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THE VOTES WERE IN and they would be playing another game however, the Manager had one final thing to inform the players, "Per opportunity for the players, you will be granted a day of peace between the games. The rule is simple; Do not harm another player during peace." Nari felt uneased by the mention of the day of peace, she knew it would only build heavy tension and pockets of fear for players but she couldn't do anything about it. Her focus was taken when the Manager ordered for everyone to line up in order to collect their meals for the night.

Nari stood in line with one hand on her stomach while the other was brushing through her hair to hopefully fix the mess it was in from running her fingers through her hair anxiously. "Are you okay?" Thanos' deep voice questioned from right behind Nari, his eyes watching as she began to fiddle with the ring on her finger. "I, uh, I don't know," Nari replied softly as she tilted her head to look up at Thanos, his gaze seemed to soften as his previously blown and glazed eyes had eased showing his slowly sobering mind. "It's gonna be fine, Nari. We'll survive a couple of games and then walk away with the money," Thanos assured her with his classic smirk.

Nari turned to face the front again, her gaze turning to the blue O patch on her chest feeling a sense of regret pooling in her heart knowing the chances of her survival were low compared to others. Her gaze turned to see Sung-Ja with a woman hanging off of his arm as he ate, smirking directly at Nari leaving her feeling uneased. "Who is he?" Thanos asked, he hadn't been sober nor paying attention through the encounter between Nari and Sung-Ja like Nam-gyu had been so he wasn't sure why this man was staring at his─ the woman.

"He's my ex boyfriend who, uh..." Nari trailed off and rested her hands on her stomach giving Thanos the answer he needed. Guilt struck him at the realisation that the woman was carrying an innocent life in a game of deadly outcomes, one wrong step and it wouldn't be the death of one but three ─ Nari, the baby and Thanos' heart that seems to beat for her. "Hey, I promise you, we'll be okay. All of us," Thanos reassured her, the woman unknowingly becoming his lifeline in this very moment of vulnerability; no matter how soon it was.

Collecting her silver tray and water, Nari moved to sit down on her bed, the tray resting in front of her as the memories of the first game flashed through her mind. The smile that Mina sent her in her final moments, the way her eyes widened in shock from the piercing hit of the bullet, and the way her body fell limp without a breath left in her lungs. Nari squeezed her eyes shut, tears rolling down her cheeks as she sniffled quietly to herself, mourning the loss of the woman who had taken her in within seconds of knowing each other.

"Excuse me," A voice spoke pulling Nari's attention to the side, she smiled slightly at the sight of player 388 from when she woke that morning. "Hello again," Nari greeted him softly receiving a bashful smile back from him. "I just wanted to inform you that player 456 says the next game could be Dalgona and if so, you should choose Triangle," 388 informed the woman, he had been quick to take notice of her being pregnant based on her actions; it was familiar to him due to his eldest sisters previous pregnancies. "Oh, thank you for letting me know... uh?" Nari trailed off.

"My name is Kang Dae-ho. Dae meaning "big" and Ho meaning "Tiger"," Dae-ho introduced himself bringing a soft melodic giggle from Nari. "My name is Ha Nari. My mother named me after her best friend, Nariko from Japan meaning 'gentle child' or 'thunder'," Nari replied, her smile faltered slightly at the mention of her mother and aunt Nariko but she remained giddy at making a new friend; always trying to see the positives. Dae-ho nodded at her reply, "That's a beautiful name, Nari." Nari was flustered by the compliment, she wasn't used to such words and kindness.

"Thank you," Nari bowed her head before looking back at Dae-ho who had noticed she hadn't eaten yet. "You must eat, Nari," Dae-ho expressed as he sat down on the bed next to Nari unaware of the purple-haired player watching from a distance with a slight glare. "I just... don't think I'd keep it down," Nari told him honestly. "Well, it's better to have something in your system... for you and the baby," Dae-ho expressed with a knowing look that made Nari's eyes widen, she knew a small crowd heard Mina's accusation towards Sung-Ja but assumed people would be hush about it as to not build a sense of empathy for her.

"How did you...?" Dae-ho sent her a gentle smile as he answered, "The way you hold your belly is the same as what my older sister did in her pregnancies. Cradling the bump like there's nothing more precious in the world than them." Nari's heart softened at the man's words, they were right in a sense as everything she was doing was to provide a life for the baby growing within her body. "Well... it's true," Nari replied before letting out a slow breath, "I just hope to survive long enough to hold them." Dae-ho frowned at her words before lowering his eyes, he knew better than to promise she'd be fine through this.

Nari was distracted by familiar voices, she turned her eyes to the scene and frowned deeply at the sight of Nam-gyu and Thanos tormenting Myung-gi once again. She shook her head as Thanos shoved rice into Myung-gi's face prompting the male to get up and shove Thanos away. Nam-gyu having Thanos' back was quick to step into the situation, shoving Myung-gi down and kicking his stomach. However, another voice spoke up interrupting the fight that had captured the attention of everyone within the large room; including a disappointed Nari who wasn't surprised by the nature of Thanos and Nam-gyu's anger.

"Boys, what are you doing in the middle of mealtime?" Player 001 called out as he strutted towards the two players standing above Myung-gi, "No fights during mealtime. There are elders present. Mind your manners." Thanos snapped his attention to the older man, a sneer of disregard on his face. "And two against one? Aren't you embarrassed?" Player 001 added while Nari sighed, she lowered her gaze to the now open tray of food as Dae-ho had walked off at the beginning of the commotion to speak with player 390.

"You're lecturing me when you ended up in this shithole too? Dude, stop running your mouth and take care of your own damn kids," Thanos responded, his usual swagger in his stance as he tried to play tough guy in his anger. But Nari noticed how player 001 tensed up, his jaw clenched as his eyes seemed to darken at the words that slipped unbothered from Thanos' mouth. It was clear to Nari that Thanos had struck the man with something painful and as much as she wanted to stop the situation from escalating, she felt that Thanos may deserve the next actions for acting on his emotions too quickly rather than focusing on surviving.

"What did you just say?" Player 001 asked giving the younger man before him an opportunity to escape the situation but rather than doing that, Thanos dug his grave deeper. "I said save the lecture for your own damn kids," Thanos repeated uncaring of who he was talking to and the potential threat they could be. Player 001 grasped the side of Thanos' neck tightly causing him to clasped his hands around 001's wrist in an attempt to fight off the rough grip holding him in an uncomfortable bend. Nam-gyu, eager to help his friend, stepped forward to intervene only to get kicked harshly in the calf followed by the stomach knocking him to the ground.

Player 001 turned his attention from Nam-gyu who was groaning in pain as he held his calf to Thanos who was still in his grip, releasing him quickly which prompted Thanos to stumble back a few steps. Nari leaned forward slightly feeling pity for the two younger men that didn't stand a chance against player 001, they had no clue who he was outside this place. That was the fear with a room full of strangers, they may all be in there for the same reason but who they are outside was completely unknown. Anyone in the room could be a killer and they wouldn't know, that was the fearful thoughts stirring in Nari's mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Thanos rushed to punch 001 only for it to be dodged followed by a strike to his stomach prompting him to bend from the pain allowing 001 to grasp Thanos now outstretched hand, twisting his arm and flinging him to the ground where he kicked Thanos in the stomach causing the pain to worsen. 001 kicked Thanos in the chest, a groan echoing from the purple-haired players lips as Nari finally stood up and walked down the steps, she looked up at 001 who locked gazes with her prompting him to deflate a little; her eyes wide in fear and worry before she moved towards Thanos.

001 stepped back allowing the younger woman to kneel down beside a groaning Thanos, his eyes squeezed shut from the pain as he flinched from her hand brushing his jaw. Thanos' eyes flew open to see Nari hovering over him like an angel, she sighed with disappointment that struck Thanos in a way he hadn't felt since his last conversation with his mother; a pain he never wanted to feel again. "Come on, stupid. You've embarrassed yourself enough," Nari told him before helping him up as the crowd applauded 001's interference, the man lowered his face bashfully before walking towards his group, his gaze turning to the woman helping Nam-gyu now as Thanos limped to his own bed.

001 felt a sense of familiarity course through him at the sight of player 229 but brushed it off to focus on his mission at hand; earn player 456's trust. He'd worry about the familiarity at a later point. Nari sat down on her bed as Nam-gyu slipped up onto his own, a pained sigh leaving his lips as Nari noticed a second egg in her tray. She looked around confused until she noticed Dae-ho smiling at her, he nudged his head towards player 456 who bowed his head slightly, wordlessly informing her that the egg was from him. Nari bowed gratefully before she turned to eat her food, even if she didn't feel hungry, she wanted to show her gratitude.

"You're still the idiot I remember, Nami," Nari expressed to Nam-gyu who lay on the bed above her catching Thanos' attention as he tried to relax on the bed letting his stomach pain subside. "I'm not an idiot, Moonie," Nam-gyu replied as he rolled his eyes making the girl laugh. "Oh please... how many fights did I have to save you from growing up?" Nari asked as she finished her food, swallowing before turning to look up at him as he leaned over to look at her. "I don't know..." Nam-gyu replied genuinely unaware. "Sixteen fights... I saved you from sixteen and one of them was a girl," Nari reminded him with a laugh while he flushed remembering when his middle school crush beat him up.

"Wait, you two grew up together?" Thanos asked, looking between the two friends who nodded. "We were neighbours from toddlers until high school," Nari answered with a shrug, "Best friends since. Even with the distance between us." Thanos felt his whole body relax at the knowledge that Nam-gyu wasn't a concern for his budding crush towards the sweet pregnant woman. "At least you've found an idiot friend," Nari added as she opened her water bottle and took a sip ignoring the deadpan look from Thanos. "I'm hurt... why don't you kiss it better?" Thanos asked with a flirty smirk.

"Not going to happen. You got what you deserved in that moment," Nari spoke in a harsh tone that surprised even her, "Instead of focusing on harassing player 333, why not focus on surviving the games and winning the money?" Thanos stared at her as she put her bottle aside ignoring the circle guard as he collected her empty tray, she laid back against her bed. "You chose to invest that money. Both of you. And if you don't take responsibility for doing so, you'll be playing the blame game for the rest of your life. He didn't make you do it, you chose too. So get over it, move on and survive," Nari finished off before pulling the blanket over herself and closing her eyes, exhausted.

Thanos remained silent as the timer for the curfew ran out, everyone settled into their beds and soon the only noises coming from the space was shuffling of blankets, snores and soft whispers between some players. At least they had a day of peace between the games, it would allow them a chance to clear their minds and such; or so they would hope it would. Thanos was angered by Nari's words but he knew why, she was right. But he didn't want to recognise that fact and as the drugs in his system wore off completely, he couldn't deny her words. If he wanted a future, a better one, he had to survive ─ and he wouldn't without her.

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Rosie Nova Here. . .

Ooohhh... y'all don't know but... some foreshadowing and lore dropped in this chapter and I'm so excited to make it happen.

Also, can we talk about how cute 001 was when they applauded him!!?? He was so bashful and flustered, it's probably been soooo long since he had felt that.

Anyway, theories on why Nari is familiar to 001? Maybe its fleeting? Maybe its more?

Dae-ho is so adorable, I had to create a friendship between him and Nari instantly. How do you like that? Or what about Gi-hun giving up his egg to Nari! Cute or what?

Thanos is falling hard and fast, will he be better or will it resort to drugs again?

Also, for the six legs game, imma replace Gyeong-su with Nari so sorry 'bout that! I need her in that group for this fic.

Next chapter will delve into Nari making some connections with other players, any specifics you wish to see during the day of peace? Certain dynamics or scenes?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Questions?

See you in the next chapter!

Unedited
Written via phone