? ﾝﾓﾹ? ﾝﾓﾼ? ﾝﾓﾭ? 4:
? ﾝﾓﾐ? ﾝﾓﾖ? ﾝﾓﾝ?
Luna isn't sure why Tae's being so strange today. As usual they met up at Jimin's bunk, getting barely passable food and eating it in silence. She stares at the milk in her hands, passing it along to Jimin, the man gobbling it down without even double checking if that's okay with her. She bites back a chuckle at his adoration of the liquid. Luna will never understand how. She used to be a vegan. Not anymore, but she used to be. Milk wasn't included in her diet, and when she tried it after going pescatarian, she almost vomited. To this day she's still not sure why, but the more important takeaway is that she's never had milk again.
Did she just go on a whole spiel about milk in her mind? Very much so, but she's been so bored she has no other options. Huh, who ever thought she'd be bored in a killer game? She uses all her strength to hold back a dry chuckle at the thought. What has her life become?
"I thought I was the optimist of the group," Tae starts, nudging Luna's shoulder. "But you look like the optimist right now with your cryptic staring."
She forces a smile and turns back to face him. "Oh so it's cryptic?"
"Very," he hums back, Jimin quietly sipping on the remainder of his milk. Poor boy has puppy eyes since he's running out. "Jimin, you know you can ask for more." Tae hands Jimin what's left of his, the oldest of the three lighting up and snatching it. Then, he pauses.
"Wait I took both yours and hers. That's not fair," he pouts. He's a grown man but he's still pouting like a child. Amazing how that works. Luna can't complain though, she likes it better when the people around her have a similar attitude to hers. A little crazy but hiding things they've never told a soul. Tae admitted to not even telling his best friend everything. Jimin's so innocent in this, Luna wishes she understood why he was here, but all he mentions is a family and that's it. There has to be more than that. A deeper, philosophical reason.
"It's okay, really. If I drink too much of it I'll have to use the bathroom a lot... speaking of," Tae slowly drags out, hopping off the bed. "See you in a few minutes."
Jimin snorts, "Don't get murdered."
"Spoiling my plans," Tae sighs before sauntering away.
Luna watches him go, making sure he gets there safely and no one follows him. When she turns, she's amazed to see Jimin looking right at her. "Who are you?" he's quick to ask. A valid question, but not one she particularly knows the answer to herself.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that? I've known you a day and a half and all you talk about is your family. The movies I watched growing up always told me family doesn't define a person, yet here you are, letting it define you," she replies without raising her tone once. It's not like she's mad at him, or even upset, rather she wants to know the man she'll be fighting alongside. Truthfully she mostly chose Jimin and Tae because A) they were together B) they looked strong and C) they looked smart. They were sticking to themselves and observing rather than touching everything. She admired that.
"I'm a father," he answers, "fathers would do anything for their children."
"Even leave them to come here and possibly die?"
"That wasn't my choice." He points to the screen mounted to the wall, the screen displaying the player count and prize money. "You voted to stay, not me."
"Touché," she remarks, turning to lean against the metal frame of his bed. There's silence that beats on for several seconds. "I don't know why I'm here." She can feel his gaze on her head. "Is that weird?"
He chuckles, the bed creaking underneath him. "I don't know why I'm here either," he replies, letting out a soft sigh.
"Family," she reminds him.
"The family that's just about had it with me. The family that left me a day ago and told me to get my shit together. The family that yelled at me for getting bruises in exchange for money, yet here I am doing much worse." He clicks his tongue. "I've been doing the same shit over and over again for a while. I don't know how to feel about that."
She turns to see his eyes casted downwards, the brown shade flickering with an emotion Luna wishes she could describe. "Then who are you?"
He shakes his head. "When I first married her I thought I was a husband. When my baby girl was born I thought I was a father." He meets her eyes. "Now I'm Park Jimin. The worst part is I still don't know what that means." Luna places a hand on his shoulder and squeezes, the two nodding together.
Before either of them can continue their conversation, there's a shout from the center of the room. Both of them snap their heads over in time to see a man getting circled by another group that's formed within the walls of this Hell. Luna hops to her feet on instinct, holding her hand in a fist by her side. "Little bitch!" one man says, throwing a fist at another. A dumb mistake since the other is better built. 077. Her eyes widen. The same man who saved Taehyung in the first game.
077 is quick to dodge, cracking his knuckles while he glares at the one facing him. Luna doesn't bother looking at the number. Everyone's eyes are on 077 after all. The man lands a solid punch on 77, but he barely reacts. However, before anything else can happen, a new foe steps into the ring. Kim Taehyung.
"Leave him alone!" Tae demands, pushing the opponent back and standing in front of double 7. The bigger man's eyes widen from seeing Tae. Luna's heart jumps when the other doesn't back down, throwing a swing at him. Tae jumps back, but it's not enough. He gets hit. As soon as the contact is made, Tae staggers back, Luna deciding she's had enough. Petty fights are one thing, but Tae? A rush of adrenaline hits her veins. For some reason her heart is telling her to protect him. So that's exactly what she does.
She charges forward and pushes the man so harshly that he falls completely on his ass. The two goons by his side go for her, the woman preparing herself to fight. The pain never comes. 077 steps in, completely annihilating the other two in mere seconds. They fall next to their leader, the victor towering over the three fallen men. "개새끼," 077 huffs, kicking the lead man in the gut. He grunts and gags, coughing out discolored saliva and choking on his own spit. 077 kneels, poking the man's forehead. "너 진짜 불쌍해요."
Luna goes still, trying to comprehend what the hell he just said. "He's insulting him," Jimin's voice clarifies. She nods her thanks, 077 spitting on the man's jacket before straightening his appearance and walking to Tae. He pats him on the shoulder, giving Tae a look of gratitude. Tae on the other hand looks absolutely terrified.
"Must be terrifying insults," she whispers. Jimin doesn't verbally agree or disagree, rather he strides closer to his best friend and comes up behind him. The trio speak in Korean briefly before turning to Luna, the confused foreigner. There's plenty of those around. If she could give this game praise for one thing, she'd praise it for the diversity.
Jimin and Tae motion to Luna, the woman understanding what they mean right away. Together the four ignore the glares and go back over to Jimin's bed, sitting back down. 077 stares directly at the man struggling to stand, giving him a taunting wave. When they're done with their metaphorical dick measuring contest (that 077 easily won), the new face turns to the other three.
"I'm surprised you supported me," he starts, Luna amazed by his voice. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."
Tae softly smiles, "You saved me during red light green light, least I could do."
077 lights up. "You're the one I caught?" Tae nods, 077 chuckling. "Small world I suppose." He motions to the area around him. "More like small arena."
"Thank you for saving me. I wouldn't be here without you." 077 nods, shooting Tae a smile that almost makes him look like a bunny. Tae softens at the sight, Luna doing the same. "Why was that man after you anyway?"
077 whistles casually, taking a wrapped, half-crushed pack of bread out of his pocket and a container of milk out of his other. "I was hungry, so I took his food while he wasn't looking." The way he says it so casually makes Luna mentally laugh. This player can smile like a bunny but look buffer than any man she's ever seen while spitting insults in Korean at another man. In other words: he'd be a wonderful asset to their team.
"Well maybe I should've let you get a punch then. Poor guy must be starving," Tae lets out, the sarcasm dripping from his tone.
"He ate his own teeth for lunch, I think he'll be okay," 077 chuckles, opening the bread and setting the milk down. Jimin, who still has Tae's milk right beside him, eyes the full beverage with puppy eyes. Ahh this man, he's too much. 077 takes notice, raising a brow at his actions. "You look older than me but you're acting twelve. You have a tongue right? Use it old man, what do you want from me?"
Jimin pouts and points, 077 shaking his head. "Please?" Jimin begs. 077 motions to the one by his side, Jimin lighting up when he realizes he hasn't drank it yet. Luna can practically see the victory dance inside Jimin's mind as he opens it and takes sips instead of chugs.
"How old are you?" he asks Jimin.
"Twenty-six."
077 hums in acknowledgement, Tae furrowing his brows. "I'm Kim Taehyung. This is Park Jimin and Luna Esposito. Can I ask what your name is?" Tae inquires, not getting too close to the man who's nibbling on his stolen bread.
When he swallows one piece, he turns to Tae. "Jeon Jungkook. Don't get attached, I'm only here to get the money and leave, not make friends. Only talk to me if you have to."
"We only have six days to do so anyway," Luna huffs, shaking him off, "do you really think I'm here to be best buds with them? Doesn't mean I'm an asshole about it."
077 - Jungkook - turns his head at that. "Oh so I'm an asshole? The asshole who saved your new friend's life?"
"He has a name," Luna points out, "use it."
"Yes I'm aware, Kim Taehyung. Thanks for reminding me of the information I learned a few seconds ago sweetheart." Tae gets in front of her, giving the man a patient look. Jungkook snorts, "I'm not going to fight her, and if I did, your little hero play wouldn't mean shit."
Jimin crawls forward a bit, offering the last few drops of milk to Jungkook. He stares at it blankly. "Well, calcium helps you grow. Drink it, maybe you'll gain some maturity," Jimin offers with a fake kind smile. To everyone's amazement - Jungkook cracks a small smile at the joke and goes to take it. Jimin instantly pulls back. "Use your words, you have a tongue, right?"
Jungkook keeps the small, playful smile on his face and reaches forward, taking the milk. "Thank you," he replies, opening it and drinking it right in front of him. It was less than a quarter, but Jimin still frowns. Jungkook swigs the entirety down, placing the empty jug next to him and instead grabbing the full one. Everyone goes still when Jungkook gives it to Jimin. "I don't think it's working. I don't feel any difference. Maybe you need it more than me," he explains, nudging Jimin with the edge of the bottle.
Jimin shyly takes it, breaking out into a grin when he realizes Jungkook is being half-nice. Crazy how he saves Tae then is so cold, stealing food, and punching people. Luna finds it... interesting. Regardless she sinks into the background, observing rather than contributing to the conversation.
"Why'd you save me?" Tae asks. The question everyone's thinking.
"Well you were right there. I may not like anyone here, but if I can save you without getting myself killed I'll do it. I'm not that big of an asshole."
"Debatable," Luna says, shaking her head at him.
Jungkook is quick to snicker, turning his attention back to Jimin. However, before anyone can speak, calming music fills the room. Oh great. Luna stares at the door as it opens, more pink men sauntering inside. She swallows down what she thinks is fear before standing in-sync with the three men surrounding her.
"Attention all players, the second game is about to begin. Please follow staff to your designated locations," the speaker says. Luna rubs her eyes, Tae approaching her side as if on instinct. Luna glances back to see Jimin and Jungkook walking together, not speaking or even looking at each other. Luna bites back a laugh.
"Is this the part where we die a terrible death?" Tae asks.
Luna shakes her head. "I have no idea, all I know is that this shit will never end. Only two out of six. I'll feel better when we're on the last game." Tae nods in agreement, the two falling quiet as they join the rest of the crowd. The staircase comes into view only a few moments later, Luna choking on her own saliva. She'll never get used to seeing so many colors and stairs in one area. It overstimulates her, in a way.
"You okay?" Tae inquires.
"I'm not sure. It may sound strange, but this place reminds me of home." Tae raises his brow to ask the question he doesn't say. "Colorful and bright. It looks all warm and welcoming, but in reality it's a bloodbath. Living in that house was more like a prison. I'd prefer it here."
"That's why you voted to stay?" It doesn't sound like a question, so she doesn't bother answering. Luna's eyes avert themselves to the pink men creeping up the stairs. Even the way they walk is disturbing. She shudders, Tae gently grabbing her hand when he notices. She brings her gaze back to his, the man offering her a kind smile. "Let's do it together. What do you say acquaintance?" She laughs at the use of the word, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Let's do it together... acquaintance..."
Jin stares at the nameless man he met the day prior, amazed that he's approaching the elder. "Look who came crawling back. Regretting your decision?" Jin asks.
"Never," 191 answers. "But logically working with more people increases the odd of survival."
"191... is this your way of asking for a partnership?" The man grunts in annoyance, glancing around the room. A ginormous playground. Colorful as always, but no actual fun anywhere to be seen. Four shapes on the wall. Triangle, circle, star, and umbrella. "Well, umbrella is the most unique of the bunch."
"I doubt that's a good thing," 191 replies. "We should watch. If we see some confident people follow them. Maybe they're wrong about the game, but it's better to follow someone who might know than someone who doesn't know at all." Maybe this partnership won't be such a bad thing after all. Jin softly smiles and sits back on the balls of his feet, waiting until he hears the doors shut behind him.
"Attention players. Please get in line in front of a shape of your choice. You have two minutes to decide," the speaker announces. 191 shakes his head, eyeing the more confident players. Many of them choose triangle. Some choose circle. Very few choose star. However, there's a common theme: none of the early movers choose umbrella. Maybe Jin can learn something from 191.
"Triangle," he murmurs to Jin, who gets the message and follows him to the line. Slowly but surely the lines start forming with a pretty much even amount of players in front of each one. They stop in front of the gate, Jin facing 191 and observing him. Having this man as a partner is probably the best thing for him. Not only is he strong and tall, but he's a businessman. Probably not a great one seeing as he's in here, but he has to have some level of smartness. At least a little. Enough to help.
"Less than a minute. Anything you want to tell me?" Jin asks. 191 goes to shake his head, then stops himself.
"How are you? I imagine the vote couldn't have been easy on you."
Jin stares, his eyes slowly expanding. He finds himself hesitating for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. "I'm not sure. On one hand now I have a chance to get money for my kids. On the other I could die and never see them again. All this will mean nothing if I die." 191 doesn't reply for several seconds. Jin sees it as an opportunity to divert the topic away from himself. "What about you? You have to have something waiting on the other side of this. What are you looking for?"
"Money," 191 says. "I fucked up my first shot at business, now every corner I turn there's a loan shark waiting."
"So you're living for yourself?"
191 doesn't answer that. Jin peeks at the clock, the red timer noting that there's only thirty seconds left. "What's the downside to eating a clock?" Jin asks.
191 looks over at him. "What?"
"It's time consuming." Unable to help himself, Jin bursts out laughing. As in usual Jin fashion, he sounds like a windshield wiper. 191 doesn't even blink. "Alright not a winner," Jin says when he comes down from his laughing spree. "What do a tick and the Eiffel Tower have in common?" No answer. "They're both Paris-sites." More laughter from Jin. None from 191.
The timer runs out before Jin can continue. Jin swears he hears 191 mumble a "thank God", but he doesn't point it out. The doors to the shapes open, the pink men standing in front of the table it reveals. Woah wait hang on. Jin squints his eyes, taking in the sight of the tiny silver circles resting on the metal slab.
"The game you will be playing is sugar honeycombs." Jin goes still. Well. He's fucked. "Please take the tray from your assigned shape. The shape you have chosen is the shape you must remove from the honeycomb." Triangle or umbrella, doesn't matter. Jin's not known for steady hands. "The time limit is ten minutes. Players will pass if they remove the shape without breaking or cracking it within the time limit."
Within less than a minute the trays are distributed, Jin plopping on the ground in front of the enormous slide. 191 sits next to him, the two popping off the lids to their chosen shape. "Your time begins now." Jin takes the needle, making sure neither the tool nor the honeycomb is damaged in any way.
"Don't panic but don't focus too much on cutting in case a gunshot goes off and you flinch," 191 explains, giving a demonstration. Jin observes the way 191's calloused hands chip away at the candy.
"Guitar?" Jin asks, mimicking 191's actions.
"Guitar?"
"Did you play?" Jin points to the callouses on 191's hands, then his own. "Just a guess."
"Martial arts," he replies, flickering his gaze between their hands before getting back to work.
Jin doesn't pry any further, deciding against doing anything that may anger his new asset. As much as Jin hates to refer to him as that, he kind of has to. Having 191 by his side symbolizes power. Jin has that thing on his team. 191's muscles are bigger than some people's entire bodies. If he weren't in a death game, Jin might find him more intimidating than he already is.
The little scratches he creates test his patience. He briefly hears the echoes of 191's words bouncing around the walls of his head. He listens. Don't focus too much, otherwise a sudden gunshot might break the candy. No rash movements. Got it. Jin repeats the words like a mantra, chipping away until one side is broken off. Jin exhales, wiping a bead of sweat off his cheek and continuing.
By the time Jin finishes that first side, he glances up to see he only has eight minutes left. Two minutes for one side, and if he only has two sides left, that's around four minutes. He has plenty of time. Jin finds himself smiling as he battles the next one. However, his peace is interrupted by a shout of horror.
He snaps his eyes up, knowing exactly what that means. To his amazement - there's no gunshot that follows. His body goes still as he notices two players standing, one hysterical while the other is smirking. The hysterical one - 077 - pushes the man back. "No violence is permitted in this game," one of the pink men remind them.
"He stepped on my tray! He broke mine on purpose!" 077 exclaims, the two men sitting below him staring in astonishment. The pink men observe, the players around 77 quickly falling to his side.
"I can vouch for that. I saw him step on in," a woman from beside him says.
"We saw very well what happened. This is a fair environment meant to give everyone an equal chance to succeed," the square replies, "violence of any kind is not permitted." Within a flash, the man who stomped on the candy is dead. The gunshot reverberates across the walls of the room, Jin and 191 staring. Jin with horror, 191 with no expression.
Blood splatters on 077, but he pays it no mind. Rather he gives the men a pleading look. "P-Please, it wasn't my fault, please I can still do it! I had circle! Please, I deserve another ch-" He's cut off by a pink man coming over and shoving a new tray in his hands. 077 pauses for a beat, then thanks them profusely in Korean. 191 rolls his eyes and gets back to work, Jin staring a split second longer before following.
More gunshots ring out. Many shrieks and cries. Begs for forgiveness. For another chance. Jin tries to put them in the back of his mind, but the more he hears the cries, the more they turn into something else. Not women and men competing and failing. His children. His children crying for him not to leave them.
"You're distracted," 191 says. Jin glances up, 191 holding a finished, perfect triangle in his hands. It's in that moment that Jin realizes three minutes have passed.
Jin shakes it off. "Hard to focus when you're playing for life and death."
191 hands the triangle to a nearby guard, surprisingly not leaving as soon as he does so. Instead, he plops in front of Jin. "Sometimes talking about distractions removes them from the mindset."
"Are you always so formal?"
"Are you always so distracted, Seokjin?" he asks back.
Jin sighs, getting a few more scratches in while gunshots ring out around him. "Thinking of my kids. Of what would've happened if I stayed that day." 191 doesn't ask any further. Jin's grateful for that. "The more I hear the cries, the more I hear my kids begging me to stay." He dryly laughs. "But I left anyway. I didn't think twice about it."
"Was it something you had to do?"
There's a beat of quiet. "Yes."
191 doesn't speak again, not showing on his face how he's feeling. Without uttering even a whisper he nods and stands, allowing the pink men to escort him out of the room. It's on Jin now. He practices his breathing techniques, working on the next side. It takes another minute, but he eventually completes two out of three sides perfectly.
He pricks away at his final side, his mind wavering in and out of focus. More gunshots. Cries. His kids. His ex-wife- no. Jin abruptly stands with his container, stomping over to the group from before. 077, 013, 222, and 111. They peer up at him, not hiding the questions on their faces as he sits down next to 013. "Sorry to bother you, but my buddy finished before me and I suck at staying focused when I'm alone," he says. They slowly nod, returning to their tasks.
Jin sighs, noticing how there's only two minutes left. All four of them are pretty close to finishing. Must be a mini team. Jin observes each of them, scanning over their builds. 077 is well-built, similar to 191. A very valuable asset. 013 looks slim but muscular, not more so than 077 or 191, but enough to be useful in a fight. He also has this intensity to him, something that others don't have. Not even 191.
Next is the girl, 222. Jin remembers her from the beginning when she spoke up, but he can't recall her name to save his life. He weakly scratches at his candy while taking in as much detail as he can about her. She's focused, her hands steady. Maybe a doctor? No, she wouldn't be here if so. She'd have to fuck up royally not to make it as a doctor. Plus, she looks too young to have completed medical school already. Unless that's why she's here. Jin returns to his project, the end mere seconds away.
077 has enemies, that's what Jin should take of that. However, his enemy lost. Jin sees flashes of another fight happening with familiar faces, maybe that was them. That was only this morning... was it 077 and the mystery man? Jin shakes it off and decides to regain focus. Task first, study them second.
Giving himself something new to observe really helped. His eyes gaze only at the triangle shape below him. A little bit more, come on. His face covers itself with moisture, his stare averting to the clock for a moment to see the time. Forty-five seconds. "A-ha!" 077 chimes, hopping up, "faster slowpokes, you'll die at this rate." He eagerly turns to the pink man standing above them. "여기요!"
Jin shakes his head and continues, only seconds later 013 popping up to distract him again. "Almost done Tae?" 013 asks to 111. The man - Tae - nods in response. "Then we do it together." Jin pays them no mind, continuing his journey. Thirty seconds, Jin's counting in his mind. He can thank his interest in cooking for having a good mental timer. Regardless he scrapes and scrapes, nearly there.
"Done," 222 says, standing just as Tae and 013 do. Tae and 222 go to move, but 013 doesn't.
"Jimin?" Tae asks.
"Go. I'll wait for our new friend," 013 - or Jimin - replies.
Jin hides his shock well, listening to the receding footsteps of 013's friends. Luckily, Jin finishes with ten seconds left, 013 helping him to his feet as a pink man walks over to check. "You didn't have to do that," Jin says.
013 smiles as if they've known each other for years. "I wanted to."
They find themselves being escorted to the door. By the time they arrive, the timer beeps, panic filling the room. They're borderline pushed out before they can see the commotion clearly. Jin lets out a soft breath, another pink man coming around the corner and beckoning them forward. They follow.
"Jimin?" Jin asks while they walk.
"Park Jimin," he confirms, holding out his hand. Jin shakes it. "The girl is Luna, buff bunny-man is Jungkook, my friend is Taehyung, Tae for short."
Jin nods. "Kim Seokjin, Jin for short. My friend is uh... 191. He hasn't exactly told me his name yet."
"Yikes. Trouble in paradise?"
"Something like that."
Jimin and Jin march up the stairs in silence, zooming through the complex structure in what feels like seconds. They make it back to the main room in a minute or less, their feet pitter-pattering against the floor. Jin swallows the lump forming on the back of his tongue. How many people died? His jaw nearly drops upon seeing the difference in players. What started as over two hundred must be barely above a hundred. No way that many got eliminated... no way...
He spots 191 across the way, the man by himself. Jimin nudges Jin before rushing over to his friends. Jin takes it as an invitation to join, but he chooses to go to 191 first. 191 peeks up at the new intruder. "Miss me?" Jin asks. He's surprised when 191 cracks a soft smile.
"A little."
"Alright you seem a little tense, how about I tell you a story?"
"Oh come on-"
"I asked my dog what two minus two is. He said nothing," Jin says.
He laughs right after, 191 sighing as he sits on the edge of his bed. Jin dials down when he realizes he's not getting a reaction out of the muscular man. 191 motions to Jimin. "You made a new friend. Go to him." Jin sits beside 191, their gazes meeting.
"Not yet."
191 furrows his brows. "Why?"
"Not unless I have you with me... friend."
"You're crazy," 191 replies, letting his stare move to the player count. It hasn't moved yet. Jin's sure that will change soon, as soon as everyone's back. Jin peeps at the side door in time for it to shut, the speakers buzzing. Well, here comes their answer.
"Attention players. Out of the 222 players who participated in the second game, 108 of you passed." Murmurs break out in the crowd. That's 115 people gone. In one game. "34.8 billion won is the total prize accumulated as of the second game." Holy shit. "Congratulations on passing the second game."
"108 left. It'll get more competitive each game. You should go to them," 191 insists.
Jin places a cautious hand on 191's shoulder. "Come with me. Please. I want to see us both succeed."
191 turns. "Why?"
The repetition of the one word has his head spinning, Jin scrambling to come up with a reason. Deep down it's because Jin wants to see a broken man succeed. 191 is a mirror for Jin. He's not sure if he finds that comforting or not. Regardless of his thoughts, Jin sighs. "Because you deserve a team too."
There's a few seconds of silence, then, 191 jumps to his feet. Jin follows albeit with creased brows. He stalks off in the direction of Jin's new friends. Jin's eyes light up in understanding, hurrying his pace to be in-sync with 191. Funny how Jin knows the names of the four they're approaching but not of the one he claims he admires. 191. A businessman, callouses on his hands from martial arts.
They make it to the group of four gathered around what Jin assumes is Jimin's bunk. Jimin glances up. "Ah, there he is. What'd I say? Told you they'd make a good addition to our team. They seem like upstanding citizens," Jimin greets, standing to formally introduce the new two to the other three.
"Kim Seokjin, Jin for short," he says. "Specialty in jokes and good looks."
"Oh God we're screwed," 191 mumbles.
Jin nudges him, Jimin chuckling. "Glad to know we have at least one optimist. Tae and Luna over here are grumpy and grumpier, and Jungkook only talks when he wants to be intimidating." 077, Jungkook, shoots them a smile and a wave. Jin's far from intimidated by that. Jungkook looks like a bunny.
"How we feeling after that last game? Honestly, I thought it wasn't that bad," Jimin says.
Terrible. Jin feels terrible. He can play it off with jokes and smiles and laughs, but he's never felt such an overwhelming urge to vomit in his life. "They're games for children. As long as we don't overthink we should be fine. If we can do it as kids, we can do it as adults," 191 says.
Luna eyes him. "Do we get to know your name?"
"Maybe if you ask nicely."
Her eyes flicker with amusement, but Tae intervenes. "I don't trust either of you. Jimin's too nice, I won't make that mistake. There's four of us and two of you. Don't try anything."
"I almost shit my pants," 191 says. Tae grits his teeth, this time Jimin diverting the conversation.
"Nice to know that we're getting along," Jimin sighs. "Since we're all here, let's sit in a circle and tell some campfire stories, yeah?"
Before anyone can answer, the main doors open. Jin sighs. After that game he doesn't feel like eating dinner, but he kind of has to. Lunch earlier was enough to get them through, but this now? Horrible timing. The carts get rolled out, Jin clicking his tongue. All the food they've served is absolutely disgusting. Yet another horrible meal. Jimin sighs and leads the way, everyone following in his footsteps.
The wait is long and tedious despite them being some of the first to get in line. When it's Jin's turn, the man in front of him stalls. Jin's no idiot. He doesn't bother protesting. He doesn't have a death wish yet. "What the hell is this? We fight for our lives and get an egg?" the man asks. Jin can't be assed to so much as peek at his number. The pink man of course doesn't reply. "Fuck this," he mumbles, snatching the scraps the players are being given and rushing away to join his group.
Jin takes his share, sauntering away without causing any problems. He stands a way's away from the rest, his newfound friends joining him seconds later with their minimal portions. "I hate this place. Have I ever said that? I really despise this place with every inch of my body," Luna says.
"That's not a lot of inches," Tae replies. That earns him a harsh nudge from the shorter girl.
The squeak of footsteps and the sound of a shove brings Jin's attention back to the line. Four people walking in line right past people who have probably been waiting for five minutes now. Jin mentally groans but doesn't watch the scene play out. Jimin sits on his bed, Jin leaning against the railing.
"You guys can sit y'know," Jimin says.
Jin flicks his brown eyes over to Jimin's sitting form. "We just watched over a hundred people die." Jimin goes quiet. "You seem like a fine guy, but my God does it scare me how little you care. How are you so unaffected?" Jin asks.
Jimin stares at his egg, completely still. He doesn't even blink. "Okay, how about we talk about something other than death, yeah?" Tae questions. "Maybe we're all trying to get it off our minds since more is coming. That's what I'm doing right now."
"Not you. I see how terrified you are. Luna's acting tough, Jungkook's focusing on the money. Even 191 is scared deep down. Him though? Those smiles don't mean shit. You have nothing behind your eyes." Jimin stands, handing his egg and bottle to Tae.
"I'm gonna use the bathroom," he mumbles before doing just that. Jin watches him go, Tae sighing and turning to him with hooded eyes.
"Really? He has a daughter and wife and you think he's not scared? He brought you in and you're not even the tiniest bit grateful. Nice to know."
"He's got a point," Luna says. Tae stops mid-rant, whipping around to face her. "Jimin's nice and all, but even I'm terrified. He just sits there like nothing's wrong."
The remaining group members glance at each other, wondering who will speak first. However they get their answer seconds later when the sound of a body hitting the ground fills the room. With a gasp they all notice a man cowering away from another, much larger man. "Little bitch!" he shouts, kicking the shuddering man in the stomach. Jungkook goes to intervene, but Luna holds him back.
"I have faith in you, but this is their fight," Luna whispers. Jungkook, although reluctant, backs down. The kicks keep coming and coming, blood getting coughed up on the floor. Jin's vision goes blurry, his tears trickling down his cheeks. Is this what life has become? So desperate for money that this breaks out?
When the man has finally had enough, he strides back over to his corner, picking up a shard of a smashed bottle and swigging what's left down. Jimin, who just came out of the bathroom, comes over to the broken man, kneeling. Jin steps a bit closer, wiping his tears away. "Hey, you alright?" Jimin asks. There's no response. Jin heaves out a breath. Poor guy got his ass handed to him. Jin would need a minute to recuperate too. "Hello?" Jimin shakes him, feeling for a pulse moments later. Silence carries on in the dread-filled seconds. When Jimin looks up, Jin instantly understands what's going on.
Jimin wobbles to a standing position, glaring at the man who did the deed before storming over to the pink men standing behind the carts. "We need help! A man just died!" Jimin exclaims, but the pink men don't react. Or if they do, their masks hide it. "Hello?! Can you hear me?! I said a man died! That bastard killed him!" Jimin points to the smirking man in the corner of the room, but again, no one moves an inch. Jimin's face falls, him stomping around until he finds a camera and motions to it. "Help us! A man is dead! We shouldn't be killing each other like this! I thought you wanted to play fair!"
'In the games. They want to play fair in the games', is Jin's first thought. In here... it's anything. It's life in here. Everyday life. Jin's eyes see red, his hands balling into fists by his side. Jimin stumbles back as the doors open, revealing more pink men carrying a black casket with a pink bow on it. In any other situation, Jin would smile at the chosen bow and color. It reminds him of the bows he'd make for his sons. However, this is far from that moment in his history.
Instead of his sons smiling and laughing, Jin sees an execution parade marching towards its next target. Jimin watches with no emotion on his face, his shoulders slumping with his knees. No one speaks while the player count goes down by one more, the prize pool going up. 107 players. One more down just like that. Jin wills his eyes to move around the room, taking in the sights of the pitiful other civilians in the room. Some are horrified, some are emotionless. Some are smiling. And it's in that moment that Jin realizes why this happened. Why they were fed less food. Why no guard intervened for violence in here when they did during the game...
It's because they want the players to fight.
They want them to die... and Jin might be next...
TO BE CONTINUED
Thanks for sticking with the story! This chapter took a while to write as it's almost 20 pages, but I hope it was worth it since this chapter is a lot to unpack! The next one is too! Thanks to everyone for reading, and see you soon. Next episode: 어디에 있나요?