Killer Addiction - (Squid Game)

Chapter 42 - Tearing Off The Sheepskin

(A/N: HOPE YA'LL ARE HAVING A GOOD SUMMER. Now that Season 3's been released, I'm currently plotting out the end of the fic, and ngl, what I've planned deviates QUITE A LOT from canon, but I hope ya'll will enjoy it when it arrives. In the meantime, here's your regularly scheduled program!)

This was probably the blandest bread Dae-eun had ever eaten.
Then again, for a lot of people, it was a last meal.
Sitting with Dae-ho and the others, she knew they judged her for her decision, the way their eyes flicked over, then turned astray when they caught her own.

Jung-bae had turned full coward, sitting away from them like a kicked puppy sent to live in the doghouse.
Self-imposed, of course. Likely guilt from pressing 'O'.
Dae-ho soon stood up with a groan. "Sir. Come on, just come sit with us already!"

"No- really, I'm fine right here!" He protested, unable to keep the whimper out of the edge of his voice.
Dae-ho wasted little time in hooking his arms under the older man's, quite literally hauling him to his feet and starting to force him back towards the rest of them.
"What the heck are you doing, sitting by yourself trying to look all sad?"

Upon being greeted with the faces of his 'teammates', Jung-bae seemed to deflate like a squished balloon, skin pulled tight across his features.
Gi-hun and Young-il sat quietly, avoiding his gaze, like a pair of disappointed fathers.
"I'm sorry..." He began, "Young-il, Dae-ho... I'm sorry."

Dae-eun watched as Gi-hun worked his jaw, shaking his head slightly as he cast his gaze across the room, anything to avoid looking at his friend.
"Gi-hun, I mean it!"
When he still didn't turn, Jung-bae dissolved into bargaining, trying to justify himself. "Okay, look- I borrowed some money for a little emergency and these guys are going after my ex-wife and kid, now. The thing is, I think I can pay all of it off! If I just play through this next one-"

"Really, Jung-bae?" Young-il's voice brooked no forgiveness, no understanding, his gaze wasn't much warmer as he finally looked up. "Of all the people here, I never would've expected you. What ever happened to 'twice as righteous'?"
He then turned his gaze, and Dae-eun would be a liar if she said that she suddenly felt like a bug squished on a windshield when he looked at her.
"You, though, Dae-eun. Your vote I expected completely."

I bet you did.

"Did you, now." She replied, her tone was a little colder than she intended, but whatever, double down. "So... despite the speech, you still expected me to press 'O' again?"
"I'm sure whatever circumstances that brought you in here must've persuaded you to press it... or maybe you're greedier than I initially thought."
Greedy? Me? Gimme a break.

"Yeah, Dae-eun, what gives?" Dae-ho perked up, only piling fuel on the proverbial fire, "I thought we'd all agreed to vote to leave?"
I never said shit about agreeing to leave, that was just Jung-bae.
Casting her eyes over to Gi-hun, she realised the man had stopped looking at the rest of the room and had started looking at her.

There was a suggestion in his eyes, the way they flicked around the rest of the group, tightening his lips with a slight nod gave it away.
And she couldn't believe what he was implying.
Tell them? Tell them I'm a survivor, a 'winner', just like him?

Did he learn nothing from the last time we were in here last time?
Trusting people or growing attached ends up hurting you in the long run, 456 people and only two people made it.
And he wants me to tell them?

She glanced back around at the group as they continued to eye her, Young-il in particular regarded her with a gaze that was both judging and... unsurprised?
Was that the right word?
He looked at her like he knew her, like he'd dissected every page of her being and could flip through her like an encyclopaedia.