𝐊𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐀𝐄 𝐁𝐘𝐄𝐎𝐊, 𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐃 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟓

"why did you come here from the north?" she asks.

"because of my mom, she thought things would be good here," i answered.

"and so? was she right?"

"no."

"ah. what about the rest of your family? brother, sister or dad? are they here with you and your mom?"

"no my dad's a dick and my brother is stuck with him."

"alright. if you win the money and get out of here, what's your plan?"

"i'm doing this so i can get a better house where my mom and i can live in. then i'll get my brother from my dickhead of a dad."

"hey. with money that big, you can do a whole lot more than that. you gotta want something else too. is there anywhere you wanna go?"

"ulleungdo island," i mumble under my breath.

"ulleungdo island?" she asked and looked at me for confirmation. i nodded my head.

"my mum talks about it all the time because she's seen it on tv. i want to take her there."

"hey. don't you think you should dream bigger huh? do hawaii. hold on, go to the maldives for a while instead and have a mojito too."

i looked at her and asked, "mojito?"

"like the movie. lee byung-hun's in it. 'go to mojito and have a glass of maldives'. really?"

i furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head no.

"oh no, we gotta fix that then. well, once we're out of here we'll have a girls night out and make mojitos and everything, okay?"

i looked down towards the ground.
only one of use is going to make it.

"oh. we both can't get out of here."

"yeah."

we were silent until the women over the speaker starting speaking.

"player 2, eliminated."

"have you ever seen anyone die before this?"

"when i was kid, i used to live with my dad along with my younger brother, older sister and mom. one time i came home from a walk, i saw my sister dead, on the ground with my father next to him with bloody fists. i never knew the reason why he did it."

"how is he not in jail?" she asked.

"because i was too scared of what he was gonna do to my mum. since i can't protect her all the time."

she just looked at me and said, "our stories are similar."

"oh? do tell."

"first body i saw, my mothers. one day, i came back from school and my mom was lying there, dead on the floor. and next to her, was my so called dad with a knife. the next body i saw that was my dad's and the person standing there holding the knife, that was me. he was a goddamn pastor too. and when he hit her and did the thing he did to me, he would talk to god. he'd always ask for forgiveness. he didn't pray the day after he killed her. that was too much even for god, i guess."

there was a pause before i asked a question.

"what are you gonna do with the money if you win and get out?"

"i don't know what i would do. someone was waiting at the prison the day i got out. i thought he was a creditor who came to collect my dad's debt. but he pulled out a card. that weird card. i had no where else to do, so i never thought about what i'd do if i got the money. go with you to ulleungdo island?"
she did it yet again.

i licked my lips and looked down.

"sorry. i forgot again."

i sighed and stood up. i looked back at her and shoved my hands in my pockets.

"c'mon let's go."

we walked until we reach a wall.

"whoever throws one over there and makes the shot that comes closest to the wall, wins. how's that?"

i nodded, "my name is y/n l/n."

"huh?"

"did you not here me the first time dumbass? y/n l/n is my name."

"l/n."

"call me y/n."

"hm y/n, pretty."

i scoffed and asked, "and you?"

"ji-yeong."

i nodded and asked, "who should go first then?"

"you should go first because your number is lower," she answered.

i nodded and grabbed a marble out of the pouch. i stepped forward and under-tossed the marble. it went far enough. i stepped back and let ji-yeong throw hers.

she stepped forward and bent down slightly. she dropped the marble.
what the fuck is she doing.

"hey, what the fuck are you doing?" i shoved her against the wall.

"you won."

"why the fuck would you do that?" i shook her shoulders.

"butter fingers, what else can i say?"

"what you said about promising that i won. is this was that is? do another fucking throw."

"i still wound't be able to win. ugh. just let me lose this thing in style, okay?"

"fuck sakes ji-yeong. that's bullshit. stop acting cool for one fucking second and do a real throw!" i shoved her shoulder against the wall violently.

"i have nothing."

"huh?"

"you got a reason to get out of this place, but i don't," ji-yeong's voice cracks.

i swallowed my saliva as i feel my lips tremble.

"i thought hard about what i'd do. if i were the one who go out since you asked me earlier. no matter how hard i thought, i got nothing. the one who should have a reason to get back out there that's what's right."

i feel a tear slip my eye and breath shudders as ji-yeong continues.

"you can do it. don't die in here, okay? go see your brother and kill your asshole of a dad and go to ulleungdo island," she chuckles.

"is this kind of fucking game to you?" i sob.

she chuckles and pushes me off her and gives me her marbles.

i walk forward and the guard walks part me to ji-yeong.

"i'm honored to that we were partners."

i could hear her body thud to the ground as i starting sobbing.

"player 240, eliminated."

a/n

i'm crying rn.