Chapter Text
Natsuki awoke to the sound of classical music, nothing like the piano she was used to from Monika, it was…trumpet? And her clothing was nothing like her school uniform and certainly not something she would choose to wear. Green tracksuits with flanneled collars and white stripes that went down to the elbow. The blanket had been covering her bottom half and had been rough to touch. Suddenly, Natsuki was grateful she didn’t have to fall asleep in this uncomfortable bed last night because the mattress didn’t offer much comfort either.
As she looked around the room was massive but cramped with hundreds of bunk beds and Natsuki found herself 4 bunks high. She pulled the blankets off her legs, green trousers with a white stipe thigh-down and slip on shoes. Who the hell dressed me? She pushed the thought away for later. She drifted her legs to hang on one side of the bed. She poked her head out to view more of the room then noticed the stairs beneath her feet.
That’s when she noticed it, numbers. Everyone was given a number velcroed on the side of their chest and Natsuki’s was 217. Random. She ran a hand over the number, it seemed to be stitched onto the patch but then she noticed another part of her jacket that seemed to have the velcro material that the number patch used to stay on but she had no idea what it was for. She wasn’t even entirely sure why she was here.
As she made it to the end of the stairs, which took very little time, she looked around. The people here were adults, mostly in their late 30s. There were designs and letters on the walls that were covered by the abundance of beds. And there were cameras. Four, in each corner. Natsuki had a strange feel of uncertainty and perhaps vulnerability in her gut. These cameras weren’t here for protection. Someone was watching.
Suddenly, a metal door screeched open at what seemed like the front of the room based on how the beds were arranged. Three men, dressed in raspberry pink uniforms and black masks, each with a different shape on it- the perimeter coloured white. The man with the square mask in the middle spoke, his voice dull and emotionless, kinda like Monika’s, “we would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to you all. Over the next six days, you will participate in six different games. Those who win all six games, will receive a handsome cash prize.”
So thats why we’re here.
“Excuse me.” A woman called out, her voice steady and controlled. “If we’re just playing games here, why’d you basically kidnap us? How can we trust you?”
The crowd murmured in agreement. She had a point. Natsuki had hardly remembered the moments before slipping into unconsciousness and when she woke up she was in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar clothes and unfamiliar people. This place reeked of sketchiness.
“My apologies” the man spoke again, it was clear from his nonchalant tone that he meant non of those words. “Please understand it was a necessary step taken to maintain the strict confidentiality of these games.”
“Is that right?” Another woman called out, a scoff caught in her voice, “Then what’s the deal with the masks? That’s a secret too, I’m guessing?”
Another man in the crowd responded in agreement “Yeah. Why are you wearing those? Where the hell are we? Is this some kind of illegal casino, huh? Even dealers don’t cover their face!”
The players started to murmur aimlessly in agreement, most annoyed, some- like Natsuki- just confused and mildly disturbed at the strangeness of their environment.
The masked man voice cut through the crowd’s confusion, “To ensure the fairness and confidentiality of the games, it is our policy not to disclose the faces and identities of our staff to participants. We ask for your understanding.”
A girl, around mid twenties, closer to the front of the crowd, lifted up her tracksuit jacket. “Did you strip me when you shoved me into this?” Very good question.
“And where the hell are my shoes?” A man asked, holding his white shoe in his hand. His hair was dyed purple like Yuri’s though he seemed to have more confidence. “God damn it, that pair was limited edition! How you gonna fix it if they got ruined!?” Priorities. This man has no idea where he is and he’s focussing on something as unimportant as a limited edition pair of shoes.
The woman spoke out, still holding her jacket up, looking at it in disgust. “Look at this. The size is all wrong and I hate the colours you’re using!” She looked at the guard again and smirked “can I have the outfit you guys are wearing instead? The pink’s cute as hell.”
She wasn’t entirely wrong but seriously? Here?
The masked man paused as if exasperated at her request though his tone still showed no emotion. “My apologies, but I’m afraid that’s not possible. To ensure the games run smoothly, you must wear your uniforms.”
A man, around mid thirties, barged through the crowd. “What about my phone? You took my phone and my wallet!”
“Your belongings are safe and being stored securely. We will return them to you once the games have ended.”
Had the really taken everything? Natsuki checked her pockets, grabbing the insides and pulling them out. A cookie fell out. It was coated in white and pink icing to make a cat. Sayori had always loved when Natsuki made them, especially when she had forgotten to eat breakfast that morning which she very often did. But why have they let me keep it? Had they let other people keep some of their belongings? What had these other people had in their pockets beforehand? It was still wrapped in fling film, still safe to eat for at least another week. I’ll keep that incase I need it and it’s very possible I will. She thought.
“Can I at least get my phone back? I need to see how my crypto is doing.” A crypto bro. Of course he’s a crypto bro.
“We will return your phone once the games have ended.”
The man continued to argue, “I need to know if the markets down! Do you know how much money I’ve invested”
“Player 333, Lee Myung-gi.” The masked man raised his hand, holding a remote. When he pressed the button, a huge TV-like screen came down showing Lee Myung-gi failing at the ddakji game Natsuki remember playing in a subway. His failure promptly got him a smack in the face. The masked man continued to share his information with the room of strangers, “Age 30, former owner of the YouTube channel, MG Coin. Promoted Dalmatian, a new cryptocurrency, leading his subscribers to lose a combined 15.2 billion won. He, then, shut down his channel and disappeared. Currently wanted for fraud and violating multiple communication and investment laws. Total debt: 1.8 billion won.” Jesus. Pick an issue. The masked man continued.
He revealed the backstories and debts of 10 other players, each more embarrassed about their money- or lack of- than the last. Especially player 100, Im Jeong-dae who owed 10 billion won. Everyone seemed to have the same question. How. The crowd looked around in disbelief, trying to see who this person was amongst them until he yelled out, “What are you looking at!?” Players around him jumped at his sudden yelling. “Think it’s easy to get loans that large? They don’t give out ten billion to just anyone! You have to work in the big leagues for that!”
“Every player standing in this room is on the brink of financial ruin. You’re on the cliff saddled with debts you cannot hope to pay off. When we first approached each of you, you understandably did not trust us.” Many still didn’t. “And as you know, we played a game, and game you money when you won. Because of that, we earned your trust. You called and volunteered to participate in this game of your own free will. We will give you one last chance to decide, will you seize the opportunity we’re offering you?”
-
Natsuki had remembered when the strange man approached her in the subway while she was waiting for the next train. Her first impression of him was that he was a preacher and, respectfully, she had no interest in anything he had to say.
She had won the first few rounds of ddakji, earning her a few hundred thousand won but once her winning streak ended, the man slapped her across the cheek. Hard. Natsuki winced, her small frame nearly falling over and she was determined to claim revenge. She crouched down, snatched the red tile from the floor and pushed it into his hand. “You. Go.” And thankfully he lost. But just as Natsuki was about to hit him, with more force than he was likely preparing for, he stopped her hand, placing a card into it. On one side it had a black circle, square and triangle- some sort of logo. On the other, a number. Natsuki was instructed by the man to call the number on the card. Without further questioning, he took the tiles, placed them in his suitcase and walked away.
Natsuki was skeptical, very. Did she even need the money? Well.. after accidentally ordering 100 times the amount she needed for the cupcakes she was preparing to bake for the festival, yes. Worst part was, she ordered it on Monika’s school account which meant it came out of the schools fund but the blame was all on her. Natsuki opted not to tell her. Give it a week, if you can’t sort it out by then, tell her. It had been two weeks and Natsuki had no intention on telling her anything. So maybe calling this number would be an easy solution. What’s the worst that could happen? She loses and then has to tell Monika the truth?
-
A piggy bank, illuminated gold, descended from the ceiling playing a tune Natsuki knew, not from experience, came from some sort of slot machine. The players looked up in awe.
The masked man spoke, “If you look above you, you will see the piggy bank where your prize money will be stored. As I said, you will play six games. After the conclusion of each game, more prize money will be added to the piggy bank”
A man with curl, dark brown hair with glasses called out, “What’s the total prize money at the end?” Very good question. Did Natsuki even need the amount they were offering?
“The total prize money is 45.6 billion won”
The crowd gaped and gasped in disbelief.
“And does one person get it all?”
“More details will be revealed on how the prize money will be shared after the first game. For these games we will also be giving you a special option that we’ve never offered before.”
Jeong-dae rose his grating voice again, “And what options that?”
“After each game, you will be given a chance to vote on whether you’d like to end the games there or if you want to keep playing. If the majority of you wish to stop, the games will be terminated. You can then take the prize money that has accumulated and leave.”
The players started to murmur again.
“Hold on.” A man called out, the sound cutting through the crowd’s murmurs. Player 456, his voice slightly rough and expressive. “After game one, if we vote to go, then the prize money gets divided among us?”
The masked man nodded his head, “That is correct.”
As the players started to chatter excitedly about this opportunity, Natsuki looked over to the man who had just spoken. His gaze was hardened like he was angry at something he couldn’t yet see. She saw him turn to glare at something behind him. When she shifted in her position to see what it was, it was one of the four cameras she had noticed earlier. So someone was watching. He knew and he was looking right at them with fierce indignation.
More voices could be heard from the crowd, a mother and son arguing. It was the curly haired man from earlier and an elderly woman. She yelled, berating him for his debts and financial situation. It seemed they had both suffered because of it. The man’s name was Yong-sik. From the way they spoke to one another it seemed they both pissed eachother off and cared about each other greatly.
-
The players were gathered in 5 lines, a table at the end of each one.
“If you wish to participate in the games, then please sign the player consent form. If you do not wish to participate, then please let us know at this time. We will provide further opportunities to leave the games, should you change your mind.
Natsuki approached the table, still uncertain whether she’d sign the form or not. But the conditions seemed..reasonable enough.
PLAYER CONSENT FORM.
1. A PLAYER IS NOT ALLOWED TO VOLUNTARILY QUIT THE GAMES.
2. A PLAYER WHO REFUSES TO PLAY WILL BE ELIMINATED.
3. THE GAMES MAY BE TERMINATED UPON A MAJORITY VOTE.
4. IN CASE OF A TIE, PLAYERS WILL VOTE AGAIN.
SIGNATURE _____
She read it once then once more. This seemed way too good to be true and way too tempting. Then an idea crossed her mind, she’d play one game. Surely she’d make enough from one game. Then, she’d go home. She was foolish in letting this be her reason for signing. She handed the masked man the form and returned to her bed, figuring that would be the safest place for the time being.
More conflict occurred among the crowd. Player 230 and player 124 up against Lee Myung-gi. Natsuki had recognised the voice of player 230, not only from his outburst earlier about his designer shoes but from somewhere else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The man with the bob and the purple haired man had clearly been victims in some sort of scam orchestrated by Lee Myung-gi but Natsuki didn’t care much to listen.
-
Players were instructed to take pictures. Natsuki stepped into the booth and stared at the screen, arms crossed.
“Smile! ☻”
Not in a million years.
The shutter clicked and Natsuki followed the lines of people walking to the first game. The climb up the stairs was long and left Natsuki feeling fatigued. From the sounds of huffing and puffing around her, she assumed others felt the same. There was a huge green gate and once it opened, it revealed massive field of a football pitch. A crunchy footfall sound came from every step the players took as their feet hit solid dirt. And - what the hell is that!?
There was a doll animatronic at the end of a field that looked like a young school girl with black pigtails, a yellow collared shirt and an orange dress. Natsuki couldn’t tell if she thought it to be cute or deeply disturbing but she was leaning toward deeply disturbing. The animatronic robot was placed next to a tree, one hand resting on it. It took Natsuki a moment to realise the doll’s head was facing backwards which made it all the more unsettling.
A female voice spoke this time with slightly more emotion than the masked man, more cheery. “Welcome to the first game! All players please wait a moment on the field. I repeat, all players wait a moment on the field.”
There was a line drawn across the floor and there seemed to be one at the end of the field too, a starting and finishing line. The man from earlier, player 456 ran across the starting line. Isn’t that cheating?
“Everybody, you need to pay attention! Hey listen up!” He yelled, waving his hands in the air, his expression deadly serious and his tone almost desperate. “I’m gonna tell you something and you gotta listen close! This isn’t just a game, it’s more than that. If you move after red light, you’re going to be shot!”
What the hell was this old man talking about. Natsuki couldn’t help but roll her eyes but she also couldn’t help listening to the man’s words as if she held some belief in them, despite the insanity of the suggestion that playing a children’s game would be a life or death situation.
Many other players had the same though, laughs and scoffing at what the man was saying. One of the people Natsuki recognised from being mentioned on the screen earlier spoke out, “Excuse me, sir, what are you trying to say? That we’re all gonna die playing Red Light, Green Light? Really?” Her tone was mocking.
Player 456 sounded increasingly desperate to get people on his side, people who just didn’t buy his bullshit. “If they catch you moving, you’re going to be killed! They’re gonna shoot you. There’s guns in the walls!” He pointed to the doll behind him. “You see that doll over there!? It’s got motion sensors in its eyes, if it catches you, you’ll lose.”
Others in the crowd started calling out words of disbelief because what he was suggesting sounded like utter nonsense he was making up as a to get an easy win, but his tone sounded too genuine like he had played these games before.
“You gotta believe me, I swear I’m not lying! No matter what, do not panic, you can’t afford to. Remember everything I told you! Stay as still as you can! Don’t try and run away!”
The female voice spoke again. “With that, let the game begin!”
A timer at the end of the field blinked red, they had five minutes to finish, and the voice that spoke changed again. It was that of a young girl, “Green light!”
Many players began to run, including Natsuki.
“Red light!” It called out quickly, as if it were meant to catch you off guard.
“Hold still!” Player 456 roared, his back to the doll, his movements from speaking not detected. “Good job. That’s it. Keep nice and calm.
Natsuki overheard a conversation between two men next to her.
“Is this asshole a friend of yours?”
“No, never met him.”
She let out an exhale of amusement through her nose. The man responding was player 390 and she had seen him interact with player 456 earlier when walking up the stairs. The two very obviously knew each other before the games from the way physical contact came so casually.
The doll changed from red light to green light a few times and there were no eliminations to prove player 456’s insane claims about the children’s game they were playing. Until, Player 196- Kang Mi-na if Natsuki remembered correctly, she was one of the unfortunate players who was shown on the screen earlier, moved. Natsuki didn’t see what happened, she heard her exclaim “Oh shit! A bee?” Then her laughs as she realised she had moved and lost. Then the gunshot.
Natsuki’s eyes widened, she inhaled but it wasn’t quite a gasp she..couldn’t move. Physically and because moving meant suffering the same fate. She pressed her lips into a thin line, suppressing the urge to vomit.
Player 456 started yelling again, still insisting people don’t move but his voice drowned in Natsuki’s head. Another player noticed Kang Mi-na’s body, laying lifeless on the ground and screamed and many others did the same, running away in fear and they inevitably got shot too.
It was all a blur. Natsuki could only bear one thought. Get the hell out of here. And she thought it to be a fact that everyone would vote to leave along with her after this. You’d be a fool not to.
“Green light!”
No one but Natsuki and player 456 ran.
“If you don’t cross the line in time, they’ll still kill you! Look at the doll’s eyes! They’re cameras that scan the field for motion! But it’s not able to detect you if you’re behind something!” He moved his hand behind his back to demonstrate this point. “So if you’re short, line up behind someone who’s taller than you! Single file. Run at the next green light.”
The players had tactfully formed lines to avoid motion detection. Players were still eliminated, some pushed but Natsuki was able to stay very well hidden behind player 390 due to her height.
-
Once Natsuki crossed the finish line, her legs gave out in fatigue and relief. She let out a shaken breath like she hadn’t been breathing properly for the past… had it only been 5 minutes?
-
The players were led back to the main hall. Everyone was sat near on their beds, the weight of death hanging over them. Natsuki was sat, hugging her knees to her chest.
The metal door opened again and the masked men walked out. Players gasped, cowered and hid behind the beds in fear of suffering the same fate as the eliminated players from the last game.
The Square masked man spoke, his tone inappropriately casual. “You have successfully made it through the first game. Congratulations to you all. Now, if I may have your attention, I will announce the results so far.”
The number on the screen above, showing the total amount of players decreased by 91 players, leaving 365 players left.
“Once again, congratulations to all of you for making it through the first game.”
The elderly woman Natsuki had seen earlier, lecturing her son had now taken on a different tone. Desperate and pleading. “Sir, let us go. Please.” She cried, dropping to her knees. “Please! Don’t kill us! I know.. As for my son’s debt,,I will do whatever it takes to pay you back! Please forgive us.” She grabbed her son’s arm, pulling him to the ground to beg for mercy alongside her. “Don’t just stand there. Beg for forgiveness.”
And he complied. “I apologise for everything. I promise I’ll pay it back!”
“There seems to be a misunderstanding.” The man spoke as more people fell to their knees to beg, “We are not trying to harm you.” Natsuki scoffed at the blatant lie. “We are presenting you with an opportunity.”
Player 456 called out, interrupting the masked man. “Clause three of the consent form.” The pleading players fell silent, Natsuki tried to recall which one clause three was. “The games may be terminate upon majority vote. Correct?”
“That is correct.”
“Then let us take a vote right now.”
“Of course. We respect your right of freedom of choice. But first, let me announce the prize amount that’s been accumulated.”
The man point the remote to the ceiling again and the golden piggy bank lowers from the ceiling. Wads of cash adding up to a total of 9.1 billion won which meant each player would be going home with their share of 24,931,500 won.
Natsuki nodded to herself, that was enough. It had to be enough. She had to go home. Though, other players still dared to disagree. It made her heart drop. Were they considering staying? Fuck,
-
The room was separated into two halves, one with an illuminated blue circle on the ground, the other with a glowing red X. There were two lines on the floor, one red, one blue forming an isle. At the end were two buttons. One blue O button, one red X button.
The man explained the voting system. “If you wish to continue the games, press the O button. If you wish to end them, press the X. The vote will be held in reverse order of your player numbers.” He paused. “Player 456, please cast your vote.”
Player 456. The man from earlier.
He walked along the isle but stopped in his tracks when a player called out from on of the beds. Player 044. She was sat on the top bunk in a way that reminded Natsuki of a cat. She was attempting to assert some kind of dominance or power. “It’s all pointless! You didn’t decide when you came into this world and you won’t decide when you leave it either. When and where you die we’re already decided by the gods the moment you were born.”
Player 456 continued walking toward the buttons, without hesitation, choosing X.
The square masked man continued to speak as the circle masked person stood behind the voting machine pulled out a drawer of X and O patches. That was what the Velcro material on the other side of their chests were for. “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.”
As the players began to vote, a concerning amount pressed O, voting to stay and dragging down the X voters with them. Natsuki voted to leave without a second thought. Player 230 was the 93rd person to vote O which meant:
O: 93
X: 87
The purple haired man, Su-bong if Natsuki remembered correctly, smirked at the screen in amusement as he voted but his smirk quickly faded when player 456 called out, “Wait a minute, everyone! You can’t do this.” He walked through the crowd, his voice reaching that pleading tone again, desperately trying to reason with these people “Come to your senses! Don’t you see? These aren’t just any games! We will all die if we keep playing! We have to get out of here now. With a majority vote, we can! We must stop here!”
Jeong-dae yelled back “Who do you think you are!? Why do you keep egging people on like that? You scared us by saying they’d shoot us before the game even began!”
Then, player 254, “That’s right! He was going on about how we’d die and I almost did because I got so nervous!”
Then, Yeong-sam “How did you know they were going to shoot us? Are you one of them?”
“Are you conning us all by pretending to be a player!?” Jeong-dae pushed past 456 and pointed an accusing finger at the masked men. “Who is this guy? Did you plant him to mess with our heads?”
Then, finally, after all the berating, Player 390 stood up for his friend. “That’s uncalled for. We wouldn’t have won the game and survived if it weren’t for him! You have no right to treat him like a fraud!”
The elderly woman ran in between the two men in attempt to stop the conflict. “Come on now, please don’t do this listen.” She looked back over to 456, “None of us would be alive if it weren’t for this gentleman.” She took a few steps toward him and put a hand on his arm. She the clasped to hands together “Please, enough with the greed. Let’s put outer lives first and get out of this place! Okay?” Her voice growing is panic and desperation.
The crowd began to yell and curse, Natsuki looked around in panic. These people were almost twice her size, throwing fists in the air in outrage, their greed slowly becoming aggression.
But player 456 yelled loudest of them all, “I have played these games before!” The crowd silence in confusion and disbelief. “I have done this before! I knew about the first game because I had played it before!” His voice was thick with frustration and possibly grief from the memory. “I played these games here three years ago! And everyone who was with me died here!”
The crowd gasped and muttered.
“Hold on, if they all died, how did you survive alone?” 226 asked before putting the pieces together, “Wait are you saying you were the sole winner.”
“That’s right.” His expression was hardened, almost as if the fact had carried shame with it. “I was the final winner. If we continue the games, all the people in this room will end up just like all the people back then!”
“Bullshit.” Jeong-dae said sternly but calmly, “if you were the sole winner, it means you won 45.6 billion won. If you really did, why would you come back here?”
People in the crowd seemed to agree and Natsuki couldn’t help but have the same question.
Su-bong approached 456, striding over with confidence. “If you really won, it actually works better for us. You can give us some tips on how to win the games.”
456’s face fell. Oh fuck.
He desperately tried to convince people, even grabbing a man by the shoulders in attempt to shake some sense into him but one of the the guards walked over and put a gun to his back, announcing it was forbidden to disrupt the voting process
The next player, 228, voted O. The next voted O, then Natsuki voted X.
X
O
X
X
X
O
O
O
Until there was one left. Player 001.
Players on both sides of the room chanted at him, begging, pleading to side with them.
X:182 O: 182
Hope made Natsuki’s heart race and fear made her palms sweat. She could barely watch yet she couldn’t take her eyes away. Surely he’d vote to go home. He’d be stupid not to-
O
X: 182 O: 183
The O side cheered and the X side hung their heads, saying goodbye to their life before it ended. And Natsuki, felt angry. Hopeless and angry.