cecelia sat on her bed, staring into blank space, her posture slumped over. the rows of single beds, stripped from their bunk formation, for the dwindling number of players. only seventeen of them remained. her lips were slightly parted, trembling with shallow, uneven breaths. tears no longer fell, her eyes glossed over, the storm of grief threatening to consume her.

her mind played on an unrelenting loop. the image of ali's face, tears streaming down his face, betrayal on his features, just before the gunshot laid him on the ground. the phantom sensation of his blood on her skin lingered. she could still hear the deafening crack of the shot and the way her breath had caught in her throat, her frozen.

she felt like she was in a state of overall shock. it felt unreal. ali, the man she had known for only a few days, the man she stuck by. she trusted him with his life when she barely knew him. and now, he was gone. reduced to nothing more than a memory — it was like he didn't even exist.

the sound of movement broke through the suffocating silence. P
player 069 rose from where he sat and stumbled toward the center of the room. his face was slick with tears, his body trembling. "let... let's just stop all of this," he stammered, his voice cracking with despair. "i can't keep doing this. i can't. the majority must agree. well, come on, let's get out. half of us, that's all we need to end this right now. don't any of you want to leave this horrible place? let's get out of here."

he looked around desperately, his wet, bloodshot eyes pleading with the others. "don't any of you want to leave this horrible place? let's get out of here! please!"

the room remained silent. no one moved. his sobs grew louder, "how can you call yourselves human?!" he screamed, his voice breaking as tears streamed down his face.

cecelia's chin quivered, her lips pressed tightly together in an attempt to suppress her sadness. her nose burned, and a lump grew in her throat.

player 069's voice trembled. "how many of you can continue with this insanity just for the money? you just had to kill the ones you were the closest to at this place, and you're good with that just to get the money?"

another voice cut through. "and what if we stop now?" sang-woo asked coldly, walking up to the man.

cecelia's head finally snapped up, her hollow gaze fixing on sang-woo's back. her jaw tightened as his words twisted the knife of grief already lodged deep in her chest.

"you think your wife will stop being dead if we all go now? and she'll forgive you for letting her get murdered? if you can't keep going, then why are you alive right now? you should've been the one who died in there instead. see that? that's the price of being in here. and your wife and the others paid it with their lives."

sang-woo grabbed 069 by the collar of his jacket, pulling him inches from his face. the older man sobbed, his grief for his wife consuming him, but sang-woo's expression remained cruel.

cecelia's nails dug into her palms as she watched the scene in front of her, a faint tremor ran through her body, and the edges of her vision blurred with unshed tears. she felt as if she was outside of herself — numb and detached.

sang-woo stood among the players, his voice rising. "you ready to do all that, huh? starting over again from nothing with that guilt. and is everybody here ready to do that as well? go ahead, stand up! let's see who thinks they are. get up and get out of here!" he shouted. his eyes swept over the room at the players.

and she took those words. she slowly stood up from her bed. her swollen, red-rimmed eyes fixed on sang-woo. if looks could kill. the open space between them felt deadly as she walked lazily towards him.

sang-woo's gaze locked on hers, his expression unreadable. there wasn't an ounce of remorse in his face — not a flicker of guilt. not even a glimpse of regret. cecelia's stomach churned, disgust and anger coiled in her gut as she stared at sang-woo. her lip curled, her hatred for him clear in every fiber of her being.

"guilt?" she hissed, her voice low and cracking under the weight of her grief. "is that what you feel? do you feel guilty...about what you did?"

her mention of ali hung in the air. she wanted him to say something. anything, to show he cared. that he felt something. but sang-woo didn't flinch. his eyes bore into hers, cold and empty.

"he wouldn't have made it to the end." he said flatly.

the words cut through cecelia like a blade. her lip quivered as tears started to well in her eyes all over again, her heart breaking.

"you son of a bitch." she spat, her voice trembling with rage.

cecelia marched over to him, before sang-woo could do anything, her fist connected with his cheek. his head snapped to the side. his slowly turned back to her, his jaw tightening as he straightened. which only grew her anger. without hesitation, she swung again, this time even harder.

her fist collided with his cheekbone, the crack of the impact ringing in tense silence. she did it again and again. sang-woo stumbled to the side, glaring at her as he moved to grab her wrists.

but cecelia was quicker. she twisted out of his grasp and drove her knee into his stomach, making him double over, groaning in pain.

sang-woo fell back onto the floor. she straddled him, her fists coming down repeatedly. her eyes wide and hateful. ever punch was fueled by the memory of ali. tears streamed down her face as she hit him, her sobs punctuated each strike.

"you killed him!" she screamed, "you killed him, you bastard!"

sang-woo grunted, his arms coming up to attempt to shield his face, but he didn't fight back. his silence enraged her. blinded by rage, consumed by heartbreak, she didn't even acknowledge or feel her knuckles tearing.

a pair of arms suddenly grabbed her from behind. "cecelia,"

"let me go!" she yelled, thrashing in their grip. she clawed and kicked, desperate to get back to sang-woo as she continued to be dragged away. "HE KILLED ALI! he killed him!"

"cecelia, stop! that's enough!" gi-hun's voice broke through her haze of rage, but she didn't stop struggling.

her movement caused them both to fall to the ground, gi-hun landing back with his arms still wrapped tightly around her. he held her still, locking her in between his legs as she continued to scream and cry.

"he trusted you!" she sobbed. "he trusted you, and you killed him!"

gi-hun didn't say anything. he simply held her, his arms a steady anchor. slowly, cecelia's struggling weakened, her energy draining. until finally, cecelia's back collapsed against gi-hun's chest.

around them, the room was silent, the other players watching the scene. sang-woo slowly got to his feet, blood trickling from his parted lips and the cuts on his damaged cheek. him glancing down at cecelia before walking back to his bed, leaving her crying quietly in gi-hun's arms.

for cecelia, this was the first time she felt unmeasurable grief. the guilt sang-woo refused to carry felt like it was suffocating her instead.

gi-hun moved himself and cecelia to his bed, cecelia sitting next to him. she had cried until no tears were left, leaving her staring blankly into the void, her aching emptiness settling deep inside her. lights were out, illuminated only by the dim, golden-orange glow of the piggy bank above their heads. it casting just enough light to be able to see the other players who fought sleep.

"i'm sorry about ali," gi-hun murmured softly, low enough where his voice could only be heard to her. "i didn't realize how close you two were."

cecelia blinked slowly, her expression distant as she pressed her lips together. "he was my best friend..." she paused. "i've never had a best friend before."

her words tugged at gi-hun's heart. they sat in silence for a moment before cecelia leaned her head gently against his shoulder, and him resting his head atop of hers. 

     the abrupt brightness of the overhead lights brought her back from her light sleep, her tired, worn-out eyes squinting, struggling to adjust. raising her head from gi-hun's shoulder, her grogginess faded away instantly as guards entered the room, carrying a coffin.

her brows furrowed in confusion. her eyes following their movements, turning her head to see that player 069–the man that lost his wife in the previous game—had hung himself in the middle of the night.

her gaze shifted to the large digital screen, where the number of remaining players dropped by one. sixteen players left. and the prize money increased by yet another one hundred million won. 

the familiar sound of classical music blasted over the speakers, signaling their daily wake up call.

     " attention, all players. the fifth game is about to begin. all
   players, follow the staff's instructions and swiftly make your
   way towards the game hall. "

and like every day, the players formed a somber line, trailing behind one another as they were lead once again into the white game room. the only difference now was the sixteen mannequins that stood in a distance, each wearing a red vest numbered one to sixteen.

     " welcome, players, to the fifth game. before we begin,
   please make your way down the steps and choose one of
   the mannequins that you see presented before you. once
   you've chosen, take the corresponding vest. "

no one moved. every player hesitant with their next move. even after the instructions were repeated, cecelia remained in her spot. she had no idea what to choose, what the numbers meant, or how it might affect her in the next game.

finally, one man stepped down, claiming the sixth vest. that allowed other players to scramble to grab the middle selection until there were no more left, leaving only the front and back.

     " your attention, please. the numbers you see on the
   mannequins correspond to the order in which you will be
   playing. please make your decision carefully. "

as sang-woo made his way toward the mannequins at the end of the row, cecelia moved quickly. swiftly kicking the back of sang-woo's knee, causing his leg to buckle, as she rushed in front of him, grabbing the fourteenth vest that he was originally heading for.

sang-woo stepped up to her, his face tight with anger. cecelia met his glare without flinching, her eyes daring him to do something. he exhaled sharply through his nose, suppressing his frustration, and grudgingly took the thirteenth vest.

   "did anyone bet on the girl? 333?" the vip in the lion mask asked the others.

jun-ho's ears perked up at the mention of cecelia, his sharp gaze darting toward the masked men lounging in their seats.

"i did," the vip in the buffalo mask announced proudly. "after reading here file, i knew she'd have the guts to at least kill for her win."

"oh, really?" the lion vip mused, turning his head toward him. "i didn't read her file. damn. maybe i should have."

"she has a lot of attitude." the bear vip remarked dryly.

"or just a whole lot of hate towards that one player." the buffalo vip added, his tone confident. "it'll sure be interesting to see if she kills him off."

jun-ho's grip tightened around the silver tray he held, his knuckles whitening. the thought of those men betting on cecelia's life for their own entertainment ignited a burning anger in his chest. to know they even had opinions on her pissed him off.

   the players entered the next room, cecelia lingering at the back in between gi-hun and sae-byeok. her eyes swept across the space, taking in the beauty of the room. it was vast, designed to look like the inside of a carnival tent, illuminated with colorful lights. but what stood out was the suspended bridge stretching across the room. it was lined with pairs of glass panels, shining under the glow of the lights.

     " hello, players, let me welcome you all to the fifth game.
   the fifth game is glass stepping stones. the stepping stones
   before you are made from one of two types of glass, one will
   be tempered glass and the other will be normal glass. the
   tempered glass stepping stone is strong enough to hold the
   weight of two people. however, the normal glass will break
   even if just one person steps on it. for this game, you will
   guess which one of next two tiles is the tile made of the
   stronger tempered glass, and only step on those across the
   pairs of tile. you may then cross over to the other side
   safely and pass this game. "

as she watched player 096 struggle to make his decision, him paralyzed with fear, she was suddenly extremely grateful she had one of the last numbers. there was no way to know which glass was which. it was purely based on luck at this point.

     " for this game, you will have sixteen minutes. players must
   cross the bridge within those sixteen minutes. and now, with
   that, let the game begin. each player, take off your shoes,
   then go up to the tiles in order. "

time had started counting down. 096 still standing there, anxiously looking between each glass tile.

"what are you doing? we're losing time!"

"hurry up and go!"

"just jump!"

the other players growing increasingly nervous and impatient. deok-su shoved his way forward, looming behind the terrified man. "take your step now or i'll push your ass." he growled.

the threat made him move. trembling, 096 made his first leap. luckily, landing on the tempered glass tile. the players behind him encouraged him further. he took the next step — but the glass beneath him shattered. his scream echoed through the room as his body plummeted to the hard floor below. the sickening crack of impact reverberating in her ears. she sucked in a sharp breath.

and it went on just like that. one by one, the players followed behind. the sound of shattering glass and the screams of those who lost was what she heard as time went past. cecelia's jaw clenched tighter as every step was closer to her turn.

"there are ten tiles left, and eleven people standing. if they manage to step on one or two each, the four of us can get across to the end." gi-hun said lowly.

"that might not be the case." sang-woo interjected. every time he spoke it was like anger would fuel back inside of her. her not evening looking over at him as he spoke. "if one of those players gets scared and starts to run down the time, we are in danger at the back of the line."

fuck you, sang-woo for being right.

up ahead, one player sat down on the glass, muttering his prayer frantically. his refusal to move stalling the line, and prompting the man behind him to try to wrestle him to move. the fight ended quickly when the praying man shoved him onto the wrong tile, inadvertently revealing the correct one for himself. but before he could even proceed to the next one, the man behind him shoved him also, leaving him falling to his death.

after sang-woo stepped on, it was cecelia's turn to step onto the glass. slipping off her shoes, she exhaled shakily and stepped onto the ledge before the starting glass panel. she caught a glimpse of the horrific scene below. previous players crumpled corpses, blood pooling around their heads and bodies. her stomach churned. for the first time, she was visibly scared for her life.

"don't look down."

cecelia glanced back to see sae-byeok behind her. "keep your head straight and just focus." she said urged softly.

cecelia nodded, her hands turning into fists by her side to stop their trembling as she followed behind sang-woo.

   jun-ho's hand disgustingly trapped in the perverted older man's. he closed his eyes briefly, trying to remember the fleeting moments when he held her hand. even through the short amount of time he has, he could still remember how soft and warm her skin felt. the small indentions from scarring on her knuckles. small details that lingered in his mind. he tried to imagine it was her hand to stop the ache in his stomach. but as he turned his gaze toward the large window, reality struck him like a blow. seeing cecelia, standing there on that glass, her life hanging in the balance, while he was being forced to walk away, not knowing if she will live or die. and it killed him inside.

"hey, everybody, listen!" at the front, deok-su stopped abruptly, turned to face the players. "anyone wanna get across? well, you better go first then!"

ah, fuck. cecelia hissed, her anxiety level high as her nervous eyes darted in between deok-su and the timer that hit six minutes. him refusing to move unless someone stepped in front of him.

the timer hit five minutes.

mi-nyeo, growing impatient, shoved the man in front of her, him almost falling into deok-su before he shoved him off the side. her and deok-su now facing each other. cecelia anxiously watched them, just wanting them to go, her eyes on the clock. then mi-nyeo hopped onto the tile he stood on. surprising him by wrapping her arms around his waist, interlacing her fingers to lock herself to him.

"you betrayed me. now you're going to die."

mi-nyeo fell backwards, taking deok-su with her. the glass shattering under them, them both falling to their deaths together. cecelia pressed her lips thin. she didn't like mi-nyeo. she was obnoxious. but her last, final move here was smart. nearly poetic. she had to say, han mi-nyeo died with what everyone wished they died with. dignity.

cecelia hopped from tile to tile in between sang-woo and sae-byeok. her body slightly crouched, balancing herself, her eyes straight forward, not even daring to glimpse down.

it was now just five of them: an older man, sang-woo, cecelia, sae-byeok, and gi-hun. the timer now counting down less than three minutes. the man in front of sang-woo then got down on his knees, looking at the glass carefully, sending her half-panicked.

"hold on. wait, one second. i can tell the panels apart." the man exclaimed.

"you can tell?" sang-woo asked.

"i used to make glass for over thirty years. you can't normally tell, but...when you look at tempered glass when it's lit from the side,
then you can see faint stain marks."

he got up, jumping to the next one, it being tempered glass. cecelia let out an exhale. they each hopped over to the next as they waited for him to check the next one.

"another hint, the sound. tempered glass is made at a heat over seven hundred degrees. pound on it with a hammer and it rings clearer than normal glass."

then he jumped to the next one. and the next one. only one set of tiles kept them from the finish. then, the lights around the went out. cecelia looking around with wide eyes. the man looking at the panels in panic. "i can't tell them apart in the dark."

one minute left.

"i need to listen to the sound. you got anything to throw?"

gi-hun passed down a marble from the previous game. the man carefully threw the marble on one of the glass tiles, the glass clinking. "i need another. i need to hear the right one, so I can be sure."

they all looked back at gi-hun, who shook his head, him not having another one.

twenty seconds left.

"i can't tell." the man said lowly.

cecelia didn't want to hand it over, but her hand reached into her pocket, her fingers coming in contact with the stone that she picked up from the ground where ali died. her lips parting to speak, but before she could, she noticed sang-woo moved. in one swift, calculated motion, he leapt onto the panel where the older man stood.

"then just go." and in a ruthless motion, he shoved him. the man crashed into the glass ahead, shattering it, his body hurtling to the ground below.

she gasped, her eyes wide in horror as she stared at sang-woo. him glancing over his shoulder to look at her for a second, his expression unyielding, before he carried on, stepping onto the available tile and reaching the platform.

ten seconds left.

her breathing heavy, she leapt from tile to tile, reaching the end. sae-byeok and gi-hun quickly following behind, them making it just as the timer hit zero.

the lights suddenly flashed back on. and suddenly the remaining glass panels exploded, sending shards flying through the air. cecelia turned her face instinctively, a jagged piece of glass slicing her cheek. another grazed her leg, blood seeping through her pants. she hissed in pain, feeling the blood trickling down her cheek.

for a second, no one moved. cecelia's heart hammered as she glanced back at the bridge—or what was left of it, then back at sang-woo, who was heavily breathing, met her eyes. the two of them looking at each other, she felt a sense of unease wash through her.

she wasn't just angered by him. she was deep down, scared of him.

A/N :
small chapter as we get near the end of season one!
and what if i told y'all there is one sentence in chapter six and one sentence in this chapter (that is almost exactly the same) that has foreshadowing for the next chapter?
  next chapter will unfortunately be short too because it's only a thirty-minute episode :( so i'm sorry, i know i've been trying to keep the chapters 4,000 words or more.
please don't be a silent reader !

with love,
chayla