CHAPTER SIX: democracy
All alive players were back in the warehouse, sitting in every corner. There was dead silence. It has been almost an hour since they were led back to the hall, with no explanation of what the hell happened outside.
Hayoon was sitting on her bed, with knees pull up to her chin, wiggling forward and backward. Her whole body was shaking. She heard some man sobbing on a bed above her.
She saw, not that far away, a man with curly brown hair. She recognized him as her savior from the game.
She didn't even thank him, when he saved her life. Well, she was in big shock at the moment of the first game, but still.
Hayoon tried to stand up from the bed. At first her legs didn't want to cooperate. When she finally, stood up, she walked to this man. His number was 199.
"Hello" she said, her voice cracked "I... I want to thank you. You saved my life out there. If it's not you, I probably would be dead too. Thank you so much, I owe you one"
The man smiled softly. He had this kind of warm smile that makes you smile back.
"No problem, it was nothing"
"It was a big deal" Hayoon pointed at the place next to him "Can I sit with you? If you don't mind"
"Please" 199 shifted to the side. The girl sat down, crossing her legs "I'm Ali"
He held out his hand to her. 146 squeezed it, shaking their hands gently.
"Nice to meet you Ali" she bit her lip uncertain "My name is Hayoon"
Ali just nodded his head. They were sitting in silence, both of them with many thoughts in the heads. Finally, the girl spoke up.
"You didn't expect the game to end like this, huh" she smiled sarcastically
"No" Ali shook his head, "But I'm happy that I made it alive. I'm scared how I am supposed win next games"
"Well, you have a lot of strength. It's not easy to hold my weight" Hayoon tried to ease tension, which worked. Ali chuckled a little "You're gonna be fine"
The big door opened. The pink soldiers come in, holding the guns, as everyone stood up. Most of the people were standing in the back, very much scared. Hayoon took Ali and walk with him to Gihun and Sangwoo.
"You have all made it through the first game. Congratulations" how nice of them "I will now announce the results of the first game"
The big screen on the wall, which was showing the amount of players, started to counting down. From 456 to 201.
"Out of the 456 players, 255 were eliminated, and 201 players successfully completed the first game"
Most of the people gasped out loud terrified. Hayoon knew that many people died, but when she saw the number of 255 that hit her harder. She felt so bad for them and their families.
„Mister, please!" loud scream of some woman, snapped her out of her thoughts
Hayoon get on her tiptoes, trying to see the woman that walk to the front, her hands folded as if in prayer. Her number was 212.
"Listen I'm sorry. I swear I will pay what I owe" she cried "I will do it, I'll pay it all"
212 fell on her knees.
"Please, sir" she begged, "I have a child. I need to register, and I still need to name my child, sir. Please let me live"
Hayoon felt a lump in her throat. She also had a kid, that was waiting for her to come back, not knowing that she probably wouldn't.
Another woman fell on her knees, starting to beg "Please, I swear I will pay"
And another woman. And then man. And another man. Finally, almost twenty people were on the floor, beginning pink soldiers to let them go.
"There's seems to be a misunderstanding" the square spoke "We are not trying to hurt you or collect your debts. Let me remind you that we're here to give you a chance"
Hayoon sputtered irritated. Well that's a great chance, but no one would be here if they said that they are gonna be killed.
"A chance?" some man in the front spoke up "We are playing kid's game, and you shoot us. You want me to choose that?"
"We may be in debt, but it's not okay to kill us!"
"This is just the game" said square
Hayoon laughed hysterically. Sangwoo and Gihun looked at her surprised.
"You think killing people is a game?" she yelled angry
People murmured what she thinks meant that they are agreeing with her.
"They were simply eliminated for breaking the rules of the game..."
"Then just send them home and not kill them!"
Square ignored her and continued, "If you just follow the rules, you can leave this place safely with the prize money we promised"
"Just keep your damn money, I don't care!" screamed man, number 066 "Let me just go home, that's all I want"
People started to began for freedom again.
"Clause number one: A player is not allowed to stop playing" said square
"Come on, police probably are looking for us. We all have families!"
"Yeah! And I bet they have everybody's phones tracked here already" said another man "Look at your all hostages. You're doomed if you don't let us go"
The crowd started to scream, feeling in power. It ended really fast, when one of the soldiers fired a gun into the air.
Everyone fell on the ground, hiding from bullets. But it was only one gunshot. Hayoon felt how her heart beats faster.
"Clause number two: A player who refuses to play, will be eliminated" said square
"Clause number three" this time the voice belonged to Sangwoo. He got up from the ground "If the majority agrees to stop playing, the games are allowed to end. Am I wrong?"
He wasn't. Hayoon smiled as she also stood up.
"You are correct"
"So let's vote on ending this" said Sangwoo "If the majority wishes to leave this place, then everyone gets to go home"
After a long silence, the square soldier spoke up, "All right, as you wish. We will take a vote to decide on the termination of the game"
Everybody get up from the floor. Hayoon had a big smile on her face as she walked to Sangwoo.
She punched him on the arm from the happiness "It's so great to have a genius as a friend"
The man hold his arm as he grimaced. He didn't answer to her, just nodded his head.
"Before we vote, let me announce the prize money for the game as previously promised"
With these words, the soldier took out the controller and with a loud beep he pressed on some button.
The lights turned off. The ceiling started to rumble. Again the piggy bank showed up, lightening in gold color. After a second, the piles of money started to falling inside with a chip tune music playing. A lot of money.
It took a long time before they stopped appearing. Hayoon watched it with a wide open mouth.
"A total of 255 players were eliminated during the first game. A hundred million won is a stake per one player. Therefore, 25.5 billion won of prize money has been accumulated so far. If you wish to give up on playing, this money will be sent to the bereaved families of the late players, 100 million won each. However, you will all return home empty-handed"
"Uh, sir" it was the woman who was first to beg for life "So then, if we can complete all six games, how much do we get?"
"Since there were 456 players, the total prize money is 45.6 billion won"
That's a lot. Hayoon looked at piggy bank. For all that money, she could do so many things. At first pay all her debts, pay for medicial for her mom and send Ji-hoon to private school. She could also buy a house for three of them, everyone would have their own room and warm water in the shower. All the places she wanted to visit would, she could do that.
She needed that money.
"So let's begin the voting"
II
"As you can see, there are two buttons in front of you" started to explain the pink soldier "If you wish to continue playing, press the green button with O. If you wish to stop playing, press the red button with the X instead. After you finish voting, move to the other side of the white line and wait. Voting will be done in reverse order of the number on your chests. Player 456, please cast your vote"
Gihun walked from the crowd. He hesitated a short time before pressing the red button. The next player, woman with a number 453, vote on the playing, by pressing the green button.
Hayoon thanked in her mind, that she is in the middle with her number, she had time to think.
Her wise part of the brain was screaming to stop playing. She should listen to this. But it's so much money. It was a small chance that she could win.
But it felt wrong to make other people play, if they didn't want to. Jesus, it was hard.
The votes were showing 50:50 when Sangwoo walked to the buttons. He was thinking a long time before clicking on the green button. Hayoon was surprised. He was the one who mentioned voting, but still decided to play.
The woman with 212 also pressed on green button. Hayoon eyes were wide open. This woman was first to beg to come home to her unnamed child, but still decide to play? God, what money can do with people.
"Have you all gone crazy?!" yelled some man, "We have to leave. We can't keep putting up with this insanity"
"So what if we leave?" screamed 212 "Tell me, what changes? Just as bad out there, as it is in here, goddamn it"
"She's right! If we stop right now, that only helps the ones who are dead. They'll get a 100 million won and not us. We made it through, they out! That money is ours!"
"Please! Think about what just happened out there. Come on, let's go home!" some man cried
"I don't have where to go. I don't stand a chance, out there. I do here"
"You jerk!" another man grabbed him by his jumper, "You wanna die, the go do it by yourself, but do not drag everybody else into this!"
They started to fight when a soldier came to them. He pointed a gun at them.
"We will not condone any kind of act that impedes this democratic process" said square man, "Now let us resume and continue voting"
Next woman vote on red button.
Hayoon thought about everything they said. When she's gonna be back to home, what will she suppose to do? She still gonna be stealing from others, not able to pay for anything.
Ali decide to stop playing. It didn't even surprise her. She could tell that he was too kind for this.
Finally, it was her time.
With a curl up stomach, she walked out from the crowd. Last time, she looked at the piggy bank and the money.
She remembered Ji-hoon face, when she pressed the red button.
With her head lowered, she went to the other side.
The 067 girl voted on playing. Hayoon didn't know how to feel about that. There wasn't a big difference between people wanting to come home and these that still wants to play. Girl started to stressing so much.
There was one person left. The screen was showing 100:100. It all depended on this old man. He probably gonna press the green button, right? Why was someone like him wanted to play? Unless he got a dementia or something, and accidentally he would pick wrong.
The man walked to the buttons. It took him a a long time to finally decide.
He pressed the red button.
They are coming home.