Notes: Chapter 5 is finally here! Sorry for the wait! I hope it is good, I am not the best at writing stuff like kiss scenes etc, apologies in advance for that ˃̣̣̣̣︿˂̣̣̣̣
Trigger warning: Drug use, mentioned death, swearing, mentions of violence. Please let me know if I missed anything!!
A few hours had passed since the second game ended, and the vote concluded with a significantly higher number in favour of continuing the games. Dae-ho sat next to Thanos on the metal steps connected to the bunk beds, devouring his meal and ending up with hamster cheeks. “That's cute. The tiger is a hamster, slow down my boy, no one is gonna steal your food.” Thanos spoke with a chuckle that caused Dae-ho to go red with embarrassment.
“Ah yes, sorry I'm just really hungry.” He admitted, and Nam-gyu grinned, practically crawling to Dae-ho, pushing some of his food into his hands.
“Here have some of mine, tiger, we need you big and strong for the next game,” Nam-gyu spoke, voice almost like a purr.
“Wow! Thank you Nam-gyu!” Dae-ho exclaimed happily, he wasted no time and stuffed the extra food in his mouth, making it look like he just inhaled it.
“We should call you Kirby at this point.” Thanos laughed, grabbing two pills from his cross, popping one in his mouth and the other between his lips. Nam-gyu was quick to pounce on the rapper's lap, connecting their lips instantly and stealing the pill with a swipe of his tongue. It didn't stop there, both junkies were adamant on claiming dominance, teeth clashing together, tongues exploring the other's mouth, it was messy, filled with the occasional groan from Su-bong when Nam-gyu sucked his tongue.
Dae-ho, Gyeong-su and Min-su all had looks that ranged from disbelief to flustered to longing. Thanos had a hand on Nam-gyu's hip, a smug smirk evident. “Hey big tiger, maybe you could join in some time yeah?” He offered, causing Dae-ho to choke on the food in his mouth while Nam-gyu laughed mischievously, grabbing one of the blushing man's hands.
“I'll make it worth your while.” Nam-gyu teased, poor Dae-ho was stammering for a response, he had only just met these guys that day! Dae-ho silently thanked the Lord when Thanos immediately diverted his attention to Myung-gi who was on his way to the men's bathroom. The rapper took Nam-gyu and Gyeong-su with him to harass the crypto scammer for changing his vote to leave the games.
Dae-ho looked at Min-su, following his gaze to player 380, he smiled at the telltale blush on the shorter man's face. “You should go talk to her, Min-su, I'm sure she would like you.” He encouraged, gently wrapping an arm around Min-su's shoulder. “I will even go over with you, if you want? I feel bad for that player 390 guy, he is sitting away from his group after voting 'O'. I want to go talk to him, he seems nice!” Dae-ho rambled, not allowing Min-su to object as he was already dragging the timid man to the other side of the dormitory.
While Min-su talked to the woman he had been admiring, Dae-ho approached player 390. “Hello there sir! May I ask why you are eating alone?” He asked, feeling anxious when the man looked at him with unease. “Sorry! Allow me to introduce myself, I am Kang Dae-ho! It means big tiger!” Dae-ho immediately put on his loud, confident persona, making little tiger claws with his hand, a big grin on his face when the older man smiled slightly.
“That's a great name! Nice and strong, Dae-ho! I'm Park Jung-bae!” The man, Jung-bae, introduced himself. Dae-ho felt himself relaxing easily around him; he had a somewhat comforting feeling about him.
Unfortunately, the conversation only lasted 10-20 minutes as an angry Thanos returned with Nam-gyu and Gyeong-su. Clearly, the conversation with Mg Coin didn't go well at all.
The lights had turned off for the night, Dae-ho lay down on his bunk, the thin mattress uncomfortable but definitely better than what his living situation outside of the games was. There was a dip in his bed, and he turned around only to be met face to face with a certain someone. “Thanos?!” Dae-ho's yell of surprise was muffled by the purple-haired man's palm which was pressed over his mouth.
“Shh, relax big tiger... You can call me Su-bong.” Thanos responded, his voice a whisper, and he found himself tugging Dae-ho's hair tie away, a dopey grin on his face when he began brushing the strands of hair with his fingers. “You should wear your hair down more often,” Su-bong whispered, lips next to Dae-ho's ear, he wrapped his arms around him, pulling his body flush against his.
“Thano- I mean, Su-bong,” Dae-ho corrected himself. “What are you doing?” He asked, not that he was complaining, after all, he was a clingy person and holding onto someone in such a scary place was reassuring.
“My bed is uncomfortable and it's fucking cold in here, you are okay with warming your leader, right?” Su-bong chuckled, pulling Dae-ho closer.
“Wait, what about Nam-gyu? I thought you were dating?” Dae-ho responded, deep down, he felt a pang of envy at the thought of Su-bong being with another.
“Nah tiger, that is just for the drugs, Nam-su is just a friend.” Su-bong laughed, fingers carding through Dae-ho's hair, the action eventually pulling them both to sleep.
During breakfast the next morning, Nam-gyu had a bitter look on his face after seeing Dae-ho and Su-bong cuddled up to each other when sleeping. ‘Game on Thanos’ He thought to himself, making sure to hold Dae-ho's arm when the guards led everyone to the third game.
Su-bong looked excited and let out a small cheer, Dae-ho realised he had most likely guessed the next game, his brows furrowing when he opened his cross necklace and popped a pill in his mouth, passing one to Nam-gyu.
Dae-ho stumbled when the platform began to rotate, grabbing onto Su-bong's arm to stabilise himself, his eyes widening to the size of saucers when he noticed Su-bong and Nam-gyu beginning to dance along to the playful music and catchy song.
The platform came to an abrupt halt. “10 players.” Announced the mechanical voice from the speakers, coloured lights began flashing, Dae-ho held Min-su steady before the smaller man fell.
They made it into one of the rooms, the door locking after the timer ran out, there were 10 of them: Player 120, Player 095, Player 044, Se-mi, Jun-hee, Su-bong, Nam-gyu, Gyeong-su, Min-su and Dae-ho. Player 120 was called Hyun-ju, she had a protective arm around player 95, Young-mi. Player 044, Seon-nyeo was a shaman, she had an unpleasant vibe to her.
Dae-ho flinched and covered his ears when gunshots were fired outside the door, eliminating those who failed to find a group in time, the screams and begging to be spared didn't help at all.
After the bodies were removed from the floor, the doors opened, and the players now made their way to the platform for another round. Dae-ho felt nauseous, he looked away from Thanos and Nam-gyu who giggled and danced cheerfully, too high to care about what's at stake. Once again the rotation came to a sudden halt. “5 Players.” The countdown started, lights flashing yet again. Su-bong, Nam-gyu, Gyeong-su, Min-su and Dae-ho made it into one of the rooms with still some seconds to spare.
Nam-gyu used the moment to press himself up against Dae-ho. “You don't look too well, big tiger,” He spoke, staring into his eyes. Dae-ho took deep breaths, wiping his eyes as he tried his best to calm down. Su-bong sauntered over when the gunshots started firing once again, placing a hand against his cheek.
“Nam-su, let him breathe.” He sighed, pushing Nam-gyu away and hugging Dae-ho.
“It's Nam-gyu.” The shorter man responded with a snarl.
“Yeah, that's what I said.” Su-bong rolled his eyes. Dae-ho looked at Gyeong-su and Min-su, wondering if they could also feel the rising tension.
A few more rounds passed, and the next number was 3. Dae-ho was now in a room with Nam-gyu and Su-bong, sandwiched between the two. “Ah... This really isn't the time..” Dae-ho blushed, his voice strained. Nam-gyu was playing with the zipper on Dae-ho's jacket with a Cheshire grin and Su-bong was busy placing kisses on Dae-ho's neck.
“Shh, just let us take real good care of you, okay?” Su-bong whispered in his ear, his hands slowly moving down, gripping his hips and pulling Dae-ho flush against him. However, before he could go any further, the door unlocked.
The final round was pure chaos, 126 players remained with only 50 doors, and the number called out was 2. Dae-ho pushed Nam-gyu and Su-bong forward so they wouldn't argue as to who went with whom. Se-mi, player 380, grabbed Min-su and ran since Myung-gi had taken Jun-hee with him before she could. Dae-ho and Gyeong-su sprinted towards a door, the former punching someone who grabbed onto his jacket to try and pull him out of the way. Gyeong-su kicked the man, grimacing at the sound of bones snapping. He and Dae-ho had made it into the room just in time, the doors locked, gunshots and screams now an all too familiar sound that the two were almost unaffected.
If things were tense before, they just became a whole lot worse. The vote back in the dorm had ended in a tie, a tiebreaker was to be held the next day. Dae-ho followed Nam-gyu's murderous glare, heart sinking when his eyes met Min-su, now adorning a red 'X' patch. Dae-ho sighed, he held Nam-gyu's hand. “Leave it.” He mumbled, walking to collect his meal.
