Baring her forearm, Miyeon stays still while Yuqi tapes the small rectangular device to her skin, barely covering her radial pulse, binding the blue and red wires coming out of it around her arm. Securely. With electro tape. 

Miyeon winces. “Yuqi.” 

“Too tight?”

“Yeah.”

Wires loosening, the binding is redone. The pressure in her arm subsides slowly. Yuqi steps back. “Better? I’ve been recalibrating everything, the electric shock in particular. The sting will be an even lighter pinch than before, you might not even feel it.” 

The tingle running through her arm after every gaming session won’t be missed. 

“And we’re done, it looks good. Though it would look even better if you just let me graft a microreader on your skin. We won’t have to do this every single time,” says Yuqi. 

“I’d take the shock over the graft.”

“To each their own.” Yuqi claps once, “all right, gather around. Listen up, sweaties. And sweetie,” directing finger guns at Soyeon, “we’re talking semantics.” 

Minnie raises her hand. “You mean you’re explaining what virtual world you’ve designed this time around?”

“Damn it, Minnie. Let me have my moment. Anyway, I won’t spoil what’s going to happen, but please don’t sue me if you feel like you’re about to see Jesus. Now hold on tight to your partner and we’ll be on our way in a few seconds.” 

Shuffling closer to Shuhua, awkwardly linking their arms together, Miyeon avoids eye contact. As best as she can.

“First pair out of the maze wins my sincere congratulations!” says Yuqi. 

----

Something is horribly wrong. 

Opening her eyes, the world is too dark, a single light in the distance. Nausea washes over as Miyeon fights the urge to stumble. Pulling on Shuhua’s arm, she remains upright. Only because of the hand on her back, steadying her. 

 She’s dragged to the light. Forcefully.   

Someone is yelling and she can’t tell who it is. The words are a jumbled mess, going in and out her ears, until the world stops shifting, images clicking into place. 

“Hey, watch it!” 

Shaking her head, the familiar hazy stupor muddles her ability to think. Concentrating, she focuses on her surroundings. On Shuhua. Willing the images to be clear. 

Breathing steadily, everything sharpens at once under the torch’s flame. 

Seeing their arms still linked, Miyeon practically jumps away. Creating much needed distance. 

Arms crossed, scoffing, Shuhua is unfazed. “You’re the biggest loser I’ve ever met.” 

“Thanks, the same goes for you.”

“Whatever, let’s get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps,” mutters Shuhua under her breath. That is one thing that she can agree on. It’s too quiet. Apart from the sound of their footsteps, she can’t hear anything else. 

There aren’t any bloodstains on the low ceiling or skeletons chilling on the ground. They can’t see more than two meters in front of them, dim torches pop into view every so often. A couple of doors here and there (which they don’t bother opening). 

Visually and auditorily, the labyrinth isn’t frightening. Miyeon isn’t about to crumple in a heap and rip the microreader off her arm, sending herself back to reality. Electric shock and all.  

Though she should learn to refrain from making assumptions.

She picks up on a grating sound. Like nails scratching on a chalkboard. “Did you hear that?”

“No?” replies Shuhua. Forging onward confidently to the next section of the hallway. Void of torches.

Miyeon follows Shuhua and she thinks she’s going insane. The noise is magnifying. As if it’s right beside her ear. Grinding. “Do you really not hear it?” 

“Hear what?”

Then dizziness returns in spades. 

The walls seem to be shifting up and down, teetering. Reaching forward, pawing for anything, Miyeon grabs onto shoulders. Shuhua’s shoulders? 

And it gets worse because she's pretty sure she hears fiendish giggling, a child’s voice singing about a shark on loop. Disorienting her further.  

But it all ends as she feels a strong grip on her arm, around the microreader digging into her skin, she registers one last thought before losing control. 

She should sue Yuqi after this. 

---- 

Regaining consciousness is an awful experience. Muscles aching, bones cracking as she sits up with a jolt. Sweating. 

Her surroundings are well-lit. 

She’s back in Minnie’s house, no longer in the labyrinth. On the couch.

Clarity shoots through her system as Miyeon takes in her surroundings. Looking left and right. How did she even get here? 

The rest of her friends are knocked out. Clinging to their partners. 

There’s Minnie and Soojin slumped over at the table together. Yuqi and Soyeon lie on their sides on the floor, a few feet away from Miyeon. The four of them still in Yuqi’s demonic maze. 

“You really are the biggest loser I’ve ever met.” And Shuhua. Sitting, back leaning against the couch. The girl isn’t looking at Miyeon. 

Rubbing her eyes, Miyeon blinks, truly at a loss. “What happened?” 

“You started begging on your knees and screamed ‘society has progressed past the need for baby sharks’,” states Shuhua. Bluntly. The girl seems to be telling the truth. “So I disconnected the both of us.” 

Groaning to the heavens, Miyeon drops back onto the couch, covering her face with the back of her hand. She has no recollection of that happening. 

“It’s too bad I didn’t take your picture, you could’ve gone viral in less than an hour.” Shuhua whirls around. In her conceited glory, in her arrogant triumph. Sinister lips tugging upward, subtle enough, yet Miyeon notices. 

Miyeon has no words. She can’t think of an insulting comeback that isn’t straight up profanity. Since she has nothing better to say, she shuts .

“Cat got your tongue?” If it’s even possible, the smirk on Shuhua’s face widens. Infuriatingly so. 

Glaring, drinking in the sharp intensity present in the girl’s eyes, something must be horribly wrong because Miyeon genuinely can’t find a good comeback. 

----

[Yuqi] sorry about yesterday. I guess i fiddled too much with your microreader 

[Yuqi] and it caused hallucinations. 

[Yuqi] And you kind of went insane

[Yuqi] kind of

[Miyeon] I apparently begged on my knees for baby sharks to die

[Yuqi] oh

[Yuqi] That is unfortunate, but at least Shuhua was with you 

[Yuqi] Miyeon?

[Yuqi] don’t leave me on read?    

AN: cyberpunk's release made me update lol

Shuhua has now seen Miyeon at her worst so it can only go up from here?