deux.
chapter two.

xxx.

        Ha-eun woke more because of the sudden, bright lights being turned on than the annoyingly cheerful tune that was blaring around her. She was slow to sit up, the heels of her hands digging into her eyes as if that would stop the disturbance plaguing them. It felt like she was in school again, being woken by her alarm clock of a mother flipping her lights on and calling her name loudly to ensure she actually rolled out of bed.

       Opening her eyes to see the cold, concrete ceiling far, far above her made her realize that she was not in her own bed, and it was annoying music that played, not her mother calling her name. As her vision focused and the black spots stopped dancing around, Ha-eun slowly sat up, dragging her hand down her face in weak efforts to wake herself up, only to see a green sleeve adorning her arm.

       She looked down and found herself dressed in a green jumpsuit, white slippers covering her feet, and a patch on the breast of her jacket that read a big, bolded number:

010.

Ha-eun knew for damn sure that she was not wearing that previously, feeling a cold chill run down her spine as she zipped the jacket down and saw a white t-shirt underneath, the same number printed across it. She tried to recall how she got there, what she could remember last as she looked around and saw hundreds of beds stacked on top of each other, similarly dressed people occupying all of them.

She watched, from the very top bunk in her row, as the others started stirring as well, waking up and eventually making their way down to the floor in a quickly growing mass of confusion and distress. Ha-eun remembered the man from the subway, remembered playing ddakji with him after he promised he'd give her 10,000 won for every time she won. When she lost one round after a lucky streak of wins, she hadn't expected him to slap her across the face, and she recalled nearly chewing his head off and threatening to call the police. She'd stopped when he explained to her that they could keep going until she wanted to be done.

His suitcase looked mighty heavy, and he'd just seen her nearly let a train hit her, so her pride wasn't a worthy opponent after that. She played for what felt like hours, until she had won a decent amount of cash and felt like she'd only have a bruise on her cheek for a few days afterwards. However, when she went to leave, the man had given her a card with a phone number and told her she could win enough to change her life if she wanted to try.

Changing her life was the bare bones of what she needed to do, she needed enough money to buy a new life at that point, so she had called the number. Everything past that felt very blurry and very sketchy, the waiting on the side of the road in the pitch black hours of the night, the security password she had to give them to gain access to the car, and the other people..

..passed out in the back of the car where she climbed in.

So, she'd sort of been kidnapped, but half-willingly? She got into the car of her own accord, even gave them her name and birthday, and it seemed like a few hundred other people did, too, so it must not have been some crazy serial killer that brought her there; still, she was questioning the methods to this 'game' as she crawled to the edge of her bed, peering over it to watch the other people below. Ha-eun had always been scolded for being nosey as a child, but that never stopped her. She stared on as a few older men discussed amongst themselves quietly, and a little ways away, she could see a woman still sitting on her bunk, looking like she was seconds from pissing herself, if she wasn't already sitting in it.

There were so many numbers and faces that it was almost overwhelming as Ha-eun finally rose from her own bunk, carefully climbing down the ladder. Her eyes were still scouting, however, feeling on edge as she observed as many of the people as she could, until her distracted focus got the best of her, causing her foot to slip on the ladder rung.

Before she could completely panic and let go, what would've had a very embarrassing outcome, Ha-eun felt a hand wrap firmly around her calf to keep her foot up. Her head shot down to see who it was, finding a man below her, a sort of surprised look on his face before it broke into a nervous smile.

" Sorry, didn't want you to fall. Are you alright? " He asked, instantly letting go of her once she settled her foot back onto the rung. He moved out of her way quickly as she continued climbing down until her feet touched the floor, though his eyes still tracked her as if he was worried she'd completely collapse under her own weight. Then, he saw the bruise on her cheek, pointing, " Oh, your face— "

" I'm— " Ha-eun cut herself off as she dusted her hands down her sleeves, composing herself before she finally looked up at the man. A sour expression came to her face before she could even think about his thought, a normal reaction to someone's extension of 'help'. " I'm fine. "

That was all she said, again biting her tongue as she noted the small bun of hair pulled to the back of his head, though she didn't bother to look at his number before a loud buzzing sound all but shook the room. The doors across the room suddenly opened, revealing a group of people dressed in vibrant pink jumpsuits and hoods, black masks with shapes painted on them.

Ha-eun's interest in the man quickly dissipated as she joined the flock on the floor, gathering in a group to see if the pink-dressed strangers would give them answers to their, likely shared, questions.

The one in the center wore a square on their mask, whereas the others were circles, which made Ha-eun assume they were in charge. That was confirmed for her when they started speaking, their voice disguised by a modulator of some sorts, " I would like to extend a hearty welcome to all of you. Everyone here will participate in six different games over six days. Those who win all six games will receive a handsome cash prize. "

" Excuse me? " Someone near the back called out, her hand raised until she gained the attention of not only the guard, but the entire group. She stepped down from where she stood, but she was still a head taller than most of the people in the group, making it easier to identify her among the sea of green jumpsuits. 120 was on her pocket. " You said I'd be playing games, but you practically kidnapped me. So how can I believe that? "

As if in agreement, everyone turned back around to face the guard with expectant faces.

" I apologize, please understand that it was necessary to maintain the game's security. " The guard explained, but that prompted another woman to shout out.

" What's with the mask, then? " She questioned skeptically, " Is your face also a secret? "

The man next to her chimed in agreement, " Yeah, why are you hiding your faces? Is this some kind of illegal gambling house? "

" Even the dealers don't cover their faces in those places. " The woman insisted, causing a wave of chatter to explode within the group, and Ha-eun to roll her eyes.

" To ensure fair gameplay and confidentiality, it is our policy not to reveal the faces and identities of staff. Please, understand. " Ha-eun wondered how much this guy was getting paid for have to answer all of their questions.

" Did you take off my clothes and put these on me? " A younger woman, her face youthful and decorated with perfectly soft brows, adorned with purple streaks that had been braided into the rest of her light brown hair. Her jacket was held up in the air, making it easy to see 196 was her number.

Across the room, a man with vibrant purple hair did something similar, holding up the white slip on shoes they were all wearing, " What's with these shoes? My shoes are limited fucking edition. They're hard to find! You going to replace them if they get ruined? "

If you have limited edition shoes, how did you end up here? Ha-eun had to wonder to herself, wondering if she made a mistake agreeing to this.

" These don't fit and the color sucks. " Player 196 continued her complaints, flashing the guard an endearing smile, " Can o just have what you're wearing instead? I like pink. "

After a pause, the guard answered flatly, " I'm sorry, but that's not possible. You must be in your uniforms for the games. "

" What about my phone? " Another man called out, pushing his way through the people in front of him so he could get closer to the guards. Ha-eun rose on her toes to see the number on his back: 333, easy enough. " Why did you take my phone and wallet? Give them back, please. "

" We're keeping your belongings safe. We'll return them once the games are over. "

" At least give me my phone, I need to check the crypto market. If I lose money, will you compensate me? " Player 333 questioned accusatorially, but the guard must've been finally growing annoyed with them.

       Again, he repeated, " We will return it to you once the games are over. "

       And, unsurprisingly, Player 333 didn't give up, " I need to monitor the real time prices! Do you know how much I've invested? "

      " Player 333, Lee Myung-gi. " The guard called out, raising a remote to change the screen above them, displaying a video of Myung-gi playing ddakji with, presumably the same man that Ha-eun had played with. " Age 30, used to run a YouTube channel called MG Coin. After convincing subscribers to invest in a new crypto coin called Dalmatian, causing losses of approximately 15.2 billion won, you shut down and disappeared. You're wanted for fraud and for violating telecom and financial investment laws.

     " Current debt levels, 1.8 billion won. "

     Myung-gi quickly dropped his head in shame and annoyance, and the rest of the group had gone silent as the screen changed to Player 196, and the guard did a similar read of her.

      " Player 196, Kang Mi-na, 45 million won in debt. " So on, and so forth, every player he called would be followed by their name and their debt.

     " Player 120, Cho Hyun-ju, 330 million won in debt. "

    " Player 230, Choi Su-bong, 1.19 billion won in debt. "

    " Player 198, Jang do-yeong, 1.4 billion won in debt. "

    " Player 226, Kim Yeong-sam, 1.9 billion won in debt. "

    " Player 283, Lee Eun-ju, 4.02 billion won in debt. "

    " Player 100, Im Jeong-dae...ten billion won in debt. "

     There was a bit of shock amongst the crowd when they announced the amount, hushed whispered occurring throughout the group. Ha-eun immediately dropped her head, expecting that if his was announced, surely so would hers, and while some might've considered it an issue because it would paint a target on their backs, she was too ashamed to even think about that.

" Ten billion? Who's that? Who is it? " A collective curiosity spread throughout the group, all of them looking around frantically to find Player 100, until he finally had a dozen or so people turning to him.

" What are you looking at?! " His voice boomed, jolting a few bystanders, " Do you think it's easy to get a ten billion won loan? They don't lend that kind of money to just anyone! Only to those who are capable of paying it back! "

The others chortled, whether in agreement to calm him down or muttering amongst themselves, then the screen changed once more.

     " Player 010, Im Ha-Eun, ten billion won in debt. "

Maybe it was more shocking to them than Player 100 because they could see that she was "just a girl" on the screen getting the ever living daylights knocked out of her in one clean smack, but this time the group was dead silent. Ha-eun didn't need to look up to know that hundreds of pairs of eyes were on her, making her ears burn. She pulled her arms closer to her body, praying that the guard would just say something else to get their attention off of her.

Fortunately, one of her recent prayers were answered.

" All of you in this room have crippling debts and are now on a cliff-edge. When we first came to you, you did not trust us either. But as you know, we played a game and gave you money as promised. " The guard reminded them, " And so you trusted us and volunteered to participate according to your own free will. You have one last chance to decide.

" Do you want to life like a piece of trash, running from creditors? Or will you seize the last opportunity we are offering? "

Pieces of trash? Was that really what people viewed those in debt like? Ha-eun never saw her father as a piece of trash, but maybe that would've been better than the permanent image of his face with a gunshot through it being her resonating thought of him now.

The lights suddenly dimmed and a glow began to descend from the ceiling, making all of them look up to see a giant piggy bank being lowered down over them.

" What you see now is the piggy bank where your valuable prize money will be stored. After each of the six games you will play, the prize money will accumulate in this piggy bank. "

" How much is the prize money? " A man with curly hair and glasses asked what most, if not all, of them were wondering as they stared at the massive piggy bank. Ha-eun never had anything like that to save her change as a child.

" The prize money for the games is 45.6 billion won in total. " That response elicited several gasps and chatter, and it even made Ha-eun's spirits lift, even if it was just a little bit. That would be more than enough money for her to pay back those men and uproot her life and go somewhere else and attempt to start over.

" And one of us will get it? " The same man questioned.

" We will give you the details about the distribution of the prize money after the first game. For these games, you will be given a special new advantage. " The guard announced, " After each game, you will be given a chance to vote on whether to continue the games or not. If the majority of you wish to stop, the games will be terminated. You can then leave with the prize money accumulated up to that point. "

" Are you saying we'll still receive the money, even if we leave after the first game? " A new voice called, and Ha-eun turned her head to see Player 456 standing near the back of the group, coming down the platform with a skeptical look on his face.

" That is correct. "

     " Good heavens! Excuse me! " A short, older woman shoved her way through the crowd until she reached the man with glasses, Player 007, hitting him as hard as she could, " You idiot! "

      " Mom!? What-what are you doing here?! " Player 007 exclaimed, clasping his hands around his mother's cheeks, causing quite the scene amongst the group.

      " That's what I wanted to ask you! What are you doing here? " The woman demanded as he tried shushing her frantically.

      " You're embarrassing me— "

      " Embarrassing? " She repeated, a look of disbelief on her face, raising her voice, " If you knew what was embarrassing, you wouldn't be here! "

      " Stop it, we'll talk about this later! "

      " No, we won't. Come on, you're leaving! " She dragged him a few feet away before he stopped her, but she held strong, " You're leaving! "

      Pointing at her, he questioned, " Mom, why did you come here?! Do you realize where you are? This is no place for an old lady? "

      " Why did I come here? " Again, she hit his side, " To pay off your debt, of course! Do you even have to ask? You fool— "

      Her son got away from her again, hurrying back towards the guard, yelling, " Why would you bring a naive old woman here? Will you take responsibility if my mom collapses? "

     " Yong-sik, I'll stay and do this. You go home— "

      " Stop it! I'm already here, I can't just leave.." Yong-sik looked on the verge of an anxiety attack to Ha-eun, sweat shining on his forehead visible from even where she stood.

       " But you promised me. " His mother reminded him, practically pleading with him, " You promised never to gamble again! "

      Yong-sik held his mother by her shoulders, persisting, " No, this isn't gambling. We're just playing games here, I'll just play one game and go. "

     " You idiot, it's the same thing! " She slapped his arm again, their argument continuing even further, to the point where everyone else stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do, until the guard finally spoke again.

     " If you wish to participate in the games, please sign the player consent form. " He announced, " Those who do not wish to participate, please speak up now. We always give you a chance to leave the games. "

      Mere minutes pass by as a few of the guards walked down the stairs and stood on the floor ahead of them. They brought small podiums out, which held a stack of papers and a single pen on each one. They directed those that wanted to continue to stand in single file lines and take turns signing the consent forms, and, strangely, not a single person strayed from the lines.

      Ha-eun picked at the number badge on her jacket, her hands antsy as she waited in line, listening to others murmur to each other or themselves, ask pointless questions to the guards, and scribble their names on the form. It seemed as though only a few had any hesitation, as the lines went by quickly. Ha-eun had been so spaced out while waiting for her turn that she hadn't even realized that she recognized the player ahead of her.

     The bold 333 stared back at her as she watched him sign his name, and she recalled what the guard had said about his debts. When he turned and walked off, her eyes trailed him momentarily with a thought brewing. With a quick scan over the rules of the form, she simply turned back around to messily sign her own name. It didn't matter what the paper said, really, she was going to play regardless. She had no other choice.

     " The amazing Myung-gi from MG Coin? Is that you? " As soon as Ha-eun left the podium, she saw the aforementioned standing with his back facing her, two other men across from him with the shittiest-eating grins she'd ever seen.

      " You may not know me, but I know you, MG Coin. I was subscribed to your channel. " It was the man with purple hair that complained about his designer shoes earlier, Player 230, and his apparent sidekick in Player 124. " And I lost a shitload of money, asshole. "

      " So did I. " Player 124 chimed in, and while Ha-eun would've loved to see this type of argument on a reality show, she quite literally couldn't care less, but they were blocking her way, and their huge, bolstering egos didn't seem to allow them to notice her waiting rather impatiently behind Myung-gi.

      " You've got the wrong person. " When Myung-gi tried to move past them, Player 230 lifted his hand to the shorter man's chest, pushing him back in his spot.

     " I watched your content all day, every day. Now I even see you in my dreams, motherfucker. " He leaned his arm on Player 124's shoulder, recalling, " Was your name Nam-su? "

     " It's Nam-gyu, " He awkwardly replied, " from Club Pentagon. "

     " Right, " Player 230 dismissed, waving his hand around as Myung-gi rolled his eyes, " Thanks to you, I bonded quickly with Nam-gyu here. Because we shared the same pain. "

     " I thought the sons of bitches who made that coin fled to the Philippines with the money? " Nam-gyu pointed out as Player 230 stepped away momentarily, perhaps to make the scene even bigger and more melodramatic, " So why are you here? Did they cut you loose? "

     " What do you want from me? " Myung-gi questioned, uninterested in the theatrical way they were going about it, when suddenly, Player 230 was right back in his face, grabbing a tight hold of the back of his neck.

     " What do you think? Give me my money. "

     " Did I force you to buy that coin? " Myung-gi threw his hand off of him, looking between the two of them with his brows lowered, and Ha-eun was finally getting tired of standing there, waiting with a now even bigger group of people waiting to pass by them behind her.

    " You told us to bet it all, you fucker. " Player 230 remarked, " You swore it'd shoot up. You said we'd be fucking idiots if we didn't buy it! "

    " You let a guy on YouTube convince you to blow millions of won on crypto currency? " Ha-eun finally butted in, and when her voice came out instead of Myung-gi, all three men, and really, all of the onlookers, and to turn to see her standing there. With an unimpressed look on her bruised face, the young woman raised her hand and flicked it, insisting, " Sounds like you are idiots, I don't think this guy needed to tell you that. Can you go bond over your shared pain, out of the way? "

     Nam-gyu blinked at her, like he was taken aback by her even speaking, let alone with the attitude she had given what they'd seen on the screen when they called her debt. Player 230 tilted his head to the side and made a peculiar face as he began, " Señorita, I don't want you to have to be in this conversation— "

      " She's right. " Myung-gi cut him off, a dry look on his face as he stared at Player 230, " You are idiots. "

      The purple haired man suddenly grabbed Myung-gi by his jacket, his other hand pulled back into a fist, making Ha-eun jolt back in surprise. Nam-gyu grabbed a hold of his friend's arm, insisting he calm down while Myung-gi shoved at his hands, yelling at him to get off of him, until they finally separated.

     " People are watching, you don't want to be on the news. " Nam-gyu insisted, patting Player 230's arm, though he chuckled airily at his face.

     He took a step closer to Myung-gi again, and the lines and crowds of people near them watched with tense anticipation to see a real fight break out, but Player 230 simply threatened, " You'd better do well, because I'm coming to get my money back. "

      The two of them walked off after that, with Nam-gyu casting one last glance behind himself, and the crowd that had been waiting for them slowly made their way back to the beds while the rest of the players continued signing their lives away. Ha-eun waited in place for a moment, watching Myung-gi take a sharp turn so he didn't have to follow those two, and, without a second thought, she followed after him.

      Myung-gi made it to the bunk closest to the wall, with very little people around so he could wallow in whatever dark cloud was following him, but when he felt someone behind him, he whipped around quickly. Ha-eun was sure he was likely expecting one of those two assholes to have followed him to actually attack him, so she wasn't offended and simply held her palms up to signal she was harmless.

      He eyed her up and down once, a skeptical look on his face before he asked, " What? "

      " You're welcome. "

      He stared back at her blankly, " For what? He still would've hit me, regardless of your little comment or not. "

      " But he didn't, and I have to believe that my presence caused you to not walk away with a black eye like me. Butterfly effect, and all that, so, you're welcome. " She insisted, gesturing to the brownish bruise on her face as he sat down on the bunk, looking up at her with a brow raised slightly.

      " Okay, so, what do you want? If you expect me to pay you for that, you'll have to join the club— "

      " They said you're wanted by law enforcement. You've avoided them. " She cut him off, uninterested in whatever quippy thing he was about to throw her way.

     Myung-gi clicked his tongue quietly, making another face, " Mm. Yeah, what about it? "

     Ha-eun was pretty determined to win this thing, maybe not the whole 45.6 billion won, but enough to pay off her father's debt and then some. However, if that didn't happen, she needed a backup plan for when she got out of there. Ha-eun, admittedly, didn't know much about gang warfare or law enforcement, but she assumed that hiding from both of them was a pretty similar art to master.

    So, she only had one question for him.

    " How? "

xxx.

4,317 words.

would you guys believe me if I said I wrote all of this within the first 12 minutes of episode 3... it's gonna be a long ride

anyways no Sun-jung this chapter, her stuff will be a bit more spread out just bc of the nature of the guard storyline, and no Chan-woo bc I'm waiting to write him fully until Ha-eun realizes he's there (spoiler it's next chapter)

ik not much happened but tbh I feel like a lot of this season was story and build up anyways so forgive me but enjoy the build up and relationship foundations I'm laying

as always, any comments or feedback is greatly appreciated