Since the beginning of the games, you had stuck with Hyun-ju and Young-mi until the third game, when you ended up separated from them. When you heard “group of five” during the team formation in the third game, Mingle, you thought that might be your last round. I mean, there wasn’t much more you could do... right?

Well, until a girl grabbed your hand, and somehow, you ended up in a room with a guy with purple hair, your weird best friend, the girl who had saved you, and a shy boy who seemed to be her friend.

Leaning against the wall, catching her breath, the girl crossed her arms and looked at you. She had really pretty piercings...

“Well, well, well... look what the wind blew in. A beautiful flower,” said the guy with purple hair, staring at you shamelessly with a smug smile. “I’m Thanos. And you, señorita, what’s your name?”

You let out a sigh and rolled your eyes, completely ignoring his cheesy pickup line. Mimicking the girl’s crossed-arm stance, you turned to her. She was still watching you. “Thanks…”

“Se-mi,” she introduced herself, with a small smirk.

“I thought I was going to die out there. Thank you, Se-mi,” you said, genuinely grateful if it hadn’t been for her, you’d be inside one of those black coffins with a pink ribbon. She just nodded.

“We’ve been trying to get her name for days, but then a pretty girl shows up and that’s the first thing she says,” joked Player 124, laughing.

You just laughed along as Se-mi rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded like “idiot.”

After the third game, you honestly couldn’t stop talking to her. You ate together, talked, even laughed. It was easy to forget where you were when she was around. Unfortunately, you never managed to spend much time alone with her. If it wasn’t Min-su following her around like a lost puppy, it was Thanos and Nam-gyu always nearby, teasing or trying to flirt with you. Which meant you also had to deal with them.

Despite that, you ended up forming a bond with Min-su too. Unlike Thanos and Nam-gyu, he wasn’t unbearable. On the contrary at first, he barely looked you in the eyes, always keeping his head down and speaking softly. But over time, after a few subtle conversations during meals and breaks between games, he started to open up a little. He wasn’t exactly talkative, but he already greeted you with a shy wave and even made small comments. It was his way of showing he trusted you and in that place, that was already a lot.

“Señorita,” called Thanos, pointing at you and then at himself with both thumbs like a cartoon character. “Wanna hear the great Thanos spit some love rhymes?”

You let out an exaggerated sigh and covered your face with your hand, clearly embarrassed by him. “Oh my God, no,” you groaned, peeking at him through your fingers.

“She’s not interested in you, Thanos,” said Se-mi with a laugh as she casually draped her arm over your shoulders, her fingers brushing the side of your neck and making your heart skip a beat. Then she leaned in closer and whispered into your ear, her lips barely touching your skin: “Tell him boys aren’t really your thing.”

You held back a smile, your cheeks flushing slightly as you whispered back, “I think he snaps his fingers and turns to dust if I say it.”

Unfortunately, you didn’t whisper quietly enough.

Thanos, who until then had been pouting, suddenly stopped and blinked. “Wait... what?” He tilted his head slightly. “Did I hear what I think I heard?”

Nam-gyu, who was nearby, burst out laughing. “Oh my God, dude, you got rejected by two girls in less than three days,” he said, also referring to the fact that Se-mi had rejected him when they met on the second day of the games.

Thanos narrowed his eyes and slowly turned toward him, frowning. “Say one more word and I’ll cut off your supply of my pills.”

The long-haired boy shut up immediately, rolling his eyes.

“That’s what I thought,” muttered Thanos, rubbing the tip of his nose before looking back at you, confused. “So... like... are you two together or something?”