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WITH THE TEAMS DECIDED, they were instructed to sit equally in the middle of the two rainbow circles with their chosen teams. The air was tense as the players all watched the guards reveal what the game would be for them to play. Nari glanced over to Hyun-ju and her team, a shiver down her spine at the sight of player 044, the strange Sharman woman. "The game you will be playing is Six-Legged Pantathlon. You will start with your legs tied together. Each member will take turns playing a mini-game at every ten-meter mark, and if you win, the team can move on to the next one," The PA announced to the players.

Nari glanced at Semi and Min-su, sending them a reassuring smile that Semi returned while Min-su allowed his lips to twitch up into a small smile though his anxiety was sky-rocketing in the very moment. Nari turned her attention to Thanos who was bobbing his head completely unbothered due to the substance coursing through his veins, she knew he was simply dealing with his trauma and fear in his own way but she was worried about the effects and aftermath of the pills. Her eyes turned to Nam-gyu's hands that were shaking, she reached out and grasped his hand in her own, squeezing it before leaning closer to him.

"It's gonna be okay, oppa," Nari whispered to him, her endearment term claiming him as her brother settled the fear in his chest and prompted him to return the gentle squeeze as he took in slow breaths like he did when they were kids. "Here are the mini games; Number one, the Ddakji. Number two, Flying Stone. Number three, Gong-gi. Number four, Spinning Top. Number five, Jegi. Your goal is to win all the mini games and cross the finish line in five minutes. Please decide players for each mini game," The PA announced. Thanos leaned forward and looked between everyone, "You guys pick."

Nari sighed and turned to the others, "What are you guys good at?" Semi tilted her head as she answered, "I can do Flying Stone." Nari nodded before turning her soft expression to Min-su, "Anything specific?" Min-su frowned for a moment before answering, "I can do Ddakji." He wanted a simple choice rather than a harder one, he wasn't good at Ddakji but better than the rest, that was for sure. "Well, Nam-gyu can do Spinning Top. You were great when we were kids," Nari suggested as she turned her head to her brother. "It's been a while," Nam-gyu replied to her sheepishly. "You got this, Nami... And I can do Gong-gi like when I was young."

The others nodded as Nari turned to Thanos, "Which leaves Su-bong with Jegi. Think you can handle it?" Thanos smirked at the teasing expression on her face, he leaned close to her as he replied, "I can handle it... but I may have more incentive to succeed if it comes with a prize." Semi rolled her eyes from where she sat, "Is not getting us all killed not enough?" Thanos ignored her words as his eyes flickered between Nari's dark gaze and her lips, she bit down on her bottom lip before smiling sweetly. "You have to succeed in one try to gain a prize, Su-bong. Think you can handle that in this state?" Nari taunted unknowingly sparking a flame within Thanos that burned bright, he nodded with determination in his eyes; he'd win a kiss.

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Once everyone decided on the roles in their teams, it was time for the first two teams to get up and be shackled together. Nari held Nam-gyu's hand in her own still while leaning into Thanos' side as they watched the team in front of them, they were struggling a lot on the second game resulting in the man ultimately pissing himself from the fear and yelling from his team. When the five minutes ran out, the Triangle guards stepped forward and fired off shots into the bodies of the players with no hesitation. Nari gasped and turned her head into Thanos' chest, he wrapped his arm around her waist and shielded her from the traumatic scene ahead of them.

The players waited in mournful silence as circle guards entered the room with a forklift carrying black coffins with pink bows, the design was uneasy for Nari. Her brows furrowing in confusion as the sight of the boxes flashed her back to the matte black box that her father had given her when she was only eight, the pink bow identical to the coffins. Her eyes turned down to the ring on her finger, an item gifted to her from her father is what Ha Wi-joon told her when she was eight; her mind felt uneased by that. And it was clear to the man watching her expression from the distance.

With the bodies removed, Nari eased back into her original seating position but she still leaned into Thanos' arm around her, feeling comforted by his presence. "We're gonna be fine, little muse," Thanos whispered to Nari but a part of it was for himself as well. The next team called up was Hyun-ju's that contained the player 044 and player 095 who Nari hadn't meet yet along with Geum-ja and Yong-sik. "You got this!" Nari called out to them, Hyun-ju looked over at the younger woman who threw her thumbs up in encouragement. The sight bought a small smile to Hyun-ju's face, a sense of determination building in her.

Player 095 struggled initially with Ddakji but a tip from Hyun-ju encouraged her to switch the square around allowing her to flip the one on the ground with a loud snap. They moved forward to the next game, Nari growing tense as she watched Yong-sik struggle with the game until Geum-ja told him something resulting in his next throw to successfully knock the stone over. Nari smiled wide at the sight, she moved up onto her knees watching tensely as they moved to the next game of Gong-gi. Geum-ja seemed to struggle, Nari sighed with a frown before smiling as Yong-sik said something to inspire her leading to a successful round of Gong-gi.

Nari began cheering with the crowd, encouraging them to keep going as they slowly proved how possible the games were even with a few mistakes. At Spinning Top, they ran into the trouble of 044 struggling until she refused to continue, praying instead as though some God would appear before her and save the day. Hyun-ju quickly put her in her place, grabbing the Spinning Top and the woman's collar after slapping her twice, proceeding to threaten her into trying again. 044 then successfully spun the Spinning Top prompting the crowd of watching players to cheer wildly, the knowledge of death wiped from their thoughts.

As the team reached the final game, Hyun-ju grabbed the Jegi and took a steady breath before turning to her team, "Turn around!" She turned to the crowd, "Turn around, please!" Everyone followed her request, the air was tense as Hyun-ju began kicking up the small item five times successfully on her first try. The cheering crowd was loud and joyful as Hyun-ju and her team moved past the finish line, their success sparked a new sense of determination throughout the players; the knowledge that they could win the games and make it. "You're right, we can do this," Nari told Thanos, the determination in her eyes was the encouragement that Thanos needed to be successful in this.

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Team after team, some wins and some losses, Nari mourned and celebrated with the crowd until it was her teams turn to play. They stood in their line, Nari between Nam-gyu and Semi as they mentally prepared themselves. "Take a breath and focus on the game only, nothing else. We can do this," Nari advised them, her focus turning to Min-su, "Pretend you're just in the playground as a kid enjoying the sunshine, okay?" Min-su's fearful expression softened at the motherly words from Nari, the gentle and caring encouragement was all he genuinely needed right now.

The time started and they moved to the first game, the blue square being dropped to the ground as Min-su grabbed the red. He adjusted the grip based on Hyun-ju's advised to player 095, with a slow breath, he snapped his wrist down and successfully flipped the Ddakji square on the first hit. His eyes widened in shock at the success, he turned to the others as the circle guard raised his arms into a circle alerting them of their pass. "Let's move!" Nam-gyu instructed before the five of them linked arms and made their way to the second game. 456 and his team cheered them on along with the others but Sung-Ja remained silent, his team included.

At the second game, Semi grabbed the stone and without hesitation and only perfection, she threw the stone directly hitting the target leaving everyone in awe. "YES, SEMI!" Nari cheered as she shook the woman's arm, they continued on to the next game, kneeling down to the small table. "Take your time, we've got it," Semi assured the woman. "Moonie..." Nam-gyu spoke noticing her shaky hands, "Remember when you played this to win those idol cards. Just pretend you're there again and once we are out of here, I'll take you to meet them." Nari turned to look at him with a soft expression, "You'll do that?" Nam-gyu nodded without hesitation, "Yes I will. I promise."

Nari's eyes narrowed in determination, she cracked her neck before proceeding to focus on the game of Gong-gi. Starting the game, Nari picked up all five pieces and rolled them onto the flat surface. Nari proceeded to pick up one piece before throwing it up to pick up another piece, catching the one in the air as she did so. She repeated that step until all five were in her head, tossing them down again to follow the game rules but picking up two pieces after throwing up one. That transitioned into three pieces and then finally, she threw one piece up and snatched up the remaining four.

"Steady," Thanos cooed gently, his eyes watching Nari rather than the mini game, he was completely entranced by her focused expression and he wanted to brush his thumb over her bottom lip which was chapped from her chewing on it in concentration. Hearing his words, Nari glanced at Thanos before throwing up the five pieces and catching them on the top of her fingers, she then took another steady breath before tossing them up and catching all five pieces in the air like she did when she was a kid. Her team cheered for her along with the crowd of players, her gaze lifted to the guard who circled his arms.

She put the pieces down and they stood up to move on to Spinning Top, Nari watching as Nam-gyu's hands shook while he tried to wrap the string around the top. "Oppa, steady, we have time," Nari assured Nam-gyu, he looked at her and slowed his movements, glancing at the time to see they had just over three minutes left. He focused on the Spinning Top and tried to rewrap it making Nari smile, "Pretend that Hae-won is watching and this game is the only way to win her over." The reminder of his childhood crush bought a small smirk to his face, his hands more steady as his eyes narrowed determined. With the top wrapped, he flicked it out successfully spinning it.

They moved on to the next game, Thanos had no issue with kicking up the Jegi five times on the first try, his gaze flickered to Nari at his first time success, admiring the way she flushed pink. They continued past the finish line with a minute left on the timer, cheering and hugging once their legs were freed. They were escorted from the room, Nari looking back at Dae-ho and his team sending them a thumbs up and a smile as she disappeared around the corner. 001 feeling grateful of her success though he was willing to sacrifice his plans to save her and the guards had already been informed of her definitive survivor or consequences would be faced.

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The first thing Nari did upon entering the large room was rush over to Hyun-ju and wrap her arms around the taller woman. "Unnie, we did it!!" Nari cheered as Hyun-ju hugged the younger woman back, her heart easing at the knowledge that Nari was okay and alive. "You all did so good!" Nari complimented as she moved to hug Geum-ja and then Yong-sik who had been surprised but welcoming by her hug. She turned to player 095 and smiled softly, "I'm Ha Nari. And you are?" 095 smiled gently, "I'm Kim Young-mi." Nari moved forward and hugged her, "It's nice to make a new friend." Young-mi hugged her back, the embrace was what she needed.

With celebrations and well wishes shared between them, Nari made her way over to her newly formed group of five eager to strengthen their bonds. She sat down between Thanos and Nam-gyu leaving Semi to her own step and Min-su sitting behind them all on his own step. "I believe you owe me a prize," Thanos reminded Nari, she turned to him as he raised a suggestive eyebrow, she leaned towards him causing his heart rate to pick up. "When you're sober," Nari replied with a small smirk as she pulled back and slipped onto the step with Semi, the two falling into conversation while Nam-gyu smirked at Thanos' flushed face and shy smile.

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Rosie Nova Here. . .

Honestly, I had to double update here. And this chapter ending might be my favourite so far!

Now the question is... will Young-mi survive?
Will Semi? What about Gyeong-su? Who will live and who will die? What about Nari?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Questions?

See you in the next chapter!

Unedited
Written via phone