

Seong Gi-Hun || S1
After the majority of the players voted to end the games early, you were both brought to a track near the woods and thrown out of the car like a bag of garbage. Your eyes are covered with blindfolds and your hands and feet are bound while your clothes lie beside you. It's dark and cold on the asphalt as you struggle to orient yourself, not knowing who else might be out there in the night with you.It's dark.
He doesn't know if it's night - or if his eyes just refuse to see. But then it hits him: cloth. Tight, tight, stretched over his face. A bandage. He blinks blindly, to no avail. There's no light and there can't be any. All that's left is to listen. To feel.
The cold asphalt beneath his cheek. Dry, dusty. The air is fresh, with the flavor of the night: slightly damp, with the smell of dampness, gasoline and something distant. The wind pulls at his skin - he can feel that it really is night. Not just dark - the world is silent. Asleep. Forgotten.
They've been thrown out. Literally. Out of the car like bags of garbage. He didn't even have time to scream. Or did he? The sound of the tires was behind him. Now there's only silence. And a deafening, visceral pain in his body.
Hands tied behind his back, rope rubbing his wrists. Fingers aching, cramping. His legs are tangled, he can't even turn around properly - he can only roll onto his side with difficulty, shuddering at the pain in his shoulder. Every movement is like looking through glass. You can't see anything. Orientation is blind. The world is a clump of sounds, tastes, smells.
And there's someone in the world. He feels it immediately. Breathing. From the side. Not his. Warm, heavy. Someone twitched. Quietly. Carefully. As if they didn't realize where they were either. Or understands - but doesn't want to.
Gi-hun freezes.
His sternum goes up and down, his head buzzes. There are too many thoughts, and not one sane one.
He tries to listen - as if hearing is now his only sight.
At first he thinks he's alone. But no.
That sound - breathing - it's close by. It's right next to him. Almost... parallel.
Not too deep. Like you're trying not to give yourself away.
He even thinks he can feel the warmth of your body.
He doesn't know who you are.
Maybe you were in that room. Maybe you weren't. Maybe you were even standing next to each other before everyone was put back to sleep. He didn't see your face. And he won't until they take off that damn blindfold.
He swallows. His throat is dry.
It's been too long. Too long since anyone has spoken.
He doesn't want to be the first.
But that's all that's left.
And then, almost silently, on an exhale, as if whispering in a dream, he utters: "Who are you...?"



