𝐲𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐧

𝟬𝟬𝟭

     𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 slowly opened to the sound of classical music and loud chatter. i groaned before rolling over, in what i thought was my full size bed, landing face first on the concrete floor with a loud thud. my eyes almost immediately flung open, meeting with a black carpeted floor- no, no it was... a step? what in the world?

     "hey kid, are you alright?" a voice called out as a pair of white slip on shoes became visible to me. i look up to find an older man with jet black messy hair outlined with grey hairs every now and then. he wore a green tracksuit with the number '456' plastered onto his jacket and face sketched with concern.

     "uhh, yeah sorry sir. i didn't mean to startle anyone." i mutter quietly under my breath.

     the man smiled at me, reaching a hand out for me to grab. i hesitantly stared at his outstretched hand unsure of what to do next.

     "i won't bite, i promise," the peculiar man informed me in a soft tone. "come on, let's get you up. that floor looks uncomfortable."

     i grasped my hand in his, allowing him to pull me up off the platform. i took this time to look around and observe the current predicament we were in. there were rows and towers of bunk beds stacked all over the room, pristine white brick walls that wrapped around the entire room, a small black platform at the side- well front of the room, and a large empty space in the middle where people were beginning to wander to.

     wow, a lot of people are competing for money.

     still firmly grasping my hand, the man cleared his throat, causing me to turn my attention back to him. i tilt my head in confusion.

    "seong gi-hun of ssangmun-dong." he claimed, still with a genuine friendly smile plastered on his face.

     "chokia jio, also of ssangmun-dong." i returned the smile graciously. something about him made me feel calm, even dare i say, safe.

     "a pleasure to meet you jio."

     gio-hun finally let go of my hand only to reach out and ruffle my already messy hair as i inspected the clothes i was now wearing. my clothes matched everyone else's except for the fact that my number was 002. i instantly become aware of the fact that i clearly didn't change into these clothes. i shift uncomfortably, from side to side, on my feet, staring directly at the ground. mr seong seemed to notice my change of mood, unfortunately.

     "what's up? did you not like me touching you? if so, i won't do it again." he once again looked down at me with concern.

    "oh no, it's not that. i just..." i debated whether i should continue or not while i played with the hem of my jacket. "i'm just a bit nervous, i guess." i smile, reassuring him.

     "that's okay, if i'm being honest, i am too. just a little bit." his vibrant smile returned to his face before he slung an arm around my shoulder, rubbing it before leading me down the stairs of the bunk beds. we approached an old man who seemed to be counting at the bottom of the stairs, gi-hun stopped to chat with him while i sat on the last step. i zoned out due to not really being interested in their conversation and focused in on the commotion that just erupted in the middle of the room.