CHAPTER THREE • x or o.
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You could hear a pin drop in the large bedroom, silence overtaking all of them, aside from a few sniffs and whimpers. Chin-Hwa sat on a metal step beside Thanos, her knees up to her chin as she sniffed harshly.
" What's up with you two?" Nam-Gyu asks, leaning forward to look at their faces. " Do you not feel well?"
While Chin-Hwa chose not to answer, Thanos sniffed again before responding, " Don't worry. It's okay."
Thanos leaned in towards her, speaking close to her ear. " So, what's with all the little marks on your arm? Heroin? Meth?"
" Anything." She shrugs, staring ahead of her, eyes unfocused. " Whatever I can get." Subconsciously, she reaches a hand up her sleeve to scratch at the scars, the man beside her watching her do it, brows raised.
" Those are nice earrings." He points out, a finger touching one of the silver hoops in her ears. She scoffs quietly, pushing his hand away. " Are you hitting on me?" She whispers.
" Is it working?" He whispers back, and
Chin-Hwa rolls her eyes, glad he's unable to see her flushed cheeks in the dark. That would be humiliating.
A few quiet seconds pass before a loud buzzing sound makes a lot of people jump, and the lights turn on. Chin-Hwa watches as the doors at the other end open, and the pink guards enter again.
All of the players begin to back away, some whimpering in fear and some even hiding under the bunk beds. Chin-Hwa backs up slightly, moving a few steps higher. Thanos notices and realises he should probably back up too.
" Congratulations for making it through the first game." Great job, you didn't die! " Here are the results of the first game." The square guard holds up a little remote and pushes a button, and everyone watches as the numbers on the screen begins to go down.
" Out of 456 players, 91 players have been eliminated. 365 players have completed the first game. Congratulations again for making it through the first game." Thanos scoffs, his hand fiddling with the cross necklace around her neck. Chin-Hwa crosses her legs, a grimace on her face.
" Sir!" A shout startles her, and she looks to her left to see that the elderly woman and her son have stepped forward. " Please don't kill me!" She begs, falling to her knees. " Please don't kill us. I beg you!"
" I will do whatever it takes to pay my son's debt back! Please forgive us!" She looks up at her son, still standing, and smacks his calf. " Don't just stand there, beg for his forgiveness!"
He too falls to his knees, promising, " I swear I'll pay it back!"
" There seems to be a misunderstanding," The deep voice of the square guard speaks over the pair, who have seemed to spur on a large group of people to beg, promising they will pay their debts. Chin-Hwa can't watch.
" We are not trying to harm you." They continue to claim, and Chin-Hwa is unimpressed. " I beg to differ." She mutters, and Thanos hums in agreement. " We are presenting you with an opportunity."
" Clause three of the consent form!" Chin-Hwa jumps at the voice, elbowing Thanos as he snickers at her like a little boy. She can see its player 456, the man that had guided them through the first game.
" The games may be terminated upon a majority vote. Correct?" The masked guard seems to hesitate, before nodding. " That is correct."
" Then let us take a vote." Played 456 demands. Chin-Hwa rolls her eyes. She certainly won't be voting to leave, that's for sure.
" We respect your right to freedom of choice. But first, let me announce the prize amount that's been accumulated." He presses another button on his little remote, and loud, trilling music starts to play, and the lights dim.
The piggy bank catches her eye, and she looks up, seeing something approach the top of it. Her jaw drops when wads of cash begin to flood into it, her eyes lighting up that very gold colour in the reflection.
She stands, and Thanos moves to stand next to her, nudging her and laughing at the amount of money, both in awe at the cash laid before them.
" The number of players eliminated in the first game is 91. Therefore, a total of 9.1 billion won has been accumulated."
" If you quit the games now, the 365 of you can equally divide the 9.1 billion won and leave with your share." Chin-Hwa scoffs. The amount there for all 365 of them is not enough to pay her debt. She's not leaving.
" How much is that?" An older man, player 100, asks.
" Each persons share would be 24,931,500 won."
" Yeah, fuck that. I need more." Chin-Hwa mutters, as Nam-Gyu complains beside her.
" Twenty million?" Thanos scoffs. " You said 45.6 billion!"
" The rule is that a hundred million won will be accumulated for each eliminated player. If you choose to play the next game and more players get eliminated, the prize amount will increase accordingly."
" How much will it be if you survive until the end?" Chin-Hwa rolls her eyes. Basic math. Plus, he's already said it once.
" As I already told you, the total amount of prize money for all 456 players is 45.6 billion won. Those who make it through all six games will equally divide the 45.6 billion won."
" So...we can take a vote again and decide to leave after the next game?" A middle aged man steps forward and asks, and Chin-Hwa rolls her eyes, quite frankly over everyone's questions.
" As promised in the consent form, you can take a vote after each game and decide to leave with the prize money accumulated up to that point," The crowd murmurs slightly as he continues. " We always prioritise your voluntary participation." The girl scoffs. Sure, that's why they were drugged.
" Now, let's begin the vote."
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For a few minutes, the players watch as the guards wheel in a little metal table, with what appeared to be big black bow on the surface of it.
From where she was, Chin-Hwa could see what appeared to be two buttons, one red and one blue.
When the cart stills, and the guards step away, the main guards voice sounds out again. " If you wish to continue the games, press the O button. If you wish to end them, press the X button."
" The vote will be held in reverse order of your player numbers." Chin-Hwa groaned, glancing at her number. 067. " Player 456."
All eyes turned to the man who had previously saved all of their lives, as he waded through the crowd and made his way up to the front. His footsteps heavy, he stops when a voice interrupts him.
" It's all pointless!" Chin-Hwa searches for the voice, her eyes landing on a woman perched at the very top of one of the bunks. " You didn't decide when to come into this world, and you can't decide when you leave it either. When and where you die was already decided by the gods the moment you were born." Chin-Hwa scoffs.
" Whatever, you crazy bitch!" She shouts up at the woman, the crowd bursting into laughter. Thanos falls into her side laughing. " Let the man vote!"
She can see the woman glaring at her, and just proceeds to sneer back, as a buzzer rings out. Red lights brighten up the man's face.
" Once you finish voting, put the patch you are given on the right side of your chest and stand on the side you have chosen." The guard instructs as a number 1 appears on the board under the red 'X', as he calls up another player.
Chin-Hwa lets out another groan and sinks down to the floor, sitting with her legs criss cross. When she looks up and sees the bane of her life sending her a questioning look, she shrugs. " We'll be waiting a while."
After a moment, he flops down too, and a few more people follow. Thanos starts fiddling with her earring again.
" Hey, come on," She complains, pushing his hand away. " Piss off."
He huffs, resting his chin in his hand, sending her a scathing glare. She just runs a hand through her hair, watching as number 454 is called up, and she votes to stay.
She watches many players, some hesitating, some pressing a button as soon as they reach the podium.
" Player 230." The guard eventually calls out, and Thanos jumps up excitedly, quite literally running up to the podium, immediately pressing the O. Chin-Hwa eyes the screen and smiles. 87 for X, 93 for O.
" Wait a minute, everyone!" Chin-Hwa looks ahead as player 456 appears in the pathway, and she can't help but sigh. What is this guy's deal?
" You can't do this. Come to your senses! Don't you see? These aren't just any games. We will all die if we keep playing!" The girl glances around at the confused faces of the players. They appear unconvinced.
" We have to get out of here now. With a majority vote, we can! We must stop here!"
" Who are you?" Chin-Hwa speaks up, many pairs of eyes turning to her, including those that belong to player 456. " How did you know we were gonna die if we got eliminated? Do you work for them? Have they planted you here to get in our heads?"
" That's uncalled for!" Another voice calls out, and her eyes turn to a man beside player 456. 390. " We wouldn't have won the game and survived if it weren't for him! And you!" He points at Chin-Hwa, and her eyes widen.
" I saw how scared you were. Your legs were shaking. You should thank him, not treat him like a fraud-"
" Oh, get a grip, I'm not treating him like a fucking fraud, old man. I just wanna know why on earth he knows all this shit!" He scoffs at her words, giving her an incredulous look.
" Rude. How old are you, little girl?"
" Not old enough to have lived through the Great Depression. How was it, by the way?" She mocks, getting closer and closer and getting in his face.
" Come on now!" The elderly woman comes between them. " Please don't do this. Listen!" She moves to stand beside player 456. " None of us would be alive if it weren't for this gentleman," She gestures to him, and Chin-Hwa begins to feel bad when she sees his frowning face. " So, enough with the greed. Let's put our lives first and get out of this place! Okay?"
" That's right!" 390 agrees, and the crowd follows. Chin-Hwa begins to second guess herself. She had been very certain earlier, but, now, she's not so sure. Is that money really worth putting her life on the line?
" I have played these games before!" Silence follows the words of player 456. Chin-Hwa gets goosebumps. " I have done this before!"
" I knew about the first game because I have played it before! I played the games here three years ago! And everyone who was with me...died here." His shouting is desperate, and it slightly tugs at the girls heart strings.
" But...if you were the only one that survived...wouldn't that mean you won?" Chin-Hwa asks, and the crowd begins to murmur. " Why would you come back?"
" Oh, don't listen to his bullshit," Player 100 speak up. " He wouldn't have come back if he really won that money. He's a billionaire!"
Chin-Hwa watches as Thanos makes his way down the path.
" If you really won, it actually works better for us. You can give us tips on how to beat these games."
" That's right!" Player 100 quickly changes his tune, and the girl can't help but roll her eyes. " We have a previous winner with us, so what do we have to worry about? Let's do this!"
Half the crowd begins to shout in agreement, and Chin-Hwa wraps her arms around herself, biting her lip and biting the skin off absentmindedly in her nervous state.
Player 456 turns to the back of the crowd, and he makes eye contact with her for a moment. " Please, I'm begging you. We have to get out now!"
" If we keep playing, more people will die." He walks towards Chin-Hwa and grabs her shoulders, and she freezes. " It could be you. We have to stop this now and get out of here. Everyone-"
He's cut off as a guard marches up behind him and points a gun to his back.
" From here on, we will not tolerate actions that disrupt the voting process. Now, let's resume the vote. Player 228." The guard calls, and they are left in silence again.
"...Player 067, please cast your vote." They call her out eventually, and she shoves her hands in her pockets as she walks to the podium, biting her lip nervously.
" Let's do this!" Thanos whisper shouts when she glances at him, and she looks away quickly as she reaches the podium.
She glances between the two buttons, real fear overcoming her body.
She shakes her head, and presses X. She feels confident about her last minute chance as she takes the red patch from the card, sticking it to the Velcro on her jacket.
As she walks over to the red side, the elderly lady ushers her over to stand between her and player 456. The man looks at her strangely, presumably after her change of heart.
" Sorry for being rude before," She apologises, whispering quietly as he leans in to hear her. " I understand now. Let's get out of here." She nods to further voice her agreement, and he nods back gratefully, before turning back to watch.
" Player 007, please cast your vote." Is called later on, and Chin-Hwa sees it's the son of the woman beside her.
" Yong-Sik!" She shouts at him as he reaches the podium. " Don't get any silly ideas."
He thinks for a moment before pressing X.
Chin-Hwa and the older woman cheer when the numbers become neck and neck.
Player 006 steps forward and votes to leave. Chin-Hwa can barely breathe.
Player 004 chooses to stay.
It's tied again.
" Oh, I can't breathe." She mutters, and the older woman murmurs in agreement, patting her shoulder.
" Finally, player 001."
Chin-Hwa joins in with her side chanting the word 'X' as player 001 makes his way down the path.
Her heart sinks when the blue side goes up by one. Eyes beginning to tear up just slightly, she wraps her arms around herself.
" We're so screwed." She groans.
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SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG!!
let me know what you think!!!