No Way Out (Squidgame s2 x child reader)

|16|

🌃🌃🌃

I hesitated for only a second before slipping the fork into the waistband of my pants. The cold metal sent a shiver through me, making my stomach churn, but soon, my body heat warmed it. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay calm. I glanced around subtly, wondering if I was the only one who got one—

But then I noticed.

Everyone had forks.

Some held them awkwardly in their hands, while others had already hidden theirs. A few people looked at each other, silent, uncertain. No one spoke about it, but the tension in the room thickened.

This wasn't a mistake.

Someone had given these to us.

I didn't know whether to be terrified or relieved.

⋄⋄⋄

I was in the bathroom with Jun-hee.

For what felt like the 800th time.

I leaned against the cold wall, arms crossed over my chest, while she occupied one of the stalls.

"They weren't kidding when they said pregnant people need the restroom a lot," I muttered, staring up at the ceiling.

A laugh came from the stall. "Tell me about it. I swear, I can't even sleep without getting up five times in the middle of the night."

I smiled slightly, but my mind was still reeling. The forks. The vote tomorrow. The fact that we were still stuck in this place.

I needed a distraction.

"Do you think it's a girl or a boy?" I asked.

Jun-hee was quiet for a second. Then, the toilet flushed, and the stall door creaked open. She stepped out, adjusting her sweat shirt—one that barely concealed the bump beneath.

She washed her hands in the sink, thinking. "I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

"Really?"

She met my eyes in the mirror, giving me a small, tired smile. "I've been too focused on just... making it out of here alive."

My chest tightened at that.

I stepped closer, standing beside her at the sink. "You will make it out of here. Both of you."

She looked down at her hands, drying them off with a shaky breath. "I want to believe that. I really do."

A pause.

Then she turned to me.

"What do you think?" she asked softly.

I blinked. "Huh?"

"Do you think it's a girl or a boy?"

I hesitated, considering.

"A girl," I said after a moment.

She tilted her head. "Why a girl?"

I shrugged. "Just a feeling."

Jun-hee smiled again, this time a little more real. "A girl would be nice."

I watched her for a second before reaching out and taking her hand. "I'm serious, Jun-hee. We're getting out of here. You, me, Gi-hun. Dae-ho. All of us."

Her fingers curled around mine.

"I hope you're right."

I forced a grin. "I am right."