15 | the human chandelier

"Jun-Hee." Myung-gi called out, her and Seun-jin both turned to him. "Here, you like sweet potatoes." Seun-jin just stood there until Aera approached him, "Hey, how are you doing you? You can have mine too i don't mind." Jun-hee turned to the sound of her voice that irritated her, "Thanks...?"

Jun-hee took Seun-jin's hand and walked off with her tray, which only made Aera smile more, she was angry. "See you around then Seun-jin, let's talk again okay? I really liked our conversation last time, it really has been a while, we need to catch up sometime."

"Leave him alone."

Gi-Hun was cuffed to the bunk, for whatever reason they had. It's just a guy suffering from great grief. Ms. Jang considered to approach him before being stopped by her son. "Ma I don't think it's a good idea you know—"

"Don't worry Young-sik I'll be fine." She sat down next to Gi-Hun placing down her food.

"Sir, you should eat. Even if it's just a little." Gi-Hun didn't even give her a look, he didn't even look up. "Listen, I know you were only trying to save us and punish the bad guys end put an end to this whole thing going on."

"I'm sorry, I should've found a way to bring the magazines back." Hyun-ju apologized.

"You have nothing to apologize for Hyun-ju, if anything, it's all Dae-ho's fault." He pointed over to him as he was only eating his food and trying to rest. Seun-jin didn't think so.

"Well it wasn't entirely, he just panicked and he was scared that's all, it's a normal reaction. I'm sure most of you would have too, he was brave enough to step forward but were any of you? Most of you weren't. But the magazines was the cause of it all." Seun-jin spoke, "So in reality this is no one's fault."

"Me and my mom saw it. Everyone did, he came back. Dae-ho was supposed to get the magazines and instead of leaving he just sat there until Hyun-ju came to get them, and that's when the guards came in after."

"If mom had not stop Hyun-ju she would've died, right?" She nodded her head hesitantly. "And drink this too mister, you wouldn't want to choke." She got up and walked away.

Seun-jin scoffed at their accusations. How could you blame someone for being scared? Everyone has a fear of things, the only blame here should be whoever is running this place making people turn on each other for money and encouraging more greed than what you already have.

Seun-jin stood in front of Gi-Hun and bowed before he started speaking. "I just wanna say, whatever happened isn't your fault, the guy in black you were talking about before the second game, is really the one to blame for all of this, so don't take it out on anyone sir."

All he could do was just hope that he would listen, he never gave a response to anyone.

"Let's go." Jun-hee said.

—

"No barricade?"

"Well there's no point in the O team trying to kill us anymore since we're less on people, they're gonna continue winning the votes anyway so, lights out doesn't seem that dangerous as it was before."

"Why do you ask? Are you worried or something?" Jun-hee shook her head, "Not really when I have you by my side, but it's just that Myung-gi...won't stop."

"Bothering you?"

"Yeah, about starting over, but I told him many times already, he won't listen, he talks to me about it every time you leave."

"It's like it'll happen away, I don't care about him. But just ignore him, I only saved him from the goodness of my heart that I still have left, once we get out I'm taking his money."

"And Aera...?"

"Well Aera...I have no idea. She needs the money too, but I highly doubt she'd even use it for what she's here for. She won't bother you, and I'll make sure she doesn't, I'll just distract her." Jun-hee sighed, "But seeing her next to you, she still likes you doesn't she?" Seun-jin shrugged.

"God, I hope not."

—

"All players the fourth game will begin momentarily. Please follow the instructions from the staff." The PA speaker announced.

Seun-jin followed behind Jun-hee walking up the stairs, Myung-gi following behind him, this time he didn't complain at all about the stairs and kept his mouth shut, for now.

Until Jun-hee came to a stop he did too, almost falling over and so did Myung-gi, they had both bumped into each other, and the moment that happened he opened his mouth and started complaining, which was his worst ever nightmare. "Seun-jin what the fuck can't you—?"

He stopped his sentence as Seun-jin looked up slightly trembling at the sight of the human chandelier, the dead bodies before them. He recognized Jung-bae, dangling in a circle. He thought he had seen everything, but he didn't not people hanged up in a chandelier.

"This is..."

"You are witnessing the fate of those who refused the democratic process of voting and instead attempted to stop the games by using violent means. We will not tolerate irrational behavior that disrupts the fair rules of this game. Such actions will be punished in accordance of our strict standards. Thank you for cooperating."

"Absolutely sickening." Seun-jin mumbled, sure he could handle most kind of things but not seeing real people get hanged like this, using their dead bodies, and the fact that it's not even acting, it's actually real life. He gagged at the sighting putting his hand over his mouth, "Continue walking please, I'm about to throw up anytime soon if I keep looking at this."

The walking continued until they were lead through a door the shape of a knife, and a gumball machine in the middle, is this some kind of joke or something? He'd hope so, that this is just a dream and he could go back home had he known what he was signing up for he wouldn't be here in the first place, he only thought that he would be playing easy games like Ddakji and others for free money, nothing about dying.

"Players welcome to your 4th game, this game will be played in teams divided into two." Jun-hee looked at Seun-jin nervously while Aera smiled from behind seeing her nervous expression. "Please take turns in drawing a ball from the machine in front of you."

124 stepped up first getting a red ball from out the machine, he smirked. And so the others followed behind him getting either red or blue.

Myung-gi was on blue.

Jun-Hee was on red.

Aera was on red.

And Seun-jin was also on red.

"We're on the same team together." Jun-hee said standing next to him, "And so am I." Aera appeared next to Seun-jin who turned to her. While Myung-gi looked at the three of them. "But someone clearly isn't happy about it that's for sure." He called out to Myung-gi, who looked away in shame.

"The game you will be playing is hide and seek." Just like childhood games, he could say he played with his dad, because he never saw or found him, and his mother never came back from hiding.

"The blue team must find the exit either within 30 minutes or stay hidden from the red team until the timer is up." The guards walked around and handed out the boxes to the players. "What about the taggers?" Another player asked.

"The red team, the taggers must find the members of the blue team within 30 minutes and kill at least one." Seun-jin gave Myung-gi a look to the side, suddenly it didn't really sound like a bad idea to him when you have someone in mind. Kill the person, anyone who's encouraged by greed and money, he was one of them.

"Kill them?"

"Correct, the members of the red team must find the blue team and kill them. If you fail to kill any opposing players you will be eliminated." Last game he had killed someone, sure he cried over it because he was a nice man, but this time there would be no hesitation in doing it.

"Those people are going to kill us?" She pointed over to the red team, "That is correct."

"What's this?" Hyun-ju held up her key from the box. "You've been given keys to the doors in the arena to get you through them. But once the door is unlocked it cannot be relocked."

"So they can hide somewhere and use their keys to escape, they have it much easier!" Player 226 complained, it looked like that was his specialty, always complaining, he should die too.

And many others complained.

"We understand your concerns, that's why we've also prepared a small gift for the red team too. Go ahead and open the box to check." Seun-jin opened it slowly, revealing a knife inside. He didn't think much about it before, but now it was even better, easier to kill him.

"The red team can utilize the knives to kill and attack the blue team, though members of the red team are not allowed to attack or kill each other."

"So then shouldn't you like give us a shield or something? You give them knives and expect us to run around unharmed?"

"He's right."

"Give us something too."

"Yeah! All we have are keys that's not fair!"

"But you can use the key to open the door and escape!"

"Exactly."

"Just hide somewhere, it should be a piece of cake." Player 100 said, "Brother," 226 called to 100, "That's what you're good at, hiding like a rat, huh?"

"Before we start the game we will give you one last chance to change your fate. If you are not happy with your role you can switch with someone on the opposing team before the game starts."

"What? We can switch?"

"Correct." The guard continued, "You may swap your items and vests upon mutual agreement. But once the game starts removing or trading your own vests is strictly prohibited. Choose carefully."

Jun-hee turned to Seun-jin, "I can't kill anyone, I don't want to. But I also don't want to be alone." Aera scoffed, Myung-gi walked up to Jun-hee with just hopes she would say yes.

"Jun-hee switch with me, in that case I can protect you and the baby." He looked at Seun-jin who he knew was already planning to kill him which is why he wanted to so desperately switch.

And Aera was just crazy in general.

"Why should I trust you when I have someone else?" Myung-gi sighed, "You guys are on the same time that involves killing, how would that work? Just switch with me."

"Me and Seun-jin will look for you once we take someone out, we'll protect you." In fact Seun-jin did not want to work with him at all, but if it was for Jun-hee then he'd have to consider.

"Can I come too? I'm on red also." Aera spoke, the 2 of them turned to her with an unsure look, but regardless she would follow anyway, no matter if you said yes or no. "Sure, I guess." Myung-gi answered, Seun-jin should've just slapped him.

Jun-hee didn't say anything, she was just tagging to be closer with Seun-jin once again just to replace him. She looked up at him, he nodded "Do it, I'll find you, I promise." And with that she took off her vest placing the knife on top of it and looked up at Myung-gi.

"Make sure you keep your word, Lee Myung-gi."