≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

FIFTEEN | A LIFE WITH YOU

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

IT WAS THE first snowfall when Cho Sang-Woo confessed his love for her.

Soo-Jin will never ever forget how it led to that moment.

It all started with a rumor.

"Why..." Soo-Jin slammed her glass on the table, gulping. "Why are there rumors of us dating and sleeping around? What the fuck?"

Chang Soo-Jin and Cho Sang-Woo were notable students in their undergraduate programs. Both of them were leading the student rank and they were constantly talked about. They were called The University's Brains since they were very studious and insightful. That's why rumors spread around their university that they were not only dating, but sleeping around. It was the ultimate gossip.

"Because our fellow students' imagination is amazing?" he countered, unbothered. It was as if he found it very amusing.

"You find this fucking funny?"

"Well, I don't find it... not funny." He pursed his lips as if to stop smiling. "Don't pay any attention to it. If you worry, then we're -- "

She pointed her finger at him and then retracted it as if to punch him. "We're what?"

"We're... losing."

"Don't try to be amusing, Sang-Woo. I swear, I will hit you." She then scratched her scalp in frustration then standing up to get out of the restaurant. "Aish, it would be no problem if we were only rumored to be dating, but sleeping around? Seriously? What the fuck!"

And with that, the two friends exited the restaurant they frequented. Soo-Jin was still bothered by the rumors because well, secretly, she liked it, but of course, Sang-Woo didn't need to know that.

"I may not know how to win, but I know how to make the score even." her companion suddenly voiced out as soon as they left the restaurant, climbing down the stairs.

"What do you mean by that?"

"We can just make the rumors about us into a truth."

Soo-Jin knitted her eyebrows in confusion and then blinked. She stopped in the middle of the stairs, trying to register his words. "Make the rumors about us into a truth...?" repeated she and came to the conclusion that not only did he want the dating part of the rumor to be true, but also the sleeping around. With eyes wide and gasping, she lifted up her bag and hit his back.

"What do you mean by that, huh? What do you see me as?!" And because of the excessive force Soo-Jin exerted, she tripped over her feet and stumbled, falling forward. He immediately caught her by her shoulders and steadied her.

"Are you okay?"

But, she didn't care nor did she listen, she just continued hitting his head and back. "I didn't know you were like this -- "

"I'm sorry." he nonchalantly expressed.

"How could you, huh?"

"I'm sorry."

A few days passed after that and they met again to rant about their frustrations. Actually, it was just her rambling and him listening while drinking alcohol. They were really drained from all the projects and assignments their professors gave them. Almost everyday, they would accompany each other to the library and study about their lessons. Sang-Woo would sometimes consult her about the law in investments and loans. In turn, she would ask him about economics since that was her least favorite subject.

"Like I'm being shot by a bullet!" belted out Soo-Jin, gesticulating her arms wildly in the air as Sang-Woo carried her, piggyback.

"Soo-Jin!" whispered Sang-Woo, holding her thighs as he tried to suppress his laugh. "Stop it! Everyone's looking at you like you're crazy!"

"Why? Why should I care? I have the most beautiful voice in Korea! Like I'm being shot by a bullet! I can't make sense of anything!"

"Are you sure you're really not drunk?"

Soo-Jin suddenly paused and blinked. "No, I only drank one glass of Soju."

The man was carrying her in piggyback since she complained earlier that her feet hurt from all the walking she did when she presented her report in front of the class. "Oh, wait, didn't you say you'll go to the market tomorrow morning? I'll accompany you there." said the young woman, snuggling close to him.

"Aish, no need. You go rest. I'll go there myself. I'll buy both of our groceries."

The brunette pouted. "Why? You're scared I'll ask for another piggyback ride?"

"No, I'm not." He stopped momentarily, and adjusted again to lift her higher. "It's just that you're heavy."

"What?" Soo-Jin strangled him lightly with her arms. "What did you say?"

Sang-Woo chuckled. "Alright, then. We'll go together."

"You know, this reminds me of dad. He used to carry me like this whenever he has time to fetch me from school. I miss him and mom."

"Just ask me. I'll carry you whenever you want, Soo-Jin."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Soo-Jin smiled and leant closer to her friend. It had been a very blissful couple of months for them and to say she was thankful was an understatement.

That's when she noticed the flakes, silver and winter, falling obliquely on the concrete ground. Fresh white snow then fell continuously after that from the sky. The first snowfall.

She rapidly tapped her companion's shoulder. "Omo! Omo! Put me down now!"

Soo-Jin put up her arms and let the snowflakes touch her skin. She absolutely loved the snow. It had the way of settling the erratic fires within and leave any hearth flames so healthy and bright. They were like sparkling gems floating around and felt soft as a lover's kiss. Smiling, she caught a few in her cupped palms and examined them. They were white and gray flakes, part and whole, soft and hard, frozen and melting. It looked so magical and it delighted the young woman.

She was so focused on the snowfall that she didn't notice her friend stepping closer to her.

"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." softly quoted the man, his eyes capturing her attention.

Soo-Jin was astonished, bewildered, perplexed. Her mind was blank again and her lips were falling agape. "Why... why are you suddenly reciting Pride and Prejudice? And when did you start reading that novel?"

"Last week." Sang-Woo shrugged, casually, and then he shut his eyes. He inhaled, exhaled, and opened his eyes. There was now a spark of courage in his eyes and he took her hands. "Soo-Jin, I love you."

"What?"

He lifted one of his hands and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I love you. I love you, Chang Soo-Jin. I don't know why it took me so long to realize, but it's you. It's you I want to see everyday, it's you I want to be with. Every beat of my heart is yours. I want everything with you. I want the holidays and the birthdays, the busy season and lazy weekends. I want your essays scattered on my desk. I want your peanut butter sandwiches. I want to listen to your rants. I want your jokes and fights and everything." He cupped her face in his hands. "I want a life with you."

Soo-Jin blinked, twice. She was speechless. Her mouth was bone-dry and it was her mind was malfunctioning because here was Cho Sang-Woo pouring his heart out, telling her how much he loved her.

"You're... joking, right?" She swallowed, still processing what he was saying.

He sighed. "You want me to shout it here? Fine. Ya! Everyone! This is Chang Soo-Jin and I am deeply in love with -- "

Heart fluttering with passion, she grabbed his wrist and wrapped her fingers around his nape. Soo-Jin pulled him to her and captured his lips.

She didn't know how many seconds passed after that, she didn't care about it anyway. All she could knew she wanted to let him know she felt the same. That she wanted the same thing.

The two gasped for air and broke away, leaning their foreheads against each other. They smiled like idiots and chuckled. "I love you too, Cho Sang-Woo."

"You know, they say that if you make a wish during the first snowfall, it will become true." mentioned Sang-Woo, stroking her cheek gently. "So, make a wish, Soo-Jin."

"It just happened."

He smiled and kissed her lips again as the snow fell.

"NOW, I WILL draw numbers to decide which two teams will play first. Everyone, please sit down."

As soon as they sat down on the floor, every wheel and gear inside the woman's head turned. They needed to create a strategy to survive. Chewing her bottom lip, she observed the platforms and its height. She was more than one hundred percent sure anyone would still be alive after falling that high.

I want to live. I want to live. I want to motherfucking live. She chanted inside her mind.

Those words were enough to be her mantra. Soo-Jin was determined to keep herself alive. She had to. For herself, for her sister...

She was so caught up in her plan-making that she didn't realize the masked game manager had already talked. "Team One, please stand up. And now, the team that will play on the right tower. Team Seven. Team Seven, please stand up."

Team One, Deok-Su's group, and Team Seven, which consisted of men and women players she didn't know, stood up. She watched as Deok-Su snickered to his groupmate, the one who stitched his wound and then smirked at the leader of Team Seven like he already knew they were going to plummet to their death.

"Teams One and Seven will be the first teams to play. Will both teams please go to your towers." commanded the game manager.

Soo-Jin observed the yellow metal bars at the sides and then flickered her gaze to the guillotine. Just as she was generating a strategy in her head, a gunshot sliced through the air and shouts coming from both teams were heard.

Both teams struggled to pull the rope and Soo-Jin saw the red triangular cloth hanging in the middle easily go to Deok-Su's side. It didn't take long for his group to fully overpower Team Seven and they were dragged across the platform. They dangled on the rope, swinging. The players around her, including Gi-Hun and Sang-Woo, gasped. There were locks on Team Seven's wrists that prevented them from sliding, but the angled blade sliced the white rope, and that's where Soo-Jin's lips fell agape entirely.

This was the first official game that required them to kill one another in order to win.

The woman flinched and gasped when she heard the cracks and shattering of bones and skulls from below them. It caused her to go momentarily blocked, but when Gi-Hun soothed her by rubbing her back, her ever working mind functioned again. She raised her clenched fist to let him know that she was thinking and should not be disturbed.

"The following players, Player 245, Player 120, Player 37, Player 408, Player 27, Player 273, Player 58, Player 243, Player 327, and Player 241 are eliminated."

"I will now draw the teams for the next round." declared the red-clad guard. "Team Four." One of them held up the ball with their number.

Soo-Jin clenched her fist once again. She was nervous, but she had her wits gathered. Tug-of-War wasn't just all about strength, it was about having a tactic, strategy.

"Team Five."

At the mention of the team number, the all-men group beside them stood up. Soo-Jin narrowed her eyes and she remembered Deok-Su's words to her earlier. "You can't even kill. You're all just talk, but you can't do it."

"Team Four and Team Five, please go to your towers."

Filing themselves, they proceeded to the bridge where Deok-Su and Soo-Jin met again. "Oh, man. I was looking forward to killing you guys... especially you, 321."

"Fuck you."

"In the bathroom?" He barked a laughter and Soo-Jin wanted to just push him off the bridge, but then the guards were leading them inside the elevator already.

There was a heavy silence among them. It was as if they already died.

"Come on. Don’t lose your spirit." encouraged the old man at them. "Tug-of-War needs more than just raw strength."

"Well then, what it’s about, huh? We just go out and speak to them?"

Soo-Jin snapped her gaze to player 196. "Of course not." She was relieved she wasn't the only one who had an idea about it, the old man did too. They needed a leader and an anchor. "In battle, you don't just charge, you need to have a good plan. A good strategy."

"Yes." agreed the old man. "People should not be unfamiliar with strategy, those who understand it will survive, those who do not understand it will perish."

The brunette smirked. "Sun Tzu. Art of War."

"All you need is a good strategy in Tug-of-War and combined with good teamwork, you’ll be able to win when you are against stronger teams."

"Yes, sir. Listen, everyone -- "

"One thing can help us now." Player 244 interrupted Soo-Jin, making her frown. "It’s the Lord himself, I know it."

"Wait, listen to -- "

The other male they invited to join their group scoffed. "You can barely stay standing, old man. So, shut up and keep your strength -- "

"Will you shut up and listen to me, goddammit!" bellowed the woman, her face turning red as she panted. She exhaled and rolled her shoulders, changing her expression from angry to calm like a flash of lightning.

"Let's not fight." asserted Gi-Hun. "Let’s hear what they both have to say."

The achiever mouthed to him her thanks and went to the front to face them all. "Sir, I know we both have strategies on how to win this game, but I prefer listening to yours first."

"Thank you, Soo-Jin. Okay, when I was young, we always like Tug-of-War. It’s a game I know well. And back then, I would always win, even if there was a wrestler on the other team, and it seemed the odds were stuck against us."

Soo-Jin leant her head against the wall as she listened intently to the old man. "Listen closely, and I’ll tell you how my team and I were able to win even when it seemed impossible."

"First off, having a good leader is very important. The person is at the front and keeps an eye on how the other team is performing. And the rest of the team focuses on the back of their leader’s head and follows their lead. If the leader seems weak or looks like their spirit is beginning to falter, then the game is already over. And then at the end of the rope, you’ll need to have someone strong and dependable like the anchor of a ship."

Soo-Jin paused in thought. That was what she was thinking too. They needed a leader and an anchor that are dependable people. People they knew that could be relied on. She immediately eyed Ali at the back, remembering how he easily pulled Gi-Hun during the first game.

"I vote for Ali to be the anchor." enunciated Soo-Jin. "He showed great strength when he saved Gi-Hun during the first game and lifted that iron bar last night."

"Good choice." The old man nodded. "Then, I vote for Gi-Hun to be our leader. Now, after that, it’s all about how you arrange the rest of your team. If one player is on the right side of the rope, then the next one should be on the left, all the way down the rope. Both of your feet should be facing straight forward, and then, hold the rope in your armpits. That way, everyone can put in all of their strength."

"I also suggest that those who are in the back to remove their shoes to increase more friction with the platform." added the woman.

"Finally, and this is absolutely the most important thing. Once the game begins, for the first ten seconds, you have to hold your ground. You should lean back, practically lie down. Push your lower abdomen up to the sky, as hard as you can. And throw your head back to the point where you can almost see the groin of the person behind you. If you do that, the other team won’t be able to pull us to their side. Just hold like this for ten seconds. Then, the opposing team will start to get frustrated because they are thinking, “Why won’t they budge?”"

Soo-Jin smirked, realizing what it was for. "Because they believed that they were much stronger. We're breaking their spirit."

"Yes. If you can hold out for that long, you will be able to catch a moment in your opponents’ hold, and their rhythm breaks."

Hopeful murmurs rose from their group and Sang-Woo and Gi-Hun behind her nodded, believing in the strategy the old man had just told them.

"Let's do it!"

But, something about the word moment gave Soo-Jin an unsettling feeling. She wasn't going to just hope for a moment. She needed a hundred percent assurance. Just as her mind formulated another plan, the elevator doors opened and the woman swore it was the most nerve-wracking moment of her life.

Get your shit together, Chang Soo-Jin, and think!

Everyone was quick to leave the elevator before she could talk again. She already had a Plan B and needed someone she could depend on with it. Spinning around her heel, she immediately jogged to Sang-Woo and grabbed his arm.

"Tie your shoelaces." She mumbled as she dropped down to her knees. He did the same and feigned tying his shoelaces tighter. She, in turn, removed her running shoes and tosses it to the side. The guards eagerly put the locks on their teammates wrists and she knew there wasn't enough time left.

"It's not enough."

"The old man's strategy?"

"Yes, I believe in the strategy, but we need another."

"A failsafe plan."

"Player 321, player 218. You need to go back now."

Soo-Jin looked up at the guard then instantly feigned a sprain. "Yes, yes." She acted nervous. "I just need more time, sir. Please. My teammate will help me for a minute."

At that, the watcher left them on their own, and the woman's nervous countenance instantly morphed into a serious one. "Listen, if that team gains on us, we need to break that momentum."

He nodded, wetting his dry lips. "Put a sudden stop."

"Yes. Slack the rope to trip the other group."

Sang-Woo glanced back at the platform. "Take three or four steps forward to trip them."

The brunette nodded. "You're at the front, you can see better. I will go at the back so I can help Ali. Once we successfully take that three steps forward, I will tell Ali to do an anchor grip and guide him in doing it."

In an anchor grip, the person at the back will wrap the end of the rope around their torso so theu will be able to concentrate all of their body to pull.

"Why not just do it now?"

She then looked again at Team Five. "The other team will see it. They might use it."

"Okay," he finished tying up his shoelaces and stood up. "Why aren't you telling this to Gi-Hun?"

Soo-Jin stared at the back of her bestfriend's head. "Gi-Hun will go mentally blank at that time and then slightly panic. I know that. I know him. He will not be able to think clearly and might even freeze when we take that steps forward, but I know you won't."

The two momentarily stared at each other, their breaths were catching in their throats, but they knew they had to go on. There was no time or energy to waste. So, they did and the fair woman positioned herself at the back, just in front of Ali.

To be honest, she was still scared out of her wits even though she already had a failsafe plan. Who wouldn't be? If they fail, they will die.

Her former lover had just taken a step forward away from her when Soo-Jin suddenly professed, "I trust you."

Sang-Woo inclined his head and their eyes locked once again. They didn't say anything, but they knew. They knew.

I love you.