Chapter Text
That familiar metallic taste started to fill his mouth, the other man’s hands wrapped around his neck.
God Dae ho, what a fucking girl.
You really did it this time.
One too many cowardly mistakes now.
How are you gonna outrun this one?
——
One thing about having four sisters, is that your dad might actually be okay when you tell him you’re a boy. Not excited, not pleased, or disappointed.
He might take his happiness back when you prove you’re still just as weak, as useless, as girly as you were before. That even with a name and look, you’re still as pathetic as the other four. The beatings that stopped? They’ll come back, worse.
So when you stumble into a tattoo shop, face still bruised from last nights outburst, you don’t think twice about what new lie you’re inventing now. Anything to be seen as better right?
And a few months later, truly out of options, you end up talking to the strange man in the suit, the one who offers you money. Easy money, he says. Just play a few games. You’re strong. He says. Strong men are good at winning.
When he slips you his business card, a number on the back, a few more bruises on your face, it seems like it’s right to call it, doesn’t it? It doesn’t matter that sure, you’re terrified of anyone who counts on you to do anything. Sure, you do sometimes wake up screaming. But it’s only a few games. Right?
…Right?
———
He sat up, blinking. His head hit the metal bed frame above him, startling him, as he looked around.
These weren’t his clothes, and he didn’t recognise this strange room with beds upon beds stacked against the wall, peoole in similar uniforms around him.
The patch on his jacket read 388
He wondered what that meant. 388…out of what? People? Players? Was it even important? Is this where he was gonna play the Games? Who are these people?
He watched as some guards in pink uniforms stepped out and started to explain what was going on, playing clips of various people there. He couldn’t help but feel bad watching as they got slapped and their debts read aloud, remembering how his face stung after.
Were they gonna read his out? Show how tears pricked at his eyes? God, he hoped not. He really hoped not.
Before he really had time to take any of it in, they were all being lead up pastel stairs rhat twisted and turned, almost like a maze.
“Smile! :)” read a screen fixed onto a pastel pink wall. They really like pink in t place huh, he thought, grinning at the camera. Across from him a man with a number reading “456” glared at his camera. He must be in a lot of debt to be so miserable right? Should he let him win instead? No, he needed to stop being so soft.
They were gathered in what looked to be a massive open room, the cool air nice after being stuck inside for so long.
As a voice explaining the game played through speakers, the frowning man he had noticed earlier ran infront of everyone, yelling something about them getting shot, something about staying still. Maybe he wasn’t miserable bevause of his debt, maybe it was because he was drunk? Poor man, how would he even sneak that in here?
A few rounds in, a girl screaming brought him back to attention. Shit! What was happening?! A gunshot went off- “player 196: Eliminated”
Surely they didn’t actually shoot her?
Another girl screamed, and stumbled backward, this time he could see the blood splatter around her, see her body falling, see-
His thoughts were interrupted by hundreds of players stampeding, by gunshots ringing aroujd him, his face soaked in others blood as he was pushed to the ground, everything too fast to breathe. Stay. In. Still. Out. Stay. In. Still. Out.
He slowly pulled himseld up, trying not to shake as the rules were repeated. So 456 wasn’t drunk, or crazy. He seemed actually kind of brave, making sure as little people died as he could manage. Should he try and befriend him after the game? Learn how to be as brave as him?
After the game. For now he just had to concentrate on making it to the red line.
Stumbling onto the dirt, he collapsed against the wall. He was safe. Watching as 456 ran back, in the last seconds, his mind raced wirh confusion. What was he doing?
Another player joined him- 120 was written on her? His? Her jacket, both dragging the injured man across the line.
456 was brave. He was a real man. He was everything Dae Ho wanted to be, he admired him. Just from those few moments, he knew he was more of a man than Dae-ho had ever been. He was definitely going to try and talk to him later, that was certain.
———
So he was in the games before? And he came back. He came back to all the violence, to all the screams, to save them. Something he knew he’d never be able to do.
He couldn’t face that man again. But 456 could.
As he was thinking, he saw the guards setting up some sort of voting station. Gathering in the crowd, he watched as each persons number got called up.
386, 387…
388
He startled slightly, walking up to the voting station, hands trembling slightly. “O” for yes, “X” for no.
Should he continue? Keep letting people get killed?
Then again, that money? It was nothing compared to his debt.
He slowly placed his hand down on the blue button, the light illuminating his face.