07 / exhausted and delirious

                                                                                                Yoo-mi couldn't quite go to sleep yet, even despite the fact that she was literally exhausted. And so, Yoo-mi found herself back outside during the hours before curfew with a cigarette in between her lips. Yoo-mi knew that smoking cigarettes before preparing for a run probably wasn't the best idea. But nevertheless, Yoo-mi needed to decompress the best way she knew how.

                                                                                                Yoo-mi tipped her head back, closing her eyes as she blew out a large puff of smoke. But just as Yoo-mi was doing her best to decompress and relax after a long and stressful day, she'd suddenly be interrupted in the process.

                                                                                                "You're gonna regret that, you know," Second Floor stated, causing Yoo-mi to jolt out of her reverie. 

                                                                                                  She immediately turned around to see Second Floor standing there, approaching the girl with her arms folded across her chest.

                                                                                                 "Gosh, you really are a ghoul. How long have you been standing there for?" Yoo-mi huffed.

                                                                                                 "Just got here," Second Floor shrugs, although it was a lie. She had been lingering in the shadows for a while, watching Yoo-mi. No matter how infuriating she was, there was something about Eighth Floor that kept Second Floor hooked. "Not my fault you don't know how to pay attention."

                                                                                                Yoo-mi chuckles as she prepares to take another drag from her cigarette. "Whatever."

                                                                                               "You mind if I sit here?" Second Floor questioned, motioning towards the merry-go-round.

                                                                                               "Go ahead. I won't stop you," Yoo-mi answered with a nod.

                                                                                                Second Floor sits down on one of the horses on the merry-go-round, manspreading as she made herself comfortable. Yoo-mi blows a puff of smoke to the side, careful to not let it go in Second Floor's direction this time.

                                                                                               "I'm curious about something," Yoo-mi remarked, interrupting the surprisingly peaceful silence between the two of them.

                                                                                               "What?" Second Floor raised a brow.

                                                                                               "Where'd you learn to be so strong? Are you a fighter or something? You must be," Yoo-mi inquired.

                                                                                               "Why do you care? It's not like we're best friends or anything," Second Floor scoffs, looking away from Yoo-mi.

                                                                                               "I've always been curious from a young age. I like knowing as much as possible. So being in a game show like this... it's driving me crazy not knowing all of the hidden rules and stipulations," Yoo-mi frowned.

                                                                                                Every time Yoo-mi felt as though she was close to cracking the code behind The 9 Show, the carpet would be ripped out from underneath her and she'd be back at square one. The game was always changing, and Yoo-mi was doing her best to keep up.

                                                                                               "Not that it matters... but no. I'm not a fighter. But I learned how to fight from a young age. And I occasionally train here and there," Second Floor admits, surprising Yoo-mi. It was far from a full-blown confession, but it was a baby step forward which Yoo-mi appreciated.

                                                                                               "Ah, it explains the muscles," Yoo-mi nods.

                                                                                                "You've been staring at my muscles?" Second Floor teased.

                                                                                                "What? I - Ugh, don't flatter yourself. I'm observant, that's all. I just happened to notice that you were in shape," Yoo-mi quickly reasoned, ignoring the way her face felt so hot all of a sudden.

                                                                                               Although Second Floor noticed just how adorably flustered Eighth Floor had become, she chose not to make a note of it. Second Floor wasn't cruel. "If it wasn't for us sharing meals, I would've thought that you hardly ate at all, Princess. You look so... dainty and fragile, like a porcelain doll."

                                                                                               "I'm not nearly as fragile as I look. I may not have the muscles you do but I'm just as capable of fighting back," Yoo-mi argued.

                                                                                               "I won't argue with that. I barely know you. But what I will say is that you continue to surprise me, Princess," Second Floor remarked.

                                                                                             "I'm starting to think you really enjoy calling me that," Yoo-mi narrowed her eyes.

                                                                                             "And I'm really starting to think you really like it," Second Floor responds, meeting Yoo-mi's gaze with a small grin on her face. "Besides, it's a little better than calling you Eighth Floor all the time."

                                                                                            Yoo-mi chuckles, a small yet amused smile on her lips as she looked away from Second Floor. Second Floor noticed, feeling a strange flutter inside her chest that felt utterly foreign to her. But Yoo-mi's eyes suddenly land on the clock which showed that it was only ten minutes away from midnight.

                                                                                       "Shit!" Yoo-mi hops off of the merry-go-round. "It's almost time for us to head inside. Um, I'll see you tomorrow, Ghoul."

                                                                                         Second Floor gives Yoo-mi a little playful salute, deciding to linger around a little while longer. She watches Yoo-mi as she heads up to her floor, cigarette still in hand. Second Floor then sighs, holding her head in her hands. What the hell was going on with her? And why were her feelings towards Eighth Floor growing increasingly complicated?

( ♾️🔫💵)

                                                                           Feeling guilty for being unable to run the way he could for the others, he decided to take care of everyone's waste and keep it in his room so it wouldn't have to stink up their rooms. Yoo-mi felt awful about it, seeing as his room was already so small and all of the waste would eventually stink up the room. But with First Floor insisting upon it, Yoo-mi thought she didn't have much of a choice.

                                                                           The group was already developing a neat little system, one where those able-bodied were able to take the brunt of the physical work while the weaker ones focused their attention on other menial yet useful tasks that could keep the cycle going. Yoo-mi was happy to keep it going, convinced that it'd all work out perfectly as long as everyone stuck to the plan.

                                                                           Later on, during that same day, Yoo-mi had finished eating inside of First Floor's room. Despite the smells that emanated from the room, Yoo-mi's hunger caused her to block out the smell as much as possible as she quickly finished the food, soon making her way outside where Seventh and Third Floor were. They were talking amongst themselves, and Yoo-mi's curiosity once again gets the better of her, eager to hear exactly what they were talking about.

                                                                              After all, Seventh Floor was arguably one of the cleverer ones out of the bunch. Yoo-mi wanted to form some sort of alliance with him, even if it was small.

                                                                              "What are you two talking about?" Yoo-mi inquired, folding her arms across her chest.

                                                                              "Seventh Floor mentioned something about the time. But I'm still having trouble figuring it out," Third Floor admitted, sheepishly scratching at the back of his neck.

                                                                               "You've noticed it, haven't you?" Seventh Floor replied, looking straight towards Yoo-mi as he held onto his notebook, "Around this time yesterday, the time went up. But now it hasn't budged at all. The team's running the same time every day, but it doesn't seem to be doing much anymore. Something's off."

                                                                               "Do you think there's something wrong with the clock? Or... do you think it's them?" Yoo-mi questioned, leaning in just a little closer while the two of them looked towards the stairs.

                                                                               "It's definitely a possibility. We still don't quite know how these people work," Seventh Floor mused aloud.

                                                                                 Third Floor hums to himself, turning back around to look at the clock. "Just now. Look. Do you see that? It just went up. We got ten minutes."

                                                                                 Yoo-mi follows his gaze and sure enough, she'd see that they did get an additional ten minutes. But it did little to calm her worries. If anything, it only made her feel even more confused.

                                                                                 "But how? No one's on the stairs. Everyone's resting or eating. Did someone go up there?" Third Floor questioned.

                                                                                  "No. At least... I don't think so," Yoo-mi shakes her head.

                                                                                  "Unlikely," Seventh Floor agreed, "We would've seen or heard them. There's something we're missing."

                                                                                  "Maybe there's another way to extend the time, something we haven't figured out yet," Third Floor suggested, rubbing his chin in deep thought.

                                                                                  "We need to keep a closer watch. There has to be a pattern or a trigger we're not seeing," Seventh Floor stated after scribbling into his notebook, probably writing down some note of importance.

                                                                                    Yoo-mi nods, biting her lower lip in deep thought. She had a bad feeling about all of this.

                                                                                    A couple of hours later, Yoo-mi found herself running with the rest of her team. But it seemed as though all of their efforts were truly in vain. The time didn't budge whatsoever and by now, they were all noticing it.

                                                                                   "What the fuck? Is that thing broken?" Second Floor exclaimed, causing all of them to stop in their steps. Yoo-mi was right next to Second Floor, leaning onto the railing as she took deep breaths.

                                                                                   "I told you guys, they're getting stingy. We used to get way more time each day," Fourth Floor complained and for once, she had every right to be frustrated.

                                                                                  "It's barely going up," Sixth Floor managed to get out in between deep breaths.

                                                                                  "Oh, God! Do they want us to run even more?" Fourth Floor shouted. "'Cause that's insane. Shit. We're not Olympic athletes."

                                                                                 "Well, I'm out," Ninth Floor declared, seemingly giving up on the useless task.

                                                                                  "Huh?" Fourth Floor questioned, unsure of whether or not she had heard Ninth Floor correctly.

                                                                                    But Yoo-mi had heard her completely.

                                                                                   "Hey!" Second Floor called out, her frustration getting the better of her.

                                                                                   "I'm done with this running stuff," Ninth Floor remarked, turning around and beginning to walk towards the stairs.

                                                                                   "Are you seriously quitting on us? We can't just stop doing our jobs," Fourth Floor argued.

                                                                                  "Where the hell are you going?" Second Floor inquired, determined to figure out what Ninth Floor's problem was.

                                                                                  "I'm bored, so I'm gonna go to bed. Good luck, guys. See you later," Ninth Floor shrugged.

                                                                                  "Get back here and run with us!" Second Floor demanded.

                                                                                    Ninth Floor turns back around to look at her, still not bothering to try and act like she cared. "Why should I do that?"

                                                                                    "Hey. Since you're Little Miss Moneybags, shouldn't you be working the hardest? You make a whole lot more than the rest of us, and for what? Don't you wanna earn your keep? You want us to do all the work for you," Second Floor retorted.

                                                                                   "Actually, shouldn't you at the bottom be working the hardest? When you think about it, that's your role," Ninth Floor argues, chuckling.

                                                                                   "What?" Second Floor questioned.

                                                                                  "I mean, do the math. You're the ones who don't want to use your personal money, so you've dipped into our shared time to buy stuff," Ninth floor explained, her tone sweet despite being utterly condescending. "TP, wet wipes, all those boring things. You think it's fair 'cause we use our shared time. But our time has different values. A minute's worth a lot more to me than it is to you. After all, our time is money on this show."

                                                                                   Yoo-mi scoffs, but she couldn't deny that Ninth Floor was right.

                                                                                   "Bye," Ninth Floor smiles, waving at them all before she went up the stairs and back up to her room.

                                                                                  "That fucking -," Second Floor began to say, only for Yoo-mi to hold her back.

                                                                                 "She's right," Yoo-mi cuts her off.

                                                                                 "What?" Second Floor scoffs.

                                                                                 "Don't be naive. You had to have figured it out by now. Do you know how much she makes a minute? If the game ends now, she's set for life. Ninth Floor doesn't have to do shit. It's the rest of you that have to work hard to make up even half of what she does. If anyone needs the game to continue, it's you. Not her," Yoo-mi explained.

                                                                                 "What about you? You're just one floor below her and you make a shit ton of money. Are you gonna give up too?" Second Floor questioned.

                                                                                 "I'm nothing like that selfish bitch so no, I'm not giving up that easily," Yoo-mi shakes her bed.

                                                                                   Although Second Floor does her best to hide it, she was relieved to see that Eighth Floor hadn't switched up on her.

                                                                                  "Let's keep at it with the stairs instead of wasting our time arguing.  We need more time or the show will end," Fourth Floor urged, causing the two of them to snap out of it.

                                                                                  "She's right. We'd better go run the stairs too. The time's running out," Fifth Floor encouraged them all.

                                                                                  "Are you sure climbing the stairs gives us more time?" Sixth Floor asked as Yoo-mi started to run, pushing her body even further than before. She was exhausted but Yoo-mi didn't know what else to do, even despite having her doubts about the time.

                                                                                   "What?" Second Floor questioned as she tried to catch her breath.

                                                                                   "It's just strange, is all. We've been running the same amount each day, haven't we?" Sixth Floor continued.

                                                                                    No one bothered to answer, only continuing to run. No one really had an answer, merely hoping for the best. But it was obvious that they were slowly starting to question the little system they had created. Ninth Floor had left, seemingly starting the divide between the higher and lower class. And with the game makers not adding time, the doubt and uncertainty was bound to reach a boiling point.

                                                                                   "I hate that selfish bitch!" Fourth Floor exclaimed out of frustration.

                                                                                    For once, Yoo-mi could agree with Fourth Floor about something.

( ♾️🔫💵)

                                                                                            Hours later, everyone was still running in an effort to make more time. Everyone was both exhausted and delirious, their bodies on the verge of giving up right then and there.

                                                                                            "Fucking hell... I don't know how much more I can take," Yoo-mi groaned, leaning against the wall as she took a break to catch her breath.

                                                                                           "We've been running like crazy, but somehow, we're still losing time," Third Floor stated, frustrated as he and everyone else decided to take a break.

                                                                                           "What if... it just runs itself all the way out?" Fourth Floor asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

                                                                                            "Is this the end? We've been running for over six hours and gained nothing. It's almost midnight; we should head back to our rooms soon," Fifth floor complained, exhausted and weary.

                                                                                           "We've done all we can today," Third Floor reasoned.

                                                                                             A loud clicking noise caught Yoo-mi's attention and she looked over at the clock, making her smile when she saw the change. "The time!"

                                                                                            "What? Oh, it just increased!" Fourth Floor happily exclaimed.

                                                                                             "Huh? What?" Third Floor asked.

                                                                                             "It's going up!" First Floor declared.

                                                                                             "We've got twenty minutes! It just went up by twenty!" Third Floor remarked.

                                                                                             "Must've been a lag in their system. I guess it just needed a second, huh?" Fifth Floor stated, earning a soft laugh from Yoo-mi.

                                                                                             "I knew it. We got scared for nothing. Just a little computer error," Third Floor reasoned.

                                                                                             "This is such a relief. Oh my God," Fifth Floor breathed, unable to hide her genuine relief.

                                                                                             "Well, at least we know running still works," Sixth Floor replied.

                                                                                             "It's getting late," Fifth Floor advised, "Let's all hit the hay, guys. I'm proud of us."

                                                                                               Yoo-mi lazily nods, climbing up the stairs so she could make her way up to her room. She was ready to sleep, hoping that tomorrow would be a lot easier than today had been.

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                                                                                                     Unfortunately, luck was not on Yoo-mi's side.

                                                                                                     The horrified, urgent cries of Fifth Floor were enough to jolt Yoo-mi and everyone else awake. Yoo-mi rushed to get properly dressed, running outside when she heard Fifth Floor urging everyone else to come outside and look outside. Once Yoo-mi made her way outside, her heart sank when she saw the time.

                                                                                                     "I don't think they gave us more time after all. It's almost gone!" Fifth Floor cried, panicking right then and there.

                                                                                                     "We all need to run. Right now!" Eighth Floor exclaimed as he started rushing down the stairs.

                                                                                                     "Oh, God. Yeah, run fast!" Fifth Floor immediately followed suit.

                                                                                                     "What's going on?" Fourth Floor questioned as she left her room, confused about what was going on. "None of our extra work last night stuck? What if this doesn't work? What then?"

                                                                                                     Fourth Floor didn't bother to wait for a response, joining the run alongside Yoo-mi. Second Floor left her room, looking at the clock before joining the run.

                                                                                                     "It's the only option we have. Run as fast as you can, you guys!" Seventh Floor ordered.

                                                                                                     "This is fucking bullshit," Sixth Floor murmured. All of his previous doubts about the time were rearing its ugly head.

                                                                                                     Before they could continue to run, Fourth Floor collapsed on the steps. Third Floor rushed to her aid once he saw her fall and Yoo-mi even paused in her steps.

                                                                                                     "Oh, God!" Third Floor exclaimed and Yoo-mi rushed down the steps as well, seeing that Fourth Floor was now convulsing. It looked as though she was having. A seizure.

                                                                                                     "Fourth Floor!" Fifth Floor exclaimed, concerned over the young girl.

                                                                                                     "She just toppled over!" Third Floor explained, barely managing to keep himself together.

                                                                                                     "How?"

                                                                                                     "I don't know."

                                                                                                     "Let me see. Oh! She's having a seizure. Stop."

                                                                                                     Fifth Floor were taking charge and all Yoo-mi could do was watch, unsure of what to do.

                                                                                                     "What?" Third Floor questioned.

                                                                                                     "A seizure! She has epilepsy. Watch her head," the older woman instructed, just as Second Floor arrived. She'd rush into action, holding Fourth Floor's head to keep her head steady.

                                                                                                     "You have medical training?" Eighth Floor inquired.

                                                                                                     It shocked Yoo-mi how calm Fifth Floor was. But her following answer helped Yoo-mi to make sense as to why. "Yes, I was a nurse."

                                                                                                     "Can she take something?" Second Floor asked before Fourth Floor was carried into the main floor.

                                                                                                     "She needs phenytoin," Fifth Floor responded.

                                                                                                     Yoo-mi rushed over to the intercom, prepared to call it in. But Sixth Floor rushed after, yanking Yoo-mi back.

                                                                                                     "You stay right there," Sixth Floor ordered.

                                                                                                     Yoo-mi snatched her arm away from Sixth Floor, glaring at him. "Don't touch me! She needs the medicine, can't you see that?"

                                                                                                     "We can't afford it, and she won't die," Sixth Floor argued.

                                                                                                     "What?" Second Floor asked, unable to believe what she was hearing. Yoo-mi was equally as stunned.

                                                                                                     "She's not going to die from a seizure," Sixth Floor tried to persuade them.

                                                                                                     "It could damage her brain if it goes on too much longer," Fifth Floor warned them.

                                                                                                     "Think how much it might cost. If we use up the last kfnthe time that's left, that's it. The game is over!" Sixth Floor argued, glaring at both women.

                                                                                                     "If she dies, the game is over! Are you stupid or something?" Yoo-mi argued.

                                                                                                     "I'm getting real sick and tired of you looking down on me like you're better than me. You're here with me. You are on the same level as me, whether you want to admit it or not," Sixth Floor retorted.

                                                                                                     "You're a heartless bastard," Second Floor spat, beginning to head towards the intercom.

                                                                                                     Sixth Floor grabbed Second Floor's arm and Yoo-mi tried to get in between them, only for Sixth Floor to shove her into the ground.

                                                                                                     "Shit! Get your hands off!" Second Floor exclaimed, kicking Sixth Floor in the shin which knocked him down onto his knees.

                                                                                                     She knees him in the chest before punching him and Yoo-mi gets up, kicking him as well for added measure. But Third Floor pulls her away, just as Eighth Floor also stepped in to try and break up the fight.

                                                                                                     Just as Third Floor managed to pull Sixth Floor away, her kick Second and Seventh Floor to the ground. He then flipped Third Floor over but due to Yoo-mi stepping in and grabbing at Sixth Floor, Third Floor was able to get a head start at the intercom. Sixth Floor once again throws Yoo-mi to the floor, chasing afyer Third Floor and punching him right in the face. Third Floor falls and Second Floor grabs Sixth Floor by his hair, yanking him back before he could land another punch.

                                                                                                     Yoo-mi also does her best to hold Sixth Floor back as Seventh and First Floor joined in on the fight.

                                                                                                     Third Floor makes his way over to the intercom, picking up the phone. "We need medicine. Epilepsy medicine! Phenytoin!"

                                                                                                     Now that he made the call, the rest of the group collapsed out of pure exhaustion. There was no need to fight anymore. They had won and Fourth Floor would get the help she needed, even if it meant the end of the game.

                                                                                                     The sounds of Ninth Floor's giddy laughter cut though the silence. She was laughing hysterically, her hands on her knees and her stomach. Everyone turned to look at her, wondering what was so fucking funny

                                                                                                     "This is too good! Haven't you noticed? Stop fighting and look!" Ninth Floor exclaimed, pointing at the clock with a big smile on her lips.

                                                                                                     They'd do just that, amazed by what they'd end up seeing.

                                                                                                     "No way. Forty hours?" Third Floor gasped at the wonderful sight.

                                                                                                     "This is so much fun, isn't it? God," Ninth Floor giggled.

                                                                                                     "It wasn't climbing the stairs that gave us more game time," Seventh Floor remarked.

                                                                                                     "Then what did?" First Floor inquired, asking the question that had been on all of their minds.

                                                                                                     "What's happening? Why'd the time shoot way up?" Second Floor questioned while the others slowly rise up to their feet.

                                                                                                     Seventh Floor looked around at all of the cameras before saying, "What's a show... if it's not entertaining?"

                                                                                                     Yoo-mi glanced up at the cameras, quickly figuring out the unspoken rule of these games. They were the show and as much as they kept entertaining the faceless audience, they'd be rewarded. Their limits were about to be pushed even more, all in the name of sick entertainment.

                                                                                                     The loud noise of the chute caught their attention, everyone watching as it opened up and revealed the very phenytoin needed to save Fourth Floor's life. That only confirmed Yoo-mi's worst fears.

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word count: 3755
notes: ayyy we're getting some more progress with 8f and 2f and now episode 2 is officially done