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Mari didn't have a good night's sleep but that was because one of the other contestants was yelling that they had to go to the bathroom so most of the night Mari slept with a pillow over her head trying to drown out the noise.
"It is now breakfast time. All players, please line up in the center." Mari sighed as she moved her legs to the side and began to get off the bed. She was about halfway down the stairs when she stopped because she heard voices, she squinted as she squatted down trying to not be seen by the two women who were talking, it was Kang Sae-byeok and number 212. "You said you would tell me in the morning, I know you had time to see something." Mari's eyebrow rose as she listened. "The guys in masks were melting something in large pots," Sae-byeok said pressing her lips together. "Melting what?" Sae-byeok was silent, she looked at her fingers before she answered. "I'm not sure."
"Damn it." The older woman said huffing as she yanked her hand from where she was bracing herself against another bed. "I put on that huge show to save your life, and you're not sure?" It takes Mari a second to understand what the older woman means but the memory of last night flashes in Mari's mind, so this must've been their plan to go to the bathroom and then try to find out some information. "I smelled something." Mari clenched her fist as she stayed hidden trying to listen. "What smell?"
"Sugar." She watched as the older woman got wide-eyed. "So they were melting sugar?" Sae-byeok shrugs before responding. "I think so." The older woman leaned in slightly closer. "That's all you saw?" Sae-byeok gave the tiniest nod making the older woman sigh before backing away slightly. "Listen, if I find you're holding back, I'll burn your eyes out with a cig." The woman threatened before moving down the stairs towards the breakfast for the day.
Mari didn't move until she saw Sae-byeok move, she quickly walked downstairs and got in line for food. The line moved pretty fast so Mari grabbed her bread and milk before looking around for a place to sit, she was going to sit next to Ji-yeong but she saw that Sae-byeok was sitting by herself so Mari decided to take a chance. "Hi, can I sit with you?" Mari asks nervously, instead of replying the girl jerkingly nods her head so Mari sits next to her on the steps by her bed. "What do you think the next game is?" Mari questions as she unwraps her bread from the plastic packaging. "I'm not sure," Sae-byeok says as they lap into a silence. "Why aren't you eating?" Mari questions but before Sae-byeok could answer music started to play throughout the room, it was the music from before. "The second game will begin shortly. Please follow the instructions from our staff." The electronic voice said before repeating it, Mari watched as Sae-byeok finally unwrapped her bread and started to eat it quickly so she would have energy for whatever the next game is.
Once Mari was finished she stood up and dusted her hands off on her pants before she started to make it down the stairs but she turned around before she could fully step off. "Take care of yourself, okay?" Mari told Sae-byeok with a half-smile, Mari didn't know what it was about Sae-byeok but she was drawn to the girl. Instead of responding Sae-byeok nodded but this time she cracked a smile which Mari considered a success.
Once it was time they all started to line up, Mari hasn't seen Ji-yeong since lunch and she was getting worried she hoped that her friend was okay but she needed to start focusing on the next game and what it could have to do with sugar if that had anything to do with the game. They were led into the confusing room of what seemed like never-ending stairs. They were led into this open room with sand on the floor and a cloud patterned wallpaper on the walls.
As they dispersed Mari could see the giant playground equipment. "Welcome to your second game." The electronic voice said. "Before the second game begins, choose from one of the four shapes and stand in front of it." Mari looks straight ahead at some doors that were lining the wall in front of them. "Choose a shape and stand in front of it immediately." The electronic voice said out of the speakers before repeating it back. Mari watched as they all started to move to the shape, Mari sighed as she looked around.
She didn't know what this would mean but she walked toward the triangle and stepped in front of it. "Decision time is over, we will now reveal the game." The electronic voice said once everyone was in their respective lines. Mari flinched when the doors in front of them started to open and out game three guards each next to a table with little round tins on top of the table. "All players, please each take one of the cases in front of you." Mari walked forward and grabbed the case that was offered to her, she turned it over in her hand trying to look at it as she walked over to find a place to sit. "Please open the case and check the contents."
Mari quickly tied her hair up using a trick that she learned in prison before she grabbed the tin and opened it to see a sewing pin and a hard candy-like shape but in the middle was a tringle faintly cut out. "The second game is Dalgona." The electronic voice announced making Mari sigh and cross her legs. "The shape you have chosen is the shape you must extract."
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