Fun and Games

Glass

Once they pick their numbers the players are taken into another room, it is small and dark, while they wait for the others to pick their numbers. Once everyone has picked their numbers another door opens and they see what looks like a circus tent, with two rows of glass going from one side to the other. "Hello, players, let me welcome you all to the fifth game. The fifth game is Glass Stepping Stones. The stepping stones before you are made from one of two types of glass, one will be tempered glass and the other will be normal glass. The tempered glass stepping stone are strong enough to hold the weight of two people. However, the normal glass will break even if  just one person steps on it. For this game, you will guess which one of next two tiles is the tile made of the stronger tempered glass, and only step on those across the 18 pairs of tile. You may then cross over to the other side safely and pass this game."

The unlucky man who picked number one, 097, looks over to the closest staff member, "that means the numbers on us..."

The staff member faces the man and answers him with no emotion to his voice, "are the order in which you will cross the bridge."

096 then looks back to Gi-Hun who has sixteen on his chest. Then, with a terrified breath, looks back to the bridge, "but then, how will I tell which is the tempered one?" The staff member doesn't answer, as if to tell 096, 'you don't.'

As 096 approaches the edge the players got more instructions, "for this game, you will have sixteen minutes. Players must cross the bridge within those sixteen minutes. And now, with that, let the game begin. Each player, take off your shoes, then go up to the tiles in order."

As Opal takes off her shoes she is a little relieved that she will be able to tell which tile the players before her went on, due to the foot prints on the glass, if they choose the right one and don't fall to the ground below. 096 steps up onto the edge and looks between the two tiles, but he is taking too long and the other players get frustrated, starting to yell at him. Soon, Deok-Su walks up to him, "hey. Take your step now or I'll push your ass."

"I'll go, I'll go, okay? I'll go. I'll go right now," 096 looks back to the tiles and quickly makes his decision, jumping on to the tile on the left. Everyone is shocked to see that he doesn't fall and instead the glass is supporting his weight.

The woman who is going next, 308, tries to encourage 096 on, "yes, that's it. Keep doing that one after the other. You got this."

The players now begin to cheer 096 on, hoping that he will be able to pick the next several tiles correctly. Looking between the next two tiles 096 makes his decision and jumps, but as soon as he gets a foot onto the glass shaders and falls. 308 goes next jumping on the first left tile, then the right, shuddering as she looks down, seeing what remains of 096. She looks between the two tiles, then looks behind her, before picking the left tile. No doubt hoping that they have just alternated the tiles. But she chooses the normal glass and falls just as 096 had. The next player goes, 062, and by now some of those still on the platform are getting restless, "hurry the hell up and go!"

But while some shout worried filled words, others try to be gentle and kind, "hey, you got this." Opal begin one of the players to try and encourage the others. This is a game of chance. There is no reason to be nasty to someone who is already terrified.

062 looks at the tiles in front of him and laughs, almost manically, before he takes off. Bouncing over three tiles before the fourth sends him to his death. Unfortunately, for the remaining players, 062 was moving too fast for any of them to remember which he picked. Now the players begin a new strategy, rather than waiting for the other to fall and hoping they can remember which they went on, they go one after the other. Player 021 is the next to go and he turns to the players behind him for help, "excuse me, ma'am. Do you think that you could help me? Do you happen to remember what he choose next? I can't seem to recall which one now."

"Oh, I don't know, uh, it happened too quickly," the woman behind him shakes her head.

"Think hard, please. Since both of our lives depend on getting this next one."

"Okay. The left one I think."

"Wait, no!" A man further back shouts, "he went right and then he went left."

"Uh, he didn't do that," another man chimes in, "he went left right away."

"No, it was right from there."

021 looks to the woman behind him, "are you sure? He went left first?"

She nods, "mhmmm." Player 021 jumps onto the tile to the left and falls, "so he went right."

The players move up and continue on, soon only Gi-Hun, Opal, Sang-Woo and Sae-Byeok are on the platform. Gi-Hun tries to rationalize a plan for his team, "there are ten tiles left, and eleven people still playing. If they manager to step on one or two each, the four of us can get across to the end."

"That might not be the case," Sang-Woo sighs, "if one of those players get scared and starts to run down the time, we are in danger at the back of the line."

Opals up at the clock, there is only nine minutes and fifty eight seconds remaining. She then turns back to the bridge and steps onto the edge, noticing that the rows are too far apart for her to walk up the two of them and with the broke glass in them for her to balance across just one. Plus she doesn't know that she'd be able balance long enough to make it across. She jumps on the left tile and then the right, following the player in front of her. Soon the group stops moving forward and 244 can be heard praying, "our Father who art in heaven hallowed by that name..."

"Get up," the next player, 151, becomes confused, "what are you doing? You're praying right now? Seriously? Hey, just get up and stop praying, okay? You idiot, it's your turn!"

Opal, who has grown tired of 244's constant praying and preaching, looks around the other players ahead of her and shouts up, "either you get up and move or we will find out that the next three tiles are."

244 then stops praying, "no number can determine when the Lord calls for somebody. Judgement is called down to us here. It's our time to face the Lord. Anyway, we're all going to hell."

"Yeah, and I'd like to enjoy a little more sinning before then so let's go!"

Deok-Su finds himself in the odd position of agreeing with Opal, but he speaks to 151 not 244, "you want to wind-up dead, buddy? Get that asshole to stop praying."

151 jumps onto the same tile as 244 and the two wrestle a bit. 151 trying to get 244 up and to move forward, but he ends up getting thrown into the next tile, which is normal glass. 244 jumps onto the tempered tile and takes a deep breath, "thank you. God bless me today."

Without warning or time for 244 to realize the next player, runs up and pushes him into the next tile. Soon turning back to Deok-Su, who is right behind him, "don't push me, okay?"

"Hey, come on," Deok-Su smirks, "I got no reason to push you. You gotta cross so I can. Huh?" Even though Deok-Su's words are reassuring that the player has nothing to worry about from him, they mean, he has nothing to worry about from him as long as he keeps moving.