Why? || The Max-Level Player 100th Regression x F!Reader

Haunted

1st POV (Y/N)

The next few days passed in a blur of mundane distractions. Zuri and I fell into our usual rhythm, hitting the gym to take advantage of those stat boosts while keeping things light-hearted. But no matter how hard I tried to focus on anything else, Ryu Min's presence haunted the back of my mind. I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at me. Every time I tried to push it aside, memories of his betrayal clawed their way back up, like poison lingering beneath my skin.

Zuri, of course, remained blissfully unaware. She was always the ray of sunshine, dragging me out to new restaurants or movie nights in an attempt to keep things normal in the middle of an abnormal situation.

But even with her constant chatter and warmth, I couldn't stop thinking about the game.

The next round was fast approaching.

One afternoon, I found myself pacing the length of Zuri's living room, trying to calm the storm of anxiety brewing in my chest. I paused by the window, looking out at the sprawling city beneath me, the skyline seeming as endless as my worries.

I heard the soft patter of Zuri's footsteps behind me before she draped herself over the couch with a dramatic sigh. "Girl, you've been in your head all day. Spill."

I turned, arms crossed. "It's nothing, just... the game."

Zuri raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And this 'nothing' has nothing to do with Ryu Min either, right?"

My breath is caught, but I forced a casual shrug. "I barely know him."

"Please." Zuri sat up, flipping her curls over her shoulder. "You two were giving off serious tension at the door the other day. I may be oblivious, but I'm not blind."

"I don't want to talk about it, Zuri. It's... complicated."

"Complicated how?"

I didn't respond immediately, instead finding comfort in the steady hum of the city outside the window. I could feel Zuri's eyes on me, waiting, pushing me to say something, anything. But how could I explain the history between me and Ryu Min without dragging her into a nightmare she didn't deserve?

"It's nothing I can't handle," I said, my voice quieter than I intended.

Zuri's expression softened, concern painted across her features. "You don't have to handle it alone, you know that, right?"

I gave her a small smile, but the truth was, this time I really did.

·········⋆༺𓆩❀𓆪༻⋆·········

The deadline for the next round was about to be hit, just as Zuri and I were finishing dinner.

After cleaning up, we lay down together in her bed. My heart tickling slightly. Perhaps it's the fact that I went through this before, but there's not a lot of anxiety. 

Zuri was uncharacteristically quiet as she watched the tv in front of us, a distraction for her—our nerves. I could see the same tension in her shoulders that I felt in my own. This was life and death, and no amount of confidence or sass could mask the cold reality of it.

"We're going to be okay, right?" she asked softly, her confidence finally cracking.

I hold her hand and give it a squeeze. "Yeah. We can handle it."

Zuri nodded, but her expression remained grim. I could tell she was thinking about the last round, the blood, the cruelty. She barely scraped by. This time, it wouldn't be so easy either.

I wish for nothing more to be in the same group as her, but reality isn't as kind.

She survived once before.