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TWO | A BLOODY MASSACRE

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CHANG SOO-JIN HAD no idea where she was.

One moment, she was in Ahyeon-dong, waiting for a van that will pick her up for the game and next, she was in a large, white room. Sitting up, she let out a groan when she felt an ache cover her body. The pain faded into a full throb and soon, Soo-Jin became more aware and alert of her surroundings. Black bunk beds were everywhere and several people wearing teal, two-piece tracksuits with numbers written on their chest.

The woman patted her clothes and frowned when she realized she was wearing the same clothes as them. She pulled her jacket forward to look at her number. Three hundred and twenty-one.

Then, she patted her pockets and realized her phone and wallet weren't inside, meaning they have been taken or well, confiscated. Her frown deepened further at this.

She remembered getting inside a van earlier after mentioning the password which was red light, green light. Soo-Jin recognized it as one of the many games she played when she was still a child. She recalled that one person will command those behind them to run when they say, green light and hold still when they turn around and utter, red light. Those who move during a red light phase will be eliminated. She took note of it, thinking it might be one of the games. Then, when she had settled on one of the backseats, a gas was released, causing her to fall asleep.

The brunette clenched her fist. Was I kidnapped? Who are these people?

Soo-Jin looked around and moved her legs to get out of the bottom bunk, her bed. Standing up, her eyes caught sight of a male teenager waking up from his sleep. He was holding his head in his hands, wincing and even without realizing it, the woman nudged him.

"Hey, you okay?"

The teenager hummed, massaging his temples. "Yeah, I just feel kind of dizzy, but I'm quite fine. Thank you." He nodded and climbed down his bed. "Do you know where we are, miss?"

Soo-Jin swallowed. "I don't know where we are right now, but did they take your phone and IDs too?"

"Yeah, I don't have them with me."

"Were you asked to play ddakji too? And offered to join here?"

He hummed.

The young woman narrowed her eyes, suspicious of the people they have called. "So, they all played ddakji with us, slapped us all relentlessly, released sleeping gas when we got inside their van and stripped us off of our belongings. Something's wrong here." She shuddered at the thought of men removing her clothes without her permission. "Gosh, I feel so violated."

"Ya! Wow! It really is a small world, huh!"

Soo-Jin swept her gaze to the commotion starting in the middle of the large room. Furrowing her eyebrows, she dragged herself closer and heard a burly man laughing loudly at a young girl who was standing up. Blood was trickling down at the side of her lips, but she was still bravely staring down the ruthless man in front of her. She was small, but ferocious. Soo-Jin could see the flame in the girl's eyes. She was then reminded of her younger sister, Hana, as they both looked almost at the same age. "Look at those eyes. You still have that temper, huh. Then again, nobody broke your spirit, you could always take a hit."

Soo-Jin looked back at the boy behind her who was still massaging his temples and asked him, "Hey, are you really okay?"

"Yes, yes. Don't worry about me." He brushed her off. "That girl is tough, don't you think? Look at that thug in front of her."

"I took care of you. I fed you, I taught you when you had nowhere else. This is what I get?" snarled the muscular thug who had a snake tattoo across his cheek and below his ear.

"You took more from me than whatever I might possibly owe."

"If all of that's true, how come you ran then?"

"Well, I didn't. I went independent."

The men around them snorted at the girl's answer.

"Independent?" The thug cackled as if he heard a joke. That was when he swung his fist at the young girl who swiftly dodged it, earning several gasps from the surrounding crowd including Soo-Jin herself. He then snatched the girl's collar and tripped her from behind, causing to slide and crash against the floor. As she stood up, the man grabbed a fistful of her hair and tossed across the open area. He kicked her in the gut and roughly seized her by her short hair.

"That thug's going to kill her." noted Soo-Jin's companion.

Staring once again at the small, fierce woman, the brunette rolled up her sleeves. "Not if I intervene."

"Wait, wait, hold on, what are you doing? Are you crazy?" screeched the boy, but Soo-Jin was already pushing her way through the crowd.

"Independent, huh? Are you some kind of activist? Come on then, go wave a flag." he mocked her. "Oh, that's right. You're from North Korea, huh? Then wave theirs. Hmm?"

He was about to punch her in the face when Soo-Jin clipped him behind the ear, and his balance was destroyed. He dropped to the ground with a loud thud, his hands splayed out in front of him. The woman was smart enough to know that the portion of the skull just behind the ears was almost universally vulnerable. Due to the proximity of the vestibular system, a person struck there was going to be very impaired in relation to the ability to fight effectively. They could be out on their feet, down not out but unable to get to their feet or knocked out completely.

"Ya!" She bellowed, her strong voice resounding across the room. "Did your mother teach you to beat young girls?"

"Aish! You bitch!"

Soo-Jin turned her body to the girl to help her up when she was pushed to the ground by a lean man who grasped the other female by her collar, shaking her.

"Damn you!" he grunted as the young female who had the number 067 groaned. "Ya! You come here. Hold still." The newcomer tilted 067's head to the side and said, "Oh. That scar on your neck. You're the damn pickpocket! You loser! My money, give it back. Where is it?" He shouted like a madman.

"Ya!" Soo-Jin got up from her position, grasping the tall, lean man's jacket. "Stop harassing her, you -- " She then paused when she spun him around, eyes widening as she recognized the man in front of her.

It was her childhood bestfriend.

"Gi-Hun?"

"Soo-Jin?"

It had been so long since she last saw him. Their last meeting was when she moved out of Ssangmun-dong. Six months after her parents died to be exact. She cut off all her contact with them when they moved away to start anew. Seong Gi-Hun had changed a lot in her opinion. He looked more tired as there were now more lines in his forehead. There were slightly dark bags under his eyes, but his eyes and smile hadn't changed. They still held the same mischievous and charming spark she always saw in them.

He gasped and then averted his gaze behind her. "Ya! Behind you!"

The woman's hair was snatched by the thug earlier and he pulled her toward him, her neck bent backward as if he would snap it in rage. Sharp pain filled her body and radiated through her nape. It overwhelmed her with agonizing, fiery strain, but she didn't let it deter her. He may be taller and bigger than her, but she was quicker and more agile. She elbowed his solar plexus, enough to make him release his grasp on her hair and stumble backwards. He coughed, bending forward.

"Who are you both?" he panted, asking the two of them.

"Uh..."

"What do you think you're both doing?"

"Me? Uh, well..." Gi-Hun scratched the back of his neck as Soo-Jin only glared at him. "Look, my name's Seong Gi-hun. I live in Ssangmun-dong and this is -- "

"Don't introduce me." interjected Soo-Jin, glaring at the thug. Ever since she was a little kid, she always hated those people who pick on the vulnerable. She briefly remembered the times she would stand up against Gi-Hun's bullies and scare them away by threatening to slam her hardbound books at their heads.

"Ya! You bitch and Ssangmun-dong shit!" The thug, whose number was 101, shouted. "That little bitch and I weren't done talking."

"Yeah, I understand that. It's just there's something that me and this..." Gi-Hun explained, pointing at 067. Soo-Jin knew him well enough to know that he was scared of the burly man in front of them, but he was still trying to make himself look strong. "woman should talk about urgently."

"I don't care!" he bellowed, his cheeks turning red from his bubbling rage. "Listen here, you bitch," the thug then jabbed a finger at Soo-Jin's face. "if you touch me again, I'll break your face."

Scowling, Soo-Jin slapped his finger away from her. "If you touch her again, I'll crush your balls... with my fucking bare hands."

Their spectators gasped, perhaps from awe or worry about her threat. "Aish!" The hooligan grunted and once again, attempted to strike her. The brunette easily dodged his swing.

"You bitch!"

"Is that really the only insult you know? Such poor vocabulary." She retaliated, nonchalantly. "Here, I have more for you to use: tomfool, cretin, dimwit, bonehead..."

At this, Gi-Hun stepped up beside Soo-Jin. "Ya! What scheme are you two running?"

The burly man mockingly laughed. "You're asking me?"

"What's your problem with this girl, 101? Yeah, I'll bet that, that you're a thug who preys on girls that takes advantage of them. Did you tell her to rob me like that?" taunted Gi-Hun, causing 101 to lash out at him.

"You little son of a bitch!"

Their spectators gasped and some of them drew closer to stop the fight. Soo-Jin fearlessly blocked the thug's path so he won't get near her bestfriend. "Get away from him, you asshole!"

"Get out of my way!"

"Ya! He wants to hit us! This thug is trying to hit me and my friend here! Ya, somebody get over here! We need help!"

The two were about to hit each other when suddenly, alarms blared and the large, silver doors at the front slid open.

"Oh! Oh, there they are! Over here!" Gi-Hun waved his arms in the air. "She'll pick all our pockets, sir. Him too! They'll pick, they'll pick..." he trailed off when masked men in red jumpsuits entered the room. From where she was standing, Soo-Jin noticed that the shapes in the brown business card were the ones drawn in their masks as well.

Triangle, square, and circle.

She sighed before walking over to lend a hand to 067. She stared at her hand for a moment before rejecting her help, standing up on her own.

"She doesn't even trust you." 101 tsked.

"Who said you can talk, meat loaf?" the brunette snapped.

The square masked man stepped forward, asserting he was in charge of them all. Soo-Jin couldn't help, but feel more suspicious of what was happening. There was something sinister and odd about them all. "I would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to you all." he announced, his voice distorted into a low baritone. "Everyone here will participate in six different games over six days. "Those who win all six games will receive a handsome cash prize."

"Soo-Jin..."

The woman turned her gaze to Gi-Hun who now stood beside her. "Gi-Hun..." she greeted. "It's been quite some time since we last saw each other."

"Yeah, twenty years."

"Twenty-six." She corrected.

Gi-Hun smiled. "Still the smartest."

It was then that Soo-Jin felt a tap on her shoulder and she inclined her head to see the boy earlier. Her eyes casted down to check his number: 004. "You were so brave out there, miss. You have all my respect." he saluted before straightening his posture. She only smiled at him.

"And why should we believe that?" One man from the crowd spoke up. "You took all our stuff and put us to sleep coming here, and then you brought us to this strange warehouse. Now you're saying you'll pay us if we go and play a few games? You really expect us to buy that?" Soo-Jin nodded at his statements. He pointed out all of what she had been noticing since they came.

"We reluctantly took all of those measures to maintain confidentiality as we brought you here. We'll return everything once the games are over."

"You all, you all have masks. Why are you wearing those things?"

"We do not disclose the faces and personal information of our staff to any of the participants. It's a measure we take to ensure fair games and confidentiality. Please understand." answered the square masked man, emotionlessly.

"Well, I don't believe you one bit." voiced out another player at the front. Soo-Jin narrowed her eyes at the number at his back. Two hundred and eighteen. "You got that? You tricked us. We were kidnapped. You can make as many excuses as you want to make sure nobody knows you broke the law in here. If you're going to make up for that, then we're gonna need something more."

The leader of the guards pulled out a remote from his pocket and played a video on the screen above them. Soo-Jin blinked twice when she recognized it to be her one and only ex. "Sang-Woo?"

"Player 218, Cho Sang-Woo." proclaimed the guard as the video played. She grimaced at every slap he received each time he lost the ddakji game. "Age, 46 years. Former team leader of Team Two at Joy Investments. Siphoned money off from his clients' balances, then invested it in derivatives and futures options and failed. Current loss, 650 million won."

The brunette's small crimson lips parted into an O shape when she heard his current debt. The square masked guard didn't hesitate in exposing Sang-Woo. She never expected it from him since he had been so confident about his skills.

"107, Kim Mi-Ok, 540 million in debt. 118, Oh Yeong-Uk, 1.02 billion in debt. 322, Jung Min-Tae, 880 million in debt. 119, No Sang-Hun, 1.39 billion in debt. 369, Park Ju-Un, 900 million in debt." enumerated the man. "Every person standing here in this room is living on the brink of financial ruin. You all have debts that you can't pay off. When we first went to see each of you, not a single one of you trusted us. But as you all know, we played a game, and as we promised, gave you money when you won. And suddenly, everyone here trusted us. You called and volunteered to participate in this game of your own free will."

If there was an alarm inside Soo-Jin's head, it would've blared already. Again, her gut was telling her that there was something wrong. Why all the secrecy? Is this not publicized? She thought. Because if she were going to be honest, she expected that she joined some game show of sorts.

"So, this is it. I'll give you one last chance to choose." asserted the man. "Will you go back to living your old and depressing lives getting chased by your creditors? Or will you act and seize this last opportunity we're offering here?"

"I still feel violated though since you stripped us all off without our consent." she mumbled under her breath, shrugging.

"Ya! Which games are we playing here?"

"In order to play fair, we cannot disclose any information about the games ahead of time."

This time, Gi-Hun raised his hand, asking a question that passed Soo-Jin's mind while she was waiting for the van to arrive. "One question. If we win, just how much do we get?"

Once again, the man wearing a red jumpsuit and a square mask pointed his remote at the ceiling and a trapdoor opened, revealing a huge, golden piggy bank. "Your prize money will be accumulated in there after every game. We will disclose the amount to everyone after the first game is over. If you do not wish to participate, then please let us know at this time."

Soo-Jin pinched the bridge of her nose. The managers of the game do know how to entice their players since she suddenly remembered why she joined in the first place. "Well, shit."

They were then all told to form three lines to sign a consent form. Those who were in front of the woman were quick to sign, almost not reading the written clauses. She let out a small sigh when it was already her turn. Picking up the black pen, she read what was written in the paper. She wasn't just going to sign her name without reading them. She was known to observe and use what she learned to her advantage.

CLAUSE 1: A PLAYER IS NOT ALLOWED TO STOP PLAYING.

CLAUSE 2: A PLAYER WHO REFUSES TO PLAY WILL BE ELIMINATED.

CLAUSE 3: GAMES MAY BE TERMINATED IF THE MAJORITY AGREES.

Soo-Jin's eyebrows rose at each clause, but still signed her name at the end.

Next, they were lead to a very aesthetically pleasing labyrinth-like stairway and corridor. She looked around in awe. Its pastel color palette and maze-like nature caused Soo-Jin to wonder what was the inspiration behind its creation. "Attention, all players. The first game is about to begin. Please follow the staff's instructions. Please make your way towards the game hall."

The staff led her to a photo booth where an automated voice told her to look at the camera and smile which she followed. Everything about the place was so coordinated, the woman noted. The players around her continued to chatter and mumble about the place. It wasn't long after that they were requested to enter the game hall.

Stepping outside, a gentle breeze rustled through her hair and she caught the faint scent of the ocean. Were they on an island? Soo-Jin observed the grainy sand beneath her white shoes and listened attentively to the squawks of the birds flying above her.

"Ya! Soo-Jin!"

She spun around to see her ever so cheerful childhood bestfriend, Gi-Hun, pointing his index finger at Sang-Woo. "Look, it's Sang-Woo!" he grinned before grabbing her arm and dragging her towards him. She desperately tried to pry off his fingers from her, but his grip was firm and strong that by the time she had freed herself, she was already steps away her ex-boyfriend.

"Oh, Sang-Woo, my man!" gleefully acknowledged Gi-Hun, as he stood between them. "Look who's here too, it's Soo-Jin!"

Sang-Woo snapped his head to her direction, his lips falling slightly open. The two stared at one another for a moment before exchanging awkward smiles and looking away. Soo-Jin wasn't going to lie. She least expected to see her ex-boyfriend in this place, but a lot has changed since then. The brunette watched him adjust his glasses just like he always used to and stood up straighter.

"Oh, is that just how you're going to greet each other?" Gi-Hun complained, laughing. "Aish, you two act as if you weren't together before."

It was really awkward, to be honest in Soo-Jin's opinion because the reason of their separation was standing in their middle.

Things didn't end well for the two of them. She recalled the last night they saw each other. They were arguing in his apartment when she decided to end their three-year relationship since she couldn't stand it any longer.

Cho Sang-Woo aged well. That was the first thing she noticed. Sure, there were a bit of lines on his forehead, but other than that, he really looked prim and proper. Soo-Jin can't help, but smile a little bit more as she observed him. He still possessed that mysterious aura and air of superiority. She often never knew what was inside his mind unless he voiced them out.

"What happened? What the hell are you doing here?" Her childhood bestfriend playfully pushed Sang-Woo's shoulder. "Uh, your mother and I were talking the other day. She told you were out of the country on a business trip."

Soo-Jin caught sight of Sang-Woo clenching his fist as Gi-Hun continued to talk. Almost immediately, she knew her ex was uncomfortable with the topic. Who wouldn't be? Sang-Woo was a graduate of Seoul National University, the most prestigious university in the country. To hear someone talk about your fall from the sky was like a strike to the face. "What was that guy talking about, huh? You can't be in debt? The same Sang-Woo who attended SNU, right?"

"Gi-Hun, why don't we all catch up later after the game?" she gave him a tight smile, looking ahead of them.

"Of course, of course!"

"Attention, all players." announced a woman on the speakers. "After you enter the game hall, please stand behind the white line drawn on the field and await further instructions. Once again, will all players please stand behind the white line and await further instructions."

Soon, the gates shut close and everyone including Soo-Jin eyed the tall, disturbing doll standing meters away from them. "What the hell is that?" she muttered.

"Here is the first game. You will be playing Red Light, Green Light."

The mannequin whirred, turning around to face the tree trunk. "You are allowed to move forward when "it" shouts out, "Green Light," stop when "it" shouts, "Red Light." If your movement is detected afterward, you will be eliminated." instructed the voice in the speakers.

Soo-Jin nodded. Of course, the game was included. It was already their password when they were picked up by the van. The announcer repeated again the rules and the woman listened closely. "Those players who cross the finish line without being eliminated within the five-minute playtime will pass this round. With that, let the game begin."

As soon as a loud beeping noise was heard and the doll sang, the woman stepped forward. "Green Light."

Just move and then stop when the doll turns around. She mentally told herself.

Should be easy, right?

Soo-Jin was about to find that out herself.

"Red Light."

Soo-Jin stopped moving and stayed in her place just as the doll whirred, its big eyes wildly moving around as if it was scanning them all.

"Player 324. Eliminated."

A flash and a horrendous noise echoed deafeningly in the confines of the game hall, causing Soo-Jin to wince lightly. Player 324, a young man with blond hair, fell on the ground.

Was that a gunshot?

Despite her confusion, the young woman took another step forward as soon as the doll declared green light and then paused again when it spun around. Soo-Jin narrowed her eyes when Player 250 reluctantly approached his fallen friend and he backed away immediately.

The young woman stared frozen in shock when she saw him cough out blood. Her heart pounded and her mind churned at the sight. Player 250 scrambled away and just as he reached the first woman behind him, another gunshot was heard. The bullet punched it's way through his chest and he fell to the ground, a pool of blood forming around him and soaked into his clothes as he choked to death.

Soo-Jin's mouth opened, her body didn't move. The color drained from her face as she stared wide-eyed at the dead player. Her body didn't know how to react, it just shut down. Her body froze to a point where she was hardly breathing.

When the blood-covered woman shrieked and was shot to death, Soo-Jin's heart almost stopped beating.

The game was about to become a bloody massacre.