─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
CHAPTER TEN:
pick triangle and you'll be alright.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When the lights had gone out, Mei had only grown more weary. The darkness made her more alert, making it hard for her to rest. When her eyes were opened, she could barely see a thing, just the faintest light coming from the blue and red 'X' and 'O' on the floor. It was silly, but for as long as Mei could remember, she had been afraid of the dark—though, of course, she'd never told anyone about it. She figured that being twenty-eight meant she shouldn't fear such childish things, and yet, the darkness made her feel dizzy.

In the night, whilst others lay sleeping, Mei got out of her bed and tiptoed down the stairs of the bunks. She made her way across the room, her bare feet freezing against floor: she didn't stop walking until she reached the large metal doors where a security camera sat in the corner, bleeping red and watching her every move.

She tipped her head back, staring at the blinking red dot before sighing. She sat down in the corner, resting her back against the wall and pulling her knees to her chest as she stared straight ahead of her. Mostly the entire room had managed to fall asleep despite all that had happened. But even though Mei was exhausted, she couldn't bring herself to close her eyes.

She lived in fear of the dark and those around her. She glanced in Do-yun's direction, relieved to see his sleeping form underneath his blanket. That brought her some reassurance, that at least she could ease up ever so slightly knowing that he wouldn't be coming for her in the night.

Mei sat there for what could have been hours, her body shivering slightly, gaze fixated on the light in the centre of the room. She'd been dozing off a little when she felt something touch her, immediately jumping to grab at her blade in her pocket, "Hey, it's alright," The voice in front of her soothed. After a moment, she realised it was Ji-ho and allowed herself to relax, a breath of relief escaping her lips. "I thought you might be cold." He told her, proceeding to put the blanket he had in his hands over her.

Mei offered him a smile, "I'm alright, but thank you." She said, pulling the blanket a little closer to her chest. She was, in fact, cold—she just hadn't wanted to admit it or move from the spot she felt more safe in than her bed.

"You alright? Can't sleep?" Ji-ho asked in concern as he sat down beside her.

Mei nodded slowly, "I've tried," She said with a scoff. "It's just this place, you know? It's pitch dark in here. I didn't even see you walk over. It gives me the creeps." She said, a frown working its way onto her lips.

Ji-ho laughed a little, "That surprises me," He told her, making her turn her head to look at him, being able to make out his outline in the dark, "You don't seem like you're scared of anything." He said, surprising her.

"Really?" She asked in disbelief, earning a small nod. She scoffed, shaking her head, "I'm terrified in here," She admitted. "There's so many dangers—if it's not the games, it's the people around us and if it isn't them, then it's those masked guards. This place is fucking hell on earth." She told him, a shudder rattling through her body.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get the fuck out of here," Ji-ho said in agreement. "Hopefully it'll be with enough to pay for the treatment for my boy—and then I can forget about this place."

Mei twisted her lips, "It's only been a day and I don't think I could ever forget about this place," She confessed. She glanced up, looking across the room. "I mean, 456 certainly didn't—he claimed he won three years ago and now he's back here. It makes me wonder just how truly awful this place is going to get if he's willing to risk his life again to come back." She spoke absentmindedly, twisting the material of the blanket between her fingers.

Ji-ho put a hand on her shoulder, "However bad it gets, we'll get through it together, alright? You'll get home to your mother and I'll get home to my wife and son. Everything will be okay." He reassured her, smiling even though she could barely see it.

Mei gave a faint smile back, "I hope so."

Mei had managed to have at least two hours sleep, Ji-ho insuring that he would watch over her as she slept. She'd been hesitant at first, not wanting him to prioritise his sleep over hers, but he had assured her that he was an early riser and awake for the day which ultimately led her to getting some sleep.

She'd woke to the sound of the woman on the PA announcing that the next game would begin soon, immediately sending her body into fight or flight mode. It woke her right up, not feeling even a little tired. Like everyone else, she did as she was told and lined up, following the guards towards the game hall with Ji-ho by her side.

As she was walking up the stairs, a hand caught her elbow, making her pause and look back. She was surprised to see player 456 behind her, giving her a nod in greeting, "If I'm correct the games going to be Dalgona," He began telling her as they stood on the stairs, allowing others to pass them by as Ji-ho waited for her on the top of the stairs. "The easiest shape is triangle, alright? Pick triangle and you'll be alright." He assured her, giving a firm nod.

She furrowed her brows, "Why are you telling me this? Couldn't you get in trouble?" She questioned.

456 held her gaze, his eyes boring into hers, "Because I want everyone to make it out of here," He informed her, his voice heavy. "And you spoke up for me yesterday—many times. And I appreciated it. So, pick triangle, alright?" He encouraged, nodding.

Mei stared at him before glancing by him, her eyes momentarily catching the gaze of player 001. He stood behind 456 with the rest of what Mei assumed to be their team. He gave her a firm nod—a signal to trust what 456 was saying.

After a moment, Mei bowed her head, "Alright. Thank you, sir." She thanked him gratefully, giving a small smile before racing up the stairs towards Ji-ho, immediately grabbing his arm and pulling him along with him.

"Ji-ho, what the fuck is Dalgona?" She asked him, her eyes wide, suddenly a little more panicked.

Ji-ho's head snapped towards her, "You've never played Dalgona?" He asked in shock, suddenly concerned for the girl.

Mei shook her head as they walked along after the crowd, "I'm not from Korea—it wasn't a thing in China," She told him frantically. "And I lived half my life in the States. I've never even heard of that game." She explained, the hairs on her body beginning to stand up, more on edge than before.

Ji-ho stared at her for a long second before stepping closer to her, "Okay, so it's like a cookie, alright? A cookie with a shape in the centre. Dalgona is all about cutting out that shape without cracking it," He began explaining, her watching him with urgency the entire time. "If the cookie cracks or breaks then you fail. But if you manage to cut out the shape then you pass." He finished as the last few people began pushing by them.

Ji-ho gripped her arm, "Mei, are we playing Dalgona?" He urgently asked her.

Mei slowly nodded, "456 seems to believe so," She told him before giving a shrug, trying to work up some courage. "And it's a fucking cookie, how hard could it be?" The look on Ji-ho's face told her that it was, in fact, hard, only making her stomach sink.

She didn't have the time to say anything else on the matter when the guards began ushering them along for falling behind. She gulped down the spit in her mouth and allowed them to lead her through to the game hall, joining the other players who were talking amongst themselves loudly.

Upon entering, she took a moment to look around. There were two race tracks in the centre of the room in colours of the rainbow with armed guards on every corner of the room. Her brows furrowed, eyes narrowing as she looked around. If Dalgona was all about cutting a shape out of a cookie, then why the hell was there race tracks?

"Players, welcome to the second game," The woman's PA voice began greeting. "We will begin shortly. This game will be played in teams. Please take the next ten minutes to divide into groups of five." Mei spun to face Ji-ho, who looked as equally confused.

"Is Dalgona a team game?" She questioned, though she felt she already knew the answer.

Ji-ho stared at her, eyes watering ever so slightly before he slowly shook his head. Mei pulled her bottom lip under the top one, reaching up to rub at her temple, "Shit." She muttered under her breath, her heart beginning to frantically race. Before, they'd at least had an inkling on what the game would be—but now, it was a complete mystery and Mei feared she'd have no clue what the game chosen would be.

She looked around, trying to spot 456 in the crowd. After a moment, she found him standing with his team and rushed over to his side, Ji-ho following her, "I thought it was supposed to be Dalgona?" She called out to him before he reached him.

He turned to face her, looking distraught and guilty, "I... it was last time—last time the second game was Dalgona," He insisted, nodding his head, almost in a trance-like state. "They... they must have changed it." He whispered, his eyes diverting to the ground, avoiding her gaze.

She stepped closer to him, "Do you have any idea what it could be? Does this look familiar at all?" She pleaded for some kind of clue.

456 shook his head, "We didn't play anything like this before..." Mei watched him carefully, trying to figure out if she thought he was lying or not. But by the look on his face, she could tell that he wasn't. He was just as distraught as those around him. Having him in the games was supposed to give the others some kind of head start—some tips along the way. But now, he was in the dark as much as they were.

"Fuck," Mei whispered under her breath, glancing across at the time limit given for them to choose teams. She turned her head to Ji-ho, "We have to find another three players." She told him in a hurry, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Mei," A voice called out from behind her, making her pause and turn. She looked between those behind her until she caught the eyes of 001 who stepped out from the crowd. He lifted his head, giving her a small nod. "Good luck out there." He said, giving her a small reassuring smile.

Mei watched him, momentarily feeling a flare of anger in the pit of her stomach. She'd already forgiven him the night before for being the reason they were still in there, but for a brief second, she'd hated him again. She was fearing for her life now more than ever, having no clue what game she was about to be thrusted into. And she knew that it was stupid—he'd had his reasons, and they were along the same lines as Ji-ho's. She couldn't be mad at him. But for a second, her momentary anger had shocked her.

She licked her lips, nodding slowly, "Yeah, you too."

( authors note )

       ngl, i don't think mei would've survived past red light, green light if she were in season 1 since she has no clue what half of these games are😭

        — taylor x