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lokidjarin-7567 · 3 days ago

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I Hate It Here ~ Part 2

Kang Dae-ho x Reader

You had survived the first few games together, and your friendship was growing stronger, but your newfound trust would still have to withstand the deadliest game so far.

fem!reader, fluff, see part 1 for more

5.1k words

And here it is - the promised part 2!! I haven’t decided if I’m doing a part 3 yet, but hope you enjoy this for now <3

Taglist: @itsvaleriegarza @marymustdie @hardbeingcasual @onlyangle1 @mady005 @loonysbarn @ghostofscarley

TTPD Contents | General Masterlist | AO3

<- part 1

The sun beat down on you, tinted shades doing little to shield you from its glare. You could feel the warmth of the sand beneath your bare legs and back, the pink grains soaking up every beam of light. You stretched out your hands far above your head, content and peaceful as your body sank further into the malleable surface, eyes drifting closed.

Then your peace was interrupted by a shower of droplets, salty water splattering your skin. You squealed, opening your eyes to see Dae-ho standing over you, smile wider than you’d ever seen it, shaking his long, dripping hair like a puppy.

“Dae-ho!” You gasped, secretly grateful for the splash of cool. He laughed, standing straight again and running his hands through the tangled locks. You were glad for the opportunity it gave you to gaze at him like this - happy and free. He was almost shining in the sun, the ocean drops still clinging to his form and practically glittering in the light. The way his body moved when he laughed was like art, toned chest rising and falling, arms flexing as he pulled his hair back into a lazy bun.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.” He said with a grin, sitting on the soft sand beside you. His fingers moved to trace the droplets still sitting on your arm, connecting them with soft strokes like a constellation across your skin. You hummed in contentment.

“I just looked too relaxed, did I?” You asked in cheek, smile widening.

“Exactly. Need to keep you on your toes.” You closed your eyes again, only to feel his dripping wet head touch your shoulder mere moments later. You squinted, looking down to see him sprawled out across the sand perpendicular to you, arm draped across his eyes and using you as a pillow. Your heart swelled at the domesticity of it, the way he was so relaxed around you. Free from the games, free from your lives in the bustling city, free from the debt that used to drown you. It was a side of him you loved seeing; when he wasn’t on edge, or feeling like he always had to protect you from something. Just… calm. You pressed a feather light kiss to his forehead, the taste of salt and the scent of him filling your senses, and you watched as his lips curved slightly at the gesture.

Then something caught your eye. A flash of colour, just at the edge of your vision. There, by the sea front, a person was standing in a pink jumpsuit. Your heart dropped at the sight of them, recognising the uniform of the guards even without the signature mask. You moved to sit up, but Dae-ho’s head rested heavy on your shoulder. You tried to speak, to warn him, but nothing came out. Their face was blurry, but you knew they were looking at you somehow, whole body paralysed in fear. Then they started to move closer. Their steps were quick, and you tried to scream again, to move, to do anything but nothing happened. You couldn’t move, couldn’t make a sound. You could only watch as the faceless figure pulled a gun from their pocket, and shot Dae-ho in the chest.

You woke abruptly, gasping for air as your mind slowly worked out where you were, simultaneously relieved and disappointed to still be in this place. You took a few seconds to calm your panic, using the rise and fall of Dae-ho’s chest under your hand to slow your racing heart. His own hand had fallen from your waist in sleep, so you slowly and gently shuffled yourself out from under the bunks, careful not to wake him. As soon as you were sitting up, you ran your hands over your face, only to realise it was wet from the silent tears that had fallen from your dream. You wiped them away, steeling yourself, before glancing up to see who was awake. Young-il and Jung-bae were on watch right now, but from the looks of it, Jung-bae had fallen asleep, much to the annoyance of Player 001, who had a firm scowl on his face. Coincidently, Gi-hun seemed to wake up at the same time as you, crawling out from the single mattress with a yawn.

“Young-il…” you muttered quietly, not wanting to wake Jung-bae from his peaceful position, curled on the floor like a baby. “Have you been awake since we switched?” He nodded wordlessly, and he looked exhausted, eyes starting to droop. “Go to sleep for a while. I can look out for now.”

“Are you sure?” You opened your mouth to speak, but Gi-hun answered for you.

“I’ll stay up with her too. I won’t be able to fall asleep now anyway.” You nodded in agreement, and Young-il gently bowed his head in your direction. He settled himself in the single mattress, while Gi-hun woke Jung-bae gently, ushering him to where you had just been sleeping, insisting he would be in pain tomorrow if he slept on the floor. He agreed quietly, still half asleep, and barely a minute after he had settled in, you heard his soft snores once more.

You sat in silence with Gi-hun for a while, still rattled from your dream. It had been such an intense dichotomy; the beauty and peace ruined with senseless violence. The feeling of losing him was still stuck in your throat, sharp and painful, and you tucked your legs to your chest, hugging them tight in the hope that it might give you some small comfort.

“Are you ok?” Gi-hun muttered, sensing the fear radiating from you.

“Yeah, I just… how did you do it? When you won the last game… how did you cope with… losing people? Or did you manage to stay detached…” He laughed coldly at that, interrupting your rambling and shaking his head.

“When I woke up in that first game, I discovered that my childhood friend was there too. He was so well known in the community we grew up in - a genius that graduated from SNU, the pride of Ssangmun-dong. Everything I know about this game, I learnt from him. His perception every time we played something new, his ability to read the other people, his intelligence and strategy… it kept me alive for so long. Then he started to let the game get to him. Became more ruthless, killing people to get what he wanted. There was a young girl - someone who stole from me just before the game, but we became allies fast and I started to think of her like…” He paused, emotion raw as his voice cracked at the mention of her. “You remind me of her, actually. Resourceful, smart, kind….” Another pause, and he clenched his jaw, composing himself. “We were the final three. And he killed her in cold blood. Then in the final game…” He didn’t need to finish his sentence. Your heart hurt for him, losing the people he loved and cared about in such a brutal way, so out of his control. Even if his friend had changed, that wouldn’t have stopped how much it hurt to have to do that.

“But… couldn’t you have split the money and walked? The three of you?” A tear fell from his eye at that, the only sign of emotion perceptible on his face, and he sighed sadly as he wiped it away.

“That wasn’t a rule in our game. It was walk and get nothing, or kill and get everything. I wanted to choose the former, but when he killed Sae-byeok… I had no choice.” You nodded.

“What was his name?” He finally glanced at you then, shock falling across his features briefly before being replaced with a sad smile.

“Sang-woo. Cho Sang-woo.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Gi-hun. Truly. This game…” You reached for his hand, gripping it tight in both of yours, and he nodded, placing his other hand on your arm comfortingly.

“Thank you. I’ve not… Nobody has asked about them, because nobody knows what happened to them. So thank you for giving me the chance to talk about them. They were good people, truly, even after everything.” He nodded to you one last time, before removing his hands from yours and clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, I got sidetracked… in answer to your question, I didn’t manage to stay detached from it. I lost everyone, and not a day goes by where I don’t think of them.” He turned to face you, eyes scanning your undoubtedly terrified face. “I’m sorry, I know that the answer you wanted.”

“It’s not, but it’s the answer I expected. It’s too late anyway. I fear I’m already irrevocably attached to this team.” You sighed deeply, hugging your legs tightly.

“I guess we’ll all just have to stay alive for one more game.”

The music started, and you watched as everyone woke up, your team crawling from beneath the beds. The anxiety of what the day might bring was already making you sick to your stomach, but as soon as Dae-ho was in view, grinning widely when he spotted you, you instantly felt calmer.

“Morning.” He said cheerily, sitting next to you as the speakers announced that the next game would commence shortly, a 30 minute timer starting to tick down. His hand found yours, sensing your fear and panic that still lingered, thumb tracing comforting patterns across your palm.

“Morning.” You replied quietly. It was an improvement from the previous morning, when you hadn’t been able to speak at all. Right now, you just needed him to distract you. To help you forget what was about to happen. “Did you sleep ok?” He laughed lightly.

“I did, although I did get a shock this morning when I rolled over to see Jung-bae’s face instead of yours!” You laughed at that.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t sleep.” He just smiled, hand drifting to your face and tucking a stray hair behind your ear. You’d tied it up to sleep, but it had come loose, stands falling out and getting in your way. He seemed to notice, fingers lingering on the locks just a moment too long.

“Shall I braid it for you? Get it out of your way to help you focus today?” His voice was so genuine, so empathetic, you almost felt like you were going to cry.

“You can braid hair?” You asked, and he just gave you a look that seemed to say ‘really?’. “Right, 4 sisters.”

“Exactly. My sisters made me learn when I was young, and I used to braid their hair for pocket money, so I think that makes me a professional hair stylist, actually…” You giggled, heart warm. “Now spin around, lets see what we can do…”

It was exactly what you needed to distract you. When he was so close, it was the only thing you could think about - his hands gently running through your hair, his legs pressed firmly against your back, his breath fanning against your neck. And he was right; he was practically a professional. It was tight, but not too much to hurt. There were no flyaways, no annoying strands to get in your way. It was perfect.

He moved to sit in front of you once it was done, making a show of checking it like a real stylist would, making you laugh as he gently moved your head from side to side, hand lingering on your jaw.

“Beautiful…” he muttered, and you smiled warmly, gaze lingering on every detail of his face, committing it to memory. His puppy dog eyes, the curve of his lips, the slope of his nose. The comfort he brought you even during the darkest time of your life continued to surprise you, the sweetness and optimism you usually found irritating perfectly balancing out your pessimistic nature.

“Thank you.” You replied earnestly, and he leant forward, placing a quick kiss to your forehead as the speakers instructed you to line up in the centre of the room.

“Always.”

When you entered the game room, you didn’t know what to make of it. It was almost circular in shape, walls lined with multicoloured doors, and a large, carousel-like podium in the centre. The ceiling looked like a circus tent, swooping, striped curtains covered in lights that illuminated the whole space. Dae-ho’s hand reached out to yours instinctively, holding it tight as you were instructed to make your way onto the platform, and that you would be playing Mingle. You listened to the instructions as your team strategised, planning out the best combinations if different numbers were called out. You squeezed Dae-ho’s hand tighter, and your eyes met in a silent pact. No matter what was called, you would stick together.

Let the game begin.

The podium stuttered to life, spinning slowly as the room was filled with the sound of a childlike song, lights changing to the beat. Then, it stopped suddenly, lights darkening as the first number was called out.

You all looked around, trying to find more players to join your group, but Gi-hun was fastest, grabbing a hold of Player 120 and asking how many people were in her team. She answered 4, and you all looked around for another player, but it was chaos, everyone grabbing each other left right and centre and running into the multicoloured rooms. Player 120 spied someone, grabbing her, and you all ran to a green door, Dae-ho’s hand on the small of your back, guiding you as you sprinted as fast as you could. Young-il made it to the door first, holding it open and ushering everyone into the room, counting as he went, then closing the door behind you once everyone was safe. You took a second to breathe, heart racing, then you heard the gunshots. You flinched, and Dae-ho’s arm protectively wrapped around your shoulders, pulling your back close to his chest.

The shooting stopped, and the only thing that could be heard in the room was everyone’s heavy breathing, still in shock from what just happened.

“You’re alive thanks to me!” Player 044 exclaimed, her harsh, loud voice making you all jump. She walked up and down the room, looking at each of you with intensity. She paused at you and Dae-ho, glancing between your faces and his protective stance, a small smirk appearing on her face. You didn’t realise you were holding your breath until she moved away, sighing and glancing up at him in confusion.

“So, there’s a reason you’ve lived longer than you were destined to.” She spoke matter-of-factly, and you whipped your head around to see her directly addressing Gi-hun. “There’s a reason you were brought here.” Nobody spoke, confused and unnerved, ignoring her strange words and instead listening carefully as the intercom rattled off a list of eliminated players. Eventually, the door unlocked, and you headed back to the central platform, which was now painted with blood.

Dae-ho grabbed your hand as it started to spin again, now standing as a group of ten, waiting for the music to stop. It somehow still surprised you when it did, the motion of the carousel grinding to a halt almost knocking you over, and the speakers announced the number.

Your heart dropped. You’d have to split up, and if one of your group didn’t make it…

“You four, go, go…” Young-il said quickly, and before any of you had a chance to respond, he was lost in the chaos, shouting for three more players. You paused, trying to find him in the crowd, all of you frozen in shock, but Jung-bae snapped out of it first, grabbing Dae-ho’s arm and moving.

“We have no choice. Let’s go.” Dae-ho’s hand was tight around yours, dragging you to follow, and you grabbed a hold of Gi-hun, forcing him to move. You made it to a purple room, piling in quickly, but there were still 12 seconds on the clock, so Gi-hun stood in the doorway, eyes frantically scanning the crowd for any sign that Player 001 was safe.

“Do you think Young-il will be ok?” Dae-ho asked, voice shaking, and you squeezed his hand tighter, nodding furiously.

“He has to be.” Your voice was unwavering, but it was a front, your heart sinking further and further into your stomach as the time ticked down and Gi-hun still hadn’t caught a glimpse of him. As the clock hit 2 seconds, Jung-bae muttered his name quietly, pulling him inside, and shutting the door quickly. You heard it lock, and a deathly silence fell over the space. All you could do now was wait.

As the doors unlocked, you all hurried out, scanning the room and calling his name. You saw Player 120 and the rest of her team exit a room nearby, and you were relieved momentarily for them, making a mental note to stay near them the next round too.

“Gi-hun!” You heard a voice call behind you, and saw Young-il walking towards you all, a smile on his face. You breathed a huge sigh of relief, quickly moving towards him and giving him a big hug, so grateful that you were all still alive.

“I knew you were going to be ok!” Jung-bae exclaimed dramatically, patting him on the back as you released him. “I knew it! You’re not just anybody.” He laughed in response, grinning widely.

“I was worried.” Gi-hun said, looking at him intensely, tears in his eyes. “I’m glad you made it.”

“I’m a likeable guy, so I’m good at games like this.” He said lightly, but something in you thought he was downplaying it. Gi-hun was still yet to take his eyes off him, scanning him as though he had just woken up from a dream, coming to terms with the fact he was actually alive and well.

You stood together on the platform again, saying a quick hello and well done to Player 120 and her team. They were kind people, all expressing how glad they were that you were safe too, especially the older woman - Player 149 - who was arm in arm with her son. The music started once again, and you were more used to the movement. It stopped a lot quicker than you expected though, surprising you.

Fear flashed through you briefly, but there was also a clarity. A realisation. If that’s how terrified you had felt when Young-il wasn’t with you, how would you feel if you didn’t know Dae-ho was safe? If he couldn’t find a room in time? You swallowed, glancing at Gi-hun, but he was already looking at you. After your talk last night, you knew that he would understand the look in your eyes. I will not let any of them die for me to survive. I couldn’t live with myself. You nodded at each other silently in acknowledgement.

“Go.” You said firmly, and Dae-ho called your name, but you grabbed Gi-hun’s hand, quickly moving in the other direction with him to find a third player. You could hear his protests behind you as Jung-bae and Young-il dragged him towards a room, but you ignored them, tears in your eyes as you searched the crowd. You saw her at the same time; the mother, Player 149, frozen, staring at two other players who were forcefully dragging her son into a different room. You ran to her as fast as you could, Gi-hun just ahead, wrapping your arm around her tightly and forcing her to move as he went ahead and found a room for you. You made it with barely a second to spare, collapsing on the floor next to her in exhaustion.

“Are you alright?” Gi-hun asked her gently. She looked defeated, staring blankly at the wall, but she responded quickly as soon as she realised he was speaking to her.

“Oh. Oh, yes. Thank you. You two saved my life.”

“Not at all,” you replied, “you saved ours. I’m sorry you and your son got separated, but I saw him get into a room so at least you’re both ok.” She breathed a sigh of relief at that, grabbing your hand in both of hers.

“That’s wonderful, I didn’t quite see him get in so that’s such a relief. Thank you, thank you so much...”

As the door unlocked, you exited cautiously, scanning the room for the rest of your team.

“Mrs Jang!” You heard a voice cry out, and you watched with a smile as the two other members of her team ran up to greet her, enveloping her in a big hug.

“Goodness! I’m so glad you’re ok.” She exclaimed, holding them tight. You grabbed Gi-hun’s arm as you watched their reunion, touched. “You’re not hurt at all, are you?” She asked, looking over each of them closely as another player followed up behind them, and Player 120 gestured towards him.

“He saved our lives.”

“Mr. 246 here showed up when we were running out of time, just like Prince Charming!” He blushed and looked down as Player 095 spoke, a small smile on his face.

“Boy, you do look like a prince. Thank you so much!” Watching the interaction Mrs Jang had with her teammates was making you tear up a little. She viewed them as children, her love showing through in her actions so clearly.

“Not at all. These two saved my life.” Player 246 spoke up as she shook his hand warmly.

“Where’s Young-sik?” Player 120 asked, just noticing that she had been with you and Gi-hun rather than her son. But before she could answer, a quiet voice spoke up from just behind her.

“Mum…” He was frozen, breathing shaky, but she went up to him quickly, reassuring him as he broke down apologising. Player 120 asked what happened quietly, and you were in the middle of telling her when you heard a familiar voice call your name. You spun around to see Dae-ho nearly sprinting towards you, eyes red and bloodshot, scooping you up before you even had a second to register what was happening. His grip was vice-like, almost winding you as he held you flush to his body, burying his face in your neck. You wrapped your arms around his neck, hands finding purchase in his hair and running through it soothingly, a few tears falling with relief.

“It’s ok, I’m ok. We both made it.” You muttered as he pulled back slowly, eyes scanning you for any signs of injury, hands moving from your back up to hold your face gently. You sighed into his touch as he wiped the tears from your eyes, your own hands resting lightly on his chest.

“Why did you do that?” He whispered, voice broken and raw, and it shattered your heart, but at least he was alive.

“I couldn’t lose you. I needed to make sure you were safe. I’m sorry.” Your hands bunched up into fists, gripping his shirt tight as he moved closer to you, resting his forehead to yours in a promise.

“Stay with me next time. I can’t… you can’t just…” You interrupted his broken rambles.

“I promise.”

Your fingers were laced together tightly as the movement started again, deja-vu hitting you, and you couldn’t help but wonder how many rounds were left of this hell. It stopped quite quickly again, lights cutting out as panicked murmurs rose up all around you.

There were ten of you in your little group now, and you felt yourself start to panic.

“4 women, 2 men, go!” Gi-hun shouted quickly, and Jung-bae asked which 2 men, but before that question could be answered, Dae-ho and Young-sik gathered you up, quickly pushing you towards a door. The first one you opened was full, the team inside screaming at you to leave, but you heard Player 120 calling to say she had found an empty room. You and Dae-ho made it in first, closely followed Young-sik and his mum. You glanced back out through the open doorway, and could see the four you’d left behind grabbing two people and heading towards a room of their own. You breathed a sigh of relief, the time ticking fast, but Player 120 stopped, looking back at all of you.

“Where’s Young-mi?” She asked. She stepped out from the doorframe, wildly looking for her, but before she could go any further, a player you didn’t recognise shoved her hard, moving into the room and slamming the door just as the clock reached zero. Shock rippled through you, and the realisation hit that one of their own was still outside. Her face appeared outside the door, tears in her eyes, and Player 120 ran straight to her, saying her name over and over and frantically trying to open the door. Then you heard the gunshot.

When the doors unlocked, everyone was quiet and despondent. You’d lost someone. You felt sorry for her teammates, of course you did, but you couldn’t help but feel incredibly grateful that it wasn’t one of your own group. The player who had saved the rest of you was still trailing behind you, and you recognised him now as the guy who Young-il had saved on the first day - Myung-gi, or something like that. He already had a lot of enemies in here, and now he’d just gained one more.

The final round will now begin.

Dae-ho hadn’t once let go of your hand, and you were still standing side-by-side, arms pressed together. Myung-gi was standing just behind you awkwardly, trying to stay close to some people he knew, but keeping his distance from who he just betrayed.

“What do you think it will be this time?” Jung-bae asked nervously.

“Two.” Young-il replied, quick and definitive.

“Why?”

“There are 126 people left, and there are 50 rooms. So there won’t be enough rooms for everyone, only 100 hundred people. The rest will be killed.”

“If he’s right,” Dae-ho whispered, “the moment it’s announced we run straight forward to the first room we see, ok? No hesitating.”

“Ok.” You responded, gripping his hand tighter.

You didn’t stop for even a second, running straight past everybody else and towards the blue door ahead of you. He was faster than you, but only just, and his hand never left yours even though you were trailing behind. You made it to the door with time to spare, and you slammed it closed, throwing your bodies against it to prevent anyone from opening it before the time was up. You slid to the floor, using your feet to leverage your body weight, watching the time slowly tick and bracing for impact, but it never came.

The clock hit zero, and the door locked.

You immediately started crying, quickly moving from the door and throwing your arms around Dae-ho, hugging him tight as you waited for the guns to stop firing, so relieved that it was over. You sat back from him just slightly, hands finding purchase on his shoulders and listening carefully as they announced the eliminated players. You smiled widely when your team weren’t called, his hands finding grip on your forearms as he grinned back at you. You were inches away from each other now, your legs draped across his, exhausted breaths filling the space between you.

“We did it.” He whispered, hands moving to wipe your tears yet again. There was a tenderness in his eyes that was indescribable and warm, echoing your own feelings.

“Holy shit, we actually did it.” You laughed in disbelief. And in that moment, in your exhaustion and delirium, you couldn’t help yourself, hands gliding to the back of his neck and pressing your lips to his. It was brief, barely a kiss as you realised what you’d just done, letting him go and flushing bright red.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” He cut you off by placing one finger across your lips gently. His hand moved to your chin, gently guiding you to face him. As soon as his eyes met yours, earnest and kind, you knew you hadn’t made a mistake. He kissed you then, slowly and tenderly. One hand wrapped around your waist to pull your body flush to his, and the other rested against your jaw, keeping you angled just how he wanted. Your hands settled in his hair, legs practically wrapped around his waist as you tried to get closer, needing more of him. All of him. You hummed against his lips in contentment, feeling him smile against you before pulling back for air. You were completely breathless, but your lips chased his regardless, and he laughed lightly.

“Beautiful, kind angel.” He whispered, pressing another feather light kiss to your lips. “We’re gonna make it out of here, you hear me? We’re going to get out, and I’m going to take you on a proper date.” You smiled, giddy at the feeling of his hand on your waist and his body against yours.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” You pressed your lips to his again, earning a soft, affectionate groan. Then the door unlocked, and you sighed. You didn’t want to go out there, back to the other people, back to reality, back to the voting and games and politics of it all. You wanted to just stay in this tiny room until you could go home. But he moved first, giving you one last kiss before untangling his legs, quickly standing up before helping you. “Let’s go home.”

#kang dae ho x reader #dae ho x reader #squid game s2 #squid game #dae ho #kang dae ho #player 388 x reader #player 388 #taylor swift #the tortured poets department #i hate it here #fanfic #fanfiction

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