sowwy if she's ooc 😞 i need to rewatch so i can focus on their personalities this time
🥀
The room was suffocating—both from the tension and the unrelenting hum of nerves from the crowd. People clustered into groups, whispering in low voices or glaring at anyone who looked even remotely suspicious. You sat off to the side, your back pressed against the cold, featureless wall, trying to shrink into yourself.
“Wow, you look like someone who doesn’t want to be here,” a voice cut through the noise. You glanced up to see a young woman with short, choppy hair, her head tilted to the side with a teasing smirk. Her outfit was effortlessly cool, her piercings catching the fluorescent light. “Let me guess—you got dragged into this mess by bad luck, huh?”
You blinked at her, caught off guard by her forwardness. “Uh… yeah. Something like that.”
“Figured.” She plopped down next to you without asking, her energy electric but oddly comforting. “Se-mi. Player 380.” She nodded towards the patch on her tracksuit before leaning closer. “And you are?”
You hesitated before giving your name, and she repeated it back with a mischievous grin, rolling it off her tongue like she’d known it her whole life.
“Nice name,” she said, her gaze lingering on you just a little too long. “Let me guess—someone who likes to keep their head down and stay out of trouble? Or am I reading you wrong?”
You raised an eyebrow at her. “Pretty bold of you to start analyzing me when we’ve just met.”
Her grin widened. “What can I say? I’m good at reading people. And you… you seem like someone worth talking to in a place like this.”
You didn’t know whether to feel flattered or suspicious, but her confidence was magnetic. “And you? What’s your story?” you asked, crossing your arms. “You seem pretty relaxed for someone stuck in… whatever this is.”
She shrugged, leaning back against the wall with a nonchalance that seemed entirely out of place in such a high-stakes situation. “Life’s full of crap like this. Might as well have a little fun while we’re at it, right?” Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she turned her full attention to you. “Besides, I’ve got someone interesting to keep me company now.”
Your cheeks warmed at the implication, and she didn’t miss it. Her smirk softened into something more genuine. “Relax, I’m not here to make things harder for you. If anything, maybe we can stick together when this thing kicks off. I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust half the people in this room.”
Her words carried a weight that surprised you, and for the first time, you saw a flicker of something deeper in her expression—something guarded but sincere.
“I’ll think about it,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady.
Se-mi grinned, clearly pleased with your response. “Good. I like people who don’t say yes right away. Makes them more interesting.”
As the speakers crackled to life and the announcement for the game echoed through the room, Se-mi stood and offered you a hand. “Let’s survive this, yeah?”
You hesitated before taking it, her touch warm and steady. “Yeah.”
And with that, she pulled you to your feet, her smirk never wavering. “Stick with me, and I promise you’ll at least have some fun before this all goes to hell.”
