No Way Out (Squidgame s2 x child reader)

|12|

I didn't even have to think. "Sundubu-jjigae. My mom's is the best, and she always made it when I was sick. It's warm and comforting and—ugh, just thinking about it makes me want to cry."

Her teasing expression softened. "She sounds like a great mom."

"She is," I said quietly, my chest tightening. "She's the reason I'm here. Just like I know you will be too."

Jun-hee didn't say anything for a moment, but I didn't mind. It was nice, sitting here, having a normal conversation for once—something that didn't involve blood or money or life-or-death situations.

After a beat, she nudged me with her knee. "When we get out of here, let's have a feast. We'll eat everything we just talked about and more."

A small, hopeful smile tugged at my lips. "Deal."

Just then, the others started trickling back in, their voices filling the space again. But for a moment, it was just us—two girls, sitting on a bunk, dreaming about a future that felt just out of reach.

......

"Attention, lights out in ten minutes." The female monotone voice echoed through the room. "Please take this time to return to your beds."

Gi-hun barely gave me a second to react before yanking my mattress from its frame and practically shoving it under the lower bunks. He had truly lost it. But, at the same time, something about his urgency made me listen. He wasn't just being paranoid—he knew something we didn't.

I helped Dae-ho pass down mattresses to Jung-bae, who I had now mentally renamed Garfield—the resemblance was uncanny. Big, grumpy, and somehow still endearing. As I loaded Jung-bae up with pillows and blankets, Jun-hee gave me a questioning look.

"What? That's allowed?" Dae-ho crouched beside us, his brows furrowed as he watched me pile the bedding onto our little sleeping fort.

"Killing each other still adds to the piggy bank," Gi-hun said flatly.

I froze.

"Wait... so murder is rewarded here?" My voice felt small, the weight of his words settling over me like a thick fog.

"It's part of how the whole game was designed." He finished, his face unreadable.

Young-il scoffed, shifting uncomfortably. "Gi-hun, I know you're on edge, but isn't that a bit of a stretch? I have trouble believing anyone here would actually—"

"You don't get it," Gi-hun snapped, stepping closer. His eyes, dark with exhaustion and something else—something deeper—locked onto Young-il's. "You have no idea what this place does to people. The kind of monsters it can create."

The tension thickened between them, the air suddenly too heavy. Should I step in?

I clapped my hands together, forcing a grin. "Okayyyy, how about we all cuddle?" I plopped down between them, waving my arms dramatically. "You know, I never had a sleepover before, and I think this is as close as I'm gonna get, so..." I trailed off, hoping to lighten the mood.

Gi-hun wasn't amused. He wasn't even looking at me. His focus remained on the others as he spoke.

"Once the lights turn off, we take shifts. One person stays awake while the others sleep."

Dae-ho groaned. "Come on, man, you don't really think—"

"I'll take the first shift," Gi-hun cut in. His tone left no room for argument. Then, finally, his gaze flickered to me.