"Let me repeat," the voice announced.

Nari's head tilted, her gaze sweeping the space before landing on the oversized doll stationed at the far end of the field. It loomed unnervingly, its painted face frozen in a lifeless smile. The sheer scale of the thing made her stomach churn. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of this surreal, unfamiliar setup. What kind of game was this?

"All players, please wait on the field."

The announcer's tone was calm, indifferent. Nari glanced to the side, catching sight of Thanos fooling around with Player 196. The man's antics were brazen, his body moving in exaggerated gestures as if the weight of the moment didn't exist. She would've laughed at Thanos's ridiculous rap—a loud proclamation about being a legend—if the tension weren't suffocating. And if he hadn't just added another debt to her tally.

"I'm a legend, Thanos. Look at us in this blue-green. Now give me the green light. I like you!" Thanos declared, forming a finger heart toward her with an exaggerated wink. Nari shot him a glare, her lips twitching into a scoff as she crossed her arms.

She tried to focus, but unease gnawed at her insides, an invisible weight pressing down on her chest. Above them, seagulls circled, their cries sharp and unrelenting. The salty tang of the ocean breeze hinted at their location—an island, isolated from the world. The realization did little to settle her nerves.

The loud slam of heavy steel doors pulled her attention back to the present. The sound reverberated through the field, silencing the players in an instant.

"The first game is Red Light, Green Light."

Nari's brow furrowed as disbelief coursed through her. Red Light, Green Light? A children's game? The absurdity of it made her chuckle under her breath. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Cross the finish line without getting caught in five minutes. If you do, you pass."

The crowd stirred uneasily. Murmurs broke out, players exchanged uncertain glances. Nari felt a sudden jostle as Player 456 pushed past her, his breath coming in sharp, panicked bursts, his face pale.

"Everyone! Listen up!" His voice cracked, but it carried a desperate urgency that cut through the growing din. "Pay attention!"

The room fell into a tense silence, heads turning toward him. His trembling hands clenched into fists as he spoke again.

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

The words hung in the air, sinking into the crowd like a stone into water. For a heartbeat, the players stared at him, stunned. Then, laughter erupted, mingled with scoffs and dismissive remarks.

Nari's stomach twisted. A chill crept down her spine. Something in the man's voice struck a chord, a resonance of fear she couldn't shake.

"Why would they let us leave if that were true?" she muttered to herself, biting her lip. "Dying over a children's game to pay off debts? It doesn't make sense."

A dark chuckle broke through the tension. "Hey! What are you talking about? We're going to die playing Red Light, Green Light?" The woman who had argued earlier crossed her arms, her expression a mix of skepticism and disdain.

456 nodded fiercely, his voice rising with desperation. "That's right! If they catch you moving, they'll kill you!"

A tap on Nari's shoulder made her flinch. She turned to see Player 388 grinning at her, an almost amused look in his eyes.

"He's got to be crazy," 388 said, chuckling. Nari's lips twitched into a faint smile, but unease lingered beneath the surface.

"Maybe," she replied softly, her eyes drifting back to the doll at the far end of the field. Something about its lifeless stare made her skin crawl.

A few feet away, Myung-Gi's gaze darted around nervously. His wide eyes scanned the crowd, his movements jittery and restless. Thanos sneered beside him. "What the hell is he on?"

456's voice cracked again, cutting through the murmurs. "They'll shoot you from somewhere! Stay on your toes! If you get caught, you die!"

Nari squinted toward the doll, her unease growing with each passing moment.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Player 066, Nam-Du, stepped forward, crossing his arms. "He's just trying to scare us so he can win the prize money."

The crowd murmured in agreement, skepticism thick in the air. But Nari couldn't shake the feeling in her gut. Something was off.

"Look at its eyes," she whispered to 388, her voice low and urgent.

The doll suddenly turned toward the tree, its oversized head swiveling with a mechanical whirr. One arm lifted to cover its eyes in an exaggerated mimicry of a child playing the game.

"Do not panic!" 456 shouted. "No matter what happens, stay calm and don't run!"

The announcer's calm voice cut through the mounting tension. "Let the game begin."

A haunting tune began to play, its melody eerily cheerful. The doll's robotic voice echoed the familiar children's rhyme, its movements slow and deliberate. Nari's pulse quickened as she watched the players around her tense.

"Freeze!"

Everyone froze in place as the doll's head spun back around, its lifeless eyes scanning the field with eerie precision. Nari held her breath, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Well done!" 456's voice trembled, but his words carried a thread of hope. "Just stay calm! Move when it's green and stop when it's red! We can survive this together!"

The doll's head turned back to the tree, and the tune resumed. Nari took a cautious step forward, her movements deliberate. 388 stayed close, his face pale but determined.

"Freeze!"

The group stopped again, the tension mounting with each pause. Nari's breath hitched, her heart racing as her eyes darted nervously between the doll and the other players.

Suddenly, a scream pierced the air. A deafening bang followed, the sound ricocheting off the walls and drowning out the tune.

Nari's stomach dropped. Her palms grew clammy, and her breathing quickened. The realization hit her like a freight train.

He wasn't lying.

"Nobody move!" 456 shouted again, his voice cracking with urgency. "You must not move!"

Nari's legs felt like lead, her body trembling as reality sank in. The doll's lifeless eyes weren't just props. They were watching.

Her breath came in sharp gasps, the weight of the moment pressing down on her. Her heels dug into the sandy ground, the metallic scent of blood filling her nostrils. This wasn't just a game.

She was going to die here.

"Player 196, eliminated."

Before the haunting song could resume, a woman's scream tore through the air—a raw, primal sound that was instantly silenced by a gunshot. The crack of the rifle reverberated like thunder, leaving a void of stunned silence in its wake. Nari's breath hitched as she instinctively ducked, the echo of the shot still ringing in her ears.

The thud of the woman's lifeless body hitting the ground was sickening, muffled slightly by the sandy field. Blood splattered in crimson arcs, staining the golden grains beneath her. The metallic scent grew stronger, carried by the salty breeze. A wave of terror rippled through the players as more desperate souls abandoned their caution, darting forward in frantic attempts to escape the invisible death looming over them.

It was chaos.

A young man stumbled just feet from Nari, his hands raised in a futile plea. The sharp, mechanical crack of another shot answered him, and he crumpled like a marionette with its strings severed. His blood sprayed outward, flecking Nari's shoes. She gagged, her stomach churning as the symphony of screams, gunfire, and sobs swallowed the field whole.

Her shoulders shook uncontrollably, her body rooted in place. The air was heavy, suffocating, every breath tasting of salt and iron. She couldn't even close her eyes—the haunting image of the fallen players seared into her mind. Her legs felt as though they might buckle at any moment.

"No! Don't move!"

The frantic shout was distant, muffled as though underwater. Nari gasped as a player barreled into her from behind, the impact jarring her from her frozen stupor. She staggered forward, her arms pinwheeling to maintain balance catching the jacket of player 388. The faint rasp of her own shaky breaths filled her ears, mingling with the chaos around her.

Her vision blurred as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. Tremors wracked her hands, and she clenched her fists tightly to stop them—but the effort was futile. The grotesque tableau of bodies sprawled across the sand burned into her consciousness.

Behind her, Myung-Gi's wide eyes darted frantically from one crumpled figure to the next. His nails dug into his palms, leaving crescent-shaped marks. He strained to locate Nari, his heart pounding with the dread of finding her among the fallen. The bitter taste of copper lingered on his tongue as he bit down hard, trying to steady himself.

And then the cold, detached voice returned, cutting through the pandemonium like a blade:

"Let me repeat. You may move forward while the tagger calls, 'Green light, red light.' If movement is detected afterward, you will be eliminated."

The woman's voice returned, cold and mechanical:
"Let me repeat. You may move forward while the tagger calls, 'Green light, red light.' If movement is detected afterward, you will be eliminated."

The eerie calm of the room was broken only by sharp, shallow breaths, each exhale trembling as if the air itself carried the weight of impending death. Shadows of the towering doll loomed ominously over the field, its unblinking eyes a mechanical predator scanning for prey. The metallic scent of blood was thick and oppressive, clinging to the players like an unwelcome second skin—a stark, visceral reminder of what awaited them if they faltered.

"Green light."

No one moved. Fear anchored them where they stood, their muscles locked in place by the phantom echoes of gunfire. The lifeless bodies scattered across the sand seemed to breathe malice, their stillness screaming louder than any warning. Nari's hands quivered like leaves caught in a violent wind, her attempts to still them only amplifying her dread. Her chest heaved, each ragged breath a battle against the suffocating panic clawing at her throat.

"Red light."

Myung-Gi shifted his eyes, trying to glance sideways without moving his head. His pulse thundered in his ears as he scanned the crowd, desperate to spot Nari among the sea of trembling figures. But all he saw were faces contorted with terror, their features blurring together in his frantic search. His stomach churned. What if she was one of the crumpled forms lying in pools of red? The thought pierced through him like an arrow.

A sudden movement snapped his attention back. Player 456 darted forward, his steps confident yet measured. Myung-Gi froze, his breath catching in disbelief. Was the man insane? The audacity of his calculated strides seemed like a death wish.

The timer overhead ticked down mercilessly, its luminous numbers casting a pale glow over the field. Only two and a half minutes remained. The majority of players still clung to their spots, paralyzed by fear. Only 456 and another player, 390, dared to move forward, their silhouettes stark against the crimson-streaked sand.

"You'll die if you don't make it in time!" 456's voice rang out, cutting through the suffocating tension. "The doll only detects visible motion! Get behind someone bigger! Think of it like 'Follow the Leader'!"

The words sparked a ripple of hesitation. Some players glanced around, their eyes darting between each other and the finish line. Finally, one by one, they began to form crude lines, desperate for any chance at survival.

Nari felt a clammy hand grab hers. She flinched, nearly crying out, but the trembling whisper of Player 388 stopped her. "Stay close, please," he begged, his pale face glistening with sweat.

Her throat tightened, but she nodded weakly, allowing him to tug her forward. Her sneakers slid against the sand, the blood-soaked ground turning slick beneath her feet. She dared not look down, but the squelch of every step was a haunting reminder of the stakes. Behind her, more players followed suit, forming shaky human chains as they crept forward.

A gunshot shattered the fragile rhythm. A man to her left crumpled like a rag doll, his body folding onto itself in an unnatural heap. The next shot rang out almost immediately, cutting down another player mid-step. Their bodies sprawled grotesquely, their open eyes staring blankly at the unforgiving sky. Nari flinched, her body jolting instinctively at the sound.

"Freeze!"

Her foot slipped, her balance teetering on the edge of collapse. The world tilted, and for a heart-stopping moment, she was certain she was falling. But then, 388 yanked her upright, his grip surprisingly firm. "It's okay. I've got you," he murmured, though his voice trembled with barely contained terror.

Ahead, the finish line gleamed under the faint overhead lights, a fragile beacon of hope in the nightmarish landscape. Myung-Gi's heart skipped when he finally spotted her—her short hair clinging to her damp forehead, her frame leaning heavily on another player. Relief coursed through him, sharp and bittersweet. He wanted to be the one to hold her steady, to guide her through this horror. His fists clenched at his sides.

"Let's go!" 456's shout broke the silence, spurring the group into action.

The crowd surged forward as one, their feet slipping and sliding on the blood-slicked sand. Nari stumbled as she crossed the finish line, collapsing into 388's arms. Her vision swam, and the world seemed to spin as his shaky reassurance barely registered in her ears.

"You're okay," he whispered, his words as fragile as the moment itself.

Myung-Gi tore his gaze from her and sprinted forward. The timer above loomed like a guillotine, its final seconds ticking away. 456 turned back onto the field, grabbing the arm of an injured player and dragging him toward the line. Every second stretched into an eternity as the three barely crossed the threshold before the timer hit zero.

The buzzer sounded.

"Player 444, eliminated."

The cold voice declared the result as a single shot rang out, punctuating the announcement. A man collapsed near the edge of the line, his blood pooling into the sand. The mechanical doll stood silent once more, its eyes dimming as the ceiling began to close, sealing the field in darkness.

The survivors were herded back to the dormitory, rifles and masked guards flanking them like predators corralling prey. Nari leaned heavily on 388, her body trembling violently, her breaths shallow and uneven. Myung-Gi pushed through the crowd, trying to reach her, but the chaos swallowed her up, leaving him stranded in the sea of bodies.

Inside the dormitory, the oppressive silence returned. Nari broke away from 388, ignoring his protests as she slumped into a dark corner. Her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, and her head bowed low, tears streaming silently down her face.

Around her, players huddled in small groups, their wide eyes fixed on the door. The air was thick with unspoken fear. When the guards returned, the weight in the room became unbearable.

"Congratulations on completing the first game," the square-masked man announced, his voice laced with sadistic amusement. The large screen flickered to life, displaying the grim results.

"Out of 456 players, 91 have been eliminated. 365 players remain."

A hollow ding echoed, sealing the announcement in finality. Myung-Gi sat with the others, his mind racing. Across the room, Nari remained in shadow, her heart hammering as the crushing weight of survival sank in.

This was only the beginning.

honey's note

2645 words

myung gi and nari
interaction next chapter?

thoughts so far?

stay tuned , lovelies <3