Joshua

None of the contestants are allowed in the media office building unless they are specifically summoned, so I am surprised when I see a young man in the green uniform, number 133, roaming around unchaperoned.

His head is turning, looking around the massive empty area, as if searching for something. When he finally spots me, he freezes, surprised.

He’s a scrawny fellow with a round, innocent-looking face. He begins bowing toward me, bowing his head up and down.

“Are you lost?” I ask him. “You’re not allowed in here.”

He bites his lip and averts his eyes, which tells me he knows that he’s not allowed.

“You snuck inside?” I state.

“I’m looking for my friend, Saerom,” he says, changing the subject. “She’s the troublemaker who punched someone this morning. Do you know where I can find her?”

Saerom. The name suits her. There’s something fiery about it that matches her personality so well. I make a mental note of the name and store it in my brain for later.

“She left here a few minutes ago.”

“You kicked her out already?”

“Oh no, she’s back with the contestants. I un-kicked her out.”

His face falls. “Oh.”

“You seem like you want me to kick her out.”

“I would have preferred it if you did, yes.”

“Why though? Don’t you want her to succeed if she’s your friend and all…”

“With all due respect, Mister Joshua, but I don’t think she’s safe here. I just don’t feel comfortable with her competing in a game inspired by something as nefarious as Squid Game. She might get hurt, or someone might take advantage of her! I read all your contracts, I saw all the clauses about indemnity and about all the potential risks this game could have! Not to mention the clauses implying a potential ual elements to the game. That’s a major red flag. It’s like the game is using its power and influence to coerce people into doing whatever you want. So don’t question my devotion to Saerom, because I think my concerns about you and this whole game are more than valid.”

I blink, taken aback by his sudden outburst and by his underhanded comments questioning my character. I feel the need to defend myself, but I don’t know where to begin.

“Sorry,” he says quickly, before I am able to say another word. “I went on a bit of a ramble there.”

I cross my arms. “This is a game for people who want to marry me, not people who want to marry the people who want to marry me. So maybe I should disqualify you. You are breaking the rules by being in this building after all.”

He shakes his head, pouts like a lost puppy, then puts his hands together in front of him. “Please don’t. I’m sorry about what I said. I didn’t mean it.”

“Look, I’m here to find my future wife, not to muck around,” – that’s a lie; I am very much here to muck around – “so I don’t know how I feel about you being here only to go after some girl.”

“I’m not going after her; I’m trying to keep her safe.”

“Because you love her,” I say, accusingly.

At that, 133 goes quiet, dwelling on my accusation like he doesn’t know what it means. “That’s none of your concern,” he says.

“Umm, in case you forgot, both of you are in this game to marry me, so it is very much my concern.”

His jaw tightens, as if he doesn’t have a comeback. He then lowers his head and shrugs his shoulders, defeated. “So, are you going to disqualify me?”

I don’t have much to gain from disqualifying him. Now that I think about it, knowing his feelings for that Saerom girl might make this game a little more fun for me. She’s quite a character, and he’s like her little protector. An interesting dynamic to broadcast to the world. A potential storyline for this show.

But damn, isn’t that Saerom girl lucky? Having this free bodyguard follow her around to make sure she was safe. Would literally put himself through Squid Game for her.

I wish I was around to do that for Chaeyeon.

I wonder how Chaeyeon’s doing. Already there are rumors about my affection for her because people have caught me looking at her. She’s probably having a hard time, being the center of attention getting the cold-eye from other jealous hopefuls.

That's when the idea comes to me; I can’t protect Chaeyeon as the prize of this game, but this guy can. He’s not interested in me as a spouse, which means he won’t have any ill will toward Chaeyeon like all the other contestants would if they knew the truth of my feelings. And asking staff to pay more attention to her will surely attract more attention.

But this guy… he’s inconspicuous, and from what I can tell, he’s pretty honest and decent. He seems a bit scrawny, so maybe not strong enough to protect her in a physical fight, but he can help me identify the people who bully her or make her uncomfortable, and I will immediately disqualify them.

“I’ll cut you a deal,” I tell him.

“What kind of deal?”

“I won’t disqualify you. I’ll let you stay on for as long as you want to stay on. On one condition.”

“What would that be?”

“Be my eyes and ears among the contestants, and pay special attention to one of them.”

“What?”

“Number 41. Chaeyoung. She’ll be in Building 8, so dorm there. Look out for her. If anyone is unpleasant to her, report it to me immediately.”

133 narrows his eyes at me, then crosses his arms and shoots a disapproving look my way.

“She’s the girl you want to marry, isn’t she?”

“That’s none of your business,” I say.

“In case you forgot, I am in a game where the prize is marrying you, so it is very much my concern,” he parrots what I said to him earlier.

“It’s not like you care,” I bite back. “You’re not actually here to marry me. And unless you don’t want to be disqualified, you have to do what I ask.”

“So you created this whole game for this one girl, did you?” he says. “The game is rigged, isn’t it?”

“Tell anyone, and you’re disqualified, and I’ll also sue you for defamation,” I threaten. But I can tell from the way he holds himself, the way his chest seems to relax, that this news doesn’t anger him. On the contrary, he seems relieved. Like a burden has been taken off his shoulder to know that the girl he’s after doesn’t have a chance with me.

And he’s not going to yap about it to anyone. Because at the end of the day, all everyone has to go by is his words, and he’s not going to risk legal issues just to out me.

“Fine,” he concedes. “I’ll do what you say. What’s her number again?”

“41. Chaeyoung.”

He nods his head. “I’ll hang around Chaeyoung, and I’ll report to you if anything seems amiss.”

“Great. I’ll set you up with a phone so you can contact me. Don’t let anyone see the phone.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t fall for her,” I warn him, imagining that he would become her guardian angel and sweep her off her feet like they do in the movies. The thought makes me shudder, but his reaction puts my worries at ease.

He scoffs. “That’s the last thing you’ll have to worry about.”