C H A M P I O N     O F     D E A T H

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NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES SHE CLOSED HER EYES, SAE-BOM KEPT SEEING THE ROOM FULL OF DEAD BODIES, AND THAT MYSTERIOUS MASKED FIGURE. It's not like her old jobs were any better with seeing blood, but she never saw that many dead people nor the one responsible for it killing them.

She didn't get scared nor cower away from most things she comes up against, but the moment she was faced with that black masked figure.... all she wanted to do was run and hide. Or better not, strip him off that mask to see who was underneath it.

Having a mask inside the building was understandable, she could understand why they hid their identity, she just didn't appreciate how they were going there way about it. The guards were intimidating, and now she somehow caught the attention of a black masked male, who seemed more in charge by how the guards listened to every comand.

Sae-bom was now starting to ponder on her decision upon entering the games. Yet if she didn't take that leap, she would of never found her sister until it was too late. She's just yet to locate her other reason for entering.

Currently the young woman was being escorted back to the main room, where all the bed were, with two guards behind her. She was thankful for the support Gi-hun was giving her, upon noticing the uncomfortable look on her face.

The guards did tense up when he wrapped his arm around her forearm, their fingers on the trigger, but with one sharp glare from Sae-bom, they eased up on the gun and continued to walk silently behind them down the colourful stairs.

She wiped away the blood on her cheek with her green sleeve, and grimaced at the colour staining her clothes now. Nothing new, she thought glancing up at all the players lingering in the middle of the room, but still so gross.

"Come on, this way." Gi-hun spoke to her softly, pulling the girl by her arm towards where their team was waiting for them, and the guards behind Sae-bom parted ways, and went back to their position near the door.

Sae-bom furrowed her brows at Sang-woo, and saw the conflicted expression on his face. She knew what he was thinking, like it was all his fault that Gi-hun and the old man barely passed the last game, and it was. She blamed him, but didn't voice it out loud.

"I'm sorry." Sang-woo was bold enough to say when they neared the group, his eyes avoiding the heavy stare from Sae-bom, "I was wrong to suggest separating."

Gi-hun, like the kind male he was, saw through his facade but didn't speak on it either, "Ah, don't say that." He assured him with a smile, "How could you know what it was? Choosing the umbrella was my call. Don't worry, okay?"

He patted Sang-woo on the shoulder gently, and the male hummed lowly in response, as he smacks his lips to clear his throat, "Yeah, the whole team made it."

The corner of Sae-bom's lips perked up watching her team, and gave Ali a wider grin when the male came up to stand on her other side with a smile of his own, before her attention went towards the crowd to locate her sister.

Her dark eyes scanned the majority in the room, grimacing at Player 212 who joined the prick group of male's, whom she couldn't wait to put in place when the time was right. She knew the leader had it out for her sister, and she would protect her now that she was inside the games.

She found Sae-byeok sitting in her bed again, looking unharmed with the same male from before who pushed Sang-woo away from her. She sighed in relief at them both being safe, catching the male's dark eyes across the room for a few seconds, and watched how his went wide for some reason.

The connection was broken when the woman over the PA echoed through the speaker with a new announcement, "Attention, players. I will now announce the results of the second game."

Sae-bom watched with narrowed eyes, as the screen on the wall in the centre of the room starts to change, a trilling sound coming from it. The money amount goes up drastically, but the player amount drops just as much.

"Out of the 187 players who participated, 79 players were eliminated."

A tube leading into the massive glowing piggy bank started to spit out money, and it all landed into the already massive amount inside. Most people were excited seeing the money, where was Sae-bom felt her stomach twist realising the people were hungry for money. Very hungry.

And that hunger would lead to players turning against each other, and more blood baths she would have to witness. She didn't want her sister to witness it either. That fact alone made her palms sweaty, and nerves spike up.

"The prize money accumulated this round is 7.9 billion won," The gold lights began to fade as the words sunk into everyone's minds, "The total prize money accumulated so far is now 34.8 billion won."

Chatter instantly flowed through the room, it being loud and annoying as it made Sae-bom curse them all out in her head. She knew that money would be amazing to have, but at what cost would it take for her to win that? She didn't want to think about it.

She caught her sister's eye from across the room, seeing Sae-byeok moving down to the lower level beside the taller male, and sent her a small wave to acknowledge her. She gained a lip perk up in response, making the older one roll her eyes fondly.

"Attention. Your mealtime begins now."

The PA once again was back, stopping all conversations among the players. Guards came walking out of the door near the front, four of them rolling in metal tables that were covered by a white cloth, it most likely being the food given.

"All players, please form a line in the center of the room." And everyone did just that, uncomfortable but silently got into the two lines where they were handing out the food.

Classical music plays over the speakers, and it made Sae-bom's eye twitched upon hearing the music, that seemed to be always played when they had meal breaks. It was annoying, well getting annoying for her.

The line she was in kept getting smaller and smaller, the girl being behind Gi-hun per usual as she felt safest around him other then her sister. Her head peeks over his shoulder, and saw that they were getting a glass of soda and a boiled egg.

Like clock work, she ended up in front when Gi-hun got hers, and he waited for her off to the side. She grabbed the bottle and egg, glancing up at the masked guard with a lopsided smile in a thankful gesture.

She only got a barely noticeable head nod from the male, making her brow raise curiously, but turned around with her food hearing the people behind her getting impatient.

"At least it's better then nothing." She muttered with a scrunched up face to Gi-hun, holding up the food and drink in her hand, as they walked back to where the others sat on the stairs.

He laughed amused at the comment, and bumped his shoulder into hers, "I thought this soda was one of your favourites?" He asked and reminded, a smile creeping up on his mouth upon her stunned reaction, "I thought you'd be more happy than this."

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, realising that what he said was true and the drink in her hand was something she drunk a lot, "Yeah.. I guess I am happy." She hummed confused, her stomach twisting at the fact another one of her favorite things were given to them.

Whatever the reason was, it couldn't be good, but she didn't want to ponder on the matter yet as she needed more clues or hints as to why it was happening. Nor did she have time to focus on it, her main focus was her sister and finding her beloved.

Shaking away those thoughts, she peeled the egg from the shell and placed it into her mouth. She sat down in between Gi-hun and Sang-woo, much to her pleasure and continued to eat her food, while taking sips from the bottle of soda that quenched her thirst.

Wiping her hands along her tracksuit pants, she placed her bottle down beside her and looked across the room, eyes staying on Sae-byeok sitting on the stairs with that male again. She really needed to meet him and get his name.

Even if she wasn't by her sister's side all the time, she was thankful someone was brave enough to even talk to her in the first place, let alone stick by her. She was surprised knowing what Sae-byeok was like trusting people, but also relieved she gave the male a chance.

Commotion somewhere in the room suddenly took her attention away, and she watched as a few of the players didn't end up getting their food. This made her brows furrow worried and finish the last of her drink that made her smile a bit remembering whom she use to share them with.

   The masked guard wasn't pleased with the players yelling and demanding food, so when Player 271 moved forward a gun was pulled on him, causing the other players to exclaim in alarm.

"It was prepared for the exact number." The guard commented firmly again, still holding up the loaded gun to the players forehead. All of them were blind to see what really happened, but Sae-bom had a feeling that the guards didn't care.

"Excuse me." A female's voice from the crowd spoke up, Player 198, and all their eyes moved to the trembling woman who stood up, "It was them. They..." She pointed to the arrogant group of males with Player 212, "skip the line and got seconds. I saw it."

Every player now stared at the group with judgemental looks, and Sae-bom rolled her eyes with a tongue click, I'm not even surprised, she thought crossing her legs against the stairs, staring at the group also, bunch of assholes.

With a mouth full of the second egg he stole, Player 101 cursed them all out, "Hey, what's the matter, everybody? Jeez." He scoffed, and swallowed the rest of the egg in his mouth that Sae-bom found gross, "You never see a guy eat before, is that it?"

Sae-bom sat up more in her spot as Player 271 stomped his way over to the pig of a male, heavy breaths leaving him from how mad he was, "Who do you think you are?" He shouted pointing a finger at the group, "That's my food you just ate."

"Ah. So, uh, is this yours?" The condescending tone coating his voice even made Sae-bom's jaw clench, and she knew it made Player 271 even more upset, "Is your name on it? 'Cause I sure don't see anything."

He began to laugh like it was amusing, and the rest of his group did so also, like the bullies they were. Player 101 held up the soda bottle, and smirked smugly, "I'm sorry." He took another sip from it, and that was the last straw.

Player 271 acted without thinking, and pounced forward to grab the bottle from out of the latter's hand, "Give it back! It's mine--!" They wrestled each other for the drink, but it ended up spilling it everywhere mostly, and the bottle shatters on the floor into pieces.

Player 101's shirt was covered in the liquid, as his face twists into a look of rage looking at the broken glass on the floor, "You little shit, goddamn it." He turns to the smaller male, and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.

"Why'd you break it, you jerk?! How was this, huh?" He aims a punch to the side of Player 271 face, causing him to grunt in pain and fall to the ground defenceless, "How come a scrawny guy like you is so greedy about food?"

    Sae-bom glared at the scene happening in front of her, not believing how shitty Player 101 was until now. She was going to stand up and intervene, but Sang-woo's hand shot out to snatch her wrist, and pulled her back down.

The Kang woman snapped her head towards him with an incredulous expression, but he just shakes his head at her and mouths 'No'. He knew how reckless she was when helping people and getting involved in situations.

Player 101 continued to kick the poor male on the floor in the stomach, giving him no time to defend himself as the hits were brutal. It seemed like he was taking his anger out on Player 271, and yet no one was brave enough to stop him.

Well, that was until a familiar mop of black hair ran past her group, making Gi-hun and Sang-woo to instantly stand up alarmed, as Sae-bom was using her palms to forecefully push away Player 101 from the unmoving male.

"Yah, enough! What on earth is wrong with you?!" She got into the male's face, her eyes wide and expression being a scowl as she motioned to Player 271 on the floor, voice a loud exclaim, "You like hitting a defenceless male, huh? He's had enough."

The murderous glint in his eyes didn't scare her one bit, and she just continued to scowl up at Player 101 who breathed heavily, and turned to walk away from the person who literally kicked to death.

All the guards who had their fingers on the trigger pulled them off, when Playe 101 walked away from Sae-bom and back into his corner with the team he created. The guards were ready the second she ran from her spot sitting on the stairs.

Sae-bom scoffed at the figure of Player 101, stomach twisting with rage that she tried to control knowing her sister was watching her. She found Sae-byeok's fearful eyes in the crowd, and gave her a small reassuring smile, despite how it was forced.

She ran her fingers through her hair, ignoring the feeling of the camera on her figure and turned to Sang-woo, who came up to squat beside the unmoving Player 271.

"Hey, you okay?" He got no reply and shakes the male's shoulder some more, "Hey, wake up." One more he was met with no response, causing Sae-bom's face to pale as she saw the blood on the floor from his mouth.

Sang-woo moved the collar of the male's jacket, and pressed her fingers onto his pulse point, trying to find a beating one, but instead was met with nothing. Dead.

He lifts up his hand from the male's neck, and turns to look at his two friends behind him, "He's gone." His voice was only a whisper full of dread, and it instantly made the player begin to murmer upon hearing the news.

The colour drained from Sae-bom's face, and placed a hand up to cover her mouth in shock. She shared a wide eyed look with Gi-hun, who had a similar reaction to her as he bent down closer to the dead player.

"Uh, hello, guards. Can someone do something?" Gi-hun's voice came out in a stuttering yell, breathing shakily as Sae-bom helps him up from the floor, and they both turn to the guards not seeing any movement from them.

This set's Sae-bom's rage off drastically.

"Yah! Didn't you hear what he said?!" She exclaimed through a bellow, letting Gi-hun's arm go as she marched towards the guards, "A person died. Why are you just standing there like nothing happened?! Do something!"

She reached out to grab the square guard's suit in between her fists, and she expected a gun to be pulled on her but was met with nothing of the sorts. And so she shook the male she had grabbed, trying to get her point across.

"Are you gonna let this slide? To allow players to kill other players?" She continued to exclaim in a fit of rage, feeling the camera's watchful lense on her which fulled her anger, "That bastard killed him, a male who only wanted his food Player 101 stole from him! How is that fair?!"

The guard only just stared at her, not moving any movements nor reacted to her speech, which made her shove him away and snap her glare up to the camera in the corner of the room.

"I know you can hear and see me, why aren't you letting your guards do anything!?" She yelled up at the camera, looking directly into the lense heatedly as she had no idea whom she was actually yelling at, "What's the point of the team games then if we all kill each other, huh--?!"

Warm, but unfamiliar hands suddenly grasped her wrists from behind, causing her speech to come to a stop. She flinched not expecting the touch, and span around to uppercut whoever grabbed her.

However she paused mid way, realising it was the same male who's been hanging out with her sister and brought her fist back down that he was still holding. Her chest was moving up and down frantically, pants leaving her as his soft eyes stare down into hers.

No words could be passed between them, as the woman over the PA was back and announce something that mad Sae-bom's stomach drop and teeth to grit, "Player 271, eliminated."

The player number went down and the cash prize went up. And not even a second later, more money came spitting out through the tube into the piggy bank, followed by the guards bringing in a black box with a ribbon around it for the dead body.

Player 101 had the nerve to scoff a laugh upon seeing the box, and Sae-bom would of slapped the expression right off his face if it wasn't for the unfamiliar male's hands still holding her against his chest.

She really was shown how little people cared in this place she was trapped in, and it scared her. A lot.

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THE GUARDS EVENTUALLY LEFT WITH THE DEAD BODY OF THE PLAYER, AND NOW IT WAS COUNTDOWN TILL THEY WERE ALLOWED THE SLEEP. But this time around, sleep wasn't optional for all the players as watching 101 kill 271, it awakened a thirst for blood and a thirst to kill other players upon realising they would get money faster.

Sae-bom didn't stop getting stares after her outburst at the guards, and it both annoyed her and made her not care less about what others may think. The entire thing was handled the wrong way, but it seemed she couldn't do anything about it no matter how hard she tried.

Player 50 had ended up letting go of her once he realised he was still holding onto her, and she found it amusing upon how flustered he got. She did reassure him it was fine when he frantically bowed his head in apology to her.

Now he was back over where Sae-byeok was sitting on her bed, and waiting for her sister to come over. She just had to talk with her group first, and then she could go protect her from the nightmare of a night they were about to have.

The timer on the clock ticks eerily in the massive room, it being the loudest thing to be heard inside as the players were talking quietly in the group they picked to camp out through the night with.

"We can't fall asleep tonight, okay?" Sang-woo was the first to talk, his lidded eyes glancing at the four sitting around him on the stairs, "Who knows what someone else may try."

Gi-hun and Sae-bom shared a look, her sitting next to him on the stairs as they glanced over to the group of males with Player 212, the ones on Sae-bom's shit list if she ever got the chance to punch them.

"Look at them. It looks like they're planning something." As Sang-woo said that, a few of the players in the circle turned to glance at them, and Player 101 had a predatory smirk looking straight at Sae-bom only.

She only gave him a deadpanning reaction, lips in a straight line which only made the weirdo male's smirk grow wider, until it made the sides of his face crinkle. If it weren't for her knowing what he was like, she would have thought he was showing her a kind gesture. But it was far from it.

"If they try to attack someone, let's group together and fight them." Sang-woo continued on, meeting Sae-bom's eyes as a flash of understanding passes through them, and he gently grabs Ali's shoulder, "Come to our side if anything goes wrong."

Ali nodded his head, listening to everything that was being said by the older male, "Okay, I will." He confirmed, gaining a smile from Sae-bom who was liking him more and more.

She watched as Gi-hun spoke the the old man in her group, her heart clenching seeing how tired Player 001 looked already, and knew they needed to be on extra guard when the light's go out to protect him.

Her eyes drifted to her sister curled on the stairs across the room, and decided to stand up upon noticing the stares Sae-byeok was getting, that was shot down by Player 50's glare.

The young adult jumped off where she was sat, none of her group worried where she was going, as she knew the plan and would come back when the light's were out. She strolled on over, hands tucked in her tracksuit's jumper.

"Hey, kid." She called out softly once she arrived, and came up to stand beside the surprised Player 50, "How you holding up? You shouldn't be alone tonight, not when that thug is in the same room as us."

Sae-byeok glanced up from staring at the floor, and uncrossed her arms around her knees, "I'm fine, Unnie." She answered just as quiet, "And I won't be alone, I have him with me." She motioned to the quiet male, who tensed up at the sudden attention.

Player 50 blinked rapidly, and nodded his head, "Y-yeah, yes!" He turned to the amused Sae-bom, and he gave her a confident grin this time, flashing his perfect teeth, "I'm here to protect her miss, don't sweat it."

"Drop the 'miss', please." She rolled her eyes, and pointed a finger at his chest, as he was only a few inches taller then her, "Protect her, huh? Guess I should be thanking you for looking after my sister."

His smile didn't waver, already knowing who Sae-bom was from the younger girl, "No worries. I knew her before entering the games, so I was pretty surprised seeing Sae-byeok in here." He admitted with a sheepish chuckle.

Sae-bom raised her brows hearing this, and got up closer into his face, arms crossed over her chest as she observed him closely. Player 50 gulped nervously, his dark eyes staring into her similar pair, and felt his cheeks getting warmer.

Her sister, who watched the entire interaction both amused and annoyed, opened her mouth to break their sudden moment, "Calm down. I know him from the orphanage, he's not a threat Sae-bom."

Sae-bom hummed lowly in the back of her throat, eyes still narrowed on the nervous male who chuckled breathily now. But she pulled back all of a sudden and shot him a lopsided smirk, "That's to be decided in time."

"I don't trust people, you know that." The younger sister gave the elder one a pointed look, "And that's twice as true for anyone who'd end up in here. If I'm still near him, that's saying a lot Unnie."

"I know that," Sae-bom moved the male aside with her arm, and he chuckled deeply but changed spots, so she could wrap her arm around her sister's shoulder, "I'm just trying to look out for you, you know? I need to protect you also. It isn't his job to, it's mine."

Sae-byeok grasped her sister's arm, fingers clutching the green material of her jumpsuit, and rested her head against the latter's side, "I know." She repeated in a mumble, feeling the safest in her siblings embrace.

The older one pressed a small kiss into the messy mop of hair on Sae-byeok's head, feeling the stares of the group that belonged to Player 101 on her back, but the male with them shielded their embrace from prying eyes.

"Don't worry," His confident tone brought their attention back on him, as he flashed them a charming smile and placed his hands on his waist, "I won't let anything happen to either of you. You have my word."

Something tugged at Sae-bom's heart looking at the handsome guy, him reminding her of the male she's lost and has yet to find. She tried to push away those emotions, and sent him a small, thankful smile.

The timer was getting closer to light's out, and the trio would stick together, no matter what. She knew if things went south, her other group would come in clutch.

She just hopped nothing bad happened, but little did she know, the player massacre would shift the tides of the games.

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❪ ✏️ ❫ 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂 : 4369
─►☆ AUTHOR'S NOTE :
yeah i got second hand embarrassment writing this chapter. sae-bom's character is loud and will speak her mind when there is something going on that doesn't like nor agree with, so just a warning she WILL probably give you secondhand embarrassment sometimes sorry guys 😭

ahhh another pookie oc is now introduced and i can't wait to write soo-min with the sisters, he's gonna be so protective of them especially sae-bom.. ehhehe yes i have plans but don't worry, in-ho will forever be the only man in my girl sae-bom's heart (like mine)

next chapter you all will get so see how badass sae-bom can be when fighting and protecting people, so im really looking forward to writing that 😜

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