Lines We Cross ||Front Man x Reader||

Chapter 8

Player 001.

The guy moved with this calm, energy that immediately set him apart from the panicked masses. His sharp features, and that piercing gaze made it impossible not to notice him. And when he stopped in front of us, my chest tightened for a second.

Up close, he was even more striking. Something about the way his eyes lingered on me, taking me in, sent a shiver down my spine. It wasn't attraction, though, at least not entirely. It felt more like he was analyzing me. Calculating.

But I wasn't about to let him off the hook. "The nerve you've got," I said, my tone sharper than a knife, "coming up to us after voting O. Seriously?"

He didn't flinch, didn't react at all. Instead, he answered with a cool, steady tone, "I wasn't the only one who voted for O. There were 182 others."

Before I could fire back, Gi-hun cut in. "And there were also 182 people who wanted to leave," he said, his voice tense, clearly still pissed about the outcome.

"Right," I said, not breaking eye contact with 001. "Well, I don't trust you." My words hung in the air, sharp and deliberate. "But we're still one short. I'll go find someone."

With that, I stood up, my gaze lingering on him for just a moment longer. There was something about this guy that felt... off. Too composed, too in control.

"Be right back," I muttered to Gi-hun and Jung-bae before walking away, needing to put some space between me and 001.

Something told me this guy was trouble. And not the fun kind.

The place was chaos, people shoving, yelling, and trying to form groups like their lives depended on it, which, well, they probably did. I wasn't about to half-ass this, though

As I wandered around, scanning the crowd, I caught sight of this guy. He had a slick, weaselly look about him. He was talking to someone. A girl. Oh, and she was pregnant.

I got closer, ears tuned in as I caught bits of their conversation. 

"I don't trust you," she said sharply, her voice was firm despite the situation.

Good for her, I thought. But he didn't back off.

That's when I stepped in, wedging myself between them like I was built for the role. "Is he bothering you?" I asked, staring the guy down.

Her eyes darted to mine, and she nodded without hesitation.

I turned to him, not bothering to hide the venom in my tone. "That's enough."

He opened his mouth to argue, but the look I gave him shut him up fast. Good.

Turning back to her, I softened my voice a little. "Want to join our team?"

She hesitated, just for a second, before nodding. "Yeah."

I smiled at her, trying to seem less like the intimidating bitch I probably looked like. "Great. Let's go."

We headed back to the others, and I introduced her to the group.

Jung-bae, of course, immediately started running his mouth. "What if the game involves strength? We've got two women on our team, and one's pregnant."

I froze for a second, staring at him like he'd just told me the Earth was flat. Before I could say something, 001 stepped in, his tone calm but firm. "I'm pretty sure they're very capable women."

His words caught me off guard for half a second, but I didn't let it show. Instead, I shot him a sharp look, narrowing my eyes like I was trying to see through whatever game he was playing. Then I turned back to Jung-bae.

"Don't worry," I said, smirking as I leaned toward him. "I'll carry your sorry ass if it comes down to it."

That shut him up real quick.

Player 001, watched the scene unfold. He wasn't just observing, he was focused on her. Y/N.

There was something about her that demanded his attention. She was bold, quick to step in, quick to take control. He'd noticed it from the moment she stood her ground during the vote, and now, standing just a few steps away, he could see her even more clearly.

001's gaze lingered. He noted the slight tension in her shoulders when she was annoyed, the way her lips curled into a smile that could be both disarming and sharp. She had an energy that pulled people in, made them follow her lead without realizing it.

As they stood close, he took in the details, the subtle twitch of her brow when she was thinking, the way her eyes flicked over him with suspicion.

Y/N didn't trust him. And she shouldn't. He could see it in the way her gaze lingered just a little too long on his face, narrowed like she was trying to figure him out. The thought amused him.

What intrigued him the most, though, was her unpredictability. In a place where fear and greed ruled, Y/N stood out like a flame in the darkness. She wasn't driven by the same desperation as the others. She wasn't even there by choice. The irony that he was making him play these games.

As the group's conversation continued, his eyes never left her. She was dangerous, he could tell, but that only made her more fascinating.

If Y/N were to survive these games, he'd have the satisfaction of ending her himself.