KANG SAE-BYEOK ' PELLUCID WATERS

viii.

THE WOMAN WAS NOISY.

Seon-Mi covered her ears with her pillows, but to no avail, the woman kept screaming her lungs out to the circle guard outside the door, watching her as she kicked and pounded on the metal barrier between the warehouse and the hall.

"God, I want to pee too, but can you shut up?" The young woman exclaimed silently as she sat up in defeat. However, just as she turned her head and stood up from her bed, the door opened with a square guard, staring blankly at the eoman who still wouldn't stop making such complaints.

Just then, the familiar figure of the only person she was truly familiar with, blocked the view of the blinding white hallway. Sae-byeok.

"Don't tell me you're going to make use of my hard-earned bathroom break too, wench." The woman mumbled once she noticed the new presence of Seon-Mi behind Player 67. She only looked at her in response before plastering a sardonic smile.

"You were too loud. Let's make it even with the inconvenience."

That earned an eyeroll from the odd numbered player, 67. She slipped out of the warehouse in between the guard and the loud woman, ignoring Seon Mi's remark and mere inches physical closeness to her.

Nevertheless, she could feel her. Her warmth, her childish energy. She could smell her scent and hear the cautious steps she took behind Sae-byeok.

Park wasn't sure if she should call her, or even talk to her. Sae-byeok was getting farther even with how close she was. She wanted to make an excuse to touch her, just merely tap her shoulder and have her look at her the way she looked at her the night in the bathtub.

Seon-Mi cleared her throat, trying her best to dissipate the tense atmosphere as they walked into the long hallway to the restroom.

She did not get a reaction from the short-haired girl other than an audible hitch of her breath.

* * *

SAE-BYEOK was just a few feet away. Seon-Mi tried her best not to look at her, but she was distracting. Everything she did was. 134 washed her hands and splashed water on her face to wake herself up from the trance.

Somehow the coldness of the water made her feel as though she was drowning. It didn't seem possible, but it was when she saw the faces of those she loved. She quickly ran her hands on her face and breathed heavily, shaking as she recovered from it.

Her hands found themselves gripping the porcelain sink, her eyes staring at the hauntung reflection of herself in the mirror. Fuck, she hated this God forsaken country. Why was everything all about money?

As soon as seconds passed and she felt herself again, Seon-Mi looked at where Sae-Byeok was standing earlier. She was still there, present in front of the same mirror that was plastered on the wall.

She was staring at her.

Park stared back ignoring the water that cascaded down her face as she flashed a gentle smile. One that Sae-Byeok has always known her for. This time, she questioned something 67 would never find genuine out of her, "How's your brother?"

The odd-numbered player rolled her eyes and turned to leave before Seon-Mi asked it again, "How's Cheol in that orphanage, hm? Does he know you're in here witha possibility of never coming back? How did hanging out with him aimlessly go?"

That was her breaking point, Sae-byeok turned back again and got a hold of Seon-Mi's jacket collar, pushing her to the nearest wall next to the mirror. Her back hit the cold tiles pressing against her skin underneath the fabrics of her clothes.

A groan escaped her lips as she closed her eyes from the impact made. Her infamous sardonic laughter came after as she fluttered her eyes open slowly, muttering under her breath, "You should have told him."

She knew what she was saying had sense, but how could a child possibly understand the situation she was in? Cheol wouldn't understand! "He's just a child," Sae-byeok replied after all the moments of silence.

"A child who should know if his sister would see him again or not. A child who deserves to know that it isn't his fault he'd be alone in the future."

"Just stop it. Stop talking." 67 mumbled between gritted teeth, slamming her slightly on the wall twice, "I know what I'm doing. Mind your own business."

Her gaze was intense, enough to ignite a flame inside Seon-Mi who continued to take in air rapidly as her chest heaved up and down, neck sculpted with definition as she raised her chin to avoid contact with Sae-byeok's hands that remained on her collar.

"Or what?" Player 134 taunted.

Sae-byeok's eyes never left hers, not until they switched from them to her lips, glancing down for a few seconds before returning her gaze to her to catch herself, making it almost seem as though Seon-Mi was just hallucinating when she saw her line of sight shift, nit just in terms of direction, but also in terms of the meaning behind the windows of her soul.

Player 67 wanted to snap out of it. Seon-Mi's heavy breathing, her breath lightly touching her face and this view — God, it made her feel in control of her, and it felt satisfying as it was. Pleasant and extremely empowering. How could she get over it? Her cheeks flushed crimson red, the temper in her eyes unwavering as her finger slowly made its way up, pressed against her neck.

"We have company," Seon-Mi teased, shoving Sae-Byeok back with the palm of her hand, and a sly smirk on her face. "You're not the only one who's determined to make it out here alive. You already fucked up. Don't keep fucking up again and again. Do your brother a favour, will you?" With that, Park walked to the door, ignoring the glinting switch blade that Sae-Byeok revealed to have in her possession before she completely closed the door.

"They're still not finished," Player 134 informed the circle guard as she waited outside with him, pretending not to hear the commotion the loud woman from earlier kept making.

The silence between the walls of the hall drove her crazy from driving herself to such assumptions about what she had seen earlier from the new side of Player 67. Did she truly look at her like that? Did she really touch her like that?

The thought has made the jacket do its work of keeping her warm during the night, but it wasn't a good sign.