Chapter 1: The Game

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In a quiet corner of the fictional country of Korea, a little boy sat on the ground in the garden, playing with his soccer ball. His name, like many other children in the preschool, was not easy to remember, and so he wore a pin with the number "287" on it. It was a simple system: children had numbers instead of names to make it easier to organize at the daycare.

287 kicked his ball carefully, watching it roll across the grassy ground covered with small flowers. The sun shone in the sky, and the laughter of other children filled the air. But everything changed when the ball veered into a thorny plant in the garden. The little boy ran after it, but when he picked it up, he noticed that the ball had been punctured. The pressure built up in his eyes turned into tears that threatened to roll down his cheeks.

Before he could let out the first sob, something strange happened. From his perspective, every three-year-old sees adults as giants, but this giant was different. He wore a black hooded robe, and his face was hidden in shadows. The boy stood motionless, staring at the mysterious being with wide eyes. In his hand, the giant held a brightly colored card with geometric shapes on it: a triangle, a circle, and a square.

The giant leaned down and, in a deep but calm voice, said,

"Do you want to win candy? If you like to play, come to the second courtyard. You only need this card."

With curiosity and a little nervousness, 287 took the card. The giant turned around and walked away with slow but firm steps, disappearing through the door that led to the main building. The boy looked at the card in his hands, intrigued by the drawings. He didn't quite understand what they meant, but the idea of ​​winning candy was too tempting to ignore.

287 decided to follow the instructions. He crossed the first yard, where other children were playing on swings and slides, and arrived at the second yard, a less-used area of ​​the preschool. There he found a group of children, all with their respective numbers on pins, forming a circle around a central figure. Their gazes were fixed on an imposing figure in the center, a "giant" whose presence overshadowed everything around him. But this one wore a mask with a circle on his forehead.

He raised his hands, and the murmurs among the children immediately ceased. An inexplicable tension settled in the yard.

"Welcome, little players," he said in a deep, resonant voice that seemed to fill the entire space. "Today you will participate in a special game. The rules are simple: follow the instructions, and if you do well, you will win candy. If you don't follow them…" he paused for a moment, seeming to drag on for too long, "well, you will get nothing. Understood?"

The children nodded excitedly. Some jumped for joy at the word "candy." 287 felt a chill run down his spine, though. There was something about the way the giant spoke, the way he watched them from behind that impassive mask, that made him feel small and vulnerable. No one questioned the rules; after all, how complicated could it be?

The giant raised an arm and pointed to one end of the courtyard.

"Line up here," he ordered.

Without question, the children obeyed, lining up as they exchanged nervous laughs. Across the courtyard, the giant with the circular mask stood before them, like an implacable judge.

"The first game is Red Light, Green Light," he announced, his voice cold and precise. "When I say 'green light,' you may move forward. But if I say 'red light,' you must stay still. If you move when you shouldn't… you are out of the game."

Silence fell like a stone. The giant's words, though simple, had a strange weight, as if they were hiding something the children could not quite understand.

287 gulped, feeling his nervousness growing. He had never been the fastest or most agile at the games. His gaze drifted to the box of candy beside the giant. That shiny treasure tempted him, igniting a spark of determination within him.

The giant raised a green flag.

"Green light!"

The children moved forward quickly, their laughter filling the air as they raced toward the goal. But just seconds later, the red flag was raised.

"Red light!"

The footsteps stopped suddenly. The silence was absolute, broken only by the gasping of the children. Some trembled, struggling to keep their balance. Then, a smaller child stumbled. His body fell forward, and all eyes were fixed on him.

The giant walked slowly toward the little boy. Each step resonated like an echo in the courtyard. 287 held his breath, waiting for… something. But instead of scolding him, the giant picked him up and carried him to a corner, motioning for him to sit outside the game.

"You're out," the giant said, his tone neutral but firm. The boy lowered his head, visibly disappointed. He didn't seem scared, though. The tension eased a little, and the game continued.

The green flag went up again.

"Green light!"

287 moved forward with careful steps, trying to keep his balance with each move. The red flag appeared again.

"Red light!"

He stood completely still, feeling sweat dripping down his forehead. Around him, a few children were muttering under their breath, frustrated at how slowly they were moving. But he couldn't be distracted.

The game dragged on, and the distances seemed to go on forever. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, 287 crossed the finish line. He was panting, his legs shaking, but a smile spread across his face. He had done it.

The giant approached him and, without showing any emotion, handed him a bright red paddle.

"Good job, player 287," he said in a monotone.

287 took the paddle with shaking hands, feeling a mixture of pride and relief. But as he savored his victory, he couldn't shake the feeling that something strange and much bigger was going on behind these games.

The other children who reached the finish line also received their rewards, but some murmured among themselves, stealing glances at the giants. Something wasn't right. And though 287 couldn't put it into words, his childish instinct told him that the games had only just begun.

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