┏━━━━°⌜ 𝘙𝘌𝘔𝘌𝘔𝘉𝘌𝘙 𝘔𝘌 ⌟°━━━━┓
┗━━━━°⌜𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘹𝘪 ⌟°━━━━┛
〄 THE GAS spilled from the roof of the car seconds after the door slid shut. But, this time Sae-Byeok was ready.
She slumped down, concealing herself behind the passenger seat. If the guard sent a glance back, it would be impossible for him to catch a glimpse of her. And as she brought the collar of her jacket over her nose, she made it her mission not to inhale the the knockout gas.
She just hoped the gas wouldn't be able to infiltrate the shield she brought up over the lower half of her face. If it did then her mission would fail, and she would be left without the weapon she planned to smuggle in - a knife she carried almost wherever she went.
The small blade, it's presence heavy in her pocket, gave her a sense of comfort. She knew her way with a knife and knowing she would be able to defend herself if danger arose made it easier to relax.
The gas swiveled around her, like a thick morning fog, making it hard for her to distinguish her surroundings. She didn't need to see anything anyway. Closing her eyes, she feigned falling into unconsciousness the best she could. Though, the guard didn't even bother to look back at her, convinced entirely nobody would try to stay awake.
Sae-Byeok kept her breathing slow, taking only enough inhales to keep herself from struggling. And when the gas visibly dissipated, and she was sure it would do no harm she carefully opened them again.
Light was almost completely absent in the space of the vehicle, the darkness interrupted only by the occasional street light that flashed through the windows as they passed it.
The streets they rode down were unfamiliar to Sae-Byeok, though that wasn't that odd considering she had only been in one part of the city. But, these streets the man in red opted for were left in almost abandon: the area dark and empty; buildings shabby and run-down.
When she gave it a little thought, Sae-Byeok realized that these vacated areas where the only way the men would be able to get so many people to the secret destination undetected.
If they just drove through the middle of Seoul, a cop could pull them over at any time. And what would happen if they got caught with a van full of unconscious people inside?
When she imagined the scenario, Sae-Byeok realized it was bit funny. A man in a red jumpsuit with a mask obscuring his face, driving people who looked almost dead in the backseat. It all sounded like a joke.
The vehicle came to a stop after a while, and Sae-Byeok's hand darted to the knife in her pocket instinctively. She narrowed her eyes until they were almost closed completely, to give the impression that she was unconscious like the rest of them. But, she kept them open just enough to see what was happening.
The door slid open, and her breath caught in her throat, the hand on the handle of the blade immediately losing its hold.
Kai stood there, just a few feet away. Moonlight illuminated her face, leaving her eyes sparkling underneath it. Sae-Byeok almost convinced herself she could see little stars in them, shining brightly as the girl looked around. And she could not explain, even if she tried, the wave of nervousness that swept over her and left her staring so intently.
Kai was in her own little world, and she did not even glance at the people seated in the car, nor the man driving. She didn't meet Sae-Byeok's eyes until she was seated beside her, hands curled in her lap and eyes narrowing in the dark. She opened her mouth, and Sae-Byeok sent her a look of warning, because her plan was working neatly and Kai's urge to talk couldn't change that. It wouldn't.
The gas poured out before Kai could say whatever she was about to.
The slight flash of shock on her face quickly disappeared as she fell into the depths of unconsciousness. She hadn't tried to fight the gas, only surrendered herself to it completely. Her shoulders slumped, her whole body went slack, and in moments she collapsed onto Sae-Byeok, her head landing on her lap.
The sharp inhale was the only sign of shock Sae-Byeok gave. And then scolded herself for it - the collar of her jacket was enough of a cover to keep her awake, but there was still a chance of the gas snaking it's way in.
Though, in that moment, she would've gladly surrendered to the gas herself because what was she supposed to do now?
She internally cursed. She could not move Kai, not without giving herself away. But, she didn't really want to, anyway.
Kai. She whispered her name to herself. She thought of her pretty face, now obscured by the curtain of dark, puffy hair. She thought of those tender eyes, those soft hands that had pulled her along just earlier today, and the smile that could light up even the darkest of nights.
There was this emotion that bubbled inside of her. She wasn't quite sure what it was - it was something sticky and whole and warm, and it made her so confused that she all she could do was stare at Kai's sleeping form.
And she knew, as well as anything else, this emotion was something she wasn't allowed to feel. Yet, here she was, staring at the girl laying on her lap, not being able to look away.
Hesitantly, Sae-Byeok moved her hand and brushed the hair covering Kai's face away. The expression on her face was peaceful, as if she was having a sweet dream, and it made Sae-Byeok relax a bit, though the nervousness didn't cease completely. The wave of it just kept on lapping.
Thinking this way about her was so wrong that for a second Sae-Byeok wondered if something muddled her brain.
But, if that was true then her brain had been muddled since this morning, when she told the girl her name and learned hers.
She knew, that once you give something a name, you become attached to it. It had been a lesson she was taught by her mother early in her life. She'd taught her brother the same thing. Don't give something a name if you plan on letting it go. If you plan to abandon it.
Deep down, she knew she didn't want to leave the girl she previously only knew by the number 23, but she also knew she would have to eventually. And despite that, she had still told her her name.
She might curse herself for it for the rest of her life.
But, that was all forgotten when her eyes landed on Kai once again and she found herself wishing the girl was awake. Light danced across Kai's face, casting her skin into an angelic white glow, accentuating the features that had captured Sae-Byeok's attention more than she would ever admit.
With a startle, she realized her hand was still on Kai's hair. Sae-Byeok hastily pulled it away, aware of her action and almost ashamed she hadn't noticed her fingers entangled in the soft tresses underneath them.
She cast her eyes to the window, blowing out a breath of exasperation that fogged a small part of the glass right by her face.
When the fog faded away, she could see Kai's reflection in the glass, and that did not help at all.
For the rest of the ride, she did her utmost to ignore the girl laying on her lap. She might've succeeded in her task had she not glanced at Kai once, and then hadn't been able to stop doing it from time to time. She didn't know the actual reason why she did that, but seeing the peaceful expression on her face and the steady rise and fall of her chest made that nagging feeling of anxiety in Sae-Byeok's chest cease, at least for a bit.
She didn't know what to think of that, so she chose to ignore her thoughts.
—
Hours later, after an exhaustingly long ride, Sae-Byeok found herself being picked up by the man in all red attire. He placed her on some kind of bed, like those beds in hospitals that had little wheels to make it easier to transfer patients.
And then, she was wheeled away, still pretending to be unconscious.
The smooth scrapes of other wheels indicated that hers was not the only bed moving. And that had to mean that Kai was also on a bed somewhere in the mass.
She could check, but that would be risky.
After debating that for a bit, she decided to open her eyes just a small crack. The first thing she saw was a dark grey ceiling above, everything about it nondescript. Two glimmers of red caught her attention, and slowly, she shifted her eyes to the side to see one red man holding onto a handle and pushing her bed along. The man on the other side was doing the same thing.
The hallway she was in was narrow, and the other beds must've been ahead of her and behind her, so with all the effort she gave she could still not see Kai.
But, the girl couldn't have gone anywhere. She was knocked out after all.
Soon, Sae-Byeok was met with bright lights. And again, she cracked her eyes open just enough to inspect the new surrounding.
A wide room stretched out before her. The walls were high, and on them stood small round lights that shone brighter than she would've liked. Or thought possible, given their size.
The red men lined the players around the room in rows that went from one side to the other. And in moments they began their work.
One of the two men assigned to her put his hands under her neck and pulled her upwards, and she used the opportunity to slip the knife into his pocket. He stripped her jacket off with the help of the other one, her shirt followed. Shortly after, both were replaced with the uniform the players wore, the white shirt with her number came first. And as they put the sweatshirt on her she slipped her hand into the pocket of the man and snatched the knife back, hiding it slyly in the sleeve as they laid her back down.
Though her heart had been racing the entire time, her plan had worked and she was not discovered by the red men.
At least that went accordingly. There was a moment where she thought all her thoughts concerning Kai would sweep her off track, but thankfully she was able to block it all out.
The games would begin soon, in spite of everything, and the girl would have to be forgotten by then. There was a goal Sae-Byeok was determined to accomplish, and this girl wouldn't stand in her way, no matter how pretty she was.
Sae-Byeok was placed on one of the beds in a room she had seen before, the one she woke up in thinking the games would be harmless. She felt a sense of security knowing her weapon was in her sleeve. Right within reach.
She didn't know how long she laid there waiting for the players to wake up, but after some time shuffling sounds ensued and that was her cue to move too. As she sat up, she glanced around, seeing players coming to their senses.
The amount of beds was visibly smaller now - the beds of the players who didn't come back must've been removed. With a shiver Sae-Byeok realized hers could be just as easily empty and gone if she didn't try hard enough to win this.
Some players greeted each other, started forming little groups and chatting amongst themselves. She heard words of some of them teaming up as she passed, and she understood that competing on her own would be more trickier now that others had someone looking out for them.
A thought crossed her mind that Kai would most likely pester her about the two of them becoming a pair now that it was obvious others were doing the same thing.
Another thought crossed that she wouldn't mind having Kai as an ally. The girl seemed skilled enough to survive, but Sae-Byeok had planned from the begging to go at it alone.
If only she could catch a glimpse of her anywhere. But, Kai was not the only person here she knew, unfortunately. Deok-su appeared out of nowhere with a crew of guys behind him before Sae-Byeok could find Kai and blocked her way completely.
"I'll take you in again and look past everything." He told her, crossing his arms over his chest. A prideful look taking over his face, as if he truly believed she could succumb to him again, "Come and join us?"
Sae-Byeok was so taken aback by his audacity that she actually stayed silent for a few seconds before she scoffed, "Are you actually serious?" She raised an eyebrow, "I mean, everybody out there is still looking for you. Stop with the act."
"It doesn't matter how tough you are, you're not going to win this place." Deok-su trailed out, "Not on your own." He chuckled, "Didn't you notice? Those jerks with masks came in and removed the beds of the people who died. Make one mistake out there, and yours is next."
"Worry about your own ass, okay?" The guys behind him laughed at her response, and Sae-Byeok couldn't help but feel a slight sense of pride for the look on Deok-su's face. She glanced over his crew now, "Don't join him. This guy's a dumbass. He liked to pick all of his little minions' pockets just so he could fill up his own. He got bold enough one day to go after his head honcho's pockets, but now he's in here. 'Cause he was stupid and got caught." She vaguely leaned forward, "You know what people in my hometown would call you, huh? A damn revolutionary asshole."
Once again, his crew laughed. Only this time it was louder, and the curl of Deok-su's lip deepened. He gritted his teeth, took a step forward, "You communist little bitch, I'm gonna-"
"Excuse me." A woman's voice chirped in. Sae-Byeok glanced at her as she pushed between them just as Deok-su was about to reach her.
Before she could hear the rest of the conversation, though, a soft hand grabbed hers and pulled her away. She was about to object, but then she caught the familiar curiosity in the eyes of the girl beside her and hesitated.
"What's your deal with him?"
It took a bit for Sae-Byeok to acknowledge the question because Kai's hand was still holding hers and it didn't seem like she would let go. And Sae-Byeok found herself hoping she wouldn't because her hand was so warm, stark contrast to her cold one. She played it off by just feigning annoyance, and then rolled her eyes, "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Kai gave her a shrug, "I'm just curious."
"Yeah, I can see that."
The cold absence of Kai's hand was immediately known as she let go and walked ahead of Sae-Byeok, hands in pockets, going backwards in slow strides all while keeping her eyes trained on Sae-Byeok's. If she was making this some kind of staring competition, Sae-Byeok would not lose so she made it her mission to not look away.
The small upward tug of Kai's lip did not go unnoticed by her. And though she didn't know why the girl looked so proud, she already didn't like it.
Kai raised one of her hands, and Sae-Byeok shifted her eyes to what she was holding for a split second, then looked back. A moment later, she looked at the object again because that knife looked way too familiar to be any other than her own.
And she was right, for Kai was holding her knife. Or maybe she was able to conjure objects with her mind, because Sae-Byeok refused to believe this girl could pick her pocket.
There was just no way Kai was the better pickpocket out of the two of them. Sae-Byeok would never accept that, and she decided that if they ever had a competition of any kind it would be one of pickpocketing.
And she would win, of course.
"What do you need this for, Sae-Byeok?" The way her name rolled off of Kai's tongue made a lump appear in her throat. The ease the girl spoke it with, the kind of allure in her tone left Sae-Byeok's mind whirling. Kai tilted her head, almost in a taunting manner, but Sae-Byeok knew there was no harm in it. Kai liked to irritate her, and somehow she knew all the ways how to do exactly that, "Planning to screw everyone over?"
Sae-Byeok was sure her anger depicted on her face. As much as she didn't hate this girl and as warm as her hands were, Sae-Byeok didn't like people touching her belongings, let alone stealing them, "Give that back."
"You said I suck at pickpocketing, take that back and I'll consider it." Kai sent her a wink that made the lump in her throat grow bigger, and her anger rise. It was such a strange mix of fury and a feeling foreign to her; something that made her want to reach out for Kai's hand, not only to take the knife back, but to feel the warmth of it again.
She pushed that odd feeling down.
Sae-Byeok didn't waste another moment. She moved toward the girl, aiming to take her weapon back because it was the only way she would be able to rest at night: with it under her pillow. Kai jumped out of her way, only to crash her back against one of the beds, and Sae-Byeok closed in on her before she could try to run away.
Even though Kai was trapped now, she didn't seem to mind it that much - if anything, she looked pleased.
Kai hid her hand behind her back, that smirk still playing on her lips. She even raised her chin, as if she had a way to win this game.
"Give it back." Sae-Byeok lowered her voice, hoping it would intimidate the girl. She closely watched her, hoping to see even a fragment of fright in Kai's eyes. And to her annoyance, she only saw the smirk grow smugger.
Sae-Byeok couldn't do this anymore so she reached behind Kai's back and grabbed her wrist, trying to pull it back and wrench the knife away. But then, Kai tugged her arm back, and Sae-Byeok was pulled toward her.
It was only then that she realized how close the two of them actually were. She had to be only inches from Kai's face, though that did not comfort her in the least. A breath of shock left her lips before she could stop it, and she was left staring into Kai's eyes, almost bewildered.
Their faces were so close - she had the height advantage over Kai, and something about staring down into Kai's face, even when it was all twisted with smugness made her heartbeat speed up.
"You're beautiful, Sae-Byeok." Kai's eyes traveled over her face, as if she was seeing her for the first time ever. As if she was trying to memorize her.
"Fuck off."
"Don't get all offended." Kai sent her another wink, "You're not really my type anyway." The little smirk told Sae-Byeok otherwise, though she knew Kai intended that knowledge to be obvious.
Kai then put her hand between them, opening her palm and offering her the knife back, "If you do try something, just be careful not to die."
Sae-Byeok would be lying if she said the glint of concern in Kai's eyes didn't make her want to apologize to the girl for being so mean and cold. Though, she hoped the nod she gave was enough to let the girl know what she was thinking.
She pocketed the knife, and as soon as her hand was out of her pocket Kai grabbed onto it and started pulling her towards the center of the room. She found in that moment that she didn't exactly hate
having Kai's hand in hers, "I paid attention this time, they said it's lunch time and the last meal I ate was the tteokbokki you bought me."
"If you're such a good pickpocket why don't you just steal food?" Sae-Byeok grumbled.
"I prefer pretty girls buying me meals instead."
Sae-Byeok almost smiled at that, but played it off with a scoff. There was a part of her that liked when Kai called her pretty. A part she'd rather buried somewhere deep inside and never acknowledged again.
The center was already filled with other players when they arrived, and Sae-Byeok was so surprised she hadn't heard the call that she just stayed quiet and let Kai tug her along. The players were lined in rows again, then being handed meal boxes at the front.
Kai came to a halt at the end of a row, but Sae-Byeok kept moving. She barely made it a few inches away before Kai pulled on her sleeve and spun her back to face her, "What are you doing?"
Sae-Byeok rolled her eyes, "Getting food."
"Don't cut the line-"
"You did that on the day you met me."
"I cut in front of you, that's different." Kai scoffed as if that justified anything. When she caught the look on Sae-Byeok's face she clarified, "I was trying to irritate you."
"You just made it worse."
Now Kai rolled her eyes, "Doesn't matter, that was a joke. You can't cut the line because we're probably not the only ones here who are hungry."
"You said you didn't eat anything since the tteokbokki, I'm doing you a favor."
Before Kai could object further, Sae-Byeok moved. People made moves to protest, but one look from her was enough to shut them up. In no time, she was in front of a table being handed a meal box along with a water bottle by a man in a red suit. She grabbed another one for Kai, not bothering to wait and see if the man would disagree with that.
She cast a glimpse around and found Kai standing in the same row, just closer to the table now, arms crossed over her chest, eyes glaring at the wall.
Sae-Byeok made her way over to her, and without a word grabbed her forearm and pulled her away. Kai knew better than to be stubborn and try to argue with that.
A few minutes later, they were sitting in the back of the room, on top of a stair. The two stacks of beds on either side of them gave them a solitary space that Sae-Byeok was thankful for.
Kai, much to her surprise, didn't say anything and silently took the lunch box from Sae-Byeok when she offered. She barely waited before she started eating.
"You're welcome." Sae-Byeok muttered as she opened her own box, and took a bite of the food. In all honesty, she was starving as well. She didn't eat anything since the tteokbokki either.
"Thanks." Kai grumbled silently.
Sae-Byeok kept eating her food, choosing to focus on that rather than on the happenings around her. She would've continued doing that had she not felt Kai's gaze on her. She chose to focus on the food again, hoping that boring stare would glance elsewhere. But, it did not. And frankly, Sae-Byeok could not last long under Kai's gaze, not when she was staring at her and Sae-Byeok couldn't see her eyes.
"I know you're looking at me." Sae-Byeok said, turning to face Kai, who looked away so quickly she nearly smashed her head against the bed beside her, "I can tell. I can always tell."
"Like hell you can." Kai muttered, and thought Sae-Byeok could only see one side of her face she noted the flush that rose up her cheek.
She raised an eyebrow, "Was I wrong?"
Kai stayed silent, and in her silence Sae-Byeok found the answer to her question. She didn't really need it, but the confirmation that was Kai's stillness made her proud, strangely. She liked that she made Kai struggle to form words once.
Then, Kai looked at her again, all embarrassment gone from her face, although her cheeks still stayed flushed, "I might have been staring, but only because I think you're beautiful. I was simply admiring, nothing wrong with that."
Sae-Byeok was forced into silence now. She didn't quite understand Kai's choice of words. Beautiful. Admiring. The words threw her in a loop, sent confusion weaving through her head, leaving a mess of thoughts spinning behind. Thoughts she didn't want to have.
Why couldn't Kai just be an unpleasant bitch? Why the hell was she so nice to her?
Before Sae-Byeok could even think of a reply, Kai pushed her box of food toward her, "You can eat the rest, I'm not hungry anymore." Sae-Byeok hadn't even finished hers, but she allowed Kai to hand over the box.
A little while later, her lunch box stood half empty beside them, right by Sae-Byeok's empty one. The two of them didn't move from their spot, but Kai did make herself more comfortable by leaning her back against the bed beside her, facing towards Sae-Byeok now.
This time, she didn't look at her, but at the ceiling above. More specifically at the piggy bank that flashed in a golden glow.
"Do you know how to use that knife, Sae-Byeok?" Kai asked. She glanced at Sae-Byeok for a second, but didn't hold her stare for more than that.
"Why are you asking?"
Now Kai was looking at her, a small smile tracing her lips, "I've always wanted to learn how to fight, but never had anyone to teach me. I have a feeling you know how to." She said, "So will you teach me how once we get out of here?"
Sae-Byeok wanted to say that she had no way of knowing they would both get out. But, the light in Kai's eyes shimmered so brightly and she didn't want to be the one to distinguish it, so she said, "Maybe." She couldn't give her hope, but she couldn't take it away either.
"You will." The smile on Kai's lips was bigger now; she seemed even happier to get a maybe than anything else.
"What makes you think that?" Sae-Byeok raised her eyebrows.
"If I say you'll teach me, you will." Kai told her, as if she was the one who would make the decision.
A corner of Sae-Byeok's lips twitched upward at the girl's confidence and she chose to agree because there was no harm in that.
After all, maybe she wouldn't have to keep her end of the deal. There was no way of knowing either of them were going to make it out.
Kai probably couldn't read her thoughts on her face, because she quickly moved on to another topic to talk about, "I hope they washed these clothes, I don't want to smell like death."
Sae-Byeok furrowed her eyebrows, and looked at the girl in confusion, "And what does death smell like?"
"I don't know, but it must smell bad." Kai shrugged, then the look on her face turned serious. Well, as serious as she could look. She glanced at Sae-Byeok, stared into her eyes for a few seconds before she said, "Do you want to be partners, Sae-Byeok?"
Part of Sae-Byeok hoped this question would come. And if she were being honest, she had almost lost all the hope she had, but now Kai was looking at her with her eyes glinting in aspiration. And Sae-Byeok knew her answer instantly.
Still, she could not sound desperate, "What would that mean?"
"We would help each other, stick together. That kind of thing."
"I'll think about it." Said Sae-Byeok.
Though the offer sounded tempting, she had always, since she was a child, preferred to keep to her own. And old habits were hard to break, no matter how genuine Kai seemed.
"Why are you so nice to me, Kai?" She couldn't keep herself from asking that question. It had haunted her thoughts from the moment she met Kai, and it had grown more persistent with every nice gesture the girl had shown her.
A pause as Kai shifted her gaze away from Sae-Byeok's, "I'm nice to everyone."
It was a pretty obvious answer.
But it was not at all what Sae-Byeok wanted to hear.
"Is there no other reason?" Sae-Byeok asked, fighting the urge to lean closer, fearing she might.
Kai's lips twitched, but her stare stayed fixed on her lap - Sae-Byeok didn't know if that was a relief or not.
There was a slight tint to her cheeks, a shade that burst over her skin, resembling the one of pale rose petals. Something burst open inside Sae-Byeok too. Did you see something in me?
Instead of giving an answer, Kai asked, "Why don't push me away if I bother you?" Her eyes flicked up to meet Sae-Byeok's, sending a wave of shock rippling through her.
"I don't know." Sae-Byeok looked away, down to her hands.
Kai sighed, shifting her position so that she sat straighter up, "When you find out don't hesitate to tell me." She said, then walked away.
—