cecelia's head lolled slightly against the window. her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. the van rattled and jerked over uneven roads. though her eyes were closed, her mind was hyper-focused. taking in each corner the vehicle took, each stop, counting the dips and the bumps. making a mental map out of boredom and nosiness. curiosity burned inside of her. fighting herself, trying to keep her eyes closed the whole time. wanting nothing more than to peek outside of the window her head leaned against, to see where they were taking her.

her thumb circled around the button of her flick knife. her restrain warred with her need to know. the ride felt endless, her sense of time stretching as the minutes dragged on.

until finally, the vehicle came to a stop. she struggled to remain as still as possible, even as her heart rate spiked.

the driver's door along with the sliding back door opened. the circle-masked guard getting out. she swallowed thickly, her grip on her knife tightening. suddenly, she felt movement beside her — a body sinking into the empty seat next to hers, the warmth of it pressing against her side. her breath hitched, her eyes firmly shut. the body shifting, before going completely limp.

weirdly enough, she felt the van move with another presence. her nerves prickled, feeling a gloved hand graze her jaw, tilting her head slightly. a faint chirping noise came from a device the guard held in his hand, scanning a part of her body, before moving onto the next person.

the device emitted another chirp, but this time a different sound followed. the. the chirp came again, identical to before. — silence.

her body jumped involuntarily at the sudden, violent motion beside her. her eyes shot open, watching as total chaos erupted in this small van. the man who had slid into the seat beside her, fighting with the masked guard. his arm wrapping around the guard's neck, strangling him, pulling the guard to the floor with him, struggle confining the cramped space.

"jun-ho?" cecelia whispered harshly, her voice low but sharp. "what the hell are you doing here?!"

the detective didn't stop wrestling with the guard, his focus split between the masked guard and answering her. "you think i'm just going to let you go back and get yourself killed?" he shot back, his voice strained but resolute.

cecelia watched in stunned silence as the guard let out a muffled groan as jun-ho strangled him. the life slipping from the man, his body falling limp on top of jun-ho's before he threw him off.

"are you insane?!" she hissed, watching him as he began stripping himself out of his clothing. his dark eyes peered up at her as slipped off his shirt, exposing his lean, toned physique. his chest and shoulders broad and his skin smooth.

every subtle flex of muscle, seemed calculated to test her restraint. she swallowed hard, the feeling of her cheeks burn as her eyes rolled, darting away, only for her traitorous gaze to keep drifting back.

jun-ho knew. he had to know. the way he moved was deliberate, swift as he completely undressed, leaving him in only his dark black boxers before he started removing the clothes from the masked guard, putting on the white tank top and pink jumpsuit over it. then, that subtle but unmistakable curve on the corner of his lips.

cecelia clenched her hands into fists, forcing herself to breathe evenly. "you're going to get caught —" she spoke anxiously.

"not if you help me." jun-ho responded quickly, looking up at her as he zipped up the jumpsuit.

she bit down on the inside of her cheek, her face scrunched up in annoyance before she let out an exasperated sigh. her fingers working to unfasten the guard's mask. beneath being an ordinary man. possibly in his late twenties. she grimaced down at the man, putting the mask down on jun-ho's lap. grabbing jun-ho's discarded clothing, she quickly dressed the deceased guard.

once she pulled jun-ho's plaid over shirt onto the man, she pushed herself up and into the nearest seat. before jun-ho put on the mask, he turned to cecelia, his movements slowing as his gaze fixed on her.

kneeling in front of her, he rested his hand lightly in her knee. his expression raw with emotion, looking up at her with his big boba-like eyes, eyebrows raised inwards.

"i need to figure out what's going on, cecelia. my brother — he might be here. i need to find him," he exhaling through his nose, pressing his lips together. "and i can't let you die..."

she shook her head. "why do you even care?"

jun-ho's hand lingered on her knee, the warmth of his touch kept her weak even as her mind screamed at her to push him away.

"because you don't." he said simply.

her throat tightened, swallowing hard, her resolve cracking under his gaze. for a moment, the world outside the van faded. not even acknowledging that they were both on their way to imminently risk their lives. — all of it faded, leaving just the two of them in this tense, suffocating space.

"i need you," he murmured. his voice soft but insistent. "i need you to help me."

her nod was hesitant, her whispered reply barely audible. "okay. god, jun-ho...fine. but if you die, i swear —"

why did she care? the question in her mind.

"you worried about me?" he asked, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, revealing a glimpse of his perfect white teeth.

cecelia exhaled sharply, rolling her eyes. "shut up." she grabbed the mask and fit it over his face, the sight of his teasing grin hidden away. pulling the pink hood over his head, she studied the black mask with the white circle emblazoned on the mask's forehead. "go," she ordered. gently pushing him out of the van.

he wasted no time. dragging the deceased guard out of the van, tossing the man overboard.

time went past. jun-ho driving the vehicle into an underground garage, following behind the other vans. cecelia leaned back in her seat, her head pressing against the headrest. she closed her eyes, feigning sleep as the guards opened the door.

rough hands pulled her from the van and placed her onto a stretcher. she kept her body limp, her breathing steady. listening to the sound of the cacophony of rolling wheels in unison.

the moment they halted, she felt a two pairs of hands lifting her body. her muscles stiffened briefly before she forced herself to relax.

her pulse quickened as they began undressing her. when her shirt came off, a cool draft brushed her skin, sending a chill through her. she slipped her flick knife into one guard's pocket as they dressed her in the same uniform she was once in. her green tracksuit with the number 333 printed on the front and back.

as soon as they slid her arm through her jacket, she moved subtly, retrieving the knife from his pocket and slipping it into her sleeve. she clenched her hand around the handle and her sleeve, holding it discreetly by her side, her mind racing.

                   it felt like a recurring nightmare. the blare of classical music over the loudspeakers and the harsh glare of fluorescent lights gave her the signal, her eyes jolted open. her eyes once again meeting the black metal bars of bunk bed above her. she exhaled sharply, again, sitting up from her bed, she scanned the room over. so many faces. so many people returned. way more than the one hundred that voted to stay originally.

her eyes drifted to the large screen. 187. the number of how many people came back. fourteen who didn't. fourteen people who chose life over money. admirable, really.

"hello, miss! hello again!"

ali's cheerful voice made her head snap toward him. an involuntary smile tugged at her lips as he made his way to her through the crowd of people who were making their way out of their beds. "it's good to see you, again, i hope we make it."

"it's good to see you too." she said, her voice warm. and it was the truth, sort of. she liked ali. he was kind, far kinder than anyone in this hellish game deserved. it felt wrong, for him to be here. he was too good to be risking his life like this. but then again, most people here were probably good people. just following an act of desperation.

"maybe, if you want, we can be partners? if it's okay?" he asked hesitantly, his fingers fidgeting nervously at his sides.

she paused, studying him for a moment. he was the only one here that she knew, vaguely, but knew. but she trusted him. and that was enough. with a small, reassuring smile, she held out her hand. "partners."

ali's face lit up, his eyes wide and sincere as he took her hand. shaking it, he bowed in front of her. she chuckled softly, nudging his shoulder, making him upright.

ali stood by her side, them both looking out at the sea of players. after just a few seconds of silence, ali's gaze wandered, lighting up when he spotted someone at the other end of the room. "i see some men i know. let's say hello." he ushered for her to follow him.

cecelia hesitated. but ali remained persistent. she found it hard to say no to him. with a reluctant sigh, she followed him, her arms crossed protectively over her chest as they approached the two men.

"hello, good sirs!" ali called out, grabbing the men's attention. cecelia's eyes immediately locked onto one of them.

gi-hun.

"oh. hey, it's my angel." gi-hun smiled as he pointed at ali. his gaze then shifting to cecelia, who walked up beside ali. "hey. angry girl! you came back."

her eyes rolled at gi-hun's little nickname.

"yeah, well, couldn't let you have all the fun," she shot back. a fake grin flashing him.

gi-hun's smile widened, already seeming unbothered by her sarcasm. "admit it — you missed me."

"ahh, sure," she said dryly. "i missed the constant pouting and complaining. i just suffered so badly when you weren't around." her tone dripping sarcasm.

gi-hun chuckled, "ah, i knew you liked me."

cecelia tilted her head, her lips twitching into a faint smirk. "let's not get ahead of ourselves now." 

gi-hun laughed, glancing around at the group. "we're like a bunch of soldiers at training camp, huh?"

"a training camp is what?" ali asked, tilting his head in curiosity. 

"like the military, you know, the army." cecelia explained gently.

"oh! soldiers all training together?" he repeated, his eyes lighting up with understanding as both cecelia and gi-hun nodded their heads.

"wait a minute. since we're on the subject now, you two should join me. we should just form our own team, don't you think?" gi-hun said.

"you're right." the bespectacled man standing next to gi-hun chimed in. "who knows what game they'll have us play next. it wouldn't hurt to be in a group so we're ready for anything."

cecelia raised a brow, her gaze briefly locking with player 218. cho sang-woo. she remembered his video being the first to play when the masked manager exposed player's debts.

gi-hun gestured enthusiastically toward ali and cecelia. "you both should join up with us. i mean, we already know he's crazy strong. you saw it. he lifted me up with one hand like it was nothing at all. and her, she's like crazy fearless. kicking the crap out of that thug. wow."

"you mean...that you...we can you join you?" ali asked, a polite smile spreading across his face as he glanced back at cecelia.

"yeah, yeah." gi-hun replied with a smile. then all eyes turned to cecelia, waiting for her answer.

her expression hardened as she looked between gi-hun and sang-woo before her gaze shifted to ali. her face scrunched with frustration. her not being able to say no, not wanting ali to have to decide whether or not to stay with her or go with them.

"fine, fine. yeah, whatever." she said with a dismissive wave. ali and gi-hun beamed at her answer.

her eyes flickered to sang-woo, whose black expression spoke volumes. it was painfully clear to her that he didn't want her there, but he kept that to himself.

"alright! so then, you two can be the new recruits. but cecelia can be the military police, since she's so stern and scary."

her brows knit together, listening to him.

he continued, pointing at sang-woo, "he's the skilled corporal, and that means i'm the sergeant."

she shook her head at gi-hun. then a voice cut in, a soft elderly voice that caught her attention. "if you don't mind, can i join up with all of you?"

all of their heads turned to the older man sitting on the nearby bunk bed. cecelia's face fell slightly as she took him in.

"yeah, of course," gi-hun said warmly. "and you can be the, hold on...so you can be the old major whose been in the army his entire life."

the older man, player 001, smiled broadly, bowing his head in gratitude. a sad smile tugged on cecelia's lips. she always connected with older people more than people her own age. her first best friend, her grandmother. player 001 reminded her of her. the sweet smile, the wise and kind personality. them both tragically out of place in this brutal world.

gi-hun laughed, "yeah. quite a team we got going here. damn! let's do this!"

     " attention. your mealtime begins now. all players, please
   form a line in the center of the room. "

cecelia's small alliance stood in line together, waiting for their food. she swayed slightly on her feet, exhaustion weighing on her. after she finally received the tin container, she exhaled, making her way to the steps, sitting down just above ali. with her spork in hand, she absently stirred her food, her thoughts elsewhere.

she grimaced at the sight of the fried egg atop of her rice. without a word, she scooped it up and placed it on ali's rice, replacing the one he'd already devoured. ali glanced up at her in surprise, but she didn't meet his gaze, silently returning to her own meal. "thank you," he said quietly, she hummed, acknowledging him without breaking her silence.

cecelia barely listened to gi-hun's words as he reminisced about his childhood with sang-woo.

"gi-hun. let's try to stay on subject. how about putting your mind to what the game could be?" sang-woo interrupted gi-hun.

cecelia raised an eyebrow, glancing up at the two men through her lashes.

the old man chimed in, suggesting it would likely be another children's game, considering the last game. gi-hun nodded in agreement.

"i bet you're right there. think of all the ones they could choose. ddakji, dabanggu, there's hopscotch, biseokchigi, tag, don katsu, freeze tag. and for girls, there's gonggi, elastics, cat's cradle, and...what else?"

cecelia frowned as she listened to the list. most of the games were unfamiliar to her. only some being familiar to games in america. her own childhood had been filled with hide and seek, capture the flag, dodgeball, four square, etc. if any of the games gi-hun mentioned came up, she'd be pretty much useless.

"i don't know how to play those." ali admitted. his voice tinged with unease.

cecelia glanced down at him. seeing he felt the same way she did. she hesitated with her next words. "neither do i," she said. she didn't want ali to feel alone. her admitting her weakness even after she didn't want these men to think she was futile.

sang-woo leaned forward slightly, "hey, listen to me. all those games are easy to learn. and we'll teach them to you." his words were directed to ali, but his eyes shifted to cecelia briefly. him knowing he had to include her and teach her if he wanted to make sure he won.

cecelia didn't say anything. their eyes remained in contact as ali thanked him. after a second, sang-woo's gaze faltered. looking down at his food, he started prodding at his rice. her lips pressed together. unsure about sang-woo.

everyone slept that night without worry. it was quiet. until player 212 started screaming at the door. she pounded relentlessly on the door, shouting at the guards outside to let her use the bathroom. cecelia's jaw clenched in irritation as she stared up at the black metal bars overhead. beneath the thin blanket that covered her body, she toyed with her flick knife, pressing the button to release the blade, then retracting it, over and over again. the repetitive motion keeping her nerves in check.

it felt like an eternity before the guards finally have in, breaking their protocol to allow the annoying woman to use the bathroom. as the shouting faded and the silence returned, cecelia's tension ebbed. she let out a slow sigh, her fingers gradually releasing their grip on her knife. despite her wanting to stay awake in a room full of strangers, she eventually succumbed to sleep.

morning arrived quick. the fluorescent lights snapped on, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut before groggily blinking them open. she groaned as the PA system blared, announcing it was time for breakfast.

most of the time, cecelia wasn't able to control her facial expressions. this must've been one of those times when she forced herself to get out of bed. walking down the steps, she was met by  gi-hun, who stood waiting for her, a mischievous grin on his face.

"wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" he teased, his eyebrows raised in mock innocence.

cecelia scowled up at him. "say that again, i'll knock the teeth out of your head." her voice laced with warning. without waiting for a response, she walked past him. gi-hun chuckled, unfazed as he trailed behind her.

after getting her sweet bread and bottle of milk, she sat down between ali and sang-woo with a tired sigh. she picked at her breakfast, tearing the bread into small pieces as she watched ali devour his, like he did every meal.

"hey, sir. why aren't you eating that?" ali asked, pointing to sang-woo's untouched bread.

cecelia looked up as sang-woo calmly picked up the plastic-wrapped bread, the plastic rustling in his hand. "have it," he said simply, handing it to ali. 

"do you mean it?" ali asked before sang-woo insisted.

a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she seen ali eagerly dive into the bread. maybe sang-woo wasn't as cold as she'd thought.

suddenly, the speakers crackled, and the familiar sound of classical music filled the room, freezing everyone in place.

     " attention. the second game will begin shortly. please follow
   the staff's instructions and swiftly make your way towards the
   game hall. "

                    after walking up many flights of the same stairs as before, everyone entered the room where the next game was being held. cecelia lingered back, her teammates walking ahead of her as her eyes scanned the room they had just entered. the players around her continued to shuffle forward, gawking at the large space. her gaze swept over the towering playground equipment painted in bright, bold colors. the walls, painted a deep blue, were cartoonish clouds.

     " players, before the second game begins, choose one of the
   four available shapes you see on the wall. once you've chosen
   your shape, please stand in front of it. "

looking ahead, she looked at each individual shape on the wall, guards standing in between each one. circle, triangle, star, umbrella.

a pink guard, marked with the circular-shape on his mask, approached her from behind. she didn't need to turn to sense his presence; the weight of his stare, even through the mask, bore into the back of her head. her body tensed, watching through her peripherals as the guard came up by her side.

her skin pricked as his gloved hand brushed hers, a fleeting touch that made her flinch. before she could react further, his fingers wrapped around hers in a discreet grip, pulling her hand back quickly.

"it's me," came the whispered voice — a low, familiar voice that made her heart stutter. jun-ho.

cecelia's pulse quickened, but she kept her expression neutral. straightening her posture, as if she hadn't just heard a voice coming from one of the guards.

"don't move. don't draw attention," jun-ho said, his hand giving a subtle squeeze to her pinkie and ring finger.

her gaze remained fixed on the room ahead. drifting off to see the guards standing in front of the room. the triangle-masked guards carrying assault rifles, patrolling the room.

"are you okay?" she asked him.

jun-ho's lips curved into a faint smile under his mask. he let out a soft scoff. "you're asking me if i'm okay? i should be asking you that."

ignoring him, she tilted her head slightly toward him, a small, fleeting smile on her lips. "i've been looking for your brother," she spoke lowly. her voice only audible to him. "he's not here. which means he didn't come back with the rest of us or..." she hesitated. "...he didn't survive the first game." 

her words hung in the air. she immediately felt horrible for voicing the possibility. he nodded his head. he didn't want to think his brother was already dead. he just had to keep looking around for evidence of him tied to this place.

his gloved fingers unconsciously played with hers, a small gesture of comfort that he was giving himself. his voice shifted, redirecting his focus back to her. "are you okay?"

cecelia's eyes flickered to find her newfound allies. ali and the old man offered a sense of safety. gi-hun's non-threatening in her eyes. sang-woo, however, made her cautious. he had a very distant, calculating demeanor that didn't sit right with her. still, she wasn't afraid of them. it was best to be apart of a group, especially with deok-su's pack of disgusting men staring at her whenever she came in eyeshot of them.

"it's too early to tell." she said with a soft chuckle, though jun-ho heard through her voice a hint of unease.

she was scared of dying. it wasn't a secret, but she kept hidden with her aloof personality.

jun-ho leaned a bit closer, his whisper barely audible over the murmur of the room. "i overheard something. if it's true, for this game, choose the triangle."

she nodded subtly, trying to figure out what the games are for her having to choose the triangle. she noticed his gaze shift, his body stiffening slightly. following his eyes, she saw a square-shaped guard across the room, watching him closely.

lowering his voice further, he spoke again, "please, stay safe. stay alive. there's surveillance everywhere, but i'll find a way back to you."

she kept her head forward, her fingers tightened around his in silent acknowledgment. "thank you," she whispered.

when she started to leave him, he held onto her hand until the last possible second. their hands slipping apart as she walked up among her allies. jun-ho clenched his jaw, watching her leave him.

please, stay alive.

cecelia rushed back up to her team, tapping ali on the shoulder, "hey, what did i miss?"

ali turned to her, beginning to fill her in. "mister suggests splitting up. he chose the masls," ali formed a triangle shape with his hands. "i chose the dairah, circle," he gestured toward gi-hun, "he chose um-umbrella," he pointed at the wall, trying not to speak his native language. and then pointed at the old man, "and he picked the star."

cecelia nodded thoughtfully, trying to decipher what the game was for jun-ho to recommend the triangle. ali nudged her shoulder gently. "and you, miss? what are you choosing?"

she tilted her head, sucking through her teeth. "well, since everyone's claimed the other shapes, i'll go with the triangle."

as soon as she made her choice, sang-woo's head turned sharply. his gaze settled on her, expression unreadable but brimming with intensity. cecelia met his eyes briefly, uneasy. something about sang-woo threw her off — his blank expression seemed to hide so much. unable to hold his gaze, she glanced away, but she could still feel his eyes on her.

" choose a shape and stand in front of it immediately. "

cecelia cast one last glance at sang-woo before walking over to join the line for the triangle.

when her turn came, she took the circular silver tin container that was handed to her. she shot a quick look at the guard with the circle mask before moving back to her original spot.

" please take a moment to open the case and check the
contents. "

she removed the lid, her eyebrows furrowed. inside was a thin honeycomb cookie with a triangle shape pressed into its center and a small needle beside it.

" the second game is dalgona. the shape you have chosen is
the shape you must extract from the honeycomb. you will pass
if you remove it without cracking or breaking it within the
   time limit of ten minutes. with that, let the game begin. "

the timer started. cecelia found her spot a few feet away from ali and leaned against a piece of the oversized playground equipment, her knees drawn up as she balanced the tin on her thighs. carefully, she began scraping the edges of the triangle with her needle, her focus sharp.

her eyes wandered briefly to ali, who wasn't even using his needle. instead, he had it between his teeth as he carefully broke pieces around the shape with his hands.

the room was so heavy with concentration, the air filled with the faint scrape of needles against honeycomb and the guards' boots pacing the room. occasionally, frustrated grunts broke the silence.

then came the first person to be eliminated. a man near the top of the slide had broken his shape. the sharp crack of a gunshot followed immediately, and his lifeless body slid down the slide, leaving a streak of his blood.

as one player failed, others followed, the gunfire coming in quick. one after the other. horrified gasps and quiet sobs filled the room, along with shots signaling another death.

cecelia's anxiety clawed at her chest. she bit her bottom lip, drawing blood, her patience thinning as she scraped faster. her fingers trembled as she carefully lifted the cookie and snapped off a small edge. her heart jolted at the sound, but the piece came off cleanly. she moved to the next corner. snap. and then the final one. snap.

relief flooded her as she took out the completed triangle. she glanced over at ali, seeing him holding up his intact circle, his face beaming despite the sweat glistening on his brow. their eyes met, and they shared a smile before both turned their shapes toward the guard.

" player 333, pass. "

" player 199, pass. "

cecelia rose alongside ali, chuckling softly from her nerves as they exited the room together. the walk back to the dormitory was eerily quiet, the remaining players subdued. in the distance, gunshots echoed through the halls, making it known of many players demise.

A/N:
MORE CECELIA AND JUN-HO. we love them here. next chapter has more of them, i swear.
started writing scenes for season two and i went from writing heartbreaking dialogue cecelia says to either jun-hee or min-su about ali <\3, to the most intimate, disgusting scene between cecelia and the salesman in season two. (kinky on the salesman's part, not cecelia's.) SO TELL ME IF I SHOULD CALM DOWN ON THAT OR NOT BEFORE I PUBLISH IT.
anyways, love y'all. thank you so much for the support and love on this fic. truly love seeing it <3
please don't be a silent reader!

with love,
chayla