you don't see your family or friends?
the question goes unanswered for a stretch; sae-byeok buys herself some time by readjusting her legs, choosing to tuck them tight into her chest instead, arms wrapped around them at the knees. "not much," she relents, honest without giving too much away. that question, the other's curiosity, needles dangerously close to a softer part of sae-byeok's heart, something that must remain hidden if she wants a chance of leaving these games.
sharp eyes fall then to the roundness of the other girl's stomach, her obvious pregnancy. sae-byeok is reminded of childhood, when her mother's belly started growing round as player 222's. she's reminded of sitting at her mother's feet, awed by the knowledge that her little sibling was within her, waiting for the day to meet them. sae-byeok remembers the excitement and the stress, the running out to the well to fetch water to be boiled to soothe her mother's aches, and of the rare moments she was able to feel her baby brother's faint kicks when her mother pressed both their hands to her swollen belly.
it's so fucked, it nearly makes sae-byeok dizzy. what's a young pregnant girl doing in a place like this?
deflection seems the best option, as sae-byeok knows her answer was neither complete nor satisfactory by any means. rather than explaining further, the taller of the two nods at the other's stomach pivoting the conversation back to her. "what about yours? shouldn't they be taking care of you?"
