A Game Of Love And Deception

3

I slowly open my eyes, rubbing them to adjust to the unfamiliar surroundings. I find myself in a bed, surrounded by others who are all wearing the same green tracksuits. Confusion fills the room as everyone starts waking up, just as lost as I am. Looking down at my clothes, I am also wearing a green tracksuit. I notice the number 027 on it. Classical music fills the air, and I take in the vastness of the room, filled with bunk beds. I also notice the walls and how the bottom half is painted white and the top painted blue. As I cautiously step out of the bed, a sense of bewilderment takes over. What's happening? Where am I? Questions flood my mind, mirroring the confusion of those around me, who are also getting up.

I gaze up as I notice the large screen hanging on the wall. It displays, "Number of players" in bold, green letters. My eyes widen as I see the number 456 prominently displayed. The magnitude of the situation begins to sink in, adding to the growing sense of mystery and intrigue.

"You BITCH!" someone shouts. I turn my attention to the centre of the room where a crowd has gathered. Curiously, I make my way towards them to see what's going on. On the floor lies a young girl, labelled 067. What's happening? Standing over her is a bigger, older man with a snake tattoo on his neck, known as number 101. He smirks and yells, "Hey!" He chuckles, "Geez I can't believe i've run into you here.." The girl manages to get back up on her feet. He adds, "look at those eyes. Your temper hasn't changed." She stands her ground, glaring at him. He smirks, "then again, you're not the type to back down after a few blows." He continues, " I fed you, put a roof over your head even taught you a few skills, but you backstab me?" Suddenly, everyone's attention is captivated. Finally she responds, "You already took more from me than what I owe you." She maintains her piercing glare. He chuckles again, visibly angered this time. "If that's true, why did you run away?" he asks as he rolls his eyes. She snaps back, "I didn't run away I just went independent." He chuckles, "independent?" His smile quickly fades as he attempts to punch her. Swiftly, she dodges his blow. The crowd gasps. He grabs her by the collar and kicks her to the ground. Determined, she attempts to rise again, but he grabs her hair and throws her down once more. She refuses to stay down, attempting to stand up, but he kicks her back down. He kneels down to her level, gripping her hair tightly. "You went independent? Are you Yu Gwan-su or what?" He chuckles, "oh right, you're from the North, so wave the North Korean flag." He sneers. He's about to hit her when suddenly, a skinnier man appears.

He jumps in and pushes 101 to the ground. Number 456. With a firm grip on her collar he shouts, "Come here!" He moves her hair aside to uncover a scar on her neck. "That scar on your neck! Yes! It's you, the pickpocket! Give me my money back! Where's my money?!" He's shaking her, yelling at her, pleading her. "Give it back!" He demands. Suddenly he's kicked to the ground by 101 leaving him bewildered.

"What the hell?!" he yells as he instantly gets back up. "Who are you?" They're both panting. 101 snaps back, "who the hell are you?" 456 is out of breathe but responds, " me? Well... i'm Seong Gi-hun from Ssangmun-dong." He looks visibly nervous. "Hey, Mr SSangmun-dong!" 101 suddenly yells as he starts walking towards Gi-hun. "Yes?" he responds. "I'm not done with this wench." He glares at Gi-hun. "I'm sorry, but I also have something urgent to discuss with this sister over here." He gestures to 067 still on the floor. 101 snaps back at him in a fit of anger, "you bastard. What's your relation with her?" Gi-hun looks around, infuriated, he retorts "my gosh. Then what's your relation with her?" He starts to raise his voice "you obviously look like a thug who preys on young girls like her. Did you tell her to steal money?" As tension rise, 101 raises his fist in the air, about to punch Gi-hun. "You son of a bitch!" he yells. The crowd gasps again. Gi-hun backs up, "Wait! This thug is trying to kill me! Someone get over here! We need help!" Gi-hun tries to move away from 101 with panic. There's a buzz as the door opens and people enter the room. "There!" Exclaims Gi-hun, "over here! We got a thug and a pickpocket! A thug and a pickpocket!"

I glance at the figures entering the room, their attire triggering a sense of familiarity. The same red hooded jumpsuits worn by the driver who brought me here. Each of them concealed behind a black mask, but something stands out. 8 of them have a circle displayed on their mask, however the one in the centre displays a square.

The person with the square on their mask confidently steps forward and addresses the room saying, "I would like to extend a hearty welcome to you all. Everyone here will participate in six different games over six days. Those who win all six games will get a handsome cash prize." The room was filled with whispers and hushed conversations. Someone speaks up, "How are we supposed to believe you? You suddenly put us to sleep, take our phones and wallets away, then bring us to this mysterious place. Now you show up saying you'll pay us handsomely for playing a few games? Do you expect us to believe that?" His voice echoed in the room.

The man in red immediately responds, "we reluctantly took those measures to maintain our confidentiality bringing you here. We will return everything once the games are over."

Another woman speaks up, "how come you are wearing those masks?" I notice the people around me nodding. We're all thinking the same thing. He responds, "we do not disclose the faces and personal information of our staff to the participants. It's a measure we take for the fairness of games and privacy. Please understand."

"I don't trust a word you just said." another man speaks up. There's something about him that intrigues me. He's tall and seems charismatic. He has jet-black hair and captivating eyes. His lean build shows he carries himself with confidence. Number 218.

Everyone turns their head to him. "You lured, kidnapped and locked us up. You make all kinds of excuses to keep yourself hidden after all those illegal actions. Give us one good reason why we should trust you." The man in red begins to talk again, "player 218, Cho Sang Woo." The lights suddenly go off and now a video is playing on the large screen. "Age 41." On the screen plays a video of Sang Woo playing a game of ddakji. We all watch intensely as the guard continues to speak, "Former team leader of Team 2 at Joy Investments. Siphoned money from his clients, then invested in derivatives and futures options with it and failed. Current loss, 650 million won." Sang woo looks down, ashamed. The guard then brings up multiple other people, "player 107, Kim Mi-ok, 540 million won in debt." As he mentions these people, a bunch of them playing ddakji are played on the screen. "Player 118, Oh Yeong-uk, 1.02 billion won in debt. Player 332, Jung Min-tae, 880 million won in debt. Player 119, No Sang-hun, 1.39 billion won in debt. Player 369, Park Ju-un, 900 million won in debt."

I look around and everyone is in shock. "All of you in this room are living on the edge, with debts you just can't pay off. When we first went to see you, none of you trusted us. But as you know, we played a game and gave you money as promised. So everyone here trusted us and volunteered to participate in this game of your own free will. I'll give you one last chance to choose." The room is dead silent. "Will you go back to living your lousy life being chased by your creditors? Or will you grab the last opportunity we're offering here?"

Everyone begins discussing among themselves. Suddenly someone speaks up again, "What kind of games are we playing?" The man in red responds, "In order to play fair, we cannot disclose any information on the games ahead of time."

"Excuse me?" Now Gi-hun speaks up this time. Everyone turns their heads towards him. He has his hand raised in the air. "Just how much is the prize money?" Suddenly in the centre of the room, a bright yellow light is shone down. Everyone curiously watches as a large, clear piggy bank descends. Arcade-like music plays as this happens. "Your prize money will be accumulated in the piggy bank after every game. We will disclose the amount to everyone once the first game is over."

"If you do not wish to participate please let us know now."

We all stand in line as one by one we sign a piece of paper. Once it's my turn I carefully read it.

Player consent form:

Clause 1- A player is not allowed to stop playing

Clause 2- A player who refuses to play will be eliminated

Clause 3- Games may be terminated if the majority agrees

I hesitate before picking up my pen and signing the paper.

Minutes pass and suddenly classical music starts playing once again. "The game is about to begin. All players follow the staff's instruction and proceed to the game hall."

PS- I know in the show Sang Woo is 46 but I didn't want a large age gap between him and the mc