Mari had to squint her eyes when they were assaulted with the lights coming back on, she squinted and brought her hand up to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She could feel her neck aching from being slumped over all night. Mari blinked when she heard the buzzers of the doors opening, she watched as four guards carried the giant box that looked like a present into the room.

"Oh my god," Sae-beyok whispered but it was loud enough that Mari could hear her, Mari's breath quicker when she saw it. The man that wanted them to leave had killed himself with a sheet, Mari let out a shuttered breath as she watched the guards start to cut him down. "Player 69, eliminated." The electronic voice said, Mari turned her head and looked at Sae-byeok, Mari noticed that Sae-byeok's lip quivered just a tiny bit but when she noticed Mari looking at her she pressed her lips together.

She drew attention to the piggy bank in the middle as the room got coated in the gold lighting, Mari watched as money was dropped into it before she turned her attention to the monitor that was over the door. They now had 16 players left and a chance to win 44.000.000.000 won, that's a lot of money but Mari doesn't know if she has what it takes to win it.

"The fifth game will begin momentarily. All players, follow the staff's instructions and proceed to the game hall." The voice said, they all watched as they carried the casket out. "Are you okay?" Mari can't help but ask as she gets up and sits on Sae-byeok's bed across from her. "I'm not the one who just died." Sae-byeok's eyes were frozen to where the man was, Mari gulped as she reaches out and grabs Sae-byeok's hand she expects her to pull away but she squeezes before she brings it up to her lips and gives Mari's hand an experimental kiss. "Why did you do that? We're too exposed here." Mari quietly said she was expecting Sae-byeok to do that.

"No is watching Mari, it was just a hand kiss." Sae-byeok squeezes her hand one last time before she stands up leaving a stunned Mari on her bed, she quickly stands up and rushes down the stairs to catch up with everyone who was already being ushered outside the sleeping area. Mari can feel her throat go dry as the guards lead them into the room with lots of stairs, how quick it was that the next challenge is already happening even after what happened.

She wonders if the same will be for her if she dies, will anyone have the chance to mourn or will they be forced to go onto the next challenge with a snap of their fingers? Mari can't help but let out a sigh as she can feel her legs start to burn from the stairs but they made it to a big white room that had sixteen mannequins each with a number dropped across them.

As they all filed into the room the doors shut and the electronic voice started to speak. "Welcome to the fifth game. Before we begin the game, please choose one of the mannequins numbered from 1 through 16. Let me repeat. Before we begin, please choose one of the mannequins numbered from 1 through 16." Mari was frozen in her spot, she didn't want to be the first person who goes but no one else was moving.

They all watched as player 244 first started to walk down the stairs, he grabbed the number 6 and put it on himself before he stepped off to the side. Player 151 was next, he went straight for number 7 after those two grabbed the numbers it was like a free for all, everyone started to run which meant Mari had no choice but to grab a number, it was number 5. It wasn't what she wanted but she felt okay about her choice. "Attention, please. The numbers before you are in order in which you'll be playing. Please choose carefully." Mari sighed to herself and started to place the harness on her as she was being ushered into a line.

Once they had all their numbers they were all lined up and the doors opened. They were ushered into a large room that looked like it came out of a circus book. "Players, welcome to the fifth game. The fifth game is Glass Stepping Stones. Each stepping stone is made of one of two types of glass, tempered glass, and normal glass. Tempered glass can even withstand the weight of two players but normal glass will shatter just with one person. Players, you will decide which one of the two tiles are made of tempered glass, and step on those as you pass through 18 pairs of tiles. If you safely cross to the other side, you pass." As the electronic voice finishes speaking Mari looks down at her number in dread, she most certainly wasn't safe.

"That means these numbers are-" The one who was going first trailed off as he looked at the guard who finished for him. "The order in which you cross the bridge." Mari had a pit in her stomach, she turned around to look at Sae-byeok who suddenly looked at Mari sadly, Mari wanted to run back and change her number but she was stuck. "How do I tell which one is tempered glass?" The man tries to ask the guard but he doesn't answer.

Mari clenches her fist as they watch him take a step forward. "You have 16 minutes to cross the bridge. Then let the game begin. Take your shoes off and go up onto the bridge in order." The electronic voice instructs. Mari watches as he takes a shaky step onto the ledge and the timer starts to count down. Mari watches as he shakes with nerves trying to decide which one. "What are you doing?"

"We're losing time!" Everyone around Mari shouts at the man making the man tremble harder, Mari gulps as she watches Player 101 walk around the group and goes up behind the man. She watches as he whispers something to him to which he nods his head quickly before he steps onto the left one. Mari gasps with relief as he safely is standing on the glass slab. "Yes, that's it. Just like that, one by one." A woman says loud enough so player 244 can hear her.

He takes a minute to look at each one before he goes straight, they hear a crack as the glass shatters and he falls onto the ground below. Mari gasps and places her hand over her mouth in horror. Number two goes next, Mari can see her shaking and gasping as gets the right slab on the second row. They watch as she talks to herself before she goes onto the left, Mari screams when she falls through and hits the ground with a thud.

They watch as number 3 speeds through it until he hits a bad one and falls through, number four is next and Mari shakes off her stands before slipping her shoes off and starts to jump on the tiles until number 4 is right in front of her. "Ma'am, do you remember which way he went next?" The man turns around and asks her, Mari freezes before pressing her lips together. "It all happened too quickly, I think it was left." Mari is interrupted by the man behind her. "No! He went right, then left."

"No, he went left straight away." The man in front of Mari looks at her in fear. "Are you sure he went left?" Mari gulps as she nods her head. She watches as he jumps right and falls through, Mari closes her eyes as she jumps forward. She's safe, she looks between the two.

She can't remember which way the man went, she can hear the clock ticking in the background so she jumps forward. Mari can feel the glass cracking under her before she is pulled through, she didn't see Sae-byeok's face but she can imagine that it was one of horror. Before Mari hits the ground she whispers. "I'm here with you."

NOTES:

It's finished!
This was was for sure different as romance wasn't the focus of this story, but it was so much fun to write and I just got to give a huge thank you to ilovmax1ne for letting me write this plot.
I hope I did it well!