CHAPTER FOURTEEN ━━━━ RISK TO LOVE

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THE MECHANICS OF HA-EUN'S BRAIN WIRED AS THE COUNTDOWN TICKED. As her gaze scanned the pattern of shattered glass lining the metal bars, she realised the game's intent had been to cause dispute amongst the players. To witness as they fought over the order, to watch as they thrust each other forward faced with the risk of death.

The woman attempted to insert herself in their mind. How would she position the tempered glass knowing that fact, knowing the players would hurl each other forward? She'd place the regular glass on the right towards the end of the bridge, and the tempered on the left, so that in the case of a brawl, a player would crash against the weak hold of the tile. That wasn't certain, but it aligned with the paved pathway.

As the time neared the completed ten minutes, and darkness submerged over their still bodies, she realised she had to let that hunch guide her forward. The glass-maker refused to advance further along the bridge, and she believed none of her teammates were ready to take a leap of faith.

Before she could let fear rise in her gut, Ha-eun jumped. Sang-woo shifted his gaze to her, confusion lining the wrinkles on his forehead. When she hopped on the next glass, it dawned on him what her plan was. His yell, accompanied with those of Gi-hun and Sae-byeok, failed to stop the determined woman.

His world stilled as she jumped on the last tile. Ha-eun held her breath, waiting for the glass to shatter under her weight. 

It didn't. 

At the confirmation she was stable on her feet, she lunged on the safe side of the platform, body crumpling on the ground at the impact. 

She had been right ── she had survived.

The rush of adrenaline from her past action pumped her veins, and Ha-eun was lost in a daze of shock as someone grabbed her shoulders, helping her stand up. The soft echo of faint voices blurred around her, that she was unable to grasp. Her senses were heightened, and all she could feel was the warmth of someone's hand on her skin.

The timer struck zero. On queue, the bridge of tempered panels exploded, shooting the scattered shards of glass in their direction. 

Ha-eun winced as she felt the broken tile cut through her cheek and her hand as she shielded the rest of her face. Blood seeped out of her skin, drooping down her visage as Sang-woo covered her from the rest of the flying panels.

Reality came flooding back.

Twisting around, the worried brunette made sure they had all managed to cross the bridge in time, exhaling a breath of relief at the sight of four players. Though, before she could manifest her reassurance, the guards quickly escorted them out of the game hall.

Ha-eun swept off the blood dripping down her cheek as they arrived in the main room, all equally fazed-out following the stress of the previous round. Being at the back of line, they had watched it all unfold, unsure whether they'd be able to make the last jump.

Tearing her out of her thoughts, an alarm blared, and guards entered the room. "Players, we sincerely congratulate you and commend you all for making it through the first five games. The five of you are now the finalists and as such, we have prepared a special gift for you. Before we reveal the gift, please take a moment to change into the outfits we have brought."

Five distinct black boxes were handed to each player, and most sped off to the bathroom, eager to scan their injuries and slip into their given attire. 

Ha-eun was a moment away from shadowing their initiative before Sang-woo yanked her backward. Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion as anger flashed in his irises as he tugged her towards him, a mere gap bringing their faces.

"Ha-eun." He called, locking their eyes.

"What?"

"What the hell was that you just pulled?" He demanded, the weight of his gaze hanging onto Ha-eun.

"No one was moving, there was no time to waste," the woman shrugged, unsure why he seemed so angry.

"You could have died!" Sang-woo bellowed, his voice ringing through the room. Ha-eun's eyebrows rose at the shift in his tone, his eyes pinned onto hers.

"I know that!" Ha-eun argued. "But I hadn't jumped, none of us would have made it. It was that or nothing!"

"We would have found a way. He could have been able to tell the glasses apart ── "

"I don't get it, what's the problem? I chose the right glass, we all survived," Ha-eun defended. "A thank you would be much more appreciated."

"The problem is that you're risking your life!" He exclaimed. "What if you had picked the wrong one, huh? What would have happened?"

"I guess the rest of you would have survived." Ha-eun muttered. "Would have been for a good cause."

"That's what I'm saying! Do you not realise how crazy I'd go here without you?! If you had died, I don't know what I would have done!" Sang-woo blurted. "When I said I was getting out of here with you, I meant it."

The woman was taken back by his words, her expression faltering for an instant. "I meant it, too."

"Then don't do stuff like that then," he spoke, the intensity of his voice dialling down. "Please," he practically whispered, stepping towards Ha-eun.

"Are you telling me to act like a selfish bitch?" she jeered, cocking her head to the side.

In the second of silence, Ha-eun believed he was about to tell her off for the sarcasm dripping in her words ── instead, his lips curled into a soft smile. "I'm telling you to act like a selfish bitch."

Ha-eun hoisted her arms, circling them around his neck as he reciprocated her embrace. "I promise, we'll get out of here together," she mumbled.

Ha-eun wasn't convinced of that fact, but she knew she'd die trying to confirm it.

"What if winning means winning alone?" Sang-woo asked, almost hesitantly. He maintained his tight grip around Ha-eun, placing his chin gently on her shoulder. Sorrow twinkled in his eyes as the words dropped off his lips.

"Then we lose together."

There was no better response for any of them.

She untangled herself from Sang-woo's hold, both players exchanging a similar grin that tugged on the corner of their mouths. They had each other, that was what mattered.

Pivoting her head to the right, her gaze roamed curiously around her surroundings. Gi-hun had resurfaced, trudging past the front door with his eyes sunken to the ground. The glass-maker was in his trail, wiping his damp hands along his jacket.

At the absence of Sae-byeok, Ha-eun's eyebrows scrunched, wondering what was the source of her delay. "I'll be right back," she stated, heading to the ladies room.

The door creaked slightly as she entered, accompanying the trickling of water as it seeped out of the sink. At the sound, Sae-byeok rushed to cover her stomach, blood oozing out of her skin, no matter how much she tried to dissimulate it. Her shirt was soaked in crimson liquid, and her face was drenched in beads of sweat.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Ha-eun gasped, hurrying to the girl. The glass had cut her skin open, revealing a wound along her stomach. 

The girl came at short for coherent words, instead nodding frantically as Ha-eun gaped at her injury. She grasped Sae-byeok's shirt, ripping it and twisting it around her waist to prevent the surge of blood. "Tell me if it hurts, okay?"

With trembling hands, she knotted the fabric to keep its hold. "It ... hurts," the girl whispered, the colour progressively draining from her face.

"It'll ── it'll be okay," Ha-eun comforted, though she wasn't sure of that herself. "I'll help you put your shirt on, just focus on something else."

"Like ── like what?"

"Like, imagine you're somewhere else. Somewhere far from here," Ha-eun commented, lifting the lid of the box to reveal a tux. Raising it at eye-level, the woman tried to guess what gift could play onto the given outfit.

Sae-byeok trembled slightly, her gaze glued to the ceiling lights as her bottom lip quivered. Slowly, she tilted her head to peer at the content of the box. "Jeju island," the girl spoke in a hushed tone. "That's where I'd want to be."

As Ha-eun attempted not to aggravate the brunette's situation, slipping on the white shirt with care. Between quiet sobs that Sae-byeok bit back, they both conversed about the idyllic destination, lusting for a life that wasn't theirs.

"Thank you," Sae-byeok mumbled, gaze flitting to her covered wound.

"Look, don't show the cut," Ha-eun advised. "The game-makers will see it as a weakness."

The pale girl nodded, hand clutching the side of her stomach as she ambled out of the bathroom. Ha-eun scrubbed her hands under the rush of water, watching as the specks of crimson blood mixed with the transparent hue of the liquid drooled down the counter. Shades of maroon burst, swirling along the chill metal.

Whether she admitted it or not, she was growing scared. After witnessing the result of the game on Sae-byeok and the numbers of players having shrunk to five triggered fright.

Fingers tracing the cotton of the shirt, Ha-eun told herself that there was one game left. One game ── and they were all out of here. 

One. Game.

Through, as she tugged the shirt onto her body, she came to acknowledge that the games had taken not only a physical toll on her health ── but emotional as well. Witness of more deaths than she could count, bidding farewell to an old friend in the midst of a sacrifice and her feelings for her first love surging back in the space of five days.

Her muscles ached, a scar etched on her cheek as she gaped at her mirrored reflection. Slowly lifting the hem of her shirt, indigo bruises blossomed along her torso as well as an accumulation of sprinkles of dust. 

Ha-eun reminded herself through the canvas of her injuries that the reason she had made it that far was the result of her determination. Her sole focus had been trained on her impending victory.

She couldn't let anything change that.

Anything.

Well, maybe one thing.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

sorry, it's quite a short chapter! pls don't be a silent reader, lmk if you're liking this book so far <333 love u guys!