C H A M P I O N     O F     D E A T H

━ manip made by tiishas ━

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THE APARTMENT WAS QUIET — TOO QUIET FOR HER LIKING.

     The dim moonlight seeped through the small cracks of the curtains in Sae-bom's modest apartment, casting dancing shadows across the lounge room. The place wasn't much, just a tiny sanctuary she shared with her younger sister, Sae-byeok.

     Every corner told a story of hardship, from the secondhand furniture to the patched-up cracks in the walls. Yet, it was home—a fragile semblance of safety in a world that had little kindness to offer.

     Sae-bom let out a weary sigh as her soft footsteps echoed through the quiet apartment. Normally, the silence would be broken by the hum of the old television or Sae-byeok's greeting.

     Tonight, however, there was only stillness. The silence felt oppressive, curling around her like a second skin. Sae-bom was too exhausted to think much of it. Dark circles hung under her eyes, a testament to the countless sleepless nights she endured from taking on dangerous jobs.

      Jobs she hated.

     Her hands, though appearing clean, always felt stained. The guilt never left her, no matter how many times she scrubbed her skin raw in the bathroom. The jobs she took—the ones she hated but couldn't refuse—robbed her of peace, leaving her hollow and raw.

     Each dollar she earned felt heavier than the last, blood money to keep them afloat and, hopefully, pay for their mother's escape across the border.

     Sae-bom ran a hand through her tangled dark hair as she walked into the kitchen. Her gaze landed on the small blue shoebox tucked away in the cabinet—their family's makeshift bank.

     It was adorned with stickers from Cheol, slightly peeling at the edges, offered a bittersweet smile, a small reminder of happier days. Pulling it down, she opened the lid and paused. Inside was another stack of money she hadn't put there.

"Sae-byeok," She muttered, clicking her tongue. It had to be her sister. She'd told Sae-byeok time and time again not to worry about earning money.

     That was her burden to bear. With a quiet sigh, she added her own earnings to the pile, slid the box back into its hiding place, and headed toward Sae-byeok's room.

     She called her sister's name softly at first, knocking gently on the door. No response. Her brow furrowed as she knocked louder, "Sae-byeok?" Still nothing. Unease crept in as she warned her sister she was coming in and twisted the doorknob.

     The room was empty.

     Panic bubbled in her chest as she stepped inside. The bed was unmade, clothes and boxes scattered across the floor. The faint light filtering through the curtains did little to illuminate the mess. Sae-bom bent down, picking up the clutter and trying to make sense of the scene.

"Where are you?" She whispered, her voice trembling. Her hands shook as she placed the last box back in the cupboard.

     Memories of people disappearing from her life without a trace flooded her mind, but she forced them down. Sae-byeok wasn't like him. She wouldn't just leave without saying anything, unlike the male who haunted her every thought.

     Her phone buzzed in her pocket, but she ignored it. There were more pressing matters. Moving to the desk by the bed, she rifled through the drawer.

     It was filled with random objects, nothing out of the ordinary. But then, her gaze fell on a dog chain necklace and a small card partially hidden under some newspaper.

     The necklace was unmistakable. Sae-bom had given it to her sister for her birthday, engraved with their family's birthdate's.

     Sae-byeok never went anywhere without it. Her stomach churned, and she picked up the card. Beige with three black shapes on the front and a number with a strange symbol on the back. Her unease deepened, heart twisting in her chest.

Shuffling the papers on the desk revealed a sticky note in Sae-byeok's handwriting: Be back soon. Don't worry too much. It was signed with her name and a small heart directed at her.

     Sae-bom clenched her jaw, slipping the note and the card into her jacket pocket, before placing the necklace around her neck. Her mind raced with possibilities, none of them comforting. She slammed the drawer shut and stormed out of the room.

     If anyone could help her find Sae-byeok, it was Jun-ho. He'd been her only lead when her childhood sweetheart had vanished months ago, and she hoped he could give her answers, unlike how neither of them knew where the vanished male had disappeared to.

     Locking the apartment door behind her, Sae-bom stepped into the night. The biting night air stung her cheeks, but it didn't slow her. She couldn't afford to stop, not when her sister was out there, and not when every instinct screamed that time was running out.

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     WHEN SHE ARRIVED AT THE POLICE STATION, COMMOTION WAS ALREADY HAPPENING INSIDE, FOLLOWED BY A FAMILIAR VOICE THAT WAS SHOUTING FOR SOME REASON. Sae-bom didn't stop her fast paced walk, not for anything, and only slowed down when she got closer to the stairs that lead to the front door of the station.

     Her palm reached forward to gently push open the glass doors, making a noise to alert someone else entered the station. The cool air-conditioned environment instantly hit her, easing her flushed skin from the running she previously did.

     A few of the officers on stand by greeted her with a head nod, most of them knowing who she was already from the amount of times she's been visiting the station regarding news on a certain someone's where a bounce.

"Look, officer." That same voice started talking again, more like ranting and it caught Sae-bom's attention knowing she knew who that voice belonged to, "You've gotta realise what a massive deal all of this was. I know it sounds crazy."

     The Chief, Kim Sang-hyuk, spotted Sae-bom near the entrance waiting and raised his eyebrows up at her, before turning back to the distressed Gi-hun, "Okay, sir. So you're saying that your kidnappers rounded up hundreds of people and had them play a game. Then went out of there and shot the one who lost. Is that right?"

     Sae-bom's stomach twisted hearing that information, and suddenly the card in her pocket felt warmer, like it was burning a hole through her jacket. There possibly was no way Sae-byeok ended up tangled in that, she wasn't that dumb, but if something like a reward was involved... then her hope wavered.

"Yeah! And they didn't just shoot one or two. Those people had no money. They killed more then 200!" Gi-hun confirmed throwing his hands around, his messy hair covered by a hat but Sae-bom knew it was him.

     Her fingers inched up towards her sister's necklace sat around her neck, gently caressing it. She wouldn't jump to conclusions, not till she had a talk with Jun-ho, but the worry she felt didn't stop at what she was hearing.

"What game was it then?" Sang-hyuk asked the male in front of him, his eyes wide but still his face gave away how he didn't believe Gi-hun at all.

"You know Red Light, Green Light?"

"Wait, that's for kids. Is that what they made you play?"

"Yeah! I know how it sounds--"

     Sae-bom deadpanned at their loud banter, how desperate Gi-hun seemed for Sang-hyuk to believe his story. If she was being honest... it did sound far fetched, and she didn't blame Sang-hyuk for sounding incredulous over the story, but she trusted Gi-hun and the card in her pocket said otherwise.

      "Mister," The young officer standing beside Sae-bom spoke up, gaining their attention was he holds a cup of coffee in his fingers, "So where did they do it? Where's the place they were killed?"

Gi-hun's face lit up spotting the short figure of Sae-bom, and moved to take a step forward to his drinking buddy, "They had me knocked unconscious, so how could I know?" He snapped at the officer, tone firm and serious, "I said I don't have any freaking clue."

"He's obviously distressed," Sae-bom now inputted on behalf of her friend, arms crossed over her chest glancing between the three, "I think you should actually take him seriously."

     She wasn't going to mention her sister's disappearance, as she didn't trust any officer fully in the rank but Jun-ho, and that's it. It wasn't anything against them, but her trust ran thin for most people around her expect for a few.

     The young officer scoffed at her words, causing Sae-bom to send daggers in his direction, "Then give us the killer's description." He talked to Gi-hun lazily.

     "They all had these masks on the whole time we were there--"

"Then, wait, how did you manage to get out?" The same officer interrupted Gi-hun's answer, his eyes narrowing down on the nervous male in the middle of the room.

     Gi-hun's face tensed up, and his expression grew sharp as he turned to the officer, "Hey, look, the players came together and put it to a vote. And since the majority wanted to leave--"

     The officer now continued to question the poor male, who just wanted them to believe him, and it made Sae-bom feel bad for her friend. She stayed quiet listening to the conversation, and glanced to the door from time to time hoping Jun-ho would appear soon.

     However, the moment Gi-hun mentioned how there would be billions of prize money for entering the children games, made her eyes go wide ten times their size. Now her feeling of dread was spiking up, and she had a bad feeling that maybe, just maybe her sister was caught up in the mess.

"Okay. Let me just sum up everything you've told us so far." The Chief slapped his hands together, brining the attention back on him, "Just so I understand. You went to play kids' games because someone told you you'd get all that cash. So then they had you play some Red Light, Green Light, and they shot everyone who got caught. But when you said you wanted to go, they said 'okay, just go'--"

     Gi-hun's face fell realising how crazy he did sound now that he heard the story from someone else's mouth, and pursed his lips as he looked to the side, hat covering his dark eyes.

     Sae-bom hurried to move up towards her friend, as he started yelling about who he was, as none of them were taking him seriously. However, her blood ran cold when he slapped down a familiar card onto the table , furthermore making her suspicious.

     She needed answers now, but she was afraid to tell or ask anyone in case whatever her sister and apparently her friend had gotten mixed up with, was something far more deadly and dangerous. She couldn't put her little brother in danger like that, and that was another reason why she had to be careful.

     The door opening up behind her caught the girl's attention, and she sighed in relief spotting Jun-ho walking through, pushing a guy who had handcuffs on his hands.

"Jun-ho," She called out, dropping the hand on Gi-hun's arm to calm him and moved up to the surprised male, "I have to talk with you, like now." She stated, looking up at him with a grim expression.

     The taller male glanced at her, then back to where the Chief was calling someone on the phone to Gi-hun didn't sound like a loone, and back to her, "Sae, I though we agreed to talk outside of here?" He reminded quietly, also wary of the people around them.

     She rolled her head to the side, and gripped the edge of his dark jacket, "I know that, but--" Her words were cut off when Gi-hun was forcefully thrown out of the station, making a big commotion and her brows furrow at how he was treated.

     The girl would have went out to help him, but Jun-ho kept his hand pressed on her shoulder and pulled her back to the topic at hand. She could check on Gi-hun later knowing they had each other's numbers, as Sae-byeok's disappearance and the mystery card came first.

"Who was that? Was he drunk?" Jun-ho asked the Chief over Sae-bom's head, still keeping the soft but firm hand on her shoulder as they stood near the entrance.

  "Some crazy hobo guy." Sang-hyuk scoffed annoyed, gaining an eye roll from the girl at how he described Gi-hun, "Everything's crazy around here today. You, get a grip. Wanna go back in?" He snapped at the man in cuffs next to Jun-ho, who was rubbing his nose and frantically shakes his head.

     Sae-bom scrunches her face up at the obnoxious male, before glancing at Jun-ho, to notice him staring intently at the card on the table, the same one in her pocket. By the look on his face, she could tell he's thinking and it made her shuffle closer to his side.

     Her hand pressed against the side of her mouth, so only he could hear what she said next, "That's what I want to talk with you about." She whispered tightly, eyes flickering from Jun-ho back to the card, "Well, it's part of it."

     He only glanced down at her for a few seconds, jaw tensed and clenched as he nods his head at the Chief, "Well, we're out. Have a good one." He said, grabbing Sae-bom by the arm and directed her towards the door, so they could talk freely without anyone else listening.

     Sae-bom found herself being pulled out of the building by Jun-ho. His grip on her wrist was firm but not harsh, his urgency evident in the quick pace he set. She stumbled behind him, cursing under her breath at how fast he was moving.

"Jun-ho, what the hell?" She snapped, tugging her arm slightly to steady herself. He didn't stop or slow down, his free hand giving a quick wave to the officers they passed, as if nothing unusual was happening. The contrast between his calm facade and the tension in his posture only added to her frustration.

     Once they were outside, the cold night air hit her skin. The street was quiet save for the occasional distant sound of a car. Jun-ho finally released her wrist but kept moving, forcing her to keep up.

"Where are we going?" Sae-bom asked incredulously, her tone sharp as she caught up to his side.

     He turned his head briefly, his expression tense, and he spoke warily, "To In-ho's place. His old room."

     Hearing the name of her childhood friend sent a jolt of emotion through her chest—a mix of longing, anger, and grief. Memories she'd tried to bury resurfaced, but she shoved them aside.

"Why didn't we go there sooner?" She demanded, trying to focus on the present, "I mean, you would think that's the first place we should of looked."

     Jun-ho sighed softly at her reply, his pace slowing slightly as they walked down the dimly lit road toward his parked car.

  "Because I only recently found out where it is. I didn't have much to go on before. But now..." He hesitated, his gaze flickering to her briefly before continuing. "There might be something there. Something that could lead us to him. And maybe to your sister too."

     Sae-bom froze in her tracks for a moment, her eyes going wide, "What? How do you know about Sae-byeok?" She asked, alarm coloring her voice, "I only just found out she was missing!"

     Jun-ho smiled slightly, a low chuckle escaping him as he stopped in front of his car and turned to face her, "Your sister is always with you. You wouldn't have come to the station if there wasn't a real reason, other then about my brother. I just put two and two together."

     She hummed in agreement, though her mind raced. His perceptiveness irritated her at times, but it also reassured her in moments like this. Sae-bom watched as Jun-ho unlocked the car, and the two of them climbed inside.

     The engine roared to life, and they pulled onto the road. Silence settled between them, the hum of the car's engine filling the void. Sae-bom just stared out the window, her mind churning with worry.

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❪ ✏️ ❫ 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂 : 2789
─►☆ AUTHOR'S NOTE :
naurr okay this chapter is pretty short and boring asf but i promise the juicy bits are coming up soon, i just gotta build up the story first before sae-bom goes into the games and in-ho's obsession with her starts all over again (not like he's been keeping tabs on her anyway) 🙏🏻

also next chapter the people who joined the games the first time will be already in them so i don't wanna see people commenting saying ''why didn't sae-bom just got back to their apartment to see her sister'' no. 👎 it's better for the plot that they reunite in the games again and like i said before, the timeline will be a bit confusing but it WILL make sense i promise you

anywaysss next chapter should be out soon
since im in love this fic and sae-bom already lmfao 🫦🫶