#leeminsu

[soxciety]

chapter two. unknown place

summary. When Song Ha-Yoon wakes up in an unknown location, only to find out she has to play games to win a substantial amount of money.

word count. 1420

contents

The soft melody of classical music was the first thing Ha-Yoon heard when she woke up. The girl groaned as she used her hands to clear her eyes. Once her vision was clear and she was fully awake, Ha-Yoon sat up, only to find herself in an unfamiliar place. Her eyes darted around the room, surveying her surroundings, while her hands gripped the blanket tightly.

The room she was in was a bright, rectangular space with metal-framed bunk beds lining the walls. She noticed other people waking up, all dressed in various types of tracksuits. Ha-Yoon looked closer and saw a number on the left side of their jackets. When she glanced down, she realized she had been assigned the number 127. A weight in her pocket caught her attention, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she reached in to discover a hard object. Pulling it out, she found it was the wooden duck her brother had carved for her some time ago. A smile graced her face as she reminisced about that moment.

On October 15th, 2022, Ha-Yoon celebrated her 17th birthday. Her parents had arranged for her and her younger brother, Song Ju-Won, to attend a wood carving workshop, also known as whittling, and she couldn't be more excited. Wood carving has been one of Ha-Yoon's passions since childhood, and she proudly displays a collection of her work in her room. She refers to them as her prized possessions.

Knocking the girl out of her thoughts was her younger brother tapping her shoulder to inform her that they had arrived. Ha-Yoon stepped out of the car with a smile, trying to conceal her excitement as she already knew what she was going to carve. The night before, Ha-Yoon and her brother had decided to carve something for each other and then swap their creations once they were both finished. She had chosen to carve a tiger, a symbol of bravery in Korea, because her brother had been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a type of blood cancer. Ju-Won had been undergoing extensive rounds of chemotherapy, and Ha-Yoon wanted to give him this tiger as a sign of his courage during this challenging time and to encourage him not to give up.

A loud blare of an alarm jolted Ha-Yoon from her thoughts, a frown etched on her face as she recalled that moment, her hands nervously fiddling with the carving. After placing the duck back into her pocket, Ha-Yoon decided to follow the other players. She climbed down from her bunk and maneuvered her way toward the forming crowd, managing to push near the front. The doors at the front slid open, revealing around nine workers, all dressed in pink jumpsuits and black masks adorned with various shapes—most featuring circles, while the one in the center displayed a square.

The square worker stepped forward and said, "I would like to extend a hearty welcome to all of you." Ha-Yoon frowned, feeling uneasy about the situation. "Everyone here will participate in six different games over six days." Faint murmurs could be heard as the square worker spoke.

"Those who win all six games will receive a handsome cash prize." As soon as the cash prize was announced, Ha-Yoon noticed people's eyes brighten with excitement.

"Excuse me," a slightly deep voice interrupted the square. Everyone turned to see where the voice originated, with Ha-Yoon rising onto her tiptoes to get a better view. She spotted a woman with a sleek black bob and the number 120 emblazoned on her jacket. 'She's so pretty,' Ha-Yoon thought. Player 120 stepped down, saying, "You said I'd be playing games, but you practically kidnapped me. How can I believe that?" The crowd shifted their attention back to the front; she had a valid point.

"I apologise. Please understand that it was necessary to maintain the game's security." Square continued.

Another voice calls out from the crowd, "What's with the mask then?" Everyone turns to see an older woman. "Is your face also a secret?"

The man beside her also shouted, "Yeah! Why are you hiding your face? Is this some illegal gambling house?"

"Even the dealers don't cover their faces in those places," the woman exclaims.

It falls silent once more, and the square begins to speak: "To ensure fair gameplay and confidentiality, it is our policy not to reveal the faces and identities of staff. Please understand."

While more people began to ask the worker questions, all Ha-Yoon could think about was how she was truly starting to regret her decision to come here. It was a man's voice next to her that brought her back to reality.

"What about my phone?" he asks as he pushes his way to the front. "Why did you take my phone and wallet? Give them back, please."

"We're keeping your belongings safe. We'll return them once the games are over"

"At least give me my phone. I need to check the crypto market. If I lose money, will you compensate me?"

"We will return it to you once the games are over." The worker repeats.

"I need to monitor the real-time prices! Do you know how much I've invested?" Ha-Yoon huffs, rolling her eyes and wishing he would just give up.

"Player 333, Lee Myung-gi," the square man announces, raising his arm to click the remote in his hand. The large television above them flickers to life, displaying footage of him playing ddakji with a well-dressed man. "Age 30, used to run a youtube channel called MG Coin. After convincing subscribers to invest in a new crypto coin called Dalmatian, causing losses of approximately 15.2 billion won, you shut down and disappeared." Ha-Yoon's eyes widened as she scanned the room, noticing several people looking shocked. One individual stood out: a man with purple hair and the number 230 emblazoned on his jacket. Ha-Yoon recognized him as the retired rapper, Thanos. His eyebrows raised in surprise and intrigue.

"You're wanted for fraud and for violating telecom and financial investment laws. Current debt levels, 1.8 billion won."

"Player 196, Kang Mi-na, 45 million won in debt."

"Player 120, Cho Hyun-ju, 330 million won in debt."

"Player 230, Choi Su-bong, 1.19 billion won in debt."

"Player 198, Jang do-yeong, 1.4 billion won in debt."

"Player 127, Song Ha-yoon, 17 years old, is here to clear her parents' debt of 1 billion won." Ha-yoon's eyes widened upon hearing her name. She blushed and lowered her head as everyone turned to look at her—some with expressions of pity and others in shock at her youth. However, the murmurs quickly ceased when the square man made an even more shocking announcement.

"Player 100, Im Jeong-dae, 10 billion won in debt." Shocked murmurs sounded out, everyone turning to find him. Ha-yoon's jaw dropped as soon as it was mentioned: 10 billion won?

"What are you looking at? Do you think it's easy to get a ten-billion-won loan? They don't lend that kind of money to just anyone! Only to those who are capable of paying it back." The voice behind Ha-yoon shouted, causing her to jump in surprise.

"All of you in this room have crippling debts and are now on a cliff-edge. When we first came to you, you did not trust us either. But as you know, we played a game and gave you money as promised. And so you trusted us and volunteered to participate according to your own free will." Ha-yoon sighed, shifting from one foot to another, getting bored of the talking.

"You have one last chance to decide. Do you want to live like a piece of trash, running from creditors? Or will you seize the last opportunity we are offering?"

The lights dimmed as a plastic, gold piggy bank, illuminated from within, descended from the ceiling, casting a warm golden hue across the room. Everyone looked up, their eyes widening in surprise.

"What you see now is the piggy bank where your valuable prize money will be stored. After each of the six games you will play, the prize money will accumulate in this piggy bank."

"How much is the prize money?"

"The prize money for the games is 45.6 billion won in total."

Ha-yoon's eyes widened; 45.6 billion won is more than enough to clear the debts and get Mr. Kim and his men off her and her parents' backs. She needs this money. A look of determination crosses her face as more thoughts swirl around in her head. 

She will win these games.  

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