CHAPTER EIGHT ━━━━ MIND OVER MATTER 

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THIRTEEN YEARS AGO

THE ROAD WAS EMPTY, STRETCHING ENDLESSLY UNDER A BLANKET OF STARS. The car hummed softly as it cruised along, the windows rolled down. The warm summer breeze rustled with Ha-eun's raven hair as she leaned her head back against the seat, a soft smile tugging at her lips. As her gaze shifted to Sang-woo, seemingly lost in a daze, her grin only widened.

"You have no idea where we're going, don't you?" She quizzed, tilting her head to the side.

"Of course I do," Sang-woo replied, cracking a small smirk. "We're going ... that way." He claimed, pointing vaguely ahead.

Ha-eun broke into a genuine laugh, rolling her eyes. The glow of the dashboard lights danced across their faces, illuminating the playful sparkle in both their eyes. "If this ends up with us being lost in some random field again, I'll have to kill you," Ha-eun warned, tucking her legs into his lap as he played with the end of her jeans.

"That happened once. And for the record, it was a very pretty field." He defended. He flicked on the radio, skipping stations until he landed on an upbeat, cheesy pop song. He glanced at her, eyebrows raised as he wordlessly dared her to join in. "Come on, you know you love this song."

"I've never heard that in my life," Ha-eun deadpanned.

"Liar." Without waiting for her permission, he cranked up the volume. The music filled the car, loud and ridiculous. He began singing along dramatically, completely off-key, gesturing wildly like he was on stage. Ha-eun tried to hold back, but within seconds, she was laughing so hard she had to clutch her stomach.

"You'll get us pulled over, stop!" She spoke, trying to cover his mouth. Though, eventually, she surrendered, belting out the lyrics at the top of her lungs. Their voices blended into a chaotic, offbeat harmony that filled the night air.

From that moment, she knew she could never love someone like she loved Cho Sang-woo.

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HA-EUN HAD MISSED IT. Had missed this feeling. Had missed him.

The connection between the two sparked as they equally melted in each other's lips, lost in a haze of yearning. His hands were pressed on her hips as she leaned further into his touch, chests colliding. It was perfect. The tempo of their thumping heats merged, and it was if they were one. 

As the kiss deepened, all the memories from their past relationship resurfaced, guiding the harmony that hung between the reunited pair. It was perfect ── until someone had to barge in.

At the sound of the door creaking open, the two pulled away from each other, Ha-eun jumping from the sink in an instant. Though, there was no way of covering what they had been doing ── her hair was a rummaged mess and Sang-woo's shirt was still flung on the floor, both wearing a pink blush on their cheeks.

As he swallowed at the meaning underlying the sight in front of him, Do-yun shuffled awkwardly on his feet, a frown lining his lips. "We were worried something had happened to you two." He said flatly, avoiding their gaze.

An awkward silence settled between the three, as Ha-eun scrambled for some sort of explanation. "We were ── I was checking his injuries." She blurted, only half-lying. Sang-woo placed a hand against her back, only furthering Do-yun's scowl.

"We'll be right there." Sang-woo nodded, jutting his chin to the door. Both men locked eyes, and Ha-eun wanted the ground to swallow her whole at the palpable tension. 

Do-yun held the door open, waving his hand towards the exit. "After you," he cracked, cocking his head to the side. Ha-eun had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes as they all exited the room, unspoken words hanging above the air around them.

Though, as they retraced their steps and returned inside the room, the memories from the carnage surged back, erasing the giddiness that previously fluttered inside her stomach. Bodies were inserted into the black boxes and specks of blood scattered the floor. The beds had been slashed around, and some players wept as they witnessed other contestants begin tucked away.

Ha-eun's blood boiled as she noticed the group of criminal's integrality. In fact, they remained unfazed, as if they hadn't been the culprits of the massacre. She kept her gaze trained on them as they joined their group, thankfully complete.

"Are you all right, sir?" Gi-hun asked the old man. "That was dangerous, how did you get up there?" He quizzed, eyebrows furrowing. Though, as Ha-eun's presence was noticed, he pivoted his body to face the woman. "And you! I can't imagine all the hits you had to take!" He exclaimed.

"We all made it out alive," she breathed, still wincing at the sting triggered from the earlier fights. "That's the most important, isn't it?"

"Hey, at this point, we should all know what to call each other. Why don't we go ahead and tell each other our names?" Gi-hun proposed.

"I already know your name, though, sir," 199 grinned. "It's Ssangmund-dong."

"Ssangmund-dong is just my hometown. My name is Seong Gi-hun, from Ssangmund-dong! What's your name?" Gi-hun cracked a grin at the confusion. Ha-eun wondered how he could always seem so joyful ── especially after witnessing the annihilation. She kind of admired him for it.

"I'm Ali. Ali Abdul." The man introduced.

"Oh, and where are you from?" Gi-hun interrogated.

"Pakistan."

"Where is that?" He asked.

"North of India." Sang-woo and Ha-eun both replied, shifting the focus to them.

"They're right," Ali confirming.

"Of course they are, they're both from SNU!" Gi-hun praised, though Sang-woo's became sunken to the ground at his friend's comment. At the flash of discomfort that flickered on the man's face, Ha-eun cut in, extending her open palm.

"Kim Ha-eun." She said. "I'm Kim Ha-eun."

"It's totally fitting," Do-yun intervened. "You see, Ha means great and grand, while Eun means kind and merciful."

"Aha! That is fitting!" Gi-hun laughed, clapping his hands together. "What's your name?"

"Lee Do-yun." He nodded. "What about you?" He swapped his attention to Sang-woo, eyebrows raised.

"Cho Sang-Woo."

As they had all given their names, their gazes automatically landed on 067 as she failed to follow their initiative. Her gaze faltered, seemingly swallowing a lump in her throat as Gi-hun urged her to mimic their lead. Her eyes flickered between Gi-hun and Ha-eun, mouth thinning into a tight line.

"Come on, really? We're all teammates now. We should know each other's names, build trust." Gi-hun commented.

"Kang Sae-byeok."

"Sae-byeok? That's a pretty name. Not sure this one fits, though." Gi-hun muttered.

"And, what is your name, sir?" Ali asked. "If you don't mind."

"What? My name? Oh, let me think ..." Ha-eun watched with pity as the old man struggled to offer a coherent answer, stuttering over his sentence. She reached out to him, softly placing her hand on his shoulder.

"You must be pretty shaken up, sir," she whispered. "How about you rest?"

"Talking about rest ── maybe you should also try to sleep, Ha-eun," Gi-hun piped up. "You look exhausted."

"Okay, I know you're coming from a good place, but you're making me feel self-conscious," Ha-eun jeered, tucking her knees under her chin. "But you're right ── I would be glad to finally sleep." She confessed, resorting to picking one of the nearest beds. There was no way she would risk isolating herself once more by secluding herself, only to be in the thugs' reach.

"You were brave," a voice spoke, causing for Ha-eun to spin around. "When Deok-su was after you." Sae-byeok murmured, slipping into the adjacent bed.

"Deok-su?"

"Player 101." The girl clarified. "Ever since you defended me that first day, he's had it out for you."

"Oh ── that jerk?" Ha-eun scoffed. "I'm just disappointed he's still alive."

"That makes two of us," Sae-byeok nodded softly, eyes trained on the ground. Ha-eun could tell the girl wasn't necessarily the type to open up as hesitation laced each of her sentences, and she usually disengaged from any interaction. "By the way, I ── I never said thank you for helping me on that honeycomb game."

"I'm glad I was of help," Ha-eun grinned gingerly at the memory ── that now seemed so distant. "And for what it counts, I think your name suits you perfectly." She expressed warmly, noticing the ghost of a smile grace the girl's lips.

"Thank you, miss."

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STRANGELY ENOUGH, HA-EUN HAD RESTED. Since her arrival, it had been the first time she had been able to doze off for a couple of hours during lights out, in comparison to restless nights where she'd barely bat an eye as the night flicked by. Maybe it was the fact that she was surrounded by her teammates, or that the masked men guarded the door vigilantly, but her heart had stayed at peace.

Though, as her eyes scanned her surroundings and the players that roamed through the room, her heart swelled. The number of survivors were progressively shrinking ── especially after the massacre that had been started the previous night. Even though the prize money reached a higher amount with every passing breath, Ha-eun couldn't help but think those bills were stained with blood. Their blood.

A life no longer held value. A taken life signified a greater prize. The contestants were dehumanised with each passing day ── too obnubilated by their need for cash to realise it. They were simply numbers void of any identity that competed to the death for money.

"Good night sleep?" Sang-woo softly nudged the woman, tearing her from her internal pensiveness. As her eyes met his, Ha-eun realised why she had been able to lull herself to dormancy. His presence had sealed wounds she wasn't aware she bore.

"One of the best, actually," Ha-eun shrugged the cover off of her, standing on her feet.

"Hey old man, did you stay awake the whole night?" Gi-hun asked.

"I was scared they would attack again," 001 chuckled.

"Wow, you must be so tired," Gi-hun claimed, shooting the man a glance of pity.

"That's all right. You don't really need much sleep when you're old." He described reassuringly. Ha-eun's gaze flitted from the old man to the speakers as the typical classical music rung through the room, announcing the commencement of the next round.

"Attention players, the next game will begin momentarily. Please follow the staff's instructions and make your way towards the game hall."

They were all escorted to a strikingly white room, the harshness of the ivory-painted walls making Ha-eun wince. As she peered at the space, her eyebrows furrowed at the lack of game or props.

"Players, welcome to the third game. For this round, you'll have to play in teams. All players, please divide yourself into teams of ten players. You have ten minutes."

"What kind of games need ten people?" Ha-eun echoed. "What if we'll have to play against our teammates?"

"Hey, maybe it's Tail Tag or Why Did You Come to My House?" Gi-hun suggested.

"We already have an old man and two women on our team, so the rest need to be only men," Sang-woo claimed, scanning his teammates.

"What if they make us play Gonggi or Elastics? Women are better at those games," Gi-hun commented.

"That's true. But in most cases, men are usually better, stronger," Sang-woo voiced, ignoring Ha-eun's flick on his shoulder. She knew it was true, men were genetically more at an advantage ── didn't mean she liked to hear it. "We need three more people. Let's split up in pairs and try to find players."

Gi-hun and Ha-eun both went in the same direction, walking side-by-side as they searched for possible recruits. Ha-eun frowned as she realised most of the strong men had already been whisked away, leaving small choice for their team.

"Hey, Ha-eun, I've been meaning to ask," Gi-hun whispered, almost hesitantly. "Were you and Sang-woo in a relationship? Before, I mean."

Ha-eun's breath hitched at the unexpected question, eyes falling to the ground. "Yes. Could you tell?" She spoke honestly.

"I don't mean to be rude, but it is obvious there's something going on," Gi-hun chuckled softly. "I knew there was a reason he never got married, or founded a family."

"Gi-hun!" Ha-eun couldn't help but crack a smile. "Let's focus on finding our teammate, please." She urged, resuming their chase. After a while, they were able to convince a man to become part of their group, reuniting with the others. As they regrouped, the absence of one player was noted.

"Who didn't bring anyone?" Gi-hun questioned as he formally counted the players.

"It was us, sorry," Do-yun piped up. "Kind of hard to recruit with an old man." Ha-eun glared at him as the words dropped off his tongue, feeling sorry enough for 001.

"And who brought you here?" Sang-woo asked the young girl.

"Her." She cocked her head towards Sae-Byeok. "That it doesn't sound like I'm welcome."

"No, no, it's okay," Ha-eun sighed. "We don't even know what we're doing yet. We don't have enough time to make rash decisions. We just need to find one more teammate."

"We put together a weak team, who would to join it?" Sang-woo muttered. "That means, when the timer is done, we'll end up with whoever was left over."

As soon as he finished his statement, player 212 came to light. Ha-eun wanted to thump her head against her hand at the sight of the woman ── the one who had sucked up to 101 from the first day. "Hell no," she scoffed.

"Well, nobody kicked me out!" She exclaimed falsely. "I'll be much more useful than those scrawny girls, I promise. I'll carry this team! On top of that, I'm good at everything except the things I'm not good at."

"The only thing you're good at is hiding behind that fat pig, praising every disgusting thing he does because you're weak." Ha-eun spat, tilting her head towards Deok-su. The woman enraged her, especially after she had followed 101 into each of his blood-thirsty endeavours, clapping as he mercilessly ended lives.

"Ha-eun..."

As the player opened her mouth to bark back, the timer struck zero. "Time for selection is over. Please make your way to the game hall."

Ha-eun let a breath slither past her mouth, anxious about what the next game would be. Sang-woo was right, their assembled team appeared weak, and Ha-eun refused to be eliminated because of other people's mistakes. They had to find a way to win this round, despite the consequences.

A bad feeling rose in her stomach as the players made their entry to the next room. Only suspended towers stood, a large gap separating it from the ground. "The third game is Tug Of War." Ha-eun's and Sang-woo's eyes met, both glinting with a sense of sorrow. He caught her hand, squeezing it as the realisation that they were not starting at an advantage dawned on them.