Squid Game // 𝐉𝐄𝐉𝐔 𝐈𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃

three

Sae-Byeok saw flickering lights from her crouched place behind the towering bunkbed. It was scary having to rely on your hearing once your ability to see clearly was taken away. She heard screams, lots of frightened screams, followed by the unpleasant thuds of bodies hitting the ground. Her hands in which she held her pocketknife trembled. Sae-Byeok clutched her chest as it heaved with the quickening beats of her terrified heart. Where was Ji-yeong? Was she alright? Panic flooded through her and soon she began to cry, hugging her knees and smothering her face in her arms to evade being heard.

Screaming, screaming, screaming—

Sae-Byeok suddenly bolted upright, shrieking through her hard breathing. Her hands gripped onto the bedsheets as sweat danced in beads upon her forehead. Light poured into the room and Sae-Byeok was further alarmed, only to whip her head around and see with relief that it was just Ji-yeong with a finger pressed against the lamp switch that lived on their shared bedside table. She looked dazed, blinking through the sudden disruption Sae-Byeok had caused.

"Is everything all right?" Her voice was soft, like melted butter.

"I'm—" But the disturbed girl's rational thoughts slowly became adrift and soon enough she grimly felt she had lost them completely. Ji-yeong quickly understood what was happening and moved over onto Sae-Byeok's bed, taking her trembling hands with gentle firmness.

"You're safe here," she said quietly. "You're safe here with me."

Sae-Byeok bit her lip harshly to refuse the tears that were threatening to fall from her vulnerable eyes, but she was only draining herself more by holding these obscure emotions back. Ji-yeong slowly raised her hands to Sae-Byeok's face, wiping away the tears that were managing to slip.

Sae-Byeok felt so impossibly safe in Ji-yeong's eyes—like a deep hazel autumn that made her feel right at home. But the lingering feelings from her nightmare still terrorized the pit of her churning stomach. "Promise... Promise you'll stay with me?"

Ji-yeong gave a sad sort of smile, her hand slipping behind Sae-Byeok's head so that she could pull her in for a tight embrace. She felt tears litter the sleeves of her nightgown, followed by the sound of muffled sobs coming from the exceedingly distraught Sae-Byeok who had softened in her arms.

The pair stayed like this for a long, meaningful while, melting into each other's affectionate hug ever so slowly. When it felt like time Ji-yeong started to pull away, but not before planting a sweet kiss on Sae-Byeok's wet cheek.

"We sleep in the same bed tonight, okay?"

Sae-Byeok nodded as she wiped her face dry, thinking that perhaps this was the farthest she'd ever felt from the odd, dubious word: alone. She was certainly not alone, nor did she hope to ever be.

***

I feel like these chapters are starting to get a little cliché but I also thought this scenario would be more realistic for a character like Sae-Byeok, rather than if I was to just write from a perspective where she only portrays positive emotions.

But since you're the one reading, I'll leave the final opinion up to you :)