"if we get killed in the game, we don't wake up."
↳
wake up.
nct (ot21).
published: 20/06/01
completed: 21/06/01
contains strong language, violence, death, and other mature themes.
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THE GARDEN
HENDERY AND CHENLE
༄
> it was still, almost lonely, but the screens with their faces on it were a constant reminder that they weren't alone. there were possibly more people watching than before, as if it were just a television marathon.
chenle had heard people say that only the wealthy could watch the games. the type of wealthy that wasn't earned or worked for, that was just passed around like a cigarette. the wealth that came from scamming, embezzlement, tax evasion—or whatever sketchy rich people did. the game viewers were an underground community where word spread like wildfire. chenle's family was not like that, chenle's family had absolutely no affiliation... but he couldn't help but wonder if they were watching him.
did his parents know where their son was, and how long he'd been gone? were they worried about him? did his friends happen to notice his disappearance as well?
friends...
he had no other true friends besides the ones that had already died. that was a cold truth he was forced to accept. so really, only his family would be waiting for him back home. he wished he could give them some kind of comfort, assure them that he was still alive.
but at the same time, he couldn't give them the false hope that he would survive. there was a chance, but it was quite slim.
hendery sat before him on the grass, cross-legged and picking at the blades. "so... you remember everyone here..."
"i remember my whole life," chenle said. "i have every memory- all the places i've been to, meals i've eaten, people i've met... everyone in this game has a connection to each other. that must be why we're all here."
"connection? what do you mean?"
chenle tried to put it all into words. "we know each other... some way or another. i was friends with everyone on my team, in waking life. from what i remember... they knew different people, other players in the game. donghyuck knew jaehyun, renjun knew doyoung, jisung knew taeyong... not one of us is a stranger."
"and... that's not normal for the games, is it?" hendery guessed. chenle nodded, so he continued. "so... not only is this an anniversary game, but also the first where the players already know each other? i get that it's important, but why?"
"i think this is a crucial point to the game—who we know, is why we're here."
