Easy On Me || Kang Sae-byeok ✓

ix

Mari wrapped her arms around herself as she followed the line into a large room that was full of staircases. She tried to look up but she got sick with the number of stairs that were in the room, her eyes couldn't keep track of them all. They were guided to what looked like metal detectors but with a screen on them.

Mari stepped up and looked down at her hands. "Please look into the camera." An electronic voice said making Mari jump but she turned right as instructed and looked into the camera. "Smile." The voice spoke again, Mari furrowed her brows but quickly looked at the camera and gave it a fake smile. She knew it didn't reach her eyes but no one asked her to retake it so she kept walking to keep the line moving. She brushed her hair behind her ears as she followed the people in the line up the stairs.

Mari didn't know where they were, she was scared and was being led somewhere she didn't know after having her photo taken. She could feel her legs starting to burn with the amount of walking she did from going up the number of stairs that she did, she didn't have much time to dwell on that because she noticed that the green doors in front of them started to open.

Her brows furrow as she takes a moment to look around as people are starting to file into the room, she noticed that they were all standing on some sort of small gravel in an enclosed room that had wallpaper all around them. "Welcome to the first game." The electronic voice said breaking her attention away from the room that surrounded them, her eyebrows rose in curiosity.

"All players, please wait a moment on the field." Mari pressed her lips together as she followed everyone's lead and lined up close to the door. "Let me repeat, All players, please wait a moment on the field." Mari tried to look for the girl from before but she couldn't find her. Mari jumped slightly when the doors started to close, she turned around and looked at them in fright. With the doors closed they had no way which meant she was stuck in this game, no matter what. "The first game is Red Light, Green Light." Her attention was grabbed towards the doll that was in the room when it started to turn around to face the tree. "You can move forward while the tagger shouts, "Green Light, red light." If your movement is detected afterward, you will be eliminated." She didn't know what the voice meant by eliminated but something was telling her that it wasn't a good thing.

"Let me repeat." The voice started to explain again, Mari could feel that her heart was getting quicker and quicker from the anticipation of what was about to happen, she looked around and found that everyone else looked as confused as Mari felt. "Those who cross the finish line without getting caught in five minutes pass this round." Mari let out a deep breath before she bent her leg to get ready to start running. "Then let the game begin."

The timer buzzed. "Green light." Mari ran as quickly as possible. "Red light." She froze, she was closer to the ground which made her feel more unstable but she couldn't move. Mari saw the blonde guy wobbling and knew that he would be eliminated. "Player 324. Eliminated." She almost jumped when she heard the gunshot ring off, her breath caught as she realized what happened. "Green light." The music sounded off again so Mari quickly ran, she knew that no one else noticed what happened yet but Mari did. "Red light." The music ended so they stopped, Mari could feel her back aching but she ignored it and pushed through the pain.

Mari watched as the guy walked closer to the blonde guy and when he realized that he was dead he quickly turned around and started to run. He didn't make it far before he was shot and his blood was sprayed all over a woman whose number was 306. Mari watched as the woman touched her face and screamed when she saw blood on her hands, Mari closed her eyes tightly as she knew what was about to happen.

She tried to stay as still as she could as panic ensued around her, she could feel people bumping into her but Mari kept her feet planted, she didn't want to end up dead like the people around her. Mari cracked her eyes open when the gunshots slowly stopped. "Let me repeat. You can move forward while the tagger shouts, "Green light, red light." If your movement is detected afterward, you will be eliminated.

"Green light." Mari moved, she noticed that no one else besides an older man who was wearing the number 001 moved. "Red light." The two of them froze in place. "Green light." Mari sucked in a breath as she walked quickly before pausing when the voice said red light. "Green light." Mari and more people started to move which Mari knew meant the game was about to be harder. "Red light." They paused their movements quickly. Mari's hands shook when two more shots sounded off but she closed her eyes and tried to force them to stop shaking.

"Green light." Mari moved quickly, she didn't know how much she had left but she was determined to make it. "Red light." Mari winced when other shots echoed throughout the box they were in. Mari glanced at the clock and knew she was running out of time. "Green light." Mari ran quickly. "Red light." Mari sped to a stop, she almost fell when a hand came out and grabbed her arm. "What the hell?" Mari said confused. "You're welcome." A familiar voice said, Mari's eyebrows rose but she didn't look, she didn't have time. "Green light." Mari ran quickly until she stopped, lucky for her she was standing right next to the person who saved her. "Ji-yeong, what are you doing here?" Mari asked looking at the woman out of the corner of her eyes. "I could say the same thing for you, are you alright?" Ji-yeong asked but Mari couldn't answer because the voice called out Green light. "I am, are you alright?" Mari asked Ji-yeong when the voice shouted out Red light again. "No, but I will be." Mari noticed that every time a shot rang off Ji-yeong jumped, she itched to reach out and grab her hand to comfort her but Mari resisted and kept moving the best she could with Ji-yeong right by her side.