Chapter Text
“Apologies to all participants, but there will be no game today due to unforeseen circumstances. There is no change in proceedings and games will be resumed as soon as possible.
Repeat: There will be no game today. Thank you for your co-operation.”
A low murmur filtered through the large communal room at the news presented to them by the robotic female voice over the PA.
No game today?
Gi-hun’s dark eyes narrowed suspiciously. Why the sudden change? This place was the very embodiment of order and schedule outside the chaos of the games themselves. His mind swam with conjecture and possibilities, and the rest of the room buzzed around him in similar disparity.
A lone pair of amused eyes regarded Gi-hun from a small way across the room, drinking in his confusion and delighting in his disorientation. Ever since he first became aware of his delicious humanity, he had wanted to simply devour him; a phrase more fitting that it might appeared.
In-ho’s sheathed fangs stirred in anticipation as he watched Gi-hun’s throat bob as he swallowed, the tendons in his long neck tightening and contracting as he hurriedly chattered amongst his friends, swapping theories. He pulled up the collar of his green tracksuit jacket and moved smoothly away to his bunk, unnoticed. He needed to beat back his temptation and be patient.
Every second he was close to Gi-hun, the harder it was to resist him. In-ho was generally composed; patient and calculating - traits which life as the Frontman had demanded from him. He had been turned more than a few years ago at this point, and he took his meals in moderation; happy enough with glasses of blood presented as wine and scotch, and as a treat, the occasional surviving loser his underlings brought to him to finish off. Though, their blood was often riddled with the dregs of drugs and heavy alcohol, or a lifetime of other poor choices. Even now he could smell it on the people surrounding him, through their very skin, the sourness. He realised that he craved...sweetness.
Blood was a necessity, and he craved it regularly; but he had never felt more compelled to sink his teeth into someone as the tall, slender man he still burned into his vision as he retreated. There was a pull, an aura, a seduction in his wake that enticed In-ho like nothing else; a song in his blood that pulsed beneath the surface and sang out to him in a deafening clamor.
Settling lightly on his bunk, still avoiding any attention from his ‘comrades’, he allowed himself only to regard his prize from afar - his advanced vision still allowing him to pick out the man’s taller head in the crowd of humans milling around below him. He admired his lean stature, his awkward, fumbling mannerisms. He practically exudes kindness and purity, he thought… something so distant to In-ho that it absolutely fascinated him.
He needed this man for himself. All for himself. He would claim him. Take him. Mark him. Make him WANT it. Grasp him hard and drink in his everything, leaving him a helpless mess beneath him, begging for more. The thought excited him on a primal level, in the deepest recesses of what he was. A predator. He would - ...
No. He couldn’t let himself get carried away. He had issued the order to cancel today's game earlier, in the dead of night where he could not be seen, in order to begin his plan and gain full uninterrupted access to this man. Because he could not wait any longer. He felt as if he would combust if he could not drink this man tonight. His throat burned, his body ached; he craved that sweetness that pumped in his prey’s very veins.
But he also knew; Gi-hun was a fighter. He had earned his trust so far, but In-ho would need to be mindful of his strong spirit; his overwhelming need for justice and what was ‘right’. Hopefully he had already won him over enough. He would find out tonight.
His power of hypnotism was not yet fully developed, being in the grand scheme of things still very young. He could calm a victim, render them in a state of placidity, but he could not change their will. Gi-hun would have to agree to this, of his own free will. The thought caused him a little anxiety, but therein would lie the beauty of this whole private game. To seduce the lamb, to make it beg for its' own slaughter…..though he would have to be careful. He couldn’t allow himself to snuff out such a valuable, beautiful human.
He smiled to himself, letting out a small sigh. This was going to be something.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Gi-hun hadn’t seen Young-il in ages. He thought he’d spotted him on his bunk earlier, head low and knees up, but in the aftermath of the news from this morning he hadn’t seen him since. The day was filled with mundane conversation and boredom, everyone concocting futile musings on the meaning of the announcement, ultimately leading to no more knowledge than they started with.
It was just before lights out, and Gi-hun was getting increasingly concerned - he still wasn’t here? He had searched around multiple times to no avail; nobody had seen him. What if he had been taken by the superiors, being used in some nefarious plot? Was he still alive? The worries stacked up like building blocks, precarious and unsteady.
The lights finally clicked off, and quiet settled over the room.
After twenty minutes or so, Gi-hun heard a slight shuffling nearby, a subtle creaking of the heavy metal bedframes as someone clutched at them in approach. He sensed someone kneel at his side, and he quickly turned over in his bed to face the source of the disturbance.
“Gi-hun…” came Young-il’s low voice, slightly cracking in tone and strained.
“H-hey, where have you been!?” Gi-hun hissed quietly, propping himself up and squinting at him in the dark, “I was worried!”
In-ho’s mouth twitched in the shadows. “I need you to come with me, It’s urgent.” He said flatly, his voice still laced with pain. Jung-bae had stirred nearby, and leaned over towards them.
“Young-il? What’s wrong, where have you been?”
“Please…I’m sorry but this can’t wait. I need to talk to Gi-hun in private.” He turned back to the taller man, “ I’ve managed to convince the guard to let us speak away from here - I’ll explain later. Follow me.”
Gi-hun was deeply confused, blinking blankly and wondering what this was all about. What could Young-il want with him, how and why was he talking to guards? He had to know. He trusted Young-il; he was being upfront with him here at least. He needed to find out what this was about.
“Okay, okay…Jung-bae, we won’t be long, alright? Stay vigilant for me, yeah? We won’t be long, will we?” he turned to Young-il questioningly.
“I’ll…we’ll try not to be. Please, come on, follow me.”