Marbles. || Sunsun AU

Two.

Once the announcement concludes, Sunghoon leans against the brick wall. Sunoo takes a seat on the stairs. He sighs. "Since the Korean War, nothing's been this sad. Tragic." He says, a quiet laugh falling from his lips. Sunghoon doesn't look at him. "What should we play then?" Sunghoon asks. He's not sure if he wants an answer.

"Wow. You're so cold. As cold as ice." Sunoo leans forward, rest his elbows on his knees. "So, you a spy from the North or what?" he jokes. Sunghoon turns to look at him. "Stop with the dumbshit, man. What game are we gonna play?" Sunoo glances down at the marbles, glances back at Sunghoon, and looks away. "You tell me." Sunoo holds the bag of marbles in his hand, they clink together. "These boomers know all these games. Ten marbles, then we can create our own game. I'll try to think of one."

They stay silent for about a minute before Sunoo once again speaks up, "So, let's," he pauses. "end the game in one round." This catches Sunghoon's attention. He looks up. Sunoo let's a faint smile settle on his lips. "All or nothing. A simple bet." Another moment of silence. Sunoo breaks it again, "Don't tell me that you would rather do what they are?" He nods his head in the direction of the other team across from them, who are throwing marbles into a hole they dug in the dirt. Sunghoon mentally thanks Sunoo for not making them risk their lives on such games.

He slowly turned to look at Sunoo. "Okay, what are we playing then?" he asked. Sunoo let out a quiet laugh. "Why are you in such a hurry? You're just trying to kill me, huh?" He smiles immediately after his words, but it's drops when Sunghoon doesn't respond. "We're just playing one round here. And we got time left too. Let's wait until the end." Sunoo suggests. "What are we gonna do before then?" Sunghoon asks.

Sunoo let's another smile slip. "Talk." he says. Sunghoon doesn't want to talk. In normal circumstances, if it were just them, then maybe. He doesn't want to know someone who he may end up killing. He thinks that's pretty reasonable, especially for someone in his position.

"About what, though?" Sunghoon's voice is quieter this time. Sunoo looks at the ground, and looks back up. "Things we never told anybody, I guess." He hesitated. "One of us is gonna die here, so.." he took a few seconds to think. Or maybe to really take in the situation. Sunghoon found it so hard to read the other despite Sunoo showing more emotion than he himself was capable of. Sunoo continued, "doesn't matter what we tell each other. No one can really embarrass themselves anymore." Sunoo looked up at the other. "Okay?"

Sunghoon nodded, and took a seat below the other on the stairs. It was silent other than some chatter from the other players and the sound of their marbles clacking when they touched. Sunghoon wanted to talk. He tried convincing himself that this was a stupid idea, but he couldn't help but want to spill his guts to the boy behind him. He couldn't bring himself to start the conversation.

Sunoo started, "Why did you come here all the way from the North?" Sunghoon looked down. "I thought things were good over here." Sunoo awkwardly glanced around. "And so, we're you right?" He asked. Sunghoon didn't respond. Sunoo looked down at his hands, the small smile he had on his face disappearing. He took it as a que to change the subject. "Your family, are they here with you?" Sunghoon's head rose a bit. "Just my brother." Sunoo tilted his head. "And your parents?" Sunghoon sat silently for a few seconds. "My father got shot trying to swim across the border and drowned. My mother.. She was hiding in China and got sent back once the immigration agents found her." Sunghoon let his head drop. "Where is your brother now then?" Sunoo asked after half a minute of silence. "In a shelter."

Sunoo looked up at the timer on the wall. Thirteen minutes. He looked back at the older boy in front of him. "If you win the money and get out of here, what's your plan then?" Sunoo asked. He wasn't trying to make small talk although it definitely sounded like it. He tried not to blame himself considering one of them were dying in a little more than ten minutes, regardless he felt guilty. Sunghoon spoke up, "I did this to get a house where I could be with my brother first. Then I'll get my mother out of the North."

Sunoo scoffed. "Hey, with a price that big, you can do a whole lot more than that. You gotta want something else too! Is there anywhere you wanna go?" Sunoo asked him. Sunghoon lowered his head. "Jeju Island." he replied, voice barely above a whisper. Sunoo turned to look at him. "Jeju Island?" He repeated back to the older. Sunghoon nodded. Sunoo smiled. Sunghoon continued, "There was a thing about it on TV. It looked exotic. It didn't look like Korea at all." Sunoo let out a quiet laugh. "Hey, dont you think you should dream bigger? Do Hawaii. Hold on, go to the Maldives for a while instead. And have a mojito too." For the first time in the conversation, Sunghoon looked up at the boy. "Mojito?" he asked. "Like the movie. Lee Byunghun's in it." Sunoo stopped and looked at the others confused face.

"'Go to mojito and have a glass of Maldives.'" Sunghoon's expression didn't change. Sunoo smiled. "Really?" He gave a small laugh. Sunghoon shook his head. Still smiling, Sunoo said "Oh no, we gotta fix that then. Well, once we're out of here, we'll have a night out and make mojitos and everything, okay?" Sunghoon looked back down at the dirt. Sunoo's smile fell, remembering why they're both in this situation in the first place.

"Oh. We both can't get out of here." He dropped his head. A gunshot sounded out.

"Player 414 has been eliminated."

The shock of the noise had gone away after a few seconds. Sunoo lifted his head only for his ears and eyes to be met with the sound and sight of another player getting his brains blown out.

"Player 2, eliminated."

Sunoo found opportunity to talk about a new subject. "You ever have to see anyone die before those?" He looked down at Sunghoon. The older began, "Once, we had this plague go through my town when I was a kid. As time went on, more and more towns got sick and died. Soldiers started carrying the dead into piles and lit them on fire. That's how my grandma, grandpa and older brother all died." Sunghoon's eyes didn't leave the floor. "They burned together."

Sunoo took a deep breath. "Damn. Your stories are a bit too dark, even for me." A small silence. Sunghoon lifts his head. "And you? What have you seen?" Another silence. A gunshot. Another announcement. "First body I saw.. my mother's. One day I came back from school, and my mom was lying there, dead on the floor. And next to her.. my so-called dad with a knife. The next body I saw.." Sunoo took a moment to let his thoughts catch up. "that was my dad's. And the person standing there holding the knife.. that was me." He thought for a short while before continuing. "He was a goddamn pastor too. And when he hit her and.. did the things he did to me, he'd talk to god. He's always ask for forgiveness." Sunoo's voice got louder. He wasn't yelling, but raw emotion showed through clearly. "He didn't pray on that day he killed her. I was too mad that he forgot, I guess."

Sunghoon was at a loss of words after hearing Sunoo's story. He thought maybe it would be best to change the subject. How are you supposed to reply to something like that, anyways?

"What are you gonna go if you win all that money and get out?" he asked. Sunoo spoke slowly, thinking about the question. "I don't know what I'd do. Someone was waiting.. at the prison the day I got out. I thought he was the creditor who came to collect my dad's debt. But he pulled out a card. That weird card." Sunghoon slowly rose his head, connecting the dots to which card it was. Sunoo continued, "I had no where else to go so I.. never thought about what I'd do if I got the money." He sat quietly until a smile appeared on his face. He turned to Sunghoon. "Maybe go with you to Jeju Island?" Sunghoon barely turns to look at the younger. Sunoo's smile fades quickly. "Sorry. I forgot again." Another gunshot. Another announcement.

Sunghoon suddenly stands up. He turns to look at Sunoo, who's still sitting on the stairs. "Let's do this" Sunghoon says. Sunoo gives him a sad smile and a nod, and gets up from the stairs.