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It was cold. It was always so damn cold in those beds. Of course it'd be more bearable than sleeping on the cold concrete of an alleyway, but the mattresses given to the players were hard enough Saebyeok considered it to be on the same level. As she shifted her gaze over to the white brick walls of the enclosed room, she heard a voice from below. Her body laid flat on the tough mattress, her nostrils flared slightly as she quietly exhaled a gentle sigh. She slowly sat up, her shirt and breasts shifting from their flat and somewhat pushed up positions to falling down with gravity. Her eyelids gently narrowed and reopened as her pupils changed their direction of interest to the blurry silhouette down below. She squinted just slightly as the fuzz slowly disappeared and she gathered the appearance of Jiyong waiting for her down below.
Her aching joints cracked out of their comfortable positions as he descended down to meet the cold floor against the skin of her heels and toes. Jiyeong smiled up at her as she fixed her hair from its mess of rest. Jiyeong's face was puffy and hair was just slightly better presented than Saebyeoks. She happily took a hold of the slightly taller woman in front of her, silently dragging her into the breakfast line. They stood hip by hip, basically connected to each other's skin like leeching feeding off of each other's blood and soul. The corners of Jiyeong's lips curled up deviously as she joked about the awful food the guards provide for them. Comparing it to dog food. Saying how animals get better meals than the humans stuck in this box. Saebyeok softly laughed, merely a smile and an exhale from her nose as she shut her eyes and looked down at her feet.
As the two stepped forward in the line, Saebyeok doesn't pay attention to the fact Jiyeong doesn't speak to nor is acknowledged by anyone else. It's something she's grown to realize and accept over the months she's been in this cold building. She's also accepted the fact she never sees Jiyong grabbing her meals. Even though Jiyeong always tells the taller one that she's eaten, she never sees her eat. But Saebyeok trusts Jiyeong. She has no reason to distrust her or her word. Jiyeong was the only sense of reality Saebyeok had to hold on to in this. And she wasn't going to lose that piece of reality for logic. She needed that to survive mentally during these games. Saebyeok's expression doesn't shift as her mind is unclouded by her own overthinking so she can grab her breakfast. Her and Jiyeong's footsteps left heavy echoing wet slapping sounds as their bare skin hit the cold marble like floor, going back to saebyeoks bed.
Or that was originally the plan. Until an unmasked guard came over to her and redirected Saebyeoks path to sit at a table instead. She scoffed and shoved the guard when he tried to put a hand on her back. Another guard ran over and she stared them both down. It was only until Jiyeong's face came into her view that she unfroze from her position and stationed herself at the table. Eating with the handful of remaining players. She sat in complete silence. Only looking at Jiyeong and listening to her talk, drowning out the voices and laughter of the other players surrounding her as she ate her breakfast.
That's pretty much how everyday goes. Jiyeong wakes her up and drags her out of bed, they get breakfast, saebyok eats and only listens to the other girl. They sit together all day, doing nothing at all ... but today was a Sunday. Saebyeoks routine was always disturbed on Sundays. She always forgets why it was disturbed Monday afterwards, but the tear stains framing her face are enough proof alongside the puff in her eyes for her to know something wasn't right the day before. She slowly eats her food as the players sat at the table slowly finish and walk off one by one. Till she's alone. Not even half way done with her food. She can hear a guard asking her to finish up, but she doesn't listen. She only listens to Jiyeong's soft pleasant voice in her ear. The bubbly voice cracking jokes and telling sweet sweet stories. That's the only voice she pays attention to.
Everything is perfect. This is how her mornings are meant to go. Until Jiyeong stood up silently and walked away. Seabeyok's eyes went wide, pupils becoming small. She panicked and quickly stood up to follow, calling out to Jiyeong as she walked away. Two guards grabbed onto Saebyeoks arms, begging her to calm down and stop pushing against them. Trying to get her to not run after Jiyeong's silhouette. Just as Saebyeok manages to get out of the guard's grip, her vision slowly starts to go black and blurry until her consciousness slips out of her hold. The last thing she feels is the cold marble of the floor against her cheek.
Her chest would steadily rise and fall with the thin blanket on top of it. It's the first thing she feels when she wakes up. Her eyebrows furrowed down at the disturbance of the sun on her face before her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at the hospital ceiling for a moment before sitting up. What looked to be a nurse was sitting at the end of her bed. A woman with a similar haircut to Jiyeong. She was reading a poem out in a quiet and gentle voice. Saebyeok sat there in silence before finally speaking out. Calling out to what she believed was Jiyeong.
The woman lifted her head and her gaze softened. She looked similar to Jiyeong, but there were differences, yes. Differences Saebyeok could notice. Differences that would never go unlooked by her eyes. She swallowed dryly as the women spoke up.
"Saebyeok..sweetheart..I know you forget every week. I am Jiyeong's mother. Your mother in law. I work here at the hospital you're a patient in. Jiyeong passed away 3 years ago from suicide. You've never been able to get over it. You always mention these..games and guards. But it's just me and the other nurses trying to protect you.."
Her voice softened and quivered as she noticed Saebyeoks eyes beginning to water up and lower lip began to shake. She stood and sat at Saebyeoks' side. Gently placing her hand on top of the younger's own. Her other arm being placed around Saebyeoks shoulders.
"We all love her and miss her Saebyeok. It's going to be okay."
Saebyeok shook as she began to sob into Jiyeong's mothers arms. Eyes began to puff already as her throat stung from choking on her own cries and screams. Jiyeong's mother bit back her own tears as she held her in-law closer to her body.
"Her death wasn't your fault, Saebyeok. I truly hope you accept this reality soon."
But how could Saebyeok accept reality without Jiyeong?
Jiyeong was her reality.