Chapter Text
Nam-gyu's hands held the small box tightly; too precious to let go of, to risk losing. Black, tied with a pink ribbon — hiding away his one and only ticket to freedom. His pathway to a life he'd only ever dreamed of before all this.
One billion won. A card with his name on it.
The sole proof of the games' existence as not just a made-up story of his imagination, but as a reality. His reality.
It was his reward for making it out alive.
Myung-gi sighed. Stared at the box, dejected and tired; disappointed with what was, in Nam-gyu's eyes, a treasure. Because it wasn't enough for Myung-gi; it wasn't enough to pay his debts, wasn't enough to help restart his life.
And yet, there was some hope. A flash, a figment of an idea that came to him — and it was wrong, so wrong, but Myung-gi had to do it, because it was the only way to keep himself afloat in a society that rejected him.
It was such a bad call, so stupid, and he knew it all too well, and yet-
"Move in with me, Nam-gyu."
There was silence, chills and - pain. A stinging sensations all over his legs, his arms. Uncomfortable concrete, empty street, darkness. Silence, but not entirely. Shallow breathing coming from somewhere behind him. Mumbled curses.
Myung-gi recognized that voice, that arrogant way of speaking.
Nam-gyu.
He couldn't feel too disappointed about his presence, though, not after being thrown out of a car in the middle of nowhere; not when he first had to stop and take in his surroundings. As much as they hated each other, there was one ultimate truth to their situation:
They were fucked.
Stuck in the middle of some empty road, in the middle of the cold night, with nothing but underwear on, with arms and legs tied up. All alone. Helpless.
"Nam-gyu, we need to take these off. Can you stop mumbling to yourself and help me out?"
"Why the hell should I help you? How do I know that you won't run away and leave me stranded after I free you, huh?"
"Well, how do I know that you won't do that to me if I untie you?"
Nam-gyu was silent.
"We can try and do it at the same time, I guess." Myung-gi sighed, trying to coax the man into finally doing something, into being of use. Because there was no way out if they couldn't cooperate.
"Fine, fuck. Move your ass."
Myung-gi did as told, though he made his dissatisfaction clear. But Nam-gyu couldn't care less about how dissatisfied Myung-gi felt.
It was an unspoken fact between the two of them, something they were were both aware of — the fact that they didn't care about each other.
After all, why would they? Because they were forced to team up inside of that fucked up place? Because they were currently laying in the same dust, on the same concrete, alone and vulnerable?
That wasn't happening. Nam-gyu did not care about Myung-gi, and Myung-gi did not care about Nam-gyu.
"Can you move too? I'm not gonna do all the work." Myung-gi's voice was sharp enough to bring Nam-gyu back to reality, away from his crowded mind.
Nam-gyu said nothing, but he did oblige – not out of a desire to follow the other man's lead, obviously, but because he, too, wanted to be free. His arms had gone numb, his legs were scratched and sore and it was way, way too cold outside.
After a while of struggling - probably longer than either of the men would like to admit; they finally found their way to each other. There was so, so much bare, skin to skin touching and it burned, it hurt, it stung; but it had to be done.
Their restraints both came undone at the same time — because neither trusted the other not to run away after being freed, leaving the other behind. So, they settled on more work; but with an ultimately better result.
"Shit, they couldn't have been a little nicer? My legs are so fucked now."
Myung-gi seemed to pay him no mind, instead reaching for one of the two trashbags that were discarded next to them; bags that Nam-gyu, obviously, failed to notice. But Myung-gi was sharper; or, well, he wasn't drugged up, so he crouched down to inspect the first bag.
And maybe he was at fault for this, but when he noticed a backpack next to the clothes, he couldn't help but reach over to it. Just a peek, he told himself. Because Nam-gyu was so strange, so unknown, and Myung-gi was simply curious.
"Give it back, asshole! Don't touch my shit!"
But Nam-gyu's words didn't reach him in time, and he didn't care anyways, because by the time Nam-gyu spoke up, Myung-gi had already unzipped the backpack.
Nam-gyu kicked the other man and finally took back what was his, what Myung-gi had no right to touch or to even witness.
"What the hell?!" Myung-gi snapped, reaching to soothe his back, where Nam-gyu had just hit him.
"Yeah, what the hell? Why the fuck would you go through my shit, huh?" Nam-gyu spat back, now towering over the man.
"Are you a fucking dealer?"
"What?!"
"Why the hell else would you have so many drugs on you? Why'd you even carry them with you to the meeting spot? Are you stupid?"
"And how is this any of your business, huh, MGCoin?"
"God, you must've been a shit dealer."
Nam-gyu bit back, instead hurrying over to where his bag and belongings where to rummage through them in search of clothes, of cover. Because he was shivering, the cold clearly not faring well on his already poor body.
He could ignore the man and his petty insults, because, at the end of the day, Myung-gi wasn't worth his time. He was nothing more than a useless fuckup. And Nam-gyu had better things to worry about; like the fact that they were practically stranded.
Time was slow and they moved in silence, both happy to finally be wearing clothes - which was such a small, insignificant thing to be grateful for, but they'd already gone through enough in just a week, so every little thing was a blessing in disguise.
After all, just being alive, being outside in the real world, free and relatively safe, was a luxury for the two of them, for all of the 50-40 something scumbags that managed to escape the games.
Nam-gyu was still so angry at the people in there. Not for voting X, but for being such whiny, useless cowards. For surviving even when they didn't deserve to.
Myung-gi let out a small gasp when he finally found his phone, something he thought he'd lost forever. It was (surprisingly) intact, just as he had left it before being taken to that place. Even more shocking was the way it powered on, apparently not drained of battery. For once, the universe was on his side.
He felt Nam-gyu approach him slowly and instinctively stiffened, bracing himself for whatever the man was about to do — for another hit. But, instead of any type of move on his part, all Nam-gyu did was lean over and look at the his phone screen.
Nam-gyu didn't wait for Myung-gi to react, to say something, instead just hovering over the navigation app, despite the other man's clear mix of confusion and displeasure. Myung-gi moved his phone away before Nam-gyu could click anything.
"Stop messing with my phone. Why don't you use yours?"
"I didn't do shit to it, fucker. It's not my fault you're so slow. Just open the damn app."
"I don't care. Go use your own phone." Myung-gi turned away from him, hiding the screen so that Nam-gyu wouldn't be able to peek any longer.
And, really, Myung-gi expected him to throw an insult, scowl, and then go look for his own damn phone. But Nam-gyu did none of that; instead, he refused to move and just frowned, as if waiting for Myung-gi to relent or to forget.
"What are you waiting for?"
"Aren't you gonna check to see where we are?"
"...what? Can't you check for yourself?"
"Dude, you're already holding your shitty phone. It's not that hard, just click on the app and check where we are."
Myung-gi straightened himself, feeling a wave of confidence as everything started to take shape inside of his mind.
"Actually, my phone's really slow. Why don't we check where we are on yours?" He pointed toward Nam-gyu, eyes full of a newfound boldness. Daring him to go on, to reveal himself.
He had a clear advantage.
"What the hell? I don't care how slow it is, just hurry up and check."
"No."
"Wha-" Nam-gyu bit his tongue and turned away, clearly defeated. "Fine, shit. I don't have a fucking phone, man. Can you just check now?"
"Wait, actually?"
"Yes, actually."
"How can you be a dealer without a phone? Isn't that how you guys... I don't know, make clients?"
"Dude, come on, can you just fucking check? We're stranded!"
Myung-gi sat in his own confusion for a little while before finally doing as told; because Nam-gyu was, unfortunately, right. They needed to find a way back into the city quick. They were both clearly exhausted and hungry.
Nam-gyu approached him again, slowly, but this time Myung-gi didn't feel the need to brace himself any longer. He was relaxed, feeling in control of the situation — or rather, in control of his relationship with Nam-gyu. He felt superior.
"Oh, we're not that far away."
"I guess not. We're in a good enough area, so I'll just call a cab to pick us up from here. If we take one together, it'll cost less. Where do you live?" Myung-gi looked up at Nam-gyu, questioning. Not necessarily curious about the man's life, but in need of the information nonetheless.
Well. Myung-gi wasn't exactly curious when he asked, but now he was. Because Nam-gyu could not, for the life of him, come up with an answer. It was almost like he forgot — or like he didn't have an address to begin with.
"Nam-gyu. Your address. Do you seriously not remember that?"
"Shut the fuck up, man. Of course I do."
"Then what the hell is your issue?"
Nam-gyu just stared back at him, still unable to come up with a response; uncooperative, as always. But there was something else there, too; something that looked a little like shame, though Myung-gi could be wrong.
This was Nam-gyu, after all. Shame didn't look good on him, didn't look normal. But it all made sense; Myung-gi figured out what the problem was after seeing Nam-gyu's expression.
"Are you homeless?"
"So what? I'll just get off at the same place as you. Not like it matters much, right?"
"And then you'll go where exactly?"
"I don't fucking know, a hotel? Again, what's it to you?"
"You don't have any money, do you? And, look, I don't know for how long you've been homeless, but you are not going to make it all alone. You can't fight for shit."
Nam-gyu shot him a dirty look. "So what do you propose then, MGCoin?"
Myung-gi sighed, already regretting the words that were about to come out of his mouth; and yet, he still said it.
"I'll let you crash at my place for the night. It's whatever."
"Fuck no." He spat, clearly offended at the mere idea of accepting help from someone as low as Myung-gi. It wasn't like Myung-gi wasn't expecting this reaction, though, but at least he could say that he tried.
"Fine, suit yourself."
They sat in silence until their shared cab arrived, sat in silence all the way to Myung-gi's neighborhood, and then —
Nam-gyu couldn't help but bite his nails in anticipation. He'd been through a lot of things, true, but still — he really wasn't looking forward to sleeping on the streets. Especially not now, when he was already in so much pain, when he was so tired.
Truthfully, Nam-gyu really wanted to sleep in a bed. To be comfortable, for at least one night. Cozy, warm. To be able to eat and drink something, anything, because, fuck — he was so tired, and he never really liked having to actually work for things.
At the end of their ride, Myung-gi got out and started walking away, not paying much attention to Nam-gyu. Because, why should he? Nam-gyu already turned him down, and Myung-gi was not about to plead the man to accept his help. No way in hell.
"...Shit, wait."
Myung-gi stopped dead in his tracks.
"Change your mind?"
"No. I just wanna see where you live so I can doxx your shit online."
Nam-gyu's sudden change of heart actually made Myung-gi smile. He was just so amused by the fact that, at the end of the day, it was Nam-gyu who needed his help.
Nam-gyu was actually asking him for help, even if not outright, and it felt good.
It was so hilarious, watching the man stumble over his words, trying not to embarrass himself. Ego crumbling away as he accepts help from the one person he genuinely, deeply resents. The way he was still trying to brush it off, to make it seem like he wasn't accepting help but doing it out of some ulterior motive.
"Sure."
"Move in with me."
Nam-gyu started laughing, but Myung-gi was dead serious. That realization snapped Nam-gyu back to reality, forced him to confront whatever delusion Myung-gi had concocted inside of his mind.
"Fuck no. You finally lost it?"
"I'm serious, Nam-gyu."
"I can see that, man, that's why I asked if you lost it. Why the fuck would I ever say yes...?" Nam-gyu trailed off his sentence, finally coming to an understanding. "You need the money."
Myung-gi said nothing.
"So that's not enough for you, huh? You greedy fuck, of course you need more money." Myung-gi frowned, opening his mouth to interject, but Nam-gyu was quicker. "Yeah, whatever. But why me?"
He had only stayed there for a day, and yet, somehow, he became Myung-gi's target? They hated each other. It made no sense.
"Because you owe me."
"The fuck? No I don't."
"Nam-gyu, I saved your life inside of those games. I helped you even after the games were over."
"So what? I'm supposed to do whatever you want because of that? Fuck off."
Nam-gyu turned his back to Myung-gi, hand resting on the doorknob, ready to make his exit, and yet —
"Fuck, fine. Just don't go."
Myung-gi was desperate enough to grab onto him, to stop him from leaving, and that alone piqued Nam-gyu's interest.
"Why me? You hate me."
Myung-gi sighed. "I did actually get doxxed before, when everything was still fresh. I had to move because people kept harassing me for money. So, now, if I post an advertisement about needing a new tenant, they'll find it."
He exhaled, out of breath from his rant — "How can I trust a stranger to live here, knowing that they might be one of the people that got scammed? What if they rob me or, I don't know, worse?"
"So you want the guy that hates your guts and wants to kill you to live with you instead?"
"Yeah."
"What the hell? How does that make any sense, dude?"
"Because you didn't kill me while we were in the games. There were no consequences inside of that place, but you still didn't do it. Why would you kill me now, where you'd get caught and locked up?"
"So I'm the only one you can leech off of for rent, huh? Can't trust anyone else?" Nam-gyu laughed in the man's face unashamedly. "Okay... let's say that makes sense, then. Why should I agree? Me owing you isn't a good argument, by the way."
"Don't act like this wouldn't work for you too."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, you have a lot of money now, but how long will it last you? You wanna go back to living in some shabby place? And what about your drug problem, hm?"
"What about it?"
"Wouldn't you rather not have to hide it? You can do whatever you want here. Be noisy, get high all the time, whatever. I don't care. You won't get ratted out."
"Fuck, you're really desperate, aren't you?"
Myung-gi bit his lip, but gave up trying to oppose the man. "Rent won't be a problem for you. A total steal for a place like this."
He swallowed hard, expectantly. Waiting for a reaction, a telltale sign, anything.
"Can't you ask more nicely?" Nam-gyu tilted his head and smiled slightly; a taunt, a little bit of mocking. And Myung-gi was obviously affected, but he didn't have much of a choice but to oblige.
Through gritted teeth, a small 'please' could be heard. Myung-gi was glaring at him, trying to keep his composure and Nam-gyu relished in it — in humiliating Myung-gi inside of his own home.
Nam-gyu let go of the doorknob and extended his arm toward Myung-gi, who just stared. Though, after a few seconds, he understood — and, although reluctant, he shook the other man's hand.
A truce. An agreement.
Myung-gi didn't know why he offered, and Nam-gyu didn't know why he accepted.
Despite their momentary alliance inside the games, they didn't trust each other one bit. They hated each other. And yet, for some reason, Myung-gi still asked, and Nam-gyu still said yes.