𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ 𝐧𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 - 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐮

⇛ 𝐂𝐇. 𝟗

𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝟏

it was nearly time for the hunger games to commence.

jihyun was dressed in her arena outfit, standing near the aircraft, listening to doyoung rant about what she should and should not do. she had heard it all already, every day since she arrived at the capitol.

"remember what i said about the middle of the cornucopia. it's best to avoid it even though there will be the resources you need. but if you believe you can run there and get away without anyone noticing then i say go for it. if not, don't even think about it." he said.

"i know, do." she told him. "i'm never going to forget because your voice is so annoying i hear it ringing in my ears."

he lightly smacked her head then pulled her in for a hug. "i love you, little cuz."

"love you too, big cuz." she sighed, sinking into his arms to grab onto the warmth she would no longer feel once she got onto the aircraft. "i'll go now."

shakily, she stepped away, sending him one last wave before climbing onto the aircraft. she was seated in between renjun and chenle as a woman in a long white lab coat walked around, a needle in her hand.

"give your arm." she said, stopping in front of jihyun and holding her hand out.

"why?" jihyun asked, cradling her arm to her chest instead. "what is that?"

"it's a tracker."

from beside her, renjun noticed her hesitation and he tapped her knee, gesturing for her to allow the woman to inject her. she wasn't sure why, but him confirming that it was safe was enough for her to trust that it was. so she gave in, holding her arm out and the woman stabbed the needle into it.

jihyun leaned back into her seat as the lights dimmed then turned into a bright blue. the floor below her feet shook and she glanced around at the tributes in the other seats and the only other people she recognised other than chenle and renjun was copper, the girl that despised her.

"great." jihyun mumbled under her breath as she tightened her grip on her chair.

"fear of flying?" chenle asked. when she stared at him blankly, he pointed to her knuckles that had turned white from her tight grip.

"oh. can you have a fear of something you've never experienced before?" she asked and when the aircraft shook again, taking off, her eyes widened, comically. "i guess so..."

chenle laughed and she glared at him, but didn't say anything else. she knew she had a lot of enemies already, but she also had a lot of potential allies and she couldn't let them turn into backstabbers. meaning, she'd have to be nice while having boundaries to show authority.

thankfully, the time in the air was not long and once they had landed, jihyun was escorted by two men into a building and to a room. they closed the door behind her and she walked in to find jungwoo waiting for her.

"jungwoo!" she exclaimed, rushing forward to hug him. "i'm so glad you're here."

"i wouldn't dare ditch you at a crucial time like this." he told her, placing his hands on her shoulders once she released him. "you need a friend right now."

"you're correct. i do."

"thirty seconds..."

"here." he smiled, bitterly, then took a small jacket from the table and helped her put it on.

"you'll be watching me, right?" she asked and he nodded, ruffling her hair.

"yes, i'll be watching you. think of me as your guardian angel and just know i'm not going anywhere. you're going to win this."