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EIGHT | SURVIVAL OF THE SMARTEST

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IT WAS A very cloudy day when Seong Gi-Hun admitted to her that he had been in love with her.

Soo-Jin remembered the two of them walking around Myeong-dong, giggling like two kids in a toy store since he was telling her about his hilarious story in the factory he was working in. Right after they graduated high school and she and Sang-Woo left for SNU, Gi-Hun applied as a factory worker, finding joy and fulfillment in it.

Soo-Jin cackled, almost clutching her stomach. Gi-Hun never failed to make her laugh. It was perhaps his mission in life to always make her smile. Whenever she felt disappointed about her performance in school or just gloomy, he'll do something very funny to make her forget about it and it always worked.

It had been three months ever since he tried asking her out in a date and she told him that she and Sang-Woo were dating. Actually, one of the reasons why they didn't tell him immediately was because she was afraid it will affect their friendship. Soo-Jin knew she should've told Gi-Hun first about it, but fear overcame her since she was aware her bestfriend liked her. She didn't want anything to change between them.

Gi-Hun was at first quiet when they both told him about it. Although, he expressed his happiness a second later, Soo-Jin knew there was something within him that broke.

Obviously, it was his heart.

Soo-Jin would be lying if she said that she didn't think of her and Gi-Hun once. Who else would be a better lover than your bestfriend? But then, Cho Sang-Woo suddenly entered the equation and he easily swept her off her feet.

"And then, he pushed me and..." narrated Gi-Hun, chuckling when they came across a vendor selling dalgona candies. "Ya, Soo-Jin! Look, look, it's a dalgona candy!"

Soo-Jin turned her attention to the vendor just as her bestfriend dragged her toward the stall. She marveled at the sight of the sweet treat, smiling brightly. "Ya, look at all those shapes!" Gi-Hun then immediately pulled out his wallet just as he said this, buying two for them.

"Aish, Gi-Hun! It's okay! You don't have to buy me anything!"

"Come on, Soo-Jin! Let me treat you on this. It's okay. I have already given mother her allowance. I still have enough money to return to Ssangmun-dong."

"You better be sure of that."

"I promise." he grinned then averted his gaze to the vendor. "Ya, Soo-Jin. What will be your shape?"

She hummed, examining every shape available. "Oh, oh! I want that flower!"

He chuckled. "She'll have the flower. I'll have the heart."

"Heart? Why?"

"You'll see." he winked, making the brunette shake her head.

The two thanked the vendor once they received their food and went to the nearby park, quietly munching on the candy as they sat down. The woman stared at the clouds at the sky. They were like cotton candy, floating aimlessly in the wind.

"Soo-Jin," softly mentioned Gi-Hun who was now facing her. In his hands was the heart-shaped dalgona candy and there was a certain twinkle in his eyes. His lips stretched into a smile as he uttered, "Give me your hands."

Cupping both of her hands, she reached them out to him. "What are you doing, you -- "

"Chang Soo-Jin," he began, her name rolling of his tongue like melted chocolate. "I love you."

Her breathing hitched. She didn't expect that.

"But, I know you love Sang-Woo, and that's okay to me." He handed her the heart-shaped sugar candy.

"Why... why are you saying this?"

"Because I just want you to know that my heart is yours."

Soo-Jin swallowed the lump in her throat. She felt guilty, so guilty because she couldn't reciprocate his feelings.

"I know what my role is in your life and I will fulfill it until we leave this world." he cupped her face in his hands, slowly leaning in. "I will always be and forever be your bestfriend, Soo-Jin. I promise, I will be there when you need a shoulder to lean and cry on, when you need someone to listen to your rambles. In all your success and failures, I will be there."

"Gi-Hun..."

"I know you're scared that this -- this what I feel for you, might affect our friendship, but I assure you, nothing will change. I have already come to fully accept you and Sang-Woo." he kissed her forehead.

Soo-Jin's eyes started to burn with tears and she sniffed. "I'm sorry."

He chuckled. "What are you sorry for, Soo-Jin?"

"This... I cannot reciprocate what you feel for me."

"I only hope he will make you happy because that's what I want for you, Chang Soo-Jin. To be always happy."

LET IT BE forever known that Chang Soo-Jin will never be able look at a dalgona candy in the same way ever again.

"Aish, these candies are supposed to be eaten, not used in fucking death games!" grumbled Soo-Jin as she traced the triangle shape carefully. She was almost holding her breath as she used her needle to cut through the hard sponge toffee. Her hair was up in a bun and pressure was building inside her chest. It was even conquering her mind as she focused even further.

It was very difficult for her since a dalgona candy was made out of melted sugar and baking soda. Those two ingredients created the candy's unique honeycomb structure which made it very hard to predict how it might crack.

Honestly, Soo-Jin wasn't really worried for herself, she was worried more about Minjun since he had the umbrella shape. The more sharp angles there are in the shape, the more it was likely to break.

Minjun chuckled, wetting the sharp end of his needle with his saliva. "Aish, why weren't we informed we joined a twisted version of Battle Royale and The Hunger Games?"

"The Hunger Games?"

"You haven't watched that, miss?"

"Wasn't that the movie where this girl had this bow and arrow? And her gown was like... always on fire, literally?"

The boy grinned. "Yeah, that one. It's also like this one except we aren't the ones doing the killing. It's them."

"Yeah." Soo-Jin made a straight line at the top of her triangle. "I recalled their game having two winners when it was expected to only have one."

Was that possible in here as well? She asked herself then sighed, glancing at the loud beeping clock. "How are you doing there?"

"Barely surviving." the young boy tsked, nonchalantly. Soo-Jin noticed how casual he was like he wasn't worrying about the chance he might die. "I have now learned to always listen to you. You always make the best decisions. I copied your strategy during the first game, by the way."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I noticed that your movements were calculated even the risks you took. It was like you already knew the end before you even started."

Soo-Jin's lips slowly curled into a frown at that. Actually, she already had an idea about how the games would end. Each of their lives had a hundred million won that was at stake so every player must die to add their money to increase that prize pool.

In the end, there was only going to be one winner.

This was a competition, a survival of the fittest. Only the strongest among them will survive.

Honestly, she had a feeling they will have to compete against each other, but she still liked to believe there could be more than one winner. She started to wonder if there were spectators watching them for how else would the creators of this twisted games gain money for the prize? She doubted the creator would be pulling out his own billions to be the prize. What were they, a philanthropist? Maybe. A philanthropist with a sick, twisted mind.

Sighing, Soo-Jin observed the blunt end of her needle and watch it glint in the light. That's when a light bulb went off in her head, and she knew how to solve it.

She tapped the boy's shoulder beside her. "Minjun, scratch the end of your needle on the floor. Make sure it dulls."

Without saying anything else, he immediately followed her instruction, scraping his needle on the floor. "Then?"

"Slowly poke holes along the shape. A sharp needle is more likely to cause a crack than a dull one." expounded Soo-Jin as she twisted her case, cutting the edges of her shape faster and smoother. Minjun nodded and the woman's eyes flickered toward Gi-Hun and Sang-Woo who were focused on their candies as well.

She wanted to reach out to Gi-Hun and tell him about her idea, but then the guard who was watching her strictly told her to sit down and mind her own work. She scowled, wanting to give her watcher a piece of her mind, but decided against it. She couldn't waste any time.

And then, her attentive ears heard a gun cocking and man begging for his life.

It was clear that there no mercy for them as the red-clad guard shot the player between his eyes.

Many of the other players gasped and yelped in shock. Player 369's body slid down the playground slide, his blood staining the silver chute.

"Don't mind it. Focus." croaked the woman, screwing her eyes shut. Her heart began to beat wildly, but she managed to get ahold of her wits and pin all her attention to the task.

Four minutes had already passed and Soo-Jin was already cracking the last part of her shape. She turned her attention to player 067 who was slightly struggling with her own triangle.

"Ya, 67," she whispered which caught the attention of her guard again. The brunette rolled her eyes, irritated. "What? You're going to stop me again? Can you just go away? I swear, you're annoying me." She then raised her hand like a student trying to catch her teacher's attention. "Ya! Can this guy be replaced? I swear, he's going to be the reason why I'm going to crack this fucking candy wrong."

The guard didn't say a word and instead, walked off. She snickered, nodding when he was replaced by another triangle-faced guard. Soo-Jin beckoned player 67 to come closer to her. Reluctantly, the young girl scooted over and the brunette checked on her shape.

Relief coursed through her when she saw the girl had a triangle etched on her dalgona. "Just dull your needle and poke holes along the shape."

"Thank you, again."

"Good choice, by the way."

"Your friend told me to follow what he'll choose."

The achiever furrowed her eyebrows. "Who?"

"That one." she tilted her head toward Sang-Woo and Soo-Jin's shoulders slumped when she pieced it all together. Her ex already had an idea about the game earlier just like her, but he didn't say anything about it.

Of course. She said in her mind. He was trying to eliminate competition.

Soo-Jin clenched her fist because she knew deep inside of her, she would do the same thing. She was very known to annihilate her competition when she was still a child. Whenever she felt like someone would stand against her as a rival, Soo-Jin would do everything to make sure she stays on top. She learnt early on to stop being soft and grow to become tougher.

"Be ethical to win the game." vocalized Soo-Jin once as she aimed at the bull's eye of the dart board. Sang-Woo was standing beside her as she let her dart fly, smirking when she hit the red dot. He was asking her for advise that night and that was what she told him. "Play by the rules and compete with a strong desire to win. If you’re not competitive, you will lose. Remember, you’re in the game to win. You’re not playing a game so that you lose. Got it?"

Soo-Jin glowered.

Cho Sang-Woo learnt it from all from her.

And he was using her own advice and mindset to win.

Son of a bitch.

One by one, the players who broke their shapes wrong, were eliminated, reducing the count. Their bodies were splayed on the ground like a warning to them that this was what will happen to them if they fail. Crimson liquid gushed out of their head and chest wounds, finalizing their demise.

Screams and shaky breaths overtook the room, but Soo-Jin calmly finished her shape within seven minutes.

She was the fourth to finish carving her shape and player 67 followed shortly after her.

Soo-Jin smiled for reaching victory in such a short time because that meanr she would still have more time to help Minjun succeed in his umbrella shape. She held her triangle-shaped dalgona candy up in the light, breathing a sigh of relief.

Then, she heard a soft crack beside her and the boy looked up at her in shock and fear.

He cracked his umbrella shape.

Ah, shit.

"I-I, uh... I was so close. It cracked when I was finally removing it." Minjun choked, lowering his tone. He showed her his candy and the tiny curve above the umbrella was cut off. "It's only very small, though. I'm not sure if it's noticeable."

Soo-Jin panicked, internally. Her mind was already screaming, but outwardly, she was stoic. She had already somehow expected this. The umbrella was the hardest shape to crack, but as she stared at the young boy, there was a nagging sensation telling her to help. She was having a conflict inside her own mind.

The rational part of her brain told her to let him be, eliminate the competition, but her emotional side pushed her to give aid.

Giving Minjun and the young girl a quick glance, she made another decision.

"Come with me."

The three made their way to one of the triangle-masked guards, their footsteps heavy on the floor. Soo-Jin felt very powerful at that moment despite the heavy feeling resting on her shoulders. Minjun's life was on her hands at that moment. It was enough to make her nervous, but she held her chin high.

Sweat began to trickle down her face and she mopped it away with her forearm. Butterflies came in full force in her stomach as she first presented her shape. Then, it was player 67, and then Minjun.

Seconds earlier, she whispered to Minjun to hold the top of the umbrella and twirl it around as he presents it. The watcher was about to grab it when Soo-Jin snatched it and placed it inside her mouth immediately, munching it.

"Omo!" She exclaimed, kissing and licking her fingertips. "Aigoo... that was so delicious!" The brunette swiftly ate hers and took 67's as well. Noticing the guard's stare on her, she coyly smiled and tucked an unruly lock of hair behind her ear. "Sorry, I was hungry. What? The bread you guys earlier wasn't enough."

Her attentive ears then caught him let out a sigh, and she smirked.

"Player 321, player 67, player 004, passed."

Whispers rose aming the anxious and terrified crowd, their gaze fixed solely on Minjun.

"Didn't he have an umbrella shape?"

"How did he do it so fast?"

"Ya, boy! How did you do it?"

But, Minjun only gave them a simper and bowed his head, answering, "My guardian angel helped me."

By then, many players approached the supervisors and displayed their candies including 199 and 212.

Smacking her lips, Soo-Jin winked at the two teenagers behind them. One of the circle-masked guards directed to the exit door, leading them out of the game hall, but not before the brunette saw Gi-Hun bent down on the floor.

"Soo-Jin..."

"Gi-Hun..." she mumbled, then scrambling down to help him when she noticed his sweat drop on the hard sponge toffee. It slowly melted, causing her to come up with an idea. She slapped her forehead in realization.

There was no rule that they must only use the needle to carve out the shape out of the sweet treat.

The needle was a red herring.

"Think outside the box! Of course! How could I not have noticed that?" she aggressively murmured under her breath. "Gi-Hun, the outline --"

"Player 321."

"... is thinner at the -- "

"Player 321!"

Soo-Jin threw a glare at the guard that was distracting her, one that was sure can melt someone on the spot. Fire was dancing in her eyes wildly as if will consume her whole and burn everything. "What is it, goddammit!"

"You're not allowed to help the other players. Step aside now or I'll be forced to have you dragged away."

The woman narrowed her eyes, sensing the seriousness of his tone. With a sigh, she turned once again to Gi-Hun and mumbled, "Lick it."

And she was then escorted away from the game hall by a red-clad watcher who had a circle mask. His hand gripped her arm as if he was tasked to stop her if she runs back to the hall. She was pissed, honestly, but she didn't fight back.

"Chang Soo-Jin," voiced the man behind the mask, pulling her closely as they entered the colorful, maze-like corridor. "It's me, Jun-Ho."

"Jun-Ho, what the hell doing here?"

"I think I should be the one asking you that."

Terror washed over her, raising the fine hairs on the back of her neck. Was this part of his plan? To infiltrate the games?

"I was desperate. I needed the money."

"I know. I'm here to look for my brother. I need you to help me."

"How would I do -- "

"Number 29, you've been called back to assist in the game hall."

Soo-Jin was soon brought to the large room. She fiddled with her thumbs, slightly stressed about everyone's return. Why did she care? They were in a game where their lives have a million won that was at stake. At this point, she should start severe any emotional attachment to each of her groupmates. She can't care about them. It was a disadvantage.

But, whenever she would catch a glimpse of Minjun and player 067, she would feel guilt because they were too young to die.

The two of them should be seeing the world, learning things in school, but instead, they were in this games where they might die anytime.

The door to her right opened and in came the man she had been waiting to arrive. Cracking her knuckles, she abruptly stood up from the bunker bed she sat from, and confronted him.

"Sang-Woo, we need to fucking talk."