Blood Money

3: The End

TRIGGER WARNING: guns, violence, death, suicide

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE SUGAR HONEYCOMB GAME, Son Jin-Ho was pacing the too-cramped room. Tomorrow, it would be his turn to shine. Once it was over, he would be guaranteed the 100 million, then be assigned menial tasks until the whole thing ended. Of course, he needed to make sure the game went smoothly, first.

Jin-Ho knew he needed to rest, but whenever he closed his eyes, he saw Eun-Ha. He dreamt once; that he was back at that weeding test, but instead of some faceless person, his grandparents and Eun-Ha were the ones tied down. Beside him, the Front Man watched him. When he noticed Jin-Ho's hesitance, he guided his hands towards the gun in front of him, and raised it. "Shoot them," the Front Man said, his words worming into Jin-Ho's brain like a parasite, "Shoot!". Yelling, Jin-Ho shoved the gun away, away from his family, but the Front Man's grip was strong, and he pulled the trigger fo him. Jin-Ho looked up. Eun-Ha's glassy eyes stared at him, blood pooling around her. "How could you?" The accusation echoed in his head. After that, Jin-Ho did not try to sleep again.

○△□

The role of a manager was to make sure that everything went perfectly. First, Jin-Ho checked that the different-shaped sugar honeycombs were behind the correct door. Then, he went to examine the actual room itself. Barely a step inside, Jin-Ho's breath hitched in his throat. The room replicated the playground in his neighborhood, but larger in scale. All the equipment was in the same placement. It even had the roundabout that Eun-Ha loved, but Jin-Ho hated because it always made him dizzy. It was familiar, yet jarring. It was twisted.

If it was not clear before, it was obvious now. Despite his rank, Jin-Ho was simply another pawn in their game. He was a participant, even if he was not a player. A faceless person, reduced to nothing but a number. A circus monkey doing tricks for a jeering audience. Just entertainment. 

Shut up. Jin-Ho was not here to wallow in self-pity. He was here to get the money to pay off his father's debt, so his family could live without fear of being harassed. After sacrificing so much to climb his way to the top, he was not going to screw up now. 

With his head held up high, he walked around the room and inspected it. He looked under every nook and cranny, reminiscent of playing hide-and-seek with Eun-Ha, making sure that there was no unfair advantage for the players to exploit. When there was none, he gave the command to bring the players in.

Jin-Ho observed the players as they streamed into the room. He watched as their eyes darted around the room, probably trying to guess the next game. Some were anxious, some were collected (strangely). However, all were desperate and foolish enough to risk their lives for money. Himself, included.

It was too late to wonder; but was this truly worth it?

Bang! A body slid down the slide, leaving a trail of dark red blood. Jin-Ho was brought back into reality. He shook his head. He was really out of it, and he needed to focus.

The first mistake he noticed was a lone circle-masked worker watching the game. He needed to rectify it quickly. Jin-Ho took out a scanner that allowed him to identify a guard. It beeped.

"Number 29, your duty is to carry out eliminated players. Why are you here already?" Jin-Ho asked. His voice was lower, more authoritative because of the voice changer.

Number 29 was silent for a while. Then, he said, "Apologies, I got confused."

What a bullshit excuse, was he sabotaging him on purpose? Jin-Ho's eyes narrowed. The managers were instructed to punish disobedience with death. Not now, though. When the game was over. "Stay here until the game ends. I'll have a word with you about your confusion."

The rest of the game went without a hitch. As the countdown ticked closer to zero, and the sounds of gunshot became more frequent, the tension in the room became more palatable.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

"Player 456, pass."

The countdown reached zero. "The second game is over. All successful players, please leave the playground immediately."

Jin-Ho watched as the last successful players left the room, their shoulders sagging in relief. Then, the door shut. The remaining players were cowering, begging, running away. There was a scream behind Jin-Ho. He swiveled around, tensing when he found that a player somehow got hold of a gun. As it turned out, Jin-Ho was heartless, even if he did not want to admit it. He immediately reached for his own gun, but too late.

There was sudden, stabbing pain in Jin-Ho's shoulder. His hand instinctively reached out for his shoulder, but the player quickly grabbed him from behind, immobilising him. The player held the gun against Jin-Ho's head.

Fuck.

"You assholes! I'll kill him, I'll really kill him!"

All the soldiers immediately surrounded them in a semicircle formation. There were still some players alive, but if they thought that they had a chance to escape while the soldiers were distracted, they were dead wrong. The soldiers in the outer row turned around and shot indiscriminately.

 This only agitated the player further. He shoved the gun more harshly against Jin-Ho. "Take your mask off. Mask off, now!"

Jin-Ho did not see any other choice. He put down the hood and pulled down his mask.

"Turn around," the player said.

Jin-Ho turned, his gaze unflinching, and his mouth set in a thin line. Rule #1, always wear your mask outside your room. Disobedience was punishable by death. Jin-Ho internally berated himself. If he had known that it would end like this, he wouldn't have joined in the first place.

"You're so young... How did you end up like this?"

"I was forced into this situation"—his voice was no longer distorted by the voice changer. Now that his death was imminent, he couldn't care less about being careful—"by people like you."

The player's face shifted. He held on to the gun, but his hands were shaking. In a blink of an eye, he moved the gun to his own head. Bang! The player's body dropped to the ground; an easy escape from the irreversible damage he caused Jin-Ho.

Jin-Ho turned around, and the Front Man was walking towards him. He knew what was coming. He had seen so much death, and caused so much death. Still, he was afraid. All he wanted was to shield his family from the unforgiving world; he never expected that he had to pay with his humanity. His life.

The Front Man raised his gun; Jin-Ho had one last thought. At the very least, he hoped that they would leave Eun-Ha alone. That no matter what, she would live a long and happy life—

BANG!

:

Jin-Ho tried to fight the world. He fought with what little he had; bloody fists and split knuckles, and weapons forced onto him. He fought hard, but it was too much, and he was too powerless. Rest, Young Atlas. The weight of the world was too much for you to carry, but you tried your best. Young Atlas, it is time to rest.