Simulation Swarm ? Kang Dae-ho ╱ 388

TWELVE Run

     Minseo looked back toward her team, where each member stared at her with wide eyes. Jun-hee was nudging both Gi-hun and Young-Il, wordlessly commanding them to rescue her from Su-bong's crazed bubble. Standing just before them was Dae-ho, and the second he lifted his foot to approach them, the platform beneath them clunked to a stop.

     Dae-ho stumbled backwards, bumping into Jung-bae who steadied himself against the heavy man. "Four players," ordered the robotic drawl from above.

     "Dae-ho!" Were the only words Minseo could even utter before Su-bong had dragged her away in the companionship of himself, Nam-guy and Se-mi.

     Handled further away from her team, reaching the opposite side of the room, Minseo heard Dae-ho's struggling calls of her name. Door after door was slammed shut, rumbling the room, yet never overpowering the tragic cries from lost, alone players.

     The quarter found themselves safe in a pink painted room. Nam-gyu bolted the door shut with extreme forth, resting his back against in attempts to catch his breath.

     An eerie silence settled in the small space, aswell as outside before the rattle of guns and bullets pierced through the quietness.

      Minseo was leaning against the wall, tucked into a corner as her chest heaved with a mixture of anger, relief and fear. Su-bong stood opposite, hands tweaking with rapid movements as words fell from his lips in a rapid, hushed whisper.

     The pink haired woman exhaled deeply. "What the fuck was that for?"

     The other three looked up at her words. Nam-gyu and Se-mi shared a mute look of apprehension, whereas Su-bong shrugged cooly.

     "The dance?" His purple hair flopped with the movement of his shrug. "I was bored, I was feeling the music, I felt like a dance."

     "No," Minseo spat bitterly. "You ━ dragging me away. I have a team, a team who I promised to stick with throughout the game. We had a plan, set groups depending on the number."

     Su-bong merely raised his eyebrows, his words coming out as a mere mutter. "And how was I supposed to know?"

     "You weren't, that's the point," Minseo retorted. Her folded arms fell to her side, pushing herself off the wall. "I have my team, you have yours, we're not on each others."

     The rapper remained quiet, shifting his gaze downwards as if embarrassed. He swallowed, shaking his head lightly. "I was just trying to help."

     Minseo's mouth went dry as words struggle to form in her mind, guilt sweeping through her heavy heart. She soon realised that maybe she had overreacted, once again letting her anger get the best of her.

     She could only blame herself, not even her father, for the unexplained anger which bottled itself in her heart. She couldn't help that it was now, even in a situation so intense such as this, that this anger chose to overspill. She could almost feel it, the concoction of heat and rage bubbling in her stomach, curdling her blood and twisting her heart into one big raging mess.

     Before she could speak the metal door unlocked itself and Su-bong removed himself from the room with haste. Nam-gyu followed right after, a withering glare shooting down Minseo's face.

     She stared after Su-bong, watching from within as he handled himself back upon the podium. This time, he wasn't dancing nor singing, or even bothering Nam-gyu, but instead just standing still, eyes casted down as his hands twitching at his sides.

     "He'll be fine," stated Se-mi suddenly. Her slender right hand up laced itself upon Minseo's covered shoulder, a soft smile on her porcelain face. "He shouldn't have dragged you away, and you shouldn't have snapped. But it's fine, things happen."

     The two sauntered down outside into the open, now unbothered of the blood which seeped through the fabric of their shoes.

      "I should apologise," mumbled Minseo, slightly embarrassed of her own doings. "After this round, just in case."

      Se-mi nodded quietly, her smile comforting. The tall woman caught sight of Min-su, who was accompanied by Gyeong-su. Both looked terrified, but relieved to be alive. "I'm going to go check up on them," Se-mi said. "I'll be back."

     Minseo watched as Se-mi left, finding herself alone on the podium. Her body jerked at the sudden change of pace, the floor beneath her spinning again as the same music began to sound.

     Fear settled heavily in Minseo's chest, urging her to find her team. "Shit," she muttered under her breath, panic clawing at her. Her steps faltered, her hand desperately gripping the nearest surface to steady herself. "God, no."

     Time was slipping away. She could feel it in her bones ━ the song was nearing its end, and soon, a number would be called. The realization hit her like a punch to the gut. She pinched her wrist hard, trying to ground herself, but the tears came without warning, blurring her vision even through her glasses. The lights flashed erratically, casting eerie shadows over the room as she shoved her way through the crowd, her heart pounding in her ears.

     Regret gnawed at her, sharp and biting. A second voice ━ her own ━ accused her, reminding her of the argument with Su-bong. If only I hadn't snapped at him... A sickening thought twisted in her gut: I could be with him right now, safe, in a team. If I had just kept my mouth shut... She could've found her team by now ━ could've found Dae-ho. She could've been with them. But now? It was too late. Time had been wasted, and there was no way to turn it back.

     The music cut off abruptly. The floor stopped spinning.

     Minseo was alone.

"Three players."

━ author's note!
v short chapter but uh oh!
what's going to happen😊

also do we prefer short
chapters (such as this, which
is 2k words) or long chapters
(others are 3.5k)