The sudden music teared Eden's ear drums as she awoke from her heavy sleep. A yawn escaping her mouth as she turned to her side and hugged the pillow under her. When the music continued, she opened one eye to see what everything was about, then founding herself in an unfamiliar bed.

"What the hell..." she muttered as she looked down to her clothes.

A green tracksuit that had a numbered plastered on it.

111.

She raised her eyebrows and looked around. There were a lot of people, that she couldn't deny, and all of them were wearing the same track suit she was wearing. It was like seeing herself.

She pushed herself out of the bed and headed downstairs to where everyone was going. The music stopped, causing everyone to look at each other.

Eden pursed her lips awkwardly as she smiled at the old lady who smiled at her.

They let old ladies play games?

She thought. Her thoughts being interrupted when someone on her right started to talk.

"I sense you're holding on to many things. You can't leave or stay. You can't fight it. It's your destiny." Eden turned around to see a woman talking to an older men, making her walk over to them. "You have souls hovering your head who are lingering in this world. You're not here of your own will. Those vengeful souls brought you. If we get out of her, let me perdon a ritual. I can get rid of all your bad karma—" she scolded, the man standing still with a blank stare.

"Go annoy someone else, lady." Eden told her.

Player 044 smirked at her and tilted her head, "It's alright, darling, I'll perform a ritual on you too, it seems like your destiny isn't a good one either." Then she walked away.

Eden furrowed her eyebrows and turned to the man, "ignore her, people who believe in that kind of stuff usually let it go over to their head." She gave him a nod. "She's crazy." She added.

The man nodded and gave her a soft smile when an alarm buzzed, catching their attention.

Eden then excused herself and walked over to the crowd, going throw the group of people to get to the front. She then stood next to number 333, who seemed to be checking his pockets.

All of a sudden, the alarm blared again and a group of pink-suited people emerged from the big door on the center. One stepped out in front of the others, making everyone pay attention. "I would like to extend a hearty welcome to all of you. Everyone here will participate in six different games over six days. Those who win all six games will receive a handsome cash prize."

"Excuse me," all of the heads in the room snapped to the person talking. "You said I'd be playing games, but you practically kidnapped me. So how can I believe that?" A woman interrupted.

The mask manager seemed to have nodded, "I apologize. Please understand that it was necessary to maintain the game's security." The guard replied.

"What about..our security? You did practically kidnapped us. Didn't you?" Eden seemed to have said out loud.

Some people agreed to her comment with a few nods and murmurs, making the masked guard reply, "I can understand your curiousness. But you did choose to play." It simply said.

Eden raised her eyebrows in response. Everyone began to murmur in whispers to the people beside them. Eden, on the other hand, had no one to talk to, making it seem like she was a loner.

"Did you take my clothes off and put these on me?" A woman with a pony tail gestured to the green track suit, "these don't fit and the color sucks. Can I just have what you're wearing instead? I like pink." She smiled cheekily.

"Yeah! What's with these shoes? My shoes are limited fucking edition. They're hard to find! Are you going to replace them if they get ruined?" A man with very bright purple hair shouted.

You're worried about the color and the shoes and not how you got in them? Eden thought, causing her to roll her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but that is not possible." The masked manager spoke up, "You must be in your uniforms for the games." He instructed.

"What about my phone?" The player beside Eden spoke out loud, making her jump. "Why did you take my phone and wallet? Give them back, please." He said.

Eden furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "we're keeping your belongings safe. We'll return them once the games are over." The masked manager responded.

Player 333 shook his head, "at least give me my phone. I need to check the crypto market. If I lose money, will you compensate me?" He begged.

"We will return it to you once the games are over."

"I need to monitor the real-time prices." He shouted, "do you know how much I've invested?"

Eden rolled her eyes and exhaled, her eyes suddenly landing on a guy with a half bun who was staring at her, just when he noticed she was looking, he looked away far from discreetly and rubbed the back of his neck. With a small twitch of lips, she crossed her arms and went back to looking at the masked red suited people.

"Player 333, Lee Myung-gi." The masked person started, clicking the remote to the television in front of everyone. Suddenly, a taped video of player 333 being slapped caused him to shut his mouth, looking around with embarrassment.

"Age 30, used to run a YouTube Chanell called MG Coin. After convincing subscribers to invest in a new crypto coin called Dalmatian, causing losses of approximately 15.2 billion won, you shut down and disappeared." Eden's jaw dropped at the money hype masked person had announced, "you're wanted for fraud and for violating telecom and financial investment laws. Current  debt levels, 1.8 billion won."

He began to mention some of the debts people had, causing everyone to gasp when the number "10 billion won debt." Was announced.

"Ten billion? Who's that?" Someone in the crowd asked.

They all turned around to meet with player 100 who then shouted, "what are you looking at?!" People gasped, "do you think it's easy to get a ten-billion-won loan? They don't lend that kind of money to just anyone! Only to those who are capable of paying it back."

"I guess they loaned it to the wrong person then." Eden murmured as she looked away, earning a few chuckles.

The purple haired guy from before smirked, making the brunette to side eye him before looking back to the front.

"All of you in this room have crippling debts, and are now on a cliff-edge." The masked person announced, "when we first came to you, you did not trust us either. But as you know, we played a game and gave you money as promised. And so you trusted us, and volunteer to participate, according to your own free will." They mentioned, "you have one less chance to decide. Do you want to live a piece of trash, running from creditors, or will you seize the last opportunity we are offering.."

Everyone began to murmur to each other, making Eden hug herself uncomfortably as she looked around. There were a lot of people she was going to compete against or with, she didn't know, she just knew that the competition was there, and that she wasn't sure she would win the prize money.

"what you see now is the piggy bank where your valuable price money will be stored. After each of the six games you will play, the price money will accumulate in the piggy bank."

Everyone looked up with admiration. But Eden thought, what type of games would she have to play to win the prize money?

"how much is the price money?" Someone in the crowd asked.

"The prize money for the game is 45.6 billion won in total." The masked person responded.

Players began to gasp and murmur.

"And one of us will get it?"

"We will give you the details about the distribution of the price money after the first game." Eden nodded in response with a small smile. "For these games, you will be giving a special new advantage. After each game, you will be giving a chance to vote on whether to continue the games or not. If the majority votes to stop the games, you can leave with the price money accumulated up to that point."

"are you saying that we'll still receive the money, even if we leave after the first game?" The same man Eden stood up for spoke out loud.

"that is correct."

Eden continued to watch the man, watching him watch the camera with an intense stare. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, wondering why he seemed so curious about the game.

All of a sudden, an old woman started to push through the crowd of people, getting to another player who then was obvious that he was the elder woman's son, they started to have a small family argument, which ended on her heating him and telling him to leave the game.

Eden then began to wonder, why both a son and a mother would be at the same game to pay off the same debt, was it too much?

"if you wish to participate in the games, please sign the player consent form.those who do not wish to participate, please speak now. We always give you a chance to leave the games."

The manager gave everyone a few minutes to think about their decision, which some of them decided with no hesitation that they would be playing the game. But in Eden's mind, she began to wonder why and how would this games go on about.

At the line, she wasn't sure why, but she stood behind player 456, she felt somehow drawn to him, like he knew a lot more than everyone did.

Beside her, on the other line, stood the same guy who was staring at her when the masked people were speaking. Somehow, he felt drawn to her. Like he needed to stay close to her.

When it was the old man's turn, Eden noticed that he took his time actually reading the consent form. and when he finally signed it, Eden did the same and read the list that she would be signing for. She looked down as she grabbed the pen and began to read:

Number one, a player is not allowed to voluntarily quit. Number two, a player who refuses to play will be eliminated. Number three, the games may be terminated upon a major majority vote. In case of a tie, players will vote again. Number four, if the games are terminated, players would divide the price equally.

Eden looked up and watched the old man walk away, making her bite her lip before giving her signature.

She gave a quick smile to the person behind her, handing him the pen and then rushed to player 456 to ask some questions.

"Sir!" She called.

Player 456 looked back and stopped, causing Eden to stumble back.

"Shoot, I thought you wouldn't look back so I'd have time to formulate a question or something." She pursed her lips awkwardly, the man furrowed his eyebrows, making her let out a chuckle. "Sorry—I must ask, do you know anything about these games?" The man raised his eyebrows, "it's just—I saw how like, into you were when the guards were saying stuff, and I was just curious." She rambled, chuckling.

Player 456 nodded, "what's your name?" He asked.

"Eden Seung-Hyun, sir." She smiled, "What's yours—"

"—The first game will began momentarily—"

When the voice interrupted Eden, she looked back and then turned back to player 456. "I'm kind of nervous, I've never played any games this big, or any games at all, actually." She told him, "have you? I mean, it seems like everyone got to play Ddakji with that salesmans, right? At least I did, and some of the people that were shown on the screen. Fortunately, I just got two slaps, the rest I won. But I'm not sure we'll be playing the same game again. It would ruin the surprise." She said nervously with a chuckle.

"Why did you join the games?" He asked her.

Eden shrugged, "Money, I guess. Everyone needs it for something." She told him.

"You have to pay debts?" He asked.

With hesitation, Eden nodded. "Yeah—but they're not mine. Though, I'm the one who has to pay them." She responded.

"What if I tell you that I can pay off your debt?" He suggested, making Eden furrow her eyebrows. "I'm sure I can help you."

She shook her head, "sorry, sir, but, I wouldn't be able to accept it. Because then I'd have to pay you in the future." She told him.

"You can pay me by staying by my side and voting off to leave." He told her.

"But then I wouldn't be playing."

He nodded, "these games aren't as easy as you may think they are. We're not just playing ddakji, Seung-Hyun." He told her, making her shiver.

"I heard they were like, kid's games." She chuckled.

The man shook his head, "they aren't—well, they're inspired by them but, they're so much worse." He corrected himself, "I'll explain everything after the first game. For now, just don't move when the doll looks back." He instructed.

"Doll?" She chuckled.

Player 456 stared at her with a blank stare which cause her to shrug with her lips, "Okay, I guess I won't move when the doll does." She smiled. "Sir." She added with a nod.

"Call me Gi-Hun." He told her.

Eden smiled, "Gi-hun it is, sir—sorry, Gi-hun."

Martina speaks:   will Gi-hun and Eden have a father-daughter relationship? Well, duh! Will one of them get their heartbroken? Duh!