CHAPTER SIX ━━━━ LONE WOLF

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FOURTEEN YEARS AGO

WHEN HA-EUN WANTED SOMETHING, NOTHING COULD STOP HER. Droplets of sweat dribbled down her forehead as she rummaged helplessly through her drawers, scrunching useless papers in frustration. Between gripping coughs and rushes of nausea, Ha-eun was determined to find her notes. If someone caught a glimpse of her, they'd probably believe she was crazy. Her hair was disheveled, resembling a crown as it flopped over her head while her cheeks bore a pink blush, hint of her escalating fever.

Ha-eun was sick. Despite the number of medicine she had swallowed the same morning, nothing seemed to help. However, the girl had a presentation scheduled that day, and no type of flu could discourage her. Her throat was tight, her body radiating unnatural heat and Ha-eun felt a hammer drum through each corner of brain. None of that mattered, though. Her presentation was too important to skip. She couldn't be weak.

Caught up in her own mind, Ha-eun didn't even catch the repetitive knocking on her door. So, when Sang-woo materialised in her corridor, she lurched in fright.

"Oh my god, you scared me!" She yelped, clutching on her wall to keep her balance.

"I knocked like, twenty times," Sang-woo frowned, immediately noticing the state of sickness that reverberated off the girl. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Just dandy." Ha-eun nodded. "Though, I can't find my notes for today."

"Are you kidding?! You're in no state to do the presentation, Ha-eun." He exclaimed, worriedly, rushing to the stumbling girl. He caught her hands, wincing at the warmth glossing her skin.

"I have to, Sang-woo. I can't afford to miss it." She shook her head, ignoring the wavering of her legs under her weight.

"Come on, there's no way." He frowned, in awe at the girl's determination.

"Consider that a challenge, then."

"Ha-eun." He scolded as she crumpled to the floor. "Look at you, you can't even stand."

"I'm ── I'm just taking a break." Ha-eun thrust her hand into a thumbs-up, forcing a smile across her lips.

"Let's get you to bed, Ha-eun," Sang-woo murmured, brushing her strands of hair out of her face softly. He didn't pay attention to her protests as he swiftly lifted her up, guiding her to her room. He slid her under her covers, leaning forward to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"Don't kiss me, you'll get sick," Ha-eun protested.

"Aha! So you admit you're sick." He laughed, stroking the girl's cheek.

"Fine," she muttered. "But I will take my revenge, Cho Sang-Woo." Ha-eun claimed as her head buried itself in the softness of her pillow.

"I'll go buy some medicine and flowers, okay love?" He chuckled quietly as she grasped his hand.

"No. No, don't leave." She whispered, bringing his hand to her chin. "I love you, please stay."

Sang-woo's heart swelled, hoisting himself against her headboard as his hand stayed caged in her grip. Ha-eun shifted in her covers, swapping her position to lay her head against his lap. "I love you too. You enormously stubborn pain in the ass." He voiced, watching as the girl slowly fell into a profound slumber, drool seeping from her lips.

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HA-EUN HAD GONE FROM A STATE OF EUPHORIA TO FURY IN A SPLIT SECOND. Her original sense of victory had dissipated over time as she watched contestants be escorted into the room, none of them being from her original group. How could have Sang-woo not have told them? Or, at least, not allow Gi-hun to go for that damn umbrella. How self-centred could he be? Did he plan to win this all on his own?

As the man in question made his entrance, Ha-eun automatically leapt towards him, fuelled by her strong emotions. Her eyes were glistening with anger as she grasped his sleeve, tugging him forward. Sang-woo's eyebrows furrowed as he let her guide him into the bathroom, her loud steps echoing through the hall. Ha-eun slammed the door behind them, planting her hands on her hips.

To her dismay, someone was already there, washing their hands, peering at the pair curiously. Ha-eun rolled her eyes, pacing towards the player. She gripped his collar, shoving him out of the bathroom forcefully. "HEY!" He exclaimed as she kicked him out.

"Excuse me, I have a scene to make," Ha-eun explained briefly, shooting him a tight-lipped smile as she shut the door in his face. "How could you have not told them, you asshole?!" She spat, twirling back to the man. She stood so close, he could feel her breath fan over his skin.

"I ── we weren't sure," Sang-woo defended. "I didn't want to lead them the wrong path."

"But we were right," she breathed. "Look, I get it ── but we're supposed to be a team. At least don't let Gi-hun pick the umbrella." Ha-eun poked his chest.

"He'll make it, I assure you." He tried to comfort, peering down at the ground. "Gi-hun has a way of surviving, no matter the obstacle."

"Still, you practically just sent your childhood best-friend to die, I hope you realise that," Ha-eun scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We weren't sure about the game. Why do you always assume the worst of me?" Sang-woo argued, his hands latching on the woman's shoulders.

"It saves time." Ha-eun deadpanned. Another question stood at the tip of her tongue, one she desperately yearned the answer for. "Would you have let me choose the umbrella?"

"What?" His expression wavered for a quick second.

"Would you have let me choose that umbrella?!" She echoed. "Is that how badly you want to win, Sang-woo?"

"You picked triangle, like I did," he muttered, meeting the woman's glare. Was that what it was really about?

"That's not my question."

"No," Sang-woo blurted. He was drawn nearer the girl, their faces separate by mere inches. "No, I would not have let you pick that umbrella. Is that what you want to hear? I would never have let you pick something else than triangle."

Ha-eun was at loss for a reply, her words getting stuck in her throat as she scrambled for something to say. "Well, we won't make it here without a team."

"I don't think that's why you're angry, Ha-eun." Sang-woo murmured, almost quietly enough she wouldn't hear.

"I'm angry that you're only thinking about saving your own skin," she argued. "You're still the narcissistic jerk I met fifteen years ago." Ha-eun hissed. Before he could reply, she stormed out of the bathroom, leaving him to swallow the venom of her words.

Ha-eun didn't know why she was so angry. Sang-woo had followed his survival instinct without doubt, proving to be capable of withholding his liaisons to the rest of the players if it suggested his own victory. That was the mindset one needed to pass each round, so why was her heart shattering at the idea?

As she emerged back inside the room, the worries plaguing her mind faded as her eyes set on the rest of her group, conversing enthusiastically on the bunkers. A breath slithered out her lips in relief as she rushed back to them. Before she could stop herself, Ha-eun embraced both Gi-hun and Do-yun, squeezing them into a tight hug.

"You guys made it." She exhaled, peering at the two. "I'm so relieved."

"It'll take much more than a candied circle to strike me down." Do-yun smirked, ruffling the top of the girl's head.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have suggested we split up," Sang-woo claimed as he approached the group, his gaze flitting between Ha-eun and Do-yun for an instant. "That was my mistake."

"Don't say that. You couldn't have known," Gi-hun smiled, patting his shoulder as Ha-eun glared at him. "Choosing the umbrella was my call."

"Attention, players," A guard spoke, catching their attention. "I will now announce the results of the second game. Out of the 187 players who participated, 79 players were eliminated." On queue, the piggy bank glowed with intensity, revealing the new flow of money diving in. "The prize money accumulated this round is 7.9 billion won. The total money is now 34.8 billion won."

As they finished their debrief of the results, they announced meal time, the players separating into queues to fetch their lunch. Ha-eun notably frowned as they handed her a soda and a boiled egg. "Are you guys putting us on a diet, or something?" She spoke at the inconsistency of the food present. No way this would be enough to fill anyone up.

Cracking the shell of her egg along with the rest of her group, her head raised curiously at the sound of arguing surfaced in the room. "Hey, how come we didn't get our meals?!" Someone exclaimed, as five players stood in the centre, empty-handed.

"We prepare food for the exact number of players." The guard replied, unfazed.

"Then where is ours?!"

"Please, sir, we need to eat!"

"Hm, excuse me?" A woman intervened, coming into view. "It was them. They skipped the lines and got seconds, I saw it." She described, her index finger pointing to the gang in the other side of the room. It was no surprise when Ha-eun's gaze landed on 101 and his puppets, munching happily into the extra portions.

"What's the matter with everybody? You never seen a guy eat before, is that it? Shit." 101 spat.

"Who do you think you are?! That's my food you just ate!" The player 271 yelled, storming towards the group of stealers.

"Ah, so this is yours? Is your name on it? Cause I sure don't see anything?" 101 taunted, triggering mocking laughs amongst his team. "I'm sorry." He jeered, taking a gulp of his drink

"Give that back! It's mine!" 271 complained, attempting to reach forward and claim what was originally his. Ha-eun's blood boiled at the scene, her hate for 101 only growing as time passed. How could someone be so callous, stealing the meagre rations that were handed out? As 271 lunged forward, the bottle slipped from 101's hands, crashing to the floor. Pieces of glass were scattered on the ground, and 101's mouth twisted into a scornful frown.

"You little shit, goddamn it!" He barked. Ha-eun's heart stopped as he began to deliver punches to the man, causing him to crumple to the ground. Unwanted memories surfaced in her mind, and her eyes locked with those of Do-yun. 

Years go, as her hunt for any possible source of money began for Ha-eun, she had unwillingly entered to the world of gangs and desperate citizens. She recalled being beaten to a pulp for the money she had stuffed in her pockets, left to bleed profusely in the streets of Seoul.

That was along the timeline in which she met Lee Do-yun. One of the greatest underground fighters, he took pity on the girl. With nothing to fend herself with, he taught her the basic rules of confronting an adversary. How to not end up knocked out by a group of trouble-makers, how to defend yourself in the face of threats.

"Don't even think about it," Sang-woo cut in, peering at Ha-eun with narrowed eyes. Before he could truly prevent her, Ha-eun rose to her feet, rushing to the pair.

"Hey, listen up. You should learn to share, or is that too hard, dumbass?" 101 growled, relentlessly kicking the guy's stomach with strength. "How come a skinny guy like you is greedy about food?!"

"Right, because it's no surprise a fat pig like you is so determined to eat." Ha-eun cut in, shoving him away from his prey. At the moment of surprise flashing over 101's expression, she took it as her moment to shine. Without warning, she swung a clenched fist to his face, watching with satisfaction as he staggered backward, clutching his nose.

"You don't know what you've done, you cunt." 101 seethed. He regained his balance, his eyes glistening with threat.

"You don't scare me." Ha-eun snapped. As they were both instants away from lunging at each other, their momentum was broken by Sang-woo's gasp.

"He's gone." He spoke as he pressed his fingers against the man's neck, distracting the two players. No heartbeat. He had been killed. As the rest of the contestants hurried to loom over the man, Ha-eun sneakily hid a shard of glass under her sleeve, reassured to have protection in the case of another brawl.

As she kneeled down to gape at the man, Sang-woo and her locked eyes. "Don't do that again. If you want to stay safe, you can't continue middling with criminals, Ha-eun." He expressed his anger, gripping on her arm.

"Obviously, you seem to have mistaken me for someone who gives a shit." She retorted, gaze shifting back to the deceased man. "We can't let stuff like this happen." In the background, Ha-eun could hear Gi-hun yell at the guards in horror, trying to knock some sense in the masked men. It was no use. At their unresponsiveness, Ha-eun winced as it became apparent this was all part of their damned games.

"Player 271 ── eliminated."

As soon as the announcement rung through the room, the piggy bank glowed. The prize money had just escalated. This was simply confirmation for Ha-eun about the game's motives. An unsettling silence ruled over the players as the guards barged in, carrying an obsidian box with a pink bow. They inserted the stiff body inside, and Ha-eun became thankful for the sharp glass tucked in her jumpsuit.

An elimination entailed a higher prize money.

The room was filled with desperate and money-hungry contestants. And everyone was familiar with was desperation could motivate. Chaos would break loose that night, that was certain. Ha-eun would be the first target.