C H A M P I O N O F D E A T H

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      THE NEXT ROOM THEY ALL WENT INTO WAS ONE THAT ONLY HAD WHITE COLOURED WALLS, AND INSIDE IT WAS WEIRDLY SHAPED. ALL THE PLAYERS WERE TOLD TO FOLLOW THE GUARDS, and were now walking in a single file line down the path that lead into the mysterious room that no one had a clue what to expect.

       Sae-bom walked close to her sister and Soo-min, deciding it was best to stay with them after the whole fight between players. Her bruised knuckles were tucked inside her jacket's pocket, hiding away how sore they were. She didn't want to worry anyone.

      She tilted her head to the side, feeling Soo-min brush his arm against hers, but he just looked forward with a small smirk, and continued to walk practically flushed up beside her. A red hue appeared over her cheeks.

     "Players, welcome to the third game." The woman over the PA was back announcing, her high pitched voice echoing through the room, "For this game, you will play in teams. All players, please divide yourselves into teams of ten people. Your time limit will be ten minutes. Ten minutes."

     The three walking together instantly shared a knowing look between each other, as they stepped down from the stairs and onto the main floor where everyone was getting into their groups of ten. The PA continued to explain the instructions.

      Sae-bom reached out to grab her sister and new friends wrists, and tugged them towards her, "Come on. Let's go to Gi-hun." She quietly spoke, spotting his tall figure with the rest of her group in the middle, but off to the side where they were talking.

      A timer on the wall was ticking behind them, and it did set her nerves on edge, as she did feel the pressure of being under a certain amount of time. But, with her and the other two, plus her team and a few more players, they should have enough.

     "Something that has teams of ten players." She heard Gi-hun say to Sang-woo, who seemed to glance at her as she walked over, "So maybe it's Tail Tag or Why Did You Come to My House?" He listed gaining a sigh from the latter, "Tail Tag means running is involved. Or it might just end up being simply based on luck. What do you think?"

      Sae-bom dropped the hold she had on the two behind her, and she slid in beside Sang-woo with her arms crossed. Her sister stayed with Soo-min, who was eyeing off the male beside Sae-bom with an evil eye, something about him that set the younger one off.

     With a deep inhale, Sang-woo avoided the heavy gaze from his old friend beside him, and stated hesitantly, "Our team has an elderly man and two woman already. I think we need to find some more men."

      The older Kang sister scoffed under her breath, and rolled her eyes. She was use to his sexist ways, and every time he did something like that, she would put him into place by kicking his butt. However, this time, she tried to stay quiet and instead gave him a harsh nudge to the side for his comment.

     Ali didn't seem to like what his new friend said either, as his expression was conflicted and stood next to Player 01, who looked half awake. Soo-min wasn't any better, his jaw was clenched and kept a reassuring hand on Sae-byeok's shoulder.

      "What if they make us play Gonggi or Elastics? Then, what do we do?" Gi-hun fired back in question, also realizing what his friend was hinting at and tried to reason with him, "Girls are usually the good ones at that--"

     "That's true, but statistically speaking, usually men are better at these games." Sang-woo had to huff out from the jab Sae-bom did to his side, and nodded his head as he spoke firmly, "Each of us are betting with our lives. And we gotta win."

      It gained only a deep inhale and exhale from Gi-hun, who backed up a bit in line with Soo-min, and it gave him a chance to speak, "We do need to get three more people, but that includes the two girls and the old man." His dark eyes were sharp, just like his tone as he stared down Sang-woo, "They are apart of this team, whether you like it or not."

      Sae-bom felt something flutter inside her chest, but only for a second while watching the interaction. Her eyes were wide hearing what Soo-min said, and she's never experienced someone standing up for her nor her sister like that expect for her beloved. She's never felt this way after he disappeared and she was thankful, very much so.

      Soo-min felt her impressed stare on the side of his head, and he flashed her a charming smile, one that made her fingers twitch and side's of her mouth perking up into a grin in return. She was starting to think maybe she could really trust him.

     "Let's split up and each bring one guy to join us." Sang-woo eventually broke the silence, his figure a bit tense from the scolding he got, "Sae-bom, Soo-min, you two stay here so we have a spot for our team. Okay?"

    The said girl bit her bottom lip, and glanced to Sae-byeok nervously, not wanting to leave her alone. But she saw the reassuring look her sister had and watched her walk off into the crowd, along with the rest of the group to find someone.

     Sae-bom's back pressed against the cool metal wall. Around her, players were chattering, their voices overlapping in a chaotic symphony of desperation, strategy, and nervous laughter. She kept her gaze trained on her group as they branched out, searching for more allies among the sea of competitors.

      Beside her, Soo-min stood silently, his presence a steady weight next to hers. He had been watching over her sister when she couldn't, making sure she was safe while she was caught up in the deadly game.

     His cold demeanor kept most people at a distance, but she had come to notice something different about him—a softness he only ever revealed to her or her sister so far.

     Sae-bom exhaled quietly, still watching Sae-byeok scan the room for someone. The tense atmosphere made her wary, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Soo-min had something on his mind.

     "You got something to say to me?" She asked in a low mumble, breaking the silence between them.

      Soo-min flinched slightly, as if she had caught him off guard. His usual aloofness wavered, and for a brief moment, a shy and almost charming expression flickered across his face. He cleared his throat, running a hand through his dark hair in an uncharacteristically nervous gesture.

     "You don't have to answer," He started, his voice quieter than before, and his eyes flickered down to her figure, "but... why did you join the games? Besides looking for your sister, I mean."

      Sae-bom stiffened at his question, her hands instinctively tucking into her pockets. She turned her head slightly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye before her gaze landed on one of the many cameras mounted on the wall, trained directly on her. A heavy sigh left her lips.

     "I'm looking.... for someone," She admitted, her voice barely above a whisper, "Someone I lost a while ago. And all the clues led me here."

      He hummed in response, tilting his head back against the wall. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, and Sae-bom found herself momentarily distracted, heat creeping up her neck.

     She quickly looked away, confused by the sudden warmth in her chest. Maybe it was because he was undeniably handsome, or maybe it was because something about him reminded her of—

      She shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside.

     Before she could fully regain her composure, a warm hand landed on top of her head. Sae-bom froze. Through her bangs, she peeked up to find Soo-min smiling down at her, his fingers threading through her black locks in a surprisingly gentle motion.

     Then, before she could react, he leaned in, invading her space with an easy confidence that made her jolt. Her breath caught—for a moment she saw In-ho's handsome face, but then it disappeared as Soon-min flicked her nose.

     "Yah—!" She yelped a curse word, recoiling as she clutched her nose in mild pain, "What the hell was that for?"

     Soo-min simply tucked his hands into his pockets, his smile never fading, "You need to stop thinking so much," He said, his tone lighthearted, "If you need help finding this person, I'll help you."

      Sae-bom stared at him, mouth slightly parted in shock. He had already turned his back to her, his focus elsewhere, as if he hadn't just said something that made her chest tighten.

     Her fingers still gingerly rubbed her nose as she watched him, the resemblance between him and In-ho becoming clearer with every passing second. And instead of bringing her comfort, it made her heart ache.

    More than it should have.

       Gripping the necklace around her neck, she walked up to stand beside Soo-min, both of them watching their group go to many different people, but still hadn't found three players. She was sure Ali did, by the looks of it however.

      A sudden shiver went down her spine feeling like something, or rather someone was watching her. She turned around a small amount, and instantly spotted a guard in the corner with his eyes trained on her. He didn't look away even when she spotted him.

     It made matters worse when she saw him speaking into a walkie talkie he had, and her stomach twisted with a bad feeling for some reason. It was almost like he was informing someone about her. At that thought, she just moved closer to Soo-min who didn't seem to mind at all, her not knowing what she did would have an effect later on.

       Butterfly effect.

      Sae-bom's attention was taken away Player 101 and Player 212, as they were in the middle of a commotion. She grimaced seeing the lady on her knees begging, and she wished she could wipe that smirk off Player 101's face, she hated him and how he treated everyone.

      Player 212 was even hugging the male and sobbing. She even tried to kiss him, but Player 101 had enough and yelled as he threw her to the ground. Sae-bom saw blood. She went to step forward, but Soo-min was quick to grasp the girl by her waist and wrist.

     "No, Sae-bom don't--" His frantic whisper was by her ear, as she fought against his hold, and he just pulled her against his chest, arms holding her captive, "It's not worth it. Don't run in fists first."

      She just grunted with a glare directed at Player 101, but relaxed in Soo-min's hold eventually. She may not like either player, but she hated when woman would get beaten on by other males. She despised nothing more than that.

      Player 212 easily got back up, and Sae-bom had her threaten Player 101 making a small huffed laugh to escape her lips. She broke free from Soo-min's hold, as the rest of their group was coming back now and the timer was close to ending.

     "The others have gotten players, let's go." She mumbled tugging on his green sleeve, and motioned to the circle they were forming in front of them near the corner, as her eyes avoided his.

     The two sat down in the teams circle, Sae-bom next to her sister who gave her hand a squeeze in greeting, and Soo-min sat on her other side. Gi-hun went around the circle, and counted each player, but only ended up with nine people.

      Sang-woo wasn't happy, that much Sae-bom could tell. She could tell further more when he went to question the new girl her sister brought into the team, "What about you? Who brought you here?"

      She tilted her head at Sae-byeok, giving them a view of her nose piercing, and answered briefly, "Her."

      His jaw clenched, and his eyebrows raised up, "I said to bring only men back here, didn't I?" He snapped at the younger Kang sister, which had Gi-hun going pale feeling the raged aura coming from the older one.

     "This doesn't sound good." Player 240 commented with a deadpan, and sent him a bitter smirk, "You want me to go?" She began to stand up from her spot, "I'll go now--"

      Before she could however, Sae-bom reached over her sister's head to tug the girl back down, "No, no one's going anywhere. You're staying here." She said gently to Player 240 first, and then sneered at Sang-woo, "You better watch your tone. Men aren't everything, you hear me? We don't even know what we're doing yet. And the time's almost over. No one's leaving, we just need one more player and we're done."

     "We put together a weak team, Sae-bom, who would want to join it?" Her name was spat out from his mouth, his face in a scowl as he stated the obvious, "That means that once the timer's done, we'll end up with anyone that got kicked out."

     Her nostrils flared annoyed, opening her mouth to yell back at him, but the soft touch from Soo-min's hand on her thigh and the loud obnoxious voice of Player 212 both stopped her.

     "Well, I definitely didn't get kicked out!" Her whiny voice trailed off, as she walked around the group and stood behind the fuming Sae-bom, "Fellas, I'm gonna give you a rare chance to play with me."

      She bent down to shove the older Kang away, but paused mid movement spotting the scary glare on her face, and pushed Soo-min instead, who just deadpanned exhausted, "You guys lucked out today. Ugh," She gave one look at the other two girls, "I'll be way more help than either of these little girls. Plus, I'm good at everything expect the things I can't do."

      Sae-bom's loud groan interrupted the speech, and she smacked herself on the forehead, which gained all eyes on her in the group, "Would you please, and I mean please in the kindest way, shut up." She exclaimed with wide eyes, "No one wants to hear you shit, alright? Just sit there and be quiet."

      Her sister, Player 240, Soo-min and a few others all smiled amused at the woman who made Player 212 stay quiet instantly. She clicked her tounge, and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff, just as the clock beeps which signaled the end of the given time.

      "The time for forming your teams is over." The woman on the PA announces, causing everyone to go silent and listen to her words, "All players, please line up with your teammates at the entrance to the game hall."

      While the players began to move, Gi-hun furrowed his brows confused and glanced around the white room, before back to his team, "Hold on. We're not stay in here, though?"

     "Looks like we aren't," Sae-bom grits out as she stands up from the floor first, and stretched her arms over her head, making the skin on her hip flash them a bit, "Get your butts up, let's go already.

      One by one they all followed, and she held onto her sister's arm tightly until they were told to get into a straight line once more. She was up near the front behind Gi-hun, and clasped onto her necklace to calm her nerves wondering what the next game would be.

     The yellow doors opened wide all of a sudden, and it gave her a view of what was inside the next room. It seemed like a bridge of sorts, but had yellow lines along it and at the end had numbers where each time most likely had to stand. Not to mention the guards, who's eyes seemed to be on her again.

      Number four was where her group was walking to, and her breath hitched at how tall the building was in front of her. Two constructions were faced each other, with a rope hanging down from above, and lights all around the area to illuminated it. It looked like cranes, if she was being honest.

     "I would now like to welcome you all to the third game." The masked guard in charge began to talk, gaining everyone's attention instead of gawking at the scene, "Today's game is Tug-of-War. In order to win, you must pull the rope towards your platform in an attempt to drop your opponents down below."

      Sae-bom's face paled drastically hearing the reveal, and felt her fingers twitch against her sister's necklace. She didn't hate the game, and she knew her team could do it, but she tended to get.... way too competitive when it came to tug of war. By competitive, she once punched someone who was making fun her for losing back in school.

     "Now, I will draw numbers to decide which two teams will play first." The guard continued on, the tensed atmosphere around the players getting larger, "Everyone, please sit down."

      Players murmurer their thoughts as they did so, and Sae-bom sat down but kept her knees to her chest, arms wrapped around them tightly to control her nerves. Ever since entering the games, she's felt nothing but safe, and it didn't help that the guards were out for her too.

     "First, the time that will play on the left tower." The masked male speaks, just as the one in front of a covered wide box sticks his hand inside, and pulls out a round ball with a number in yellow on it, "Team One. Team One, please stand up."

      Sae-bom saw it was Player 101's team, and she prayed in her thoughts that they wouldn't pass this game. Yet, she knew that was just a dream and would never happen, as him and his team are like cockroaches -- they never die no matter how hard someone hits them.

     "And now, the team that will play on the right tower." Another ball was drawn from a different box, and the number seven was on it, "Team Seven, please stand up. Team One and Team Seven will be the first teams to play. Will both teams please go to your towers."

       Each team followed the guards instructions, and went to their selected towers. Sae-bom leant back into Soo-min, feeling his leg touching her back and she bit her bottom lip, stomach twisting nervously. She new this game was going to be hard, but she had to push through -- for Sae-byeok and the chances of finding her best friend.

      The gun to start to tug of war was fired, and now she watched both teams tug on the rope. It was a matter of life or death, as each time tugged and pulled, trying to pull the other one off completely to win. She could easily see how Team Seven was losing, and she turned her head just as she heard the terrified screams of the team falling to their deaths.

      Soo-min frowned worriedly seeing how paled she looked, and glanced from Sae-byeok who was talking to Player 240. He placed his hand over Sae-bom's trembling one on her leg, and made her head snap up to him. He gave her a reassuring smile, and a hand squeeze, gaining a small smile back.

      "The following players, Player 245, Player 120, Player 480, Player 27, Player 273, Player 58, Player 243, Player 327, and Player 241 are eliminated." The woman over the PA announced all the deaths, and their dead bodies were taken away by the guards in boxes, all cleaned up for the next teams.

      "I will now draw the teams for the next round." The guard spoke once the PA was over, and the dread Sae-bom felt got worse when she heard the next number that was called, "Team Four. Team Five."

      She was lucky Soo-min had a tight grip on her arm, otherwise she might of fallen over as she stood up with the rest of her group. She kept a calm face up front, but inside she was freaking out upon seeing the team full of all men that they were up against.

     They thought they were top shit, and Sae-bom was about to teach them otherwise.

      Sang-woo lead the group towards the elevator, and Players 101 team passed them on their way up, causing Sae-bom to give him the evil eye. He only just chuckled smugly, making her blood boil more, but she focused on the task at hand.

      She stepped into the elevator with Soo-min next to her, and Sae-byeok joined her other side with Player 240. Once they were all inside, the doors closed shut and the machine rumbles, as it starts to travel up to the platform.

      "Come on. Don't lose your spirit." Player 01 suddenly spoke up with a grunt, causing all eyes to land on the old man, and Sae-bom felt her heart warm hearing his encouragement, "Tug-of-War needs more than just raw strength."

     "Well then, what it's about, huh?" Player 196 interrupted the wise man's words, his tone holding nothing but judgement gaining an eye roll from the Kang woman, "We just go out and speak to them?"

      "All you need is a good strategy in Tug-of-War and combined with good teamwork, you'll be able to win when you are against stronger teams." The old man continued to explain, and no one was believing him but the very few near the front around Sae-bom.

      "Only one thing can help us now. It's the Lord himself, I know it." Another one of the new members spoke without thinking, and it gained him scoffs from a few of the others.

     "You can barely stay standing, old man. So shut up and keep all your strength, okay?"

      Sae-bom had enough of their useless yapping.

     "Yah, new guy!" She suddenly called out, arms crossed over her chest as Soo-min and Gi-hun stood behind her, "Look, I get you're scared and don't want to hear someone who clearly knows about this game a lot more then you do, but shut up. Don't ruin other people's chances of survival with your whiny ways." She scolded him, voice sharp.

      Her sister smiled proudly to herself, always loving when Sae-bom put people in their place. She felt even more so when Player 240 muttered to herself, saying how badass Sae-bom was. And by the looks of it, more players in the room thought that by the impressed looks on their faces.

      The guy she attacked instantly quietened down, and his lips went into a straight line, silently cursing her out. But with one intense glare from Soo-min, the male paled in the face scared and moved right away from them.

     "Now, old man, what were you saying?" Sae-bom lowered her voice to a softer one, bending down to Player 01's height with a small smile, "Don't let them quieten your voice, sir. If you have a way for us to win, then please, do explain."

     Player 01 patted her hand gently in thanks with his wrinkled one, and cleared his throat to begin telling the group how he won his tug of war games. The strategy was clear, and it could be easily done, if they actually worked as a team which Sae-bom hoped they could.

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❪ ✏️ ❫ 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂 : 3994
─►☆ AUTHOR'S NOTE :
not a very long nor interesting chap im sorryyy guys but i had to power through this so we can get this season done and bring on the season daddy is home which will be veryy soon trust

yeah i am making soo-min a kinda love interest for sae-bom because it's all apart of the plot and it is not what you all think also, plot twists/drama is coming.... 😋

anywaysss you all know the drill, vote,
comment, ect (if you want) mwah <33