"I will get what is owed to me."
[This game was a selection, not an elimination.]
Silence followed the storm, a silence where you could almost hear our breaths tumbling together.
The room smelled of grilled meat, still the last blow of the axe, and yet, everything seemed frozen, calm.
Had we become accustomed to violence, to death?
The doll watched us, motionless, her long glass eyelashes lowered like a tender mother before dirty children.
One by one, the survivors got to their feet.
Kim Young stared at his trembling hands, Ray Lee grunted through his teeth, and Kang, right next to me, slowly ran a hand over his face, leaving a white trail of liquid still stuck to his fingers.
Seo Hwan, for his part, was already standing beside us, arms crossed, his gaze as calm as still water.
What an asshole
A metallic "bing" came from my watch.
[New purchase offer, The young buyer with a glass of wine: reveals his real name "dionysus"]
*Accept * Decline
I saw other arms tremble, fingers hesitate.
Kim Young didn't hesitate, despite her serious gaze fixed on the doll. Her thumb slid across the screen before the message even finished, not wasting any time reading it.
Ray Lee too.
Like all the other survivors, he had undoubtedly received offers
Kang, for his part, just shook his head.
And me…
Me,
I just ignored them.
The doll raised her hand. A shower of sparks fell from the ceiling, and her voice became sweet, almost laughing:
[Congratulations to our happy customers on their new purchases! Nothing better than us to start a new game]
Then, her smile widened.
[And… my condolences to the others. Back to square one to hope to return.]
A mechanical laugh escaped his lips.
Behind her, screens lit up, showing the buyers' rooms.
A large, dark room that revealed nothing.
The happiest ones showed off their glasses, showing off their existence.
[Don't worry, dear owners, you'll have other opportunities! To steal their product.]
She spun around, like a dancer on a music box.
Her silky black hair floated in the air.
[And that's how the official launches "the race for the title".]
Kang murmured, almost to himself:
- "We are not products."
Seo Hwan smiled, a smile that was too calm, almost satisfied.
His gaze turned towards me.
- "And you, Ki-Moon? Has no one bought you yet?"
I did not reply.
I looked at my watch:
I feel like I've done too much
I attracted a lot of unwanted attention.
But below the notification, a second, older message was still displayed:
Revolutionary: observe…
I had almost forgotten about it
In the buyers' room, tensions were running high.
men and women in luxurious clothes, seated in gilded chairs, with glasses full of liquid.
And what was being "escorted" outside.
The tone quickly escalated.
- "It's a scandal! Having to start all over again!"
- "These Koreans think they can do whatever they want, refuse my offer!"
"My last chance, it was my last chance!" declared the woman in white.
She stamped her foot
But he was ejected from the room
BIPPPPPP
With the face of the doll that appeared large on the screen
The smile had disappeared from her lips.
[The day you too lose your place, like those little ones, I'll make you join the stage.]
An icy silence fell.
The newest members lowered their eyes.
But not the real ones.
The doll added in a softer, almost singing voice:
[Pay more if you want more. The rules of the world are simple: only those who offer can demand.]
"You're being a little harsh on us," Dionysus whispered, a smile playing on his lips, "and I adore you for that."
[That fits me perfectly]
Then the image faded away, leaving behind only blue reflections and full-screen products.
A nervous laugh broke out from the back.
- "Let's increase the difficulty."
And they all agreed.
My opinions were different
Especially at our level
The products
A vibration ran through the ground.
The walls changed color, going from white to grey.
The doll turned towards us, radiant.
[Dear survivors, congratulations. You have just completed the product selection phase. You now represent your respective buyers. But remember, the survival of your country depends on you.]
[Every step you take from now on will have a repercussion, every death will diminish their prestige, every victory will increase it.]
[But be warned: the court comes first, because he's counting on you.]
She raised her right hand.
A line of light connected our watches to a painting suspended from the ceiling.
Names appeared: "K-10", "K-08", "R-03", "R-07", "K-04", "A-09", "A-04", "A-04", "L-09", "B-05", "B-03", "B-06", "B-01", "K-02"....
A murmur ran through the room.
Seo Hwan, with his arms crossed, seemed to already know the system.
"That's the real game," he said softly. "Countries are nothing but facades. Money is the key."
[That's right!] replied the doll, laughing.
Nations are merely shop windows. The real kingdoms are the wallets that feed them.
She clapped her hands.
[The first round was just a walk in the park. The next one will decide who deserves to move up a rank. And this time, it will be on American soil.]
[ The BEER PONG.]
The walls began to rotate slowly.
The white liquid evaporated, replaced by a red steel floor.
With two large tables in the center on which were scattered about twenty glass glasses and a ping pong ball.
A sentence appeared on the central screen:
"Here we go, my friend."
[THE RULES ARE SIMPLE, TWO TEAMS COMPETE TO THROW A PING-PONG BALL INTO ONE OF THE OPPONENT'S CUPS, IF THE BALL FALLS IN ONE OF THE CUPS THE OPPONENT HAS TO DRINK THAT GLASS, BUT BE CAREFUL IF IT WERE THAT EASY IT WOULDN'T BE FUN, SOME ARE POTTEN ON THEIR DRUG, POISONED, CONTAIN THE ANTIDOTE OR JUST THEIR SIMPLE, FALLING ON A TRICKED GLASS WILL NOT FREE YOU FROM THE ACT OF THROWING, EACH WILL THROW UNTIL THE END OF THE GAME WHICH IS 10 POINTS FOR THE WINNER , ONE POINTS FOR ONE CUPS. And for the other two groups, the bets are open; guess where you'll swap seats.]
The doll closed her eyes, as if to bless us:
[Climb up, my little chicks. Climb until your wings burn.]
I looked at my watch.
The symbol of the Revolutionary shone softly.
I didn't know why, but something told me that refusing wasn't a mistake after all.
Maybe….
Kang placed a hand on my shoulder.
- "Who did you choose?"
"I haven't received any offers," I replied without looking up. "I'll manage."
A shy smile on her lips