457 | Squid Game

Chapter 1

"Kapeka! I'm home!" A familiar voice called out in Russian as the house door opened and shut. I smiled, knowing this meant something good.

"What did you find?"

"Well, a nice old woman gave me a fish!" She held out a plastic bag and I smiled.

"Perfect!" I took the bag from her and set it on the counter, turning away from my sister to prepare our dinner. I hummed, thinking of nothing in particular until I remembered that she had applied for a job recently. "Any news from the school?"

"No." The air turned cold and thick with tension. We had been trying for months to get a job teaching, but nobody seemed to want to learn Russian. Well, I say we but I'd already given up. My sister, on the other hand, was still trying. I admire her hard working nature, however she doesn't know when to give up no matter how hard I try to tell her.

"How are the bills?" She asked, knowing fully what my response would be.

So, I didn't respond.

"Kapeka."

"Serafina."

I turned to face her. We stared at each other, letting our anger simmer until the other would speak.

"Why haven't you paid them?"

"I can't pay them unless I have money," I deadpanned.

"Then get another loan," she snaps.

"Fine," I say flatly. I turn away as the inside of my chest burns. She knows I already owe a lot to the loan sharks and can't get much more.

"Maybe if you tried applying for jobs, we could actually survive." Serafina muttered.

"Excuse me?" I turned to face Serafina once again. "At least I don't apply for jobs that won't hire."

Serafina turned back, seething, "At least I'm trying."

"Well clearly it's not enough," I spat back.

"It's something! What have you done?" She stepped closer to me, raising her voice.

I didn't have an answer. Instead, I pushed her away and stormed to the door.

"Don't come back until you have money!" She screamed.

"I won't!" I yelled back before slamming the door behind me.

⭘△▢

Serafina is two years older than me and a pain in the ass. When we were really young and still lived in Russia, she'd always bully me and throw me under the bus. She only stopped once we moved to Korea 10 years ago because of our parents... changing.

I sighed, watching people pass by me. The bench under me creaked when I shifted my weight. Trying to get rid of the memories and think about how I would get money to go home, I started to keep track of all the more interesting people in the street. A boy begging his mother to get him ice cream from the shop behind me, a man yelling about Jesus, Ma Seok, an old woman selling flowers- Ma Seok?

I looked at him again to verify what I was seeing. Unlucky for me, it was indeed him. Even more unlucky was that he noticed and started walking towards me.

"Kapeka! My friend! Come, let's chat!" He smiled and waved.

блядь.

I bolted as he called after me. I didn't have to look back to know he was trailing closely as his footsteps grew in both volume and number. About 4 sets of footsteps followed me. I cursed myself for being so dumb and turned a corner in an attempt to leave their line of sight. Yet it seems that day really wasn't a lucky one for me, seeing as I ended up in a dead end alley.