Squid Game x Reader

Four

I don't want to wake up; it feels way too nice laying in my warm bed. But as I grab the sheets to pull them closer to my body, I notice the material feels different to usual.

Then everything comes flooding back. I jolt up, frantic, my eyes wide. The disorientation causes my head to spin. Any symptom of sleepiness leaves my system as I regard my surroundings. I'm... in a room. A massive, square room. One filled with hundreds of people. People who also appear to just be waking up, looking about as bewildered as myself.

The only furniture of the place are beds. Lots of them. Metal bunks placed in a strange formation, going about eight metres high. Mine is close to the floor which is a relief. Saying I'm horrified of heights would be putting it lightly. 

Everyone around me wears blue pants and shirts with different numbers printed on each of them. Looking down at myself, I realise I'm dressed in the same attire. 448, that's the number I find printed on the left of my chest.

A lump forms in my throat as I come to terms with the knowledge I was drugged and taken here. Surely that can't be legal. 

The other people in the room bring a small sense of security. Though I'm clueless as to what is going on, at least I'm not the only one. If I woke up here alone that would have been much more terrifying.

People begin climbing down from the bunks and gathering around at the bottom. I jump off my own bed and join the outskirts of the mass. My gaze draws toward a large screen high up on the wall, above the only set of doors of the room. It reads: Number of Players, 456. 

As I become familiar with my surroundings, I hear the sudden sound of gasping between people and a man shouting out the word "Bitch!". 

I look over and realise an altercation is forming between a pretty young girl and a thuggish looking man with a snake tattoo running up his neck and the side of his face. As it unfolds, everyone forms a large circle around them, watching intently as though it's some high school fight.

The two people fighting must know each other because the man is angry about something in their past. I hear him taunting her, "Look at those eyes... Your temper hasn't changed..." with a nasty look. The girl recovers from a blow to her face, staring at him with contempt. 

I'm shocked how their attention can be on something other than the bigger situation at hand. Surely past indifferences can wait, isn't the fact that we've been kidnapped and put in this random building a little more pressing right now? 

I look around, waiting for someone to step in and help the girl, but no help comes. Where are the people in charge here? Are they just going to let these two fight?

I want to help her, but there's not much I can do. I'm small myself, I don't stand a chance at stopping such a beefy looking man. But the sight of her being preyed upon by that thug is more than a little distressing. If it were my brother being beaten up by someone twice his size, I would've wanted someone to help him. So I turn to the person standing closest to me and tap him on the shoulder.

"Um, excuse me, sir?" I say to earn his attention. "Someone needs to stop that fight before the chick gets beaten to a pulp... If we go together we might be able to help her. Will you come with me?"  

He's tall so I have to crane my neck to look up at him. The man wears glasses and has the number 218 on his shirt. He regards me with a cool expression. "No. There is no point in getting involved. It has nothing to do with us," he says.

I watch as the girl dodges a punch only to get grabbed around her throat and thrown to the ground. My eyes widen and I look back at the man pleadingly. "But no one's doing anything," I say. "Please?"

"No," he says in a dry tone. "If you want to be a fool and get in between that man and woman, be my guest." He glances at me and hesitates. "However, I'm certain the administration of this place will step in soon enough."

He could be right. But as I watch the thug deliver a harsh kick to the girl's stomach, I take a step forward impulsively. I would keep walking if it weren't for 218. He grabs my wrist and pulls me back. "Don't be an idiot," he warns. 

I tug my arm out of his grasp. "Well if you're not brave enough to do something, I will."

He glares at me. "Fine. I could care less."

But as I'm about to walk towards the fight, someone beats me to it. A man, number 456 his shirt reads, bounces into the scene. With relief, I assume he's going to help the girl as I watch him shove the thug to the side. 

But I'm incorrect. Instead he grabs hold of the front of the girl's shirt and begins shaking her, making demands that she 'return his money'. 

The adrenaline to get involved fizzles out. Seriously, what has this girl done to piss off two different men? Perhaps she's brought this on herself. At least now that player 456 has gotten involved it's taken some heat off her. The thug's attention turns to 456, a deadly look on his face. 

I hear the man I was talking to release a sigh. Though I'm still annoyed at him, I can't help but glance over curiously. He notices my stare and explains, "I know that man. His name is Gi-hun." 

"Oh." I observe the evident discontent on his face. "You don't sound too pleased."

"I'm not. He's a fool who still lives with his elderly mother." 

The man (who I now know is called Gi-hun) is yelling at the thug. When the thug tries to punch him, he frantically backs away and begins shouting, "This thug is trying to kill me! Someone get over here! We need help!" and desperately tries to maintain distance between them. I can sort of see why 218 thinks he's a fool. 

To everyone's surprise, a jarring 'buzz' comes out of a speaker somewhere in the room. Everybody looks around, confused.

Then, at the front of the room, the doors swing open.

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a/n: oh my lawd thanks for 1000+ reads! please leave a vote if you enjoyed the chapter :)