CHAPTER FIVE ━━━━ DÉJA VU

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HA-EUN HAD THE STRONG IMPRESSION OF DÉJA-VU. The soft melody of the "Blue Danube" reanimated the unconscious woman, as well as the over-lapping of distinct chatter hovering around the bunkers. This time, as she elevated her body,  she was unperturbed by her surroundings. Her eyes roamed the space around her, not bothered that she was awaking somewhere else than her usual bed. What actually baffled Ha-eun was how many of the previous participants had retraced their steps, coming back to the games. If she had to make an approximation from the sight of the room, she'd suppose they had all returned to the blood-show.

Her first reaction was for her gaze to sweep over the identity of the players, aiming to discern if familiar faces could be recognised. Who was she kidding? She was trying to see if Sang-woo had made the same decision as her. Before she could truly scan each passing player, her focus was diverted by someone implanting themselves right in front of her.

Lee Do-yun ── of course.

"I don't know if you realise, but you're kind of blocking me," she rolled her eyes, attempting to shrug him out of her sight.

"I knew you'd be back." He laughed, jumping to her side as he shook his hands together.

"Yeah, well I need the money." Ha-eun shrugged.

"I don't think that's it," Do-yun shook his head. "I think you want to escape the outside world, and this is the only place that'll help you do so." He commented, smirking as the woman's composure faltered for an instant.

"That's ridiculous. I'm not a blood-thirsty maniac that wants to watch people get killed!" Ha-eun hit his shoulder, frowning at his insulting remark.

"I'm not saying that," Do-yun snickered. "I'm saying that when you're fighting for your life, you don't have time to think about others. To think about how fucked up the world is."

"This is a whole new level of moronic," Ha-eun sighed. "Even for you."

"Come on, are you even listening to what I'm saying?!" He threw his head back in a frustration.

"I'm listening to you. I'm just not paying attention." The woman smiled falsely. "So please, shut up before I get a headache."

"Feels like just old times, doesn't ── " 

To Ha-eun's content, he was cut off as Gi-hun paced towards the pair, his mouth stretched into a wide grin. "Ha-eun, you came back!" He exclaimed.

"Gi-hun!" Ha-eun grinned, mirroring his enthusiasm. "Oh, and hello sir," she welcomed as the player 001 came into view. She felt sorry for the elder man, puzzled that he would also return to the games ── considering he wasn't exactly at an advantage relative to the other participants.

"I'm Lee Do-yun. One of Ha-eun's oldest friends." He smiled confidently, extending his palm towards the players.

"Oh. I thought I was one of Ha-eun's oldest friends." A voice emerged, manifesting Sang-woo's arrival. The group spun around, and the man bore the hint of a smirk on his lips. He had always been gifted at formulating subtle, but sarcastic comments. As he bowed his head, Ha-eun noticed the absence of his glasses, and the slight change to his hair.

"Sang-woo." Ha-eun smiled softly, attempting to shirk the wave of embarrassment as she recalled the previous night.

"Hello, good sirs!" Player 199 came into view, a grin gracing his lips. "Oh, and hello ma'am!" He added as he spotted Ha-eun.

"Hey, it's my angel!" Gi-hun chuckled.

"It's nice to see you all," 199 spoke. "Oh, and thank you for the bus fare, sir." He reeled to Sang-woo, a thankful smile quirking his lips.

"You gave him the bus fare?" Ha-eun echoed, gazing warmly at him.

"He said that he'd walk from Yeuido to Ansan." Sang-woo nodded.

"That's so heartwarming," Gi-hun hummed. "We're like a bunch of soldiers at training camp."

"A training camp is ... what?" 199 quizzed, his eyebrows knitting at the reference.

"You know, it's like ── the army shooting guns," Ha-eun described. "Except we have no guns and we're playing children's games." She shrugged, at an attempt of lightness.

"Oh! Like, soldiers all training together?"

"Wait a minute," Gi-hun spoke, his mouth falling a little as an idea popped in his head. "While we're on the subject, we should form like ── our own team. Don't you think?" He proposed, peering at the group surrounding him.

"I agree," Ha-eun replied. "We won't survive here without allies." She admitted, already noticing the progressive formation of separate groups around them. They wouldn't survive fending on their own, not here.

Sang-woo turned in surprise at the woman's quick reciprocation, recalling her past desires to cope alone, to support for herself. "Didn't you used to say relying on others was a weakness?" He asked, eyebrows scrunching.

"Well, with the given circumstance, I change my mind," she argued.

"Fine. Let's make this the strongest team here." Do-yun curled his hand into a fist, sneering.

"I'm also in," Sang-woo tilted his head in approval. "Who knows what game they'll have us play next. Wouldn't hurt to be in a team, so we can be ready for anything."

"Good idea!" Gi-hun claimed. "And, hey, you should join us," he nudged 199. "We already know he's crazy strong. You saw it, he lifted me up with one hand like it was nothing at all."

"You mean, that you ── I can join you?" He gulped, hope flickering in the depth of his irises.

"Of course you can," Ha-eun smiled, her heart swelling at the man's apparent kindness.

"Oh, thank you so much, sir's and ma'am's!" He broke into a genuine grin, pressing his hand against his chest.

"Okay, then you should drop the sir's and ma'am's," Sang-woo commented.

"Yeah, it makes me feel old." Ha-eun quipped.

"Excuse me," player 001 muttered, weakly raising his hand. "If you don't mind, can I join all of you?" He asked.

"Of course you can!" Gi-hun exclaimed. Their focus diverted to the centre of the room, though, as the guard announced the beginning of their dinner, assorting arrays of meals contained in metal containers. They complied into the assorted lines, and Ha-eun felt as if they had transported her back to the prime years of her childhood ── waiting patiently for their meals as they merged in separate queues. The rest of the day followed its course, and the newly-formed team stuck together, enjoying their last moments of peace as the new day promised a new obstacle to rise above of.

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HA-EUN HAD A DIFFICULT TIME SLEEPING. Her night consisted of frequent interruptions, her brain ticking off in a pattern. How was she supposed to plunge into a consistent sleep when she didn't know of it would be her last one? Ha-eun shook her head ── she couldn't allow herself to think that way. Despite how hard it may seem, she was under the obligation to dive back into her winning mindset. Nothing could stop her from her impending victory.

Sang-woo was training the mechanisms of his mind to work in the same manner. He couldn't allow himself to waver ── he had one single option : win those games. His gaze was trained on his formed team, and as his eyes halted at Ha-eun, he cursed under his breath. Maybe one thing could stop him from the prize money. The games had attracted his one weakness. Kim Ha-eun.

As they called the players for breakfast and most of the players directed themselves towards the prepped meals, Ha-eun stayed back. She was never hungry on mornings, especially not when a deadly games was at the door. Quickly enough, her ears pricked up on a nearby conversation, drawing in her curiosity.

"So, what did you see? It's the morning now, you said you would." Ha-eun crept behind the pair, careful not to emit any sound as she eavesdropped. Her eyebrows raised at the unexpected duo ── 067 and 212. "You were there for a while, go on." 212 pressured.

"Masked guys with pots, they ── they were melting a liquid down there." 067 described.

"What was the liquid?"

"I couldn't tell what."

"Damn it! I had to put on that whole show just to save your life back there, and you couldn't tell?!" 212 barked.

"I smelled it though. They were baking sugar." 067 added, seeming at loss for a viable explanation. 212 groaned in frustration at the lack of hints for the game, thumping her head against her hand. 

Though, as Ha-eun rummaged through her mind for an answer, she suddenly recalled the times where she'd steal a few coins from her mother's purse, eager to play the honeycomb game with her friends. The goal was to carve out the shape etched in the compact sugar, before plopping in your mouth. It was the only game that she deemed as a possibility, though she thought it better to wait for some kind of confirmation before jumping to conclusions.

Crawling back to her original spot, she rejoined her group. "Ha-eun, where were you?" Do-yun quizzed, munching into his scone.

"Sorry, I'm never hungry in the mornings." She admitted, only revealing half of the truth. Before anyone could reply, a large piece of bread was plopped in her lap. Ha-eun raised her head in confusion, catching Sang-woo's gaze.

"I remember how you could never swallow anything before any relevant exam," he explained. "But you need to eat. It's important." He spoke, pointing at his ripped bread.

"Geniuses never eat, that's right! You two must have been quite the pair at SNU." Gi-hun claimed, his index finger flailing between the two. A knowing silence settled between Ha-eun and Sang-woo, and Ha-eun bit on the flesh of her bottom lip. "Oh, and here, take my milk." Gi-hun offered her, inclining the bottle towards her.

"Oh, thank you so much." She obliged, taking a few gulps.

"Attention. The second game will begin shortly. Please follow the staff's instructions and make your way towards the game hall." The guard instructed. Most of the contestants made their way towards the hall, and Ha-eun hoped her theories would be confirmed.

"So, what were you really doing?" Sang-woo whispered in her ear.

"What?"

"I know when you lie, Ha-eun," he sighed, peering at her.

"You're calling me a bad liar?" She frowned.

"No, you're a good liar." Sang-woo shook his head. "But you forget I know you. I can tell when something's on your mind."

"Right." Ha-eun swallowed, the rhythm of her heart accelerating slightly. "Well, someone ── 067, found out the guards were melting sugar yesterday night. Considering nothing sugar related was served this morning, one game came to mind ── "

"Honeycomb." Sang-woo finished her sentence.

"Exactly. I'm not sure, but that seems possible." She nodded as they both walked towards the hall. They halted in their path as they arrived in a gigantic playground, swings and slides dispersed around the space, painted clouds scattered on the azure walls. Death was slowly imprinting blood to her childhood memories.

"Welcome to the second game. We will begin shortly."

Ahead of them, four shapes were presented on each door. A triangle, a circle, a star and an umbrella. Ha-eun and Sang-woo exchanged knowing glances, their prediction practically proved right.

"Choose a shape and stand in front of it."

Ha-eun's eyes searched through the packed crowd, and they landed on 067, eyebrows knitting at the four distinct choices. "I'll be right back." She muttered, disappearing in the horde of players. "Hey, you," she caught 067 attention. She believed it unfair to not share her hunch with the reason she was able to create it. "I overheard your earlier conversation, about the sugar."

At that, the girl's eyes perked up. "And?"

"Well, I have a pretty good idea what the game might be," Ha-eun confided. "It's called honeycomb. You have to carve out a shape, which I'm guessing you have to chose from these." She pointed to the different options.

"Why are you telling me?" 067 whispered.

"Because, you're the reason I realised this." Ha-eun spoke, shooting the girl a small smile. "It's only fair."

"Thank you," she murmured as they both huddled into the triangle line. Ha-eun peeked between the shoulders, relief blossoming inside her as she caught Sang-woo's eyes. They both nodded in each other's direction.

"The second game is Dalgona. The shape you have chosen is the shape you must extract."

Her eyebrows slightly furrowed when she noticed the absence of the rest of their friends, though before she could search for the group, the guards handed her a round container. Holding her breath in apprehension, she went to sit in a secluded part of the room, ensuring her own privacy and focus. Resting on her knees, she exhaled as she popped the case open.

A triangle, carved in sugar honeycomb. A needle, to help.

Ha-eun had been right. Lifting her head, Sang-woo and 067 both sent a satisfied glance in her direction. Carefully, Ha-eun extracted the tool from the case and peered at the triangle. She felt sorry for anyone who had made the mistake of picking umbrella.

Poking her needle onto the outlines of the shape, she made sure of being delicate in the risk of breaking the cookie. And, well, by that point, everyone knew what awaited them if they lost. Wetting the tip of the needle with her tongue, Ha-eun tried to ignore the mix of gunshots and shrieks as some of the players failed to respect the game's rules. As her needle followed the lines of the triangle, she became grateful for her agility. Her hands were slightly trembling, but she was able to look past the pressure of the game as she focused solely on carving out the shape.

Even as sprinkles of blood splattered on the ground next to her, she brushed off the wave of stress rising in her throat. She was nearly there. Bodies were sprawled on the ground as time ticked, but Ha-eun remained entranced by her task.

Gaze flitting between the triangle and the countdown, she slowly extracted the shape from the sugar honeycomb. Ha-eun sighed in victory as she jumped to her feet, extending the piece of sugar towards the guard.

"Player 129 ── passed."

Still locking eyes with the guard, she plopped the triangle in her mouth, a smirk rising on her lips as the sugar dissolved on her tongue. As they guided her out of the game hall, she caught Gi-hun's wandering gaze. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed the umbrella punctured in his box. Sang-woo had let him choose that?

Before the guards shoved her away, she mouthed words of advice to her friend. "Think outside the box." She told him, her fingers drawing the figure of a box. He shot her a tight-lipped smile as she left his sight.

Ha-eun had won the second round. That was what mattered the most to her, in the end.