One of Us || Kang Sae-Byeok.

∆ Chapter Three ∆

┍━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━┑

“You are not defeated when you lose, for you are defeated when you quit on your own accord.”

┕━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━┙

FRIDAY - FRI
12:24 AM.

A subway pulled up into the station, making one of its many stops. As the pace of the public transit slowed, the worn down brakes made a squealing noise that reverberated in opposition to the wall.

A constant beeping danced about the terminal as the doors of the subway slid open. Much like lava, the people flowed out smoothly in an instant.

Many shoes shuffled and scuffed against the floor. You turned your head at the ruckus. 

A couple individuals gave you odd looks, you only ignored them. You had more important matters to return too.

You slammed your paper tile on the ground once more. The salesman's tile remained still, you breathed out a moody huff.

The game was terribly frustrating, it seemed as if gravity were against you. To you, ddjaki was a mere children's game based on luck rather than pure strategy.

You had lost a few rounds already, just one win appeared to be impossible. But the man who stood next to you made each of his victories look like a breeze.

Aside from that, your left cheek was stinging like hell. Your pain tolerance has always been surprisingly high, but the throbbing gradually got worse.

The strength behind each slap grew larger, and the side of your face numbed even further. To be honest, if the guy was some weird superhuman, surely he would have slapped you into oblivion by now.

You awoke from your thoughts by a loud clacking sound. Letting out a small gasp, the salesman had flipped your red tile over once again.

You weren't surprised by this in the slightest. Instead, you held your head up high and tightly closed your eyes, awaiting the impact.

But it never came.

You cracked your eyes open, catching the sight of the man letting out a low sigh. He leaned in to claim his payment, in your case, a hit directly to your face.

You flinched and let out a sharp exhale. Was he teasing you?

“Just get on with it!” You grumbled, utterly frustrated. 

He chuckled in response, giving you what you desired. You clutched the sensitive spot in your palm and emitted a groan.

You swished your tongue around in your mouth. It was bitter, sour even, the taste of defeat wasn't all that pleasing.

~*~

The process went on over, and over, and over. It was draining, he would always win, and somehow you'd always seem to lose.

Eventually, half an hour went by and you eventually lost count of your losses. Well to be fair, you just got tired of counting them. 

Understandable.

You looked towards the ground, the newly cleaned, shiny flooring held your reflection on display. You examined your features.

Shades of purple discolored your complexion. You glided your fingertips down the side of your face, twitching at the tenderness.

“So,” the salesman started, “are you about ready to quit?” You were at a loss of words, and in all honesty, you desperately wanted to say yes and walk away from the situation right there and then.

But your ego—what was left at least—just couldn't allow it. You've grown weary of running away from all your problems, which is why you returned to Korea after all this time.

“I won't lose to you again. I can certainly promise you that much,” you asserted, the salesman shrugged it off, maintaining his gleeful composure.

He ruptured into a small fit of giggles, “I'd love to see that,” he teased, “give me your best shot.” You tensed as your nails dug into your flesh before finally relaxing your muscles.

“Gladly,” you retorted.

~*~

Your heart pounded deep inside your chest as if it were going to escape. A shaky exhale trembled from your stout lips, tightly gripping the red tile.

Beads of sweat raced down the sides of your forehead. You wiped the salty moisture with the sleeve of your hoodie.

You slowly lifted your arm behind your head and wobbly threw the tile on the ground forcefully. Abruptly, you opened your eyes. 

For a moment, you could've sworn you seen everything unfold in slow motion. Mid air, the red tile rotated repetitively until it reached the corner of the blue tile.

Ultimately flipping it over, and landing directly onto the floor. Your eyes widened, were you seeing things?

Alas, you were triumphant.

–Moonpi