EGOIST (Sang Woo x Fem!OC) [COMPLETED]

26

In the five minutes Sang-Woo spent chasing her down, he realized what kind of mistake that had been. Three minutes left, and he's still partner-less. He sighs, standing by the walls of the stark white room, figuring that if he stopped chasing after people, then they would come to him. Though his divine intervention was neither brain nor brawn, but a frail 001 approaching him with a wobbly smile. He curses under his breath.

"You still don't have a partner?"

Sang-Woo just shakes his head, though refusing to stare the old man in the eyes.

"Now, I know you may think I'm old and frail, but I actually grew up on these games." He tells Sang-Woo.

"You're asking me to be your partner?" He speaks coldly, with authority; like the business man he's always been. "What can you promise that will guarantee my win?"

001 just smiled at the cold man.

"Did I not guarantee your win at tug of war?"

Sang-Woo says nothing anymore.

"You young folk overlook strategy sometimes. You tend to be very physical and emotional with your problems." He pats Sang-Woo on the shoulder. "But like I said, I grew up playing these games." He tells him. "I know how to win them all."

**********

Every woman in that room had already found a partner, and every man only looked down at Hae Young in contempt. With the last minutes on the digital clock counting down to the near end, it seems like all hope was lost at this point. What would they even do to her if they find her partner-less for the next game. Would they kill her on the spot or make some sort of exemption? That's impossible, anyway. She shakes her head at the thought when she clearly remembered that there were exactly thirty-six players left. Surely there was someone else out there looking for her, too.

"You're all making a big mistake." Mi-nyeo stood in the dead center of the room, pointing at everyone else accusingly. "I totally owned everyone from Dongducheon to Gangnam!"

Though no one paid her any mind. No one in the room cared.

But she was desperate, clawing at every player to ditch their partner for her to the point that the pink guards had come down to try and detain her. "You bastards--" She hissed. "Let go of me! Let go!"

She thrashed around as the guards held down her flailing limbs. Hae Young watches as Mi-nyeo tries to pry herself away to desperately claw at more players, just desperate just as she was. She sighs, knowing that there's no other option. The timer above them is ticking.

"Hey." She speaks, finally approaching Mi-nyeo who stopped when she drew near alone without a partner. "If you stop thrashing around, then I'll play with you."

Mi-nyeo shuts up in an instant, looking up at Hae Young with a crazed look. She laughs, then looks around at everyone else. The guards let go of her as she eventually stands back up. Her pride was quick to recover.

"You see?" Mi-nyeo spat. "You see, now she and I. We will crush you all!" She laughs, though no one listens. Hae Young just looked at her with pity.

"So are you really doing it?" Mi-nyeo looks at the taller woman. "Are you actually serious about becoming my partner?"

Hae Young doesn't say anything else. With a straight face, she puts her arm out. Mi-nyeo grins even wider, taking her hand and shaking it vigorously.

"Let's crush those douchebags."

************

The fourth game room was a spectacle. At first, it was a mystery behind menacing green doors that made them sick, but the moment they opened, everything felt different. It was a mix of emotions as they gathered at the entrance and basked in its orange, warm glow, hitting the very nerve lodged in their heart and mind; as if they've all been here before. It was a spectacle, as well as it was a trap. It almost felt like a sin to gaze at the hand-painted walls in wonder, and appreciate the tiny details of weeds growing from the bottom of the walls, and pebbles scattered as if they were not meant to be there. All the while, she reminds herself of what was to ensue. Like the winding corridor outside that room, this place was tainted with blood.

Hae Young and Mi-nyeo stood just beside Ali and Gi-Hun, who exchanged nervous glances at the wake of everything. Pink guards approach each pair.

"All players, follow the instructions from staff and go to your positions."

Hae Young and Gi-Hun exchanged nervous as pink guards were ready to escort the pairs in scattered locations throughout the maze.

"Hey, hold on." Hae Young says, stopping Gi-Hun briefly before he leaves.

"We have no idea what the game will be. But whatever happens, let's not go for each, alright?"

Gi-Hun nods.

"If we can, let's help each other out." He tells her, and they both nod.

"I'll meet you back in the room, okay?" She tells him, looking over to Ali. "Keep each other safe."

"You too." He answers softly before following the pink guard to their positions.

Mi-Nyeo and Hae Young looked around the maze that was this play ground, of nostalgic walls and gates that lined the room. Houses, even, complete with furniture inside of them as if people really were living in it. The stroll around the area was slow and paced, oddly enough, and perhaps Mi-nyeo thought it was the right time to exchange immediate heart-felt messages.

"You know, I never really thought it'd be you I paired up with." Mi-Nyeo starts. "I really hoped it would be that one guy, 456. He seems to be really good at a lot of these games."

Hae Young doesn't say anything as she mindlessly follows the pink guard through the maze.

"Or that other one." She swoons. "The cute one. 218." She grins mischievously.

"Say," she turns to Hae Young. "There's nothing going between you, right? He's not your boyfriend or anything."

Still no answer.

"Alright, I'll take that as a no, I guess."

Hae Young gives her a stern look of annoyance, Mi-nyeo's smirk growing even wider.

"Oh, so it's that kind of complicated, huh?" She raises her hands up teasingly. "Alright, alright. I'll stay in my lane."

Hae Young scoffs, keeping her head in the game as she inspected each corner they rounded. The walls, the floors, the ceiling. "What do you think we're going to play?"

Mi-nyeo shrugs. "Tag? Hide-and-seek?"

It was all probable. The maze, the narrowed alleyways.

The pink guard finally seizes before them, positioning them in a block in between gated houses. This is where they will play for the whole round. Their guard holds something out for the both of them to take.

"Marbles?" Hae Young knits her brows together, examining the glassy orbs in the pouch.

"So it's not tag?" Mi-nyeo takes her pouch, murmuring under her breath. "It's a shame. I'm quite the runner."

"There are ten marbles in each pouch." The announcer blares throughout the room. "Please check how many there are."

Hae Young counts them. "Ten." She mutters. "I've got ten."

"Crap." Mi-Nyeo curses beside her. "I was never good with this game."

"In this game, use your ten marbles to compete with the partner next to you. The player who takes all ten marbles from their partner will win."

Hae Young pauses, hearing the announcer the first time. She turns to Mi-nyeo with a grim expression.

"Let me repeat. In this game, use your ten marbles to compete with the partner next to you. The player who takes all ten marbles from their partner will win."