𝙄 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙆𝙄𝙎𝙎 𝙔𝙊𝙐 ♡ 𝙖𝙡𝙞 𝙖𝙗𝙙𝙪𝙡

014

PINS AND NEEDLES

Your eyes shot open. Morning already? You wished the night would last longer. Closing your eyes again, you began to fall back asleep, when you were tapped awake by a cold hand.
Standing beside your bed was a girl. She seemed younger than you. 18-25 at least. Dark circles tinted her eyebags, resting beneath her narrow, sharp eyes. Her lips were very plump, and freckles brushed over her face. You looked at her, (h/l) (h/c) hair a bit of a mess
"Oh, what's up?"
You'd ask, to which she pointed towards the many people in line for food.
"We're eating."
She'd say to which you quickly got up, zipping up your jacket. Rushing to catch up, you slipped and tumbled down the steel stairs, the girl rushing to help you up when you laid on the floor, groaning.
"You shouldn't go tripping on stairs, Eonni."
You looked at her hand, which she offered you. You took it, the girl helping you get up.
You and the girl headed towards the much shortened line. They were handing out soboro ppang and milk. That used to be one of your favorites.
Taking your meals, the two of you walked over to an empty spot to eat your meals. Looks like you wouldn't be sharing breakfast with the men today. She ate her bread in absolute silence. Oh, that dreafed, awkward silence. Taking a bite of the bread, its peanut-flour bits crumbling to the floor, you both exchanged occasional glances.
"Thanks. For waking me up, I mean. I'd totally lose it if I missed breakfast."
You'd speak with a small smile, attempting to break the awkward silence. The girl's countenance shifted at your words.
"Oh.. It was nothing. It wasn't really my intention to wake you, but I was already there, so.."
She'd reply awkwardly. Her voice was deep and monotone. It made you question just how old she was.
As you took another bite of your bread, the announcement featuring the same young lady's voice rang through the room. It seemed the next game was starting. Hands growing clammy with anxiety, you shoved the rest of your meal into your mouth, downing the last of the milk before getting up. The girl, who, having finished before you, was already up and waiting.
The two of you headed over to the uniform lines of other players to catch up. Having caught up with the group, you and your new companion walked up and down the abstractly constructed flights of colorful stairs. The walk too quiet, you glanced at her with a curious glint in your eyes.
"Hey, how old are you? You can't be too old, calling me Eonni."
You'd ask, walking behind her in the single file line.
"I'm 19."
She'd reply, causing you to nearly choke on your own saliva. And she was calling you Eonni?! You let out a nervous chuckle.
"As flattering as that is, I'm 30. I'm too old for you to call Eonni."
You'd reply. Of course, it was nice of her to not call you and ajeomma. That would severely crush whatever you had left of your pride. The girl actually seemed surprised to hear you were so 'old'.
"30? I would have mistaken you as 25 at most. Sorry."
She'd say with her, to your observation, flat, nonchalant voice. Such character.
"Oh, don't worry about it! I was quite flattered."
You'd respond with a light smile. Suddenly, Sangwoo approached the girl in front of you, whispering about something. Not wanting to intrude, you moved around the line, finding yourself now walking beside Gihun, who had taken a bit to notice you were beside him. When he did, he turned his head towards you and gave you a bright smile, to which you returned a somewhat less enthusiastic one.
"What do you think the next game's gonna be? I hope it isn't anything like those girl games. I don't know anything about them."
He'd chuckle, eyes seemingly squinting whenever he smiled. You nodded in response. You were never good at games. You couldn't say you knew anything about them either, since you were never invited to play with your brother and his friends, or your sister and hers. You were the ggakddugi of the neighborhood.
"I'm not too great at games either. I've only ever watched other kids play."
You'd hum, Gihun's smile shifting into a look of slight confusion.
"Y/N, do you have no friends?"
He'd ask. A little too blunt, to be honest. You shot him a small glare, taking a while for him to get the message.
"Maybe I should have put it more lightly. Do you not have time for others?"
He'd ask again. Not any better, but it was an improvement. You sighed, shaking your head.
"Nope. I never had friends, since I was always so busy. I was left out of games as a kid. You know. The neighborhood ggakddugi."
You'd reply to which the man only slowly nodded, no longer facing you. As the two of you walked in silence, he turned back to you with a beam.
"Hey, why don't we be friends? We can look out for each other, have one another's backs! What do you say, Y/N?"
He'd grin, extending a hand for you to shake. God, what an idiot. You hoped he realized one or the other will probably end up dying at some point. Letting out a breathy chuckle, laughing quietly, you looked at Gihun, matching his smile.
"Sure thing, friend."
You'd reply, hands slapping together in a rough handshake like silly highschool students greeting each other. You then extended your arm, to which he linked his around before the two of you skipped together out the door to the game room, both terribly giddy for walking into your own demises. Laughing as you skipped out onto the room, the crowd suddenly stopped, causing the both of you to run into Sangwoo's back.

The man turned around, watching you two act embarrassingly immature, rolling his eyes and sighing. This was way out of character for someone like you. Maybe you were going insane here.
As you and Gihun desperately tried to cease your muffled giggling, you felt a pair of eyes watching. You'd ignore it, going back to being idiots with Gihun until instructed to select a shape.

Sangwoo had immediately gone for the triangle. Gihun took a bit to figure things out, staring intently at the shapes. His finger then landed on the circle.
"I'll go with the circ-"
Before he could finish, Ali had stepped in, tracing a circle with his finger.
"Dayura."
He'd say with a certain passive-aggressiveness, confusing Gihun, who followed his movements.
"Oh! You mean circle?"
He'd ask, Ali only nodding. You watched his small, forced smile quickly drop when Gihun broke eye contact. He seemed off. Having noticed you were watching him, Ali cleared his throat.
"It reminds me of the moon back home."
He'd quickly add, to which you nodded slowly, now facing the doors again. The old man and Gihun had already taken their new picks, and you were left to choose your own. You momentarily thought about it. This could determine your life.
That's right. The old man seemed to know what he was doing in the first game. Maybe he knows what he's doing now. Following your gut, you went for the star.

And boy, were you wrong.

Opening the tin container you had been provided, your heart sunk. Eyes laid upon the golden sweet, you could hear the clamoring of disappointed and panicked people. You whipped your head over to Sangwoo, the old man, Ali, Gihun, then the girl you had spoken to earlier. She had chosen a triangle to your relief.

The directions were easier said than done. Break the dalgona and you're done.
Beginning to carve out the star, sweat saturating the room, you leaned against one of the ridiculously large playground equipment, seated on the dirt floor. The room was dead silent, nothing but the sounds of faint scratching reaching your ears. Your eyes were so focused on the sugared treat, they began to ache. Your whole body was stiff, and you barely let yourself breathe, wiping the sweat off your face with the sleeve of your jacket every once in a while.

Suddenly, amidst the quiet scratching of needles, a gentle snap could be heard, alarming you and several others. Soft whimpering, begging to be spared could be heard. You then glanced over at the large slide, a man at the top of it with a gun raised to his head. Then, a gunshot sounded, causing you to jolt before watching the body disturbingly inch down the slide, a thick trail of blood following it. Another snap. Sobbing, pleading and another gunshot. And so the frenzy began
Gunshots sounded from left and right, a little blood splattering on your candy and cheek. Perhaps a droplet or two on your shoulder. Trying your best to ignore the bold, red stains on your dalgona, you took a shaky breath and with trembling hands, continued to carve out your shape.
"Player 199. Pass."
The automated voice would say, causing you to glance over at him. Did that moron really pick out all the pieces himself? You quietly scoffed, looking away as you went back to scraping away at the edges of the  star. You were on the clock, and it wouldn't be long before you'd run out of time.

Index

Soboro ppang - Korean bread with a sweet peanut/flour crumble on top. I highly recommend it with some fresh white milk! You can find it at your local Korean bakery, like Tous les Jours and Paris Baguette :)

Eonni - elder sister, can also be used familiarly as a casual term for a slightly older female. Similar to the japanese concept of Senpai (though the direct Korean equivalent is Seonbae)

Ggakddugi - the child often left out in games whether it be through an odd number of players or simply not being included.