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FOUR | FAMILY ISN'T ALWAYS BLOOD

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IT WAS DOWN to the last vote.

Player 001, the old man Soo-Jin monitored in the game earlier, slowly and steadily came forward. A clamor had already begun among the players since there were some who wanted to remain despite the deadly consequence that may follow including her and Sang-Woo. She didn't know why he chose to continue. He committed embezzlement and forgery of legal documents. Even if he successfully returns his clients' money, he will still be placed behind bars.

Now, Gi-Hun was beyond bewildered with her choice earlier, considering she was one of the people who raised the last clause as a way to stop the game, but then, what other choice did she have? She was in desperate need of money for her younger sister.

Soo-Jin's attention then anchored to her ex-boyfriend's back, her mind bringing her back to the night they -- no, she decided to end their relationship.

It was the ninth of September and the rain was heavily pouring outside. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as they entered the apartment, soaked to the bone. It had been months after her parents died and she was all over the place. Why wouldn't she be? A week ago, she received news that all of her parents' assets will be taken away by the bank and she might have to stop her education to provide for her younger sister's needs.

"I was just late for two hours and you're already in someone else's arms?" argued Sang-Woo, tossing his grey blazer to the couch. "What the fuck, Soo-Jin?"

"Someone else? My god! Gi-Hun's our friend!" shouted Soo-Jin, throwing her hands up. "He was just comforting me like a friend should!"

"You two almost kissed -- "

Soo-Jin opened her lips to explain, but Sang-Woo cut her off.

"No, don't explain. I saw it with my very own eyes, Soo-Jin. That was not how a friend should comfort. He was taking your vulnerability as an opportunity to present himself better than me."

"How dare you accuse him of that?" She jabbed her finger at his chest, enraged by his words since he was wrong. Gi-Hun was embracing her because she finally broke down. He was holding her face in his hands to wipe away her tears. Yes, while it was true that he was still in love with her, Gi-Hun never did anything that crossed the line. He still acted the same. Her bestfriend. "He has been there for me from the start! Where were you when I needed you? You weren't around!"

"I told you, I had a -- "

"Fucking excuses!" screamed Soo-Jin, tears racing down her cheeks. All her pent-up emotions were now pouring out for she had been holding them for months. "At least, he was there for me when I needed someone to talk to, to comfort me! I can't reach you anymore, Sang-Woo! I feel like I'm alone in this and -- " She then sniffed and looked down at the ring he gave her during their second anniversary.

Soo-Jin was tired. She was tired, mournful, and just out of sorts. Her parents died, her sister was sick, her grades were plummeting, and she was in dire need of money. The woman just wanted to rest and start anew and in order to do that, she has to let go of the burdens that weigh her down.

One of them was her boyfriend.

"I love you, Sang-Woo. I really fucking do, but I can't do this anymore. I need to breathe." She removed the silver band from her ring finger and laid it on the coffee table. Sniffing, she wiped her tears away, gathering enough courage for what she was about to do. "I think it's best if we end things between us."

"Soo-Jin..."

"Goodbye, Cho Sang-Woo."

He tried to grab her arm, but the woman already slammed the door shut, not anymore looking back.

That was the last time they saw each other.

A loud beeping sound resonated in the room, taking Soo-Jin back to the present. The old man pressed the red button, and the tie was finally broken. Majority of the players wished to end the games and so it was honored. Half of the crowd erupted in cheers, relieved that they were all going home, alive. Soo-Jin only stared at the ground. She wasn't disappointed, but she was worried because that meant she was going home with nothing.

"The majority of the players have voted to terminate the game. Therefore, this game is now terminated."

"Hey!" shouted one of the players who voted to stay. He was then backed up by the people who pressed the green button. "Okay, anybody who wants, they can go.But let the ones who want, stay till the end, though. Half of us has died already! We can’t just stop here!"

Player 212, the one who pleaded to be freed earlier because of her newborn child, demanded the same thing. "He’s right! Please, let us stay! We’ll keep playing the game!"

"Yes! Let us continue!"

But, then, majority wins, right?

"It truly is a pity that we must say goodbye to you like this." said the square masked game manager. "However, we will not completely seal the door of opportunity for all of you. If the majority of you wish to participate again, then we will resume the game. So, goodbye for now."

THE COLD, HARD concrete was what Soo-Jin made first contact with when she was hurled off the van. She groaned, feeling deep aches and shooting pain in her back. "Fucking hell..." she muttered, rolling on her side. Her hands and feet were tied and she had a blindfold over her eyes.

"Hello? Is someone there?" called out someone in the dark. "Untie me, please!"

Soo-Jin gritted her teeth. "I'm here. Hold on. Can you please remove my blindfold?" Crawling, she bumped into the person's back and used her cheek to feel their arms. The person she was with was quick to remove her blindfold and she then used her teeth to free them from their binds. The woman looked down at herself and rolled her ryes when she saw she was in just her black lingerie. "Aish, I'm so violated."

The person she helped break free sat up and Soo-Jin recognized him as 004, the boy above her bunker bed. "It's you!" he exclaimed, joyful. "You're alive!"

"Am I really though?" retorted Soo-Jin before sighing. "Can you please help untie me? Thank you."

004 did what she requested and soon, the brunette was able to free herself from her binds. She immediately picked up her clothes from yesterday and hastily wore them. Looking around, she realized that the game guards threw them in Yongsan.

"Aish," grunted the woman, scratching her scalp. "I have to take the bus now. Ya, kid," she then called the teenager with her as she pulled out her wallet to check her cash. "you wanna come with me? Let's grab some Ramyeon. My treat."

The teenager shrugged, casually. "Yeah, sure."

Actually, Soo-Jin felt this sisterly instinct kick in her when she saw the boy again. She was relieved and glad that he made it through the first death game. He looks so young. She internally spoke. He should be in school, learning, not in that hell hole.

And that's how the two found themselves in a small store, eating spicy noodles. Soo-Jin would check on the boy occasionally and he would assure her that he was fine. Finishing her food, the young woman opened her phone to see her calls and messages. There were only two missed calls coming from her sister and one message from Hwang Jun-Ho, a police officer she met a year ago, asked for them to meet up.

Sending a quick reply, she thought back on how they crossed paths. Soo-Jin had just won her third illegal underground fight when the police stormed inside the area, arresting every people they caught. She and Jun-Ho bumped at each other in the chaos and instead of putting her in handcuffs, he let her go after she made a quick deal to help him by being his informant.

And that's how their partnership began. Whenever Jun-Ho was in need of a consultation or information about a gang he's planning to catch, he would contact her, ask her to get him some leads since she was somehow indebted to him. If he arrested her that day, Soo-Jin would be fired from all of her jobs and have a permanent criminal record, ruining her clean resumé.

"Ya," talked Soo-Jin to the boy, wetting her parched lips. "What's your name?"

"Minjun. Yang Minjun."

The woman nodded, smiling. "Nice name, kid."

Soo-Jin didn't know why, but she had a feeling she was going to get attached to this boy.

The night air was crisp and cool and streams of gray covered the sky, the color of ash and soot. After the two finished eating, Soo-Jin handed the boy some cash for his bus fare, but he kindly rejected it, affirming that his cash was enough to get him home. The young brunette was now on her way to see her adoptive sister, Hana, in the hospital.

The corridor of the hospital was filled with white light. Doctors, nurses and other staffs were all crossing the cold maze, in the peak hour. The grey ground she was walking on acted as a runway for those hurrying people to provide help to the people in need. Every corners and corridors looked similar to Soo-Jin. The grey ground, white wall and cold breeze from the air conditioner seemed to follow her so did the busy and hurry smell that travelling all around the hospital. Finally, she arrived at her sister's room in the mazes of doors.

There, sat atop a hospital bed, was a pale girl whose eyes were focused on a novel. Chang Hana. IV tubes were attached to her arm, supplying her with fluids. The girl must've heard the door opening because her head lifted up and her lips curled into the brightest of smiles when their eyes met.

"Soo-Jin!" Hana greeted her, cheerfully. Her eyes were sparked so bright that Soo-Jin almost forgot her sister was sick.

"Hana!" She expressed with equal emotion, embracing her twenty-four year old sister tightly. "What are you still doing up? It's already midnight!"

"I was reading this book here."

"How are you doing?"

At this, Hana frowned. "It's you who I should be asking that. Your phone was turned off. I couldn't contact you. Did you join another fight again?"

The woman rapidly shook her head, but grimaced internally. Her sister knew that she joined fights to earn fast cash for her dialysis. Hana often expressed her guilt about it, but Soo-Jin would just casually brush it off. "No, I didn't! I was busy working. I'm sorry I wasn't able to answer your call." She lied easily through her teeth.

Fortunately for her, Hana bought it and let it go. "The doctor said the transplant will be done by the end of this week or the next." enunciated the girl. "Where did you get the money? or well," She then shrugged. "Where will you get it?"

Soo-Jin sighed, lifting her hand to brush her sister's hair. They had been through so much together already. "I will find a way... like I always do."

"Hopefully, it isn't illegal again."

"Hey, I don't sell drugs nor am I going to. Those are nasty shit."

Yes, Soo-Jin may be desperate, but she wasn't desperate enough to sell illegal drugs. Her conscience and principles wouldn't let her. Plus, beating up people was kind of more fun for her than hiding in some dark alleyway to pass a packet full of white powder.

"Oh, I know you won't. I'm just worried I'll see you again all bloodied and bruised."

The brunette laughed, shrugging. "Aish, you know I can handle myself."

Hana stared at her hands, forlorn. "It's just that..." She swallowed. "I feel so guilty. You're doing all of that for me, but I'm not even your biological sister."

"Ya, maknae..."

"You should be travelling the world, unnie. You should've gone to that Law School." expressed Hana, sadly. "You could've been a lawyer now, defending the weak and the defenseless... heck, you could even be a prosecutor or a judge, given how brilliant you are."

Soo-Jin clenched her fist, refusing to let her tears come out of her eyes. There wasn't a time in her life where she didn't think about that because she still wants to become a lawyer. She still wants to achieve her dreams.

"But, no. You're stuck here with me. You're working everyday with almost little to no rest because of my dialysis." sobbed Hana, wiping away her hot tears. "We're not even related by blood, yet here you are, sacrificing your dreams for me."

Soo-Jin averted her gaze to the ceiling, licking her lips. "Ya, Hana..." She smiled, although her lips were trembling. "We may not be related by blood, but you're my sister... here." The woman pointed to her heart. "Family isn't always blood, it's the people in your life who want you in theirs: the ones who accept you for who you are, the ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what."

"Who said that?"

"Maya Angelou." answered Soo-Jin, biting her lip to prevent herself from breaking down. She placed her hand against her sister's warm and wet cheek. "I will do anything for you, little sister. I love you, okay?"

"I love you too, unnie."

The two then tightly enveloped their arms around each other as if it would be their last.

"I promise you, I will do everything to save your life."

"I HONESTLY THOUGHT you were kidnapped or... dead."

Soo-Jin snickered at Jun-Ho's comment when they sat at the coffee shop they both agreed to meet. She shrugged, running her fingers through her hair. "I was busy, sorry."

"Where have you been?"

The woman ruminated whether to tell him about what she had just gone through, but then she remembered that the games may resume if majority of them returns. So, as not to ruin that chance, she didn't speak up and instead, saved it for later. "I tutored someone in Gangnam. Kid's parents wanted me to really focus so I turned off my phone."

Jun-Ho nodded. "Okay. I called you here because..."

"Good morning, ma'am, sir. Welcome to Gondry café." voiced out a waitress, bowing her head down. "May I take your order, please?"

The brunette shifted her gaze to her friend. "Your treat?"

"Yes."

Grinning, Soo-Jin turned to the waitress, "Coffee, please. Black, like my soul."

From the corner of her eye, she saw the police officer roll his eyes.

The waitress gave her a tight-lipped smile and bowed her head again before leaving. "What was that?" queried the female, tilting her head.

"As I was about to say," he cleared his throat. "I called you here because of this..." Jun-Ho pulled out a very familiar brown business card and slid it across their table. Soo-Jin's eye twitched at the sight of the three shapes drawn in the card. She still recovering from the brutal deaths she witnessed yesterday. Not wanting to be suspicious, she picked it up and examined it. "You know something about that?"

Soo-Jin bit her bottom lip. "I think I've seen it once, but I'm not entirely sure what it is for or about."

"I found this in my brother's apartment. I've haven't seen for a while now. My mother and I lost contact with him."

The female's head perked up. Was his brother a previous player? Did he die during the games? How long has this death games been going on? She thought. "Do you think he was given one?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll find out. You want to come with me and investigate?"

"I'm not a police officer, Jun-Ho."

"No, you aren't, but you are smart, like really smart, Soo-Jin. You see things most people miss. You always find a way to get out of sticky situations." noted the police officer, cocking his head to the side. "Come with me on this."

"Why don't you bring your partner instead? or file him as a missing person?"

"This is a personal investigation. I want to find him myself." he then leant closer. "I was in the police station today and I heard a man report how they were led to play these kids' games because they said they'd get a large amounts of cash and then killed them when they were eliminated."

Soo-Jin swallowed, but still kept her façade up. "Really?"

"Really, and he had this card as well. This is why I need your help. I promise, I will get you a job in the police force if you help me on this."

Soo-Jin was torn. Was she going to help him expose this company that offered her a chance? She shook her head. "It's too dangerous for me, Jun-Ho. Hana's transplant is coming up and I think I'll be more use to you if I remain here and give you some information I can gather."

"Alright, but if ever you change your mind, give me a call tonight."

"I'll think about it."

The waitress had finally returned to their table with a warm cup of black coffee in her hands. Bowing her head, she laid it gently in front of Soo-Jin and said, "You know, ma'am, sir. We have a special offer for couples today..."

Soo-Jin laughed and shook her head, rapidly. "Oh, no, no. I'm not his girlfriend. I'm older than him by twenty-two years." uttered she. "I just haven't aged since twenty, keeping my beauty and skin. Everyone tells me I'm a vampire. That my beauty has preservatives."

The pretty server bowed her head, apologizing profusely. "Sorry, sorry, ma'am, sir. I hope you enjoy your coffee. Have a good day."

"You too as well."

Jun-Ho exhaled, tugging the sleeves of his leather jacket. "I believe that is my cue to leave. Here," he fished out his wallet and pulled out 50,000 won. "Ride a taxi. I don't want you walking around."

She was about to reject the money, but then he insisted and so, she relented. "Thank you, Jun-Ho." she bowed her head as she accepted the money. With that, the police officer left the café and Soo-Jin took her time in finishing her hot beverage. Glancing at her watch, she decided to go somewhere as it was still early. The woman thanked the kind waitress and left the café, hailing a taxi.

As soon as she settled herself inside comfortably, the driver turned his gaze to her, asking, "Where to, miss?"

"Ssangmun-dong. Take me to Ssangmun-dong, please."

Time to meet some people from the past she left behind.