Squid Game x Reader

Nine

Ali accepts the phone and bows his head in gratitude. "Thank you, sir! I'll be quick." He gets up and walks away out of earshot. 

For a brief second, I glance at Sang-woo, silently approving of how good he looks in the grey suit he's wearing. He sits down beside me and starts eating his noodles. I hear him mutter, "Well he certainly wastes no time." 

I frown, startled by these words. 

"Huh?" 

"Ali." He muses. "Who the hell flirts with someone after what we just went through today?" 

He thinks Ali was hitting on me? I shake my head in dismissal. "No, he was just being friendly. Besides, he probably has a wife." 

Sang-woo gives me a flat look but doesn't say anything else on the topic. 

I scratch the back of my neck, awkward. "Could I please use your charger? I should really call my brother."

Sang-woo wordlessly passes over the object of interest. I'm vaguely surprised the charger fits my phone. My phone is ancient and barely operable. It'll take at least ten minutes before it reaches at least five percent. I clearly need a new one, but I'm not exactly in a financial state to do so. 

As I wait for it to charge, I stare out the window into the dark street. I wonder what my brother is doing right now, if he's staying safe like he promised to. I'm sure he's either asleep or doing homework. It'll also be no surprise if my aunt is in the exact same position I left her in. 

Soon I'll have to return home and tell Dae-Hyung that I've earned no money. I can already see the anxiety flashing through his eyes as he realises our lives are still in danger from that ruthless gang. Fuck, maybe I shouldn't tell him. I don't want him to have that weight on his shoulders. No sixteen year old kid should have to think their life's at risk. 

I put my head in my hands, closing my eyes. So what do I do then? Maybe I really will have to sell a kidney.

Or maybe I should've voted to stay in the game.

No. I can't believe I even just had that thought. I witnessed 255 people die and all I'm thinking about is money. How can I be so ignorant? 

"Are you okay, (y/n)?" Sang-woo's voice is surprisingly soft.

I raise my head, meeting his gaze. I don't respond to his question and instead ask, "What do we do now?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean, I'm still in debt. And so are you. This was supposed to be our lucky loophole, you know? So now what?" 

He opens his mouth then closes it again, pressing his lips into a thin line. 

I sigh. "And not just that, but... How are we supposed to move on from this shit? We saw over two hundred people die today. How the hell will our lives ever feel normal again, knowing what we went through."

He observes me for a moment in silence. Finally, he says, "I think it's best we focus on tonight first."

"Great, another problem. It's who knows what hour, I have no money on me, and I live four hours away from here." 

"I can give you money for a bus." 

"Thank you, but... I don't even know if I can... I mean, I don't know if I even want to go home tonight." I look down at my hands as my voice gets quieter. "How can I be around family right now? If I see my brother, I know for a fact I'll end up having a massive meltdown. And he shouldn't have to deal with that." 

"He's your brother. He'll just want to make sure you're okay."

"But I'm not okay. I'm far from okay."