep in his step, the knowledge that Na-yeon was beginning her treatment in the next two days lightening his step as he walked. The short walk to the subway felt even shorter as he took out his phone, intending to call his boss to say that he'd be at work the next day when his feet stopped on the pavement; Cho Hyun-ju's name was on his phone. His breath quickened as he opened the app, immediately accepting her request.

He kept walking into the subway station as he gazed at the screen, scrolling through her profile which was nothing more than photos of purple flowers, an occasional selfie and photos of wine and coffee. Her friends list was almost empty, except for Young-mi, Se-mi, Min-su and Yong-sik. His chest panged slightly, both from her beauty radiating on the screen and the thought of her posting to no one for several years. His eyes fell to the banner image, his heartrate increasing when he saw what it was; his portrait.

His phone suddenly clattered to the ground and his balance broke, stumbling backwards after a collision. He groaned as he hit the ground, rubbing his eyes before going to pick up his phone and help the person. The other person picked it up for him, rushing out apologies before looking at his face, matching his gasp.

"Hyun-ju?!"

"Gyeong-seok?"

The two stared in disbelief for a moment, Gyeong-seok maintaining his gaze as he bent down to pick up her phone for her. Their eyes then went down to their phones, noticing that each was opened on the others profile. They looked back at each other, Gyeong-seok beeing the first to release a snicker and send the two into a fit of laughing, Hyun-ju wrapping her arms around him after swapping their phones.

"Hey, stalker.", she whispered, making Gyeong-seok grin.

"Says the one."  He sighed as he broke the embrace, bringing his hands down to hold hers. "God, you look incredible."

Pink rushed to her cheeks, giving a playful scoff as she began to walk, motioning for him to join her. "I just had a shower, that's all. How's Na-yeon?"

"She was in good spirits, even though she was upset that I was gone for so long. She begins her treatment in two days."

"That's amazing!" She patted his shoulder, getting a nod and a smile. 

"And you?"

She shrugged. "I only woke about two hours ago. Paid my rent, then got invited for drinks by Young-mi. Do you want to come with us?"

Gyeong-seok sighed. "I'd love to, but I better get some sleep. I'm going back to the hospital to finalise paperwork in the morning, then I'll be in Seoul Land from noon. I've been there since noon today."

Hyun-ju squinted. "How did I wake up so much later than you guys? Young-mi met with Se-mi and Min-su at five."

"I don't know. I was shaken awake anyway, people thought I was a drunk."

Hyun-ju sighed, trying to distance her brain from her thoughts. "Yeah. My neighbourhood is full of them, to be fair." Her eyes turned back to him, a soft smile coming to her lips as her gaze wandered over him. "You don't look too bad either, for a man who's just walked through hell and came back."

Gyeong-seok smiled back at her. "You look like you just woke up with 570 million in your pocket."

She rolled her eyes, shoving him slightly. "It's a fake leather jacket and jeans. Hardly high fashion."

"You don't need high fashion, Cho Hyun-ju."

Hyun-ju's breath caught in her throat, looking around at the busy subway station. "Are you sure you don't want to come for a drink?"

"Are you sure you don't want to come home with me?"

Hyun-ju's heart began to race, looking between Gyeong-seok's eyes and the subway. She sighed, shaking her head. "Young-mi would probably be pissed if I blew her off for a guy."

Gyeong-seok nodded. "That's okay." He took a breath himself. "I have to go to another platform, and it'll be here soon."

"Yeah. So I suppose I'll-"

"-text tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

The two chuckled, the awkwardness between them fading when they wrapped their arms around each other, leaving kisses on each others temples. Hyun-ju's eyes opened at the side, seeing that no one was paying any mind to them; everyone was too busy with their own lives to pay attention. With one more tight squeeze, she pulled away from the hug, smiling at him as the sound of the approaching subway came into her ears. 

"Tell the others I said hi."

Hyun-ju nodded. "Get a good sleep."

Gyeong-seok smiled, giving her a quick shoulder squeeze before she returned the smile and turned to get on the subway. After she tapped her travel card, she turned to sit down before she heard a voice behind her.

"Cho Hyun-ju!"

She looked back, seeing Gyeong-seok still standing there and waving. "You're beautiful!"

Her heart drummed, her eyes darting around before she waved back, her opportunity to answer being erased by the shutting of the doors, Gyeong-seok's wide smile still being present in the windows before the veihicle sped off, Hyun-ju sighing deeply and grabbing onto a pole. She took out her phone, ignoring the slight crack as she exited out of Gyeong-seok's profile and look at the message from Young-mi telling her that they were at the station that she'd be stopping at. After a brief reply, she finally sat down, a smile still on her face from the interaction. 

Her eyes scanned the subway carriage, empty except for a woman buried in her phone and a well-dressed man asleep with his head lying against a pole. She observed him for a moment, making sure his chest was rising, before shuddering slightly and allowing herself to relax. Her brain still hadn't adjusted to the fact that dead bodies around her wasn't a part of her everyday life.

It only took another two stops before she was standing up, looking outside to see the smiling faces of her friends. She was no sooner off of the subway before she was nearly pushed back into it, Young-mi crashing into her arms, She glanced up at the others who were chuckling slightly, before looking down at the young woman and hugging her back.  

"Unnieeee!", Young-mi slurred slightly into her chest, making Hyun-ju's eyes widen.

"Hey, Young-mi-a. Have you drank already?"

"Just a shot of soju, that's all!"

Hyun-ju looked over at Se-mi, who spoke up. "Yup, just one shot. I think she's a lightweight."

Hyun-ju chuckled. "You don't say." She separated from the hug slightly, stabilising Young-mi in her arms as they began to walk. "How are you all anyway?"

The group nodded and Jun-hee spoke up. "All my debts are gone, so that's a relief. I have to find a job to provide for my baby long-term, but it's a great start."

Se-mi furrowed her eyebrows. "How about your parents, or child support from the baby daddy?"

Jun-hee sighed. "I'm an orphan, and he's not around."

Se-mi scoffed. "Of course he isn't." 

A tense breath caught in Hyun-ju's throat, trying to avoid any opportunity for Jun-hee to look at her. She turned to her side. "How about you, Min-su? Have you gotten sorted?"

His breath shook. "Well, I don't have any debts. I was caught in a rental scheme, and I was recruited just after I lost everything. I was sleeping under a bridge a few days ago."

Hyun-ju tilted her head sympatehtically. "And how about your parents? No help from them?"

"They cut off contact when I was twenty-two. I didn't get the grades required to graduate from law school and dropped out, so I worked odd jobs and couch surfed. I never asked for money after the scam."

Se-mi wrapped an arm around his shoulders, noticing the emotion on his face. "It's okay, buddy. You've got us now." He gave a meek smile, putting his hands into the pockets of his jeans as she ruffled his hair.

"How about you, Se-miii?", Young-mi spoke from under her arm, Hyun-ju's eyes widening and making a note to herself to make sure this girl only has wine cooler tonight.

Se-mi chuckled. "If it's okay, I'd rather not talk about it right now."

Young-mi sighed dramatically, before looking up at Hyun-ju. "Where's the rest of you?"

Hyun-ju's eyebrows stitched together in confusion. "What?"

"Gyeong-seok, Unnie, where's Gyeong-seok?"

The group laughed as Hyun-ju rolled her eyes, guiding her into the pub that Se-mi was pointing to. "He has a kid, you know. He has to be with her."

Young-mi groaned, her rebuttal cut off as they sat down at a table. Se-mi spoke up. "First rounds on me. What would everyone like?"

"I'll take a Jeju Slice, get the lightest drink in a can you can find for this one." Another groan from Young-mi. "That's all you need, Young-mi."

"I'll just have whatever beer is on tap.", Min-su requested.

"Just a strawberry Milkis for me. No alcohol, remember?"

Se-mi nodded, stepping away from the table to walk up to the bar. Hyun-ju glanced around the bar, noticing that it was quiet save for a small group of men watching a match. The bar itself was small but not rough, carrying a homely ambiance. Her train of thought was interrupted by Young-mi's head on her shoulder.

"Unnie, I really like Se-mi."

Hyun-ju's eyes widened, Min-su and Jun-hee looking at them in amusement. "Really? I had no idea."

"I don't know if she likes me though. Can you ask her?"

"I don't think I'll do that, Young-mi. Maybe when you're sober."

Young-mi groaned. "Fine! Just tell me, have you talked to Gyeong-seok yet?"

Hyun-ju smiled. "I ran into him on the way to the subway, actually."

Young-mi straightened her posture. "And why exactly is he not here?"

"His daughter, Young-mi. His job. He couldn't exactly go for drinks on a Monday evening."

"Okay, okay, he's a committed man, I get it. But what did you guys talk about?"

Hyun-ju looked around, noticing that Jun-hee and Min-su were chatting, before she leaned to whisper in Young-mi's ear. "He invited me back to his house."

"What?! And you didn't go?!"

As faces turned towards them, Hyun-ju shushed her. "Well, I wanted to get drinks with my friends, I wasn't going to ditch you guys."

Young-mi finally gained the ability to whisper. "But what are you doing here instead of getting dicked down right now?"

Hyun-ju's mouth opened slightly, her eyes wide as she blinked. "Getting what?"

Young-mi rolled her eyes. "I forgot why I call you Unnie for a second."

"Okay, rude." Hyun-ju sighed, looking around before talking again. "I won't even ask you what that means. Whatever it is though, I wasn't ditching you guys for that." She finally found a way out of the conversation when she noticed some drinks ready on the bar, walking up to bring them down. She placed her can and glass on the table before handing Jun-hee her drink to a word of thanks and handing the pink can to Young-mi with a grin.

"What the fuck is this?" She inspected the can, her disappointment growing as she read the label. "This is only 3%. I'm going to kill you and Se-mi."

"It's actually nice.", Jun-hee interjected. "You won't get drunk, but a couple of cans could give you a buzz."

Young-mi sighed. "But I want to get drunk."

"You already are, Young-mi. And it isn't really a night to get plastered.", Hyun-ju reasoned as she poured her own drink.

Young-mi groaned again, her shoulders perking up slightly when Se-mi walked over with her and Min-su's beers. "Se-miiiii! Hi!" Hyun-ju and Jun-hee suppressed their laughs as Se-mi gave an awkward smile and darted her eyes between Hyun-ju and Young-mi. 

 

⭕

 

Hyun-ju leant against the wall as she dragged on a cigarette, flicking ashes on the ground as she glanced inside, smiling at the sight of Young-mi and Se-mi chatting together. Young-mi had snuck up to the bar and gotten a soju, so she knew she had about ten minutes before she'd have to take her home to stop her from saying or doing something life ruining. She turned back around, looking at the quiet street in front of her as she continued to blow smoke into it. 

A few moments passed and she heard footsteps out the door stop beside her. She looked to her side, seeing Jun-hee standing there. Hyun-ju jumped slightly, dropping the unfinished cigarette and quenching it with her foot.

"It's okay, you could've kept smoking it. I miss vaping."

"Secondhand smoke can be worse than actually smoking. I don't want your kid coming out with 20 heads because of me."

Jun-hee chuckled. "Well, thanks for the consideration."

Hyun-ju nodded her head, a silence falling on the two before Jun-hee spoke.

"Things were going well for me. I was in college studying marketing, about two years out from graduation. I was set to get any job I wanted, making six figures by the time I was thirty. That was when I met Myung-gi." Hyun-ju looked at her, Jun-hee sighing before continuing. "I fell in love with him. He didn't have a marketing degree, but he told me about his YouTube channel where he was selling people an up and coming crypto. I mean, he sold it so well that he even convinced me. I saw the figures, heard about all the people getting billions, and how people idolised him. I was so convinced that I dropped out, thinking my marketing degree was useless when he was selling this so well with no degree. And, of course, I was infatuated. So I invested every penny I was putting away for my student loans." She took another breath before continuing. "Around the time it ended up beeing a scam, I found out I was pregnant. He ran, convinced I was getting an abortion, and I lost 30 million. I had no family, and abortion was the rational choice. But I needed someone. I thought he would be my family, but that wasn't happeening. Funnily enough, we both end up in the games." Hyun-ju gulped, looking down at her feet as Jun-hee continued. "He wouldn't leave me alone, apparently so concerned. And I was nearly convinced again, but then he let it slip that he intended to use our shares to invest in something new. That was before Mingle."

Hyun-ju released a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, Jun-hee. I really am. If I had the chance to do something el-"

"Hyun-ju, I'm not angry with you."

Hyun-ju moved her head up to look at her. "What?"

Jun-hee sighed. "The part of me that loves him is sad that he's gone, that I never found out if he would ever change and maybe be a father. I am upset that the kid will grow up without a father. But the rest of me, the me that spent months sleeping on benches and going to gyno appointments alone? I'm grateful."

"What?"

"Hyun-ju, he ruined my life. In that game, Ms Jang, the first person to give a shit about me in months, nearly died because of him. Then, he nearly killed Young-mi for no reason. We were almost at the room, there was no saving me or anything. I was just something to cling to. In the grand scheme of things, Hyun-ju, you didn't just save Young-mi that time. Whether it would've happened in there or out here, you saved my child and I. I'm grateful."

Hyun-ju's breath shuddered, tears falling from her eyes and threatening to ruin her makeup. Jun-hee took a breath, reaching up to rub her back. 

"So, what's the story with Gyeong-seok?"

Hyun-ju stopped wiping her face, looking down at Jun-hee's cheeky smile and rolling her eyes. "I need to text him tomorrow."

"Try and make it work, okay?" Hyun-ju looked at the younger woman in confusion before she spoke. "I know you just met him, but he does seem really good. You seem really good, so you'd be good for each other."

Hyun-ju sighed, pointing her head up to the sky. "I know. I just have this fear of complicating people's lives, you know? Especially now with Gyeong-seok's. I went into the game with every intention of being on a plane once I left, but now, I don't know."

Jun-hee smirks. "Sound's like he's the one who complicated your life."

Hyun-ju chuckled, parting her lips to answer before she heard the sound of a glass smashing. She darted her head inside, seeing Young-mi laughing against Se-mi's shoulder as the other tried to pick up the shards of glass as she apologised to a glaring bartender.

"Okay, that's our cue to leave!"

"Yep!"

They headed back inside, Hyun-ju walking over to a giggling Young-mi and picking up her arm to sling it around her shoulders. "Okay, it's time for you to get home."

Young-mi giggled, hugging Hyun-ju. "Unnieeeeeee!"

"Yes, yes, Unnie is here. Unnie's bringing you home, okay?"

Young-mi sighed dramatically. "I don't have a home! I'm no one's child, Unnie!"

Hyun-ju's heart dropped as she carried her out the door. "Okay. I guess you're at my place for the night so."

Young-mi gasped. "A sleepover?! Yay! I meant to ask you, but you beat me to it!"

Hyun-ju chuckled as the others looked at them in amusement. She turned her attention to them as Young-mi continued rambling into her shoulder. "How about you guys? Do you all have a place for the night?"

"The three of us are going back to mine.", Se-mi explained, resulting in a whine from Young-mi.

"And we weren't invited? Rude!"

"There was only one couch and one blow up mattress besides my bed. Sorry, girls."

"Unnie is practically a giraffe, she could sleep standing up in the shower." Hyun-ju's eyes shot to her, trying her best to hold in her laughter as Min-su was already losing it. "And I could sleep in your bed!"

Se-mi's eyes widened as Hyun-ju gasped, the group officially in stitches of laughter. 

"But it's okaaaay, Unnie and I are going to have so much more fun."

"I know! Making sure you don't vomit and die in your sleep and listening to you regret all of this an hour from now will be so exciting!"

The others laughed as Young-mi groaned, burying her head in Hyun-ju's arm as they talked to the subway. Once they reached the station, Se-mi turned to the group. 

"My place is a 5 minute walk from here, so we'll leave you two off."

Hyun-ju spoke up before Young-mi could follow through with whatever she had planned to say after her whining. "Perfect. Thanks for bringing us out, Se-mi."

Se-mi smiled. "Safe trip home."

The group exchanged goodbyes, and Hyun-ju pulled Young-mi on the subway as it arrived. Once she had hopped on, she held the young woman tight to reduce the motion sickness, listen to her murmur about how much she liked Se-mi.

"You know, we should do a double date sometime."

Hyun-ju chuckled and nodded her head. "Maybe, yeah."

"I still don't know why you didn't just jump into his bed tonight. You didn't even get drunk tonight, you just drank two of those cans."

Hyun-ju sighed, pleacing her head on Young-mi's. "I've only gotten drunk once. It wasn't nice. It was after my dischargee, rebellion for being teetotal for seventeen years."

Young-mi groaned. "I need to get you fun drunk sometime. You might like it."

"I'll see, Young-mi. I'll see."

An hour later, Young-mi was passed out on Hyun-ju's couch, her body tilted to the side and towels and buckets placed there. Once Hyun-ju felt safe to, she climbed into her own bed, only a few meters from where Young-mi was in her one room apartmeent. She sighed as she lay down in the mattress on the floor, taking her phone in her hands to look at the time. 1:36. With one glance at the clearly out-cold Young-mi, she oopened the app again, seeing that Gyeong-seok was last active twenty minutes beforehand. A warm feeling filled her chest, the lamp in her room reflecting on the portrait that stayed against the wall ahead of her that Young-mi had enthusiastically commented on. 

Against her better judgement, she opened the message function, her fingers hovering over the keyboard before she noticed the phone symbol in the top corner of the screen. With the bit of alcohol in her system being enough to increase her confidence, she clicked on it. After realising what she did, she went to end it, but the line connected almost immediately.

"Hyun-ju!"

She chuckled nervously. "Hey. I'm sorry for ringing at this hour. Were you asleep?"

Gyeong-seok sighed on the other end. "I should be. I slept for about an hour, but now I'm drawing."

Hyun-ju's eyes widened, a smile growing on her face. "Drawing? Can I see?"

"Maybe when it's done. Artists secret."

She smiled to herself, sitting up now. "I can respect that."

"How noble of you." A chuckle arose from both of them. "How was the night out?"

Hyun-ju sighed. "Entertaining. You remember how Jun-hee was the shy one in the games?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, one shot of soju and she wouldn't stop."

Gyeong-seok laughed heartily on the other end. "Aw, are you babysitting now?"

"You could say that, yeah. She's asleep now anyway." She took a breath, fiddling with the hem of the leg of her pyjamas. "Have you heard from anyone else?"

"Oh, yeah. Jung-bae got in contact and he wants to go for a drink sometime. Yong-sik was in contact, Ms Jang isn't on social media so I'll ask for her number tomorrow."

"Could you share that with me when you get it? I'd love to ring her."

Hyun-ju could practically hear his smile on the other end. "Of course I will."

She smiled, but then frowned. "What about Gi-hun? None of the others had heard from him either."

"Nothing. Not even Jung-bae heard from him. I reckon he's just tired and disappointed though."

Hyun-ju nodded. "That makes sense. I'm just worried about him."

"I get you. What about Dae-ho then?"

"Jun-hee invited him out tonight, but he was too tired. I'd also be worried about him, he was very shaken after the fight."

Gyeong-seok sighed. "Yeah." A pause on the line for a moment. "Hyun-ju, would you like to meet tomorrow?"

Hyun-ju's eyes widened, her heartbeat accellerating. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Only if you're okay and available."

"I am!" She pinched herself for how desperate she sounded. "What time would suit?"

"Sundown at Seoul Land? That's when I'll be finished up."

Hyun-ju bit her lip, unsuccessfully restraining the smile on her face. "Sundown. I'll be there."

"So will I." A yawn on the line. "I think I'm ready to hit the hay now."

"Oh, I see how it is. I'm boring, am I?"

Gyeong-seok chuckled. "Your voice is relaxing. And I'm glad you got home alright."

Hyun-ju kept smiling, mentally cursing her giddiness. "Waited up for me, did you?"

"What if I did?"

Hyun-ju shook her head. "I'll let you rest now. You know I'm safe and in bed with a drunk friend passed out on the couch."

"Well, no better place to be." An exchange of chuckles. "I'll see you tomorrow, Cho Hyun-ju."

"Good night, Park Gyeong-seok."

 

 

Notes:

Thanks for all the support 🫶 At the time of uploading, I am hours away from receiving the results that determine if I get into college, so updates might become more sporadic in the coming weeks 👌

Chapter 11: 011

Notes:

Song of the chapter: Falling by Julee Cruise
https://youtu.be/9li9GeDHc2s?si=K6xDBlzSei4u0k7i
(The lyrics very heavily influenced this chapter)

Heads up for discussions of gender dysphoria

"I'm never drinking again."

Hyun-ju chuckled as she turned back around, handing Young-mi painkillers as she groaned on the couch. She pulled up a chair for herself, sitting down beside her friend. "You'll definitely be drinking again, Young-mi. Hopefully not as much though." Hyun-ju tilted her head. "Why did you want to get so drunk?"

Young-mi sighed. "It's what I do when things get too much, which is pretty often. And as you can tell, I really can't handle my drink either." Hyun-ju nodded in confirmation, making Young-mi laugh before taking a breath and continuing. "I went to college, you know? I studied history and sociology. My parents were furious. Their plan my whole life was to have me study business, come work at their company. They would've had a job for me just as I graduated. But I didn't want to get a job through nepotism and I didn't want to do business. So, I applied for that course behind their back, and I got in. They cut me off, everythings going to my sister now. I had so much fun in college, the partying was amazing and I loved what I studied. But I graduated and reality hit; I had no way to pay off my student loans. My parents refused to help, and my barista job didn't cover them at all."

Hyun-ju frowned. "How about your degree though? Would you not have gotten a job through that?"

"I want to be a teacher. I'm going to pay off my fees and get my qualification."

Hyun-ju's eyes widened. "Okay, Miss Kim." Young-mi rolled her eyes, shoving Hyun-ju slightly as she laughed. "Nah, in all seriousness, you'll do great in it."

Young-mi nodded her head. "Thanks, Unnie." She took a deep breath, deeping a sip of water. "You know, even though they haven't talked to be in years, I couldn't stop thinking about my parents when we were there. That I could die at any second and they'd never know, that no one would ever know. I have a younger sister, she's only 12 now. She would never know that I'm gone for good. That's what kept me so scared in there."

Hyun-ju sighed deeply, rubbing the back of her neck. "I never really thought of that in there. All I had out here was a dream of becoming more like myself. No one out here wanted anything to do with me. It's weird having friends from going in there."

"Speaking of friends, how bad was I towards Se-mi last night?"

Hyun-ju blinked. "Well, you asked to sleep in her bed near the end of the night."

Young-mi's eyes widened. "No, I didn't. Oh, Unnie!"

Hyun-ju laughed as Young-mi buried her face in her hands. "Oh, it gets better. You asked me why I was with you guys and not getting, and I quote, 'dicked down' at Gyeong-seok's house."

Young-mi shrugged. "Well, that was a valid question, to be fair."

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes. "I'm going to see him later, do you want to come?" Young-mi's jaw dropped, reaching over to slap Hyun-ju's arm. "What?!"

"I am not coming with you on your date, Unnie."

"Who said it was a date?"

Young-mi released an exasperated breath. "Unnie, you're a military strategist. You're not this stupid. How did you arrange it?"

"We had a call last night, and he said for us to meet at Seoul Land at sundown."

Young-mi finished her water in one gulp, groaning as she stood up. Hyun-ju immediately stood up as well, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Woah, woah, woah, Young-mi. Stay down."

"Unnie, you have a date. We need to get you ready." She pushed past Hyun-ju, walking over to her wardrobe before she could be stopped. She hummed as she skimmed through the wardrobe, carefully considering each neatly hung up outfit. Finally, her fingers landed on one; a black dress with pearls studded on the chest and a skirt that went just past the knees, sported by a red cardigan. "Oooh, this is perfect!"

Hyun-ju sighed, walking over to it. "It doesn't say I'm easy, does it?"

"No, it says that you're going on a romantic date with maybe a cheeky promise of getting lai- I'm sorry, making love."

Hyun-ju groaned. "So it says easy?"

Young-mi shrugged. "No, it says you're gorgeous. Desirable. You're into him. It reveals enough but not too much. It matches the winter. It's perfect for an ambiguous first date with the man you fell in love with in a death game."

Hyun-ju raised an eyebrow. "I'm not in love."

"Oh, sorry sorry. You just like like him."

Hyun-ju bent down, picking up a clean towel and throwing it at Young-mi. "You, go have a shower!"

Young-mi chuckled, picking up the fresh pair of clothes she'd brought the night before. "Come back to me when you ask me to be your maid of honour in a year or two!"

Hyun-ju flipped her a middle finger as she walked into the bathroom, laughter still echoing through the apartment after she closed the bathroom door. 

 

⭕

 

Gyeong-seok walked out of his home, his easel and supplies returned and his look more than freshened up. Any trace of charcoal from the day was gone, replaced with the best cologne and watch he owned and a clean shave. Sporting his best green flannel shirt and jeans, he began the short walk from his house to Seoul Land, putting the folded piece of sketch paper in his jacket pocket when his palms began to sweat. 

He took out his phone as he walked, smiling at good luck texts in the groupchat he had made with Dae-ho, Yong-sik and Jung-bae. The men had been hyping him up all day, giving him advice on what to wear and what to do. Despite the banter about their own unsuccessful dating lives, the encouragement had settled Gyeong-seok's significantly. His other friends would either judge Hyun-ju or make crass recommendations for what to do with the night. These men knew and respected her, encouraging the genuine connection he shared with her. He put his phone back into his pocket, pressing his thumb into his palm as he continued to walk, sweat gathering at the back of his neck.

It was only two minutes later that he approached the entrance of Seoul-land, only a few entering and leaving as the evening began to fall. He stumbled when his eyes caught sight of her, fidgeting with her hands nervously as the sun began to set behind her. The marching band in his hard began to drum a steady rhythm as he managed to drag his feet along, taking in the sight of her frame hugged with a stunning yet simple dress and cardigan combination, completed with a crossbody purse. Finally, she looked up, the anxiety on her face fading as it was replaced by a wide smile, putting up her hand in a shy wave as Gyeong-seok mirrored her smile and took a breath, striding ever.

When he finally reached Hyun-ju, neither gave the other time before enveloping the other in their arms. He smiled in her arms, burying his head in her shoulder as he got a scent of her perfume, floral and vanilla and distinctly her. 

"Hey, stalker.", her soft voice greeted in his ear, prompting him to roll his eyes and seperate slightly, keeping his arms around her but facing her.

"Who was it that stalked me for months on a burner account?"

She tilted her head, a humourous grin on her face. "The past is the past, Gyeong-seok."

He chuckled, finally removing his arms from her and putting slight distance between them. "You look so beautiful, Hyun-ju. Incredible, actually."

Pink rose onto her cheeks that were already painted with light blush. "You look amazing too." She reached out a hand, running a finger through his hair. "You brushed your hair!"

A grin spread across Gyeong-seok's face. "Wanted to save you the trouble of always having to keep it in place."

Hyun-ju smiled, patting his shoulder. "How considerate." She looked around her, before looking back at Gyeong-seok. "So, what should we do?"

Gyeong-seok chuckled, looking down at his feet before looking at her again. "I was thinking we could walk around, maybe find some food somewhere or get a drink?"

Hyun-ju nodded her head before knitting her eyebrows in concern. "Don't you have to go in for Na-yeon tomorrow?"

"I do, but I'm fine for one or two beers. Are you okay with that?"

Hyun-ju smiled, stepping aside slightly to let people pass. "That's sounds great. A walk and meal and drinks."

Gyeong-seok nodded before holding out his hand, raising his eyebrow and curling his lip in playful smugness. "Shall we?"

Hyun-ju released a laugh, rolling her eyes before playing along and placing her hand in his. "We shall."

Gyeong-seok flashed her a smile, the drumming in his heart continuing as she wrapped her free hand around his bicep, leaning into him as they walked side by side. Finally, he took a breath, and looked down to her. "How did it go with babysitting the hungover today?"

"Well, she wasn't too bad. She was groggy and sad until I let it slip that we were meeting, and then she turned into my personal stylist."

Gyeong-seok chuckled, letting his eyes scan over Hyun-ju. "She did a good job."

Hyun-ju looked at him, tilting her head. "I did the eyeliner. I love Young-mi, I really do, but with the wings she gave me she made me look like Harry Potter when she tried to do it."

Gyeong-seok's hand flew to his mouth, releasing a laugh into his palm and earning a smile from Hyun-ju. "Her and Na-yeon would get along. Whenever she uses me as a guinea pig for her makeup, I end up looking like I got paintballed to hell and back."

Hyun-ju grinned. "Maybe the three of us should gang up on you."

Gyeong-seok gasped in fake offense. "You guys wouldn't!"

"Oh, we would!" Hyun-ju chuckled for a moment, keeping her smile when she looked at Gyeong-seok to speak again. "How was Na-yeon today?"

"She was nervous at first, and I'd say she's still nervous. But then she asked me had I found the princess." Hyun-ju squinted in confusion before Gyeong-seok chuckled and elaborated. "You, Hyun-ju. And I couldn't lie to her."

Hyun-ju couldn't hide the smile on her face as she kept her hold on his hand. "What did you tell her? That I killed seven men?"

"No. I told her that you're not just any princess. I said that you're stronger than any knight and more gorgeous than any princess. She said that you seem more like a queen because of that, but you can't be a queen unless you marry."

Hyun-ju's cheeks flushed, her eyes wide until Gyeong-seok chuckled. "Don't worry, I explained that it doesn't happen like that. Then, she asks if you're not a princess and you're not a queen, then what are you?"

"What did you say?"

Gyeong-seok shrugged, his smile never leaving his face. "That you're Hyun-ju. You're beyond a princess or a queen."

Hyun-ju's heartrate accellerated, looking up at his content face as she began to softly run her thumb along the back of his hand. She returned his smile before leaning her head on his shoulder, unable to voice what she was thinking.

"Besides Young-mi, how'd the rest of your day go?"

She took a breath as she left her trance. "Well, I started making the effort to pay off my debt, and I got back on my hormones."

Gyeong-seok smiled, giving her an encouraging nudge. "That's great!" Hyun-ju smiled, about to respond before Gyeong-seok interjected with concern in his voice. "Wait, your medication was cut off?"

Hyun-ju sighed. "Yep. I was already overdue so much and couldn't take out any more loans. My doctor, he's lovely and tried to extend it for me, but he would've lost his job. Then, I would've been fucked because he's the only doctor around who was willing to help me."

Gyeong-seok frowned, scoffing slightly. "I still can't understand this prejudice. I mean, you're the best person I've ever met, and you've been treated like this. Unbelievable."

Hyun-ju gave him a small smile. "It's still taboo to be gay here, Gyeong-seok. Transitioning is a whole 'nother ball park."

Gyeong-seok shrugged. "I've always thought it was cool. I mean, I went to art school. You're destined to meet at least one gay person there." 

Hyun-ju chuckled in his arm, making him smile. "Art school, huh? How was that?"

"Well, I wasn't the family pride, that was for sure." He released a chuckle before continuing. "But it was all I wanted to do, Hyun-ju. I loved it, and art is all I've ever wanted to do. I've had my work in exhibitions, and I was thinking about opening my own when Na-yeon's mother got pregnant."

Hyun-ju tilted her head. "What was she like, Na-yeon's mother?"

He chuckled slightly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "She was very kind and funny. She was pretty, and she worked in accounting. But truthfully, neither of us were in love. We even said that to each other. I think I had love for her, but I wasn't in love. We were actually good friends for most of our lives, and we had a one night stand after a couple drinks and that was that. My family is a bit conservative, but hers was even more so, and they threatened to cut her out of their lives and fire her if she gave birth unmarried. It happened so quickly, just a trip to the courthouse with a small dinner as a ceremony, and we figured it would be okay because we had a lot of respect for each other, and we both always wanted kids. I even thought we might fall in love, but it never happened. The spark my friends talked about with their wives was never ignited, even with all the pregnancy milestones and becoming domestic. Then, when Na-yeon was born, I was on top of the world as I held her. I knew that was love, what I felt for the little person in my arms. But then, she started to hemorrhage. I had no clue what was happening, and a few hours later, I was a single father."

Hyun-ju tightened her hold on his hand as they walked, stroking his arm with her other hand in a comforting manner. He chuckled then, dropping down his head and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, sorry. It's our first date and I'm talking about my ex."

Hyun-ju's eyes widened, before she smirked. "This is a date, is it?" Gyeong-seok's jaw dropped, beginning to stammer before Hyun-ju laughed. "Of course it's a date, dummy." Once he had relaxed, Hyun-ju patted his arm. "And hey, talk about it all you want. Not only am I the one who asked, but I want to know all about you, even what hurts you."

Gyeong-seok smiled, leaning his head on hers. "Ditto."

Suddenly, a warm, intoxicating smell entered their noses, their heads turning simultaneously towards the source. The door to a humble restaurant lay open against the streets, gorgeous smells and lively chatter spilling out. Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok glanced at each other, both raising their eyebrows in questioning before immediately walking inside the door, Gyeong-seok's arm going down to wrap around Hyun-ju's waist and hers going to his shoulders, smiling at each other as they waited to be seated.

It wasn't long before a waitress arrived, sporting a smile as she approached. "Welcome. Is it only you two tonight?"

Gyeong-seok nodded. "It is indeed."

"Perfect! Just take any table you'd like and I'll be with you two in just a few moments!" The perky woman gave them a quick bow and smile before rushing back behind the counter. 

Gyeong-seok smiled at Hyun-ju, motioning towards the nearest avaliable table for two. He guided them over, pulling out the chair for her and motioning for her to sit down. She tried to playfully laugh it off, but she couldn't deny the pink rushing to her face and the swelling of her heart as she hung her purse on the back of the chair and went to sit down. "Thank you, kind sir."

"You're welcome, ma'am." He smiled as he pushed in the chair for her, before bringing up his hands to hover near the hem of her cardigan. "Is it okay if I take this off for you?"

Hyun-ju's breath hitched, her heart dropping as she shook her head. "No, I'll just leave it on. Sorry."

Gyeong-seok nodded respectfully. "That's okay, don't worry about it." He moved to his side of the table, removing his own jacket and hanging it on the back of his chair before sitting down. His smile faltered when he looked over at her, resting her face into the palm of her hand with her eyebrows knitted together. She looked up at the feeling of Gyeong-seok's hand on hers and the gentleness in his voice. "Are you okay, Hyun-ju? Did I make you uncomfortable?"

She sighed deeply, taking his hand in hers as he looked at her with concern. "It wasn't you, Gyeong-seok, trust me. You've been amazing. I just have some, insecurities."

Gyeong-seok tilted his head, placing his other hand over hers. "Hyun-ju, listen to me. I don't ever want to make you uncomfortable in any way, shape or form. If there's things I should be aware of, no matter how small they might seem, I'll keep them in mind. Or even if there are things I shouldn't say, terms I shouldn't use. Or even if me saying this makes you uncomfortable, let me know."

She smiled, bringing a finger to her eye to catch the tear that unwillingly fell. "God, you're just the best, aren't you?" Gyeong-seok smiled at her warmly, giving a slight tip of the head to give her the space to open up. "It's called gender dysphoria. It's basically what transitioning treats, but it doesn't ever really go away. The best way I can describe it is like wearing wet socks. Before I started my transition, I always had that uncomfortable feeling that no one else could see. Beginning this journey was like changing socks, but some days, a lot of days, I feel like my feet aren't properly dry under the clean socks. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's the best way I can describe it. It's heavy discomfort that I try to shake. Some people think it's just about what's below, but it's the small things. I have the common trigger with my voice and height, but I'm most dysphoric about my arms, as weird as it sounds."

Gyeong-seok nodded intently, hanging on every word she said as he kept her hand in his. Before Hyun-ju could continue, the waitress came back with glasses, water and menus. Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok thanked her before she looked at them with a smile.

"Anniversary dinner, is it?"

Hyun-ju's eyes widened before Gyeong-seok awkwardly chuckled and answered for them. "First date, actually."

The waitress gasped in surprise. "Really? But you look so good together!"

Now, Hyun-ju chuckled. "Thank you."

The waitress flashed a smile again. "I'll give you two some time to look over the menu. See you soon!"

"Perfect, thank you so much." Gyeong-seok flashed another smile as the waitress walked off before turning his attention back to Hyun-ju. "Do you want to continue talking about this?"

Hyun-ju smiled. "Sure, if it's not bringing down the mood of the evening."

Gyeong-seok shook his head, seperating their hands to pour the water for the two of them. "Not at all, Hyun-ju. I want to know."

Hyun-ju took a relieved breath before continuing, Gyeong-seok's undivided attention focused on her words. "It's odd. I can be dysphoric about different things at different times. But because I worked out so much in the military, they are pretty big and torment me the most. I only wear sleeveless shirts around the house, honestly. The estrogen has helped soften them out a small bit, but I've been on and off of it because of payments and everything. Besides my body, there's just parts of me as a person I get dysphoric about. The fact that I was in the military, the age I was when I started to transition. A lot of the girls I saw when I started to seriously go through with this were far younger than me. Thirty-five is young in general, but some had started when they were teenagers. That's usually in the west, but then I watched a Japanese thriller where there was a younger woman who'd done it. I felt like it was way too late, but I had to do it either way."

Gyeong-seok sighed, rubbing his thumb over her hand. "If you don't mind my asking, did you always know?"

Hyun-ju smiled softly. "I always felt it, but I couldn't verbalise it. I was the middle of three boys, so it was a very macho house. I was the one they expected to be an accountant because it required less socialising and I was so quiet, but I ended up being the military son. I did get bullied, especially when I preferred to hang out with the girls in my neighbourhood. I actually remember thinking I was one until I was placed into an all boys school. I just felt out of place all my life, but I pushed it down. I first came across the word transgender the summer before I began my service, and I knew that was me. I hated it, Gyeong-seok. I hated that this was who I was, and that's how I ended up going to the biggest boy camp in the country and staying there. As the years went on, I earned respect, moved up the ranks, got accepted into the Special Forces. I was told that one day, I could even end up at the very top. It was so different from my childhood, and it was stability. It was always there though, that I wasn't who people thought I was. Then, my breaking point came. The news of Staff Sergeant Byun. She was discharged in early 2020 for transitioning, and everyone in my rank was disgusted at her. It was the first time I'd cried in years. I kept going though, but secretly went on hormones that summer. A year later when she was found dead, my comrades celebrated. I knew I was done, despite how much I loved my actual job. I knew what would happen, but I realised I had wasted so much time serving an organisation that pushed out one of their own for being just like their celebrated Sergeant First Class Cho. I was discharged a month after she died, when I told my supervisor who I was."

Gyeong-seok sighed deeply, leaning over to wipe a tear from Hyun-ju's eyes. "Wow. You're even stronger than I thought."

Hyun-ju scoffed. "I'm more so stupid. I pushed myself down for seventeen years until I threw away a job when I finally got over myself." She then chuckled. "I fucked up so badly that this is my first date since I was a teenager."

Gyeong-seok widened his eyes, smiling. "What happened there?"

Hyun-ju chuckled. "Its kind of awful. I was pressured to ask out this girl who really liked me, but I didn't feel the same way. It was just bowling and burgers. Then, we went for a walk, and she said she was cold. Gyeong-seok, I gave her money to go into a shop and get herself a jacket."

Gyeong-seok clasped his hand over his mouth, unable to muffle the loud laughter that came from him too much. "You didn't! Hyun-ju!"

"No, no, it gets better. On the second date-"

"You got a second date after that?!"

"She really liked me!" Hyun-ju laughed before continuing. "On the second date, we went to a movie. I thought it was really boring so I yawned and stretched my arms. I just plopped my arms back down on my lap then."

Gyeong-seok's head fell to his hand as he laughed, Hyun-ju joining in as well, attracting some stares as Gyeong-seok slapped the table amidst his laughter. She placed her hand on his arm. "Calm down, calm down."

Gyeong-seok brought his head up, tears at his eyes and his face flushed red from the heavy laughing. "Please don't tell me there was a third date, I don't think I can handle another story."

Hyun-ju chuckled, patting his arm. "Nah, nah, we realised it wasn't working after that."

"Really? What gave it away?"

Hyun-ju laughed again, motioning down to the menus. "Come on, we may as well get something to eat."

"Oh yeah, that would be ideal." He shot a smile that was immediately returned as they began to read, his eyes widening when his sight scanned over the drinks. "They serve Guinness here? I've always wanted to try that."

Hyun-ju gasped. "I was stationed in Ireland once and had a few pints of it. I don't like beer, but Guinness is incredible. I've never found it here!"

Gyeong-seok nodded his head. "That's our drinks sorted so. How about a main then?"

Hyun-ju only scanned the menu for a few moments before she closed it decisively. "Tteokbokki and Guinness it is."

Gyeong-seok nodded in approval before he closed his own. "Bulgogi and Guinness for me."

Hyun-ju smiled as she placed her menu in the centre of the table, Gyeong-seok following suit, resulting in their hands brusshing against each others. Gyeong-seok smiled at her, about to open his mouth when the waitress returned and took their orders. After jotting in her notepad, she tilted her head at Hyun-ju. "I love your cardigan. Where did you get it?"

Hyun-ju chuckled, looking down at it. "Thanks! I thrifted it a year or two ago."

"Girl, it's incredible. I'll be back with your orders in shortly!"

Gyeong-seok took the reigns from a flustered Hyun-ju, politely thanking the waitress before she walked off. He smiled at her. "What is it?"

"I've never been complimented like that in public."

A twang of pain struck his heart, remembering all she had just told him. How the world had been cruel to this beautiful woman who he couldn't believe was sitting across from him, how her confidence had been shot and her truth denied all her life. He couldn't understand how someone could look at her, see the crinkle of her eyes and the softness of her smile, and not immediately know they're in the presence of an angel. 

"Everything okay, Gyeong-seok?"

He came out of his daze, looking up into her concerned eyes. The corners of his lips tugged upwards as he simply said, "I was just thinking about how beautiful you are."

Hyun-ju scoffed as a blush fell on her cheeks, looking away nervously. "You're really funny."

"I'm not joking, Hyun-ju. I've had no intention of dating again for seven years. Before that, even, I didn't feel like I needed someone. But Hyun-ju, you're magnetic."

Hyun-ju chuckled, finally managing to look at him. "You sure you're not drunk?"

Gyeong-seok shook his head, beaming at her. "Sober as a judge."

As Hyun-ju blushed harder, Gyeong-seok put up his finger, reaching his other hand behind to his jacket. "I almost forgot!"

Hyun-ju furrowed her eyebrows as he brought out a piece of paper, neatly folded, and passed it across the table. She chuckled as she took it in her hands. "What is this?"

"Well, I didn't have the time or knowledge to get you some decent flowers, so I decided to improvise from some inspiration on your profile."

Her eyes widened as she unravelled the paper, taking in the drawing before her; the purple lilies that she grew and kept in her apartment, watering them every day and replanting them when they died. Gyeong-seok had depicted them in a vase encrusted with purple diamonds, and his familiar sloppy signature was there at the bottom. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at the vividly coloured in drawing, looking back up at the grinning man in front of her.

"Gyeong-seok...", she let out breathlessly, continuing to scan over every detail, analysing every pencil stroke. "This is gorgeous." She chuckled in disbelief before inspecting the vase in the drawing. "What's with the diamonds?"

Gyeong-seok chuckled. "Well, I looked up what your name means. Hyun-ju, virtuous jewel. Suits you perfectly." Hyun-ju shook her head as Gyeong-seok continued. "And well, I couldn't help but get the feeling through my scrolling that you like the colour purple. So, I decided to make the picture a bit more you by incorporating them."

Hyun-ju blinked back tears as she looked down at the drawing, dragging a finger lightly over each detail as she memorised and cherished it. Finally, she placed it down against the wall they were sitting and balanced her elbows on the table as she leaned over, catching the back of his neck gently in her hand and pressing their lips together, prompting his hand to go to her cheek and pull her in closer. She smiled into the kiss as she felt his thumb go to the scar on her cheekbone, the familiar gesture of adoration reminding her that they had made it out. 

 

Notes:

Thanks for the support 🫶

Chapter 12: 012

Notes:

Song of the chapter - Here With Me by d4vd https://youtu.be/B7Y4LHbpXv0?si=YX9q158vO95OuRwp

Heads up for some 🔥esque content

"You're fucking joking me."

Gyeong-seok glanced beside him on the park bench, seeing Hyun-ju muttering in frustration at her phone. "What is it?"

"The subway line to my neighbourhood is down for maintanance. And a taxi from here would probably send me right back into debt."

As she sighed in frustration, Gyeong-seok's eyes darted in thought before falling back to her. "You could stay with me."

Hyun-ju blinked. "What?" When Gyeong-seok nodded his head, she scoffed in amusement. "You paid for the meal and drinks, made me that beautiful drawing. I feel like a leech, Gyeong-seok."

Gyeong-seok chuckled, softly tightening his hold on her hand. "Hyun-ju, you saved my life. The least I can do is get you some food and give you a bed for the night."

Hyun-ju sighed, debating it before shaking her head. "I could just check into a motel for the-"

"Absolutely not, Hyun-ju. I'd be worried sick all night."

Hyun-ju looked up, humming for a moment before looking back with a grin. "You really want me back at your house, huh."

Gyeong-seok gulped, looking down to avert away from her gaze. "I just don't like the idea of you being all alone. I was so worried when I woke up and I didn't know where you were. If I didn't have to go to Na-yeon, I would've been panicking the whole day."

Hyun-ju smiled. "Exactly, Na-yeon. You have to see her early tomorrow. It's a big day. I don't want to be intruding on that."

"Hyun-ju, I'm terrified for tomorrow. Honestly, even just seeing you before we seperate at the subway in the morning would calm me down."

Hyun-ju sighed, shaking her head in amusement before looking back at him. "Okay. Thank you."

Gyeong-seok nodded with a smile. "Anytime." He picked up his hot chocolate, sipping as they looked out over the city, his other hand still intertwined in hers. He took a breath. "How are you doing after everything that happened there?"

Hyun-ju tensed slightly, looking at his calming demenaor before relaxing. "It's weird. The past few hours has been the first time I breathed since then. Even last night with the others, it was so fun, but I kind of felt like I didn't deserve it. Sure, I found my people in there, but there's others who'll never see their people again. I mean, seven families have now lost their relative because of me. They'll never know what happened to them while I was drinking Jeju Slice and laughing with my friends."

Gyeong-seok frowned, removing his hand from hers to go around her shoulders. "Hey. In that situation, you didn't have a choice. It was kill or be killed. And you saved many lives by being proactive."

Hyun-ju sighed, taking a sip of her own drink before answering. "I know. The military side of me knows that, knows that it was the best outcome given the circumstances. The least amount of casualties, all that stretegic talk. But I hated doing it, Gyeong-seok. I hate that kind of brutality being second nature to me."

Gyeong-seok shrugged, his lips hovering over the rim of the coffee lid. "If it's worth anything, I thought it was hot."

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes, slightly tapping the cup as he drank and causing him to splutter slightly, sitting back in amusement as she watched him. "Two Guinesses and you've gotten brave. More lightweight than Young-mi."

Gyeong-seok gasped dramatically, putting down his drink and and wiping himself down as Hyun-ju giggled. "I could've choked!"

"Ah, you'll be fine, Gyeong-seok." A wide smile remained on her face as she picked up napkins beside her, reaching over to help wipe his face and jacket, dizzyness coming to her after catching a glimpse of his eyes on her, quickly discarding the tissues and clearing her throat. "See? Not dead."

Gyeong-seok blinked, his arm still around her shoulders. The marching band in his heart was building up its rhythm so hard that it was now faint in his ears. As he kept his gaze on her, locking hers in place, he knew they were both thinking about two evenings before, when the hot choclate she had just wiped was blood. He gulped as the memory came back, a tear forming in his eye that was soon wiped by Hyun-ju.

"You know, I was stationed at the border for six months." Gyeong-seok's gaze turned attentive as she spoke, her eyelids drooping as they always did when she recalled something painful. "I don't remember a minute of it. I got a medal out of it, and a promotion, but I don't remember what happened, what I did. Even in therapy, I couldn't access those memories. I still can't." She sighed, laying her head on his shoulder. "I hope that happens for us with these 'games'. I hope that someday, I can only remember meeting the others and you. But honestly, I'd rather carry all of that if it meant none of you had to. Especially you."

Gyeong-seok let out a shaky breath. "Before we argued, Thanos was talking about how he was about to jump off a bridge before being recruited. Even though he was being such an asshole, that haunts me in a sense. That he was deciding to live again, even if he was drugged out the whole time. I mean, we were in our own state of euphoria amidst the chaos. So was he, even if it was chemically induced."

"You know, part of me wonders what would've happened if the rebellion went ahead and was successful. What answers would we get, would we know who was making us turn into the worst versions of ourselves." Gyeong-seok's went down to her face, his thumb ccircling her shoulder. "But it's just a pipe dream. Just like Sergeant Byun's death couldn't change the outcome of what happened to people like me, whatever we did, whatever blood we spilt, couldn't stop the system that was killing us there. But Byun's story helped me gain courage, and we all helped each other in some way. I mean, small changes in small areas are still worth something, right?"

Gyeong-seok nodded. "They really are." He leaned his cheek on the top off her head, sighing in contentment. "Is it weird that I don't feel like there's millions in my bank?"

"Not at all. I still feel like I should watch every penny. Which I probably should, I'll probably never get a proper job again."

"Where would you like to work?"

Hyun-ju smiled. "I think I'd like to be a gym instructor. Not in a school, but teaching self-defense or something. I always loved training people."

"Really? I couldn't tell." He chuckled when Hyun-ju rolled her eyes, continuing the gentle rub of her arms. "You were in your element though. You were passionate, had this sparkle in your eyes and this confidence in your posture. That's what's second nature to you, Hyun-ju. Not the brutality. The brutality is what you were forced into."

Hyun-ju blinked, bringing her hot chocolate to her lips to drink down whatever was threatening to come out. Gyeong-seok noticed it, the squint of her eyes, the tensing of her jaw. The telltale signs of years of maintaining composure. He remembered it when he'd asked her about what she had done for a living before, back at the park when he had merely asked for her name. He lifted his head from the top of hers, bringing his fingers to her chin as she looked up after the loss of contact.

"What's on your mind, Cho Hyun-ju?"

She gulped as scanned his face, his eyes doing the same to hers. She hesitated before she spoke. "I think I'm really starting to like you, Park Gyeong-seok."

A smile spread across his face as he cocked his head slightly. "Wow, I had no idea. I thought you just kissed any man with mediocre drawing skills."

Hyun-ju scoffed, smiling before she replied. "Shut up." She settled into his hold on her chin, pecking his lips softly before he reconnected them more passionately, spreading his palm along her cheek to pull her in closer. She placed her cup down beside her, bringing her arms around his neck. The adrenaline in both of them was about to overdose when Hyun-ju's eye fluttered open for a moment, remembering where they were. She chuckled as she pulled away, Gyeong-seok endearingly trying to resume it. "We're in public. I hate when people do PDA."

Gyeong-seok shrugged. "Maybe you were just jealous of what you were missing back then."

Hyun-ju smirked, fully pulling away. "I like you, Gyeong-seok. But not enough to be rude."

Gyeong-seok scoffed as he watched her stand up, finishing off her drink and putting the empty cup in the bin before straightening her dress, looking at her in confusion when she kept standing. "Well, I don't know where you live. You'll have to lead the way."

Gyeong-seok inhaled sharply, only slightly regaining his composure enough to bring himself to his feet and linking his arm with Hyun-ju's, a smile forming on her face as they began to walk. They walked in comfortable silence for the ten minute walk despite their mutually increased heart rates, gliding past the closed entrance of Seoul Land and heading up the road to his bungalow. A smile grew on Hyun-ju's face as they approached it, the small pink tricycle stood beside the door, faded hopscotch on the pavement and a small treehouse suddenly reminding her that she was about to enter a home, not merely a living space.

"Yeah, I should've cleaned up a bit.", Gyeong-seok spoke hesitantly, chuckly nervously before seperating them to get the key to open the gate.

"Are you joking, Gyeong-seok? I love it already."

Gyeong-seok smiled back at her as he finally pushed in the slightly rusted gate, begining the short walk up the pavement to his door. After unlocking the door, he extended his arm in welcome. "Entré."

Hyun-ju chuckled. "Thank you, kind sir." She stepped into the house, instinctively kicking off her pumps before looking down in embarrassment upon remembering she hadn't brought slippers with her. She felt a nudge on her shoulder, looking up to Gyeong-seok as he smiled before bending down to the rack nect to them and holding up a pair of purple slippers with a smile. She released a disbelieving breath. "How did you-"

"Before you woke the second morning, I checked the ones you wore in the games for your size. I hope that wasn't intrusive."

Hyun-ju blinked, grinning slightly as she placed her feet into the slippers Gyeong-seok had placed down, slotting them in perfectly. "You're building up a fine debt for me to pay off. You know that, right?"

"No more debts, Hyun-ju. Just accepting the things you deserve."

Hyun-ju gulped, about to give over all control of her senses before she cleared her throat. "Uh, I should ring Young-mi. Tell her I won't be home."

Gyeong-seok's eyes widened. "Shit, I have to ring Na-yeon as well! I promised I would." He walked into the kitchen, pulling out a chair hesitantly. "Take a seat here and make your call if you'd like."

Hyun-ju chuckled. "Thanks, Gyeong-seok." He placed his hand on her shoulder with a gentle squeeze as she sat down before speeding into the living room and switching on the light. Hyun-ju looked around the kitchen for a moment, smiling at how homely it was. She took her phone out, calling Young-mi and getting an immediate response.

"Mrs Park! Hello!"

Hyun-ju rolled her eyes as the younger woman chuckled on the other end. "Hello to you too, Young-mi. Listen, my subway is down and Gyeong-seok is letting me crash. Do you have-" A squeal came through the phone that forced Hyun-ju's instincts to pull it away from her ear for a moment. "Do you want to stay at my place for the night since you have a key?"

"I think I'm crashing with Se-mi and Min-su. Jun-hee met up with Dae-ho and it's looking like something might happen there, so I have the free spot at Se-mi's. Don't worry about me, Unnie, go get laid!"

Hyun-ju sighed. "Have you been drinking?"

"Nope, we went to go watch a movie. Dae-ho and Jun-hee abandoned us, so I'd say they're going to be a thing."

Hyun-ju furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait, are you talking to me in the movies right now?"

"No, I'm not a sociopath! We're getting takeout right now. Then we're going home and playing some Mario Kart." A group of chuckles on the end of the line. "Make sure you use protection, okay?"

"Young-mi!"

"Enjoy getting laid, Unnie!"

Hyun-ju groaned, the line going dead before she could chew her out. She put her phone down on the table, her eyes going into the living room to see Gyeong-seok sitting on the couch with his phone to his ear, a wide smile on his face as he entered 'full dad mode'. She couldn't hear what he was saying, just the softer, higher-pitched tone of his voice, the way he nervously rubbed his arm contrasting the happiness he was portraying. The contrast astounded Hyun-ju; the anxiety he was feeling not leaking into his voice for the sake of his daughters peace of mind, his eyes bright as if she was there in front of him. Hyun-ju couldn't stop herself from leaning her head against her hand and smiling as she watched him reassure his daughter over the phone. She finally turned her eyes around the kitchen she was sitting in, the fridge plastered in drawings, mostly Na-yeon's but also one or two of Gyeong-seok's. A basket of toys lay beside it, dolls and plushies spilling out of it like there was no tomorrow. Nearly every wall of the kitchen held a family photo, all including Na-yeon except for one that depicted a younger Gyeong-seok clad in a graduation robe and his parents.

Hyun-ju stood up against her better judgement, approaching the photo nested on a cabinet amongst baby photos of Na-yeon and one of a small brown dog. She picked up the graduation photo, smiling to herself as she looked at the pride in his parents' eyes, his hair in an emo mullet typical of the mid 2000s. She had her hand in her pocket, ready to take a photo of it to hold over his head, when she heard him clear his throat behind her.

She jerked her head back, still holding the photo as she looked at him smiling with his arms crossed. "Sorry."

Gyeong-seok shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Look at whatever you like." He chuckled as he looked down at the photo she was holding. "Didn't I look great?"

"How much hair spray did you go through?"

"Too much. My local shop ended up giving me a discount because I was buying it so often."

Hyun-ju giggled as she set down the photo, looking at the rest of them before looking back at Gyeong-seok. "How's Na-yeon?"

Gyeong-seok took a breath, walking over to a cupboard and taking out a bottle of wine and two glasses. "She's nervous. She knows that this will make her better, but she just wants to come home. She hates hospitals, so that doesn't help.  But it'll be fine. It'll all be fine."

Hyun-ju tilted her head, watching him struggle with the corkscrew as he repeated the words to himself. She walked over, gently taking the items from his hands and swiftly opening the bottle, smiling at his surprised gaze. After putting the corkscrew on the counter, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "She will be fine, Gyeong-seok. It will all be fine. But it's okay to be worried."

Gyeong-seok scoffed, pouring the wine. "Worried? I'm terrified. The drug is so new, I barely even know what it is. But I'd do anything for that child. Then again, that's the thinking that got me in those fucking games." He sighed, handing Hyun-ju a glass. "Am I doing the wrong thing?"

Hyun-ju smiled, giving him a pat on his shoulder. "Absolutely not." She raised her glass. "To finally getting our medical expenses together, even though it scares the shit out of us."

Gyeong-seok nodded, taking a breath as he clinked their glasses. He took a sip, furrowing his eyebrows before speaking. "How come you're scared? Is it not just resuming your hormones?"

Hyun-ju sighed, joining Gyeong-seok as he sat at the table. "There's that. But then there's the whole matter of getting approved for surgery. When the doctor was going through the risks involved today, I nearly panicked. Even though I'd already known most of them from my own research, it was hitting me that I'd be alone while any of that could happen, in a foreign country, no less."

Gyeong-seok tilted his head. "When are you heading to Thailand?"

Hyun-ju took a deep breath, dropping her voice to a whisper. "I don't know." Her eyes darted around as she took a sip before continuing. "Before I went in there, I was so certain that I'd either be in Thailand or dead when I came out. I had nothing to stay here for. But now, I do, and I don't know what I should do."

"Hey." Gyeong-seok placed his hand on Hyun-ju's frantic one, causing her to look up at him. "You don't have to have it figured out right now. You're only back from hell a day. Give yourself a bit of grace and time. Whatever you decide though, you have peoplee in your corner now. You always should've had that, Hyun-ju."

"You sure you don't want me to stay? Getting me house slippers and all."

Gyeong-seok chuckled. "You know you have a place here no matter where you are. Whether you're in your apartment here or in Thailand, you can come here anytime. You just do what feels right."

Hyun-ju sighed, her eyes darting around again as she took a sip of her wine, feeling his soft gaze on her all the while. Her eyes returned to his. "Right now, you're what feels right."

Gyeong-seok's breath hitched, squeezing her hand a bit tighter as the gaze linger between them, the only action being Hyun-ju bringing her glass to her lips, swiftly mirrored by Gyeong-seok. Perhaps too quickly, she finished her glass, placing it down next to Gyeong-seok's, her eyes never leaving his as her heartbeat accellerated, the alcohol and anticipation combining into a flush on her cheeks.

Gyeong-seok gulped, finishing his own drink before breaking the silence. "Are you sure?"

Hyun-ju tilted her head. "Are you?" Gyeong-seok nodded his head vigourously, making Hyun-ju smile softly. "There has to be an awkward conversation first, you know. I'm not like other women."

"I'm all ears. Go ahead."

Hyun-ju chuckled, removing her hand from Gyeong-seoks and reaching into her purse, his eyes widening when he took notice of the small tube she pulled out, staring at it when she left it on the table, picking it up to read it as she spoke. 

"It's unopened, but I've had it for almost a year. I've slept with two men and they both tossed it to the side, just did what they wanted to me with no questions or care. Didn't check in, didn't ask me if I was okay afterwards, nothing. Just got what they wanted and left."

A flame lit in Gyeong-seok's eyes. "I'll fucking kill them."

Hyun-ju sighed, reaching over and taking Gyeong-seok's cheek in her palm, looking into his eyes. "No more violence, Gyeong-seok. Tonight, no worries, or anger, or sadness. Just care. Is that okay?"

Gyeong-seok nodded his head, a tear in the corner of his eye as he top her hand from his cheek, bringing it to his lips and kissing it firmly, perfume from her wrists lingering in his nose. 

 

⭕

 

Heavy breathing filled the room as Gyeong seok gently collapsed beside Hyun-ju, his drenched hair hitting her earlobe as he pressed a gentle kiss to her shoulder. Their arms remained around each others shoulders as their breathing began to steady, Gyeong-seok softly tracing his fingers on Hyun-ju's arm as she came down, continuing his gentle pecking and draping an arm around her stomach. A few moments passed before he felt her chest begin to heave, the sound of sobbing entering Gyeong-seok's ears prompting him to raise his head.

"Aein? Are you okay?" He brought a thimb to her cheek, wiping the tears. "Did I hurt you?"

Through her tears, Hyun-ju released a short laugh, turning to face Gyeong-seok. "Hurt me? Gyeong-seok, no one's ever treated me this nicely."

Gyeong-seok smiled, continuing to wipe her tears. "Ditto." He took a breath, continuing to stroke her arms as their chests met. "Are you okay though? No dysphoria demon on your shoulder?"

"Oh, it's always there. But you made it shut up for about an hour." The two chuckled, still carressing each other. "How about you? Wasn't too weird, was it?"

Gyeong-seok scoffed, simply pulling her in and kissing her again, his hands gently carressing over her body to drive the message home. When he seperated, he pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, "Do you not realise, even after this, how much I fucking adore you?"

Another sob rose from Hyun-ju's throat, prompting Gyeong-seok to take her in his arms, lying down as he gently ran his fingers through her hair as she cried. "Weird. The most beautiful woman I've ever met thinks she's weird. She asked me if the best sex I've ever had was weird."

"And the most gentle, perfect man I've ever met asked me if he hurt me. Funny how things work."

Gyeong-seok scoffed. "Don't be boosting my ego, aein. You're the perfect one here."

He could feel her rolling her eyes against his shoulder, deciding not to speak anymore and instead press his lips to her temple, gently stroking her back as he heard her hum, a smile growing on his face as he heard her sobbing turn into soft snoring, his slumber following suit shortly after.

 

 

Notes:

Thanks a million for all the support 🫶 Apologies for the late update, I got into college and have been registering and preparing to move. (And also not knowing how to write smut 😅). Updates will be sporadic until I find my bearings at uni, but I'll still be here 🫶

Chapter 13: 013

Notes:

Song of the chapter: Not a Lot, Just Forever by Adrienne Lenker
https://youtu.be/Hsl9IZxxY0I?si=2h3YO_QgyWrOAOyF

Gyeong-seok's eyes fluttered open, feeling fingers running through his hair and a mixed scent of floral vanilla and his sandalwood soap filling his senses. His sight focused to see a dressed Hyun-ju sitting beside him, a smile on her face as she gazed down at him. He sighed in content, smiling back at her.

"Morning."

Gyeong-seok sat up, the two still smiling as he brought a hand to her cheek. "Good morning." He was about to close the gap between them when his eyes widened. "What time is it?"

"7. Don't worry, I was letting you sleep but I wasn't letting you sleep in."

He relaxed slightly, before furrowing his eyebrows. "How long have you been awake?"

"A bit over an hour. Is it okay that I took a shower? I should've asked first."

He chuckled, stroking a hand through her drying hair. "It's no problem, Hyun-ju. You know that." Suddenly, another smell entered his senses, looking beside him to see a bowl of ramen with egg, his eyes widening as he looked back at Hyun-ju. "Aein, there was no-"

"How do you take your coffee, Gyeong-seok?"

Gyeong-seok sighed, shaking his head with a wide grin. "Black as midnight on a moonless night."

"Poetic, are we?" Hyun-ju chuckled at Gyeong-seok's eye roll as she poured his coffee, handing him the cup as he sat against the headboard.

"Thanks so much, Hyun-ju." He took a sip of the coffee, immediately setting his head back and releasing a satisfied sigh. "It's perfect. You made it perfectly."

Hyun-ju blushed, moving to sit on a chair she'd brought up beside a bed and eat her own food when Gyeong-seok stopped her. "Hey. If I'm having breakfast in bed, so are you."

Hyun-ju chuckled. "I'm already dressed though. Outside clothes-"

"Hyun-ju. We had sex after knowing each other for the better part of a week. Outdoor clothes in the bed is nothing."

Hyun-ju sighed, giving in and taking the spot Gyeong-seok had made for her. She brought up her coffee cup to clink them, earning a smile from Gyeong-seok before she spoke. "Do you think we're moving a bit fast?"

Gyeong-seok took a sip of coffee before shrugging. "We're moving very fast. Do you want to slow down?"

Hyun-ju smiled, before shrugging as well. "No. Do you?"

"Nope."

The two laughed, closing the gap between their faces with a gentle kiss. After a few moments, Hyun-ju felt a gentle whisper on her lips. "You know the offer still stands, right? I'm so close to just going out and getting a key cut."

Hyun-ju smiled against his lips, giving them a peck before sitting back again and darting her eyes around. "I was skeptical at first, but you know what? This bed is way more comfy."

"I bet it is."

"The shower actually has hot water, and the bedroom and kitchen are actually different rooms."

"That's always important. A grown woman should have plenty of space."

"The decoration is lovely, charming. The property even comes with a little art studio."

Gyeong-seok's eyes widened, a teasing smile on Hyun-ju's lips as he began to stutter. "You didn't see- I'm sorry- how-"

Hyun-ju giggled, placing a kiss on Gyeong-seok's cheek before speaking. "Sorry if I wasn't meant to go in there. But the picture is coming along very nicely. What are you going to call it?"

Gyeong-seok chuckled, his cheeks now crimson. "I was thinking something basic like 'Subway Jewel'. I think it fits though."

"You just love drawing me, don't you?"

Gyeong-seok smiled, bringing a finger to stroke her cheek. "I do."

"Do you often draw from memory?"

"No. Just you."

Hyun-ju beamed under under his touch, before tilting her head towards the food. "Eat up, Picasso. Big day for you."

Gyeong-seok rolled his eyes before beginning to eat, immediately humming in satisfaction. "This is incredible, Hyun-ju."

"It's just ramen and egg, Gyeong-seok. Nothing special. It's all I can cook, actually."

"Stop selling yourself short, Cho Hyun-ju. Seriously."

Hyun-ju sighed after she finished chewing. "It's hard not to when you're so, you."

Gyeong-seok released a small laugh. "So me? What does that mean?" 

"You know what it means. All artsy and handsome and a family man on top of it all. What's next, can you cook?" A silence filled the room briefly as Gyeong-seok's eyes darted around before Hyun-ju groaned. "You can, can't you? You're a fucking chef, aren't you?"

"Not a chef, but yes, I can cook." He chuckled as Hyun-ju groaned again. "Hey, you're the Sergeant First Class here. You've acheived things I can't even imagine."

"Ex Sergeant First Class. Dishonourable discharge."

Gyeong-seok scoffed. "Bullshit discharge, I say." He then furrowed his eyebrows in thought as he chewed for a moment, looking back at Hyun-ju. "Have you ever thought of appealing the discharge?"

Hyun-ju's eyes shot towards him. "What?"

"Well, the courts did conclude that Byun's discharge was unlawful. I'm sure if you brought a case, you could win."

Hyun-ju scoffed. "I considered it. But then, I thought it through. I loved the actual job duties, but I wouldn't want to return to that atmosphere. Some vile things were said. I know that the respect I once had is gone now, and even though I could bend each of them in half, nothing will bring it back. I just decided to move forward with my life, leave that behind."

"It should still be ackowledged as unlawful though. You should get some sort of reperations for what they did."

Hyun-ju shrugged. "Wouldn't be worth the circus, honestly. I don't think any amount of money would fix what happened. I have a purpose now, and it isn't the objectives of the Special Forces. It never was." Her eyes widened at her own words. "Shit. I've never said that. Until now, I only thought it."

Gyeong-seok smiled, bringing his hand up and running fingers through her hair. "I get that. It wasn't until I had Na-yeon that I realised what my purpose was. Sure, I'm still an artist, but I think I was born to be a father, you know?"

Hyun-ju nodded, a smile growing on her face. "Oh, I know. You're an amazing father."

"I'm trying anyway. I just want to do right by that child." Gyeong-seok took a breath, having a sip of coffee before continuing. "Every parent says they'd do anything for their child, you know? Before I became one, I thought it was just empty words. But when Na-yeon was born, I knew I'd crawl through hell and back for her."

"And you did."

"I did. But not many other fathers in my position would've had an angel by their side to help get them out of hell."

Hyun-ju smirked, her heartrate pounding in her ears. "Are you trying to make me hand in my last months rent?"

Gyeong-seok furrowed his eyebrows, tilting his head playfully. "Was that not obvious?"

Hyun-ju chuckled, her eyes falling to his lips briefly before looking back up. "When do you have to be in the hospital?"

"9, but I plan to be there earlier." He reached beside him, picking up his phone and groaning when the time read 7:14. "I should probably get up. Thanks so much for the breakfast."

"I'm glad you liked it." Hyun-ju stood out of the bed, taking the empty bowl from Gyeong-seoks hands and stacking it into hers. As she picked up the cups with one hand, she stopped for a moment. "Hey, uh, my line will be under maintenance until the afternoon. Is it okay if I come as far as the hospital with you and then I'll get a taxi?"

Gyeong-seok chuckled. "Of course that's okay, Hyun-ju." 

Hyun-ju gave him a soft smile, bending down to peck his lips before heading into the kitchen, ware in hand. His gaze lingered as she walked out, a smile growing on his face as he heard her hum something under her breath as the tap in his sink started. Even as he got himself out of the bed, picking a towel out of his closet and picking an alternate shirt and jeans combination, he only thought of one thing as the shower water hit the skin that had been cherished the night before; he wanted mornings like these for the rest of his life.

 

⭕

 

Gyeong-seok's eyes widened as he glanced over at Hyun-ju's screen, seeing the rate for taxis from the hospital to her apartment. Just as her reluctant finger was about to press on the booking button, he spoke up.

"Hyun-ju, I think I'll pass out if I know you've paid that much for a taxi."

Hyun-ju sighed. "I don't have any other option."

Gyeong-seok took a breath, looking around at the subway train full of sleeping and headphone-clad passengers. "What if you came into the hospital with me?"

Hyun-ju's eyes shot from her phone. "Gyeong-seok, I can't intrude on that. It's yours and Na-yeon's day."

Gyeong-seok nodded. "I know, and I understand if that's too much. But if you wanted to, you could stay in the café there if you'd be more comfortable that way. Maybe catch up on some sleep since you were up early. But Hyun-ju, please, for the love of all that is perfect, do not spend 55,000 won on a goddamn taxi."

Hyun-ju chuckled, finally turning off her phone and putting it into her purse. "Okay, boss."

Gyeong-seok rolled his eyes, bringing her hand that he was holding to his lips for a kiss. Pink rose to Hyun-ju's face, glancing around to see that no one had raised an eye at them. With that, she allowed herself to rest her head on his shoulder. She heard his breath draw out happily, feeling the press of his lips on her forehead a few moments later as their thumbs rubbed the back of the others hands. As they sat like that, the city buzzing past their ears as the subway sped along, tears threatened to come to Hyun-ju's eyes as the thought came to her brain again, that the warm embrace of this man was where she was always meant to be.

"Next stop, Seoul University Hospital."

The two released a sigh, straightening their positions as they prepared to get off. Soon enough, the vehicle came to a stop, Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok already standing up before the doors opened. Their hands seperated as they stood onto the sidewalk, their eeyes falling on the large clinical building in front of them. Hyun-ju looked beside her, seeeing Gyeong-seok frozen in place, his breath shuddering as his eyes welled up slightly. 

"Hey." He looked up at the feeling of Hyun-ju's hand on his shoulder, her eyes steadying him. "You and your baby will be okay. She's waiting for you."

Gyeong-seok released a shaky breath, a tear falling that was swiftly wiped by Hyun-ju. "I'm terrified, Hyun-ju. What if she gets worse?"

"And what if she gets better? Either way, she needs her appa right now, whether he's cool as a breeze or terrified." She tilted her head as he tried to compose his breathing. "Do you want me to come up as far as her floor? If that's allowed? Then, I'll let you off."

A beat, and then Gyeong-seok nodded his head. Hyun-ju gave him a gentle smile, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and guiding him towards the hospital doors. She began to question her decision as they walked up to the reception, seeing a woman typing at her computer before looking up and smiling widely.

"Gyeong-seok! You're here early!" Her bright eyes widened when she saw Hyun-ju. "And who's this pretty lady?"

Hyun-ju held back a smile as Gyeong-seok awkwardly chuckled, looking at Hyun-ju and back at the receptionist. "She's my girlfriend."

Hyun-ju's eyes widened in the same shock as the receptionist who gasped and clasped her hands together. "Oh, Gyeong-seok, congratulations! It's about time you got yourself someone. I'm sorry, ma'am, what's your name?"

Hyun-ju's brain took a moment to acknowledge the hand extended to her before taking it in disbelief. "Uh, Hyun-ju. My name is Hyun-ju."

"Beautiful name! Call me Ye-soon!" She shook her hand firmly, Gyeong-seok suppressing a small chuckle at the sight. "It's a pleasure to meet you! Now, do you mind filling out a visitor form just so you can go upstairs?"

Hyun-ju paused a moment, looking at Gyeong-seok before looking back at the form. "I was just going to wait somewhere. I don't want to intrude, I just wanted to help Gyeong-seok."

"Nonsense! I've been seeing this man go through this alone for the past two years. Breaks my heart."

Hyun-ju sighed, turning to Gyeong-seok. "Do you want me to-"

"Please, Hyun-ju. I need you there."

Ye-soon giggled as she looked between them, Hyun-ju nodding her head in confirmation before grabbing the pen and filling out the form. 

"Well, how did you two meet?"

Hyun-ju looked up from the form briefly to look at Gyeong-seok, who smiled as he answered. "I drew her in the park once. I thought she was gorgeous and asked her out, and the rest is history."

"Aw, that's lovely! Have you been together long?"

A brief, awkward silence filled the air as the two glanced at each other before Gyeong-seok answered. "Not long. But she's been great to me."

"And I hope you've been great to her!"

Hyun-ju chuckled as she handed back the clipboard. "Oh, he has been." She muttered a 'thank you' when Ye-soon handed her a vistors lanyard, speaking again as she put it around her neck. "Should I be mindful of anything? Any precautions or procedures?"

"Just be gentle, is all I'd say. And sanitise your hands as well." The older woman turned to Gyeong-seok then as Hyun-ju pressed on the pump of sanitiser at the desk. "She didn't sleep the best last night. She's very nervous. Nurse Kim eventually got her down with a story at 2."

Gyeong-seok sighed. "Can I be rang in future if that happens and I'm not there? I'll be right over."

"Of course, Gyeong-seok. It's still early, but I'll send you two up. You can wake up Na-yeon if she isn't already."

Gyeong-seok smiled. "Thank you, Ye-soon."

The woman smiled as they walked off. "Lovely to meet you, Hyun-ju!"

Hyun-ju smiled politely before following Gyeong-seok towards the elevator, relief washing over then when they saw it was empty. They stepped in silently, Gyeong-seok pressing the button for the floor to the childrens ward and leaning against the wall of the elevator beside Hyun-ju, still in a state of shock.

"Sorry about that.", he spoke as the doors closed. "I know we said we're okay with fast, but it wasn't my place to say something like that. I just wanted to make sure that you'd be able to join me. Even then, if you're not ready, it still wasn't my place to-"

His panicked rambling was cut off by the feeling of Hyun-ju's lips on his, her arms coming around his neck as his hands settled on her waist. He forced himself to seperate just as they began to melt into each other, laughing as he remembered where they were.

"I'd be a bit offended if you didn't consider me your girlfriend after the past 12 hours, Gyeong-seok."

Gyeong-seok chuckled, seperating slightly as he glanced at the small screen that showed their proximity to the ward. "Still, I'm sorry if this is too much. You didn't sign up for this and this could be one of her bad days."

Hyun-ju shrugged. "There's a lot you didn't sign up for with me. Your kid is the furthest thing from a dealbreaker, Gyeong-seok. I'm just worried about if it might confuse her."

"She's a smart kid, Hyun-ju. We don't have to tell her we're dating though. You can just be Princess Hyun-ju for now."

Hyun-ju smiled, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze as the doors opened, about to seperate their hands before Gyeong-seok held onto it firmly. She looked into his eyes, desperation mixing with reassurance in his eyes. She nodded her head, him mirroring the action before they stepped onto the floor.

A nurse walked by as they descended up the hall, smiling as she passed. "Morning, Mr Park! Na-yeon's excited to see you."

Gyeong-seok nodded politely, ignoring the intrigued glance she gave to his hand interetwined in Hyun-ju's. After a while, they finally stopped outside a room. Gyeong-seok froze, his breath shuddering as his hand hovered over the door. Hyun-ju reached over, gently placing her hand over his and moving it to open the door. 

"I'll wait out here a moment. Go meet her and see if she's up for seeing me."

Gyeong-seok nodded, squeezing her hand before disentangling their bodies and walking into the room. A moment passed before Hyun-ju found herself walking over to the window, her eyes settling on the sight of the young girl wrapping her arms around Gyeong-seok. Her heart swelled as she watched the scene, Gyeong-seok seperating the hug and adjusting her knitted strawberry hat on her head as she spoke to him. Her smile dropped slightly when their heads turned towards the window, Na-yeon's eyes widening in excitement and Gyeong-seok smiling as he beckoned her inside. She took a deep breath, turning on her heel and slowly opening the door.

"Na-yeon, this is Princess Hyun-ju."

A moment passed, a few seconds where Hyun-ju stood awkwardly, wearing her warmest smile as she waved, Gyeong-seok smiled as he looked between the two and Na-yeon looked at her with awe. Finally, Na-yeon's face broke into a smile.

"You're prettier than Daddy's picture."

The room erupted in laughter, all nerves fading away as Hyun-ju's heart swelled again.

"Well, thank you, Na-yeon."

"You're welcome!" Na-yeon reached over beside her, patting a spot on her bed. "Sit here, Princess!"

Hyun-ju hesitantly glanced between the nurse in the corner of the room and Gyeong-seok, who both nodded. Finally, she looked back at Na-yeon. "Thank you, Na-yeon. That's very kind of you." She sat on the bed, Gyeong-seok adjusting himself to make room. She looked up at the giddy face of the child in front of her, smiling as she pointed up. "I love your hat!"

"Thank you! Daddy made it!"

Hyun-ju's eyes widened, looking at Gyeong-seok as his cheeks flushed slightly pink. "Well, he did an amazing job. It's excellent."

Na-yeon nodded her head in agreement. "It's the same colour as your jumper! We're matching!"

Hyun-ju looked down at her cardigan, her smile never fading as she looking back up at the wide eyed Na-yeon. "We are! Isn't that something?" Na-yeon giggled in agreement. "Now, the thing is though, your hat is a lot more special. What I have, I got it in a shop. Thousands more like it. But yours is special. No other one like it in the world. That's because you're a very special girl, Na-yeon. And I've heard you've been really brave as well!"

Na-yeon beamed as she nodded her head. "I have! That's what Daddy and Nurse Yoon and Doctor Lee say! I hope I get better so I can be a princess like you someday!"

Hyun-ju giggled as she tilted her head. "You're already a princess though, Na-yeon."

Na-yeon shook her head. "Princesses don't get sick and need medicine."

Hyun-ju frowned, looking back at Gyeong-seok's sad eyes before looking back at Na-yeon. "Well, Na-yeon, that's not true. I take medicine too, every day. And I'm still a princess, aren't I?"

Na-yeon gasped. "Are you sick too, Princess Hyun-ju?"

"I have been, Na-yeon. Not quite like you, but I take medicine. And you know what the funny thing is? I've become more and more like a princess since I've started taking it."

Na-yeon's eyes widened. "Really?" Hyun-ju nodded, the small girl giggling and then turning to her father. "Daddy, did you hear that? Princess Hyun-ju takes medicine too!"

Gyeong-seok chuckled, rubbing his daughters shoulder. "I heard! Isn't that cool?"

"So cool! Daddy, can I show her my colouring book?"

Gyeong-seok glanced at Hyun-ju who nodded in permission. "Of course you can, darling. Go ahead."

Gyeong-seok and Hyun-ju shared a smile as the small girl excitedly bent over to pick up her book and bag of crayons, a fleeting moment that erased all nerves that had plagued them that morning. When Na-yeon had retrieved them, she pushed the bag towards Hyun-ju. "Pick a colour!"

Hyun-ju's eyes widened, getting the nod of permission from Gyeong-seok before she had even looked up for it. "Thank you very much, Na-yeon. Do you want to pick out a picture while I pick my colour?"

"Okay!"

Gyeong-seok smiled at the sight, Hyun-ju deliberately playing up the speed of her selection to give Na-yeon time to pick their picture, noticing her fingers keeping a purple wax near the top. She glanced up at him as Na-yeon skimmed through her book, smiling back at him with a warmth he hadn't seen from her before. When a picture was finally selected and she handed the bag to Na-yeon, his smile dropped as a realisation hit him as the woman scooted in closer to his daughter, encouraging her as they began to shade in the outlines on the paper.

 

⭕

 

Hyun-ju turned the corner of the ward, heading for the elevator with three drawings from Na-yeon in hand and lingering kisses on her lips. She entered the elevator with a pep in her step, empty except for Nurse Yoon. She gave her a polite smile as she walked in, silence passing between them for a moment until the younger woman spoke.

"You were great with her today. She was crying all night but she wasn't even troubled while you were there."

Hyun-ju smiled. "Thanks. I would've stayed if it was my place."

"She would've loved that."

A moment of silence before Hyun-ju spoke. "How likely is it that this treatment will work?"

Nurse Yoon sighed. "It's still undergoing clincial trials, but there has been some success so far. Unfortunately, the only thing that would definitely Na-yeon at this stage of her illness is a bone marrow transplant, but we've been waiting on a donor for three years now. She's only gotten sicker, so I'm not surprised it's come down to this."

"So she's basically a test subject at the moment?" The nurse nodded, making Hyun-ju scoff. "The poor child. And chemo?"

"She responded well at first, but not anymore. It really is the last resort for the pair of them unless a donor pulls through. I've known kids who've died on that donor list, so I don't blame Gyeong-seok for trying to see this through."

"I don't either. It's just-"

"-awful? Heartbreaking?" Hyun-ju nodded as the nurse sighed. "Hell, at one point, I took a test to see if I was a match. No luck."

Hyun-ju's eyes shot towards her. "You can test for that?"

"Of course. It's like how people can donate kidneys even if they're not on a donor list. Gyeong-seok did a test as well, no match."

Hyun-ju hummed. "I see."

Yoon looked up, seeing the numbers beginning to drop lower. She turned to Hyun-ju then. "Be good to them, okay?"

Hyun-ju's eyes widened. "Sorry?"

"I've been that child's nurse for three years now and I've never seen her or her father as happy. I don't know how long you've been together, but you're clearly good for him. And for her. She usually doesn't take too nicely to strangers."

Hyun-ju let a small smile setlle on her face, the elevator dinging. "Thank you, Nurse."

Nurse Yoon nodded politely as they walked out, speaking as Hyun-ju approached the door. "Crazy news about that island, right?"

Hyun-ju stopped in her place, her smile and heart dropping. "What news? What island?"

"Did you not hear it on the radio this morning, see it on your phone?" Hyun-ju shook her head. "The coast gaurd found this island that apparently hosted these death games for money. There was a big shootout and they found records of thousands of missing people from the last 30 or so years. Weird thing is though, they couldn't find the records of ten contestants this year."

Hyun-ju's eyes widened, but swallowedd back her panic. "That is crazy, yeah."

Nurse Yoon hummed before heading for another direction. "See you again soon, Hyun-ju. Lovely to meet you."

Hyun-ju nodded, bolting out the door as she clutched her chest, finally reaching in her purse for her phone that had been buzzing all morning. She immediately pressed on Young-mi's name, her call being picked up immediately.

"Young-mi, where are you?... Yes, I only heard now, I'm so sor-... All of you?... Okay, I'll be there right now. I'm so sorry."