LET THE GAMES BEGIN • squid game

( 13 ) kiss of death

And, in the bathroom earlier on, she could hear her quiet cries, no matter how much she tried to hide them.

This was out of character for the usually cold girl. The only people she'd ever cared about were her family. But, in such a short amount of time, the younger girl smashed her way into her heart made of stone, and did more that just tug on her heartstrings.

Footsteps approached, and Sae-byeok immediately held up her knife against the person there. Gi-hun raised his hands in surrender.

" It's ok. I didn't come here to kill you," He glanced at Nari's barely awake form. " Either of you."

Sae-byeok still held her knife up.

" She's been dozing off for hours. I'd have killed her already if I wanted to." She finally lowered her weapon as the man slid down the wall.

" You wouldn't have." Sae-byeok deadpanned, sliding her knife in her pocket.

" She's not holding up too well, is she?" He stated the obvious, gesturing to Nari. Sae-byeok shook her head.

" No, it's okay. I feel fine." The groggy voice of the girl cut in, and Sae-byeok glanced down to see her eyes barely open.

" Don't lie." She scolded her, shifting to give her more room.

" So how come you barely touched your food earlier?" Gi-hun asked. Nari hoped nobody had noticed.

" It wasn't cooked enough, that's all." Her voice grew raspier and raspier, and harder to understand.

Both adults watched as she scrunched her eyes shut, brows furrowed painfully.

" Please, Nari, stop lying." Gi-hun sighed. Nari scoffed.

" So what if I'm hurt? Are you gonna treat it?" No answer.

" Just leave me. I'll be fine." Nari didn't listen to the rest of their conversation. She glanced ahead of her, where Sangwoo sat, playing with the knife in his hands.

" Do you know what you're gonna do with all that money once we get out?" Sae-byeok asked, catching her attention.

" I'd pay my debt off first. And buy a nice clean store in the city for my mom. She always hoped to run, a real store, not just a stall. And I would...finally start being a dad to my girl. For once in my life." Nari sleepily smiled at Gi-huns plan.

" How old is your daughter?"

" She's 10."

" That's also how old my little brother is." Nari's ears perked up. She didn't know she had a brother.

" And where is he now?" Gi-hun asked.

" In a orphanage. I promised that he'd get out of there soon. Our mother is stuck in the north right now. I said I'd get her once I was able to make enough money, and I'll get us all a house." Sae-byeok chuckled. That's new.

" There's so much in there. I think you'll have plenty." Gi-hun smiled. Nari started to get teary.

" Gi-hun, Sae-Byeok.." She spoke quietly, and they both turned to her.

" I think we should make a deal."

" What kind of deal?"

" Just incase any of us...can actually make it out of this hellhole somehow, we'll look after each other's loved ones." Sae-Byeok sat up straight at her words.

" Come on, don't say things like that. We'll beat Sangwoo, and then we'll all get out of here." Nari's lower lip trembled, her face shining with sweat.

" I still want you to swear." A quiet sob left her lips.

" I need you to swear that you'll look after my mother." Gi-hun shushed them, pointing to Sangwoo, who had dozed off.

He stood slowly, and pulled out his knife. Sae-byeok took her eyes off of Nari to watch him.

" Don't do it." Sae-byeok called. Her eyes were full of tears.

" That isn't you." Nari was practically latched onto her now, arms wrapped around her waist and head shoved into her chest as Sae-byeok's arm held her.

" You're a good person at heart." He froze. He put his knife at his side, but neither of them had time to say anything before Sae-byeok lost her grip on Nari as she slumped, eyes closing.

Sae-byeok's eyes widened, and she frantically moved to check on her.

" What's wrong? What's wrong?" Gi-hun panicked also, rushing over.

Sae-byeok moved her blanket to check as she started to choke, and gasped at the huge pool of blood sitting on her shirt.

" What the hell happened? Nari?" She begged the girl, placing her hands over the spot. Gi-hun did the same.

Tears started to roll down her pale and sweaty cheeks, and her breathing grew shallow.

" I think I want to go home now. I want to see my mom." She cried, trembling. She had no energy left.

Sae-byeok reached a hand to touch her cheek, and she leaned into the warmth as she cried. Sae-byeok's own eyes grew watery.

Gi-hun ran to the doors, slamming on them with his bloody fists, begging for help.

Sae-byeok kept holding her head up as it fell, tears flowing freely as Gi-hun screamed. She didn't deserve this.

Her head shot up when she heard footsteps, and she barely had time to think before Sangwoo was shoving her off the bed and out of the way.

All she saw was the knife in his hand as Nari let out what was supposed to be a yelp, before she went silent.

The lights suddenly turned on, and the doors opened. Gi-hun begged them for help, but they just walked straight past him. Two guards were holding an all too familiar black box.

A bloody handprint ran down Sangwoo's cheek, and Sae-byeok almost vomited. She was a kid. Not even 16 years old. And he murdered her.

Gi-hun came running, and held her face in his hands as he cried. A pool of blood sat underneath her head on the mattress, and as Gi-hun turned her head, a stab wound on the side of her neck became visible.

Sae-byeok let out a silent sob, crawling over to the bed and brushing the girls hair back, whimpering.

" Nari. Nari, Nari. No." She cried, cradling the girls head in her lap.

" Nari, please, wake up." She begged, Gi-hun crying beside her.

Gi-hun suddenly turned to Sangwoo, eyes full of hatred as he went for him. Sae-byeok couldn't bring herself to move.

" Oh, Nari. I'm sorry." She sobbed as Gi-hun was pinned down by the guards.

The guards started to pull her body away, and she held onto her still warm hand until she couldn't anymore, and she sobbed as she let go.

She just curled up into a ball and cried as the guards left, and flinched when the stupid machine added the money to the prize pot.

All she'd wanted was to see her mother. And she couldn't even get out of that awful place.

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Fuck me I can't stop crying