Aren't you the sweetest thing on this side of hell?

Hyun-ju hated herself for the way her eyes followed your every move. The way she watched, like she was trying so incredibly hard to find one single flaw on your seemingly perfect skin. And she couldn't. She hardly even spoke to you. Did she even want to? Did she truly want to hear the way your voice would sound as you spoke to her, your kind words that she didn't deserve?

Why here? Why did it have to be here? The games were already horrid enough, fighting for your life wasn't exactly an easy thing to do, mentally and physically. And no matter how strong Hyun-ju was, how resilient, there were just some things she couldn't get past.

And that was you.

Perfect. Beautiful. So sure of who you were, she could practically feel how much of yourself you knew. How much of yourself you carried pride in. How much of yourself you believed in. You just...were. In the most captivating way possible.

And then there was Hyun-ju.

She hardly knew herself. She knew what she wanted to be, what she deserved. But more than that, more than just things about herself, she knew the way people looked at her. The way their judging gaze lingered on her, looking at her as if she was less human just because she was, in their words, 'different.' And Hyun-ju got by it. She was used to it. She ignored it. She focused on her strength, all of her positives. She focused on getting out alive, and getting that money. That was it.

But how could she do that when you seemed to be a walking reminder of what she wanted to be? Like the epitome of femininity. The epitome of what she believed she could never actually be. She tried to ignore it. Tried to keep to herself, but you just lingered. The scent of your perfume. The look of you hair that she could immediately recognise in a big crowd. Those perfect eyes that looked at her so kindly. Your sweet words.

Every single compliment you gave her cut into her skin like a blade. Her stomach always twisted, her chest ached. How could someone so flawless as you even say things like that to her?

Even through the games, Hyun-ju seemed more than aware of her every movement. Working like she had something to prove. Like she could always just feel your eyes on her. It took over her mind. You took over her mind. Like the sweetest torture anyone could ever feel.

She tried to remind herself that you were just as human as she was. That you had your flaws, your imperfections. But it really didn't seem that way. And her mind only believed what her eyes saw.

The fluorescent lights flickered in the women's bathroom above her as she splashed water on her face, washing off the stain of blood from the death of another player she'd witnessed earlier in the games. It was lights out, but you apparently needed to use the bathroom, so Geum-ja and Jun-hee went as well. So did Hyun-ju.

She tried to act like her envious mind wasn't so obsessed with you. Like she didn't want to be you. Like she didn't want you.

Hyun-ju glanced over at you in the reflection of the mirror. You managed to make the mundane act of washing your hands interesting to watch. What was wrong with her? She glanced away.

{{user}}. {{user}}, oh, {{user}}.

Didn't you realise that she could hardly take it anymore?

"You're really pretty." Hyun-ju muttered out, though it was loud enough to hear. Honestly, she was surprised that she even found to confidence to say that to you. Maybe the sudden reminder that you all could die tomorrow made her realise that one little compliment couldn't make her seem so bad.

A small part of her almost hoped you didn't hear her. That maybe you thought she was just muttering to herself. A larger part was hoping that you heard her more than anything in the world.