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CHAPTER NINE:
001.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Mei sat alone in her bunk, her knees brought to her chest and her face buried in them. Her food sat untouched beside her. She'd only gone to get it because Ji-ho had hassled her, insisting she should eat—but she couldn't. The idea of eating when innocent people had been murdered in front of her made her feel sick.

She sat there, not particularly thinking of anything, just sitting with her eyes closed and her face buried into her knees when she heard footsteps approach, "Thought you were pretty slick pulling that stunt in the arena, huh?" A gravelly voice spoke from above her, making a heavy sigh fall from her lips as she looked up, her tired eyes landing on Do-yun.

"Oh, you're still alive. That's unfortunate." She mumbled, staring straight through him.

"Unfortunate? Why you little—" Do-yun reached for her, grabbing ahold of her hair. She tried to swat him away but her reaction time had been slower than usual, not acting quickly enough.

He got ahold of her, yanking her out of her bed, making her kick over her food onto the floor. He dragged her, throwing her down the stairs and onto the floor as others gasped in surprise. This was already the second fight since dinner—everyone had already witnessed it, except for Mei who hadn't looked up once as she sat with her face against her knees. Though, she was sure that Thanos and his friend had been involved.

Mei's body rolled across the floor as Do-yun marched towards her, rolling up his sleeves, "I'm gonna have my fun with you, bitch," He growled as he towered above her. "Maybe I'll scratch up that pretty face of yours like you did mine—or maybe I'll just beat it to a fucking pulp." He threatened, his hands bunched into fists by his side.

Mei laughed as she pushed herself up from the floor, her hair hanging in front of her face, "Go for it. You hit like a little girl anyway." She bit back, a smile on her lips as she looked up through her hair at him.

Do-yun snarled, retaliating by kicking her in the ribs, sending her back a few paces. Everyone around them gasped in horror, but still, no one stepped in, "Oh yeah. I'm gonna enjoy this." Do-yun sang, leaning over Mei who reached for the knife in her pocket. She'd already seen a lot of blood that day—she had no issue shedding more.

"I don't think so, bitch." Do-yun hissed, knowing exactly what she was planning as he lunged for her, kicking her back down onto the floor before stepping on her wrist, holding the hand down that had attempted to reach for her blade.

Do-yun laughed manically as he stood over her, "Did you think I was gonna let what you pulled slide? You almost got me killed out there you little fuck!" He screamed, crouching down over her before sitting himself on top of her, grabbing a fistful of her tracksuit and hauling her up as he raised his fist into the air. "And now you're gonna pay." Mei squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for the blow to come but it never did.

Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up to realise that a man stood behind them, holding onto Do-yun shaking wrist, "That's quite enough of that," He spoke calmly, not struggling at all to hold onto Do-yun who was struggling to put up a fight to his strength. "Get off the lady and apologise." He ordered, his voice still holding that same level of calm along with authority.

"Apologise? The fuck do you think you are, huh?" Do-yun demanded in outrage. "Let go of me before I beat your ass too." He threatened, though it was obvious he was already struggling to keep his fist in the air with the man's grip around his wrist.

A small laugh left the man's lips, "You're not gonna do that." He said, though to Mei it sounded more like he was tempting him.

Being the dumb animal that he was, Do-yun took the bait, immediately getting up and taking a swing at the man who ducked effortlessly before coming back up and punching him under the jaw. He punched him again with his other hand, knocking him sideways. He stalked towards him as Do-yun recovered, still remaining calm, reminding Mei of a lion stalking its prey.

When Do-yun made a move for him again, the man slapped his hand away before kicking him in the ribs, knocking him back a few paces. Not giving Do-yun the chance to recover, he punched him hard in the face, sending him flying onto the solid concrete. His head smacked against the floor, knocking him out cold immediately. Men that Mei assumed where his new cronies immediately rushed to his side, helping to lift him and move him to a bed whilst they fussed over him as though he were an injured child.

A hand was suddenly offered to Mei, making her look up at the man who had intervened, "Miss, are you alright?" He asked her in concern, rich brown eyes holding onto hers as she blinked up at him.

She took him in—he was older than her, far older than her. But he had fought like a man in his prime, not even breaking a sweat as he embarrassed Do-yun in front of the entire room. His eyes were soft, looking concerned for her health as he watched her, his hand still offered to her.

Her eyes trailed downwards, taking in the number on his jacket. 001. Her lips parted. He was the player that had made the deciding vote—the one that had chose for everyone in that room to stay, even those that had voted to go home.

Whatever gratitude she'd had towards him as gone in an instant as she flew to her feet. She pushed him hard in the chest with both hands, knocking him back several paces, "You bastard!" She yelled at him, making people gasp in surprise. The man blinked, seeming confused by her outburst. "You had the chance to vote for us all to home but you made us stay in here and you think that what, I'll be grateful you helped me?" She exclaimed, her eyes watering, nostrils burning as her cheeks reddened.

The man blinked, his lips parted. Mei shook her head, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to slip from her lashes, "We all could have went home! But we can't! And it's because of you," She cried out, her shoulders heaving with every breath she took. She stumbled back from him. "If you know what's good for you, stay the fuck away from me, alright? Don't ever come near me again." She spat as she began taking steps backwards from him, shaking her head in disbelief.

She retreated to her bed, leaving the man standing there, watching her go with a look of curiosity in his eyes. She threw herself down onto her bed, returning to her previous position as Ji-ho came running towards her frantically, "Are you alright? I—I was in the bathroom. Are you hurt?" He asked her in worry, scanning her over for any injuries.

Mei glanced right by him, glaring daggers to the man who hadn't moved an inch from the centre of the room. Fuck him, she thought to herself, selfish fucking bastard.

          Mei sat alone, fiddling with her hair, making a small loose braid at the end of the strand. Ji-ho had took to mingling, insisting that she should join him—but she had refused, not feeling much like talking after all that had happened. Plus, she had to deal with the constant glares being sent at her from Do-yun from across the room and she didn't want to let her guard down for even a second.

          "Miss?" A voice suddenly asked her, making her head perk up, momentarily stopping the fiddling with her hair to look at the person that had approached her. It was 001 and he was staring at her with soft, hopeful eyes. "I was hoping we could talk." He told her, tilting his head, his voice sincere.

         Mei found her eyes narrowing at the sight of him, "Didn't I tell you to stay away from me?" She reminded him, arching her brow in annoyance.

         001 nodded his head, "You did," He agreed. "But I don't want there to be any hard feelings so I wanted to explain myself to you—if you'll allow me to." His voice was pleading, puppy-dog eyes staring into hers as she tried to keep up the tough front.

         She scoffed, waving her hand in the air, "Start talking then."

          001 sat down on the stairs beside her, beginning to fiddle with his hands when he spoke, "I didn't come here for any selfish reasons, Miss 111. The only reason I'm here is to try and make some money for my sick wife," He began telling her, making her head slowly turn to face him. "She's really sick and she's pregnant. If she doesn't get the treatment she needs then we might lose the baby. And I—I don't have the money to afford the treatment she needs, this is the only way I could ever dream to pay it."

           "If I were to leave, my wife would only get more sick and the baby... well, if she doesn't make it, neither will the child," He solemnly told her, his voice heavy as Mei watched him talk, her face growing softer. "I'm sorry that I'm the reason you and all these other people are being forced to stay here—but I couldn't leave. I had to put myself first, for the sake of her and my unborn child. I hope you can understand."

          Mei watched him, her gaze flickering between his eyes as he stared at his hands on his lap. Mei let out a deep breath, "I'm sorry about your wife, okay?" She said, making him look up at her as she shifted where she sat. "But you're not the only person with family that they care about. The only reason I'm here is for my mother. If I came back with that prize money, she'd finally be able to find some peace. But this place... no amount of money is worth risking our lives in here, can't you see that?" She asked him, her eyes watery, not because she was upset but because of the frustrations bubbling up inside of her.

            001 watched her, his eyes fixated on her. He began slowly nodding, "You're right—but I had to at least try," He told her. "If there was a single chance I could survive another game here then I'd have at least enough to help my wife. I just need to do one more. One more then I'm out." He assured her as Mei watched him carefully.

           "One more and you're out? Can you swear that?" She tempted, arching a brow at him. "Or will one more become another one and then another one? I know how people work—how this place works, I can see it already. There's a reason they didn't tell us the money that had accumulated until after the first game—until after people were dead. Because the moment they told us, everything became worth it, at least it was to those who voted to stay." She told him, fiddling with the ends of her hair as she spoke.

           001 smiled slightly, "You're quite perceptive," He realised. "But I swear I mean what I said. One more and I'm out." He reassured her.

          Mei watched him, thinking it over, "Alright," She said before exhaling. "And I guess I should thank you for earlier—for stepping in. You didn't have to do that. But I appreciate it." She thanked, working up a smile. She still held a hint of bitterness towards the man, but he had explained his reasoning behind his actions and she couldn't pretend like she didn't understand his reasoning.

         "That's alright. I don't like bullies," He told her, giving a small chuckle. "How'd you get involved with a guy like that anyway? He doesn't seem like he'd be your kind of crowd." He asked her curiosity. Do-yun was a thug to anyone who looked at him—it was more than obvious. And Mei, although her outside exterior appeared to be a little rough, she didn't exactly look like she ran with any kind of criminal gang.

         Me thought about it for a second, deciding if she should tell him anything or not. After a moment, she realised he'd chosen to share his story about his wife with her and sighed, "My dad was in a shit ton of debt before he died," She began telling him, holding his full attention. "And when he did die—that debt didn't go anywhere. He'd been into a shit ton of gambling in illegal casinos and when the money he owed didn't show up, the people he owed to started coming to me and my mother. Do-yun is one of those people. It's just unfortunate he happens to be in here with me." She said with a small chuckle, laughing at her own luck.

          001 nodded in understanding, "That's not the first time he'd tried to hurt you here though, is it?" He questioned, making Mei look at him. "I saw what he did during the game. He tried to have you killed. Do you really feel safe with him around? Even with that pocketknife in your pocket?" He asked her, brows turned downwards, a look of concern on his face.

          Mei stared at him blankly, "How'd you know about the knife?" She asked him skeptically.

          "I saw you in the area," 001 said, his gaze locked on hers. "I was looking around, trying to focus on anything but what was happening around me. I saw the blood dripping from inside your pocket—and since then, I've noticed you almost always have your hands in your pockets, like you're holding onto something." He informed her, making her lean back a little further against the wall with a scoff.

           "You're quite perceptive," She hummed, copying his words from before. He laughed a little. "But you're right. It's the only form of protection I have against him—but even then, he's stronger and bigger than me. So, no... I don't feel safe in here. But I don't exactly feel any more safe out of here either. Do-yun isn't the only one that's after me for my father's debt." She said, her brows pulled together, lips pursed into a fine line as she thought about what awaited her outside of the hellhole they were in. She could very well die during the next games—but her life wasn't exactly safe in the outside world either.

          001 watched her for the longest of moments, saying nothing before he scooted a little closer, "Do you want me to have a look at that?" He offered, holding his hand out, making her look up at him in confusion.

          "Look at what?"

          "Your hand," He said, making her glance down to the hand she'd kept tucked away in her pocket. "You have blood all over your jacket—let me have a look at it." He offered, moving his hand in a 'come hither' motion.

          Mei shook her head, "Oh, no. It's okay. Don't worry about it." She assured him, but he wasn't taking no for an answer, already reaching out and pulling her hand from her pocket.

         Mei stared at him as he turned her palm upwards to have a good look. He hissed through his teeth, "Shit," He breathed out. "That's pretty bad. Aren't you in any pain at all?" He asked her in surprise, inspecting the large gash across her palm with caked blood surrounding it.

        Mei shrugged a little, "I've had worse," She assured him with a nod. "Really, you don't have to worry—"

          "Do you mind?" 001 spoke over her as he grabbed at the linen sheet she sat on, giving it a tug. Mei stared at him before giving a small shrug. The man tugged on it with both hands, ripping the end with ease into a cloth. He took her hand back in his, beginning to wrap the makeshift bandage around her palm. "Something tells me those guards won't give a shit if you're injured. But you'll want to keep this clean from any kind of infection. Make sure you wash it up as soon as possible." He told her as he looped the material around her hand, Mei giving small nods of agreement.

          When he was finished, he tied the knot with his hand and teeth, securing it in place before looking up at her with a smile, "Better?" He asked her hopefully, his hand still holding onto hers.

        Mei bit down on her bottom lip, nodding slowly as she stared down at their hands, "Much. Thank you, sir." She thanked, giving a bow of her head, trying to be respectful after how kind he'd been to her. She guessed she was wrong about him—that he wasn't some greedy fuck who only cared about money. She had judged him wrong.

         "Young-il," He corrected, making her blink at him in confusion. He laughed a little, giving her a toothy smile. "My names Young-il." He clarified.

         "Oh," She realised. "I'm Mei."

         "That's Chinese isn't it? I'm sure it stands for 'beautiful', right?" He tried to remember, thinking he could be right but also sure he could be wrong.

          "I think so, yeah."

          Young-il smiled at her, "Very fitting," He complimented, earning a small smile on her behalf, though it didn't meet her eyes. He laughed a little at his own expense. "I apologise. That came across weird." He said, ducking his head, quickly growing embarrassed.

          "No, it's alright," Mei assured, dipping her head. "Thank you for the compliment."

         "That's not a problem," Young-il said, beginning to stand from where he had been sat, scratching at the back of his head, still feeling awkward. He glanced in Do-yun's direction before looking back at her. "If he gives you anymore bother don't hesitate to come find me, alright?" He told her, giving a nod in the direction of the man.

         Mei nodded quickly, though she had no intent of running to anyone for help, "Thank you, sir—Young-il." She quickly corrected, earning a wide smile on his behalf.

          "Take care of yourself, Mei."

( authors note )

      the way in-ho is gonna regret ever telling her about his wife is so funny (he wants that cookie so bad!)

       — taylor x