Killer Addiction - (Squid Game)

Chapter 33 - Conflict Of Purpose

(A/N: This is a long one! Buckle in, fellas)

Her tracksuit was bloody again.

Dae-eun glanced around at the other Players as they sat hunched around the margins of the space, clinging to the bed frames.
They were likely trying to find a fraction of stability, a desperate attempt to understand the carnage.
While she'd seen it before, and relived it plenty more times in her dreams, the ringing of gunfire still echoed somewhere at the back of her mind.

Dae-eun spotted that one rapper...
What was his name again?
Right- Thanos.

He was staring ahead at nothing in particular, glassy-eyed, like a doe that ran afoul of an oncoming car.
That earlier confidence of his was absent now, only horror swam in his gaze.
She could see the blood splattered on his face, a filthy crimson stain, a reminder that rang true.

Yes, dozens of people did just die.

Even his friend, who tried to coax his mind to reality, wasn't spared a glance.
She could see he was still in shock, still clutching at anything to ground himself.
I know I was the same the first time around.

"Hey, Gi-hun..." Jung-bae's voiced roused the girl from her observations, turning to the stout man from where he sat hunched beside the former winner. "What was that doll thing-? Were the guns inside its eyes?"
Basic observation is a skill even a neurotypical has.
"The guns were up in the walls." She piped up, earning herself two glances. "If you'd looked up, you'd have seen the openings in the walls."

The way Gi-hun stared at her made her stomach churn.
Such... betrayal. Disbelief. Disappointment, too. As if he'd been wrong about her.
"...how did you know we'd get shot?" Jung-bae probed his friend. "...have you... have you been here before-?" His voice was conspiratorial, a desperation to be wrong.

As Gi-hun opened his mouth to explain, the lights blinked back on and the alarm sounded, heralding the arrival of the guards.
The room was suddenly filled with the sound of scrambling and frantic whimpers and whispers.
Like frightened lambs, the players shrank back, climbing away or hiding behind the beds and bedframes.

Gi-hun and Dae-eun-?
They only spared each other a cautious glance as the manager advanced to his position, making his voice clearly heard.
"You have successfully made it through the first game. Congratulations to you all."

...
Nobody moved.
Nobody dared to even breathe, hundreds of eyes fixed on the pink soldiers, especially those carrying guns.
And now they bring out the Triangles, now that the players know the cost of losing.

"Now. If I may have your attention, I will announce the results so far."
Dae-eun glanced up as the board displaying the player count trilled and began to scroll, its number declining gradually.
It finally reached a number and stopped, blinking twice to display the total survivors.

"Out of 456 players, 91 have been eliminated. Which means 365 players have completed the first game."
Dae-eun turned her attention to the floor, using its bland surface to focus and quickly do the math.
That's 164 less players who died the first time we played this...

She glanced at Gi-hun.
It's not perfect by any means but... his plan really made a difference.
"Once again, congratulations to all of you for making it through the first game."

"Sir, listen to me! Let us go, PLEASE!" An aged voice shouted, catching Dae-eun's attention.
An older grey-haired woman had stepped forward, dragging behind a younger man with curly hair and glasses, the white-haired girl peered at their jackets.
149 and 007...