Sitting on an ordinary wooden bench was a pale, unhealthy boy. The boy in question was actually 16, turning 17 in a few weeks, which, of course, didn't matter. In his cold hands was a hot coffee, it felt like boiling water to his hands although it was barely above 80 degrees. He didn't complain though as this was the first time he was able to treat himself in a long time, perhaps the first ever since his parents died, his mother to disease, and his father in a construction accident while repairing air filters for the city.
The boy, whose name was Sunny, felt out of place as he looked around the park where he sat. Parents walked by him giving him looks of pity and disgust, children made sure to take a step away from him, and even animals made sure to stay far away from him. He didn't care though as he was sure he wouldn't be alive to see next week. After all, he had been chosen as the next "volunteer" for the horrid games called "the squid games." People who called themselves "businessmen" would often head out to the outskirts and "offer" a chance to whoever they spotted, whether they be half dead or sick.
What sickened Sunny was how they would force you to participate even if you rejected, not like people like him had any choice. Sunny had often seen people who rejected the men get taken away in a black van, never to be seen again. Stories of what happened to people were unreliable but he had been able to piece together how it all worked from whispers and rumors that had more credibility than others. Apparently, after they take you you would wake up in a facility with 455 other people. Guards would show up after a few minutes and explain the rules and all that before leading you to the first game. After that, they would return and wait until the next day to do it all again until only two remained.
Once there were only two people left they would play a game called "squid game" which was actually how it ended up called squid games. The two would fight to the death until one remained, in which they would be sent back with enough cash to live lavishly in the city. Of course, though the money came at the price of everyone who died before them. Sunny had once wondered how the government hadn't shut it down by now, but the answer came easily to him, money. Human greed was a terrible thing and sin, government officials would turn a blind eye when complaints of the games reached them, and citizens would ignore people like him as they got dragged away like animals. Actually, they were less than animals to the people called "The V.I.P.s" who paid for each game hosted as if it were a TV show.
It wasn't fair that they were treated differently and basically a lamb to the slaughter, but he knew better than to waste energy on hate. After all, he had been chosen this year for the games. He had been sloppy at running away this year, or perhaps he was just tired of hiding and running, living a little less like a cockroach and only surviving on spite. Either way, he wasn't sitting on this particular bench for no reason as he knew better benches that were more comfortable to sleep on. But he was simply waiting to get picked up by the van instead of being hunted. He may live like a cockroach but he certainly had standards!
Smiling at his own joke he took another sip of his coffee that was now getting cold before making a face.
"Blah, I should've added sugar to this damn thing, or better yet had gotten real meat."
Grumbling and complaining he continued drinking, he wasn't about to waste what had cost him his life's savings. Plus he had worse and in less than comfortable environments. He may be an outcast to the public but he couldn't be kicked out for simply existing, the stares he got at first made him uncomfortable but he eventually got used to it and simply didn't care after a while.
Sunny enjoyed the quiet moment as he didn't know how much longer he would be able to. He wasn't about to give up, but his chances of winning were realistically slim to none. He had seen scrawnier, tougher, stronger, and weaker people never return but most of the winners who did were on the stronger and taller side. Sunny was on the short side and was weaker than even most of the malnourished people in the outskirts.
Sunny had actually visited Rain before this, his sister whom he gave up to adoption when she was 5 as he was too old to be adopted. He had spent some time looking throughout the city to find her and got lucky on one rainy night. He got to see her be happy as she spent the night watching a movie with her family, spending time, and playing with her little siblings. He watched with a weary look as they all seemed so happy, especially Rain who laughed when their dad said something funny. Sunny wanted to come in, to tell her that he was her brother and that he wanted to tell her goodbye before he got taken.
But he pushed the thoughts away as he simply stared at them in the rain. He wasn't about to ruin what Rain had, she had a family, food, a house, a home…
He had nothing except the clothes on his back, actually, the clothes weren't even his as he had stolen them from a shopkeeper. He would bring nothing but trouble if he were to enter Rain's life again, even if it was for a moment. He didn't want to feel pity from his own sister and he didn't want her only memory of him to be of him in rags and so he simply walked away. Sad but content to see his precious sister one last time before his time came.
Snapping back into the present Sunny noticed his coffee cup was empty and its warmth was fading fast. He tried to throw the cup into the recycling bin that was in front of him but the wind knocked it away as it bounced off the floor. Grumbling he picked it up and threw it into the trash can before going back to sit on the bench as he played the waiting game.
In his pockets he held a knife and in the other some bandages. He spent the remainder of his cash on a weapon and some medical supplies that they hopefully wouldn't confiscate as they took him. If they didn't then Sunny would most likely have an advanced among others who probably didn't prepare like him. He recalled people who he considered crazy for purposely wanting to get caught by the businessmen to be sent to the games but he could tell where they were coming from.
People hated the games because they killed people and most likely would kill them too. But some people believe or hope that they would be the person who survives so they would purposely get caught to have a chance to get rich. He remembered a girl named Aiko who had been one of those people who had actually survived and came back filthy rich, flaunting her wealth before opening shops all over the city and even in the outskirts. He had gotten the bandages and knife from one of her shops which he found ironic.
He wasn't particularly close with the woman but he had once saved her from a group of thugs that tried to rob her before he stepped in and kicked their ass. Luckily she was in the area, and almost begrudgingly, gifted him the knife hoping it would help him survive to which he thanked her profusely. He wasn't the one to give thanks to people often but he hadn't lost his manners living in the outskirts, plus the knife was diamond plated which made it extra deadly. Taking it out of his pocket he pulled open the pocket knife as the diamond blade glittered in the moonlight.
It was probably the most expensive thing he'll ever own but the blade gave him some comfort that maybe he'll survive. Smiling, he pulled back the blade and put it back in his pocket. When he received the knife he trained with it a little bit to get used to knife-wielding but he almost cut himself and his fingers from trying to do stabbing and slashing movements. But eventually, he got it and became somewhat of a master at using it.
But although he could use a knife he might also need to use his fist. So, he got training for the past week from the one person he knew who could train him on self-defense and fighting, a woman named Jet. When they first met she had been asleep on the front desk and looked dead. He had to carefully tap her on the head to wake up and she had roughly asked him what he wanted as she put together the pile of papers that had fallen or scattered on the desk.
"I want you to teach me self-defense." Sunny before this had no interest in learning self-defense, but he had to now that he was chosen for the games.
"Ahh I see kiddo, well then you came to the right place. People like us need to know how to defend ourselves. Anyway, do you have a knife and cash?" Sunny nodded as he showed her his knife he had gotten from Akio and around the 60 credits he had left.
"That would buy you only a week of training kiddo."
"I only have a week, I've been chosen to participate in the games and-"
"Say no more I understand, I'll make sure to make you a master at fighting once you leave this dingy place." After that conversation they started training.
And by training that meant having Jet kick his ass and learning how to properly swing a punch. By the first day his arms hurt and he was thrown into the floor by Jet as he failed to dodge hee grapple. Jet hovered over him like a demon who felt pity for a small critter.
"My eyes are up here pervert." Jet said jokingly as she laughed.
"Y-your the pervert for thinking I was checking you out!"
"Sure, sure, though I get, after all I am the hottest woman in this dump."
Sunny could definitely agree with that statement, but it wasn't like he would admit that to her! After the first day of training Sunny went back to where he was living for the moment. He often moved around as he made loads of enemies from stealing from people. Once he returned to his apartment he instantly fell sleep on the couch. Their training continued for the rest of the week as he slowly got better and better until he stopped being thrown onto the ground and actually put up a good fight.
"Ah your very talented for your age you know. You could have been a fighter for a fight club if you weren't skin and bones." Jet told him on the last day of his training.
Sunny was drying himself off with a towel as Jet spoke. He didn't see himself as a fighter or ever wanted to be one. He wanted to own a restaurant and be its head chef, he was a good cook whenever he worked at a restaurant and he felt passion whenever people ate his food. Sunny didn't miss how she said "could" as if he wouldn't survive, that didn't exactly bring his hopes up.
"I want to give you some advice before you leave." Jet said nonchalantly putting her towel in a bin. "Try to make a pact with a group of people, no one surivives in the games alone and with your small stature you'll definitely need someone to rely on."
"Your talking as if you participated in the games before." Sunny's eyebrow rose, now curious. Had she perhaps been in the games before and won?
"I haven't ever participated in the games personally since they only target people with nothing. But I've had a uncle who had and they won somehow and told me more or less how the games go. Although when I tried to push for what games they played he couldn't seem to remember."
"I understand then." Jet walked over to him before patting his head.
"Try not to worry to much you've done more than enough to prepare. I'll be damned if you couldn't even get in the top 100 so you better not give up." Sunny wanted to shoo her hand away as he wasn't a child but he didn't. Jet had grown in him in the short time they knew each other.
"Thank you, Jet, for everything you've done for me." Sunny said with a somewhat warm voice, trying to sound grateful.
"Nah don't worry about it, here take this and get yourself a coffee. If you win you better come visit me again you hear?"
"Of course master Jet." Sunny said as he took the credits she gave him and walked away waving at her with a smile.
That was how he could afford a coffee as he waited for the van appear. Suddenly Sunny saw a white-haired girl - perhaps 16 or 17 - walk along the side walk before walking towards him.
"May I sit here?" She asked pointing at the bench.
"Uh sure," Sunny responded, clearly confused but if she noticed his face she didn't seem to care.
Sitting next to him they fell into a awkward silence as they simply sat next to each other. Sunny studied her and tried to analyze her, he did that often when trying to evaluate if someone was a threat or not. She seemed properly cared for and was dressed modestly with no jewelry on. She had a pair of headphones on but Sunny couldn't make out what she was listening to. She seemed to come from the city Sunny guessed. It was rare, but sometimes kids in the city were also chosen. Though most of them had been orphans or chose to enter the games.
So which was she participating too or just sitting here to rest? Well he wasn't about to ask her, mostly due to his antisocial nature but also because he didn't feel like talking. Suddenly Jet's words of advice echoed throughout his mind.
Sunny purposely coughed to get her attention but she seemed to pay him no mind. Sighing and having a tint of red on his cheeks he simply tapped her shoulder. She finally turned her head and took off her headphones.
"Yes?" She asked coldly which made Sunny hesitate responding.
"I… uh… I coughed earlier to grab your attention but I wanted to ask what your doing here?"
The white haired girl seemed to… blush?
"Oh sorry I didn't notice," she said softly before looking him up and down, "assuming from how you look right now you've been chosen to participate in the games?"
Sunny nodded before she continued, "well so am I." She said cut and dry.
Sunny was flabbergasted to say the least. Not only because she was also entering the games, but because she was also antisocial like him. He had thought that he speaking coldly was because she was cool and distant, but in reality she was embarrassed she didn't catch his signal when he coughed! That made him feel more confident on talking to her and possible teaming up with her for the games, after all he had better chances like Jet said in a team rather than alone.
"So if your also going to the games, do you want to team up?" Sunny asked politely.
"No…"
'What!'
"Problem."
"Y-you," Sunny studdered as he was unable to think of the appropriate, or words other than swears, to say to her.
"Me what?" The girl asked coldly again.
"Nevermind… what's your name?"
"Nephis"
"Sunless, but you can call me Sunny."
The girl nodded before turning back around and went back to listening to music as she stared at nothing. Sunny sweared he heard the name before but before he could try and figure out where he had heard it from a black van pulled up in front of them.
The passenger window next to the driver window opened as someone wearing a red tracksuit and a mask baring a O symbol with air filtrations stuck at the bottom of the mask. Sunny found that last part quite odd.
"Miss Nephis and Mr. Sunless?"
"Yes" they both said together which Sunny felt embarrassed about, if she felt the same then her mask of indifference she wore since they met didn't show.
"Password?"
"Red light, green light." They both said in unison.
The driver moved forward a little as the side door opened in front of them revealing two seats available side by side in the middle. Sunny and Nephis got up together as Sunny went ahead of the duo to take a quick inspection inside the van.
Inside were a random group of people sleeping with their heads between the head rests. Turning around Sunny offered his hand to Nephis as she accepted it before pulling herself up and plopped herself into the side seat as Sunny took the middle seat. The side door closed as awakard silence filled the air after all was said and done.
Sunny turned to see Nephis as they exchanged confused looks as to why they haven't moved yet before suddenly white gas filled the van. Before they could even figure out what was going on Sunny felt his eyes grow heavy before falling asleep next to Nephis as their heads bumped into each other.
The driver turned back to see the two to make sure they were asleep before driving away from the park that now stood silent.
***
Sunny woke up to cheery music playing in the background as he slowly got up and lifted himself with his elbows. Looking around he saw two random guys sleeping across from him as he looked down and saw the garments he previously wore gone, now replaced with a green tracksuit with a number on the upper left of his chest.
The number read…
"456"
***
This will have games from both season 1 and season 2 & 3. Will not be updating this for awhile since I'm working on my other fanfic.