One of Us || Kang Sae-Byeok.

∆ Chapter One ∆

┍━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━┑

“She’s standing on the line between giving up and seeing how much more she can take.”

┕━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━┙
 

THURSDAY - THU
10:47 PM.

Mindlessly, you walked the streets of Korea, hands tucked away in the pockets of your polyester hoodie. Glorious skyscrapers and other buildings towered above you.

You admired this scene. Oh how you missed it, from the neon lights that outlined each building to the aroma of food that lingered in every corner.

You were finally back home.

Street lamps lit up the curbs, some flickering continuously. Any remains of the sun temporarily faded away completely, the moon taking its place. 

Stars twinkled across the dark skies, producing a small white glow, complimenting the mass of clouds surrounding them. Soon after, the smell of nearby rain invaded your senses. 

Taking a deep breath, you inhaled the refreshing scent further, welcoming it into your body. Empty bottles, food wrappers, and other disposables littered the sidewalk. 

Automobiles roared past you once the red light above them illuminated a bright green. The breeze roughly brushed against your skin, and goosebumps emerged from the surface of your complexion, causing you to shiver—body stiffening.

You arrived at your location, the subway station. The name of the station in bolded lettering, printed on a sign just above. 

Making your way down a couple sets of stairs, you caught a glimpse of a rat from the corner of your eye, running from one side to another. Your lips curled into a thin line, a slight gag escaped them. 

The sound of screeching brakes from the subways bounced off the walls. The loud noise echoed throughout your ears.

You encountered a travel guide, the tips of your fingers grazing the list of times your subway would arrive in order to get home. You made sure to make a mental note of when it would get there.

Before taking a seat on one of the benches, you walked towards the ticket booth. Your cash was running slim, you were $1.35 short.

The employee managing the tickets let you off the hook, taking the money you were able to provide and handed you the ticket. You bowed and thanked the woman repetitively.

You bit the inside of your cheek raw, you hated seeking pity from others. You hated being in such a state of vulnerability. 

To you, it was a sign of weakness to be so dependent on others. But nonetheless, you were grateful and found a seat on a nearby vacant bench.

You leaned your head back, making contact with the cold wall. You shut your eyelids and exhaled sharply. 

You twitched, heavy footsteps began to approach you. The heel of the shoes clicking and clunking with every step on the tile flooring.

Lazily, your eyes re-opened, turning your gaze to the man who sat by your side. His hair was slicked back with plenty of gel, and wore a smokey grey suit with a matching tie, tying his look together. It appeared rather expensive.

The stranger’s brown orbs met with your own, “Hello, ma’am. Can I talk to you?” He greeted and paused momentarily, hesitating a bit. 

You sat up from your initial slouching position in response, edging him on to continue. “Listen, I wanna let you in on a great opportunity to–” he continued, you cut him off immediately. 

“I don’t believe in Jesus, nor am I interested in whatever it is you’re sellin’,” you stated bluntly. He chuckled lightly and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, “Miss, would you like to play a game with me?” 

You sighed, “I know you’re just doing your job as a salesman but I really don’t—,” you gulped down the thick ball saliva stuck in your throat. 

He pulled out a briefcase and unlatched it, revealing its contents. The thing was practically piled to the brim with cash.

“I’m sure you’ve played ddakji before, right?” He queried, pulling out two folded cards, one being blue and the other being red. 

Of course I have, who hasn’t? Played it all the time when I was a kid. “Play a few rounds with me, and in return I’ll pay you 100,000 won each time you win,” he bargained.

“Just to be clear, if I hit your ddakji and it flips over, I get 100,000 won?” You scoffed, he only hummed in response.

All your attention was entirely devoted to him, what could you say? You were intrigued now that it was regarding some easy money, you desperately needed it.

“Although, if I can flip yours, you must give me the same amount of money back,” he said, holding up the two colored cards. “You can even play first,” he added.

We sat in silence for a moment until he spoke up once more, “What colour would you like to play as?”

-Moonpi