Squid Game x Reader

Nine

"It's fine, (y/n). You don't need to thank me," he says. "We should head to the hotel. I can see you shivering." 

I nod, standing up from my seat. "That's probably a good idea." 

As we walk down the dark streets of Yeouido, I pull out my phone that now has a whopping six percent of charge. The time reads; 3:12am. I don't want to wake my brother up by calling him so I send him a text instead, telling him that I'm safe and I'll be home tomorrow. 

I have another sip of alcohol from the bottle, wondering if there are any cops around to fine me for public drinking. That'd truly be the icing on the cake if that happened. 

I feel Sang-woo looking at me while we walk and I turn my head to meet his gaze. "What is it?" 

He seems faintly amused. "I haven't seen a young lady drink straight liquor since my university days." 

"Well it's not something I make a habit of. I only drink after particularly stressful events. You went to university?"

"Yes. SNU."

"Wow. That's nearby here, isn't it? You must be smart to get into there. What did you study?" The streets get a bit busier as we walk further into the city.

"Business Administration." He muses.

"Did you do anything with your degree?" 

"I became an investment banker." His jaw is slightly clenched.  Connecting the dots, I realise that's when he started stealing money from his clients.

I bring the whiskey to my lips. Before I take a sip, I say, "I don't judge you, by the way. For what happened between you and your clients."

He looks at me with his eyebrow raised. "You probably should."

"I don't. I have no reason to. I don't know what your circumstances are, or what you're dealing with. Who am I to judge?"

His eyes narrow slightly, like he's trying to figure me out. "There's something I don't understand about you," he says, bluntly. "How did a girl such as yourself end up in that place earlier?" 

"I was in debt." Obviously.

"That's not what I mean. See, I can tell you're not the kind of foolish person to steal money or take out too many loans you can't afford."

I furrow my eyebrows. "What makes you say that? You barely know me."

"I'm a good judge of character." He lights up a new cigarette and puts it to his lips. "So what happened? How did you end up in that place with people like me?"

I want to know what he means by 'people like him', but decide against asking that right now. Instead, I focus on his question and release a sigh. "My younger brother did something stupid. I'm just trying to clean up the mess." 

I think he can tell I don't want to talk about it. He doesn't push further on the subject despite looking curious. Up ahead, I can see a hotel, and it only takes us a few more minutes to reach it. 

Sang-woo signs us in and pays for our hotel room, specifying we need two beds. We go up a lift until we reach our floor then search for room 215. 

Once we find it, I follow him inside. He flicks the light on. The room is standard with white walls, beige carpeting, two single beds, and a bathroom. 

I take off my shoes and walk over to the window that shows a view of the city lights. I'm starting to feel a buzz from the whiskey as I stare out the glass. I find myself asking, "Are you glad the games ended?" 

I hear the creak of a mattress as Sang-woo sits down on a bed. "Are you?" he asks instead.

"Yes. All those innocent people dying... It's fucked up." I take another drink. "They said we'll have an opportunity to return. Will you do it?" 

"It's a lot of money, (y/n). And this time will be different. Everyone who participates will know exactly what they're getting into." 

"Yes... But they'll still be contributing to the suffering of others. Everybody thinks they'll win because everybody thinks they're invincible. Until they're not."

"It's still their decision." 

"But it's fucked. The people behind this are targeting desperate people, enticing them in with money, then telling them they have to gamble with their lives to earn it. It's so sick." 

"I understand, but that doesn't change the fact they're consenting to it with their own free will."

I sigh, finally turning around to look at Sang-woo across the room. "If a person gives me consent to murder them, does that make it right?" 

 He hesitates and doesn't provide me with an answer. He says, "Some people really need this money, (y/n)," and I know, of course, that he's talking about himself. Here I am preaching about what's right and wrong, but I have to pay back 5 million won, not 600 million. 

"I know." My head spins slightly, the alcohol starting to go to my head. I put a hand on the window frame to keep myself steady. "I'm not judging you if you go back. I just hate the thought of you dying." My cheeks flush when I say this. 

He stands up and walks over until he's in front of me. "For the record, (y/n), I'm glad you won't be going back."

I look up at him and feel my throat go a bit dry at our close proximity. "Why did you waste time helping me earlier? During the game?"

He stares at me with an intensity that makes my heart flutter. "There's something about you that makes me want to keep you safe." 

The lights of the city outside reflects in his deep brown eyes. My breath catches in my throat when I see those eyes drift down to my lips. It begins to dawn on me about the intimacy of this all; just me and him in a hotel room, talking about the shared traumatic experience we went through. I want to ask him why he wants to keep me safe when I'm practically a stranger, but the way he's looking at me takes my breath away and I stand there wordless.

Finally, I say, "I should probably get some sleep," cheeks burning. 

His eyes trail over my face, lingering on my lips again, before he steps back and nods his head. 

"It's been a big day." 

-

a/n: thanks for reading! i love ali so much, i feel like he'd give the best hugs idk why. please vote if you enjoyed :)