The Favorite- Front Man x Reader- Squid Game

Part 55:

(Y/N's POV)

And just like that, it was time for the second game. I was watching it from a 10 foot wide window that overlooked an almost football-field sized expanse with trees and hills covering nearly every inch of it while in my wheelchair. In-Ho was standing next to me protectively.

This game is actually my least favorite of the ones I have designed because of how weird it is and how it doesn't follow the kind of "popular games" theme. Another future game didn't follow that trend, but the brutality made up for it in my eyes. Technically, this is similar to a game commonly played in America, but it still was the most uneventful. This one does rank high in possible brutality though, but it has close to no redeeming qualities.

All players had been led to a sand covered rectangle part of the room. Everybody had to stay behind the line at the start just like red light green light in my game, and they all looked around at the tall trees and grassy mounds. It was so realistic and beautiful that it astonished me the first time I saw it. How could they lay grass so cleanly on uneven surfaces as well as keep it healthy when transported here? The grass certainly wasn't fake, I knew that for sure. Same for the trees. They stretched several meters into the air, shade blanketing most of the room. I instructed the room to already have lighting close to before sunset, but without the beautiful colors. It was going to get darker and darker over time, and by the exact moment the "sun had set" (it was fake), the time would be up.

On the opposite end of the room, there was an area, about 20 feet length wise, that had no trees. It was flat and grassy, for that side held the door. A singular door with two soldiers on each side. Without a key, they would not be allowed to exit the door. The orders were to shoot anybody who came within 5 feet of them with no key, and to be wary of anybody who was slightly farther than that distance.

And now for the game...

This game is called "Hidden Keys". The message I programmed into the system was about to pay over the speakers.

"Players, welcome to the second game. This game is called 'Hidden Keys'. Before the timer starts, you must stay in the sanded area behind the red line. Do not move out of it before the time starts. There are 100 keys hidden throughout this room that are able to allow the player to win the game. When a correct key is found, make your way to the very back of the room and show the staff members. You will then be allowed to leave. You may not attempt exit the room without a key or you will face elimination. Any player left in this room after the 30 minutes is done will face elimination. And now, a hint from our Host..."

I was trying to gauge most reactions to these rules. It was quite simple. Find a key, get out of the room. Keys were distributed everywhere in this huge place. I had several locations of where I wanted keys, but other than that, the builders handled the rest, so I was in the dark of whereabouts as well. The hint was a three stanza, 12 line rhyming poem that gave the players a few clues as to some things involved in this that will definitely affect their play. Who said that I was totally cruel?

"Whether they are up or they are down,
Whether on or in the ground,
All the items that you seek
May promote a havoc wreak

All's allowed in this game
For any action, have no shame
Find the keys to leave this room
Or it will lead to certain doom.

Several of them branded fake
The colors of them a mistake
Do not fall for these tricks
Let golden light shine on conflicts."

It didn't take too long to write that, surprisingly, and just in case you missed anything, let me point out a few things.

The items that you seek may promote a havoc wreak: trouble will occur and fights will break out over these keys. This relates to all's allowed in this game meaning no rules (except for the ones about leaving). Certain doom is actually what we didn't tell them about. Of course, they will die. But, the means are very brutal. At the end of the 20 minutes, 30 trained hunting dogs will be released after both soldiers guarding the door leave as well, mauling all players left behind and giving them an excruciatingly painful death. The colors of them a mistake and golden light are interconnected as well. There are silver keys hidden, not included in the count of 100, and trying to use them will lead to an automatic death via shooting. The color gold is specially mentioned because that is the only color of keys that will get you your freedom.

And now that we're all caught up...

Let the games begin.

 
       I look towards the Front Man, who looks back at me with this mysterious geometric mask. It made me want to ask him why he chose that design later. Surely he was some kind of art fan, specifically ones that dealt with primarily shapes and figures incorporated into images.

         He stared at me for a good while, even after I looked away. I looked instead through the window at all of the people lined up behind the bold red division. It was pretty close to the observation spot. There were plenty of other windows the same size as this one scattered equally along this wall because one window wouldn't be enough to see the different parts of the forest.

           It seemed to all happen in slow motion. The monotonous female voice sounded the announcement to start the timer officially, and most of the players in front of everybody else were in a starting runner's position. They were pretty low on their knees, but others opted for the traditional stance of somebody standing straight up. When the buzzer sounded and the loud click of the first second off of the time was heard, a few brave players sprinted under the canopy of trees. Some jogged, wanting to preserve their energy or just not feeling like running into an unfamiliar place. There were a great few that walked, which somewhat surprised me. In a death game where only a predetermined about of people could pass, would you walk? Probably not. You'd want to get out alive, and letting other people go before you isn't something that betters your survival chances.

       I watched as a male player, 262, bolted past us without even knowing that we were watching him. On the outside, the wall looked like a regular wall. However, with technology even I don't fully understand, we could see through it, yet it has the appearance of a seamless wall. I'm pretty sure the head of this room, Game Room 2, explained how it worked to me, but it had so much technical jargon in it that I could not comprehend ever other word that came out of his mouth.

        More people came into our line of sight, and they were all looking at the ground and up, alternating. I saw one far away player climbing a tree, seemingly searching all branches for holes of any kind that could be used to store anything that would be invisible on the ground. He found nothing, and he moved to the next tree. Another girl was sitting on the ground, patting every inch of about a 5 foot radius before moving to the next. All of these ideas might seem effective on paper, but in reality, you can use techniques that only cover short distances when you have about 30 feet of keys in total out of a room measuring about 50,000 square feet, and that's only counting the ground. Some keys are, in fact, in the trees.

          For some lucky reason, I saw the girl feeling one area with her tiny hand for longer than the other spots. She seemed to have found a key. I saw her grin, but it wasn't one of pleasantness, it was one that appeared to me as something somebody who has some screws loose would show. She reminded me of the girl who gave up her life in the marbles game for Sae-Byeok. She raked her nails into the ground, trying to unearth the metal object. I also ordered that the keys be placed no deeper than 1 inch into the ground with a semi-visible difference, a hill close to the size of a key, so that these were not impossible to find.

         After about 30 seconds, she reached her hand in but did not move it. She had touched the key. Observing her carefully, I saw her eyes flutter closed as she angled her head towards the sky and pulled out a key. But not just any key; one of the cursed silver keys. She obviously had not gotten my hint of what color was the key to salvation, so she stood up, happy with her find, and turned the direction of the door she needed to exit.

        Unexpectedly, something crazy happened.

        I watched as she took the cartoonish silver key in both of her hands, admiring it, and crammed it into the pocket of her joggers. Unknown to her, somebody had seen it. Before she could take a step forward, a masculine man with bleached blonde hair and piercing eyes ran up behind her. No leaves or branches crunched underfoot because the place was completely clean, so she could not have had a warning. He covered her mouth, and it muffled a startled scream. He looked unapologetically bloodthirsty, and he whispered to her before putting his left arm over her chest and twisting his right hand. He had broken the poor girl's neck. All for a worthless, damned key.

        He searched her pocket, finding the item he thought would win him a pass out of this room, and held it in his palm as he ran quickly to the other end of the room.

        All I could do was look at In-Ho, who stared straight ahead and didn't seem surprised by the example of the cruel reality of what someone would do to a person if only it would benefit them in the end.

  Original Publish Date: September 20, 2023