The tension in the bunk room was thicker than ever.
No lights flickered on. No announcements. Just an eerie silence that stretched across the massive space like a blanket of unease.
I sat on my metal bed, knees drawn to my chest, surrounded by strangers that were slowly becoming familiar faces—some trusted, most not. Gi-hun paced back and forth like a man possessed, and Jung-bae stared into space, gripping the strap of his shoe like it was a weapon. Jun-hee rested on her side, eyes fluttering closed, hand protectively over her stomach. Even Thanos was uncharacteristically quiet—chewing on something, eyes glazed, probably high again.
Then came the sudden click of boots.
Doors creaked open.
The guards marched in, red suits pristine, motionless as statues once they formed a line.
“All players,” one said through a voice modulator. “Prepare for Game Four. You will form teams of five. Your time begins now.”
The floodgates burst open.
Everyone scrambled, rushing to find teammates. Whispers became shouts, alliances formed, others shattered. I turned in place, searching faces.
Gi-hun waved at me from across the room. “Saera! Over here!”
I ran over. Jung-bae nodded in greeting, already by his side. The third player was a tall guy with a scar over his left eye—quiet, muscular, no nonsense.
“Who’s your fifth?” I asked, glancing at Gi-hun.
But before he could answer, another voice cut in.
“I’ll join,” said Jaemin Cho.
He stepped in without fanfare, his expression blank but eyes locked on mine for a heartbeat too long. That unreadable, almost haunted stare again. I swallowed.
Gi-hun looked unsure, but didn’t object. “Fine. We’ll need the strength.”
We lined up and were led through the blinding white corridors until we arrived at an enormous indoor arena. Artificial grass. Five separate stations ahead. Overhead, a mechanical voice crackled:
“Welcome to the ‘Six-Legged Pentathlon.’”
We stared in confusion until the explanation began.
“You and your four teammates will have your legs tied together and must complete five traditional Korean games. Ddakji. Biseokchigi. Gong-gi. Paengi Chigi. Jegi. You must finish each station in under five minutes. Failure results in total team elimination.”**
As guards moved toward us with long ropes, I felt a wave of dread sink into my stomach.
“We’re gonna be tied together?” I whispered.
Gi-hun sighed. “This one’s about trust. And rhythm.”
“I hate both,” I muttered.
🔗 Station One: Ddakji
We stood, five across, legs tethered tightly at the ankles. Movement was stiff, awkward.
“Move on my count,” Gi-hun ordered. “Three, two, one—left!”
We hopped as one, barely keeping balance, toward a set of colorful tiles. The goal: slam your tile to flip another one on the ground.
Jaemin stepped forward and took the lead. He held the red paper square like a blade and launched it at the blue one.
SMACK.
It didn’t flip.
“Again!” Gi-hun urged.
Second throw. No flip.
Jung-bae hissed. “Faster!”
Jaemin’s third throw landed with force, and the blue tile finally flipped. The buzzer buzzed.
“Station One complete. Proceed.”
🪨 Station Two: Biseokchigi
We stumbled forward—nearly falling—toward a set of flat stones. Jaemin passed me a pebble. “Take the shot.”
I knelt, squinted, and launched it like a dart.
It missed by a mile.
Gi-hun groaned. “Okay, new plan—”
Before he could finish, Jaemin grabbed another stone and, with a flick of his wrist, nailed the target. We advanced.
💫 Station Three: Gong-gi
Here, we had to toss and catch five tiny stones one by one, with speed and precision. My fingers trembled.
“Saera, you do it,” Jaemin said suddenly.
“I’ll drop them,” I whispered.
“I’ll steady your hand,” he replied, and gently wrapped his fingers around my wrist from behind.
My heart thudded once.
I moved, fast, and—somehow—caught all five. The bell dinged again.
🌀 Station Four: Paengi Chigi
“Top spinning?” I muttered. “You’re kidding.”
“Wrap the string,” Gi-hun instructed. “And pull hard.”
One by one, we tried. My top spun for a second and tipped. Jung-bae’s crashed.
Then Jaemin, silent as ever, launched his—and it spun beautifully, longer than anyone else's. We passed again.
🦶 Final Station: Jegi
“Kick the shuttlecock,” a voice explained. “No drops.”
I cursed under my breath. This was the final round.
One shot each.
The first two players managed it. Then Jung-bae.
Then me.
I kicked—and it soared upward, hovered, then fell back down.
Jaemin caught it mid-air with a flick of his own foot.
“Does that count?” I asked.
The buzzer rang.
“Team: Success. Return to the dormitory.”
Aftermath: Bunk Room
Back in the bunk room, cheers echoed for the surviving teams. Some came back limping. Others… didn’t come back at all.
Thanos sat with Nam-gyu and Min-su, pretending to balance a shuttlecock on his nose. “That thing flew like my dignity out the window!”
Nam-gyu giggled. “You had dignity?”
Min-su smiled a little, clearly exhausted but relieved to be alive.
Meanwhile, I sat with Gi-hun and Jung-bae, but my eyes kept drifting across the room.
To Jaemin, who leaned against a bunk alone, arms crossed, head down.
Why did he help me? Again.
Why does he keep doing it?
I stood up, walked across the room.
“Hey,” I said, stopping a few steps from him.
He looked up. That same unreadable face. But I swear something flickered in his eyes.
“Why do you keep saving me?”
His silence was loud. Then finally, he said, “You looked like someone who didn’t want to die yet.”
“…That’s it?”
“For now.”
And he walked off again.
What the hell did that mean?
I watched him from a distance again. Always still. Always alone. Except for the one moment he’d helped me—again—and walked away like it meant nothing. What was he hiding?
Suddenly, a loud laugh cut through the tense silence.
Thanos.
“DID YOU SEE ME OUT THERE?” he howled, shirtless now, standing on a bunk. “I SPUN THAT LITTLE SPINNY THING LIKE IT WAS A TURN-TABLE AT A CLUB!”
Nam-gyu burst into laughter beside him, hopping up and down. “Yeah, but then you tripped and faceplanted, bro.”
Thanos wiped his nose with his sleeve, half-manic, half-proud. “A small sacrifice for ART. I’m still alive, ain’t I?”
Min-su sat behind them, arms wrapped around his knees, smiling shyly. It wasn’t clear if he was smiling with them or at them, but the tension in his shoulders had lessened.
I didn’t want to smile. But I did. Just a little.
Then I spotted something odd.
A guard—Red—slipped into the far hallway with a metal tray. Unlike the others, he looked around carefully first. His posture wasn't robotic. It was… human.
I watched as he walked quietly toward the storage door, paused, and slid the tray beneath it. He tapped twice and walked away.
Food?
Extra rations?
Gi-hun’s voice yanked me back: “Hey. You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, quickly. “Just thinking.”
He sat beside me. “Don’t trust anyone too easily. Especially if they’re quiet.”
I glanced again toward Jaemin.
“Even if they save you?”
Gi-hun was silent.
Then, almost as an afterthought, he said, “Especially then.”
Later That Night – The Teams Form
The lights dimmed. Not off—never fully off—but that eerie twilight that passed for ‘night’ in here.
Players whispered and gathered. There was talk of the next game. Of teams. Of alliances.
I overheard a group planning to jump the weakest. Others negotiated trades like this was a board game.
Across the bunk room, Thanos was flopped on his back like a dead whale, legs dangling off the bed. “Aight, new rule,” he announced loudly, to nobody in particular. “We take Saera on our team. Me, Nam-gyu, Min-su, and Semi—we unstoppable, baby.”
Nam-gyu gave me a thumbs-up. “You’d fit right in.”
I laughed awkwardly. “I’m flattered, really—”
“But she’s already with us,” Gi-hun interrupted, stepping in and clapping a hand on my shoulder. His smile was tired but firm.
Thanos raised an eyebrow. “Damn. The old man moves quick.”
Nam-gyu chuckled. “Let the girl breathe.”
Even Min-su mumbled something like, “She’s better off with them…”
But the tension was playful, not hostile.
For once.
A Glimmer of Help
That night, as I lay in my bunk staring at the ceiling, I noticed something.
A folded napkin had been slipped beneath my pillow.
I reached for it slowly, glancing around. No one else saw. Everyone was too wrapped in their hushed whispers or their own nightmares.
Unfolding it carefully, I found five words written in a rushed hand.
“Be quick. And balance well.”
That was it.
I froze. Red. It had to be him.
Why?
Why help me?
ns216.73.216.187da2
and then Add to home screen.