Chapter Text
Intake and Release was quiet, all that could be heard was the scratching of Jiyeong’s pen. The legal documents seemed to be endless, how much confirmation did they need that she wouldn’t kill another person?
Jiyeong’s clothes hung loose off her shoulders and waist, at least she was closer to the beauty standards now. There was enough money in her pocket to get her to Seoul, just. She drilled through the instructions the guard had given her. Ride the bus to Wonju station, then get on the train to Seoul.
The sky was dark and full of stars, Jiyeong rarely saw stars in the centre of Seoul. Early mornings in Seoul were usually bright and loud, overstimulating even for the normal person.
Jiyeong dragged herself through the smog towards the small bus stop. Despite being in Prison for 9 and a half years not much had changed. She went to prison at 14, she was now 23, yet the grass was still dead, the weather was still freezing and the roads were busy. She could have been told she was in prison for only one year and she would have believed it.
The bus was late, it chuffed up the hill toxic black fumes erupting from the back of it. It was an ugly sight, the wheels dirty and cracked, the carefully placed stickers and paint peeling off. It reminded Jiyeong of herself.
The seats were equally bad, Jiyeon picked on the back of the seat, the soft yellow foam showing. The bus driver was horrible, was this his first day? He seemed to be making an effort to hit every pothole and crack in the road.
Jiyeong rested her head against the cool sheet of glass, her eyes heavy and breath shallow.
“Player 240? Are you awake?” A cold whisper jolted awake, the soaring ceilings, the layered beds with thin canvases as beds. She was back.
Often in jail, Jiyeong dreamed of a game, she called it Squid Game. Her mind was already muddled enough, why was she back? The dreams always felt so real, watching her friends die over and over in the same childhood games. There were times when she considered this game to be her true reality. The doll, the guards, the simple meals, they’d all become factors of her normal mundane life in jail. Who was to say this place wasn’t real?
“Who is it…?” She groaned, pushing herself up from the concrete ground.
“Player 067.” The other girl whispered, out of all the players 067 was the one Jiyeong knew best, she rarely spoke, even less about herself. She didn’t know her name, and maybe it was for good reason. Somehow every time she played, she ended up with 067. Jiyeong couldn’t recall the number of times she’d played the games. Was it hundreds? Thousands? Yet every time she played, she found herself next to 067.
It was strange though, 067 never remembered her. Every time they came back 067 had seemingly forgotten who she was. Conveniently so had everyone else. No one ever remembered the games, or her. No matter how many games she’d played, no one else other than her remembered them.
Jiyeong jolted awake, already? Jiyeong found a strange comfort in the games, 067’s smile, her voice… She was real, Jiyeong was sure. But not here, not in the unfortunate truth that was the “real” world. The bus was still prodding along through the hills towards the train station. She had to be close now. She wasn’t sure what would be waiting for her at the end, what life did she have in the real world? The real world was harsh and bleak, and without 067.
〇△□
Music blasted from the building’s behind, Saebyeok laid back on the hard concrete grounds of the alleyway, her small black backpack keeping her head propped up. She closed her heavy eyes trying to ignore the music and get some sleep.
Saebyeok knew this wasn’t a way to live, sleeping in alleyways, warmth provided by mouldy blankets found in dumpsters. Not knowing when her next meal would arrive. Pickpocketing got her money, but never enough. She could eat for a couple of months, and then starve for the next couple.
Sometimes she’d sit on bridges, looking down into the murky oceans below. She’d consider it, but Cheol’s face would flash in her eyes, and she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Saebyeok shivered, cold winters weren’t new to her, but it never made them any more bearable. She pulled her jacket around her body tightly and willed herself to sleep. Unsurprisingly it didn’t work. In hindsight maybe it would have been better to spend her money on a blanket and not more food.
The sun rose over the cold streets, its warmth mocking her as she shivered. The fractals of sunlight reached the ground, lighting up the dead streets for another mundane day. Saebyeok had long forgotten how to appreciate beauty, she no longer cared for it. Her Mother had always told her to appreciate the little things in life, the sun sets, a full moon or a flower blooming. Saebyeok wasn’t like her mother. How could she look at the little things when the big things mattered so much?
She wandered the winding paths of Seoul, hoping to find some out-of-touch rich man to pry goods from. But the streets remained meagre, the few people scurrying around, far too conspicuous for Saebyeok to rob.
Saebyeok spent most of her days looming around high-traffic areas, whether it was banks, main streets or train stations. If someone wanted to find her it would be easy, Saebyeok didn’t know if she was comfortable with that.
She sat on the cold tiles of the subway station, scouting out potential targets. She’d already pocketed around 30,000 won, around 4 meals if she pushed it. Another train roared into the station, slowing to a stark halt. Saebyeok glanced up, her eyes scanning the crowd for a potential victim. But her eyes found something else, a girl. She looked to be in her late 20’s, similar to Saebyeok. But that wasn’t what was interesting about her. It was the fact that she’d seen that face before.